Determination of the transmission coefficients for quantum structures using FDTD method.

PubMed

Peng, Yangyang; Wang, Xiaoying; Sui, Wenquan

2011-12-01

The purpose of this work is to develop a simple method to incorporate quantum effect in traditional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulators. Witch could make it possible to co-simulate systems include quantum structures and traditional components. In this paper, tunneling transmission coefficient is calculated by solving time-domain Schrödinger equation with a developed FDTD technique, called FDTD-S method. To validate the feasibility of the method, a simple resonant tunneling diode (RTD) structure model has been simulated using the proposed method. The good agreement between the numerical and analytical results proves its accuracy. The effectness and accuracy of this approach makes it a potential method for analysis and design of hybrid systems includes quantum structures and traditional components.

A simple algorithm to estimate the effective regional atmospheric parameters for thermal-inertia mapping

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson, K.; Hummer-Miller, S.

1981-01-01

A method based solely on remote sensing data has been developed to estimate those meteorological effects which are required for thermal-inertia mapping. It assumes that the atmospheric fluxes are spatially invariant and that the solar, sky, and sensible heat fluxes can be approximated by a simple mathematical form. Coefficients are determined from least-squares method by fitting observational data to our thermal model. A comparison between field measurements and the model-derived flux shows the type of agreement which can be achieved. An analysis of the limitations of the method is also provided. ?? 1981.

ANALYSIS OF METHODS FOR DETECTING THE PROXIMITY EFFECT IN QUASAR SPECTRA

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

Dall'Aglio, Aldo; Gnedin, Nickolay Y., E-mail: adaglio@aip.d

Using numerical simulations of structure formation, we investigate several methods for determining the strength of the proximity effect in the H I Ly{alpha} forest. We analyze three high-resolution ({approx}10 kpc) redshift snapshots (z-bar=4,3, and 2.25) of a Hydro-Particle-Mesh simulation to obtain realistic absorption spectra of the H I Ly{alpha} forest. We model the proximity effect along the simulated sight lines with a simple analytical prescription based on the assumed quasar luminosity and the intensity of the cosmic UV background (UVB). We begin our analysis investigating the intrinsic biases thought to arise in the widely adopted standard technique of combining multiplemore » lines of sight when searching for the proximity effect. We confirm the existence of these biases, albeit smaller than previously predicted with simple Monte Carlo simulations. We then concentrate on the analysis of the proximity effect along individual lines of sight. After determining its strength with a fiducial value of the UVB intensity, we construct the proximity effect strength distribution (PESD). We confirm that the PESD inferred from the simple averaging technique accurately recovers the input strength of the proximity effect at all redshifts. Moreover, the PESD closely follows the behaviors found in observed samples of quasar spectra. However, the PESD obtained from our new simulated sight lines presents some differences to that of simple Monte Carlo simulations. At all redshifts, we find a smaller dispersion of the strength parameters, the source of the corresponding smaller biases found when combining multiple lines of sight. After developing three new theoretical methods for recovering the strength of the proximity effect on individual lines of sight, we compare their accuracy to the PESD from the simple averaging technique. All our new approaches are based on the maximization of the likelihood function, albeit invoking some modifications. The new techniques presented here, in spite of their complexity, fail to recover the input proximity effect in an unbiased way, presumably due to some (unknown) higher order correlations in the spectrum. Thus, employing complex three-dimensional simulations, we provide strong evidence in favor of the PESD obtained from the simple averaging technique, as a method of estimating the UVB intensity, free of any intrinsic biases.« less

The Nonlinear Dynamic Response of an Elastic-Plastic Thin Plate under Impulsive Loading,

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-11

Among those numerical methods, the finite element method is the most effective one. The method presented in this paper is an " influence function " numerical...computational time is much less than the finite element method. Its precision is higher also. II. Basic Assumption and the Influence Function of a Simple...calculation. Fig. 1 3 2. The Influence function of a Simple Supported Plate The motion differential equation of a thin plate can be written as DV’w+ _.eluq() (1

A simple method of measuring the effective SRS coefficient in single-mode optical fibres and the range of its applicability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shikhaliev, I. I.; Gainov, V. V.; Dorozhkin, A. N.; Nanii, O. E.; Konyshev, V. A.; Treshchikov, V. N.

2017-11-01

This paper describes techniques for measuring the SRS coefficient in a wide spectral range, including the region of small Stokes shifts. A simple, approximate method is proposed for evaluating the SRS coefficient near a gain peak. Spectral dependences of the SRS coefficient are presented for various telecom fibres.

A convenient method for determining the concentration of hydrogen in water: use of methylene blue with colloidal platinum

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

A simple titration (oxidimetry) method using a methylene blue-platinum colloid reagent is effective in determining the concentration of hydrogen gas in an aqueous solution. The method performs as effectively as the more complex and expensive electrochemical method. PMID:22273079

Cellufine sulfate column chromatography as a simple, rapid, and effective method to purify dengue virus.

PubMed

Kanlaya, Rattiyaporn; Thongboonkerd, Visith

2016-08-01

Conventional method to purify/concentrate dengue virus (DENV) is time-consuming with low virus recovery yield. Herein, we applied cellufine sulfate column chromatography to purify/concentrate DENV based on the mimicry between heparan sulfate and DENV envelope protein. Comparative analysis demonstrated that this new method offered higher purity (as determined by less contamination of bovine serum albumin) and recovery yield (as determined by greater infectivity). Moreover, overall duration used for cellufine sulfate column chromatography to purify/concentrate DENV was approximately 1/20 of that of conventional method. Therefore, cellufine sulfate column chromatography serves as a simple, rapid, and effective alternative method for DENV purification/concentration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Developments in preparation and experimental method of solid phase microextraction fibers].

PubMed

Yi, Xu; Fu, Yujie

2004-09-01

Solid phase microextraction (SPME) is a simple and effective adsorption and desorption technique, which concentrates volatile or nonvolatile compounds from liquid samples or headspace of samples. SPME is compatible with analyte separation and detection by gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, and other instrumental methods. It can provide many advantages, such as wide linear scale, low solvent and sample consumption, short analytical times, low detection limits, simple apparatus, and so on. The theory of SPME is introduced, which includes equilibrium theory and non-equilibrium theory. The novel development of fiber preparation methods and relative experimental techniques are discussed. In addition to commercial fiber preparation, different newly developed fabrication techniques, such as sol-gel, electronic deposition, carbon-base adsorption, high-temperature epoxy immobilization, are presented. Effects of extraction modes, selection of fiber coating, optimization of operating conditions, method sensitivity and precision, and systematical automation, are taken into considerations in the analytical process of SPME. A simple perspective of SPME is proposed at last.

The effect of acceleration versus displacement methods on steady-state boundary forces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcghee, D. S.

1992-01-01

This study describes the acceleration and displacement methods for use in the recovery of coupled system boundary forces. A simple two degree of freedom system has been used for illustration. The effect of the choice of method for use with indeterminate or over-constrained boundaries has been investigated. It has specifically looked at results from a simple two dimensional beam problem using both methods. Much work has been done on the effect of Craig-Bampton modal truncation system displacements and forces, however, little work has been done on system level modal truncation. The findings of this study indicate that the effect of this system level truncation is significant. This may be particularly true for the 35 Hz system cutoff frequency that is required by the space shuttle. From this study's findings, recommendations for areas of study with space shuttle payload systems are made.

Simple, Fast and Effective Correction for Irradiance Spatial Nonuniformity in Measurement of IVs of Large Area Cells at NREL

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

Moriarty, Tom

The NREL cell measurement lab measures the IV parameters of cells of multiple sizes and configurations. A large contributing factor to errors and uncertainty in Jsc, Imax, Pmax and efficiency can be the irradiance spatial nonuniformity. Correcting for this nonuniformity through its precise and frequent measurement can be very time consuming. This paper explains a simple, fast and effective method based on bicubic interpolation for determining and correcting for spatial nonuniformity and verification of the method's efficacy.

Configurational entropy: an improvement of the quasiharmonic approximation using configurational temperature.

PubMed

Nguyen, Phuong H; Derreumaux, Philippe

2012-01-14

One challenge in computational biophysics and biology is to develop methodologies able to estimate accurately the configurational entropy of macromolecules. Among many methods, the quasiharmonic approximation (QH) is most widely used as it is simple in both theory and implementation. However, it has been shown that this method becomes inaccurate by overestimating entropy for systems with rugged free energy landscapes. Here, we propose a simple method to improve the QH approximation, i.e., to reduce QH entropy. We approximate the potential energy landscape of the system by an effective harmonic potential, and request that this potential must produce exactly the configurational temperature of the system. Due to this constraint, the force constants associated with the effective harmonic potential are increased, or equivalently, entropy of motion governed by this effective harmonic potential is reduced. We also introduce the effective configurational temperature concept which can be used as an indicator to check the anharmonicity of the free energy landscape. To validate the new method we compare it with the recently developed expansion approximate method by calculating entropy of one simple model system and two peptides with 3 and 16 amino acids either in gas phase or in explicit solvent. We show that the new method appears to be a good choice in practice as it is a compromise between accuracy and computational speed. A modification of the expansion approximate method is also introduced and advantages are discussed in some detail.

Influence of parameter changes to stability behavior of rotors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fritzen, C. P.; Nordmann, R.

1982-01-01

The occurrence of unstable vibrations in rotating machinery requires corrective measures for improvement of the stability behavior. A simple approximate method is represented to find out the influence of parameter changes to the stability behavior. The method is based on an expansion of the eigenvalues in terms of system parameters. Influence coefficients show the effect of structural modifications. The method first of all was applied to simple nonconservative rotor models. It was approved for an unsymmetric rotor of a test rig.

Quantifying and Testing Indirect Effects in Simple Mediation Models when the Constituent Paths Are Nonlinear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Andrew F.; Preacher, Kristopher J.

2010-01-01

Most treatments of indirect effects and mediation in the statistical methods literature and the corresponding methods used by behavioral scientists have assumed linear relationships between variables in the causal system. Here we describe and extend a method first introduced by Stolzenberg (1980) for estimating indirect effects in models of…

A simple agar plate preparation for effective transfer of Ureaplasma colonies onto nitrocellulose membranes for colony immunoblotting.

PubMed

Zimmerman, Carl-Ulrich R; Stiedl, Thomas; Spergser, Joachim; Rosengarten, Renate

2014-09-01

A simple method for preparing agar plates is presented, which allows an efficient transfer of Ureaplasma colonies to nitrocellulose membranes for subsequent immunological detection. This simple and reproducible procedure was used to demonstrate antigenic variation in the phase-variable mba-locus of Ureaplasma parvum serovar 3. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phonon scattering in nanoscale systems: lowest order expansion of the current and power expressions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulsson, Magnus; Frederiksen, Thomas; Brandbyge, Mads

2006-04-01

We use the non-equilibrium Green's function method to describe the effects of phonon scattering on the conductance of nano-scale devices. Useful and accurate approximations are developed that both provide (i) computationally simple formulas for large systems and (ii) simple analytical models. In addition, the simple models can be used to fit experimental data and provide physical parameters.

A convenient Simple Method for Synthesis of Meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG).

PubMed

Sheikholislam, Zahra; Soleimani, Zohreh; Moghimi, Abolghasem; Shahhosseini, Soraya

2013-01-01

Radioiodinated meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is one of the important radiopharmaceuticals in Nuclear Medicine. [(123/131)I] MIBG is used for imaging of Adrenal medulla, studying heart sympathetic nerves, treatment of pheochromacytoma and neuroblastoma. For clinical application, radioiodinated MIBG is prepared through isotopic exchange method, which includes replacement of radioactive iodine in a nucleophilic substitution reaction with cold iodine ((127)I). The unlabelled MIBG hemisulfate is synthesized by the procedure described by Wieland et al. (1980). The availability of a more practical and cost-effective procedure for MIBG preparation encouraged us to study the MIBG synthesis methods. In this study the preparation of MIBG through different methods were evaluated and a new method, which is one step, simple and cost-effective is introduced. The method has ability to be scaled up for production of unlabelled MIBG.

Identifying Factors that Influence State-Specific Hunger Rates in the U.S.: A Simple Analytic Method for Understanding a Persistent Problem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Mark Evan; Weber, Bruce; Bernell, Stephanie

2007-01-01

An existing measure of food insecurity with hunger in the United States may serve as an effective indicator of quality of life. State level differences in that measure can reveal important differences in quality of life across places. In this study, we advocate and demonstrate two simple methods by which analysts can explore state-specific…

Correction of Atmospheric Haze in RESOURCESAT-1 LISS-4 MX Data for Urban Analysis: AN Improved Dark Object Subtraction Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustak, S.

2013-09-01

The correction of atmospheric effects is very essential because visible bands of shorter wavelength are highly affected by atmospheric scattering especially of Rayleigh scattering. The objectives of the paper is to find out the haze values present in the all spectral bands and to correct the haze values for urban analysis. In this paper, Improved Dark Object Subtraction method of P. Chavez (1988) is applied for the correction of atmospheric haze in the Resoucesat-1 LISS-4 multispectral satellite image. Dark object Subtraction is a very simple image-based method of atmospheric haze which assumes that there are at least a few pixels within an image which should be black (% reflectance) and such black reflectance termed as dark object which are clear water body and shadows whose DN values zero (0) or Close to zero in the image. Simple Dark Object Subtraction method is a first order atmospheric correction but Improved Dark Object Subtraction method which tends to correct the Haze in terms of atmospheric scattering and path radiance based on the power law of relative scattering effect of atmosphere. The haze values extracted using Simple Dark Object Subtraction method for Green band (Band2), Red band (Band3) and NIR band (band4) are 40, 34 and 18 but the haze values extracted using Improved Dark Object Subtraction method are 40, 18.02 and 11.80 for aforesaid bands. Here it is concluded that the haze values extracted by Improved Dark Object Subtraction method provides more realistic results than Simple Dark Object Subtraction method.

Effective algorithm for ray-tracing simulations of lobster eye and similar reflective optical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tichý, Vladimír; Hudec, René; Němcová, Šárka

2016-06-01

The algorithm presented is intended mainly for lobster eye optics. This type of optics (and some similar types) allows for a simplification of the classical ray-tracing procedure that requires great many rays to simulate. The method presented performs the simulation of a only few rays; therefore it is extremely effective. Moreover, to simplify the equations, a specific mathematical formalism is used. Only a few simple equations are used, therefore the program code can be simple as well. The paper also outlines how to apply the method to some other reflective optical systems.

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive language to toddlers with autism.

PubMed

Vedora, Joseph; Grandelski, Katrina

2015-01-01

The use of a simple-conditional discrimination training procedure, in which stimuli are initially taught in isolation with no other comparison stimuli, is common in early intensive behavioral intervention programs. Researchers have suggested that this procedure may encourage the development of faulty stimulus control during training. The current study replicated previous work that compared the simple-conditional and the conditional-only methods to teach receptive labeling of pictures to young children with autism spectrum disorder. Both methods were effective, but the conditional-only method required fewer sessions to mastery. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

The Effectiveness of the Component Impact Test Method for the Side Impact Injury Assessment of the Door Trim

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Youn, Younghan; Koo, Jeong-Seo

The complete evaluation of the side vehicle structure and the occupant protection is only possible by means of the full scale side impact crash test. But, auto part manufacturers such as door trim makers can not conduct the test especially when the vehicle is under the developing process. The main objective of this study is to obtain the design guidelines by a simple component level impact test. The relationship between the target absorption energy and impactor speed were examined using the energy absorbed by the door trim. Since each different vehicle type required different energy levels on the door trim. A simple impact test method was developed to estimate abdominal injury by measuring reaction force of the impactor. The reaction force will be converted to a certain level of the energy by the proposed formula. The target of absorption energy for door trim only and the impact speed of simple impactor are derived theoretically based on the conservation of energy. With calculated speed of dummy and the effective mass of abdomen, the energy allocated in the abdomen area of door trim was calculated. The impactor speed can be calculated based on the equivalent energy of door trim absorbed during the full crash test. With the proposed design procedure for the door trim by a simple impact test method was demonstrated to evaluate the abdominal injury. This paper describes a study that was conducted to determine sensitivity of several design factors for reducing abdominal injury values using the matrix of orthogonal array method. In conclusion, with theoretical considerations and empirical test data, the main objective, standardization of door trim design using the simple impact test method was established.

Simple and effective method to lock buoy position to ocean currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vachon, W. A.; Dahlen, J. M.

1975-01-01

Window-shade drogue, used with drifting buoys to keep them moving with current at speed as close to that of current as possible, has drag coefficient of 1.93 compared to maximum of 1.52 for previous drogues. It is remarkably simple to construct, use, and store.

A simple method for principal strata effects when the outcome has been truncated due to death.

PubMed

Chiba, Yasutaka; VanderWeele, Tyler J

2011-04-01

In randomized trials with follow-up, outcomes such as quality of life may be undefined for individuals who die before the follow-up is complete. In such settings, restricting analysis to those who survive can give rise to biased outcome comparisons. An alternative approach is to consider the "principal strata effect" or "survivor average causal effect" (SACE), defined as the effect of treatment on the outcome among the subpopulation that would have survived under either treatment arm. The authors describe a very simple technique that can be used to assess the SACE. They give both a sensitivity analysis technique and conditions under which a crude comparison provides a conservative estimate of the SACE. The method is illustrated using data from the ARDSnet (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network) clinical trial comparing low-volume ventilation and traditional ventilation methods for individuals with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

A Simple and Computationally Efficient Sampling Approach to Covariate Adjustment for Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction Analysis of Epistasis

PubMed Central

Gui, Jiang; Andrew, Angeline S.; Andrews, Peter; Nelson, Heather M.; Kelsey, Karl T.; Karagas, Margaret R.; Moore, Jason H.

2010-01-01

Epistasis or gene-gene interaction is a fundamental component of the genetic architecture of complex traits such as disease susceptibility. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was developed as a nonparametric and model-free method to detect epistasis when there are no significant marginal genetic effects. However, in many studies of complex disease, other covariates like age of onset and smoking status could have a strong main effect and may potentially interfere with MDR's ability to achieve its goal. In this paper, we present a simple and computationally efficient sampling method to adjust for covariate effects in MDR. We use simulation to show that after adjustment, MDR has sufficient power to detect true gene-gene interactions. We also compare our method with the state-of-art technique in covariate adjustment. The results suggest that our proposed method performs similarly, but is more computationally efficient. We then apply this new method to an analysis of a population-based bladder cancer study in New Hampshire. PMID:20924193

A multi-institutional study of independent calculation verification in inhomogeneous media using a simple and effective method of heterogeneity correction integrated with the Clarkson method.

PubMed

Jinno, Shunta; Tachibana, Hidenobu; Moriya, Shunsuke; Mizuno, Norifumi; Takahashi, Ryo; Kamima, Tatsuya; Ishibashi, Satoru; Sato, Masanori

2018-05-21

In inhomogeneous media, there is often a large systematic difference in the dose between the conventional Clarkson algorithm (C-Clarkson) for independent calculation verification and the superposition-based algorithms of treatment planning systems (TPSs). These treatment site-dependent differences increase the complexity of the radiotherapy planning secondary check. We developed a simple and effective method of heterogeneity correction integrated with the Clarkson algorithm (L-Clarkson) to account for the effects of heterogeneity in the lateral dimension, and performed a multi-institutional study to evaluate the effectiveness of the method. In the method, a 2D image reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images is divided according to lines extending from the reference point to the edge of the multileaf collimator (MLC) or jaw collimator for each pie sector, and the radiological path length (RPL) of each line is calculated on the 2D image to obtain a tissue maximum ratio and phantom scatter factor, allowing the dose to be calculated. A total of 261 plans (1237 beams) for conventional breast and lung treatments and lung stereotactic body radiotherapy were collected from four institutions. Disagreements in dose between the on-site TPSs and a verification program using the C-Clarkson and L-Clarkson algorithms were compared. Systematic differences with the L-Clarkson method were within 1% for all sites, while the C-Clarkson method resulted in systematic differences of 1-5%. The L-Clarkson method showed smaller variations. This heterogeneity correction integrated with the Clarkson algorithm would provide a simple evaluation within the range of -5% to +5% for a radiotherapy plan secondary check.

Transient heating of expressed breast milk up to 65°C inactivates HIV-1 in milk: a simple, rapid, and cost-effective method to prevent postnatal transmission.

PubMed

Hoque, Sheikh Ariful; Hoshino, Hiroo; Anwar, Kazi Selim; Tanaka, Atsushi; Shinagawa, Masahiko; Hayakawa, Yuko; Okitsu, Shoko; Wada, Yuichi; Ushijima, Hiroshi

2013-02-01

The postnatal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from mothers to children occurs through breastfeeding. Although heat treatment of expressed breast milk is a promising approach to make breastfeeding safer, it is still not popular, mainly because the recommended procedures are difficult to follow, or time-consuming, or because mothers do not know which temperature is sufficient to inactivate HIV without destroying the nutritional elements of milk. To overcome these drawbacks, a simple and rapid method of heat treatment that a mother could perform with regular household materials applying her day-to-day art of cooking was examined. This structured experiment has demonstrated that both cell-free and cell-associated HIV type 1 (HIV-1) in expressed breast milk could be inactivated once the temperature of milk reached 65°C. Furthermore, a heating method as simple as heating the milk in a pan over a stove to 65°C inhibited HIV-1 transmission retaining milk's nutritional key elements, for example, total protein, IgG, IgA, and vitamin B(12) . This study has highlighted a simple, handy, and cost-effective method of heat treatment of expressed breast milk that mothers infected with HIV could apply easily and with more confidence. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A simple and rapid radiochemical choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) assay screening test.

PubMed

Shiba, Kazuhiro; Ogawa, Kazuma; Kinuya, Seigo; Yajima, Kazuyoshi; Mori, Hirofumi

2006-10-15

A simple radiochemical choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) assay screening test was developed by measuring for [(3)H]acetylcholine ([(3)H]ACh) formed from 0.2 mM [(3)H]acetyl-coenzyme A ([(3)H]acetyl-CoA) and 1 mM choline by 0.2 mg of rat brain homogenates containing ChAT into 96-well microplates. A simple and rapid procedure for isolating [(3)H]ACh from the incubation mixture into 96-well microplates was achieved by using a sodium tetraphenylboron (Kalibor) solution (in ethyl acetate, 0.75%, w/v) and a hydrophobic liquid scintillator mixture (1:5, v/v, 0.2 mL) as an extraction solvent. The benefits of this radiochemical method using 96-well microplates are as follows: (1) this method is reliable and reproducible; (2) many samples can be examined at the same time by this method; (3) this method is economical and effective in reducing radioactive waste. The development of a new simple radiochemical ChAT assay screening test is the first stage of development of radiolabeled ChAT mapping agent.

Effects of different preservation methods on inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers in botanic samples.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaolong; Li, Lin; Zhao, Jiaxin; Li, Fangliang; Guo, Wei; Chen, Xia

2017-04-01

To evaluate the effects of different preservation methods (stored in a -20°C ice chest, preserved in liquid nitrogen and dried in silica gel) on inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) or random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses in various botanical specimens (including broad-leaved plants, needle-leaved plants and succulent plants) for different times (three weeks and three years), we used a statistical analysis based on the number of bands, genetic index and cluster analysis. The results demonstrate that methods used to preserve samples can provide sufficient amounts of genomic DNA for ISSR and RAPD analyses; however, the effect of different preservation methods on these analyses vary significantly, and the preservation time has little effect on these analyses. Our results provide a reference for researchers to select the most suitable preservation method depending on their study subject for the analysis of molecular markers based on genomic DNA. Copyright © 2017 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Simple fluorescence-based high throughput cell viability assay for filamentous fungi.

PubMed

Chadha, S; Kale, S P

2015-09-01

Filamentous fungi are important model organisms to understand the eukaryotic process and have been frequently exploited in research and industry. These fungi are also causative agents of serious diseases in plants and humans. Disease management strategies include in vitro susceptibility testing of the fungal pathogens to environmental conditions and antifungal agents. Conventional methods used for antifungal susceptibilities are cumbersome, time-consuming and are not suitable for a large-scale analysis. Here, we report a rapid, high throughput microplate-based fluorescence method for investigating the toxicity of antifungal and stress (osmotic, salt and oxidative) agents on Magnaporthe oryzae and compared it with agar dilution method. This bioassay is optimized for the resazurin reduction to fluorescent resorufin by the fungal hyphae. Resazurin bioassay showed inhibitory rates and IC50 values comparable to the agar dilution method and to previously reported IC50 or MICs for M. oryzae and other fungi. The present method can screen range of test agents from different chemical classes with different modes of action for antifungal activities in a simple, sensitive, time and cost effective manner. A simple fluorescence-based high throughput method is developed to test the effects of stress and antifungal agents on viability of filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. This resazurin fluorescence assay can detect inhibitory effects comparable to those obtained using the growth inhibition assay with added advantages of simplicity, time and cost effectiveness. This high throughput viability assay has a great potential in large-scale screening of the chemical libraries of antifungal agents, for evaluating the effects of environmental conditions and hyphal kinetic studies in mutant and natural populations of filamentous fungi. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

On a method computing transient wave propagation in ionospheric regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, K. G.; Bowhill, S. A.

1978-01-01

A consequence of an exoatmospheric nuclear burst is an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiated from it. In a region far enough away from the burst, where nonlinear effects can be ignored, the EMP can be represented by a large-amplitude narrow-time-width plane-wave pulse. If the ionosphere intervenes the origin and destination of the EMP, frequency dispersion can cause significant changes in the original pulse upon reception. A method of computing these dispersive effects of transient wave propagation is summarized. The method described is different from the standard transform techniques and provides physical insight into the transient wave process. The method, although exact, can be used in approximating the early-time transient response of an ionospheric region by a simple integration with only explicit knowledge of the electron density, electron collision frequency, and electron gyrofrequency required. As an illustration of the method, it is applied to a simple example and contrasted with the corresponding transform solution.

DO TIE LABORATORY BASED ASSESSMENT METHODS REALLY PREDICT FIELD EFFECTS?

EPA Science Inventory

Sediment Toxicity Identification and Evaluation (TIE) methods have been developed for both porewaters and whole sediments. These relatively simple laboratory methods are designed to identify specific toxicants or classes of toxicants in sediments; however, the question of whethe...

A simple strategy for varying the restart parameter in GMRES(m)

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

Baker, A H; Jessup, E R; Kolev, T V

2007-10-02

When solving a system of linear equations with the restarted GMRES method, a fixed restart parameter is typically chosen. We present numerical experiments that demonstrate the beneficial effects of changing the value of the restart parameter in each restart cycle on the total time to solution. We propose a simple strategy for varying the restart parameter and provide some heuristic explanations for its effectiveness based on analysis of the symmetric case.

Effects of Toy Crane Design-Based Learning on Simple Machines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korur, Fikret; Efe, Gülfem; Erdogan, Fisun; Tunç, Berna

2017-01-01

The aim of this 2-group study was to investigate the following question: Are there significant differences between scaffolded design-based learning controlled using 7 forms and teacher-directed instruction methods for the toy crane project on grade 7 students' posttest scores on the simple machines achievement test, attitude toward simple…

Quantitation & Case-Study-Driven Inquiry to Enhance Yeast Fermentation Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grammer, Robert T.

2012-01-01

We propose a procedure for the assay of fermentation in yeast in microcentrifuge tubes that is simple and rapid, permitting assay replicates, descriptive statistics, and the preparation of line graphs that indicate reproducibility. Using regression and simple derivatives to determine initial velocities, we suggest methods to compare the effects of…

A Simpler Way to Tame Multiple-Effect Evaporators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joye, Donald D.; Koko, F. William Jr.

1988-01-01

Presents a new method to teach the subject of evaporators which is both simple enough to use in the classroom and accurate and flexible enough to be used as a design tool in practice. Gives an example using a triple evaporator series. Analyzes the effect of this method. (CW)

Simple method for assembly of CRISPR synergistic activation mediator gRNA expression array.

PubMed

Vad-Nielsen, Johan; Nielsen, Anders Lade; Luo, Yonglun

2018-05-20

When studying complex interconnected regulatory networks, effective methods for simultaneously manipulating multiple genes expression are paramount. Previously, we have developed a simple method for generation of an all-in-one CRISPR gRNA expression array. We here present a Golden Gate Assembly-based system of synergistic activation mediator (SAM) compatible CRISPR/dCas9 gRNA expression array for the simultaneous activation of multiple genes. Using this system, we demonstrated the simultaneous activation of the transcription factors, TWIST, SNAIL, SLUG, and ZEB1 a human breast cancer cell line. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Honorio, J.; Goldstein, R.; Honorio, J.

We propose a simple, well grounded classification technique which is suited for group classification on brain fMRI data sets that have high dimensionality, small number of subjects, high noise level, high subject variability, imperfect registration and capture subtle cognitive effects. We propose threshold-split region as a new feature selection method and majority voteas the classification technique. Our method does not require a predefined set of regions of interest. We use average acros ssessions, only one feature perexperimental condition, feature independence assumption, and simple classifiers. The seeming counter-intuitive approach of using a simple design is supported by signal processing and statisticalmore » theory. Experimental results in two block design data sets that capture brain function under distinct monetary rewards for cocaine addicted and control subjects, show that our method exhibits increased generalization accuracy compared to commonly used feature selection and classification techniques.« less

An Effective Method of Introducing the Periodic Table as a Crossword Puzzle at the High School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joag, Sushama D.

2014-01-01

A simple method to introduce the modern periodic table of elements at the high school level as a game of solving a crossword puzzle is presented here. A survey to test the effectiveness of this new method relative to the conventional method, involving use of a wall-mounted chart of the periodic table, was conducted on a convenience sample. This…

SLTCAP: A Simple Method for Calculating the Number of Ions Needed for MD Simulation.

PubMed

Schmit, Jeremy D; Kariyawasam, Nilusha L; Needham, Vince; Smith, Paul E

2018-04-10

An accurate depiction of electrostatic interactions in molecular dynamics requires the correct number of ions in the simulation box to capture screening effects. However, the number of ions that should be added to the box is seldom given by the bulk salt concentration because a charged biomolecule solute will perturb the local solvent environment. We present a simple method for calculating the number of ions that requires only the total solute charge, solvent volume, and bulk salt concentration as inputs. We show that the most commonly used method for adding salt to a simulation results in an effective salt concentration that is too high. These findings are confirmed using simulations of lysozyme. We have established a web server where these calculations can be readily performed to aid simulation setup.

Microbial reduction of graphene oxide by Escherichia coli: a green chemistry approach.

PubMed

Gurunathan, Sangiliyandi; Han, Jae Woong; Eppakayala, Vasuki; Kim, Jin-Hoi

2013-02-01

Graphene and graphene related materials are an important area of research in recent years due to their unique properties. The extensive industrial application of graphene and related compounds has led researchers to devise novel and simple methods for the synthesis of high quality graphene. In this paper, we developed an environment friendly, cost effective, simple method and green approaches for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) using Escherichia coli biomass. In biological method, we can avoid use of toxic and environmentally harmful reducing agents commonly used in the chemical reduction of GO to obtain graphene. The biomass of E. coli reduces exfoliated GO to graphene at 37°C in an aqueous medium. The E. coli reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) was characterized with UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, particle analyzer, high resolution X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Besides the reduction potential, the biomass could also play an important role as stabilizing agent, in which synthesized graphene exhibited good stability in water. This method can open up the new avenue for preparing graphene in cost effective and large scale production. Our findings suggest that GO can be reduced by simple eco-friendly method by using E. coli biomass to produce water dispersible graphene. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Simple Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Molecular Modeling for the Octant Rule

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Yinan; Kang, Fu-An

2011-01-01

The Moffitt-Woodward-Moscowitz-Klyne-Djerassi octant rule is one of the most successful empirical rules in organic chemistry. However, the lack of a simple effective modeling method for the octant rule in the past 50 years has posed constant difficulties for researchers, teachers, and students, particularly the young generations, to learn and…

Web-Based Versus Conventional Training for Medical Students on Infant Gross Motor Screening.

PubMed

Pusponegoro, Hardiono D; Soebadi, Amanda; Surya, Raymond

2015-12-01

Early detection of developmental abnormalities is important for early intervention. A simple screening method is needed for use by general practitioners, as is an effective and efficient training method. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness, acceptability, and usability of Web-based training for medical students on a simple gross motor screening method in infants. Fifth-year medical students at University of Indonesia in Jakarta were randomized into two groups. A Web-based training group received online video modules, discussions, and assessments (at www.schoology.com ). A conventional training group received a 1-day live training using the same module. Both groups completed identical pre- and posttests and the User Satisfaction Questionnaire (USQ). The Web-based group also completed the System Usability Scale (SUS). The module was based on a gross motor screening method used in the World Health Organization Multicentre Growth Reference Study. There were 39 and 32 subjects in the Web-based and conventional groups, respectively. Mean pretest versus posttest scores (correct answers out of 20) were 9.05 versus 16.95 (p=0.0001) in the Web-based group and 9.31 versus 16.88 (p=0.0001) in the conventional group. Mean difference between pre- and posttest scores did not differ significantly between the Web-based and conventional groups (mean [standard deviation], 7.56 [3.252] versus 7.90 [5.170]; p=0.741]. Both training methods were acceptable based on USQ scores. Based on SUS scores, the Web-based training had good usability. Web-based training is an effective, efficient, and acceptable training method for medical students on simple infant gross motor screening and is as effective as conventional training.

Investigating the Group-Level Impact of Advanced Dual-Echo fMRI Combinations

PubMed Central

Kettinger, Ádám; Hill, Christopher; Vidnyánszky, Zoltán; Windischberger, Christian; Nagy, Zoltán

2016-01-01

Multi-echo fMRI data acquisition has been widely investigated and suggested to optimize sensitivity for detecting the BOLD signal. Several methods have also been proposed for the combination of data with different echo times. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether these advanced echo combination methods provide advantages over the simple averaging of echoes when state-of-the-art group-level random-effect analyses are performed. Both resting-state and task-based dual-echo fMRI data were collected from 27 healthy adult individuals (14 male, mean age = 25.75 years) using standard echo-planar acquisition methods at 3T. Both resting-state and task-based data were subjected to a standard image pre-processing pipeline. Subsequently the two echoes were combined as a weighted average, using four different strategies for calculating the weights: (1) simple arithmetic averaging, (2) BOLD sensitivity weighting, (3) temporal-signal-to-noise ratio weighting and (4) temporal BOLD sensitivity weighting. Our results clearly show that the simple averaging of data with the different echoes is sufficient. Advanced echo combination methods may provide advantages on a single-subject level but when considering random-effects group level statistics they provide no benefit regarding sensitivity (i.e., group-level t-values) compared to the simple echo-averaging approach. One possible reason for the lack of clear advantages may be that apart from increasing the average BOLD sensitivity at the single-subject level, the advanced weighted averaging methods also inflate the inter-subject variance. As the echo combination methods provide very similar results, the recommendation is to choose between them depending on the availability of time for collecting additional resting-state data or whether subject-level or group-level analyses are planned. PMID:28018165

Charge carrier mobility in thin films of organic semiconductors by the gated van der Pauw method

PubMed Central

Rolin, Cedric; Kang, Enpu; Lee, Jeong-Hwan; Borghs, Gustaaf; Heremans, Paul; Genoe, Jan

2017-01-01

Thin film transistors based on high-mobility organic semiconductors are prone to contact problems that complicate the interpretation of their electrical characteristics and the extraction of important material parameters such as the charge carrier mobility. Here we report on the gated van der Pauw method for the simple and accurate determination of the electrical characteristics of thin semiconducting films, independently from contact effects. We test our method on thin films of seven high-mobility organic semiconductors of both polarities: device fabrication is fully compatible with common transistor process flows and device measurements deliver consistent and precise values for the charge carrier mobility and threshold voltage in the high-charge carrier density regime that is representative of transistor operation. The gated van der Pauw method is broadly applicable to thin films of semiconductors and enables a simple and clean parameter extraction independent from contact effects. PMID:28397852

Visual conspicuity: a new simple standard, its reliability, validity and applicability.

PubMed

Wertheim, A H

2010-03-01

A general standard for quantifying conspicuity is described. It derives from a simple and easy method to quantitatively measure the visual conspicuity of an object. The method stems from the theoretical view that the conspicuity of an object is not a property of that object, but describes the degree to which the object is perceptually embedded in, i.e. laterally masked by, its visual environment. First, three variations of a simple method to measure the strength of such lateral masking are described and empirical evidence for its reliability and its validity is presented, as are several tests of predictions concerning the effects of viewing distance and ambient light. It is then shown how this method yields a conspicuity standard, expressed as a number, which can be made part of a rule of law, and which can be used to test whether or not, and to what extent, the conspicuity of a particular object, e.g. a traffic sign, meets a predetermined criterion. An additional feature is that, when used under different ambient light conditions, the method may also yield an index of the amount of visual clutter in the environment. Taken together the evidence illustrates the methods' applicability in both the laboratory and in real-life situations. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This paper concerns a proposal for a new method to measure visual conspicuity, yielding a numerical index that can be used in a rule of law. It is of importance to ergonomists and human factor specialists who are asked to measure the conspicuity of an object, such as a traffic or rail-road sign, or any other object. The new method is simple and circumvents the need to perform elaborate (search) experiments and thus has great relevance as a simple tool for applied research.

A facile fluorescent "turn-off" method for sensing paraquat based on pyranine-paraquat interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zuzhi; Zhang, Fengwei; Zhang, Zipin

2018-06-01

Development of a technically simple yet effective method for paraquat (PQ) detection is of great importance due to its high clinical and environmental relevance. In this study, we developed a pyranine-based fluorescent "turn-off" method for PQ sensing based on pyranine-PQ interaction. We investigated the dependence of analytical performance of this method on the experimental conditions, such as the ion strength, medium pH, and so on. Under the optimized conditions, the method is sensitive and selective, and could be used for PQ detection in real-world sample. This study essentially provides a readily accessible fluorescent system for PQ sensing which is cheap, robust, and technically simple, and it is envisaged to find more interesting clinical and environmental applications.

Biofiltration: an effective and simple method to reduce dialysis time.

PubMed

Mingardi, G; Massazza, M; Viganò, G; Mecca, G

1986-12-01

Biofiltration: an effective and simple method to reduce dialysis time. Six stable anuric patients, on maintenance hemodialysis, were treated for 10 weeks with a parallel flow 1 m2 cuprophan filter, for 20 weeks with a parallel flow 1.2 m2 polyacrylonitrile filter using the biofiltration (BF) technique and again 10 weeks with the cuprophan filter. Usual monitors were used, without automatic control of ultrafiltration. Biochemical and hematological profile, urea kinetic parameters, incidence of hypotensive episodes, body weight and blood pressure did not change throughout the study. We conclude that three hours of BF, at least for 20 weeks, are as effective and well tolerated as four hours standard hemodialysis and could be of value in reducing dialysis time, to permit better utilization of dialysis beds.

New Adsorption Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wankat, Phillip C.

1984-01-01

Discusses a simple method for following the movement of a solute in an adsorption or ion exchange system. This movement is used to study a variety of operational methods, including continuous flow and pulsed flow counter-current operations and simulated counter-current systems. Effect of changing thermodynamic variables is also considered. (JM)

The concept and method of closed reduction and internal fixation: a new approach for the treatment of simple zygoma fractures.

PubMed

Uda, Hirokazu; Kamochi, Hideaki; Sugawara, Yasushi; Sarukawa, Syunji; Sunaga, Ataru

2013-11-01

The authors have developed a new minimally invasive surgical procedure for simple zygoma fractures, a closed reduction and internal fixation method, that uses a cannulated cortical screw system. From 2007 to 2012, 42 selected patients with simple zygoma fractures without ocular problems or shear at the zygomatic frontal portion were treated with this method. The mean age of the patients was 33 years (range, 13 to 77 years). The authors achieved good repositioning, equivalent to results achieved with conventional procedures in all cases. No notable complication occurred except for minor infection in two cases. Mean operative time was 32 minutes (range, 19 to 58 minutes). Postoperative relapse was found only in the posterior direction (p<0.001), but the distance of that was so small (mean, 0.47 mm) that it did not cause any problem clinically. Although further improvement might be needed, such as screw specification, the closed reduction and internal fixation method has many advantages: short operative time, less effect on soft tissue, maintenance of bone healing potential, and decreased postoperative pain and swelling. The authors concluded that this method has the potential to become a future surgical procedure for simple zygoma fractures. Therapeutic, IV.

A Simple Method for High Throughput Chemical Screening in Caenorhabditis Elegans

PubMed Central

Lucanic, Mark; Garrett, Theo; Gill, Matthew S.; Lithgow, Gordon J.

2018-01-01

Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful organism for testing chemical effects on physiology. Whole organism small molecule screens offer significant advantages for identifying biologically active chemical structures that can modify complex phenotypes such as lifespan. Described here is a simple protocol for producing hundreds of 96-well culture plates with fairly consistent numbers of C. elegans in each well. Next, we specified how to use these cultures to screen thousands of chemicals for effects on the lifespan of the nematode C. elegans. This protocol makes use of temperature sensitive sterile strains, agar plate conditions, and simple animal handling to facilitate the rapid and high throughput production of synchronized animal cultures for screening. PMID:29630057

Preparation and Optoelectrical Properties of p-CuO/n-Si Heterojunction by a Simple Sol-Gel Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Bo; Xu, Jing; Ning, Huanpo; Zhao, Lei; Xing, Huaizhong; Chang, Chien-Cheng; Qin, Yuming; Zhang, Lei

The Cuprous oxide (CuO) thin film was prepared on texturized Si wafer by a simple sol-gel method to fabricate p-CuO/n-Si heterojunction photoelectric device. The novel sol-gel method is very cheap and convenient. The structural, optical and electrical properties of the CuO film were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis spectrophotometer and Hall effect measurement. A good nonlinear rectifying behavior is obtained for the p-CuO/n-Si heterojunction. Under reverse bias, good photoelectric behavior is obtained.

Simple gas chromatographic method for furfural analysis.

PubMed

Gaspar, Elvira M S M; Lopes, João F

2009-04-03

A new, simple, gas chromatographic method was developed for the direct analysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), 2-furfural (2-F) and 5-methylfurfural (5-MF) in liquid and water soluble foods, using direct immersion SPME coupled to GC-FID and/or GC-TOF-MS. The fiber (DVB/CAR/PDMS) conditions were optimized: pH effect, temperature, adsorption and desorption times. The method is simple and accurate (RSD<8%), showed good recoveries (77-107%) and good limits of detection (GC-FID: 1.37 microgL(-1) for 2-F, 8.96 microgL(-1) for 5-MF, 6.52 microgL(-1) for 5-HMF; GC-TOF-MS: 0.3, 1.2 and 0.9 ngmL(-1) for 2-F, 5-MF and 5-HMF, respectively). It was applied to different commercial food matrices: honey, white, demerara, brown and yellow table sugars, and white and red balsamic vinegars. This one-step, sensitive and direct method for the analysis of furfurals will contribute to characterise and quantify their presence in the human diet.

Easy come, easy go: a simple and effective orthodontic enamel anchor for endotracheal tube stabilization in a child with extensive facial burns.

PubMed

Sakata, Shinichiro; Hallett, Kerrod B; Brandon, Matthew S; McBride, Craig A

2009-11-01

Endotracheal tube stabilization in patients with facial burns is crucial and often challenging. We present a simple method of securing an endotracheal tube using two orthodontic brackets bonded to the maxillary central incisor teeth and a 0.08'' stainless steel ligature wire. Our technique is less traumatic, and is easier to maintain oral hygiene than with previously described methods. This anchorage system takes 5 min to apply and can be removed on the ward without the need for a general anaesthetic.

Measurement of Antenna Bore-Sight Gain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fortinberry, Jarrod; Shumpert, Thomas

2016-01-01

The absolute or free-field gain of a simple antenna can be approximated using standard antenna theory formulae or for a more accurate prediction, numerical methods may be employed to solve for antenna parameters including gain. Both of these methods will result in relatively reasonable estimates but in practice antenna gain is usually verified and documented via measurements and calibration. In this paper, a relatively simple and low-cost, yet effective means of determining the bore-sight free-field gain of a VHF/UHF antenna is proposed by using the Brewster angle relationship.

Using a Conflict Map as an Instructional Tool To Change Student Conceptions in Simple Series Electric-Circuits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chin-Chung

2003-01-01

Examines the effects of using a conflict map on 8th grade students' conceptual change and ideational networks about simple series electric circuits. Analyzes student interview data through a flow map method. Shows that the use of conflict maps could help students construct greater, richer, and more integrated ideational networks about electric…

An overview of longitudinal data analysis methods for neurological research.

PubMed

Locascio, Joseph J; Atri, Alireza

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide a concise, broad and readily accessible overview of longitudinal data analysis methods, aimed to be a practical guide for clinical investigators in neurology. In general, we advise that older, traditional methods, including (1) simple regression of the dependent variable on a time measure, (2) analyzing a single summary subject level number that indexes changes for each subject and (3) a general linear model approach with a fixed-subject effect, should be reserved for quick, simple or preliminary analyses. We advocate the general use of mixed-random and fixed-effect regression models for analyses of most longitudinal clinical studies. Under restrictive situations or to provide validation, we recommend: (1) repeated-measure analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), (2) ANCOVA for two time points, (3) generalized estimating equations and (4) latent growth curve/structural equation models.

Learning from Simple Ebooks, Online Cases or Classroom Teaching When Acquiring Complex Knowledge. A Randomized Controlled Trial in Respiratory Physiology and Pulmonology

PubMed Central

Worm, Bjarne Skjødt

2013-01-01

Background and Aims E-learning is developing fast because of the rapid increased use of smartphones, tablets and portable computers. We might not think of it as e-learning, but today many new e-books are in fact very complex electronic teaching platforms. It is generally accepted that e-learning is as effective as classroom teaching methods, but little is known about its value in relaying contents of different levels of complexity to students. We set out to investigate e-learning effects on simple recall and complex problem-solving compared to classroom teaching. Methods 63 nurses specializing in anesthesiology were evenly randomized into three groups. They were given internet-based knowledge tests before and after attending a teaching module about respiratory physiology and pulmonology. The three groups was either an e-learning group with eBook teaching material, an e-learning group with case-based teaching or a group with face-to-face case-based classroom teaching. After the module the students were required to answer a post-test. Time spent and the number of logged into the system was also measured. Results For simple recall, all methods were equally effective. For problem-solving, the eCase group achieved a comparable knowledge level to classroom teaching, while textbook learning was inferior to both (p<0.01). The textbook group also spent the least amount of time on acquiring knowledge (33 minutes, p<0.001), while the eCase group spent significantly more time on the subject (53 minutes, p<0.001) and logged into the system significantly more (2.8 vs 1.6, p<0.001). Conclusions E-learning based cases are an effective tool for teaching complex knowledge and problem-solving ability, but future studies using higher-level e-learning are encouraged.Simple recall skills, however, do not require any particular learning method. PMID:24039917

A new method for solid surface topographical studies using nematic liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baber, N.; Strugalski, Z.

1984-03-01

A new simple method has been developed to investigate the topography of a wide range of solid surfaces using nematic liquid crystals. Polarizing microscopy is employed. The usefulness of the method for detecting weak mechanical effects has been demonstrated. An application in criminology is foreseen.

Numerical study on the effect of configuration of a simple box solar cooker for boiling water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambarita, H.

2018-02-01

In this work, a numerical study is carried out to investigate the effect of configuration of a simple box solar cooker. In order to validate the numerical results, a simple a simple solar box cooker with absorber area of 0.835 m × 0.835 m is designed and fabricated. The solar box cooker is employed to boil water by exposing to the solar radiation in Medan city of Indonesia. In the numerical method, a set of transient governing equations are developed. The governing equations are solved using forward time step marching technique. The main objective is to explore the effect of double glasses cover, dimensions of the cooking vessel, and depth of the box cooker to the performance of the solar box cooker. The results show that the experimental and numerical results show good agreement. The performance of the solar box cooker strongly affected by the distance of the double glass cover, the solar cooker depth, and the solar collector length.

Determination of refractive index, size, and concentration of nonabsorbing colloidal nanoparticles from measurements of the complex effective refractive index.

PubMed

Márquez-Islas, Roberto; Sánchez-Pérez, Celia; García-Valenzuela, Augusto

2014-02-01

We describe a method for obtaining the refractive index (RI), size, and concentration of nonabsorbing nanoparticles in suspension from relatively simple optical measurements. The method requires measuring the complex effective RI of two dilute suspensions of the particles in liquids of different refractive indices. We describe the theoretical basis of the proposed method and provide experimental results validating the procedure.

An Illustration of the Bernoulli Effect With a Rubber Tube

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, M. J.

1973-01-01

Describes a simple method of demonstrating the Bernoulli effect, by spinning a length of rubber tubing around one's head. A manometer attached to the stationary end of the tube indicates a reduction in pressure. (JR)

Extremely simple holographic projection of color images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makowski, Michal; Ducin, Izabela; Kakarenko, Karol; Suszek, Jaroslaw; Kolodziejczyk, Andrzej; Sypek, Maciej

2012-03-01

A very simple scheme of holographic projection is presented with some experimental results showing good quality image projection without any imaging lens. This technique can be regarded as an alternative to classic projection methods. It is based on the reconstruction real images from three phase iterated Fourier holograms. The illumination is performed with three laser beams of primary colors. A divergent wavefront geometry is used to achieve an increased throw angle of the projection, compared to plane wave illumination. Light fibers are used as light guidance in order to keep the setup as simple as possible and to provide point-like sources of high quality divergent wave-fronts at optimized position against the light modulator. Absorbing spectral filters are implemented to multiplex three holograms on a single phase-only spatial light modulator. Hence color mixing occurs without any time-division methods, which cause rainbow effects and color flicker. The zero diffractive order with divergent illumination is practically invisible and speckle field is effectively suppressed with phase optimization and time averaging techniques. The main advantages of the proposed concept are: a very simple and highly miniaturizable configuration; lack of lens; a single LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) modulator; a strong resistance to imperfections and obstructions of the spatial light modulator like dead pixels, dust, mud, fingerprints etc.; simple calculations based on Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) easily processed in real time mode with GPU (Graphic Programming).

Use of refractometry and colorimetry as field methods to rapidly assess antimalarial drug quality.

PubMed

Green, Michael D; Nettey, Henry; Villalva Rojas, Ofelia; Pamanivong, Chansapha; Khounsaknalath, Lamphet; Grande Ortiz, Miguel; Newton, Paul N; Fernández, Facundo M; Vongsack, Latsamy; Manolin, Ot

2007-01-04

The proliferation of counterfeit and poor-quality drugs is a major public health problem; especially in developing countries lacking adequate resources to effectively monitor their prevalence. Simple and affordable field methods provide a practical means of rapidly monitoring drug quality in circumstances where more advanced techniques are not available. Therefore, we have evaluated refractometry, colorimetry and a technique combining both processes as simple and accurate field assays to rapidly test the quality of the commonly available antimalarial drugs; artesunate, chloroquine, quinine, and sulfadoxine. Method bias, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy relative to high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of drugs collected in the Lao PDR were assessed for each technique. The HPLC method for each drug was evaluated in terms of assay variability and accuracy. The accuracy of the combined method ranged from 0.96 to 1.00 for artesunate tablets, chloroquine injectables, quinine capsules, and sulfadoxine tablets while the accuracy was 0.78 for enterically coated chloroquine tablets. These techniques provide a generally accurate, yet simple and affordable means to assess drug quality in resource-poor settings.

Validation of a simple, manual urinary iodine method for estimating the prevalence of iodine-deficiency disorders, and interlaboratory comparison with other methods.

PubMed

May, S L; May, W A; Bourdoux, P P; Pino, S; Sullivan, K M; Maberly, G F

1997-05-01

The measurement of urinary iodine in population-based surveys provides a biological indicator of the severity of iodine-deficiency disorders. We describe the steps performed to validate a simple, inexpensive, manual urinary iodine acid digestion method, and compare the results using this method with those of other urinary iodine methods. Initially, basic performance characteristics were evaluated: the average recovery of added iodine was 100.4 +/- 8.7% (mean +/- SD), within-assay precision (CV) over the assay range 0-0.95 mumol/L (0-12 micrograms/dL) was < 6%, between-assay precision over the same range was < 12%, and assay sensitivity was 0.05 mumol/L (0.6 microgram/dL). There were no apparent effects on the method by thiocyanate, a known interfering substance. In a comparison with five other methods performed in four different laboratories, samples were collected to test the method performance over a wide range of urinary iodine values (0.04-3.7 mumol/L, or 0.5-47 micrograms/dL). There was a high correlation between all methods and the interpretation of the results was consistent. We conclude that the simple, manual acid digestion method is suitable for urinary iodine analysis.

The Effects of Direct Oxygen Supply During Static Cold Preservation of Rat Livers: An Experimental Study.

PubMed

Zumrutdal, Emin; Karateke, Faruk; Eser, Pınar Eylem; Turan, Umit; Ozyazici, Sefa; Sozutek, Alper; Gulkaya, Mustafa; Kunt, Mevlut

2016-12-01

We aimed to determine the biochemical and histopathologic effects of direct oxygen supply to the preservation fluid of static cold storage system with a simple method on rat livers. Sixteen rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: the control group, which contained Ringer's lactate as preservation fluid; and the oxygen group, which contained oxygen and Ringer's lactate for preservation. Each liver was placed in a bag containing 50 mL Ringer's lactate and placed in ice-filled storage containers. One hundred percent oxygen supplies were given via a simple, inexpensive system created in our laboratory, to the livers in oxygen group. We obtained samples for histopathologic evaluation in the 12th hour. In addition, 3 mL of preservation fluid was subjected to biochemical analysis at 0, sixth, and twelfth hours. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and pH levels were measured from the preservation fluid. In oxygen-supplemented group, the acceleration speed of increase in alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase levels at sixth hour and lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels at 12th hour were statistically significantly reduced. In histopathologic examination, all parameters except ballooning were statistically significantly better in the oxygen-supplemented group. This simple system for oxygenation of liver tissues during static cold storage was shown to be effective with good results in biochemical and histopathologic assessments. Because this is a simple, inexpensive, and easily available method, larger studies are warranted to evaluate its effects (especially in humans).

Sensitive sub-Doppler nonlinear spectroscopy for hyperfine-structure analysis using simple atomizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mickadeit, Fritz K.; Kemp, Helen; Schafer, Julia; Tong, William M.

1998-05-01

Laser wave-mixing spectroscopy is presented as a sub-Doppler method that offers not only high spectral resolution, but also excellent detection sensitivity. It offers spectral resolution suitable for hyperfine structure analysis and isotope ratio measurements. In a non-planar backward- scattering four-wave mixing optical configuration, two of the three input beams counter propagate and the Doppler broadening is minimized, and hence, spectral resolution is enhanced. Since the signal is a coherent beam, optical collection is efficient and signal detection is convenient. This simple multi-photon nonlinear laser method offers un usually sensitive detection limits that are suitable for trace-concentration isotope analysis using a few different types of simple analytical atomizers. Reliable measurement of hyperfine structures allows effective determination of isotope ratios for chemical analysis.

Humidity Sensing Properties of Paper Substrates and Their Passivation with ZnO Nanoparticles for Sensor Applications

PubMed Central

Niarchos, Georgios; Dubourg, Georges; Afroudakis, Georgios; Georgopoulos, Markos; Tsouti, Vasiliki; Makarona, Eleni; Crnojevic-Bengin, Vesna; Tsamis, Christos

2017-01-01

In this paper, we investigated the effect of humidity on paper substrates and propose a simple and low-cost method for their passivation using ZnO nanoparticles. To this end, we built paper-based microdevices based on an interdigitated electrode (IDE) configuration by means of a mask-less laser patterning method on simple commercial printing papers. Initial resistive measurements indicate that a paper substrate with a porous surface can be used as a cost-effective, sensitive and disposable humidity sensor in the 20% to 70% relative humidity (RH) range. Successive spin-coated layers of ZnO nanoparticles then, control the effect of humidity. Using this approach, the sensors become passive to relative humidity changes, paving the way to the development of ZnO-based gas sensors on paper substrates insensitive to humidity. PMID:28273847

Bridging Realty to Virtual Reality: Investigating Gender Effect and Student Engagement on Learning through Video Game Play in an Elementary School Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annetta, Leonard; Mangrum, Jennifer; Holmes, Shawn; Collazo, Kimberly; Cheng, Meng-Tzu

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine students' learning of simple machines, a fifth-grade (ages 10-11) forces and motion unit, and student engagement using a teacher-created Multiplayer Educational Gaming Application. This mixed-method study collected pre-test/post-test results to determine student knowledge about simple machines. A survey…

LOCATING AREAS OF CONCERN

EPA Science Inventory

A simple method to locate changes in vegetation cover, which can be used to identify areas under stress. The method only requires inexpensive NDVI data. The use of remotely sensed data is far more cost-effective than field studies and can be performed more quickly. Local knowledg...

Rapid and simple immunochemical screening combined with hand-shaking extraction for thiamethoxam residue in agricultural products.

PubMed

Watanabe, Eiki; Kobara, Yuso; Miyake, Shiro

2013-06-01

With the aim of expanding the applicability of a kit-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the neonicotinoid insecticide thiamethoxam, the ELISA was newly applied to three kinds of agricultural samples (green pepper, eggplant and spinach). To offer the ELISA as a screening analysis for thiamethoxam residues, a rapid and simple method of extraction by hand-shaking was used, and speed-up and simplification of the sample treatment before the ELISA analysis were examined. Finally, the validity of the ELISA combined with the proposed extraction method was verified against a reference high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using real-world agricultural samples. There were no marked matrix effects derived from green pepper and eggplant extracts. On the other hand, although the effect due to a pigment in spinach extract on the assay performance was significant, it was effectively avoided by increasing the dilution level of the spinach extract. For thiamethoxam-spiked samples, acceptable recoveries of 97.9-109.1% and coefficients of variation of 0.3-11.5% were obtained. Inspection of the validity of the ELISA by comparison with the reference HPLC method showed that the two analytical results were very similar, and a high correlation was found between them (r>0.997). The evaluated ELISA combined with hand-shaking extraction provided a rapid and simple screening analysis that was quantitative and reliable for the detection of thiamethoxam in complex agricultural products. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Critical Analysis of Different Methods to Retrieve Atmosphere Humidity Profiles from GNSS Radio Occultation Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vespe, Francesco; Benedetto, Catia

2013-04-01

The huge amount of GPS Radio Occultation (RO) observations currently available thanks to space mission like COSMIC, CHAMP, GRACE, TERRASAR-X etc., have greatly encouraged the research of new algorithms suitable to extract humidity, temperature and pressure profiles of the atmosphere in a more and more precise way. For what concern the humidity profiles in these last years two different approaches have been widely proved and applied: the "Simple" and the 1DVAR methods. The Simple methods essentially determine dry refractivity profiles from temperature analysis profiles and hydrostatic equation. Then the dry refractivity is subtracted from RO refractivity to achieve the wet component. Finally from the wet refractivity is achieved humidity. The 1DVAR approach combines RO observations with profiles given by the background models with both the terms weighted with the inverse of covariance matrix. The advantage of "Simple" methods is that they are not affected by bias due to the background models. We have proposed in the past the BPV approach to retrieve humidity. Our approach can be classified among the "Simple" methods. The BPV approach works with dry atmospheric CIRA-Q models which depend on latitude, DoY and height. The dry CIRA-Q refractivity profile is selected estimating the involved parameters in a non linear least square fashion achieved by fitting RO observed bending angles through the stratosphere. The BPV as well as all the other "Simple" methods, has as drawback the unphysical occurrence of negative "humidity". Thus we propose to apply a modulated weighting of the fit residuals just to minimize the effects of this inconvenient. After a proper tuning of the approach, we plan to present the results of the validation.

A Simple and Accurate Method for Measuring Enzyme Activity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yip, Din-Yan

1997-01-01

Presents methods commonly used for investigating enzyme activity using catalase and presents a new method for measuring catalase activity that is more reliable and accurate. Provides results that are readily reproduced and quantified. Can also be used for investigations of enzyme properties such as the effects of temperature, pH, inhibitors,…

A novel method for calculating the energy barriers for carbon diffusion in ferrite under heterogeneous stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tchitchekova, Deyana S.; Morthomas, Julien; Ribeiro, Fabienne; Ducher, Roland; Perez, Michel

2014-07-01

A novel method for accurate and efficient evaluation of the change in energy barriers for carbon diffusion in ferrite under heterogeneous stress is introduced. This method, called Linear Combination of Stress States, is based on the knowledge of the effects of simple stresses (uniaxial or shear) on these diffusion barriers. Then, it is assumed that the change in energy barriers under a complex stress can be expressed as a linear combination of these already known simple stress effects. The modifications of energy barriers by either uniaxial traction/compression and shear stress are determined by means of atomistic simulations with the Climbing Image-Nudge Elastic Band method and are stored as a set of functions. The results of this method are compared to the predictions of anisotropic elasticity theory. It is shown that, linear anisotropic elasticity fails to predict the correct energy barrier variation with stress (especially with shear stress) whereas the proposed method provides correct energy barrier variation for stresses up to ˜3 GPa. This study provides a basis for the development of multiscale models of diffusion under non-uniform stress.

Comparison of Two Simplification Methods for Shoreline Extraction from Digital Orthophoto Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayram, B.; Sen, A.; Selbesoglu, M. O.; Vārna, I.; Petersons, P.; Aykut, N. O.; Seker, D. Z.

2017-11-01

The coastal ecosystems are very sensitive to external influences. Coastal resources such as sand dunes, coral reefs and mangroves has vital importance to prevent coastal erosion. Human based effects also threats the coastal areas. Therefore, the change of coastal areas should be monitored. Up-to-date, accurate shoreline information is indispensable for coastal managers and decision makers. Remote sensing and image processing techniques give a big opportunity to obtain reliable shoreline information. In the presented study, NIR bands of seven 1:5000 scaled digital orthophoto images of Riga Bay-Latvia have been used. The Object-oriented Simple Linear Clustering method has been utilized to extract shoreline of Riga Bay. Bend and Douglas-Peucker methods have been used to simplify the extracted shoreline to test the effect of both methods. Photogrammetrically digitized shoreline has been taken as reference data to compare obtained results. The accuracy assessment has been realised by Digital Shoreline Analysis tool. As a result, the achieved shoreline by the Bend method has been found closer to the extracted shoreline with Simple Linear Clustering method.

A novel method for calculating the energy barriers for carbon diffusion in ferrite under heterogeneous stress.

PubMed

Tchitchekova, Deyana S; Morthomas, Julien; Ribeiro, Fabienne; Ducher, Roland; Perez, Michel

2014-07-21

A novel method for accurate and efficient evaluation of the change in energy barriers for carbon diffusion in ferrite under heterogeneous stress is introduced. This method, called Linear Combination of Stress States, is based on the knowledge of the effects of simple stresses (uniaxial or shear) on these diffusion barriers. Then, it is assumed that the change in energy barriers under a complex stress can be expressed as a linear combination of these already known simple stress effects. The modifications of energy barriers by either uniaxial traction/compression and shear stress are determined by means of atomistic simulations with the Climbing Image-Nudge Elastic Band method and are stored as a set of functions. The results of this method are compared to the predictions of anisotropic elasticity theory. It is shown that, linear anisotropic elasticity fails to predict the correct energy barrier variation with stress (especially with shear stress) whereas the proposed method provides correct energy barrier variation for stresses up to ∼3 GPa. This study provides a basis for the development of multiscale models of diffusion under non-uniform stress.

A novel method for automated tracking and quantification of adult zebrafish behaviour during anxiety.

PubMed

Nema, Shubham; Hasan, Whidul; Bhargava, Anamika; Bhargava, Yogesh

2016-09-15

Behavioural neuroscience relies on software driven methods for behavioural assessment, but the field lacks cost-effective, robust, open source software for behavioural analysis. Here we propose a novel method which we called as ZebraTrack. It includes cost-effective imaging setup for distraction-free behavioural acquisition, automated tracking using open-source ImageJ software and workflow for extraction of behavioural endpoints. Our ImageJ algorithm is capable of providing control to users at key steps while maintaining automation in tracking without the need for the installation of external plugins. We have validated this method by testing novelty induced anxiety behaviour in adult zebrafish. Our results, in agreement with established findings, showed that during state-anxiety, zebrafish showed reduced distance travelled, increased thigmotaxis and freezing events. Furthermore, we proposed a method to represent both spatial and temporal distribution of choice-based behaviour which is currently not possible to represent using simple videograms. ZebraTrack method is simple and economical, yet robust enough to give results comparable with those obtained from costly proprietary software like Ethovision XT. We have developed and validated a novel cost-effective method for behavioural analysis of adult zebrafish using open-source ImageJ software. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simple glucose reduction route for one-step synthesis of copper nanofluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shenoy, U. Sandhya; Shetty, A. Nityananda

2014-01-01

One-step method has been employed in the synthesis of copper nanofluids. Copper nitrate is reduced by glucose in the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate. The synthesized particles are characterized by X-ray diffraction technique for the phase structure; electron diffraction X-ray analysis for chemical composition; transmission electron microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy for the morphology; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy for the analysis of ingredients of the solution. Thermal conductivity, sedimentation and rheological measurements have also been carried out. It is found that the reaction parameters have considerable effect on the size of the particle formed and rate of the reaction. The techniques confirm that the synthesized particles are copper. The reported method showed promising increase in the thermal conductivity of the base fluid and is found to be reliable, simple and cost-effective method for preparing heat transfer fluids with higher stability.

A Simple Method for Principal Strata Effects When the Outcome Has Been Truncated Due to Death

PubMed Central

Chiba, Yasutaka; VanderWeele, Tyler J.

2011-01-01

In randomized trials with follow-up, outcomes such as quality of life may be undefined for individuals who die before the follow-up is complete. In such settings, restricting analysis to those who survive can give rise to biased outcome comparisons. An alternative approach is to consider the “principal strata effect” or “survivor average causal effect” (SACE), defined as the effect of treatment on the outcome among the subpopulation that would have survived under either treatment arm. The authors describe a very simple technique that can be used to assess the SACE. They give both a sensitivity analysis technique and conditions under which a crude comparison provides a conservative estimate of the SACE. The method is illustrated using data from the ARDSnet (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network) clinical trial comparing low-volume ventilation and traditional ventilation methods for individuals with acute respiratory distress syndrome. PMID:21354986

[The comparison of different bronchial aspirate culturing methods in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)].

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Wojciech; Rybicki, Zbigniew; Tomaszewski, Dariusz; Truszczyński, Andrzej; Guzek, Aneta

2011-01-01

Although broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) culture and protected specimen brush (PSB) are regarded as the most effective methods in the diagnosis of VAP, a simple endotracheal aspiration (EA) is frequently performed during routine care, because of its simplicity and low cost. We compared the effectiveness of EA with BAL and PSB in VAP patients. Sixty-one adult VAP patients, ventilated for longer than 48 h, were cultured with all three methods. Positive cultures were obtained from 63.9% of patients, with Acinetobacter baumannii being the most common pathogen. There was a high positive correlation between simple aspirates and BAL (k 0.817, CI 0.664-0.840, p <0.001) and aspirates and PSB (k 0.667, CI 0.483-0.871, p <0.001). Because of the high sensitivity of bronchial aspirate culturing, compared to BAL and PSB, it can be used successfully in most cases.

An Overview of Longitudinal Data Analysis Methods for Neurological Research

PubMed Central

Locascio, Joseph J.; Atri, Alireza

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to provide a concise, broad and readily accessible overview of longitudinal data analysis methods, aimed to be a practical guide for clinical investigators in neurology. In general, we advise that older, traditional methods, including (1) simple regression of the dependent variable on a time measure, (2) analyzing a single summary subject level number that indexes changes for each subject and (3) a general linear model approach with a fixed-subject effect, should be reserved for quick, simple or preliminary analyses. We advocate the general use of mixed-random and fixed-effect regression models for analyses of most longitudinal clinical studies. Under restrictive situations or to provide validation, we recommend: (1) repeated-measure analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), (2) ANCOVA for two time points, (3) generalized estimating equations and (4) latent growth curve/structural equation models. PMID:22203825

Simple approach for high-contrast optical imaging and characterization of graphene-based sheets.

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

Jung, I.; Pelton, M.; Piner, R.

2007-12-01

A simple optical method is presented for identifying and measuring the effective optical properties of nanometer-thick, graphene-based materials, based on the use of substrates consisting of a thin dielectric layer on silicon. High contrast between the graphene-based materials and the substrate is obtained by choosing appropriate optical properties and thickness of the dielectric layer. The effective refractive index and optical absorption coefficient of graphene oxide, thermally reduced graphene oxide, and graphene are obtained by comparing the predicted and measured contrasts.

Design of ground test suspension systems for verification of flexible space structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooley, V. M.; Juang, J. N.; Ghaemmaghami, P.

1988-01-01

A simple model demonstrates the frequency-increasing effects of a simple cable suspension on flexible test article/suspension systems. Two passive suspension designs, namely a negative spring mechanism and a rolling cart mechanism, are presented to alleviate the undesirable frequency-increasing effects. Analysis methods are provided for systems in which the augmentations are applied to both discrete and continuous representations of test articles. The damping analyses are based on friction equivalent viscous damping. Numerical examples are given for comparing the two augmentations with respect to minimizing frequency and damping increases.

Application of the backward extrapolation method to pulsed neutron sources

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

Talamo, Alberto; Gohar, Yousry

We report particle detectors operated in pulse mode are subjected to the dead-time effect. When the average of the detector counts is constant over time, correcting for the dead-time effect is simple and can be accomplished by analytical formulas. However, when the average of the detector counts changes over time it is more difficult to take into account the dead-time effect. When a subcritical nuclear assembly is driven by a pulsed neutron source, simple analytical formulas cannot be applied to the measured detector counts to correct for the dead-time effect because of the sharp change of the detector counts overmore » time. This work addresses this issue by using the backward extrapolation method. The latter can be applied not only to a continuous (e.g. californium) external neutron source but also to a pulsed external neutron source (e.g. by a particle accelerator) driving a subcritical nuclear assembly. Finally, the backward extrapolation method allows to obtain from the measured detector counts both the dead-time value and the real detector counts.« less

Application of the backward extrapolation method to pulsed neutron sources

DOE PAGES

Talamo, Alberto; Gohar, Yousry

2017-09-23

We report particle detectors operated in pulse mode are subjected to the dead-time effect. When the average of the detector counts is constant over time, correcting for the dead-time effect is simple and can be accomplished by analytical formulas. However, when the average of the detector counts changes over time it is more difficult to take into account the dead-time effect. When a subcritical nuclear assembly is driven by a pulsed neutron source, simple analytical formulas cannot be applied to the measured detector counts to correct for the dead-time effect because of the sharp change of the detector counts overmore » time. This work addresses this issue by using the backward extrapolation method. The latter can be applied not only to a continuous (e.g. californium) external neutron source but also to a pulsed external neutron source (e.g. by a particle accelerator) driving a subcritical nuclear assembly. Finally, the backward extrapolation method allows to obtain from the measured detector counts both the dead-time value and the real detector counts.« less

Simplified refracting technique in keratoconus.

PubMed

Gasset, A R

1975-01-01

A simple but effective technique to refract keratoconus patients is presented. The theoretical objection to these methods are discussed. In addition, a formula to calculate lenticular astigmatism is presented.

The effect of density gradients on hydrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, Martti; Sillanpää, Sampo

2003-05-01

Hydrometers are simple but effective instruments for measuring the density of liquids. In this work, we studied the effect of non-uniform density of liquid on a hydrometer reading. The effect induced by vertical temperature gradients was investigated theoretically and experimentally. A method for compensating for the effect mathematically was developed and tested with experimental data obtained with the MIKES hydrometer calibration system. In the tests, the method was found reliable. However, the reliability depends on the available information on the hydrometer dimensions and density gradients.

Simple morphological control over functional diversity of SERS materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenova, A. A.; Goodilin, E. A.

2018-03-01

Nowadays, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) becomes a promising universal low-cost and real-time tool in biomedical applications, medical screening or forensic analysis allowing for detection of different molecules below nanomolar concentrations. Silver nanoparticles and nanostructures have proven to be a common choice for SERS measurements due to a tunable plasmon resonance, high stability and facile fabrication methods. However, a proper design of silver-based nanomaterials for highly sensitive SERS applications still remains a challenge. In this work, effective and simple preparation methods of various silver nanostructures are proposed and systematically developed using aqueous diamminesilver (I) hydroxide as a precursor.

Ferroelectric Zinc Oxide Nanowire Embedded Flexible Sensor for Motion and Temperature Sensing.

PubMed

Shin, Sung-Ho; Park, Dae Hoon; Jung, Joo-Yun; Lee, Min Hyung; Nah, Junghyo

2017-03-22

We report a simple method to realize multifunctional flexible motion sensor using ferroelectric lithium-doped ZnO-PDMS. The ferroelectric layer enables piezoelectric dynamic sensing and provides additional motion information to more precisely discriminate different motions. The PEDOT:PSS-functionalized AgNWs, working as electrode layers for the piezoelectric sensing layer, resistively detect a change of both movement or temperature. Thus, through the optimal integration of both elements, the sensing limit, accuracy, and functionality can be further expanded. The method introduced here is a simple and effective route to realize a high-performance flexible motion sensor with integrated multifunctionalities.

User's manual for interfacing a leading edge, vortex rollup program with two linear panel methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desilva, B. M. E.; Medan, R. T.

1979-01-01

Sufficient instructions are provided for interfacing the Mangler-Smith, leading edge vortex rollup program with a vortex lattice (POTFAN) method and an advanced higher order, singularity linear analysis for computing the vortex effects for simple canard wing combinations.

S-Adenosylhomocysteine Assay in the Urine by Capillary Electrophoresis.

PubMed

Luzyanin, B P; Ivanov, A V; Viryus, E D; Kubatiev, A A

2015-08-01

We present a simple and effective method for measuring urine S-adenosylhomocysteine by capillary electrophoresis without using modifiers. The detection threshold of the method is 0.1 μM S-adenosylhomocysteine, the time of analysis 13 min, reproducibility at physiological concentrations within 4%.

Tenax extraction as a simple approach to improve environmental risk assessments.

PubMed

Harwood, Amanda D; Nutile, Samuel A; Landrum, Peter F; Lydy, Michael J

2015-07-01

It is well documented that using exhaustive chemical extractions is not an effective means of assessing exposure of hydrophobic organic compounds in sediments and that bioavailability-based techniques are an improvement over traditional methods. One technique that has shown special promise as a method for assessing the bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds in sediment is the use of Tenax-extractable concentrations. A 6-h or 24-h single-point Tenax-extractable concentration correlates to both bioaccumulation and toxicity. This method has demonstrated effectiveness for several hydrophobic organic compounds in various organisms under both field and laboratory conditions. In addition, a Tenax bioaccumulation model was developed for multiple compounds relating 24-h Tenax-extractable concentrations to oligochaete tissue concentrations exposed in both the laboratory and field. This model has demonstrated predictive capacity for additional compounds and species. Use of Tenax-extractable concentrations to estimate exposure is rapid, simple, straightforward, and relatively inexpensive, as well as accurate. Therefore, this method would be an invaluable tool if implemented in risk assessments. © 2015 SETAC.

A Simple Geometrical Model for Calculation of the Effective Emissivity in Blackbody Cylindrical Cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Lucas, Javier

2015-03-01

A simple geometrical model for calculating the effective emissivity in blackbody cylindrical cavities has been developed. The back ray tracing technique and the Monte Carlo method have been employed, making use of a suitable set of coordinates and auxiliary planes. In these planes, the trajectories of individual photons in the successive reflections between the cavity points are followed in detail. The theoretical model is implemented by using simple numerical tools, programmed in Microsoft Visual Basic for Application and Excel. The algorithm is applied to isothermal and non-isothermal diffuse cylindrical cavities with a lid; however, the basic geometrical structure can be generalized to a cylindro-conical shape and specular reflection. Additionally, the numerical algorithm and the program source code can be used, with minor changes, for determining the distribution of the cavity points, where photon absorption takes place. This distribution could be applied to the study of the influence of thermal gradients on the effective emissivity profiles, for example. Validation is performed by analyzing the convergence of the Monte Carlo method as a function of the number of trials and by comparison with published results of different authors.

Elucidating the effects of adsorbent flexibility on fluid adsorption using simple models and flat-histogram sampling methods

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

Shen, Vincent K., E-mail: vincent.shen@nist.gov; Siderius, Daniel W.

2014-06-28

Using flat-histogram Monte Carlo methods, we investigate the adsorptive behavior of the square-well fluid in two simple slit-pore-like models intended to capture fundamental characteristics of flexible adsorbent materials. Both models require as input thermodynamic information about the flexible adsorbent material itself. An important component of this work involves formulating the flexible pore models in the appropriate thermodynamic (statistical mechanical) ensembles, namely, the osmotic ensemble and a variant of the grand-canonical ensemble. Two-dimensional probability distributions, which are calculated using flat-histogram methods, provide the information necessary to determine adsorption thermodynamics. For example, we are able to determine precisely adsorption isotherms, (equilibrium) phasemore » transition conditions, limits of stability, and free energies for a number of different flexible adsorbent materials, distinguishable as different inputs into the models. While the models used in this work are relatively simple from a geometric perspective, they yield non-trivial adsorptive behavior, including adsorption-desorption hysteresis solely due to material flexibility and so-called “breathing” of the adsorbent. The observed effects can in turn be tied to the inherent properties of the bare adsorbent. Some of the effects are expected on physical grounds while others arise from a subtle balance of thermodynamic and mechanical driving forces. In addition, the computational strategy presented here can be easily applied to more complex models for flexible adsorbents.« less

Elucidating the effects of adsorbent flexibility on fluid adsorption using simple models and flat-histogram sampling methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Vincent K.; Siderius, Daniel W.

2014-06-01

Using flat-histogram Monte Carlo methods, we investigate the adsorptive behavior of the square-well fluid in two simple slit-pore-like models intended to capture fundamental characteristics of flexible adsorbent materials. Both models require as input thermodynamic information about the flexible adsorbent material itself. An important component of this work involves formulating the flexible pore models in the appropriate thermodynamic (statistical mechanical) ensembles, namely, the osmotic ensemble and a variant of the grand-canonical ensemble. Two-dimensional probability distributions, which are calculated using flat-histogram methods, provide the information necessary to determine adsorption thermodynamics. For example, we are able to determine precisely adsorption isotherms, (equilibrium) phase transition conditions, limits of stability, and free energies for a number of different flexible adsorbent materials, distinguishable as different inputs into the models. While the models used in this work are relatively simple from a geometric perspective, they yield non-trivial adsorptive behavior, including adsorption-desorption hysteresis solely due to material flexibility and so-called "breathing" of the adsorbent. The observed effects can in turn be tied to the inherent properties of the bare adsorbent. Some of the effects are expected on physical grounds while others arise from a subtle balance of thermodynamic and mechanical driving forces. In addition, the computational strategy presented here can be easily applied to more complex models for flexible adsorbents.

Simple Test Functions in Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raju, Ivatury S.

2016-01-01

Two meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) methods based on two different trial functions but that use a simple linear test function were developed for beam and column problems. These methods used generalized moving least squares (GMLS) and radial basis (RB) interpolation functions as trial functions. These two methods were tested on various patch test problems. Both methods passed the patch tests successfully. Then the methods were applied to various beam vibration problems and problems involving Euler and Beck's columns. Both methods yielded accurate solutions for all problems studied. The simple linear test function offers considerable savings in computing efforts as the domain integrals involved in the weak form are avoided. The two methods based on this simple linear test function method produced accurate results for frequencies and buckling loads. Of the two methods studied, the method with radial basis trial functions is very attractive as the method is simple, accurate, and robust.

Simple method for self-referenced and lable-free biosensing by using a capillary sensing element.

PubMed

Liu, Yun; Chen, Shimeng; Liu, Qiang; Liu, Zigeng; Wei, Peng

2017-05-15

We demonstrated a simple method for self-reference and label free biosensing based on a capillary sensing element and common optoelectronic devices. The capillary sensing element is illuminated by a light-emitting diode (LED) light source and detected by a webcam. Part of gold film that deposited on the tubing wall is functionalized to carry on the biological information in the excited SPR modes. The end face of the capillary was monitored and separate regions of interest (ROIs) were selected as the measurement channel and the reference channel. In the ROIs, the biological information can be accurately extracted from the image by simple image processing. Moreover, temperature fluctuation, bulk RI fluctuation, light source fluctuation and other factors can be effectively compensated during detection. Our biosensing device has a sensitivity of 1145%/RIU and a resolution better than 5.287 × 10 -4 RIU, considering a 0.79% noise level. We apply it for concanavalin A (Con A) biological measurement, which has an approximately linear response to the specific analyte concentration. This simple method provides a new approach for multichannel SPR sensing and reference-compensated calibration of SPR signal for label-free detection.

Simple and effective exercise design for assessing in vivo mitochondrial function in clinical applications using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

PubMed

Sleigh, Alison; Lupson, Victoria; Thankamony, Ajay; Dunger, David B; Savage, David B; Carpenter, T Adrian; Kemp, Graham J

2016-01-11

The growing recognition of diseases associated with dysfunction of mitochondria poses an urgent need for simple measures of mitochondrial function. Assessment of the kinetics of replenishment of the phosphocreatine pool after exercise using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy can provide an in vivo measure of mitochondrial function; however, the wider application of this technique appears limited by complex or expensive MR-compatible exercise equipment and protocols not easily tolerated by frail participants or those with reduced mental capacity. Here we describe a novel in-scanner exercise method which is patient-focused, inexpensive, remarkably simple and highly portable. The device exploits an MR-compatible high-density material (BaSO4) to form a weight which is attached directly to the ankle, and a one-minute dynamic knee extension protocol produced highly reproducible measurements of post-exercise PCr recovery kinetics in both healthy subjects and patients. As sophisticated exercise equipment is unnecessary for this measurement, our extremely simple design provides an effective and easy-to-implement apparatus that is readily translatable across sites. Its design, being tailored to the needs of the patient, makes it particularly well suited to clinical applications, and we argue the potential of this method for investigating in vivo mitochondrial function in new cohorts of growing clinical interest.

Portable system of programmable syringe pump with potentiometer for determination of promethazine in pharmaceutical applications.

PubMed

Saleh, Tawfik A; Abulkibash, A M; Ibrahim, Atta E

2012-04-01

A simple and fast-automated method was developed and validated for the assay of promethazine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations, based on the oxidation of promethazine by cerium in an acidic medium. A portable system, consisting of a programmable syringe pump connected to a potentiometer, was constructed. The developed change in potential during promethazine oxidation was monitored. The related optimum working conditions, such as supporting electrolyte concentration, cerium(IV) concentration and flow rate were optimized. The proposed method was successfully applied to pharmaceutical samples as well as synthetic ones. The obtained results were realized by the official British pharmacopoeia (BP) method and comparable results were obtained. The obtained t-value indicates no significant differences between the results of the proposed and BP methods, with the advantages of the proposed method being simple, sensitive and cost effective.

Field and laboratory determination of water-surface elevation and velocity using noncontact measurements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, Jonathan M.; Kinzel, Paul J.; Schmeeckle, Mark Walter; McDonald, Richard R.; Minear, Justin T.

2016-01-01

Noncontact methods for measuring water-surface elevation and velocity in laboratory flumes and rivers are presented with examples. Water-surface elevations are measured using an array of acoustic transducers in the laboratory and using laser scanning in field situations. Water-surface velocities are based on using particle image velocimetry or other machine vision techniques on infrared video of the water surface. Using spatial and temporal averaging, results from these methods provide information that can be used to develop estimates of discharge for flows over known bathymetry. Making such estimates requires relating water-surface velocities to vertically averaged velocities; the methods here use standard relations. To examine where these relations break down, laboratory data for flows over simple bumps of three amplitudes are evaluated. As anticipated, discharges determined from surface information can have large errors where nonhydrostatic effects are large. In addition to investigating and characterizing this potential error in estimating discharge, a simple method for correction of the issue is presented. With a simple correction based on bed gradient along the flow direction, remotely sensed estimates of discharge appear to be viable.

A simple formula for the effective complex conductivity of periodic fibrous composites with interfacial impedance and applications to biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisegna, Paolo; Caselli, Federica

2008-06-01

This paper presents a simple analytical expression for the effective complex conductivity of a periodic hexagonal arrangement of conductive circular cylinders embedded in a conductive matrix, with interfaces exhibiting a capacitive impedance. This composite material may be regarded as an idealized model of a biological tissue comprising tubular cells, such as skeletal muscle. The asymptotic homogenization method is adopted, and the corresponding local problem is solved by resorting to Weierstrass elliptic functions. The effectiveness of the present analytical result is proved by convergence analysis and comparison with finite-element solutions and existing models.

Entangled trajectories Hamiltonian dynamics for treating quantum nuclear effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Brendan; Akimov, Alexey V.

2018-04-01

A simple and robust methodology, dubbed Entangled Trajectories Hamiltonian Dynamics (ETHD), is developed to capture quantum nuclear effects such as tunneling and zero-point energy through the coupling of multiple classical trajectories. The approach reformulates the classically mapped second-order Quantized Hamiltonian Dynamics (QHD-2) in terms of coupled classical trajectories. The method partially enforces the uncertainty principle and facilitates tunneling. The applicability of the method is demonstrated by studying the dynamics in symmetric double well and cubic metastable state potentials. The methodology is validated using exact quantum simulations and is compared to QHD-2. We illustrate its relationship to the rigorous Bohmian quantum potential approach, from which ETHD can be derived. Our simulations show a remarkable agreement of the ETHD calculation with the quantum results, suggesting that ETHD may be a simple and inexpensive way of including quantum nuclear effects in molecular dynamics simulations.

Foley catheter balloon endometrial ablation: successful treatment of three cases.

PubMed

Api, Murat; Api, Olus

2012-03-01

Endometrial ablation is one of the most effective methods for treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB). Balloon devices with circulating hot water inside or electrodes on the outer surface and radiofrequency-induced thermal destructors are the most recently introduced available tools for endometrial ablation. All of these methods are effective and simple but expensive technologies. The aim of this brief report is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a new, simple and money-saving procedure, namely foley catheter balloon endometrial ablation (FCBEA), for treatment of DUB. We present our experience with FCBEA performed on 3 women with severe meno-metrorrhagia unresponsive to medical therapy. There were no procedure-related complications with achievement of complete amenorrhea for a 19 months follow-up period. Although FCBA has yielded encouraging results, there exists a need for further investigation and validation on larger groups, before its universal application.

Facile synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles with organosilicone-coated surface properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Lijin; Yi, Sijia; Lenaghan, Scott C.; Zhang, Mingjun

2012-07-01

In this study, a simple method for one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles has been developed using an organosilicone surfactant, Silwet L-77, as both a reducing and capping agent. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using this method is rapid and can be conducted conveniently at ambient temperature. Further refinement of the method, through the addition of sodium hydroxide and/or silver nitrate, allowed fine control over the size of spherical nanoparticles produced. Coated on the surface with organosilicone, the as-prepared gold nanoparticles were biocompatible and stable over the pH range from 5 to 12, and have been proven effective at transportation into MC3T3 osteoblast cells. The proposed method is simple, fast, and can produce size-controlled gold nanoparticles with unique surface properties for biomedical applications.

Theoretical analysis of a method for extracting the phase of a phase-amplitude modulated signal generated by a direct-modulated optical injection-locked semiconductor laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hwan; Cho, Jun-Hyung; Sung, Hyuk-Kee

2017-05-01

The phase modulation (PM) and amplitude modulation (AM) of optical signals can be achieved using a direct-modulated (DM) optical injection-locked (OIL) semiconductor laser. We propose and theoretically analyze a simple method to extract the phase component of a PM signal produced by a DM-OIL semiconductor laser. The pure AM component of the combined PM-AM signal can be isolated by square-law detection in a photodetector and can then be used to compensate for the PM-AM signal based on an optical homodyne method. Using the AM compensation technique, we successfully developed a simple and cost-effective phase extraction method applicable to the PM-AM optical signal of a DM-OIL semiconductor laser.

Simple and cost-effective fluorescent labeling of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahal, Tamar; Green, Ori; Hananel, Uri; Michaeli, Yael; Shabat, Doron; Ebenstein, Yuval

2016-12-01

The nucleobase 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), a modified form of cytosine, is an important epigenetic mark related to regulation of gene expression. 5-hmC levels are highly dynamic during early development and are modulated during the progression of neurodegenerative disease and cancer. We describe a spectroscopic method for the global quantification of 5-hmC in genomic DNA. This method relies on the enzymatic glucosylation of 5-hmC, followed by a glucose oxidation step that results in the formation of aldehyde moieties that are covalently linked to a fluorescent reporter by oxime ligation. The fluorescence intensity of the labeled sample is directly proportional to its 5-hmC content. We show that this simple and cost-effective technique is suitable for quantification of 5-hmC content in different mouse tissues.

[The stimulation of pulmonary epithelial regeneration and of the clearance function of the mucociliary apparatus by using bemetil].

PubMed

Kobylianskiĭ, V I

1995-01-01

A method of stimulation of the bronchial epithelium regeneration and mucociliary apparatus function is described. The effect is achieved with the help of bemithyl, an agent of the actoprotector group. In combination with immunocorrection, this effect is potentiated. The method is quite simple and may be extensively used in experimental investigations and clinical practice.

An Effective Electrical Resonance-Based Method to Detect Delamination in Thermal Barrier Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jong Min; Park, Jae-Ha; Lee, Ho Girl; Kim, Hak-Joon; Song, Sung-Jin; Seok, Chang-Sung; Lee, Young-Ze

2017-12-01

This research proposes a simple yet highly sensitive method based on electrical resonance of an eddy-current probe to detect delamination of thermal barrier coating (TBC). This method can directly measure the mechanical characteristics of TBC compared to conventional ultrasonic testing and infrared thermography methods. The electrical resonance-based method can detect the delamination of TBC from the metallic bond coat by shifting the electrical impedance of eddy current testing (ECT) probe coupling with degraded TBC, and, due to this shift, the resonant frequencies near the peak impedance of ECT probe revealed high sensitivity to the delamination. In order to verify the performance of the proposed method, a simple experiment is performed with degraded TBC specimens by thermal cyclic exposure. Consequently, the delamination with growth of thermally grown oxide in a TBC system is experimentally identified. Additionally, the results are in good agreement with the results obtained from ultrasonic C-scanning.

An Effective Electrical Resonance-Based Method to Detect Delamination in Thermal Barrier Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jong Min; Park, Jae-Ha; Lee, Ho Girl; Kim, Hak-Joon; Song, Sung-Jin; Seok, Chang-Sung; Lee, Young-Ze

2018-02-01

This research proposes a simple yet highly sensitive method based on electrical resonance of an eddy-current probe to detect delamination of thermal barrier coating (TBC). This method can directly measure the mechanical characteristics of TBC compared to conventional ultrasonic testing and infrared thermography methods. The electrical resonance-based method can detect the delamination of TBC from the metallic bond coat by shifting the electrical impedance of eddy current testing (ECT) probe coupling with degraded TBC, and, due to this shift, the resonant frequencies near the peak impedance of ECT probe revealed high sensitivity to the delamination. In order to verify the performance of the proposed method, a simple experiment is performed with degraded TBC specimens by thermal cyclic exposure. Consequently, the delamination with growth of thermally grown oxide in a TBC system is experimentally identified. Additionally, the results are in good agreement with the results obtained from ultrasonic C-scanning.

A Rapid and Simple Real-Time PCR Assay for Detecting Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria in Human Feces.

PubMed

Hanabara, Yutaro; Ueda, Yutaka

2016-11-22

A rapid, simple method for detecting foodborne pathogenic bacteria in human feces is greatly needed. Here, we examined the efficacy of a method that employs a combination of a commercial PCR master mix, which is insensitive to PCR inhibitors, and a DNA extraction method which used sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and Tween 20 to counteract the inhibitory effects of SDBS on the PCR assay. This method could detect the target genes (stx1 and stx2 of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, invA of Salmonella Enteritidis, tdh of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, gyrA of Campylobacter jejuni, ceuE of Campylobacter coli, SEA of Staphylococcus aureus, ces of Bacillus cereus, and cpe of Clostridium perfringens) in a fecal suspension containing 1.0 × 10 1 to 1.0 × 10 3 CFU/ml. Furthermore, the assay was neither inhibited nor influenced by individual differences among the fecal samples of 10 subjects or fecal concentration (40-160 mg/ml in the fecal suspension). When we attempted to detect the genes of pathogenic bacteria in 4 actual clinical cases, we found that this method was more sensitive than standard culture method. These results showed that this assay is a rapid, simple detection method for foodborne pathogenic bacteria in human feces.

Synchronization sampling method based on delta-sigma analog-digital converter for underwater towed array system.

PubMed

Jiang, Jia-Jia; Duan, Fa-Jie; Li, Yan-Chao; Hua, Xiang-Ning

2014-03-01

Synchronization sampling is very important in underwater towed array system where every acquisition node (AN) samples analog signals by its own analog-digital converter (ADC). In this paper, a simple and effective synchronization sampling method is proposed to ensure synchronized operation among different ANs of the underwater towed array system. We first present a master-slave synchronization sampling model, and then design a high accuracy phase-locked loop to synchronize all delta-sigma ADCs to a reference clock. However, when the master-slave synchronization sampling model is used, both the time-delay (TD) of messages traveling along the wired transmission medium and the jitter of the clocks will bring out synchronization sampling error (SSE). Therefore, a simple method is proposed to estimate and compensate the TD of the messages transmission, and then another effective method is presented to overcome the SSE caused by the jitter of the clocks. An experimental system with three ANs is set up, and the related experimental results verify the validity of the synchronization sampling method proposed in this paper.

Synchronization sampling method based on delta-sigma analog-digital converter for underwater towed array system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Jia-Jia; Duan, Fa-Jie; Li, Yan-Chao; Hua, Xiang-Ning

2014-03-01

Synchronization sampling is very important in underwater towed array system where every acquisition node (AN) samples analog signals by its own analog-digital converter (ADC). In this paper, a simple and effective synchronization sampling method is proposed to ensure synchronized operation among different ANs of the underwater towed array system. We first present a master-slave synchronization sampling model, and then design a high accuracy phase-locked loop to synchronize all delta-sigma ADCs to a reference clock. However, when the master-slave synchronization sampling model is used, both the time-delay (TD) of messages traveling along the wired transmission medium and the jitter of the clocks will bring out synchronization sampling error (SSE). Therefore, a simple method is proposed to estimate and compensate the TD of the messages transmission, and then another effective method is presented to overcome the SSE caused by the jitter of the clocks. An experimental system with three ANs is set up, and the related experimental results verify the validity of the synchronization sampling method proposed in this paper.

A Machine Learning System for Analyzing Human Tactics in a Game

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Hirotaka; Tanaka, Toshimitsu; Sugie, Noboru

In order to realize advanced man-machine interfaces, it is desired to develop a system that can infer the mental state of human users and then return appropriate responses. As the first step toward the above goal, we developed a system capable of inferring human tactics in a simple game played between the system and a human. We present a machine learning system that plays a color expectation game. The system infers the tactics of the opponent, and then decides the action based on the result. We employed a modified version of classifier system like XCS in order to design the system. In addition, three methods are proposed in order to accelerate the learning rate. They are a masking method, an iterative method, and tactics templates. The results of computer experiments confirmed that the proposed methods effectively accelerate the machine learning. The masking method and the iterative method are effective to a simple strategy that considers only a part of past information. However, study speed of these methods is not enough for the tactics that refers to a lot of past information. For the case, the tactics template was able to settle the study rapidly when the tactics is identified.

Simple Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Assisted Sample Preparation Method for LC-MS-based Proteomic Applications

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

Zhou, Jianying; Dann, Geoffrey P.; Shi, Tujin

2012-03-10

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is one of the most popular laboratory reagents used for highly efficient biological sample extraction; however, SDS presents a significant challenge to LC-MS-based proteomic analyses due to its severe interference with reversed-phase LC separations and electrospray ionization interfaces. This study reports a simple SDS-assisted proteomic sample preparation method facilitated by a novel peptide-level SDS removal protocol. After SDS-assisted protein extraction and digestion, SDS was effectively (>99.9%) removed from peptides through ion substitution-mediated DS- precipitation with potassium chloride (KCl) followed by {approx}10 min centrifugation. Excellent peptide recovery (>95%) was observed for less than 20 {mu}g of peptides.more » Further experiments demonstrated the compatibility of this protocol with LC-MS/MS analyses. The resulting proteome coverage from this SDS-assisted protocol was comparable to or better than those obtained from other standard proteomic preparation methods in both mammalian tissues and bacterial samples. These results suggest that this SDS-assisted protocol is a practical, simple, and broadly applicable proteomic sample processing method, which can be particularly useful when dealing with samples difficult to solubilize by other methods.« less

The Flat and Direct Way to R and S Configurations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brun, Y.; Leblanc, P.

1983-01-01

Discusses a simple, effective way of teaching S and R configurations for chiral molecules containing asymmetric centers. The method involves converting wedge/spatial representations to Fischer projections and prioritizing groups according to the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog sequence rules. Two examples illustrating the method are included. (JN)

New Approaches to Data Acquisitions in a Torsion Pendulum Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Daya; Xiao, Jinghua; Li, Haihong; Dai, Qionglin

2007-01-01

In this paper, two simple non-contact and cost-effective methods to acquire data in the student laboratory are applied to investigate the motion of a torsion pendulum. The first method is based on a Hall sensor, while the second makes use of an optical mouse.

Learning from simple ebooks, online cases or classroom teaching when acquiring complex knowledge. A randomized controlled trial in respiratory physiology and pulmonology.

PubMed

Worm, Bjarne Skjødt

2013-01-01

E-learning is developing fast because of the rapid increased use of smartphones, tablets and portable computers. We might not think of it as e-learning, but today many new e-books are in fact very complex electronic teaching platforms. It is generally accepted that e-learning is as effective as classroom teaching methods, but little is known about its value in relaying contents of different levels of complexity to students. We set out to investigate e-learning effects on simple recall and complex problem-solving compared to classroom teaching. 63 nurses specializing in anesthesiology were evenly randomized into three groups. They were given internet-based knowledge tests before and after attending a teaching module about respiratory physiology and pulmonology. The three groups was either an e-learning group with eBook teaching material, an e-learning group with case-based teaching or a group with face-to-face case-based classroom teaching. After the module the students were required to answer a post-test. Time spent and the number of logged into the system was also measured. For simple recall, all methods were equally effective. For problem-solving, the eCase group achieved a comparable knowledge level to classroom teaching, while textbook learning was inferior to both (p<0.01). The textbook group also spent the least amount of time on acquiring knowledge (33 minutes, p<0.001), while the eCase group spent significantly more time on the subject (53 minutes, p<0.001) and logged into the system significantly more (2.8 vs 1.6, p<0.001). E-learning based cases are an effective tool for teaching complex knowledge and problem-solving ability, but future studies using higher-level e-learning are encouraged.Simple recall skills, however, do not require any particular learning method.

X-ray peak profile analysis of zinc oxide nanoparticles formed by simple precipitation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelicano, Christian Mark; Rapadas, Nick Joaquin; Magdaluyo, Eduardo

2017-12-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a simple precipitation method using zinc acetate and tetramethylammonium hydroxide. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The XRD result revealed a hexagonal wurtzite structure for the ZnO nanoparticles. The TEM image showed spherical nanoparticles with an average crystallite size of 6.70 nm. For x-ray peak analysis, Williamson-Hall (W-H) and Size-Strain Plot (SSP) methods were applied to examine the effects of crystallite size and lattice strain on the peak broadening of the ZnO nanoparticles. Based on the calculations, the estimated crystallite sizes and lattice strains obtained are in good agreement with each other.

Ground-state energies of simple metals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammerberg, J.; Ashcroft, N. W.

1974-01-01

A structural expansion for the static ground-state energy of a simple metal is derived. Two methods are presented, one an approach based on single-particle band structure which treats the electron gas as a nonlinear dielectric, the other a more general many-particle analysis using finite-temperature perturbation theory. The two methods are compared, and it is shown in detail how band-structure effects, Fermi-surface distortions, and chemical-potential shifts affect the total energy. These are of special interest in corrections to the total energy beyond third order in the electron-ion interaction and hence to systems where differences in energies for various crystal structures are exceptionally small. Preliminary calculations using these methods for the zero-temperature thermodynamic functions of atomic hydrogen are reported.

A simple and selective colorimetric mercury (II) sensing system based on chitosan stabilized gold nanoparticles and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid.

PubMed

Tian, Kun; Siegel, Gene; Tiwari, Ashutosh

2017-02-01

The development of simple and cost-effective methods for the detection and treatment of Hg 2+ in the environment is an important area of research due to the serious health risk that Hg 2+ poses to humans. Colorimetric sensing based on the induced aggregation of nanoparticles is of great interest since it offers a low cost, simple, and relatively rapid procedure, making it perfect for on-site analysis. Herein we report the development of a simple colorimetric sensor for the selective detection and estimation of mercury ions in water, based on chitosan stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (PDA). In the presence of Hg 2+ , PDA induces the aggregation of AuNPs, causing the solution to change colors varying from red to blue, depending on the concentration of Hg 2+ . The formation of aggregated AuNPs in the presence of Hg 2+ was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The method exhibits linearity in the range of 300nM to 5μM and shows excellent selectivity towards Hg 2+ among seventeen different metal ions and was successfully applied for the detection of Hg 2+ in spiked river water samples. The developed technique is simple and superior to the existing techniques in that it allows detection of Hg 2+ using the naked eye and simple and rapid colorimetric analysis, which eliminates the need for sophisticated instruments and sample preparation methods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simple SPION Incubation as an Efficient Intracellular Labeling Method for Tracking Neural Progenitor Cells Using MRI

PubMed Central

D. M., Jayaseema; Lai, Jiann-Shiun; Hueng, Dueng-Yuan; Chang, Chen

2013-01-01

Cellular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been well-established for tracking neural progenitor cells (NPC). Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) approved for clinical application are the most common agents used for labeling. Conventionally, transfection agents (TAs) were added with SPIONs to facilitate cell labeling because SPIONs in the native unmodified form were deemed inefficient for intracellular labeling. However, compelling evidence also shows that simple SPION incubation is not invariably ineffective. The labeling efficiency can be improved by prolonged incubation and elevated iron doses. The goal of the present study was to establish simple SPION incubation as an efficient intracellular labeling method. To this end, NPCs derived from the neonatal subventricular zone were incubated with SPIONs (Feridex®) and then evaluated in vitro with regard to the labeling efficiency and biological functions. The results showed that, following 48 hours of incubation at 75 µg/ml, nearly all NPCs exhibited visible SPION intake. Evidence from light microscopy, electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the effectiveness of the labeling. Additionally, biological assays showed that the labeled NPCs exhibited unaffected viability, oxidative stress, apoptosis and differentiation. In the demonstrated in vivo cellular MRI experiment, the hypointensities representing the SPION labeled NPCs remained observable throughout the entire tracking period. The findings indicate that simple SPION incubation without the addition of TAs is an efficient intracellular magnetic labeling method. This simple approach may be considered as an alternative approach to the mainstream labeling method that involves the use of TAs. PMID:23468856

A simple and cost-effective method for isolation and expansion of human fetal pancreas derived mesenchymal stem cells.

PubMed

Larijani, Bagher; Arjmand, Babak; Ahmadbeigi, Naser; Falahzadeh, Khadijeh; Soleimani, Masoud; Sayahpour, Forough Azam; Aghayan, Hamid Reza

2015-11-01

Previous studies have suggested mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a suitable source for cell replacement therapy in diabetes. MSCs have successfully isolated from different adult and fetal tissues, including the pancreas. In vitro studies have shown that human fetal pancreatic stem cells could be extensively expanded and differentiated into islet-like structures. Here, we introduce a simple and cost-effective method for the generation of MSCs from the human fetal pancreas (FPMSCs). To isolate FPMSCs, pancreata from four aborted fetuses (second trimester) were processed with short collagenase digestion. The resulting tissue fragments were transferred to a basic media (DMEM+15%FBS) without adding any growth factor. After 10 to14 days, fibroblast-like cells were harvested and passaged six times for further evaluations. Flow cytometry analysis and three-lineage differentiation capacity have demonstrated that these cells have MSC-like properties. We also continuously passaged samples of FPMSCs and found no evidence for chromosomal instability and morphological changes until 10th subculture. Moreover, our cell culture protocol can be easily modified and translated into a GMP-compliant one. The results of current study demonstrated that our simple and inexpensive method could yield a pure population of FPMSCs that might be suitable for transplantation.

Regeneration and reuse of iron catalyst for Fenton-like reactions.

PubMed

Cao, Guo-min; Sheng, Mei; Niu, Wen-feng; Fei, Yu-lei; Li, Dong

2009-12-30

Fenton and Fenton-like reactions employed for oxidative treatment of a typical industrial wastewater generate a large amount of ferric hydroxide sludge which has to be properly disposed at a high cost. This paper presents a simple and cost-effective method for recovering the iron catalyst from the iron hydroxide sludge for oxidative treatment of industrial wastewaters. The sludge was dewatered, dried and baked at 350-400 degrees C for 20-30 min; the residual solids were dissolved in sulfuric acid to form the reusable catalyst for Fenton and Fenton-like reactions. The recovered catalyst was highly effective for the oxidative pretreatment of a fine chemical wastewater to improve its biodegradability; the resulting COD removal and BOD(5)/COD ratio of the treated stream remained nearly unchanged during the time period when the regenerated catalyst was reused six times. The simple and effective catalyst regeneration method will make Fenton and Fenton-like oxidation a more cost-effective wastewater treatment alternative.

Mental chronometry with simple linear regression.

PubMed

Chen, J Y

1997-10-01

Typically, mental chronometry is performed by means of introducing an independent variable postulated to affect selectively some stage of a presumed multistage process. However, the effect could be a global one that spreads proportionally over all stages of the process. Currently, there is no method to test this possibility although simple linear regression might serve the purpose. In the present study, the regression approach was tested with tasks (memory scanning and mental rotation) that involved a selective effect and with a task (word superiority effect) that involved a global effect, by the dominant theories. The results indicate (1) the manipulation of the size of a memory set or of angular disparity affects the intercept of the regression function that relates the times for memory scanning with different set sizes or for mental rotation with different angular disparities and (2) the manipulation of context affects the slope of the regression function that relates the times for detecting a target character under word and nonword conditions. These ratify the regression approach as a useful method for doing mental chronometry.

[Constricted ear therapy with free auricular composite grafts].

PubMed

Liu, Tun; Zhang, Lian-sheng; Zhuang, Hong-xing; Zhang, Ke-yuan

2004-03-01

A simple and effective therapy for single side constricted ear. Transplanting normal side free composite auricular grafts to constricted ear (15 patients and 15 sides), then lengthening the helix, exposing the scapha, correcting deformity. The 15 patients composite grafts all survived. The helix has been lengthened, the scapha exposed, the normal ear reduced, the constricted ear augmented and two sides ear have become symmetry. This method is simple and results are satisfied.

A simple design of an artificial electromagnetic black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wanli; Jin, JunFeng; Lin, Zhifang; Chen, Huanyang

2010-09-01

We conduct a rigorous study on the properties of an artificial electromagnetic black hole for transverse magnetic modes. A multilayered structure of such a black hole is then proposed as a reduced variety for easy experimental implementations. An actual design of composite materials based on the effective medium theory is given with only five kinds of real isotropic materials. The finite element method confirms the functionality of such a simple design.

Incorporating effects of natural disturbances in managed ecosystems

Treesearch

John T. Rotenberry; Robert J. Cooper; Joseph M. Wunderle; Kimberley G. Smith

1993-01-01

We briefly review the effects of climate (particularly drought and hurricanes), insect outbreaks, and fire on populations of migrant birds. An important feature of all of these natural disturbances is that they occur over a variety of spatial and temporal scales, thus precluding any simple generalization of their effects or of methods for mitigating those effects. We...

[A New Simple Technique for Producing Labeled Monoclonal Antibodies for Antibody Pair Screening in Sandwich-ELISA].

PubMed

Zaripov, M M; Afanasieva, G V; Glukhova, X A; Trizna, Y A; Glukhov, A S; Beletsky, I P; Prusakova, O V

2015-01-01

A simple and fast method for obtaining biotin-labeled monoclonal antibodies was developed usingcontent of hybridoma culture supernatant sufficient to select antibody pairs in sandwich ELISA. The method consists in chemical biotinylation of antigen-bound antibodies in a well of ELISA plate. Using as an example target Vaccinia virus A27L protein it was shown that the yield of biotinylated reactant is enough to set comprehensive sandwich ELISA for a moderate size panel of up to 25 monoclonal antibodies with an aim to determine candidate pairs. The technique is a cheap and effective solution since it avoids obtaining preparative amounts of antibodies.

A simple and effective method for detecting precipitated proteins in MALDI-TOF MS.

PubMed

Oshikane, Hiroyuki; Watabe, Masahiko; Nakaki, Toshio

2018-04-01

MALDI-TOF MS has developed rapidly into an essential analytical tool for the life sciences. Cinnamic acid derivatives are generally employed in routine molecular weight determinations of intact proteins using MALDI-TOF MS. However, a protein of interest may precipitate when mixed with matrix solution, perhaps preventing MS detection. We herein provide a simple approach to enable the MS detection of such precipitated protein species by means of a "direct deposition method" -- loading the precipitant directly onto the sample plate. It is thus expected to improve routine MS analysis of intact proteins. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Sublaminate analysis of interlaminar fracture in composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armanios, E. A.; Rehfield, L. W.

1986-01-01

A simple analysis method based upon a transverse shear deformation theory and a sublaminate approach is utilized to analyze a mixed-mode edge delamination specimen. The analysis provides closed form expressions for the interlaminar shear stresses ahead of the crack, the total energy release rate, and the energy release rate components. The parameters controlling the behavior are identified. The effect of specimen stacking sequence and delamination interface on the strain energy release rate components is investigated. Results are compared with a finite element simulation for reference. The simple nature of the method makes it suitable for preliminary design analyses which require a large number of configurations to be evaluated quickly and economically.

A transparent ultraviolet triggered amorphous selenium p-n junction

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

Saito, Ichitaro; Soga, Kenichi; Overend, Mauro

2011-04-11

This paper will introduce a semitransparent amorphous selenium (a-Se) film exhibiting photovoltaic effects under ultraviolet light created through a simple and inexpensive method. We found that chlorine can be doped into a-Se through electrolysis of saturated salt water, and converts the weak p-type material into an n-type material. Furthermore, we found that a p-n diode fabricated through this process has shown an open circuit voltage of 0.35 V toward ultraviolet illumination. Our results suggest the possibility of doping control depending on the electric current during electrolysis and the possibility of developing a simple doping method for amorphous photoconductors.

Validity of the t-plot method to assess microporosity in hierarchical micro/mesoporous materials.

PubMed

Galarneau, Anne; Villemot, François; Rodriguez, Jeremy; Fajula, François; Coasne, Benoit

2014-11-11

The t-plot method is a well-known technique which allows determining the micro- and/or mesoporous volumes and the specific surface area of a sample by comparison with a reference adsorption isotherm of a nonporous material having the same surface chemistry. In this paper, the validity of the t-plot method is discussed in the case of hierarchical porous materials exhibiting both micro- and mesoporosities. Different hierarchical zeolites with MCM-41 type ordered mesoporosity are prepared using pseudomorphic transformation. For comparison, we also consider simple mechanical mixtures of microporous and mesoporous materials. We first show an intrinsic failure of the t-plot method; this method does not describe the fact that, for a given surface chemistry and pressure, the thickness of the film adsorbed in micropores or small mesopores (< 10σ, σ being the diameter of the adsorbate) increases with decreasing the pore size (curvature effect). We further show that such an effect, which arises from the fact that the surface area and, hence, the free energy of the curved gas/liquid interface decreases with increasing the film thickness, is captured using the simple thermodynamical model by Derjaguin. The effect of such a drawback on the ability of the t-plot method to estimate the micro- and mesoporous volumes of hierarchical samples is then discussed, and an abacus is given to correct the underestimated microporous volume by the t-plot method.

A Study on the Copper Effect on gold leaching in copper-ethanediamine-thiosulphate solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qiong; Xiang, Pengzhi; Huang, Yao

2018-01-01

A simple, fast and sensitive square-wave voltammetry (SWV), cyclic voltammetry(CV) and tafel method for the determination of various factors of gold in thiosulphate solution in this paper. We present our study on the effect of copper(II) on the leaching of gold in thiosulphate solutions. The current study aims to establish the interaction of copper in the leaching process by electrochemical method.

Effect of Methods of Learning and Self Regulated Learning toward Outcomes of Learning Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tjalla, Awaluddin; Sofiah, Evi

2015-01-01

This research aims to reveal the influence of learning methods and self-regulated learning on students learning scores for Social Studies object. The research was done in Islamic Junior High School (MTs Manba'ul Ulum), Batuceper City Tangerang using quasi-experimental method. The research employed simple random technique to 28 students. Data were…

Spectrophotometric total reducing sugars assay based on cupric reduction.

PubMed

Başkan, Kevser Sözgen; Tütem, Esma; Akyüz, Esin; Özen, Seda; Apak, Reşat

2016-01-15

As the concentration of reducing sugars (RS) is controlled by European legislation for certain specific food and beverages, a simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of RS in various food products is proposed. The method is based on the reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I) with reducing sugars in alkaline medium in the presence of 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (neocuproine: Nc), followed by the formation of a colored Cu(I)-Nc charge-transfer complex. All simple sugars tested had the linear regression equations with almost equal slope values. The proposed method was successfully applied to fresh apple juice, commercial fruit juices, milk, honey and onion juice. Interference effect of phenolic compounds in plant samples was eliminated by a solid phase extraction (SPE) clean-up process. The method was proven to have higher sensitivity and precision than the widely used dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) colorimetric method. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Zhao, Xin-Yu; Zhu, Ying-Jie, E-mail: y.j.zhu@mail.sic.ac.cn; Lu, Bing-Qiang

Graphical abstract: Hydroxyapatite nanorods are synthesized using biocompatible biomolecule pyridoxal-5′-phosphate as a new organic phosphorus source by the hydrothermal method. - Highlights: • Hydrothermal synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanorods is reported. • Biocompatible pyridoxal-5′-phosphate is used as an organic phosphorus source. • This method is simple, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly. - Abstract: Hydroxyapatite nanorods are synthesized by the hydrothermal method using biocompatible biomolecule pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP) as a new organic phosphorus source. In this method, PLP biomolecules are hydrolyzed to produce phosphate ions under hydrothermal conditions, and these phosphate ions react with pre-existing calcium ions to form hydroxyapatite nanorods. The effects ofmore » experimental conditions including hydrothermal temperature and time on the morphology and crystal phase of the products are investigated. This method is simple, surfactant-free and environmentally friendly. The products are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis.« less

Portable system of programmable syringe pump with potentiometer for determination of promethazine in pharmaceutical applications

PubMed Central

Saleh, Tawfik A.; Abulkibash, A.M.; Ibrahim, Atta E.

2011-01-01

A simple and fast-automated method was developed and validated for the assay of promethazine hydrochloride in pharmaceutical formulations, based on the oxidation of promethazine by cerium in an acidic medium. A portable system, consisting of a programmable syringe pump connected to a potentiometer, was constructed. The developed change in potential during promethazine oxidation was monitored. The related optimum working conditions, such as supporting electrolyte concentration, cerium(IV) concentration and flow rate were optimized. The proposed method was successfully applied to pharmaceutical samples as well as synthetic ones. The obtained results were realized by the official British pharmacopoeia (BP) method and comparable results were obtained. The obtained t-value indicates no significant differences between the results of the proposed and BP methods, with the advantages of the proposed method being simple, sensitive and cost effective. PMID:23960787

Rapid, simple and inexpensive production of custom 3D printed equipment for large-volume fluorescence microscopy

PubMed Central

Tyson, Adam L.; Hilton, Stephen T.; Andreae, Laura C.

2015-01-01

The cost of 3D printing has reduced dramatically over the last few years and is now within reach of many scientific laboratories. This work presents an example of how 3D printing can be applied to the development of custom laboratory equipment that is specifically adapted for use with the novel brain tissue clearing technique, CLARITY. A simple, freely available online software tool was used, along with consumer-grade equipment, to produce a brain slicing chamber and a combined antibody staining and imaging chamber. Using standard 3D printers we were able to produce research-grade parts in an iterative manner at a fraction of the cost of commercial equipment. 3D printing provides a reproducible, flexible, simple and cost-effective method for researchers to produce the equipment needed to quickly adopt new methods. PMID:25797056

On the use of video projectors for three-dimensional scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juarez-Salazar, Rigoberto; Diaz-Ramirez, Victor H.; Robledo-Sanchez, Carlos; Diaz-Gonzalez, Gerardo

2017-08-01

Structured light projection is one of the most useful methods for accurate three-dimensional scanning. Video projectors are typically used as the illumination source. However, because video projectors are not designed for structured light systems, some considerations such as gamma calibration must be taken into account. In this work, we present a simple method for gamma calibration of video projectors. First, the experimental fringe patterns are normalized. Then, the samples of the fringe patterns are sorted in ascending order. The sample sorting leads to a simple three-parameter sine curve that is fitted using the Gauss-Newton algorithm. The novelty of this method is that the sorting process removes the effect of the unknown phase. Thus, the resulting gamma calibration algorithm is significantly simplified. The feasibility of the proposed method is illustrated in a three-dimensional scanning experiment.

Simple data-smoothing and noise-suppression technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duty, R. L.

1970-01-01

Algorithm, based on the Borel method of summing divergent sequences, is used for smoothing noisy data where knowledge of frequency content is not required. Technique's effectiveness is demonstrated by a series of graphs.

Accurate reporting of adherence to inhaled therapies in adults with cystic fibrosis: methods to calculate “normative adherence”

PubMed Central

Hoo, Zhe Hui; Curley, Rachael; Campbell, Michael J; Walters, Stephen J; Hind, Daniel; Wildman, Martin J

2016-01-01

Background Preventative inhaled treatments in cystic fibrosis will only be effective in maintaining lung health if used appropriately. An accurate adherence index should therefore reflect treatment effectiveness, but the standard method of reporting adherence, that is, as a percentage of the agreed regimen between clinicians and people with cystic fibrosis, does not account for the appropriateness of the treatment regimen. We describe two different indices of inhaled therapy adherence for adults with cystic fibrosis which take into account effectiveness, that is, “simple” and “sophisticated” normative adherence. Methods to calculate normative adherence Denominator adjustment involves fixing a minimum appropriate value based on the recommended therapy given a person’s characteristics. For simple normative adherence, the denominator is determined by the person’s Pseudomonas status. For sophisticated normative adherence, the denominator is determined by the person’s Pseudomonas status and history of pulmonary exacerbations over the previous year. Numerator adjustment involves capping the daily maximum inhaled therapy use at 100% so that medication overuse does not artificially inflate the adherence level. Three illustrative cases Case A is an example of inhaled therapy under prescription based on Pseudomonas status resulting in lower simple normative adherence compared to unadjusted adherence. Case B is an example of inhaled therapy under-prescription based on previous exacerbation history resulting in lower sophisticated normative adherence compared to unadjusted adherence and simple normative adherence. Case C is an example of nebulizer overuse exaggerating the magnitude of unadjusted adherence. Conclusion Different methods of reporting adherence can result in different magnitudes of adherence. We have proposed two methods of standardizing the calculation of adherence which should better reflect treatment effectiveness. The value of these indices can be tested empirically in clinical trials in which there is careful definition of treatment regimens related to key patient characteristics, alongside accurate measurement of health outcomes. PMID:27284242

Prediction of the interaction between a simple moving vehicle and an infinite periodically supported rail - Green's functions approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazilu, Traian

2010-09-01

This paper herein describes the interaction between a simple moving vehicle and an infinite periodically supported rail, in order to signalise the basic features of the vehicle/track vibration behaviour in general, and wheel/rail vibration, in particular. The rail is modelled as an infinite Timoshenko beam resting on semi-sleepers via three-directional rail pads and ballast. The time-domain analysis was performed applying Green's matrix of the track method. This method allows taking into account the nonlinearities of the wheel/rail contact and the Doppler effect. The numerical analysis is dedicated to the wheel/rail response due to two types of excitation: the steady-state interaction and rail irregularities. The study points out to certain aspects regarding the parametric resonance, the amplitude-modulated vibration due to corrugation and the Doppler effect.

High-Temperature-Short-Time Annealing Process for High-Performance Large-Area Perovskite Solar Cells.

PubMed

Kim, Minjin; Kim, Gi-Hwan; Oh, Kyoung Suk; Jo, Yimhyun; Yoon, Hyun; Kim, Ka-Hyun; Lee, Heon; Kim, Jin Young; Kim, Dong Suk

2017-06-27

Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attracting tremendous research interest due to their high solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency with a high possibility of cost-effective fabrication and certified power conversion efficiency now exceeding 22%. Although many effective methods for their application have been developed over the past decade, their practical transition to large-size devices has been restricted by difficulties in achieving high performance. Here we report on the development of a simple and cost-effective production method with high-temperature and short-time annealing processing to obtain uniform, smooth, and large-size grain domains of perovskite films over large areas. With high-temperature short-time annealing at 400 °C for 4 s, the perovskite film with an average domain size of 1 μm was obtained, which resulted in fast solvent evaporation. Solar cells fabricated using this processing technique had a maximum power conversion efficiency exceeding 20% over a 0.1 cm 2 active area and 18% over a 1 cm 2 active area. We believe our approach will enable the realization of highly efficient large-area PCSs for practical development with a very simple and short-time procedure. This simple method should lead the field toward the fabrication of uniform large-scale perovskite films, which are necessary for the production of high-efficiency solar cells that may also be applicable to several other material systems for more widespread practical deployment.

Determination of fluoxetine in pharmaceutical and biological samples based on the silver nanoparticle enhanced fluorescence of fluoxetine-terbium complex.

PubMed

Lotfi, Ali; Manzoori, Jamshid L

2016-11-01

In this study, a simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method is presented for the determination of fluoxetine based on the enhancing effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the terbium-fluoxetine fluorescence emission. The AgNPs were prepared by a simple reduction method and characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was indicated that these AgNPs have a remarkable amplifying effect on the terbium-sensitized fluorescence of fluoxetine. The effects of various parameters such as AgNP and Tb 3+ concentration and the pH of the media were investigated. Under obtained optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity of the terbium-fluoxetine-AgNP system was enhanced linearly by increasing the concentration of fluoxetine in the range of 0.008 to 19 mg/L. The limit of detection (b + 3s) was 8.3 × 10 -4 mg/L. The interference effects of common species found in real samples were also studied. The method had good linearity, recovery, reproducibility and sensitivity, and was satisfactorily applied for the determination of fluoxetine in tablet formulations, human urine and plasma samples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of simple additive weighting (SAW) and composite performance index (CPI) methods in employee remuneration determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karlitasari, L.; Suhartini, D.; Benny

2017-01-01

The process of determining the employee remuneration for PT Sepatu Mas Idaman currently are still using Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet where in the spreadsheet there is the value of criterias that must be calculated for every employee. This can give the effect of doubt during the assesment process, therefore resulting in the process to take much longer time. The process of employee remuneration determination is conducted by the assesment team based on some criterias that have been predetermined. The criteria used in the assessment process are namely the ability to work, human relations, job responsibility, discipline, creativity, work, achievement of targets, and absence. To ease the determination of employee remuneration to be more efficient and effective, the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method is used. SAW method can help in decision making for a certain case, and the calculation that generates the greatest value will be chosen as the best alternative. Other than SAW, also by using another method was the CPI method which is one of the calculating method in decision making based on performance index. Where SAW method was more faster by 89-93% compared to CPI method. Therefore it is expected that this application can be an evaluation material for the need of training and development for employee performances to be more optimal.

A simple model for strong ground motions and response spectra

USGS Publications Warehouse

Safak, Erdal; Mueller, Charles; Boatwright, John

1988-01-01

A simple model for the description of strong ground motions is introduced. The model shows that response spectra can be estimated by using only four parameters of the ground motion, the RMS acceleration, effective duration and two corner frequencies that characterize the effective frequency band of the motion. The model is windowed band-limited white noise, and is developed by studying the properties of two functions, cumulative squared acceleration in the time domain, and cumulative squared amplitude spectrum in the frequency domain. Applying the methods of random vibration theory, the model leads to a simple analytical expression for the response spectra. The accuracy of the model is checked by using the ground motion recordings from the aftershock sequences of two different earthquakes and simulated accelerograms. The results show that the model gives a satisfactory estimate of the response spectra.

Simple and cost-effective method of highly conductive and elastic carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane composite for wearable electronics.

PubMed

Kim, Jeong Hun; Hwang, Ji-Young; Hwang, Ha Ryeon; Kim, Han Seop; Lee, Joong Hoon; Seo, Jae-Won; Shin, Ueon Sang; Lee, Sang-Hoon

2018-01-22

The development of various flexible and stretchable materials has attracted interest for promising applications in biomedical engineering and electronics industries. This interest in wearable electronics, stretchable circuits, and flexible displays has created a demand for stable, easily manufactured, and cheap materials. However, the construction of flexible and elastic electronics, on which commercial electronic components can be mounted through simple and cost-effective processing, remains challenging. We have developed a nanocomposite of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer. To achieve uniform distributions of CNTs within the polymer, an optimized dispersion process was developed using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and methyl-terminated PDMS in combination with ultrasonication. After vaporizing the IPA, various shapes and sizes can be easily created with the nanocomposite, depending on the mold. The material provides high flexibility, elasticity, and electrical conductivity without requiring a sandwich structure. It is also biocompatible and mechanically stable, as demonstrated by cytotoxicity assays and cyclic strain tests (over 10,000 times). We demonstrate the potential for the healthcare field through strain sensor, flexible electric circuits, and biopotential measurements such as EEG, ECG, and EMG. This simple and cost-effective fabrication method for CNT/PDMS composites provides a promising process and material for various applications of wearable electronics.

The paradoxical effect of long instructions on negative affect and performance: When, for whom and why do they backfire?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goemaere, Sophie; Beyers, Wim; De Muynck, Gert-Jan; Vansteenkiste, Maarten

2018-06-01

For reasons of bureaucracy and safety, astronauts on the International Space Station are provided with excruciatingly detailed instructions and a lack of decision-making power, even for simple routine tasks. Besides being time-consuming, many astronauts report feelings of demotivation, irritation, and even defiance when confronted with this working method. Anecdotic evidence suggests that this method leads to situations where astronauts read instructions diagonally or avoid checking in with mission support, thereby ironically increasing the risk of error making. There is a need to consider under which circumstances, for whom, and why the provision of long instructions could be detrimental for well-being and performance. An experimental study with LEGO assembly tasks examined whether length of instructions (i.e. short versus long) and task complexity (simple vs. complex) impact negative affect, motivational experiences and performance of participants (N = 113, Mage = 18.75 ± 2.46 years). Long instructions for simple tasks provoked greater feelings of irritation, diminished the perceived value of instructions, and negatively influenced productivity and accuracy. The negative effect of long instructions on irritation was explained via decreased perceived value. Additionally, the effect of length of instructions on irritation differed for participants high versus those low in need for achievement.

A Simple Method for Automated Equilibration Detection in Molecular Simulations.

PubMed

Chodera, John D

2016-04-12

Molecular simulations intended to compute equilibrium properties are often initiated from configurations that are highly atypical of equilibrium samples, a practice which can generate a distinct initial transient in mechanical observables computed from the simulation trajectory. Traditional practice in simulation data analysis recommends this initial portion be discarded to equilibration, but no simple, general, and automated procedure for this process exists. Here, we suggest a conceptually simple automated procedure that does not make strict assumptions about the distribution of the observable of interest in which the equilibration time is chosen to maximize the number of effectively uncorrelated samples in the production timespan used to compute equilibrium averages. We present a simple Python reference implementation of this procedure and demonstrate its utility on typical molecular simulation data.

A simple method for automated equilibration detection in molecular simulations

PubMed Central

Chodera, John D.

2016-01-01

Molecular simulations intended to compute equilibrium properties are often initiated from configurations that are highly atypical of equilibrium samples, a practice which can generate a distinct initial transient in mechanical observables computed from the simulation trajectory. Traditional practice in simulation data analysis recommends this initial portion be discarded to equilibration, but no simple, general, and automated procedure for this process exists. Here, we suggest a conceptually simple automated procedure that does not make strict assumptions about the distribution of the observable of interest, in which the equilibration time is chosen to maximize the number of effectively uncorrelated samples in the production timespan used to compute equilibrium averages. We present a simple Python reference implementation of this procedure, and demonstrate its utility on typical molecular simulation data. PMID:26771390

A simple and rapid method for preparing the whole section of starchy seed to investigate the morphology and distribution of starch in different regions of seed.

PubMed

Zhao, Lingxiao; Pan, Ting; Guo, Dongwei; Wei, Cunxu

2018-01-01

Storage starch in starchy seed influences the seed weight and texture, and determines its applications in food and nonfood industries. Starch granules from different plant sources have significantly different shapes and sizes, and even more the difference exists in the different regions of the same tissue. Therefore, it is very important to in situ investigate the morphology and distribution of starch in the whole seed. However, a simple and rapid method is deficient to prepare the whole section of starchy seed for investigating the morphology and distribution of starch in the whole seeds for a large number of samples. A simple and rapid method was established to prepare the whole section of starchy seed, especially for floury seed, in this study. The whole seeds of translucent and chalky rice, vitreous and floury maize, and normal barley and wheat were sectioned successfully using the newly established method. The iodine-stained section clearly exhibited the shapes and size of starch granules in different regions of seed. The starch granules with different morphologies and iodine-staining colors existed regionally in the seeds of high-amylose rice and maize. The sections of lotus and kidney bean seeds also showed the feasibility of this method for starchy non-cereal seeds. The simple and rapid method was proven effective for preparing the whole sections of starchy seeds. The whole section of seed could be used to investigate the morphology and distribution of starch granules in different regions of the whole seed. The method was especially suitable for large sample numbers to investigate the starch morphology in short time.

A study of the limitations of linear theory methods as applied to sonic boom calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darden, Christine M.

1990-01-01

Current sonic boom minimization theories have been reviewed to emphasize the capabilities and flexibilities of the methods. Flexibility is important because it is necessary for the designer to meet optimized area constraints while reducing the impact on vehicle aerodynamic performance. Preliminary comparisons of sonic booms predicted for two Mach 3 concepts illustrate the benefits of shaping. Finally, for very simple bodies of revolution, sonic boom predictions were made using two methods - a modified linear theory method and a nonlinear method - for signature shapes which were both farfield N-waves and midfield waves. Preliminary analysis on these simple bodies verified that current modified linear theory prediction methods become inadequate for predicting midfield signatures for Mach numbers above 3. The importance of impulse is sonic boom disturbance and the importance of three-dimensional effects which could not be simulated with the bodies of revolution will determine the validity of current modified linear theory methods in predicting midfield signatures at lower Mach numbers.

Route to one-step microstructure mold fabrication for PDMS microfluidic chip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Xiaoqing; Geng, Zhaoxin; Fan, Zhiyuan; Wang, Shicai; Su, Yue; Fang, Weihao; Pei, Weihua; Chen, Hongda

2018-04-01

The microstructure mold fabrication for PDMS microfluidic chip remains complex and time-consuming process requiring special equipment and protocols: photolithography and etching. Thus, a rapid and cost-effective method is highly needed. Comparing with the traditional microfluidic chip fabricating process based on the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS), this method is simple and easy to implement, and the whole fabrication process only requires 1-2 h. Different size of microstructure from 100 to 1000 μm was fabricated, and used to culture four kinds of breast cancer cell lines. Cell viability and morphology was assessed when they were cultured in the micro straight channels, micro square holes and the bonding PDMS-glass microfluidic chip. The experimental results indicate that the microfluidic chip is good and meet the experimental requirements. This method can greatly reduce the process time and cost of the microfluidic chip, and provide a simple and effective way for the structure design and in the field of biological microfabrications and microfluidic chips.

Antibacterial Activity Of ternary semiconductor compounds AgInSe2 Nanoparticles Synthesized by Simple Chemical Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shehab, A. A.; Fadaam, S. A.; Abd, A. N.; Mustafa, M. H.

2018-05-01

In this objective AgInSe2Nanoparticles (AgInSe2 NPs) were prepared by a simple chemical method (SCM). The optica structural l and morphological properties of the synthesized AgInSe2 NPs swere investigated by using UVVI absorption atomic force microscopy AFMmf, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The resistance of bacteria represents a trouble and the outlook for the use of antibiotics in the future until now uncertain. Measures must be taken to decrease this problem. Antibacterial activity of the AgInSe2 nanoparticles were exposed against several pathogenic bacteriaa including Klebsiella pneumonia KPa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtili, Enterobacter Cloacae and Esherichia Coliby. Using a good spread method the results showed that AgInSe2 NPs had inhibitory effect versus some pathogenic bacteria with suppression area 18, 14 and 17 mm for SAgInSe2 NPs had an inhibitory effect against S Bacillus Subtilis 11 mm K EnterobactercCloacae 12 mm.

A Simple and Sensitive Method for Auramine O Detection Based on the Binding Interaction with Bovin Serum Albumin.

PubMed

Yan, Jingjing; Huang, Xin; Liu, Shaopu; Yang, Jidong; Yuan, Yusheng; Duan, Ruilin; Zhang, Hui; Hu, Xiaoli

2016-01-01

A simple, rapid and effective method for auramine O (AO) detection was proposed by fluorescence and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. In the BR buffer system (pH 7.0), AO had a strong quenching ability to the fluorescence of bovin serum albumin (BSA) by dynamic quenching. In terms of the thermodynamic parameters calculated as ΔH > 0 and ΔS > 0, the resulting binding of BSA and AO was mainly attributed to the hydrophobic interaction forces. The linearity of this method was in the concentration range from 0.16 to 50 μmol L(-1) with a detection limit of 0.05 μmol L(-1). Based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), the distance r (1.36 nm) between donor (BSA) and acceptor (AO) was obtained. Furthermore, the effects of foreign substances and ionic strength were evaluated under the optimum reaction conditions. BSA as a selective probe could be applied to the analysis of AO in medicines with satisfactory results.

Compound Specific Extraction of Camptothecin from Nothapodytes nimmoniana and Piperine from Piper nigrum Using Accelerated Solvent Extractor

PubMed Central

Upadhya, Vinayak; Pai, Sandeep R.; Sharma, Ajay K.; Hegde, Harsha V.; Kholkute, Sanjiva D.; Joshi, Rajesh K.

2014-01-01

Effects of varying temperatures with constant pressure of solvent on extraction efficiency of two chemically different alkaloids were studied. Camptothecin (CPT) from stem of Nothapodytes nimmoniana (Grah.) Mabb. and piperine from the fruits of Piper nigrum L. were extracted using Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE). Three cycles of extraction for a particular sample cell at a given temperature assured complete extraction. CPT and piperine were determined and quantified by using a simple and efficient UFLC-PDA (245 and 343 nm) method. Temperature increased efficiency of extraction to yield higher amount of CPT, whereas temperature had diminutive effect on yield of piperine. Maximum yield for CPT was achieved at 80°C and for piperine at 40°C. Thus, the study determines compound specific extraction of CPT from N. nimmoniana and piperine from P. nigrum using ASE method. The present study indicates the use of this method for simple, fast, and accurate extraction of the compound of interest. PMID:24527258

Effective Algorithm for Detection and Correction of the Wave Reconstruction Errors Caused by the Tilt of Reference Wave in Phase-shifting Interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xianfeng; Cai, Luzhong; Li, Dailin; Mao, Jieying

2010-04-01

In phase-shifting interferometry (PSI) the reference wave is usually supposed to be an on-axis plane wave. But in practice a slight tilt of reference wave often occurs, and this tilt will introduce unexpected errors of the reconstructed object wave-front. Usually the least-square method with iterations, which is time consuming, is employed to analyze the phase errors caused by the tilt of reference wave. Here a simple effective algorithm is suggested to detect and then correct this kind of errors. In this method, only some simple mathematic operation is used, avoiding using least-square equations as needed in most methods reported before. It can be used for generalized phase-shifting interferometry with two or more frames for both smooth and diffusing objects, and the excellent performance has been verified by computer simulations. The numerical simulations show that the wave reconstruction errors can be reduced by 2 orders of magnitude.

Evaluation of Two Statistical Methods Provides Insights into the Complex Patterns of Alternative Polyadenylation Site Switching

PubMed Central

Li, Jie; Li, Rui; You, Leiming; Xu, Anlong; Fu, Yonggui; Huang, Shengfeng

2015-01-01

Switching between different alternative polyadenylation (APA) sites plays an important role in the fine tuning of gene expression. New technologies for the execution of 3’-end enriched RNA-seq allow genome-wide detection of the genes that exhibit significant APA site switching between different samples. Here, we show that the independence test gives better results than the linear trend test in detecting APA site-switching events. Further examination suggests that the discrepancy between these two statistical methods arises from complex APA site-switching events that cannot be represented by a simple change of average 3’-UTR length. In theory, the linear trend test is only effective in detecting these simple changes. We classify the switching events into four switching patterns: two simple patterns (3’-UTR shortening and lengthening) and two complex patterns. By comparing the results of the two statistical methods, we show that complex patterns account for 1/4 of all observed switching events that happen between normal and cancerous human breast cell lines. Because simple and complex switching patterns may convey different biological meanings, they merit separate study. We therefore propose to combine both the independence test and the linear trend test in practice. First, the independence test should be used to detect APA site switching; second, the linear trend test should be invoked to identify simple switching events; and third, those complex switching events that pass independence testing but fail linear trend testing can be identified. PMID:25875641

Tools for the Classroom? an Examination of Existing Sociometric Methods for Teacher Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullen, Jake A.; Veermans, Koen; Laine, Kaarina

2014-01-01

Despite the recent technical and theoretical advances in the investigation of children's social relations, the inherent complexity of these methods may prevent their easy integration into the classroom. A simple and effective tool can be valuable for teachers who wish to investigate students' social realities in the classroom. Therefore, the…

Using a Spreadsheet Scroll Bar to Solve Equilibrium Concentrations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raviolo, Andres

2012-01-01

A simple, conceptual method is described for using the spreadsheet scroll bar to find the composition of a system at chemical equilibrium. Simulation of any kind of chemical equilibrium can be carried out using this method, and the effects of different disturbances can be predicted. This simulation, which can be used in general chemistry…

A simple method for estimating the size of nuclei on fractal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Qiang

2017-10-01

Determining the size of nuclei on complex surfaces remains a big challenge in aspects of biological, material and chemical engineering. Here the author reported a simple method to estimate the size of the nuclei in contact with complex (fractal) surfaces. The established approach was based on the assumptions of contact area proportionality for determining nucleation density and the scaling congruence between nuclei and surfaces for identifying contact regimes. It showed three different regimes governing the equations for estimating the nucleation site density. Nuclei in the size large enough could eliminate the effect of fractal structure. Nuclei in the size small enough could lead to the independence of nucleation site density on fractal parameters. Only when nuclei match the fractal scales, the nucleation site density is associated with the fractal parameters and the size of the nuclei in a coupling pattern. The method was validated by the experimental data reported in the literature. The method may provide an effective way to estimate the size of nuclei on fractal surfaces, through which a number of promising applications in relative fields can be envisioned.

A SIMPLE METHOD FOR THE EXTRACTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF PHOTOPIGMENTS FROM SYMBIODINIUM SPP.

EPA Science Inventory

John E. Rogers and Dragoslav Marcovich. Submitted. Simple Method for the Extraction and Quantification of Photopigments from Symbiodinium spp.. Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods. 19 p. (ERL,GB 1192).

We have developed a simple, mild extraction procedure using methanol which, when...

Using Importance-Performance Analysis To Evaluate Teaching Effectiveness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Attarian, Aram

This paper introduces Importance-Performance (IP) analysis as a method to evaluate teaching effectiveness in a university outdoor program. Originally developed for use in the field of marketing, IP analysis is simple and easy to administer, and provides the instructor with a visual representation of what teaching attributes are important, how…

Causes of Effects and Effects of Causes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearl, Judea

2015-01-01

This article summarizes a conceptual framework and simple mathematical methods of estimating the probability that one event was a necessary cause of another, as interpreted by lawmakers. We show that the fusion of observational and experimental data can yield informative bounds that, under certain circumstances, meet legal criteria of causation.…

OZONE AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARD HAS BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON PONDEROSA PINE IN CALIFORNIA

EPA Science Inventory

Ambient air quality standards and control strategies are implemented to protect humans and vegetation from adverse effects. However, to date there has not been a simple and objective method to determine if the standards and resultant control strategies have reduced O3 impacts on ...

Validation and Application of a Simple UHPLC–MS-MS Method for the Enantiospecific Determination of Warfarin in Human Urine

PubMed Central

Alshogran, Osama Y.; Ocque, Andrew J.; Leblond, François A.; Pichette, Vincent; Nolin, Thomas D.

2016-01-01

A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic–tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed and validated for the enantiospecific determination of R- and S-warfarin in human urine. Warfarin enantiomers were extracted from urine using methyl tert-butyl ether. Chromatographic separation of warfarin enantiomers and the internal standard d5-warfarin was achieved using a Astec Chirobiotic V column with gradient mobile phase at a flow rate of 400 µL/min over 10 min. Detection was performed on a TSQ Quantum Ultra triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a heated electrospray ionization source. Analytes were detected in negative ionization mode using selected reaction monitoring. Calibration curves were linear with a correlation coefficient of ≥0.996 for both enantiomers over a concentration range of 5–500 ng/mL. The intra- and interday accuracy and precision for both analytes were within ±9.0%. Excellent extraction efficiency and negligible matrix effects were observed. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by successful measurement of warfarin enantiomers in urine of patients with kidney disease. The method is simple, accurate and reproducible and is currently being used to support warfarin pharmacokinetic studies. PMID:26657732

Suprapubic cystostomy using optical urethrotome in female patients.

PubMed

Sawant, Ajit Somaji; Patwardhan, Sujata K; Attar, Mohammad Ismail; Varma, Radheshyam; Bansal, Ujjwal

2009-08-01

In many female patients for lower urinary tract reconstructive procedures, a suprapubic cystostomy along with perurethral catheter is required for urinary diversion. We describe a new and simple method of intraoperative suprapubic catheter placement using optical urethrotome wherein distension of bladder is not required. A total of 26 patients underwent suprapubic catheter placement intraoperatively with the aid of Sachse' optical urethrotome and its outer sheath from January 2005 to May 2008. A 16F Foley catheter could be successfully placed suprapubically in all patients with this method. There were no complications like injury to intraabdominal viscera, retropubic hematoma, hematuria, or catheter dislodgement. We describe a new method of intraoperative suprapubic catheter placement in female patients that is minimally invasive, technically safe, simple, and effective, and does not require bladder distension.

Corrosion Inhibitors for Aluminum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muller, Bodo

1995-01-01

Describes a simple and reliable test method used to investigate the corrosion-inhibiting effects of various chelating agents on aluminum pigments in aqueous alkaline media. The experiments that are presented require no complicated or expensive electronic equipment. (DDR)

[Analysis on the accuracy of simple selection method of Fengshi (GB 31)].

PubMed

Li, Zhixing; Zhang, Haihua; Li, Suhe

2015-12-01

To explore the accuracy of simple selection method of Fengshi (GB 31). Through the study of the ancient and modern data,the analysis and integration of the acupuncture books,the comparison of the locations of Fengshi (GB 31) by doctors from all dynasties and the integration of modern anatomia, the modern simple selection method of Fengshi (GB 31) is definite, which is the same as the traditional way. It is believed that the simple selec tion method is in accord with the human-oriented thought of TCM. Treatment by acupoints should be based on the emerging nature and the individual difference of patients. Also, it is proposed that Fengshi (GB 31) should be located through the integration between the simple method and body surface anatomical mark.

Image quality evaluation of full reference algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Nannan; Xie, Kai; Li, Tong; Ye, Yushan

2018-03-01

Image quality evaluation is a classic research topic, the goal is to design the algorithm, given the subjective feelings consistent with the evaluation value. This paper mainly introduces several typical reference methods of Mean Squared Error(MSE), Peak Signal to Noise Rate(PSNR), Structural Similarity Image Metric(SSIM) and feature similarity(FSIM) of objective evaluation methods. The different evaluation methods are tested by Matlab, and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods are obtained by analyzing and comparing them.MSE and PSNR are simple, but they are not considered to introduce HVS characteristics into image quality evaluation. The evaluation result is not ideal. SSIM has a good correlation and simple calculation ,because it is considered to the human visual effect into image quality evaluation,However the SSIM method is based on a hypothesis,The evaluation result is limited. The FSIM method can be used for test of gray image and color image test, and the result is better. Experimental results show that the new image quality evaluation algorithm based on FSIM is more accurate.

A simple method for the enrichment of bisphenols using boron nitride.

PubMed

Fischnaller, Martin; Bakry, Rania; Bonn, Günther K

2016-03-01

A simple solid-phase extraction method for the enrichment of 5 bisphenol derivatives using hexagonal boron nitride (BN) was developed. BN was applied to concentrate bisphenol derivatives in spiked water samples and the compounds were analyzed using HPLC coupled to fluorescence detection. The effect of pH and organic solvents on the extraction efficiency was investigated. An enrichment factor up to 100 was achieved without evaporation and reconstitution. The developed method was applied for the determination of bisphenol A migrated from some polycarbonate plastic products. Furthermore, bisphenol derivatives were analyzed in spiked and non-spiked canned food and beverages. None of the analyzed samples exceeded the migration limit set by the European Union of 0.6mg/kg food. The method showed good recovery rates ranging from 80% to 110%. Validation of the method was performed in terms of accuracy and precision. The applied method is robust, fast, efficient and easily adaptable to different analytical problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A pilot study to explore the feasibility of using theClinical Care Classification System for developing a reliable costing method for nursing services.

PubMed

Dykes, Patricia C; Wantland, Dean; Whittenburg, Luann; Lipsitz, Stuart; Saba, Virginia K

2013-01-01

While nursing activities represent a significant proportion of inpatient care, there are no reliable methods for determining nursing costs based on the actual services provided by the nursing staff. Capture of data to support accurate measurement and reporting on the cost of nursing services is fundamental to effective resource utilization. Adopting standard terminologies that support tracking both the quality and the cost of care could reduce the data entry burden on direct care providers. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility of using a standardized nursing terminology, the Clinical Care Classification System (CCC), for developing a reliable costing method for nursing services. Two different approaches are explored; the Relative Value Unit RVU and the simple cost-to-time methods. We found that the simple cost-to-time method was more accurate and more transparent in its derivation than the RVU method and may support a more consistent and reliable approach for costing nursing services.

A modified approach to estimating sample size for simple logistic regression with one continuous covariate.

PubMed

Novikov, I; Fund, N; Freedman, L S

2010-01-15

Different methods for the calculation of sample size for simple logistic regression (LR) with one normally distributed continuous covariate give different results. Sometimes the difference can be large. Furthermore, some methods require the user to specify the prevalence of cases when the covariate equals its population mean, rather than the more natural population prevalence. We focus on two commonly used methods and show through simulations that the power for a given sample size may differ substantially from the nominal value for one method, especially when the covariate effect is large, while the other method performs poorly if the user provides the population prevalence instead of the required parameter. We propose a modification of the method of Hsieh et al. that requires specification of the population prevalence and that employs Schouten's sample size formula for a t-test with unequal variances and group sizes. This approach appears to increase the accuracy of the sample size estimates for LR with one continuous covariate.

Principal Effects of Axial Load on Moment-Distribution Analysis of Rigid Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

James, Benjamin Wylie

1935-01-01

This thesis presents the method of moment distribution modified to include the effect of axial load upon the bending moments. This modification makes it possible to analyze accurately complex structures, such as rigid fuselage trusses, that heretofore had to be analyzed by approximate formulas and empirical rules. The method is simple enough to be practicable even for complex structures, and it gives a means of analysis for continuous beams that is simpler than the extended three-moment equation now in common use. When the effect of axial load is included, it is found that the basic principles of moment distribution remain unchanged, the only difference being that the factors used, instead of being constants for a given member, become functions of the axial load. Formulas have been developed for these factors, and curves plotted so that their applications requires no more work than moment distribution without axial load. Simple problems have been included to illustrate the use of the curves.

Comparison of three different methods for effective introduction of platelet-rich plasma on PLGA woven mesh.

PubMed

Lee, Ji-Hye; Nam, Jinwoo; Kim, Hee Joong; Yoo, Jeong Joon

2015-03-11

For successful tissue regeneration, effective cell delivery to defect site is very important. Various types of polymer biomaterials have been developed and applied for effective cell delivery. PLGA (poly lactic-co-glycolic acid), a synthetic polymer, is a commercially available and FDA approved material. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous growth factor cocktail containing various growth factors including PDGF, TGFβ-1 and BMPs, and has shown positive effects on cell behaviors. We hypothesized that PRP pretreatment on PLGA mesh using different methods would cause different patterns of platelet adhesion and stages which would modulate cell adhesion and proliferation on the PLGA mesh. In this study, we pretreated PRP on PLGA using three different methods including simple dripping (SD), dynamic oscillation (DO) and centrifugation (CE), then observed the amount of adhered platelets and their activation stage distribution. The highest amount of platelets was observed on CE mesh and calcium treated CE mesh. Moreover, calcium addition after PRP coating triggered dramatic activation of platelets which showed large and flat morphologies of platelets with rich fibrin networks. Human chondrocytes (hCs) and human bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSCs) were next cultured on PRP-pretreated PLGA meshes using different preparation methods. CE mesh showed a significant increase in the initial cell adhesion of hCs and proliferation of hBMSCs compared with SD and DO meshes. The results demonstrated that the centrifugation method can be considered as a promising coating method to introduce PRP on PLGA polymeric material which could improve cell-material interaction using a simple method.

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

Gavignet, A.A.; Wick, C.J.

In current practice, pressure drops in the mud circulating system and the settling velocity of cuttings are calculated with simple rheological models and simple equations. Wellsite computers now allow more sophistication in drilling computations. In this paper, experimental results on the settling velocity of spheres in drilling fluids are reported, along with rheograms done over a wide range of shear rates. The flow curves are fitted to polynomials and general methods are developed to predict friction losses and settling velocities as functions of the polynomial coefficients. These methods were incorporated in a software package that can handle any rig configurationmore » system, including riser booster. Graphic displays show the effect of each parameter on the performance of the circulating system.« less

A simplified design of the staggered herringbone micromixer for practical applications

PubMed Central

Du, Yan; Zhang, Zhiyi; Yim, ChaeHo; Lin, Min; Cao, Xudong

2010-01-01

We demonstrated a simple method for the device design of a staggered herringbone micromixer (SHM) using numerical simulation. By correlating the simulated concentrations with channel length, we obtained a series of concentration versus channel length profiles, and used mixing completion length Lm as the only parameter to evaluate the performance of device structure on mixing. Fluorescence quenching experiments were subsequently conducted to verify the optimized SHM structure for a specific application. Good agreement was found between the optimization and the experimental data. Since Lm is straightforward, easily defined and calculated parameter for characterization of mixing performance, this method for designing micromixers is simple and effective for practical applications. PMID:20697584

A simplified design of the staggered herringbone micromixer for practical applications.

PubMed

Du, Yan; Zhang, Zhiyi; Yim, Chaeho; Lin, Min; Cao, Xudong

2010-05-07

We demonstrated a simple method for the device design of a staggered herringbone micromixer (SHM) using numerical simulation. By correlating the simulated concentrations with channel length, we obtained a series of concentration versus channel length profiles, and used mixing completion length L(m) as the only parameter to evaluate the performance of device structure on mixing. Fluorescence quenching experiments were subsequently conducted to verify the optimized SHM structure for a specific application. Good agreement was found between the optimization and the experimental data. Since L(m) is straightforward, easily defined and calculated parameter for characterization of mixing performance, this method for designing micromixers is simple and effective for practical applications.

Visualization of atomic-scale phenomena in superconductors: application to FeSe

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

Choubey, Peayush; Berlijn, Tom; Kreisel, Andreas

Here we propose a simple method of calculating inhomogeneous, atomic-scale phenomena in superconductors which makes use of the wave function information traditionally discarded in the construction of tight-binding models used in the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. The method uses symmetry- based first principles Wannier functions to visualize the effects of superconducting pairing on the distribution of electronic states over atoms within a crystal unit cell. Local symmetries lower than the global lattice symmetry can thus be exhibited as well, rendering theoretical comparisons with scanning tunneling spectroscopy data much more useful. As a simple example, we discuss the geometric dimer states observedmore » near defects in superconducting FeSe.« less

Visualization of atomic-scale phenomena in superconductors: application to FeSe

DOE PAGES

Choubey, Peayush; Berlijn, Tom; Kreisel, Andreas; ...

2014-10-31

Here we propose a simple method of calculating inhomogeneous, atomic-scale phenomena in superconductors which makes use of the wave function information traditionally discarded in the construction of tight-binding models used in the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations. The method uses symmetry- based first principles Wannier functions to visualize the effects of superconducting pairing on the distribution of electronic states over atoms within a crystal unit cell. Local symmetries lower than the global lattice symmetry can thus be exhibited as well, rendering theoretical comparisons with scanning tunneling spectroscopy data much more useful. As a simple example, we discuss the geometric dimer states observedmore » near defects in superconducting FeSe.« less

Estimation of vegetation cover at subpixel resolution using LANDSAT data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jasinski, Michael F.; Eagleson, Peter S.

1986-01-01

The present report summarizes the various approaches relevant to estimating canopy cover at subpixel resolution. The approaches are based on physical models of radiative transfer in non-homogeneous canopies and on empirical methods. The effects of vegetation shadows and topography are examined. Simple versions of the model are tested, using the Taos, New Mexico Study Area database. Emphasis has been placed on using relatively simple models requiring only one or two bands. Although most methods require some degree of ground truth, a two-band method is investigated whereby the percent cover can be estimated without ground truth by examining the limits of the data space. Future work is proposed which will incorporate additional surface parameters into the canopy cover algorithm, such as topography, leaf area, or shadows. The method involves deriving a probability density function for the percent canopy cover based on the joint probability density function of the observed radiances.

Acupuncture injection for field amplified sample stacking and glass microchip-based capillary gel electrophoresis.

PubMed

Ha, Ji Won; Hahn, Jong Hoon

2017-02-01

Acupuncture sample injection is a simple method to deliver well-defined nanoliter-scale sample plugs in PDMS microfluidic channels. This acupuncture injection method in microchip CE has several advantages, including minimization of sample consumption, the capability of serial injections of different sample solutions into the same microchannel, and the capability of injecting sample plugs into any desired position of a microchannel. Herein, we demonstrate that the simple and cost-effective acupuncture sample injection method can be used for PDMS microchip-based field amplified sample stacking in the most simplified straight channel by applying a single potential. We achieved the increase in electropherogram signals for the case of sample stacking. Furthermore, we present that microchip CGE of ΦX174 DNA-HaeⅢ digest can be performed with the acupuncture injection method on a glass microchip while minimizing sample loss and voltage control hardware. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Simple and efficient sustainable semi-synthesis of oleacein [2-(3,4-hydroxyphenyl) ethyl (3S,4E)-4-formyl-3-(2-oxoethyl)hex-4-enoate] as potential additive for edible oils.

PubMed

Costanzo, Paola; Bonacci, Sonia; Cariati, Luca; Nardi, Monica; Oliverio, Manuela; Procopio, Antonio

2018-04-15

A simple and very environmental friendly microwave assisted method to produce oleacein in good yield starting from the easily available oleuropein is here presented. The methodology is proposed to produce the appropriate amount of hydroxytyrosol derivatives to enrich a commercial oil for an oil which provides beneficial effects on the human health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A simple, rapid, cost-effective and sensitive method for detection of Salmonella in environmental and pecan samples.

PubMed

Dobhal, S; Zhang, G; Rohla, C; Smith, M W; Ma, L M

2014-10-01

PCR is widely used in the routine detection of foodborne human pathogens; however, challenges remain in overcoming PCR inhibitors present in some sample matrices. The objective of this study was to develop a simple, sensitive, cost-effective and rapid method for processing large numbers of environmental and pecan samples for Salmonella detection. This study was also aimed at validation of a new protocol for the detection of Salmonella from in-shell pecans. Different DNA template preparation methods, including direct boiling, prespin, multiple washing and commercial DNA extraction kits, were evaluated with pure cultures of Salmonella Typhimurium and with enriched soil, cattle feces and in-shell pecan each spiked individually with Salmonella Typhimurium. PCR detection of Salmonella was conducted using invA and 16S rRNA gene (internal amplification control) specific primers. The effect of amplification facilitators, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and gelatin on PCR sensitivity, was also evaluated. Conducting a prespin of sample matrices in combination with the addition of 0·4% (w/v) BSA and 1% (w/v) PVP in PCR mix was the simplest, most rapid, cost-effective and sensitive method for PCR detection of Salmonella, with up to 40 CFU Salmonella per reaction detectable in the presence of over 10(9 ) CFU ml(-1) of background micro-organisms from enriched feces soil or pecan samples. The developed method is rapid, cost-effective and sensitive for detection of Salmonella from different matrices. This study provides a method with broad applicability for PCR detection of Salmonella in complex sample matrices. This method has a potential for its application in different research arenas and diagnostic laboratories. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Accuracy of two simple methods for estimation of thyroidal {sup 131}I kinetics for dosimetry-based treatment of Graves' disease

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

Traino, A. C.; Xhafa, B.; Sezione di Fisica Medica, U.O. Fisica Sanitaria, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Pisana, via Roma n. 67, Pisa 56125

2009-04-15

One of the major challenges to the more widespread use of individualized, dosimetry-based radioiodine treatment of Graves' disease is the development of a reasonably fast, simple, and cost-effective method to measure thyroidal {sup 131}I kinetics in patients. Even though the fixed activity administration method does not optimize the therapy, giving often too high or too low a dose to the gland, it provides effective treatment for almost 80% of patients without consuming excessive time and resources. In this article two simple methods for the evaluation of the kinetics of {sup 131}I in the thyroid gland are presented and discussed. Themore » first is based on two measurements 4 and 24 h after a diagnostic {sup 131}I administration and the second on one measurement 4 h after such an administration and a linear correlation between this measurement and the maximum uptake in the thyroid. The thyroid absorbed dose calculated by each of the two methods is compared to that calculated by a more complete {sup 131}I kinetics evaluation, based on seven thyroid uptake measurements for 35 patients at various times after the therapy administration. There are differences in the thyroid absorbed doses between those derived by each of the two simpler methods and the ''reference'' value (derived by more complete uptake measurements following the therapeutic {sup 131}I administration), with 20% median and 40% 90-percentile differences for the first method (i.e., based on two thyroid uptake measurements at 4 and 24 h after {sup 131}I administration) and 25% median and 45% 90-percentile differences for the second method (i.e., based on one measurement at 4 h post-administration). Predictably, although relatively fast and convenient, neither of these simpler methods appears to be as accurate as thyroid dose estimates based on more complete kinetic data.« less

7 CFR 4280.115 - Construction planning and performing development.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... projects as applicable. For contracts of $200,000 or less, the simple contract method, as specified in... warranty documents. (e) Simple contract method. The simple contract method may be used for small projects... Agency and may be used only if they are customarily used in the area and protect the interest of the...

Synthesis and properties of high quality Bi-2212 whiskers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tange, M.; Amano, T.; Nishizaki, S.; Yoshizaki, R.

2004-08-01

The whiskers synthesized by employing a new and simple method show the residual resistivity of 16 (±10) μ Ω cm at 0 K limit in transport and exhibit the second peak effect in magnetization measurement.

No Simple Answer: Critique of the "Follow Through" Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

House, Ernest R.; And Others

1978-01-01

Examines the Abt Associates, Inc. findings on the effectiveness of Project Follow Through and disputes the report's conclusion that so-called "basic skills" approaches to the schooling of poor children are superior to other methods. (Author)

A simple way to intrude overerupted upper second molars with miniscrews.

PubMed

Cao, Yang; Liu, Chufeng; Wang, Chunxian; Yang, Xiaoyu; Duan, Peijia; Xu, Chenrong

2013-12-01

Various methods of using skeletal anchorage for the intrusion of overerupted maxillary molars have been reported; however, it is difficult to intrude the overerupted upper second molars because of the low bone density in the region of the tuberosity. This article illustrates a new treatment method using partial fixed edgewise appliances and miniscrews to intrude the overerupted upper second molars. The miniscrews were applied to reinforce the anchorage of the upper first molar. The intrusive force was generated by the Ni-Ti wire. The clinical results showed a significant intrusion effect without root resorption or periodontal problems. This report demonstrates that the combination of partial conventional fixed appliances with miniscrews is a simple and effective treatment option to intrude overerupted upper second molars, especially in situations where miniscrews cannot be inserted directly next to the second molar. © 2013 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Effect of reinforcement learning on coordination of multiangent systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bukkapatnam, Satish T. S.; Gao, Greg

2000-12-01

For effective coordination of distributed environments involving multiagent systems, learning ability of each agent in the environment plays a crucial role. In this paper, we develop a simple group learning method based on reinforcement, and study its effect on coordination through application to a supply chain procurement scenario involving a computer manufacturer. Here, all parties are represented by self-interested, autonomous agents, each capable of performing specific simple tasks. They negotiate with each other to perform complex tasks and thus coordinate supply chain procurement. Reinforcement learning is intended to enable each agent to reach a best negotiable price within a shortest possible time. Our simulations of the application scenario under different learning strategies reveals the positive effects of reinforcement learning on an agent's as well as the system's performance.

The Krylov accelerated SIMPLE(R) method for flow problems in industrial furnaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuik, C.; Saghir, A.; Boerstoel, G. P.

2000-08-01

Numerical modeling of the melting and combustion process is an important tool in gaining understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena that occur in a gas- or oil-fired glass-melting furnace. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are used to model the gas flow in the furnace. The discrete Navier-Stokes equations are solved by the SIMPLE(R) pressure-correction method. In these applications, many SIMPLE(R) iterations are necessary to obtain an accurate solution. In this paper, Krylov accelerated versions are proposed: GCR-SIMPLE(R). The properties of these methods are investigated for a simple two-dimensional flow. Thereafter, the efficiencies of the methods are compared for three-dimensional flows in industrial glass-melting furnaces. Copyright

A New Perspective on the Need for Nutrition Education in the Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Linda Fox; And Others

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of three methods for promoting use of materials developed by the Texas Nutrition Education and Training (NET) program for use in elementary schools. The methods are: (1) teacher workshops; (2) turnaround sessions; and (3) simple notification. Kindergarten and third grade classes in Austin…

A novel mechanochemical method for reconstructing the moisture-degraded HKUST-1.

PubMed

Sun, Xuejiao; Li, Hao; Li, Yujie; Xu, Feng; Xiao, Jing; Xia, Qibin; Li, Yingwei; Li, Zhong

2015-07-11

A novel mechanochemical method was proposed to reconstruct quickly moisture-degraded HKUST-1. The degraded HKUST-1 can be restored within minutes. The reconstructed samples were characterized, and confirmed to have 95% surface area and 92% benzene capacity of the fresh HKUST-1. It is a simple and effective strategy for degraded MOF reconstruction.

Mixed Beam Murine Harderian Gland Tumorigenesis: Predicted Dose-Effect Relationships if neither Synergism nor Antagonism Occurs

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

Siranart, Nopphon; Blakely, Eleanor A.; Cheng, Alden

Complex mixed radiation fields exist in interplanetary space, and not much is known about their latent effects on space travelers. In silico synergy analysis default predictions are useful when planning relevant mixed-ion-beam experiments and interpreting their results. These predictions are based on individual dose-effect relationships (IDER) for each component of the mixed-ion beam, assuming no synergy or antagonism. For example, a default hypothesis of simple effect additivity has often been used throughout the study of biology. However, for more than a century pharmacologists interested in mixtures of therapeutic drugs have analyzed conceptual, mathematical and practical questions similar to those thatmore » arise when analyzing mixed radiation fields, and have shown that simple effect additivity often gives unreasonable predictions when the IDER are curvilinear. Various alternatives to simple effect additivity proposed in radiobiology, pharmacometrics, toxicology and other fields are also known to have important limitations. In this work, we analyze upcoming murine Harderian gland (HG) tumor prevalence mixed-beam experiments, using customized open-source software and published IDER from past single-ion experiments. The upcoming experiments will use acute irradiation and the mixed beam will include components of high atomic number and energy (HZE). We introduce a new alternative to simple effect additivity, "incremental effect additivity", which is more suitable for the HG analysis and perhaps for other end points. We use incremental effect additivity to calculate default predictions for mixture dose-effect relationships, including 95% confidence intervals. We have drawn three main conclusions from this work. 1. It is important to supplement mixed-beam experiments with single-ion experiments, with matching end point(s), shielding and dose timing. 2. For HG tumorigenesis due to a mixed beam, simple effect additivity and incremental effect additivity sometimes give default predictions that are numerically close. However, if nontargeted effects are important and the mixed beam includes a number of different HZE components, simple effect additivity becomes unusable and another method is needed such as incremental effect additivity. 3. Eventually, synergy analysis default predictions of the effects of mixed radiation fields will be replaced by more mechanistic, biophysically-based predictions. However, optimizing synergy analyses is an important first step. If mixed-beam experiments indicate little synergy or antagonism, plans by NASA for further experiments and possible missions beyond low earth orbit will be substantially simplified.« less

Fast quantification of endogenous carbohydrates in plasma using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhu, Bangjie; Liu, Feng; Li, Xituo; Wang, Yan; Gu, Xue; Dai, Jieyu; Wang, Guiming; Cheng, Yu; Yan, Chao

2015-01-01

Endogenous carbohydrates in biosamples are frequently highlighted as the most differential metabolites in many metabolomics studies. A simple, fast, simultaneous quantitative method for 16 endogenous carbohydrates in plasma has been developed using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. In order to quantify 16 endogenous carbohydrates in plasma, various conditions, including columns, chromatographic conditions, mass spectrometry conditions, and plasma preparation methods, were investigated. Different conditions in this quantified analysis were performed and optimized. The reproducibility, precision, recovery, matrix effect, and stability of the method were verified. The results indicated that a methanol/acetonitrile (50:50, v/v) mixture could effectively and reproducibly precipitate rat plasma proteins. Cold organic solvents coupled with vortex for 1 min and incubated at -20°C for 20 min were the most optimal conditions for protein precipitation and extraction. The results, according to the linearity, recovery, precision, matrix effect, and stability, showed that the method was satisfactory in the quantification of endogenous carbohydrates in rat plasma. The quantified analysis of endogenous carbohydrates in rat plasma performed excellently in terms of sensitivity, high throughput, and simple sample preparation, which met the requirement of quantification in specific expanded metabolomic studies after the global metabolic profiling research. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Masking as an effective quality control method for next-generation sequencing data analysis.

PubMed

Yun, Sajung; Yun, Sijung

2014-12-13

Next generation sequencing produces base calls with low quality scores that can affect the accuracy of identifying simple nucleotide variation calls, including single nucleotide polymorphisms and small insertions and deletions. Here we compare the effectiveness of two data preprocessing methods, masking and trimming, and the accuracy of simple nucleotide variation calls on whole-genome sequence data from Caenorhabditis elegans. Masking substitutes low quality base calls with 'N's (undetermined bases), whereas trimming removes low quality bases that results in a shorter read lengths. We demonstrate that masking is more effective than trimming in reducing the false-positive rate in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) calling. However, both of the preprocessing methods did not affect the false-negative rate in SNP calling with statistical significance compared to the data analysis without preprocessing. False-positive rate and false-negative rate for small insertions and deletions did not show differences between masking and trimming. We recommend masking over trimming as a more effective preprocessing method for next generation sequencing data analysis since masking reduces the false-positive rate in SNP calling without sacrificing the false-negative rate although trimming is more commonly used currently in the field. The perl script for masking is available at http://code.google.com/p/subn/. The sequencing data used in the study were deposited in the Sequence Read Archive (SRX450968 and SRX451773).

Understanding the Effects of Leadership Development on the Creation of Organizational Culture Change: A Research Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ray, Keith W.; Goppelt, Joan

2011-01-01

Many leadership development programs are intended to improve individual leaders' skills and abilities to perform. Methods for measuring the effect of such programs range from simple metacognitive self-report surveys to 360-degree feedback, to instrumentation of psychological phenomena. However, the outcomes of some leadership development programs…

Efficacy of an opposite position aspiration on resolution of pneumothorax following CT-guided lung biopsy

PubMed Central

Zeng, L-C; Du, Y; Yang, H-F; Xie, M-G; Liao, H-Q; Zhang, Y-D; Li, L; Wang, Q; Hu, L

2015-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of aspiration in an opposite position to deal with pneumothorax after CT-guided lung biopsy. Methods: A retrospective study was developed involving 210 patients with pneumothorax who had undergone CT-guided percutaneous core biopsies from January 2012 to March 2014 for various pulmonary lesions. Asymptomatic patients with minimal pneumothorax were treated conservatively. Simple manual aspiration was performed for symptomatic patients with minimal pneumothorax and for all patients with moderate to large pneumothorax. An opposite position aspiration was performed when simple manual aspiration failed. The efficacy of simple manual aspiration and the opposite position aspiration was observed. Results: Among 210 patients with pneumothorax, 128 (61.0%) asymptomatic patients with minimal pneumothorax were treated conservatively. The remaining 82 were treated with attempted simple manual aspiration. Out of these 82 patients, simple manual aspiration was successful in 58 (70.7%, 58/82) cases. The complete and partial regression rates were 17.2% (10/58) and 82.8% (48/58), respectively. In the other 24 patients (29.3%, 24/82), simple aspiration technique was ineffective. An opposite position (from prone to supine or vice versa) was applied, and a new biopsy puncture site was chosen for reaspiration. This procedure was successful in 22 patients but not in 2 patients who had to have a chest tube insertion. The complete and partial regression rates were 25.0% (6/24) and 66.7% (16/24), respectively. Applying the new method, the total effective rate of aspiration improved significantly from 70.7% (58/82) to 97.6% (80/82). Conclusion: The opposite position aspiration can be safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment for CT-guided lung biopsy-induced pneumothorax thus reducing the use of chest tube significantly. Advances in knowledge: (1) Opposite position aspiration can elevate the success rate of aspiration significantly (from 70.7% to 97.6% in our study); (2) this procedure is a safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment for pneumothorax caused by biopsy; and (3) opposite position aspiration is a useful technique to reduce the use of chest tube, which has clinical significance. PMID:25966292

Preparation of protein- and cell-resistant surfaces by hyperthermal hydrogen induced cross-linking of poly(ethylene oxide).

PubMed

Bonduelle, Colin V; Lau, Woon M; Gillies, Elizabeth R

2011-05-01

The functionalization of surfaces with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is an effective means of imparting resistance to the adsorption of proteins and the attachment and growth of cells, properties that are critical for many biomedical applications. In this work, a new hyperthermal hydrogen induced cross-linking (HHIC) method was explored as a simple one-step approach for attaching PEO to surfaces through the selective cleavage of C-H bonds and subsequent cross-linking of the resulting carbon radicals. In order to study the effects of the process on the polymer, PEO-coated silicon wafers were prepared and the effects of different treatment times were investigated. Subsequently, using an optimized treatment time and a modified butyl polymer with increased affinity for PEO, the technique was applied to butyl rubber surfaces. All of the treated surfaces exhibited significantly reduced protein adsorption and cell growth relative to control surfaces and compared favorably with surfaces that were functionalized with PEO using conventional chemical methods. Thus HHIC is a simple and effective means of attaching PEO to non-functional polymer surfaces.

Stress Management Strategies for Students: The Immediate Effects of Yoga, Humor, and Reading on Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rizzolo, Denise; Zipp, Genevieve Pinto; Stiskal, Doreen; Simpkins, Susan

2009-01-01

Background: Health science programs can be demanding and difficult for many students, leading to high levels of stress. High levels of stress can have a negative effect on students and subsequently the practicing clinician. Research suggests that yoga, humor, and reading are simple, effective methods to help reduce stress. To date no research…

Simple and effective preparation of nano-pulverized curcumin by femtosecond laser ablation and the cytotoxic effect on C6 rat glioma cells in vitro.

PubMed

Tagami, Tatsuaki; Imao, Yukino; Ito, Shunsuke; Nakada, Akiko; Ozeki, Tetsuya

2014-07-01

The pulverization of poorly water-soluble drugs and drug candidates into nanoscale particles is a simple and effective means of increasing their pharmacological effect. Consequently, efficient methods for pulverizing compounds are being developed. Femtosecond lasers, which emit ultrashort laser pulses, can be used to generate nanoscale particles without heating and are finding in various fields, including pharmaceutical science. Laser ablation holds promise as a novel top-down pulverization method for obtaining drug nanoparticles. We used a poorly water-soluble compound, curcumin (diferuloyl methane), to understand the characteristics of femtosecond laser pulverization. Various factors such as laser strength, laser scan speed, and the buffer solution affected the size of the curcumin particles. The minimum curcumin particle size was approximately 500 nm; the particle size was stable after 30 days. In vitro studies suggested that curcumin nanoparticles exhibited a cytotoxic effect on C6 rat glioma cells, and remarkable intracellular uptake of the curcumin nanoparticles was observed. The results suggest that femtosecond laser ablation is a useful approach for preparing curcumin nanoparticles that exhibit remarkable therapeutic effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DETECTORS AND EXPERIMENTAL METHODS: Heuristic approach for peak regions estimation in gamma-ray spectra measured by a NaI detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Meng-Hua; Liu, Liang-Gang; You, Zhong; Xu, Ao-Ao

2009-03-01

In this paper, a heuristic approach based on Slavic's peak searching method has been employed to estimate the width of peak regions for background removing. Synthetic and experimental data are used to test this method. With the estimated peak regions using the proposed method in the whole spectrum, we find it is simple and effective enough to be used together with the Statistics-sensitive Nonlinear Iterative Peak-Clipping method.

A simple and cost-effective method, as an appropriate alternative for visible spectrophotometry: development of a dopamine biosensor.

PubMed

Abbaspour, Abdolkarim; Khajehzadeh, Abdolreza; Ghaffarinejad, Ali

2009-08-01

In this study, a new, simple, fast and inexpensive method as an alternative to visible spectrophotometry is developed. In this method the cells containing the sample solution were scanned with a scanner, then the color of each cell was analyzed with software written in visual basic (VB 6) media to red, green and blue values. The cells were built by creating holes in the Plexiglas sheet. The dimensions of identical cells were examined by Cr (III) solution with known concentrations. The validity of this new method was studied by determination of dopamine (DA) without using any other reagent. The parameters which affect the system were optimized. The comparison between the current and traditional UV-Vis spectrophotometry methods was studied and the results revealed similar trends in both methods. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of dopamine in serum and urine without using any pretreatment. Finally comparing the results obtained in the developed method showed that microwave irradiation of the solution can decrease the experimental time, increase sensitivity and improve the limit of detection.

Simple chemiluminescence determination of ketotifen using tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II)- Ce(IV) system.

PubMed

Mokhtari, Ali; Ghazaeian, Mehrgan; Maghsoudi, Mahdieh; Keyvanfard, Mohsen; Emami, Iraj

2015-11-01

A new method using chemiluminescence (CL) detection has been developed for the simple determination of ketotifen fumarate (KF). The method is based on the catalytic effect of KF in the CL reaction of tris(1,10 phenanthroline)ruthenium(II), Ru(phen)3 (2+), with Ce(IV) in sulfuric acid medium. The CL response was detected using a lab-made chemiluminometer. Effects of chemical variables were investigated and under optimum conditions, the CL intensity was proportional to the concentration of the drug over the range 0.34-34.00 µg mL(-1) KF. The limit of detection (S/N=3) was 0.09 µg mL(-1). Effects of common ingredients were investigated and the method was applied successfully for determining KF in pharmaceutical formulations and human plasma. The percent of relative standard deviation (n=11) at level of 3.4 µg mL(-1) of KF was 4.6% and the minimum sampling rate was 70 samples per hour. The possible CL mechanism is proposed based on the kinetic characteristic of the CL reaction, CL spectrum, UV-Vis and phosphorescence spectra. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Inverse scattering method and soliton double solution family for the general symplectic gravity model

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

Gao Yajun

A previously established Hauser-Ernst-type extended double-complex linear system is slightly modified and used to develop an inverse scattering method for the stationary axisymmetric general symplectic gravity model. The reduction procedures in this inverse scattering method are found to be fairly simple, which makes the inverse scattering method applied fine and effective. As an application, a concrete family of soliton double solutions for the considered theory is obtained.

Phase-unwrapping algorithm by a rounding-least-squares approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juarez-Salazar, Rigoberto; Robledo-Sanchez, Carlos; Guerrero-Sanchez, Fermin

2014-02-01

A simple and efficient phase-unwrapping algorithm based on a rounding procedure and a global least-squares minimization is proposed. Instead of processing the gradient of the wrapped phase, this algorithm operates over the gradient of the phase jumps by a robust and noniterative scheme. Thus, the residue-spreading and over-smoothing effects are reduced. The algorithm's performance is compared with four well-known phase-unwrapping methods: minimum cost network flow (MCNF), fast Fourier transform (FFT), quality-guided, and branch-cut. A computer simulation and experimental results show that the proposed algorithm reaches a high-accuracy level than the MCNF method by a low-computing time similar to the FFT phase-unwrapping method. Moreover, since the proposed algorithm is simple, fast, and user-free, it could be used in metrological interferometric and fringe-projection automatic real-time applications.

Charge Transfer Inefficiency in Pinned Photodiode CMOS image sensors: Simple Montecarlo modeling and experimental measurement based on a pulsed storage-gate method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelamatti, Alice; Goiffon, Vincent; Chabane, Aziouz; Magnan, Pierre; Virmontois, Cédric; Saint-Pé, Olivier; de Boisanger, Michel Breart

2016-11-01

The charge transfer time represents the bottleneck in terms of temporal resolution in Pinned Photodiode (PPD) CMOS image sensors. This work focuses on the modeling and estimation of this key parameter. A simple numerical model of charge transfer in PPDs is presented. The model is based on a Montecarlo simulation and takes into account both charge diffusion in the PPD and the effect of potential obstacles along the charge transfer path. This work also presents a new experimental approach for the estimation of the charge transfer time, called pulsed Storage Gate (SG) method. This method, which allows reproduction of a ;worst-case; transfer condition, is based on dedicated SG pixel structures and is particularly suitable to compare transfer efficiency performances for different pixel geometries.

Development and validation of a simple high-performance liquid chromatography analytical method for simultaneous determination of phytosterols, cholesterol and squalene in parenteral lipid emulsions.

PubMed

Novak, Ana; Gutiérrez-Zamora, Mercè; Domenech, Lluís; Suñé-Negre, Josep M; Miñarro, Montserrat; García-Montoya, Encarna; Llop, Josep M; Ticó, Josep R; Pérez-Lozano, Pilar

2018-02-01

A simple analytical method for simultaneous determination of phytosterols, cholesterol and squalene in lipid emulsions was developed owing to increased interest in their clinical effects. Method development was based on commonly used stationary (C 18 , C 8 and phenyl) and mobile phases (mixtures of acetonitrile, methanol and water) under isocratic conditions. Differences in stationary phases resulted in peak overlapping or coelution of different peaks. The best separation of all analyzed compounds was achieved on Zorbax Eclipse XDB C 8 (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm; Agilent) and ACN-H 2 O-MeOH, 80:19.5:0.5 (v/v/v). In order to achieve a shorter time of analysis, the method was further optimized and gradient separation was established. The optimized analytical method was validated and tested for routine use in lipid emulsion analyses. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Direct Monte Carlo simulation of chemical reaction systems: Simple bimolecular reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piersall, Shannon D.; Anderson, James B.

1991-07-01

In applications to several simple reaction systems we have explored a ``direct simulation'' method for predicting and understanding the behavior of gas phase chemical reaction systems. This Monte Carlo method, originated by Bird, has been found remarkably successful in treating a number of difficult problems in rarefied dynamics. Extension to chemical reactions offers a powerful tool for treating reaction systems with nonthermal distributions, with coupled gas-dynamic and reaction effects, with emission and adsorption of radiation, and with many other effects difficult to treat in any other way. The usual differential equations of chemical kinetics are eliminated. For a bimolecular reaction of the type A+B→C+D with a rate sufficiently low to allow a continued thermal equilibrium of reactants we find that direct simulation reproduces the expected second order kinetics. Simulations for a range of temperatures yield the activation energies expected for the reaction models specified. For faster reactions under conditions leading to a depletion of energetic reactant species, the expected slowing of reaction rates and departures from equilibrium distributions are observed. The minimum sample sizes required for adequate simulations are as low as 1000 molecules for these cases. The calculations are found to be simple and straightforward for the homogeneous systems considered. Although computation requirements may be excessively high for very slow reactions, they are reasonably low for fast reactions, for which nonequilibrium effects are most important.

Methods of alleviation of ionospheric scintillation effects on digital communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Massey, J. L.

1974-01-01

The degradation of the performance of digital communication systems because of ionospheric scintillation effects can be reduced either by diversity techniques or by coding. The effectiveness of traditional space-diversity, frequency-diversity and time-diversity techniques is reviewed and design considerations isolated. Time-diversity signaling is then treated as an extremely simple form of coding. More advanced coding methods, such as diffuse threshold decoding and burst-trapping decoding, which appear attractive in combatting scintillation effects are discussed and design considerations noted. Finally, adaptive coding techniques appropriate when the general state of the channel is known are discussed.

A simple and effective method for filling gaps in Landsat ETM+ SLC-off images

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, Jin; Zhu, Xiaolin; Vogelmann, James E.; Gao, Feng; Jin, Suming

2011-01-01

The scan-line corrector (SLC) of the Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor failed in 2003, resulting in about 22% of the pixels per scene not being scanned. The SLC failure has seriously limited the scientific applications of ETM+ data. While there have been a number of methods developed to fill in the data gaps, each method has shortcomings, especially for heterogeneous landscapes. Based on the assumption that the same-class neighboring pixels around the un-scanned pixels have similar spectral characteristics, and that these neighboring and un-scanned pixels exhibit similar patterns of spectral differences between dates, we developed a simple and effective method to interpolate the values of the pixels within the gaps. We refer to this method as the Neighborhood Similar Pixel Interpolator (NSPI). Simulated and actual SLC-off ETM+ images were used to assess the performance of the NSPI. Results indicate that NSPI can restore the value of un-scanned pixels very accurately, and that it works especially well in heterogeneous regions. In addition, it can work well even if there is a relatively long time interval or significant spectral changes between the input and target image. The filled images appear reasonably spatially continuous without obvious striping patterns. Supervised classification using the maximum likelihood algorithm was done on both gap-filled simulated SLC-off data and the original "gap free" data set, and it was found that classification results, including accuracies, were very comparable. This indicates that gap-filled products generated by NSPI will have relevance to the user community for various land cover applications. In addition, the simple principle and high computational efficiency of NSPI will enable processing large volumes of SLC-off ETM+ data.

A simple method for the extraction and identification of light density microplastics from soil.

PubMed

Zhang, Shaoliang; Yang, Xiaomei; Gertsen, Hennie; Peters, Piet; Salánki, Tamás; Geissen, Violette

2018-03-01

This article introduces a simple and cost-saving method developed to extract, distinguish and quantify light density microplastics of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) in soil. A floatation method using distilled water was used to extract the light density microplastics from soil samples. Microplastics and impurities were identified using a heating method (3-5s at 130°C). The number and size of particles were determined using a camera (Leica DFC 425) connected to a microscope (Leica wild M3C, Type S, simple light, 6.4×). Quantification of the microplastics was conducted using a developed model. Results showed that the floatation method was effective in extracting microplastics from soils, with recovery rates of approximately 90%. After being exposed to heat, the microplastics in the soil samples melted and were transformed into circular transparent particles while other impurities, such as organic matter and silicates were not changed by the heat. Regression analysis of microplastics weight and particle volume (a calculation based on image J software analysis) after heating showed the best fit (y=1.14x+0.46, R 2 =99%, p<0.001). Recovery rates based on the empirical model method were >80%. Results from field samples collected from North-western China prove that our method of repetitive floatation and heating can be used to extract, distinguish and quantify light density polyethylene microplastics in soils. Microplastics mass can be evaluated using the empirical model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Robust aptamer-polydopamine-functionalized M-PLGA-TPGS nanoparticles for targeted delivery of docetaxel and enhanced cervical cancer therapy.

PubMed

Xu, Guojun; Yu, Xinghua; Zhang, Jinxie; Sheng, Yingchao; Liu, Gan; Tao, Wei; Mei, Lin

2016-01-01

One limitation of current biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) is the contradiction between functional modification and maintaining formerly excellent bioproperties with simple procedures. Here, we reported a robust aptamer-polydopamine-functionalized mannitol-functionalized poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (M-PLGA)-D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) nanoformulation (Apt-pD-NPs) for the delivery of docetaxel (DTX) with enhanced cervical cancer therapy effects. The novel DTX-loaded Apt-pD-NPs possess satisfactory advantages: 1) increased drug loading content and encapsulation efficiency induced by star-shaped copolymer M-PLGA-TPGS; 2) significant active targeting effect caused by conjugated AS1411 aptamers; and 3) excellent long-term compatibility by incorporation of TPGS. Therefore, with simple preparation procedures and excellent bioproperties, the new functionalized Apt-pD-NPs could maximally increase the local effective drug concentration on tumor sites, achieving enhanced treatment effectiveness and minimizing side effects. In a word, the robust DTX-loaded Apt-pD-NPs could be used as potential nanotherapeutics for cervical cancer treatment, and the aptamer-polydopamine modification strategy could be a promising method for active targeting of cancer therapy with simple procedures.

Simple-MSSM: a simple and efficient method for simultaneous multi-site saturation mutagenesis.

PubMed

Cheng, Feng; Xu, Jian-Miao; Xiang, Chao; Liu, Zhi-Qiang; Zhao, Li-Qing; Zheng, Yu-Guo

2017-04-01

To develop a practically simple and robust multi-site saturation mutagenesis (MSSM) method that enables simultaneously recombination of amino acid positions for focused mutant library generation. A general restriction enzyme-free and ligase-free MSSM method (Simple-MSSM) based on prolonged overlap extension PCR (POE-PCR) and Simple Cloning techniques. As a proof of principle of Simple-MSSM, the gene of eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) was used as a template gene for simultaneous mutagenesis of five codons. Forty-eight randomly selected clones were sequenced. Sequencing revealed that all the 48 clones showed at least one mutant codon (mutation efficiency = 100%), and 46 out of the 48 clones had mutations at all the five codons. The obtained diversities at these five codons are 27, 24, 26, 26 and 22, respectively, which correspond to 84, 75, 81, 81, 69% of the theoretical diversity offered by NNK-degeneration (32 codons; NNK, K = T or G). The enzyme-free Simple-MSSM method can simultaneously and efficiently saturate five codons within one day, and therefore avoid missing interactions between residues in interacting amino acid networks.

Evaluation of rapid and simple techniques for the enrichment of viruses prior to metagenomic virus discovery.

PubMed

Hall, Richard J; Wang, Jing; Todd, Angela K; Bissielo, Ange B; Yen, Seiha; Strydom, Hugo; Moore, Nicole E; Ren, Xiaoyun; Huang, Q Sue; Carter, Philip E; Peacey, Matthew

2014-01-01

The discovery of new or divergent viruses using metagenomics and high-throughput sequencing has become more commonplace. The preparation of a sample is known to have an effect on the representation of virus sequences within the metagenomic dataset yet comparatively little attention has been given to this. Physical enrichment techniques are often applied to samples to increase the number of viral sequences and therefore enhance the probability of detection. With the exception of virus ecology studies, there is a paucity of information available to researchers on the type of sample preparation required for a viral metagenomic study that seeks to identify an aetiological virus in an animal or human diagnostic sample. A review of published virus discovery studies revealed the most commonly used enrichment methods, that were usually quick and simple to implement, namely low-speed centrifugation, filtration, nuclease-treatment (or combinations of these) which have been routinely used but often without justification. These were applied to a simple and well-characterised artificial sample composed of bacterial and human cells, as well as DNA (adenovirus) and RNA viruses (influenza A and human enterovirus), being either non-enveloped capsid or enveloped viruses. The effect of the enrichment method was assessed by both quantitative real-time PCR and metagenomic analysis that incorporated an amplification step. Reductions in the absolute quantities of bacteria and human cells were observed for each method as determined by qPCR, but the relative abundance of viral sequences in the metagenomic dataset remained largely unchanged. A 3-step method of centrifugation, filtration and nuclease-treatment showed the greatest increase in the proportion of viral sequences. This study provides a starting point for the selection of a purification method in future virus discovery studies, and highlights the need for more data to validate the effect of enrichment methods on different sample types, amplification, bioinformatics approaches and sequencing platforms. This study also highlights the potential risks that may attend selection of a virus enrichment method without any consideration for the sample type being investigated. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estimation of Gravity Parameters Related to Simple Geometrical Structures by Developing an Approach Based on Deconvolution and Linear Optimization Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asfahani, J.; Tlas, M.

2015-10-01

An easy and practical method for interpreting residual gravity anomalies due to simple geometrically shaped models such as cylinders and spheres has been proposed in this paper. This proposed method is based on both the deconvolution technique and the simplex algorithm for linear optimization to most effectively estimate the model parameters, e.g., the depth from the surface to the center of a buried structure (sphere or horizontal cylinder) or the depth from the surface to the top of a buried object (vertical cylinder), and the amplitude coefficient from the residual gravity anomaly profile. The method was tested on synthetic data sets corrupted by different white Gaussian random noise levels to demonstrate the capability and reliability of the method. The results acquired show that the estimated parameter values derived by this proposed method are close to the assumed true parameter values. The validity of this method is also demonstrated using real field residual gravity anomalies from Cuba and Sweden. Comparable and acceptable agreement is shown between the results derived by this method and those derived from real field data.

A simple, cheap, one-minute method to mount insect pins for use as sharp-tipped probes in plant dissection.

PubMed

Frohlich, Michael W

2005-08-01

A new method is presented for twist mounting insect pins onto standard dissecting (teasing) needles. Insect pins, with their sharp points, are ideal for fine dissection of plants, especially of shoot tips and early developing flower buds. Twist mounting makes them convenient and effective dissecting tools to prepare specimens for SEM.

The Effect of Cluster Sampling Design in Survey Research on the Standard Error Statistic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lin; Fan, Xitao

Standard statistical methods are used to analyze data that is assumed to be collected using a simple random sampling scheme. These methods, however, tend to underestimate variance when the data is collected with a cluster design, which is often found in educational survey research. The purposes of this paper are to demonstrate how a cluster design…

A label-free amplified fluorescence DNA detection based on isothermal circular strand-displacement polymerization reaction and graphene oxide.

PubMed

Li, Zhen; Zhu, Wenping; Zhang, Jinwen; Jiang, Jianhui; Shen, Guoli; Yu, Ruqin

2013-07-07

A label-free fluorescent DNA biosensor has been presented based on isothermal circular strand-displacement polymerization reaction (ICSDPR) combined with graphene oxide (GO) binding. The proposed method is simple and cost-effective with a low detection limit of 4 pM, which compares favorably with other GO-based homogenous DNA detection methods.

Double regions growing algorithm for automated satellite image mosaicking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yihua; Chen, Chen; Tian, Jinwen

2011-12-01

Feathering is a most widely used method in seamless satellite image mosaicking. A simple but effective algorithm - double regions growing (DRG) algorithm, which utilizes the shape content of images' valid regions, is proposed for generating robust feathering-line before feathering. It works without any human intervention, and experiment on real satellite images shows the advantages of the proposed method.

A simple method for estimating potential relative radiation (PRR) for landscape-vegetation analysis.

Treesearch

Kenneth B. Jr. Pierce; Todd Lookingbill; Dean Urban

2005-01-01

Radiation is one of the primary influences on vegetation composition and spatial pattern. Topographic orientation is often used as a proxy for relative radiation load due to its effects on evaporative demand and local temperature. Common methods for incorporating this information (i.e., site measures of slope and aspect) fail to include daily or annual changes in solar...

Postmodeling Sensitivity Analysis to Detect the Effect of Missing Data Mechanisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamshidian, Mortaza; Mata, Matthew

2008-01-01

Incomplete or missing data is a common problem in almost all areas of empirical research. It is well known that simple and ad hoc methods such as complete case analysis or mean imputation can lead to biased and/or inefficient estimates. The method of maximum likelihood works well; however, when the missing data mechanism is not one of missing…

A Simple Demonstration of the Effect of Eddy Currents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapple, Paul; Reilly, Lee M.

2013-01-01

Demonstrating that a moving magnet can induce an electromagnetic force by causing an electric current in a conducting material can be shown by a number of methods. A common method is dropping a magnet down a copper pipe and showing that the rate of fall is much slower than expected owing to the induced electric current in the copper pipe. This…

Ways to Evaluate the Success of Your Teacher Incentive Fund Project in Meeting TIF Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milanowski, Anthony; Finster, Matthew

2016-01-01

This brief outlines some simple methods that Teacher Incentive Fund grants could add to their local evaluations to find out how well they are promoting attainment of the four overall TIF goals. The methods described in this brief can help grantees determine if they are moving toward improving effectiveness, student achievement, and equity.…

Validation and Application of a Simple UHPLC-MS-MS Method for the Enantiospecific Determination of Warfarin in Human Urine.

PubMed

Alshogran, Osama Y; Ocque, Andrew J; Leblond, François A; Pichette, Vincent; Nolin, Thomas D

2016-04-01

A simple and rapid liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric method has been developed and validated for the enantiospecific determination of R- and S-warfarin in human urine. Warfarin enantiomers were extracted from urine using methyl tert-butyl ether. Chromatographic separation of warfarin enantiomers and the internal standard d5-warfarin was achieved using a Astec Chirobiotic V column with gradient mobile phase at a flow rate of 400 µL/min over 10 min. Detection was performed on a TSQ Quantum Ultra triple quadrupole mass spectrometer equipped with a heated electrospray ionization source. Analytes were detected in negative ionization mode using selected reaction monitoring. Calibration curves were linear with a correlation coefficient of ≥0.996 for both enantiomers over a concentration range of 5-500 ng/mL. The intra- and interday accuracy and precision for both analytes were within ±9.0%. Excellent extraction efficiency and negligible matrix effects were observed. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by successful measurement of warfarin enantiomers in urine of patients with kidney disease. The method is simple, accurate and reproducible and is currently being used to support warfarin pharmacokinetic studies. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sensing of fluid viscoelasticity from piezoelectric actuation of cantilever flexural vibration

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

Park, Jeongwon; Jeong, Seongbin; Kim, Seung Joon

2015-01-15

An experimental method is proposed to measure the rheological properties of fluids. The effects of fluids on the vibration actuated by piezoelectric patches were analyzed and used in measuring viscoelastic properties. Fluid-structure interactions induced changes in the beam vibration properties and frequency-dependent variations of the complex wavenumber of the beam structure were used in monitoring these changes. To account for the effects of fluid-structure interaction, fluids were modelled as a simple viscoelastic support at one end of the beam. The measured properties were the fluid’s dynamic shear modulus and loss tangent. Using the proposed method, the rheological properties of variousmore » non-Newtonian fluids were measured. The frequency range for which reliable viscoelasticity results could be obtained was 10–400 Hz. Viscosity standard fluids were tested to verify the accuracy of the proposed method, and the results agreed well with the manufacturer’s reported values. The simple proposed laboratory setup for measurements was flexible so that the frequency ranges of data acquisition were adjustable by changing the beam’s mechanical properties.« less

Solving regularly and singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion equations in three space dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, Peter K.

2007-06-01

In [P.K. Moore, Effects of basis selection and h-refinement on error estimator reliability and solution efficiency for higher-order methods in three space dimensions, Int. J. Numer. Anal. Mod. 3 (2006) 21-51] a fixed, high-order h-refinement finite element algorithm, Href, was introduced for solving reaction-diffusion equations in three space dimensions. In this paper Href is coupled with continuation creating an automatic method for solving regularly and singularly perturbed reaction-diffusion equations. The simple quasilinear Newton solver of Moore, (2006) is replaced by the nonlinear solver NITSOL [M. Pernice, H.F. Walker, NITSOL: a Newton iterative solver for nonlinear systems, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 19 (1998) 302-318]. Good initial guesses for the nonlinear solver are obtained using continuation in the small parameter ɛ. Two strategies allow adaptive selection of ɛ. The first depends on the rate of convergence of the nonlinear solver and the second implements backtracking in ɛ. Finally a simple method is used to select the initial ɛ. Several examples illustrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.

A simple method for determination of carmine in food samples based on cloud point extraction and spectrophotometric detection.

PubMed

Heydari, Rouhollah; Hosseini, Mohammad; Zarabi, Sanaz

2015-01-01

In this paper, a simple and cost effective method was developed for extraction and pre-concentration of carmine in food samples by using cloud point extraction (CPE) prior to its spectrophotometric determination. Carmine was extracted from aqueous solution using Triton X-100 as extracting solvent. The effects of main parameters such as solution pH, surfactant and salt concentrations, incubation time and temperature were investigated and optimized. Calibration graph was linear in the range of 0.04-5.0 μg mL(-1) of carmine in the initial solution with regression coefficient of 0.9995. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification were 0.012 and 0.04 μg mL(-1), respectively. Relative standard deviation (RSD) at low concentration level (0.05 μg mL(-1)) of carmine was 4.8% (n=7). Recovery values in different concentration levels were in the range of 93.7-105.8%. The obtained results demonstrate the proposed method can be applied satisfactory to determine the carmine in food samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A case report on the remodelling technique for the earlobe using a soft splint.

PubMed

Vaiude, Partha N; Anthony, Edwin T; Syed, Mobin; Ilyas, Syed

2008-01-01

Correcting earlobe deformities often presents an aesthetic challenge to the surgeon. The described technique presents a simple, accurate and cost effective method of remodelling soft tissue defects of the earlobe using a soft splint.

How to Do It. Using the Allium Test to Detect Environmental Pollutants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kendler, Barry S.; Koritz, Helen G.

1990-01-01

Described is a simple test which uses micro- and macro-observations of onion root tips to demonstrate mutagenic and other toxic effects of various contaminants. Discussed are materials, methods, microscopic procedures, and applications of this activity. (CW)

Demonstrating Sound Impulses in Pipes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raymer, M. G.; Micklavzina, Stan

1995-01-01

Describes a simple, direct method to demonstrate the effects of the boundary conditions on sound impulse reflections in pipes. A graphical display of the results can be made using a pipe, cork, small hammer, microphone, and fast recording electronics. Explains the principles involved. (LZ)

Graphene oxide caged in cellulose microbeads for removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solution.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaomei; Yu, Hongwen; Yang, Hongjun; Wan, Yuchun; Hu, Hong; Zhai, Zhuang; Qin, Jieming

2015-01-01

A simple sol-gel method using non-toxic and cost-effective precursors has been developed to prepare graphene oxide (GO)/cellulose bead (GOCB) composites for removal of dye pollutants. Taking advantage of the combined benefits of GO and cellulose, the prepared GOCB composites exhibit excellent removal efficiency towards malachite green (>96%) and can be reused for over 5 times through simple filtration method. The high-decontamination performance of the GOCB system is strongly dependent on encapsulation amount of GO, temperature and pH value. In addition, the adsorption behavior of this new adsorbent fits well with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural expansions for the ground state energy of a simple metal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammerberg, J.; Ashcroft, N. W.

1973-01-01

A structural expansion for the static ground state energy of a simple metal is derived. An approach based on single particle band structure which treats the electron gas as a non-linear dielectric is presented, along with a more general many particle analysis using finite temperature perturbation theory. The two methods are compared, and it is shown in detail how band-structure effects, Fermi surface distortions, and chemical potential shifts affect the total energy. These are of special interest in corrections to the total energy beyond third order in the electron ion interaction, and hence to systems where differences in energies for various crystal structures are exceptionally small. Preliminary calculations using these methods for the zero temperature thermodynamic functions of atomic hydrogen are reported.

A simple filter circuit for denoising biomechanical impact signals.

PubMed

Subramaniam, Suba R; Georgakis, Apostolos

2009-01-01

We present a simple scheme for denoising non-stationary biomechanical signals with the aim of accurately estimating their second derivative (acceleration). The method is based on filtering in fractional Fourier domains using well-known low-pass filters in a way that amounts to a time-varying cut-off threshold. The resulting algorithm is linear and its design is facilitated by the relationship between the fractional Fourier transform and joint time-frequency representations. The implemented filter circuit employs only three low-order filters while its efficiency is further supported by the low computational complexity of the fractional Fourier transform. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can denoise the signals effectively and is more robust against noise as compared to conventional low-pass filters.

Anharmonic effects in simple physical models: introducing undergraduates to nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, J. M.

2017-09-01

Given the pervasive character of nonlinearity throughout the physical universe, a case is made for introducing undergraduate students to its consequences and signatures earlier rather than later. The dynamics of two well-known systems—a spring and a pendulum—are reviewed when the standard textbook linearising assumptions are relaxed. Some qualitative effects of nonlinearity can be anticipated from symmetry (e.g., inspection of potential energy functions), and further physical insight gained by applying a simple successive-approximation method that might be taught in parallel with courses on classical mechanics, ordinary differential equations, and computational physics. We conclude with a survey of how these ideas have been deployed on programmes at a UK university.

[Comparison of simple pooling and bivariate model used in meta-analyses of diagnostic test accuracy published in Chinese journals].

PubMed

Huang, Yuan-sheng; Yang, Zhi-rong; Zhan, Si-yan

2015-06-18

To investigate the use of simple pooling and bivariate model in meta-analyses of diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) published in Chinese journals (January to November, 2014), compare the differences of results from these two models, and explore the impact of between-study variability of sensitivity and specificity on the differences. DTA meta-analyses were searched through Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (January to November, 2014). Details in models and data for fourfold table were extracted. Descriptive analysis was conducted to investigate the prevalence of the use of simple pooling method and bivariate model in the included literature. Data were re-analyzed with the two models respectively. Differences in the results were examined by Wilcoxon signed rank test. How the results differences were affected by between-study variability of sensitivity and specificity, expressed by I2, was explored. The 55 systematic reviews, containing 58 DTA meta-analyses, were included and 25 DTA meta-analyses were eligible for re-analysis. Simple pooling was used in 50 (90.9%) systematic reviews and bivariate model in 1 (1.8%). The remaining 4 (7.3%) articles used other models pooling sensitivity and specificity or pooled neither of them. Of the reviews simply pooling sensitivity and specificity, 41(82.0%) were at the risk of wrongly using Meta-disc software. The differences in medians of sensitivity and specificity between two models were both 0.011 (P<0.001, P=0.031 respectively). Greater differences could be found as I2 of sensitivity or specificity became larger, especially when I2>75%. Most DTA meta-analyses published in Chinese journals(January to November, 2014) combine the sensitivity and specificity by simple pooling. Meta-disc software can pool the sensitivity and specificity only through fixed-effect model, but a high proportion of authors think it can implement random-effect model. Simple pooling tends to underestimate the results compared with bivariate model. The greater the between-study variance is, the more likely the simple pooling has larger deviation. It is necessary to increase the knowledge level of statistical methods and software for meta-analyses of DTA data.

Identification of site frequencies from building records

USGS Publications Warehouse

Celebi, M.

2003-01-01

A simple procedure to identify site frequencies using earthquake response records from roofs and basements of buildings is presented. For this purpose, data from five different buildings are analyzed using only spectral analyses techniques. Additional data such as free-field records in close proximity to the buildings and site characterization data are also used to estimate site frequencies and thereby to provide convincing evidence and confirmation of the site frequencies inferred from the building records. Furthermore, simple code-formula is used to calculate site frequencies and compare them with the identified site frequencies from records. Results show that the simple procedure is effective in identification of site frequencies and provides relatively reliable estimates of site frequencies when compared with other methods. Therefore the simple procedure for estimating site frequencies using earthquake records can be useful in adding to the database of site frequencies. Such databases can be used to better estimate site frequencies of those sites with similar geological structures.

Optical character recognition with feature extraction and associative memory matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Osami; Shibahara, Akihito; Suzuki, Takamasa

1998-06-01

A method is proposed in which handwritten characters are recognized using feature extraction and an associative memory matrix. In feature extraction, simple processes such as shifting and superimposing patterns are executed. A memory matrix is generated with singular value decomposition and by modifying small singular values. The method is optically implemented with two liquid crystal displays. Experimental results for the recognition of 25 handwritten alphabet characters clearly shows the effectiveness of the method.

Effective Biot theory and its generalization to poroviscoelastic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xu; Greenhalgh, Stewart; Zhou, Bing; Greenhalgh, Mark

2018-02-01

A method is suggested to express the effective bulk modulus of the solid frame of a poroelastic material as a function of the saturated bulk modulus. This method enables effective Biot theory to be described through the use of seismic dispersion measurements or other models developed for the effective saturated bulk modulus. The effective Biot theory is generalized to a poroviscoelastic model of which the moduli are represented by the relaxation functions of the generalized fractional Zener model. The latter covers the general Zener and the Cole-Cole models as special cases. A global search method is described to determine the parameters of the relaxation functions, and a simple deterministic method is also developed to find the defining parameters of the single Cole-Cole model. These methods enable poroviscoelastic models to be constructed, which are based on measured seismic attenuation functions, and ensure that the model dispersion characteristics match the observations.

A simple, rapid, high-fidelity and cost-effective PCR-based two-step DNA synthesis method for long gene sequences.

PubMed

Xiong, Ai-Sheng; Yao, Quan-Hong; Peng, Ri-He; Li, Xian; Fan, Hui-Qin; Cheng, Zong-Ming; Li, Yi

2004-07-07

Chemical synthesis of DNA sequences provides a powerful tool for modifying genes and for studying gene function, structure and expression. Here, we report a simple, high-fidelity and cost-effective PCR-based two-step DNA synthesis (PTDS) method for synthesis of long segments of DNA. The method involves two steps. (i) Synthesis of individual fragments of the DNA of interest: ten to twelve 60mer oligonucleotides with 20 bp overlap are mixed and a PCR reaction is carried out with high-fidelity DNA polymerase Pfu to produce DNA fragments that are approximately 500 bp in length. (ii) Synthesis of the entire sequence of the DNA of interest: five to ten PCR products from the first step are combined and used as the template for a second PCR reaction using high-fidelity DNA polymerase pyrobest, with the two outermost oligonucleotides as primers. Compared with the previously published methods, the PTDS method is rapid (5-7 days) and suitable for synthesizing long segments of DNA (5-6 kb) with high G + C contents, repetitive sequences or complex secondary structures. Thus, the PTDS method provides an alternative tool for synthesizing and assembling long genes with complex structures. Using the newly developed PTDS method, we have successfully obtained several genes of interest with sizes ranging from 1.0 to 5.4 kb.

A Simple Method for Decreasing the Liquid Junction Potential in a Flow-through-Type Differential pH Sensor Probe Consisting of pH-FETs by Exerting Spatiotemporal Control of the Liquid Junction

PubMed Central

Yamada, Akira; Mohri, Satoshi; Nakamura, Michihiro; Naruse, Keiji

2015-01-01

The liquid junction potential (LJP), the phenomenon that occurs when two electrolyte solutions of different composition come into contact, prevents accurate measurements in potentiometry. The effect of the LJP is usually remarkable in measurements of diluted solutions with low buffering capacities or low ion concentrations. Our group has constructed a simple method to eliminate the LJP by exerting spatiotemporal control of a liquid junction (LJ) formed between two solutions, a sample solution and a baseline solution (BLS), in a flow-through-type differential pH sensor probe. The method was contrived based on microfluidics. The sensor probe is a differential measurement system composed of two ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs) and one Ag/AgCl electrode. With our new method, the border region of the sample solution and BLS is vibrated in order to mix solutions and suppress the overshoot after the sample solution is suctioned into the sensor probe. Compared to the conventional method without vibration, our method shortened the settling time from over two min to 15 s and reduced the measurement error by 86% to within 0.060 pH. This new method will be useful for improving the response characteristics and decreasing the measurement error of many apparatuses that use LJs. PMID:25835300

An Environmentally Friendly, Cost-Effective Determination of Lead in Environmental Samples Using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldcamp, Michael J.; Underwood, Melinda N.; Cloud, Joshua L.; Harshman, Sean

2008-01-01

Contamination of the environment with heavy metals such as lead presents many health risks. Simple, effective, and field-portable methods for the measurement of toxic metals in environmental samples are vital tools for evaluating the risks that these contaminants pose. This article describes the use of new developments in anodic stripping…

Comparing Indirect Effects in Different Groups in Single-Group and Multi-Group Structural Equation Models

PubMed Central

Ryu, Ehri; Cheong, Jeewon

2017-01-01

In this article, we evaluated the performance of statistical methods in single-group and multi-group analysis approaches for testing group difference in indirect effects and for testing simple indirect effects in each group. We also investigated whether the performance of the methods in the single-group approach was affected when the assumption of equal variance was not satisfied. The assumption was critical for the performance of the two methods in the single-group analysis: the method using a product term for testing the group difference in a single path coefficient, and the Wald test for testing the group difference in the indirect effect. Bootstrap confidence intervals in the single-group approach and all methods in the multi-group approach were not affected by the violation of the assumption. We compared the performance of the methods and provided recommendations. PMID:28553248

A new adaptive estimation method of spacecraft thermal mathematical model with an ensemble Kalman filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akita, T.; Takaki, R.; Shima, E.

2012-04-01

An adaptive estimation method of spacecraft thermal mathematical model is presented. The method is based on the ensemble Kalman filter, which can effectively handle the nonlinearities contained in the thermal model. The state space equations of the thermal mathematical model is derived, where both temperature and uncertain thermal characteristic parameters are considered as the state variables. In the method, the thermal characteristic parameters are automatically estimated as the outputs of the filtered state variables, whereas, in the usual thermal model correlation, they are manually identified by experienced engineers using trial-and-error approach. A numerical experiment of a simple small satellite is provided to verify the effectiveness of the presented method.

A Simple and Effective Image Normalization Method to Monitor Boreal Forest Change in a Siberian Burn Chronosequence across Sensors and across Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X.; Vierling, L. A.; Deering, D. W.

2004-12-01

Satellite data offer unique perspectives for monitoring and quantifying land cover change, however, the radiometric consistency among co-located multi-temporal images is difficult to maintain due to variations in sensors and atmosphere. To detect accurate landscape change using multi-temporal images, we developed a new relative radiometric normalization scheme: the temporally invariant cluster (TIC) method. Image data were acquired on 9 June 1990 (Landsat 4), 20 June 2000, and 26 August 2001 (Landsat 7) for analyses over boreal forests near the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), and Reduced Simple Ratio (RSR) were investigated in the normalization study. The temporally invariant cluster (TIC) centers were identified through a point density map of the base image and the target image and a normalization regression line was created through all TIC centers. The target image digital data were then converted using the regression function so that the two images could be compared using the resulting common radiometric scale. We found that EVI was very sensitive to vegetation structure and could thus be used to separate conifer forests from deciduous forests and grass/crop lands. NDVI was a very effective vegetation index to reduce the influence of shadow, while EVI was very sensitive to shadowing. After normalization, correlations of NDVI and EVI with field collected total Leaf Area Index (LAI) data in 2000 and 2001 were significantly improved; the r-square values in these regressions increased from 0.49 to 0.69 and from 0.46 to 0.61, respectively. An EVI ¡°cancellation effect¡± where EVI was positively related to understory greenness but negatively related to forest canopy coverage was evident across a post fire chronosequence. These findings indicate that the TIC method provides a simple, effective and repeatable method to create radiometrically comparable data sets for remote detection of landscape change. Compared with some previous relative normalization methods, this new method can avoid subjective selection of a normalization regression line. It does not require high level programming and statistical analyses, yet remains sensitive to landscape changes occurring over seasonal and inter-annual time scales. In addition, the TIC method maintains sensitivity to subtle changes in vegetation phenology and enables normalization even when invariant features are rare.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with chinese herbs on polycystic ovary syndrome of kidney deficiency and phlegm stasis type].

PubMed

Shi, Yin; Feng, Hui-jun; Liu, Hui-rong; Zhu, Dan

2009-02-01

To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs on polycystic ovary syndrome of kidney deficiency and phlegm stasis type and probe into the mechanism. Sixty-three cases of polycystic ovary syndrome of kidney deficiency and phlegm stasis type were randomly divided in to a combined acupuncture and Chinese herb group (n=32) treated with acupuncture at Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), et al. and oral administration of Chinese herbs, and a simple Chinese herb group (n=31) treated with oral administration of the same Chinese herbs as in the combined acupuncture and Chinese herb group. The therapeutic effects and changes of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteotropic hormone (LH), testosterone (T) and LH/FSH were compared between the two groups. The total effective rate was 93.8% in the combined acupuncture and Chinese herb group and 80.6% in the simple Chinese herb group, the former being significantly better than the latter (P < 0.05). The decrease of T in the combined acupuncture and Chinese herb group was significantly su perior to that in the simple Chinese herb group (P < 0.01). Acupuncture combined with Chinese herb therapy is superior to the simple Chinese herb in the clinical therapeutic effect on polycystic ovary syndrome of kidney deficiency and phlegm stasis type and decrease of T level, indicating this method is a better one for polycystic ovary syndrome of kidney deficiency and phlegm stasis type.

Quantifying noise in optical tweezers by allan variance.

PubMed

Czerwinski, Fabian; Richardson, Andrew C; Oddershede, Lene B

2009-07-20

Much effort is put into minimizing noise in optical tweezers experiments because noise and drift can mask fundamental behaviours of, e.g., single molecule assays. Various initiatives have been taken to reduce or eliminate noise but it has been difficult to quantify their effect. We propose to use Allan variance as a simple and efficient method to quantify noise in optical tweezers setups.We apply the method to determine the optimal measurement time, frequency, and detection scheme, and quantify the effect of acoustic noise in the lab. The method can also be used on-the-fly for determining optimal parameters of running experiments.

The effect of guar gum and fiber-enriched wheat bran on gastric emptying of a semisolid meal in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Rydning, A; Berstad, A; Berstad, T; Hertzenberg, L

1985-04-01

The effect of physiological doses of guar gum (Guarem), 5 g, and fiber-enriched wheat bran (Fiberform), 10.5 g, on gastric emptying was studied by two different methods in healthy subjects: by a simple isotope localization monitor placed over the upper part of the abdomen and by gamma camera. The fiber preparations were added to a semisolid meal consisting of wheatmeal porridge and juice, using technetium-99 DTPA as a marker. The gamma camera showed no effect of fiber on gastric emptying. The isotope localization monitor, however, indicated that Fiberform prevented a postprandial accumulation of the meal within the upper part of the stomach. The simple isotope localization monitor cannot be recommended for measurements of gastric emptying.

Facile synthesis of magnetic carbon nitride nanosheets and its application in magnetic solid phase extraction for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible oil samples.

PubMed

Zheng, Hao-Bo; Ding, Jun; Zheng, Shu-Jian; Zhu, Gang-Tian; Yuan, Bi-Feng; Feng, Yu-Qi

2016-01-01

In this study, we proposed a method to fabricate magnetic carbon nitride (CN) nanosheets by simple physical blending. Low-cost CN nanosheets prepared by urea possessed a highly π-conjugated structure; therefore the obtained composites were employed as magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible oil samples. Moreover, sample pre-treatment time could be carried out within 10 min. Thus, a simple and cheap method for the analysis of PAHs in edible oil samples was established by coupling magnetic CN nanosheets-based MSPE with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Limits of quantitation (LOQs) for eight PAHs ranged from 0.4 to 0.9 ng/g. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 15.0%. The recoveries of PAHs for spiked soybean oil samples ranged from 91.0% to 124.1%, with RSDs of less than 10.2%. Taken together, the proposed method offers a simple and cost-effective option for the convenient analysis of PAHs in oil samples. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A simple finite element method for non-divergence form elliptic equation

DOE PAGES

Mu, Lin; Ye, Xiu

2017-03-01

Here, we develop a simple finite element method for solving second order elliptic equations in non-divergence form by combining least squares concept with discontinuous approximations. This simple method has a symmetric and positive definite system and can be easily analyzed and implemented. We could have also used general meshes with polytopal element and hanging node in the method. We prove that our finite element solution approaches to the true solution when the mesh size approaches to zero. Numerical examples are tested that demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the method.

A simple finite element method for non-divergence form elliptic equation

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

Mu, Lin; Ye, Xiu

Here, we develop a simple finite element method for solving second order elliptic equations in non-divergence form by combining least squares concept with discontinuous approximations. This simple method has a symmetric and positive definite system and can be easily analyzed and implemented. We could have also used general meshes with polytopal element and hanging node in the method. We prove that our finite element solution approaches to the true solution when the mesh size approaches to zero. Numerical examples are tested that demonstrate the robustness and flexibility of the method.

Flux control coefficients determined by inhibitor titration: the design and analysis of experiments to minimize errors.

PubMed Central

Small, J R

1993-01-01

This paper is a study into the effects of experimental error on the estimated values of flux control coefficients obtained using specific inhibitors. Two possible techniques for analysing the experimental data are compared: a simple extrapolation method (the so-called graph method) and a non-linear function fitting method. For these techniques, the sources of systematic errors are identified and the effects of systematic and random errors are quantified, using both statistical analysis and numerical computation. It is shown that the graph method is very sensitive to random errors and, under all conditions studied, that the fitting method, even under conditions where the assumptions underlying the fitted function do not hold, outperformed the graph method. Possible ways of designing experiments to minimize the effects of experimental errors are analysed and discussed. PMID:8257434

Calibrating the ECCO ocean general circulation model using Green's functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menemenlis, D.; Fu, L. L.; Lee, T.; Fukumori, I.

2002-01-01

Green's functions provide a simple, yet effective, method to test and calibrate General-Circulation-Model(GCM) parameterizations, to study and quantify model and data errors, to correct model biases and trends, and to blend estimates from different solutions and data products.

Elementary "Who Am I" Riddles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denny, R. Aldrin; Lakshmi, R.; Chitra, H.; Devi, Nandini

2000-01-01

Suggests that simple riddles can be used effectively to make students interact in science class. Proposed teaching methods require the student to provide answers to riddles in order to develop the discussion about a given topic. Presents sample riddles related to elements and their compounds. (WRM)

Simple Approaches for Measuring Dry Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition to Watersheds

EPA Science Inventory

Assessing the effects of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on surface water quality requires accurate accounts of total N deposition (wet, dry, and cloud vapor); however, dry deposition is difficult to measure and is often spatially variable. Affordable passive sampling methods...

Breaking the Sound Barrier with a Hummingbird's Index to Musical Themes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Harry C.

1978-01-01

This review of Denys Parsons'"Directory of Tunes and Musical Themes" describes its simple but effective method of identifying musical compositions. Comparisons are made with other prominent musical reference works, particularly those of Harold Barlow and Sam Morgenstern. (JD)

Simple analysis of the effect of construction materials on bridge impact factors

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-06-01

The purpose of this research is to study the influence of different construction materials on the dynamic impact factor of bridges. Initially, introduction of the dynamic impact factor and some evaluation methods are presented. A comparison of the re...

Mobile robot self-localization system using single webcam distance measurement technology in indoor environments.

PubMed

Li, I-Hsum; Chen, Ming-Chang; Wang, Wei-Yen; Su, Shun-Feng; Lai, To-Wen

2014-01-27

A single-webcam distance measurement technique for indoor robot localization is proposed in this paper. The proposed localization technique uses webcams that are available in an existing surveillance environment. The developed image-based distance measurement system (IBDMS) and parallel lines distance measurement system (PLDMS) have two merits. Firstly, only one webcam is required for estimating the distance. Secondly, the set-up of IBDMS and PLDMS is easy, which only one known-dimension rectangle pattern is needed, i.e., a ground tile. Some common and simple image processing techniques, i.e., background subtraction are used to capture the robot in real time. Thus, for the purposes of indoor robot localization, the proposed method does not need to use expensive high-resolution webcams and complicated pattern recognition methods but just few simple estimating formulas. From the experimental results, the proposed robot localization method is reliable and effective in an indoor environment.

Simple and universal model for electron-impact ionization of complex biomolecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Hong Qi; Mi, Zhaohong; Bettiol, Andrew A.

2018-03-01

We present a simple and universal approach to calculate the total ionization cross section (TICS) for electron impact ionization in DNA bases and other biomaterials in the condensed phase. Evaluating the electron impact TICS plays a vital role in ion-beam radiobiology simulation at the cellular level, as secondary electrons are the main cause of DNA damage in particle cancer therapy. Our method is based on extending the dielectric formalism. The calculated results agree well with experimental data and show a good comparison with other theoretical calculations. This method only requires information of the chemical composition and density and an estimate of the mean binding energy to produce reasonably accurate TICS of complex biomolecules. Because of its simplicity and great predictive effectiveness, this method could be helpful in situations where the experimental TICS data are absent or scarce, such as in particle cancer therapy.

Mobile Robot Self-Localization System Using Single Webcam Distance Measurement Technology in Indoor Environments

PubMed Central

Li, I-Hsum; Chen, Ming-Chang; Wang, Wei-Yen; Su, Shun-Feng; Lai, To-Wen

2014-01-01

A single-webcam distance measurement technique for indoor robot localization is proposed in this paper. The proposed localization technique uses webcams that are available in an existing surveillance environment. The developed image-based distance measurement system (IBDMS) and parallel lines distance measurement system (PLDMS) have two merits. Firstly, only one webcam is required for estimating the distance. Secondly, the set-up of IBDMS and PLDMS is easy, which only one known-dimension rectangle pattern is needed, i.e., a ground tile. Some common and simple image processing techniques, i.e., background subtraction are used to capture the robot in real time. Thus, for the purposes of indoor robot localization, the proposed method does not need to use expensive high-resolution webcams and complicated pattern recognition methods but just few simple estimating formulas. From the experimental results, the proposed robot localization method is reliable and effective in an indoor environment. PMID:24473282

Large-scale preparation of strawberry-like, AgNP-doped SiO2 microspheres using the electrospraying method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Zhijun; Ji, Huijiao; Tan, Dezhi; Dong, Guoping; Teng, Yu; Zhou, Jiajia; Guan, Miaojia; Qiu, Jianrong; Zhang, Ming

2011-07-01

In this paper, we report on a novel strategy for the preparation of silver nanoparticle-doped SiO2 microspheres (Ag-SMSs) with an interesting strawberry-like morphology using a simple and efficient electrospraying method. SEM (scanning electron microscopy), TEM (transmission electron microscopy), XRD (x-ray diffraction), EDS (energy-dispersive spectroscopy) and UV-vis spectra (ultraviolet-visible spectra) were applied to investigate the morphology, structure, composition and optical properties of the hybrid microspheres, and E. coli (Escherichia coli) was used as a model microbe to evaluate their antibacterial ability. The results showed that the Ag-SMSs were environmentally stable and washing resistant. The Ag-SMSs exhibited effective inhibition against proliferation of E. coli, and their antibacterial ability could be well preserved for a long time. The environmental stability, washing resistance, efficient antibacterial ability and simple but productive preparation method endowed the Ag-SMSs with great potential for practical biomedical applications.

Extraction of Curcumin Pigment from Indonesian Local Turmeric with Its Infrared Spectra and Thermal Decomposition Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nandiyanto, A. B. D.; Wiryani, A. S.; Rusli, A.; Purnamasari, A.; Abdullah, A. G.; Ana; Widiaty, I.; Hurriyati, R.

2017-03-01

Curcumin is one of the pigments which is used as a spice in Asian cuisine, traditional cosmetic, and medicine. Therefore, process for getting curcumin has been widely studied. Here, the purpose of this study was to demonstrate the simple method for extracting curcumin from Indonesian local turmeric and investigate the infrared spectra and thermal decomposition properties. In the experimental procedure, the washed turmeric was dissolved into an ethanol solution, and then put into a rotary evaporator to enrich curcumin concentration. The result showed that the present method is effective to isolate curcumin compound from Indonesian local turmeric. Since the process is very simple, this method can be used for home industrial application. Further, understanding the thermal decomposition properties of curcumin give information, specifically relating to the selection of treatment when curcumin must face the thermal-related process.

A method for the modelling of porous and solid wind tunnel walls in computational fluid dynamics codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beutner, Thomas John

1993-01-01

Porous wall wind tunnels have been used for several decades and have proven effective in reducing wall interference effects in both low speed and transonic testing. They allow for testing through Mach 1, reduce blockage effects and reduce shock wave reflections in the test section. Their usefulness in developing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes has been limited, however, by the difficulties associated with modelling the effect of a porous wall in CFD codes. Previous approaches to modelling porous wall effects have depended either upon a simplified linear boundary condition, which has proven inadequate, or upon detailed measurements of the normal velocity near the wall, which require extensive wind tunnel time. The current work was initiated in an effort to find a simple, accurate method of modelling a porous wall boundary condition in CFD codes. The development of such a method would allow data from porous wall wind tunnels to be used more readily in validating CFD codes. This would be beneficial when transonic validations are desired, or when large models are used to achieve high Reynolds numbers in testing. A computational and experimental study was undertaken to investigate a new method of modelling solid and porous wall boundary conditions in CFD codes. The method utilized experimental measurements at the walls to develop a flow field solution based on the method of singularities. This flow field solution was then imposed as a pressure boundary condition in a CFD simulation of the internal flow field. The effectiveness of this method in describing the effect of porosity changes on the wall was investigated. Also, the effectiveness of this method when only sparse experimental measurements were available has been investigated. The current work demonstrated this approach for low speed flows and compared the results with experimental data obtained from a heavily instrumented variable porosity test section. The approach developed was simple, computationally inexpensive, and did not require extensive or intrusive measurements of the boundary conditions during the wind tunnel test. It may be applied to both solid and porous wall wind tunnel tests.

The Automatic Recognition of the Abnormal Sky-subtraction Spectra Based on Hadoop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, An; Pan, Jingchang

2017-10-01

The skylines, superimposing on the target spectrum as a main noise, If the spectrum still contains a large number of high strength skylight residuals after sky-subtraction processing, it will not be conducive to the follow-up analysis of the target spectrum. At the same time, the LAMOST can observe a quantity of spectroscopic data in every night. We need an efficient platform to proceed the recognition of the larger numbers of abnormal sky-subtraction spectra quickly. Hadoop, as a distributed parallel data computing platform, can deal with large amounts of data effectively. In this paper, we conduct the continuum normalization firstly and then a simple and effective method will be presented to automatic recognize the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra based on Hadoop platform. Obtain through the experiment, the Hadoop platform can implement the recognition with more speed and efficiency, and the simple method can recognize the abnormal sky-subtraction spectra and find the abnormal skyline positions of different residual strength effectively, can be applied to the automatic detection of abnormal sky-subtraction of large number of spectra.

A Simple and Effective Physical Characteristic Profiling Method for Methamphetamine Tablet Seized in China.

PubMed

Li, Tao; Hua, Zhendong; Meng, Xin; Liu, Cuimei

2018-03-01

Methamphetamine (MA) tablet production confers chemical and physical properties. This study developed a simple and effective physical characteristic profiling method for MA tablets with capital letter "WY" logos, which realized the discrimination between linked and unlinked seizures. Seventeen signature distances extracted from the "WY" logo were explored as factors for multivariate analysis and demonstrated to be effective to represent the features of tablets in the drug intelligence perspective. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate efficiency of different pretreatments and distance/correlation metrics, while "Standardization + Euclidean" and "Logarithm + Euclidean" algorithms outperformed the rest. Finally, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied to the data set of 200 MA tablet seizures randomly selected from cases all around China in 2015, and 76% of them were classified into a group named after "WY-001." Moreover, the "WY-001" tablets occupied 51-80% tablet seizures from 2011 to 2015 in China, indicating the existence of a huge clandestine factory incessantly manufacturing MA tablets. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

A robust measure of HIV-1 population turnover within chronically infected individuals.

PubMed

Achaz, G; Palmer, S; Kearney, M; Maldarelli, F; Mellors, J W; Coffin, J M; Wakeley, J

2004-10-01

A simple nonparameteric test for population structure was applied to temporally spaced samples of HIV-1 sequences from the gag-pol region within two chronically infected individuals. The results show that temporal structure can be detected for samples separated by about 22 months or more. The performance of the method, which was originally proposed to detect geographic structure, was tested for temporally spaced samples using neutral coalescent simulations. Simulations showed that the method is robust to variation in samples sizes and mutation rates, to the presence/absence of recombination, and that the power to detect temporal structure is high. By comparing levels of temporal structure in simulations to the levels observed in real data, we estimate the effective intra-individual population size of HIV-1 to be between 10(3) and 10(4) viruses, which is in agreement with some previous estimates. Using this estimate and a simple measure of sequence diversity, we estimate an effective neutral mutation rate of about 5 x 10(-6) per site per generation in the gag-pol region. The definition and interpretation of estimates of such "effective" population parameters are discussed.

Estimate of the shielding effect on secondary cancer risk due to cone-beam CT in image-guided radiotherapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Jiwon; Baek, Tae Seong; Yoon, Myonggeun; Kim, Dong Wook; Kim, Dong Hyun

2014-09-01

This study evaluated the effect of a simple shielding method using a thin lead sheet on the imaging dose caused by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Reduction of secondary doses from CBCT was measured using a radio-photoluminescence glass dosimeter (RPLGD) placed inside an anthropomorphic phantom. The entire body, except for the region scanned by using CBCT, was shielded by wrapping it with a 2-mm lead sheet. Changes in secondary cancer risk due to shielding were calculated using BEIR VII models. Doses to out-of-field organs for head-and-neck, chest, and pelvis scans were decreased 15 ~ 100%, 23 ~ 90%, and 23 ~ 98%, respectively, and the average reductions in lifetime secondary cancer risk due to the 2-mm lead shielding were 1.6, 11.5, and 12.7 persons per 100,000, respectively. These findings suggest that a simple, thin-lead-sheet-based shielding method can effectively decrease secondary doses to out-of-field regions for CBCT, which reduces the lifetime cancer risk on average by 9 per 100,000 patients.

Use of Picard and Newton iteration for solving nonlinear ground water flow equations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mehl, S.

2006-01-01

This study examines the use of Picard and Newton iteration to solve the nonlinear, saturated ground water flow equation. Here, a simple three-node problem is used to demonstrate the convergence difficulties that can arise when solving the nonlinear, saturated ground water flow equation in both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems with and without nonlinear boundary conditions. For these cases, the characteristic types of convergence patterns are examined. Viewing these convergence patterns as orbits of an attractor in a dynamical system provides further insight. It is shown that the nonlinearity that arises from nonlinear head-dependent boundary conditions can cause more convergence difficulties than the nonlinearity that arises from flow in an unconfined aquifer. Furthermore, the effects of damping on both convergence and convergence rate are investigated. It is shown that no single strategy is effective for all problems and how understanding pitfalls and merits of several methods can be helpful in overcoming convergence difficulties. Results show that Picard iterations can be a simple and effective method for the solution of nonlinear, saturated ground water flow problems.

JMOSFET: A MOSFET parameter extractor with geometry-dependent terms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, M. G.; Moore, B. T.

1985-01-01

The parameters from metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) that are included on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) test chips need to be extracted to have a simple but comprehensive method that can be used in wafer acceptance, and to have a method that is sufficiently accurate that it can be used in integrated circuits. A set of MOSFET parameter extraction procedures that are directly linked to the MOSFET model equations and that facilitate the use of simple, direct curve-fitting techniques are developed. In addition, the major physical effects that affect MOSFET operation in the linear and saturation regions of operation for devices fabricated in 1.2 to 3.0 mm CMOS technology are included. The fitting procedures were designed to establish single values for such parameters as threshold voltage and transconductance and to provide for slope matching between the linear and saturation regions of the MOSFET output current-voltage curves. Four different sizes of transistors that cover a rectangular-shaped region of the channel length-width plane are analyzed.

Necessary and sufficient conditions for R₀ to be a sum of contributions of fertility loops.

PubMed

Rueffler, Claus; Metz, Johan A J

2013-03-01

Recently, de-Camino-Beck and Lewis (Bull Math Biol 69:1341-1354, 2007) have presented a method that under certain restricted conditions allows computing the basic reproduction ratio R₀ in a simple manner from life cycle graphs, without, however, giving an explicit indication of these conditions. In this paper, we give various sets of sufficient and generically necessary conditions. To this end, we develop a fully algebraic counterpart of their graph-reduction method which we actually found more useful in concrete applications. Both methods, if they work, give a simple algebraic formula that can be interpreted as the sum of contributions of all fertility loops. This formula can be used in e.g. pest control and conservation biology, where it can complement sensitivity and elasticity analyses. The simplest of the necessary and sufficient conditions is that, for irreducible projection matrices, all paths from birth to reproduction have to pass through a common state. This state may be visible in the state representation for the chosen sampling time, but the passing may also occur in between sampling times, like a seed stage in the case of sampling just before flowering. Note that there may be more than one birth state, like when plants in their first year can already have different sizes at the sampling time. Also the common state may occur only later in life. However, in all cases R₀ allows a simple interpretation as the expected number of new individuals that in the next generation enter the common state deriving from a single individual in this state. We end with pointing to some alternative algebraically simple quantities with properties similar to those of R₀ that may sometimes be used to good effect in cases where no simple formula for R₀ exists.

Bootstrap Methods: A Very Leisurely Look.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinkle, Dennis E.; Winstead, Wayland H.

The Bootstrap method, a computer-intensive statistical method of estimation, is illustrated using a simple and efficient Statistical Analysis System (SAS) routine. The utility of the method for generating unknown parameters, including standard errors for simple statistics, regression coefficients, discriminant function coefficients, and factor…

Effective Surfactants Blend Concentration Determination for O/W Emulsion Stabilization by Two Nonionic Surfactants by Simple Linear Regression.

PubMed

Hassan, A K

2015-01-01

In this work, O/W emulsion sets were prepared by using different concentrations of two nonionic surfactants. The two surfactants, tween 80(HLB=15.0) and span 80(HLB=4.3) were used in a fixed proportions equal to 0.55:0.45 respectively. HLB value of the surfactants blends were fixed at 10.185. The surfactants blend concentration is starting from 3% up to 19%. For each O/W emulsion set the conductivity was measured at room temperature (25±2°), 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80°. Applying the simple linear regression least squares method statistical analysis to the temperature-conductivity obtained data determines the effective surfactants blend concentration required for preparing the most stable O/W emulsion. These results were confirmed by applying the physical stability centrifugation testing and the phase inversion temperature range measurements. The results indicated that, the relation which represents the most stable O/W emulsion has the strongest direct linear relationship between temperature and conductivity. This relationship is linear up to 80°. This work proves that, the most stable O/W emulsion is determined via the determination of the maximum R² value by applying of the simple linear regression least squares method to the temperature-conductivity obtained data up to 80°, in addition to, the true maximum slope is represented by the equation which has the maximum R² value. Because the conditions would be changed in a more complex formulation, the method of the determination of the effective surfactants blend concentration was verified by applying it for more complex formulations of 2% O/W miconazole nitrate cream and the results indicate its reproducibility.

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

Zhang, Zhiqiang; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706; Geng, Dalong

A simple and effective decoupled finite element analysis method was developed for simulating both the piezoelectric and flexoelectric effects of zinc oxide (ZnO) and barium titanate (BTO) nanowires (NWs). The piezoelectric potential distribution on a ZnO NW was calculated under three deformation conditions (cantilever, three-point, and four-point bending) and compared to the conventional fully coupled method. The discrepancies of the electric potential maximums from these two methods were found very small, validating the accuracy and effectiveness of the decoupled method. Both ZnO and BTO NWs yielded very similar potential distributions. Comparing the potential distributions induced by the piezoelectric and flexoelectricmore » effects, we identified that the middle segment of a four-point bending NW beam is the ideal place for measuring the flexoelectric coefficient, because the uniform parallel plate capacitor-like potential distribution in this region is exclusively induced by the flexoelectric effect. This decoupled method could provide a valuable guideline for experimental measurements of the piezoelectric effects and flexoelectric effects in the nanometer scale.« less

A Novel Method of Orbital Floor Reconstruction Using Virtual Planning, 3-Dimensional Printing, and Autologous Bone.

PubMed

Vehmeijer, Maarten; van Eijnatten, Maureen; Liberton, Niels; Wolff, Jan

2016-08-01

Fractures of the orbital floor are often a result of traffic accidents or interpersonal violence. To date, numerous materials and methods have been used to reconstruct the orbital floor. However, simple and cost-effective 3-dimensional (3D) printing technologies for the treatment of orbital floor fractures are still sought. This study describes a simple, precise, cost-effective method of treating orbital fractures using 3D printing technologies in combination with autologous bone. Enophthalmos and diplopia developed in a 64-year-old female patient with an orbital floor fracture. A virtual 3D model of the fracture site was generated from computed tomography images of the patient. The fracture was virtually closed using spline interpolation. Furthermore, a virtual individualized mold of the defect site was created, which was manufactured using an inkjet printer. The tangible mold was subsequently used during surgery to sculpture an individualized autologous orbital floor implant. Virtual reconstruction of the orbital floor and the resulting mold enhanced the overall accuracy and efficiency of the surgical procedure. The sculptured autologous orbital floor implant showed an excellent fit in vivo. The combination of virtual planning and 3D printing offers an accurate and cost-effective treatment method for orbital floor fractures. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Air-bridged Ohmic contact on vertically aligned si nanowire arrays: application to molecule sensors.

PubMed

Han, Hee; Kim, Jungkil; Shin, Ho Sun; Song, Jae Yong; Lee, Woo

2012-05-02

A simple, cost-effective, and highly reliable method for constructing an air-bridged electrical contact on large arrays of vertically aligned nanowires was developed. The present method may open up new opportunities for developing advanced nanowire-based devices for energy harvest and storage, power generation, and sensing applications. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Estimating the Effect of Changes in Criterion Score Reliability on the Power of the "F" Test of Equality of Means

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldt, Leonard S.

2011-01-01

This article presents a simple, computer-assisted method of determining the extent to which increases in reliability increase the power of the "F" test of equality of means. The method uses a derived formula that relates the changes in the reliability coefficient to changes in the noncentrality of the relevant "F" distribution. A readily available…

Determination of the Effect of Various Modes of Cooking on the Vitamin C Content of a Common Food, Green Pepper: An Introductory Biochemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Eric R.

1988-01-01

Describes a laboratory experiment that measures the amount of ascorbic acid destroyed by food preparation methods (boiling and steaming). Points out that aqueous extracts of cooked green pepper samples can be analyzed for ascorbic acid by a relatively simple redox titration. Lists experimental procedure for four methods of preparation. (MVL)

K-means clustering for support construction in diffractive imaging.

PubMed

Hattanda, Shunsuke; Shioya, Hiroyuki; Maehara, Yosuke; Gohara, Kazutoshi

2014-03-01

A method for constructing an object support based on K-means clustering of the object-intensity distribution is newly presented in diffractive imaging. This releases the adjustment of unknown parameters in the support construction, and it is well incorporated with the Gerchberg and Saxton diagram. A simple numerical simulation reveals that the proposed method is effective for dynamically constructing the support without an initial prior support.

A simple method to measure the complex permittivity of materials at variable temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaoqing; Yin, Yang; Liu, Zhanwei; Zhang, Di; Wu, Shiyue; Yuan, Jianping; Li, Lixin

2017-10-01

Measurement of the complex permittivity (CP) of a material at different temperatures in microwave heating applications is difficult and complicated. In this paper a simple and convenient method is employed to measure the CP of a material over variable temperature. In this method the temperature of a sample is increased experimentally to obtain the formula for the relationship between CP and temperature by a genetic algorithm. We chose agar solution (sample) and a Yangshao reactor (microwave heating system) to validate the reliability and feasibility of this method. The physical parameters (the heat capacity, C p , density, ρ, and thermal conductivity, k) of the sample are set as constants in the process of simulation and inversion. We analyze the influence of the variation of physical parameters with temperature on the accuracy of the inversion results. It is demonstrated that the variation of these physical parameters has little effect on the inversion results in a certain temperature range.

Efficient generation of integration-free human induced pluripotent stem cells from keratinocytes by simple transfection of episomal vectors.

PubMed

Piao, Yulan; Hung, Sandy Shen-Chi; Lim, Shiang Y; Wong, Raymond Ching-Bong; Ko, Minoru S H

2014-07-01

Keratinocytes represent an easily accessible cell source for derivation of human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells, reportedly achieving higher reprogramming efficiency than fibroblasts. However, most studies utilized a retroviral or lentiviral method for reprogramming of keratinocytes, which introduces undesirable transgene integrations into the host genome. Moreover, current protocols of generating integration-free hiPS cells from keratinocytes are mostly inefficient. In this paper, we describe a more efficient, simple-to-use, and cost-effective method for generating integration-free hiPS cells from keratinocytes. Our improved method using lipid-mediated transfection achieved a reprogramming efficiency of ∼0.14% on average. Keratinocyte-derived hiPS cells showed no integration of episomal vectors, expressed stem cell-specific markers and possessed potentials to differentiate into all three germ layers by in vitro embryoid body formation as well as in vivo teratoma formation. To our knowledge, this represents the most efficient method to generate integration-free hiPS cells from keratinocytes. ©AlphaMed Press.

Stability-Derivative Determination from Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holowicz, Chester H.; Holleman, Euclid C.

1958-01-01

A comprehensive discussion of the various factors affecting the determination of stability and control derivatives from flight data is presented based on the experience of the NASA High-Speed Flight Station. Factors relating to test techniques, determination of mass characteristics, instrumentation, and methods of analysis are discussed. For most longitudinal-stability-derivative analyses simple equations utilizing period and damping have been found to be as satisfactory as more comprehensive methods. The graphical time-vector method has been the basis of lateral-derivative analysis, although simple approximate methods can be useful If applied with caution. Control effectiveness has been generally obtained by relating the peak acceleration to the rapid control input, and consideration must be given to aerodynamic contributions if reasonable accuracy is to be realized.. Because of the many factors involved In the determination of stability derivatives, It is believed that the primary stability and control derivatives are probably accurate to within 10 to 25 percent, depending upon the specific derivative. Static-stability derivatives at low angle of attack show the greatest accuracy.

A novel algorithm for laser self-mixing sensors used with the Kalman filter to measure displacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Hui; Liu, Ji-Gou

2018-07-01

This paper proposes a simple and effective method for estimating the feedback level factor C in a self-mixing interferometric sensor. It is used with a Kalman filter to retrieve the displacement. Without the complicated and onerous calculation process of the general C estimation method, a final equation is obtained. Thus, the estimation of C only involves a few simple calculations. It successfully retrieves the sinusoidal and aleatory displacement by means of simulated self-mixing signals in both weak and moderate feedback regimes. To deal with the errors resulting from noise and estimate bias of C and to further improve the retrieval precision, a Kalman filter is employed following the general phase unwrapping method. The simulation and experiment results show that the retrieved displacement using the C obtained with the proposed method is comparable to the joint estimation of C and α. Besides, the Kalman filter can significantly decrease measurement errors, especially the error caused by incorrectly locating the peak and valley positions of the signal.

Application of sulphanilamides disazo dyes with Tropaeolin O for simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric assay of medicines.

PubMed

Boiko, Maria; Vrublevska, Teodoziya; Korkuna, Olha; Teslyar, Grigory

2011-07-01

A rapid, simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of some sulphanilamides is described. The method is based on the formation of blue coloured disazo dyes by the diazotization of sulphonamides viz. sulphanilamide (SA), sulphamerazine (SMR), sulphamethazine (SMZ), sulphadimethoxine (SDM), sulphamethoxazole (SMX), sulphadiazine (SDA), sulfathiazole (STZ), sulphaguanidine (SGN), sulphamonomethoxine (SMM), sulphamethoxypyridazine (SMP) in 0.5M hydrochloric acid media at ice bath followed by the azocoupling reaction with acid monoazo dye Tropaeolin O (TrO) at pH=10.5. Formed products are stable for 10h at room temperature. Effective molar absorptivities at absorbance maxima 595nm for disazo dyes were ∼10(4)M(-1)cm(-1). Stoichiometric ratios of the components of disazo dyes were determined by means of mole ratio and continuous variations methods. Linear ranges for sulphanilamides determination were 0.4-14.0μgml(-1). The methods were successfully approved at suphanilamides determination in model solutions and commercial pharmaceutical preparations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surgery for left ventricular aneurysm: early and late survival after simple linear repair and endoventricular patch plasty.

PubMed

Lundblad, Runar; Abdelnoor, Michel; Svennevig, Jan Ludvig

2004-09-01

Simple linear resection and endoventricular patch plasty are alternative techniques to repair postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm. The aim of the study was to compare these 2 methods with regard to early mortality and long-term survival. We retrospectively reviewed 159 patients undergoing operations between 1989 and 2003. The epidemiologic design was of an exposed (simple linear repair, n = 74) versus nonexposed (endoventricular patch plasty, n = 85) cohort with 2 endpoints: early mortality and long-term survival. The crude effect of aneurysm repair technique versus endpoint was estimated by odds ratio, rate ratio, or relative risk and their 95% confidence intervals. Stratification analysis by using the Mantel-Haenszel method was done to quantify confounders and pinpoint effect modifiers. Adjustment for multiconfounders was performed by using logistic regression and Cox regression analysis. Survival curves were analyzed with the Breslow test and the log-rank test. Early mortality was 8.2% for all patients, 13.5% after linear repair and 3.5% after endoventricular patch plasty. When adjusted for multiconfounders, the risk of early mortality was significantly higher after simple linear repair than after endoventricular patch plasty (odds ratio, 4.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-17.8). Mean follow-up was 5.8 +/- 3.8 years (range, 0-14.0 years). Overall 5-year cumulative survival was 78%, 70.1% after linear repair and 91.4% after endoventricular patch plasty. The risk of total mortality was significantly higher after linear repair than after endoventricular patch plasty when controlled for multiconfounders (relative risk, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.0-9.7). Linear repair dominated early in the series and patch plasty dominated later, giving a possible learning-curve bias in favor of patch plasty that could not be adjusted for in the regression analysis. Postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm can be repaired with satisfactory early and late results. Surgical risk was lower and long-term survival was higher after endoventricular patch plasty than simple linear repair. Differences in outcome should be interpreted with care because of the retrospective study design and the chronology of the 2 repair methods.

A Simple Label Switching Algorithm for Semisupervised Structural SVMs.

PubMed

Balamurugan, P; Shevade, Shirish; Sundararajan, S

2015-10-01

In structured output learning, obtaining labeled data for real-world applications is usually costly, while unlabeled examples are available in abundance. Semisupervised structured classification deals with a small number of labeled examples and a large number of unlabeled structured data. In this work, we consider semisupervised structural support vector machines with domain constraints. The optimization problem, which in general is not convex, contains the loss terms associated with the labeled and unlabeled examples, along with the domain constraints. We propose a simple optimization approach that alternates between solving a supervised learning problem and a constraint matching problem. Solving the constraint matching problem is difficult for structured prediction, and we propose an efficient and effective label switching method to solve it. The alternating optimization is carried out within a deterministic annealing framework, which helps in effective constraint matching and avoiding poor local minima, which are not very useful. The algorithm is simple and easy to implement. Further, it is suitable for any structured output learning problem where exact inference is available. Experiments on benchmark sequence labeling data sets and a natural language parsing data set show that the proposed approach, though simple, achieves comparable generalization performance.

A simple method using two-step hot embossing technique with shrinking for fabrication of cross microchannels on PMMA substrate and its application to electrophoretic separation of amino acids in functional drinks.

PubMed

Wiriyakun, Natta; Nacapricha, Duangjai; Chantiwas, Rattikan

2016-12-01

This work presents a simple hot embossing method with a shrinking procedure to produce cross-shape microchannels on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) substrate for the fabrication of an electrophoresis chip. The proposed method employed a simple two-step hot embossing technique, carried out consecutively on the same piece of substrate to make the crossing channels. Studies of embossing conditions, i.e. temperature, pressure and time, were carried out to investigate their effects on the dimension of the microchannels. Applying a simple shrinking procedure reduced the size of the channels from 700±20µm wide×150±5µm deep to 250±10µm wide×30±2µm deep, i.e. 80% and 64% reduction in the depth and width, respectively. Thermal fusion was employed to bond the PMMA substrate with a PMMA cover plate to produce the microfluidic device. Replication of microchip was achieved by precise control of conditions in the fabrication process (pressure, temperature and time), resulting in lower than 7% RSD of channel dimension, width and depth (n =10 devices). The method was simple and robust without the use of expensive equipment to construct the microstructure on a thermoplastic substrate. The PMMA microchip was used for demonstration of amine functionalization on the PMMA surface, measurement of electroosmotic flow and for electrophoretic separation of amino acids in functional drink samples. The precision of migration time and peak area of the amino acids, Lys, Ile and Phe at 125μM to 500μM, were in the range 3.2-4.2% RSD (n=9 devices) and 4.5-5.3% RSD (n=9 devices), respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prediction of the effects of propeller operation on the static longitudinal stability of single-engine tractor monoplanes with flaps retracted

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weil, Joseph; Sleeman, William C , Jr

1949-01-01

The effects of propeller operation on the static longitudinal stability of single-engine tractor monoplanes are analyzed, and a simple method is presented for computing power-on pitching-moment curves for flap-retracted flight conditions. The methods evolved are based on the results of powered-model wind-tunnel investigations of 28 model configurations. Correlation curves are presented from which the effects of power on the downwash over the tail and the stabilizer effectiveness can be rapidly predicted. The procedures developed enable prediction of power-on longitudinal stability characteristics that are generally in very good agreement with experiment.

A simple method to fabricate an NIR detector by PbTe nanowires in a large scale

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

Baghchesara, Mohammad Amin; Yousefi, Ramin, E-mail: Yousefi.ramin@gmail.com; Cheraghizade, Mohsen

2016-05-15

Highlights: • PbTe nanowires were grown by tellurization of the Pb sheets for the first time. • It was observed a band gap value for the PbTe nanostructures in the NIR region. • NIR detector was fabricated in a large scale using a simple method. • Effect of Te concentration on morphology of PbTe nanostructures was investigated. - Abstract: A simple method was used to fabricate a near-infrared (NIR) detector using PbTe nanostructures. Samples were synthesized by tellurization of lead sheets in a tube furnace. PbTe nanostructures with wires and flakes shapes were grown on the lead sheets that weremore » placed at 300 and 330 °C, respectively, while, PbTe nanoporous were grown at 360 and 390 °C. X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray photoelectron spectra results indicated that, the PbTe phase was formed in all samples. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra measurements showed a band gap for the PbTe nanostructures in the near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Actually, the results indicated that, the band gap values of the PbTe nanowires and nanoporous were 1.54 eV and 1.61 eV, respectively. Finally, the PbTe nanostructures were used as a simple photoresponse device under a red light source. The photoresponse results revealed, PbTe nanowires are promising for photoelectrical applications in the NIR region.« less

Worker education level is a factor in self-compliance with dust-preventive methods among small-scale agate industrial workers.

PubMed

Aggarwal, Bhagwan D

2013-01-01

High incidences of silicosis are continuing to be reported among the agate workers of small-scale household agate processing units in the Khambhat region of Gujarat (India). The objective of this study was to investigate reasons behind the high prevalence of silicosis, and factors affecting the noncompliance with preventive methods among agate workers. The study was conducted using a questionnaire-based structured interview method among 82 agate workers in Khambhat to assess their awareness level about silicosis and preventive methods, existing morbidity, worker's attitude toward health, and the prevalence of actual use of preventive methods to avoid silica exposure. The majority of the workers (55%) were aware of silicosis and the harmful effects of silica dust exposure (72%) and knew about simple preventive methods to avoid silica dust exposure (80%), but only a minority of the workers (22%) were actually using the simple and available dust-preventive methods. Only 9% of the uneducated workers were using the preventive methods, while usage was higher among educated workers (28%), who had five or more years of schooling, and these workers had fewer health conditions or less morbidity. Gender and job duration had no effect on the usage of dust-preventive methods. The data suggest that noncompliance with use of dust-preventive methods could be the reason behind the higher prevalence of silicosis and health morbidity in agate workers, and that years of schooling plays a significant role in the increased usage and self-compliance with dust-preventive methods among agate workers.

The analysis of non-linear dynamic behavior (including snap-through) of postbuckled plates by simple analytical solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, C. F.

1988-01-01

Static postbuckling and nonlinear dynamic analysis of plates are usually accomplished by multimode analyses, although the methods are complicated and do not give straightforward understanding of the nonlinear behavior. Assuming single-mode transverse displacement, a simple formula is derived for the transverse load displacement relationship of a plate under in-plane compression. The formula is used to derive a simple analytical expression for the static postbuckling displacement and nonlinear dynamic responses of postbuckled plates under sinusoidal or random excitation. Regions with softening and hardening spring behavior are identified. Also, the highly nonlinear motion of snap-through and its effects on the overall dynamic response can be easily interpreted using the single-mode formula. Theoretical results are compared with experimental results obtained using a buckled aluminum panel, using discrete frequency and broadband point excitation. Some important effects of the snap-through motion on the dynamic response of the postbuckled plates are found.

The Reliability and Validity of Using Regression Residuals to Measure Institutional Effectiveness in Promoting Degree Completion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horn, Aaron S.; Lee, Giljae

2016-01-01

A relatively simple way of measuring institutional effectiveness in relation to degree completion is to estimate the difference between an actual and predicted graduation rate, but the reliability and validity of this method have not been thoroughly examined. Longitudinal data were obtained from IPEDS for both public and private not-for-profit…

Combinational Reasoning of Quantitative Fuzzy Topological Relations for Simple Fuzzy Regions

PubMed Central

Liu, Bo; Li, Dajun; Xia, Yuanping; Ruan, Jian; Xu, Lili; Wu, Huanyi

2015-01-01

In recent years, formalization and reasoning of topological relations have become a hot topic as a means to generate knowledge about the relations between spatial objects at the conceptual and geometrical levels. These mechanisms have been widely used in spatial data query, spatial data mining, evaluation of equivalence and similarity in a spatial scene, as well as for consistency assessment of the topological relations of multi-resolution spatial databases. The concept of computational fuzzy topological space is applied to simple fuzzy regions to efficiently and more accurately solve fuzzy topological relations. Thus, extending the existing research and improving upon the previous work, this paper presents a new method to describe fuzzy topological relations between simple spatial regions in Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Firstly, we propose a new definition for simple fuzzy line segments and simple fuzzy regions based on the computational fuzzy topology. And then, based on the new definitions, we also propose a new combinational reasoning method to compute the topological relations between simple fuzzy regions, moreover, this study has discovered that there are (1) 23 different topological relations between a simple crisp region and a simple fuzzy region; (2) 152 different topological relations between two simple fuzzy regions. In the end, we have discussed some examples to demonstrate the validity of the new method, through comparisons with existing fuzzy models, we showed that the proposed method can compute more than the existing models, as it is more expressive than the existing fuzzy models. PMID:25775452

Wall proximity corrections for hot-wire readings in turbulent flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hebbar, K. S.

1980-01-01

This note describes some details of recent (successful) attempts of wall proximity corrections for hot-wire measurements performed in a three-dimensional incompressible turbulent boundary layer. A simple and quite satisfactory method of estimating wall proximity effects on hot-wire readings is suggested.

Contrast Analysis: A Tutorial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haans, Antal

2018-01-01

Contrast analysis is a relatively simple but effective statistical method for testing theoretical predictions about differences between group means against the empirical data. Despite its advantages, contrast analysis is hardly used to date, perhaps because it is not implemented in a convenient manner in many statistical software packages. This…

The Nitrogen Excretory Metabolism of Lumbricus Terrestris

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teal, A. R.

1977-01-01

The use of the earthworm as a laboratory animal for studying the effect of starvation on nitrogen metabolism is discussed. Simple techniques and methods are presented allowing in vivo physiological responses to be compared with changes in the enzyme potential of gut tissue. (Author/MA)

Eyes Closed for Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Statham, Mick

2016-01-01

A constructivist philosophy underpinning science teaching and learning for over 100 years in United Kingdom (UK) classrooms places "conceptual change" at the heart of classroom work in which children's scientific ideas form, strengthen and change. In this article, the author explains how the simple, effective method of "eyes…

Breeding for phytonutrient content; examples from watermelon

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Breeding for high phytonutrient fruits and vegetables can be a fairly straightforward endeavor when the compounds of interest produce a visible effect or the methods for quantifying the compounds simple and inexpensive. Lycopene in tomatoes and watermelon is one such compound, since the amount of r...

Surface hardening of Al alloys through controlled ball-milling and sintering.

PubMed

Kim, Seek Hyeoun; Kim, Yong Jin; Ahn, Jung-Ho

2012-07-01

One of the drawbacks of aluminum and its alloys is the lack of proper heat-treatment for surface-hardening. In the present work, a new and simple method of hardening the surface of aluminum and its alloys was developed. Low-energy ball-milling using specific process control agents (PCAs) was employed, using subsequent sintering in a controlled atmosphere. The PCAs in the present work were very effective both for milling and the formation of hard nanocrystalline dispersoids during sintering. The residual oxygen in a sintering atmosphere also played an important role in the formation of AIN or Al-O-N dispersoids. Through the proper control of the processing atmosphere and PCAs, the hardness and thickness of the hardened layers could be adjusted. The results of the wear test showed that the present aluminum alloys can be effectively utilized as light-weight components with a good wear resistance. Furthermore, the present method involves a simple forming process of die-compaction and sintering.

On-demand Droplet Manipulation via Triboelectrification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Vahabi, Hamed; Cackovic, Matthew; Jiang, Rui; Kota, Arun

2017-11-01

Controlled manipulation of liquid droplets has attracted tremendous interest across different scientific fields over the past two decades. To date, a variety of external stimuli-mediated methods such as magnetic field, electric field, and light have been developed for manipulating droplets on surfaces. However, these methods usually have drawbacks such as complex fabrication of manipulation platform, low droplet motility, expensive actuation system and lack of precise control. In this work, we demonstrate the controlled manipulation of liquid droplet with both high (e.g., water) and low (e.g., n-hexadecane) dielectric strengths on a smooth, slippery surface via triboelectric effect. Our highly simple, facile and portable methodology enables on-demand, precise manipulation of droplets using solely the electrostatic attraction or repulsion force, which is exerted on the droplet by a simple charged actuator (e.g., Teflon film). We envision that our triboelectric effect enabled droplet manipulation methodology will open a new avenue for droplet based lab-on-a-chip systems, energy harvesting devices and biomedical applications.

Effects of practice on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV across 3- and 6-month intervals.

PubMed

Estevis, Eduardo; Basso, Michael R; Combs, Dennis

2012-01-01

A total of 54 participants (age M = 20.9; education M = 14.9; initial Full Scale IQ M = 111.6) were administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) at baseline and again either 3 or 6 months later. Scores on the Full Scale IQ, Verbal Comprehension, Working Memory, Perceptual Reasoning, Processing Speed, and General Ability Indices improved approximately 7, 5, 4, 5, 9, and 6 points, respectively, and increases were similar regardless of whether the re-examination occurred over 3- or 6-month intervals. Reliable change indices (RCI) were computed using the simple difference and bivariate regression methods, providing estimated base rates of change across time. The regression method provided more accurate estimates of reliable change than did the simple difference between baseline and follow-up scores. These findings suggest that prior exposure to the WAIS-IV results in significant score increments. These gains reflect practice effects instead of genuine intellectual changes, which may lead to errors in clinical judgment.

On the dynamics of a human body model.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huston, R. L.; Passerello, C. E.

1971-01-01

Equations of motion for a model of the human body are developed. Basically, the model consists of an elliptical cylinder representing the torso, together with a system of frustrums of elliptical cones representing the limbs. They are connected to the main body and each other by hinges and ball and socket joints. Vector, tensor, and matrix methods provide a systematic organization of the geometry. The equations of motion are developed from the principles of classical mechanics. The solution of these equations then provide the displacement and rotation of the main body when the external forces and relative limb motions are specified. Three simple example motions are studied to illustrate the method. The first is an analysis and comparison of simple lifting on the earth and the moon. The second is an elementary approach to underwater swimming, including both viscous and inertia effects. The third is an analysis of kicking motion and its effect upon a vertically suspended man such as a parachutist.

Introduction, comparison, and validation of Meta-Essentials: A free and simple tool for meta-analysis.

PubMed

Suurmond, Robert; van Rhee, Henk; Hak, Tony

2017-12-01

We present a new tool for meta-analysis, Meta-Essentials, which is free of charge and easy to use. In this paper, we introduce the tool and compare its features to other tools for meta-analysis. We also provide detailed information on the validation of the tool. Although free of charge and simple, Meta-Essentials automatically calculates effect sizes from a wide range of statistics and can be used for a wide range of meta-analysis applications, including subgroup analysis, moderator analysis, and publication bias analyses. The confidence interval of the overall effect is automatically based on the Knapp-Hartung adjustment of the DerSimonian-Laird estimator. However, more advanced meta-analysis methods such as meta-analytical structural equation modelling and meta-regression with multiple covariates are not available. In summary, Meta-Essentials may prove a valuable resource for meta-analysts, including researchers, teachers, and students. © 2017 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Active disturbance rejection controller for chemical reactor

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

Both, Roxana; Dulf, Eva H.; Muresan, Cristina I., E-mail: roxana.both@aut.utcluj.ro

2015-03-10

In the petrochemical industry, the synthesis of 2 ethyl-hexanol-oxo-alcohols (plasticizers alcohol) is of high importance, being achieved through hydrogenation of 2 ethyl-hexenal inside catalytic trickle bed three-phase reactors. For this type of processes the use of advanced control strategies is suitable due to their nonlinear behavior and extreme sensitivity to load changes and other disturbances. Due to the complexity of the mathematical model an approach was to use a simple linear model of the process in combination with an advanced control algorithm which takes into account the model uncertainties, the disturbances and command signal limitations like robust control. However themore » resulting controller is complex, involving cost effective hardware. This paper proposes a simple integer-order control scheme using a linear model of the process, based on active disturbance rejection method. By treating the model dynamics as a common disturbance and actively rejecting it, active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) can achieve the desired response. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.« less

Nanoribbon field-effect transistors as direct and label-free sensors of enzyme-substrate interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mu, Luye; Droujinine, Ilia; Rajan, Nitin; Sawtelle, Sonya; Reed, Mark

2015-03-01

The ability to measure enzyme-substrate interactions is essential in areas such as diagnostics, treatment, and biochemical screens. Many enzymatic reactions alter the pH of its environment, suggesting of a simple and direct method for detection. We show the ability of Al2O3-coated Si nanoribbon field-effect transistor biosensors to sensitively measure various aspects of enzyme-substrate interactions through measuring the pH. Urea in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and penicillinase in PBS and urine were measured to limits of <200 μM and 0.02 units/mL, respectively. We also show the ability to extract accurate kinetics from the interaction of acetylcholine and its esterase. Prior work on FET sensors has been limited by the use of surface functionalization, which not only alters enzyme-substrate affinity, but also makes enzyme activity quantification difficult. Our method involves direct detection of reactions in solution without requiring alteration to the reactants, allowing us to obtain repeatable results and sensitive limits of detection. This method is a simple, inexpensive, and effective platform for detection of enzymatic reactions, and can be readily generalized to many unrelated classes of reactants. This work was supported in part by U.S. Army Research Office and Air Force Research Laboratory.

Evaluation of a Fast and Simple Sample Preparation Method for Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) Flame Retardants and Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Pesticides in Fish for Analysis by ELISA Compared with GC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Sapozhnikova, Yelena; Simons, Tawana; Lehotay, Steven J

2015-05-13

A simple, fast, and cost-effective sample preparation method, previously developed and validated for the analysis of organic contaminants in fish using low-pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LPGC-MS/MS), was evaluated for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) pesticides using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The sample preparation technique was based on the quick, easy, cheap, rugged, effective, and safe (QuEChERS) approach with filter-vial dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE). Incurred PBDEs and DDTs were analyzed in three types of fish with 3-10% lipid content: Pacific croaker, salmon, and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Material 1947 (Lake Michigan fish tissue). LPGC-MS/MS and ELISA results were in agreement: 108-111 and 65-82% accuracy ELISA versus LPGC-MS/MS results for PBDEs and DDTs, respectively. Similar detection limits were achieved for ELISA and LPGC-MS/MS. Matrix effects (MEs) were significant (e.g., -60%) for PBDE measurement in ELISA, but not a factor in the case of DDT pesticides. This study demonstrated that the sample preparation method can be adopted for semiquantitative screening analysis of fish samples by commercial kits for PBDEs and DDTs.

Deterministic diffusion in flower-shaped billiards.

PubMed

Harayama, Takahisa; Klages, Rainer; Gaspard, Pierre

2002-08-01

We propose a flower-shaped billiard in order to study the irregular parameter dependence of chaotic normal diffusion. Our model is an open system consisting of periodically distributed obstacles in the shape of a flower, and it is strongly chaotic for almost all parameter values. We compute the parameter dependent diffusion coefficient of this model from computer simulations and analyze its functional form using different schemes, all generalizing the simple random walk approximation of Machta and Zwanzig. The improved methods we use are based either on heuristic higher-order corrections to the simple random walk model, on lattice gas simulation methods, or they start from a suitable Green-Kubo formula for diffusion. We show that dynamical correlations, or memory effects, are of crucial importance in reproducing the precise parameter dependence of the diffusion coefficent.

Development of a distributed polarization-OTDR to measure two vibrations with the same frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Yun; Wang, Feng; Wang, Xiangchuan; Zhang, Mingjiang; Zhou, Ling; Sun, Zhenqing; Zhang, Xuping

2015-08-01

A polarization optical time-domain reflectometer (POTDR) can distributedly measure the vibration of fiber by detecting the vibration induced polarization variation only with a polarization analyzer. It has great potential in the monitoring of the border intrusion, structural healthy, anti-stealing of pipeline and so on, because of its simple configuration, fast response speed and distributed measuring ability. However, it is difficult to distinguish two vibrations with the same frequency for POTDR because the signal induced by the first vibration would bury the other vibration induced signal. This paper proposes a simple method to resolve this problem in POTDR by analyzing the phase of the vibration induced signal. The effectiveness of this method in distinguishing two vibrations with the same frequency for POTDR is proved by simulation.

Effects of Morning Caffeine’ Ingestion on Mood States, Simple Reaction Time, and Short-Term Maximal Performance on Elite Judoists

PubMed Central

Souissi, Makram; Abedelmalek, Salma; Chtourou, Hamdi; Atheymen, Rim; Hakim, Ahmed; Sahnoun, Zouhair

2012-01-01

Purpose The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ergogenic effect of caffeine ingestion on mood state, simple reaction time, and muscle power during the Wingate test recorded in the morning on elite Judoists. Methods Twelve elite judoists (age: 21.08 ± 1.16 years, body mass: 83.75 ± 20.2 kg, height: 1.76 ±6.57 m) participated in this study. Mood states, simple reaction time, and muscle power during the Wingate test were measured during two test sessions at 07:00 h and after placebo or caffeine ingestion (i.e. 5 mg/kg). Plasma concentrations of caffeine were measured before (T0) and 1-h after caffeine’ ingestion (T1) and after the Wingate test (T3). Results Our results revealed an increase of the anxiety and the vigor (P<0.01), a reduction of the simple reaction time (P<0.001) and an improvement of the peak and mean powers during the Wingate test. However, the fatigue index during this test was unaffected by the caffeine ingestion. In addition, plasma concentration of caffeine was significantly higher at T1 in comparison with T0. Conclusions In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that morning caffeine ingestion has ergogenic properties with the potential to benefit performance, increase anxiety and vigor, and decrease the simple reaction time. PMID:23012635

Methods for roof-top mini-arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazen, W. E.; Hazen, E. S.

1985-08-01

To test the idea of the Linsley effect mini array for the study of giant air showers, it is desirable to have a trigger that exploits the effect itself. In addition to the trigger, it is necessary to have a method for measuring the relative arrival times of the particle swarm selected by the trigger. Since the idea of mini arrays is likely to appeal to small research groups, it is desirable to try to design relatively simple and inexpensive methods, and methods that utilize existing detectors. Clusters of small detectors have been designed for operation in the local particle density realm where the probability of or = 2 particles per detector is small. Consequently, this method can discriminate pulses from each detector and thenceforth deal mainly with logic pulses.

A simple finite element method for the Stokes equations

DOE PAGES

Mu, Lin; Ye, Xiu

2017-03-21

The goal of this paper is to introduce a simple finite element method to solve the Stokes equations. This method is in primal velocity-pressure formulation and is so simple such that both velocity and pressure are approximated by piecewise constant functions. Implementation issues as well as error analysis are investigated. A basis for a divergence free subspace of the velocity field is constructed so that the original saddle point problem can be reduced to a symmetric and positive definite system with much fewer unknowns. The numerical experiments indicate that the method is accurate.

A simple finite element method for the Stokes equations

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

Mu, Lin; Ye, Xiu

The goal of this paper is to introduce a simple finite element method to solve the Stokes equations. This method is in primal velocity-pressure formulation and is so simple such that both velocity and pressure are approximated by piecewise constant functions. Implementation issues as well as error analysis are investigated. A basis for a divergence free subspace of the velocity field is constructed so that the original saddle point problem can be reduced to a symmetric and positive definite system with much fewer unknowns. The numerical experiments indicate that the method is accurate.

[Clinical observation on acupuncture by stages combined with exercise therapy for treatment of Bell palsy at acute stage].

PubMed

Qu, Yong

2005-08-01

To find out a method for increasing clinical therapeutic effect on Bell palsy at acute stage. Ninety cases of Bell palsy were randomly divided into an observation group, a control group I and a control group II, 30 cases in each group. They were treated respectively with acupuncture plus exercise therapy, simple acupuncture therapy, and simple exercise therapy, and their therapeutic effects were observed. The cured rate was 66.7% in the observation group, 53.3% in the control group I and 46.70% in the control group II, the observation group being better than the two control groups (P<0.05). Acupuncture by stage combined with exercise therapy can increase the therapeutic effect on Bell palsy at acute stage, and it is a better therapy for Bell palsy.

A matrix-inversion method for gamma-source mapping from gamma-count data

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

Adsley, Ian; Burgess, Claire; Bull, Richard K

In a previous paper it was proposed that a simple matrix inversion method could be used to extract source distributions from gamma-count maps, using simple models to calculate the response matrix. The method was tested using numerically generated count maps. In the present work a 100 kBq Co{sup 60} source has been placed on a gridded surface and the count rate measured using a NaI scintillation detector. The resulting map of gamma counts was used as input to the matrix inversion procedure and the source position recovered. A multi-source array was simulated by superposition of several single-source count maps andmore » the source distribution was again recovered using matrix inversion. The measurements were performed for several detector heights. The effects of uncertainties in source-detector distances on the matrix inversion method are also examined. The results from this work give confidence in the application of the method to practical applications, such as the segregation of highly active objects amongst fuel-element debris. (authors)« less

The Box-and-Dot Method: A Simple Strategy for Counting Significant Figures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, W. Kirk

2009-08-01

A visual method for counting significant digits is presented. This easy-to-learn (and easy-to-teach) method, designated the box-and-dot method, uses the device of "boxing" significant figures based on two simple rules, then counting the number of digits in the boxes.

High-throughput purification of recombinant proteins using self-cleaving intein tags.

PubMed

Coolbaugh, M J; Shakalli Tang, M J; Wood, D W

2017-01-01

High throughput methods for recombinant protein production using E. coli typically involve the use of affinity tags for simple purification of the protein of interest. One drawback of these techniques is the occasional need for tag removal before study, which can be hard to predict. In this work, we demonstrate two high throughput purification methods for untagged protein targets based on simple and cost-effective self-cleaving intein tags. Two model proteins, E. coli beta-galactosidase (βGal) and superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP), were purified using self-cleaving versions of the conventional chitin-binding domain (CBD) affinity tag and the nonchromatographic elastin-like-polypeptide (ELP) precipitation tag in a 96-well filter plate format. Initial tests with shake flask cultures confirmed that the intein purification scheme could be scaled down, with >90% pure product generated in a single step using both methods. The scheme was then validated in a high throughput expression platform using 24-well plate cultures followed by purification in 96-well plates. For both tags and with both target proteins, the purified product was consistently obtained in a single-step, with low well-to-well and plate-to-plate variability. This simple method thus allows the reproducible production of highly pure untagged recombinant proteins in a convenient microtiter plate format. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ensemble Deep Learning for Biomedical Time Series Classification

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Ensemble learning has been proved to improve the generalization ability effectively in both theory and practice. In this paper, we briefly outline the current status of research on it first. Then, a new deep neural network-based ensemble method that integrates filtering views, local views, distorted views, explicit training, implicit training, subview prediction, and Simple Average is proposed for biomedical time series classification. Finally, we validate its effectiveness on the Chinese Cardiovascular Disease Database containing a large number of electrocardiogram recordings. The experimental results show that the proposed method has certain advantages compared to some well-known ensemble methods, such as Bagging and AdaBoost. PMID:27725828

Quantum ring-polymer contraction method: Including nuclear quantum effects at no additional computational cost in comparison to ab initio molecular dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Christopher; Spura, Thomas; Habershon, Scott; Kühne, Thomas D.

2016-04-01

We present a simple and accurate computational method which facilitates ab initio path-integral molecular dynamics simulations, where the quantum-mechanical nature of the nuclei is explicitly taken into account, at essentially no additional computational cost in comparison to the corresponding calculation using classical nuclei. The predictive power of the proposed quantum ring-polymer contraction method is demonstrated by computing various static and dynamic properties of liquid water at ambient conditions using density functional theory. This development will enable routine inclusion of nuclear quantum effects in ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of condensed-phase systems.

47 CFR 76.980 - Charges for customer changes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

....980 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... charge for customer changes in service tiers effected solely by coded entry on a computer terminal or by... involve more than coded entry on a computer or other similarly simple method shall be based on actual cost...

47 CFR 76.980 - Charges for customer changes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

....980 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... charge for customer changes in service tiers effected solely by coded entry on a computer terminal or by... involve more than coded entry on a computer or other similarly simple method shall be based on actual cost...

47 CFR 76.980 - Charges for customer changes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

....980 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... charge for customer changes in service tiers effected solely by coded entry on a computer terminal or by... involve more than coded entry on a computer or other similarly simple method shall be based on actual cost...

47 CFR 76.980 - Charges for customer changes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

....980 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... charge for customer changes in service tiers effected solely by coded entry on a computer terminal or by... involve more than coded entry on a computer or other similarly simple method shall be based on actual cost...

47 CFR 76.980 - Charges for customer changes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....980 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) BROADCAST RADIO SERVICES... charge for customer changes in service tiers effected solely by coded entry on a computer terminal or by... involve more than coded entry on a computer or other similarly simple method shall be based on actual cost...

Blackworms, Blood Vessel Pulsations and Drug Effects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesiuk, Nalena M.; Drewes, Charles D.

1999-01-01

Introduces the freshwater oligochaete worm, lumbriculus variegatus (common name: blackworms), an organism that is well suited for classroom study because of its closed circulatory system. Describes a set of simple, fast, noninvasive, and inexpensive methods for observing pulsations of the worm's dorsal blood vessels under baseline conditions, and…

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITING: AN INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE U.S. MID-ATLANTIC REGION

EPA Science Inventory

Many of today's environmental problems are regional in scope and their effects overlap and interact. We developed a simple method to provide an integrated assessment of environmental conditions and estimate cumulative impacts across a large region, by combining data on land-cove...

Electrospun ultra-fine cellulose acetate fibrous mats containing tannic acid-Fe+++ complexes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cellulose acetate (CA) fibrous mats with improved mechanical and antioxidant properties were produced by a simple, scalable and cost-effective electrospinning method. Fibers loaded with small amounts of TA-Fe+++ complexes showed an increase in tensile strength of approximately 117% when compared to ...

Technical Advances in Intracellular Detection Using Immuno-Gold Particles: Simple Cryofixation with Metal Contact Quick Freezing.

PubMed

Song, Chihong; Lee, Ju Huck; Jun, Sangmi; Chung, Jeong Min; Hyun, Jaekyung; Jung, Hyun Suk

2016-05-01

The preparation of biological specimens using cryofixation techniques ensures excellent visibility of intracellular structures and preserves the antigenic sites of subcellular molecules. Hence, cryofixation is an effective method of preparing samples for analyses using antibodies conjugated to gold nanoparticles that are designed to detect the localization of specific target molecules within cells. However, cryofixation cannot be utilized easily because it requires expensive equipment and skilled technologists, resulting in a high level of expense for researchers. Here, we describe a simple technical approach to cryofixation that uses metal contact quick freezing followed by a modified freeze substitution technique and immuno-gold labeling electron microscopy. Micrograph images of cells prepared using this modified cryofixation method demonstrated its superiority over chemical fixation for high contrast visualization of the morphologies of cellular components and preservation of antigenicity for immuno-gold labeling. This report provides valuable technical information related to the advancement of metal contact quick freezing techniques, which can be used to visualize biomedical events of interest in an easy, simple, and rapid manner.

Robust and Simple Non-Reflecting Boundary Conditions for the Euler Equations: A New Approach Based on the Space-Time CE/SE Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Sin-Chung; Himansu, Ananda; Loh, Ching-Yuen; Wang, Xiao-Yen; Yu, Shang-Tao

2003-01-01

This paper reports on a significant advance in the area of non-reflecting boundary conditions (NRBCs) for unsteady flow computations. As a part of the development of the space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method, sets of NRBCs for 1D Euler problems are developed without using any characteristics-based techniques. These conditions are much simpler than those commonly reported in the literature, yet so robust that they are applicable to subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows even in the presence of discontinuities. In addition, the straightforward multidimensional extensions of the present 1D NRBCs have been shown numerically to be equally simple and robust. The paper details the theoretical underpinning of these NRBCs, and explains their unique robustness and accuracy in terms of the conservation of space-time fluxes. Some numerical results for an extended Sod's shock-tube problem, illustrating the effectiveness of the present NRBCs are included, together with an associated simple Fortran computer program. As a preliminary to the present development, a review of the basic CE/SE schemes is also included.

Finite element simulation and comparison of a shear strain and equivalent strain during ECAP and asymmetric rolling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesin, A.; Pustovoytov, D.; Shveyova, T.; Vafin, R.

2017-12-01

The level of a shear strain and equivalent strain plays a key role in terms of the possibility of using the asymmetric rolling process as a method of severe plastic deformation. Strain mode (pure shear or simple shear) can affect very strongly on the equivalent strain and the grain refinement of the material. This paper presents the results of FEM simulations and comparison of the equivalent strain in the aluminium alloy 5083 processed by a single-pass equal channel angular pressing (simple shear), symmetric rolling (pure shear) and asymmetric rolling (simultaneous pure and simple shear). The nonlinear effect of rolls speed ratio on the deformation characteristics during asymmetric rolling was found. Extremely high equivalent strain up to e=4.2 was reached during a single-pass asymmetric rolling. The influence of the shear strain on the level of equivalent strain is discussed. Finite element analysis of the deformation characteristics, presented in this study, can be used for optimization of the asymmetric rolling process as a method of severe plastic deformation.

A Bayesian Model of the Memory Colour Effect.

PubMed

Witzel, Christoph; Olkkonen, Maria; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

2018-01-01

According to the memory colour effect, the colour of a colour-diagnostic object is not perceived independently of the object itself. Instead, it has been shown through an achromatic adjustment method that colour-diagnostic objects still appear slightly in their typical colour, even when they are colourimetrically grey. Bayesian models provide a promising approach to capture the effect of prior knowledge on colour perception and to link these effects to more general effects of cue integration. Here, we model memory colour effects using prior knowledge about typical colours as priors for the grey adjustments in a Bayesian model. This simple model does not involve any fitting of free parameters. The Bayesian model roughly captured the magnitude of the measured memory colour effect for photographs of objects. To some extent, the model predicted observed differences in memory colour effects across objects. The model could not account for the differences in memory colour effects across different levels of realism in the object images. The Bayesian model provides a particularly simple account of memory colour effects, capturing some of the multiple sources of variation of these effects.

A Bayesian Model of the Memory Colour Effect

PubMed Central

Olkkonen, Maria; Gegenfurtner, Karl R.

2018-01-01

According to the memory colour effect, the colour of a colour-diagnostic object is not perceived independently of the object itself. Instead, it has been shown through an achromatic adjustment method that colour-diagnostic objects still appear slightly in their typical colour, even when they are colourimetrically grey. Bayesian models provide a promising approach to capture the effect of prior knowledge on colour perception and to link these effects to more general effects of cue integration. Here, we model memory colour effects using prior knowledge about typical colours as priors for the grey adjustments in a Bayesian model. This simple model does not involve any fitting of free parameters. The Bayesian model roughly captured the magnitude of the measured memory colour effect for photographs of objects. To some extent, the model predicted observed differences in memory colour effects across objects. The model could not account for the differences in memory colour effects across different levels of realism in the object images. The Bayesian model provides a particularly simple account of memory colour effects, capturing some of the multiple sources of variation of these effects. PMID:29760874

Fabrication of superhydrophobic film by microcellular plastic foaming method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhen Xiu; Li, Ya Nan; Xia, Lin; Ma, Zhen Guo; Xin, Zhen Xiang; Kim, Jin Kuk

2014-08-01

To solve the complicated manufacturing operation and the usage of toxic solvent problems, a simple and novel method to fabricate superhydrophobic film by surface foaming method was introduced in this paper. The superhydrophobic property of the foamed material was obtained at a contact angle >150° and a rolling angle about 8°. The foamed material can instantly generate its superhydrophobicity via peeling process. The effects of blowing agent content, foaming time and peeling rate on the foam structure and superhydrophobicity were studied.

Laser light-scattering spectroscopy: a new application in the study of ciliary activity.

PubMed Central

Lee, W I; Verdugo, P

1976-01-01

A uniquely precise and simple method to study ciliary activity by laser light-scattering spectroscopy has been developed and validated. A concurrent study of the effect of Ca2+ on ciliary activity in vitro by laser scattering spectroscopy and high speed cinematography has demonstrated that this new method is simpler and as accurate and reproducible as the high speed film technique. PMID:963208

A Method for Qualitative Mapping of Thick Oil Spills Using Imaging Spectroscopy

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Roger N.; Swayze, Gregg A.; Leifer, Ira; Livo, K. Eric; Lundeen, Sarah; Eastwood, Michael; Green, Robert O.; Kokaly, Raymond F.; Hoefen, Todd; Sarture, Charles; McCubbin, Ian; Roberts, Dar; Steele, Denis; Ryan, Thomas; Dominguez, Roseanne; Pearson, Neil; ,

2010-01-01

A method is described to create qualitative images of thick oil in oil spills on water using near-infrared imaging spectroscopy data. The method uses simple 'three-point-band depths' computed for each pixel in an imaging spectrometer image cube using the organic absorption features due to chemical bonds in aliphatic hydrocarbons at 1.2, 1.7, and 2.3 microns. The method is not quantitative because sub-pixel mixing and layering effects are not considered, which are necessary to make a quantitative volume estimate of oil.

The function of digestive enzymes on Cu, Zn, and Pb release from soil in in vitro digestion tests.

PubMed

Li, Yi; Demisie, Walelign; Zhang, Ming-kui

2013-07-01

The bioaccessibility of soil heavy metals is the solubility of soil heavy metals in synthetic human digestive juice, which is usually determined using in vitro digestion test. To reveal the effects of digestive enzymes on soil heavy metals bioaccessibility, three representative in vitro digestion tests, Simple Bioaccessibility Extraction Test (SBET), Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET), and Simple Gastrointestinal Extraction Test (SGET), were chosen. The bioaccessibility of soil Cu, Zn, and Pb in each method were respectively evaluated with and without digestive enzymes, and the differences were compared. The results showed that the effects of digestive enzymes varied with different methods and elements. Because of digestive enzymes addition, the environmental change from acid gastric phase to neutral intestinal phase of PBET did not result in apparently decrease of the bioaccessibility of soil Cu. However, the solubility of soil Zn and Pb were pH-dependent. For SGET, when digestive enzymes were added, its results reflected more variations resulting from soil and element types. The impacts of digestive enzymes on heavy metal dissolution are mostly seen in the intestinal phase. Therefore, digestive enzyme addition is indispensable to the gastrointestinal digestion methods (PBET and SGET), while the pepsin addition is not important for the methods only comprised of gastric digestion (SBET).

Effectiveness and Adoption of a Drawing-to-Learn Study Tool for Recall and Problem Solving: Minute Sketches with Folded Lists

PubMed Central

Heideman, Paul D.; Flores, K. Adryan; Sevier, Lu M.; Trouton, Kelsey E.

2017-01-01

Drawing by learners can be an effective way to develop memory and generate visual models for higher-order skills in biology, but students are often reluctant to adopt drawing as a study method. We designed a nonclassroom intervention that instructed introductory biology college students in a drawing method, minute sketches in folded lists (MSFL), and allowed them to self-assess their recall and problem solving, first in a simple recall task involving non-European alphabets and later using unfamiliar biology content. In two preliminary ex situ experiments, students had greater recall on the simple learning task, non-European alphabets with associated phonetic sounds, using MSFL in comparison with a preferred method, visual review (VR). In the intervention, students studying using MSFL and VR had ∼50–80% greater recall of content studied with MSFL and, in a subset of trials, better performance on problem-solving tasks on biology content. Eight months after beginning the intervention, participants had shifted self-reported use of drawing from 2% to 20% of study time. For a small subset of participants, MSFL had become a preferred study method, and 70% of participants reported continued use of MSFL. This brief, low-cost intervention resulted in enduring changes in study behavior. PMID:28495932

Fast and Simple Analytical Method for Direct Determination of Total Chlorine Content in Polyglycerol by ICP-MS.

PubMed

Jakóbik-Kolon, Agata; Milewski, Andrzej; Dydo, Piotr; Witczak, Magdalena; Bok-Badura, Joanna

2018-02-23

The fast and simple method for total chlorine determination in polyglycerols using low resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) without the need for additional equipment and time-consuming sample decomposition was evaluated. Linear calibration curve for 35 Cl isotope in the concentration range 20-800 µg/L was observed. Limits of detection and quantification equaled to 15 µg/L and 44 µg/L, respectively. This corresponds to possibility of detection 3 µg/g and determination 9 µg/g of chlorine in polyglycerol using studied conditions (0.5% matrix-polyglycerol samples diluted or dissolved with water to an overall concentration of 0.5%). Matrix effects as well as the effect of chlorine origin have been evaluated. The presence of 0.5% (m/m) of matrix species similar to polyglycerol (polyethylene glycol-PEG) did not influence the chlorine determination for PEGs with average molecular weights (MW) up to 2000 Da. Good precision and accuracy of the chlorine content determination was achieved regardless on its origin (inorganic/organic). High analyte recovery level and low relative standard deviation values were observed for real polyglycerol samples spiked with chloride. Additionally, the Combustion Ion Chromatography System was used as a reference method. The results confirmed high accuracy and precision of the tested method.

A novel method to prepare concentrated conidial biomass formulation of Trichoderma harzianum for seed application.

PubMed

Singh, P C; Nautiyal, C S

2012-12-01

To prepare concentrated formulation of Trichoderma harzianum MTCC-3841 (NBRI-1055) with high colony forming units (CFU), long shelf life and efficient in root colonization by a simple scrapping method. NBRI-1055 spores scrapped from potato dextrose agar plates were used to prepare a concentrated formulation after optimizing carrier material, moisture content and spore harvest time. The process provides an advantage of maintaining optimum moisture level by the addition of water rather than dehydration. The formulation had an initial 11-12 log(10) CFU g(-1). Its concentrated form reduces its application amount by 100 times (10 g 100 kg(-1) seed) and provides 3-4 log(10) CFU seed(-1). Shelf life of the product was experimentally determined at 30 and 40 °C and predicted at other temperatures following Arrhenius equation. The concentrated formulation as compared to similar products provides an extra advantage of smaller packaging for storage and transportation, cutting down product cost. Seed application of the formulation recorded significant increase in plant growth promotion. Stable and effective formulation of Trichoderma harzianum NBRI-1055 was obtained by a simple scrapping method. A new method for the production of concentrated, stable, effective and cost efficient formulation of T. harzianum has been validated for seed application. © 2012 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

A comparison of quantitative methods for clinical imaging with hyperpolarized (13)C-pyruvate.

PubMed

Daniels, Charlie J; McLean, Mary A; Schulte, Rolf F; Robb, Fraser J; Gill, Andrew B; McGlashan, Nicholas; Graves, Martin J; Schwaiger, Markus; Lomas, David J; Brindle, Kevin M; Gallagher, Ferdia A

2016-04-01

Dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) enables the metabolism of hyperpolarized (13)C-labelled molecules, such as the conversion of [1-(13)C]pyruvate to [1-(13)C]lactate, to be dynamically and non-invasively imaged in tissue. Imaging of this exchange reaction in animal models has been shown to detect early treatment response and correlate with tumour grade. The first human DNP study has recently been completed, and, for widespread clinical translation, simple and reliable methods are necessary to accurately probe the reaction in patients. However, there is currently no consensus on the most appropriate method to quantify this exchange reaction. In this study, an in vitro system was used to compare several kinetic models, as well as simple model-free methods. Experiments were performed using a clinical hyperpolarizer, a human 3 T MR system, and spectroscopic imaging sequences. The quantitative methods were compared in vivo by using subcutaneous breast tumours in rats to examine the effect of pyruvate inflow. The two-way kinetic model was the most accurate method for characterizing the exchange reaction in vitro, and the incorporation of a Heaviside step inflow profile was best able to describe the in vivo data. The lactate time-to-peak and the lactate-to-pyruvate area under the curve ratio were simple model-free approaches that accurately represented the full reaction, with the time-to-peak method performing indistinguishably from the best kinetic model. Finally, extracting data from a single pixel was a robust and reliable surrogate of the whole region of interest. This work has identified appropriate quantitative methods for future work in the analysis of human hyperpolarized (13)C data. © 2016 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A new experimental method for the determination of the effective orifice area based on the acoustical source term

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadem, L.; Knapp, Y.; Pibarot, P.; Bertrand, E.; Garcia, D.; Durand, L. G.; Rieu, R.

2005-12-01

The effective orifice area (EOA) is the most commonly used parameter to assess the severity of aortic valve stenosis as well as the performance of valve substitutes. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) may be used for in vitro estimation of valve EOA. In the present study, we propose a new and simple method based on Howe’s developments of Lighthill’s aero-acoustic theory. This method is based on an acoustical source term (AST) to estimate the EOA from the transvalvular flow velocity measurements obtained by PIV. The EOAs measured by the AST method downstream of three sharp-edged orifices were in excellent agreement with the EOAs predicted from the potential flow theory used as the reference method in this study. Moreover, the AST method was more accurate than other conventional PIV methods based on streamlines, inflexion point or vorticity to predict the theoretical EOAs. The superiority of the AST method is likely due to the nonlinear form of the AST. There was also an excellent agreement between the EOAs measured by the AST method downstream of the three sharp-edged orifices as well as downstream of a bioprosthetic valve with those obtained by the conventional clinical method based on Doppler-echocardiographic measurements of transvalvular velocity. The results of this study suggest that this new simple PIV method provides an accurate estimation of the aortic valve flow EOA. This new method may thus be used as a reference method to estimate the EOA in experimental investigation of the performance of valve substitutes and to validate Doppler-echocardiographic measurements under various physiologic and pathologic flow conditions.

Jigsaw puzzle metasurface for multiple functions: polarization conversion, anomalous reflection and diffusion.

PubMed

Zhao, Yi; Cao, Xiangyu; Gao, Jun; Liu, Xiao; Li, Sijia

2016-05-16

We demonstrate a simple reconfigurable metasurface with multiple functions. Anisotropic tiles are investigated and manufactured as fundamental elements. Then, the tiles are combined in a certain sequence to construct a metasurface. Each of the tiles can be adjusted independently which is like a jigsaw puzzle and the whole metasurface can achieve diverse functions by different layouts. For demonstration purposes, we realize polarization conversion, anomalous reflection and diffusion by a jigsaw puzzle metasurface with 6 × 6 pieces of anisotropic tile. Simulated and measured results prove that our method offers a simple and effective strategy for metasurface design.

Model of Market Share Affected by Social Media Reputation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Akira; Kawahata, Yasuko; Goto, Ujo

Proposal of market theory to put the effect of social media into account is presented in this paper. The standard market share model in economics is employed as a market theory and the effect of social media is considered quantitatively using the mathematical model for hit phenomena. Using this model, we can estimate the effect of social media in market share as a simple market model simulation using our proposed method.

Improving Estimation of Ground Casualty Risk From Reentering Space Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostrom, Chris L.

2017-01-01

A recent improvement to the long-term estimation of ground casualties from reentering space debris is the further refinement and update to the human population distribution. Previous human population distributions were based on global totals with simple scaling factors for future years, or a coarse grid of population counts in a subset of the world's countries, each cell having its own projected growth rate. The newest population model includes a 5-fold refinement in both latitude and longitude resolution. All areas along a single latitude are combined to form a global population distribution as a function of latitude, creating a more accurate population estimation based on non-uniform growth at the country and area levels. Previous risk probability calculations used simplifying assumptions that did not account for the ellipsoidal nature of the Earth. The new method uses first, a simple analytical method to estimate the amount of time spent above each latitude band for a debris object with a given orbit inclination and second, a more complex numerical method that incorporates the effects of a non-spherical Earth. These new results are compared with the prior models to assess the magnitude of the effects on reentry casualty risk.

Simple method to enhance positive bias stress stability of In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors using a vertically graded oxygen-vacancy active layer.

PubMed

Park, Ji Hoon; Kim, Yeong-Gyu; Yoon, Seokhyun; Hong, Seonghwan; Kim, Hyun Jae

2014-12-10

We proposed a simple method to deposit a vertically graded oxygen-vacancy active layer (VGA) to enhance the positive bias stress (PBS) stability of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). We deposited a-IGZO films by sputtering (target composition; In2O3:Ga2O3:ZnO = 1:1:1 mol %), and the oxygen partial pressure was varied during deposition so that the front channel of the TFTs was fabricated with low oxygen partial pressure and the back channel with high oxygen partial pressure. Using this method, we were able to control the oxygen vacancy concentration of the active layer so that it varied with depth. As a result, the turn-on voltage shift following a 10 000 s PBS of optimized VGA TFT was drastically improved from 12.0 to 5.6 V compared with a conventional a-IGZO TFT, without a significant decrease in the field effect mobility. These results came from the self-passivation effect and decrease in oxygen-vacancy-related trap sites of the VGA TFTs.

Improving Estimation of Ground Casualty Risk from Reentering Space Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostrom, C.

2017-01-01

A recent improvement to the long-term estimation of ground casualties from reentering space debris is the further refinement and update to the human population distribution. Previous human population distributions were based on global totals with simple scaling factors for future years, or a coarse grid of population counts in a subset of the world's countries, each cell having its own projected growth rate. The newest population model includes a 5-fold refinement in both latitude and longitude resolution. All areas along a single latitude are combined to form a global population distribution as a function of latitude, creating a more accurate population estimation based on non-uniform growth at the country and area levels. Previous risk probability calculations used simplifying assumptions that did not account for the ellipsoidal nature of the earth. The new method uses first, a simple analytical method to estimate the amount of time spent above each latitude band for a debris object with a given orbit inclination, and second, a more complex numerical method that incorporates the effects of a non-spherical Earth. These new results are compared with the prior models to assess the magnitude of the effects on reentry casualty risk.

Millimeter wave satellite communication studies. Results of the 1981 propagation modeling effort

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stutzman, W. L.; Tsolakis, A.; Dishman, W. K.

1982-01-01

Theoretical modeling associated with rain effects on millimeter wave propagation is detailed. Three areas of work are discussed. A simple model for prediction of rain attenuation is developed and evaluated. A method for computing scattering from single rain drops is presented. A complete multiple scattering model is described which permits accurate calculation of the effects on dual polarized signals passing through rain.

The Effect of Primary School Students' Writing Attitudes and Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs on Their Summary Writing Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulut, Pinar

2017-01-01

In this study, the effect of writing attitude and writing self-efficacy beliefs on the summarization achievement of the 4th grade primary school students was examined using the structural equation modeling. The study employed the relational survey model. The study group constructed by means of simple random sampling method is comprised of 335…

SSD with generalized phase modulation

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

Rothenberg, J.

1996-01-09

Smoothing by spectral dispersion (SSD) with standard frequency modulation (FM), although simple to implement, has the disadvantage that low spatial frequencies present in the spectrum of the target illumination are not smoothed as effectively as with a more general smoothing method (eg, induced spatial incoherence method). The reduced smoothing performance of standard FM-SSD can result in spectral power of the speckle noise at these low spatial frequencies as much as one order of magnitude larger than that achieved with a more general method. In fact, at small integration times FM-SSD has no smoothing effect at all for a broad bandmore » of low spatial frequencies. This effect may have important implications for both direct and indirect drive ICF.« less

An Economical Semi-Analytical Orbit Theory for Retarded Satellite Motion About an Oblate Planet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, R. A.

1980-01-01

Brouwer and Brouwer-Lyddanes' use of the Von Zeipel-Delaunay method is employed to develop an efficient analytical orbit theory suitable for microcomputers. A succinctly simple pseudo-phenomenologically conceptualized algorithm is introduced which accurately and economically synthesizes modeling of drag effects. The method epitomizes and manifests effortless efficient computer mechanization. Simulated trajectory data is employed to illustrate the theory's ability to accurately accommodate oblateness and drag effects for microcomputer ground based or onboard predicted orbital representation. Real tracking data is used to demonstrate that the theory's orbit determination and orbit prediction capabilities are favorably adaptable to and are comparable with results obtained utilizing complex definitive Cowell method solutions on satellites experiencing significant drag effects.

A method for measuring sulfide toxicity in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

PubMed

Livshits, Leonid; Gross, Einav

2017-01-01

Cysteine catabolism by gut microbiota produces high levels of sulfide. Excessive sulfide can interfere with colon function, and therefore may be involved in the etiology and risk of relapse of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how cells/animals regulate the detoxification of sulfide generated by bacterial cysteine catabolism in the gut. Here we describe a simple and cost-effective way to explore the mechanism of sulfide toxicity in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans ( C. elegans ). •A rapid cost-effective method to quantify and study sulfide tolerance in C. elegans and other free-living nematodes.•A cost effective method to measure the concentration of sulfide in the inverted plate assay.

Separating inverse spin Hall voltage and spin rectification voltage by inverting spin injection direction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenxu; Peng, Bin; Han, Fangbin; Wang, Qiuru; Soh, Wee Tee; Ong, Chong Kim; Zhang, Wanli

2016-03-01

We develop a method for universally resolving the important issue of separating the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) from the spin rectification effect (SRE) signal. This method is based on the consideration that the two effects depend on the spin injection direction: The ISHE is an odd function of the spin injection direction while the SRE is independent on it. Thus, the inversion of the spin injection direction changes the ISHE voltage signal, while the SRE voltage remains. It applies generally to analyzing the different voltage contributions without fitting them to special line shapes. This fast and simple method can be used in a wide frequency range and has the flexibility of sample preparation.

Simple Correction of Alar Retraction by Conchal Cartilage Extension Grafts.

PubMed

Jang, Yong Jun; Kim, Sung Min; Lew, Dae Hyun; Song, Seung Yong

2016-11-01

Alar retraction is a challenging condition in rhinoplasty marked by exaggerated nostril exposure and awkwardness. Although various methods for correcting alar retraction have been introduced, none is without drawbacks. Herein, we report a simple procedure that is both effective and safe for correcting alar retraction using only conchal cartilage grafting. Between August 2007 and August 2009, 18 patients underwent conchal cartilage extension grafting to correct alar retraction. Conchal cartilage extension grafts were fixed to the caudal margins of the lateral crura and covered with vestibular skin advancement flaps. Preoperative and postoperative photographs were reviewed and analyzed. Patient satisfaction was surveyed and categorized into 4 groups (very satisfied, satisfied, moderate, or unsatisfied). According to the survey, 8 patients were very satisfied, 9 were satisfied, and 1 considered the outcome moderate, resulting in satisfaction for most patients. The average distance from the alar rim to the long axis of the nostril was reduced by 1.4 mm (3.6 to 2.2 mm). There were no complications, except in 2 cases with palpable cartilage step-off that resolved without any aesthetic problems. Conchal cartilage alar extension graft is a simple, effective method of correcting alar retraction that can be combined with aesthetic rhinoplasty conveniently, utilizing conchal cartilage, which is the most similar cartilage to alar cartilage, and requiring a lesser volume of cartilage harvest compared to previously devised methods. However, the current procedure lacks efficacy for severe alar retraction and a longer follow-up period may be required to substantiate the enduring efficacy of the current procedure.

A simple and efficient method to visualize and quantify the efficiency of chromosomal mutations from genome editing

PubMed Central

Fu, Liezhen; Wen, Luan; Luu, Nga; Shi, Yun-Bo

2016-01-01

Genome editing with designer nucleases such as TALEN and CRISPR/Cas enzymes has broad applications. Delivery of these designer nucleases into organisms induces various genetic mutations including deletions, insertions and nucleotide substitutions. Characterizing those mutations is critical for evaluating the efficacy and specificity of targeted genome editing. While a number of methods have been developed to identify the mutations, none other than sequencing allows the identification of the most desired mutations, i.e., out-of-frame insertions/deletions that disrupt genes. Here we report a simple and efficient method to visualize and quantify the efficiency of genomic mutations induced by genome-editing. Our approach is based on the expression of a two-color fusion protein in a vector that allows the insertion of the edited region in the genome in between the two color moieties. We show that our approach not only easily identifies developing animals with desired mutations but also efficiently quantifies the mutation rate in vivo. Furthermore, by using LacZα and GFP as the color moieties, our approach can even eliminate the need for a fluorescent microscope, allowing the analysis with simple bright field visualization. Such an approach will greatly simplify the screen for effective genome-editing enzymes and identify the desired mutant cells/animals. PMID:27748423

A simple real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay for authentication of the Chinese Panax ginseng cultivar Damaya from a local ginseng population.

PubMed

Wang, H; Wang, J; Li, G

2016-06-27

Panax ginseng is one of the most important medicinal plants in the Orient. Owing to its increasing demand in the world market, cultivated ginseng has become the main source of medicinal material. Among the Chinese ginseng cultivars, Damaya commands higher prices and is grown in significant proportions among the local ginseng population. Due to the lack of rapid and accurate authentication methods, Damaya is distributed among different cultivars in the local ginseng population in China. Here, we identified a unique, Damaya-specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) site present in the second intron of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 (cox2). Based on this SNP, a Damaya cultivar-specific primer was designed and an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was optimized for the effective molecular authentication of Damaya. We designed a method by combining a simple DNA isolation method with real-time allele-specific PCR using SYBR Green I fluorescent dye, and proved its efficacy in clearly discriminated Damaya cultivar from other Chinese ginseng cultivars according to the allelic discrimination analysis. Hence, this study provides a simple and rapid assay for the differentiation and conservation of Damaya from the local Chinese ginseng population.

A Simple and Rapid Protocol for Producing Yeast Extract from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Suitable for Preparing Bacterial Culture Media

PubMed Central

Zarei, Omid; Dastmalchi, Siavoush; Hamzeh-Mivehroud, Maryam

2016-01-01

Yeasts, especially Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are one of the oldest organisms with broad spectrum of applications, owing to their unique genetics and physiology. Yeast extract, i.e. the product of yeast cells, is extensively used as nutritional resource in bacterial culture media. The aim of this study was to develop a simple, rapid and cost benefit process to produce the yeast extract. In this procedure mechanical methods such as high temperature and pressure were utilized to produce the yeast extract. The growth of the bacteria feed with the produced yeast extract was monitored in order to assess the quality of the product. The results showed that the quality of the produced yeast extract was very promising concluded from the growth pattern of bacterial cells in media prepared from this product and was comparable with that of the three commercial yeast extracts in terms of bacterial growth properties. One of the main advantages of the current method was that no chemicals and enzymes were used, leading to the reduced production cost. The method is very simple and cost effective, and can be performed in a reasonable time making it suitable for being adopted by research laboratories. Furthermore, it can be scaled up to produce large quantities for industrial applications. PMID:28243289

Simple extrapolation method to predict the electronic structure of conjugated polymers from calculations on oligomers

DOE PAGES

Larsen, Ross E.

2016-04-12

In this study, we introduce two simple tight-binding models, which we call fragment frontier orbital extrapolations (FFOE), to extrapolate important electronic properties to the polymer limit using electronic structure calculations on only a few small oligomers. In particular, we demonstrate by comparison to explicit density functional theory calculations that for long oligomers the energies of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), and of the first electronic excited state are accurately described as a function of number of repeat units by a simple effective Hamiltonian parameterized from electronic structure calculations on monomers, dimers and, optionally,more » tetramers. For the alternating copolymer materials that currently comprise some of the most efficient polymer organic photovoltaic devices one can use these simple but rigorous models to extrapolate computed properties to the polymer limit based on calculations on a small number of low-molecular-weight oligomers.« less

The Box-and-Dot Method: A Simple Strategy for Counting Significant Figures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stephenson, W. Kirk

2009-01-01

A visual method for counting significant digits is presented. This easy-to-learn (and easy-to-teach) method, designated the box-and-dot method, uses the device of "boxing" significant figures based on two simple rules, then counting the number of digits in the boxes. (Contains 4 notes.)

Contraceptive needs of the adolescent.

PubMed

Steyn, Petrus S; Goldstuck, Norman D

2014-08-01

The provision of contraception to adolescents requires specific attention. Adolescents require contraceptive methods which are safe, effective and simple to use. While long-acting reversible contraceptive methods are preferable, they should have a choice and not be forced or mandated especially in situations where this may compromise safety. After counselling they should have the ability to choose any method of contraception. Under the appropriate circumstances, each method of contraception may have a place. This chapter will be devoted to evaluating the most current scientific rationale for the indication for use of each method of contraception in adolescents. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Some special features of the le chatelier-braun principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nesis, E. I.; Skibin, Yu. N.

2000-07-01

The relaxation reaction of a system that follows from the Le Chatelier-Braun principle and weakens the result of an external influence turns out to be more intense under a complex action. A method for quantitative determination of the weakening effect for simple and complex actions is suggested.

Kitchen Microbiology: It's Easier Than You Think!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcoxson, Catherine; Shand, Stacey M.; Shand, Richard F.

1999-01-01

Offers a simple experiment that tests the effectiveness of cleaners that inhibit bacterial growth. Outlines a step-by-step method for preparing culture media that can be used for isolation and propagation of microorganisms. Concludes that kitchen medium is as efficient as the professionally-made medium in supporting colony growth. (CCM)

[Laparoscopic treatment of hepatic cysts].

PubMed

Gaspari, A L; Di Lorenzo, N; Sica, G; De Ascentis, G; Rossi, M; Ferranti, F

1995-03-01

Laparoscopic treatment of simple hepatic cysts is reported. Recent indications to conservative surgical treatment for this benign disease are considered and different therapeutic options are analyzed. Surgical technique adopted in two cases observed is illustrated. In conclusion, the Authors consider laparoscopic treatment as an effective method for a mini-invasive surgical approach.

Treatment of Phobic Disorders Using Cognitive and Exposure Methods: A Self-Efficacy Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biran, Mia; Wilson, G. Terence

1981-01-01

Examined predictions derived from self-efficacy theory in comparing the effects of exposure and cognitive interventions with simple phobics. Guided exposure (GE) was significantly superior to cognitive restructuring (CR) in enhancing approach behavior, increasing level and strength of self-efficacy, reducing subjective fear, and decreasing…

A Simple Blueprint for Automatic Boolean Query Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salton, G.

1988-01-01

Describes a new Boolean retrieval environment in which an extended soft Boolean logic is used to automatically construct queries from original natural language formulations provided by users. Experimental results that compare the retrieval effectiveness of this method to conventional Boolean and vector processing are discussed. (27 references)…

Preventing chemotherapy-induced alopecia.

PubMed

Smith, F P; McCabe, M S

1983-07-01

Chemotherapy-induced alopecia is now potentially preventable. Although scalp tourniquets and hypothermia are neither universally applicable nor always successful, they represent simple and relatively inexpensive methods for reducing hair loss. When successful, these techniques help maintain the patient's self-image and thereby diminish the devastating psychologic effects that accompany a diagnosis of cancer.

Preparation of CdS Nanoparticles by First-Year Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winkelmann, Kurt; Noviello, Thomas; Brooks, Stephen

2007-01-01

The first year undergraduates use a simple method to synthesize 5-nm CdS nanoparticles in a water-in-oil microemulsion. The quantum size effect, the relationship between colors, optical absorbance, band-gap energy and the CdS particles affected by the formation of micelles are observed.

Content Appraisal as a Method for Measuring the Effectiveness & Usability of Online Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadeau, Jenifer; Heidorn, Neely; Broady, Nick; Whittle, Jennifer

2012-01-01

Content appraisal is a simple, qualitative system to identify modifications to make website material more useful to clientele. This system provides a comprehensive evaluation of content, focuses on content strategy, identifies weaknesses, and provides recommendations for improvement. The criteria examined included knowledge level,…

Educational Production and Teacher Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bosworth, Ryan; Caliendo, Frank

2007-01-01

We develop a simple model of teacher behavior that offers a solution to the ''class size puzzle'' and is useful for analyzing the potential effects of the No Child Left Behind Act. When teachers must allocate limited classroom time between multiple instructional methods, rational teachers may respond to reductions in class size by reallocating…

Implementation and Use of the Reference Analytics Module of LibAnswers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flatley, Robert; Jensen, Robert Bruce

2012-01-01

Academic libraries have traditionally collected reference statistics using hash marks on paper. Although efficient and simple, this method is not an effective way to capture the complexity of reference transactions. Several electronic tools are now available to assist libraries with collecting often elusive reference data--among them homegrown…

Use of fluorinated polybrominated diphenyl ethers and simplified cleanup for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in house dust

EPA Science Inventory

A simple, cost-effective method is described for the analysis of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in house dust using pressurized fluid extraction, cleanup with modified silica solid phase extraction tubes, and fluorinated internal standards. There are 14 PBDE congeners inc...

The Instructional Cost Index. A Simplified Approach to Interinstitutional Cost Comparison.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beatty, George, Jr.; And Others

The paper describes a simple, yet effective method of computing a comparative index of instructional costs. The Instructional Cost Index identifies direct cost differentials among instructional programs. Cost differentials are described in terms of differences among numerical values of variables that reflect fundamental academic and resource…

Sample Size Estimation: The Easy Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, Susan C.

2015-01-01

This article presents a simple approach to making quick sample size estimates for basic hypothesis tests. Although there are many sources available for estimating sample sizes, methods are not often integrated across statistical tests, levels of measurement of variables, or effect sizes. A few parameters are required to estimate sample sizes and…

Effect of solar loading on greenhouse containers used in transpiration efficiency screening

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Earlier we described a simple high throughput method of screening sorghum for transpiration efficiency (TE). Subsequently it was observed that while results were consistent between lines exhibiting high and low TE, ranking between lines with similar TE was variable. We hypothesized that variable mic...

Comparison of six simple methods for extracting ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA from Toxocara and Toxascaris nematodes.

PubMed

Mikaeili, F; Kia, E B; Sharbatkhori, M; Sharifdini, M; Jalalizand, N; Heidari, Z; Zarei, Z; Stensvold, C R; Mirhendi, H

2013-06-01

Six simple methods for extraction of ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA from Toxocara canis, Toxocara cati and Toxascaris leonina were compared by evaluating the presence, appearance and intensity of PCR products visualized on agarose gels and amplified from DNA extracted by each of the methods. For each species, two isolates were obtained from the intestines of their respective hosts: T. canis and T. leonina from dogs, and T. cati from cats. For all isolates, total DNA was extracted using six different methods, including grinding, boiling, crushing, beating, freeze-thawing and the use of a commercial kit. To evaluate the efficacy of each method, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene were chosen as representative markers for ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA, respectively. Among the six DNA extraction methods, the beating method was the most cost effective for all three species, followed by the commercial kit. Both methods produced high intensity bands on agarose gels and were characterized by no or minimal smear formation, depending on gene target; however, beating was less expensive. We therefore recommend the beating method for studies where costs need to be kept at low levels. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a Terbium-Sensitized Fluorescence Method for Analysis of Silibinin.

PubMed

Ershadi, Saba; Jouyban, Abolghasem; Molavi, Ommoleila; Shayanfar, Ali

2017-05-01

Silibinin is a natural flavonoid with potent anticancer properties, as shown in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Various methods have been used for silibinin analysis. Terbium-sensitized fluorescence methods have been widely used for the determination of drugs in pharmaceutical preparations and biological samples in recent years. The present work is aimed at providing a simple analytical method for the quantitative determination of silibinin in aqueous solutions based on the formation of a fluorescent complex with terbium ion. Terbium concentration, pH, and volume of buffer, the important effective parameters for the determination of silibinin by the proposed method, were optimized using response surface methodology. The fluorescence intensity of silibinin was measured at 545 nm using λex = 334 nm. The developed method was applied for the determination of silibinin in plasma samples after protein precipitation with acetone. Under optimum conditions, the method provided a linear range between 0.10 and 0.50 mg/L, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.997. The LOD and LOQ were 0.034 and 0.112 mg/L, respectively. These results indicate that the developed method is a simple, low-cost, and suitable analytical method for the quantification of silibinin in aqueous solution and plasma samples.

Monosodium glutamate for simple photometric iron analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasetyo, E.

2018-01-01

Simple photometric method for iron analysis using monosodium glutamate (MSG) was proposed. The method could be used as an alternative method, which was technically simple, economic, quantitative, readily available, scientifically sound and environmental friendly. Rapid reaction of iron (III) with glutamate in sodium chloride-hydrochloric acid buffer (pH 2) to form red-brown complex was served as a basis in the photometric determination, which obeyed the range of iron (III) concentration 1.6 - 80 µg/ml. This method could be applied to determine iron concentration in soil with satisfactory results (accuracy and precision) compared to other photometric and atomic absorption spectrometry results.

Rapid LC-MS/MS quantification of the major benzodiazepines and their metabolites on dried blood spots using a simple and cost-effective sample pretreatment.

PubMed

Déglon, Julien; Versace, François; Lauer, Estelle; Widmer, Christèle; Mangin, Patrice; Thomas, Aurélien; Staub, Christian

2012-06-01

Dried blood spots (DBS) sampling has gained popularity in the bioanalytical community as an alternative to conventional plasma sampling, as it provides numerous benefits in terms of sample collection and logistics. The aim of this work was to show that these advantages can be coupled with a simple and cost-effective sample pretreatment, with subsequent rapid LC-MS/MS analysis for quantitation of 15 benzodiazepines, six metabolites and three Z-drugs. For this purpose, a simplified offline procedure was developed that consisted of letting a 5-µl DBS infuse directly into 100 µl of MeOH, in a conventional LC vial. The parameters related to the DBS pretreatment, such as extraction time or internal standard addition, were investigated and optimized, demonstrating that passive infusion in a regular LC vial was sufficient to quantitatively extract the analytes of interest. The method was validated according to international criteria in the therapeutic concentration ranges of the selected compounds. The presented strategy proved to be efficient for the rapid analysis of the selected drugs. Indeed, the offline sample preparation was reduced to a minimum, using a small amount of organic solvent and consumables, without affecting the accuracy of the method. Thus, this approach enables simple and rapid DBS analysis, even when using a non-DBS-dedicated autosampler, while lowering the costs and environmental impact.

Detection of Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus from Bemisia tabaci captured on sticky traps using reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) and simple template preparation.

PubMed

Okuda, Mitsuru; Okuda, Shiori; Iwai, Hisashi

2015-09-01

Cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus (CCYV) of the genus Crinivirus within the family Closteroviridae is an emerging infectious agent of cucurbits leading to severe disease and significant economic losses. Effective detection and identification methods for this virus are urgently required. In this study, a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed to detect CCYV from its vector Bemisia tabaci. LAMP primer sets to detect CCYV were evaluated for their sensitivity and specificity, and a primer set designed from the HSP70h gene with corresponding loop primers were selected. The RT-LAMP assay was applied to detect CCYV from viruliferous B. tabaci trapped on sticky traps. A simple extraction procedure using RNAsecure™ was developed for template preparation. CCYV was detected in all of the B. tabaci 0, 1, 7 and 14 days after they were trapped. Although the rise of turbidity was delayed in reactions using RNA from B. tabaci trapped for 7 and 14 days compared with those from 0 and 1 day, the DNA amplification was sufficient to detect CCYV in all of the samples. These findings therefore present a simple template preparation method and an effective RT-LAMP assay, which can be easily and rapidly performed to monitor CCYV-viruliferous B. tabaci in the field. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dielectric Properties of Reduced Graphene Oxide/Copper Phthalocyanine Nanocomposites Fabricated Through π- π Interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zicheng; Wei, Renbo; Liu, Xiaobo

2017-01-01

Reduced graphene oxide/copper phthalocyanine nanocomposites are successfully prepared through a simple and effective two-step method, involving preferential reduction of graphene oxide and followed by self-assembly with copper phthalocyanine. The results of photographs, ultraviolet visible, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy show that the in situ blending method can effectively facilitate graphene sheets to disperse homogenously in the copper phthalocyanine matrix through π- π interactions. As a result, the reduction of graphene oxide and restoration of the sp 2 carbon sites in graphene can enhance the dielectric properties and alternating current conductivity of copper phthalocyanine effectively.

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Grow, Laura L; Carr, James E; Kodak, Tiffany M; Jostad, Candice M; Kisamore, April N

2011-01-01

Many early intervention curricular manuals recommend teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations (i.e., receptive labeling) using the simple-conditional method in which component simple discriminations are taught in isolation and in the presence of a distracter stimulus before the learner is required to respond conditionally. Some have argued that this procedure might be susceptible to faulty stimulus control such as stimulus overselectivity (Green, 2001). Consequently, there has been a call for the use of alternative teaching procedures such as the conditional-only method, which involves conditional discrimination training from the onset of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to compare the simple-conditional and conditional-only methods for teaching receptive labeling to 3 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The data indicated that the conditional-only method was a more reliable and efficient teaching procedure. In addition, several error patterns emerged during training using the simple-conditional method. The implications of the results with respect to current teaching practices in early intervention programs are discussed.

Fundamental study on non-invasive blood glucose sensing.

PubMed

Xu, K; Li, Q; Lu, Z; Jiang, J

2002-01-01

Diabetes is a disease which severely threatens the health of human beings. Unfortunately, current monitoring techniques with finger sticks discourage the regular use. Noninvasive spectroscopic measurement of blood glucose is a simple and painless technique, and reduces the long-term health care costs of diabetic patients due to no reagents. It is suitable for home use. Moreover, the establishment of the methodology not only applies to blood glucose noninvasive measurement, but also can be extended to noninvasive measurement of other analytes in body fluid, which will be of important significance for the development of the technique of clinical analysis. In this paper, some fundamental researches, which have been achieved in our laboratory in the field of non-invasive blood glucose measurement, were introduced. 1. Fundamental research was done for the glucose concentrations from simple to complex samples with near and middle infrared spectroscopy: (1) the relationship between the instrument precision and prediction accuracy of the glucose measurement; (2) the change of the result of the quantitative measurement with the change of the complexity of samples; (3) the attempt of increasing the prediction accuracy of the glucose measurement by improving the methods of modeling. The research results showed that it is feasible for non-invasive blood glucose measurement with near and middle infrared spectroscopy in theory, and the experimental results, from simple to complex samples, proved that it is effective for the methodology consisting of hardware and software. 2. According to the characteristics of human body measurement, the effects of measuring conditions on measurement results, such as: (1) the effect of measurement position; (2) the effect of measurement pressure; (3) the effect of measurement site; (4) the effect of measured individual, were investigated. With the fundamental researches, the special problems of human body measurement were solved. In addition, the practical and effective method of noninvasive human blood glucose measurement was proposed.

Effects of Simple Leaching of Crushed and Powdered Materials on High-precision Pb Isotope Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todd, E.; Stracke, A.

2013-12-01

We present new results of simple leaching experiments on the Pb isotope composition of USGS standard reference material powders and on ocean island basalt whole rock splits and powders. Rock samples were leached with 6N HCl in two steps, first hot and then in an ultrasonic bath, and washed with ultrapure H2O before conventional sample digestion and chromatographic purification of Pb. Pb isotope analyses were determined with Tl-doped MC-ICP-MS. Intra- and inter-session analytical reproducibility of repeated analyses of both synthetic Pb solutions and Pb from single digests of chemically processed natural samples were generally < 100 ppm (2 S.D.). The comparison of leached and unleached samples shows that leaching reliably removes variable amounts of different contaminants for different starting materials. For repeated digests of a single sample, the leached samples reproduce better than the unleached ones, showing that leaching effectively removes heterogeneously distributed extraneous Pb. However, the reproducibility of repeated digests of variably contaminated natural samples is up to an order of magnitude worse than the analytical reproducibility of ca. 100 ppm. More complex leaching methods (e.g., Nobre Silva et al., 2009) yield Pb isotope ratios within error of and with similar reproducibility to our method, showing that the simple leaching method is reliable. The remaining Pb isotope heterogeneity of natural samples, which typically exceeds 100 ppm, is thus attributed to inherent isotopic sample heterogeneity. Tl-doped MC-ICP-MS Pb ratio determination is therefore a sufficiently precise method for Pb isotope analyses in natural rocks. More precise Pb double- or triple-spike methods (e.g., Galer, 1999; Thirlwall, 2000), may exploit their full potential only in cases where natural isotopic sample heterogeneity is demonstrably negligible. References: Galer, S., 1999, Chem. Geol. 157, 255-274. Nobre Silva, et al. 2009, Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 10, Q08012. Thirlwall, M.F., 2000, Chem. Geol. 163, 299-322.

A simple non-perturbing cell migration assay insensitive to proliferation effects.

PubMed

Glenn, Honor L; Messner, Jacob; Meldrum, Deirdre R

2016-08-18

Migration is a fundamental cellular behavior that plays an indispensable role in development and homeostasis, but can also contribute to pathology such as cancer metastasis. Due to its relevance to many aspects of human health, the ability to accurately measure cell migration is of broad interest, and numerous approaches have been developed. One of the most commonly employed approaches, because of its simplicity and throughput, is the exclusion zone assay in which cells are allowed to migrate into an initially cell-free region. A major drawback of this assay is that it relies on simply counting cells in the exclusion zone and therefore cannot distinguish the effects of proliferation from migration. We report here a simple modification to the exclusion zone migration assay that exclusively measures cell migration and is not affected by proliferation. This approach makes use of a lineage-tracing vital stain that is retained through cell generations and effectively reads out migration relative to the original, parental cell population. This modification is simple, robust, non-perturbing, and inexpensive. We validate the method in a panel of cell lines under conditions that inhibit or promote migration and demonstrate its use in normal and cancer cell lines as well as primary cells.

Developing a multipoint titration method with a variable dose implementation for anaerobic digestion monitoring.

PubMed

Salonen, K; Leisola, M; Eerikäinen, T

2009-01-01

Determination of metabolites from an anaerobic digester with an acid base titration is considered as superior method for many reasons. This paper describes a practical at line compatible multipoint titration method. The titration procedure was improved by speed and data quality. A simple and novel control algorithm for estimating a variable titrant dose was derived for this purpose. This non-linear PI-controller like algorithm does not require any preliminary information from sample. Performance of this controller is superior compared to traditional linear PI-controllers. In addition, simplification for presenting polyprotic acids as a sum of multiple monoprotic acids is introduced along with a mathematical error examination. A method for inclusion of the ionic strength effect with stepwise iteration is shown. The titration model is presented with matrix notations enabling simple computation of all concentration estimates. All methods and algorithms are illustrated in the experimental part. A linear correlation better than 0.999 was obtained for both acetate and phosphate used as model compounds with slopes of 0.98 and 1.00 and average standard deviations of 0.6% and 0.8%, respectively. Furthermore, insensitivity of the presented method for overlapping buffer capacity curves was shown.

A Simple and Sensitive Plant-Based Western Corn Rootworm Bioassay Method for Resistance Determination and Event Selection.

PubMed

Wen, Zhimou; Chen, Jeng Shong

2018-05-26

We report here a simple and sensitive plant-based western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), bioassay method that allows for examination of multiple parameters for both plants and insects in a single experimental setup within a short duration. For plants, injury to roots can be visually examined, fresh root weight can be measured, and expression of trait protein in plant roots can be analyzed. For insects, in addition to survival, larval growth and development can be evaluated in several aspects including body weight gain, body length, and head capsule width. We demonstrated using the method that eCry3.1Ab-expressing 5307 corn was very effective against western corn rootworm by eliciting high mortality and significantly inhibiting larval growth and development. We also validated that the method allowed determination of resistance in an eCry3.1Ab-resistant western corn rootworm strain. While data presented in this paper demonstrate the usefulness of the method for selection of events of protein traits and for determination of resistance in laboratory populations, we envision that the method can be applied in much broader applications.

Moderation analysis with missing data in the predictors.

PubMed

Zhang, Qian; Wang, Lijuan

2017-12-01

The most widely used statistical model for conducting moderation analysis is the moderated multiple regression (MMR) model. In MMR modeling, missing data could pose a challenge, mainly because the interaction term is a product of two or more variables and thus is a nonlinear function of the involved variables. In this study, we consider a simple MMR model, where the effect of the focal predictor X on the outcome Y is moderated by a moderator U. The primary interest is to find ways of estimating and testing the moderation effect with the existence of missing data in X. We mainly focus on cases when X is missing completely at random (MCAR) and missing at random (MAR). Three methods are compared: (a) Normal-distribution-based maximum likelihood estimation (NML); (b) Normal-distribution-based multiple imputation (NMI); and (c) Bayesian estimation (BE). Via simulations, we found that NML and NMI could lead to biased estimates of moderation effects under MAR missingness mechanism. The BE method outperformed NMI and NML for MMR modeling with missing data in the focal predictor, missingness depending on the moderator and/or auxiliary variables, and correctly specified distributions for the focal predictor. In addition, more robust BE methods are needed in terms of the distribution mis-specification problem of the focal predictor. An empirical example was used to illustrate the applications of the methods with a simple sensitivity analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of an empirical monitor output estimation in carbon ion radiotherapy.

PubMed

Matsumura, Akihiko; Yusa, Ken; Kanai, Tatsuaki; Mizota, Manabu; Ohno, Tatsuya; Nakano, Takashi

2015-09-01

A conventional broad beam method is applied to carbon ion radiotherapy at Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center. According to this method, accelerated carbon ions are scattered by various beam line devices to form 3D dose distribution. The physical dose per monitor unit (d/MU) at the isocenter, therefore, depends on beam line parameters and should be calibrated by a measurement in clinical practice. This study aims to develop a calculation algorithm for d/MU using beam line parameters. Two major factors, the range shifter dependence and the field aperture effect, are measured via PinPoint chamber in a water phantom, which is an identical setup as that used for monitor calibration in clinical practice. An empirical monitor calibration method based on measurement results is developed using a simple algorithm utilizing a linear function and a double Gaussian pencil beam distribution to express the range shifter dependence and the field aperture effect. The range shifter dependence and the field aperture effect are evaluated to have errors of 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively. The proposed method has successfully estimated d/MU with a difference of less than 1% with respect to the measurement results. Taking the measurement deviation of about 0.3% into account, this result is sufficiently accurate for clinical applications. An empirical procedure to estimate d/MU with a simple algorithm is established in this research. This procedure allows them to use the beam time for more treatments, quality assurances, and other research endeavors.

The shape of the electronic circular dichroism spectrum of (2,6-dimethylphenyl)(phenyl)methanol: interplay between conformational equilibria and vibronic effects.

PubMed

Padula, Daniele; Cerezo, Javier; Pescitelli, Gennaro; Santoro, Fabrizio

2017-12-13

Comparison between chiroptical spectra and theoretical predictions is the method of choice for the assignment of the absolute configuration of chiral compounds in solution. Here we report the case of an apparently simple biarylcarbinol, whose electronic circular dichroism (ECD) in the 1 L b region exhibits a peculiar alternation of negative and positive bands. Adopting Density Functional Theory, and describing solvent effects with implicit methods, we found three stable conformers in ethanol, each of them with two close lying states corresponding to similar local 1 L b excitations on the two phenyls. We computed the corresponding vibronic ECD spectra in harmonic approximation, including Duschinsky mixings as well as both Franck Condon (FC) and Herzberg Teller (HT) effects. Exploiting a recently developed mixed quantum/classical method, we further investigated the contribution of the vibronic spectra of out-of-equilibrium structures along the interconversion path connecting the different conformers. In this way, we achieved a reasonable agreement with experiment and attributed the alternating signs of the bands to the existence of different conformers. The remaining discrepancies with experiment indicate that specific solute-solvent interactions modulate the relative conformers' stabilities, calling for new methods able to combine Molecular Dynamics explorations and vibronic calculations. Moreover, the poor performance of HT approaches and the existence of two closely-lying states suggest the necessity of an improved fully-nonadiabatic vibronic approach. These findings demonstrate that even for such a simple system as the biarylcarbinol investigated here, a full reproduction of the fine details of the ECD spectrum requires the development of new improved methods.

Sensitized spectrophotometric determination of Cr(III) ion for speciation of chromium ion in surfactant media using alpha-benzoin oxime.

PubMed

Ghaedi, Mehrorang; Asadpour, Enayat; Vafaie, Azam

2006-01-01

A simple and accurate micellanized spectrophotometric method for determination of trace amounts of Cr(III) ion in tab and top water and a synthetic mixture has been described. The micellar method is based on effect of organized molecular assemblies such as micelles in spectrophotometric measurement due to their effect on the systems of interest. The ability of micellar system in solubilizing of sparingly soluble ligand or complexes has been used for increasing figures of merit of an analytical method. Due to solubility increasing in aqueous media requirement for a primary extraction can be eliminated. Using the alpha-benzoin oxime (alpha-BO) spectrophotometric determination of Cr(III) ion has been performed and results are compared. The spectrophotometric determination of Cr(III) ion using alpha-BO in the presence of non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 has been performed. The influence of type and amount of surfactant, pH, complexation time and amount of ligand were examined. Finally, the repeatability, accuracy and the effect of interfering ions on the determination of Cr(III) ion was evaluated. The proposed methods successfully with recovery yield of almost 100% have been applied to the rapid and simple determination of Cr(III) ion in the real samples. There is a good agreement between methods and atomic absorption spectrometry. The Beers law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.1-13.7 microg mL(-1) for micellar media. The detection limit is 0.8 ng mL(-1). The molar absorptivity of complex is 5350 L mol(-1) cm(-1).

Sensitized spectrophotometric determination of Cr(III) ion for speciation of chromium ion in surfactant media using α-benzoin oxime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghaedi, Mehrorang; Asadpour, Enayat; Vafaie, Azam

2006-01-01

A simple and accurate micellanized spectrophotometric method for determination of trace amounts of Cr(III) ion in tab and top water and a synthetic mixture has been described. The micellar method is based on effect of organized molecular assemblies such as micelles in spectrophotometric measurement due to their effect on the systems of interest. The ability of micellar system in solubilizing of sparingly soluble ligand or complexes has been used for increasing figures of merit of an analytical method. Due to solubility increasing in aqueous media requirement for a primary extraction can be eliminated. Using the α-benzoin oxime (α-BO) spectrophotometric determination of Cr(III) ion has been performed and results are compared. The spectrophotometric determination of Cr(III) ion using α-BO in the presence of non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 has been performed. The influence of type and amount of surfactant, pH, complexation time and amount of ligand were examined. Finally, the repeatability, accuracy and the effect of interfering ions on the determination of Cr(III) ion was evaluated. The proposed methods successfully with recovery yield of almost 100% have been applied to the rapid and simple determination of Cr(III) ion in the real samples. There is a good agreement between methods and atomic absorption spectrometry. The Beers law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.1-13.7 μg mL-1 for micellar media. The detection limit is 0.8 ng mL-1. The molar absorptivity of complex is 5350 L mol-1 cm-1.

Deposits from Creams Containing 20% (w/w) Urea and Suppression of Crystallization (Part 2): Novel Analytical Methods of Urea Accumulated in the Stratum Corneum by Tape stripping and Colorimetry.

PubMed

Goto, Norio; Morita, Yutaka; Terada, Katsuhide

2016-01-01

The transfer of urea from a urea formulation to the stratum corneum varies with the formulation base and form, and impacts the formulation's therapeutic effect. Consequently, determining the amount of urea transferred is essential for developing efficient formulations. This study assessed a simple method for measuring the amount of urea accumulated in the stratum corneum. Conventional methods rely on labeling urea used in the formulation with radiocarbon ((14)C) or other radioactive isotopes (RIs), retrieving the transferred urea from the stratum corneum by tape stripping, then quantitating the urea. The handling and use of RIs, however, is subject to legal regulation and can only be performed in sanctioned facilities, so methods employing RIs are neither simple nor convenient. We therefore developed a non-radiolabel method "tape stripping-colorimetry (T-C)" that combines tape stripping with colorimetry (urease-glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH)) for the quantitative measurement of urea. Urea in the stratum corneum is collected by tape stripping and measured using urease-GLDH, which is commonly used to measure urea nitrogen in blood tests. The results indicate that accurate urea measurement by the T-C method requires the application of 1400 mg (on hairless rats) of a 20% urea solution on a 50 cm(2) (5×10 cm) area. Further, we determined the amount of urea accumulated in the stratum corneum using formulations with different urea concentrations, and the time course of urea accumulation from formulations differing in the rate of urea crystallization. We demonstrate that the T-C method is simple and convenient, with no need for (14)C or other RIs.

Efficient multi-atlas abdominal segmentation on clinically acquired CT with SIMPLE context learning.

PubMed

Xu, Zhoubing; Burke, Ryan P; Lee, Christopher P; Baucom, Rebeccah B; Poulose, Benjamin K; Abramson, Richard G; Landman, Bennett A

2015-08-01

Abdominal segmentation on clinically acquired computed tomography (CT) has been a challenging problem given the inter-subject variance of human abdomens and complex 3-D relationships among organs. Multi-atlas segmentation (MAS) provides a potentially robust solution by leveraging label atlases via image registration and statistical fusion. We posit that the efficiency of atlas selection requires further exploration in the context of substantial registration errors. The selective and iterative method for performance level estimation (SIMPLE) method is a MAS technique integrating atlas selection and label fusion that has proven effective for prostate radiotherapy planning. Herein, we revisit atlas selection and fusion techniques for segmenting 12 abdominal structures using clinically acquired CT. Using a re-derived SIMPLE algorithm, we show that performance on multi-organ classification can be improved by accounting for exogenous information through Bayesian priors (so called context learning). These innovations are integrated with the joint label fusion (JLF) approach to reduce the impact of correlated errors among selected atlases for each organ, and a graph cut technique is used to regularize the combined segmentation. In a study of 100 subjects, the proposed method outperformed other comparable MAS approaches, including majority vote, SIMPLE, JLF, and the Wolz locally weighted vote technique. The proposed technique provides consistent improvement over state-of-the-art approaches (median improvement of 7.0% and 16.2% in DSC over JLF and Wolz, respectively) and moves toward efficient segmentation of large-scale clinically acquired CT data for biomarker screening, surgical navigation, and data mining. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simple adaptive control system design for a quadrotor with an internal PFC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizumoto, Ikuro; Nakamura, Takuto; Kumon, Makoto; Takagi, Taro

2014-12-01

The paper deals with an adaptive control system design problem for a four rotor helicopter or quadrotor. A simple adaptive control design scheme with a parallel feedforward compensator (PFC) in the internal loop of the considered quadrotor will be proposed based on the backstepping strategy. As is well known, the backstepping control strategy is one of the advanced control strategy for nonlinear systems. However, the control algorithm will become complex if the system has higher order relative degrees. We will show that one can skip some design steps of the backstepping method by introducing a PFC in the inner loop of the considered quadrotor, so that the structure of the obtained controller will be simplified and a high gain based adaptive feedback control system will be designed. The effectiveness of the proposed method will be confirmed through numerical simulations.

Fluorescent detection of (-)-epicatechin in microsamples from cacao seeds and cocoa products: Comparison with Folin-Ciocalteu method.

PubMed

Ramirez-Sanchez, Israel; Maya, Lisandro; Ceballos, Guillermo; Villarreal, Francisco

2010-12-01

Polyphenolic compounds of the flavanoid family are abundantly present in cacao seed and its cocoa products. Results from studies using cocoa products indicate beneficial effects of flavanols on cardiovascular endpoints. Evidence indicates that (-)-epicatechin is the main cacao flavanol associated with cardiovascular effects, so the accurate quantification of its content in cacao seeds or cocoa products is important. Common methods for the quantification of phenolic content in cocoa products are based on the reaction of phenols with colorimetric reagents such as the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) In this study, we compared the FC method of phenolic determinations using 2 different standards (gallic acid and (-)-epicatechin) to construct calibration curves. We compare these results with those obtained from a simple fluorometric method (Ex(280)/Em(320) nm) used to determine catechin/(-)-epicatechin content in samples of cacao seeds and cocoa products. Values obtained from the FC method determination of polyphenols yield an overestimation of phenol (flavonoid) content when gallic acid is used as standard. Moreover, the epicatechin is a more reliable standard because of its abundance in cacao seeds and cocoa products. The use of fluorometric spectra yields a simple and highly quantitative means for a more precise and rapid quantification of cacao catechins. Fluorometric values are essentially in agreement with those reported using more cumbersome methods. In conclusion, the use of fluorescence emission spectra is a quick, practical and suitable means to quantifying catechins in cacao seeds and cocoa products.

Estimates of effective elastic thickness of oceanic lithosphere using model including surface and subsurface loads and effective elastic thickness of subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, A.; Yongtao, F.

2016-12-01

The effective elastic thickness (Te) is an important parameter that characterizes the long term strength of the lithosphere, which has great significance on understanding the mechanical properties and evolution of the lithosphere. In contrast with many controversies regarding elastic thickness of continent lithosphere, the Te of oceanic lithosphere is thought to be in a simple way that is dependent on the age of the plate. However, rescent studies show that there is no simple relationship between Te and age at time of loading for both seamounts and subduction zones. As subsurface loading is very importand and has large influence in the estimate of Te for continent lithosphere, and many oceanic features such as subduction zones also have considerable subsurface loading. We introduce the method to estimate the effective elastic thickness of oceanic lithosphere using model including surface and subsurface loads by using free-air gravity anomaly and bathymetric data, together with a moving window admittance technique (MWAT). We use the multitaper spectral estimation method to calculate the power spectral density. Through tests with synthetic subduction zone like bathymetry and gravity data show that the Te can be recovered in an accurance similar to that in the continent and there is also a trade-off between spatial resolution and variance for different window sizes. We estimate Te of many subduction zones (Peru-Chile trench, Middle America trench, Caribbean trench, Kuril-Japan trench, Mariana trench, Tonga trench, Java trench, Ryukyu-Philippine trench) with an age range of 0-160 Myr to reassess the relationship between elastic thickness and the age of the lithosphere at the time of loading. The results do not show a simple relationship between Te and age.

Rendering the "Not-So-Simple" Pendulum Experimentally Accessible.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, David P.

1996-01-01

Presents three methods for obtaining experimental data related to acceleration of a simple pendulum. Two of the methods involve angular position measurements and the subsequent calculation of the acceleration while the third method involves a direct measurement of the acceleration. Compares these results with theoretical calculations and…

Adaptive exponential integrate-and-fire model as an effective description of neuronal activity.

PubMed

Brette, Romain; Gerstner, Wulfram

2005-11-01

We introduce a two-dimensional integrate-and-fire model that combines an exponential spike mechanism with an adaptation equation, based on recent theoretical findings. We describe a systematic method to estimate its parameters with simple electrophysiological protocols (current-clamp injection of pulses and ramps) and apply it to a detailed conductance-based model of a regular spiking neuron. Our simple model predicts correctly the timing of 96% of the spikes (+/-2 ms) of the detailed model in response to injection of noisy synaptic conductances. The model is especially reliable in high-conductance states, typical of cortical activity in vivo, in which intrinsic conductances were found to have a reduced role in shaping spike trains. These results are promising because this simple model has enough expressive power to reproduce qualitatively several electrophysiological classes described in vitro.

Construction of flexible metal-organic framework (MOF) papers through MOF growth on filter paper and their selective dye capture.

PubMed

Park, Jeehyun; Oh, Moonhyun

2017-09-14

The conjugation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with other materials is an excellent strategy for the production of advanced materials having desired properties and so appropriate applicability. In particular, the integration of MOFs with a flexible paper is expected to form valuable materials in separation technology. Here we report a simple method for the generation of MOF papers through the compact and uniform growth of MOF nanoparticles on the cellulose surface of a carboxymethylated filter paper. The resulting MOF papers show a selective capture ability for negatively charged organic dyes and they can be used for dye separation through simple filtration of a dye solution on the MOF papers. In addition, MOF papers can be reused after a simple washing process without losing their effective dye capture ability.

Combustion and Magnetohydrodynamic Processes in Advanced Pulse Detonation Rocket Engines

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

use of high-order numerical methods can also be a powerful tool in the analysis of such complex flows, but we need to understand the interaction of...computational physics, 43(2):357372, 1981. [47] B. Einfeldt. On godunov-type methods for gas dynamics . SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis , pages 294...dimensional effects with complex reaction kinetics, the simple one-dimensional detonation structure provides a rich spectrum of dynamical features which are

Stability analysis of multigrid acceleration methods for the solution of partial differential equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fay, John F.

1990-01-01

A calculation is made of the stability of various relaxation schemes for the numerical solution of partial differential equations. A multigrid acceleration method is introduced, and its effects on stability are explored. A detailed stability analysis of a simple case is carried out and verified by numerical experiment. It is shown that the use of multigrids can speed convergence by several orders of magnitude without adversely affecting stability.

Effect of metal oxide nanoparticles on Godavari river water treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goud, Ravi Kumar; Ajay Kumar, V.; Reddy, T. Rakesh; Vinod, B.; Shravani, S.

2018-05-01

Nowadays there is a continuously increasing worldwide concern for the development of water treatment technologies. In the area of water purification, nanotechnology offers the possibility of an efficient removal of pollutants and germs. Nanomaterials reveal good results than other techniques used in water treatment because of its high surface area to volume ratio. In the present work, iron oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by simple heating method. The synthesized nanoparticles were used to purify Godavari river water. The effect of nanoparticles at 70°C temperature, 12 centimeter of sand bed height and pH of 8 shows good results as compared to simple sand bed filter. The attained values of BOD5, COD and Turbidity were in permissible limit of world health organization.

Comparison of electro and chemical cautery in the treatment of anterior epistaxis.

PubMed

Toner, J G; Walby, A P

1990-08-01

In the ENT Department of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, the impression (supported only by anecdotes) was that electro-cautery was superior to chemical cautery in the treatment of simple anterior epistaxis. Since no evaluation of the relative merits of electro and chemical cautery has been reported, a prospective randomized study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of electro-cautery and cautery with silver nitrate. The results of the study showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the two methods in either controlling the epistaxis or in the incidence of complications. It is concluded that since cautery with a silver nitrate tipped applicator is simpler, and of equal effectiveness, it would appear to be the treatment of choice for simple anterior epistaxis.

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

Dewani, Aliya A., E-mail: a.ashraf@griffith.edu.au; O’Keefe, Steven G.; Thiel, David V.

A novel 2D simple low cost frequency selective surface was screen printed on thin (0.21 mm), flexible transparent plastic substrate (relative permittivity 3.2). It was designed, fabricated and tested in the frequency range 10-20 GHz. The plane wave transmission and reflection coefficients agreed with numerical modelling. The effective permittivity and thickness of the backing sheet has a significant effect on the frequency characteristics. The stop band frequency reduced from 15GHz (no backing) to 12.5GHz with polycarbonate. The plastic substrate thickness beyond 1.8mm has minimal effect on the resonant frequency. While the inner element spacing controls the stop-band frequency, the substratemore » thickness controls the bandwidth. The screen printing technique provided a simple, low cost FSS fabrication method to produce flexible, conformal, optically transparent and bio-degradable FSS structures which can find their use in electromagnetic shielding and filtering applications in radomes, reflector antennas, beam splitters and polarizers.« less

Effects of the inner droplet of double emulsions on the film drainage during a head-on collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jingtao; Jing, Hefeng; Xu, Genmiao; Wang, Xiaoyong; Duan, Zhenya

2015-07-01

As a critical stage which severely affects the final coalescence of droplets, film drainage in the collision process of two simple droplets has been deeply studied for many years. However, the collision of multiple emulsions which contain other phases (like daughter droplets or particles) has never been studied although multiple emulsions are very important in emulsion industries nowadays. In this paper, the head-on collision of two core-shell double emulsions with equal sizes is investigated through a boundary integral method to disclose the effects of the inner droplet on the film drainage. When capillary number Ca is relatively high, due to the effect of the inner droplet on the inner circulation of mother droplets, the film drainage of double emulsions includes three stages: drainage, drainage halt, and second drainage, instead of two stages for that of simple droplets: drainage and drainage halt.

A simple quantum mechanical treatment of scattering in nanoscale transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venugopal, R.; Paulsson, M.; Goasguen, S.; Datta, S.; Lundstrom, M. S.

2003-05-01

We present a computationally efficient, two-dimensional quantum mechanical simulation scheme for modeling dissipative electron transport in thin body, fully depleted, n-channel, silicon-on-insulator transistors. The simulation scheme, which solves the nonequilibrium Green's function equations self consistently with Poisson's equation, treats the effect of scattering using a simple approximation inspired by the "Büttiker probes," often used in mesoscopic physics. It is based on an expansion of the active device Hamiltonian in decoupled mode space. Simulation results are used to highlight quantum effects, discuss the physics of scattering and to relate the quantum mechanical quantities used in our model to experimentally measured low field mobilities. Additionally, quantum boundary conditions are rigorously derived and the effects of strong off-equilibrium transport are examined. This paper shows that our approximate treatment of scattering, is an efficient and useful simulation method for modeling electron transport in nanoscale, silicon-on-insulator transistors.

Optically transparent frequency selective surfaces on flexible thin plastic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewani, Aliya A.; O'Keefe, Steven G.; Thiel, David V.; Galehdar, Amir

2015-02-01

A novel 2D simple low cost frequency selective surface was screen printed on thin (0.21 mm), flexible transparent plastic substrate (relative permittivity 3.2). It was designed, fabricated and tested in the frequency range 10-20 GHz. The plane wave transmission and reflection coefficients agreed with numerical modelling. The effective permittivity and thickness of the backing sheet has a significant effect on the frequency characteristics. The stop band frequency reduced from 15GHz (no backing) to 12.5GHz with polycarbonate. The plastic substrate thickness beyond 1.8mm has minimal effect on the resonant frequency. While the inner element spacing controls the stop-band frequency, the substrate thickness controls the bandwidth. The screen printing technique provided a simple, low cost FSS fabrication method to produce flexible, conformal, optically transparent and bio-degradable FSS structures which can find their use in electromagnetic shielding and filtering applications in radomes, reflector antennas, beam splitters and polarizers.

Prediction of quantum interference in molecular junctions using a parabolic diagram: Understanding the origin of Fano and anti- resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nozaki, Daijiro; Avdoshenko, Stanislav M.; Sevinçli, Hâldun; Gutierrez, Rafael; Cuniberti, Gianaurelio

2013-03-01

Recently the interest in quantum interference (QI) phenomena in molecular devices (molecular junctions) has been growing due to the unique features observed in the transmission spectra. In order to design single molecular devices exploiting QI effects as desired, it is necessary to provide simple rules for predicting the appearance of QI effects such as anti-resonances or Fano line shapes and for controlling them. In this study, we derive a transmission function of a generic molecular junction with a side group (T-shaped molecular junction) using a minimal toy model. We developed a simple method to predict the appearance of quantum interference, Fano resonances or anti- resonances, and its position in the conductance spectrum by introducing a simple graphical representation (parabolic model). Using it we can easily visualize the relation between the key electronic parameters and the positions of normal resonant peaks and anti-resonant peaks induced by quantum interference in the conductance spectrum. We also demonstrate Fano and anti-resonance in T-shaped molecular junctions using a simple tight-binding model. This parabolic model enables one to infer on-site energies of T-shaped molecules and the coupling between side group and main conduction channel from transmission spectra.

Proceedings of the Conference on Low Reynolds Number Airfoil Aerodynamics

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-01

resulting in a simple bubble prediction method. The effect of tripping devices to decrease the adverse effect of the bubble on drag is discussed ...interacting flows. Of interest is a special form of the steady-state bifurcation , namely, symmetry breaking of an otherwise regular flow about a symmet- ric...Ratio Effects on the Aerodynamics of a Wortmann Airfoil at Low Reynolds Number J.F. Marchman, IIl, A.A. Abtahi and V. Sumantran . . . 183 Performance of

[Effect of Gram-negative bacteria on fatty acids].

PubMed

Vuillemin, N; Dupeyron, C; Leluan, G; Bory, J

1981-01-01

The gram-negative bacteria investigated exert various effects on fatty acids. P. aeruginosa and A. calcoaceticus catabolize any of the fatty acids tested. S. marcescens is effective upon all fatty acids excepting butyric acid. The long chain fatty acids only are degraded by E. coli, meanwhile the other fatty acids present a bacteriostatic or bactericidal activity on it. The authors propose a simple and original method for testing the capability of degradation of fatty acids by some bacterial species.

Optical properties of β-Ga2O3 nanorods synthesized by a simple and cost-effective method using egg white solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phumying, Santi; Labauyai, Sarawut; Chareonboon, Wirat; Phokha, Sumalin; Maensiri, Santi

2015-06-01

In this paper, we report on the optical properties of gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) nanorods synthesized by a simple, cost-effective and environment-friendly method using gallium(III) nitrate hydrate and freshly extracted egg white (ovalbumin) in an aqueous medium. The extracted egg white acted as a matrix for the entrapment of gallium ions to generate a gelled precursor. The structure of the prepared samples was studied by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy to confirm the formation of β-Ga2O3 with a monoclinic structure after calcination of the precursor in air at 750, 850, and 950 °C for 3 h. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the morphology and formation of nanorods with different sizes and shapes in the samples, resulting from the effect of the calcination temperature. All the samples showed a strong UV absorption with the band gap in the range of 3.87-3.97 eV. Room-temperature photoluminescence spectra of all the samples also showed a strong UV emission. The UV emission results were discussed based on the basis of charge recombination.

An inquiry into the causes and effects of the variolae (or Cow-pox. 1798).

PubMed

Jenson, Alfred B; Ghim, Shin-Je; Sundberg, John P

2016-03-01

Few papers have had a greater impact on the health of the human species than the simple, yet elegant, observations and clinical trials of Edward Jenner with what was at the time called the Cow Pox. In fact, this was a naturally attenuated rodent (probably rat) pox that could infect horses and, through farriers and farm hands, dairy cattle. While commonly called the Cow Pox at the time, Jenner's transmission studies between humans used infectious materials from horses. His methods provided protection from the serious effects of smallpox infections. In 1977, smallpox was considered to be eradicated, although people continue to be infected by pox viruses from other mammalian species. We consider this to be our 'favorite historical paper' because it emphasizes careful clinical observation followed by relatively simple clinical testing can have a profound influence on human health, even when almost nothing is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Continued follow-up with strict attention to detail resulted in a crude but effective way to deal with an epidemic, methods still used today for containing infectious diseases. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New coherent laser communication detection scheme based on channel-switching method.

PubMed

Liu, Fuchuan; Sun, Jianfeng; Ma, Xiaoping; Hou, Peipei; Cai, Guangyu; Sun, Zhiwei; Lu, Zhiyong; Liu, Liren

2015-04-01

A new coherent laser communication detection scheme based on the channel-switching method is proposed. The detection front end of this scheme comprises a 90° optical hybrid and two balanced photodetectors which outputs the in-phase (I) channel and quadrature-phase (Q) channel signal current, respectively. With this method, the ultrahigh speed analog/digital transform of the signal of the I or Q channel is not required. The phase error between the signal and local lasers is obtained by simple analog circuit. Using the phase error signal, the signals of the I/Q channel are switched alternately. The principle of this detection scheme is presented. Moreover, the comparison of the sensitivity of this scheme with that of homodyne detection with an optical phase-locked loop is discussed. An experimental setup was constructed to verify the proposed detection scheme. The offline processing procedure and results are presented. This scheme could be realized through simple structure and has potential applications in cost-effective high-speed laser communication.

[Isolation and purification of seven catechin compounds from fresh tea leaves by semi-preparative liquid chromatography].

PubMed

Gong, Zhihong; Chen, Si; Gao, Jiangtao; Li, Meihong; Wang, Xiaxia; Lin, Jun; Yu, Xiaomin

2017-11-08

An effective and simple method was established to simultaneously purify seven tea catechins (gallocatechin (GC), epigallocatechin (EGC), catechin (C), epigallocatechin-3- O -gallate (EGCG), epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin-3- O -(3- O -methyl)-gallate (EGCG3"Me) and epicatechin-3- O -gallate (ECG)) from fresh tea leaves by semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Fresh leaves of Tieguanyin tea were successively extracted with methanol and chloroform. Then crude catechins were precipitated from the aqueous fraction of chloroform extraction by adding lead subacetate. Crude catechins were used for the isolation of the seven target catechin compounds by semi-preparative HPLC. Methanol-water and acetonitrile-water were sequentially used as mobile phases. After two rounds of semi-preparative HPLC, all target compounds were achieved with high purities (>90%). The proposed method was tested on two additional tea cultivars and showed similar results. This method demonstrated a simple and efficient strategy based on solvent extraction, ion precipitation and semi-preparative HPLC for the preparation of multiple catechins from tea leaves.

Indirect glyphosate detection based on ninhydrin reaction and surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Meng-Lei; Gao, Yu; Li, Yali; Li, Xueliang; Zhang, Huanjie; Han, Xiao Xia; Zhao, Bing; Su, Liang

2018-05-01

Glyphosate is one of the most commonly-used and non-selective herbicides in agriculture, which may directly pollute the environment and threaten human health. A simple and effective approach to assessment of its damage to the natural environment is thus quite necessary. However, traditional chromatography-based detection methods usually suffer from complex pretreatment procedures. Herein, we propose a simple and sensitive method for the determination of glyphosate by combining ninhydrin reaction and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The product (purple color dye, PD) of the ninhydrin reaction is found to SERS-active and directly correlate with the glyphosate concentration. The limit of detection of the proposed method for glyphosate is as low as 1.43 × 10- 8 mol·L- 1 with a relatively wider linear concentration range (1.0 × 10- 7-1.0 × 10- 4 mol·L- 1), which demonstrates its great potential in rapid, highly sensitive concentration determination of glyphosate in practical applications for safety assessment of food and environment.

Large-scale single-chirality separation of single-wall carbon nanotubes by simple gel chromatography

PubMed Central

Liu, Huaping; Nishide, Daisuke; Tanaka, Takeshi; Kataura, Hiromichi

2011-01-01

Monostructured single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are important in both scientific research and electronic and biomedical applications; however, the bulk separation of SWCNTs into populations of single-chirality nanotubes remains challenging. Here we report a simple and effective method for the large-scale chirality separation of SWCNTs using a single-surfactant multicolumn gel chromatography method utilizing one surfactant and a series of vertically connected gel columns. This method is based on the structure-dependent interaction strength of SWCNTs with an allyl dextran-based gel. Overloading an SWCNT dispersion on the top column results in the adsorption sites of the column becoming fully occupied by the nanotubes that exhibit the strongest interaction with the gel. The unbound nanotubes flow through to the next column, and the nanotubes with the second strongest interaction with the gel are adsorbed in this stage. In this manner, 13 different (n, m) species were separated. Metallic SWCNTs were finally collected as unbound nanotubes because they exhibited the lowest interaction with the gel. PMID:21556063

Selective production of chemicals from biomass pyrolysis over metal chlorides supported on zeolite.

PubMed

Leng, Shuai; Wang, Xinde; Cai, Qiuxia; Ma, Fengyun; Liu, Yue'e; Wang, Jianguo

2013-12-01

Direct biomass conversion into chemicals remains a great challenge because of the complexity of the compounds; hence, this process has attracted less attention than conversion into fuel. In this study, we propose a simple one-step method for converting bagasse into furfural (FF) and acetic acid (AC). In this method, bagasse pyrolysis over ZnCl2/HZSM-5 achieved a high FF and AC yield (58.10%) and a 1.01 FF/AC ratio, but a very low yield of medium-boiling point components. However, bagasse pyrolysis using HZSM-5 alone or ZnCl2 alone still remained large amounts of medium-boiling point components or high-boiling point components. The synergistic effect of HZSM-5 and ZnCl2, which combines pyrolysis, zeolite cracking, and Lewis acid-selective catalysis results in highly efficient bagasse conversion into FF and AC. Therefore, our study provides a novel, simple method for directly converting biomass into high-yield useful chemical. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DNA extraction and barcode identification of development stages of forensically important flies in the Czech Republic.

PubMed

Olekšáková, Tereza; Žurovcová, Martina; Klimešová, Vanda; Barták, Miroslav; Šuláková, Hana

2018-04-01

Several methods of DNA extraction, coupled with 'DNA barcoding' species identification, were compared using specimens from early developmental stages of forensically important flies from the Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae families. DNA was extracted at three immature stages - eggs, the first instar larvae, and empty pupal cases (puparia) - using four different extraction methods, namely, one simple 'homemade' extraction buffer protocol and three commercial kits. The extraction conditions, including the amount of proteinase K and incubation times, were optimized. The simple extraction buffer method was successful for half of the eggs and for the first instar larval samples. The DNA Lego Kit and DEP-25 DNA Extraction Kit were useful for DNA extractions from the first instar larvae samples, and the DNA Lego Kit was also successful regarding the extraction from eggs. The QIAamp DNA mini kit was the most effective; the extraction was successful with regard to all sample types - eggs, larvae, and pupari.

Multiplex PCR detection of waterborne intestinal protozoa: microsporidia, Cyclospora, and Cryptosporidium.

PubMed

Lee, Seung-Hyun; Joung, Migyo; Yoon, Sejoung; Choi, Kyoungjin; Park, Woo-Yoon; Yu, Jae-Ran

2010-12-01

Recently, emerging waterborne protozoa, such as microsporidia, Cyclospora, and Cryptosporidium, have become a challenge to human health worldwide. Rapid, simple, and economical detection methods for these major waterborne protozoa in environmental and clinical samples are necessary to control infection and improve public health. In the present study, we developed a multiplex PCR test that is able to detect all these 3 major waterborne protozoa at the same time. Detection limits of the multiplex PCR method ranged from 10(1) to 10(2) oocysts or spores. The primers for microsporidia or Cryptosporidium used in this study can detect both Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis, or both Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum, respectively. Restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products with BsaBI or BsiEI makes it possible to distinguish the 2 species of microsporidia or Cryptosporidium, respectively. This simple, rapid, and cost-effective multiplex PCR method will be useful for detecting outbreaks or sporadic cases of waterborne protozoa infections.

A simple and effective radiometric correction method to improve landscape change detection across sensors and across time

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, X.; Vierling, Lee; Deering, D.

2005-01-01

Satellite data offer unrivaled utility in monitoring and quantifying large scale land cover change over time. Radiometric consistency among collocated multi-temporal imagery is difficult to maintain, however, due to variations in sensor characteristics, atmospheric conditions, solar angle, and sensor view angle that can obscure surface change detection. To detect accurate landscape change using multi-temporal images, we developed a variation of the pseudoinvariant feature (PIF) normalization scheme: the temporally invariant cluster (TIC) method. Image data were acquired on June 9, 1990 (Landsat 4), June 20, 2000 (Landsat 7), and August 26, 2001 (Landsat 7) to analyze boreal forests near the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and reduced simple ratio (RSR). The temporally invariant cluster (TIC) centers were identified via a point density map of collocated pixel VIs from the base image and the target image, and a normalization regression line was created to intersect all TIC centers. Target image VI values were then recalculated using the regression function so that these two images could be compared using the resulting common radiometric scale. We found that EVI was very indicative of vegetation structure because of its sensitivity to shadowing effects and could thus be used to separate conifer forests from deciduous forests and grass/crop lands. Conversely, because NDVI reduced the radiometric influence of shadow, it did not allow for distinctions among these vegetation types. After normalization, correlations of NDVI and EVI with forest leaf area index (LAI) field measurements combined for 2000 and 2001 were significantly improved; the r 2 values in these regressions rose from 0.49 to 0.69 and from 0.46 to 0.61, respectively. An EVI "cancellation effect" where EVI was positively related to understory greenness but negatively related to forest canopy coverage was evident across a post fire chronosequence with normalized data. These findings indicate that the TIC method provides a simple, effective and repeatable method to create radiometrically comparable data sets for remote detection of landscape change. Compared to some previous relative radiometric normalization methods, this new method does not require high level programming and statistical skills, yet remains sensitive to landscape changes occurring over seasonal and inter-annual time scales. In addition, the TIC method maintains sensitivity to subtle changes in vegetation phenology and enables normalization even when invariant features are rare. While this normalization method allowed detection of a range of land use, land cover, and phenological/biophysical changes in the Siberian boreal forest region studied here, it is necessary to further examine images representing a wide variety of ecoregions to thoroughly evaluate the TIC method against other normalization schemes. ?? 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Effectiveness in Differentiating Benign from Malignant Ovarian Masses between IOTA Simple Rules and Subjective Sonographic Assessment.

PubMed

Tongsong, Theera; Tinnangwattana, Dangcheewan; Vichak-Ururote, Linlada; Tontivuthikul, Paponrad; Charoenratana, Cholaros; Lerthiranwong, Thitikarn

2016-01-01

To compare diagnostic performance in differentiating benign from malignant ovarian masses between IOTA (the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis) simple rules and subjective sonographic assessment. Women scheduled for elective surgery because of ovarian masses were recruited into the study and underwent ultrasound examination within 24 hours of surgery to apply the IOTA simple rules by general gynecologists and to record video clips for subjective assessment by an experienced sonographer. The diagnostic performance of the IOTA rules and subjective assessment for differentiation between benign and malignant masses was compared. The gold standard diagnosis was pathological or operative findings. A total of 150 ovarian masses were covered, comprising 105 (70%) benign and 45 (30%) malignant. Of them, the IOTA simple rules could be applied in 119 (79.3%) and were inconclusive in 31 (20.7%) whereas subjective assessment could be applied in all cases (100%). The sensitivity and the specificity of the IOTA simple rules and subjective assessment were not significantly different, 82.9% vs 86.7% and 94.0% vs 94.3% respectively. The agreement of the two methods in prediction was high with a Kappa index of 0.835. Both techniques had a high diagnostic performance in differentiation between benign and malignant ovarian masses but the IOTA rules had a relatively high rate of inconclusive results. The IOTA rules can be used as an effective screening technique by general gynecologists but when the results are inconclusive they should consult experienced sonographers.

A Simple Method for Calculating Clebsch-Gordan Coefficients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klink, W. H.; Wickramasekara, S.

2010-01-01

This paper presents a simple method for calculating Clebsch-Gordan coefficients for the tensor product of two unitary irreducible representations (UIRs) of the rotation group. The method also works for multiplicity-free irreducible representations appearing in the tensor product of any number of UIRs of the rotation group. The generalization to…

Simple and Clear Proofs of Stirling's Formula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niizeki, Shozo; Araki, Makoto

2010-01-01

The purpose of our article is to show two simpler and clearer methods of proving Stirling's formula than the traditional and conventional ones. The distinction of our method is to use the simple trapezoidal formula.

A Simple Method to Improve Autonomous GPS Positioning for Tractors

PubMed Central

Gomez-Gil, Jaime; Alonso-Garcia, Sergio; Gómez-Gil, Francisco Javier; Stombaugh, Tim

2011-01-01

Error is always present in the GPS guidance of a tractor along a desired trajectory. One way to reduce GPS guidance error is by improving the tractor positioning. The most commonly used ways to do this are either by employing more precise GPS receivers and differential corrections or by employing GPS together with some other local positioning systems such as electronic compasses or Inertial Navigation Systems (INS). However, both are complex and expensive solutions. In contrast, this article presents a simple and low cost method to improve tractor positioning when only a GPS receiver is used as the positioning sensor. The method is based on placing the GPS receiver ahead of the tractor, and on applying kinematic laws of tractor movement, or a geometric approximation, to obtain the midpoint position and orientation of the tractor rear axle more precisely. This precision improvement is produced by the fusion of the GPS data with tractor kinematic control laws. Our results reveal that the proposed method effectively reduces the guidance GPS error along a straight trajectory. PMID:22163917

Analytical detection and method development of anticancer drug Gemcitabine HCl using gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Menon, Shobhana K; Mistry, Bhoomika R; Joshi, Kuldeep V; Sutariya, Pinkesh G; Patel, Ravindra V

2012-08-01

A simple, rapid, cost effective and extractive UV spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of Gemcitabine HCl (GMCT) in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulation. It was based on UV spectrophotometric measurements in which the drug reacts with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and changes the original colour of AuNP and forms a dark blue coloured solution which exhibits absorption maximum at 688nm. The apparent molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity coefficient were found to be 3.95×10(-5)lmol(-1)cm(-1) and 0.060μgcm(-2) respectively. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range of 2.0-40μgml(-1). This method was tested and validated for various parameters according to ICH guidelines. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of GMCT in pharmaceutical formulation (parental formulation). The results demonstrated that the procedure is accurate, precise and reproducible (relative standard deviation <2%). As it is simple, cheap and less time consuming, it can be suitably applied for the estimation of GMCT in dosage forms. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A simple and selective method for determination of phthalate biomarkers in vegetable samples by high pressure liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhou, Xi; Cui, Kunyan; Zeng, Feng; Li, Shoucong; Zeng, Zunxiang

2016-06-01

In the present study, solid-phase extraction cartridges including silica reversed-phase Isolute C18, polymeric reversed-phase Oasis HLB and mixed-mode anion-exchange Oasis MAX, and liquid-liquid extractions with ethyl acetate, n-hexane, dichloromethane and its mixtures were compared for clean-up of phthalate monoesters from vegetable samples. Best recoveries and minimised matrix effects were achieved using ethyl acetate/n-hexane liquid-liquid extraction for these target compounds. A simple and selective method, based on sample preparation by ultrasonic extraction and liquid-liquid extraction clean-up, for the determination of phthalate monoesters in vegetable samples by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionisation-tandem mass spectrometry was developed. The method detection limits for phthalate monoesters ranged from 0.013 to 0.120 ng g(-1). Good linearity (r(2)>0.991) between MQLs and 1000× MQLs was achieved. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviation values were less than 11.8%. The method was successfully used to determine phthalate monoester metabolites in the vegetable samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of silica aerogel monoliths with controlled specific surface areas and pore sizes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Bingying; Lu, Shaoxiang; Kalulu, Mulenga; Oderinde, Olayinka; Ren, Lili

2017-07-01

To replace traditional preparation methods of silica aerogels, a small-molecule 1,2-epoxypropane (PO) has been introduced into the preparation process instead of using ammonia as the cross-linking agent, thus generating a lightweight, high porosity, and large surface area silica aerogel monolithic. We put forward a simple solution route for the chemical synthesis of silica aerogels, which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), TEM, XRD, FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method In this paper, the effect of the amount of PO on the microstructure of silica aerogels is discussed. The BET surface areas and pore sizes of the resulting silica aerogels can be freely adjusted by changing the amount of PO, which will be helpful in promoting the development of silica aerogels to fabricate other porous materials with similar requirements. We also adopted a new organic solvent sublimation drying (OSSD) method to replace traditional expensive and dangerous drying methods such as critical point drying and freeze drying. This simple approach is easy to operate and has good repeatability, which will further facilitate actual applications of silica aerogels.

Improving cerebellar segmentation with statistical fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plassard, Andrew J.; Yang, Zhen; Prince, Jerry L.; Claassen, Daniel O.; Landman, Bennett A.

2016-03-01

The cerebellum is a somatotopically organized central component of the central nervous system well known to be involved with motor coordination and increasingly recognized roles in cognition and planning. Recent work in multiatlas labeling has created methods that offer the potential for fully automated 3-D parcellation of the cerebellar lobules and vermis (which are organizationally equivalent to cortical gray matter areas). This work explores the trade offs of using different statistical fusion techniques and post hoc optimizations in two datasets with distinct imaging protocols. We offer a novel fusion technique by extending the ideas of the Selective and Iterative Method for Performance Level Estimation (SIMPLE) to a patch-based performance model. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm, Non- Local SIMPLE, for segmentation of a mixed population of healthy subjects and patients with severe cerebellar anatomy. Under the first imaging protocol, we show that Non-Local SIMPLE outperforms previous gold-standard segmentation techniques. In the second imaging protocol, we show that Non-Local SIMPLE outperforms previous gold standard techniques but is outperformed by a non-locally weighted vote with the deeper population of atlases available. This work advances the state of the art in open source cerebellar segmentation algorithms and offers the opportunity for routinely including cerebellar segmentation in magnetic resonance imaging studies that acquire whole brain T1-weighted volumes with approximately 1 mm isotropic resolution.

Lessons on Policing Terrorism: Studying Police Effectiveness in Italy and Germany

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

TODAY ........................................................46 IV. CENTRIST POLITICS AND THE POLICE: AN ITALIAN NARRATIVE .....49 A. BACKGROUND AND...might plan, coordinate, and carry out terrorist acts in an attempt to disrupt and destroy the cycle of violence—crime. Especially today , a simple...characteristics of effective policing that might be applicable today and in the future. It begins by developing a method for analysis, which can then be used

Hawking radiation as tunneling from squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole

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

Matsuno, Ken; Umetsu, Koichiro

2011-03-15

We discuss Hawking radiation from a five-dimensional squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole on the basis of the tunneling mechanism. A simple method, which was recently suggested by Umetsu, may be used to extend the original derivation by Parikh and Wilczek to various black holes. That is, we use the two-dimensional effective metric, which is obtained by the dimensional reduction near the horizon, as the background metric. Using the same method, we derive both the desired result of the Hawking temperature and the effect of the backreaction associated with the radiation in the squashed Kaluza-Klein black hole background.

Methods to characterize charging effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slots, H.

1984-08-01

Methods to characterize charging in insulating material under high voltage dc stress, leading to electrical breakdown, are reviewed. The behavior of the charges can be studied by ac loss angle measurements after application or removal of dc bias. Measurements were performed on oil-paper and oil-Mylar systems. The poor reproducibility of the measurements makes it impossible to draw more than qualitative conclusions about the charging effects. With an ultrasound pressure wave the electric field distribution in a material can be determined. An alternative derivation for the transient response of a system which elucidates the influence of several parameters in a simple way is given.

Facebook or Twitter?: Effective recruitment strategies for family caregivers.

PubMed

Herbell, Kayla; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A

2018-06-01

This brief details recent recruitment insights from a large all-online study of family caregivers that aimed to develop a measure to assess how family caregivers manage daily stresses. Online recruitment strategies included the use of Twitter and Facebook. Overall, 800 individuals responded to the recruitment strategy; 230 completed all study procedures. The most effective online recruitment strategy for targeting family caregivers was Facebook, yielding 86% of the sample. Future researchers may find the use of social media recruitment methods appealing because they are inexpensive, simple, and efficient methods for obtaining National samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A cross-national trial of brief interventions with heavy drinkers. WHO Brief Intervention Study Group.

PubMed Central

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVES. The relative effects of simple advice and brief counseling were evaluated with heavy drinkers identified in primary care and other health settings in eight countries. METHODS. Subjects (1260 men, 299 women) with no prior history of alcohol dependence were selected if they consumed alcohol with sufficient frequency or intensity to be considered at risk of alcohol-related problems. Subjects were randomly assigned to a control group, a simple advice group, or a group receiving brief counseling. Seventy-five percent of subjects were evaluated 9 months later. RESULTS. Male patients exposed to the interventions reported approximately 17% lower average daily alcohol consumption than those in the control group. Reductions in the intensity of drinking were approximately 10%. For women, significant reductions were observed in both the control and the intervention groups. Five minutes of simple advice were as effective as 20 minutes of brief counseling. CONCLUSIONS. Brief interventions are consistently robust across health care settings and sociocultural groups and can make a significant contribution to the secondary prevention of alcohol-related problems if they are widely used in primary care. PMID:8669518

A simple LC-MS/MS method using HILIC chromatography for the determination of fosfomycin in plasma and urine: application to a pilot pharmacokinetic study in humans.

PubMed

Parker, Suzanne L; Lipman, Jeffrey; Roberts, Jason A; Wallis, Steven C

2015-02-01

A high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method, using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) chromatography for the analysis of fosfomycin in human plasma and urine, has been developed and validated. The plasma method uses a simple protein precipitation using a low volume sample (10 μL) and is suitable for the concentration range of 1 to 2000 μg/mL. The urine method involves a simple dilution of 10 μL of sample and is suitable for a concentration range of 0.1 to 10 mg/mL. The plasma and urine results, reported, respectively, are for recovery (68, 72%), inter-assay precision (≤9.1%, ≤8.1%) and accuracy (range -7.2 to 3.3%, -1.9 to 1.6%), LLOQ precision (4.7%, 3.1%) and accuracy (1.7% and 1.2%), and includes investigations into the linearity, stability and matrix effects. The method was used in a pilot pharmacokinetic study of a critically ill patient receiving i.v. fosfomycin, which measured a maximum and minimum plasma concentration of 222 μg/mL and 172 μg/mL, respectively, after the initial dose, and a maximum and minimum plasma concentration of 868 μg/mL and 591μg/mL, respectively, after the fifth dose. The urine concentration was 2.03 mg/mL after the initial dose and 0.29 mg/mL after the fifth dose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A simple and low-cost biofilm quantification method using LED and CMOS image sensor.

PubMed

Kwak, Yeon Hwa; Lee, Junhee; Lee, Junghoon; Kwak, Soo Hwan; Oh, Sangwoo; Paek, Se-Hwan; Ha, Un-Hwan; Seo, Sungkyu

2014-12-01

A novel biofilm detection platform, which consists of a cost-effective red, green, and blue light-emitting diode (RGB LED) as a light source and a lens-free CMOS image sensor as a detector, is designed. This system can measure the diffraction patterns of cells from their shadow images, and gather light absorbance information according to the concentration of biofilms through a simple image processing procedure. Compared to a bulky and expensive commercial spectrophotometer, this platform can provide accurate and reproducible biofilm concentration detection and is simple, compact, and inexpensive. Biofilms originating from various bacterial strains, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), were tested to demonstrate the efficacy of this new biofilm detection approach. The results were compared with the results obtained from a commercial spectrophotometer. To utilize a cost-effective light source (i.e., an LED) for biofilm detection, the illumination conditions were optimized. For accurate and reproducible biofilm detection, a simple, custom-coded image processing algorithm was developed and applied to a five-megapixel CMOS image sensor, which is a cost-effective detector. The concentration of biofilms formed by P. aeruginosa was detected and quantified by varying the indole concentration, and the results were compared with the results obtained from a commercial spectrophotometer. The correlation value of the results from those two systems was 0.981 (N = 9, P < 0.01) and the coefficients of variation (CVs) were approximately threefold lower at the CMOS image-sensor platform. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Meta-Analysis of Rare Binary Adverse Event Data

PubMed Central

Bhaumik, Dulal K.; Amatya, Anup; Normand, Sharon-Lise; Greenhouse, Joel; Kaizar, Eloise; Neelon, Brian; Gibbons, Robert D.

2013-01-01

We examine the use of fixed-effects and random-effects moment-based meta-analytic methods for analysis of binary adverse event data. Special attention is paid to the case of rare adverse events which are commonly encountered in routine practice. We study estimation of model parameters and between-study heterogeneity. In addition, we examine traditional approaches to hypothesis testing of the average treatment effect and detection of the heterogeneity of treatment effect across studies. We derive three new methods, simple (unweighted) average treatment effect estimator, a new heterogeneity estimator, and a parametric bootstrapping test for heterogeneity. We then study the statistical properties of both the traditional and new methods via simulation. We find that in general, moment-based estimators of combined treatment effects and heterogeneity are biased and the degree of bias is proportional to the rarity of the event under study. The new methods eliminate much, but not all of this bias. The various estimators and hypothesis testing methods are then compared and contrasted using an example dataset on treatment of stable coronary artery disease. PMID:23734068

Simple and Sensitive Molecularly Imprinted Polymer - Mn-Doped ZnS Quantum Dots Based Fluorescence Probe for Cocaine and Metabolites Determination in Urine.

PubMed

Chantada-Vázquez, María Pilar; Sánchez-González, Juan; Peña-Vázquez, Elena; Tabernero, María Jesús; Bermejo, Ana María; Bermejo-Barrera, Pilar; Moreda-Piñeiro, Antonio

2016-03-01

A new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based fluorescent artificial receptor has been prepared by anchoring a selective MIP for cocaine (COC) on the surface of polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs). The prepared material combines the high selectivity attributed to MIPs and the sensitive fluorescent property of the Mn-doped ZnS QDs. Simple and low cost methods have therefore been optimized for assessing cocaine abuse in urine by monitoring the fluorescence quenching when the template (COC) and also metabolites from COC [benzoylecgonine (BZE) and ecgonine methyl ester (EME)] are present. Fluorescence quenching was not observed when performing experiments with other drugs of abuse (and their metabolites) or when using nonimprinted polymer (NIP)-coated QDs. Under optimized operating conditions (1.5 mL of 200 mg L(-1) MIP-coated QDs solution, pH 5.5, and 15 min before fluorescence scanning) two analytical methods were developed/validated. One of the procedures (direct method) consisted of urine sample 1:20 dilution before fluorescence measurements. The method has been found to be fast, precise, and accurate, but the standard addition technique for performing the analysis was required because of the existence of matrix effect. The second procedure performed a solid phase extraction (SPE) first, avoiding matrix effect and allowing external calibration. The limits of detection of the methods were 0.076 mg L(-1) (direct method) and 0.0042 mg L(-1) (SPE based method), which are lower than the cutoff values for confirmative conclusions regarding cocaine abuse.

Indirect enantioseparation of fluoxetine in mouse serum by derivatization with 1R-(-)-menthyl chloroformate followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Zhao, Jing; Jin, Yan; Shin, Yujin; Jeong, Kyung Min; Lee, Jeongmi

2016-03-01

Here we describe a simple and sensitive analytical method for the enantioselective quantification of fluoxetine in mouse serum using ultra high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The sample preparation method included a simple deproteinization with acetonitrile in 50 μL of serum, followed by derivatization of the extracts in 50 μL of 2 mM 1R-(-)-menthyl chloroformate at 45ºC for 55 min. These conditions were statistically optimized through response surface methodology using a central composite design. Under the optimized conditions, neither racemization nor kinetic resolution occurred. The derivatized diastereomers were readily resolved on a conventional sub-2 μm C18 column under a simple gradient elution of aqueous methanol containing 0.1% formic acid. The established method was validated and found to be linear, precise, and accurate over the concentration range of 5.0-1000.0 ng/mL for both R and S enantiomers (r(2) > 0.993). Stability tests of the prepared samples at three different concentration levels showed that the R- and S-fluoxetine derivatives were relatively stable for 48 h. No significant matrix effects were observed. Last, the developed method was successfully used for enantiomeric analysis of real serum samples collected at a number of time points from mice administered with racemic fluoxetine. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Virtual Passive Controller for Robot Systems Using Joint Torque Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aldridge, Hal A.; Juang, Jer-Nan

1997-01-01

This paper presents a control method based on virtual passive dynamic control that will stabilize a robot manipulator using joint torque sensors and a simple joint model. The method does not require joint position or velocity feedback for stabilization. The proposed control method is stable in the sense of Lyaponov. The control method was implemented on several joints of a laboratory robot. The controller showed good stability robustness to system parameter error and to the exclusion of nonlinear dynamic effects on the joints. The controller enhanced position tracking performance and, in the absence of position control, dissipated joint energy.

Voltage transfer function as an optical method to characterize electrical properties of liquid crystal devices.

PubMed

Bateman, J; Proctor, M; Buchnev, O; Podoliak, N; D'Alessandro, G; Kaczmarek, M

2014-07-01

The voltage transfer function is a rapid and visually effective method to determine the electrical response of liquid crystal (LC) systems using optical measurements. This method relies on crosspolarized intensity measurements as a function of the frequency and amplitude of the voltage applied to the device. Coupled with a mathematical model of the device it can be used to determine the device time constants and electrical properties. We validate the method using photorefractive LC cells and determine the main time constants and the voltage dropped across the layers using a simple nonlinear filter model.

Method for estimating the morphological significance of simple forms of crystals from X-ray data

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

Treivus, E. B., E-mail: sbobr1@bk.ru

2010-09-15

When developing V.I. Mikheev and I.I. Shafranovskii's method for estimating the morphological significance of faces of different simple forms from X-ray reflection intensities, a way to approximately evaluate the morphological significance of simple forms on crystals from the structure amplitudes of the corresponding atomic planes is proposed. The potential for this approach is demonstrated by the examples of marcasite and zircon.

Preparation of Electrically Conductive Polystyrene/Carbon Nanofiber Nanocomposite Films

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Luyi; O'Reilly, Jonathan Y.; Tien, Chi-Wei; Sue, Hung-Jue

2008-01-01

A simple and effective approach to prepare conductive polystyrene/carbon nanofiber (PS/CNF) nanocomposite films via a solution dispersion method is presented. Inexpensive CNF, which has a structure similar to multi-walled carbon nanotubes, is chosen as a nanofiller in this experiment to achieve conductivity in PS films. A good dispersion is…

Treatment for hydrazine-containing waste water solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yade, N.

1986-01-01

The treatment for waste solutions containing hydrazine is presented. The invention attempts oxidation and decomposition of hydrazine in waste water in a simple and effective processing. The method adds activated charcoal to waste solutions containing hydrazine while maintaining a pH value higher than 8, and adding iron salts if necessary. Then, the solution is aerated.

The Impact of a Fruit and Vegetable Intervention on Children and Caregivers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Emily; Wells, Karlys; Stluka, Suzanne; McCormack, Lacey A.

2015-01-01

Background: Fruit and vegetable consumption is important; however, intake remains low among children. Simple, effective classroom-based interventions are needed. Purpose: To assess the impact of South Dakota Harvest of the Month (SD HOM) on child fruit and vegetable knowledge and consumption and to determine caregiver reach. Methods: Educators…

Directional liquefaction of biomass for phenolic compounds and in situ hydrodeoxygenation upgrading of phenolics using bifunctional catalysts

Treesearch

Junfeng Feng; Chung-yun Hse; Kui Wang; Zhongzhi Yang; Jianchun Jiang; Junming Xu

2017-01-01

Phenolic compounds derived from biomass are important feedstocks for the sustainable production of hydrocarbon biofuels. Hydrodeoxygenation is an effective process to remove oxygen-containing functionalities in phenolic compounds. This paper reported a simple method for producing hydrocarbons by liquefying biomass and upgrading liquefied products. Three phenolic...

Studying the Activities of Microorganisms in Soil Using Slides.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cullimore, D. Roy; Pipe, Annette E.

1980-01-01

Two implanted slide techniques are described by which activity of proteolylic bacteria and the growth of algae in the soil can be readily studied by school students using simple apparatus and methods. Variations are suggested for studying the effects of agricultural practices and environmental conditions on the soil bacteria and algae. (Author/DS)

Contemporary Approaches for Assessing Outcomes on Training, Education, and HRD Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brauchle, Paul E.; Schmidt, Klaus

2004-01-01

When educators, trainers, and human resource development (HRD) practitioners are asked to produce evidence that supports the productivity of the training enterprise, they are often frustrated by the lack of simple and effective methods for assessment. While administrators in an organization are likely to know exactly how much training costs, they…

Sydney Playground Project: A Cluster-Randomized Trial to Increase Physical Activity, Play, and Social Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bundy, Anita; Engelen, Lina; Wyver, Shirley; Tranter, Paul; Ragen, Jo; Bauman, Adrian; Baur, Louise; Schiller, Wendy; Simpson, Judy M.; Niehues, Anita N.; Perry, Gabrielle; Jessup, Glenda; Naughton, Geraldine

2017-01-01

Background: We assessed the effectiveness of a simple intervention for increasing children's physical activity, play, perceived competence/social acceptance, and social skills. Methods: A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which schools were the clusters. Twelve Sydney (Australia) primary schools were randomly allocated to…

A Materials Index--Its Storage, Retrieval, and Display

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Carol Z.

1973-01-01

An experimental procedure for indexing physical materials based on simple syntactical rules was tested by encoding the materials in the journal, Applied Physics Letters,'' to produce a materials index. The syntax and numerous examples together with an indication of the method by which retrieval can be effected are presented. (5 references)…

Effects of exposure duration on transfer of nonrepellent termiticides among workers of coptotermes formosanus shiraki (Isotera: Rhinotermitidae)

Treesearch

Thomas G. Shelton; J. Kenneth Grace

2003-01-01

The potential for transfer ofnonrepellent termiticide toxicants between workers of the formosan subterranean termitem coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, was examined using two commercially available pesticide formulations and a simple donor-recipient model modified from current methods in the literature. Pesticides used were imidacloprid, formulated as...

Motor Effects from Visually Induced Disorientation in Man.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brecher, M. Herbert; Brecher, Gerhard A.

The problem of disorientation in a moving optical environment was examined. A pilot can experience egocentric disorientation if the entire visual environment moves relative to his body without a clue as to the objectives position of the airplane in respect to the ground. A simple method of measuring disorientation was devised. In this method…

An Integrated Environmental Assessment of the US Mid-Atlantic Region

Treesearch

James D. Wickham; K.B. Jones; Kurt H. Riitters; R.V. O' Neill; R.D. Tankersley; E.R. Smith; A.C. Neale; D.J. Chaloud

1999-01-01

Many of today's environmental problems are in scope and their effects overlap and interact. We developed a simple method to provide an integrated assessment of environmental conditions and estimate cumulative impacts across a large region, by combining data on land-cover, population, roads, streams, air pollution, and topography. The integrated assessment...

Fun Microbiology: How To Measure Growth of a Fungus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, James K.; And Others

1997-01-01

Describes an experiment to demonstrate a simple method for measuring fungus growth by monitoring the effect of temperature on the growth of Trichoderma viride. Among the advantages that this experimental model provides is introducing students to the importance of using the computer as a scientific tool for analyzing and presenting data. (AIM)

A Simple and Effective Mass Spectrometric Approach to Identify the Adulteration of the Mediterranean Diet Component Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with Corn Oil.

PubMed

Di Girolamo, Francesco; Masotti, Andrea; Lante, Isabella; Scapaticci, Margherita; Calvano, Cosima Damiana; Zambonin, Carlo; Muraca, Maurizio; Putignani, Lorenza

2015-09-01

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with its nutraceutical characteristics substantially contributes as a major nutrient to the health benefit of the Mediterranean diet. Unfortunately, the adulteration of EVOO with less expensive oils (e.g., peanut and corn oils), has become one of the biggest source of agricultural fraud in the European Union, with important health implications for consumers, mainly due to the introduction of seed oil-derived allergens causing, especially in children, severe food allergy phenomena. In this regard, revealing adulterations of EVOO is of fundamental importance for health care and prevention reasons, especially in children. To this aim, effective analytical methods to assess EVOO purity are necessary. Here, we propose a simple, rapid, robust and very sensitive method for non-specialized mass spectrometric laboratory, based on the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) coupled to unsupervised hierarchical clustering (UHC), principal component (PCA) and Pearson's correlation analyses, to reveal corn oil (CO) adulterations in EVOO at very low levels (down to 0.5%).

A Simple and Effective Mass Spectrometric Approach to Identify the Adulteration of the Mediterranean Diet Component Extra-Virgin Olive Oil with Corn Oil

PubMed Central

Di Girolamo, Francesco; Masotti, Andrea; Lante, Isabella; Scapaticci, Margherita; Calvano, Cosima Damiana; Zambonin, Carlo; Muraca, Maurizio; Putignani, Lorenza

2015-01-01

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with its nutraceutical characteristics substantially contributes as a major nutrient to the health benefit of the Mediterranean diet. Unfortunately, the adulteration of EVOO with less expensive oils (e.g., peanut and corn oils), has become one of the biggest source of agricultural fraud in the European Union, with important health implications for consumers, mainly due to the introduction of seed oil-derived allergens causing, especially in children, severe food allergy phenomena. In this regard, revealing adulterations of EVOO is of fundamental importance for health care and prevention reasons, especially in children. To this aim, effective analytical methods to assess EVOO purity are necessary. Here, we propose a simple, rapid, robust and very sensitive method for non-specialized mass spectrometric laboratory, based on the matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) coupled to unsupervised hierarchical clustering (UHC), principal component (PCA) and Pearson’s correlation analyses, to reveal corn oil (CO) adulterations in EVOO at very low levels (down to 0.5%). PMID:26340625

Enhancement of antidandruff activity of shampoo by biosynthesized silver nanoparticles from Solanum trilobatum plant leaf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pant, Gaurav; Nayak, Nitesh; Gyana Prasuna, R.

2013-10-01

The present investigation describes simple and effective method for synthesis of silver nanoparticles via green route. Solanum trilobatum Linn extract were prepared by both conventional and homogenization method. We optimized the production of silver nanoparticles under sunlight, microwave and room temperature. The best results were obtained with sunlight irradiation, exhibiting 15-20 nm silver nanoparticles having cubic and hexagonal shape. Biosynthesized nanoparticles were highly toxic to various bacterial strains tested. In this study we report antibacterial activity against various Gram negative ( Klebsiella pneumoniae, Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella typhi) and Gram positive ( Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Micrococcus luteus) bacterial strains. Screening was also performed for any antifungal properties of the nanoparticles against human pathogenic fungal strains ( Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis). We also demonstrated that these nanoparticles when mixed with shampoo enhance the anti-dandruff effect against dandruff causing fungal pathogens ( Pityrosporum ovale and Pityrosporum folliculitis). The present study showed a simple, rapid and economical route to synthesize silver nanoparticles and their applications hence has a great potential in biomedical field.

A simple thermometric technique for reaction-rate determination of inorganic species, based on the iodide-catalysed cerium(IV)-arsenic(III) reaction.

PubMed

Grases, F; Forteza, R; March, J G; Cerda, V

1985-02-01

A very simple reaction-rate thermometric technique is used for determination of iodide (5-20 ng ml ), based on its catalytic action on the cerium(IV)-arsenic(III) reaction, and for determination of mercury(II) (1.5-10 ng ml ) and silver(I) (2-10 ng ml ), based on their inhibitory effect on this reaction. The reaction is followed by measuring the rate of temperature increase. The method suffers from very few interferences and is applied to determination of iodide in biological and inorganic samples, and Hg(II) and Ag(I) in pharmaceutical products.

Closed-form confidence intervals for functions of the normal mean and standard deviation.

PubMed

Donner, Allan; Zou, G Y

2012-08-01

Confidence interval methods for a normal mean and standard deviation are well known and simple to apply. However, the same cannot be said for important functions of these parameters. These functions include the normal distribution percentiles, the Bland-Altman limits of agreement, the coefficient of variation and Cohen's effect size. We present a simple approach to this problem by using variance estimates recovered from confidence limits computed for the mean and standard deviation separately. All resulting confidence intervals have closed forms. Simulation results demonstrate that this approach performs very well for limits of agreement, coefficients of variation and their differences.

Collapse limit states of reinforced earth retaining walls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolton, M. D.; Pang, P. L. R.

The use of systems of earth reinforcement or anchorage is gaining in popularity. It therefore becomes important to assess whether the methods of design which were adopted for such constructions represent valid predictions of realistic limit states. Confidence can only be gained with regard to the effectiveness of limit state criteria if a wide variety of representative limit states were observed. Over 80 centrifugal model tests of simple reinforced earth retaining walls were carried out, with the main purpose of clarifying the nature of appropriate collapse criteria. Collapses due to an insufficiency of friction were shown to be repeatable and therefore subject to fairly simple limit state calculations.

Analysis of polonium-210 in food products and bioassay samples by isotope-dilution alpha spectrometry.

PubMed

Lin, Zhichao; Wu, Zhongyu

2009-05-01

A rapid and reliable radiochemical method coupled with a simple and compact plating apparatus was developed, validated, and applied for the analysis of (210)Po in variety of food products and bioassay samples. The method performance characteristics, including accuracy, precision, robustness, and specificity, were evaluated along with a detailed measurement uncertainty analysis. With high Po recovery, improved energy resolution, and effective removal of interfering elements by chromatographic extraction, the overall method accuracy was determined to be better than 5% with measurement precision of 10%, at 95% confidence level.

Effect decomposition in the presence of an exposure-induced mediator-outcome confounder

PubMed Central

VanderWeele, Tyler J.; Vansteelandt, Stijn; Robins, James M.

2014-01-01

Methods from causal mediation analysis have generalized the traditional approach to direct and indirect effects in the epidemiologic and social science literature by allowing for interaction and non-linearities. However, the methods from the causal inference literature have themselves been subject to a major limitation in that the so-called natural direct and indirect effects that are employed are not identified from data whenever there is a variable that is affected by the exposure, which also confounds the relationship between the mediator and the outcome. In this paper we describe three alternative approaches to effect decomposition that give quantities that can be interpreted as direct and indirect effects, and that can be identified from data even in the presence of an exposure-induced mediator-outcome confounder. We describe a simple weighting-based estimation method for each of these three approaches, illustrated with data from perinatal epidemiology. The methods described here can shed insight into pathways and questions of mediation even when an exposure-induced mediator-outcome confounder is present. PMID:24487213

Advantages of the net benefit regression framework for economic evaluations of interventions in the workplace: a case study of the cost-effectiveness of a collaborative mental health care program for people receiving short-term disability benefits for psychiatric disorders.

PubMed

Hoch, Jeffrey S; Dewa, Carolyn S

2014-04-01

Economic evaluations commonly accompany trials of new treatments or interventions; however, regression methods and their corresponding advantages for the analysis of cost-effectiveness data are not well known. To illustrate regression-based economic evaluation, we present a case study investigating the cost-effectiveness of a collaborative mental health care program for people receiving short-term disability benefits for psychiatric disorders. We implement net benefit regression to illustrate its strengths and limitations. Net benefit regression offers a simple option for cost-effectiveness analyses of person-level data. By placing economic evaluation in a regression framework, regression-based techniques can facilitate the analysis and provide simple solutions to commonly encountered challenges. Economic evaluations of person-level data (eg, from a clinical trial) should use net benefit regression to facilitate analysis and enhance results.

Multiclass mycotoxin analysis in edible oils using a simple solvent extraction method and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Eom, Taeyong; Cho, Hyun-Deok; Kim, Junghyun; Park, Mihee; An, Jinyoung; Kim, Moosung; Kim, Sheen-Hee; Han, Sang Beom

2017-11-01

A simple and rapid method for the simultaneous determination of 11 mycotoxins - aflatoxins B 1 , B 2 , G 1 and G 2 ; fumonisins B 1 , B 2 and B 3 ; ochratoxin A; zearalenone; deoxynivalenol; and T-2 toxin - in edible oils was established using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In this study, QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe), QuEChERS with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, and solvent extraction were examined for sample preparation. Among these methods, solvent extraction with a mixture of formic acid/acetonitrile (5/95, v/v) successfully extracted all target mycotoxins. Subsequently, a defatting process using n-hexane was employed to remove the fats present in the edible oil samples. Mass spectrometry was carried out using electrospray ionisation in polarity switching mode with multiple reaction monitoring. The developed LC-MS/MS method was validated by assessing the specificity, linearity, recovery, limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy and precision with reference to Commission Regulation (EC) 401/2006. Mycotoxin recoveries of 51.6-82.8% were achieved in addition to LOQs ranging from 0.025 ng/g to 1 ng/g. The edible oils proved to be relatively uncomplicated matrices and the developed method was applied to 9 edible oil samples, including soybean oil, corn oil and rice bran oil, to evaluate potential mycotoxin contamination. The levels of detection were significantly lower than the international regulatory standards. Therefore, we expect that our developed method, based on simple, two-step sample preparation process, will be suitable for the large-scale screening of mycotoxin contamination in edible oils.

A Simple and Efficient Method of Slow Freezing for Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

PubMed

Imaizumi, Keitaro; Iha, Momoe; Nishishita, Naoki; Kawamata, Shin; Nishikawa, Shinichi; Akuta, Teruo

2016-01-01

Protocols available for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are very inefficient and laborious compared to those for the cryopreservation of murine ES/iPS cells or other general cell lines. While the vitrification method may be adequate when working with small numbers of human ES/iPS cells, it requires special skills and is unsuitable when working with large cell numbers. Here, we describe a simple and efficient method for the cryopreservation of hES/hiPS cells that is based on a conventional slow freezing method that uses a combination of Pronase/EDTA for Stem™ and CP-5E™ [final concentrations: 6 % hydroxyethyl starch, 5 % DMSO, and 5 % ethylene glycol in saline]. CP-5E™ is highly effective for the cryopreservation of small cell clumps produced by hES/hiPS colony detachment in the presence of Pronase and EDTA (Pronase/EDTA for Stem™, a formulation containing multiple digestive enzymes from Streptomyces griseus). This novel method would be quite useful for large-scale hES/iPS cell banking for use in clinical applications.

Stroke-model-based character extraction from gray-level document images.

PubMed

Ye, X; Cheriet, M; Suen, C Y

2001-01-01

Global gray-level thresholding techniques such as Otsu's method, and local gray-level thresholding techniques such as edge-based segmentation or the adaptive thresholding method are powerful in extracting character objects from simple or slowly varying backgrounds. However, they are found to be insufficient when the backgrounds include sharply varying contours or fonts in different sizes. A stroke-model is proposed to depict the local features of character objects as double-edges in a predefined size. This model enables us to detect thin connected components selectively, while ignoring relatively large backgrounds that appear complex. Meanwhile, since the stroke width restriction is fully factored in, the proposed technique can be used to extract characters in predefined font sizes. To process large volumes of documents efficiently, a hybrid method is proposed for character extraction from various backgrounds. Using the measurement of class separability to differentiate images with simple backgrounds from those with complex backgrounds, the hybrid method can process documents with different backgrounds by applying the appropriate methods. Experiments on extracting handwriting from a check image, as well as machine-printed characters from scene images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

A Novel Method for Discovering Fuzzy Sequential Patterns Using the Simple Fuzzy Partition Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ruey-Shun; Hu, Yi-Chung

2003-01-01

Discusses sequential patterns, data mining, knowledge acquisition, and fuzzy sequential patterns described by natural language. Proposes a fuzzy data mining technique to discover fuzzy sequential patterns by using the simple partition method which allows the linguistic interpretation of each fuzzy set to be easily obtained. (Author/LRW)

A COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR TEACHING RECEPTIVE LABELING TO CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

PubMed Central

Grow, Laura L; Carr, James E; Kodak, Tiffany M; Jostad, Candice M; Kisamore, April N

2011-01-01

Many early intervention curricular manuals recommend teaching auditory-visual conditional discriminations (i.e., receptive labeling) using the simple-conditional method in which component simple discriminations are taught in isolation and in the presence of a distracter stimulus before the learner is required to respond conditionally. Some have argued that this procedure might be susceptible to faulty stimulus control such as stimulus overselectivity (Green, 2001). Consequently, there has been a call for the use of alternative teaching procedures such as the conditional-only method, which involves conditional discrimination training from the onset of intervention. The purpose of the present study was to compare the simple-conditional and conditional-only methods for teaching receptive labeling to 3 young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The data indicated that the conditional-only method was a more reliable and efficient teaching procedure. In addition, several error patterns emerged during training using the simple-conditional method. The implications of the results with respect to current teaching practices in early intervention programs are discussed. PMID:21941380

A novel method of utilizing permeable reactive kiddle (PRK) for the remediation of acid mine drainage.

PubMed

Lee, Woo-Chun; Lee, Sang-Woo; Yun, Seong-Taek; Lee, Pyeong-Koo; Hwang, Yu Sik; Kim, Soon-Oh

2016-01-15

Numerous technologies have been developed and applied to remediate AMD, but each has specific drawbacks. To overcome the limitations of existing methods and improve their effectiveness, we propose a novel method utilizing permeable reactive kiddle (PRK). This manuscript explores the performance of the PRK method. In line with the concept of green technology, the PRK method recycles industrial waste, such as steel slag and waste cast iron. Our results demonstrate that the PRK method can be applied to remediate AMD under optimal operational conditions. Especially, this method allows for simple installation and cheap expenditure, compared with established technologies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examination of Various Methods Used in Support of Concurrent Engineering

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-01

1989. F.Y.I. Drawing a2Ther Productivity. Industrial Engineering 21: 80. Ishi82 Ishikawa , Kaoru . 1982. Guide to Quality Control. White Plains, NY: Kraus...observe it in practice have an easier time identifying the different methods or tech- niques (such as the Ishikawa tools) used than understanding the...simple histogram to show what prob- lems should be attacked first. Cause and Effect Diagrams Sometimes called the fishbone or Ishikawa diagrams-a kind

Nonlinear Constitutive Modeling of Piezoelectric Ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jia; Li, Chao; Wang, Haibo; Zhu, Zhiwen

2017-12-01

Nonlinear constitutive modeling of piezoelectric ceramics is discussed in this paper. Van der Pol item is introduced to explain the simple hysteretic curve. Improved nonlinear difference items are used to interpret the hysteresis phenomena of piezoelectric ceramics. The fitting effect of the model on experimental data is proved by the partial least-square regression method. The results show that this method can describe the real curve well. The results of this paper are helpful to piezoelectric ceramics constitutive modeling.

Simultaneous determination of 11 preservatives in cosmetics by high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Aoyama, Airin; Doi, Takahiro; Tagami, Takaomi; Kajimura, Keiji

2014-10-01

Preservatives prevent the growth of microorganisms in foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. There exist numerous restrictions regarding the maximum allowable levels of preservatives in cosmetics. We analyzed 11 regulated preservatives in commercial cosmetics and manufacturers need to analyze their products for quality control purposes. However, methods used in previous studies to date have been inadequate for use by public institutions and manufacturers. Therefore, an effective, scalable method for the analysis of preservatives in cosmetics is required. We developed a novel method for the simultaneous determination of 11 regulated preservatives in cosmetics by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We applied the samples to a C18 column in a simple mobile phase (5 mmol/L ammonium formate solution and acetonitrile) with gradient elution at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min at a single wavelength (230 nm). The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves were >0.997. The percent recoveries were 92.8-111.9% and the relative standard deviations were <4.3% (n = 6). The peak resolution for all preservatives was >1.9. Because of the simple conditions for isolation and complete separation, the HPLC method can be effectively applied to the analysis of preservatives in commercially retailed cosmetics. © The Author [2013]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Toward a general mixed quantum/classical method for the calculation of the vibronic ECD of a flexible dye molecule with different stable conformers: Revisiting the case of 2,2,2-trifluoro-anthrylethanol.

PubMed

Cerezo, Javier; Aranda, Daniel; Avila Ferrer, Francisco J; Prampolini, Giacomo; Mazzeo, Giuseppe; Longhi, Giovanna; Abbate, Sergio; Santoro, Fabrizio

2018-06-01

We extend a recently proposed mixed quantum/classical method for computing the vibronic electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum of molecules with different conformers, to cases where more than one hindered rotation is present. The method generalizes the standard procedure, based on the simple Boltzmann average of the vibronic spectra of the stable conformers, and includes the contribution of structures that sample all the accessible conformational space. It is applied to the simulation of the ECD spectrum of (S)-2,2,2-trifluoroanthrylethanol, a molecule with easily interconvertible conformers, whose spectrum exhibits a pattern of alternating positive and negative vibronic peaks. Results are in very good agreement with experiment and show that spectra averaged over all the sampled conformational space can deviate significantly from the simple average of the contributions of the stable conformers. The present mixed quantum/classical method is able to capture the effect of the nonlinear dependence of the rotatory strength on the molecular structure and of the anharmonic couplings among the modes responsible for molecular flexibility. Despite its computational cost, the procedure is still affordable and promises to be useful in all cases where the ECD shape arises from a subtle balance between vibronic effects and conformational variety. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A simple method for astigmatic compensation of folded resonator without Brewster window.

PubMed

Qiao, Wen; Xiaojun, Zhang; Yonggang, Wang; Liqun, Sun; Hanben, Niu

2014-02-10

A folded resonator requires an oblique angle of incidence on the folded curved mirror, which introduces astigmatic distortions that limit the performance of the lasers. We present a simple method to compensate the astigmatism of folded resonator without Brewster windows for the first time to the best of our knowledge. Based on the theory of the propagation and transformation of Gaussian beams, the method is both effective and reliable. Theoretical results show that the folded resonator can be compensated astigmatism completely when the following two conditions are fulfilled. Firstly, when the Gaussian beam with a determined size beam waist is obliquely incident on an off-axis concave mirror, two new Gaussian beam respectively in the tangential and sagittal planes are formed. Another off-axis concave mirror is located at another intersection point of the two new Gaussian beams. Secondly, adjusting the incident angle of the second concave mirror or its focal length can make the above two Gaussian beam coincide in the image plane of the second concave mirror, which compensates the astigmatic aberration completely. A side-pumped continues-wave (CW) passively mode locked Nd:YAG laser was taken as an example of the astigmatically compensated folded resonators. The experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical predictions. This method can be used effectively to design astigmatically compensated cavities resonator of high-performance lasers.

A simple and effective solution to the constrained QM/MM simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Hideaki; Kambe, Hiroyuki; Morita, Akihiro

2018-04-01

It is a promising extension of the quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) approach to incorporate the solvent molecules surrounding the QM solute into the QM region to ensure the adequate description of the electronic polarization of the solute. However, the solvent molecules in the QM region inevitably diffuse into the MM bulk during the QM/MM simulation. In this article, we developed a simple and efficient method, referred to as the "boundary constraint with correction (BCC)," to prevent the diffusion of the solvent water molecules by means of a constraint potential. The point of the BCC method is to compensate the error in a statistical property due to the bias potential by adding a correction term obtained through a set of QM/MM simulations. The BCC method is designed so that the effect of the bias potential completely vanishes when the QM solvent is identical with the MM solvent. Furthermore, the desirable conditions, that is, the continuities of energy and force and the conservations of energy and momentum, are fulfilled in principle. We applied the QM/MM-BCC method to a hydronium ion(H3O+) in aqueous solution to construct the radial distribution function (RDF) of the solvent around the solute. It was demonstrated that the correction term fairly compensated the error and led the RDF in good agreement with the result given by an ab initio molecular dynamics simulation.

The effects of supine and prone positions on oxygenation in premature infants undergoing mechanical ventilation

PubMed Central

Abdeyazdan, Zahra; Nematollahi, Monirosadat; Ghazavi, Zohreh; Mohhamadizadeh, Majid

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: Since the use of high concentrations of oxygen in infants may lead to chronic lung problems, using proper methods of care in infants under mechanical ventilation is one of the most important measures in NICU. This study aimed to investigate the effects of prone and supine positions on oxygenation (SPO2) in premature infants under mechanical ventilation and comparing infants’ oxygenation in the two positions. METHODS: In across over non randomized clinical trial study, 32 preterm infants under mechanical ventilation who had inclusion criteria were enrolled in simple convenient method. Firstly, they were placed in supine position for 120 minutes and further in prone position for 120 minutes .Their SPO2 were monitored by pulse oximeter continuously and was recorded every minute. Data analysis was done using Software SPSS15 by ANOVA test and post hoc test. RESULTS: The data showed that during 120 minutes of exposure of infants in each position there were no significant changes in SPO2. In addition, the SPO2 levels in the prone position were significantly higher than the SPO2 levels in the supine position from 15th minute to 120th minute (to the end). CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal positioning in prone position is a simple, non-invasive, and free of charge method that could lead to improve oxygenation in infants undergoing mechanical ventilation. PMID:22049286

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders: a systematic replication.

PubMed

Grow, Laura L; Kodak, Tiffany; Carr, James E

2014-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated that the conditional-only method (starting with a multiple-stimulus array) is more efficient than the simple-conditional method (progressive incorporation of more stimuli into the array) for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders (Grow, Carr, Kodak, Jostad, & Kisamore,). The current study systematically replicated the earlier study by comparing the 2 approaches using progressive prompting with 2 boys with autism. The results showed that the conditional-only method was a more efficient and reliable teaching procedure than the simple-conditional method. The results further call into question the practice of teaching simple discriminations to facilitate acquisition of conditional discriminations. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Noninvasive vacuum integrity tests on fast warm-up traveling-wave tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dallos, A.; Carignan, R. G.

1989-04-01

A method of tube vacuum monitoring that uses the tube's existing internal electrodes as an ion gage is discussed. This method has been refined using present-day instrumentation and has proved to be a precise, simple, and fast method of tube vacuum measurement. The method is noninvasive due to operation of the cathode at low temperature, which minimizes pumping or outgassing. Because of the low current levels to be measured, anode insulator leakage must be low, and the leads must be properly shielded to minimize charging effects. A description of the method, instrumentation used, limitations, and data showing results over a period of 600 days are presented.

A simple level set method for solving Stefan problems

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

Chen, S.; Merriman, B.; Osher, S.

1997-07-15

Discussed in this paper is an implicit finite difference scheme for solving a heat equation and a simple level set method for capturing the interface between solid and liquid phases which are used to solve Stefan problems.

Acute effect of scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques and classic exercises in adhesive capsulitis: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Balcı, Nilay Comuk; Yuruk, Zeliha Ozlem; Zeybek, Aslican; Gulsen, Mustafa; Tekindal, Mustafa Agah

2016-01-01

[Purpose] The aim of our study was to compare the initial effects of scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques and classic exercise interventions with physiotherapy modalities on pain, scapular dyskinesis, range of motion, and function in adhesive capsulitis. [Subjects and Methods] Fifty-three subjects were allocated to 3 groups: scapular proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation exercies and physiotherapy modalities, classic exercise and physiotherapy modalities, and only physiotherapy modalities. The intervention was applied in a single session. The Visual Analog Scale, Lateral Scapular Slide Test, range of motion and Simple Shoulder Test were evaluated before and just after the one-hour intervention in the same session (all in one session). [Results] All of the groups showed significant differences in shoulder flexion and abduction range of motion and Simple Shoulder Test scores. There were statistically significant differences in Visual Analog Scale scores in the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and control groups, and no treatment method had significant effect on the Lateral Scapular Slide Test results. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups before and after the intervention. [Conclusion] Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, classic exercise, and physiotherapy modalities had immediate effects on adhesive capsulitis in our study. However, there was no additional benefit of exercises in one session over physiotherapy modalities. Also, an effective treatment regimen for shoulder rehabilitation of adhesive capsulitis patients should include scapular exercises. PMID:27190456

Robust and Simple Non-Reflecting Boundary Conditions for the Euler Equations - A New Approach based on the Space-Time CE/SE Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, S.-C.; Himansu, A.; Loh, C.-Y.; Wang, X.-Y.; Yu, S.-T.J.

2005-01-01

This paper reports on a significant advance in the area of nonreflecting boundary conditions (NRBCs) for unsteady flow computations. As a part of t he development of t he space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method, sets of NRBCs for 1D Euler problems are developed without using any characteristics- based techniques. These conditions are much simpler than those commonly reported in the literature, yet so robust that they are applicable to subsonic, transonic and supersonic flows even in the presence of discontinuities. In addition, the straightforward multidimensional extensions of the present 1D NRBCs have been shown numerically to be equally simple and robust. The paper details the theoretical underpinning of these NRBCs, and explains t heir unique robustness and accuracy in terms of t he conservation of space-time fluxes. Some numerical results for an extended Sod's shock-tube problem, illustrating the effectiveness of the present NRBCs are included, together with an associated simple Fortran computer program. As a preliminary to the present development, a review of the basic CE/SE schemes is also included.

A Simple and Fast Extraction Method for the Determination of Multiclass Antibiotics in Eggs Using LC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Wang, Kun; Lin, Kunde; Huang, Xinwen; Chen, Meng

2017-06-21

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a simple, fast, and specific extraction method for the analysis of 64 antibiotics from nine classes (including sulfonamides, quinolones, tetracyclines, macrolides, lincosamide, nitrofurans, β-lactams, nitromidazoles, and cloramphenicols) in chicken eggs. Briefly, egg samples were simply extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile-water (90:10, v/v) and 0.1 mol·L -1 Na 2 EDTA solution assisted with ultrasonic. The extract was centrifuged, condensed, and directly analyzed on a liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Compared with conventional cleanup methods (passing through solid phase extract cartridges), the established method demonstrated comparable efficiencies in eliminating matrix effects and higher or equivalent recoveries for most of the target compounds. Typical validation parameters including specificity, linearity, matrix effect, limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs), the decision limit, detection capability, trueness, and precision were evaluated. The recoveries of target compounds ranged from 70.8% to 116.1% at three spiking levels (5, 20, and 50 μg·kg -1 ), with relative standard deviations less than 14%. LODs and LOQs were in the ranges of 0.005-2.00 μg·kg -1 and 0.015-6.00 μg·kg -1 for all of the antibiotics, respectively. A total of five antibiotics were successfully detected in 22 commercial eggs from local markets. This work suggests that the method is suitable for the analysis of multiclass antibiotics in eggs.

Construction of the prototype of an optical system for measurement of small wavefront distortion of laser radiation in optical elements: proposal for the ISTC project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potemkin, A.; Malshakov, Anatoly; Makarov, Alexandr; Krotov, V. A.; Kulikov, Stanislav M.; Sukharev, Stanislav A.

1999-07-01

Technique testing of quality the transparent component of optical devices with application of self-focusing effect is offered. In measurement of small wavefront distortions a method of comparison of laser beam parameters before and after passage of a tested optical element is used. With the purpose of increase of sensitivity it is offered for overcoming negative diffraction action to use self-focusing effect of probe beam. Application of self-focusing effect allows to reach sensitivity no less than (lambda) /600 and in future up to (lambda) /3000. On simple samples experimental checks of a method are made.

Robust master-slave synchronization for general uncertain delayed dynamical model based on adaptive control scheme.

PubMed

Wang, Tianbo; Zhou, Wuneng; Zhao, Shouwei; Yu, Weiqin

2014-03-01

In this paper, the robust exponential synchronization problem for a class of uncertain delayed master-slave dynamical system is investigated by using the adaptive control method. Different from some existing master-slave models, the considered master-slave system includes bounded unmodeled dynamics. In order to compensate the effect of unmodeled dynamics and effectively achieve synchronization, a novel adaptive controller with simple updated laws is proposed. Moreover, the results are given in terms of LMIs, which can be easily solved by LMI Toolbox in Matlab. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the method. Copyright © 2013 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of parasitic thermal effects on thermoelectric property measurements by Harman method.

PubMed

Kwon, Beomjin; Baek, Seung-Hyub; Kim, Seong Keun; Kim, Jin-Sang

2014-04-01

Harman method is a rapid and simple technique to measure thermoelectric properties. However, its validity has been often questioned due to the over-simplified assumptions that this method relies on. Here, we quantitatively investigate the influence of the previously ignored parasitic thermal effects on the Harman method and develop a method to determine an intrinsic ZT. We expand the original Harman relation with three extra terms: heat losses via both the lead wires and radiation, and Joule heating within the sample. Based on the expanded Harman relation, we use differential measurement of the sample geometry to measure the intrinsic ZT. To separately evaluate the parasitic terms, the measured ZTs with systematically varied sample geometries and the lead wire types are fitted to the expanded relation. A huge discrepancy (∼28%) of the measured ZTs depending on the measurement configuration is observed. We are able to separately evaluate those parasitic terms. This work will help to evaluate the intrinsic thermoelectric property with Harman method by eliminating ambiguities coming from extrinsic effects.