Experimental Evaluation of the Failure of a Seismic Design Category - B Precast Concrete Beam-Column Connection System

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

27  Figure 37. Posttest view of SDC-B experimental specimen...center vertical displacement (y2) vs. time (x). .............................................. 28  Figure 40. Posttest front view of the SDC B top...center column. .......................................................... 30  Figure 41. Posttest front view of end columns

Increased syndecan-4 expression in sera and skin of patients with atopic dermatitis.

PubMed

Nakao, Momoko; Sugaya, Makoto; Takahashi, Naomi; Otobe, Sayaka; Nakajima, Rina; Oka, Tomonori; Kabasawa, Miyoko; Suga, Hiraku; Morimura, Sohshi; Miyagaki, Tomomitsu; Fujita, Hideki; Asano, Yoshihide; Sato, Shinichi

2016-11-01

Syndecan-4 (SDC-4) is a cell surface proteoglycan, which participates in signaling during cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, endocytosis, and mechanotransduction, and is expressed on various cells, including endothelial cells, epithelial cells, T cells, and eosinophils. Emerging evidences have suggested that SDC-4 might contribute to Th2-driven allergic immune responses. Here, we examined the role of SDC-4 in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Serum SDC-4 levels in AD patients were significantly higher than in healthy individuals, and they increased according to the disease severity. Importantly, they positively correlated with Eczema Area and Severity Index and itch visual analogue scale scores. Furthermore, serum SDC-4 levels decreased after treatment. We also analyzed SDC-4 expression in AD lesional skin. SDC-4 mRNA levels in AD skin were significantly higher than those of normal skin. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that SDC-4 was highly expressed in the epidermis and endothelial cells in AD lesional skin. Taken together, our study has demonstrated that SDC-4 expression was increased in sera and skin of AD patients, suggesting that SDC-4 may contribute to the development of AD.

Alterations in Corneal Sensory Nerves During Homeostasis, Aging, and After Injury in Mice Lacking the Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan Syndecan-1.

PubMed

Pal-Ghosh, Sonali; Tadvalkar, Gauri; Stepp, Mary Ann

2017-10-01

To determine the impact of the loss of syndecan 1 (SDC1) on intraepithelial corneal nerves (ICNs) during homeostasis, aging, and in response to 1.5-mm trephine and debridement injury. Whole-mount corneas are used to quantify ICN density and thickness over time after birth and in response to injury in SDC1-null and wild-type (WT) mice. High-resolution three-dimensional imaging is used to visualize intraepithelial nerve terminals (INTs), axon fragments, and lysosomes in corneal epithelial cells using antibodies against growth associated protein 43 (GAP43), βIII tubulin, and LAMP1. Quantitative PCR was performed to quantify expression of SDC1, SDC2, SDC3, and SDC4 in corneal epithelial mRNA. Phagocytosis was assessed by quantifying internalization of fluorescently labeled 1-μm latex beads. Intraepithelial corneal nerves innervate the corneas of SDC1-null mice more slowly. At 8 weeks, ICN density is less but thickness is greater. Apically projecting intraepithelial nerve terminals and lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 1 (LAMP1) are also reduced in unwounded SDC1-null corneas. Quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence studies show that SDC3 expression and localization are increased in SDC1-null ICNs. Wild-type and SDC1-null corneas lose ICN density and thickness as they age. Recovery of axon density and thickness after trephine but not debridement wounds is slower in SDC1-null corneas compared with WT. Experiments assessing phagocytosis show reduced bead internalization by SDC1-null epithelial cells. Syndecan-1 deficiency alters ICN morphology and homeostasis during aging, reduces epithelial phagocytosis, and impairs reinnervation after trephine but not debridement injury. These data provide insight into the mechanisms used by sensory nerves to reinnervate after injury.

Smallest detectable change and test-retest reliability of a self-reported outcome measure: Results of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and 12-item General Health Questionnaire.

PubMed

Ohno, Shotaro; Takahashi, Kana; Inoue, Aimi; Takada, Koki; Ishihara, Yoshiaki; Tanigawa, Masaru; Hirao, Kazuki

2017-12-01

This study aims to examine the smallest detectable change (SDC) and test-retest reliability of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). We tested 154 young adults at baseline and 2 weeks later. We calculated the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) for test-retest reliability with a two-way random effects model for agreement. We then calculated the standard error of measurement (SEM) for agreement using the ICC formula. The SEM for agreement was used to calculate SDC values at the individual level (SDC ind ) and group level (SDC group ). The study participants included 137 young adults. The ICCs for all self-reported outcome measurement scales exceeded 0.70. The SEM of CES-D was 3.64, leading to an SDC ind of 10.10 points and SDC group of 0.86 points. The SEM of GSES was 1.56, leading to an SDC ind of 4.33 points and SDC group of 0.37 points. The SEM of GHQ-12 with bimodal scoring was 1.47, leading to an SDC ind of 4.06 points and SDC group of 0.35 points. The SEM of GHQ-12 with Likert scoring was 2.44, leading to an SDC ind of 6.76 points and SDC group of 0.58 points. To confirm that the change was not a result of measurement error, a score of self-reported outcome measurement scales would need to change by an amount greater than these SDC values. This has important implications for clinicians and epidemiologists when assessing outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Syndecan-1-Dependent Suppression of PDK1/Akt/Bad Signaling by Docosahexaenoic Acid Induces Apoptosis in Prostate Cancer1

PubMed Central

Hu, Yunping; Sun, Haiguo; Owens, Rick T; Gu, Zhennan; Wu, Jansheng; Chen, Yong Q; O'Flaherty, Joseph T; Edwards, Iris J

2010-01-01

Evidence indicates that diets enriched in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) reduce the risk of prostate cancer, but biochemical mechanisms are unclear. Syndecan-1 (SDC-1), a transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan, supports the integrity of the epithelial compartment. In tumor cells of epithelial lineage, SDC-1 is generally downregulated. This may result in perturbation of homeostasis and lead to progression of malignancy. Our studies have shown that the n-3 PUFA species, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), increases SDC-1 expression in prostate tissues of Pten knockout (PtenP-/-) mice/cells and human prostate cancer cells. We have now determined that DHA-mediated up-regulation of SDC-1 induces apoptosis. Bovine serum albumin-bound DHA and exogenous human recombinant SDC-1 ecotodomain were delivered to PC3 and LNCaP cells in the presence or absence of SDC-1 small interfering (si)RNA. In the presence of control siRNA, both DHA and SDC-1 ectodomain induced apoptosis, whereas SDC-1 silencing blocked DHA-induced but not SDC-1 ectodomain-induced apoptosis. Downstream effectors of SDC-1 signaling linked to n-3 PUFA-induced apoptosis involved the 3′-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1)/Akt/Bad integrating network. A diet enriched in n-3 PUFA decreased phosphorylation of PDK1, Akt (T308), and Bad in prostates of PtenP-/- mice. Similar results were observed in human prostate cancer cells in response to DHA and SDC-1 ectodomain. The effect of DHA on PDK1/Akt/Bad signaling was abrogated by SDC-1 siRNA. These findings define a mechanism by which SDC-1-dependent suppression of phosphorylation of PDK1/Akt/Bad mediates n-3 PUFA-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer. PMID:20927321

A solid phospholipid-bile salts-mixed micelles based on the fast dissolving oral films to improve the oral bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Qing-yuan; Li, Xian-yi; Shen, Bao-de; Dai, Ling; Xu, He; Shen, Cheng-ying; Yuan, Hai-long; Han, Jin

2014-06-01

The phospholipid-bile salts-mixed micelles (PL-BS-MMs) are potent carriers used for oral absorption of drugs that are poorly soluble in water; however, there are many limitations associated with liquid formulations. In the current study, the feasibility of preparing the fast dissolving oral films (FDOFs) containing PL-BS-MMs was examined. FDOFs incorporated with Cucurbitacin B (Cu B)-loaded PL-sodium deoxycholate (SDC)-MMs have been developed and characterized. To prepare the MMs and to serve as the micellar carrier, a weight ratio of 1:0.8 and total concentration of 54 mg/mL was selected for the PL/SDC based on the size, size distribution, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and morphology. The concentration of Cu B was determined to be 5 mg/mL. Results showed that a narrow size distributed nanomicelles with a mean particle size of 86.21 ± 6.11 nm and a zeta potential of -31.21 ± 1.17 mV was obtained in our optimized Cu B-PL/SDC-MMs formulation. FDOFs were produced by solvent casting method and the formulation with 50 mg/mL of pullulan and 40 mg/mL of PEG 400 were deemed based on the physico-mechanical properties. The FDOFs containing Cu B-PL/SDC-MMs were easily reconstituted in a transparent and clear solution giving back a colloidal system with spherical micelles in the submicron range. In the in vitro dissolution test, the FDOFs containing Cu B-PL/SDC-MMs showed an increased dissolution velocity markedly. The pharmacokinetics study showed that the FDOFs containing PL-SDC-MMs not only kept the absorption properties as same as the PL-SDC-MMs, but also significantly increased the oral bioavailability of Cu B compared to the Cu B suspension ( p < 0.05). This study showed that the FDOFs containing Cu B-PL/SDC-MMs could represent a novel platform for the delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs via oral administration. Furthermore, the integration with the FDOFs could also provide a simple and cost-effective manner for the solidification of PL-SDC-MMs.

A Gas Dynamics Method Based on The Spectral Deferred Corrections (SDC) Time Integration Technique and The Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM)

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

Samet Y. Kadioglu

2011-12-01

We present a computational gas dynamics method based on the Spectral Deferred Corrections (SDC) time integration technique and the Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM) finite volume method. The PPM framework is used to define edge averaged quantities which are then used to evaluate numerical flux functions. The SDC technique is used to integrate solution in time. This kind of approach was first taken by Anita et al in [17]. However, [17] is problematic when it is implemented to certain shock problems. Here we propose significant improvements to [17]. The method is fourth order (both in space and time) for smooth flows,more » and provides highly resolved discontinuous solutions. We tested the method by solving variety of problems. Results indicate that the fourth order of accuracy in both space and time has been achieved when the flow is smooth. Results also demonstrate the shock capturing ability of the method.« less

Preparation of Sm-doped ceria (SDC) nanowires and tubes by gas-liquid co-precipitation at room temperature

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

Gu Lina; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui University, 230039 Hefei; Meng Guangyao

Sm-doped cerium dioxide (SDC) with fcc structure was formed using a gas-liquid chemical co-precipitation process at room temperature. Morphology and structure of the as-prepared samples were characterized using TG, XRD, TEM, HRTEM and SAED techniques. Under our specific experimental conditions, two kinds of 1D nano-structures SDC have been mainly obtained. SDC nanowires are 0.3-1.2 {mu}m in lengths and 5-20 nm in diameters. SDC nanotubes have outer diameters in 10-40 nm with lengths up to 2 {mu}m. The as-prepared SDC shows very strong UV absorption ability and the maximum absorption peak redshifts compared with that of SDC nanoparticles.

Syndecan-1 knockdown inhibits glioma cell proliferation and invasion by deregulating a c-src/FAK-associated signaling pathway.

PubMed

Shi, Shuang; Zhong, Dong; Xiao, Yao; Wang, Bing; Wang, Wentao; Zhang, Fu'an; Huang, Haoyang

2017-06-20

Recent studies have shown that increased syndecan-1 (SDC1) expression in human glioma is associated with higher tumor grades and poor prognoses, but its oncogenic functions and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we examined SDC1 expression in datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus. Elevated SDC1 expression in glioma was closely associated with increases in tumor progression and shorter survival. We also examined SDC1 expression and evaluated the effects of stable SDC1 knockdown in glioma cell lines. SDC1 knockdown attenuated proliferation and invasion by glioma cells and markedly decreased PCNA and MMP-9 mRNA and protein expression. In a xenograft model, SDC1 knockdown suppressed the tumorigenic effects of U87 cells in vivo. SDC1 knockdown decreased phosphorylation of the c-src/FAK complex and its downstream signaling molecules, Erk, Akt and p38 MAPK. These results suggest that SDC1 may be a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of glioma.

The effect of measuring serum doxycycline concentrations on clinical outcomes during treatment of chronic Q fever.

PubMed

van Roeden, S E; Bleeker-Rovers, C P; Kampschreur, L M; de Regt, M J A; Vermeulen Windsant, A; Hoepelman, A I M; Wever, P C; Oosterheert, J J

2018-04-01

First choice treatment for chronic Q fever is doxycycline plus hydroxychloroquine. Serum doxycycline concentration (SDC) >5 μg/mL has been associated with a favourable serological response, but the effect on clinical outcomes is unknown. To assess the effect of measuring SDC during treatment of chronic Q fever on clinical outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study, to assess the effect of measuring SDC on clinical outcomes in patients treated with doxycycline and hydroxychloroquine for chronic Q fever. Primary outcome was the first disease-related event (new complication or chronic Q fever-related mortality); secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and PCR-positivity. Multivariable analysis was performed with a Cox proportional hazards model, with shared-frailty terms for different hospitals included. We included 201 patients (mean age 68 years, 83% male): in 167 patients (83%) SDC was measured, 34 patients (17%) were treated without SDC measurement. First SDC was >5 μg/mL in 106 patients (63%), all with 200 mg doxycycline daily. In patients with SDC measured, dosage was adjusted in 41% (n = 68), concerning an increase in 64 patients. Mean SDC was 4.1 μg/mL before dosage increase, and 5.9 μg/mL afterwards. SDC measurement was associated with a lower risk for disease-related events (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.26-0.97, P = 0.04), but not with all-cause mortality or PCR-positivity. SDC measurement decreases the risk for disease-related events, potentially through more optimal dosing or improved compliance. We recommend measurement of SDC and striving for SDC >5 μg/mL and <10 μg/mL during treatment of chronic Q fever.

Loss of Syndecan-1 Abrogates the Pulmonary Protective Phenotype Induced by Plasma After Hemorrhagic Shock.

PubMed

Wu, Feng; Peng, Zhanglong; Park, Pyong Woo; Kozar, Rosemary A

2017-09-01

Syndecan-1 (Sdc1) is considered a biomarker of injury to the endothelial glycocalyx following hemorrhagic shock, with shedding of Sdc1 deleterious. Resuscitation with fresh frozen plasma (FFP) has been correlated with restitution of pulmonary Sdc1 and reduction of lung injury, but the precise contribution of Sdc1 to FFPs protection in the lung remains unclear. Human lung endothelial cells were used to assess the time and dose-dependent effect of FFP on Sdc1 expression and the effect of Sdc1 silencing on in vitro endothelial cell permeability and actin stress fiber formation. Wild-type and Sdc1 mice were subjected to hemorrhagic shock followed by resuscitation with lactated Ringers (LR) or FFP and compared with shock alone and shams. Lungs were harvested after 3 h for analysis of permeability, histology, and inflammation and for measurement of syndecan- 2 and 4 expression. In vitro, FFP enhanced pulmonary endothelial Sdc1 expression in time- and dose-dependent manners and loss of Sdc1 in pulmonary endothelial cells worsened permeability and stress fiber formation by FFP. Loss of Sdc1 in vivo led to equivalency between LR and FFP in restoring pulmonary injury, inflammation, and permeability after shock. Lastly, Sdc1 mice demonstrated a significant increase in pulmonary syndecan 4 expression after hemorrhagic shock and FFP-based resuscitation. Taken together, our findings support a key role for Sdc1 in modulating pulmonary protection by FFP after hemorrhagic shock. Our results also suggest that other members of the syndecan family may at least be contributing to FFP's effects on the endothelium, an area that warrants further investigation.

Physical fitness and academic performance in primary school children with and without a social disadvantage.

PubMed

de Greeff, J W; Hartman, E; Mullender-Wijnsma, M J; Bosker, R J; Doolaard, S; Visscher, C

2014-10-01

This study examined the differences between children with a low socioeconomic status [socially disadvantaged children (SDC)] and children without this disadvantage (non-SDC) on physical fitness and academic performance. In addition, this study determined the association between physical fitness and academic performance, and investigated the possible moderator effect of SDC. Data on 544 children were collected and analysed (130 SDC, 414 non-SDC, mean age = 8.0 ± 0.7). Physical fitness was measured with tests for cardiovascular and muscular fitness. Academic performance was evaluated using scores on mathematics, spelling and reading. SDC did not differ on physical fitness, compared with non-SDC, but scored significantly lower on academic performance. In the total group, multilevel analysis showed positive associations between cardiovascular fitness and mathematics (β = 0.23), and between cardiovascular fitness and spelling (β = 0.16), but not with reading. No associations were found between muscular fitness and academic performance. A significant interaction effect between SDC and cardiovascular fitness was found for spelling. To conclude, results showed a specific link between cardiovascular fitness and mathematics, regardless of socioeconomic status. SDC did moderate the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and spelling. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dosage compensation proteins targeted to X chromosomes by a determinant of hermaphrodite fate.

PubMed

Dawes, H E; Berlin, D S; Lapidus, D M; Nusbaum, C; Davis, T L; Meyer, B J

1999-06-11

In many organisms, master control genes coordinately regulate sex-specific aspects of development. SDC-2 was shown to induce hermaphrodite sexual differentiation and activate X chromosome dosage compensation in Caenorhabditis elegans. To control these distinct processes, SDC-2 acts as a strong gene-specific repressor and a weaker chromosome-wide repressor. To initiate hermaphrodite development, SDC-2 associates with the promoter of the male sex-determining gene her-1 to repress its transcription. To activate dosage compensation, SDC-2 triggers assembly of a specialized protein complex exclusively on hermaphrodite X chromosomes to reduce gene expression by half. SDC-2 can localize to X chromosomes without other components of the dosage compensation complex, suggesting that SDC-2 targets dosage compensation machinery to X chromosomes.

Workshop on data acquisition and trigger system simulations for high energy physics

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

NONE

1992-12-31

This report discusses the following topics: DAQSIM: A data acquisition system simulation tool; Front end and DCC Simulations for the SDC Straw Tube System; Simulation of Non-Blocklng Data Acquisition Architectures; Simulation Studies of the SDC Data Collection Chip; Correlation Studies of the Data Collection Circuit & The Design of a Queue for this Circuit; Fast Data Compression & Transmission from a Silicon Strip Wafer; Simulation of SCI Protocols in Modsim; Visual Design with vVHDL; Stochastic Simulation of Asynchronous Buffers; SDC Trigger Simulations; Trigger Rates, DAQ & Online Processing at the SSC; Planned Enhancements to MODSEM II & SIMOBJECT -- anmore » Overview -- R.; DAGAR -- A synthesis system; Proposed Silicon Compiler for Physics Applications; Timed -- LOTOS in a PROLOG Environment: an Algebraic language for Simulation; Modeling and Simulation of an Event Builder for High Energy Physics Data Acquisition Systems; A Verilog Simulation for the CDF DAQ; Simulation to Design with Verilog; The DZero Data Acquisition System: Model and Measurements; DZero Trigger Level 1.5 Modeling; Strategies Optimizing Data Load in the DZero Triggers; Simulation of the DZero Level 2 Data Acquisition System; A Fast Method for Calculating DZero Level 1 Jet Trigger Properties and Physics Input to DAQ Studies.« less

Quality of requests for serum digoxin concentrations: experience from an Australian regional health service.

PubMed

Ellington, Chris; Grgurinovich, Nick; Miners, John O; Mangoni, Arduino A

2007-05-01

* Therapeutic drug monitoring of serum digoxin concentrations (SDC) is considered useful in enhancing the therapeutic benefits of digoxin and minimizing the incidence of adverse drug reactions. * The quality of requests for SDC has been reported to be generally unsatisfactory. However, studies have focused on few information parameters. * A better knowledge of these issues might be useful to target appropriate areas of weakness within heathcare systems. * The poor quality of the information in SDC requests involves a wide range of codes from the contact details of the requester to the time interval between the last dose of digoxin and blood sampling. * Misuse of the therapeutic drug monitoring service is common across different specialties and healthcare settings. To assess the quality of the information provided with serum digoxin concentration (SDC) requests received by a therapeutic drug monitoring service in a regional health service. We conducted a retrospective audit of a consecutive series of 685 SDC requests during a 7-month period. Information regarding (i) contact details, (ii) reasons for request, (iii) dose, (iv) route of administration, (v) concurrent therapy, (vi) treatment duration and (vii) time interval between the last dose and sampling was reviewed and coded as appropriate or inappropriate/missing. Data were analysed according to the origin of request, i.e. from different specialties/wards (emergency department and critical care, cardiology and coronary care unit, medicine and aged care, surgery, and general/private practice) and healthcare settings (teaching hospital, geriatric hospital and general/private practice). The quality of SDC requests was generally poor across different specialties and healthcare settings. The information provided for the coded parameters was appropriate only in 19.1% (i), 6.4% (ii), 54.7% (iii), 45.8% (iv), 12.8% (v), 32.9% (vi) and 47.1% (vii) of cases. No SDC request was complete in all the information codes. SDC requests from general/private practice lacked more often details regarding the dose (information provided in 46.7% of requests, P = 0.007 vs. other specialties; P = 0.02 vs. other settings) and the route of administration (20.0%, P < 0.001 vs. other specialties and vs. other settings). SDC requests from the emergency department and critical care unit lacked more often details regarding the treatment duration (22.6%, P < 0.001 vs. other specialties) and the time interval between the last dose and blood sampling (40.1%, P = 0.01 vs. other specialties). The quality of the information in SDC requests is poor across different specialties and healthcare settings. Educational strategies to ensure the appropriate use of this service are urgently needed.

Quality of requests for serum digoxin concentrations: experience from an Australian Regional Health Service

PubMed Central

Ellington, Chris; Grgurinovich, Nick; Miners, John O; Mangoni, Arduino A

2007-01-01

What is already known about this subject Therapeutic drug monitoring of serum digoxin concentrations (SDC) is considered useful in enhancing the therapeutic benefits of digoxin and minimizing the incidence of adverse drug reactions. The quality of requests for SDC has been reported to be generally unsatisfactory. However, studies have focused on few information parameters. A better knowledge of these issues might be useful to target appropriate areas of weakness within heathcare systems. What this study adds The poor quality of the information in SDC requests involves a wide range of codes from the contact details of the requester to the time interval between the last dose of digoxin and blood sampling. Misuse of the therapeutic drug monitoring service is common across different specialties and healthcare settings. Aims To assess the quality of the information provided with serum digoxin concentration (SDC) requests received by a therapeutic drug monitoring service in a regional health service. Methods We conducted a retrospective audit of a consecutive series of 685 SDC requests during a 7-month period. Information regarding (i) contact details, (ii) reasons for request, (iii) dose, (iv) route of administration, (v) concurrent therapy, (vi) treatment duration and (vii) time interval between the last dose and sampling was reviewed and coded as appropriate or inappropriate/missing. Data were analysed according to the origin of request, i.e. from different specialties/wards (emergency department and critical care, cardiology and coronary care unit, medicine and aged care, surgery, and general/private practice) and healthcare settings (teaching hospital, geriatric hospital and general/private practice). Results The quality of SDC requests was generally poor across different specialties and healthcare settings. The information provided for the coded parameters was appropriate only in 19.1% (i), 6.4% (ii), 54.7% (iii), 45.8% (iv), 12.8% (v), 32.9% (vi) and 47.1% (vii) of cases. No SDC request was complete in all the information codes. SDC requests from general/private practice lacked more often details regarding the dose (information provided in 46.7% of requests, P = 0.007 vs. other specialties; P = 0.02 vs. other settings) and the route of administration (20.0%, P < 0.001 vs. other specialties and vs. other settings). SDC requests from the emergency department and critical care unit lacked more often details regarding the treatment duration (22.6%, P < 0.001 vs. other specialties) and the time interval between the last dose and blood sampling (40.1%, P = 0.01 vs. other specialties). Conclusions The quality of the information in SDC requests is poor across different specialties and healthcare settings. Educational strategies to ensure the appropriate use of this service are urgently needed. PMID:17073890

Analysis on the expression and function of syndecan in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

PubMed

Yang, Hui; Li, Shihao; Li, Fuhua; Wen, Rong; Xiang, Jianhai

2015-08-01

Syndecan is considered to be a multifunctional protein which functions as a cell surface receptor involved in cell adhesion, migration, cytoskeleton organization and differentiation. Previous bioinformatic analysis has revealed that syndecan in shrimp might interact with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). In the present study, we experimentally studied the function of syndecan in shrimp immunity. The syndecan from Litopenaeus vannamei (LvSDC) was cloned and analyzed. The full-length cDNA of LvSDC was 1005 bp, consisting of 59 bp 5'-UTR, 253 bp 3'-UTR, and 693 bp open reading frame encoding 230 amino acids. LvSDC consisted of an extracellular domain (ED), a transmembrane domain (TM) and a cytoplasmic domain (CD). TM and CD shared high similarities with those of syndecan proteins from other species. LvSDC was ubiquitously expressed in all tested tissues, with the highest level in Oka. After WSSV challenge, the transcription level of LvSDC in Oka was apparently up-regulated. Recombinant LvSDC protein and its rabbit polyclonal antibody were prepared for detecting the location of LvSDC in hemocytes using immunocytochemistry approach. Data showed that LvSDC mainly located at the cell membrane and the cytoplasm of hemocytes. After silencing of LvSDC with siRNA, the WSSV copy numbers and mortality of shrimp after WSSV infection were both significantly decreased. These data provide useful information for understanding the immune mechanism of shrimp to WSSV infection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Syndecan-1 suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migration in human oral cancer cells.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaofeng; He, Jinting; Zhao, Xiaoming; Qi, Tianyang; Zhang, Tianfu; Kong, Chenfei

2018-04-01

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is one of the major processes that contribute to the occurrence of cancer metastasis. EMT has been associated with the development of oral cancer. Syndecan‑1 (SDC1) is a key cell‑surface adhesion molecule and its expression level inversely correlates with tumor differentiation and prognosis. In the present study, we aimed to determine the role of SDC1 in oral cancer progression and investigate the molecular mechanisms through which SDC1 regulates the EMT and invasiveness of oral cancer cells. We demonstrated that basal SDC1 expression levels were lower in four oral cancer cell lines (KB, Tca8113, ACC2 and CAL‑27), than in normal human periodontal ligament fibroblasts. Ectopic overexpression of SDC1 resulted in morphological transformation, decreased expression of EMT‑associated markers, as well as decreased migration, invasiveness and proliferation of oral cancer cells. In contrast, downregulation of the expression of SDC1 caused the opposite results. Furthermore, the knockdown of endogenous SDC1 activated the extracellular signal‑regulated kinase (ERK) cascade, upregulated the expression of Snail and inhibited the expression of E‑cadherin. In conclusion, our findings revealed that SDC1 suppressed EMT via the modulation of the ERK signaling pathway that, in turn, negatively affected the invasiveness of human oral cancer cells. Our results provided useful evidence about the potential use of SDC1 as a molecular target for therapeutic interventions in human oral cancer.

The importance of SERINE DECARBOXYLASE1 (SDC1) and ethanolamine biosynthesis during embryogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Yunus, Ian Sofian; Liu, Yu-Chi; Nakamura, Yuki

2016-11-01

In plants, ethanolamine is considered a precursor for the synthesis of choline, which is an essential dietary nutrient for animals. An enzyme serine decarboxylase (SDC) has been identified and characterized in Arabidopsis, which directly converts serine to ethanolamine, a precursor to phosphorylethanolamine and its subsequent metabolites in plants. However, the importance of SDC and ethanolamine production in plant growth and development remains unclear. Here, we show that SDC is required for ethanolamine biosynthesis in vivo and essential in plant embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. The knockout of SDC1 caused an embryonic lethal defect due to the developmental arrest of the embryos at the heart stage. During embryo development, the expression was observed at the later stages, at which developmental defect occurred in the knockout mutant. Overexpression of SDC1 in planta increased levels of ethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine both in leaves and siliques. These results suggest that SDC1 plays an essential role in ethanolamine biosynthesis during the embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. © 2016 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The catalytic activity for ginkgolic acid biodegradation, homology modeling and molecular dynamic simulation of salicylic acid decarboxylase.

PubMed

Hu, Yanying; Hua, Qingyuan; Sun, Guojuan; Shi, Kunpeng; Zhang, Huitu; Zhao, Kai; Jia, Shiru; Dai, Yujie; Wu, Qingli

2018-05-02

The toxic ginkgolic acids are the main safety concern for the application of Ginkgo biloba. In this study, the degradation ability of salicylic acid decarboxylase (SDC) for ginkgolic acids was examined using ginkgolic acid C15:1 as a substrate. The results indicated that the content of ginkgolic acid C15:1 in Ginkgo biloba seeds was significantly decreased after 5 h treatment with SDC at 40 °Cand pH 5.5. In order to explore the structure of SDC and the interaction between SDC and substrates, homology modeling, molecular docking and molecular dynamics were performed. The results showed that SDC might also have a catalytic active center containing a Zn 2+ . Compared with the template structure of 2,6-dihydroxybenzoate decarboxylase, the residues surrounding the binding pocket, His10, Phe23 and Phe290, were replaced by Ala10, Tyr27 and Tyr301 in the homology constructed structure of SDC, respectively. These differences may significantly affect the substrates adaptability of SDC for salicylic acid derivatives. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Syndecan-1 regulates adipogenesis: new insights in dedifferentiated liposarcoma tumorigenesis.

PubMed

Zaragosi, Laure-Emmanuelle; Dadone, Bérengère; Michiels, Jean-François; Marty, Marion; Pedeutour, Florence; Dani, Christian; Bianchini, Laurence

2015-01-01

Syndecan-1 (SDC1/CD138) is one of the main cell surface proteoglycans and is involved in crucial biological processes. Only a few studies have analyzed the role of SDC1 in mesenchymal tumor pathogenesis. In particular, its involvement in adipose tissue tumors has never been investigated. Dedifferentiated liposarcoma, one of the most frequent types of malignant adipose tumors, has a high potential of recurrence and metastastic evolution. Classical chemotherapy is inefficient in metastatic dedifferentiated liposarcoma and novel biological markers are needed for improving its treatment. In this study, we have analyzed the expression of SDC1 in well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcomas and showed that SDC1 is highly overexpressed in dedifferentiated liposarcoma compared with normal adipose tissue and lipomas. Silencing of SDC1 in liposarcoma cells impaired cell viability and proliferation. Using the human multipotent adipose-derived stem cell model of human adipogenesis, we showed that SDC1 promotes proliferation of undifferentiated adipocyte progenitors and inhibits their adipogenic differentiation. Altogether, our results support the hypothesis that SDC1 might be involved in liposarcomagenesis. It might play a prominent role in the dedifferentiation process occurring when well-differentiated liposarcoma progress to dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Targeting SDC1 in these tumors might provide a novel therapeutic strategy. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Heparanase and Syndecan-4 Are Involved in Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan-Induced Angiogenesis

PubMed Central

Haddad, Oualid; Guyot, Erwan; Marinval, Nicolas; Chevalier, Fabien; Maillard, Loïc; Gadi, Latifa; Laguillier-Morizot, Christelle; Oudar, Olivier; Sutton, Angela; Charnaux, Nathalie; Hlawaty, Hanna

2015-01-01

Induction of angiogenesis is a potential treatment for chronic ischemia. Low molecular weight fucoidan (LMWF), the sulfated polysaccharide from brown seaweeds, has been shown to promote revascularization in a rat limb ischemia, increasing angiogenesis in vivo. We investigated the potential role of two heparan sulfate (HS) metabolism enzymes, exostosin-2 (EXT2) and heparanase (HPSE), and of two HS-membrane proteoglycans, syndecan-1 and -4 (SDC-1 and SDC-4), in LMWF induced angiogenesis. Our results showed that LMWF increases human vascular endothelial cell (HUVEC) migration and angiogenesis in vitro. We report that the expression and activity of the HS-degrading HPSE was increased after LMWF treatment. The phenotypic tests of LMWF-treated and EXT2- or HPSE-siRNA-transfected cells indicated that EXT2 or HPSE expression significantly affect the proangiogenic potential of LMWF. In addition, LMWF increased SDC-1, but decreased SDC-4 expressions. The effect of LMWF depends on SDC-4 expression. Silencing EXT2 or HPSE leads to an increased expression of SDC-4, providing the evidence that EXT2 and HPSE regulate the SDC-4 expression. Altogether, these data indicate that EXT2, HPSE, and SDC-4 are involved in the proangiogenic effects of LMWF, suggesting that the HS metabolism changes linked to LMWF-induced angiogenesis offer the opportunity for new therapeutic strategies of ischemic diseases. PMID:26516869

The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission Science Data Center: Technologies, Methods, and Experiences in Making Available Large Quantities of Science Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankratz, C. K.; Kokkonen, K.; Larsen, K. W.; Panneton, R. S.; Putnam, B.; Schafer, C.; Baker, D. N.; Burch, J. L.

2016-12-01

On September 1, 2015 the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) constellation of four satellites completed their six-month commissioning period and began routine science data collection. Science operations for the mission is conducted at the Science Operations Center (SOC) at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, USA. The MMS Science Data Center (SDC) is a component of the SOC responsible for the data production, management, dissemination, archiving, and visualization of the data from the extensive suite of 100 instruments onboard the four spacecraft. As of March 2016, MMS science data are openly available to the entire science community via the SDC. This includes hundreds of science parameters, and 50 gigabytes of data per day distributed across thousands of data files. Products are produced using integrated software systems developed and maintained by teams at other institutions using their own institutional software management procedures and made available via a centralized public web site and web services. To accomplish the data management, data processing, and system integration challenges present on this space mission, the MMS SDC incorporates a number of evolutionary techniques and technologies. This presentation will provide an informatics-oriented view of the MMS SDC, summarizing its technical aspects, novel technologies and data management practices that are employed, experiences with its design and development, and lessons learned. Also presented is the MMS "Scientist-in-the-Loop" (SITL) system, which is used to leverage human insight and expertise to optimize the data selected for transmission to the ground. This smoothly operating system entails the seamless interoperability of multiple mission facilities and data systems that ultimately translate scientist insight into uplink commands that triggers optimal data downlink to the ground.

The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission Science Data Center: Technologies, Methods, and Experiences in Making Available Large Volumes of In-Situ Particle and Field Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankratz, Christopher; Kokkonen, Kim; Larsen, Kristopher; Panneton, Russell; Putnam, Brian; Schafer, Corey; Baker, Daniel; Burch, James

2016-04-01

On September 1, 2015 the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) constellation of four satellites completed their six-month commissioning period and began routine science data collection. Science operations for the mission is conducted at the Science Operations Center (SOC) at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, USA. The MMS Science Data Center (SDC) is a component of the SOC responsible for the data production, management, dissemination, archiving, and visualization of the data from the extensive suite of 100 instruments onboard the four spacecraft. As of March 2016, MMS science data are openly available to the entire science community via the SDC. This includes hundreds of science parameters, and 50 gigabytes of data per day distributed across thousands of data files. Products are produced using integrated software systems developed and maintained by teams at other institutions using their own institutional software management procedures and made available via a centralized public web site and web services. To accomplish the data management, data processing, and system integration challenges present on this space mission, the MMS SDC incorporates a number of evolutionary techniques and technologies. This presentation will provide an informatics-oriented view of the MMS SDC, summarizing its technical aspects, novel technologies and data management practices that are employed, experiences with its design and development, and lessons learned. Also presented is the MMS "Scientist-in-the-Loop" (SITL) system, which is used to leverage human insight and expertise to optimize the data selected for transmission to the ground. This smoothly operating system entails the seamless interoperability of multiple mission facilities and data systems that ultimately translate scientist insight into uplink commands that triggers optimal data downlink to the ground.

The structure of the Tiam1 PDZ domain/ phospho-syndecan1 complex reveals a ligand conformation that modulates protein dynamics.

PubMed

Liu, Xu; Shepherd, Tyson R; Murray, Ann M; Xu, Zhen; Fuentes, Ernesto J

2013-03-05

PDZ (PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1) domains are protein-protein interaction modules often regulated by ligand phosphorylation. Here, we investigated the specificity, structure, and dynamics of Tiam1 PDZ domain/ligand interactions. We show that the PDZ domain specifically binds syndecan1 (SDC1), phosphorylated SDC1 (pSDC1), and SDC3 but not other syndecan isoforms. The crystal structure of the PDZ/SDC1 complex indicates that syndecan affinity is derived from amino acids beyond the four C-terminal residues. Remarkably, the crystal structure of the PDZ/pSDC1 complex reveals a binding pocket that accommodates the phosphoryl group. Methyl relaxation experiments of PDZ/SCD1 and PDZ/pSDC1 complexes reveal that PDZ-phosphoryl interactions dampen dynamic motions in a distal region of the PDZ domain by decoupling them from the ligand-binding site. Our data are consistent with a selection model by which specificity and phosphorylation regulate PDZ/syndecan interactions and signaling events. Importantly, our relaxation data demonstrate that PDZ/phospho-ligand interactions regulate protein dynamics and their coupling to distal sites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Binding of Y-P30 to Syndecan 2/3 Regulates the Nuclear Localization of CASK

PubMed Central

Landgraf, Peter; Mikhaylova, Marina; Macharadze, Tamar; Borutzki, Corinna; Zenclussen, Ana-Claudia; Wahle, Petra; Kreutz, Michael R.

2014-01-01

The survival promoting peptide Y-P30 has documented neuroprotective effects as well as cell survival and neurite outgrowth promoting activity in vitro and in vivo. Previous work has shown that multimerization of the peptide with pleiotrophin (PTN) and subsequent binding to syndecan (SDC) -2 and -3 is involved in its neuritogenic effects. In this study we show that Y-P30 application regulates the nuclear localization of the SDC binding partner Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine kinase (CASK) in neuronal primary cultures during development. In early development at day in vitro (DIV) 8 when mainly SDC-3 is expressed supplementation of the culture medium with Y-P30 reduces nuclear CASK levels whereas it has the opposite effect at DIV 18 when SDC-2 is the dominant isoform. In the nucleus CASK regulates gene expression via its association with the T-box transcription factor T-brain-1 (Tbr-1) and we indeed found that gene expression of downstream targets of this complex, like the GluN2B NMDA-receptor, exhibits a corresponding down- or up-regulation at the mRNA level. The differential effect of Y-P30 on the nuclear localization of CASK correlates with its ability to induce shedding of the ectodomain of SDC-2 but not -3. shRNA knockdown of SDC-2 at DIV 18 and SDC-3 at DIV 8 completely abolished the effect of Y-P30 supplementation on nuclear CASK levels. During early development a protein knockdown of SDC-3 also attenuated the effect of Y-P30 on axon outgrowth. Taken together these data suggest that Y-P30 can control the nuclear localization of CASK in a SDC-dependent manner. PMID:24498267

High performance electrodes for reduced temperature solid oxide fuel cells with doped lanthanum gallate electrolyte. I. Ni-SDC cermet anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohara, S.; Maric, R.; Zhang, X.; Mukai, K.; Fukui, T.; Yoshida, H.; Inagaki, T.; Miura, K.

A Ni-samaria-doped ceria (SDC) cermet was selected as the anode material for reduced temperature (800°C) solid oxide fuel cells. The NiO-SDC composite powder, synthesized by spray pyrolysis, was employed as the starting anode powder in this study. The influence of Ni content in Ni-SDC cermets on the electrode performance was investigated in order to create the most suitable microstructures. It was found that anodic polarization was strongly influenced by the Ni content in Ni-SDC cermets. The best results were obtained for anode cermets with Ni content of around 50 vol.%; anodic polarization was about 30 mV at a current density of 300 mA/cm 2. This high performance seems to be attributable to the microstructure, in which Ni grains form a skeleton with well-connected SDC grains finely distributed over the Ni grains surfaces; such microstructure was also conducive to high stability of the anode.

Performances of YBaCo 1.4Cu 0.6O 5+δ–Ce 0.8Sm 0.2O 1.9 composite cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

DOE PAGES

Wang, Lizhong; Peng, Lu; Hu, Michael Z.; ...

2015-08-20

In this paper, the electrochemical properties of YBaCo 1.4Cu 0.6O 5+δ–xCe 0.8Sm 0.2O 1.9 (YBCC–xSDC, x=20, 30, 40, 50 wt%) have been investigated for the potential application in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). No chemical reactions between YBCC cathode and SDC electrolyte, and YBCC and La 0.9Sr 0.1Ga 0.8Mg 0.2O 3-δ (LSGM) occur. The thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of YBCC cathode decreases with SDC addition. The TEC of YBCC–30SDC cathode is 13.60×10 –6 K -1 from 30 to 850 °C in air and it exhibits the best electrochemical performance among the YBCC–xSDC cathodes. The polarization resistance (R p) ofmore » YBCC–30SDC is 0.027 Ω cm 2 at 850 °C, 0.044 Ω cm 2 at 800 °C and 0.075 Ω cm 2 at 750 °C. The maximum power density value of electrolyte-based cell with YBCC–30SDC cathode is 662, 483 and 319 mW cm -2 at 850, 800 and 750 °C, respectively. Finally, preliminary results indicate that YBCC–30SDC is especially promising as a cathode for IT-SOFCs.« less

High performance of SDC and GDC core shell type composite electrolytes using methane as a fuel for low temperature SOFC

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

Irshad, Muneeb; Siraj, Khurram, E-mail: razahussaini786@gmail.com, E-mail: khurram.uet@gmail.com; Javed, Fayyaz

Nanocomposites Samarium doped Ceria (SDC), Gadolinium doped Ceria (GDC), core shell SDC amorphous Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} (SDCC) and GDC amorphous Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} (GDCC) were synthesized using co-precipitation method and then compared to obtain better solid oxide electrolytes materials for low temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFCs). The comparison is done in terms of structure, crystallanity, thermal stability, conductivity and cell performance. In present work, XRD analysis confirmed proper doping of Sm and Gd in both single phase (SDC, GDC) and dual phase core shell (SDCC, GDCC) electrolyte materials. EDX analysis validated the presence of Sm and Gd in bothmore » single and dual phase electrolyte materials; also confirming the presence of amorphous Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} in SDCC and GDCC. From TGA analysis a steep weight loss is observed in case of SDCC and GDCC when temperature rises above 725 °C while SDC and GDC do not show any loss. The ionic conductivity and cell performance of single phase SDC and GDC nanocomposite were compared with core shell GDC/amorphous Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} and SDC/ amorphous Na{sub 2}CO{sub 3} nanocomposites using methane fuel. It is observed that dual phase core shell electrolytes materials (SDCC, GDCC) show better performance in low temperature range than their corresponding single phase electrolyte materials (SDC, GDC) with methane fuel.« less

e-DMDAV: A new privacy preserving algorithm for wearable enterprise information systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhenjiang; Wang, Xiaoni; Uden, Lorna; Zhang, Peng; Zhao, Yingsi

2018-04-01

Wearable devices have been widely used in many fields to improve the quality of people's lives. More and more data on individuals and businesses are collected by statistical organizations though those devices. Almost all of this data holds confidential information. Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) seeks to protect statistical data in such a way that it can be released without giving away confidential information that can be linked to specific individuals or entities. The MDAV (Maximum Distance to Average Vector) algorithm is an efficient micro-aggregation algorithm belonging to SDC. However, the MDAV algorithm cannot survive homogeneity and background knowledge attacks because it was designed for static numerical data. This paper proposes a systematic dynamic-updating anonymity algorithm based on MDAV called the e-DMDAV algorithm. This algorithm introduces a new parameter and a table to ensure that the k records in one cluster with the range of the distinct values in each cluster is no less than e for numerical and non-numerical datasets. This new algorithm has been evaluated and compared with the MDAV algorithm. The simulation results show that the new algorithm outperforms MDAV in terms of minimizing distortion and disclosure risk with a similar computational cost.

A primer on the study of transitory dynamics in ecological series using the scale-dependent correlation analysis.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Arias, Miquel Angel; Rodó, Xavier

2004-03-01

Here we describe a practical, step-by-step primer to scale-dependent correlation (SDC) analysis. The analysis of transitory processes is an important but often neglected topic in ecological studies because only a few statistical techniques appear to detect temporary features accurately enough. We introduce here the SDC analysis, a statistical and graphical method to study transitory processes at any temporal or spatial scale. SDC analysis, thanks to the combination of conventional procedures and simple well-known statistical techniques, becomes an improved time-domain analogue of wavelet analysis. We use several simple synthetic series to describe the method, a more complex example, full of transitory features, to compare SDC and wavelet analysis, and finally we analyze some selected ecological series to illustrate the methodology. The SDC analysis of time series of copepod abundances in the North Sea indicates that ENSO primarily is the main climatic driver of short-term changes in population dynamics. SDC also uncovers some long-term, unexpected features in the population. Similarly, the SDC analysis of Nicholson's blowflies data locates where the proposed models fail and provides new insights about the mechanism that drives the apparent vanishing of the population cycle during the second half of the series.

Matrix metalloproteinase 9-mediated shedding of syndecan 4 in response to tumor necrosis factor α: a contributor to endothelial cell glycocalyx dysfunction.

PubMed

Ramnath, Raina; Foster, Rebecca R; Qiu, Yan; Cope, George; Butler, Matthew J; Salmon, Andrew H; Mathieson, Peter W; Coward, Richard J; Welsh, Gavin I; Satchell, Simon C

2014-11-01

The endothelial surface glycocalyx is a hydrated mesh in which proteoglycans are prominent. It is damaged in diseases associated with elevated levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). We investigated the mechanism of TNF-α-induced disruption of the glomerular endothelial glycocalyx. We used conditionally immortalized human glomerular endothelial cells (GEnCs), quantitative PCR arrays, Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence, and dot blots to examine the effects of TNF-α. TNF-α induced syndecan 4 (SDC4) mRNA up-regulation by 2.5-fold, whereas cell surface SDC4 and heparan sulfate (HS) were reduced by 36 and 30%, respectively, and SDC4 and sulfated glycosaminoglycan in the culture medium were increased by 52 and 65%, respectively, indicating TNF-α-induced shedding. Small interfering (siRNA) knockdown of SDC4 (by 52%) caused a corresponding loss of cell surface HS of similar magnitude (38%), and immunoprecipitation demonstrated that SDC4 and HS are shed as intact proteoglycan ectodomains. All of the effects of TNF-α on SDC4 and HS were abrogated by the metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor batimastat. Also abrogated was the associated 37% increase in albumin passage across GEnC monolayers. Specific MMP9 knockdown by siRNA similarly blocked TNF-α effects. SDC4 is the predominant HS proteoglycan in the GEnC glycocalyx. TNF-α-induced MMP9-mediated shedding of SDC4 is likely to contribute to the endothelial glycocalyx disruption observed in diabetes and inflammatory states. © FASEB.

Construction of Mathematical Definitions: An Epistemological and Didactical Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ouvrier-Buffet, Cecile

2004-01-01

The definition-construction process is central to mathematics. The aim of this paper is to propose a few Situations of Definition-Construction (called SDC) and to study them. Our main objectives are to describe the definition-construction process and to design SDC for classroom. A SDC on "discrete straight line" and its mathematical and…

Curcumin-loaded mixed micelles: preparation, optimization, physicochemical properties and cytotoxicity in vitro.

PubMed

Duan, Yuwei; Wang, Juan; Yang, Xiaoye; Du, Hongliang; Xi, Yanwei; Zhai, Guangxi

2015-01-01

Although curcumin (CUR) can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of tumors, the poor water solubility restricted its clinical application. The aim of this study was to improve the aqueous solubility of CUR and make more favorable changes to bioactivity by preparing curcumin-loaded phospholipid-sodium deoxycholate-mixed micelles (CUR-PC-SDC-MMs). CUR-PC-SDC-MMs were prepared by the thin-film dispersion method. Based on the results of single factor exploration, the preparation technology was optimized using the central composite design-response surface methodology with drug loading and entrapment efficiency (EE%) as indicators. The images of transmission electron microscopy showed that the optimized CUR-PC-SDC-MMs were spherical and well dispersed. The average size of the mixed micelles was 66.5 nm, the zeta potential was about -26.96 mV and critical micelle concentration was 0.0087 g/l. CUR was encapsulated in PC-SDC-MMs with loading capacity of 13.12%, EE% of 87.58%, and the solubility of CUR in water was 3.14 mg/ml. The release results in vitro showed that the mixed micelles presented sustained release behavior compared to the propylene glycol solution of CUR. The IC50 values of CUR-loaded micelles and free drug in human breast carcinoma cell lines were 4.10 μg/ml and 6.93 µg/ml, respectively. It could be concluded from the above results that the CUR-PC-SDC-MMs system might serve as a promising nanocarrier to improve the solubility and bioactivity of CUR.

Imaging intracellular protein dynamics by spinning disk confocal microscopy

PubMed Central

Stehbens, Samantha; Pemble, Hayley; Murrow, Lindsay; Wittmann, Torsten

2012-01-01

The palette of fluorescent proteins has grown exponentially over the last decade, and as a result live imaging of cells expressing fluorescently tagged proteins is becoming more and more main stream. Spinning disk confocal microscopy (SDC) is a high speed optical sectioning technique, and a method of choice to observe and analyze intracellular fluorescent protein dynamics at high spatial and temporal resolution. In an SDC system, a rapidly rotating pinhole disk generates thousands of points of light that scan the specimen simultaneously, which allows direct capture of the confocal image with low noise scientific grade cooled charged-coupled device (CCD) cameras, and can achieve frame rates of up 1000 frames per second. In this chapter we describe important components of a state-of-the-art spinning disk system optimized for live cell microscopy, and provide a rationale for specific design choices. We also give guidelines how other imaging techniques such as total internal reflection (TIRF) microscopy or spatially controlled photoactivation can be coupled with SDC imaging, and provide a short protocol on how to generate cell lines stably expressing fluorescently tagged proteins by lentivirus-mediated transduction. PMID:22264541

A new method to detect transitory signatures and local time/space variability structures in the climate system: the scale-dependent correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodó, Xavier; Rodríguez-Arias, Miquel-Àngel

2006-10-01

The study of transitory signals and local variability structures in both/either time and space and their role as sources of climatic memory, is an important but often neglected topic in climate research despite its obvious importance and extensive coverage in the literature. Transitory signals arise either from non-linearities, in the climate system, transitory atmosphere-ocean couplings, and other processes in the climate system evolving after a critical threshold is crossed. These temporary interactions that, though intense, may not last long, can be responsible for a large amount of unexplained variability but are normally considered of limited relevance and often, discarded. With most of the current techniques at hand these typology of signatures are difficult to isolate because the low signal-to-noise ratio in midlatitudes, the limited recurrence of the transitory signals during a customary interval of data considered. Also, there is often a serious problem arising from the smoothing of local or transitory processes if statistical techniques are applied, that consider all the length of data available, rather than taking into account the size of the specific variability structure under investigation. Scale-dependent correlation (SDC) analysis is a new statistical method capable of highlighting the presence of transitory processes, these former being understood as temporary significant lag-dependent autocovariance in a single series, or covariance structures between two series. This approach, therefore, complements other approaches such as those resulting from the families of wavelet analysis, singular-spectrum analysis and recurrence plots. A main feature of SDC is its high-performance for short time series, its ability to characterize phase-relationships and thresholds in the bivariate domain. Ultimately, SDC helps tracking short-lagged relationships among processes that locally or temporarily couple and uncouple. The use of SDC is illustrated in the present paper by means of some synthetic time-series examples of increasing complexity, and it is compared with wavelet analysis in order to provide a well-known reference of its capabilities. A comparison between SDC and companion techniques is also addressed and results are exemplified for the specific case of some relevant El Niño-Southern Oscillation teleconnections.

Toward Reliable and Energy Efficient Wireless Sensing for Space and Extreme Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, Baek-Young; Boyd, Darren; Wilkerson, DeLisa

2017-01-01

Reliability is the critical challenge of wireless sensing in space systems operating in extreme environments. Energy efficiency is another concern for battery powered wireless sensors. Considering the physics of wireless communications, we propose an approach called Software-Defined Wireless Communications (SDC) that dynamically decide a reliable channel(s) avoiding unnecessary redundancy of channels, out of multiple distinct electromagnetic frequency bands such as radio and infrared frequencies.We validate the concept with Android and Raspberry Pi sensors and pseudo extreme experiments. SDC can be utilized in many areas beyond space applications.

The Emirates Mars Mission Science Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craft, James; Hammadi, Omran Al; DeWolfe, Alexandria; Staley, Bryan; Schafer, Corey; Pankratz, Chris

2017-04-01

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), led by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is expected to arrive at Mars in January 2021. The EMM Science Data Center (SDC) is to be developed as a joint effort between MBRSC and the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). The EMM SDC is responsible for the production, management, distribution, and archiving of science data collected from the three instruments on board the Hope spacecraft. With the respective SDC teams on opposite sides of the world evolutionary techniques and cloud-based technologies are being utilized in the development of the EMM SDC. This presentation will provide a top down view of the EMM SDC, summarizing the cloud-based technologies being implemented in the design, as well as the tools, best practices, and lessons learned for software development and management in a geographically distributed team.

The Emirates Mars Mission Science Data Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craft, J.; Al Hammadi, O.; DeWolfe, A. W.; Staley, B.; Schafer, C.; Pankratz, C. K.

2017-12-01

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), led by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is expected to arrive at Mars in January 2021. The EMM Science Data Center (SDC) is to be developed as a joint effort between MBRSC and the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). The EMM SDC is responsible for the production, management, distribution, and archiving of science data collected from the three instruments on board the Hope spacecraft.With the respective SDC teams on opposite sides of the world evolutionary techniques and cloud-based technologies are being utilized in the development of the EMM SDC. This presentation will provide a top down view of the EMM SDC, summarizing the cloud-based technologies being implemented in the design, as well as the tools, best practices, and lessons learned for software development and management in a geographically distributed team.

Chemical compatibility and properties of suspension plasma-sprayed SrTiO3-based anodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shan-Lin; Li, Cheng-Xin; Li, Chang-Jiu

2014-10-01

La-doped strontium titanate (LST) is a promising, redox-stable perovskite material for direct hydrocarbon oxidation anodes in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). In this study, nano-sized LST and Sm-doped ceria (SDC) powders are produced by the sol-gel and glycine-nitrate processes, respectively. The chemical compatibility between LST and electrolyte materials is studied. A LST-SDC composite anode is prepared by suspension plasma spraying (SPS). The effects of annealing conditions on the phase structure, microstructure, and chemical stability of the LST-SDC composite anode are investigated. The results indicate that the suspension plasma-sprayed LST-SDC anode has the same phase structure as the original powders. LST exhibits a good chemical compatibility with SDC and Mg/Sr-doped lanthanum gallate (LSGM). The anode has a porosity of ∼40% with a finely porous structure that provides high gas permeability and a long three-phase boundary for the anode reaction. Single cells assembled with the LST-SDC anode, La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 electrolyte, and La0.8Sr0.2CoO3-SDC cathode show a good performance at 650-800 °C. The annealing reduces the impedances due to the enhancement in the bonding between the particles in the anode and interface of anode and LSGM electrolyte, thus improving the output performance of the cell.

The influence of study population and definition of improvement on the smallest detectable change and the minimal important change of the neck disability index.

PubMed

Schuller, Wouter; Ostelo, Raymond W J G; Janssen, Richard; de Vet, Henrica C W

2014-04-15

Reported values of the minimal important change (MIC) and the smallest detectable change (SDC) for the neck disability index (NDI) differ strongly, raising questions about the generalizability of these parameters. The SDC and the MIC are possibly influenced by the study design or by the study population. We studied the influence of the type of anchor, the definition of improvement and population characteristics on the SDC and the MIC of the NDI. A cohort study including 101 patients with non-specific, chronic neck pain. SDC and MIC were calculated using two types of external anchors. For each anchor we applied two different definitions to dichotomize the population into improved and unimproved patients. The influence of patient characteristics was assessed in relevant subgroups: patients with or without radiating pain and patients with different baseline scores. The influence of different anchors and different definitions of improvement on estimates of the SDC and the MIC was only minimal. The SDC and the MIC were similar for subgroups of patients with or without radiation, but differed strongly for subgroups of patients with higher or lower baseline scores. Our study shows that estimates of the SDC and the MIC of the NDI can be influenced by population characteristics. It is concluded that we cannot adopt a single change score to define relevant change by combining the result of previous studies.

vSDC: a method to improve early recognition in virtual screening when limited experimental resources are available.

PubMed

Chaput, Ludovic; Martinez-Sanz, Juan; Quiniou, Eric; Rigolet, Pascal; Saettel, Nicolas; Mouawad, Liliane

2016-01-01

In drug design, one may be confronted to the problem of finding hits for targets for which no small inhibiting molecules are known and only low-throughput experiments are available (like ITC or NMR studies), two common difficulties encountered in a typical academic setting. Using a virtual screening strategy like docking can alleviate some of the problems and save a considerable amount of time by selecting only top-ranking molecules, but only if the method is very efficient, i.e. when a good proportion of actives are found in the 1-10 % best ranked molecules. The use of several programs (in our study, Gold, Surflex, FlexX and Glide were considered) shows a divergence of the results, which presents a difficulty in guiding the experiments. To overcome this divergence and increase the yield of the virtual screening, we created the standard deviation consensus (SDC) and variable SDC (vSDC) methods, consisting of the intersection of molecule sets from several virtual screening programs, based on the standard deviations of their ranking distributions. SDC allowed us to find hits for two new protein targets by testing only 9 and 11 small molecules from a chemical library of circa 15,000 compounds. Furthermore, vSDC, when applied to the 102 proteins of the DUD-E benchmarking database, succeeded in finding more hits than any of the four isolated programs for 13-60 % of the targets. In addition, when only 10 molecules of each of the 102 chemical libraries were considered, vSDC performed better in the number of hits found, with an improvement of 6-24 % over the 10 best-ranked molecules given by the individual docking programs.Graphical abstractIn drug design, for a given target and a given chemical library, the results obtained with different virtual screening programs are divergent. So how to rationally guide the experimental tests, especially when only a few number of experiments can be made? The variable Standard Deviation Consensus (vSDC) method was developed to answer this issue. Left panel the vSDC principle consists of intersecting molecule sets, chosen on the basis of the standard deviations of their ranking distributions, obtained from various virtual screening programs. In this study Glide, Gold, FlexX and Surflex were used and tested on the 102 targets of the DUD-E database. Right panel Comparison of the average percentage of hits found with vSDC and each of the four programs, when only 10 molecules from each of the 102 chemical libraries of the DUD-E database were considered. On average, vSDC was capable of finding 38 % of the findable hits, against 34 % for Glide, 32 % for Gold, 16 % for FlexX and 14 % for Surflex, showing that with vSDC, it was possible to overcome the unpredictability of the virtual screening results and to improve them.

Oceanographic Data in Europe: Minimal Effort for Data Providers, Maximal Ease of Use and Access for Data Users

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Bruin, T.

2017-12-01

SeaDataCloud/SeaDataNet (SDC/SDN) is both a consortium and a data infrastructure as well as a (series of) European oceanographic data management project(s), allowing data providers to store data at a data centre of their choice (usually a type of National Oceanographic Data Center), while exposing and making the data available for download via a chain of interconnected data portals at local, regional, pan-European and global levels. SDC/SDN as an infrastructure connects over 100 data centers from 35 countries in and around Europe. The infrastructure has been operational since early 2009 and provides the user an overview of all available data as well as the possibility to download the data in an uniform format. This presentation will give a short introduction to the SDC/SDN infrastructure and describe how its development was based on sound data management principles. The emphasis will be on how the system is interconnected with other, non-discipline specific (metadata) portals such as the Group of Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS), allowing oceanographic data stored at a local level in a data centre to be exposed at a global level to a wide audience from various disciplines.

Shuttle Data Center File-Processing Tool in Java

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barry, Matthew R.; Miller, Walter H.

2006-01-01

A Java-language computer program has been written to facilitate mining of data in files in the Shuttle Data Center (SDC) archives. This program can be executed on a variety of workstations or via Web-browser programs. This program is partly similar to prior C-language programs used for the same purpose, while differing from those programs in that it exploits the platform-neutrality of Java in implementing several features that are important for analysis of large sets of time-series data. The program supports regular expression queries of SDC archive files, reads the files, interleaves the time-stamped samples according to a chosen output, then transforms the results into that format. A user can choose among a variety of output file formats that are useful for diverse purposes, including plotting, Markov modeling, multivariate density estimation, and wavelet multiresolution analysis, as well as for playback of data in support of simulation and testing.

Sliding mode controllers for a tempered glass furnace.

PubMed

Almutairi, Naif B; Zribi, Mohamed

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the design of two sliding mode controllers (SMCs) applied to a tempered glass furnace system. The main objective of the proposed controllers is to regulate the glass plate temperature, the upper-wall temperature and the lower-wall temperature in the furnace to a common desired temperature. The first controller is a conventional sliding mode controller. The key step in the design of this controller is the introduction of a nonlinear transformation that maps the dynamic model of the tempered glass furnace into the generalized controller canonical form; this step facilitates the design of the sliding mode controller. The second controller is based on a state-dependent coefficient (SDC) factorization of the tempered glass furnace dynamic model. Using an SDC factorization, a simplified sliding mode controller is designed. The simulation results indicate that the two proposed control schemes work very well. Moreover, the robustness of the control schemes to changes in the system's parameters as well as to disturbances is investigated. In addition, a comparison of the proposed control schemes with a fuzzy PID controller is performed; the results show that the proposed SDC-based sliding mode controller gave better results. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sample displacement chromatography as a method for purification of proteins and peptides from complex mixtures

PubMed Central

Gajdosik, Martina Srajer; Clifton, James; Josic, Djuro

2012-01-01

Sample displacement chromatography (SDC) in reversed-phase and ion-exchange modes was introduced approximately twenty years ago. This method takes advantage of relative binding affinities of components in a sample mixture. During loading, there is a competition among different sample components for the sorption on the surface of the stationary phase. SDC was first used for the preparative purification of proteins. Later, it was demonstrated that this kind of chromatography can also be performed in ion-exchange, affinity and hydrophobic-interaction mode. It has also been shown that SDC can be performed on monoliths and membrane-based supports in both analytical and preparative scale. Recently, SDC in ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction mode was also employed successfully for the removal of trace proteins from monoclonal antibody preparations and for the enrichment of low abundance proteins from human plasma. In this review, the principals of SDC are introduced, and the potential for separation of proteins and peptides in micro-analytical, analytical and preparative scale is discussed. PMID:22520159

Detonation nanodiamond introduced into samarium doped ceria electrolyte improving performance of solid oxide fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Kai; Li, Hongdong; Zou, Guangtian; Yu, Richeng; Zhao, Haofei; Shen, Xi; Wang, Liying; Song, Yanpeng; Qiu, Dongchao

2017-02-01

A novel electrolyte materials of introducing detonation nanodiamond (DNDs) into samarium doped ceria (SDC) is reported here. 1%wt. DNDs doping SDC (named SDC/ND) can enlarge the electrotyle grain size and change the valence of partial ceria. DNDs provide the widen channel to accelerate the mobility of oxygen ions in electrolyte. Larger grain size means that oxygen ions move easier in electrolyte, it can also reduce the alternating current (AC) impedance spectra of internal grains. The lower valence of partial Ce provides more oxygen vacancies to enhance mobility rate of oxygen ions. Hence all of them enhance the transportation of oxygen ions in SDC/ND electrolyte and the OCV. Ultimately the power density of SOFC can reach 762 mw cm-2 at 800 °C (twice higher than pure SDC, which is 319 mw cm-2 at 800 °C), and it remains high power density in the intermediate temperature (600-800 °C). It is relatively high for the electrolyte supported (300 μm) cells.

Toward General Software Level Silent Data Corruption Detection for Parallel Applications

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

Berrocal, Eduardo; Bautista-Gomez, Leonardo; Di, Sheng

Silent data corruption (SDC) poses a great challenge for high-performance computing (HPC) applications as we move to extreme-scale systems. Mechanisms have been proposed that are able to detect SDC in HPC applications by using the peculiarities of the data (more specifically, its “smoothness” in time and space) to make predictions. However, these data-analytic solutions are still far from fully protecting applications to a level comparable with more expensive solutions such as full replication. In this work, we propose partial replication to overcome this limitation. More specifically, we have observed that not all processes of an MPI application experience the samemore » level of data variability at exactly the same time. Thus, we can smartly choose and replicate only those processes for which the lightweight data-analytic detectors would perform poorly. In addition, we propose a new evaluation method based on the probability that a corruption will pass unnoticed by a particular detector (instead of just reporting overall single-bit precision and recall). In our experiments, we use four applications dealing with different explosions. Our results indicate that our new approach can protect the MPI applications analyzed with 7–70% less overhead (depending on the application) than that of full duplication with similar detection recall.« less

Traditional or centralized models of diabetes care: the multidisciplinary diabetes team approach.

PubMed

Bratcher, Christina R; Bello, Elizabeth

2011-11-01

Specialized diabetes care (SDC) centers utilize a multidisciplinary diabetes team to provide patients with highly individualized care. Patients at SDC centers receive their integrated diabetes care in one place--the "one-stop" approach. The components of the SDC center model are: medical care; individualized diabetes education; nutrition; exercise and lifestyle coaching; counseling; monitoring of drug effects. This model results in improved patient outcomes and reduced overall costs.

Drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in the Baja California-San Diego County border population.

PubMed Central

Peter, C R; Schultz, E; Moser, K; Cox, M; Freeman, R; Ramirez-Zetina, M; Lomeli, M R

1998-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the frequency of, and risk factors for, drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) among Baja California (BC) and San Diego County (SDC) residents. Another purpose was to document the amount of contact between pulmonary TB patients and residents of the opposite side of the the border. During the period from February 1995 to May 1996, pulmonary TB patients from BC (n = 427) and SDC (n = 331) were evaluated with cultures, drug susceptibility tests, and questionnaires. Drug resistance was found in 41% of the BC Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) isolates and 20% of the SDC isolates. Resistance to both isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF) varied from 1% of isolates from SDC patients to 17% of isolates from BC patients. Patients with a history of previous treatment had increased odds of drug-resistant disease. Older BC patients were more likely to have INH- or RIF-resistant TB. Although 42% of Tijuana TB patients reported recent contact with residents from SDC, travel to Mexico and contact with residents from Mexico were not significant risk factors for drug-resistant TB among SDC residents. However, the demonstrated contact between TB patients and residents on opposite sides of the border indicates the importance of coordinating efforts internationally to control TB. PMID:9795580

Identification of Conformationally Sensitive Amino Acids in the Na+/Dicarboxylate Symporter (SdcS)†

PubMed Central

Joshi, Aditya D.; Pajor, Ana M.

2009-01-01

The Na+/dicarboxylate symporter (SdcS) from Staphylococcus aureus is a homolog of the mammalian Na+/dicarboxylate cotransporters (NaDC1) from solute carrier family 13 (SLC 13). The present study examined succinate transport by SdcS heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, using right-side-out (RSO) and inside-out (ISO) membrane vesicles. The Km values for succinate in RSO and ISO vesicles were similar, about 30 μM. The single cysteine of SdcS was replaced to produce the cysteineless transporter, C457S, which demonstrated similar functional characteristics as the wild-type. Single cysteine mutants were made in SdcS-C457S at positions that are functionally important in the mammalian NaDC1. Mutant N108C of SdcS was sensitive to chemical labeling by MTSET ([2-(trimethylammonium)ethyl]-methanethiosulfonate) from both the cytoplasmic and extracellular side, depending on the conformational state of the transporter, suggesting that Asn-108 may be found in the translocation pore of the protein. Mutant D329C was sensitive to MTSET in the presence of Na+ but only from the extracellular side. Finally, mutant L436C was insensitive to MTSET although changes in its kinetic properties indicate that this residue may be important in substrate binding. In conclusion, this work identifies Asn-108 as a key residue in the translocation pathway of the protein, accessible in different states from both sides of the membrane. Functional characterization of SdcS should provide useful structural as well as functional details about mammalian transporters from the SLC 13 family. PMID:19260674

Interobserver reliability of the 'Welfare Quality(®) Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Growing Pigs'.

PubMed

Czycholl, I; Kniese, C; Büttner, K; Beilage, E Grosse; Schrader, L; Krieter, J

2016-01-01

The present paper focuses on evaluating the interobserver reliability of the 'Welfare Quality(®) Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Growing Pigs'. The protocol for growing pigs mainly consists of a Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA), direct behaviour observations (BO) carried out by instantaneous scan sampling and checks for different individual parameters (IP), e.g. presence of tail biting, wounds and bursitis. Three trained observers collected the data by performing 29 combined assessments, which were done at the same time and on the same animals; but they were carried out completely independent of each other. The findings were compared by the calculation of Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficients (RS), Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), Smallest Detectable Changes (SDC) and Limits of Agreements (LoA). There was no agreement found concerning the adjectives belonging to the QBA (e.g. active: RS: 0.50, ICC: 0.30, SDC: 0.38, LoA: -0.05 to 0.45; fearful: RS: 0.06, ICC: 0.0, SDC: 0.26, LoA: -0.20 to 0.30). In contrast, the BO showed good agreement (e.g. social behaviour: RS: 0.45, ICC: 0.50, SDC: 0.09, LoA: -0.09 to 0.03 use of enrichment material: RS: 0.75, ICC: 0.68, SDC: 0.06, LoA: -0.03 to 0.03). Overall, observers agreed well in the IP, e.g. tail biting (RS: 0.52, ICC: 0.88; SDC: 0.05, LoA: -0.01 to 0.02) and wounds (RS: 0.43, ICC: 0.59, SDC: 0.10, LoA: -0.09 to 0.10). The parameter bursitis showed great differences (RS: 0.10, ICC: 0.0, SDC: 0.35, LoA: -0.37 to 0.40), which can be explained by difficulties in the assessment when the animals moved around quickly or their legs were soiled. In conclusion, the interobserver reliability was good in the BO and most IP, but not for the parameter bursitis and the QBA.

Simultaneous dense coding affected by fluctuating massless scalar field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhiming; Ye, Yiyong; Luo, Darong

2018-04-01

In this paper, we investigate the simultaneous dense coding (SDC) protocol affected by fluctuating massless scalar field. The noisy model of SDC protocol is constructed and the master equation that governs the SDC evolution is deduced. The success probabilities of SDC protocol are discussed for different locking operators under the influence of vacuum fluctuations. We find that the joint success probability is independent of the locking operators, but other success probabilities are not. For quantum Fourier transform and double controlled-NOT operators, the success probabilities drop with increasing two-atom distance, but SWAP operator is not. Unlike the SWAP operator, the success probabilities of Bob and Charlie are different. For different noisy interval values, different locking operators have different robustness to noise.

A screen-printed Ce 0.8Sm 0.2O 1.9 film solid oxide fuel cell with a Ba 0.5Sr 0.5Co 0.8Fe 0.2O 3- δ cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yaohui; Huang, Xiqiang; Lu, Zhe; Liu, Zhiguo; Ge, Xiaodong; Xu, Jiahuan; Xin, Xianshuang; Sha, Xueqing; Su, Wenhui

Screen-printing technology was developed to fabricate Ce 0.8Sm 0.2O 1.9 (SDC) electrolyte films onto porous NiO-SDC green anode substrates. After sintering at 1400 °C for 4 h, a gas-tight SDC film with a thickness of 12 μm was obtained. A novel cathode material of Ba 0.5Sr 0.5Co 0.8Fe 0.2O 3- δ was subsequently applied onto the sintered SDC electrolyte film also by screen-printing and sintered at 970 °C for 3 h to get a single cell. A fuel cell of Ni-SDC/SDC (12 μm)/Ba 0.5Sr 0.5Co 0.8Fe 0.2O 3- δ provides the maximum power densities of 1280, 1080, 670, 370, 180 and 73 mW cm -2 at 650, 600, 555, 505, 455 and 405 °C, respectively, using hydrogen as fuel and stationary air as oxidant. When dry methane was used as fuel, the maximum power densities are 876, 568, 346 and 114 mW cm -2 at 650, 600, 555 and 505 °C, respectively. The present fuel cell shows excellent performance at lowered temperatures.

Syndecan-4 inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling through regulation of low-density-lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP6) and R-spondin 3.

PubMed

Astudillo, Pablo; Carrasco, Héctor; Larraín, Juan

2014-01-01

Regulation of Wnt signaling is crucial for embryonic development and adult homeostasis. Here we study the role of Syndecan-4 (SDC4), a cell-surface heparan sulphate proteoglycan, and Fibronectin (FN), in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments in mammalian cell lines and Xenopus embryos demonstrate that SDC4 and FN inhibit Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Epistatic and biochemical experiments show that this inhibition occurs at the cell membrane level through regulation of LRP6. R-spondin 3, a ligand that promotes canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling, is more prone to potentiate Wnt/β-catenin signaling when SDC4 levels are reduced, suggesting a model whereby SDC4 tunes the ability of R-spondin to modulate the different Wnt signaling pathways. Since SDC4 has been previously related to non-canonical Wnt signaling, our results also suggest that this proteoglycan can be a key component in the regulation of Wnt signaling. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sparsey™: event recognition via deep hierarchical sparse distributed codes

PubMed Central

Rinkus, Gerard J.

2014-01-01

The visual cortex's hierarchical, multi-level organization is captured in many biologically inspired computational vision models, the general idea being that progressively larger scale (spatially/temporally) and more complex visual features are represented in progressively higher areas. However, most earlier models use localist representations (codes) in each representational field (which we equate with the cortical macrocolumn, “mac”), at each level. In localism, each represented feature/concept/event (hereinafter “item”) is coded by a single unit. The model we describe, Sparsey, is hierarchical as well but crucially, it uses sparse distributed coding (SDC) in every mac in all levels. In SDC, each represented item is coded by a small subset of the mac's units. The SDCs of different items can overlap and the size of overlap between items can be used to represent their similarity. The difference between localism and SDC is crucial because SDC allows the two essential operations of associative memory, storing a new item and retrieving the best-matching stored item, to be done in fixed time for the life of the model. Since the model's core algorithm, which does both storage and retrieval (inference), makes a single pass over all macs on each time step, the overall model's storage/retrieval operation is also fixed-time, a criterion we consider essential for scalability to the huge (“Big Data”) problems. A 2010 paper described a nonhierarchical version of this model in the context of purely spatial pattern processing. Here, we elaborate a fully hierarchical model (arbitrary numbers of levels and macs per level), describing novel model principles like progressive critical periods, dynamic modulation of principal cells' activation functions based on a mac-level familiarity measure, representation of multiple simultaneously active hypotheses, a novel method of time warp invariant recognition, and we report results showing learning/recognition of spatiotemporal patterns. PMID:25566046

Gravity drives the evolution of infrared dark hubs: JVLA observations of SDC13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, G. M.; Peretto, N.; Avison, A.; Duarte-Cabral, A.; Fuller, G. A.

2018-05-01

Context. Converging networks of interstellar filaments, that is hubs, have been recently linked to the formation of stellar clusters and massive stars. Understanding the relationship between the evolution of these systems and the formation of cores and stars inside them is at the heart of current star formation research. Aims: The goal is to study the kinematic and density structure of the SDC13 prototypical hub at high angular resolution to determine what drives its evolution and fragmentation. Methods: We have mapped SDC13, a 1000 M⊙ infrared dark hub, in NH3(1,1) and NH3(2,2) emission lines, with both the Jansky Very Large Array and Green Bank Telescope. The high angular resolution achieved in the combined dataset allowed us to probe scales down to 0.07 pc. After fitting the ammonia lines, we computed the integrated intensities, centroid velocities and line widths, along with gas temperatures and H2 column densities. Results: The mass-per-unit-lengths of all four hub filaments are thermally super-critical, consistent with the presence of tens of gravitationally bound cores identified along them. These cores exhibit a regular separation of 0.37 ± 0.16 pc suggesting gravitational instabilities running along these super-critical filaments are responsible for their fragmentation. The observed local increase of the dense gas velocity dispersion towards starless cores is believed to be a consequence of such fragmentation process. Using energy conservation arguments, we estimate that the gravitational to kinetic energy conversion efficiency in the SDC13 cores is 35%. We see velocity gradient peaks towards 63% of cores as expected during the early stages of filament fragmentation. Another clear observational signature is the presence of the most massive cores at the filaments' junction, where the velocity dispersion is largest. We interpret this as the result of the hub morphology generating the largest acceleration gradients near the hub centre. Conclusions: We propose a scenario for the evolution of the SDC13 hub in which filaments first form as post-shock structures in a supersonic turbulent flow. As a result of the turbulent energy dissipation in the shock, the dense gas within the filaments is initially mostly sub-sonic. Then gravity takes over and starts shaping the evolution of the hub, both fragmenting filaments and pulling the gas towards the centre of the gravitational well. By doing so, gravitational energy is converted into kinetic energy in both local (cores) and global (hub centre) potential well minima. Furthermore, the generation of larger gravitational acceleration gradients at the filament junctions promotes the formation of more massive cores. The FITS files of the JVLA and GBT combined NH3(1,1) and NH3(2,2) data cubes are also available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/613/A11

Inhibition of HIV Fusion with Multivalent Gold Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Bowman, Mary-Catherine; Ballard, T. Eric; Ackerson, Christopher J.; Feldheim, Daniel L.; Margolis, David M.; Melander, Christian

2010-01-01

The design and synthesis of a multivalent gold nanoparticle therapeutic is presented. SDC-1721, a fragment of the potent HIV inhibitor TAK-779, was synthesized and conjugated to 2.0 nm diameter gold nanoparticles. Free SDC-1721 had no inhibitory effect on HIV infection; however, the (SDC-1721)-gold nanoparticle conjugates displayed activity comparable to that of TAK-779. This result suggests that multivalent presentation of small molecules on gold nanoparticle surfaces can convert inactive drugs into potent therapeutics. PMID:18473457

Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Pace-Schott, Edward F; Spencer, Rebecca M C

2015-01-01

Sleep quality and architecture as well as sleep's homeostatic and circadian controls change with healthy aging. Changes include reductions in slow-wave sleep's (SWS) percent and spectral power in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG), number and amplitude of sleep spindles, rapid eye movement (REM) density and the amplitude of circadian rhythms, as well as a phase advance (moved earlier in time) of the brain's circadian clock. With mild cognitive impairment (MCI) there are further reductions of sleep quality, SWS, spindles, and percent REM, all of which further diminish, along with a profound disruption of circadian rhythmicity, with the conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sleep disorders may represent risk factors for dementias (e.g., REM Behavior Disorder presages Parkinson's disease) and sleep disorders are themselves extremely prevalent in neurodegenerative diseases. Working memory , formation of new episodic memories, and processing speed all decline with healthy aging whereas semantic, recognition, and emotional declarative memory are spared. In MCI, episodic and working memory further decline along with declines in semantic memory. In young adults, sleep-dependent memory consolidation (SDC) is widely observed for both declarative and procedural memory tasks. However, with healthy aging, although SDC for declarative memory is preserved, certain procedural tasks, such as motor-sequence learning, do not show SDC. In younger adults, fragmentation of sleep can reduce SDC, and a normative increase in sleep fragmentation may account for reduced SDC with healthy aging. Whereas sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy can impair SDC in the absence of neurodegenerative changes, the incidence of sleep disorders increases both with normal aging and, further, with neurodegenerative disease. Specific features of sleep architecture, such as sleep spindles and SWS are strongly linked to SDC. Diminution of these features with healthy aging and their further decline with MCI may account for concomitant declines in SDC. Notably these same sleep features further markedly decline, in concert with declining cognitive function, with the progression to AD. Therefore, progressive changes in sleep quality, architecture, and neural regulation may constitute a contributing factor to cognitive decline that is seen both with healthy aging and, to a much greater extent, with neurodegenerative disease.

Epigenetic inactivation of galanin receptors in salivary duct carcinoma of the parotid gland: Potential utility as biomarkers for prognosis.

PubMed

Kanazawa, Takeharu; Misawa, Kiyoshi; Fukushima, Hirofumi; Misawa, Yuki; Sato, Yukiko; Maruta, Mikiko; Imayoshi, Shoichiro; Kusaka, Gen; Kawabata, Kazuyoshi; Mineta, Hiroyuki; Carey, Thomas E; Nishino, Hiroshi

2018-06-01

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) constitutes one of the most aggressive cancers in the salivary gland and is associated with a poor prognosis; however, no established systemic therapy options are available. SDC exhibits biological similarity to prostate and breast cancers, therefore anti-hormone therapy and molecular target therapies are available, however with limited beneficial effects. Galanin and galanin receptors (GALRs) are well established as molecular biomarkers to predict the survival rate and risk of recurrence of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The present study investigated the clinicopathological features of patients with SDC and the methylation status of their galanin and GALR genes to demonstrate the prognostic value for this disease. The median overall survival (OS) was 37.2 months. T-stage, N-stage, disease stage, tumor size, and preoperative facial paralysis were significantly associated with OS, whereas human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression was not. GALR1 and GALR2 methylation rates in tumor tissues were significantly increased compared with normal tissues with 9.85- and 4.49-fold increase, respectively. p27 kip1 and p57 kip2 expression significantly inversely correlated with the methylation rate of GALR1 and GALR2 . In addition, the observed GALR1 and/or GALR2 methylation rates were significantly correlated with a decrease in OS. These results suggest that GALR1 and GALR2 may serve as potential prognostic factors and therapeutic targets in SDC.

ACE genotype, phenotype and all-cause mortality in different cohorts of patients with type 1 diabetes.

PubMed

Færch, Louise H; Sejling, Anne-Sophie; Lajer, Maria; Tarnow, Lise; Thorsteinsson, Birger; Pedersen-Bjergaard, Ulrik

2015-06-01

Carrying the D-allele of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D polymorphism and high ACE activity are prognostic factors in diabetic nephropathy, which predicts mortality in type 1 diabetes. We studied the association between the ACE D-allele and ACE phenotype and long-term all-cause mortality in three single-institution outpatient cohorts. Genotype-based analyses were performed in 269 patients from Hillerød Hospital (HIH) (follow-up: 12 years) and in 439 patients with diabetic nephropathy and 437 patients with persistent normoalbuminuria from the Steno Diabetes Center (SDC) (follow-up: 9.5 years). Patients not on renin-angiotensin system (RAS)-blocking treatment were included in analyses of serum ACE activity (HIH: n = 208) and plasma ACE concentration (SDC: n=269). In the HIH cohort, carrying a D-allele was associated with excess mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 4.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-16)), but not in the SDC cohorts. At HIH, serum ACE activity was associated with excess mortality (HR=1.04 (95% CI 1.0-1.1 per unit increase)), but in the SDC cohort plasma ACE concentration was not. In unselected patients with type 1 diabetes, carrying the ACE D-allele and high spontaneous serum ACE activity were associated with 12-year excess mortality. These findings could not be reproduced in two other cohorts with persistent normoalbuminuria or diabetic nephropathy. © The Author(s) 2013.

Design and Implementation of a Motor Incremental Shaft Encoder

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

SDC Student Design Center VHDL Verilog Hardware Description Language VSC Voltage Source Converters ZCE Zero Crossing Event xiii EXECUTIVE...student to make accurate predictions of voltage source converters ( VSC ) behavior via software simulation; these simulated results could also be... VSC ), and several other off-the-shelf components, a circuit board interface between FPGA and the power source, and a desktop computer [1]. Now, the

Contact allergy to corticosteroids and Malassezia furfur in seborrhoeic dermatitis patients.

PubMed

Ljubojevic, S; Lipozencic, J; Basta-Juzbasic, A

2011-06-01

Seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD) is a chronic skin disease, requiring long-term treatment, which might promote sensitization. Malassezia furfur (Mf) plays an important role in seborrhoeic dermatitis. Objectives  The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of contact sensitivity in SD patients. A total of 100 patients and 20 healthy controls (HC) were investigated: 50 suffering from SD with no previous local corticosteroid treatment (SDN), 50 SD patients treated with local corticosteroids (SDC). Mycological examination for Mf was performed. All patients were patch tested with the baseline standard, corticosteroid series, with 12 commercial corticosteroid preparations frequently used in Croatia; and also with Mf. Malassezia furfur was found in 44 (88%) SDN, 37 (74%) SDC, and in 4 (20%) HC; patch test reaction to Mf was positive in one SDN and in three SDC. Positive patch tests to standard allergens were observed in 17 (34%) SDN, 33 (66%) SDC and 2 (10%) HC. Patch tests to the corticosteroid series revealed positive reactions in 4 SDC and to commercial corticosteroids in seven patients, i.e. 2 SD and 5 SDC. Patch tests to the baseline series and to both individual corticosteroid and commercial corticosteroid preparations should be performed in SD patients with persistent dermatitis, as contact-allergic reactions may complicate their dermatitis. Sensitization to Mf was found to be infrequent. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology © 2010 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Electrochemical study of lithiated transition metal oxide composite for single layer fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Huiqing; Lin, Qizhao; Muhammad, Afzal; Zhu, Bin

2015-07-01

This study analyzed the effect of various semiconductors of transition metal oxides in modified lithiated NiO on the electrochemical performance of a single layer fuel cell (SLFC). A typical ionic conductor Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ (SDC) and three types of semiconductors Li0.3Ni0.6Cu0.07Sr0.03O2-δ (LNCuS), Li0.3Ni0.6Mn0.07Sr0.03O2-δ (LNMnS) and Li0.3Ni0.6Co0.07Sr0.03O2-δ (LNCoS), were the fundamental components of the SLFCs. The components were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The stability of the synthesized materials was evaluated using thermal gravity analysis (TGA). The ohmic resistances at 500 °C were 0.36, 0.48 and 0.58 Ω cm2 for 6SDC-4LNMnS, 6SDC-4LNCoS and 6SDC-4LNCuS, respectively. Among the three SLFCs, the single cell with 6SDC-4LNMnS achieves the highest power density (422 mW cm-2) but the lowest temperature stability, while the single cell with 6SDC-4LNCuS achieved the lowest power density (331 mW cm-2) but the highest temperature stability during the operation temperature.

Low-grade salivary duct carcinoma or low-grade intraductal carcinoma? Review of the literature.

PubMed

Kuo, Ying-Ju; Weinreb, Ilan; Perez-Ordonez, Bayardo

2013-07-01

Low-grade salivary duct carcinoma (LG-SDC) is a rare neoplasm characterized by predominant intraductal growth, luminal ductal phenotype, bland microscopic features, and favorable clinical behavior with an appearance reminiscent of florid to atypical ductal hyperplasia to low grade intraductal breast carcinoma. LG-SDC is composed of multiple cysts, cribriform architecture with "Roman Bridges", "pseudocribriform" proliferations with floppy fenestrations or irregular slits, micropapillae with epithelial tufts, fibrovascular cores, and solid areas. Most of the tumor cells are small to medium sized with pale eosinophilic cytoplasm, and round to oval nuclei, which may contain finely dispersed or dark condensed chromatin. Foci of intermediate to high grade atypia, and invasive carcinoma or micro-invasion have been reported in up to 23 % of cases. The neoplastic cells have a ductal phenotype with coexpression of keratins and S100 protein and are surrounded by a layer of myoepithelial cells in non-invasive cases. The main differential diagnosis of LG-SDC includes cystadenoma, cystadenocarcinoma, sclerosing polycystic adenosis, salivary duct carcinoma in situ/high-grade intraductal carcinoma, and papillary-cystic variant of acinic cell carcinoma. There is no published data supporting the continuous classification of LG-SDC as a variant of cystadenocarcinoma. Given that most LG-SDC are non-invasive neoplasms; the terms "cribriform cystadenocarcinoma" and LG-SDC should be replaced by "low-grade intraductal carcinoma" (LG-IDC) of salivary gland or "low-grade intraductal carcinoma with areas of invasive carcinoma" in those cases with evidence of invasive carcinoma.

Evaluation of a Shaker Dust Collector for Use in a Recirculating Ventilation System

PubMed Central

Sawvel, Russell A.; Park, Jae Hong; Anthony, T. Renée

2016-01-01

General ventilation with recirculated air may be cost-effective to control the concentration of low-toxicity, contaminants in workplaces with diffuse, dusty operations, such as in agriculture. Such systems are, however, rarely adopted with little evidence showing improved air quality and ability to operate under harsh conditions. The goal of this work was to examine the initial and long-term performance of a fabric-filter shaker dust collector (SDC) in laboratory tests and as deployed within a recirculating ventilation system in an agricultural building. In laboratory tests, collection efficiency and pressure drop were tracked over several filter loading cycles, and the recovery of filter capacity (pressure drop) from filter shaking was examined. Collection efficiencies of particles larger than 5 μm was high (>95%) even when the filter was pristine, showing effective collection of large particles that dominate inhalable concentrations typical of agricultural dusts. For respirable-sized particles, collection efficiencies were low when the filter was pristine (e.g., 27% for 1 μm) but much higher when a dust cake developed on the filter (>99% for all size particles), even after shaking (e.g., 90% for 1 μm). The first shake of a filter was observed to recovery a substantial fraction of filter capacity, with subsequent shakes providing little benefit. In field tests, the SDC performed effectively over a period of three months in winter when incorporated in a recirculating ventilation system of a swine farrowing room. Trends in collection efficiency and pressure drop with loading were similar to those observed in the laboratory with overall collection efficiencies high (>80%) when pressure drop exceeded 230 Pa, or 23% of the maximum loading recommended by the manufacturer. This work shows that the SDC can function effectively over the harsh winter in swine rearing operations. Together with findings of improved air quality in the farrowing room reported in a companion manuscript, this article provides evidence that an SDC represents a cost-effective solution to improve air quality in agricultural settings. PMID:25955507

Interrater and test-retest reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the BESTest and mini-BESTest in people with increased risk of falling.

PubMed

Hamre, Charlotta; Botolfsen, Pernille; Tangen, Gro Gujord; Helbostad, Jorunn L

2017-04-20

The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) was developed to assess underlying systems for balance control in order to be able to individually tailor rehabilitation interventions to people with balance disorders. A short form, the Mini-BESTest, was developed as a screening test. The study aimed to assess interrater and test-retest reliability of the Norwegian version of the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest in community-dwelling people with increased risk of falling and to assess concurrent validity with the Fall Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and it was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. Forty-two persons with increased risk of falling (elderly over 65 years of age, persons with a history of stroke or Multiple Sclerosis) were assessed twice by two raters. Relative reliability was analysed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), and absolute reliability with standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Concurrent validity was assessed against the FES-I using Spearman's rho. The BESTest showed very good interrater reliability (ICC = 0.98, SEM = 1.79, SDC 95  = 5.0) and test-retest reliability (rater A/rater B = ICC = 0.89/0.89, SEM = 3.9/4.3, SDC 95  = 10.8/11.8). The Mini-BESTest also showed very good interrater reliability (ICC = 0.95, SEM = 1.19, SDC 95  = 3.3) and test-retest reliability (rater A/rater B = ICC = 0.85/0.84, SEM = 1.8/1.9, SDC 95  = 4.9/5.2). The correlations were moderate between the FES-I and both the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest (Spearman's rho -0.51 and-0.50, p < 0.01). The BESTest and its short form, the Mini-BESTest, showed very good interrater and test-retest reliability when assessed in a heterogeneous sample of people with increased risk of falling. The concurrent validity measured against the FES-I showed moderate correlation. The results are comparable with earlier studies and indicate that the Norwegian versions can be used in daily clinic and in research.

Relationship Between Particle and Plasma Properties and Coating Characteristics of Samaria-Doped Ceria Prepared by Atmospheric Plasma Spraying for Use in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuglietta, Mark; Kesler, Olivera

2012-06-01

Samaria-doped ceria (SDC) has become a promising material for the fabrication of high-performance, intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). In this study, the in-flight characteristics, such as particle velocity and surface temperature, of spray-dried SDC agglomerates were measured and correlated to the resulting microstructures of SDC coatings fabricated using atmospheric plasma spraying, a manufacturing technique with the capability of producing full cells in minutes. Plasmas containing argon, nitrogen and hydrogen led to particle surface temperatures higher than those in plasmas containing only argon and nitrogen. A threshold temperature for the successful deposition of SDC on porous stainless steel substrates was calculated to be 2570 °C. Coating porosity was found to be linked to average particle temperature, suggesting that plasma conditions leading to lower particle temperatures may be most suitable for fabricating porous SOFC electrode layers.

Spectral and Temporal Laser Fluorescence Analysis Such as for Natural Aquatic Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chekalyuk, Alexander (Inventor)

2015-01-01

An Advanced Laser Fluorometer (ALF) can combine spectrally and temporally resolved measurements of laser-stimulated emission (LSE) for characterization of dissolved and particulate matter, including fluorescence constituents, in liquids. Spectral deconvolution (SDC) analysis of LSE spectral measurements can accurately retrieve information about individual fluorescent bands, such as can be attributed to chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), phycobiliprotein (PBP) pigments, or chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), among others. Improved physiological assessments of photosynthesizing organisms can use SDC analysis and temporal LSE measurements to assess variable fluorescence corrected for SDC-retrieved background fluorescence. Fluorescence assessments of Chl-a concentration based on LSE spectral measurements can be improved using photo-physiological information from temporal measurements. Quantitative assessments of PBP pigments, CDOM, and other fluorescent constituents, as well as basic structural characterizations of photosynthesizing populations, can be performed using SDC analysis of LSE spectral measurements.

Fluorite Ce0.8Sm0.2O2- δ porous layer coating to enhance the oxygen permeation behavior of a BaCo0.7Fe0.2Nb0.1O3- δ mixed conductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tai-he; Song, Wei-jia; Li, Rong; Zhen, Qiang

2016-06-01

Fluorite Ce0.8Sm0.2O2- δ (SDC) nanopowder with a crystallite size of 15 nm was synthesized by a co-precipitation method. An SDC porous layer was coated onto a BaCo0.7Fe0.2Nb0.1O3- δ (BCFN) mixed conductor to improve its oxygen transport behavior. The results show that the SDC-coated BCFN membrane exhibits a remarkably higher oxygen permeation flux ({J_{{O_2}}}) than the uncoated BCFN in the partial oxidation of coke oven gas (COG). The maximum {J_{{O_2}}} value of the SDC-coated BCFN is 18.28 mL·min-1·cm-2 under a COG/air flux of 177 mL·min-1/353 mL·min-1 at 875°C when the thickness of the BCFN membrane is 1 mm; this {J_{{O_2}}} value is 23% higher than that of the uncoated BCFN membrane. This enhancement is likely because of the higher oxygen ionic conductivity of SDC, which supplies oxygen vacancies and accelerates oxygen exchange on the membrane/coating layer/gas three-phase boundary.

Data System Architectures: Recent Experiences from Data Intensive Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palanisamy, G.; Frame, M. T.; Boden, T.; Devarakonda, R.; Zolly, L.; Hutchison, V.; Latysh, N.; Krassovski, M.; Killeffer, T.; Hook, L.

2014-12-01

U.S. Federal agencies are frequently trying to address new data intensive projects that require next generation of data system architectures. This presentation will focus on two new such architectures: USGS's Science Data Catalog (SDC) and DOE's Next Generation Ecological Experiments - Arctic Data System. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a Science Data Catalog (data.usgs.gov) to include records describing datasets, data collections, and observational or remotely-sensed data. The system was built using service oriented architecture and allows USGS scientists and data providers to create and register their data using either a standards-based metadata creation form or simply to register their already-created metadata records with the USGS SDC Dashboard. This dashboard then compiles the harvested metadata records and sends them to the post processing and indexing service using the JSON format. The post processing service, with the help of various ontologies and other geo-spatial validation services, auto-enhances these harvested metadata records and creates a Lucene index using the Solr enterprise search platform. Ultimately, metadata is made available via the SDC search interface. DOE's Next Generation Ecological Experiments (NGEE) Arctic project deployed a data system that allows scientists to prepare, publish, archive, and distribute data from field collections, lab experiments, sensors, and simulated modal outputs. This architecture includes a metadata registration form, data uploading and sharing tool, a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) tool, a Drupal based content management tool (http://ngee-arctic.ornl.gov), and a data search and access tool based on ORNL's Mercury software (http://mercury.ornl.gov). The team also developed Web-metric tools and a data ingest service to visualize geo-spatial and temporal observations.

Effect of SDC-impregnated LSM cathodes on the performance of anode-supported YSZ films for SOFCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Kongfa; Lü, Zhe; Ai, Na; Chen, Xiangjun; Hu, Jinyan; Huang, Xiqiang; Su, Wenhui

Sm 0.2Ce 0.8O 1.9 (SDC)-impregnated La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 (LSM) composite cathodes were fabricated on anode-supported yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films. Electrochemical performances of the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were investigated in the present study. Four single cells, i.e., Cell-1, Cell-2, Cell-3 and Cell-4 were obtained after the fabrication of four different cathodes, i.e., pure LSM and SDC/LSM composites in the weight ratios of 25/75, 36/64 and 42/58, respectively. Impedance spectra under open-circuit conditions showed that the cathode performance was gradually improved with the increasing SDC loading. Similarly, the maximum power densities (MPD) of the four cells were increased with the SDC amount below 700 °C. Whereas, the cell performance of Cell-4 was lower than that of Cell-3 at 800 °C, arising from the increased concentration polarization at high current densities. This was caused by the lowered porosity with the impregnation cycle. This disadvantage could be suppressed by lowering the operating temperature or by increasing the oxygen concentration at the cathode side. The ratio of electrode polarization loss in the total voltage drop versus current density showed that the cell performance was primarily determined by the electrode polarization. The contribution of the ohmic resistance was increased when the operating temperature was lowered. When a 100 ml min -1 oxygen flow was introduced to the cathode side, Cell-3 produced MPDs of 1905, 1587 and 1179 mW cm -2 at 800, 750 and 700 °C, respectively. The high cell outputs demonstrated the merits of the novel and effective SDC-impregnated LSM cathodes.

Growth laws for sub-delta crevasses in the Mississippi River Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yocum, T. A.; Georgiou, I. Y.; Straub, K. M.

2017-12-01

River deltas are threatened by environmental change, including subsidence, global sea level rise, reduced sediment inputs and other local factors. In the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) these impacts are exemplified, and have led to proposed solutions to build land that include sediment diversions to reinitiate the delta cycle. Deltas were studied extensively using numerical models, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, empirical scaling relationships, laboratory models and field observations. But predicting the future of deltas relies on field observations where for most deltas data are still lacking. Moreover, empirical and theoretical scaling laws may be influenced by the data used to develop them, while laboratory deltas may be influenced by scaling issues. Anthropogenic crevasses in the MRD are large enough to overcome limitations of laboratory deltas, and small enough to allow for rapid channel and wetland development, providing an ideal setting to investigate delta development mechanics. Here we assessed growth laws of sub-delta crevasses (SDC) in the MRD, in two experimental laboratory deltas (LD - weakly and strongly cohesive) and compared them to river dominated deltas worldwide. Channel and delta geometry metrics for each system were obtained using geospatial tools, bathymetric datasets, sediment size, and hydrodynamic observations. Results show that SDC follow growth laws similar to large river dominated deltas, with the exception of some that exhibit anomalous behavior with respect to the frequency and distance to a bifurcation and the fraction of wetted delta shoreline (allometry metrics). Most SDC exhibit a systematic decrease of non-dimensional channel geometries with increased bifurcation order, indicating that channels are adjusting to decreased flow after bifurcations occur, and exhibit linear trends for land allometry and width-depth ratio, although geometries decrease more rapidly per bifurcation order. Measured distance to bifurcations in SDC and LD appear longer compared to those predicted by power law metrics. With less channel splitting in some crevasses, channel extension creates wetted perimeter faster than or at the same rate as wetted area, which explains why some SDC displayed fractal growth of the wetted allometry.

A Novel Hybrid Axial-Radial Atmospheric Plasma Spraying Technique for the Fabrication of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anodes Containing Cu, Co, Ni, and Samaria-Doped Ceria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuglietta, Mark; Kuhn, Joel; Kesler, Olivera

2013-06-01

Composite coatings containing Cu, Co, Ni, and samaria-doped ceria (SDC) have been fabricated using a novel hybrid atmospheric plasma spraying technique, in which a multi-component aqueous suspension of CuO, Co3O4, and NiO was injected axially simultaneously with SDC injected radially in a dry powder form. Coatings were characterized for their microstructure, permeability, porosity, and composition over a range of plasma spray conditions. Deposition efficiency of the metal oxides and SDC was also estimated. Depending on the conditions, coatings displayed either layering or high levels of mixing between the SDC and metal phases. The deposition efficiencies of both feedstock types were strongly dependent on the nozzle diameter. Plasma-sprayed metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells utilizing anodes fabricated with this technique demonstrated power densities at 0.7 V as high as 366 and 113 mW/cm2 in humidified hydrogen and methane, respectively, at 800 °C.

An Educational Transition: Post-Secondary Correctional Education--A Qualitative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartholomew, Greg

2013-01-01

Administration of post-secondary correctional education (PSCE) programs within state was vastly changed through legislation enacted in 2009. This study examined the transition of a PSCE system formerly facilitated by higher education to the current system administered by the State Department of Corrections (SDC). This qualitative case study…

Dioscin Inhibits HSC-T6 Cell Migration via Adjusting SDC-4 Expression: Insights from iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomics.

PubMed

Yin, Lianhong; Qi, Yan; Xu, Youwei; Xu, Lina; Han, Xu; Tao, Xufeng; Song, Shasha; Peng, Jinyong

2017-01-01

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) migration, an important bioprocess, contributes to the development of liver fibrosis. Our previous studies have found the potent activity of dioscin against liver fibrosis by inhibiting HSCs proliferation, triggering the senescence and inducing apoptosis of activated HSCs, but the molecular mechanisms associated with cell migration were not clarified. In this work, iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolution quantitation)-based quantitative proteomics study was carried out, and a total of 1566 differentially expressed proteins with fold change ≥2.0 and p < 0.05 were identified in HSC-T6 cells treated by dioscin (5.0 μg/mL). Based on Gene Ontology classification, String and KEGG pathway assays, the effects of dioscin to inhibit cell migration via regulating SDC-4 were carried out. The results of wound-healing, cell migration and western blotting assays indicated that dioscin significantly inhibit HSC-T6 cell migration through SDC-4-dependent signal pathway by affecting the expression levels of Fn, PKCα, Src, FAK, and ERK1/2. Specific SDC-4 knockdown by shRNA also blocked HSC-T6 cell migration, and dioscin slightly enhanced the inhibiting effect. Taken together, the present work showed that SDC-4 played a crucial role on HSC-T6 cell adhesion and migration of dioscin against liver fibrosis, which may be one potent therapeutic target for fibrotic diseases.

76 FR 2890 - Arbitration Panel Decision Under the Randolph-Sheppard Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-18

...,199 to the SDC out of Vocational Rehabilitation, Section 110 (VR 110) funds until the SLA was advised by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, that VR 110 funds could... illegal agreement with the Department of Mental Health regarding vending services at the SDC. The...

A One-Stop Shop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roach, Ronald

2007-01-01

In this article, the author describes the Science Diversity Center (SDC), a Web-based portal that has consolidated information on all the federal research funding targeted to faculty members at minority-serving institutions, or MSIs. Developed with backing from the National Science Foundation, the SDC has been unofficially up and running since…

Investigation on traditional medicines of Guarany Indio and studies on diterpenes from Scoparia dulcis.

PubMed

Hayashi, Toshimitsu

2011-01-01

In interviews on the traditional herbal medicines of Tupi-Guarany Indians at the herbal market of Asuncion and questionnaire from their users, it was clarified that various useful medicinal plants are available in Paraguay and most of them are generally used without drying. In the search for bioactive substances from those plants, a β-glucuronidase-inhibitory diterpene called scoparic acid A (SA) was isolated from Scoparia dulcis L. together with scoparic acid B, scoparic acid C, and the aphidicolin-like tetracyclic diterpenes scopadulcic acid A (SDA) and scopadulcic acid B (SDB). HPLC analysis of diterpenes in the individual plants of Paraguayan and Asian S. dulcis revealed the presence of three chemotypes based on major component, i.e., SA type, SDB type, and SDX type containing mainly scopadiol and scopadulciol (SDC). SA and SDB were elucidated to be mainly biosynthesized in the leaves via 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol- 4-phosphate pathway, and a leaf organ culture system containing methyl jasmonate 10 µM was found to enhance the production of diterpenes by activation of Ca-signal transduction systems such as calmodulin and protein kinase C. On the other hand, SDB and SDC were found to show multifaceted pharmacological effects such as inhibitory effects on gastric acid excretion, bone resorption, replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), etc. In addition, SDC was suggested to be applicable to cancer gene therapy using ganciclovir or acyclovir and the HSV-1 thymidine kinase gene called the suicide gene.

Microfiche Storage and Retrieval System Study: Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wicker, Roger; And Others

System Development Corporation's (SDC) exploration of microform state-of-the-art and current research reveals developments which will be applicable to the requirements of many small Department of Defense (DoD) users and similar facilities in the next two to five years. The study's survey of the small user population reveals a variety of user…

Physical Fitness and Academic Performance in Primary School Children with and without a Social Disadvantage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Greeff, J. W.; Hartman, E.; Mullender-Wijnsma, M. J.; Bosker, R. J.; Doolaard, S.; Visscher, C.

2014-01-01

This study examined the differences between children with a low socioeconomic status [socially disadvantaged children (SDC)] and children without this disadvantage (non-SDC) on physical fitness and academic performance. In addition, this study determined the association between physical fitness and academic performance, and investigated the…

Air plasma spray processing and electrochemical characterization of Cu-SDC coatings for use in solid oxide fuel cell anodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoved, Nir; Kesler, O.

Air plasma spraying has been used to produce porous composite anodes based on Ce 0.8Sm 0.2O 1.9 (SDC) and Cu for use in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Preliminarily, a range of plasma conditions has been examined for the production of composite coatings from pre-mixed SDC and CuO powders. Plasma gas compositions were varied to obtain a range of plasma temperatures. After reduction in H 2, coatings were characterized for composition and microstructure using EDX and SEM. As a result of these tests, symmetrical sintered electrolyte-supported anode-anode cells were fabricated by air plasma spraying of the anodes, followed by in situ reduction of the CuO to Cu. Full cells deposited on SS430 porous substrates were then produced in one integrated process. Fine CuO and SDC powders have been used to produce homogeneously mixed anode coatings with higher surface area microstructures, resulting in area-specific polarization resistances of 4.8 Ω cm 2 in impedance tests in hydrogen at 712 °C.

An in situ generated carbon as integrated conductive additive for hierarchical negative plate of lead-acid battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saravanan, M.; Ganesan, M.; Ambalavanan, S.

2014-04-01

In this work, we report an in situ generated carbon from sugar as additive in the Negative Active Mass (NAM) which enhances the charge-discharge characteristics of the lead-acid cells. In situ formed sugar derived carbon (SDC) with leady oxide (LO) provides a conductive network and excellent protection against NAM irreversible lead sulfation. The effect of SDC and carbon black (CB) added negative plates are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), galvanostatic charge-discharge, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), respectively. The results show that subtle changes in the addition of carbon to NAM led to subsequent changes on the performance during partial-state-of-charge (PSoC) operations in lead-acid cells. Furthermore, SDC added cells exhibit remarkable improvement in the rate capability, active material utilization, cycle performance and charge acceptance compared to that of the conventional CB added cells. The impact of SDC with LO at various synthesis conditions on the electrochemical performance of the negative plate is studied systematically.

Genetic Variants in SDC3 Gene are Significantly Associated with Growth Traits in Two Chinese Beef Cattle Breeds.

PubMed

Huang, Yong-Zhen; Wang, Qin; Zhang, Chun-Lei; Fang, Xing-Tang; Song, En-Liang; Chen, Hong

2016-01-01

Identification of the genes and polymorphisms underlying quantitative traits, and understanding these genes and polymorphisms affect economic growth traits, are important for successful marker-assisted selection and more efficient management strategies in commercial cattle (Bos taurus) population. Syndecan-3 (SDC3), a member of the syndecan family of type I transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans is a novel regulator of feeding behavior and body weight. The aim of this study is to examine the association of the SDC3 polymorphism with growth traits in Chinese Jiaxian and Qinchuan cattle breeds (). Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs: 1-4) were detected in 555 cows from three Chinese native cattle breeds by means of sequencing pooled DNA samples and polymerase chain reaction-single stranded conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) methods. We found one SNP (g.28362A > G) in intron and three SNPs (g.30742T > G, g.30821C > T and 33418 A > G) in exons. The statistical analyses indicated that these SNPs of SDC3 gene were associated with bovine body height, body length, chest circumference, and circumference of cannon bone (P < 0.05). The mutant-type variant was superior for growth traits; the heterozygote was associated with higher growth traits compared to wild-type homozygote. Our result confirms the polymorphisms in the SDC3 gene are associated with growth traits that may be used for marker-assisted selection in beef cattle breeding programs.

Effect of two carbohydrate-modified tube-feeding formulas on metabolic responses in patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Voss, Anne Coble; Maki, Kevin C; Garvey, W Timothy; Hustead, Deborah S; Alish, Carolyn; Fix, Brenda; Mustad, Vikkie A

2008-10-01

This study evaluated the glycemic, insulinemic, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) responses of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus to consumption of two diabetes-specific tube-feeding formulas (slowly digested carbohydrate formula [SDC] and diabetes-specific formula [DSF]) and one formula intended for individuals without diabetes (standard formula [STND]). Forty-eight subjects controlled with diet and/or oral antihyperglycemic medications received the SDC, DSF, and STND. Postprandial glucose, insulin, and GLP-1 were measured on three occasions after an overnight fast in a double-blinded, randomized, three-treatment, crossover design. The positive area under the curve for glucose and insulin with the STND was higher (P < 0.001) compared with the SDC and DSF. The adjusted GLP-1 concentration at 60 min was higher for the SDC compared with the DSF and STND (P < 0.05). Both lower-carbohydrate diabetes-specific formulas resulted in a lower postprandial blood glucose response compared with the STND. The formula also rich in slowly digested carbohydrate and monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids (SDC) produced significantly lower blood glucose and insulin responses and higher levels of GLP-1 in the presence of significantly lower insulin concentrations. These results support the view that the quantity and quality of carbohydrate and fat may play important roles in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and could result in improved beta-cell function over the long term.

A Conserved Role for Syndecan Family Members in the Regulation of Whole-Body Energy Metabolism

PubMed Central

De Luca, Maria; Klimentidis, Yann C.; Casazza, Krista; Moses Chambers, Michelle; Cho, Ruth; Harbison, Susan T.; Jumbo-Lucioni, Patricia; Zhang, Shaoyan; Leips, Jeff; Fernandez, Jose R.

2010-01-01

Syndecans are a family of type-I transmembrane proteins that are involved in cell-matrix adhesion, migration, neuronal development, and inflammation. Previous quantitative genetic studies pinpointed Drosophila Syndecan (dSdc) as a positional candidate gene affecting variation in fat storage between two Drosophila melanogaster strains. Here, we first used quantitative complementation tests with dSdc mutants to confirm that natural variation in this gene affects variability in Drosophila fat storage. Next, we examined the effects of a viable dSdc mutant on Drosophila whole-body energy metabolism and associated traits. We observed that young flies homozygous for the dSdc mutation had reduced fat storage and slept longer than homozygous wild-type flies. They also displayed significantly reduced metabolic rate, lower expression of spargel (the Drosophila homologue of PGC-1), and reduced mitochondrial respiration. Compared to control flies, dSdc mutants had lower expression of brain insulin-like peptides, were less fecund, more sensitive to starvation, and had reduced life span. Finally, we tested for association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human SDC4 gene and variation in body composition, metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and sleep traits in a cohort of healthy early pubertal children. We found that SNP rs4599 was significantly associated with resting energy expenditure (P = 0.001 after Bonferroni correction) and nominally associated with fasting glucose levels (P = 0.01) and sleep duration (P = 0.044). On average, children homozygous for the minor allele had lower levels of glucose, higher resting energy expenditure, and slept shorter than children homozygous for the common allele. We also observed that SNP rs1981429 was nominally associated with lean tissue mass (P = 0.035) and intra-abdominal fat (P = 0.049), and SNP rs2267871 with insulin sensitivity (P = 0.037). Collectively, our results in Drosophila and humans argue that syndecan family members play a key role in the regulation of body metabolism. PMID:20585652

A conserved role for syndecan family members in the regulation of whole-body energy metabolism.

PubMed

De Luca, Maria; Klimentidis, Yann C; Casazza, Krista; Chambers, Michelle Moses; Cho, Ruth; Harbison, Susan T; Jumbo-Lucioni, Patricia; Zhang, Shaoyan; Leips, Jeff; Fernandez, Jose R

2010-06-23

Syndecans are a family of type-I transmembrane proteins that are involved in cell-matrix adhesion, migration, neuronal development, and inflammation. Previous quantitative genetic studies pinpointed Drosophila Syndecan (dSdc) as a positional candidate gene affecting variation in fat storage between two Drosophila melanogaster strains. Here, we first used quantitative complementation tests with dSdc mutants to confirm that natural variation in this gene affects variability in Drosophila fat storage. Next, we examined the effects of a viable dSdc mutant on Drosophila whole-body energy metabolism and associated traits. We observed that young flies homozygous for the dSdc mutation had reduced fat storage and slept longer than homozygous wild-type flies. They also displayed significantly reduced metabolic rate, lower expression of spargel (the Drosophila homologue of PGC-1), and reduced mitochondrial respiration. Compared to control flies, dSdc mutants had lower expression of brain insulin-like peptides, were less fecund, more sensitive to starvation, and had reduced life span. Finally, we tested for association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human SDC4 gene and variation in body composition, metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and sleep traits in a cohort of healthy early pubertal children. We found that SNP rs4599 was significantly associated with resting energy expenditure (P = 0.001 after Bonferroni correction) and nominally associated with fasting glucose levels (P = 0.01) and sleep duration (P = 0.044). On average, children homozygous for the minor allele had lower levels of glucose, higher resting energy expenditure, and slept shorter than children homozygous for the common allele. We also observed that SNP rs1981429 was nominally associated with lean tissue mass (P = 0.035) and intra-abdominal fat (P = 0.049), and SNP rs2267871 with insulin sensitivity (P = 0.037). Collectively, our results in Drosophila and humans argue that syndecan family members play a key role in the regulation of body metabolism.

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) for Rapid Detection and Quantification of Dehalococcoides Biomarker Genes in Commercial Reductive Dechlorinating Cultures KB-1 and SDC-9

PubMed Central

Kanitkar, Yogendra H.; Stedtfeld, Robert D.; Steffan, Robert J.; Hashsham, Syed A.

2016-01-01

Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) protocols specific to the reductive dehalogenase (RDase) genes vcrA, bvcA, and tceA are commonly used to quantify Dehalococcoides spp. in groundwater from chlorinated solvent-contaminated sites. In this study, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) was developed as an alternative approach for the quantification of these genes. LAMP does not require a real-time thermal cycler (i.e., amplification is isothermal), allowing the method to be performed using less-expensive and potentially field-deployable detection devices. Six LAMP primers were designed for each of three RDase genes (vcrA, bvcA, and tceA) using Primer Explorer V4. The LAMP assays were compared to conventional qPCR approaches using plasmid standards, two commercially available bioaugmentation cultures, KB-1 and SDC-9 (both contain Dehalococcoides species). DNA was extracted over a growth cycle from KB-1 and SDC-9 cultures amended with trichloroethene and vinyl chloride, respectively. All three genes were quantified for KB-1, whereas only vcrA was quantified for SDC-9. A comparison of LAMP and qPCR using standard plasmids indicated that quantification results were similar over a large range of gene concentrations. In addition, the quantitative increase in gene concentrations over one growth cycle of KB-1 and SDC-9 using LAMP was comparable to that of qPCR. The developed LAMP assays for vcrA and tceA genes were validated by comparing quantification on the Gene-Z handheld platform and a real-time thermal cycler using DNA isolated from eight groundwater samples obtained from an SDC-9-bioaugmented site (Tulsa, OK). These assays will be particularly useful at sites subject to bioaugmentation with these two commonly used Dehalococcoides species-containing cultures. PMID:26746711

Intergenerational Exchange of Knowledge, Skills, Values and Practices between Self-Organized Active Citizens in Maribor, Slovenia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krašovec, Sabina Jelenc; Gregorcic, Marta

2017-01-01

Our paper deals with intergenerational informal learning developed by participatory democracy process in the Self-organized District Communities (SDC) in Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia. It is based on the assumption that SDC assemblies, being safe and trustworthy, are very powerful spaces for behavioural and values exchange between…

Syndecan-1 and Metastasis Dormancy

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

Sdc1 WT vs Sdc1 KO mice (p = 0.36). - 5 - Major Task 2: Optimize 3D lung microenvironment assay Subtask 1: Transduce HMVEC-L with E4ORF1 and mCherry...micro-channel devices (see below) but have not yet transduced them with E4ORF1 nor labeled them. If we succeed in generating defined vascular

High power density cell using nanostructured Sr-doped SmCoO3 and Sm-doped CeO2 composite powder synthesized by spray pyrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Hiroyuki; Yamaguchi, Toshiaki; Suzuki, Toshio; Sumi, Hirofumi; Hamamoto, Koichi; Fujishiro, Yoshinobu

2016-01-01

High power density solid oxide electrochemical cells were developed using nanostructure-controlled composite powder consisting of Sr-doped SmCoO3 (SSC) and Sm-doped CeO2 (SDC) for electrode material. The SSC-SDC nano-composite powder, which was synthesized by spray pyrolysis, had a narrow particle size distribution (D10, D50, and D90 of 0.59, 0.71, and 0.94 μm, respectively), and individual particles were spherical, composing of nano-size SSC and SDC fragments (approximately 10-15 nm). The application of the powder to a cathode for an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) realized extremely fine cathode microstructure and excellent cell performance. The anode-supported SOFC with the SSC-SDC cathode achieved maximum power density of 3.65, 2.44, 1.43, and 0.76 W cm-2 at 800, 750, 700, and 650 °C, respectively, using humidified H2 as fuel and air as oxidant. This result could be explained by the extended electrochemically active region in the cathode induced by controlling the structure of the starting powder at the nano-order level.

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) and syndecan-1 (SDC1) are potential biomarkers for putative circulating CD15+/CD30+ cells in poor outcome Hodgkin lymphoma patients

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background High risk, unfavorable classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) includes those patients with primary refractory or early relapse, and progressive disease. To improve the availability of biomarkers for this group of patients, we investigated both tumor biopsies and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) of untreated (chemo-naïve, CN) Nodular Sclerosis Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (NS-cHL) patients for consistent biomarkers that can predict the outcome prior to frontline treatment. Methods and materials Bioinformatics data mining was used to generate 151 candidate biomarkers, which were screened against a library of 10 HL cell lines. Expression of FGF2 and SDC1 by CD30+ cells from HL patient samples representing good and poor outcomes were analyzed by qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical (IHC), and immunofluorescence analyses. Results To identify predictive HL-specific biomarkers, potential marker genes selected using bioinformatics approaches were screened against HL cell lines and HL patient samples. Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 (FGF2) and Syndecan-1 (SDC1) were overexpressed in all HL cell lines, and the overexpression was HL-specific when compared to 116 non-Hodgkin lymphoma tissues. In the analysis of stratified NS-cHL patient samples, expression of FGF2 and SDC1 were 245 fold and 91 fold higher, respectively, in the poor outcome (PO) group than in the good outcome (GO) group. The PO group exhibited higher expression of the HL marker CD30, the macrophage marker CD68, and metastatic markers TGFβ1 and MMP9 compared to the GO group. This expression signature was confirmed by qualitative immunohistochemical and immunofluorescent data. A Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that samples in which the CD30+ cells carried an FGF2+/SDC1+ immunophenotype showed shortened survival. Analysis of chemo-naive HL blood samples suggested that in the PO group a subset of CD30+ HL cells had entered the circulation. These cells significantly overexpressed FGF2 and SDC1 compared to the GO group. The PO group showed significant down-regulation of markers for monocytes, T-cells, and B-cells. These expression signatures were eliminated in heavily pretreated patients. Conclusion The results suggest that small subsets of circulating CD30+/CD15+ cells expressing FGF2 and SDC1 represent biomarkers that identify NS-cHL patients who will experience a poor outcome (primary refractory and early relapsing). PMID:23988031

Interlaboratory comparison of extraction efficiency of pesticides from surface and laboratory water using solid-phase extraction disks.

PubMed

Senseman, Scott A; Mueller, Thomas C; Riley, Melissa B; Wauchope, R Don; Clegg, Chris; Young, Roddy W; Southwick, Lloyd M; Moye, H Anson; Dumas, Jose A; Mersie, Wondi; Mattice, John D; Leidy, Ross B

2003-06-18

A continuation of an earlier interlaboratory comparison was conducted (1) to assess solid-phase extraction (SPE) using Empore disks to extract atrazine, bromacil, metolachlor, and chlorpyrifos from various water sources accompanied by different sample shipping and quantitative techniques and (2) to compare quantitative results of individual laboratories with results of one common laboratory. Three replicates of a composite surface water (SW) sample were fortified with the analytes along with three replicates of deionized water (DW). A nonfortified DW sample and a nonfortified SW sample were also extracted. All samples were extracted using Empore C(18) disks. After extraction, part of the samples were eluted and analyzed in-house. Duplicate samples were evaporated in a 2-mL vial, shipped dry to a central laboratory (SDC), redissolved, and analyzed. Overall, samples analyzed in-house had higher recoveries than SDC samples. Laboratory x analysis type and laboratory x water source interactions were significant for all four compounds. Seven laboratories participated in this interlaboratory comparison program. No differences in atrazine recoveries were observed from in-house samples analyzed by laboratories A, B, D, and G compared with the recovery of SDC samples. In-house atrazine recoveries from laboratories C and F were higher when compared with recovery from SDC samples. However, laboratory E had lower recoveries from in-house samples compared with SDC samples. For each laboratory, lower recoveries were observed for chlorpyrifos from the SDC samples compared with samples analyzed in-house. Bromacil recovery was <65% at two of the seven laboratories in the study. Bromacil recoveries for the remaining laboratories were >75%. Three laboratories showed no differences in metolachlor recovery; two laboratories had higher recoveries for samples analyzed in-house, and two other laboratories showed higher metolachlor recovery for SDC samples. Laboratory G had a higher recovery in SW for all four compounds compared with DW. Other laboratories that had significant differences in pesticide recovery between the two water sources showed higher recovery in DW than in the SW regardless of the compound. In comparison to earlier work, recovery of these compounds using SPE disks as a temporary storage matrix may be more effective than shipping dried samples in a vial. Problems with analytes such as chlorpyrifos are unavoidable, and it should not be assumed that an extraction procedure using SPE disks will be adequate for all compounds and transferrable across all chromatographic conditions.

Study of seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified in East Asians for association with obesity in a Taiwanese population.

PubMed

Huang, Wei-Hsin; Hwang, Lee-Ching; Chan, Hsin-Lung; Lin, Hsiang-Yu; Lin, Yung-Hsiang

2016-08-10

This study aimed to examine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of seven previously reported obesity genes in East Asians and to analyse their associations and synergistic effects on obesity in the Taiwanese population. Cross-sectional study. One medical centre in northern Taiwan. A total of 323 non-obese and 264 obese participants were recruited. The threshold for obesity in this study was a body mass index of ≥27 kg/m(2), as defined by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan. The study was performed with the approval of the institutional review board of MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (application number 12MMHIS106). We analysed the genotype distributions of seven SNPs localising to the PPARγ2, GNB3, SDC3, ADRB2, FTO, PPARγ and ESR1 genes in obese and non-obese groups and then paired obesity-related SNPs to determine if they have synergistic effects on obesity. Analysis of the genotype distributions in obese and non-obese groups revealed only a significant positive correlation between an SNP in rs2282440-syndecan 3 (SDC3) and obesity in the Taiwanese population (p=0.006). In addition, the T/T genotype of SDC3 was significantly associated with a larger waist and hip circumference, higher body fat percentage and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Moreover, the combination of the rs2282440-SDC3T/T genotype with the rs1801282-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma2 gene (PPARγ2) G carrier genotype was strongly associated with obesity (OR=6.77). We found that the rs2282440-SDC3T/T genotype is associated with obesity in the Taiwanese population. Furthermore, there is a synergistic effect of the high-risk alleles of the SDC3 and PPARγ2 genes on the obese phenotype in the Taiwanese population. 12MMHIS106; Results. 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/

Effects of 2 Prevention Programs on High-Risk Behaviors Among African American Youth

PubMed Central

Flay, Brian R.; Graumlich, Sally; Segawa, Eisuke; Burns, James L.; Holliday, Michelle Y.

2008-01-01

Objective To test the efficacy of 2 programs designed to reduce high-risk behaviors among inner-city African American youth. Design Cluster randomized trial. Setting Twelve metropolitan Chicago, Ill, schools and the communities they serve, 1994 through 1998. Participants Students in grades 5 through 8 and their parents and teachers. Interventions The social development curriculum (SDC) consisted of 16 to 21 lessons per year focusing on social competence skills necessary to manage situations in which high-risk behaviors occur. The school/community intervention (SCI) consisted of SDC and school-wide climate and parent and community components. The control group received an attention-placebo health enhancement curriculum (HEC) of equal intensity to the SDC focusing on nutrition, physical activity, and general health care. Main Outcome Measures Student self-reports of violence, provocative behavior, school delinquency, substance use, and sexual behaviors (intercourse and condom use). Results For boys, the SDC and SCI significantly reduced the rate of increase in violent behavior (by 35% and 47% compared with HEC, respectively), provoking behavior (41% and 59%), school delinquency (31% and 66%), drug use (32% and 34%), and recent sexual intercourse (44% and 65%), and improved the rate of increase in condom use (95% and 165%). The SCI was significantly more effective than the SDC for a combined behavioral measure (79% improvement vs 51%). There were no significant effects for girls. Conclusions Theoretically derived social-emotional programs that are culturally sensitive, developmentally appropriate, and offered in multiple grades can reduce multiple risk behaviors for inner-city African American boys in grades 5 through 8. The lack of effects for girls deserves further research. PMID:15066879

Comparison of Snow Mass Estimates from a Prototype Passive Microwave Snow Algorithm, a Revised Algorithm and a Snow Depth Climatology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, J. L.; Chang, A. T. C.; Hall, D. K.

1997-01-01

While it is recognized that no single snow algorithm is capable of producing accurate global estimates of snow depth, for research purposes it is useful to test an algorithm's performance in different climatic areas in order to see how it responds to a variety of snow conditions. This study is one of the first to develop separate passive microwave snow algorithms for North America and Eurasia by including parameters that consider the effects of variations in forest cover and crystal size on microwave brightness temperature. A new algorithm (GSFC 1996) is compared to a prototype algorithm (Chang et al., 1987) and to a snow depth climatology (SDC), which for this study is considered to be a standard reference or baseline. It is shown that the GSFC 1996 algorithm compares much more favorably to the SDC than does the Chang et al. (1987) algorithm. For example, in North America in February there is a 15% difference between the GSFC 198-96 Algorithm and the SDC, but with the Chang et al. (1987) algorithm the difference is greater than 50%. In Eurasia, also in February, there is only a 1.3% difference between the GSFC 1996 algorithm and the SDC, whereas with the Chang et al. (1987) algorithm the difference is about 20%. As expected, differences tend to be less when the snow cover extent is greater, particularly for Eurasia. The GSFC 1996 algorithm performs better in North America in each month than dose the Chang et al. (1987) algorithm. This is also the case in Eurasia, except in April and May when the Chang et al.(1987) algorithms is in closer accord to the SDC than is GSFC 1996 algorithm.

A Nonlinear Dynamics-Based Estimator for Functional Electrical Stimulation: Preliminary Results From Lower-Leg Extension Experiments.

PubMed

Allen, Marcus; Zhong, Qiang; Kirsch, Nicholas; Dani, Ashwin; Clark, William W; Sharma, Nitin

2017-12-01

Miniature inertial measurement units (IMUs) are wearable sensors that measure limb segment or joint angles during dynamic movements. However, IMUs are generally prone to drift, external magnetic interference, and measurement noise. This paper presents a new class of nonlinear state estimation technique called state-dependent coefficient (SDC) estimation to accurately predict joint angles from IMU measurements. The SDC estimation method uses limb dynamics, instead of limb kinematics, to estimate the limb state. Importantly, the nonlinear limb dynamic model is formulated into state-dependent matrices that facilitate the estimator design without performing a Jacobian linearization. The estimation method is experimentally demonstrated to predict knee joint angle measurements during functional electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscle. The nonlinear knee musculoskeletal model was identified through a series of experiments. The SDC estimator was then compared with an extended kalman filter (EKF), which uses a Jacobian linearization and a rotation matrix method, which uses a kinematic model instead of the dynamic model. Each estimator's performance was evaluated against the true value of the joint angle, which was measured through a rotary encoder. The experimental results showed that the SDC estimator, the rotation matrix method, and EKF had root mean square errors of 2.70°, 2.86°, and 4.42°, respectively. Our preliminary experimental results show the new estimator's advantage over the EKF method but a slight advantage over the rotation matrix method. However, the information from the dynamic model allows the SDC method to use only one IMU to measure the knee angle compared with the rotation matrix method that uses two IMUs to estimate the angle.

Preload of slowly digestible carbohydrate microspheres decreases gastric emptying rate of subsequent meal in humans.

PubMed

Cisse, Fatimata; Pletsch, Elizabeth A; Erickson, Daniel P; Chegeni, Mohammad; Hayes, Anna M R; Hamaker, Bruce R

2017-09-01

Gastric emptying rate influences how fast the nutrients of a meal are delivered to the body, and when slow, it moderates glycemic response and may impact satiety. Carbohydrates are one of the macronutrients that trigger the ileal brake, and we hypothesized that slowly digestible carbohydrate (SDC) administered in a premeal load would delay gastric emptying. A crossover design study was conducted with 10 healthy adults using fabricated SDC-microspheres (cooked) that were given 20 minutes before a non-nutritive viscous paste meal. There were 4 treatment arms, each separated by a 1-week washout period, consisting of (1) the paste alone, (2) a rapidly digesting maltodextrin (Polycose) preload followed by the paste 20 minutes later, (3) an SDC-microsphere preload followed by the paste, and (4) a comparably slower SDC-microsphere preload followed by the paste. A 13 C-labeled octanoic acid breath test method was used to measure gastric emptying, with the label incorporated into the non-nutritive paste. The microspheres were less than 1 mm in diameter (a size that does not require breakdown in the stomach before emptying) and, after cooking, were of the same density value. Compared with the paste alone, both of the SDC-microsphere preloads (slow and comparably slower digesting) decreased gastric emptying rate of the paste, with the latter having the most effect (half-emptying times of 1.7, 2.3, and 2.8 hours, respectively [each different at P<.05]). In conclusion, SDCs decreased gastric emptying rate, and this was suggested to be due to a triggering of the ileal brake. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Enhanced sulfur tolerance of nickel-based anodes for oxygen-ion conducting solid oxide fuel cells by incorporating a secondary water storing phase.

PubMed

Wang, Feng; Wang, Wei; Qu, Jifa; Zhong, Yijun; Tade, Mose O; Shao, Zongping

2014-10-21

In this work, a Ni+BaZr(0.4)Ce(0.4)Y(0.2)O(3-δ) (Ni+BZCY) anode with high water storage capability is used to increase the sulfur tolerance of nickel electrocatalysts for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with an oxygen-ion conducting Sm(0.2)Ce(0.8)O(1.9) (SDC) electrolyte. Attractive power outputs are still obtained for the cell with a Ni+BZCY anode that operates on hydrogen fuels containing 100-1000 ppm of H2S, while for a similar cell with a Ni+SDC anode, it displays a much reduced performance by introducing only 100 ppm of H2S into hydrogen. Operating on a hydrogen fuel containing 100 ppm of H2S at 600 °C and a fixed current density of 200 mA cm(-2), a stable power output of 148 mW cm(-2) is well maintained for a cell with a Ni+BZCY anode within a test period of 700 min, while it was decreased from an initial value of 137 mW cm(-2) to only 81 mW cm(-2) for a similar cell with a Ni+SDC anode after a test period of only 150 min. After the stability test, a loss of the Ni percolating network and reaction between nickel and sulfur appeared over the Ni+SDC anode, but it is not observed for the Ni+BZCY anode. This result highly promises the use of water-storing BZCY as an anode component to improve sulfur tolerance for SOFCs with an oxygen-ion conducting SDC electrolyte.

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Cooperative Control and Estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ru, Pengkai

Recent advances in computational power have made it possible to do expensive online computations for control systems. It is becoming more realistic to perform computationally intensive optimization schemes online on systems that are not intrinsically stable and/or have very small time constants. Being one of the most important optimization based control approaches, model predictive control (MPC) has attracted a lot of interest from the research community due to its natural ability to incorporate constraints into its control formulation. Linear MPC has been well researched and its stability can be guaranteed in the majority of its application scenarios. However, one issue that still remains with linear MPC is that it completely ignores the system's inherent nonlinearities thus giving a sub-optimal solution. On the other hand, if achievable, nonlinear MPC, would naturally yield a globally optimal solution and take into account all the innate nonlinear characteristics. While an exact solution to a nonlinear MPC problem remains extremely computationally intensive, if not impossible, one might wonder if there is a middle ground between the two. We tried to strike a balance in this dissertation by employing a state representation technique, namely, the state dependent coefficient (SDC) representation. This new technique would render an improved performance in terms of optimality compared to linear MPC while still keeping the problem tractable. In fact, the computational power required is bounded only by a constant factor of the completely linearized MPC. The purpose of this research is to provide a theoretical framework for the design of a specific kind of nonlinear MPC controller and its extension into a general cooperative scheme. The controller is designed and implemented on quadcopter systems.

Reduction of Syndecan Transcript Levels in the Insulin-Producing Cells Affects Glucose Homeostasis in Adult Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Warren, Jonathan L; Hoxha, Eneida; Jumbo-Lucioni, Patricia; De Luca, Maria

2017-11-01

Signaling by direct cell-matrix interactions has been shown to impact the transcription, secretion, and storage of insulin in mammalian β cells. However, more research is still needed in this area. Syndecans are transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycans that function independently and in synergy with integrin-mediated signaling to mediate cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix. In this study, we used the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to determine whether knockdown of the Syndecan (Sdc) gene expression specifically in the insulin-producing cells (IPCs) might affect insulin-like peptide (ILP) production and secretion. IPCs of adult flies produce three ILPs (ILP2, ILP3, and ILP5), which have significant homology to mammalian insulin. We report that flies with reduced Sdc expression in the IPCs did not show any difference in the expression of ilp genes compared to controls. However, they had significantly reduced levels of the circulating ILP2 protein, higher circulating carbohydrates, and were less glucose tolerant than control flies. Finally, we found that IPCs-specific Sdc knockdown led to reduced levels of head Glucose transporter1 gene expression, extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation, and reactive oxygen species. Taken together, our findings suggest a cell autonomous role for Sdc in insulin release in D. melanogaster.

Improving Flood Damage Assessment Models in Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amadio, M.; Mysiak, J.; Carrera, L.; Koks, E.

2015-12-01

The use of Stage-Damage Curve (SDC) models is prevalent in ex-ante assessments of flood risk. To assess the potential damage of a flood event, SDCs describe a relation between water depth and the associated potential economic damage over land use. This relation is normally developed and calibrated through site-specific analysis based on ex-post damage observations. In some cases (e.g. Italy) SDCs are transferred from other countries, undermining the accuracy and reliability of simulation results. Against this background, we developed a refined SDC model for Northern Italy, underpinned by damage compensation records from a recent flood event. Our analysis considers both damage to physical assets and production losses from business interruptions. While the first is calculated based on land use information, production losses are measured through the spatial distribution of Gross Value Added (GVA). An additional component of the model assesses crop-specific agricultural losses as a function of flood seasonality. Our results show an overestimation of asset damage from non-calibrated SDC values up to a factor of 4.5 for tested land use categories. Furthermore, we estimate that production losses amount to around 6 per cent of the annual GVA. Also, maximum yield losses are less than a half of the amount predicted by the standard SDC methods.

77 FR 53845 - Certain Steel Nails From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results and Partial...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-04

...., a Chinese producer of subject merchandise and its Korean parent company, ECO System Corporation d/b...., Ltd.; (10) Nanjing Yuechang Hardware Co., Ltd.; (11) S-Mart (Tianjin) Technology Development Co. Ltd...) Zhaoqing Harvest Nails Co., Ltd.; (6) S-Mart Tianjing Technology Development Co., Ltd.; and (7) SDC...

Increasing Fruit, Vegetable and Water Consumption in Summer Day Camps-3-Year Findings of the Healthy Lunchbox Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beets, Michael W.; Tilley, Falon; Weaver, Robert G.; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle M.; Moore, Justin B.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to describe the 3-year outcomes (2011-2013) from the healthy lunchbox challenge (HLC) delivered in the US-based summer day camps (SDC) (8-10 hours day-1, 10-11 weeks summer-1, SDC) to increase children and staff bringing fruit, vegetables and water (FVW) each day. A single group pre- with multiple post-test design…

Rspo3 binds syndecan 4 and induces Wnt/PCP signaling via clathrin-mediated endocytosis to promote morphogenesis.

PubMed

Ohkawara, Bisei; Glinka, Andrei; Niehrs, Christof

2011-03-15

The R-Spondin (Rspo) family of secreted Wnt modulators is involved in development and disease and holds therapeutic promise as stem cell growth factors. Despite growing biological importance, their mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here, we show that Rspo3 binds syndecan 4 (Sdc4) and that together they activate Wnt/PCP signaling. In Xenopus embryos, Sdc4 and Rspo3 are essential for two Wnt/PCP-driven processes-gastrulation movements and head cartilage morphogenesis. Rspo3/PCP signaling during gastrulation requires Wnt5a and is transduced via Fz7, Dvl, and JNK. Rspo3 functions by inducing Sdc4-dependent, clathrin-mediated endocytosis. We show that this internalization is essential for PCP signal transduction, suggesting that endocytosis of Wnt-receptor complexes is a key mechanism by which R-spondins promote Wnt signaling. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lacritin and other new proteins of the lacrimal functional unit.

PubMed

McKown, Robert L; Wang, Ningning; Raab, Ronald W; Karnati, Roy; Zhang, Yinghui; Williams, Patricia B; Laurie, Gordon W

2009-05-01

The lacrimal functional unit (LFU) is defined by the 2007 International Dry Eye WorkShop as 'an integrated system comprising the lacrimal glands, ocular surface (cornea, conjunctiva and meibomian glands) and lids, and the sensory and motor nerves that connect them'. The LFU maintains a healthy ocular surface primarily through a properly functioning tear film that provides protection, lubrication, and an environment for corneal epithelial cell renewal. LFU cells express thousands of proteins. Over 200 new LFU proteins have been discovered in the last decade. Lacritin is a new LFU-specific growth factor in human tears that flows through ducts to target corneal epithelial cells on the ocular surface. When applied topically in rabbits, lacritin appears to increase the volume of basal tear secretion. Lacritin is one of only a handful of tear proteins preliminarily reported to be downregulated in blepharitis and in two dry eye syndromes. Computational analysis predicts an ordered C-terminal domain that binds the corneal epithelial cell surface proteoglycan syndecan-1 (SDC1) and is required for lacritin's low nanomolar mitogenic activity. The lacritin-binding site on the N-terminus of SDC1 is exposed by heparanase. Heparanase is constitutively expressed by the corneal epithelium and appears to be a normal constituent of tears. Binding triggers rapid signaling to downstream NFAT and mTOR. A wealth of other new proteins, originally designated as hypothetical when first identified by genomic sequencing, are expressed by the human LFU including: ALS2CL, ARHGEF19, KIAA1109, PLXNA1, POLG, WIPI1 and ZMIZ2. Their demonstrated or implied roles in human genetic disease or basic cellular functions are fuel for new investigation. Addressing topical areas in ocular surface physiology with new LFU proteins may reveal interesting new biological mechanisms and help get to the heart of ocular surface dysfunction.

Age, period, and cohort analysis of regular dental care behavior and edentulism: A marginal approach

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background To analyze the regular dental care behavior and prevalence of edentulism in adult Danes, reported in sequential cross-sectional oral health surveys by the application of a marginal approach to consider the possible clustering effect of birth cohorts. Methods Data from four sequential cross-sectional surveys of non-institutionalized Danes conducted from 1975-2005 comprising 4330 respondents aged 15+ years in 9 birth cohorts were analyzed. The key study variables were seeking dental care on an annual basis (ADC) and edentulism. For the analysis of ADC, survey year, age, gender, socio-economic status (SES) group, denture-wearing, and school dental care (SDC) during childhood were considered. For the analysis of edentulism, only respondents aged 35+ years were included. Survey year, age, gender, SES group, ADC, and SDC during childhood were considered as the independent factors. To take into account the clustering effect of birth cohorts, marginal logistic regressions with an independent correlation structure in generalized estimating equations (GEE) were carried out, with PROC GENMOD in SAS software. Results The overall proportion of people seeking ADC increased from 58.8% in 1975 to 86.7% in 2005, while for respondents aged 35 years or older, the overall prevalence of edentulism (35+ years) decreased from 36.4% in 1975 to 5.0% in 2005. Females, respondents in the higher SES group, in more recent survey years, with no denture, and receiving SDC in all grades during childhood were associated with higher probability of seeking ADC regularly (P < 0.05). The interaction of SDC and age (P < 0.0001) was significant. The probabilities of seeking ADC were even higher among subjects with SDC in all grades and aged 45 years or older. Females, older age group, respondents in earlier survey years, not seeking ADC, lower SES group, and not receiving SDC in all grades were associated with higher probability of being edentulous (P < 0.05). Conclusions With the use of GEE, the potential clustering effect of birth cohorts in sequential cross-sectional oral health survey data could be appropriately considered. The success of Danish dental health policy was demonstrated by a continued increase of regular dental visiting habits and tooth retention in adults because school dental care was provided to Danes in their childhood. PMID:21410991

Consumption of sweetened, dried cranberries may reduce urinary tract infection incidence in susceptible women – a modified observational study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections, and over 50% of women will have a UTI during their lifetimes. Antibiotics are used for prophylaxis of recurrent UTIs but can lead to emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Therefore, it is reasonable to investigate nutritional strategies for prevention of UTIs. Cranberry juices and supplements have been used for UTI prophylaxis, but with variable efficacy. Because dried cranberries may contain a different spectrum of polyphenolics than juice, consuming berries may or may not be more beneficial than juice in decreasing the incidence of UTIs in susceptible women. The primary objectives of this study were to determine if consumption of sweetened, dried cranberries (SDC) decreases recurrent UTIs and whether this intervention would alter the heterogeneity, virulence factor (VF) profiles, or numbers of intestinal E. coli. Methods Twenty women with recurrent UTIs were enrolled in the trial and consumed one serving of SDC daily for two weeks. Clinical efficacy was determined by two criteria, a decrease in the six-month UTI rates pre- and post-consumption and increased time until the first UTI since beginning the study. Strain heterogeneity and virulence factor profiles of intestinal E. coli isolated from rectal swabs were determined by DNA fingerprinting and muliplex PCR, respectively. The numbers of intestinal E. coli eluted from rectal swabs pre- and post-consumption were also quantified. Results Over one-half of the patients did not experience a UTI within six months of SDC consumption, and the mean UTI rate per six months decreased significantly. Kaplan-Meier analysis of infection incidence in women consuming SDC compared to patients in a previous control group showed a significant reduction in time until first UTI within six months. The heterogeneity, VF profiles, and prevalence of intestinal E. coli strains were not significantly different after cranberry consumption. Conclusions Results of this study indicate a beneficial effect from consuming SDC to reduce the number of UTIs in susceptible women. Because there were no changes in the heterogeneity or VF profiles of E. coli, additional studies are needed to determine the mechanism of action of SDC for reduction of UTIs. PMID:24139545

Syndecan-1 knock-down in decidualized human endometrial stromal cells leads to significant changes in cytokine and angiogenic factor expression patterns

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Successful embryonic implantation depends on a synchronized embryo-maternal dialogue. Chemokines, such as chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1), play essential roles in the maternal reproductive tract leading to morphological changes during decidualization, mediating maternal acceptance towards the semi-allograft embryo and induction of angiogenesis. Chemokine binding to their classical G-protein coupled receptors is essentially supported by the syndecan (Sdc) family of heparan sulfate proteoglycans. The aim of this study was to identify the involvement of Sdc-1 at the embryo-maternal interface regarding changes of the chemokine and angiogenic profile of the decidua during the process of decidualization and implantation in human endometrium. Methods A stable Sdc-1 knock-down was generated in the immortalized human endometrial stromal cell line St-T1 and was named KdS1. The ability of KdS1 to decidualize was proven by Insulin-like growth factor binding 1 (IGFBP1) and prolactin (PRL) confirmation on mRNA level before further experiments were carried out. Dot blot protein analyses of decidualized knock-down cells vs non-transfected controls were performed. In order to imitate embryonic implantation, decidualized KdS1 were then incubated with IL-1beta, an embryo secretion product, vs controls. Statistical analyses were performed applying the Student's t-test with p < 0.05, p < 0.02 and p < 0.01 and one way post-hoc ANOVA test with p < 0.05 as cut-offs for statistical significance. Results The induction of the Sdc-1 knock-down revealed significant changes in cytokine and angiogenic factor expression profiles of dKdS1 vs decidualized controls. Incubation with embryonic IL-1beta altered the expression patterns of KdS1 chemokines and angiogenic factors towards inflammatory-associated molecules and factors involved in matrix regulation. Conclusions Sdc-1 knock-down in human endometrial stroma cells led to fulminant changes regarding cytokine and angiogenic factor expression profiles upon decidualization and imitation of embryonic contact. Sdc-1 appears to play an important role as a co-receptor and storage factor for many cytokines and angiogenic factors during decidualization and implantation period, supporting proper implantation and angiogenesis by regulation of chemokine and angiogenic factor secretion in favour of the implanting embryo. PMID:21044331

Lecithin in mixed micelles attenuates the cytotoxicity of bile salts in Caco-2 cells.

PubMed

Tan, Ya'nan; Qi, Jianping; Lu, Yi; Hu, Fuqiang; Yin, Zongning; Wu, Wei

2013-03-01

This study was designed to investigate the cytotoxicity of bile salt-lecithin mixed micelles on the Caco-2 cell model. Cell viability and proliferation after mixed micelles treatments were evaluated with the MTT assay, and the integrity of Caco-2 cell monolayer was determined by quantitating the transepithelial electrical resistance and the flux of tracer, FITC-dextran 4400. The apoptosis induced by mixed micelles treatments was investigated with the annexin V/PI protocol. The particle size of mixed micelles was all smaller than 100 nm. The mixed micelles with lower than 0.2mM sodium deoxycholate (SDC) had no significant effects on cell viability and proliferation. When the level of SDC was higher than 0.4mM and the lecithin/SDC ratio was lower than 2:1, the mixed micelles caused significant changes in cell viability and proliferation. Furthermore, the mixed micelles affected tight junctions in a composition-dependent manner. Specifically, the tight junctions were transiently opened rather than damaged by the mixed micelles with SDC of between 0.2 and 0.6mM. The mixed micelles with more lecithin also induced less apoptosis. These results demonstrate that relatively higher concentrations of mixed micelles are toxic to Caco-2 cells, while phospholipids can attenuate the toxicity of the bile salts. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Susceptibility to cytotoxic T cell lysis of cancer stem cells derived from cervical and head and neck tumor cell lines.

PubMed

Liao, Tian; Kaufmann, Andreas M; Qian, Xu; Sangvatanakul, Voramon; Chen, Chao; Kube, Tina; Zhang, Guoyou; Albers, Andreas E

2013-01-01

To explore cancer stem cell susceptibility to a host's cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated immune response. We compared the susceptibility of putative CSC generated from cancer cell lines to immunologic recognition and killing by alloantigen-specific CD8(+) CTL. CSC-enriched spheroid culture-derived cells (SDC) exhibited higher expression of ALDH, ICAM1 and of stem/progenitor cell markers on all 3 tumor cell lines investigated and lower MHC class I on the cervical cancer cell line as compared to their monolayer-derived cells (MDC). The expression of ICAM1 and MHCI was upregulated by IFN-γ treatment. CSC populations were less sensitive to MHC class I-restricted alloantigen-specific CD8(+) CTL lysis as compared to matched MDC. IFN-γ pretreatment resulted in over-proportionally enhanced lysis of SDC. Finally, the subset of ALDH(high) expressing SDC presented more sensitivity toward CD8(+) CTL killing than the ALDH(low) SDC. Tumor therapy resistance has been attributed to cancer stem cells (CSC). We show in vitro susceptibility of CSC to CTL-mediated lysis. Immunotherapy targeting of ALDH(+) CSC may therefore be a promising approach. Our results and method may be helpful for the development and optimization of adjuvants, as here exemplified for INF-γ, for CSC-targeted vaccines, independent of the availability of CSC-specific antigens.

A high-performance, cobalt-free cathode for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells with excellent CO2 tolerance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, Yun-fei; Zhong, Qin; Chen, Dong-Chang; Chen, Yu; Lai, Samson Yuxiu; Wei, Tao; Sun, Hai-bin; Ding, Dong; Liu, Meilin

2016-07-01

Compared with some cobalt-rich cathodes which have been proven to yield high performance in SOFCs, interest in cobalt-free cathodes has increased due to their reduced thermal expansion coefficients (TECs), high structural stability, and CO2 tolerance. In this report, a new robust Co-free complex perovskite oxide PrLa0.4Ba0.6Fe0.8Zn0.2O5+δ (PLBFZ) has been synthesized and evaluated. The TEC is 14.4 × 10-6 K-1. With the introduction of Sm0.2Ce0.8O2 (SDC), the composite cathode PLBFZ-SDC with a mass ratio of 7:3 (PLBFZ-SDC 73) exhibited the best electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction under OCV conditions, with polarization values of 0.044, 0.079, 0.124, 0.251, 0.572, and 1.297 Ω cm-2 at 800, 750, 700, 650, 600, and 550 °C, respectively. The power densities of the cell were 1309, 1079, 788 and 586 mW cm-2 at 750, 700, 650, and 600 °C, respectively. Moreover, it appears to have good stability in air containing 1% CO2 (volume ratio) for 150 h based on Raman and polarization resistance (Rp) analysis. These results suggest that PLBFZ and its SDC composite are promising cathodes for IT-SOFCs.

Carbonated soft drinks alter hepatic cytochrome P450 isoform expression in Wistar rats.

PubMed

Alkhedaide, Adel; Soliman, Mohamed Mohamed; Ibrahim, Zein Shaban

2016-11-01

The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of chronic consumption of soft drinks (SDs) on hepatic oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) expression in the livers of Wistar rats. For 3 consecutive months, the rats had free access to three different soft drinks, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola and 7-UP. The rats were subsequently compared with control group rats that had consumed water. Blood and hepatic tissue samples were assayed for the changes in antioxidants, liver function biomarkers and hepatic gene expression for different isoforms of hepatic CYP. The results indicated that SD consumption (SDC) decreased serum antioxidant levels and increased malondialdehyde secretion, and increased liver biomarkers (glutamate pyruvate transaminase and glutamate oxaloacetate). SD induced alterations in mRNA expression of hepatic antioxidants and cytochrome isoforms. The expression of peroxidase, catalase, CYP1A2, CYP3A2 and CYP2C11 in the liver were upregulated following SDC. By contrast, CYP2B1 was downregulated after 3 months of SDC in liver tissue samples. Thus, the present findings indicate that SDs induced oxidative stress in the liver of Wistar rats and for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, indicate that SDC disrupts hepatic CYP enzymes that may affect drug metabolism. Therefore, drug-dosing programs should be carefully designed to take these novel findings into consideration for the treatment of diseases.

Chronic effects of soft drink consumption on the health state of Wistar rats: A biochemical, genetic and histopathological study.

PubMed

Alkhedaide, Adel; Soliman, Mohamed Mohamed; Salah-Eldin, Alaa-Eldin; Ismail, Tamer Ahmed; Alshehiri, Zafer Saad; Attia, Hossam Fouad

2016-06-01

The present study was performed to examine the effects of chronic soft drink consumption (SDC) on oxidative stress, biochemical alterations, gene biomarkers and histopathology of bone, liver and kidney. Free drinking water of adult male Wistar rats was substituted with three different soft drinks: Coca‑Cola, Pepsi and 7‑Up, for three consecutive months. The serum and organs were collected for examining the biochemical parameters associated with bone, liver and kidney functions. Semi‑quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to observe the changes in the expression of genes in the liver and kidney, which are associated with oxidative stress resistance. Histopathological investigations were performed to determine the changes in bone, liver and kidney tissues using hematoxylin and eosin stains. SDC affected liver, kidney and bone function biomarkers. Soft drinks increased oxidative stress, which is represented by an increase in malondialdehyde and a decrease in antioxidant levels. SDC affected serum mineral levels, particularly calcium and phosphorus. Soft drinks downregulated the expression levels of glutathione‑S‑transferase and super oxide dismutase in the liver compared with that of control rats. Rats administered Coca‑Cola exhibited a hepatic decrease in the mRNA expression of α2‑macroglobulin compared with rats administered Pepsi and 7‑Up. On the other hand, SDC increased the mRNA expression of α1‑acid glycoprotein. The present renal studies revealed that Coca‑Cola increased the mRNA expression levels of desmin, angiotensinogen and angiotensinogen receptor compared with the other groups, together with mild congestion in renal histopathology. Deleterious histopathological changes were reported predominantly in the bone and liver of the Coca‑Cola and Pepsi groups. In conclusion, a very strict caution must be considered with SDC due to the increase in oxidative stress biomarkers and disruption in the expression of certain genes associated with the bio‑vital function of both the liver and kidney.

Chronic effects of soft drink consumption on the health state of Wistar rats: A biochemical, genetic and histopathological study

PubMed Central

ALKHEDAIDE, ADEL; SOLIMAN, MOHAMED MOHAMED; SALAH-ELDIN, ALAA-ELDIN; ISMAIL, TAMER AHMED; ALSHEHIRI, ZAFER SAAD; ATTIA, HOSSAM FOUAD

2016-01-01

The present study was performed to examine the effects of chronic soft drink consumption (SDC) on oxidative stress, biochemical alterations, gene biomarkers and histopathology of bone, liver and kidney. Free drinking water of adult male Wistar rats was substituted with three different soft drinks: Coca-Cola, Pepsi and 7-Up, for three consecutive months. The serum and organs were collected for examining the biochemical parameters associated with bone, liver and kidney functions. Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to observe the changes in the expression of genes in the liver and kidney, which are associated with oxidative stress resistance. Histopathological investigations were performed to determine the changes in bone, liver and kidney tissues using hematoxylin and eosin stains. SDC affected liver, kidney and bone function biomarkers. Soft drinks increased oxidative stress, which is represented by an increase in malondialdehyde and a decrease in antioxidant levels. SDC affected serum mineral levels, particularly calcium and phosphorus. Soft drinks downregulated the expression levels of glutathione-S-transferase and super oxide dismutase in the liver compared with that of control rats. Rats administered Coca-Cola exhibited a hepatic decrease in the mRNA expression of α2-macroglobulin compared with rats administered Pepsi and 7-Up. On the other hand, SDC increased the mRNA expression of α1-acid glycoprotein. The present renal studies revealed that Coca-Cola increased the mRNA expression levels of desmin, angiotensinogen and angiotensinogen receptor compared with the other groups, together with mild congestion in renal histopathology. Deleterious histopathological changes were reported predominantly in the bone and liver of the Coca-Cola and Pepsi groups. In conclusion, a very strict caution must be considered with SDC due to the increase in oxidative stress biomarkers and disruption in the expression of certain genes associated with the bio-vital function of both the liver and kidney. PMID:27121771

La0.3Sr0.2Mn0.1Zn0.4 oxide-Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (LSMZ-SDC) nanocomposite cathode for low temperature SOFCs.

PubMed

Raza, Rizwan; Abbas, Ghazanfar; Liu, Qinghua; Patel, Imran; Zhu, Bin

2012-06-01

Nanocomposite based cathode materials compatible for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFCs) are being developed. In pursuit of compatible cathode, this research aims to synthesis and investigation nanocomposite La0.3Sr0.2Mn0.1Zn0.4 oxide-Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 (LSMZ-SDC) based system. The material was synthesized through wet chemical method and investigated for oxide-ceria composite based electrolyte LTSOFCs. Electrical property was studied by AC electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The microstructure, thermal properties, and elemental analysis of the samples were characterized by TGA/DSC, XRD, SEM, respectively. The AC conductivity of cathode was obtained for 2.4 Scm(-1) at 550 degrees C in air. This cathode is compatible with ceria-based composite electrolytes and has improved the stability of the material in SOFC cathode environment.

Deposition of Composite LSCF-SDC and SSC-SDC Cathodes by Axial-Injection Plasma Spraying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Jeffrey; Qureshi, Musab; Kesler, Olivera

2012-06-01

The performance of solid oxide fuel cell cathodes can be improved by increasing the number of electrochemical reaction sites, by controlling microstructures, or by using composite materials that consist of an ionic conductor and a mixed ionic and electronic conductor. LSCF (La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ) and SSC (Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3) cathodes were manufactured by axial-injection atmospheric plasma spraying, and composite cathodes were fabricated by mixing SDC (Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9) into the feedstock powders. The plasma power was varied by changing the proportion of nitrogen in the plasma gas. The microstructures of cathodes produced with different plasma powers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and gas permeation measurements. The deposition efficiencies of these cathodes were calculated based on the mass of the sprayed cathode. Particle surface temperatures were measured in-flight to enhance understanding of the relationship between spray parameters, microstructure, and deposition efficiency.

Solid oxide fuel cells with bi-layered electrolyte structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xinge; Robertson, Mark; Decès-Petit, Cyrille; Xie, Yongsong; Hui, Rob; Qu, Wei; Kesler, Olivera; Maric, Radenka; Ghosh, Dave

In this work, we have developed solid oxide fuel cells with a bi-layered electrolyte of 2 μm SSZ and 4 μm SDC using tape casting, screen printing, and co-firing processes. The cell reached power densities of 0.54 W cm -2 at 650 °C and 0.85 W cm -2 at 700 °C, with open circuit voltage (OCV) values larger than 1.02 V. The electrical leaking between anode and cathode through an SDC electrolyte has been blocked in the bi-layered electrolyte structure. However, both the electrolyte resistance (R el) and electrode polarization resistance (R p,a+c) increased in comparison to cells with single-layered SDC electrolytes. The formation of a solid solution of (Ce, Zr)O 2- x during sintering process and the flaws in the bi-layered electrolyte structure seem to be the main causes for the increase in the R el value (0.32 Ω cm 2) at 650 °C, which is almost one order of magnitude higher than the calculated value.

Fibronectin regulates Wnt7a signaling and satellite cell expansion

PubMed Central

Bentzinger, C. Florian; Wang, Yu Xin; von Maltzahn, Julia; Soleimani, Vahab D.; Yin, Hang; Rudnicki, Michael A.

2012-01-01

SUMMARY The influence of the extracellular matrix (ECM) within the stem cell niche remains poorly understood. We found that Syndecan-4 (Sdc4) and Frizzled-7 (Fzd7) form a co-receptor complex in satellite cells and that binding of the ECM glycoprotein Fibronectin (FN) to Sdc4 stimulates the ability of Wnt7a to induce the symmetric expansion of satellite stem cells. Newly activated satellite cells dynamically remodel their niche by transient high-level expression of FN. Knockdown of FN in prospectively isolated satellite cells severely impaired their ability to repopulate the satellite cell niche. Conversely, in vivo over-expression of FN with Wnt7a dramatically stimulated the expansion of satellite stem cells in regenerating muscle. Therefore, activating satellite cells remodel their niche through autologous expression of FN that provides feedback to stimulate Wnt7a signaling through the Fzd7/Sdc4 co-receptor complex. Thus, FN and Wnt7a together regulate the homeostatic levels of satellite stem cells and satellite myogenic cells during regenerative myogenesis. PMID:23290138

Definitive treatment of androgen receptor-positive salivary duct carcinoma with androgen deprivation therapy and external beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

Soper, Margaret S; Iganej, Shawn; Thompson, Lester D R

2014-01-01

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an aggressive malignancy with high recurrence rates. Standard management includes surgical resection followed by adjuvant radiation. Androgen receptor positivity has been described to be present in 40% to 90% of SDCs, and a recent case series showed a benefit to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in recurrent or metastatic disease. We present the case of an 87-year-old woman with a locally advanced androgen receptor-positive parotid SDC treated definitively with ADT and external beam radiotherapy, a regimen modeled after the treatment of prostate cancer. She had a complete response on positron emission tomography (PET)/CT scan and had no evidence of disease 24 months after the completion of treatment. To our knowledge, this case report is the first to describe the use of ADT plus radiation to definitively treat SDC. This regimen could be considered in patients with androgen receptor-positive SDCs who are considered unresectable or who refuse surgery. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. Dried Calyx Ethanol Extract on Fat Absorption-Excretion, and Body Weight Implication in Rats

PubMed Central

Carvajal-Zarrabal, O.; Hayward-Jones, P. M.; Orta-Flores, Z.; Nolasco-Hipólito, C.; Barradas-Dermitz, D. M.; Aguilar-Uscanga, M. G.; Pedroza-Hernández, M. F.

2009-01-01

The effect of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (Hs) calyx extract on fat absorption-excretion and body weight in rats, was investigated. Rats were fed with either a basal diet (SDC = Control diet) or the same diet supplemented with Hs extracts at 5%, 10% and 15% (SD5, SD10 and SD15). Only SD5 did not show significant increases in weight, food consumption and efficiency compared to SDC. The opposite occurred in SD15 group which showed a significant decrease for these three parameters. The SD10 responses were similar to SD15, with the exception of food consumption. In both SDC and SD5 groups, no body weight loss was observed; however, only in the latter group was there a significantly greater amount of fatty acids found in feces. A collateral effect emerging from the study is that components of Hs extract at the intermediate and greater concentrations used in this experiment could be considered possible antiobesity agents. PMID:19756159

The impact of menu labeling on fast-food purchases for children and parents.

PubMed

Tandon, Pooja S; Zhou, Chuan; Chan, Nadine L; Lozano, Paula; Couch, Sarah C; Glanz, Karen; Krieger, James; Saelens, Brian E

2011-10-01

Nutrition labeling of menus has been promoted as a means for helping consumers make healthier food choices at restaurants. As part of national health reform, chain restaurants will be required to post nutrition information at point-of-purchase, but more evidence regarding the impact of these regulations, particularly in children, is needed. To determine whether nutrition labeling on restaurant menus results in a lower number of calories purchased by children and their parents. A prospective cohort study compared restaurant receipts of those aged 6-11 years and their parents before and after a menu-labeling regulation in Seattle/King County (S/KC) (n=75), with those from a comparison sample in nonregulated San Diego County (SDC) (n=58). Data were collected in 2008 and 2009 and analyzed in 2010. In S/KC, there was a significant increase from pre- to post-regulation (44% vs 87%) in parents seeing nutrition information, with no change in SDC (40% vs 34%). Average calories purchased for children did not change in either county (823 vs 822 in S/KC, 984 vs 949 in SDC). There was an approximately 100-calorie decrease for the parents postregulation in both counties (823 vs 720 in S/KC, 895 vs 789 in SDC), but no difference between counties. A restaurant menu-labeling regulation increased parents' nutrition information awareness but did not decrease calories purchased for either children or parents. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ni-SDC cermet anode for medium-temperature solid oxide fuel cell with lanthanum gallate electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xinge; Ohara, Satoshi; Maric, Radenka; Mukai, Kazuo; Fukui, Takehisa; Yoshida, Hiroyuki; Nishimura, Masayoshi; Inagaki, Toru; Miura, Kazuhiro

The polarization properties and microstructure of Ni-SDC (samaria-doped ceria) cermet anodes prepared from spray pyrolysis (SP) composite powder, and element interface diffusion between the anode and a La 0.9Sr 0.1Ga 0.8Mg 0.2O 3- δ (LSGM) electrolyte are investigated as a function of anode sintering temperature. The anode sintered at 1250°C displays minimum anode polarization (with anode ohmic loss), while the anode prepared at 1300°C has the best electrochemical overpotential, viz., 27 mV at 300 mA cm -2 operating at 800°C. The anode ohmic loss gradually increases with increase in the sintering temperature at levels below 1300°C, and sharply increases at 1350°C. Electron micrographs show a clear grain growth at sintering temperatures higher than 1300°C. The anode microstructure appears to be optimized at 1300°C, in which nickel particles form a network with well-connected SDC particles finely distributed over the surfaces of the nickel particles. The anode sintered at 1350°C has severe grain growth and an apparent interface diffusion of nickel from the anode to the electrolyte. The nickel interface diffusion is assumed to be the main reason for the increment in ohmic loss, and the resulting loss in anode performance. The findings suggest that sintering Ni-SDC composite powder near 1250°C is the best method to prepare the anode on a LSGM electrolyte.

Carbonated soft drinks alter hepatic cytochrome P450 isoform expression in Wistar rats

PubMed Central

Alkhedaide, Adel; Soliman, Mohamed Mohamed; Ibrahim, Zein Shaban

2016-01-01

The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of chronic consumption of soft drinks (SDs) on hepatic oxidative stress and cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) expression in the livers of Wistar rats. For 3 consecutive months, the rats had free access to three different soft drinks, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola and 7-UP. The rats were subsequently compared with control group rats that had consumed water. Blood and hepatic tissue samples were assayed for the changes in antioxidants, liver function biomarkers and hepatic gene expression for different isoforms of hepatic CYP. The results indicated that SD consumption (SDC) decreased serum antioxidant levels and increased malondialdehyde secretion, and increased liver biomarkers (glutamate pyruvate transaminase and glutamate oxaloacetate). SD induced alterations in mRNA expression of hepatic antioxidants and cytochrome isoforms. The expression of peroxidase, catalase, CYP1A2, CYP3A2 and CYP2C11 in the liver were upregulated following SDC. By contrast, CYP2B1 was downregulated after 3 months of SDC in liver tissue samples. Thus, the present findings indicate that SDs induced oxidative stress in the liver of Wistar rats and for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, indicate that SDC disrupts hepatic CYP enzymes that may affect drug metabolism. Therefore, drug-dosing programs should be carefully designed to take these novel findings into consideration for the treatment of diseases. PMID:27882225

Gynecologic oncology group strategies to improve timeliness of publication.

PubMed

Bialy, Sally; Blessing, John A; Stehman, Frederick B; Reardon, Anne M; Blaser, Kim M

2013-08-01

The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) is a multi-institution cooperative group funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct clinical trials encompassing clinical and basic scientific research in gynecologic malignancies. These results are disseminated via publication in peer-reviewed journals. This process requires collaboration of numerous investigators located in diverse cancer research centers. Coordination of manuscript development is positioned within the Statistical and Data Center (SDC), thus allowing the SDC personnel to manage the process and refine strategies to promote earlier dissemination of results. A major initiative to improve timeliness utilizing the assignment, monitoring, and enforcement of deadlines for each phase of manuscript development is the focus of this investigation. Document improvement in timeliness via comparison of deadline compliance and time to journal submission due to expanded administrative and technologic initiatives implemented in 2006. Major steps in the publication process include generation of first draft by the First Author and submission to SDC, Co-author review, editorial review by Publications Subcommittee, response to journal critique, and revision. Associated with each step are responsibilities of First Author to write or revise, collaborating Biostatistician to perform analysis and interpretation, and assigned SDC Clinical Trials Editorial Associate to format/revise according to journal requirements. Upon the initiation of each step, a deadline for completion is assigned. In order to improve efficiency, a publications database was developed to track potential steps in manuscript development that enables the SDC Director of Administration and the Publications Subcommittee Chair to assign, monitor, and enforce deadlines. They, in turn, report progress to Group Leadership through the Operations Committee. The success of the strategies utilized to improve the GOG publication process was assessed by comparing the timeliness of each potential step in the development of primary Phase II manuscripts during 2003-2006 versus 2007-2010. Improvement was noted in 10 of 11 identified steps resulting in a cumulative average improvement of 240 days from notification of data maturity to First Author through first submission to a journal. Moreover, the average time to journal acceptance has improved by an average of 346 days. The investigation is based on only Phase II trials to ensure comparability of manuscript complexity. Nonetheless, the procedures employed are applicable to the development of any clinical trials manuscript. The assignment, monitoring, and enforcement of deadlines for all stages of manuscript development have resulted in increased efficiency and timeliness. The positioning and support of manuscript development within the SDC provide a valuable resource to authors in meeting assigned deadlines, accomplishing peer review, and complying with journal requirements.

Use of a Simplified Nomogram to Individualize Digoxin Dosing versus Standard Dosing Practices in Patients with Heart Failure

PubMed Central

DiDomenico, Robert J.; Bress, Adam P.; Na-Thalang, Kwanta; Tsao, Yvonne Y.; Groo, Vicki L.; Deyo, Kelly L.; Patel, Shitalben R.; Bishop, Jeffrey R.; Bauman, Jerry L.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives To compare the frequency of achieving a therapeutic serum digoxin concentration (SDC), defined as 0.5–0.9 ng/ml, by using a simplified nomogram to individualize digoxin dosing with standard dosing practices in patients with heart failure, and to characterize the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene and SDC. Design Prospective study with a historical control group. Setting Outpatient care center of an urban academic medical center. Patients One hundred thirty-one adults with heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction who were treated with digoxin. Intervention Digoxin doses were determined either by the dosing nomogram (65 patients) or standard care (SC; 66 patients) by using a historical controls who were randomly selected from a list of SDCs obtained from laboratory records and who had their digoxin doses determined by standard dosing practices. Measurements and Main Results The primary end point was the proportion of patients achieving a steady-state SDC of 0.5–0.9 ng/ml; secondary end points were mean SDC and proportion of patients achieving a steady-state SDC < 1.0 ng/ml. Postdistributive steady-state SDCs were measured 2–4 weeks after digoxin dosage adjustment or initiation. Therapeutic SDCs were achieved with similar frequency in both groups (38.7% in the nomogram group vs. 34.5% in the SC group, p=0.65); however, more patients in the nomogram group had SDCs < 1.0 ng/ml than in the SC group (85.0% vs. 44.9%, p<0.001). Mean daily digoxin doses were lower in nomogram group (149 ± 67 mcg vs. 177 ± 74 mcg, p=0.02), resulting in lower mean SDCs compared with those in the SC group (0.52 ± 0.30 ng/ml vs. 1.12 ± 0.58 ng/ml, p<0.001). Patients in the pharmacogenetic substudy provided blood samples for genotyping of three common ABCB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms: C1236T (rs1128503), G2677T/A (rs2032582), and C3435T (rs1045642). SDCs were not significantly associated with ABCB1 genotypes. Conclusion Our simplified digoxin dosing nomogram resulted in lower SDCs compared with standard dosing practices but achieved therapeutic SDCs with similar frequency. A greater proportion of patients dosed according to our nomogram had SDCs < 1.0 ng/ml, consistent with consensus guidelines. Genetic polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene were not associated with SDC. PMID:25164709

Impacts of spatial resolution and representation of flow connectivity on large-scale simulation of floods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mateo, Cherry May R.; Yamazaki, Dai; Kim, Hyungjun; Champathong, Adisorn; Vaze, Jai; Oki, Taikan

2017-10-01

Global-scale river models (GRMs) are core tools for providing consistent estimates of global flood hazard, especially in data-scarce regions. Due to former limitations in computational power and input datasets, most GRMs have been developed to use simplified representations of flow physics and run at coarse spatial resolutions. With increasing computational power and improved datasets, the application of GRMs to finer resolutions is becoming a reality. To support development in this direction, the suitability of GRMs for application to finer resolutions needs to be assessed. This study investigates the impacts of spatial resolution and flow connectivity representation on the predictive capability of a GRM, CaMa-Flood, in simulating the 2011 extreme flood in Thailand. Analyses show that when single downstream connectivity (SDC) is assumed, simulation results deteriorate with finer spatial resolution; Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficients decreased by more than 50 % between simulation results at 10 km resolution and 1 km resolution. When multiple downstream connectivity (MDC) is represented, simulation results slightly improve with finer spatial resolution. The SDC simulations result in excessive backflows on very flat floodplains due to the restrictive flow directions at finer resolutions. MDC channels attenuated these effects by maintaining flow connectivity and flow capacity between floodplains in varying spatial resolutions. While a regional-scale flood was chosen as a test case, these findings should be universal and may have significant impacts on large- to global-scale simulations, especially in regions where mega deltas exist.These results demonstrate that a GRM can be used for higher resolution simulations of large-scale floods, provided that MDC in rivers and floodplains is adequately represented in the model structure.

Trends in incidence of lung cancer in Croatia from 2001 to 2013: gender and regional differences

PubMed Central

Siroglavić, Katarina-Josipa; Polić Vižintin, Marina; Tripković, Ingrid; Šekerija, Mario; Kukulj, Suzana

2017-01-01

Aim To provide an overview of the lung cancer incidence trends in the City of Zagreb (Zagreb), Split-Dalmatia County (SDC), and Croatia in the period from 2001 to 2013. Method Incidence data were obtained from the Croatian National Cancer Registry. For calculating incidence rates per 100 000 population, we used population estimates for the period 2001-2013 from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics. Age-standardized rates of lung cancer incidence were calculated by the direct standardization method using the European Standard Population. To describe incidence trends, we used joinpoint regression analysis. Results Joinpoint analysis showed a statistically significant decrease in lung cancer incidence in men in all regions, with an annual percentage change (APC) of -2.2% for Croatia, 1.9% for Zagreb, and -2.0% for SDC. In women, joinpoint analysis showed a statistically significant increase in the incidence for Croatia, with APC of 1.4%, a statistically significant increase of 1.0% for Zagreb, and no significant change in trend for SDC. In both genders, joinpoint analysis showed a significant decrease in age-standardized incidence rates of lung cancer, with APC of -1.3% for Croatia, -1.1% for Zagreb, and -1.6% for SDC. Conclusion There was an increase in female lung cancer incidence rate and a decrease in male lung cancer incidence rate in Croatia in 2001-20013 period, with similar patterns observed in all the investigated regions. These results highlight the importance of smoking prevention and cessation policies, especially among women and young people. PMID:29094814

Promoting effects of chemical permeation enhancers on insulin permeation across TR146 cell model of buccal epithelium in vitro.

PubMed

Xue, Xiao-yan; Zhou, Ying; Chen, Ying-ying; Meng, Jing-ru; Jia, Min; Hou, Zheng; Bai, Hui; Mao, Xing-gang; Luo, Xiao-xing

2012-04-01

To find potential enhancers for facilitating the buccal delivery of insulin, a TR146 cell-culture model of buccal epithelium, cultured on commercially available insert plates, was used to evaluate the permeability-enhancing effects of several traditional and new types of chemical enhancers, including N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), sodium deoxycholate (SDC), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), reduced glutathione (GSH), glutamine (Gln), chitosan (CS), L-arginine (Arg), 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one (Azone), and soybean lecithin (SPC) (50 and 10 μg/mL respectively). Permeability studies were performed to determine the enhancing effects of these compounds on insulin permeation across the cell-culture model. The enhancing effects of the enhancers were assessed by calculating the apparent permeability coefficients and enhancement ratio. Cytotoxicity of the permeation enhancers at different concentrations was investigated by using the methylthiazolydiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Results showed that 50 μg/mL of NAC, SDC, GSH, CS, Arg, Azone, SPC, SNP, and 10 μg/mL of SNP had a significant enhancing effect on promoting the transport of insulin across the TR146 cell model. MTT assays showed that 50 μg/mL of Gln, Azone, SDC, SNP, Arg, 10 μg/mL SDC, and Arg had obvious toxic effects on TR146 cells. Therefore, NAC, GSH, CS, SPC, and SNP appear to be safe, effective permeability enhancers that promote the transport of insulin across the TR146 cell-culture model of buccal epithelium and may be potential enhancers for buccal delivery of insulin with both low toxicity and high efficiency.

The role of membrane cholesterol in determining bile acid cytotoxicity and cytoprotection of ursodeoxycholic acid

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yong; Doyen, Rand; Lichtenberger, Lenard M.

2013-01-01

In cholestatic liver diseases, the ability of hydrophobic bile acids to damage membranes of hepatocytes/ductal cells contributes to their cytotoxicity. However, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDC), a hydrophilic bile acid, is used to treat cholestasis because it protects membranes. It has been well established that bile acids associate with and solubilize free cholesterol (CHOL) contained within the lumen of the gallbladder because of their structural similarities. However, there is a lack of understanding of how membrane CHOL, which is a well-established membrane stabilizing agent, is involved in cytotoxicity of hydrophobic bile acids and the cytoprotective effect of UDC. We utilized phospholipid liposomes to examine the ability of membrane CHOL to influence toxicity of individual bile acids, such as UDC and the highly toxic sodium deoxycholate (SDC), as well as the cytoprotective mechanism of UDC against SDC-induced cytotoxicity by measuring membrane permeation and intramembrane dipole potential. The kinetics of bile acid solubilization of phosphatidylcholine liposomes containing various levels of CHOL was also characterized. It was found that the presence of CHOL in membranes significantly reduced the ability of bile acids to damage synthetic membranes. UDC effectively prevented damaging effects of SDC on synthetic membranes only in the presence of membrane CHOL, while UDC enhances the damaging effects of SDC in the absence of CHOL. This further demonstrates that the cytoprotective effects of UDC depend upon the level of CHOL in the lipid membrane. Thus, changes in cell membrane composition, such as CHOL content, potentially influence the efficacy of UDC as the primary drug used to treat cholestasis. PMID:19150330

Cerium and niobium doped SrCoO3-δ as a potential cathode for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shouguo; Feng, Shuangjiu; Lu, Qiliang; Li, Yide; Wang, Hong; Wang, Chunchang

2014-04-01

Sr0.9Ce0.1Co0.9Nb0.1O3-δ (SCCN) has been synthesized using solid state reaction, and investigated as a new cathode material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (ITSOFCs). SCCN material exhibits sufficiently high electronic conductivity and excellent chemical compatibility with SDC electrolyte. Highly charged Ce4+ and Nb5+ successfully stabilize the perovskite structure to avoid order-disorder phase transition. The electrical conductivity reaches a high value of 516 S cm-1 at 300 °C in air. The area specific resistances of the SCCN-50 wt.% Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SDC) cathode are as low as 0.027, 0.049, and 0.094 Ω cm2 at 700, 650, and 600 °C, respectively, with the corresponding peak power densities of 1074, 905, and 589 mW cm-2. A relatively low thermal expansion coefficient of SCCN-SDC is 14.3 × 10-6 K-1 in air. All these results imply that SCCN holds tremendous promise as a cathode material for ITSOFCs.

Latitudinal variation of leaf stomatal traits from species to community level in forests: linkage with ecosystem productivity

PubMed Central

Wang, Ruili; Yu, Guirui; He, Nianpeng; Wang, Qiufeng; Zhao, Ning; Xu, Zhiwei; Ge, Jianping

2015-01-01

To explore the latitudinal variation of stomatal traits from species to community level and their linkage with net primary productivity (NPP), we investigated leaf stomatal density (SDL) and stomatal length (SLL) across 760 species from nine forest ecosystems in eastern China, and calculated the community-level SD (SDC) and SL (SLC) through species-specific leaf area index (LAI). Our results showed that latitudinal variation in species-level SDL and SLL was minimal, but community-level SDC and SLC decreased clearly with increasing latitude. The relationship between SD and SL was negative across species and different plant functional types (PFTs), but positive at the community level. Furthermore, community-level SDC correlated positively with forest NPP, and explained 51% of the variation in NPP. These findings indicate that the trade-off by regulating SDL and SLL may be an important strategy for plant individuals to adapt to environmental changes, and temperature acts as the main factor influencing community-level stomatal traits through alteration of species composition. Importantly, our findings provide new insight into the relationship between plant traits and ecosystem function. PMID:26403303

Expression of Hormone Receptors and HER-2 in Benign and Malignant Salivary Gland Tumors.

PubMed

Can, Nhu Thuy; Lingen, Mark W; Mashek, Heather; McElherne, James; Briese, Renee; Fitzpatrick, Carrie; van Zante, Annemieke; Cipriani, Nicole A

2018-03-01

With the advent of targeted therapies, expression of sex hormone receptors and HER-2 in salivary gland tumors (SGTs) is of clinical interest. Previous reports of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor expression have varied. Androgen receptor (AR) and HER-2 overexpression are frequently reported in salivary duct carcinoma (SDC), but have not been studied systematically in other SGTs. This study examines ER, PR, AR, and HER-2 expression in SGTs. Immunohistochemistry for ER, PR, AR, and HER-2 was performed on 254 SGTs (134 malignant). ER, PR, and AR expression was scored using Allred system. HER-2 expression was scored using Dako HercepTest guidelines. FISH for HER-2 amplification was performed on select cases with HER-2 overexpression (2-3+). No SGT demonstrated strong expression of ER or PR. Combined strong AR and HER-2 expression was seen in 22 carcinomas: 14/25 SDC, 3/16 poorly differentiated, two oncocytic, and one each carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma, squamous cell, and intraductal carcinoma. Eighteen additional high grade carcinomas had HER-2 overexpression with absent, weak, or moderate AR expression; eight high grade carcinomas had isolated strong AR expression with 0-1+ HER-2 staining. Of 15 tested cases, six demonstrated HER-2 amplification by FISH, all of which had 3+ immunoreactivity. Neither benign nor malignant SGTs had strong expression of ER or PR. None of the benign SGTs overexpressed AR or HER-2. Coexpression of AR and HER-2 should not define SDC, but immunostaining should be considered in high grade salivary carcinomas, as some show overexpression and may benefit from targeted therapy.

A comparison of high-speed links, their commercial support and ongoing R&D activities

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

Gonzalez, H.L.; Barsotti, E.; Zimmermann, S.

Technological advances and a demanding market have forced the development of higher bandwidth communication standards for networks, data links and busses. Most of these emerging standards are gathering enough momentum that their widespread availability and lower prices are anticipated. The hardware and software that support the physical media for most of these links is currently available, allowing the user community to implement fairly high-bandwidth data links and networks with commercial components. Also, switches needed to support these networks are available or being developed. The commercial suppose of high-bandwidth data links, networks and switching fabrics provides a powerful base for themore » implementation of high-bandwidth data acquisition systems. A large data acquisition system like the one for the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) at the SSC can benefit from links and networks that support an integrated systems engineering approach, for initialization, downloading, diagnostics, monitoring, hardware integration and event data readout. The issue that our current work addresses is the possibility of having a channel/network that satisfies the requirements of an integrated data acquisition system. In this paper we present a brief description of high-speed communication links and protocols that we consider of interest for high energy physic High Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI). Serial HIPPI, Fibre Channel (FC) and Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI). In addition, the initial work required to implement an SDC-like data acquisition system is described.« less

A comparison of high-speed links, their commercial support and ongoing R D activities

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

Gonzalez, H.L.; Barsotti, E.; Zimmermann, S.

Technological advances and a demanding market have forced the development of higher bandwidth communication standards for networks, data links and busses. Most of these emerging standards are gathering enough momentum that their widespread availability and lower prices are anticipated. The hardware and software that support the physical media for most of these links is currently available, allowing the user community to implement fairly high-bandwidth data links and networks with commercial components. Also, switches needed to support these networks are available or being developed. The commercial suppose of high-bandwidth data links, networks and switching fabrics provides a powerful base for themore » implementation of high-bandwidth data acquisition systems. A large data acquisition system like the one for the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) at the SSC can benefit from links and networks that support an integrated systems engineering approach, for initialization, downloading, diagnostics, monitoring, hardware integration and event data readout. The issue that our current work addresses is the possibility of having a channel/network that satisfies the requirements of an integrated data acquisition system. In this paper we present a brief description of high-speed communication links and protocols that we consider of interest for high energy physic High Performance Parallel Interface (HIPPI). Serial HIPPI, Fibre Channel (FC) and Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI). In addition, the initial work required to implement an SDC-like data acquisition system is described.« less

Magnetospheric Multiscale Instrument Suite Operations and Data System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, D. N.; Riesberg, L.; Pankratz, C. K.; Panneton, R. S.; Giles, B. L.; Wilder, F. D.; Ergun, R. E.

2016-03-01

The four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft will collect a combined volume of ˜100 gigabits per day of particle and field data. On average, only 4 gigabits of that volume can be transmitted to the ground. To maximize the scientific value of each transmitted data segment, MMS has developed the Science Operations Center (SOC) to manage science operations, instrument operations, and selection, downlink, distribution, and archiving of MMS science data sets. The SOC is managed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado and serves as the primary point of contact for community participation in the mission. MMS instrument teams conduct their operations through the SOC, and utilize the SOC's Science Data Center (SDC) for data management and distribution. The SOC provides a single mission data archive for the housekeeping and science data, calibration data, ephemerides, attitude and other ancillary data needed to support the scientific use and interpretation. All levels of data products will reside at and be publicly disseminated from the SDC. Documentation and metadata describing data products, algorithms, instrument calibrations, validation, and data quality will be provided. Arguably, the most important innovation developed by the SOC is the MMS burst data management and selection system. With nested automation and "Scientist-in-the-Loop" (SITL) processes, these systems are designed to maximize the value of the burst data by prioritizing the data segments selected for transmission to the ground. This paper describes the MMS science operations approach, processes and data systems, including the burst system and the SITL concept.

Performance analysis of simultaneous dense coding protocol under decoherence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhiming; Zhang, Cai; Situ, Haozhen

2017-09-01

The simultaneous dense coding (SDC) protocol is useful in designing quantum protocols. We analyze the performance of the SDC protocol under the influence of noisy quantum channels. Six kinds of paradigmatic Markovian noise along with one kind of non-Markovian noise are considered. The joint success probability of both receivers and the success probabilities of one receiver are calculated for three different locking operators. Some interesting properties have been found, such as invariance and symmetry. Among the three locking operators we consider, the SWAP gate is most resistant to noise and results in the same success probabilities for both receivers.

Efficacy of Silver Dihydrogen Citrate and Steam Vapor against a Human Norovirus Surrogate, Feline Calicivirus, in Suspension, on Glass, and on Carpet.

PubMed

Buckley, David; Dharmasena, Muthu; Fraser, Angela; Pettigrew, Charles; Anderson, Jeffery; Jiang, Xiuping

2018-06-15

Carpets and other soft surfaces have been associated with prolonged and reoccurring human norovirus (HuNoV) outbreaks. Environmental hygiene programs are important to prevent and control HuNoV outbreaks. Despite our knowledge of HuNoV transmission via soft surfaces, no commercially available disinfectants have been evaluated on carpets. Our aim was to adapt a current standardized method for virucidal testing by assessing two disinfection technologies, silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) and steam vapor, against one HuNoV surrogate, feline calicivirus (FCV), on wool and nylon carpets. First, we evaluated the effect of both technologies on the appearance of carpet. Next, we evaluated the efficacy of SDC in suspension and the efficacy of SDC and steam vapor against FCV on a glass surface, each with and without serum. Lastly, we tested both technologies on two types of carpet, wool and nylon. Both carpets exhibited no obvious color changes; however, SDC treatments left a residue while steam vapor left minor abrasions to fibers. SDC in suspension and on glass reduced FCV by 4.65 log 10 and >4.66 log 10 PFU, respectively, but demonstrated reduced efficacy in the presence of serum. However, SDC was only efficacious against FCV on nylon (3.62-log 10 PFU reduction) and not wool (1.82-log 10 PFU reduction). Steam vapor reduced FCV by >4.93 log 10 PFU on glass in 10 s and >3.68 log 10 PFU on wool and nylon carpet carriers in 90 s. There was a limited reduction of FCV RNA under both treatments compared to that of infectivity assays, but RNA reductions were higher in samples that contained serum. IMPORTANCE Human noroviruses (HuNoV) account for ca. 20% of all diarrheal cases worldwide. Disease symptoms may include diarrhea and vomit, with both known to contribute to transmission. The prevention and control of HuNoV are difficult because they are environmentally resilient and resistant to many disinfectants. Several field studies have linked both hard and soft surfaces to HuNoV outbreaks. However, many disinfectants efficacious against HuNoV surrogates are recommended for hard surfaces, but no commercially available products have demonstrated efficacy against these surrogates on soft surfaces. Our research objectives were to evaluate liquid and steam-based technologies in suspension and on hard surface carriers in addition to adapting and testing a protocol for assessing the virucidal effects of disinfection technologies on carpet carriers. These results will inform both the government and industry regarding a standard method for evaluating the virucidal effects of disinfectants on carpet while demonstrating their efficacy relative to suspension and hard-surface tests. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Ground Vehicle Condition Based Maintenance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-04

Diagnostic Process Map 32 FMEAs Developed : • Diesel Engine • Transmission • Alternators Analysis : • Identify failure modes • Derive design factors and...S&T Initiatives  TARDEC P&D Process Map  Component Testing  ARL CBM Research  AMSAA SDC & Terrain Modeling UNCLASSIFIED 3 CBM+ Overview...UNCLASSIFIED 4 RCM and CBM are core processes for CBM+ System Development • Army Regulation 750-1, 20 Sep 2007, p. 79 - Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM

Lacritin and Other New Proteins of the Lacrimal Functional Unit

PubMed Central

McKown, Robert L.; Wang, Ningning; Raab, Ronald W.; Karnati, Roy; Zhang, Yinghui; Williams, Patricia B.; Laurie, Gordon W.

2009-01-01

The lacrimal functional unit (LFU) is defined by the 2007 International Dry Eye WorkShop as ‘an integrated system comprising the lacrimal glands, ocular surface (cornea, conjunctiva and meibomian glands) and lids, and the sensory and motor nerves that connect them’. The LFU maintains a healthy ocular surface primarily through a properly functioning tear film that provides protection, lubrication, and an environment for corneal epithelial cell renewal. LFU cells express thousands of proteins. Over two hundred new LFU proteins have been discovered in the last decade. Lacritin is a new LFU-specific growth factor in human tears that flows through ducts to target corneal epithelial cells on the ocular surface. When applied topically in rabbits, lacritin appears to increase the volume of basal tear secretion. Lacritin is one of only a handful of tear proteins preliminarily reported to be downregulated in blepharitis and in two dry eye syndromes. Computational analysis predicts an ordered C-terminal domain that binds the corneal epithelial cell surface proteoglycan syndecan-1 (SDC1) and is required for lacritin’s low nanomolar mitogenic activity. The lacritin binding site on the N-terminus of SDC1 is exposed by heparanase. Heparanase is constitutively expressed by the corneal epithelium and appears to be a normal constituent of tears. Binding triggers rapid signaling to downstream NFAT and mTOR. A wealth of other new proteins, originally designated as hypothetical when first identified by genomic sequencing, are expressed by the human LFU including: ALS2CL, ARHGEF19, KIAA1109, PLXNA1, POLG, WIPI1 and ZMIZ2. Their demonstrated or implied roles in human genetic disease or basic cellular functions are fuel for new investigation. Addressing topical areas in ocular surface physiology with new LFU proteins may reveal interesting new biological mechanisms and help get to the heart of ocular surface dysfunction. PMID:18840430

Ultra scale-down device to predict dewatering levels of solids recovered in a continuous scroll decanter centrifuge.

PubMed

Lopes, A G; Keshavarz-Moore, E

2013-01-01

During centrifugation operation, the major challenge in the recovery of extracellular proteins is the removal of the maximum liquid entrapped within the spaces between the settled solids-dewatering level. The ability of the scroll decanter centrifuge (SDC) to process continuously large amounts of feed material with high concentration of solids without the need for resuspension of feeds, and also to achieve relatively high dewatering, could be of great benefit for future use in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, for reliable prediction of dewatering in such a centrifuge, tests using the same kind of equipment at pilot-scale are required, which are time consuming and costly. To alleviate the need of pilot-scale trials, a novel USD device, with reduced amounts of feed (2 mL) and to be used in the laboratory, was developed to predict the dewatering levels of a SDC. To verify USD device, dewatering levels achieved were plotted against equivalent compression (Gtcomp ) and decanting (Gtdec ) times, obtained from scroll rates and feed flow rates operated at pilot-scale, respectively. The USD device was able to successfully match dewatering trends of the pilot-scale as a function of both Gtcomp and Gtdec , particularly for high cell density feeds, hence accounting for all key variables that influenced dewatering in a SDC. In addition, it accurately mimicked the maximum dewatering performance of the pilot-scale equipment. Therefore the USD device has the potential to be a useful tool at early stages of process development to gather performance data in the laboratory thus minimizing lengthy and costly runs with pilot-scale SDC. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Pasture v. standard dairy cream in high-fat diet-fed mice: improved metabolic outcomes and stronger intestinal barrier.

PubMed

Benoit, Bérengère; Plaisancié, Pascale; Géloën, Alain; Estienne, Monique; Debard, Cyrille; Meugnier, Emmanuelle; Loizon, Emmanuelle; Daira, Patricia; Bodennec, Jacques; Cousin, Olivier; Vidal, Hubert; Laugerette, Fabienne; Michalski, Marie-Caroline

2014-08-28

Dairy products derived from the milk of cows fed in pastures are characterised by higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acid and α-linolenic acid (ALA), and several studies have shown their ability to reduce cardiovascular risk. However, their specific metabolic effects compared with standard dairy in a high-fat diet (HFD) context remain largely unknown; this is what we determined in the present study with a focus on the metabolic and intestinal parameters. The experimental animals were fed for 12 weeks a HFD containing 20 % fat in the form of a pasture dairy cream (PDC) or a standard dairy cream (SDC). Samples of plasma, liver, white adipose tissue, duodenum, jejunum and colon were analysed. The PDC mice, despite a higher food intake, exhibited lower fat mass, plasma and hepatic TAG concentrations, and inflammation in the adipose tissue than the SDC mice. Furthermore, they exhibited a higher expression of hepatic PPARα mRNA and adipose tissue uncoupling protein 2 mRNA, suggesting an enhanced oxidative activity of the tissues. These results might be explained, in part, by the higher amounts of ALA in the PDC diet and in the liver and adipose tissue of the PDC mice. Moreover, the PDC diet was found to increase the proportions of two strategic cell populations involved in the protective function of the intestinal epithelium, namely Paneth and goblet cells in the small intestine and colon, compared with the SDC diet. In conclusion, a PDC HFD leads to improved metabolic outcomes and to a stronger gut barrier compared with a SDC HFD. This may be due, at least in part, to the protective mechanisms induced by specific lipids.

Ultrasound is a reproducible and valid tool for measuring scar height in children with burn scars: A cross-sectional study of the psychometric properties and utility of the ultrasound and 3D camera.

PubMed

Simons, M; Kee, E Gee; Kimble, R; Tyack, Z

2017-08-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the reproducibility and validity of measuring scar height in children using ultrasound and 3D camera. Using a cross-sectional design, children with discrete burn scars were included. Reproducibility was tested using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for reliability, and percentage agreement within 1mm between test and re-test, standard error of measurement (SEM), smallest detectable change (SDC) and Bland Altman limits of agreement for agreement. Concurrent validity was tested using Spearman's rho for support of pre-specified hypotheses. Forty-nine participants (55 scars) were included. For ultrasound, test-retest and inter-rater reproducibility of scar thickness was acceptable for scarred skin (ICC=0.95, SDC=0.06cm and ICC=0.82, SDC=0.14cm). The ultrasound picked up changes of <1mm. Inter-rater reproducibility of maximal scar height using the 3D camera was acceptable (ICC=0.73, SDC=0.55cm). Construct validity of the ultrasound was supported with a strong correlation between the measure of scar thickness and observer ratings of thickness using the POSAS (ρ=0.61). Construct validity of the 3D camera was also supported with a moderate correlation (ρ=0.37) with the same measure using maximal scar height. The ultrasound is capable of detecting smaller changes or differences in scar thickness than the 3D camera, in children with burn scars. However agreement as part of reproducibility was lower than expected between raters for the ultrasound. Improving the accuracy of scar relocation may go some way to address agreement. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pharmacokinetic monitoring of chronic treatment with digoxin from Primary Health Care.

PubMed

García-Iranzo, Emma M; Rodríguez-Lucena, Francisco J; Matoses-Chirivella, Carmen; García-Monsalve, Ana; Murcia-López, Ana Cristina; Navarro-Ruiz, Andrés

2017-07-01

The serum digoxin concentration (SDC) should be between 0.8 and 2 ng/ml. The objective is to assess the pharmacokinetic monitoring of SDC performed from primary healthcare (PH) in patients with chronic treatment. Cross-sectional retrospective study of patients with chronic treatment with digoxin belonging to the department of a General University Hospital.Data were analized: age, sex, diagnosis, number of serum digoxin concentration determinations, date and origin of the request for monitoring, analytical result and pharmacokinetic assessment are collected. 624 patients are undergoing chronic treatment with digoxin, 68% women, mean age 78.4 (39-98) years. 308 (49.4%) patients haven't analytical determination of SDC (Group 1), 183 (29.3%) patients have a SDC occasionally performed with a request from specialist care (Group 2) and 133 (21,3%) patients have CSD performed with a request from primary healthcare doctors, with an average of 2.42 monitoring per patient and year (Group 3). These are those patients who have pharmacokinetic monitoring of chronic treatment with digoxin. Of the group 2.25 (13.6%) patientes were hospital admission from emergency department for presenting digitalis intoxication with CSD>2 ng/ml, and 39 (21.3%) patients for low dosing with CSD<0.5 ng/ml. Group 3.4 (3%) patients presented digitalis intoxication and 5 (3.8%) for insufficient dosing. A small proportion of patients undergoing chronic treatment with digoxin are under pharmacokinetic monitoring and a reduction in complications derived from inappropriate CSD compared to those not under pharmacokinetic follow-up is observed. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Achieving algorithmic resilience for temporal integration through spectral deferred corrections

DOE PAGES

Grout, Ray; Kolla, Hemanth; Minion, Michael; ...

2017-05-08

Spectral deferred corrections (SDC) is an iterative approach for constructing higher-order-accurate numerical approximations of ordinary differential equations. SDC starts with an initial approximation of the solution defined at a set of Gaussian or spectral collocation nodes over a time interval and uses an iterative application of lower-order time discretizations applied to a correction equation to improve the solution at these nodes. Each deferred correction sweep increases the formal order of accuracy of the method up to the limit inherent in the accuracy defined by the collocation points. In this paper, we demonstrate that SDC is well suited to recovering frommore » soft (transient) hardware faults in the data. A strategy where extra correction iterations are used to recover from soft errors and provide algorithmic resilience is proposed. Specifically, in this approach the iteration is continued until the residual (a measure of the error in the approximation) is small relative to the residual of the first correction iteration and changes slowly between successive iterations. Here, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy for both canonical test problems and a comprehensive situation involving a mature scientific application code that solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations for combustion research.« less

Anode-supported single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell based on cobalt-free composite cathode of Nd0.5Sr0.5Fe0.8Cu0.2O3-δ-Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9 at intermediate temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, Jie-Wei; Zhang, Chunming; Yin, Yi-Mei; Shi, Huangang; Lin, Ye; Lu, Jun; Ma, Zi-Feng

2015-07-01

As a candidate of cathode material of single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell (SC-SOFC), cobalt-free mixed ionic electronic conductor (MIEC) Nd0.5Sr0.5Fe0.8Cu0.2O3-δ (NSFCu) is synthesized by sol-gel method with ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid and citric acid as co-complexing agents. The XRD shows NSFCu is stable after CO2 treatment and chemical compatible with SDC at high temperatures. CO2-TPD (CO2-temperature programmed desorption) demonstrates both CO2 adsorption and desorption phenomenon on NSFCu surface. However, the polarization resistances (Rp) of NSFCu and SDC (10:4 in weight) composite electrodes showed no decay in 5% CO2. Single cell using N2-O2-CH4 mixed gas (CH4 to O2 ratio = 1.5) as fuel shows maximum power density of 635 mW cm-2 at 700 °C. These results suggest that NSFCu-SDC is a promising composite cathode material for application in single-chamber solid oxide fuel cell.

Achieving algorithmic resilience for temporal integration through spectral deferred corrections

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

Grout, Ray; Kolla, Hemanth; Minion, Michael

2017-05-08

Spectral deferred corrections (SDC) is an iterative approach for constructing higher- order accurate numerical approximations of ordinary differential equations. SDC starts with an initial approximation of the solution defined at a set of Gaussian or spectral collocation nodes over a time interval and uses an iterative application of lower-order time discretizations applied to a correction equation to improve the solution at these nodes. Each deferred correction sweep increases the formal order of accuracy of the method up to the limit inherent in the accuracy defined by the collocation points. In this paper, we demonstrate that SDC is well suited tomore » recovering from soft (transient) hardware faults in the data. A strategy where extra correction iterations are used to recover from soft errors and provide algorithmic resilience is proposed. Specifically, in this approach the iteration is continued until the residual (a measure of the error in the approximation) is small relative to the residual on the first correction iteration and changes slowly between successive iterations. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy for both canonical test problems and a comprehen- sive situation involving a mature scientific application code that solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations for combustion research.« less

Achieving algorithmic resilience for temporal integration through spectral deferred corrections

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

Grout, Ray; Kolla, Hemanth; Minion, Michael

2017-05-08

Spectral deferred corrections (SDC) is an iterative approach for constructing higher-order-accurate numerical approximations of ordinary differential equations. SDC starts with an initial approximation of the solution defined at a set of Gaussian or spectral collocation nodes over a time interval and uses an iterative application of lower-order time discretizations applied to a correction equation to improve the solution at these nodes. Each deferred correction sweep increases the formal order of accuracy of the method up to the limit inherent in the accuracy defined by the collocation points. In this paper, we demonstrate that SDC is well suited to recovering frommore » soft (transient) hardware faults in the data. A strategy where extra correction iterations are used to recover from soft errors and provide algorithmic resilience is proposed. Specifically, in this approach the iteration is continued until the residual (a measure of the error in the approximation) is small relative to the residual of the first correction iteration and changes slowly between successive iterations. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy for both canonical test problems and a comprehensive situation involving a mature scientific application code that solves the reacting Navier-Stokes equations for combustion research.« less

Syndecan-1 Is Required to Maintain Intradermal Fat and Prevent Cold Stress

PubMed Central

Wollny, Damian; Clark, Rod J.; Roopra, Avtar; Colman, Ricki J.; MacDougald, Ormond A.; Shedd, Timothy A.; Nelson, David W.; Yen, Mei-I; Yen, Chi-Liang Eric; Alexander, Caroline M.

2014-01-01

Homeostatic temperature regulation is fundamental to mammalian physiology and is controlled by acute and chronic responses of local, endocrine and nervous regulators. Here, we report that loss of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan, syndecan-1, causes a profoundly depleted intradermal fat layer, which provides crucial thermogenic insulation for mammals. Mice without syndecan-1 enter torpor upon fasting and show multiple indicators of cold stress, including activation of the stress checkpoint p38α in brown adipose tissue, liver and lung. The metabolic phenotype in mutant mice, including reduced liver glycogen, is rescued by housing at thermoneutrality, suggesting that reduced insulation in cool temperatures underlies the observed phenotypes. We find that syndecan-1, which functions as a facultative lipoprotein uptake receptor, is required for adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Intradermal fat shows highly dynamic differentiation, continuously expanding and involuting in response to hair cycle and ambient temperature. This physiology probably confers a unique role for Sdc1 in this adipocyte sub-type. The PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone rescues Sdc1−/− intradermal adipose tissue, placing PPARγ downstream of Sdc1 in triggering adipocyte differentiation. Our study indicates that disruption of intradermal adipose tissue development results in cold stress and complex metabolic pathology. PMID:25101993

Evidence for epithelial-mesenchymal transition in cancer stem-like cells derived from carcinoma cell lines of the cervix uteri.

PubMed

Lin, Jiaying; Liu, Xishi; Ding, Ding

2015-01-01

The cancer stem cell (CSC) paradigm is one possible way to understand the genesis of cancer, and cervical cancer in particular. We quantified and enriched ALDH1(+) cells within cervical cancer cell lines and subsequently characterized their phenotypical and functional properties like invasion capacity and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). ALDH1 expression in spheroid-derived cells (SDC) and the parental monolayer-derived cell (MDC) line was compared by flow-cytometry. Invasion capability was evaluated by Matrigel assay and expression of EMT-related genes Twist 1, Twist 2, Snail 1, Snail 2, Vimentin and E-cadherin by real-time PCR. ALDH1 expression was significantly higher in SDC. ALDH1(+) cells showed increased colony-formation. SDC expressed lower levels of E-cadherin and elevated levels of Twist 1, Twist 2, Snail 1, Snail 2 and Vimentin compared to MDC. Cervical cancer cell lines harbor potential CSC, characterized by ALDH1 expression as well as properties like invasiveness, colony-forming ability, and EMT. CSC can be enriched by anchorage-independent culture techniques, which may be important for the investigation of their contribution to therapy resistance, tumor recurrence and metastasis.

From experiment to design -- Fault characterization and detection in parallel computer systems using computational accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yim, Keun Soo

This dissertation summarizes experimental validation and co-design studies conducted to optimize the fault detection capabilities and overheads in hybrid computer systems (e.g., using CPUs and Graphics Processing Units, or GPUs), and consequently to improve the scalability of parallel computer systems using computational accelerators. The experimental validation studies were conducted to help us understand the failure characteristics of CPU-GPU hybrid computer systems under various types of hardware faults. The main characterization targets were faults that are difficult to detect and/or recover from, e.g., faults that cause long latency failures (Ch. 3), faults in dynamically allocated resources (Ch. 4), faults in GPUs (Ch. 5), faults in MPI programs (Ch. 6), and microarchitecture-level faults with specific timing features (Ch. 7). The co-design studies were based on the characterization results. One of the co-designed systems has a set of source-to-source translators that customize and strategically place error detectors in the source code of target GPU programs (Ch. 5). Another co-designed system uses an extension card to learn the normal behavioral and semantic execution patterns of message-passing processes executing on CPUs, and to detect abnormal behaviors of those parallel processes (Ch. 6). The third co-designed system is a co-processor that has a set of new instructions in order to support software-implemented fault detection techniques (Ch. 7). The work described in this dissertation gains more importance because heterogeneous processors have become an essential component of state-of-the-art supercomputers. GPUs were used in three of the five fastest supercomputers that were operating in 2011. Our work included comprehensive fault characterization studies in CPU-GPU hybrid computers. In CPUs, we monitored the target systems for a long period of time after injecting faults (a temporally comprehensive experiment), and injected faults into various types of program states that included dynamically allocated memory (to be spatially comprehensive). In GPUs, we used fault injection studies to demonstrate the importance of detecting silent data corruption (SDC) errors that are mainly due to the lack of fine-grained protections and the massive use of fault-insensitive data. This dissertation also presents transparent fault tolerance frameworks and techniques that are directly applicable to hybrid computers built using only commercial off-the-shelf hardware components. This dissertation shows that by developing understanding of the failure characteristics and error propagation paths of target programs, we were able to create fault tolerance frameworks and techniques that can quickly detect and recover from hardware faults with low performance and hardware overheads.

Measuring the Value of Renewal: Age, Operational Tempo, Deployment, and Reset Effects on the Readiness and Maintenance Costs of Army Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis . This electronic document was made available from www.rand.org as a public service of the...through research and analysis . RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R® is a registered...vehicle usage, location, and field maintenance records from the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA) Sample Data Collection (SDC) program

Implementation of tsunami disaster prevention measures in the municipality of San Rafael del Sur, Nicaragua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strauch, W.; Talavera, E.; Acosta, N.; Sanchez, M.; Mejia, E.

2007-05-01

The Nicaraguan Pacific coast presents considerable tsunami risk. On September 1, 1992, a tsunami caused enormous damage in the infrastructure and killed more than 170 people. A pilot project was conducted between 2006 and 2007 in the municipality of San Rafel del Sur, area of Masachapa, The project included multiple topics of tsunami prevention measures and considering the direct participation of the local population, as: -General education on disaster prevention, participative events; -Investigation of awareness level and information needs for different population groups; -Specific educational measures in the schools; -Publication of brochures, calendars, news paper articles, radio programs, TV spots -Development of local tsunami hazard maps, 1:5,000 scale; (based on previous regional tsunami hazard mapping projects and local participation) -Development of a tsunami warning plan; -Improvements of the national tsunami warning system. -Installation of sirens for tsunami warning -Installation of tsunami signs, indicating hazardous areas, evacuation routes, safe places; -Realization of evacuation drills in schools. Based on the experiences gained in Masachapa it is planned to run similar projects in other areas along the Nicaraguan Pacific coast. In the project participated the local municipality and local stakeholders of San Rafael del Sur, Ministry of Education, National Police, Nicaraguan Red Cross, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Tourism, Nicaraguan Geosciences Institute (INETER), National System for Disaster Prevention (SINAPRED), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It was financed by SDC and INETER.

Evaluation of scopadulciol-related molecules for their stimulatory effect on the cytotoxicity of acyclovir and ganciclovir against Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene-transfected HeLa cells.

PubMed

Hayashi, Kyoko; Rahman, S M Abdur; Ohno, Hiroaki; Tanaka, Tetsuaki; Toyooka, Naoki; Nemoto, Hideo; Hayashi, Toshimitsu

2004-08-01

Herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV TK) is involved in both antiherpetic therapy and cancer gene therapy with acyclovir (ACV) and ganciclovir (GCV). Enhanced sensitivity to these drugs is advantageous in their clinical use. In the present study, scopadulciol (SDC) and its related compounds were evaluated for their stimulatory effect on the cytotoxicity of ACV and GCV by determination of selective toxicities against HSV TK-expressing HeLa cells. Although SDC remarkably potenciated the cytotoxicity of ACV and GCV, the other tested compounds showed only weak selectivity, except for compound 34.

Identification of a locus control region for quadruplicated green-sensitive opsin genes in zebrafish

PubMed Central

Tsujimura, Taro; Chinen, Akito; Kawamura, Shoji

2007-01-01

Duplication of opsin genes has a crucial role in the evolution of visual system. Zebrafish have four green-sensitive (RH2) opsin genes (RH2–1, RH2–2, RH2–3, and RH2–4) arrayed in tandem. They are expressed in the short member of the double cones (SDC) but differ in expression areas in the retina and absorption spectra of their encoding photopigments. The shortest and the second shortest wavelength subtypes, RH2–1 and RH2–2, are expressed in the central-to-dorsal retina. The longer wavelength subtype, RH2–3, is expressed circumscribing the RH2–1/RH2–2 area, and the longest subtype, RH2–4, is expressed further circumscribing the RH2–3 area and mainly occupying the ventral retina. The present report shows that a 0.5-kb region located 15 kb upstream of the RH2 gene array is an essential regulator for their expression. When the 0.5-kb region was deleted from a P1-artificial chromosome (PAC) clone encompassing the four RH2 genes and when one of these genes was replaced with a reporter GFP gene, the GFP expression in SDCs was abolished in the zebrafish to which a series of the modified PAC clones were introduced. Transgenic studies also showed that the 0.5-kb region conferred the SDC-specific expression for promoters of a non-SDC (UV opsin) and a nonretinal (keratin 8) gene. Changing the location of the 0.5-kb region in the PAC clone conferred the highest expression for its proximal gene. The 0.5-kb region was thus designated as RH2-LCR analogous to the locus control region of the L-M opsin genes of primates. PMID:17646658

The impact of NiO on microstructure and electrical property of solid oxide fuel cell anode

PubMed Central

Li, Yan; Luo, Zhong-yang; Yu, Chun-jiang; Luo, Dan; Xu, Zhu-an; Cen, Ke-fa

2005-01-01

Ni-Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (Ni-SDC) cermet was selected as anode material for reduced temperature (800 °C) solid oxide fuel cells in this study. The influence of NiO powder fabrication methods for Ni-SDC cermets on the electrode performance was investigated so that the result obtained can be applied to make high-quality anode. Three kinds of NiO powder were synthesized with a fourth kind being available in the market. Four types of anode precursors were fabricated with these NiO powders and Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SDC), and then were reduced to anode wafers for sequencing measurement. The electrical conductivity of the anodes was measured and the effect of microstructure was investigated. It was found that the anode electrical conductivity depends strongly on the NiO powder morphologies, microstructure of the cermet anode and particle sizes, which are decided by NiO powder preparation technique. The highest electrical conductivity is obtained for anode cermets with NiO powder synthesized by NiCO3·2Ni(OH)2·4H2O or Ni(NO3)2·6H2O decomposition technique. PMID:16252348

Carcinoma ex basal cell adenoma of the parotid gland: A report of an extremely rare case.

PubMed

Kusafuka, Kimihide; Kawasaki, Takuya; Nakajima, Takashi; Sugino, Takashi

2017-07-01

Malignant non-basaloid tumors that arise from basal cell adenoma (BCA) are extremely rare. The patient was a 72-year-old Japanese male, who had noticed swelling of the left parotid region 21 years ago. A superficial lobectomy was performed. About 60% of the tumor was made up of cribriform and trabecular tissue composed of basaloid cells, which exhibited mild atypia and nuclear expression of β-catenin. This portion of the tumor was considered to be a BCA. In the other part of the tumor, the proliferation of large eosinophilic atypical cells, most of which formed intraductal structures, was observed. These tumor cells displayed cellular atypia, and some of them formed Roman bridge structures or contributed to intracapsular invasion. Immunohistochemically, these cells were positive for cytokeratin 7, gross cystic disease fluid proten-15 (GCDFP-15), androgen receptor (AR), and mammaglobin (MMG) and exhibited a high Ki-67 labeling index. So, this portion of the tumor was considered to be a salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). The tumor's final diagnosis was SDC ex BCA (intracapsular type), which is extremely rare. GCDFP-15, AR, MMG, and Ki-67 are useful immunohistochemical markers for diagnosing SDC ex BCA. © 2017 The Authors. Pathology International Published by Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Enhanced anorexigenic signaling in lean obesity resistant syndecan-3 null mice

PubMed Central

Zheng, Qiao; Zhu, Jinling; Shanabrough, Marya; Borok, Erzsebet; Benoit, Stephen C.; Horvath, Tamas L.; Clegg, Deborah J.; Reizes, Ofer

2010-01-01

Obesity is associated with increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and several types of cancers. The hypothalamus is a region of the brain critical in the regulation of body weight. One of the critical and best studied hypothalamic circuits is comprised of the melanocortinergic orexigenic agouti -related protein (AgRP) and anorexigenic α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) neurons. These neurons project axons to the same hypothalamic target neurons and balance each other’s activity leading to body weight regulation. We previously showed that the brain proteoglycan syndecan-3 regulates feeding behavior and body weight, and syndecan-3 null (SDC-3−/−) mice are lean and obesity resistant. Here we show that the melanocortin agonist MTII potently suppresses food intake and activates the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei (PVN) in SDC-3−/− mice based on c-fos immunoreactivity. Interestingly, we determined that the AgRP neuropeptide is reduced in the PVN of SDC-3−/− mice compared to wild type mice. In contrast, neuropeptide Y, coexpressed in the AgRP neuron, is not differentially expressed nor is the counteracting neuropeptide αMSH. These findings are unprecedented and indicate that AgRP protein localization can be selectively regulated within the hypothalamus resulting in altered neuropeptide response and tone. PMID:20923696

Ankylosing Spondylitis and Posture Control: The Role of Visual Input

PubMed Central

De Nunzio, Alessandro Marco; Iervolino, Salvatore; Zincarelli, Carmela; Di Gioia, Luisa; Rengo, Giuseppe; Multari, Vincenzo; Peluso, Rosario; Di Minno, Matteo Nicola Dario; Pappone, Nicola

2015-01-01

Objectives. To assess the motor control during quiet stance in patients with established ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to evaluate the effect of visual input on the maintenance of a quiet posture. Methods. 12 male AS patients (mean age 50.1 ± 13.2 years) and 12 matched healthy subjects performed 2 sessions of 3 trials in quiet stance, with eyes open (EO) and with eyes closed (EC) on a baropodometric platform. The oscillation of the centre of feet pressure (CoP) was acquired. Indices of stability and balance control were assessed by the sway path (SP) of the CoP, the frequency bandwidth (FB1) that includes the 80% of the area under the amplitude spectrum, the mean amplitude of the peaks (MP) of the sway density curve (SDC), and the mean distance (MD) between 2 peaks of the SDC. Results. In severe AS patients, the MD between two peaks of the SDC and the SP of the center of feet pressure were significantly higher than controls during both EO and EC conditions. The MP was significantly reduced just on EC. Conclusions. Ankylosing spondylitis exerts negative effect on postural stability, not compensable by visual inputs. Our findings may be useful in the rehabilitative management of the increased risk of falling in AS. PMID:25821831

Exploring the capabilities of support vector machines in detecting silent data corruptions

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

Subasi, Omer; Di, Sheng; Bautista-Gomez, Leonardo

As the exascale era approaches, the increasing capacity of high-performance computing (HPC) systems with targeted power and energy budget goals introduces significant challenges in reliability. Silent data corruptions (SDCs), or silent errors, are one of the major sources that corrupt the execution results of HPC applications without being detected. Here in this paper, we explore a set of novel SDC detectors – by leveraging epsilon-insensitive support vector machine regression – to detect SDCs that occur in HPC applications. The key contributions are threefold. (1) Our exploration takes temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal features into account and analyzes different detectors based onmore » different features. (2) We provide an in-depth study on the detection ability and performance with different parameters, and we optimize the detection range carefully. (3) Experiments with eight real-world HPC applications show that support-vector-machine-based detectors can achieve detection sensitivity (i.e., recall) up to 99% yet suffer a less than 1% false positive rate for most cases. Our detectors incur low performance overhead, 5% on average, for all benchmarks studied in this work.« less

Exploring the capabilities of support vector machines in detecting silent data corruptions

DOE PAGES

Subasi, Omer; Di, Sheng; Bautista-Gomez, Leonardo; ...

2018-02-01

As the exascale era approaches, the increasing capacity of high-performance computing (HPC) systems with targeted power and energy budget goals introduces significant challenges in reliability. Silent data corruptions (SDCs), or silent errors, are one of the major sources that corrupt the execution results of HPC applications without being detected. Here in this paper, we explore a set of novel SDC detectors – by leveraging epsilon-insensitive support vector machine regression – to detect SDCs that occur in HPC applications. The key contributions are threefold. (1) Our exploration takes temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal features into account and analyzes different detectors based onmore » different features. (2) We provide an in-depth study on the detection ability and performance with different parameters, and we optimize the detection range carefully. (3) Experiments with eight real-world HPC applications show that support-vector-machine-based detectors can achieve detection sensitivity (i.e., recall) up to 99% yet suffer a less than 1% false positive rate for most cases. Our detectors incur low performance overhead, 5% on average, for all benchmarks studied in this work.« less

[Learning and Memory Capacity and NMDA Receptor Expression in Shen Deficiency Constitution Rats].

PubMed

Sun, Yu-ru; Sun, Yao-guang; Zhang, Qi; Wang, Xiao-di; Wang, Xing; Sun, Li-jun

2016-05-01

To explore material bases and neurobiological mechanisms of "Shen storing will" by observing learning and memory capacities and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor expressions in Shen deficiency constitution (SDC) rats. Totally 40 SD rats were randomly divided into the model group, the Zuogui Pill (ZP) group, the Yougui Pill (YP) group, the blank control group (consisting of normal pregnant rats), 10 in each group. SDC young rat model (inherent deficiency and postnatal malnutrition) was prepared by the classic way of "cat scaring rat". Medication started when they were scared by cat. Rats in the ZP group and the YP group were administered by gastrogavage with ZP suspension 0.1875 g/mL and YP suspension 0.0938 g/mL respectively. Equal volume of normal saline was administered to rats in the blank control group and the model group by gastrogavage. All medication was given once per day, 5 days in a week for 2 consecutive months. Learning and memory capacities were detected by Morris water maze test. Expressions of NMDA receptor subunits NR2A and NR2B in hippocamus were detected by immunohistochemical method. Compared with the blank control group, the latency period, total distance in Morris water maze test were longer in the model group (P < 0.05). All the aforesaid indices all decreased in the ZP group and the YP group, with statistical difference when compared with the model group (P < 0.05). The protein expressions of NR2A and NR2B in hippocamus were lower in the model group than in the blank control group (P < 0.05). But when compared with the model group, they were obviously higher in the ZP group and the YP group (P < 0.05). SDC rats had degenerated learning and memory capacities and lowered NMDA receptor expressions. ZP and YP could up-regulate learning and memory capacities and NMDA receptor expressions, thereby improving deterioration of brain functions in SDC rats.

Detailed genome-wide SNP analysis of major salivary carcinomas localizes subtype-specific chromosome sites and oncogenes of potential clinical significance.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Mitani, Yoshitsugu; Caulin, Carlos; Rao, Pulivarthi H; Kies, Merrill S; Saintigny, Pierre; Zhang, Nianxiang; Weber, Randal S; Lippman, Scott M; El-Naggar, Adel K

2013-06-01

The molecular genetic alterations underlying the development and diversity of salivary gland carcinomas are largely unknown. To characterize these events, comparative genomic hybridization analysis was performed, using a single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray platform, of 60 fresh-frozen specimens that represent the main salivary carcinoma types: mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), and salivary duct carcinoma (SDC). The results were correlated with the clinicopathologic features and translocation statuses to characterize the genetic alterations. The most commonly shared copy number abnormalities (CNAs) in all types were losses at chromosomes 6q23-26 and the 9p21 region. Subtype-specific CNAs included a loss at 12q11-12 in ACC and a gain at 17q11-12 in SDC. Focal copy number losses included 1p36.33-p36-22 in ACC, 9p13.2 in MEC, and 3p12.3-q11-2, 6q21-22.1, 12q14.1, and 12q15 in SDC. Tumor-specific amplicons were identified at 11q23.3 (PVRL1) in ACC, 11q13.3 (NUMA1) in MEC, and 6p21.1 (CCND3), 9p13.2 (PAX5), 12q15 (CNOT2/RAB3IP), 12q21.1 (GLIPR1L1), and 17q12 (ERBB2/CCL4) in SDC. A comparative CNA analysis of fusion-positive and fusion-negative ACCs and MECs revealed relatively lower CNAs in fusion-positive tumors than in fusion-negative tumors in both tumor types. An association between CNAs and high grade and advanced stage was observed in MECs only. These findings support the pathogenetic segregation of these entities and define novel chromosomal sites for future identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Utilization of corn cob biochar in a direct carbon fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Jinshuai; Zhao, Yicheng; Li, Yongdan

2014-12-01

Biochar obtained from the pyrolysis of corn cob is used as the fuel of a direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) employing a composite electrolyte composed of a samarium doped ceria (SDC) and a eutectic carbonate phase. An anode layer made of NiO and SDC is utilized to suppress the cathode corrosion by the molten carbonate and improves the whole cell stability. The anode off-gas of the fuel cell is analyzed with a gas chromatograph. The effect of working temperature on the cell resistance and power output is examined. The maximum power output achieves 185 mW cm-2 at a current density of 340 mA cm-2 and 750 °C. An anode reaction scheme including the Boudouard reaction is proposed.

RKIP and HMGA2 regulate breast tumor survival and metastasis through lysyl oxidase and syndecan-2.

PubMed

Sun, M; Gomes, S; Chen, P; Frankenberger, C A; Sankarasharma, D; Chung, C H; Chada, K K; Rosner, M R

2014-07-03

Elucidating targets of physiological tumor metastasis suppressors can highlight key signaling pathways leading to invasion and metastasis. To identify downstream targets of the metastasis suppressor Raf-1 kinase inhibitory protein (RKIP/PEBP1), we utilized an integrated approach based upon statistical analysis of tumor gene expression data combined with experimental validation. Previous studies from our laboratory identified the architectural transcription factor and oncogene, high mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2), as a target of inhibition by RKIP. Here we identify two signaling pathways that promote HMGA2-driven metastasis. Using both human breast tumor cells and an MMTV-Wnt mouse breast tumor model, we show that RKIP induces and HMGA2 inhibits expression of miR-200b; miR-200b directly inhibits expression of lysyl oxidase (LOX), leading to decreased invasion. RKIP also inhibits syndecan-2 (SDC2), which is aberrantly expressed in breast cancer, via downregulation of HMGA2; but this mechanism is independent of miR-200. Depletion of SDC2 induces apoptosis and suppresses breast tumor growth and metastasis in mouse xenografts. RKIP, LOX and SDC2 are coordinately regulated and collectively encompass a prognostic signature for metastasis-free survival in ER-negative breast cancer patients. Taken together, our findings reveal two novel signaling pathways targeted by the metastasis suppressor RKIP that regulate remodeling of the extracellular matrix and tumor survival.

A bipolar analog front-end integrated circuit for the SDC silicon tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipnis, I.; Spieler, H.; Collins, T.

1993-11-01

A low noise, low power, high bandwidth, radiation hard, silicon bipolar transistor full-custom integrated circuit (IC) containing 64 channels of analog signal processing has been developed for the SDC silicon tracker. The IC was designed and tested at LBL and was fabricated using CBIC-U2, 4 GHz f(sub T) complementary bipolar technology. Each channel contains the following functions: low noise preamplification, pulse shaping, and threshold discrimination. This is the first iteration of the production analog IC for the SDC silicon tracker. The IC is laid out to directly match the 50 micron pitch double-sided silicon strip detector. The chip measures 6.8 mm by 3.1 mm and contains 3,600 transistors. Three stages of amplification provide 180 mV/fC of gain with a 35 nsec peaking time at the comparator input. For a 14 pF detector capacitance, the equivalent noise charge is 1300 el. rms at a power consumption of 1 mW/channel from a single 3.5 V supply. With the discriminator threshold set to four times the noise level, a 16 nsec time-walk for 1.25 to 10 fC signals is achieved using a time-walk compensation network. Irradiation tests at TRIUMF to a Phi = 10(exp 14) protons/sq cm have been performed on the IC, demonstrating the radiation hardness of the complementary bipolar process.

High energy physics at UC Riverside

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

NONE

1997-07-01

This report discusses progress made for the following two tasks: experimental high energy physics, Task A, and theoretical high energy physics, Task B. Task A1 covers hadron collider physics. Information for Task A1 includes: personnel/talks/publications; D0: proton-antiproton interactions at 2 TeV; SDC: proton-proton interactions at 40 TeV; computing facilities; equipment needs; and budget notes. The physics program of Task A2 has been the systematic study of leptons and hadrons. Information covered for Task A2 includes: personnel/talks/publications; OPAL at LEP; OPAL at LEP200; CMS at LHC; the RD5 experiment; LSND at LAMPF; and budget notes. The research activities of the Theorymore » Group are briefly discussed and a list of completed or published papers for this period is given.« less

Instrumentation, Control and Communication Systems for Sounding Rockets and Shuttle-Borne Experiments

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-02

at the Plumbrook Station located in Sundusky, Ohio was conducted during November 1987 to confirm payload operation under vacuum and to calibrate the...DURATION STAFF TIM SDC, AZ SPIRIT-II 11/2/87 to O’Connor 11/6/87 VACUUM TEST Plumbrook SPEAR-I 11/3/87 to Wheeler Station , 11/6/87 & Sweeney Sandusky...reception by the ground stations , that signal also will be received in the payload and relayed to the ground stations . 2.5.2 Overview The LIFE I 17

Subsets of salivary duct carcinoma defined by morphologic evidence of pleomorphic adenoma, PLAG1 or HMGA2 rearrangements, and common genetic alterations.

PubMed

Chiosea, Simion I; Thompson, Lester D R; Weinreb, Ilan; Bauman, Julie E; Mahaffey, Alyssa M; Miller, Caitlyn; Ferris, Robert L; Gooding, William E

2016-10-15

The authors hypothesized that histogenetic classification of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) could account for de novo tumors and those with morphologic or molecular evidence (pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 [PLAG1], high-mobility group AT hook 2 [HMGA2] rearrangement, amplification) of pleomorphic adenoma (PA). SDCs (n = 66) were reviewed for morphologic evidence of PA. PLAG1 and HMGA2 alterations were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). PLAG1-positive tumors were tested by FISH for fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) rearrangement. Thirty-nine tumors were analyzed using a commercial panel for mutations and copy number variations in 50 cancer-related genes. On the basis of combined morphologic and molecular evidence of PA, 4 subsets of SDC emerged: 1) carcinomas with morphologic evidence of PA but intact PLAG1 and HMGA2 (n = 22); 2) carcinomas with PLAG1 alteration (n = 18) or 3) HMGA2 alteration (n = 12); and 4) de novo carcinomas, without morphologic or molecular evidence of PA (n = 14). The median disease-free survival was 37 months (95% confidence interval, 28.4-45.6 months). Disease-free survival and other clinicopathologic parameters did not differ for the subsets defined above. Combined Harvey rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog/phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit α (HRAS/PIK3CA) mutations were observed predominantly in de novo carcinomas (5 of 8 vs 2 of 31 tumors; P = .035). Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (ERBB2) copy number gain was not observed in de novo carcinomas (0 of 8 vs 12 of 31 tumors; P = .08). Tumor protein 53 (TP53) mutations were more common in SDC ex pleomorphic adenomas than in de novo carcinomas (17 of 31 vs 1 of 8 tumors; P = .033). The genetic profile of SDC varies with the absence or presence of pre-existing PA and its cytogenetic signature. Most de novo SDCs harbor combined HRAS/PIK3CA mutations and no ERBB2 amplification. Cancer 2016;122:3136-44. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

[Studies on evaluation of natural products for antiviral effects and their applications].

PubMed

Hayashi, Toshimitsu

2008-01-01

In the search for novel antiviral molecules from natural products, we have discovered various antiviral molecules with characteristic mechanisms of action. Scopadulciol (SDC), isolated from the tropical medicinal plant Scoparia dulcis L., showed stimulatory effects on the antiviral potency of acyclovir (ACV) or ganciclovir (GCV). This effect of SDC was exerted via the activation of viral thymidine kinase (HSV-1 TK) and, as a result, an increase in the cellular concentration of the active form of ACV/GCV, i.e., the triphosphate of ACV or GCV. On the basis of these experimental results, cancer gene therapy using the HSV-1 tk gene and ACV/GCV together with SDC was found to be effective in suppressing the growth of cancer cells in animals. Acidic polysaccharides such as calcium spirulan (Ca-SP) from Spirulina platensis, nostoflan from Nostoc flagelliforme, and a fucoidan from the sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida (mekabu fucoidan) were also found to be potent inhibitors against several enveloped viruses. Their antiviral potency was dependent on molecular weight and content of the sulfate or carboxyl group as well as counterion species chelating with sulfate groups, indicating the importance of the three-dimensional structure of the molecules. In addition, unlike dextran sulfate, Ca-SP was shown to target not only viral absorption/penetration stages but also some replication stages of progeny viruses after penetration into cells. When mekabu fucoidan or nostoflan was administered with oseltamivir phosphate, their synergistic antiviral effects on influenza A virus were confirmed in vitro as well as in vivo.

Dynamic evaluation of low-temperature metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell oriented to auxiliary power units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenwei; Berghaus, Jörg Oberste; Yick, Sing; Decès-Petit, Cyrille; Qu, Wei; Hui, Rob; Maric, Radenka; Ghosh, Dave

A metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) composed of a Ni-Ce 0.8Sm 0.2O 2- δ (Ni-SDC) cermet anode and an SDC electrolyte was fabricated by suspension plasma spraying on a Hastelloy X substrate. The cathode, an Sm 0.5Sr 0.5CoO 3 (SSCo)-SDC composite, was screen-printed and fired in situ. The dynamic behaviour of the cell was measured while subjected to complete fuel shutoff and rapid start-up cycles, as typically encountered in auxiliary power units (APU) applications. A promising performance - with a maximum power density (MPD) of 0.176 W cm -2 at 600 °C - was achieved using humidified hydrogen as fuel and air as the oxidant. The cell also showed excellent resistance to oxidation at 600 °C during fuel shutoff, with only a slight drop in performance after reintroduction of the fuel. The Cr and Mn species in the Hastelloy X alloy appeared to be preferentially oxidized while the oxidation of nickel in the metallic substrate was temporarily alleviated. In rapid start-up cycles with a heating rate of 60 °C min -1, noticeable performance deterioration took place in the first two thermal cycles, and then continued at a much slower rate in subsequent cycles. A postmortem analysis of the cell suggested that the degradation was mainly due to the mismatch of the thermal expansion coefficient across the cathode/electrolyte interface.

Evaluation of pulsed laser deposited SrNb0.1Co0.9O3-δ thin films as promising cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dengjie; Chen, Chi; Gao, Yang; Zhang, Zhenbao; Shao, Zongping; Ciucci, Francesco

2015-11-01

SrNb0.1Co0.9O3-δ (SNC) thin films prepared on single-crystal yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolytes are evaluated as promising cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). Geometrically well-defined polycrystalline SNC thin films with low surface roughness and high surface oxygen vacancy concentration are successfully fabricated by pulsed laser deposition. The thin films are characterized by basic techniques, e.g., X-ray diffraction for phase structure identification, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy for microstructures measurement, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for elements quantification. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is used to investigate oxygen reduction reaction activities of SNC thin films in symmetric electrochemical cells. Current collectors (Ag paste, Ag strip, and Au strip) are found to have negligible impact on polarization resistances. A slight decrease of the electrode polarization resistances is observed after adding a samarium doped ceria (SDC) buffer layer between SNC and YSZ. SNC thin-film electrodes exhibit low electrode polarization resistances, e.g., 0.237 Ω cm2 (SNC/SDC/YSZ/SDC/SNC) and 0.274 Ω cm2 (SNC/YSZ/SNC) at 700 °C and 0.21 atm, demonstrating the promise of SNC materials for IT-SOFCs. An oxygen reduction reaction mechanism of SNC thin films is also derived by analyzing EIS at temperature of 550-700 °C under oxygen partial pressure range of 0.04-1 atm.

Pyrolysis result of polyethylene waste as fuel for solid oxide fuel cell with samarium doped-ceria (SDC)-carbonate as electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syahputra, R. J. E.; Rahmawati, F.; Prameswari, A. P.; Saktian, R.

2017-02-01

In this research, the result of pyrolysis on polyethylene was used as fuel for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). The pyrolysis result is a liquid which consists of hydrocarbon chains. According to GC-MS analysis, the hydrocarbons mainly consist of C7 to C20 hydrocarbon chain. Then, the liquid was applied to a single cell of NSDC-L | NSDC | NSDC-L. NSDC is a composite SDC (samarium doped-ceria) with sodium carbonate. Meanwhile, NSDC-L is a composite of NSDC with LiNiCuO (LNC). NSDC and LNC were analyzed by X-ray diffraction to understand their crystal structure. The result shows that presence of carbonate did not change the crystal structure of SDC. SEM EDX analysis for fuel cell before and after being loaded with polyethylene oil to get information of element diffusion to the electrolyte. Meanwhile, the conductivity properties were investigated through impedance measurement. The presence of carbonate even increases the electrical conductivity. The single cell test with the pyrolysis result of polyethylene at 300 - 600 °C, found that the highest power density is at 600 °C with the maximum power density of 0.14 mW/cm2 and open circuit voltage of 0.4 Volt. Elemental analysis at three point spots of single cell NDSC-L |NSDC|NSDC-L found that a migration of ions was occurred during fuel operation at 300 - 600 °C.

Solid oxide fuel cells with apatite-type lanthanum silicate-based electrolyte films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi-Xin; Wang, Sea-Fue; Hsu, Yung-Fu; Wang, Chi-Hua

2018-03-01

In this study, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) containing high-quality apatite-type magnesium doped lanthanum silicate-based electrolyte films (LSMO) deposited by RF magnetron sputtering are successfully fabricated. The LSMO film deposited at an Ar:O2 ratio of 6:4 on an anode supported NiO/Sm0.2Ce0·8O2-δ (SDC) substrate followed by post-annealing at 1000 °C reveals a uniform and dense c-axis oriented polycrystalline structure, which is well adhered to the anode substrate. A composite SDC/La0·6Sr0·4Co0·2Fe0·8O3-δ cathode layer is subsequently screen-printed on the LSMO deposited anode substrate and fired. The SOFC fabricated with the LSMO film exhibits good mechanical integrity. The single cell with the LSMO layer of ≈2.8 μm thickness reports a total cell resistance of 1.156 and 0.163 Ωcm2, open circuit voltage of 1.051 and 0.982 V, and maximum power densities of 0.212 and 1.490 Wcm-2 at measurement temperatures of 700 and 850 °C, respectively, which are comparable or superior to those of previously reported SOFCs with yttria stabilized zirconia electrolyte films. The results of the present study demonstrate the feasibility of deposition of high-quality LSMO films by RF magnetron sputtering on NiO-SDC anode substrates for the fabrication of SOFCs with good cell performance.

An analog front-end bipolar-transistor integrated circuit for the SDC silicon tracker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kipnis, I.; Spieler, H.; Collins, T.

1994-08-01

A low-noise, low-power, high-bandwidth, radiation hard, silicon bipolar-transistor full-custom integrated circuit (IC) containing 64 channels of analog signal processing has been developed for the SDC silicon tracker The IC was designed and tested at LBL and was fabricated using AT&T's CBIC-U2, 4 GHz f/sub /spl tau// complementary bipolar technology. Each channel contains the following functions: low-noise preamplification, pulse shaping and threshold discrimination. This is the first iteration of the production analog IC for the SDC silicon tracker. The IC is laid out to directly match the 50 /spl mu/m pitch double-sided silicon strip detector. The chip measures 6.8 mm/spl times/3.1 mm and contains 3,600 transistors. Three stages of amplification provide 180 mV/fC of gain with a 35 nsec peaking time at the comparator input. For a 14 pF detector capacitance, the equivalent noise charge is 1300 el. RMS at a power consumption of 1 mW/channel from a single 3.5 V supply. With the discriminator threshold set to 4 times the noise level, a 16 nsec time-walk for 1.25 to 10 fC signals is achieved using a time-walk compensation network. Irradiation tests at TRIUMF to a /spl Phi/=10/sup 14/ protons/cm/sup 2/ have been performed on the IC, demonstrating the radiation hardness of the complementary bipolar process.

Predicting drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier: comparison of micellar liquid chromatography and immobilized artificial membrane liquid chromatography.

PubMed

De Vrieze, Mike; Lynen, Frédéric; Chen, Kai; Szucs, Roman; Sandra, Pat

2013-07-01

Several in vitro methods have been tested for their ability to predict drug penetration across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) into the central nervous system (CNS). In this article, the performance of a variety of micellar liquid chromatographic (MLC) methods and immobilized artificial membrane (IAM) liquid chromatographic approaches were compared for a set of 45 solutes. MLC measurements were performed on a C18 column with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether (Brij35), or sodium deoxycholate (SDC) as surfactant in the micellar mobile phase. IAM liquid chromatography measurements were performed with Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) and methanol as organic modifier in the mobile phase. The corresponding retention and computed descriptor data for each solute were used for construction of models to predict transport across the blood-brain barrier (log BB). All data were correlated with experimental log BB values and the relative performance of the models was studied. SDS-based models proved most suitable for prediction of log BB values, followed closely by a simplified IAM method, in which it could be observed that extrapolation of retention data to 0% modifier in the mobile phase was unnecessary.

46 CFR 50.10-30 - Coast Guard number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Juneau. LIS Long Island. LOS Los Angeles. LOU Louisville. MEM Memphis. MIA Miami. MIL Milwaukee. MIN... Rotterdam. SAV Savannah. SDC San Diego. SEA Seattle. SFC San Francisco. SIM Saint Ignace. SJP San Juan. SLM...

46 CFR 50.10-30 - Coast Guard number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... Juneau. LIS Long Island. LOS Los Angeles. LOU Louisville. MEM Memphis. MIA Miami. MIL Milwaukee. MIN... Rotterdam. SAV Savannah. SDC San Diego. SEA Seattle. SFC San Francisco. SIM Saint Ignace. SJP San Juan. SLM...

46 CFR 50.10-30 - Coast Guard number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Juneau. LIS Long Island. LOS Los Angeles. LOU Louisville. MEM Memphis. MIA Miami. MIL Milwaukee. MIN... Rotterdam. SAV Savannah. SDC San Diego. SEA Seattle. SFC San Francisco. SIM Saint Ignace. SJP San Juan. SLM...

46 CFR 50.10-30 - Coast Guard number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Juneau. LIS Long Island. LOS Los Angeles. LOU Louisville. MEM Memphis. MIA Miami. MIL Milwaukee. MIN... Rotterdam. SAV Savannah. SDC San Diego. SEA Seattle. SFC San Francisco. SIM Saint Ignace. SJP San Juan. SLM...

46 CFR 50.10-30 - Coast Guard number.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Juneau. LIS Long Island. LOS Los Angeles. LOU Louisville. MEM Memphis. MIA Miami. MIL Milwaukee. MIN... Rotterdam. SAV Savannah. SDC San Diego. SEA Seattle. SFC San Francisco. SIM Saint Ignace. SJP San Juan. SLM...

How physically active are children attending summer day camps?

PubMed

Beets, Michael W; Weaver, Robert G; Beighle, Aaron; Webster, Collin; Pate, Russell R

2013-08-01

Summer day camps (SDC) represent one of the largest settings, outside the academic school year, where children can engage in safe, enjoyable physical activity (PA). Yet, little is known about this setting and how active children are while attending. System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth was used to categorize PA of boys/girls as Sedentary/Walking/Vigorous across multiple days (8 AM to 6 PM) in 4 large-scale community-based SDCs. Contextual characteristics of type of activity, activity management, equipment, and in/outdoors were collected simultaneously. Mixed-model regression analyses examined associations between PA categories and contextual characteristics. A total of 4649 scans of 2462 children were made across 27 days in the SDCs. Physical activity opportunities represented 38% of the daily schedule. Overall, 74%-79%, 13%-16%, and 7%-9% of children were observed Sedentary, Walking, or Vigorous during the SDC, and this changed to 62%-67%, 18%-19%, and 15%-18% observed Sedentary, Walking, or Vigorous during PA opportunities. Water-based PA, equipment, and free-play were related to increased PA. Children waiting-in-line for turns, staff instructing, and organized PA were related to increased sedentary. These findings provide evidence of modifiable characteristics of SDCs associated with PA. Improving staff skills related to facilitating active environments is a viable avenue to increase PA accumulated within SDCs.

Spatiotemporal variability of snow depletion curves derived from SNODAS for the conterminous United States, 2004-2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Driscoll, Jessica; Hay, Lauren E.; Bock, Andrew R.

2017-01-01

Assessment of water resources at a national scale is critical for understanding their vulnerability to future change in policy and climate. Representation of the spatiotemporal variability in snowmelt processes in continental-scale hydrologic models is critical for assessment of water resource response to continued climate change. Continental-extent hydrologic models such as the U.S. Geological Survey National Hydrologic Model (NHM) represent snowmelt processes through the application of snow depletion curves (SDCs). SDCs relate normalized snow water equivalent (SWE) to normalized snow covered area (SCA) over a snowmelt season for a given modeling unit. SDCs were derived using output from the operational Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS) snow model as daily 1-km gridded SWE over the conterminous United States. Daily SNODAS output were aggregated to a predefined watershed-scale geospatial fabric and used to also calculate SCA from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2013. The spatiotemporal variability in SNODAS output at the watershed scale was evaluated through the spatial distribution of the median and standard deviation for the time period. Representative SDCs for each watershed-scale modeling unit over the conterminous United States (n = 54,104) were selected using a consistent methodology and used to create categories of snowmelt based on SDC shape. The relation of SDC categories to the topographic and climatic variables allow for national-scale categorization of snowmelt processes.

Proposal for the completion of outstanding work on the installation scheduling and alignment of the SDC central calorimeter

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

Guarino, V.; Hill, N.; Nasiatka, J.

The High Energy Physic Division at Argonne National Laboratory was given the task of developing the procedures, fixtures, and schedules for the final assembly of the barrel and endcap calorimeters for the SDC. The work completed led to some major decision about how and where this assembly work would be done. The primary assembly decision was the feasibility of assembling the major detector components (barrel and endcap sub-assemblies) above ground and lowering them into position in the experimental hall, as opposed to assembling the calorimeter directly in the experimental hall. Due to cost of above ground assembly and schedule changes,more » the in-hall option was adopted. Although no actual hardware was constructed, many conceptual ideas were formalized and brought to workable solutions as a result of the effort put forth at ANL.« less

Atomic Force Microscope Mediated Chromatography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Mark S.

2013-01-01

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to inject a sample, provide shear-driven liquid flow over a functionalized substrate, and detect separated components. This is demonstrated using lipophilic dyes and normal phase chromatography. A significant reduction in both size and separation time scales is achieved with a 25-micron-length column scale, and one-second separation times. The approach has general applications to trace chemical and microfluidic analysis. The AFM is now a common tool for ultra-microscopy and nanotechnology. It has also been demonstrated to provide a number of microfluidic functions necessary for miniaturized chromatography. These include injection of sub-femtoliter samples, fluidic switching, and sheardriven pumping. The AFM probe tip can be used to selectively remove surface layers for subsequent microchemical analysis using infrared and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. With its ability to image individual atoms, the AFM is a remarkably sensitive detector that can be used to detect separated components. These diverse functional components of microfluidic manipulation have been combined in this work to demonstrate AFM mediated chromatography. AFM mediated chromatography uses channel-less, shear-driven pumping. This is demonstrated with a thin, aluminum oxide substrate and a non-polar solvent system to separate a mixture of lipophilic dyes. In conventional chromatographic terms, this is analogous to thin-layer chromatography using normal phase alumina substrate with sheardriven pumping provided by the AFM tip-cantilever mechanism. The AFM detection of separated components is accomplished by exploiting the variation in the localized friction of the separated components. The AFM tip-cantilever provides the mechanism for producing shear-induced flows and rapid pumping. Shear-driven chromatography (SDC) is a relatively new concept that overcomes the speed and miniaturization limitations of conventional liquid chromatography. SDC is based on a sliding plate system, consisting of two flat surfaces, one of which has a recessed channel. A fluid flow is produced by axially sliding one plate past another, where the fluid has mechanical shear forces imposed at each point along the channel length. The shear-induced flow rates are very reproducible, and do not have pressure or voltage gradient limitations. SDC opens up a new range of enhanced separation kinetics by permitting the sample confinement with submicron dimensions. Small, highly confined liquid is advantageous for chromatographic separation because the separation rate is known to scale according to the square of the confined sample diameter. In addition, because shear-driven flows are not limited by fluid velocity, shear-driven liquid chromatography may provide up to 100,000 plate efficiency.

Differences in social relations between persons with type 2 diabetes and the general population.

PubMed

Hempler, Nana Folmann; Ekholm, Ola; Willaing, Ingrid

2013-06-01

Poor social support and lack of social network are well-established risk factors for morbidity and mortality in general populations. Good social relations, such as social support and network contacts, are associated with better self-management and fewer psychosocial problems in persons with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether persons with type 2 diabetes have poorer social relations than the general population. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in three settings: a specialist diabetes clinic (SDC) (n = 1084), a web panel (WP) consisting of persons with type 2 diabetes (n = 1491) and a sample from the 2010 Danish Health and Morbidity Survey, representative of the general population (n = 15,165). We compared social relations using multivariate logistic regression. Compared to the general population, persons with type 2 diabetes more often lived without a partner (SDC, OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.49-2.06; WP, OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.43-1.87), met with family less than once a month (SDC, OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.40-2.27; WP, OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.94-2.84) and were less certain they could count on help from others in case of illness (WP, OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.08-1.41). Our findings suggest that persons with type 2 diabetes have poorer social relations than the general population. From a public health point of view, special attention is needed with regards to strengthening existing networks and establishing alternative networks among persons with type 2 diabetes.

Electrochemically influenced cation inter-diffusion and Co 3O 4 formation on La 0.6Sr 0.4CoO 3 infiltrated into SOFC cathodes

DOE PAGES

Song, Xueyan; Lee, Shiwoo; Chen, Yun; ...

2015-06-18

Nanosized LSC electrocatalyst was infiltrated into a porous scaffold cathode composed of Sm 2O 3-doped CeO 2 (SDC) and La 0.6Sr 0.4Co 0.2Fe 0.8O 3-δ (LSCF) in a commercial button solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). To understand the stability of cathodes infiltrated with LSC, the infiltrated composite cells were subjected to both electrochemical operating and thermal aging states at 750 °C for 1500 h. Nanostructure and local chemistry evolution of La 0.6Sr 0.4CoO 3 (LSC) infiltrated cathodes upon operation and aging were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. After operation, the LSC remained a cubic perovskite, and the crystal grains exhibitmore » comparable size to as-infiltrated LSC grains. Inter-diffusion of Fe from the LSCF to a Fe-incorporated LSC layer developed on the LSCF backbone. However, only sharp interfaces were observed between LSC and SDC backbone in the as-infiltrated cathode and such interfaces remain after operation. The infiltrated LSC on the SDC backbone also retains granular particle morphology. Furthermore, newly grown Co 3O 4 nanocrystals were found in the operated cathode. After thermal aging, on the other hand, cation inter-diffusion across the interfaces of the infiltrate particles and the cathode backbones is less than that from the operated cells. Lastly, the following hypothesis is proposed: Co 3O 4 forms on LSC arising from local charge balancing between cobalt and oxygen vacancies.« less

Influence of Pr6O11 on oxygen electroreduction kinetics and electrochemical performance of Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-δ based cathode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osinkin, D. A.; Beresnev, S. M.; Bogdanovich, N. M.

2018-07-01

Oxygen electroreduction kinetics and electrochemical performance of the Pr6O11-impregnated Sr2Fe1.5Mo0.5O6-δ - Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SFM-SDC) cathode have been first studied. By means of distribution of relaxation times and non-linear least squares analysis of impedance spectra were shown that the addition of Pr6O11 into the cathode leads to the increase in the rate of the low-frequency step. It is suggested that the observed phenomenon is associated with the increase in the rate of surface oxygen exchange. It is shown that the introduction of praseodymium oxide into the cathode results in a decrease in the area specific polarization resistances of the cathode at equilibrium potentials from 0.23 to 0.06 Ω cm2 at 800 °C in air. The maximum power density of symmetrical solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with impregnated SFM-SDC electrodes and supporting 760 μm La0.85Sr0.15Ga0.85Mg0.15O3-δ electrolyte without buffer/barrier and collector layers under air/wet hydrogen (dry CH4) condition was about 0.5 (0.26) W cm-2 at 800 °C. The overvoltage of the cathode was higher than that of the anode under air/wet hydrogen and vice versa when methane was supplied to the anode. The obtained results elucidate that the impregnated SFM-SDC is a promising cathode for SOFC application.

A semantic framework to protect the privacy of electronic health records with non-numerical attributes.

PubMed

Martínez, Sergio; Sánchez, David; Valls, Aida

2013-04-01

Structured patient data like Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are a valuable source for clinical research. However, the sensitive nature of such information requires some anonymisation procedure to be applied before releasing the data to third parties. Several studies have shown that the removal of identifying attributes, like the Social Security Number, is not enough to obtain an anonymous data file, since unique combinations of other attributes as for example, rare diagnoses and personalised treatments, may lead to patient's identity disclosure. To tackle this problem, Statistical Disclosure Control (SDC) methods have been proposed to mask sensitive attributes while preserving, up to a certain degree, the utility of anonymised data. Most of these methods focus on continuous-scale numerical data. Considering that part of the clinical data found in EHRs is expressed with non-numerical attributes as for example, diagnoses, symptoms, procedures, etc., their application to EHRs produces far from optimal results. In this paper, we propose a general framework to enable the accurate application of SDC methods to non-numerical clinical data, with a focus on the preservation of semantics. To do so, we exploit structured medical knowledge bases like SNOMED CT to propose semantically-grounded operators to compare, aggregate and sort non-numerical terms. Our framework has been applied to several well-known SDC methods and evaluated using a real clinical dataset with non-numerical attributes. Results show that the exploitation of medical semantics produces anonymised datasets that better preserve the utility of EHRs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Samaria-doped Ceria Modified Ni/YSZ Anode for Direct Methane Fuel in Tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cells by Impregnation Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Long-shan; Gao, Jian-feng; Tian, Rui-fen; Xia, Chang-rong

2009-08-01

A porous NiO/yttria-stabilized zirconia anode substrate for tubular solid oxide fuel cells was prepared by gel casting technique. Nano-scale samaria-doped ceria (SDC) particles were formed onto the anode substrate to modify the anode microstructure by the impregnation of solution of Sm(NO3)3 and Ce(NO3)3. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, current-voltage and current-powder curves of the cells were measured using an electrochemical workstation. Scanning electron microcopy was used to observe the microstructure. The results indicate that the stability of the performance of the cell operated on humidified methane can be significantly improved by incorporating the nano-structured SDC particles, compared with the unmodified cell. This verifies that the coated SDC electrodes are very effective in suppressing catalytic carbon formation by blocking methane from approaching the Ni, which is catalytically active towards methane pyrolysis. In addition, it was found that a small amount of deposited carbon is beneficial to the performance of the anode. The cell showed a peak power density of 225 mW/cm2 when it was fed with H2 fuel at 700 °C, but the power density increased to 400 mW/cm2 when the fuel was switched from hydrogen to methane at the same flow rate. Methane conversion achieved about 90%, measured by gas chromatogram with a 10.0 mL/min flow rate of fuel at 700 °C. Although the carbon deposition was not suppressed absolutely, some deposited carbon was beneficial for performance improvement.

An Identification of Interpersonal Skills for Building Army Civilian Leaders

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

3 B. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY ................................................................... 3 C. RESEARCH ... RESEARCH ................ 122 APPENDIX A. SURVEY QUESTIONS............................................................ 125 APPENDIX B. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS...Program RDEC Research , Development and Engineering Center RQ Research Question SBLM Sustaining Base Leadership and Management SDC Supervisory

Research on damping properties optimization of variable-stiffness plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen-kai, QI; Xian-tao, YIN; Cheng, SHEN

2016-09-01

This paper investigates damping optimization design of variable-stiffness composite laminated plate, which means fibre paths can be continuously curved and fibre angles are distinct for different regions. First, damping prediction model is developed based on modal dissipative energy principle and verified by comparing with modal testing results. Then, instead of fibre angles, the element stiffness and damping matrixes are translated to be design variables on the basis of novel Discrete Material Optimization (DMO) formulation, thus reducing the computation time greatly. Finally, the modal damping capacity of arbitrary order is optimized using MMA (Method of Moving Asymptotes) method. Meanwhile, mode tracking technique is employed to investigate the variation of modal shape. The convergent performance of interpolation function, first order specific damping capacity (SDC) optimization results and variation of modal shape in different penalty factor are discussed. The results show that the damping properties of the variable-stiffness plate can be increased by 50%-70% after optimization.

Studies on the quality nutrition in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

PubMed

Szczuko, Małgorzata; Sankowska, Patrycja; Zapałowska-Chwyć, Marta; Wysokiński, Paweł

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) manifests itself with various symptoms, therefore it interests representatives of many medical specializations: general practitioners, gynecologists, endocrinologists, dermatologists, cardiologists and those who deal with metabolic disorders, such as dieticians. The aim of this study was perform the qualitative assessment of components of diets of women with PCOS as one of the major factor contributing to the disease. The study was performed on 54 women of childbearing age with PCOS diagnosed according to on the Rotterdam criteria. Qualitative assessment of the diets on the basis of 216 menus was performed based on the analysis of 3-day food diaries and food records taken from the last 24-hour dietary interview. Diets quality assessment was made using three types of point tests: Szewczyński’s Diets’ classification (SDC), Bielińska’s Test with Kulesza’s modification (BTK), Healthy Diet Indicator (HDI). Average waist-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI) was above the standard 0.91± 0.08 and 29.16 ± 5.8 kg/m2. Qualitative analysis performed with point tests SDC, BT-K and HDI revealed that the majority of the diets were composed inappropriately, containing many mistakes. Statistically significant correlations (Pearson’s) were determined between HDI test and the body weight and BMI. When analyzing the type of the meals also the correlations (Spearman’s) between BMI and BMI category in BT-K test. Mistakes in diets of women with PCOS are the cause of metabolic disorders related to improper function of ovaries. Native test BT-K seems to be a better method then test SDC and probably HDI of assessing diet in women with PCOS from Poland.

Test-retest reliability and smallest detectable change of the Bristol Impact of Hypermobility (BIoH) questionnaire.

PubMed

Palmer, S; Manns, S; Cramp, F; Lewis, R; Clark, E M

2017-12-01

The Bristol Impact of Hypermobility (BIoH) questionnaire is a patient-reported outcome measure developed in conjunction with adults with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS). It has demonstrated strong concurrent validity with the Short Form-36 (SF-36) physical component score but other psychometric properties have yet to be established. This study aimed to determine its test-retest reliability and smallest detectable change (SDC). A test-retest reliability study. Participants were recruited from the Hypermobility Syndromes Association, a patient organisation in the United Kingdom. Recruitment packs were sent to 1080 adults who had given permission to be contacted about research. BIoH and SF-36 questionnaires were administered at baseline and repeated two weeks later. An 11-point global rating of change scale (-5 to +5) was also administered at two weeks. Test-retest analysis and calculation of the SDC was conducted on 'stable' patients (defined as global rating of change -1 to +1). 462 responses were received. 233 patients reported a 'stable' condition and were included in analysis (95% women; mean (SD) age 44.5 (13.9) years; BIoH score 223.6 (54.0)). The BIoH questionnaire demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC 0.923, 95% CI 0.900-0.940). The SDC was 42 points (equivalent to 19% of the mean baseline score). The SF-36 physical and mental component scores demonstrated poorer test-retest reliability and larger SDCs (as a proportion of the mean baseline scores). The results provide further evidence of the potential of the BIoH questionnaire to underpin research and clinical practice for people with JHS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MDM2 and CDK4 amplifications are rare events in salivary duct carcinomas

PubMed Central

Grünewald, Inga; Trautmann, Marcel; Busch, Alina; Bauer, Larissa; Huss, Sebastian; Schweinshaupt, Petra; Vollbrecht, Claudia; Odenthal, Margarete; Quaas, Alexander; Büttner, Reinhard; Meyer, Moritz F.; Beutner, Dirk; Hüttenbrink, Karl-Bernd; Wardelmann, Eva; Stenner, Markus; Hartmann, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an aggressive adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands associated with poor clinical outcome. SDCs are known to carry TP53 mutations in about 50%, however, only little is known about alternative pathogenic mechanisms within the p53 regulatory network. Particularly, data on alterations of the oncogenes MDM2 and CDK4 located in the chromosomal region 12q13-15 are limited in SDC, while genomic rearrangements of the adjacent HMGA2 gene locus are well documented in subsets of SDCs. We here analyzed the mutational status of the TP53 gene, genomic amplification of MDM2, CDK4 and HMGA2 rearrangement/amplification as well as protein expression of TP53 (p53), MDM2 and CDK4 in 51 de novo and ex pleomorphic adenoma SDCs. 25 of 51 cases were found to carry TP53 mutations, associated with extreme positive immunohistochemical p53 staining levels in 13 cases. Three out of 51 tumors had an MDM2 amplification, one of them coinciding with a CDK4 amplification and two with a HMGA2 rearrangement/amplification. Two of the MDM2 amplifications occurred in the setting of a TP53 mutation. Two out of 51 cases showed a CDK4 amplification, one synchronously being MDM2 amplified and the other one displaying concurrent low copy number increases of both, MDM2 and HMGA2. In summary, we here show that subgroups of SDCs display genomic amplifications of MDM2 and/or CDK4, partly in association with TP53 mutations and rearrangement/amplification of HMGA2. Further research is necessary to clarify the role of chromosomal region 12q13-15 alterations in SDC tumorigenesis and their potential prognostic and therapeutic relevance. PMID:27662657

MDM2 and CDK4 amplifications are rare events in salivary duct carcinomas.

PubMed

Grünewald, Inga; Trautmann, Marcel; Busch, Alina; Bauer, Larissa; Huss, Sebastian; Schweinshaupt, Petra; Vollbrecht, Claudia; Odenthal, Margarete; Quaas, Alexander; Büttner, Reinhard; Meyer, Moritz F; Beutner, Dirk; Hüttenbrink, Karl-Bernd; Wardelmann, Eva; Stenner, Markus; Hartmann, Wolfgang

2016-11-15

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) is an aggressive adenocarcinoma of the salivary glands associated with poor clinical outcome. SDCs are known to carry TP53 mutations in about 50%, however, only little is known about alternative pathogenic mechanisms within the p53 regulatory network. Particularly, data on alterations of the oncogenes MDM2 and CDK4 located in the chromosomal region 12q13-15 are limited in SDC, while genomic rearrangements of the adjacent HMGA2 gene locus are well documented in subsets of SDCs. We here analyzed the mutational status of the TP53 gene, genomic amplification of MDM2, CDK4 and HMGA2 rearrangement/amplification as well as protein expression of TP53 (p53), MDM2 and CDK4 in 51 de novo and ex pleomorphic adenoma SDCs.25 of 51 cases were found to carry TP53 mutations, associated with extreme positive immunohistochemical p53 staining levels in 13 cases. Three out of 51 tumors had an MDM2 amplification, one of them coinciding with a CDK4 amplification and two with a HMGA2 rearrangement/amplification. Two of the MDM2 amplifications occurred in the setting of a TP53 mutation. Two out of 51 cases showed a CDK4 amplification, one synchronously being MDM2 amplified and the other one displaying concurrent low copy number increases of both, MDM2 and HMGA2.In summary, we here show that subgroups of SDCs display genomic amplifications of MDM2 and/or CDK4, partly in association with TP53 mutations and rearrangement/amplification of HMGA2. Further research is necessary to clarify the role of chromosomal region 12q13-15 alterations in SDC tumorigenesis and their potential prognostic and therapeutic relevance.

Identifying clusters of active transportation using spatial scan statistics.

PubMed

Huang, Lan; Stinchcomb, David G; Pickle, Linda W; Dill, Jennifer; Berrigan, David

2009-08-01

There is an intense interest in the possibility that neighborhood characteristics influence active transportation such as walking or biking. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a spatial cluster identification method can evaluate the geographic variation of active transportation and identify neighborhoods with unusually high/low levels of active transportation. Self-reported walking/biking prevalence, demographic characteristics, street connectivity variables, and neighborhood socioeconomic data were collected from respondents to the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS; N=10,688) in Los Angeles County (LAC) and San Diego County (SDC). Spatial scan statistics were used to identify clusters of high or low prevalence (with and without age-adjustment) and the quantity of time spent walking and biking. The data, a subset from the 2001 CHIS, were analyzed in 2007-2008. Geographic clusters of significantly high or low prevalence of walking and biking were detected in LAC and SDC. Structural variables such as street connectivity and shorter block lengths are consistently associated with higher levels of active transportation, but associations between active transportation and socioeconomic variables at the individual and neighborhood levels are mixed. Only one cluster with less time spent walking and biking among walkers/bikers was detected in LAC, and this was of borderline significance. Age-adjustment affects the clustering pattern of walking/biking prevalence in LAC, but not in SDC. The use of spatial scan statistics to identify significant clustering of health behaviors such as active transportation adds to the more traditional regression analysis that examines associations between behavior and environmental factors by identifying specific geographic areas with unusual levels of the behavior independent of predefined administrative units.

Identifying Clusters of Active Transportation Using Spatial Scan Statistics

PubMed Central

Huang, Lan; Stinchcomb, David G.; Pickle, Linda W.; Dill, Jennifer; Berrigan, David

2009-01-01

Background There is an intense interest in the possibility that neighborhood characteristics influence active transportation such as walking or biking. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a spatial cluster identification method can evaluate the geographic variation of active transportation and identify neighborhoods with unusually high/low levels of active transportation. Methods Self-reported walking/biking prevalence, demographic characteristics, street connectivity variables, and neighborhood socioeconomic data were collected from respondents to the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS; N=10,688) in Los Angeles County (LAC) and San Diego County (SDC). Spatial scan statistics were used to identify clusters of high or low prevalence (with and without age-adjustment) and the quantity of time spent walking and biking. The data, a subset from the 2001 CHIS, were analyzed in 2007–2008. Results Geographic clusters of significantly high or low prevalence of walking and biking were detected in LAC and SDC. Structural variables such as street connectivity and shorter block lengths are consistently associated with higher levels of active transportation, but associations between active transportation and socioeconomic variables at the individual and neighborhood levels are mixed. Only one cluster with less time spent walking and biking among walkers/bikers was detected in LAC, and this was of borderline significance. Age-adjustment affects the clustering pattern of walking/biking prevalence in LAC, but not in SDC. Conclusions The use of spatial scan statistics to identify significant clustering of health behaviors such as active transportation adds to the more traditional regression analysis that examines associations between behavior and environmental factors by identifying specific geographic areas with unusual levels of the behavior independent of predefined administrative units. PMID:19589451

The MOBID-2 pain scale: Reliability and responsiveness to pain in patients with dementia

PubMed Central

Husebo, BS; Ostelo, R; Strand, LI

2014-01-01

Background Mobilization-Observation-Behavior-Intensity-Dementia-2 (MOBID-2) pain scale is a staff-administered pain tool for patients with dementia. This study explores MOBID-2's test–retest reliability, measurement error and responsiveness to change. Methods Analyses are based upon data from a cluster randomized trial including 352 patients with advanced dementia from 18 Norwegian nursing homes. Test–retest reliability between baseline and week 2 (n = 163), and weeks 2 and 4 (n = 159) was examined in patients not expected to change (controls), using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2.1), standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Responsiveness was examined by testing six priori-formulated hypotheses about the association between change scores on MOBID-2 and other outcome measures. Results ICCs of the total MOBID-2 scores were 0.81 (0–2 weeks) and 0.85 (2–4 weeks). SEM and SDC were 1.9 and 3.1 (0–2 weeks) and 1.4 and 2.3 (2–4 weeks), respectively. Five out of six hypotheses were confirmed: MOBID-2 discriminated (p < 0.001) between change in patients with and without a stepwise protocol for treatment of pain (SPTP). Moderate association (r = 0.35) was demonstrated with Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory, and no association with Mini-Mental State Examination, Functional Assessment Staging and Activity of Daily Living. Expected associations between change scores of MOBID-2 and Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Nursing Home version were not confirmed. Conclusion The SEM and SDC in connection with the MOBID-2 pain scale indicate that the instrument is responsive to a decrease in pain after a SPTP. Satisfactory test–retest reliability across test periods was demonstrated. Change scores ≥ 3 on total and subscales are clinically relevant and are beyond measurement error. PMID:24799157

X-Windows PVT Widget Class

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barry, Matthew R.

2006-01-01

The X-Windows Process Validation Table (PVT) Widget Class ( Class is used here in the object-oriented-programming sense of the word) was devised to simplify the task of implementing network registration services for Information Sharing Protocol (ISP) graphical-user-interface (GUI) computer programs. Heretofore, ISP PVT programming tasks have required many method calls to identify, query, and interpret the connections and messages exchanged between a client and a PVT server. Normally, programmers have utilized direct access to UNIX socket libraries to implement the PVT protocol queries, necessitating the use of many lines of source code to perform frequent tasks. Now, the X-Windows PVT Widget Class encapsulates ISP client server network registration management tasks within the framework of an X Windows widget. Use of the widget framework enables an X Windows GUI program to interact with PVT services in an abstract way and in the same manner as that of other graphical widgets, making it easier to program PVT clients. Wrapping the PVT services inside the widget framework enables a programmer to treat a PVT server interface as though it were a GUI. Moreover, an alternate subclass could implement another service in a widget of the same type. This program was written by Matthew R. Barry of United Space Alliance for Johnson Space Center. For further information, contact the Johnson Technology Transfer Office at (281) 483-3809. MSC-23582 Shuttle Data Center File- Processing Tool in Java A Java-language computer program has been written to facilitate mining of data in files in the Shuttle Data Center (SDC) archives. This program can be executed on a variety of workstations or via Web-browser programs. This program is partly similar to prior C-language programs used for the same purpose, while differing from those programs in that it exploits the platform-neutrality of Java in implementing several features that are important for analysis of large sets of time-series data. The program supports regular expression queries of SDC archive files, reads the files, interleaves the time-stamped samples according to a chosen output, then transforms the results into that format. A user can choose among a variety of output file formats that are useful for diverse purposes, including plotting, Markov modeling, multivariate density estimation, and wavelet multiresolution analysis, as well as for playback of data in support of simulation and testing.

Development of guidelines for incorporation of vertical ground motion effects in seismic design of highway bridges.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

This study was undertaken with the objective of assessing the current provisions in SDC-2006 for incorporating : vertical effects of ground motions in seismic evaluation and design of ordinary highway bridges. A : comprehensive series of simulations ...

Effect of biochar and humic acid on the copper, lead, and cadmium passivation during composting.

PubMed

Zhou, Haibin; Meng, Haibo; Zhao, Lixin; Shen, Yujun; Hou, Yueqing; Cheng, Hongsheng; Song, Liqiu

2018-06-01

In this study, two different biochars (sawdust charcoal (SDC) and wheat straw charcoal (WSC)) and biological humic acid (BHA) were used with different addition rates in pig manure composting to illustrate the effect on heavy metals passivation. And the composts were applied to rape (Brassica campestris L.) growth to illustrate the stability of the passivation. Results showed the concentration of Cu, Cd, and Pb increased after composting, whereas the passivation rates of Cu, Pb, and Cd reached a maximum of 94.98%, 65.55%, and 68.78%, respectively. When the composts were applied to rape growth, the exchangeable fraction of Cu, Pb, and Cd in the soil further decreased and reduced the accumulation of heavy metals in the rape plant. The rape yield increased by 19.39%-34.35%. The optimal addition ratios of the three passivators were SDC 5%, WSC 7.5% and BHA 2.5% to reduce the health risk of heavy metals in rape products. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced dispersion of boron nitride nanosheets in aqueous media by using bile acid-based surfactants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chae, Ari; Park, Soo-Jin; Min, Byunggak; In, Insik

2018-01-01

Facile noncovalent surface functionalization of hydroxylated boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS-OH) was attempted through the sonication-assisted exfoliation of h-BN in aqueous media in the presence of bile acid-based surfactants such as sodium cholic acid (SC) or sodium deoxycholic acid (SDC), resulting in SC- or SDC-BNNS-OH dispersion with high up to 2 mg ml-1 and enhanced dispersion stability due to the increased negative zeta potential. While prepared SC-BNNS-OH revealed multi-layered BNNS structures, the large lateral sizes of hundreds nanometers and clear h-BN lattice structures are very promising for the preparation and application of water-processable BNNS-based nanomaterials. It is regarded that noncovalent functionalization of BNNS-OH based on σ-π interaction between with σ-rich bile acid-based amphiphiles and π-rich BNNS is very effective to formulate multi-functional BNNS-based nanomaterials or hybrids that can be utilized in various applications where both the pristine properties of BNNS and the extra functions are simultaneously required.

Highly CO2-Tolerant Cathode for Intermediate-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells: Samarium-Doped Ceria-Protected SrCo0.85Ta0.15O3-δ Hybrid.

PubMed

Li, Mengran; Zhou, Wei; Zhu, Zhonghua

2017-01-25

Susceptibility to CO 2 is one of the major challenges for the long-term stability of the alkaline-earth-containing cathodes for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. To alleviate the adverse effects from CO 2 , we incorporated samarium-stabilized ceria (SDC) into a SrCo 0.85 Ta 0.15 O 3-δ (SCT15) cathode by either mechanical mixing or a wet impregnation method and evaluated their cathode performance stability in the presence of a gas mixture of 10% CO 2 , 21% O 2 , and 69% N 2 . We observed that the CO 2 tolerance of the hybrid cathode outperforms the pure SCT15 cathode by over 5 times at 550 °C. This significant enhancement is likely attributable to the low CO 2 adsorption and reactivity of the SDC protective layer, which are demonstrated through thermogravimetric analysis, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity study.

Source calibrations and SDC calorimeter requirements

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

Green, D.

Several studies of the problem of calibration of the SDC calorimeter exist. In this note the attempt is made to give a connected account of the requirements on the source calibration from the point of view of the desired, and acceptable, constant term induced in the EM resolution. It is assumed that a local'' calibration resulting from exposing each tower to a beam of electrons is not feasible. It is further assumed that an in situ'' calibration is either not yet performed, or is unavailable due to tracking alignment problems or high luminosity operation rendering tracking inoperative. Therefore, the assumptionsmore » used are rather conservative. In this scenario, each scintillator plate of each tower is exposed to a moving radioactive source. That reading is used to mask'' an optical cookie'' in a grey code chosen so as to make the response uniform. The source is assumed to be the sole calibration of the tower. Therefore, the phrase global'' calibration of towers by movable radioactive sources is adopted.« less

Source calibrations and SDC calorimeter requirements

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

Green, D.

Several studies of the problem of calibration of the SDC calorimeter exist. In this note the attempt is made to give a connected account of the requirements on the source calibration from the point of view of the desired, and acceptable, constant term induced in the EM resolution. It is assumed that a ``local`` calibration resulting from exposing each tower to a beam of electrons is not feasible. It is further assumed that an ``in situ`` calibration is either not yet performed, or is unavailable due to tracking alignment problems or high luminosity operation rendering tracking inoperative. Therefore, the assumptionsmore » used are rather conservative. In this scenario, each scintillator plate of each tower is exposed to a moving radioactive source. That reading is used to ``mask`` an optical ``cookie`` in a grey code chosen so as to make the response uniform. The source is assumed to be the sole calibration of the tower. Therefore, the phrase ``global`` calibration of towers by movable radioactive sources is adopted.« less

La(0.4)Ba(0.6)Fe(0.8)Zn(0.2)O(3-delta) as cathode in solid oxide fuel cells for simultaneous NO reduction and electricity generation.

PubMed

Zhou, Renjie; Bu, Yunfei; Xu, Dandan; Zhong, Qin

2014-01-01

A perovskite-type oxide La(0.4)Ba(0.6)Fe(0.8)Zn(0.2)O(3-delta) (LBFZ) was investigated as the cathode material for simultaneous NO reduction and electricity generation in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The microstructure of LBFZ was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that a single cubic perovskite LBFZ was formed after calcined at 1100 degrees C. Meanwhile, the solid-state reaction between LBFZ and Ce(0.8)Sm(0.2)O(1.9) (SDC) at 900 degrees C was negligible. To measure the electrochemical properties, SOFC units were constructed with Sm(0.9)Sr(0.1)Cr(0.5)Fe(0.5)O3 as the anode, SDC as the electrolyte and LBFZ as the cathode. The maximum power density increased with the increasing NO concentration and temperature. The cell resistance is mainly due to the cathodic polarization resistance.

Identification of 15 candidate structured noncoding RNA motifs in fungi by comparative genomics.

PubMed

Li, Sanshu; Breaker, Ronald R

2017-10-13

With the development of rapid and inexpensive DNA sequencing, the genome sequences of more than 100 fungal species have been made available. This dataset provides an excellent resource for comparative genomics analyses, which can be used to discover genetic elements, including noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). Bioinformatics tools similar to those used to uncover novel ncRNAs in bacteria, likewise, should be useful for searching fungal genomic sequences, and the relative ease of genetic experiments with some model fungal species could facilitate experimental validation studies. We have adapted a bioinformatics pipeline for discovering bacterial ncRNAs to systematically analyze many fungal genomes. This comparative genomics pipeline integrates information on conserved RNA sequence and structural features with alternative splicing information to reveal fungal RNA motifs that are candidate regulatory domains, or that might have other possible functions. A total of 15 prominent classes of structured ncRNA candidates were identified, including variant HDV self-cleaving ribozyme representatives, atypical snoRNA candidates, and possible structured antisense RNA motifs. Candidate regulatory motifs were also found associated with genes for ribosomal proteins, S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SDC), amidase, and HexA protein involved in Woronin body formation. We experimentally confirm that the variant HDV ribozymes undergo rapid self-cleavage, and we demonstrate that the SDC RNA motif reduces the expression of SAM decarboxylase by translational repression. Furthermore, we provide evidence that several other motifs discovered in this study are likely to be functional ncRNA elements. Systematic screening of fungal genomes using a computational discovery pipeline has revealed the existence of a variety of novel structured ncRNAs. Genome contexts and similarities to known ncRNA motifs provide strong evidence for the biological and biochemical functions of some newly found ncRNA motifs. Although initial examinations of several motifs provide evidence for their likely functions, other motifs will require more in-depth analysis to reveal their functions.

Energy reduction through voltage scaling and lightweight checking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadric, Edin

As the semiconductor roadmap reaches smaller feature sizes and the end of Dennard Scaling, design goals change, and managing the power envelope often dominates delay minimization. Voltage scaling remains a powerful tool to reduce energy. We find that it results in about 60% geomean energy reduction on top of other common low-energy optimizations with 22nm CMOS technology. However, when voltage is reduced, it becomes easier for noise and particle strikes to upset a node, potentially causing Silent Data Corruption (SDC). The 60% energy reduction, therefore, comes with a significant drop in reliability. Duplication with checking and triple-modular redundancy are traditional approaches used to combat transient errors, but spending 2--3x the energy for redundant computation can diminish or reverse the benefits of voltage scaling. As an alternative, we explore the opportunity to use checking operations that are cheaper than the base computation they are guarding. We devise a classification system for applications and their lightweight checking characteristics. In particular, we identify and evaluate the effectiveness of lightweight checks in a broad set of common tasks in scientific computing and signal processing. We find that the lightweight checks cost only a fraction of the base computation (0-25%) and allow us to recover the reliability losses from voltage scaling. Overall, we show about 50% net energy reduction without compromising reliability compared to operation at the nominal voltage. We use FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) in our work, although the same ideas can be applied to different systems. On top of voltage scaling, we explore other common low-energy techniques for FPGAs: transmission gates, gate boosting, power gating, low-leakage (high-Vth) processes, and dual-V dd architectures. We do not scale voltage for memories, so lower voltages help us reduce logic and interconnect energy, but not memory energy. At lower voltages, memories become dominant, and we get diminishing returns from continuing to scale voltage. To ensure that memories do not become a bottleneck, we also design an energy-robust FPGA memory architecture, which attempts to minimize communication energy due to mismatches between application and architecture. We do this alongside application parallelism tuning. We show our techniques on a wide range of applications, including a large real-time system used for Wide-Area Motion Imaging (WAMI).

Rational Design of a Water-Storable Hierarchical Architecture Decorated with Amorphous Barium Oxide and Nickel Nanoparticles as a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anode with Excellent Sulfur Tolerance.

PubMed

Song, Yufei; Wang, Wei; Ge, Lei; Xu, Xiaomin; Zhang, Zhenbao; Julião, Paulo Sérgio Barros; Zhou, Wei; Shao, Zongping

2017-11-01

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), which can directly convert chemical energy stored in fuels into electric power, represent a useful technology for a more sustainable future. They are particularly attractive given that they can be easily integrated into the currently available fossil fuel infrastructure to realize an ideal clean energy system. However, the widespread use of the SOFC technology is hindered by sulfur poisoning at the anode caused by the sulfur impurities in fossil fuels. Therefore, improving the sulfur tolerance of the anode is critical for developing SOFCs for use with fossil fuels. Herein, a novel, highly active, sulfur-tolerant anode for intermediate-temperature SOFCs is prepared via a facile impregnation and limited reaction protocol. During synthesis, Ni nanoparticles, water-storable BaZr 0.4 Ce 0.4 Y 0.2 O 3- δ (BZCY) perovskite, and amorphous BaO are formed in situ and deposited on the surface of a Sm 0.2 Ce 0.8 O 1.9 (SDC) scaffold. More specifically, a porous SDC scaffold is impregnated with a well-designed proton-conducting perovskite oxide liquid precursor with the nominal composition of Ba(Zr 0.4 Ce 0.4 Y 0.2 ) 0.8 Ni 0.2 O 3- δ (BZCYN), calcined and reduced in hydrogen. The as-synthesized hierarchical architecture exhibits high H 2 electro-oxidation activity, excellent operational stability, superior sulfur tolerance, and good thermal cyclability. This work demonstrates the potential of combining nanocatalysts and water-storable materials in advanced electrocatalysts for SOFCs.

Vesicle-metal-sulfide assemblages from the Chelyabinsk meteorite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andronikov, A.; Lauretta, D.; Hill, D.; Andronikova, I.

2014-07-01

On February 15, 2013, an ET object entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. It entered at a preatmospheric velocity of 18.6 km/sec at the angle of 17--20°. The bolide responsible for this event was estimated to be 17-20 m in diameter and had a mass of ˜10 Ktons; the ensuing airburst occurred at an altitude >20 km and released a total energy of ˜440 kT [1,2]. The Chelyabinsk meteorite is an equilibrated LL5 ordinary chondrite, shock stage S4, and weathering grade WG0 similar to other LL5 falls [1,2]. Our studied sample is an impact melt breccia consisting of shock-darkened chondrite clasts (SDC) and vesicular impact melt lithology (IML). The SDC have recrystallized textures and contain barred- and porphyritic-olivine, porphyritic-olivine-pyroxene and radial-pyroxene chondrules in the intrachondrule matrix. A dense network of thin fractures in the SDC is filled up with opaque minerals [cf. 3]. Metals in the SDC are kamacite (4.7--8.5 % Ni), taenite (21.4--33.5 % Ni), and martensite (14.5--18.6 % Ni). The IML consists mostly of tiny (<10 microns) silicate grains surrounded by patches of glass. The IML is characterized by the presence of multiple vesicles (up to 1 mm) in silicate matrix. The vesicles are often filled up with sulfide-metal assemblages or only with sulfide. Metals in the IML are martensite (12.9--18.4 % Ni) and taenite (19.3--47.3 % Ni). Sulfides from both SDC and IML are Ni-bearing troilite (62.2--64.2 % Fe; 35.2--37.2 % S; 3000--5000 ppm Ni), with rare pentlandite (41.2--48.6 % Fe, 33.2--34.3 % S, 19.4--23.9 % Ni). The presence of abundant vesicles in the IML indicates strong heating and volatilization. Since no other phase except for sulfide-metal assemblages were observed to fill up vesicles, the likely source of volatiles is S vapor formed by vaporization of FeS during impact melting [cf. 4]. Molten metal and sulfide coalesced into droplets of metal-sulfide liquids forming eventually sulfide-metal assemblages. A notable compositional difference is observed between sulfides not containing metals and those with metals. The metal-free sulfides display higher concentrations of such elements as Ni, Co, Ga, Ge, As, Mo, Ru, Pd, Sn, Sb, Te, Au, and Hg, and lower amounts of Cu than their metal-bearing counterparts. The metal-free sulfides may represent loci of former ''parental'' Fe-S liquid where separation of Fe-Ni-rich from S-rich compositions had just begun and the process was ''frozen'' by rapid cooling. Troilites from the SDC are much more homogeneous in terms of the trace elements than troilites from the IML. These data suggest that the time was sufficient for equilibration of troilites in the SDC and they formed before the melting impact event, likely, during shock events at earlier stages of the asteroid evolution. The fact that there are so many vesicles in the IML, and that they grow to such a large size indicates that the melt must have been buried at some depth after formation but before solidification, otherwise volatiles would escape to space. After the impact and melting occurred on the asteroid body, the impact-induced pressure relieved sharply, causing ''boiling'' of volatiles and generation of vesicles filled later with S-rich liquid. Degassing of such liquid started immediately after the impact pressure was released, but a time lapse during which the degassing had been active was extremely short, i.e., silicate matrix solidified so quickly that cavities (resulted from the escape of some S-rich vapor) did not collapse, and survived in the meteor body until now. Benedix et al. [5] suggested that such solidification took place within a few hours in the case of the PAT 91501 L chondrite meteorite, and [4] calculated that the time of solidification of the impact melt in the case of the LAR 06299 LL chondrite was less than one hour. The absence of kamacite and instead the presence of martensite in metals from metal-sulfide assemblages of the IML also points to fast solidification after the impact-induced melting occurred. Compositions of martensite and coexisting taenite suggest that Fe-Ni partitioning stopped at temperatures ˜450°C [6] not allowing kamacite to crystallize. A high scatter of trace element amounts between sulfide individuals and between metal individuals in the IML also suggests that the inner equilibration was not reached during the cooling. Therefore, sulfide- metal assemblages were very quickly solidified and cooled down below the temperatures at which the diffusion stopped, which is consistent with fast cooling of the impact-induced melt.

Autonomous biological system-an unique method of conducting long duration space flight experiments for pharmaceutical and gravitational biology research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, G. A.; MacCallum, T. K.; Poynter, J. E.; Klaus, D., Dr.

1998-01-01

Paragon Space Development Corporation (SDC) has developed an Autonomous Biological System (ABS) that can be flown in space to provide for long term growth and breeding of aquatic plants, animals, microbes and algae. The system functions autonomously and in isolation from the spacecraft life support systems and with no mandatory crew time required for function or observation. The ABS can also be used for long term plant and animal life support and breeding on a free flyer space craft. The ABS units are a research tool for both pharmaceutical and basic space biological sciences. Development flights in May of 1996 and September, 1996 through January, 1997 were largely successful, showing both that the hardware and life systems are performing with beneficial results, though some surprises were still found. The two space flights, plus the current flight now on Mir, are expected to result in both a scientific and commercially usable system for breeding and propagation of animals and plants in space.

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

Barnes, V.E.; Carmony, D.D.; Garfinkel, A.F.

This report discusses: The CDF for {bar p}-p Collisions at FNAL; The L3 Detector for e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} Collisions at CERN; The SCD Detector for pp Collisions at the SSCL (calorimeters); The SDC Detector for pp Collisions at the SSCL (muon detector); The CO experiment for {bar p}-p Collisions at FNAL; and Accelerator Physics at Fermilab.

Patent Databases. . .A Survey of What Is Available from DIALOG, Questel, SDC, Pergamon and INPADOC.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kulp, Carol S.

1984-01-01

Presents survey of two groups of databases covering patent literature: patent literature only and general literature that includes patents relevant to subject area of database. Description of databases and comparison tables for patent and general databases (cost, country coverage, years covered, update frequency, file size, and searchable data…

The Development of a Discipline Code for Sue Bennett College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLendon, Sandra F.

A Student Discipline Code (SDC) was developed to govern student life at Sue Bennett College (SBC), Kentucky, a private two-year college affiliated with the Methodist Church. Steps taken in the process included the following: a review of relevant literature on student discipline; examination of discipline codes from six other educational…

A novel damage index for damage identification using guided waves with application in laminated composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torkamani, Shahab; Roy, Samit; Barkey, Mark E.; Sazonov, Edward; Burkett, Susan; Kotru, Sushma

2014-09-01

In the current investigation, an innovative time-domain damage index is introduced for the first time which is based on local statistical features of the waveform. This damage index is called the ‘normalized correlation moment’ (NCM) and is composed of the nth moment of the cross-correlation of the baseline and comparison waves. The performance of this novel damage index is compared for some synthetic signals with that of an existing damage index based on the Pearson correlation coefficient (signal difference coefficient, SDC). The proposed damage index is shown to have significant advantages over the SDC, including sensitivity to the attenuation of the signal and lower sensitivity to the signal’s noise level. Numerical simulations using Abaqus finite element (FE) software show that this novel damage index is not only capable of detecting the delamination type of damage, but also exhibits a good ability in the assessment of this type of damage in laminated composite structures. The NCM damage index is also validated using experimental data for identification of delamination in composites.

A conservative, thermodynamically consistent numerical approach for low Mach number combustion. Part I: Single-level integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nonaka, Andrew; Day, Marcus S.; Bell, John B.

2018-01-01

We present a numerical approach for low Mach number combustion that conserves both mass and energy while remaining on the equation of state to a desired tolerance. We present both unconfined and confined cases, where in the latter the ambient pressure changes over time. Our overall scheme is a projection method for the velocity coupled to a multi-implicit spectral deferred corrections (SDC) approach to integrate the mass and energy equations. The iterative nature of SDC methods allows us to incorporate a series of pressure discrepancy corrections naturally that lead to additional mass and energy influx/outflux in each finite volume cell in order to satisfy the equation of state. The method is second order, and satisfies the equation of state to a desired tolerance with increasing iterations. Motivated by experimental results, we test our algorithm on hydrogen flames with detailed kinetics. We examine the morphology of thermodiffusively unstable cylindrical premixed flames in high-pressure environments for confined and unconfined cases. We also demonstrate that our algorithm maintains the equation of state for premixed methane flames and non-premixed dimethyl ether jet flames.

Polypropylene oil as fuel for solid oxide fuel cell with samarium doped-ceria (SDC)-carbonate as electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syahputra, R. J. E.; Rahmawati, F.; Prameswari, A. P.; Saktian, R.

2017-03-01

The research focusses on converting polypropylene oil as pyrolysis product of polypropylene plastic into an electricity. The converter was a direct liquid fuel-solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with cerium oxide based material as electrolyte. The polypropylene vapor flowed into fuel cell, in the anode side and undergo oxidation reaction, meanwhile, the Oxygen in atmosphere reduced into oxygen ion at cathode. The fuel cell test was conducted at 400 - 600 °C. According to GC-MS analysis, the polypropylene oil consist of C8 to C27 hydrocarbon chain. The XRD analysis result shows that Na2CO3 did not change the crystal structure of SDC even increases the electrical conductivity. The maximum power density is 0.079 mW.cm-2 at 773 K. The open circuite voltage is 0.77 volt. Chemical stability test by analysing the single cell at before and after fuel cell test found that ionic migration occured during fuel cell operation. It is supported by the change of elemental composition in the point position of electrolyte and at the electrolyte-electrode interface

Monitoring WLCG with lambda-architecture: a new scalable data store and analytics platform for monitoring at petabyte scale.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnoni, L.; Suthakar, U.; Cordeiro, C.; Georgiou, M.; Andreeva, J.; Khan, A.; Smith, D. R.

2015-12-01

Monitoring the WLCG infrastructure requires the gathering and analysis of a high volume of heterogeneous data (e.g. data transfers, job monitoring, site tests) coming from different services and experiment-specific frameworks to provide a uniform and flexible interface for scientists and sites. The current architecture, where relational database systems are used to store, to process and to serve monitoring data, has limitations in coping with the foreseen increase in the volume (e.g. higher LHC luminosity) and the variety (e.g. new data-transfer protocols and new resource-types, as cloud-computing) of WLCG monitoring events. This paper presents a new scalable data store and analytics platform designed by the Support for Distributed Computing (SDC) group, at the CERN IT department, which uses a variety of technologies each one targeting specific aspects of big-scale distributed data-processing (commonly referred as lambda-architecture approach). Results of data processing on Hadoop for WLCG data activities monitoring are presented, showing how the new architecture can easily analyze hundreds of millions of transfer logs in a few minutes. Moreover, a comparison of data partitioning, compression and file format (e.g. CSV, Avro) is presented, with particular attention given to how the file structure impacts the overall MapReduce performance. In conclusion, the evolution of the current implementation, which focuses on data storage and batch processing, towards a complete lambda-architecture is discussed, with consideration of candidate technology for the serving layer (e.g. Elasticsearch) and a description of a proof of concept implementation, based on Apache Spark and Esper, for the real-time part which compensates for batch-processing latency and automates problem detection and failures.

Influence of delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) protocol on T2-mapping: is it possible to comprehensively assess knee cartilage composition in one post-contrast MR examination at 3 Tesla?

PubMed

Verschueren, J; van Tiel, J; Reijman, M; Bron, E E; Klein, S; Verhaar, J A N; Bierma-Zeinstra, S M A; Krestin, G P; Wielopolski, P A; Oei, E H G

2017-09-01

To evaluate the possibility of assessing knee cartilage with T2-mapping and delayed gadolinium enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC) in one post-contrast MR examination at 3 Tesla (T). T2 mapping was performed in 10 healthy volunteers at baseline; directly after baseline; after 10 min of cycling; and after 90 min delay, and in 16 osteoarthritis patients before and after intravenous administration of a double dose gadolinium dimeglumine contrast agent, reflecting key dGEMRIC protocol elements. Differences in T2 relaxation times between each timepoint and baseline were calculated for 6 cartilage regions using paired t tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and the smallest detectable change (SDC). After cycling, a significant change in T2 relaxation times was found in the lateral weight-bearing tibial plateau (+1.0 ms, P = 0.04). After 90 min delay, significant changes were found in the lateral weight-bearing femoral condyle (+1.2 ms, P = 0.03) and the lateral weight-bearing tibial plateau (+1.3 ms, P = 0.01). In these regions of interests (ROIs), absolute differences were small and lower than the corresponding SDCs. T2-mapping after contrast administration only showed statistically significantly lower T2 relaxation times in the medial posterior femoral condyle (-2.4 ms, P < 0.001) with a change exceeding the SDC. Because dGEMRIC protocol elements resulted in only small differences in T2 relaxation times that were not consistent and lower than the SDC in the majority of regions, our results suggest that T2-mapping and dGEMRIC can be performed reliably in a single imaging session to assess cartilage biochemical composition in knee osteoarthritis (OA) at 3 T. Copyright © 2017 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Observations of market pigs following transport to a packing plant.

PubMed

Kephart, K B; Harper, M T; Raines, C R

2010-06-01

A field study was conducted to record observations of 41,744 market-weight pigs upon arrival at a commercial abattoir to evaluate the relationships between various independent factors and open-mouth breathing, skin discoloration, lameness, unloading time, and mortality during transport. Observations were recorded from 242 trailer loads on 46 separate days over a period of 14 mo. Travel time (<2.5 h or >or=2.5 h), wait time before unloading (<20 min or >or=20 min), loading pressure (<260 kg of BW/m(2) trailer floor space or >or=260 kg of BW/m(2) trailer floor space), ambient temperature while unloading (<17 degrees C or >or=17 degrees C), and trailer type [potbelly (PB); straight-deck with conventional unloading doors (SDC); or straight-deck with wide unloading doors (SDW)] were recorded for each load. Open-mouth breathing was more prevalent in pigs when transported on PB trailers compared with that of SDC or SDW trailers (P < 0.01), and at warmer temperatures (>or=17 degrees C, P < 0.001). Skin discoloration was more prevalent (P < 0.001) among pigs unloaded at temperatures >or=17 degrees C. Lameness was more prevalent (P < 0.05) after shorter travel times at greater loading pressure compared with shorter travel times at decreased loading pressure. Unloading time for PB trailers was longer (P < 0.001) than for SDC and SDW. Mortality rates during transport were minimal (0.06%) in the deliveries that we observed, and there were no significant (P > 0.10) relationships between mortality and any independent variable tested. Wait time before unloading was not associated (P > 0.10) with any of the dependent variables included in the statistical model. In conclusion, warmer ambient temperatures (>or=17 degrees C) and the use of PB trailers are associated with an increased incidence of open-mouth breathing and skin discoloration, and longer unloading times after the transport of market pigs.

Variants in human papillomavirus receptor and associated genes are associated with type-specific HPV infection and lesion progression of the cervix

PubMed Central

Chen, Tingting; Yang, Shizhou; Huang, Yongjie; Hong, Die; Li, Yang; Chen, Xiaojing; Wang, Xinyu; Cheng, Xiaodong; Lu, Weiguo; Xie, Xing

2016-01-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infects cervical epithelial cells through cellular membrane receptors, and then induces the initiation and progression of cervical cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may impact the susceptibility and outcome of diseases, but it's still unknown whether variant in HPV receptor and associated genes is associated with type-specific HPV infection and cervical lesion progression. We examined 96 SNPs in 8 genes which may participate in the HPV infection process in 875 samples with HPV negative or single HPV16, 18, 52, 58 positive from 3299 cervical exfoliated cell samples, by Illumina BeadXpress VeraCode platform, and analyzed the correlation between the SNPs and type-specific HPV infection and cervical lesions progression. We found rs28384376 in EGFR and rs12034979 in HSPG2 significantly correlated to HPV16 infection; rs2575738, rs2575712, rs2575735 in SDC2 and rs6697265 in HSPG2 significantly correlated to HPV18 infection; rs10510097 in FGFR2, rs12718946 in EGFR significantly correlated to HPV52 infection; rs4947972 in EGFR, rs2981451 in FGFR2, rs2575735 in SDC2 significantly correlated to HPV58 infection. And rs3135772, rs1047057 and rs2556537 in FGFR2, rs12034979 in HSPG2, rs16894821 in SDC2 significantly correlated to cervical lesion progression induced by HPV16 infection; rs6697265 and rs6680566 in HSPG2, rs16860426 in ITGA6 by HPV18 infection; rs878949 in HSPG2, rs12718946 and rs12668175 in EGFR by HPV52 infection; no SNP by HPV58 infection. Our findings suggest that HPV receptor and associated gene variants may influence the susceptibilities to HPV type-specific infection and cervical lesion progression, which might have a potential application value in cervical cancer screening and therapy. PMID:27223085

Spatial Support Vector Regression to Detect Silent Errors in the Exascale Era

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

Subasi, Omer; Di, Sheng; Bautista-Gomez, Leonardo

As the exascale era approaches, the increasing capacity of high-performance computing (HPC) systems with targeted power and energy budget goals introduces significant challenges in reliability. Silent data corruptions (SDCs) or silent errors are one of the major sources that corrupt the executionresults of HPC applications without being detected. In this work, we explore a low-memory-overhead SDC detector, by leveraging epsilon-insensitive support vector machine regression, to detect SDCs that occur in HPC applications that can be characterized by an impact error bound. The key contributions are three fold. (1) Our design takes spatialfeatures (i.e., neighbouring data values for each data pointmore » in a snapshot) into training data, such that little memory overhead (less than 1%) is introduced. (2) We provide an in-depth study on the detection ability and performance with different parameters, and we optimize the detection range carefully. (3) Experiments with eight real-world HPC applications show thatour detector can achieve the detection sensitivity (i.e., recall) up to 99% yet suffer a less than 1% of false positive rate for most cases. Our detector incurs low performance overhead, 5% on average, for all benchmarks studied in the paper. Compared with other state-of-the-art techniques, our detector exhibits the best tradeoff considering the detection ability and overheads.« less

OR.NET: a service-oriented architecture for safe and dynamic medical device interoperability.

PubMed

Kasparick, Martin; Schmitz, Malte; Andersen, Björn; Rockstroh, Max; Franke, Stefan; Schlichting, Stefan; Golatowski, Frank; Timmermann, Dirk

2018-02-23

Modern surgical departments are characterized by a high degree of automation supporting complex procedures. It recently became apparent that integrated operating rooms can improve the quality of care, simplify clinical workflows, and mitigate equipment-related incidents and human errors. Particularly using computer assistance based on data from integrated surgical devices is a promising opportunity. However, the lack of manufacturer-independent interoperability often prevents the deployment of collaborative assistive systems. The German flagship project OR.NET has therefore developed, implemented, validated, and standardized concepts for open medical device interoperability. This paper describes the universal OR.NET interoperability concept enabling a safe and dynamic manufacturer-independent interconnection of point-of-care (PoC) medical devices in the operating room and the whole clinic. It is based on a protocol specifically addressing the requirements of device-to-device communication, yet also provides solutions for connecting the clinical information technology (IT) infrastructure. We present the concept of a service-oriented medical device architecture (SOMDA) as well as an introduction to the technical specification implementing the SOMDA paradigm, currently being standardized within the IEEE 11073 service-oriented device connectivity (SDC) series. In addition, the Session concept is introduced as a key enabler for safe device interconnection in highly dynamic ensembles of networked medical devices; and finally, some security aspects of a SOMDA are discussed.

Proposed Risk-Informed Seismic Hazard Periodic Reevaluation Methodology for Complying with DOE Order 420.1C

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

Kammerer, Annie

Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities must comply with DOE Order 420.1C Facility Safety, which requires that all such facilities review their natural phenomena hazards (NPH) assessments no less frequently than every ten years. The Order points the reader to Standard DOE-STD-1020-2012. In addition to providing a discussion of the applicable evaluation criteria, the Standard references other documents, including ANSI/ANS-2.29-2008 and NUREG-2117. These documents provide supporting criteria and approaches for evaluating the need to update an existing probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). All of the documents are consistent at a high level regarding the general conceptual criteria that should bemore » considered. However, none of the documents provides step-by-step detailed guidance on the required or recommended approach for evaluating the significance of new information and determining whether or not an existing PSHA should be updated. Further, all of the conceptual approaches and criteria given in these documents deal with changes that may have occurred in the knowledge base that might impact the inputs to the PSHA, the calculated hazard itself, or the technical basis for the hazard inputs. Given that the DOE Order is aimed at achieving and assuring the safety of nuclear facilities—which is a function not only of the level of the seismic hazard but also the capacity of the facility to withstand vibratory ground motions—the inclusion of risk information in the evaluation process would appear to be both prudent and in line with the objectives of the Order. The purpose of this white paper is to describe a risk-informed methodology for evaluating the need for an update of an existing PSHA consistent with the DOE Order. While the development of the proposed methodology was undertaken as a result of assessments for specific SDC-3 facilities at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and it is expected that the application at INL will provide a demonstration of the methodology, there is potential for general applicability to other facilities across the DOE complex. As such, both a general methodology and a specific approach intended for INL are described in this document. The general methodology proposed in this white paper is referred to as the “seismic hazard periodic review methodology,” or SHPRM. It presents a graded approach for SDC-3, SDC-4 and SDC-5 facilities that can be applied in any risk-informed regulatory environment by once risk-objectives appropriate for the framework are developed. While the methodology was developed for seismic hazard considerations, it can also be directly applied to other types of natural hazards.« less

Proposed Risk-Informed Seismic Hazard Periodic Reevaluation Methodology for Complying with DOE Order 420.1C

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

Kammerer, Annie

Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities must comply with DOE Order 420.1C Facility Safety, which requires that all such facilities review their natural phenomena hazards (NPH) assessments no less frequently than every ten years. The Order points the reader to Standard DOE-STD-1020-2012. In addition to providing a discussion of the applicable evaluation criteria, the Standard references other documents, including ANSI/ANS-2.29-2008 and NUREG-2117. These documents provide supporting criteria and approaches for evaluating the need to update an existing probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA). All of the documents are consistent at a high level regarding the general conceptual criteria that should bemore » considered. However, none of the documents provides step-by-step detailed guidance on the required or recommended approach for evaluating the significance of new information and determining whether or not an existing PSHA should be updated. Further, all of the conceptual approaches and criteria given in these documents deal with changes that may have occurred in the knowledge base that might impact the inputs to the PSHA, the calculated hazard itself, or the technical basis for the hazard inputs. Given that the DOE Order is aimed at achieving and assuring the safety of nuclear facilities—which is a function not only of the level of the seismic hazard but also the capacity of the facility to withstand vibratory ground motions—the inclusion of risk information in the evaluation process would appear to be both prudent and in line with the objectives of the Order. The purpose of this white paper is to describe a risk-informed methodology for evaluating the need for an update of an existing PSHA consistent with the DOE Order. While the development of the proposed methodology was undertaken as a result of assessments for specific SDC-3 facilities at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and it is expected that the application at INL will provide a demonstration of the methodology, there is potential for general applicability to other facilities across the DOE complex. As such, both a general methodology and a specific approach intended for INL are described in this document. The general methodology proposed in this white paper is referred to as the “seismic hazard periodic review methodology,” or SHPRM. It presents a graded approach for SDC-3, SDC-4 and SDC-5 facilities that can be applied in any risk-informed regulatory environment once risk-objectives appropriate for the framework are developed. While the methodology was developed for seismic hazard considerations, it can also be directly applied to other types of natural hazards.« less

Next Generation Robust Low Noise Seismometer for Nuclear Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

of four fine platinum mesh electrodes, two anodes, and two cathodes, separated by thin polymer mesh or laser-perforated mica spacers. The stack is...cell (Abramocvich and Daragan, 1992-94): ⎟ ⎠ ⎞ ⎜ ⎝ ⎛ −− )exp(1 00 kT qU l eSDc =I (6) 2008 Monitoring Research Review: Ground-Based

The COROT Archive at LAEFF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velasco, Almudena; Gutiérrez, Raúl; Solano, Enrique; García-Torres, Miguel; López, Mauro; Sarro, Luis Manuel

We describe here the main capabilities of the COROT archive. The archive (http://sdc.laeff.inta.es/corotfa/jsp/searchform.jsp), managed at LAEFF in the framework of the Spanish Virtual Observatory (http://svo.laeff.inta.es), has been developed following the standards and requirements defined by IVOA (http://www.ivoa.net). The COROT archive at LAEFF will be publicly available by the end of 2008.

U.S. EPA, Pesticide Product Label, RANGE CATTLE LIVESTOCK & SHEEP DIP CONCENTRATE, 03/02/1984

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

2011-04-21

... CiSDc~e of in a ~an,tdr.f ~arCf1:1 )r lnc~'1erd~~cn, crt 1~ d~~owe~:'/ sta~e ~nc :oca1 aLJt~ori~ies. ~~ :urp~~c. :; Jur··~~, s:a, :~~ ~f ;~~~e. ...

USP38, FREM3, SDC1, DDC, and LOC727982 Gene Polymorphisms and Differential Susceptibility to Severe Malaria in Tanzania.

PubMed

Manjurano, Alphaxard; Sepúlveda, Nuno; Nadjm, Behzad; Mtove, George; Wangai, Hannah; Maxwell, Caroline; Olomi, Raimos; Reyburn, Hugh; Drakeley, Christopher J; Riley, Eleanor M; Clark, Taane G

2015-10-01

Populations exposed to Plasmodium falciparum infection develop genetic mechanisms of protection against severe malarial disease. Despite decades of genetic epidemiological research, the sickle cell trait (HbAS) sickle cell polymorphism, ABO blood group, and other hemoglobinopathies remain the few major determinants in severe malaria to be replicated across different African populations and study designs. Within a case-control study in a region of high transmission in Tanzania (n = 983), we investigated the role of 40 new loci identified in recent genome-wide studies. In 32 loci passing quality control procedures, we found polymorphisms in USP38, FREM3, SDC1, DDC, and LOC727982 genes to be putatively associated with differential susceptibility to severe malaria. Established candidates explained 7.4% of variation in severe malaria risk (HbAS polymorphism, 6.3%; α-thalassemia, 0.3%; ABO group, 0.3%; and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, 0.5%) and the new polymorphisms, another 4.3%. The regions encompassing the loci identified are promising targets for the design of future treatment and control interventions. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The MMS Science Data Center: Operations, Capabilities, and Resource.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, K. W.; Pankratz, C. K.; Giles, B. L.; Kokkonen, K.; Putnam, B.; Schafer, C.; Baker, D. N.

2015-12-01

The Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) constellation of satellites completed their six month commissioning period in August, 2015 and began science operations. Science operations for the Solving Magnetospheric Acceleration, Reconnection, and Turbulence (SMART) instrument package occur at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). The Science Data Center (SDC) at LASP is responsible for the data production, management, distribution, and archiving of the data received. The mission will collect several gigabytes per day of particles and field data. Management of these data requires effective selection, transmission, analysis, and storage of data in the ground segment of the mission, including efficient distribution paths to enable the science community to answer the key questions regarding magnetic reconnection. Due to the constraints on download volume, this includes the Scientist-in-the-Loop program that identifies high-value science data needed to answer the outstanding questions of magnetic reconnection. Of particular interest to the community is the tools and associated website we have developed to provide convenient access to the data, first by the mission science team and, beginning March 1, 2016, by the entire community. This presentation will demonstrate the data and tools available to the community via the SDC and discuss the technologies we chose and lessons learned.

Gut feedback mechanisms and food intake: a physiological approach to slow carbohydrate bioavailability.

PubMed

Zhang, Genyi; Hasek, Like Y; Lee, Byung-Hoo; Hamaker, Bruce R

2015-04-01

Glycemic carbohydrates in foods are an important macronutrient providing the biological fuel of glucose for a variety of physiological processes. A classification of glycemic carbohydrates into rapidly digestible carbohydrate (RDC) and slowly digestible carbohydrate (SDC) has been used to specify their nutritional quality related to glucose homeostasis that is essential to normal functioning of the brain and critical to life. Although there have been many studies and reviews on slowly digestible starch (SDS) and SDC, the mechanisms of their slow digestion and absorption were mostly investigated from the material side without considering the physiological processes of their in vivo digestion, absorption, and most importantly interactions with other food components and the gastrointestinal tract. In this article, the physiological processes modulating the bioavailability of carbohydrates, specifically the rate and extent of their digestion and absorption as well as the related locations, in a whole food context, will be discussed by focusing on the activities of the gastrointestinal tract including glycolytic enzymes and glucose release, sugar sensing, gut hormones, and neurohormonal negative feedback mechanisms. It is hoped that a deep understanding of these physiological processes will facilitate the development of innovative dietary approaches to achieve desired carbohydrate or glucose bioavailability for improved health.

Dirac electrons in Moiré superlattice: From two to three dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Chen; Michaud-Rioux, Vincent; Kong, Xianghua; Guo, Hong

2017-11-01

Moiré patterns in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures bring novel physical effects to the materials. We report theoretical investigations of the Moiré pattern formed by graphene (Gr) on hexagonal boron nitride (h BN). For both the two-dimensional (2D) flat-sheet and the freestanding three-dimensional (3D) wavelike film geometries, the behaviors of Dirac electrons are strongly modulated by the local high-symmetry stacking configurations of the Moiré pattern. In the 2D flat sheet, the secondary Dirac cone (SDC) dispersion emerges due to the stacking-selected localization of SDC wave functions, while the original Dirac cone (ODC) gap is suppressed due to an overall effect of ODC wave functions. In the freestanding 3D wavelike Moiré structure, we predict that a specific local stacking in the Moiré superlattice is promoted at the expense of other local stackings, leading to an electronic structure more similar to that of the perfectly matching flat Gr/h BN than that of the flat-sheet 2D Moiré pattern. To capture the overall picture of the Moiré superlattice, supercells containing 12 322 atoms are simulated by first principles.

Anti-hyperglycaemic effects of herbal porridge made of Scoparia dulcis leaf extract in diabetics - a randomized crossover clinical trial.

PubMed

Senadheera, Senadheera Pathirannehelage Anuruddhika Subhashinie; Ekanayake, Sagarika; Wanigatunge, Chandanie

2015-11-19

Leaf extracts of Scoparia dulcis, is used as a herbal remedy by diabetics worldwide. Fresh Scoparia dulcis porridge elicited a low glycaemic index (GI) and anti-hyperglycaemic effects when fed to diabetic Wistar rats. Commercially produced Scoparia dulcis porridge (SDC) elicited medium GI. Present study was aimed at studying the anti-diabetic effects of consumption of commercially produced S. dulcis porridge. A randomized crossover clinical trial with type 2 diabetic patients (n = 35) on medication, with mild and moderate diabetes [fasting blood glucose (FBG) 126-300 mg/dL, age 35-70 years] was conducted. Within the first three months (study period 1) group 1 was the test and group 2 was the control. Following a wash-out period, the two groups were crossed over (study period 2: group 1 - control; group 2 - test). Test group consumed commercially produced SDC for 3 days/week for three months and the control group any other food. At the onset and end of each study period glucose measurements [Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), HbA1c], lipid measurements (total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, cholesterol ratios), toxicity parameters (liver enzymes, creatinine, CRP, eGFR) were analyzed by enzyme assay kit methods using a KONELAB 20XT auto analyzer. Significances between groups were analyzed by one way ANOVA (normal distribution) and Mann Whitney test (if the values were not normally distributed). Within group comparisons were carried out by Bonferroni post hoc test. During the crossover clinical trial HbA1c of group 1 decreased from 7.9 ± 0.5 to 6.5 ± 0.3 (p = 0.003) while HbA1c of group 2 decreased from 7.0 ± 0.3to 6.7 ± 0.3 while in the test group. Therefore, both test groups (1 and 2) elicited a decrease in HbA1c compared to respective control groups. Both test groups elicited a non significant decrease in FBG following the intervention (group 1 - from 174 ± 14 to 160 ± 10 mg/dL; group 2 - from 183 ± 13 to 160 ± 7 mg/dL). No significant differences (p >0.05) in insulin, cholesterol measurements (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides and cholesterol ratios) and atherogenic index between or within groups were observed. All other measurements (AST, ALT, ALP, creatinine, CRP, eGFR) were normal and not significantly different between or within groups. Porridge made with SDC leaf extract decreased FBG and HbA1c (p >0.05) of type 2 diabetic patients. The porridge had no effect on cholesterol measurements and no toxicity was observed at the dose tested. Therefore, the SDC porridge can be recommended as a suitable meal for diabetic patients.

Applications of Nonlinear Control Using the State-Dependent Riccati Equation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-12-01

method, and do not address noise rejection or robustness issues. xi Applications of Nonlinear Control Using the State-Dependent Riccati Equation I...construct a stabilizing nonlinear feedback controller. This method will be referred to as nonlinear quadratic regulation (NQR). The original intention...involves nding a state-dependent coe- cient (SDC) linear structure for which a stabilizing nonlinear feedback controller can be constructed. The

Improving high impact weather and climate prediction for societal resilience in Subtropical South America: Proyecto RELAMPAGO-CACTI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nesbitt, S. W.; Salio, P. V.; Varble, A.; Trapp, R. J.; Roberts, R. R.; Dominguez, F.; Machado, L.; Saulo, C.

2017-12-01

Subtropical South America is host to many types of weather and climate hazards. The convective systems that initiate near and apart from the complex terrain of the Andes and Sierras de Córdoba are by many measures the most intense in the world, producing hazards such as damaging winds, hail, tornadoes, extreme and unusual lightning behavior, and flash and riverine flooding. These systems are modulated by interannual, intraseasonal, and synoptic drivers, however multi-scale models suffer from extreme biases in low level temperature and humidity due to their poor representation of organized convection and representation of convection near complex terrain, which hampers predictive skill of relevant processes across all timescales. To address these cross-cutting issues, we have proposed a large, multi-agency international field campaign called RELAMPAGO-CACTI, which will address key gaps in physical process understanding in the production of convective storms in this region. RELAMPAGO (Remote sensing of Electrification, Lightning, And Mesoscale/microscale Processes with Adaptive Ground Observations), funded by NSF/NOAA/NASA/MinCyT/FAPESP, will be a 24-month hydrological-meteorological field campaign, with an intensive observing period 1 Nov - 15 Dec 2018 in the near the Sierras de Córdoba (SDC), the Andes foothills near Mendoza, and the region near São Borja, Brazil. A complementary funded 7-month DOE field campaign called Clouds, Aerosols, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI), which will focus on detailed observations of cloud and aerosol lifecycle near the SDC while an intensive observing period featuring aircraft observations will match RELAMPAGO's. While collecting the observations will enhance knowledge of the processes acting to modulate extremes in the region, a coordinated modeling effort will aim to evaluate coupled weather, climate, and hydrologic models using RELAMPAGO-CACTI observations. In addition, partnerships with the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) of Argentina and Brazil's Centro de Previsão de Tempo e Estudos Climáticos (CPTEC), as well as related international and local societal impacts projects such as the World Meteorological Organization's High-Impact Weather project will enable improved end-to-end impacts predictions in this vulnerable region.

Increasing fruit, vegetable and water consumption in summer day camps--3-year findings of the healthy lunchbox challenge.

PubMed

Beets, Michael W; Tilley, Falon; Weaver, Robert G; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle M; Moore, Justin B

2014-10-01

The objective of this study was to describe the 3-year outcomes (2011-2013) from the healthy lunchbox challenge (HLC) delivered in the US-based summer day camps (SDC) (8-10 hours day(-1), 10-11 weeks summer(-1), SDC) to increase children and staff bringing fruit, vegetables and water (FVW) each day. A single group pre- with multiple post-test design was used in four large-scale SDCs serving more than 550 children day(-1) (6-12 years). The percentage of foods/beverages brought by children/staff, staff promotion of healthy eating and children's consumption of FVW was assessed via direct observation over 98 days across three summers. For children (3308 observations), fruit and vegetables (>11-16%) increased; no changes were observed for FVW for staff (398 observations). Reductions in unhealthy foods/beverages (e.g. soda/pop and chips) were observed for both children and staff (minus -10% to 38%). Staff role modeling unhealthy eating/drinking initially decreased but increased by 2013. The majority of children who brought fruit/vegetables consumed them. The HLC can influence the foods/beverages brought to SDCs. Enhancements are required to further increase FVW brought and consumed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Rapid activation of spleen dendritic cell subsets following lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection of mice: analysis of the involvement of type 1 IFN.

PubMed

Montoya, Maria; Edwards, Matthew J; Reid, Delyth M; Borrow, Persephone

2005-02-15

In this study, we report the dynamic changes in activation and functions that occur in spleen dendritic cell (sDC) subsets following infection of mice with a natural murine pathogen, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Within 24 h postinfection (pi), sDCs acquired the ability to stimulate naive LCMV-specific CD8+ T cells ex vivo. Conventional (CD11chigh CD8+ and CD4+) sDC subsets rapidly up-regulated expression of costimulatory molecules and began to produce proinflammatory cytokines. Their tendency to undergo apoptosis ex vivo simultaneously increased, and in vivo the number of conventional DCs in the spleen decreased markedly, dropping approximately 2-fold by day 3 pi. Conversely, the number of plasmacytoid (CD11clowB220+) DCs in the spleen increased, so that they constituted almost 40% of sDCs by day 3 pi. Type 1 IFN production was up-regulated in plasmacytoid DCs by 24 h pi. Analysis of DC activation and maturation in mice unable to respond to type 1 IFNs implicated these cytokines in driving infection-associated phenotypic activation of conventional DCs and their enhanced tendency to undergo apoptosis, but also indicated the existence of type 1 IFN-independent pathways for the functional maturation of DCs during LCMV infection.

Changes of placental syndecan-1 expression in preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome

PubMed Central

Szabo, Szilvia; Xu, Yi; Romero, Roberto; Fule, Tibor; Karaszi, Katalin; Bhatti, Gaurav; Varkonyi, Tibor; Varkonyi, Ildiko; Krenacs, Tibor; Dong, Zhong; Tarca, Adi L.; Chaiworapongsa, Tinnakorn; Hassan, Sonia S.; Papp, Zoltan; Kovalszky, Ilona; Than, Nandor Gabor

2014-01-01

Introduction Preeclampsia is characterized by maternal systemic anti-angiogenic and pro-inflammatory states. Syndecan-1 is a cell surface proteoglycan expressed by the syncytiotrophoblast, which plays an important role in angiogenesis and resolution of inflammation. Our aim was to examine placental syndecan-1 expression in preeclampsia with or without HELLP syndrome. Methods Placentas were obtained from women in the following groups: (1) late-onset preeclampsia (n=8); (2) early-onset preeclampsia without (n=7) and (3) with HELLP syndrome (n=8); (4) preterm controls (n=5); and (5) term controls (n=9). Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were constructed from paraffin-embedded placentas. TMA slides were immunostained for syndecan-1 and evaluated using microscopy, virtual microscopy, and semi-automated image analysis. Maternal sera from patients with preeclampsia (n=49) and controls (n=32) were immunoassayed for syndecan-1. BeWo cells were treated with Forskolin or Latrunculin-B, or kept in ischemic conditions. SDC1 expression and syndecan-1 production were investigated with qRT-PCR, confocal microscopy, and immunoassays. Results Syndecan-1 was localized to the syncytiotrophoblast apical membrane in normal placentas. Syndecan-1 immunoscores were higher in late-onset preeclampsia (p=0.0001) and early-onset preeclampsia with or without HELLP syndrome (p=0.02 for both) than in controls. Maternal serum syndecan-1 concentration was lower in preeclampsia (median: 673ng/ml, interquartile range: 459-1161ng/ml) than in controls (1158ng/ml, 622-1480ng/ml). SDC1 expression and syndecan-1 immunostainings in BeWo cells and syndecan-1 concentrations in supernatants increased during cell differentiation. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton with Latrunculin-B decreased syndecan-1 release, while ischemic conditions increased it. Conclusions Syncytiotrophoblastic syndecan-1 expression depends on the differentiation of villous trophoblasts, and trophoblastic syndecan-1 release is decreased in preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome. This phenomenon may be related to the disturbed syncytiotrophoblastic cortical actin cytoskeleton, and associated with maternal anti-angiogenic and pro-inflammatory states in these syndromes. PMID:23807541

Infection of Hepatocytes With HCV Increases Cell Surface Levels of Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans, Uptake of Cholesterol and Lipoprotein, and Virus Entry by Up-regulating SMAD6 and SMAD7.

PubMed

Zhang, Fang; Sodroski, Catherine; Cha, Helen; Li, Qisheng; Liang, T Jake

2017-01-01

The signaling molecule and transcriptional regulator SMAD6, which inhibits the transforming growth factor β signaling pathway, is required for infection of hepatocytes by hepatitis C virus (HCV). We investigated the mechanisms by which SMAD6 and another inhibitory SMAD (SMAD7) promote HCV infection in human hepatoma cells and hepatocytes. We infected Huh7 and Huh7.5.1 cells and primary human hepatocytes with Japanese fulminant hepatitis-1 (JFH1) HCV cell culture system (HCVcc). We then measured HCV binding, intracellular levels of HCV RNA, and expression of target genes. We examined HCV entry in HepG2/microRNA (miR) 122/CD81 cells, which support entry and replication of HCV, were transfected these cells with small interfering RNAs targeting inhibitory SMADs to analyze gene expression profiles. Uptake of labeled low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and cholesterol was measured. Cell surface proteins were quantified by flow cytometry. We obtained liver biopsy samples from 69 patients with chronic HCV infection and 19 uninfected individuals (controls) and measured levels of syndecan 1 (SDC1), SMAD7, and SMAD6 messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Small interfering RNA knockdown of SMAD6 blocked the binding and infection of hepatoma cell lines and primary human hepatocytes by HCV, whereas SMAD6 overexpression increased HCV infection. We found levels of mRNAs encoding heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), particularly SDC1 mRNA, and cell surface levels of heparan sulfate to be reduced in cells after SMAD6 knockdown. SMAD6 knockdown also reduced transcription of genes encoding lipoprotein and cholesterol uptake receptors, including the LDL receptor (LDLR), the very LDLR, and the scavenger receptor class B member 1 in hepatocytes; knockdown of SMAD6 also inhibited cell uptake of cholesterol and lipoprotein. Overexpression of SMAD6 increased the expression of these genes. Similar effects were observed with knockdown and overexpression of SMAD7. In addition, HCV infection of cells increased the expression of SMAD6, which required the activity of nuclear factor-κB, but not transforming growth factor β. Liver tissues from patients with chronic HCV infection had significantly higher levels of SMAD6, SMAD7, and HSPG mRNAs than controls. In studies of hepatoma cell lines and primary human hepatocytes, we found that infection with HCV leads to activation of nuclear factor-κB, resulting in increased expression of SMAD6 and SMAD7. Up-regulation of SMAD6 and SMAD7 induces the expression of HSPGs, such as SDC1, as well as LDLR, very LDLR, and the scavenger receptor class B member 1, which promote HCV entry and propagation, as well as cellular uptake of cholesterol and lipoprotein. Copyright © 2017 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the Structure of Cortical Microcircuits Inferred from Small Sample Sizes.

PubMed

Vegué, Marina; Perin, Rodrigo; Roxin, Alex

2017-08-30

The structure in cortical microcircuits deviates from what would be expected in a purely random network, which has been seen as evidence of clustering. To address this issue, we sought to reproduce the nonrandom features of cortical circuits by considering several distinct classes of network topology, including clustered networks, networks with distance-dependent connectivity, and those with broad degree distributions. To our surprise, we found that all of these qualitatively distinct topologies could account equally well for all reported nonrandom features despite being easily distinguishable from one another at the network level. This apparent paradox was a consequence of estimating network properties given only small sample sizes. In other words, networks that differ markedly in their global structure can look quite similar locally. This makes inferring network structure from small sample sizes, a necessity given the technical difficulty inherent in simultaneous intracellular recordings, problematic. We found that a network statistic called the sample degree correlation (SDC) overcomes this difficulty. The SDC depends only on parameters that can be estimated reliably given small sample sizes and is an accurate fingerprint of every topological family. We applied the SDC criterion to data from rat visual and somatosensory cortex and discovered that the connectivity was not consistent with any of these main topological classes. However, we were able to fit the experimental data with a more general network class, of which all previous topologies were special cases. The resulting network topology could be interpreted as a combination of physical spatial dependence and nonspatial, hierarchical clustering. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The connectivity of cortical microcircuits exhibits features that are inconsistent with a simple random network. Here, we show that several classes of network models can account for this nonrandom structure despite qualitative differences in their global properties. This apparent paradox is a consequence of the small numbers of simultaneously recorded neurons in experiment: when inferred via small sample sizes, many networks may be indistinguishable despite being globally distinct. We develop a connectivity measure that successfully classifies networks even when estimated locally with a few neurons at a time. We show that data from rat cortex is consistent with a network in which the likelihood of a connection between neurons depends on spatial distance and on nonspatial, asymmetric clustering. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/378498-13$15.00/0.

New approaches in cataloging and distributing multi-dimensional scientific data: Federal Data Repositories example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devarakonda, R.; Thornton, M.; Wei, Y.; Krishna, B.; Frame, M. T.; Zolly, L.; Records, R.; Palanisamy, G.

2016-12-01

Observational data should be collected and stored logical and scalable way. Most of the time, observation data capture variables or measurements at an exact point in time and are thus not reproducible. It is therefore imperative that initial data be captured and stored correctly the first time. In this paper, we will discuss how big federal data centers and repositories such as DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM), NASA's Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) and the USGS's Science Data Catalog (SDC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are preparing, storing and distributing huge multi-dimensional scientific data. We will discuss tools and services, including data formats, that are being used within the ORNL DAAC for managing huge data sets such as Daymet, which provides gridded estimates of various daily weather parameters at a 1km x 1km resolution. Recently released, the Daymet version 3[1] data set covers the period from January 1, 1980 to December 31 2015 for North America and Hawaii: including Canada, Mexico, the United States of America, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda. We will also discuss the latest tools and services within ARM and SDC that are built on popular open source software such as Apache Solr 6, Cassandra, Spark, etc. The ARM Data center (http://www.archive.arm.gov/discovery) archives and distributes various data streams, which are collected through the routine operations and scientific field experiments of the ARM Climate Research Facility. The SDC (http://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog/) provides seamless access to USGS research and monitoring data from across the nation. Every month, tens of thousands of users download portions of these datasets totaling to several TBs/month. The popularity of the data result from many characteristics, but at the forefront is the careful consideration of community needs both in terms of data content and accessibility. Fundamental to this is adherence to data archive and distribution best practices providing open, standardized, and self-describing data which enables development of specialized tools and web services. References: [1] Thornton, P.E., M.M. Thornton, B.W. Mayer, Y. Wei, R. Devarakonda, R.S. Vose, and R.B. Cook. 2016. Daymet: Daily Surface Weather Data on a 1-km Grid for North America, Version 3. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA.

The MMS Science Data Center. Operations, Capabilities, and Data Availability.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Kristopher; Pankratz, Chris; Giles, Barbara; Kokkonen, Kim; Putnam, Brian; Schafer, Corey; Baker, Dan; Burch, Jim

2016-04-01

On September 1, 2015 the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) constellation of satellites completed their six-month commissioning period and began collecting data under nominal conditions. Science operations for the mission are conducted at the Science Operations Center (SOC) at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA. The Science Data Center (SDC) is a component of the SOC responsible for the data production, management, distribution, archiving, and visualization of the data from the Solving Magnetospheric Acceleration, Reconnection, and Turbulence (SMART) instrument package on board the spacecraft. The mission collects several gigabytes of particle and field data per day, but the constraints on download volumes require efficient tools to manage the selection, transmission, and analysis of data to determine the highest value science data to downlink. This is the Scientist-in-the-Loop (SITL) program and is a critical piece of the MMS science data operations. As of March 2016, MMS science data is available to the entire science community. This includes both the survey data as well as the ultra-high resolution burst data downlinked through the SITL process. This presentation will explain the data and demonstrate the tools available to the community via the SDC so as to encourage as many scientists as possible to look at the wealth of magnetospheric data being produced and made available from MMS.

Combination of SDS-PAGE and intact mass analysis for rapid determination of heterogeneities in monoclonal antibody therapeutics.

PubMed

Yamada, Hideaki; Matsumura, Chiemi; Yamada, Keita; Teshima, Koichiro; Hiroshima, Takashi; Kinoshita, Mitsuhiro; Suzuki, Shigeo; Kakehi, Kazuaki

2017-05-01

mAbs are currently mainstream in biopharmaceuticals, and their market has been growing due to their high target specificity. Characterization of heterogeneities in mAbs is performed to secure their quality and safety by physicochemical analyses. However, they require time-consuming task, which often strain the resources of drug development in pharmaceuticals. Rapid and direct method to determine the heterogeneities should be a powerful tool for pharmaceutical analysis. Considering the advantages of electrophoresis and MS, this study addresses the combination of SDS-PAGE and intact mass analysis, which provides direct, rapid, and orthogonal determination of heterogeneities in mAb therapeutics. mAb therapeutics that migrated in SDS-PAGE were recovered from gel by treatment with SDC-containing buffer. Usage of SDC-containing buffer as extraction solvent and ethanol-based staining solution enhanced the recovery of intact IgG from SDS-PAGE gels. Recovery of mAbs reached more than 86% with 0.2% SD. The heterogeneities, especially N-glycan variants in the recovered mAb therapeutics, were clearly determined by intact mass analysis. We believe that the study is important in pharmaceuticals‧ perspective since orthogonal combination of gel electrophoresis and intact mass analysis should be pivotal role for rapid and precise characterization of mAbs. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Dutch language anterior cruciate ligament return to sport after injury scale (ACL-RSI) - validity and reliability.

PubMed

Slagers, Anton J; Reininga, Inge H F; van den Akker-Scheek, Inge

2017-02-01

The ACL-Return to Sport after Injury scale (ACL-RSI) measures athletes' emotions, confidence in performance, and risk appraisal in relation to return to sport after ACL reconstruction. Aim of this study was to study the validity and reliability of the Dutch version of the ACL-RSI (ACL-RSI (NL)). Total 150 patients, who were 3-16 months postoperative, completed the ACL-RSI(NL) and 5 other questionnaires regarding psychological readiness to return to sports, knee-specific physical functioning, kinesiophobia, and health-specific locus of control. Construct validity of the ACL-RSI(NL) was determined with factor analysis and by exploring 10 hypotheses regarding correlations between ACL-RSI(NL) and the other questionnaires. For test-retest reliability, 107 patients (5-16 months postoperative) completed the ACL-RSI(NL) again 2 weeks after the first administration. Cronbach's alpha, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), SEM, and SDC, were calculated. Bland-Altman analysis was conducted to assess bias between test and retest. Nine hypotheses (90%) were confirmed, indicating good construct validity. The ACL-RSI(NL) showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.94) and test-retest reliability (ICC 0.93). SEM was 5.5 and SDC was 15. A significant bias of 3.2 points between test and retest was found. Therefore, the ACL-RSI(NL) can be used to investigate psychological factors relevant to returning to sport after ACL reconstruction.

BALB/c and C57BL6 mouse strains vary in their ability to heal corneal epithelial debridement wounds

PubMed Central

Pal-Ghosh, Sonali; Tadvalkar, Gauri; Jurjus, Rosalyn A.; Zieske, James D.; Stepp, Mary Ann

2008-01-01

Genetically engineered mice are usually produced on a mixed genetic background and can be derived from several mouse strains including 129SvJ, C57BL6, and BALB/c. To determine whether differences in recurrent corneal epithelial erosions (RCEEs), corneal epithelial stem cell deficiency (CESCD), and cell migration rate vary between two different mouse strains (BALB/c and C57BL6), 8 week mice were subjected to 1.5 (small) or 2.8 mm (large) manual debridement wounds and allowed to heal for 4 weeks. Syndecan-1 (sdc-1) null mice backcrossed seven generations onto a BALB/c genetic background were also included in the RCEE and CESCD studies to permit comparisons between genotypes within a single strain. After sacrifice, corneas were assessed for the presence of recurrent erosions; no fewer than 15 corneas were used for each strain or genotype studied. Data show that the frequency of recurrent erosions after small wounds was 81 +/− 9% in the C57BL6 mice, 73 +/− 2% in the BALB/c mice, and 32 +/− 6% in sdc-1 null mice. Neither strain developed CESCD after small wounds. The frequency of erosions after large wounds was greater (88 +/− 8%) in the C57BL6 mice compared to BALB/c (60 +/− 2%), and sdc-1 null mice (32 +/− 5%). 4 weeks after the large wounds, fixed, flat mounted corneas were assessed for evidence of CESCD with antibodies against the conjunctival keratin K8 and the goblet cell marker, the mucin Muc5AC. The frequency of CESCD 4 weeks after the large wounds was significantly greater in the C57BL6 mice than in the BALB/c or sdc-1 null mice. To assess cell migration rates, corneas were subjected to 1.5 mm wounds and allowed to heal for 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 hours. After sacrifice, corneas were stained with Richardson stain (BALB/c) or propidium iodide (C57BL6) to assess reepithelialization rates. While reepithelialization rates were similar for the early times after wounding, by 24 hours the C57BL6 corneas had healed faster: 16 of 30 corneas from the C57BL6 mice were closed compared to 9 of 30 of the BALB/c wounds. BALB/c corneas appeared larger overall compared to C57BL6 corneas; measurements of the overall mass of the enucleated eyes and diameters of the flat-mounted corneas confirmed that C57BL6 eyes and corneas were 6.8% and 4.4% smaller respectively than those of BALB/c mice even though the masses of the two mouse strains at 8 weeks of age were identical. Using BrdU to label dividing cells, we found that 18 hours after wounding, C57BL6 and BALB/c corneal epithelia showed similar numbers of proliferating cells. To determine if the enhanced corneal epithelial cell migration rate seen in the C57BL6 mice was specific to the cornea, we conducted time-lapse studies to assess random cell migration rates in vitro using primary cultures of mouse epidermal keratinocytes. Consistent with the in vivo data, epidermal keratinocytes derived from BALB/c mice migrated 60% slower than C57BL6 cells. These data prove that strain-specific differences in cell migration rate in vivo are present in the cornea and are accompanied by differences in the frequencies of recurrent erosions and corneal epithelial stem cell deficiency. PMID:18809399

A Comparative Study of Rat Lung Decellularization by Chemical Detergents for Lung Tissue Engineering

PubMed Central

Tebyanian, Hamid; Karami, Ali; Motavallian, Ebrahim; Aslani, Jafar; Samadikuchaksaraei, Ali; Arjmand, Babak; Nourani, Mohammad Reza

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Lung disease is the most common cause of death in the world. The last stage of pulmonary diseases is lung transplantation. Limitation and shortage of donor organs cause to appear tissue engineering field. Decellularization is a hope for producing intact ECM in the development of engineered organs. AIM: The goal of the decellularization process is to remove cellular and nuclear material while retaining lung three-dimensional and molecular proteins. Different concentration of detergents was used for finding the best approach in lung decellularization. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, three-time approaches (24, 48 and 96 h) with four detergents (CHAPS, SDS, SDC and Triton X-100) were used for decellularizing rat lungs for maintaining of three-dimensional lung architecture and ECM protein composition which have significant roles in differentiation and migration of stem cells. This comparative study determined that variable decellularization approaches can cause significantly different effects on decellularized lungs. RESULTS: Results showed that destruction was increased with increasing the detergent concentration. Single detergent showed a significant reduction in maintaining of three-dimensional of lung and ECM proteins (Collagen and Elastin). But, the best methods were mixed detergents of SDC and CHAPS in low concentration in 48 and 96 h decellularization. CONCLUSION: Decellularized lung tissue can be used in the laboratory to study various aspects of pulmonary biology and physiology and also, these results can be used in the continued improvement of engineered lung tissue. PMID:29362610

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of Persian Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score.

PubMed

Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin; Naghdi, Soofia; Hasanvand, Sahar; Fakhari, Zahra; Kordi, Ramin; Nilsson-Helander, Katarina

2016-04-01

To cross-culturally adapt the Achilles tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS) to Persian language and to preliminary evaluate the reliability and validity of a Persian ATRS. A cross-sectional and prospective cohort study was conducted to translate and cross-culturally adapt the ATRS to Persian language (ATRS-Persian) following steps described in guidelines. Thirty patients with total Achilles tendon rupture and 30 healthy subjects participated in this study. Psychometric properties of floor/ceiling effects (responsiveness), internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, standard error of measurement (SEM), smallest detectable change (SDC), construct validity, and discriminant validity were tested. Factor analysis was performed to determine the ATRS-Persian structure. There were no floor or ceiling effects that indicate the content and responsiveness of ATRS-Persian. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's α 0.95). Item-total correlations exceeded acceptable standard of 0.3 for the all items (0.58-0.95). The test-retest reliability was excellent [(ICC)agreement 0.98]. SEM and SDC were 3.57 and 9.9, respectively. Construct validity was supported by a significant correlation between the ATRS-Persian total score and the Persian Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (PFAOS) total score and PFAOS subscales (r = 0.55-0.83). The ATRS-Persian significantly discriminated between patients and healthy subjects. Explanatory factor analysis revealed 1 component. The ATRS was cross-culturally adapted to Persian and demonstrated to be a reliable and valid instrument to measure functional outcomes in Persian patients with Achilles tendon rupture. II.

Simple shoulder test and Oxford Shoulder Score: Persian translation and cross-cultural validation.

PubMed

Naghdi, Soofia; Nakhostin Ansari, Noureddin; Rustaie, Nilufar; Akbari, Mohammad; Ebadi, Safoora; Senobari, Maryam; Hasson, Scott

2015-12-01

To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the simple shoulder test (SST) and Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) into Persian language using a cross-sectional and prospective cohort design. A standard forward and backward translation was followed to culturally adapt the SST and the OSS into Persian language. Psychometric properties of floor and ceiling effects, construct convergent validity, discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, standard error of the measurement (SEM), smallest detectable change (SDC), and factor structure were determined. One hundred patients with shoulder disorders and 50 healthy subjects participated in the study. The PSST and the POSS showed no missing responses. No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Both the PSST and POSS detected differences between patients and healthy subjects supporting their discriminant validity. Construct convergent validity was confirmed by a very good correlation between the PSST and POSS (r = 0.68). There was high internal consistency for both the PSST (α = 0.73) and the POSS (α = 0.91 and 0.92). Test-retest reliability with 1-week interval was excellent (ICCagreement = 0.94 for PSST and 0.90 for POSS). Factor analyses demonstrated a three-factor solution for the PSST (49.7 % of variance) and a two-factor solution for the POSS (61.6 % of variance). The SEM/SDC was satisfactory for PSST (5.5/15.3) and POSS (6.8/18.8). The PSST and POSS are valid and reliable outcome measures for assessing functional limitations in Persian-speaking patients with shoulder disorders.

Navigating the tip of the genomic iceberg: Next-generation sequencing for plant systematics.

PubMed

Straub, Shannon C K; Parks, Matthew; Weitemier, Kevin; Fishbein, Mark; Cronn, Richard C; Liston, Aaron

2012-02-01

Just as Sanger sequencing did more than 20 years ago, next-generation sequencing (NGS) is poised to revolutionize plant systematics. By combining multiplexing approaches with NGS throughput, systematists may no longer need to choose between more taxa or more characters. Here we describe a genome skimming (shallow sequencing) approach for plant systematics. Through simulations, we evaluated optimal sequencing depth and performance of single-end and paired-end short read sequences for assembly of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and plastomes and addressed the effect of divergence on reference-guided plastome assembly. We also used simulations to identify potential phylogenetic markers from low-copy nuclear loci at different sequencing depths. We demonstrated the utility of genome skimming through phylogenetic analysis of the Sonoran Desert clade (SDC) of Asclepias (Apocynaceae). Paired-end reads performed better than single-end reads. Minimum sequencing depths for high quality rDNA and plastome assemblies were 40× and 30×, respectively. Divergence from the reference significantly affected plastome assembly, but relatively similar references are available for most seed plants. Deeper rDNA sequencing is necessary to characterize intragenomic polymorphism. The low-copy fraction of the nuclear genome was readily surveyed, even at low sequencing depths. Nearly 160000 bp of sequence from three organelles provided evidence of phylogenetic incongruence in the SDC. Adoption of NGS will facilitate progress in plant systematics, as whole plastome and rDNA cistrons, partial mitochondrial genomes, and low-copy nuclear markers can now be efficiently obtained for molecular phylogenetics studies.

Development of a Model for Dynamic Recrystallization Consistent with the Second Derivative Criterion.

PubMed

Imran, Muhammad; Kühbach, Markus; Roters, Franz; Bambach, Markus

2017-11-02

Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) processes are widely used in industrial hot working operations, not only to keep the forming forces low but also to control the microstructure and final properties of the workpiece. According to the second derivative criterion (SDC) by Poliak and Jonas, the onset of DRX can be detected from an inflection point in the strain-hardening rate as a function of flow stress. Various models are available that can predict the evolution of flow stress from incipient plastic flow up to steady-state deformation in the presence of DRX. Some of these models have been implemented into finite element codes and are widely used for the design of metal forming processes, but their consistency with the SDC has not been investigated. This work identifies three sources of inconsistencies that models for DRX may exhibit. For a consistent modeling of the DRX kinetics, a new strain-hardening model for the hardening stages III to IV is proposed and combined with consistent recrystallization kinetics. The model is devised in the Kocks-Mecking space based on characteristic transition in the strain-hardening rate. A linear variation of the transition and inflection points is observed for alloy 800H at all tested temperatures and strain rates. The comparison of experimental and model results shows that the model is able to follow the course of the strain-hardening rate very precisely, such that highly accurate flow stress predictions are obtained.

Development of a Model for Dynamic Recrystallization Consistent with the Second Derivative Criterion

PubMed Central

Imran, Muhammad; Kühbach, Markus; Roters, Franz; Bambach, Markus

2017-01-01

Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) processes are widely used in industrial hot working operations, not only to keep the forming forces low but also to control the microstructure and final properties of the workpiece. According to the second derivative criterion (SDC) by Poliak and Jonas, the onset of DRX can be detected from an inflection point in the strain-hardening rate as a function of flow stress. Various models are available that can predict the evolution of flow stress from incipient plastic flow up to steady-state deformation in the presence of DRX. Some of these models have been implemented into finite element codes and are widely used for the design of metal forming processes, but their consistency with the SDC has not been investigated. This work identifies three sources of inconsistencies that models for DRX may exhibit. For a consistent modeling of the DRX kinetics, a new strain-hardening model for the hardening stages III to IV is proposed and combined with consistent recrystallization kinetics. The model is devised in the Kocks-Mecking space based on characteristic transition in the strain-hardening rate. A linear variation of the transition and inflection points is observed for alloy 800H at all tested temperatures and strain rates. The comparison of experimental and model results shows that the model is able to follow the course of the strain-hardening rate very precisely, such that highly accurate flow stress predictions are obtained. PMID:29099068

Advancements in Large-Scale Data/Metadata Management for Scientific Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guntupally, K.; Devarakonda, R.; Palanisamy, G.; Frame, M. T.

2017-12-01

Scientific data often comes with complex and diverse metadata which are critical for data discovery and users. The Online Metadata Editor (OME) tool, which was developed by an Oak Ridge National Laboratory team, effectively manages diverse scientific datasets across several federal data centers, such as DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Data Center and USGS's Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, and Libraries (CSAS&L) project. This presentation will focus mainly on recent developments and future strategies for refining OME tool within these centers. The ARM OME is a standard based tool (https://www.archive.arm.gov/armome) that allows scientists to create and maintain metadata about their data products. The tool has been improved with new workflows that help metadata coordinators and submitting investigators to submit and review their data more efficiently. The ARM Data Center's newly upgraded Data Discovery Tool (http://www.archive.arm.gov/discovery) uses rich metadata generated by the OME to enable search and discovery of thousands of datasets, while also providing a citation generator and modern order-delivery techniques like Globus (using GridFTP), Dropbox and THREDDS. The Data Discovery Tool also supports incremental indexing, which allows users to find new data as and when they are added. The USGS CSAS&L search catalog employs a custom version of the OME (https://www1.usgs.gov/csas/ome), which has been upgraded with high-level Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) validations and the ability to reserve and mint Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs). The USGS's Science Data Catalog (SDC) (https://data.usgs.gov/datacatalog) allows users to discover a myriad of science data holdings through a web portal. Recent major upgrades to the SDC and ARM Data Discovery Tool include improved harvesting performance and migration using new search software, such as Apache Solr 6.0 for serving up data/metadata to scientific communities. Our presentation will highlight the future enhancements of these tools which enable users to retrieve fast search results, along with parallelizing the retrieval process from online and High Performance Storage Systems. In addition, these improvements to the tools will support additional metadata formats like the Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) ARM Symbiotic and Observation (LASSO) bundle data.

Software design and implementation concepts for an interoperable medical communication framework.

PubMed

Besting, Andreas; Bürger, Sebastian; Kasparick, Martin; Strathen, Benjamin; Portheine, Frank

2018-02-23

The new IEEE 11073 service-oriented device connectivity (SDC) standard proposals for networked point-of-care and surgical devices constitutes the basis for improved interoperability due to its independence of vendors. To accelerate the distribution of the standard a reference implementation is indispensable. However, the implementation of such a framework has to overcome several non-trivial challenges. First, the high level of complexity of the underlying standard must be reflected in the software design. An efficient implementation has to consider the limited resources of the underlying hardware. Moreover, the frameworks purpose of realizing a distributed system demands a high degree of reliability of the framework itself and its internal mechanisms. Additionally, a framework must provide an easy-to-use and fail-safe application programming interface (API). In this work, we address these challenges by discussing suitable software engineering principles and practical coding guidelines. A descriptive model is developed that identifies key strategies. General feasibility is shown by outlining environments in which our implementation has been utilized.

Infrared dim moving target tracking via sparsity-based discriminative classifier and convolutional network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Kun; Zhou, Huixin; Wang, Bingjian; Song, Shangzhen; Zhao, Dong

2017-11-01

Infrared dim and small target tracking is a great challenging task. The main challenge for target tracking is to account for appearance change of an object, which submerges in the cluttered background. An efficient appearance model that exploits both the global template and local representation over infrared image sequences is constructed for dim moving target tracking. A Sparsity-based Discriminative Classifier (SDC) and a Convolutional Network-based Generative Model (CNGM) are combined with a prior model. In the SDC model, a sparse representation-based algorithm is adopted to calculate the confidence value that assigns more weights to target templates than negative background templates. In the CNGM model, simple cell feature maps are obtained by calculating the convolution between target templates and fixed filters, which are extracted from the target region at the first frame. These maps measure similarities between each filter and local intensity patterns across the target template, therefore encoding its local structural information. Then, all the maps form a representation, preserving the inner geometric layout of a candidate template. Furthermore, the fixed target template set is processed via an efficient prior model. The same operation is applied to candidate templates in the CNGM model. The online update scheme not only accounts for appearance variations but also alleviates the migration problem. At last, collaborative confidence values of particles are utilized to generate particles' importance weights. Experiments on various infrared sequences have validated the tracking capability of the presented algorithm. Experimental results show that this algorithm runs in real-time and provides a higher accuracy than state of the art algorithms.

Validity and reproducibility of the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) questionnaire for the measurement of the physical activity level in patients after total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Bolszak, Sylvain; Casartelli, Nicola C; Impellizzeri, Franco M; Maffiuletti, Nicola A

2014-02-20

The need for valid and reproducible questionnaires to routinely assess the physical activity level of patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is of particular concern in clinical settings. Aims of this study were to evaluate the validity and reproducibility of the physical activity scale for the elderly (PASE) questionnaire in TKA patients, with a particular view on gender differences. A total of 50 elderly patients (25 women and 25 men aged 70 ± 6 years) following primary unilateral TKA were recruited. The reproducibility was evaluated by administering the PASE questionnaire during two occasions separated by 7 days. The construct (criterion) validity was investigated by comparing the physical activity level reported by patients in the PASE questionnaire to that measured by accelerometry. Reproducibility was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3,1) for reliability and standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC) for agreement, while validity was investigated with Pearson correlation coefficients. Reliability of the PASE total score was acceptable for men (ICC = 0.77) but not for women (ICC = 0.58). Its agreement was low for both men and women, as witnessed by high SEM (32% and 35%, respectively) and SDC (89% and 97%, respectively). Construct validity of the PASE total score was low in both men (r = 0.45) and women (r = 0.06). The PASE questionnaire has several validity and reproducibility shortcomings, therefore its use is not recommended for the assessment of physical activity level in patients after TKA, particularly in women.

Reliability of the Fox-walk test in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Verberkt, Cornelia Antonia; Fridén, Cecilia; Grooten, Wilhelmus Johannes Andreas; Opava, Christina H

2012-01-01

The Fox-walk test is a new method used to estimate aerobic capacity outside a clinical environment, which may be useful in the implementation of daily health-enhancing physical activity. The aim of our study was to investigate the reliability of the test in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Fifteen participants performed the Fox-walk test three times with weekly intervals. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard error of measurement (SEM) and the smallest detectable change (SDC) were used to estimate the reliability. General health perception, lower limb pain and fatigue were measured to determine their potential influence on the reliability. There were no systematic differences between the three test occasions (p = 0.190) and the reliability was almost perfect (ICC = 0.982). None of the covariates influenced the reliability. The SEM was 0.999 ml/kg/min or 3.4% and the SDC was 2.769 ml/kg/min or 9.4%. These findings demonstrate that the Fox-walk test is reliable in people with RA and enables differentiation between people with RA and monitoring progress. The validity of the test among people with RA is still to be determined. • The Fox-walk test is a new method to estimate aerobic capacity and could be performed walking or running. • The test is self administered without expensive equipment and is available in 150 public places in Sweden and several other European countries. • The Fox-walk test is a reliable test for use among people with rheumatoid arthritis monitoring the progress of their physical activity.

Compatibility between strontium-doped ferrite cathode and metallic interconnects in solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miguel-Pérez, Verónica; Martínez-Amesti, Ana; Arriortua, María Isabel

2015-04-01

One of the most important issues related to the performance of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is the chromium poisoning of the perovskite-type materials used as cathodes by the gaseous chromium species from metallic interconnects. In this study, powder mixtures of LSF40-Cr2O3 were heated at 800 °C and 1000 °C in air and were subsequently analysed by X-ray powder diffraction. For all the mixtures, the crystallisation of SrCrO4 was observed. In addition, the degradation occurring between three alloys with different compositions, Crofer 22 APU, SS430 and Conicro 4023 W 188, as metallic interconnects and La0.6Sr0.4FeO3 (LSF40) ceramic material as a cathode was studied. The results show significant chromium deposition and the formation of SrCrO4, LaCrO3 and La2O3 that block the active LSF40 electrode surface and degrade the stack (YSZ/SDC/LSF40/Interconnect) performance. LSF40 assembled with SS430 exhibited substantial Cr deposition. The deposition of the Cr species and the reaction with the LSF40 cathode is related to the composition of the oxide scales formed at each metallic interconnect and at the same time is related to the composition of the alloys. The best results obtained were for the half-cell (YSZ/SDC/LSF40) in contact with Conicro 4023 W 188 and Crofer 22 APU after heat treatment in air at 800 °C for 100 h.

Test-retest reliability at the item level and total score level of the Norwegian version of the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS).

PubMed

Roaldsen, Kirsti Skavberg; Måøy, Åsa Blad; Jørgensen, Vivien; Stanghelle, Johan Kvalvik

2016-05-01

Translation of the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS), and investigation of test-retest reliability on item-level and total-score-level. Translation, adaptation and test-retest study. A specialized rehabilitation setting in Norway. Fifty-four wheelchair users with a spinal cord injury. The median age of the cohort was 49 years, and the median number of years after injury was 13. Interventions/measurements: The SCI-FCS was translated and back-translated according to guidelines. Individuals answered the SCI-FCS twice over the course of one week. We investigated item-level test-retest reliability using Svensson's rank-based statistical method for disagreement analysis of paired ordinal data. For relative reliability, we analyzed the total-score-level test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2.1), the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the smallest detectable change (SDC) for absolute reliability/measurement-error assessment and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. All items showed satisfactory percentage agreement (≥69%) between test and retest. There were small but non-negligible systematic disagreements among three items; we recovered an 11-13% higher chance for a lower second score. There was no disagreement due to random variance. The test-retest agreement (ICC2.1) was excellent (0.83). The SEM was 2.6 (12%), and the SDC was 7.1 (32%). The Cronbach's alpha was high (0.88). The Norwegian SCI-FCS is highly reliable for wheelchair users with chronic spinal cord injuries.

Performance of Y0.9Sr0.1Cr0.9Fe0.1O3-δ as a sulfur-tolerant anode material for intermediate temperate solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bu, Yun-Fei; Zhong, Qin; Xu, Dan-Dan; Zhao, Xiao-Lu; Tan, Wen-Yi

2014-03-01

Perovskite-type Y0.9Sr0.1Cr0.9Fe0.1O3-δ maintained good chemical stability under a H2S-containing atmosphere based on results from X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in our previous study. In this research, the YSCF-based anode was studied using H2 and H2S-containing fuels. The activity of an electrode is closely related to its material composition, lattice structure, physic-chemical properties, and morphologic structure. Therefore, the characteristics of the YSCF powders and the cell were analyzed by XRD, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The conductivities of YSCF were evaluated by four-probe method in 10% H2-N2, 1% H2S-N2 and air, respectively. Thermodynamic calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis have been used to investigate the stability of the elements in YSCF upon exposure to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in hydrogen (H2) over a range of partial pressures of sulfur (pS2) and oxygen (pO2) that are representative of fuel cell operating conditions. In addition, the performance of the complete cell (YSCF-SDC|SDC|Ag) under H2S and H2 fuel mixtures was also evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and I-V and I-P curves. The emergence of FeSO4 in the sulfur treatment should play an important role in preventing further sulfur-poisoning.

Genetic targeting of the active transcription factor XBP1s to dendritic cells potentiates vaccine-induced prophylactic and therapeutic antitumor immunity.

PubMed

Tian, Shenghe; Liu, Zuqiang; Donahue, Cara; Falo, Louis D; You, Zhaoyang

2012-02-01

In vivo dendritic cells (DC) targeting is an attractive approach with potential advantages in vaccine efficacy, cost, and availability. Identification of molecular adjuvants to in vivo "modulate " DC to coordinately render improved Th1 and CD8 T cell immunity, and attenuated deleterious Treg effects, is a critical challenge. Here, we report that in vivo genetic targeting of the active transcription factor XBP1s to DC (XBP1s/DC) potentiated vaccine-induced prophylactic and therapeutic antitumor immunity in multiple tumor models. This immunization strategy is based on a genetic vaccine encoding both cytomegalovirus (CMV)-driven vaccine Aghsp70 and DC-specific CD11c-driven XBP1s. The novel targeted vaccine induced durable Th1 and CD8 T cell responses to poorly immunogenic self/tumor antigen (Ag) and attenuated tumor-associated Treg suppressive function. Bone marrow (BM)-derived DC genetically modified to simultaneously overexpress XBP1s and express Aghsp70 upregulated CD40, CD70, CD86, interleukin (IL)-15, IL-15Rα, and CCR7 expression, and increased IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production in vitro. XBP1s/DC elevated functional DEC205(+)CD8α(+)DC in the draining lymph nodes (DLN). The data suggest a novel role for XBP1s in modulating DC to potentiate tumor vaccine efficacy via overcoming two major obstacles to tumor vaccines (i.e., T cell hyporesponsiveness against poorly immunologic self/tumor Ag and tumor-associated Treg-mediated suppression) and improving DEC205(+)CD8α(+)DC.

Evaluation of Compliance to National Nutrition Policies in Summer Day Camps

PubMed Central

Tilley, Falon; W.Beets, Michael; Jones, Sonya; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle

2015-01-01

Objective The National Afterschool Association (NAA) standards specify the role of summer day camps (SDCs) in promoting healthy nutrition habits of children attending, identifying foods and beverages to be provided to children, and staff roles in promoting good nutrition habits; however, many SDCs to not provide meals. Currently, national guidelines specifying what children are allowed to bring to such settings does not exist, nor is there a solid understanding of the current landscape surrounding healthy eating within SDCs. Design A cross-sectional study design using validated measures with multiple observations was used to determine the types of foods and beverage brought to SDC programs. Setting Four large-scale, community-based SDCs participated in the study during summer 2011. Subjects The types of foods and beverages brought by children (N=766) and staff (N=87) as well as any instances of staff promoting healthy eating behaviors were examined via direct observation over 27 days. Additionally, the extent to which current foods and beverages at SDCs complied with NAA standards was evaluated. Results Less than half of the children brought water, 47% brought non-100% juices, 4% brought soda, 4% brought a vegetable, and 20% brought fruit. Staff foods/beverages modeled similar patterns. Promotion of healthy eating by staff was observed <1% of the time. Conclusions Findings suggest that foods and beverages brought to SDC by children and staff do support nutrition standards and staff do not regularly promote healthy eating habits. To assist, professional development, parent education, and organizational policies are needed. PMID:24909716

Quantitative Methylation Profiles for Multiple Tumor Suppressor Gene Promoters in Salivary Gland Tumors

PubMed Central

Durr, Megan L.; Mydlarz, Wojciech K.; Shao, Chunbo; Zahurak, Marianna L.; Chuang, Alice Y.; Hoque, Mohammad O.; Westra, William H.; Liegeois, Nanette J.; Califano, Joseph A.; Sidransky, David; Ha, Patrick K.

2010-01-01

Background Methylation profiling of tumor suppressor gene (TSGs) promoters is quickly becoming a powerful diagnostic tool for the early detection, prognosis, and even prediction of clinical response to treatment. Few studies address this in salivary gland tumors (SGTs); hence the promoter methylation profile of various TSGs was quantitatively assessed in primary SGT tissue to determine if tumor-specific alterations could be detected. Methodology DNA isolated from 78 tumor and 17 normal parotid gland specimens was assayed for promoter methylation status of 19 TSGs by fluorescence-based, quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP). The data were utilized in a binary fashion as well as quantitatively (using a methylation quotient) allowing for better profiling and interpretation of results. Principal Findings The average number of methylation events across the studied genes was highest in salivary duct carcinoma (SDC), with a methylation value of 9.6, compared to the normal 4.5 (p<0.0003). There was a variable frequency and individual methylation quotient detected, depending on the TSG and the tumor type. When comparing normal, benign, and malignant SGTs, there was a statistically significant trend for increasing methylation in APC, Mint 1, PGP9.5, RAR-β, and Timp3. Conclusions/Significance Screening promoter methylation profiles in SGTs showed considerable heterogeneity. The methylation status of certain markers was surprisingly high in even normal salivary tissue, confirming the need for such controls. Several TSGs were found to be associated with malignant SGTs, especially SDC. Further study is needed to evaluate the potential use of these associations in the detection, prognosis, and therapeutic outcome of these rare tumors. PMID:20520817

Validity and Reliability of the Upper Extremity Work Demands Scale.

PubMed

Jacobs, Nora W; Berduszek, Redmar J; Dijkstra, Pieter U; van der Sluis, Corry K

2017-12-01

Purpose To evaluate validity and reliability of the upper extremity work demands (UEWD) scale. Methods Participants from different levels of physical work demands, based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles categories, were included. A historical database of 74 workers was added for factor analysis. Criterion validity was evaluated by comparing observed and self-reported UEWD scores. To assess structural validity, a factor analysis was executed. For reliability, the difference between two self-reported UEWD scores, the smallest detectable change (SDC), test-retest reliability and internal consistency were determined. Results Fifty-four participants were observed at work and 51 of them filled in the UEWD twice with a mean interval of 16.6 days (SD 3.3, range = 10-25 days). Criterion validity of the UEWD scale was moderate (r = .44, p = .001). Factor analysis revealed that 'force and posture' and 'repetition' subscales could be distinguished with Cronbach's alpha of .79 and .84, respectively. Reliability was good; there was no significant difference between repeated measurements. An SDC of 5.0 was found. Test-retest reliability was good (intraclass correlation coefficient for agreement = .84) and all item-total correlations were >.30. There were two pairs of highly related items. Conclusion Reliability of the UEWD scale was good, but criterion validity was moderate. Based on current results, a modified UEWD scale (2 items removed, 1 item reworded, divided into 2 subscales) was proposed. Since observation appeared to be an inappropriate gold standard, we advise to investigate other types of validity, such as construct validity, in further research.

Development, validation and application of a micro-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based method for simultaneous quantification of selected protein biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in murine plasma.

PubMed

Suraj, Joanna; Kurpińska, Anna; Olkowicz, Mariola; Niedzielska-Andres, Ewa; Smolik, Magdalena; Zakrzewska, Agnieszka; Jasztal, Agnieszka; Sitek, Barbara; Chlopicki, Stefan; Walczak, Maria

2018-02-05

The objective of this study was to develop and validate the method based on micro-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (microLC/MS-MRM) for simultaneous determination of adiponectin (ADN), von Willebrand factor (vWF), soluble form of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), soluble form of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) and syndecan-1 (SDC-1) in mouse plasma. The calibration range was established from 2.5pmol/mL to 5000pmol/mL for ADN; 5pmol/mL to 5000pmol/mL for vWF; 0.375pmol/mL to 250pmol/mL for sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1; and 0.25pmol/mL to 250pmol/mL for SDC-1. The method was applied to measure the plasma concentration of selected proteins in mice fed high-fat diet (HFD), and revealed the pro-thrombotic status by increased concentration of vWF (1.31±0.17 nmol/mL (Control) vs 1.98±0.09 nmol/mL (HFD), p <0.05) and the dysregulation of adipose tissue metabolism by decreased concentration of ADN (0.62±0.08 nmol/mL (Control) vs 0.37±0.06 nmol/mL (HFD), p <0.05). In conclusion, the microLC/MS-MRM-based method allows for reliable measurements of selected protein biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in mouse plasma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SSHAC Level 1 Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis for the Idaho National Laboratory

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

Payne, Suzette Jackson; Coppersmith, Ryan; Coppersmith, Kevin

A Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) was completed for the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC), Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), and Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The PSHA followed the approaches and procedures for Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) Level 1 study and included a Participatory Peer Review Panel (PPRP) to provide the confident technical basis and mean-centered estimates of the ground motions. A new risk-informed methodology for evaluating the need for an update of an existing PSHA was developed as part of the Seismic Risk Assessment (SRA) project. To develop and implement the newmore » methodology, the SRA project elected to perform two SSHAC Level 1 PSHAs. The first was for the Fuel Manufacturing Facility (FMF), which is classified as a Seismic Design Category (SDC) 3 nuclear facility. The second was for the ATR Complex, which has facilities classified as SDC-4. The new methodology requires defensible estimates of ground motion levels (mean and full distribution of uncertainty) for its criteria and evaluation process. The INL SSHAC Level 1 PSHA demonstrates the use of the PPRP, evaluation and integration through utilization of a small team with multiple roles and responsibilities (four team members and one specialty contractor), and the feasibility of a short duration schedule (10 months). Additionally, a SSHAC Level 1 PSHA was conducted for NRF to provide guidance on the potential use of a design margin above rock hazard levels for the Spent Fuel Handling Recapitalization Project (SFHP) process facility.« less

Connecting the clinical IT infrastructure to a service-oriented architecture of medical devices.

PubMed

Andersen, Björn; Kasparick, Martin; Ulrich, Hannes; Franke, Stefan; Schlamelcher, Jan; Rockstroh, Max; Ingenerf, Josef

2018-02-23

The new medical device communication protocol known as IEEE 11073 SDC is well-suited for the integration of (surgical) point-of-care devices, so are the established Health Level Seven (HL7) V2 and Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standards for the communication of systems in the clinical IT infrastructure (CITI). An integrated operating room (OR) and other integrated clinical environments, however, need interoperability between both domains to fully unfold their potential for improving the quality of care as well as clinical workflows. This work thus presents concepts for the propagation of clinical and administrative data to medical devices, physiologic measurements and device parameters to clinical IT systems, as well as image and multimedia content in both directions. Prototypical implementations of the derived components have proven to integrate well with systems of networked medical devices and with the CITI, effectively connecting these heterogeneous domains. Our qualitative evaluation indicates that the interoperability concepts are suitable to be integrated into clinical workflows and are expected to benefit patients and clinicians alike. The upcoming HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) communication standard will likely change the domain of clinical IT significantly. A straightforward mapping to its resource model thus ensures the tenability of these concepts despite a foreseeable change in demand and requirements.

Confirmation of shutdown cooling effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Kotaro; Tabuchi, Masato; Sugimura, Naoki; Tatsumi, Masahiro

2015-12-01

After the Fukushima accidents, all nuclear power plants in Japan have gradually stopped their operations and have long periods of shutdown. During those periods, reactivity of fuels continues to change significantly especially for high-burnup UO2 fuels and MOX fuels due to radioactive decays. It is necessary to consider these isotopic changes precisely, to predict neutronics characteristics accurately. In this paper, shutdown cooling (SDC) effects of UO2 and MOX fuels that have unusual operation histories are confirmed by the advanced lattice code, AEGIS. The calculation results show that the effects need to be considered even after nuclear power plants come back to normal operation.

How reproducible is home-based 24-hour ambulatory monitoring of motor activity in patients with multiple sclerosis?

PubMed

Rietberg, Marc B; van Wegen, Erwin E; Uitdehaag, Bernard M; de Vet, Henrica C; Kwakkel, Gert

2010-10-01

To determine the reproducibility of 24-hour monitoring of motor activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Test-retest design; 6 research assistants visited the participants twice within 1 week in the home situation. General community. A convenience sample of ambulatory patients (N=43; mean age ± SD, 48.7±7.0y; 30 women; median Expanded Disability Status Scale scores, 3.5; interquartile range, 2.5) were recruited from the outpatient clinic of a university medical center. Not applicable. Dynamic activity and static activity parameters were recorded by using a portable data logger and classified continuously for 24 hours. Reproducibility was determined by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for test-retest reliability and by applying the Bland-Altman method for agreement between the 2 measurements. The smallest detectable change (SDC) was calculated based on the standard error of measurement. Test-retest reliability expressed by the ICC(agreement) was .72 for dynamic activity, .74 for transitions, .77 for walking, .71 for static activity, .67 for sitting, .62 for standing, and .55 for lying. Bland and Altman analysis indicated no systematic differences between the first and second assessment for dynamic and static activity. Measurement error expressed by the SDC was 1.23 for dynamic activity, 66 for transitions, .99 for walking, 1.52 for static activity, 4.68 for lying, 3.95 for sitting, and 3.34 for standing. The current study shows that with 24-hour monitoring, a reproducible estimate of physical activity can be obtained in ambulatory patients with MS. Copyright © 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of associated defects in oxygen ion conduction and surface exchange reaction for epitaxial samaria-doped ceria thin films as catalytic coatings

DOE PAGES

Yang, Nan; Shi, Yanuo; Schweiger, Sebastian; ...

2016-05-18

Samaria-doped ceria (SDC) thin films are particularly important for energy and electronic applications such as micro-solid oxide fuel cells, electrolysers, sensors and memristors. In this paper we report a comparative study investigating ionic conductivity and surface reactions for well-grown epitaxial SDC films varying the samaria doping concentration. With increasing doping above 20 mol% of samaria, an enhancement in the defect association was observed by Raman spectroscopy. The role of such defect associates on the films` oxygen ion transport and exchange was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM). The measurements reveal that the ionic transport has amore » sharp maximum in ionic conductivity and drop in its activation energy down to 0.6 eV for 20 mol% doping. Increasing the doping concentration further up to 40 mol%, raises the activation energy substantially by a factor of two. We ascribe the sluggish transport kinetics to the "bulk" ionic-near ordering in case of the heavily doped epitaxial films. Analysis of the ESM first order reversal curve measurements indicate that these associated defects may have a beneficial role by lowering the activation of the oxygen exchange "surface" reaction for heavily doped 40 mol% of samaria. We reveal in a model experiment through a solid solution series of samaria doped ceria epitaxial films that the occurrence of associate defects in the bulk affects the surface charging state of the films to increase the exchange rates. Lastly, the implication of these findings are the design of coatings with tuned oxygen surface exchange by control of bulk associate clusters for future electro-catalytic applications.« less

Starting Up a Company in a Mature Market: Wise or Foolish ?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biberger, Maximilian

SDCmaterials, Inc. (SDC) is a venture backed, mature start up in the automotive sector. Moreover: Catalytic Converters for vehicles and stationary applications. The company has invented and developed environmentally friendly, novel materials as well as material integration techniques for catalytic converters based on a proprietary and patented nanotechnology. Traditionally catalysts require large amounts of PGMs (Platinum Group Metals), more than USD 10B per year, in order to treat vehicle emissions. Due to that, the catalytic converter is the single most expensive piece part in a vehicle. The currently used technologies have served the industry well. However, as emission standards dramatically tighten, particularly in China, the demand for more fuel efficient and Hybrid vehicles increases, this technology begins to start showing limitations as it can meet the aforementioned demands only by increasing the PGM amount per vehicle. This in turn will increase the cost per vehicle and / or reduce margins for the automotive industry, and in addition to that impact the environment negatively. In contrast to existing technologies, the SDC based technology can meet future emission goals by maintaining, or even reducing, the PGM amount required to treat exhaust emissions. This results in tremendous savings for the consumer and the automotive industry, as well as a significantly better stewardship of natural resources and clean manufacturing. In the present paper the pros and cons of starting a nanotechnology company in a mature market are presented. Both from a business & economics, as well as from a technology point of view. The case is made that it is possible to start a company in a mature market and that novel technologies can compete economically with 40+ old year technologies.

Achieving simplified disease activity index remission in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis is associated with subsequent good functional and structural outcomes in a real-world clinical setting under a treat-to-target strategy.

PubMed

Hirano, Fumio; Yokoyama, Waka; Yamazaki, Hayato; Amano, Koichi; Kawakami, Atsushi; Hayashi, Taichi; Tamura, Naoto; Yasuda, Shinsuke; Dobashi, Hiroaki; Fujii, Takao; Ito, Satoshi; Kaneko, Yuko; Matsui, Toshihiro; Okuda, Yasuaki; Saito, Kazuyoshi; Suzuki, Fumihito; Yoshimi, Ryusuke; Sakai, Ryoko; Koike, Ryuji; Kohsaka, Hitoshi; Miyasaka, Nobuyuki; Harigai, Masayoshi

2017-09-01

To verify predictive validity of simplified disease activity index (SDAI) remission for subsequent functional and structural outcomes in real-world clinical settings under a treat-to-target strategy (T2T). In this multicenter, prospective cohort study, T2T was implemented in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with moderate-to-high disease activity. SDAI or clinical disease activity index (CDAI) was assessed every 12 weeks, and treatment was adjusted to achieve clinical remission or low disease activity (LDA). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the associations of SDAI remission (≤3.3) at week 24 with the health assessment questionnaire-disability index (HAQ-DI) ≤ 0.5 or with the delta van der Heijde-modified total Sharp score (ΔvdH-mTSS) 

Nano-transfersomal formulations for transdermal delivery of asenapine maleate: in vitro and in vivo performance evaluations.

PubMed

Shreya, A B; Managuli, Renuka S; Menon, Jyothsna; Kondapalli, Lavanya; Hegde, Aswathi R; Avadhani, Kiran; Shetty, Pallavi K; Amirthalingam, Muthukumar; Kalthur, Guruprasad; Mutalik, Srinivas

2016-09-01

Asenapine maleate (ASPM) is an antipsychotic drug for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Extensive metabolism makes the oral route inconvenient for ASPM. The objective of this study is to increase ASPM bioavailability via transdermal route by improving the skin permeation using combined strategy of chemical and nano-carrier (transfersomal) based approaches. Transfersomes were prepared by the thin film hydration method using soy-phosphatidylcholine (SPC) and sodium deoxycholate (SDC). Transfersomes were characterized for particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), entrapment efficiency, surface morphology, and in vitro skin permeation studies. Various chemical enhancers were screened for skin permeation enhancement of ASPM. Optimized transfersomes were incorporated into a gel base containing suitable chemical enhancer for efficient transdermal delivery. In vivo pharmacokinetic study was performed in rats to assess bioavailability by transdermal route against oral administration. Optimized transfersomes with drug:SPC:SDC weight ratio of 5:75:10 were spherical with an average size of 126.0 nm, PDI of 0.232, ZP of -43.7 mV, and entrapment efficiency of 54.96%. Ethanol (20% v/v) showed greater skin permeation enhancement. The cumulative amount of ASPM permeated after 24 h (Q24) by individual effect of ethanol and transfersome, and in combination was found to be 160.0, 132.9, and 309.3 μg, respectively, indicating beneficial synergistic effect of combined approach. In vivo pharmacokinetic study revealed significant (p < 0.05) increase in bioavailability upon transdermal application compared with oral route. Dual strategy of permeation enhancement was successful in increasing the transdermal permeation and bioavailability of ASPM.

Gait Deviation Index, Gait Profile Score and Gait Variable Score in children with spastic cerebral palsy: Intra-rater reliability and agreement across two repeated sessions.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Helle Mätzke; Nielsen, Dennis Brandborg; Pedersen, Niels Wisbech; Overgaard, Søren; Holsgaard-Larsen, Anders

2015-07-01

The Gait Deviation Index (GDI) and Gait Profile Score (GPS) are the most used summary measures of gait in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, the reliability and agreement of these indices have not been investigated, limiting their clinimetric quality for research and clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-rater reliability and agreement of summary measures of gait (GDI; GPS; and the Gait Variable Score (GVS) derived from the GPS). The intra-rater reliability and agreement were investigated across two repeated sessions in 18 children aged 5-12 years diagnosed with spastic CP. No systematic bias was observed between the sessions and no heteroscedasticity was observed in Bland-Altman plots. For the GDI and GPS, excellent reliability with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values of 0.8-0.9 was found, while the GVS was found to have fair to good reliability with ICCs of 0.4-0.7. The agreement for the GDI and the logarithmically transformed GPS, in terms of the standard error of measurement as a percentage of the grand mean (SEM%) varied from 4.1 to 6.7%, whilst the smallest detectable change in percent (SDC%) ranged from 11.3 to 18.5%. For the logarithmically transformed GVS, we found a fair to large variation in SEM% from 7 to 29% and in SDC% from 18 to 81%. The GDI and GPS demonstrated excellent reliability and acceptable agreement proving that they can both be used in research and clinical practice. However, the observed large variability for some of the GVS requires cautious consideration when selecting outcome measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Magnetospheric Multiscale Instrument Suite Operations and Data System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, D. N.; Riesberg, L.; Pankratz, C. K.; Panneton, R. S.; Giles, B. L.; Wilder, F. D.; Ergun, R. E.

2015-01-01

The four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft will collect a combined volume of approximately 100 gigabits per day of particle and field data. On average, only 4 gigabits of that volume can be transmitted to the ground. To maximize the scientific value of each transmitted data segment, MMS has developed the Science Operations Center (SOC) to manage science operations, instrument operations, and selection, downlink, distribution, and archiving of MMS science data sets. The SOC is managed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado and serves as the primary point of contact for community participation in the mission. MMS instrument teams conduct their operations through the SOC, and utilize the SOC's Science Data Center (SOC) for data management and distribution. The SOC provides a single mission data archive for the housekeeping and science data, calibration data, ephemerides, attitude and other ancillary data needed to support the scientific use and interpretation. All levels of data products will reside at and be publicly disseminated from the SDC. Documentation and metadata describing data products, algorithms, instrument calibrations, validation, and data quality will be provided. Arguably, the most important innovation developed by the SOC is the MMS burst data management and selection system. With nested automation and 'Scientist-in-the-Loop' (SITL) processes, these systems are designed to maximize the value of the burst data by prioritizing the data segments selected for transmission to the ground. This paper describes the MMS science operations approach, processes and data systems, including the burst system and the SITL concept.

The influence of incorporating MgO into Ni-based cermets by plasma spraying on anode microstructural and chemical stability in dry methane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lay, E.; Metcalfe, C.; Kesler, O.

2012-11-01

The Solution Precursor Plasma Spray (SPPS) process was successfully used to deposit cermet coatings that exhibit fine microstructures with high surface area. MgO addition in Ni-YSZ and Ni-SDC cermets results in (Ni,Mg)O solid solution formation, and nickel particles after reduction are finer than in coatings without magnesia. The influence of MgO on the chemical stability of cermets in anodic operating conditions is discussed. It was found that a sufficient amount of magnesia addition (Ni0.9(MgO)0.1) helps to reduce carbon deposition in dry methane.

Observation of the ballooning mode that limits the operation space of the high-density super-dense-core plasma in the LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohdachi, S.; Watanabe, K. Y.; Tanaka, K.; Suzuki, Y.; Takemura, Y.; Sakakibara, S.; Du, X. D.; Bando, T.; Narushima, Y.; Sakamoto, R.; Miyazawa, J.; Motojima, G.; Morisaki, T.; LHD Experiment Group

2017-06-01

The central beta of the super-dense-core (SDC) plasma in the large helical device (LHD) is limited by a large scale MHD event called ‘core density collapse’ (CDC). The detailed measurement reveals that a new type of ballooning mode, quite localized in space and destabilized from the 3D nature of Heliotron devices, is the cause of the CDC. It is the first observation of an unstable mode in a region with global negative magnetic shear. Avoidance of the excitation of this mode is a key to expand the operational limit of the LHD.

Macroaggregation and soil organic carbon restoration in a highly weathered Brazilian Oxisol after two decades under no-till.

PubMed

de Oliveira Ferreira, Ademir; de Moraes Sá, João Carlos; Lal, Rattan; Tivet, Florent; Briedis, Clever; Inagaki, Thiago Massao; Gonçalves, Daniel Ruiz Potma; Romaniw, Jucimare

2018-04-15

Conclusions based on studies of the impacts of soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and soil texture on macroaggregation and SOC stabilization in long-term (>20years) no-till (NT) fields remain debatable. This study was based on the hypothesis that the amount and frequency of biomass-C input associated with NT can be a pathway to formation of macroaggregates and to SOC buildup. The objectives were to: 1) assess the macroaggregate distribution (proportional mass, class mass) and the SOC and particulate organic carbon (POC) stocks of extra-large (8-19mm), large (2-8mm) and small (0.25-2mm) macroaggregate size classes managed for two decades by NT, and 2) assess the recovery of SOC stocks in extra-large macroaggregates compared to adjacent native vegetation (Andropogon sp., Aristida sp., Paspalum sp., and Panicum sp.). The crop rotation systems were: soybean (Glycine max L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in summer; and black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb), white oat (Avena sativa), vetch (Vicia sativa L.), black oat.+vetch (Avena strigosa Schreb+vetch) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in winter. The experimental was laid out as 2×2 randomized block factorial with 12 replicates of a NT experiment established in 1997 on two highly weathered Oxisols. The factors comprised of: (a) two soil textural types: clay loam and sandy clay, and (b) two sampling depths: 0-5 and 5-20cm. The three classes of macroaggregates were obtained by wet sieving, and the SOC content was determined by the dry combustion method. The extra-large macroaggregate classes in 0-20cm depth for sandy clay (SdC) and clay loam (CL) Oxisol represented 75.2 and 72.4% of proportional mass, respectively. The SOC and POC stocks among macroaggregate classes in 0-5 and 5-20cm depths decreased in the order: 8-19mm>2-8mm ≈ 0.25-2mm. The SdC plots under soybean/maize at 3:1 ratio recovered 58.3%, while those at 1:1 ratio (high maize frequency) in CL recovered 73.1% of SOC stock in the extra-large macroaggregates compared with the same under native vegetation for 0-20cm depth. Thus, partial restoration of the SOC stock in original extra-large macroaggregate confirms the hypothesis that NT through higher maize cultivation frequency can be a pathway to fomation of macroaggregates and SOC buildup. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Loss of intra-islet heparan sulfate is a highly sensitive marker of type 1 diabetes progression in humans.

PubMed

Simeonovic, Charmaine J; Popp, Sarah K; Starrs, Lora M; Brown, Debra J; Ziolkowski, Andrew F; Ludwig, Barbara; Bornstein, Stefan R; Wilson, J Dennis; Pugliese, Alberto; Kay, Thomas W H; Thomas, Helen E; Loudovaris, Thomas; Choong, Fui Jiun; Freeman, Craig; Parish, Christopher R

2018-01-01

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which insulin-producing beta cells in pancreatic islets are progressively destroyed. Clinical trials of immunotherapies in recently diagnosed T1D patients have only transiently and partially impacted the disease course, suggesting that other approaches are required. Our previous studies have demonstrated that heparan sulfate (HS), a glycosaminoglycan conventionally expressed in extracellular matrix, is present at high levels inside normal mouse beta cells. Intracellular HS was shown to be critical for beta cell survival and protection from oxidative damage. T1D development in Non-Obese Diabetic (NOD) mice correlated with loss of islet HS and was prevented by inhibiting HS degradation by the endoglycosidase, heparanase. In this study we investigated the distribution of HS and heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) core proteins in normal human islets, a role for HS in human beta cell viability and the clinical relevance of intra-islet HS and HSPG levels, compared to insulin, in human T1D. In normal human islets, HS (identified by 10E4 mAb) co-localized with insulin but not glucagon and correlated with the HSPG core proteins for collagen type XVIII (Col18) and syndecan-1 (Sdc1). Insulin-positive islets of T1D pancreases showed significant loss of HS, Col18 and Sdc1 and heparanase was strongly expressed by islet-infiltrating leukocytes. Human beta cells cultured with HS mimetics showed significantly improved survival and protection against hydrogen peroxide-induced death, suggesting that loss of HS could contribute to beta cell death in T1D. We conclude that HS depletion in beta cells, possibly due to heparanase produced by insulitis leukocytes, may function as an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of human T1D. Our findings raise the possibility that intervention therapy with dual activity HS replacers/heparanase inhibitors could help to protect the residual beta cell mass in patients recently diagnosed with T1D.

Gynecologic Oncology Group quality assurance audits: analysis and initiatives for improvement.

PubMed

Blessing, John A; Bialy, Sally A; Whitney, Charles W; Stonebraker, Bette L; Stehman, Frederick B

2010-08-01

The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) is a multi-institution, multi-discipline Cooperative Group funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to conduct clinical trials which investigate the treatment, prevention, control, quality of survivorship, and translational science of gynecologic malignancies. In 1982, the NCI initiated a program of on-site quality assurance audits of participating institutions. Each is required to be audited at least once every 3 years. In GOG, the audit mandate is the responsibility of the GOG Quality Assurance Audit Committee and it is centralized in the Statistical and Data Center (SDC). Each component (Regulatory, Investigational Drug Pharmacy, Patient Case Review) is classified as Acceptable, Acceptable, follow-up required, or Unacceptable. To determine frequently occurring deviations and develop focused innovative solutions to address them. A database was created to examine the deviations noted at the most recent audit conducted at 57 GOG parent institutions during 2004-2007. Cumulatively, this involved 687 patients and 306 protocols. The results documented commendable performance: Regulatory (39 Acceptable, 17 Acceptable, follow-up, 1 Unacceptable); Pharmacy (41 Acceptable, 3 Acceptable, follow-up, 1 Unacceptable, 12 N/A): Patient Case Review (31 Acceptable, 22 Acceptable, follow-up, 4 Unacceptable). The nature of major and lesser deviations was analyzed to create and enhance initiatives for improvement of the quality of clinical research. As a result, Group-wide proactive initiatives were undertaken, audit training sessions have emphasized recurring issues, and GOG Data Management Subcommittee agendas have provided targeted instruction and training. The analysis was based upon parent institutions only; affiliate institutions and Community Clinical Oncology Program participants were not included, although it is assumed their areas of difficulty are similar. The coordination of the GOG Quality Assurance Audit program in the SDC has improved data quality by enhancing our ability to identify frequently occurring deviations and develop innovative solutions to avoid or minimize their occurrence in the future.

The effects of particle shape, size, and interaction on colloidal glasses and gels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramb, Ryan C.

Using multiple step seeded emulsion polymerization reactions, colloid particles of tunable shape are synthesized from polystyrene. In all, four particle shapes are studied referred to as spheres (S), heteronuclear dicolloids (hDC), symmetric homonuclear dicolloids (sDC), and tricolloids (TC). Two size ranges of particles are studied with approximate diameters in the range of 200-300nm and 1.1-1.3mum. The solvent ionic strength is varied from 10 -3M to 1M resulting in particle interaction potentials that range from repulsive to attractive. The effect of anisotropic shape is found to increase the glass transition volume fraction (φg) in good agreement with activated naive Mode Coupling Theory (nMCT) calculations. Differences in φg and the linear elastic modulus (G0') due to particle shape can be understood in terms of the Random Close Packed volume fraction (φRCP ) for each shape; φRCP- φg is a constant. In addition, a reentrant phase diagram is found for S and sDC particles with a maximum in the fluid state volume fraction found at weakly attractive interaction potential, in agreement well with theoretical calculations. Nonlinear rheology and yielding behavior of repulsive and attractive spheres and anisotropic particles are examined and understood in terms of barriers constraining motion. The barriers are due to interparticle bonds or cages constraining translational or rotational motion. Yield stress has similar volume fraction dependence as G 0' and a similar framework is used to understand differences due to particle shape and interaction. For larger particles, the effects of shape and interaction are studied with respect to dynamic yielding and shear thickening. The dynamic yield stress is found to increase with volume fraction while the stress at thickening is constant. The intersection of these indicates a possible jamming point below φRCP.

Studing Regional Wave Source Time Functions Using A Massive Automated EGF Deconvolution Procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, J. "; Schaff, D. P.

2010-12-01

Reliably estimated source time functions (STF) from high-frequency regional waveforms, such as Lg, Pn and Pg, provide important input for seismic source studies, explosion detection, and minimization of parameter trade-off in attenuation studies. The empirical Green’s function (EGF) method can be used for estimating STF, but it requires a strict recording condition. Waveforms from pairs of events that are similar in focal mechanism, but different in magnitude must be on-scale recorded on the same stations for the method to work. Searching for such waveforms can be very time consuming, particularly for regional waves that contain complex path effects and have reduced S/N ratios due to attenuation. We have developed a massive, automated procedure to conduct inter-event waveform deconvolution calculations from many candidate event pairs. The procedure automatically evaluates the “spikiness” of the deconvolutions by calculating their “sdc”, which is defined as the peak divided by the background value. The background value is calculated as the mean absolute value of the deconvolution, excluding 10 s around the source time function. When the sdc values are about 10 or higher, the deconvolutions are found to be sufficiently spiky (pulse-like), indicating similar path Green’s functions and good estimates of the STF. We have applied this automated procedure to Lg waves and full regional wavetrains from 989 M ≥ 5 events in and around China, calculating about a million deconvolutions. Of these we found about 2700 deconvolutions with sdc greater than 9, which, if having a sufficiently broad frequency band, can be used to estimate the STF of the larger events. We are currently refining our procedure, as well as the estimated STFs. We will infer the source scaling using the STFs. We will also explore the possibility that the deconvolution procedure could complement cross-correlation in a real time event-screening process.

Soluble Syndecan-1: A Novel Biomarker of Small Bowel Mucosal Damage in Children with Celiac Disease.

PubMed

Yablecovitch, D; Oren, A; Ben-Horin, S; Fudim, E; Eliakim, R; Saker, T; Konikoff, F M; Kopylov, U; Matthias, T; Lerner, A

2017-03-01

Syndecan-1 (SDC1) is essential for maintaining normal epithelial barrier. Shedding of SDC1 ectodomain, reflected by serum soluble syndecan-1 (SSDC1) levels, is regulated by inflammation. Increased intestinal permeability plays a central role in celiac disease (CD). The association between SSDC1 levels and mucosal damage in CD has not been evaluated. To evaluate serum SSDC1 levels in children with CD and to determine its relationship with histological grading classified by modified Marsh criteria. This is a cross-sectional, pilot study, in which serum SSDC1 was analyzed by ELISA in a cohort of 49 untreated children with CD and 15 children with nonspecific abdominal pain (AP). CD was diagnosed based on positive celiac serology and small intestinal biopsy. SSDC1 levels at the time of biopsy were correlated with Marsh grading. Controls were defined by AP, negative celiac serology, normal upper endoscopy, and small intestinal biopsies. SSDC1 levels were significantly higher in CD patients compared to AP controls (116.2 ± 161 vs. 41.3 ± 17.5 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.01). SSDC1 levels were significantly higher in patients with Marsh 3c lesion compared to AP controls (170.6 ± 201 vs. 41.3 ± 17.5 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.05). SSDC1 concentrations displayed a significant correlation with mucosal damage defined by Marsh (r = 0.39, p < 0.05). This is the first study demonstrating elevated levels of serum SSDC1 in children with CD. Our results suggest that SSDC1 is a potentially novel marker of intestinal mucosal damage in patients with CD. Its applicability as a surrogate biomarker in CD remains to be determined.

Validity and Reliability of Surface Electromyography in the Assessment of Primary Muscle Tension Dysphonia.

PubMed

Khoddami, Seyyedeh Maryam; Talebian, Saeed; Izadi, Farzad; Ansari, Noureddin Nakhostin

2017-05-01

The study aims to evaluate the reliability and the discriminative validity of surface electromyography (sEMG) in the assessment of patients with primary muscle tension dysphonia (MTD). The study design is cross-sectional. Fifteen patients with primary MTD (mean age: 34.07 ± 10.99 years) and 15 healthy volunteers (mean age: 34.53 ± 10.63 years) were included. All participants underwent evaluation of sEMG to record the electrical activity of the thyrohyoid and cricothyroid muscles. The outcome measures were the root mean square (RMS), activity peak, duration, and time to the peak activity, which were obtained during /a/ and /i/ prolongation for test-retest reliability. The test-retest reliability was good to excellent for the RMS and peak activity measures (intraclass correlation coefficient [agreement] [ICC agreement ] = 0.49-0.98). The reliability for the activity duration was poor to excellent (ICC agreement  = 0.19-0.9). Poor test-retest reliability was found for the time to peak measure (ICC agreement  = 0.15-0.37). The standard error of measurement for all sEMG measures was between 0.41 and 2.05. The smallest detectable change (SDC) was calculated between 1.13 and 5.66. The highest SDC values were obtained for the peak and the lowest SDCs were documented for the duration (5.66 and 1.13, respectively). All sEMG measures were not able to discriminate between the MTD patients and healthy subjects (P > 0.05). The sEMG is a reliable tool to measure the RMS, the peak activity, and the activity duration in primary MTD. However, it is not able to discriminate the patients with primary MTD from healthy subjects. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cratering Studies in Thin Plastic Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, Anthony; Bugiel, S.; Gruen, E.; Horanyi, M.; Munsat, T.; Srama, R.; Colorado CenterLunar Dust; Atmospheric Studies (CCLDAS) Team

2013-10-01

Thin plastic films, such as Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), have been used as protective coatings or dust detectors on a number of missions including the Dust Counter and Mass Analyzer (DUCMA) instrument on Vega 1 and 2, the High Rate Detector (HRD) on the Cassini Mission, and the Student Dust Counter (SDC) on New Horizons. These types of detectors can be used on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit to detect dust grain size distributions and velocities. Due to their low power requirements and light weight, large surface area detectors can be built for observing low dust fluxes. The SDC dust detector is made up of a permanently polarized layer of PVDF coated on both sides with a thin layer (≈ 1000 Å) of aluminum nickel. The operation principle is that a micrometeorite impact removes a portion of the metal surface layer exposing the permanently polarized PVDF underneath. This causes a local potential near the crater changing the surface charge of the metal layer. The dimensions of the crater determine the strength of the potential and thus the signal generated by the PVDF. The theoretical basis for signal interpretation uses a crater diameter scaling law which was not intended for use with PVDF. In this work, a crater size scaling law has been experimentally determined, and further simulation work is being done to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of crater formation. Two Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) codes are being evaluated for use as a simulator for hypervelocity impacts: Ansys Autodyn and LS-Dyna from the Livermore Software Technology Corp. SPH is known to be well suited to the large deformities found in hypervelocity impacts. It is capable of incorporating key physics phenomena, including fracture, heat transfer, melting, etc. Furthermore, unlike Eulerian methods, SPH is gridless allowing large deformities without the inclusion of unphysical erosion algorithms. Experimental results and preliminary simulation results and conclusions will be presented.

Proteoglycan-based diversification of disease outcome in head and neck cancer patients identifies NG2/CSPG4 and syndecan-2 as unique relapse and overall survival predicting factors.

PubMed

Farnedi, Anna; Rossi, Silvia; Bertani, Nicoletta; Gulli, Mariolina; Silini, Enrico Maria; Mucignat, Maria Teresa; Poli, Tito; Sesenna, Enrico; Lanfranco, Davide; Montebugnoli, Lucio; Leonardi, Elisa; Marchetti, Claudio; Cocchi, Renato; Ambrosini-Spaltro, Andrea; Foschini, Maria Pia; Perris, Roberto

2015-05-03

Tumour relapse is recognized to be the prime fatal burden in patients affected by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but no discrete molecular trait has yet been identified to make reliable early predictions of tumour recurrence. Expression of cell surface proteoglycans (PGs) is frequently altered in carcinomas and several of them are gradually emerging as key prognostic factors. A PG expression analysis at both mRNA and protein level, was pursued on primary lesions derived from 173 HNSCC patients from whom full clinical history and 2 years post-surgical follow-up was accessible. Gene and protein expression data were correlated with clinical traits and previously proposed tumour relapse markers to stratify high-risk patient subgroups. HNSCC lesions were indeed found to exhibit a widely aberrant PG expression pattern characterized by a variable expression of all PGs and a characteristic de novo transcription/translation of GPC2, GPC5 and NG2/CSPG4 respectively in 36%, 72% and 71% on 119 cases. Importantly, expression of NG2/CSPG4, on neoplastic cells and in the intralesional stroma (Hazard Ratio [HR], 6.76, p = 0.017) was strongly associated with loco-regional relapse, whereas stromal enrichment of SDC2 (HR, 7.652, p = 0.007) was independently tied to lymphnodal infiltration and disease-related death. Conversely, down-regulated SDC1 transcript (HR, 0.232, p = 0.013) uniquely correlated with formation of distant metastases. Altered expression of PGs significantly correlated with the above disease outcomes when either considered alone or in association with well-established predictors of poor prognosis (i.e. T classification, previous occurrence of precancerous lesions and lymphnodal metastasis). Combined alteration of all three PGs was found to be a reliable predictor of shorter survival. An unprecedented PG-based prognostic portrait is unveiled that incisively diversifies disease course in HNSCC patients beyond the currently known clinical and molecular biomarkers.

Performance Evaluation of an Oxygen Sensor as a Function of the Samaria Doped Ceria Film Thickness

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

Sanghavi, Rahul P.; Nandasiri, Manjula I.; Kuchibhatla, Satyanarayana V N T

The current demand in the automobile industry is in the control of air-fuel mixture in the combustion engine of automobiles. Oxygen partial pressure can be used as an input parameter for regulating or controlling systems in order to optimize the combustion process. Our goal is to identify and optimize the material system that would potentially function as the active sensing material for such a device that monitors oxygen partial pressure in these systems. We have used thin film samaria doped ceria (SDC) as the sensing material for the sensor operation, exploiting the fact that at high temperatures, oxygen vacancies generatedmore » due to samarium doping act as conducting medium for oxygen ions which hop through the vacancies from one side to the other contributing to an electrical signal. We have recently established that 6 atom % Sm doping in ceria films has optimum conductivity. Based on this observation, we have studied the variation in the overall conductivity of 6 atom % samaria doped ceria thin films as a function of thickness in the range of 50 nm to 300 nm at a fixed bias voltage of 2 volts. A direct proportionality in the increase in the overall conductivity is observed with the increase in sensing film thickness. For a range of oxygen pressure values from 1 mTorr to 100 Torr, a tolerable hysteresis error, good dynamic response and a response time of less than 10 seconds was observed« less

Dust Measurements by the Student Dust Counter (SDC) onboard the New Horizons Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, David; Horanyi, Mihaly; Poppe, Andrew

The Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter (VSDC) on the New Horizons spacecraft is a dust impact detector designed to map the interplanetary dust distribution along the trajectory of the New Horizons spacecraft as it traverses our solar system. VSDC is the first student built instrument on a deep space mission and is currently operated by a small group of undergraduate and graduate students at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), University of Colorado. VSDC is based on permanently polarized thin plastic film sensors that generate an electrical signal when an impacting dust particle penetrates them. The total surface area is about 0.1 square meters and the detection threshold is about 1 micron in radius. By the time of this meeting (7/2008), VSDC will have operated for about 500 days, covering an approximate distance of 1.2 to 10.5 AU. In this talk, we will briefly review the VSDC instrument, including the in-flight calibrations and tests. We will report on the measured spatial and size distribution of interplanetary dust particles before and after the New Horizons encounter with Jupiter. These data will also be compared to earlier measurements by Ulysses, Galileo and Cassini.

The acceptance of green technology: A case study in Sabah Development Corridor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jainudin, Noor Azland; Jugah, Ivy; Ali, Awang Nasrizal Awang; Tawie, Rudy

2017-08-01

Green technology is the development and application of products, equipment and systems used to conserve the environment which minimizes the negative impact from human activities. The technology can be in the form of green buildings or renewable energy such as hydro, solar and biogas. Development in SDC is still at the early stage, hence there is a prospect to plan for proper green concept implementation. With the increasing number of construction projects particularly in the rapid developing city of Kota Kinabalu, green technology as a whole is becoming more significant as it helps to develop effective solutions to encounter global environmental issues. Although there has been lengthy discussion on the green technology, the visibility of the implementation is still yet to be seen widely in Kota Kinabalu. The implementation of green technology in construction will support dynamic growth of economic development activities, while improving the environment. Hence, it is important to develop a strategic plan to promote the use of green technology while the areas are still developing. The focus of this correlative-based approach study is to investigate the perception and implementation of green technology in Kota Kinabalu from the industrial perspectives.

Availability/Operational Readiness Test Subsystem Cost Trade-Offs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

LNFAIL Digital AACS 31 914 203 153 34 2060 3320 2166 18980 9.9 ADP/COMPU 48 2048 612 424 71 9332 6540 5594 99572 11.5 ADP/DRUM 47 1995 260 517 10 1195...1650 466 12750 9.5 ADP/SAC 43 2495 798 332 31 4335 3150 1992 45400 10.7 A0P/SDC 41 2048 684 442 46 3595 5000 2302 38358 10.6 ADP/SGSA 45 2494 810 412...DIM/FL 2 75 460 23 3 77 250 44 780 6.7 FDIS/HSI 8 285 39 86 8 71 400 186 900 6.8 FDIS/ VDI 7 144 25 74 6 29 270 185 500 6.2 GCU 6 242 83 145 6 58 320

USGS Science Data Life Cycle Tools - Lessons Learned in moving to the Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frame, M. T.; Mancuso, T.; Hutchison, V.; Zolly, L.; Wheeler, B.; Urbanowski, S.; Devarakonda, R.; Palanisamy, G.

2016-12-01

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) Core Science Systems has been working for the past year to design, re-architect, and implement several key tools and systems within the USGS Cloud Hosting Service supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a result of emerging USGS data management policies that align with federal Open Data mandates, and as part of a concerted effort to respond to potential increasing user demand due to these policies, the USGS strategically began migrating its core data management tools and services to the AWS environment in hopes of leveraging cloud capabilities (i.e. auto-scaling, replication, etc.). The specific tools included: USGS Online Metadata Editor (OME); USGS Digital Object Identifier (DOI) generation tool; USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC); USGS ScienceBase system; and an integrative tool, the USGS Data Release Workbench, which steps bureau personnel through the process of releasing data. All of these tools existed long before the Cloud was available and presented significant challenges in migrating, re-architecting, securing, and moving to a Cloud based environment. Initially, a `lift and shift' approach, essentially moving as is, was attempted and various lessons learned about that approach will be discussed, along with recommendations that resulted from the development and eventual operational implementation of these tools. The session will discuss lessons learned related to management of these tools in an AWS environment; re-architecture strategies utilized for the tools; time investments through sprint allocations; initial benefits observed from operating within a Cloud based environment; and initial costs to support these data management tools.

Comparison of bile salt/phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles in solubilization to sterols and stability.

PubMed

Guo, Qin; Cai, Jie; Li, Pengyu; Xu, Dongling; Ni, Xiaomin; Wen, Hui; Liu, Dan; Lin, Suizhen; Hu, Haiyan

2016-01-01

Androst-3β,5α,6β-triol (Triol) is a promising neuroprotective agent, but its poor solubility restricts its development into parenteral preparations. In this study, Triol is significantly solubilized by bile salt/phosphatidylcholine mixed micelles (BS/PC-MM). All BS/PC-MM systems are tested to remarkably improve the drug solubility with various stabilities after drug loading. Among them, the sodium glycocholate (SGC)/egg phosphatidylcholine (EPC) system with 2:1 ratio in weight and the total concentration of SGC and EPC of 100 mg/mL is proved to produce stable mixed micelles with high drug loading. It is found that the stability of drug-loaded mixed micelles is quite different, which might be related to the change in critical micelle concentration (CMC) after incorporating drugs. SGC/EPC and SGC/soya phosphatidylcholine (SPC) remain transparent under accelerated conditions and manifest a decreased CMC (dropping from 0.105 to 0.056 mg/mL and from 0.067 to 0.024 mg/mL, respectively). In contrast, swine bile acid-sodium salt (SBA-Na)/PC and sodium deoxycholate (SDC)/PC are accompanied by drug precipitation and reached the maximum CMC on the first and the third days, respectively. Interestingly, the variation of CMC under accelerated testing conditions highly matches the drug-precipitating event in the primary stability experiment. In brief, the bile salt/phosphatidylcholine system exists as a potential strategy of improving sterol drug solubility. CMC variation under accelerated testing conditions might be a simple and easy method to predict the stability of drug-loaded mixed micelles.

Analysis of the Earthquake Impact towards water-based fire extinguishing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Hur, M.; Lee, K.

2015-09-01

Recently, extinguishing system installed in the building when the earthquake occurred at a separate performance requirements. Before the building collapsed during the earthquake, as a function to maintain a fire extinguishing. In particular, the automatic sprinkler fire extinguishing equipment, such as after a massive earthquake without damage to piping also must maintain confidentiality. In this study, an experiment installed in the building during the earthquake, the water-based fire extinguishing saw grasp the impact of the pipe. Experimental structures for water-based fire extinguishing seismic construction step by step, and then applied to the seismic experiment, the building appears in the extinguishing of the earthquake response of the pipe was measured. Construction of acceleration caused by vibration being added to the size and the size of the displacement is measured and compared with the data response of the pipe from the table, thereby extinguishing water piping need to enhance the seismic analysis. Define the seismic design category (SDC) for the four groups in the building structure with seismic criteria (KBC2009) designed according to the importance of the group and earthquake seismic intensity. The event of a real earthquake seismic analysis of Category A and Category B for the seismic design of buildings, the current fire-fighting facilities could have also determined that the seismic performance. In the case of seismic design categories C and D are installed in buildings to preserve the function of extinguishing the required level of seismic retrofit design is determined.

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

Gregory Reaman

The initiative will enable the COG Biopathology Center (Biospecimen Repository), the Molecular Genetics Laboratory and other participating reference laboratories to upload large data sets to the eRDES. The capability streamlines data currency and accuracy allowing the centers to export data from local systems and import the defined data to the eRDES. The process will aid in the best practices which have been defined by the Office of Biorepository and Biospecimen Research (OBBR) and the Group Banking Committee (GBC). The initiative allows for batch import and export, a data validation process and reporting mechanism, and a model for other labs tomore » incorporate. All objectives are complete. The solutions provided and the defined process eliminates dual data entry resulting in data consistency. The audit trail capabilities allow for complete tracking of the data exchange between laboratories and the Statistical Data Center (SDC). The impact is directly on time and efforts. In return, the process will save money and improve the data utilized by the COG. Ongoing efforts include implementing new technologies to further enhance the current solutions and process currently in place. Web Services and Reporting Services are technologies that have become industry standards and will allow for further harmonization with caBIG (cancer Biolnforrnatics Grid). Additional testing and implementation of the model for other laboratories is in process.« less

Cratering Studies in Thin Plastic Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, A. J.; Bugiel, S.; Gruen, E.; Hillier, J.; Horanyi, M.; Munsat, T. L.; Srama, R.

2013-12-01

Thin plastic films, such as Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), have been used as protective coatings or dust detectors on a number of missions including the Dust Counter and Mass Analyzer (DUCMA) instrument on Vega 1 and 2, the High Rate Detector (HRD) on the Cassini Mission, and the Student Dust Counter (SDC) on New Horizons. These types of detectors can be used on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit to detect dust grain size distributions and velocities. Due to their low power requirements and light weight, large surface area detectors can be built for observing low dust fluxes. The SDC dust detector is made up of a permanently polarized layer of PVDF coated on both sides with a thin layer (≈ 1000 Å) of aluminum nickel. The operation principle is that a micrometeorite impact removes a portion of the metal surface layer exposing the permanently polarized PVDF underneath. This causes a local potential near the crater changing the surface charge of the metal layer. The dimensions and shape of the crater determine the strength of the potential and thus the signal generated by the PVDF. The theoretical basis for signal interpretation uses a crater diameter scaling law which was not intended for use with PVDF. In this work, a crater size scaling law has been experimentally determined, and further simulation work is being done to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of crater formation. LS-Dyna, a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code from the Livermore Software Technology Corp. was chosen to simulate micrometeorite impacts. SPH is known to be well suited to the large deformities found in hypervelocity impacts. It is capable of incorporating key physics phenomena, including fracture, heat transfer, melting, etc. Furthermore, unlike Eulerian methods, SPH is gridless allowing large deformities without the inclusion of unphysical erosion algorithms. Material properties are accounted for using the Grüneisen Equation of State. The results of the SPH model can then be fed into electrostatic relaxation models to enhance the fidelity of interpretation of charge signals from a PVDF detector. Experimental results and preliminary simulation results and conclusions will be presented. Scanning Electron Microscope image of a microcrater caused by a dust impact into Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF)

Cratering Studies in Thin Plastic Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shu, A. J.; Bugiel, S.; Gruen, E.; Horanyi, M.; Munsat, T. L.; Srama, R.

2014-12-01

Thin plastic films, such as Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), have been used as protective coatings or dust detectors on a number of missions including the Dust Counter and Mass Analyzer (DUCMA) instrument on Vega 1 and 2, the High Rate Detector (HRD) on the Cassini Mission, and the Student Dust Counter (SDC) on New Horizons. These types of detectors can be used on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit to detect dust grain size distributions and velocities. Due to their low power requirements and light weight, large surface area detectors can be built for observing low dust fluxes. The SDC dust detector is made up of a permanently polarized layer of PVDF coated on both sides with a thin layer (≈ 1000 Å) of aluminum nickel. The operation principle is that a micrometeorite impact removes a portion of the metal surface layer exposing the permanently polarized PVDF underneath. This causes a local potential near the crater changing the surface charge of the metal layer. The dimensions and shape of the crater determine the strength of the potential and thus the signal generated by the PVDF. The theoretical basis for signal interpretation uses a crater diameter scaling law which was not intended for use with PVDF. In this work, a crater size scaling law has been experimentally determined, and further simulation work is being done to enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of crater formation. LS-Dyna, a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code from the Livermore Software Technology Corp. was chosen to simulate micrometeorite impacts. It is capable of incorporating key physics phenomena, including fracture, heat transfer, melting, etc. Furthermore, unlike Eulerian methods, SPH is gridless allowing large deformities without the inclusion of unphysical erosion algorithms. Material properties are accounted for using the Grüneisen Equation of State. The results of the SPH model can then be fed into electrostatic relaxation models to enhance the fidelity of interpretation of charge signals from a PVDF detector. An electrostatic relaxation code was also used to determine the theoretical charge produced by the PVDF detector given a crater of specific depth and diameter. Experimental results and preliminary simulation results and conclusions will be presented.

Suspension plasma spraying of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ cathodes: Influence of carbon black pore former on performance and degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, E. S. C.; Kuhn, J.; Kesler, O.

2016-06-01

Suspension plasma spray deposition is utilized to fabricate solid oxide fuel cell cathodes with minimal material decomposition. Adding carbon black as a pore former to the feedstock suspension results in smoother and more porous coatings, but over the range of carbon black concentrations studied, has little impact on the overall symmetrical cell performance. The cathode made with a suspension containing 25 wt% carbon has the highest deposition efficiency and a polarization resistance of 0.062 Ωcm2 at 744 °C. This cathode is tested for 500 h, and it is observed that adding an SDC interlayer between the YSZ electrolyte and the cathode(s) and/or coating the metal substrate with lanthanum chromite decrease the rate of performance degradation.

Identification of novel diagnostic biomarkers for thyroid carcinoma.

PubMed

Wang, Xiliang; Zhang, Qing; Cai, Zhiming; Dai, Yifan; Mou, Lisha

2017-12-19

Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is the most universal endocrine malignancy worldwide. Unfortunately, a limited number of large-scale analyses have been performed to identify biomarkers for THCA. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis using 505 THCA patients and 59 normal controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas. After identifying differentially expressed long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and protein coding genes (PCG), we found vast difference in various lncRNA-PCG co-expressed pairs in THCA. A dysregulation network with scale-free topology was constructed. Four molecules (LA16c-380H5.2, RP11-203J24.8, MLF1 and SDC4) could potentially serve as diagnostic biomarkers of THCA with high sensitivity and specificity. We further represent a diagnostic panel with expression cutoff values. Our results demonstrate the potential application of those four molecules as novel independent biomarkers for THCA diagnosis.

Identification of novel diagnostic biomarkers for thyroid carcinoma

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiliang; Zhang, Qing; Cai, Zhiming; Dai, Yifan; Mou, Lisha

2017-01-01

Thyroid carcinoma (THCA) is the most universal endocrine malignancy worldwide. Unfortunately, a limited number of large-scale analyses have been performed to identify biomarkers for THCA. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis using 505 THCA patients and 59 normal controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas. After identifying differentially expressed long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and protein coding genes (PCG), we found vast difference in various lncRNA-PCG co-expressed pairs in THCA. A dysregulation network with scale-free topology was constructed. Four molecules (LA16c-380H5.2, RP11-203J24.8, MLF1 and SDC4) could potentially serve as diagnostic biomarkers of THCA with high sensitivity and specificity. We further represent a diagnostic panel with expression cutoff values. Our results demonstrate the potential application of those four molecules as novel independent biomarkers for THCA diagnosis. PMID:29340074

University of Colorado CubeSat Student Projects as Successful Model for Teaching Students about Engineering Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palo, S. E.; Li, X.; Woods, T. N.; Kohnert, R.

2014-12-01

There is a long history of cooperation between students at the University of Colorado, Boulder and professional engineers and scientists at LASP, which has led to many successful space missions with direct student involvement. The recent student-led missions include the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE, 1998 - 2002), the Student Dust Counter (SDC) on New Horizons (2006 - present), the Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE), being a very successful NSF CubeSat that launched in September 2012, and the NASA Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) CubeSat (launch will be in early 2015). Students are involved in all aspects of the design, and they experience the full scope of the mission process from concept, to fabrication and test, and mission operations. A significant part of the student involvement in the CubeSat projects is gained by using the CubeSat development as a focal point for an existing two-semester course sequence in CU's Aerospace Engineering Sciences (AES) Department: the Space Hardware Design section of Graduate Projects I & II (ASEN 5018 & ASEN 6028). The goal of these courses is to teach graduate students how to design and build systems using a requirement-based approach and fundamental systems engineering practices. The two-semester sequence takes teams of about 15 students from requirements definition and preliminary design through manufacturing, integration, and testing. In addition to the design process, students learn key professional skills such as working effectively in groups, finding solutions to open-ended problems, and actually building a system to their own set of specifications. The partnership between AES and LASP allows us to include engineering professionals in the mix, thus more effectively training science and engineering students for future roles in the civilian or commercial space industry. The mentoring process with LASP engineers helps to mitigate risk of the inexperience of the students and ensures consistent system engineer oversight for the multi-year CubeSat programs.

A strategy to apply quantitative epistasis analysis on developmental traits.

PubMed

Labocha, Marta K; Yuan, Wang; Aleman-Meza, Boanerges; Zhong, Weiwei

2017-05-15

Genetic interactions are keys to understand complex traits and evolution. Epistasis analysis is an effective method to map genetic interactions. Large-scale quantitative epistasis analysis has been well established for single cells. However, there is a substantial lack of such studies in multicellular organisms and their complex phenotypes such as development. Here we present a method to extend quantitative epistasis analysis to developmental traits. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we applied RNA interference on mutants to inactivate two genes, used an imaging system to quantitatively measure phenotypes, and developed a set of statistical methods to extract genetic interactions from phenotypic measurement. Using two different C. elegans developmental phenotypes, body length and sex ratio, as examples, we showed that this method could accommodate various metazoan phenotypes with performances comparable to those methods in single cell growth studies. Comparing with qualitative observations, this method of quantitative epistasis enabled detection of new interactions involving subtle phenotypes. For example, several sex-ratio genes were found to interact with brc-1 and brd-1, the orthologs of the human breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BARD1, respectively. We confirmed the brc-1 interactions with the following genes in DNA damage response: C34F6.1, him-3 (ortholog of HORMAD1, HORMAD2), sdc-1, and set-2 (ortholog of SETD1A, SETD1B, KMT2C, KMT2D), validating the effectiveness of our method in detecting genetic interactions. We developed a reliable, high-throughput method for quantitative epistasis analysis of developmental phenotypes.

OR.NET: multi-perspective qualitative evaluation of an integrated operating room based on IEEE 11073 SDC.

PubMed

Rockstroh, M; Franke, S; Hofer, M; Will, A; Kasparick, M; Andersen, B; Neumuth, T

2017-08-01

Clinical working environments have become very complex imposing many different tasks in diagnosis, medical treatment, and care procedures. During the German flagship project OR.NET, more than 50 partners developed technologies for an open integration of medical devices and IT systems in the operating room. The aim of the present work was to evaluate a large set of the proposed concepts from the perspectives of various stakeholders. The demonstration OR is focused on interventions from the head and neck surgery and was developed in close cooperation with surgeons and numerous colleagues of the project partners. The demonstration OR was qualitatively evaluated including technical as well as clinical aspects. In the evaluation, a questionnaire was used to obtain feedback from hospital operators. The clinical implications were covered by structured interviews with surgeons, anesthesiologists and OR staff. In the present work, we qualitatively evaluate a subset of the proposed concepts from the perspectives of various stakeholders. The feedback of the clinicians indicates that there is a need for a flexible data and control integration. The hospital operators stress the need for tools to simplify risk management in openly integrated operating rooms. The implementation of openly integrated operating rooms will positively affect the surgeons, the anesthesiologists, the surgical nursing staff, as well as the technical personnel and the hospital operators. The evaluation demonstrated the need for OR integration technologies and identified the missing tools to support risk management and approval as the main barriers for future installments.

Detection of Streptococcus pyogenes virulence genes in Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis from Vellore, India.

PubMed

Babbar, Anshu; Itzek, Andreas; Pieper, Dietmar H; Nitsche-Schmitz, D Patric

2018-03-12

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE), belonging to the group C and G streptococci, are human pathogens reported to cause clinical manifestations similar to infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. To scrutinize the distribution of gene coding for S. pyogenes virulence factors in SDSE, 255 isolates were collected from humans infected with SDSE in Vellore, a region in southern India, with high incidence of SDSE infections. Initial evaluation indicated SDSE isolates comprising of 82.35% group G and 17.64% group C. A multiplex PCR system was used to detect 21 gene encoding virulence-associated factors of S. pyogenes, like superantigens, DNases, proteinases, and other immune modulatory toxins. As validated by DNA sequencing of the PCR products, sequences homologous to speC, speG, speH, speI, speL, ssa and smeZ of the family of superantigen coding genes and for DNases like sdaD and sdc were detected in the SDSE collection. Furthermore, there was high abundance (48.12% in group G and 86.6% in group C SDSE) of scpA, the gene coding for C5a peptidase in these isolates. Higher abundance of S. pyogenes virulence factor genes was observed in SDSE of Lancefield group C as compared to group G, even though the incidence rates in former were lower. This study not only substantiates detection of S. pyogenes virulence factor genes in whole genome sequenced SDSE but also makes significant contribution towards the understanding of SDSE and its increasing virulence potential.

Reliability of diabetic patients' gait parameters in a challenging environment.

PubMed

Allet, L; Armand, S; de Bie, R A; Golay, A; Monnin, D; Aminian, K; de Bruin, E D

2008-11-01

Activities of daily life require us to move about in challenging environments and to walk on varied surfaces. Irregular terrain has been shown to influence gait parameters, especially in a population at risk for falling. A precise portable measurement system would permit objective gait analysis under such conditions. The aims of this study are to (a) investigate the reliability of gait parameters measured with the Physilog in diabetic patients walking on different surfaces (tar, grass, and stones); (b) identify the measurement error (precision); (c) identify the minimal clinical detectable change. 16 patients with Type 2 diabetes were measured twice within 8 days. After clinical examination patients walked, equipped with a Physilog, on the three aforementioned surfaces. ICC for each surface was excellent for within-visit analyses (>0.938). Inter-visit ICC's (0.753) were excellent except for the knee range parameter (>0.503). The coefficient of variation (CV) was lower than 5% for most of the parameters. Bland and Altman Plots, SEM and SDC showed precise values, distributed around zero for all surfaces. Good reliability of Physilog measurements on different surfaces suggests that Physilog could facilitate the study of diabetic patients' gait in conditions close to real-life situations. Gait parameters during complex locomotor activities (e.g. stair-climbing, curbs, slopes) have not yet been extensively investigated. Good reliability, small measurement error and values of minimal clinical detectable change recommend the utilization of Physilog for the evaluation of gait parameters in diabetic patients.

Characterizing the effects of intermittent faults on a processor for dependability enhancement strategy.

PubMed

Wang, Chao Saul; Fu, Zhong-Chuan; Chen, Hong-Song; Wang, Dong-Sheng

2014-01-01

As semiconductor technology scales into the nanometer regime, intermittent faults have become an increasing threat. This paper focuses on the effects of intermittent faults on NET versus REG on one hand and the implications for dependability strategy on the other. First, the vulnerability characteristics of representative units in OpenSPARC T2 are revealed, and in particular, the highly sensitive modules are identified. Second, an arch-level dependability enhancement strategy is proposed, showing that events such as core/strand running status and core-memory interface events can be candidates of detectable symptoms. A simple watchdog can be deployed to detect application running status (IEXE event). Then SDC (silent data corruption) rate is evaluated demonstrating its potential. Third and last, the effects of traditional protection schemes in the target CMT to intermittent faults are quantitatively studied on behalf of the contribution of each trap type, demonstrating the necessity of taking this factor into account for the strategy.

Coding and transmission of subband coded images on the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wah, Benjamin W.; Su, Xiao

2001-09-01

Subband-coded images can be transmitted in the Internet using either the TCP or the UDP protocol. Delivery by TCP gives superior decoding quality but with very long delays when the network is unreliable, whereas delivery by UDP has negligible delays but with degraded quality when packets are lost. Although images are delivered currently over the Internet by TCP, we study in this paper the use of UDP to deliver multi-description reconstruction-based subband-coded images. First, in order to facilitate recovery from UDP packet losses, we propose a joint sender-receiver approach for designing optimized reconstruction-based subband transform (ORB-ST) in multi-description coding (MDC). Second, we carefully evaluate the delay-quality trade-offs between the TCP delivery of SDC images and the UDP and combined TCP/UDP delivery of MDC images. Experimental results show that our proposed ORB-ST performs well in real Internet tests, and UDP and combined TCP/UDP delivery of MDC images provide a range of attractive alternatives to TCP delivery.

Evaluation of a headspace solid-phase microextraction method for the analysis of ignitable liquids in fire debris.

PubMed

Fettig, Ina; Krüger, Simone; Deubel, Jan H; Werrel, Martin; Raspe, Tina; Piechotta, Christian

2014-05-01

The chemical analysis of fire debris represents a crucial part in fire investigations to determine the cause of a fire. A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedure for the detection of ignitable liquids in fire debris using a fiber coated with a mixture of three different sorbent materials (Divinylbenzene/Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane, DVB/CAR/PDMS) is described. Gasoline and diesel fuel were spiked upon a preburnt matrix (wood charcoal), extracted and concentrated with HS-SPME and then analyzed with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The experimental conditions--extraction temperature, incubation and exposure time--were optimized. To assess the applicability of the method, fire debris samples were prepared in the smoke density chamber (SDC) and a controlled-atmosphere cone calorimeter. The developed methods were successfully applied to burnt particleboard and carpet samples. The results demonstrate that the procedure that has been developed here is suitable for detecting these ignitable liquids in highly burnt debris. © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Green fabrication of composite cathode with attractive performance for solid oxide fuel cells through facile inkjet printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chao; Chen, Huili; Shi, Huangang; Tade, Moses O.; Shao, Zongping

2015-01-01

The inkjet printing technique has numerous advantages and is attractive in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) fabrication, especially for the dense thin electrolyte layer because of its ultrafine powder size. In this study, we exploited the technique for the fabrication of a porous SDC/SSC composite cathode layer using environmentally friendly water-based ink. An optimized powder synthesis method was applied to the preparation of the well-dispersed suspension. In view of the easy sintering of the thin film layer prepared by inkjet printing, 10 wt.% pore former was introduced to the ink. The results indicate that the cell with the inkjet printing cathode layer exhibits a fantastic electrochemical performance, with a PPD as high as 940 mW cm-2 at 750 °C, which is comparable to that of a cell prepared using the conventional wet powder spraying method, suggesting a promising application of inkjet printing on electrode layer fabrication.

Cooperation between a hierarchical set of recruitment sites targets the X chromosome for dosage compensation

PubMed Central

Albritton, Sarah Elizabeth; Kranz, Anna-Lena; Winterkorn, Lara Heermans; Street, Lena Annika; Ercan, Sevinc

2017-01-01

In many organisms, it remains unclear how X chromosomes are specified for dosage compensation, since DNA sequence motifs shown to be important for dosage compensation complex (DCC) recruitment are themselves not X-specific. Here, we addressed this problem in C. elegans. We found that the DCC recruiter, SDC-2, is required to maintain open chromatin at a small number of primary DCC recruitment sites, whose sequence and genomic context are X-specific. Along the X, primary recruitment sites are interspersed with secondary sites, whose function is X-dependent. A secondary site can ectopically recruit the DCC when additional recruitment sites are inserted either in tandem or at a distance (>30 kb). Deletion of a recruitment site on the X results in reduced DCC binding across several megabases surrounded by topologically associating domain (TAD) boundaries. Our work elucidates that hierarchy and long-distance cooperativity between gene-regulatory elements target a single chromosome for regulation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23645.001 PMID:28562241

Evaluation of New Biomarkers in the Prediction of Malignant Mesothelioma in Subjects with Environmental Asbestos Exposure.

PubMed

Demir, Melike; Kaya, Halide; Taylan, Mahsuk; Ekinci, Aysun; Yılmaz, Sureyya; Teke, Fatma; Sezgi, Cengizhan; Tanrikulu, Abdullah Cetin; Meteroglu, Fatih; Senyigit, Abdurrahman

2016-06-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential value of certain biomarkers in predicting the presence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in individuals environmentally exposed to asbestos. This prospective study investigated three groups; a control group composed of 41 healthy subjects, an asbestos exposure group consisting of 48 individuals, and a MPM group consisting of 42 patients. Serum levels of soluble mesothelin-related peptide (SMRP), thioredoxin-1 (TRX), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), fibulin-3, syndecan-1 (SDC-1), and mesothelin were determined. Benign pleural plaques were present in 27 (58.3 %) of the individuals in the asbestos exposure group. The asbestos exposure group had significantly higher mean TRX, SMRP, and mesothelin levels compared to the control group (p = 0.023, p = 0.011, and p < 0.001, respectively). Compared to the asbestos exposure group, the MPM group had significantly higher mean EGFR, TRX, SMRP, and fibulin-3 levels (p = 0.041, p = 0.023, p = 0.002, and p = 0.001, respectively), and significantly lower mean SDC-1 levels (p = 0.002). Unlike the other biomarkers, SMRP and TRX levels increased in a graded fashion among the control, asbestos exposure, and MPM groups, respectively. Area under the curve values for SMRP and TRX were 0.86 and 0.72, respectively (95 % CI 0.79-0.92 and p < 0.001 for SMRP, and 95 % CI 0.62-0.81 and p < 0.001 for TRX). The cut-off value for SMRP was 0.62 nmol/l (sensitivity: 97.6 %, specificity: 68.9 %, positive predictive value (PPV): 56.2 %, and negative predictive value (NPV): 98.3 %) and for TRX was 156.67 ng/ml (sensitivity: 92.9 %, specificity: 77.6 %, PPV: 41.4 %, and NPV: 92.1 %). The combination of the biomarkers reached a sensitivity of 100 %, but had lower specificity (as high as 27.7 %). Serum biomarkers may be helpful for early diagnosis of MPM in asbestos-exposed cases. SMRP and TRX increased in a graded fashion from the controls to asbestos exposure and MPM groups. These two seem to be the most valuable biomarkers for the diagnosis of MPM, both individually and in combination.

Organization of the secure distributed computing based on multi-agent system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khovanskov, Sergey; Rumyantsev, Konstantin; Khovanskova, Vera

2018-04-01

Nowadays developing methods for distributed computing is received much attention. One of the methods of distributed computing is using of multi-agent systems. The organization of distributed computing based on the conventional network computers can experience security threats performed by computational processes. Authors have developed the unified agent algorithm of control system of computing network nodes operation. Network PCs is used as computing nodes. The proposed multi-agent control system for the implementation of distributed computing allows in a short time to organize using of the processing power of computers any existing network to solve large-task by creating a distributed computing. Agents based on a computer network can: configure a distributed computing system; to distribute the computational load among computers operated agents; perform optimization distributed computing system according to the computing power of computers on the network. The number of computers connected to the network can be increased by connecting computers to the new computer system, which leads to an increase in overall processing power. Adding multi-agent system in the central agent increases the security of distributed computing. This organization of the distributed computing system reduces the problem solving time and increase fault tolerance (vitality) of computing processes in a changing computing environment (dynamic change of the number of computers on the network). Developed a multi-agent system detects cases of falsification of the results of a distributed system, which may lead to wrong decisions. In addition, the system checks and corrects wrong results.

Prognostic significance of biomarkers (c-erbB-2, p53, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and DNA content) in salivary duct carcinoma.

PubMed

Felix, A; El-Naggar, A K; Press, M F; Ordonez, N G; Fonseca, I; Tucker, S L; Luna, M A; Batsakis, J G

1996-06-01

Salivary duct carcinoma (SDC), a rare neoplasm of the major salivary glands, is a high-grade carcinoma with a predilection for elderly men. The authors investigated the prognostic role of p53, c-erbB2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and DNA flow cytometry in a pathobiological evaluation of a cohort of 30 patients with these neoplasms. The patient group comprised 24 men and 6 women, with ages ranging from 22 to 87 years (mean = 61 years). Twenty-eight tumors were located in the parotid gland and two in the submandibular gland. Tumor size ranged from 1.0 to 8.0 cm (mean = 3.48 cm). Regional metastases were found in 73.3% (22 patients), systemic metastases in 43.3% (13 patients), and recurrences in 8 (26.6%) patients. DNA aneuploidy was found in 18 tumors (58.0%) and DNA diploidy in 12 (42%), with proliferative fractions ranging from 8.60% to 15.5 (mean = 10.6%). p53 protein nuclear immunostaining was positive in 56.6% and c-erbB2 overexpression was observed in 63% of the tumors. PCNA positivity ranged from 16.5% to 91.0%, with a mean of 49.5%. p53 immunopositivity, DNA aneuploidy, high growth, and proliferative fractions by PCNA and flow cytometry did not correlate with patient outcome. These results indicate that tumor size (P = .05), distant metastasis (P = .006), and C-erbB2 amplification (P = .04) are independent prognostic parameters in patients with salivary duct carcinoma.

Adaptive Impact-Driven Detection of Silent Data Corruption for HPC Applications

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

Di, Sheng; Cappello, Franck

For exascale HPC applications, silent data corruption (SDC) is one of the most dangerous problems because there is no indication that there are errors during the execution. We propose an adaptive impact-driven method that can detect SDCs dynamically. The key contributions are threefold. (1) We carefully characterize 18 real-world HPC applications and discuss the runtime data features, as well as the impact of the SDCs on their execution results. (2) We propose an impact-driven detection model that does not blindly improve the prediction accuracy, but instead detects only influential SDCs to guarantee user-acceptable execution results. (3) Our solution can adaptmore » to dynamic prediction errors based on local runtime data and can automatically tune detection ranges for guaranteeing low false alarms. Experiments show that our detector can detect 80-99.99% of SDCs with a false alarm rate less that 1% of iterations for most cases. The memory cost and detection overhead are reduced to 15% and 6.3%, respectively, for a large majority of applications.« less

Multiphysics Engineering Analysis for an Integrated Design of ITER Diagnostic First Wall and Diagnostic Shield Module Design

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

Zhai, Y.; Loesser, G.; Smith, M.

ITER diagnostic first walls (DFWs) and diagnostic shield modules (DSMs) inside the port plugs (PPs) are designed to protect diagnostic instrument and components from a harsh plasma environment and provide structural support while allowing for diagnostic access to the plasma. The design of DFWs and DSMs are driven by 1) plasma radiation and nuclear heating during normal operation 2) electromagnetic loads during plasma events and associate component structural responses. A multi-physics engineering analysis protocol for the design has been established at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and it was used for the design of ITER DFWs and DSMs. The analyses weremore » performed to address challenging design issues based on resultant stresses and deflections of the DFW-DSM-PP assembly for the main load cases. ITER Structural Design Criteria for In-Vessel Components (SDC-IC) required for design by analysis and three major issues driving the mechanical design of ITER DFWs are discussed. The general guidelines for the DSM design have been established as a result of design parametric studies.« less

Further Progress Applying the Generalized Wigner Distribution to Analysis of Vicinal Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Einstein, T. L.; Richards, Howard L.; Cohen, S. D.

2001-03-01

Terrace width distributions (TWDs) can be well fit by the generalized Wigner distribution (GWD), generally better than by conventional Gaussians, and thus offers a convenient way to estimate the dimensionless elastic repulsion strength tildeA from σ^2, the TWD variance.(T.L. Einstein and O. Pierre-Louis, Surface Sci. 424), L299 (1999) The GWD σ^2 accurately reproduces values for the two exactly soluble cases at small tildeA and in the asymptotic limit. Taxing numerical simulations show that the GWD σ^2 interpolates well between these limits. Extensive applications have been made to experimental data, esp. on Cu.(M. Giesen and T.L. Einstein, Surface Sci. 449), 191 (2000) Recommended analysis procedures are catalogued.(H.L. Richards, S.D. Cohen, TLE, & M. Giesen, Surf Sci 453), 59 (2000) Extensions of the GWD for multistep distributions are tested, with good agreement for second-neighbor distributions, less good for third.(TLE, HLR, SDC, & OP-L, Proc ISSI-PDSC2000, cond-mat/0012xxxxx) Alternatively, step-step correlation functions, about which there is more theoretical information, should be measured.

Dark matter and baryogenesis in the Fermi-bounce curvaton mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Addazi, Andrea; Alexander, Stephon; Cai, Yi-Fu; Marcianò, Antonino

2018-05-01

We elaborate on a toy model of matter bounce, in which the matter content is constituted by two fermion species endowed with four fermion interaction terms. We describe the curvaton mechanism that is thus generated, and then argue that one of the two fermionic species may realize baryogenesis, while the other (lighter) one is compatible with constraints on extra hot dark matter particles. The work of AA was partially supported during this collaboration by the MIUR research grant Theoretical Astroparticle Physics PRIN 2012CPPYP7 and by SdC Progetto speciale Multiasse La Società della Conoscenza in Abruzzo PO FSE Abruzzo 2007-2013. The work of YFC is supported in part by the Chinese National Youth Thousand Talents Program (KJ2030220006), by the USTC start-up funding (KY2030000049), by the NSFC (11421303, 11653002), and by the Fund for Fostering Talents in Basic Science of the NSFC (J1310021). AM wishes to acknowledge support by the Shanghai Municipality, through the grant No. KBH1512299, and by Fudan University, through the grant No. JJH1512105

A phase II study of sorafenib in recurrent and/or metastatic salivary gland carcinomas: Translational analyses and clinical impact.

PubMed

Locati, L D; Perrone, F; Cortelazzi, B; Bergamini, C; Bossi, P; Civelli, E; Morosi, C; Lo Vullo, S; Imbimbo, M; Quattrone, P; Dagrada, G P; Granata, R; Resteghini, C; Mirabile, A; Alfieri, S; Orlandi, E; Mariani, L; Saibene, G; Pilotti, S; Licitra, L

2016-12-01

Pre-clinical and clinical evidence suggests a rationale for the use of anti-angiogenic agents, including sorafenib, in recurrent and/or metastatic salivary gland carcinomas (RMSGCs). This study evaluates the activity of sorafenib in patients with RMSGCs and also investigates whether the activity of sorafenib could be related to its main tailored targets (i.e. BRAF, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 [VEGFR2], platelet-derived growth factor receptor α [PDGFRα] and β, RET, KIT). Patients received sorafenib at 400 mg BID. The primary end-point was response rate (RR) including complete response or partial response (PR); secondary end-points included RR according to Choi criteria, disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). Thirty-seven patients (19 adenoid cystic cancers, ACC) were enrolled. Six PRs were recorded. RR was 16% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 6-32; 11% in ACC and 22% in non-ACC). Choi criteria could be applied in 30 out of 37 cases with a RR of 50% (95% CI: 31-69%); DCR was 76% (95% CI: 59-88%). Incidence of ≥G3 adverse events was 29.7%. Median PFS and OS for the entire population were 5.9 months and 23.4 months, respectively. Median PFS and OS were 8.9 and 26.4 months for ACC versus 4.2 and 12.3 months for non-ACC patients. All the cases showed expression of PDGFRβ in the stroma and VEGFR2 in endothelial cells; PDGFRα positivity was found in the stroma of four (27%) cases. All except for two cases showed no PDGFRβ, VEGFR2 and PDGFRα expression in the tumour cells. KIT expression was restricted to ACC and a weak RET expression was limited to one adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified (NOS). No BRAF mutation was found. No correlation was observed between the sorafenib activity and the expression of its markers although all six responders (two ACC, one adenocarcinoma, NOS, one salivary duct cancer [SDC], one high-grade mucoepidermoid [HG-MEC] and one poorly-differentiated cancer) are enriched in the stromal component showing a PDGFRβ immunodecoration. In ACCs, immunohistochemistry revealed MYB protein expression in 15/16 cases (94%) and the MYB-NFIB fusion oncogene was observed in 9/14 (64%). Sorafenib is the first anti-angiogenic agent to demonstrate activity in RMSGC patients, particularly in some histotypes such as HG-MEC, SDC and adenocarcinoma, NOS. The PDGFRβ-positive rich stromal component characterising these histotypes and the lack of correlation between the activity of sorafenib and its targets suggests anti-angiogenic effect as the prevalent mechanism of action of sorafenib in SGCs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When does a physical system compute?

PubMed

Horsman, Clare; Stepney, Susan; Wagner, Rob C; Kendon, Viv

2014-09-08

Computing is a high-level process of a physical system. Recent interest in non-standard computing systems, including quantum and biological computers, has brought this physical basis of computing to the forefront. There has been, however, no consensus on how to tell if a given physical system is acting as a computer or not; leading to confusion over novel computational devices, and even claims that every physical event is a computation. In this paper, we introduce a formal framework that can be used to determine whether a physical system is performing a computation. We demonstrate how the abstract computational level interacts with the physical device level, in comparison with the use of mathematical models in experimental science. This powerful formulation allows a precise description of experiments, technology, computation and simulation, giving our central conclusion: physical computing is the use of a physical system to predict the outcome of an abstract evolution . We give conditions for computing, illustrated using a range of non-standard computing scenarios. The framework also covers broader computing contexts, where there is no obvious human computer user. We introduce the notion of a 'computational entity', and its critical role in defining when computing is taking place in physical systems.

When does a physical system compute?

PubMed Central

Horsman, Clare; Stepney, Susan; Wagner, Rob C.; Kendon, Viv

2014-01-01

Computing is a high-level process of a physical system. Recent interest in non-standard computing systems, including quantum and biological computers, has brought this physical basis of computing to the forefront. There has been, however, no consensus on how to tell if a given physical system is acting as a computer or not; leading to confusion over novel computational devices, and even claims that every physical event is a computation. In this paper, we introduce a formal framework that can be used to determine whether a physical system is performing a computation. We demonstrate how the abstract computational level interacts with the physical device level, in comparison with the use of mathematical models in experimental science. This powerful formulation allows a precise description of experiments, technology, computation and simulation, giving our central conclusion: physical computing is the use of a physical system to predict the outcome of an abstract evolution. We give conditions for computing, illustrated using a range of non-standard computing scenarios. The framework also covers broader computing contexts, where there is no obvious human computer user. We introduce the notion of a ‘computational entity’, and its critical role in defining when computing is taking place in physical systems. PMID:25197245

High-Performance Computing Systems and Operations | Computational Science |

Science.gov Websites

NREL Systems and Operations High-Performance Computing Systems and Operations NREL operates high-performance computing (HPC) systems dedicated to advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Capabilities NREL's HPC capabilities include: High-Performance Computing Systems We operate

Non-developmental item computer systems and the malicious software threat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bown, Rodney L.

1991-01-01

The following subject areas are covered: a DOD development system - the Army Secure Operating System; non-development commercial computer systems; security, integrity, and assurance of service (SI and A); post delivery SI and A and malicious software; computer system unique attributes; positive feedback to commercial computer systems vendors; and NDI (Non-Development Item) computers and software safety.

High Technology Engineering Services, Inc. fiscal year 1993 and 1994 research and development report

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

NONE

This document has been prepared by the Professional Staff of High Technology Engineering Services, Inc. (HTES) for fiscal year (FY) 1993. Work was performed for various aspects of mechanical design and analysis, materials development and properties quantification, nuclear environment performance, and engineering program prioritization. The tasks enumerated in the subcontract, attachment B are: 1. Assist in preparation of final R&D report for SDC detector development. 2. Subcontractor shall make contributions to the development of innovative processes for the manufacture of quasi- isotropic, enhanced thermal conductivity compression molded advanced composite materials. 3. Perform finite element analysis as it relates to themore » Superconducting Super Collider Silicon Tracking System, both mechanical and thermal, of very thin section advanced composite materials. 4. Subcontractor shall perform technical studies, reviews, and assessments of the current program for advanced composites materials processing and testing. 5. Subcontractor shall attend meetings and discussions as directed by MEE-12 technical representative. Unfortunately during the course of FY93, technical and financial challenges prevailed against the aggressive goals set for the program. In point of fact, less than 25% of the contract value was able to be expended due to technical delays and programmatic funding cuts. Also, contracting difficulties with the SSC Lab and financial burdens at Los Alamos totally stopped progress on the subject subcontract during the whole of FY94. This was a great blow to me and the HTES, Inc. technical staff. Despite the negative influences over the years, significant progress was made in materials properties quantification and development of essential research and development documentation. The following brief report and attendant appendices will address these achievements.« less

Manual muscle testing and hand-held dynamometry in people with inflammatory myopathy: An intra- and interrater reliability and validity study

PubMed Central

Baschung Pfister, Pierrette; Sterkele, Iris; Maurer, Britta; de Bie, Rob A.; Knols, Ruud H.

2018-01-01

Manual muscle testing (MMT) and hand-held dynamometry (HHD) are commonly used in people with inflammatory myopathy (IM), but their clinimetric properties have not yet been sufficiently studied. To evaluate the reliability and validity of MMT and HHD, maximum isometric strength was measured in eight muscle groups across three measurement events. To evaluate reliability of HHD, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), the standard error of measurements (SEM) and smallest detectable changes (SDC) were calculated. To measure reliability of MMT linear Cohen`s Kappa was computed for single muscle groups and ICC for total score. Additionally, correlations between MMT8 and HHD were evaluated with Spearman Correlation Coefficients. Fifty people with myositis (56±14 years, 76% female) were included in the study. Intra-and interrater reliability of HHD yielded excellent ICCs (0.75–0.97) for all muscle groups, except for interrater reliability of ankle extension (0.61). The corresponding SEMs% ranged from 8 to 28% and the SDCs% from 23 to 65%. MMT8 total score revealed excellent intra-and interrater reliability (ICC>0.9). Intrarater reliability of single muscle groups was substantial for shoulder and hip abduction, elbow and neck flexion, and hip extension (0.64–0.69); moderate for wrist (0.53) and knee extension (0.49) and fair for ankle extension (0.35). Interrater reliability was moderate for neck flexion (0.54) and hip abduction (0.44); fair for shoulder abduction, elbow flexion, wrist and ankle extension (0.20–0.33); and slight for knee extension (0.08). Correlations between the two tests were low for wrist, knee, ankle, and hip extension; moderate for elbow flexion, neck flexion and hip abduction; and good for shoulder abduction. In conclusion, the MMT8 total score is a reliable assessment to consider general muscle weakness in people with myositis but not for single muscle groups. In contrast, our results confirm that HHD can be recommended to evaluate strength of single muscle groups. PMID:29596450

Small Universal Bacteria and Plasmid Computing Systems.

PubMed

Wang, Xun; Zheng, Pan; Ma, Tongmao; Song, Tao

2018-05-29

Bacterial computing is a known candidate in natural computing, the aim being to construct "bacterial computers" for solving complex problems. In this paper, a new kind of bacterial computing system, named the bacteria and plasmid computing system (BP system), is proposed. We investigate the computational power of BP systems with finite numbers of bacteria and plasmids. Specifically, it is obtained in a constructive way that a BP system with 2 bacteria and 34 plasmids is Turing universal. The results provide a theoretical cornerstone to construct powerful bacterial computers and demonstrate a concept of paradigms using a "reasonable" number of bacteria and plasmids for such devices.

Methodical and technological aspects of creation of interactive computer learning systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vishtak, N. M.; Frolov, D. A.

2017-01-01

The article presents a methodology for the development of an interactive computer training system for training power plant. The methods used in the work are a generalization of the content of scientific and methodological sources on the use of computer-based training systems in vocational education, methods of system analysis, methods of structural and object-oriented modeling of information systems. The relevance of the development of the interactive computer training systems in the preparation of the personnel in the conditions of the educational and training centers is proved. Development stages of the computer training systems are allocated, factors of efficient use of the interactive computer training system are analysed. The algorithm of work performance at each development stage of the interactive computer training system that enables one to optimize time, financial and labor expenditure on the creation of the interactive computer training system is offered.

Feasibility of Executing MIMS on Interdata 80.

DTIC Science & Technology

CDC 6500 computers, CDC 6600 computers, MIMS(Medical Information Management System ), Medical information management system , File structures, Computer...storage managementThe report examines the feasibility of implementing large information management system on mini-computers. The Medical Information ... Management System and the Interdata 80 mini-computer were selected as being representative systems. The FORTRAN programs currently being used in MIMS

Commonsense System Pricing; Or, How Much Will that $1,200 Computer Really Cost?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Walt

1984-01-01

Three methods employed to price and sell computer equipment are discussed: computer pricing, hardware pricing, system pricing (system includes complete computer and support hardware system and relatively complete software package). Advantages of system pricing are detailed, the author's system is described, and 10 systems currently available are…

A Model-based Framework for Risk Assessment in Human-Computer Controlled Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hatanaka, Iwao

2000-01-01

The rapid growth of computer technology and innovation has played a significant role in the rise of computer automation of human tasks in modem production systems across all industries. Although the rationale for automation has been to eliminate "human error" or to relieve humans from manual repetitive tasks, various computer-related hazards and accidents have emerged as a direct result of increased system complexity attributed to computer automation. The risk assessment techniques utilized for electromechanical systems are not suitable for today's software-intensive systems or complex human-computer controlled systems. This thesis will propose a new systemic model-based framework for analyzing risk in safety-critical systems where both computers and humans are controlling safety-critical functions. A new systems accident model will be developed based upon modem systems theory and human cognitive processes to better characterize system accidents, the role of human operators, and the influence of software in its direct control of significant system functions. Better risk assessments will then be achievable through the application of this new framework to complex human-computer controlled systems.

Safety Metrics for Human-Computer Controlled Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leveson, Nancy G; Hatanaka, Iwao

2000-01-01

The rapid growth of computer technology and innovation has played a significant role in the rise of computer automation of human tasks in modem production systems across all industries. Although the rationale for automation has been to eliminate "human error" or to relieve humans from manual repetitive tasks, various computer-related hazards and accidents have emerged as a direct result of increased system complexity attributed to computer automation. The risk assessment techniques utilized for electromechanical systems are not suitable for today's software-intensive systems or complex human-computer controlled systems.This thesis will propose a new systemic model-based framework for analyzing risk in safety-critical systems where both computers and humans are controlling safety-critical functions. A new systems accident model will be developed based upon modem systems theory and human cognitive processes to better characterize system accidents, the role of human operators, and the influence of software in its direct control of significant system functions Better risk assessments will then be achievable through the application of this new framework to complex human-computer controlled systems.

Current state and future direction of computer systems at NASA Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, James L. (Editor); Tucker, Jerry H. (Editor)

1992-01-01

Computer systems have advanced at a rate unmatched by any other area of technology. As performance has dramatically increased there has been an equally dramatic reduction in cost. This constant cost performance improvement has precipitated the pervasiveness of computer systems into virtually all areas of technology. This improvement is due primarily to advances in microelectronics. Most people are now convinced that the new generation of supercomputers will be built using a large number (possibly thousands) of high performance microprocessors. Although the spectacular improvements in computer systems have come about because of these hardware advances, there has also been a steady improvement in software techniques. In an effort to understand how these hardware and software advances will effect research at NASA LaRC, the Computer Systems Technical Committee drafted this white paper to examine the current state and possible future directions of computer systems at the Center. This paper discusses selected important areas of computer systems including real-time systems, embedded systems, high performance computing, distributed computing networks, data acquisition systems, artificial intelligence, and visualization.

Noise tolerant spatiotemporal chaos computing.

PubMed

Kia, Behnam; Kia, Sarvenaz; Lindner, John F; Sinha, Sudeshna; Ditto, William L

2014-12-01

We introduce and design a noise tolerant chaos computing system based on a coupled map lattice (CML) and the noise reduction capabilities inherent in coupled dynamical systems. The resulting spatiotemporal chaos computing system is more robust to noise than a single map chaos computing system. In this CML based approach to computing, under the coupled dynamics, the local noise from different nodes of the lattice diffuses across the lattice, and it attenuates each other's effects, resulting in a system with less noise content and a more robust chaos computing architecture.

Noise tolerant spatiotemporal chaos computing

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

Kia, Behnam; Kia, Sarvenaz; Ditto, William L.

We introduce and design a noise tolerant chaos computing system based on a coupled map lattice (CML) and the noise reduction capabilities inherent in coupled dynamical systems. The resulting spatiotemporal chaos computing system is more robust to noise than a single map chaos computing system. In this CML based approach to computing, under the coupled dynamics, the local noise from different nodes of the lattice diffuses across the lattice, and it attenuates each other's effects, resulting in a system with less noise content and a more robust chaos computing architecture.

10 CFR 35.457 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.457 Section 35.457... Therapy-related computer systems. The licensee shall perform acceptance testing on the treatment planning system of therapy-related computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally...

10 CFR 35.457 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.457 Section 35.457... Therapy-related computer systems. The licensee shall perform acceptance testing on the treatment planning system of therapy-related computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally...

10 CFR 35.457 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.457 Section 35.457... Therapy-related computer systems. The licensee shall perform acceptance testing on the treatment planning system of therapy-related computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally...

10 CFR 35.457 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.457 Section 35.457... Therapy-related computer systems. The licensee shall perform acceptance testing on the treatment planning system of therapy-related computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally...

10 CFR 35.457 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.457 Section 35.457... Therapy-related computer systems. The licensee shall perform acceptance testing on the treatment planning system of therapy-related computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally...

The liquid biodiesel extracted from pranajiwa (Sterculia Foetida) seeds as fuel for direct biofuel-solid oxide fuel cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmawati, Fitria; Syahputra, Rahmat J. E.; Yuniastuti, Endang; Prameswari, Arum P.; Nurcahyo, I. F.

2017-03-01

This research applied the liquid biodiesel extracted from Pranajiwa seeds (biodiesel-p) as fuel in Intermediate Temperature-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, IT-SOFC, with an operational temperature of 400 - 600°C. FTIR analysis of the liquid biodiesel found that the liquid consist of some functional groups. By comparing the spectrum with the commercial biosolar as produced by Pertamina, Indonesia, it is found that there are differenet peaks at a wavenumber of 3472.98; 1872.00; and 724.30 cm-1. It indicates the presence of alcoholo molecules. Composite of Samarium doped-Ceria, SDC, with sodium carbonate, NaCO3, was used as the electrolyte, and it is named as NSDC. Meanwhile, the composite of NSDC with catalyst powder of LNC, producing NSDC-L was used as a cathode and as an anode. The liquid fuel vapourized at 150 °C before come into the fuel cell, and it was reformed inside the fuel cell tube which was set up at 400, 500, and 600 °C. The measurement found that the highest Open Circuite Voltage is 0.57 volt and the power density of 1.7 mW.cm-2 at 500 °C.

Loss of cell invasiveness through PKC-mediated syndecan-1 downregulation in melanoma cells under anchorage independency.

PubMed

Wang, ChiaChen; Tseng, TingTing; Jhang, Yaoyun; Tseng, JenChih; Hsieh, ChiaoHui; Wu, Wen-guey; Lee, ShaoChen

2014-11-01

Anchorage-independent survival is one of the key features for malignant tumor cells. Whether specific gene alterations contributed by anchorage independency would further affect metastatic phenotypes of melanoma cells was unclear. We adapted suspension culture of melanoma cells to establish anchorage independency. The suspended melanoma cells lost their invasive abilities in vitro. Specific loss of laminin-binding ability in suspended melanoma cells was observed, which was correlated with downregulation of syndecan-1 as revealed by microarray and validated by qPCR and Western blot. Modulation of syndecan-1 expression level affected laminin binding, transwell migration and matrix metalloproteinase-2 secretion in melanoma cells. SDC1 expression and transwell migration were correlated with activity or level of protein kinase Cδ as evidence by specific inhibitors and shRNA transfection. In this study, we compared metastatic phenotypes and gene expressions of adherent and suspended melanoma cells. The anchorage independency led to protein kinase Cδ-mediated syndecan-1 downregulation, which contributed to loss of laminin-binding ability, reduced metalloproteinase-2 secretion and loss of invasiveness. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stability study of cermet-supported solid oxide fuel cells with bi-layered electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xinge; Gazzarri, Javier; Robertson, Mark; Decès-Petit, Cyrille; Kesler, Olivera

Performance and stability of five cermet-supported button-type solid oxide fuel cells featuring a bi-layered electrolyte (SSZ/SDC), an SSC cathode, and a Ni-SSZ anode, were analyzed using polarization curves, impedance spectroscopy, and post-mortem SEM observation. The cell performance degradation at 650 °C in H 2/air both with and without DC bias conditions was manifested primarily as an increase in polarization resistance, approximately at a rate of 2.3 mΩ cm 2 h -1 at OCV, suggesting a decrease in electrochemical kinetics as the main phenomenon responsible for the performance decay. In addition, the initial series resistance was about ten times higher than the calculated resistance corresponding to the electrolyte, reflecting a possible inter-reaction between the electrolyte layers that occurred during the sintering stage. In situ and ex situ sintered cathodes showed no obvious difference in cell performance or decay rate. The stability of the cells with and without electrical load was also investigated and no significant influence of DC bias was recorded. Based on the experimental results presented, we preliminarily attribute the performance degradation to electrochemical and microstructural degradation of the cathode.

The development and testing of the thermal break divertor monoblock target design delivering 20 MW m-2 heat load capability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fursdon, M.; Barrett, T.; Domptail, F.; Evans, Ll M.; Luzginova, N.; Greuner, N. H.; You, J.-H.; Li, M.; Richou, M.; Gallay, F.; Visca, E.

2017-12-01

The design and development of a novel plasma facing component (for fusion power plants) is described. The component uses the existing ‘monoblock’ construction which consists of a tungsten ‘block’ joined via a copper interlayer to a through CuCrZr cooling pipe. In the new concept the interlayer stiffness and conductivity properties are tuned so that stress in the principal structural element of the component (the cooling pipe) is reduced. Following initial trials with off-the-shelf materials, the concept was realized by machined features in an otherwise solid copper interlayer. The shape and distribution of the features were tuned by finite element analyses subject to ITER structural design criterion in-vessel components (SDC-IC) design rules. Proof of concept mock-ups were manufactured using a two stage brazing process verified by tomography and micrographic inspection. Full assemblies were inspected using ultrasound and thermographic (SATIR) test methods at ENEA and CEA respectively. High heat flux tests using IPP’s GLADIS facility showed that 200 cycles at 20 MW m-2 and five cycles at 25 MW m-2 could be sustained without apparent component damage. Further testing and component development is planned.

Composite electrolyte with proton conductivity for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell

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

Raza, Rizwan, E-mail: razahussaini786@gmail.com; Department of Energy Technology, Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, Stockholm 10044; Ahmed, Akhlaq

In the present work, cost-effective nanocomposite electrolyte (Ba-SDC) oxide is developed for efficient low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFCs). Analysis has shown that dual phase conduction of O{sup −2} (oxygen ions) and H{sup +} (protons) plays a significant role in the development of advanced LTSOFCs. Comparatively high proton ion conductivity (0.19 s/cm) for LTSOFCs was achieved at low temperature (460 °C). In this article, the ionic conduction behaviour of LTSOFCs is explained by carrying out electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. Further, the phase and structure analysis are investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Finally, we achieved an ionic transport numbermore » of the composite electrolyte for LTSOFCs as high as 0.95 and energy and power density of 90% and 550 mW/cm{sup 2}, respectively, after sintering the composite electrolyte at 800 °C for 4 h, which is promising. Our current effort toward the development of an efficient, green, low-temperature solid oxide fuel cell with the incorporation of high proton conductivity composite electrolyte may open frontiers in the fields of energy and fuel cell technology.« less

Advanced information processing system: Local system services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burkhardt, Laura; Alger, Linda; Whittredge, Roy; Stasiowski, Peter

1989-01-01

The Advanced Information Processing System (AIPS) is a multi-computer architecture composed of hardware and software building blocks that can be configured to meet a broad range of application requirements. The hardware building blocks are fault-tolerant, general-purpose computers, fault-and damage-tolerant networks (both computer and input/output), and interfaces between the networks and the computers. The software building blocks are the major software functions: local system services, input/output, system services, inter-computer system services, and the system manager. The foundation of the local system services is an operating system with the functions required for a traditional real-time multi-tasking computer, such as task scheduling, inter-task communication, memory management, interrupt handling, and time maintenance. Resting on this foundation are the redundancy management functions necessary in a redundant computer and the status reporting functions required for an operator interface. The functional requirements, functional design and detailed specifications for all the local system services are documented.

ABSENTEE COMPUTATIONS IN A MULTIPLE-ACCESS COMPUTER SYSTEM.

DTIC Science & Technology

require user interaction, and the user may therefore want to run these computations ’ absentee ’ (or, user not present). A mechanism is presented which...provides for the handling of absentee computations in a multiple-access computer system. The design is intended to be implementation-independent...Some novel features of the system’s design are: a user can switch computations from interactive to absentee (and vice versa), the system can

Biocellion: accelerating computer simulation of multicellular biological system models

PubMed Central

Kang, Seunghwa; Kahan, Simon; McDermott, Jason; Flann, Nicholas; Shmulevich, Ilya

2014-01-01

Motivation: Biological system behaviors are often the outcome of complex interactions among a large number of cells and their biotic and abiotic environment. Computational biologists attempt to understand, predict and manipulate biological system behavior through mathematical modeling and computer simulation. Discrete agent-based modeling (in combination with high-resolution grids to model the extracellular environment) is a popular approach for building biological system models. However, the computational complexity of this approach forces computational biologists to resort to coarser resolution approaches to simulate large biological systems. High-performance parallel computers have the potential to address the computing challenge, but writing efficient software for parallel computers is difficult and time-consuming. Results: We have developed Biocellion, a high-performance software framework, to solve this computing challenge using parallel computers. To support a wide range of multicellular biological system models, Biocellion asks users to provide their model specifics by filling the function body of pre-defined model routines. Using Biocellion, modelers without parallel computing expertise can efficiently exploit parallel computers with less effort than writing sequential programs from scratch. We simulate cell sorting, microbial patterning and a bacterial system in soil aggregate as case studies. Availability and implementation: Biocellion runs on x86 compatible systems with the 64 bit Linux operating system and is freely available for academic use. Visit http://biocellion.com for additional information. Contact: seunghwa.kang@pnnl.gov PMID:25064572

On the Computational Power of Spiking Neural P Systems with Self-Organization.

PubMed

Wang, Xun; Song, Tao; Gong, Faming; Zheng, Pan

2016-06-10

Neural-like computing models are versatile computing mechanisms in the field of artificial intelligence. Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems for short) are one of the recently developed spiking neural network models inspired by the way neurons communicate. The communications among neurons are essentially achieved by spikes, i. e. short electrical pulses. In terms of motivation, SN P systems fall into the third generation of neural network models. In this study, a novel variant of SN P systems, namely SN P systems with self-organization, is introduced, and the computational power of the system is investigated and evaluated. It is proved that SN P systems with self-organization are capable of computing and accept the family of sets of Turing computable natural numbers. Moreover, with 87 neurons the system can compute any Turing computable recursive function, thus achieves Turing universality. These results demonstrate promising initiatives to solve an open problem arisen by Gh Păun.

On the Computational Power of Spiking Neural P Systems with Self-Organization

PubMed Central

Wang, Xun; Song, Tao; Gong, Faming; Zheng, Pan

2016-01-01

Neural-like computing models are versatile computing mechanisms in the field of artificial intelligence. Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems for short) are one of the recently developed spiking neural network models inspired by the way neurons communicate. The communications among neurons are essentially achieved by spikes, i. e. short electrical pulses. In terms of motivation, SN P systems fall into the third generation of neural network models. In this study, a novel variant of SN P systems, namely SN P systems with self-organization, is introduced, and the computational power of the system is investigated and evaluated. It is proved that SN P systems with self-organization are capable of computing and accept the family of sets of Turing computable natural numbers. Moreover, with 87 neurons the system can compute any Turing computable recursive function, thus achieves Turing universality. These results demonstrate promising initiatives to solve an open problem arisen by Gh Păun. PMID:27283843

On the Computational Power of Spiking Neural P Systems with Self-Organization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xun; Song, Tao; Gong, Faming; Zheng, Pan

2016-06-01

Neural-like computing models are versatile computing mechanisms in the field of artificial intelligence. Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems for short) are one of the recently developed spiking neural network models inspired by the way neurons communicate. The communications among neurons are essentially achieved by spikes, i. e. short electrical pulses. In terms of motivation, SN P systems fall into the third generation of neural network models. In this study, a novel variant of SN P systems, namely SN P systems with self-organization, is introduced, and the computational power of the system is investigated and evaluated. It is proved that SN P systems with self-organization are capable of computing and accept the family of sets of Turing computable natural numbers. Moreover, with 87 neurons the system can compute any Turing computable recursive function, thus achieves Turing universality. These results demonstrate promising initiatives to solve an open problem arisen by Gh Păun.

Optimum spaceborne computer system design by simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, T.; Kerner, H.; Weatherbee, J. E.; Taylor, D. S.; Hodges, B.

1973-01-01

A deterministic simulator is described which models the Automatically Reconfigurable Modular Multiprocessor System (ARMMS), a candidate computer system for future manned and unmanned space missions. Its use as a tool to study and determine the minimum computer system configuration necessary to satisfy the on-board computational requirements of a typical mission is presented. The paper describes how the computer system configuration is determined in order to satisfy the data processing demand of the various shuttle booster subsytems. The configuration which is developed as a result of studies with the simulator is optimal with respect to the efficient use of computer system resources.

Cluster Computing for Embedded/Real-Time Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katz, D.; Kepner, J.

1999-01-01

Embedded and real-time systems, like other computing systems, seek to maximize computing power for a given price, and thus can significantly benefit from the advancing capabilities of cluster computing.

Systems analysis of the space shuttle. [communication systems, computer systems, and power distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schilling, D. L.; Oh, S. J.; Thau, F.

1975-01-01

Developments in communications systems, computer systems, and power distribution systems for the space shuttle are described. The use of high speed delta modulation for bit rate compression in the transmission of television signals is discussed. Simultaneous Multiprocessor Organization, an approach to computer organization, is presented. Methods of computer simulation and automatic malfunction detection for the shuttle power distribution system are also described.

System-wide power management control via clock distribution network

DOEpatents

Coteus, Paul W.; Gara, Alan; Gooding, Thomas M.; Haring, Rudolf A.; Kopcsay, Gerard V.; Liebsch, Thomas A.; Reed, Don D.

2015-05-19

An apparatus, method and computer program product for automatically controlling power dissipation of a parallel computing system that includes a plurality of processors. A computing device issues a command to the parallel computing system. A clock pulse-width modulator encodes the command in a system clock signal to be distributed to the plurality of processors. The plurality of processors in the parallel computing system receive the system clock signal including the encoded command, and adjusts power dissipation according to the encoded command.

RASCAL: A Rudimentary Adaptive System for Computer-Aided Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, John Christopher

Both the background of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) systems in general and the requirements of a computer-aided learning system which would be a reasonable assistant to a teacher are discussed. RASCAL (Rudimentary Adaptive System for Computer-Aided Learning) is a first attempt at defining a CAI system which would individualize the learning…

Computer system for definition of the quantitative geometry of musculature from CT images.

PubMed

Daniel, Matej; Iglic, Ales; Kralj-Iglic, Veronika; Konvicková, Svatava

2005-02-01

The computer system for quantitative determination of musculoskeletal geometry from computer tomography (CT) images has been developed. The computer system processes series of CT images to obtain three-dimensional (3D) model of bony structures where the effective muscle fibres can be interactively defined. Presented computer system has flexible modular structure and is suitable also for educational purposes.

Fault recovery for real-time, multi-tasking computer system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Richard (Inventor); Kelly, Gerald B. (Inventor); Rogers, Randy (Inventor); Stange, Kent A. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

System and methods for providing a recoverable real time multi-tasking computer system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system comprises a real time computing environment, wherein the real time computing environment is adapted to execute one or more applications and wherein each application is time and space partitioned. The system further comprises a fault detection system adapted to detect one or more faults affecting the real time computing environment and a fault recovery system, wherein upon the detection of a fault the fault recovery system is adapted to restore a backup set of state variables.

New computing systems, future computing environment, and their implications on structural analysis and design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, Ahmed K.; Housner, Jerrold M.

1993-01-01

Recent advances in computer technology that are likely to impact structural analysis and design of flight vehicles are reviewed. A brief summary is given of the advances in microelectronics, networking technologies, and in the user-interface hardware and software. The major features of new and projected computing systems, including high performance computers, parallel processing machines, and small systems, are described. Advances in programming environments, numerical algorithms, and computational strategies for new computing systems are reviewed. The impact of the advances in computer technology on structural analysis and the design of flight vehicles is described. A scenario for future computing paradigms is presented, and the near-term needs in the computational structures area are outlined.

Reducing power consumption during execution of an application on a plurality of compute nodes

DOEpatents

Archer, Charles J.; Blocksome, Michael A.; Peters, Amanda E.; Ratterman, Joseph D.; Smith, Brian E.

2013-09-10

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for reducing power consumption during execution of an application on a plurality of compute nodes that include: powering up, during compute node initialization, only a portion of computer memory of the compute node, including configuring an operating system for the compute node in the powered up portion of computer memory; receiving, by the operating system, an instruction to load an application for execution; allocating, by the operating system, additional portions of computer memory to the application for use during execution; powering up the additional portions of computer memory allocated for use by the application during execution; and loading, by the operating system, the application into the powered up additional portions of computer memory.

Mississippi Curriculum Framework for Computer Information Systems Technology. Computer Information Systems Technology (Program CIP: 52.1201--Management Information Systems & Business Data). Computer Programming (Program CIP: 52.1201). Network Support (Program CIP: 52.1290--Computer Network Support Technology). Postsecondary Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mississippi Research and Curriculum Unit for Vocational and Technical Education, State College.

This document, which is intended for use by community and junior colleges throughout Mississippi, contains curriculum frameworks for two programs in the state's postsecondary-level computer information systems technology cluster: computer programming and network support. Presented in the introduction are program descriptions and suggested course…

Biocellion: accelerating computer simulation of multicellular biological system models.

PubMed

Kang, Seunghwa; Kahan, Simon; McDermott, Jason; Flann, Nicholas; Shmulevich, Ilya

2014-11-01

Biological system behaviors are often the outcome of complex interactions among a large number of cells and their biotic and abiotic environment. Computational biologists attempt to understand, predict and manipulate biological system behavior through mathematical modeling and computer simulation. Discrete agent-based modeling (in combination with high-resolution grids to model the extracellular environment) is a popular approach for building biological system models. However, the computational complexity of this approach forces computational biologists to resort to coarser resolution approaches to simulate large biological systems. High-performance parallel computers have the potential to address the computing challenge, but writing efficient software for parallel computers is difficult and time-consuming. We have developed Biocellion, a high-performance software framework, to solve this computing challenge using parallel computers. To support a wide range of multicellular biological system models, Biocellion asks users to provide their model specifics by filling the function body of pre-defined model routines. Using Biocellion, modelers without parallel computing expertise can efficiently exploit parallel computers with less effort than writing sequential programs from scratch. We simulate cell sorting, microbial patterning and a bacterial system in soil aggregate as case studies. Biocellion runs on x86 compatible systems with the 64 bit Linux operating system and is freely available for academic use. Visit http://biocellion.com for additional information. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Concept of a Cloud Service for Data Preparation and Computational Control on Custom HPC Systems in Application to Molecular Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puzyrkov, Dmitry; Polyakov, Sergey; Podryga, Viktoriia; Markizov, Sergey

2018-02-01

At the present stage of computer technology development it is possible to study the properties and processes in complex systems at molecular and even atomic levels, for example, by means of molecular dynamics methods. The most interesting are problems related with the study of complex processes under real physical conditions. Solving such problems requires the use of high performance computing systems of various types, for example, GRID systems and HPC clusters. Considering the time consuming computational tasks, the need arises of software for automatic and unified monitoring of such computations. A complex computational task can be performed over different HPC systems. It requires output data synchronization between the storage chosen by a scientist and the HPC system used for computations. The design of the computational domain is also quite a problem. It requires complex software tools and algorithms for proper atomistic data generation on HPC systems. The paper describes the prototype of a cloud service, intended for design of atomistic systems of large volume for further detailed molecular dynamic calculations and computational management for this calculations, and presents the part of its concept aimed at initial data generation on the HPC systems.

Self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules in organic liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tung, Shih-Huang

2007-12-01

Amphiphilic molecules are well-known for their ability to self-assemble in water to form structures such as micelles and vesicles. In comparison, much less is known about amphiphilic self-assembly in nonpolar organic liquids. Such "reverse" self assembly can produce many of the counterparts to structures found in water. In this dissertation, we focus on the formation and dynamics of such reverse structures. We seek to obtain fundamental insight into the driving forces for reverse self-assembly processes. Three specific types of reverse structures are studied: (a) reverse wormlike micelles, i.e., long, flexible micellar chains; (b) reverse vesicles, i.e., hollow containers enclosed by reverse bilayers; and (c) organogel networks. While our focus is on the fundamentals, we note that reverse structures can be useful in a variety of applications ranging from drug delivery, controlled release, hosts for enzymatic reactions, and templates for nanomaterials synthesis. In the first part of this study, we describe a new route for forming reverse wormlike micelles in nonpolar organic liquids. This route involves the addition of trace amounts of a bile salt to solutions of the phospholipid, lecithin. We show that bile salts, due to their unique "facially amphiphilic" structure, can promote the aggregation of lecithin molecules into these reverse micellar chains. The resulting samples are viscoelastic and show interesting rheological properties. Unusual trends are seen in the temperature dependence of their rheology, which indicates the importance of hydrogen-bonding interactions in the formation of these micelles. Another remarkable feature of their rheology is the presence of strain-stiffening, where the material becomes stiffer at high deformations. Strain-stiffening has been seen before for elastic gels of biopolymers; here, we demonstrate the same properties for viscoelastic micellar solutions. The second reverse aggregate we deal with is the reverse vesicle. We present a new route for forming stable unilamellar reverse vesicles, and this involves mixing short- and long-chain lipids (lecithins) with a trace of sodium chloride. The ratio of the short to long-chain lipid controls the type and size of self-assembled structure formed, and as this ratio is increased, a transition from reverse micelles to vesicles occurs. The structural changes can be explained in terms of molecular geometry, with the sodium chloride acting as a "glue" in binding lipid headgroups together through electrostatic interactions. The final part of this dissertation focuses on organogels. The two-tailed anionic surfactant, AOT, is well-known to form spherical reverse micelles in organic solvents. We have found that trace amounts (e.g., less than 1 mM) of the dihydroxy bile salt, sodium deoxycholate (SDC) can transform these dilute micellar solutions into self-supporting, transparent organogels. The structure and rheology of these organogels is reminiscent of the self-assembled networks formed by proteins such as actin in water. The organogels are based on networks of long, rigid, cylindrical filaments, with SDC molecules stacked together in the filament core.

Computational System For Rapid CFD Analysis In Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barson, Steven L.; Ascoli, Edward P.; Decroix, Michelle E.; Sindir, Munir M.

1995-01-01

Computational system comprising modular hardware and software sub-systems developed to accelerate and facilitate use of techniques of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in engineering environment. Addresses integration of all aspects of CFD analysis process, including definition of hardware surfaces, generation of computational grids, CFD flow solution, and postprocessing. Incorporates interfaces for integration of all hardware and software tools needed to perform complete CFD analysis. Includes tools for efficient definition of flow geometry, generation of computational grids, computation of flows on grids, and postprocessing of flow data. System accepts geometric input from any of three basic sources: computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided engineering (CAE), or definition by user.

High-Performance Computing Data Center | Energy Systems Integration

Science.gov Websites

Facility | NREL High-Performance Computing Data Center High-Performance Computing Data Center The Energy Systems Integration Facility's High-Performance Computing Data Center is home to Peregrine -the largest high-performance computing system in the world exclusively dedicated to advancing

Impacts and Opportunities for Engineering in the Era of Cloud Computing Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-31

2012 UNCLASSIFIED 1 of 58 Impacts and Opportunities for Engineering in the Era of Cloud Computing Systems A Report to the U.S. Department...2.1.7 Engineering of Computational Behavior .............................................................18 2.2 How the Cloud Will Impact Systems...58 Executive Summary This report discusses the impact of cloud computing and the broader revolution in computing on systems, on the disciplines of

T-Check in System-of-Systems Technologies: Cloud Computing

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

T-Check in System-of-Systems Technologies: Cloud Computing Harrison D. Strowd Grace A. Lewis September 2010 TECHNICAL NOTE CMU/SEI-2010... Cloud Computing 1 1.2 Types of Cloud Computing 2 1.3 Drivers and Barriers to Cloud Computing Adoption 5 2 Using the T-Check Method 7 2.1 T-Check...Hypothesis 3 25 3.4.2 Deployment View of the Solution for Testing Hypothesis 3 27 3.5 Selecting Cloud Computing Providers 30 3.6 Implementing the T-Check

14 CFR 415.123 - Computing systems and software.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Computing systems and software. 415.123... Launch Vehicle From a Non-Federal Launch Site § 415.123 Computing systems and software. (a) An applicant's safety review document must describe all computing systems and software that perform a safety...

14 CFR 415.123 - Computing systems and software.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Computing systems and software. 415.123... Launch Vehicle From a Non-Federal Launch Site § 415.123 Computing systems and software. (a) An applicant's safety review document must describe all computing systems and software that perform a safety...

14 CFR 415.123 - Computing systems and software.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Computing systems and software. 415.123... Launch Vehicle From a Non-Federal Launch Site § 415.123 Computing systems and software. (a) An applicant's safety review document must describe all computing systems and software that perform a safety...

14 CFR 415.123 - Computing systems and software.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Computing systems and software. 415.123... Launch Vehicle From a Non-Federal Launch Site § 415.123 Computing systems and software. (a) An applicant's safety review document must describe all computing systems and software that perform a safety...

14 CFR 415.123 - Computing systems and software.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 4 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Computing systems and software. 415.123... Launch Vehicle From a Non-Federal Launch Site § 415.123 Computing systems and software. (a) An applicant's safety review document must describe all computing systems and software that perform a safety...

78 FR 18353 - Guidance for Industry: Blood Establishment Computer System Validation in the User's Facility...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-26

...; (Formerly FDA-2007D-0393)] Guidance for Industry: Blood Establishment Computer System Validation in the User... Industry: Blood Establishment Computer System Validation in the User's Facility'' dated April 2013. The... document entitled ``Guidance for Industry: Blood Establishment Computer System Validation in the User's...

Evaluation of Microcomputer-Based Operation and Maintenance Management Systems for Army Water/Wastewater Treatment Plant Operation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

COMPUTER-AIDED OPERATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ................. 29 Functions of an Off-Line Computer-Aided Operation Management System Applications of...System Comparisons 85 DISTRIBUTION 5V J. • 0. FIGURES Number Page 1 Hardware Components 21 2 Basic Functions of a Computer-Aided Operation Management System...Plant Visits 26 4 Computer-Aided Operation Management Systems Reviewed for Analysis of Basic Functions 29 5 Progress of Software System Installation and

Computer software.

PubMed

Rosenthal, L E

1986-10-01

Software is the component in a computer system that permits the hardware to perform the various functions that a computer system is capable of doing. The history of software and its development can be traced to the early nineteenth century. All computer systems are designed to utilize the "stored program concept" as first developed by Charles Babbage in the 1850s. The concept was lost until the mid-1940s, when modern computers made their appearance. Today, because of the complex and myriad tasks that a computer system can perform, there has been a differentiation of types of software. There is software designed to perform specific business applications. There is software that controls the overall operation of a computer system. And there is software that is designed to carry out specialized tasks. Regardless of types, software is the most critical component of any computer system. Without it, all one has is a collection of circuits, transistors, and silicone chips.

Models and techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of aircraft computing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, J. F.

1982-01-01

Models, measures, and techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of aircraft computing systems were developed. By "effectiveness" in this context we mean the extent to which the user, i.e., a commercial air carrier, may expect to benefit from the computational tasks accomplished by a computing system in the environment of an advanced commercial aircraft. Thus, the concept of effectiveness involves aspects of system performance, reliability, and worth (value, benefit) which are appropriately integrated in the process of evaluating system effectiveness. Specifically, the primary objectives are: the development of system models that provide a basis for the formulation and evaluation of aircraft computer system effectiveness, the formulation of quantitative measures of system effectiveness, and the development of analytic and simulation techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of a proposed or existing aircraft computer.

A new taxonomy for distributed computer systems based upon operating system structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.

1985-01-01

Characteristics of the resource structure found in the operating system are considered as a mechanism for classifying distributed computer systems. Since the operating system resources, themselves, are too diversified to provide a consistent classification, the structure upon which resources are built and shared are examined. The location and control character of this indivisibility provides the taxonomy for separating uniprocessors, computer networks, network computers (fully distributed processing systems or decentralized computers) and algorithm and/or data control multiprocessors. The taxonomy is important because it divides machines into a classification that is relevant or important to the client and not the hardware architect. It also defines the character of the kernel O/S structure needed for future computer systems. What constitutes an operating system for a fully distributed processor is discussed in detail.

From photons to big-data applications: terminating terabits

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Computer architectures have entered a watershed as the quantity of network data generated by user applications exceeds the data-processing capacity of any individual computer end-system. It will become impossible to scale existing computer systems while a gap grows between the quantity of networked data and the capacity for per system data processing. Despite this, the growth in demand in both task variety and task complexity continues unabated. Networked computer systems provide a fertile environment in which new applications develop. As networked computer systems become akin to infrastructure, any limitation upon the growth in capacity and capabilities becomes an important constraint of concern to all computer users. Considering a networked computer system capable of processing terabits per second, as a benchmark for scalability, we critique the state of the art in commodity computing, and propose a wholesale reconsideration in the design of computer architectures and their attendant ecosystem. Our proposal seeks to reduce costs, save power and increase performance in a multi-scale approach that has potential application from nanoscale to data-centre-scale computers. PMID:26809573

From photons to big-data applications: terminating terabits.

PubMed

Zilberman, Noa; Moore, Andrew W; Crowcroft, Jon A

2016-03-06

Computer architectures have entered a watershed as the quantity of network data generated by user applications exceeds the data-processing capacity of any individual computer end-system. It will become impossible to scale existing computer systems while a gap grows between the quantity of networked data and the capacity for per system data processing. Despite this, the growth in demand in both task variety and task complexity continues unabated. Networked computer systems provide a fertile environment in which new applications develop. As networked computer systems become akin to infrastructure, any limitation upon the growth in capacity and capabilities becomes an important constraint of concern to all computer users. Considering a networked computer system capable of processing terabits per second, as a benchmark for scalability, we critique the state of the art in commodity computing, and propose a wholesale reconsideration in the design of computer architectures and their attendant ecosystem. Our proposal seeks to reduce costs, save power and increase performance in a multi-scale approach that has potential application from nanoscale to data-centre-scale computers. © 2016 The Authors.

eXascale PRogramming Environment and System Software (XPRESS)

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

Chapman, Barbara; Gabriel, Edgar

Exascale systems, with a thousand times the compute capacity of today’s leading edge petascale computers, are expected to emerge during the next decade. Their software systems will need to facilitate the exploitation of exceptional amounts of concurrency in applications, and ensure that jobs continue to run despite the occurrence of system failures and other kinds of hard and soft errors. Adapting computations at runtime to cope with changes in the execution environment, as well as to improve power and performance characteristics, is likely to become the norm. As a result, considerable innovation is required to develop system support to meetmore » the needs of future computing platforms. The XPRESS project aims to develop and prototype a revolutionary software system for extreme-­scale computing for both exascale and strong­scaled problems. The XPRESS collaborative research project will advance the state-­of-­the-­art in high performance computing and enable exascale computing for current and future DOE mission-­critical applications and supporting systems. The goals of the XPRESS research project are to: A. enable exascale performance capability for DOE applications, both current and future, B. develop and deliver a practical computing system software X-­stack, OpenX, for future practical DOE exascale computing systems, and C. provide programming methods and environments for effective means of expressing application and system software for portable exascale system execution.« less

Organising a University Computer System: Analytical Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacquot, J. P.; Finance, J. P.

1990-01-01

Thirteen trends in university computer system development are identified, system user requirements are analyzed, critical system qualities are outlined, and three options for organizing a computer system are presented. The three systems include a centralized network, local network, and federation of local networks. (MSE)

Computer-Mediated Communications Systems: Will They Catch On?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Dave; Ridley, Michael

1990-01-01

Describes the use of CoSy, a computer conferencing system, by academic librarians at McMaster University in Ontario. Computer-mediated communications systems (CMCS) are discussed, the use of the system for electronic mail and computer conferencing is described, the perceived usefulness of CMCS is examined, and a sidebar explains details of the…

Rhetorical Consequences of the Computer Society: Expert Systems and Human Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skopec, Eric Wm.

Expert systems are computer programs that solve selected problems by modelling domain-specific behaviors of human experts. These computer programs typically consist of an input/output system that feeds data into the computer and retrieves advice, an inference system using the reasoning and heuristic processes of human experts, and a knowledge…

Design and implementation of a UNIX based distributed computing system

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

Love, J.S.; Michael, M.W.

1994-12-31

We have designed, implemented, and are running a corporate-wide distributed processing batch queue on a large number of networked workstations using the UNIX{reg_sign} operating system. Atlas Wireline researchers and scientists have used the system for over a year. The large increase in available computer power has greatly reduced the time required for nuclear and electromagnetic tool modeling. Use of remote distributed computing has simultaneously reduced computation costs and increased usable computer time. The system integrates equipment from different manufacturers, using various CPU architectures, distinct operating system revisions, and even multiple processors per machine. Various differences between the machines have tomore » be accounted for in the master scheduler. These differences include shells, command sets, swap spaces, memory sizes, CPU sizes, and OS revision levels. Remote processing across a network must be performed in a manner that is seamless from the users` perspective. The system currently uses IBM RISC System/6000{reg_sign}, SPARCstation{sup TM}, HP9000s700, HP9000s800, and DEC Alpha AXP{sup TM} machines. Each CPU in the network has its own speed rating, allowed working hours, and workload parameters. The system if designed so that all of the computers in the network can be optimally scheduled without adversely impacting the primary users of the machines. The increase in the total usable computational capacity by means of distributed batch computing can change corporate computing strategy. The integration of disparate computer platforms eliminates the need to buy one type of computer for computations, another for graphics, and yet another for day-to-day operations. It might be possible, for example, to meet all research and engineering computing needs with existing networked computers.« less

Computer Music

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Perry

This chapter covers algorithms, technologies, computer languages, and systems for computer music. Computer music involves the application of computers and other digital/electronic technologies to music composition, performance, theory, history, and perception. The field combines digital signal processing, computational algorithms, computer languages, hardware and software systems, acoustics, psychoacoustics (low-level perception of sounds from the raw acoustic signal), and music cognition (higher-level perception of musical style, form, emotion, etc.). Although most people would think that analog synthesizers and electronic music substantially predate the use of computers in music, many experiments and complete computer music systems were being constructed and used as early as the 1950s.

Quantum Accelerators for High-performance Computing Systems

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

Humble, Travis S.; Britt, Keith A.; Mohiyaddin, Fahd A.

We define some of the programming and system-level challenges facing the application of quantum processing to high-performance computing. Alongside barriers to physical integration, prominent differences in the execution of quantum and conventional programs challenges the intersection of these computational models. Following a brief overview of the state of the art, we discuss recent advances in programming and execution models for hybrid quantum-classical computing. We discuss a novel quantum-accelerator framework that uses specialized kernels to offload select workloads while integrating with existing computing infrastructure. We elaborate on the role of the host operating system to manage these unique accelerator resources, themore » prospects for deploying quantum modules, and the requirements placed on the language hierarchy connecting these different system components. We draw on recent advances in the modeling and simulation of quantum computing systems with the development of architectures for hybrid high-performance computing systems and the realization of software stacks for controlling quantum devices. Finally, we present simulation results that describe the expected system-level behavior of high-performance computing systems composed from compute nodes with quantum processing units. We describe performance for these hybrid systems in terms of time-to-solution, accuracy, and energy consumption, and we use simple application examples to estimate the performance advantage of quantum acceleration.« less

5 CFR 551.210 - Computer employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems; or (4) A combination of...) Computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers, or other similarly skilled workers in... consist of: (1) The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with...

5 CFR 551.210 - Computer employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems; or (4) A combination of...) Computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers, or other similarly skilled workers in... consist of: (1) The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with...

5 CFR 551.210 - Computer employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems; or (4) A combination of...) Computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers, or other similarly skilled workers in... consist of: (1) The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with...

5 CFR 551.210 - Computer employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems; or (4) A combination of...) Computer systems analysts, computer programmers, software engineers, or other similarly skilled workers in... consist of: (1) The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with...

A Modular Environment for Geophysical Inversion and Run-time Autotuning using Heterogeneous Computing Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myre, Joseph M.

Heterogeneous computing systems have recently come to the forefront of the High-Performance Computing (HPC) community's interest. HPC computer systems that incorporate special purpose accelerators, such as Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), are said to be heterogeneous. Large scale heterogeneous computing systems have consistently ranked highly on the Top500 list since the beginning of the heterogeneous computing trend. By using heterogeneous computing systems that consist of both general purpose processors and special- purpose accelerators, the speed and problem size of many simulations could be dramatically increased. Ultimately this results in enhanced simulation capabilities that allows, in some cases for the first time, the execution of parameter space and uncertainty analyses, model optimizations, and other inverse modeling techniques that are critical for scientific discovery and engineering analysis. However, simplifying the usage and optimization of codes for heterogeneous computing systems remains a challenge. This is particularly true for scientists and engineers for whom understanding HPC architectures and undertaking performance analysis may not be primary research objectives. To enable scientists and engineers to remain focused on their primary research objectives, a modular environment for geophysical inversion and run-time autotuning on heterogeneous computing systems is presented. This environment is composed of three major components: 1) CUSH---a framework for reducing the complexity of programming heterogeneous computer systems, 2) geophysical inversion routines which can be used to characterize physical systems, and 3) run-time autotuning routines designed to determine configurations of heterogeneous computing systems in an attempt to maximize the performance of scientific and engineering codes. Using three case studies, a lattice-Boltzmann method, a non-negative least squares inversion, and a finite-difference fluid flow method, it is shown that this environment provides scientists and engineers with means to reduce the programmatic complexity of their applications, to perform geophysical inversions for characterizing physical systems, and to determine high-performing run-time configurations of heterogeneous computing systems using a run-time autotuner.

Distributed intrusion detection system based on grid security model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Jie; Liu, Yahui

2008-03-01

Grid computing has developed rapidly with the development of network technology and it can solve the problem of large-scale complex computing by sharing large-scale computing resource. In grid environment, we can realize a distributed and load balance intrusion detection system. This paper first discusses the security mechanism in grid computing and the function of PKI/CA in the grid security system, then gives the application of grid computing character in the distributed intrusion detection system (IDS) based on Artificial Immune System. Finally, it gives a distributed intrusion detection system based on grid security system that can reduce the processing delay and assure the detection rates.

Survey of Computer-Based Message Systems; COM/PortaCOM Conference System: Design Goals and Principles; Computer Conferencing Is More Than Electronic Mail; Effects of the COM Computer Conference System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palme, Jacob

The four papers contained in this document provide: (1) a survey of computer based mail and conference systems; (2) an evaluation of systems for both individually addressed mail and group addressing through conferences and distribution lists; (3) a discussion of various methods of structuring the text data in existing systems; and (4) a…

Reservoir computing with a slowly modulated mask signal for preprocessing using a mutually coupled optoelectronic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tezuka, Miwa; Kanno, Kazutaka; Bunsen, Masatoshi

2016-08-01

Reservoir computing is a machine-learning paradigm based on information processing in the human brain. We numerically demonstrate reservoir computing with a slowly modulated mask signal for preprocessing by using a mutually coupled optoelectronic system. The performance of our system is quantitatively evaluated by a chaotic time series prediction task. Our system can produce comparable performance with reservoir computing with a single feedback system and a fast modulated mask signal. We showed that it is possible to slow down the modulation speed of the mask signal by using the mutually coupled system in reservoir computing.

Design of a modular digital computer system, DRL 4. [for meeting future requirements of spaceborne computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The design is reported of an advanced modular computer system designated the Automatically Reconfigurable Modular Multiprocessor System, which anticipates requirements for higher computing capacity and reliability for future spaceborne computers. Subjects discussed include: an overview of the architecture, mission analysis, synchronous and nonsynchronous scheduling control, reliability, and data transmission.

Soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST) presepsin in premature and full term critically ill newborns with sepsis and SIRS.

PubMed

Mussap, Michele; Puxeddu, Elisabetta; Puddu, Melania; Ottonello, Giovanni; Coghe, Ferdinando; Comite, Paola; Cibecchini, Francesco; Fanos, Vassilios

2015-12-07

Neonatal sepsis still remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Recently, soluble CD14 subtype (sDC14-ST) also named presepsin, was proposed as an effective biomarker for diagnosing, monitoring, and assessing the risk of neonatal sepsis and septic shock. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of sCD14-ST presepsin in diagnosing neonatal bacterial sepsis and in discriminating non-bacterial systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from bacterial sepsis. This study involved 65 critically ill full-term and preterm newborns admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), divided into three groups: 25 newborns with bacterial neonatal sepsis (group A); 15 newborns with a diagnosis of non-bacterial SIRS and with no localizing source of bacterial infection (group B); and 25 babies with no clinical or bacteriological signs of systemic or local infection receiving routine NICU care, most of them treated with phototherapy for neonatal jaundice (group C). A total of 102 whole blood samples were collected, 40 in group A, 30 in group B and 32 in group C. In 10 babies included in group A, sCD14-ST presepsin was also measured in an additional second blood sample collected 3 days after the start of antibiotic treatment. sCD14-ST presepsin was measured by a commercially available chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) optimized on an automated immunoassay analyzer. Statistical analysis was performed by means of MedCalc® statistical package; receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was computed, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the ability of sCD14-ST to discriminate neonatal bacterial sepsis from non-bacterial SIRS. Blood sCD14-ST presepsin levels were found significantly higher in bacterial sepsis when compared with controls (p<0.0001); similarly, they were higher in non-bacterial SIRS when compared with controls (p<0.0001). However, no statistically significant difference was found between bacterial sepsis and non-bacterial SIRS (p=0.730). In our population, CRP and sCD14-ST did not correlate with each other. ROC analysis revealed that sCD14-ST presepsin has an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.995 (95% C.I.: 0.941-1.00) greater than that of CRP (0.827; 95% C.I.: 0.72-0.906). Similarly, in the group of babies with non-infectious SIRS, sCD14-ST AUC was greater than CRP AUC (0.979; 95% C.I.: 0.906-0.999 versus 0.771; 95% C.I.: 0.647-0.868). In controls, preliminary reference intervals for sCD14-ST ranged 223.4-599.7 ng/L, being significantly different from those previously published elsewhere. In conclusion, sCD14-ST presepsin could be introduced in clinical practice as a diagnostic tool for improving the management of neonatal sepsis and non-bacterial SIRS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Morgantown People Mover Redundant Computing System Design Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-09-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the redundant computing system design used for the current 1980 Phase II Morgantown People Mover (MPM) system. The redundant computing system is that part of the control and communications system (C&CS) consi...

Software Systems for High-performance Quantum Computing

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

Humble, Travis S; Britt, Keith A

Quantum computing promises new opportunities for solving hard computational problems, but harnessing this novelty requires breakthrough concepts in the design, operation, and application of computing systems. We define some of the challenges facing the development of quantum computing systems as well as software-based approaches that can be used to overcome these challenges. Following a brief overview of the state of the art, we present models for the quantum programming and execution models, the development of architectures for hybrid high-performance computing systems, and the realization of software stacks for quantum networking. This leads to a discussion of the role that conventionalmore » computing plays in the quantum paradigm and how some of the current challenges for exascale computing overlap with those facing quantum computing.« less

An integrated compact airborne multispectral imaging system using embedded computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuedong; Wang, Li; Zhang, Xuguo

2015-08-01

An integrated compact airborne multispectral imaging system using embedded computer based control system was developed for small aircraft multispectral imaging application. The multispectral imaging system integrates CMOS camera, filter wheel with eight filters, two-axis stabilized platform, miniature POS (position and orientation system) and embedded computer. The embedded computer has excellent universality and expansibility, and has advantages in volume and weight for airborne platform, so it can meet the requirements of control system of the integrated airborne multispectral imaging system. The embedded computer controls the camera parameters setting, filter wheel and stabilized platform working, image and POS data acquisition, and stores the image and data. The airborne multispectral imaging system can connect peripheral device use the ports of the embedded computer, so the system operation and the stored image data management are easy. This airborne multispectral imaging system has advantages of small volume, multi-function, and good expansibility. The imaging experiment results show that this system has potential for multispectral remote sensing in applications such as resource investigation and environmental monitoring.

40 CFR 86.099-17 - Emission control diagnostic system for 1999 and later light-duty vehicles and light-duty trucks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... of computer codes. The emission control diagnostic system shall record and store in computer memory..., shall be stored in computer memory to identify correctly functioning emission control systems and those... in computer memory. Should a subsequent fuel system or misfire malfunction occur, any previously...

40 CFR 86.099-17 - Emission control diagnostic system for 1999 and later light-duty vehicles and light-duty trucks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... of computer codes. The emission control diagnostic system shall record and store in computer memory..., shall be stored in computer memory to identify correctly functioning emission control systems and those... in computer memory. Should a subsequent fuel system or misfire malfunction occur, any previously...

Automated validation of a computer operating system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dervage, M. M.; Milberg, B. A.

1970-01-01

Programs apply selected input/output loads to complex computer operating system and measure performance of that system under such loads. Technique lends itself to checkout of computer software designed to monitor automated complex industrial systems.

Data processing for water monitoring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monford, L.; Linton, A. T.

1978-01-01

Water monitoring data acquisition system is structured about central computer that controls sampling and sensor operation, and analyzes and displays data in real time. Unit is essentially separated into two systems: computer system, and hard wire backup system which may function separately or with computer.

AGIS: Integration of new technologies used in ATLAS Distributed Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anisenkov, Alexey; Di Girolamo, Alessandro; Alandes Pradillo, Maria

2017-10-01

The variety of the ATLAS Distributed Computing infrastructure requires a central information system to define the topology of computing resources and to store different parameters and configuration data which are needed by various ATLAS software components. The ATLAS Grid Information System (AGIS) is the system designed to integrate configuration and status information about resources, services and topology of the computing infrastructure used by ATLAS Distributed Computing applications and services. Being an intermediate middleware system between clients and external information sources (like central BDII, GOCDB, MyOSG), AGIS defines the relations between experiment specific used resources and physical distributed computing capabilities. Being in production during LHC Runl AGIS became the central information system for Distributed Computing in ATLAS and it is continuously evolving to fulfil new user requests, enable enhanced operations and follow the extension of the ATLAS Computing model. The ATLAS Computing model and data structures used by Distributed Computing applications and services are continuously evolving and trend to fit newer requirements from ADC community. In this note, we describe the evolution and the recent developments of AGIS functionalities, related to integration of new technologies recently become widely used in ATLAS Computing, like flexible computing utilization of opportunistic Cloud and HPC resources, ObjectStore services integration for Distributed Data Management (Rucio) and ATLAS workload management (PanDA) systems, unified storage protocols declaration required for PandDA Pilot site movers and others. The improvements of information model and general updates are also shown, in particular we explain how other collaborations outside ATLAS could benefit the system as a computing resources information catalogue. AGIS is evolving towards a common information system, not coupled to a specific experiment.

Automated Help System For A Supercomputer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callas, George P.; Schulbach, Catherine H.; Younkin, Michael

1994-01-01

Expert-system software developed to provide automated system of user-helping displays in supercomputer system at Ames Research Center Advanced Computer Facility. Users located at remote computer terminals connected to supercomputer and each other via gateway computers, local-area networks, telephone lines, and satellite links. Automated help system answers routine user inquiries about how to use services of computer system. Available 24 hours per day and reduces burden on human experts, freeing them to concentrate on helping users with complicated problems.

Verification Methodology of Fault-tolerant, Fail-safe Computers Applied to MAGLEV Control Computer Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-05-01

The Maglev control computer system should be designed to verifiably possess high reliability and safety as well as high availability to make Maglev a dependable and attractive transportation alternative to the public. A Maglev computer system has bee...

TOWARD A COMPUTER BASED INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEM.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GARIGLIO, LAWRENCE M.; RODGERS, WILLIAM A.

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS REPORT WAS OBTAINED FROM VARIOUS COMPUTER ASSISTED INSTRUCTION INSTALLATIONS. COMPUTER BASED INSTRUCTION REFERS TO A SYSTEM AIMED AT INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION, WITH THE COMPUTER AS CENTRAL CONTROL. SUCH A SYSTEM HAS 3 MAJOR SUBSYSTEMS--INSTRUCTIONAL, RESEARCH, AND MANAGERIAL. THIS REPORT EMPHASIZES THE INSTRUCTIONAL…

The role of the host in a cooperating mainframe and workstation environment, volumes 1 and 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kusmanoff, Antone; Martin, Nancy L.

1989-01-01

In recent years, advancements made in computer systems have prompted a move from centralized computing based on timesharing a large mainframe computer to distributed computing based on a connected set of engineering workstations. A major factor in this advancement is the increased performance and lower cost of engineering workstations. The shift to distributed computing from centralized computing has led to challenges associated with the residency of application programs within the system. In a combined system of multiple engineering workstations attached to a mainframe host, the question arises as to how does a system designer assign applications between the larger mainframe host and the smaller, yet powerful, workstation. The concepts related to real time data processing are analyzed and systems are displayed which use a host mainframe and a number of engineering workstations interconnected by a local area network. In most cases, distributed systems can be classified as having a single function or multiple functions and as executing programs in real time or nonreal time. In a system of multiple computers, the degree of autonomy of the computers is important; a system with one master control computer generally differs in reliability, performance, and complexity from a system in which all computers share the control. This research is concerned with generating general criteria principles for software residency decisions (host or workstation) for a diverse yet coupled group of users (the clustered workstations) which may need the use of a shared resource (the mainframe) to perform their functions.

The 'Biologically-Inspired Computing' Column

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Mike

2006-01-01

The field of Biology changed dramatically in 1953, with the determination by Francis Crick and James Dewey Watson of the double helix structure of DNA. This discovery changed Biology for ever, allowing the sequencing of the human genome, and the emergence of a "new Biology" focused on DNA, genes, proteins, data, and search. Computational Biology and Bioinformatics heavily rely on computing to facilitate research into life and development. Simultaneously, an understanding of the biology of living organisms indicates a parallel with computing systems: molecules in living cells interact, grow, and transform according to the "program" dictated by DNA. Moreover, paradigms of Computing are emerging based on modelling and developing computer-based systems exploiting ideas that are observed in nature. This includes building into computer systems self-management and self-governance mechanisms that are inspired by the human body's autonomic nervous system, modelling evolutionary systems analogous to colonies of ants or other insects, and developing highly-efficient and highly-complex distributed systems from large numbers of (often quite simple) largely homogeneous components to reflect the behaviour of flocks of birds, swarms of bees, herds of animals, or schools of fish. This new field of "Biologically-Inspired Computing", often known in other incarnations by other names, such as: Autonomic Computing, Pervasive Computing, Organic Computing, Biomimetics, and Artificial Life, amongst others, is poised at the intersection of Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and the Life Sciences. Successes have been reported in the fields of drug discovery, data communications, computer animation, control and command, exploration systems for space, undersea, and harsh environments, to name but a few, and augur much promise for future progress.

Computer Operating System Maintenance.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

FACILITY The Computer Management Information Facility ( CMIF ) system was developed by Rapp Systems to fulfill the need at the CRF to record and report on...computer center resource usage and utilization. The foundation of the CMIF system is a System 2000 data base (CRFMGMT) which stores and permits access

Computing with dynamical systems based on insulator-metal-transition oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parihar, Abhinav; Shukla, Nikhil; Jerry, Matthew; Datta, Suman; Raychowdhury, Arijit

2017-04-01

In this paper, we review recent work on novel computing paradigms using coupled oscillatory dynamical systems. We explore systems of relaxation oscillators based on linear state transitioning devices, which switch between two discrete states with hysteresis. By harnessing the dynamics of complex, connected systems, we embrace the philosophy of "let physics do the computing" and demonstrate how complex phase and frequency dynamics of such systems can be controlled, programmed, and observed to solve computationally hard problems. Although our discussion in this paper is limited to insulator-to-metallic state transition devices, the general philosophy of such computing paradigms can be translated to other mediums including optical systems. We present the necessary mathematical treatments necessary to understand the time evolution of these systems and demonstrate through recent experimental results the potential of such computational primitives.

A comparison of queueing, cluster and distributed computing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaplan, Joseph A.; Nelson, Michael L.

1993-01-01

Using workstation clusters for distributed computing has become popular with the proliferation of inexpensive, powerful workstations. Workstation clusters offer both a cost effective alternative to batch processing and an easy entry into parallel computing. However, a number of workstations on a network does not constitute a cluster. Cluster management software is necessary to harness the collective computing power. A variety of cluster management and queuing systems are compared: Distributed Queueing Systems (DQS), Condor, Load Leveler, Load Balancer, Load Sharing Facility (LSF - formerly Utopia), Distributed Job Manager (DJM), Computing in Distributed Networked Environments (CODINE), and NQS/Exec. The systems differ in their design philosophy and implementation. Based on published reports on the different systems and conversations with the system's developers and vendors, a comparison of the systems are made on the integral issues of clustered computing.

Universal blind quantum computation for hybrid system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, He-Liang; Bao, Wan-Su; Li, Tan; Li, Feng-Guang; Fu, Xiang-Qun; Zhang, Shuo; Zhang, Hai-Long; Wang, Xiang

2017-08-01

As progress on the development of building quantum computer continues to advance, first-generation practical quantum computers will be available for ordinary users in the cloud style similar to IBM's Quantum Experience nowadays. Clients can remotely access the quantum servers using some simple devices. In such a situation, it is of prime importance to keep the security of the client's information. Blind quantum computation protocols enable a client with limited quantum technology to delegate her quantum computation to a quantum server without leaking any privacy. To date, blind quantum computation has been considered only for an individual quantum system. However, practical universal quantum computer is likely to be a hybrid system. Here, we take the first step to construct a framework of blind quantum computation for the hybrid system, which provides a more feasible way for scalable blind quantum computation.

Making classical ground-state spin computing fault-tolerant.

PubMed

Crosson, I J; Bacon, D; Brown, K R

2010-09-01

We examine a model of classical deterministic computing in which the ground state of the classical system is a spatial history of the computation. This model is relevant to quantum dot cellular automata as well as to recent universal adiabatic quantum computing constructions. In its most primitive form, systems constructed in this model cannot compute in an error-free manner when working at nonzero temperature. However, by exploiting a mapping between the partition function for this model and probabilistic classical circuits we are able to show that it is possible to make this model effectively error-free. We achieve this by using techniques in fault-tolerant classical computing and the result is that the system can compute effectively error-free if the temperature is below a critical temperature. We further link this model to computational complexity and show that a certain problem concerning finite temperature classical spin systems is complete for the complexity class Merlin-Arthur. This provides an interesting connection between the physical behavior of certain many-body spin systems and computational complexity.

Today's Personal Computers: Products for Every Need--Part II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Personal Computing, 1981

1981-01-01

Looks at microcomputers manufactured by Altos Computer Systems, Cromemco, Exidy, Intelligent Systems, Intertec Data Systems, Mattel, Nippon Electronics, Northstar, Personal Micro Computers, and Sinclair. (Part I of this article, examining other computers, appeared in the May 1981 issue.) Journal availability: Hayden Publishing Company, 50 Essex…

10 CFR 35.657 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.657 Section 35.657... Units, Teletherapy Units, and Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery Units § 35.657 Therapy-related computer... computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally recognized bodies. At a...

10 CFR 35.657 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.657 Section 35.657... Units, Teletherapy Units, and Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery Units § 35.657 Therapy-related computer... computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally recognized bodies. At a...

10 CFR 35.657 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.657 Section 35.657... Units, Teletherapy Units, and Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery Units § 35.657 Therapy-related computer... computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally recognized bodies. At a...

10 CFR 35.657 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.657 Section 35.657... Units, Teletherapy Units, and Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery Units § 35.657 Therapy-related computer... computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally recognized bodies. At a...

10 CFR 35.657 - Therapy-related computer systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Therapy-related computer systems. 35.657 Section 35.657... Units, Teletherapy Units, and Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery Units § 35.657 Therapy-related computer... computer systems in accordance with published protocols accepted by nationally recognized bodies. At a...

18 CFR 3b.204 - Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... information in manual and computer-based record systems. 3b.204 Section 3b.204 Conservation of Power and Water... Collection of Records § 3b.204 Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems. (a) The administrative and physical controls to protect the information in the manual and computer-based record systems...

18 CFR 3b.204 - Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... information in manual and computer-based record systems. 3b.204 Section 3b.204 Conservation of Power and Water... Collection of Records § 3b.204 Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems. (a) The administrative and physical controls to protect the information in the manual and computer-based record systems...

18 CFR 3b.204 - Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... information in manual and computer-based record systems. 3b.204 Section 3b.204 Conservation of Power and Water... Collection of Records § 3b.204 Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems. (a) The administrative and physical controls to protect the information in the manual and computer-based record systems...

18 CFR 3b.204 - Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... information in manual and computer-based record systems. 3b.204 Section 3b.204 Conservation of Power and Water... Collection of Records § 3b.204 Safeguarding information in manual and computer-based record systems. (a) The administrative and physical controls to protect the information in the manual and computer-based record systems...

Implementation and evaluation of an efficient secure computation system using ‘R’ for healthcare statistics

PubMed Central

Chida, Koji; Morohashi, Gembu; Fuji, Hitoshi; Magata, Fumihiko; Fujimura, Akiko; Hamada, Koki; Ikarashi, Dai; Yamamoto, Ryuichi

2014-01-01

Background and objective While the secondary use of medical data has gained attention, its adoption has been constrained due to protection of patient privacy. Making medical data secure by de-identification can be problematic, especially when the data concerns rare diseases. We require rigorous security management measures. Materials and methods Using secure computation, an approach from cryptography, our system can compute various statistics over encrypted medical records without decrypting them. An issue of secure computation is that the amount of processing time required is immense. We implemented a system that securely computes healthcare statistics from the statistical computing software ‘R’ by effectively combining secret-sharing-based secure computation with original computation. Results Testing confirmed that our system could correctly complete computation of average and unbiased variance of approximately 50 000 records of dummy insurance claim data in a little over a second. Computation including conditional expressions and/or comparison of values, for example, t test and median, could also be correctly completed in several tens of seconds to a few minutes. Discussion If medical records are simply encrypted, the risk of leaks exists because decryption is usually required during statistical analysis. Our system possesses high-level security because medical records remain in encrypted state even during statistical analysis. Also, our system can securely compute some basic statistics with conditional expressions using ‘R’ that works interactively while secure computation protocols generally require a significant amount of processing time. Conclusions We propose a secure statistical analysis system using ‘R’ for medical data that effectively integrates secret-sharing-based secure computation and original computation. PMID:24763677

Implementation and evaluation of an efficient secure computation system using 'R' for healthcare statistics.

PubMed

Chida, Koji; Morohashi, Gembu; Fuji, Hitoshi; Magata, Fumihiko; Fujimura, Akiko; Hamada, Koki; Ikarashi, Dai; Yamamoto, Ryuichi

2014-10-01

While the secondary use of medical data has gained attention, its adoption has been constrained due to protection of patient privacy. Making medical data secure by de-identification can be problematic, especially when the data concerns rare diseases. We require rigorous security management measures. Using secure computation, an approach from cryptography, our system can compute various statistics over encrypted medical records without decrypting them. An issue of secure computation is that the amount of processing time required is immense. We implemented a system that securely computes healthcare statistics from the statistical computing software 'R' by effectively combining secret-sharing-based secure computation with original computation. Testing confirmed that our system could correctly complete computation of average and unbiased variance of approximately 50,000 records of dummy insurance claim data in a little over a second. Computation including conditional expressions and/or comparison of values, for example, t test and median, could also be correctly completed in several tens of seconds to a few minutes. If medical records are simply encrypted, the risk of leaks exists because decryption is usually required during statistical analysis. Our system possesses high-level security because medical records remain in encrypted state even during statistical analysis. Also, our system can securely compute some basic statistics with conditional expressions using 'R' that works interactively while secure computation protocols generally require a significant amount of processing time. We propose a secure statistical analysis system using 'R' for medical data that effectively integrates secret-sharing-based secure computation and original computation. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Threshold-based queuing system for performance analysis of cloud computing system with dynamic scaling

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

Shorgin, Sergey Ya.; Pechinkin, Alexander V.; Samouylov, Konstantin E.

Cloud computing is promising technology to manage and improve utilization of computing center resources to deliver various computing and IT services. For the purpose of energy saving there is no need to unnecessarily operate many servers under light loads, and they are switched off. On the other hand, some servers should be switched on in heavy load cases to prevent very long delays. Thus, waiting times and system operating cost can be maintained on acceptable level by dynamically adding or removing servers. One more fact that should be taken into account is significant server setup costs and activation times. Formore » better energy efficiency, cloud computing system should not react on instantaneous increase or instantaneous decrease of load. That is the main motivation for using queuing systems with hysteresis for cloud computing system modelling. In the paper, we provide a model of cloud computing system in terms of multiple server threshold-based infinite capacity queuing system with hysteresis and noninstantanuous server activation. For proposed model, we develop a method for computing steady-state probabilities that allow to estimate a number of performance measures.« less

The Feasibility of Classifying Breast Masses Using a Computer-Assisted Diagnosis (CAD) System Based on Ultrasound Elastography and BI-RADS Lexicon.

PubMed

Fleury, Eduardo F C; Gianini, Ana Claudia; Marcomini, Karem; Oliveira, Vilmar

2018-01-01

To determine the applicability of a computer-aided diagnostic system strain elastography system for the classification of breast masses diagnosed by ultrasound and scored using the criteria proposed by the breast imaging and reporting data system ultrasound lexicon and to determine the diagnostic accuracy and interobserver variability. This prospective study was conducted between March 1, 2016, and May 30, 2016. A total of 83 breast masses subjected to percutaneous biopsy were included. Ultrasound elastography images before biopsy were interpreted by 3 radiologists with and without the aid of computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography. The parameters evaluated by each radiologist results were sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy, with and without computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography. Interobserver variability was assessed using a weighted κ test and an intraclass correlation coefficient. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were also calculated. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.835, 0.801, and 0.765 for readers 1, 2, and 3, respectively, without computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography, and 0.900, 0.926, and 0.868, respectively, with computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography. The intraclass correlation coefficient between the 3 readers was 0.6713 without computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography and 0.811 with computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography. The proposed computer-aided diagnostic system for strain elastography system has the potential to improve the diagnostic performance of radiologists in breast examination using ultrasound associated with elastography.

Pulse cleaning flow models and numerical computation of candle ceramic filters.

PubMed

Tian, Gui-shan; Ma, Zhen-ji; Zhang, Xin-yi; Xu, Ting-xiang

2002-04-01

Analytical and numerical computed models are developed for reverse pulse cleaning system of candle ceramic filters. A standard turbulent model is demonstrated suitably to the designing computation of reverse pulse cleaning system from the experimental and one-dimensional computational result. The computed results can be used to guide the designing of reverse pulse cleaning system, which is optimum Venturi geometry. From the computed results, the general conclusions and the designing methods are obtained.

Computational approaches to vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barrow, H. G.; Tenenbaum, J. M.

1986-01-01

Vision is examined in terms of a computational process, and the competence, structure, and control of computer vision systems are analyzed. Theoretical and experimental data on the formation of a computer vision system are discussed. Consideration is given to early vision, the recovery of intrinsic surface characteristics, higher levels of interpretation, and system integration and control. A computational visual processing model is proposed and its architecture and operation are described. Examples of state-of-the-art vision systems, which include some of the levels of representation and processing mechanisms, are presented.

High-Performance Computing and Visualization | Energy Systems Integration

Science.gov Websites

Facility | NREL High-Performance Computing and Visualization High-Performance Computing and Visualization High-performance computing (HPC) and visualization at NREL propel technology innovation as a . Capabilities High-Performance Computing NREL is home to Peregrine-the largest high-performance computing system

CAA: Computer Assisted Athletics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, John H.

Computers have been used in a variety of applications for athletics since the late 1950's. These have ranged from computer-controlled electric scoreboards to computer-designed pole vaulting poles. Described in this paper are a computer-based athletic injury reporting system and a computer-assisted football scouting system. The injury reporting…

Overreaction to External Attacks on Computer Systems Could Be More Harmful than the Viruses Themselves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Kenneth M.

1988-01-01

Discussion of the recent computer virus attacks on computers with vulnerable operating systems focuses on the values of educational computer networks. The need for computer security procedures is emphasized, and the ethical use of computer hardware and software is discussed. (LRW)

Cloud Computing and Its Applications in GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Cao

2011-12-01

Cloud computing is a novel computing paradigm that offers highly scalable and highly available distributed computing services. The objectives of this research are to: 1. analyze and understand cloud computing and its potential for GIS; 2. discover the feasibilities of migrating truly spatial GIS algorithms to distributed computing infrastructures; 3. explore a solution to host and serve large volumes of raster GIS data efficiently and speedily. These objectives thus form the basis for three professional articles. The first article is entitled "Cloud Computing and Its Applications in GIS". This paper introduces the concept, structure, and features of cloud computing. Features of cloud computing such as scalability, parallelization, and high availability make it a very capable computing paradigm. Unlike High Performance Computing (HPC), cloud computing uses inexpensive commodity computers. The uniform administration systems in cloud computing make it easier to use than GRID computing. Potential advantages of cloud-based GIS systems such as lower barrier to entry are consequently presented. Three cloud-based GIS system architectures are proposed: public cloud- based GIS systems, private cloud-based GIS systems and hybrid cloud-based GIS systems. Public cloud-based GIS systems provide the lowest entry barriers for users among these three architectures, but their advantages are offset by data security and privacy related issues. Private cloud-based GIS systems provide the best data protection, though they have the highest entry barriers. Hybrid cloud-based GIS systems provide a compromise between these extremes. The second article is entitled "A cloud computing algorithm for the calculation of Euclidian distance for raster GIS". Euclidean distance is a truly spatial GIS algorithm. Classical algorithms such as the pushbroom and growth ring techniques require computational propagation through the entire raster image, which makes it incompatible with the distributed nature of cloud computing. This paper presents a parallel Euclidean distance algorithm that works seamlessly with the distributed nature of cloud computing infrastructures. The mechanism of this algorithm is to subdivide a raster image into sub-images and wrap them with a one pixel deep edge layer of individually computed distance information. Each sub-image is then processed by a separate node, after which the resulting sub-images are reassembled into the final output. It is shown that while any rectangular sub-image shape can be used, those approximating squares are computationally optimal. This study also serves as a demonstration of this subdivide and layer-wrap strategy, which would enable the migration of many truly spatial GIS algorithms to cloud computing infrastructures. However, this research also indicates that certain spatial GIS algorithms such as cost distance cannot be migrated by adopting this mechanism, which presents significant challenges for the development of cloud-based GIS systems. The third article is entitled "A Distributed Storage Schema for Cloud Computing based Raster GIS Systems". This paper proposes a NoSQL Database Management System (NDDBMS) based raster GIS data storage schema. NDDBMS has good scalability and is able to use distributed commodity computers, which make it superior to Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) in a cloud computing environment. In order to provide optimized data service performance, the proposed storage schema analyzes the nature of commonly used raster GIS data sets. It discriminates two categories of commonly used data sets, and then designs corresponding data storage models for both categories. As a result, the proposed storage schema is capable of hosting and serving enormous volumes of raster GIS data speedily and efficiently on cloud computing infrastructures. In addition, the scheme also takes advantage of the data compression characteristics of Quadtrees, thus promoting efficient data storage. Through this assessment of cloud computing technology, the exploration of the challenges and solutions to the migration of GIS algorithms to cloud computing infrastructures, and the examination of strategies for serving large amounts of GIS data in a cloud computing infrastructure, this dissertation lends support to the feasibility of building a cloud-based GIS system. However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed before a full-scale functional cloud-based GIS system can be successfully implemented. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

RICIS Symposium 1992: Mission and Safety Critical Systems Research and Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

This conference deals with computer systems which control systems whose failure to operate correctly could produce the loss of life and or property, mission and safety critical systems. Topics covered are: the work of standards groups, computer systems design and architecture, software reliability, process control systems, knowledge based expert systems, and computer and telecommunication protocols.

Integrated Computer System of Management in Logistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chwesiuk, Krzysztof

2011-06-01

This paper aims at presenting a concept of an integrated computer system of management in logistics, particularly in supply and distribution chains. Consequently, the paper includes the basic idea of the concept of computer-based management in logistics and components of the system, such as CAM and CIM systems in production processes, and management systems for storage, materials flow, and for managing transport, forwarding and logistics companies. The platform which integrates computer-aided management systems is that of electronic data interchange.

Integration of the Execution Support System for the Computer-Aided Prototyping System (CAPS)

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-01

SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE COMPUTER -AIDED PROTOTYPING SYSTEM (CAPS) by Frank V. Palazzo September 1990 Thesis Advisor: Luq± Approved for public release...ZATON REPOR ,,.VBE (, 6a NAME OF PERPORMING ORGAN ZAT7ON 6b OFF:CE SYVBOL 7a NAME OF MONITORINC O0-CA’Za- ON Computer Science Department (if applicable...Include Security Classification) Integration of the Execution Support System for the Computer -Aided Prototyping System (C S) 12 PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Frank V

Computer system performance measurement techniques for ARTS III computer systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1973-12-01

Direct measurement of computer systems is of vital importance in: a) developing an intelligent grasp of the variables which affect overall performance; b)tuning the system for optimum benefit; c)determining under what conditions saturation thresholds...

Mass Storage Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ranade, Sanjay; Schraeder, Jeff

1991-01-01

Presents an overview of the mass storage market and discusses mass storage systems as part of computer networks. Systems for personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, and mainframe computers are described; file servers are explained; system integration issues are raised; and future possibilities are suggested. (LRW)

Collectively loading an application in a parallel computer

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

Aho, Michael E.; Attinella, John E.; Gooding, Thomas M.

Collectively loading an application in a parallel computer, the parallel computer comprising a plurality of compute nodes, including: identifying, by a parallel computer control system, a subset of compute nodes in the parallel computer to execute a job; selecting, by the parallel computer control system, one of the subset of compute nodes in the parallel computer as a job leader compute node; retrieving, by the job leader compute node from computer memory, an application for executing the job; and broadcasting, by the job leader to the subset of compute nodes in the parallel computer, the application for executing the job.

Active optical control system design of the SONG-China Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Yu; Kou, Songfeng; Niu, Dongsheng; Li, Cheng; Wang, Guomin

2012-09-01

The standard SONG node structure of control system is presented. The active optical control system of the project is a distributed system, and a host computer and a slave intelligent controller are included. The host control computer collects the information from wave front sensor and sends commands to the slave computer to realize a closed loop model. For intelligent controller, a programmable logic controller (PLC) system is used. This system combines with industrial personal computer (IPC) and PLC to make up a control system with powerful and reliable.

Computing the Moore-Penrose Inverse of a Matrix with a Computer Algebra System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Karsten

2008-01-01

In this paper "Derive" functions are provided for the computation of the Moore-Penrose inverse of a matrix, as well as for solving systems of linear equations by means of the Moore-Penrose inverse. Making it possible to compute the Moore-Penrose inverse easily with one of the most commonly used Computer Algebra Systems--and to have the blueprint…

78 FR 59927 - Next Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-30

... Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology..., Computational, and Systems Biology [External Review Draft]'' (EPA/600/R-13/214A). EPA is also announcing that... Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology [External Review Draft]'' is available primarily...

78 FR 68058 - Next Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-13

... Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology... Generation Risk Assessment: Incorporation of Recent Advances in Molecular, Computational, and Systems Biology..., computational, and systems biology data can better inform risk assessment. This draft document is available for...

The PLATO System and Language Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Robert S., Ed.

1981-01-01

This issue presents an overview of research in computer-based language instruction using the PLATO IV computer system. The following articles are presented: (1) "Language Study and the PLATO system," by R. Hart; (2) "Reflections on the Use of Computers in Second-Language Acquisition," by F. Marty; (3) "Computer-Based…

Analysis of Software Systems for Specialized Computers,

DTIC Science & Technology

computer) with given computer hardware and software . The object of study is the software system of a computer, designed for solving a fixed complex of...purpose of the analysis is to find parameters that characterize the system and its elements during operation, i.e., when servicing the given requirement flow. (Author)

The Effect of Computer Automation on Institutional Review Board (IRB) Office Efficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oder, Karl; Pittman, Stephanie

2015-01-01

Companies purchase computer systems to make their processes more efficient through automation. Some academic medical centers (AMC) have purchased computer systems for their institutional review boards (IRB) to increase efficiency and compliance with regulations. IRB computer systems are expensive to purchase, deploy, and maintain. An AMC should…

Spiking Neural P Systems With Rules on Synapses Working in Maximum Spiking Strategy.

PubMed

Tao Song; Linqiang Pan

2015-06-01

Spiking neural P systems (called SN P systems for short) are a class of parallel and distributed neural-like computation models inspired by the way the neurons process information and communicate with each other by means of impulses or spikes. In this work, we introduce a new variant of SN P systems, called SN P systems with rules on synapses working in maximum spiking strategy, and investigate the computation power of the systems as both number and vector generators. Specifically, we prove that i) if no limit is imposed on the number of spikes in any neuron during any computation, such systems can generate the sets of Turing computable natural numbers and the sets of vectors of positive integers computed by k-output register machine; ii) if an upper bound is imposed on the number of spikes in each neuron during any computation, such systems can characterize semi-linear sets of natural numbers as number generating devices; as vector generating devices, such systems can only characterize the family of sets of vectors computed by sequential monotonic counter machine, which is strictly included in family of semi-linear sets of vectors. This gives a positive answer to the problem formulated in Song et al., Theor. Comput. Sci., vol. 529, pp. 82-95, 2014.

Challenges in Securing the Interface Between the Cloud and Pervasive Systems

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

Lagesse, Brent J

2011-01-01

Cloud computing presents an opportunity for pervasive systems to leverage computational and storage resources to accomplish tasks that would not normally be possible on such resource-constrained devices. Cloud computing can enable hardware designers to build lighter systems that last longer and are more mobile. Despite the advantages cloud computing offers to the designers of pervasive systems, there are some limitations of leveraging cloud computing that must be addressed. We take the position that cloud-based pervasive system must be secured holistically and discuss ways this might be accomplished. In this paper, we discuss a pervasive system utilizing cloud computing resources andmore » issues that must be addressed in such a system. In this system, the user's mobile device cannot always have network access to leverage resources from the cloud, so it must make intelligent decisions about what data should be stored locally and what processes should be run locally. As a result of these decisions, the user becomes vulnerable to attacks while interfacing with the pervasive system.« less

System for Computer Automated Typesetting (SCAT) of Computer Authored Texts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeler, F. Laurence

This description of the System for Automated Typesetting (SCAT), an automated system for typesetting text and inserting special graphic symbols in programmed instructional materials created by the computer aided authoring system AUTHOR, provides an outline of the design architecture of the system and an overview including the component…

Reliability model derivation of a fault-tolerant, dual, spare-switching, digital computer system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

A computer based reliability projection aid, tailored specifically for application in the design of fault-tolerant computer systems, is described. Its more pronounced characteristics include the facility for modeling systems with two distinct operational modes, measuring the effect of both permanent and transient faults, and calculating conditional system coverage factors. The underlying conceptual principles, mathematical models, and computer program implementation are presented.

Reliability models for dataflow computer systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kavi, K. M.; Buckles, B. P.

1985-01-01

The demands for concurrent operation within a computer system and the representation of parallelism in programming languages have yielded a new form of program representation known as data flow (DENN 74, DENN 75, TREL 82a). A new model based on data flow principles for parallel computations and parallel computer systems is presented. Necessary conditions for liveness and deadlock freeness in data flow graphs are derived. The data flow graph is used as a model to represent asynchronous concurrent computer architectures including data flow computers.

Exploring the use of I/O nodes for computation in a MIMD multiprocessor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kotz, David; Cai, Ting

1995-01-01

As parallel systems move into the production scientific-computing world, the emphasis will be on cost-effective solutions that provide high throughput for a mix of applications. Cost effective solutions demand that a system make effective use of all of its resources. Many MIMD multiprocessors today, however, distinguish between 'compute' and 'I/O' nodes, the latter having attached disks and being dedicated to running the file-system server. This static division of responsibilities simplifies system management but does not necessarily lead to the best performance in workloads that need a different balance of computation and I/O. Of course, computational processes sharing a node with a file-system service may receive less CPU time, network bandwidth, and memory bandwidth than they would on a computation-only node. In this paper we begin to examine this issue experimentally. We found that high performance I/O does not necessarily require substantial CPU time, leaving plenty of time for application computation. There were some complex file-system requests, however, which left little CPU time available to the application. (The impact on network and memory bandwidth still needs to be determined.) For applications (or users) that cannot tolerate an occasional interruption, we recommend that they continue to use only compute nodes. For tolerant applications needing more cycles than those provided by the compute nodes, we recommend that they take full advantage of both compute and I/O nodes for computation, and that operating systems should make this possible.

Cognitive engineering models: A prerequisite to the design of human-computer interaction in complex dynamic systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Christine M.

1993-01-01

This chapter examines a class of human-computer interaction applications, specifically the design of human-computer interaction for the operators of complex systems. Such systems include space systems (e.g., manned systems such as the Shuttle or space station, and unmanned systems such as NASA scientific satellites), aviation systems (e.g., the flight deck of 'glass cockpit' airplanes or air traffic control) and industrial systems (e.g., power plants, telephone networks, and sophisticated, e.g., 'lights out,' manufacturing facilities). The main body of human-computer interaction (HCI) research complements but does not directly address the primary issues involved in human-computer interaction design for operators of complex systems. Interfaces to complex systems are somewhat special. The 'user' in such systems - i.e., the human operator responsible for safe and effective system operation - is highly skilled, someone who in human-machine systems engineering is sometimes characterized as 'well trained, well motivated'. The 'job' or task context is paramount and, thus, human-computer interaction is subordinate to human job interaction. The design of human interaction with complex systems, i.e., the design of human job interaction, is sometimes called cognitive engineering.

Models and techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of aircraft computing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, J. F.

1978-01-01

The development of system models that can provide a basis for the formulation and evaluation of aircraft computer system effectiveness, the formulation of quantitative measures of system effectiveness, and the development of analytic and simulation techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of a proposed or existing aircraft computer are described. Specific topics covered include: system models; performability evaluation; capability and functional dependence; computation of trajectory set probabilities; and hierarchical modeling of an air transport mission.

Method and apparatus of parallel computing with simultaneously operating stream prefetching and list prefetching engines

DOEpatents

Boyle, Peter A.; Christ, Norman H.; Gara, Alan; Mawhinney, Robert D.; Ohmacht, Martin; Sugavanam, Krishnan

2012-12-11

A prefetch system improves a performance of a parallel computing system. The parallel computing system includes a plurality of computing nodes. A computing node includes at least one processor and at least one memory device. The prefetch system includes at least one stream prefetch engine and at least one list prefetch engine. The prefetch system operates those engines simultaneously. After the at least one processor issues a command, the prefetch system passes the command to a stream prefetch engine and a list prefetch engine. The prefetch system operates the stream prefetch engine and the list prefetch engine to prefetch data to be needed in subsequent clock cycles in the processor in response to the passed command.

Computer validation in toxicology: historical review for FDA and EPA good laboratory practice.

PubMed

Brodish, D L

1998-01-01

The application of computer validation principles to Good Laboratory Practice is a fairly recent phenomenon. As automated data collection systems have become more common in toxicology facilities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have begun to focus inspections in this area. This historical review documents the development of regulatory guidance on computer validation in toxicology over the past several decades. An overview of the components of a computer life cycle is presented, including the development of systems descriptions, validation plans, validation testing, system maintenance, SOPs, change control, security considerations, and system retirement. Examples are provided for implementation of computer validation principles on laboratory computer systems in a toxicology facility.

Common data buffer system. [communication with computational equipment utilized in spacecraft operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byrne, F. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

A high speed common data buffer system is described for providing an interface and communications medium between a plurality of computers utilized in a distributed computer complex forming part of a checkout, command and control system for space vehicles and associated ground support equipment. The system includes the capability for temporarily storing data to be transferred between computers, for transferring a plurality of interrupts between computers, for monitoring and recording these transfers, and for correcting errors incurred in these transfers. Validity checks are made on each transfer and appropriate error notification is given to the computer associated with that transfer.

A programming environment for distributed complex computing. An overview of the Framework for Interdisciplinary Design Optimization (FIDO) project. NASA Langley TOPS exhibit H120b

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, James C.; Weston, Robert P.; Eidson, Thomas M.

1993-01-01

The Framework for Interdisciplinary Design Optimization (FIDO) is a general programming environment for automating the distribution of complex computing tasks over a networked system of heterogeneous computers. For example, instead of manually passing a complex design problem between its diverse specialty disciplines, the FIDO system provides for automatic interactions between the discipline tasks and facilitates their communications. The FIDO system networks all the computers involved into a distributed heterogeneous computing system, so they have access to centralized data and can work on their parts of the total computation simultaneously in parallel whenever possible. Thus, each computational task can be done by the most appropriate computer. Results can be viewed as they are produced and variables changed manually for steering the process. The software is modular in order to ease migration to new problems: different codes can be substituted for each of the current code modules with little or no effect on the others. The potential for commercial use of FIDO rests in the capability it provides for automatically coordinating diverse computations on a networked system of workstations and computers. For example, FIDO could provide the coordination required for the design of vehicles or electronics or for modeling complex systems.

78 FR 47804 - Verification, Validation, Reviews, and Audits for Digital Computer Software Used in Safety...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-06

..., ``Configuration Management Plans for Digital Computer Software used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants... Digital Computer Software Used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory..., Reviews, and Audits for Digital Computer Software Used in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Plants.'' This...

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

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

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

A College That Relied on NeXT Computers Plans To Switch to Apple.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, David L.

1997-01-01

Allegheny College (Pennsylvania), which uses NeXT computers, was dismayed when the technically superior operating system was orphaned but are now delighted that the company has been bought by Apple Computer and will make the operating system standard on Apple computers. The object-oriented operating system allows relatively unsophisticated users…

Addressing Small Computers in the First OS Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nutt, Gary

2006-01-01

Small computers are emerging as important components of the contemporary computing scene. Their operating systems vary from specialized software for an embedded system to the same style of OS used on a generic desktop or server computer. This article describes a course in which systems are classified by their hardware capability and the…

Randomised trial of personalised computer based information for cancer patients

PubMed Central

Jones, Ray; Pearson, Janne; McGregor, Sandra; Cawsey, Alison J; Barrett, Ann; Craig, Neil; Atkinson, Jacqueline M; Gilmour, W Harper; McEwen, Jim

1999-01-01

Objective To compare the use and effect of a computer based information system for cancer patients that is personalised using each patient's medical record with a system providing only general information and with information provided in booklets. Design Randomised trial with three groups. Data collected at start of radiotherapy, one week later (when information provided), three weeks later, and three months later. Participants 525 patients started radical radiotherapy; 438 completed follow up. Interventions Two groups were offered information via computer (personalised or general information, or both) with open access to computer thereafter; the third group was offered a selection of information booklets. Outcomes Patients' views and preferences, use of computer and information, and psychological status; doctors' perceptions; cost of interventions. Results More patients offered the personalised information said that they had learnt something new, thought the information was relevant, used the computer again, and showed their computer printouts to others. There were no major differences in doctors' perceptions of patients. More of the general computer group were anxious at three months. With an electronic patient record system, in the long run the personalised information system would cost no more than the general system. Full access to booklets cost twice as much as the general system. Conclusions Patients preferred computer systems that provided information from their medical records to systems that just provided general information. This has implications for the design and implementation of electronic patient record systems and reliance on general sources of patient information. PMID:10550090

CAD/CAE Integration Enhanced by New CAD Services Standard

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Claus, Russell W.

2002-01-01

A Government-industry team led by the NASA Glenn Research Center has developed a computer interface standard for accessing data from computer-aided design (CAD) systems. The Object Management Group, an international computer standards organization, has adopted this CAD services standard. The new standard allows software (e.g., computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computer-aided manufacturing software to access multiple CAD systems through one programming interface. The interface is built on top of a distributed computing system called the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). CORBA allows the CAD services software to operate in a distributed, heterogeneous computing environment.

Employment Opportunities for the Handicapped in Programmable Automation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, Richard; Leneway, Robert

A Computer Integrated Manufacturing System may make it possible for severely disabled people to custom design, machine, and manufacture either wood or metal parts. Programmable automation merges computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing, computer aided engineering, and computer integrated manufacturing systems with automated production…

Software For Monitoring A Computer Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Young H.

1992-01-01

SNMAT is rule-based expert-system computer program designed to assist personnel in monitoring status of computer network and identifying defective computers, workstations, and other components of network. Also assists in training network operators. Network for SNMAT located at Space Flight Operations Center (SFOC) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Intended to serve as data-reduction system providing windows, menus, and graphs, enabling users to focus on relevant information. SNMAT expected to be adaptable to other computer networks; for example in management of repair, maintenance, and security, or in administration of planning systems, billing systems, or archives.

Models of Dynamic Relations Among Service Activities, System State and Service Quality on Computer and Network Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

Service quality on computer and network systems has become increasingly important as many conventional service transactions are moved online. Service quality of computer and network services can be measured by the performance of the service process in throughput, delay, and so on. On a computer and network system, competing service requests of users and associated service activities change the state of limited system resources which in turn affects the achieved service ...relations of service activities, system state and service

Design and evaluation of an onboard computer-based information system for aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouse, S. H.; Rouse, W. B.; Hammer, J. M.

1982-01-01

Information seeking by human operators of technical systems is considered. Types of information and forms of presentation are discussed and important issues reviewed. This broad discussion provides a framework within which flight management is considered. The design of an onboard computer-based information system for aircraft is discussed. The aiding possibilities of a computer-based system are emphasized. Results of an experimental evaluation of a prototype system are presented. It is concluded that a computer-based information system can substantially lessen the frequency of human errors.

Focus issue: series on computational and systems biology.

PubMed

Gough, Nancy R

2011-09-06

The application of computational biology and systems biology is yielding quantitative insight into cellular regulatory phenomena. For the month of September, Science Signaling highlights research featuring computational approaches to understanding cell signaling and investigation of signaling networks, a series of Teaching Resources from a course in systems biology, and various other articles and resources relevant to the application of computational biology and systems biology to the study of signal transduction.

Design of on-board parallel computer on nano-satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Zheng; Tian, Hexiang; Yu, Shijie; Meng, Li

2007-11-01

This paper provides one scheme of the on-board parallel computer system designed for the Nano-satellite. Based on the development request that the Nano-satellite should have a small volume, low weight, low power cost, and intelligence, this scheme gets rid of the traditional one-computer system and dual-computer system with endeavor to improve the dependability, capability and intelligence simultaneously. According to the method of integration design, it employs the parallel computer system with shared memory as the main structure, connects the telemetric system, attitude control system, and the payload system by the intelligent bus, designs the management which can deal with the static tasks and dynamic task-scheduling, protect and recover the on-site status and so forth in light of the parallel algorithms, and establishes the fault diagnosis, restoration and system restructure mechanism. It accomplishes an on-board parallel computer system with high dependability, capability and intelligence, a flexible management on hardware resources, an excellent software system, and a high ability in extension, which satisfies with the conception and the tendency of the integration electronic design sufficiently.

Design consideration in constructing high performance embedded Knowledge-Based Systems (KBS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dalton, Shelly D.; Daley, Philip C.

1988-01-01

As the hardware trends for artificial intelligence (AI) involve more and more complexity, the process of optimizing the computer system design for a particular problem will also increase in complexity. Space applications of knowledge based systems (KBS) will often require an ability to perform both numerically intensive vector computations and real time symbolic computations. Although parallel machines can theoretically achieve the speeds necessary for most of these problems, if the application itself is not highly parallel, the machine's power cannot be utilized. A scheme is presented which will provide the computer systems engineer with a tool for analyzing machines with various configurations of array, symbolic, scaler, and multiprocessors. High speed networks and interconnections make customized, distributed, intelligent systems feasible for the application of AI in space. The method presented can be used to optimize such AI system configurations and to make comparisons between existing computer systems. It is an open question whether or not, for a given mission requirement, a suitable computer system design can be constructed for any amount of money.

Computer Music

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Perry R.

This chapter covers algorithms, technologies, computer languages, and systems for computer music. Computer music involves the application of computers and other digital/electronic technologies to music composition, performance, theory, history, and the study of perception. The field combines digital signal processing, computational algorithms, computer languages, hardware and software systems, acoustics, psychoacoustics (low-level perception of sounds from the raw acoustic signal), and music cognition (higher-level perception of musical style, form, emotion, etc.).

On the impact of approximate computation in an analog DeSTIN architecture.

PubMed

Young, Steven; Lu, Junjie; Holleman, Jeremy; Arel, Itamar

2014-05-01

Deep machine learning (DML) holds the potential to revolutionize machine learning by automating rich feature extraction, which has become the primary bottleneck of human engineering in pattern recognition systems. However, the heavy computational burden renders DML systems implemented on conventional digital processors impractical for large-scale problems. The highly parallel computations required to implement large-scale deep learning systems are well suited to custom hardware. Analog computation has demonstrated power efficiency advantages of multiple orders of magnitude relative to digital systems while performing nonideal computations. In this paper, we investigate typical error sources introduced by analog computational elements and their impact on system-level performance in DeSTIN--a compositional deep learning architecture. These inaccuracies are evaluated on a pattern classification benchmark, clearly demonstrating the robustness of the underlying algorithm to the errors introduced by analog computational elements. A clear understanding of the impacts of nonideal computations is necessary to fully exploit the efficiency of analog circuits.

The "Biologically-Inspired Computing" Column

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinchey, Mike

2007-01-01

Self-managing systems, whether viewed from the perspective of Autonomic Computing, or from that of another initiative, offers a holistic vision for the development and evolution of biologically-inspired computer-based systems. It aims to bring new levels of automation and dependability to systems, while simultaneously hiding their complexity and reducing costs. A case can certainly be made that all computer-based systems should exhibit autonomic properties [6], and we envisage greater interest in, and uptake of, autonomic principles in future system development.

Design of a modular digital computer system DRL 4 and 5. [design of airborne/spaceborne computer system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Design and development efforts for a spaceborne modular computer system are reported. An initial baseline description is followed by an interface design that includes definition of the overall system response to all classes of failure. Final versions for the register level designs for all module types were completed. Packaging, support and control executive software, including memory utilization estimates and design verification plan, were formalized to insure a soundly integrated design of the digital computer system.

Launch Processing System. [for Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byrne, F.; Doolittle, G. V.; Hockenberger, R. W.

1976-01-01

This paper presents a functional description of the Launch Processing System, which provides automatic ground checkout and control of the Space Shuttle launch site and airborne systems, with emphasis placed on the Checkout, Control, and Monitor Subsystem. Hardware and software modular design concepts for the distributed computer system are reviewed relative to performing system tests, launch operations control, and status monitoring during ground operations. The communication network design, which uses a Common Data Buffer interface to all computers to allow computer-to-computer communication, is discussed in detail.

ISSYS: An integrated synergistic Synthesis System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dovi, A. R.

1980-01-01

Integrated Synergistic Synthesis System (ISSYS), an integrated system of computer codes in which the sequence of program execution and data flow is controlled by the user, is discussed. The commands available to exert such control, the ISSYS major function and rules, and the computer codes currently available in the system are described. Computational sequences frequently used in the aircraft structural analysis and synthesis are defined. External computer codes utilized by the ISSYS system are documented. A bibliography on the programs is included.

Method and system for redundancy management of distributed and recoverable digital control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stange, Kent (Inventor); Hess, Richard (Inventor); Kelley, Gerald B (Inventor); Rogers, Randy (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A method and system for redundancy management is provided for a distributed and recoverable digital control system. The method uses unique redundancy management techniques to achieve recovery and restoration of redundant elements to full operation in an asynchronous environment. The system includes a first computing unit comprising a pair of redundant computational lanes for generating redundant control commands. One or more internal monitors detect data errors in the control commands, and provide a recovery trigger to the first computing unit. A second redundant computing unit provides the same features as the first computing unit. A first actuator control unit is configured to provide blending and monitoring of the control commands from the first and second computing units, and to provide a recovery trigger to each of the first and second computing units. A second actuator control unit provides the same features as the first actuator control unit.

Coordinate Systems, Numerical Objects and Algorithmic Operations of Computational Experiment in Fluid Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degtyarev, Alexander; Khramushin, Vasily

2016-02-01

The paper deals with the computer implementation of direct computational experiments in fluid mechanics, constructed on the basis of the approach developed by the authors. The proposed approach allows the use of explicit numerical scheme, which is an important condition for increasing the effciency of the algorithms developed by numerical procedures with natural parallelism. The paper examines the main objects and operations that let you manage computational experiments and monitor the status of the computation process. Special attention is given to a) realization of tensor representations of numerical schemes for direct simulation; b) realization of representation of large particles of a continuous medium motion in two coordinate systems (global and mobile); c) computing operations in the projections of coordinate systems, direct and inverse transformation in these systems. Particular attention is paid to the use of hardware and software of modern computer systems.

Railroad Classification Yard Technology Manual: Volume II : Yard Computer Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-08-01

This volume (Volume II) of the Railroad Classification Yard Technology Manual documents the railroad classification yard computer systems methodology. The subjects covered are: functional description of process control and inventory computer systems,...

Research on elastic resource management for multi-queue under cloud computing environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

CHENG, Zhenjing; LI, Haibo; HUANG, Qiulan; Cheng, Yaodong; CHEN, Gang

2017-10-01

As a new approach to manage computing resource, virtualization technology is more and more widely applied in the high-energy physics field. A virtual computing cluster based on Openstack was built at IHEP, using HTCondor as the job queue management system. In a traditional static cluster, a fixed number of virtual machines are pre-allocated to the job queue of different experiments. However this method cannot be well adapted to the volatility of computing resource requirements. To solve this problem, an elastic computing resource management system under cloud computing environment has been designed. This system performs unified management of virtual computing nodes on the basis of job queue in HTCondor based on dual resource thresholds as well as the quota service. A two-stage pool is designed to improve the efficiency of resource pool expansion. This paper will present several use cases of the elastic resource management system in IHEPCloud. The practical run shows virtual computing resource dynamically expanded or shrunk while computing requirements change. Additionally, the CPU utilization ratio of computing resource was significantly increased when compared with traditional resource management. The system also has good performance when there are multiple condor schedulers and multiple job queues.