Voluntary Running Suppresses Tumor Growth through Epinephrine- and IL-6-Dependent NK Cell Mobilization and Redistribution.

PubMed

Pedersen, Line; Idorn, Manja; Olofsson, Gitte H; Lauenborg, Britt; Nookaew, Intawat; Hansen, Rasmus Hvass; Johannesen, Helle Hjorth; Becker, Jürgen C; Pedersen, Katrine S; Dethlefsen, Christine; Nielsen, Jens; Gehl, Julie; Pedersen, Bente K; Thor Straten, Per; Hojman, Pernille

2016-03-08

Regular exercise reduces the risk of cancer and disease recurrence. Yet the mechanisms behind this protection remain to be elucidated. In this study, tumor-bearing mice randomized to voluntary wheel running showed over 60% reduction in tumor incidence and growth across five different tumor models. Microarray analysis revealed training-induced upregulation of pathways associated with immune function. NK cell infiltration was significantly increased in tumors from running mice, whereas depletion of NK cells enhanced tumor growth and blunted the beneficial effects of exercise. Mechanistic analyses showed that NK cells were mobilized by epinephrine, and blockade of β-adrenergic signaling blunted training-dependent tumor inhibition. Moreover, epinephrine induced a selective mobilization of IL-6-sensitive NK cells, and IL-6-blocking antibodies blunted training-induced tumor suppression, intratumoral NK cell infiltration, and NK cell activation. Together, these results link exercise, epinephrine, and IL-6 to NK cell mobilization and redistribution, and ultimately to control of tumor growth. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of wastewater derived dissolved organic carbon on reduction, mobility, and bioavailability of As(V) and Cr(VI) in contaminated soils.

PubMed

Kunhikrishnan, Anitha; Choppala, Girish; Seshadri, Balaji; Wijesekara, Hasintha; Bolan, Nanthi S; Mbene, Kenneth; Kim, Won-Il

2017-01-15

In this work, the effects of various wastewater sources (storm water, sewage effluent, piggery effluent, and dairy effluent) on the reduction, and subsequent mobility and bioavailability of arsenate [As(V)] and chromate [Cr(VI)] were compared using both spiked and field contaminated soils. Wastewater addition to soil can increase the supply of carbon, nutrients, and stimulation of microorganisms which are considered to be important factors enhancing the reduction of metal(loid)s including As and Cr. The wastewater-induced mobility and bioavailability of As(V) and Cr(VI) were examined using leaching, earthworm, and soil microbial activity tests. The rate of reduction of As(V) was much less than that of Cr(VI) both in the presence and absence of wastewater addition. Wastewater addition increased the reduction of both As(V) and Cr(VI) compared to the control (Milli-Q water) and the effect was more pronounced in the case of Cr(VI). The leaching experiment indicated that Cr(VI) was more mobile than As(V). Wastewater addition increased the mobility and bioavailability of As(V), but had an opposite effect on Cr(VI). The difference in the mobility and bioavailability of Cr(VI) and As(V) between wastewater sources can be attributed to the difference in their dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content. The DOC provides carbon as an electron donor for the reduction of As(V) and Cr(VI) and also serves as a complexing agent thereby impacting their mobility and bioavailability. The DOC-induced reduction increased both the mobility and bioavailability of As, but it caused an opposite effect in the case of Cr. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tools & Resources | Efficient Windows Collaborative

Science.gov Websites

Selection Tool Mobile App Window Selection Tool Mobile App Use the Window Selection Tool Mobile App for new Window Selection Tool Mobile App. LBNL's RESFEN RESFEN RESFEN is used for calculating the heating and

TREATABILITY STUDY BULLETIN: MOBILE VOLUME REDUCTION UNIT AT THE ESCAMBIA SUPERFUND SITE

EPA Science Inventory

The RREL has developed a pilot-scale Mobile Volume Reduction Unit (VRU) to determine the feasibility of soil washing for the remediation of contaminated soils. This mobile unit, mounted on two trailers, can process 100 lb/hr of soil feed. Soil washing is a cost effective technolo...

Use of wastewater : challenge against scarcity,enhancement of crop disease and environment damage.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahchour, Abdelmalek; El Hajjaji, Souad; El Makhoukhi, Fadoua

2015-04-01

Reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture is a potential alternative to face shortage in water resources mainly in arid regions. Morocco is among countries that have experienced long and severe period of drought associated with shortage in water resources. Though the large efforts deployed in providing water supplies to different regions, this resource remains sufficiently available in northern part of the country only. This situation has pushed growers to use non treated wastewater for irrigation without any environmental or health cautions. Trials with waste water for irrigation have demonstrated net increase in production of irrigated crops, good improvement of soil texture and availability of nutrients. However interactions with pesticides remain neglected. Actually this interaction could be associated with an improvement or reduction of the efficacy of a given pesticide. On environmental point of view, it could improve or reduce adsorption, mobility of soil applied pesticides toward groundwater. Laboratory test with a selected fungicide showed net reduction of the efficacy of the pesticide against the target fungus. Comparison between growing species in medium spiked with pesticide/ wastewater and pesticide only shoed net increase of the growth in presence of wastewater. In the column of soil, low mobility herbicide showed net increase in mobility after percolation with water spiked with wastewater under laboratory conditions. .

Achieving high field-effect mobility in amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide by capping a strong reduction layer.

PubMed

Zan, Hsiao-Wen; Yeh, Chun-Cheng; Meng, Hsin-Fei; Tsai, Chuang-Chuang; Chen, Liang-Hao

2012-07-10

An effective approach to reduce defects and increase electron mobility in a-IGZO thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) is introduced. A strong reduction layer, calcium, is capped onto the back interface of a-IGZO TFT. After calcium capping, the effective electron mobility of a-IGZO TFT increases from 12 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) to 160 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1). This high mobility is a new record, which implies that the proposed defect reduction effect is key to improve electron transport in oxide semiconductor materials. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Voluntary Mobile Source Programs: Crediting Innovation and Experimentation Brochure

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EPA document provides guidance on Voluntary Mobile Source Emission Reduction Programs (VMEPs) that could be implemented and credited with emission reductions for State Implementation Plans (SIPs) related purposes.

Unstable metacarpal and phalangeal fractures: treatment by internal fixation using AO mini-fragment plates and screws.

PubMed

Mumtaz, Mohammad Umar; Farooq, Muneer Ahmad; Rasool, Altaf Ahmad; Kawoosa, Altaf Ahmad; Badoo, Abdul Rashid; Dhar, Shabir Ahmad

2010-07-01

Accurate open reduction and internal fixation for metacarpal and phalangeal fractures of the hand is required in less than 5% of the patients; otherwise, closed treatment techniques offer satisfactory results in most of these cases as these fractures are stable either before or after closed reduction. AO mini-fragment screws and plates, when used in properly selected cases, can provide rigid fixation, allowing early mobilization of joints and hence good functional results while avoiding problems associated with protruding K-wires and immobilization. The advantages of such internal fixation urged us to undertake such a study in our state where such hand injuries are commonly seen. Forty patients with 42 unstable metacarpal and phalangeal fractures were treated with open reduction and internal fixation using AO mini-fragment screws and plates over a period of three years in a prospective manner. The overall results were good in 78.5% of cases, fair in 19% of cases and poor in 2.5% of cases, as judged according to the criteria of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. This technique is a reasonable option for treating unstable metacarpal and phalangeal fractures as it provides a highly rigid fixation, which is sufficient to allow early mobilization of the adjacent joints, thus helping to achieve good functional results.

A meta-analysis of overall effects of weight loss interventions delivered via mobile phones and effect size differences according to delivery mode, personal contact, and intervention intensity and duration.

PubMed

Schippers, M; Adam, P C G; Smolenski, D J; Wong, H T H; de Wit, J B F

2017-04-01

Weight loss interventions are delivered through various mediums including, increasingly, mobile phones. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses whether interventions delivered via mobile phones reduce body weight and which intervention characteristics are associated with efficacy. The study included randomised controlled trials assessing the efficacy of weight loss interventions delivered via mobile phones. A meta-analysis to test intervention efficacy was performed, and subgroup analyses were conducted to determine whether interventions' delivery mode(s), inclusion of personal contact, duration and interaction frequency improve efficacy. Pooled body weight reduction (d = -0.23; 95% confidence interval = -0.38, -0.08) was significant. Interventions delivered via other modes in addition to the mobile phone were associated with weight reduction. Personal contact and more frequent interactions in interventions were also associated with greater weight reduction. In conclusion, the current body of evidence shows that interventions delivered via mobile phones produce a modest reduction in body weight when combined with other delivery modes. Delivering interventions with frequent and personal interactions may in particular benefit weight loss results. © 2017 World Obesity Federation.

Complex Osteotomies of Tibial Plateau Malunions Using Computer-Assisted Planning and Patient-Specific Surgical Guides.

PubMed

Fürnstahl, Philipp; Vlachopoulos, Lazaros; Schweizer, Andreas; Fucentese, Sandro F; Koch, Peter P

2015-08-01

The accurate reduction of tibial plateau malunions can be challenging without guidance. In this work, we report on a novel technique that combines 3-dimensional computer-assisted planning with patient-specific surgical guides for improving reliability and accuracy of complex intraarticular corrective osteotomies. Preoperative planning based on 3-dimensional bone models was performed to simulate fragment mobilization and reduction in 3 cases. Surgical implementation of the preoperative plan using patient-specific cutting and reduction guides was evaluated; benefits and limitations of the approach were identified and discussed. The preliminary results are encouraging and show that complex, intraarticular corrective osteotomies can be accurately performed with this technique. For selective patients with complex malunions around the tibia plateau, this method might be an attractive option, with the potential to facilitate achieving the most accurate correction possible.

Comparing the selectivity and chiral separation of d- and l- fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride protected amino acids in analytical high performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography; evaluating throughput, economic and environmental impact.

PubMed

Vera, C M; Shock, D; Dennis, G R; Farrell, W; Shalliker, R A

2017-04-14

The chiral separation of d- and l- FMOC amino acids was undertaken using the Lux Cellulose-1 polysaccharide based chiral column in HPLC (normal phase and reverse phase) and SFC conditions. This was done to compare the relative selectivity and separation between the three separation modes and to evaluate the potential benefits of SFC separations with regards to resolution, throughput, economic and environmental impact. It was established that the separation of d- and l- FMOC amino acids in SFC displayed behaviours that were similar to both normal phase and reversed phase, rather than distinctly one or the other. Additionally, although reversed phase conditions yielded significantly higher resolution values between enantiomers across the range of amino acids studied, improvements in selectivity in SFC via the introduction of higher concentrations of formic acid in the mobile phase allowed for better resolution per unit of time. Moreover since the SFC mobile phase is composed mostly of recyclable CO 2 , there is a reduction in organic solvent consumption, which minimises the economic and environmental costs. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of copper loading on NH3-SCR and NO oxidation over Cu impregnated CHA zeolite

DOE PAGES

Akter, Nusnin; Chen, Xianyin; Parise, John; ...

2017-11-25

Cu/CHA catalysts with various Cu loadings (0.5 wt%–6.0 wt%) were synthesized via incipient wetness impregnation. The catalysts were then applied to the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH 3 and NO oxidation reaction. XRD and N 2 adsorption-desorption data showed that CHA structure was maintained with the incorporation of Cu, while specific surface areas decreased with increasing Cu loading. At intermediate Cu loading, 4 wt%, the highest NH 3-SCR activity was observed with ~98% N2 selectivity from 150°C to 300°C. Small amounts of water, 2%, slightly increased NO conversion in addition to the remarkable N 2O and NOmore » 2 reduction at high temperature. Water effects are attributed to the improved Cu ion reducibility and mobility. NO oxidation results provided no relation between NO 2 formation and SCR activity. Physicochemical properties, NO conversion, N 2 selectivity, and activation energy data showed that impregnated samples’ molecular structure and catalytic activity are comparable to the conventional ion-exchanged (IE) samples’ ones.« less

Investigation of a New Handover Approach in LTE and WiMAX

PubMed Central

Hindia, Mohammad Nour; Reza, Ahmed Wasif; Noordin, Kamarul Ariffin

2014-01-01

Nowadays, one of the most important challenges in heterogeneous networks is the connection consistency between the mobile station and the base stations. Furthermore, along the roaming process between the mobile station and the base station, the system performance degrades significantly due to the interferences from neighboring base stations, handovers to inaccurate base station and inappropriate technology selection. In this paper, several algorithms are proposed to improve mobile station performance and seamless mobility across the long-term evolution (LTE) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technologies, along with a minimum number of redundant handovers. Firstly, the enhanced global positioning system (GPS) and the novel received signal strength (RSS) prediction approaches are suggested to predict the target base station accurately. Then, the multiple criteria with two thresholds algorithm is proposed to prioritize the selection between LTE and WiMAX as the target technology. In addition, this study also covers the intercell and cochannel interference reduction by adjusting the frequency reuse ratio 3 (FRR3) to work with LTE and WiMAX. The obtained results demonstrate high next base station prediction efficiency and high accuracy for both horizontal and vertical handovers. Moreover, the received signal strength is kept at levels higher than the threshold, while maintaining low connection cost and delay within acceptable levels. In order to highlight the combination of the proposed algorithms' performance, it is compared with the existing RSS and multiple criteria handover decision algorithms. PMID:25379524

Investigation of a new handover approach in LTE and WiMAX.

PubMed

Hindia, Mohammad Nour; Reza, Ahmed Wasif; Noordin, Kamarul Ariffin

2014-01-01

Nowadays, one of the most important challenges in heterogeneous networks is the connection consistency between the mobile station and the base stations. Furthermore, along the roaming process between the mobile station and the base station, the system performance degrades significantly due to the interferences from neighboring base stations, handovers to inaccurate base station and inappropriate technology selection. In this paper, several algorithms are proposed to improve mobile station performance and seamless mobility across the long-term evolution (LTE) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technologies, along with a minimum number of redundant handovers. Firstly, the enhanced global positioning system (GPS) and the novel received signal strength (RSS) prediction approaches are suggested to predict the target base station accurately. Then, the multiple criteria with two thresholds algorithm is proposed to prioritize the selection between LTE and WiMAX as the target technology. In addition, this study also covers the intercell and cochannel interference reduction by adjusting the frequency reuse ratio 3 (FRR3) to work with LTE and WiMAX. The obtained results demonstrate high next base station prediction efficiency and high accuracy for both horizontal and vertical handovers. Moreover, the received signal strength is kept at levels higher than the threshold, while maintaining low connection cost and delay within acceptable levels. In order to highlight the combination of the proposed algorithms' performance, it is compared with the existing RSS and multiple criteria handover decision algorithms.

Understanding arsenic mobilization using reactive transport modeling of groundwater hydrochemistry in the Datong basin study plot, China.

PubMed

Mapoma, Harold Wilson Tumwitike; Xie, Xianjun; Pi, Kunfu; Liu, Yaqing; Zhu, Yapeng

2016-03-01

This paper discusses the reactive transport and evolution of arsenic along a selected flow path in a study plot within the central part of Datong basin. The simulation used the TOUGHREACT code. The spatial and temporal trends in hydrochemistry and mineral volume fraction along a flow path were observed. Furthermore, initial simulation of major ions and pH fits closely to the measured data. The study shows that equilibrium conditions may be attained at different stress periods for each parameter simulated. It is noted that the variations in ionic chemistry have a greater impact on arsenic distribution while reducing conditions drive the mobilization of arsenic. The study concluded that the reduction of Fe(iii) and As(v) and probably SO4/HS cycling are significant factors affecting localized mobilization of arsenic. Besides cation exchange and water-rock interaction, incongruent dissolution of silicates is also a significant control mechanism of general chemistry of the Datong basin aquifer.

Incorporating Voluntary Mobile Source Emission Reduction Programs in State Implementation Plans (SIPs)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EPA memorandum provides guidance and sets forth policy and interpretation regarding the granting of explicit State Implementation Plan (SIP) credit for Voluntary Mobile Source Emission Reduction Programs (VMEPs) under section 110 of the Clean Air Act.

Applicability of two mobile analysers for mercury in urine in small-scale gold mining areas.

PubMed

Baeuml, Jennifer; Bose-O'Reilly, Stephan; Lettmeier, Beate; Maydl, Alexandra; Messerer, Katalin; Roider, Gabriele; Drasch, Gustav; Siebert, Uwe

2011-12-01

Mercury is still used in developing countries to extract gold from the ore in small-scale gold mining areas. This is a major health hazard for people living in mining areas. The concentration of mercury in urine was analysed in different mining areas in Zimbabwe, Indonesia and Tanzania. First the urine samples were analysed by CV-AAS (cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry) during the field projects with a mobile mercury analyser (Lumex(®) or Seefelder(®)) and secondly, in a laboratory with a stationary CV-AAS mercury analyser (PerkinElmer(®)). Caused by the different systems (reduction agent either SnCl(2) (Lumex(®) or Seefelder(®))) or NaBH(4) (PerkinElmer(®)), with the mobile analysers only the inorganic mercury was obtained and with the stationary system the total mercury concentration was measured. The aims of the study were whether the results obtained in field with the mobile equipments can be compared with the stationary reference method in the laboratory and allow the application of these mobile analysers in screening studies on concerned populations to select those, who are exposed to critical mercury levels. Overall, the concentrations obtained with the two mobile systems were approximately 25% lower than determined with the stationary system. Nevertheless, both mobile systems seem to be very useful for screening of volunteers in field. Moreover, regional staff may be trained on such analysers to perform screening tests by themselves. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

EPA RREL'S MOBILE VOLUME REDUCTION UNIT -- APPLICATIONS ANALYSIS REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

The volume reduction unit (VRU) is a pilot-scale, mobile soil washing system designed to remove organic contaminants from the soil through particle size separation and solubilization. The VRU removes contaminants by suspending them in a wash solution and by reducing the volume of...

Mercury mobilization and speciation linked to bacterial iron oxide and sulfate reduction: A column study to mimic reactive transfer in an anoxic aquifer.

PubMed

Hellal, Jennifer; Guédron, Stéphane; Huguet, Lucie; Schäfer, Jörg; Laperche, Valérie; Joulian, Catherine; Lanceleur, Laurent; Burnol, André; Ghestem, Jean-Philippe; Garrido, Francis; Battaglia-Brunet, Fabienne

2015-09-01

Mercury (Hg) mobility and speciation in subsurface aquifers is directly linked to its surrounding geochemical and microbial environment. The role of bacteria on Hg speciation (i.e., methylation, demethylation and reduction) is well documented, however little data is available on their impact on Hg mobility. The aim of this study was to test if (i) Hg mobility is due to either direct iron oxide reduction by iron reducing bacteria (IRB) or indirect iron reduction by sulfide produced by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), and (ii) to investigate its subsequent fate and speciation. Experiments were carried out in an original column setup combining geochemical and microbiological approaches that mimic an aquifer including an interface of iron-rich and iron depleted zones. Two identical glass columns containing iron oxides spiked with Hg(II) were submitted to (i) direct iron reduction by IRB and (ii) to indirect iron reduction by sulfides produced by SRB. Results show that in both columns Hg was leached and methylated during the height of bacterial activity. In the column where IRB are dominant, Hg methylation and leaching from the column was directly correlated to bacterial iron reduction (i.e., Fe(II) release). In opposition, when SRB are dominant, produced sulfide induced indirect iron oxide reduction and rapid adsorption of leached Hg (or produced methylmercury) on neoformed iron sulfides (e.g., Mackinawite) or its precipitation as HgS. At the end of the SRB column experiment, when iron-oxide reduction was complete, filtered Hg and Fe concentrations increased at the outlet suggesting a leaching of Hg bound to FeS colloids that may be a dominant mechanism of Hg transport in aquifer environments. These experimental results highlight different biogeochemical mechanisms that can occur in stratified sub-surface aquifers where bacterial activities play a major role on Hg mobility and changes in speciation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: MOBILE VOLUME REDUCTION UNIT - U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

EPA Science Inventory

The Volume Reduction Unit (VRU), which was developed by EPA, is a mobile, pilot-scale soil washing system for stand-alone field use in cleaning soil contaminated with hazardous substances. Removal efficiencies depend on the contaminant as well as the type of soil. Soil washing...

Nitrite reduction mechanism on a Pd surface.

PubMed

Shin, Hyeyoung; Jung, Sungyoon; Bae, Sungjun; Lee, Woojin; Kim, Hyungjun

2014-11-04

Nitrate (NO3-) is one of the most harmful contaminants in the groundwater, and it causes various health problems. Bimetallic catalysts, usually palladium (Pd) coupled with secondary metallic catalyst, are found to properly treat nitrate-containing wastewaters; however, the selectivity toward N2 production over ammonia (NH3) production still requires further improvement. Because the N2 selectivity is determined at the nitrite (NO2-) reduction step on the Pd surface, which occurs after NO3- is decomposed into NO2- on the secondary metallic catalyst, we here performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experiments to investigate the NO2- reduction pathway on the Pd surface activated by hydrogen. Based on extensive DFT calculations on the relative energetics among ∼100 possible intermediates, we found that NO2- is easily reduced to NO* on the Pd surface, followed by either sequential hydrogenation steps to yield NH3 or a decomposition step to N* and O* (an adsorbate on Pd is denoted using an asterisk). Based on the calculated high migration barrier of N*, we further discussed that the direct combination of two N* to yield N2 is kinetically less favorable than the combination of a highly mobile H* with N* to yield NH3. Instead, the reduction of NO2- in the vicinity of the N* can yield N2O* that can be preferentially transformed into N2 via diverse reaction pathways. Our DFT results suggest that enhancing the likelihood of N* encountering NO2- in the solution phase before combination with surface H* is important for maximizing the N2 selectivity. This is further supported by our experiments on NO2- reduction by Pd/TiO2, showing that both a decreased H2 flow rate and an increased NO2- concentration increased the N2 selectivity (78.6-93.6% and 57.8-90.9%, respectively).

The influence of foot orthoses on foot mobility magnitude and arch height index in adults with flexible flat feet.

PubMed

Sheykhi-Dolagh, Roghaye; Saeedi, Hassan; Farahmand, Behshid; Kamyab, Mojtaba; Kamali, Mohammad; Gholizadeh, Hossein; Derayatifar, Amir A; Curran, Sarah

2015-06-01

Flexible flat foot is described as a reduction in the height of the medial longitudinal arch and may occur from abnormal foot pronation. A foot orthosis is thought to modify and control excessive pronation and improve arch height. To compare the immediate effect of three types of orthoses on foot mobility and the arch height index in subjects with flexible flat feet. A quasi-experimental study. The dorsal arch height, midfoot width, foot mobility and arch height index were assessed in 20 participants with flexible flat feet (mean age = 23.2 ± 3 years) for three different foot orthosis conditions: soft, semi-rigid and rigid University of California Biomechanics Laboratory (UCBL). Maximum midfoot width at 90% with arch mobility in the coronal plane was shown in the semi-rigid orthosis condition. The semi-rigid orthosis resulted in the highest mean foot mobility in 90% of weight bearing, and the rigid orthosis (UCBL) had the lowest mean foot mobility. The soft orthosis resulted in foot mobility between that of the rigid and the semi-rigid orthosis. UCBL orthosis showed the highest arch height index, and the semi-rigid orthosis showed the lowest mean arch height index. Due to its rigid structure and long medial-lateral walls, the UCBL orthosis appears to limit foot mobility. Therefore, it is necessary to make an orthosis that facilitates foot mobility in the normal range of the foot arch. Future studies should address the dynamic mobility of the foot with using various types of foot orthoses. Although there are many studies focussed on flat foot and the use of foot orthoses, the mechanism of action is still unclear. This study explored foot mobility and the influence of foot orthoses and showed that a more rigid foot orthosis should be selected based on foot mobility. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2014.

2003 urban mobility report. Volume 2 : five congestion reduction strategies and their effects on mobility

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-09-01

The Urban Mobility Study Report procedures provide estimates of mobility at the areawide level. The approach that is used describes congestion in consistent ways using generally available data allowing for comparisons across urban areas or groups of ...

VR Mobile Solutions For Chronic Stress Reduction in Young Adults.

PubMed

Gao, Kenneth; Boyd, Chelsie; Wiederhold, Mark D; Wiederhold, Brenda K

2014-01-01

Chronic stress in young adults has become a growing problem within recent decades and many are unable to find cost-effective and accessible treatment for psychological stress in their daily lives. We analyze the market of using a mobile application, Positive Technology, as a solution. Eleven participants, aged between 18 and 24, participated in the exercise. Self-reported stress reduction was measured via an online marketing survey, while physiological measurements were monitored via peripheral devices. Secondary goals assessed the app's ease-of-use, accessibility, and cost. Results indicate that participants enjoyed the availability of the mobile solution and found the app to be fun and easy to learn. Stress levels were reduced in 73% of the participants, with higher effects in females and in participants aged 18-24. We conclude that the mobile platform is an effective means of delivering psychological stress reduction, and could provide an accessible, cost-effective solution.

Origins of house mice in ecological niches created by settled hunter-gatherers in the Levant 15,000 y ago

PubMed Central

Weissbrod, Lior; Marshall, Fiona B.; Valla, François R.; Khalaily, Hamoudi; Bar-Oz, Guy; Auffray, Jean-Christophe; Vigne, Jean-Denis; Cucchi, Thomas

2017-01-01

Reductions in hunter-gatherer mobility during the Late Pleistocene influenced settlement ecologies, altered human relations with animal communities, and played a pivotal role in domestication. The influence of variability in human mobility on selection dynamics and ecological interactions in human settlements has not been extensively explored, however. This study of mice in modern African villages and changing mice molar shapes in a 200,000-y-long sequence from the Levant demonstrates competitive advantages for commensal mice in long-term settlements. Mice from African pastoral households provide a referential model for habitat partitioning among mice taxa in settlements of varying durations. The data reveal the earliest known commensal niche for house mice in long-term forager settlements 15,000 y ago. Competitive dynamics and the presence and abundance of mice continued to fluctuate with human mobility through the terminal Pleistocene. At the Natufian site of Ain Mallaha, house mice displaced less commensal wild mice during periods of heavy occupational pressure but were outcompeted when mobility increased. Changing food webs and ecological dynamics in long-term settlements allowed house mice to establish durable commensal populations that expanded with human societies. This study demonstrates the changing magnitude of cultural niche construction with varying human mobility and the extent of environmental influence before the advent of farming. PMID:28348225

Origins of house mice in ecological niches created by settled hunter-gatherers in the Levant 15,000 y ago.

PubMed

Weissbrod, Lior; Marshall, Fiona B; Valla, François R; Khalaily, Hamoudi; Bar-Oz, Guy; Auffray, Jean-Christophe; Vigne, Jean-Denis; Cucchi, Thomas

2017-04-18

Reductions in hunter-gatherer mobility during the Late Pleistocene influenced settlement ecologies, altered human relations with animal communities, and played a pivotal role in domestication. The influence of variability in human mobility on selection dynamics and ecological interactions in human settlements has not been extensively explored, however. This study of mice in modern African villages and changing mice molar shapes in a 200,000-y-long sequence from the Levant demonstrates competitive advantages for commensal mice in long-term settlements. Mice from African pastoral households provide a referential model for habitat partitioning among mice taxa in settlements of varying durations. The data reveal the earliest known commensal niche for house mice in long-term forager settlements 15,000 y ago. Competitive dynamics and the presence and abundance of mice continued to fluctuate with human mobility through the terminal Pleistocene. At the Natufian site of Ain Mallaha, house mice displaced less commensal wild mice during periods of heavy occupational pressure but were outcompeted when mobility increased. Changing food webs and ecological dynamics in long-term settlements allowed house mice to establish durable commensal populations that expanded with human societies. This study demonstrates the changing magnitude of cultural niche construction with varying human mobility and the extent of environmental influence before the advent of farming.

Evaluation of a Progressive Mobility Protocol in Postoperative Cardiothoracic Surgical Patients.

PubMed

Floyd, Shawn; Craig, Sarah W; Topley, Darla; Tullmann, Dorothy

2016-01-01

Cardiothoracic surgical patients are at high risk for complications related to immobility, such as increased intensive care and hospital length of stay, intensive care unit readmission, pressure ulcer development, and deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolus. A progressive mobility protocol was started in the thoracic cardiovascular intensive care unit in a rural academic medical center. The purpose of the progressive mobility protocol was to increase mobilization of postoperative patients and decrease complications related to immobility in this unique patient population. A matched-pairs design was used to compare a randomly selected sample of the preintervention group (n = 30) to a matched postintervention group (n = 30). The analysis compared outcomes including intensive care unit and hospital length of stay, intensive care unit readmission occurrence, pressure ulcer prevalence, and deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism prevalence between the 2 groups. Although this comparison does not achieve statistical significance (P < .05) for any of the outcomes measured, it does show clinical significance in a reduction in hospital length of stay, intensive care unit days, in intensive care unit readmission rate, and a decline in pressure ulcer prevalence, which is the overall goal of progressive mobility. This study has implications for nursing, hospital administration, and therapy services with regard to staffing and cost savings related to fewer complications of immobility. Future studies with a larger sample size and other populations are warranted.

Future-year ozone prediction for the United States using updated models and inputs.

PubMed

Collet, Susan; Kidokoro, Toru; Karamchandani, Prakash; Shah, Tejas; Jung, Jaegun

2017-08-01

The relationship between emission reductions and changes in ozone can be studied using photochemical grid models. These models are updated with new information as it becomes available. The primary objective of this study was to update the previous Collet et al. studies by using the most up-to-date (at the time the study was done) modeling emission tools, inventories, and meteorology available to conduct ozone source attribution and sensitivity studies. Results show future-year, 2030, design values for 8-hr ozone concentrations were lower than base-year values, 2011. The ozone source attribution results for selected cities showed that boundary conditions were the dominant contributors to ozone concentrations at the western U.S. locations, and were important for many of the eastern U.S. Point sources were generally more important in the eastern United States than in the western United States. The contributions of on-road mobile emissions were less than 5 ppb at a majority of the cities selected for analysis. The higher-order decoupled direct method (HDDM) results showed that in most of the locations selected for analysis, NOx emission reductions were more effective than VOC emission reductions in reducing ozone levels. The source attribution results from this study provide useful information on the important source categories and provide some initial guidance on future emission reduction strategies. The relationship between emission reductions and changes in ozone can be studied using photochemical grid models, which are updated with new available information. This study was to update the previous Collet et al. studies by using the most current, at the time the study was done, models and inventory to conduct ozone source attribution and sensitivity studies. The source attribution results from this study provide useful information on the important source categories and provide some initial guidance on future emission reduction strategies.

Prioritizing environmental justice and equality: diesel emissions in southern California.

PubMed

Marshall, Julian D; Swor, Kathryn R; Nguyen, Nam P

2014-04-01

Existing environmental policies aim to reduce emissions but lack standards for addressing environmental justice. Environmental justice research documents disparities in exposure to air pollution; however, little guidance currently exists on how to make improvements or on how specific emission-reduction scenarios would improve or deteriorate environmental justice conditions. Here, we quantify how emission reductions from specific sources would change various measures of environmental equality and justice. We evaluate potential emission reductions for fine diesel particulate matter (DPM) in Southern California for five sources: on-road mobile, off-road mobile, ships, trains, and stationary. Our approach employs state-of-the-science dispersion and exposure models. We compare four environmental goals: impact, efficiency, equality, and justice. Results indicate potential trade-offs among those goals. For example, reductions in train emissions produce the greatest improvements in terms of efficiency, equality, and justice, whereas off-road mobile source reductions can have the greatest total impact. Reductions in on-road emissions produce improvements in impact, equality, and justice, whereas emission reductions from ships would widen existing population inequalities. Results are similar for complex versus simplified exposure analyses. The approach employed here could usefully be applied elsewhere to evaluate opportunities for improving environmental equality and justice in other locations.

75 FR 34182 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Proposed Mobile Fueling...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-16

... Mobile Fueling Operations, Nationwide AGENCY: Postal Service. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a...) for the use of mobile fueling contractors to fuel postal vehicles on-site at selected Postal Service... utilize mobile fueling contractors to fuel vehicles on site at selected postal facilities located...

Mobility-Resolved Ion Selection in Uniform Drift Field Ion Mobility Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry: Dynamic Switching in Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations

DOE PAGES

Webb, Ian K.; Garimella, Sandilya V. B.; Tolmachev, Aleksey V.; ...

2014-09-15

A Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations (SLIM) module that allows ion mobility separations and the switching of ions between alternative drift paths is described. The SLIM switch component has a “Tee” configuration and allows switching of ions between a linear path and a 90-degree bend. By controlling switching times, ions can be deflected to an alternative channel as a function of their mobilities. In the initial evaluation the switch is used in a static mode and shown compatible with high performance ion mobility separations at 4 torr. In the “dynamic mode” we show that mobility-selected ions can be switched intomore » the alternative channel, and that various ion species can be independently selected based on their mobilities for time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS) IMS detection and mass analysis. Ultimately, this development also provides the basis for e.g. the selection of specific mobilities for storage and accumulation, and key modules for the assembly of SLIM devices enabling much more complex sequences of ion manipulations.« less

Development and evaluation of a mobile intervention for heavy drinking and smoking among college students.

PubMed

Witkiewitz, Katie; Desai, Sruti A; Bowen, Sarah; Leigh, Barbara C; Kirouac, Megan; Larimer, Mary E

2014-09-01

Nearly all college student smokers also drink alcohol, and smoking and heavy episodic drinking (HED) commonly co-occur. However, few studies have examined the factors that concurrently influence smoking and HED among college students and, to date, no interventions have been developed that target both HED and smoking in this population. The objective of the current study was to develop and evaluate a mobile feedback intervention that targets HED and smoking. Participants (N = 94) were non-treatment-seeking college students (M(age) = 20.5 years, SD = 1.7) who engaged in at least a single HED episode in the past 2 weeks and reported concurrent smoking and drinking at least once a week. Participants were randomized to receive either the mobile intervention for 14 days, complete mobile assessments (without intervention) for 14 days, or complete minimal assessments (without intervention or mobile assessments). At a 1-month follow-up, compared with the minimal assessment condition, we observed significant reductions in the number of cigarettes per smoking day in both the mobile intervention (d = 0.55) and mobile assessment (d = 0.45) conditions. Among those randomized to the mobile intervention, receiving more modules of the intervention was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of any drinking during the 14-day assessment period and significant reductions in smoking at 1-month follow-up. The mobile intervention did not result in significant reductions in HED or concurrent smoking and drinking. Future research should continue to examine ways of using technology and the real-time environment to improve interventions for HED and smoking.

Quantifying co-benefits of source-specific CO2 emission reductions in Canada and the US: An adjoint sensitivity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, S.; Soltanzadeh, M.; Pappin, A. J.; Hakami, A.; Turner, M. D.; Capps, S.; Henze, D. K.; Percell, P.; Bash, J. O.; Napelenok, S. L.; Pinder, R. W.; Russell, A. G.; Nenes, A.; Baek, J.; Carmichael, G. R.; Stanier, C. O.; Chai, T.; Byun, D.; Fahey, K.; Resler, J.; Mashayekhi, R.

2016-12-01

Scenario-based studies evaluate air quality co-benefits by adopting collective measures introduced under a climate policy scenario cannot distinguish between benefits accrued from CO2 reductions among sources of different types and at different locations. Location and sector dependencies are important factors that can be captured in an adjoint-based analysis of CO2 reduction co-benefits. The present study aims to quantify how the ancillary benefits of reducing criteria co-pollutants vary spatially and by sector. The adjoint of USEPA's CMAQ was applied to quantify the health benefits associated with emission reduction of criteria pollutants (NOX) in on-road mobile, Electric Generation Units (EGUs), and other select sectors on a location-by-location basis across the US and Canada. These health benefits are then converted to CO2 emission reduction co-benefits by accounting for source-specific emission rates of criteria pollutants in comparison to CO2. We integrate the results from the adjoint of CMAQ with emission estimates from 2011 NEI at the county level, and point source data from EPA's Air Markets Program Data and National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) for Canada. Our preliminary results show that the monetized health benefits (due to averted chronic mortality) associated with reductions of 1 ton of CO2 emissions is up to 65/ton in Canada and 200/ton in US for mobile on-road sector. For EGU sources, co-benefits are estimated at up to 100/ton and 10/ton for the US and Canada respectively. For Canada, the calculated co-benefits through gaseous pollutants including NOx is larger than those through PM2.5 due to the official association between NO2 exposure and chronic mortality. Calculated co-benefits show a great deal of spatial variability across emission locations for different sectors and sub-sectors. Implications of such spatial variability in devising control policy options that effectively address both climate and air quality objectives will be discussed.

Detailed Project Report and Environmental Assessment on Upper Gordons Creek, Urban Flood Damage Reduction Measures at Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-01

REDUCTION MEASURES AT HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI US Army Corps SEPTEMBER 1986 of Engineers Mobile District DTIC South Atlantic Division O ELECTE S APR 14S1 87...8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(&) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT, PROJECT. TASK U.S...Army Corps of Enineers AREA & WORK UNIT NUMBERS ATTN: SAMPD-FW 1 P.O. Box 2288, Mobile , AL 36628 $1. CONTROLLING OFFICE NAME AND ADDRESS 12. REPORT

A review of carbon-based and non-carbon-based catalyst supports for the selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide.

PubMed

Anthonysamy, Shahreen Binti Izwan; Afandi, Syahidah Binti; Khavarian, Mehrnoush; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman Bin

2018-01-01

Various types of carbon-based and non-carbon-based catalyst supports for nitric oxide (NO) removal through selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with ammonia are examined in this review. A number of carbon-based materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), activated carbon (AC), and graphene (GR) and non-carbon-based materials, such as Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 (ZSM-5), TiO 2 , and Al 2 O 3 supported materials, were identified as the most up-to-date and recently used catalysts for the removal of NO gas. The main focus of this review is the study of catalyst preparation methods, as this is highly correlated to the behaviour of NO removal. The general mechanisms involved in the system, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood or Eley-Riedeal mechanism, are also discussed. Characterisation analysis affecting the surface and chemical structure of the catalyst is also detailed in this work. Finally, a few major conclusions are drawn and future directions for work on the advancement of the SCR-NH 3 catalyst are suggested.

Medicaid program choice, inertia and adverse selection.

PubMed

Marton, James; Yelowitz, Aaron; Talbert, Jeffery C

2017-12-01

In 2012, Kentucky implemented Medicaid managed care statewide, auto-assigned enrollees to three plans, and allowed switching. Using administrative data, we find that the state's auto-assignment algorithm most heavily weighted cost-minimization and plan balancing, and placed little weight on the quality of the enrollee-plan match. Immobility - apparently driven by health plan inertia - contributed to the success of the cost-minimization strategy, as more than half of enrollees auto-assigned to even the lowest quality plans did not opt-out. High-cost enrollees were more likely to opt-out of their auto-assigned plan, creating adverse selection. The plan with arguably the highest quality incurred the largest initial profit margin reduction due to adverse selection prior to risk adjustment, as it attracted a disproportionate share of high-cost enrollees. The presence of such selection, caused by differential degrees of mobility, raises concerns about the long run viability of the Medicaid managed care market without such risk adjustment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Community mobilization for malaria elimination: application of an open space methodology in Ruhuha sector, Rwanda

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Despite the significant reduction of malaria transmission in Rwanda, Ruhuha sector is still a highly endemic area for malaria. The objective of this activity was to explore and brainstorm the potential roles of various community stakeholders in malaria elimination. Methods Horizontal participatory approaches such as ‘open space’ have been deployed to explore local priorities, stimulate community contribution to project planning, and to promote local capacity to manage programmes. Two open space meetings were conducted with 62 and 82 participants in years 1 and 2, respectively. Participants included purposively selected community and local organizations’ representatives. Results Malaria was perceived as a health concern by the respondents despite the reported reduction in prevalence from 60 to 20% for cases at the local health centre. Some misconceptions of the cause of malaria and misuse of preventive strategies were noted. Poverty was deemed to be a contributing factor to malaria transmission, with suggestions that improvement of living conditions for poor families might help malaria reduction. Participants expressed willingness to contribute to malaria elimination and underscored the need for constant education, sensitization and mobilization towards malaria control in general. Active diagnosis, preventative strategies and prompt treatment of malaria cases were all mentioned by participants as ways to reduce malaria. Participants suggested that partnership of stakeholders at various levels could speed up programme activities. A community rewards system was deemed important to motivate engaged participants, i.e., community health workers and households. Establishment of malaria clubs in schools settings was also suggested as crucial to speed up community awareness and increase skills towards further malaria reduction. Conclusions This bottom-up approach was found useful in engaging the local community, enabling them to explore issues related to malaria in the area and suggest solutions for sustainable malaria elimination gains. PMID:24886145

Mobility Peak Tailing Reduction in a Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) Coupled with a Mass Spectrometer and Several Ionization Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amo-Gonzalez, Mario; Fernandez de la Mora, Juan

2017-08-01

The differential mobility analyzer (DMA) is a narrow-band linear ion mobility filter operating at atmospheric pressure. It combines in series with a quadrupole mass spectrometer (Q-MS) for mobility/mass analysis, greatly reducing chemical noise in selected ion monitoring. However, the large flow rate of drift gas ( 1000 L/min) required by DMAs complicates the achievement of high gas purity. Additionally, the symmetry of the drying counterflow gas at the interface of many commercial MS instruments, is degraded by the lateral motion of the drift gas at the DMA entrance slit. As a result, DMA mobility peaks often exhibit tails due to the attachment of impurity vapors, either (1) to the reagent ion within the separation cell, or (2) to the analyte of interest in the ionization region. In order to greatly increase the noise-suppression capacity of the DMA, we describe various vapor-removal schemes and measure the resulting increase in the tailing ratio, ( TR = signal at the peak maximum over signal two half-widths away from this maximum). Here we develop a low-outgassing DMA circuit connected to a mass spectrometer, and test it with three ionization sources (APCI, Desolvating-nano ESI, and Desolvating low flow SESI). While prior TR values were in the range 100-1000, the three new sources achieve TR 105. The SESI source has been optimized for maximum sensitivity, delivering an unprecedented gain for TNT of 190 counts/fg, equivalent to an ionization efficiency of one out of 140 neutral molecules.

Niobium Solar Mobile Project — High Strength Niobium Microalloyed Steel as a Solution to Improve Electric Super Scooter and Motorcycle Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, Terry; Kauppi, Erik; Flanagan, Lauren; Ribeio, Eduardo A. A. G.; Nogueira, Marcos A. Stuart; McCourtney, Ian

This paper presents the advantages of replacing mild steel with high strength niobium microalloyed steel in the structure of Electric Super Scooters, Electric Cargo Motorcycles and Solar Charging Stations. The Mini-Fleet-in-a-Box concept was developed by Current Motor to guarantee mobility, efficiency and solar generated electricity. With the adoption of niobium microalloyed high strength steel for more than 90% of the Super Scooter and Motorcycle structures, it was possible to redesign the frame, resulting in a 31% weight reduction and a very modern and functional body. Together with a new powertrain, these changes were responsible for increasing Motorcycle autonomy by more than 15%, depending on average speed. The new frame design reduced the number of high strain points in the frame, increasing the safety of the project. The Solar Charging Station was built using the container concept and designed with high strength niobium microalloyed steel, which resulted in a weight reduction of 25%. CBMM's facility in Araxá, Brazil was selected in the second half of 2013 as the demonstration site to test the efficiency of the Super Scooter and Solar Charging Station. Each Super Scooter has run more than 2,000 km maintenance-free with an autonomy of more than 100 km per charge.

Synaptic Vesicle Mobility and Presynaptic F-Actin Are Disrupted in a N-ethylmaleimide–sensitive Factor Allele of Drosophila

PubMed Central

Nunes, Paula; Haines, Nicola; Kuppuswamy, Venkat; Fleet, David J.

2006-01-01

N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF) can dissociate the soluble NSF attachment receptor (SNARE) complex, but NSF also participates in other intracellular trafficking functions by virtue of SNARE-independent activity. Drosophila that express a neural transgene encoding a dominant-negative form of NSF2 show an 80% reduction in the size of releasable synaptic vesicle pool, but no change in the number of vesicles in nerve terminal boutons. Here we tested the hypothesis that vesicles in the NSF2 mutant terminal are less mobile. Using a combination of genetics, pharmacology, and imaging we find a substantial reduction in vesicle mobility within the nerve terminal boutons of Drosophila NSF2 mutant larvae. Subsequent analysis revealed a decrease of filamentous actin in both NSF2 dominant-negative and loss-of-function mutants. Lastly, actin-filament disrupting drugs also decrease vesicle movement. We conclude that a factor contributing to the NSF mutant phenotype is a reduction in vesicle mobility, which is associated with decreased presynaptic F-actin. Our data are consistent with a model in which actin filaments promote vesicle mobility and suggest that NSF participates in establishing or maintaining this population of actin. PMID:16914524

44 CFR 321.2 - Selection of the mobilization base.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Selection of the mobilization base. 321.2 Section 321.2 Emergency Management and Assistance FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS MAINTENANCE OF THE MOBILIZATION BASE (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE...

The Uses and Impacts of Mobile Computing Technology in Hot Spots Policing.

PubMed

Koper, Christopher S; Lum, Cynthia; Hibdon, Julie

2015-12-01

Recent technological advances have much potential for improving police performance, but there has been little research testing whether they have made police more effective in reducing crime. To study the uses and crime control impacts of mobile computing technology in the context of geographically focused "hot spots" patrols. An experiment was conducted using 18 crime hot spots in a suburban jurisdiction. Nine of these locations were randomly selected to receive additional patrols over 11 weeks. Researchers studied officers' use of mobile information technology (IT) during the patrols using activity logs and interviews. Nonrandomized subgroup and multivariate analyses were employed to determine if and how the effects of the patrols varied based on these patterns. Officers used mobile computing technology primarily for surveillance and enforcement (e.g., checking automobile license plates and running checks on people during traffic stops and field interviews), and they noted both advantages and disadvantages to its use. Officers did not often use technology for strategic problem-solving and crime prevention. Given sufficient (but modest) dosages, the extra patrols reduced crime at the hot spots, but this effect was smaller in places where officers made greater use of technology. Basic applications of mobile computing may have little if any direct, measurable impact on officers' ability to reduce crime in the field. Greater training and emphasis on strategic uses of IT for problem-solving and crime prevention, and greater attention to its behavioral effects on officers, might enhance its application for crime reduction. © The Author(s) 2016.

Analytical Method for Determining Tetrazene in Water.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

8217-decanesulfonic acid sodium salt. The mobile phase pH was adjusted to 3 with glacial acetic acid. The modified mobile phase was optimal for separating of...modified with sodium tartrate, gave a well-defined reduction wave at the dropping mercury electrode. The height of the reduction wave was proportional to...anitmony trisulphide, nitrocellulose, PETN, powdered aluminum and calcium silicide . The primer samples were sequentially extracted, first with

Selection of quasi-monodisperse super-micron aerosol particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rösch, Michael; Pfeifer, Sascha; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Stratmann, Frank

2014-05-01

Size-segregated quasi monodisperse particles are essential for e.g. fundamental research concerning cloud microphysical processes. Commonly a DMA (Differential Mobility Analyzer) is used to produce quasi-monodisperse submicron particles. Thereto first, polydisperse aerosol particles are bipolarly charged by a neutralizer, and then selected according to their electrical mobility with the DMA [Knutson et al. 1975]. Selecting a certain electrical mobility with a DMA results in a particle size distribution, which contains singly charged particles as well as undesired multiply charged larger particles. Often these larger particles need to either be removed from the generated aerosol or their signals have to be corrected for in the data inversion and interpretation process. This problem becomes even more serious when considering super-micron particles. Here we will present two different techniques for generating quasi-monodisperse super-micron aerosol particles with no or only an insignificant number of larger sized particles being present. First, we use a combination of a cyclone with adjustable aerodynamic cut-off diameter and our custom-built Maxi-DMA [Raddatz et al. 2013]. The cyclone removes particles larger than the desired ones prior to mobility selection with the DMA. This results in a reduction of the number of multiply charged particles of up to 99.8%. Second, we utilize a new combination of cyclone and PCVI (Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor), which is based on purely inertial separation and avoids particle charging. The PCVI instrument was previously described by Boulter et al. (2006) and Kulkarni et al. (2011). With our two setups we are able to produce quasi-monodisperse aerosol particles in the diameter range from 0.5 to 4.4 µm without a significant number of larger undesired particles being present. Acknowledgements: This work was done within the framework of the DFG funded Ice Nucleation research UnIT (INUIT, FOR 1525) under WE 4722/1-1. References: Knutson, E. O. and Whitby, K. T.: Aerosol classification by electric mobility: apparatus, theory, and applications. Aerosol Science, 6:443--451, 1975 Raddatz, M., Wiedensohler, A., Wex, H., and Stratmann, F.: Size selection of sub- and super-micron clay mineral kaolinite particles using a custom-built Maxi-DMA. Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, Vol. 1527, AIP Conference Proceedings, pages 457-460. AMER INST PHYSICS, 2013 Boulter, J. E., Cziczo, D. J., Middlebrook, A. M., Thomson, D. S., and Murphy, D. M.: Design and performance of a Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor. Aerosol Science and Technology, 40(11): 969-976, 2006 Kulkarni, G., Pekour, M., Afchine, A., Murphy, D. M., and Cziczo, D. J.: Comparison of experimental and numerical studies of the performance characteristics of a pumped counterflow virtual impactor. Aerosol Science and Technology, 45:382-392, 2011

Remarkable reduction in the threshold voltage of pentacene-based thin film transistors with pentacene/CuPc sandwich configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi; Liu, Qi; Cai, Jing; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Wang, Xizhang; Hu, Zheng

2014-06-01

This study investigates the remarkable reduction in the threshold voltage (VT) of pentacene-based thin film transistors with pentacene/copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) sandwich configuration. This reduction is accompanied by increased mobility and lowered sub-threshold slope (S). Sandwich devices coated with a 5 nm layer of CuPc layer are compared with conventional top-contact devices, and results indicate that VT decreased significantly from -20.4 V to -0.2 V, that mobility increased from 0.18 cm2/Vs to 0.51 cm2/Vs, and that S was reduced from 4.1 V/dec to 2.9 V/dec. However, the on/off current ratio remains at 105. This enhanced performance could be attributed to the reduction in charge trap density by the incorporated CuPc layer. Results suggest that this method is simple and effectively generates pentacene-based organic thin film transistors with high mobility and low VT.

Molecular-level comparison of alkylsilane and polar-embedded reversed-phase liquid chromatography systems.

PubMed

Rafferty, Jake L; Siepmann, J Ilja; Schure, Mark R

2008-08-15

Stationary phases with embedded polar groups possess several advantages over conventional alkylsilane phases, such as reduced peak tailing, enhanced selectivity for specific functional groups, and the ability to use a highly aqueous mobile phase. To gain a deeper understanding of the retentive properties of these reversed-phase packings, molecular simulations were carried out for three different stationary phases in contact with mobile phases of various water/methanol ratios. Two polar-embedded phases were modeled, namely, amide and ether containing, and compared to a conventional octadecylsilane phase. The simulations show that, due to specific hydrogen bond interactions, the polar-embedded phases take up significantly more solvent and are more ordered than their alkyl counterparts. Alkane and alcohol probe solutes indicate that the polar-embedded phases are less retentive than alkyl phases for nonpolar species, whereas polar species are more retained by them due to hydrogen bonding with the embedded groups and the increased amount of solvent within the stationary phase. This leads to a significant reduction of the free-energy barrier for the transfer of polar species from the mobile phase to residual silanols, and this reduced barrier provides a possible explanation for reduced peak tailing.

Differential effect of biochar upon reduction-induced mobility and bioavailability of arsenate and chromate.

PubMed

Choppala, Girish; Bolan, Nanthi; Kunhikrishnan, Anitha; Bush, Richard

2016-02-01

Heavy metals such as chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) occur in ionic form in soil, with chromate [Cr(VI)] and arsenate As(V) being the most pre-dominant forms. The application of biochar to Cr(VI) and As(V) spiked and field contaminated soils was evaluated on the reduction processes [(Cr(VI) to Cr(III)] and [As(V) to As(III))], and subsequent mobility and bioavailability of both As(V) and Cr(VI). The assays used in this study included leaching, soil microbial activity and XPS techniques. The reduction rate of As(V) was lower than that of Cr(VI) with and without biochar addition, however, supplementation with biochar enhanced the reduction process of As(V). Leaching experiments indicated Cr(VI) was more mobile than As(V). Addition of biochar reversed the effect by reducing the mobility of Cr and increasing that of As. The presence of Cr and As in both spiked and contaminated soils reduced microbial activity, but with the addition of biochar to these soils, the microbial activity increased in the Cr(VI) contaminated soils, while it was further decreased with As(V) contaminated soils. The addition of biochar was effective in mitigating Cr toxicity by reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III). In contrast, the conversion process of As(V) to As(III) hastened by biochar was not favourable, as As(III) is more toxic in soils. Overall, the presence of functional groups on biochar promotes reduction by providing the electrons required for reduction processes to occur as determined by XPS data. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

44 CFR 321.2 - Selection of the mobilization base.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS MAINTENANCE OF THE MOBILIZATION BASE (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... of Defense shall select, for its mobilization base, facilities which produce or are capable of... items which would be so urgent to the defense of this country that utmost effort must be exerted to...

44 CFR 321.2 - Selection of the mobilization base.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS MAINTENANCE OF THE MOBILIZATION BASE (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... of Defense shall select, for its mobilization base, facilities which produce or are capable of... items which would be so urgent to the defense of this country that utmost effort must be exerted to...

44 CFR 321.2 - Selection of the mobilization base.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS MAINTENANCE OF THE MOBILIZATION BASE (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... of Defense shall select, for its mobilization base, facilities which produce or are capable of... items which would be so urgent to the defense of this country that utmost effort must be exerted to...

44 CFR 321.2 - Selection of the mobilization base.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS MAINTENANCE OF THE MOBILIZATION BASE (DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... of Defense shall select, for its mobilization base, facilities which produce or are capable of... items which would be so urgent to the defense of this country that utmost effort must be exerted to...

Social Mobility and Educational Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Zefang; Wang, Yanbin; Chen, Wenjiao

2009-01-01

There is a close interactive relationship between social mobility and educational selection. On one side, the character, direction, speed, level, methods and trends of social mobility affect the aims, goals, functions, scope, strategy, content and methods of choice in education. On the other side, the goals, basis and means of choosing education…

Increased blood levels of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in obese individuals after weight loss-A review.

PubMed

Jansen, Aina; Lyche, Jan L; Polder, Anuschka; Aaseth, Jan; Skaug, Marit Aralt

2017-01-01

Lipophilic persistent organic pollutants (POP) are stored in adipose tissue. Following rapid weight loss such as when induced by bariatric surgery, an increased release of potential harmful lipophilic compounds into the blood circulation may occur. Weight reduction is recommended for overweight and obese individuals in order to decrease risk of weight-related health problems. However, in cases of significant weight reduction POP become mobilized chemicals and consequently may adversely affect health, including endocrine disruption. The objective of the present investigation was to estimate quantitatively the level of mobilization of POP following weight loss over time. According to literature search criteria, 17 studies were identified with 2061 participants. Data from 5 of the studies with 270 participants were used to assess the change in blood levels of POP in percent per kilogram weight loss. Weight loss in the included studies varied from 4.4 to 64.8 kg. In all studies, the majority of POP concentrations in blood were found to rise following weight reduction. Blood concentrations following weight reduction were elevated by 2-4% per kilogram weight loss for most POP examined. The increased POP levels were still elevated 12 mo after intervention. Most research in this field, including animal studies, is carried out on a single compound or group of selected compounds, not taking the "cocktail effect" into consideration. This does not reflect the true range of POP to which humans are actually exposed. Few chronic investigations have been published and, in particular, few studies were available that compared the increase in POP concentrations with clinical consequences as individuals lost weight. These limitations call for caution in interpreting results. The benefits of losing weight still far outweigh the potential adverse health risks. However, further studies are recommended to determine the clinical significance of increased blood levels of POPs following rapid and excessive weight loss, particularly for women attending weight reduction treatment before pregnancy.

Influence of grid control and object detection on radiation exposure and image quality using mobile C-arms - first results.

PubMed

Gosch, D; Ratzmer, A; Berauer, P; Kahn, T

2007-09-01

The objective of this study was to examine the extent to which the image quality on mobile C-arms can be improved by an innovative exposure rate control system (grid control). In addition, the possible dose reduction in the pulsed fluoroscopy mode using 25 pulses/sec produced by automatic adjustment of the pulse rate through motion detection was to be determined. As opposed to conventional exposure rate control systems, which use a measuring circle in the center of the field of view, grid control is based on a fine mesh of square cells which are overlaid on the entire fluoroscopic image. The system uses only those cells for exposure control that are covered by the object to be visualized. This is intended to ensure optimally exposed images, regardless of the size, shape and position of the object to be visualized. The system also automatically detects any motion of the object. If a pulse rate of 25 pulses/sec is selected and no changes in the image are observed, the pulse rate used for pulsed fluoroscopy is gradually reduced. This may decrease the radiation exposure. The influence of grid control on image quality was examined using an anthropomorphic phantom. The dose reduction achieved with the help of object detection was determined by evaluating the examination data of 146 patients from 5 different countries. The image of the static phantom made with grid control was always optimally exposed, regardless of the position of the object to be visualized. The average dose reduction when using 25 pulses/sec resulting from object detection and automatic down-pulsing was 21 %, and the maximum dose reduction was 60 %. Grid control facilitates C-arm operation, since optimum image exposure can be obtained independently of object positioning. Object detection may lead to a reduction in radiation exposure for the patient and operating staff.

Effects of Mode of Target Task Selection on Learning about Plants in a Mobile Learning Environment: Effortful Manual Selection versus Effortless QR-Code Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Yuan; Liu, Tzu-Chien; Paas, Fred

2016-01-01

This study compared the effects of effortless selection of target plants using quick respond (QR) code technology to effortful manual search and selection of target plants on learning about plants in a mobile device supported learning environment. In addition, it was investigated whether the effectiveness of the 2 selection methods was…

Arsenic Mobilization Through Microbial Bioreduction of Ferrihydrite Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tadanier, C. J.; Roller, J.; Schreiber, M. E.

2004-12-01

Under anaerobic conditions Fe(III)-reducing microorganisms can couple the reduction of solid phase Fe(III) (hydr)oxides with the oxidation of organic carbon. Nutrients and trace metals, such as arsenic, associated with Fe(III) hydroxides may be mobilized through microbially-mediated surface reduction. Although arsenic mobilization has been attributed to mineral surface reduction in a variety of pristine and contaminated environments, minimal information exists on the mechanisms causing this arsenic mobilization. Understanding of the fundamental biochemical and physicochemical processes involved in these mobilization mechanisms is still limited, and has been complicated by the often contradictory and interchangeable terminology used in the literature to describe them. We studied arsenic mobilization mechanisms using a series of controlled microcosm experiments containing aggregated arsenic-bearing ferrihydrite nanoparticles and an Fe(III)-reducing microorganism, Geobacter metallireducens. The phase distribution of iron and arsenic was determined through filtration and ultracentrifugation techniques. Experimental results showed that in the biotic trials, approximately 10 percent of the Fe(III) was reduced to Fe(II) by microbial activity, which remained associated with ferrihydrite surfaces. Biotic activity resulted in changes in nanoparticle surface potential and caused deflocculation of nanoparticle aggregates. Deflocculated nanoparticles were able to pass through a 0.2 micron filter and could only be removed from solution by ultracentrifugation. Arsenic mobilized over time in the biotic trials was found to be exclusively associated with the nanoparticles; 98 percent of arsenic that passed through a 0.2 micron filter was removed from solution by ultracentrifugation. None of these changes were observed in abiotic controls. Because arsenic contamination of natural waters due to mobilization from mineral surfaces is a significant route of human arsenic exposure worldwide, improved understanding of the biologically-mediated mechanisms that partition arsenic between solid and solution phases is required for development of effective treatment and remediation strategies.

The added economic and environmental value of plug-in electric vehicles connected to commercial building microgrids

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

Stadler, Michael; Momber, Ilan; Megel, Olivier

2010-08-25

Connection of electric storage technologies to smartgrids or microgrids will have substantial implications for building energy systems. In addition to potentially supplying ancillary services directly to the traditional centralized grid (or macrogrid), local storage will enable demand response. As an economically attractive option, mobile storage devices such as plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) are in direct competition with conventional stationary sources and storage at the building. In general, it is assumed that they can improve the financial as well as environmental attractiveness of renewable and fossil based on-site generation (e.g. PV, fuel cells, or microturbines operating with or without combined heatmore » and power). Also, mobile storage can directly contribute to tariff driven demand response in commercial buildings. In order to examine the impact of mobile storage on building energy costs and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a microgrid/distributed-energy-resources (DER) adoption problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear program with minimization of annual building energy costs applying CO2 taxes/CO2 pricing schemes. The problem is solved for a representative office building in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020. By using employees' EVs for energy management, the office building can arbitrage its costs. But since the car battery lifetime is reduced, a business model that also reimburses car owners for the degradation will be required. In general, the link between a microgrid and an electric vehicle can create a win-win situation, wherein the microgrid can reduce utility costs by load shifting while the electric vehicle owner receives revenue that partially offsets his/her expensive mobile storage investment. For the California office building with EVs connected under a business model that distributes benefits, it is found that the economic impact is very limited relative to the costs of mobile storage for the site analyzed, i.e. cost reductions from electric vehicle connections are modest. Nonetheless, this example shows that some economic benefit is created because of avoided demand charges and on-peak energy. The strategy adopted by the office building is to avoid these high on-peak costs by using energy from the mobile storage in the business hours. CO2 emission reduction strategy results indicate that EVs' contribution at the selected office building are minor.« less

Versatile Cas9-Driven Subpopulation Selection Toolbox for Lactococcus lactis.

PubMed

van der Els, Simon; James, Jennelle K; Kleerebezem, Michiel; Bron, Peter A

2018-04-15

CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been exploited for the removal or replacement of genetic elements in a wide range of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here, we describe the extension of the Cas9 application toolbox to the industrially important dairy species Lactococcus lactis The Cas9 expression vector pLABTarget, encoding the Streptocccus pyogenes Cas9 under the control of a constitutive promoter, was constructed, allowing plug and play introduction of short guide RNA (sgRNA) sequences to target specific genetic loci. Introduction of a pepN -targeting derivative of pLABTarget into L. lactis strain MG1363 led to a strong reduction in the number of transformants obtained, which did not occur in a pepN deletion derivative of the same strain, demonstrating the specificity and lethality of the Cas9-mediated double-strand breaks in the lactococcal chromosome. Moreover, the same pLABTarget derivative allowed the selection of a pepN deletion subpopulation from its corresponding single-crossover plasmid integrant precursor, accelerating the construction and selection of gene-specific deletion derivatives in L. lactis Finally, pLABTarget, which contained sgRNAs designed to target mobile genetic elements, allowed the effective curing of plasmids, prophages, and integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). These results establish that pLABTarget enables the effective exploitation of Cas9 targeting in L. lactis , while the broad-host-range vector used suggests that this toolbox could readily be expanded to other Gram-positive bacteria. IMPORTANCE Mobile genetic elements in Lactococcus lactis and other lactic acid bacteria (LAB) play an important role in dairy fermentation, having both positive and detrimental effects during the production of fermented dairy products. The pLABTarget vector offers an efficient cloning platform for Cas9 application in lactic acid bacteria. Targeting Cas9 toward mobile genetic elements enabled their effective curing, which is of particular interest in the context of potentially problematic prophages present in a strain. Moreover, Cas9 targeting of other mobile genetic elements enables the deciphering of their contribution to dairy fermentation processes and further establishment of their importance for product characteristics. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Characterization of Sodium Mobility and Binding by 23 Na NMR Spectroscopy in a Model Lipoproteic Emulsion Gel for Sodium Reduction.

PubMed

Okada, Kyle S; Lee, Youngsoo

2017-07-01

The effects of formulation and processing parameters on sodium availability in a model lipid/protein-based emulsion gel were studied for purposes of sodium reduction. Heat-set model gels were prepared with varying levels of protein, lipid, and NaCl contents and high pressure homogenization treatments. Single quantum and double quantum-filtered 23 Na NMR spectroscopy experiments were used to characterize sodium mobility, structural order around "bound" (restricted mobility) sodium, and sodium binding, which have been correlated to saltiness perception in food systems previously. Total sodium mobility was lower in gels with higher protein or fat content, and was not affected by changes in homogenization pressure. The gels with increased protein, fat, or homogenization pressure had increased structure surrounding "bound" sodium and more relative "bound" sodium due to increased interfacial protein interactions. The data obtained in this study provide information on factors affecting sodium availability, which can be applied towards sodium reduction in lipid/protein-based foods. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Do comprehensive schools reduce social mobility?

PubMed

Boliver, Vikki; Swift, Adam

2011-03-01

This paper investigates the claim that the shift from a selective to a comprehensive school system had a deleterious effect on social mobility in Great Britain. Using data from the National Child Development Study, we compare the chances, for both class and income mobility, of those who attended different kinds of school. Where media attention focuses exclusively on the chances for upward mobility of those children from lowly origins who were (or would have been) judged worthy of selection into a grammar school, we offer more rounded analyses. We match respondents in a way that helps us to distinguish those inequalities in mobility chances that are due to differences between children from those due to differences between the schools they attended; we look at the effects of the school system on the mobility chances of all children, not merely those from less advantaged origins; and we compare comprehensive- and selective-system schools, not merely comprehensive and grammar schools. After matching, we find, first, that going to a grammar school rather than a comprehensive does not make low-origin children more likely to be upwardly mobile but it helps them move further if they are; second, that grammar schools do not benefit working-class children, in terms of class mobility, more than they benefit service-class children, but, in terms of income mobility, such schools benefit low-income children somewhat more than they benefit higher-income children - that benefit relating only to rather modest and limited movements within the income distribution. Finally, however, the selective system as a whole yields no mobility advantage of any kind to children from any particular origins: any assistance to low-origin children provided by grammar schools is cancelled out by the hindrance suffered by those who attended secondary moderns. Overall, our findings suggest that comprehensive schools were as good for mobility as the selective schools they replaced. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2011.

A concept for making EMO mobile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Mukesh

2012-01-01

The current selected features and profiles in a mobile device is usually set manually and do not use the external environment automatically to change it. The features and profile can be switching to silent mode in office, selecting a formal ringtone in office, describing the mood in the social network sites and a whole lot of similar things. These features and profiles of the mobile is usually related to facial expression of the person (happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, fear, and surprise), external appearance (different clothes in office and home) and surroundings of the person (office, home, park etc). The idea of the paper is to the use the above mentioned external events and changes the theme of the mobile phone. The change may be changing the color of mobile screen, select particular category of word suggestion during writing SMS, notes or document, select music playlist, call buddy with whom user would like to share stuff. Basically user will have a mobile that can understand user's emotion and do accordingly. The paper presents details about emotion reading and implementation using patter recognition technique to capture.

A concept for making EMO mobile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Mukesh

2011-12-01

The current selected features and profiles in a mobile device is usually set manually and do not use the external environment automatically to change it. The features and profile can be switching to silent mode in office, selecting a formal ringtone in office, describing the mood in the social network sites and a whole lot of similar things. These features and profiles of the mobile is usually related to facial expression of the person (happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, fear, and surprise), external appearance (different clothes in office and home) and surroundings of the person (office, home, park etc). The idea of the paper is to the use the above mentioned external events and changes the theme of the mobile phone. The change may be changing the color of mobile screen, select particular category of word suggestion during writing SMS, notes or document, select music playlist, call buddy with whom user would like to share stuff. Basically user will have a mobile that can understand user's emotion and do accordingly. The paper presents details about emotion reading and implementation using patter recognition technique to capture.

Microbial Sulfate Reduction Enhances Arsenic Mobility Downstream of Zerovalent-Iron-Based Permeable Reactive Barrier.

PubMed

Kumar, Naresh; Couture, Raoul-Marie; Millot, Romain; Battaglia-Brunet, Fabienne; Rose, Jérôme

2016-07-19

We assessed the potential of zerovalent-iron- (Fe(0)) based permeable reactive barrier (PRB) systems for arsenic (As) remediation in the presence or absence of microbial sulfate reduction. We conducted long-term (200 day) flow-through column experiments to investigate the mechanisms of As transformation and mobility in aquifer sediment (in particular, the PRB downstream linkage). Changes in As speciation in the aqueous phase were monitored continuously. Speciation in the solid phase was determined at the end of the experiment using X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy analysis. We identified thio-As species in solution and AsS in solid phase, which suggests that the As(V) was reduced to As(III) and precipitated as AsS under sulfate-reducing conditions and remained as As(V) under abiotic conditions, even with low redox potential and high Fe(II) content (4.5 mM). Our results suggest that the microbial sulfate reduction plays a key role in the mobilization of As from Fe-rich aquifer sediment under anoxic conditions. Furthermore, they illustrate that the upstream-downstream linkage of PRB affects the speciation and mobility of As in downstream aquifer sediment, where up to 47% of total As initially present in the sediment was leached out in the form of mobile thio-As species.

Validation of a Mobile Device for Acoustic Coordinated Reset Neuromodulation Tinnitus Therapy.

PubMed

Hauptmann, Christian; Wegener, Alexander; Poppe, Hendrik; Williams, Mark; Popelka, Gerald; Tass, Peter A

2016-10-01

Sound-based tinnitus intervention stimuli include broad-band noise signals with subjectively adjusted bandwidths used as maskers delivered by commercial devices or hearing aids, environmental sounds broadly described and delivered by both consumer devices and hearing aids, music recordings specifically modified and delivered in a variety of different ways, and other stimuli. Acoustic coordinated reset neuromodulation therapy for tinnitus reduction has unique and more stringent requirements compared to all other sound-based tinnitus interventions. These include precise characterization of tinnitus pitch and loudness, and effective provision of patient-controlled daily therapy signals at defined frequencies, levels, and durations outside of the clinic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an approach to accommodate these requirements including evaluation of a mobile device, validation of an automated tinnitus pitch-matching algorithm and assessment of a patient's ability to control stimuli and collect repeated outcome measures. The experimental design involved direct laboratory measurements of the sound delivery capabilities of a mobile device, comparison of an automated, adaptive pitch-matching method to a traditional manual method and measures of a patient's ability to understand and manipulate a mobile device graphic user interface to both deliver the therapy signals and collect the outcome measures. This study consisted of 5 samples of a common mobile device for the laboratory measures and a total of 30 adult participants: 15 randomly selected normal-hearing participants with simulated tinnitus for validation of a tinnitus pitch-matching algorithm and 15 sequentially selected patients already undergoing tinnitus therapy for evaluation of patient usability. No tinnitus intervention(s) were specifically studied as a component of this study. Data collection involved laboratory measures of mobile devices, comparison of manual and automated adaptive tinnitus pitch-matching psychoacoustic procedures in the same participant analyzed for absolute differences (t test), variance differences (f test), and range comparisons, and assessment of patient usability including questionnaire measures and logs of patient observations. Mobile devices are able to reliably and accurately deliver the acoustic therapy signals. There was no difference in mean pitch matches (t test, p > 0.05) between an automated adaptive method compared to a traditional manual pitch-matching method. However, the variability of the automated pitch-matching method was much less (f test, p < 0.05) with twice as many matches within the predefined error range (±5%) compared to the manual pitch-matching method (80% versus 40%). After a short initial training, all participants were able to use the mobile device effectively and to perform the required tasks without further professional assistance. American Academy of Audiology

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Biodiesel Offers an Easy Alternative for

Science.gov Websites

substantial petroleum reductions and cost savings. The University has also purchased a mobile fueling station , particularly because the university chose to implement a relatively unique mobile trailer to fuel their shuttle . The mobile fueling station was the only upfront cost, but Worku says the resulting time efficiencies

Functional activity in patients after total hip replacement.

PubMed

Pogorzała, Adam M; Stryła, Wanda; Nowakowski, Andrzej

2012-11-08

Osteoarthritis of hip joints is one of the most common diseases limiting social functioning of patients. Pain and mobility disorders are major problems associated with the disease. The goal of the study was to compare the efficacy of surgical treatment in a selected group of patients using a modified Harris Hip Score questionnaire including questions regarding the pain, the type of gait disorders and the functional activity. Surgical treatment helped to reduce the pain and improve the gait quality and parameters as well as functional activities associated with putting on socks and shoes, climbing stairs, sitting and using public transportation. Following conclusions were drawn after the study: Surgical treatment leads to significant reduction in hip pain. Mobility improvement was observed in most analyzed patients in early post-operative period as a consequence of hip contracture and pain being eliminated. The walking speed and distance improved significantly during the first 3 months after the surgery. All patients were satisfied with the treatment.

Thermally ruggedized ITO transparent electrode films for high power optoelectronics.

PubMed

Yoo, Jae-Hyuck; Matthews, Manyalibo; Ramsey, Phil; Barrios, Antonio Correa; Carter, Austin; Lange, Andrew; Bude, Jeff; Elhadj, Selim

2017-10-16

We present two strategies to minimize laser damage in transparent conductive films. The first consists of improving heat dissipation by selection of substrates with high thermal diffusivity or by addition of capping layer heatsinks. The second is reduction of bulk energy absorption by lowering free carrier density and increasing mobility, while maintaining film conductance with thicker films. Multi-pulse laser damage tests were performed on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films configured to improve optical lifetime damage performance. Conditions where improvements were not observed are also described. When bulk heating is not the dominant damage process, discrete defect-induced damage limits damage behavior.

Improved Efficiency of Miscible CO(2) Floods and Enhanced Prospects for CO(2) Flooding Heterogeneous Reservoirs.

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

Grigg, R.B.; Schechter, D.S.

The overall goal of this project was to improve the efficiency of miscible C0{sub 2} floods and enhance the prospects for flooding heterogeneous reservoirs. This objective was accomplished through experimental and modeling research in three task areas: (1) foams for selective mobility control in heterogeneous reservoirs,( 2) reduction of the amount of C0{sub 2} required in C0{sub 2} floods, and (3) low IFT processe and the possibility of C0{sub 2} flooding in fractured reservoirs. This report provides results from the three-year project for each of the three task areas.

Immediate mobilization following fixation of mandible fractures: a prospective, randomized study.

PubMed

Kaplan, B A; Hoard, M A; Park, S S

2001-09-01

To compare outcomes of open reduction and internal fixation of displaced mandible fractures followed by either immediate mobilization or 2 weeks of mandibular-maxillary fixation. A prospective, randomized, single-blinded study was performed. The study was performed between January 1, 1997, and March 30, 2000. Inclusion criteria were displaced fractures between the mandibular angles, age greater than 16 years, and no involvement of the alveolus, ramus, condyles, or maxilla. All fractures were repaired by means of open reduction and internal fixation using 2.0-mm titanium plates secured either in transoral fashion or percutaneously. Data were collected at 6-week and 3- and 6-month postoperative examinations. Variables were assessed by a surgeon blinded to the history of immobilization and included pain, malunion or nonunion, occlusion, trismus, wound status, infection rates, dental hygiene, and weight loss. Twenty-nine consecutive patients were enrolled, 16 patients to immediate function and 13 patients to 2 weeks of mandibular-maxillary fixation. No statistically significant differences were found between groups for any of the variables. Immediate release and temporary immobilization showed mean weight loss of 10 and 8 pounds and trismus of 4.2 and 4.6 cm, respectively. One wound separation and one infection were seen in the immobilization population, and no wound separation or infection was seen in the immediate-release group. Dental hygiene was similar between the groups. No malunion or nonunion was noted in either group. In this prospective and randomized study, no significant differences were noted between the groups receiving either immediate release or 2 weeks of mandibular-maxillary fixation. The findings support the treatment of selective mandible fractures with 2.0-mm miniplates and immediate mobilization.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Houston Energizes Deployment of Plug-In

Science.gov Websites

and other pollutant emissions: buildings and structures, mobile sources, and waste (also read more recent reports). Vehicle electrification became a key focus of mobile source emissions-reduction

Quantifying the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a case-control study of mobile phone use.

PubMed

Vrijheid, Martine; Richardson, Lesley; Armstrong, Bruce K; Auvinen, Anssi; Berg, Gabriele; Carroll, Matthew; Chetrit, Angela; Deltour, Isabelle; Feychting, Maria; Giles, Graham G; Hours, Martine; Iavarone, Ivano; Lagorio, Susanna; Lönn, Stefan; McBride, Mary; Parent, Marie-Elise; Sadetzki, Siegal; Salminen, Tina; Sanchez, Marie; Schlehofer, Birgitte; Schüz, Joachim; Siemiatycki, Jack; Tynes, Tore; Woodward, Alistair; Yamaguchi, Naohito; Cardis, Elisabeth

2009-01-01

To quantitatively assess the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a multinational case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumor. Non-response questionnaires (NRQ) were completed by a sub-set of nonparticipants. Selection bias factors were calculated based on the prevalence of mobile phone use reported by nonparticipants with NRQ data, and on scenarios of hypothetical exposure prevalence for other nonparticipants. Regular mobile phone use was reported less frequently by controls and cases who completed the NRQ (controls, 56%; cases, 50%) than by those who completed the full interview (controls, 69%; cases, 66%). This relationship was consistent across study centers, sex, and age groups. Lower education and more recent start of mobile phone use were associated with refusal to participate. Bias factors varied between 0.87 and 0.92 in the most plausible scenarios. Refusal to participate in brain tumor case-control studies seems to be related to less prevalent use of mobile phones, and this could result in a downward bias of around 10% in odds ratios for regular mobile phone use. The use of simple selection bias estimation methods in case-control studies can give important insights into the extent of any bias, even when nonparticipant information is incomplete.

Identifying an outcome measure to assess the impact of Mobility Dogs.

PubMed

Mudge, Suzie; Rewi, Dallas; Channon, Alexis

2017-01-01

Mobility Dogs® trains dogs to work with people with physical disabilities to increase independence, confidence, self-esteem and participation. Mobility Dogs® seeks to critically evaluate and improve its services as it grows. This study aimed to identify and implement a standardised outcome measure into practice at Mobility Dogs®. Based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and guided by a steering group of key stakeholders, a three-phase approach was developed to identify and assess an outcome measure. The steering group highlighted the organisation's specific needs, selected participation as the assessment domain and identified core utility requirements of the measure. A comprehensive review of evidence was undertaken to identify and rank potential measures according to the specified needs. Of the seven participation outcome measures that met inclusion criteria, the three highest ranked measures were critically evaluated by the steering group to determine suitability against the organisation's needs. The Impact on Participation and Autonomy (IPA) was selected for implementation into practice at Mobility Dogs®. Use of the IPA is an important first step for Mobility Dogs® to test the benefits of trained service dogs. This process could be replicated by other service dog organisations to identify outcome measures to assess their own services. Implications for Rehabilitation Service dogs (such as Mobility Dogs® in New Zealand) assist people living with physical impairments by performing tasks, however there is limited evidence on outcomes. The process for selecting an appropriate outcome measure for Mobility Dogs® involving partnership between Mobility Dogs® personnel and academics was an effective way to steer the project by determining important properties of the measure, before a search of the literature was undertaken. While the IPA was selected as the most appropriate outcome measure for use at Mobility Dogs®, it was the process that is valuable to replicate if other organisations wish to select an outcome measure for use in their own practice.

How directional mobility affects coexistence in rock-paper-scissors models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avelino, P. P.; Bazeia, D.; Losano, L.; Menezes, J.; de Oliveira, B. F.; Santos, M. A.

2018-03-01

This work deals with a system of three distinct species that changes in time under the presence of mobility, selection, and reproduction, as in the popular rock-paper-scissors game. The novelty of the current study is the modification of the mobility rule to the case of directional mobility, in which the species move following the direction associated to a larger (averaged) number density of selection targets in the surrounding neighborhood. Directional mobility can be used to simulate eyes that see or a nose that smells, and we show how it may contribute to reduce the probability of coexistence.

How directional mobility affects coexistence in rock-paper-scissors models.

PubMed

Avelino, P P; Bazeia, D; Losano, L; Menezes, J; de Oliveira, B F; Santos, M A

2018-03-01

This work deals with a system of three distinct species that changes in time under the presence of mobility, selection, and reproduction, as in the popular rock-paper-scissors game. The novelty of the current study is the modification of the mobility rule to the case of directional mobility, in which the species move following the direction associated to a larger (averaged) number density of selection targets in the surrounding neighborhood. Directional mobility can be used to simulate eyes that see or a nose that smells, and we show how it may contribute to reduce the probability of coexistence.

Numerical analysis of ammonia homogenization for selective catalytic reduction application.

PubMed

Baleta, Jakov; Martinjak, Matija; Vujanović, Milan; Pachler, Klaus; Wang, Jin; Duić, Neven

2017-12-01

Selective catalytic reduction based on urea water solution as ammonia precursor is a promising method for the NO x abatement form exhaust gasses of mobile diesel engine units. It consists of injecting the urea-water solution in the hot flue gas stream and reaction of its products with the NO x over the catalyst surface. During this process flue gas enthalpy is used for the urea-water droplet heating and for the evaporation of water content. After water evaporates, thermolysis of urea occurs, during which ammonia, a known NO x reductant, and isocyanic acid are generated. The uniformity of the ammonia before the catalyst as well as ammonia slip to the environment are important counteracting design requirements, optimization of which is crucial for development of efficient deNO x systems. The aim of this paper is to show capabilities of the developed mathematical framework implemented in the commercial CFD code AVL FIRE ® , to simulate physical processes of all relevant phenomena occurring during the SCR process including chemical reactions taking part in the catalyst. First, mathematical models for description of SCR process are presented and afterwards, models are used on the 3D geometry of a real SCR reactor in order to predict ammonia generation, NO x reduction and resulting ammonia slip. Influence of the injection direction and droplet sizes was also investigated on the same geometry. The performed study indicates importance of droplet sizes on the SCR process and shows that counterflow injection is beneficial, especially in terms of minimizing harmful ammonia slip to environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fingerprints selection for topological localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, Vladimir

2017-07-01

Problems of visual navigation are extensively studied in contemporary robotics. In particular, we can mention different problems of visual landmarks selection, the problem of selection of a minimal set of visual landmarks, selection of partially distinguishable guards, the problem of placement of visual landmarks. In this paper, we consider one-dimensional color panoramas. Such panoramas can be used for creating fingerprints. Fingerprints give us unique identifiers for visually distinct locations by recovering statistically significant features. Fingerprints can be used as visual landmarks for the solution of various problems of mobile robot navigation. In this paper, we consider a method for automatic generation of fingerprints. In particular, we consider the bounded Post correspondence problem and applications of the problem to consensus fingerprints and topological localization. We propose an efficient approach to solve the bounded Post correspondence problem. In particular, we use an explicit reduction from the decision version of the problem to the satisfiability problem. We present the results of computational experiments for different satisfiability algorithms. In robotic experiments, we consider the average accuracy of reaching of the target point for different lengths of routes and types of fingerprints.

Fate of Cd during microbial Fe(III) mineral reduction by a novel and Cd-tolerant Geobacter species.

PubMed

Muehe, E Marie; Obst, Martin; Hitchcock, Adam; Tyliszczak, Tolek; Behrens, Sebastian; Schröder, Christian; Byrne, James M; Michel, F Marc; Krämer, Ute; Kappler, Andreas

2013-12-17

Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides affect the mobility of contaminants in the environment by providing reactive surfaces for sorption. This includes the toxic metal cadmium (Cd), which prevails in agricultural soils and is taken up by crops. Fe(III)-reducing bacteria can mobilize such contaminants by Fe(III) mineral dissolution or immobilize them by sorption to or coprecipitation with secondary Fe minerals. To date, not much is known about the fate of Fe(III) mineral-associated Cd during microbial Fe(III) reduction. Here, we describe the isolation of a new Geobacter sp. strain Cd1 from a Cd-contaminated field site, where the strain accounts for 10(4) cells g(-1) dry soil. Strain Cd1 reduces the poorly crystalline Fe(III) oxyhydroxide ferrihydrite in the presence of at least up to 112 mg Cd L(-1). During initial microbial reduction of Cd-loaded ferrihydrite, sorbed Cd was mobilized. However, during continuous microbial Fe(III) reduction, Cd was immobilized by sorption to and/or coprecipitation within newly formed secondary minerals that contained Ca, Fe, and carbonate, implying the formation of an otavite-siderite-calcite (CdCO3-FeCO3-CaCO3) mixed mineral phase. Our data shows that microbially mediated turnover of Fe minerals affects the mobility of Cd in soils, potentially altering the dynamics of Cd uptake into food or phyto-remediating plants.

Sludge bio-drying: Effective to reduce both antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements.

PubMed

Zhang, Junya; Sui, Qianwen; Tong, Juan; Buhe, Chulu; Wang, Rui; Chen, Meixue; Wei, Yuansong

2016-12-01

Sewage sludge is considered as one of major contributors to the increased environmental burden of ARGs. Sludge bio-drying was increasingly adopted due to its faster sludge reduction compared with composting. The fate of ARGs during full-scale sludge bio-drying was investigated to determine whether it could effectively reduce ARGs, and the contributions of bacterial community, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) through mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and co-selection from heavy metals to ARGs profiles were discussed in detail. Two piles with different aeration strategies (Pile I, the improved and Pile II, the control) were operated to elucidate effects of aeration strategy on ARGs profiles. Results showed that sludge bio-drying could effectively reduce both most of targeted ARGs (0.4-3.1 logs) and MGEs (0.8-3.3 logs) by the improved aeration strategy, which also enhanced both the sludge bio-drying performance and ARGs reduction. The enrichment of ARGs including ermF, tetX and sulII could be well explained by the evolution of bioavailable heavy metals, not HGT through MGEs, and their potential host bacteria mainly existed in Bacteroidetes. Although changes of bacterial community contributed the most to ARGs profiles, HGT through MGEs should be paid more attention especially in the thermophilic stage of sludge bio-drying. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accuracy of Mobile-Based Audiometry in the Evaluation of Hearing Loss in Quiet and Noisy Environments.

PubMed

Saliba, Joe; Al-Reefi, Mahmoud; Carriere, Junie S; Verma, Neil; Provencal, Christiane; Rappaport, Jamie M

2017-04-01

Objectives (1) To compare the accuracy of 2 previously validated mobile-based hearing tests in determining pure tone thresholds and screening for hearing loss. (2) To determine the accuracy of mobile audiometry in noisy environments through noise reduction strategies. Study Design Prospective clinical study. Setting Tertiary hospital. Subjects and Methods Thirty-three adults with or without hearing loss were tested (mean age, 49.7 years; women, 42.4%). Air conduction thresholds measured as pure tone average and at individual frequencies were assessed by conventional audiogram and by 2 audiometric applications (consumer and professional) on a tablet device. Mobile audiometry was performed in a quiet sound booth and in a noisy sound booth (50 dB of background noise) through active and passive noise reduction strategies. Results On average, 91.1% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 89.1%-93.2%) and 95.8% (95% CI, 93.5%-97.1%) of the threshold values obtained in a quiet sound booth with the consumer and professional applications, respectively, were within 10 dB of the corresponding audiogram thresholds, as compared with 86.5% (95% CI, 82.6%-88.5%) and 91.3% (95% CI, 88.5%-92.8%) in a noisy sound booth through noise cancellation. When screening for at least moderate hearing loss (pure tone average >40 dB HL), the consumer application showed a sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% and 95.9%, respectively, and the professional application, 100% and 95.9%. Overall, patients preferred mobile audiometry over conventional audiograms. Conclusion Mobile audiometry can correctly estimate pure tone thresholds and screen for moderate hearing loss. Noise reduction strategies in mobile audiometry provide a portable effective solution for hearing assessments outside clinical settings.

Bipolar molecular composites: a new class of high-electron-mobility organic solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Liang-Bih; Jenekhe, Samson A.; Borsenberger, Paul M.

1997-10-01

We describe high electron mobility in organic solids in the form of bipolar molecular composites of N,N'-bis(1,2-dimethylpropyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (NTDI) and tri-p-tolylaniine (TTA). The electron mobility in the NTDI/TTA composites is ~2 x 10 cm2/Vs, which is a factor of 4 to 6 higher than in pure NTDI and isone of the highest values reported for disordered organic solids. The field and temperature dependencies of the charge mobility can be described using the disorder formalism due to Bassler and co-workers, which provides an estimation of the energy width σ of the hopping site manifold. Analysis of the data gave σ=0.081 and 0.060 eV for the electron and hole mobilities in a NTDI/TTA composite of 0.5510.45 molar ratio. The energetic disorder for electron transport in the bipolar composites is substantially lower than for pure NTDI, which is 0.093 eV. The results suggest that the observed enhancement arises from a substantial reduction of energetic disorder in the electron transport manifold of the bipolar composites. The reduction of energetic disorder may be due to intermolecular charge transfer between NTDI and TTA. Such a charge transfer could stabilize the electron transport manifold by better charge delocalization, and consequently, less energetic disorder. Another possible reason for the observed enhanced electron mobility is the reduction of NTDI dimers that can act as carrier traps by the presence of TTA molecules in the bipolar composites. These results also suggest that bipolar composites represent a promising new class of high electron mobility organic solids.

The effects of recall errors and of selection bias in epidemiologic studies of mobile phone use and cancer risk.

PubMed

Vrijheid, Martine; Deltour, Isabelle; Krewski, Daniel; Sanchez, Marie; Cardis, Elisabeth

2006-07-01

This paper examines the effects of systematic and random errors in recall and of selection bias in case-control studies of mobile phone use and cancer. These sensitivity analyses are based on Monte-Carlo computer simulations and were carried out within the INTERPHONE Study, an international collaborative case-control study in 13 countries. Recall error scenarios simulated plausible values of random and systematic, non-differential and differential recall errors in amount of mobile phone use reported by study subjects. Plausible values for the recall error were obtained from validation studies. Selection bias scenarios assumed varying selection probabilities for cases and controls, mobile phone users, and non-users. Where possible these selection probabilities were based on existing information from non-respondents in INTERPHONE. Simulations used exposure distributions based on existing INTERPHONE data and assumed varying levels of the true risk of brain cancer related to mobile phone use. Results suggest that random recall errors of plausible levels can lead to a large underestimation in the risk of brain cancer associated with mobile phone use. Random errors were found to have larger impact than plausible systematic errors. Differential errors in recall had very little additional impact in the presence of large random errors. Selection bias resulting from underselection of unexposed controls led to J-shaped exposure-response patterns, with risk apparently decreasing at low to moderate exposure levels. The present results, in conjunction with those of the validation studies conducted within the INTERPHONE study, will play an important role in the interpretation of existing and future case-control studies of mobile phone use and cancer risk, including the INTERPHONE study.

Allogeneic transplantation using CD34+ selected peripheral blood progenitor cells combined with non-mobilized donor T cells for refractory severe aplastic anaemia.

PubMed

Purev, Enkhtsetseg; Tian, Xin; Aue, Georg; Pantin, Jeremy; Vo, Phuong; Shalabi, Reem; Reger, Robert N; Cook, Lisa; Ramos, Catalina; Cho, Elena; Worthy, Tat'yana; Khuu, Hanh; Stroncek, David; Young, Neal S; Childs, Richard W

2017-03-01

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is curative for severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) unresponsive to immunosuppressive therapy. To reduce chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which occurs more frequently after peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation compared to bone-marrow transplantation (BMT), and to prevent graft rejection, we developed a novel partial T-cell depleted transplant that infuses high numbers of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized CD34 + selected PBSCs combined with a BMT-equivalent dose of non-mobilized donor T-cells. Fifteen patients with refractory SAA received cyclophosphamide, anti-thymocyte globulin and fludarabine conditioning, and were transplanted with a median 8 × 10 6 CD34 +  cells/kg and 2 × 10 7 non-mobilized CD3 + T-cells/kg from human leucocyte antigen-matched sibling donors. All achieved sustained engraftment with only two developing acute and two developing chronic GVHD. With a 3·5-year median follow-up, 86% of patients survived and were transfusion-independent. When compared to a retrospective cohort of 56 bone-marrow failure patients that received the identical transplant preparative regimen and GVHD prophylaxis with the exception that the allograft contained unmanipulated PBSCs, partial T-cell depleted transplant recipients had delayed donor T-cell chimerism and relative reduction of 75% in the incidence of acute grade II-IV GVHD (13% vs. 52%; P = 0·010) and of 82% in chronic GVHD (13% vs. 72%; P = 0·0004). In multivariate analysis, partial T-cell depleted transplants remained significantly associated with a reduced risk of GVHD. In conclusion, for patients with refractory SAA, this novel transplant strategy achieves excellent engraftment and survival when compared to unmanipulated PBSC transplants and dramatically reduces the incidence of both acute and chronic GVHD. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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

Webb, Ian K.; Garimella, Sandilya V. B.; Tolmachev, Aleksey V.

A Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations (SLIM) module that allows ion mobility separations and the switching of ions between alternative drift paths is described. The SLIM switch component has a “Tee” configuration and allows switching of ions between a linear path and a 90-degree bend. By controlling switching times, ions can be deflected to an alternative channel as a function of their mobilities. In the initial evaluation the switch is used in a static mode and shown compatible with high performance ion mobility separations at 4 torr. In the “dynamic mode” we show that mobility-selected ions can be switched intomore » the alternative channel, and that various ion species can be independently selected based on their mobilities for time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOF MS) IMS detection and mass analysis. Ultimately, this development also provides the basis for e.g. the selection of specific mobilities for storage and accumulation, and key modules for the assembly of SLIM devices enabling much more complex sequences of ion manipulations.« less

MOBILE ON-SITE RECYCLING OF METALWORKING FLUIDS

EPA Science Inventory

This evaluation addresses the product quality, waste reduction, and economic issues involved in recycling metalworking fluids through a mobile recycling unit. The specific recycling unit evaluated is based on the technology of filtration, pasteurization, and centrifugation. Metal...

Reducing falls and improving mobility in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Sosnoff, Jacob J; Sung, JongHun

2015-06-01

Falls are common in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), and are related to physical injury and reduce the quality of life. Mobility impairments are a significant risk factor for falls in persons with MS. Although there is evidence that mobility in persons with MS can be improved with rehabilitation, much less is known about fall prevention. This review focuses on fall prevention in persons with MS. Ten fall prevention interventions consisting of 524 participants with a wide range of disability were systematically identified. Nine of the 10 investigations report a reduction in falls and/or proportion of fallers following treatment. The vast majority observed an improvement in balance that co-occurred with the reduction in falls. Methodological limitations preclude any firm conclusions. Numerous gaps in the understanding of fall prevention in persons with MS are discussed. Well-designed randomized control trials targeting mobility and falls are warranted.

Health selection operating between classes and across employment statuses.

PubMed

Ki, Myung; Sacker, Amanda; Kelly, Yvonne; Nazroo, James

2011-12-01

The debate on health selection which describes the influence of health on subsequent social mobility is highly contested. The authors set out to examine the effect of health selection by looking at the effect of previous health status on changes in socio-economic position (SEP) over two time periods. Data were pooled from 13 waves (1991-2003) of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). Using a multilevel multinomial approach, the presence of health selection between classes and into/out of employment was concurrently tested and compared. In the descriptive analysis, poor health was consistently associated with moving downward, while the outcome was inverse for upward movement. After accounting for the data structure using multilevel analysis, health was a predictor for social mobility when leaving and entering employment, but the effect was minimal for transitions between classes for both men and women. The non-significant impact of health on mobility inside employment may reflect the presence of the significant impact of health on mobility between employment and non-employment. This implies that the effect of health was not evenly spread over all social mobility, but rather tends to concentrate on some types of mobility. The effect of each predictor on social mobility is more concentrated among specific transitions, and health and age were likely to be substantial in moving into/out of the labour force, whereas education was a relevant predictor for mobility into/out of upper classes, in particular, classes I/II.

Impact of mobile intensive care unit use on total ischemic time and clinical outcomes in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients - real-world data from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey.

PubMed

Koifman, Edward; Beigel, Roy; Iakobishvili, Zaza; Shlomo, Nir; Biton, Yitschak; Sabbag, Avi; Asher, Elad; Atar, Shaul; Gottlieb, Shmuel; Alcalai, Ronny; Zahger, Doron; Segev, Amit; Goldenberg, Ilan; Strugo, Rafael; Matetzky, Shlomi

2017-01-01

Ischemic time has prognostic importance in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients. Mobile intensive care unit use can reduce components of total ischemic time by appropriate triage of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients. Data from the Acute Coronary Survey in Israel registry 2000-2010 were analyzed to evaluate factors associated with mobile intensive care unit use and its impact on total ischemic time and patient outcomes. The study comprised 5474 ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients enrolled in the Acute Coronary Survey in Israel registry, of whom 46% ( n=2538) arrived via mobile intensive care units. There was a significant increase in rates of mobile intensive care unit utilization from 36% in 2000 to over 50% in 2010 ( p<0.001). Independent predictors of mobile intensive care unit use were Killip>1 (odds ratio=1.32, p<0.001), the presence of cardiac arrest (odds ratio=1.44, p=0.02), and a systolic blood pressure <100 mm Hg (odds ratio=2.01, p<0.001) at presentation. Patients arriving via mobile intensive care units benefitted from increased rates of primary reperfusion therapy (odds ratio=1.58, p<0.001). Among ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary reperfusion, those arriving by mobile intensive care unit benefitted from shorter median total ischemic time compared with non-mobile intensive care unit patients (175 (interquartile range 120-262) vs 195 (interquartile range 130-333) min, respectively ( p<0.001)). Upon a multivariate analysis, mobile intensive care unit use was the most important predictor in achieving door-to-balloon time <90 min (odds ratio=2.56, p<0.001) and door-to-needle time <30 min (odds ratio=2.96, p<0.001). One-year mortality rates were 10.7% in both groups (log-rank p-value=0.98), however inverse propensity weight model, adjusted for significant differences between both groups, revealed a significant reduction in one-year mortality in favor of the mobile intensive care unit group (odds ratio=0.79, 95% confidence interval (0.66-0.94), p=0.01). Among patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the utilization of mobile intensive care units is associated with increased rates of primary reperfusion, a reduction in the time interval to reperfusion, and a reduction in one-year adjusted mortality.

FY2017 Energy Efficient Mobility Systems Annual Progress Report

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

None

During fiscal year 2017 (FY 2017), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) created the Energy Efficient Mobility Systems (EEMS) Program to understand the range of mobility futures that could result from these disruptive technologies and services, and to create solutions that improve mobility energy productivity, or the value derived from the transportation system per unit of energy consumed. Increases in mobility energy productivity result from improvements in the quality or output of the transportation system, and/or reductions in the energy used for transportation.

Cd Mobility in Anoxic Fe-Mineral-Rich Environments - Potential Use of Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria in Soil Remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muehe, E. M.; Adaktylou, I. J.; Obst, M.; Schröder, C.; Behrens, S.; Hitchcock, A. P.; Tylsizczak, T.; Michel, F. M.; Krämer, U.; Kappler, A.

2014-12-01

Agricultural soils are increasingly burdened with heavy metals such as Cd from industrial sources and impure fertilizers. Metal contaminants enter the food chain via plant uptake from soil and negatively affect human and environmental health. New remediation approaches are needed to lower soil metal contents. To apply these remediation techniques successfully, it is necessary to understand how soil microbes and minerals interact with toxic metals. Here we show that microbial Fe(III) reduction initially mobilizes Cd before its immobilization under anoxic conditions. To study how microbial Fe(III) reduction influences Cd mobility, we isolated a new Cd-tolerant, Fe(III)-reducing Geobacter sp. from a heavily Cd-contaminated soil. In lab experiments, this Geobacter strain first mobilized Cd from Cd-loaded Fe(III) hydroxides followed by precipitation of Cd-bearing mineral phases. Using Mössbauer spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the original and newly formed Cd-containing Fe(II) and Fe(III) mineral phases, including Cd-Fe-carbonates, Fe-phosphates and Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides, were identified and characterized. Using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and synchrotron-based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy, Cd was mapped in the Fe(II) mineral aggregates formed during microbial Fe(III) reduction. Microbial Fe(III) reduction mobilizes Cd prior to its precipitation in Cd-bearing mineral phases. The mobilized Cd could be taken up by phytoremediating plants, resulting in a net removal of Cd from contaminated sites. Alternatively, Cd precipitation could reduce Cd bioavailability in the environment, causing less toxic effects to crops and soil microbiota. However, the stability and thus bioavailability of these newly formed Fe-Cd mineral phases needs to be assessed thoroughly. Whether phytoremediation or immobilization of Cd in a mineral with reduced Cd bioavailability are feasible mechanisms to reduce toxic effects of Cd in the environment remains to be determined.

Enhanced gas separation factors of microporous polymer constrained in the channels of anodic alumina membranes

PubMed Central

Chernova, Ekaterina; Petukhov, Dmitrii; Boytsova, Olga; Alentiev, Alexander; Budd, Peter; Yampolskii, Yuri; Eliseev, Andrei

2016-01-01

New composite membranes based on porous anodic alumina films and polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) have been prepared using a spin-coating technique. According to scanning electron microscopy, partial penetration of polymer into the pores of alumina supports takes place giving rise to selective polymeric layers with fiber-like microstructure. Geometric confinement of rigid PIM-1 in the channels of anodic alumina causes reduction of small-scale mobility in polymeric chains. As a result, transport of permanent gases, such as CH4, becomes significantly hindered across composite membranes. Contrary, the transport of condensable gases (CO2, С4H10), did not significantly suffer from the confinement due to high solubility in the polymer matrix. This strategy enables enhancement of selectivity towards CO2 and C4H10 without significant loss of the membrane performance and seems to be prospective for drain and sweetening of natural gas. PMID:27498607

Enhanced gas separation factors of microporous polymer constrained in the channels of anodic alumina membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernova, Ekaterina; Petukhov, Dmitrii; Boytsova, Olga; Alentiev, Alexander; Budd, Peter; Yampolskii, Yuri; Eliseev, Andrei

2016-08-01

New composite membranes based on porous anodic alumina films and polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) have been prepared using a spin-coating technique. According to scanning electron microscopy, partial penetration of polymer into the pores of alumina supports takes place giving rise to selective polymeric layers with fiber-like microstructure. Geometric confinement of rigid PIM-1 in the channels of anodic alumina causes reduction of small-scale mobility in polymeric chains. As a result, transport of permanent gases, such as CH4, becomes significantly hindered across composite membranes. Contrary, the transport of condensable gases (CO2, С4H10), did not significantly suffer from the confinement due to high solubility in the polymer matrix. This strategy enables enhancement of selectivity towards CO2 and C4H10 without significant loss of the membrane performance and seems to be prospective for drain and sweetening of natural gas.

Consequences of quality of reduction on osteosynthesis complications and quality of life in elderly patients with subtrochanteric fracture.

PubMed

Codesido-Vilar, P; Mejía-Casado, A; Riego-Fernández, J; Rodriguez-Casas, N; García-Cabanas, S; Rivas-Felice, J; García-Quevedo, L

2018-05-18

To compare results in terms of orthopaedic complications and quality of life in elderly patients with subtrochanteric fracture treated with intramedullary nailing according to fracture reduction status. A prospective cohort study including 90 elderly patients with subtrochanteric fractures of the femur treated with a cephalomedullary nail, with a minimum 1-year follow up. The inclusion criteria were: aged 60 years or older, without severe cognitive dysfunction and independent ambulatory capability before the fracture. We defined 3different groups in relation to fracture reduction status: good, acceptable and poor, according to modified criteria from Baumgartner et al. We compared clinical and surgical characteristics and healthy quality of life, social function and mobility according to the EQ-5D, Jensen Index and Mobility Score of Parker and Palmer questionnaires. We found differences in time to union, better in the good reduction group (P=.002); need for open reduction, more frequent in the good reduction group (P<.001), and in postoperative complications, more frequent in the poor reduction group (P=.001). We found no significant differences between the 3groups regarding scores in quality of life, social function and mobility. Reduction in subtrochanteric fractures in older people is key to obtaining better clinic and surgical results, improving time to union and decreasing surgical complications. Exposure of the focus fracture seems to be a safe manoeuvre. Quality of life had substantially deteriorated n these patients, but a there was a tendency, although not statistically significant, for it to improve in patients after good surgical reduction. Copyright © 2018 SECOT. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Mobile multiple access study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

Multiple access techniques (FDMA, CDMA, TDMA) for the mobile user and attempts to identify the current best technique are discussed. Traffic loading is considered as well as voice and data modulation and spacecraft and system design. Emphasis is placed on developing mobile terminal cost estimates for the selected design. In addition, design examples are presented for the alternative techniques of multiple access in order to compare with the selected technique.

Middleware Solutions for Self-organizing Multi-hop Multi-path Internet Connectivity Based on Bluetooth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellavista, Paolo; Giannelli, Carlo

The availability of heterogeneous wireless interfaces and of growing computing resources on widespread portable devices pushes for enabling innovative deployment scenarios where mobile nodes dynamically self-organize to offer Internet connectivity to their peers via dynamically established multi-hop multi-path opportunities. We claim the suitability of novel, mobility-aware, and application-layer middleware based on lightweight evaluation indicators to support the complexity of that scenario, involving heterogeneous wireless technologies over differentiated and statically unpredictable execution environments. To validate these claims, we have implemented an innovative middleware that manages the durability/throughput-aware formation and selection of different multi-hop paths simultaneously. This paper specifically focuses on how our middleware effectively exploits Bluetooth for multi-hop multi-path networking, by pointing out the crucial role of i) compliance with standard solutions to favor rapid deployment over off-the-shelf equipment and ii) the reduction of the usual overhead associated with some expensive Bluetooth operations, e.g., device inquiry. In particular, the paper shows how it is possible, on the one hand, to extend JSR-82 to portably access monitoring indicators for lightweight mobility/throughput estimations and, on the other hand, to reduce the time needed to update the set of available Bluetooth-based connectivity opportunities via approximated and lightweight forms of discovery.

Joint Transmit Antenna Selection and Power Allocation for ISDF Relaying Mobile-to-Mobile Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Xu, Lingwei; Zhang, Hao; Gulliver, T. Aaron

2016-01-01

The outage probability (OP) performance of multiple-relay incremental-selective decode-and-forward (ISDF) relaying mobile-to-mobile (M2M) sensor networks with transmit antenna selection (TAS) over N-Nakagami fading channels is investigated. Exact closed-form OP expressions for both optimal and suboptimal TAS schemes are derived. The power allocation problem is formulated to determine the optimal division of transmit power between the broadcast and relay phases. The OP performance under different conditions is evaluated via numerical simulation to verify the analysis. These results show that the optimal TAS scheme has better OP performance than the suboptimal scheme. Further, the power allocation parameter has a significant influence on the OP performance. PMID:26907282

Randomized Comparison of Mobile and Web-Tools to Provide Dementia Risk Reduction Education: Use, Engagement and Participant Satisfaction

PubMed Central

O'Connor, Elodie; Hatherly, Chris

2014-01-01

Background Encouraging middle-aged adults to maintain their physical and cognitive health may have a significant impact on reducing the prevalence of dementia in the future. Mobile phone apps and interactive websites may be one effective way to target this age group. However, to date there has been little research investigating the user experience of dementia risk reduction tools delivered in this way. Objective The aim of this study was to explore participant engagement and evaluations of three different targeted smartphone and Web-based dementia risk reduction tools following a four-week intervention. Methods Participants completed a Web-based screening questionnaire to collect eligibility information. Eligible participants were asked to complete a Web-based baseline questionnaire and were then randomly assigned to use one of the three dementia risk reduction tools for a period of four weeks: (1) a mobile phone application; (2) an information-based website; and (3) an interactive website. User evaluations were obtained via a Web-based follow-up questionnaire after completion of the intervention. Results Of 415 eligible participants, 370 (89.16%) completed the baseline questionnaire and were assigned to an intervention group; 200 (54.05%) completed the post-intervention questionnaire. The average age of participants was 52 years, and 149 (75%) were female. Findings indicated that participants from all three intervention groups reported a generally positive impression of the tools across a range of domains. Participants using the information-based website reported higher ratings of their overall impression of the tool, F2,191=4.12, P=.02; how interesting the information was, F2,189=3.53, P=.03; how helpful the information was, F2,192=4.15, P=.02; and how much they learned, F2,188=3.86, P=.02. Group differences were significant between the mobile phone app and information-based website users, but not between the interactive website users and the other two groups. Additionally, participants using the information-based website reported significantly higher scores on their ratings of the ease of navigation, F2,190=4.20, P=.02, than those using the mobile phone app and the interactive website. There were no significant differences between groups on ratings of ease of understanding the information, F2,188=0.27, P=.76. Most participants from each of the three intervention groups indicated that they intended to keep using the dementia risk reduction eHealth tool. Conclusions Overall, results indicated that while participants across all three intervention groups reported a generally positive experience with the targeted dementia risk reduction tools, participants using the information-based website provided a more favorable evaluation across a range of areas than participants using the mobile phone app. Further research is required to investigate whether targeted dementia risk reduction tools, in the form of interactive websites and mobile apps, can be improved to provide benefits above those gained by providing static information alone. PMID:26543904

Randomized Comparison of Mobile and Web-Tools to Provide Dementia Risk Reduction Education: Use, Engagement and Participant Satisfaction.

PubMed

O'Connor, Elodie; Farrow, Maree; Hatherly, Chris

2014-01-01

Encouraging middle-aged adults to maintain their physical and cognitive health may have a significant impact on reducing the prevalence of dementia in the future. Mobile phone apps and interactive websites may be one effective way to target this age group. However, to date there has been little research investigating the user experience of dementia risk reduction tools delivered in this way. The aim of this study was to explore participant engagement and evaluations of three different targeted smartphone and Web-based dementia risk reduction tools following a four-week intervention. Participants completed a Web-based screening questionnaire to collect eligibility information. Eligible participants were asked to complete a Web-based baseline questionnaire and were then randomly assigned to use one of the three dementia risk reduction tools for a period of four weeks: (1) a mobile phone application; (2) an information-based website; and (3) an interactive website. User evaluations were obtained via a Web-based follow-up questionnaire after completion of the intervention. Of 415 eligible participants, 370 (89.16%) completed the baseline questionnaire and were assigned to an intervention group; 200 (54.05%) completed the post-intervention questionnaire. The average age of participants was 52 years, and 149 (75%) were female. Findings indicated that participants from all three intervention groups reported a generally positive impression of the tools across a range of domains. Participants using the information-based website reported higher ratings of their overall impression of the tool, F2,191=4.12, P=.02; how interesting the information was, F2,189=3.53, P=.03; how helpful the information was, F2,192=4.15, P=.02; and how much they learned, F2,188=3.86, P=.02. Group differences were significant between the mobile phone app and information-based website users, but not between the interactive website users and the other two groups. Additionally, participants using the information-based website reported significantly higher scores on their ratings of the ease of navigation, F2,190=4.20, P=.02, than those using the mobile phone app and the interactive website. There were no significant differences between groups on ratings of ease of understanding the information, F2,188=0.27, P=.76. Most participants from each of the three intervention groups indicated that they intended to keep using the dementia risk reduction eHealth tool. Overall, results indicated that while participants across all three intervention groups reported a generally positive experience with the targeted dementia risk reduction tools, participants using the information-based website provided a more favorable evaluation across a range of areas than participants using the mobile phone app. Further research is required to investigate whether targeted dementia risk reduction tools, in the form of interactive websites and mobile apps, can be improved to provide benefits above those gained by providing static information alone.

Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Coulter, Ian D; Crawford, Cindy; Hurwitz, Eric L; Vernon, Howard; Khorsan, Raheleh; Suttorp Booth, Marika; Herman, Patricia M

2018-05-01

Mobilization and manipulation therapies are widely used to benefit patients with chronic low back pain. However, questions remain about their efficacy, dosing, safety, and how these approaches compare with other therapies. The present study aims to determine the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of various mobilization and manipulation therapies for treatment of chronic low back pain. This is a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. The present study measures self-reported pain, function, health-related quality of life, and adverse events. We identified studies by searching multiple electronic databases from January 2000 to March 2017, examining reference lists, and communicating with experts. We selected randomized controlled trials comparing manipulation or mobilization therapies with sham, no treatment, other active therapies, and multimodal therapeutic approaches. We assessed risk of bias using Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network criteria. Where possible, we pooled data using random-effects meta-analysis. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was applied to determine the confidence in effect estimates. This project is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health under Award Number U19AT007912. Fifty-one trials were included in the systematic review. Nine trials (1,176 patients) provided sufficient data and were judged similar enough to be pooled for meta-analysis. The standardized mean difference for a reduction of pain was SMD=-0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.47 to -0.09, p=.004; I 2 =57% after treatment; within seven trials (923 patients), the reduction in disability was SMD=-0.33, 95% CI -0.63 to -0.03, p=.03; I 2 =78% for manipulation or mobilization compared with other active therapies. Subgroup analyses showed that manipulation significantly reduced pain and disability, compared with other active comparators including exercise and physical therapy (SMD=-0.43, 95% CI -0.86 to 0.00; p=.05, I 2 =79%; SMD=-0.86, 95% CI -1.27 to -0.45; p<.0001, I 2 =46%). Mobilization interventions, compared with other active comparators including exercise regimens, significantly reduced pain (SMD=-0.20, 95% CI -0.35 to -0.04; p=.01; I 2 =0%) but not disability (SMD=-0.10, 95% CI -0.28 to 0.07; p=.25; I 2 =21%). Studies comparing manipulation or mobilization with sham or no treatment were too few or too heterogeneous to allow for pooling as were studies examining relationships between dose and outcomes. Few studies assessed health-related quality of life. Twenty-six of 51 trials were multimodal studies and narratively described. There is moderate-quality evidence that manipulation and mobilization are likely to reduce pain and improve function for patients with chronic low back pain; manipulation appears to produce a larger effect than mobilization. Both therapies appear safe. Multimodal programs may be a promising option. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of increased mobility on morbidity in the neurointensive care unit.

PubMed

Titsworth, W Lee; Hester, Jeannette; Correia, Tom; Reed, Richard; Guin, Peggy; Archibald, Lennox; Layon, A Joseph; Mocco, J

2012-06-01

The detrimental effects of immobility on intensive care unit (ICU) patients are well established. Limited studies involving medical ICUs have demonstrated the safety and benefit of mobility protocols. Currently no study has investigated the role of increased mobility in the neurointensive care unit population. This study was a single-institution prospective intervention trial to investigate the effectiveness of increased mobility among neurointensive care unit patients. All patients admitted to the neurointensive care unit of a tertiary care center over a 16-month period (April 2010 through July 2011) were evaluated. The study consisted of a 10-month (8025 patient days) preintervention observation period followed by a 6-month (4455 patient days) postintervention period. The intervention was a comprehensive mobility initiative utilizing the Progressive Upright Mobility Protocol (PUMP) Plus. Implementation of the PUMP Plus increased mobility among neurointensive care unit patients by 300% (p < 0.0001). Initiation of this protocol also correlated with a reduction in neurointensive care unit length of stay (LOS; p < 0.004), hospital LOS (p < 0.004), hospital-acquired infections (p < 0.05), and ventilator-associated pneumonias (p < 0.001), and decreased the number of patient days in restraints (p < 0.05). Additionally, increased mobility did not lead to increases in adverse events as measured by falls or inadvertent line disconnections. Among neurointensive care unit patients, increased mobility can be achieved quickly and safely with associated reductions in LOS and hospital-acquired infections using the PUMP Plus program.

Selection bias due to differential participation in a case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumors.

PubMed

Lahkola, Anna; Salminen, Tiina; Auvinen, Anssi

2005-05-01

To evaluate the possible selection bias related to the differential participation of mobile phone users and non-users in a Finnish case-control study on mobile phone use and brain tumors. Mobile phone use was investigated among 777 controls and 726 cases participating in the full personal interview (full participants), and 321 controls and 103 cases giving only a brief phone interview (incomplete participants). To assess selection bias, the Mantel-Haenszel estimate of odds ratio was calculated for three different groups: full study participants, incomplete participants, and a combined group consisting of both full and incomplete participants. Among controls, 83% of the full participants and 73% of the incomplete participants had regularly used a mobile phone. Among cases, the figures were 76% and 64%, respectively. The odds ratio for brain tumor based on the combined group of full and incomplete participants was slightly closer to unity than that based only on the full participants. Selection bias tends to distort the effect estimates below unity, while analyses based on more comprehensive material gave results close to unity.

Mobile Phone Usage and its Health Effects Among Adults in a Semi-Urban Area of Southern India.

PubMed

Stalin, P; Abraham, Sherin Billy; Kanimozhy, K; Prasad, R Vishnu; Singh, Zile; Purty, Anil J

2016-01-01

Worldwide, mobile phone usage has been increased dramatically which could affect the health of the people. India has the second largest number of mobile phone users. However there are only few studies conducted in India to assess its effects on health. To determine the prevalence and pattern of mobile phone usage and to assess the relationship between certain selected health problems and mobile phone usage among adults. Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Kottakuppam, a town panchayat in Villupuram district of Coastal Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It is a semi-urban area with a population of about 16,000. Majority of the residents are Muslim by religion and belong to different socio economic status. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. A total of 2121 study participants were interviewed by the pre-final medical students through house-to-house survey using a pretested structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included the variables such as socio demographic profile, mobile phone usage and pattern, selected health problems, perceived benefits and threats and blood pressure. Selected health problems included headache, earache, neck pain, tinnitus, painful fingers, restlessness, morning tiredness, tingling fingers, fatigue, eye symptoms, sleep disturbance and hypertension. Only 2054 were included for data analysis using SPSS 17 version. Proportions were calculated. Chi-square test was used to measure the p-value. The p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The prevalence of mobile phone usage was 70%. Calling facility (94.2%) was used more than the SMS (67.6%). Health problems like headache, earache, tinnitus, painful fingers and restlessness etc., were found to be positively associated with mobile phone usage. There was negative association between hypertension and mobile phone usage. The prevalence of mobile phone usage was high. There was significant association between selected health problems and mobile phone usage. In future, higher studies are required to confirm our findings.

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

Toczydlowska, Diana; Kedra-Krolik, Karolina; Nejbert, Krzysztof

The role of surface electrostatics on the reductive dissolution of iron (III) oxides is poorly understood, despite its importance in controlling the amount of mobilized iron. We report the potentiometric titration of the a; y -Fe2O3 oxides exposed to reductants and complexing ligands (Fe(II), ascorbate, oxalate, malonate). We monitored in situ surface and potentials, the ratio of mobilized ferric to ferrous ions, and periodically analyzed nanoparticle crystal structure using X-ray diffraction. We found that addition of Fe2+ ions produces a response consistent with the iron solubilityactivity curve, whereas the presence of ascorbate significantly decreases the amount of mobilized Fe(III) duemore » to reduction to Fe(II). In addition, XRD analysis proved that y-Fe2O3 particles remain structurally unchanged along the titration pathway despite iron cycling between aqueous and solid reservoirs. Our studies, suggest that the surface redoxactivity of iron oxides is primarily governed by the balance between Fe(III) and Fe(II) ions in aqueous phase, which may be easily altered by complexing and reducing agents.« less

How long should patients be kept non-weight bearing after ankle fracture fixation? A survey of OTA and AOFAS members.

PubMed

Swart, Eric; Bezhani, Hariklia; Greisberg, Justin; Vosseller, J Turner

2015-01-01

Ankle fractures are common injuries treated routinely by orthopaedic surgeons. A variety of different post-operative protocols have been described with differing periods of non-weight bearing after surgery. The aim of this study was to identify how patient injury characteristics and medical comorbidities contribute to the period of non-weight bearing chosen by orthopaedic surgeons after open reduction and internal fixation of rotational ankle fractures. A cross sectional expert opinion survey was administered to members of the AOFAS as well as OTA to determine how long they would instruct patients to be non-weight bearing after open reduction and internal fixation of ankle fractures. Three different injury characteristics were described: supination external rotation type 4 equivalents, bimalleolar, and trimalleolar patterns. These patterns were combined with three different medical statuses: young and healthy, older and healthy, and older with significant medical comorbidity. Respondents selected how long they would keep the patient non-weight bearing after surgery for each of the potential scenarios. Finally, they were directly asked which factors they felt affected their decision about length of time to keep patients non-weight bearing. Seven hundred and two surgeons (31%) responded to the survey. The average time of non-weight bearing selected varied from 4.9 (± 3.1) weeks for in young, healthy patients with SER4 equivalent injuries to 7.6 (± 6.0) weeks for older patients with medical comorbidities with trimalleolar fractures. Responses had a high degree of heterogeneity, but both injury pattern and medical status were significant predictors of non-weight bearing period (p<0.01), with medical status the stronger determinant. There is significant variation among orthopaedic surgeons when selecting period of non-weight bearing after fixation of ankle fractures, with both injury pattern and medical comorbidity playing a role in decision of time to keep patient non-weight bearing. Further research further evaluating the relationship between these factors and safe periods of non-weight bearing could help identify patients that may benefit from earlier mobilization, and improve surgeon's comfort with early mobilization. Therapeutic Level V. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of a 2 percent lactic acid antimicrobial rinse for mobile poultry slaughter operations.

PubMed

Killinger, Karen M; Kannan, Aditi; Bary, Andy I; Cogger, Craig G

2010-11-01

Poultry processing antimicrobial interventions are critical for pathogen control, and organic, mobile operations in Washington seek alternatives to chlorine. Laboratory and field studies (three replications each) evaluated lactic acid efficacy as a chlorine alternative. For the laboratory study, retail-purchased, conventionally processed chicken wings inoculated with Salmonella were randomly assigned to the following treatments: Salmonella inoculation followed by no treatment (10 wings) or by 3-min rinses of water, 50 to 100 ppm of chlorine, or 2% lactic acid (20 wings for each rinse treatment). Wings were sampled for Salmonella enumeration on xylose lysine desoxycholate agar. During pastured poultry processing at mobile slaughter units for each field study replication, 20 chicken carcasses were randomly assigned to each treatment: untreated control or 3-min immersion in lactic acid or chlorine. Whole-carcass rinses were examined for aerobic plate count (APC) on tryptic soy agar and coliforms on violet red bile agar. Untreated controls were also examined for Salmonella. In the laboratory study, lactic acid produced a significant (P < 0.01) Salmonella reduction compared with the inoculated no-rinse, water, and chlorine treatments, which were statistically similar to each other. In the field study, no Salmonella was detected on untreated controls. Lactic acid produced significant >2-log (P < 0.01) reductions in APC and coliforms, whereas chlorine resulted in slight, but significant 0.4-log reductions (P < 0.01) and 0.21-log reductions (P < 0.05) in APC and coliforms compared with untreated controls. Considering laboratory and field studies, lactic acid produced greater reductions in Salmonella, APC, and coliforms, validating its effectiveness as a chlorine alternative in mobile poultry slaughter operations.

Thermally ruggedized ITO transparent electrode films for high power optoelectronics

DOE PAGES

Yoo, Jae-Hyuck; Matthews, Manyalibo; Ramsey, Phil; ...

2017-10-06

Here, we present two strategies to minimize laser damage in transparent conductive films. The first consists of improving heat dissipation by selection of substrates with high thermal diffusivity or by addition of capping layer heatsinks. The second is reduction of bulk energy absorption by lowering free carrier density and increasing mobility, while maintaining film conductance with thicker films. Multi-pulse laser damage tests were performed on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films configured to improve optical lifetime damage performance. Conditions where improvements were not observed are also described. Finally, when bulk heating is not the dominant damage process, discrete defect-induced damage limitsmore » damage behavior.« less

POLLUTION PREVENTION OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT - U.S. COAST GUARD AVIATION TRAINING CENTER - MOBILE, AL

EPA Science Inventory

An assessment of pollution prevention opportunities at the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile, AL, identified waste reduction opportunities in five major processing areas: flight simulator operation, aircraft maintenance, aircraft fueling, aircraft washing, and...

Mobilities of ground-state and metastable O/+/, O2/+/, O/2+/, and O2/2+/ ions in helium and neon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnsen, R.; Biondi, M. A.; Hayashi, M.

1982-09-01

The ionic mobilities of O(+), O2(+), O(2+), and O2(2+) in helium and neon have been measured using a selected-ion drift apparatus (SIDA). It is found that the mobilities of both O(+) and O2(+) ions in the metastable states (2D or 4Pi u) are measurably smaller than those of the same ions carried out by using known, state-selective ion-molecule reactions. A similar mobility differentiation of ground-state and metastable ions was not observed for the O(2+) and O2(2+) ions.

Rates of As and trace-element mobilization caused by Fe reduction in mixed BTEX–ethanol experimental plumes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ziegler, Brady A.; McGuire, Jennifer T.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.

2015-01-01

Biodegradation of organic matter, including petroleum-based fuels and biofuels, can create undesired secondary water-quality effects. Trace elements, especially arsenic (As), have strong adsorption affinities for Fe(III) (oxyhydr)-oxides and can be released to groundwater during Fe-reducing biodegradation. We investigated the mobilization of naturally occurring As, cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) from wetland sediments caused by the introduction of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) and ethanol mixtures under iron- and nitrate-reducing conditions, using in situ push–pull tests. When BTEX alone was added, results showed simultaneous onset and similar rates of Fe reduction and As mobilization. In the presence of ethanol, the maximum rates of As release and Fe reduction were higher, the time to onset of reaction was decreased, and the rates occurred in multiple stages that reflected additional processes. The concentration of As increased from <1 μg/L to a maximum of 99 μg/L, exceeding the 10 μg/L limit for drinking water. Mobilization of Co, Cr, and Ni was observed in association with ethanol biodegradation but not with BTEX. These results demonstrate the potential for trace-element contamination of drinking water during biodegradation and highlight the importance of monitoring trace elements at natural and enhanced attenuation sites.

Effect of exogenous reductant on growth and iron mobilization from ferrihydrite by the Pseudomonas mendocina ymp strain.

PubMed

Dhungana, Suraj; Anthony, Charles R; Hersman, Larry E

2007-05-01

Growth of the Pseudomonas mendocina ymp strain on insoluble ferrihydrite is enhanced by exogenous reductants with concurrent increase in soluble iron concentrations. This shows that exogenous reductants play a substantial role in the overall microbial iron bioavailability. The exogenous reductants may work together with the siderophores, Fe-scavenging agents, to facilitate ferrihydrite dissolution.

Population mobility reductions associated with travel restrictions during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone: use of mobile phone data.

PubMed

Peak, Corey M; Wesolowski, Amy; Zu Erbach-Schoenberg, Elisabeth; Tatem, Andrew J; Wetter, Erik; Lu, Xin; Power, Daniel; Weidman-Grunewald, Elaine; Ramos, Sergio; Moritz, Simon; Buckee, Caroline O; Bengtsson, Linus

2018-06-26

Travel restrictions were implementeded on an unprecedented scale in 2015 in Sierra Leone to contain and eliminate Ebola virus disease. However, the impact of epidemic travel restrictions on mobility itself remains difficult to measure with traditional methods. New 'big data' approaches using mobile phone data can provide, in near real-time, the type of information needed to guide and evaluate control measures. We analysed anonymous mobile phone call detail records (CDRs) from a leading operator in Sierra Leone between 20 March and 1 July in 2015. We used an anomaly detection algorithm to assess changes in travel during a national 'stay at home' lockdown from 27 to 29 March. To measure the magnitude of these changes and to assess effect modification by region and historical Ebola burden, we performed a time series analysis and a crossover analysis. Routinely collected mobile phone data revealed a dramatic reduction in human mobility during a 3-day lockdown in Sierra Leone. The number of individuals relocating between chiefdoms decreased by 31% within 15 km, by 46% for 15-30 km and by 76% for distances greater than 30 km. This effect was highly heterogeneous in space, with higher impact in regions with higher Ebola incidence. Travel quickly returned to normal patterns after the restrictions were lifted. The effects of travel restrictions on mobility can be large, targeted and measurable in near real-time. With appropriate anonymization protocols, mobile phone data should play a central role in guiding and monitoring interventions for epidemic containment.

Dimensionality reduction for the quantitative evaluation of a smartphone-based Timed Up and Go test.

PubMed

Palmerini, Luca; Mellone, Sabato; Rocchi, Laura; Chiari, Lorenzo

2011-01-01

The Timed Up and Go is a clinical test to assess mobility in the elderly and in Parkinson's disease. Lately instrumented versions of the test are being considered, where inertial sensors assess motion. To improve the pervasiveness, ease of use, and cost, we consider a smartphone's accelerometer as the measurement system. Several parameters (usually highly correlated) can be computed from the signals recorded during the test. To avoid redundancy and obtain the features that are most sensitive to the locomotor performance, a dimensionality reduction was performed through principal component analysis (PCA). Forty-nine healthy subjects of different ages were tested. PCA was performed to extract new features (principal components) which are not redundant combinations of the original parameters and account for most of the data variability. They can be useful for exploratory analysis and outlier detection. Then, a reduced set of the original parameters was selected through correlation analysis with the principal components. This set could be recommended for studies based on healthy adults. The proposed procedure could be used as a first-level feature selection in classification studies (i.e. healthy-Parkinson's disease, fallers-non fallers) and could allow, in the future, a complete system for movement analysis to be incorporated in a smartphone.

Rational selective exploitation and distress: employee reactions to performance-based and mobility-based reward allocations.

PubMed

Rusbult, C E; Campbell, M A; Price, M E

1990-09-01

Prior research has demonstrated that allocators frequently distribute greater rewards to persons with high professional and geographic mobility than to persons with constrained mobility, especially among the very competent. This phenomenon has been termed rational selective exploitation. Do the recipients of such allocations actually experience this distribution rule as unjust and distressing, or is it a misnomer to refer to this phenomenon as exploitation? Two studies were conducted to explore this question. Study 1 was a laboratory experiment in which we manipulated relative performance level, relative mobility level, and allocation standard: performance based versus mobility based. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey of actual employees in which subjects reported the degree to which performance and mobility were the basis for pay decisions at their places of employment, as well as the degree to which they perceived each standard to be fair. Both studies demonstrated that people regard mobility-based allocations as less fair and more distressing than performance-based allocations. Furthermore, the degree of distress resulting from mobility-based allocations is greater among persons who are disadvantaged by that standard: among people with constrained mobility, especially those who perform at high levels. These findings provide good support for the assertion that so-called rational selective exploitation is indeed distressing to employees. Reactions to this form of distress are also explored, and the implications of these findings for the allocation process are discussed.

Ad Hoc Access Gateway Selection Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jie, Liu

With the continuous development of mobile communication technology, Ad Hoc access network has become a hot research, Ad Hoc access network nodes can be used to expand capacity of multi-hop communication range of mobile communication system, even business adjacent to the community, improve edge data rates. For mobile nodes in Ad Hoc network to internet, internet communications in the peer nodes must be achieved through the gateway. Therefore, the key Ad Hoc Access Networks will focus on the discovery gateway, as well as gateway selection in the case of multi-gateway and handover problems between different gateways. This paper considers the mobile node and the gateway, based on the average number of hops from an average access time and the stability of routes, improved gateway selection algorithm were proposed. An improved gateway selection algorithm, which mainly considers the algorithm can improve the access time of Ad Hoc nodes and the continuity of communication between the gateways, were proposed. This can improve the quality of communication across the network.

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

Van Voris, P.; Cataldo, D.A.; Garland, T.R.

An evaluation of the terrestrial transport, transformations and ecological effects of phosphorus (red phosphorus-butyl rubber (RP/BR)), smoke/obscurant was performed to characterize the effects on: (1) natural vegetation characteristic of US Army training sites in the United States; (2) physical and chemical properties of representative of soils of those sites; and (3) soil microbiological communities. The influence and interactions of smoke/obscurant concentration relative humidity and wind speed was assessed. Toxicity symptoms for plants from repeated or a single exposure included leaf tip burn, leaf curl, leaf abscission and drop, floral abortion, chlorosis, neucrotic spotting, wilting, dessication and dieback for ponderosa pine,more » short needle pine, sagebrush, a native grass (Blando Brome) and bushbean. Soils data suggest an increase in the mobility of selected trace elements after exposure; however, this effect appears to be ameliorated with time. This phenomenon is influenced by soil type, which is a reflection of the buffering capacity of the exposed soil (i.e., Burbank, Quallayute, Shawano, and Yamac) as well as the concentration and duration of exposure. Increased mobility of trace elements is also evidenced in the trace element content of plants grown on soils after exposure to RP/BR smoke. Soil Microbial Community effects show a reduction in the production of nitrate after soil is exposed to RP/BR smoke. This indicates a reduction in ammonium oxidizing bacterial populations, specifically Nitrosomonas and probably Nitrobacter. For the most part most of the plant, soil and soil microbial effects are transient.« less

Development of an electrospray-(63)Ni-differential ion mobility spectrometer for the analysis of aqueous samples.

PubMed

Kuklya, Andriy; Uteschil, Florian; Kerpen, Klaus; Marks, Robert; Telgheder, Ursula

2014-03-01

The feasibility of an electrospray coupled with a (63)Ni-differential ion mobility spectrometer (DMS) for the analysis of water samples was proven on examples of 2-hexanone, fluoroacetamide, l-nicotine and 1-phenyl-2-thiourea water solutions. The model substances were selected in order to cover the vapor pressure range of 0.3-1467 Pa. To reduce the inline humidity, which demonstrates a strong influence on the analyte compensation voltage, two units with a desolvation region lengths of 15.5 and 7 mm were examined. The counter gas (heated to 100 °C nitrogen) with flow rates of 100 mL min(-1) and 30 mL min(-1) for short and long desolvation units, respectively, was essential for the efficient reduction of humidity. The reduction of water content in the carrier gas to 2.2-2.4 g m(-3) and to 1.8-2.0 g m(-3) for the short and long desolvation unit, respectively, was achieved at an electrospray flow rate of 1000 nL min(-1). With this adjusted experimental setup, the detection of model substances in the water solutions, in the range of 0.1-50 mg L(-1), was performed. No correlation between the vapor pressure and signal area was observed. The high stability of the inline humidity, and the correspondingly stable carrier gas flow rate, were found to be essential for an acceptable reproducibility. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of microbially mediated iron mineral transformation on temporal variation of arsenic in the Pleistocene aquifers of the central Yangtze River basin.

PubMed

Deng, Yamin; Zheng, Tianliang; Wang, Yanxin; Liu, Lun; Jiang, Hongchen; Ma, Teng

2018-04-01

Significant seasonal variation of groundwater arsenic (As) concentrations in shallow aquifers of the Jianghan Plain, central Yangtze River Basin has been reported recently, but the underlying mechanisms remain not well understood. To elaborate biogeochemical processes responsible for the observed As concentration variation, 42-day incubation experiments were done using sediment samples collected respectively from the depth of 26, 36 and 60m of the As-affected aquifer which were labeled respectively as JH26, JH36, JH60. Where JH denotes Jianghan Plain, and the number indicates the depth of the sediment sample. The results indicated that As could be mobilized from the sediments of 26m and 36m depth under the stimulation of exogenous organic carbon, with the maximum As release amount of 1.60 and 1.03mgkg -1 , respectively, while the sediments at 60m depth did not show As mobilization. The microbially mediated reductive dissolution of amorphous iron oxides and reduction of As(V) to As(III) could account for the observed As mobilization. The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing results indicated that the variation of microbial community correlated with the released As concentration (R=0.7, P<0.05) and the iron-reducing bacteria, including Pseudomonas, Clostridium and Geobacter, were the main drivers for the As mobilization from the sediments at 26m and 36m depth. The increase of arsC gene abundance (up to 1.4×10 5 copies g -1 ) during As release suggested that As reduction was mediated by the resistant reduction mechanism. By contrast, in the 60m sediments where the Fe and As release was absent, the iron-reducing bacteria accounted for a very minor proportion and sulfate-reducing bacteria were predominant in the microbial community. In addition, after 30days of incubation, the released As in the 26m sediments was immobilized via co-precipitation with or adsorption onto the Fe-sulfide mineral newly-formed by the bacterial sulfate reduction. These results are consistent with the results of our previous field monitoring, indicating that the bacterial sulfate reduction could lead to the temporal decrease in groundwater As concentrations. This study provides insights into the mechanism for As mobilization and seasonal As concentration variation in the Pleistocene aquifers from alluvial plains. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Monitoring and evaluation of plant and hydrological controls on arsenic transport across the water sediment interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaffe, P. R.; MacDonald, L. H.; Paull, J.

2009-12-01

Plants and hydrology influence the transport of arsenic in wetlands by changing the dominant redox chemistry in the subsurface, and different plant and hydrological regimes can serve as effective barriers or promoters of metal transport. Inorganic arsenic, especially arsenate, binds to iron oxides in wetlands. In flooded wetland sediments, organic carbon from plants consumes oxygen and promotes reductive iron dissolution, which leads to arsenic release, while plants simultaneously create microoxic regimes around root hairs that oxidize and precipitate iron, promoting arsenic capture. Hydrology influences arsenic mobility by promoting wetting and drying cycles. Such cycles can lead to rapid shifts from anaerobic to aerobic conditions, and vice versa, with lasting impact on the oxidation state of iron and, by extension, the mobility of arsenic. Remediation strategies should take these competing conditions into account, and to help inform these strategies this study examines the chemistry of an industrially contaminated wetland when the above mechanisms aggregate. The study tests whether, in bulk, plants promote iron reduction or oxidation in intermittently flooded or consistently flooded sediments, and how this impacts arsenic mobility. This research uses a novel dialysis-based monitoring technique to examine the macro-properties of arsenic transport at the sediment water interface and at depth. Dialysis-based monitoring allows long-term seasonal trends in anaerobic porewater and allows active hypothesis testing on the influence of plants on redox chemistry. This study finds that plants promote iron reduction and that iron-reducing zones tend to correlate with zones with mobile arsenic. However, one newly reported and important finding of this study is that a brief summer drought that dried and oxidized sediments with a long history of iron-reduction zone served to effectively halt iron reduction for many months, and this corresponded to a lasting decline in dissolved arsenic concentrations during that time. This finding clearly links hydrological controls on sediment chemistry to arsenic mobility. Through mechanisms like this that influences iron, plants and hydrology impact many contaminants and, although focusing on arsenic, the principals uncovered from this detailed research bear real-world implications for forecasting and managing the transport of a variety of contaminants in wetland systems.

A toolbox for alleviating traffic congestion and enhancing mobility

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

This report presents the Tolling Data Test Plan for the national evaluation of the Los Angeles (LA) Congestion Reduction Demonstration (Metro ExpressLanes) under the United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Congestion Reduction Demonstra...

Mobile Phone Usage and its Health Effects Among Adults in a Semi-Urban Area of Southern India

PubMed Central

Abraham, Sherin Billy; Kanimozhy, K.; Prasad, R. Vishnu; Singh, Zile; Purty, Anil J.

2016-01-01

Introduction Worldwide, mobile phone usage has been increased dramatically which could affect the health of the people. India has the second largest number of mobile phone users. However there are only few studies conducted in India to assess its effects on health. Aim To determine the prevalence and pattern of mobile phone usage and to assess the relationship between certain selected health problems and mobile phone usage among adults. Settings and Design Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Kottakuppam, a town panchayat in Villupuram district of Coastal Tamil Nadu, Southern India. It is a semi-urban area with a population of about 16,000. Majority of the residents are Muslim by religion and belong to different socio economic status. Materials and Methods The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. A total of 2121 study participants were interviewed by the pre-final medical students through house-to-house survey using a pretested structured questionnaire. The questionnaire included the variables such as socio demographic profile, mobile phone usage and pattern, selected health problems, perceived benefits and threats and blood pressure. Selected health problems included headache, earache, neck pain, tinnitus, painful fingers, restlessness, morning tiredness, tingling fingers, fatigue, eye symptoms, sleep disturbance and hypertension. Statistical Analysis Used Only 2054 were included for data analysis using SPSS 17 version. Proportions were calculated. Chi-square test was used to measure the p-value. The p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results The prevalence of mobile phone usage was 70%. Calling facility (94.2%) was used more than the SMS (67.6%). Health problems like headache, earache, tinnitus, painful fingers and restlessness etc., were found to be positively associated with mobile phone usage. There was negative association between hypertension and mobile phone usage. Conclusion The prevalence of mobile phone usage was high. There was significant association between selected health problems and mobile phone usage. In future, higher studies are required to confirm our findings. PMID:26894095

Numerical Modeling of Arsenic Mobility during Reductive Iron-Mineral Transformations.

PubMed

Rawson, Joey; Prommer, Henning; Siade, Adam; Carr, Jackson; Berg, Michael; Davis, James A; Fendorf, Scott

2016-03-01

Millions of individuals worldwide are chronically exposed to hazardous concentrations of arsenic from contaminated drinking water. Despite massive efforts toward understanding the extent and underlying geochemical processes of the problem, numerical modeling and reliable predictions of future arsenic behavior remain a significant challenge. One of the key knowledge gaps concerns a refined understanding of the mechanisms that underlie arsenic mobilization, particularly under the onset of anaerobic conditions, and the quantification of the factors that affect this process. In this study, we focus on the development and testing of appropriate conceptual and numerical model approaches to represent and quantify the reductive dissolution of iron oxides, the concomitant release of sorbed arsenic, and the role of iron-mineral transformations. The initial model development in this study was guided by data and hypothesized processes from a previously reported,1 well-controlled column experiment in which arsenic desorption from ferrihydrite coated sands by variable loads of organic carbon was investigated. Using the measured data as constraints, we provide a quantitative interpretation of the processes controlling arsenic mobility during the microbial reductive transformation of iron oxides. Our analysis suggests that the observed arsenic behavior is primarily controlled by a combination of reductive dissolution of ferrihydrite, arsenic incorporation into or co-precipitation with freshly transformed iron minerals, and partial arsenic redox transformations.

Biogeochemistry of heavy metals in contaminated excessively moistened soils (Analytical review)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vodyanitskii, Yu. N.; Plekhanova, I. O.

2014-03-01

The biogeochemical behavior of heavy metals in contaminated excessively moistened soils depends on the development of reducing conditions (either moderate or strong). Upon the moderate biogenic reduction, Cr as the metal with variable valence forms low-soluble compounds, which decreases its availability to plants and prevents its penetration into surface- and groundwater. Creation of artificial barriers for Cr fixation on contaminated sites is based on the stimulation of natural metal-reducing bacteria. Arsenic, being a metalloid with a variable valence, is mobilized upon the moderate biogenic reduction. The mobility of siderophilic heavy metals with a constant valence grows under the moderate reducing conditions at the expense of dissolution of iron (hydr)oxides as carriers of these metals. Zinc, which can enter the newly formed goethite lattice, is an exception. Strong reduction processes in organic excessively moist and flooded soils (usually enriched in S) lead to the formation of low-soluble sulfides of heavy elements with both variable (As) and constant (Cu, Ni, Zn, and Pb) valence. On changing aquatic regime in overmoistened soils and their drying, sulfides of heavy metals are oxidized, and previously fixed metals are mobilized.

Extensor Pollicis Longus Injury in Addition to De Quervain’s with Text Messaging on Mobile Phones

PubMed Central

Kumar, Bhaskaranand; Bhat, Anil K; Venugopal, Anand

2014-01-01

Objective: To do a clinical and ultrasonic evaluation of subjects with thumb pain with text messaging. Background: Thumbs are commonly used for text messaging, which are not as well designed for fine manipulative or dexterous work. Repetitive use as in text messaging can lead to the injury to the tendons of the thumb. Materials and Methods: Ninety eight students with symptoms of Repetitive Strain Type of injuries of the thumb were selected from a survey and evaluated both clinically and by ultrasound analysis of the musculotendinous unit of the thumb to note changes due to excessive use of the mobile phone. Age and sex matched controls were also subjected to ultrasound evaluation. Results: Clinical examination showed positive Finkelstein test in 40% of the cases, significant reduction in the lateral and tip pinch strengths in the cases. Ultrasound detected changes in the first and the third compartments in 19% of the cases. Conclusion: Isolated cases of pain in the thumb have been reported but this study noted changes both clinically and by ultrasound in the tendons of the thumb. These changes should be taken as warning signs of possible subclinical changes taking place in the soft tissues of the thumb in these subjects due to repetitive use of mobile phones and thus, making them prone for developing painful Musculoskeletal Disorders. Application: Repetitive use of mobile phones for text messaging can lead to the damage of Extensor pollicis longus of the thumb in addition to the tendons of the first compartment of the wrist. PMID:25584249

Arsenic mobilization in the Brahmaputra plains of Assam: groundwater and sedimentary controls.

PubMed

Sailo, Lalsangzela; Mahanta, Chandan

2014-10-01

Arsenic (As) mobilization to the groundwater of Brahmaputra floodplains was investigated in Titabor, Jorhat District, located in the North Eastern part of India. The groundwater and the aquifer geochemistry were characterized in the study area. The range of As concentration in the groundwater varies from 10 to 440 μg/l with mean concentration 210 μg/l. The groundwaters are characterized by high dissolved Fe, Mn, and HCO₃(-) and low concentrations of NO₃(-) and SO₄(2-) indicating the reduced conditions prevailing in the groundwater. In order to understand the actual mobilization processes in the area, six core drilling surrounding the two target tube wells (T1 and T2) with high As concentration (three drill-cores surrounds each tube well closely) was done. The sediment was analyzed its chemical, mineralogical, and elemental compositions. A selective sequential extraction suggested that most of the As in the sediment is bound to Fe oxides fractions (32 to 50%) and the competition for adsorption site by anions (PO₄(3-)) also accounts to significant fractions of the total arsenic extracted. High variability in the extraction as well as properties of the sediment was observed due to the heterogeneity of the sediment samples with different chemical properties. The SEM and EDX results indicate the presence of Fe, Mn coating along with As for most of the sample, and the presence of As associated minerals were calculated using PHREEQC. The mobilization of As into the groundwater was anticipated to be largely controlled by the reductive dissolution of Fe oxides and partly by the competitive anions viz. PO₄(3-).

Mobility as an emergent property of biological organization: Insights from experimental evolution.

PubMed

Wallace, Ian J; Garland, Theodore

2016-05-06

Anthropologists accept that mobility is a critical dimension of human culture, one that links economy, technology, and social relations. Less often acknowledged is that mobility depends on complex and dynamic interactions between multiple levels of our biological organization, including anatomy, physiology, neurobiology, and genetics. Here, we describe a novel experimental approach to examining the biological foundations of mobility, using mice from a long-term artificial selection experiment for high levels of voluntary exercise on wheels. In this experiment, mice from selectively bred lines have evolved to run roughly three times as far per day as those from nonselected control lines. We consider three insights gleaned from this experiment as foundational principles for the study of mobility from the perspective of biological evolution. First, an evolutionary change in mobility will necessarily be associated with alterations in biological traits both directly and indirectly connected to mobility. Second, changing mobility will result in trade-offs and constraints among some of the affected traits. Third, multiple solutions exist to altering mobility, so that various combinations of adjustments to traits linked with mobility can achieve the same overall behavioral outcome. We suggest that anthropological knowledge of variation in human mobility might be improved by greater research attention to its biological dimensions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mobile Healthcare for Automatic Driving Sleep-Onset Detection Using Wavelet-Based EEG and Respiration Signals

PubMed Central

Lee, Boon-Giin; Lee, Boon-Leng; Chung, Wan-Young

2014-01-01

Driving drowsiness is a major cause of traffic accidents worldwide and has drawn the attention of researchers in recent decades. This paper presents an application for in-vehicle non-intrusive mobile-device-based automatic detection of driver sleep-onset in real time. The proposed application classifies the driving mental fatigue condition by analyzing the electroencephalogram (EEG) and respiration signals of a driver in the time and frequency domains. Our concept is heavily reliant on mobile technology, particularly remote physiological monitoring using Bluetooth. Respiratory events are gathered, and eight-channel EEG readings are captured from the frontal, central, and parietal (Fpz-Cz, Pz-Oz) regions. EEGs are preprocessed with a Butterworth bandpass filter, and features are subsequently extracted from the filtered EEG signals by employing the wavelet-packet-transform (WPT) method to categorize the signals into four frequency bands: α, β, θ, and δ. A mutual information (MI) technique selects the most descriptive features for further classification. The reduction in the number of prominent features improves the sleep-onset classification speed in the support vector machine (SVM) and results in a high sleep-onset recognition rate. Test results reveal that the combined use of the EEG and respiration signals results in 98.6% recognition accuracy. Our proposed application explores the possibility of processing long-term multi-channel signals. PMID:25264954

Mobile Phonocardiogram Diagnosis in Newborns Using Support Vector Machine

PubMed Central

Amiri, Amir Mohammad; Abtahi, Mohammadreza; Constant, Nick; Mankodiya, Kunal

2017-01-01

Phonocardiogram (PCG) monitoring on newborns is one of the most important and challenging tasks in the heart assessment in the early ages of life. In this paper, we present a novel approach for cardiac monitoring applied in PCG data. This basic system coupled with denoising, segmentation, cardiac cycle selection and classification of heart sound can be used widely for a large number of the data. This paper describes the problems and additional advantages of the PCG method including the possibility of recording heart sound at home, removing unwanted noises and data reduction on a mobile device, and an intelligent system to diagnose heart diseases on the cloud server. A wide range of physiological features from various analysis domains, including modeling, time/frequency domain analysis, an algorithm, etc., is proposed in order to extract features which will be considered as inputs for the classifier. In order to record the PCG data set from multiple subjects over one year, an electronic stethoscope was used for collecting data that was connected to a mobile device. In this study, we used different types of classifiers in order to distinguish between healthy and pathological heart sounds, and a comparison on the performances revealed that support vector machine (SVM) provides 92.2% accuracy and AUC = 0.98 in a time of 1.14 seconds for training, on a dataset of 116 samples. PMID:28335471

ARSENIC MOBILIZATION BY THE DISSIMILATORY FE(III)-REDUCING BACTERIUM SHEWANELLA ALGA BRY. (R825399)

EPA Science Inventory

The mobility of arsenic commonly increases as reducing conditions are
established within sediments or flooded soils. Although the reduction of arsenic
increases its solubility at circumneutral pH, hydrous ferric oxides (HFO)
strongly sorb both As(V) (arsenate) and ...

Sulfur cycling, retention, and mobility in soils: A review

Treesearch

Pamela J. Edwards

1998-01-01

Sulfur inputs to forests originate from mineral weathering, atmospheric deposition, and organic matter decomposition. In the soil, sulfur occurs in organic and inorganic forms and is cycled within and between those forms via mobilization, immobilization, mineralization, oxidation, and reduction processes. Organic sulfur compounds are largely immobile. Inorganic sulfur...

The Mobility Assistance Program. A Comprehensive Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hicks, Laurabeth H.

The Mobility Assistance Program (MAP) was established to assist U.S. Department of Education employees affected by the reduction in force (RIF). MAP's mission was to provide career transition and outplacement job search assistance to RIF-affected employees. It provided these services: job search, personnel support, training, and professional…

[Potential selection bias in telephone surveys: landline and mobile phones].

PubMed

Garcia-Continente, Xavier; Pérez-Giménez, Anna; López, María José; Nebot, Manel

2014-01-01

The increasing use of mobile phones in the last decade has decreased landline telephone coverage in Spanish households. This study aimed to analyze sociodemographic characteristics and health indicators by type of telephone service (mobile phone vs. landline or landline and mobile phone). Two telephone surveys were conducted in Spanish samples (February 2010 and February 2011). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze differences in the main sociodemographic characteristics and health indicators according to the type of telephone service available in Spanish households. We obtained 2027 valid responses (1627 landline telephones and 400 mobile phones). Persons contacted through a mobile phone were more likely to be a foreigner, to belong to the manual social class, to have a lower educational level, and to be a smoker than those contacted through a landline telephone. The profile of the population that has only a mobile phone differs from that with a landline telephone. Therefore, telephone surveys that exclude mobile phones could show a selection bias. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Application-oriented offloading in heterogeneous networks for mobile cloud computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tseng, Fan-Hsun; Cho, Hsin-Hung; Chang, Kai-Di; Li, Jheng-Cong; Shih, Timothy K.

2018-04-01

Nowadays Internet applications have become more complicated that mobile device needs more computing resources for shorter execution time but it is restricted to limited battery capacity. Mobile cloud computing (MCC) is emerged to tackle the finite resource problem of mobile device. MCC offloads the tasks and jobs of mobile devices to cloud and fog environments by using offloading scheme. It is vital to MCC that which task should be offloaded and how to offload efficiently. In the paper, we formulate the offloading problem between mobile device and cloud data center and propose two algorithms based on application-oriented for minimum execution time, i.e. the Minimum Offloading Time for Mobile device (MOTM) algorithm and the Minimum Execution Time for Cloud data center (METC) algorithm. The MOTM algorithm minimizes offloading time by selecting appropriate offloading links based on application categories. The METC algorithm minimizes execution time in cloud data center by selecting virtual and physical machines with corresponding resource requirements of applications. Simulation results show that the proposed mechanism not only minimizes total execution time for mobile devices but also decreases their energy consumption.

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

PubMed

Neue, Uwe D; Méndez, Alberto

2007-05-01

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

High-Efficiency Nonfullerene Polymer Solar Cell Enabling by Integration of Film-Morphology Optimization, Donor Selection, and Interfacial Engineering.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin; Li, Weiping; Yao, Jiannian; Zhan, Chuanlang

2016-06-22

Carrier mobility is a vital factor determining the electrical performance of organic solar cells. In this paper we report that a high-efficiency nonfullerene organic solar cell (NF-OSC) with a power conversion efficiency of 6.94 ± 0.27% was obtained by optimizing the hole and electron transportations via following judicious selection of polymer donor and engineering of film-morphology and cathode interlayers: (1) a combination of solvent annealing and solvent vapor annealing optimizes the film morphology and hence both hole and electron mobilities, leading to a trade-off of fill factor and short-circuit current density (Jsc); (2) the judicious selection of polymer donor affords a higher hole and electron mobility, giving a higher Jsc; and (3) engineering the cathode interlayer affords a higher electron mobility, which leads to a significant increase in electrical current generation and ultimately the power conversion efficiency (PCE).

Dopant selection for control of charge carrier density and mobility in amorphous indium oxide thin-film transistors: Comparison between Si- and W-dopants

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

Mitoma, Nobuhiko, E-mail: MITOMA.Nobuhiko@nims.go.jp, E-mail: TSUKAGOSHI.Kazuhito@nims.go.jp; Kizu, Takio; Lin, Meng-Fang

The dependence of oxygen vacancy suppression on dopant species in amorphous indium oxide (a-InO{sub x}) thin film transistors (TFTs) is reported. In a-InO{sub x} TFTs incorporating equivalent atom densities of Si- and W-dopants, absorption of oxygen in the host a-InO{sub x} matrix was found to depend on difference of Gibbs free energy of the dopants for oxidation. For fully oxidized films, the extracted channel conductivity was higher in the a-InO{sub x} TFTs containing dopants of small ionic radius. This can be explained by a reduction in the ionic scattering cross sectional area caused by charge screening effects.

NOX REMOVAL WITH COMBINED SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION AND SELECTIVE NONCATALYTIC REDUCTION: PILOT- SCALE TEST RESULTS

EPA Science Inventory

Pilot-scale tests were conducted to develop a combined nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction technology using both selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR). A commercially available vanadium-and titatnium-based composite honeycomb catalyst and enh...

Mobile Clinic In Massachusetts Associated With Cost Savings From Lowering Blood Pressure And Emergency Department Use

PubMed Central

Hill, Caterina; Bennet, Jennifer; Vavasis, Anthony; Oriol, Nancy E.

2014-01-01

Mobile health clinics are in increasingly wide use, but evidence of their clinical impact or cost-effectiveness is limited. Using a unique data set of 5,900 patients who made a total of 10,509 visits in 2010–12 to the Family Van, an urban mobile health clinic in Massachusetts, we examined the effect of screenings and counseling provided by the clinic on blood pressure. Patients who presented with high blood pressure during their initial visit experienced average reductions of 10.7 mmHg and 6.2 mmHg in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively, during their follow-up visits. These changes were associated with 32.2 percent and 44.6 percent reductions in the relative risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, respectively, which we converted into savings using estimates of the incidence and costs of these conditions over thirty months. The savings from this reduction in blood pressure and patient-reported avoided emergency department visits produced a positive lower bound for the clinic’s return on investment of 1.3. All other services of the clinic—those aimed at diabetes, obesity, and maternal health, for example—were excluded from this lower-bound estimate. Policy makers should consider mobile clinics as a delivery model for underserved communities with poor health status and high use of emergency departments. PMID:23297269

Mobile clinic in Massachusetts associated with cost savings from lowering blood pressure and emergency department use.

PubMed

Song, Zirui; Hill, Caterina; Bennet, Jennifer; Vavasis, Anthony; Oriol, Nancy E

2013-01-01

Mobile health clinics are in increasingly wide use, but evidence of their clinical impact or cost-effectiveness is limited. Using a unique data set of 5,900 patients who made a total of 10,509 visits in 2010-12 to the Family Van, an urban mobile health clinic in Massachusetts, we examined the effect of screenings and counseling provided by the clinic on blood pressure. Patients who presented with high blood pressure during their initial visit experienced average reductions of 10.7 mmHg and 6.2 mmHg in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively, during their follow-up visits. These changes were associated with 32.2 percent and 44.6 percent reductions in the relative risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, respectively, which we converted into savings using estimates of the incidence and costs of these conditions over thirty months. The savings from this reduction in blood pressure and patient-reported avoided emergency department visits produced a positive lower bound for the clinic's return on investment of 1.3. All other services of the clinic-those aimed at diabetes, obesity, and maternal health, for example-were excluded from this lower-bound estimate. Policy makers should consider mobile clinics as a delivery model for underserved communities with poor health status and high use of emergency departments.

Impact of random and systematic recall errors and selection bias in case--control studies on mobile phone use and brain tumors in adolescents (CEFALO study).

PubMed

Aydin, Denis; Feychting, Maria; Schüz, Joachim; Andersen, Tina Veje; Poulsen, Aslak Harbo; Prochazka, Michaela; Klaeboe, Lars; Kuehni, Claudia E; Tynes, Tore; Röösli, Martin

2011-07-01

Whether the use of mobile phones is a risk factor for brain tumors in adolescents is currently being studied. Case--control studies investigating this possible relationship are prone to recall error and selection bias. We assessed the potential impact of random and systematic recall error and selection bias on odds ratios (ORs) by performing simulations based on real data from an ongoing case--control study of mobile phones and brain tumor risk in children and adolescents (CEFALO study). Simulations were conducted for two mobile phone exposure categories: regular and heavy use. Our choice of levels of recall error was guided by a validation study that compared objective network operator data with the self-reported amount of mobile phone use in CEFALO. In our validation study, cases overestimated their number of calls by 9% on average and controls by 34%. Cases also overestimated their duration of calls by 52% on average and controls by 163%. The participation rates in CEFALO were 83% for cases and 71% for controls. In a variety of scenarios, the combined impact of recall error and selection bias on the estimated ORs was complex. These simulations are useful for the interpretation of previous case-control studies on brain tumor and mobile phone use in adults as well as for the interpretation of future studies on adolescents. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

77 FR 28797 - Redundancy of Communications Systems: Backup Power Private Land Mobile Radio Services: Selection...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-16

... Systems: Backup Power Private Land Mobile Radio Services: Selection and Assignment of Frequencies, and... certain rule provisions that are without current legal effect and obsolete. These nonsubstantive revisions... current legal effect and is deleted as obsolete. 2. This Order also deletes a rule providing that UHF...

Soot Formation and Destruction in High-Pressure Flames with Real Fuels

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-18

due to its higher mobility ) as the mixture exits the fuel tube leaving relatively high concentrations of ethylene in the lifted region, leading to...resulting in more soot production. This could potentially be explained by comparing the mobility of argon to nitrogen. Argon diffuses away from the...precursors formed due to a large concentration of fuel caused by the higher mobility of helium relative to fuel and thus an effective reduction in the

INDUSTRIAL BOILER RETROFIT FOR NOX CONTROL: COMBINED SELECTIVE NONCATALYTIC REDUCTION AND SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION

EPA Science Inventory

The paper describes retrofitting and testing a 590 kW (2 MBtu/hr), oil-fired, three-pass, fire-tube package boiler with a combined selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. The system demonstrated 85% nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction w...

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

Wang, Changlei; Xiao, Chuanxiao; Yu, Yue

Through detailed device characterization using cross-sectional Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and trap density of states measurements, we identify that the J-V hysteresis seen in planar organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) using SnO 2 electron selective layers (ESLs) synthesized by low-temperature plasma-enhanced atomic-layer deposition (PEALD) method is mainly caused by the imbalanced charge transportation between the ESL/perovskite and the hole selective layer/perovskite interfaces. We find that this charge transportation imbalance is originated from the poor electrical conductivity of the low-temperature PEALD SnO 2 ESL. We further discover that a facile low-temperature thermal annealing of SnO 2 ESLs can effectivelymore » improve the electrical mobility of low-temperature PEALD SnO 2 ESLs and consequently significantly reduce or even eliminate the J-V hysteresis. With the reduction of J-V hysteresis and optimization of deposition process, planar PVSCs with stabilized output powers up to 20.3% are achieved. Here, the results of this study provide insights for further enhancing the efficiency of planar PVSCs.« less

Effect of chaotropes on the kinetics of iron release from ferritin by flavin nucleotides.

PubMed

Johnson, Lindsay E; Wilkinson, Tyler; Arosio, Paolo; Melman, Artem; Bou-Abdallah, Fadi

2017-12-01

Ferritins are ubiquitous multi-subunit iron storage and detoxification proteins that play a critical role in iron homeostasis. Ferrous ions that enter the protein's shell through hydrophilic channels are rapidly oxidized at dinuclear centers on the H-subunit before transfer to the protein's cavity for storage. The mechanisms of iron loading have been extensively studied, but little is known about iron mobilization. Fe(III) reduction can occur via rapid reduction by suitable reducing agents followed by chelation of Fe(II) ions or via direct and slow Fe(III) chelation. Here, the iron release kinetics from ferritin by FMNH 2 in the presence of various chaotropic agents are studied and their in-vivo physiological significance discussed. The iron release kinetics from horse and human ferritins by FMNH 2 were monitored at 522nm where the Fe(II)-bipyridine complex absorbs. The experiments were performed in the presence of different concentrations of three chaotropic agents, urea, guanidine HCl, and triton. Under our experimental conditions, iron reductive mobilization by the non-enzymatic FMN/NAD(P)H system is limited by the concentration of FMNH 2 and is independent on the type or amount of chaotropes present. Diffusion of FMNH 2 through the ferritin pores is an unlikely mechanism for ferritin iron reduction. An iron mobilization mechanism involving rapid electron transfer through the protein shell is discussed. Caution must be exercised when interpreting the kinetics of iron mobilization from ferritin using the FMN/NAD(P)H system. The kinetics are highly dependent on the amount of dissolved oxygen and the concentration of reagents used. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Lifestyle Modification Using a Smartphone Application on Obesity With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Short-term, Randomized Controlled Study.

PubMed

Cho, Sung-Woo; Wee, Jee Hye; Yoo, Sooyoung; Heo, Eunyoung; Ryu, Borim; Kim, Yoojung; Lee, Joong Seek; Kim, Jeong-Whun

2018-01-30

To investigate the short-term effects of a lifestyle modification intervention based on a mobile application (app) linked to a hospital electronic medical record (EMR) system on weight reduction and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We prospectively enrolled adults (aged >20 years) with witnessed snoring or sleep apnea from a sleep clinic. The patients were randomized into the app user (n=24) and control (n=23) groups. The mobile app was designed to collect daily lifestyle data by wearing a wrist activity tracker and reporting dietary intake. A summary of the lifestyle data was displayed on the hospital EMR and was reviewed. In the control group, the lifestyle modification was performed as per usual practice. All participants underwent peripheral arterial tonometry (WatchPAT) and body mass index (BMI) measurements at baseline and after 4 weeks of follow-up. Age and BMI did not differ significantly between the two groups. While we observed a significant decrease in the BMI of both groups, the decrease was greater in the app user group (P <0.001). Apnea-hypopnea index, respiratory distress index, and oxygenation distress index did not change significantly in both groups. However, the proportion of sleep spent snoring at >45 dB was significantly improved in the app user group alone (P =0.014). In either group, among the participants with successful weight reduction, the apnea-hypopnea index was significantly reduced after 4 weeks (P =0.015). Multiple regression analyses showed that a reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index was significantly associated with BMI. Although a short-term lifestyle modification approach using a mobile app was more effective in achieving weight reduction, improvement in OSA was not so significant. Long-term efficacy of this mobile app should be evaluated in the future studies.

Pension Policy for a Mobile Labor Force.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turner, John A.; And Others

This book analyzes what happens to the pension benefits of workers who quit or are laid off jobs. The first chapter reviews the connection between job mobility and pension portability. Chapter 2 portrays a labor market undergoing changes that often result in reductions in retirement benefits. Chapter 3 describes job change further by examining…

Controlled method of reducing electrophoretic mobility of various substances

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanalstine, James M. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A method of reducing electrophoretic mobility of macromolecules, particles, cells, and the like is provided. The method comprises interacting the particles or cells with a polymer-linked affinity compound composed of: a hydrophilic neutral polymer such as polyethylene glycol, and an affinity component consisting of a hydrophobic compound such as a fatty acid ester, an immunocompound such as an antibody or active fragment thereof or simular macromolecule, or other ligands. The reduction of electrophoretic mobility achieved is directly proportional to the concentration of the polymer-linked affinity compound employed, and the mobility reduction obtainable is up to 100 percent for particular particles and cells. The present invention is advantageous in that analytical electrophoretic separation can not be achieved for macromolecules, particles, and cells whose native surface charge structure had prevented them from being separated by normal electrophoretic means. Depending on the affinity component utilized, separation can be achieved on the basis of specific/irreversible, specific/reversible, semi-specific/reversible, relatively nonspecific/reversible, or relatively nonspecific/irreversible ligand-substance interactions. The present method is also advantageous in that it can be used in a variety of standard laboratory electrophoresis equipment.

Optimal Ge/SiGe nanofin geometries for hole mobility enhancement: Technology limit from atomic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vedula, Ravi Pramod; Mehrotra, Saumitra; Kubis, Tillmann; Povolotskyi, Michael; Klimeck, Gerhard; Strachan, Alejandro

2015-05-01

We use first principles simulations to engineer Ge nanofins for maximum hole mobility by controlling strain tri-axially through nano-patterning. Large-scale molecular dynamics predict fully relaxed, atomic structures for experimentally achievable nanofins, and orthogonal tight binding is used to obtain the corresponding electronic structure. Hole transport properties are then obtained via a linearized Boltzmann formalism. This approach explicitly accounts for free surfaces and associated strain relaxation as well as strain gradients which are critical for quantitative predictions in nanoscale structures. We show that the transverse strain relaxation resulting from the reduction in the aspect ratio of the fins leads to a significant enhancement in phonon limited hole mobility (7× over unstrained, bulk Ge, and 3.5× over biaxially strained Ge). Maximum enhancement is achieved by reducing the width to be approximately 1.5 times the height and further reduction in width does not result in additional gains. These results indicate significant room for improvement over current-generation Ge nanofins, provide geometrical guidelines to design optimized geometries and insight into the physics behind the significant mobility enhancement.

An energy efficient distance-aware routing algorithm with multiple mobile sinks for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Wang, Jin; Li, Bin; Xia, Feng; Kim, Chang-Seob; Kim, Jeong-Uk

2014-08-18

Traffic patterns in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) usually follow a many-to-one model. Sensor nodes close to static sinks will deplete their limited energy more rapidly than other sensors, since they will have more data to forward during multihop transmission. This will cause network partition, isolated nodes and much shortened network lifetime. Thus, how to balance energy consumption for sensor nodes is an important research issue. In recent years, exploiting sink mobility technology in WSNs has attracted much research attention because it can not only improve energy efficiency, but prolong network lifetime. In this paper, we propose an energy efficient distance-aware routing algorithm with multiple mobile sink for WSNs, where sink nodes will move with a certain speed along the network boundary to collect monitored data. We study the influence of multiple mobile sink nodes on energy consumption and network lifetime, and we mainly focus on the selection of mobile sink node number and the selection of parking positions, as well as their impact on performance metrics above. We can see that both mobile sink node number and the selection of parking position have important influence on network performance. Simulation results show that our proposed routing algorithm has better performance than traditional routing ones in terms of energy consumption.

An Energy Efficient Distance-Aware Routing Algorithm with Multiple Mobile Sinks for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Jin; Li, Bin; Xia, Feng; Kim, Chang-Seob; Kim, Jeong-Uk

2014-01-01

Traffic patterns in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) usually follow a many-to-one model. Sensor nodes close to static sinks will deplete their limited energy more rapidly than other sensors, since they will have more data to forward during multihop transmission. This will cause network partition, isolated nodes and much shortened network lifetime. Thus, how to balance energy consumption for sensor nodes is an important research issue. In recent years, exploiting sink mobility technology in WSNs has attracted much research attention because it can not only improve energy efficiency, but prolong network lifetime. In this paper, we propose an energy efficient distance-aware routing algorithm with multiple mobile sink for WSNs, where sink nodes will move with a certain speed along the network boundary to collect monitored data. We study the influence of multiple mobile sink nodes on energy consumption and network lifetime, and we mainly focus on the selection of mobile sink node number and the selection of parking positions, as well as their impact on performance metrics above. We can see that both mobile sink node number and the selection of parking position have important influence on network performance. Simulation results show that our proposed routing algorithm has better performance than traditional routing ones in terms of energy consumption. PMID:25196015

Speciation analysis and leaching behaviors of selected trace elements in spent SCR catalyst.

PubMed

Dai, Zejun; Wang, Lele; Tang, Hao; Sun, Zhijun; Liu, Wei; Sun, Yi; Su, Sheng; Hu, Song; Wang, Yi; Xu, Kai; Liu, Liang; Ling, Peng; Xiang, Jun

2018-09-01

This study investigated heavy metal chemical speciation and leaching behavior from a board-type spent selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst containing high concentrations of vanadium, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, and lead. A three-step sequential extraction method, standard toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), and leaching characteristic tests have been performed. It was found that the mobility of six heavy metals in the spent SCR catalyst was significantly different. The mobility of the six heavy metals exhibited the following order: Ni > Zn > V > Cr > As > Cu. Meanwhile, TCLP test results revealed relatively high Zn and Cr leaching rate of 83.20% and 10.35%, respectively. It was found that leaching rate was positively correlated with available contents (sum of acid soluble, reducible and oxidizable fractions). Leaching characteristics tests indicated that pH substantially affected the leaching of these heavy metals. In particular, the leaching of Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn was positively influenced by strong acid, while V and As were easily released in the presence of strong acid and strong alkali (pH < 3 or pH > 11). In terms of kinetics, the leaching of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and As within the spent catalyst was dominated by erosion and dissolution processes, which were rapid reaction processes. V was released in large amounts within 1 h, but its leaching amount sharply decreased with time due to readsorption. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT)--what should physicians, homecare-providers and health insurance companies know?].

PubMed

Koehler, U; Hildebrandt, O; Jerrentrup, L; Koehler, K-I; Kianinejad, P; Sohrabi, K; Schäfer, H; Kenn, K

2014-03-01

Long-term oxygen treatment (LTOT) has been demonstrated to improve prognosis in patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency. In terms of pathogenesis, improved oxygenation, reduction of pulmonary artery pressure as well as reduction of respiratory work are important. Since there are considerable differences between the LTOT systems, individually tailored therapy is needed. In particular, the mobility aspects of the patients must be taken into consideration. It is important to distinguish between stationary/mobile devices with a liquid oxygen system and stationary/mobile devices with oxygen concentrator. Oxygen titration should be performed in relation to rest and activity phases (e. g. 6 minute walk test) as well as in relation to the sleep phase. Employing devices with demand-controlled valves should be critically examined. This can be undertaken only under physician orders and requires continuous monitoring. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A Double-Negative Metamaterial-Inspired Mobile Wireless Antenna for Electromagnetic Absorption Reduction.

PubMed

Alam, Touhidul; Faruque, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal; Islam, Mohammad Tariqul

2015-07-29

A double-negative metamaterial-inspired antenna is presented for mobile wireless applications. The antenna consists of a semi-circular radiating patch and a 3 × 4 hexagonal shaped metamaterial unit cell array in the ground plane. The antenna is fed with a 50 Ω microstrip feed line. The electric dimensions of the proposed antenna are 0.20λ × 0.26λ × 0.004λ, at the low-end frequency. The proposed antenna achieves a -10 dB impedance with a bandwidth of 2.29 GHz at the lower band and 1.28 GHz at the upper band and can operate for most of the mobile applications such as upper GSM bands, WiMAX, Bluetooth, and wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency bands. The focused novelties of the proposed antenna are its small size, multi-standard operating bands, and electromagnetic absorption reduction at all the operating frequencies using the double-negative metamaterial ground plane.

The influence of addition of ion-pairing acid and organic modifier of the mobile phase on retention and migration of peptides in pressurized planar electrochromatography system with octadecyl silica-based adsorbent.

PubMed

Gwarda, Radosław Ł; Dzido, Tadeusz H

2018-07-13

In our previous papers we have investigated the influence of the mobile phase composition on mechanism of retention, selectivity and efficiency of peptide separation in various high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) systems with commercially available silica-based adsorbents. We have also investigated the influence of pH of the mobile phase buffer on migration and separation of peptides in pressurized planar electrochromatography (PPEC). Here we investigate the influence of concentration of ion-pairing additive, and concentration and type of organic modifier of the mobile phase on migration of peptides in PPEC system with octadecyl silica-based adsorbent, and with the same set of the solutes as before. We compare our current results with the results obtained before for similar HPTLC and PPEC systems, and discuss the influence of particular variables on retention, electrophoretic mobility of solutes and electroosmotic flow of the mobile phase. We show, that the final selectivity of peptide separation results from co-influence of all the three factors mentioned. Concentration of organic modifier of the mobile phase, as well as concentration of ion-pairing additive, affect the retention, the electrophoretic mobility, and the electroosmotic flow simultaneously. This makes independent optimization of these factors rather difficult. Anyway PPEC offers much faster separation of peptides with quite different selectivity, in comparison to HPTLC, with similar adsorbents and similar mobile phase composition. However, we also present and discuss the issue of extensive tailing of peptide zones in the PPEC in comparison to similar HPTLC systems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Network Selection Algorithm Considering Power Consumption in Hybrid Wireless Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joe, Inwhee; Kim, Won-Tae; Hong, Seokjoon

In this paper, we propose a novel network selection algorithm considering power consumption in hybrid wireless networks for vertical handover. CDMA, WiBro, WLAN networks are candidate networks for this selection algorithm. This algorithm is composed of the power consumption prediction algorithm and the final network selection algorithm. The power consumption prediction algorithm estimates the expected lifetime of the mobile station based on the current battery level, traffic class and power consumption for each network interface card of the mobile station. If the expected lifetime of the mobile station in a certain network is not long enough compared the handover delay, this particular network will be removed from the candidate network list, thereby preventing unnecessary handovers in the preprocessing procedure. On the other hand, the final network selection algorithm consists of AHP (Analytic Hierarchical Process) and GRA (Grey Relational Analysis). The global factors of the network selection structure are QoS, cost and lifetime. If user preference is lifetime, our selection algorithm selects the network that offers longest service duration due to low power consumption. Also, we conduct some simulations using the OPNET simulation tool. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm provides longer lifetime in the hybrid wireless network environment.

Specific features of electron scattering in uniaxially deformed n-Ge single crystals in the presence of radiation defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luniov, S. V.; Zimych, A. I.; Nazarchuk, P. F.; Maslyuk, V. T.; Megela, I. G.

2016-12-01

Temperature dependencies for concentration of electrons and the Hall mobility for unirradiated and irradiated by the flow of electrons ? single crystals ?, with the energy of ?, for different values of uniaxial pressures along the crystallographic directions ?, ? and ? are obtained on the basis of piezo-Hall effect measurements. Non-typical growth of the Hall mobility of electrons for irradiated single crystals ? in comparison with unirradiated with the increasing of value of uniaxial pressures along the crystallographic directions ? (for the entire range of the investigated temperatures) and ? (to temperatures ?) has been revealed. Such an effect of the Hall mobility increase for uniaxially deformed single crystals ? is explained by the reduction of gradients of a resistance as a result of reduction in the amplitude of a large-scale potential with deformation and concentration of charged A-centers in the process of their recharge by the increasing of uniaxial pressure and consequently the probability of scattering on these centers. Theoretical calculations for temperature dependencies of the Hall mobility for uniaxially deformed single crystals ? in terms of the electrons scattering on the ions of shallow donors, acoustic, optical and intervalley phonons, regions of disordering and large-scale potential is good conformed to the corresponding experimental results at temperatures T<220 K for the case of uniaxial pressures along the crystallographic directions ? and ? and for temperatures ? when the uniaxial pressure is directed along the crystallographic directions ?. The mechanism of electron scattering on a charged radiation defects (which correspond to the deep energy levels of A-centers) 'is turned off' for the given temperatures due to the uniaxial pressure. Reduction of the Hall mobility in transition through a maximum of dependence ? with the increasing temperature for cases of the uniaxial deformation of the irradiated single crystals ? along the crystallographic directions ? and ? is explained by the deforming redistribution of electrons between the minima of conduction band of germanium with different mobility.

Determination of gas phase protein ion densities via ion mobility analysis with charge reduction.

PubMed

Maisser, Anne; Premnath, Vinay; Ghosh, Abhimanyu; Nguyen, Tuan Anh; Attoui, Michel; Hogan, Christopher J

2011-12-28

We use a charge reduction electrospray (ESI) source and subsequent ion mobility analysis with a differential mobility analyzer (DMA, with detection via both a Faraday cage electrometer and a condensation particle counter) to infer the densities of single and multiprotein ions of cytochrome C, lysozyme, myoglobin, ovalbumin, and bovine serum albumin produced from non-denaturing (20 mM aqueous ammonium acetate) and denaturing (1 : 49.5 : 49.5, formic acid : methanol : water) ESI. Charge reduction is achieved through use of a Po-210 radioactive source, which generates roughly equal concentrations of positive and negative ions. Ions produced by the source collide with and reduce the charge on ESI generated drops, preventing Coulombic fissions, and unlike typical protein ESI, leading to gas-phase protein ions with +1 to +3 excess charges. Therefore, charge reduction serves to effectively mitigate any role that Coulombic stretching may play on the structure of the gas phase ions. Density inference is made via determination of the mobility diameter, and correspondingly the spherical equivalent protein volume. Through this approach it is found that for both non-denaturing and denaturing ESI-generated ions, gas-phase protein ions are relatively compact, with average densities of 0.97 g cm(-3) and 0.86 g cm(-3), respectively. Ions from non-denaturing ESI are found to be slightly more compact than predicted from the protein crystal structures, suggesting that low charge state protein ions in the gas phase are slightly denser than their solution conformations. While a slight difference is detected between the ions produced with non-denaturing and denaturing ESI, the denatured ions are found to be much more dense than those examined previously by drift tube mobility analysis, in which charge reduction was not employed. This indicates that Coulombic stretching is typically what leads to non-compact ions in the gas-phase, and suggests that for gas phase measurements to be correlated to biomolecular structures in solution, low charge state ions should be analyzed. Further, to determine if different solution conditions give rise to ions of different structure, ions of similar charge state should be compared. Non-denatured protein ion densities are found to be in excellent agreement with non-denatured protein ion densities inferred from prior DMA and drift tube measurements made without charge reduction (all ions with densities in the 0.85-1.10 g cm(-3) range), showing that these ions are not strongly influenced by Coulombic stretching nor by analysis method.

Developing operation algorithms for vision subsystems in autonomous mobile robots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shikhman, M. V.; Shidlovskiy, S. V.

2018-05-01

The paper analyzes algorithms for selecting keypoints on the image for the subsequent automatic detection of people and obstacles. The algorithm is based on the histogram of oriented gradients and the support vector method. The combination of these methods allows successful selection of dynamic and static objects. The algorithm can be applied in various autonomous mobile robots.

Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in Rural Economy: Evidence from Nepal and Vietnam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emran, M. Shahe; Shilpi, Forhad

2011-01-01

This paper presents evidence on intergenerational occupational mobility from agriculture to the nonfarm sector using survey data from Nepal and Vietnam. In the absence of credible instruments, the degree of selection on observables is used as a guide to the degree of selection on unobservables, a la Altonji et al. (2005) to address the unobserved…

Positive ion densities and mobilities in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leiden, S.

1976-01-01

A brief sketch of the theory concerning the use of the Gerdien condenser as a mobility spectrometer is presented. Data reduction of three parachute borne Gerdien condenser probes is given, as well as that of one blunt conductivity probe. Comparisons of concentrations calculated by two different methods indicate consistency of results. Mobility profiles demonstrating remarkable fine structure are discussed in detail. Finally, theoretical implications of the results on ionospheric structure, including possible night-day differences and latitudinal variations, are considered.

Exploring evidence for a prospective relationship between common mental disorder and meeting residential mobility preferences.

PubMed

Woodhead, Charlotte; Aschan, Lisa; Lynskey, Michael T; Polling, Catherine; Goodwin, Laura; Hatch, Stephani L

2015-03-01

This study investigates evidence of a selective influence of mental health in meeting residential mobility preferences. Data from two waves of Understanding Society (the UK Household Longitudinal Study) were used to identify four preference-mobility groups ('desired stayers', 'entrapped', 'desired movers', 'displaced'). Associations between mental health (symptoms of common mental disorder, CMD) and preference-mobility groups were measured both before and after residential moves. Those identified with CMD at baseline were at greater risk of being both in the 'entrapped' and the 'desired mover' groups, relative to the 'desired stayer' group in the following year. The association between preference-mobility group and subsequent poorer mental health was found among both groups that failed to meet their mobility preferences ('entrapped' and 'displaced'). This study finds evidence for a selective influence of mental health - such that those with poorer mental health are less likely to achieve a desired residential move, and highlights the importance of considering a bidirectional relationship between residential mobility and mental health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study on application of dynamic monitoring of land use based on mobile GIS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Jingyi; Chu, Jian; Guo, Jianxing; Wang, Lixin

2006-10-01

The land use dynamic monitoring is an important mean to maintain the real-time update of the land use data. Mobile GIS technology integrates GIS, GPS and Internet. It can update the historic al data in real time with site-collected data and realize the data update in large scale with high precision. The Monitoring methods on the land use change data with the mobile GIS technology were discussed. Mobile terminal of mobile GIS has self-developed for this study with GPS-25 OEM and notebook computer. The RTD (real-time difference) operation mode is selected. Mobile GIS system of dynamic monitoring of land use have developed with Visual C++ as operation platform, MapObjects control as graphic platform and MSCmm control as communication platform, which realizes organic integration of GPS, GPRS and GIS. This system has such following basic functions as data processing, graphic display, graphic editing, attribute query and navigation. Qinhuangdao city was selected as the experiential area. Shown by the study result, the mobile GIS integration system of dynamic monitoring of land use developed by this study has practical application value.

Quantifying the net social benefits of vehicle trip reductions : guidance for customizing the TRIMMS(c) model.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

This study details the development of a series of enhancements to the Trip Reduction Impacts of : Mobility Management Strategies (TRIMMS) model. TRIMMS allows quantifying the net social : benefits of a wide range of transportation demand management...

Thin EFG octagons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1994-06-01

This report describes the impact of the technical achievements made in the first 18 months of the three year PVMaT program at Mobil Solar on lowering the manufacturing costs of its photovoltaic polycrystalline silicon-based modules. Manufacturing cost decreases are being achieved through a reduction of silicon material utilization, increases in productivity and yield in crystal growth, and through improvements in the laser cutting process for EFG wafers. The yield, productivity, and throughput advances made possible by these technical achievements are shown to be able to enhance future market share growth for Mobil Solar products as a consequence of significant reductions in a number of direct manufacturing cost elements in EFG wafer and module production.

Selective Detection of Peptide-Oligonucleotide Heteroconjugates Utilizing Capillary HPLC-ICPMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catron, Brittany; Caruso, Joseph A.; Limbach, Patrick A.

2012-06-01

A method for the selective detection and quantification of peptide:oligonucleotide heteroconjugates, such as those generated by protein:nucleic acid cross-links, using capillary reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (cap-RPHPLC) coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection (ICPMS) is described. The selective detection of phosphorus as 31P+, the only natural isotope, in peptide-oligonucleotide heteroconjugates is enabled by the elemental detection capabilities of the ICPMS. Mobile phase conditions that allow separation of heteroconjugates while maintaining ICPMS compatibility were investigated. We found that trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) mobile phases, used in conventional peptide separations, and hexafluoroisopropanol/triethylamine (HFIP/TEA) mobile phases, used in conventional oligonucleotide separations, both are compatible with ICPMS and enable heteroconjugate separation. The TFA-based separations yielded limits of detection (LOD) of ~40 ppb phosphorus, which is nearly seven times lower than the LOD for HFIP/TEA-based separations. Using the TFA mobile phase, 1-2 pmol of a model heteroconjugate were routinely separated and detected by this optimized capLC-ICPMS method.

Philosophies Applied in the Selection of Space Suit Joint Range of Motion Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aitchison, Lindsway; Ross, Amy; Matty, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Space suits are the most important tool for astronauts working in harsh space and planetary environments; suits keep crewmembers alive and allow them to perform exploration, construction, and scientific tasks on a routine basis over a period of several months. The efficiency with which the tasks are performed is largely dictated by the mobility features of the space suit. For previous space suit development programs, the mobility requirements were written as pure functional mobility requirements that did not separate joint ranges of motion from the joint torques. The Constellation Space Suit Element has the goal to make more quantitative mobility requirements that focused on the individual components of mobility to enable future suit designers to build and test systems more effectively. This paper details the test planning and selection process for the Constellation space suit pressure garment range of motion requirements.

A rapid mechanism to remobilize and homogenize highly crystalline magma bodies.

PubMed

Burgisser, Alain; Bergantz, George W

2011-03-10

The largest products of magmatic activity on Earth, the great bodies of granite and their corresponding large eruptions, have a dual nature: homogeneity at the large scale and spatial and temporal heterogeneity at the small scale. This duality calls for a mechanism that selectively removes the large-scale heterogeneities associated with the incremental assembly of these magmatic systems and yet occurs rapidly despite crystal-rich, viscous conditions seemingly resistant to mixing. Here we show that a simple dynamic template can unify a wide range of apparently contradictory observations from both large plutonic bodies and volcanic systems by a mechanism of rapid remobilization (unzipping) of highly viscous crystal-rich mushes. We demonstrate that this remobilization can lead to rapid overturn and produce the observed juxtaposition of magmatic materials with very disparate ages and complex chemical zoning. What distinguishes our model is the recognition that the process has two stages. Initially, a stiff mushy magma is reheated from below, producing a reduction in crystallinity that leads to the growth of a subjacent buoyant mobile layer. When the thickening mobile layer becomes sufficiently buoyant, it penetrates the overlying viscous mushy magma. This second stage rapidly exports homogenized material from the lower mobile layer to the top of the system, and leads to partial overturn within the viscous mush itself as an additional mechanism of mixing. Model outputs illustrate that unzipping can rapidly produce large amounts of mobile magma available for eruption. The agreement between calculated and observed unzipping rates for historical eruptions at Pinatubo and at Montserrat demonstrates the general applicability of the model. This mechanism furthers our understanding of both the formation of periodically homogenized plutons (crust building) and of ignimbrites by large eruptions.

Improving Inpatient Surveys: Web-Based Computer Adaptive Testing Accessed via Mobile Phone QR Codes

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background The National Health Service (NHS) 70-item inpatient questionnaire surveys inpatients on their perceptions of their hospitalization experience. However, it imposes more burden on the patient than other similar surveys. The literature shows that computerized adaptive testing (CAT) based on item response theory can help shorten the item length of a questionnaire without compromising its precision. Objective Our aim was to investigate whether CAT can be (1) efficient with item reduction and (2) used with quick response (QR) codes scanned by mobile phones. Methods After downloading the 2008 inpatient survey data from the Picker Institute Europe website and analyzing the difficulties of this 70-item questionnaire, we used an author-made Excel program using the Rasch partial credit model to simulate 1000 patients’ true scores followed by a standard normal distribution. The CAT was compared to two other scenarios of answering all items (AAI) and the randomized selection method (RSM), as we investigated item length (efficiency) and measurement accuracy. The author-made Web-based CAT program for gathering patient feedback was effectively accessed from mobile phones by scanning the QR code. Results We found that the CAT can be more efficient for patients answering questions (ie, fewer items to respond to) than either AAI or RSM without compromising its measurement accuracy. A Web-based CAT inpatient survey accessed by scanning a QR code on a mobile phone was viable for gathering inpatient satisfaction responses. Conclusions With advances in technology, patients can now be offered alternatives for providing feedback about hospitalization satisfaction. This Web-based CAT is a possible option in health care settings for reducing the number of survey items, as well as offering an innovative QR code access. PMID:26935793

Improving Inpatient Surveys: Web-Based Computer Adaptive Testing Accessed via Mobile Phone QR Codes.

PubMed

Chien, Tsair-Wei; Lin, Weir-Sen

2016-03-02

The National Health Service (NHS) 70-item inpatient questionnaire surveys inpatients on their perceptions of their hospitalization experience. However, it imposes more burden on the patient than other similar surveys. The literature shows that computerized adaptive testing (CAT) based on item response theory can help shorten the item length of a questionnaire without compromising its precision. Our aim was to investigate whether CAT can be (1) efficient with item reduction and (2) used with quick response (QR) codes scanned by mobile phones. After downloading the 2008 inpatient survey data from the Picker Institute Europe website and analyzing the difficulties of this 70-item questionnaire, we used an author-made Excel program using the Rasch partial credit model to simulate 1000 patients' true scores followed by a standard normal distribution. The CAT was compared to two other scenarios of answering all items (AAI) and the randomized selection method (RSM), as we investigated item length (efficiency) and measurement accuracy. The author-made Web-based CAT program for gathering patient feedback was effectively accessed from mobile phones by scanning the QR code. We found that the CAT can be more efficient for patients answering questions (ie, fewer items to respond to) than either AAI or RSM without compromising its measurement accuracy. A Web-based CAT inpatient survey accessed by scanning a QR code on a mobile phone was viable for gathering inpatient satisfaction responses. With advances in technology, patients can now be offered alternatives for providing feedback about hospitalization satisfaction. This Web-based CAT is a possible option in health care settings for reducing the number of survey items, as well as offering an innovative QR code access.

Effects of Mobile Phone Usage in Supporting Leg Lymphedema Self-care

PubMed Central

Okutsu, Ayako; Koiyabashi, Kikuyo

2014-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to implement self-care support for leg lymphedema patients using mobile phones and to investigate the effects thereof. Patients and Methods: A total of 30 patients with lymphedema following female genital cancer surgery (stages I to II) who were referred from a nearby gynecologist were randomly divided into groups for routine self-care support (control group) and mobile telephone-assisted support (intervention group) and received the self-care support appropriate to their group. The (total) circumference of the leg with edema, FACT-G (cancer patient QOL), MHP (mental health status), and self-care self-assessment were comparatively investigated at three months after the initial interview. Results: No significant reduction in the (total) circumferences of legs with edema was confirmed in either the control or intervention group. The intervention group was significantly better than the control group in terms of the activity circumstances and FACT-G mental status at three months after the initial interview. The intervention group was also significantly better in psychological, social, and physical items in the MHP. The intervention group was significantly better than the control group in terms of circumstances of self-care implementation at three months after the initial interview. Additionally, comparison of the circumstances of implementation for different aspects of self-care content showed that the intervention group was significantly better at selecting shoes, observing edema, moisturizing, self-drainage, wearing compression garments, and implementing bandaging. Conclusion: Compared with routine self-care support, mobile telephone-assisted support is suggested to be effective for leg lymphedema patients’ QOL and mental health status as well as their self-care behaviors. PMID:25648778

Promoting mobility and reducing length of stay in hospitalized general medicine patients: A quality-improvement project.

PubMed

Hoyer, Erik H; Friedman, Michael; Lavezza, Annette; Wagner-Kosmakos, Kathleen; Lewis-Cherry, Robin; Skolnik, Judy L; Byers, Sherrie P; Atanelov, Levan; Colantuoni, Elizabeth; Brotman, Daniel J; Needham, Dale M

2016-05-01

To determine whether a multidisciplinary mobility promotion quality-improvement (QI) project would increase patient mobility and reduce hospital length of stay (LOS). Implemented using a structured QI model, the project took place between March 1, 2013 and March 1, 2014 on 2 general medicine units in a large academic medical center. There were 3352 patients admitted during the QI project period. The Johns Hopkins Highest Level of Mobility (JH-HLM) scale, an 8-point ordinal scale ranging from bed rest (score = 1) to ambulating ≥250 feet (score = 8), was used to quantify mobility. Changes in JH-HLM scores were compared for the first 4 months of the project (ramp-up phase) versus 4 months after project completion (post-QI phase) using generalized estimating equations. We compared the relative change in median LOS for the project months versus 12 months prior among the QI units, using multivariable linear regression analysis adjusting for 7 demographic and clinically relevant variables. Comparing the ramp-up versus post-QI phases, patients reaching JH-HLM's ambulation status increased from 43% to 70% (P < 0.001), and patients with improved JH-HLM mobility scores between admission and discharge increased from 32% to 45% (P < 0.001). For all patients, the QI project was associated with an adjusted median LOS reduction of 0.40 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.57 to -0.21, P < 0.001) days compared to 12 months prior. A subgroup of patients expected to have a longer LOS (expected LOS >7 days), were associated with a significantly greater adjusted median reduction in LOS of 1.11 (95% CI: -1.53 to -0.65, P < 0.001) days. Increased mobility was not associated with an increase in injurious falls compared to 12 months prior on the QI units (P = 0.73). Active prevention of a decline in physical function that commonly occurs during hospitalization may be achieved with a structured QI approach. In an adult medicine population, our QI project was associated with improved mobility, and this may have contributed to a reduction in LOS, particularly for more complex patients with longer expected hospital stay. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine.

The Importance of Scaffolding the Transition: Unpacking the Null Effects of Relocating Poor Children into Nonpoor Neighborhoods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keels, Micere

2013-01-01

I examine several potential explanations for recent evidence showing a lack of improvement in the academic achievement of children participating in several poverty reduction residential mobility programs. Detailed interviews and field notes about the relocation and school experiences of 80 children in the Gautreaux II residential mobility program…

Reduction of soluble nitrogen and mobilization of plant nutrients in soils from U.S. northern Great Plains agroecosystems by phenolic compounds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phenolic plant secondary metabolites actively participate in a broad range of important reactions that affect livestock, plants and soil. In soil, phenolic compounds can affect nutrient dynamics and mobility of metals but their role in northern Great Plains agroecosystems is largely unknown. We eval...

Heterogeneous redox conditions, arsenic mobility, and groundwater flow in a fractured-rock aquifer near a waste repository site in New Hampshire, USA

EPA Science Inventory

Anthropogenic sources of carbon from landfill or waste leachate can promote reductive dissolution of in situ arsenic (As) and enhance the mobility of As in groundwater. Groundwater from residential-supply wells in a fractured crystalline-rock aquifer adjacent to a Superfund site ...

Reduction of Microbial and Chemical Contaminants in Water Using POU/POE & Mobile Treatment Technologies

EPA Science Inventory

POU/POE may be a cost-effective option for reductions of a particular chemical to achieve water quality compliance under certain situations and given restrictions. Proactive consumers seeking to reduce exposure to potential pathogens, trace chemicals, and nanoparticles not curre...

Cloud-based mobility management in heterogeneous wireless networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravchuk, Serhii; Minochkin, Dmytro; Omiotek, Zbigniew; Bainazarov, Ulan; Weryńska-Bieniasz, RóŻa; Iskakova, Aigul

2017-08-01

Mobility management is the key feature that supports the roaming of users between different systems. Handover is the essential aspect in the development of solutions supporting mobility scenarios. The handover process becomes more complex in a heterogeneous environment compared to the homogeneous one. Seamlessness and reduction of delay in servicing the handover calls, which can reduce the handover dropping probability, also require complex algorithms to provide a desired QoS for mobile users. A challenging problem to increase the scalability and availability of handover decision mechanisms is discussed. The aim of the paper is to propose cloud based handover as a service concept to cope with the challenges that arise.

Co(III)EDTA- Reduction by Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Propagation of Reactions Involving Dissolved Sulfide and Polysulfides.

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

Blessing, T.C.; B.W. Wielinga; M.J. Morra

2001-04-15

The migration of 60Co is driven by Co(III)EDTA- complexes. Here we document the bacterial mediated reduction of Co(III) to Co(II)EDTA2- complexes, which are far less mobile within the environment. Additionally, we demonstrate that sulfate promotes reduction via production of reactive polysulfides rather than acting as a competitive electron acceptor.

Organic thin film devices with stabilized threshold voltage and mobility, and method for preparing the devices

DOEpatents

Nastasi, Michael Anthony; Wang, Yongqiang; Fraboni, Beatrice; Cosseddu, Piero; Bonfiglio, Annalisa

2013-06-11

Organic thin film devices that included an organic thin film subjected to a selected dose of a selected energy of ions exhibited a stabilized mobility (.mu.) and threshold voltage (VT), a decrease in contact resistance R.sub.C, and an extended operational lifetime that did not degrade after 2000 hours of operation in the air.

Power prediction in mobile communication systems using an optimal neural-network structure.

PubMed

Gao, X M; Gao, X Z; Tanskanen, J A; Ovaska, S J

1997-01-01

Presents a novel neural-network-based predictor for received power level prediction in direct sequence code division multiple access (DS/CDMA) systems. The predictor consists of an adaptive linear element (Adaline) followed by a multilayer perceptron (MLP). An important but difficult problem in designing such a cascade predictor is to determine the complexity of the networks. We solve this problem by using the predictive minimum description length (PMDL) principle to select the optimal numbers of input and hidden nodes. This approach results in a predictor with both good noise attenuation and excellent generalization capability. The optimized neural networks are used for predictive filtering of very noisy Rayleigh fading signals with 1.8 GHz carrier frequency. Our results show that the optimal neural predictor can provide smoothed in-phase and quadrature signals with signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gains of about 12 and 7 dB at the urban mobile speeds of 5 and 50 km/h, respectively. The corresponding power signal SNR gains are about 11 and 5 dB. Therefore, the neural predictor is well suitable for power control applications where ldquodelaylessrdquo noise attenuation and efficient reduction of fast fading are required.

Diversity, metabolic properties and arsenic mobilization potential of indigenous bacteria in arsenic contaminated groundwater of West Bengal, India.

PubMed

Paul, Dhiraj; Kazy, Sufia K; Gupta, Ashok K; Pal, Taraknath; Sar, Pinaki

2015-01-01

Arsenic (As) mobilization in alluvial aquifers is caused by a complex interplay of hydro-geo-microbiological activities. Nevertheless, diversity and biogeochemical significance of indigenous bacteria in Bengal Delta Plain are not well documented. We have deciphered bacterial community compositions and metabolic properties in As contaminated groundwater of West Bengal to define their role in As mobilization. Groundwater samples showed characteristic high As, low organic carbon and reducing property. Culture-independent and -dependent analyses revealed presence of diverse, yet near consistent community composition mostly represented by genera Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Brevundimonas, Polaromonas, Rhodococcus, Methyloversatilis and Methylotenera. Along with As-resistance and -reductase activities, abilities to metabolize a wide range carbon substrates including long chain and polyaromatic hydrocarbons and HCO3, As3+ as electron donor and As5+/Fe3+ as terminal electron acceptor during anaerobic growth were frequently observed within the cultivable bacteria. Genes encoding cytosolic As5+ reductase (arsC) and As3+ efflux/transporter [arsB and acr3(2)] were found to be more abundant than the dissimilatory As5+ reductase gene arrA. The observed metabolic characteristics showed a good agreement with the same derived from phylogenetic lineages of constituent populations. Selected bacterial strains incubated anaerobically over 300 days using natural orange sand of Pleistocene aquifer showed release of soluble As mostly as As3+ along with several other elements (Al, Fe, Mn, K, etc.). Together with the production of oxalic acid within the biotic microcosms, change in sediment composition and mineralogy indicated dissolution of orange sand coupled with As/Fe reduction. Presence of arsC gene, As5+ reductase activity and oxalic acid production by the bacteria were found to be closely related to their ability to mobilize sediment bound As. Overall observations suggest that indigenous bacteria in oligotrophic groundwater possess adequate catabolic ability to mobilize As by a cascade of reactions, mostly linked to bacterial necessity for essential nutrients and detoxification.

Diversity, Metabolic Properties and Arsenic Mobilization Potential of Indigenous Bacteria in Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater of West Bengal, India

PubMed Central

Paul, Dhiraj; Kazy, Sufia K.; Gupta, Ashok K.; Pal, Taraknath; Sar, Pinaki

2015-01-01

Arsenic (As) mobilization in alluvial aquifers is caused by a complex interplay of hydro-geo-microbiological activities. Nevertheless, diversity and biogeochemical significance of indigenous bacteria in Bengal Delta Plain are not well documented. We have deciphered bacterial community compositions and metabolic properties in As contaminated groundwater of West Bengal to define their role in As mobilization. Groundwater samples showed characteristic high As, low organic carbon and reducing property. Culture-independent and -dependent analyses revealed presence of diverse, yet near consistent community composition mostly represented by genera Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Brevundimonas, Polaromonas, Rhodococcus, Methyloversatilis and Methylotenera. Along with As-resistance and -reductase activities, abilities to metabolize a wide range carbon substrates including long chain and polyaromatic hydrocarbons and HCO3, As3+ as electron donor and As5+/Fe3+ as terminal electron acceptor during anaerobic growth were frequently observed within the cultivable bacteria. Genes encoding cytosolic As5+ reductase (arsC) and As3+ efflux/transporter [arsB and acr3(2)] were found to be more abundant than the dissimilatory As5+ reductase gene arrA. The observed metabolic characteristics showed a good agreement with the same derived from phylogenetic lineages of constituent populations. Selected bacterial strains incubated anaerobically over 300 days using natural orange sand of Pleistocene aquifer showed release of soluble As mostly as As3+ along with several other elements (Al, Fe, Mn, K, etc.). Together with the production of oxalic acid within the biotic microcosms, change in sediment composition and mineralogy indicated dissolution of orange sand coupled with As/Fe reduction. Presence of arsC gene, As5+ reductase activity and oxalic acid production by the bacteria were found to be closely related to their ability to mobilize sediment bound As. Overall observations suggest that indigenous bacteria in oligotrophic groundwater possess adequate catabolic ability to mobilize As by a cascade of reactions, mostly linked to bacterial necessity for essential nutrients and detoxification. PMID:25799109

The effect of charged quantum dots on the mobility of a two-dimensional electron gas: How important is the Coulomb scattering?

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

Kurzmann, A., E-mail: annika.kurzmann@uni-due.de; Beckel, A.; Lorke, A.

2015-02-07

We have investigated the influence of a layer of charged self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) on the mobility of a nearby two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). Time-resolved transconductance spectroscopy was used to separate the two contributions of the change in mobility, which are: (i) The electrons in the QDs act as Coulomb scatterers for the electrons in the 2DEG. (ii) The screening ability and, hence, the mobility of the 2DEG decreases when the charge carrier density is reduced by the charged QDs, i.e., the mobility itself depends on the charge carrier concentration. Surprisingly, we find a negligible influence of the Coulomb scatteringmore » on the mobility for a 2DEG, separated by a 30 nm tunneling barrier to the layer of QDs. This means that the mobility change is completely caused by depletion, i.e., reduction of the charge carrier density in the 2DEG, which indirectly influences the mobility.« less

Women Administrators in Higher Education: Their Geographic Mobility. Ruth Strang Research Award Monograph Series: No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curby, Vicki Morgan

Relationships between selected characteristics of women administrators and their geographical mobility were studied. In addition to identifying variables associated with the geographic mobility of women administrators, factors women administrators identify in considering relocation are described. Questionnaire responses were analyzed for 1,389…

Front and Back Movement Analysis of a Triangle-Structured Three-Wheeled Omnidirectional Mobile Robot by Varying the Angles between Two Selected Wheels

PubMed Central

Mohanraj, A. P.; Elango, A.; Reddy, Mutra Chanakya

2016-01-01

Omnidirectional robots can move in all directions without steering their wheels and it can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise with reference to their axis. In this paper, we focused only on front and back movement, to analyse the square- and triangle-structured omnidirectional robot movements. An omnidirectional mobile robot shows different performances with the different number of wheels and the omnidirectional mobile robot's chassis design. Research is going on in this field to improve the accurate movement capability of omnidirectional mobile robots. This paper presents a design of a unique device of Angle Variable Chassis (AVC) for linear movement analysis of a three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robot (TWOMR), at various angles (θ) between the wheels. Basic mobility algorithm is developed by varying the angles between the two selected omnidirectional wheels in TWOMR. The experiment is carried out by varying the angles (θ = 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, and 120°) between the two selected omniwheels and analysing the movement of TWOMR in forward direction and reverse direction on a smooth cement surface. Respectively, it is compared to itself for various angles (θ), to get its advantages and weaknesses. The conclusion of the paper provides effective movement of TWOMR at a particular angle (θ) and also the application of TWOMR in different situations. PMID:26981585

Front and Back Movement Analysis of a Triangle-Structured Three-Wheeled Omnidirectional Mobile Robot by Varying the Angles between Two Selected Wheels.

PubMed

Mohanraj, A P; Elango, A; Reddy, Mutra Chanakya

2016-01-01

Omnidirectional robots can move in all directions without steering their wheels and it can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise with reference to their axis. In this paper, we focused only on front and back movement, to analyse the square- and triangle-structured omnidirectional robot movements. An omnidirectional mobile robot shows different performances with the different number of wheels and the omnidirectional mobile robot's chassis design. Research is going on in this field to improve the accurate movement capability of omnidirectional mobile robots. This paper presents a design of a unique device of Angle Variable Chassis (AVC) for linear movement analysis of a three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robot (TWOMR), at various angles (θ) between the wheels. Basic mobility algorithm is developed by varying the angles between the two selected omnidirectional wheels in TWOMR. The experiment is carried out by varying the angles (θ = 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, and 120°) between the two selected omniwheels and analysing the movement of TWOMR in forward direction and reverse direction on a smooth cement surface. Respectively, it is compared to itself for various angles (θ), to get its advantages and weaknesses. The conclusion of the paper provides effective movement of TWOMR at a particular angle (θ) and also the application of TWOMR in different situations.

Mobilization of arsenite by dissimilatory reduction of adsorbed arsenate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zobrist, J.; Dowdle, P.R.; Davis, J.A.; Oremland, R.S.

2000-01-01

Sulfurospirillum barnesii is capable of anaerobic growth using ferric iron or arsenate as electron acceptors. Cell suspensions of S. barnesii were able to reduce arsenate to arsenite when the former oxyanion was dissolved in solution, or when it was adsorbed onto the surface of ferrihydrite, a common soil mineral, by a variety of mechanisms (e.g., coprecipitation, presorption). Reduction of Fe(III) in ferrihydrite to soluble Fe(II) also occurred, but dissolution of ferrihydrite was not required in order for adsorbed arsenate reduction to be achieved. This was illustrated by bacterial reduction of arsenate coprecipitated with aluminum hydroxide, a mineral that does not undergo reductive dissolution. The rate of arsenate reduction was influenced by the method in which arsenate became associated with the mineral phases and may have been strongly coupled with arsenate desorption rates. The extent of release of arsenite into solution was governed by adsorption of arsenite onto the ferrihydrite or alumina phases. The results of these experiments have interpretive significance to the mobilization of arsenic in large alluvial aquifers, such as those of the Ganges in India and Bangladesh, and in the hyporheic zones of contaminated streams.Sulfurospirillum barnesii is capable of anaerobic growth using ferric iron or arsenate as electron acceptors. Cell suspensions of S. barnesii were able to reduce arsenate to arsenite when the former oxyanion was dissolved in solution, or when it was adsorbed onto the surface of ferrihydrite a common soil mineral, by a variety of mechanisms (e.g., coprecipitation, presorption). Reduction of Fe(III) in ferrihydrite to soluble Fe(II) also occurred, but dissolution of ferrihydrite was not required in order for adsorbed arsenate reduction to be achieved. This was illustrated by bacterial reduction of arsenate coprecipitated with aluminum hydroxide, a mineral that does not undergo reductive dissolution. The rate of arsenate reduction was influenced by the method in which arsenate became associated with the mineral phases and may have been strongly coupled with arsenate desorption rates. The extent of release of arsenite into solution was governed by adsorption of arsenite onto the ferrihydrite or alumina phases. The results of these experiments have interpretive significance to the mobilization of arsenic in large alluvial aquifers, such as those of the Ganges in India and Bangladesh, and in the hyporheic zones of contaminated streams.

Quantifying the net social benefits of vehicle trip reductions : guidance for customizing the TRIMMS model, final draft report, June 2009.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-04-01

This study details the development of a series of enhancements to the Trip Reduction Impacts of : Mobility Management Strategies (TRIMMS) model. TRIMMS allows quantifying the net social : benefits of a wide range of transportation demand management...

TRANSFORMATION AND MOBILIZATION OF ARSENIC ADSORBED ON GRANULAR FERRIC HYDROXIDE UNDER BIO-REDUCTIVE CONDITIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Biotic and abiotic reduction of arsenic (V) and iron (III) influences the partioning of arsenic (As) between the solid and aqueous phases in soils, sediments and wastes. In this study, laboratory experiments on arsenic adsorbed on granular ferric hydroxide (GFH) was performed to ...

Control of arsenic mobilization in paddy soils by manganese and iron oxides.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaowei; Chen, Chuan; Wang, Peng; Kretzschmar, Ruben; Zhao, Fang-Jie

2017-12-01

Reductive mobilization of arsenic (As) in paddy soils under flooded conditions is an important reason for the relatively high accumulation of As in rice, posing a risk to food safety and human health. The extent of As mobilization varies widely among paddy soils, but the reasons are not well understood. In this study, we investigated As mobilization in six As-contaminated paddy soils (total As ranging from 73 to 122 mg kg -1 ) in flooded incubation and pot experiments. Arsenic speciation in the solution and solid phases were determined. The magnitude of As mobilization into the porewater varied by > 100 times among the six soils. Porewater As concentration correlated closely with the concentration of oxalate-extractable As, suggesting that As associated with amorphous iron (oxyhydr)oxides represents the potentially mobilizable pool of As under flooded conditions. Soil containing a high level of manganese oxides showed the lowest As mobilization, likely because Mn oxides retard As mobilization by slowing down the drop of redox potential upon soil flooding and maintaining a higher arsenate to arsenite ratio in the solid and solution phases. Additions of a synthetic Mn oxide (hausmannite) to two paddy soils increased arsenite oxidation, decreased As mobilization into the porewater and decreased As concentrations in rice grain and straw. Consistent with previous studies using simplified model systems or pure mineral phases, the present study shows that Mn oxides and amorphous Fe (oxyhydr)oxides are important factors controlling reductive As mobilization in As-contaminated paddy soils. In addition, this study also suggests a potential mitigation strategy using exogenous Mn oxides to decrease As uptake by rice in paddy soils containing low levels of indigenous Mn oxides, although further work is needed to verify its efficacy and possible secondary effects under field conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method for detection and quantification of urea thermal decomposition by-products in emission from diesel engine employing selective catalytic reduction technology.

PubMed

Yassine, Mahmoud M; Dabek-Zlotorzynska, Ewa; Celo, Valbona

2012-03-16

The use of urea based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for the reduction of NOx from the exhaust of diesel-powered vehicles has the potential to emit at least six thermal decomposition by-products, ammonia, and unreacted urea from the tailpipe. These compounds may include: biuret, dicyandiamine, cyanuric acid, ammelide, ammeline and melamine. In the present study, a simple, sensitive and reliable hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)/mass spectrometry (MS) method without complex sample pre-treatment was developed for identification and determination of urea decomposition by-products in diesel exhaust. Gradient separation was performed on a SeQuant ZIC-HILIC column with a highly polar zwitterionic stationary phase, and using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (eluent A) and 15 mM ammonium formate (pH 6; eluent B). Detection and quantification were performed using a quadrupole ESI/MS operated simultaneously in negative and positive mode. With 10 μL injection volume, LODs for all target analytes were in the range of 0.2-3 μg/L. The method showed a good inter-day precision of retention time (RSD<0.5%) and peak area (RSD<3%). Satisfactory extraction recoveries from spiked blanks ranged between 96 and 98%. Analyses of samples collected during transient chassis dynamometer tests of a bus engine equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and urea based SCR technology showed the presence of five target analytes with cyanuric acid and ammelide the most abundant compounds in the exhaust. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Algorithm for Timely Transmission of Solicitation Messages in RPL for Energy-Efficient Node Mobility.

PubMed

Park, Jihong; Kim, Ki-Hyung; Kim, Kangseok

2017-04-19

The IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) was proposed for various applications of IPv6 low power wireless networks. While RPL supports various routing metrics and is designed to be suitable for wireless sensor network environments, it does not consider the mobility of nodes. Therefore, there is a need for a method that is energy efficient and that provides stable and reliable data transmission by considering the mobility of nodes in RPL networks. This paper proposes an algorithm to support node mobility in RPL in an energy-efficient manner and describes its operating principle based on different scenarios. The proposed algorithm supports the mobility of nodes by dynamically adjusting the transmission interval of the messages that request the route based on the speed and direction of the motion of mobile nodes, as well as the costs between neighboring nodes. The performance of the proposed algorithm and previous algorithms for supporting node mobility were examined experimentally. From the experiment, it was observed that the proposed algorithm requires fewer messages per unit time for selecting a new parent node following the movement of a mobile node. Since fewer messages are used to select a parent node, the energy consumption is also less than that of previous algorithms.

An Algorithm for Timely Transmission of Solicitation Messages in RPL for Energy-Efficient Node Mobility

PubMed Central

Park, Jihong; Kim, Ki-Hyung; Kim, Kangseok

2017-01-01

The IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) was proposed for various applications of IPv6 low power wireless networks. While RPL supports various routing metrics and is designed to be suitable for wireless sensor network environments, it does not consider the mobility of nodes. Therefore, there is a need for a method that is energy efficient and that provides stable and reliable data transmission by considering the mobility of nodes in RPL networks. This paper proposes an algorithm to support node mobility in RPL in an energy-efficient manner and describes its operating principle based on different scenarios. The proposed algorithm supports the mobility of nodes by dynamically adjusting the transmission interval of the messages that request the route based on the speed and direction of the motion of mobile nodes, as well as the costs between neighboring nodes. The performance of the proposed algorithm and previous algorithms for supporting node mobility were examined experimentally. From the experiment, it was observed that the proposed algorithm requires fewer messages per unit time for selecting a new parent node following the movement of a mobile node. Since fewer messages are used to select a parent node, the energy consumption is also less than that of previous algorithms. PMID:28422084

Profiling the mobile-only population in Australia: insights from the Australian National Health Survey.

PubMed

Baffour, Bernard; Haynes, Michele; Dinsdale, Shane; Western, Mark; Pennay, Darren

2016-10-01

The Australian population that relies on mobile phones exclusively has increased from 5% in 2005 to 29% in 2014. Failing to include this mobile-only population leads to a potential bias in estimates from landline-based telephone surveys. This paper considers the impacts on selected health prevalence estimates with and without the mobile-only population. Using data from the Australian Health Survey - which, for the first time, included a question on telephone status - we examined demographic, geographic and health differences between the landline-accessible and mobile-only population. These groups were also compared to the full population, controlling for the sampling design and differential non-response patterns in the observed sample through weighting and benchmarking. The landline-accessible population differs from the mobile-only population for selected health measures resulting in biased prevalence estimates for smoking, alcohol risk and private health insurance coverage in the full population. The differences remain even after adjusting for age and gender. Using landline telephones only for conducting population health surveys will have an impact on prevalence rate estimates of health risk factors due to the differing profiles of the mobile-only population from the landline-accessible population. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

Combined effects of mobile phase composition and temperature on the retention of phenolic antioxidants on an octylsilica polydentate column.

PubMed

Jandera, Pavel; Vyňuchalová, Kateřina; Nečilová, Kateřina

2013-11-22

Combined effects of temperature and mobile-phase composition on retention and separation selectivity of phenolic acids and flavonoid compounds were studied in liquid chromatography on a polydentate Blaze C8 silica based column. The temperature effects on the retention can be described by van't Hoff equation. Good linearity of lnk versus 1/T graphs indicates that the retention is controlled by a single mechanism in the mobile phase and temperature range studied. Enthalpic and entropic contributions to the retention were calculated from the regression lines. Generally, enthalpic contributions control the retention at lower temperatures and in mobile phases with lower concentrations of methanol in water. Semi-empirical retention models describe the simultaneous effects of temperature and the volume fraction of the organic solvent in the mobile phase. Using the linear free energy-retention model, selective dipolarity/polarizability, hydrogen-bond donor, hydrogen-bond acceptor and molecular size contributions to retention were estimated at various mobile phase compositions and temperatures. In addition to mobile phase gradients, temperature programming can be used to reduce separation times. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mobile PHRs compliance with Android and iOS usability guidelines.

PubMed

Cruz Zapata, Belén; Hernández Niñirola, Antonio; Idri, Ali; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; Toval, Ambrosio

2014-08-01

Mobile Personal Health Records (PHRs) have achieved a particularly strong market share since the appearance of more powerful mobile devices and popular worldwide mobile application markets such as Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play. However, Android and Apple have a set of recommendations on design and usability targeted towards developers who wish to publish apps in their stores: Android Design Guidelines and iOS Human Interface Guidelines. This paper aims to evaluate compliance with these guidelines by assessing the usability recommendations of a set of 24 selected mobile PHR applications. An analysis process based on a well-known Systematic Literature Review (SLR) protocol was used. The results show that the 24 mobile PHR applications studied are not suitably structured. 46 % of these applications do not use any of the recommended patterns, using instead lists or springboards, which are deprecated patterns for top-level menus. 70 % of the PHRs require a registration to be able to test the application when these interactions should be delayed. Our study will help both PHR users to select user-friendly mobile PHRs and PHR providers and developers to identify the good usability practices implemented by the applications with the highest scores.

Mobility systems activity for lunar rovers at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, C. S., Jr.; Nola, F. J.

1971-01-01

The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) mobility system is described. Special emphasis is given to the redundancy aspects and to the selection of the drive motors. A summary chart of the performance on the lunar surface during the Apollo 15 flight is included. An appendix gives details on some development work on high efficiency drive systems and compares these systems to the selected system.

Moving Matters: The Causal Effect of Moving Schools on Student Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Amy Ellen; Stiefel, Leanna; Cordes, Sarah A.

2017-01-01

Policy makers and analysts often view the reduction of student mobility across schools as a way to improve academic performance. Prior work indicates that children do worse in the year of a school move, but has been largely unsuccessful in isolating the causal effects of mobility. We use longitudinal data on students in New York City public…

Satellite Telemetry and Command using Big LEO Mobile Telecommunications Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huegel, Fred

1998-01-01

Various issues associated with satellite telemetry and command using Big LEO mobile telecommunications systems are presented in viewgraph form. Specific topics include: 1) Commercial Satellite system overviews: Globalstar, ICO, and Iridium; 2) System capabilities and cost reduction; 3) Satellite constellations and contact limitations; 4) Capabilities of Globalstar, ICO and Iridium with emphasis on Globalstar; and 5) Flight transceiver issues and security.

Anti-Exposure Technology Identification for Mission Specific Operational Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-08

APPENDIX A- ANTHROPOMETRY MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES A-1 APPENDIX B - MOBILITY AND REACH MEASUREMENT PROCEDURES B-1 APPENDIX C - MOBILITY REDUCTION DATA...Anti-Exposure Configurations Studied 12 IV Garments/Flight Gear Worn With Each Configuration and Donning Sequence 18 V Subject Anthropometry (% ILE...body anthropometry . The following measurements were made according to the procedures described in Appendix A. Weight Stature (Height) Crotch Height

Analytical Modeling of Acoustic Phonon-Limited Mobility in Strained Graphene Nanoribbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yousefvand, Ali; Ahmadi, Mohammad T.; Meshginqalam, Bahar

2017-11-01

Recent advances in graphene nanoribbon-based electronic devices encourage researchers to develop modeling and simulation methods to explore device physics. On the other hand, increasing the operating speed of nanoelectronic devices has recently attracted significant attention, and the modification of acoustic phonon interactions because of their important effect on carrier mobility can be considered as a method for carrier mobility optimization which subsequently enhances the device speed. Moreover, strain has an important influence on the electronic properties of the nanoelectronic devices. In this paper, the acoustic phonons mobility of armchair graphene nanoribbons ( n-AGNRs) under uniaxial strain is modeled analytically. In addition, strain, width and temperature effects on the acoustic phonon mobility of strained n-AGNRs are investigated. An increment in the strained AGNR acoustic phonon mobility by increasing the ribbon width is reported. Additionally, two different behaviors for the acoustic phonon mobility are verified by increasing the applied strain in 3 m, 3 m + 2 and 3 m + 1 AGNRs. Finally, the temperature effect on the modeled AGNR phonon mobility is explored, and mobility reduction by raising the temperature is reported.

Method to monitor HC-SCR catalyst NOx reduction performance for lean exhaust applications

DOEpatents

Viola, Michael B [Macomb Township, MI; Schmieg, Steven J [Troy, MI; Sloane, Thompson M [Oxford, MI; Hilden, David L [Shelby Township, MI; Mulawa, Patricia A [Clinton Township, MI; Lee, Jong H [Rochester Hills, MI; Cheng, Shi-Wai S [Troy, MI

2012-05-29

A method for initiating a regeneration mode in selective catalytic reduction device utilizing hydrocarbons as a reductant includes monitoring a temperature within the aftertreatment system, monitoring a fuel dosing rate to the selective catalytic reduction device, monitoring an initial conversion efficiency, selecting a determined equation to estimate changes in a conversion efficiency of the selective catalytic reduction device based upon the monitored temperature and the monitored fuel dosing rate, estimating changes in the conversion efficiency based upon the determined equation and the initial conversion efficiency, and initiating a regeneration mode for the selective catalytic reduction device based upon the estimated changes in conversion efficiency.

Mobile genes in the human microbiome are structured from global to individual scales

PubMed Central

Brito, IL; Jupiter, SD; Jenkins, AP; Naisilisili, W; Tamminen, M; Smillie, CS; Wortman, JR; Birren, BW; Xavier, RJ; Blainey, PC; Singh, AK; Gevers, D; Alm, EJ

2016-01-01

Recent work has underscored the importance of the microbiome in human health, largely attributing differences in phenotype to differences in the species present across individuals1,2,3,4,5. But mobile genes can confer profoundly different phenotypes on different strains of the same species. Little is known about the function and distribution of mobile genes in the human microbiome, and in particular whether the gene pool is globally homogenous or constrained by human population structure. Here, we investigate this question by comparing the mobile genes found in the microbiomes of 81 metropolitan North Americans with that of 172 agrarian Fiji islanders using a combination of single-cell genomics and metagenomics. We find large differences in mobile gene content between the Fijian and North American microbiomes, with functional variation that mirrors known dietary differences such as the excess of plant-based starch degradation genes. Remarkably, differences are also observed between the mobile gene pools of proximal Fijian villages, even though microbiome composition across villages is similar. Finally, we observe high rates of recombination leading to individual-specific mobile elements, suggesting that the abundance of some genes may reflect environmental selection rather than dispersal limitation. Together, these data support the hypothesis that human activities and behaviors provide selective pressures that shape mobile gene pools, and that acquisition of mobile genes is important to colonizing specific human populations. PMID:27409808

Crowding Induces Complex Ergodic Diffusion and Dynamic Elongation of Large DNA Molecules

PubMed Central

Chapman, Cole D.; Gorczyca, Stephanie; Robertson-Anderson, Rae M.

2015-01-01

Despite the ubiquity of molecular crowding in living cells, the effects of crowding on the dynamics of genome-sized DNA are poorly understood. Here, we track single, fluorescent-labeled large DNA molecules (11, 115 kbp) diffusing in dextran solutions that mimic intracellular crowding conditions (0–40%), and determine the effects of crowding on both DNA mobility and conformation. Both DNAs exhibit ergodic Brownian motion and comparable mobility reduction in all conditions; however, crowder size (10 vs. 500 kDa) plays a critical role in the underlying diffusive mechanisms and dependence on crowder concentration. Surprisingly, in 10-kDa dextran, crowder influence saturates at ∼20% with an ∼5× drop in DNA diffusion, in stark contrast to exponentially retarded mobility, coupled to weak anomalous subdiffusion, with increasing concentration of 500-kDa dextran. Both DNAs elongate into lower-entropy states (compared to random coil conformations) when crowded, with elongation states that are gamma distributed and fluctuate in time. However, the broadness of the distribution of states and the time-dependence and length scale of elongation length fluctuations depend on both DNA and crowder size with concentration having surprisingly little impact. Results collectively show that mobility reduction and coil elongation of large crowded DNAs are due to a complex interplay between entropic effects and crowder mobility. Although elongation and initial mobility retardation are driven by depletion interactions, subdiffusive dynamics, and the drastic exponential slowing of DNA, up to ∼300×, arise from the reduced mobility of larger crowders. Our results elucidate the highly important and widely debated effects of cellular crowding on genome-sized DNA. PMID:25762333

Does Using Mobile Device Applications Lead to Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogel, Doug; Kennedy, David; Kwok, Ron Chi-Wai

2009-01-01

Assessing the impact on learning of the use of mobile devices and associated applications is a complex challenge. This article reports on progress to date in a longitudinal study using a design research approach with three cohorts of 800 students each. Results are encouraging in terms of learning enhancement through select mobile application by a…

Background and Employability of Mobile vs. Non-Mobile Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiers-Jenssen, Jannecke

2011-01-01

In this paper, a comparison is made of the background and the early career of graduates with higher education from abroad to graduates with all domestic degrees, based on a survey among Norwegian graduates. Results show that those who have studied abroad constitute a selected group regarding social origin and mobility capital (exposure to…

US development and commercialization of a North American mobile satellite service

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, Ray J.; Gray, Valerie; Freibaum, Jerry

1990-01-01

U.S. policies promoting applications and commercialization of space technology for the 'benefit of mankind,' and emphasis on international competitiveness, formed the basis of NASA's Mobile Satellite (MSAT) R&D and user experiments program to develop a commercial U.S. Mobile Satellite Service. Exemplifying this philosophy, the MSAT program targets the reduction of technical, regulatory, market, and financial risks that inhibit commercialization. The program strategy includes industry and user involvement in developing and demonstrating advanced technologies, regulatory advocacy, and financial incentives to industry. Approximately two decades of NASA's satellite communications development and demonstrations have contributed to the emergence of a new multi-billion dollar industry for land, aeronautical, and maritime mobile communications via satellite. NASA's R&D efforts are now evolving from the development of 'enabling' ground technologies for VHF, UHF, and L-Band mobile terminals, to Ka-Band terminals offering additional mobility and user convenience.

Theoretical study of the two-dimensional electron mobility in strained III-nitride heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Tsung-Hsing; Brennan, Kevin F.

2001-04-01

We present calculations of the two-dimensional (2D) electron mobility in III-nitride heterojunction structures in the presence of spontaneous and piezoelectrically induced polarization effects. The calculations are made using a self-consistent solution of the Schrödinger, Poisson, charge and potential balance equations. It is found that the polarization fields act to significantly increase the 2D sheet charge concentration while reducing the mobility. The mobility reduction results from the enhanced band bending and subsequent attraction of the electrons to the heterointerface where they experience increased surface roughness scattering. Good agreement is obtained between the theoretical calculations and experimental measurements over the full temperature range examined. Comparison of the mobility in InGaN/GaN to AlGaN/GaN heterostructures is made. It is found that the mobility is significantly higher in the InGaN/GaN structure than in the AlGaN/GaN structure.

Specific absorption rate analysis of broadband mobile antenna with negative index metamaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, Touhidul; Faruque, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal; Islam, Mohammad Tariqul

2016-03-01

This paper presents a negative index metamaterial-inspired printed mobile wireless antenna that can support most mobile applications such as GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth and WLAN frequency bands. The antenna consists of a semi-circular patch, a 50Ω microstrip feed line and metamaterial ground plane. The antenna occupies a very small space of 37 × 47 × 0.508 mm3, making it suitable for mobile wireless application. The perceptible novelty shown in this proposed antenna is that reduction of specific absorption rate using the negative index metamaterial ground plane. The proposed antenna reduced 72.11 and 75.53 % of specific absorption rate at 1.8 and 2.4 GHz, respectively.

A Double-Negative Metamaterial-Inspired Mobile Wireless Antenna for Electromagnetic Absorption Reduction

PubMed Central

Alam, Touhidul; Faruque, Mohammad Rashed Iqbal; Islam, Mohammad Tariqul

2015-01-01

A double-negative metamaterial-inspired antenna is presented for mobile wireless applications. The antenna consists of a semi-circular radiating patch and a 3 × 4 hexagonal shaped metamaterial unit cell array in the ground plane. The antenna is fed with a 50 Ω microstrip feed line. The electric dimensions of the proposed antenna are 0.20λ × 0.26λ × 0.004λ, at the low-end frequency. The proposed antenna achieves a −10 dB impedance with a bandwidth of 2.29 GHz at the lower band and 1.28 GHz at the upper band and can operate for most of the mobile applications such as upper GSM bands, WiMAX, Bluetooth, and wireless local area network (WLAN) frequency bands. The focused novelties of the proposed antenna are its small size, multi-standard operating bands, and electromagnetic absorption reduction at all the operating frequencies using the double-negative metamaterial ground plane. PMID:28793474

The influence of nitrogen implantation on the electrical properties of amorphous IGZO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, S. L.; Zhao, M.; Zhuang, D. M.; Fu, E. G.; Cao, M. J.; Guo, L.; Ouyang, L. Q.

2017-09-01

In this study, nitrogen (N) implantation was adopted to regulate the carrier concentration and the Hall mobility of amorphous Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (a-IGZO) films. The Hall Effect measurement demonstrates that the increase of implantation fluence can decrease the carrier concentration of a-IGZO by three orders to 1016 cm-3, which attributes to the reduction of oxygen defects. The addition of nitrogen atoms can result in the increase of Hall mobility to 9.93 cm2/V s with the subsequent decrease to 6.49 cm2/V s, which reflects the reduction of the average potential barrier height (φ0) to be 22.0 meV with subsequent increase to 74.8 meV in the modified percolation model. The results indicate that nitrogen can serve as an effective p-type dopants and oxygen defect suppressors. N-implantation with an appropriate fluence can effectively improve the Hall mobility and reduce the carrier concentration simultaneously.

Controlled method of reducing electrophoretic mobility of macromolecules, particles, or cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanalstine, James M. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A method of reducing electrophoretic mobility of macromolecules, particles, cells, and other substances is provided which comprises interacting in a conventional electrophoretic separating procedure, the substances with a polymer-linked affinity compound comprised of a hydrophilic neutral polymer such as polyethylene glycol bound to a second component such as a hydrophobic compound, an immunocompound such as an antibody or antibody active fragment, or a ligand such as a hormone, drug, antigen, or a hapten. The reduction of electrophoretic mobility achieved is directly proportional to the concentration of the polymer-linked affinity compound employed, and such reduction can comprise up to 100 percent for particular particles and cells. The present invention is advantageous in that electrophoretic separation can now be achieved for substances whose native surface charge structure had prevented them from being separated by normal electrophoretic means. Depending on the affinity component utilized, separation can be achieved on the basis of the specific/irreversible, specific/reversible, semi-specific/reversible, relatively nonspecific/reversible, or relatively nonspecific/irreversible ligand-substance interactions.

46 CFR 107.05 - OMB control numbers assigned pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

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Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

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46 CFR 107.05 - OMB control numbers assigned pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

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Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

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46 CFR 107.05 - OMB control numbers assigned pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

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The reductive aromatization of naphthalene diimide: a versatile platform for 2,7-diazapyrenes.

PubMed

Nakazato, Takumi; Kamatsuka, Takuto; Inoue, Junichi; Sakurai, Tsuneaki; Seki, Shu; Shinokubo, Hiroshi; Miyake, Yoshihiro

2018-05-17

The reductive aromatization of naphthalene diimide provides tetrapivaloxy-2,7-diazapyrene, which serves as a versatile platform toward peripherally substituted 2,7-diazapyrenes. Time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements demonstrated that the intrinsic electron mobility of 2,7-diazapyrene is significantly higher than that of the corresponding pyrene.

Drag reduction using slippery liquid infused surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hultmark, Marcus; Stone, Howard; Smits, Alexander; Jacobi, Ian; Samaha, Mohamed; Wexler, Jason; Shang, Jessica; Rosenberg, Brian; Hellström, Leo; Fan, Yuyang

2013-11-01

A new method for passive drag reduction is introduced. A surface treatment inspired by the Nepenthes pitcher plant, previously developed by Wong et al. (2011), is utilized and its design parameters are studied for increased drag reduction and durability. Nano- and micro-structured surfaces infused with a lubricant allow for mobility within the lubricant itself when the surface is exposed to flow. The mobility causes slip at the fluid-fluid interface, which drastically reduces the viscous friction. These new surfaces are fundamentally different from the more conventional superhydrophobic surfaces previously used in drag reduction studies, which rely on a gas-liquid interface. The main advantage of the liquid infused surfaces over the conventional surfaces is that the lubricant adheres more strongly to the surface, decreasing the risk of failure when exposed to turbulence and other high-shear flows. We have shown that these surfaces can reduce viscous drag up to 20% in both Taylor-Couette flow and in a parallel plate rheometer. Supported under ONR Grants N00014-12-1-0875 and N00014-12-1-0962 (program manager Ki-Han Kim).

Microbial arsenic reduction in polluted and unpolluted soils from Attica, Greece.

PubMed

Vaxevanidou, K; Giannikou, S; Papassiopi, N

2012-11-30

Indigenous soil microorganisms often affect the mobility of heavy metals and metalloids by altering their oxidation state. Under anaerobic conditions, the microbial transformation is usually reduction and may cause the mobilization of contaminants, as happens in the case of arsenic, which is much more stable in the pentavalent state compared to the reduced trivalent form. The aim of this work was to investigate the occurrence of such a microbial activity in representative Greek soils. Five soil samples, with As levels varying between 14 and 259 mg/kg, were examined. The samples were artificially contaminated, by adding 750 mg of As(V) per kg of soil. Initial sorption of As(V) ranged between 70 and 85%. Microbial reduction of arsenic was observed in three of the examined soils, without any obvious correlation with pre-existing levels of contamination. Reduction reached high percentages, i.e. up to 99%, and was accompanied by the corresponding release of reduced As in the aqueous solution. A simultaneous iron reducing activity was also observed in four of the five soil samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction of Cr(6+) to Cr(3+) in a packed-bed bioreactor

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

Turick, C.E.; Apel, W.A.; Camp, C.E.

1997-12-31

Hexavalent chromium, Cr(6{sup +}), is a common and toxic pollutant in soils and waters. Reduction of the mobile Cr(6{sup +}) to the less mobile and less toxic trivalent chromium, Cr(3{sup +}), can be achieved with conventional chemical reduction technologies. Alternatively, Cr(6{sup +}) can be biochemically reduced to Cr(3{sup +}) by anaerobic microbial consortia which appear to use Cr(6{sup +}) as a terminal electron acceptor. A bioprocess for Cr(6{sup +}) reduction has been demonstrated using a packed-bed bioreactor containing ceramic packing, and then compared to a similar bioreactor containing DuPont Bio-Sep beads. An increase in volumetric productivity from 4 mg Cr(6{supmore » +})/L/h to 260 mg Cr(6{sup +})/L/h, probably due to an increase in biomass density, was obtained using Bio-Sep beads. The beads contain internal macropores which were shown by scanning electron microscopy to house dense concentrations of bacteria. Comparisons to conventional Cr(6{sup +}) treatment technologies indicate that a bioprocess has several economic and operational advantages. 7 refs., 4 figs.« less

Path scheduling for multiple mobile actors in wireless sensor network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trapasiya, Samir D.; Soni, Himanshu B.

2017-05-01

In wireless sensor network (WSN), energy is the main constraint. In this work we have addressed this issue for single as well as multiple mobile sensor actor network. In this work, we have proposed Rendezvous Point Selection Scheme (RPSS) in which Rendezvous Nodes are selected by set covering problem approach and from that, Rendezvous Points are selected in a way to reduce the tour length. The mobile actors tour is scheduled to pass through those Rendezvous Points as per Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP). We have also proposed novel rendezvous node rotation scheme for fair utilisation of all the nodes. We have compared RPSS with Stationery Actor scheme as well as RD-VT, RD-VT-SMT and WRP-SMT for performance metrics like energy consumption, network lifetime, route length and found the better outcome in all the cases for single actor. We have also applied RPSS for multiple mobile actor case like Multi-Actor Single Depot (MASD) termination and Multi-Actor Multiple Depot (MAMD) termination and observed by extensive simulation that MAMD saves the network energy in optimised way and enhance network lifetime compared to all other schemes.

Online Ozonolysis Combined with Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry Provides a New Platform for Lipid Isomer Analyses

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

Poad, Berwyck L. J.; Zheng, Xueyun; Mitchell, Todd W.

One of the most significant challenges in contemporary lipidomics lies in the separation and identification of lipid isomers that differ only in site(s) of unsaturation or geometric configuration of the carbon-carbon double bonds. While analytical separation techniques including ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) and liquid chromatography (LC) can separate isomeric lipids under appropriate conditions, conventional tandem mass spectrometry cannot provide unequivocal identification. To address this challenge, we have implemented ozone-induced dissociation (OzID) in-line with LC, IMS and high resolution mass spectrometry. Modification of an IMS- capable quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer was undertaken to allow the introduction of ozone into the high-pressuremore » trapping ion funnel region preceding the IMS cell. This enabled the novel LC-OzID-IMS-MS configuration where ozonolysis of ionized lipids occurred rapidly (10 ms) without prior mass-selection. LC-elution time alignment combined with accurate mass and arrival time extraction of ozonolysis products facilitated correlation of precursor and product ions without mass-selection (and associated reductions in duty cycle). Unsaturated lipids across 11 classes were examined using this workflow in both positive and negative ion modalities and in all cases the positions of carbon-carbon double bonds were unequivocally assigned based on predictable OzID transitions. Under these conditions geometric isomers exhibited different IMS arrival time distributions and distinct OzID product ion ratios providing a means for discrimination of cis/trans double bonds in complex lipids. The combination of OzID with multidimensional separations shows significant promise for facile profiling of unsaturation patterns within complex lipidomes.« less

"i h8 u": The Influence of Normative Beliefs and Hostile Response Selection in Predicting Adolescents' Mobile Phone Aggression--A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicol, Annemarie; Fleming, Michele J.

2010-01-01

Mobile phone aggression (MPA) is a relatively new phenomenon. Using newly developed measures, a pilot study was conducted with 348 adolescents ages 13-17 years to determine the incidence of MPA and victimization in this group of adolescents and to test a proposed model in which hostile response selection mediated the relationship between normative…

Use of Mobile Devices to Access Resources Among Health Professions Students: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Mi, Misa; Wu, Wendy; Qiu, Maylene; Zhang, Yingting; Wu, Lin; Li, Jie

2016-01-01

This systematic review examines types of mobile devices used by health professions students, kinds of resources and tools accessed via mobile devices, and reasons for using the devices to access the resources and tools. The review included 20 studies selected from articles published in English between January 2010 and April 2015, retrieved from PubMed and other sources. Data extracted included participants, study designs, mobile devices used, mobile resources/apps accessed, outcome measures, and advantages of and barriers to using mobile devices. The review indicates significant variability across the studies in terms of research methods, types of mobile programs implemented, resources accessed, and outcomes. There were beneficial effects of using mobile devices to access resources as well as conspicuous challenges or barriers in using mobile devices.

A systematic review of usability test metrics for mobile video streaming apps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Azham; Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.

2016-08-01

This paper presents the results of a systematic review regarding the usability test metrics for mobile video streaming apps. In the study, 238 studies were found, but only 51 relevant papers were eventually selected for the review. The study reveals that time taken for video streaming and the video quality were the two most popular metrics used in the usability tests for mobile video streaming apps. Besides, most of the studies concentrated on the usability of mobile TV as users are switching from traditional TV to mobile TV.

Measurement of multipath delay profile in land mobile satellite channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ikegami, Tetsushi; Arakaki, Yoshiya; Wakana, Hiromitsu; Suzuki, Ryutaro

1993-01-01

Mobile satellite communication channel has been evaluated mainly with fading statistics of signal. When bandwidth of transmitting signal becomes wider, frequency selectivity of fading becomes a significant factor of the channel. Channel characteristics, not only signal variation but multipath delay spread should be evaluated. A multipath measurement system is proposed and developed for mobile satellite applications. With this system and ETS-V satellite, multipath delay profiles are measured in various environments including Tokyo metropolis and Sapporo city at 1.5 GHz. Results show that the maximum excess delay is within 1 microsec and the maximum delay spread is 0.2 microsecs at elevation angles of 40 to 47 degrees. In wideband signal transmission of about 1 MHz and more, designers should consider the effect of selective fading due to the multipath of land mobile satellite channel.

Effect of electromagnetic radiations from mobile phone base stations on general health and salivary function.

PubMed

Singh, Kushpal; Nagaraj, Anup; Yousuf, Asif; Ganta, Shravani; Pareek, Sonia; Vishnani, Preeti

2016-01-01

Cell phones use electromagnetic, nonionizing radiations in the microwave range, which some believe may be harmful to human health. The present study aimed to determine the effect of electromagnetic radiations (EMRs) on unstimulated/stimulated salivary flow rate and other health-related problems between the general populations residing in proximity to and far away from mobile phone base stations. A total of four mobile base stations were randomly selected from four zones of Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Twenty individuals who were residing in proximity to the selected mobile phone towers were taken as the case group and the other 20 individuals (control group) who were living nearly 1 km away in the periphery were selected for salivary analysis. Questions related to sleep disturbances were measured using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and other health problems were included in the questionnaire. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis. It was unveiled that a majority of the subjects who were residing near the mobile base station complained of sleep disturbances, headache, dizziness, irritability, concentration difficulties, and hypertension. A majority of the study subjects had significantly lesser stimulated salivary secretion (P < 0.01) as compared to the control subjects. The effects of prolonged exposure to EMRs from mobile phone base stations on the health and well-being of the general population cannot be ruled out. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the effect of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on general health and more specifically on oral health.

Selecting the Best Mobile Information Service with Natural Language User Input

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Qiangze; Qi, Hongwei; Fukushima, Toshikazu

Information services accessed via mobile phones provide information directly relevant to subscribers’ daily lives and are an area of dynamic market growth worldwide. Although many information services are currently offered by mobile operators, many of the existing solutions require a unique gateway for each service, and it is inconvenient for users to have to remember a large number of such gateways. Furthermore, the Short Message Service (SMS) is very popular in China and Chinese users would prefer to access these services in natural language via SMS. This chapter describes a Natural Language Based Service Selection System (NL3S) for use with a large number of mobile information services. The system can accept user queries in natural language and navigate it to the required service. Since it is difficult for existing methods to achieve high accuracy and high coverage and anticipate which other services a user might want to query, the NL3S is developed based on a Multi-service Ontology (MO) and Multi-service Query Language (MQL). The MO and MQL provide semantic and linguistic knowledge, respectively, to facilitate service selection for a user query and to provide adaptive service recommendations. Experiments show that the NL3S can achieve 75-95% accuracies and 85-95% satisfactions for processing various styles of natural language queries. A trial involving navigation of 30 different mobile services shows that the NL3S can provide a viable commercial solution for mobile operators.

E-Mobility and the Energy Transition.

PubMed

Schlögl, Robert

2017-09-04

Since the reduction of greenhouse gases is the top priority of the Energy Transition, primary electricity should be converted to material energy carriers. In this way electricity can be "stored" and made accessible for other applications. This Essay focuses on the integration of mobility in the Energy Transition and the development of sustainable alternatives to electricity-based transportation. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Migration Intentions of Rural Youth in the Westhoek, Flanders, Belgium and the Veenkolonien, The Netherlands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thissen, Frans; Fortuijn, Joos Droogleever; Strijker, Dirk; Haartsen, Tialda

2010-01-01

"Should I stay or should I leave my home region?" is one of the key life course questions that many young people must address as they grow to maturity. Social mobility increasingly presupposes geographical mobility, especially in rural areas. The consequences of the selective out-migration of socially mobile young people ("brain…

Career Mobility of High-Flying Women Academics: A Study at Selected Universities in Malaysia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Maimunah; Rasdi, Roziah Mohd

2006-01-01

This study aims to investigate the relationship between past experience and the career mobility of 31 high-flying female academics from eight established Malaysian universities. Based on data gathered from in-depth interviews, it is discerned that the respondents' career mobility at the "exploration" stage is influenced by early exposure…

Developing a weighting strategy to include mobile phone numbers into an ongoing population health survey using an overlapping dual-frame design with limited benchmark information

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In 2012 mobile phone numbers were included into the ongoing New South Wales Population Health Survey (NSWPHS) using an overlapping dual-frame design. Previously in the NSWPHS the sample was selected using random digit dialing (RDD) of landline phone numbers. The survey was undertaken using computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The weighting strategy needed to be significantly expanded to manage the differing probabilities of selection by frame, including that of children of mobile-only phone users, and to adjust for the increased chance of selection of dual-phone users. This paper describes the development of the final weighting strategy to properly combine the data from two overlapping sample frames accounting for the fact that population benchmarks for the different sampling frames were not available at the state or regional level. Methods Estimates of the number of phone numbers for the landline and mobile phone frames used to calculate the differing probabilities of selection by frame, for New South Wales (NSW) and by stratum, were obtained by apportioning Australian estimates as none were available for NSW. The weighting strategy was then developed by calculating person selection probabilities, selection weights, applying a constant composite factor to the dual-phone users sample weights, and benchmarking to the latest NSW population by age group, sex and stratum. Results Data from the NSWPHS for the first quarter of 2012 was used to test the weighting strategy. This consisted of data on 3395 respondents with 2171 (64%) from the landline frame and 1224 (36%) from the mobile frame. However, in order to calculate the weights, data needed to be available for all core weighting variables and so 3378 respondents, 2933 adults and 445 children, had sufficient data to be included. Average person weights were 3.3 times higher for the mobile-only respondents, 1.3 times higher for the landline-only respondents and 1.7 times higher for dual-phone users in the mobile frame compared to the dual-phone users in the landline frame. The overall weight effect for the first quarter of 2012 was 1.93 and the coefficient of variation of the weights was 0.96. The weight effects for 2012 were similar to, and in many cases less than, the effects found in the corresponding quarter of the 2011 NSWPHS when only a landline based sample was used. Conclusions The inclusion of mobile phone numbers, through an overlapping dual-frame design, improved the coverage of the survey and an appropriate weighing procedure is feasible, although it added substantially to the complexity of the weighting strategy. Access to accurate Australian, State and Territory estimates of the number of landline and mobile phone numbers and type of phone use by at least age group and sex would greatly assist in the weighting of dual-frame surveys in Australia. PMID:25189826

Developing a weighting strategy to include mobile phone numbers into an ongoing population health survey using an overlapping dual-frame design with limited benchmark information.

PubMed

Barr, Margo L; Ferguson, Raymond A; Hughes, Phil J; Steel, David G

2014-09-04

In 2012 mobile phone numbers were included into the ongoing New South Wales Population Health Survey (NSWPHS) using an overlapping dual-frame design. Previously in the NSWPHS the sample was selected using random digit dialing (RDD) of landline phone numbers. The survey was undertaken using computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The weighting strategy needed to be significantly expanded to manage the differing probabilities of selection by frame, including that of children of mobile-only phone users, and to adjust for the increased chance of selection of dual-phone users. This paper describes the development of the final weighting strategy to properly combine the data from two overlapping sample frames accounting for the fact that population benchmarks for the different sampling frames were not available at the state or regional level. Estimates of the number of phone numbers for the landline and mobile phone frames used to calculate the differing probabilities of selection by frame, for New South Wales (NSW) and by stratum, were obtained by apportioning Australian estimates as none were available for NSW. The weighting strategy was then developed by calculating person selection probabilities, selection weights, applying a constant composite factor to the dual-phone users sample weights, and benchmarking to the latest NSW population by age group, sex and stratum. Data from the NSWPHS for the first quarter of 2012 was used to test the weighting strategy. This consisted of data on 3395 respondents with 2171 (64%) from the landline frame and 1224 (36%) from the mobile frame. However, in order to calculate the weights, data needed to be available for all core weighting variables and so 3378 respondents, 2933 adults and 445 children, had sufficient data to be included. Average person weights were 3.3 times higher for the mobile-only respondents, 1.3 times higher for the landline-only respondents and 1.7 times higher for dual-phone users in the mobile frame compared to the dual-phone users in the landline frame. The overall weight effect for the first quarter of 2012 was 1.93 and the coefficient of variation of the weights was 0.96. The weight effects for 2012 were similar to, and in many cases less than, the effects found in the corresponding quarter of the 2011 NSWPHS when only a landline based sample was used. The inclusion of mobile phone numbers, through an overlapping dual-frame design, improved the coverage of the survey and an appropriate weighing procedure is feasible, although it added substantially to the complexity of the weighting strategy. Access to accurate Australian, State and Territory estimates of the number of landline and mobile phone numbers and type of phone use by at least age group and sex would greatly assist in the weighting of dual-frame surveys in Australia.

Comparative reduction of Norwalk virus, poliovirus type 1, F+ RNA coliphage MS2 and Escherichia coli in miniature soil columns.

PubMed

Meschke, J S; Sobsey, M D

2003-01-01

Norwalk-like viruses (NLVs) are important agents of waterborne illness and have been linked to several groundwater-related outbreaks. The presence of human enteric viruses, in particular the presence of NLVs, is difficult to detect in the environment. Consequently, surrogate organisms are typically used as indicators of viruses from faecal contamination. Whether traditional bacterial indicators are reliable indicators for viral pathogens remains uncertain. Few studies have directly compared mobility and reduction of bacterial indicators (e.g. coliforms, Escherichia coli) and other surrogate indicators (coliphages) with pathogenic human viruses in soil systems. In this study the mobility and comparative reduction of the prototype NLV, Norwalk Virus (NV), was compared to poliovirus 1 (PV1), a bacterial indicator (E coli, EC) and a viral indicator (coliphage MS2) through miniature soil columns. Replicate, 10 cm deep, miniature columns were prepared using three soils representing a range of soil textures (sand, organic muck, and clay). Columns were initially conditioned, then incubated at 10-14 degrees C, dosed twice weekly for 8 weeks with one column pore volume of virus-seeded groundwater per dose, followed by 8 weeks of dosing with one column pore volume per dose of unseeded, simulated rainwater. Columns were allowed to drain after each dosing until an effluent volume equivalent to an applied dose was collected. Column effluents and doses were assayed for all viruses and EC. Rapid mobility with minimal reduction was observed for all organisms in the sand. Similar reductions were observed in organic muck for most organisms but NV showed a greater reduction. No organisms were shown to pass through the clay columns. Elution of viruses, in particular PV1, from the columns was gradual. After cessation of microbe dosing, E. coli was less detectable than viruses in column effluents and, therefore, unreliable as a virus indicator.

Glass Transition and Molecular Mobility in Styrene-Butadiene Rubber Modified Asphalt.

PubMed

Khabaz, Fardin; Khare, Rajesh

2015-11-05

Asphalt, a soft matter consisting of more than a thousand chemical species, is of vital importance for the transportation infrastructure, yet it poses significant challenges for microscopic theory and modeling approaches due to its multicomponent nature. Polymeric additives can potentially enhance the thermo-mechanical properties of asphalt, thus helping reduce the road repair costs; rational design of such systems requires knowledge of the molecular structure and dynamics of these systems. We have used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the volumetric, structural, and dynamic properties of the neat asphalt as well as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) modified asphalt systems. The volume-temperature behavior of the asphalt systems exhibited a glass transition phenomenon, akin to that observed in experiments. The glass transition temperature, room temperature density, and coefficient of volume thermal expansion of the neat asphalt systems so evaluated were in agreement with experimental data when the effect of the high cooling rate used in simulations was accounted for. While the volumetric properties of SBR modified asphalt were found to be insensitive to the presence of the SBR additive, the addition of SBR led to an increase in the aggregation of asphaltene molecules. Furthermore, addition of SBR caused a reduction in the mobility of the constituent molecules of asphalt, with the reduction being more significant for the larger constituent molecules. Similar to other glass forming liquids, the reciprocal of the diffusion coefficient of the selected molecules was observed to follow the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) behavior as a function of temperature. These results suggest the potential for using polymeric additives for enhancing the dynamic mechanical properties of asphalt without affecting its volumetric properties.

Microbially-mediated thiocyanate oxidation and manganese cycling control arsenic mobility in groundwater at an Australian gold mine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horvath, A. S.; Baldisimo, J. G.; Moreau, J. W.

2010-12-01

Arsenic contamination of groundwater poses a serious environmental and human health problem in many regions around the world. Historical groundwater chemistry data for a Western-Central Victorian gold mine (Australia) revealed a strong inverse correlation between dissolved thiocyanate and iron(II), supporting the interpretation that oxidation of thiocyanate, a major groundwater contaminant by-product of cyanide-based gold leaching, was coupled to reductive dissolution of iron ox(yhydrox)ides in tailings dam sediments. Microbial growth was observed in this study in a selective medium using SCN- as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. The potential for use of SCN- as a tracer of mining contamination in groundwater was evaluated in the context of biological SCN- oxidation potential in the aquifer. Geochemical data also revealed a high positive correlation between dissolved arsenic and manganese, indicating that sorption on manganese-oxides most likely controls arsenic mobility at this site. Samples of groundwater and sediments along a roughly straight SW-NE traverse away from a large mine tailings storage facility, and parallel to the major groundwater flow direction, were analysed for major ions and trace metals. Groundwater from wells approaching the tailings along this traverse showed a nearly five-fold increase (roughly 25-125 ppb) in dissolved arsenic concentrations relative to aqueous Mn(II) concentrations. Thus, equivalent amounts of dissolved manganese released a five-fold difference in the amount of adsorbed arsenic. The interpretation that reductive dissolution of As-bearing MnO2 at the mine site has been mediated by groundwater (or aquifer) microorganisms is consistent with our recovery of synthetic birnessite-reducing enrichment cultures that were inoculated with As-contaminated groundwaters.

Prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia in non-ventilated adult patients: a narrative review.

PubMed

Pássaro, Leonor; Harbarth, Stephan; Landelle, Caroline

2016-01-01

Pneumonia is one of the leading hospital-acquired infections worldwide and has an important impact. Although preventive measures for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are well known, less is known about appropriate measures for prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the current standards for preventing HAP in non-ventilated adult patients. A search of the literature up to May 2015 was conducted using Medline for guidelines published by national professional societies or professional medical associations. In addition, a comprehensive search for the following preventive measures was performed: hand hygiene, oral care, bed position, mobilization, diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia, aspiration prevention, viral infections and stress bleeding prophylaxis. Regarding international guidelines, several measures were recommended for VAP, whilst no specific recommendations for HAP prevention in non-ventilated patients are available. There is reasonable evidence available that oral care is associated with a reduction in HAP. Early mobilization interventions, swift diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia, and multimodal programmes for the prevention of nosocomial influenza cross-infection, have a positive impact on HAP reduction. The impact of bed position and stress bleeding prophylaxis remains uncertain. Systematic antibiotic prophylaxis for HAP prevention should be avoided. Scant literature and little guidance is available for the prevention of HAP among non-ventilated adult patients. In addition, the criteria used for the diagnosis of HAP and the populations targeted in the studies selected are heterogeneous. Oral care was the most studied measure and was commonly associated with a decrease in HAP rate, although a broad range of interventions are proposed. No robust evidence is available for other measures. Further high-quality studies are required to evaluate the impact of specific measures on HAP prevention in non-ventilated adult patients.

Mobile money, smallholder farmers, and household welfare in Kenya.

PubMed

Kikulwe, Enoch M; Fischer, Elisabeth; Qaim, Matin

2014-01-01

The use of mobile phones has increased rapidly in many developing countries, including in rural areas. Besides reducing the costs of communication and improving access to information, mobile phones are an enabling technology for other innovations. One important example are mobile phone based money transfers, which could be very relevant for the rural poor, who are often underserved by the formal banking system. We analyze impacts of mobile money technology on the welfare of smallholder farm households in Kenya. Using panel survey data and regression models we show that mobile money use has a positive impact on household income. One important pathway is through remittances received from relatives and friends. Such remittances contribute to income directly, but they also help to reduce risk and liquidity constraints, thus promoting agricultural commercialization. Mobile money users apply more purchased farm inputs, market a larger proportion of their output, and have higher profits than non-users of this technology. These results suggest that mobile money can help to overcome some of the important smallholder market access constraints that obstruct rural development and poverty reduction.

Mobile Money, Smallholder Farmers, and Household Welfare in Kenya

PubMed Central

Kikulwe, Enoch M.; Fischer, Elisabeth; Qaim, Matin

2014-01-01

The use of mobile phones has increased rapidly in many developing countries, including in rural areas. Besides reducing the costs of communication and improving access to information, mobile phones are an enabling technology for other innovations. One important example are mobile phone based money transfers, which could be very relevant for the rural poor, who are often underserved by the formal banking system. We analyze impacts of mobile money technology on the welfare of smallholder farm households in Kenya. Using panel survey data and regression models we show that mobile money use has a positive impact on household income. One important pathway is through remittances received from relatives and friends. Such remittances contribute to income directly, but they also help to reduce risk and liquidity constraints, thus promoting agricultural commercialization. Mobile money users apply more purchased farm inputs, market a larger proportion of their output, and have higher profits than non-users of this technology. These results suggest that mobile money can help to overcome some of the important smallholder market access constraints that obstruct rural development and poverty reduction. PMID:25286032

Understanding and Eliminating Hysteresis for Highly Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells

DOE PAGES

Wang, Changlei; Xiao, Chuanxiao; Yu, Yue; ...

2017-05-11

Through detailed device characterization using cross-sectional Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and trap density of states measurements, we identify that the J-V hysteresis seen in planar organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) using SnO 2 electron selective layers (ESLs) synthesized by low-temperature plasma-enhanced atomic-layer deposition (PEALD) method is mainly caused by the imbalanced charge transportation between the ESL/perovskite and the hole selective layer/perovskite interfaces. We find that this charge transportation imbalance is originated from the poor electrical conductivity of the low-temperature PEALD SnO 2 ESL. We further discover that a facile low-temperature thermal annealing of SnO 2 ESLs can effectivelymore » improve the electrical mobility of low-temperature PEALD SnO 2 ESLs and consequently significantly reduce or even eliminate the J-V hysteresis. With the reduction of J-V hysteresis and optimization of deposition process, planar PVSCs with stabilized output powers up to 20.3% are achieved. Here, the results of this study provide insights for further enhancing the efficiency of planar PVSCs.« less

General dependencies and causality analysis of road traffic fatalities in OECD countries.

PubMed

Yaseen, Muhammad Rizwan; Ali, Qamar; Khan, Muhammad Tariq Iqbal

2018-05-07

The road traffic accidents were responsible for material and human loss which was equal to 2.8 to 5% of gross national product (GNP). However, literature does not explore the elasticity coefficients and nexus of road traffic fatalities with foreign direct investment, health expenditures, trade openness, mobile subscriptions, the number of researchers in R&D department, and environmental particulate matter. This study filled this research gap by exploring the nexus between road traffic fatalities, foreign direct investment, health expenditures, trade openness, mobile subscriptions, the number of researchers, and environmental particulate matter in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries by using panel data from 1995 to 2015. The panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound test was used for the detection of cointegration between the variables after checking the stationarity in selected variables with different panel unit root tests. Panel vector error correction model explored the causality of road traffic fatalities, foreign direct investment, PM2.5 in the environment, and trade openness in the long run. Road traffic fatalities showed short run bi-directional causality with foreign direct investment and health expenditures. The short run bi-directional causality was also observed between trade and foreign direct investment and cellular mobile subscriptions and foreign direct investment. The panel fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and panel dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) showed the 0.947% reduction in road fatalities for 1% increase in the health expenditures in OECD countries. The significant reduction in road fatalities was also observed due to 1% increase in trade openness and researchers in R&D, which implies the importance of trade and research for road safety. It is required to invest in the health sector for the safety of precious human lives like the hospitals with latest medical equipment and improvement in the emergency services in the country. The research and development activities should be enhanced especially for the health and transportation sectors. The trade of environment-friendly technology should be promoted for the protection of environment.

Premature deaths attributed to source-specific BC emissions in six urban US regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, Matthew D.; Henze, Daven K.; Capps, Shannon L.; Hakami, Amir; Zhao, Shunliu; Resler, Jaroslav; Carmichael, Gregory R.; Stanier, Charles O.; Baek, Jaemeen; Sandu, Adrian; Russell, Armistead G.; Nenes, Athanasios; Pinder, Rob W.; Napelenok, Sergey L.; Bash, Jesse O.; Percell, Peter B.; Chai, Tianfeng

2015-11-01

Recent studies have shown that exposure to particulate black carbon (BC) has significant adverse health effects and may be more detrimental to human health than exposure to PM2.5 as a whole. Mobile source BC emission controls, mostly on diesel-burning vehicles, have successfully decreased mobile source BC emissions to less than half of what they were 30 years ago. Quantification of the benefits of previous emissions controls conveys the value of these regulatory actions and provides a method by which future control alternatives could be evaluated. In this study we use the adjoint of the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to estimate highly-resolved spatial distributions of benefits related to emission reductions for six urban regions within the continental US. Emissions from outside each of the six chosen regions account for between 7% and 27% of the premature deaths attributed to exposure to BC within the region. While we estimate that nonroad mobile and onroad diesel emissions account for the largest number of premature deaths attributable to exposure to BC, onroad gasoline is shown to have more than double the benefit per unit emission relative to that of nonroad mobile and onroad diesel. Within the region encompassing New York City and Philadelphia, reductions in emissions from large industrial combustion sources that are not classified as EGUs (i.e., non-EGU) are estimated to have up to triple the benefits per unit emission relative to reductions to onroad diesel sectors, and provide similar benefits per unit emission to that of onroad gasoline emissions in the region. While onroad mobile emissions have been decreasing in the past 30 years and a majority of vehicle emission controls that regulate PM focus on diesel emissions, our analysis shows the most efficient target for stricter controls is actually onroad gasoline emissions.

40 CFR 60.2115 - What if I do not use a wet scrubber, fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, an electrostatic... filter, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, an electrostatic precipitator, or a... than a wet scrubber, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, fabric filter, an...

Effect of conformational mobility and hydrogen-bonding interactions on the selectivity of some guanidinoaryl-substituted mechanism-based inhibitors of trypsin-like serine proteases.

PubMed

Rai, R; Katzenellenbogen, J A

1992-11-13

Previously, we have reported that some guanidino-substituted alpha- and beta-aryl enol lactones I and II behaved as selective, mechanism-based inhibitors of some trypsin-like proteases (Rai, R.; Katzenellenbogen, J.A. J. Med. Chem., submitted). In this study, we describe the synthesis and kinetic evaluation of some related, guanidino-substituted enol lactones having greater conformational mobility and affording additional hydrogen-bonding sites at the active site. The alpha-aryl-substituted lactones 1 and 2, which have greater conformational mobility in the guanidinoaryl linkage than I, selectively inhibited the trypsin-like enzymes, and they were relatively poor inactivators of alpha-chymotrypsin and human neutrophil elastase (HNE). The iodo enol lactone 2 permanently inactivated trypsin, urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator, and plasmin, showing exceptionally high specificity in its interaction with trypsin and urokinase. The selectivity pattern exhibited by the closely related, conformationally less mobile alpha-aryl-substituted iodo lactone Ib, which was previously shown to be a selective suicide substrate of urokinase and plasmin, provides an interesting comparison. The alpha-benzamido-substituted lactones 3 and 4, which afford an additional site for active-site hydrogen bonding, were found to be very potent alternate substrate inhibitors of trypsin and urokinase. In addition, the iodo lactone 4 permanently inactivated alpha-chymotrypsin. The importance of secondary interactions in increasing the specificities in the case of alpha-chymotrypsin is discussed.

The application of machine learning in multi sensor data fusion for activity recognition in mobile device space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marhoubi, Asmaa H.; Saravi, Sara; Edirisinghe, Eran A.

2015-05-01

The present generation of mobile handheld devices comes equipped with a large number of sensors. The key sensors include the Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Gyroscope, Compass and the Accelerometer. Many mobile applications are driven based on the readings obtained from either one or two of these sensors. However the presence of multiple-sensors will enable the determination of more detailed activities that are carried out by the user of a mobile device, thus enabling smarter mobile applications to be developed that responds more appropriately to user behavior and device usage. In the proposed research we use recent advances in machine learning to fuse together the data obtained from all key sensors of a mobile device. We investigate the possible use of single and ensemble classifier based approaches to identify a mobile device's behavior in the space it is present. Feature selection algorithms are used to remove non-discriminant features that often lead to poor classifier performance. As the sensor readings are noisy and include a significant proportion of missing values and outliers, we use machine learning based approaches to clean the raw data obtained from the sensors, before use. Based on selected practical case studies, we demonstrate the ability to accurately recognize device behavior based on multi-sensor data fusion.

Topographic data of selected areas along the Alabama River near Montgomery, Alabama, collected using mobile terrestrial light detection and ranging (T-LiDAR) technology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kimbrow, D.R.

2014-01-01

Topographic data at selected areas within the Alabama River flood plain near Montgomery, Alabama, were collected using a truck-mounted mobile terrestrial light detection and ranging system. These data were collected for inclusion in a flood inundation model developed by the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama. Data are presented as ArcGIS point shapefiles with the extension .shp.

Pediatric mandibular fractures treated by rigid internal fixation.

PubMed

Wong, G B

1993-09-01

Mandibular fractures in the pediatric patient population are relatively uncommon. These patients present with their own unique treatment requirements. Most fractures have been treated conservatively by dental splints. Closed reduction techniques with maxillomandibular fixation (MMF) in very young children can pose several concerns, including cooperation, compliance and adequate nutritional intake. Rigid internal fixation of unstable mandibular fractures using miniplates and screws circumvents the need for MMF and allows immediate jaw mobilization. At major pediatric trauma institutions, there has been an increasing trend toward the use of this treatment when open reduction is necessary. This article presents a report of a five-year-old child who presented with bilateral mandibular fractures and was treated by rigid internal fixation and immediate mandibular mobilization.

Access point selection game with mobile users using correlated equilibrium.

PubMed

Sohn, Insoo

2015-01-01

One of the most important issues in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems with multiple access points (APs) is the AP selection problem. Game theory is a mathematical tool used to analyze the interactions in multiplayer systems and has been applied to various problems in wireless networks. Correlated equilibrium (CE) is one of the powerful game theory solution concepts, which is more general than the Nash equilibrium for analyzing the interactions in multiplayer mixed strategy games. A game-theoretic formulation of the AP selection problem with mobile users is presented using a novel scheme based on a regret-based learning procedure. Through convergence analysis, we show that the joint actions based on the proposed algorithm achieve CE. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is effective in a realistic WLAN environment with user mobility and achieves maximum system throughput based on the game-theoretic formulation.

Access Point Selection Game with Mobile Users Using Correlated Equilibrium

PubMed Central

Sohn, Insoo

2015-01-01

One of the most important issues in wireless local area network (WLAN) systems with multiple access points (APs) is the AP selection problem. Game theory is a mathematical tool used to analyze the interactions in multiplayer systems and has been applied to various problems in wireless networks. Correlated equilibrium (CE) is one of the powerful game theory solution concepts, which is more general than the Nash equilibrium for analyzing the interactions in multiplayer mixed strategy games. A game-theoretic formulation of the AP selection problem with mobile users is presented using a novel scheme based on a regret-based learning procedure. Through convergence analysis, we show that the joint actions based on the proposed algorithm achieve CE. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithm is effective in a realistic WLAN environment with user mobility and achieves maximum system throughput based on the game-theoretic formulation. PMID:25785726

Third International Workshop on Ion Mobility Spectrometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, John H. (Editor)

1995-01-01

Basic research in ion mobility spectrometry has given rise to rapid advancement in hardware development and applications. The Third International Workshop on Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) was held October 16-19, 1994, at Johnson Space Center to provide a forum for investigators to present the most recent results of both basic and applied IMS research. Presenters included manufacturers and various users, including military research organizations and drug enforcement agencies. Thirty papers were given in the following five sessions: Fundamental IMS Studies, Instrument Development, Hyphenated IMS Techniques, Applications, and Data Reduction and Signal Processing. Advances in hardware development, software development, and user applications are described.

Selective reduction of fetuses in multiple pregnancies and the law in Australia.

PubMed

Davis, Colleen; Douglas, Heather

2014-09-01

This article considers whether it is lawful in Australia to terminate one or more fetuses in a multiple pregnancy selectively and, if so, under what circumstances. It begins by addressing the preliminary question whether selective reduction is covered by laws relating to abortion and provides a brief outline of the law of abortion in Australian jurisdictions. The article then considers selective reduction of high-order multiple pregnancies, before turning to selective reduction of twin pregnancies in a range of circumstances. The article demonstrates that the law of abortion, as applied to selective reduction of multiple pregnancies, is uncertain and that there are considerable variations from one State to another. It concludes that the law in this area is in need of reform to recognise that some reductions are not performed prima facie to prevent danger to the mother's health and to remove the need for doctors to assert symptomatology of mental illness in order to guard against criminal law consequences. Further, there is a need to clarify whether selective reduction/ termination is abortion for the purposes of the law, and to achieve greater consistency across jurisdictions.

Willingness to use mobile application for smartphone for improving road safety.

PubMed

Cardamone, Angelo Stephen; Eboli, Laura; Forciniti, Carmen; Mazzulla, Gabriella

2016-01-01

In the last few years mobile devices have reached a large amount of consumers in both developed and high-growth world economies. In 2013, 97% of the Italian population owns a mobile phone, and 62% owns a smartphone. Application software for mobile devices is largely proposed to consumers, and several mobile applications were oriented toward the improvement of road safety and road accident risk reduction. In this paper, we describe the results of a survey oriented to preventively investigate on the willingness to receive and/or to give information about road condition by means of mobile devices. Road users were informed about the characteristics of a mobile application, and then they were invited to complete a questionnaire. Experimental data were used for capturing road user attitudes toward the use of the smartphone to improve road safety, and to establish the preferences for the different features of the proposed mobile application. To this end, we choose to use the ordered probit model methodology. We demonstrate that the adopted methodology accounts for the differential impacts of the willingness to receive and/or to give information about road conditions on the overall willingness to receive and/or to give information through an application software for mobile devices.

Solidification as low cost technology prior to land filling of industrial hazardous waste sludge.

PubMed

El-Sebaie, O; Ahmed, M; Ramadan, M

2000-01-01

The aim of this study is to stabilize and solidify two different treated industrial hazardous waste sludges, which were selected from factories situated close to Alexandria. They were selected to ensure their safe transportation and landfill disposal by reducing their potential leaching of hazardous elements, which represent significant threat to the environment, especially the quality of underground water. The selected waste sludges have been characterized. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) from Alexandria Portland Cement Company, and Calcium Sulphate as a by-product from the dye industry were used as potential solidification additives to treat the selected treated waste sludges from tanning and dyes industry. Waste sludges as well as the solidified wastes have been leach-tested, using the General Acid Neutralization Capacity (GANC) procedure. Concentration of concerning metals in the leachates was determined to assess changes in the mobility of major contaminants. The treated tannery waste sludge has an acid neutralization capacity much higher than that of the treated dyes waste sludge. Experiment results demonstrated the industrial waste sludge solidification mix designs, and presented the reduction of contaminant leaching from two types of waste sludges. The main advantages of solidification are that it is simple and low cost processing which includes readily available low cost solidification additives that will convert industrial hazardous waste sludges into inert materials.

Ion mobility spectrometer using frequency-domain separation

DOEpatents

Martin, Stephen J.; Butler, Michael A.; Frye, Gregory C.; Schubert, W. Kent

1998-01-01

An apparatus and method is provided for separating and analyzing chemical species in an ion mobility spectrometer using a frequency-domain technique wherein the ions generated from the chemical species are selectively transported through an ion flow channel having a moving electrical potential therein. The moving electrical potential allows the ions to be selected according to ion mobility, with certain of the ions being transported to an ion detector and other of the ions being effectively discriminated against. The apparatus and method have applications for sensitive chemical detection and analysis for monitoring of exhaust gases, hazardous waste sites, industrial processes, aerospace systems, non-proliferation, and treaty verification. The apparatus can be formed as a microelectromechanical device (i.e. a micromachine).

Mobile Technologies as Boundary Objects in the Hands of Student Teachers of Languages inside and outside the University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gajek, Elzbieta

2016-01-01

This paper presents the use of mobile devices by students of linguistics, future foreign language teachers, outside the university and in-campus, and their vision of the potential usefulness of such devices for language learning at tertiary level. As various characteristics of mobile devices influence their usability, users select a device to fit…

Mobile Technology Education Laboratory: An Alternative for Elementary Technology Education in a Restructuring School District in Central California.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britton, Steven M.

The purpose of this study was to explore what options exist for a school district that has chosen to implement or reinforce an elementary technology education program. The option selected was a mobile technology education laboratory. A mobile laboratory can offer the advantages of financial flexibility, currentness, ability to serve a large…

Addressing Selection Bias Using Partial Longitudinal Data: A Demonstration Using Recent and Past School Movers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grigg, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

The United States is a mobile society, and many children are caught up in currents of residential and school mobility. According to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 31% of eighth grade students in 2007 had changed schools three or more times since the beginning of kindergarten. Mobile students offer potential insight into the influences of…

A Study of the Impact of Mobile Phones as Learning Tools for Youth in Southern Baptist Churches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odom, Jerry David

2012-01-01

Problem: The problem of this study was to determine the differences between two groups of learners across four specified learner variables. The two groups were students using mobile phones and students without the use of mobile phones in youth Bible studies in selected Southern Baptist churches. The four learner variables were cognitive test…

Integrating the Visual Arts Back into the Classroom with Mobile Applications: Teaching beyond the "Click and View" Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz-Buonincontro, Jen; Foster, Aroutis

2013-01-01

Teachers can use mobile applications to integrate the visual arts back into the classroom, but how? This article generates recommendations for selecting and using well-designed mobile applications in the visual arts beyond a "click and view " approach. Using quantitative content analysis, the results show the extent to which a sample of…

A novel role for bioactive lipids in stem cell mobilization during cardiac ischemia

PubMed Central

Nagareddy, Prabhakara R.; Asfour, Ahmed; Klyachkin, Yuri M.; Abdel-Latif, Ahmed

2014-01-01

Despite major advances in pharmacological and reperfusion therapies, regenerating and/or replacing the infarcted myocardial tissue is an enormous challenge and therefore ischemic heart disease (IHD) remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Adult bone marrow is home for a variety of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cells including a small subset of primitive cells that carry a promising regenerative potential. It is now well established that myocardial ischemia (MI) induces mobilization of bone marrow-derived cells including differentiated lineage as well as undifferentiated stem cells. While the numbers of stem cells carrying pluripotent features among the mobilized stem cells is small, their regenerative capacity appears immense. Therapies aimed at selective mobilization of these pluripotent stem cells during myocardial ischemia have a promising potential to regenerate the injured myocardium. Emerging evidence suggest that bioactive sphingolipids such as sphingosine-1 phosphate and ceramide-1 phosphate hold a great promise in selective mobilization of pluripotent stem cells to the infarcted region during MI. This review highlights the recent advances in the mechanisms of stem cell mobilization and provides newer evidence in support of bioactive lipids as potential therapeutic agents in the treatment of ischemic heart disease. PMID:24318213

Infrared Spectroscopy of Mobility-Selected H+-Gly-Pro-Gly-Gly (GPGG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masson, Antoine; Kamrath, Michael Z.; Perez, Marta A. S.; Glover, Matthew S.; Rothlisberger, U.; Clemmer, David E.; Rizzo, Thomas R.

2015-09-01

We report the first results from a new instrument capable of acquiring infrared spectra of mobility-selected ions. This demonstration involves using ion mobility to first separate the protonated peptide Gly-Pro-Gly-Gly (GPGG) into two conformational families with collisional cross-sections of 93.8 and 96.8 Å2. After separation, each family is independently analyzed by acquiring the infrared predissociation spectrum of the H2-tagged molecules. The ion mobility and spectroscopic data combined with density functional theory (DFT) based molecular dynamics simulations confirm the presence of one major conformer per family, which arises from cis/ trans isomerization about the proline residue. We induce isomerization between the two conformers by using collisional activation in the drift tube and monitor the evolution of the ion distribution with ion mobility and infrared spectroscopy. While the cis-proline species is the preferred gas-phase structure, its relative population is smaller than that of the trans-proline species in the initial ion mobility drift distribution. This suggests that a portion of the trans-proline ion population is kinetically trapped as a higher energy conformer and may retain structural elements from solution.

Access to mobile communications by older people.

PubMed

Nguyen, Toan; Irizarry, Carol; Garrett, Rob; Downing, Andrew

2015-06-01

To investigate how older people effectively identify, select and learn to use mobile communications technologies to enhance communication and safety, and support independent living. One hundred and fifty-three older South Australians participated in a purpose-designed survey questionnaire. Older people relied on family and friends for information and advice (76%), and their children's assistance with buying (45%) and learning to use (48%) new technology. The most preferred learning method was face-to-face training (56%). Less than half (44%) were interested in trying out new designs/applications, functions and capabilities that could assist with independent living. The highest need was for personal security and emergencies (88%). Findings suggest that the family and friends of older people play an important role in identifying, selecting and learning to use mobile communication technologies. The safety and emergency capabilities of mobile communications technologies were more important than having functions that could assist with independent living. © 2014 ACOTA.

Context dependent off loading for cloudlet in mobile ad-hoc network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatt, N.; Nadesh, R. K.; ArivuSelvan, K.

2017-11-01

Cloud Computing in Mobile Ad-hoc network is emerging part of research consideration as the demand and competency of mobile devices increased in last few years. To follow out operation within the remote cloud builds the postponement and influences the administration standard. To keep away from this trouble cloudlet is presented. Cloudlet gives identical support of the devices as cloud at low inactivity however at high transfer speed. Be that as it may, choice of a cloudlet for offloading calculation with flat energy is a noteworthy test if multiple cloud let is accessible adjacent. Here I proposed energy and bandwidth (Traffic overload for communication with cloud) aware cloudlet selection strategy based on the context dependency of the device location. It works on the basis of mobile device location and bandwidth availability of cloudlet. The cloudlet offloading and selection process using given solution is simulated in Cloud ~ Simulator.

Effectiveness of an alluvial wetland on improving ground-water quality in a municipal well field, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1998-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schnoebelen, Douglas J.

2008-01-01

An alluvial wetland proved useful in improving water quality. Samples from observation wells completed in the alluvial wetland near the municipal well field had nitrate concentrations that were four to six times lower when compared to river or upland sites; however, iron and manganese concentrations in samples from observation wells in the wetland areas were an order of magnitude higher when compared to the river or an upgradient well. Biological and chemical reduction processes were determined to mobilize inorganic constituents in accordance with physical chemistry principles. Generally, selected pesticides and two pesticide degradates of atrazine that were sampled for in alluvial wetland wells remained relatively unchanged, and indicated only a slight decrease in concentration compared to the Cedar River water samples. Pesticides were not detected above regulatory limits in any of the observation wells; however, one sample from the Cedar River had an atrazine detection at 4.5 micrograms per liter, which is above the maximum contaminant level of 3.0 micrograms per liter for drinking-water regulations for that compound. Results indicate that alluvial wetlands may provide substantial reductions of nitrate concentrations in ground water, and may be a useful strategy for the reduction of nitrate for municipal wells. Results for reducing pesticides were less dramatic than for nitrate, as pesticide concentrations were reduced slightly from the river to the wetland.

PRIVACYGRID: Supporting Anonymous Location Queries in Mobile Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

continued price reduction of location tracking de- vices, location - based services (LBSs) are widely recognized as an important feature of the future computing... location - based services can operate completely anonymously, such as “when I pass a gas station, alert me with the unit price of the gas”. Others can...Anonymous Usage of Location - Based Services Through Spatial and Tempo- ral Cloaking. In Proceedings of the International Con- ference on Mobile

Damage buildup and edge dislocation mobility in equiatomic multicomponent alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granberg, F.; Djurabekova, F.; Levo, E.; Nordlund, K.

2017-02-01

A new class of single phase metal alloys of equal atomic concentrations has shown very promising mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance. Moreover, a significant reduction in damage accumulation during prolonged irradiation has also been observed in these equiatomic multicomponent alloys. A comparison of elemental Ni with the two component NiFe- and the three component NiCoCr-alloy showed a substantial reduction in damage in both alloys, and an even larger difference was seen if only larger clusters were considered. One of the factors limiting the damage build-up in the alloys compared to the elemental material was seen to be dislocation mobility (Granberg et al., 2016). In this Article, we focus on a more thorough investigation of the mobility of edge dislocations in different cases of the Ni-, NiFe- and NiCoCr-samples. We find that even though the saturated amount of defects in the alloys is lower than in elemental Ni, the defect buildup in the early stages is faster in the alloys. We also find that the dislocation mobility in NiFe is lower than in Ni, at low stresses, and that the onset stress in NiFe is higher than in Ni. The same phenomenon was seen in comparison between NiFe and NiCoCr, since the three component alloy had lower dislocation mobility and higher onset stress. The dislocation velocity in elemental Ni plateaued out just under the forbidden velocity, whereas the alloys showed a more complex behaviour.

Height-related growth declines in ponderosa pine are not due to carbon limitation.

PubMed

Sala, Anna; Hoch, Günter

2009-01-01

Decreased gas exchange as trees grow tall has been proposed to explain age-related growth declines in trees. We examined changes of mobile carbon stores (starch, sugars and lipids) with tree height in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) at two sites differing in water availability, and tested the following hypotheses: (1) carbon supply does not become increasingly limited as trees grow tall; rather, the concentration of mobile carbon compounds increases with tree height reflecting greater reductions of carbon sink activities relative to carbon assimilation; and (2) increases of stored mobile carbon compounds with tree height are greater in drier sites. Height-related growth reductions were associated with significant increases of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) and lipid concentrations in all tissues in the upper canopy and of NSC in the bole. Lipid concentrations in the bole decreased with tree height, but such decrease is not necessarily inconsistent with non-limiting carbon supply in tall trees. Furthermore, we found stronger increases of mobile carbon stores with tree height at the dry site relative to the moist site. Our results provide first direct evidence that carbon supply does not limit growth in tall trees and that decreases of water availability might negatively impact growth processes more than net-photosynthesis.

[Policies for the promotion of sustainable mobility and the reduction of traffic-related air pollution in the cities participating in the EpiAir2 project].

PubMed

Di Lonardo, Sara; Nuvolone, Daniela; Forastiere, Francesco; Cadum, Ennio; Barchielli, Alessandro

2013-01-01

to describe transport policies adopted in recent years (2006-2010) by some Italian municipalities and their effectiveness. survey data refer to fifteen cities participating in the EpiAir2 project: Torino, Milano, Venezia, Bologna, Firenze, Pisa, Roma, Taranto, Palermo, Cagliari, Trieste, Genova, Ancona, Napoli, and Bari. this survey revealed strengths and weaknesses of the way in which these Italian cities address the promotion of sustainable mobility. As a general rule, the vehicle fleets have been renewed with a reduction of old-emission-standard vehicles. Italian cities reported a considerable delay in the development of underground and tram systems, and suburban rail networks, compared to other European urban areas. Regarding other aspects of urban mobility (supply/demand for public transport, low traffic and pedestrian zones, bike paths, car and bike sharing), this survey highlighted a great heterogeneity among Italian cities. differences between Italian cities are partly explained by structural and cultural features and also by local governance, specifically the political capability to design and adopt effective policies concerning urban transportation systems and their environmental impact. Various and fragmented initiatives are signs that Italy has not formulated a comprehensive and integrated strategy about sustainable mobility in urban areas yet.

Effect of Oxalic Acid Treatment on Sediment Arsenic Concentrations and Lability under Reducing Conditions

PubMed Central

Sun, Jing; Bostick, Benjamin C.; Mailloux, Brian J.; Ross, James M.; Chillrud, Steven N.

2016-01-01

Oxalic acid enhances arsenic (As) mobilization by dissolving As host minerals and competing for sorption sites. Oxalic acid amendments thus could potentially improve the efficiency of widely used pump-and-treat (P&T) remediation. This study investigates the effectiveness of oxalic acid on As mobilization from contaminated sediments with different As input sources and redox conditions, and examines whether residual sediment As after oxalic acid treatment can still be reductively mobilized. Batch extraction, column, and microcosm experiments were performed in the laboratory using sediments from the Dover Municipal Landfill and the Vineland Chemical Company Superfund sites. Oxalic acid mobilized As from both Dover and Vineland sediments, although the efficiency rates were different. The residual As in both Dover and Vineland sediments after oxalic acid treatment was less vulnerable to microbial reduction than before the treatment. Oxalic acid could thus improve the efficiency of P&T. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis indicated that the Vineland sediment samples still contained reactive Fe(III) minerals after oxalic acid treatment, and thus released more As into solution under reducing conditions than the Dover samples. Therefore, the efficacy of P&T must consider sediment Fe mineralogy when evaluating its overall potential for remediating groundwater As. PMID:26970042

Potentiometric assessment of iron release during ferritin reduction by exogenous agents.

PubMed

Vladimirova, Lilia S; Kochev, Valery K

2010-09-01

This work studied the possibilities for quantitative determination of iron mobilization in connection with ferritin reduction by ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and sodium dithionite in vitro. The iron storage protein was incubated with an excess of reductant in aerobic conditions in the absence of complexing agents in the medium. The release of Fe(2+) was let to go to completion, and the overall content of Fe(2+) in the solution was evaluated with the aid of potentiometric titration using Ce(4+) as an oxidizing titrant. Results suggest a moderate iron efflux under the influence of the chosen reducing agents. Although such a reduction of the protein mineral core by dihydroxyfumarate contributes greatly to the iron mobilization, ferritin behavior with vitamin C and dithionite seems to be different. Although redox properties of dihydroxyfumarate are determined by hydroxyl groups similar to those of ascorbic acid, the two compounds differ significantly in structure, and this could be the basis for an explanation of the specificities in their interaction with ferritin. As revealed by the study, potentiometric titration promises to be a reliable tool for evaluation of the amount of Fe(2+) present in the solution as a result of the reduction of the ferritin's mineral core. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Data mining learning bootstrap through semantic thumbnail analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battiato, Sebastiano; Farinella, Giovanni Maria; Giuffrida, Giovanni; Tribulato, Giuseppe

2007-01-01

The rapid increase of technological innovations in the mobile phone industry induces the research community to develop new and advanced systems to optimize services offered by mobile phones operators (telcos) to maximize their effectiveness and improve their business. Data mining algorithms can run over data produced by mobile phones usage (e.g. image, video, text and logs files) to discover user's preferences and predict the most likely (to be purchased) offer for each individual customer. One of the main challenges is the reduction of the learning time and cost of these automatic tasks. In this paper we discuss an experiment where a commercial offer is composed by a small picture augmented with a short text describing the offer itself. Each customer's purchase is properly logged with all relevant information. Upon arrival of new items we need to learn who the best customers (prospects) for each item are, that is, the ones most likely to be interested in purchasing that specific item. Such learning activity is time consuming and, in our specific case, is not applicable given the large number of new items arriving every day. Basically, given the current customer base we are not able to learn on all new items. Thus, we need somehow to select among those new items to identify the best candidates. We do so by using a joint analysis between visual features and text to estimate how good each new item could be, that is, whether or not is worth to learn on it. Preliminary results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach to improve classical data mining techniques.

RP-UHPLC-UV-ESI-MS/MS analysis of LPMO generated C4-oxidized gluco-oligosaccharides after non-reductive labeling with 2-aminobenzamide.

PubMed

Frommhagen, Matthias; van Erven, Gijs; Sanders, Mark; van Berkel, Willem J H; Kabel, Mirjam A; Gruppen, Harry

2017-08-07

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are able to cleave recalcitrant polysaccharides, such as cellulose, by oxidizing the C1 and/or C4 atoms. The analysis of the resulting products requires a variety of analytical techniques. Up to now, these techniques mainly focused on the identification of non-oxidized and C1-oxidized oligosaccharides. The analysis of C4-oxidized gluco-oligosaccharides is mostly performed by using high pressure anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC). However, the alkaline conditions used during HPAEC analysis lead to tautomerization of C4-oxidized gluco-oligosaccharides, which limits the use of this technique. Here, we describe the use of reverse phase-ultra high performance liquid chromatography (RP-UHPLC) in combination with non-reductive 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB) labeling. Non-reductive 2-AB labeling enabled separation of C4-oxidized gluco-oligosaccharides from their non-oxidized counterparts. Moreover, RP-UHPLC does not require buffered mobile phases, which reduce mass spectrometry (MS) sensitivity. The latter is seen as an advantage over other techniques such as hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography and porous graphitized carbon coupled to MS. RP-UHPLC coupled to UV detection and mass spectrometry allowed the identification of both labeled non-oxidized and C4-oxidized oligosaccharides. Non-reductive labeling kept the ketone at the C4-position of LPMO oxidized oligosaccharides intact, while selective reducing agents such as sodium triacetoxyborohydride (STAB) reduced this ketone group. Our results show that RP-UHPLC-UV-ESI-MS in combination with non-reductively 2-AB labeling is a suitable technique for the separation and identification of LPMO-generated C4-oxidized gluco-oligosaccharides. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Development of blood transfusion product pathogen reduction treatments: a review of methods, current applications and demands.

PubMed

Salunkhe, Vishal; van der Meer, Pieter F; de Korte, Dirk; Seghatchian, Jerard; Gutiérrez, Laura

2015-02-01

Transfusion-transmitted infections (TTI) have been greatly reduced in numbers due to the strict donor selection and screening procedures, i.e. the availability of technologies to test donors for endemic infections, and routine vigilance of regulatory authorities in every step of the blood supply chain (collection, processing and storage). However, safety improvement is still a matter of concern because infection zero-risk in transfusion medicine is non-existent. Alternatives are required to assure the safety of the transfusion product and to provide a substitution to systematic blood screening tests, especially in less-developed countries or at the war-field. Furthermore, the increasing mobility of the population due to traveling poses a new challenge in the endemic screening tests routinely used, because non-endemic pathogens might emerge in a specific population. Pathogen reduction treatments sum a plethora of active approaches to eliminate or reduce potential threatening pathogen load from blood transfusion products. Despite the success of pathogen reduction treatments applied to plasma products, there is still a long way to develop and deploy pathogen reduction treatments to cellular transfusion products (such as platelets, RBCs or even to whole blood) and there is divergence on its acceptance worldwide. While the use of pathogen reduction treatments in platelets is performed routinely in a fair number of European blood banks, most of these treatments are not (or just) licensed in the USA or elsewhere in the world. The development of pathogen reduction treatments for RBC and whole blood is still in its infancy and under clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the available and emerging pathogen reduction treatments and their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of characterizing standard transfusion products with current and emerging approaches (OMICS) and clinical outcome, and integrating this information on a database, thinking on the benefits it might bring in the future toward personalized transfusion therapies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isotopic and geochemical tracers for U(VI) reduction and U mobility at an in situ recovery U mine

DOE PAGES

Basu, Anirban; Brown, Shaun T.; Christensen, John N.; ...

2015-05-19

In situ recovery (ISR) uranium (U) mining mobilizes U in its oxidized hexavalent form (U(VI)) by oxidative dissolution of U from the roll-front U deposits. Post-mining natural attenuation of residual U(VI) at ISR mines is a potential remediation strategy. Detection and monitoring of naturally occurring reducing subsurface environments are important for successful implementation of this remediation scheme. We used the isotopic tracers ²³⁸U/²³⁵U (δ²³⁸U), ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratio, and ³⁴S/³²S (δ³⁴S), and geochemical measurements of U ore and groundwater collected from 32 wells located within, upgradient, and downgradient of a roll-front U deposit to detect U(VI) reduction and U mobility atmore » an ISR mining site at Rosita, TX, USA. The δ²³⁸U in Rosita groundwater varies from 0.61‰ to -2.49‰, with a trend toward lower δ²³⁸U in downgradient wells. The concurrent decrease in U(VI) concentration and δ²³⁸U with an ε of 0.48‰ ± 0.08‰ is indicative of naturally occurring reducing environments conducive to U(VI) reduction. Additionally, characteristic ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratio and δ³⁴S values may also be used to trace the mobility of the ore zone groundwater after mining has ended. These results support the use of U isotope-based detection of natural attenuation of U(VI) at Rosita and other similar ISR mining sites.« less

Isotopic and geochemical tracers for U(VI) reduction and U mobility at an in situ recovery U mine

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

Basu, Anirban; Brown, Shaun T.; Christensen, John N.

In situ recovery (ISR) uranium (U) mining mobilizes U in its oxidized hexavalent form (U(VI)) by oxidative dissolution of U from the roll-front U deposits. Post-mining natural attenuation of residual U(VI) at ISR mines is a potential remediation strategy. Detection and monitoring of naturally occurring reducing subsurface environments are important for successful implementation of this remediation scheme. We used the isotopic tracers ²³⁸U/²³⁵U (δ²³⁸U), ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratio, and ³⁴S/³²S (δ³⁴S), and geochemical measurements of U ore and groundwater collected from 32 wells located within, upgradient, and downgradient of a roll-front U deposit to detect U(VI) reduction and U mobility atmore » an ISR mining site at Rosita, TX, USA. The δ²³⁸U in Rosita groundwater varies from 0.61‰ to -2.49‰, with a trend toward lower δ²³⁸U in downgradient wells. The concurrent decrease in U(VI) concentration and δ²³⁸U with an ε of 0.48‰ ± 0.08‰ is indicative of naturally occurring reducing environments conducive to U(VI) reduction. Additionally, characteristic ²³⁴U/²³⁸U activity ratio and δ³⁴S values may also be used to trace the mobility of the ore zone groundwater after mining has ended. These results support the use of U isotope-based detection of natural attenuation of U(VI) at Rosita and other similar ISR mining sites.« less

Mobilization of soil-borne arsenic by three common organic acids: Dosage and time effects.

PubMed

Onireti, Olaronke O; Lin, Chuxia

2016-03-01

A batch experiment was conducted to investigate the mobilization of soil-borne arsenic by three common low-molecular-weight organic acids with a focus on dosage and time effects. The results show that oxalic acid behaved differently from citric acid and malic acid in terms of mobilizing As that was bound to iron compounds. At an equivalent molar concentration, reactions between oxalic acid and soil-borne Fe were kinetically more favourable, as compared to those between either citric acid or malic acid and the soil-borne Fe. It was found that reductive dissolution of soil-borne Fe played a more important role in liberating As, as compared to non-reductive reactions. Prior to the 7th day of the experiment, As mobility increased with increasing dose of oxalic acid while there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in mobilized As among the treatments with different doses of citric acid or malic acid. The dosage effect on soil-borne As mobilization in the citric acid and malic acid treatments became clear only after the 7th day of the experiment. Soluble Ca present in the soils could cause re-immobilization of As by competing with solution-borne Fe for available organic ligands to form practically insoluble organic compounds of calcium (i.e. calcium oxalate). This resulted in transformation of highly soluble organic complexes of iron (i.e. iron oxalate complexes) into slightly soluble organic compounds of iron (i.e. iron oxalate) or free ferric ion, which then reacted with the solution-borne arsenate ions to form practically insoluble iron arsenates in the latter part of the experiment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Physical Activity versus Health Education on Physical Function, Grip Strength and Mobility.

PubMed

Santanasto, Adam J; Glynn, Nancy W; Lovato, Laura C; Blair, Steven N; Fielding, Roger A; Gill, Thomas M; Guralnik, Jack M; Hsu, Fang-Chi; King, Abby C; Strotmeyer, Elsa S; Manini, Todd M; Marsh, Anthony P; McDermott, Mary M; Goodpaster, Bret H; Pahor, Marco; Newman, Anne B

2017-07-01

Physical activity (PA) reduces the rate of mobility disability, compared with health education (HE), in at risk older adults. It is important to understand aspects of performance contributing to this benefit. To evaluate intervention effects on tertiary physical performance outcomes. The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) was a multi-centered, single-blind randomized trial of older adults. Eight field centers throughout the United States. 1635 adults aged 78.9 ± 5.2 years, 67.2% women at risk for mobility disability (Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB] <10). Moderate PA including walking, resistance and balance training compared with HE consisting of topics relevant to older adults. Grip strength, SPPB score and its components (balance, 4 m gait speed, and chair-stands), as well as 400 m walking speed. Total SPPB score was higher in PA versus HE across all follow-up times (overall P = .04) as was the chair-stand component (overall P < .001). No intervention effects were observed for balance (overall P = .12), 4 m gait speed (overall P = .78), or grip strength (overall P = .62). However, 400 m walking speed was faster in PA versus HE group (overall P =<.001). In separate models, 29% of the rate reduction of major mobility disability in the PA versus HE group was explained by change in SPPB score, while 39% was explained by change in the chair stand component. Lower extremity performance (SPPB) was significantly higher in the PA compared with HE group. Changes in chair-stand score explained a considerable portion of the effect of PA on the reduction of major mobility disability-consistent with the idea that preserving muscle strength/power may be important for the prevention of major mobility disability. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

A leptin-regulated circuit controls glucose mobilization during noxious stimuli.

PubMed

Flak, Jonathan N; Arble, Deanna; Pan, Warren; Patterson, Christa; Lanigan, Thomas; Goforth, Paulette B; Sacksner, Jamie; Joosten, Maja; Morgan, Donald A; Allison, Margaret B; Hayes, John; Feldman, Eva; Seeley, Randy J; Olson, David P; Rahmouni, Kamal; Myers, Martin G

2017-08-01

Adipocytes secrete the hormone leptin to signal the sufficiency of energy stores. Reductions in circulating leptin concentrations reflect a negative energy balance, which augments sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation in response to metabolically demanding emergencies. This process ensures adequate glucose mobilization despite low energy stores. We report that leptin receptor-expressing neurons (LepRb neurons) in the periaqueductal gray (PAG), the largest population of LepRb neurons in the brain stem, mediate this process. Application of noxious stimuli, which often signal the need to mobilize glucose to support an appropriate response, activated PAG LepRb neurons, which project to and activate parabrachial nucleus (PBN) neurons that control SNS activation and glucose mobilization. Furthermore, activating PAG LepRb neurons increased SNS activity and blood glucose concentrations, while ablating LepRb in PAG neurons augmented glucose mobilization in response to noxious stimuli. Thus, decreased leptin action on PAG LepRb neurons augments the autonomic response to noxious stimuli, ensuring sufficient glucose mobilization during periods of acute demand in the face of diminished energy stores.

Speech Enhancement of Mobile Devices Based on the Integration of a Dual Microphone Array and a Background Noise Elimination Algorithm.

PubMed

Chen, Yung-Yue

2018-05-08

Mobile devices are often used in our daily lives for the purposes of speech and communication. The speech quality of mobile devices is always degraded due to the environmental noises surrounding mobile device users. Regretfully, an effective background noise reduction solution cannot easily be developed for this speech enhancement problem. Due to these depicted reasons, a methodology is systematically proposed to eliminate the effects of background noises for the speech communication of mobile devices. This methodology integrates a dual microphone array with a background noise elimination algorithm. The proposed background noise elimination algorithm includes a whitening process, a speech modelling method and an H ₂ estimator. Due to the adoption of the dual microphone array, a low-cost design can be obtained for the speech enhancement of mobile devices. Practical tests have proven that this proposed method is immune to random background noises, and noiseless speech can be obtained after executing this denoise process.

Ankle Plantarflexor Spasticity Does Not Restrict the Recovery of Ankle Plantarflexor Strength or Ankle Power Generation for Push-Off During Walking Following Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Williams, Gavin; Banky, Megan; Olver, John

2016-01-01

The main aim of this project was to determine the impact of plantarflexor spasticity on muscle performance for ambulant people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). A large metropolitan rehabilitation hospital. Seventy-two ambulant people with TBI who were attending physiotherapy for mobility limitations. Twenty-four participants returned for a 6-month follow-up reassessment. Cross-sectional cohort study. Self-selected walking speed, Tardieu scale, ankle plantarflexor strength, and ankle power generation (APG). Participants with ankle plantarflexor spasticity had significantly lower self-selected walking speed; however, there was no significant difference in ankle plantarflexor strength or APG. Participants with ankle plantarflexor spasticity were not restricted in the recovery of self-selected walking speed, ankle plantarflexor strength, or APG, indicating equivalent ability to improve their mobility over time despite the presence of spasticity. Following TBI, people with ankle plantarflexor spasticity have significantly greater mobility limitations than those without spasticity, yet retain the capacity for recovery of self-selected walking speed, ankle plantarflexor strength, and APG.

Mobile Eye Tracking Reveals Little Evidence for Age Differences in Attentional Selection for Mood Regulation

PubMed Central

Isaacowitz, Derek M.; Livingstone, Kimberly M.; Harris, Julia A.; Marcotte, Stacy L.

2014-01-01

We report two studies representing the first use of mobile eye tracking to study emotion regulation across adulthood. Past research on age differences in attentional deployment using stationary eye tracking has found older adults show relatively more positive looking, and seem to benefit more mood-wise from this looking pattern, compared to younger adults. However, these past studies have greatly constrained the stimuli participants can look at, despite real-world settings providing numerous possibilities for what to choose to look at. We therefore used mobile eye tracking to study age differences in attentional selection, as indicated by fixation patterns to stimuli of different valence freely chosen by the participant. In contrast to stationary eye tracking studies of attentional deployment, Study 1 showed that younger and older individuals generally selected similar proportions of valenced stimuli, and attentional selection had similar effects on mood across age groups. Study 2 replicated this pattern with an adult lifespan sample including middle-aged individuals. Emotion regulation-relevant attention may thus differ depending on whether stimuli are freely chosen or not. PMID:25527965

Communication-Related Abilities and Upward Mobility: A Longitudinal Investigation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sypher, Beverly Davenport; Zorn, Theodore E., Jr.

1986-01-01

Studies relationships among four measures of communication abilities, and between these abilities and job level and upward mobility in a selected insurance company. Concludes that communication abilities are important to the success of individuals in organizations. (MS)

MICROSCALE METABOLIC, REDOX AND ABIOTIC REACTIONS IN HANFORD 300 AREA SUBSURFACE SEDIMENTS

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

Beyenal, Haluk; McLEan, Jeff; Majors, Paul

2013-11-14

The Hanford 300 Area is a unique site due to periodic hydrologic influence of river water resulting in changes in groundwater elevation and flow direction. This area is also highly subject to uranium remobilization, the source of which is currently believed to be the region at the base of the vadose zone that is subject to period saturation due to the changes in the water levels in the Columbia River. We found that microbial processes and redox and abiotic reactions which operate at the microscale were critical to understanding factors controlling the macroscopic fate and transport of contaminants in themore » subsurface. The combined laboratory and field research showed how microscale conditions control uranium mobility and how biotic, abiotic and redox reactions relate to each other. Our findings extended the current knowledge to examine U(VI) reduction and immobilization using natural 300 Area communities as well as selected model organisms on redox-sensitive and redox-insensitive minerals. Using innovative techniques developed specifically to probe biogeochemical processes at the microscale, our research expanded our current understanding of the roles played by mineral surfaces, bacterial competition, and local biotic, abiotic and redox reaction rates on the reduction and immobilization of uranium.« less

Tandem ion mobility spectrometry coupled to laser excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Anne-Laure; Chirot, Fabien; Choi, Chang Min; Clavier, Christian; Barbaire, Marc; Maurelli, Jacques; Dagany, Xavier; MacAleese, Luke; Dugourd, Philippe

2015-09-01

This manuscript describes a new experimental setup that allows to perform tandem ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) measurements and which is coupled to a high resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer. It consists of two 79 cm long drift tubes connected by a dual ion funnel assembly. The setup was built to permit laser irradiation of the ions in the transfer region between the two drift tubes. This geometry allows selecting ions according to their ion mobility in the first drift tube, to irradiate selected ions, and examine the ion mobility of the product ions in the second drift tube. Activation by collision is possible in the same region (between the two tubes) and between the second tube and the time-of-flight. IMS-IMS experiments on Ubiquitin are reported. We selected a given isomer of charge state +7 and explored its structural rearrangement following collisional activation between the two drift tubes. An example of IMS-laser-IMS experiment is reported on eosin Y, where laser irradiation was used to produce radical ions by electron photodetachment starting from doubly deprotonated species. This allowed measuring the collision cross section of the radical photo-product, which cannot be directly produced with an electrospray source.

Contributions of mobile technologies to addiction research.

PubMed

Swendsen, Joel

2016-06-01

Mobile technologies are revolutionizing the field of mental health, and particular progress has been made in their application to addiction research and treatment. The use of smartphones and other mobile devices has been shown to be feasible with individuals addicted to any of a wide range of substances, with few biases being observed concerning the repeated monitoring of daily life experiences, craving, or substance use. From a methodological point of view, the use of mobile technologies overcomes longstanding limitations of traditional clinical research protocols, including the more accurate assessment of temporal relationships among variables, as well as the reduction in both contextual constraints and discipline-specific methodological isolation. The present article presents a conceptual review of these advances while using illustrations of research applications that are capable of overcoming specific methodological barriers. Finally, a brief review of both the benefits and risks of mobile technology use for the treatment of patients will be addressed.

The long-run poverty and gender impacts of mobile money.

PubMed

Suri, Tavneet; Jack, William

2016-12-09

Mobile money, a service that allows monetary value to be stored on a mobile phone and sent to other users via text messages, has been adopted by the vast majority of Kenyan households. We estimate that access to the Kenyan mobile money system M-PESA increased per capita consumption levels and lifted 194,000 households, or 2% of Kenyan households, out of poverty. The impacts, which are more pronounced for female-headed households, appear to be driven by changes in financial behavior-in particular, increased financial resilience and saving-and labor market outcomes, such as occupational choice, especially for women, who moved out of agriculture and into business. Mobile money has therefore increased the efficiency of the allocation of consumption over time while allowing a more efficient allocation of labor, resulting in a meaningful reduction of poverty in Kenya. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Human mobility and epidemic invasion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colizza, Vittoria

2010-03-01

The current H1N1 influenza pandemic is just the latest example of how human mobility helps drive infectious diseases. Travel has grown explosively in the last decades, contributing to an emerging complex pattern of traffic flows that unfolds at different scales, shaping the spread of epidemics. Restrictions on people's mobility are thus investigated to design possible containment measures. By considering a theoretical framework in terms of reaction-diffusion processes, it is possible to study the invasion dynamics of epidemics in a metapopulation system with heterogeneous mobility patterns. The system is found to exhibit a global invasion threshold that sets the critical mobility rate below which the epidemic is contained. The results provide a general framework for the understanding of the numerical evidence from detailed data-driven simulations that show the limited benefit provided by travel flows reduction in slowing down or containing an emerging epidemic.

Contributions of mobile technologies to addiction research

PubMed Central

Swendsen, Joel

2016-01-01

Mobile technologies are revolutionizing the field of mental health, and particular progress has been made in their application to addiction research and treatment. The use of smartphones and other mobile devices has been shown to be feasible with individuals addicted to any of a wide range of substances, with few biases being observed concerning the repeated monitoring of daily life experiences, craving, or substance use. From a methodological point of view, the use of mobile technologies overcomes longstanding limitations of traditional clinical research protocols, including the more accurate assessment of temporal relationships among variables, as well as the reduction in both contextual constraints and discipline-specific methodological isolation. The present article presents a conceptual review of these advances while using illustrations of research applications that are capable of overcoming specific methodological barriers. Finally, a brief review of both the benefits and risks of mobile technology use for the treatment of patients will be addressed. PMID:27489461

SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION MERCURY FIELD SAMPLING PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

The report details an investigation on the effect of selective catalytic reduction (SCR), selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR), and flue gas conditioning on the speciation and removal of mercury at power plants. If SCR and/or SNCR systems enhance mercury conversion/capture, t...

Efficacy of titanium dioxide nanoparticle spray to disinfect mobile phones used by endodontist: A bacteriological study.

PubMed

Palaniswamy, Udayakumar; Habeeb, Aisha; Mohsin, Mohammed

2018-01-01

The objectives of this study were to determine the bacterial contamination of the mobile phones that were used by the endodontist in comparison with the general dentist and also to determine the usefulness of titanium dioxide nanospray (TiO 2 NS) in mobile phone decontamination. Samples from the 60 mobile phones were taken using moist sterile swabs before, 10 min, and 1 week after the use of TiO 2 NS. Before collection of the swabs, the participants' informed consent was obtained. Samples obtained were cultured on blood agar to identify bacterial isolates. All 60 mobile phone cultures were found to be culture positive. There was a significant reduction in the mean number of colony-forming units after decontamination with TiO 2 NS ( P < 0.001). The results from this study showed that the mobile phones may act as an important source of nosocomial pathogens and TiO 2 NS would be an effective decontaminant. Therefore, it is important for dental professionals to practice routine mobile phone disinfection protocol to reduce the chances of occurrence of nosocomial infections.

European Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS): A regional system for Europe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loisy, C.; Edin, P.; Benedicto, F. J.

1995-01-01

The European Space Agency is presently procuring two L-band payloads in order to promote a regional system for the provision of European Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS). These are the EMS payload on the Italsat I-F2 satellite and the LLM payload on the ARTEMIS satellite. Telecommunication system studies have been concentrating on mobile applications where full European geographical coverage is required. Potential applications include high priority Private Mobile Radio networks requiring national or European coverage, such as civil security, fire brigades, police and health services, as well as a dedicated system for provision of Air Traffic Services to the civil aviation community. A typical application is an intelligent road traffic management system combining a geographically selective traffic data collection service based on probe vehicles with a geographically selective traffic information broadcast service. Network architectures and bearer services have been developed both for data only and voice/data services. Vehicle mounted mobile transceivers using CDMA access techniques have been developed. The EMSS operational phase will start with the EMS payload in orbit in 1996 and continue with the LLM payload in 1997.

A Look at Research on Mobile Learning in K-12 Education from 2007 to the Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Min; Scordino, Robert; Geurtz, Renata; Navarrete, Cesar; Ko, Yujung; Lim, Mihyun

2014-01-01

The purpose of this literature review is to examine data-based studies published on mobile learning in K-12 from 2007 to the present. In total, 63 studies from 15 refereed journals were selected for analysis. The findings are organized in four themes: (a) comparison studies, (b) no comparison studies, (c) mobilized learning, and (d) academic…

The Occupational Mobility of Current and Former Farm Workers: A Comparative Analysis in Two California Labor Markets. California Agricultural Studies, 91-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabbard, Susan; Goldring, Luin

This report examines the occupational mobility of agricultural workers in two California labor markets and the effects of the Immigration Reform and Control Act and individual, job, and labor-market characteristics on such mobility. Interviews were conducted among a randomly selected sample of 162 households, which included 401 workers in southern…

The AIDLET Model: A Framework for Selecting Games, Simulations and Augmented Reality Environments in Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bidarra, José; Rothschild, Meagan; Squire, Kurt; Figueiredo, Mauro

2013-01-01

Smartphones and other mobile devices like the iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire, and iPad have boosted educators' interest in using mobile media for education. Applications from games to augmented reality are thriving in research settings, and in some cases schools and universities, but relatively little is known about how such devices may be used for…

Fast Orthogonal Separation by Superposition of Time of Flight and Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry.

PubMed

Bohnhorst, Alexander; Kirk, Ansgar T; Berger, Marc; Zimmermann, Stefan

2018-01-16

Ion mobility spectrometry is a powerful and low-cost technique for the identification of chemical warfare agents, toxic chemicals, or explosives in air. Drift tube ion mobility spectrometers (DT-IMS) separate ions by the absolute value of their low field ion mobility, while field asymmetric ion mobility spectrometers (FAIMS) separate them by the change of their ion mobility at high fields. However, using one of these devices alone, some common and harmless substances show the same response as the hazardous target substances. In order to increase the selectivity, orthogonal data are required. Thus, in this work, we present for the first time an ambient pressure ion mobility spectrometer which is able to separate ions both by their differential and low field mobility, providing additional information for selectivity enhancement. This novel field asymmetric time of flight ion mobility spectrometer (FAT-IMS) allows high repetition rates and reaches limits of detection in the low ppb range common for DT-IMS. The device consists of a compact 44 mm drift tube with a tritium ionization source and a resolving power of 70. An increased separation of four substances with similar low field ion mobility is shown: phosgene (K 0 = 2.33 cm 2 /(V s)), 1,1,2-trichlorethane (K 0 = 2.31 cm 2 /(V s)), chlorine (K 0 = 2.24 cm 2 /(V s)), and nitrogen dioxide (K 0 = 2.25 cm 2 /(V s)). Furthermore, the behavior and limits of detection for acetonitrile, dimethyl methylphosphonate, diisopropyl methyl phosphonate in positive polarity and carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, cyanogen chloride, and hydrogen cyanide in negative polarity are investigated.

Identifying and Validating Requirements of a Mobile-Based Self-Management System for People Living with HIV.

PubMed

Mehraeen, Esmaeil; Safdari, Reza; Seyedalinaghi, Seyed Ahmad; Mohammadzadeh, Niloofar; Arji, Goli

2018-01-01

Due to the widespread use of mobile technology and the low cost of this technology, implementing a mobile-based self-management system can lead to adherence to the medication regimens and promotion of the health of people living with HIV (PLWH). We aimed to identify requirements of a mobile-based self-management system, and validate them from the perspective of infectious diseases specialists. This is a mixed-methods study that carried out in two main phases. In the first phase, we identified requirements of a mobile-based self-management system for PLWH. In the second phase, identified requirements were validated using a researcher made questionnaire. The statistical population was infectious diseases specialists affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (version 19), and descriptive statistics. By full-text review of selected studies, we determined requirements of a mobile-based self-management system in four categories: demographic, clinical, strategically and technical capabilities. According to the findings, 6 data elements for demographic category, 11 data elements for clinical category, 10 items for self-management strategies, and 11 features for technical capabilities were selected. Using the identified preferences, it is possible to design and implement a mobile-based self-management system for HIV-positive people. Developing a mobile-based self-management system is expected to progress the skills of self-management PLWH, improve of medication regimen adherence, and facilitate communication with healthcare providers.

Fuel Microemulsions for Jet Engine Smoke Reduction

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-05-01

ESL-TR-80-25 FUEL MICROEMULSIONS FOR JET ENGINE SMOKE REDUCTION LEVEL$: 0• D.W. NAEGELI , G.E. FODOR, C.A. MOSES MOBILE ENERGY DIVISION 1N•j SOUTHWEST...Moses, C.A, and D.W. Naegeli , "Fuel Property Effects on Combustor Per- formance," AS!E Paper 79-GT-178, San Diego, CA, January 1979. 17. Naegeli , D.W

Stable isotope fractionation of selenium by natural microbial consortia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellis, A.S.; Johnson, T.M.; Herbel, M.J.; Bullen, T.D.

2003-01-01

The mobility and bioavailability of Se depend on its redox state, and reduction of Se oxyanions to less mobile, reduced species controls transport of this potentially toxic element in the environment. Stable isotope fractionation of Se is currently being developed as an indicator of Se immobilization through reduction. In this study, Se isotope fractionation resulting from reduction of Se(VI) and Se(IV) oxyanions by natural microbial consortia was measured in sediment slurry experiments under nearly natural conditions, with no substrate added. Experiments were conducted with a wide range of initial Se concentrations and with sediment and water from three locations with contrasting environmental settings. The products of Se(VI) and Se(IV) reduction were enriched in the lighter isotopes relative to the reactants. Shifts of -2.60/00 to -3.10/00 and -5.50/00 to -5.70/00, respectively, were observed in the 80Se/76Se ratio. These isotopic fractionations did not depend significantly on initial Se concentrations, which were varied from 22 μg/l to 8 mg/l, or on geochemical differences among the sediments. These results provide estimates of Se isotope fractionation in organic-rich wetland environments but may not be appropriate for substrate-poor aquifers and marine sediments.

Selenium isotope ratios as indicators of selenium sources and oxyanion reduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, T.M.; Herbel, M.J.; Bullen, T.D.; Zawislanski, P.T.

1999-01-01

Selenium stable isotope ratio measurements should serve as indicators of sources and biogeochemical transformations of Se. We report measurements of Se isotope fractionation during selenate reduction, selenite sorption, oxidation of reduced Se in soils, and Se volatilization by algae and soil samples. These results, combined with previous work with Se isotopes, indicate that reduction of soluble oxyanions is the dominant cause of Se isotope fractionation. Accordingly, Se isotope ratios should be useful as indicators of oxyanion reduction, which can transform mobile species to forms that are less mobile and less bioavailable. Additional investigations of Se isotope fractionation are needed to confirm this preliminary assessment. We have developed a new method for measurement of natural Se isotope ratio variation which requires less than 500 ng Se per analysis and yields ??0.2??? precision on 80Se/76Se. A double isotope spike technique corrects for isotopic fractionation during sample preparation and mass spectrometry. The small minimum sample size is important, as Se concentrations are often below 1 ppm in solids and 1 ??g/L in fluids. The Se purification process is rapid and compatible with various sample matrices, including acidic rock or sediment digests.

Selenium isotope ratios as indicators of selenium sources and oxyanion reduction

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

Johnson, T.M.; Herbel, M.J.; Bullen, T.D.

1999-09-01

Selenium stable isotope ratio measurements should serve as indicators of sources and biogeochemical transformations of Se. The authors report measurements of Se isotope fractionation during selenate reduction, selenite sorption, oxidation of reduced Se in soils, and Se volatilization by algae and soil samples. These results, combined with previous work with Se isotopes, indicate that reduction of soluble oxyanions is the dominant cause of Se isotope fractionation. Accordingly, Se isotope ratios should be useful as indicators of oxyanion reduction, which can transform mobile species to forms that are less mobile and less bioavailable. Additional investigations of Se isotope fractionation are neededmore » to confirm this preliminary assessment. The authors have developed a new method for measurement of natural Se isotope ratio variation which requires less than 500 ng Se per analysis and yields {+-}0.2% precision on {sup 80}Se/{sup 76}Se. A double isotope spike technique corrects for isotopic fractionation during sample preparation and mass spectrometry. The small minimum sample size is important, as Se concentrations are often below 1 ppm in solids and 1 {micro}g/L in fluids. The Se purification process is rapid and compatible with various sample matrices, including acidic rock or sediment digests.« less

Evaluation of Interactive Visualization on Mobile Computing Platforms for Selection of Deep Brain Stimulation Parameters

PubMed Central

Butson, Christopher R.; Tamm, Georg; Jain, Sanket; Fogal, Thomas; Krüger, Jens

2012-01-01

In recent years there has been significant growth in the use of patient-specific models to predict the effects of neuromodulation therapies such as deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, translating these models from a research environment to the everyday clinical workflow has been a challenge, primarily due to the complexity of the models and the expertise required in specialized visualization software. In this paper, we deploy the interactive visualization system ImageVis3D Mobile, which has been designed for mobile computing devices such as the iPhone or iPad, in an evaluation environment to visualize models of Parkinson’s disease patients who received DBS therapy. Selection of DBS settings is a significant clinical challenge that requires repeated revisions to achieve optimal therapeutic response, and is often performed without any visual representation of the stimulation system in the patient. We used ImageVis3D Mobile to provide models to movement disorders clinicians and asked them to use the software to determine: 1) which of the four DBS electrode contacts they would select for therapy; and 2) what stimulation settings they would choose. We compared the stimulation protocol chosen from the software versus the stimulation protocol that was chosen via clinical practice (independently of the study). Lastly, we compared the amount of time required to reach these settings using the software versus the time required through standard practice. We found that the stimulation settings chosen using ImageVis3D Mobile were similar to those used in standard of care, but were selected in drastically less time. We show how our visualization system, available directly at the point of care on a device familiar to the clinician, can be used to guide clinical decision making for selection of DBS settings. In our view, the positive impact of the system could also translate to areas other than DBS. PMID:22450824

Mobilization of arsenic from contaminated sediment by anionic and nonionic surfactants.

PubMed

Liang, Chuan; Peng, Xianjia

2017-06-01

The increasing manufacture of surfactants and their wide application in industry, agriculture and household detergents have resulted in large amounts of surfactant residuals being discharged into water and distributed into sediment. Surfactants have the potential to enhance arsenic mobility, leading to risks to the environment and even human beings. In this study, batch and column experiments were conducted to investigate arsenic mobilization from contaminated sediment by the commercial anionic surfactants sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium laureth sulfate (AES) and nonionic surfactants phenyl-polyethylene glycol (Triton X-100) and polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate (Tween-80). The ability of surfactants to mobilize arsenic followed the order AES>SDBS>SDS≈Triton X-100>Tween 80. Arsenic mobilization by AES and Triton X-100 increased greatly with the increase of surfactant concentration and pH, while arsenic release by SDBS, SDS and Tween-80 slightly increased. The divalent ion Ca 2+ caused greater reduction of arsenic mobilization than Na + . Sequential extraction experiments showed that the main fraction of arsenic mobilized was the specifically adsorbed fraction. Solid phase extraction showed that arsenate (As(V)) was the main species mobilized by surfactants, accounting for 65.05%-77.68% of the total mobilized arsenic. The mobilization of arsenic was positively correlated with the mobilization of iron species. The main fraction of mobilized arsenic was the dissolved fraction, accounting for 70% of total mobilized arsenic. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Mobile phone short message service messaging for behaviour modification in a community-based weight control programme in Korea.

PubMed

Joo, Nam-Seok; Kim, Bom-Taeck

2007-01-01

We conducted a community-based anti-obesity programme using mobile phone short message service (SMS) messaging. A total of 927 participants were recruited and visited a public health centre for initial assessment. Mobile phones were used to deliver short messages about diet, exercise and behaviour modification once a week. After a 12-week anti-obesity programme they visited the public health centre again. Four hundred and thirty-three subjects (47%) successfully completed their weight control programme. There were mean reductions of weight, waist circumference and body mass index of 1.6 kg (P < 0.001), 4.3 cm (P < 0.001) and 0.6 kg/m(2) (P < 0.001), respectively. Over two-thirds of the subjects had a reduction in waist circumference of 5-7.5 cm. A post-intervention survey showed that the majority of participants were satisfied with the weekly SMS messages and information brochures delivered by post. SMS messaging may be an effective method of behaviour modification in weight control and anti-obesity health education programmes when promoted by community health centres.

Detection of Radiation-Exposure Biomarkers by Differential Mobility Prefiltered Mass Spectrometry (DMS-MS)

PubMed Central

Coy, Stephen L.; Krylov, Evgeny V.; Schneider, Bradley B.; Covey, Thomas R.; Brenner, David J.; Tyburski, John B.; Patterson, Andrew D.; Krausz, Kris W.; Fornace, Albert J.; Nazarov, Erkinjon G.

2010-01-01

Technology to enable rapid screening for radiation exposure has been identified as an important need, and, as a part of a NIH / NIAD effort in this direction, metabolomic biomarkers for radiation exposure have been identified in a recent series of papers. To reduce the time necessary to detect and measure these biomarkers, differential mobility spectrometry – mass spectrometry (DMS-MS) systems have been developed and tested. Differential mobility ion filters preselect specific ions and also suppress chemical noise created in typical atmospheric-pressure ionization sources (ESI, MALDI, and others). Differential-mobility-based ion selection is based on the field dependence of ion mobility, which, in turn, depends on ion characteristics that include conformation, charge distribution, molecular polarizability, and other properties, and on the transport gas composition which can be modified to enhance resolution. DMS-MS is able to resolve small-molecule biomarkers from nearly-isobaric interferences, and suppresses chemical noise generated in the ion source and in the mass spectrometer, improving selectivity and quantitative accuracy. Our planar DMS design is rapid, operating in a few milliseconds, and analyzes ions before fragmentation. Depending on MS inlet conditions, DMS-selected ions can be dissociated in the MS inlet expansion, before mass analysis, providing a capability similar to MS/MS with simpler instrumentation. This report presents selected DMS-MS experimental results, including resolution of complex test mixtures of isobaric compounds, separation of charge states, separation of isobaric biomarkers (citrate and isocitrate), and separation of nearly-isobaric biomarker anions in direct analysis of a bio-fluid sample from the radiation-treated group of a mouse-model study. These uses of DMS combined with moderate resolution MS instrumentation indicate the feasibility of field-deployable instrumentation for biomarker evaluation. PMID:20305793

Miniaturized Ion Mobility Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stimac, Robert M. (Inventor); Kaye, William J (Inventor)

2017-01-01

By utilizing the combination of a unique electronic ion injection control circuit in conjunction with a particularly designed drift cell construction, the instantly disclosed ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) achieves increased levels of sensitivity, while achieving significant reductions in size and weight. The instant IMS is of a much simpler and easy to manufacture design, rugged and hermetically sealed, capable of operation at high temperatures to at least 250 degrees Centigrade, and is uniquely sensitive, particularly to explosive chemicals.

Miniaturized Ion Mobility Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaye, William J. (Inventor); Stimac, Robert M. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

By utilizing the combination of a unique electronic ion injection control circuit in conjunction with a particularly designed drift cell construction, the instantly disclosed ion mobility spectrometer achieves increased levels of sensitivity, while achieving significant reductions in size and weight. The instant IMS is of a much simpler and easy to manufacture design, rugged and hermetically sealed, capable of operation at high temperatures to at least 250.degree. C., and is uniquely sensitive, particularly to explosive chemicals.

Mobile phones and sleep - A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supe, Sanjay S.

2010-01-01

The increasing use of mobile phones has raised concerns regarding the potential health effects of exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. An increasing amount research related to mobile phone use has focussed on the possible effects of mobile phone exposure on human brain activity and function. In particular, the use of sleep research has become a more widely used technique for assessing the possible effects of mobile phones on human health and wellbeing especially in the investigation of potential changes in sleep architecture resulting from mobile phone use. Acute exposure to a mobile phone prior to sleep significantly enhances electroencephalogram spectral power in the sleep spindle frequency range. This mobile phone-induced enhancement in spectral power is largely transitory and does not linger throughout the night. Furthermore, a reduction in rapid eye movement sleep latency following mobile phone exposure was also found, although interestingly, neither this change in rapid eye movement sleep latency or the enhancement in spectral power following mobile phone exposure, led to changes in the overall quality of sleep. In conclusion, a short exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by a mobile phone handset immediately prior to sleep is sufficient to induce changes in brain activity in the initial part of sleep. The consequences or functional significance of this effect are currently unknown and it would be premature to draw conclusions about possible health consequences.

The prioritization of mobility improvements using a multicriteria prioritization algorithm : final report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-07-01

A prioritization process has been prepared by the University of California, Davis, for use by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in selecting multimodal mobility improvement projects to fund, given a budget constraint. The process involve...

Radiation exposure reduction by use of Kevlar cassettes in the neonatal nursery

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

Herman, M.W.; Mak, H.K.; Lachman, R.S.

1987-05-01

A study was performed to determine whether the use of Kevlar cassettes in the neonatal intensive care nursery would reduce radiation exposure to patients. The radiation dose to the neonates was measured by using thermoluminescent dosimeters. In addition, the attenuation of the Kevlar cassettes and the sensitivity of the film-screen combination were compared with the previously used system. The greatest radiation reduction using a mobile X-ray unit was 27%; based on sensitivity measurements, the theoretical reduction averaged 38%. The reduction in radiation exposure resulted from reduced attenuation by the Kevlar cassette.

Radiation exposure reduction by use of Kevlar cassettes in the neonatal nursery.

PubMed

Herman, M W; Mak, H K; Lachman, R S

1987-05-01

A study was performed to determine whether the use of Kevlar cassettes in the neonatal intensive care nursery would reduce radiation exposure to patients. The radiation dose to the neonates was measured by using thermoluminescent dosimeters. In addition, the attenuation of the Kevlar cassettes and the sensitivity of the film-screen combination were compared with the previously used system. The greatest radiation reduction using a mobile X-ray unit was 27%; based on sensitivity measurements, the theoretical reduction averaged 38%. The reduction in radiation exposure resulted from reduced attenuation by the Kevlar cassette.

Selective detection of underivatized 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in soil by supercritical fluid chromatography with ion mobility detection.

PubMed

Morrissey, M A; Hill, H H

1989-09-01

A simplified procedure was developed for the determination of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) in soils. Soil samples were separated by supercritical fluid chromatography after extraction without derivatization and without the use of column chromatography for cleanup. Interferences in the chromatographic separation were eliminated by using a tunably selective ion mobility detector. An atmospheric pressure ion formed by the free acid was selectively monitored so the detector could monitor 2,4-D in the presence of other electron-capturing compounds. For a randomly chosen soil sample, the level of 2,4-D detected was estimated at 500 ppb.

Ion mobility spectrometer using frequency-domain separation

DOEpatents

Martin, S.J.; Butler, M.A.; Frye, G.C.; Schubert, W.K.

1998-08-04

An apparatus and method are provided for separating and analyzing chemical species in an ion mobility spectrometer using a frequency-domain technique wherein the ions generated from the chemical species are selectively transported through an ion flow channel having a moving electrical potential therein. The moving electrical potential allows the ions to be selected according to ion mobility, with certain of the ions being transported to an ion detector and other of the ions being effectively discriminated against. The apparatus and method have applications for sensitive chemical detection and analysis for monitoring of exhaust gases, hazardous waste sites, industrial processes, aerospace systems, non-proliferation, and treaty verification. The apparatus can be formed as a microelectromechanical device (i.e. a micromachine). 6 figs.

Re-electrospraying splash-landed proteins and nanoparticles.

PubMed

Benner, W Henry; Lewis, Gregory S; Hering, Susanne V; Selgelke, Brent; Corzett, Michelle; Evans, James E; Lightstone, Felice C

2012-03-06

FITC-albumin, Lsr-F, or fluorescent polystyrene latex particles were electrosprayed from aqueous buffer and subjected to dispersion by differential electrical mobility at atmospheric pressure. A resulting narrow size cut of singly charged molecular ions or particles was passed through a condensation growth tube collector to create a flow stream of small water droplets, each carrying a single ion or particle. The droplets were splash landed (impacted) onto a solid or liquid temperature controlled surface. Small pools of droplets containing size-selected particles, FITC-albumin, or Lsr-F were recovered, re-electrosprayed, and, when analyzed a second time by differential electrical mobility, showed increased homogeneity. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of the size-selected Lsr-F sample corroborated the mobility observation.

An enhanced performance through agent-based secure approach for mobile ad hoc networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisen, Dhananjay; Sharma, Sanjeev

2018-01-01

This paper proposes an agent-based secure enhanced performance approach (AB-SEP) for mobile ad hoc network. In this approach, agent nodes are selected through optimal node reliability as a factor. This factor is calculated on the basis of node performance features such as degree difference, normalised distance value, energy level, mobility and optimal hello interval of node. After selection of agent nodes, a procedure of malicious behaviour detection is performed using fuzzy-based secure architecture (FBSA). To evaluate the performance of the proposed approach, comparative analysis is done with conventional schemes using performance parameters such as packet delivery ratio, throughput, total packet forwarding, network overhead, end-to-end delay and percentage of malicious detection.

Energy consumption model on WiMAX subscriber station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mubarakah, N.; Suherman; Al-Hakim, M. Y.; Warman, E.

2018-02-01

Mobile communication technologies move toward miniaturization. Mobile device’s energy source relies on its battery endurance. The smaller the mobile device, it is expected the slower the battery drains. Energy consumption reduction in mobile devices has been of interest of researcher. In order to optimize energy consumption, its usage should be predictable. This paper proposes a model of predicted energy amount consumed by the WiMAX subscriber station by using regression analysis of active WiMAX states and their durations. The proposed model was assessed by using NS-2 simulation for more than a hundred thousand of recorded energy consumptions data in every WiMAX states. The assessment show a small average deviation between predicted and measured energy consumptions, about 0.18% for training data and 0.187% and 0.191% for test data.

Undoped polythiophene field-effect transistors with mobility of 1 cm2 V-1 s-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamadani, B. H.; Gundlach, D. J.; McCulloch, I.; Heeney, M.

2007-12-01

We report on charge transport in organic field-effect transistors based on poly(2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) as the active polymer layer with saturation field-effect mobilities as large as 1cm2V-1s-1. This is achieved by employing Pt instead of the commonly used Au as the contacting electrode and allows for a significant reduction in the metal/polymer contact resistance. The mobility increases as a function of decreasing channel length, consistent with a Poole-Frenkel model of charge transport, and reaches record mobilities of 1cm2V-1s-1 or more at channel lengths on the order of few microns in an undoped solution-processed polymer cast on an oxide gate dielectric.

SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION MERCURY FIELD SAMPLING PROJECT

EPA Science Inventory

A lack of data still exists as to the effect of selective catalytic reduction (SCR), selective noncatalytic reduction (SNCR), and flue gas conditioning on the speciation and removal of mercury (Hg) at power plants. This project investigates the impact that SCR, SNCR, and flue gas...

Phenology of Scramble Polygyny in a Wild Population of Chrysolemid Beetles: The Opportunity for and the Strength of Sexual Selection

PubMed Central

Baena, Martha Lucía; Macías-Ordóñez, Rogelio

2012-01-01

Recent debate has highlighted the importance of estimating both the strength of sexual selection on phenotypic traits, and the opportunity for sexual selection. We describe seasonal fluctuations in mating dynamics of Leptinotarsa undecimlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). We compared several estimates of the opportunity for, and the strength of, sexual selection and male precopulatory competition over the reproductive season. First, using a null model, we suggest that the ratio between observed values of the opportunity for sexual selections and their expected value under random mating results in unbiased estimates of the actual nonrandom mating behavior of the population. Second, we found that estimates for the whole reproductive season often misrepresent the actual value at any given time period. Third, mating differentials on male size and mobility, frequency of male fighting and three estimates of the opportunity for sexual selection provide contrasting but complementary information. More intense sexual selection associated to male mobility, but not to male size, was observed in periods with high opportunity for sexual selection and high frequency of male fights. Fourth, based on parameters of spatial and temporal aggregation of female receptivity, we describe the mating system of L. undecimlineata as a scramble mating polygyny in which the opportunity for sexual selection varies widely throughout the season, but the strength of sexual selection on male size remains fairly weak, while male mobility inversely covaries with mating success. We suggest that different estimates for the opportunity for, and intensity of, sexual selection should be applied in order to discriminate how different behavioral and demographic factors shape the reproductive dynamic of populations. PMID:22761675

Managing Weight: What Do People with an Intellectual Disability Want from Mobile Technology?

PubMed

Smyth, Phil; McDowell, Claire; Leslie, Julian C; Leader, Geraldine; Donnelly, Mark; Simpson, Elizabeth; Skelly, Laura

2017-01-01

Obesity is a significant health challenge. People with Intellectual Disability (ID) are particularly vulnerable to developing obesity. Mobile technology has been developed to support the management of weight and obesity in the form of apps, although not with people with an ID in mind. As a result existing off-the-shelf weight management apps currently available may not be functional in supporting weight reduction within this population. This paper presents the results of consultations with people with ID regarding weight management, comfort with mobile technology and desired characteristics in apps designed for people with ID that target weight management.

Design of a simple Gerdien condenser for ionospheric D-region charged particle density and mobility measurements. [for Arcas rocket sounding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrokh, H.

1975-01-01

The theory of a Gerdien condenser operating in a collision controlled medium is reviewed. Design and electronics of a Gerdien condenser probe suitable for flying on the Arcas rocket is presented. Aerodynamics properties of the instrument in continuous flow are discussed. The method of data reduction and experimental results of one successful flight at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, on 11 January 1974 are reported. This investigation shows positive ions in two relatively distinct mobility groups between 47 and 65 km and a more continuous distribution of mobilities between 38 and 47 km.

Health, Information, and Migration: Geographic Mobility of Union Army Veterans, 1860–1880

PubMed Central

Lee, Chulhee

2009-01-01

This article explores how injuries, sickness, and the geographic mobility of Union Army veterans while in service affected their postservice migrations. Wartime wounds and illnesses significantly diminished the geographic mobility of veterans after the war. Geographic moves while carrying out military missions had strong positive effects on their postservice geographic mobility. Geographic moves while in service also influenced the choice of destination among the migrants. I discuss some implications of the results for the elements of self-selection in migration, the roles of different types of information in migration decisions, and the overall impact of the Civil War on geographic mobility. PMID:20234796

Chelant-enhanced washing of CCA-contaminated soil: Coupled with selective dissolution or soil stabilization.

PubMed

Beiyuan, Jingzi; Lau, Abbe Y T; Tsang, Daniel C W; Zhang, Weihua; Kao, Chih-Ming; Baek, Kitae; Ok, Yong Sik; Li, Xiang-Dong

2018-01-15

Remediation of CCA-contaminated soil (Cr, Cu, and As) by biodegradable chelant-enhanced washing (EDDS, S,S-ethylene-diamine-disuccinic-acid) needs further enhancement. This study investigated the effectiveness of coupling with pre-treatment by selective dissolution and post-treatment by soil amendments, respectively. Three groups of reagents (reductants, alkaline solvents, and organic ligands) were adopted in the pre-treatment to dissolve the oxide minerals before EDDS extraction. In the post-treatment, soil amendments (coal fly ash (CFA), acid mine drainage sludge (AMDS), green waste compost (GWC)), and their mixtures) were used for a 2-month stabilization after 2-h EDDS washing. Multi-endpoint evaluation was performed by assessing the chemical state, leachability, mobility, bioaccessibility, and plant-availability of residual metal(loid)s as well as the cytotoxicity, enzyme activities, and available nutrients of the treated soils. Pre-treatment by dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate significantly enhanced extraction efficiency, but also increased the leachability of As and Cr and bioaccessibility of Cr in the treated soils. While sodium hydroxide removed the majority of As without increasing its leachability and bioaccessibility, it increased the cytotoxicity and inhibited the acid phosphatase activity. Post-treatment with AMDS and CFA effectively controlled the mobility and leachability of residual As and Cr after EDDS washing. However, destabilized Cu was only marginally immobilized by GWC due to strong Cu-EDDS complexation. The bioaccessibility and phytoavailability of Cu was primarily reduced by EDDS washing, while those of As and Cr could be attenuated by AMDS and CFA. This study indicates that coupling chemical extraction with subsequent soil amendment plays complementary roles in mitigating effects of residual metal(loid)s and improving environmental quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in Soil Minerology Reduce Phosphorus Mobility During Anoxic Soil Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giri, S. K.; Geohring, L. D.; Richards, B. K.; Walter, M.; Steenhuis, T. S.

2008-05-01

Phosphorus (P) transfer from the landscape to receiving waters is an important environmental concern because these diffuse losses may cause widespread water quality impairments which can accelerate freshwater eutrophication. Phosphorus (P) mobilization from soil to surface and subsurface flow paths is controlled by numerous factors, and thus it can vary greatly with time and landscape scale. To determine whether P mobilization during soil saturation in the landscape was caused or controlled by complexation, iron reduction or ligand exchange, experiments were carried out to better characterize the interrelationships of varying P sources with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and soil anoxic conditions. The soil incubation experiments consisted of treatments with distilled water, 5 mM acetic acid (HAc), 0.05% humic acid (HA) and glucose (40 mM) at 26 o C under anaerobic conditions to isolate effects of the various P exchange processes. The experimental results suggest that during soil saturation, the loosely bound P, which is primarily associated with iron oxyhydroxides, was mobilized by both reduction and complexation processes. Good correlations were observed between ferrous iron (Fe+2) and DOC, and between total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and DOC, facilitating P desorption to the soil water. The anaerobic soil conditions with different P sources also indicated that mineralization facilitated P mobility, mainly due to chelation (humics and metabolites) and as a result of the bio-reduction of iron when fresh litter and grass were present. The organic P sources which are rich in carbohydrate and cellulose and that undergo fermentation due to the action of lactate forming organisms also caused a release of P. The easily metabolizable DOC sources lead to intensive bio-reduction of soil with the release of Fe, however this did not necessarily appear to cause more TDP in the soil solution. The varying P additions in soils with water, HAc and glucose (40mm) before and after soil incubation showed higher P sorption than aerobic soil due to reduced iron (Fe+2) - P mineral formation. Some of the readily available P in the soil solution tended to co-precipitate quickly with Fe, Al, Ca, and Mn, but it also resulted in the formation of earthy masses of vivianite [Fe2+3(PO4)2 . 8 H20], thus almost completely immobilizing P. These findings suggest that where conditions in the landscape are saturated, but remain stagnant for extended time periods, P additions may not necessarily enhance leaching once hydrological transport resumes. The temporal nature of P mobilization processes combined with rapid (i.e., preferential flow) hydrological transport appears to have a more important role in controlling P transport through the landscape.

Efficient audio signal processing for embedded systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Leung Kin

As mobile platforms continue to pack on more computational power, electronics manufacturers start to differentiate their products by enhancing the audio features. However, consumers also demand smaller devices that could operate for longer time, hence imposing design constraints. In this research, we investigate two design strategies that would allow us to efficiently process audio signals on embedded systems such as mobile phones and portable electronics. In the first strategy, we exploit properties of the human auditory system to process audio signals. We designed a sound enhancement algorithm to make piezoelectric loudspeakers sound ”richer" and "fuller." Piezoelectric speakers have a small form factor but exhibit poor response in the low-frequency region. In the algorithm, we combine psychoacoustic bass extension and dynamic range compression to improve the perceived bass coming out from the tiny speakers. We also developed an audio energy reduction algorithm for loudspeaker power management. The perceptually transparent algorithm extends the battery life of mobile devices and prevents thermal damage in speakers. This method is similar to audio compression algorithms, which encode audio signals in such a ways that the compression artifacts are not easily perceivable. Instead of reducing the storage space, however, we suppress the audio contents that are below the hearing threshold, therefore reducing the signal energy. In the second strategy, we use low-power analog circuits to process the signal before digitizing it. We designed an analog front-end for sound detection and implemented it on a field programmable analog array (FPAA). The system is an example of an analog-to-information converter. The sound classifier front-end can be used in a wide range of applications because programmable floating-gate transistors are employed to store classifier weights. Moreover, we incorporated a feature selection algorithm to simplify the analog front-end. A machine learning algorithm AdaBoost is used to select the most relevant features for a particular sound detection application. In this classifier architecture, we combine simple "base" analog classifiers to form a strong one. We also designed the circuits to implement the AdaBoost-based analog classifier.

The Mobile Advanced Command and Control Station (MACCS) Experimental Testbed

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-10-01

were selected: Vehicle: Dodge (Sprinter 2500 high-roof - Mercedes - Benz vehicle) Electrical equipment and habitability equipment: Crossroads Coaches...this innovative , mobile, experimental tested. IMPACT/APPLICATIONS While MACCS clearly supports the research agenda for both HAL and ONR (as well as

47 CFR 1.227 - Consolidations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... application. (ii) Domestic public fixed and public mobile. See Rule § 21.31 of this chapter for the... as to amendments of applications. (iii) Public coast stations (Maritime mobile service). See... issues, or (2) Any applications which present conflicting claims, except where a random selection process...

Redox changes accompanying storage protein mobilization in moist chilled and warm incubated walnut kernels prior to germination.

PubMed

Shahmoradi, Zeynab; Tamaskani, Fatemeh; Sadeghipour, Hamid Reza; Abdolzadeh, Ahmad

2013-01-01

Alterations in the redox state of storage proteins and the associated proteolytic processes were investigated in moist-chilled and warm-incubated walnut (Juglans regia L.) kernels prior to germination. The kernel total protein labeling with a thiol-specific fluorochrome i.e. monobromobimane (mBBr) revealed more reduction of 29-32 kDa putative glutelins, while in the soluble proteins, both putative glutelins and 41, 55 and 58 kDa globulins contained reduced disulfide bonds during mobilization. Thus, the in vivo more reduced disulfide bonds of storage proteins corresponds to greater solubility. After the in vitro reduction of walnut kernel proteins pre-treated by N-ethyl maleimide (NEM) with dithioerythrethiol (DTT) and bacterial thioredoxin, the 58 kDa putative globulin and a 6 kDa putative albumin were identified as disulfide proteins. Thioredoxin stimulated the reduction of the H(2)O(2)-oxidized 6 kDa polypeptide, but not the 58 kDa polypeptide by DTT. The solubility of 6 kDa putative albumin, 58 and 19-24 kDa putative globulins and glutelins, respectively, were increased by DTT. The in vitro specific mobilization of the 58 kDa polypeptide that occurred at pH 5.0 by the kernel endogenous protease was sensitive to the serine-protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and stimulated by DTT. The specific degradation of the 58 kDa polypeptide might be achieved through thioredoxin-mediated activation of a serine protease and/or reductive unfolding of its 58 kDa polypeptide substrate. As redox changes in storage proteins occurred equally in both moist chilled and warm incubated walnut kernels, the regulatory functions of thioredoxins in promoting seed germination may be due to other germination related processes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Effect of variations in the redox potential of Gleysol on barium mobility and absorption in rice plants.

PubMed

Magalhães, Marcio Osvaldo Lima; Sobrinho, Nelson Moura Brasil do Amaral; Zonta, Everaldo; de Carvalho, Michel Miranda; Tolón-Becerra, Alfredo

2012-09-01

Two assays were designed to obtain information about the influence of redox potential variations on barium mobility and bioavailability in soil. One assay was undertaken in leaching columns, and the other was conducted in pots cultivated with rice (Oryza sativa) using soil samples collected from the surface of Gleysol in both assays. Three doses of barium (100,300 mg kg(-1) and 3000 mg kg(-1)-soil dry weight) and two redox potential values (oxidizing and reducing) were evaluated. During the incubation period, the redox potential (Eh) was monitored in columns and pots until values of -250 mV were reached. After the incubation period, geochemical partitioning was conducted on the barium using the European Communities Bureau of Reference (BCR) method. Rainfall of 200 mm d(-1) was simulated in the columns and in the planting of rice seedlings in the pots. The results of the geochemical partitioning demonstrated that the condition of reduction favors increased barium concentrations in the more labile chemical forms and decreased levels in the chemical forms related to oxides. The highest barium concentrations in leached extracts (3.36 mg L(-1)) were observed at the highest dose and condition of reduction at approximately five times above the drinking water standard. The high concentrations of barium in the soil did not affect plant dry matter production. The highest levels and accumulation of barium in roots, leaves, and grains of rice were found at the highest dose and condition of reduction. These results demonstrate that reduction leads to solubilization of barium sulfate, thereby favoring greater mobility and bioavailability of this element. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SLS complementary logic devices with increase carrier mobility

DOEpatents

Chaffin, R.J.; Osbourn, G.C.; Zipperian, T.E.

1991-07-09

In an electronic device comprising a semiconductor material and having at least one performance characteristic which is limited by the mobility of holes in the semiconductor material, said mobility being limited because of a valence band degeneracy among high-mobility and low-mobility energy levels accessible to said holes at the energy-momentum space maximum, an improvement is provided wherein the semiconductor material is a strained layer superlattice (SLS) whose layer compositions and layer thicknesses are selected so that the strain on the layers predominantly containing said at least one carrier type splits said degeneracy and modifies said energy levels around said energy-momentum space maximum in a manner whereby said limitation on the mobility of said holes is alleviated. 5 figures.

SLS complementary logic devices with increase carrier mobility

DOEpatents

Chaffin, Roger J.; Osbourn, Gordon C.; Zipperian, Thomas E.

1991-01-01

In an electronic device comprising a semiconductor material and having at least one performance characteristic which is limited by the mobility of holes in the semiconductor material, said mobility being limited because of a valence band degeneracy among high-mobility and low-mobility energy levels accessible to said holes at the energy-momentum space maximum, an improvement is provided wherein the semiconductor material is a strained layer superlattice (SLS) whose layer compositions and layer thicknesses are selected so that the strain on the layers predominantly containing said at least one carrier type splits said degeneracy and modifies said energy levels around said energy-momentum space maximum in a manner whereby said limitation on the mobility of said holes is alleviated.

Mobile internet and technology for optical teaching reform in higher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Muchun; Zhao, Qi; Chen, Yanru

2017-08-01

There are some problems in optical education such as insufficient flexibility, individuality and adaptability to students who need information and education at present. The development of mobile internet and technology provides support to solve these problems. Basic characteristics, advantages and developments of these techniques used in education are presented in this paper. Mobile internet is introduced to reform the classroom teaching of optical courses. Mobile network tool selection, teaching resources construction and reform in teaching methods are discussed. Academic record and sampling surveys are used to assess intention to adopt mobile internet and learning effect of academic major of students, the results show that high quality optical education can be offered by adopting mobile internet and technologies in traditional instruction.

The role of mHealth intervention on maternal and child health service delivery: findings from a randomized controlled field trial in rural Ethiopia

PubMed Central

Otto, Kate; Herbst, Christopher H.

2017-01-01

Background The provision of consistent and quality maternal and child health (MCH) services is a challenge for Ethiopia where most of the population lives in the rural setup. Health service delivery is constrained mainly by shortage of health professionals, meager resources, limited awareness among the society and bureaucratic procedures. Low health service utilization of antenatal care (ANC), delivery services, and postnatal care (PNC) are believed to contribute for high maternal and child mortality rates. Innovative approach like mHealth based technological intervention believed to alleviate such challenges in countries like ours. However, currently, there are few evidences that demonstrate the impact of mHealth technology applications on the level of service utilization. Therefore, the objective our study is to assess the role of mobile phone equipped with short message service (SMS) based data-exchange software linking community health workers to Health Centers in rural Ethiopia affect selected MCH outcomes. Methods A community-based randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted in three woredas of Guraghe zone (Ezha, partial &Abeshge full intervention, Sodo Control). Mobile phones equipped with FrontlineSMS based, locally developed application was distributed to all health extension workers (HEWs) to both intervention woredas who filled maternal, child and stock related forms and submitted to the central server which in turn sends reminder about the scheduled date of ANC visit, expected date of delivery, PNC, immunization schedule and vaccine and contraceptive stock status. Moreover, in Abeshge, the voluntary health workers (vCHW) and HEW supervisors in both intervention woreda were given a phone to facilitate communication with the HEW. No mobile was offered to the control woreda.Pre [2012] and post [2013] intervention community based survey on mothers who have under 5 and under 1 year old child was done to assess the effect of the mobile intervention on selected MCH process indicators. Structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data and SPSS v16 statistical software was used for analysis. Results Three thousand two hundred and forty mothers, 1,080 from each, were surveyed in the three woredas. The study revealed that the proportion of mothers receiving more than four ANC visits increased significantly in both intervention woredas. Besides, the rate of ANC delivered by HEWs improved in Ezha woreda (T1) (19.01% to 28.27%), proportions of deliveries attended by skilled health workers increased and home delivery decreased in all woredas; most pronounced increases in referrals from health post to health center by HEWs, reported in Ezha and Abeshge. The intervention also led to a significant reduction in stock-outs of preferred contraceptive products in Ezha (T1) from 16.96% to 8.24% but no change was observed in both contraceptive prevalence and immunization rates in the control and the other intervention woreda. Conclusions The study confirmed the positive contribution of SMS based mobile phone intervention in most of the selected MCH service indicators, like improvement in the percent of recommended number of ANC visit, percentage of delivery attended by health workers and facilitating the work processes of the health workers in rural Ethiopia. PMID:29184891

The role of mHealth intervention on maternal and child health service delivery: findings from a randomized controlled field trial in rural Ethiopia.

PubMed

Atnafu, Asfaw; Otto, Kate; Herbst, Christopher H

2017-01-01

The provision of consistent and quality maternal and child health (MCH) services is a challenge for Ethiopia where most of the population lives in the rural setup. Health service delivery is constrained mainly by shortage of health professionals, meager resources, limited awareness among the society and bureaucratic procedures. Low health service utilization of antenatal care (ANC), delivery services, and postnatal care (PNC) are believed to contribute for high maternal and child mortality rates. Innovative approach like mHealth based technological intervention believed to alleviate such challenges in countries like ours. However, currently, there are few evidences that demonstrate the impact of mHealth technology applications on the level of service utilization. Therefore, the objective our study is to assess the role of mobile phone equipped with short message service (SMS) based data-exchange software linking community health workers to Health Centers in rural Ethiopia affect selected MCH outcomes. A community-based randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted in three woredas of Guraghe zone (Ezha, partial &Abeshge full intervention, Sodo Control). Mobile phones equipped with FrontlineSMS based, locally developed application was distributed to all health extension workers (HEWs) to both intervention woredas who filled maternal, child and stock related forms and submitted to the central server which in turn sends reminder about the scheduled date of ANC visit, expected date of delivery, PNC, immunization schedule and vaccine and contraceptive stock status. Moreover, in Abeshge, the voluntary health workers (vCHW) and HEW supervisors in both intervention woreda were given a phone to facilitate communication with the HEW. No mobile was offered to the control woreda.Pre [2012] and post [2013] intervention community based survey on mothers who have under 5 and under 1 year old child was done to assess the effect of the mobile intervention on selected MCH process indicators. Structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data and SPSS v16 statistical software was used for analysis. Three thousand two hundred and forty mothers, 1,080 from each, were surveyed in the three woredas. The study revealed that the proportion of mothers receiving more than four ANC visits increased significantly in both intervention woredas. Besides, the rate of ANC delivered by HEWs improved in Ezha woreda (T1) (19.01% to 28.27%), proportions of deliveries attended by skilled health workers increased and home delivery decreased in all woredas; most pronounced increases in referrals from health post to health center by HEWs, reported in Ezha and Abeshge. The intervention also led to a significant reduction in stock-outs of preferred contraceptive products in Ezha (T1) from 16.96% to 8.24% but no change was observed in both contraceptive prevalence and immunization rates in the control and the other intervention woreda. The study confirmed the positive contribution of SMS based mobile phone intervention in most of the selected MCH service indicators, like improvement in the percent of recommended number of ANC visit, percentage of delivery attended by health workers and facilitating the work processes of the health workers in rural Ethiopia.

In situ mobility of uranium in the presence of nitrate following sulfate-reducing conditions.

PubMed

Paradis, Charles J; Jagadamma, Sindhu; Watson, David B; McKay, Larry D; Hazen, Terry C; Park, Melora; Istok, Jonathan D

2016-04-01

Reoxidation and mobilization of previously reduced and immobilized uranium by dissolved-phase oxidants poses a significant challenge for remediating uranium-contaminated groundwater. Preferential oxidation of reduced sulfur-bearing species, as opposed to reduced uranium-bearing species, has been demonstrated to limit the mobility of uranium at the laboratory scale yet field-scale investigations are lacking. In this study, the mobility of uranium in the presence of nitrate oxidant was investigated in a shallow groundwater system after establishing conditions conducive to uranium reduction and the formation of reduced sulfur-bearing species. A series of three injections of groundwater (200 L) containing U(VI) (5 μM) and amended with ethanol (40 mM) and sulfate (20 mM) were conducted in ten test wells in order to stimulate microbial-mediated reduction of uranium and the formation of reduced sulfur-bearing species. Simultaneous push-pull tests were then conducted in triplicate well clusters to investigate the mobility of U(VI) under three conditions: 1) high nitrate (120 mM), 2) high nitrate (120 mM) with ethanol (30 mM), and 3) low nitrate (2 mM) with ethanol (30 mM). Dilution-adjusted breakthrough curves of ethanol, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, and U(VI) suggested that nitrate reduction was predominantly coupled to the oxidation of reduced-sulfur bearing species, as opposed to the reoxidation of U(IV), under all three conditions for the duration of the 36-day tests. The amount of sulfate, but not U(VI), recovered during the push-pull tests was substantially more than injected, relative to bromide tracer, under all three conditions and further suggested that reduced sulfur-bearing species were preferentially oxidized under nitrate-reducing conditions. However, some reoxidation of U(IV) was observed under nitrate-reducing conditions and in the absence of detectable nitrate and/or nitrite. This suggested that reduced sulfur-bearing species may not be fully effective at limiting the mobility of uranium in the presence of dissolved and/or solid-phase oxidants. The results of this field study confirmed those of previous laboratory studies which suggested that reoxidation of uranium under nitrate-reducing conditions can be substantially limited by preferential oxidation of reduced sulfur-bearing species. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using computer, mobile and wearable technology enhanced interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Stephenson, Aoife; McDonough, Suzanne M; Murphy, Marie H; Nugent, Chris D; Mair, Jacqueline L

2017-08-11

High levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) are associated with negative health consequences. Technology enhanced solutions such as mobile applications, activity monitors, prompting software, texts, emails and websites are being harnessed to reduce SB. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of such technology enhanced interventions aimed at reducing SB in healthy adults and to examine the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) used. Five electronic databases were searched to identify randomised-controlled trials (RCTs), published up to June 2016. Interventions using computer, mobile or wearable technologies to facilitate a reduction in SB, using a measure of sedentary time as an outcome, were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool and interventions were coded using the BCT Taxonomy (v1). Meta-analysis of 15/17 RCTs suggested that computer, mobile and wearable technology tools resulted in a mean reduction of -41.28 min per day (min/day) of sitting time (95% CI -60.99, -21.58, I2 = 77%, n = 1402), in favour of the intervention group at end point follow-up. The pooled effects showed mean reductions at short (≤ 3 months), medium (>3 to 6 months), and long-term follow-up (>6 months) of -42.42 min/day, -37.23 min/day and -1.65 min/day, respectively. Overall, 16/17 studies were deemed as having a high or unclear risk of bias, and 1/17 was judged to be at a low risk of bias. A total of 46 BCTs (14 unique) were coded for the computer, mobile and wearable components of the interventions. The most frequently coded were "prompts and cues", "self-monitoring of behaviour", "social support (unspecified)" and "goal setting (behaviour)". Interventions using computer, mobile and wearable technologies can be effective in reducing SB. Effectiveness appeared most prominent in the short-term and lessened over time. A range of BCTs have been implemented in these interventions. Future studies need to improve reporting of BCTs within interventions and address the methodological flaws identified within the review through the use of more rigorously controlled study designs with longer-term follow-ups, objective measures of SB and the incorporation of strategies to reduce attrition. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42016038187.

In situ mobility of uranium in the presence of nitrate following sulfate-reducing conditions

DOE PAGES

Paradis, Charles J.; Jagadamma, Sindhu; Watson, David B.; ...

2016-02-11

Reoxidation and mobilization of previously reduced and immobilized uranium by dissolved phase oxidants poses a significant challenge for remediating uranium-contaminated groundwater. Preferential oxidation of reduced sulfur-bearing species, as opposed to reduced uranium bearing species, has been demonstrated to limit the mobility of uranium at the laboratory scale yet field-scale investigations are lacking. Here in this study, the mobility of uranium in the presence of nitrate oxidant was investigated in a shallow groundwater system after establishing conditions conducive to uranium reduction and the formation of reduced sulfur-bearing species. A series of three injections of groundwater (200 L) containing U(VI) (5 μM)more » and amended with ethanol (40 mM) and sulfate (20 mM) were conducted in ten test wells in order to stimulate microbial mediated reduction of uranium and the formation of reduced sulfur-bearing species. Simultaneous push-pull tests were then conducted in triplicate well clusters to investigate the mobility of U(VI) under three conditions: 1) high nitrate (120 mM), 2) high nitrate (120 mM) with ethanol (30 mM), and 3) low nitrate (2 mM) with ethanol (30 mM). Dilution-adjusted breakthrough curves of ethanol, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, and U(VI) suggested that nitrate reduction was predominantly coupled to the oxidation of reduced-sulfur bearing species, as opposed to the reoxidation of U(IV), under all three conditions for the duration of the 36-day tests. The amount of sulfate, but not U(VI), recovered during the push-pull tests was substantially more than injected, relative to bromide tracer, under all three conditions and further suggested that reduced sulfur-bearing species were preferentially oxidized under nitrate-reducing conditions. However, some reoxidation of U(IV) was observed under nitrate-reducing conditions and in the absence of detectable nitrate and/or nitrite. This suggested that reduced sulfur-bearing species may not be fully effective at limiting the mobility of uranium in the presence of dissolved and/or solid-phase oxidants. Lastly, the results of this field study confirmed those of previous laboratory studies which suggested that reoxidation of uranium under nitrate-reducing conditions can be substantially limited by preferential oxidation of reduced sulfur-bearing species.« less

Two-column sequential injection chromatography--new approach for fast and effective analysis and its comparison with gradient elution chromatography.

PubMed

Chocholous, Petr; Satínský, Dalibor; Sklenárová, Hana; Solich, Petr

2010-05-23

This work presents novel approach in low-pressure chromatography flow systems--two-column Sequential Injection Chromatography (2-C SIC) and its comparison with gradient elution chromatography on the same instrument. The system was equipped with two different chromatographic columns (connected to selection valve in parallel design) for isocratic separation and determination of all components in composed anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical preparation (tablets). The sample was first injected on the first column of length 30 mm where less retained analytes were separated and then the sample was injected on the second column of length 10 mm where more retained analytes were separated. The SIC system was based on a commercial SIChrom manifold (8-port high-pressure selection valve and medium-pressure syringe pump with 4 mL reservoir) (FIAlab, USA) with two commercially available monolithic columns the "first column" Chromolith Flash RP-18e (25 mm x 4.6 mm i.d. with guard column 5 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.) and the "second column" Chromolith RP-18e (10 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.) and CCD UV-vis detector USB 4000 with micro-volume 1.0 cm Z flow cell. Two mobile phases were used for analysis (one for each column). The mobile phase 1 used for elution of paracetamol, caffeine and salicylic acid (internal standard) was acetonitrile/water (10:90, v/v, the water part of pH 3.5 adjusted with acetic acid), flow rate was 0.9 mL min(-1) (volume 3.0 mL of mobile phase per analysis). The mobile phase 2 used for elution of propyphenazone was acetonitrile/water (30:70, v/v); flow rate was 1.2 mL min(-1) (volume 1.5 mL of mobile phase per analysis). Absorbance was monitored at 210 nm. Samples were prepared by dissolving of one tablet in 30% acetonitrile and 10 microL of filtered supernatant was injected on each column (2 x 10 microL). The chromatographic resolution between all compounds was >1.45 and analysis time was 5.5 min under the optimal conditions. Limits of detection were determined at 0.4 microg mL(-1) for paracetamol, at 0.5 microg mL(-1) for caffeine and at 0.7 microg mL(-1) for propyphenazone. The new two-column chromatographic set-up developed as an alternative approach to gradient elution chromatography shows evident advantages (time and solvent reduction more than one-third) as compared with single-column gradient SIC method with Chromolith Flash RP-18 (25 mm x 4.6 mm i.d. with guard column 5 mm x 4.6 mm i.d.). Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A prospective study on 284 digital fractures of the hand.

PubMed

Pun, W K; Chow, S P; So, Y C; Luk, K D; Ip, F K; Chan, K C; Ngai, W K; Crosby, C; Ng, C

1989-05-01

We report a prospective study on 284 digital fractures of the hand in 235 patients. Management followed clear guidelines set out in a protocol. Important factors in the selection of the treatment method were, acceptable alignment, functional stability, and associated "significant" soft tissue injuries. "Functionally" stable fractures treated by free mobilization had satisfactory results. Unstable fractures treated by splints or Kirschner wire fixation produced unsatisfactory results. "Open fracture," "comminuted fracture," and "associated significant soft tissue injuries" were identified as unfavorable prognostic factors. The anatomic site of the fractures was not important in determining the final outcome. About 15% of the displaced fractures became functionally stable after closed reduction and their results were comparable with the undisplaced fractures. About 30% of the patients had various degrees of difficulty after they returned to work. About 14% of the patients eventually changed their jobs because of their residual disability.

Toward in situ monitoring of water contamination by nitroenergetic compounds.

PubMed

Johnson, Brandy J; Leska, Iwona A; Medina, Alejandro; Dyson, Norris F; Nasir, Mansoor; Melde, Brian J; Taft, Jenna R; Charles, Paul T

2012-11-06

We have previously described the application of novel porous organosilicate materials to the preconcentration of nitroenergetic targets from aqueous solution prior to HPLC analysis. The performance of the sorbents and the advantages of these types of materials over commercially available solid phase extraction sorbents have been demonstrated. Here, the development of systems for application of those sorbents to in situ monitoring is described. Considerations such as column pressure, particulate filtration, and component durability are discussed. The diameter of selected column housings, the sorbent bed depth, and the frits utilized significantly impact the utility of the sorbent columns in the prototype system. The impact of and necessity for improvements in the morphological characteristics of the sorbents as they relate to reduction in column pressure are detailed. The results of experiments utilizing a prototype system are presented. Data demonstrating feasibility for use of the sorbents in preconcentration prior to ion mobility spectrometry is also presented.

Redox Conditions in Selected Principal Aquifers of the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

McMahon, P.B.; Cowdery, T.K.; Chapelle, F.H.; Jurgens, B.C.

2009-01-01

Reduction/oxidation (redox) processes affect the quality of groundwater in all aquifer systems. Redox processes can alternately mobilize or immobilize potentially toxic metals associated with naturally occurring aquifer materials, contribute to the degradation or preservation of anthropogenic contami-nants, and generate undesirable byproducts, such as dissolved manganese (Mn2+), ferrous iron (Fe2+), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and methane (CH4). Determining the kinds of redox processes that occur in an aquifer system, documenting their spatial distribution, and understanding how they affect concentrations of natural or anthropogenic contaminants are central to assessing and predicting the chemical quality of groundwater. This Fact Sheet extends the analysis of U.S. Geological Survey authors to additional principal aquifer systems by applying a framework developed by the USGS to a larger set of water-quality data from the USGS national water databases. For a detailed explanation, see the 'Introduction' in the Fact Sheet.

Autotransplantation donor tooth site harvesting using piezosurgery.

PubMed

Ylikontiola, Leena P; Sándor, George K

2016-01-01

The harvesting of a tooth as a candidate for tooth autotransplantation requires that the delicate dental tissues around the tooth be minimally traumatized. This is especially so for the periradicular tissues of the tooth root and the follicular tissues surrounding the crown. The aim of this report is to describe the use of piezosurgery as an attempt at morbidity reduction in the harvesting of teeth for autotransplantation. A piezosurgical handpiece and its selection of tips were easily adapted to allow the harvesting and delivery of teeth for autotransplantation purposes. Twenty premolar teeth were harvested using a piezosurgical device. The harvested teeth were subsequently successfully autotransplanted. All twenty teeth healed in a satisfactory manner without excessive mobility or ankyloses. Piezosurgery avoids some of the traumatic aspects of harvesting teeth and removing bone which are associated with thermal damage from the use of conventional rotary instruments or saws. Piezosurgery can be adapted to facilitate the predictable harvesting of teeth for autotransplantation purposes.

Mobile emergency, an emergency support system for hospitals in mobile devices: pilot study.

PubMed

Bellini, Pierfrancesco; Boncinelli, Sergio; Grossi, Francesco; Mangini, Marco; Nesi, Paolo; Sequi, Leonardo

2013-05-23

Hospitals are vulnerable to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and mass causalities events. Within a short time, hospitals must provide care to large numbers of casualties in any damaged infrastructure, despite great personnel risk, inadequate communications, and limited resources. Communications are one of the most common challenges and drawbacks during in-hospital emergencies. Emergency difficulties in communicating with personnel and other agencies are mentioned in literature. At the moment of emergency inception and in the earliest emergency phases, the data regarding the true nature of the incidents are often inaccurate. The real needs and conditions are not yet clear, hospital personnel are neither efficiently coordinated nor informed on the real available resources. Information and communication technology solutions in health care turned out to have a great positive impact both on daily working practice and situations. The objective of this paper was to find a solution that addresses the aspects of communicating among medical personnel, formalizing the modalities and protocols and the information to guide the medical personnel during emergency conditions with a support of a Central Station (command center) to cope with emergency management and best practice network to produce and distribute intelligent content made available in the mobile devices of the medical personnel. The aim was to reduce the time needed to react and to cope with emergency organization, while facilitating communications. The solution has been realized by formalizing the scenarios, extracting, and identifying the requirements by using formal methods based on unified modeling language (UML). The system and was developed using mobile programming under iOS Apple and PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor My Structured Query Language (PHP MySQL). Formal questionnaires and time sheets were used for testing and validation, and a control group was used in order to estimate the reduction of time needed to cope with emergency cases. First, we have tested the usability and the functionalities of the solution proposed, then a real trial was performed to assess the reduction in communication time and the efficiency of the solution with respect to a case without Mobile Emergency tools. The solution was based on the development of a mobile emergency application and corresponding server device to cope with emergencies and facilitate all the related activities and communications, such as marking the position, contacting people, and recovering the exits information. The solution has been successfully tested within the Careggi Hospital, the largest medical infrastructure in Florence and Tuscany area in Italy, thus demonstrating the validity of the identified modalities, procedures, and the reduction in the time needed to cope with the emergency conditions. The trial was not registered as the test was conducted in realistic but simulated emergency conditions. By analyzing the requirements for developing a mobile app, and specifically the functionalities, codes, and design of the Mobile Emergency app, we have revealed the real advantages of using mobile emergency solutions compared to other more traditional solutions to effectively handle emergency situations in hospital settings.

40 CFR 60.2680 - What if I do not use a wet scrubber, fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, an electrostatic... use a wet scrubber, fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, an... reduction, fabric filter, an electrostatic precipitator, or a dry scrubber or limit emissions in some other...

40 CFR 60.2680 - What if I do not use a wet scrubber, fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, an electrostatic... use a wet scrubber, fabric filter, activated carbon injection, selective noncatalytic reduction, an... reduction, fabric filter, an electrostatic precipitator, or a dry scrubber or limit emissions in some other...

47 CFR 80.359 - Frequencies for digital selective calling (DSC).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Frequencies for digital selective calling (DSC... for digital selective calling (DSC). (a) General purpose calling. The following table describes the... Digital Selective-Calling Equipment in the Maritime Mobile Service,” with Annexes 1 through 5, 2004, and...

Cell Selection Game for Densely-Deployed Sensor and Mobile Devices In 5G Networks Integrating Heterogeneous Cells and the Internet of Things.

PubMed

Wang, Lusheng; Wang, Yamei; Ding, Zhizhong; Wang, Xiumin

2015-09-18

With the rapid development of wireless networking technologies, the Internet of Things and heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs) tend to be integrated to form a promising wireless network paradigm for 5G. Hyper-dense sensor and mobile devices will be deployed under the coverage of heterogeneous cells, so that each of them could freely select any available cell covering it and compete for resource with others selecting the same cell, forming a cell selection (CS) game between these devices. Since different types of cells usually share the same portion of the spectrum, devices selecting overlapped cells can experience severe inter-cell interference (ICI). In this article, we study the CS game among a large amount of densely-deployed sensor and mobile devices for their uplink transmissions in a two-tier HCN. ICI is embedded with the traditional congestion game (TCG), forming a congestion game with ICI (CGI) and a congestion game with capacity (CGC). For the three games above, we theoretically find the circular boundaries between the devices selecting the macrocell and those selecting the picocells, indicated by the pure strategy Nash equilibria (PSNE). Meanwhile, through a number of simulations with different picocell radii and different path loss exponents, the collapse of the PSNE impacted by severe ICI (i.e., a large number of picocell devices change their CS preferences to the macrocell) is profoundly revealed, and the collapse points are identified.

Cell Selection Game for Densely-Deployed Sensor and Mobile Devices In 5G Networks Integrating Heterogeneous Cells and the Internet of Things

PubMed Central

Wang, Lusheng; Wang, Yamei; Ding, Zhizhong; Wang, Xiumin

2015-01-01

With the rapid development of wireless networking technologies, the Internet of Things and heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs) tend to be integrated to form a promising wireless network paradigm for 5G. Hyper-dense sensor and mobile devices will be deployed under the coverage of heterogeneous cells, so that each of them could freely select any available cell covering it and compete for resource with others selecting the same cell, forming a cell selection (CS) game between these devices. Since different types of cells usually share the same portion of the spectrum, devices selecting overlapped cells can experience severe inter-cell interference (ICI). In this article, we study the CS game among a large amount of densely-deployed sensor and mobile devices for their uplink transmissions in a two-tier HCN. ICI is embedded with the traditional congestion game (TCG), forming a congestion game with ICI (CGI) and a congestion game with capacity (CGC). For the three games above, we theoretically find the circular boundaries between the devices selecting the macrocell and those selecting the picocells, indicated by the pure strategy Nash equilibria (PSNE). Meanwhile, through a number of simulations with different picocell radii and different path loss exponents, the collapse of the PSNE impacted by severe ICI (i.e., a large number of picocell devices change their CS preferences to the macrocell) is profoundly revealed, and the collapse points are identified. PMID:26393617

Using SMS as a Harm Reduction Strategy: An Evaluation of the RAGE (Register and Get Educated) Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crockett, Belinda; Keleher, Helen; Rudd, Annette; Klein, Ruth; Locke, Beth; Roussy, Véronique

2013-01-01

The RAGE (Register And Get Educated) project explored the feasibility of SMS (Short Messaging Service) as a means for communicating harm reduction messages in relation to alcohol and other drugs to young people residing in the City of Knox, Victoria. Almost 700 young people aged 12-26 years registered their mobile phone numbers to receive a series…

Spatial distribution of impacts to channel bed mobility due to flow regulation, Kootenai River, USA

Treesearch

Michael Burke; Klaus Jorde; John M. Buffington; Jeffrey H. Braatne; Rohan Benjakar

2006-01-01

The regulated hydrograph of the Kootenai River between Libby Dam and Kootenay Lake has altered the natural flow regime, resulting in a significant decrease in maximum flows (60% net reduction in median 1-day annual maximum, and 77%-84% net reductions in median monthly flows for the historic peak flow months of May and June, respectively). Other key hydrologic...

Anomaly Detection for Data Reduction in an Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Field

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

information (shown with solid lines in the diagram). Typically, this would be a mobile ad - hoc network (MANET). The clusters are connected to other nodes...interquartile ranges MANET mobile ad - hoc network OSUS Open Standards for Unattended Sensors TOC tactical operations center UAVs unmanned aerial vehicles...19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (Include area code ) 301-394-1221 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8/98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 iii Contents List of

Affinity Electrophoresis Using Ligands Attached To Polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Alstine, James M.; Snyder, Robert S.; Harris, J. M.; Brooks, D. E.

1990-01-01

In new technique, reduction of electrophoretic mobilities by addition of polyethylene glycol to ligands increases electrophoretic separabilities. In immuno-affinity electrophoresis, modification of ligands extends specificity of electrophoretic separation to particles having surface electric-charge structures otherwise making them electrophoretically inseparable. Modification of antibodies by polyethylene glycol greatly reduces ability to aggregate while enhancing ability to affect electrophoretic mobilities of cells. In hydrophobic-affinity electrophoresis, addition of polyethylene glycol reduces tendency toward aggregation of cells or macromolecules.

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation thin EFG octagons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalejs, J. P.

1994-06-01

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation manufactures photovoltaic modules based on its unique Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) process for producing octagon-shaped hollow polycrystalline silicon tubes. The octagons are cut by lasers into 100 mm x 100 mm wafers which are suitable for solar cell processing. This process avoids slicing, grinding and polishing operations which are wasteful of material and are typical of most other wafer production methods. EFG wafers are fabricated into solar cells and modules using processes that have been specially developed to allow scaling up to high throughput rates. The goals of the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Initiative (PVMaT) program at Mobil Solar were to improve the EFG manufacturing line through technology advances that accelerate cost reduction in production and stimulate market growth for its product. The program was structured into three main tasks: to decrease silicon utilization by lowering wafer thickness from 400 to 200 (mu)m; to enhance laser cutting yields and throughput while improving the wafer strength; and to raise crystal growth productivity and yield. The technical problems faced and the advances made in the Mobil Solar PVMaT program are described. The author concludes with a presentation of the results of a detailed cost model for EFT module production. This model describes the accelerated reductions in manufacturing costs which are already in place and the future benefits anticipated to result from the technical achievements of the PVMaT program.

The potential of crowdsourcing and mobile technology to support flood disaster risk reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

See, Linda; McCallum, Ian; Liu, Wei; Mechler, Reinhard; Keating, Adriana; Hochrainer-Stigler, Stefan; Mochizuki, Junko; Fritz, Steffen; Dugar, Sumit; Arestegui, Michael; Szoenyi, Michael; Laso-Bayas, Juan-Carlos; Burek, Peter; French, Adam; Moorthy, Inian

2016-04-01

The last decade has seen a rise in citizen science and crowdsourcing for carrying out a variety of tasks across a number of different fields, most notably the collection of data such as the identification of species (e.g. eBird and iNaturalist) and the classification of images (e.g. Galaxy Zoo and Geo-Wiki). Combining human computing with the proliferation of mobile technology has resulted in vast amounts of geo-located data that have considerable value across multiple domains including flood disaster risk reduction. Crowdsourcing technologies, in the form of online mapping, are now being utilized to great effect in post-disaster mapping and relief efforts, e.g. the activities of Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, complementing official channels of relief (e.g. Haiti, Nepal and New York). Disaster event monitoring efforts have been further complemented with the use of social media (e.g. twitter for earthquakes, flood monitoring, and fire detection). Much of the activity in this area has focused on ex-post emergency management while there is considerable potential for utilizing crowdsourcing and mobile technology for vulnerability assessment, early warning and to bolster resilience to flood events. This paper examines the use of crowdsourcing and mobile technology for measuring and monitoring flood hazards, exposure to floods, and vulnerability, drawing upon examples from the literature and ongoing projects on flooding and food security at IIASA.

Malachite green-conjugated microtubules as mobile bioprobes selective for malachite green aptamers with capturing/releasing ability.

PubMed

Hirabayashi, Miki; Taira, Shu; Kobayashi, Suzuko; Konishi, Kaoru; Katoh, Kaoru; Hiratsuka, Yuichi; Kodaka, Masato; Uyeda, Taro Q P; Yumoto, Noboru; Kubo, Tai

2006-06-20

We have developed a novel mobile bioprobe using a conjugate of a kinesin-driven microtubule (MT) and malachite green (MG) as a platform for capturing MG RNA aptamers. The fluorescence of MG increases when it is bound to an MG aptamer, allowing MT-MG conjugates to work as sensors of RNA transcripts containing the MG aptamer sequence. Kinesin motor proteins provide an effective driving force to create mobile bioprobes without any manipulation. Although the fluorescence of a small number of MG-binding aptamers is low, the self-organization of tubulins into MTs enables the microscopic observation of the bound aptamers by collecting them on MTs. We demonstrate that MT-MG conjugates can select target aptamers from a transcription mixture and transport them without losing their inherent motility. Because the MG aptamer binds MG in a reversible manner, MT-MG conjugates can conditionally load and unload the target aptamers. This is one advantage of this system over the molecular probes developed previously in which reversible unloading is impossible due to high-affinity binding, such as between avidin and biotin. Furthermore, an MT-MG conjugate can be used as a platform for other MG aptameric sensors with recognition regions for various target analytes optimized by further selection procedures. This is the first step to applying living systems to in vitro devices. This technique could provide a new paradigm of mobile bioprobes establishing high-throughput in vitro selection systems using microfluidic devices operating in parallel. 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identity confirmation of drugs and explosives in ion mobility spectrometry using a secondary drift gas.

PubMed

Kanu, Abu B; Hill, Herbert H

2007-10-15

This work demonstrated the potential of using a secondary drift gas of differing polarizability from the primary drift gas for confirmation of a positive response for drugs or explosives by ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). The gas phase mobilities of response ions for selected drugs and explosives were measured in four drift gases. The drift gases chosen for this study were air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide providing a range of polarizability and molecular weights. Four other drift gases (helium, neon, argon and sulfur hexafluoride) were also investigated but design limitations of the commercial instrument prevented their use for this application. When ion mobility was plotted against drift gas polarizability, the resulting slopes were often unique for individual ions, indicating that selectivity factors between any two analytes varied with the choice of drift gas. In some cases, drugs like THC and heroin, which are unresolved in air or nitrogen, were well resolved in carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide.

Legal Consciousness and Responses to Sexual Harassment*

PubMed Central

Blackstone, Amy; Uggen, Christopher; McLaughlin, Heather

2009-01-01

Studies of legal mobilization often focus on people who have perceived some wrong, but rarely consider the process that selects them into the pool of potential “mobilizers.” Similarly, studies of victimization or targeting rarely go on to consider what people do about the wrong, or why some targets come forward and others remain silent. We here integrate sociolegal, feminist, and criminological theories in a conceptual model that treats experiencing sexual harassment and mobilizing in response to it as interrelated processes. We then link these two processes by modeling them as jointly determined outcomes and examine their connections using interviews with a subset of our survey respondents. Our results suggest that targets of harassment are selected, in part, because they are least likely to tell others about the experience. Strategies that workers employ to cope with and confront harassment are also discussed. We find that traditional formal/informal dichotomies of mobilization responses may not fully account for the range of ways individuals respond to harassment, and we propose a preliminary typology of responses. PMID:20300446

Physical Activity Recognition with Mobile Phones: Challenges, Methods, and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun; Lu, Hong; Liu, Zhigang; Boda, Péter Pál

In this book chapter, we present a novel system that recognizes and records the physical activity of a person using a mobile phone. The sensor data is collected by built-in accelerometer sensor that measures the motion intensity of the device. The system recognizes five everyday activities in real-time, i.e., stationary, walking, running, bicycling, and in vehicle. We first introduce the sensor's data format, sensor calibration, signal projection, feature extraction, and selection methods. Then we have a detailed discussion and comparison of different choices of feature sets and classifiers. The design and implementation of one prototype system is presented along with resource and performance benchmark on Nokia N95 platform. Results show high recognition accuracies for distinguishing the five activities. The last part of the chapter introduces one demo application built on top of our system, physical activity diary, and a selection of potential applications in mobile wellness, mobile social sharing and contextual user interface domains.

Mobile cosmetics advisor: an imaging based mobile service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatti, Nina; Baker, Harlyn; Chao, Hui; Clearwater, Scott; Harville, Mike; Jain, Jhilmil; Lyons, Nic; Marguier, Joanna; Schettino, John; Süsstrunk, Sabine

2010-01-01

Selecting cosmetics requires visual information and often benefits from the assessments of a cosmetics expert. In this paper we present a unique mobile imaging application that enables women to use their cell phones to get immediate expert advice when selecting personal cosmetic products. We derive the visual information from analysis of camera phone images, and provide the judgment of the cosmetics specialist through use of an expert system. The result is a new paradigm for mobile interactions-image-based information services exploiting the ubiquity of camera phones. The application is designed to work with any handset over any cellular carrier using commonly available MMS and SMS features. Targeted at the unsophisticated consumer, it must be quick and easy to use, not requiring download capabilities or preplanning. Thus, all application processing occurs in the back-end system and not on the handset itself. We present the imaging pipeline technology and a comparison of the services' accuracy with respect to human experts.

Significant Transient Mobility of Platinum Clusters via a Hot Precursor State on the Alumina Surface.

PubMed

Beniya, Atsushi; Hirata, Hirohito; Watanabe, Yoshihide

2016-11-17

Relaxation dynamics of hot metal clusters on oxide surfaces play a crucial role in a variety of physical and chemical processes. However, their transient mobility has not been investigated as much as other systems such as atoms and molecules on metal surfaces due to experimental difficulties. To study the role of the transient mobility of clusters on the oxide surface, we investigated the initial adsorption process of size-selected Pt clusters on a thin Al 2 O 3 film. Soft-landing the size-selected clusters while suppressing the thermal migration resulted in the transient migration controlling the initial adsorption states as an isolated and aggregated cluster, as revealed using scanning tunneling microscopy. We demonstrate that transient migration significantly contributes to the initial cluster adsorption process; the cross section for aggregation is seven times larger than the expected value from geometrical considerations, indicating that metal clusters are highly mobile during a energy dissipation process on the oxide surface.

Mechanical Design and Testing of an Instrumented Rocker-Bogie Mobility System for the Kapvik Micro-Rover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setterfield, T.

The rocker-bogie mobility system is a six-wheeled mobility system with the ability to equilibrate ground pressure amongst its wheels and traverse obstacles up to one wheel diameter in height; it has been used previously on NASA's Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers. This paper presents the mechanical design of an instrumented rocker-bogie mobility system for Kapvik, a 30 kg planetary micro-rover prototype developed for the Canadian Space Agency. The design of the wheel drive system is presented, including: motor selection, gear train selection, and performance limits. The design of a differential mechanism, which minimizes the pitch angle of the rover body, is provided. Design considerations for the integration of single-axis force sensors above the wheel hubs are presented. Structural analysis of the rocker and bogie links is outlined. The cross-hill and uphill-downhill static stability of Kapvik is investigated. Load cell and joint position data from testing during obstacle negotiation and uphill operation are presented.

A socio-cognitive inquiry of excessive mobile phone use.

PubMed

Pourrazavi, Sara; Allahverdipour, Hamid; Jafarabadi, Mohammad Asghari; Matlabi, Hossein

2014-08-01

The study examined the predictive ability of selected demographic and socio-psychological characteristics in explaining excessive mobile phone use (EMPU) behavior and problematic use in a sample of university students on the basis of the social cognitive theory. The sample consisted of 476 randomly selected university students in Tabriz, Iran. The study was cross-sectional in nature. A researcher-designed questionnaire was used for the purpose of data collection. No causal inferences were drawn due to non-experimental nature of the study. It was found that having boyfriend/girlfriend increases the likelihood of EMPU while self-efficacy to avoid EMPU decreases it. Self-efficacy to avoid EMPU, self-regulation, observational learning, self-control, and attitude toward EMPU were predictors of mobile phone problematic use. The results provided a proper fit for a conceptual model of reciprocal determinism. Although social cognitive constructs may predict mobile phone problematic use, they are not useful in predicting the behavior of EMPU. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ECG R-R peak detection on mobile phones.

PubMed

Sufi, F; Fang, Q; Cosic, I

2007-01-01

Mobile phones have become an integral part of modern life. Due to the ever increasing processing power, mobile phones are rapidly expanding its arena from a sole device of telecommunication to organizer, calculator, gaming device, web browser, music player, audio/video recording device, navigator etc. The processing power of modern mobile phones has been utilized by many innovative purposes. In this paper, we are proposing the utilization of mobile phones for monitoring and analysis of biosignal. The computation performed inside the mobile phone's processor will now be exploited for healthcare delivery. We performed literature review on RR interval detection from ECG and selected few PC based algorithms. Then, three of those existing RR interval detection algorithms were programmed on Java platform. Performance monitoring and comparison studies were carried out on three different mobile devices to determine their application on a realtime telemonitoring scenario.

Cognitive Function is Associated with the Development of Mobility Impairments in Community-Dwelling Elders

PubMed Central

Buchman, Aron S.; Boyle, Patricia A.; Leurgans, Sue E.; Barnes, Lisa L.; Bennett, David A.

2010-01-01

Objective To examine the association of cognitive function with the risk of incident mobility impairments and the rate of declining mobility in older adults. Design Prospective, observational cohort study. Setting Retirement communities across metropolitan Chicago. Participants 1154 ambulatory elders from two longitudinal studies without baseline clinical dementia or history of stroke or Parkinson’s disease. Measurements All participants underwent baseline cognitive testing and annual mobility exams. Mobility impairments were based on annual timed walking performance. A composite mobility measure which summarized gait and balance measures was used to examine the annual rate of mobility change. Results During follow-up of 4.5 years, 423 of 836 (50.6%) participants developed impaired mobility. In a proportional hazards model controlled for age, sex, education and race, each 1-unit higher level of baseline global cognition was associated with a reduction to about half in the risk of mobility impairments (HR=0.51, 95% CI 0.40, 0.66) and was similar to a participant being about 13 years younger at baseline. These results did not vary by sex or race and were unchanged in analyses controlling for BMI, physical activity, vascular diseases and risk factors. The level of cognition in 5 different cognitive abilities was also related to incident mobility impairment. Cognition showed similar associations with incident loss of the ability to ambulate. Linear mixed-effects models showed that global cognition at baseline was associated with the rate of declining mobility. Conclusions Among ambulatory elders, cognition is associated with incident mobility impairment and mobility decline. PMID:21606900

The Effect of Carbonaceous Reductant Selection on Chromite Pre-reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleynhans, E. L. J.; Beukes, J. P.; Van Zyl, P. G.; Bunt, J. R.; Nkosi, N. S. B.; Venter, M.

2017-04-01

Ferrochrome (FeCr) production is an energy-intensive process. Currently, the pelletized chromite pre-reduction process, also referred to as solid-state reduction of chromite, is most likely the FeCr production process with the lowest specific electricity consumption, i.e., MWh/t FeCr produced. In this study, the effects of carbonaceous reductant selection on chromite pre-reduction and cured pellet strength were investigated. Multiple linear regression analysis was employed to evaluate the effect of reductant characteristics on the aforementioned two parameters. This yielded mathematical solutions that can be used by FeCr producers to select reductants more optimally in future. Additionally, the results indicated that hydrogen (H)- (24 pct) and volatile content (45.8 pct) were the most significant contributors for predicting variance in pre-reduction and compressive strength, respectively. The role of H within this context is postulated to be linked to the ability of a reductant to release H that can induce reduction. Therefore, contrary to the current operational selection criteria, the authors believe that thermally untreated reductants ( e.g., anthracite, as opposed to coke or char), with volatile contents close to the currently applied specification (to ensure pellet strength), would be optimal, since it would maximize H content that would enhance pre-reduction.

Evaluation of Potential JHSV Port and Alternative Offload Sites in Coastal North Carolina

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

the underlying data for use in his own Geographic Information System (GIS) application. The quality of this data is variable. This author found... Information Systems (GIS). Unlike the raster charts previously described, these ENC files are vector elements, meaning they can be individually selected in...Single Mobility System . “The Single Mobility System (SMS) embodies the Mobility Access Portal concept, a Web- based interface or “doorway” to other

Simulation of Molecular Transport in Systems Containing Mobile Obstacles.

PubMed

Polanowski, Piotr; Sikorski, Andrzej

2016-08-04

In this paper, we investigate the movement of molecules in crowded environments with obstacles undergoing Brownian motion by means of extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Our investigations were performed using the dynamic lattice liquid model, which was based on the cooperative movement concept and allowed to mimic systems at high densities where the motion of all elements (obstacles as well as moving particles) were highly correlated. The crowded environments are modeled on a two-dimensional triangular lattice containing obstacles (particles whose mobility was significantly reduced) moving by a Brownian motion. The subdiffusive motion of both elements in the system was analyzed. It was shown that the percolation transition does not exist in such systems in spite of the cooperative character of the particles' motion. The reduction of the obstacle mobility leads to the longer caging of liquid particles by mobile obstacles.

TCAMS lessons learned

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

Harris, D.

1997-11-01

This report contains viewgraphs on the CINC mobile alternate headquarters and the tech control automation, maintenance and support facility. A discussion on software cost reduction by reuse is given as well as managing risk by assessment and mitigation.

Music reduces pain and increases functional mobility in fibromyalgia

PubMed Central

Garza-Villarreal, Eduardo A.; Wilson, Andrew D.; Vase, Lene; Brattico, Elvira; Barrios, Fernando A.; Jensen, Troels S.; Romero-Romo, Juan I.; Vuust, Peter

2014-01-01

The pain in Fibromyalgia (FM) is difficult to treat and functional mobility seems to be an important comorbidity in these patients that could evolve into a disability. In this study we wanted to investigate the analgesic effects of music in FM pain. Twenty-two FM patients were passively exposed to (1) self-chosen, relaxing, pleasant music, and to (2) a control auditory condition (pink noise). They rated pain and performed the “timed-up & go task (TUG)” to measure functional mobility after each auditory condition. Listening to relaxing, pleasant, self-chosen music reduced pain and increased functional mobility significantly in our FM patients. The music-induced analgesia was significantly correlated with the TUG scores; thereby suggesting that the reduction in pain unpleasantness increased functional mobility. Notably, this mobility improvement was obtained with music played prior to the motor task (not during), therefore the effect cannot be explained merely by motor entrainment to a fast rhythm. Cognitive and emotional mechanisms seem to be central to music-induced analgesia. Our findings encourage the use of music as a treatment adjuvant to reduce chronic pain in FM and increase functional mobility thereby reducing the risk of disability. PMID:24575066

Music reduces pain and increases functional mobility in fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Garza-Villarreal, Eduardo A; Wilson, Andrew D; Vase, Lene; Brattico, Elvira; Barrios, Fernando A; Jensen, Troels S; Romero-Romo, Juan I; Vuust, Peter

2014-01-01

The pain in Fibromyalgia (FM) is difficult to treat and functional mobility seems to be an important comorbidity in these patients that could evolve into a disability. In this study we wanted to investigate the analgesic effects of music in FM pain. Twenty-two FM patients were passively exposed to (1) self-chosen, relaxing, pleasant music, and to (2) a control auditory condition (pink noise). They rated pain and performed the "timed-up & go task (TUG)" to measure functional mobility after each auditory condition. Listening to relaxing, pleasant, self-chosen music reduced pain and increased functional mobility significantly in our FM patients. The music-induced analgesia was significantly correlated with the TUG scores; thereby suggesting that the reduction in pain unpleasantness increased functional mobility. Notably, this mobility improvement was obtained with music played prior to the motor task (not during), therefore the effect cannot be explained merely by motor entrainment to a fast rhythm. Cognitive and emotional mechanisms seem to be central to music-induced analgesia. Our findings encourage the use of music as a treatment adjuvant to reduce chronic pain in FM and increase functional mobility thereby reducing the risk of disability.

Obesity, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity and reduced mobility in Brazilian older people aged 80 years and over.

PubMed

Santos, Vanessa Ribeiro Dos; Gomes, Igor Conterato; Bueno, Denise Rodrigues; Christofaro, Diego Giulliano Destro; Freitas, Ismael Forte; Gobbo, Luis Alberto

2017-01-01

To analyze which abnormalities in body composition (obesity, sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity) are related to reduced mobility in older people aged 80 years and older. The sample included 116 subjects aged 80 years and older. The body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and mobility was assessed by motor tests. The χ2 test was used to analyze the proportion of older people with sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity based on sex as well as to indicate an association between obesity, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity and mobility. Binary logistic regression, adjusted for the variables (sex and osteoarticular diseases), was used to express the magnitude of these associations. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare the mobility of four groups (Normal, Obesity, Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity). The Sarcopenia Group had lower performance in the lower limbs strength test and in sum of two tests compared with Obesity and Normal Groups. Older people with sarcopenia had higher chance of reduced mobility (OR: 3.44; 95%CI: 1.12-10.52). Older people aged 80 years and older with sarcopenia have more chance for reduction in mobility.

Strength and stability of microbial plugs in porous media

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

Sarkar, A.K.; Sharma, M.M.; Georgiou, G.

1995-12-31

Mobility reduction induced by the growth and metabolism of bacteria in high-permeability layers of heterogeneous reservoirs is an economically attractive technique to improve sweep efficiency. This paper describes an experimental study conducted in sandpacks using an injected bacterium to investigate the strength and stability of microbial plugs in porous media. Successful convective transport of bacteria is important for achieving sufficient initial bacteria distribution. The chemotactic and diffusive fluxes are probably not significant even under static conditions. Mobility reduction depends upon the initial cell concentrations and increase in cell mass. For single or multiple static or dynamic growth techniques, permeability reductionmore » was approximately 70% of the original permeability. The stability of these microbial plugs to increases in pressure gradient and changes in cell physiology in a nutrient-depleted environment needs to be improved.« less

Electromagnetic fields in the treatment of chronic lower back pain in patients with degenerative disc disease

PubMed Central

Arneja, Amarjit S; Kotowich, Alan; Staley, Doug; Summers, Randy; Tappia, Paramjit S

2016-01-01

Aim: To examine the effects of low-amplitude, low frequency electromagnetic field therapy (EMF) therapy in patients with persistent chronic lower back pain associated with degenerative disc disease. Design: Double-blind, randomized and placebo controlled. Intervention: EMF using a medical device resonator; control group underwent same procedures, except the device was turned off. Outcome measures: Pain reduction and mobility. Results: Improvements in overall physical health, social functioning and reduction in bodily pain were observed in the EMF group. The pain relief rating scale showed a higher level of pain relief at the target area in the EMF group. An increase in left lateral mobility was seen only in the EMF group. Conclusion: EMF treatment may be of benefit to patients with chronic nonresponsive lower back pain associated with degenerative disc disease. PMID:28031951

Organic carbon and reducing conditions lead to cadmium immobilization by secondary Fe mineral formation in a pH-neutral soil.

PubMed

Muehe, E Marie; Adaktylou, Irini J; Obst, Martin; Zeitvogel, Fabian; Behrens, Sebastian; Planer-Friedrich, Britta; Kraemer, Ute; Kappler, Andreas

2013-01-01

Cadmium (Cd) is of environmental relevance as it enters soils via Cd-containing phosphate fertilizers and endangers human health when taken up by crops. Cd is known to associate with Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides in pH-neutral to slightly acidic soils, though it is not well understood how the interrelation of Fe and Cd changes under Fe(III)-reducing conditions. Therefore, we investigated how the mobility of Cd changes when a Cd-bearing soil is faced with organic carbon input and reducing conditions. Using fatty acid profiles and quantitative PCR, we found that both fermenting and Fe(III)-reducing bacteria were stimulated by organic carbon-rich conditions, leading to significant Fe(III) reduction. The reduction of Fe(III) minerals was accompanied by increasing soil pH, increasing dissolved inorganic carbon, and decreasing Cd mobility. SEM-EDX mapping of soil particles showed that a minor fraction of Cd was transferred to Ca- and S-bearing minerals, probably carbonates and sulfides. Most of the Cd, however, correlated with a secondary iron mineral phase that was formed during microbial Fe(III) mineral reduction and contained mostly Fe, suggesting an iron oxide mineral such as magnetite (Fe3O4). Our data thus provide evidence that secondary Fe(II) and Fe(II)/Fe(III) mixed minerals could be a sink for Cd in soils under reducing conditions, thus decreasing the mobility of Cd in the soil.

Evidence-Based Strategies for Preserving Mobility for Elderly and Aging Manual Wheelchair Users

PubMed Central

Requejo, Philip S.; Furumasu, Jan; Mulroy, Sara J.

2015-01-01

Elderly and aging manual wheelchair (MWC) users have increased risk for accelerated loss of function and mobility that greatly limits independence and affects quality of life. This review paper addresses important issues for preserving function and mobility for elderly and aging individuals who use a MWC by presenting the current available evidence and recommendations. These include recommendations for maximizing function, by decreasing pain, improving the ability to self-propel, and prolonging mobility and endurance through ergonomics, individualized wheelchair selection and configuration, and adaptations for increasing the capacity to handle the daily mobility demands through training, strengthening, and exercise. Each recommendation is supported by current research in each relevant area. PMID:26366040

New perspectives for Secondary School: The Case of Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes, Candido Alberto

1999-01-01

Despite its importance in relation to social mobility, secondary education is characterised by an unequal distribution of knowledge among different groups of students, and a hierarchy in which some types of knowledge are valued more than others. In comparing secondary education in different countries, two main systems are apparent: "sponsored mobility" and "competitive mobility". In the former, students are divided into different groups according to ability at an early stage in their schooling. In the latter, the selection process is postponed until the final phase. Brazil, in its recent history, has moved from sponsored mobility to competitive mobility. The author explores some of the lessons during this process and examines their implications for the future.

Health Services Mobility Study, Plan of Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

City Univ. of New York Research Foundation, NY.

To determine ways and means of facilitating horizontal and vertical mobility within New York City's Health Services Administration and selected private hospitals, a systems approach was adopted. Methodology for manpower development and training in an organizational setting related to the educational system and other accrediting institutions will…

47 CFR 90.613 - Frequencies available.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Regulations Governing Licensing and Use of Frequencies in the 806-824, 851-869, 896-901, and 935-940 MHz Bands Policies Governing the Processing of Applications and the Selection and..., with mobile and control station transmitting frequencies taken from the 806-824 MHz band with...

The Leader's Role in Strategic Knowledge Creation and Mobilization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Steven

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore how leaders influence knowledge creation and mobilization processes. As a basis for the theoretical framework, the researcher selected theories that informed the investigation of this influence: leadership theory, knowledge theory, learning theory, organizational learning theory, and organizational knowledge…

Self-control and problematic mobile phone use in Chinese college students: the mediating role of mobile phone use patterns.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhaocai; Zhao, Xiuxin

2016-11-22

With the popularity of mobile phones, problematic mobile phone use is getting increasing attention in recent years. Although self-control was found to be a critical predictor of problematic mobile phone use, no study has ever explored the association between self-control and mobile phone use patterns as well as the possible pathway how self-control affects problematic mobile phone use. Four hundred sixty-eight college students were randomly selected in this study. Data were collected using the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Scale, the Self-Control Scale, and the Mobile Phone Use Pattern Questionnaire. Statistical tests were conducted to identify the potential role of mobile phone use patterns in the association between self-control and problematic mobile phone use. In this sample, female students displayed significant higher mobile phone dependence than males. Self-control was negatively correlated with interpersonal, transaction and entertainment mobile phone use patterns, but positively correlated with information seeking use pattern. Self-control could predict problematic mobile phone use directly and indirectly via interpersonal and transaction patterns. Our research provided additional evidence for the negative association between self-control and problematic mobile phone use. Moreover, interpersonal and transaction use patterns played a mediating role in this link.

Age-dependent changes in metabolic profile of turkey spermatozoa as assessed by NMR analysis

PubMed Central

Di Iorio, Michele; Mannina, Luisa; Paventi, Gianluca; Rosato, Maria Pina; Cerolini, Silvia; Sobolev, Anatoly P.

2018-01-01

Metabolic profile of fresh turkey spermatozoa at three different reproductive period ages, namely 32, 44 and 56 weeks, was monitored by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and correlated to sperm quality parameters. The age-related decrease in sperm quality as indicated by reduction of sperm concentration, sperm mobility and osmotic tolerance was associated to variation in the level of specific water-soluble and liposoluble metabolites. In particular, the highest levels of isoleucine, phenylalanine, leucine, tyrosine and valine were found at 32 weeks of age, whereas aspartate, lactate, creatine, carnitine, acetylcarnitine levels increased during the ageing. Lipid composition also changed during the ageing: diunsaturated fatty acids level increased from 32 to 56 weeks of age, whereas a reduction of polyunsaturated fatty acids content was observed at 56 weeks. The untargeted approach attempts to give a wider picture of metabolic changes occurring in ageing suggesting that the reduction of sperm quality could be due to a progressive deficiency in mitochondrial energy producing systems, as also prompted by the negative correlation found between sperm mobility and the increase in certain mitochondrial metabolites. PMID:29534088

Reversed phase liquid chromatography with UV absorbance and flame ionization detection using a water mobile phase and a cyano propyl stationary phase Analysis of alcohols and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Quigley, W W; Ecker, S T; Vahey, P G; Synovec, R E

1999-10-01

The development of liquid chromatography with a commercially available cyano propyl stationary phase and a 100% water mobile phase is reported. Separations were performed at ambient temperature, simplifying instrumental requirements. Excellent separation efficiency using a water mobile phase was achieved, for example N=18 800, or 75 200 m(-1), was obtained for resorcinol, at a retention factor of k'=4.88 (retention time of 9.55 min at 1 ml min(-1) for a 25 cmx4.6 mm i.d. column, packed with 5 mum diameter particles with the cyano propyl stationary phase). A separation via reversed phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) with a 100% water mobile phase of six phenols and related compounds was compared to a separation of the same compounds by traditional RP-LC, using octadecylsilane (ODS), i.e. C18, bound to silica and an aqueous mobile phase modified with acetonitrile. Nearly identical analysis time was achieved for the separation of six phenols and related compounds using the cyano propyl stationary phase with a 100% water mobile phase, as compared to traditional RP-LC requiring a relatively large fraction of organic solvent modifier in the mobile phase (25% acetonitrile:75% water). Additional understanding of the retention mechanism with the 100% water mobile phase was obtained by relating measured retention factors of aliphatic alcohols, phenols and related compounds, and chlorinated hydrocarbons to their octanol:water partition coefficients. The retention mechanism is found to be consistent with a RP-LC mechanism coupled with an additional retention effect due to residual hydroxyl groups on the cyano propyl stationary phase. Advantages due to a 100% water mobile phase for the chemical analysis of alcohol mixtures and chlorinated hydrocarbons are reported. By placing an absorbance detector in-series and preceding a novel drop interface to a flame ionization detector (FID), selective detection of a separated mixture of phenols and related compounds and aliphatic alcohols is achieved. The compound class of aliphatic alcohols is selectively and sensitively detected by the drop interface/FID, and the phenols and related compounds are selectively and sensitively detected by absorbance detection at 200 nm. The separation and detection of chlorinated hydrocarbons in a water sample matrix further illustrated the advantages of this methodology. The sensitivity and selectivity of the FID signal for the chlorinated hydrocarbons are significantly better than absorbance detection, even at 200 nm. This methodology is well suited to continuous and automated monitoring of water samples. The applicability of samples initially in an organic solvent matrix is explored, since an organic sample matrix may effect retention and efficiency. Separations in acetonitrile and isopropyl alcohol sample matrices compared well to separations with a water sample matrix.

The validity of the Gait Variability Index for individuals with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Rennie, Linda; Dietrichs, Espen; Moe-Nilssen, Rolf; Opheim, Arve; Franzén, Erika

2017-05-01

Increased step-to-step variability is a feature of gait in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and is associated with increased disease severity and reductions in balance and mobility. The Gait Variability Index (GVI) quantifies gait variability in spatiotemporal variables where a score ≥100 indicates a similar level of gait variability as the control group, and lower scores denote increased gait variability. The study aim was to explore mean GVI score and investigate construct validity of the index for individuals with mild to moderate PD. 100 (57 males) subjects with idiopathic PD, Hoehn & Yahr 2 (n=44) and 3, and ≥60 years were included. Data on disease severity, dynamic balance, mobility and spatiotemporal gait parameters at self-selected speed (GAITRite) was collected. The results showed a mean overall GVI: 97.5 (SD 11.7) and mean GVI for the most affected side: 94.5 (SD 10.6). The associations between the GVI and Mini- BESTest and TUG were low (r=0.33 and 0.42) and the GVI could not distinguish between Hoehn & Yahr 2 and 3 (AUC=0.529, SE=0.058, p=0.622). The mean GVI was similar to previously reported values for older adults, contrary to consistent reports of increased gait variability in PD compared to healthy peers. Therefore, the validity of the GVI could not be confirmed for individuals with mild to moderate PD in its current form due to low associations with validated tests for functional balance and mobility and poor discriminatory ability. Future work should aim to establish which spatiotemporal variables are most informative regarding gait variability in individuals with PD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improved electrical properties of n-type SiGe alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scoville, A. N.; Bajgar, Clara; Vandersande, Jan; Fleurial, Jean-Pierre

1992-01-01

The effect of changes in the carrier concentration and mobility for heavily doped n-type SiGe on the electrical power factor has been investigated. It has been shown that power factors of 37-40 microV/cm-K-squared can be achieved with carrier concentrations of 2.0 - 2.5 x 10 exp 20/cu cm and mobilities of 38-40 sq cm/V-sec. Many samples with suitable carrier concentration do not have high mobilities and some rationale for this behavior is presented. Initial results are presented on fabrication of n-type samples from ultrafine powders. The emphasis in this work is to achieve thermal conductivity reductions by adding inert particles to scatter midfrequency phonons.

Mesoporous Phosphate Heterostructures: Synthesis and Application on Adsorption and Catalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno-Tost, Ramón; Jiménez-Jiménez, José; Infantes-Molina, Antonia; Cavalcante, Celio L.; Azevedo, Diana C. S.; Soriano, María Dolores; López Nieto, José Manuel; Jiménez-López, Antonio; Rodríguez-Castellón, Enrique

Porous phosphate heterostructures (PPHs) are solids formed by a layered metal(IV) phosphate expanded with silica galleries obtained by combining the two main strategies for obtaining mesoporous materials [pillared layered structures (PLS') and MCM-41]. The different synthetic pathways for obtaining mesoporous phosphate structures with silica galleries with Zr- or Ti-doped silica, the study of their structural, textural and acid properties, its functionalisation with different organic substances such as propionitrile, 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane, (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane and 3-(triethoxysilyl)propionitrile are discussed. The preparation of metal-supported catalysts and their application in gas separation, adsorption and catalysis are reviewed. Specifically, the use of Cu- and Fe-exchanged PPH for the adsorption of benzothiophene and the separation of propane/propene is the main application as adsorbent. The hydrotreating of aromatic hydrocarbons using ruthenium-impregnated catalysts via hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis/hydrocracking for the production of clean diesel fuels, the selective catalytic reduction of NO from stationary and mobile sources by using Cu-PPH with 1, 3 and 7 wt% of Cu and the selective oxidation of hydrogen sulphide to sulphur with vanadium-containing PPH are the three catalytic reactions of environmental interest studied.

The Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project: Outcomes From a Community Prevention Trial*

PubMed Central

Treno, Andrew J.; Gruenewald, Paul J.; Lee, Juliet P.; Remer, Lillian G.

2014-01-01

Objective This article reports the results of the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project (SNAPP). SNAPP set as its goal the reduction of alcohol access, drinking, and related problems in two low-income, predominantly ethnic minority neighborhoods, focusing on individuals between the ages 15 and 29, an age group identified with high rates of alcohol-involved problems. Method Two neighborhoods in Sacramento were selected to be the intervention sites because they were economically and ethnically diverse and had high rates of crime and other drinking-related problems. The quasi-experimental design of the study took a “phased” approach to program implementation and statistical examination of outcome data. Outcome-related data were collected in the intervention sites as well as in the Sacramento community at large. Five project interventions included a mobilization component to support the overall project, a community awareness component, a responsible beverage-service component, an underage-access law enforcement component, and an intoxicated-patron law enforcement component. Archival data were collected to measure and evaluate study outcomes and to provide background and demographic information for the study. Results Overall, we found significant (p < .05) reductions in assaults as reported by police, aggregate emergency medical services (EMS) outcomes, EMS assaults, and EMS motor vehicle accidents. Conclusions Results from the Sacramento Neighborhood Alcohol Prevention Project demonstrate the effectiveness of neighborhood-based interventions in the reduction of alcohol-related problems such as assaults, motor vehicle crashes, and sale of alcohol to minors. PMID:17286338

Integration of FMIPv6 in HMIPv6 to Improve Hand-over Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patil, Dipali P.; Patil, G. A.

2010-11-01

Mobile users move frequently between networks, as they stay connected to the Internet. Thus, as mobility increases across networks, handovers will significantly impact the quality of the connection and user application. Handover performance is very important when evaluating IP mobility protocols. Since handover request are driven by several needs such as cost reduction criteria, network resource optimization and service related requirements. Current works to support seamless mobility in IPv6 network are classified into HMIPv6 and FMIPv6. These two approaches have pros and cons respectively and are being standardized independently in IETF. If one can integrate properly these two approaches, it is expected that the one can get more effective protocols that can provide better handover performance. This paper integrates FHMIPv6 in HMIPv6 (F-HMIPv6) so as to provide effectively fast handover on the hierarchical Mobile IPv6. The simulation performed using Ns-2 extensions to show that a performance of proposed system is better in terms of packet loss and hand-over delay.

[Optimization of vermicomposting of organics enriched with phosphorites with participation of phosphate-mobilizing microorganisms].

PubMed

Hatsenko, M V; Volkohon, V V

2010-01-01

Active strains of microorganisms capable to mobilize phosphorus from poorly soluble compounds were isolated from the vermicompost. Representatives of Pseudomonas genus dominate in assemblages of phosphate-mobilizing humus microbiota. The strains Pseudomonas sp. 17 and Pseudomonas sp. 22, which promote liberation of the greatest quantity of water-soluble phosphorus were selected under vermicomposting of organics enriched with phosphorites with participation of active phosphate-mobilizing microorganisms. The use of compost derived with participation of Pseudomonas sp. 17 in cucumbers growth technologies makes the plants development better and raises the cultures productivity.

Effect of electromagnetic irradiation produced by 3G mobile phone on male rat reproductive system in a simulated scenario.

PubMed

Kumar, Sanjay; Nirala, Jay Prakash; Behari, J; Paulraj, R

2014-09-01

Reports of declining male fertility have renewed interest in assessing the role of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Testicular function is particularly susceptible to the radiation emitted by EMFs. Significant decrease in sperm count, increase in the lipid peroxidation damage in sperm cells, reduction in seminiferous tubules and testicular weight and DNA damage were observed following exposure to EMF in male albino rats. The results suggest that mobile phone exposure adversely affects male fertility.

GENERIC VERIFICATION PROTOCOL FOR DETERMINATION OF EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS FROM SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTIONS CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR HIGHWAY, NONROAD, AND STATIONARY USE DIESEL ENGINES

EPA Science Inventory

The protocol describes the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program's considerations and requirements for verification of emissions reduction provided by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technologies. The basis of the ETV will be comparison of the emissions and perf...

The development of an indoor mobility course for the evaluation of electronic mobility aids for persons who are visually impaired.

PubMed

Roentgen, Uta R; Gelderblom, Gert Jan; de Witte, Luc P

2012-01-01

To develop a suitable mobility course for the assessment of mobility performance as part of a user evaluation of Electronic Mobility Aids (EMA) aimed at obstacle detection and orientation. A review of the literature led to a list of critical factors for the assessment of mobility performance of persons who are visually impaired. Based upon that list, method, test situations, and determining elements were selected and presented to Dutch orientation and mobility experts. Due to expert advice and a pilot study, minor changes were made and the final version was used for the evaluation of two EMA by eight persons who are visually impaired. The results of the literature study are summarized in an overview of critical factors for the assessment of the mobility performance of persons who are visually impaired. Applied to the requirements of the above mentioned user evaluation a replicable indoor mobility course has been described in detail and tested. Based upon evidence from literature an indoor mobility course has been developed, which was sensitive to assess differences in mobility incidents and obstacle detection when using an EMA compared to the regular mobility aid. Experts' opinion confirmed its face and content validity.

GPS as a tool used in tourism as illustrated by selected mobile applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szark-Eckardt, Mirosława

2017-11-01

Mobile technologies have permanently changed our way of life. Their availability, common use and introducing to virtually all areas of human activity means that we can call present times the age of mobility [1]. Mobile applications based on the GPS module belong to the most dynamically developing apps as particularly reflected in tourism. A multitude of applications dedicated to different participants of tourism, which can be operated by means of smartphones or simple GPS trackers, are encouraging more people to reach for this kind of technology perceiving it as a basic tool used in today's tourism. Due to an increasingly wider access to mobile applications, not only more dynamic development of tourism itself can be noticed, but also the growth of healthy behaviours that comprise a positive "side effect" of tourism based on mobile technology. This article demonstrates a correlation between health and physical condition of the population and the use of mobile applications.

Aerosol mobility imaging for rapid size distribution measurements

DOEpatents

Wang, Jian; Hering, Susanne Vera; Spielman, Steven Russel; Kuang, Chongai

2016-07-19

A parallel plate dimensional electrical mobility separator and laminar flow water condensation provide rapid, mobility-based particle sizing at concentrations typical of the remote atmosphere. Particles are separated spatially within the electrical mobility separator, enlarged through water condensation, and imaged onto a CCD array. The mobility separation distributes particles in accordance with their size. The condensation enlarges size-separated particles by water condensation while they are still within the gap of the mobility drift tube. Once enlarged the particles are illuminated by a laser. At a pre-selected frequency, typically 10 Hz, the position of all of the individual particles illuminated by the laser are captured by CCD camera. This instantly records the particle number concentration at each position. Because the position is directly related to the particle size (or mobility), the particle size spectra is derived from the images recorded by the CCD.

Grammar Schools: Brief Flowering of Social Mobility?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Bernard

2012-01-01

Grammar schools are increasingly remembered, especially by right-wing ideologues, as the agents of a "brief flowering" of post-war social mobility. This article presents statistical, documentary and interview evidence of secondary education in the eleven plus era, and finds nothing to justify the claim that selective schools produced a general…

Multi-vehicle mobility allowance shuttle transit (MAST) system : an analytical model to select the fleet size and a scheduling heuristic.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-06-01

The mobility allowance shuttle transit (MAST) system is a hybrid transit system in which vehicles are : allowed to deviate from a fixed route to serve flexible demand. A mixed integer programming (MIP) : formulation for the static scheduling problem ...

47 CFR 90.631 - Trunked systems loading, construction and authorization requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES PRIVATE LAND MOBILE RADIO SERVICES Regulations Governing Licensing and... Processing of Applications and the Selection and Assignment of Frequencies for Use in the 806-824 Mhz, 851... one hundred (100) mobile stations per channel. For purposes of determining compliance with trunked...

System Quality Characteristics for Selecting Mobile Learning Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarrab, Mohamed; Al-Shihi, Hafedh; Al-Manthari, Bader

2015-01-01

The majority of M-learning (Mobile learning) applications available today are developed for the formal learning and education environment. These applications are characterized by the improvement in the interaction between learners and instructors to provide high interaction and flexibility to the learning process. M-learning is gaining increased…

Structural Identification and Comparison of Intelligent Mobile Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Upadhyay, Nitin; Agarwal, Vishnu Prakash

2007-01-01

This paper proposes a methodology using graph theory, matrix algebra and permanent function to compare different architecture (structure) design of intelligent mobile learning environment. The current work deals with the development/selection of optimum architecture (structural) model of iMLE. This can be done using the criterion as discussed in…

Faculty Members' Perceptions of the Integration, Affordances, and Challenges of Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ishtaiwa, Fawzi Fayez; Khaled, Ahmed; Dukmak, Samir

2015-01-01

In this qualitative study, faculty members' perceptions of the integration, affordances, and challenges of mobile learning (m-learning) were investigated through semi-structured interviews. The results showed that participants' integration of m-learning varies and tends to focus on select activities. At the same time, participants recognized…

Method and apparatus for monitoring a hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reduction device

DOEpatents

Schmieg, Steven J; Viola, Michael B; Cheng, Shi-Wai S; Mulawa, Patricia A; Hilden, David L; Sloane, Thompson M; Lee, Jong H

2014-05-06

A method for monitoring a hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device of an exhaust aftertreatment system of an internal combustion engine operating lean of stoichiometry includes injecting a reductant into an exhaust gas feedstream upstream of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device at a predetermined mass flowrate of the reductant, and determining a space velocity associated with a predetermined forward portion of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device. When the space velocity exceeds a predetermined threshold space velocity, a temperature differential across the predetermined forward portion of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device is determined, and a threshold temperature as a function of the space velocity and the mass flowrate of the reductant is determined. If the temperature differential across the predetermined forward portion of the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device is below the threshold temperature, operation of the engine is controlled to regenerate the hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reactor device.

Developing a Mobile App for Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Injuries.

PubMed

Salomé, Geraldo Magela; Ferreira, Lydia Masako

2018-02-01

This descriptive study describes the planning and development of a mobile application (app) for prevention and treatment of pressure injuries for use by providers in a university research center. The app delineates risk factors for pressure injury development, provides an evaluation of the wound, recommends wound cleansing procedures, performs pressure injury staging, and recommends treatment interventions. A mobile app was developed using a contextualized instructional design, which involves a constructivist proposal and planning, developing, and applying specific didactic situations, thus incorporating mechanisms that favor contextualization. A literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies for the construction of the mobile app. The development process involved the selection of app tools, definition of the navigation structure, and planning of the environment configuration. The environment for downloading the app software on the Internet and installing it on the mobile device was created. The literature search yielded 18 articles, 2 books, and 1 master's degree thesis. A mobile app was created with an easy-to-use graphic interface. The app stores the patient's demographic characteristics and provides an evaluation of his/her wound, a list of risk factors for pressure injury development, wound cleansing procedures, and treatment interventions. The developed app may be useful in clinical practice, helping to prevent pressure injuries and promote select nursing interventions for the treatment of patients with pressure injury.

Color intensity projections: A rapid approach for evaluating four-dimensional CT scans in treatment planning

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

Cover, Keith S.; Lagerwaard, Frank J.; Senan, Suresh

2006-03-01

Purpose: Four-dimensional computerized tomography scans (4DCT) enable intrafractional motion to be determined. Because more than 1500 images can be generated with each 4DCT study, tools for efficient data visualization and evaluation are needed. We describe the use of color intensity projections (CIP) for visualizing mobility. Methods: Four-dimensional computerized tomography images of each patient slice were combined into a CIP composite image. Pixels largely unchanged over the component images appear unchanged in the CIP image. However, pixels whose intensity changes over the phases of the 4DCT appear in the CIP image as colored pixels, and the hue encodes the percentage ofmore » time the tissue was in each location. CIPs of 18 patients were used to study tumor and surrogate markers, namely the diaphragm and an abdominal marker block. Results: Color intensity projections permitted mobility of high-contrast features to be quickly visualized and measured. In three selected expiratory phases ('gating phases') that were reviewed in the sagittal plane, gating would have reduced mean tumor mobility from 6.3 {+-} 2.0 mm to 1.4 {+-} 0.5 mm. Residual tumor mobility in gating phases better correlated with residual mobility of the marker block than that of the diaphragm. Conclusion: CIPs permit immediate visualization of mobility in 4DCT images and simplify the selection of appropriate surrogates for gated radiotherapy.« less

Field Application of 238U/235U Measurements To Detect Reoxidation and Mobilization of U(IV).

PubMed

Jemison, Noah E; Shiel, Alyssa E; Johnson, Thomas M; Lundstrom, Craig C; Long, Philip E; Williams, Kenneth H

2018-03-20

Biostimulation to induce reduction of soluble U(VI) to relatively immobile U(IV) is an effective strategy for decreasing aqueous U(VI) concentrations in contaminated groundwater systems. If oxidation of U(IV) occurs following the biostimulation phase, U(VI) concentrations increase, challenging the long-term effectiveness of this technique. However, detecting U(IV) oxidation through dissolved U concentrations alone can prove difficult in locations with few groundwater wells to track the addition of U to a mass of groundwater. We propose the 238 U/ 235 U ratio of aqueous U as an independent, reliable tracer of U(IV) remobilization via oxidation or mobilization of colloids. Reduction of U(VI) produces 238 U-enriched U(IV), whereas remobilization of solid U(IV) should not induce isotopic fractionation. The incorporation of remobilized U(IV) with a high 238 U/ 235 U ratio into the aqueous U(VI) pool produces an increase in 238 U/ 235 U of aqueous U(VI). During several injections of nitrate to induce U(IV) oxidation, 238 U/ 235 U consistently increased, suggesting 238 U/ 235 U is broadly applicable for detecting mobilization of U(IV).

Mercury mobilization in a flooded soil by incorporation into metallic copper and metal sulfide nanoparticles.

PubMed

Hofacker, Anke F; Voegelin, Andreas; Kaegi, Ralf; Kretzschmar, Ruben

2013-07-16

Mercury is a highly toxic priority pollutant that can be released from wetlands as a result of biogeochemical redox processes. To investigate the temperature-dependent release of colloidal and dissolved Hg induced by flooding of a contaminated riparian soil, we performed laboratory microcosm experiments at 5, 14, and 23 °C. Our results demonstrate substantial colloidal Hg mobilization concomitant with Cu prior to the main period of sulfate reduction. For Cu, we previously showed that this mobilization was due to biomineralization of metallic Cu nanoparticles associated with suspended bacteria. X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Hg LIII-edge showed that colloidal Hg corresponded to Hg substituting for Cu in the metallic Cu nanoparticles. Over the course of microbial sulfate reduction, colloidal Hg concentrations decreased but continued to dominate total Hg in the pore water for up to 5 weeks of flooding at all temperatures. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) suggested that Hg became associated with Cu-rich mixed metal sulfide nanoparticles. The formation of Hg-containing metallic Cu and metal sulfide nanoparticles in contaminated riparian soils may influence the availability of Hg for methylation or volatilization processes and has substantial potential to drive Hg release into adjacent water bodies.

The extreme mobility of debris avalanches: A new model of transport mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perinotto, Hélène; Schneider, Jean-Luc; Bachèlery, Patrick; Le Bourdonnec, François-Xavier; Famin, Vincent; Michon, Laurent

2015-12-01

Large rockslide-debris avalanches, resulting from flank collapses that shape volcanoes and mountains on Earth and other object of the solar system, are rapid and dangerous gravity-driven granular flows that travel abnormal distances. During the last 50 years, numerous physical models have been put forward to explain their extreme mobility. The principal models are based on fluidization, lubrication, or dynamic disintegration. However, these processes remain poorly constrained. To identify precisely the transport mechanisms during debris avalanches, we examined morphometric (fractal dimension and circularity), grain size, and exoscopic characteristics of the various types of particles (clasts and matrix) from volcanic debris avalanche deposits of La Réunion Island (Indian Ocean). From these data we demonstrate for the first time that syn-transport dynamic disintegration continuously operates with the increasing runout distance from the source down to a grinding limit of 500 µm. Below this limit, the particle size reduction exclusively results from their attrition by frictional interactions. Consequently, the exceptional mobility of debris avalanches may be explained by the combined effect of elastic energy release during the dynamic disintegration of the larger clasts and frictional reduction within the matrix due to interactions between the finer particles.

Real transportation solutions for greenhouse gas emissions reductions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-07-27

Mobile observation systems may help to enhance the quantity of information available on our nations road weather conditions and augment existing road weather information systems. Such improvements may lead to increased passenger safety through bet...

The 'other' London effect: the diversification of London's suburban grammar schools and the rise of hyper-selective elite state schools.

PubMed

Gamsu, Sol

2018-03-30

This paper examines the rise of a new elite of 'super-state' schools in London, revealing a growing divide within the state sector which problematizes claims that the capital is a 'hotspot' for social mobility (Social Mobility Commission ). Although recent research has revealed a 'London effect' in which students in the capital on Free School Meals outperform their peers in other regions (Greaves, Macmillan and Sibieta ), inequalities between London's schools in access to elite universities have been overlooked. Drawing on a case study of a suburban London grammar school, 'King Henry's School', I show how ethnic-minority suburbanization has combined with an institutional strategy to compete with elite private schools. Strategies of selection have been mobilized alongside elements of elite 'gentlemanly' educational culture in order to reposition the school within the hierarchy of London's schools. The result is a hyper-selective school which provides a conduit to elite universities for upwardly mobile British-Asian students. I show that this strategy has strong parallels with the school's attempts in the early twentieth century to compete with London's fee-paying 'public' schools. The continuing symbolic value of 'traditional' forms of elite educational culture to a school seeking to reposition itself within the field reflects deep structural patterns of inequality in English education. To understand how apparent improvements in social mobility can sit alongside deepening inequalities between state schools, there is a need for a historical sociological approach that takes account of long-term processes of institutional change (Savage ; Inglis ). © London School of Economics and Political Science 2018.

Effect of uranium(VI) speciation on simultaneous microbial reduction of uranium(VI) and iron(III).

PubMed

Stewart, Brandy D; Amos, Richard T; Fendorf, Scott

2011-01-01

Uranium is a pollutant of concern to both human and ecosystem health. Uranium's redox state often dictates whether it will reside in the aqueous or solid phase and thus plays an integral role in the mobility of uranium within the environment. In anaerobic environments, the more oxidized and mobile form of uranium (UO2(2+) and associated species) may be reduced, directly or indirectly, by microorganisms to U(IV) with subsequent precipitation of UO. However, various factors within soils and sediments, such as U(VI) speciation and the presence of competitive electron acceptors, may limit biological reduction of U(VI). Here we examine simultaneous dissimilatory reduction of Fe(III) and U(VI) in batch systems containing dissolved uranyl acetate and ferrihydrite-coated sand. Varying amounts of calcium were added to induce changes in aqueous U(VI) speciation. The amount of uranium removed from solution during 100 h of incubation with S. putrefaciens was 77% in absence of Ca or ferrihydrite, but only 24% (with ferrihydrite) and 14% (without ferrihydrite) were removed for systems with 0.8 mM Ca. Dissimilatory reduction of Fe(III) and U(VI) proceed through different enzyme pathways within one type of organism. We quantified the rate coefficients for simultaneous dissimilatory reduction of Fe(III) and U(VI) in systems varying in Ca concecentration (0-0.8 mM). The mathematical construct, implemented with the reactive transport code MIN3P, reveals predominant factors controlling rates and extent of uranium reduction in complex geochemical systems.

Two Hop Adaptive Vector Based Quality Forwarding for Void Hole Avoidance in Underwater WSNs

PubMed Central

Javaid, Nadeem; Ahmed, Farwa; Wadud, Zahid; Alrajeh, Nabil; Alabed, Mohamad Souheil; Ilahi, Manzoor

2017-01-01

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) facilitate a wide range of aquatic applications in various domains. However, the harsh underwater environment poses challenges like low bandwidth, long propagation delay, high bit error rate, high deployment cost, irregular topological structure, etc. Node mobility and the uneven distribution of sensor nodes create void holes in UWSNs. Void hole creation has become a critical issue in UWSNs, as it severely affects the network performance. Avoiding void hole creation benefits better coverage over an area, less energy consumption in the network and high throughput. For this purpose, minimization of void hole probability particularly in local sparse regions is focused on in this paper. The two-hop adaptive hop by hop vector-based forwarding (2hop-AHH-VBF) protocol aims to avoid the void hole with the help of two-hop neighbor node information. The other protocol, quality forwarding adaptive hop by hop vector-based forwarding (QF-AHH-VBF), selects an optimal forwarder based on the composite priority function. QF-AHH-VBF improves network good-put because of optimal forwarder selection. QF-AHH-VBF aims to reduce void hole probability by optimally selecting next hop forwarders. To attain better network performance, mathematical problem formulation based on linear programming is performed. Simulation results show that by opting these mechanisms, significant reduction in end-to-end delay and better throughput are achieved in the network. PMID:28763014

Two Hop Adaptive Vector Based Quality Forwarding for Void Hole Avoidance in Underwater WSNs.

PubMed

Javaid, Nadeem; Ahmed, Farwa; Wadud, Zahid; Alrajeh, Nabil; Alabed, Mohamad Souheil; Ilahi, Manzoor

2017-08-01

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) facilitate a wide range of aquatic applications in various domains. However, the harsh underwater environment poses challenges like low bandwidth, long propagation delay, high bit error rate, high deployment cost, irregular topological structure, etc. Node mobility and the uneven distribution of sensor nodes create void holes in UWSNs. Void hole creation has become a critical issue in UWSNs, as it severely affects the network performance. Avoiding void hole creation benefits better coverage over an area, less energy consumption in the network and high throughput. For this purpose, minimization of void hole probability particularly in local sparse regions is focused on in this paper. The two-hop adaptive hop by hop vector-based forwarding (2hop-AHH-VBF) protocol aims to avoid the void hole with the help of two-hop neighbor node information. The other protocol, quality forwarding adaptive hop by hop vector-based forwarding (QF-AHH-VBF), selects an optimal forwarder based on the composite priority function. QF-AHH-VBF improves network good-put because of optimal forwarder selection. QF-AHH-VBF aims to reduce void hole probability by optimally selecting next hop forwarders. To attain better network performance, mathematical problem formulation based on linear programming is performed. Simulation results show that by opting these mechanisms, significant reduction in end-to-end delay and better throughput are achieved in the network.

Localized Metal Solubilization in the Rhizosphere of Salix smithiana upon Sulfur Application

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A metal-accumulating willow was grown under greenhouse conditions on a Zn/Cd-polluted soil to investigate the effects of sulfur (S0) application on metal solubility and plant uptake. Soil porewater samples were analyzed 8 times during 61 days of growth, while DGT-measured metal flux and O2 were chemically mapped at selected times. Sulfur oxidation resulted in soil acidification and related mobilization of Mn, Zn, and Cd, more pronounced in the rooted compared to bulk soil. Chemical imaging revealed increased DGT-measured Zn and Cd flux at the root-soil interface. Our findings indicated sustained microbial S0 oxidation and associated metal mobilization close to root surfaces. The localized depletion of O2 along single roots upon S0 addition indicated the contribution of reductive Mn (oxy)hydoxide dissolution with Mn eventually becoming a terminal electron acceptor after depletion of O2 and NO3–. The S0 treatments increased the foliar metal concentrations (mg kg–1 dwt) up to 10-fold for Mn, (5810 ± 593), 3.3-fold for Zn (3850 ± 87.0), and 1.7-fold for Cd (36.9 ± 3.35), but had no significant influence on biomass production. Lower metal solubilization in the bulk soils should translate into reduced leaching, offering opportunities for using S0 as environmentally favorable amendment for phytoextraction of metal-polluted soils. PMID:25782052

Correlating the Integral Sensing Properties of Zeolites with Molecular Processes by Combining Broadband Impedance and DRIFT Spectroscopy—A New Approach for Bridging the Scales

PubMed Central

Chen, Peirong; Schönebaum, Simon; Simons, Thomas; Rauch, Dieter; Dietrich, Markus; Moos, Ralf; Simon, Ulrich

2015-01-01

Zeolites have been found to be promising sensor materials for a variety of gas molecules such as NH3, NOx, hydrocarbons, etc. The sensing effect results from the interaction of the adsorbed gas molecules with mobile cations, which are non-covalently bound to the zeolite lattice. The mobility of the cations can be accessed by electrical low-frequency (LF; mHz to MHz) and high-frequency (HF; GHz) impedance measurements. Recent developments allow in situ monitoring of catalytic reactions on proton-conducting zeolites used as catalysts. The combination of such in situ impedance measurements with diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), which was applied to monitor the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (DeNOx-SCR), not only improves our understanding of the sensing properties of zeolite catalysts from integral electric signal to molecular processes, but also bridges the length scales being studied, from centimeters to nanometers. In this work, recent developments of zeolite-based, impedimetric sensors for automotive exhaust gases, in particular NH3, are summarized. The electrical response to NH3 obtained from LF impedance measurements will be compared with that from HF impedance measurements, and correlated with the infrared spectroscopic characteristics obtained from the DRIFTS studies of molecules involved in the catalytic conversion. The future perspectives, which arise from the combination of these methods, will be discussed. PMID:26580627

Effects of an internet-based lifestyle intervention on cardio-metabolic risks and stress in Korean workers with metabolic syndrome: a controlled trial.

PubMed

Kim, Chun-Ja; Schlenk, Elizabeth A; Kang, Se-Won; Park, Jae-Bum

2015-01-01

This study examined the effects of an Internet-based Best Exerciser Super Trainer (BEST) program on cardio-metabolic risks and stress among workers with metabolic syndrome. This study utilized a non-randomized, pretest, and posttest, controlled design with a convenience sample of 48 Korean male workers. The workers in the BEST group participated in a 16-week Internet-based program: 150 min of regular physical activity per week, 200- to 300-kcal reduced daily diet for weight control, one-on-one counseling, and mobile phone text messages. Workers in the Education group received text messages and an educational booklet. There were significant group by time interactions in cardio-metabolic risks: body weight (p = .022), visceral fat mass (p = .033), and waist circumference (p = .037). There was no group by time interaction in stress (p > .05); however, the BEST group showed a significantly greater reduction in health-related stress than those in the Education group (p = .025). This study yielded evidence of the beneficial impact of the Internet-based BEST program for workers with metabolic syndrome on selected cardio-metabolic risks and health-related stress. Internet-based one-on-one counseling and mobile phone text messages can assist individuals with targeted lifestyle modifications for metabolic syndrome. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

How clean are electric vehicles? Evidence-based review of the effects of electric mobility on air pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions and human health

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Requia, Weeberb J.; Mohamed, Moataz; Higgins, Christopher D.; Arain, Altaf; Ferguson, Mark

2018-07-01

There is a growing need for a broad overview of the state of knowledge on the environmental aspects of Electric Vehicles (EVs), which could help policymakers in the objective of making road transportation more sustainable and environmental friendly. This study provides a comprehensive review of the effects of EVs adoption on air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and human health. Specifically, we (i) synthesized relevant published literature related to environmental implication of EVs, (ii) quantitatively evaluated the effect of EVs on environment and human health, and (iii) identified research gaps and recommend future research areas for the adoption of EVs and their benefits to society. We assessed in total 4734 studies and selected 123 articles of more detailed review, with 65 articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The studies reviewed consistently showed reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and emissions of some criteria pollutants. Particularly on PM and SO2, the increases or decreases are very dependent on the context. Overall, the positive benefits of EVs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and human exposure depends on the following factors: (i) type of EV, (ii) source of energy generation, (iii) driving conditions, (iv) charging patterns, (v) availbailty of charging infrastructure, (vi) govermnat policies, and (vii) climate of a regions. This study provides a comprehansive analysis and review on the benefits of electric mobility.

The risk of a safety-critical event associated with mobile device use in specific driving contexts.

PubMed

Fitch, Gregory M; Hanowski, Richard J; Guo, Feng

2015-01-01

We explored drivers' mobile device use and its associated risk of a safety-critical event (SCE) in specific driving contexts. Our premise was that the SCE risk associated with mobile device use increases when the driving task becomes demanding. Data from naturalistic driving studies involving commercial motor vehicle drivers and light vehicle drivers were partitioned into subsets representative of specific driving contexts. The subsets were generated using data set attributes that included level of service and relation to junction. These attributes were selected based on exogenous factors known to alter driving task demands. The subsets were analyzed using a case-cohort approach, which was selected to complement previous investigations of mobile device SCE risk using naturalistic driving data. Both commercial motor vehicle and light vehicle drivers varied as to how much they conversed on a mobile device but did not vary their engagement in visual-manual subtasks. Furthermore, commercial motor vehicle drivers conversed less frequently as the driving task demands increased, whereas light vehicle drivers did not. The risk of an SCE associated with mobile device use was dependent on the subtask performed and the driving context. Only visual-manual subtasks were associated with an increased SCE risk, whereas conversing was associated with a decreased risk in some driving contexts. Drivers' engagement in mobile device subtasks varies by driving context. The SCE risk associated with mobile device use is dependent on the types of subtasks performed and the driving context. The findings of this exploratory study can be applied to the design of driver-vehicle interfaces that mitigate distraction by preventing visual-manual subtasks while driving.

Real-world emissions of in-use off-road vehicles in Mexico.

PubMed

Zavala, Miguel; Huertas, Jose Ignacio; Prato, Daniel; Jazcilevich, Aron; Aguilar, Andrés; Balam, Marco; Misra, Chandan; Molina, Luisa T

2017-09-01

Off-road vehicles used in construction and agricultural activities can contribute substantially to emissions of gaseous pollutants and can be a major source of submicrometer carbonaceous particles in many parts of the world. However, there have been relatively few efforts in quantifying the emission factors (EFs) and for estimating the potential emission reduction benefits using emission control technologies for these vehicles. This study characterized the black carbon (BC) component of particulate matter and NOx, CO, and CO 2 EFs of selected diesel-powered off-road mobile sources in Mexico under real-world operating conditions using on-board portable emissions measurements systems (PEMS). The vehicles sampled included two backhoes, one tractor, a crane, an excavator, two front loaders, two bulldozers, an air compressor, and a power generator used in the construction and agricultural activities. For a selected number of these vehicles the emissions were further characterized with wall-flow diesel particle filters (DPFs) and partial-flow DPFs (p-DPFs) installed. Fuel-based EFs presented less variability than time-based emission rates, particularly for the BC. Average baseline EFs in working conditions for BC, NOx, and CO ranged from 0.04 to 5.7, from 12.6 to 81.8, and from 7.9 to 285.7 g/kg-fuel, respectively, and a high dependency by operation mode and by vehicle type was observed. Measurement-base frequency distributions of EFs by operation mode are proposed as an alternative method for characterizing the variability of off-road vehicles emissions under real-world conditions. Mass-based reductions for black carbon EFs were substantially large (above 99%) when DPFs were installed and the vehicles were idling, and the reductions were moderate (in the 20-60% range) for p-DPFs in working operating conditions. The observed high variability in measured EFs also indicates the need for detailed vehicle operation data for accurately estimating emissions from off-road vehicles in emissions inventories. Measurements of off-road vehicles used in construction and agricultural activities in Mexico using on-board portable emissions measurements systems (PEMS) showed that these vehicles can be major sources of black carbon and NO X . Emission factors varied significantly under real-world operating conditions, suggesting the need for detailed vehicle operation data for accurately estimating emissions inventories. Tests conducted in a selected number of sampled vehicles indicated that diesel particle filters (DPFs) are an effective technology for control of diesel particulate emissions and can provide potentially large emissions reduction in Mexico if widely implemented.

40 CFR 761.353 - Second level of sample selection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... reduction is to limit the amount of time required to manually cut up larger particles of the waste to pass through a 9.5 millimeter (mm) screen. (a) Selecting a portion of the subsample for particle size reduction... table to select one of these quarters. (b) Reduction of the particle size by the use of a 9.5 mm screen...

40 CFR 761.353 - Second level of sample selection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... reduction is to limit the amount of time required to manually cut up larger particles of the waste to pass through a 9.5 millimeter (mm) screen. (a) Selecting a portion of the subsample for particle size reduction... table to select one of these quarters. (b) Reduction of the particle size by the use of a 9.5 mm screen...

40 CFR 761.353 - Second level of sample selection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... reduction is to limit the amount of time required to manually cut up larger particles of the waste to pass through a 9.5 millimeter (mm) screen. (a) Selecting a portion of the subsample for particle size reduction... table to select one of these quarters. (b) Reduction of the particle size by the use of a 9.5 mm screen...

[Selection criteria of mobile lifters in the hospital setting].

PubMed

Ferriero, G; Ottonello, M; Franchignoni, F

2002-01-01

The manual handling of patients with limited mobility represents the major cause of musculoskeletal injury to the spine in paramedical health care workers. Within the hospital, the more complex procedures of patient transfer often require the use of mobile hoists. The aim of this paper is to describe the basic criteria for the selection of such hoists. The main characteristics of a hoist are its stability, the sling attachment, the speed of operation, range of movement of the spreader bar, safety of the operation being performed, patient comfort, the physical effort required on the part of the health care worker, manoeuvrability and simplicity of use. Important organizational-structural features to evaluate include: the type of patient normally present in the unit concerned, the specific movement to be performed, the structural characteristics of the environment, and the work organization of the personnel.

Sensitivity of a computer adaptive assessment for measuring functional mobility changes in children enrolled in a community fitness programme.

PubMed

Haley, Stephen M; Fragala-Pinkham, Maria; Ni, Pengsheng

2006-07-01

To examine the relative sensitivity to detect functional mobility changes with a full-length parent questionnaire compared with a computerized adaptive testing version of the questionnaire after a 16-week group fitness programme. Prospective, pre- and posttest study with a 16-week group fitness intervention. Three community-based fitness centres. Convenience sample of children (n = 28) with physical or developmental disabilities. A 16-week group exercise programme held twice a week in a community setting. A full-length (161 items) paper version of a mobility parent questionnaire based on the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, but expanded to include expected skills of children up to 15 years old was compared with a 15-item computer adaptive testing version. Both measures were administered at pre- and posttest intervals. Both the full-length Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory and the 15-item computer adaptive testing version detected significant changes between pre- and posttest scores, had large effect sizes, and standardized response means, with a modest decrease in the computer adaptive test as compared with the 161-item paper version. Correlations between the computer adaptive and paper formats across pre- and posttest scores ranged from r = 0.76 to 0.86. Both functional mobility test versions were able to detect positive functional changes at the end of the intervention period. Greater variability in score estimates was generated by the computerized adaptive testing version, which led to a relative reduction in sensitivity as defined by the standardized response mean. Extreme scores were generally more difficult for the computer adaptive format to estimate with as much accuracy as scores in the mid-range of the scale. However, the reduction in accuracy and sensitivity, which did not influence the group effect results in this study, is counterbalanced by the large reduction in testing burden.

Swipe out Stroke: Feasibility and efficacy of using a smart-phone based mobile application to improve compliance with weight loss in obese minority stroke patients and their carers.

PubMed

Ifejika, Nneka Lotea; Noser, Elizabeth Anne; Grotta, James C; Savitz, Sean I

2016-07-01

Swipe out Stroke (SOS) examines the use of a smartphone-based mobile application to reduce obesity in high-risk minority stroke patients. At record-high levels in the United States, obesity disproportionately affects minorities and is highly correlated with cerebrovascular disease. Unfortunately, structured weight loss programs are expensive, and compliance significantly decreases upon program completion. Mobile health (mHealth) technology is an innovative, cost-effective way to bridge this gap. Minorities spend over 4.5 billion dollars annually on consumer electronics, making studies that utilize mHealth applications ideal for health promotion and disease prevention. SOS is a prospective, randomized-controlled trial with open blinded endpoint comparing an mHealth based dietary intervention to usual care to facilitate weight reduction. Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke survivors and their carers are recruited from the acute care service of a Houston-based comprehensive stroke center. A neurorehabilitation physician or vascular neurologist meets with participants during the index hospitalization, a baseline clinic visit, followed by visits at 1, 3, and 6 month intervals. The SOS Team focuses on feasible modifications to the Southern dietary pattern (fried foods, fatty foods, added fats, eggs, processed meats, such as bacon and ham, organ meats (e.g., liver), and sweetened drinks) and caloric restriction to facilitate a 5% reduction in total body weight. Practical barriers to adherence are addressed, such as access to transportation, financial limitations, and depression. The primary dependent measure is a reduction of total body weight. Secondary outcomes include systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and Factor VIII. SOS will determine whether a Phase III effectiveness trial of a smartphone-based mobile application to address obesity-related health disparities is warranted throughout the Southeastern United States (Stroke Belt). © 2016 World Stroke Organization.

Mobile App-Based Interventions to Support Diabetes Self-Management: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials to Identify Functions Associated with Glycemic Efficacy

PubMed Central

Wu, Yuan; Yao, Xun; Vespasiani, Giacomo; Nicolucci, Antonio; Dong, Yajie; Kwong, Joey; Li, Ling; Sun, Xin

2017-01-01

Background Mobile health apps for diabetes self-management have different functions. However, the efficacy and safety of each function are not well studied, and no classification is available for these functions. Objective The aims of this study were to (1) develop and validate a taxonomy of apps for diabetes self-management, (2) investigate the glycemic efficacy of mobile app-based interventions among adults with diabetes in a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and (3) explore the contribution of different function to the effectiveness of entire app-based interventions using the taxonomy. Methods We developed a 3-axis taxonomy with columns of clinical modules, rows of functional modules and cells of functions with risk assessments. This taxonomy was validated by reviewing and classifying commercially available diabetes apps. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 2007 to May 2016. We included RCTs of adult outpatients with diabetes that compared using mobile app-based interventions with usual care alone. The mean differences (MDs) in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) concentrations and risk ratios of adverse events were pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis. After taxonomic classification, we performed exploratory subgroup analyses of the presence or absence of each module across the included app-based interventions. Results Across 12 included trials involving 974 participants, using app-based interventions was associated with a clinically significant reduction of HbA1c (MD 0.48%, 95% CI 0.19%-0.78%) without excess adverse events. Larger HbA1c reductions were noted among patients with type 2 diabetes than those with type 1 diabetes (MD 0.67%, 95% CI 0.30%-1.03% vs MD 0.37%, 95% CI –0.12%-0.86%). Having a complication prevention module in app-based interventions was associated with a greater HbA1c reduction (with complication prevention: MD 1.31%, 95% CI 0.66%-1.96% vs without: MD 0.38%, 95% CI 0.09%-0.67%; intersubgroup P=.01), as was having a structured display (with structured display: MD 0.69%, 95% CI 0.32%-1.06% vs without: MD 0.69%, 95% CI –0.18%-0.53%; intersubgroup P=.03). However, having a clinical decision-making function was not associated with a larger HbA1c reduction (with clinical decision making: MD 0.19%, 95% CI –0.24%-0.63% vs without: MD 0.61%, 95% CI 0.27%-0.95%; intersubgroup P=.14). Conclusions The use of mobile app-based interventions yields a clinically significant HbA1c reduction among adult outpatients with diabetes, especially among those with type 2 diabetes. Our study suggests that the clinical decision-making function needs further improvement and evaluation before being added to apps. PMID:28292740

Selectivity of photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction modulated with electron transfer from size-tunable quantized energy states of CdSe nanocrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Hyunjin; Kim, Whi Dong; Lee, Kangha; Lee, Seokwon; Kang, Gil-Seong; Joh, Han-Ik; Lee, Doh C.

2018-01-01

We investigate the product selectivity of CO2 reduction using NiO photocathodes decorated with CdSe quantum dots (QDs) of varying size in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. Size-tunable and quantized energy states of conduction band in CdSe QDs enable systematic control of electron transfer kinetics from CdSe QDs to NiO. It turns out that different size of CdSe QDs results in variation in product selectivity for CO2 reduction. The energy gap between conduction band edge and redox potential of each reduction product (e.g., CO and CH4) correlates with their production rate. The size dependence of the electron transfer rate estimated from the energy gap is in agreement with the selectivity of CO2 reduction products for all reduction products but CO. The deviation in the case of CO is attributed to sequential conversion of CO into CH4 with CO adsorbed on electrode surface. Based on a premise that the CdSe QDs would exhibit similar surface configuration regardless of QD size, it is concluded that the electron transfer kinetics proves to alter the selectivity of CO2 reduction.

Thunderbolt in biogeochemistry: galvanic effects of lightning as another source for metal remobilization.

PubMed

Schaller, Jörg; Weiske, Arndt; Berger, Frank

2013-11-04

Iron and manganese are relevant constituents of the earth's crust and both show increasing mobility when reduced by free electrons. This reduction is known to be controlled by microbial dissimilation processes. Alternative sources of free electrons in nature are cloud-to-ground lightning events with thermal and galvanic effects. Where thermal effects of lightning events are well described, less is known about the impact of galvanic lightning effects on metal mobilization. Here we show that a significant mobilization of manganese occurs due to galvanic effects of both positive and negative lightning, where iron seems to be unaffected with manganese being abundant in oxic forms in soils/sediments. A mean of 0.025 mmol manganese (negative lightning) or 0.08 mmol manganese (positive lightning) mobilization may occur. We suggest that lightning possibly influences biogeochemical cycles of redox sensitive elements in continental parts of the tropics/subtropics on a regional/local scale.

Thunderbolt in biogeochemistry: galvanic effects of lightning as another source for metal remobilization

PubMed Central

Schaller, Jörg; Weiske, Arndt; Berger, Frank

2013-01-01

Iron and manganese are relevant constituents of the earth's crust and both show increasing mobility when reduced by free electrons. This reduction is known to be controlled by microbial dissimilation processes. Alternative sources of free electrons in nature are cloud-to-ground lightning events with thermal and galvanic effects. Where thermal effects of lightning events are well described, less is known about the impact of galvanic lightning effects on metal mobilization. Here we show that a significant mobilization of manganese occurs due to galvanic effects of both positive and negative lightning, where iron seems to be unaffected with manganese being abundant in oxic forms in soils/sediments. A mean of 0.025 mmol manganese (negative lightning) or 0.08 mmol manganese (positive lightning) mobilization may occur. We suggest that lightning possibly influences biogeochemical cycles of redox sensitive elements in continental parts of the tropics/subtropics on a regional/local scale. PMID:24184989

MSAT and cellular hybrid networking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranowsky, Patrick W., II

Westinghouse Electric Corporation is developing both the Communications Ground Segment and the Series 1000 Mobile Phone for American Mobile Satellite Corporation's (AMSC's) Mobile Satellite (MSAT) system. The success of the voice services portion of this system depends, to some extent, upon the interoperability of the cellular network and the satellite communication circuit switched communication channels. This paper will describe the set of user-selectable cellular interoperable modes (cellular first/satellite second, etc.) provided by the Mobile Phone and described how they are implemented with the ground segment. Topics including roaming registration and cellular-to-satellite 'seamless' call handoff will be discussed, along with the relevant Interim Standard IS-41 Revision B Cellular Radiotelecommunications Intersystem Operations and IOS-553 Mobile Station - Land Station Compatibility Specification.

Partial weight support of the arm affects corticomotor selectivity of biceps brachii.

PubMed

Runnalls, Keith D; Anson, Greg; Byblow, Winston D

2015-10-26

Weight support of the arm (WS) can be used in stroke rehabilitation to facilitate upper limb therapy, but the neurophysiological effects of this technique are not well understood. While an overall reduction in muscle activity is expected, the mechanism by which WS may alter the expression of muscle synergies has not been examined until now. We explored the neurophysiological effect of WS on the selectivity of biceps brachii (BB) activation in healthy adults. Thirteen participants completed counterbalanced movement tasks in a repeated measures design. Three levels of WS (0, 45, and 90 % of full support) were provided to the arm using a commercial device (Saebo Mobile Arm Support). At each level of WS, participants maintained a flexed shoulder posture while performing rhythmic isometric elbow flexion (BB agonist) or forearm pronation (BB antagonist). Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation of primary motor cortex was used to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in BB 100-300 ms before muscle contraction. Baseline muscle activity and MEP amplitude were the primary dependent measures. Effects of movement TASK and SUPPORT LEVEL were statistically analyzed using linear mixed effects models. As expected, with increased support tonic activity was reduced across all muscles. This effect was greatest in the anti-gravity muscle anterior deltoid, and evident in biceps brachii and pronator teres as well. For BB MEP amplitude, TASK and SUPPORT LEVEL, interacted such that for elbow flexion, MEP amplitudes were smaller with incrementally greater WS whereas, for forearm pronation MEP amplitudes were smaller only at high WS. Weight support of the arm influences corticomotor selectivity of biceps brachii. WS may impact coordination independently of a global reduction in muscle activity. The amount of supportive force applied to the arm influences the neuromechanical control profile for the limb. These findings may inform the application of WS in upper limb stroke rehabilitation.

Mobile Emergency, an Emergency Support System for Hospitals in Mobile Devices: Pilot Study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Hospitals are vulnerable to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and mass causalities events. Within a short time, hospitals must provide care to large numbers of casualties in any damaged infrastructure, despite great personnel risk, inadequate communications, and limited resources. Communications are one of the most common challenges and drawbacks during in-hospital emergencies. Emergency difficulties in communicating with personnel and other agencies are mentioned in literature. At the moment of emergency inception and in the earliest emergency phases, the data regarding the true nature of the incidents are often inaccurate. The real needs and conditions are not yet clear, hospital personnel are neither efficiently coordinated nor informed on the real available resources. Information and communication technology solutions in health care turned out to have a great positive impact both on daily working practice and situations. Objective The objective of this paper was to find a solution that addresses the aspects of communicating among medical personnel, formalizing the modalities and protocols and the information to guide the medical personnel during emergency conditions with a support of a Central Station (command center) to cope with emergency management and best practice network to produce and distribute intelligent content made available in the mobile devices of the medical personnel. The aim was to reduce the time needed to react and to cope with emergency organization, while facilitating communications. Methods The solution has been realized by formalizing the scenarios, extracting, and identifying the requirements by using formal methods based on unified modeling language (UML). The system and was developed using mobile programming under iOS Apple and PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor My Structured Query Language (PHP MySQL). Formal questionnaires and time sheets were used for testing and validation, and a control group was used in order to estimate the reduction of time needed to cope with emergency cases. First, we have tested the usability and the functionalities of the solution proposed, then a real trial was performed to assess the reduction in communication time and the efficiency of the solution with respect to a case without Mobile Emergency tools. Results The solution was based on the development of a mobile emergency application and corresponding server device to cope with emergencies and facilitate all the related activities and communications, such as marking the position, contacting people, and recovering the exits information. The solution has been successfully tested within the Careggi Hospital, the largest medical infrastructure in Florence and Tuscany area in Italy, thus demonstrating the validity of the identified modalities, procedures, and the reduction in the time needed to cope with the emergency conditions. The trial was not registered as the test was conducted in realistic but simulated emergency conditions. Conclusions By analyzing the requirements for developing a mobile app, and specifically the functionalities, codes, and design of the Mobile Emergency app, we have revealed the real advantages of using mobile emergency solutions compared to other more traditional solutions to effectively handle emergency situations in hospital settings. PMID:23702566

Dimensionality reduction in epidemic spreading models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frasca, M.; Rizzo, A.; Gallo, L.; Fortuna, L.; Porfiri, M.

2015-09-01

Complex dynamical systems often exhibit collective dynamics that are well described by a reduced set of key variables in a low-dimensional space. Such a low-dimensional description offers a privileged perspective to understand the system behavior across temporal and spatial scales. In this work, we propose a data-driven approach to establish low-dimensional representations of large epidemic datasets by using a dimensionality reduction algorithm based on isometric features mapping (ISOMAP). We demonstrate our approach on synthetic data for epidemic spreading in a population of mobile individuals. We find that ISOMAP is successful in embedding high-dimensional data into a low-dimensional manifold, whose topological features are associated with the epidemic outbreak. Across a range of simulation parameters and model instances, we observe that epidemic outbreaks are embedded into a family of closed curves in a three-dimensional space, in which neighboring points pertain to instants that are close in time. The orientation of each curve is unique to a specific outbreak, and the coordinates correlate with the number of infected individuals. A low-dimensional description of epidemic spreading is expected to improve our understanding of the role of individual response on the outbreak dynamics, inform the selection of meaningful global observables, and, possibly, aid in the design of control and quarantine procedures.

The sexual cascade and the rise of pre-ejaculatory (Darwinian) sexual selection, sex roles, and sexual conflict.

PubMed

Parker, Geoff A

2014-08-21

After brief historic overviews of sexual selection and sexual conflict, I argue that pre-ejaculatory sexual selection (the form of sexual selection discussed by Darwin) arose at a late stage in an inevitable succession of transitions flowing from the early evolution of syngamy to the evolution of copulation and sex roles. If certain conditions were met, this "sexual cascade" progressed inevitably, if not, sexual strategy remained fixed at a given stage. Prolonged evolutionary history of intense sperm competition/selection under external fertilization preceded the rise of advanced mobility, which generated pre-ejaculatory sexual selection, followed on land by internal fertilization and reduced sperm competition in the form of postcopulatory sexual selection. I develop a prospective model of the early evolution of mobility, which, as Darwin realized, was the catalyst for pre-ejaculatory sexual selection. Stages in the cascade should be regarded as consequential rather than separate phenomena and, as such, invalidate much current opposition to Darwin-Bateman sex roles. Potential for sexual conflict occurs throughout, greatly increasing later in the cascade, reaching its peak under precopulatory sexual selection when sex roles become highly differentiated. Copyright © 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

The Sexual Cascade and the Rise of Pre-Ejaculatory (Darwinian) Sexual Selection, Sex Roles, and Sexual Conflict

PubMed Central

Parker, Geoff A.

2014-01-01

After brief historic overviews of sexual selection and sexual conflict, I argue that pre-ejaculatory sexual selection (the form of sexual selection discussed by Darwin) arose at a late stage in an inevitable succession of transitions flowing from the early evolution of syngamy to the evolution of copulation and sex roles. If certain conditions were met, this “sexual cascade” progressed inevitably, if not, sexual strategy remained fixed at a given stage. Prolonged evolutionary history of intense sperm competition/selection under external fertilization preceded the rise of advanced mobility, which generated pre-ejaculatory sexual selection, followed on land by internal fertilization and reduced sperm competition in the form of postcopulatory sexual selection. I develop a prospective model of the early evolution of mobility, which, as Darwin realized, was the catalyst for pre-ejaculatory sexual selection. Stages in the cascade should be regarded as consequential rather than separate phenomena and, as such, invalidate much current opposition to Darwin–Bateman sex roles. Potential for sexual conflict occurs throughout, greatly increasing later in the cascade, reaching its peak under precopulatory sexual selection when sex roles become highly differentiated. PMID:25147177

The Effectiveness of Mobile-Health Technologies to Improve Health Care Service Delivery Processes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Free, Caroline; Phillips, Gemma; Watson, Louise; Galli, Leandro; Felix, Lambert; Edwards, Phil; Patel, Vikram; Haines, Andy

2013-01-01

Background Mobile health interventions could have beneficial effects on health care delivery processes. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of controlled trials of mobile technology interventions to improve health care delivery processes. Methods and Findings We searched for all controlled trials of mobile technology based health interventions using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Global Health, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, UK NHS HTA (Jan 1990–Sept 2010). Two authors independently extracted data on allocation concealment, allocation sequence, blinding, completeness of follow-up, and measures of effect. We calculated effect estimates and we used random effects meta-analysis to give pooled estimates. We identified 42 trials. None of the trials had low risk of bias. Seven trials of health care provider support reported 25 outcomes regarding appropriate disease management, of which 11 showed statistically significant benefits. One trial reported a statistically significant improvement in nurse/surgeon communication using mobile phones. Two trials reported statistically significant reductions in correct diagnoses using mobile technology photos compared to gold standard. The pooled effect on appointment attendance using text message (short message service or SMS) reminders versus no reminder was increased, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.06 (95% CI 1.05–1.07, I 2 = 6%). The pooled effects on the number of cancelled appointments was not significantly increased RR 1.08 (95% CI 0.89–1.30). There was no difference in attendance using SMS reminders versus other reminders (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.94–1.02, respectively). To address the limitation of the older search, we also reviewed more recent literature. Conclusions The results for health care provider support interventions on diagnosis and management outcomes are generally consistent with modest benefits. Trials using mobile technology-based photos reported reductions in correct diagnoses when compared to the gold standard. SMS appointment reminders have modest benefits and may be appropriate for implementation. High quality trials measuring clinical outcomes are needed. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:23458994

The effectiveness of mobile-health technologies to improve health care service delivery processes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Free, Caroline; Phillips, Gemma; Watson, Louise; Galli, Leandro; Felix, Lambert; Edwards, Phil; Patel, Vikram; Haines, Andy

2013-01-01

Mobile health interventions could have beneficial effects on health care delivery processes. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of controlled trials of mobile technology interventions to improve health care delivery processes. We searched for all controlled trials of mobile technology based health interventions using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Global Health, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, UK NHS HTA (Jan 1990-Sept 2010). Two authors independently extracted data on allocation concealment, allocation sequence, blinding, completeness of follow-up, and measures of effect. We calculated effect estimates and we used random effects meta-analysis to give pooled estimates. We identified 42 trials. None of the trials had low risk of bias. Seven trials of health care provider support reported 25 outcomes regarding appropriate disease management, of which 11 showed statistically significant benefits. One trial reported a statistically significant improvement in nurse/surgeon communication using mobile phones. Two trials reported statistically significant reductions in correct diagnoses using mobile technology photos compared to gold standard. The pooled effect on appointment attendance using text message (short message service or SMS) reminders versus no reminder was increased, with a relative risk (RR) of 1.06 (95% CI 1.05-1.07, I(2) = 6%). The pooled effects on the number of cancelled appointments was not significantly increased RR 1.08 (95% CI 0.89-1.30). There was no difference in attendance using SMS reminders versus other reminders (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.94-1.02, respectively). To address the limitation of the older search, we also reviewed more recent literature. The results for health care provider support interventions on diagnosis and management outcomes are generally consistent with modest benefits. Trials using mobile technology-based photos reported reductions in correct diagnoses when compared to the gold standard. SMS appointment reminders have modest benefits and may be appropriate for implementation. High quality trials measuring clinical outcomes are needed. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation thin EFG octagons. Final subcontract report, 1 April 1992--31 January 1994

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

Kalejs, J.P.

1994-06-01

Mobil Solar Energy Corporation manufactures photovoltaic modules based on its unique Edge-defined Film-fed Growth (EFG) process for producing octagon-shaped hollow polycrystalline silicon tubes. The octagons are cut by lasers into 100 mm x 100 mm wafers which are suitable for solar cell processing. This process avoids slicing, grinding and polishing operations which are wasteful of material and are typical of most other wafer production methods. EFG wafers are fabricated into solar cells and modules using processes that have been specially developed to allow scaling up to high throughput rates. The goals of the Photovoltaic Manufacturing Technology Initiative (PVMaT) program atmore » Mobil Solar were to improve the EFG manufacturing line through technology advances that accelerate cost reduction in production and stimulate market growth for its product. The program was structured into three main tasks: to decrease silicon utilization by lowering wafer thickness from 400 to 200 {mu}m; to enhance laser cutting yields and throughput while improving the wafer strength; and to raise crystal growth productivity and yield. The technical problems faced and the advances made in the Mobil Solar PVMaT program are described. The author concludes with a presentation of the results of a detailed cost model for EFT module production. This model describes the accelerated reductions in manufacturing costs which are already in place and the future benefits anticipated to result from the technical achievements of the PVMaT program.« less

Microbial transformations of arsenic: Mobilization from glauconitic sediments to water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mumford, Adam C.; Barringer, Julia L.; Benzel, William M.; Reilly, Pamela A.; Young, L.Y.

2012-01-01

In the Inner Coastal Plain of New Jersey, arsenic (As) is released from glauconitic sediment to carbon- and nutrient-rich shallow groundwater. This As-rich groundwater discharges to a major area stream. We hypothesize that microbes play an active role in the mobilization of As from glauconitic subsurface sediments into groundwater in the Inner Coastal Plain of New Jersey. We have examined the potential impact of microbial activity on the mobilization of arsenic from subsurface sediments into the groundwater at a site on Crosswicks Creek in southern New Jersey. The As contents of sediments 33–90 cm below the streambed were found to range from 15 to 26.4 mg/kg, with siderite forming at depth. Groundwater beneath the streambed contains As at concentrations up to 89 μg/L. Microcosms developed from site sediments released 23 μg/L of As, and active microbial reduction of As(V) was observed in microcosms developed from site groundwater. DNA extracted from site sediments was amplified with primers for the 16S rRNA gene and the arsenate respiratory reductase gene, arrA, and indicated the presence of a diverse anaerobic microbial community, as well as the presence of potential arsenic-reducing bacteria. In addition, high iron (Fe) concentrations in groundwater and the presence of iron-reducing microbial genera suggests that Fe reduction in minerals may provide an additional mechanism for release of associated As, while arsenic-reducing microorganisms may serve to enhance the mobility of As in groundwater at this site.

Reduction of jarosite by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and secondary mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingjie, Ouyang; Xiancai, Lu; Huan, Liu; Juan, Li; Tingting, Zhu; Xiangyu, Zhu; Jianjun, Lu; Rucheng, Wang

2014-01-01

Jarosite is a common mineral in a variety of environments formed by the oxidation of iron sulfide normally accompanying with the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD) in mining areas or acid rock drainages (ARD) in many localities. Decomposition of jarosite by dissimilatory iron reducing bacteria (DIRB) influences the mobility of many heavy metals generally accommodated in natural jarosite. This study examined the anaerobic reduction of synthesized jarosite by Shewanella oneidensis strain MR-1, a typical facultative bacteria. The release of ferrous and ferric ion, as well as sulfate and potassium, in the inoculated experimental group lasting 80 days is much higher than that in abiotic control groups. The detection of bicarbonate and acetate in experimental solution further confirms the mechanism of microbial reduction of jarosite, in which lactate acts as the electron donor. The produced ferrous iron stimulates the subsequent secondary mineralization, leading to precipitation and transformation of various iron-containing minerals. Green rust and goethite are the intermediate minerals of the microbial reduction process under anoxic conditions, and the end products include magnetite and siderite. In aerobic environments, goethite, magnetite and siderite were also detected, but the contents were relatively lower. While in abiotic experiments, only goethite has been detected as a product. Thus, the microbial reduction and subsequent mineral transformation can remarkably influence the geochemical cycling of iron and sulfur in supergene environments, as well as the mobility of heavy metals commonly accommodated in jarosite.

Potential for Mercury Reduction by Microbes in the High Arctic▿

PubMed Central

Poulain, Alexandre J.; Ní Chadhain, Sinéad M.; Ariya, Parisa A.; Amyot, Marc; Garcia, Edenise; Campbell, Peter G. C.; Zylstra, Gerben J.; Barkay, Tamar

2007-01-01

The contamination of polar regions due to the global distribution of anthropogenic pollutants is of great concern because it leads to the bioaccumulation of toxic substances, methylmercury among them, in Arctic food chains. Here we present the first evidence that microbes in the high Arctic possess and express diverse merA genes, which specify the reduction of ionic mercury [Hg(II)] to the volatile elemental form [Hg(0)]. The sampled microbial biomass, collected from microbial mats in a coastal lagoon and from the surface of marine macroalgae, was comprised of bacteria that were most closely related to psychrophiles that had previously been described in polar environments. We used a kinetic redox model, taking into consideration photoredox reactions as well as mer-mediated reduction, to assess if the potential for Hg(II) reduction by Arctic microbes can affect the toxicity and environmental mobility of mercury in the high Arctic. Results suggested that mer-mediated Hg(II) reduction could account for most of the Hg(0) that is produced in high Arctic waters. At the surface, with only 5% metabolically active cells, up to 68% of the mercury pool was resolved by the model as biogenic Hg(0). At a greater depth, because of incident light attenuation, the significance of photoredox transformations declined and merA-mediated activity could account for up to 90% of Hg(0) production. These findings highlight the importance of microbial redox transformations in the biogeochemical cycling, and thus the toxicity and mobility, of mercury in polar regions. PMID:17293515

Increasing conclusiveness of clinical breath analysis by improved baseline correction of multi capillary column - ion mobility spectrometry (MCC-IMS) data.

PubMed

Szymańska, Ewa; Tinnevelt, Gerjen H; Brodrick, Emma; Williams, Mark; Davies, Antony N; van Manen, Henk-Jan; Buydens, Lutgarde M C

2016-08-05

Current challenges of clinical breath analysis include large data size and non-clinically relevant variations observed in exhaled breath measurements, which should be urgently addressed with competent scientific data tools. In this study, three different baseline correction methods are evaluated within a previously developed data size reduction strategy for multi capillary column - ion mobility spectrometry (MCC-IMS) datasets. Introduced for the first time in breath data analysis, the Top-hat method is presented as the optimum baseline correction method. A refined data size reduction strategy is employed in the analysis of a large breathomic dataset on a healthy and respiratory disease population. New insights into MCC-IMS spectra differences associated with respiratory diseases are provided, demonstrating the additional value of the refined data analysis strategy in clinical breath analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Low-resistance gateless high electron mobility transistors using three-dimensional inverted pyramidal AlGaN/GaN surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

So, Hongyun; Senesky, Debbie G.

2016-01-01

In this letter, three-dimensional gateless AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were demonstrated with 54% reduction in electrical resistance and 73% increase in surface area compared with conventional gateless HEMTs on planar substrates. Inverted pyramidal AlGaN/GaN surfaces were microfabricated using potassium hydroxide etched silicon with exposed (111) surfaces and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of coherent AlGaN/GaN thin films. In addition, electrical characterization of the devices showed that a combination of series and parallel connections of the highly conductive two-dimensional electron gas along the pyramidal geometry resulted in a significant reduction in electrical resistance at both room and high temperatures (up to 300 °C). This three-dimensional HEMT architecture can be leveraged to realize low-power and reliable power electronics, as well as harsh environment sensors with increased surface area.

Quantitative Characterization of Magnetic Mobility of Nanoparticle in Solution-Based Condition.

PubMed

Rodoplu, Didem; Boyaci, Ismail H; Bozkurt, Akif G; Eksi, Haslet; Zengin, Adem; Tamer, Ugur; Aydogan, Nihal; Ozcan, Sadan; Tugcu-Demiröz, Fatmanur

2015-01-01

Magnetic nanoparticles are considered as the ideal substrate to selectively isolate target molecules or organisms from sample solutions in a wide variety of applications including bioassays, bioimaging and environmental chemistry. The broad array of these applications in fields requires the accurate magnetic characterization of nanoparticles for a variety of solution based-conditions. Because the freshly synthesized magnetic nanoparticles demonstrated a perfect magnetization value in solid form, they exhibited a different magnetic behavior in solution. Here, we present simple quantitative method for the measurement of magnetic mobility of nanoparticles in solution-based condition. Magnetic mobility of the nanoparticles was quantified with initial mobility of the particles using UV-vis absorbance spectroscopy in water, ethanol and MES buffer. We demonstrated the efficacy of this method through a systematic characterization of four different core-shell structures magnetic nanoparticles over three different surface modifications. The solid nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and saturation magnetization (Ms). The surfaces of the nanoparticles were functionalized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and bovine serum albumin BSA was selected as biomaterial. The effect of the surface modification and solution media on the stability of the nanoparticles was monitored by zeta potentials and hydrodynamic diameters of the nanoparticles. Results obtained from the mobility experiments indicate that the initial mobility was altered with solution media, surface functionalization, size and shape of the magnetic nanoparticle. The proposed method easily determines the interactions between the magnetic nanoparticles and their surrounding biological media, the magnetophoretic responsiveness of nanoparticles and the initial mobilities of the nanoparticles.

A Hybrid Constant and Oscillatory Field Ion Mobility Analyzer in Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations

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

Prabhakaran Nair Syamala Amma, Aneesh; Hamid, Ahme

2018-02-28

Ion mobility (IM) spectrometry is becoming an important approach for analyzing molecular ions in the gas phase with applications that span a multitude of scientific areas. There are a variety of IM-based approaches that utilize either constant or oscillatory electric fields. Here, we explore the combination of constant and oscillatory fields applied in a single device to affect the separation and filtering of ions based on their mobilities. The mobility analyzer allows confining and manipulating ions utilizing a combination of radio frequency (RF), direct current (DC) fields, and traveling waves (TW) in a structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM) module.more » In this work, we have investigated theoretically and experimentally the concept for continuous filtering of ions based on their mobilities where ions are mobility separated and selected by a combination of TW and constant fields providing opposing forces on the ions. The SLIM module was composed of two surfaces with mirror-image arrays of electrodes and had two regions where the different TW and opposing DC fields could be applied. By appropriately choosing the DC gradient and TW parameters for the two sections, it is possible to transmit ions of a selected mobility while filtering out others. The filtering capabilities are determined by the applied DC gradient and the TW parameters, such as frequency, amplitude and the TW sequence (i.e., the duty cycle of the traveling wave). The effect of different parameters on the sensitivity and the IM resolution of the device have been investigated.« less

A Hybrid Constant and Oscillatory Field Ion Mobility Analyzer Using Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations

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

Prabhakaran, Aneesh; Hamid, Ahmed M.; Garimella, Sandilya V. B.

Ion mobility (IM) spectrometry is becoming an important approach for analyzing molecular ions in the gas phase with applications that span a multitude of scientific areas. There are a variety of IM-based approaches that utilize either constant or oscillatory electric fields. Here, we explore the combination of constant and oscillatory fields applied in a single device to affect the separation and filtering of ions based on their mobilities. The mobility analyzer allows confining and manipulating ions utilizing a combination of radio frequency (RF), direct current (DC) fields, and traveling waves (TW) in a structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM) module.more » In this work, we have investigated theoretically and experimentally the concept for continuous filtering of ions based on their mobilities where ions are mobility separated and selected by a combination of TW and constant fields providing opposing forces on the ions. The SLIM module was composed of two surfaces with mirror-image arrays of electrodes and had two regions where the different TW and opposing DC fields could be applied. By appropriately choosing the DC gradient and TW parameters for the two sections, it is possible to transmit ions of a selected mobility while filtering out others. The filtering capabilities are determined by the applied DC gradient and the TW parameters, such as frequency, amplitude and the TW sequence (i.e., the duty cycle of the traveling wave). The effect of different parameters on the sensitivity and the IM resolution of the device have been investigated.« less

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

DoD Role in Counterdrug Operations - Can We Achieve Better Results?

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-04-01

drug detection 34 requirement. Tests showed fully loaded containers can be effectively screened for narcotics with high energy X - ray technologies...The DOD and the U.S. Customs Service are procuring X - ray systems with higher energy level, mobile X - ray systems, and even more advanced handheld...reduction in domestic marijuana cultivation and methamphetamine production by the year 2002. Long term objectives include a 30 percent reduction in the flow

Fuel Reduction for the Mobility Air Forces: Executive Summary

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

calculate fuel savings from an enterprise perspective. For example, there is significant literature on drag reduction of winglets ; however, most of this... Winglets . Winglets are wingtip devices designed to improve the lift-to-drag ratio of an aircraft and are more effective than simple wing extensions of...Developing Winglets For C-130, C-5,” Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, October 6, 2011, p. 3; and Vortex Control Technologies, “2013 Program Price List

Tooele Army Depot - North Area. Feasibility Study for Operable Units 5, 6, 7, and 10

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-03-01

effectiveness of alternatives in maintaining protection of human health and the environment after response objectives have been met. 4. Reduction of toxicity...Institutional controls may be effective at protecting human health and the environment and complying with ARARs if the site contaminants have low toxicity...reduction of the toxicity, mobility, or volume of soil contaminants through treatment under this alternative. Short-term effectiveness . Human health

Annual Report of the Secretary of Defense on Reserve Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

1970-01-01

Aviation. The Southeast : Asia incremental phase-down resulted In the infusion of relatively new aircraft into the Reserve Components’ inventory in FY 70. A...Loeeoen learned tim Uth reall, employmst and smbome ent Iamctiveaton of two reserve mobile constructiom battalions in fioesl years 19t and IM49...tional War Reserve Stock) and recoverable asseto from reduct.ion of Southeast Asia operations are expected tc credit stock now on hand. Current Navy

Parallel Processing of Images in Mobile Devices using BOINC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curiel, Mariela; Calle, David F.; Santamaría, Alfredo S.; Suarez, David F.; Flórez, Leonardo

2018-04-01

Medical image processing helps health professionals make decisions for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Since some algorithms for processing images require substantial amounts of resources, one could take advantage of distributed or parallel computing. A mobile grid can be an adequate computing infrastructure for this problem. A mobile grid is a grid that includes mobile devices as resource providers. In a previous step of this research, we selected BOINC as the infrastructure to build our mobile grid. However, parallel processing of images in mobile devices poses at least two important challenges: the execution of standard libraries for processing images and obtaining adequate performance when compared to desktop computers grids. By the time we started our research, the use of BOINC in mobile devices also involved two issues: a) the execution of programs in mobile devices required to modify the code to insert calls to the BOINC API, and b) the division of the image among the mobile devices as well as its merging required additional code in some BOINC components. This article presents answers to these four challenges.

The Effects of Prior Knowledge Activation on Free Recall and Study Time Allocation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Machiels-Bongaerts, Maureen; And Others

The effects of mobilizing prior knowledge on information processing were studied. Two hypotheses, the cognitive set-point hypothesis and the selective attention hypothesis, try to account for the facilitation effects of prior knowledge activation. These hypotheses predict different recall patterns as a result of mobilizing prior knowledge. In…

Mobility Experiences of Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palisano, Robert J.; Shimmell, Lorie J.; Stewart, Debra; Lawless, John J.; Rosenbaum, Peter L.; Russell, Dianne J.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe how youth with cerebral palsy experience mobility in their daily lives using a phenomenological approach. The participants were 10 youth with cerebral palsy, 17 to 20 years of age, selected using purposeful sampling with maximum variation strategies. A total of 14 interviews were completed. Transcripts…

Review of Mobile Learning Trends 2010-2015: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chee, Ken Nee; Yahaya, Noraffandy; Ibrahim, Nor Hasniza; Hasan, Mohamed Noor

2017-01-01

This study examined the longitudinal trends of mobile learning (M-Learning) research using text mining techniques in a more comprehensive manner. One hundred and forty four (144) refereed journal articles were retrieved and analyzed from the Social Science Citation Index database selected from top six major educational technology-based learning…

The Role of International Student Mobility in Hiring Decisions. A Vignette Experiment among German Employers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petzold, Knut

2017-01-01

By virtue of the internationalisation of economies, international student mobility is considered increasingly important for professional careers. However, most studies focus on the supply-side by using graduate surveys, which face problems of graduates' self-selection. Other studies on employers' opinions often lack rigour analysis and report…

Modeling hurricane evacuation traffic : a mobile real-time traffic counter for monitoring hurricane evacuation traffic conditions.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-04-01

The objective of this part of the research study was to select and acquire a mobile traffic counter capable of providing traffic flow and average speed data in intervals of time no greater than 15 minutes and transmit the data back to a central locat...

Improving the Effectiveness of English Vocabulary Review by Integrating ARCS with Mobile Game-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Ting-Ting

2018-01-01

Memorizing English vocabulary is often considered uninteresting, and a lack of motivation exists during learning activities. Moreover, most vocabulary practice systems automatically select words from articles and do not provide integrated model methods for students. Therefore, this study constructed a mobile game-based English vocabulary practice…

The Impact of Mobile Learning on Listening Anxiety and Listening Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rahimi, Mehrak; Soleymani, Elham

2015-01-01

This study aimed at investigating the impact of mobile learning on EFL learners' listening anxiety and listening comprehension. Fifty students of two intermediate English courses were selected and sampled as the experimental (n = 25) and control (n = 25) groups. Students' entry level of listening anxiety was assessed by foreign language listening…

Forms of Science Capital Mobilized in Adolescents' Engineering Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson-Lopez, Amy; Sias, Christina; Smithee, Allen; Hasbún, Indhira María

2018-01-01

The purpose of this multiple case study was to identify the forms of science capital that six groups of adolescents mobilized toward the realization of their self-selected engineering projects during after-school meetings. Research participants were high school students who self-identified as Hispanic, Latina, or Latino; who had received English…

Selective Mono-reduction of Pyrrole-2,5 and 2,4-Dicarboxylates.

PubMed

Yasui, Eiko; Tsuda, Jyunpei; Ohnuki, Satoshi; Nagumo, Shinji

2016-01-01

Pyrrole-2,5-dicarboxylates were rapidly and selectively reduced to the corresponding mono-alcohol using 3 eq of diisobutylaluminum hydride at 0°C. Pyrrole-2,4-dicarboxylate showed the same reactivity; however, the selectivity decreased with pyrrole-3,4-dicarboxylate. When the nitrogen atom of the pyrrole-2,5-dicarboxylate is protected with a benzyl group, selective mono-reduction does not occur. Considering that furan-2,5-dicarboxylates did not give the corresponding mono-alcohol under the same conditions, the unprotected nitrogen atom of pyrrole apparently plays an important role in this selective mono-reduction.

Application of the artificial neural network in quantitative structure-gradient elution retention relationship of phenylthiocarbamyl amino acids derivatives.

PubMed

Tham, S Y; Agatonovic-Kustrin, S

2002-05-15

Quantitative structure-retention relationship(QSRR) method was used to model reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) separation of 18 selected amino acids. Retention data for phenylthiocarbamyl (PTC) amino acids derivatives were obtained using gradient elution on ODS column with mobile phase of varying acetonitrile, acetate buffer and containing 0.5 ml/l of triethylamine (TEA). Molecular structure of each amino acid was encoded with 36 calculated molecular descriptors. The correlation between the molecular descriptors and the retention time of the compounds in the calibration set was established using the genetic neural network method. A genetic algorithm (GA) was used to select important molecular descriptors and supervised artificial neural network (ANN) was used to correlate mobile phase composition and selected descriptors with the experimentally derived retention times. Retention time values were used as the network's output and calculated molecular descriptors and mobile phase composition as the inputs. The best model with five input descriptors was chosen, and the significance of the selected descriptors for amino acid separation was examined. Results confirmed the dominant role of the organic modifier in such chromatographic systems in addition to lipophilicity (log P) and molecular size and shape (topological indices) of investigated solutes.

Growth of viscoelastic wings and the reduction of particle mobility in a viscoelastic shear flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murch, William L.; Krishnan, Sreenath; Shaqfeh, Eric S. G.; Iaccarino, Gianluca

2017-10-01

The motion of a rigid spherical particle in a sheared polymeric fluid is studied via experiments and numerical simulations. We study particle mobility in highly elastic fluids, where the deformation due to the sphere's movement and the shear flow both result in significant stretching of the polymer. The shear flow is imposed in a plane perpendicular to the sphere's movement, resulting in regions of high polymer tension in the wake of the sphere that can extend well into the shear flow and gradient directions. We observe that these viscoelastic wake structures, resembling wings, are linked to an increase in the form drag, providing a mechanism for a dramatic decrease in the particle mobility.

Social participation and independent mobility in children: the effects of two implementations of "we go to school alone".

PubMed

Prezza, Miretta; Alparone, Francesca Romana; Renzi, Daniela; Pietrobono, Annalisa

2010-01-01

The aim of this research was to determine the outcomes of the "We go to school alone" program in two Districts of Rome through a longitudinal study involving 392 children (mean age = 8.37 years) and 270 parents. The outcomes of the program in the two Districts were very different. Only one resulted in an increase in children's autonomous mobility on the home-school journey, a reduction in the number of times a child was taken to school by car, and, even more important, in an increase in the general level of children's independent mobility in their neighborhood. The findings are discussed in terms of a process evaluation that enabled us to understand the differing results.

Vehicle emission implications of drivers' smart advisory system for traffic operations in work zones.

PubMed

Li, Qing; Qiao, Fengxiang; Yu, Lei

2016-05-01

Wireless communication systems have been broadly applied in various complicated traffic operations to improve mobility and safety on roads, which may raise a concern about the implication of the new technology on vehicle emissions. This paper explores how the wireless communication systems improve drivers' driving behaviors and its contributions to the emission reduction, in terms of Operating Mode (OpMode) IDs distribution used in emission estimation. A simulated work zone with completed traffic operation was selected as a test bed. Sixty subjects were recruited for the tests, whose demographic distribution was based on the Census data in Houston, Texas. A scene of a pedestrian's crossing in the work zone was designed for the driving test. Meanwhile, a wireless communication system called Drivers Smart Advisory System (DSAS) was proposed and introduced in the driving simulation, which provided drivers with warning messages in the work zone. Two scenarios were designed for a leading vehicle as well as for a following vehicle driving through the work zone, which included a base test without any wireless communication systems, and a driving test with the trigger of the DSAS. Subjects' driving behaviors in the simulation were recorded to evaluate safety and estimate the vehicle emission using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released emission model MOVES. The correlation between drivers' driving behavior and the distribution of the OpMode ID during each scenario was investigated. Results show that the DSAS was able to induce drivers to accelerate smoothly, keep longer headway distance and stop earlier for a hazardous situation in the work zone, which driving behaviors result in statistically significant reduction in vehicle emissions for almost all studied air pollutants (p-values range from 4.10E-51 to 2.18E-03). The emission reduction was achieved by the switching the distribution of the OpMode IDs from higher emission zones to lower emission zones. Transportation section is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Many studies demonstrate that the wireless communication system dedicated for safety and mobility issues may contribute to the induction in vehicle emissions through changing driving behaviors. An insight into the correlation between the driving behaviors and the distribution of Operating Mode (OpMode) IDs is essential to enhance the emission reduction. The result of this study shows that with a Drivers Smart Advisory System (DSAS) drivers accelerated smoothly and stopped earlier for a hazardous situation, which induce the switch of the OpMode IDs from high emission zones to lower emission zones.

Hall mobility in multicrystalline silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schindler, F.; Geilker, J.; Kwapil, W.; Warta, W.; Schubert, M. C.

2011-08-01

Knowledge of the carrier mobility in silicon is of utmost importance for photovoltaic applications, as it directly influences the diffusion length and thereby the cell efficiency. Moreover, its value is needed for a correct quantitative evaluation of a variety of lifetime measurements. However, models that describe the carrier mobility in silicon are based on theoretical calculations or fits to experimental data in monocrystalline silicon. Multicrystalline (mc) silicon features crystal defects such as dislocations and grain boundaries, with the latter possibly leading to potential barriers through the trapping of charge carriers and thereby influencing the mobility, as shown, for example, by Maruska et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 36, 381 (1980)]. To quantify the mobilities in multicrystalline silicon, we performed Hall measurements in p-type mc-Si samples of various resistivities and different crystal structures and compared the data to majority carrier Hall mobilities in p-type monocrystalline floatzone (FZ) silicon. For lack of a model that provides reliable values of the Hall mobility in silicon, an empirical fit similar to existing models for conductivity mobilities is proposed based on Hall measurements of monocrystalline p-type FZ silicon. By comparing the measured Hall mobilities obtained from mc silicon with the corresponding Hall mobilities in monocrystalline silicon of the same resistivity, we found that the mobility reduction due to the presence of crystal defects in mc-Si ranges between 0% and 5% only. Mobility decreases of up to 30% as reported by Peter et al. [Proceedings of the 23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, Valencia, Spain, 1-5 September 2008], or even of a factor of 2 to 3 as detected by Palais et al. [Mater. Sci. Eng. B 102, 184 (2003)], in multicrystalline silicon were not observed.

Fundamental limits on the electron mobility of β-Ga2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Youngho; Krishnaswamy, Karthik; Peelaers, Hartwin; Van de Walle, Chris G.

2017-06-01

We perform first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic and vibrational spectra and the electron mobility of β-Ga2O3. We calculate the electron-phonon scattering rate of the polar optical phonon modes using the Vogl model in conjunction with Fermi’s golden rule; this enables us to fully take the anisotropic phonon spectra of the monoclinic lattice of β-Ga2O3 into account. We also examine the scattering rate due to ionized impurities or defects using a Yukawa-potential-based model. We consider scattering due to donor impurities, as well as the possibility of compensation by acceptors such as Ga vacancies. We then calculate the room-temperature mobility of β-Ga2O3 using the Boltzmann transport equation within the relaxation time approximation, for carrier densities in the range from 1017 to 1020 cm-3. We find that the electron-phonon interaction dominates the mobility for carrier densities of up to 1019 cm-3. We also find that the intrinsic anisotropy in the mobility is small; experimental findings of large anisotropy must therefore be attributed to other factors. We attribute the experimentally observed reduction of the mobility with increasing carrier density to increasing levels of compensation, which significantly affect the mobility.

Fundamental limits on the electron mobility of β-Ga2O3.

PubMed

Kang, Youngho; Krishnaswamy, Karthik; Peelaers, Hartwin; Van de Walle, Chris G

2017-06-14

We perform first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic and vibrational spectra and the electron mobility of β-Ga 2 O 3 . We calculate the electron-phonon scattering rate of the polar optical phonon modes using the Vogl model in conjunction with Fermi's golden rule; this enables us to fully take the anisotropic phonon spectra of the monoclinic lattice of β-Ga 2 O 3 into account. We also examine the scattering rate due to ionized impurities or defects using a Yukawa-potential-based model. We consider scattering due to donor impurities, as well as the possibility of compensation by acceptors such as Ga vacancies. We then calculate the room-temperature mobility of β-Ga 2 O 3 using the Boltzmann transport equation within the relaxation time approximation, for carrier densities in the range from 10 17 to 10 20 cm -3 . We find that the electron-phonon interaction dominates the mobility for carrier densities of up to 10 19 cm -3 . We also find that the intrinsic anisotropy in the mobility is small; experimental findings of large anisotropy must therefore be attributed to other factors. We attribute the experimentally observed reduction of the mobility with increasing carrier density to increasing levels of compensation, which significantly affect the mobility.

Modeling Ozone in the Eastern U.S. using a Fuel-Based Mobile Source Emissions Inventory.

PubMed

McDonald, Brian C; McKeen, Stuart A; Cui, Yu Yan; Ahmadov, Ravan; Kim, Si-Wan; Frost, Gregory J; Pollack, Ilana B; Peischl, Jeff; Ryerson, Thomas B; Holloway, John S; Graus, Martin; Warneke, Carsten; Gilman, Jessica B; de Gouw, Joost A; Kaiser, Jennifer; Keutsch, Frank N; Hanisco, Thomas F; Wolfe, Glenn M; Trainer, Michael

2018-06-22

Recent studies suggest overestimates in current U.S. emission inventories of nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ). Here, we expand a previously developed fuel-based inventory of motor-vehicle emissions (FIVE) to the continental U.S. for the year 2013, and evaluate our estimates of mobile source emissions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Emissions Inventory (NEI) interpolated to 2013. We find that mobile source emissions of NO x and carbon monoxide (CO) in the NEI are higher than FIVE by 28% and 90%, respectively. Using a chemical transport model, we model mobile source emissions from FIVE, and find consistent levels of urban NO x and CO as measured during the Southeast Nexus (SENEX) Study in 2013. Lastly, we assess the sensitivity of ozone (O 3 ) over the Eastern U.S. to uncertainties in mobile source NO x emissions and biogenic volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. The ground-level O 3 is sensitive to reductions in mobile source NO x emissions, most notably in the Southeastern U.S. and during O 3 exceedance events, under the revised standard proposed in 2015 (>70 ppb, 8 h maximum). This suggests that decreasing mobile source NO x emissions could help in meeting more stringent O 3 standards in the future.

Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Automated Blood Cell Measurements.

PubMed

Vagdatli, Eleni; Konstandinidou, Vasiliki; Adrianakis, Nikolaos; Tsikopoulos, Ioannis; Tsikopoulos, Alexios; Mitsopoulou, Kyriaki

2014-08-01

The aim of this study is to investigate whether the electromagnetic fields associated with mobile phones and/or laptops interfere with blood cell counts of hematology analyzers. Random blood samples were analyzed on an Aperture Impedance hematology analyzer. The analysis was performed in four ways: (A) without the presence of any mobile phone or portable computer in use, (B) with mobile phones in use (B1: one mobile, B4: four mobiles), (C) with portable computers (laptops) in use (C1: one laptop, C3: three laptops), and (D) with four mobile phones and three laptops in use simultaneously. The results obtained demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in neutrophil, erythrocyte, and platelet count and an increase in lymphocyte count, mean corpuscular volume, and red blood cell distribution width, notably in the B4 group. Despite this statistical significance, in clinical practice, only the red blood cell reduction could be taken into account, as the mean difference between the A and B4 group was 60,000 cells/µL. In group D, the analyzer gave odd results after 11 measurements and finally stopped working. The combined and multiple use of mobile phones and computers affects the function of hematology analyzers, leading to false results. Consequently, the use of such electronic devices must be avoided. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Differential Effects of Low-Molecular-Weight Organic Acids on the Mobilization of Soil-Borne Arsenic and Trace Metals.

PubMed

Nworie, Obinna Elijah; Qin, Junhao; Lin, Chuxia

2017-08-21

A batch experiment was conducted to examine the effects of six low-molecular-weight organic acids on the mobilization of arsenic and trace metals from a range of contaminated soils. The results showed that the organic acids behaved differently when reacting with soil-borne As and trace metals. Oxalic acid and acetic acid had the strongest and weakest capacity to mobilize the investigated elements, respectively. The solubilisation of iron oxides by the organic acids appears to play a critical role in mobilizing other trace metals and As. Apart from acidification and complexation, reductive dissolution played a dominant role in the dissolution of iron oxides in the presence of oxalic acid, while acidification tended to be more important for dissolving iron oxides in the presence of other organic acids. The unique capacity of oxalic acid to solubilize iron oxides tended to affect the mobilization of other elements in different ways. For Cu, Mn, and Zn, acidification-driven mobilization was likely to be dominant while complexation might play a major role in Pb mobilization. The formation of soluble Fe and Pb oxalate complexes could effectively prevent arsenate or arsenite from combining with these metals to form solid phases of Fe or Pb arsenate or arsenite.

Simultaneous influence of indigenous microorganism along with abiotic factors controlling arsenic mobilization in Brahmaputra floodplain, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathe, Sandip S.; Mahanta, Chandan; Mishra, Pushpanjali

2018-06-01

In the dynamic cycling of oxic and anoxic aqueous alluvial aquifer environments, varying Arsenic (As) concentrations are controlled by both abiotic and biotic factors. Studies have shown a significant form of toxic As (III) being released through the reductive dissolution of iron-oxy/hydroxide minerals and microbial reduction mechanisms, which leads to a serious health concern. The present study was performed in order to assess the abiotic and biotic factors influencing As release into the alluvial aquifer groundwater in Brahmaputra floodplain, India. The groundwater chemistry, characterization of the sediments, isolation, identification and characterization of prominent As releasing indigenous bacterium were conducted. The measured solid and liquid phases of total As concentration were ranged between 0.02 and 17.2 mg kg-1 and 8 to 353 μg L-1, respectively. The morphology and mineralogy showed the presence of detrital and authigenic mineral assemblages whereas primary and secondary As bearing Realgar and Claudetite minerals were identified, respectively. Furthermore, significant non-labile As fraction was found associated with the amorphous oxides of Fe, Mn and Al. The observed groundwater chemistry and sediment color, deduced a sub-oxic reducing aquifer conditions in As-contaminated regions. In addition, 16S rDNA sequencing results of the isolated bacterium showed the prominent Pseudomonas aeruginosa responsible for the mobilization of As, reducing condition, biomineralization and causing grey color to the sediments at the shallower and deeper aquifers in the study area. These findings suggest that microbial metabolic activities are equally responsible in iron-oxy/hydroxide reductive dissolution, controlling As mobilization in dynamic fluvial flood plains.

Mobile Technologies for Managing Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Carbo, Anisleidy; Gupta, Manish; Tamariz, Leonardo; Palacio, Ana; Levis, Silvina; Nemeth, Zsuzsanna; Dang, Stuti

2018-04-02

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) conducted among heart failure (HF) patients have reported that mobile technologies can improve HF-related outcomes. Our aim was to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate m-Health's impact on healthcare services utilization, mortality, and cost. We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL, and EMBASE for studies published between 1966 and May-2017. We included studies that compared the use of m-Health in HF patients to usual care. m-Health is defined as the use of mobile computing and communication technologies to record and transmit data. The outcomes were HF-related and all-cause hospital days, cost, admissions, and mortality. Our search strategy resulted in 1,494 articles. We included 10 RCTs and 1 quasi-experimental study, which represented 3,109 patients in North America and Europe. Patient average age range was 53-80 years, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III, and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction <50%. Patients were mostly monitored daily and followed for an average of 6 months. A reduction was seen in HF-related hospital days. Nonsignificant reductions were seen in HF-related cost, admissions, and mortality and total mortality. We found no significant differences for all-cause hospital days and admissions, and an increase in total cost. m-Health reduced HF-related hospital days, showed reduction trends in total mortality and HF-related admissions, mortality and cost, and increased total costs related to more clinic visits and implementation of new technologies. More studies reporting consistent quality outcomes are warranted to give conclusive information about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of m-Health interventions for HF.

Active colloids as mobile microelectrodes for unified label-free selective cargo transport.

PubMed

Boymelgreen, Alicia M; Balli, Tov; Miloh, Touvia; Yossifon, Gilad

2018-02-22

Utilization of active colloids to transport both biological and inorganic cargo has been widely examined in the context of applications ranging from targeted drug delivery to sample analysis. In general, carriers are customized to load one specific target via a mechanism distinct from that driving the transport. Here we unify these tasks and extend loading capabilities to include on-demand selection of multiple nano/micro-sized targets without the need for pre-labelling or surface functionalization. An externally applied electric field is singularly used to drive the active cargo carrier and transform it into a mobile floating electrode that can attract (trap) or repel specific targets from its surface by dielectrophoresis, enabling dynamic control of target selection, loading and rate of transport via the electric field parameters. In the future, dynamic selectivity could be combined with directed motion to develop building blocks for bottom-up fabrication in applications such as additive manufacturing and soft robotics.

Predicting Negative Emotions Based on Mobile Phone Usage Patterns: An Exploratory Study

PubMed Central

Yang, Pei-Ching; Chang, Chia-Chi; Chiang, Jung-Hsien; Chen, Ying-Yeh

2016-01-01

Background Prompt recognition and intervention of negative emotions is crucial for patients with depression. Mobile phones and mobile apps are suitable technologies that can be used to recognize negative emotions and intervene if necessary. Objective Mobile phone usage patterns can be associated with concurrent emotional states. The objective of this study is to adapt machine-learning methods to analyze such patterns for the prediction of negative emotion. Methods We developed an Android-based app to capture emotional states and mobile phone usage patterns, which included call logs (and use of apps). Visual analog scales (VASs) were used to report negative emotions in dimensions of depression, anxiety, and stress. In the system-training phase, participants were requested to tag their emotions for 14 consecutive days. Five feature-selection methods were used to determine individual usage patterns and four machine-learning methods were tested. Finally, rank product scoring was used to select the best combination to construct the prediction model. In the system evaluation phase, participants were then requested to verify the predicted negative emotions for at least 5 days. Results Out of 40 enrolled healthy participants, we analyzed data from 28 participants, including 30% (9/28) women with a mean (SD) age of 29.2 (5.1) years with sufficient emotion tags. The combination of time slots of 2 hours, greedy forward selection, and Naïve Bayes method was chosen for the prediction model. We further validated the personalized models in 18 participants who performed at least 5 days of model evaluation. Overall, the predictive accuracy for negative emotions was 86.17%. Conclusion We developed a system capable of predicting negative emotions based on mobile phone usage patterns. This system has potential for ecological momentary intervention (EMI) for depressive disorders by automatically recognizing negative emotions and providing people with preventive treatments before it escalates to clinical depression. PMID:27511748

Long-active granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for peripheral blood hematopoietic progenitor cell mobilization.

PubMed

Martino, Massimo; Laszlo, Daniele; Lanza, Francesco

2014-06-01

Peg-filgrastim (PEG-FIL), a polyethylene glycol-conjugated form of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), has been introduced in clinical practice and is effective in shortening the time of neutropenia after cytotoxic chemotherapy. G-CSF has emerged as the preferred cytokine for hematopoietic progenitor cells' (HPC) mobilization. Nevertheless, data on the ability of PEG-FIL in this field have been published. We review publications in the field with the goal of providing an overview of this approach. PEG-FIL may be able to mobilize CD34(+) cells in a more timely fashion than G-CSF, with the advantages of only a single-dose administration, an earlier start and a reduction in the number of apheresis procedures. The main controversies concern the dosage of the drug and the optimal dose. In the context of chemo-mobilization, a single dose of 6 mg PEG-FIL seems effective in terms of HPC's mobilization and there is no increase in this effect if the dose is doubled to 12 mg. Steady-state mobilization requires higher doses of PEG-FIL and this approach is not cost-effective when compared with G-CSF. The experiences with PEG-FIL in the healthy donor setting are very limited.

Understanding Pacific Highway commercial vehicle operations to support emissions reduction programs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-02-01

In an effort to recommend regionally comprehensive border management solutions that will simultaneously reduce cost to carriers, and air emissions, UW researchers will work with the International Mobility and Trade Corridor Project (IMTC), a cross-bo...

Breeding and Genetics Symposium: a systems biology definition for chicken semen quality.

PubMed

Froman, D P; Rhoads, D D

2013-02-01

Rooster semen is an effluent from paired reproductive tracts. Each tract includes a testis, epididymis, and deferent duct. Upon ejaculation, efficacy of sperm propulsion varies among roosters. This phenotype is sperm mobility, that is, the movement of sperm against resistance at body temperature. The present work 1) compares reproductive tract throughput between lines of chickens selected for low and high sperm mobility, 2) demonstrates how semen quality can be defined in terms of an interaction between reproductive tract throughput and the proportion of mobile sperm ejaculated, 3) confirms that phenotype can be linked to genomewide differences in SNPlotype, and 4) shows how breeding can affect semen quality. Sperm mobility phenotype distributions were based on the average of duplicate observations per male (n = 241 and 262 roosters for low and high lines, respectively). Distributions were skewed and normal for low and high lines, respectively. Subsequent analyses used these base populations as sources for test subjects. In the first analysis, 10 males were selected from the mode of each distribution, and sperm mobility data were evaluated by nested ANOVA. Variation was observed between lines (P < 0.0001) but not among males within lines (P = 0.980). Sperm mobility data along with data from paired reproductive tracts were used to estimate combined reproductive tract throughput. Whereas testicular output was 1.2-fold greater in the low line (P = 0.037), the output of mobile sperm per day was 10.5-fold greater in the high line (P < 0.0001). Deferent duct transit differed between tails of the low line (P < 0.0001) but not between the tails of the high line (P = 0.514). Males from the mode and upper tail of the low line were SNPlotyped using a 60k chip by DNA Landmarks. These test subjects were used to associate phenotype with SNPlotype because founder effects and genetic drift could be discounted. Loci of interest were found on multiple chromosomes. Loci on chromosome Z were of particular interest because roosters are homozygous for this sex chromosome and a pronounced maternal effect was observed in a prior heritability study. Midrange phenotypes were produced by crossing low and high sperm mobility lines. Our experimental outcomes demonstrate that genes affect reproductive tract function as well as sperm cell attributes and thereby make semen quality subject to genetic selection.

Quantitative Discomanometry: Correlation of Intradiscal Pressure Values to Pain Reduction in Patients With Intervertebral Disc Herniation Treated With Percutaneous, Minimally Invasive, Image-Guided Techniques

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

Filippiadis, Dimitrios K., E-mail: dfilippiadis@yahoo.gr; Mazioti, A., E-mail: argyromazioti@yahoo.gr; Papakonstantinou, O., E-mail: sogofianol@gmail.com

Purpose: To illustrate quantitative discomanometry's (QD) diagnostic efficacy and predictive value in discogenic-pain evaluation in a prospective study correlating intradiscal pressure values with pain reduction after percutaneous image-guided technique (i.e., percutaneous decompression, PD). Materials and Methods: During the last 3 years, 36 patients [21 male and 15 female (mean age 36 {+-} 5.8 years)] with intervertebral disc hernia underwent QD before PD. Under absolute sterilization and fluoroscopy, a mixture of contrast medium and normal saline (3:1 ratio) was injected. A discmonitor performed a constant rate injection and recorded pressure and volume values, thus producing the relative pressure-volume curve. PD wasmore » then performed. Pain reduction and improved mobility were recorded at 3, 12, and 24 months after PD using clinical evaluation and a numeric visual scale (NVS; 0 to 10 units). Results: Mean pain values of 7.5 {+-} 1.9 (range 4 to 8) NVS units were recorded before PD; these decreased to 2.9 {+-} 2.44 at 3 months, 1.0 {+-} 1.9 at 12 months, and 1.0 {+-} 1.9 NVS units at 24 months after PD. Recorded correlations (pressure, volume, significant pain-reduction values) with bilateral statistical significance included a maximum injected volume of 2.4 ml (p = 0.045), P{sub o} < 14 psi [initial pressure required to inject 0.1 ml of the mixture inside the disc (p = 0.05)], P{sub max} {<=} 65 psi [greatest pressure value on the curve (p = 0.018)], and P{sub max} - P{sub o} {<=} 47 psi (p = 0.038). Patients meeting these pressure or volume cut-off points, either independently or as a total, had significant pain reduction (>4 NVS units) after PD. No complications were noted. Conclusions: QD is an efficient technique that may have predictive value for discogenic pain evaluation. It might serve as a useful tool for patient selection for intervertebral disc therapies.« less

A quantitative systematic review of the efficacy of mobile phone interventions to improve medication adherence.

PubMed

Park, Linda G; Howie-Esquivel, Jill; Dracup, Kathleen

2014-09-01

To evaluate the characteristics and efficacy of mobile phone interventions to improve medication adherence. Secondary aims are to explore participants' acceptability and satisfaction with mobile phone interventions and to evaluate the selected studies in terms of study rigour, impact, cost and resource feasibility, generalizability and implications for nursing practice and research. Medication non-adherence is a major global challenge. Mobile phones are the most commonly used form of technology worldwide and have the potential to promote medication adherence. Guidelines from the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination were followed for this systematic review. A comprehensive search of databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Google Chrome and Cochrane) and bibliographies from related articles was performed from January 2002-January 2013 to identify the included studies. A quantitative systematic review without meta-analysis was conducted and the selected studies were critically evaluated to extract and summarize pertinent characteristics and outcomes. The literature search produced 29 quantitative research studies related to mobile phones and medication adherence. The studies were conducted for prevention purposes as well as management of acute and chronic illnesses. All of the studies used text messaging. Eighteen studies found significant improvement in medication adherence. While the majority of investigators found improvement in medication adherence, long-term studies characterized by rigorous research methodologies, appropriate statistical and economic analyses and the test of theory-based interventions are needed to determine the efficacy of mobile phones to influence medication adherence. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mobile personal health records for pregnancy monitoring functionalities: Analysis and potential.

PubMed

Bachiri, Mariam; Idri, Ali; Fernández-Alemán, José Luis; Toval, Ambrosio

2016-10-01

Personal Health Records (PHRs) are a rapidly growing area of health information technology. PHR users are able to manage their own health data and communicate with doctors in order to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. Mobile PHR (mPHR) applications for mobile devices have obtained an interesting market quota since the appearance of more powerful mobile devices. These devices allow users to gain access to applications that used to be available only for personal computers. This paper analyzes the functionalities of mobile PHRs that are specific to pregnancy monitoring. A well-known Systematic Literature Review (SLR) protocol was used in the analysis process. A questionnaire was developed for this task, based on the rigorous study of scientific literature concerning pregnancy and applications available on the market, with 9 data items and 35 quality assessments. The data items contain calendars, pregnancy information, health habits, counters, diaries, mobile features, security, backup, configuration and architectural design. A total of 33 mPHRs for pregnancy monitoring, available for iOS and Android, were selected from Apple App store and Google Play store, respectively. The results show that none of the mPHRs selected met 100% of the functionalities analyzed in this paper. The highest score achieved was 77%, while the lowest was 17%. In this paper, these features are discussed and possible paths for future development of similar applications are proposed, which may lead to a more efficient use of smartphone capabilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

B lymphocytes trigger monocyte mobilization and impair heart function after acute myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Zouggari, Yasmine; Ait-Oufella, Hafid; Bonnin, Philippe; Simon, Tabassome; Sage, Andrew P; Guérin, Coralie; Vilar, José; Caligiuri, Giuseppina; Tsiantoulas, Dimitrios; Laurans, Ludivine; Dumeau, Edouard; Kotti, Salma; Bruneval, Patrick; Charo, Israel F; Binder, Christoph J; Danchin, Nicolas; Tedgui, Alain; Tedder, Thomas F; Silvestre, Jean-Sébastien; Mallat, Ziad

2013-10-01

Acute myocardial infarction is a severe ischemic disease responsible for heart failure and sudden death. Here, we show that after acute myocardial infarction in mice, mature B lymphocytes selectively produce Ccl7 and induce Ly6C(hi) monocyte mobilization and recruitment to the heart, leading to enhanced tissue injury and deterioration of myocardial function. Genetic (Baff receptor deficiency) or antibody-mediated (CD20- or Baff-specific antibody) depletion of mature B lymphocytes impeded Ccl7 production and monocyte mobilization, limited myocardial injury and improved heart function. These effects were recapitulated in mice with B cell-selective Ccl7 deficiency. We also show that high circulating concentrations of CCL7 and BAFF in patients with acute myocardial infarction predict increased risk of death or recurrent myocardial infarction. This work identifies a crucial interaction between mature B lymphocytes and monocytes after acute myocardial ischemia and identifies new therapeutic targets for acute myocardial infarction.