STEM Reform Outcomes through Communities of Transformation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gehrke, Sean; Kezar, Adrianna

2016-01-01

STEM undergraduate education reforms are more likely to be effective if undertaken not by individual faculty members but by faculty networks or "communities of transformation." The article describes four such communities that have persisted over many years and served large numbers of faculty through annual events, newsletters and…

Rhetorical Location and the Globalized, First-Year Writing Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willard-Traub, Margaret K.

2017-01-01

The University of Michigan-Dearborn Writing Program and Writing Center serve an increasingly large number of recent immigrants, international students, and students who as children immigrated to the United States. The Writing Program and Writing Center have for a decade developed curriculum and support services geared specifically toward meeting…

Trends: Bearding the Proverbial Lion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greckel, Wil

1989-01-01

Describes the use of television commercials to teach classical music. Points out that a large number of commercials use classical selections which can serve as a starting point for introducing students to this form. Urges music educators to broaden their views and use these truncated selections to transmit our cultural heritage. (KO)

The Elephant in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stillman, Jennifer Burns

2013-01-01

The gentrification of many the country's big cities is providing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a large number of racially and socioeconomically integrated schools. But to capitalize on this opportunity, urban schools that currently serve a predominantly poor and minority population must find a way to attract and retain the…

Strategies and Initiatives That Revitalize Wesley College STEM Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Souza, Malcolm J.; Kroen, William K.; Stephens, Charlene B.; Kashmar, Richard J.

2015-01-01

Church-related small private liberal arts baccalaureate minority-serving institutions like Wesley College have modest endowments, are heavily tuition-dependent, and have large numbers of financially-challenged students. In order to sustain the level of academic excellence and to continue to build student demographic diversity in its accessible…

Sustaining Breakthrough Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franklin, Josephine

2013-01-01

This article tells the story of MetLife Foundation-NASSP Breakthrough Schools. The program's goals are to identify, recognize, and showcase the leadership and successful practices of middle level and high schools that serve large numbers of students living in poverty and that have high levels of student achievement or show evidence of dramatically…

SCHOOL LUNCH, SUGGESTED GUIDES FOR SELECTING LARGE EQUIPMENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Carolina State Dept. of Education, Columbia.

THE TYPE AND CAPACITY OF A WIDE RANGE OF SCHOOL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT IS RECOMMENDED WITH RESPECT TO THE NUMBER OF MEALS SERVED PER DAY. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GIVEN FOR RANGES, SINKS, ELECTRIC HEATING, GAS HEATING, REFRIGERATION, TABLES, KITCHEN MACHINES, TRUCK DOLLIES, SCALES, STORAGE CABINETS, OFFICE SPACES, LOUNGES, GARBAGE AND CAN WASHING…

Determining Persistence of Community College Students in Introductory Geology Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraft, Katrien van der Hoeven

2014-01-01

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) careers have been touted as critical to the success of our nation and also provide important opportunities for access and equity of underrepresented minorities (URM's). Community colleges serve a diverse population and a large number of undergraduates currently enrolled in college, they are…

REGRESSION MODELS THAT RELATE STREAMS TO WATERSHEDS: COPING WITH NUMEROUS, COLLINEAR PEDICTORS

EPA Science Inventory

GIS efforts can produce a very large number of watershed variables (climate, land use/land cover and topography, all defined for multiple areas of influence) that could serve as candidate predictors in a regression model of reach-scale stream features. Invariably, many of these ...

The Mechanization of Women's Work.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Joan Wallach

1982-01-01

Although women are entering the labor force in large numbers, evidence is presented suggesting that mechanization has served to reinforce the traditional position of women both at home and in the labor market. Topics discussed include among others, occupations, time spent in housework, segregation of occupation by sex, and earnings. (Author/JN)

Antibody Portal | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Cancer.gov

Central to reproducibility in biomedical research is being able to use well-characterized and defined reagents. The CPTAC Antibody Portal serves as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) community resource that provides access to a large number of standardized renewable affinity reagents (to cancer-associated targets) and accompanying characterization data.

A new paradigm for quarantine and public health activities at land borders: opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Waterman, Stephen H; Escobedo, Miguel; Wilson, Todd; Edelson, Paul J; Bethel, Jeffrey W; Fishbein, Daniel B

2009-01-01

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Quarantine Stations at Ports of Entry: Protecting the Public's Health focused almost exclusively on U.S. airports and seaports, which served 106 million entries in 2005. IOM concluded that the primary function of these quarantine stations (QSs) should shift from providing inspection to providing strategic national public health leadership. The large expanse of our national borders, large number of crossings, sparse federal resources, and decreased regulation regarding conveyances crossing these borders make land borders more permeable to a variety of threats. To address the health challenges related to land borders, the QSs serving such borders must assume unique roles and partnerships to achieve the strategic leadership and public health research roles envisioned by the IOM. In this article, we examine how the IOM recommendations apply to the QSs that serve the land borders through which more than 319 million travelers, immigrants, and refugees entered the U.S. in 2005.

Drugs That May Cause or Exacerbate Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

PubMed

Page, Robert L; O'Bryant, Cindy L; Cheng, Davy; Dow, Tristan J; Ky, Bonnie; Stein, C Michael; Spencer, Anne P; Trupp, Robin J; Lindenfeld, JoAnn

2016-08-09

Heart failure is a common, costly, and debilitating syndrome that is associated with a highly complex drug regimen, a large number of comorbidities, and a large and often disparate number of healthcare providers. All of these factors conspire to increase the risk of heart failure exacerbation by direct myocardial toxicity, drug-drug interactions, or both. This scientific statement is designed to serve as a comprehensive and accessible source of drugs that may cause or exacerbate heart failure to assist healthcare providers in improving the quality of care for these patients. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Mergers, Annexations, Dissolutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russo, Alexander

2006-01-01

Consolidations come in all shapes and sizes, including mergers, annexations and dissolutions. They do not all take place under state mandate, however. A handful of districts consolidate every year in some states like Illinois that have large numbers of small districts, many of them dual districts that serve K-8 or 9-12 in the same geographic area.…

Pizza: Teaching US History through Food and Place

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marino, Michael P.; Crocco, Margaret S.

2015-01-01

Pizza serves as a powerful example of historical themes such as immigration, cultural exchange and urbanization. In the post-WWII United States, Trenton, NJ, and other cities were gradually being transformed by suburbanization, the rise of fast food, and changes in family living related to women's entry in large numbers into the paid workforce.…

Closing the Achievement Gap: Views from Nine Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Accountability.

This study examined North Carolina schools serving large numbers of poor and minority students, emphasizing nine schools where black student achievement was especially high, where black students had made strong gains, or where the black-white achievement gap was closing faster than the state average. Between 1999-00, research teams visited each…

Student Growth within the School Garden: Addressing Personal/Social, Academic, and Career Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swank, Jacqueline M.; Swank, David E.

2013-01-01

School counselors have the challenging task of implementing a comprehensive, developmental school counseling program to serve a large number of students. We present the creative use of a garden program to promote the development of students through the integration of the natural environment. Additionally, we describe activities and metaphors…

The Feminization of Veterinary Medicine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Ben

1998-01-01

In little more than a generation, veterinary medical schools have gone from enrolling a token number of women to having a higher proportion of women than men in some cases. Developments in drugs to control large animals, relatively low pay for veterinarians, and options for part-time employment have served to change the balance of sexes in the…

Female Teachers, Whiteness, and the Quest for Cultural Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayne, Ann M.

2014-01-01

Though America's public schools have become increasingly diverse, the teaching staff remains relatively homogeneous. This gap is more apparent in California schools that serve large numbers of students of color, being taught by teachers who are predominately White and female. Because the population of kindergarten-through-12th-grade teachers is…

Building an Efficient and Effective Test Management System in an ODL Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yusof, Safiah Md; Lim, Tick Meng; Png, Leo; Khatab, Zainuriyah Abd; Singh, Harvinder Kaur Dharam

2017-01-01

Open University Malaysia (OUM) is progressively moving towards implementing assessment on demand and online assessment. This move is deemed necessary for OUM to continue to be the leading provider of flexible learning. OUM serves a very large number of students each semester and these students are vastly distributed throughout the country. As the…

School Board Women and Active Citizenship in Scotland, 1873-1919

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermid, Jane

2009-01-01

Although the number of women who served on Scotland's school boards (1873-1918) was not large, they made the case for female representation on public bodies both through their electoral campaigns and their record of office. Many were simultaneously active on parish and town councils and in feminist causes, with a few in the labour movement from…

3 CFR 13555 - Executive Order 13555 of October 19, 2010. White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... teachers and school leaders responsible for the education of Hispanic students; (v) reducing the dropout... higher education serving large numbers of Hispanic students; and (vii) enhancing the educational and life... United States of America, to restore the country to its role as the global leader in education, to...

ON-AIR, CLOSED-CIRCUIT INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION, THE 2500 MEGACYCLE BAND.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LAPIN, STANLEY

THE SATISFACTION OF THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL TV FIXED SERVICE WAS DISCUSSED. THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS OF EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION WERE THAT THE COST PER STUDENT OR PER STUDENT HOUR OF INSTRUCTION HAD TO BE ECONOMICAL, THAT A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS HAD TO BE SERVED, THAT THE…

Staffing Levels in the Dallas Independent School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of the Great City Schools, 2009

2009-01-01

The Board of Trustees of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) asked the Council of the Great City Schools, the nation's primary coalition of large urban school systems, to examine the staffing levels of the school system and determine whether the numbers of staff members employed were appropriate for a district serving as many students as…

Questioning the Homogenization of Irregular Migrants in Educational Policy: From (Il)Legal Residence to Inclusive Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemelsoet, Elias

2011-01-01

In this article Elias Hemelsoet questions the way irregular migrants are approached in educational policymaking. In most cases, estimations of the number of irregular migrants serve--despite large methodological problems--as a starting point for policymaking. Given the very diverse composition of this group of people, the question is whether…

A Comparison Study of Student Performance and Study Habits in College Algebra at a Hispanic Serving College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salinas, Lelia

2011-01-01

Large numbers of students arrive at colleges and universities unprepared, specifically in the area of mathematics. In Texas, approximately 47% of entering freshman students enroll in developmental mathematics. Mathematics is cited in the literature as cornerstone for success in science, and advanced technology. In this study, the extent to which…

Literacy Coaching to Improve Student Reading Achievement: A Multi-Level Mediation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsumura, Lindsay Clare; Garnier, Helen E.; Spybrook, Jessaca

2013-01-01

In a longitudinal group-randomized trial, we explore the key role of the quality of classroom text discussions in mediating the effects of Content-Focused Coaching (CFC) on student reading achievement (2983 students, 167 teachers). Schools in the United States serving large numbers of minority and English language learning (ELL) students from…

Prospective Principals' Openness to Organizational Change and the Education of African American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Robert; Peebles, Lucretia D.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a research study that sought to examine and describe prospective principals? attitudes and perceptions regarding current efforts to transform urban education for the betterment of African American Students. Given the current wave of reforms targeted at schools serving large numbers of…

Teacher Attrition and Mobility during the Teach for America Clustering Strategy in Miami-Dade County Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Michael; Backes, Ben; Brady, Victoria

2016-01-01

Retaining effective teachers is a key policy priority nationwide, particularly in districts that serve large numbers of disadvantaged students. We investigate whether a change in the Miami region's Teach for America (TFA) placement strategy was accompanied by changes in teacher attrition and mobility decisions. Our results suggest that the…

[Analysis of the incidence and causes of mass casualty events in a southern Germany medical rescue area].

PubMed

Beck, A; Bayeff-Filloff, M; Bischoff, M; Schneider, B M

2002-11-01

The growing number of mass casualty events during the early 1990s led, in January 1996, to the foundation of an honorary group of specially trained emergency physicians for dealing primarily with the management of large-scale emergency events and mass casualties. The incidence and quantity of these casualties was analysed in order to be better prepared for such events in the future. All calls prospectively registered by the Augsburg Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) in the 5 years from July 1997 to June 2002 were analysed, distinguishing between the different types of damage, number of patients involved, and time of occurrence (time of day/season). The area served by the ARCC includes the city of Augsburg with its surrounding counties. An estimated 850,000 inhabitants live in this area of 4,100 square kilometers (1,600 square miles). Since 1998, more than 145,000 calls a year have been dealt with of which 28,000 were covered by emergency physicians. In the 5 year period discussed here, 75 large-scale-calls were registered, giving an average incidence of 1.25 calls/month. Most of the calls were fire alarms, followed by car accidents. In total, we were able to serve more than 800 patients. The lowest number per event was two people during an emergency landing of a sport aircraft; the largest number was about 150 patients during a large open-air event in the city. While there was no difference in the time of day at which the event happened, most occurred in November and December. Taking these results into account, the authors, supported by the members of the emergency physician team of the German Trauma Society, developed an algorithm describing the optimal procedure for mass casualty events. This is presented here. In mass casualty or large-scale emergency events, an experienced emergency physician is necessary to co-ordinate the rescue brigades on site.

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

Wollaber, Allan Benton

This is a powerpoint presentation which serves as lecture material for the Parallel Computing summer school. It goes over the fundamentals of the Monte Carlo calculation method. The material is presented according to the following outline: Introduction (background, a simple example: estimating π), Why does this even work? (The Law of Large Numbers, The Central Limit Theorem), How to sample (inverse transform sampling, rejection), and An example from particle transport.

Un/Paid Labor: Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waivers That Pay Family as Personal Care Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Carli; Rizzolo, Mary C.

2016-01-01

The United States long-term services and supports system is built on largely unpaid (informal) labor. There are a number of benefits to allowing family caregivers to serve as paid personal care providers including better health and satisfaction outcomes, expanded workforces, and cost effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine how…

An Empirical Study of Factors Affecting Mobile Wireless Technology Adoption for Promoting Interactive Lectures in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gan, Chin Lay; Balakrishnan, Vimala

2016-01-01

Use of mobile technology is widespread, particularly among the younger generation. There is a huge potential for utilizing such technology in lecture classes with large numbers of students, serving as an interaction tool between the students and lecturers. The challenge is to identify significant adoption factors to ensure effective adoption of…

Fostering Success among Traditionally Underrepresented Student Groups: Hartnell College's Approach to Implementation of the Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (Mesa) Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Michael A.; Beals, Chuck; Valeau, Edward J.; Johnson, M. J.

2004-01-01

Hartnell College is an accredited California Community College serving Salinas and the Salinas Valley, a vast 1,000 square mile agricultural region. The district is characterized by large numbers of migrant workers and their families, chronically high unemployment, high rates of poverty, and low educational attainment. Hartnell's 10,000 students…

Patterns of English Learner Student Reclassification in New York City Public Schools. REL 2017-200

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieffer, Michael J.; Parker, Caroline E.

2016-01-01

With the rapid growth in the number of English learner students served by schools in the United States, educators are increasingly concerned with how these students progress toward proficiency in English. The large and diverse English learner student population in New York City public schools, where more than 41 percent of students speak a…

Can This Department Be Saved? The Educational Leadership Department at Bayou State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fossey, Richard

2006-01-01

This case describes the work of two educational leadership professors who have been asked to serve as outsider reviewers of an educational leadership department at a large urban university. The department has a number of problems, and the university's provost seems intent on closing it. The provost's view of the department has been shaped in part…

Welcoming Linguistic Diversity and Saying Adios to Remediation: Stretch and Studio Composition at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davila, Bethany A.; Elder, Cristyn L.

2017-01-01

In this program profile, we describe the stretch/studio program recently implemented at the University of New Mexico. This program responds both to an institutional move away from remediation and to the large number of linguistically and racially diverse students at our institution. In this profile, we describe the new program's curriculum, which…

The Legacy Continues: "The Test" and Denying Access to a Challenging Mathematics Education for Historically Marginalized Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kitchen, Richard; Ridder, Sarah Anderson; Bolz, Joseph

2016-01-01

Research is needed to understand the impact of high-stakes testing on teachers' practices and consequently on their students, particularly at schools that serve large numbers of low-income students and students of color. In this research study, we examined how a state's annual high-stakes test and administrative mandates influenced the assessment…

Evolution and anti-evolution in a minimal stock market model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rothenstein, R.; Pawelzik, K.

2003-08-01

We present a novel microscopic stock market model consisting of a large number of random agents modeling traders in a market. Each agent is characterized by a set of parameters that serve to make iterated predictions of two successive returns. The future price is determined according to the offer and the demand of all agents. The system evolves by redistributing the capital among the agents in each trading cycle. Without noise the dynamics of this system is nearly regular and thereby fails to reproduce the stochastic return fluctuations observed in real markets. However, when in each cycle a small amount of noise is introduced we find the typical features of real financial time series like fat-tails of the return distribution and large temporal correlations in the volatility without significant correlations in the price returns. Introducing the noise by an evolutionary process leads to different scalings of the return distributions that depend on the definition of fitness. Because our realistic model has only very few parameters, and the results appear to be robust with respect to the noise level and the number of agents we expect that our framework may serve as new paradigm for modeling self-generated return fluctuations in markets.

Community engagement: leadership tool for catastrophic health events.

PubMed

Schoch-Spana, Monica; Franco, Crystal; Nuzzo, Jennifer B; Usenza, Christiana

2007-03-01

Disasters and epidemics are immense and shocking disturbances that require the judgments and efforts of large numbers of people, not simply those who serve in an official capacity. This article reviews the Working Group on Community Engagement in Health Emergency Planning's recommendations to government decision makers on why and how to catalyze the civic infrastructure for an extreme health event. Community engagement--defined here as structured dialogue, joint problem solving, and collaborative action among formal authorities, citizens at-large, and local opinion leaders around a pressing public matter--can augment officials' abilities to govern in a crisis, improve application of communally held resources in a disaster or epidemic, and mitigate community wide losses. The case of limited medical options in an influenza pandemic serves to demonstrate the civic infrastructure's preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities and to illustrate how community engagement can improve pandemic contingency planning.

Strategies And Initiatives That Revitalize Wesley College STEM Programs.

PubMed

D'Souza, Malcolm J; Kroen, William K; Stephens, Charlene B; Kashmar, Richard J

Church-related small private liberal arts baccalaureate minority-serving institutions like Wesley College have modest endowments, are heavily tuition-dependent, and have large numbers of financially-challenged students. In order to sustain the level of academic excellence and to continue to build student demographic diversity in its accessible robust Science and Mathematics (STEM) programs, the faculty sought federal and state funds to implement a coordinated program of curriculum enhancements and student support programs that will increase the number of students choosing STEM majors, increase their academic success, and improve retention.

Computer-generated forces in distributed interactive simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petty, Mikel D.

1995-04-01

Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) is an architecture for building large-scale simulation models from a set of independent simulator nodes communicating via a common network protocol. DIS is most often used to create a simulated battlefield for military training. Computer Generated Forces (CGF) systems control large numbers of autonomous battlefield entities in a DIS simulation using computer equipment and software rather than humans in simulators. CGF entities serve as both enemy forces and supplemental friendly forces in a DIS exercise. Research into various aspects of CGF systems is ongoing. Several CGF systems have been implemented.

Quantification of food waste in public catering services - A case study from a Swedish municipality.

PubMed

Eriksson, Mattias; Persson Osowski, Christine; Malefors, Christopher; Björkman, Jesper; Eriksson, Emelie

2017-03-01

Food waste is a major problem that must be reduced in order to achieve a sustainable food supply chain. Since food waste valorisation measures, like energy recovery, have limited possibilities to fully recover the resources invested in food production, there is a need to prevent food waste. Prevention is most important at the end of the value chain, where the largest number of sub-processes have already taken place and occur in vain if the food is not used for its intended purpose, i.e. consumption. Catering facilities and households are at the very end of the food supply chain, and in Sweden the public catering sector serves a large number of meals through municipal organisations, including schools, preschools and elderly care homes. Since the first step in waste reduction is to establish a baseline measurement in order to identify problems, this study sought to quantify food waste in schools, preschools and elderly care homes in one municipality in Sweden. The quantification was conducted during three months, spread out over three semesters, and was performed in all 30 public kitchen units in the municipality of Sala. The kitchen staff used kitchen scales to quantify the mass of wasted and served food divided into serving waste (with sub-categories), plate waste and other food waste. The food waste level was quantified as 75g of food waste per portion served, or 23% of the mass of food served. However, there was great variation between kitchens, with the waste level ranging from 33g waste per portion served (13%) to 131g waste per portion served (34%). Wasted food consisted of 64% serving waste, 33% plate waste and 3% other food waste. Preschools had a lower waste level than schools, possibly due to preschool carers eating together with the children. Kitchens that received warm food prepared in another kitchen (satellite kitchens) had a 42% higher waste level than kitchens preparing all food themselves (production units), possibly due to the latter having higher flexibility in cooking the right amount of food and being able to chill and save surplus food. The large variation between kitchens indicates that they have different causes of food waste, but also different opportunities to reduce it. Detailed waste quantification for each kitchen can therefore be the first step in the process of waste reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leading the Way to America's Future: A Monograph about the Launch and Implementation of the Kellogg MSI Leadership Fellows Program, 2002-2004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2004

2004-01-01

The basic objective of the Kellogg MSI Leadership Fellows Program is to develop a new cadre of skilled leaders who understand the unique and important context of leadership for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). These institutions have taken on responsibility for educating large numbers of students of color. A college or university is…

Access Denied: A Five-Year Study of Literacy Instruction Provided to Poor, Urban Elementary Children. Report Series 2.30.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guice, Sherry; Brooks, Gregory W.

A study, part of a 5-year investigation (1991-1995) of patterns of implementation of literature-based instruction in schools serving large numbers of children from low-income families, recounts children's literacy experiences as observed in a third-grade classroom in an urban school in upstate New York. The primary goal was to understand the…

Skylab

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-02-01

The Apollo Telescope Mount (ATM) was designed and developed by the Marshall Space Flight Center and served as the primary scientific instrument unit aboard Skylab (1973-1979). The ATM consisted of eight scientific instruments as well as a number of smaller experiments. In this image, the set of four large solar cell arrays, which could produce up to as much as 1.1 kilowatts of electric power, are being installed on an ATM prototype.

Nitrogen Ceramics Meeting in France

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-21

100 and Mocellin (Ecole Polytechnique de Laus- 300*C. Other semiconductors are sensi- anne, Switzerland); this reaction is ob- tive to a very large...number of gases, but served when sintering powder mixtures at only NH3 affects the electrical resistiv- 1400-1600*C ( Mocellin , 1986). Mocellin ity of...isostatic pressure sintering; pres- Mocellin , A., Revue de Chime Mingrale, sure sintering after a preliminary heat 23 (1986), 80. 3

Victims of the Churn: The Damaging Impact of California's Teacher Layoff Policies on Schools, Students, and Communities in Three Large School Districts. K-12 Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahnel, Carrie; Barondess, Heather; Ramanathan, Arun

2011-01-01

California's students, particularly its poorest students, need great teachers. Unfortunately, California's seniority-based teacher layoff system puts adult privileges over student needs. Newer teachers are laid off first, regardless of how well they do their jobs. This system is especially damaging to schools serving the highest numbers of…

Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids (R.O.C.K.): The Program and Its Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Mark; Zovinka, Edward P.; Zhang, Lening; Hruska, Jenna L.; Lee, Angela

2005-01-01

The Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids (R.O.C.K.) program was designed as a service-learning project for students at Saint Francis University to serve the local communities by organizing chemistry activities in high schools. It was initiated in 1995 and has involved a large number of Saint Francis University students and local high school students.…

A Mixed Methods Study of Early Childhood Preservice Teachers: Beliefs about Poverty, Perceived Learning from Specific Instructional Strategies, and Preparedness to Serve Children and Families in Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Schagen Johnson, Amy

2016-01-01

A large number of young children experiencing poverty are receiving some type of formal early care and education. Effective early childhood teachers are an important component to providing high quality early childhood education. Yet, limited research has examined from the preservice teacher perspective how early childhood teacher preparation…

An Application of Multi-band Forced Photometry to One Square Degree of SERVS: Accurate Photometric Redshifts and Implications for Future Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyland, Kristina; Lacy, Mark; Sajina, Anna; Pforr, Janine; Farrah, Duncan; Wilson, Gillian; Surace, Jason; Häußler, Boris; Vaccari, Mattia; Jarvis, Matt

2017-05-01

We apply The Tractor image modeling code to improve upon existing multi-band photometry for the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS). SERVS consists of post-cryogenic Spitzer observations at 3.6 and 4.5 μm over five well-studied deep fields spanning 18 deg2. In concert with data from ground-based near-infrared (NIR) and optical surveys, SERVS aims to provide a census of the properties of massive galaxies out to z ≈ 5. To accomplish this, we are using The Tractor to perform “forced photometry.” This technique employs prior measurements of source positions and surface brightness profiles from a high-resolution fiducial band from the VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations survey to model and fit the fluxes at lower-resolution bands. We discuss our implementation of The Tractor over a square-degree test region within the XMM Large Scale Structure field with deep imaging in 12 NIR/optical bands. Our new multi-band source catalogs offer a number of advantages over traditional position-matched catalogs, including (1) consistent source cross-identification between bands, (2) de-blending of sources that are clearly resolved in the fiducial band but blended in the lower resolution SERVS data, (3) a higher source detection fraction in each band, (4) a larger number of candidate galaxies in the redshift range 5 < z < 6, and (5) a statistically significant improvement in the photometric redshift accuracy as evidenced by the significant decrease in the fraction of outliers compared to spectroscopic redshifts. Thus, forced photometry using The Tractor offers a means of improving the accuracy of multi-band extragalactic surveys designed for galaxy evolution studies. We will extend our application of this technique to the full SERVS footprint in the future.

42 CFR 441.462 - Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... number served. 441.462 Section 441.462 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT....462 Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served. A State may do the following: (a) Provide self-directed PAS without regard to the requirements of statewideness. (b) Limit the population...

42 CFR 441.462 - Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... number served. 441.462 Section 441.462 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT....462 Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served. A State may do the following: (a) Provide self-directed PAS without regard to the requirements of statewideness. (b) Limit the population...

42 CFR 441.462 - Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... number served. 441.462 Section 441.462 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT....462 Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served. A State may do the following: (a) Provide self-directed PAS without regard to the requirements of statewideness. (b) Limit the population...

42 CFR 441.462 - Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... number served. 441.462 Section 441.462 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT....462 Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served. A State may do the following: (a) Provide self-directed PAS without regard to the requirements of statewideness. (b) Limit the population...

76 FR 78621 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-19

... (TEACH Grant Program) Agreement to Serve. OMB Control Number: 1845-0083. Agency Form Number(s): N/A... College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program under Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as... Education (TEACH) Grant, a student must sign an Agreement to Serve. A new Agreement to Serve must be signed...

Dry eye disease caused by viral infection: review.

PubMed

Alves, Monica; Angerami, Rodrigo Nogueira; Rocha, Eduardo Melani

2013-01-01

Dry eye disease and ocular surface disorders may be caused or worsened by viral agents. There are several known and suspected virus associated to ocular surface diseases. The possible pathogenic mechanisms for virus-related dry eye disease are presented herein. This review serves to reinforce the importance of ophthalmologists as one of the healthcare professional able to diagnose a potentially large number of infected patients with high prevalent viral agents.

21 CFR 501.8 - Labeling of animal food with number of servings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Labeling of animal food with number of servings... SERVICES (CONTINUED) ANIMAL DRUGS, FEEDS, AND RELATED PRODUCTS ANIMAL FOOD LABELING General Provisions § 501.8 Labeling of animal food with number of servings. (a) The label of any package of a food which...

7 CFR 226.4 - Payments to States and use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... lunches under section 11 of the National School Lunch Act; (7) The number of snacks served in the Program... reduced-price school meals enrolled in institutions by 2.75 cents; (8) The number of snacks served in the... school meals enrolled in institutions by 30 cents; (9) The number of snacks served in the Program within...

A Qualitative Evaluation of Elev8 New Mexico School-Based Health Centers.

PubMed

Soto Mas, Francisco; Sussman, Andrew L

There is a scarcity of qualitative studies on school-based health centers (SBHCs). We established two primary aims for this study: (a) to assess stakeholders' perceptions of Elev8 New Mexico SBHCs' functionality and (b) to provide a snapshot of the overall contribution of the program to the schools and communities they serve. We collected the data through observations and semistructured interviews. We identified issues that diminish the functionality of SBHCs, such as limited infrastructure and services, lack of cooperation between school personnel and health care providers, and lack of long-term financial sustainability. These structural, interpersonal, and logistical issues limited the contribution of the SBHCs to the health of the students and the community at large. However, Elev8 New Mexico SBHCs serve communities with considerable education and health needs and constitute a unique opportunity to provide health education, disease prevention, and quality health care to a large number of youth and adults. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using benchmarking techniques and the 2011 maternity practices infant nutrition and care (mPINC) survey to improve performance among peer groups across the United States.

PubMed

Edwards, Roger A; Dee, Deborah; Umer, Amna; Perrine, Cria G; Shealy, Katherine R; Grummer-Strawn, Laurence M

2014-02-01

A substantial proportion of US maternity care facilities engage in practices that are not evidence-based and that interfere with breastfeeding. The CDC Survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) showed significant variation in maternity practices among US states. The purpose of this article is to use benchmarking techniques to identify states within relevant peer groups that were top performers on mPINC survey indicators related to breastfeeding support. We used 11 indicators of breastfeeding-related maternity care from the 2011 mPINC survey and benchmarking techniques to organize and compare hospital-based maternity practices across the 50 states and Washington, DC. We created peer categories for benchmarking first by region (grouping states by West, Midwest, South, and Northeast) and then by size (grouping states by the number of maternity facilities and dividing each region into approximately equal halves based on the number of facilities). Thirty-four states had scores high enough to serve as benchmarks, and 32 states had scores low enough to reflect the lowest score gap from the benchmark on at least 1 indicator. No state served as the benchmark on more than 5 indicators and no state was furthest from the benchmark on more than 7 indicators. The small peer group benchmarks in the South, West, and Midwest were better than the large peer group benchmarks on 91%, 82%, and 36% of the indicators, respectively. In the West large, the Midwest large, the Midwest small, and the South large peer groups, 4-6 benchmarks showed that less than 50% of hospitals have ideal practice in all states. The evaluation presents benchmarks for peer group state comparisons that provide potential and feasible targets for improvement.

Cell bioprocessing in space - Applications of analytical cytology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Todd, P.; Hymer, W. C.; Goolsby, C. L.; Hatfield, J. M.; Morrison, D. R.

1988-01-01

Cell bioprocessing experiments in space are reviewed and the development of on-board cell analytical cytology techniques that can serve such experiments is discussed. Methods and results of experiments involving the cultivation and separation of eukaryotic cells in space are presented. It is suggested that an advanced cytometer should be developed for the quantitative analysis of large numbers of specimens of suspended eukaryotic cells and bioparticles in experiments on the Space Station.

Report on Task Force Division of School Facilities, School District of Philadelphia: Commission to Investigate Relationships between Educational Performance and Size of Student Body, May 11, 1970.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philadelphia School District, PA.

The Philadelphia Art Commission refused to approve the proposed Eastwick/Pepper Educational Complex that combines a high school and a middle school into one facility. Their rejection was based on (1) the prohibitively large numbers of children the school is to serve, (2) the overly broad age span of the students, and (3) the inadequate outside…

Getting People to Parks,

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-04-01

2 The area is served by the most extensive transit systems in the world , including subways , surface rail and bus systems, and many miles of...private car. The median trip time of visitors to Jacob Riis Park (Brooklyn) using the subway was three times as long as the time taken by motorists...alternatives are discussed below. Subway Urban mass transit systems are geared to the job of moving large numbers of people to work in the morning and

Photodetectors on Coronagraph Mask for Pointing Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham

2007-01-01

It has been proposed to install a symmetrical array of photodetectors about the center of the mask of a coronagraph of the type used to search for planets orbiting remote stars. The purpose of this installation is to utilize the light from a star under observation as a guide in pointing the telescope. Simple arithmetic processing of the outputs of the photodetectors would provide indications of the lateral position of the center of the mask relative to the center of the image of the star. These indications could serve as pointing-control feedback signals for adjusting the telescope aim to center the image of the star on the mask. The widths of central mask areas available for placement of photodetectors differ among coronagraph designs, typically ranging upward from about 100 m. Arrays of photodetectors can readily be placed within areas in this size range. The number of detectors in an array could be as small as 4 or as large as 64. The upper limit on the number of detectors would be determined according to the extent of the occulting pattern and the number of functionalities, in addition to pointing control, to be served by the array.

Improving timeliness and efficiency in the referral process for safety net providers: application of the Lean Six Sigma methodology.

PubMed

Deckard, Gloria J; Borkowski, Nancy; Diaz, Deisell; Sanchez, Carlos; Boisette, Serge A

2010-01-01

Designated primary care clinics largely serve low-income and uninsured patients who present a disproportionate number of chronic illnesses and face great difficulty in obtaining the medical care they need, particularly the access to specialty physicians. With limited capacity for providing specialty care, these primary care clinics generally refer patients to safety net hospitals' specialty ambulatory care clinics. A large public safety net health system successfully improved the effectiveness and efficiency of the specialty clinic referral process through application of Lean Six Sigma, an advanced process-improvement methodology and set of tools driven by statistics and engineering concepts.

Marriage education for clinicians.

PubMed

Wetzler, Scott; Frame, Laura; Litzinger, Samantha

2011-01-01

The field of marriage education has come to be dominated by nonprofessionals with no clinical training because clinicians interested in relationships typically provide marital therapy to couples in distress rather than marriage education to healthy couples. In this paper, we encourage clinicians to participate in the development of marriage education programs, such as that described by our Supporting Healthy Marriage program, which serves a large number of low-income couples, and propose a psychological conceptual framework for delivering marriage education services. It makes sense for clinicians to consider using this novel approach given the opportunity to impact such a large segment of society that might not receive psychological services.

The death(s) of close friends and family moderate genetic influences on symptoms of major depressive disorder in adolescents.

PubMed

Gheyara, S; Klump, K L; McGue, M; Iacono, W G; Burt, S A

2011-04-01

Prior work has suggested that genetic influences on major depressive disorder (MDD) may be activated by the experience of negative life events. However, it is unclear whether these results persist when controlling for the possibility of confounding active gene-environment correlations (rGE). We examined a sample of 1230 adopted and biological siblings between the ages of 10 and 20 years from the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study. MDD was measured via a lifetime DSM-IV symptom count. Number of deaths experienced served as our environmental risk experience. Because this variable is largely independent of the individual's choices/behaviors, we were able to examine gene-environment interactions while circumventing possible rGE confounds. Biometric analyses revealed pronounced linear increases in the magnitude of genetic influences on symptoms of MDD with the number of deaths experienced, such that genetic influences were estimated to be near-zero for those who had experienced no deaths but were quite large in those who had experienced two or more deaths (i.e. accounting for roughly two-thirds of the phenotypic variance). By contrast, shared and non-shared environmental influences on symptoms of MDD were not meaningfully moderated by the number of deaths experienced. Such results constructively replicate prior findings of genetic moderation of depressive symptoms by negative life events, thereby suggesting that this effect is not a function of active rGE confounds. Our findings are thus consistent with the notion that exposure to specific negative life events may serve to activate genetic risk for depression during adolescence.

An Application of Multi-band Forced Photometry to One Square Degree of SERVS: Accurate Photometric Redshifts and Implications for Future Science

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

Nyland, Kristina; Lacy, Mark; Sajina, Anna

We apply The Tractor image modeling code to improve upon existing multi-band photometry for the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (SERVS). SERVS consists of post-cryogenic Spitzer observations at 3.6 and 4.5 μ m over five well-studied deep fields spanning 18 deg{sup 2}. In concert with data from ground-based near-infrared (NIR) and optical surveys, SERVS aims to provide a census of the properties of massive galaxies out to z  ≈ 5. To accomplish this, we are using The Tractor to perform “forced photometry.” This technique employs prior measurements of source positions and surface brightness profiles from a high-resolution fiducial band from themore » VISTA Deep Extragalactic Observations survey to model and fit the fluxes at lower-resolution bands. We discuss our implementation of The Tractor over a square-degree test region within the XMM Large Scale Structure field with deep imaging in 12 NIR/optical bands. Our new multi-band source catalogs offer a number of advantages over traditional position-matched catalogs, including (1) consistent source cross-identification between bands, (2) de-blending of sources that are clearly resolved in the fiducial band but blended in the lower resolution SERVS data, (3) a higher source detection fraction in each band, (4) a larger number of candidate galaxies in the redshift range 5 <  z  < 6, and (5) a statistically significant improvement in the photometric redshift accuracy as evidenced by the significant decrease in the fraction of outliers compared to spectroscopic redshifts. Thus, forced photometry using The Tractor offers a means of improving the accuracy of multi-band extragalactic surveys designed for galaxy evolution studies. We will extend our application of this technique to the full SERVS footprint in the future.« less

Restraint and Seclusion of Students with a Disability Continue to Be Common in Some School Districts. Patterns Remain Relatively Consistent Despite Recent Policy Changes. National Issue Brief Number 78

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagnon, Douglas; Mattingly, Marybeth; Connelly, Vincent J.

2014-01-01

In 2013, Carsey released a brief that analyzed rates of restraint and seclusion using a large, nationally representative data set of U.S. school districts. This brief, which analyzes a more comprehensive data set and the most current Civil Rights Data Collection, serves as a follow-up to the previous brief. Authors Douglas Gagnon, Marybeth…

What Does It Take to Scale Up Innovations? An Examination of Teach for America, the Harlem Children's Zone and the Knowledge is Power Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Ben

2013-01-01

This brief discusses the problem of scaling innovations in education in the United States so that they can serve very large numbers of students. It begins with a general discussion of the issues involved, develops a set of five criteria for assessing challenges of scaling, and then uses three programs widely discussed in the U.S. as examples of…

Innovative Corrosion-Resistant Coatings for Heat Distribution Piping at Fort Jackson

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

installations are served by district heat distribution sys- tems (HDSs) that provide space heating and hot water to the facilities. HDSs are large, complex...corrosive to exposed steel. Furthermore, water tends to infiltrate the manhole from outside or though pinhole leaks in pipes. When water collects in the man...energized. A typical HDS services a number of installa- tion customers all year for both space heating and domestic hot water . Scheduled maintenance is

Cooperative multi-user detection and ranging based on pseudo-random codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morhart, C.; Biebl, E. M.

2009-05-01

We present an improved approach for a Round Trip Time of Flight distance measurement system. The system is intended for the usage in a cooperative localisation system for automotive applications. Therefore, it is designed to address a large number of communication partners per measurement cycle. By using coded signals in a time divison multiple access order, we can detect a large number of pedestrian sensors with just one car sensor. We achieve this by using very short transmit bursts in combination with a real time correlation algorithm. Futhermore, the correlation approach offers real time data, concerning the time of arrival, that can serve as a trigger impulse for other comunication systems. The distance accuracy of the correlation result was further increased by adding a fourier interpolation filter. The system performance was checked with a prototype at 2.4 GHz. We reached a distance measurement accuracy of 12 cm at a range up to 450 m.

Fast physical-random number generation using laser diode's frequency noise: influence of frequency discriminator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, Kouhei; Kasuya, Yuki; Yumoto, Mitsuki; Arai, Hideaki; Sato, Takashi; Sakamoto, Shuichi; Ohkawa, Masashi; Ohdaira, Yasuo

2018-02-01

Not so long ago, pseudo random numbers generated by numerical formulae were considered to be adequate for encrypting important data-files, because of the time needed to decode them. With today's ultra high-speed processors, however, this is no longer true. So, in order to thwart ever-more advanced attempts to breach our system's protections, cryptologists have devised a method that is considered to be virtually impossible to decode, and uses what is a limitless number of physical random numbers. This research describes a method, whereby laser diode's frequency noise generate a large quantities of physical random numbers. Using two types of photo detectors (APD and PIN-PD), we tested the abilities of two types of lasers (FP-LD and VCSEL) to generate random numbers. In all instances, an etalon served as frequency discriminator, the examination pass rates were determined using NIST FIPS140-2 test at each bit, and the Random Number Generation (RNG) speed was noted.

34 CFR 646.32 - What other requirements must a grantee meet?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... a Grantee? § 646.32 What other requirements must a grantee meet? (a) Number of Participants. For each year of the project period, a grantee must serve at least the number of participants that the... program that serves populations similar to those served under the SSS program. (d) Project director. (1) A...

Students at Risk. Programs and Practices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FL.

This resource guide provides information on programs that serve at risk students in the Dade County (Florida) Public Schools. For each program the following information is provided: (1) description; (2) number of schools served; (3) number of students served; and (4) budget. The following types of programs are included: (1) dropout retrieval; (2)…

Physician need. An alternative projection from a study of large, prepaid group practices.

PubMed

Mulhausen, R; McGee, J

1989-04-07

To model a base level of physician demand in a managed health care system, we examined in 1983 the ratios by specialty of full-time equivalent physicians to health maintenance organization members in seven large, closed-panel health maintenance organizations, each with more than 100,000 members. The medical director of each plan was surveyed by mailed questionnaire and telephone interview to determine the plan's number of full-time equivalent physicians by specialty and members served. Out-of-plan physicians contracted by the group were included within the specialty distribution wherever possible. We compared our findings (4779.4 full-time equivalent physicians serving 4,297,790 members) with Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee and others' projections of physician need and supply. Based on this model and unknowns that might affect utilization, our study suggests that at least 111 physicians per 100,000 population would be necessary in a system that emphasized reduced utilization of services and that more primary care physicians would be needed than the Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee predicted would be available.

Re-annotation, improved large-scale assembly and establishment of a catalogue of noncoding loci for the genome of the model brown alga Ectocarpus.

PubMed

Cormier, Alexandre; Avia, Komlan; Sterck, Lieven; Derrien, Thomas; Wucher, Valentin; Andres, Gwendoline; Monsoor, Misharl; Godfroy, Olivier; Lipinska, Agnieszka; Perrineau, Marie-Mathilde; Van De Peer, Yves; Hitte, Christophe; Corre, Erwan; Coelho, Susana M; Cock, J Mark

2017-04-01

The genome of the filamentous brown alga Ectocarpus was the first to be completely sequenced from within the brown algal group and has served as a key reference genome both for this lineage and for the stramenopiles. We present a complete structural and functional reannotation of the Ectocarpus genome. The large-scale assembly of the Ectocarpus genome was significantly improved and genome-wide gene re-annotation using extensive RNA-seq data improved the structure of 11 108 existing protein-coding genes and added 2030 new loci. A genome-wide analysis of splicing isoforms identified an average of 1.6 transcripts per locus. A large number of previously undescribed noncoding genes were identified and annotated, including 717 loci that produce long noncoding RNAs. Conservation of lncRNAs between Ectocarpus and another brown alga, the kelp Saccharina japonica, suggests that at least a proportion of these loci serve a function. Finally, a large collection of single nucleotide polymorphism-based markers was developed for genetic analyses. These resources are available through an updated and improved genome database. This study significantly improves the utility of the Ectocarpus genome as a high-quality reference for the study of many important aspects of brown algal biology and as a reference for genomic analyses across the stramenopiles. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Implementation of Lifestyle Modification Program Focusing on Physical Activity and Dietary Habits in a Large Group, Community-Based Setting.

PubMed

Stoutenberg, Mark; Falcon, Ashley; Arheart, Kris; Stasi, Selina; Portacio, Francia; Stepanenko, Bryan; Lan, Mary L; Castruccio-Prince, Catarina; Nackenson, Joshua

2017-06-01

Lifestyle modification programs improve several health-related behaviors, including physical activity (PA) and nutrition. However, few of these programs have been expanded to impact a large number of individuals in one setting at one time. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether a PA- and nutrition-based lifestyle modification program could be effectively conducted using a large group format in a community-based setting. One hundred twenty-one participants enrolled in a 16-week, community-based lifestyle modification program and separated in small teams of 13 to 17 individuals. Height, weight, fruit and vegetable (FAV) consumption, physical fitness, and several psychosocial measures were assessed before and after the program. Significant improvements in 6-minute walk distance (+68.3 m; p < .001), chair stands (+6.7 repetitions; p < .001), FAV servings (+1.8 servings/day; p < .001), body weight (-3.2 lbs; p < .001), as well as PA social support and eating habits self-efficacy were observed. Our lifestyle modification program was also successful in shifting participants to higher levels of stages of change for nutrition and PA, increasing overall levels of self-efficacy for healthy eating, and improving levels of social support for becoming more active. A lifestyle modification program can be successfully implemented in a community setting using a large group format to improve PA and FAV attitudes and behaviors.

Military Review, October 1991. Volume 71, Number 10

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

National Guard Ueutenant Colonel Juan M. Gallardo Chilean Army Spanish Edition 45 Senior Leader Vision: The Case of By Order of the Secretary of the...sobering. Our Army and our nation de- in the 1986 version of FvI 100-5 is largely con- mand our full attention. MR NOTES 1 Michael Howard, "Military...of our victory in serving full time in selected key positions. Tiev L-the gulf, we should ,lso realize that the war provide an internal structure

Duplicate Record Elimination in Large Data Files.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-01

UNCLASSIFIJED CSTR -445 NL LmEE~hhE - I1.0 . 111112----5 1.~4 __112 ___IL25_ 1.4 111111.6 EI24 COMPUTER SCIENCES DEPARTMENT oUniversity of Wisconsin...we propose a combinatorial model for the use in the analysis of algorithms for duplicate elimination. We contend that this model can serve as a...duplicates in a multiset of records, knowing the size of the multiset and the number of distinct records in it. 3. Algorithms for Duplicate Elimination

A Study of the Radiant Ignition of a Range of Pyrotechnic Materials Using a CO2 Laser

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-08-01

of colored smoke compositions. The experimental data serves as a us,/.I probe into ignition mechanisms, and may prove of value in the design of...Therefore, it is measured directly from the oscilloscope recording and is designated ti. Secondly, time to Ignition may be measured using the Go/No-Go or...calculated. This is designated tiG. Both approaches were examined in this study. However, because of the large number of tests required for the Go/No-Go

Hearing on the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965: Titles III and VIII. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. House Committee on Education and Labor.

The United States House of Representatives' Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met in one of a series of hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. This session heard testimony on: (1) Title III of the Act, addressing a program that provides aid to institutions of higher education which serve large numbers of…

Department of Defense counterdrug technology development of non-intrusive inspection systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pennella, John J.

1997-02-01

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division serves as the executive agent for the DoD's Contraband Detection and Cargo Container Inspection Technology Development Program. The goal of the DoD non-intrusive inspection (NII) program is to develop prototype equipment that can be used to inspect containers and vehicles, quickly and in large numbers without unnecessary delays in the movement of legitimate cargo. This paper summaries the past accomplishments of the program, current status, and future plans.

Gene selection and cancer type classification of diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma using a bivariate mixture model for two-species data.

PubMed

Su, Yuhua; Nielsen, Dahlia; Zhu, Lei; Richards, Kristy; Suter, Steven; Breen, Matthew; Motsinger-Reif, Alison; Osborne, Jason

2013-01-05

: A bivariate mixture model utilizing information across two species was proposed to solve the fundamental problem of identifying differentially expressed genes in microarray experiments. The model utility was illustrated using a dog and human lymphoma data set prepared by a group of scientists in the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. A small number of genes were identified as being differentially expressed in both species and the human genes in this cluster serve as a good predictor for classifying diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients into two subgroups, the germinal center B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and the activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The number of human genes that were observed to be significantly differentially expressed (21) from the two-species analysis was very small compared to the number of human genes (190) identified with only one-species analysis (human data). The genes may be clinically relevant/important, as this small set achieved low misclassification rates of DLBCL subtypes. Additionally, the two subgroups defined by this cluster of human genes had significantly different survival functions, indicating that the stratification based on gene-expression profiling using the proposed mixture model provided improved insight into the clinical differences between the two cancer subtypes.

Teaching Large Groups the Tennis Serve: Optimizing Practice Opportunities and Providing Individual Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hume, Donald

2018-01-01

This article describes a progressive methodology for teaching the tennis serve to large groups with a focus on optimizing practice opportunities and providing individual feedback to players. Specifically, it delineates teaching the serve to 24 players on two courts. The methodology can be adapted for more players and/or more courts as appropriate,…

Integrating diverse databases into an unified analysis framework: a Galaxy approach

PubMed Central

Blankenberg, Daniel; Coraor, Nathan; Von Kuster, Gregory; Taylor, James; Nekrutenko, Anton

2011-01-01

Recent technological advances have lead to the ability to generate large amounts of data for model and non-model organisms. Whereas, in the past, there have been a relatively small number of central repositories that serve genomic data, an increasing number of distinct specialized data repositories and resources have been established. Here, we describe a generic approach that provides for the integration of a diverse spectrum of data resources into a unified analysis framework, Galaxy (http://usegalaxy.org). This approach allows the simplified coupling of external data resources with the data analysis tools available to Galaxy users, while leveraging the native data mining facilities of the external data resources. Database URL: http://usegalaxy.org PMID:21531983

A rice kinase-protein interaction map.

PubMed

Ding, Xiaodong; Richter, Todd; Chen, Mei; Fujii, Hiroaki; Seo, Young Su; Xie, Mingtang; Zheng, Xianwu; Kanrar, Siddhartha; Stevenson, Rebecca A; Dardick, Christopher; Li, Ying; Jiang, Hao; Zhang, Yan; Yu, Fahong; Bartley, Laura E; Chern, Mawsheng; Bart, Rebecca; Chen, Xiuhua; Zhu, Lihuang; Farmerie, William G; Gribskov, Michael; Zhu, Jian-Kang; Fromm, Michael E; Ronald, Pamela C; Song, Wen-Yuan

2009-03-01

Plants uniquely contain large numbers of protein kinases, and for the vast majority of the 1,429 kinases predicted in the rice (Oryza sativa) genome, little is known of their functions. Genetic approaches often fail to produce observable phenotypes; thus, new strategies are needed to delineate kinase function. We previously developed a cost-effective high-throughput yeast two-hybrid system. Using this system, we have generated a protein interaction map of 116 representative rice kinases and 254 of their interacting proteins. Overall, the resulting interaction map supports a large number of known or predicted kinase-protein interactions from both plants and animals and reveals many new functional insights. Notably, we found a potential widespread role for E3 ubiquitin ligases in pathogen defense signaling mediated by receptor-like kinases, particularly by the kinases that may have evolved from recently expanded kinase subfamilies in rice. We anticipate that the data provided here will serve as a foundation for targeted functional studies in rice and other plants. The application of yeast two-hybrid and TAPtag analyses for large-scale plant protein interaction studies is also discussed.

Stochastic growth of cloud droplets by collisions during settling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madival, Deepak G.

2018-04-01

In the last stage of droplet growth in clouds which leads to drizzle formation, larger droplets begin to settle under gravity and collide and coalesce with smaller droplets in their path. In this article, we shall deal with the simplified problem of a large drop settling amidst a population of identical smaller droplets. We present an expression for the probability that a given large drop suffers a given number of collisions, for a general statistically homogeneous distribution of droplets. We hope that our approach will serve as a valuable tool in dealing with droplet distribution in real clouds, which has been found to deviate from the idealized Poisson distribution due to mechanisms such as inertial clustering.

Planning alternative organizational frameworks for a large scale educational telecommunications system served by fixed/broadcast satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walkmeyer, J.

1973-01-01

This memorandum explores a host of considerations meriting attention from those who are concerned with designing organizational structures for development and control of a large scale educational telecommunications system using satellites. Part of a broader investigation at Washington University into the potential uses of fixed/broadcast satellites in U.S. education, this study lays ground work for a later effort to spell out a small number of hypothetical organizational blueprints for such a system and for assessment of potential short and long term impacts. The memorandum consists of two main parts. Part A deals with subjects of system-wide concern, while Part B deals with matters related to specific system components.

Environmental aspects of large-scale wind-power systems in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robson, A.

1983-12-01

Environmental issues relating to the introduction of large, MW-scale wind turbines at land-based sites in the U.K. are discussed. Areas of interest include noise, television interference, hazards to bird life and visual effects. A number of areas of uncertainty are identified, but enough is known from experience elsewhere in the world to enable the first U.K. machines to be introduced in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner. Research currently under way will serve to establish siting criteria more clearly, and could significantly increase the potential wind-energy resource. Certain studies of the comparative risk of energy systems are shown to be overpessimistic for U.K. wind turbines.

Meta-Storms: efficient search for similar microbial communities based on a novel indexing scheme and similarity score for metagenomic data.

PubMed

Su, Xiaoquan; Xu, Jian; Ning, Kang

2012-10-01

It has long been intriguing scientists to effectively compare different microbial communities (also referred as 'metagenomic samples' here) in a large scale: given a set of unknown samples, find similar metagenomic samples from a large repository and examine how similar these samples are. With the current metagenomic samples accumulated, it is possible to build a database of metagenomic samples of interests. Any metagenomic samples could then be searched against this database to find the most similar metagenomic sample(s). However, on one hand, current databases with a large number of metagenomic samples mostly serve as data repositories that offer few functionalities for analysis; and on the other hand, methods to measure the similarity of metagenomic data work well only for small set of samples by pairwise comparison. It is not yet clear, how to efficiently search for metagenomic samples against a large metagenomic database. In this study, we have proposed a novel method, Meta-Storms, that could systematically and efficiently organize and search metagenomic data. It includes the following components: (i) creating a database of metagenomic samples based on their taxonomical annotations, (ii) efficient indexing of samples in the database based on a hierarchical taxonomy indexing strategy, (iii) searching for a metagenomic sample against the database by a fast scoring function based on quantitative phylogeny and (iv) managing database by index export, index import, data insertion, data deletion and database merging. We have collected more than 1300 metagenomic data from the public domain and in-house facilities, and tested the Meta-Storms method on these datasets. Our experimental results show that Meta-Storms is capable of database creation and effective searching for a large number of metagenomic samples, and it could achieve similar accuracies compared with the current popular significance testing-based methods. Meta-Storms method would serve as a suitable database management and search system to quickly identify similar metagenomic samples from a large pool of samples. ningkang@qibebt.ac.cn Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Research and evaluation of biomass resources/conversion/utilization systems. Biomass allocation model. Volume 1: Test and appendices A & B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stringer, R. P.; Ahn, Y. K.; Chen, H. T.; Helm, R. W.; Nelson, E. T.; Shields, K. J.

1981-08-01

A biomass allocation model was developed to show the most profitable combination of biomass feedstocks, thermochemical conversion processes, and fuel products to serve the seasonal conditions in a regional market. This optimization model provides a tool for quickly calculating which of a large number of potential biomass missions is the most profitable mission. Other components of the system serve as a convenient storage and retrieval mechanism for biomass marketing and thermochemical conversion processing data. The system can be accessed through the use of a computer terminal, or it could be adapted to a microprocessor. A User's Manual for the system is included. Biomass derived fuels included in the data base are the following: medium Btu gas, low Btu gas, substitute natural gas, ammonia, methanol, electricity, gasoline, and fuel oil.

Using Benchmarking Techniques and the 2011 Maternity Practices Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) Survey to Improve Performance among Peer Groups across the United States

PubMed Central

Edwards, Roger A.; Dee, Deborah; Umer, Amna; Perrine, Cria G.; Shealy, Katherine R.; Grummer-Strawn, Laurence M.

2015-01-01

Background A substantial proportion of US maternity care facilities engage in practices that are not evidence-based and that interfere with breastfeeding. The CDC Survey of Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) showed significant variation in maternity practices among US states. Objective The purpose of this article is to use benchmarking techniques to identify states within relevant peer groups that were top performers on mPINC survey indicators related to breastfeeding support. Methods We used 11 indicators of breastfeeding-related maternity care from the 2011 mPINC survey and benchmarking techniques to organize and compare hospital-based maternity practices across the 50 states and Washington, DC. We created peer categories for benchmarking first by region (grouping states by West, Midwest, South, and Northeast) and then by size (grouping states by the number of maternity facilities and dividing each region into approximately equal halves based on the number of facilities). Results Thirty-four states had scores high enough to serve as benchmarks, and 32 states had scores low enough to reflect the lowest score gap from the benchmark on at least 1 indicator. No state served as the benchmark on more than 5 indicators and no state was furthest from the benchmark on more than 7 indicators. The small peer group benchmarks in the South, West, and Midwest were better than the large peer group benchmarks on 91%, 82%, and 36% of the indicators, respectively. In the West large, the Midwest large, the Midwest small, and the South large peer groups, 4–6 benchmarks showed that less than 50% of hospitals have ideal practice in all states. Conclusion The evaluation presents benchmarks for peer group state comparisons that provide potential and feasible targets for improvement. PMID:24394963

Natural Organohalogens: A New Frontier for Medicinal Agents?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gribble, Gordon W.

2004-10-01

More than 4000 naturally occurring organohalogen compounds are known. These include a relatively small number of abiogenic organohalogens from volcanoes, forest fires, geothermal processes, and meteorites, and a very large number of biogenic organohalogens produced by myriad living organisms as part of their chemical makeup that serve as hormones, pheromones, repellents, and natural pesticides. From the chemically simple methyl chloride, methyl bromide, and chloroform to the structurally complex vancomycin, pyrroindomycin, and bastadins, the diversity of these organohalogens is unsurpassed among natural products. Most natural organohalogens contain chlorine (2300) or bromine (2100), but a significant number contain iodine (120) or fluorine (30). Several hundred marine natural products contain both chlorine and bromine. The present article focuses on newly discovered biogenic organohalogens, with an emphasis on those biologically active examples from marine organisms, bacteria, terrestrial plants, and higher life forms including humans.

Internal migration effectiveness and income effectiveness in the most populous cities in the United States.

PubMed

Ambinakudige, Shrinidhi; Parisi, Domenico

2010-01-01

In this study, migration data compiled by the Internal Revenue Serve (IRS) and the US Census Bureau for 2006-07 were used to analyse internal migration patterns using migration and income effectiveness for the counties containing the 25 most populous cities in the United States. The results indicated that both large metropolitan and rural counties have lost population and income due to migration. Small metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties closer to cities gained population and income. Counties in South Florida attracted a large number of higher-income migrants from the largest cities in the US. In the last 13 years, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the three most populous cities in the US, had negative migration effectiveness. Suburban areas and second-tier cities continued to attract people from large metropolitan areas.

Estimating the number of cases of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) associated with Canadian municipal drinking water systems.

PubMed

Murphy, H M; Thomas, M K; Medeiros, D T; McFADYEN, S; Pintar, K D M

2016-05-01

The estimated burden of endemic acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) annually in Canada is 20·5 million cases. Approximately 4 million of these cases are domestically acquired and foodborne, yet the proportion of waterborne cases is unknown. A number of randomized controlled trials have been completed to estimate the influence of tap water from municipal drinking water plants on the burden of AGI. In Canada, 83% of the population (28 521 761 people) consumes tap water from municipal drinking water plants serving >1000 people. The drinking water-related AGI burden associated with the consumption of water from these systems in Canada is unknown. The objective of this research was to estimate the number of AGI cases attributable to consumption of drinking water from large municipal water supplies in Canada, using data from four household drinking water intervention trials. Canadian municipal water treatment systems were ranked into four categories based on source water type and quality, population size served, and treatment capability and barriers. The water treatment plants studied in the four household drinking water intervention trials were also ranked according to the aforementioned criteria, and the Canadian treatment plants were then scored against these criteria to develop four AGI risk groups. The proportion of illnesses attributed to distribution system events vs. source water quality/treatment failures was also estimated, to inform the focus of future intervention efforts. It is estimated that 334 966 cases (90% probability interval 183 006-501 026) of AGI per year are associated with the consumption of tap water from municipal systems that serve >1000 people in Canada. This study provides a framework for estimating the burden of waterborne illness at a national level and identifying existing knowledge gaps for future research and surveillance efforts, in Canada and abroad.

Coherent nonhelical shear dynamos driven by magnetic fluctuations at low Reynolds numbers

DOE PAGES

Squire, J.; Bhattacharjee, A.

2015-10-28

Nonhelical shear dynamos are studied with a particular focus on the possibility of coherent dynamo action. The primary results—serving as a follow up to the results of Squire & Bhattacharjee—pertain to the "magnetic shear-current effect" as a viable mechanism to drive large-scale magnetic field generation. This effect raises the interesting possibility that the saturated state of the small-scale dynamo could drive large-scale dynamo action, and is likely to be important in the unstratified regions of accretion disk turbulence. In this paper, the effect is studied at low Reynolds numbers, removing the complications of small-scale dynamo excitation and aiding analysis bymore » enabling the use of quasi-linear statistical simulation methods. In addition to the magnetically driven dynamo, new results on the kinematic nonhelical shear dynamo are presented. Furthermore, these illustrate the relationship between coherent and incoherent driving in such dynamos, demonstrating the importance of rotation in determining the relative dominance of each mechanism.« less

COHERENT NONHELICAL SHEAR DYNAMOS DRIVEN BY MAGNETIC FLUCTUATIONS AT LOW REYNOLDS NUMBERS

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

Squire, J.; Bhattacharjee, A., E-mail: jsquire@caltech.edu

2015-11-01

Nonhelical shear dynamos are studied with a particular focus on the possibility of coherent dynamo action. The primary results—serving as a follow up to the results of Squire and Bhattacharjee—pertain to the “magnetic shear-current effect” as a viable mechanism to drive large-scale magnetic field generation. This effect raises the interesting possibility that the saturated state of the small-scale dynamo could drive large-scale dynamo action, and is likely to be important in the unstratified regions of accretion disk turbulence. In this paper, the effect is studied at low Reynolds numbers, removing the complications of small-scale dynamo excitation and aiding analysis bymore » enabling the use of quasi-linear statistical simulation methods. In addition to the magnetically driven dynamo, new results on the kinematic nonhelical shear dynamo are presented. These illustrate the relationship between coherent and incoherent driving in such dynamos, demonstrating the importance of rotation in determining the relative dominance of each mechanism.« less

An outbreak of Bacillus cereus food poisoning--are caterers supervised sufficiently.

PubMed Central

Slaten, D D; Oropeza, R I; Werner, S B

1992-01-01

Bacillus cereus is an uncommonly reported cause of foodborne illness in the United States. In May 1989, an outbreak of B. cereus gastroenteritis occurred among 140 guests who had attended a catered wedding reception in Napa, CA. Investigation established Cornish game hens served at the event as the vehicle for disease transmission (OR = 29, P = 0.0001). Although the spores of B. cereus are ubiquitous, large numbers of toxin-producing organisms (more than 10(5) per gram of food) are required for illness to occur. In the Napa outbreak, bacterial multiplication was facilitated at several points during the preparation and transportation of the food. While a licensed restaurant kitchen was used, the facilities were clearly inadequate for the event. At present, the California Health and Safety Code does not address the scope of catering operations. As caterers increase in number, there will be a growing need for governmental oversight to ensure that food production on a large scale is conducted safely. PMID:1641447

Staggered-grid finite-difference acoustic modeling with the Time-Domain Atmospheric Acoustic Propagation Suite (TDAAPS).

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

Aldridge, David Franklin; Collier, Sandra L.; Marlin, David H.

2005-05-01

This document is intended to serve as a users guide for the time-domain atmospheric acoustic propagation suite (TDAAPS) program developed as part of the Department of Defense High-Performance Modernization Office (HPCMP) Common High-Performance Computing Scalable Software Initiative (CHSSI). TDAAPS performs staggered-grid finite-difference modeling of the acoustic velocity-pressure system with the incorporation of spatially inhomogeneous winds. Wherever practical the control structure of the codes are written in C++ using an object oriented design. Sections of code where a large number of calculations are required are written in C or F77 in order to enable better compiler optimization of these sections. Themore » TDAAPS program conforms to a UNIX style calling interface. Most of the actions of the codes are controlled by adding flags to the invoking command line. This document presents a large number of examples and provides new users with the necessary background to perform acoustic modeling with TDAAPS.« less

Hispanic Presidents and Chancellors of Institutions of Higher Education in the United States in 2001 and 2006

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de los Santos, Alfredo G., Jr.; Vega, Irene I.

2008-01-01

This manuscript examines the number of Hispanic individuals who serve as presidents or chancellor and the type of institutions they serve. In 2001, only 13 states had institutions in which the president or chancellor was Latina/o. By 2006, that number had increased to 22. Both in 2001 and 2006, 61% of all Latina/o CEOs served in associate's degree…

History of On-orbit Satellite Fragmentations (14th Edition)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Nicholas L.; Stansbery, Eugene; Whitlock, David O.; Abercromby, Kira J.; Shoots, Debra

2008-01-01

Since the first serious satellite fragmentation occurred in June 1961 (which instantaneously increased the total Earth satellite population by more than 400%) the issue of space operations within the finite region of space around the Earth has been the subject of increasing interest and concern. The prolific satellite fragmentations of the 1970s and the marked increase in the number of fragmentations in the 1980s served to widen international research into the characteristics and consequences of such events. Continued events in all orbits in later years make definition and historical accounting of those events crucial to future research. Large, manned space stations and the growing number of operational robotic satellites demand a better understanding of the hazards of the dynamic Earth satellite population.

Serving Bowl Selection Biases the Amount of Food Served

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Kleef, Ellen; Shimizu, Mitsuru; Wansink, Brian

2012-01-01

Objective: To determine how common serving bowls containing food for multiple persons influence serving behavior and consumption and whether they do so independently of satiation and food evaluation. Methods: In this between-subjects experiment, 68 participants were randomly assigned to either a group serving pasta from a large-sized bowl (6.9-L…

Origin and heterogeneity of HDL subspecies

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

Nichols, A.V.; Gong, E.L.; Blanche, P.J.

1987-09-01

A major determinant of mature HDL particle size and apolar core content, in the absence of remodeling factors, is most likely the size and apolipoprotein content of the precursor particle. Depending on the number of apoA-I molecules per analog particle, the LCAT-induced transformation follows either a fusion pathway (for precursors with 2 apoA-I per particle) or a pathway (for precursors with more than 2 apoA-I per particle) that conserves the apolipoprotein number. According to our analog results, small nascent HDL probably serve as precursors to the major (apoA-I without apoA-II)-subpopulation in the size interval. Our studies with the large discoidalmore » analog suggest that HDL/sub 2/ (apoA-I without apoA-II)-subpopulations probably originate from the large discoidal nascent HDL that contain a higher number of apolipoprotein molecules per particle than the small nascent HDL. Intermediate transformation products of the large discoidal analog, described in the present study, resemble deformable species found in human lymph and are characterized by a relatively high surface-to-core lipid ratio. Whether large discoidal precursors containing apoE transform in comparable manner but with eventual interchange of apoA-I for apoE (10,15) is under investigation in our laboratory. Likewise, detailed delineation of pathways whereby the (apoA-I with apoA-II)-HDL subpopulations are formed is yet to be accomplished. 23 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Estimation and Control of Distributed Models for Certain Elastic Systems Arising in Large Space Structures.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-30

igennfy by ""aU numiir,) PIAL GROUP Sue. Go. RCI (Cm, inve o owuera Ineeemerv 4R an~ b-, bloca number) The goal of this research was to study...estimation and control of elastic systems compoited of beams and plates. Specifically, the research con- sidered the problem of lcating the optimal placement...estimation and control of elastic systems com- posed of beams and plates. This general goal has served as a guide for our research over the last several

Storage and retrieval of mass spectral information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hohn, M. E.; Humberston, M. J.; Eglinton, G.

1977-01-01

Computer handling of mass spectra serves two main purposes: the interpretation of the occasional, problematic mass spectrum, and the identification of the large number of spectra generated in the gas-chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analysis of complex natural and synthetic mixtures. Methods available fall into the three categories of library search, artificial intelligence, and learning machine. Optional procedures for coding, abbreviating and filtering a library of spectra minimize time and storage requirements. Newer techniques make increasing use of probability and information theory in accessing files of mass spectral information.

Where and Why Users Check In

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-28

2009.12.1 2010.1.1 V N E -O p a 2009.9.1 2009.10.1 2009.11.1 2009.12.1 2010.1.1 Blue Bottle Coffee 2009.9.1 2009.10.1 2009.11.1 2009.12.1 2010.1.1 Blue...Bottle Coffee Golden Gate Park FarmerBrowns Little Skillet Blue Bottle Coffee We treat the check-ins in LBSN as a marked point process in time, where...minuscule, compared to significant differences ob - served for large β. 4.2 Predicting Venue attendance In this experiment, we predict the number of

Frequency addressable beams for land mobile communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, J. D.; Dubellay, G. G.

1988-01-01

Satellites used for mobile communications need to serve large numbers of small, low cost terminals. The most important parameters affecting the capacity of such systems are the satellite equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) and gain to noise temperature ratio (G/T) and available bandwidth. Satellites using frequency addressed beams provide high EIRP and G/T with high-gain antenna beams that also permit frequency reuse over the composite coverage area. Frequency addressing is easy to implement and compatible with low-cost terminals and offers higher capacity than alternative approaches.

Stream Lined Emission Particles Handling For Civil Engineering Purposes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hrabovský, Leopold

2017-10-01

Exploitation of conveyor belts for building purposes has large meaning and order scientific potential, that are competently solve the situation in terms of engineering structure. Pocket conveyer is one of the possible structural solutions of belt conveyer transport, where loose substance is conveyed in closed slot of the belt conveyer. The slot emerges (forms) by mutual bringing (approaching) of edges of the belt conveyer together, which have vulcanized lengthwise parts. The lengthwise parts serve for the leading of the belt conveyer and its hanging on a special construction with a number of supporting discs.

Quebec's Ice Storm '98: "all cards wild, all rules broken" in Quebec's shell-shocked hospitals

PubMed Central

Hamilton, J

1998-01-01

The remarkable ice storm that brought life to a standstill in most of Eastern Ontario and Quebec in January had a huge impact on medical services. Hospitals that lost power found themselves serving as shelters not only for patients but also for staff members and nearby residents. Doctors' offices were forced to close and a large number of operations were cancelled. The 2 articles that follow detail the huge impact the "ice storm of the century" had on health care. PMID:9627567

13 CFR 101.103 - Where are SBA's field offices located?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... addresses, phone numbers and jurisdictions served is periodically published in the Federal Register. You can also obtain the address and phone number of an SBA office to serve you by calling 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or 1...

13 CFR 101.103 - Where are SBA's field offices located?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... addresses, phone numbers and jurisdictions served is periodically published in the Federal Register. You can also obtain the address and phone number of an SBA office to serve you by calling 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or 1...

13 CFR 101.103 - Where are SBA's field offices located?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... addresses, phone numbers and jurisdictions served is periodically published in the Federal Register. You can also obtain the address and phone number of an SBA office to serve you by calling 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or 1...

13 CFR 101.103 - Where are SBA's field offices located?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... addresses, phone numbers and jurisdictions served is periodically published in the Federal Register. You can also obtain the address and phone number of an SBA office to serve you by calling 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or 1...

13 CFR 101.103 - Where are SBA's field offices located?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... addresses, phone numbers and jurisdictions served is periodically published in the Federal Register. You can also obtain the address and phone number of an SBA office to serve you by calling 1-800-8-ASK-SBA or 1...

Semester abroad opportunities in baccalaureate nursing programs.

PubMed

Read, Catherine Y

2011-01-01

An experience of studying abroad enhances undergraduate nursing education by broadening the student's perspective about different cultures, heightening awareness of a global society and foreign customs and traditions, stimulating interest in international work and research, fostering personal development, building skill in a foreign language, and serving as a bridge between theory and practice. Despite a large number of published reports about international experiences for nursing students, little is known about the number of baccalaureate programs that offer a semester abroad or the percent of students who participate. A mailed paper-and-pencil survey was completed by 382 administrators of baccalaureate nursing programs listed in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing database. Eighty-nine schools (23.3%) offer a semester study abroad opportunity. Of those, 39 (44%) offer clinical nursing courses taught by nursing faculty. Most (76%) of the 89 schools reported that only 0%-5% of students participated in the semester abroad program. Despite the small number of baccalaureate programs that offer a semester abroad experience and the small percentage of students who participate, respondents listed a large number and variety of advantages and offered strategies that facilitate their programs. Curricular innovations that allow 17%-26% of juniors in the baccalaureate nursing program at Boston College to study abroad for a semester are elucidated. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attack risk for butterflies changes with eyespot number and size

PubMed Central

Ho, Sebastian; Schachat, Sandra R.; Piel, William H.; Monteiro, Antónia

2016-01-01

Butterfly eyespots are known to function in predator deflection and predator intimidation, but it is still unclear what factors cause eyespots to serve one function over the other. Both functions have been demonstrated in different species that varied in eyespot size, eyespot number and wing size, leaving the contribution of each of these factors to butterfly survival unclear. Here, we study how each of these factors contributes to eyespot function by using paper butterfly models, where each factor is varied in turn, and exposing these models to predation in the field. We find that the presence of multiple, small eyespots results in high predation, whereas single large eyespots (larger than 6 mm in diameter) results in low predation. These data indicate that single large eyespots intimidate predators, whereas multiple small eyespots produce a conspicuous, but non-intimidating signal to predators. We propose that eyespots may gain an intimidation function by increasing in size. Our measurements of eyespot size in 255 nymphalid butterfly species show that large eyespots are relatively rare and occur predominantly on ventral wing surfaces. By mapping eyespot size on the phylogeny of the family Nymphalidae, we show that these large eyespots, with a potential intimidation function, are dispersed throughout multiple nymphalid lineages, indicating that phylogeny is not a strong predictor of eyespot size. PMID:26909190

Number and size of nucleoli in the spermatocytes of chicken and Japanese quail.

PubMed

Andraszek, Katarzyna; Gryzińska, Magdalena; Knaga, Sebastian; Wójcik, Ewa; Smalec, Elzbieta

2012-01-01

Nucleoli are the product of nucleolus organizing region activity (NOR) of specific chromosomes. Their basic function is to synthetise ribosomal RNA precursors and promote the maturation and assemblage of preribosomal RNP molecules. Information on rRNA-coding gene activity can be provided by the analysis of the number and size of nucleoli in the prophase of the first meiotic division. The morphology and ultrastructure of a nucleolus depends, among others, on the species and cell growth cycle as well as the physiological and pathological state of an organism. The purpose of this research was to determine the number and size of nucleoli in the spermatocytes of the domestic chicken and the Japanese quail. Diverse numbers and sizes of nucleoli in the cells of the analysed birds were observed. 1-4 nucleoli were identified in chicken cells (1.91 +/- 0.63 on average) and 1-2 in quail cells (1.13 +/- 0.33 on average). For the total of 957 nucleoli observed in Gallus cells, 329 were classified as large and 628 as small. In Coturnix cells, 563 nucleoli were identified (66 large and 497 small ones). An analysis of the numbers and sizes of nucleoli can be performed at the cytogenetic level and serve as an alternative source of information on rRNA encoding gene and nucleolus organising region (NOR) activities.

Aerodynamic Design of a Dual-Flow Mach 7 Hypersonic Inlet System for a Turbine-Based Combined-Cycle Hypersonic Propulsion System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Bobby W.; Weir, Lois J.

2008-01-01

A new hypersonic inlet for a turbine-based combined-cycle (TBCC) engine has been designed. This split-flow inlet is designed to provide flow to an over-under propulsion system with turbofan and dual-mode scramjet engines for flight from takeoff to Mach 7. It utilizes a variable-geometry ramp, high-speed cowl lip rotation, and a rotating low-speed cowl that serves as a splitter to divide the flow between the low-speed turbofan and the high-speed scramjet and to isolate the turbofan at high Mach numbers. The low-speed inlet was designed for Mach 4, the maximum mode transition Mach number. Integration of the Mach 4 inlet into the Mach 7 inlet imposed significant constraints on the low-speed inlet design, including a large amount of internal compression. The inlet design was used to develop mechanical designs for two inlet mode transition test models: small-scale (IMX) and large-scale (LIMX) research models. The large-scale model is designed to facilitate multi-phase testing including inlet mode transition and inlet performance assessment, controls development, and integrated systems testing with turbofan and scramjet engines.

The Variation of Slat Noise with Mach and Reynolds Numbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lockard, David P.; Choudhari, Meelan M.

2011-01-01

The slat noise from the 30P30N high-lift system has been computed using a computational fluid dynamics code in conjunction with a Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings solver. By varying the Mach number from 0.13 to 0.25, the noise was found to vary roughly with the 5th power of the speed. Slight changes in the behavior with directivity angle could easily account for the different speed dependencies reported in the literature. Varying the Reynolds number from 1.4 to 2.4 million resulted in almost no differences, and primarily served to demonstrate the repeatability of the results. However, changing the underlying hybrid Reynolds-averaged-Navier-Stokes/Large-Eddy-Simulation turbulence model significantly altered the mean flow because of changes in the flap separation. However, the general trends observed in both the acoustics and near-field fluctuations were similar for both models.

Enhanced viscous flow drag reduction using acoustic excitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nagel, Robert T.

1987-01-01

Proper acoustic excitation of a single large-eddy break-up device can increase the resulting drag reduction and, after approximately 40 to 50 delta downstream, provide net drag reduction. Precise optimization of the input time delay, amplitude and response threshold is difficult but possible to achieve. Drag reduction is improved with optimized conditions. The possibility of optimized processing strongly suggests a mechanism which involves interaction of the acoustic waves and large eddies at the trailing edge of the large eddy break-up device. Although the mechanism for spreading of this phenomenon is unknown, it is apparent that the drag reduction effect does tend to spread spanwise as the flow convects downstream. The phenomenon is not unique to a particular blade configuration or flow velocity, although all data have been obtained at relatively low Reynolds numbers. The general repeatibility of the results for small configuration changes serves as verification of the phenomenon.

Covalent Binding with Neutrons on the Femto-scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Oertzen, W.; Kanada-En'yo, Y.; Kimura, M.

2017-06-01

In light nuclei we have well defined clusters, nuclei with closed shells, which serve as centers for binary molecules with covalent binding by valence neutrons. Single neutron orbitals in light neutron-excess nuclei have well defined shell model quantum numbers. With the combination of two clusters and their neutron valence states, molecular two-center orbitals are defined; in the two-center shell model we can place valence neutrons in a large variety of molecular two-center states, and the formation of Dimers becomes possible. The corresponding rotational bands point with their large moments of inertia and the Coriolis decoupling effect (for K = 1/2 bands) to the internal molecular orbital structure in these states. On the basis of these the neutron rich isotopes allow the formation of a large variety molecular structures on the nuclear scale. An extended Ikeda diagram can be drawn for these cases. Molecular bands in Be and Ne-isotopes are discussed as text-book examples.

The end-stage renal disease industry and exit strategies for nephrologists.

PubMed

Sullivan, John D

2006-01-01

The purpose of this presentation is to identify exit strategies for nephrologists under changing conditions in the dialysis market. The end-stage renal disease service provider market continues to be highly receptive to consolidation. Taking advantage of large economies of scale, large for-profit dialysis chains have surpassed independent operators in both number of clinics and total patients. With relatively low barriers to entry, new smaller clinics continue to open, serving a niche outside the larger chains. Additional competition comes in the form of medium players funded by venture capitalists with the added pressure of rapid growth and financial return. To ensure market power in both dialysis products and managed care negotiation leverage, medium and large service providers will continue to seek out attractive acquisition targets. For nephrologists to capitalize on investment, clinic and business preparation will continue to be the driving force for these divestitures.

Herbal Compounds and Toxins Modulating TRP Channels

PubMed Central

Vriens, Joris; Nilius, Bernd; Vennekens, Rudi

2008-01-01

Although the benefits are sometimes obvious, traditional or herbal medicine is regarded with skepticism, because the mechanism through which plant compounds exert their powers are largely elusive. Recent studies have shown however that many of these plant compounds interact with specific ion channels and thereby modulate the sensing mechanism of the human body. Especially members of the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels have drawn large attention lately as the receptors for plant-derived compounds such as capsaicin and menthol. TRP channels constitute a large and diverse family of channel proteins that can serve as versatile sensors that allow individual cells and entire organisms to detect changes in their environment. For this family, a striking number of empirical views have turned into mechanism-based actions of natural compounds. In this review we will give an overview of herbal compounds and toxins, which modulate TRP channels. PMID:19305789

Evaluation of e-liquid toxicity using an open-source high-throughput screening assay

PubMed Central

Keating, James E.; Zorn, Bryan T.; Kochar, Tavleen K.; Wolfgang, Matthew C.; Glish, Gary L.; Tarran, Robert

2018-01-01

The e-liquids used in electronic cigarettes (E-cigs) consist of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), nicotine, and chemical additives for flavoring. There are currently over 7,700 e-liquid flavors available, and while some have been tested for toxicity in the laboratory, most have not. Here, we developed a 3-phase, 384-well, plate-based, high-throughput screening (HTS) assay to rapidly triage and validate the toxicity of multiple e-liquids. Our data demonstrated that the PG/VG vehicle adversely affected cell viability and that a large number of e-liquids were more toxic than PG/VG. We also performed gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis on all tested e-liquids. Subsequent nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis revealed that e-liquids are an extremely heterogeneous group. Furthermore, these data indicated that (i) the more chemicals contained in an e-liquid, the more toxic it was likely to be and (ii) the presence of vanillin was associated with higher toxicity values. Further analysis of common constituents by electron ionization revealed that the concentration of cinnamaldehyde and vanillin, but not triacetin, correlated with toxicity. We have also developed a publicly available searchable website (www.eliquidinfo.org). Given the large numbers of available e-liquids, this website will serve as a resource to facilitate dissemination of this information. Our data suggest that an HTS approach to evaluate the toxicity of multiple e-liquids is feasible. Such an approach may serve as a roadmap to enable bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to better regulate e-liquid composition. PMID:29584716

34 CFR 300.226 - Early intervening services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES Local Educational Agency Eligibility § 300.226 Early intervening services. (a... annually report to the SEA on— (1) The number of children served under this section who received early intervening services; and (2) The number of children served under this section who received early intervening...

SMALL DRINKING WATER SYSTEMS RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

There are 159,796 Community Water Systems (CWSs) in the United States. Ninety-three percent of CWSs are considered very small to medium-sized systems that serve roughly 19% of the CWS population. In contrast, large to very large systems comprise just 7% of CWSs, but serve 81% of ...

7 CFR 1221.100 - Establishment and representation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... allow representation from a broad geographical area. The Board shall initially be composed of 13... 4 sorghum producers to serve as at-large national representatives with at least two representatives... State, there shall be one importer to serve as a representative plus an additional at-large national...

7 CFR 1221.100 - Establishment and representation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... allow representation from a broad geographical area. The Board shall initially be composed of 13... 4 sorghum producers to serve as at-large national representatives with at least two representatives... State, there shall be one importer to serve as a representative plus an additional at-large national...

7 CFR 1221.100 - Establishment and representation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... allow representation from a broad geographical area. The Board shall initially be composed of 13... 4 sorghum producers to serve as at-large national representatives with at least two representatives... State, there shall be one importer to serve as a representative plus an additional at-large national...

7 CFR 1221.100 - Establishment and representation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... allow representation from a broad geographical area. The Board shall initially be composed of 13... 4 sorghum producers to serve as at-large national representatives with at least two representatives... State, there shall be one importer to serve as a representative plus an additional at-large national...

42 CFR 441.462 - Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Statewideness, comparability and limitations on....462 Statewideness, comparability and limitations on number served. A State may do the following: (a... eligible to receive these services without regard to comparability of amount, duration, and scope of...

The 2016 Ft. McMurray Wildfire: Déjà vu or re-thinking the scope wildland and urban-wildland interface fires on water supplies?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silins, U.; Emelko, M.; Cooke, C. A.; Charrois, J. W. A.; Stone, M.

2016-12-01

A growing number of large severe wildfires have impacted drinking water supplies of both small and larger municipalities in western North America over the past 20 years. While some of these fires include components of wildland-urban interface fire impacts to water or water treatment infrastructure, the vast majority have been wildland fires in critical source water supply regions serving these municipalities. A large body of research has provided key insights on magnitude, variability, and longevity of post-wildfire impacts on erosion, sediment production, and water quality, however assessing the impact of wildfires on water supplies often requires measuring or predicting the downstream propagation of upstream wildfire impacts to water supplies and this remains a comparatively less well explored area of wildfire-water research. The 2016 Horse River wildfire during May-June burned 590,000 ha. forcing the evacuation of the entire City of McMurray ( 90,000 residents) and represents the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history ($3.6 billion in insurable losses alone). While the wildfire impacted extensive source water supply regions in the area surrounding Ft. McMurray, this fire serves to illustrate a broader range of challenging wildfire-water science and engineering research issues that are needed to assess the impacts of this and potentially other large wildfires on water supplies. Unlike wildfires in headwaters regions, these include unique challenges in assessing impacts of burned tributaries adjacent sources from a large wildfire situated immediately surrounding a very large river system (Athabasca River), post-fire contaminant dilution, mixing, and transport, and contaminant runoff from severely burned residential and commercial/industrial regions of the city on downstream water supplies among others.

The large building to the left formerly served as open ...

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

The large building to the left formerly served as open hearth no. 3 steel making facility; it was erected in 1903; looking east - Bethlehem Steel Corporation, South Bethlehem Works, Open Hearth No. 3, Along Lehigh River, North of Fourth Street, West of Minsi Trail Bridge, Bethlehem, Northampton County, PA

FASTPM: a new scheme for fast simulations of dark matter and haloes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yu; Chu, Man-Yat; Seljak, Uroš; McDonald, Patrick

2016-12-01

We introduce FASTPM, a highly scalable approximated particle mesh (PM) N-body solver, which implements the PM scheme enforcing correct linear displacement (1LPT) evolution via modified kick and drift factors. Employing a two-dimensional domain decomposing scheme, FASTPM scales extremely well with a very large number of CPUs. In contrast to Comoving-Lagrangian (COLA) approach, we do not require to split the force or track separately the 2LPT solution, reducing the code complexity and memory requirements. We compare FASTPM with different number of steps (Ns) and force resolution factor (B) against three benchmarks: halo mass function from friends-of-friends halo finder; halo and dark matter power spectrum; and cross-correlation coefficient (or stochasticity), relative to a high-resolution TREEPM simulation. We show that the modified time stepping scheme reduces the halo stochasticity when compared to COLA with the same number of steps and force resolution. While increasing Ns and B improves the transfer function and cross-correlation coefficient, for many applications FASTPM achieves sufficient accuracy at low Ns and B. For example, Ns = 10 and B = 2 simulation provides a substantial saving (a factor of 10) of computing time relative to Ns = 40, B = 3 simulation, yet the halo benchmarks are very similar at z = 0. We find that for abundance matched haloes the stochasticity remains low even for Ns = 5. FASTPM compares well against less expensive schemes, being only 7 (4) times more expensive than 2LPT initial condition generator for Ns = 10 (Ns = 5). Some of the applications where FASTPM can be useful are generating a large number of mocks, producing non-linear statistics where one varies a large number of nuisance or cosmological parameters, or serving as part of an initial conditions solver.

Local health department epidemiologic capacity: a stratified cross-sectional assessment describing the quantity, education, training, and perceived competencies of epidemiologic staff.

PubMed

O'Keefe, Kaitlin A; Shafir, Shira C; Shoaf, Kimberley I

2013-01-01

Local health departments (LHDs) must have sufficient numbers of staff functioning in an epidemiologic role with proper education, training, and skills to protect the health of communities they serve. This pilot study was designed to describe the composition, training, and competency level of LHD staff and examine the hypothesis that potential disparities exist between LHDs serving different sized populations. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted with directors and epidemiologic staff from a sample of 100 LHDs serving jurisdictions of varied sizes. Questionnaires included inquiries regarding staff composition, education, training, and measures of competency modeled on previously conducted studies by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. Number of epidemiologic staff, academic degree distribution, epidemiologic training, and both director and staff confidence in task competencies were calculated for each LHD size strata. Disparities in measurements were observed in LHDs serving different sized populations. LHDs serving small populations reported a smaller average number of epidemiologic staff than those serving larger jurisdictions. As size of population served increased, percentages of staff and directors holding bachelors' and masters' degrees increased, while those holding RN degrees decreased. A higher degree of perceived competency of staff in most task categories was reported in LHDs serving larger populations. LHDs serving smaller populations reported fewer epidemiologic staff, therefore might benefit from additional resources. Differences observed in staff education, training, and competencies suggest that enhanced epidemiologic training might be particularly needed in LHDs serving smaller populations. RESULTS can be used as a baseline for future research aimed at identifying areas where training and personnel resources might be particularly needed to increase the capabilities of LHDs.

Using rewards-based incentives to increase purchase of fruit and vegetables in lower-income households: design and start-up of a randomized trial.

PubMed

Phipps, Etienne J; Wallace, Samantha L; Stites, Shana D; Uplinger, Nadine; Brook Singletary, S; Hunt, Lacy; Axelrod, Saul; Glanz, Karen; Braitman, Leonard E

2013-05-01

To report the design and baseline results of a rewards-based incentive to promote purchase of fruit and vegetables by lower-income households. A four-phase randomized trial with wait-listed controls. In a pilot study, despite inadequate study coupon use, purchases of fresh fruit (but not vegetables) increased, but with little maintenance. In the present study, credits on the study store gift card replace paper coupons and a tapering phase is added. The primary outcome is the number of servings of fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables purchased per week. A large full-service supermarket located in a predominantly minority community in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Fifty-eight households, with at least one child living in the home. During the baseline period, households purchased an average of 3·7 servings of fresh vegetables and an average of less than 1 serving of frozen vegetables per week. Households purchased an average of 1·9 servings of fresh fruit per week, with little to no frozen fruit purchases. Overall, the range of fresh and frozen produce purchased during this pre-intervention period was limited. At baseline, produce purchases were small and of limited variety. The study will contribute to understanding the impact of financial incentives on increasing the purchases of healthier foods by lower-income populations.

Who is a cardiologist: Usurpers spawn?

PubMed Central

Mishra, Sundeep

2015-01-01

Cerebrovascular disease is the number one killer worldwide. It is increasing in epidemic proportion in developing countries as well, including India. Trained cardiologists are few and scattered in urban areas and there exists a huge shortage of personnel in clinical arena of cardiology specialty. The problem is manifest not only in diagnostics but also in treatment. This space is appropriated by a large number of clinical professionals posing as true cardiologists. Thus, currently there is a critical need to define who can be called a cardiologist and who can be accorded the privilege to treat and even perform interventional procedures. Further, the only credible way to fill this gap is to increase the infrastructure, the staff and the number of teaching, academic hospitals so that there could be an increase in the number of trained cardiologists. Alternate approach to dilute the educational, skill, and experience requirements of the physicians so that more can qualify to be called as cardiologists is likely to be counter-productive since this approach will lead to dilution in the quality of cardiologists which will consequently lead to dilution in the quality of health-care delivery. Further, the irony of matter is that while the pool of cardiologist is increased with the plea of serving rural areas, the hard reality is that very few if any of these so-called trained physicians ever serve the rural area. Thus, it is in this context the tendency to follow the second course should be firmly resisted as also the need to define “who is a cardiologist.” PMID:26702675

Large-scale motions in the universe: Using clusters of galaxies as tracers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gramann, Mirt; Bahcall, Neta A.; Cen, Renyue; Gott, J. Richard

1995-01-01

Can clusters of galaxies be used to trace the large-scale peculiar velocity field of the universe? We answer this question by using large-scale cosmological simulations to compare the motions of rich clusters of galaxies with the motion of the underlying matter distribution. Three models are investigated: Omega = 1 and Omega = 0.3 cold dark matter (CDM), and Omega = 0.3 primeval baryonic isocurvature (PBI) models, all normalized to the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) background fluctuations. We compare the cluster and mass distribution of peculiar velocities, bulk motions, velocity dispersions, and Mach numbers as a function of scale for R greater than or = 50/h Mpc. We also present the large-scale velocity and potential maps of clusters and of the matter. We find that clusters of galaxies trace well the large-scale velocity field and can serve as an efficient tool to constrain cosmological models. The recently reported bulk motion of clusters 689 +/- 178 km/s on approximately 150/h Mpc scale (Lauer & Postman 1994) is larger than expected in any of the models studied (less than or = 190 +/- 78 km/s).

Uplink Downlink Rate Balancing and Throughput Scaling in FDD Massive MIMO Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergel, Itsik; Perets, Yona; Shamai, Shlomo

2016-05-01

In this work we extend the concept of uplink-downlink rate balancing to frequency division duplex (FDD) massive MIMO systems. We consider a base station with large number antennas serving many single antenna users. We first show that any unused capacity in the uplink can be traded off for higher throughput in the downlink in a system that uses either dirty paper (DP) coding or linear zero-forcing (ZF) precoding. We then also study the scaling of the system throughput with the number of antennas in cases of linear Beamforming (BF) Precoding, ZF Precoding, and DP coding. We show that the downlink throughput is proportional to the logarithm of the number of antennas. While, this logarithmic scaling is lower than the linear scaling of the rate in the uplink, it can still bring significant throughput gains. For example, we demonstrate through analysis and simulation that increasing the number of antennas from 4 to 128 will increase the throughput by more than a factor of 5. We also show that a logarithmic scaling of downlink throughput as a function of the number of receive antennas can be achieved even when the number of transmit antennas only increases logarithmically with the number of receive antennas.

EnviroAtlas - NatureServe Analysis of Imperiled or Federally Listed Species by HUC-12 for the Conterminous United States

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset includes analysis by NatureServe of species that are Imperiled (G1/G2) or Listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) by 12-digit Hydrologic Units (HUCs). The analysis results are for use and publication by both the LandScope America website and by the EnviroAtlas. Results are provided for the total number of Aquatic Associated G1-G2/ESA species, the total number of Wetland Associated G1-G2/ESA species, the total number of Terrestrial Associated G1-G2/ESA species, and the total number of Unknown Habitat Association G1-G2/ESA species in each HUC12. NatureServe is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and providing information about the world's plants, animals, and ecological communities. NatureServe works in partnership with 82 independent Natural Heritage programs and Conservation Data Centers that gather scientific information on rare species and ecosystems in the United States, Latin America, and Canada (the Natural Heritage Network). NatureServe is a leading source for biodiversity information that is essential for effective conservation action. This dataset was produced by NatureServe to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data

Use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index as an Assessment Tool for Reptiles and Amphibians: Lessons Learned.

PubMed

Tuberville, Tracey D; Andrews, Kimberly M; Sperry, Jinelle H; Grosse, Andrew M

2015-10-01

Climate change threatens biodiversity globally, yet it can be challenging to predict which species may be most vulnerable. Given the scope of the problem, it is imperative to rapidly assess vulnerability and identify actions to decrease risk. Although a variety of tools have been developed to assess climate change vulnerability, few have been evaluated with regard to their suitability for certain taxonomic groups. Due to their ectothermic physiology, low vagility, and strong association with temporary wetlands, reptiles and amphibians may be particularly vulnerable relative to other groups. Here, we evaluate use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to assess a large suite of herpetofauna from the Sand Hills Ecoregion of the southeastern United States. Although data were frequently lacking for certain variables (e.g., phenological response to climate change, genetic variation), sufficient data were available to evaluate all 117 species. Sensitivity analyses indicated that results were highly dependent on size of assessment area and climate scenario selection. In addition, several ecological traits common in, but relatively unique to, herpetofauna are likely to contribute to their vulnerability and need special consideration during the scoring process. Despite some limitations, the NatureServe CCVI was a useful tool for screening large numbers of reptile and amphibian species. We provide general recommendations as to how the CCVI tool's application to herpetofauna can be improved through more specific guidance to the user regarding how to incorporate unique physiological and behavioral traits into scoring existing sensitivity factors and through modification to the assessment tool itself.

Use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index as an Assessment Tool for Reptiles and Amphibians: Lessons Learned

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuberville, Tracey D.; Andrews, Kimberly M.; Sperry, Jinelle H.; Grosse, Andrew M.

2015-10-01

Climate change threatens biodiversity globally, yet it can be challenging to predict which species may be most vulnerable. Given the scope of the problem, it is imperative to rapidly assess vulnerability and identify actions to decrease risk. Although a variety of tools have been developed to assess climate change vulnerability, few have been evaluated with regard to their suitability for certain taxonomic groups. Due to their ectothermic physiology, low vagility, and strong association with temporary wetlands, reptiles and amphibians may be particularly vulnerable relative to other groups. Here, we evaluate use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to assess a large suite of herpetofauna from the Sand Hills Ecoregion of the southeastern United States. Although data were frequently lacking for certain variables (e.g., phenological response to climate change, genetic variation), sufficient data were available to evaluate all 117 species. Sensitivity analyses indicated that results were highly dependent on size of assessment area and climate scenario selection. In addition, several ecological traits common in, but relatively unique to, herpetofauna are likely to contribute to their vulnerability and need special consideration during the scoring process. Despite some limitations, the NatureServe CCVI was a useful tool for screening large numbers of reptile and amphibian species. We provide general recommendations as to how the CCVI tool's application to herpetofauna can be improved through more specific guidance to the user regarding how to incorporate unique physiological and behavioral traits into scoring existing sensitivity factors and through modification to the assessment tool itself.

Children’s bite size and intake of an entrée are greater with large portions than with age-appropriate or self-selected portions2

PubMed Central

Fisher, Jennifer Orlet; Rolls, Barbara J; Birch, Leann L

2008-01-01

Background Whether large portion sizes affect children’s eating behavior has rarely been studied. Objectives Our objectives were 1) to determine the effects of repeated exposure to a large portion of an entrée on preschool-aged children’s awareness of portion size, self-selected portion size, and food intake and 2) to evaluate associations of children’s responsiveness to portion size with weight status and overeating. Design Energy intake, bite size, and comments about portion size were evaluated among 30 children at 2 series of lunches in which either an age-appropriate portion or a large portion of an entrée was served. On separate occasions, the children’s self-served portions, weight, height, and tendency to overeat were assessed. Results Doubling an age-appropriate portion of an entrée increased entrée and total energy intakes at lunch by 25% and 15%, respectively. Changes were attributable to increases in the average size of the children’s bites of the entrée without compensatory decreases in the intake of other foods served at the meal. These increases were seen even though observational data indicated that the children were largely unaware of changes in portion size. Greater responsiveness to portion size was associated with higher levels of overeating. The children consumed 25% less of the entrée when allowed to serve themselves than when served a large entrée portion. Conclusions Large entrée portions may constitute an “obesigenic” environmental influence for preschool-aged children by producing excessive intake at meals. Children with satiety deficits may be most susceptible to large portions. Allowing children to select their own portion size may circumvent the effects of exposure to large portions on children’s eating. PMID:12716667

Introduction: Bridging Concepts.

PubMed

Davids, Karel

2015-12-01

How can those in the history of science, history of technology, and economics communicate more with each other than they are accustomed? How can they become more globally oriented? While these three disciplines today have more convergent interests than in the past, there is still a large potential for further exchange and involvement to explore and exploit. The contributors to this Focus section discuss a number of concepts that may serve as tools to bring these three disciplines more closely together and ease their evolution in a less Eurocentric direction. These concepts include trading zones, interaction and formalization, production, and machines and self-organization.

The Structure of Intrinsically Disordered Peptides Implicated in Amyloid Diseases: Insights from Fully Atomistic Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Chun; Shea, Joan-Emma

Protein aggregation involves the self-assembly of proteins into large β-sheet-rich complexes. This process can be the result of aberrant protein folding and lead to "amyloidosis," a condition characterized by deposits of protein aggregates known as amyloids on various organs of the body [1]. Amyloid-related diseases include, among others, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and type II diabetes [2, 3, 4]. In other instances, however, protein aggregation is not a pathological process, but rather a functional one, with aggregates serving as structural scaffolds in a number of organisms [5].

Building application of solar energy. Study no. 4: Scenarios for the utilization of solar energy in southern California buildings, change 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, E. S.; French, R. L.; Hirshberg, A. S.

1976-01-01

Plausible future market scenarios for solar heating and cooling systems into buildings in the area served by the Southern California Edison Company. A range of plausible estimates for the number of solar systems which might be installed and the electrical energy which might be displaced by energy from these systems are provided. The effect on peak electrical load was not explicitly calculated but preliminary conclusions concerning peak load can be inferred from the estimates presented. Two markets are investigated: the single family market and the large power commercial market.

Next generation communications satellites: multiple access and network studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meadows, H. E.; Schwartz, M.; Stern, T. E.; Ganguly, S.; Kraimeche, B.; Matsuo, K.; Gopal, I.

1982-01-01

Efficient resource allocation and network design for satellite systems serving heterogeneous user populations with large numbers of small direct-to-user Earth stations are discussed. Focus is on TDMA systems involving a high degree of frequency reuse by means of satellite-switched multiple beams (SSMB) with varying degrees of onboard processing. Algorithms for the efficient utilization of the satellite resources were developed. The effect of skewed traffic, overlapping beams and batched arrivals in packet-switched SSMB systems, integration of stream and bursty traffic, and optimal circuit scheduling in SSMB systems: performance bounds and computational complexity are discussed.

n-body simulations using message passing parallel computers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grama, A. Y.; Kumar, V.; Sameh, A.

The authors present new parallel formulations of the Barnes-Hut method for n-body simulations on message passing computers. These parallel formulations partition the domain efficiently incurring minimal communication overhead. This is in contrast to existing schemes that are based on sorting a large number of keys or on the use of global data structures. The new formulations are augmented by alternate communication strategies which serve to minimize communication overhead. The impact of these communication strategies is experimentally studied. The authors report on experimental results obtained from an astrophysical simulation on an nCUBE2 parallel computer.

An evaluation and assessment of flow quality in selected NASA wind tunnels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, W. D.; Stainback, P. C.; Owen, F. K.

1983-01-01

Tests have been conducted in a number of NASA wind tunnels to measure disturbance levels and spectra in their respective settling chambers, test sections, and diffusers to determine the sources of their disturbances. The present data supplements previous results in other NASA tunnels and adds to the ongoing acquisition of a disturbance level data base. The present results also serve to explain flow related sources which cause relatively large disturbance amplitudes at discrete frequencies. The installation of honeycomb, screens, and acoustic baffles in or upstream of the settling chamber can significantly reduce the disturbance levels.

Portion size me: plate-size induced consumption norms and win-win solutions for reducing food intake and waste.

PubMed

Wansink, Brian; van Ittersum, Koert

2013-12-01

Research on the self-serving of food has empirically ignored the role that visual consumption norms play in determining how much food we serve on different sized dinnerware. We contend that dinnerware provides a visual anchor of an appropriate fill-level, which in turn, serves as a consumption norm (Study 1). The trouble with these dinnerware-suggested consumption norms is that they vary directly with dinnerware size--Study 2 shows Chinese buffet diners with large plates served 52% more, ate 45% more, and wasted 135% more food than those with smaller plates. Moreover, education does not appear effective in reducing such biases. Even a 60-min, interactive, multimedia warning on the dangers of using large plates had seemingly no impact on 209 health conference attendees, who subsequently served nearly twice as much food when given a large buffet plate 2 hr later (Study 3). These findings suggest that people may have a visual plate-fill level--perhaps 70% full--that they anchor on when determining the appropriate consumption norm and serving themselves. Study 4 suggests that the Delboeuf illusion offers an explanation why people do not fully adjust away from this fill-level anchor and continue to be biased across a large range of dishware sizes. These findings have surprisingly wide-ranging win-win implications for the welfare of consumers as well as for food service managers, restaurateurs, packaged goods managers, and public policy officials. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

7 CFR 226.4 - Payments to States and use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM Assistance to States... under section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (2) The number of breakfasts served in the Program... of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (3) The number of breakfasts served to participants from families...

7 CFR 226.4 - Payments to States and use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM Assistance to States... section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (2) The number of breakfasts served in the Program within... Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (3) The number of breakfasts served to participants from families that...

7 CFR 226.4 - Payments to States and use of funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS CHILD AND ADULT CARE FOOD PROGRAM Assistance to States... section 4 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (2) The number of breakfasts served in the Program within... Child Nutrition Act of 1966; (3) The number of breakfasts served to participants from families that...

Helping Veterans Transition into Academic Life through the Creation of a University Veteran Support Group: So We Can Better Serve Those Who Served Us

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sargent, Wesley M., Jr.

2009-01-01

There has been a significant rise in the number of veterans who are being treated for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and the number of veterans who are completing suicide. In the next couple of years, there will be an increase in the number of veterans who will be attending institutions of higher education; therefore, it is essential that…

The numerical solution of the Helmholtz equation for wave propagation problems in underwater acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayliss, A.; Goldstein, C. I.; Turkel, E.

1984-01-01

The Helmholtz Equation (-delta-K(2)n(2))u=0 with a variable index of refraction, n, and a suitable radiation condition at infinity serves as a model for a wide variety of wave propagation problems. A numerical algorithm was developed and a computer code implemented that can effectively solve this equation in the intermediate frequency range. The equation is discretized using the finite element method, thus allowing for the modeling of complicated geometrices (including interfaces) and complicated boundary conditions. A global radiation boundary condition is imposed at the far field boundary that is exact for an arbitrary number of propagating modes. The resulting large, non-selfadjoint system of linear equations with indefinite symmetric part is solved using the preconditioned conjugate gradient method applied to the normal equations. A new preconditioner is developed based on the multigrid method. This preconditioner is vectorizable and is extremely effective over a wide range of frequencies provided the number of grid levels is reduced for large frequencies. A heuristic argument is given that indicates the superior convergence properties of this preconditioner.

A numerical algorithm with preference statements to evaluate the performance of scientists.

PubMed

Ricker, Martin

Academic evaluation committees have been increasingly receptive for using the number of published indexed articles, as well as citations, to evaluate the performance of scientists. It is, however, impossible to develop a stand-alone, objective numerical algorithm for the evaluation of academic activities, because any evaluation necessarily includes subjective preference statements. In a market, the market prices represent preference statements, but scientists work largely in a non-market context. I propose a numerical algorithm that serves to determine the distribution of reward money in Mexico's evaluation system, which uses relative prices of scientific goods and services as input. The relative prices would be determined by an evaluation committee. In this way, large evaluation systems (like Mexico's Sistema Nacional de Investigadores ) could work semi-automatically, but not arbitrarily or superficially, to determine quantitatively the academic performance of scientists every few years. Data of 73 scientists from the Biology Institute of Mexico's National University are analyzed, and it is shown that the reward assignation and academic priorities depend heavily on those preferences. A maximum number of products or activities to be evaluated is recommended, to encourage quality over quantity.

A review of the toxicity of biomass pyrolysis liquids formed at low temperatures

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

Diebold, J P

1997-04-01

The scaleup of biomass fast pyrolysis systems to large pilot and commercial scales will expose an increasingly large number of personnel to potential health hazards, especially during the evaluation of the commercial use of the pyrolysis condensates. Although the concept of fast pyrolysis to optimize liquid products is relatively new, low-temperature pyrolysis processes have been used over the aeons to produce charcoal and liquid by-products, e.g., smoky food flavors, food preservatives, and aerosols containing narcotics, e.g., nicotine. There are a number of studies in the historical literature that concern the hazards of acute and long-term exposure to smoke and tomore » the historical pyrolysis liquids formed at low temperatures. The reported toxicity of smoke, smoke food flavors, and fast pyrolysis oils is reviewed. The data found for these complex mixtures suggest that the toxicity may be less than that of the individual components. It is speculated that there may be chemical reactions that take place that serve to reduce the toxicity during aging. 81 refs.« less

Numerical investigation of the coagulation mixing between dust and hygroscopic aerosol particles and its impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, I.-Chun; Chen, Jen-Ping; Lin, Yi-Chiu; Chung-Kuang Chou, Charles; Chen, Wei-Nai

2015-05-01

A statistical-numerical aerosol parameterization was incorporated into the Community Multiscale Air Quality modeling system to study the coagulation mixing process focusing on a dust storm event that occurred over East Asia. Simulation results show that the coagulation mixing process tends to decrease aerosol mass, surface area, and number concentrations over the dust source areas. Over the downwind oceanic areas, aerosol concentrations generally increased due to enhanced sedimentation as particles became larger upon coagulation. The mixture process can reduce the overall single-scattering albedo by up to 10% as a result of enhanced core with shell absorption by dust and reduction in the number of scattering particles. The enhanced dry deposition speed also altered the vertical distribution. In addition, the ability of aerosol particles to serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) increased from around 107 m-3 to above 109 m-3 over downwind areas because a large amount of mineral dust particles became effective CCN with solute coating, except over the highly polluted areas where multiple collections of hygroscopic particles by dust in effect reduced CCN number. This CCN effect is much stronger for coagulation mixing than by the uptake of sulfuric acid gas on dust, although the nitric acid gas uptake was not investigated. The ability of dust particles to serve as ice nuclei may decrease or increase at low or high subzero temperatures, respectively, due to the switching from deposition nucleation to immersion freezing or haze freezing.

An outbreak of shigellosis at an outdoor music festival.

PubMed

Lee, L A; Ostroff, S M; McGee, H B; Johnson, D R; Downes, F P; Cameron, D N; Bean, N H; Griffin, P M

1991-03-15

In August 1988, an estimated 3,175 women who attended a 5-day outdoor music festival in Michigan became ill with gastroenteritis caused by Shigella sonnei. Onset of illness peaked 2 days after the festival ended, and patients were spread throughout the United States by the time the outbreak was recognized. An uncooked tofu salad served on the last day was implicated as the outbreak vehicle (odds ratio = 3.4, p less than 0.0001). Over 2,000 volunteer food handlers prepared the communal meals served during the festival. This large foodborne outbreak had been heralded by a smaller outbreak of shigellosis among staff shortly before the festival began and by continued transmission of shigellosis from staff to attendees during the festival. S. sonnei isolated from women who became ill before, during, and after the festival had identical antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and plasmid profiles. Limited access to soap and running water for handwashing was one of the few sanitary deficits noted at this gathering. This investigation demonstrates the need for surveillance and prompt public health intervention when Shigella infections are recognized in persons attending mass outdoor gatherings, the singular importance of handwashing in reducing secondary transmission of shigellosis, and the potential for explosive outbreaks when communal meals are prepared by large numbers of food handlers.

Simulation model for port shunting yards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusca, A.; Popa, M.; Rosca, E.; Rosca, M.; Dragu, V.; Rusca, F.

2016-08-01

Sea ports are important nodes in the supply chain, joining two high capacity transport modes: rail and maritime transport. The huge cargo flows transiting port requires high capacity construction and installation such as berths, large capacity cranes, respectively shunting yards. However, the port shunting yards specificity raises several problems such as: limited access since these are terminus stations for rail network, the in-output of large transit flows of cargo relatively to the scarcity of the departure/arrival of a ship, as well as limited land availability for implementing solutions to serve these flows. It is necessary to identify technological solutions that lead to an answer to these problems. The paper proposed a simulation model developed with ARENA computer simulation software suitable for shunting yards which serve sea ports with access to the rail network. Are investigates the principal aspects of shunting yards and adequate measures to increase their transit capacity. The operation capacity for shunting yards sub-system is assessed taking in consideration the required operating standards and the measure of performance (e.g. waiting time for freight wagons, number of railway line in station, storage area, etc.) of the railway station are computed. The conclusion and results, drawn from simulation, help transports and logistics specialists to test the proposals for improving the port management.

Preschool children's sensitivity to teacher-served portion size is linked to age related differences in leftovers.

PubMed

McCrickerd, Keri; Leong, Claudia; Forde, Ciaran G

2017-07-01

A strong predictor of children's food intake at a meal is the amount they are served, and with a high percentage children attending preschool, there is a need to consider the relationship between portion size and intake in this context. In a two-part repeated measures study we investigated whether the portions teachers serve to children i) differ from those children would serve themselves and ii) impact food intake at a local preschool in Singapore. Part 1 (n = 37, 20 boys, 3.0-6.8 years) compared the quantity of food served, consumed and leftover across three serving methods: 'regular' teacher-serving; child self-served portions; and a deliberately large portion served by the teacher (150% of each child's average previous gram intake). Part 2 (n = 44, 23 boys, 2.4-6.2 years old) consisted of three additional observations of school-based servings outside of the experimental manipulation and enhance external validity of the study findings. Results indicated that serving size and intake was similar when the children and teachers served their 'regular' portions, but children consumed most overall when the teacher served the larger 150% portion. This was dependent on the child's age, with the oldest children being most responsive to the large portions while the youngest children tended to serve and consume a similar weight of food, regardless of the serving method. Though the younger children were generally served less than the older children, they consistently had more leftovers across all of the study observations. These data suggest that younger preschool children moderated food intake by leaving food in their bowl, and emphasise the unique influence of caregivers over children's eating behaviours outside of the home environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

9 CFR 317.308 - Labeling of meat or meat food products with number of servings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Labeling of meat or meat food products... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY... Nutrition Labeling § 317.308 Labeling of meat or meat food products with number of servings. The label of...

Serving Those Who Have Served--Managing Veteran and Military Student Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Patricia A.; Gross, Charles

2011-01-01

An increasing number of veterans and military students are seeking to complete degrees online and through enrollment at campuses across the nation. Their increased numbers present some unique challenges and opportunities. Post 9/11, Chapter 33 GI Bill funding is enticing more institutions to look at the veteran and military population as a…

An In-Depth Analysis of Exemplary Female Superintendents: A Qualitative Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kay, Patricia L.

2012-01-01

The number of women who serve as public school district superintendents is inversely proportionate to the number of women who work in public schools. Men continue to dominate the occupancy of this position. Barriers that women encounter in their career journey and obstacles faced by women who serve in the role of superintendent have been…

9 CFR 317.308 - Labeling of meat or meat food products with number of servings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Labeling of meat or meat food products... SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY... Nutrition Labeling § 317.308 Labeling of meat or meat food products with number of servings. The label of...

Global network structure of dominance hierarchy of ant workers.

PubMed

Shimoji, Hiroyuki; Abe, Masato S; Tsuji, Kazuki; Masuda, Naoki

2014-10-06

Dominance hierarchy among animals is widespread in various species and believed to serve to regulate resource allocation within an animal group. Unlike small groups, however, detection and quantification of linear hierarchy in large groups of animals are a difficult task. Here, we analyse aggression-based dominance hierarchies formed by worker ants in Diacamma sp. as large directed networks. We show that the observed dominance networks are perfect or approximate directed acyclic graphs, which are consistent with perfect linear hierarchy. The observed networks are also sparse and random but significantly different from networks generated through thinning of the perfect linear tournament (i.e. all individuals are linearly ranked and dominance relationship exists between every pair of individuals). These results pertain to global structure of the networks, which contrasts with the previous studies inspecting frequencies of different types of triads. In addition, the distribution of the out-degree (i.e. number of workers that the focal worker attacks), not in-degree (i.e. number of workers that attack the focal worker), of each observed network is right-skewed. Those having excessively large out-degrees are located near the top, but not the top, of the hierarchy. We also discuss evolutionary implications of the discovered properties of dominance networks. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Global network structure of dominance hierarchy of ant workers

PubMed Central

Shimoji, Hiroyuki; Abe, Masato S.; Tsuji, Kazuki; Masuda, Naoki

2014-01-01

Dominance hierarchy among animals is widespread in various species and believed to serve to regulate resource allocation within an animal group. Unlike small groups, however, detection and quantification of linear hierarchy in large groups of animals are a difficult task. Here, we analyse aggression-based dominance hierarchies formed by worker ants in Diacamma sp. as large directed networks. We show that the observed dominance networks are perfect or approximate directed acyclic graphs, which are consistent with perfect linear hierarchy. The observed networks are also sparse and random but significantly different from networks generated through thinning of the perfect linear tournament (i.e. all individuals are linearly ranked and dominance relationship exists between every pair of individuals). These results pertain to global structure of the networks, which contrasts with the previous studies inspecting frequencies of different types of triads. In addition, the distribution of the out-degree (i.e. number of workers that the focal worker attacks), not in-degree (i.e. number of workers that attack the focal worker), of each observed network is right-skewed. Those having excessively large out-degrees are located near the top, but not the top, of the hierarchy. We also discuss evolutionary implications of the discovered properties of dominance networks. PMID:25100318

Guide to Cybersecurity, Resilience, and Reliability for Small and Under-Resourced Utilities

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

Ingram, Michael; Martin, Maurice

Small electricity utilities -- those with less than 100 employees or 50,000 meters -- provide essential services to large parts of the United States while facing a number of challenges unique to their mission. For instance, they often serve areas that are sparsely populated, meaning that their per-customer cost to provide service is higher. At the same time, they often serve customers that have moderate or fixed incomes, meaning that they are under strong pressure to keep costs down. This pressure puts them on a strict budget and creates a need for innovative solutions to common problems. Further, their servicemore » areas may include extreme climates, making severe weather events more frequent and their aftermaths more expensive to address. This guide considers challenges that small utilities face while ensuring the reliability, resilience, and cybersecurity of their electric service; approaches to address those challenges using existing guidance documents; ways that the federal government could provide support in these areas.« less

A vacuum manifold for rapid world-to-chip connectivity of complex PDMS microdevices.

PubMed

Cooksey, Gregory A; Plant, Anne L; Atencia, Javier

2009-05-07

The lack of simple interfaces for microfluidic devices with a large number of inlets significantly limits production and utilization of these devices. In this article, we describe the fabrication of a reusable manifold that provides rapid world-to-chip connectivity. A vacuum network milled into a rigid manifold holds microdevices and prevents leakage of fluids injected into the device from ports in the manifold. A number of different manifold designs were explored, and all performed similarly, yielding an average of 100 kPa (15 psi) fluid holding pressure. The wide applicability of this manifold concept is demonstrated by interfacing with a 51-inlet microfluidic chip containing 144 chambers and hundreds of embedded pneumatic valves. Due to the speed of connectivity, the manifolds are ideal for rapid prototyping and are well suited to serve as "universal" interfaces.

75 FR 47801 - Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Overview Information; Special...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-09

... Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Served by State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR...) Served by State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies. Program Authority: 29 U.S.C. 773(b). Applicable... Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Served by State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies--CFDA Number...

Prediction of weak topological insulators in layered semiconductors.

PubMed

Yan, Binghai; Müchler, Lukas; Felser, Claudia

2012-09-14

We report the discovery of weak topological insulators by ab initio calculations in a honeycomb lattice. We propose a structure with an odd number of layers in the primitive unit cell as a prerequisite for forming weak topological insulators. Here, the single-layered KHgSb is the most suitable candidate for its large bulk energy gap of 0.24 eV. Its side surface hosts metallic surface states, forming two anisotropic Dirac cones. Although the stacking of even-layered structures leads to trivial insulators, the structures can host a quantum spin Hall layer with a large bulk gap, if an additional single layer exists as a stacking fault in the crystal. The reported honeycomb compounds can serve as prototypes to aid in the finding of new weak topological insulators in layered small-gap semiconductors.

A gallium-arsenide digital phase shifter for clock and control signal distribution in high-speed digital systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fouts, Douglas J.

1992-01-01

The design, implementation, testing, and applications of a gallium-arsenide digital phase shifter and fan-out buffer are described. The integrated circuit provides a method for adjusting the phase of high-speed clock and control signals in digital systems, without the need for pruning cables, multiplexing between cables of different lengths, delay lines, or similar techniques. The phase of signals distributed with the described chip can be dynamically adjusted in eight different steps of approximately 60 ps per step. The IC also serves as a fan-out buffer and provides 12 in-phase outputs. The chip is useful for distributing high-speed clock and control signals in synchronous digital systems, especially if components are distributed over a large physical area or if there is a large number of components.

The nonequilibrium quantum many-body problem as a paradigm for extreme data science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freericks, J. K.; Nikolić, B. K.; Frieder, O.

2014-12-01

Generating big data pervades much of physics. But some problems, which we call extreme data problems, are too large to be treated within big data science. The nonequilibrium quantum many-body problem on a lattice is just such a problem, where the Hilbert space grows exponentially with system size and rapidly becomes too large to fit on any computer (and can be effectively thought of as an infinite-sized data set). Nevertheless, much progress has been made with computational methods on this problem, which serve as a paradigm for how one can approach and attack extreme data problems. In addition, viewing these physics problems from a computer-science perspective leads to new approaches that can be tried to solve more accurately and for longer times. We review a number of these different ideas here.

Native and Non-Native Teachers and Administrators for Elementary and Secondary Schools Serving American Indian and Alaska Native Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noley, Grayson

This paper discusses issues in the recruitment, retention, and training of Native college students as teachers and school administrators. The number of Native educational professionals serving schools for Native students is extremely small, and there is evidence that even this number is declining relative to the increasing Native school…

Observations on the Reliability of Rubidium Frequency Standards on Block 2/2A GPS Satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dieter, Gary L.

1996-01-01

Currently, the block 2/2A Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are equipped with two rubidium frequency standards. These frequency standards were originally intended to serve as the back-ups to two cesium frequency standards. As the constellation ages, the master Control Station is forced to initialize and increasing number or rubidium frequency standards. Unfortunately the operational use of these frequency standards has not lived up to initial expectations. Although the performance of these rubidium frequency standards has met and even exceeded GPS requirements, their reliability has not. The number of unscheduled outage times and the short operational lifetimes of the rubidium frequency standards compare poorly to the track record of the cesium frequency standards. Only a small number of rubidium frequency standards have actually been made operational. Of these, a large percentage have exhibited poor reliability. If this trend continues, it is unlikely that the rubidium frequency standards will help contribute to the navigation payload meeting program specification.

On the drag of model dendrite fragments at low Reynolds number

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakhem, R.; Weidman, P. D.; Degroh, H. C., III

1993-01-01

An experimental study of low Reynolds number drag on laboratory models of dendrite fragments has been conducted. The terminal velocities of the dendrites undergoing free fall along their axis of symmetry were measured in a large Stokes flow facility. Corrections for wall interference give nearly linear drag vs Reynolds number curves. Corrections for both wall interference and inertia effects show that the dendrite Stokes settling velocities are always less than that of a sphere of equal mass and volume. In the Stokes limit, the settling speed ratio is found to correlate well with primary dendrite arm aspect ratio and a second dimensionless shape paremeter which serves as a measure of the fractal-like nature of the dendrite models. These results can be used to estimate equiaxed grain velocities and distance of travel in metal castings. The drag measurements may be used in numerical codes to calculate the movement of grains in a convecting melt in an effort to determine macrosegregation patterns caused by the sink/float mechanism.

Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption and offerings to Somali children: the FAV-S pilot study.

PubMed

Hearst, Mary O; Kehm, Rebecca; Sherman, Shelley; Lechner, Kate E

2014-04-01

To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a parent-centered intervention to increase fruit and vegetable servings and consumption among Somali children living in the United States. Pilot intervention that included Somali community health workers who organized groups of 3 or 4 women to participate in 2 initial educational sessions, including topics of health and nutrition, serving size, and label reading. A third session taught interactive cooking to increase skills in preparing fruits and vegetables and increasing the numbers of vegetables included in traditional Somali dishes. The final session was a trip to the grocery store to identify fruits and vegetables, determine ripeness, and explore frozen and canned fruits and vegetables for halal, low-sodium, and low-sugar products. Surveys were completed pre- and post-intervention. Study participants were recruited from a large housing complex in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a high population of Somali immigrants. Somali women (N = 25) with children aged 3 to 10 years. The intervention was feasible and well accepted. In comparing pre- and post-intervention surveys, mothers reported providing their children significantly more frequent servings of fruits and vegetables at dinner, lunch, snack, and breakfast (vegetable only). There was a statistically significant increase in parent-reported intake of fruits and vegetables for themselves and their children. The FAV-S study was feasible and acceptable, and it demonstrated potential for increasing fruit and vegetable servings and consumption among Somali children. A larger-scale randomized trial is needed to assess the impact of this intervention.

Effects of Turbulence on Settling Velocities of Synthetic and Natural Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, C.; Jendrassak, M.; Gurka, R.; Hackett, E. E.

2014-12-01

For large-scale sediment transport predictions, an important parameter is the settling or terminal velocity of particles because it plays a key role in determining the concentration of sediment particles within the water column as well as the deposition rate of particles onto the seabed. The settling velocity of particles is influenced by the fluid dynamic environment as well as attributes of the particle, such as its size, shape, and density. This laboratory study examines the effects of turbulence, generated by an oscillating grid, on both synthetic and natural particles for a range of flow conditions. Because synthetic particles are spherical, they serve as a reference for the natural particles that are irregular in shape. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and high-speed imaging systems were used simultaneously to study the interaction between the fluid mechanics and sediment particles' dynamics in a tank. The particles' dynamics were analyzed using a custom two-dimensional tracking algorithm used to obtain distributions of the particle's velocity and acceleration. Turbulence properties, such as root-mean-square turbulent velocity and vorticity, were calculated from the PIV data. Results are classified by Stokes number, which was based-on the integral scale deduced from the auto-correlation function of velocity. We find particles with large Stokes numbers are unaffected by the turbulence, while particles with small Stokes numbers primarily show an increase in settling velocity in comparison to stagnant flow. The results also show an inverse relationship between Stokes number and standard deviation of the settling velocity. This research enables a better understanding of the interdependence between particles and turbulent flow, which can be used to improve parameterizations in large-scale sediment transport models.

Identifiability of large-scale non-linear dynamic network models applied to the ADM1-case study.

PubMed

Nimmegeers, Philippe; Lauwers, Joost; Telen, Dries; Logist, Filip; Impe, Jan Van

2017-06-01

In this work, both the structural and practical identifiability of the Anaerobic Digestion Model no. 1 (ADM1) is investigated, which serves as a relevant case study of large non-linear dynamic network models. The structural identifiability is investigated using the probabilistic algorithm, adapted to deal with the specifics of the case study (i.e., a large-scale non-linear dynamic system of differential and algebraic equations). The practical identifiability is analyzed using a Monte Carlo parameter estimation procedure for a 'non-informative' and 'informative' experiment, which are heuristically designed. The model structure of ADM1 has been modified by replacing parameters by parameter combinations, to provide a generally locally structurally identifiable version of ADM1. This means that in an idealized theoretical situation, the parameters can be estimated accurately. Furthermore, the generally positive structural identifiability results can be explained from the large number of interconnections between the states in the network structure. This interconnectivity, however, is also observed in the parameter estimates, making uncorrelated parameter estimations in practice difficult. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Contribution of dairy products to dietary potassium intake in the United States population.

PubMed

McGill, Carla R; Fulgoni, Victor L; DiRienzo, Douglas; Huth, Peter J; Kurilich, Anne C; Miller, Gregory D

2008-02-01

Adequate dietary potassium intake is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 identifies milk and milk products as a major contributor of dietary potassium and lists dairy products, along with fruits and vegetables, as food groups to encourage. This paper further examines the impact of dairy consumption on the potassium intake of the United States (US) population. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2002 we determined potassium intakes for various age groups of individuals who met the recommended number of dairy servings compared to those who did not. We also examined the impact of dairy servings consumed on mean and median potassium intakes and compared intakes to the age-appropriate Adequate Intakes (AI). For all age groups, mean and median potassium intakes did not meet the respective AI. Mean potassium intakes were significantly greater in those subjects who met dairy intake recommendations compared to those who did not for all age groups. Mean and median potassium intakes increased with increasing dairy intake but were below current intake recommendations for all age groups analyzed. For adults age 19 to 50, 16.1% consumed the recommended number of dairy servings per day. For those 51 and older, 10.7% met current dairy intake recommendations. Consumption of dairy products is below current recommendations which contributes in part to suboptimal dietary potassium intakes among a large proportion of the US population. Since adequate potassium intake is associated with decreased risk of chronic disease, consumption of a variety of potassium-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables and low-fat and fat free dairy products, should continue to be encouraged.

Replication Rate, Framing, and Format Affect Attitudes and Decisions about Science Claims.

PubMed

Barnes, Ralph M; Tobin, Stephanie J; Johnston, Heather M; MacKenzie, Noah; Taglang, Chelsea M

2016-01-01

A series of five experiments examined how the evaluation of a scientific finding was influenced by information about the number of studies that had successfully replicated the initial finding. The experiments also tested the impact of frame (negative, positive) and numeric format (percentage, natural frequency) on the evaluation of scientific findings. In Experiments 1 through 4, an attitude difference score served as the dependent measure, while a measure of choice served as the dependent measure in Experiment 5. Results from a diverse sample of 188 non-institutionalized U.S. adults (Experiment 2) and 730 undergraduate college students (Experiments 1, 3, and 4) indicated that attitudes became more positive as the replication rate increased and attitudes were more positive when the replication information was framed positively. The results also indicate that the manner in which replication rate was framed had a greater impact on attitude than the replication rate itself. The large effect for frame was attenuated somewhat when information about replication was presented in the form of natural frequencies rather than percentages. A fifth study employing 662 undergraduate college students in a task in which choice served as the dependent measure confirmed the framing effect and replicated the replication rate effect in the positive frame condition, but provided no evidence that the use of natural frequencies diminished the effect.

Etonitazene as a reinforcer: oral intake of etonitazene by rhesus monkeys.

PubMed

Carroll, M E; Meisch, R A

1978-12-08

Drinking of etonitazene HCI was studied in three rhesus monkeys during daily 3-h sessions. As the drug concentration was increased, the number of liquid deliveries decreased, and etonitazene intake (microgram/kg body weight) increased. As fixed-ratio (FR) requirements were increased, rate of responding increased, and liquid deliveries slightly decreased. When water was substituted for the drug, there was a large increase in responding for several sessions, followed by a slow decline to low rates. When etonitazene was reintroduced, responding abruptly increased to previous drug levels. These data suggest that etonitazene can serve as a positive reinforcer when taken orally by rhesus monkeys.

NSSDC Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Applications, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobler, Benjamin (Editor); Hariharan, P. C. (Editor); Blasso, L. G. (Editor)

1992-01-01

Papers and viewgraphs from the conference are presented. This conference served as a broad forum for the discussion of a number of important issues in the field of mass storage systems. Topics include magnetic disk and tape technologies, optical disks and tape, software storage and file management systems, and experiences with the use of a large, distributed storage system. The technical presentations describe, among other things, integrated mass storage systems that are expected to be available commercially. Also included is a series of presentations from Federal Government organizations and research institutions covering their mass storage requirements for the 1990's.

Optimizing Restriction Site Placement for Synthetic Genomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, Pablo; Memelli, Heraldo; Ward, Charles; Kim, Joondong; Mitchell, Joseph S. B.; Skiena, Steven

Restriction enzymes are the workhorses of molecular biology. We introduce a new problem that arises in the course of our project to design virus variants to serve as potential vaccines: we wish to modify virus-length genomes to introduce large numbers of unique restriction enzyme recognition sites while preserving wild-type function by substitution of synonymous codons. We show that the resulting problem is NP-Complete, give an exponential-time algorithm, and propose effective heuristics, which we show give excellent results for five sample viral genomes. Our resulting modified genomes have several times more unique restriction sites and reduce the maximum gap between adjacent sites by three to nine-fold.

Convection in a colloidal suspension in a closed horizontal cell

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

Smorodin, B. L., E-mail: bsmorodin@yandex.ru; Cherepanov, I. N.

2015-02-15

The experimentally detected [1] oscillatory regimes of convection in a colloidal suspension of nanoparticles with a large anomalous thermal diffusivity in a closed horizontal cell heated from below have been simulated numerically. The concentration inhomogeneity near the vertical cavity boundaries arising from the interaction of thermal-diffusion separation and convective mixing has been proven to serve as a source of oscillatory regimes (traveling waves). The dependence of the Rayleigh number at the boundary of existence of the traveling-wave regime on the aspect ratio of the closed cavity has been established. The spatial characteristics of the emerging traveling waves have been determined.

Acoustic Holographic Rendering with Two-dimensional Metamaterial-based Passive Phased Array

PubMed Central

Xie, Yangbo; Shen, Chen; Wang, Wenqi; Li, Junfei; Suo, Dingjie; Popa, Bogdan-Ioan; Jing, Yun; Cummer, Steven A.

2016-01-01

Acoustic holographic rendering in complete analogy with optical holography are useful for various applications, ranging from multi-focal lensing, multiplexed sensing and synthesizing three-dimensional complex sound fields. Conventional approaches rely on a large number of active transducers and phase shifting circuits. In this paper we show that by using passive metamaterials as subwavelength pixels, holographic rendering can be achieved without cumbersome circuitry and with only a single transducer, thus significantly reducing system complexity. Such metamaterial-based holograms can serve as versatile platforms for various advanced acoustic wave manipulation and signal modulation, leading to new possibilities in acoustic sensing, energy deposition and medical diagnostic imaging. PMID:27739472

Nationally representative prevalence estimates of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who have served in the U.S. military.

PubMed

Hoover, Karen W; Tao, Kevin L; Peters, Philip J

2017-01-01

To estimate the number of men in the U.S. military who are gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (MSM) to inform the development of military and other federal policies. We analyzed data from the National Surveys of Family Growth to estimate the number of U.S. men who were gay, bisexual, or MSM, and who had served in the military, compared to those who did not serve. We stratified using hierarchical categories of gay, bisexual, and other MSM to compare proportions in the military and general population. We found that 4.23% of men self-reported as gay, bisexual, or other MSM among men who served in the military, compared to 4.14% among men who had not served (p = 0.93). When stratified, we found that 0.78% self-reported as gay among men who served in the military, compared to 2.12% among men who had not served (p<0.001). The proportion of men who identified as a gay was lower in the military than in the general population. This finding might have been influenced by historical military policies related to sexual orientation.

Studies in nonlinear problems of energy. Progress report, October 1, 1993--September 30, 1994

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

Matkowsky, B.J.

1994-09-01

The authors concentrate on modeling, analysis and large scale scientific computation of combustion and flame propagation phenomena, with emphasis on the transition from laminar to turbulent combustion. In the transition process a flame passed through a stages exhibiting increasingly complex spatial and temporal patterns which serve as signatures identifying each stage. Often the transitions arise via bifurcation. The authors investigate nonlinear dynamics, bifurcation and pattern formation in the successive stage of transition. They describe the stability of combustion waves, and transitions to combustion waves exhibiting progressively higher degrees of spatio-temporal complexity. One aspect of this research program is the systematicmore » derivation of appropriate, approximate models from the original models governing combustion. The approximate models are then analyzed. The authors are particularly interested in understanding the basic mechanisms affecting combustion, which is a prerequisite to effective control of the process. They are interested in determining the effects of varying various control parameters, such as Nusselt number, Lewis number, heat release, activation energy, Damkohler number, Reynolds number, Prandtl number, Peclet number, etc. The authors have also considered a number of problems in self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), in which combustion waves are employed to synthesize advanced materials. Efforts are directed toward understanding fundamental mechanisms. 167 refs.« less

Sculpting narrowband Fano resonances inherent in the large-area mid-infrared photonic crystal microresonators for spectroscopic imaging

PubMed Central

Liu, Jui-Nung; Schulmerich, Matthew V.; Bhargava, Rohit; Cunningham, Brian T.

2014-01-01

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging spectrometers are almost universally used to record microspectroscopic imaging data in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral region. While the commercial standard, interferometry necessitates collection of large spectral regions, requires a large data handling overhead for microscopic imaging and is slow. Here we demonstrate an approach for mid-IR spectroscopic imaging at selected discrete wavelengths using narrowband resonant filtering of a broadband thermal source, enabled by high-performance guided-mode Fano resonances in one-layer, large-area mid-IR photonic crystals on a glass substrate. The microresonant devices enable discrete frequency IR (DF-IR), in which a limited number of wavelengths that are of interest are recorded using a mechanically robust instrument. This considerably simplifies instrumentation as well as overhead of data acquisition, storage and analysis for large format imaging with array detectors. To demonstrate the approach, we perform DF-IR spectral imaging of a polymer USAF resolution target and human tissue in the C−H stretching region (2600−3300 cm−1). DF-IR spectroscopy and imaging can be generalized to other IR spectral regions and can serve as an analytical tool for environmental and biomedical applications. PMID:25089433

Measuring and Evaluating TCP Splitting for Cloud Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pathak, Abhinav; Wang, Y. Angela; Huang, Cheng; Greenberg, Albert; Hu, Y. Charlie; Kern, Randy; Li, Jin; Ross, Keith W.

In this paper, we examine the benefits of split-TCP proxies, deployed in an operational world-wide network, for accelerating cloud services. We consider a fraction of a network consisting of a large number of satellite datacenters, which host split-TCP proxies, and a smaller number of mega datacenters, which ultimately perform computation or provide storage. Using web search as an exemplary case study, our detailed measurements reveal that a vanilla TCP splitting solution deployed at the satellite DCs reduces the 95 th percentile of latency by as much as 43% when compared to serving queries directly from the mega DCs. Through careful dissection of the measurement results, we characterize how individual components, including proxy stacks, network protocols, packet losses and network load, can impact the latency. Finally, we shed light on further optimizations that can fully realize the potential of the TCP splitting solution.

Generalized formalism for information backflow in assessing Markovianity and its equivalence to divisibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Sagnik

2018-03-01

We present a general framework for the information backflow (IB) approach of Markovianity that not only includes a large number, if not all, of IB prescriptions proposed so far but also is equivalent to completely positive divisibility for invertible evolutions. Following the common approach of IB, where monotonic decay of some physical property or some information quantifier is seen as the definition of Markovianity, we propose in our framework a general description of what should be called a proper "physicality quantifier" to define Markovianity. We elucidate different properties of our framework and use them to argue that an infinite family of non-Markovianity measures can be constructed, which would capture varied strengths of non-Markovianity in the dynamics. Moreover, we show that generalized trace-distance measure in two dimensions serve as a sufficient criteria for IB Markovianity for a number of prescriptions suggested earlier in the literature.

Hierarchical Address Event Routing for Reconfigurable Large-Scale Neuromorphic Systems.

PubMed

Park, Jongkil; Yu, Theodore; Joshi, Siddharth; Maier, Christoph; Cauwenberghs, Gert

2017-10-01

We present a hierarchical address-event routing (HiAER) architecture for scalable communication of neural and synaptic spike events between neuromorphic processors, implemented with five Xilinx Spartan-6 field-programmable gate arrays and four custom analog neuromophic integrated circuits serving 262k neurons and 262M synapses. The architecture extends the single-bus address-event representation protocol to a hierarchy of multiple nested buses, routing events across increasing scales of spatial distance. The HiAER protocol provides individually programmable axonal delay in addition to strength for each synapse, lending itself toward biologically plausible neural network architectures, and scales across a range of hierarchies suitable for multichip and multiboard systems in reconfigurable large-scale neuromorphic systems. We show approximately linear scaling of net global synaptic event throughput with number of routing nodes in the network, at 3.6×10 7 synaptic events per second per 16k-neuron node in the hierarchy.

THE VARIABILITY OF HCN IN TITAN’S UPPER ATMOSPHERE AS IMPLIED BY THE CASSINI ION-NEUTRAL MASS SPECTROMETER MEASUREMENTS

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

Cui, J.; Cao, Y.-T.; Lavvas, P. P.

2016-07-20

HCN is an important constituent in Titan’s upper atmosphere, serving as the main coolant in the local energy budget. In this study, we derive the HCN abundance at the altitude range of 960–1400 km, combining the Ion-Neutral Mass Spectrometer data acquired during a large number of Cassini flybys with Titan. Typically, the HCN abundance declines modestly with increasing altitude and flattens to a near constant level above 1200 km. The data reveal a tendency for dayside depletion of HCN, which is clearly visible below 1000 km but weakens with increasing altitude. Despite the absence of convincing anti-correlation between HCN volumemore » mixing ratio and neutral temperature, we argue that the variability in HCN abundance makes an important contribution to the large temperature variability observed in Titan’s upper atmosphere.« less

Trace element evidence for a laterally inhomogeneous moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jovanovic, S.; Reed, G. W., Jr.

1978-01-01

A number of trace element interrelationships support the concept of a laterally inhomogeneous moon based originally on Clr/P2O5 ratios. The correspondence between Clr/P2O3 and Rb/Sr ratios in basalts are of special interest since the isotropic evolution of the latter pair of elements relates to the earliest history of the moon. This implies the times when the Clr/P2O5 relationships were established. The early magma ocean is conjectured to have been made up of non-intermixing seas resulting either from large convection cells or large body accretion. These mutually exclusive regions could be lunar geological provinces. It is proposed that the diversity of basalts from the Apollo 17 site is related to the lateral inhomogeneity of the moon. Ca/Na ratios in basalts show a trend which parallels that of Ru/Os and in a corresponding fashion may serve as a depth indicator.

A general-purpose development environment for intelligent computer-aided training systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Savely, Robert T.

1990-01-01

Space station training will be a major task, requiring the creation of large numbers of simulation-based training systems for crew, flight controllers, and ground-based support personnel. Given the long duration of space station missions and the large number of activities supported by the space station, the extension of space shuttle training methods to space station training may prove to be impractical. The application of artificial intelligence technology to simulation training can provide the ability to deliver individualized training to large numbers of personnel in a distributed workstation environment. The principal objective of this project is the creation of a software development environment which can be used to build intelligent training systems for procedural tasks associated with the operation of the space station. Current NASA Johnson Space Center projects and joint projects with other NASA operational centers will result in specific training systems for existing space shuttle crew, ground support personnel, and flight controller tasks. Concurrently with the creation of these systems, a general-purpose development environment for intelligent computer-aided training systems will be built. Such an environment would permit the rapid production, delivery, and evolution of training systems for space station crew, flight controllers, and other support personnel. The widespread use of such systems will serve to preserve task and training expertise, support the training of many personnel in a distributed manner, and ensure the uniformity and verifiability of training experiences. As a result, significant reductions in training costs can be realized while safety and the probability of mission success can be enhanced.

An Innovative Method of Measuring Changes in Access to Healthful Foods in School Lunch Programs: Findings from a Pilot Evaluation

PubMed Central

Hawkes, Allison P.; Weinberg, Stacy L.; Janusz, Ruth; Demont-Heinrich, Christine; Vogt, Richard L.

2016-01-01

Introduction A large local health department in Colorado partnered with 15 school districts to develop an approach to evaluate changes in access to healthy foods in reimbursable school lunches and a la carte offerings. Materials and Methods School district nutrition managers were engaged at the start of this project. Health department dietitians developed criteria to classify food items as “Lower Fat and less added Sugar” (LFS) and “Higher Fat and more added Sugar” (HFS) based on the percentage of calories from fat and grams of added sugar. Lunch production sheets were obtained for two time periods, food items and the number of planned servings recorded. LFS and HFS planned servings were summed for each time period, and a LFS to HFS ratio calculated by dividing LFS planned servings by HFS planned servings. Additional analyses included calculating LFS: HFS ratios by school district, and for a la carte offerings. Results In 2009, the LFS: HFS ratio was 2.08, in 2011, 3.71 (P<0.0001). The method also detected changes in ratios at the school district level. For a la carte items, in 2009 the ratio of LFS: HFS was 0.53, and in 2011, 0.61 (not statistically significant). Conclusions This method detected an increase in the LFS: HFS ratio over time and demonstrated that the school districts improved access to healthful food/drink by changing the contents of reimbursable school lunches. The evaluation method discussed here can generate information that districts can use in helping sustain and expand their efforts to create healthier environments for children and adults. Although federal regulations now cover all food and beverages served during the school day, there are still opportunities to improve and measure changes in food served in other settings such as child care centers, youth correction facilities, or in schools not participating in the National School Lunch Program. PMID:26800523

Calories and fat per serving (image)

MedlinePlus

... and stores the rest in the form of fat. A calorie is a calorie, whether it comes ... between them is the number of calories, nutrients, fat, and other ingredients in a typical serving . Calories ...

What Factors Are Associated With Occupational Health Office Staffing, Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction?

PubMed

Moses, X J Ethan; Walters, Kevin M; Fisher, Gwenith G

2016-06-01

This study sought to identify factors associated with occupational health staffing in health care settings, provide benchmarking data, and investigate relationships between staffing and worker stress and satisfaction. Members of the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare were sent an online survey. Data on facility served, staffing, job attitudes, and work stress were collected and analyzed. Number and types of personnel served were the largest predictors of staffing, accounting for 38 and 41% of the variability seen, respectively. Number of personnel served was related to worker stress and lack of work/life balance. Offices that required a provider presence had roughly one provider, seven nurses, and three clerical staff per 8000 personnel served. Occupational health workers are generally highly satisfied, and staffing has little relation to sources of job stress and satisfaction.

Queueing system analysis of multi server model at XYZ insurance company in Tasikmalaya city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhajir, Ahmad; Binatari, Nikenasih

2017-08-01

Queueing theory or waiting line theory is a theory that deals with the queue process from the customer comes, queue to be served, served and left on service facilities. Queue occurs because of a mismatch between the numbers of customers that will be served with the available number of services, as an example at XYZ insurance company in Tasikmalaya. This research aims to determine the characteristics of the queue system which then to optimize the number of server in term of total cost. The result shows that the queue model can be represented by (M/M/4):(GD/∞/∞), where the arrivals are Poisson distributed while the service time is following exponential distribution. The probability of idle customer service is 2,39% of the working time, the average number of customer in the queue is 3 customers, the average number of customer in a system is 6 customers, the average time of a customer spent in the queue is 15,9979 minutes, the average time a customer spends in the system is 34,4141 minutes, and the average number of busy customer servicer is 3 server. The optimized number of customer service is 5 servers, and the operational cost has minimum cost at Rp 4.323.

Investigation of the asymptotic state of rotating turbulence using large-eddy simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Squires, Kyle D.; Chasnov, Jeffrey R.; Mansour, Nagi N.; Cambon, Claude

1993-01-01

Study of turbulent flows in rotating reference frames has long been an area of considerable scientific and engineering interest. Because of its importance, the subject of turbulence in rotating reference frames has motivated over the years a large number of theoretical, experimental, and computational studies. The bulk of these previous works has served to demonstrate that the effect of system rotation on turbulence is subtle and remains exceedingly difficult to predict. A rotating flow of particular interest in many studies, including the present work, is examination of the effect of solid-body rotation on an initially isotropic turbulent flow. One of the principal reasons for the interest in this flow is that it represents the most basic turbulent flow whose structure is altered by system rotation but without the complicating effects introduced by mean strains or flow inhomogeneities. The assumption of statistical homogeneity considerably simplifies analysis and computation. The principal objective of the present study has been to examine the asymptotic state of solid-body rotation applied to an initially isotropic, high Reynolds number turbulent flow. Of particular interest has been to determine the degree of two-dimensionalization and the existence of asymptotic self-similar states in homogeneous rotating turbulence.

Brachypodium as an experimental system for the study of stem parenchyma biology in grasses

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

Jensen, Jacob Kruger; Wilkerson, Curtis Gene; Ma, Wujun

Stem parenchyma is a major cell type that serves key metabolic functions for the plant especially in large grasses, such as sugarcane and sweet sorghum, where it serves to store sucrose or other products of photosynthesis. It is therefore desirable to understand the metabolism of this cell type as well as the mechanisms by which it provides its function for the rest of the plant. Ultimately, this information can be used to selectively manipulate this cell type in a controlled manner to achieve crop improvement. In this study, we show that Brachypodium distachyon is a useful model system for stemmore » pith parenchyma biology. Brachypodium can be grown under condition where it resembles the growth patterns of important crops in that it produces large amounts of stem material with the lower leaves senescing and with significant stores of photosynthate located in the stem parenchyma cell types. We further characterize stem plastid morphology as a function of tissue types, as this organelle is central for a number of metabolic pathways, and quantify gene expression for the four main classes of starch biosynthetic genes. Notably, we find several of these genes differentially regulated between stem and leaf. Furthermore, these studies show, consistent with other grasses, that the stem functions as a specialized storage compartment in Brachypodium.« less

Brachypodium as an experimental system for the study of stem parenchyma biology in grasses

DOE PAGES

Jensen, Jacob Kruger; Wilkerson, Curtis Gene; Ma, Wujun

2017-03-01

Stem parenchyma is a major cell type that serves key metabolic functions for the plant especially in large grasses, such as sugarcane and sweet sorghum, where it serves to store sucrose or other products of photosynthesis. It is therefore desirable to understand the metabolism of this cell type as well as the mechanisms by which it provides its function for the rest of the plant. Ultimately, this information can be used to selectively manipulate this cell type in a controlled manner to achieve crop improvement. In this study, we show that Brachypodium distachyon is a useful model system for stemmore » pith parenchyma biology. Brachypodium can be grown under condition where it resembles the growth patterns of important crops in that it produces large amounts of stem material with the lower leaves senescing and with significant stores of photosynthate located in the stem parenchyma cell types. We further characterize stem plastid morphology as a function of tissue types, as this organelle is central for a number of metabolic pathways, and quantify gene expression for the four main classes of starch biosynthetic genes. Notably, we find several of these genes differentially regulated between stem and leaf. Furthermore, these studies show, consistent with other grasses, that the stem functions as a specialized storage compartment in Brachypodium.« less

Ab initio Investigation of Helium in Vanadium Oxide Nanoclusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danielson, Thomas; Tea, Eric; Hin, Celine

Nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs) are strong candidate materials for the next generation of fission reactors and future fusion reactors. They are characterized by a large number density of oxide nanoclusters dispersed throughout a BCC iron matrix, where current oxide nanoclusters are primarily comprised of Y-Ti-O compounds. The oxide nanoclusters provide the alloy with high resistance to neutron irradiation, high yield strength and high creep strength at the elevated temperatures of a reactor environment. In addition, the oxide nanoclusters serve as trapping sites for transmutation product helium providing substantially increased resistance to catastrophic cracking and embrittlement. Although the mechanical properties and radiation resistance of the existing NFAs is promising, the problem of forming large scale reactor components continues to present a formidable challenge due to the high hardness and unpredictable fracture behavior of the alloys. An alternative alloy has been previously proposed and fabricated where vanadium is added in order to form vanadium oxide nanoclusters that serve as deflection sites for crack propagation. Although experiments have shown evidence that the fracture behavior of the alloys is improved, it is unknown whether or not the vanadium oxide nanoclusters are effective trapping sites for helium. We present results obtained using density functional theory investigating the thermodynamic stability of helium with the vanadium oxide matrix to make a comparison of trapping effectiveness to traditional Y-Ti-O compounds.

Advanced technologies for encryption of satellite links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahan, Sherry S.

The use of encryption on satellite links is discussed. Advanced technology exists to provide transmission security for large earth station with data rates up to 50 megabits per second. One of the major concerns in the use of encryption equipment with very small aperture terminals (VSAT) is the key management issue and the related operational costs. The low cost requirement and the lack of physical protection of remote VSATs place severe constraints on the design of encryption equipment. Encryption may be accomplished by embedding a tamper proof encryption module into the baseband unit of each VSAT. VSAT networks are usually star networks where there is a single large earth station that serves as a hub and all satellite communications takes place between each VSAT and the hub earth station. The hub earth station has the secret master key of each VSAT. These master keys are used to downline load encrypted session keys to each VSAT. A more secure alternative is to use public key techniques where each embedded VSAT encryption module internally generates its own secret and public numbers. The secret number never leaves the module while the public number is sent to the hub at the time of initialization of the encryption module into the VSAT. Physical access control to encryption modules of VSAT systems can be implemented using passwords, smart cards or biometrics.

Molecular pathology of prostate cancer.

PubMed

Cazares, L H; Drake, R R; Esquela-Kirscher, A; Lance, R S; Semmes, O J; Troyer, D A

2010-01-01

This chapter includes discussion of the molecular pathology of tissue, blood, urine, and expressed prostatic secretions. Because we are unable to reliably image the disease in vivo, a 12 core method that oversamples the peripheral zone is widely used. This generates large numbers of cores that need to be carefully processed and sampled. In spite of the large number of tissue cores, the amount of tumor available for study is often quite limited. This is a particular challenge for research, as new biomarker assays will need to preserve tissue architecture intact for histopathology. Methods of processing and reporting pathology are discussed. With the exception of ductal variants, recognized subtypes of prostate cancer are largely confined to research applications, and most prostate cancers are acinar. Biomarker discovery in urine and expressed prostatic secretions would be useful since these are readily obtained and are proximate fluids. The well-known challenges of biomarker discovery in blood and urine are referenced and discussed. Mediators of carcinogenesis can serve as biomarkers as exemplified by mutations in PTEN and TMPRSS2:ERG fusion. The use of proteomics in biomarker discovery with an emphasis on imaging mass spectroscopy of tissues is discussed. Small RNAs are of great interest, however, their usefulness as biomarkers in clinical decision making remains the subject of ongoing research. The chapter concludes with an overview of blood biomarkers such as circulating nucleic acids and tumor cells and bound/free isoforms of prostate specific antigen (PSA).

5 CFR 1201.128 - Filing complaint; serving documents on parties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Corrective Actions § 1201.128 Filing complaint; serving documents on parties. (a) Place of filing. A Special... copies of the complaint, together with numbered and tabbed exhibits or attachments, if any, and a...

5 CFR 1201.128 - Filing complaint; serving documents on parties.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Corrective Actions § 1201.128 Filing complaint; serving documents on parties. (a) Place of filing. A Special... copies of the complaint, together with numbered and tabbed exhibits or attachments, if any, and a...

Serving Those Who Serve: Meeting the Complex Needs of Students Returning Home from War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Veislind, Emili

2013-01-01

As community colleges across the country strive to improve completion rates and serve a growing number of students returned home from war, the need for programs that meet the unique needs of veterans--including job training, social acclimation, referral programs for mental health counseling, and academic tutoring, to name a few--is more pressing…

Utilizing Web 2.0 Technologies for Library Web Tutorials: An Examination of Instruction on Community College Libraries' Websites Serving Large Student Bodies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blummer, Barbara; Kenton, Jeffrey M.

2015-01-01

This is the second part of a series on Web 2.0 tools available from community college libraries' Websites. The first article appeared in an earlier volume of this journal and it illustrated the wide variety of Web 2.0 tools on community college libraries' Websites serving large student bodies (Blummer and Kenton 2014). The research found many of…

Negotiating Access and Tier One Aspirations: The Historical Evolution of a Striving Hispanic-Serving Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doran, Erin E.

2015-01-01

This study evaluates the recent move toward Tier One by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in light of its historical commitment to serve the largely Hispanic population of South Texas. Among the largest Hispanic-serving universities, UTSA provides a useful case study of this type of institution both historically and at the…

Natural language processing and advanced information management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoard, James E.

1989-01-01

Integrating diverse information sources and application software in a principled and general manner will require a very capable advanced information management (AIM) system. In particular, such a system will need a comprehensive addressing scheme to locate the material in its docuverse. It will also need a natural language processing (NLP) system of great sophistication. It seems that the NLP system must serve three functions. First, it provides an natural language interface (NLI) for the users. Second, it serves as the core component that understands and makes use of the real-world interpretations (RWIs) contained in the docuverse. Third, it enables the reasoning specialists (RSs) to arrive at conclusions that can be transformed into procedures that will satisfy the users' requests. The best candidate for an intelligent agent that can satisfactorily make use of RSs and transform documents (TDs) appears to be an object oriented data base (OODB). OODBs have, apparently, an inherent capacity to use the large numbers of RSs and TDs that will be required by an AIM system and an inherent capacity to use them in an effective way.

The US National Library of Medicine in the 21st century: expanding collections, nontraditional formats, new audiences.

PubMed

Lacroix, Eve-Marie; Mehnert, Robert

2002-09-01

From the early 1960s, the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) has been a leader in applying computer technology to accomplish traditional bibliographic and reference functions. medline, in the early 1970s, was the first large-scale online medical bibliographic reference system. That role has been altered by today's Web environment, which has increased the number and extent of NLM services and the audience for them. The NLM has formally declared that it will seek to serve the general public after over a century of serving the library and medical communities exclusively. In the last several years, many new services have been introduced to fulfil this mandate, including medlineplus and ClinicalTrials.gov. Also a part of the NLM's vision for the 21st century is the need to ensure that the proliferating forms of electronic health information-bibliographic, full text, graphic, audiovisual-are captured and preserved for posterity. A national library such as the NLM has as much an archival responsibility for this electronic information as for centuries-old printed and manuscript historical treasures.

Speckle field as a multiple particle trap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvedov, V. G.; Rode, A. V.; Izdebskaya, Ya. V.; Desyatnikov, A. S.; Krolikowski, W.; Kivshar, Yu. S.

2010-04-01

We demonstrate that a speckle pattern in the spatially coherent laser field transmitted by a diffuser forms a multitude of three-dimensional bottle-shaped micro-traps. These multiple traps serve as a means for an effective trapping of large number of air-born absorbing particles. Confinement of up to a few thousand particles in air with a single beam has been achieved. The ability to capture light-absorbing particles suspended in gases by optical means opens up rich and diverse practical opportunities, including development of photonic shielding/fencing for environmental protection in nanotechnology industry and new methods of touch-free air transport of particles and small containers, which may hold dangerous substances, or viruses and living cells.

All-solid-state micro-supercapacitors based on inkjet printed graphene electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiantong; Mishukova, Viktoriia; Östling, Mikael

2016-09-01

The all-solid-state graphene-based in-plane micro-supercapacitors are fabricated simply through reliable inkjet printing of pristine graphene in interdigitated structure on silicon wafers to serve as both electrodes and current collectors, and a following drop casting of polymer electrolytes (polyvinyl alcohol/H3PO4). Benefiting from the printing processing, an attractive porous electrode microstructure with a large number of vertically orientated graphene flakes is observed. The devices exhibit commendable areal capacitance over 0.1 mF/cm2 and a long cycle life of over 1000 times. The simple and scalable fabrication technique for efficient micro-supercapacitors is promising for on-chip energy storage applications in emerging electronics.

Update in the treatment of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Katz, I; Kac, M

1993-04-01

The large number of drugs available to treat schizophrenia and the emergence of atypical and newer agents that provide efficiency with lessening of side effects may not only serve to provide more amelioration against this disease, but may also help us to unravel the neurochemical defects of the disorder. Despite these encouraging trends, the reality is that schizophrenia is still a devastating illness for a sizeable minority affected with the condition, that a 'cure' is not yet possible, and that drug therapies alone will not provide all that is required in acute or continuing management. Supporting care in the community for patient and family are just as important as pharmacotherapy in managing this problem.

[Origins of the coat, appearance of physicians of the Russian fleet in the first third of XVIII century].

PubMed

Danchenko, V G

2011-05-01

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of medical uniforms Russian navy first third of the 18th century. It can be assumed that doctors were in varying degrees, the senior officer's dress, but of course without the braid, although there are exceptions, which related to doctors willing to go to a more senior hypostasis. A number of documents of different structures gives rise to speak with a high probability that the doctors of different ranks, serving in the Marine units that had shaped dress that is largely consistent with their position in the hierarchy of ranks and received in the near future, its development.

Design and implementation considerations of a MSAT packet data network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karam, Fouad G.; Hearn, Terry; Rohr, Doug; Guibord, Arthur F.

1993-01-01

The Mobile Data System, which is intended to provide for packet switched data services is currently under development. The system is based on a star network topology consisting of a centralized Data Hub (DH) serving a large number of mobile terminals. Through the Data Hub, end-to-end connections can be established between terrestrial users on public or private data networks and mobile users. The MDS network will be capable of offering a variety of services some of which are based on the standard X.25 network interface protocol, and others optimized for short messages and broadcast messages. A description of these services and the trade-offs in the DH design are presented.

A generic simulation model to assess the performance of sterilization services in health establishments.

PubMed

Di Mascolo, Maria; Gouin, Alexia

2013-03-01

The work presented here is with a view to improving performance of sterilization services in hospitals. We carried out a survey in a large number of health establishments in the Rhône-Alpes region in France. Based on the results of this survey and a detailed study of a specific service, we have built a generic model. The generic nature of the model relies on a common structure with a high level of detail. This model can be used to improve the performance of a specific sterilization service and/or to dimension its resources. It can also serve for quantitative comparison of performance indicators of various sterilization services.

Consensus guidelines for the use and interpretation of angiogenesis assays.

PubMed

Nowak-Sliwinska, Patrycja; Alitalo, Kari; Allen, Elizabeth; Anisimov, Andrey; Aplin, Alfred C; Auerbach, Robert; Augustin, Hellmut G; Bates, David O; van Beijnum, Judy R; Bender, R Hugh F; Bergers, Gabriele; Bikfalvi, Andreas; Bischoff, Joyce; Böck, Barbara C; Brooks, Peter C; Bussolino, Federico; Cakir, Bertan; Carmeliet, Peter; Castranova, Daniel; Cimpean, Anca M; Cleaver, Ondine; Coukos, George; Davis, George E; De Palma, Michele; Dimberg, Anna; Dings, Ruud P M; Djonov, Valentin; Dudley, Andrew C; Dufton, Neil P; Fendt, Sarah-Maria; Ferrara, Napoleone; Fruttiger, Marcus; Fukumura, Dai; Ghesquière, Bart; Gong, Yan; Griffin, Robert J; Harris, Adrian L; Hughes, Christopher C W; Hultgren, Nan W; Iruela-Arispe, M Luisa; Irving, Melita; Jain, Rakesh K; Kalluri, Raghu; Kalucka, Joanna; Kerbel, Robert S; Kitajewski, Jan; Klaassen, Ingeborg; Kleinmann, Hynda K; Koolwijk, Pieter; Kuczynski, Elisabeth; Kwak, Brenda R; Marien, Koen; Melero-Martin, Juan M; Munn, Lance L; Nicosia, Roberto F; Noel, Agnes; Nurro, Jussi; Olsson, Anna-Karin; Petrova, Tatiana V; Pietras, Kristian; Pili, Roberto; Pollard, Jeffrey W; Post, Mark J; Quax, Paul H A; Rabinovich, Gabriel A; Raica, Marius; Randi, Anna M; Ribatti, Domenico; Ruegg, Curzio; Schlingemann, Reinier O; Schulte-Merker, Stefan; Smith, Lois E H; Song, Jonathan W; Stacker, Steven A; Stalin, Jimmy; Stratman, Amber N; Van de Velde, Maureen; van Hinsbergh, Victor W M; Vermeulen, Peter B; Waltenberger, Johannes; Weinstein, Brant M; Xin, Hong; Yetkin-Arik, Bahar; Yla-Herttuala, Seppo; Yoder, Mervin C; Griffioen, Arjan W

2018-05-15

The formation of new blood vessels, or angiogenesis, is a complex process that plays important roles in growth and development, tissue and organ regeneration, as well as numerous pathological conditions. Angiogenesis undergoes multiple discrete steps that can be individually evaluated and quantified by a large number of bioassays. These independent assessments hold advantages but also have limitations. This article describes in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro bioassays that are available for the evaluation of angiogenesis and highlights critical aspects that are relevant for their execution and proper interpretation. As such, this collaborative work is the first edition of consensus guidelines on angiogenesis bioassays to serve for current and future reference.

Nuclear Resonance Scattering of Circularly Polarized SR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szymanski, K.; Satula, D.; Dobrzynski, L.; Kalska, B.

2004-09-01

Results of the experiments with nuclear resonance scattering of synchrotron radiation aiming at construction of the circularly polarized beam suitable for nuclear hyperfine studies are reported. Si(4 0 0) single crystal slab, 100 μ m thick, was used as a quarter wave plate. Observed twofold reduction of the intensity in proposed geometry is due to the Si crystal itself. Hyperfine interactions are used to probe polarization state of the synchrotron beam. Too large angular beam divergence did not allow for achieving full circular polarization of photons. Consequently, further experiments are proposed to overcame beam divergence problems. A number of calculations presented in the paper show that cheap and easily available Si plate can serve as an effective desired polarizer.

[An analysis of the state of social services for elderly citizens and disabled persons in Russian Federation].

PubMed

Bashkireva, A S; Shestakov, V P; Svintsov, A A; Cherniakina, T S; Chernova, G I; Bogdanov, E A

2013-01-01

A comparative data analysis of the federal statistical survey of social services for the elderly citizens and disabled persons in outpatient departments and day hospitals in Russian Federation was submitted. It included the data on the number of organizations providing social services, the number of individuals served, the number of full-time staff positions for the years 2006-2011. It had been revealed that during this period the number of social rehabilitation centers, health centers and hospices for the elderly citizens were reduced in Russia that in turn caused the significant decrease of hospital beds and persons served per year. The data on the activities of hospitals and residential institutions in social services system for the elderly citizens and disabled persons, as well as the number of persons served over the period of 2009-2011 had been analyzed. Analytical results thus obtained shown that one of the new approaches in solving these sociogerontological problems on system management of outpatient departments, day hospitals and residential institutions in Russia are an optimization of the institutional structure, reorganization of hospital beds capacity, refurbishment of present and construction of new buildings.

Public health clinical demonstration project for smoking cessation in american veterans who served since september 11, 2001.

PubMed

Zaborowski, Daphne E; Dedert, Eric A; Straits-Troster, Kristy; Lee, Sherman; Wilson, Sarah M; Calhoun, Patrick S; Moore, Scott D; Acheson, Shawn; Hamlett-Berry, Kim W; Beckham, Jean C

2011-03-01

The purpose of this clinical demonstration project was to increase the reach of effective treatments, such as pharmacotherapy and telephone or web-based support, by offering these treatments in a low cost and convenient manner to a population of Veterans. Six hundred nine veteran smokers who had served in the military since September 11, 2001 were contacted by invitational letters. Veterans indicating interest in further contacts received telephone calls using standardized scripts that offered referral to the National Cancer Institute's Smoking QuitLine, web-based counseling, and local Department of Veteran Affairs pharmacologic treatment for smoking cessation. Seven percent of survey recipients participated in the clinical program. At follow-up, 23% of participants providing follow-up information reported maintaining smoking abstinence. This clinical demonstration project was associated with a reach of 8.6% (number of smokers who accessed the intervention/the number of targeted smokers), an efficacy of 26% (number of abstinent smokers at follow-up/number who accessed the intervention), and a 24-hour abstinence impact rate of 2.2% (number of smokers with 24-hour abstinence/number of targeted smokers). Results suggested that this project enhanced access to care and promoted short-term smoking cessation in Veterans who have served since September 11. 2001.

How Health Humanities Will Save the Life of the Humanities.

PubMed

Klugman, Craig M

2017-12-01

In the last decade, the humanities have been shrinking in number of students, percent of faculty, and in number of degrees awarded. Humanities students also earn lower salaries than their STEM-prepared peers. At the same time, the health humanities have been in ascendance over the last fifteen years. The number of majors, minors and certificates has increased 266% in that time frame, attracting large numbers of students and preparing future patients, lay caregivers, and health care providers to interact with a complicated and dehumanized medical system. In 1982, British philosopher and educator Stephen Toulmin declared that medicine saved philosophy from irrelevance and possibly extinction. I propose that the health humanities can serve a similar function to stave off the decline of the broader humanities. The health humanities can (1) model an applied approach for the broader humanities to attract student interest; (2) develop students' capacity for critical reading, writing and reflection about health and medicine in society, practice, and their own lives and (3) inoculate all students against the influence of medicine, whether through preparing pre-health students to navigate the hidden medical curriculum or preparing future patients to navigate the health care system.

Replication Rate, Framing, and Format Affect Attitudes and Decisions about Science Claims

PubMed Central

Barnes, Ralph M.; Tobin, Stephanie J.; Johnston, Heather M.; MacKenzie, Noah; Taglang, Chelsea M.

2016-01-01

A series of five experiments examined how the evaluation of a scientific finding was influenced by information about the number of studies that had successfully replicated the initial finding. The experiments also tested the impact of frame (negative, positive) and numeric format (percentage, natural frequency) on the evaluation of scientific findings. In Experiments 1 through 4, an attitude difference score served as the dependent measure, while a measure of choice served as the dependent measure in Experiment 5. Results from a diverse sample of 188 non-institutionalized U.S. adults (Experiment 2) and 730 undergraduate college students (Experiments 1, 3, and 4) indicated that attitudes became more positive as the replication rate increased and attitudes were more positive when the replication information was framed positively. The results also indicate that the manner in which replication rate was framed had a greater impact on attitude than the replication rate itself. The large effect for frame was attenuated somewhat when information about replication was presented in the form of natural frequencies rather than percentages. A fifth study employing 662 undergraduate college students in a task in which choice served as the dependent measure confirmed the framing effect and replicated the replication rate effect in the positive frame condition, but provided no evidence that the use of natural frequencies diminished the effect. PMID:27920743

The SCALE-UP Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beichner, Robert

2015-03-01

The Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP) project was developed nearly 20 years ago as an economical way to provide collaborative, interactive instruction even for large enrollment classes. Nearly all research-based pedagogies have been designed with fairly high faculty-student ratios. The economics of introductory courses at large universities often precludes that situation, so SCALE-UP was created as a way to facilitate highly collaborative active learning with large numbers of students served by only a few faculty and assistants. It enables those students to learn and succeed not only in acquiring content, but also to practice important 21st century skills like problem solving, communication, and teamsmanship. The approach was initially targeted at undergraduate science and engineering students taking introductory physics courses in large enrollment sections. It has since expanded to multiple content areas, including chemistry, math, engineering, biology, business, nursing, and even the humanities. Class sizes range from 24 to over 600. Data collected from multiple sites around the world indicates highly successful implementation at more than 250 institutions. NSF support was critical for initial development and dissemination efforts. Generously supported by NSF (9752313, 9981107) and FIPSE (P116B971905, P116B000659).

MaRaCluster: A Fragment Rarity Metric for Clustering Fragment Spectra in Shotgun Proteomics.

PubMed

The, Matthew; Käll, Lukas

2016-03-04

Shotgun proteomics experiments generate large amounts of fragment spectra as primary data, normally with high redundancy between and within experiments. Here, we have devised a clustering technique to identify fragment spectra stemming from the same species of peptide. This is a powerful alternative method to traditional search engines for analyzing spectra, specifically useful for larger scale mass spectrometry studies. As an aid in this process, we propose a distance calculation relying on the rarity of experimental fragment peaks, following the intuition that peaks shared by only a few spectra offer more evidence than peaks shared by a large number of spectra. We used this distance calculation and a complete-linkage scheme to cluster data from a recent large-scale mass spectrometry-based study. The clusterings produced by our method have up to 40% more identified peptides for their consensus spectra compared to those produced by the previous state-of-the-art method. We see that our method would advance the construction of spectral libraries as well as serve as a tool for mining large sets of fragment spectra. The source code and Ubuntu binary packages are available at https://github.com/statisticalbiotechnology/maracluster (under an Apache 2.0 license).

A global probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment from earthquake sources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davies, Gareth; Griffin, Jonathan; Lovholt, Finn; Glimsdal, Sylfest; Harbitz, Carl; Thio, Hong Kie; Lorito, Stefano; Basili, Roberto; Selva, Jacopo; Geist, Eric L.; Baptista, Maria Ana

2017-01-01

Large tsunamis occur infrequently but have the capacity to cause enormous numbers of casualties, damage to the built environment and critical infrastructure, and economic losses. A sound understanding of tsunami hazard is required to underpin management of these risks, and while tsunami hazard assessments are typically conducted at regional or local scales, globally consistent assessments are required to support international disaster risk reduction efforts, and can serve as a reference for local and regional studies. This study presents a global-scale probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment (PTHA), extending previous global-scale assessments based largely on scenario analysis. Only earthquake sources are considered, as they represent about 80% of the recorded damaging tsunami events. Globally extensive estimates of tsunami run-up height are derived at various exceedance rates, and the associated uncertainties are quantified. Epistemic uncertainties in the exceedance rates of large earthquakes often lead to large uncertainties in tsunami run-up. Deviations between modelled tsunami run-up and event observations are quantified, and found to be larger than suggested in previous studies. Accounting for these deviations in PTHA is important, as it leads to a pronounced increase in predicted tsunami run-up for a given exceedance rate.

Assessing pharmacist-led annual wellness visits: Interventions made and patient and physician satisfaction.

PubMed

Wilson, Courtenay Gilmore; Park, Irene; Sutherland, Susan E; Ray, Lisa

2015-01-01

To quantify the nature and frequency of interventions made by pharmacists during a Medicare annual wellness visit (AWV), to determine the association between the number of medications taken and the interventions made, and to assess patient and physician satisfaction with pharmacist-led AWVs. Large, teaching, multidisciplinary family medicine practice in North Carolina. Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) is a large academic practice that serves rural, western North Carolina. There is a heavy emphasis on team-based care. Pharmacist-led AWV. Between April 2012 and January 2013, the following were evaluated for 69 patients: the nature and frequency of interventions made, the association between the number of medications taken and the interventions made, and patient and physician satisfaction scores. A total of 247 medication-related interventions and 342 nonmedication interventions were made during the pharmacist-led AWVs. The majority of medication interventions (69.6%) involved correcting medication list discrepancies. The number of medications taken was positively associated with the total number of medication interventions (r = 0.37, P <0.01). On a 5-point Likert scale, patients strongly agreed that the AWV is important for their overall health (mean 4.8, median 5) and that they would like to see the same provider next year (mean 4.8, median 5). Physicians strongly disagreed that they would prefer to do the visit themselves (mean 1.5, median 1) and strongly agreed that their patients benefited from a pharmacist-led AWV (mean 5, median 4.9). Pharmacists addressed both medication and nonmedication interventions during AWVs. Patients taking a greater number of medications required more medication interventions than patients taking fewer medications. Patients and physicians reported satisfaction with the pharmacist-led AWV.

This Mall Serves All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Charles J.; Robinson, Joel

1972-01-01

Indiana's Michigan City Public Library was the first in the nation to serve all regardless of residence and the first to establish a branch library in a large, enclosed, heated shopping mall. The results of these new services are discussed. (Author/NH)

Universality of Citation Distributions for Academic Institutions and Journals

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Arnab; Ghosh, Asim; Chakrabarti, Bikas K.

2016-01-01

Citations measure the importance of a publication, and may serve as a proxy for its popularity and quality of its contents. Here we study the distributions of citations to publications from individual academic institutions for a single year. The average number of citations have large variations between different institutions across the world, but the probability distributions of citations for individual institutions can be rescaled to a common form by scaling the citations by the average number of citations for that institution. We find this feature seems to be universal for a broad selection of institutions irrespective of the average number of citations per article. A similar analysis for citations to publications in a particular journal in a single year reveals similar results. We find high absolute inequality for both these sets, Gini coefficients being around 0.66 and 0.58 for institutions and journals respectively. We also find that the top 25% of the articles hold about 75% of the total citations for institutions and the top 29% of the articles hold about 71% of the total citations for journals. PMID:26751563

Universality of Citation Distributions for Academic Institutions and Journals.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Arnab; Ghosh, Asim; Chakrabarti, Bikas K

2016-01-01

Citations measure the importance of a publication, and may serve as a proxy for its popularity and quality of its contents. Here we study the distributions of citations to publications from individual academic institutions for a single year. The average number of citations have large variations between different institutions across the world, but the probability distributions of citations for individual institutions can be rescaled to a common form by scaling the citations by the average number of citations for that institution. We find this feature seems to be universal for a broad selection of institutions irrespective of the average number of citations per article. A similar analysis for citations to publications in a particular journal in a single year reveals similar results. We find high absolute inequality for both these sets, Gini coefficients being around 0.66 and 0.58 for institutions and journals respectively. We also find that the top 25% of the articles hold about 75% of the total citations for institutions and the top 29% of the articles hold about 71% of the total citations for journals.

Unit bias. A new heuristic that helps explain the effect of portion size on food intake.

PubMed

Geier, Andrew B; Rozin, Paul; Doros, Gheorghe

2006-06-01

People seem to think that a unit of some entity (with certain constraints) is the appropriate and optimal amount. We refer to this heuristic as unit bias. We illustrate unit bias by demonstrating large effects of unit segmentation, a form of portion control, on food intake. Thus, people choose, and presumably eat, much greater weights of Tootsie Rolls and pretzels when offered a large as opposed to a small unit size (and given the option of taking as many units as they choose at no monetary cost). Additionally, they consume substantially more M&M's when the candies are offered with a large as opposed to a small spoon (again with no limits as to the number of spoonfuls to be taken). We propose that unit bias explains why small portion sizes are effective in controlling consumption; in some cases, people served small portions would simply eat additional portions if it were not for unit bias. We argue that unit bias is a general feature in human choice and discuss possible origins of this bias, including consumption norms.

A peer-to-peer music sharing system based on query-by-humming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianrong; Chang, Xinglong; Zhao, Zheng; Zhang, Yebin; Shi, Qingwei

2007-09-01

Today, the main traffic in peer-to-peer (P2P) network is still multimedia files including large numbers of music files. The study of Music Information Retrieval (MIR) brings out many encouraging achievements in music search area. Nevertheless, the research of music search based on MIR in P2P network is still insufficient. Query by Humming (QBH) is one MIR technology studied for years. In this paper, we present a server based P2P music sharing system which is based on QBH and integrated with a Hierarchical Index Structure (HIS) to enhance the relation between surface data and potential information. HIS automatically evolving depends on the music related items carried by each peer such as midi files, lyrics and so forth. Instead of adding large amount of redundancy, the system generates a bit of index for multiple search input which improves the traditional keyword-based text search mode largely. When network bandwidth, speed, etc. are no longer a bottleneck of internet serve, the accessibility and accuracy of information provided by internet are being more concerned by end users.

Within and between Population Variation in Epidermal Club Cell Investment in a Freshwater Prey Fish: A Cautionary Tale for Evolutionary Ecologists

PubMed Central

Manek, Aditya K.; Ferrari, Maud C. O.; Pollock, Robyn J.; Vicente, Daniel; Weber, Lynn P.; Chivers, Douglas P.

2013-01-01

Many prey fishes possess large club cells in their epidermis. The role of these cells has garnered considerable attention from evolutionary ecologists. These cells likely form part of the innate immune system of fishes, however, they also have an alarm function, releasing chemical cues that serve to warn nearby conspecifics of danger. Experiments aimed at understanding the selection pressures leading to the evolution of these cells have been hampered by a surprisingly large intraspecific variation in epidermal club cell (ECC) investment. The goal of our current work was to explore the magnitude and nature of this variation in ECC investment. In a field survey, we documented large differences in ECC investment both within and between several populations of minnows. We then tested whether we could experimentally reduce variation in mean ECC number by raising fish under standard laboratory conditions for 4 weeks. Fish from different populations responded very differently to being held under standard laboratory conditions; some populations showed an increase in ECC investment while others remained unchanged. More importantly, we found some evidence that we could reduce within population variation in ECC investment through time, but could not reduce among-population variation in mean ECC investment. Given the large variation we observed in wild fish and our limited ability to converge mean cell number by holding the fish under standard conditions, we caution that future studies may be hard pressed to find subtle effects of various experimental manipulations; this will make elucidating the selection pressures leading to the evolution of the cells challenging. PMID:23469175

Large Variations in Declared Serving Sizes of Packaged Foods in Australia: A Need for Serving Size Standardisation?

PubMed Central

Yang, Suzie; Gemming, Luke

2018-01-01

Declared serving sizes on food packaging are unregulated in Australia, and variations in serving size within similar products reduces the usability of this information. This study aimed to (i) assess the variations in declared serving sizes of packaged foods from the Five Food Groups, and (ii) compare declared serving sizes to the Australian Dietary Guidelines standard serves and typical portion sizes consumed by Australian adults. Product information, including serving size, was collected for 4046 products from four major Australian retailers. Within product categories from the Five Food Groups, coefficients of variation ranged from 0% to 59% for declared serving size and 9% to 64% for energy per serving. Overall, 24% of all products displayed serving sizes similar (within ±10%) to the standard serves, and 23–28% were similar to typical portion sizes consumed by adults, for females and males, respectively. In conclusion, there is substantial variation in the declared serving sizes of packaged foods from the Five Food Groups, and serving sizes are not aligned with either the Dietary Guidelines or typical portion sizes consumed. Future research into effective means of standardising serving sizes is warranted. PMID:29382083

A Methodology for Assessing the Impact of Sea Level Rise on Representative Military Installations in the Southwestern United States (RC-1703)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-03

results. As part of this research and development effort, a number of products were developed that served to advance the research and provided a testing ...Teams, U.S. Navy SEALs, brown‐water Navy personnel, and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps midshipmen. The base conducts research and tests of newly...effort, a number of products were developed that served to advance the research , and provided a testing ground for our methodologies. In addition

Optimal number of features as a function of sample size for various classification rules.

PubMed

Hua, Jianping; Xiong, Zixiang; Lowey, James; Suh, Edward; Dougherty, Edward R

2005-04-15

Given the joint feature-label distribution, increasing the number of features always results in decreased classification error; however, this is not the case when a classifier is designed via a classification rule from sample data. Typically (but not always), for fixed sample size, the error of a designed classifier decreases and then increases as the number of features grows. The potential downside of using too many features is most critical for small samples, which are commonplace for gene-expression-based classifiers for phenotype discrimination. For fixed sample size and feature-label distribution, the issue is to find an optimal number of features. Since only in rare cases is there a known distribution of the error as a function of the number of features and sample size, this study employs simulation for various feature-label distributions and classification rules, and across a wide range of sample and feature-set sizes. To achieve the desired end, finding the optimal number of features as a function of sample size, it employs massively parallel computation. Seven classifiers are treated: 3-nearest-neighbor, Gaussian kernel, linear support vector machine, polynomial support vector machine, perceptron, regular histogram and linear discriminant analysis. Three Gaussian-based models are considered: linear, nonlinear and bimodal. In addition, real patient data from a large breast-cancer study is considered. To mitigate the combinatorial search for finding optimal feature sets, and to model the situation in which subsets of genes are co-regulated and correlation is internal to these subsets, we assume that the covariance matrix of the features is blocked, with each block corresponding to a group of correlated features. Altogether there are a large number of error surfaces for the many cases. These are provided in full on a companion website, which is meant to serve as resource for those working with small-sample classification. For the companion website, please visit http://public.tgen.org/tamu/ofs/ e-dougherty@ee.tamu.edu.

Faecal bulking efficacy of Australasian breakfast cereals.

PubMed

Monro, John A

2002-01-01

Faecal bulk may play an important role in preventing a range of disorders of the large bowel, but as yet there is little information available on the relative faecal bulking capacities of various foods. Breakfast cereals are often promoted as a good source of potential bulk for 'inner health' because they provide dietary fibre, but their relative abilities to provide faecal bulk per se have not been described. The faecal bulking efficacy of 28 representative Australasian breakfast cereals was therefore measured. A rat model developed for the purpose, and shown to give similar responses as humans to cereal fibres, was used to measure faecal bulking efficacy as increases in fully hydrated faecal weight/100 g diet, based on precise measurements of food intake, faecal dry matter output and faecal water-holding capacity (g water held without stress/g faecal dry matter). Compared to a baseline diet containing 50% sucrose, increments in hydrated faecal weight due to 50% breakfast cereal ranged from slightly negative (Cornflakes, -2 g/100 g diet) to about 80 g/100 g diet (San Bran). Most breakfast cereals increased hydrated faecal weight by between 10 and 20 g/100 g diet from a baseline of 21 +/- 1.5 g/100 g diet, but four products containing high levels of wheat bran had an exceptionally large impact on hydrated faecal weight (increment > 20 g/100 g diet), and the changes resulted more from relative changes in dry matter output than in faecal water retention/gram. However, as faecal water retention was about 2.5 g water/g faecal dry matter on average, increases in dry matter represented large increases in faecal water load. Faecal bulking indices (FBI) for most of the breakfast cereals were less than 20 (wheat bran = 100). The content of wheat bran equivalents for faecal bulk (WBE(fb)) in the breakfast cereals was calculated from FBI. Most breakfast cereals contributed, per serve, less than 10% of a theoretical daily reference value for faecal bulk (DRV(fb) = 63 WBE(fb)/day), which was based on data from human clinical trials and dietary fibre recommendations. Based on the WBE(fb) contribution/serving that would be required to meet the DRV(fb) from the number of servings of dietary fibre sources in the CSIRO 12345+ food and nutrition plan, the results suggest that although some high bran breakfast cereals may contribute substantially to, and many are reasonable sources of, faecal bulk, for most of them, one or two servings at breakfast cannot be relied on to effectively redress shortfalls in faecal bulk elsewhere in the diet.

Catchment Tomography - Joint Estimation of Surface Roughness and Hydraulic Conductivity with the EnKF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baatz, D.; Kurtz, W.; Hendricks Franssen, H. J.; Vereecken, H.; Kollet, S. J.

2017-12-01

Parameter estimation for physically based, distributed hydrological models becomes increasingly challenging with increasing model complexity. The number of parameters is usually large and the number of observations relatively small, which results in large uncertainties. A moving transmitter - receiver concept to estimate spatially distributed hydrological parameters is presented by catchment tomography. In this concept, precipitation, highly variable in time and space, serves as a moving transmitter. As response to precipitation, runoff and stream discharge are generated along different paths and time scales, depending on surface and subsurface flow properties. Stream water levels are thus an integrated signal of upstream parameters, measured by stream gauges which serve as the receivers. These stream water level observations are assimilated into a distributed hydrological model, which is forced with high resolution, radar based precipitation estimates. Applying a joint state-parameter update with the Ensemble Kalman Filter, the spatially distributed Manning's roughness coefficient and saturated hydraulic conductivity are estimated jointly. The sequential data assimilation continuously integrates new information into the parameter estimation problem, especially during precipitation events. Every precipitation event constrains the possible parameter space. In the approach, forward simulations are performed with ParFlow, a variable saturated subsurface and overland flow model. ParFlow is coupled to the Parallel Data Assimilation Framework for the data assimilation and the joint state-parameter update. In synthetic, 3-dimensional experiments including surface and subsurface flow, hydraulic conductivity and the Manning's coefficient are efficiently estimated with the catchment tomography approach. A joint update of the Manning's coefficient and hydraulic conductivity tends to improve the parameter estimation compared to a single parameter update, especially in cases of biased initial parameter ensembles. The computational experiments additionally show to which degree of spatial heterogeneity and to which degree of uncertainty of subsurface flow parameters the Manning's coefficient and hydraulic conductivity can be estimated efficiently.

Scouts: Using Numbers to Explore Mars In Situ

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blaney, D. L.; Wilson, G. R.

2000-01-01

Mars is a planet with a complex geologic history involving fluvial, volcanic, aeolian, atmospheric, and impact processes. Many critical questions about Mars are still heatedly debated within the scientific community and we still have much to discover. The current Mars exploration philosophy involves remote observation of the planet from orbit and intensive in situ study of a few sites on the surface. Orbital data provides a global picture while in situ investigations provide detailed knowledge at a single location. Mars Scouts are proposed to provide access to multiple locations on Mars. They address the emerging program needs of exploring the diversity of the planet globally in ways that cannot be achieved from orbit. The goal of the Scout is to find a way to investigate many locations on the surface of Mars in an affordable and efficient manner. We have only visited three locations on the surface of Mars, which have very similar characteristics. Increased numbers allows more types of locations to be investigated. The hallmarks of Scouts are numbers and access. Thus the capability of a single Scout will be limited. The science return from a single Scout will be significantly less than from a large science lander or an orbiting spacecraft. Scouts rely on their numbers to collectively provide a substantial increase in our knowledge of Mars. Scouts potentially serve two purposes in the Mars exploration architecture. First, Scouts are a science exploration tool. They provide access to places on Mars we currently can't explore because program focus, surface roughness, elevation, or latitude that we know are scientifically interesting. Scouts can react to new discoveries and evolving ideas about Mars. They can be used to test theories which until proven would not warrant the investment of a large lander. Second, Scouts enable better large scale missions by providing ground truth of remote sensing data and allowing us to "know" sites in advance before sending large landers and sample return missions. This increases the probability of success for these expensive missions both from safety and science return stand-points.

Emergency planning and preparedness for the deliberate release of toxic industrial chemicals.

PubMed

Russell, David; Simpson, John

2010-03-01

Society in developed and developing countries is hugely dependent upon chemicals for health, wealth, and economic prosperity, with the chemical industry contributing significantly to the global economy. Many chemicals are synthesized, stored, and transported in vast quantities and classified as high production volume chemicals; some are recognized as being toxic industrial chemicals (TICs). Chemical accidents involving chemical installations and transportation are well recognized. Such chemical accidents occur with relative frequency and may result in large numbers of casualties with acute and chronic health effects as well as fatalities. The large-scale production of TICs, the potential for widespread exposure and significant public health impact, together with their relative ease of acquisition, makes deliberate release an area of potential concern. The large numbers of chemicals, together with the large number of potential release scenarios means that the number of possible forms of chemical incident are almost infinite. Therefore, prior to undertaking emergency planning and preparedness, it is necessary to prioritize risk and subsequently mitigate. This is a multi-faceted process, including implementation of industrial protection layers, substitution of hazardous chemicals, and relocation away from communities. Residual risk provides the basis for subsequent planning. Risk-prioritized emergency planning is a tool for identifying gaps, enhancing communication and collaboration, and for policy development. It also serves to enhance preparedness, a necessary prelude to preventing or mitigating the public health risk to deliberate release. Planning is an iterative and on-going process that requires multi-disciplinary agency input, culminating in the formation of a chemical incident plan complimentary to major incident planning. Preparedness is closely related and reflects a state of readiness. It is comprised of several components, including training and exercising. Toxicologists have a role to play in developing syndromic surveillance, recognizing clinical presentation of chemical incidents, developing toxicological datasheets, and the requisition and stockpiling of medical countermeasures. The chemical industry is global and many chemicals are synthesized and transported in vast quantities. Many of these chemicals are toxic and readily available, necessitating the need for identifying and assessing hazard and risks and subsequently planning and preparing for the deliberate release of TICs.

Cryogenic helium gas convection research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behringer, Robert P.; Donnelly, Russell J.; McAshan, Michael; Maddocks, James; Sreenivasan, Katepalli; Swanson, Chris; Wu, Xaio-Zhong

1994-10-01

This is a report prepared by a group interested in doing research in thermal convection using the large scale refrigeration facilities available at the SSC Laboratories (SSCL). The group preparing this report consists of Michael McAshan at SSCL, Robert Behringer at Duke University, Katepalli Sreenivasan at Yale University, Xiao-Zhong Wu at Northern Illinois University and Russell Donnelly at the University of Oregon, who served as Editor for this report. This study reports the research and development opportunities in such a project, the technical requirements and feasibility of its construction and operation, and the costs associated with the needed facilities and support activities. The facility will be a unique national resource for studies of high-Reynolds-number and high-Rayleigh-number and high Rayleigh number turbulence phenomena, and is one of the six items determined as suitable for potential funding through a screening of Expressions of Interest. The proposed facility is possible only because of the advanced cryogenic technology available at the SSCL. Typical scientific issues to be addressed in the facility will be discussed. It devolved during our study, that while the main experiment is still considered to be the thermal convection experiment discussed in our original Expression of Interest, there are now a very substantial set of other, important and fundamental experiments which can be done with the large cryostat proposed for the convection experiment. We believe the facility could provide several decades of front-line research in turbulence, and shall describe why this is so.

Are energy-dense foods really cheaper? Reexamining the relation between food price and energy density.

PubMed

Lipsky, Leah M

2009-11-01

The inverse relation between energy density (kcal/g) and energy cost (price/kcal) has been interpreted to suggest that produce (fruit, vegetables) is more expensive than snacks (cookies, chips). The objective of this study was to show the methodologic weakness of comparing energy density with energy cost. The relation between energy density and energy cost was replicated in a random-number data set. Additionally, observational data were collected for produce and snacks from an online supermarket. Variables included total energy (kcal), total weight (g), total number of servings, serving size (g/serving), and energy density (kcal/g). Price measures included energy cost ($/kcal), total price ($), unit price ($/g), and serving price ($/serving). Two-tailed t tests were used to compare price measures by food category. Relations between energy density and price measures within food categories were examined with the use of Spearman rank correlation analysis. The relation between energy density and energy cost was shown to be driven by the algebraic properties of these variables. Food category was strongly correlated with both energy density and food price measures. Energy cost was higher for produce than for snacks. However, total price and unit price were lower for produce. Serving price and serving size were greater for produce than for snacks. Within food categories, energy density was uncorrelated with most measures of food price, except for a weak positive correlation with serving price within the produce category. The findings suggest the relation between energy density and food price is confounded by food category and depends on which measure of price is used.

Breaking Structural Energy Constraints: Hydrothermal Crystallization of High-Silica Germanosilicates via Building Units Self-Growing Approach.

PubMed

Peng, Mingming; Jiang, Jingang; Liu, Xue; Ma, Yue; Jiao, Meichen; Xu, Hao; Wu, Haihong; He, Mingyuan; Wu, Peng

2018-06-11

Zeolites, a class of crystalline microporous materials, have a wide range of practical applications, in particular serving as key catalysts in petrochemical and finechemical processes. Millions of zeolite topologies are theoretically possible. However, to date, only 235 frameworks with various tetrahedral element compositions have been discovered in nature or artificially synthesized, among which approximately 50 topologies are available in pure silica forms. Germanosilicates are becoming an important zeolite family, with a rapidly increasing number of topological structures with unusual double four-membered-ring (D4R) building units and large-pore or extra large-pore systems. The synthesis of their high-silica analogues with higher (hydro)thermal stability remains a great challenge because the formation of siliceous D4R units is kinetically and thermodynamically unfavorable in hydrothermal systems. Herein, we demonstrate that such D4R-containing high-silica zeolites with unexpected crystalline topologies (ECNU-24-RC and IM-20-RC) are readily constructed through a versatile route. This strategy provides new opportunities for the synthesis of high-silica zeolite catalysts that are hardly obtained by conventional hydrothermal synthesis and it would also facilitate a break-through in increasing the number and types of zeolite materials with practical applications. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The physics of photons and neutrons with applications of deuterium labeling methods to polymers

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

Wignall, G.D.

1986-12-01

Over the past decade small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), has found numerous applications in the fields of biology, polymer science, physical chemistry, materials science, metallurgy, colloids, and solid state physics. A number of excellent references are available which contain basic neutron scattering theory though these text books reflect the origins of the technique and the examples are largely drawn from physics e.g., single crystals, simple liquids, monatomic gases, liquid metals, magnetic materials, etc. in view of the large numbers of nonspecialists who are increasingly using neutron scattering, the need has become apparent for presentations which can provide rapid access to themore » method without unnecessary detail and mathematical rigor. This article is meant to serve as a general introduction to the symposium ''Scattering Deformation and Fracture in Polymers,'' and is intended to aid potential users who have a general scientific background, but no specialist knowledge of scattering, to apply the technique to provide new information in areas of their own particular interests. In view of space limitations, the general theory will be given in the case for neutron scattering and analogies and differences with photon scattering (x-rays) will be pointed out at the appropriate point. 90 refs., 6 figs.« less

International Airport Impacts to Air Quality: Size and Related Properties of Large Increases in Ultrafine Particle Number Concentrations.

PubMed

Hudda, N; Fruin, S A

2016-04-05

We measured particle size distributions and spatial patterns of particle number (PN) and particle surface area concentrations downwind from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) where large increases (over local background) in PN concentrations routinely extended 18 km downwind. These elevations were mostly comprised of ultrafine particles smaller than 40 nm. For a given downwind distance, the greatest increases in PN concentrations, along with the smallest mean sizes, were detected at locations under the landing jet trajectories. The smaller size of particles in the impacted area, as compared to the ambient urban aerosol, increased calculated lung deposition fractions to 0.7-0.8 from 0.5-0.7. A diffusion charging instrument (DiSCMini), that simulates alveolar lung deposition, measured a fivefold increase in alveolar-lung deposited surface area concentrations 2-3 km downwind from the airport (over local background), decreasing steadily to a twofold increase 18 km downwind. These ratios (elevated lung-deposited surface area over background) were lower than the corresponding ratios for elevated PN concentrations, which decreased from tenfold to twofold over the same distance, but the spatial patterns of elevated concentrations were similar. It appears that PN concentration can serve as a nonlinear proxy for lung deposited surface area downwind of major airports.

Efficacy of the Lunch is in the Bag intervention to increase parents' packing of healthy bag lunches for young children: a cluster-randomized trial in early care and education centers.

PubMed

Roberts-Gray, Cindy; Briley, Margaret E; Ranjit, Nalini; Byrd-Williams, Courtney E; Sweitzer, Sara J; Sharma, Shreela V; Palafox, Maria Romo; Hoelscher, Deanna M

2016-01-08

Lunches that parents pack for their young children to eat at school or the Early Care and Education (ECE) center fall short of recommended standards. Lunch is in the Bag is a multi-level behavioral nutrition intervention to increase parents' packing of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains in their children's lunches. Designed for implementation in ECE centers, the five-week long intervention is followed three months later with a one-week booster. Efficacy of Lunch is in the Bag was tested in cluster randomized trial. Participants were 633 families from 30 ECE centers (15 intervention, 15 control) across Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, Texas, USA. Primary outcomes were servings of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains observed in the children's parent-packed bag lunches. Servings of refined grains, meats/beans/eggs/nuts, dairy, chips, and sweets also were observed. Data were collected at baseline, post-intervention (6-week follow-up), pre-booster (22-weeks follow-up), and post-booster (28-week follow-up). Time-by-treatment interactions were analyzed separately for each of the food groups using multi-level models to compare changes from baseline. Analyses were adjusted for relevant demographic variables and clustering within centers and parents. The intervention effected increases from baseline to 6-week follow-up in vegetables (0.17 servings, SE = 0.04, P < 0.001) and whole grains (0.30 servings, SE = 0.13, P = 0.018). The increase in whole grains was maintained through the 28-week follow-up (0.34 servings, SE = 0.13, P = 0.009). Fruit averaged more than 1.40 servings with no differences between groups or across time. The intervention prevented increase in sweets (-0.43 servings, SE = 0.11, P < .001, at the 22-week follow-up). Parents persisted, however, in packing small amounts of vegetables (averages of 0.41 to 0.52 servings) and large amounts of sweets and chips (averages of 1.75 to 1.99 servings). The need for and positive effects of the Lunch is in the Bag intervention at ECE centers where parents send bag lunch for their preschool-aged children was confirmed. An important direction for future research is discovery of more options for leveraging the partnership of ECE centers and families to help young children learn to eat and enjoy vegetables and other healthy foods in preference to less healthy choices such as chips and sweets. The Clinical Trials Number is NCT01292434 .

40 CFR 52.111 - Toll free number assignment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Toll free number assignment. 52.111... (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Arizona § 52.111 Toll free number assignment. Toll free numbers shall be made available on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise directed...

40 CFR 52.111 - Toll free number assignment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Toll free number assignment. 52.111... (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS Arizona § 52.111 Toll free number assignment. Toll free numbers shall be made available on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise directed...

How big is a food portion? A pilot study in Australian families.

PubMed

Collins, Clare E; Bucher, Tamara; Taylor, Aimee; Pezdirc, Kristine; Lucas, Hannah; Watson, Jane; Rollo, Megan; Duncanson, Kerith; Hutchesson, Melinda J; Burrows, Tracy

2015-08-01

It is not known whether individuals can accurately estimate the portion size of foods usually consumed relative to standard serving sizes in national food selection guides. The aim of the present cross-sectional pilot study was to quantify what adults and children deem a typical portion for a variety of foods and compare these with the serving sizes specified in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE). Adults and children were independently asked to serve out their typical portion of 10 common foods (rice, pasta, breakfast cereal, chocolate, confectionary, ice cream, meat, vegetables, soft drink and milk). They were also asked to serve what they perceived a small, medium and large portion of each food to be. Each portion was weighed and recorded by an assessor and compared with the standard AGHE serving sizes. Twenty-one individuals (nine mothers, one father, 11 children) participated in the study. There was a large degree of variability in portion sizes measured out by both parents and children, with means exceeding the standard AGHE serving size for all items, except for soft drink and milk, where mean portion sizes were less than the AGHE serving size. The greatest mean overestimations were for pasta (155%; mean 116 g; range 94-139 g) and chocolate (151%; mean 38 g; range 25-50 g), each of which represented approximately 1.5 standard AGHE servings. The findings of the present study indicate that there is variability between parents' and children's estimation of typical portion sizes compared with national recommendations. SO WHAT? Dietary interventions to improve individuals' dietary patterns should target education regarding portion size.

Chapter 18: Culture and Propagation of Microsporidia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The science of microsporidiology encompasses a diverse assemblage of pathogens from a large and varied group of hosts. The cultivation of microsporidia in vitro has served a critical role in studying the life cycle, metabolism, and pathogenesis of these parasites. Culture isolation has served as an...

Journal of the Plague Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Risman, Ann

2003-01-01

During an epidemic of cattle disease, British farmers' needs for information and communication were served by the establishment of a network that enabled farmers to borrow computers, receive training, and access the Internet. The program served 1,675 farmers, who were largely older learners without computer experience. (SK)

Cognition Enhancing Activity of Sulforaphane Against Scopolamine Induced Cognitive Impairment in Zebra Fish (Danio rerio).

PubMed

Rajesh, Venugopalan; Ilanthalir, Sakthivel

2016-10-01

Several epidemiological studies have shown that consumption of large quantities of vegetables especially cruciferous vegetables (Broccoli and Brussels sprouts) can protect against chronic diseases. Sulforaphane, an isothiocynate found in cruciferous vegetables has been demonstrated to have neuroprotective effects in several experimental paradigms. This study was undertaken to examine the effect of sulforaphane on cognitive impairment in zebra fish model using a novel method of fear conditioning. Initially, the normal behaviour of zebra fishes was studied in light-dark tank for 10 min daily for 10 days. Fishes were then divided into seven groups of twelve in each. Group I served as normal, group II served as fear conditioned control, group III and group IV were sulforaphane (25 µM/L) and piracetam (200 mg/L) treated respectively. Group V served as scopolamine (400 µM/L) induced memory impairment fishes. Group VI and VII were sulforaphane (25 µM/L) and piracetam (200 mg/L) treated scopolamine induced memory impairment groups respectively. In normal behavioural analysis, fishes preferred to stay in dark compartment. The average number of entries into the dark and time spent in dark were significantly more. Fishes in group II to VII were individually subjected to fear conditioning passive avoidance task and evaluated for learned task memory. It was observed that the average number of entries into dark and time spent in dark were significantly decreased. After exposure to respective treatment fishes in group III to VII were subjected to cognitive evaluation. There was no significant difference in cognition of group III and IV fishes exposed to sulforaphane and piracetam alone respectively. Fishes exposed to scopolamine showed a significant cognitive impairment. Sulforaphane exposure prior to scopolamine significantly retained the memory of learned task. These findings suggest that sulforaphane might be a promising therapeutic agent for cognitive enhancement in Alzheimer's disease.

Extraverted Children Are More Biased by Bowl Sizes than Introverts

PubMed Central

van Ittersum, Koert; Wansink, Brian

2013-01-01

Extraverted children are hypothesized to be most at risk for over-serving and overeating due to environmental cues – such as the size of dinnerware. A within-subject field study of elementary school students found that extraverted children served themselves 33.1% more cereal in larger bowls (16-oz) than in smaller (12-oz) bowls, whereas introverted children were unaffected by bowl size (+5.6%, ns). However, when children were asked by adults how much cereal they wanted to eat, both extraverted and introverted children requested more cereal when given a large versus small bowl. Insofar as extraverted children appear to be more biased by environmental cues, this pilot study suggests different serving styles are recommended for parents and other caregivers. They should serve extraverts, but allow introverts to serve themselves. Still, since the average child still served 23.2% more when serving themselves than when served by an adult, it might be best for caregivers to do the serving whenever possible – especially for extraverted children. PMID:24205166

A study and experiment plan for digital mobile communication via satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, J. J.; Craighill, E. J.; Evans, R. G.; Vincze, A. D.; Tom, N. N.

1978-01-01

The viability of mobile communications is examined within the context of a frequency division multiple access, single channel per carrier satellite system emphasizing digital techniques to serve a large population of users. The intent is to provide the mobile users with a grade of service consistant with the requirements for remote, rural (perhaps emergency) voice communications, but which approaches toll quality speech. A traffic model is derived on which to base the determination of the required maximum number of satellite channels to provide the anticipated level of service. Various voice digitalization and digital modulation schemes are reviewed along with a general link analysis of the mobile system. Demand assignment multiple access considerations and analysis tradeoffs are presented. Finally, a completed configuration is described.

Nonlinear optics of astaxanthin thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esser, A.; Fisch, Herbert; Haas, Karl-Heinz; Haedicke, E.; Paust, J.; Schrof, Wolfgang; Ticktin, Anton

1993-02-01

Carotinoids exhibit large nonlinear optical properties due to their extended (pi) -electron system. Compared to other polyenes which show a broad distribution of conjugation lengths, carotinoids exhibit a well defined molecular structure, i.e. a well defined conjugation length. Therefore the carotinoid molecules can serve as model compounds to study the relationship between structure and nonlinear optical properties. In this paper the synthesis of four astaxanthins with C-numbers ranging from 30 to 60, their preparation into thin films, wavelength dispersive Third Harmonic Generation (THG) measurements and some molecular modelling calculations will be presented. Resonant (chi) (3) values reach 1.2(DOT)10-10 esu for C60 astaxanthin. In the nonresonant regime a figure of merit (chi) (3)/(alpha) of several 10-13 esu-cm is demonstrated.

Flow cytogenetics and chromosome sorting.

PubMed

Cram, L S

1990-06-01

This review of flow cytogenetics and chromosome sorting provides an overview of general information in the field and describes recent developments in more detail. From the early developments of chromosome analysis involving single parameter or one color analysis to the latest developments in slit scanning of single chromosomes in a flow stream, the field has progressed rapidly and most importantly has served as an important enabling technology for the human genome project. Technological innovations that advanced flow cytogenetics are described and referenced. Applications in basic cell biology, molecular biology, and clinical investigations are presented. The necessary characteristics for large number chromosome sorting are highlighted. References to recent review articles are provided as a starting point for locating individual references that provide more detail. Specific references are provided for recent developments.

Fluid-dynamically coupled solid propellant combustion instability - cold flow simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben-Reuven, M.

1983-10-01

The near-wall processes in an injected, axisymmetric, viscous flow is examined. Solid propellant rocket instability, in which cold flow simulation is evaluated as a tool to elucidate possible instability driving mechanisms is studied. One such prominent mechanism seems to be visco-acoustic coupling. The formulation is presented in terms of a singular boundary layer problem, with detail (up to second order) given only to the near wall region. The injection Reynolds number is assumed large, and its inverse square root serves as an appropriate small perturbation quantity. The injected Mach number is also small, and taken of the same order as the aforesaid small quantity. The radial-dependence of the inner solutions up to second order is solved, in polynominal form. This leaves the (x,t) dependence to much simpler partial differential equations. Particular results demonstrate the existence of a first order pressure perturbation, which arises due to the dissipative near wall processes. This pressure and the associated viscous friction coefficient are shown to agree very well with experimental injected flow data.

Utilizing ORACLE tools within Unix

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

Ferguson, R.

1995-07-01

Large databases, by their very nature, often serve as repositories of data which may be needed by other systems. The transmission of this data to other systems has in the past involved several layers of human intervention. The Integrated Cargo Data Base (ICDB) developed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems for the Military Traffic Management Command as part of the Worldwide Port System provides data integration and worldwide tracking of cargo that passes through common-user ocean cargo ports. One of the key functions of ICDB is data distribution of a variety of data files to a number of other systems. Developmentmore » of automated data distribution procedures had to deal with the following constraints: (1) variable generation time for data files, (2) use of only current data for data files, (3) use of a minimum number of select statements, (4) creation of unique data files for multiple recipients, (5) automatic transmission of data files to recipients, and (6) avoidance of extensive and long-term data storage.« less

Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells as an Anti-Cancer Trojan Horse

PubMed Central

Nowakowski, Adam; Drela, Katarzyna; Rozycka, Justyna; Janowski, Miroslaw

2016-01-01

Cell-based gene therapy holds a great promise for the treatment of human malignancy. Among different cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as valuable anti-cancer agents that have the potential to be used to treat a number of different cancer types. They have inherent migratory properties, which allow them to serve as vehicles for delivering effective therapy to isolated tumors and metastases. MSCs have been engineered to express anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, and anti-angiogenic agents that specifically target different cancers. Another field of interest is to modify MSCs with the cytokines that activate pro-tumorigenic immunity or to use them as carriers for the traditional chemical compounds that possess the properties of anti-cancer drugs. Although there is still controversy about the exact function of MSCs in the tumor settings, the encouraging results from the preclinical studies of MSC-based gene therapy for a large number of tumors support the initiation of clinical trials. PMID:27460260

agriGO v2.0: a GO analysis toolkit for the agricultural community, 2017 update

PubMed Central

Tian, Tian; Liu, Yue; Yan, Hengyu; You, Qi; Yi, Xin; Du, Zhou

2017-01-01

Abstract The agriGO platform, which has been serving the scientific community for >10 years, specifically focuses on gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses of plant and agricultural species. We continuously maintain and update the databases and accommodate the various requests of our global users. Here, we present our updated agriGO that has a largely expanded number of supporting species (394) and datatypes (865). In addition, a larger number of species have been classified into groups covering crops, vegetables, fish, birds and insects closely related to the agricultural community. We further improved the computational efficiency, including the batch analysis and P-value distribution (PVD), and the user-friendliness of the web pages. More visualization features were added to the platform, including SEACOMPARE (cross comparison of singular enrichment analysis), direct acyclic graph (DAG) and Scatter Plots, which can be merged by choosing any significant GO term. The updated platform agriGO v2.0 is now publicly accessible at http://systemsbiology.cau.edu.cn/agriGOv2/. PMID:28472432

Hierarchical Time-Lagged Independent Component Analysis: Computing Slow Modes and Reaction Coordinates for Large Molecular Systems.

PubMed

Pérez-Hernández, Guillermo; Noé, Frank

2016-12-13

Analysis of molecular dynamics, for example using Markov models, often requires the identification of order parameters that are good indicators of the rare events, i.e. good reaction coordinates. Recently, it has been shown that the time-lagged independent component analysis (TICA) finds the linear combinations of input coordinates that optimally represent the slow kinetic modes and may serve in order to define reaction coordinates between the metastable states of the molecular system. A limitation of the method is that both computing time and memory requirements scale with the square of the number of input features. For large protein systems, this exacerbates the use of extensive feature sets such as the distances between all pairs of residues or even heavy atoms. Here we derive a hierarchical TICA (hTICA) method that approximates the full TICA solution by a hierarchical, divide-and-conquer calculation. By using hTICA on distances between heavy atoms we identify previously unknown relaxation processes in the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor.

Leveraging annotation-based modeling with Jump.

PubMed

Bergmayr, Alexander; Grossniklaus, Michael; Wimmer, Manuel; Kappel, Gerti

2018-01-01

The capability of UML profiles to serve as annotation mechanism has been recognized in both research and industry. Today's modeling tools offer profiles specific to platforms, such as Java, as they facilitate model-based engineering approaches. However, considering the large number of possible annotations in Java, manually developing the corresponding profiles would only be achievable by huge development and maintenance efforts. Thus, leveraging annotation-based modeling requires an automated approach capable of generating platform-specific profiles from Java libraries. To address this challenge, we present the fully automated transformation chain realized by Jump, thereby continuing existing mapping efforts between Java and UML by emphasizing on annotations and profiles. The evaluation of Jump shows that it scales for large Java libraries and generates profiles of equal or even improved quality compared to profiles currently used in practice. Furthermore, we demonstrate the practical value of Jump by contributing profiles that facilitate reverse engineering and forward engineering processes for the Java platform by applying it to a modernization scenario.

Amphibian and Avian Karyotype Evolution: Insights from Lampbrush Chromosome Studies

PubMed Central

Zlotina, Anna; Dedukh, Dmitry; Krasikova, Alla

2017-01-01

Amphibian and bird karyotypes typically have a complex organization, which makes them difficult for standard cytogenetic analysis. That is, amphibian chromosomes are generally large, enriched with repetitive elements, and characterized by the absence of informative banding patterns. The majority of avian karyotypes comprise a small number of relatively large macrochromosomes and numerous tiny morphologically undistinguishable microchromosomes. A good progress in investigation of amphibian and avian chromosome evolution became possible with the usage of giant lampbrush chromosomes typical for growing oocytes. Due to the giant size, peculiarities of organization and enrichment with cytological markers, lampbrush chromosomes can serve as an opportune model for comprehensive high-resolution cytogenetic and cytological investigations. Here, we review the main findings on chromosome evolution in amphibians and birds that were obtained using lampbrush chromosomes. In particular, we discuss the data on evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements, accumulation of polymorphisms, evolution of sex chromosomes as well as chromosomal changes during clonal reproduction of interspecies hybrids. PMID:29117127

Can Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Stromal Cells Serve a Starting Material for Myoblasts?

PubMed Central

Ando, Yu; Saito, Marie; Machida, Masakazu; Yoshida-Noro, Chikako; Akutsu, Hidenori; Takahashi, Masataka

2017-01-01

A large number of myocytes are necessary to treat intractable muscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy with cell-based therapies. However, starting materials for cellular therapy products such as myoblasts, marrow stromal cells, menstrual blood-derived cells, and placenta-derived cells have a limited lifespan and cease to proliferate in vitro. From the viewpoints of manufacturing and quality control, cells with a long lifespan are more suitable as a starting material. In this study, we generated stromal cells for future myoblast therapy from a working cell bank of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The ESC-derived CD105+ cells with extensive in vitro proliferation capability exhibited myogenesis and genetic stability in vitro. These results imply that ESC-derived CD105+ cells are another cell source for myoblasts in cell-based therapy for patients with genetic muscular disorders. Since ESCs are immortal, mesenchymal stromal cells generated from ESCs can be manufactured at a large scale in one lot for pharmaceutical purposes. PMID:28706537

Chefs' opinions of restaurant portion sizes.

PubMed

Condrasky, Marge; Ledikwe, Jenny H; Flood, Julie E; Rolls, Barbara J

2007-08-01

The objectives were to determine who establishes restaurant portion sizes and factors that influence these decisions, and to examine chefs' opinions regarding portion size, nutrition information, and weight management. A survey was distributed to chefs to obtain information about who is responsible for determining restaurant portion sizes, factors influencing restaurant portion sizes, what food portion sizes are being served in restaurants, and chefs' opinions regarding nutrition information, health, and body weight. The final sample consisted of 300 chefs attending various culinary meetings. Executive chefs were identified as being primarily responsible for establishing portion sizes served in restaurants. Factors reported to have a strong influence on restaurant portion sizes included presentation of foods, food cost, and customer expectations. While 76% of chefs thought that they served "regular" portions, the actual portions of steak and pasta they reported serving were 2 to 4 times larger than serving sizes recommended by the U.S government. Chefs indicated that they believe that the amount of food served influences how much patrons consume and that large portions are a problem for weight control, but their opinions were mixed regarding whether it is the customer's responsibility to eat an appropriate amount when served a large portion of food. Portion size is a key determinant of energy intake, and the results from this study suggest that cultural norms and economic value strongly influence the determination of restaurant portion sizes. Strategies are needed to encourage chefs to provide and promote portions that are appropriate for customers' energy requirements.

Young Children's Number Sense Development: Age Related Complexity across Cases of Three Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yilmaz, Zuhal

2017-01-01

Children start to develop number sense even well before they start the school. Developing number sense serves as an intermediate tool for learning conventional mathematics taught in schools. This number sense has three key areas: number knowledge, counting and arithmetic operations. As a result, the aim of this study was to examine aged related…

Online Job Allocation with Hard Allocation Ratio Requirement (Author’s Manuscript)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-14

where each job can only be served by a subset of servers. Such a problem exists in many emerging Internet services, such as YouTube , Netflix, etc. For...example, in the case of YouTube , each video is replicated only in a small number of servers, and each server can only serve a limited number of...streams simultaneously. When a user accesses YouTube and makes a request to watch a video, this request needs to be allocated to one of the servers that

Estimation abilities of large numerosities in Kindergartners

PubMed Central

Mejias, Sandrine; Schiltz, Christine

2013-01-01

The approximate number system (ANS) is thought to be a building block for the elaboration of formal mathematics. However, little is known about how this core system develops and if it can be influenced by external factors at a young age (before the child enters formal numeracy education). The purpose of this study was to examine numerical magnitude representations of 5–6 year old children at 2 different moments of Kindergarten considering children's early number competence as well as schools' socio-economic index (SEI). This study investigated estimation abilities of large numerosities using symbolic and non-symbolic output formats (8–64). In addition, we assessed symbolic and non-symbolic early number competence (1–12) at the end of the 2nd (N = 42) and the 3rd (N = 32) Kindergarten grade. By letting children freely produce estimates we observed surprising estimation abilities at a very young age (from 5 year on) extending far beyond children's symbolic explicit knowledge. Moreover, the time of testing has an impact on the ANS accuracy since 3rd Kindergarteners were more precise in both estimation tasks. Additionally, children who presented better exact symbolic knowledge were also those with the most refined ANS. However, this was true only for 3rd Kindergarteners who were a few months from receiving math instructions. In a similar vein, higher SEI positively impacted only the oldest children's estimation abilities whereas it played a role for exact early number competences already in 2nd and 3rd graders. Our results support the view that approximate numerical representations are linked to exact number competence in young children before the start of formal math education and might thus serve as building blocks for mathematical knowledge. Since this core number system was also sensitive to external components such as the SEI this implies that it can most probably be targeted and refined through specific educational strategies from preschool on. PMID:24009591

Does the Approximate Number System Serve as a Foundation for Symbolic Mathematics?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szkudlarek, Emily; Brannon, Elizabeth M.

2017-01-01

In this article we first review evidence for the approximate number system (ANS), an evolutionarily ancient and developmentally conservative cognitive mechanism for representing number without language. We then critically review five different lines of support for the proposal that symbolic representations of number build upon the ANS, and discuss…

Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Patterns, Predictions, and Implications for Informing Policy Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Vasti; Zerquera, Desiree

2012-01-01

This article seeks to identify and assess the readiness of "Potential" Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)--institutions located within Latino communities projected to increase the number of Latino/a high school graduates. Institutions are described based on evaluation of institutional missions, planning documents, programs, and marketing…

The Human Touch: Geospatial Engineering Meets Local Afghans

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

flat- bread , sweet cream, water, and tea to serve our guests when visiting elders came to the gate of our forward operating base. This flexibility was...meeting room, where we made introductions, engaged in small talk, and exchanged cell phone numbers. Refreshments were served as we began talking about

SCHOOL LUNCH DESIGN CRITERIA, 1965.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BAILEY, THOMAS D.

IN ORDER TO SERVE AS A GUIDE FOR ARCHITECTS, COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS, AND SCHOOL LUNCH SUPERVISORS, THIS REPORT SPECIFIES CRITERIA FOR SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAMS. AREAS DISCUSSED INCLUDE--(1) SELECTION, PROCUREMENT, AND INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE NUMBER OF MEALS TO BE SERVED, (2) REQUIREMENTS FOR FUTURE EXPANSION, (3) SANITATION AND…

32 CFR 865.3 - Application procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... member served. (2) The member's social security number or Air Force service number. (3) The applicant's.... Applicants may withdraw an application at any time before the Board's decision. Withdrawal does not stay the...

The "New" Competition: Serving the Learning Society in an Electronic Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Khawas, Elaine

1999-01-01

Examines the changing environment for serving adult learners, with special attention to new modes of delivering instruction: distance education; use of information technology; emphasis on convenience; focus on special markets; and emergence of large-scale, profit-driven enterprises. Argues that, to develop an effective response, universities must…

Hacking DNA copy number for circuit engineering.

PubMed

Wu, Feilun; You, Lingchong

2017-07-27

DNA copy number represents an essential parameter in the dynamics of synthetic gene circuits but typically is not explicitly considered. A new study demonstrates how dynamic control of DNA copy number can serve as an effective strategy to program robust oscillations in gene expression circuits.

Extreme-phenotype genome-wide association study (XP-GWAS): a method for identifying trait-associated variants by sequencing pools of individuals selected from a diversity panel.

PubMed

Yang, Jinliang; Jiang, Haiying; Yeh, Cheng-Ting; Yu, Jianming; Jeddeloh, Jeffrey A; Nettleton, Dan; Schnable, Patrick S

2015-11-01

Although approaches for performing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are well developed, conventional GWAS requires high-density genotyping of large numbers of individuals from a diversity panel. Here we report a method for performing GWAS that does not require genotyping of large numbers of individuals. Instead XP-GWAS (extreme-phenotype GWAS) relies on genotyping pools of individuals from a diversity panel that have extreme phenotypes. This analysis measures allele frequencies in the extreme pools, enabling discovery of associations between genetic variants and traits of interest. This method was evaluated in maize (Zea mays) using the well-characterized kernel row number trait, which was selected to enable comparisons between the results of XP-GWAS and conventional GWAS. An exome-sequencing strategy was used to focus sequencing resources on genes and their flanking regions. A total of 0.94 million variants were identified and served as evaluation markers; comparisons among pools showed that 145 of these variants were statistically associated with the kernel row number phenotype. These trait-associated variants were significantly enriched in regions identified by conventional GWAS. XP-GWAS was able to resolve several linked QTL and detect trait-associated variants within a single gene under a QTL peak. XP-GWAS is expected to be particularly valuable for detecting genes or alleles responsible for quantitative variation in species for which extensive genotyping resources are not available, such as wild progenitors of crops, orphan crops, and other poorly characterized species such as those of ecological interest. © 2015 The Authors The Plant Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Time Processing in Dyscalculia

PubMed Central

Cappelletti, Marinella; Freeman, Elliot D.; Butterworth, Brian L.

2011-01-01

To test whether atypical number development may affect other types of quantity processing, we investigated temporal discrimination in adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD). This also allowed us to test whether number and time may be sub-served by a common quantity system or decision mechanisms: if they do, both should be impaired in dyscalculia, but if number and time are distinct they should dissociate. Participants judged which of two successively presented horizontal lines was longer in duration, the first line being preceded by either a small or a large number prime (“1” or “9”) or by a neutral symbol (“#”), or in a third task participants decided which of two Arabic numbers (either “1,” “5,” “9”) lasted longer. Results showed that (i) DD’s temporal discriminability was normal as long as numbers were not part of the experimental design, even as task-irrelevant stimuli; however (ii) task-irrelevant numbers dramatically disrupted DD’s temporal discriminability the more their salience increased, though the actual magnitude of the numbers had no effect; in contrast (iii) controls’ time perception was robust to the presence of numbers but modulated by numerical quantity: therefore small number primes or numerical stimuli seemed to make durations appear shorter than veridical, but longer for larger numerical prime or numerical stimuli. This study is the first to show spared temporal discrimination – a dimension of continuous quantity – in a population with a congenital number impairment. Our data reinforce the idea of a partially shared quantity system across numerical and temporal dimensions, which supports both dissociations and interactions among dimensions; however, they suggest that impaired number in DD is unlikely to originate from systems initially dedicated to continuous quantity processing like time. PMID:22194731

Time processing in dyscalculia.

PubMed

Cappelletti, Marinella; Freeman, Elliot D; Butterworth, Brian L

2011-01-01

To test whether atypical number development may affect other types of quantity processing, we investigated temporal discrimination in adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD). This also allowed us to test whether number and time may be sub-served by a common quantity system or decision mechanisms: if they do, both should be impaired in dyscalculia, but if number and time are distinct they should dissociate. Participants judged which of two successively presented horizontal lines was longer in duration, the first line being preceded by either a small or a large number prime ("1" or "9") or by a neutral symbol ("#"), or in a third task participants decided which of two Arabic numbers (either "1," "5," "9") lasted longer. Results showed that (i) DD's temporal discriminability was normal as long as numbers were not part of the experimental design, even as task-irrelevant stimuli; however (ii) task-irrelevant numbers dramatically disrupted DD's temporal discriminability the more their salience increased, though the actual magnitude of the numbers had no effect; in contrast (iii) controls' time perception was robust to the presence of numbers but modulated by numerical quantity: therefore small number primes or numerical stimuli seemed to make durations appear shorter than veridical, but longer for larger numerical prime or numerical stimuli. This study is the first to show spared temporal discrimination - a dimension of continuous quantity - in a population with a congenital number impairment. Our data reinforce the idea of a partially shared quantity system across numerical and temporal dimensions, which supports both dissociations and interactions among dimensions; however, they suggest that impaired number in DD is unlikely to originate from systems initially dedicated to continuous quantity processing like time.

Resident-Assisted Montessori Programming (RAMP): training persons with dementia to serve as group activity leaders.

PubMed

Camp, Cameron J; Skrajner, Michael J

2004-06-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an activity implemented by means of Resident-Assisted Montessori Programming (RAMP). Four persons with early-stage dementia were trained to serve as leaders for a small-group activity played by nine persons with more advanced dementia. Assessments of leaders' ability to learn the procedures of leading a group, as well as their satisfaction with this role, were taken, as were measures of players' engagement and affect during standard activities programming and RAMP activities. Leaders demonstrated the potential to fill the role of group activity leader effectively, and they expressed a high level of satisfaction with this role. Players' levels of positive engagement and pleasure during the RAMP activity were higher than during standard group activities. This study suggests that to the extent that procedural learning is available to persons with early-stage dementia, especially when they are assisted with external cueing, these individuals can successfully fill the role of volunteers when working with persons with more advanced dementia. This can provide a meaningful social role for leaders and increase access to high quality activities programming for large numbers of persons with dementia. Copyright 2004 The Gerontological Society of America

MCNP and GADRAS Comparisons

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

Klasky, Marc Louis; Myers, Steven Charles; James, Michael R.

To facilitate the timely execution of System Threat Reviews (STRs) for DNDO, and also to develop a methodology for performing STRs, LANL performed comparisons of several radiation transport codes (MCNP, GADRAS, and Gamma-Designer) that have been previously utilized to compute radiation signatures. While each of these codes has strengths, it is of paramount interest to determine the limitations of each of the respective codes and also to identify the most time efficient means by which to produce computational results, given the large number of parametric cases that are anticipated in performing STR's. These comparisons serve to identify regions of applicabilitymore » for each code and provide estimates of uncertainty that may be anticipated. Furthermore, while performing these comparisons, examination of the sensitivity of the results to modeling assumptions was also examined. These investigations serve to enable the creation of the LANL methodology for performing STRs. Given the wide variety of radiation test sources, scenarios, and detectors, LANL calculated comparisons of the following parameters: decay data, multiplicity, device (n,γ) leakages, and radiation transport through representative scenes and shielding. This investigation was performed to understand potential limitations utilizing specific codes for different aspects of the STR challenges.« less

PROVIDING WOMEN, KEPT MEN

PubMed Central

Mojola, Sanyu A

2014-01-01

This paper draws on ethnographic and interview based fieldwork to explore accounts of intimate relationships between widowed women and poor young men that emerged in the wake of economic crisis and a devastating HIV epidemic among the Luo ethnic group in Western Kenya. I show how the cooptation of widow inheritance practices in the wake of an overwhelming number of widows as well as economic crisis resulted in widows becoming providing women and poor young men becoming kept men. I illustrate how widows in this setting, by performing a set of practices central to what it meant to be a man in this society – pursuing and providing for their partners - were effectively doing masculinity. I will also show how young men, rather than being feminized by being kept, deployed other sets of practices to prove their masculinity and live in a manner congruent with cultural ideals. I argue that ultimately, women’s practice of masculinity in large part seemed to serve patriarchal ends. It not only facilitated the fulfillment of patriarchal expectations of femininity – to being inherited – but also served, in the end, to provide a material base for young men’s deployment of legitimizing and culturally valued sets of masculine practice. PMID:25489121

Health care worker decompression sickness: incidence, risk and mitigation.

PubMed

Clarke, Richard

2017-01-01

Inadvertent exposure to radiation, chemical agents and biological factors are well recognized hazards associated with the health care delivery system. Less well appreciated yet no less harmful is risk of decompression sickness in those who accompany patients as inside attendants (IAs) during provision of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Unlike the above hazards where avoidance is practiced, IA exposure to decompression sickness risk is unavoidable. While overall incidence is low, when calculated as number of cases over number of exposures or potential for a case during any given exposure, employee cumulative risk, defined here as number of cases over number of IAs, or risk that an IA may suffer a case, is not. Commonly, this unique occupational environmental injury responds favorably to therapeutic recompression and a period of recuperation. There are, however, permanent and career-ending consequences, and at least two nurses have succumbed to their decompression insults. The intent of this paper is to heighten awareness of hyperbaric attendant decompression sickness. It will serve as a review of reported cases and reconcile incidence against largely ignored individual worker risk. Mitigation strategies are summarized and an approach to more precisely identify risk factors that might prompt development of consensus screening standards is proposed. Copyright© Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.

Examining the accuracy of foodservice in a hospital setting.

PubMed

Glover, N S; Keane, T M

1984-09-01

Although a great deal of research has been conducted to determine the appropriate diets for the prevention and treatment of various illnesses, there is very little in the literature about research that directly assesses the accuracy of the prescribed diets served to patients in a hospital setting. The present study was designed to evaluate the accuracy of meals served to patients by identifying critical errors and more general errors on trays about to be served. The results indicated that the error rate was greater on weekends and holidays than during the week. Significantly, a correlational analysis revealed that error rate was inversely related to the total number of foodservice supervisors and more specifically to the number of food production supervisors and registered dietitians present. The implications of the results for possible interventions and training are discussed.

Contribution to the development of a food guide in Benin: linear programming for the optimization of local diets.

PubMed

Levesque, Sarah; Delisle, Hélène; Agueh, Victoire

2015-03-01

Food guides are important tools for nutrition education. While developing a food guide in Benin, the objective was to determine the daily number of servings per food group and the portion sizes of common foods to be recommended. Linear programming (LP) was used to determine, for each predefined food group, the optimal number and size of servings of commonly consumed foods. Two types of constraints were introduced into the LP models: (i) WHO/FAO Recommended Nutrient Intakes and dietary guidelines for the prevention of chronic diseases; and (ii) dietary patterns based on local food consumption data recently collected in southern Benin in 541 adults. Dietary intakes of the upper tertile of participants for diet quality based on prevention and micronutrient adequacy scores were used in the LP algorithms. Southern area of the Republic of Benin. Local key-players in nutrition (n 30) from the government, academic institutions, international organizations and civil society were partners in the development of the food guide directed at the population. The number of servings per food group and the portion size for eight age-sex groups were determined. For four limiting micronutrients (Fe, Ca, folate and Zn), local diets could be optimized to meet only 70 % of the Recommended Nutrient Intakes, not 100 %. It was possible to determine the daily number of servings and the portion sizes of common foods that can be recommended in Benin with the help of LP to optimize local diets, although Recommended Nutrient Intakes were not fully met for a few critical micronutrients.

Pulsatile Flow Across a Cylinder--An Investigation of Flow in a Total Artificial Lung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yu-Chun

2005-11-01

The effect of pulsatility on flow across a single cylinder has been examined experimentally using particle image velocimetry. This work is motivated by the ongoing development of a total artificial lung (TAL), a device which would serve as a bridge to lung transplant. The prototype TAL consists of hollow microfibers through which oxygen-rich gas flows and blood flows around. Flow through the device is provided entirely by right heart and, therefore, is puslatile. The Peclet number of the flow is large and consequently the development of secondary flow affects the resulting gas exchange. The effects of frequency and average flow rate of pulsatile flow around a cylinder were investigated experimentally in a water tunnel and some of the results were compared with preliminary numerical results. Vortices developed behind the cylinder at lower Reynolds numbers in pulsatile flow than steady flow. The results indicate that there are critical values of the Reynolds number between 3 to 5 and Stokes numbers of 0.22, below which vortices were not observed. The findings suggest that higher Stokes and Reynolds numbers within the device could enhance vortex formation. However, this enhanced gas exchange could be at the expense of higher device resistance and increased likelihood of blood trauma. Intelligent TAL design will require consideration of these effects. This work is supported by NIH grant HL69420.

[Distributions of the numbers of monitoring stations in the surveillance of infectious diseases in Japan].

PubMed

Murakami, Y; Hashimoto, S; Taniguchi, K; Nagai, M

1999-12-01

To describe the characteristics of monitoring stations for the infectious disease surveillance system in Japan, we compared the distributions of the number of monitoring stations in terms of population, region, size of medical institution, and medical specialty. The distributions of annual number of reported cases in terms of the type of diseases, the size of medical institution, and medical specialty were also compared. We conducted a nationwide survey of the pediatrics stations (16 diseases), ophthalmology stations (3 diseases) and the stations of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) (5 diseases) in Japan. In the survey, we collected the data of monitoring stations and the annual reported cases of diseases. We also collected the data on the population, served by the health center where the monitoring stations existed, from the census. First, we compared the difference between the present number of monitoring stations and the current standard established by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW). Second, we compared the distribution of all medical institutions in Japan and the monitoring stations in terms of the size of the medical institution. Third, we compared the average number of annual reported cases of diseases in terms of the size of medical institution and the medical specialty. In most health centers, the number of monitoring stations achieved the current standard of MHW, while a few health centers had no monitoring station, although they had a large population. Most prefectures also achieved the current standard of MHW, but some prefectures were well below the standard. Among pediatric stations, the sampling proportion of large hospitals was higher than other categories. Among the ophthalmology stations, the sampling proportion of hospitals was higher than other categories. Among the STD stations, the sampling proportion of clinics of obstetrics and gynecology was lower than other categories. Except for some diseases, it made little difference in the average number of annual reported cases of diseases in terms of the type of medical institution. Among STD, there was a great difference in the average number of annual reported cases of diseases in terms of medical specialty.

Branch number matters: Promoting catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol over gold nanostars by raising the number of branches and coating with mesoporous SiO2.

PubMed

Ndokoye, Pancras; Zhao, Qidong; Li, Xinyong; Li, Tingting; Tade, Moses O; Wang, Shaobin

2016-09-01

In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that highly branched gold nanostars (AuNSs) and silica-coated AuNSs (AuNSs@mSiO2) could potentially serve as efficient hydrogenation catalysts. The catalytic activity could be promoted by raising the number of tipped-branches of AuNSs, which reveals that the tips play an important role as active sites. The fabricated sharply-pointed AuNSs benefit the electron transfer from BH4 anions to 4-nitrophenol. Coating AuNSs with mesoporous silica (AuNSs@mSiO2) further enhanced the reduction rate and recyclability, and also contributed to reducing the induction period. The AuNSs@mSiO2 (50-100nm in diameter) are large enough to be catalytically inactive, but they consist of sharply-pointed tips with the radius of 2.6-3.6nm, which are rich in coordinately unsaturated sites similar to those of nanoparticles and clusters. Such features in structure and activity would also extend their application range in heterogeneous catalysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Designing and Developing Web-Based Administrative Tools for Program Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gutensohn, Michael

2017-01-01

The task assigned for this internship was to develop a new tool for tracking projects, their subsystems, the leads, backups, and other employees assigned to them, as well as all the relevant information related to the employee (WBS (time charge) codes, time distribution, certifications, and assignments). Currently, this data is tracked manually using a number of different spreadsheets and other tools simultaneously by a number of different people; some of these documents are then merged into one large document. This often leads to inconsistencies and loss in data due to human error. By simplifying the process of tracking this data and aggregating it into a single tool, it is possible to significantly decrease the potential for human error and time spent collecting and checking this information. II. Objective The main objective of this internship is to develop a web-based tool using Ruby on Rails to serve as a method of easily tracking projects, subsystems, and points of contact, along with employees, their assignments, time distribution, certifications, and contact information. Additionally, this tool must be capable of generating a number of different reports based on the data collected. It was important that this tool deliver all of this information using a readable and intuitive interface.

Serial analysis of gene expression in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

PubMed

Huang, Jianhua; Miao, Xuexia; Jin, Weirong; Couble, Pierre; Mita, Kasuei; Zhang, Yong; Liu, Wenbin; Zhuang, Leijun; Shen, Yan; Keime, Celine; Gandrillon, Olivier; Brouilly, Patrick; Briolay, Jerome; Zhao, Guoping; Huang, Yongping

2005-08-01

The silkworm Bombyx mori is one of the most economically important insects and serves as a model for Lepidoptera insects. We used serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to derive profiles of expressed genes during the developmental life cycle of the silkworm and to create a reference for understanding silkworm metamorphosis. We generated four SAGE libraries, one from each of the four developmental stages of the silkworm. In total we obtained 257,964 SAGE tags, of which 39,485 were unique tags. Sorted by copy number, 14.1% of the unique tags were detected at a median to high level (five or more copies), 24.2% at lower levels (two to four copies), and 61.7% as single copies. Using a basic local alignment search tool on the EST database, 35% of the tags matched known silkworm expressed sequence tags. SAGE demonstrated that a number of the genes were up- or down-regulated during the four developmental phases of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Furthermore, we found that the generation of longer cDNA fragments from SAGE tags constituted the most efficient method of gene identification, which facilitated the analysis of a large number of unknown genes.

Large optical 3D MEMS switches in access networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madamopoulos, Nicholas; Kaman, Volkan; Yuan, Shifu; Jerphagnon, Olivier; Helkey, Roger; Bowers, John E.

2007-09-01

Interest is high among residential customers and businesses for advanced, broadband services such as fast Internet access, electronic commerce, video-on-demand, digital broadcasting, teleconferencing and telemedicine. In order to satisfy such growing demand of end-customers, access technologies such as fiber-to-the-home/building (FTTH/B) are increasingly being deployed. Carriers can reduce maintenance costs, minimize technology obsolescence and introduce new services easily by reducing active elements in the fiber access network. However, having a passive optical network (PON) also introduces operational and maintenance challenges. Increased diagnostic monitoring capability of the network becomes a necessity as more and more fibers are provisioned to deliver services to the end-customers. This paper demonstrates the clear advantages that large 3D optical MEMS switches offer in solving these access network problems. The advantages in preventative maintenance, remote monitoring, test and diagnostic capability are highlighted. The low optical insertion loss for all switch optical connections of the switch enables the monitoring, grooming and serving of a large number of PON lines and customers. Furthermore, the 3D MEMS switch is transparent to optical wavelengths and data formats, thus making it easy to incorporate future upgrades, such higher bit rates or DWDM overlay to a PON.

Cross sections and beam asymmetries for e→p→enπ+ in the nucleon resonance region for 1.7⩽Q2⩽4.5 GeV2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, K.; Burkert, V. D.; Kim, W.; Aznauryan, I. G.; Minehart, R.; Smith, L. C.; Joo, K.; Elouadrhiri, L.; Adams, G.; Amaryan, M. J.; Ambrozewicz, P.; Anghinolfi, M.; Asryan, G.; Avakian, H.; Bagdasaryan, H.; Baillie, N.; Ball, J. P.; Baltzell, N. A.; Barrow, S.; Batourine, V.; Battaglieri, M.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Bektasoglu, M.; Bellis, M.; Benmouna, N.; Berman, B. L.; Biselli, A. S.; Blaszczyk, L.; Bonner, B. E.; Bookwalter, C.; Bouchigny, S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bradford, R.; Branford, D.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Butuceanu, C.; Calarco, J. R.; Careccia, S. L.; Carman, D. S.; Casey, L.; Cazes, A.; Chen, S.; Cheng, L.; Cole, P. L.; Collins, P.; Coltharp, P.; Cords, D.; Corvisiero, P.; Crabb, D.; Crede, V.; Cummings, J. P.; Dale, D.; Dashyan, N.; Masi, R. De; Vita, R. De; Sanctis, E. De; Degtyarenko, P. V.; Denizli, H.; Dennis, L.; Deur, A.; Dhamija, S.; Dharmawardane, K. V.; Dhuga, K. S.; Dickson, R.; Djalali, C.; Dodge, G. E.; Donnelly, J.; Doughty, D.; Dugger, M.; Dytman, S.; Dzyubak, O. P.; Egiyan, H.; Egiyan, K. S.; Fassi, L. El; Eugenio, P.; Fatemi, R.; Fedotov, G.; Feldman, G.; Feuerbach, R. J.; Forest, T. A.; Fradi, A.; Funsten, H.; Gabrielyan, M. Y.; Garçon, M.; Gavalian, G.; Gevorgyan, N.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Goetz, J. T.; Gohn, W.; Golovatch, E.; Gonenc, A.; Gordon, C. I. O.; Gothe, R. W.; Graham, L.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guidal, M.; Guillo, M.; Guler, N.; Guo, L.; Gyurjyan, V.; Hadjidakis, C.; Hafidi, K.; Hafnaoui, K.; Hakobyan, H.; Hakobyan, R. S.; Hanretty, C.; Hardie, J.; Hassall, N.; Heddle, D.; Hersman, F. W.; Hicks, K.; Hleiqawi, I.; Holtrop, M.; Hyde-Wright, C. E.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Isupov, E. L.; Ito, M. M.; Jenkins, D.; Jo, H. S.; Johnstone, J. R.; Juengst, H. G.; Kalantarians, N.; Keller, D.; Kellie, J. D.; Khandaker, M.; Kim, K. Y.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Klimenko, A. V.; Klusman, M.; Kossov, M.; Krahn, Z.; Kramer, L. H.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, J.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Kuznetsov, V.; Lachniet, J.; Laget, J. M.; Langheinrich, J.; Lawrence, D.; Lee, T.; Li, Ji; Lima, A. C. S.; Livingston, K.; Lu, H. Y.; Lukashin, K.; MacCormick, M.; Markov, N.; Mattione, P.; McAleer, S.; McKinnon, B.; McNabb, J. W. C.; Mecking, B. A.; Mehrabyan, S.; Melone, J. J.; Mestayer, M. D.; Meyer, C. A.; Mibe, T.; Mikhailov, K.; Mirazita, M.; Miskimen, R.; Mokeev, V.; Morand, L.; Moreno, B.; Moriya, K.; Morrow, S. A.; Moteabbed, M.; Mueller, J.; Munevar, E.; Mutchler, G. S.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Nasseripour, R.; Niccolai, S.; Niculescu, G.; Niculescu, I.; Niczyporuk, B. B.; Niroula, M. R.; Niyazov, R. A.; Nozar, M.; O'Rielly, G. V.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Park, S.; Pasyuk, E.; Paterson, C.; Pereira, S. Anefalos; Philips, S. A.; Pierce, J.; Pivnyuk, N.; Pocanic, D.; Pogorelko, O.; Polli, E.; Popa, I.; Pozdniakov, S.; Preedom, B. M.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Protopopescu, D.; Qin, L. M.; Raue, B. A.; Riccardi, G.; Ricco, G.; Ripani, M.; Ritchie, B. G.; Ronchetti, F.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Rowntree, D.; Rubin, P. D.; Sabatié, F.; Saini, M. S.; Salamanca, J.; Salgado, C.; Santoro, J. P.; Sapunenko, V.; Schott, D.; Schumacher, R. A.; Serov, V. S.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Sharov, D.; Shaw, J.; Shvedunov, N. V.; Skabelin, A. V.; Smith, E. S.; Sober, D. I.; Sokhan, D.; Stavinsky, A.; Stepanyan, S. S.; Stepanyan, S.; Stokes, B. E.; Stoler, P.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Suleiman, R.; Taiuti, M.; Takeuchi, T.; Tedeschi, D. J.; Tkabladze, A.; Tkachenko, S.; Todor, L.; Tur, C.; Ungaro, M.; Vineyard, M. F.; Vlassov, A. V.; Watts, D. P.; Weinstein, L. B.; Weygand, D. P.; Williams, M.; Wolin, E.; Wood, M. H.; Yegneswaran, A.; Yun, J.; Yurov, M.; Zana, L.; Zhang, B.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, B.; Zhao, Z. W.

2008-01-01

The exclusive electroproduction process e→p→e'nπ+ was measured in the range of the photon virtuality Q2=1.7-4.5GeV2, and the invariant mass range for the nπ+ system of W=1.15-1.7GeV using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. For the first time, these kinematics are probed in exclusive π+ production from protons with nearly full coverage in the azimuthal and polar angles of the nπ+ center-of-mass system. The nπ+ channel has particular sensitivity to the isospin ½ excited nucleon states, and together with the pπ0 final state will serve to determine the transition form factors of a large number of resonances. The largest discrepancy between these results and present modes was seen in the σLT' structure function. In this experiment, 31,295 cross section and 4,184 asymmetry data points were measured. Because of the large volume of data, only a reduced set of structure functions and Legendre polynomial moments can be presented that are obtained in model-independent fits to the differential cross sections.

Massive Sorghum Collection Genotyped with SSR Markers to Enhance Use of Global Genetic Resources

PubMed Central

Bouchet, Sophie; Chantereau, Jacques; Deu, Monique; Gardes, Laetitia; Noyer, Jean-Louis; Rami, Jean-François; Rivallan, Ronan; Li, Yu; Lu, Ping; Wang, Tianyu; Folkertsma, Rolf T.; Arnaud, Elizabeth; Upadhyaya, Hari D.; Glaszmann, Jean-Christophe; Hash, C. Thomas

2013-01-01

Large ex situ collections require approaches for sampling manageable amounts of germplasm for in-depth characterization and use. We present here a large diversity survey in sorghum with 3367 accessions and 41 reference nuclear SSR markers. Of 19 alleles on average per locus, the largest numbers of alleles were concentrated in central and eastern Africa. Cultivated sorghum appeared structured according to geographic regions and race within region. A total of 13 groups of variable size were distinguished. The peripheral groups in western Africa, southern Africa and eastern Asia were the most homogeneous and clearly differentiated. Except for Kafir, there was little correspondence between races and marker-based groups. Bicolor, Caudatum, Durra and Guinea types were each dispersed in three groups or more. Races should therefore better be referred to as morphotypes. Wild and weedy accessions were very diverse and scattered among cultivated samples, reinforcing the idea that large gene-flow exists between the different compartments. Our study provides an entry to global sorghum germplasm collections. Our reference marker kit can serve to aggregate additional studies and enhance international collaboration. We propose a core reference set in order to facilitate integrated phenotyping experiments towards refined functional understanding of sorghum diversity. PMID:23565161

Large deviations of a long-time average in the Ehrenfest urn model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meerson, Baruch; Zilber, Pini

2018-05-01

Since its inception in 1907, the Ehrenfest urn model (EUM) has served as a test bed of key concepts of statistical mechanics. Here we employ this model to study large deviations of a time-additive quantity. We consider two continuous-time versions of the EUM with K urns and N balls: with and without interactions between the balls in the same urn. We evaluate the probability distribution that the average number of balls in one urn over time T, , takes any specified value aN, where . For long observation time, , a Donsker–Varadhan large deviation principle holds: , where … denote additional parameters of the model. We calculate the rate function exactly by two different methods due to Donsker and Varadhan and compare the exact results with those obtained with a variant of WKB approximation (after Wentzel, Kramers and Brillouin). In the absence of interactions the WKB prediction for is exact for any N. In the presence of interactions the WKB method gives asymptotically exact results for . The WKB method also uncovers the (very simple) time history of the system which dominates the contribution of different time histories to .

Validating the simulation of large-scale parallel applications using statistical characteristics

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Deli; Wilke, Jeremiah; Hendry, Gilbert; ...

2016-03-01

Simulation is a widely adopted method to analyze and predict the performance of large-scale parallel applications. Validating the hardware model is highly important for complex simulations with a large number of parameters. Common practice involves calculating the percent error between the projected and the real execution time of a benchmark program. However, in a high-dimensional parameter space, this coarse-grained approach often suffers from parameter insensitivity, which may not be known a priori. Moreover, the traditional approach cannot be applied to the validation of software models, such as application skeletons used in online simulations. In this work, we present a methodologymore » and a toolset for validating both hardware and software models by quantitatively comparing fine-grained statistical characteristics obtained from execution traces. Although statistical information has been used in tasks like performance optimization, this is the first attempt to apply it to simulation validation. Lastly, our experimental results show that the proposed evaluation approach offers significant improvement in fidelity when compared to evaluation using total execution time, and the proposed metrics serve as reliable criteria that progress toward automating the simulation tuning process.« less

76 FR 41504 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-14

... annual average of lots released in FY 2010 (6,752), number of recalls made (1,881), and total number of... fill lot numbers for the total number of dosage units of each strength or potency distributed (e.g., 50... manufacture and distribution of a product including any recalls. These recordkeeping requirements serve...

Introducing LSP Courses into the Liberal Arts Curriculum: The Case of Butler University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phariss, Florence M.

For many years, the modern language enrollment at Butler University included many students with a second major in education, and the language curriculum served this population. As the number of teacher trainees diminished, foreign language majors increasingly indicated second majors in business. To serve this population, the foreign language…

78 FR 41857 - Simplified Cost Accounting and Other Actions To Reduce Paperwork in the Summer Food Service...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-12

... of the number of meals served to eligible children times the operating payment rate. For... meals served to eligible children times the administrative payment rate, or the amount specified in the... maximum ``meals times rates'' combined operating and administrative reimbursement without regard to their...

Challenges on the Front Lines: Serving Today's Student Veterans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Alexander; Parks, Rodney; Edwards, Ashley

2016-01-01

In recent years, veterans have enrolled at higher education institutions in vastly increasingly numbers to utilize their Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. In response to this influx, universities have established a variety of resources and support systems designed to serve the needs of student veterans. There has also been heightened attention toward…

The Orientation Student Profile Card: Improving the Collection of Student Demographic Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clapp, Marlene; Young, Michael

2010-01-01

Bridgewater State University (BSU) is a public institution that falls under the Carnegie classification of Master's Colleges and Universities. BSU is committed to serving students in the New England region. This student population includes a sizeable number of underrepresented students. BSU is dealing with intense pressure to serve these students…

Counselors as Consultants during a National Crisis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Leslie S.; And Others

1993-01-01

Describes how counselors served as consultants to school division that had large student population of military dependents during Persian Gulf War. Examines impact of Persian Gulf War on the school division and its students and presents model for counselors who serve as consultants during crisis. Discusses counselors working as team with teachers,…

An Effective Peer Advising Program in a Large Psychology Department.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Eileen S.; Fonzi, Ginger L.

1995-01-01

An advising program in the James Madison University (Virginia) psychology department recruits and trains students to provide basic information about majors, careers, field opportunities, and graduate schools to their peers. The work of the 20 volunteers, who serve 900 students, is coordinated by a faculty member. Each peer advisor serves on a…

10 CFR 1040.5 - Designation of responsible employee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Federal law. (c) Where a significant number or proportion of the population eligible to be served or... responsibilities under this part. The recipient shall publish the name, office address and telephone number of the... reasonable numbers and places, posters which state that the recipient operates a program or activity subject...

10 CFR 1040.5 - Designation of responsible employee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Federal law. (c) Where a significant number or proportion of the population eligible to be served or... responsibilities under this part. The recipient shall publish the name, office address and telephone number of the... reasonable numbers and places, posters which state that the recipient operates a program or activity subject...

10 CFR 1040.5 - Designation of responsible employee.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Federal law. (c) Where a significant number or proportion of the population eligible to be served or... responsibilities under this part. The recipient shall publish the name, office address and telephone number of the... reasonable numbers and places, posters which state that the recipient operates a program or activity subject...

46 CFR 11.705 - Route familiarization requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... limitations specified in this section, the number of round trips required to qualify an applicant for a... endorsement as first-class pilot shall furnish evidence of having completed a minimum number of round trips... sought. Evidence of having completed a minimum number of round trips while serving as an observer...

46 CFR 11.705 - Route familiarization requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... limitations specified in this section, the number of round trips required to qualify an applicant for a... endorsement as first-class pilot shall furnish evidence of having completed a minimum number of round trips... sought. Evidence of having completed a minimum number of round trips while serving as an observer...

46 CFR 11.705 - Route familiarization requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... limitations specified in this section, the number of round trips required to qualify an applicant for a... endorsement as first-class pilot shall furnish evidence of having completed a minimum number of round trips... sought. Evidence of having completed a minimum number of round trips while serving as an observer...

75 FR 5994 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-05

... and OMB Number: Voice of Industry Survey; OMB Control Number 0704-TBD. Type of Request: New. Number of... Security Program (NISP)'' Section 202(a) stipulates that the Secretary of Defense shall serve as the... Security Agency (CSA), designated by the NISPOM, is responsible for determining the frequency of Security...

Salty or Sweet? Nutritional quality, consumption, and cost of snacks served in afterschool programs

PubMed Central

Beets, Michael W.; Weaver, R. Glenn; Tilley, Falon; Turner-McGrievy, Brie; Huberty, Jennifer; Ward, Dianne S.; Freedman, Darcy A.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Snacks served in afterschool programs (ASPs, 3–6pm) represent an important opportunity to promote healthy eating. ASP policies suggest a fruit/vegetable is served daily, while sugar-sweetened foods/beverages and artificially-flavored snacks are eliminated. Limited information exists on the types of snacks served in ASPs, if snacks meet existing nutrition policies, whether children eat the snacks, and their cost. METHODS Direct observation of snacks served and consumed was collected in 20 ASPs serving over 1,700 elementary-age children. The number of days snacks were served/week was evaluated for compliance with nutrition policies. Costs of snacks were collected via receipts. RESULTS Programs served desserts and artificially-flavored salty-snacks on 2.7 and 2.1 days/week. Fruits and vegetables were served 0.6 and 0.1 days/wk, respectively. Sugar-sweetened-beverages were served 1.8 days/wk. Of the children (N=383) observed, 75–100% consumed the snack served, with 95% and 100% of served fruits/vegetables consumed. No ASP served fruit/vegetables daily, 18 served sugar-sweetened foods, 16 served artificially-flavored snacks, and 14 served sugar-sweetened-beverages. Desserts and salty-snacks cost $0.27–$0.32/snack vs. $0.38–$0.40/snack for vegetables/fruits. CONCLUSIONS The quality of snacks failed to meet nutrition policies and consists of predominately high-sugar and artificially-flavored options. Strategies to improve snack offerings in ASPs while addressing price barriers are required. PMID:25564980

Salty or sweet? Nutritional quality, consumption, and cost of snacks served in afterschool programs.

PubMed

Beets, Michael W; Weaver, Robert G; Tilley, Falon; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle; Huberty, Jennifer; Ward, Dianne S; Freedman, Darcy A

2015-02-01

Snacks served in afterschool programs (ASPs, 3-6 pm) represent an important opportunity to promote healthy eating. ASP policies suggest a fruit/vegetable is served daily, while sugar-sweetened foods/beverages and artificially flavored snacks are eliminated. Limited information exists on the types of snacks served in ASPs, if snacks meet existing nutrition policies, whether children eat the snacks, and their cost. Direct observation of snacks served and consumed was collected in 20 ASPs serving over 1700 elementary age children. The number of days that snacks were served/week was evaluated for compliance with nutrition policies. Costs of snacks were collected via receipts. Programs served desserts and artificially flavored salty snacks on 2.7 and 2.1 days/week. Fruits and vegetables were served 0.6 and 0.1 days/week, respectively. Sugar-sweetened beverages were served 1.8 days/week. Of the children (N = 383) observed, 75% to 100% consumed the snack served, with 95% and 100% of served fruits/vegetables consumed. No ASP served fruit/vegetables daily, 18 served sugar-sweetened foods, 16 served artificially flavored snacks, and 14 served sugar-sweetened beverages. Desserts and salty snacks cost $0.27-$0.32/snack vs $0.38-$0.40/snack for vegetables/fruits. The quality of snacks failed to meet nutrition policies and consists of predominately high-sugar and artificially flavored options. Strategies to improve snack offerings in ASPs while addressing price barriers are required. © 2015, American School Health Association.

The stem cell patent landscape as relevant to cancer vaccines.

PubMed

Wang, Shyh-Jen

2011-10-01

Cancer vaccine targeting cancer stem cells is proposed to serve as a potent immunotherapy. Thus, it would be useful to examine the main trends in stem cell patenting activity as a guide for those seeking to develop such cancer vaccines. We found that a substantial number of stem cell patents were granted up to the end of 2010, including ~2000 issued in the US. Many of these have been filed since 2001, including 7,551 applications in the US. Stem cell development, as evidenced by the numbers of PubMed articles, has matured steadily in recent years. However, the other metrics, such as the number of patent applications, the technology-science linkage and the number of patent assignees, have been stagnant. Moreover, the ownership of stem cell patents is still quiet fragmented across multiple organizations, and the number of stem cell patent assignees from the business sector has not increased significantly. Academic and nonprofit institutions not only account for a large share of stem cell patents but also apply for patents continually. Based on this analysis, the strength of stem cell resources seems to remain stagnant in recent years due to the ban on government funding of embryonic stem cell research. Furthermore, the patent prosecution or technical barriers in the field of stem cells would be another main reason that the number of US-issued stem cell patents for each application have been in gradual decline since 2000. Therefore, we consider stem cell technology to still be under development.

ACToR: Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (T) ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EPA Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR) is a set of databases compiling information on chemicals in the environment from a large number of public and in-house EPA sources. ACToR has 3 main goals: (1) The serve as a repository of public toxicology information on chemicals of interest to the EPA, and in particular to be a central source for the testing data on all chemicals regulated by all EPA programs; (2) To be a source of in vivo training data sets for building in vitro to in vivo computational models; (3) To serve as a central source of chemical structure and identity information for the ToxCastTM and Tox21 programs. There are 4 main databases, all linked through a common set of chemical information and a common structure linking chemicals to assay data: the public ACToR system (available at http://actor.epa.gov), the ToxMiner database holding ToxCast and Tox21 data, along with results form statistical analyses on these data; the Tox21 chemical repository which is managing the ordering and sample tracking process for the larger Tox21 project; and the public version of ToxRefDB. The public ACToR system contains information on ~500K compounds with toxicology, exposure and chemical property information from >400 public sources. The web site is visited by ~1,000 unique users per month and generates ~1,000 page requests per day on average. The databases are built on open source technology, which has allowed us to export them to a number of col

Characterization of actinobacteria associated with three ant-plant mutualisms.

PubMed

Hanshew, Alissa S; McDonald, Bradon R; Díaz Díaz, Carol; Djiéto-Lordon, Champlain; Blatrix, Rumsaïs; Currie, Cameron R

2015-01-01

Ant-plant mutualisms are conspicuous and ecologically important components of tropical ecosystems that remain largely unexplored in terms of insect-associated microbial communities. Recent work has revealed that ants in some ant-plant systems cultivate fungi (Chaetothyriales) within their domatia, which are fed to larvae. Using Pseudomyrmex penetrator/Tachigali sp. from French Guiana and Petalomyrmex phylax/Leonardoxa africana and Crematogaster margaritae/Keetia hispida, both from Cameroon, as models, we tested the hypothesis that ant-plant-fungus mutualisms co-occur with culturable Actinobacteria. Using selective media, we isolated 861 putative Actinobacteria from the three systems. All C. margaritae/K. hispida samples had culturable Actinobacteria with a mean of 10.0 colony forming units (CFUs) per sample, while 26 % of P. penetrator/Tachigali samples (mean CFUs 1.3) and 67 % of P. phylax/L. africana samples (mean CFUs 3.6) yielded Actinobacteria. The largest number of CFUs was obtained from P. penetrator workers, P. phylax alates, and C. margaritae pupae. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of four main clades of Streptomyces and one clade of Nocardioides within these three ant-plant mutualisms. Streptomyces with antifungal properties were isolated from all three systems, suggesting that they could serve as protective symbionts, as found in other insects. In addition, a number of isolates from a clade of Streptomyces associated with P. phylax/L. africana and C. margaritae/K. hispida were capable of degrading cellulose, suggesting that Streptomyces in these systems may serve a nutritional role. Repeated isolation of particular clades of Actinobacteria from two geographically distant locations supports these isolates as residents in ant-plant-fungi niches.

Abortion and public health: Time for another look

PubMed Central

McCurdy, Stephen A.

2016-01-01

Four decades after Roe v. Wade, abortion remains highly contentious, pitting a woman's right to choose against a fetal claim to life. Public health implications are staggering: the US annual total of more than one million induced abortions equals nearly half the number of registered deaths from all causes. Sentiment regarding abortion is roughly evenly split among the general public, yet fundamental debate about abortion is largely absent in the public health community, which is predominantly supportive of its wide availability. Absence of substantive debate on abortion separates the public health community from the public we serve, jeopardizing the trust placed in us. Traditional public health values—support for vulnerable groups and opposition to the politicization of science—together with the principle of reciprocity weigh against abortion. Were aborted lives counted as are other human lives, induced abortion would be acknowledged as the largest single preventable cause of loss of human life. Lay Summary: Four decades after Roe v. Wade, abortion remains highly divisive. Public sentiment regarding abortion is roughly evenly split, yet fundamental debate is largely absent in the public health community, which supports abortion’s wide availability. Absence of substantive debate separates the public health community from the public it serves. Traditional public health values—support for vulnerable populations and opposition to politicization of science—and the principle of reciprocity (“the Golden Rule”) weigh against abortion. Were aborted lives counted as are other human lives, induced abortion would be acknowledged as the largest single preventable cause of loss of human life. PMID:27833179

Belief versus acceptance: why do people not believe in evolution?

PubMed

Williams, James D

2009-11-01

Despite being an established and accepted scientific theory for 150 years, repeated public polls show that evolution is not believed by large numbers of people. This essay examines why people do not accept evolution and argues that its poor representation in some science textbooks allows misconceptions, established and reinforced in early childhood, to take hold. There is also a lack of up-to-date examples of evidence for evolution in school textbooks. Poor understanding by science graduates and teachers of the nature of science and incorrect definitions by them of key terminology, serve only to undermine efforts to improve public understanding of evolution. This paper has several recommendations, including the introduction of evolution to primary age children and a call to bring evolution back as the central tenet of biology.

Knee joint forces: prediction, measurement, and significance

PubMed Central

D’Lima, Darryl D.; Fregly, Benjamin J.; Patil, Shantanu; Steklov, Nikolai; Colwell, Clifford W.

2011-01-01

Knee forces are highly significant in osteoarthritis and in the survival and function of knee arthroplasty. A large number of studies have attempted to estimate forces around the knee during various activities. Several approaches have been used to relate knee kinematics and external forces to internal joint contact forces, the most popular being inverse dynamics, forward dynamics, and static body analyses. Knee forces have also been measured in vivo after knee arthroplasty, which serves as valuable validation of computational predictions. This review summarizes the results of published studies that measured knee forces for various activities. The efficacy of various methods to alter knee force distribution, such as gait modification, orthotics, walking aids, and custom treadmills are analyzed. Current gaps in our knowledge are identified and directions for future research in this area are outlined. PMID:22468461

Korotkoff Sounds - The Improbable also Occurs

PubMed Central

Estañol, Bruno; Delgado, Guillermo; Borgstein, Johannes

2013-01-01

Very few discoveries have had such a large impact on and relevance to clinical medicine as the noninvasive measurement of the diastolic blood pressure. A number of gifted physiologists and clinicians were ineffectively in search of a noninvasive method to determine the diastolic pressure. Nonetheless, the quantification of the diastolic BP was not achieved by any of these clinical or physiological researchers, but by an unlikely and unexpected figure: Nikolai Sergeevich Korotkoff (1874-1920), a young Russian army surgeon, working under precarious conditions in the hardship of diverse wars. It is easy to dismiss the achievement of Korotkoff as a serendipitous discovery, similar to that of Alexander Fleming in the discovery of penicillin. However, Nassim N. Taleb's recent black swan theory may serve to illustrate his discovery in a new and, perhaps, surprising way. PMID:24343557

B-HIT - A Tool for Harvesting and Indexing Biodiversity Data

PubMed Central

Barker, Katharine; Braak, Kyle; Cawsey, E. Margaret; Coddington, Jonathan; Robertson, Tim; Whitacre, Jamie

2015-01-01

With the rapidly growing number of data publishers, the process of harvesting and indexing information to offer advanced search and discovery becomes a critical bottleneck in globally distributed primary biodiversity data infrastructures. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) implemented a Harvesting and Indexing Toolkit (HIT), which largely automates data harvesting activities for hundreds of collection and observational data providers. The team of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem has extended this well-established system with a range of additional functions, including improved processing of multiple taxon identifications, the ability to represent associations between specimen and observation units, new data quality control and new reporting capabilities. The open source software B-HIT can be freely installed and used for setting up thematic networks serving the demands of particular user groups. PMID:26544980

IMG/M-HMP: a metagenome comparative analysis system for the Human Microbiome Project.

PubMed

Markowitz, Victor M; Chen, I-Min A; Chu, Ken; Szeto, Ernest; Palaniappan, Krishna; Jacob, Biju; Ratner, Anna; Liolios, Konstantinos; Pagani, Ioanna; Huntemann, Marcel; Mavromatis, Konstantinos; Ivanova, Natalia N; Kyrpides, Nikos C

2012-01-01

The Integrated Microbial Genomes and Metagenomes (IMG/M) resource is a data management system that supports the analysis of sequence data from microbial communities in the integrated context of all publicly available draft and complete genomes from the three domains of life as well as a large number of plasmids and viruses. IMG/M currently contains thousands of genomes and metagenome samples with billions of genes. IMG/M-HMP is an IMG/M data mart serving the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Human Microbiome Project (HMP), focussed on HMP generated metagenome datasets, and is one of the central resources provided from the HMP Data Analysis and Coordination Center (DACC). IMG/M-HMP is available at http://www.hmpdacc-resources.org/imgm_hmp/.

Economic analysis of using above ground gas storage devices for compressed air energy storage system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jinchao; Zhang, Xinjing; Xu, Yujie; Chen, Zongyan; Chen, Haisheng; Tan, Chunqing

2014-12-01

Above ground gas storage devices for compressed air energy storage (CAES) have three types: air storage tanks, gas cylinders, and gas storage pipelines. A cost model of these gas storage devices is established on the basis of whole life cycle cost (LCC) analysis. The optimum parameters of the three types are determined by calculating the theoretical metallic raw material consumption of these three devices and considering the difficulties in manufacture and the influence of gas storage device number. The LCCs of the three types are comprehensively analyzed and compared. The result reveal that the cost of the gas storage pipeline type is lower than that of the other two types. This study may serve as a reference for designing large-scale CAES systems.

B-HIT - A Tool for Harvesting and Indexing Biodiversity Data.

PubMed

Kelbert, Patricia; Droege, Gabriele; Barker, Katharine; Braak, Kyle; Cawsey, E Margaret; Coddington, Jonathan; Robertson, Tim; Whitacre, Jamie; Güntsch, Anton

2015-01-01

With the rapidly growing number of data publishers, the process of harvesting and indexing information to offer advanced search and discovery becomes a critical bottleneck in globally distributed primary biodiversity data infrastructures. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) implemented a Harvesting and Indexing Toolkit (HIT), which largely automates data harvesting activities for hundreds of collection and observational data providers. The team of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem has extended this well-established system with a range of additional functions, including improved processing of multiple taxon identifications, the ability to represent associations between specimen and observation units, new data quality control and new reporting capabilities. The open source software B-HIT can be freely installed and used for setting up thematic networks serving the demands of particular user groups.

Un/Paid Labor: Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waivers That Pay Family as Personal Care Providers.

PubMed

Friedman, Carli; Rizzolo, Mary C

2016-08-01

The United States long-term services and supports system is built on largely unpaid (informal) labor. There are a number of benefits to allowing family caregivers to serve as paid personal care providers including better health and satisfaction outcomes, expanded workforces, and cost effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine how Medicaid HCBS Section 1915(c) waivers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities allocate personal care services to pay family caregivers. Our analysis revealed about two thirds of waivers in fiscal year (FY) 2014 allowed for family caregivers to potentially be paid for personal care services. This amounted to up to $2.71 billion of projected spending, which is slightly more than half of all personal care service expenditures in FY 2014.

NSSDC Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Applications, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobler, Ben (Editor); Hariharan, P. C. (Editor); Blasso, L. G. (Editor)

1992-01-01

This report contains copies of nearly all of the technical papers and viewgraphs presented at the NSSDC Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Application. This conference served as a broad forum for the discussion of a number of important issues in the field of mass storage systems. Topics include the following: magnetic disk and tape technologies; optical disk and tape; software storage and file management systems; and experiences with the use of a large, distributed storage system. The technical presentations describe, among other things, integrated mass storage systems that are expected to be available commercially. Also included is a series of presentations from Federal Government organizations and research institutions covering their mass storage requirements for the 1990's.

NSSDC Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Applications, volume 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kobler, Ben (Editor); Hariharan, P. C. (Editor); Blasso, L. G. (Editor)

1992-01-01

This report contains copies of nearly all of the technical papers and viewgraphs presented at the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies for Space and Earth Science Applications. This conference served as a broad forum for the discussion of a number of important issues in the field of mass storage systems. Topics include magnetic disk and tape technologies, optical disk and tape, software storage and file management systems, and experiences with the use of a large, distributed storage system. The technical presentations describe, among other things, integrated mass storage systems that are expected to be available commercially. Also included is a series of presentations from Federal Government organizations and research institutions covering their mass storage requirements for the 1990s.

Sedimentary Mounds on Mars: Tracing Present-day Formation Processes into the Past

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niles, P. B.; Michalski, J.; Edwards, C. S.

2014-01-01

High resolution photography and spectroscopy of the martian surface (MOC, HiRISE) from orbit has revolutionized our view of Mars with one and revealed spectacular views of finely layered sedimentary materials throughout the globe [1]. Some of these sedimentary deposits are 'mound' shaped and lie inside of craters (Fig 1). Crater mound deposits are found throughout the equatorial region, as well as ice-rich deposits found in craters in the north and south polar region [2-4]. Despite their wide geographical extent and varying volatile content, the 'mound' deposits have a large number of geomorphic and structural similarities that suggest they formed via equivalent processes. Thus, modern depositional processes of ice and dust can serve as an invaluable analog for interpreting the genesis of ancient sedimentary mound deposits.

Combining experimental evolution with next-generation sequencing: a powerful tool to study adaptation from standing genetic variation.

PubMed

Schlötterer, C; Kofler, R; Versace, E; Tobler, R; Franssen, S U

2015-05-01

Evolve and resequence (E&R) is a new approach to investigate the genomic responses to selection during experimental evolution. By using whole genome sequencing of pools of individuals (Pool-Seq), this method can identify selected variants in controlled and replicable experimental settings. Reviewing the current state of the field, we show that E&R can be powerful enough to identify causative genes and possibly even single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We also discuss how the experimental design and the complexity of the trait could result in a large number of false positive candidates. We suggest experimental and analytical strategies to maximize the power of E&R to uncover the genotype-phenotype link and serve as an important research tool for a broad range of evolutionary questions.

Immunolocalization of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase D in mast cells found in normal tissue and neurofibromatosis lesions.

PubMed

Metz, C N; Thomas, P; Davitz, M A

1992-06-01

A large number of eukaryotic proteins have been shown to be anchored to the cell membrane by glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI). This glycolipid anchor can serve as a substrate for anchor-specific phospholipases that convert the GPI-anchored membrane proteins into soluble forms. Soluble forms of many GPI anchored proteins have been identified in vivo in connective tissue, plasma, and urine. The authors have discovered that mammalian plasma contains a GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD). Because it recognizes a portion of the conserved glycan core structure, all GPI-anchored proteins are potential substrates. The authors report the development of a murine monoclonal antibody specific for one form of the human GPI-PLD and the immunohistochemical localization of this enzyme to mast cells.

Methods and apparatus for extraction and tracking of objects from multi-dimensional sequence data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Matthew L. (Inventor); Chang, Yuan-Chi (Inventor); Li, Chung-Sheng (Inventor); Castelli, Vittorio (Inventor); Bergman, Lawrence David (Inventor)

2008-01-01

An object tracking technique is provided which, given: (i) a potentially large data set; (ii) a set of dimensions along which the data has been ordered; and (iii) a set of functions for measuring the similarity between data elements, a set of objects are produced. Each of these objects is defined by a list of data elements. Each of the data elements on this list contains the probability that the data element is part of the object. The method produces these lists via an adaptive, knowledge-based search function which directs the search for high-probability data elements. This serves to reduce the number of data element combinations evaluated while preserving the most flexibility in defining the associations of data elements which comprise an object.

Methods and apparatus for extraction and tracking of objects from multi-dimensional sequence data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, Matthew L. (Inventor); Chang, Yuan-Chi (Inventor); Li, Chung-Sheng (Inventor); Castelli, Vittorio (Inventor); Bergman, Lawrence David (Inventor)

2005-01-01

An object tracking technique is provided which, given: (i) a potentially large data set; (ii) a set of dimensions along which the data has been ordered; and (iii) a set of functions for measuring the similarity between data elements, a set of objects are produced. Each of these objects is defined by a list of data elements. Each of the data elements on this list contains the probability that the data element is part of the object. The method produces these lists via an adaptive, knowledge-based search function which directs the search for high-probability data elements. This serves to reduce the number of data element combinations evaluated while preserving the most flexibility in defining the associations of data elements which comprise an object.

A Cerebellar-model Associative Memory as a Generalized Random-access Memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kanerva, Pentti

1989-01-01

A versatile neural-net model is explained in terms familiar to computer scientists and engineers. It is called the sparse distributed memory, and it is a random-access memory for very long words (for patterns with thousands of bits). Its potential utility is the result of several factors: (1) a large pattern representing an object or a scene or a moment can encode a large amount of information about what it represents; (2) this information can serve as an address to the memory, and it can also serve as data; (3) the memory is noise tolerant--the information need not be exact; (4) the memory can be made arbitrarily large and hence an arbitrary amount of information can be stored in it; and (5) the architecture is inherently parallel, allowing large memories to be fast. Such memories can become important components of future computers.

Preclinical dose number and its application in understanding drug absorption risk and formulation design for preclinical species.

PubMed

Wuelfing, W Peter; Daublain, Pierre; Kesisoglou, Filippos; Templeton, Allen; McGregor, Caroline

2015-04-06

In the drug discovery setting, the ability to rapidly identify drug absorption risk in preclinical species at high doses from easily measured physical properties is desired. This is due to the large number of molecules being evaluated and their high attrition rate, which make resource-intensive in vitro and in silico evaluation unattractive. High-dose in vivo data from rat, dog, and monkey are analyzed here, using a preclinical dose number (PDo) concept based on the dose number described by Amidon and other authors (Pharm. Res., 1993, 10, 264-270). PDo, as described in this article, is simply calculated as dose (mg/kg) divided by compound solubility in FaSSIF (mg/mL) and approximates the volume of biorelevant media per kilogram of animal that would be needed to fully dissolve the dose. High PDo values were found to be predictive of difficulty in achieving drug exposure (AUC)-dose proportionality in in vivo studies, as could be expected; however, this work analyzes a large data set (>900 data points) and provides quantitative guidance to identify drug absorption risk in preclinical species based on a single solubility measurement commonly carried out in drug discovery. Above the PDo values defined, >50% of all in vivo studies exhibited poor AUC-dose proportionality in rat, dog, and monkey, and these values can be utilized as general guidelines in discovery and early development to rapidly assess risk of solubility-limited absorption for a given compound. A preclinical dose number generated by biorelevant dilutions of formulated compounds (formulated PDo) was also evaluated and defines solubility targets predictive of suitable AUC-dose proportionality in formulation development efforts. Application of these guidelines can serve to efficiently identify compounds in discovery that are likely to present extreme challenges with respect to solubility-limited absorption in preclinical species as well as reduce the testing of poor formulations in vivo, which is a key ethical and resource matter.

EGenBio: A Data Management System for Evolutionary Genomics and Biodiversity

PubMed Central

Nahum, Laila A; Reynolds, Matthew T; Wang, Zhengyuan O; Faith, Jeremiah J; Jonna, Rahul; Jiang, Zhi J; Meyer, Thomas J; Pollock, David D

2006-01-01

Background Evolutionary genomics requires management and filtering of large numbers of diverse genomic sequences for accurate analysis and inference on evolutionary processes of genomic and functional change. We developed Evolutionary Genomics and Biodiversity (EGenBio; ) to begin to address this. Description EGenBio is a system for manipulation and filtering of large numbers of sequences, integrating curated sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees, managing evolutionary analyses, and visualizing their output. EGenBio is organized into three conceptual divisions, Evolution, Genomics, and Biodiversity. The Genomics division includes tools for selecting pre-aligned sequences from different genes and species, and for modifying and filtering these alignments for further analysis. Species searches are handled through queries that can be modified based on a tree-based navigation system and saved. The Biodiversity division contains tools for analyzing individual sequences or sequence alignments, whereas the Evolution division contains tools involving phylogenetic trees. Alignments are annotated with analytical results and modification history using our PRAED format. A miscellaneous Tools section and Help framework are also available. EGenBio was developed around our comparative genomic research and a prototype database of mtDNA genomes. It utilizes MySQL-relational databases and dynamic page generation, and calls numerous custom programs. Conclusion EGenBio was designed to serve as a platform for tools and resources to ease combined analysis in evolution, genomics, and biodiversity. PMID:17118150

Performance of Gram staining on blood cultures flagged negative by an automated blood culture system.

PubMed

Peretz, A; Isakovich, N; Pastukh, N; Koifman, A; Glyatman, T; Brodsky, D

2015-08-01

Blood is one of the most important specimens sent to a microbiology laboratory for culture. Most blood cultures are incubated for 5-7 days, except in cases where there is a suspicion of infection caused by microorganisms that proliferate slowly, or infections expressed by a small number of bacteria in the bloodstream. Therefore, at the end of incubation, misidentification of positive cultures and false-negative results are a real possibility. The aim of this work was to perform a confirmation by Gram staining of the lack of any microorganisms in blood cultures that were identified as negative by the BACTEC™ FX system at the end of incubation. All bottles defined as negative by the BACTEC FX system were Gram-stained using an automatic device and inoculated on solid growth media. In our work, 15 cultures that were defined as negative by the BACTEC FX system at the end of the incubation were found to contain microorganisms when Gram-stained. The main characteristic of most bacteria and fungi growing in the culture bottles that were defined as negative was slow growth. This finding raises a problematic issue concerning the need to perform Gram staining of all blood cultures, which could overload the routine laboratory work, especially laboratories serving large medical centers and receiving a large number of blood cultures.

Transcriptome and Differential Expression Profiling Analysis of the Mechanism of Ca2+ Regulation in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) Pod Development

PubMed Central

Yang, Sha; Li, Lin; Zhang, Jialei; Geng, Yun; Guo, Feng; Wang, Jianguo; Meng, Jingjing; Sui, Na; Wan, Shubo; Li, Xinguo

2017-01-01

Calcium not only serves as a necessary nutrient for plant growth but also acts as a ubiquitous central hub in a large number of signaling pathways. Free Ca2+ deficiency in the soil may cause early embryo abortion, which eventually led to abnormal development of peanut pod during the harvest season. To understand the mechanisms of Ca2+ regulation in pod development, transcriptome analysis of peanut gynophores and pods was performed by comparing the treatments between free Ca2+ sufficiency and free Ca2+ deficiency using Illumina HiSeq™ 2000. 9,903,082,800 nt bases are generated totally. After assembly, the average length of 102,819 unigenes is 999 nt, N50 is 1,782 nt. RNA-seq based gene expression profilings showed a large number of genes at the transcriptional level changed significantly between the aerial pegs and underground swelling pods under free Ca2+ sufficienct or deficiency treatments, respectively. Genes encoding key members of Ca2+ signaling transduction pathway, enzymes for hormone metabolism, cell division and growth, transcriptional factor as well as embryo development were highlighted. This information provides useful information for our further study. The results of digital gene expression (DGE) indicated that exogenous calcium might contribute to the development of peanut pod through its signal transduction pathway, meanwhile, promote the normal transition of the gynophores to the reproductive development. PMID:29033956

Recruitment, Training, and Retention of Volunteers in Youth-Serving Organizations: A Review of the Literature. Working Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sitrin, Barbara

Noting a paucity of research on volunteerism, this report examines research on volunteer recruitment, training, and retention, particularly in youth-serving organizations that rely on volunteers to accomplish their missions. The report also proposes questions for further research. The report notes that while the number of individuals volunteering…

The Loss of Innocence: Emotional Costs to Serving as Gatekeepers to the Counseling Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerl, Stella; Eichler, Margaret

2005-01-01

The practice of gatekeeping within the profession of counseling is well documented in the literature. Counselor educators are charged with the responsibility of serving as gatekeepers for the profession. However, a number of factors inhibit the practice of gatekeeping, including fears of retribution, loss, or damage. At the same time, failure to…

The Schoolwide Cluster Grouping Model: Restructuring Gifted Education Services for the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brulles, Dina; Winebrenner, Susan

2011-01-01

Schools today are experiencing dramatic changes in how they serve gifted students. Gifted programs that have prevailed for years are disappearing. In response, an increasing number of schools are turning to the Schoolwide Cluster Grouping Model (SCGM) to serve their gifted students. When implemented well, the SCGM represents one viable solution…

Primary Handicaps of Students in Programs for the Physically Handicapped.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinesley, J. Howard, Comp.

Reported is a survey of types of handicaps served by special programs for physically handicapped, homebound, and hospitalized children in Florida. The information represents 215 full time and hourly teachers. Types of handicaps served are listed, ranked, and number of cases given. Cerebral palsy is reported to be the most common type of handicap…

20 CFR 663.430 - Under what circumstances may mechanisms other than ITA's be used to provide training services?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... are an insufficient number of eligible providers in the local area to accomplish the purpose of a... organization to serve special participant populations that face multiple barriers to employment, as described... demonstrated effectiveness, particularly as it applies to the special participant population to be served. The...

An Analysis of Federal Initiatives To Prepare Regular Educators To Serve Students with Disabilities: Deans' Grants, REGI, and Beyond.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinhammer-Tramill, Jeannie

2003-01-01

This article describes federal initiatives to support preparation of regular educators to serve students with disabilities through the eras of mainstreaming, the Regular Education Initiative, inclusion, and promoting access to the general education curriculum. Trends in the number of personnel preparation projects that support preparation of…

Using Technology to Mentor Aspiring LSLS Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeMoss, Wendelyn L.; Clem, Becky C.; Wilson, Kathryn

2012-01-01

Presently, there is a world-wide shortage of professionals qualified to serve children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families who are seeking a listening and spoken language outcome. To address the crisis of capacity, it is anticipated that an increasing number of professionals not currently serving as mentors will need to engage in…

Three Key Issues in the Reform Programs for the Chinese College Entrance Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Qinghua

2013-01-01

The new entrance exam reform programs that have been presented in a number of provinces and regions adhere to the direction of new curriculum reform. Within these programs, comprehensive evaluation serves as the weather vane for quality education. The high school academic proficiency test serves as a firmly fixed benchmark for learning ability,…

Becoming an Hispanic-Serving Research Institution: Involving Graduate Students in Organizational Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marin, Patricia; Pereschica, Priscilla

2017-01-01

The changing demographics of higher education have led to an increase in the number and type of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). As research universities continue to see a rise in the enrollment of Latino/a students, a better understanding of the implications of this change within the existing institutional context will be essential to best…

School Foodservice Costs: Location Matters. Economic Research Report Number 117

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ollinger, Michael; Ralston, Katherine; Guthrie, Joanne

2011-01-01

Over 42 million meals--31.2 million lunches and 11 million breakfasts--were served on a typical school day in fiscal year 2009 to children through USDA's National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. School food authorities (SFAs) operate local school feeding programs and deliver the meals to the schools. SFAs must serve appealing,…

Beyond the Numbers: Data Use for Continuous Improvement of Programs Serving Disconnected Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pate, Austin; Lerner, Jennifer Brown; Browning, Andrea

2012-01-01

This publication is a series of in-depth case studies to examine how three programs which serve a disconnected youth population are utilizing data as a tool for continuous program improvement and ongoing accountability. The report features the following programs: (1) Roca, an organization in Massachusetts which engages the highest-risk youth in…

Reducing the standard serving size of alcoholic beverages prompts reductions in alcohol consumption.

PubMed

Kersbergen, Inge; Oldham, Melissa; Jones, Andrew; Field, Matt; Angus, Colin; Robinson, Eric

2018-05-14

To test whether reducing the standard serving size of alcoholic beverages would reduce voluntary alcohol consumption in a laboratory (study 1) and a real-world drinking environment (study 2). Additionally, we modelled the potential public health benefit of reducing the standard serving size of on-trade alcoholic beverages in the United Kingdom. Studies 1 and 2 were cluster-randomized experiments. In the additional study, we used the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model to estimate the number of deaths and hospital admissions that would be averted per year in the United Kingdom if a policy that reduces alcohol serving sizes in the on-trade was introduced. A semi-naturalistic laboratory (study 1), a bar in Liverpool, UK (study 2). Students and university staff members (study 1: n = 114, mean age = 24.8 years, 74.6% female), residents from local community (study 2: n = 164, mean age = 34.9 years, 57.3% female). In study 1, participants were assigned randomly to receive standard or reduced serving sizes (by 25%) of alcohol during a laboratory drinking session. In study 2, customers at a bar were served alcohol in either standard or reduced serving sizes (by 28.6-33.3%). Outcome measures were units of alcohol consumed within 1 hour (study 1) and up to 3 hours (study 2). Serving size condition was the primary predictor. In study 1, a 25% reduction in alcohol serving size led to a 20.7-22.3% reduction in alcohol consumption. In study 2, a 28.6-33.3% reduction in alcohol serving size led to a 32.4-39.6% reduction in alcohol consumption. Modelling results indicated that decreasing the serving size of on-trade alcoholic beverages by 25% could reduce the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions and deaths per year in the United Kingdom by 4.4-10.5% and 5.6-13.2%, respectively. Reducing the serving size of alcoholic beverages in the United Kingdom appears to lead to a reduction in alcohol consumption within a single drinking occasion. © 2018 The Authors. Addiction published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society for the Study of Addiction.

A Quantitative Method to Determine Preservice Chemistry Teachers' Perceptions of Chemical Representations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Head, M. L.; Yoder, K.; Genton, E.; Sumperl, J.

2017-01-01

Chemical representations serve as a cornerstone to guide the teaching of chemistry concepts. The influence that a chemical representation has on instruction is largely dependent on how well the viewer interprets the information in the representation. Teachers serve as a guide to the students as they point out and make connections between the…

Community Partnership to Address Snack Quality and Cost in After-School Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2014-01-01

Background: Policies call on after-school programs (ASPs) to serve more nutritious snacks. A major barrier for improving snack quality is cost. This study describes the impact on snack quality and expenditures from a community partnership between ASPs and local grocery stores. Methods: Four large-scale ASPs (serving ~500 children, aged 6-12?years,…

Leveraging Innovation in Science Education: Using Writing and Assessment to Decode the Class Size Conundrum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camfield, Eileen Kogl; McFall, Eileen Eckert; Land, Kirkwood M.

2016-01-01

Introductory biology courses are supposed to serve as gateways for many majors, but too often they serve instead as gatekeepers. Reliance on lectures, large classes, and multiple-choice tests results in high drop and failure rates. Critiques of undergraduate science education are clear about the problems with conventional introductory science…

Flipping the Script in Study Abroad Participation: The Influence of Popular Culture and Social Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Shelbee; Coryell, Joellen E.

2015-01-01

This study explores primary perceptions of and motivations to study abroad for adult and higher education learners. A large Hispanic-serving Southwestern university serves as the context of this study where undergraduate students and one graduate student were enrolled in an Italian urbanism study abroad program. The age of the participants ranged…

LMSS communication network design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The architecture of the telecommunication network as the first step in the design of the LMSS system is described. A set of functional requirements including the total number of users to be served by the LMSS are hypothesized. The design parameters are then defined at length and are systematically selected such that the resultant system is capable of serving the hypothesized number of users. The design of the backhaul link is presented. The number of multiple backhaul beams required for communication to the base stations is determined. A conceptual procedure for call-routing and locating a mobile subscriber within the LMSS network is presented. The various steps in placing a call are explained, and the relationship between the two sets of UHF and S-band multiple beams is developed. A summary of the design parameters is presented.

Fostering At-Risk Preschoolers' Number Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baroody, Arthur; Eiland, Michael; Thompson, Bradley

2009-01-01

Research Findings: A 9-month study served to evaluate the effectiveness of a pre-kindergarten number sense curriculum. Phase 1 of the intervention involved manipulative-, game-based number sense instruction; Phase 2, computer-aided mental-arithmetic training with the simplest sums. Eighty 4- and 5-year-olds at risk for school failure were randomly…

Increasing fruits and vegetables in midlife women: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Gunn, Caroline A; Weber, Janet L; Coad, Jane; Kruger, Marlena C

2013-07-01

The positive link between bone health and fruit/vegetable consumption has been attributed to the lower renal acid load of a diet high in alkaline-forming fruit/vegetables. Other important dietary determinants of bone health include micronutrients and bioactives found in fruit/vegetables. We hypothesized that increased intake of fruit/vegetables to 9 or more servings a day would lower net endogenous acid production (NEAP) significantly (~20 mEq/d) and increase urine pH (0.5 pH units). This 8-week feasibility study investigated if 21 midlife women (age, 40-65 years) currently consuming 5 or less servings a day of fruit/vegetables could increase their intake to 9 or more servings a day to substantially lower NEAP and include specific vegetables daily. Three-day diet diaries were completed at baseline and the end of the study and assessed for NEAP (estimated) and number of servings from all food groups. Urine pH dipsticks were provided for the participants to assess and record their fasting urine pH daily (second void). Seventy-six percent of women achieved the study aim, which was to increase to 9 or more servings of fruit/vegetables for at least 5 d/wk. There was a reduction in the number of bread/cereal servings. Net endogenous acid production (estimated) was reduced significantly, with a mean urine pH increase of 0.68 pH units (95% confidence interval, 0.46-1.14); however, daily urine pH measures showed high variability. This study demonstrated that a group of midlife women can change their diet for 8 weeks by significantly increasing fruit/vegetable servings and include specific "bone friendly" vegetables daily, resulting in a significant decrease in estimated dietary NEAP and an increase in urine pH. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Community partnership to address snack quality and cost in after-school programs.

PubMed

Beets, Michael W; Tilley, Falon; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle; Weaver, Robert G; Jones, Sonya

2014-08-01

Policies call on after-school programs (ASPs) to serve more nutritious snacks. A major barrier for improving snack quality is cost. This study describes the impact on snack quality and expenditures from a community partnership between ASPs and local grocery stores. Four large-scale ASPs (serving ˜500 children, aged 6-12 years, each day) and a single local grocery store chain participated in this study. The nutritional quality of snacks served was recorded preintervention (18 weeks spring/fall 2011) and postintervention (7 weeks spring 2012) via direct observation, along with cost/child/snack/day. Preintervention snacks were low-nutrient-density salty snacks (eg, chips, 3.0 servings/week), sugar-sweetened beverages (eg, powdered-lemonade, 1.9 servings/week), and desserts (eg, cookies, 2.1 servings/week), with only 0.4 servings/week of fruits and no vegetables. By postintervention, fruits (3.5 servings/week) and vegetables (1.2 servings/week) were increased, whereas sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts were eliminated. Snack expenditures were $0.26 versus $0.24 from preintervention to postintervention. Partnership savings versus purchasing snacks at full retail cost was 24.5% or $0.25/serving versus $0.34/serving. This innovative partnership can serve as a model in communities where ASPs seek to identify low-cost alternatives to providing nutritious snacks. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Community Partnership to Address Snack Quality and Cost in Afterschool Programs

PubMed Central

Tilley, Falon; Turner-McGrievy, Gabrielle; Weaver, Robert Glenn; Jones, Sonya

2014-01-01

Background Policies call on afterschool programs (ASPs) to serve more nutritious snacks. A major barrier for improving snack quality is cost. This study describes the impact on snack quality and expenditures from a community-partnership between ASPs and local grocery stores. Methods Four large-scale ASPs (serving ∼500 children aged 6-12 years each day) and a single local grocery store chain participated in the study. The nutritional quality of snacks served was recorded pre-intervention (18 weeks spring/fall 2011) and post-intervention (7 weeks spring 2012) via direct observation, along with cost/child/snack/day. Results Pre-intervention snacks were low-nutrient-density salty snacks (eg, chips, 3.0 servings/week), sugar-sweetened beverages (eg, powdered-lemonade, 1.9 servings/week), and desserts (eg, cookies, 2.1servings/week), with only 0.4 servings/week of fruits and no vegetables. By post-intervention, fruits (3.5 servings/week) and vegetables (1.2 servings/week) increased, while sugar-sweetened beverages and desserts were eliminated. Snack expenditures were $0.26 versus $0.24 from pre-intervention to post-intervention. Partnership savings versus purchasing snacks at full retail cost was 24.5% or $0.25/serving versus $0.34/serving. Conclusions This innovative partnership can serve as a model in communities where ASPs seek to identify low-cost alternatives to providing nutritious snacks. PMID:25040123

Electric network interconnection of Mashreq Arab Countries

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

El-Amin, I.M.; Al-Shehri, A.M.; Opoku, G.

1994-12-01

Power system interconnection is a well established practice for a variety of technical and economical reasons. Several interconnected networks exist worldwide for a number of factors. Some of these networks cross international boundaries. This presentation discusses the future developments of the power systems of Mashreq Arab Countries (MAC). MAC consists of Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen. Mac power systems are operated by government or semigovernment bodies. Many of these countries have national or regional electric grids but are generally isolated from each other. With the exception of Saudi Arabiamore » power systems, which employ 60 Hz, all other MAC utilities use 50 Hz frequency. Each country is served by one utility, except Saudi Arabia, which is served by four major utilities and some smaller utilities serving remote towns and small load centers. The major utilities are the Saudi Consolidated electric Company in the Eastern Province (SCECO East), SCECO Center, SCECO West, and SCECO South. These are the ones considered in this study. The energy resources in MAC are varied. Countries such as Egypt, Iraq, and Syria have significant hydro resources.The gulf countries and Iraq have abundant fossil fuel, The variation in energy resources as well as the characteristics of the electric load make it essential to look into interconnections beyond the national boundaries. Most of the existing or planned interconnections involve few power systems. A study involving 12 countries and over 20 utilities with different characteristics represents a very large scale undertaking.« less

Why is the tongue of blue-tongued skinks blue? Reflectance of lingual surface and its consequences for visual perception by conspecifics and predators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramjan, Andran; Bauerová, Anna; Somerová, Barbora; Frynta, Daniel

2015-08-01

Blue-tongued skinks of the genus Tiliqua (Scincidae) are characterized by their large blue melanin-pigmented tongues, often displayed during open-mouth threats, when the animal feels endangered. It is not clear whether this unusual coloration is a direct anti-predation adaptation or it may rather serve intraspecific communication, as ultraviolet-blue color is a frequent visual signal in a number of lizard species. We used spectrophotometry and visual modeling to compare blue tongues of Tiliqua gigas with tongues and skin coloration of other lizard species, and to examine their appearance through the eyes of both the conspecifics and avian predators. Our results show that (1) the tongue coloration is probably not substantially influenced by the amount of melanin in the skin, (2) lingual and oral tissues are UV-reflective in general, with blue colored tongues having chromatic qualities similar to UV-blue skin patches of other lizard species, (3) UV-blue tongues are more conspicuous than pink tongues, especially in the visual model of conspecifics. We hypothesize that blue tongues may possibly serve as a semantic (honest) signal analogous to UV-blue skin patches of other lizard species due to greater UV-bias in the vision of diurnal lizards. Regarding the social behavior and high aggressiveness in Tiliqua and their relatives, such signal might serve, e.g., in intraspecific long-distance communication between conspecifics in order to avoid aggression, and its anti-predation effect may only be a secondary function (exaptation).

Emperical Laws in Economics Uncovered Using Methods in Statistical Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanley, H. Eugene

2001-06-01

In recent years, statistical physicists and computational physicists have determined that physical systems which consist of a large number of interacting particles obey universal "scaling laws" that serve to demonstrate an intrinsic self-similarity operating in such systems. Further, the parameters appearing in these scaling laws appear to be largely independent of the microscopic details. Since economic systems also consist of a large number of interacting units, it is plausible that scaling theory can be usefully applied to economics. To test this possibility using realistic data sets, a number of scientists have begun analyzing economic data using methods of statistical physics [1]. We have found evidence for scaling (and data collapse), as well as universality, in various quantities, and these recent results will be reviewed in this talk--starting with the most recent study [2]. We also propose models that may lead to some insight into these phenomena. These results will be discussed, as well as the overall rationale for why one might expect scaling principles to hold for complex economic systems. This work on which this talk is based is supported by BP, and was carried out in collaboration with L. A. N. Amaral S. V. Buldyrev, D. Canning, P. Cizeau, X. Gabaix, P. Gopikrishnan, S. Havlin, Y. Lee, Y. Liu, R. N. Mantegna, K. Matia, M. Meyer, C.-K. Peng, V. Plerou, M. A. Salinger, and M. H. R. Stanley. [1.] See, e.g., R. N. Mantegna and H. E. Stanley, Introduction to Econophysics: Correlations & Complexity in Finance (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999). [2.] P. Gopikrishnan, B. Rosenow, V. Plerou, and H. E. Stanley, "Identifying Business Sectors from Stock Price Fluctuations," e-print cond-mat/0011145; V. Plerou, P. Gopikrishnan, L. A. N. Amaral, X. Gabaix, and H. E. Stanley, "Diffusion and Economic Fluctuations," Phys. Rev. E (Rapid Communications) 62, 3023-3026 (2000); P. Gopikrishnan, V. Plerou, X. Gabaix, and H. E. Stanley, "Statistical Properties of Share Volume Traded in Financial Markets," Phys. Rev. E (Rapid Communications) 62, 4493-4496 (2000).

NIR and Py-mbms coupled with multivariate data analysis as a high-throughput biomass characterization technique: a review

PubMed Central

Xiao, Li; Wei, Hui; Himmel, Michael E.; Jameel, Hasan; Kelley, Stephen S.

2014-01-01

Optimizing the use of lignocellulosic biomass as the feedstock for renewable energy production is currently being developed globally. Biomass is a complex mixture of cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignins, extractives, and proteins; as well as inorganic salts. Cell wall compositional analysis for biomass characterization is laborious and time consuming. In order to characterize biomass fast and efficiently, several high through-put technologies have been successfully developed. Among them, near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and pyrolysis-molecular beam mass spectrometry (Py-mbms) are complementary tools and capable of evaluating a large number of raw or modified biomass in a short period of time. NIR shows vibrations associated with specific chemical structures whereas Py-mbms depicts the full range of fragments from the decomposition of biomass. Both NIR vibrations and Py-mbms peaks are assigned to possible chemical functional groups and molecular structures. They provide complementary information of chemical insight of biomaterials. However, it is challenging to interpret the informative results because of the large amount of overlapping bands or decomposition fragments contained in the spectra. In order to improve the efficiency of data analysis, multivariate analysis tools have been adapted to define the significant correlations among data variables, so that the large number of bands/peaks could be replaced by a small number of reconstructed variables representing original variation. Reconstructed data variables are used for sample comparison (principal component analysis) and for building regression models (partial least square regression) between biomass chemical structures and properties of interests. In this review, the important biomass chemical structures measured by NIR and Py-mbms are summarized. The advantages and disadvantages of conventional data analysis methods and multivariate data analysis methods are introduced, compared and evaluated. This review aims to serve as a guide for choosing the most effective data analysis methods for NIR and Py-mbms characterization of biomass. PMID:25147552

Solar energy potential of the largest buildings in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wence, E. R.; Grodsky, S.; Hernandez, R. R.

2017-12-01

Sustainable pathways of land use for energy are necessary to mitigate climate change and limit conversion of finite land resources needed for conservation and food production. Large, commercial buildings (LCBs) are increasing in size and number throughout the United States (US) and may serve as suitable recipient environments for photovoltaic (PV) solar energy infrastructure that may support a low carbon, low land footprint energy transition. In this study, we identified, characterized, and evaluated the technical potential of the largest, commercial building rooftops (i.e., exceeding 110,000 m2) and their associated parking lots in the US for PV solar energy systems using Aurora, a cloud-based solar optimization platform. We also performed a case study of building-specific electricity generation: electricity consumption balance. Further, we quantified the environmental co-benefit of land sparing and associated avoided emissions (t-CO2-eq) conferred under the counterfactual scenario that solar development would otherwise proceed as a ground-mounted, utility-scale PV installation of equal nominal capacity. We identified and mapped 37 LCBs (by rooftop area) across 18 states in the US, spanning from as far north as the state of Minnesota to as far south as Florida. Rooftop footprints range from 427,297 to 113,689 m2 and have a cumulative surface area of 99.8 million ft2. We characterize the LCBs as either: distribution/warehouse, factory, shopping center, or administrative office/facility. Three of the 37 LCBs currently support rooftop PV and the numbers of associated, detached buildings number up to 38. This study elucidates the extent to which LCBs and their respective parking lots can serve as suitable sites for PV solar energy generation. Lastly, this study demonstrates research-based applications of the Aurora energy modeling platform and informs decision-making focused on redirecting energy development towards human-modified landscapes to prioritize land use for biodiversity and agriculture.

Hydrocarbon-Based Communities in the Ultra-Deep Gulf of Mexico: Protecting the Asphalt Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, I. R.; Sahling, H.

2016-02-01

The term `asphalt volcanism' was coined to describe marine sites where extrusions of highly degraded oil form large expanses of hard substratum, which is then colonized by chemosynthetic fauna and sessile invertebrates. A site named `Chapopote', a knoll at 3200m in the southern Gulf of Mexico, was described as the type specimen of asphalt volcanism in 2003. A joint German-Mexican-U.S. expedition on the German ship F/S METEOR returned to the region in February and March, 2015 to quantify the extent and characteristics of Chapopote and other asphalt-hosting knolls using the SEAL AUV, QUEST ROV, shipborne acoustics, and autonomous instrument landers. Preliminary findings have greatly expanded the number of confirmed asphalt volcanoes, as well as sites where seepage was detected as gas flares in the water column. The morphology of asphalt flows, which was investigated using large-scale photo-mosaicking techniques, indicated that they form with a complex interplay of gravity flows, buoyant uplift, and chemical weathering. An unexpected finding was the occurrence of gas hydrate mounds, some exceeding 1000 m2 in area and 10 m in relief. Gas hydrate forms almost instantly at ambient depths and temperatures and there was evidence that large plugs of hydrate that can rapidly breach the seafloor. Older mounds are colonized by massive tubeworm aggregations that may serve to stabilize the hydrate. Mexico recently announced the first energy production lease sales in their `ultra-deep' offshore. In contrast to the U.S. Gulf, where extensive safeguards for chemosynthetic communities have been in place for over 25 years, few existing protocols protect the Mexican deep-sea asphalt ecosystem. The combination of extensive asphalt pavements and exposed gas hydrate also pose unusual hazards for exploration piston coring or drilling operations. The time is ripe to consider what conservation model would best serve the region.

Large eddy simulations of a transcritical round jet submitted to transverse acoustic modulation

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

Gonzalez-Flesca, M.; CNES DLA, 52 Rue Jacques Hillairet, 75612 Paris Cedex; Schmitt, T.

This article reports numerical computations of a turbulent round jet of transcritical fluid (low temperature nitrogen injected under high pressure conditions) surrounded by the same fluid at rest under supercritical conditions (high temperature and high pressure) and submitted to transverse acoustic modulations. The numerical framework relies on large eddy simulation in combination with a real-gas description of thermodynamics and transport properties. A stationary acoustic field is obtained by modulating the normal acoustic velocity at the lateral boundaries of the computational domain. This study specifically focuses on the interaction of the jet with the acoustic field to investigate how the roundmore » transcritical jet changes its shape and mixes with the surrounding fluid. Different modulation amplitudes and frequencies are used to sweep a range of conditions. When the acoustic field is established in the domain, the jet length is notably reduced and the jet is flattened in the spanwise direction. Two regimes of oscillation are identified: for low Strouhal numbers a large amplitude motion is observed, while for higher Strouhal numbers the jet oscillates with a small amplitude around the injector axis. The minimum length is obtained for a Strouhal number of 0.3 and the jet length increases with increasing Strouhal numbers after reaching this minimum value. The mechanism of spanwise deformation is shown to be linked with dynamical effects resulting from reduction of the pressure in the transverse direction in relation with increased velocities on the two sides of the jet. A propagative wave is then introduced in the domain leading to similar effects on the jet, except that a bending is also observed in the acoustic propagation direction. A kinematic model, combining hydrodynamic and acoustic contributions, is derived in a second stage to represent the motion of the jet centerline. This model captures details of the numerical simulations quite well. These various results can serve to interpret observations made on more complex flow configurations such as coaxial jets or jet flames formed by coaxial injectors.« less

Finding the Right Fit: Assessing the Impact of Traditional v. Large Lecture/Small Lab Course Formats on a General Education Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wildermuth, Susan M.; French, Tammy; Fredrick, Edward

2013-01-01

This study explores alternative approaches for teaching general education courses burdened with serving extremely large enrollments. It compares the effectiveness of a self-contained course in which each course section is taught by one instructor to a large lecture/small lab format in which all course enrollees attend one large lecture section and…

Psychosocial Correlates of Attitudes Toward Male Sexual Violence in a Sample of Financial Crime, Property Crime, General Violent, and Homicide Offenders.

PubMed

Debowska, Agata; Boduszek, Daniel; Willmott, Dominic

2017-02-01

Although those currently serving prison sentences for sexual violence can be identified and receive treatment, the number of prisoners with a history of sexual violence against female partners is unknown. Methods to identify prisoners with a proclivity for such violence and accurately assess the risk they pose before and after incarceration are therefore required. Here, we aimed to assess the level of sexually violent attitudes within dating relationships and to examine their associations with experiences of child abuse and neglect (CAN), psychopathic personality traits, prisonization, number of incarcerations, age, years of schooling, relationship status, and parenting among different types of offenders (financial crime, property crime, general violent, and homicide offenders). Data were collected among a large systematically selected sample of adult male inmates ( N = 1,123). We demonstrated that sexual violence-supportive attitudes appear to be a function of child sexual abuse and psychopathic personality traits, and may be developed through early socialization experiences as well as incarceration. Practical implications of current findings are discussed.

Shifts in Medicaid and Uninsured Payer Mix at Safety-Net and Non-Safety-Net Hospitals During the Great Recession.

PubMed

Fingar, Kathryn R; Coffey, Rosanna M; Mulcahy, Andrew W; Andrews, Roxanne M; Stocks, Carol

2018-01-01

There has been ongoing concern regarding the viability of safety-net hospitals (SNHs), which care for vulnerable populations. The authors examined payer mix at SNHs and non-SNHs during a period covering the Great Recession using data from the 2006 to 2012 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases from 38 states. The number of privately insured stays decreased at both SNHs and non-SNHs. Non-SNHs increasingly served Medicaid-enrolled and uninsured patients; in SNHs, the number of Medicaid stays decreased and uninsured stays remained stable. These study findings suggest that SNHs were losing Medicaid-enrolled patients relative to non-SNHs before the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Postexpansion, Medicaid stays will likely increase for both SNHs and non-SNHs, but the increase at SNHs may not be as large as expected if competition increases. Because hospital stays with private insurance and Medicaid help SNHs offset uncompensated care, a lower-than-expected increase could affect SNHs' ability to care for the remaining uninsured population. Continued monitoring is needed once post-ACA data become available.

Differential DNA methylation patterns of polycystic ovarian syndrome in whole blood of Chinese women.

PubMed

Li, Shuxia; Zhu, Dongyi; Duan, Hongmei; Ren, Anran; Glintborg, Dorte; Andersen, Marianne; Skov, Vibe; Thomassen, Mads; Kruse, Torben; Tan, Qihua

2017-03-28

As a universally common endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age, the polycystic ovarian syndrome is characterized by composite clinical phenotypes reflecting the contributions of reproductive impact of ovarian dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities with widely varying symptoms resulting from interference of the genome with the environment through integrative biological mechanisms including epigenetics. We have performed a genome-wide DNA methylation analysis on polycystic ovarian syndrome and identified a substantial number of genomic sites differentially methylated in the whole blood of PCOS patients and healthy controls (52 sites, false discovery rate < 0.05 and corresponding p value < 5.68e-06), highly consistently replicating biological pathways extensively implicated in immunity and immunity-related inflammatory disorders (false discovery rate < 0.05) that were reportedly regulated in the DNA methylome from ovarian tissue under PCOS condition. Most importantly, our genome-wide profiling focusing on PCOS patients revealed a large number of DNA methylation sites and their enriched functional pathways significantly associated with diverse clinical features (levels of prolactin, estradiol, progesterone and menstrual cycle) that could serve as novel molecular basis of the clinical heterogeneity observed in PCOS women.

The Situation Analysis Study of the family planning program in Kenya.

PubMed

Miller, R A; Ndhlovu, L; Gachara, M M; Fisher, A A

1991-01-01

A new, relatively "quick and clean" operations research approach called a "situation analysis" was developed for examining the strengths and weaknesses of the family planning program of Kenya. Field research teams visited a stratified random sample of 99 of the Ministry of Health's approximately 775 service delivery points. Observation techniques and interviewing were used to collect information on program components and on the quality of care provided to new family planning clients during the observation day. As late as 1986, the Kenya program was rated "weak" and "poor" in the international literature. The Kenya Situation Analysis Study found a functioning, integrated maternal and child health/family planning program serving large numbers of clients, with an emphasis on oral contraceptives and Depo-Provera (and an underemphasis on permanent methods). Although a number of program problems were revealed by the study, overall, in terms of performance, a rating of "moderate" is suggested as more appropriate for Kenya's national family planning program today. In terms of the quality of care, a "moderate to moderate-high" rating is suggested.

Malaysia and harm reduction: the challenges and responses.

PubMed

Reid, Gary; Kamarulzaman, Adeeba; Sran, Sangeeta Kaur

2007-03-01

In Malaysia the response to illicit drug use has been largely punitive with the current goal of the Malaysian government being to achieve a drug-free society by 2015. This paper outlines the results of a desk-based situation assessment conducted over a 3-week period in 2004. Additional events, examined in 2005, were also included to describe more recent policy developments and examine how these came about. Despite punitive drug policy there has been a substantial rise in the number of drug users in the country. Over two-thirds of HIV/AIDS cases are among injecting drug users (IDUs) and there has been an exponential rise in the number of cases reported. Further, data suggest high risk drug use practices are widespread. Harm reduction initiatives have only recently been introduced in Malaysia. The successful piloting of substitution therapies, in particular methadone and buprenorphine, is cause for genuine hope for the rapid development of such interventions. In 2005 the government announced it will allow methadone maintenance programmes to operate beyond the pilot phase and needle and syringe exchange programmes will be established to serve the needs of IDUs.

agriGO v2.0: a GO analysis toolkit for the agricultural community, 2017 update.

PubMed

Tian, Tian; Liu, Yue; Yan, Hengyu; You, Qi; Yi, Xin; Du, Zhou; Xu, Wenying; Su, Zhen

2017-07-03

The agriGO platform, which has been serving the scientific community for >10 years, specifically focuses on gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses of plant and agricultural species. We continuously maintain and update the databases and accommodate the various requests of our global users. Here, we present our updated agriGO that has a largely expanded number of supporting species (394) and datatypes (865). In addition, a larger number of species have been classified into groups covering crops, vegetables, fish, birds and insects closely related to the agricultural community. We further improved the computational efficiency, including the batch analysis and P-value distribution (PVD), and the user-friendliness of the web pages. More visualization features were added to the platform, including SEACOMPARE (cross comparison of singular enrichment analysis), direct acyclic graph (DAG) and Scatter Plots, which can be merged by choosing any significant GO term. The updated platform agriGO v2.0 is now publicly accessible at http://systemsbiology.cau.edu.cn/agriGOv2/. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Biopharmaceuticals from plants: a multitude of options for posttranslational modifications.

PubMed

Warzecha, Heribert

2008-01-01

In 1982 the first recombinant therapeutic, human insulin, was introduced into the market and started a new branch of pharmaceutical development, manufacture, and therapy options. To date, more than 130 recombinant protein therapeutics have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and many more are being developed world wide. With the increasing number of protein therapeutics the number of potential production organisms is also expanding, and posttranslational modification of proteins has become a topic of special focus. One major difference between small-molecule drugs and protein therapeutics is that the latter are reliant on a host organism for their production and this can have a large influence on the final structure and can ultimately affect the pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and the function of the protein depending on the production process. Plants can be efficiently used as production systems for recombinant proteins thereby offering a variety of options for transgene targeting and modification. This review is intended to give an overview about the potential of plants to serve as a production system for therapeutic and prophylactic biopharmaceuticals with respect to posttranslational modifications.

Labeling Biomolecules with Radiorhenium - a Review of the Bifunctional Chelators

PubMed Central

Liu, Guozheng; Hnatowich, Donald J.

2007-01-01

For radiotherapy, biomolecules such as intact antibodies, antibody fragments, peptides, DNAs and other oligomers have all been labeled with radiorhenium (186Re and 188Re). Three different approaches have been employed that may be referred to as direct, indirect and integral labeling. Direct labeling applies to proteins and involves the initial reduction of endogenous disulfide bridges to provide chelation sites. Indirect labeling can apply to most biomolecules and involves the initial attachment of an exogenous chelator. Finally, integral labeling is a special case applying only to small molecules in which the metallic radionuclide serves to link two parts of a biomolecule together in forming the labeled complex. While the number of varieties for the direct and integral radiolabeling approaches is rather limited, a fairly large and diverse number of chelators have been reported in the case of indirect labeling. Our objective herein is to provide an overview of the various chelators that have been used in the indirect labeling of biomolecules with radiorhenium, including details on the labeling procedures, the stability of the radiolabel and, where possible, the influence of the label on biological properties. PMID:17504162

Insights into structural variations and genome rearrangements in prokaryotic genomes.

PubMed

Periwal, Vinita; Scaria, Vinod

2015-01-01

Structural variations (SVs) are genomic rearrangements that affect fairly large fragments of DNA. Most of the SVs such as inversions, deletions and translocations have been largely studied in context of genetic diseases in eukaryotes. However, recent studies demonstrate that genome rearrangements can also have profound impact on prokaryotic genomes, leading to altered cell phenotype. In contrast to single-nucleotide variations, SVs provide a much deeper insight into organization of bacterial genomes at a much better resolution. SVs can confer change in gene copy number, creation of new genes, altered gene expression and many other functional consequences. High-throughput technologies have now made it possible to explore SVs at a much refined resolution in bacterial genomes. Through this review, we aim to highlight the importance of the less explored field of SVs in prokaryotic genomes and their impact. We also discuss its potential applicability in the emerging fields of synthetic biology and genome engineering where targeted SVs could serve to create sophisticated and accurate genome editing. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Priority-setting and hospital strategic planning: a qualitative case study.

PubMed

Martin, Douglas; Shulman, Ken; Santiago-Sorrell, Patricia; Singer, Peter

2003-10-01

To describe and evaluate the priority-setting element of a hospital's strategic planning process. Qualitative case study and evaluation against the conditions of 'accountability for reasonableness' of a strategic planning process at a large urban university-affiliated hospital. The hospital's strategic planning process met the conditions of 'accountability for reasonableness' in large part. Specifically: the hospital based its decisions on reasons (both information and criteria) that the participants felt were relevant to the hospital; the number and type of participants were very extensive; the process, decisions and reasons were well communicated throughout the organization, using multiple communication vehicles; and the process included an ethical framework linked to an effort to evaluate and improve the process. However, there were opportunities to improve the process, particularly by giving participants more time to absorb the information relevant to priority-setting decisions, more time to take difficult decisions and some means to appeal or revise decisions. A case study linked to an evaluation using 'accountability for reasonableness' can serve to improve priority-setting in the context of hospital strategic planning.

The nature and extent of college student hazing.

PubMed

Allan, Elizabeth J; Madden, Mary

2012-01-01

This study explored the nature and extent of college student hazing in the USA. Hazing, a form of interpersonal violence, can jeopardize the health and safety of students. Using a web-based survey, data were collected from 11,482 undergraduate students, aged 18-25 years, who attended one of 53 colleges and universities. Additionally, researchers interviewed 300 students and staff at 18 of the campuses. Results reveal hazing among USA college students is widespread and involves a range of student organizations and athletic teams. Alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep-deprivation and sex acts are hazing practices common across student groups. Furthermore, there is a large gap between the number of students who report experience with hazing behaviors and those that label their experience as hazing. To date, hazing prevention efforts in post-secondary education have focused largely on students in fraternities/sororities and intercollegiate athletes. Findings from this study can inform development of more comprehensive and research-based hazing prevention efforts that target a wider range of student groups. Further, data can serve as a baseline from which to measure changes in college student hazing over time.

A perspective on coherent structures and conceptual models for turbulent boundary layer physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Stephen K.

1990-01-01

Direct numerical simulations of turbulent boundary layers have been analyzed to develop a unified conceptual model for the kinematics of coherent motions in low Reynolds number canonical turbulent boundary layers. All classes of coherent motions are considered in the model, including low-speed streaks, ejections and sweeps, vortical structures, near-wall and outer-region shear layers, sublayer pockets, and large-scale outer-region eddies. The model reflects the conclusions from the study of the simulated boundary layer that vortical structures are directly associated with the production of turbulent shear stresses, entrainment, dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy, and the fluctuating pressure field. These results, when viewed from the perspective of the large body of published work on the subject of coherent motions, confirm that vortical structures may be considered the central dynamic element in the maintenance of turbulence in the canonical boundary layer. Vortical structures serve as a framework on which to construct a unified picture of boundary layer structure, providing a means to relate the many known structural elements in a consistent way.

[Health systems and traditional medicine in Ecuador].

PubMed

Ortega, F

1988-01-01

2 systems of health care coexist in Ecuador. The traditional system combines elements of the indigenous system, the modifications brought by the Incas, and elements of medieval European medical theory and practice. The official medical system comprising both public and private institutions is inaccessible for large sectors of the population due to shortages of manpower and materials and high costs of services. The official system tends to address itself primarily to the relatively high income urban population. Ecuador's high infant mortality rate of 64/1000 attests to the limitations of its health care system. The traditional system provides care for much of the rural population and areas where western medical care is not available, but it is also represented in the city. According to traditional beliefs, illness is a social phenomenon indicating a problem in relations with one's peers, nature, or supernatural beings. Traditional disease classifications are different from those of western medicine and show strong regional variation. Improvements in health conditions in Ecuador should take into account the coexistence of multiple medical practices serving large numbers of people.

[Impact analysis of shuxuetong injection on abnormal changes of ALT based on generalized boosted models propensity score weighting].

PubMed

Yang, Wei; Yi, Dan-Hui; Xie, Yan-Ming; Yang, Wei; Dai, Yi; Zhi, Ying-Jie; Zhuang, Yan; Yang, Hu

2013-09-01

To estimate treatment effects of Shuxuetong injection on abnormal changes on ALT index, that is, to explore whether the Shuxuetong injection harms liver function in clinical settings and to provide clinical guidance for its safe application. Clinical information of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injections is gathered from hospital information system (HIS) of eighteen general hospitals. This is a retrospective cohort study, using abnormal changes in ALT index as an outcome. A large number of confounding biases are taken into account through the generalized boosted models (GBM) and multiple logistic regression model (MLRM) to estimate the treatment effects of Shuxuetong injections on abnormal changes in ALT index and to explore possible influencing factors. The advantages and process of application of GBM has been demonstrated with examples which eliminate the biases from most confounding variables between groups. This serves to modify the estimation of treatment effects of Shuxuetong injection on ALT index making the results more reliable. Based on large scale clinical observational data from HIS database, significant effects of Shuxuetong injection on abnormal changes in ALT have not been found.

Design of DNA pooling to allow incorporation of covariates in rare variants analysis.

PubMed

Guan, Weihua; Li, Chun

2014-01-01

Rapid advances in next-generation sequencing technologies facilitate genetic association studies of an increasingly wide array of rare variants. To capture the rare or less common variants, a large number of individuals will be needed. However, the cost of a large scale study using whole genome or exome sequencing is still high. DNA pooling can serve as a cost-effective approach, but with a potential limitation that the identity of individual genomes would be lost and therefore individual characteristics and environmental factors could not be adjusted in association analysis, which may result in power loss and a biased estimate of genetic effect. For case-control studies, we propose a design strategy for pool creation and an analysis strategy that allows covariate adjustment, using multiple imputation technique. Simulations show that our approach can obtain reasonable estimate for genotypic effect with only slight loss of power compared to the much more expensive approach of sequencing individual genomes. Our design and analysis strategies enable more powerful and cost-effective sequencing studies of complex diseases, while allowing incorporation of covariate adjustment.

Construction of CASCI-type wave functions for very large active spaces.

PubMed

Boguslawski, Katharina; Marti, Konrad H; Reiher, Markus

2011-06-14

We present a procedure to construct a configuration-interaction expansion containing arbitrary excitations from an underlying full-configuration-interaction-type wave function defined for a very large active space. Our procedure is based on the density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithm that provides the necessary information in terms of the eigenstates of the reduced density matrices to calculate the coefficient of any basis state in the many-particle Hilbert space. Since the dimension of the Hilbert space scales binomially with the size of the active space, a sophisticated Monte Carlo sampling routine is employed. This sampling algorithm can also construct such configuration-interaction-type wave functions from any other type of tensor network states. The configuration-interaction information obtained serves several purposes. It yields a qualitatively correct description of the molecule's electronic structure, it allows us to analyze DMRG wave functions converged for the same molecular system but with different parameter sets (e.g., different numbers of active-system (block) states), and it can be considered a balanced reference for the application of a subsequent standard multi-reference configuration-interaction method.

Template-free fabrication of hierarchically flower-like tungsten trioxide assemblies with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity.

PubMed

Yu, Jiaguo; Qi, Lifang

2009-09-30

Hierarchically flower-like tungsten trioxide assemblies were fabricated on a large scale by a simple hydrothermal treatment of sodium tungstate in aqueous solution of nitric acid. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and N(2) adsorption-desorption measurements. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by photocatalytic decolorization of rhodamine B aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. It was found that the three-dimensional tungsten trioxide assemblies were constructed from two-dimensional layers, which were further composed of a large number of interconnected lathy nanoplates with different sizes. Such flower-like assemblies exhibited hierarchically porous structure and higher visible-light photocatalytic activity than the samples without such hierarchical structures due to their specific hierarchical pores that served as the transport paths for light and reactants. After five recycles for the photodegradation of RhB, the catalyst did not exhibit any great loss in activity, confirming hierarchically flower-like tungsten trioxide was stability and not photocorroded. This study may provide new insight into environmentally benign preparation and design of novel photocatalytic materials and enhancement of photocatalytic activity.

Guidance Counselors' Ratings of Important Attributes for Registered Nurses and Prospective Nursing Students: A Comparison of Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Career Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Leslie K.; Hoke, Mary M.

2010-01-01

Perceptions of counselors from Hispanic serving high schools regarding professional nursing as a career have received limited study. A cross-sectional descriptive study of a convenience sample of 55 guidance counselors from Hispanic serving institutions identified the number of requests/referrals to nursing programs and perceptions of prospective…

The Role of Supplemental Instruction in Academic Success and Retention at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meling, Vanessa Bogran

2012-01-01

Student retention has been a challenge for higher education institutions, an urgent issue that must be reassessed and improved at these institutions. It is essential for many Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) that have a high percentage of Hispanic populations to find ways where they will support and retain a growing number of minority…

12 CFR 250.406 - Serving member bank and investment advisor with mutual fund affiliation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) While the greater part of the total annual income of Manager during the past five years has derived from... the involvement with the two funds in question. During each of the last four years, that portion has... several years served a number of different open-end or mutual funds, as well as individuals, institutions...

HIV Infection Legal Issues: An Introduction for Developmental Services. Technical Report on Developmental Disabilities and HIV Infection, Number 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey, David C.; Decker, Curtis L.

As agencies and programs serving individuals with developmental disabilities are called upon to serve a new population of individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, they will be forced to confront complex legal questions. This paper discusses the legal frameworks in which individuals with HIV infection are considered eligible…

Women Veterans and Their Families: Preparing School and Agency Counselors to Address Their Mental Health Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stickel, Sue A.; Callaway, Yvonne L.; Compton, Emily A.

2011-01-01

Women have historically served as members of the armed forces and today the numbers of women are increasing and their roles are expanding. Increasingly women are experiencing combat related mental health concerns as well as issues unique to serving within a military culture. Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) will be eligible for jobs as…

Using Title XX to Serve Children and Youth.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twiname, John D.; And Others

With the passage in early 1975 of the social service amendments to the Social Security Act, referred to as Title XX, a major new opportunity to serve children and youth has emerged. Seizing the opportunity will be largely dependent on the well-prepared presentation of a case for the needs of young people by dedicated advocates in every state.…

Efforts to Improve Undergraduate Student Retention Rates at a Hispanic Serving Institution: Building Collaborative Relationships for the Common Good

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Nancy K.; Meyer, Kristi

2010-01-01

This article describes efforts to improve retention and graduation rates at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a large Hispanic serving institution (HSI). One college within the university is focusing on increasing retention and graduation rates primarily by building relationships and capitalizing on university resources. In addition to…

Shaping Fuzzy Goals through Teacher-Student Interaction: A Detailed Look at Communication between Community College Faculty and Transfer Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Diana K.

2010-01-01

Faculty-student interactions have been largely neglected in the research regarding community colleges and community college transfer students. Yet faculty serve as points of institutional contact, and might also serve a central role in student experiences and decision-making. The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of the…

High-Risk Sexual Behavior among Students of a Minority-Serving University in a Community with a High HIV/AIDS Prevalence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trepka, Mary Jo; Kim, Sunny; Pekovic, Vukosava; Zamor, Peggy; Velez, Elvira; Gabaroni, Mariela V.

2008-01-01

Objective: The authors used a stratified cluster sampling design to inform campus sexually transmitted diseases prevention programs. Participants and Methods: They conducted a cross-sectional study of students (N = 1,130) at a large, urban, minority-serving university in South Florida using the 2004 National College Health Assessment Survey…

Self-reported overeating and attributions for food intake.

PubMed

Vartanian, Lenny R; Reily, Natalie M; Spanos, Samantha; Herman, C Peter; Polivy, Janet

2017-04-01

We examined whether people's attributions for their eating behaviour differ according to whether they believe they have eaten more, less or about the same as they normally would. Participants were served a small or large portion of pasta for lunch. Afterwards, they were asked to compare how much they ate in the study to how much they normally eat for lunch, resulting in three intake-evaluation categories: 'ate less', 'ate about the same' or 'ate more'. How much participants ate; the extent to which they attributed their food intake to an internal cue (i.e. hunger) and an external cue (i.e. the amount of food served). Participants served a large portion ate more than those served a small portion, but the magnitude of the portion-size effect did not vary across intake-evaluation categories. Furthermore, although participants in all groups indicated that their hunger influenced how much they ate, only those in the 'ate more' group indicated that the amount of food available influenced how much they ate. People appear to be willing to explain their food intake in terms of an external cue only when they believe that they have eaten more than they normally would.

Channel morphology and its impact on flood passage, the Tianjiazhen reach of the middle Yangtze River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yafeng; Zhang, Qiang; Chen, Zhongyuan; Jiang, Tong; Wu, Jinglu

2007-03-01

The Tianjiazhen reach of the middle Yangtze is about 8 km long, and characterized by a narrow river width of 650 m and local water depth of > 90 m in deep inner troughs, of which about 60 m is below the mean sea level. The troughs in the channel of such a large river are associated with regional tectonics and local lithology. The channel configuration plays a critical role in modifying the height and duration of river floods and erosion of the riverbed. The formation of the troughs in the bed of the Yangtze is considered to be controlled by sets of NW-SE-oriented neotectonic fault zones, in which some segments consist of highly folded thick Triassic limestone crossed by the Yangtze River. Several limestone hills, currently located next to the river channel, serve as nodes that create large vortices in the river, thereby accelerating downcutting on the riverbed composed of limestone highly susceptible to physical corrosion and chemical dissolution. Hydrological records indicate that the nodal hills and channel configuration at Tianjiazhen do not impact on normal flow discharges but discharges > 50,000 m 3s - 1 are slowed down for 2-3 days. Catastrophic floods are held up for even longer periods. These inevitably result in elevated flood stages upstream of prolonged duration, affecting large cities such as Wuhan and a very large number of people.

A Study of the Relationship Between Anthropogenic Sulfate and Cloud Drop Nucleation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chuang, Catherine C.; Penner, Joyce E.

1994-01-01

The characteristics of the cloud drop size distribution near cloud base are initially determined by the aerosol particles that serve as CCN and by the local updraft velocity. Chemical reactions of the emitted gaseous sulfur compounds due to human activities will alter, through gas-to-particle conversion, the aerosol size distribution, total number, and its chemical composition. Recently, Boucher and Rodhe and Jones et.al have each developed parameterizations relating cloud drop concentration to sulfate mass or aerosol number concentration, respectively, and used them to develop estimates of the indirect forcing by anthropogenic sulfate aerosols. THese parameterizations made use of measure relationships in continental and maritime clouds. However, these relationships are inherently noisy, yielding more than a factor of 2 variation in cloud drop concentration for a given aerosol number (or for a given sulfate mass) concentration. The large spatial and temporal variabilities in the concentration, chemical characteristics, and size distribution of aerosols have made it difficult to develop such a parameterization from data. In this paper, our focus is to develop a means for relating the predicted anthropogenic sulfate mass to cloud drop number concentration over the range of expected conditions associated with continental and marine aerosol. We start with an assumed pre-existing particle size distribution and develop an approximation of the altered distribution after addition of anthropogenic sulfate. We thereby develop a conservative estimate of the possible change in cloud drop number concentration due to anthropogenic sulfate.

Critical flavor number of the Thirring model in three dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wellegehausen, Björn H.; Schmidt, Daniel; Wipf, Andreas

2017-11-01

The Thirring model is a four-fermion theory with a current-current interaction and U (2 N ) chiral symmetry. It is closely related to three-dimensional QED and other models used to describe properties of graphene. In addition, it serves as a toy model to study chiral symmetry breaking. In the limit of flavor number N →1 /2 it is equivalent to the Gross-Neveu model, which shows a parity-breaking discrete phase transition. The model was already studied with different methods, including Dyson-Schwinger equations, functional renormalization group methods, and lattice simulations. Most studies agree that there is a phase transition from a symmetric phase to a spontaneously broken phase for a small number of fermion flavors, but no symmetry breaking for large N . But there is no consensus on the critical flavor number Ncr above which there is no phase transition anymore and on further details of the critical behavior. Values of N found in the literature vary between 2 and 7. All earlier lattice studies were performed with staggered fermions. Thus it is questionable if in the continuum limit the lattice model recovers the internal symmetries of the continuum model. We present new results from lattice Monte Carlo simulations of the Thirring model with SLAC fermions which exactly implement all internal symmetries of the continuum model even at finite lattice spacing. If we reformulate the model in an irreducible representation of the Clifford algebra, we find, in contradiction to earlier results, that the behavior for even and odd flavor numbers is very different: for even flavor numbers, chiral and parity symmetry are always unbroken; for odd flavor numbers, parity symmetry is spontaneously broken below the critical flavor number Nircr=9 , while chiral symmetry is still unbroken.

Publication Productivity of Orthopaedic Surgery Chairs.

PubMed

Zelle, Boris A; Weathers, Michael A; Fajardo, Roberto J; Haghshenas, Varan; Bhandari, Mohit

2017-06-21

As academic leaders, orthopaedic chairs represent role models for scholarly activities. Despite the importance of journal publications as a measure of scholarly activity, data on the publication productivity of orthopaedic chairs remain limited. The goals of this study were to record the publication productivity of orthopaedic chairs and evaluate the extent to which they maintained their scholarly activity while serving as chairs. The chairs of all orthopaedic residency programs in the United States were identified through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) web site, and were confirmed by information found on the web site of each orthopaedic program that was included in the study. University and non-university chairs were defined based on affiliation of the program with a medical school. The publication records of the program chairs were retrieved through the Scopus database. During the 7 years prior to their appointment to chair, the mean number of total publications was significantly higher for university chairs (n = 58.6, range 0 to 217) than for non-university chairs (n = 29.1, range 0 to 13) (p = 0.003). The mean number of publications per year during the 7 years leading up to the chair position was 4.66 (range, 0 to 25) for the university chairs, and 2.29 (range, 0 to 10.9) for the non-university group (p = 0.02). While serving as chair, the mean number of publications per year significantly decreased among the university chairs to 3.75 (range, 0 to 32.8; p = 0.015), whereas no significant change was observed among non-university chairs. The mean percentage of first authorships was not significantly different between university and non-university chairs. Both groups showed significant declines in first authorships while serving as chair. At the time of becoming chair, the average university chair had published approximately 60 manuscripts, whereas the average non-university chair had published approximately 30 manuscripts. While serving as chair, the number of publications per year significantly decreased for university chairs. Among all chairs, the percentage of first authorships significantly decreased while serving as chair.

The Status of Large-Scale Assessment in the Pacific Region. REL Technical Brief. REL 2008-No. 003

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Jennifer; Keir, Scott

2008-01-01

This technical brief describes the large-scale assessment measures and practices used in the jurisdictions served by the Pacific Regional Educational Laboratory. The need for effective large-scale assessment was identified as a major priority for improving student achievement in the Pacific Region jurisdictions: American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, the…

Glycogen serves as an energy source that maintains astrocyte cell proliferation in the neonatal telencephalon.

PubMed

Gotoh, Hitoshi; Nomura, Tadashi; Ono, Katsuhiko

2017-06-01

Large amounts of energy are required when cells undergo cell proliferation and differentiation for mammalian neuronal development. Early neonatal mice face transient starvation and use stored energy for survival or to support development. Glycogen is a branched polysaccharide that is formed by glucose, and serves as an astrocytic energy store for rapid energy requirements. Although it is present in radial glial cells and astrocytes, the role of glycogen during development remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that glycogen accumulated in glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST)+ astrocytes in the subventricular zone and rostral migratory stream. Glycogen levels markedly decreased after birth due to the increase of glycogen phosphorylase, an essential enzyme for glycogen metabolism. In primary cultures and in vivo, the inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase decreased the proliferation of astrocytic cells. The number of cells in the G1 phase increased in combination with the up-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors or down-regulation of the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (pRB), a determinant for cell cycle progression. These results suggest that glycogen accumulates in astrocytes located in specific areas during the prenatal stage and is used as an energy source to maintain normal development in the early postnatal stage.

Diseases Transmitted by Man's Best Friend: The Dog.

PubMed

Jacob, Jerry; Lorber, Bennett

2015-08-01

The relationship between dogs and humans is ancient and mutually beneficial. Dogs have served people well as companions, workmates, guides, and protectors. However, on occasion, dogs may injure humans through biting or may transmit pathogens resulting in a large number of problems ranging from a trivial rash to life-threatening bacteremia. Given that there are more than 80 million pet dogs in the United States, it is worth knowing the potential problems that can result from canine exposure. Annually, almost 5 million people in the United States suffer a dog bite. Dog bite wounds become infected up to 15% of the time. In those who have had a splenectomy, a dog bite may transmit the bacterium Capnocytophaga canimorsus, leading to life-threatening bacteremia. Other illnesses that humans can acquire from dog contact include ringworm, diarrheal disease (salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, and intestinal parasites), leptospirosis, brucellosis, Q fever, visceral larva migrans, and echinococcosis. Evidence exists that the family dog may serve as a reservoir for uropathogenic Escherichia coli that can lead to urinary tract infections among human household contacts. In this article we discuss dog-related infectious diseases as well as measures to minimize dog-associated illness (e.g., do not disturb sleeping dogs; HIV-infected persons who wish to acquire a puppy should have the dog's stool checked for Cryptosporidium).

Canadian surgeons and the introduction of blood transfusion in war surgery.

PubMed

Pinkerton, Peter H

2008-01-01

Canadian surgeons serving in the Canadian Army Medical Corps in the First World War were responsible for introducing transfusion in the management of war casualties to the British Army. They were uniquely placed to do so by a coincidence of circumstances. They were aware of developments occurring in the field of blood transfusion in the United States, which was at the time leading the research and development of transfusion as a therapeutic measure. The ties between Britain and Canada in 1914 were such that Canada entered the war immediately, and Canadians served closely with the British, volunteering promptly and in large numbers. Britain, by contrast with the United States, had little interest in or expertise with blood transfusion. Thus, Canadian surgeons went to war aware of the value of blood transfusion and with some who had actually learned how to use transfusion. They arrived to find no interest or expertise on the part of their British colleagues and had to work hard to convince them of the merits of blood transfusion in the management of hemorrhage. Their efforts were reinforced by the arrival in 1917 of American surgeons bringing their experience with transfusion. By war's end, blood transfusion was generally accepted as the treatment of choice for severe blood loss.

[Extending preimplantation genetic diagnosis to HLA typing: the French exception].

PubMed

Steffann, Julie; Frydman, Nelly; Burlet, Philippe; Gigarel, Nadine; Hesters, Laetitia; Kerbrat, Violaine; Lamazou, Frédéric; Munnich, Arnold; Frydman, René

2011-01-01

Umut-Talha, a "sibling savior", was born on 26 January 2011 at Beclère Hospital after embryo selection at the Paris preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) center. His birth revived the controversy over "double PGD". This procedure, authorized in France since 2006, allows couples who already have a child with a serious, incurable genetic disease, to opt for PGD in order to select a healthy embryo that is HLA-matched to the affected sibling and who may thus serve as an ombilical cord blood donor. The procedure is particularly complex and the baby take-home rate is still very low. Double PGD is strictly regulated in France, and candidate couples must first receive individual authorization from the Biomedicine Agency. In our experience, these couples have a strong desire to have children, as reflected by the large number of prior spontaneous pregnancies (25% of couples). Likewise, most of these couples request embryo transfer even when there is no HLA-matched embryo, which accounts for more than half of embryo transfers. The controversy surrounding this practice has flared up again in recent weeks, over the concepts of "designer babies" and "double savior siblings" (the baby is selected to be free of the hereditary disease, and may also serve as a stem cell donor for the affected sibling).

Implementation of Dietary Reference Intake Standards in Preschool Menus in Poland

PubMed Central

Harton, Anna

2018-01-01

Although the nutritional value of preschool menus largely determines the proper nutrition of attending children, their nutrient composition often does not meet the standards. The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional value of menus served in preschools throughout Poland. We analyzed a sample of 10 daily menus and inventory reports reflecting foods and beverages served in 270 full-board government-sponsored preschools. Nutrient content was calculated per child per day, and compared with 70% of dietary reference intake (DRI) for children aged 1–3 and 4–6. The content of energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrates generally exceeded 70% of DRI. The amount of vitamins was correct, with the exception of vitamin D (100% of daycare centers (DCCs) were below the recommendations); in ≤3% of preschools vitamin E, folate, and niacin were below DRI. Calcium was too low in 63% of preschools for children aged 1–3 years and in 99% for 4–6-year-olds. A shortage of iodine, iron, and potassium (especially for 4–6-year-olds) was observed in a small number of preschools. Our study highlights the need for uniform legal standards of nutrition in childcare centers, based on the current recommendations for the age group. PMID:29748511

Implementation of Dietary Reference Intake Standards in Preschool Menus in Poland.

PubMed

Myszkowska-Ryciak, Joanna; Harton, Anna

2018-05-10

Although the nutritional value of preschool menus largely determines the proper nutrition of attending children, their nutrient composition often does not meet the standards. The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional value of menus served in preschools throughout Poland. We analyzed a sample of 10 daily menus and inventory reports reflecting foods and beverages served in 270 full-board government-sponsored preschools. Nutrient content was calculated per child per day, and compared with 70% of dietary reference intake (DRI) for children aged 1⁻3 and 4⁻6. The content of energy, protein, fat, and carbohydrates generally exceeded 70% of DRI. The amount of vitamins was correct, with the exception of vitamin D (100% of daycare centers (DCCs) were below the recommendations); in ≤3% of preschools vitamin E, folate, and niacin were below DRI. Calcium was too low in 63% of preschools for children aged 1⁻3 years and in 99% for 4⁻6-year-olds. A shortage of iodine, iron, and potassium (especially for 4⁻6-year-olds) was observed in a small number of preschools. Our study highlights the need for uniform legal standards of nutrition in childcare centers, based on the current recommendations for the age group.

Center of Excellence in Model-Based Human Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wandell, Brian A.

1997-01-01

The Center of Excellence (COE) was created in 1984 to facilitate active collaboration between the scientists at Ames Research Center and the Stanford Psychology Department. As this document will review, over that period of time, the COE served its function well. Funds from the Center supported a large number of projects over the last ten years. Many of the people who were supported by the Center have gone on to distinguished research careers in government, industry and university. In fact, several of the people currently working at NASA Ames were initially funded by the Center mechanism, which served as a useful vehicle for attracting top quality candidates and supporting their research efforts. We are grateful for NASA's support over the years. As we reviewed in the reports for each year, the COE budget generally provided a portion of the true costs of the individual research projects. Hence, the funds from the COE were leveraged with funds from industry and other government agencies. In this way, we feel that all parties benefitted greatly from the collaborative spirit and interactive aspects of the COE. The portion of the support from NASA was particularly important in helping members of the COE to set aside the time to publish papers and communicate advances in our understanding of human performance in NASA-related missions.

Center of Excellence in Model-Based Human Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wandell, Brian A.

1997-01-01

The Center of Excellence (COE) was created in 1984 to facilitate active collaboration between the scientists at Ames Research Center and the Stanford Psychology Department. As this document will review, over that period of time, the COE served its function well. Funds from the Center supported a large number of projects over the last ten years. Many of the people who were supported by the Center Have gone on to distinguished research careers in government, industry and university. In fact, several of the people currently working at NASA Ames were initially funded by the Center mechanism, which served as a useful vehicle for attracting top quality candidates and supporting their research efforts. We are grateful for NASA's support over the years. As we reviewed in the reports for each year, the COE budget generally provided a portion of the true costs of the individual research project. Hence, the funds from the COE were leveraged with funds from industry and other government agencies. In this way, we feel that all parties benefitted greatly from the collaborative spirit and interactive aspects of the COE. The portion of the support from NASA was particularly important in helping members of the COE to set aside the time to publish papers and communicate advances in our understanding of human performance in NASA-related missions.

External influences on children's self-served portions at meals.

PubMed

Fisher, J O; Birch, L L; Zhang, J; Grusak, M A; Hughes, S O

2013-07-01

Large portions promote intake among children, but little is known about the external influences of the eating environment on children's self-selected portion sizes. This research experimentally tested effects of the amount of entree available and serving spoon size on children's self-served entree portions and intakes at dinner meals. A secondary objective was to identify child and family predictors of self-served entree portion sizes. A 2 × 2 within-subjects design was used, in which the amount of a pasta entree available for self-serving (275 vs 550 g) and the serving spoon size (teaspoon vs tablespoon) were systematically varied. The serving bowl size and portion sizes of all other foods offered were held constant across conditions. Conditions were spaced 1 week apart and randomly assigned. Weighed self-served entree portions and food intakes as well as demographics, maternal feeding styles and child/maternal anthropometrics were measured. Participants were 60 ethnically diverse children aged 4-6 years and their mothers. Mixed models revealed that children served themselves 40% more entree when the amount available was doubled (P<0.0001) and 13% more when the serving spoon size was tripled (P<0.05). Serving spoon size and the amount of entree available indirectly influenced children's intake, with larger self-served portion sizes related to greater entree intakes (P<0.0001). Greater self-served portions and energy intakes at the meal were seen among those children whose mothers reported indulgent or authoritarian feeding styles (P<0.001). Children's self-served portion sizes at meals are influenced by size-related facets of the eating environment and reflect maternal feeding styles.

Review of Current Workforce for Rheumatology in the Countries of the Americas 2012-2015.

PubMed

Reveille, John D; Muñoz, Roberto; Soriano, Enrique; Albanese, Miguel; Espada, Graciela; Lozada, Carlos Jose; Montúfar, Ruben Antonio; Neubarth, Fernando; Vasquez, Gloria M; Zummer, Michel; Sheen, Rosa; Caballero-Uribe, Carlo V; Pineda, Carlos

2016-12-01

With the increases in and aging of the populations of the Americas, monitoring the number of rheumatologists is critical to address and focus on areas of greatest need. The aim of this study was to gather data on the rheumatology workforce from 21 national societies in the Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR). In September and October 2012 and again in October and November 2015, the heads of the 21 rheumatology national societies were contacted in the 2012 survey; all national societies responded except Cuba. In the 2015 survey, all responded except Nicaragua, for which information was provided by national society presidents in adjacent countries. The data from 21 societies contained in PANLAR consist of 10,166 adult and 678 pediatric rheumatologists serving 961 million people. The number of rheumatologists per 100,000 population varies greatly from 3.9 per 100,000 people (Uruguay) to 0.11 per 100,000 people (Nicaragua). The number of training programs also varies widely, with some countries having no indigenous programs. The distribution of rheumatologists is mainly in the large cities, particularly in the smaller countries. Pediatric rheumatologists have dramatically increased in number in 2012, but 96% reside in 6 countries. This remains an underserved area in most countries. The rheumatology workforce in the Americas has improved between 2012 and 2015, especially in the number of pediatric rheumatologists. However, numerically and in the perception of the 21 member societies of PANLAR, the number is still inadequate to meet the increasing demands for rheumatologic care, especially in the care of children with rheumatic disease and in rural areas.

Characterization of network structure in stereoEEG data using consensus-based partial coherence.

PubMed

Ter Wal, Marije; Cardellicchio, Pasquale; LoRusso, Giorgio; Pelliccia, Veronica; Avanzini, Pietro; Orban, Guy A; Tiesinga, Paul He

2018-06-06

Coherence is a widely used measure to determine the frequency-resolved functional connectivity between pairs of recording sites, but this measure is confounded by shared inputs to the pair. To remove shared inputs, the 'partial coherence' can be computed by conditioning the spectral matrices of the pair on all other recorded channels, which involves the calculation of a matrix (pseudo-) inverse. It has so far remained a challenge to use the time-resolved partial coherence to analyze intracranial recordings with a large number of recording sites. For instance, calculating the partial coherence using a pseudoinverse method produces a high number of false positives when it is applied to a large number of channels. To address this challenge, we developed a new method that randomly aggregated channels into a smaller number of effective channels on which the calculation of partial coherence was based. We obtained a 'consensus' partial coherence (cPCOH) by repeating this approach for several random aggregations of channels (permutations) and only accepting those activations in time and frequency with a high enough consensus. Using model data we show that the cPCOH method effectively filters out the effect of shared inputs and performs substantially better than the pseudo-inverse. We successfully applied the cPCOH procedure to human stereotactic EEG data and demonstrated three key advantages of this method relative to alternative procedures. First, it reduces the number of false positives relative to the pseudo-inverse method. Second, it allows for titration of the amount of false positives relative to the false negatives by adjusting the consensus threshold, thus allowing the data-analyst to prioritize one over the other to meet specific analysis demands. Third, it substantially reduced the number of identified interactions compared to coherence, providing a sparser network of connections from which clear spatial patterns emerged. These patterns can serve as a starting point of further analyses that provide insight into network dynamics during cognitive processes. These advantages likely generalize to other modalities in which shared inputs introduce confounds, such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magneto-encephalography (MEG). Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

An Analysis of U.S. Army Health Hazard Assessments During the Acquisition of Military Materiel

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-03

GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S...administrative controls and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (Milz, Conrad, & Soule , 2003). Engineering controls can eliminate hazards through...facilitate hazard free designs or conditions (Milz, Conrad, & Soule , 2003). Engineering control measures can serve to 7 minimize hazards where they

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell system diagnosis based on the signed directed graph method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Jianfeng; Lu, Languang; Ouyang, Minggao; Li, Jianqiu; Xu, Liangfei

The fuel-cell powered bus is becoming the favored choice for electric vehicles because of its extended driving range, zero emissions, and high energy conversion efficiency when compared with battery-operated electric vehicles. In China, a demonstration program for the fuel cell bus fleet operated at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Shanghai Expo in 2010. It is necessary to develop comprehensive proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) diagnostic tools to increase the reliability of these systems. It is especially critical for fuel-cell city buses serving large numbers of passengers using public transportation. This paper presents a diagnostic analysis and implementation study based on the signed directed graph (SDG) method for the fuel-cell system. This diagnostic system was successfully implemented in the fuel-cell bus fleet at the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

Organizational Factors and the Cancer Screening Process

PubMed Central

Zapka, Jane; Edwards, Heather; Taplin, Stephen H.

2010-01-01

Cancer screening is a process of care consisting of several steps and interfaces. This article reviews what is known about the association between organizational factors and cancer screening rates and examines how organizational strategies can address the steps and interfaces of cancer screening in the context of both intraorganizational and interorganizational processes. We reviewed 79 studies assessing the relationship between organizational factors and cancer screening. Screening rates are largely driven by strategies to 1) limit the number of interfaces across organizational boundaries; 2) recruit patients, promote referrals, and facilitate appointment scheduling; and 3) promote continuous patient care. Optimal screening rates can be achieved when health-care organizations tailor strategies to the steps and interfaces in the cancer screening process that are most critical for their organizations, the providers who work within them, and the patients they serve. PMID:20386053

Advances to G3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salters, Vincent; Tarduno, John; van Keken, Peter

2008-12-01

Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G3 ), a joint publication of AGU and the Geochemical Society, publishes research papers that speak to a broad community interested in Earth processes that are best studied with interdisciplinary approaches. G3 publishes conventional papers but is especially interested in novel publication forms that take advantage of electronic formats, such as animations and readily reusable digitized data sets. G3 's large number of submissions and subscriptions attests to how an interdisciplinary approach and electronic format benefit authors and readers. In the past few months, G3 has undergone substantial improvements. These include several changes in the timeliness of publication, revised protocols for the publication of data sets, the appointment of new associate editors, an updated Web site, and improved access to articles. As the editors of G3 , we are confident that these improvements will better serve AGU members.

Secondary Craters in Bas Relief

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-04-17

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured this region of Mars, sprayed with secondary craters from 10-kilometer Zunil Crater to the northwest. Secondary craters form from rocks ejected at high speed from the primary crater, which then impact the ground at sufficiently high speed to make huge numbers of much smaller craters over a large region. In this scene, however, the secondary crater ejecta has an unusual raised-relief appearance like bas-relief sculpture. How did that happen? One idea is that the region was covered with a layer of fine-grained materials like dust or pyroclastics about 1 to 2 meters thick when the Zunil impact occurred (about a million years ago), and the ejecta served to harden or otherwise protect the fine-grained layer from later erosion by the wind. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21591

Sustainable development in agriculture, food and nutrition--a patent analysis.

PubMed

Vani, Kohila P; Doble, Mukesh

2011-05-01

The paper discusses the patents that have been filed in the areas of sustainable development in agriculture, food and nutrition and use of natural resources in achieving this goal. A large number of patents deal with the production of fertilizers from animal manure, plant sources and other organic wastes, which are more sustainable that the chemical fertilizers that are being currently used. Sustainability in agriculture is achieved in developing processes for the manufacture of biopesticides/insecticides and bioactive agricultural products. Development of novel sustainable agricultural processes has also been the focus of researchers and technologists. Plant derived nutritious food products are sustainable and can cater for the growing population burden. This has been the focus of several patents. Processes for enhancing the nutrition in food also serve the purpose of catering for the under nourished population.

B Vitamins as Regulators of Phytoplankton Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panzeca, Caterina; Tovar-Sanchez, Antonio; Agustí, Susana; Reche, Isabel; Duarte, Carlos M.; Taylor, Gordon T.; Sañudo-Wilhelmy, Sergio A.

2006-12-01

Without an adequate supply of dissolved vitamins, many species of phytoplankton do not grow. Additions of inorganic nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, and trace metals like iron, are not alone adequate to sustain life-a practical lesson learned quickly by experimental biologists when they try to keep eukaryotic phytoplankton cultures alive in their labs. The reason is that coenzymes such as B vitamins are also required for many metabolic pathways. For example, vitamin B1 serves as a cofactor for a large number of enzymatic systems, including the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex required for the metabolism of carbohydrates (glycolysis) and amino acid synthesis [Vandamme, 1989]. Vitamin B12 is used primarily to assist two enzymes: methionine synthase, which is involved in DNA synthesis, and methylmalonyl CoA mutase, which is required for inorganic carbon assimilation [Lindemans and Abels, 1985].

Organizational factors and the cancer screening process.

PubMed

Anhang Price, Rebecca; Zapka, Jane; Edwards, Heather; Taplin, Stephen H

2010-01-01

Cancer screening is a process of care consisting of several steps and interfaces. This article reviews what is known about the association between organizational factors and cancer screening rates and examines how organizational strategies can address the steps and interfaces of cancer screening in the context of both intraorganizational and interorganizational processes. We reviewed 79 studies assessing the relationship between organizational factors and cancer screening. Screening rates are largely driven by strategies to 1) limit the number of interfaces across organizational boundaries; 2) recruit patients, promote referrals, and facilitate appointment scheduling; and 3) promote continuous patient care. Optimal screening rates can be achieved when health-care organizations tailor strategies to the steps and interfaces in the cancer screening process that are most critical for their organizations, the providers who work within them, and the patients they serve.

Test and evaluation procedures for Sandia's Teraflops Operating System (TOS) on Janus.

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

Barnette, Daniel Wayne

This report describes the test and evaluation methods by which the Teraflops Operating System, or TOS, that resides on Sandia's massively-parallel computer Janus is verified for production release. Also discussed are methods used to build TOS before testing and evaluating, miscellaneous utility scripts, a sample test plan, and a proposed post-test method for quickly examining the large number of test results. The purpose of the report is threefold: (1) to provide a guide to T&E procedures, (2) to aid and guide others who will run T&E procedures on the new ASCI Red Storm machine, and (3) to document some ofmore » the history of evaluation and testing of TOS. This report is not intended to serve as an exhaustive manual for testers to conduct T&E procedures.« less

Microfluidic multiplexing of solid-state nanopores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Tarun; Rasera, Benjamin C.; Guerrero, Ricardo Jose S.; Lim, Jong-Min; Karnik, Rohit

2017-12-01

Although solid-state nanopores enable electronic analysis of many clinically and biologically relevant molecular structures, there are few existing device architectures that enable high-throughput measurement of solid-state nanopores. Herein, we report a method for microfluidic integration of multiple solid-state nanopores at a high density of one nanopore per (35 µm2). By configuring microfluidic devices with microfluidic valves, the nanopores can be rinsed from a single fluid input while retaining compatibility for multichannel electrical measurements. The microfluidic valves serve the dual purpose of fluidic switching and electric switching, enabling serial multiplexing of the eight nanopores with a single pair of electrodes. Furthermore, the device architecture exhibits low noise and is compatible with electroporation-based in situ nanopore fabrication, providing a scalable platform for automated electronic measurement of a large number of integrated solid-state nanopores.

Where Gibrat meets Zipf: Scale and scope of French firms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bee, Marco; Riccaboni, Massimo; Schiavo, Stefano

2017-09-01

The proper characterization of the size distribution and growth of firms represents an important issue in economics and business. We use the Maximum Entropy approach to assess the plausibility of the assumption that firm size follows Lognormal or Pareto distributions, which underlies most recent works on the subject. A comprehensive dataset covering the universe of French firms allows us to draw two major conclusions. First, the Pareto hypothesis for the whole distribution should be rejected. Second, by discriminating across firms based on the number of products sold and markets served, we find that, within the class of multi-product companies active in multiple markets, the distribution converges to a Zipf's law. Conversely, Lognormal distribution is a good benchmark for small single-product firms. The size distribution of firms largely depends on firms' diversification patterns.

Identification of novel diagnostic biomarkers for thyroid carcinoma.

PubMed

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

2017-12-19

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

A fast exact simulation method for a class of Markov jump processes.

PubMed

Li, Yao; Hu, Lili

2015-11-14

A new method of the stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA), named the Hashing-Leaping method (HLM), for exact simulations of a class of Markov jump processes, is presented in this paper. The HLM has a conditional constant computational cost per event, which is independent of the number of exponential clocks in the Markov process. The main idea of the HLM is to repeatedly implement a hash-table-like bucket sort algorithm for all times of occurrence covered by a time step with length τ. This paper serves as an introduction to this new SSA method. We introduce the method, demonstrate its implementation, analyze its properties, and compare its performance with three other commonly used SSA methods in four examples. Our performance tests and CPU operation statistics show certain advantages of the HLM for large scale problems.

Applications of intelligent computer-aided training

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loftin, R. B.; Savely, Robert T.

1991-01-01

Intelligent computer-aided training (ICAT) systems simulate the behavior of an experienced instructor observing a trainee, responding to help requests, diagnosing and remedying trainee errors, and proposing challenging new training scenarios. This paper presents a generic ICAT architecture that supports the efficient development of ICAT systems for varied tasks. In addition, details of ICAT projects, built with this architecture, that deliver specific training for Space Shuttle crew members, ground support personnel, and flight controllers are presented. Concurrently with the creation of specific ICAT applications, a general-purpose software development environment for ICAT systems is being built. The widespread use of such systems for both ground-based and on-orbit training will serve to preserve task and training expertise, support the training of large numbers of personnel in a distributed manner, and ensure the uniformity and verifiability of training experiences.

Identifying and tracking dynamic processes in social networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Wayne; Savell, Robert; Schütt, Jan-Peter; Cybenko, George

2006-05-01

The detection and tracking of embedded malicious subnets in an active social network can be computationally daunting due to the quantity of transactional data generated in the natural interaction of large numbers of actors comprising a network. In addition, detection of illicit behavior may be further complicated by evasive strategies designed to camouflage the activities of the covert subnet. In this work, we move beyond traditional static methods of social network analysis to develop a set of dynamic process models which encode various modes of behavior in active social networks. These models will serve as the basis for a new application of the Process Query System (PQS) to the identification and tracking of covert dynamic processes in social networks. We present a preliminary result from application of our technique in a real-world data stream-- the Enron email corpus.

Asymptotics of quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harnad, J.; Ortmann, Janosch

2018-06-01

This work concerns both the semiclassical and zero temperature asymptotics of quantum weighted double Hurwitz numbers. The partition function for quantum weighted double Hurwitz numbers can be interpreted in terms of the energy distribution of a quantum Bose gas with vanishing fugacity. We compute the leading semiclassical term of the partition function for three versions of the quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers, as well as lower order semiclassical corrections. The classical limit is shown to reproduce the simple single and double Hurwitz numbers studied by Okounkov and Pandharipande (2000 Math. Res. Lett. 7 447–53, 2000 Lett. Math. Phys. 53 59–74). The KP-Toda τ-function that serves as generating function for the quantum Hurwitz numbers is shown to have the τ-function of Okounkov and Pandharipande (2000 Math. Res. Lett. 7 447–53, 2000 Lett. Math. Phys. 53 59–74) as its leading term in the classical limit, and, with suitable scaling, the same holds for the partition function, the weights and expectations of Hurwitz numbers. We also compute the zero temperature limit of the partition function and quantum weighted Hurwitz numbers. The KP or Toda τ-function serving as generating function for the quantum Hurwitz numbers are shown to give the one for Belyi curves in the zero temperature limit and, with suitable scaling, the same holds true for the partition function, the weights and the expectations of Hurwitz numbers.

The use of point-of-decision prompts to increase stair climbing in Singapore.

PubMed

Sloan, Robert Alan; Haaland, Benjamin Adam; Leung, Carol; Müller-Riemenschneider, Falk

2013-01-07

Physical inactivity is a significant contributor to worldwide mortality and morbidity associated with non-communicable diseases. An excellent avenue to incorporate lifestyle physical activity into regular routine is to encourage the use of stairs during daily commutes. We evaluated the effectiveness of point-of-decision prompts (PODPs) in promoting the use of stairs instead of the escalators in a Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station. We measured the number of stair climbers before the PODPs were put up, during the 4 weeks that they were in use, and 2 weeks after they were removed. Measurements at a no intervention control site were additionally taken. The use of stair-riser banners was associated with an increase in the number of people using the stairs by a factor of 1.49 (95% CI 1.34-1.64). After the banners were removed, the number of stair climbers at the experimental station dropped to slightly below baseline levels. The Singapore MRT serves a diverse multi-ethnic population with an average daily ridership of over 2 million and 88 stations island-wide. An increase of physical activity among these MRT commuters would have a large impact at the population level. Our findings can be translated into part of the national strategy to encourage an active lifestyle in Singaporeans.

The Use of Point-of-Decision Prompts to Increase Stair Climbing in Singapore

PubMed Central

Sloan, Robert Alan; Haaland, Benjamin Adam; Leung, Carol; Müller-Riemenschneider, Falk

2013-01-01

Physical inactivity is a significant contributor to worldwide mortality and morbidity associated with non-communicable diseases. An excellent avenue to incorporate lifestyle physical activity into regular routine is to encourage the use of stairs during daily commutes. We evaluated the effectiveness of point-of-decision prompts (PODPs) in promoting the use of stairs instead of the escalators in a Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station. We measured the number of stair climbers before the PODPs were put up, during the 4 weeks that they were in use, and 2 weeks after they were removed. Measurements at a no intervention control site were additionally taken. The use of stair-riser banners was associated with an increase in the number of people using the stairs by a factor of 1.49 (95% CI 1.34–1.64). After the banners were removed, the number of stair climbers at the experimental station dropped to slightly below baseline levels. The Singapore MRT serves a diverse multi-ethnic population with an average daily ridership of over 2 million and 88 stations island-wide. An increase of physical activity among these MRT commuters would have a large impact at the population level. Our findings can be translated into part of the national strategy to encourage an active lifestyle in Singaporeans. PMID:23296208

SPILC: An expert student advisor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Read, D. R.

1990-01-01

The Lamar University Computer Science Department serves about 350 undergraduate C.S. majors, and 70 graduate majors. B.S. degrees are offered in Computer Science and Computer and Information Science, and an M.S. degree is offered in Computer Science. In addition, the Computer Science Department plays a strong service role, offering approximately sixteen service course sections per long semester. The department has eight regular full-time faculty members, including the Department Chairman and the Undergraduate Advisor, and from three to seven part-time faculty members. Due to the small number of regular faculty members and the resulting very heavy teaching loads, undergraduate advising has become a difficult problem for the department. There is a one week early registration period and a three-day regular registration period once each semester. The Undergraduate Advisor's regular teaching load of two classes, 6 - 8 semester hours, per semester, together with the large number of majors and small number of regular faculty, cause long queues and short tempers during these advising periods. The situation is aggravated by the fact that entering freshmen are rarely accompanied by adequate documentation containing the facts necessary for proper counselling. There has been no good method of obtaining necessary facts and documenting both the information provided by the student and the resulting advice offered by the counsellors.

International Charitable Connections: the Growth in Number, and the Countries of Operation, of English and Welsh Charities Working Overseas.

PubMed

Clifford, David

2016-07-01

This paper provides new empirical evidence about English and Welsh charities operating internationally. It answers basic questions unaddressed in existing work: how many charities work overseas, and how has this number changed over time? In which countries do they operate, and what underlies these geographical patterns? It makes use of a unique administrative dataset which records every country in which each charity operates. The results show a sizeable increase in the number of charities working overseas since the mid-1990s. They show that charities are much more likely to work in countries with colonial and linguistic ties to the UK, and less likely to work in countries with high levels of instability or corruption. This considerable geographical unevenness, even after controlling for countries' population size and poverty, illustrates the importance of supply-side theories and of institutional factors to an understanding of international voluntary activity. The paper also serves to provide a new perspective on international charitable operation: while it is the large development charities that are household names, the results reveal the extent of small-scale 'grassroots' registered charitable activity that links people and places internationally, and the extent of activity in 'developed' as well as 'developing' country contexts.

Quantitative methods for analysing cumulative effects on fish migration success: a review.

PubMed

Johnson, J E; Patterson, D A; Martins, E G; Cooke, S J; Hinch, S G

2012-07-01

It is often recognized, but seldom addressed, that a quantitative assessment of the cumulative effects, both additive and non-additive, of multiple stressors on fish survival would provide a more realistic representation of the factors that influence fish migration. This review presents a compilation of analytical methods applied to a well-studied fish migration, a more general review of quantitative multivariable methods, and a synthesis on how to apply new analytical techniques in fish migration studies. A compilation of adult migration papers from Fraser River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka revealed a limited number of multivariable methods being applied and the sub-optimal reliance on univariable methods for multivariable problems. The literature review of fisheries science, general biology and medicine identified a large number of alternative methods for dealing with cumulative effects, with a limited number of techniques being used in fish migration studies. An evaluation of the different methods revealed that certain classes of multivariable analyses will probably prove useful in future assessments of cumulative effects on fish migration. This overview and evaluation of quantitative methods gathered from the disparate fields should serve as a primer for anyone seeking to quantify cumulative effects on fish migration survival. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

14 CFR 139.325 - Airport emergency plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., including a communications network; (2) Contain sufficient detail to provide adequate guidance to each... expected to serve; (2) The name, location, telephone number, and emergency capability of each hospital and other medical facility and the business address and telephone number of medical personnel on the airport...

Golden Ratio and the heart: A review of divine aesthetics.

PubMed

Yalta, Kenan; Ozturk, Selcuk; Yetkin, Ertan

2016-07-01

In human history, certain mathematical figures or concepts had gained a significant reputation largely due to their occult and esoteric meanings. Among these, Golden Ratio and associated concepts, namely golden proportions, had elicited a tremendous breakthrough in our human awareness and perception regarding mundane and spiritual aspects of physical existence. Golden Ratio or Number (with a numerical value of 1.618) that is also referred to as the Greek letter Phi (φ), has been universally expressed on a line partitioned into two unequal lengths (L, the longer and S, the shorter) in such a manner that L/S=(L+S)/L. Besides, appearing in certain number sequences (Fibonacci Series, etc.), golden proportions, to the consternation of observers, appear to be strikingly prevalent across all levels of physical existence from the innermost structures to the colossal galaxies of the universe potentially labeling these concepts as the measures of divine aesthetics. Accordingly, the human body also serves as an epitome of these mysterious concepts as exemplified by its outward appearance including general stature and extremities along with a variety of inner organ systems. Based on preliminary studies, the human cardiovascular system might also be suggested to serve as a major predilection site of divine aesthetics as measured with Golden Ratio and its allies. This appears to be completely in line with the ancient knowledge associating the human heart with the esoteric and spiritual components of human nature including human soul. Within this context, the present paper primarily aims to discuss human manifestations of divine aesthetics as measured with 'Golden Ratio' and associated indices with a particular and detailed emphasis on their potential link with the human cardiovascular system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of key performance indicators in histological dissection.

PubMed

Griffiths, Matthew; Gillibrand, Rachel

2017-12-01

Reports into standards in the National Health Service and quality in pathology have focused on the way we work in pathology and how to provide assurance that this is of a high standard. There are a number of external quality assurance schemes covering pathology and histopathology specifically; however, there is no scheme covering the process of histological surgical dissection. This is an area undergoing development, emerging from the sole preserve of medically qualified pathologists to a field populated by a number of highly trained biomedical scientists, but remains without any formal quality assurance. This work builds on Barnes, taking the guidance of the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath)and Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS)to form a series of key performance indicators relating to dissection. These were developed for use as an indicator of individual practice, highlighting areas of variation, weakness or strength. Once identified, a feedback event provided opportunities to address these errors and omissions, or to enable areas of strength to be shared. The data obtained from the checklists demonstrate a large variation in practice at the outset of this study. The use of the checklists alone served to reduce this variation in practice, the addition of the training event showed further reduction in variation. The combination of these two tools was an effective method for enhancing standardisation of practice. The results of this work show that training events serve to reduce variation in practice by, and between, dissectors, driving up standards in dissection-directly addressing the needs of the modern pathology service. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Large-scale serum protein biomarker discovery in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

PubMed

Hathout, Yetrib; Brody, Edward; Clemens, Paula R; Cripe, Linda; DeLisle, Robert Kirk; Furlong, Pat; Gordish-Dressman, Heather; Hache, Lauren; Henricson, Erik; Hoffman, Eric P; Kobayashi, Yvonne Monique; Lorts, Angela; Mah, Jean K; McDonald, Craig; Mehler, Bob; Nelson, Sally; Nikrad, Malti; Singer, Britta; Steele, Fintan; Sterling, David; Sweeney, H Lee; Williams, Steve; Gold, Larry

2015-06-09

Serum biomarkers in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) may provide deeper insights into disease pathogenesis, suggest new therapeutic approaches, serve as acute read-outs of drug effects, and be useful as surrogate outcome measures to predict later clinical benefit. In this study a large-scale biomarker discovery was performed on serum samples from patients with DMD and age-matched healthy volunteers using a modified aptamer-based proteomics technology. Levels of 1,125 proteins were quantified in serum samples from two independent DMD cohorts: cohort 1 (The Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy-Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center), 42 patients with DMD and 28 age-matched normal volunteers; and cohort 2 (The Cooperative International Neuromuscular Research Group, Duchenne Natural History Study), 51 patients with DMD and 17 age-matched normal volunteers. Forty-four proteins showed significant differences that were consistent in both cohorts when comparing DMD patients and healthy volunteers at a 1% false-discovery rate, a large number of significant protein changes for such a small study. These biomarkers can be classified by known cellular processes and by age-dependent changes in protein concentration. Our findings demonstrate both the utility of this unbiased biomarker discovery approach and suggest potential new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues for ameliorating the burden of DMD and, we hope, other rare and devastating diseases.

Microscale X-ray tomographic investigation of the interfacial morphology between the catalyst and micro porous layers in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prass, Sebastian; Hasanpour, Sadegh; Sow, Pradeep Kumar; Phillion, André B.; Mérida, Walter

2016-07-01

The interfacial morphology between the catalyst layer (CL) and micro porous layer (MPL) influences the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here we report a direct method to investigate the CL-MPL interfacial morphology of stacked and compressed gas diffusion layer (GDL with MPL)-catalyst coated membrane (CCM) assemblies. The area, origin and dimensions of interfacial gaps are studied with high-resolution X-ray micro computed tomography (X-μCT). The projected gap area (fraction of the CL-MPL interface separated by gaps) is higher for GDL-CCM assemblies with large differences in the surface roughness between CL and MPL but reduces with increasing compression and similarity in roughness. Relatively large continuous gaps are found in proximity to cracks in the MPL. These are hypothesized to form due to the presence of large pores on the surface of the GDL. Smaller gaps are induced by the surface roughness features throughout the CL-MPL interface. By modification of the pore sizes on the GDL surface serving as substrate for the MPL, the number and dimension of MPL crack induced gaps can be manipulated. Moreover, adjusting the CL and MPL surface roughness parameters to achieve similar orders of roughness can improve the surface mating characteristics of these two components.

A Catalogue of Putative cis-Regulatory Interactions Between Long Non-coding RNAs and Proximal Coding Genes Based on Correlative Analysis Across Diverse Human Tumors.

PubMed

Basu, Swaraj; Larsson, Erik

2018-05-31

Antisense transcripts and other long non-coding RNAs are pervasive in mammalian cells, and some of these molecules have been proposed to regulate proximal protein-coding genes in cis For example, non-coding transcription can contribute to inactivation of tumor suppressor genes in cancer, and antisense transcripts have been implicated in the epigenetic inactivation of imprinted genes. However, our knowledge is still limited and more such regulatory interactions likely await discovery. Here, we make use of available gene expression data from a large compendium of human tumors to generate hypotheses regarding non-coding-to-coding cis -regulatory relationships with emphasis on negative associations, as these are less likely to arise for reasons other than cis -regulation. We document a large number of possible regulatory interactions, including 193 coding/non-coding pairs that show expression patterns compatible with negative cis -regulation. Importantly, by this approach we capture several known cases, and many of the involved coding genes have known roles in cancer. Our study provides a large catalog of putative non-coding/coding cis -regulatory pairs that may serve as a basis for further experimental validation and characterization. Copyright © 2018 Basu and Larsson.

Abstract volume for the 2016 biennial meeting of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lowenstern, Jacob B.

2016-10-20

IntroductionEvery two years, scientists, natural resource managers, outreach specialists, and a variety of other interested parties get together for the biennial meeting of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO). Each time, the theme varies. In past years, we have focused the meeting around topics including monitoring plans, emergency response, geodesy, and outreach. This year, we spent the first half-day devoted to recent research results, plans for upcoming studies, and geothermal monitoring. On the second day, our focus switched to eruption precursors, particularly as they apply to large caldera systems.Very few large explosive eruptions from caldera systems have taken place in recorded history. Therefore, there are few empirical data with which to characterize the nature of volcanic unrest that might precede eruptions with volcano explosivity index (VEI) of six or greater. For this reason, we set up a series of talks that explore what we know and don’t know about large eruptions. We performed an informal expert elicitation (a frequently used method to characterize expert opinion) with a small number of our colleagues, which served as the basis for a productive discussion session.This short volume of abstracts and extended abstracts provides a summary of the presentations made at the YVO meeting held in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, on May 10–11, 2016.

Viability of small seeds found in feces of the Central American tapir on Barro Colorado Island, Panama.

PubMed

Capece, Paula I; Aliaga-Rossel, Enzo; Jansen, Patrick A

2013-03-01

Tapirs are known as effective dispersers of large-seeded tree species, but their role in dispersing small-seeded plant species has yet to be established. Tapir feces have been reported to contain large numbers of small seeds, but whether these are viable has rarely been evaluated. We determined the abundance and viability of small seeds in feces of Central American tapir (Tapirus bairdii) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. A total of 72 fecal samples were collected opportunistically from 4 tapir latrine sites. Seeds were manually extracted from feces and classified by size. Seed viability was estimated by opening each seed and examining for the presence of at least 1 intact firm white endosperm. In total, we obtained 8166 seeds of at least 16 plant species. Small-seeded species dominated, with 96% of all seeds found measuring <5 mm. The canopy tree Laetia procera was the most abundant species in the samples. Of all small seeds found, 69% contained an intact endosperm and appeared viable. This suggests that small seeds, like large seeds, often pass through the digestive tract of T. bairdii intact. Thus, tapirs potentially serve as effective dispersers of a wide range of small-seeded plant species. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, ISZS and IOZ/CAS.

Internationalization Measures in Large Scale Research Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soeding, Emanuel; Smith, Nancy

2017-04-01

Internationalization measures in Large Scale Research Projects Large scale research projects (LSRP) often serve as flagships used by universities or research institutions to demonstrate their performance and capability to stakeholders and other interested parties. As the global competition among universities for the recruitment of the brightest brains has increased, effective internationalization measures have become hot topics for universities and LSRP alike. Nevertheless, most projects and universities are challenged with little experience on how to conduct these measures and make internationalization an cost efficient and useful activity. Furthermore, those undertakings permanently have to be justified with the Project PIs as important, valuable tools to improve the capacity of the project and the research location. There are a variety of measures, suited to support universities in international recruitment. These include e.g. institutional partnerships, research marketing, a welcome culture, support for science mobility and an effective alumni strategy. These activities, although often conducted by different university entities, are interlocked and can be very powerful measures if interfaced in an effective way. On this poster we display a number of internationalization measures for various target groups, identify interfaces between project management, university administration, researchers and international partners to work together, exchange information and improve processes in order to be able to recruit, support and keep the brightest heads to your project.

Comparative proteomics of human endothelial cell caveolae and rafts using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Sprenger, Richard R; Speijer, Dave; Back, Jaap Willem; De Koster, Chris G; Pannekoek, Hans; Horrevoets, Anton J G

2004-01-01

The human endothelial cell plasma membrane harbors two subdomains of similar lipid composition, caveolae and rafts, both crucially involved in various essential cellular processes like transcytosis, signal transduction and cholesterol homeostasis. Caveolin-enriched membranes, isolated by either cationic silica or buoyant density methods, were explored by comparing large series of two-dimensional (2-D) maps and subsequent identification of over 100 protein spots by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) peptide mass fingerprinting. Improved representation and identification of membrane proteins and valuable information on various post-translational modifications was achieved by the presented optimized procedures for solubilization, destaining and database searching/computing. Whereas the cationic silica purification yielded predominantly known endoplasmic reticulum residents, the cold-detergent method yielded a large number of known caveolae residents, including caveolin-1. Thus, a large part of this subproteome was established, including known (trans-)membrane, signal transduction and glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. Several predicted proteins from the human genome were isolated for the first time from biological samples, including SGRP58, SLP-2, C8ORF2, and XRP-2. These findings and various optimized procedures can serve as a reference to study the differential composition of endothelial cell caveolae and rafts, known to be involved in pathologies like cancer and cardiovascular disease.

What Four Million Mappings Can Tell You about Two Hundred Ontologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazvinian, Amir; Noy, Natalya F.; Jonquet, Clement; Shah, Nigam; Musen, Mark A.

The field of biomedicine has embraced the Semantic Web probably more than any other field. As a result, there is a large number of biomedical ontologies covering overlapping areas of the field. We have developed BioPortal—an open community-based repository of biomedical ontologies. We analyzed ontologies and terminologies in BioPortal and the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), creating more than 4 million mappings between concepts in these ontologies and terminologies based on the lexical similarity of concept names and synonyms. We then analyzed the mappings and what they tell us about the ontologies themselves, the structure of the ontology repository, and the ways in which the mappings can help in the process of ontology design and evaluation. For example, we can use the mappings to guide users who are new to a field to the most pertinent ontologies in that field, to identify areas of the domain that are not covered sufficiently by the ontologies in the repository, and to identify which ontologies will serve well as background knowledge in domain-specific tools. While we used a specific (but large) ontology repository for the study, we believe that the lessons we learned about the value of a large-scale set of mappings to ontology users and developers are general and apply in many other domains.

Assessment of the accuracy of portion size reports using computer-based food photographs aids in the development of an automated self-administered 24-hour recall.

PubMed

Subar, Amy F; Crafts, Jennifer; Zimmerman, Thea Palmer; Wilson, Michael; Mittl, Beth; Islam, Noemi G; McNutt, Suzanne; Potischman, Nancy; Buday, Richard; Hull, Stephen G; Baranowski, Tom; Guenther, Patricia M; Willis, Gordon; Tapia, Ramsey; Thompson, Frances E

2010-01-01

To assess the accuracy of portion-size estimates and participant preferences using various presentations of digital images. Two observational feeding studies were conducted. In both, each participant selected and consumed foods for breakfast and lunch, buffet style, serving themselves portions of nine foods representing five forms (eg, amorphous, pieces). Serving containers were weighed unobtrusively before and after selection as was plate waste. The next day, participants used a computer software program to select photographs representing portion sizes of foods consumed the previous day. Preference information was also collected. In Study 1 (n=29), participants were presented with four different types of images (aerial photographs, angled photographs, images of mounds, and household measures) and two types of screen presentations (simultaneous images vs an empty plate that filled with images of food portions when clicked). In Study 2 (n=20), images were presented in two ways that varied by size (large vs small) and number (4 vs 8). Convenience sample of volunteers of varying background in an office setting. Repeated-measures analysis of variance of absolute differences between actual and reported portions sizes by presentation methods. Accuracy results were largely not statistically significant, indicating that no one image type was most accurate. Accuracy results indicated the use of eight vs four images was more accurate. Strong participant preferences supported presenting simultaneous vs sequential images. These findings support the use of aerial photographs in the automated self-administered 24-hour recall. For some food forms, images of mounds or household measures are as accurate as images of food and, therefore, are a cost-effective alternative to photographs of foods. Copyright 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the Accuracy of Portion Size Reports Using Computer-Based Food Photographs Aids in the Development of an Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Recall

PubMed Central

Subar, Amy F.; Crafts, Jennifer; Zimmerman, Thea Palmer; Wilson, Michael; Mittl, Beth; Islam, Noemi G.; Mcnutt, Suzanne; Potischman, Nancy; Buday, Richard; Hull, Stephen G.; Baranowski, Tom; Guenther, Patricia M.; Willis, Gordon; Tapia, Ramsey; Thompson, Frances E.

2013-01-01

Objective To assess the accuracy of portion-size estimates and participant preferences using various presentations of digital images. Design Two observational feeding studies were conducted. In both, each participant selected and consumed foods for breakfast and lunch, buffet style, serving themselves portions of nine foods representing five forms (eg, amorphous, pieces). Serving containers were weighed unobtrusively before and after selection as was plate waste. The next day, participants used a computer software program to select photographs representing portion sizes of foods consumed the previous day. Preference information was also collected. In Study 1 (n=29), participants were presented with four different types of images (aerial photographs, angled photographs, images of mounds, and household measures) and two types of screen presentations (simultaneous images vs an empty plate that filled with images of food portions when clicked). In Study 2 (n=20), images were presented in two ways that varied by size (large vs small) and number (4 vs 8). Subjects/setting Convenience sample of volunteers of varying background in an office setting. Statistical analyses performed Repeated-measures analysis of variance of absolute differences between actual and reported portions sizes by presentation methods. Results Accuracy results were largely not statistically significant, indicating that no one image type was most accurate. Accuracy results indicated the use of eight vs four images was more accurate. Strong participant preferences supported presenting simultaneous vs sequential images. Conclusions These findings support the use of aerial photographs in the automated self-administered 24-hour recall. For some food forms, images of mounds or household measures are as accurate as images of food and, therefore, are a cost-effective alternative to photographs of foods. PMID:20102828

Comparison of Grid Nudging and Spectral Nudging Techniques for Dynamical Climate Downscaling within the WRF Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, X.; Chen, L.; Ma, Z.

2010-12-01

Climate downscaling has been an active research and application area in the past several decades focusing on regional climate studies. Dynamical downscaling, in addition to statistical methods, has been widely used in downscaling as the advanced modern numerical weather and regional climate models emerge. The utilization of numerical models enables that a full set of climate variables are generated in the process of downscaling, which are dynamically consistent due to the constraints of physical laws. While we are generating high resolution regional climate, the large scale climate patterns should be retained. To serve this purpose, nudging techniques, including grid analysis nudging and spectral nudging, have been used in different models. There are studies demonstrating the benefit and advantages of each nudging technique; however, the results are sensitive to many factors such as nudging coefficients and the amount of information to nudge to, and thus the conclusions are controversy. While in a companion work of developing approaches for quantitative assessment of the downscaled climate, in this study, the two nudging techniques are under extensive experiments in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Using the same model provides fair comparability. Applying the quantitative assessments provides objectiveness of comparison. Three types of downscaling experiments were performed for one month of choice. The first type is serving as a base whereas the large scale information is communicated through lateral boundary conditions only; the second is using the grid analysis nudging; and the third is using spectral nudging. Emphases are given to the experiments of different nudging coefficients and nudging to different variables in the grid analysis nudging; while in spectral nudging, we focus on testing the nudging coefficients, different wave numbers on different model levels to nudge.

Latina/o Student Success in Higher Education: Models of Empowerment at Hispanic Serving-Institutions (HSIs), Emerging HSIs, and Non-HSIs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cuellar, Marcela

2012-01-01

While Latina/o enrollments in higher education are on the rise, more than half of these students enroll at a unique institutional type, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). As Latina/o enrollments in higher education increase, the number of HSIs and emerging HSIs also increases. Knowledge is presently limited on the Latina/o college choice to…

Allocating operating room block time using historical caseload variability.

PubMed

Hosseini, Narges; Taaffe, Kevin M

2015-12-01

Operating room (OR) allocation and planning is one of the most important strategic decisions that OR managers face. The number of ORs that a hospital opens depends on the number of blocks that are allocated to the surgical groups, services, or individual surgeons, combined with the amount of open posting time (i.e., first come, first serve posting) that the hospital wants to provide. By allocating too few ORs, a hospital may turn away surgery demand whereas opening too many ORs could prove to be a costly decision. The traditional method of determining block frequency and size considers the average historical surgery demand for each group. However, given that there are penalties to the system for having too much or too little OR time allocated to a group, demand variability should play a role in determining the real OR requirement. In this paper we present an algorithm that allocates block time based on this demand variability, specifically accounting for both over-utilized time (time used beyond the block) and under-utilized time (time unused within the block). This algorithm provides a solution to the situation in which total caseload demand can be accommodated by the total OR resource set, in other words not in a capacity-constrained situation. We have found this scenario to be common among several regional healthcare providers with large OR suites and excess capacity. This algorithm could be used to adjust existing blocks or to assign new blocks to surgeons that did not previously have a block. We also have studied the effect of turnover time on the number of ORs that needs to be allocated. Numerical experiments based on real data from a large health-care provider indicate the opportunity to achieve over 2,900 hours of OR time savings through improved block allocations.

Disruption of bbe02 by Insertion of a Luciferase Gene Increases Transformation Efficiency of Borrelia burgdorferi and Allows Live Imaging in Lyme Disease Susceptible C3H Mice

PubMed Central

Chan, Kamfai; Alter, Laura; Barthold, Stephen W.; Parveen, Nikhat

2015-01-01

Lyme disease is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in North America and Europe. The causative agent, Borrelia burgdorferi persists in the white-footed mouse. Infection with B. burgdorferi can cause acute to persistent multisystemic Lyme disease in humans. Some disease manifestations are also exhibited in the mouse model of Lyme disease. Genetic manipulation of B. burgdorferi remains difficult. First, B. burgdorferi contains a large number of endogenous plasmids with unique sequences encoding unknown functions. The presence of these plasmids needs to be confirmed after each genetic manipulation. Second, the restriction modification defense systems, including that encoded by bbe02 gene lead to low transformation efficiency in B. burgdorferi. Therefore, studying the molecular basis of Lyme pathogenesis is a challenge. Furthermore, investigation of the role of a specific B. burgdorferi protein throughout infection requires a large number of mice, making it labor intensive and expensive. To overcome the problems associated with low transformation efficiency and to reduce the number of mice needed for experiments, we disrupted the bbe02 gene of a highly infectious and pathogenic B. burgdorferi strain, N40 D10/E9 through insertion of a firefly luciferase gene. The bbe02 mutant shows higher transformation efficiency and maintains luciferase activity throughout infection as detected by live imaging of mice. Infectivity and pathogenesis of this mutant were comparable to the wild-type N40 strain. This mutant will serve as an ideal parental strain to examine the roles of various B. burgdorferi proteins in Lyme pathogenesis in the mouse model in the future. PMID:26069970

Molecular Line Lists for Scandium and Titanium Hydride Using the DUO Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lodi, Lorenzo; Yurchenko, Sergei N.; Tennyson, Jonathan

2015-06-01

Transition-metal-containing (TMC) molecules often have very complex electronic spectra because of their large number of low-lying, interacting electronic states, of the large multi-reference character of the electronic states and of the large magnitude of spin-orbit and relativistic effects. As a result, fully ab initio calculations of line positions and intensities of TMC molecules have an accuracy which is considerably worse than the one usually achievable for molecules made up by main-group atoms only. In this presentation we report on new theoretical line lists for scandium hydride ScH and titanium hydride TiH. Scandium and titanium are the lightest transition metal atoms and by virtue of their small number of valence electrons are amenable to high-level electronic-structure treatments and serve as ideal benchmark systems. We report for both systems energy curves, dipole curves and various coupling curves (including spin-orbit) characterising their electronic spectra up to about 20 000 cm-1. Curves were obtained using Internally-Contracted Multi Reference Configuration Interaction (IC-MRCI) as implemented in the quantum chemistry package MOLPRO. The curves where used for the solution of the coupled-surface ro-vibronic problem using the in-house program DUO. DUO is a newly-developed, general program for the spectroscopy of diatomic molecules and its main functionality will be described. The resulting line lists for ScH and TiH are made available as part of the Exomol project. L. Lodi, S. N. Yurchenko and J. Tennyson, Mol. Phys. (Handy special issue) in press. S. N. Yurchenko, L. Lodi, J. Tennyson and A. V. Stolyarov, Computer Phys. Comms., to be submitted.

Digital food photography technology improves efficiency and feasibility of dietary intake assessments in large populations eating ad libitum in collective dining facilities.

PubMed

McClung, Holly L; Champagne, Catherine M; Allen, H Raymond; McGraw, Susan M; Young, Andrew J; Montain, Scott J; Crombie, Aaron P

2017-09-01

Accurate assessment of dietary intake continues to challenge researchers, especially in field, or non-laboratory settings. In this study, digital food photography (DFP) methodology was used to assess nutritional intake (NI) of Soldiers participating in the US Army's Ranger Selection and Assessment Program (RASP). During this high-intensity six-week course, Soldiers complete simulated operational missions, perform various military tasks, and importantly, eating time is severely limited. Therefore, this study provided an opportunity to evaluate the utility of DFP methods for accurate assessment of energy balance in conditions where consumption of large numbers of subjects must be completed in a very short periods of time (≤20 min). NI of 131 male, enlisted Soldiers (21 ± 4 years, 178±7 cm, and 78±8 kg) enrolled in the RASP course was assessed in their garrison dining facility using DFP utilizing visual estimation of pre- and post-meal photos of participant meals concurrently with photos of weighed, standardized portions. Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) was assessed using doubly-labeled water ( 2 H 2 18 O) in a sub-group of 19 volunteers. During the study, data loss (i.e., missing meal photos) was less than 5% per meal, and during the visual estimation process discrepancies in food identification averaged less than 10% per meal, while approximately a third of serving size estimations required a third party adjudication prior to finalization and calculation NI. We conclude that the use of DFP allows an adequately reliable approach for quantifying NI in real-world scenarios involving large numbers of participants who must be assessed very rapidly, and researchers must have a small footprint. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Using telephony data to facilitate discovery of clinical workflows.

PubMed

Rucker, Donald W

2017-04-19

Discovery of clinical workflows to target for redesign using methods such as Lean and Six Sigma is difficult. VoIP telephone call pattern analysis may complement direct observation and EMR-based tools in understanding clinical workflows at the enterprise level by allowing visualization of institutional telecommunications activity. To build an analytic framework mapping repetitive and high-volume telephone call patterns in a large medical center to their associated clinical units using an enterprise unified communications server log file and to support visualization of specific call patterns using graphical networks. Consecutive call detail records from the medical center's unified communications server were parsed to cross-correlate telephone call patterns and map associated phone numbers to a cost center dictionary. Hashed data structures were built to allow construction of edge and node files representing high volume call patterns for display with an open source graph network tool. Summary statistics for an analysis of exactly one week's call detail records at a large academic medical center showed that 912,386 calls were placed with a total duration of 23,186 hours. Approximately half of all calling called number pairs had an average call duration under 60 seconds and of these the average call duration was 27 seconds. Cross-correlation of phone calls identified by clinical cost center can be used to generate graphical displays of clinical enterprise communications. Many calls are short. The compact data transfers within short calls may serve as automation or re-design targets. The large absolute amount of time medical center employees were engaged in VoIP telecommunications suggests that analysis of telephone call patterns may offer additional insights into core clinical workflows.

Large Animal Models of an In Vivo Bioreactor for Engineering Vascularized Bone.

PubMed

Akar, Banu; Tatara, Alexander M; Sutradhar, Alok; Hsiao, Hui-Yi; Miller, Michael; Cheng, Ming-Huei; Mikos, Antonios G; Brey, Eric M

2018-04-12

Reconstruction of large skeletal defects is challenging due to the requirement for large volumes of donor tissue and the often complex surgical procedures. Tissue engineering has the potential to serve as a new source of tissue for bone reconstruction, but current techniques are often limited in regards to the size and complexity of tissue that can be formed. Building tissue using an in vivo bioreactor approach may enable the production of appropriate amounts of specialized tissue, while reducing issues of donor site morbidity and infection. Large animals are required to screen and optimize new strategies for growing clinically appropriate volumes of tissues in vivo. In this article, we review both ovine and porcine models that serve as models of the technique proposed for clinical engineering of bone tissue in vivo. Recent findings are discussed with these systems, as well as description of next steps required for using these models, to develop clinically applicable tissue engineering applications.

A Study of the Connectivity Between The Defense Laboratories, Industry, and Academia in the Area of Information Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-04-01

GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR( S ) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME( S ) AND...NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME( S ) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM( S ) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER( S ) 12. DISTRIBUTION...Laboratories serve as S &T funding agencies, as research sponsors or as agents of research sponsors, it is hard to imagine any industrial or academic

The Pedagogy of Visibility: Constructs and Contests of Iranianness in a Community-Organized School in a Large Southern U.S. City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shirazi, Roozbeh

2014-01-01

This article highlights how a community-organized language school that teaches Persian serves as a site of diasporic cultural production. Specifically, I examine how the school serves as a site to teach the Persian language, delimit cultural meanings, and facilitate a sense of belonging and community membership among a diverse group of parents and…

e-Learning Programs Come in All Shapes and Sizes: From Alaska to Arkansas, Districts Are Experimenting with Online Learning to Solve Access Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyle, Shawn; Jones, Thea; Pickle, Shirley Kirk

2009-01-01

This article presents a sample of online learning programs serving very different populations: a small district spread over a vast area, a large inner school district, and a statewide program serving numerous districts. It describes how these districts successfully implemented e-learning programs in their schools and discusses the positive impact…

Books, Read-Alouds, and Voluntary Book Interactions: What Do We Know about Centers Serving Three-Year-Olds?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mesmer, Heidi Anne

2018-01-01

This study examined the quality of books, the quality of read-alouds, and children's voluntary interactions with books in childcare centers serving low-income 3-year-olds (N = 30). Although a large percentage of centers had book areas, the features of book areas differed. The highest percentage of books was highly recommended and appropriate (39%)…

The Establishment and Application of a Labor Quality Index: The Case of Taiwan's Manufacturing Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

San,Gee; Huang, Tung-Chun; Huang, Li-Hsuan

2006-01-01

The labor quality index (LQI) not only serves as an important reference for monitoring the progress of the sustainable development of a country, but it can also serve as an important parameter for economic analysis. To compile such an index for Taiwan, we conducted two large-scale surveys of 1000 major enterprises and 844 union leaders,…

A multifunctional hemin@metal-organic framework and its application to construct an electrochemical aptasensor for thrombin detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Shunbi; Ye, Jiawei; Yuan, Yali; Chai, Yaqin; Yuan, Ruo

2015-10-01

A new type of multifunctional metal-organic framework (MOF) has been synthesized by encapsulating hemin into the nano-sized Fe-MIL-88 MOFs (hemin@MOFs) and first applied in an electrochemical aptasensor to detect thrombin (TB) with the aid of an enzyme for signal amplification. The gold nanoparticle functionalized hemin@MOFs (Au/hemin@MOFs) have not only simultaneously served as redox mediators and solid electrocatalysts, but have also been utilized as an ideal loading platform to immobilize a large number of biomolecules. In this aptasensor, Au/hemin@MOFs conjugated with glucose oxidase (GOD) and thrombin binding aptamer (TBA II) were used as the secondary aptamer bioconjugates (Au/hemin@MOF-TBA II-GOD bioconjugates), and TB was sandwiched between Au/hemin@MOF-TBA II-GOD bioconjugates and the amino-terminated TBA I which was self-assembled on the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) modified electrode. The GOD could oxidize glucose into gluconic acid accompanied by the generation of H2O2. The generated H2O2 on the electrode surface was further electrocatalyzed by hemin@MOFs to amplify the electrochemical signal of hemin contained in hemin@MOFs. Therefore, the synthesized hemin@MOFs represented a new paradigm for multifunctional materials since it combined three different functions including serving as catalysts, redox mediators and loading platforms within a single material. With such an ingenious design, a wide linear range of 0.0001 nM to 30 nM was acquired with a relatively low detection limit of 0.068 pM for TB detection.A new type of multifunctional metal-organic framework (MOF) has been synthesized by encapsulating hemin into the nano-sized Fe-MIL-88 MOFs (hemin@MOFs) and first applied in an electrochemical aptasensor to detect thrombin (TB) with the aid of an enzyme for signal amplification. The gold nanoparticle functionalized hemin@MOFs (Au/hemin@MOFs) have not only simultaneously served as redox mediators and solid electrocatalysts, but have also been utilized as an ideal loading platform to immobilize a large number of biomolecules. In this aptasensor, Au/hemin@MOFs conjugated with glucose oxidase (GOD) and thrombin binding aptamer (TBA II) were used as the secondary aptamer bioconjugates (Au/hemin@MOF-TBA II-GOD bioconjugates), and TB was sandwiched between Au/hemin@MOF-TBA II-GOD bioconjugates and the amino-terminated TBA I which was self-assembled on the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) modified electrode. The GOD could oxidize glucose into gluconic acid accompanied by the generation of H2O2. The generated H2O2 on the electrode surface was further electrocatalyzed by hemin@MOFs to amplify the electrochemical signal of hemin contained in hemin@MOFs. Therefore, the synthesized hemin@MOFs represented a new paradigm for multifunctional materials since it combined three different functions including serving as catalysts, redox mediators and loading platforms within a single material. With such an ingenious design, a wide linear range of 0.0001 nM to 30 nM was acquired with a relatively low detection limit of 0.068 pM for TB detection. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr04532k

Serving large portions of vegetable soup at the start of a meal affected children's energy and vegetable intake.

PubMed

Spill, Maureen K; Birch, Leann L; Roe, Liane S; Rolls, Barbara J

2011-08-01

This study tested whether varying the portion of low-energy-dense vegetable soup served at the start of a meal affects meal energy and vegetable intakes in children. Subjects were 3- to 5-year-olds (31 boys and 41 girls) in daycare facilities. Using a crossover design, children were served lunch once a week for four weeks. On three occasions, different portions of tomato soup (150, 225, and 300 g) were served at the start of the meal, and on one occasion no soup was served. Children had 10 min to consume the soup before being served the main course. All foods were consumed ad libitum. The primary outcomes were soup intake as well as energy and vegetable intake at the main course. A mixed linear model tested the effect of soup portion size on intake. Serving any portion of soup reduced entrée energy intake compared with serving no soup, but total meal energy intake was only reduced when 150 g of soup was served. Increasing the portion size increased soup and vegetable intake. Serving low-energy-dense, vegetable soup as a first course is an effective strategy to reduce children's intake of a more energy-dense main entrée and increase vegetable consumption at the meal. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serving large portions of vegetable soup at the start of a meal affected children’s energy and vegetable intake

PubMed Central

Spill, Maureen K.; Birch, Leann L.; Roe, Liane S.; Rolls, Barbara J.

2011-01-01

This study tested whether varying the portion of low-energy-dense vegetable soup served at the start of a meal affects meal energy and vegetable intakes in children. Subjects were 3- to 5-year-olds (31 boys and 41 girls) in daycare facilities. Using a crossover design, children were served lunch once a week for four weeks. On three occasions, different portions of tomato soup (150, 225, and 300 g) were served at the start of the meal, and on one occasion no soup was served. Children had 10 minutes to consume the soup before being served the main course. All foods were consumed ad libitum. The primary outcomes were soup intake as well as energy and vegetable intake at the main course. A mixed linear model tested the effect of soup portion size on intake. Serving any portion of soup reduced entrée energy intake compared with serving no soup, but total meal energy intake was only reduced when 150 g of soup was served. Increasing the portion size increased soup and vegetable intake. Serving low-energy-dense, vegetable soup as a first course is an effective strategy to reduce children’s intake of a more energy-dense main entrée and increase vegetable consumption at the meal. PMID:21596073

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

40 CFR 141.81 - Applicability of corrosion control treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... treatment steps to small, medium-size and large water systems. 141.81 Section 141.81 Protection of... to small, medium-size and large water systems. (a) Systems shall complete the applicable corrosion...) or (b)(3) of this section. (2) A small system (serving ≤3300 persons) and a medium-size system...

The potential impact of Brexit and immigration policies on the GP workforce in England: a cross-sectional observational study of GP qualification region and the characteristics of the areas and population they served in September 2016.

PubMed

Esmail, Aneez; Panagioti, Maria; Kontopantelis, Evangelos

2017-11-16

The UK is dependent on international doctors, with a greater proportion of non-UK qualified doctors working in its universal health care system than in any other European country, except Ireland and Norway. The terms of the UK exit from the European Union can reduce the ability of European Economic Area (EEA) qualified doctors to work in the UK, while new visa requirements will significantly restrict the influx of non-EEA doctors. We aimed to explore the implications of policy restrictions on immigration, by regionally and spatially describing the characteristics of general practitioners (GPs) by region of medical qualification and the characteristics of the populations they serve. This is a cross-sectional study on 37,792 of 41,865 GPs in England, as of 30 September 2016. The study involved age, sex, full-time equivalent (FTE), country and region of qualification and geography (organisational regions) of individual GPs. Additionally at the practice and geography levels, we studied patient list size by age groups, average patient location deprivation, the overall morbidity as measured by the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and the average payment made to primary care per patient. Non-UK qualified GPs comprised 21.1% of the total numbers of GPs, with the largest percentage observed in East England (29.8%). Compared to UK qualified GPs, EEA and elsewhere qualified GPs had higher FTE (medians were 0.80, 0.89 and 0.93, respectively) and worked in practices with higher median patient location deprivation (18.3, 22.5 and 25.2, respectively). Practices with high percentages of EEA and elsewhere qualified GPs served patients who resided in more deprived areas, had lower GP-to-patient ratios and lower GP-to-cumulative QOF register ratios. A decrease in pay as the percentage of elsewhere qualified GPs increased was observed; a 10% increase in elsewhere qualified GPs was linked to a £1 decrease (95% confidence interval 0.5-1.4) in average pay per patient. A large percentage of the UK general practice workforce consists of non-UK qualified GPs who work longer hours, are older and serve a larger number of patients in more deprived areas. Following Brexit, difficulties in replacing this valuable workforce will primarily threaten the care delivery in deprived areas.

Serving Up Number Sense and Problem Solving: Dinner at the Panda Palace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wickett, Maryann S.

1997-01-01

Describes strategies for using literature to teach number sense and problem solving. Reports that the rich class discussions reflected some of the students' thinking, gave students opportunities to share their approaches and understandings, and gave the teacher additional insights into students' thinking. (JRH)

28 CFR 42.405 - Public dissemination of title VI information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) Where a significant number or proportion of the population eligible to be served or likely to be... numbers and places posters which state that the recipients operate programs subject to the... concentration of such population, to provide information in appropriate languages to such persons. This...

UHF Television: Breaking the Monolith

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oppenheim, Jerrold

1975-01-01

Advocates that the Federal Communications Council should remove unnecessary UHF restrictions to dramatically increase the number of UHF stations, put all existing stations on the UHF band, and license new low-power stations on the UHF channels, arguing that television fails to serve a sizable number of viewers. (Author/JM)

Organic electronic devices using phthalimide compounds

DOEpatents

Hassan, Azad M.; Thompson, Mark E.

2010-09-07

Organic electronic devices comprising a phthalimide compound. The phthalimide compounds disclosed herein are electron transporters with large HOMO-LUMO gaps, high triplet energies, large reduction potentials, and/or thermal and chemical stability. As such, these phthalimide compounds are suitable for use in any of various organic electronic devices, such as OLEDs and solar cells. In an OLED, the phthalimide compounds may serve various functions, such as a host in the emissive layer, as a hole blocking material, or as an electron transport material. In a solar cell, the phthalimide compounds may serve various functions, such as an exciton blocking material. Various examples of phthalimide compounds which may be suitable for use in the present invention are disclosed.

Organic electronic devices using phthalimide compounds

DOEpatents

Hassan, Azad M.; Thompson, Mark E.

2012-10-23

Organic electronic devices comprising a phthalimide compound. The phthalimide compounds disclosed herein are electron transporters with large HOMO-LUMO gaps, high triplet energies, large reduction potentials, and/or thermal and chemical stability. As such, these phthalimide compounds are suitable for use in any of various organic electronic devices, such as OLEDs and solar cells. In an OLED, the phthalimide compounds may serve various functions, such as a host in the emissive layer, as a hole blocking material, or as an electron transport material. In a solar cell, the phthalimide compounds may serve various functions, such as an exciton blocking material. Various examples of phthalimide compounds which may be suitable for use in the present invention are disclosed.

Organic electronic devices using phthalimide compounds

DOEpatents

Hassan, Azad M.; Thompson, Mark E.

2013-03-19

Organic electronic devices comprising a phthalimide compound. The phthalimide compounds disclosed herein are electron transporters with large HOMO-LUMO gaps, high triplet energies, large reduction potentials, and/or thermal and chemical stability. As such, these phthalimide compounds are suitable for use in any of various organic electronic devices, such as OLEDs and solar cells. In an OLED, the phthalimide compounds may serve various functions, such as a host in the emissive layer, as a hole blocking material, or as an electron transport material. In a solar cell, the phthalimide compounds may serve various functions, such as an exciton blocking material. Various examples of phthalimide compounds which may be suitable for use in the present invention are disclosed.

Test and Evaluation Enhancements for Cognitive Radio Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-13

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: This document serves as the final report for the Department of Defense (DoD) Research and Education Program for...report will described the instrumentation and the integration into the academic and research programs . All instrumentation has been procured, delivered...UNIT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Form Approved OMB NO. 0704-0188 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) - UU UU UU UU

Alliances and Legitimacy: Walking the Operational Tightrope

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

powers. In effect , this describes a dynamic whereby alliances serve the interests of both strong 111Brett Ashley Leeds, “Alliance Reliability in...comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number . PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS...ALLIANCES AND LEGITIMACY: WALKING THE OPERATIONAL TIGHTROPE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S

An Undergraduate Intern Program at PACES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Starks, Scott A.

1997-01-01

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) established the Pan American Center for Earth and Environmental Studies (PACES) in 1995 to conduct basic and applied research that contributes to NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. Specifically, PACES provides a repository of remote sensing and other information that supports investigations into an improved understanding of geological, ecological and environmental processes occurring in the southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Approximately 85% of UTEP's students come from El Paso County, a fast growing urban region representative of many large cities in the Southwest that have, or will soon have, a majority of their population composed of groups currently underrepresented in the scientific and technical workforce. UTEP's student population has an ethnic distribution (63% Hispanic, 32% Anglo, 3% African American, 1.5 % Asian American, and less than 1% Native American) that closely matches the demographics of the region it serves. Thus, UTEP has a mission to serve a multicultural population where minority students comprise the majority. Most Hispanic students at UTEP are primarily of Mexican origin. A large number are first or second-generation U.S. citizens. Characteristics that unite Hispanic students, in particular those of Mexican-origin, are a strong sense of family loyalty and a belief that all family members are responsible for contributing to the economic stability and well-being of the family. Most of their families are larger in number than the national average, and a variety of generations live together or share considerable resources. Thus, many young people feel an obligation and a desire to go to work at a young age and to continue working while in college, thereby assisting their parents and other family members. Older siblings understand that they have responsibilities to do household chores, to aid their younger siblings economically, and to assist elderly family members. This "work ethic" within the context of family responsisilities is often viewed as being as important as higher education aspirations by both parents and university students. As a consequence, much effort at UTEP has been placed in recent years upon creating opportunities for students to earn income while working on campus as undergraduate research assistants on research projects related to their majors. Work assignments of this sort serve to promote retention efforts, to introduce students with the possibility of graduate study and to develop students professionally. Also, the involvement of students in group-oriented research projects at UTEP which require frequent oral and written reports has been proven beneficial at promoting communication skills of students. Because an estimated 60% of UTEP's students are first-generation college students, many are often uncertain graduate education.

Scientific Instrument Package for the large space telescope (SIP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The feasibility of a scientific instrument package (SIP) that will satisfy the requirements of the large space telescope was established. A reference configuration serving as a study model and data which will aid in the trade-off studies leading to the final design configuration are reported.

Application of an in vitro drug screening assay based on the release of phosphoglucose isomerase to determine the structure-activity relationship of thiazolides against Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes.

PubMed

Stadelmann, Britta; Scholl, Sabrina; Müller, Joachim; Hemphill, Andrew

2010-03-01

The disease alveolar echinococcosis (AE), caused by the larval stage of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis, is fatal if treatment is unsuccessful. Current treatment options are, at best, parasitostatic, and involve taking benzimidazoles (albendazole, mebendazole) for the whole of a patient's life. In conjunction with the recent development of optimized procedures for E. multilocularis metacestode cultivation, we aimed to develop a rapid and reliable drug screening test, which enables efficient screening of a large number of compounds in a relatively short time frame. Metacestodes were treated in vitro with albendazole, the nitro-thiazole nitazoxanide and 29 nitazoxanide derivatives. The resulting leakage of phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) activity into the medium supernatant was measured and provided an indication of compound efficacy. We show that upon in vitro culture of E. multilocularis metacestodes in the presence of active drugs such as albendazole, the nitro-thiazole nitazoxanide and 30 different nitazoxanide derivatives, the activity of PGI in culture supernatants increased. The increase in PGI activity correlated with the progressive degeneration and destruction of metacestode tissue in a time- and concentration-dependent manner, which allowed us to perform a structure-activity relationship analysis on the thiazolide compounds used in this study. The assay presented here is inexpensive, rapid, can be used in 24- and 96-well formats and will serve as an ideal tool for first-round in vitro tests on the efficacy of large numbers of antiparasitic compounds.

Searching mixed DNA profiles directly against profile databases.

PubMed

Bright, Jo-Anne; Taylor, Duncan; Curran, James; Buckleton, John

2014-03-01

DNA databases have revolutionised forensic science. They are a powerful investigative tool as they have the potential to identify persons of interest in criminal investigations. Routinely, a DNA profile generated from a crime sample could only be searched for in a database of individuals if the stain was from single contributor (single source) or if a contributor could unambiguously be determined from a mixed DNA profile. This meant that a significant number of samples were unsuitable for database searching. The advent of continuous methods for the interpretation of DNA profiles offers an advanced way to draw inferential power from the considerable investment made in DNA databases. Using these methods, each profile on the database may be considered a possible contributor to a mixture and a likelihood ratio (LR) can be formed. Those profiles which produce a sufficiently large LR can serve as an investigative lead. In this paper empirical studies are described to determine what constitutes a large LR. We investigate the effect on a database search of complex mixed DNA profiles with contributors in equal proportions with dropout as a consideration, and also the effect of an incorrect assignment of the number of contributors to a profile. In addition, we give, as a demonstration of the method, the results using two crime samples that were previously unsuitable for database comparison. We show that effective management of the selection of samples for searching and the interpretation of the output can be highly informative. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative transcriptomic analyses of normal and malformed flowers in sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) to identify the differential expressed genes between normal and malformed flowers.

PubMed

Liu, Kaidong; Li, Haili; Li, Weijin; Zhong, Jundi; Chen, Yan; Shen, Chenjia; Yuan, Changchun

2017-10-23

Sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.), a popular fruit with high medicinal and nutritional properties, is widely cultivated in tropical South Asia and America. The malformed flower is a major cause for a reduction in production of sugar apple. However, little information is available on the differences between normal and malformed flowers of sugar apple. To gain a comprehensive perspective on the differences between normal and malformed flowers of sugar apple, cDNA libraries from normal and malformation flowers were prepared independently for Illumina sequencing. The data generated a total of 70,189,896 reads that were integrated and assembled into 55,097 unigenes with a mean length of 783 bp. A large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Among these DEGs, 701 flower development-associated transcript factor encoding genes were included. Furthermore, a large number of flowering- and hormone-related DEGs were also identified, and most of these genes were down-regulated expressed in the malformation flowers. The expression levels of 15 selected genes were validated using quantitative-PCR. The contents of several endogenous hormones were measured. The malformed flowers displayed lower endogenous hormone levels compared to the normal flowers. The expression data as well as hormone levels in our study will serve as a comprehensive resource for investigating the regulation mechanism involved in floral organ development in sugar apple.

Expert system for maintenance management of a boiling water reactor power plant

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

Hong Shen; Liou, L.W.; Levine, S.

1992-01-01

An expert system code has been developed for the maintenance of two boiling water reactor units in Berwick, Pennsylvania, that are operated by the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company (PP and L). The objective of this expert system code, where the knowledge of experienced operators and engineers is captured and implemented, is to support the decisions regarding which components can be safely and reliably removed from service for maintenance. It can also serve as a query-answering facility for checking the plant system status and for training purposes. The operating and maintenance information of a large number of support systems, whichmore » must be available for emergencies and/or in the event of an accident, is stored in the data base of the code. It identifies the relevant technical specifications and management rules for shutting down any one of the systems or removing a component from service to support maintenance. Because of the complexity and time needed to incorporate a large number of systems and their components, the first phase of the expert system develops a prototype code, which includes only the reactor core isolation coolant system, the high-pressure core injection system, the instrument air system, the service water system, and the plant electrical system. The next phase is scheduled to expand the code to include all other systems. This paper summarizes the prototype code and the design concept of the complete expert system code for maintenance management of all plant systems and components.« less

Anisakid nematodes (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from the marine fishes Plectropomus laevis Lacépède (Serranidae) and Sphyraena qenie Klunzinger (Sphyraenidae) off New Caledonia, including two new species of Hysterothylacium Ward & Magath, 1917.

PubMed

Moravec, František; Justine, Jean-Lou

2015-11-01

Based on light and scanning electron microscopical studies, two new species of Hysterothylacium Ward & Magath, 1917 (Nematoda: Anisakidae) are described from the digestive tract of perciform fishes off New Caledonia: H. alatum n. sp. from Plectropomus laevis (Lacépède) (Serranidae) and H. sphyraenae n. sp. from Sphyraena qenie Klunzinger (Sphyraenidae). The former species (H. alatum) is mainly characterised by its large body (male 42.05 mm, gravid females 51.18-87.38 mm long), the shape of the dorsal lip, conspicuously broad cervical alae, a short caecum and a long ventricular appendix, the length of the spicules (925 µm), the number (25 pairs) and distribution of the genital papillae and the tail tip bearing numerous minute cuticular protuberances. The other species (H. sphyraenae) is mainly characterised by the presence of narrow lateral alae, a short caecum and a long ventricular appendix, the length (762-830 µm) and shape of the spicules, the number (37-38 pairs) and arrangement of the genital papillae, and by the tail tip which lacks any distinct cuticular projections visible under the light microscope. In addition, and unidentifiable at the species level, conspicuously large (45.71-66.10 mm long) larvae of Contracaecum Railliet & Henry, 1912, were found in the body cavity of P. laevis, which serves as a paratenic host for this parasite.

Low-Income and Minority Serving Institutions: Department of Education Could Improve Its Monitoring and Assistance. Report to the Secretary of Education. GAO-04-961

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashby, Cornelia M.

2004-01-01

Congress has expanded the number of low-income and minority-serving institutions eligible for grants under Titles III and V of the Higher Education Act and significantly increased funding for the grants. This study investigated: how institutions used their Title III and Title V grants, and benefits they received from using the grant funds;…