Sample records for software engineering ase

  1. The Business Case for Automated Software Engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Menzies, Tim; Elrawas, Oussama; Hihn, Jairus M.; Feather, Martin S.; Madachy, Ray; Boehm, Barry

    2007-01-01

    Adoption of advanced automated SE (ASE) tools would be more favored if a business case could be made that these tools are more valuable than alternate methods. In theory, software prediction models can be used to make that case. In practice, this is complicated by the 'local tuning' problem. Normally. predictors for software effort and defects and threat use local data to tune their predictions. Such local tuning data is often unavailable. This paper shows that assessing the relative merits of different SE methods need not require precise local tunings. STAR 1 is a simulated annealer plus a Bayesian post-processor that explores the space of possible local tunings within software prediction models. STAR 1 ranks project decisions by their effects on effort and defects and threats. In experiments with NASA systems. STARI found one project where ASE were essential for minimizing effort/ defect/ threats; and another project were ASE tools were merely optional.

  2. The 1989 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program in Aeronautics and Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boroson, Harold R.; Soffen, Gerald A.; Fan, Dah-Nien

    1989-01-01

    The 1989 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Goddard Space Flight Center was conducted during 5 Jun. 1989 to 11 Aug. 1989. The research projects were previously assigned. Work summaries are presented for the following topics: optical properties data base; particle acceleration; satellite imagery; telemetry workstation; spectroscopy; image processing; stellar spectra; optical radar; robotics; atmospheric composition; semiconductors computer networks; remote sensing; software engineering; solar flares; and glaciers.

  3. Reviews Book: Extended Project Student Guide Book: My Inventions Book: ASE Guide to Research in Science Education Classroom Video: The Science of Starlight Software: SPARKvue Book: The Geek Manifesto Ebook: A Big Ball of Fire Apps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2014-05-01

    WE RECOMMEND Level 3 Extended Project Student Guide A non-specialist, generally useful and nicely put together guide to project work ASE Guide to Research in Science Education Few words wasted in this handy introduction and reference The Science of Starlight Slow but steady DVD covers useful ground SPARKvue Impressive software now available as an app WORTH A LOOK My Inventions and Other Writings Science, engineering, autobiography, visions and psychic phenomena mixed in a strange but revealing concoction The Geek Manifesto: Why Science Matters More enthusiasm than science, but a good motivator and interesting A Big Ball of Fire: Your questions about the Sun answered Free iTunes download made by and for students goes down well APPS Collider visualises LHC experiments ... Science Museum app enhances school trips ... useful information for the Cambridge Science Festival

  4. Standardization of left atrial, right ventricular, and right atrial deformation imaging using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography: a consensus document of the EACVI/ASE/Industry Task Force to standardize deformation imaging.

    PubMed

    Badano, Luigi P; Kolias, Theodore J; Muraru, Denisa; Abraham, Theodore P; Aurigemma, Gerard; Edvardsen, Thor; D'Hooge, Jan; Donal, Erwan; Fraser, Alan G; Marwick, Thomas; Mertens, Luc; Popescu, Bogdan A; Sengupta, Partho P; Lancellotti, Patrizio; Thomas, James D; Voigt, Jens-Uwe

    2018-03-27

    The EACVI/ASE/Industry Task Force to standardize deformation imaging prepared this consensus document to standardize definitions and techniques for using two-dimensional (2D) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to assess left atrial, right ventricular, and right atrial myocardial deformation. This document is intended for both the technical engineering community and the clinical community at large to provide guidance on selecting the functional parameters to measure and how to measure them using 2D STE.This document aims to represent a significant step forward in the collaboration between the scientific societies and the industry since technical specifications of the software packages designed to post-process echocardiographic datasets have been agreed and shared before their actual development. Hopefully, this will lead to more clinically oriented software packages which will be better tailored to clinical needs and will allow industry to save time and resources in their development.

  5. Chemical Engineering Division Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chemical Engineering Education, 1978

    1978-01-01

    The 1978 ASEE Chemical Engineering Division Lecturer was Theodore Vermeulen of the University of California at Berkeley. Other chemical engineers who received awards or special recognition at a recent ASEE annual conference are mentioned. (BB)

  6. Computer science: Key to a space program renaissance. The 1981 NASA/ASEE summer study on the use of computer science and technology in NASA. Volume 2: Appendices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freitas, R. A., Jr. (Editor); Carlson, P. A. (Editor)

    1983-01-01

    Adoption of an aggressive computer science research and technology program within NASA will: (1) enable new mission capabilities such as autonomous spacecraft, reliability and self-repair, and low-bandwidth intelligent Earth sensing; (2) lower manpower requirements, especially in the areas of Space Shuttle operations, by making fuller use of control center automation, technical support, and internal utilization of state-of-the-art computer techniques; (3) reduce project costs via improved software verification, software engineering, enhanced scientist/engineer productivity, and increased managerial effectiveness; and (4) significantly improve internal operations within NASA with electronic mail, managerial computer aids, an automated bureaucracy and uniform program operating plans.

  7. Automotive Stirling Engine Mod 1 Design Review, Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Risk assessment, safety analysis of the automotive stirling engine (ASE) mod I, design criteria and materials properties for the ASE mod I and reference engines, combustion are flower development, and the mod I engine starter motor are discussed. The stirling engine system, external heat system, hot engine system, cold engine system, and engine drive system are also discussed.

  8. Automotive Stirling Engine Development Project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ernst, William D.; Shaltens, Richard K.

    1997-01-01

    The development and verification of automotive Stirling engine (ASE) component and system technology is described as it evolved through two experimental engine designs: the Mod 1 and the Mod 2. Engine operation and performance and endurance test results for the Mod 1 are summarized. Mod 2 engine and component development progress is traced from the original design through hardware development, laboratory test, and vehicle installation. More than 21,000 hr of testing were accomplished, including 4800 hr with vehicles that were driven more dm 59,000 miles. Mod 2 engine dynamometer tests demonstrated that the engine system configuration had accomplished its performance goals for power (60 kW) and efficiency (38.5%) to within a few percent. Tests with the Mod 2 engine installed in a delivery van demonstrated combined metro-highway fuel economy improvements consistent with engine performance goals and the potential for low emission levels. A modified version of the Mod 2 has been identified as a manufacturable design for an ASE. As part of the ASE project, the Industry Test and Evaluation Program (ITEP), NASA Technology Utilization (TU) project, and the industry-funded Stirling Natural Gas Engine program were undertaken to transfer ASE technology to end users. The results of these technology transfer efforts are also summarized.

  9. Verification and Validation of Neural Networks for Aerospace Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mackall, Dale; Nelson, Stacy; Schumman, Johann; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The Dryden Flight Research Center V&V working group and NASA Ames Research Center Automated Software Engineering (ASE) group collaborated to prepare this report. The purpose is to describe V&V processes and methods for certification of neural networks for aerospace applications, particularly adaptive flight control systems like Intelligent Flight Control Systems (IFCS) that use neural networks. This report is divided into the following two sections: 1) Overview of Adaptive Systems; and 2) V&V Processes/Methods.

  10. Verification and Validation of Neural Networks for Aerospace Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mackall, Dale; Nelson, Stacy; Schumann, Johann

    2002-01-01

    The Dryden Flight Research Center V&V working group and NASA Ames Research Center Automated Software Engineering (ASE) group collaborated to prepare this report. The purpose is to describe V&V processes and methods for certification of neural networks for aerospace applications, particularly adaptive flight control systems like Intelligent Flight Control Systems (IFCS) that use neural networks. This report is divided into the following two sections: Overview of Adaptive Systems and V&V Processes/Methods.

  11. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa)/american Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1991, Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyman, William A. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    Presented here is a compilation of the final reports of the research projects done by the faculty members during the summer of 1991. Topics covered include optical correlation; lunar production and application of solar cells and synthesis of diamond film; software quality assurance; photographic image resolution; target detection using fractal geometry; evaluation of fungal metabolic compounds released to the air in a restricted environment; and planning and resource management in an intelligent automated power management system.

  12. Anemarrhena asphodeloides Non-Steroidal Saponin Components Alter the Pharmacokinetic Profile of Its Steroidal Saponins in Rat.

    PubMed

    Tang, Zhishu; Li, Guolong; Yang, Jie; Duan, Jinao; Qian, Dawei; Guo, Jianming; Zhu, Zhenhua; Song, Zhongxing

    2015-06-26

    A rapid, selective and sensitive UPLC-MS/MS assay was established to determine the plasma concentrations of four steroidal saponins. Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to four groups which were orally administered Anemarrhena asphodeloides extracts (ASE), ASE combined with macromolecular fraction (ASE-MF), ASE combined with small molecule fraction (ASE-SF) and ASE combined with small molecule and macromolecular fraction (ASE-SF-MF) containing approximately the same dose of ASE. At different time points, the concentration of timosaponin BII, anemarsaponin BIII, timosaponin AIII and timosaponin E1 in rat plasma were determined and main pharmacokinetic parameters including Cmax, Tmax, T1/2, AUC were calculated using the DAS 3.2 software package. The statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t-test with p < 0.05 as the level of significance. MF had no effect on the pharmacokinetic behaviors and parameters of four steroidal saponins. It was found that Cmax and AUC of four steroidal saponins in group ASE-SF and ASE-SF-MF, were significantly increased compared with those in group ASE. These results indicate that SF in A. asphodeloides extracts could increase the absorption and improve the bioavailability of the steroidal saponins.

  13. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1985. [Space Stations and Their Environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chilton, R. G. (Editor); Williams, C. E. (Editor)

    1986-01-01

    The 1985 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program was conducted by Texas A&M University and the Johnson Space Center. The ten week program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The faculty fellows spent the time at JSC engaged in research projects commensurate with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with NASA/JSC colleagues. This document is a compilation of the final reports of their research during the summer of 1985.

  14. Stirling Powered Van Progam overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaltens, R. K.

    1986-01-01

    The Stirling Powered Van Program (SPVP) is a multiyear, multiphase program to evaluate the automotive Stirling engine (ASE) in Air Force vans under realistic conditions. The objective of the SPVP is to transfer to manufacturer and end user(s) (i.e., on the path to commercialization) the second-generation Mod 2 ASE upon completion of the Automotive Stirling Engine Program in 1987. In order to meet this objective, the SPVP must establish Stirling performance, integrity, reliability, durability and maintainability. The ASE program background leading to the van program is reviewed and plans for evaluating the kinematic Stirling engine in Air Force vans examined. Also discussed are the NASA technology transfers to industry that have been accomplished and those which are currently being developed.

  15. Lunar base and Mars base design projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Amos, J.; Campbell, J.; Hudson, C.; Kenny, E.; Markward, D.; Pham, C.; Wolf, C.

    1989-01-01

    The space design classes at the University of Texas at Austin undertook seven projects in support of the NASA/USRA advanced space design program during the 1988-89 year. A total of 51 students, including 5 graduate students, participated in the design efforts. Four projects were done within the Aerospace Engineering (ASE) design program and three within the Mechanical Engineering (ME) program. Both lunar base and Mars base design efforts were studied, and the specific projects were as follows: Lunar Crew Emergency Rescue Vehicle (ASE); Mars Logistics Lander Convertible to a Rocket Hopper (ME); A Robotically Constructed Production and Supply Base on Phobos (ASE); A Mars/Phobos Transportation System (ASE); Manned Base Design and Related Construction Issues for Mars/Phobos Mission (ME); and Health Care Needs for a Lunar Colony and Design of Permanent Medical Facility (ME).

  16. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1987, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, William B., Jr. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1987-01-01

    The 1987 Johnson Space Center (JCS) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship program was conducted by Texas A and M University and JSC. The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of ASEE. The basic objectives of the program are: to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and to contribute to the research objective of the NASA Centers. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the research projects done by the faculty fellows during the summer of 1987.

  17. 2002 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kotnour, Tim (Editor); Black, Cassandra (Editor)

    2002-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 2002 NASA/ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the 18th year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 2002 program was administered by the University of Central Florida (UCF) in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA Headquarters in 2002. The KSC Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks working with NASA scientists and engineers on research of mutual interest to the university faculty member and the NASA colleague. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many research areas of current interest to NASA/KSC. The NASA/ASEE program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member.

  18. 1999 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Buckingham, Gregg (Editor)

    2000-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1999 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the 15th year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1999 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE and the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, and KSC. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA Headquarters in 1999. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member.

  19. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program 1988, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    The 1988 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC. The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of the ASEE. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The objectives of the program, which began in 1965 at JSC and in 1964 nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers.

  20. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1989, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, William B., Jr. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    The 1989 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by Texas A and M University and JSC. The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of the ASEE. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objective of the NASA Centers.

  1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program 1988, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B.; Goldstein, Stanley H.

    1989-01-01

    The 1988 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JCS. The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of the ASEE. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The objectives of the program, which began in 1965 at JSC and in 1964 nationally, are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers.

  2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1989, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, William B., Jr. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    The 1989 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by Texas A and M University and JSC. The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of the ASEE. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objective of the NASA Centers.

  3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) summer faculty fellowship program, 1986, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcinnis, Bayliss (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley (Editor)

    1987-01-01

    The Johnson Space Center (JSC) NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC. The ten week program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The basic objectives of the program are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. Each faculty fellow spent ten weeks at JSC engaged in a research project commensurate with his interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. The final reports on the research projects are presented. This volume, 2, contains sections 15 through 30.

  4. NASA/ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program: 2003 Research Reports

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kotnour, Tim (Editor); LopezdeCastillo, Eduardo (Editor)

    2003-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 2003 NASA/ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the nineteenth year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 2003 program was administered by the University of Central Florida (UCF) in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The KSC program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA Headquarters in 2003. The basic common objectives of the NASA/ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program are: A) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; B) To stimulate an exchange of ideas between teaching participants and employees of NASA; C) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants institutions; D) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. The KSC Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks (May 19 through July 25, 2003) working with NASA scientists and engineers on research of mutual interest to the university faculty member and the NASA colleague. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many research areas of current interest to NASA/KSC. A separate document reports on the administrative aspects of the 2003 program. The NASA/ASEE program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member. In many cases a faculty member has developed a close working relationship with a particular NASA group that had provided funding beyond the two-year limit.

  5. The 1995 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Buckingham, Gregg (Editor)

    1995-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1995 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the eleventh year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1995 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Office of Educational Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA Headquarters in 1995. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the University faculty member.

  6. Autonomous Science Analysis with the New Millennium Program-Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doggett, T.; Davies, A. G.; Castano, R. A.; Baker, V. R.; Dohm, J. M.; Greeley, R.; Williams, K. K.; Chien, S.; Sherwood, R.

    2002-12-01

    The NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) is a testbed for new, high-risk technologies, including new software and hardware. The Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) will fly on the Air Force Research Laboratory TechSat-21 mission in 2006 is such a NMP mission, and is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. TechSat-21 consists of three satellites, each equipped with X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that will occupy a 13-day repeat track Earth orbit. The main science objectives of ASE are to demonstrate that process-related change detection and feature identification can be conducted autonomously during space flight, leading to autonomous onboard retargeting of the spacecraft. This mission will observe transient geological and environmental processes using SAR. Examples of geologic processes that may be observed and investigated include active volcanism, the movement of sand dunes and transient features in desert environments, water flooding, and the formation and break-up of lake ice. Science software onboard the spacecraft will allow autonomous processing and formation of SAR images and extraction of scientific information. The subsequent analyses, performed on images formed onboard from the SAR data, will include feature identification using scalable feature "templates" for each target, change detection through comparison of current and archived images, and science discovery, a search for other features of interest in each image. This approach results in obtaining the same science return for a reduced amount of resource use (such as downlink) when compared to that from a mission operating without ASE technology. Redundant data is discarded. The science-driven goals of ASE will evolve during the ASE mission through onboard replanning software that can re-task satellite operations. If necessary, as a result of a discovery made autonomously by onboard science processing, existing observation sequences will be pre-empted to obtain data of potential high scientific content. Flight validation of this software will enable radically different missions with significant onboard decision-making and novel science concepts (onboard decision making and selective data return). This work has been carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.

  7. The 1982 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barfield, B. F. (Editor); Kent, M. I. (Editor); Dozier, J. (Editor); Karr, G. (Editor)

    1982-01-01

    A NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program was conducted to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers.

  8. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, Roger (Editor); Buckingham, Gregg (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1996 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the twelfth year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1996 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Office of Educational Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC and KSC. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Program funded by NASA in 1996. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the University faculty member. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA/KSC.

  9. 2000 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Buckingham, Gregg (Editor)

    2001-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 2000 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the 16th year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 2000 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and KSC. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA in 2000. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA/KSC.

  10. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. 1994 research reports

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, Loren A. (Editor); Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Camp, Warren (Editor)

    1994-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1994 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the tenth year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1994 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Office of Educational Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA Headquarters in 1994. The NASA/ASEE program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the University faculty member. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA/KSC.

  11. 1997 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Buckingham, Gregg (Editor)

    1997-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1997 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the 13th year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1997 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and KSC. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA in 1997. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA/KSC.

  12. 1998 Research Reports: NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Buckingham, Gregg (Editor)

    1999-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1998 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the 14th year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1998 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and KSC. The KSC Program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA in 1998. The NASA/ASEE Program is intended to be a two-year program to allow in-depth research by the university faculty member. The editors of this document were responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA/KSC.

  13. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1998. Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Sickorez, Donn G. (Editor)

    1999-01-01

    JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC, under ASEE. The objectives of the program are to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science members; stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants; and contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project commensurate with his/her interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the fellows' research projects performed during the summer of 1998. Volume 1, current volume, contains the first reports, and volume 2 contains the remaining reports.

  14. Male and Female Summer Interns in Engineering from 2007-2012

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hall, Cathy W.; Brush, Kimberly M.; Pinelli, Thomas E.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to ascertain the colleges and universities from which engineering interns were chosen for the Langley Aerospace Research Student Scholars (LARSS) internship program over a six year period. While the initial question was where the interns were from, information was also obtained on these colleges and universities' rankings with respect to female faculty in tenure/tenure-track positions as well as research expenditures according to the American Society for Engineering Education's (ASEE) 2012 Annual Report. The majority of interns were selected from 14 institutions. Eight of the institutions for female interns and 7 for male interns were also cited as having the largest percentages/numbers of female faculty according to ASEE data. In 10 of the 14 institutions for male interns and 9 of 14 for female interns, the institutions were cited as having some of the highest research expenditures. Last, data from ASEE's report on bachelor degrees awarded in 2011 was assessed with respect to the 21 institutions listed as having higher numbers of women in tenure/tenure-track positions. The majority of these institutions represented larger engineering programs with a sizeable number of engineering faculty. These 21institutions accounted for 24.4% of the total engineering bachelor degrees awarded in 2011, with 27.4% of all female and 23.8% of all male graduates in the U.S.

  15. The 1983 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program research reports

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Horn, W. J. (Editor); Duke, M. B. (Editor)

    1983-01-01

    The 1983 NASA/ASEE Summary Faculty Fellowship Research Program was conducted by Texas A&M University and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC). The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The basic objectives of the programs, which began in 1965 at JSC and in 1964 nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The faculty fellows spent 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project commensurate with their interests and background. They worked in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. This document is a compilation of final reports on their research during the summer of 1983.

  16. Naval research fellowships

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is seeking applicants for 40 fellowships that will be awarded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in 1984. This program is designed to increase the number of U.S. citizens doing graduate work in such fields as ocean engineering, applied physics, electrical engineering, computer science, naval architecture, materials science) and aerospace a n d mechanical engineering. The fellowships are awarded on the recommendation of a panel of scientists and engineers convened by the ASEE. The deadline for applications is February 15, 1984.The program is open to graduating seniors who already have or will shortly have baccalaureates in disciplines vital to the research aims of the Navy and critical to national defense. As a reflection of the quality of the program, 1983 fellows had an average cummulative grade point average of 3.88; nine had a perfect 4.0.

  17. Automotive Stirling engine Market and Industrial Readiness Program (MIRP), phase 1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1982-05-01

    A program, begun in 1978, has the goal of transferring Stirling engine technology from United Stirling of Sweden to the US and, then, following design, fabrication, and prototype testing, to secure US manufacturers for the engine. The ultimate objective is the large-scale commercial use of the Automotive Stirling Engine (ASE) by the year 2000. The fist phase of the Market and Industrial Readiness Program for the ASE was concerned with defining the market, product, economic and technical factors necessary to be addressed to assure a reasonable chance of ultimate commercial acceptance. Program results for this first phase are reported and discussed. These results pertain to licensing strategy development, economic analysis, market factors, product planning, market growth, cost studies, and engine performance as measured by fuel economy using conventional fuels and by vehicle speed and acceleration characteristics.

  18. Radioactive threat detection using scintillant-based detectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chalmers, Alex

    2004-09-01

    An update to the performance of AS&E's Radioactive Threat Detection sensor technology. A model is presented detailing the components of the scintillant-based RTD system employed in AS&E products aimed at detecting radiological WMD. An overview of recent improvements in the sensors, electrical subsystems and software algorithms are presented. The resulting improvements in performance are described and sample results shown from existing systems. Advanced and future capabilities are described with an assessment of their feasibility and their application to Homeland Defense.

  19. Solar Water Splitting with a Hydrogenase Integrated in Photoelectrochemical Tandem Cells.

    PubMed

    Nam, Dong Heon; Zhang, Jenny; Andrei, Virgil; Kornienko, Nikolay; Heidary, Nina; Wagner, Andreas; Nakanishi, Kenichi; Sokol, Katarzyna; Slater, Barnaby; Zebger, Ingo; Hofmann, Stephan; Fontecilla-Camps, Juan; Park, Chan Beum; Reisner, Erwin

    2018-06-11

    Hydrogenases (H2ases) are benchmark electrocatalysts in H2 production, both in biology and (photo)catalysis in vitro. We report the tailoring of a p-type Si photocathode for optimal loading and wiring of H2ase by the introduction of a hierarchical inverse opal (IO) TiO2 interlayer. This proton reducing Si|IO-TiO2|H2ase photocathode is capable of driving overall water splitting in combination with a complementary photoanode. We demonstrate unassisted (bias-free) water-splitting by wiring Si|IO-TiO2|H2ase to a modified BiVO4 photoanode in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell during several hours of irradiation. Connecting the Si|IO-TiO2|H2ase to a photosystem II (PSII) photoanode provides proof-of-concept for an engineered Z-scheme that replaces the non-complementary, natural light absorber photosystem I with a complementary abiotic silicon photocathode. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, Loren A (Editor); Valdes, Carol (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1992 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This was the eighth year that a NASA/ASEE program has been conducted at KSC. The 1992 program was administered by the University of Central Florida in cooperation with KSC. The program was operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) with sponsorship and funding from the Office of Educational Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The KSC program was one of nine such Aeronautics and Space Research Programs funded by NASA Headquarters in 1992. The basic common objectives are to further the professional knowledge, to stimulate an exchange of ideas, to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities, and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers.

  1. The atomic simulation environment-a Python library for working with atoms.

    PubMed

    Hjorth Larsen, Ask; Jørgen Mortensen, Jens; Blomqvist, Jakob; Castelli, Ivano E; Christensen, Rune; Dułak, Marcin; Friis, Jesper; Groves, Michael N; Hammer, Bjørk; Hargus, Cory; Hermes, Eric D; Jennings, Paul C; Bjerre Jensen, Peter; Kermode, James; Kitchin, John R; Leonhard Kolsbjerg, Esben; Kubal, Joseph; Kaasbjerg, Kristen; Lysgaard, Steen; Bergmann Maronsson, Jón; Maxson, Tristan; Olsen, Thomas; Pastewka, Lars; Peterson, Andrew; Rostgaard, Carsten; Schiøtz, Jakob; Schütt, Ole; Strange, Mikkel; Thygesen, Kristian S; Vegge, Tejs; Vilhelmsen, Lasse; Walter, Michael; Zeng, Zhenhua; Jacobsen, Karsten W

    2017-07-12

    The atomic simulation environment (ASE) is a software package written in the Python programming language with the aim of setting up, steering, and analyzing atomistic simulations. In ASE, tasks are fully scripted in Python. The powerful syntax of Python combined with the NumPy array library make it possible to perform very complex simulation tasks. For example, a sequence of calculations may be performed with the use of a simple 'for-loop' construction. Calculations of energy, forces, stresses and other quantities are performed through interfaces to many external electronic structure codes or force fields using a uniform interface. On top of this calculator interface, ASE provides modules for performing many standard simulation tasks such as structure optimization, molecular dynamics, handling of constraints and performing nudged elastic band calculations.

  2. The atomic simulation environment—a Python library for working with atoms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hjorth Larsen, Ask; Jørgen Mortensen, Jens; Blomqvist, Jakob; Castelli, Ivano E.; Christensen, Rune; Dułak, Marcin; Friis, Jesper; Groves, Michael N.; Hammer, Bjørk; Hargus, Cory; Hermes, Eric D.; Jennings, Paul C.; Bjerre Jensen, Peter; Kermode, James; Kitchin, John R.; Leonhard Kolsbjerg, Esben; Kubal, Joseph; Kaasbjerg, Kristen; Lysgaard, Steen; Bergmann Maronsson, Jón; Maxson, Tristan; Olsen, Thomas; Pastewka, Lars; Peterson, Andrew; Rostgaard, Carsten; Schiøtz, Jakob; Schütt, Ole; Strange, Mikkel; Thygesen, Kristian S.; Vegge, Tejs; Vilhelmsen, Lasse; Walter, Michael; Zeng, Zhenhua; Jacobsen, Karsten W.

    2017-07-01

    The atomic simulation environment (ASE) is a software package written in the Python programming language with the aim of setting up, steering, and analyzing atomistic simulations. In ASE, tasks are fully scripted in Python. The powerful syntax of Python combined with the NumPy array library make it possible to perform very complex simulation tasks. For example, a sequence of calculations may be performed with the use of a simple ‘for-loop’ construction. Calculations of energy, forces, stresses and other quantities are performed through interfaces to many external electronic structure codes or force fields using a uniform interface. On top of this calculator interface, ASE provides modules for performing many standard simulation tasks such as structure optimization, molecular dynamics, handling of constraints and performing nudged elastic band calculations.

  3. Missile airframe simulation testbed: MANPADS (MAST-M) for test and evaluation of aircraft survivability equipment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clements, Jim; Robinson, Richard; Bunt, Leslie; Robinson, Joe

    2011-06-01

    A number of techniques have been utilized to evaluate the performance of Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE) against threat Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS). These techniques include flying actual threat MANPADS against stationary ASE with simulated aircraft signatures, testing installed ASE systems against simulated threat signatures, and laboratory hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) testing with simulated aircraft and simulated missile signatures. All of these tests lack the realism of evaluating installed ASE against in-flight MANPADS on a terminal homing intercept path toward the actual ASE equipped aircraft. This limitation is due primarily to the current inability to perform non-destructive MANPADS/Aircraft flight testing. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research and Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) is working to overcome this limitation with the development of a recoverable surrogate MANPADS missile system capable of engaging aircraft equipped with ASE while guaranteeing collision avoidance with the test aircraft. Under its Missile Airframe Simulation Testbed - MANPADS (MAST-M) program, the AMRDEC is developing a surrogate missile system which will utilize actual threat MANPADS seeker/guidance sections to control the flight of a surrogate missile which will perform a collision avoidance and recovery maneuver prior to intercept to insure non-destructive test and evaluation of the ASE and reuse of the MANPADS seeker/guidance section. The remainder of this paper provides an overview of this development program and intended use.

  4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program - 2000

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Sickorez, Donn G. (Editor)

    2003-01-01

    The 2000 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC. The 10-week program was operated under the auspices of the ASEE. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The objectives of the program, which began in 1965 at JSC and 1964 nationally, are to (1) further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty, (2) stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and (4) contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project commensurate with her/his interests and background, and worked in collabroation with a NASA/JSC colleague. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the research projects done by the faculty fellows during the summer of 2000.

  5. Using Engineering Cases in Technology Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelley, Todd R.

    2009-01-01

    There has been a great deal of discussion in the past few years about implementing engineering design in K-12 classrooms. Experts from K-12 education, universities, industry, and government officials attended the ASEE leadership workshop on K-12 Engineering Outreach in June of 2004 and came to a consensus on the need to implement engineering in…

  6. A Report of the Nuclear Engineering Division Sessions at the 1971 ASEE Annual Conference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eckley, Wayne; Nelson, George W.

    1972-01-01

    Summarizes the discussions at the conference under the topics, Objective Criteria for the Future" and Teaching Concepts Basic to Nuclear Engineering." Includes comments from personnel representing universities, industries, and government laboratories. (TS)

  7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1992, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    The 1992 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters Washington, DC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objective of the NASA Centers. This document contains reports 13 through 24.

  8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1992, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1992-01-01

    The 1992 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC. The program at JSC, as well as the programs at other NASA Centers, was funded by the Office of University Affairs, Washington, DC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objective of the NASA Centers. This document is a compilation of the final reports 1 through 12.

  9. Engine & Vehicle Mechanics Curriculum.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alaska State Dept. of Education, Juneau. Div. of Adult and Vocational Education.

    This competency-based curriculum includes all competencies a student will acquire in an engine and vehicle mechanics educational program. It follows guidelines established for automobile technician training programs leading toward certification and addresses requirements of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). The…

  10. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) summer faculty fellowship program, 1986, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcinnis, Bayliss (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley (Editor)

    1987-01-01

    The Johnson Space Center (JSC) NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston. The basic objectives of the program are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching objectives of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. Each faculty fellow spent ten weeks at JSC engaged in a research project commensurate with his interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. Volume 1 contains sections 1 through 14.

  11. Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Image Processing and Earth Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2004-01-01

    The titles in this section include: 1) Expansion in Geographic Information Services for PIGWAD; 2) Modernization of the Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers; 3) Science-based Region-of-Interest Image Compression; 4) Topographic Analysis with a Stereo Matching Tool Kit; 5) Central Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project (CAVSARP) Site, Tucson, Arizona: Floodwater and Soil Moisture Investigations with Extraterrestrial Applications; 6) ASE Floodwater Classifier Development for EO-1 HYPERION Imagery; 7) Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) Operations on EO-1 in 2004; 8) Autonomous Vegetation Cover Scene Classification of EO-1 Hyperion Hyperspectral Data; 9) Long-Term Continental Areal Reduction Produced by Tectonic Processes.

  12. The 1984 ASEE-NASA summer faculty fellowship program (aeronautics and research)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dah-Nien, F.; Hodge, J. R.; Emad, F. P.

    1984-01-01

    The 1984 NASA-ASEE Faculty Fellowship Program (SFFP) is reported. The report includes: (1) a list of participants; (2) abstracts of research projects; (3) seminar schedule; (4) evaluation questionnaire; and (5) agenda of visitation by faculty programs committee. Topics discussed include: effects of multiple scattering on laser beam propagation; information management; computer techniques; guidelines for writing user documentation; 30 graphics software; high energy electron and antiproton cosmic rays; high resolution Fourier transform infrared spectrum; average monthly annual zonal and global albedos; laser backscattering from ocean surface; image processing systems; geomorphological mapping; low redshift quasars; application of artificial intelligence to command management systems.

  13. Validation of artificial skin equivalents as in vitro testing systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt, Robert; Marx, Ulrich; Walles, Heike; Schober, Lena

    2011-03-01

    With the increasing complexity of the chemical composition of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and everyday substances, the awareness of potential health issues and long term damages for humanoid organs is shifting into focus. Artificial in vitro testing systems play an important role in providing reliable test conditions and replacing precarious animal testing. Especially artificial skin equivalents ASEs are used for a broad spectrum of studies like penetration, irritation and corrosion of substances. One major challenge in tissue engineering is the qualification of each individual ASE as in vitro testing system. Due to biological fluctuations, the stratum corneum hornified layer of some ASEs may not fully develop or other defects might occur. For monitoring these effects we developed an fully automated Optical Coherence Tomography device. Here, we present different methods to characterize and evaluate the quality of the ASEs based on image and data processing of OCT B-scans. By analysing the surface structure, defects, like cuts or tears, are detectable. A further indicator for the quality of the ASE is the morphology of the tissue. This allows to determine if the skin model has reached the final growth state. We found, that OCT is a well suited technology for automatically characterizing artificial skin equivalents and validating the application as testing system.

  14. Not so global: a bibliometric look at engineering education research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Bill; Wankat, Phillip C.; Neto, Pedro

    2018-03-01

    It has been suggested that Engineering Education Research (EER) is going global. If this were the case we would assume that the research of EER scholars in different parts of the globe would be informed by literature describing prior work within and beyond their home country/region. The authors set out to test this hypothesis by applying citation analysis to research presented in four publication venues: the annual conferences organised by ASEE (American Society of Engineering Education) and SEFI (European Society of Engineering Education) and two archival journals published by these two societies: Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) and European Journal of Engineering Education (EJEE). Our findings from the analysis of 4321 publications show that citations in ASEE conferences are dominated by sources with US affiliations, whereas the SEFI data show that while US sources are frequently cited, European and other authors are also well represented. With regard to the journals JEE and EJEE, a similar pattern is observed. These results suggest that, in citation terms, European EER is relatively global but US EER is not. The authors conclude by suggesting that if the EER community is to aspire to quality scholarship, there needs to be debate around how such issues can be tackled.

  15. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1987, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jones, William B. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1987-01-01

    The objective of the NASA/ASEE program were: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent 10 weeks at Johnson Space Center engaged in a research project commensurate with his/her interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. A compilation is presented of the final reports on the research projects done by the fellows during the summer of 1987. This is volume 1 of a 2 volume report.

  16. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1994, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard; Sickorez, Donn G.

    1995-01-01

    The JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by Texas A&M University and JSC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965 are to: (1) further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, (2) stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and (4) contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA JSC colleague. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the research projects completed by the faculty fellows during the summer of 1994.

  17. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) /American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Sickorez, Donn G. (Editor)

    1997-01-01

    The 1996 JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston and JSC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965 are to (1) further the professional knowledge qualified engineering and science faculty members, (2) stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and (4) contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA JSC colleague. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the research projects completed by the faculty fellows during the summer of 1996.

  18. Far-field acoustic data for the Texas ASE, Inc. Hush-House, supplement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, R. A.

    1982-04-01

    This report supplements AFAMRL-TR-73-110, which describes the data base (NOISEFILE) used in the computer program (NOISEMAP) to predict the community noise exposure resulting from military aircraft operations. The results of field test measurements to define the single-event noise produced on the ground by military aircraft/engines operating in the Texas ASE Inc. hush-house are presented as a function of angle (0 to 180 from the front of the hush-house) and distance (200 ft to 2500 ft) in various acoustic metrics.

  19. Research reports: 1990 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, L. Michael (Editor); Chappell, Charles R. (Editor); Six, Frank (Editor); Karr, Gerald R. (Editor)

    1990-01-01

    Reports on the research projects performed under the NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program are presented. The program was conducted by The University of Alabama and MSFC during the period from June 4, 1990 through August 10, 1990. Some of the topics covered include: (1) Space Shuttles; (2) Space Station Freedom; (3) information systems; (4) materials and processes; (4) Space Shuttle main engine; (5) aerospace sciences; (6) mathematical models; (7) mission operations; (8) systems analysis and integration; (9) systems control; (10) structures and dynamics; (11) aerospace safety; and (12) remote sensing

  20. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1990, Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1990-01-01

    The 1990 Johnson Space Center (JSC) NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston-University Park and JSC. A compilation of the final reports on the research projects are presented. The topics covered include: the Space Station; the Space Shuttle; exobiology; cell biology; culture techniques; control systems design; laser induced fluorescence; spacecraft reliability analysis; reduced gravity; biotechnology; microgravity applications; regenerative life support systems; imaging techniques; cardiovascular system; physiological effects; extravehicular mobility units; mathematical models; bioreactors; computerized simulation; microgravity simulation; and dynamic structural analysis.

  1. Monitoring Floods with NASA's ST6 Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment: Implications on Planetary Exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ip, Felipe; Dohm, J. M.; Baker, V. R.; Castano, B.; Chien, S.; Cichy, B.; Davies, A. G.; Doggett, T.; Greeley, R.; Sherwood, R.

    2005-01-01

    NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP) Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) [1-3] has been successfully demonstrated in Earth-orbit. NASA has identified the development of an autonomously operating spacecraft as a necessity for an expanded program of missions exploring the Solar System. The versatile ASE spacecraft command and control, image formation, and science processing software was uploaded to the Earth Observer 1 (EO-1) spacecraft in early 2004 and has been undergoing onboard testing since May 2004 for the near real-time detection of surface modification related to transient geological and hydrological processes such as volcanism [4], ice formation and retreat [5], and flooding [6]. Space autonomy technology developed as part of ASE creates the new capability to autonomously detect, assess, react to, and monitor dynamic events such as flooding. Part of the challenge has been the difficulty to observe flooding in real time at sufficient temporal resolutions; more importantly, it is the large spatial extent of most drainage networks coupled with the size of the data sets necessary to be downlinked from satellites that make it difficult to monitor flooding from space. Below is a description of the algorithms (referred to as ASE Flood water Classifiers) used in tandem with the Hyperion spectrometer instrument on EO-1 to identify flooding and some of the test results.

  2. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. 1991 Research Reports

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Beymer, Mark A. (Editor); Armstrong, Dennis W. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    Reports from the NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program are presented. The editors are responsible for selecting appropriately qualified faculty to address some of the many problems of current interest to NASA Kennedy. Some representative titles are as follows: Development of an Accelerated Test Method for the Determination of Susceptibility to Atmospheric Corrosion; Hazardous Gas Leak Analysis in the Space Shuttle; Modeling and Control of the Automated Radiator Inspection Device; Study of the Finite Element Software Packages at KSC; Multispectral Image Processing for Plants; Algorithms for Contours Depicting Static Electric Fields during Adverse Weather Conditions; Transient Study of a Cryogenic Hydrogen Filling System; and Precision Cleaning Verification of Nonvolatile Residues by using Water, Ultrasonics, and Turbidity Analyses.

  3. The Teaching Challenge: Science, Engineering and the Knowledge Economy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowling, Patrick

    2001-01-01

    Presents the presidential address delivered to the Association for Science Education (ASE) at its annual meeting held at the University of Surrey, January 2001. Consists of three sections: (1) science and engineering and the knowledge economy; (2) teaching challenge and the role of science teachers; and (3) partnerships to support science,…

  4. Speed enforcement camera systems operational guidelines

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-03-01

    The ASE guidelines are intended to serve program managers, administrators, law enforcement, traffic engineers, program evaluators, and other individuals responsible for the strategic vision and daily op-erations of the program. The guidelines are wri...

  5. 1992 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, L. Michael; Chappell, Charles R.; Six, Frank; Karr, Gerald R.

    1992-01-01

    For the 28th consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by the University of Alabama and MSFC during the period June 1, 1992 through August 7, 1992. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, was well as those at other centers, was sponsored by the Office of Educational Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The basic objectives of the programs, which are the 29th year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers.

  6. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1993, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyman, William A. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1993-01-01

    The JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by Texas A&M University and JSC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participant's institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. A compilation of the final reports on the research projects completed by the faculty fellows during the summer of 1993 is presented.

  7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1993, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyman, William A. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1993-01-01

    The JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by Texas A&M University and JSC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are as follows: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the research projects completed by the faculty fellows during the summer of 1993.

  8. Navy/ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) Summer Faculty Research Program, 1985.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-05-15

    MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ASTRONOMY MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPT. 07 PHYSICS/ASTR. BETHLEHEM ,PA 18015 EAU CLAIR2 ,WI 54701 ROBERT HARTFORD TIMOTHY LANCEY...GA 30910 KLAMATH FALLS ,OR 97601 RICHARD MESSNER HORACE REYNOLDS UN:V OF NEW HAMPSHIRE GALLAUDET ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING PSYCHOLOGY E.C.E. DEPARTMENT...HOWARD’ U:V:ERSICY 4 DC CATHOLU. UNIVERSIT 4 DC HOWARD NVESC 4 DC HOWARD U NIVERSITYf 4 DC CATHOLIT’ UNIVERSITY DC GALLAUDET 4 DC AINERICA:; :;VRIY4 DE

  9. Realtime Decision Making on EO-1 Using Onboard Science Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sherwood, Robert; Chien, Steve; Davies, Ashley; Mandl, Dan; Frye, Stu

    2004-01-01

    Recent autonomy experiments conducted on Earth Observing 1 (EO-1) using the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) flight software has been used to classify key features in hyperspectral images captured by EO-1. Furthermore, analysis is performed by this software onboard EO-1 and then used to modify the operational plan without interaction from the ground. This paper will outline the overall operations concept and provide some details and examples of the onboard science processing, science analysis, and replanning.

  10. The 1993 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, Gerald R. (Editor); Chappell, Charles R. (Editor); Six, Frank (Editor); Freeman, L. Michael (Editor)

    1993-01-01

    For the 29th consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville and MSFC during the period of 6-1-93 through 8-6-93. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, as well as those at other NASA centers, was sponsored by the Office of Educational Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the 30th year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institution; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers.

  11. NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at NASA Lewis Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prahl, Joseph M.; Keith, Theo G., Jr.; Montegani, Francis J.

    1996-01-01

    During the summer of 1996, a ten-week Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), and the Ohio Aerospace Institute (OAI). This is the thirty-third summer of this program at Lewis. It was one of nine summer programs sponsored by NASA in 1996, at various field centers under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The objectives of the program are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science educators, (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) to enrich and refresh the research activities of participants' institutions. (4) to contribute to the research objectives of LeRC. This report is intended to recapitulate the activities comprising the 1996 Lewis Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, to summarize evaluations by the participants, and to make recommendations regarding future programs.

  12. Research reports: 1987 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, Gerald R. (Editor); Cothran, Ernestine K. (Editor); Freeman, L. Michael (Editor)

    1987-01-01

    For the 23rd consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville and MSFC during the period 1 June to 7 August 1987. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, as well as those at other NASA Centers, was sponsored by the Office of University Affairs, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The basic objectives of the program are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participant's institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. This document is a compilation of Fellow's reports on their research during the Summer of 1987.

  13. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Armstrong, Dennis W. (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    The contractor's report contains all sixteen final reports prepared by the participants in the 1989 Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Reports describe research projects on a number of different topics. Interface software, metal corrosion, rocket triggering lightning, automatic drawing, 60-Hertz power, carotid-cardiac baroreflex, acoustic fields, robotics, AI, CAD/CAE, cryogenics, titanium, and flow measurement are discussed.

  14. Fuel Microemulsions for Jet Engine Smoke Reduction

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-05-01

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

  15. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1990, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1990-01-01

    The 1990 Johnson Space Center (JSC) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted by the University of Houston-University Park and Johnson Space Centers (JSC). A compilation of the final reports on the research projects is presented. The following topics are covered: the Space Shuttle; the Space Station; lunar exploration; mars exploration; spacecraft power supplies; mars rover vehicle; mission planning for the Space Exploration Initiative; instrument calibration standards; a lunar oxygen production plant; optical filters for a hybrid vision system; dynamic structural analysis; lunar bases; pharmacodynamics of scopolamine; planetary spacecraft cost modeling; and others.

  16. Research Reports: 1989 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, Gerald R. (Editor); Six, Frank (Editor); Freeman, L. Michael (Editor)

    1989-01-01

    For the twenty-fifth consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The basic objectives of the programs are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague.

  17. 77 FR 43615 - Notice Pursuant to the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993-Sematech, Inc. D...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-25

    ..., have been added as parties to this venture. Also, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (``ASE... on April 13, 2012 (77 FR 22347). Patricia A. Brink, Director of Civil Enforcement, Antitrust Division...

  18. Very Low Threshold ASE and Lasing Using Auger-Suppressed Nanocrystal Quantum Dots

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Young-Shin; Bae, Wan Ki; Fidler, Andrew; Baker, Tomas; Lim, Jaehoon; Pietryga, Jeffrey; Klimov, Victor

    2015-03-01

    We report amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and lasing with very low thresholds obtained using thin films made of engineered thick-shell CdSe/CdS QDs that have a CdSeS alloyed layer between the CdSe core and the CdS shell. These ``alloyed'' QDs exhibit considerable reduction of Auger decay rates, which results in high biexciton emission quantum yields (QBX of ~ 12%) and extended biexciton lifetimes (τBX of ~ 4ns). By using a fs laser (400 nm at 1 kHz repetition rate) as a pump source, we measured the threshold intensity of biexciton ASE as low as 5 μJ/cm2, which is about 5 times lower than the lowest ASE thresholds reported for thick-shell QDs without interfacial alloying. Interestingly, we also observed biexciton random lasing from the same QD film. Lasing spectrum comprises several sharp peaks (linewidth ~0.2 nm), and the heights and the spectral positions of these peaks show strong dependence on the exact position of the excitation spot on the QD film. Our study suggests that further suppression of nonradiative Auger decay rates via even finer grading of the core/shell interface could lead to a further reduction in the lasing threshold and potentially realization of lasing under continuous-wave excitation.

  19. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1990

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spencer, John H. (Compiler)

    1990-01-01

    Since 1964, NASA has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. The objectives are to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science members; to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. The study program consists of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the research topics.

  20. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program: 1995. Volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyman, William A. (Editor); Sickorez, Donn G. (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    The objectives of the JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. In addition to the faculty participants, the 1995 program included five students. This document is a compilation of the first fifteen of twenty-seven final reports on the research projects completed by the faculty fellows and visiting students during the summer of 1995. The reports of two of the students are integral with that of the respective fellow. Three students wrote separate reports included in Volume 2.

  1. Research Reports: 2001 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, G. (Editor); Pruitt, J. (Editor); Nash-Stevenson, S. (Editor); Freeman, L. M. (Editor); Karr, C. L. (Editor)

    2002-01-01

    For the thirty-seventh consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by The University of Alabama in Huntsville and MSFC during the period May 29 - August 3, 2001. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, as well as those at other NASA Centers, was sponsored by the University Affairs Office, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC. The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the thirty-seventh year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 2001.

  2. Automotive Stirling engine systems development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Richey, A. E.

    1984-01-01

    The objective of the Automotive Stirling Engine (ASE) program is to develop a Stirling engine for automotive use that provides a 30 percent improvement in fuel economy relative to a comparable internal-combustion engine while meeting emissions goals. This paper traces the engine systems' development efforts focusing on: (1) a summary of engine system performance for all Mod I engines; (2) the development, program conducted for the upgraded Mod I; and (3) vehicle systems work conducted to enhance vehicle fuel economy. Problems encountered during the upgraded Mod I test program are discussed. The importance of the EPA driving cycle cold-start penalty and the measures taken to minimize that penalty with the Mod II are also addressed.

  3. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1991

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler)

    1991-01-01

    In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spent 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society of Engineering Education supervises the programs. The objects were the following: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center.

  4. GeneiASE: Detection of condition-dependent and static allele-specific expression from RNA-seq data without haplotype information

    PubMed Central

    Edsgärd, Daniel; Iglesias, Maria Jesus; Reilly, Sarah-Jayne; Hamsten, Anders; Tornvall, Per; Odeberg, Jacob; Emanuelsson, Olof

    2016-01-01

    Allele-specific expression (ASE) is the imbalance in transcription between maternal and paternal alleles at a locus and can be probed in single individuals using massively parallel DNA sequencing technology. Assessing ASE within a single sample provides a static picture of the ASE, but the magnitude of ASE for a given transcript may vary between different biological conditions in an individual. Such condition-dependent ASE could indicate a genetic variation with a functional role in the phenotypic difference. We investigated ASE through RNA-sequencing of primary white blood cells from eight human individuals before and after the controlled induction of an inflammatory response, and detected condition-dependent and static ASE at 211 and 13021 variants, respectively. We developed a method, GeneiASE, to detect genes exhibiting static or condition-dependent ASE in single individuals. GeneiASE performed consistently over a range of read depths and ASE effect sizes, and did not require phasing of variants to estimate haplotypes. We observed condition-dependent ASE related to the inflammatory response in 19 genes, and static ASE in 1389 genes. Allele-specific expression was confirmed by validation of variants through real-time quantitative RT-PCR, with RNA-seq and RT-PCR ASE effect-size correlations r = 0.67 and r = 0.94 for static and condition-dependent ASE, respectively. PMID:26887787

  5. The 1975 NASA/ASEE summer faculty fellowship research program. [research in the areas of aerospace engineering, aerospace systems, and information systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    A research program was conducted to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA engineers and scientists, and to enrich the research activities of the participants' institutions. Abstracts of reports submitted at the end of the program are presented. Topics investigated include multispectral photography, logic circuits, gravitation theories, information systems, fracture mechanics, holographic interferometry, surface acoustic wave technology, ion beams in the upper atmosphere, and hybrid microcircuits.

  6. Research Reports: 1986 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, L. Michael (Editor); Speer, Fridtjof A. (Editor); Cothran, Ernestine K. (Editor); Karr, Gerald R. (Editor)

    1986-01-01

    For the 22th consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted for the summer of 1986 by the University of Alabama and Marshall Space Flight Center. The basic objectives of the program are: (1)to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2)to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3)to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institution; and (4)to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. The Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interest and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research.

  7. The software analysis project for the Office of Human Resources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tureman, Robert L., Jr.

    1994-01-01

    There were two major sections of the project for the Office of Human Resources (OHR). The first section was to conduct a planning study to analyze software use with the goal of recommending software purchases and determining whether the need exists for a file server. The second section was analysis and distribution planning for retirement planning computer program entitled VISION provided by NASA Headquarters. The software planning study was developed to help OHR analyze the current administrative desktop computing environment and make decisions regarding software acquisition and implementation. There were three major areas addressed by the study: current environment new software requirements, and strategies regarding the implementation of a server in the Office. To gather data on current environment, employees were surveyed and an inventory of computers were produced. The surveys were compiled and analyzed by the ASEE fellow with interpretation help by OHR staff. New software requirements represented a compilation and analysis of the surveyed requests of OHR personnel. Finally, the information on the use of a server represents research done by the ASEE fellow and analysis of survey data to determine software requirements for a server. This included selection of a methodology to estimate the number of copies of each software program required given current use and estimated growth. The report presents the results of the computing survey, a description of the current computing environment, recommenations for changes in the computing environment, current software needs, management advantages of using a server, and management considerations in the implementation of a server. In addition, detailed specifications were presented for the hardware and software recommendations to offer a complete picture to OHR management. The retirement planning computer program available to NASA employees will aid in long-range retirement planning. The intended audience is the NASA civil service employee with several years until retirement. The employee enters current salary and savings information as well as goals concerning salary at retirement, assumptions on inflation, and the return on investments. The program produces a picture of the employee's retirement income from all sources based on the assumptions entered. A session showing features of the program was conducted for key personnel at the Center. After analysis, it was decided to offer the program through the Learning Center starting in August 1994.

  8. Allele-specific expression in the human heart and its application to postoperative atrial fibrillation and myocardial ischemia.

    PubMed

    Sigurdsson, Martin I; Saddic, Louis; Heydarpour, Mahyar; Chang, Tzuu-Wang; Shekar, Prem; Aranki, Sary; Couper, Gregory S; Shernan, Stanton K; Seidman, Jon G; Body, Simon C; Muehlschlegel, Jochen D

    2016-12-06

    Allele-specific expression (ASE) is differential expression of each of the two chromosomal alleles of an autosomal gene. We assessed ASE patterns in the human left atrium (LA, n = 62) and paired samples from the left ventricle (LV, n = 76) before and after ischemia, and tested the utility of differential ASE to identify genes associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation (poAF) and myocardial ischemia. Following genotyping from whole blood and whole-genome sequencing of LA and LV samples, we called ASE using sequences overlapping heterozygous SNPs using rigorous quality control to minimize false ASE calling. ASE patterns were compared between cardiac chambers and with a validation cohort from cadaveric tissue. ASE patterns in the LA were compared between patients who had poAF and those who did not. Changes in ASE in the LV were compared between paired baseline and post-ischemia samples. ASE was found for 3404 (5.1%) and 8642 (4.0%) of SNPs analyzed in the LA and LV, respectively. Out of 6157 SNPs with ASE analyzed in both chambers, 2078 had evidence of ASE in both LA and LV (p < 0.0001). The SNP with the greatest ASE difference in the LA of patients with and without postoperative atrial fibrillation was within the gelsolin (GSN) gene, previously associated with atrial fibrillation in mice. The genes with differential ASE in poAF were enriched for myocardial structure genes, indicating the importance of atrial remodeling in the pathophysiology of AF. The greatest change in ASE between paired post-ischemic and baseline samples of the LV was in the zinc finger and homeodomain protein 2 (ZHX2) gene, a modulator of plasma lipids. Genes with differential ASE in ischemia were enriched in the ubiquitin ligase complex pathway associated with the ischemia-reperfusion response. Our results establish a pattern of ASE in the human heart, with a high degree of shared ASE between cardiac chambers as well as chamber-specific ASE. Furthermore, ASE analysis can be used to identify novel genes associated with (poAF) and myocardial ischemia.

  9. Genetic Algorithm-Guided, Adaptive Model Order Reduction of Flexible Aircrafts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhu, Jin; Wang, Yi; Pant, Kapil; Suh, Peter; Brenner, Martin J.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a methodology for automated model order reduction (MOR) of flexible aircrafts to construct linear parameter-varying (LPV) reduced order models (ROM) for aeroservoelasticity (ASE) analysis and control synthesis in broad flight parameter space. The novelty includes utilization of genetic algorithms (GAs) to automatically determine the states for reduction while minimizing the trial-and-error process and heuristics requirement to perform MOR; balanced truncation for unstable systems to achieve locally optimal realization of the full model; congruence transformation for "weak" fulfillment of state consistency across the entire flight parameter space; and ROM interpolation based on adaptive grid refinement to generate a globally functional LPV ASE ROM. The methodology is applied to the X-56A MUTT model currently being tested at NASA/AFRC for flutter suppression and gust load alleviation. Our studies indicate that X-56A ROM with less than one-seventh the number of states relative to the original model is able to accurately predict system response among all input-output channels for pitch, roll, and ASE control at various flight conditions. The GA-guided approach exceeds manual and empirical state selection in terms of efficiency and accuracy. The adaptive refinement allows selective addition of the grid points in the parameter space where flight dynamics varies dramatically to enhance interpolation accuracy without over-burdening controller synthesis and onboard memory efforts downstream. The present MOR framework can be used by control engineers for robust ASE controller synthesis and novel vehicle design.

  10. The 1993 NASA-ODU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler); Young, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    1993-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives are: to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center.

  11. 1994 NASA-HU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spencer, John H. (Compiler); Young, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    1994-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center.

  12. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program: 1995.. Volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyman, William A. (Editor); Sickorez, Donn G. (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    The JSC NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at JSC, including the White Sands Test Facility, by Texas A&M University and JSC. The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA/JSC colleague. In addition to the faculty participants, the 1995 program included five students. This document is a compilation of the final reports on the research projects completed by the faculty fellows and visiting students during the summer of 1995. The reports of two of the students are integral with that of the respective fellow. Three students wrote separate reports.

  13. Research reports: 1994 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, L. Michael (Editor); Chappell, Charles R. (Editor); Six, Frank (Editor); Karr, Gerald R. (Editor)

    1994-01-01

    For the 30th consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the 31st year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. The Faculty Fellows spent 10 weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 1994.

  14. NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hosler, E. Ramon (Editor); Valdes, Carol (Editor); Brown, Tom (Editor)

    1993-01-01

    This document is a collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in the 1993 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at KSC. The basic common objectives of the Program are: to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. 1993 topics include wide band fiber optic communications, a prototype expert/information system for examining environmental risks of KSC activities, alternatives to premise wiring using ATM and microcellular technologies, rack insertion end effector (RIEE) automation, FTIR quantification of industrial hydraulic fluids in perchloroethylene, switch configuration for migration to optical fiber network, and more.

  15. IDP-ASE: haplotyping and quantifying allele-specific expression at the gene and gene isoform level by hybrid sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Deonovic, Benjamin; Wang, Yunhao; Weirather, Jason; Wang, Xiu-Jie; Au, Kin Fai

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Allele-specific expression (ASE) is a fundamental problem in studying gene regulation and diploid transcriptome profiles, with two key challenges: (i) haplotyping and (ii) estimation of ASE at the gene isoform level. Existing ASE analysis methods are limited by a dependence on haplotyping from laborious experiments or extra genome/family trio data. In addition, there is a lack of methods for gene isoform level ASE analysis. We developed a tool, IDP-ASE, for full ASE analysis. By innovative integration of Third Generation Sequencing (TGS) long reads with Second Generation Sequencing (SGS) short reads, the accuracy of haplotyping and ASE quantification at the gene and gene isoform level was greatly improved as demonstrated by the gold standard data GM12878 data and semi-simulation data. In addition to methodology development, applications of IDP-ASE to human embryonic stem cells and breast cancer cells indicate that the imbalance of ASE and non-uniformity of gene isoform ASE is widespread, including tumorigenesis relevant genes and pluripotency markers. These results show that gene isoform expression and allele-specific expression cooperate to provide high diversity and complexity of gene regulation and expression, highlighting the importance of studying ASE at the gene isoform level. Our study provides a robust bioinformatics solution to understand ASE using RNA sequencing data only. PMID:27899656

  16. Research Reports: 1988 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, L. Michael (Editor); Chappell, Charles R. (Editor); Cothran, Ernestine K. (Editor); Karr, Gerald R. (Editor)

    1988-01-01

    The basic objectives are to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA: to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. Topics addressed include: cryogenics; thunderstorm simulation; computer techniques; computer assisted instruction; system analysis weather forecasting; rocket engine design; crystal growth; control systems design; turbine pumps for the Space Shuttle Main engine; electron mobility; heat transfer predictions; rotor dynamics; mathematical models; computational fluid dynamics; and structural analysis.

  17. Advanced Diagnostic System on Earth Observing One

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hayden, Sandra C.; Sweet, Adam J.; Christa, Scott E.; Tran, Daniel; Shulman, Seth

    2004-01-01

    In this infusion experiment, the Livingstone 2 (L2) model-based diagnosis engine, developed by the Computational Sciences division at NASA Ames Research Center, has been uploaded to the Earth Observing One (EO-1) satellite. L2 is integrated with the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) which provides an on-board planning capability and a software bridge to the spacecraft's 1773 data bus. Using a model of the spacecraft subsystems, L2 predicts nominal state transitions initiated by control commands, monitors the spacecraft sensors, and, in the case of failure, isolates the fault based on the discrepant observations. Fault detection and isolation is done by determining a set of component modes, including most likely failures, which satisfy the current observations. All mode transitions and diagnoses are telemetered to the ground for analysis. The initial L2 model is scoped to EO-1's imaging instruments and solid state recorder. Diagnostic scenarios for EO-1's nominal imaging timeline are demonstrated by injecting simulated faults on-board the spacecraft. The solid state recorder stores the science images and also hosts: the experiment software. The main objective of the experiment is to mature the L2 technology to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7. Experiment results are presented, as well as a discussion of the challenging technical issues encountered. Future extensions may explore coordination with the planner, and model-based ground operations.

  18. Lag and light-transfer characteristics of amorphous selenium photoconductive film with tellurium-doped layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Wug-Dong; Tanioka, Kenkichi

    2016-07-01

    Amorphous selenium (a-Se) high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor (HARP) films have been used for highly sensitive imaging devices. To study a-Se HARP films for a solid-state image sensor, current-voltage, lag, spectral response, and light-transfer characteristics of 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP films are investigated. Also, to clarify a suitable Te-doped a-Se layer thickness in the a-Se photoconductor, we considered the effects of Te-doped layer thickness on the lag, spectral response, and light-transfer characteristics of 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP films. The threshold field, at which avalanche multiplication occurs in the a-Se HARP targets, decreases when the Te-doped layer thickness increases. The lag of 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP targets with Te-doped layers is higher than that of the target without Te doping. The lag of the targets with Te-doped layers is caused by the electrons trapped in the Te-doped layers within the 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP films. From the results of the spectral response measurement of about 15 min, the 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP targets with Te-doped layers of 90 and 120 nm are observed to be unstable owing to the electrons trapped in the Te-doped a-Se layer. From the light-transfer characteristics of 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP targets, as the slope at the operating point of signal current-voltage characteristics in the avalanche mode increases, the γ of the a-Se HARP targets decreases. Considering the effects of dark current on the lag and spectral response characteristics, a Te-doped layer of 60 nm is suitable for 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP films.

  19. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program 1992

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spencer, John H. (Compiler)

    1992-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives of the program are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center.

  20. Far-field acoustic data for the Texas ASE, Inc. hush house

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, R. A.

    1982-04-01

    This report supplements AFAMRL-TR-73-110, which describes the data base (NOISEFILE) used in the computer program (NOISEMAP) to predict the community noise exposure resulting from military aircraft operations. The results of field test measurements to define the single-event noise produced on the ground by military aircraft/engines operating in the Texas ASE Inc. hush-house are presented as a function of angle (0 deg to 180 deg from the front of the hush-house) and distance (200 ft to 2500 ft) in various acoustic metrics. All the data are normalized to standard acoustic reference conditions of 59 F temperature and 70% relative humidity. Refer to Volume I of the AFAMRL-TR-73-110 report for discussion of the scope, limitations, and definitions needed to understand and use the data in this report.

  1. ASE-1: an autoantigen in systemic lupus erythematosus.

    PubMed

    Edworthy, S; Fritzler, M; Whitehead, C; Martin, L; Rattner, J B

    2000-01-01

    ASE-1 is a 55 kDa nucleolar autoantigen. We show that autoantibodies to this antigen occur at a higher frequency in the sera of patients with SLE than in other systemic rheumatic diseases and that the specificity of ASE-1 as a serum marker of SLE increases as the number of epitopes recognized by the sera increases. Autoantibodies to ASE-1 were temporally associated with autoantibodies to HsEg5 but were not found in conjunction with other known serum markers of SLE. The frequency of antibodies to ASE-1 epitopes in a SLE cohort was approximately the same as anti-dsDNA. However, anti-dsDNA is associated with renal involvement, whereas ASE-1 reactivity shows an association with a history of serositis. We conclude that ASE-1 is correlated with serositis and that ASE-1 should be added to a list of autoantigens that are considered important serological features of SLE.

  2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program: 1996. Volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bannerot, Richard B. (Editor); Sickorez, Donn G. (Editor)

    1997-01-01

    The objectives of the program, which began nationally in 1964 and at JSC in 1965 are to (1) further the professional knowledge qualified engineering and science faculty members, (2) stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA, (3) and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions, and (4) contribute to the research objectives of NASA centers. Each faculty fellow spent at least 10 weeks at JSC engaged in a research project in collaboration with a NASA JSC colleague.

  3. Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Asparaginase Activity-Method Comparison of MAAT and AHA Test Used in the International AIEOP-BFM ALL 2009 Trial.

    PubMed

    Lanvers-Kaminsky, Claudia; Rüffer, Andrea; Würthwein, Gudrun; Gerss, Joachim; Zucchetti, Massimo; Ballerini, Andrea; Attarbaschi, Andishe; Smisek, Petr; Nath, Christa; Lee, Samiuela; Elitzur, Sara; Zimmermann, Martin; Möricke, Anja; Schrappe, Martin; Rizzari, Carmelo; Boos, Joachim

    2018-02-01

    In the international AIEOP-BFM ALL 2009 trial, asparaginase (ASE) activity was monitored after each dose of pegylated Escherichia coli ASE (PEG-ASE). Two methods were used: the aspartic acid β-hydroxamate (AHA) test and medac asparaginase activity test (MAAT). As the latter method overestimates PEG-ASE activity because it calibrates using E. coli ASE, method comparison was performed using samples from the AIEOP-BFM ALL 2009 trial. PEG-ASE activities were determined using MAAT and AHA test in 2 sets of samples (first set: 630 samples and second set: 91 samples). Bland-Altman analysis was performed on ratios between MAAT and AHA tests. The mean difference between both methods, limits of agreement, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated and compared for all samples and samples grouped according to the calibration ranges of the MAAT and the AHA test. PEG-ASE activity determined using the MAAT was significantly higher than when determined using the AHA test (P < 0.001; Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Within the calibration range of the MAAT (30-600 U/L), PEG-ASE activities determined using the MAAT were on average 23% higher than PEG-ASE activities determined using the AHA test. This complies with the mean difference reported in the MAAT manual. With PEG-ASE activities >600 U/L, the discrepancies between MAAT and AHA test increased. Above the calibration range of the MAAT (>600 U/L) and the AHA test (>1000 U/L), a mean difference of 42% was determined. Because more than 70% of samples had PEG-ASE activities >600 U/L and required additional sample dilution, an overall mean difference of 37% was calculated for all samples (37% for the first and 34% for the second set). Comparison of the MAAT and AHA test for PEG-ASE activity confirmed a mean difference of 23% between MAAT and AHA test for PEG-ASE activities between 30 and 600 U/L. The discrepancy increased in samples with >600 U/L PEG-ASE activity, which will be especially relevant when evaluating high PEG-ASE activities in relation to toxicity, efficacy, and population pharmacokinetics.

  4. AIR VEHICLE INTEGRATION AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (AVIATR) Task Order 0015: Predictive Capability for Hypersonic Structural Response and Life Prediction: Phase 1-Identification of Knowledge Gaps, Volume 1: Nonproprietary Version

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-09-01

    22 Figure 23. Flow Type and the reference empirical model ............................................................ 24 Figure 24. Baseline...Trajectory ...................................................................................................... 25 Figure 25. Flow Features Important...94 viii GLOSSARY ACCTE Advanced Ceramic Composites for Turbine Engines AFRL Air Force Research Laboratory AoA Angle of Attack ASE

  5. REFSIM Handbook of Variable Names.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-11-04

    INT2 LREFSEEK R /AERO/ INT4 L: REFSEEK D2THET missile pitch acceleration in degrees/R /AERO/ AER02 M CREFAIR second**2. R /AERO/ AER03 M LREFAIR R...LREFSEEK R /INTERP/ AWM’l L REFSEEK R /INTERP/ ANMh2 CREFSEEK DELA Peak magnitude difference at port and R /CSAS/ AMERCS LREFENW4T starboard. (db/m**2) R...ASE/ GLINT2 L REFD1VMT R /ASE/ INIiT M LIREFSEEK, R /ASE,/ INT2 REFSEEK R /ASE/ INT4 L-RE’SEEK R /ASE/ LOCK2 L-EFSEEK R /ASE/ 1’tLOCK LIREFSEEK DELUhP

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

    Park, Wug-Dong; Tanioka, Kenkichi

    Amorphous selenium (a-Se) high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor (HARP) film has been used for highly sensitive imaging devices. To improve the spectral response of a-Se HARP photoconductive film at a long wavelength, the tellurium (Te) doping effect in an 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film was investigated. The thickness of the Te-doped a-Se layer in the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP films was varied from 60 to 120 nm. The signal current increases significantly due to the avalanche multiplication when the target voltage is increased over the threshold voltage. In the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film with a Te-doped layer, the spectral response at a longmore » wavelength was improved in comparison with the a-Se HARP film without a Te-doped layer. In addition, the increase of the lag in the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP target with a Te-doped layer of 120 nm is caused by the photoconductive lag due to the electrons trapped in the Te-doped layer. Based on the current-voltage characteristics, spectral response, and lag characteristics of the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP targets, the Te-doped layer thickness of 90 nm is suitable for the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film.« less

  7. Tellurium doping effect in avalanche-mode amorphous selenium photoconductive film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Wug-Dong; Tanioka, Kenkichi

    2014-11-01

    Amorphous selenium (a-Se) high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor (HARP) film has been used for highly sensitive imaging devices. To improve the spectral response of a-Se HARP photoconductive film at a long wavelength, the tellurium (Te) doping effect in an 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film was investigated. The thickness of the Te-doped a-Se layer in the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP films was varied from 60 to 120 nm. The signal current increases significantly due to the avalanche multiplication when the target voltage is increased over the threshold voltage. In the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film with a Te-doped layer, the spectral response at a long wavelength was improved in comparison with the a-Se HARP film without a Te-doped layer. In addition, the increase of the lag in the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP target with a Te-doped layer of 120 nm is caused by the photoconductive lag due to the electrons trapped in the Te-doped layer. Based on the current-voltage characteristics, spectral response, and lag characteristics of the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP targets, the Te-doped layer thickness of 90 nm is suitable for the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film.

  8. Recommendations for Accurate Resolution of Gene and Isoform Allele-Specific Expression in RNA-Seq Data

    PubMed Central

    Wood, David L. A.; Nones, Katia; Steptoe, Anita; Christ, Angelika; Harliwong, Ivon; Newell, Felicity; Bruxner, Timothy J. C.; Miller, David; Cloonan, Nicole; Grimmond, Sean M.

    2015-01-01

    Genetic variation modulates gene expression transcriptionally or post-transcriptionally, and can profoundly alter an individual’s phenotype. Measuring allelic differential expression at heterozygous loci within an individual, a phenomenon called allele-specific expression (ASE), can assist in identifying such factors. Massively parallel DNA and RNA sequencing and advances in bioinformatic methodologies provide an outstanding opportunity to measure ASE genome-wide. In this study, matched DNA and RNA sequencing, genotyping arrays and computationally phased haplotypes were integrated to comprehensively and conservatively quantify ASE in a single human brain and liver tissue sample. We describe a methodological evaluation and assessment of common bioinformatic steps for ASE quantification, and recommend a robust approach to accurately measure SNP, gene and isoform ASE through the use of personalized haplotype genome alignment, strict alignment quality control and intragenic SNP aggregation. Our results indicate that accurate ASE quantification requires careful bioinformatic analyses and is adversely affected by sample specific alignment confounders and random sampling even at moderate sequence depths. We identified multiple known and several novel ASE genes in liver, including WDR72, DSP and UBD, as well as genes that contained ASE SNPs with imbalance direction discordant with haplotype phase, explainable by annotated transcript structure, suggesting isoform derived ASE. The methods evaluated in this study will be of use to researchers performing highly conservative quantification of ASE, and the genes and isoforms identified as ASE of interest to researchers studying those loci. PMID:25965996

  9. Novel regulation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylase (24(OH)ase) transcription by glucocorticoids: cooperative effects of the glucocorticoid receptor, C/EBP beta, and the Vitamin D receptor in 24(OH)ase transcription.

    PubMed

    Dhawan, Puneet; Christakos, Sylvia

    2010-08-15

    Glucocorticoid-induced bone loss has been proposed to involve direct effects on bone cells as well as alterations in calcium absorption and excretion. Since vitamin D is important for the maintenance of calcium homeostasis, in the present study the effects of glucocorticoids on vitamin D metabolism through the expression of 24(OH)ase, an enzyme involved in the catabolism of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), were examined. Injection of vitamin D replete mice with dexamethasone (dex) resulted in a significant induction in 24(OH)ase mRNA in kidney, indicating a regulatory effect of glucocorticoids on vitamin D metabolism. Whether glucocorticoids can affect 24(OH)ase transcription is not known. Here we demonstrate for the first time a glucocorticoid receptor (GR) dependent enhancement of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced 24(OH)ase transcription. Dex treatment of GR and vitamin D receptor (VDR) transfected COS-7 cells and dex treatment of osteoblastic cells (in which VDR and GR are present endogenously) potentiated 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced 24(OH)ase transcription. In addition, GR was found to cooperate with C/EBP beta to enhance VDR-mediated 24(OH)ase transcription. Using the rat 24(OH)ase promoter with the C/EBP site mutated, GR-mediated potentiation of 1,25(OH)(2)D(3)-induced 24(OH)ase transcription was inhibited. Immunoprecipitation indicated that that GR can interact with C/EBP beta and ChIP/re-ChIP analysis showed that C/EBP beta and GR bind simultaneously to the 24(OH)ase promoter. These findings indicate a novel mechanism whereby glucocorticoids can alter VDR-mediated 24(OH)ase transcription through functional cooperation between C/EBP beta and GR that results in an enhanced ability of C/EBP beta to cooperate with VDR in the regulation of 24(OH)ase. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  10. Estimated allele substitution effects underlying genomic evaluation models depend on the scaling of allele counts.

    PubMed

    Bouwman, Aniek C; Hayes, Ben J; Calus, Mario P L

    2017-10-30

    Genomic evaluation is used to predict direct genomic values (DGV) for selection candidates in breeding programs, but also to estimate allele substitution effects (ASE) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Scaling of allele counts influences the estimated ASE, because scaling of allele counts results in less shrinkage towards the mean for low minor allele frequency (MAF) variants. Scaling may become relevant for estimating ASE as more low MAF variants will be used in genomic evaluations. We show the impact of scaling on estimates of ASE using real data and a theoretical framework, and in terms of power, model fit and predictive performance. In a dairy cattle dataset with 630 K SNP genotypes, the correlation between DGV for stature from a random regression model using centered allele counts (RRc) and centered and scaled allele counts (RRcs) was 0.9988, whereas the overall correlation between ASE using RRc and RRcs was 0.27. The main difference in ASE between both methods was found for SNPs with a MAF lower than 0.01. Both the ratio (ASE from RRcs/ASE from RRc) and the regression coefficient (regression of ASE from RRcs on ASE from RRc) were much higher than 1 for low MAF SNPs. Derived equations showed that scenarios with a high heritability, a large number of individuals and a small number of variants have lower ratios between ASE from RRc and RRcs. We also investigated the optimal scaling parameter [from - 1 (RRcs) to 0 (RRc) in steps of 0.1] in the bovine stature dataset. We found that the log-likelihood was maximized with a scaling parameter of - 0.8, while the mean squared error of prediction was minimized with a scaling parameter of - 1, i.e., RRcs. Large differences in estimated ASE were observed for low MAF SNPs when allele counts were scaled or not scaled because there is less shrinkage towards the mean for scaled allele counts. We derived a theoretical framework that shows that the difference in ASE due to shrinkage is heavily influenced by the power of the data. Increasing the power results in smaller differences in ASE whether allele counts are scaled or not.

  11. Research Reports: 1984 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, L. M. (Editor); Osborn, T. L. (Editor); Dozier, J. B. (Editor); Karr, G. R. (Editor)

    1985-01-01

    A NASA/ASEE Summer Faulty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The basic objectives of the programs are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The Faculty Fellows spent ten weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 1984. Topics covered include: (1) data base management; (2) computational fluid dynamics; (3) space debris; (4) X-ray gratings; (5) atomic oxygen exposure; (6) protective coatings for SSME; (7) cryogenics; (8) thermal analysis measurements; (9) solar wind modelling; and (10) binary systems.

  12. Research reports: 1990 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, Loren A. (Editor); Beymer, Mark A. (Editor)

    1990-01-01

    A collection of technical reports on research conducted by the participants in this program is presented. The topics covered include: human-computer interface software, multimode fiber optic communication links, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, rocket-triggered lightning, robotics, a flammability study of thin polymeric film materials, a vortex shedding flowmeter, modeling of flow systems, monomethyl hydrazine vapor detection, a rocket noise filter system using digital filters, computer programs, lower body negative pressure, closed ecological systems, and others. Several reports with respect to space shuttle orbiters are presented.

  13. Impact of IPAD on CAD/CAM database university research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leach, L. M.; Wozny, M. J.

    1984-01-01

    IPAD program has provided direction, focus and software products which impacted on CAD/CAM data base research and follow-on research. The relationship of IPAD to the research projects which involve the storage of geometric data in common data ase facilities such as data base machines, the exchange of data between heterogeneous data bases, the development of IGES processors, the migration of lrge CAD/CAM data base management systems to noncompatible hosts, and the value of RIM as a research tool is described.

  14. The C. elegans che-1 gene encodes a zinc finger transcription factor required for specification of the ASE chemosensory neurons.

    PubMed

    Uchida, Okiko; Nakano, Hiroyuki; Koga, Makoto; Ohshima, Yasumi

    2003-04-01

    Chemotaxis to water-soluble chemicals such as NaCl is an important behavior of C. elegans when seeking food. ASE chemosensory neurons have a major role in this behavior. We show that che-1, defined by chemotaxis defects, encodes a zinc-finger protein similar to the GLASS transcription factor required for photoreceptor cell differentiation in Drosophila, and that che-1 is essential for specification and function of ASE neurons. Expression of a che-1::gfp fusion construct was predominant in ASE. In che-1 mutants, expression of genes characterizing ASE such as seven-transmembrane receptors, guanylate cyclases and a cyclic-nucleotide gated channel is lost. Ectopic expression of che-1 cDNA induced expression of ASE-specific marker genes, a dye-filling defect in neurons other than ASE and dauer formation.

  15. The relationship of ASE-1 and NOR-90 in autoimmune sera.

    PubMed

    Whitehead, C M; Fritzler, M J; Rattner, J B

    1998-11-01

    The nucleolar proteins ASE-1 and NOR-90 can become confused because they have similar cytological and Western blot features. We investigated the frequency and relationship between these 2 proteins and identified clinical features of patients with ASE-1 antibodies. The characteristics of ASE-1 and NOR-90 are shown by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and Western blot data. The sera are characterized by their ability to immunoprecipitate the in vitro transcription and translation (TnT) product of either the ASE-1 or NOR-90 cDNA. Clinical features were obtained by retrospective chart review. Of the 15 sera identified as potentially NOR-90 positive by IIF and Western blot 8/15 (53%) were able to immunoprecipitate a NOR-90 TnT product. Of the remaining 7 sera, 4 (57%) were only able to immunoprecipitate an ASE-1 TnT product. Four (57%) of the remaining 7 sera were able to immunoprecipitate an ASE-1 TnT product. In a second cohort of confirmed NOR-90 positive sera, 2/8 (25%) were able to immunoprecipitate an ASE-1 TnT product. In total, ASE-1 autoantibodies were found in 6/16 (37.5%) of confirmed NOR-90 sera from both cohorts. There were no common clinical features found in seven ASE-1 positive patients; however, 3 (43%) had a malignancy and 3 (43%) had slowly progressive systemic sclerosis. Autoantibodies to ASE-1 and NOR-90 can occur alone or together in autoimmune sera. Due to their similar IIF and Western blot profile the only way to correctly characterize these sera is by immunoprecipitation of the appropriate TnT product.

  16. International Activities of ASE

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Symonds, Lynne; Jackson, Graham

    2013-01-01

    The Association for Science Education (ASE) has been involved in exchanges with various countries in a number of ways. Teachers from all over the world visit the Annual Conference and their own associations have often used ASE methods in developing their own programmes. The responsibilities of the International Committee of ASE range from…

  17. Advanced Sea Base Enabler (ASE) Capstone Design Project

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-09-21

    Additionally, a study that examines a potential fleet architecture , which looks at a combination of sea base enabler platforms in order to close current...This change in premise spawned a post-Cold War naval intellectual renaissance , reflected in several Department of the Navy (DON) “white papers...information collected regarding the various systems is reliable. 3. Primary Areas of Focus Detailed engineering analyses, naval architecture or other

  18. The 1984 NASA/ASEE summer faculty fellowship program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcinnis, B. C.; Duke, M. B.; Crow, B.

    1984-01-01

    An overview is given of the program management and activities. Participants and research advisors are listed. Abstracts give describe and present results of research assignments performed by 31 fellows either at the Johnson Space Center, at the White Sands test Facility, or at the California Space Institute in La Jolla. Disciplines studied include engineering; biology/life sciences; Earth sciences; chemistry; mathematics/statistics/computer sciences; and physics/astronomy.

  19. University NanoSat Program: AggieSat3

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-06-01

    commercially available product for stereo machine vision developed by Point Grey Research. The current binocular BumbleBee2® system incorporates two...and Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1997. She was awarded the 2007 J. Leland "Lee" Atwood Award from the ASEE...AggieSat2 satellite programs. Additional experience gained in the area of drawing standards, machining capabilities, solid modeling, safety

  20. Assessment of imprinting- and genetic variation-dependent monoallelic expression using reciprocal allele descendants between human family trios.

    PubMed

    Chuang, Trees-Juen; Tseng, Yu-Hsiang; Chen, Chia-Ying; Wang, Yi-Da

    2017-08-01

    Genomic imprinting is an important epigenetic process that silences one of the parentally-inherited alleles of a gene and thereby exhibits allelic-specific expression (ASE). Detection of human imprinting events is hampered by the infeasibility of the reciprocal mating system in humans and the removal of ASE events arising from non-imprinting factors. Here, we describe a pipeline with the pattern of reciprocal allele descendants (RADs) through genotyping and transcriptome sequencing data across independent parent-offspring trios to discriminate between varied types of ASE (e.g., imprinting, genetic variation-dependent ASE, and random monoallelic expression (RME)). We show that the vast majority of ASE events are due to sequence-dependent genetic variant, which are evolutionarily conserved and may themselves play a cis-regulatory role. Particularly, 74% of non-RAD ASE events, even though they exhibit ASE biases toward the same parentally-inherited allele across different individuals, are derived from genetic variation but not imprinting. We further show that the RME effect may affect the effectiveness of the population-based method for detecting imprinting events and our pipeline can help to distinguish between these two ASE types. Taken together, this study provides a good indicator for categorization of different types of ASE, opening up this widespread and complex mechanism for comprehensive characterization.

  1. The C. elegans ceh-36 gene encodes a putative homemodomain transcription factor involved in chemosensory functions of ASE and AWC neurons.

    PubMed

    Koga, Makoto; Ohshima, Yasumi

    2004-02-20

    Chemotaxis to water-soluble chemicals such as sodium ion is an important behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans for seeking food, and ASE chemosensory neurons have a major role in this behavior. We isolated mutants defective in chemotaxis to sodium acetate. We show here that among them ks86 had a mutation in the ceh-36 gene. ceh-36 :: gfp reporter constructs were expressed in ASE and AWC neurons. In a mutant of the che-1 gene, which encodes another transcription factor and is required for specification of ASE neurons, expression of the ceh-36 :: gfp reporter in ASE is lost. This indicates that the ceh-36 gene functions downstream of the che-1 gene in ASE. In the ceh-36(ks86) mutant, expression of the tax-2 gene encoding a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel was reduced in ASE and AWC. This affords an explanation for defects of the ceh-36 mutant in the chemotaxis mediated by ASE and AWC. When a ceh-36 cDNA was expressed in an adult ceh-36 mutant by a heat shock promoter, chemotaxis to sodium acetate was recovered. These results suggest that ceh-36 is required for functions, and not for development, of ASE.

  2. Stress alters asenapine-induced Fos expression in the Meynert's nucleus: response of adjacent hypocretin and melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in rat.

    PubMed

    Majercikova, Z; Kiss, A

    2016-01-01

    Asenapine (ASE), an atypical antipsychotic drug used in the treatment of schizophrenia, induces Fos expression in forebrain. Effect of ASE on activity of basal nucleus of Meynert (NBM) cells, a part of the striatal-cortical circuits, was studied. We were also interested to reveal whether a chronic unpredictable variable mild stress (CMS) preconditioning might affect the ASE impact. Rats were divided into as follows: controls-vehicle, controls-ASE, stressed-vehicle and stressed-ASE groups. CMS included restrain, social isolation, crowding, swimming and cold applied for 21 days. On the 22nd day, rats were subcutaneously injected with ASE (0.3 mg/kg) or vehicle (saline 300 μl/rat), 90 min prior euthanizing. After transcardial fixation, brains were cut into 30 μm thick coronal sections. Fos protein presence, as indicator of cell activity, was detected by ABC immunohistochemistry. Hypocretin (Hcrt) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) containing cells were visualized with fluorescent dyes. ASE induced significant increase in Fos expression in NBM in both controls and CMS preconditioned rats in comparison with the related vehicle-treated controls. CMS preconditioning, however, significantly lowered the Fos response to ASE in NBM. From Hrct and MCH cells, only Hcrt ones displayed Fos presence in response to ASE. This study demonstrates for the first time that ASE may target a special group of cells occupying NBM, which effect can be modulated by CMS preconditioning. This finding extends a view that ASE impact may extend beyond the classical forebrain target areas common for the action of all antipsychotics and might be helpful in the identification of sites and side effects of its therapeutic actions.

  3. Transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells rescues partially rachitic phenotypes induced by 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D deficiency in mice

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Zengli; Yin, Shaomeng; Xue, Xian; Ji, Ji; Tong, Jian; Goltzman, David; Miao, Dengshun

    2016-01-01

    To determine whether the transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) can improve the 1,25(OH)2D deficiency-induced rachitic phenotype, 2×106 BM-MSCs from wild-type mice or vehicle were transplanted by tail vein injection into mice deficient in 1,25(OH)2D due to targeted deletion of 1α(OH)ase (1α(OH)ase-/-). Our results show that 1α(OH)ase mRNA was expressed in the BM-MSCs derived from wild-type mice, and was detected in long bone, kidney and intestine from BM-MSC-transplanted 1α(OH)ase-/- recipients. Serum calcium, 1,25(OH)2D3 levels and body weight were significantly increased in BM-MSC-transplanted 1α(OH)ase-/- recipients compared to vehicle-treated 1α(OH)ase-/- mice. Skeletal mineralization improved in 1α(OH)ase-/- recipients as demonstrated by BMD measurement, micro-CT analysis and von Kossa staining of undecalcified sections. Expression levels of type I collagen, osteocalcin, bone sialoprotein and vitronectin and the size of calcified nodules were decreased in BM-MSC cultures from 1α(OH)ase-/- mice compared with those from wild-type mice, however, these parameters were increased in those from BM-MSCs-transplanted 1α(OH)ase-/- recipients compared with those from vehicle-treated 1α(OH)ase-/- mice. This study indicates that donor BM-MSCs cells can relocate to multiple tissues where they synthesize 1α(OH)ase and produce 1,25(OH)2D that contributes to the improvement of serum calcium and skeletal mineralization. Results from this study suggest that BM-MSC transplantation may provide a therapeutic approach to treatment of pseudovitamin D-deficiency rickets. PMID:27830022

  4. Anti-Obesity Effects of Aster spathulifolius Extract in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sa-Jic; Bang, Chae-Young; Guo, Yuan-Ri; Choung, Se-Young

    2016-04-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-obesity and antihyperlipidemic efficacy and molecular mechanisms of Aster spathulifolius Maxim extract (ASE) in rats with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. Rats were separately fed a normal diet or a HFD for 8 weeks, then they were treated with ASE (62.5, 125, or 250 mg/kg) for another 4.5 weeks. The ASE supplementation significantly lowered body weight gain, visceral fat pad weights, serum lipid levels, as well as hepatic lipid levels in HFD-induced obese rats. Histological analysis showed that the ASE-treated group showed lowered numbers of lipid droplets and smaller size of adipocytes compared to the HFD group. To understand the mechanism of action of ASE, the expression of genes and proteins involved in obesity were measured in liver and skeletal muscle. The expression of fatty acid oxidation and thermogenesis-related genes (e.g., PPAR-α, ACO, CPT1, UCP2, and UCP3) of HFD-induced obese rats were increased by ASE treatment. On the other hand, ASE treatment resulted in decreased expression of fat intake-related gene ACC2 and lipogenesis-related genes (e.g., SREBP-1c, ACC1, FAS, SCD1, GPATR, AGPAT, and DGAT). Furthermore, ASE treatment increased the level of phosphorylated AMPKα in obese rats. Similarly, the level of phosphorylated ACC, a target protein of AMPKα in ASE groups, was increased by ASE treatment compared with the HFD group. These results suggest that ASE attenuated visceral fat accumulation and improved hyperlipidemia in HFD-induced obese rats by increasing lipid metabolism through the regulation of AMPK activity and the expression of genes and proteins involved in lipolysis and lipogenesis.

  5. Transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells rescues partially rachitic phenotypes induced by 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D deficiency in mice.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zengli; Yin, Shaomeng; Xue, Xian; Ji, Ji; Tong, Jian; Goltzman, David; Miao, Dengshun

    2016-01-01

    To determine whether the transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) can improve the 1,25(OH) 2 D deficiency-induced rachitic phenotype, 2×10 6 BM-MSCs from wild-type mice or vehicle were transplanted by tail vein injection into mice deficient in 1,25(OH) 2 D due to targeted deletion of 1α(OH)ase (1α(OH)ase -/- ). Our results show that 1α(OH)ase mRNA was expressed in the BM-MSCs derived from wild-type mice, and was detected in long bone, kidney and intestine from BM-MSC-transplanted 1α(OH)ase -/- recipients. Serum calcium, 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 levels and body weight were significantly increased in BM-MSC-transplanted 1α(OH)ase -/- recipients compared to vehicle-treated 1α(OH)ase -/- mice. Skeletal mineralization improved in 1α(OH)ase -/- recipients as demonstrated by BMD measurement, micro-CT analysis and von Kossa staining of undecalcified sections. Expression levels of type I collagen, osteocalcin, bone sialoprotein and vitronectin and the size of calcified nodules were decreased in BM-MSC cultures from 1α(OH)ase -/- mice compared with those from wild-type mice, however, these parameters were increased in those from BM-MSCs-transplanted 1α(OH)ase -/- recipients compared with those from vehicle-treated 1α(OH)ase -/- mice. This study indicates that donor BM-MSCs cells can relocate to multiple tissues where they synthesize 1α(OH)ase and produce 1,25(OH) 2 D that contributes to the improvement of serum calcium and skeletal mineralization. Results from this study suggest that BM-MSC transplantation may provide a therapeutic approach to treatment of pseudovitamin D-deficiency rickets.

  6. Automotive Stirling Engine Mod 1 Design Review, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    The auxiliaries and the control system for the ASE MOD I: (1) provide the required fuel and air flows for a well controlled combustion process, generating heat to the Stirling cycle; (2) provide a driver acceptable method for controlling the power output of the engine; (3) provide adequate lubrication and cooling water circulation; (4) generate the electric energy required for engine and vehicle operation; (5) provide a driver acceptable method for starting, stopping and monitoring the engine; and (6) provide a guard system, that protects the engine at component or system malfunction. The control principles and the way the different components and sub-systems interact are described as well as the different auxiliaries, the air fuel system, the power control systems and the electronics. The arrangement and location of auxiliaries and other major components are also examined.

  7. ASE and Primary School Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harlen, Wynne

    2013-01-01

    This article focuses on the role of the Association for Science Education (ASE) in supporting and developing policy and practice in primary school science. It first sets the events after the formation of ASE in 1963 in the context of what went before. It then takes a mainly chronological view of some, but by no means all, of ASE's activities…

  8. Development of software to improve AC power quality on large spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kraft, L. Alan

    1991-01-01

    To insure the reliability of a 20 kHz, alternating current (AC) power system on spacecraft, it is essential to analyze its behavior under many adverse operating conditions. Some of these conditions include overloads, short circuits, switching surges, and harmonic distortions. Harmonic distortions can become a serious problem. It can cause malfunctions in equipment that the power system is supplying, and, during distortions such as voltage resonance, it can cause equipment and insulation failures due to the extreme peak voltages. To address the harmonic distortion issue, work was begun under the 1990 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Software, originally developed by EPRI, called HARMFLO, a power flow program capable of analyzing harmonic conditions on three phase, balanced, 60 Hz AC power systems, was modified to analyze single phase, 20 kHz, AC power systems. Since almost all of the equipment used on spacecraft power systems is electrically different from equipment used on terrestrial power systems, it was also necessary to develop mathematical models for the equipment to be used on the spacecraft. The modelling was also started under the same fellowship work period. Details of the modifications and models completed during the 1990 NASA-ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program can be found in a project report. As a continuation of the work to develop a complete package necessary for the full analysis of spacecraft AC power system behavior, deployment work has continued through NASA Grant NAG3-1254. This report details the work covered by the above mentioned grant.

  9. Protective effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart (açaí) extract on programmed changes in the adult rat offspring caused by maternal protein restriction during pregnancy.

    PubMed

    de Bem, Graziele Freitas; da Costa, Cristiane Aguiar; de Oliveira, Paola Raquel Braz; Cordeiro, Viviane Silva Cristino; Santos, Izabelle Barcellos; de Carvalho, Lenize Costa Reis Marins; Souza, Marcelo Augusto Vieira; Ognibene, Dayane Texeira; Daleprane, Julio Beltrame; Sousa, Pergentino José Cunha; Resende, Angela Castro; de Moura, Roberto Soares

    2014-09-01

    This study examined the effect of açaí (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) seed extract (ASE) on cardiovascular and renal alterations in adult offspring, whose mothers were fed a low-protein (LP) diet during pregnancy. Four groups of rats were fed: control diet (20% protein); ASE (200 mg/kg per day); and LP (6% protein); LP + ASE (6% protein + ASE) during pregnancy. After weaning, all male offspring were fed a control diet and sacrificed at 4 months old. We evaluated the blood pressure, vascular function, serum and urinary parameters, plasma and kidney oxidative damage, and antioxidant activity and renal structural changes. Hypertension and the reduced acetylcholine-induced vasodilation in the LP group were prevented by ASE. Serum levels of urea, creatinine and fractional excretion of sodium were increased in LP and reduced in LP + ASE. ASE improved nitrite levels and the superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity in LP, with a corresponding decrease of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl levels. Kidney volume and glomeruli number were reduced and glomerular volume was increased in LP. These renal alterations were prevented by ASE. Treatment of protein-restricted dams with ASE provides protection from later-life hypertension, oxidative stress, renal functional and structural changes, probably through a vasodilator and antioxidant activity. © 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  10. Research Reports: 1995 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, G. R. (Editor); Chappell, C. R. (Editor); Six, F. (Editor); Freeman, L. M. (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    For the 31st consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville and MSFC during the period 15 May 1995 - 4 Aug. 1995. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, as well as those at other NASA centers, was sponsored by the Higher Education Branch, Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the 32nd year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. The Faculty Fellows spent 10 weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 1995. The University of Alabama in Huntsville presents the Co-Directors' report on the administrative operations of the program. Further information can be obtained by contacting any of the editors.

  11. Research Reports: 1997 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, G. R. (Editor); Dowdy, J. (Editor); Freeman, L. M. (Editor)

    1998-01-01

    For the 33rd consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville and MSFC during the period June 2, 1997 through August 8, 1997. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program was sponsored by the Higher Education Branch, Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The basic objectives of the program, which are in the 34th year of operation nationally, are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. The Faculty Fellows spent 10 weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 1997. The University of Alabama in Huntsville presents the Co-Directors' report on the administrative operations of the program. Further information can be obtained by contacting any of the editors.

  12. Research Reports: 1996 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freeman, M. (Editor); Chappell, C. R. (Editor); Six, F. (Editor); Karr, G. R. (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    For the 32nd consecutive year, a NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program was conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The program was conducted by the University of Alabama and MSFC during the period May 28, 1996 through August 2, 1996. Operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education, the MSFC program, as well as those at other NASA centers, was sponsored by the Higher Education Branch, Education Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the 33rd year of operation nationally, are (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. The Faculty Fellows spent 10 weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This document is a compilation of Fellows' reports on their research during the summer of 1996. The University of Alabama presents the Co-Directors' report on the administrative operations of the program. Further information can be obtained by contacting any of the editors.

  13. Conventional, ultrasound-assisted, and accelerated-solvent extractions of anthocyanins from purple sweet potatoes.

    PubMed

    Cai, Zhan; Qu, Ziqian; Lan, Yu; Zhao, Shujuan; Ma, Xiaohua; Wan, Qiang; Jing, Pu; Li, Pingfan

    2016-04-15

    Purple sweet potatoes (PSPs) are rich in anthocyanins. In this study, we investigated the extraction efficiency of anthocyanins from PSPs using conventional extraction (CE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and accelerated-solvent extraction (ASE). Additionally, the effects of these extraction methods on antioxidant activity and anthocyanin composition of PSP extracts were evaluated. In order of decreasing extraction efficiency, the extraction methods were ASE>UAE>CE for anthocyanins (218-244 mg/100 g DW) and CE>UAE>ASE for total phenolics (631-955 mg/100 g DW) and flavonoids (28-40 mg/100 g DW). Antioxidant activities of PSP extracts were CE≈UAE>ASE for ORAC (766-1091 mg TE/100 g DW) and ASE>CE≈UAE for FRAP (1299-1705 mg TE/100 g DW). Twelve anthocyanins were identified. ASE extracts contained more diacyl anthocyanins and less nonacyl and monoacyl anthocyanins than CE and ASE extracts (P<0.05). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. The Regulation of Alfalfa Saponin Extract on Key Genes Involved in Hepatic Cholesterol Metabolism in Hyperlipidemic Rats

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Yinghua; Guo, Rui; Wang, Xianke; Yuan, Dedi; Zhang, Senhao; Wang, Jie; Yan, Xuebing; Wang, Chengzhang

    2014-01-01

    To investigate the cholesterol-lowering effects of alfalfa saponin extract (ASE) and its regulation mechanism on some key genes involved in cholesterol metabolism, 40 healthy 7 weeks old male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into four groups with 10 rats in each group: control group, hyperlipidemic group, ASE treatment group, ASE prevention group. The body weight gain, relative liver weight and serum lipid 1evels of rats were determined. Total cholesterol (TC) and total bile acids (TBA) levels in liver and feces were also measured. Furthermore, the activity and mRNA expressions of Hmgcr, Acat2, Cyp7a1 and Ldlr were investigated. The results showed the following: (1) The abnormal serum lipid levels in hyperlipidemic rats were ameliorated by ASE administration (both ASE prevention group and treatment group) (P<0.05). (2) Both ASE administration to hyperlipidemic rats significantly reduced liver TC and increased liver TBA level (P<0.05). TC and TBA levels in feces of hyperlipidemic rats were remarkably elevated by both ASE administration (P<0.05). (3) mRNA expressions of Hmgcr and Acat2 in the liver of hyperlipidemic rats were remarkably down-regulated (P<0.05), as well as mRNA expressions of Cyp7a1 and Ldlr were dramatically up-regulated by both ASE administration (P<0.05). The activities of these enzymes also paralleled the observed changes in mRNA levels. (4) There was no significant difference between ASE treatment and ASE prevention group for most parameters evaluated. Our present study indicated that ASE had cholesterol-lowering effects. The possible mechanism could be attributed to (1) the down-regulation of Hmgcr and Acat2, as well as up-regulation of Cyp7a1 and Ldlr in the liver of hyperlipidemic rats, which was involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, uptake, and efflux pathway; (2) the increase in excretion of cholesterol. The findings in our study suggested ASE had great potential usefulness as a natural agent for treating hyperlipidemia. PMID:24505463

  15. Repeated asenapine treatment does not participate in the mild stress induced FosB/ΔFosB expression in the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus neurons.

    PubMed

    Kiss, Alexander; Majercikova, Zuzana

    2017-02-01

    Effect of repeated asenapine (ASE) treatment on FosB/ΔFosB expression was studied in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of male rats exposed to chronic mild stress (CMS) for 21days. Our intention was to find out whether repeated ASE treatment for 14days may: 1) induce FosB/ΔFosB expression in the PVN; 2) activate selected PVN neuronal phenotypes, synthesizing oxytocin (OXY), vasopressin (AVP), corticoliberin (CRH) or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH); and 3) interfere with the impact of CMS. Control, ASE, CMS, and CMS+ASE treated groups were used. CMS included restraint, social isolation, crowding, swimming, and cold. From the 7th day of CMS, rats received ASE (0.3mg/kg) or saline (300μl/rat) subcutaneously, twice a day for 14days. They were sacrificed on the day 22nd (16-18h after last treatments). FosB/ΔFosB was visualized with avidin biotin peroxidase complex and OXY, AVP, CRH or TH antibodies by fluorescent dyes. Saline and ASE did not promote FosB/ΔFosB expression in the PVN. CMS and CMS+ASE elicited FosB/ΔFosB-expression in the PVN, whereas, ASE did not augment or attenuate FosB/ΔFosB induction elicited by CMS. FosB/ΔFosB-CRH occurred after CMS and CMS+ASE treatments in the PVN middle sector, while FosB/ΔFosB-AVP and FosB/ΔFosB-OXY after CMS and CMS+ASE treatments in the PVN posterior sector. FosB/ΔFosB-TH colocalization was rare. Larger FosB/ΔFosB profiles, running above the PVN, did not show any colocalizations. The study provides an anatomical/functional knowledge about an unaccented nature of prolonged ASE treatment at the level of PVN and excludes its positive or negative interplay with CMS effect. Data indicate that long-lasting ASE treatment might not act as a stressor acting at the PVN level. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The Association between Anomalous Self-experiences, Self-esteem and Depressive Symptoms in First Episode Schizophrenia

    PubMed Central

    Haug, Elisabeth; Øie, Merete G.; Andreassen, Ole A.; Bratlien, Unni; Romm, Kristin L.; Møller, Paul; Melle, Ingrid

    2016-01-01

    Background: Anomalous self-experiences (ASEs) aggregate in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, but the relationship between ASEs, and depression has been studied to a limited extent. Lower self-esteem has been shown to be associated with depression in early psychosis. Our hypothesis is that ASEs in early phases of schizophrenia are linked to lower levels of self-esteem, which in turn is associated with depression. Aim: The aim is to examine the relationship between ASEs, self-esteem and depression in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Method: ASEs were assessed in 55 patients with first-episode schizophrenia by means of the Examination of anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) instrument. Assessment of depression was based on the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Symptom severity was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (SCI-PANSS). Substance misuse was measured with the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT), and alcohol use was measured with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Data on childhood adjustment were collected using the Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS). Data on childhood trauma were collected using the Norwegian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, short form (CTQ-SF). Results: Analyses detected a significant association between current depression and ASEs as measured by the EASE in women, but not in men. The effect of ASEs on depression appeared to be mediated by self-esteem. No other characteristics associated with depression influenced the relationship between depression, self-esteem and ASEs. Conclusion: Evaluating ASEs can assist clinicians in understanding patients' experience of self-esteem and depressive symptoms. The complex interaction between ASEs, self-esteem, depression and suicidality could be a clinical target for the prevention of suicidality in this patient group. PMID:27872587

  17. Child and adolescent service experience (ChASE): measuring service quality and therapeutic process.

    PubMed

    Day, Crispin; Michelson, Daniel; Hassan, Imren

    2011-11-01

    OBJECTIVES. Dissatisfaction with services has been associated with poorer child mental health outcomes, early treatment termination as well as disagreements over the nature of mental health difficulties, reasons for referral and therapy goals. The development of straightforward, reliable, and accurate methods of eliciting service users' views is essential within child and adolescent mental health care. This paper describes the development of the child and adolescent service experience (ChASE), a tool to measure children and young people's service experience DESIGN. The study comprises a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. METHODS. Participants were 132 mental health service users aged 8-18 years. Participants and their main carer completed the ChASE, Parent Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ) (Stallard, 1996) and Strengths and Difficulties (SDQ) Impact Supplement. Clinicians completed the SDQ Impact Supplement and provided clinical activity data. A sub-sample of participants completed the ChASE on a second occasion, 6 weeks after the completion of the first questionnaire. RESULTS. Scrutiny of ChASE data indicated high levels of completion. Principal axis factoring identified three factors within the ChASE: Relationship, Privacy, and Session Activity. The ChASE has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Significant correlations were found between the ChASE and carer satisfaction, service use, and youth clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS. The ChASE is a short, psychometrically robust tool for routine measurement of children, and young people's experience of mental health services, which users can complete easily. The results underline the importance of alliance factors to children and young people and their association with clinical improvement as well as the potential for the ChASE to be used a measure of children's therapeutic progress and alliance. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

  18. Comparison of ASE and SFE with Soxhlet, Sonication, and Methanolic Saponification Extractions for the Determination of Organic Micropollutants in Marine Particulate Matter.

    PubMed

    Heemken, O P; Theobald, N; Wenclawiak, B W

    1997-06-01

    The methods of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aliphatic hydrocarbons, and chlorinated hydrocarbons from marine samples were investigated. The results of extractions of a certified sediment and four samples of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were compared to classical Soxhlet (SOX), ultrasonication (USE), and methanolic saponification extraction (MSE) methods. The recovery data, including precision and systematic deviations of each method, were evaluated statistically. It was found that recoveries and precision of ASE and SFE compared well with the other methods investigated. Using SFE, the average recoveries of PAHs in three different samples ranged from 96 to 105%, for ASE the recoveries were in the range of 97-108% compared to the reference methods. Compared to the certified values of sediment HS-6, the average recoveries of SFE and ASE were 87 and 88%, most compounds being within the limits of confidence. Also, for alkanes the average recoveries by SFE and ASE were equal to the results obtained by SOX, USE, and MSE. In the case of SFE, the recoveries were in the range 93-115%, and ASE achieved recoveries of 94-107% as compared to the other methods. For ASE and SFE, the influence of water on the extraction efficiency was examined. While the natural water content of the SPM sample (56 wt %) led to insufficient recoveries in ASE and SFE, quantitative extractions were achieved in SFE after addition of anhydrous sodium sulfate to the sample. Finally, ASE was applied to SPM-loaded filter candles whereby a mixture of n-hexane/acetone as extraction solvent allowed the simultaneous determination of PAHs, alkanes, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

  19. Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) seed extract associated with exercise training reduces hepatic steatosis in type 2 diabetic male rats.

    PubMed

    de Bem, Graziele Freitas; da Costa, Cristiane Aguiar; da Silva Cristino Cordeiro, Viviane; Santos, Izabelle Barcellos; de Carvalho, Lenize Costa Reis Marins; de Andrade Soares, Ricardo; Ribeiro, Jéssica Honorato; de Souza, Marcelo Augusto Vieira; da Cunha Sousa, Pergentino José; Ognibene, Dayane Teixeira; Resende, Angela Castro; de Moura, Roberto Soares

    2018-02-01

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus contributes to an increased risk of metabolic and morphological changes in key organs, such as the liver. We aimed to assess the effect of the açaí seed extract (ASE) associated with exercise training on hepatic steatosis induced by high-fat (HF) diet plus streptozotocin (STZ) in rats. Type 2 diabetes was induced by feeding rats with HF diet (55% fat) for 5 weeks, followed by a single low dose of STZ (35 mg/kg i.p.). Control and diabetic groups were subdivided into four groups that were fed with standard chow diet for 4 weeks. Control (C) group was subdivided into Sedentary C, Training C, ASE Sedentary C and ASE Training C. Diabetic (D) group was subdivided into Sedentary D, Training D, ASE Sedentary D and ASE Training D. ASE (200 mg/kg/day) was administered by intragastric gavage, and the exercise training was performed on a treadmill (30 min/day; 5 days/week). Treatment with ASE associated with exercise training reduced the blood glucose (70.2%), total cholesterol (81.2%), aspartate aminotransferase (51.7%) and hepatic triglyceride levels (66.8%) and steatosis (72%) in ASE Training D group compared with the Sedentary D group. ASE associated with exercise training reduced the hepatic lipogenic proteins' expression (77.3%) and increased the antioxidant defense (63.1%), pAMPK expression (70.2%), cholesterol transporters (71.1%) and the pLKB1/LKB1 ratio (57.1%) in type 2 diabetic rats. In conclusion, ASE treatment associated with exercise training protects against hepatic steatosis in diabetic rats by reducing hepatic lipogenesis and increasing antioxidant defense and cholesterol excretion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Euterpe oleracea Mart. seed extract protects against renal injury in diabetic and spontaneously hypertensive rats: role of inflammation and oxidative stress.

    PubMed

    da Silva Cristino Cordeiro, Viviane; de Bem, Graziele Freitas; da Costa, Cristiane Aguiar; Santos, Izabelle Barcellos; de Carvalho, Lenize Costa Reis Marins; Ognibene, Dayane Teixeira; da Rocha, Ana Paula Machado; de Carvalho, Jorge José; de Moura, Roberto Soares; Resende, Angela Castro

    2018-03-01

    Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) seed extract (ASE), through its anti-hypertensive, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may be useful to treat or prevent human diseases. Several evidences suggest that oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy; therefore, we tested the hypothesis that ASE (200 mg/kg -1 day -1 ) prevents diabetes and hypertension-related oxidative stress and inflammation, attenuating renal injury. Male rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes (D), and spontaneously hypertensive rats with STZ-induced diabetes (DH) were treated daily with tap water or ASE (D + ASE and DH + ASE, respectively) for 45 days. The control (C) and hypertensive (H) animals received water. The elevated serum levels of urea and creatinine in D and DH, and increased albumin excretion in HD were reduced by ASE. Total glomeruli number in D and DH, were increased by ASE that also reduced renal fibrosis in both groups by decreasing collagen IV and TGF-β1 expression. ASE improved biomarkers of renal filtration barrier (podocin and nephrin) in D and DH groups and prevented the increased expression of caspase-3, IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 in both groups. ASE reduced oxidative damage markers (TBARS, carbonyl levels and 8-isoprostane) in D and DH associated with a decrease in Nox 4 and p47 subunit expression and increase in antioxidant enzyme activity in both groups (SOD, catalase and GPx). ASE substantially reduced renal injury and prevented renal dysfunction by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress and improving the renal filtration barrier, providing a nutritional resource for prevention of diabetic and hypertensive-related nephropathy.

  1. The Association between Anomalous Self-experiences, Self-esteem and Depressive Symptoms in First Episode Schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Haug, Elisabeth; Øie, Merete G; Andreassen, Ole A; Bratlien, Unni; Romm, Kristin L; Møller, Paul; Melle, Ingrid

    2016-01-01

    Background: Anomalous self-experiences (ASEs) aggregate in schizophrenia spectrum disorders, but the relationship between ASEs, and depression has been studied to a limited extent. Lower self-esteem has been shown to be associated with depression in early psychosis. Our hypothesis is that ASEs in early phases of schizophrenia are linked to lower levels of self-esteem, which in turn is associated with depression. Aim: The aim is to examine the relationship between ASEs, self-esteem and depression in first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Method: ASEs were assessed in 55 patients with first-episode schizophrenia by means of the Examination of anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) instrument. Assessment of depression was based on the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Symptom severity was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (SCI-PANSS). Substance misuse was measured with the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT), and alcohol use was measured with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Data on childhood adjustment were collected using the Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS). Data on childhood trauma were collected using the Norwegian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, short form (CTQ-SF). Results: Analyses detected a significant association between current depression and ASEs as measured by the EASE in women, but not in men. The effect of ASEs on depression appeared to be mediated by self-esteem. No other characteristics associated with depression influenced the relationship between depression, self-esteem and ASEs. Conclusion: Evaluating ASEs can assist clinicians in understanding patients' experience of self-esteem and depressive symptoms. The complex interaction between ASEs, self-esteem, depression and suicidality could be a clinical target for the prevention of suicidality in this patient group.

  2. The 1992 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    This is the administrative report for the 1992 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program which was held at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the 28th consecutive year. The nominal starting and finishing dates for the ten week program were June 1, 1992 through August 7, 1992. The program was sponsored by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., and operated under the auspices of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). The program was one of eight such programs at eight NASA centers sponsored and funded by NASA Headquarters. The basic objectives of the program are the following: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities at the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA centers. The major activities of the 1992 program were the following: (1) recruitment, selection, and assignment of faculty fellows; (2) research performed by the participants in collaboration with the MSFC colleague; (3) a seminar and tour program aimed at providing information concerning activities at MSFC; (4) an activities program of a social/non-technical nature aimed at providing the fellows and their families a means of learning about the MSFC/Huntsville area; and (5) preparation of a volume containing the written reports of the details of the research performed by each of the summer faculty. The success of the 1992 program activities in meeting the stated objectives was measured through questionnaires, which were filled out by participants and their MSFC colleagues. The following sections describe the major activities in more detail and the results of the questionnaires are summarized showing that the 1992 program was highly successful. This year's program also included 19 participants in the Summer Teacher Enrichment Program (STEP) which is comprised of middle school and high school math and science teachers.

  3. Identification and Characterization of a Novel Galactofuranose-Specific β-D-Galactofuranosidase from Streptomyces Species

    PubMed Central

    Matsunaga, Emiko; Higuchi, Yujiro; Mori, Kazuki; Yairo, Nao; Oka, Takuji; Shinozuka, Saki; Tashiro, Kosuke; Izumi, Minoru; Kuhara, Satoru; Takegawa, Kaoru

    2015-01-01

    β-D-galactofuranose (Galf) is a component of polysaccharides and glycoconjugates and its transferase has been well analyzed. However, no β-D-galactofuranosidase (Galf-ase) gene has been identified in any organism. To search for a Galf-ase gene we screened soil samples and discovered a strain, identified as a Streptomyces species by the 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis, that exhibits Galf-ase activity for 4-nitrophenyl β-D-galactofuranoside (pNP-β-D-Galf) in culture supernatants. By draft genome sequencing of the strain, named JHA19, we found four candidate genes encoding Galf-ases. Using recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli, we found that three out of four candidates displayed the activity of not only Galf-ase but also α-L-arabinofuranosidase (Araf-ase), whereas the other one showed only the Galf-ase activity. This novel Galf-specific hydrolase is encoded by ORF1110 and has an optimum pH of 5.5 and a Km of 4.4 mM for the substrate pNP-β-D-Galf. In addition, this enzyme was able to release galactose residue from galactomannan prepared from the filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, suggesting that natural polysaccharides could be also substrates. By the BLAST search using the amino acid sequence of ORF1110 Galf-ase, we found that there are homolog genes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, indicating that Galf-specific Galf-ases widely exist in microorganisms. PMID:26340350

  4. Accelerated solvent extraction by using an 'in-line' clean-up approach for multiresidue analysis of pesticides in organic honey.

    PubMed

    Chiesa, Luca Maria; Labella, Giuseppe Federico; Panseri, Sara; Britti, Domenico; Galbiati, Fabrizio; Villa, Roberto; Arioli, Francesco

    2017-05-01

    The worldwide loss of honeybee colonies may be due to their exposure to several contaminants (i.e., pesticides); such contamination may also have impacts on consumers' health. Therefore, it is essential to develop quick and new methods to detect several pesticide residues in honey samples. In this study, the effectiveness of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was compared with QuEChERS methods for the analysis of 53 pesticides in organic honey by gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Two simple and rapid ASE methods with 'in-line' clean-up were optimised and then compared with QuEChERS. Hexane-ethyl acetate (Hex:EtAc) and Florisil were chosen as extraction solvent and retainer for the first ASE method respectively; acetonitrile and a primary-secondary amine phase (ACN-PSA) were selected for the second ASE method. The methods were validated according to the European Union SANTE/11945/2015 guidelines. The validation parameters showed that QuEChERS and ASE with PSA as retainer had better repeatability than ASE with Hex:EtAc and Florisil. In particular, QuEChERS and ASE (ACN-PSA) showed good recovery, according to the SANTE criteria, for the majority of investigated pesticides. Conversely, when ASE with Hex:EtAc and Florisil was used as the retainer, several compounds showed recoveries lower than the acceptable value of 70%. The ASE in-line method was finally applied to evaluate pesticide concentration in organic honey samples.

  5. Characterization of Airborne Permethrin During the Manufacture of Army Combat Uniforms Using Pre-Treated Fabric

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-01

    5 Extraction Apparatus. A.5.1 Accelerated Solvent Extractor (ASE) Dionex Corporation or equal A.5.1.1 Liquid Nitrogen Cylinder to Deliver High...Chromatograph equipped with ChemStation software, or equal A.6.1 Carrier Gas Cylinder , Appropriate Regulator Set at 80psi A.6.2 Hewlett-Packard...Capillary Column, 5% Phenyl Methyl Siloxane/30.0m x 250μm 0.25μm nominal, 325oC Max, or equal. A.6.3 Split Inlet Liner , Packed with Silanized Glass

  6. Applicability of SREM to the Verification of Management Information System Software Requirements. Volume II.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-04-30

    f --tlu Final-Report: Applicability of SREM to the Verification of Management Information System Software Requirements, wtch was prepared for the Army...MA _________ TO ________ UTA 1ASE ___________ StMZ25. 70.aC. .. 3CA, c(ie m(Sl f :~ rin I : ruq in SBII Z tSI. M 4.7/.3 69.9 . MA S U/WA0 1.241.5 96.8...IR.D iTEM B-2 C4 .4 . I.I z- 0 44 f - U l c- I ao V. a, I. vv!N0 ~ q * a - i= - a ~ ePcu m ~ bft 0 = z z z z z Uz 4 P4 -F5 zz - -4 zzz z C6 z c. 0. 4 4 v

  7. News

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2001-03-01

    PHYSICS AT ASE Warm welcome for new-look Physics Education; TEACHING COMMUNITY Conference in the Netherlands; RESEARCH Evidence based practice; PHYSICS AT ASE Teacher of Physics Awards; PHYSICS AT ASE Festival encourages science teachers; AWARDS Bragg Medal; PHYSICS AT ASE Meteorites are cool! PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING March 2001 - a science odyssey; WEB RESOURCES New website launched to support the gifted and talented; PHYSICS TEACHING A Fun lesson; RESEARCH FRONTIERS Are cell phones safe? OBITUARY Roy Schofield 1924-2000

  8. Software Engineering Guidebook

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connell, John; Wenneson, Greg

    1993-01-01

    The Software Engineering Guidebook describes SEPG (Software Engineering Process Group) supported processes and techniques for engineering quality software in NASA environments. Three process models are supported: structured, object-oriented, and evolutionary rapid-prototyping. The guidebook covers software life-cycles, engineering, assurance, and configuration management. The guidebook is written for managers and engineers who manage, develop, enhance, and/or maintain software under the Computer Software Services Contract.

  9. European Science Notes. Volume 40, Number 9

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-09-01

    15 invited speakers pre- oxygen ases s asaon dioxide and senting talks on various topics in the oxygen as well as ammonia, chlorine, hy-ara fbisnsr...tantalum oxides (H+), work involves the contributions of elec- special lasses (H+, Na+, K+), valinomy- trical engineers as well as chemists. cin (K), tetra...copy only devise circuitry but work on concep- may be obtained from me]) he derived a tual design as well . Incidentally, the theorem that gives the

  10. Identification of Coherent Structure Dynamics in Wall-Bounded Sprays using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-08-31

    Wall interaction of sprays emanating from Gas Centered Swirl Coaxial (GCSC) injectors were experimentally studied as a part of this ten-week project. A...American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Dated August 31st 2010 Abstract Wall interaction of sprays emanating from Gas Centered...Edwards Air Force Base (AFRL/EAFB) have documented atomization characteristics of a Gas -Centered Swirl Coaxial (GCSC) injector [1-2], in which the

  11. Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    Proceedings of the Seventeenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop are presented. The software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of applications software. Topics covered include: the Software Engineering Laboratory; process measurement; software reuse; software quality; lessons learned; and is Ada dying.

  12. Advanced space engine preliminary design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cuffe, J. P. B.; Bradie, R. E.

    1973-01-01

    A preliminary design was completed for an O2/H2, 89 kN (20,000 lb) thrust staged combustion rocket engine that has a single-bell nozzle with an overall expansion ratio of 400:1. The engine has a best estimate vacuum specific impulse of 4623.8 N-s/kg (471.5 sec) at full thrust and mixture ratio = 6.0. The engine employs gear-driven, low pressure pumps to provide low NPSH capability while individual turbine-driven, high-speed main pumps provide the system pressures required for high-chamber pressure operation. The engine design dry weight for the fixed-nozzle configuration is 206.9 kg (456.3 lb). Engine overall length is 234 cm (92.1 in.). The extendible nozzle version has a stowed length of 141.5 cm (55.7 in.). Critical technology items in the development of the engine were defined. Development program plans and their costs for development, production, operation, and flight support of the ASE were established for minimum cost and minimum time programs.

  13. Software Past, Present, and Future: Views from Government, Industry and Academia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Holcomb, Lee; Page, Jerry; Evangelist, Michael

    2000-01-01

    Views from the NASA CIO NASA Software Engineering Workshop on software development from the past, present, and future are presented. The topics include: 1) Software Past; 2) Software Present; 3) NASA's Largest Software Challenges; 4) 8330 Software Projects in Industry Standish Groups 1994 Report; 5) Software Future; 6) Capability Maturity Model (CMM): Software Engineering Institute (SEI) levels; 7) System Engineering Quality Also Part of the Problem; 8) University Environment Trends Will Increase the Problem in Software Engineering; and 9) NASA Software Engineering Goals.

  14. Substrate- and interface-mediated photocrystallization in a-Se films and multi-layers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lindberg, G. P.; Tallman, R. E.; Weinstein, B. A.; Abbaszadeh, S.; Karim, K. S.; Reznik, A.

    2012-02-01

    Photocrystallization in a-Se films and layered a-Se structures is studied by Raman scattering as a function of temperature for photon energies near or slightly below the band gap. The samples are ˜16.5 μm thick films of a-Se grown i) directly on glass, ii) on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass, iii) on glass that is spin coated with 800nm polymide, and iv) on a Capton sheet. A low As-concentration (< 0.2 %) is present in several of the a-Se films. We compare the results on these samples to prior findings on a-Se HARP targets, and on a polymer-encapsulated a-Se film [1]. We observe strong evidence that the interface between the a-Se film and the underlying substrate and/or multi-layers plays an important role in the onset time and growth rate of photocrystallized Se domains. In some samples a discontinuous increase in the onset time with increasing temperature occurs near the glass transition (˜310K), and there is a surprising ``dead zone'' of no crystallization in this region. Other samples merely show a minimum in the onset time at similar temperatures, but no discontinuity and no region where crystallization is absent. Soft intermediate layers appear to increase stability against crystallization in an overlying a-Se film. The competing effects of substrate shear strain and thermal driving forces on the photocrystallization process are considered to account for these findings. [4pt] [1] R.E. Tallman et. al. J. Non-crystalline Sols. 354, 4577-81 (2008)

  15. BRCA1 allele-specific expression in genetic predisposed breast/ovarian cancer.

    PubMed

    Jamard, Estelle; Volard, Bertrand; Dugué, Audrey Emmanuelle; Legros, Angelina; Leconte, Alexandra; Clarisse, Bénédicte; Davy, Grégoire; Polycarpe, Florence; Dugast, Catherine; Abadie, Caroline; Frebourg, Thierry; Tinat, Julie; Tennevet, Isabelle; Layet, Valérie; Joly, Florence; Castéra, Laurent; Berthet, Pascaline; Vaur, Dominique; Krieger, Sophie

    2017-04-01

    Germline allele specific expression (ASE), resulting in a lowered expression of one of the BRCA1 alleles, has been described as a possible predisposition marker in Hereditary Breast or Ovarian Cancer (HBOC), usable for molecular diagnosis in HBOC. The main objective of this prospective case-control study was to compare the proportion of ASE between controls without familial history of breast or ovarian cancer, and HBOC cases without BRCA1 or BRCA2 deleterious mutation. BRCA1 ASE evaluated on three SNPs among controls and HBOC patients without deleterious mutation were assessed by pyrosequencing. The allelic ratios and the proportion of ASE were compared between controls and cases using a Student's t test and a Fisher exact test, respectively. The linearity and reproducibility of the ASE dosage was demonstrated with R 2  > 0.99 and a coefficient of variation below 10 %, and ASE was detected in two positive controls harbouring BRCA1 truncated mutations. In the heterozygote population, composed of 99/264 controls (37.5 %) and 96/227 patients (42.3 %), we detected a 5 % ASE without truncated mutations, in each population. We failed to detect any significant difference of ASE between controls and patients. So far, BRCA1 Allelic specific expression is not usable in routine diagnosis as a possible predisposition marker in HBOC patients except for the detection of truncated mutations.

  16. Software engineering as an engineering discipline

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gibbs, Norman

    1988-01-01

    The goals of the Software Engineering Institute's Education Program are as follows: to increase the number of highly qualified software engineers--new software engineers and existing practitioners; and to be the leading center of expertise for software engineering education and training. A discussion of these goals is presented in vugraph form.

  17. Software engineering as an engineering discipline

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berard, Edward V.

    1988-01-01

    The following topics are discussed in the context of software engineering: early use of the term; the 1968 NATO conference; Barry Boehm's definition; four requirements fo software engineering; and additional criteria for software engineering. Additionally, the four major requirements for software engineering--computer science, mathematics, engineering disciplines, and excellent communication skills--are discussed. The presentation is given in vugraph form.

  18. SU-E-I-51: Quantitative Assessment of X-Ray Imaging Detector Performance in a Clinical Setting - a Simple Approach Using a Commercial Instrument

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

    Sjoeberg, J; Bujila, R; Omar, A

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: To measure and compare the performance of X-ray imaging detectors in a clinical setting using a dedicated instrument for the quantitative determination of detector performance. Methods: The DQEPro (DQE Instruments Inc., London, Ontario Canada) was used to determine the MTF, NPS and DQE using an IEC compliant methodology for three different imaging modalities: conventional radiography (CsI-based detector), general-purpose radioscopy (CsI-based detector), and mammography (a-Se based detector). The radiation qualities (IEC) RQA-5 and RQA-M-2 were used for the CsI-based and a-Se-based detectors, respectively. The DQEPro alleviates some of the difficulties associated with DQE measurements by automatically positioning test devices overmore » the detector, guiding the user through the image acquisition process and providing software for calculations. Results: A comparison of the NPS showed that the image noise of the a-Se detector was less correlated than the CsI detectors. A consistently higher performance was observed for the a-Se detector at all spatial frequencies (MTF: 0.97@0.25 cy/mm, DQE: 0.72@0.25 cy/mm) and the DQE drops off slower than for the CsI detectors. The CsI detector used for conventional radiography displayed a higher performance at low spatial frequencies compared to the CsI detector used for radioscopy (DQE: 0.65 vs 0.60@0.25 cy/mm). However, at spatial frequencies above 1.3 cy/mm, the radioscopy detector displayed better performance than the conventional radiography detector (DQE: 0.35 vs 0.24@2.00 cy/mm). Conclusion: The difference in the MTF, NPS and DQE that was observed for the two different CsI detectors and the a-Se detector reflect the imaging tasks that the different detector types are intended for. The DQEPro has made the determination and calculation of quantitative metrics of X-ray imaging detector performance substantially more convenient and accessible to undertake in a clinical setting.« less

  19. Antidiabetic effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (açaí) extract and exercise training on high-fat diet and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: A positive interaction

    PubMed Central

    de Bem, Graziele Freitas; Costa, Cristiane Aguiar; Santos, Izabelle Barcellos; Cristino Cordeiro, Viviane da Silva; de Carvalho, Lenize Costa Reis Marins; de Souza, Marcelo Augusto Vieira; Soares, Ricardo de Andrade; Sousa, Pergentino José da Cunha; Ognibene, Dayane Teixeira; de Moura, Roberto Soares

    2018-01-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests a protective role of polyphenols and exercise training on the disorders of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to assess the effect of the açaí seed extract (ASE) associated with exercise training on diabetic complications induced by high-fat (HF) diet plus streptozotocin (STZ) in rats. Type 2 diabetes was induced by feeding rats with HF diet (55% fat) for 5 weeks and a single dose of STZ (35 mg/kg i.p.). Control (C) and Diabetic (D) animals were subdivided into four groups each: Sedentary, Training, ASE Sedentary, and ASE Training. ASE (200 mg/kg/day) was administered by gavage and the exercise training was performed on a treadmill (30min/day; 5 days/week) for 4 weeks after the diabetes induction. In type 2 diabetic rats, the treatment with ASE reduced blood glucose, insulin resistance, leptin and IL-6 levels, lipid profile, and vascular dysfunction. ASE increased the expression of insulin signaling proteins in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue and plasma GLP-1 levels. ASE associated with exercise training potentiated the reduction of glycemia by decreasing TNF-α levels, increasing pAKT and adiponectin expressions in adipose tissue, and IR and pAMPK expressions in skeletal muscle of type 2 diabetic rats. In conclusion, ASE treatment has an antidiabetic effect in type 2 diabetic rats by activating the insulin-signaling pathway in muscle and adipose tissue, increasing GLP-1 levels, and an anti-inflammatory action. Exercise training potentiates the glucose-lowering effect of ASE by activating adiponectin-AMPK pathway and increasing IR expression. PMID:29920546

  20. Quantum yield measurements of light-induced H₂ generation in a photosystem I-[FeFe]-H₂ase nanoconstruct.

    PubMed

    Applegate, Amanda M; Lubner, Carolyn E; Knörzer, Philipp; Happe, Thomas; Golbeck, John H

    2016-01-01

    The quantum yield for light-induced H2 generation was measured for a previously optimized bio-hybrid cytochrome c 6-crosslinked PSI(C13G)-1,8-octanedithiol-[FeFe]-H2ase(C97G) (PSI-H2ase) nanoconstruct. The theoretical quantum yield for the PSI-H2ase nanoconstruct is 0.50 molecules of H2 per photon absorbed, which equates to a requirement of two photons per H2 generated. Illumination of the PSI-H2ase nanoconstruct with visible light between 400 and 700 nm resulted in an average quantum yield of 0.10-0.15 molecules of H2 per photon absorbed, which equates to a requirement of 6.7-10 photons per H2 generated. A possible reason for the difference between the theoretical and experimental quantum yield is the occurrence of non-productive PSI(C13G)-1,8-octanedithiol-PSIC13G (PSI-PSI) conjugates, which would absorb light without generating H2. Assuming the thiol-Fe coupling is equally efficient at producing PSI-PSI conjugates as well as in producing PSI-H2ase nanoconstructs, the theoretical quantum yield would decrease to 0.167 molecules of H2 per photon absorbed, which equates to 6 photons per H2 generated. This value is close to the range of measured values in the current study. A strategy that purifies the PSI-H2ase nanoconstructs from the unproductive PSI-PSI conjugates or that incorporates different chemistries on the PSI and [FeFe]-H2ase enzyme sites could potentially allow the PSI-H2ase nanoconstruct to approach the expected theoretical quantum yield for light-induced H2 generation.

  1. Euterpe oleracea Mart.-Derived Polyphenols Protect Mice from Diet-Induced Obesity and Fatty Liver by Regulating Hepatic Lipogenesis and Cholesterol Excretion.

    PubMed

    de Oliveira, Paola Raquel B; da Costa, Cristiane A; de Bem, Graziele F; Cordeiro, Viviane S C; Santos, Izabelle B; de Carvalho, Lenize C R M; da Conceição, Ellen Paula S; Lisboa, Patrícia Cristina; Ognibene, Dayane T; Sousa, Pergentino José C; Martins, Gabriel R; da Silva, Antônio Jorge R; de Moura, Roberto S; Resende, Angela C

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a polyphenol-rich Açaí seed extract (ASE, 300 mg/kg-1d-1) on adiposity and hepatic steatosis in mice that were fed a high-fat (HF) diet and its underlying mechanisms based on hepatic lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. Four groups were studied: C57BL/6 mice that were fed with standard diet (10% fat, Control), 10% fat + ASE (ASE), 60% fat (HF), and 60% fat + ASE (HF + ASE) for 12 weeks. We evaluated the food intake, body weight gain, serum glucose and lipid profile, hepatic cholesterol and triacyglycerol (TG), hepatic expression of pAMPK, lipogenic proteins (SREBP-1c, pACC, ACC, HMG-CoA reductase) and cholesterol excretion transporters, ABCG5 and ABCG8. We also evaluated the steatosis in liver sections and oxidative stress. ASE reduced body weight gain, food intake, glucose levels, accumulation of cholesterol and TG in the liver, which was associated with a reduction of hepatic steatosis. The increased expressions of SREBP-1c and HMG-CoA reductase and reduced expressions of pAMPK and pACC/ACC in HF group were antagonized by ASE. The ABCG5 and ABCG8 transporters expressions were increased by the extract. The antioxidant effect of ASE was demonstrated in liver of HF mice by restoration of SOD, CAT and GPx activities and reduction of the increased levels of malondialdehyde and protein carbonylation. In conclusion, ASE substantially reduced the obesity and hepatic steatosis induced by HF diet by reducing lipogenesis, increasing cholesterol excretion and improving oxidative stress in the liver, providing a nutritional resource for prevention of obesity-related adiposity and hepatic steatosis.

  2. Euterpe oleracea Mart.-Derived Polyphenols Protect Mice from Diet-Induced Obesity and Fatty Liver by Regulating Hepatic Lipogenesis and Cholesterol Excretion

    PubMed Central

    de Bem, Graziele F.; Cordeiro, Viviane S. C.; Santos, Izabelle B.; de Carvalho, Lenize C. R. M.; da Conceição, Ellen Paula S.; Lisboa, Patrícia Cristina; Ognibene, Dayane T.; Sousa, Pergentino José C.; Martins, Gabriel R.; da Silva, Antônio Jorge R.; de Moura, Roberto S.; Resende, Angela C.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a polyphenol-rich Açaí seed extract (ASE, 300 mg/kg-1d-1) on adiposity and hepatic steatosis in mice that were fed a high-fat (HF) diet and its underlying mechanisms based on hepatic lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. Four groups were studied: C57BL/6 mice that were fed with standard diet (10% fat, Control), 10% fat + ASE (ASE), 60% fat (HF), and 60% fat + ASE (HF + ASE) for 12 weeks. We evaluated the food intake, body weight gain, serum glucose and lipid profile, hepatic cholesterol and triacyglycerol (TG), hepatic expression of pAMPK, lipogenic proteins (SREBP-1c, pACC, ACC, HMG-CoA reductase) and cholesterol excretion transporters, ABCG5 and ABCG8. We also evaluated the steatosis in liver sections and oxidative stress. ASE reduced body weight gain, food intake, glucose levels, accumulation of cholesterol and TG in the liver, which was associated with a reduction of hepatic steatosis. The increased expressions of SREBP-1c and HMG-CoA reductase and reduced expressions of pAMPK and pACC/ACC in HF group were antagonized by ASE. The ABCG5 and ABCG8 transporters expressions were increased by the extract. The antioxidant effect of ASE was demonstrated in liver of HF mice by restoration of SOD, CAT and GPx activities and reduction of the increased levels of malondialdehyde and protein carbonylation. In conclusion, ASE substantially reduced the obesity and hepatic steatosis induced by HF diet by reducing lipogenesis, increasing cholesterol excretion and improving oxidative stress in the liver, providing a nutritional resource for prevention of obesity-related adiposity and hepatic steatosis. PMID:26630290

  3. A review of the acute subjective effects of MDMA/ecstasy.

    PubMed

    Baylen, Chelsea A; Rosenberg, Harold

    2006-07-01

    Although several relatively recent reviews have summarized the neuropsychiatric effects associated with chronic ecstasy use, there is no published comprehensive review of studies on the acute subjective effects (ASEs) of MDMA/ecstasy. The present study reviewed the prevalence, intensity and duration of ASEs collected from 24 studies that provided frequency data on the prevalence of self-reported ecstasy effects and/or provided data on the intensity of ecstasy effects. Although hundreds of ASEs have been reported following MDMA consumption, we identified a subset of effects reported repeatedly by meaningful proportions and large numbers of participants across multiple investigations, most of which were either emotional (e.g. anxiety, depression, closeness, fear, euphoria, calmness) or somatic (e.g. nausea/vomiting, bruxism, muscle aches/headache, sweating, numbness, body temperature changes, fatigue, dizziness, dry mouth, increased energy). Only one sexual ASE (sexual arousal/increased sensual awareness), one cognitive ASE (confused thought), one sensory-perceptual ASE (visual effects/changes in visual perception), one sleep-related ASE (sleeplessness) and one appetite-related ASE (decreased appetite) were reported across five or more investigations. Three factors-number of hours between ingestion and assessment, dose level, and gender-have been associated with the acute subjective experience of MDMA/ecstasy. This review provides useful information for clinicians and researchers who want to understand the desirable and undesirable ASEs that may motivate and restrain ecstasy use, for public health advocates who seek to reduce biomedical harms (e.g. fainting, dehydration, shortness of breath, bruxism) associated with recreational use of MDMA/ecstasy, and for educators who wish to design credible prevention messages that neither underestimate nor exaggerate users' experiences of this drug.

  4. Annotated bibliography of Software Engineering Laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morusiewicz, Linda; Valett, Jon D.

    1991-01-01

    An annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory is given. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: The Software Engineering Laboratory; The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; Software Tools; Software Models; Software Measurement; Technology Evaluations; Ada Technology; and Data Collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

  5. Software Engineering Laboratory Series: Proceedings of the Twentieth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1995-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of application software. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that includes this document.

  6. Software Engineering Laboratory Series: Collected Software Engineering Papers. Volume 15

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of application software. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that includes this document.

  7. Software Engineering Laboratory Series: Collected Software Engineering Papers. Volume 14

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1996-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of application software. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that includes this document.

  8. Software Engineering Laboratory Series: Collected Software Engineering Papers. Volume 13

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1995-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of application software. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that includes this document.

  9. Abnormally Malicious Autonomous Systems and their Internet Connectivity

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

    Shue, Craig A; Kalafut, Prof. Andrew; Gupta, Prof. Minaxi

    While many attacks are distributed across botnets, investigators and network operators have recently targeted malicious networks through high profile autonomous system (AS) de-peerings and network shut-downs. In this paper, we explore whether some ASes indeed are safe havens for malicious activity. We look for ISPs and ASes that exhibit disproportionately high malicious behavior using ten popular blacklists, plus local spam data, and extensive DNS resolutions based on the contents of the blacklists. We find that some ASes have over 80% of their routable IP address space blacklisted. Yet others account for large fractions of blacklisted IP addresses. Several ASes regularlymore » peer with ASes associated with significant malicious activity. We also find that malicious ASes as a whole differ from benign ones in other properties not obviously related to their malicious activities, such as more frequent connectivity changes with their BGP peers. Overall, we conclude that examining malicious activity at AS granularity can unearth networks with lax security or those that harbor cybercrime.« less

  10. Synergistic induction of cytogenetic damage by the homo-aza-steroidal ester of p-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminophenylacetic acid in combination with caffeine in human lymphocytes in vitro and in Ehrlich ascites tumour cells in vivo.

    PubMed

    Petrou, C; Mourelatos, D; Dozi-Vassiliades, J; Catsoulacos, P

    1990-02-01

    We studied the effects of caffeine alone or in combination with homo-aza-steroidal ester of p-bis(2-chloroethyl)aminophenylacetic acid (ASE, NSC 290205) on the frequency of SCEs and lymphocyte proliferation kinetics. Caffeine was found to act synergistically with ASE on the induction of SCEs when the two components were administered in combination. Caffeine was also found to act synergistically with ASE in inducing cell-division delays. Enhanced cytogenetic damage by ASE was observed when Ehrlich ascites tumour cells (EAT cells) were exposed in vivo to caffeine. ASE alone or in combination with caffeine caused a dose-dependent increase in SCE rates and cell-division delays. SCEs were demonstrated in EAT-bearing mice, by the i.p. injection of BrdUrd adsorbed onto activated charcoal, 1 h after the i.p. injection of ASE and/or caffeine.

  11. Accessibility assessment of assistive technology for the hearing impaired.

    PubMed

    Áfio, Aline Cruz Esmeraldo; Carvalho, Aline Tomaz de; Caravalho, Luciana Vieira de; Silva, Andréa Soares Rocha da; Pagliuca, Lorita Marlena Freitag

    2016-01-01

    to assess the automatic accessibility of assistive technology in online courses for the hearing impaired. evaluation study guided by the Assessment and Maintenance step proposed in the Model of Development of Digital Educational Material. The software Assessor and Simulator for the Accessibility of Sites (ASES) was used to analyze the online course "Education on Sexual and Reproductive Health: the use of condoms" according to the accessibility standards of national and international websites. an error report generated by the program identified, in each didactic module, one error and two warnings related to two international principles and six warnings involved with six national recommendations. The warnings relevant to hearing-impaired people were corrected, and the course was considered accessible by automatic assessment. we concluded that the pages of the course were considered, by the software used, appropriate to the standards of web accessibility.

  12. Extensive variation between tissues in allele specific expression in an outbred mammal.

    PubMed

    Chamberlain, Amanda J; Vander Jagt, Christy J; Hayes, Benjamin J; Khansefid, Majid; Marett, Leah C; Millen, Catriona A; Nguyen, Thuy T T; Goddard, Michael E

    2015-11-23

    Allele specific gene expression (ASE), with the paternal allele more expressed than the maternal allele or vice versa, appears to be a common phenomenon in humans and mice. In other species the extent of ASE is unknown, and even in humans and mice there are several outstanding questions. These include; to what extent is ASE tissue specific? how often does the direction of allele expression imbalance reverse between tissues? how often is only one of the two alleles expressed? is there a genome wide bias towards expression of the paternal or maternal allele; and finally do genes that are nearby on a chromosome share the same direction of ASE? Here we use gene expression data (RNASeq) from 18 tissues from a single cow to investigate each of these questions in turn, and then validate some of these findings in two tissues from 20 cows. Between 40 and 100 million sequence reads were generated per tissue across three replicate samples for each of the eighteen tissues from the single cow (the discovery dataset). A bovine gene expression atlas was created (the first from RNASeq data), and differentially expressed genes in each tissue were identified. To analyse ASE, we had access to unambiguously phased genotypes for all heterozygous variants in the cow's whole genome sequence, where these variants were homozygous in the whole genome sequence of her sire, and as a result we were able to map reads to parental genomes, to determine SNP and genes showing ASE in each tissue. In total 25,251 heterozygous SNP within 7985 genes were tested for ASE in at least one tissue. ASE was pervasive, 89 % of genes tested had significant ASE in at least one tissue. This large proportion of genes displaying ASE was confirmed in the two tissues in a validation dataset. For individual tissues the proportion of genes showing significant ASE varied from as low as 8-16 % of those tested in thymus to as high as 71-82 % of those tested in lung. There were a number of cases where the direction of allele expression imbalance reversed between tissues. For example the gene SPTY2D1 showed almost complete paternal allele expression in kidney and thymus, and almost complete maternal allele expression in the brain caudal lobe and brain cerebellum. Mono allelic expression (MAE) was common, with 1349 of 4856 genes (28 %) tested with more than one heterozygous SNP showing MAE. Across all tissues, 54.17 % of all genes with ASE favoured the paternal allele. Genes that are closely linked on the chromosome were more likely to show higher expression of the same allele (paternal or maternal) than expected by chance. We identified several long runs of neighbouring genes that showed either paternal or maternal ASE, one example was five adjacent genes (GIMAP8, GIMAP7 copy1, GIMAP4, GIMAP7 copy 2 and GIMAP5) that showed almost exclusive paternal expression in brain caudal lobe. Investigating the extent of ASE across 18 bovine tissues in one cow and two tissues in 20 cows demonstrated 1) ASE is pervasive in cattle, 2) the ASE is often MAE but ranges from MAE to slight overexpression of the major allele, 3) the ASE is most often tissue specific and that more than half the time displays divergent allele specific expression patterns across tissues, 4) across all genes there is a slight bias towards expression of the paternal allele and 5) genes expressing the same parental allele are clustered together more than expected by chance, and there are several runs of large numbers of genes expressing the same parental allele.

  13. Computer-Aided Software Engineering - An approach to real-time software development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Walker, Carrie K.; Turkovich, John J.

    1989-01-01

    A new software engineering discipline is Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE), a technology aimed at automating the software development process. This paper explores the development of CASE technology, particularly in the area of real-time/scientific/engineering software, and a history of CASE is given. The proposed software development environment for the Advanced Launch System (ALS CASE) is described as an example of an advanced software development system for real-time/scientific/engineering (RT/SE) software. The Automated Programming Subsystem of ALS CASE automatically generates executable code and corresponding documentation from a suitably formatted specification of the software requirements. Software requirements are interactively specified in the form of engineering block diagrams. Several demonstrations of the Automated Programming Subsystem are discussed.

  14. Software engineering laboratory series: Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morusiewicz, Linda; Valett, Jon

    1992-01-01

    This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) the Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) the Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

  15. Software Engineering Laboratory Series: Proceedings of the Twenty-First Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1996-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of application software. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that includes this document.

  16. Software Engineering Laboratory Series: Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1997-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of application software. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that includes this document.

  17. Software engineering and the role of Ada: Executive seminar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freedman, Glenn B.

    1987-01-01

    The objective was to introduce the basic terminology and concepts of software engineering and Ada. The life cycle model is reviewed. The application of the goals and principles of software engineering is applied. An introductory understanding of the features of the Ada language is gained. Topics addressed include: the software crises; the mandate of the Space Station Program; software life cycle model; software engineering; and Ada under the software engineering umbrella.

  18. Maximizing Mission Science Return Through Use of Spacecraft Autonomy: Active Volcanism and the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davies, A. G.; Chien, S.; Baker, V.; Castano, R.; Cichy, B.; Doggett, T.; Dohm, J. M.; Greeley, R.; Ip, F.; Rabideau, G.

    2005-01-01

    ASE has successfully demonstrated that a spacecraft can be driven by science analysis and autonomously controlled. ASE is available for flight on other missions. Mission hardware design should consider ASE requirements for available onboard data storage, onboard memory size and processor speed.

  19. Evaluation damage threshold of optical thin-film using an amplified spontaneous emission source

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Qiong; Sun, Mingying; Zhang, Zhixiang; Yao, Yudong; Peng, Yujie; Liu, Dean; Zhu, Jianqiang

    2014-10-01

    An accurate evaluation method with an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) as the irradiation source has been developed for testing thin-film damage threshold. The partial coherence of the ASE source results in a very smooth beam profile in the near-field and a uniform intensity distribution of the focal spot in the far-field. ASE is generated by an Nd: glass rod amplifier in SG-II high power laser facility, with pulse duration of 9 ns and spectral width (FWHM) of 1 nm. The damage threshold of the TiO2 high reflection film is 14.4J/cm2 using ASE as the irradiation source, about twice of 7.4 J/cm2 that tested by a laser source with the same pulse duration and central wavelength. The damage area induced by ASE is small with small-scale desquamation and a few pits, corresponding to the defect distribution of samples. Large area desquamation is observed in the area damaged by laser, as the main reason that the non-uniformity of the laser light. The ASE damage threshold leads to more accurate evaluations of the samples damage probability by reducing the influence of hot spots in the irradiation beam. Furthermore, the ASE source has a great potential in the detection of the defect distribution of the optical elements.

  20. Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Groves, Paula; Valett, Jon

    1990-01-01

    An annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory is given. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: the Software Engineering Laboratory; the Software Engineering Laboratory-software development documents; software tools; software models; software measurement; technology evaluations; Ada technology; and data collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

  1. Annotated bibliography of Software Engineering Laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morusiewicz, Linda; Valett, Jon

    1993-01-01

    This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. Nearly 200 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: the Software Engineering Laboratory; the Software Engineering Laboratory: software development documents; software tools; software models; software measurement; technology evaluations; Ada technology; and data collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

  2. Long-term effects of asenapine or olanzapine in patients with persistent negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a pooled analysis.

    PubMed

    Potkin, Steven G; Phiri, Phillip; Szegedi, Armin; Zhao, Jun; Alphs, Larry; Cazorla, Pilar

    2013-11-01

    A Phase 2 efficacy study suggested that asenapine (ASE) was superior to risperidone in decreasing negative symptoms in schizophrenia at 6 weeks, prompting design of two negative symptom studies. Two 26-week core studies with 26-week extensions compared asenapine (ASE: 5-10mg twice-daily] and olanzapine (OLA: 5-20mg once-daily) as monotherapies in reducing persistent negative symptoms (PNS). While neither study met the primary endpoint of superiority of ASE over OLA, ASE was statistically superior to OLA in one extension study. This prompted a pooled analysis of the treatment effects of both drugs. Data were pooled from two 26-week core studies and extensions. Efficacy endpoints: change in Negative Symptom Assessment scale-16 (NSA-16) total score at Week 26 (prespecified primary endpoint) and Week 52. Additional measures: change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)-total, Marder factors, negative subscale scores, Clinical Global Impression Severity of Illness score (CGI-S) assessments, NSA-16 factor domains, NSA global score, and individual items. Pooled data from the extension studies (n=502) showed no differences between ASE and OLA at Week 26. At Week 52, ASE showed superiority over OLA in NSA-16 total score, NSA global, PANSS Marder negative and PANSS negative subscales, some NSA-16 items, and four of five factor domains. In addition, pooled data for patients who entered the core trials (n=949) were analyzed over 52weeks (whether or not patients entered the extension). No significant differences between groups were observed in change in NSA-16 total score at 26-weeks. At Week 52, ASE was significantly superior over OLA in this measure, NSA global score and PANSS Marder negative factor. There were more early dropouts due to AEs, including worsening of the disease, in the ASE group. In this pooled analysis, ASE and OLA did not differ significantly over 26 weeks, but indicated a signal of superiority for ASE with continued treatment up to 52 weeks. © 2013.

  3. Nitrogenase from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas capsulata: purification and molecular properties.

    PubMed Central

    Hallenbeck, P C; Meyer, C M; Vignais, P M

    1982-01-01

    Nitrogenase proteins were isolated from cultures of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas capsulata grown on a limiting amount of ammonia. Under these conditions, the nitrogenase N2ase A was active in vivo, and nitrogenase activity in vitro was not dependent upon manganese and the activating factor. The nitrogenase proteins were also isolated from nitrogen-limited cultures in which the in vivo nitrogenase activity had been stopped by an ammonia shock. This nitrogenase activity, N2ase R, showed an in vitro requirement for manganese and the activating factor for maximal activity. The Mo-Fe protein (dinitrogenase) was composed of two dissimilar subunits with molecular weights of 55,000 and 59,500; the Fe protein (dinitrogenase reductase), from either type of culture, was composed of a single subunit (molecular weight), 33,500). The metal and acid labile sulfur contents of both nitrogenase proteins were similar to those found for previously isolated nitrogenases. The Fe proteins from both N2ase A and N2ase R contained phosphate and ribose, 2 mol of each per mol of N2ase R Fe protein and about 1 mol of each per mol of N2ase A Fe protein. The greatest difference between the two types of Fe protein was that the N2ase R Fe protein contained about 1 mol per mol of an adenine-like molecule, whereas the N2ase A Fe protein content of this compound was insignificant. These results are compared with various models previously presented for the short-term regulation of nitrogenase activity in the photosynthetic bacteria. PMID:6799495

  4. What Has the ASE Done for Me?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newton, Lisa

    2014-01-01

    Lisa Newton, an Association for Science Education (ASE) Primary Science Committee member, reflects on the benefits gained from joining and taking an active part in the ASE. For a number of years Newton attended regional meetings, fed back information to the local section, and helped to organise a number of different local events. These were well…

  5. Chuck Kutscher | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    , building energy efficiency, solar industrial process heat, geothermal power, and concentrating solar power . He is an American Solar Energy Society (ASES) Fellow and served as the ASES Chair in 2000-2001. He is editor of the 200-page ASES report, Tackling Climate Change in the U.S., which details how energy

  6. Average spectral efficiency analysis of FSO links over turbulence channel with adaptive transmissions and aperture averaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aarthi, G.; Ramachandra Reddy, G.

    2018-03-01

    In our paper, the impact of adaptive transmission schemes: (i) optimal rate adaptation (ORA) and (ii) channel inversion with fixed rate (CIFR) on the average spectral efficiency (ASE) are explored for free-space optical (FSO) communications with On-Off Keying (OOK), Polarization shift keying (POLSK), and Coherent optical wireless communication (Coherent OWC) systems under different turbulence regimes. Further to enhance the ASE we have incorporated aperture averaging effects along with the above adaptive schemes. The results indicate that ORA adaptation scheme has the advantage of improving the ASE performance compared with CIFR under moderate and strong turbulence regime. The coherent OWC system with ORA excels the other modulation schemes and could achieve ASE performance of 49.8 bits/s/Hz at the average transmitted optical power of 6 dBm under strong turbulence. By adding aperture averaging effect we could achieve an ASE of 50.5 bits/s/Hz under the same conditions. This makes ORA with Coherent OWC modulation as a favorable candidate for improving the ASE of the FSO communication system.

  7. Polysaccharides from bamboo shoots processing by-products: New insight into extraction and characterization.

    PubMed

    Chen, Guangjing; Chen, Kewei; Zhang, Renfeng; Chen, Xiaolong; Hu, Peng; Kan, Jianquan

    2018-04-15

    In this study, an efficient accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) technology was applied for rapid extraction of polysaccharides from the processing by-products of Chimonobambusa quadrangularis (CPS). The extraction yields, physicochemical characterization, and antioxidant activities of CPS obtained by ASE and hot water extraction (HWE) were further compared. A maximal ASE-CPS yield was obtained by optimized extraction conditions (temperature 126 °C, 2 cycles, and 22 min) using response surface methodology. The yield of polysaccharides from ASE (9.96% ± 0.39%) was significantly higher than that from HWE (7.16% ± 0.32%). Differences were found between ASE and HWE with the chemical composition, molecular weight distribution, rheological property, and antioxidant activities of the obtained polysaccharides, while the primary structure remained the same. ASE-CPS exhibited better chemical antioxidant activities in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), reducing power, and DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, whereas HWE-CPS displayed higher activity in metal chelating activity assay. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Morphology dependent amplified spontaneous emission in π-conjugated polymer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yuchen; Yang, Xiao; Wang, Ruizhi; Li, Li; Li, Heng

    2015-08-01

    The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectra of a π-conjugated polymer Poly [2-methoxy-5-(2‧-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) are studied in as-cast film, annealed film, 1 mg/ml solution and 2.5 mg/ml solution, respectively, using a 10 ns pulsed laser as an excitation source. We found that for annealed film (420 K), the ASE is hardly achieved compared to the as-cast film, which is consistent with the formation of the aggregation; whereas the film's temperature had much less effect on its ASE threshold. In solution, the ASE spectra show both 0-0 peak and 0-1 peak in 1 mg/ml solution, but only 0-1 peak in 2.5 mg/ml one. When the temperature of solution increases slightly from 300 K to 330 K, the ASE threshold increases dramatically in 1 mg/ml solution but slightly in 2.5 mg/ml one. Our results show the important role the morphology played in the ASE spectra in both film and solution. Therefore, controlling the interchain interaction in PCPs may be the key factor for performance of the organic lasers.

  9. Navy-ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) Summer Faculty Research Program for 1983 with a Summary of Statistics and a Cumulative Compilation of Data on Later Research Fallouts from the First Five Years of the Program, 1979-1983.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-01

    POLYMER FORMATION VIA NUCLEOPHILIC ADDITION TO ACETYLENES Carl L. Bumgardner Department of Chemistry North Carolina...State University Raleigh, North Carolina ABSTRACT Utilizing the ability of acetylenes to add nucleophiles, two new polymer - forming reactions were...examined. The first involved hydroquinone and 1, 4-diethynylbenzene, which, under base calatysis, gave a new semiconducting polymer having the

  10. Research reports: The 1980 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. [aeronautical research and development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barfield, B. F. (Editor); Kent, M. I. (Editor); Dozier, J. (Editor); Karr, G. (Editor)

    1980-01-01

    The Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program objectives are: to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants and institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives at the NASA centers. The Faculty Fellows engaged in research projects commensurate with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague.

  11. BLAS (Basic Linear Algebra Subroutines), Linear Algebra Modules and Supercomputers.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-12-31

    the BLAS, Dodson and Lewis C.Remarks on "A. Proposal for a New Set of BLAS", Hanson D. Standard MSC/ NASTRAN Kernels, Komzsik E. Summary of Functions...Fortran names and that character string arguments for the BLAS could provide incr-ased naturalrness in the n3aL,’cs. D ’:andard MSC/ NASTRAN Kernels. Louis...Komnzsik, 8 pages. NASTRAN is a very large structural engineering system marketed by MacNeal- Schwvrdler Corp. (MSC). They are interested in

  12. Software Development for EECU Platform of Turbofan Engine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Bo Gyoung; Kwak, Dohyup; Kim, Byunghyun; Choi, Hee ju; Kong, Changduk

    2017-04-01

    The turbofan engine operation consists of a number of hardware and software. The engine is controlled by Electronic Engine Control Unit (EECU). In order to control the engine, EECU communicates with an aircraft system, Actuator Drive Unit (ADU), Engine Power Unit (EPU) and sensors on the engine. This paper tried to investigate the process form starting to taking-off and aims to design the EECU software mode and defined communication data format. The software is implemented according to the designed software mode.

  13. Software engineering methodologies and tools

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wilcox, Lawrence M.

    1993-01-01

    Over the years many engineering disciplines have developed, including chemical, electronic, etc. Common to all engineering disciplines is the use of rigor, models, metrics, and predefined methodologies. Recently, a new engineering discipline has appeared on the scene, called software engineering. For over thirty years computer software has been developed and the track record has not been good. Software development projects often miss schedules, are over budget, do not give the user what is wanted, and produce defects. One estimate is there are one to three defects per 1000 lines of deployed code. More and more systems are requiring larger and more complex software for support. As this requirement grows, the software development problems grow exponentially. It is believed that software quality can be improved by applying engineering principles. Another compelling reason to bring the engineering disciplines to software development is productivity. It has been estimated that productivity of producing software has only increased one to two percent a year in the last thirty years. Ironically, the computer and its software have contributed significantly to the industry-wide productivity, but computer professionals have done a poor job of using the computer to do their job. Engineering disciplines and methodologies are now emerging supported by software tools that address the problems of software development. This paper addresses some of the current software engineering methodologies as a backdrop for the general evaluation of computer assisted software engineering (CASE) tools from actual installation of and experimentation with some specific tools.

  14. Electrical interface characteristics (I-V), optical time of flight measurements, and the x-ray (20 keV) signal response of amorphous-selenium/crystalline-silicon heterojunction structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hunter, David M.; Ho, Chu An; Belev, George; De Crescenzo, Giovanni; Kasap, Safa O.; Yaffe, Martin J.

    2011-03-01

    We have investigated the dark current, optical TOF (time of flight) properties, and the X-ray response of amorphousselenium (a-Se)/crystalline-silicon (c-Si) heterostructures for application in digital radiography. The structures have been studied to determine if an x-ray generated electron signal, created in an a-Se layer, could be directly transferred to a c-Si based readout device such as a back-thinned CCD (charge coupled device). A simple first order band-theory of the structure indicates that x-ray generated electrons should transfer from the a-Se to the c-Si, while hole transfer from p-doped c-Si to the a-Se should be blocked, permitting a low dark signal as required. The structures we have tested have a thin metal bias electrode on the x-ray facing side of the a-Se which is deposited on the c-Si substrate. The heterostructures made with pure a-Se deposited on epitaxial p-doped (5×10 14 cm-3) c-Si exhibited very low dark current of 15 pA cm-2 at a negative bias field of 10 V μm-1 applied to the a-Se. The optical TOF (time of flight) measurements show that the applied bias drops almost entirely across the a-Se layer and that the a-Se hole and electron mobilities are within the range of commonly accepted values. The x-ray signal measurements demonstrate the structure has the expected x-ray quantum efficiency. We have made a back-thinned CCD coated with a-Se and although most areas of the device show a poor x-ray response, it does contain small regions which do work properly with the expected x-ray sensitivity. Improved understanding of the a-Se/c-Si interface and preparation methods should lead to properly functioning devices.

  15. Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kistler, David; Bristow, John; Smith, Don

    1994-01-01

    This document is an annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. Nearly 200 publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials have been grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) The Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. This document contains an index of these publications classified by individual author.

  16. Software Engineering Improvement Activities/Plan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    bd Systems personnel accomplished the technical responsibilities for this reporting period, as planned. A close working relationship was maintained with personnel of the MSFC Avionics Department Software Group (ED14). Work accomplishments included development, evaluation, and enhancement of a software cost model, performing literature search and evaluation of software tools available for code analysis and requirements analysis, and participating in other relevant software engineering activities. Monthly reports were submitted. This support was provided to the Flight Software Group/ED 1 4 in accomplishing the software engineering improvement engineering activities of the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Software Engineering Improvement Plan.

  17. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program 1989

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler)

    1989-01-01

    Since 1964, NASA has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. The objectives are: to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty; to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; to enrich and refresh the research and teachning activities of participants' institutions; and to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lecture and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topic.

  18. Engineering bioinformatics: building reliability, performance and productivity into bioinformatics software.

    PubMed

    Lawlor, Brendan; Walsh, Paul

    2015-01-01

    There is a lack of software engineering skills in bioinformatic contexts. We discuss the consequences of this lack, examine existing explanations and remedies to the problem, point out their shortcomings, and propose alternatives. Previous analyses of the problem have tended to treat the use of software in scientific contexts as categorically different from the general application of software engineering in commercial settings. In contrast, we describe bioinformatic software engineering as a specialization of general software engineering, and examine how it should be practiced. Specifically, we highlight the difference between programming and software engineering, list elements of the latter and present the results of a survey of bioinformatic practitioners which quantifies the extent to which those elements are employed in bioinformatics. We propose that the ideal way to bring engineering values into research projects is to bring engineers themselves. We identify the role of Bioinformatic Engineer and describe how such a role would work within bioinformatic research teams. We conclude by recommending an educational emphasis on cross-training software engineers into life sciences, and propose research on Domain Specific Languages to facilitate collaboration between engineers and bioinformaticians.

  19. Engineering bioinformatics: building reliability, performance and productivity into bioinformatics software

    PubMed Central

    Lawlor, Brendan; Walsh, Paul

    2015-01-01

    There is a lack of software engineering skills in bioinformatic contexts. We discuss the consequences of this lack, examine existing explanations and remedies to the problem, point out their shortcomings, and propose alternatives. Previous analyses of the problem have tended to treat the use of software in scientific contexts as categorically different from the general application of software engineering in commercial settings. In contrast, we describe bioinformatic software engineering as a specialization of general software engineering, and examine how it should be practiced. Specifically, we highlight the difference between programming and software engineering, list elements of the latter and present the results of a survey of bioinformatic practitioners which quantifies the extent to which those elements are employed in bioinformatics. We propose that the ideal way to bring engineering values into research projects is to bring engineers themselves. We identify the role of Bioinformatic Engineer and describe how such a role would work within bioinformatic research teams. We conclude by recommending an educational emphasis on cross-training software engineers into life sciences, and propose research on Domain Specific Languages to facilitate collaboration between engineers and bioinformaticians. PMID:25996054

  20. What Does Your ASE Membership Say about You?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawrence, Liz

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the author shares her view about her ASE membership and what it says about her. What she hopes her ASE membership says about her is that she is committed to her own professional development and the professional development of others; she values the opportunity to engage with the wider perspective, to take on responsibilities or…

  1. Software Engineering for Human Spaceflight

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fredrickson, Steven E.

    2014-01-01

    The Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch of NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) provides world-class products, leadership, and technical expertise in software engineering, processes, technology, and systems management for human spaceflight. The branch contributes to major NASA programs (e.g. ISS, MPCV/Orion) with in-house software development and prime contractor oversight, and maintains the JSC Engineering Directorate CMMI rating for flight software development. Software engineering teams work with hardware developers, mission planners, and system operators to integrate flight vehicles, habitats, robotics, and other spacecraft elements. They seek to infuse automation and autonomy into missions, and apply new technologies to flight processor and computational architectures. This presentation will provide an overview of key software-related projects, software methodologies and tools, and technology pursuits of interest to the JSC Spacecraft Software Engineering Branch.

  2. Low-temperature internal friction in quenched amorphous selenium films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Metcalf, Thomas; Liu, Xiao; Abernathy, Matthew; Stephens, Richard

    Using ultra-high-quality-factor silicon mechanical resonators, we have measured the internal friction and shear modulus of amorphous selenium (a-Se) films at liquid helium temperatures. The glass transition temperature of selenium lies at a conveniently accessible 40 -50° C, facilitating a series of in- and ex-situ annealing and quench cycles. The a-Se films exhibit the low-temperature internal friction plateau (10-4 <=Q-1 <=10-3) found in almost all amorphous solids, which is a result of (and direct measure of) a broad distribution of two-level tunneling systems (TLS), whose origin is still unknown. We find a clear correlation between the post-anneal quench rate and the value of this plateau. The implications of these observations for understanding the microscopic origin of TLS will be discussed. Principally, the observed changes in the internal friction plateau could show the way in which the density of TLS could be manipulated or suppressed in other amorphous systems. Work supported by the Office of Naval Research and the University of Pennsylvania Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.

  3. Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer With Aggressive Subclinical Extension in Immunosuppressed Patients.

    PubMed

    Song, Silvia Soohyun; Goldenberg, Alina; Ortiz, Arisa; Eimpunth, Sasima; Oganesyan, Gagik; Jiang, Shang I Brian

    2016-06-01

    Immunosuppression (IS), such as in solid-organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) and patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hematologic malignant neoplasms, increases the risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSCs). However, it is unknown whether IS patients are at increased risk of developing NMSCs with aggressive subclinical extensions (NMSC-ASE), which may extend aggressively far beyond conventional surgical margins. To study clinical characteristics of NMSC-ASE among immunocompetent (IC) and various subgroups of IS patients and to suggest a predictive model for NMSC-ASE lesions. A 6-year retrospective review of 2998 NMSC cases between February 26, 2007, and February 17, 2012, at the Dermatologic and Mohs Micrographic Surgery Unit of the University of California, San Diego, Medical Center. Nonmelanoma skin cancers that required at least 3 Mohs micrographic surgery stages with final surgical margins of at least 10 mm were defined as ASE lesions. All cases were categorized into 1 of 2 groups, IS or IC. Immunosuppressed cases were further subcategorized into 3 subgroups: SOTRs and patients with HIV or hematologic malignant neoplasm. The data were analyzed in December 2012. We evaluated the odds ratio of having NMSC-ASE lesions in IS patients (SOTRs, HIV, hematologic malignant neoplasm) compared with IC patients. Other clinical characteristics and preoperative risks were analyzed and compared. Of all 2998 cases, we identified 805 NMSC-ASE cases: 137 IS and 668 IC. Immunosuppressed patients had an odds ratio of 1.94 of having ASE lesions compared with IC patients (95% CI, 1.54-2.44; P < .001). Additionally, the SOTR subgroup was associated with a 2.74 odds of having NSMC-ASE compared with non-SOTRs (95% CI, 2.00-3.76; P < .001), and the presence of hematologic malignant neoplasm was associated with 1.74 times the odds compared with IC patients (95% CI, 1.04-2.90; P = .04). Multivariate analysis found older age (P < .001), lesion locations such as zone 1 (OR, 1.39 [95% CI, 1.04-1.85]; P = .02) or zone 2 (OR, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.08-1.94]; P = .01), and IS status (OR, 1.94 [95% CI, 1.54-2.44]; P < .001) to be significant predictors of ASE. The findings of this study suggest an increased risk for NMSC-ASE lesions in IS patients, especially in SOTRs and those with hematologic malignant neoplasm, but not patients with HIV. Statistically significant predictors of NMSC-ASE lesions such as age, location, and IS status can help physicians choose the most appropriate treatment modalities and optimize surgical planning.

  4. Alliance for Computational Science Collaboration: HBCU Partnership at Alabama A&M University Continuing High Performance Computing Research and Education at AAMU

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

    Qian, Xiaoqing; Deng, Z. T.

    2009-11-10

    This is the final report for the Department of Energy (DOE) project DE-FG02-06ER25746, entitled, "Continuing High Performance Computing Research and Education at AAMU". This three-year project was started in August 15, 2006, and it was ended in August 14, 2009. The objective of this project was to enhance high performance computing research and education capabilities at Alabama A&M University (AAMU), and to train African-American and other minority students and scientists in the computational science field for eventual employment with DOE. AAMU has successfully completed all the proposed research and educational tasks. Through the support of DOE, AAMU was able tomore » provide opportunities to minority students through summer interns and DOE computational science scholarship program. In the past three years, AAMU (1). Supported three graduate research assistants in image processing for hypersonic shockwave control experiment and in computational science related area; (2). Recruited and provided full financial support for six AAMU undergraduate summer research interns to participate Research Alliance in Math and Science (RAMS) program at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL); (3). Awarded highly competitive 30 DOE High Performance Computing Scholarships ($1500 each) to qualified top AAMU undergraduate students in science and engineering majors; (4). Improved high performance computing laboratory at AAMU with the addition of three high performance Linux workstations; (5). Conducted image analysis for electromagnetic shockwave control experiment and computation of shockwave interactions to verify the design and operation of AAMU-Supersonic wind tunnel. The high performance computing research and education activities at AAMU created great impact to minority students. As praised by Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in 2009, ?The work on high performance computing that is funded by the Department of Energy provides scholarships to undergraduate students as computational science scholars. This is a wonderful opportunity to recruit under-represented students.? Three ASEE papers were published in 2007, 2008 and 2009 proceedings of ASEE Annual Conferences, respectively. Presentations of these papers were also made at the ASEE Annual Conferences. It is very critical to continue the research and education activities.« less

  5. The impact of depression on abstinence self-efficacy and substance use outcomes among emerging adults in residential treatment.

    PubMed

    Greenfield, Brenna L; Venner, Kamilla L; Kelly, John F; Slaymaker, Valerie; Bryan, Angela D

    2012-06-01

    A large proportion of emerging adults treated for substance use disorder (SUD) present with symptoms of negative affect and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little is known regarding how these comorbidities influence important mechanisms of treatment response, such as increases in abstinence self-efficacy (ASE). This study tested the degree to which MDD and/or depressive symptoms interacted with during-treatment changes in ASE and examined these variables' relation to outcome at 3 months' posttreatment. Participants (N = 302; 74% male) completed measures at intake, midtreatment, end-of-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. ASE was measured with the Alcohol and Drug Use Self-Efficacy (ADUSE) scale; depressive symptoms were assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI 18) Depression scale; and current MDD diagnoses were deduced from the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). Random coefficient regression analyses focused on during-treatment changes in ASE, with BSI 18 scores and MDD diagnosis included as moderators. At intake, individuals with MDD or high levels of depressive symptoms had significantly lower ASE, particularly in negative affect situations. No evidence for moderation was found: ASE significantly increased during treatment regardless of MDD status. There was a main effect of BSI 18 Depression scores: those with lower BSI 18 scores had lower ASE scores at each time point. MDD and BSI 18 Depression did not predict 3-month outcome, but similar to previous findings ASE did predict abstinence status at 3 months. Treatment-seeking emerging adults with MDD merit particular clinical attention because of their lower reported self-efficacy throughout treatment.

  6. The Impact of Depression on Abstinence Self-Efficacy and Substance Use Outcomes among Emerging Adults in Residential Treatment

    PubMed Central

    Greenfield, Brenna L.; Venner, Kamilla L.; Kelly, John F.; Slaymaker, Valerie; Bryan, Angela D.

    2012-01-01

    A large proportion of emerging adults treated for substance use disorder (SUD) present with symptoms of negative affect and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little is known regarding how these comorbidities influence important mechanisms of treatment response, such as increases in abstinence self-efficacy (ASE). This study tested the degree to which MDD and/or depressive symptoms interacted with during-treatment changes in ASE and examined these variables' relation to outcome at 3-months post-treatment. Participants (N = 302; 74% male) completed measures at intake, mid-treatment, end-of-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up. ASE was measured with the Alcohol and Drug Use Self-Efficacy (ADUSE) scale; depressive symptoms were assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI 18) Depression scale; and current MDD diagnoses were deduced from the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV. Random coefficient regression analyses focused on during-treatment changes in ASE, with BSI 18 scores and MDD diagnosis included as moderators. At intake, individuals with MDD or high levels of depressive symptoms had significantly lower ASE, particularly in negative affect situations. No evidence for moderation was found: ASE significantly increased during treatment regardless of MDD status. There was a main effect of BSI 18 Depression scores: those with lower BSI 18 scores had lower ASE scores at each time point. MDD and BSI 18 Depression did not predict three-month outcome, but similar to previous findings ASE did predict abstinence status at three months. Treatment-seeking emerging adults with MDD merit particular clinical attention because of their lower reported self-efficacy throughout treatment. PMID:22288980

  7. Greedy Sampling and Incremental Surrogate Model-Based Tailoring of Aeroservoelastic Model Database for Flexible Aircraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, Yi; Pant, Kapil; Brenner, Martin J.; Ouellette, Jeffrey A.

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents a data analysis and modeling framework to tailor and develop linear parameter-varying (LPV) aeroservoelastic (ASE) model database for flexible aircrafts in broad 2D flight parameter space. The Kriging surrogate model is constructed using ASE models at a fraction of grid points within the original model database, and then the ASE model at any flight condition can be obtained simply through surrogate model interpolation. The greedy sampling algorithm is developed to select the next sample point that carries the worst relative error between the surrogate model prediction and the benchmark model in the frequency domain among all input-output channels. The process is iterated to incrementally improve surrogate model accuracy till a pre-determined tolerance or iteration budget is met. The methodology is applied to the ASE model database of a flexible aircraft currently being tested at NASA/AFRC for flutter suppression and gust load alleviation. Our studies indicate that the proposed method can reduce the number of models in the original database by 67%. Even so the ASE models obtained through Kriging interpolation match the model in the original database constructed directly from the physics-based tool with the worst relative error far below 1%. The interpolated ASE model exhibits continuously-varying gains along a set of prescribed flight conditions. More importantly, the selected grid points are distributed non-uniformly in the parameter space, a) capturing the distinctly different dynamic behavior and its dependence on flight parameters, and b) reiterating the need and utility for adaptive space sampling techniques for ASE model database compaction. The present framework is directly extendible to high-dimensional flight parameter space, and can be used to guide the ASE model development, model order reduction, robust control synthesis and novel vehicle design of flexible aircraft.

  8. Aster spathulifolius Maxim extract reduces body weight and fat mass in obese humans.

    PubMed

    Cho, In-Jin; Choung, Se Young; Hwang, You-Cheol; Ahn, Kyu Jeung; Chung, Ho Yeon; Jeong, In-Kyung

    2016-07-01

    Aster spathulifolius Maxim (AS), a perennial herb of the genus Aster within the family Asteraceae, induced weight loss in a rat model of diet-induced obesity. We hypothesized that AS could also reduce body weight in obese humans. Therefore, we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Korea to evaluate the effect of AS extract (ASE) on body weight and fat mass and its safety in obese humans. Forty-four obese participants (body mass index [BMI], 25-30 kg/m(2)) aged ≥20 years were randomly assigned to the placebo or ASE group (700 mg/d of ASE) and were instructed to take a once-daily pill for 12 weeks. Weight, BMI, waist circumference, fat mass (measured using bioimpedance, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and computed tomography), and laboratory tests were assessed at baseline and at 12 weeks. Body weight significantly decreased after 12 weeks of treatment in the ASE group (placebo vs ASE: -0.08 ± 2.11 kg vs -3.30 ± 3.15 kg, P < .05), and so did body fat mass (placebo vs ASE; bioimpedance method: -0.51 ± 1.89 kg vs -2.38 ± 2.30 kg, P < .05; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry: 0.38 ± 1.59 kg vs -2.26 ± 2.37 kg, P < .05). Changes in lipid profiles, fasting plasma glucose, and hemoglobin A1c did not differ between the 2 groups. No drug-related adverse events were observed during the study. In conclusion, ASE significantly decreases body weight and fat mass in obese humans, suggesting that ASE may be a potential therapeutic candidate for reducing obesity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Software engineering from a Langley perspective

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Voigt, Susan

    1994-01-01

    A brief introduction to software engineering is presented. The talk is divided into four sections beginning with the question 'What is software engineering', followed by a brief history of the progression of software engineering at the Langley Research Center in the context of an expanding computing environment. Several basic concepts and terms are introduced, including software development life cycles and maturity levels. Finally, comments are offered on what software engineering means for the Langley Research Center and where to find more information on the subject.

  10. The need for scientific software engineering in the pharmaceutical industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luty, Brock; Rose, Peter W.

    2017-03-01

    Scientific software engineering is a distinct discipline from both computational chemistry project support and research informatics. A scientific software engineer not only has a deep understanding of the science of drug discovery but also the desire, skills and time to apply good software engineering practices. A good team of scientific software engineers can create a software foundation that is maintainable, validated and robust. If done correctly, this foundation enable the organization to investigate new and novel computational ideas with a very high level of efficiency.

  11. The need for scientific software engineering in the pharmaceutical industry.

    PubMed

    Luty, Brock; Rose, Peter W

    2017-03-01

    Scientific software engineering is a distinct discipline from both computational chemistry project support and research informatics. A scientific software engineer not only has a deep understanding of the science of drug discovery but also the desire, skills and time to apply good software engineering practices. A good team of scientific software engineers can create a software foundation that is maintainable, validated and robust. If done correctly, this foundation enable the organization to investigate new and novel computational ideas with a very high level of efficiency.

  12. Two-Photon Absorption and Two-Photon-Induced Gain in Perovskite Quantum Dots.

    PubMed

    Nagamine, Gabriel; Rocha, Jaqueline O; Bonato, Luiz G; Nogueira, Ana F; Zaharieva, Zhanet; Watt, Andrew A R; de Brito Cruz, Carlos H; Padilha, Lazaro A

    2018-06-21

    Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) emerged as a promising class of material for applications in lighting devices, including light emitting diodes and lasers. In this work, we explore nonlinear absorption properties of PQDs showing the spectral signatures and the size dependence of their two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-section, which can reach values higher than 10 6 GM. The large 2PA cross section allows for low threshold two-photon induced amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), which can be as low as 1.6 mJ/cm 2 . We also show that the ASE properties are strongly dependent on the nanomaterial size, and that the ASE threshold, in terms of the average number of excitons, decreases for smaller PQDs. Investigating the PQDs biexciton binding energy, we observe strong correlation between the increasing on the biexciton binding energy and the decreasing on the ASE threshold, suggesting that ASE in PQDs is a biexciton-assisted process.

  13. Role of Academic Self-efficacy and Social Support on Nursing Students' Test Anxiety.

    PubMed

    Warshawski, Sigalit; Bar-Lev, Oshra; Barnoy, Sivia

    2018-05-25

    Associations between test anxiety, academic self-efficacy (ASE), and social support through social media have not been fully explored. The purposes were to explore associations between test anxiety, ASE, and social support from social media and to examine differences in test anxiety by students' year of studies and cultural background. This study used a cross-sectional, descriptive design. The sample comprised first- and fourth-year nursing students (n = 240) attending a baccalaureate nursing program in Israel. Higher ASE and support through social media were related to lower test anxiety. Fourth-year students and Jewish students had higher ASE than first-year and Arab students, who received more support on social media than Jewish students. Developing learning strategies designed to increase students' ASE and reduce test anxiety is warranted. Social media as an educational tool can be adopted for this purpose.

  14. Experimentation in software engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basili, V. R.; Selby, R. W.; Hutchens, D. H.

    1986-01-01

    Experimentation in software engineering supports the advancement of the field through an iterative learning process. In this paper, a framework for analyzing most of the experimental work performed in software engineering over the past several years is presented. A variety of experiments in the framework is described and their contribution to the software engineering discipline is discussed. Some useful recommendations for the application of the experimental process in software engineering are included.

  15. SAGA: A project to automate the management of software production systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, Roy H.; Beckman-Davies, C. S.; Benzinger, L.; Beshers, G.; Laliberte, D.; Render, H.; Sum, R.; Smith, W.; Terwilliger, R.

    1986-01-01

    Research into software development is required to reduce its production cost and to improve its quality. Modern software systems, such as the embedded software required for NASA's space station initiative, stretch current software engineering techniques. The requirements to build large, reliable, and maintainable software systems increases with time. Much theoretical and practical research is in progress to improve software engineering techniques. One such technique is to build a software system or environment which directly supports the software engineering process, i.e., the SAGA project, comprising the research necessary to design and build a software development which automates the software engineering process. Progress under SAGA is described.

  16. The Mediational Effect of Academic Self-Discipline (ASD) between Academic Self-Efficacy (ASE) and College GPA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jung, Kyoung Rae

    2013-01-01

    Drawing upon self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997), the purpose of this study was to examine academic self-discipline (ASD) as a mediator of the relationship between academic self-efficacy (ASE) and college GPA, as well as the feedback effect of previous academic performance on subsequent ASE and ASD. To test this research question, I used…

  17. Enhancing Teaching through Professional Development: The Contribution of ASE INSET Services, 1991-2007

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oakes, Malcolm

    2013-01-01

    The Association for Science Education (ASE) has a proud history of responding positively to changes in the education system. The creation of ASE INSET Services was one such response, resulting in an organisation that in its 16 year lifetime engaged in an impressive range of activities and had an impact on the professional development of tens of…

  18. STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, IUS / TDRS-C deployment

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1988-09-29

    During STS-26, inertial upper stage (IUS) with the tracking and data relay satellite C (TDRS-C) located in the payload bay (PLB) of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, is raised into deployment attitude (an angle of 50 degrees) by the airborne support equipment (ASE). ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table supports the IUS as it is positioned in the PLB and the ASE umbilical boom drifts away from IUS toward ASE forward cradle. TDRS-C solar array panels (in stowed configuration) are visible on top of the IUS. In the background are the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods and the Earth's limb.

  19. Resonant stimulation of Raman scattering from single-crystal thiophene/phenylene co-oligomers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanagi, Hisao; Marutani, Yusuke; Matsuoka, Naoki; Hiramatsu, Toru; Ishizumi, Atsushi; Sasaki, Fumio; Hotta, Shu

    2013-12-01

    Amplified Raman scattering was observed from single crystals of thiophene/phenylene co-oligomers (TPCOs). Under ns-pulsed excitation, the TPCO crystals exhibited amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at resonant absorption wavelengths. With increasing excitation wavelength to the 0-0 absorption edge, the stimulated resonant Raman peaks appeared both in the 0-1 and 0-2 ASE band regions. When the excitation wavelength coincided with the 0-1 ASE band energy, the Raman peaks selectively appeared in the 0-2 ASE band. Such unusual enhancement of the 0-2 Raman scattering was ascribed to resonant stimulation via vibronic coupling with electronic transitions in the uniaxially oriented TPCO molecules.

  20. 2-.mu.m fiber amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jiang, Shibin (Inventor); Wu, Jianfeng (Inventor); Geng, Jihong (Inventor)

    2007-01-01

    A 2-.mu.m fiber Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) source provides a wide emission bandwidth and improved spectral stability/purity for a given output power. The fiber ASE source is formed from a heavy metal oxide multicomponent glass selected from germanate, tellurite and bismuth oxides and doped with high concentrations, 0.5-15 wt. %, thulium oxides (Tm.sub.2O.sub.3) or 0.1-5 wt% holmium oxides (Ho.sub.2O.sub.3) or mixtures thereof. The high concentration of thulium dopants provide highly efficient pump absorption and high quantum efficiency. Co-doping of Tm and Ho can broaden the ASE spectrum.

  1. Avalanche multiplication and impact ionization in amorphous selenium photoconductive target

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Wug-Dong; Tanioka, Kenkichi

    2014-03-01

    The avalanche multiplication factor and the hole ionization coefficient in the amorphous selenium (a-Se) high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor (HARP) target depend on the electric field. The phenomenon of avalanche multiplication and impact ionization in the 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP target is investigated. The hot carrier energy in the 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP target increases linearly as the target voltage increases. The energy relaxation length of hot carriers in the a-Se photoconductor of the 0.4-µm-thick HARP target saturates as the electric field increases. The average energy Eav of a hot carrier and the energy relaxation length λE in the a-Se photoconductor of the 0.4-µm-thick HARP target at 1 × 108 V/m were 0.25 eV and 2.5 nm, respectively. In addition, the hole ionization coefficient β and the avalanche multiplication factor M are derived as a function of the electric field, the average energy of a hot carrier, and the impact ionization energy. The experimental hole ionization coefficient β and the avalanche multiplication factor M in the 0.4-µm-thick a-Se HARP target agree with the theoretical results.

  2. Mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age, and gender on the cognitive and social determinants of adolescent smoking in Spain and the UK: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Markham, Wolfgang A; Lopez, Maria Luisa; Aveyard, Paul; Herrero, Pablo; Bridle, Christopher; Comas, Angel; Charlton, Anne; Thomas, Hywel

    2009-06-04

    European trans-national adolescent smoking prevention interventions based on social influences approaches have had limited success. The attitudes-social influences-efficacy (ASE) model is a social cognition model that states smoking behaviour is determined by smoking intention which, in turn, is predicted by seven ASE determinants; disadvantages, advantages, social acceptance, social norms, modelling, perceived pressure, self-efficacy. Distal factors such as country of residence, age and gender are external to the model. The ASE model is, thus, closely related to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. This study assessed the utility of the ASE model using cross-sectional data from Spanish and UK adolescents. In 1997, questionnaires were simultaneously administered to Spanish (n = 3716) and UK adolescents (n = 3715) who were considered at high risk of smoking. Participants' age, gender, smoking intentions and ASE determinant scores were identified and linear regression analysis was used to examine the mediated, moderated and direct effects of country of residence, age and gender on participants' smoking intentions. All UK participants were aged 12 or 13 and most Spanish participants were aged between 12 and 14 (range 12-16 years). Amongst 12 and 13 year olds, regular smoking was more common in Spain. Almost half the participants were female (47.2% in Spain; 49.9% in the UK). Gender did not vary significantly according to age. The distribution of ASE determinant scores varied by country and predicted intention. The influence of each ASE determinant on intention was moderated by country. Country had a large direct influence on intention (1.72 points on a 7 point scale) but the effects of age and gender were mediated by the ASE determinants. The findings suggest resisting peer pressure interventions could potentially influence smoking amongst UK adolescents but not Spanish adolescents. Interventions that promote self-efficacy, on the other hand, would possibly have a greater influence on smoking amongst Spanish adolescents. The ASE model may not capture important cultural factors related to adolescent smoking and the relative contribution of particular ASE determinants to adolescent smoking intentions may differ between countries. Future European trans-national adolescent smoking prevention programmes may benefit from greater understanding of country-level cultural norms.

  3. Software development environments: Status and trends

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duffel, Larry E.

    1988-01-01

    Currently software engineers are the essential integrating factors tying several components together. The components consist of process, methods, computers, tools, support environments, and software engineers. The engineers today empower the tools versus the tools empowering the engineers. Some of the issues in software engineering are quality, managing the software engineering process, and productivity. A strategy to accomplish this is to promote the evolution of software engineering from an ad hoc, labor intensive activity to a managed, technology supported discipline. This strategy may be implemented by putting the process under management control, adopting appropriate methods, inserting the technology that provides automated support for the process and methods, collecting automated tools into an integrated environment and educating the personnel.

  4. Proceedings of Tenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    Papers are presented on the following topics: measurement of software technology, recent studies of the Software Engineering Lab, software management tools, expert systems, error seeding as a program validation technique, software quality assurance, software engineering environments (including knowledge-based environments), the Distributed Computing Design System, and various Ada experiments.

  5. Annotated bibliography of software engineering laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buhler, Melanie; Valett, Jon

    1989-01-01

    An annotated bibliography is presented of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory. The bibliography was updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials were grouped into eight general subject areas for easy reference: (1) The Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) The Software Engineering Laboratory: Software Development Documents; (3) Software Tools; (4) Software Models; (5) Software Measurement; (6) Technology Evaluations; (7) Ada Technology; and (8) Data Collection. Subject and author indexes further classify these documents by specific topic and individual author.

  6. Safety and efficacy of autologous serum eye drop for treatment of dry eyes in graft-versus-host disease.

    PubMed

    Azari, Amir A; Karadag, Remzi; Kanavi, Mozhgan Rezaei; Nehls, Sarah; Barney, Neal; Kim, Kyungmann; Longo, Walter; Hematti, Peiman; Juckett, Mark

    2017-06-01

    To evaluate the treatment of autologous serum eye drops (ASED) on dry eyes in patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). A retrospective chart review of 35 patients with a history of ocular GVHD following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation that used ASED to alleviate dry eye symptoms was performed. Patients were categorized into three different groups. If patients had available ophthalmic data before and after starting treatment was group 1 (n = 14), had available ophthalmic data after starting treatment in group 2 (n = 10) and had available ophthalmic data before treatment or did not have any data after starting treatment in group 3 (n = 11). Data were collected on patient's age, gender, primary diagnosis, visual acuity and fluorescein corneal staining were collected on individual eyes in order to evaluate the efficacy of the ASED on alleviating dry eye-related signs and symptoms. No adverse ocular effect from the ASED was found in our series (except one fungal keratitis). All patients reported either improvement (55%) or stability (45%) in their ocular symptoms upon the use of ASED. In patients with available data before and after starting treatment, the corneal staining score improved by a median of 1 (p = 0.003) and the LogMAR visual acuity had a non-significant improvement. In our study, ASED used by patients with ocular GVHD were both safe and effective. ASED should be considered in patients with GVHD who suffer from dry eyes.

  7. Bayesian Inference of Allele-Specific Gene Expression Indicates Abundant Cis-Regulatory Variation in Natural Flycatcher Populations

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Mi

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Polymorphism in cis-regulatory sequences can lead to different levels of expression for the two alleles of a gene, providing a starting point for the evolution of gene expression. Little is known about the genome-wide abundance of genetic variation in gene regulation in natural populations but analysis of allele-specific expression (ASE) provides a means for investigating such variation. We performed RNA-seq of multiple tissues from population samples of two closely related flycatcher species and developed a Bayesian algorithm that maximizes data usage by borrowing information from the whole data set and combines several SNPs per transcript to detect ASE. Of 2,576 transcripts analyzed in collared flycatcher, ASE was detected in 185 (7.2%) and a similar frequency was seen in the pied flycatcher. Transcripts with statistically significant ASE commonly showed the major allele in >90% of the reads, reflecting that power was highest when expression was heavily biased toward one of the alleles. This would suggest that the observed frequencies of ASE likely are underestimates. The proportion of ASE transcripts varied among tissues, being lowest in testis and highest in muscle. Individuals often showed ASE of particular transcripts in more than one tissue (73.4%), consistent with a genetic basis for regulation of gene expression. The results suggest that genetic variation in regulatory sequences commonly affects gene expression in natural populations and that it provides a seedbed for phenotypic evolution via divergence in gene expression. PMID:28453623

  8. In the soft-to-hard technical spectrum: Where is software engineering?

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leibfried, Theodore F.; Macdonald, Robert B.

    1992-01-01

    In the computer journals and tabloids, there have been a plethora of articles written about the software engineering field. But while advocates of the need for an engineering approach to software development, it is impressive how many authors have treated the subject of software engineering without adequately addressing the fundamentals of what engineering as a discipline consists of. A discussion is presented of the various related facets of this issue in a logical framework to advance the thesis that the software development process is necessarily an engineering process. The purpose is to examine more of the details of the issue of whether or not the design and development of software for digital computer processing systems should be both viewed and treated as a legitimate field of professional engineering. Also, the type of academic and professional level education programs that would be required to support a software engineering discipline is examined.

  9. Software Engineering Education Directory

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-04-01

    and Engineering (CMSC 735) Codes: GPEV2 * Textiooks: IEEE Tutoria on Models and Metrics for Software Management and Engameeing by Basi, Victor R...Software Engineering (Comp 227) Codes: GPRY5 Textbooks: IEEE Tutoria on Software Design Techniques by Freeman, Peter and Wasserman, Anthony 1. Software

  10. The research and practice of spacecraft software engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Chengxin; Wang, Jinghua; Xu, Xiaoguang

    2017-06-01

    In order to ensure the safety and reliability of spacecraft software products, it is necessary to execute engineering management. Firstly, the paper introduces the problems of unsystematic planning, uncertain classified management and uncontinuous improved mechanism in domestic and foreign spacecraft software engineering management. Then, it proposes a solution for software engineering management based on system-integrated ideology in the perspective of spacecraft system. Finally, a application result of spacecraft is given as an example. The research can provides a reference for executing spacecraft software engineering management and improving software product quality.

  11. Data systems and computer science: Software Engineering Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zygielbaum, Arthur I.

    1991-01-01

    An external review of the Integrated Technology Plan for the Civil Space Program is presented. This review is specifically concerned with the Software Engineering Program. The goals of the Software Engineering Program are as follows: (1) improve NASA's ability to manage development, operation, and maintenance of complex software systems; (2) decrease NASA's cost and risk in engineering complex software systems; and (3) provide technology to assure safety and reliability of software in mission critical applications.

  12. Modeling software systems by domains

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dippolito, Richard; Lee, Kenneth

    1992-01-01

    The Software Architectures Engineering (SAE) Project at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has developed engineering modeling techniques that both reduce the complexity of software for domain-specific computer systems and result in systems that are easier to build and maintain. These techniques allow maximum freedom for system developers to apply their domain expertise to software. We have applied these techniques to several types of applications, including training simulators operating in real time, engineering simulators operating in non-real time, and real-time embedded computer systems. Our modeling techniques result in software that mirrors both the complexity of the application and the domain knowledge requirements. We submit that the proper measure of software complexity reflects neither the number of software component units nor the code count, but the locus of and amount of domain knowledge. As a result of using these techniques, domain knowledge is isolated by fields of engineering expertise and removed from the concern of the software engineer. In this paper, we will describe kinds of domain expertise, describe engineering by domains, and provide relevant examples of software developed for simulator applications using the techniques.

  13. High-gain EDFA using ASE suppression: numerical simulation and experimental characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woellner, Eudes F.; Fugihara, Meire C.; Vendramin, Marcio; Chitz, Edson; Kalinowski, Hypolito J.; Pontes, Maria J.

    2001-08-01

    A single stage, bi-directionally pumped Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier is studied, using a scheme that reduces the counter propagating ASE, avoiding self saturation due to ASE. The amplifier is numerically simulated and experimentally characterized. Gain, saturation and polarization dependence measurements are carried to compare with simulated results. Transient response is simulated to verify the amplifier performance in cable television distribution network.

  14. Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tarrant, C.; Crook, J.

    1998-01-01

    The Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS) Program is a technology demonstration effort designed to advance the state-of-the-art in launch vehicle propulsion systems. Its emphasis is on developing and demonstrating a modular software architecture for advanced engine control systems that will result in lower software maintenance (operations) costs. It effectively accommodates software requirement changes that occur due to hardware technology upgrades and engine development testing. Ground rules directed by MSFC were to optimize modularity and implement the software in the Ada programming language. MRECS system software and the software development environment utilize Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products. This paper presents the objectives, benefits, and status of the program. The software architecture, design, and development environment are described. MRECS tasks are defined and timing relationships given. Major accomplishments are listed. MRECS offers benefits to a wide variety of advanced technology programs in the areas of modular software architecture, reuse software, and reduced software reverification time related to software changes. MRECS was recently modified to support a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hot-fire test. Cold Flow and Flight Readiness Testing were completed before the test was cancelled. Currently, the program is focused on supporting NASA MSFC in accomplishing development testing of the Fastrac Engine, part of NASA's Low Cost Technologies (LCT) Program. MRECS will be used for all engine development testing.

  15. The 1984 NASA/ASEE summer faculty fellowship program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    The assessment of forest productivity and associated nitrogen flux in a number of conifer ecosystems is described. As a base line study of acid precipitation in the Sierra Nevada, involved is the extraction and integration of a number of data planes describing the terrain, soils, lithology, vegetation cover and structure, and microclimate of the region. The development of automated techniques to extract topographic networks (stream canyons and ridge lines) for use as a landscrape skeleton to organize and integrate data sets into an efficient geographical information system is examined. The software is written in both FORTRAN and C, and is portable to a number of different computer environments with minimal modification.

  16. Teaching Agile Software Engineering Using Problem-Based Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    El-Khalili, Nuha H.

    2013-01-01

    Many studies have reported the utilization of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in teaching Software Engineering courses. However, these studies have different views of the effectiveness of PBL. This paper presents the design of an Advanced Software Engineering course for undergraduate Software Engineering students that uses PBL to teach them Agile…

  17. Software Engineering Frameworks: Textbooks vs. Student Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMaster, Kirby; Hadfield, Steven; Wolthuis, Stuart; Sambasivam, Samuel

    2012-01-01

    This research examines the frameworks used by Computer Science and Information Systems students at the conclusion of their first semester of study of Software Engineering. A questionnaire listing 64 Software Engineering concepts was given to students upon completion of their first Software Engineering course. This survey was given to samples of…

  18. Amplified spontaneous emission from the exciplex state of a conjugated polymer "PFO" in oleic acid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Idriss, Hajo; Taha, Kamal K.; Aldaghri, O.; Alhathlool, R.; AlSalhi, M. S.; Ibnaouf, K. H.

    2016-09-01

    The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) characteristics of a conjugated polymer poly (9, 9-dioctylfluorenyl-2, 7-diyl) (PFO) in oleic acid have been studied under different concentrations and temperatures. Here, the ASE spectra of PFO in oleic acid have been obtained using a transverse cavity configuration where the conjugated PFO was pumped by laser pulses from the third harmonic of Nd: YAG laser (355 nm). The PFO in oleic acid produces ASE from an exciplex state - a new molecular species. The obtained results were compared with the PFO in benzene. Such ASE spectra from the exciplex state have not been observed for the PFO in benzene.

  19. IR Image upconversion using band-limited ASE illumination fiber sources.

    PubMed

    Maestre, H; Torregrosa, A J; Capmany, J

    2016-04-18

    We study the field-of-view (FOV) of an upconversion imaging system that employs an Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) fiber source to illuminate a transmission target. As an intermediate case between narrowband laser and thermal illumination, an ASE fiber source allows for higher spectral intensity than thermal illumination and still keeps a broad wavelength spectrum to take advantage of an increased non-collinear phase-matching angle acceptance that enlarges the FOV of the upconversion system when compared to using narrowband laser illumination. A model is presented to predict the angular acceptance of the upconverter in terms of focusing and ASE spectral width and allocation. The model is experimentally checked in case of 1550-630 nm upconversion.

  20. Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse-Based Software Engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Addy, Edward A.

    1999-01-01

    The implementation of reuse-based software engineering not only introduces new activities to the software development process, such as domain analysis and domain modeling, it also impacts other aspects of software engineering. Other areas of software engineering that are affected include Configuration Management, Testing, Quality Control, and Verification and Validation (V&V). Activities in each of these areas must be adapted to address the entire domain or product line rather than a specific application system. This paper discusses changes and enhancements to the V&V process, in order to adapt V&V to reuse-based software engineering.

  1. Phase 1 results from the Stirling-powered vehicle project

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shaltens, Richard K.

    1988-01-01

    The NASA Technology Utilization (TU) Office is sponsoring a multiyear, multiphase demonstration program to assess the technology developed under the DOE/NASA automotive Stirling engine (ASE) program with engines installed in various Air Force vehicles while being evaluated by independent third parties under realistic conditions. This paper reviews the operational history of Phase 1 with a Mod 1 Stirling engine installed in an Air Force multistop van in a variety of missions. Ten months of operation were with Air Force personnel at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, where over 1100 hr and 4000 mi were logged on the Langley flight line. The Stirling-powered van operated on unleaded gasoline, JP-4 aircraft fuel, and diesel fuel at Langley Air Force Base. Two months of operation were completed with Deere and Company personnel in the Moline, Illinois area where over 175 hr and 2650 mi were logged on a Deere mail delivery route.

  2. Investigations on Structural, Optical and X-Radiation Responsive Properties of a-Se Thin Films Fabricated by Thermal Evaporation Method at Low Vacuum Degree.

    PubMed

    Li, Jitao; Zhu, Xinghua; Yang, Dingyu; Gu, Peng; Wu, Haihua

    2018-03-02

    Amorphous selenium (a-Se) thin films with a thickness of 1200 nm were successfully fabricated by thermal evaporation at a low vacuum degree of 10 -2 Pa. The structural properties involving phase and morphology showed that a-Se thin films could be resistant to 60 °C in air. Also, a transformation to polycrystalline Selenium (p-Se) was shown as the annealing temperature rose to 62 °C and 65 °C, with obvious changes in color and surface morphology. Moreover, as the a-Se transformed to p-Se, the samples' transmittance decreased significantly, and the band gap declined dramatically from 2.15 eV to 1.92 eV. Finally, the X-radiation response of a-Se was investigated as an important property, revealing there is a remarkable response speed of photogeneration current both X-ray on and X-ray off, with a requirement of only a very small electrical field.

  3. Investigation of ASE and SRS effects on 1018nm short-wavelength Yb3+-doped fiber laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Zhaoxin; Shi, Wei; Sheng, Quan; Fu, Shijie; Fang, Qiang; Zhang, Haiwei; Bai, Xiaolei; Shi, Guannan; Yao, Jianquan

    2017-03-01

    1018nm short wavelength Yb3+-doped fiber laser can be widely used for tandem-pumped fiber laser system in 1 μm regime because of its high brightness and low quantum defect (QD). In order to achieve 1018nm short wavelength Yb3+-doped fiber laser with high output power, a steady-state rate equations considering the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) has been established. We theoretically analyzed the ASE and SRS effects in 1018nm short wavelength Yb3+-doped fiber laser and the simulation results show that the ASE is the main restriction rather than SRS for high power 1018nm short wavelength Yb3+-doped fiber laser, besides the high temperature of fiber is also the restriction for high output power. We use numerical solution of steady-state rate equations to discuss how to suppress ASE in 1018nm short wavelength fiber laser and how to achieve high power 1018nm short-wavelength fiber laser.

  4. The Many Faces of a Software Engineer in a Research Community

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

    Marinovici, Maria C.; Kirkham, Harold

    2013-10-14

    The ability to gather, analyze and make decisions based on real world data is changing nearly every field of human endeavor. These changes are particularly challenging for software engineers working in a scientific community, designing and developing large, complex systems. To avoid the creation of a communications gap (almost a language barrier), the software engineers should possess an ‘adaptive’ skill. In the science and engineering research community, the software engineers must be responsible for more than creating mechanisms for storing and analyzing data. They must also develop a fundamental scientific and engineering understanding of the data. This paper looks atmore » the many faces that a software engineer should have: developer, domain expert, business analyst, security expert, project manager, tester, user experience professional, etc. Observations made during work on a power-systems scientific software development are analyzed and extended to describe more generic software development projects.« less

  5. Involvement of Activated Oxygen in Nitrate-Induced Senescence of Pea Root Nodules.

    PubMed Central

    Escuredo, P. R.; Minchin, F. R.; Gogorcena, Y.; Iturbe-Ormaetxe, I.; Klucas, R. V.; Becana, M.

    1996-01-01

    The effect of short-term nitrate application (10 mM, 0-4 d) on nitrogenase (N2ase) activity, antioxidant defenses, and related parameters was investigated in pea (Pisum sativum L. cv Frilene) nodules. The response of nodules to nitrate comprised two stages. In the first stage (0-2 d), there were major decreases in N2ase activity and N2ase-linked respiration and concomitant increases in carbon cost of N2ase and oxygen diffusion resistance of nodules. There was no apparent oxidative damage, and the decline in N2ase activity was, to a certain extent, reversible. The second stage (>2 d) was typical of a senescent, essentially irreversible process. It was characterized by moderate increases in oxidized proteins and catalytic Fe and by major decreases in antioxidant enzymes and metabolites. The restriction in oxygen supply to bacteroids may explain the initial decline in N2ase activity. The decrease in antioxidant protection is not involved in this process and is not specifically caused by nitrate, since it also occurs with drought stress. However, comparison of nitrate- and drought-induced senescence shows an important difference: there is no lipid degradation or lipid peroxide accumulation with nitrate, indicating that lipid peroxidation is not necessarily involved in nodule senescence. PMID:12226252

  6. An anti-silencer– and SATB1-dependent chromatin hub regulates Rag1 and Rag2 gene expression during thymocyte development

    PubMed Central

    Hao, Bingtao; Naik, Abani Kanta; Watanabe, Akiko; Tanaka, Hirokazu; Chen, Liang; Richards, Hunter W.; Kondo, Motonari; Taniuchi, Ichiro; Kohwi, Yoshinori; Kohwi-Shigematsu, Terumi

    2015-01-01

    Rag1 and Rag2 gene expression in CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) thymocytes depends on the activity of a distant anti-silencer element (ASE) that counteracts the activity of an intergenic silencer. However, the mechanistic basis for ASE activity is unknown. Here, we show that the ASE physically interacts with the distant Rag1 and Rag2 gene promoters in DP thymocytes, bringing the two promoters together to form an active chromatin hub. Moreover, we show that the ASE functions as a classical enhancer that can potently activate these promoters in the absence of the silencer or other locus elements. In thymocytes lacking the chromatin organizer SATB1, we identified a partial defect in Tcra gene rearrangement that was associated with reduced expression of Rag1 and Rag2 at the DP stage. SATB1 binds to the ASE and Rag promoters, facilitating inclusion of Rag2 in the chromatin hub and the loading of RNA polymerase II to both the Rag1 and Rag2 promoters. Our results provide a novel framework for understanding ASE function and demonstrate a novel role for SATB1 as a regulator of Rag locus organization and gene expression in DP thymocytes. PMID:25847946

  7. 200-GHz and 50-GHz AWG channelized linewidth dependent transmission of weak-resonant-cavity FPLD injection-locked by spectrally sliced ASE.

    PubMed

    Lin, Gong-Ru; Cheng, Tzu-Kang; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Lin, Gong-Cheng; Wang, Hai-Lin; Lin, Yi-Hong

    2009-09-28

    In a weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode (WRC-FPLD) based DWDM-PON system with an array-waveguide-grating (AWG) channelized amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source located at remote node, we study the effect of AWG filter bandwidth on the transmission performances of the 1.25-Gbit/s directly modulated WRC-FPLD transmitter under the AWG channelized ASE injection-locking. With AWG filters of two different channel spacings at 50 and 200 GHz, several characteristic parameters such as interfered reflection, relatively intensity noise, crosstalk reduction, side-mode-suppressing ratio and power penalty of BER effect of the WRC-FPLD transmitted data are compared. The 200-GHz AWG filtered ASE injection minimizes the noises of WRC-FPLD based ONU transmitter, improving the power penalty of upstream data by -1.6 dB at BER of 10(-12). In contrast, the 50-GHz AWG channelized ASE injection fails to promote better BER but increases the power penalty by + 1.5 dB under back-to-back transmission. A theoretical modeling elucidates that the BER degradation up to 4 orders of magnitude between two injection cases is mainly attributed to the reduction on ASE injection linewidth, since which concurrently degrades the signal-to-noise and extinction ratios of the transmitted data stream.

  8. Collected software engineering papers, volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    Topics addressed include: summaries of the software engineering laboratory (SEL) organization, operation, and research activities; results of specific research projects in the areas of resource models and software measures; and strategies for data collection for software engineering research.

  9. Managing the Software Development Process

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lubelczky, Jeffrey T.; Parra, Amy

    1999-01-01

    The goal of any software development project is to produce a product that is delivered on time, within the allocated budget, and with the capabilities expected by the customer and unfortunately, this goal is rarely achieved. However, a properly managed project in a mature software engineering environment can consistently achieve this goal. In this paper we provide an introduction to three project success factors, a properly managed project, a competent project manager, and a mature software engineering environment. We will also present an overview of the benefits of a mature software engineering environment based on 24 years of data from the Software Engineering Lab, and suggest some first steps that an organization can take to begin benefiting from this environment. The depth and breadth of software engineering exceeds this paper, various references are cited with a goal of raising awareness and encouraging further investigation into software engineering and project management practices.

  10. High-pressure behavior of amorphous selenium from ultrasonic measurements and Raman spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Z.; Wang, Z. G.; Zhu, H. Y.; Liu, X. R.; Peng, J. P.; Hong, S. M.

    2014-07-01

    The high-pressure behavior of melt-quenched amorphous selenium (a-Se) has been investigated via ultrasonic measurements and Raman scattering at room temperature. The ultrasonic measurements were conducted on a-Se in a multi-anvil apparatus with two different sample assemblies at pressures of up to 4.5 and 4.8 GPa. We discovered that similar kinks occur in the slopes of the pressure dependence characteristics of the travel time and the sound velocity in both shear and longitudinal waves in the 2.0-2.5 GPa range. These kinks are independent of the sample assemblies, indicating an intrinsic transformation of the a-Se. Additionally, we deduced the pressure-volume relationship of a-Se from the sound velocity characteristics using the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state, and the results agreed well with those of previous reports. In situ high-pressure Raman scattering measurements of a-Se were conducted in a diamond anvil cell with an 830 nm excitation line up to a pressure of 4.3 GPa. We found that the characteristic band of a-Se at ˜250 cm-1 experienced a smooth shift to a lower frequency with pressure, but a sharp slope change in the band intensity versus pressure occurred near 2.5 GPa. The results of X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements indicate that the samples remain in their amorphous states after decompression. Thus, we proposed that the abnormal compression behavior of a-Se in the 2.0-2.5 GPa range can be attributed to pressure-induced local atomic reconfiguration, implying an amorphous-amorphous transition of the elementary selenium.

  11. Antinociceptive effects of hydroalcoholic extract from Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaí) in a rodent model of acute and neuropathic pain.

    PubMed

    Sudo, Roberto T; Neto, Miguel L; Monteiro, Carlos E S; Amaral, Rachel V; Resende, Ângela C; Souza, Pergentino J C; Zapata-Sudo, Gisele; Moura, Roberto S

    2015-07-02

    Plants rich in flavonoids, such as açaí (Euterpe oleraceae Mart.), can induce antinociception in experimental animals. Here, we tested an extract obtained from the stones of açaí fruits (açaí stone extract, ASE), a native plant from the Amazon region of Brazil, in models of acute/inflammatory and chronic pain. Antinociceptive effects of ASE were evaluated in the hot plate, formalin, acetic acid writhing, carrageenan, and neuropathic pain models, as well as in thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia models induced by spinal nerve ligation. Antinociceptive activities were modulated by the administration of cholinergic, adrenergic, opioid, and L-arginine-NO antagonists. Oral administration of ASE (30, 100, or 300 mg.kg(-1)) dose-dependently reduced nociceptive responses to acute/inflammatory pain in mice, including thermal hyperalgesia, acetic acid-induced writhing, and carrageenan-induced thermal hyperalgesia. Moreover, ASE reduced the neurogenic and inflammatory phases after intraplantar injection of formalin in mice. The antinociceptive effect of ASE (100 mg · kg(-1)) in a hot plate protocol, was inhibited by pre-treatment with naloxone (1 mg · kg(-1)), atropine (2 mg · kg(-1)), yohimbine (5 mg · kg(-1)), or L-NAME (30 mg · kg(-1)). Furthermore, ASE prevented chronic pain in a rat spinal nerve ligation model, including thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia. ASE showed significant antinociceptive effect via a multifactorial mechanism of action, indicating that the extract may be useful in the development of new analgesic drugs.

  12. Development of an amorphous selenium based photoconductor and its application in a high-sensitivity photodetector (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masuzawa, Tomoaki; Ebisudani, Taishi; Ochiai, Jun; Saito, Ichitaro; Yamada, Takatoshi; Chua, Daniel H. C.; Mimura, Hidenori; Okano, Ken

    2016-09-01

    Although present imaging devices are mostly silicon-based devices such as CMOS and CCD, these devices are reaching their sensitivity limit due to the band gap of silicon. Amorphous selenium (a-Se) is a promising candidate for high- sensitivity photo imaging devices, because of its low thermal noise, high spatial resolution, as well as adaptability to wide-area deposition. In addition, internal signal amplification is reported on a-Se based photodetectors, which enables a photodetector having effective quantum efficiency over 100 % against visible light. Since a-Se has sensitivity to UV and soft X-rays, the reported internal signal amplification should be applicable to UV and X-ray detection. However, application of the internal signal amplification required high voltage, which caused unexpected breakdown at the contact or thin-film transistor-based signal read-out. For this reason, vacuum devices having electron-beam read-out is proposed. The advantages of vacuum-type devices are vacuum insulation and its extremely low dark current. In this study, we present recent progresses in developing a-Se based photoconductive films and photodetector using nitrogen-doped diamond electron beam source as signal read-out. A novel electrochemical method is used to dope impurities into a-Se, turning the material from weak p-type to n-type. A p-n junction is formed within a-Se photoconductive film, which has increased the sensitivity of a-Se based photodetector. Our result suggests a possibility of high sensitivity photodetector that can potentially break the limit of silicon-based devices.

  13. Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The four major topics of discussion included: the NASA Software Engineering Laboratory, software testing, human factors in software engineering and software quality assessment. As in the past years, there were 12 position papers presented (3 for each topic) followed by questions and very heavy participation by the general audience.

  14. Use of Soft Computing Technologies For Rocket Engine Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trevino, Luis C.; Olcmen, Semih; Polites, Michael

    2003-01-01

    The problem to be addressed in this paper is to explore how the use of Soft Computing Technologies (SCT) could be employed to further improve overall engine system reliability and performance. Specifically, this will be presented by enhancing rocket engine control and engine health management (EHM) using SCT coupled with conventional control technologies, and sound software engineering practices used in Marshall s Flight Software Group. The principle goals are to improve software management, software development time and maintenance, processor execution, fault tolerance and mitigation, and nonlinear control in power level transitions. The intent is not to discuss any shortcomings of existing engine control and EHM methodologies, but to provide alternative design choices for control, EHM, implementation, performance, and sustaining engineering. The approaches outlined in this paper will require knowledge in the fields of rocket engine propulsion, software engineering for embedded systems, and soft computing technologies (i.e., neural networks, fuzzy logic, and Bayesian belief networks), much of which is presented in this paper. The first targeted demonstration rocket engine platform is the MC-1 (formerly FASTRAC Engine) which is simulated with hardware and software in the Marshall Avionics & Software Testbed laboratory that

  15. Final Technical Report ONT/ASEE (Office of Naval Technology/American Society for Engineering Education) Postdoctoral Fellow on Contract N00014-83-D-0689.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-02-19

    phosphatase with BCIP/NBT appears to produce the most clearly visible spot on the membrane. The spot is a purple-blue color, but one must orient the membrane...phosphatase-labeled antibodies. With any of these reagents, we can produce a discrete and clearly visible spot on nitrocellulose membranes. The intensity of...substrate systems are used; however, one has to orient the membrane towards the light in such a manner that the spot is clearly visible . We have found

  16. Significant effect of NSP-ase enzyme supplementation in sunflower meal-based diet on the growth and nutrient digestibility in broilers.

    PubMed

    Bilal, M; Mirza, M A; Kaleem, M; Saeed, M; Reyad-Ul-Ferdous, Md; Abd El-Hack, M E

    2017-04-01

    The response of broiler chickens to 3 levels of sunflower meal and 2 levels of NSP-ase enzyme combination (with and without) was investigated in 3 × 2 factorial arrangement under complete randomized design (CRD). A total of 240 Hubbard broiler chicks were fed on practical mash diets having 2950 kcal of ME and 21% CP from 1 to 42 days of age. The BW gain was not significantly reduced when 25% SFM was added in the diets during 1 to 42 days of age. Supplementation of NSP-ase in broiler diets (day 1-42 overall) demonstrated non-significant differences (p < 0.05) across the treatments in terms of FI and BWG. The difference in feed:gain at 15% or 20% SFM was observed to be non-significant. Replacement of SBM with SFM or inclusion of SFM at higher level (25%) increased/deteriorated FCR. The addition of exogenous NSP-ase showed a significant improvement (p < 0.01) in feed:gain. The improvement was clearly demonstrated when SFM was added to the experimental diet at 15% or even 20%. Supplementation of NSP-ase at the 25% inclusion level could not, however, sustain the beneficial effect, which was possibly due to excessively high dietary CF. No difference was noted across the treatments regarding carcass response. Relative gizzard weight and intestinal weight were observed to be improved in birds consuming higher levels of SFM (p = 0.00). The digestibility of CF was observed to improve when SFM was used at 20% and 25% in the diets. No improvement in the digestibility of CF was observed with NSP-ase supplementation, which meant other factors were clearly involved. Supplementation of NSP-ase improved FCR up to 20% SFM. At 25% SFM, no improvement in the digestibility of CF was observed with NSP-ase supplementation. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  17. Purification and Characterization of [NiFe]-Hydrogenase of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

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

    Shi, Liang; Belchik, Sara M.; Plymale, Andrew E.

    2011-08-02

    The γ-proteobacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 possesses a periplasmic [NiFe]-hydrogenase (MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase) that was implicated in both H2 production and oxidation as well as technetium [Tc(VII)] reduction. To characterize the roles of MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase in these proposed reactions, the genes encoding both subunits of MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase were cloned into a protein expression vector. The resulting plasmid was transformed into a MR-1 mutant deficient in H2 formation. Expression of MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase in trans restored the mutant’s ability to produce H2 at 37% of that for wild type. Following expression, MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase was purified to near homogeneity. The purified MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase could couplemore » H2 oxidation to reduction of Tc(VII) and methyl viologen directly. Change of the buffers used affected MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase-mediated Tc(VII) but not methyl viologen reductions. Under the conditions tested, Tc(VII) reduction was complete in Tris buffer but not in HEPES buffer. The reduced Tc(IV) was soluble in Tris buffer but insoluble in HEPES buffer. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that Tc(IV) precipitates formed in HEPES buffer were packed with crystallites. Although X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy measurements confirmed that the reduction products found in both buffers were Tc(IV), extended X-ray adsorption fine-structure measurements revealed that these products were very different. While the product in Tris buffer could not be determined, the Tc(IV) product in HEPES buffer was very similar to Tc(IV)O2•nH2O. These results shows for the first time that MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase is a bidirectional enzyme that catalyzes both H2 formation and oxidation as well as Tc(VII) reduction directly by coupling H2 oxidation.« less

  18. Managing knee osteoarthritis with yoga or aerobic/strengthening exercise programs in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Cheung, Corjena; Wyman, Jean F; Bronas, Ulf; McCarthy, Teresa; Rudser, Kyle; Mathiason, Michelle A

    2017-03-01

    Although exercise is often recommended for managing osteoarthritis (OA), limited evidence-based exercise options are available for older adults with OA. This study compared the effects of Hatha yoga (HY) and aerobic/strengthening exercises (ASE) on knee OA. Randomized controlled trial with three arms design was used: HY, ASE, and education control. Both HY and ASE groups involved 8 weekly 45-min group classes with 2-4 days/week home practice sessions. Control group received OA education brochures and weekly phone calls from study staff. Standardized instruments were used to measure OA symptoms, physical function, mood, spiritual health, fear of falling, and quality of life at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks. HY/ASE adherences were assessed weekly using class attendance records and home practice video recordings. Primary analysis of the difference in the change from baseline was based on intent-to-treat and adjusted for baseline values. Eight-three adults with symptomatic knee OA completed the study (84% female; mean age 71.6 ± 8.0 years; mean BMI 29.0 ± 7.0 kg/m 2 ). Retention rate was 82%. Compared to the ASE group at 8 weeks, participants in the HY group had a significant improvement from baseline in perception of OA symptoms (-9.6 [95% CI -15.3, -4]; p = .001), anxiety (-1.4 [95% CI -2.7, -0]; p = .04), and fear of falling (-4.6 [-7.5, -1.7]; p = .002). There were no differences in class/home practice adherence between HY and ASE. Three non-serious adverse events were reported from the ASE group. Both HY and ASE improved symptoms and function but HY may have superior benefits for older adults with knee OA. Trial registration The full trial protocol is available at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02525341).

  19. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D deficiency accelerates alveolar bone loss independent of aging and extracellular calcium and phosphorus.

    PubMed

    Gong, Aixiu; Chen, Jie; Wu, Jun; Li, Jing; Wang, Lin; Goltzman, David; Miao, Dengshun

    2018-04-10

    Vitamin D is critical for bone homeostasis and immunomodulation. We therefore assessed whether 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2 D) deficiency in mice with targeted deletion of the gene encoding 25-hydroxyvitaminD-1αhydroxylase [1α(OH)ase] (1αOH)ase -/- mice) results in alveolar bone loss and periodontal inflammation in vivo. 10-week-old and 12-month-old 1α(OH)ase -/- mice and wild-type littermates were fed a normal diet or a rescue diet, and the phenotype of the periodontium was then analyzed using micro-computed tomography, histology, immunohistochemistry and real-time RT-PCR. Alveolar bone loss was increased and maxillary bone mineral density (BMD), osteoblast numbers and the number of osterix-positive cells were decreased significantly in 1α(OH)ase -/- mice compared with wild-type mice. Although aging from 10 weeks to 12 months accentuated these changes, and a rescue diet reduced them, the alterations in the 1α(OH)ase -/- mice exceeded the effects of aging and diet change. Nuclear factor kappa light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-кB) p65 and CD3 positive cells, and the gene expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -3 and -8 were all increased significantly in periodontal tissues of 1α(OH)ase -/- mice compared with wild-type mice. Aging from 10 weeks to 12 months also accentuated these changes, and a rescue diet reduced them, however, the alterations in the 1α(OH)ase -/- mice exceeded the effects of aging and diet change. 1,25(OH) 2 D deficiency in the 1α(OH)ase -/- mice accelerated alveolar bone loss by inhibiting osteoblastic bone formation and enhancing periodontal tissue degeneration in a calcium and phosphorus as well as age independent manner. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 American Academy of Periodontology.

  20. Intervendor consistency and reproducibility of left ventricular 2D global and regional strain with two different high-end ultrasound systems.

    PubMed

    Shiino, Kenji; Yamada, Akira; Ischenko, Matthew; Khandheria, Bijoy K; Hudaverdi, Mahala; Speranza, Vicki; Harten, Mary; Benjamin, Anthony; Hamilton-Craig, Christian R; Platts, David G; Burstow, Darryl J; Scalia, Gregory M; Chan, Jonathan

    2017-06-01

    We aimed to assess intervendor agreement of global (GLS) and regional longitudinal strain by vendor-specific software after EACVI/ASE Industry Task Force Standardization Initiatives for Deformation Imaging. Fifty-five patients underwent prospective dataset acquisitions on the same day by the same operator using two commercially available cardiac ultrasound systems (GE Vivid E9 and Philips iE33). GLS and regional peak longitudinal strain were analyzed offline using corresponding vendor-specific software (EchoPAC BT13 and QLAB version 10.3). Absolute mean GLS measurements were similar between the two vendors (GE -17.5 ± 5.2% vs. Philips -18.9 ± 5.1%, P = 0.15). There was excellent intervendor correlation of GLS by the same observer [r = 0.94, P < 0.0001; bias -1.3%, 95% CI limits of agreement (LOA) -4.8 to 2.2%). Intervendor comparison for regional longitudinal strain by coronary artery territories distribution were: LAD: r = 0.85, P < 0.0001; bias 0.5%, LOA -5.3 to 6.4%; RCA: r = 0.88, P < 0.0001; bias -2.4%, LOA -8.6 to 3.7%; LCX: r = 0.76, P < 0.0001; bias -5.3%, LOA -10.6 to 2.0%. Intervendor comparison for regional longitudinal strain by LV levels were: basal: r = 0.86, P < 0.0001; bias -3.6%, LOA -9.9 to 2.0%; mid: r = 0.90, P < 0.0001; bias -2.6%, LOA -7.8 to 2.6%; apical: r = 0.74; P < 0.0001; bias -1.3%, LOA -9.4 to 6.8%. Intervendor agreement in GLS and regional strain measurements have significantly improved after the EACVI/ASE Task Force Strain Standardization Initiatives. However, significant wide LOA still exist, especially for regional strain measurements, which remains relevant when considering vendor-specific software for serial measurements. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Eff ect of a single asenapine treatment on Fos expression in the brain catecholamine-synthesizing neurons: impact of a chronic mild stress preconditioning.

    PubMed

    Osacka, J; Horvathova, L; Majercikova, Z; Kiss, Alexander

    2017-04-25

    Fos protein expression in catecholamine-synthesizing neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta (SNC, A8), pars reticulata (SNR, A9), and pars lateralis (SNL), the ventral tegmental area (VTA, A10), the locus coeruleus (LC, A6) and subcoeruleus (sLC), the ventrolateral pons (PON-A5), the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS-A2), the area postrema (AP), and the ventrolateral medulla (VLM-A1) was quantitatively evaluated aft er a single administration of asenapine (ASE) (designated for schizophrenia treatment) in male Wistar rats preconditioned with a chronic unpredictable variable mild stress (CMS) for 21 days. Th e aim of the present study was to reveal whether a single ASE treatment may 1) activate Fos expression in the brain areas selected; 2) activate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-synthesizing cells displaying Fos presence; and 3) be modulated by CMS preconditioning. Control (CON), ASE, CMS, and CMS+ASE groups were used. CMS included restraint, social isolation, crowding, swimming, and cold. Th e ASE and CMS+ASE groups received a single dose of ASE (0.3 mg/kg, s.c.) and CON and CMS saline (300 μl/rat, s.c.). The animals were sacrificed 90 min aft er the treatments. Fos protein and TH-labeled immunoreactive perikarya were analyzed on double labeled histological sections and enumerated on captured pictures using combined light and fluorescence microscope illumination. Saline or CMS alone did not promote Fos expression in any of the structures investigated. ASE alone or in combination with CMS elicited Fos expression in two parts of the SN (SNC, SNR) and the VTA. Aside from some cells in the central gray tegmental nuclei adjacent to LC, where a small number of Fos profiles occurred, none or negligible Fos occurrence was detected in the other structures investigated including the LC and sLC, PON-A5, NTS-A2, AP, and VLM-A1. CMS preconditioning did not infl uence the level of Fos induction in the SN and VTA elicited by ASE administration. Similarly, the ratio between the amount of free Fos and Fos colocalized with TH was not aff ected by stress preconditioning in the SNC, SNR, and the VTA. Th e present study provides an anatomical/functional knowledge about the nature of the acute ASE treatment on the catecholamine-synthesizing neurons activity in certain brain structures and their missing interplay with the CMS preconditioning.

  2. A Bibliography of Externally Published Works by the SEI Engineering Techniques Program

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-08-01

    media, and virtual reality * model- based engineering * programming languages * reuse * software architectures * software engineering as a discipline...Knowledge- Based Engineering Environments." IEEE Expert 3, 2 (May 1988): 18-23, 26-32. Audience: Practitioner [Klein89b] Klein, D.V. "Comparison of...Terms with Software Reuse Terminology: A Model- Based Approach." ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes 16, 2 (April 1991): 45-51. Audience: Practitioner

  3. A report on NASA software engineering and Ada training requirements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Legrand, Sue; Freedman, Glenn B.; Svabek, L.

    1987-01-01

    NASA's software engineering and Ada skill base are assessed and information that may result in new models for software engineering, Ada training plans, and curricula are provided. A quantitative assessment which reflects the requirements for software engineering and Ada training across NASA is provided. A recommended implementation plan including a suggested curriculum with associated duration per course and suggested means of delivery is also provided. The distinction between education and training is made. Although it was directed to focus on NASA's need for the latter, the key relationships to software engineering education are also identified. A rationale and strategy for implementing a life cycle education and training program are detailed in support of improved software engineering practices and the transition to Ada.

  4. Cladding pumped Yb-doped HOM power amplifier with high gain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abedin, Kazi S.; Ahmad, Raja; DeSantolo, Anthony M.; Nicholson, Jeffrey W.; Westbrook, Paul S.; Headley, Clifford; DiGiovanni, David J.

    2018-02-01

    Higher-order mode (HOM) fibers have been engineered to allow propagation of linearly polarized symmetric modes LP0,N in a robust way. Compared with the fundamental mode LP(0,1), HOMs exhibits an effective area that can be larger by over two order magnitude, and thus propagating light in these modes could greatly suppress the effect of nonlinear effects. HOM fibers could also be doped with rare earth ions in order to amplify light propagating in these modes, which offers the enormous potential for generating high-intensity pulses. Excitation of HOM gain fiber using cladding pumping with multimode pump source is attractive for ytterbium based amplifiers, because of the availability of low-cost multimode pump diodes in the 975nm wavelength range. One problem associated with cladding pumping which leads to excitation of the large doped core (over 100 μm diameter) is that it could result in a large amount of amplifiedspontaneous- emission (ASE) noise, particularly when the input signal is weak. Optimization of amplifier design is critical in order to suppress ASE and achieve high gain and pump-to-signal conversion efficiency. We conducted numerical modeling of a cladding pumped HOM-amplifier, which revealed that this problem could be mitigated by using a relatively long gain-fiber that allowed reabsorption of the forward propagating ASE resulting in a further amplification of the signal. We demonstrate efficient amplification of a LP0,10 mode with an effective area 3140μm2 in an Yb-doped HOM amplifier cladding pumped at 975nm. We have successfully obtained a 20.2dB gain for 0.95 W 1064 nm input seed signal to more than 105W.

  5. Spatial variation in carrier dynamics along a single CdSSe nanowire

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blake, Jolie C.; Eldridge, Peter S.; Gundlach, Lars

    2014-10-01

    Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics along individual CdSxSe1-x nanowires has been measured. The use of an improved ultrafast Kerr-gated microscope allows for spatially resolved luminescence measurements along a single nanowire. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was observed at high excitation fluences. Position dependent variations of ultrafast ASE dynamics were observed. SEM and colorimetric measurements showed that the difference in dynamics can be attributed to variations in non-radiative recombination rates along the wire. The dominant Shockley-Read recombination rate can be extracted from ASE dynamics and can be directly related to charge carrier mobility and defect density. Employing ASE as a probe for defect densities provides a new sub-micron spatially resolved, contactless method for measurements of charge carrier mobility.

  6. An Overview of Preliminary Computational and Experimental Results for the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) Wind-Tunnel Model

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Silva, Walter A.; Perry, Boyd, III; Florance, James R.; Sanetrik, Mark D.; Wieseman, Carol D.; Stevens, William L.; Funk, Christie J.; Hur, Jiyoung; Christhilf, David M.; Coulson, David A.

    2011-01-01

    A summary of computational and experimental aeroelastic and aeroservoelastic (ASE) results for the Semi-Span Super-Sonic Transport (S4T) wind-tunnel model is presented. A broad range of analyses and multiple ASE wind-tunnel tests of the S4T have been performed in support of the ASE element in the Supersonics Program, part of NASA's Fundamental Aeronautics Program. The computational results to be presented include linear aeroelastic and ASE analyses, nonlinear aeroelastic analyses using an aeroelastic CFD code, and rapid aeroelastic analyses using CFD-based reduced-order models (ROMs). Experimental results from two closed-loop wind-tunnel tests performed at NASA Langley's Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) will be presented as well.

  7. Development of an Amorphous Selenium-Based Photodetector Driven by a Diamond Cold Cathode

    PubMed Central

    Masuzawa, Tomoaki; Saito, Ichitaro; Yamada, Takatoshi; Onishi, Masanori; Yamaguchi, Hisato; Suzuki, Yu; Oonuki, Kousuke; Kato, Nanako; Ogawa, Shuichi; Takakuwa, Yuji; Koh, Angel T. T.; Chua, Daniel H. C.; Mori, Yusuke; Shimosawa, Tatsuo; Okano, Ken

    2013-01-01

    Amorphous-selenium (a-Se) based photodetectors are promising candidates for imaging devices, due to their high spatial resolution and response speed, as well as extremely high sensitivity enhanced by an internal carrier multiplication. In addition, a-Se is reported to show sensitivity against wide variety of wavelengths, including visible, UV and X-ray, where a-Se based flat-panel X-ray detector was proposed. In order to develop an ultra high-sensitivity photodetector with a wide detectable wavelength range, a photodetector was fabricated using a-Se photoconductor and a nitrogen-doped diamond cold cathode. In the study, a prototype photodetector has been developed, and its response to visible and ultraviolet light are characterized. PMID:24152932

  8. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program 1987

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler)

    1987-01-01

    Since 1964, NASA has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 or 11 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. Program Description: College or university faculty members were appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow devoted approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program consisted of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topic.

  9. V&V Within Reuse-Based Software Engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Addy, Edward A.

    1996-01-01

    Verification and Validation (V&V) is used to increase the level of assurance of critical software, particularly that of safety-critical and mission-critical software. V&V is a systems engineering discipline that evaluates the software in a systems context, and is currently applied during the development of a specific application system. In order to bring the effectiveness of V&V to bear within reuse-based software engineering, V&V must be incorporated within the domain engineering process.

  10. Professional Ethics of Software Engineers: An Ethical Framework.

    PubMed

    Lurie, Yotam; Mark, Shlomo

    2016-04-01

    The purpose of this article is to propose an ethical framework for software engineers that connects software developers' ethical responsibilities directly to their professional standards. The implementation of such an ethical framework can overcome the traditional dichotomy between professional skills and ethical skills, which plagues the engineering professions, by proposing an approach to the fundamental tasks of the practitioner, i.e., software development, in which the professional standards are intrinsically connected to the ethical responsibilities. In so doing, the ethical framework improves the practitioner's professionalism and ethics. We call this approach Ethical-Driven Software Development (EDSD), as an approach to software development. EDSD manifests the advantages of an ethical framework as an alternative to the all too familiar approach in professional ethics that advocates "stand-alone codes of ethics". We believe that one outcome of this synergy between professional and ethical skills is simply better engineers. Moreover, since there are often different software solutions, which the engineer can provide to an issue at stake, the ethical framework provides a guiding principle, within the process of software development, that helps the engineer evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different software solutions. It does not and cannot affect the end-product in and of-itself. However, it can and should, make the software engineer more conscious and aware of the ethical ramifications of certain engineering decisions within the process.

  11. Engineering Complex Embedded Systems with State Analysis and the Mission Data System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ingham, Michel D.; Rasmussen, Robert D.; Bennett, Matthew B.; Moncada, Alex C.

    2004-01-01

    It has become clear that spacecraft system complexity is reaching a threshold where customary methods of control are no longer affordable or sufficiently reliable. At the heart of this problem are the conventional approaches to systems and software engineering based on subsystem-level functional decomposition, which fail to scale in the tangled web of interactions typically encountered in complex spacecraft designs. Furthermore, there is a fundamental gap between the requirements on software specified by systems engineers and the implementation of these requirements by software engineers. Software engineers must perform the translation of requirements into software code, hoping to accurately capture the systems engineer's understanding of the system behavior, which is not always explicitly specified. This gap opens up the possibility for misinterpretation of the systems engineer s intent, potentially leading to software errors. This problem is addressed by a systems engineering methodology called State Analysis, which provides a process for capturing system and software requirements in the form of explicit models. This paper describes how requirements for complex aerospace systems can be developed using State Analysis and how these requirements inform the design of the system software, using representative spacecraft examples.

  12. Research on Visualization Design Method in the Field of New Media Software Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deqiang, Hu

    2018-03-01

    In the new period of increasingly developed science and technology, with the increasingly fierce competition in the market and the increasing demand of the masses, new design and application methods have emerged in the field of new media software engineering, that is, the visualization design method. Applying the visualization design method to the field of new media software engineering can not only improve the actual operation efficiency of new media software engineering but more importantly the quality of software development can be enhanced by means of certain media of communication and transformation; on this basis, the progress and development of new media software engineering in China are also continuously promoted. Therefore, the application of visualization design method in the field of new media software engineering is analysed concretely in this article from the perspective of the overview of visualization design methods and on the basis of systematic analysis of the basic technology.

  13. High-pressure behavior of amorphous selenium from ultrasonic measurements and Raman spectroscopy

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

    He, Z.; Liu, X. R.; Hong, S. M., E-mail: hpswjtu@gmail.com, E-mail: smhong@home.swjtu.edu.cn

    2014-07-07

    The high-pressure behavior of melt-quenched amorphous selenium (a-Se) has been investigated via ultrasonic measurements and Raman scattering at room temperature. The ultrasonic measurements were conducted on a-Se in a multi-anvil apparatus with two different sample assemblies at pressures of up to 4.5 and 4.8 GPa. We discovered that similar kinks occur in the slopes of the pressure dependence characteristics of the travel time and the sound velocity in both shear and longitudinal waves in the 2.0–2.5 GPa range. These kinks are independent of the sample assemblies, indicating an intrinsic transformation of the a-Se. Additionally, we deduced the pressure-volume relationship of a-Se frommore » the sound velocity characteristics using the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state, and the results agreed well with those of previous reports. In situ high-pressure Raman scattering measurements of a-Se were conducted in a diamond anvil cell with an 830 nm excitation line up to a pressure of 4.3 GPa. We found that the characteristic band of a-Se at ∼250 cm{sup −1} experienced a smooth shift to a lower frequency with pressure, but a sharp slope change in the band intensity versus pressure occurred near 2.5 GPa. The results of X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements indicate that the samples remain in their amorphous states after decompression. Thus, we proposed that the abnormal compression behavior of a-Se in the 2.0–2.5 GPa range can be attributed to pressure-induced local atomic reconfiguration, implying an amorphous-amorphous transition of the elementary selenium.« less

  14. Patients recall worse preoperative pain after shoulder arthroplasty than originally reported: a study of recall accuracy using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score.

    PubMed

    Lowe, Jeremiah T; Li, Xinning; Fasulo, Sydney M; Testa, Edward J; Jawa, Andrew

    2017-03-01

    Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable tools for quantifying outcomes of orthopedic surgery. However, when baseline scores are not obtained, there is considerable controversy about whether PROMs can be administered retrospectively for patients to recall their preoperative state. We investigated the accuracy of patient recall after total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) assessment score. Recalled ASES scores were collected postoperatively at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months from 169 patients who previously completed baseline scores before TSA. The ASES total score was divided into its two subcomponents: functional ability and visual analog scale (VAS) for pain. We compared preoperative and recalled scores for each subcomponent and the total ASES score. Recalled ASES function scores were comparable to corresponding preoperative scores across all time points (analysis of variance, P = .21), but recalled VAS pain was significantly higher at all time points beyond 6 weeks after surgery (P = .0001 at 3 months; P = .005 at 6 months; and P = .001 at 12 months). As a result, the ASES total score was only comparable at 6 weeks after surgery (P = .39) and differed at all time points thereafter. Patients are able to recall preoperative function with considerable accuracy for up to 12 months after TSA. However, beyond 6 weeks postoperatively, patients recall having worse pain than they originally reported, and recalled ASES total scores are unreliable as a result. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Hydrogen-producing microflora and Fe-Fe hydrogenase diversities in seaweed bed associated with marine hot springs of Kalianda, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Xu, Shou-Ying; He, Pei-Qing; Dewi, Seswita-Zilda; Zhang, Xue-Lei; Ekowati, Chasanah; Liu, Tong-Jun; Huang, Xiao-Hang

    2013-05-01

    Microbial fermentation is a promising technology for hydrogen (H(2)) production. H(2) producers in marine geothermal environments are thermophilic and halotolerant. However, no one has surveyed an environment specifically for thermophilic bacteria that produce H(2) through Fe-Fe hydrogenases (H(2)ase). Using heterotrophic medium, several microflora from a seaweed bed associated with marine hot springs were enriched and analyzed for H(2) production. A H(2)-producing microflora was obtained from Sargassum sp., 16S rRNA genes and Fe-Fe H(2)ase diversities of this enrichment were also analyzed. Based on 16S rRNA genes analysis, 10 phylotypes were found in the H(2)-producing microflora showing 90.0-99.5 % identities to known species, and belonged to Clostridia, Gammaproteobacteria, and Bacillales. Clostridia were the most abundant group, and three Clostridia phylotypes were most related to known H(2) producers such as Anaerovorax odorimutans (94.0 % identity), Clostridium papyrosolvens (98.4 % identity), and Clostridium tepidiprofundi (93.1 % identity). For Fe-Fe H(2)ases, seven phylotypes were obtained, showing 63-97 % identities to known Fe-Fe H(2)ases, and fell into four distinct clusters. Phylotypes HW55-3 and HM55-1 belonged to thermophilic and salt-tolerant H(2)-producing Clostridia, Halothermothrix orenii-like Fe-Fe H(2)ases (80 % identity), and cellulolytic H(2)-producing Clostridia, C. papyrosolvens-like Fe-Fe H(2)ases (97 % identity), respectively. The results of both 16S rRNA genes and Fe-Fe H(2)ases surveys suggested that the thermophilic and halotolerant H(2)-producing microflora in seaweed bed of hot spring area represented previously unknown H(2) producers, and have potential application for H(2) production.

  16. Application of a simplified definition of diastolic function in severe sepsis and septic shock.

    PubMed

    Lanspa, Michael J; Gutsche, Andrea R; Wilson, Emily L; Olsen, Troy D; Hirshberg, Eliotte L; Knox, Daniel B; Brown, Samuel M; Grissom, Colin K

    2016-08-04

    Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is common in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock, but the best approach to categorization is unknown. We assessed the association of common measures of diastolic function with clinical outcomes and tested the utility of a simplified definition of diastolic dysfunction against the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2009 definition. In this prospective observational study, patients with severe sepsis or septic shock underwent transthoracic echocardiography within 24 h of onset of sepsis (median 4.3 h). We measured echocardiographic parameters of diastolic function and used random forest analysis to assess their association with clinical outcomes (28-day mortality and ICU-free days to day 28) and thereby suggest a simplified definition. We then compared patients categorized by the ASE 2009 definition and our simplified definition. We studied 167 patients. The ASE 2009 definition categorized only 35 % of patients. Random forest analysis demonstrated that the left atrial volume index and deceleration time, central to the ASE 2009 definition, were not associated with clinical outcomes. Our simplified definition used only e' and E/e', omitting the other measurements. The simplified definition categorized 87 % of patients. Patients categorized by either ASE 2009 or our novel definition had similar clinical outcomes. In both definitions, worsened diastolic function was associated with increased prevalence of ischemic heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. A novel, simplified definition of diastolic dysfunction categorized more patients with sepsis than ASE 2009 definition. Patients categorized according to the simplified definition did not differ from patients categorized according to the ASE 2009 definition in respect to clinical outcome or comorbidities.

  17. Effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. Seeds Extract on Chronic Ischemic Renal Injury in Renovascular Hypertensive Rats.

    PubMed

    da Costa, Cristiane Aguiar; Ognibene, Dayane Teixeira; Cordeiro, Viviane Silva Cristino; de Bem, Graziele Freitas; Santos, Izabelle Barcellos; Soares, Ricardo Andrade; de Melo Cunha, Letícia L; Carvalho, Lenize C R M; de Moura, Roberto Soares; Resende, Angela Castro

    2017-10-01

    Previously, we have demonstrated that the seeds of Euterpe oleracia Mart. (açaí) are rich in polyphenols with antihypertensive and antioxidant properties. This study evaluated the renal protective effects of the hydroalcoholic extract obtained from the seeds of açaí (ASE) fruits in two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) renovascular hypertension. Young male Wistar rats were used to obtain 2K1C and sham groups. Animals received ASE (200 mg/(kg·day) in drinking water) or vehicle for 40 days. We evaluated serum and urinary parameters, renal structural changes, and oxidative status. The increase in systolic blood pressure of the 2K1C group was accompanied by a decrease in left kidney volume and number of glomeruli, as well as an increase in glomerular volume and collagen deposition. ASE prevented the alterations of these parameters, except the reduced kidney volume. Serum levels of urea and creatinine and urinary protein excretion were increased in the 2K1C group and treatment with ASE improved all these functional parameters. The increased oxidative damage in the 2K1C group, assessed by lipid and protein oxidation, was prevented by ASE. The nitrite content and both expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase-1, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase) were lower in the 2K1C group and restored by ASE. ASE substantially reduced renal injury and prevented renal dysfunction in 2K1C rats probably through its antihypertensive and antioxidant effects, providing a natural resource for treatment and prevention of renovascular hypertension-related abnormalities.

  18. Amorphous selenium direct detection CMOS digital x-ray imager with 25 micron pixel pitch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scott, Christopher C.; Abbaszadeh, Shiva; Ghanbarzadeh, Sina; Allan, Gary; Farrier, Michael; Cunningham, Ian A.; Karim, Karim S.

    2014-03-01

    We have developed a high resolution amorphous selenium (a-Se) direct detection imager using a large-area compatible back-end fabrication process on top of a CMOS active pixel sensor having 25 micron pixel pitch. Integration of a-Se with CMOS technology requires overcoming CMOS/a-Se interfacial strain, which initiates nucleation of crystalline selenium and results in high detector dark currents. A CMOS-compatible polyimide buffer layer was used to planarize the backplane and provide a low stress and thermally stable surface for a-Se. The buffer layer inhibits crystallization and provides detector stability that is not only a performance factor but also critical for favorable long term cost-benefit considerations in the application of CMOS digital x-ray imagers in medical practice. The detector structure is comprised of a polyimide (PI) buffer layer, the a-Se layer, and a gold (Au) top electrode. The PI layer is applied by spin-coating and is patterned using dry etching to open the backplane bond pads for wire bonding. Thermal evaporation is used to deposit the a-Se and Au layers, and the detector is operated in hole collection mode (i.e. a positive bias on the Au top electrode). High resolution a-Se diagnostic systems typically use 70 to 100 μm pixel pitch and have a pre-sampling modulation transfer function (MTF) that is significantly limited by the pixel aperture. Our results confirm that, for a densely integrated 25 μm pixel pitch CMOS array, the MTF approaches the fundamental material limit, i.e. where the MTF begins to be limited by the a-Se material properties and not the pixel aperture. Preliminary images demonstrating high spatial resolution have been obtained from a frst prototype imager.

  19. The response of carbon metabolism and antioxidant defenses of alfalfa nodules to drought stress and to the subsequent recovery of plants.

    PubMed

    Naya, Loreto; Ladrera, Ruben; Ramos, Javier; González, Esther M; Arrese-Igor, Cesar; Minchin, Frank R; Becana, Manuel

    2007-06-01

    Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) plants were exposed to drought to examine the involvement of carbon metabolism and oxidative stress in the decline of nitrogenase (N(2)ase) activity. Exposure of plants to a moderate drought (leaf water potential of -1.3 MPa) had no effect on sucrose (Suc) synthase (SS) activity, but caused inhibition of N(2)ase activity (-43%), accumulation of succinate (+36%) and Suc (+58%), and up-regulation of genes encoding cytosolic CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), plastid FeSOD, cytosolic glutathione reductase, and bacterial MnSOD and catalases B and C. Intensification of stress (-2.1 MPa) decreased N(2)ase (-82%) and SS (-30%) activities and increased malate (+40%), succinate (+68%), and Suc (+435%). There was also up-regulation (mRNA) of cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase and down-regulation (mRNA) of SS, homoglutathione synthetase, and bacterial catalase A. Drought stress did not affect nifH mRNA level or leghemoglobin expression, but decreased MoFe- and Fe-proteins. Rewatering of plants led to a partial recovery of the activity (75%) and proteins (>64%) of N(2)ase, a complete recovery of Suc, and a decrease of malate (-48%) relative to control. The increase in O(2) diffusion resistance, the decrease in N(2)ase-linked respiration and N(2)ase proteins, the accumulation of respiratory substrates and oxidized lipids and proteins, and the up-regulation of antioxidant genes reveal that bacteroids have their respiratory activity impaired and that oxidative stress occurs in nodules under drought conditions prior to any detectable effect on SS or leghemoglobin. We conclude that a limitation in metabolic capacity of bacteroids and oxidative damage of cellular components are contributing factors to the inhibition of N(2)ase activity in alfalfa nodules.

  20. Content and Accessibility of Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship Web Sites in the United States.

    PubMed

    Young, Bradley L; Oladeji, Lasun O; Cichos, Kyle; Ponce, Brent

    2016-01-01

    Increasing numbers of training physicians are using the Internet to gather information about graduate medical education programs. The content and accessibility of web sites that provide this information have been demonstrated to influence applicants' decisions. Assessments of orthopedic fellowship web sites including sports medicine, pediatrics, hand and spine have found varying degrees of accessibility and material. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accessibility and content of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) fellowship web sites (SEFWs). A complete list of ASES programs was obtained from a database on the ASES web site. The accessibility of each SEFWs was assessed by the existence of a functioning link found in the database and through Google®. Then, the following content areas of each SEFWs were evaluated: fellow education, faculty/previous fellow information, and recruitment. At the time of the study, 17 of the 28 (60.7%) ASES programs had web sites accessible through Google®, and only five (17.9%) had functioning links in the ASES database. Nine programs lacked a web site. Concerning web site content, the majority of SEFWs contained information regarding research opportunities, research requirements, case descriptions, meetings and conferences, teaching responsibilities, attending faculty, the application process, and a program description. Fewer than half of the SEFWs provided information regarding rotation schedules, current fellows, previous fellows, on-call expectations, journal clubs, medical school of current fellows, residency of current fellows, employment of previous fellows, current research, and previous research. A large portion of ASES fellowship programs lacked functioning web sites, and even fewer provided functioning links through the ASES database. Valuable information for potential applicants was largely inadequate across present SEFWs.

  1. Quantitative comparison using Generalized Relative Object Detectability (G-ROD) metrics of an amorphous selenium detector with high resolution Microangiographic Fluoroscopes (MAF) and standard flat panel detectors (FPD).

    PubMed

    Russ, M; Shankar, A; Jain, A; Setlur Nagesh, S V; Ionita, C N; Scott, C; Karim, K S; Bednarek, D R; Rudin, S

    2016-02-27

    A novel amorphous selenium (a-Se) direct detector with CMOS readout has been designed, and relative detector performance investigated. The detector features include a 25 μ m pixel pitch, and 1000 μ m thick a-Se layer operating at 10V/ μ m bias field. A simulated detector DQE was determined, and used in comparative calculations of the Relative Object Detectability (ROD) family of prewhitening matched-filter (PWMF) observer and non-prewhitening matched filter (NPWMF) observer model metrics to gauge a-Se detector performance against existing high resolution micro-angiographic fluoroscopic (MAF) detectors and a standard flat panel detector (FPD). The PWMF-ROD or ROD metric compares two x-ray imaging detectors in their relative abilities in imaging a given object by taking the integral over spatial frequencies of the Fourier transform of the detector DQE weighted by an object function, divided by the comparable integral for a different detector. The generalized-ROD (G-ROD) metric incorporates clinically relevant parameters (focal-spot size, magnification, and scatter) to show the degradation in imaging performance for detectors that are part of an imaging chain. Preliminary ROD calculations using simulated spheres as the object predicted superior imaging performance by the a-Se detector as compared to existing detectors. New PWMF-G-ROD and NPWMF-G-ROD results still indicate better performance by the a-Se detector in an imaging chain over all sphere sizes for various focal spot sizes and magnifications, although a-Se performance advantages were degraded by focal spot blurring. Nevertheless, the a-Se technology has great potential to provide breakthrough abilities such as visualization of fine details including of neuro-vascular perforator vessels and of small vascular devices.

  2. Cloning and expression of 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid α-ketoside hydrolase from oyster hepatopancreas†

    PubMed Central

    Nakagawa, Tetsuto; Shimada, Yoshimi; Pavlova, Nadejda V; Li, Su-Chen; Li, Yu-Teh

    2015-01-01

    We have previously reported that oyster hepatopancreas contained three unusual α-ketoside hydrolases: (i) a 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid α-ketoside hydrolase (α-Kdo-ase), (ii) a 3-deoxy-d-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid α-ketoside hydrolase and (iii) a bifunctional ketoside hydrolase capable of cleaving both the α-ketosides of Kdn and Neu5Ac (Kdn-sialidase). After completing the purification of Kdn-sialidase, we proceeded to clone the gene encoding this enzyme. Unexpectedly, we found that instead of expressing Kdn-sialidase, our cloned gene expressed α-Kdo-ase activity. The full-length gene, consisting of 1176-bp (392 amino acids, Mr 44,604), expressed an active recombinant α-Kdo-ase (R-α-Kdo-ase) in yeast and CHO-S cells, but not in various Escherichia coli strains. The deduced amino acid sequence contains two Asp boxes (S277PDDGKTW and S328TDQGKTW) commonly found in sialidases, but is devoid of the signature FRIP-motif of sialidase. The R-α-Kdo-ase effectively hydrolyzed the Kdo in the core-oligosaccharide of the structurally defined lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Re-LPS (Kdo2-Lipid A) from Salmonella minnesota R595 and E. coli D31m4. However, Rd-LPS from S. minnesota R7 that contained an extra outer core phosphorylated heptose was only slowly hydrolyzed. The complex type LPS from Neisseria meningitides A1 and M992 that contained extra 5–6 sugar units at the outer core were refractory to R-α-Kdo-ase. This R-α-Kdo-ase should become useful for studying the structure and function of Kdo-containing glycans. PMID:26362869

  3. Quantitative comparison using generalized relative object detectability (G-ROD) metrics of an amorphous selenium detector with high resolution microangiographic fluoroscopes (MAF) and standard flat panel detectors (FPD)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Russ, M.; Shankar, A.; Jain, A.; Setlur Nagesh, S. V.; Ionita, C. N.; Scott, C.; Karim, K. S.; Bednarek, D. R.; Rudin, S.

    2016-03-01

    A novel amorphous selenium (a-Se) direct detector with CMOS readout has been designed, and relative detector performance investigated. The detector features include a 25μm pixel pitch, and 1000μm thick a-Se layer operating at 10V/μm bias field. A simulated detector DQE was determined, and used in comparative calculations of the Relative Object Detectability (ROD) family of prewhitening matched-filter (PWMF) observer and non-pre-whitening matched filter (NPWMF) observer model metrics to gauge a-Se detector performance against existing high resolution micro-angiographic fluoroscopic (MAF) detectors and a standard flat panel detector (FPD). The PWMF-ROD or ROD metric compares two x-ray imaging detectors in their relative abilities in imaging a given object by taking the integral over spatial frequencies of the Fourier transform of the detector DQE weighted by an object function, divided by the comparable integral for a different detector. The generalized-ROD (G-ROD) metric incorporates clinically relevant parameters (focal- spot size, magnification, and scatter) to show the degradation in imaging performance for detectors that are part of an imaging chain. Preliminary ROD calculations using simulated spheres as the object predicted superior imaging performance by the a-Se detector as compared to existing detectors. New PWMF-G-ROD and NPWMF-G-ROD results still indicate better performance by the a-Se detector in an imaging chain over all sphere sizes for various focal spot sizes and magnifications, although a-Se performance advantages were degraded by focal spot blurring. Nevertheless, the a-Se technology has great potential to provide break- through abilities such as visualization of fine details including of neuro-vascular perforator vessels and of small vascular devices.

  4. Quantitative comparison using Generalized Relative Object Detectability (G-ROD) metrics of an amorphous selenium detector with high resolution Microangiographic Fluoroscopes (MAF) and standard flat panel detectors (FPD)

    PubMed Central

    Russ, M.; Shankar, A.; Jain, A.; Setlur Nagesh, S. V.; Ionita, C. N.; Scott, C.; Karim, K. S.; Bednarek, D. R.; Rudin, S.

    2017-01-01

    A novel amorphous selenium (a-Se) direct detector with CMOS readout has been designed, and relative detector performance investigated. The detector features include a 25μm pixel pitch, and 1000μm thick a-Se layer operating at 10V/μm bias field. A simulated detector DQE was determined, and used in comparative calculations of the Relative Object Detectability (ROD) family of prewhitening matched-filter (PWMF) observer and non-prewhitening matched filter (NPWMF) observer model metrics to gauge a-Se detector performance against existing high resolution micro-angiographic fluoroscopic (MAF) detectors and a standard flat panel detector (FPD). The PWMF-ROD or ROD metric compares two x-ray imaging detectors in their relative abilities in imaging a given object by taking the integral over spatial frequencies of the Fourier transform of the detector DQE weighted by an object function, divided by the comparable integral for a different detector. The generalized-ROD (G-ROD) metric incorporates clinically relevant parameters (focal-spot size, magnification, and scatter) to show the degradation in imaging performance for detectors that are part of an imaging chain. Preliminary ROD calculations using simulated spheres as the object predicted superior imaging performance by the a-Se detector as compared to existing detectors. New PWMF-G-ROD and NPWMF-G-ROD results still indicate better performance by the a-Se detector in an imaging chain over all sphere sizes for various focal spot sizes and magnifications, although a-Se performance advantages were degraded by focal spot blurring. Nevertheless, the a-Se technology has great potential to provide breakthrough abilities such as visualization of fine details including of neuro-vascular perforator vessels and of small vascular devices. PMID:28615795

  5. State analysis requirements database for engineering complex embedded systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bennett, Matthew B.; Rasmussen, Robert D.; Ingham, Michel D.

    2004-01-01

    It has become clear that spacecraft system complexity is reaching a threshold where customary methods of control are no longer affordable or sufficiently reliable. At the heart of this problem are the conventional approaches to systems and software engineering based on subsystem-level functional decomposition, which fail to scale in the tangled web of interactions typically encountered in complex spacecraft designs. Furthermore, there is a fundamental gap between the requirements on software specified by systems engineers and the implementation of these requirements by software engineers. Software engineers must perform the translation of requirements into software code, hoping to accurately capture the systems engineer's understanding of the system behavior, which is not always explicitly specified. This gap opens up the possibility for misinterpretation of the systems engineer's intent, potentially leading to software errors. This problem is addressed by a systems engineering tool called the State Analysis Database, which provides a tool for capturing system and software requirements in the form of explicit models. This paper describes how requirements for complex aerospace systems can be developed using the State Analysis Database.

  6. Age-related regulation of genes: slow homeostatic changes and age-dimension technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kurachi, Kotoku; Zhang, Kezhong; Huo, Jeffrey; Ameri, Afshin; Kuwahara, Mitsuhiro; Fontaine, Jean-Marc; Yamamoto, Kei; Kurachi, Sumiko

    2002-11-01

    Through systematic studies of pro- and anti-blood coagulation factors, we have determined molecular mechanisms involving two genetic elements, age-related stability element (ASE), GAGGAAG and age-related increase element (AIE), a unique stretch of dinucleotide repeats (AIE). ASE and AIE are essential for age-related patterns of stable and increased gene expression patterns, respectively. Such age-related gene regulatory mechanisms are also critical for explaining homeostasis in various physiological reactions as well as slow homeostatic changes in them. The age-related increase expression of the human factor IX (hFIX) gene requires the presence of both ASE and AIE, which apparently function additively. The anti-coagulant factor protein C (hPC) gene uses an ASE (CAGGAG) to produce age-related stable expression. Both ASE sequences (G/CAGAAG) share consensus sequence of the transcriptional factor PEA-3 element. No other similar sequences, including another PEA-3 consensus sequence, GAGGATG, function in conferring age-related gene regulation. The age-regulatory mechanisms involving ASE and AIE apparently function universally with different genes and across different animal species. These findings have led us to develop a new field of research and applications, which we named “age-dimension technology (ADT)”. ADT has exciting potential for modifying age-related expression of genes as well as associated physiological processes, and developing novel, more effective prophylaxis or treatments for age-related diseases.

  7. Increasing power and amplified spontaneous emission suppression for weak signal amplification in pulsed fiber amplifier

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Yi; Zhang, Hanwei; Wang, Xiaolin; Su, Rongtao; Ma, Pengfei; Zhou, Pu; Jiang, Zongfu

    2017-10-01

    In the pulsed fiber amplifiers with repetition frequency of several tens kHz, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is easy to build up because of the low repetition frequency and weak pulse signal. The ASE rises the difficulty to amplify the weak pulse signal effectively. We have demonstrated an all-fiber preamplifier stage structure to amplify a 40 kHz, 10 ns bandwidth (FWHM) weak pulse signal (299 μW) with center wavelength of 1062 nm. Compared synchronous pulse pump with continuous wave(CW) pump, the results indicate that synchronous pulse pump shows the better capability of increasing the output power than CW pump. In the condition of the same pump power, the output power of synchronous pulse pump is twice as high as CW pump. In order to suppress ASE, a longer gain fiber is utilized to reabsorb the ASE in which the wavelength is shorter than 1062nm. We amplified weak pulse signal via 0.8 m and 2.1 m gain fiber in synchronous pulse pump experiments respectively, and more ASE in the output spectra are observed in the 0.8 m gain fiber system. Due to the weaker ASE and consequent capability of higher pump power, the 2.1 m gain fiber is capable to achieve higher output power than shorter fiber. The output power of 2.1 m gain fiber case is limited by pump power.

  8. Targeted Deletion of the Antisilencer/Enhancer (ASE) Element from Intron 1 of the Myelin Proteolipid Protein Gene (Plp1) in Mouse Reveals that the Element Is Dispensable for Plp1 Expression in Brain during Development and Remyelination

    PubMed Central

    Pereira, Glauber B.; Meng, Fanxue; Kockara, Neriman T.; Yang, Baoli; Wight, Patricia A.

    2012-01-01

    Myelin proteolipid protein gene (Plp1) expression is temporally regulated in brain, which peaks during the active myelination period of CNS development. Previous studies with Plp1-lacZ transgenic mice demonstrated that (mouse) Plp1 intron 1 DNA is required for high levels of expression in oligodendrocytes. Deletion-transfection analysis revealed the intron contains a single positive regulatory element operative in the N20.1 oligodendroglial cell line, which was named ASE (antisilencer/enhancer) based on its functional properties in these cells. To investigate the role of the ASE in vivo, the element was deleted from the native gene in mouse using a Cre/lox strategy. While removal of the ASE from Plp1-lacZ constructs profoundly decreased expression in transfected oligodendroglial cell lines (N20.1 and Oli-neu), the element was dispensable to achieve normal levels of Plp1 gene expression in mouse during development (except perhaps at postnatal day 15) and throughout the remyelination period following cuprizone-induced (acute) demyelination. Thus, it is possible that the ASE is nonfunctional in vivo, or that loss of the ASE from the native gene in mouse can be compensated for by the presence of other regulatory elements within the Plp1 gene. PMID:23157328

  9. On the asymptotic standard error of a class of robust estimators of ability in dichotomous item response models.

    PubMed

    Magis, David

    2014-11-01

    In item response theory, the classical estimators of ability are highly sensitive to response disturbances and can return strongly biased estimates of the true underlying ability level. Robust methods were introduced to lessen the impact of such aberrant responses on the estimation process. The computation of asymptotic (i.e., large-sample) standard errors (ASE) for these robust estimators, however, has not yet been fully considered. This paper focuses on a broad class of robust ability estimators, defined by an appropriate selection of the weight function and the residual measure, for which the ASE is derived from the theory of estimating equations. The maximum likelihood (ML) and the robust estimators, together with their estimated ASEs, are then compared in a simulation study by generating random guessing disturbances. It is concluded that both the estimators and their ASE perform similarly in the absence of random guessing, while the robust estimator and its estimated ASE are less biased and outperform their ML counterparts in the presence of random guessing with large impact on the item response process. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

  10. The TAME Project: Towards improvement-oriented software environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basili, Victor R.; Rombach, H. Dieter

    1988-01-01

    Experience from a dozen years of analyzing software engineering processes and products is summarized as a set of software engineering and measurement principles that argue for software engineering process models that integrate sound planning and analysis into the construction process. In the TAME (Tailoring A Measurement Environment) project at the University of Maryland, such an improvement-oriented software engineering process model was developed that uses the goal/question/metric paradigm to integrate the constructive and analytic aspects of software development. The model provides a mechanism for formalizing the characterization and planning tasks, controlling and improving projects based on quantitative analysis, learning in a deeper and more systematic way about the software process and product, and feeding the appropriate experience back into the current and future projects. The TAME system is an instantiation of the TAME software engineering process model as an ISEE (integrated software engineering environment). The first in a series of TAME system prototypes has been developed. An assessment of experience with this first limited prototype is presented including a reassessment of its initial architecture.

  11. Impacts of Technological Changes in the Cyber Environment on Software/Systems Engineering Workforce Development

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    for decoupled parallel development Ref: Barry Boehm 12 Impacts of Technological Changes in the Cyber Environment on Software/Systems Engineering... Pressman , R.S., Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach, 13 Impacts of Technological Changes in the Cyber Environment on Software/Systems

  12. Computational analysis of the amplified spontaneous emission in quantum dot doped plastic optical fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Xuefeng; Wu, Pinghui; Han, Yinxia; Hu, Guoqiang

    2014-11-01

    The properties of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in CdSe/ZnS quantum dot (QD) doped step-index polymer optical fibers (POFs) were computationally analyzed in this paper. A theoretical model based on the rate equations between two main energy levels of CdSe/ZnS QD was built in terms of time (t), distance traveled by light (z) and wavelength (λ), which can describe the ASE successfully. Through analyzing the spectral evolution with distance of the pulses propagating along the CdSe/ZnS QD doped POFs, dependences of the ASE threshold and the slope efficiency on the numerical aperture were obtained. Compared to the ASE in common dye-doped POFs, the pump threshold was just about 1/1000, but the slope efficiency was much higher.

  13. Software And Systems Engineering Risk Management

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    RSKM 2004 COSO Enterprise RSKM Framework 2006 ISO/IEC 16085 Risk Management Process 2008 ISO/IEC 12207 Software Lifecycle Processes 2009 ISO/IEC...1 Software And Systems Engineering Risk Management John Walz VP Technical and Conferences Activities, IEEE Computer Society Vice-Chair Planning...Software & Systems Engineering Standards Committee, IEEE Computer Society US TAG to ISO TMB Risk Management Working Group Systems and Software

  14. Proceedings of the 19th Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1994-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by NASA/GSFC and created to investigate the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of applications software. The goals of the SEL are: (1) to understand the software development process in the GSFC environment; (2) to measure the effects of various methodologies, tools, and models on this process; and (3) to identify and then to apply successful development practices. The activities, findings, and recommendations of the SEL are recorded in the Software Engineering Laboratory Series, a continuing series of reports that include this document.

  15. Data collection procedures for the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) database

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heller, Gerard; Valett, Jon; Wild, Mary

    1992-01-01

    This document is a guidebook to collecting software engineering data on software development and maintenance efforts, as practiced in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL). It supersedes the document entitled Data Collection Procedures for the Rehosted SEL Database, number SEL-87-008 in the SEL series, which was published in October 1987. It presents procedures to be followed on software development and maintenance projects in the Flight Dynamics Division (FDD) of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for collecting data in support of SEL software engineering research activities. These procedures include detailed instructions for the completion and submission of SEL data collection forms.

  16. Annotated bibliography of Software Engineering Laboratory literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    An annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory is presented. More than 100 publications are summarized. These publications are summarized. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation. This document has been updated and reorganized substantially since the original version (SEL-82-006, November 1982). All materials are grouped into five general subject areas for easy reference: (1) the software engineering laboratory; (2) software tools; (3) models and measures; (4) technology evaluations; and (5) data collection. An index further classifies these documents by specific topic.

  17. Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tarrant, Charlie; Crook, Jerry

    1997-01-01

    The Modular Rocket Engine Control Software (MRECS) Program is a technology demonstration effort designed to advance the state-of-the-art in launch vehicle propulsion systems. Its emphasis is on developing and demonstrating a modular software architecture for a generic, advanced engine control system that will result in lower software maintenance (operations) costs. It effectively accommodates software requirements changes that occur due to hardware. technology upgrades and engine development testing. Ground rules directed by MSFC were to optimize modularity and implement the software in the Ada programming language. MRECS system software and the software development environment utilize Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products. This paper presents the objectives and benefits of the program. The software architecture, design, and development environment are described. MRECS tasks are defined and timing relationships given. Major accomplishment are listed. MRECS offers benefits to a wide variety of advanced technology programs in the areas of modular software, architecture, reuse software, and reduced software reverification time related to software changes. Currently, the program is focused on supporting MSFC in accomplishing a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) hot-fire test at Stennis Space Center and the Low Cost Boost Technology (LCBT) Program.

  18. Software Engineering Improvement Plan

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2006-01-01

    In performance of this task order, bd Systems personnel provided support to the Flight Software Branch and the Software Working Group through multiple tasks related to software engineering improvement and to activities of the independent Technical Authority (iTA) Discipline Technical Warrant Holder (DTWH) for software engineering. To ensure that the products, comments, and recommendations complied with customer requirements and the statement of work, bd Systems personnel maintained close coordination with the customer. These personnel performed work in areas such as update of agency requirements and directives database, software effort estimation, software problem reports, a web-based process asset library, miscellaneous documentation review, software system requirements, issue tracking software survey, systems engineering NPR, and project-related reviews. This report contains a summary of the work performed and the accomplishments in each of these areas.

  19. Quantification of microbial activity in subsurface environments using a hydrogenase enzyme assay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adhikari, R. R.; Nickel, J.; Kallmeyer, J.

    2012-04-01

    The subsurface biosphere is the largest microbial ecosystem on Earth. Despite its large size and extensive industrial exploitation, very little is known about the role of microbial activity in the subsurface. Subsurface microbial activity plays a fundamental role in geochemical cycles of carbon and other biologically important elements. How the indigenous microbial communities are supplied with energy is one of the most fundamental questions in subsurface research. It is still an enigma how these communities can survive with such recalcitrant carbon over geological time scales. Despite its usually very low concentration, hydrogen is an important element in subsurface environments. Heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic microorganisms use hydrogen in their metabolic pathways; they either obtain protons from the radiolysis of water and/or cleavage of hydrogen generated by the alteration of basaltic crust, or they dispose of protons by formation of water. Hydrogenase (H2ase) is a ubiquitous intracellular enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of molecular hydrogen and/or water into protons and electrons. The protons are used for the synthesis of ATP, thereby coupling energy-generating metabolic processes to electron acceptors such as carbon dioxide or sulfate. H2ase activity can therefore be used as a measure for total microbial activity as it targets a key metabolic compound rather than a specific turnover process. Using a highly sensitive tritium assay we measured H2ase enzyme activity in the organic-rich sediments of Lake Van, a saline, alkaline lake in eastern Turkey and in marine subsurface sediments of the Barents Sea. Additionally, sulfate reduction rates (SRRs) were measured to compare the results of the H2ase enzyme assay with the quantitatively most important electron acceptor process. H2ase activity was found at all sites, measured values and distribution of activity varied widely with depth and between sites. At the Lake Van sites H2ase activity ranged from ca. 20 mmol H2 cm-3 d-1 close to the sediment-water interface to 0.5 mmol H2 cm-3 d-1 at a depth of 0.8 m. In samples from the Barents Sea H2ase activity ranged between 0.1 to 2.5 mmol H2 cm-3 d-1 down to a depth of 1.60 m. At all sites the SRR profile followed the H2ase activity profile until SRR declined to values close to the minimum detection limit (~10 pmol cm-3 d-1). H2ase activity increased again after SRR declined, indicating that other microbial processes are becoming quantitatively more important. The H2ase and SRR data show that our assay has a potential to become a valuable tool to measure total subsurface microbial activity.

  20. Software engineering as an engineering discipline

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Freedman, Glenn B.

    1988-01-01

    The purpose of this panel is to explore the emerging field of software engineering from a variety of perspectives: university programs; industry training and definition; government development; and technology transfer. In doing this, the panel will address the issues of distinctions among software engineering, computer science, and computer hardware engineering as they relate to the challenges of large, complex systems.

  1. Simultaneous monitoring technique for ASE and MPI noises in distributed Raman Amplified Systems.

    PubMed

    Choi, H Y; Jun, S B; Shin, S K; Chung, Y C

    2007-07-09

    We develop a new technique for simultaneously monitoring the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and multi-path interference (MPI) noises in distributed Raman amplified (DRA) systems. This technique utilizes the facts that the degree-of polarization (DOP) of the MPI noise is 1/9, while the ASE noise is unpolarized. The results show that the proposed technique can accurately monitor both of these noises regardless of the bit rates, modulation formats, and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) levels of the signals.

  2. Applying formal methods and object-oriented analysis to existing flight software

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cheng, Betty H. C.; Auernheimer, Brent

    1993-01-01

    Correctness is paramount for safety-critical software control systems. Critical software failures in medical radiation treatment, communications, and defense are familiar to the public. The significant quantity of software malfunctions regularly reported to the software engineering community, the laws concerning liability, and a recent NRC Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board report additionally motivate the use of error-reducing and defect detection software development techniques. The benefits of formal methods in requirements driven software development ('forward engineering') is well documented. One advantage of rigorously engineering software is that formal notations are precise, verifiable, and facilitate automated processing. This paper describes the application of formal methods to reverse engineering, where formal specifications are developed for a portion of the shuttle on-orbit digital autopilot (DAP). Three objectives of the project were to: demonstrate the use of formal methods on a shuttle application, facilitate the incorporation and validation of new requirements for the system, and verify the safety-critical properties to be exhibited by the software.

  3. Proceedings of the Annual Ada Software Engineering Education and Training Symposium (3rd) Held in Denver, Colorado on June 14-16, 1988

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-06-01

    Based Software Engineering Project Course .............. 83 SSoftware Engineering, Software Engineering Concepts: The Importance of Object-Based...quality assurance, and independent system testing . The Chief Programmer is responsible for all software development activities, including prototyping...during the Requirements Analysis phase, the Preliminary Design, the Detailed Design, Coding and Unit Testing , CSC Integration and Testing , and informal

  4. 1998 NASA-HU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marable, William P. (Compiler); Murray, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    1998-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. The program objectives include: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lecture and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, and industry.

  5. 2001 NASA-ODU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler); Murray, Deborah B. (Compiler); Hathaway, Roger A. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises these programs. Objectives: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4 To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. Program Description: College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellow's research topics. The lecture and seminar leaders wil be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education and industry.

  6. 1996 NASA-Hampton University American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Spencer, John H. (Compiler); Young, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    1996-01-01

    NASA has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. The objectives were: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants institutions; (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Center. Program Description: College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lectures and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, or industry.

  7. 1999 NASA - ODU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler); Murray, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    2000-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program or summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. Program Description: College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lecture and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, and industry.

  8. Proceedings of the Fifteenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is an organization sponsored by GSFC and created for the purpose of investigating the effectiveness of software engineering technologies when applied to the development of applications software. The goals of the SEL are: (1) to understand the software development process in the GSFC environment; (2) to measure the effect of various methodologies, tools, and models on this process; and (3) to identify and then to apply successful development practices. Fifteen papers were presented at the Fifteenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop in five sessions: (1) SEL at age fifteen; (2) process improvement; (3) measurement; (4) reuse; and (5) process assessment. The sessions were followed by two panel discussions: (1) experiences in implementing an effective measurement program; and (2) software engineering in the 1980's. A summary of the presentations and panel discussions is given.

  9. Multidisciplinary and Active/Collaborative Approaches in Teaching Requirements Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosca, Daniela

    2005-01-01

    The requirements engineering course is a core component of the curriculum for the Master's in Software Engineering programme, at Monmouth University (MU). It covers the process, methods and tools specific to this area, together with the corresponding software quality issues. The need to produce software engineers with strong teamwork and…

  10. A Knowledge Engineering Approach to Analysis and Evaluation of Construction Schedules

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1990-02-01

    software engineering discipline focusing on constructing KBSs. It is an incremental and cyclical process that requires the interaction of a domain expert(s...the U.S. Army Coips of Engineers ; and (3) the project management software developer, represented by Pinnell Engineering , Inc. Since the primary...the programming skills necessary to convert the raw knowledge intn a form a computer can understand. knowledge engineering : The software engineering

  11. Questioning the Role of Requirements Engineering in the Causes of Safety-Critical Software Failures

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Johnson, C. W.; Holloway, C. M.

    2006-01-01

    Many software failures stem from inadequate requirements engineering. This view has been supported both by detailed accident investigations and by a number of empirical studies; however, such investigations can be misleading. It is often difficult to distinguish between failures in requirements engineering and problems elsewhere in the software development lifecycle. Further pitfalls arise from the assumption that inadequate requirements engineering is a cause of all software related accidents for which the system fails to meet its requirements. This paper identifies some of the problems that have arisen from an undue focus on the role of requirements engineering in the causes of major accidents. The intention is to provoke further debate within the emerging field of forensic software engineering.

  12. Computer systems and software engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mckay, Charles W.

    1988-01-01

    The High Technologies Laboratory (HTL) was established in the fall of 1982 at the University of Houston Clear Lake. Research conducted at the High Tech Lab is focused upon computer systems and software engineering. There is a strong emphasis on the interrelationship of these areas of technology and the United States' space program. In Jan. of 1987, NASA Headquarters announced the formation of its first research center dedicated to software engineering. Operated by the High Tech Lab, the Software Engineering Research Center (SERC) was formed at the University of Houston Clear Lake. The High Tech Lab/Software Engineering Research Center promotes cooperative research among government, industry, and academia to advance the edge-of-knowledge and the state-of-the-practice in key topics of computer systems and software engineering which are critical to NASA. The center also recommends appropriate actions, guidelines, standards, and policies to NASA in matters pertinent to the center's research. Results of the research conducted at the High Tech Lab/Software Engineering Research Center have given direction to many decisions made by NASA concerning the Space Station Program.

  13. Annotated bibliography of Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) literature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Card, D.

    1982-01-01

    An annotated bibliography of technical papers, documents, and memorandums produced by or related to the Software Engineering Laboratory is presented. More than 75 publications are summarized. An index of these publications by subject is also included. These publications cover many areas of software engineering and range from research reports to software documentation.

  14. Towards a Controlled Vocabulary on Software Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pizard, Sebastián; Vallespir, Diego

    2017-01-01

    Software engineering is the discipline that develops all the aspects of the production of software. Although there are guidelines about what topics to include in a software engineering curricula, it is usually unclear which are the best methods to teach them. In any science discipline the construction of a classification schema is a common…

  15. AADL and Model-based Engineering

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-20

    and MBE Feiler, Oct 20, 2014 © 2014 Carnegie Mellon University We Rely on Software for Safe Aircraft Operation Embedded software systems ...D eveloper Compute Platform Runtime Architecture Application Software Embedded SW System Engineer Data Stream Characteristics Latency...confusion Hardware Engineer Why do system level failures still occur despite fault tolerance techniques being deployed in systems ? Embedded software

  16. Intelligent Agents for Design and Synthesis Environments: My Summary

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norvig, Peter

    1999-01-01

    This presentation gives a summary of intelligent agents for design synthesis environments. We'll start with the conclusions, and work backwards to justify them. First, an important assumption is that agents (whatever they are) are good for software engineering. This is especially true for software that operates in an uncertain, changing environment. The "real world" of physical artifacts is like that: uncertain in what we can measure, changing in that things are always breaking down, and we must interact with non-software entities. The second point is that software engineering techniques can contribute to good design. There may have been a time when we wanted to build simple artifacts containing little or no software. But modern aircraft and spacecraft are complex, and rely on a great deal of software. So better software engineering leads to better designed artifacts, especially when we are designing a series of related artifacts and can amortize the costs of software development. The third point is that agents are especially useful for design tasks, above and beyond their general usefulness for software engineering, and the usefulness of software engineering to design.

  17. NASA software documentation standard software engineering program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The NASA Software Documentation Standard (hereinafter referred to as Standard) can be applied to the documentation of all NASA software. This Standard is limited to documentation format and content requirements. It does not mandate specific management, engineering, or assurance standards or techniques. This Standard defines the format and content of documentation for software acquisition, development, and sustaining engineering. Format requirements address where information shall be recorded and content requirements address what information shall be recorded. This Standard provides a framework to allow consistency of documentation across NASA and visibility into the completeness of project documentation. This basic framework consists of four major sections (or volumes). The Management Plan contains all planning and business aspects of a software project, including engineering and assurance planning. The Product Specification contains all technical engineering information, including software requirements and design. The Assurance and Test Procedures contains all technical assurance information, including Test, Quality Assurance (QA), and Verification and Validation (V&V). The Management, Engineering, and Assurance Reports is the library and/or listing of all project reports.

  18. Institute for Scientific and Educational Technology (ISET)-Education, Research and Training Programs in Engineering and Sciences

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, S. N. (Principal Investigator); Massenberg, Samuel E. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The 'Institute for Scientific and Educational Technology' has been established to provide a mechanism through which universities and other research organizations may cooperate with one another and with different government agencies and industrial organizations to further and promote research, education, and training programs in science, engineering, and related fields. This effort has been undertaken consistent with the national vision to 'promote excellence in America s educational system through enhancing and expanding scientific and technological competence.' The specific programs are directed in promoting and achieving excellence for individuals at all levels (elementary and secondary schools, undergraduate and graduate education, and postdoctoral and faculty research). The program is consistent with the existing activities of the Institute for Computational and Applied Mechanics (ICAM) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The efforts will be directed to embark on other research, education, and training activities in various fields of engineering, scientific, and educational technologies. The specific objectives of the present program may be outlined briefly as follows: 1) Cooperate in the various research, education, and technology programs of the Office of Education at LaRC. 2) Develop procedures for interactions between precollege, college, and graduate students, and between faculty and students at all levels. 3) Direct efforts to increase the participation by women and minorities in educational programs at all levels. 4) Enhance existing activities of ICAM and ASEE in education, research, and training of graduate students and faculty. 5) Invite distinguished scholars as appropriate and consistent with ISET goals to spend their summers and/or sabbaticals at NASA Langley andor ODU and interact with different researchers and graduate students. Perform research and administrative activities as needed to carry out the above mentioned activities. 6) The implementation of various activities of the ISET programs is carried out through cooperative efforts between Old Dominion University (ODU) and the Office of Education at LaRC. At present, major efforts are directed on the following ISET Programs: ICAM Programs, Academic Programs, Educational Research, Outreach Programs, Educational Technology and Cooperative Programs. These programs are described in the following sections.

  19. Improving Software Engineering on NASA Projects

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crumbley, Tim; Kelly, John C.

    2010-01-01

    Software Engineering Initiative: Reduces risk of software failure -Increases mission safety. More predictable software cost estimates and delivery schedules. Smarter buyer of contracted out software. More defects found and removed earlier. Reduces duplication of efforts between projects. Increases ability to meet the challenges of evolving software technology.

  20. Enhanced amplified spontaneous emission in a quantum dot-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Mingxuan; Zhang, Yating; Song, Xiaoxian; Che, Yongli; Zhang, Haiting; Yan, Chao; Dai, Haitao; Liu, Guang; Zhang, Guizhong; Yao, Jianquan

    2016-07-01

    Quantum dot-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (QD-PDLCs) were prepared by photoinitiated polymerization and sealed in capillary tubes. The concentration of QDs in the PDLC was 1 wt%. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of the quantum dot-doped polymer-dispersed liquid crystals was observed with 532 nm wavelength laser excitation. The threshold for ASE was 6 mJ cm-2, which is much lower than that for homogeneous quantum dot-doped polymer (25 mJ cm-2). The threshold for ASE was dramatically enhanced when the working temperature exceeded the clearing point of the liquid crystal; this result demonstrates that multi-scattering caused by the liquid crystals effectively improved the path length or dwell time of light in the gain region, which played a key role in decreasing the threshold for ASE.

  1. Narrow-linewidth, quasi-continuous-wave ASE source based on a multiple-pass Nd:YAG zigzag slab amplifier configuration.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiaoming; Lu, Yanhua; Hu, Hao; Tong, Lixin; Zhang, Lei; Yu, Yi; Wang, Juntao; Ren, Huaijin; Xu, Liu

    2018-03-05

    We present investigations into a narrow-linewidth, quasi-continuous-wave pulsed all-solid-state amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source by use of a novel multiple-pass zigzag slab amplifier. The SE fluorescence emitted from a Nd:YAG slab active medium acts as the seed and is amplified back and forth 8 times through the same slab. Thanks to the angular multiplexing nature of the zigzag slab, high-intensity 1064-nm ASE output can be produced without unwanted self-lasing in this configuration. Experimentally, the output energy, optical conversion efficiency, pulse dynamics, spectral property, and beam quality of the ASE source are studied when the Nd:YAG slab end-pumped by two high-brightness laser diode arrays. The maximum single pulse energy of 347 mJ is generated with an optical efficiency of ~5.9% and a beam quality of 3.5/17 in the thickness/width direction of the slab. As expected, smooth pulses without relaxing spikes and continuous spectra are achieved. Moreover, the spectral width of the ASE source narrows versus the pump energy, getting a 3-dB linewidth of as narrow as 20 pm (i.e. 5.3 GHz). Via the sum frequency generation, high-intensity, smooth-pulse, and narrow-linewidth ASE sources are preferred for solving the major problem of saturation of the mesospheric sodium atoms and can create a much brighter sodium guide star to meet the needs of adaptive imaging applications in astronomy.

  2. The role of attainment value, academic self-efficacy, and message frame in the appraisal of value-promoting messages.

    PubMed

    Symes, Wendy; Putwain, David W

    2016-09-01

    Prior to high-stakes examinations, teachers may use value-promoting messages (VPMs) to communicate to students the value and importance of their forthcoming examinations in the hope that they will adopt adaptive learning and study behaviours. These messages can focus on achieving success (gain-framed) or avoiding failure (loss-framed). This study examined how secondary school students appraised hypothetical gain- and loss-framed VPMs, and how these appraisals differed according to self-reported levels of attainment value (AV) and academic self-efficacy (ASE). In total, 539 secondary school students (284 male, 255 female, mean age 14.8 years) were participated in this study. Participants completed self-report measures of AV and ASE and appraised hypothetical VPMs as challenging, threatening, or irrelevant (disregard). Participants were randomly assigned to a gain- or loss-framed condition. A challenge appraisal was greater in students with higher AV and ASE. A threat appraisal was greater in students with higher AV and lower ASE. A disregard appraisal was higher in students with lower AV. Message frame did not interact with AV or ASE in the appraisal of VPMs as challenging, threatening, or irrelevant. Educational practitioners should consider the characteristics of their students before using VPMs. In particular, they may not be effective for students high in AV and low in ASE. They are likely to be ineffective for students low in AV. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

  3. Targeted deletion of the antisilencer/enhancer (ASE) element from intron 1 of the myelin proteolipid protein gene (Plp1) in mouse reveals that the element is dispensable for Plp1 expression in brain during development and remyelination.

    PubMed

    Pereira, Glauber B; Meng, Fanxue; Kockara, Neriman T; Yang, Baoli; Wight, Patricia A

    2013-02-01

    Myelin proteolipid protein gene (Plp1) expression is temporally regulated in brain, which peaks during the active myelination period of CNS development. Previous studies with Plp1-lacZ transgenic mice demonstrated that (mouse) Plp1 intron 1 DNA is required for high levels of expression in oligodendrocytes. Deletion-transfection analysis revealed the intron contains a single positive regulatory element operative in the N20.1 oligodendroglial cell line, which was named ASE (antisilencer/enhancer) based on its functional properties in these cells. To investigate the role of the ASE in vivo, the element was deleted from the native gene in mouse using a Cre/lox strategy. Although removal of the ASE from Plp1-lacZ constructs profoundly decreased expression in transfected oligodendroglial cell lines (N20.1 and Oli-neu), the element was dispensable to achieve normal levels of Plp1 gene expression in mouse during development (except perhaps at postnatal day 15) and throughout the remyelination period following cuprizone-induced (acute) demyelination. Thus, it is possible that the ASE is non-functional in vivo, or that loss of the ASE from the native gene in mouse can be compensated for by the presence of other regulatory elements within the Plp1 gene. © 2012 International Society for Neurochemistry.

  4. Automating Software Design Metrics.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-02-01

    INTRODUCTION 1 ", ... 0..1 1.2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE High quality software is of interest to both the software engineering com- munity and its users. As...contributions of many other software engineering efforts, most notably [MCC 77] and [Boe 83b], which have defined and refined a framework for quantifying...AUTOMATION OF DESIGN METRICS Software metrics can be useful within the context of an integrated soft- ware engineering environment. The purpose of this

  5. Use of Soft Computing Technologies for a Qualitative and Reliable Engine Control System for Propulsion Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trevino, Luis; Brown, Terry; Crumbley, R. T. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    The problem to be addressed in this paper is to explore how the use of Soft Computing Technologies (SCT) could be employed to improve overall vehicle system safety, reliability, and rocket engine performance by development of a qualitative and reliable engine control system (QRECS). Specifically, this will be addressed by enhancing rocket engine control using SCT, innovative data mining tools, and sound software engineering practices used in Marshall's Flight Software Group (FSG). The principle goals for addressing the issue of quality are to improve software management, software development time, software maintenance, processor execution, fault tolerance and mitigation, and nonlinear control in power level transitions. The intent is not to discuss any shortcomings of existing engine control methodologies, but to provide alternative design choices for control, implementation, performance, and sustaining engineering, all relative to addressing the issue of reliability. The approaches outlined in this paper will require knowledge in the fields of rocket engine propulsion (system level), software engineering for embedded flight software systems, and soft computing technologies (i.e., neural networks, fuzzy logic, data mining, and Bayesian belief networks); some of which are briefed in this paper. For this effort, the targeted demonstration rocket engine testbed is the MC-1 engine (formerly FASTRAC) which is simulated with hardware and software in the Marshall Avionics & Software Testbed (MAST) laboratory that currently resides at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, building 4476, and is managed by the Avionics Department. A brief plan of action for design, development, implementation, and testing a Phase One effort for QRECS is given, along with expected results. Phase One will focus on development of a Smart Start Engine Module and a Mainstage Engine Module for proper engine start and mainstage engine operations. The overall intent is to demonstrate that by employing soft computing technologies, the quality and reliability of the overall scheme to engine controller development is further improved and vehicle safety is further insured. The final product that this paper proposes is an approach to development of an alternative low cost engine controller that would be capable of performing in unique vision spacecraft vehicles requiring low cost advanced avionics architectures for autonomous operations from engine pre-start to engine shutdown.

  6. A Review of the Suitability of Available Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools for the Small Software Development Environment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-07-11

    LITERATURE CITED [Boeh73] Boehm, Barry W., "Software and its Impact: A Quantitative Assessment," Datamation, 19, 5, (May 1973), pp 48-59. [Boeh76...Boehm, Barry W., "Software Engineering," IEEE Transactions on Computers, C-25, 12, (December 1976), pp 1226-1241. [Boeh81a] Boehm, Barry W., Software...Engineering Economics, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, (1981). [Boeh8lb] Boehm, Barry W., "An Experiment in Small Scale Application Software

  7. Happy software developers solve problems better: psychological measurements in empirical software engineering

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaofeng; Abrahamsson, Pekka

    2014-01-01

    For more than thirty years, it has been claimed that a way to improve software developers’ productivity and software quality is to focus on people and to provide incentives to make developers satisfied and happy. This claim has rarely been verified in software engineering research, which faces an additional challenge in comparison to more traditional engineering fields: software development is an intellectual activity and is dominated by often-neglected human factors (called human aspects in software engineering research). Among the many skills required for software development, developers must possess high analytical problem-solving skills and creativity for the software construction process. According to psychology research, affective states—emotions and moods—deeply influence the cognitive processing abilities and performance of workers, including creativity and analytical problem solving. Nonetheless, little research has investigated the correlation between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving performance of programmers. This article echoes the call to employ psychological measurements in software engineering research. We report a study with 42 participants to investigate the relationship between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving skills of software developers. The results offer support for the claim that happy developers are indeed better problem solvers in terms of their analytical abilities. The following contributions are made by this study: (1) providing a better understanding of the impact of affective states on the creativity and analytical problem-solving capacities of developers, (2) introducing and validating psychological measurements, theories, and concepts of affective states, creativity, and analytical-problem-solving skills in empirical software engineering, and (3) raising the need for studying the human factors of software engineering by employing a multidisciplinary viewpoint. PMID:24688866

  8. Happy software developers solve problems better: psychological measurements in empirical software engineering.

    PubMed

    Graziotin, Daniel; Wang, Xiaofeng; Abrahamsson, Pekka

    2014-01-01

    For more than thirty years, it has been claimed that a way to improve software developers' productivity and software quality is to focus on people and to provide incentives to make developers satisfied and happy. This claim has rarely been verified in software engineering research, which faces an additional challenge in comparison to more traditional engineering fields: software development is an intellectual activity and is dominated by often-neglected human factors (called human aspects in software engineering research). Among the many skills required for software development, developers must possess high analytical problem-solving skills and creativity for the software construction process. According to psychology research, affective states-emotions and moods-deeply influence the cognitive processing abilities and performance of workers, including creativity and analytical problem solving. Nonetheless, little research has investigated the correlation between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving performance of programmers. This article echoes the call to employ psychological measurements in software engineering research. We report a study with 42 participants to investigate the relationship between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving skills of software developers. The results offer support for the claim that happy developers are indeed better problem solvers in terms of their analytical abilities. The following contributions are made by this study: (1) providing a better understanding of the impact of affective states on the creativity and analytical problem-solving capacities of developers, (2) introducing and validating psychological measurements, theories, and concepts of affective states, creativity, and analytical-problem-solving skills in empirical software engineering, and (3) raising the need for studying the human factors of software engineering by employing a multidisciplinary viewpoint.

  9. Software technology insertion: A study of success factors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lydon, Tom

    1990-01-01

    Managing software development in large organizations has become increasingly difficult due to increasing technical complexity, stricter government standards, a shortage of experienced software engineers, competitive pressure for improved productivity and quality, the need to co-develop hardware and software together, and the rapid changes in both hardware and software technology. The 'software factory' approach to software development minimizes risks while maximizing productivity and quality through standardization, automation, and training. However, in practice, this approach is relatively inflexible when adopting new software technologies. The methods that a large multi-project software engineering organization can use to increase the likelihood of successful software technology insertion (STI), especially in a standardized engineering environment, are described.

  10. Navy-ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) Summer Faculty Research Program for 1982 with a Cummulative Compilation of Data on Later Research Fallouts from the 1979 and 1980 and 1981 Programs.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-01-01

    Oriental or Asian groups and 5 were non - minority women. Of the 24 minority representatives 9 were Black, 14 were of Oriental or Asian backgrounds and one... controlled atmospheres. Reactions of carbon dioxide with metal complexes are relatively rare, and John Cooper and his group at Naval Research...of the NSFRP parti- * cipants in 1982 held the Ph.D. or an quivalent doctoral degree in their field of expertise and approximately one third were

  11. Defense AT&L Magazine: A Publication of the Defense Acquisition University. Volume 34, Number 3, DAU 184

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-01-01

    developed a partnership with the Defense Acquisition University to in- tegrate DISA’s systems engineering processes, software , and network...in place, with processes being implemented: deployment management; systems engineering ; software engineering ; configuration man- agement; test and...CSS systems engineering is a transition partner with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Insti- tute and its work on the capability

  12. Violet-to-Blue Gain and Lasing from Colloidal CdS Nanoplatelets: Low-Threshold Stimulated Emission Despite Low Photoluminescence Quantum Yield

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

    Diroll, Benjamin T.; Talapin, Dmitri V.; Schaller, Richard D.

    Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and lasing from solution-processed materials are demonstrated in the challenging violet-to-blue (430–490 nm) spectral region for colloidal nanoplatelets of CdS and newly synthesized core/shell CdS/ZnS nanoplatelets. Despite modest band-edge photoluminescence quantum yields of 2% or less for single excitons, which we show results from hole trapping, the samples exhibit low ASE thresholds. Furthermore, four-monolayer CdS samples show ASE at shorter wavelengths than any reported film of colloidal quantum-confined material. This work underlines that low quantum yields for single excitons do not necessarily lead to a poor gain medium. The low ASE thresholds originate from negligible dispersionmore » in thickness, large absorption cross sections of 2.8 × 10–14 cm–2, and rather slow (150 to 300 ps) biexciton recombination. We show that under higher-fluence excitation, ASE can kinetically outcompete hole trapping. Using nanoplatelets as the gain medium, lasing is observed in a linear optical cavity. This work confirms the fundamental advantages of colloidal quantum well structures as gain media, even in the absence of high photoluminescence efficiency.« less

  13. Development of Aeroservoelastic Analytical Models and Gust Load Alleviation Control Laws of a SensorCraft Wind-Tunnel Model Using Measured Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Silva, Walter A.; Vartio, Eric; Shimko, Anthony; Kvaternik, Raymond G.; Eure, Kenneth W.; Scott,Robert C.

    2007-01-01

    Aeroservoelastic (ASE) analytical models of a SensorCraft wind-tunnel model are generated using measured data. The data was acquired during the ASE wind-tunnel test of the HiLDA (High Lift-to-Drag Active) Wing model, tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) in late 2004. Two time-domain system identification techniques are applied to the development of the ASE analytical models: impulse response (IR) method and the Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) method. Using measured control surface inputs (frequency sweeps) and associated sensor responses, the IR method is used to extract corresponding input/output impulse response pairs. These impulse responses are then transformed into state-space models for use in ASE analyses. Similarly, the GPC method transforms measured random control surface inputs and associated sensor responses into an AutoRegressive with eXogenous input (ARX) model. The ARX model is then used to develop the gust load alleviation (GLA) control law. For the IR method, comparison of measured with simulated responses are presented to investigate the accuracy of the ASE analytical models developed. For the GPC method, comparison of simulated open-loop and closed-loop (GLA) time histories are presented.

  14. Development of Aeroservoelastic Analytical Models and Gust Load Alleviation Control Laws of a SensorCraft Wind-Tunnel Model Using Measured Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Silva, Walter A.; Shimko, Anthony; Kvaternik, Raymond G.; Eure, Kenneth W.; Scott, Robert C.

    2006-01-01

    Aeroservoelastic (ASE) analytical models of a SensorCraft wind-tunnel model are generated using measured data. The data was acquired during the ASE wind-tunnel test of the HiLDA (High Lift-to-Drag Active) Wing model, tested in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) in late 2004. Two time-domain system identification techniques are applied to the development of the ASE analytical models: impulse response (IR) method and the Generalized Predictive Control (GPC) method. Using measured control surface inputs (frequency sweeps) and associated sensor responses, the IR method is used to extract corresponding input/output impulse response pairs. These impulse responses are then transformed into state-space models for use in ASE analyses. Similarly, the GPC method transforms measured random control surface inputs and associated sensor responses into an AutoRegressive with eXogenous input (ARX) model. The ARX model is then used to develop the gust load alleviation (GLA) control law. For the IR method, comparison of measured with simulated responses are presented to investigate the accuracy of the ASE analytical models developed. For the GPC method, comparison of simulated open-loop and closed-loop (GLA) time histories are presented.

  15. Shuttle avionics software trials, tribulations and success

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Henderson, O. L.

    1985-01-01

    The early problems and the solutions developed to provide the required quality software needed to support the space shuttle engine development program are described. The decision to use a programmable digital control system on the space shuttle engine was primarily based upon the need for a flexible control system capable of supporting the total engine mission on a large complex pump fed engine. The mission definition included all control phases from ground checkout through post shutdown propellant dumping. The flexibility of the controller through reprogrammable software allowed the system to respond to the technical challenges and innovation required to develop both the engine and controller hardware. This same flexibility, however, placed a severe strain on the capability of the software development and verification organization. The overall development program required that the software facility accommodate significant growth in both the software requirements and the number of software packages delivered. This challenge was met by reorganization and evolution in the process of developing and verifying software.

  16. Shaping Software Engineering Curricula Using Open Source Communities: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowring, James; Burke, Quinn

    2016-01-01

    This paper documents four years of a novel approach to teaching a two-course sequence in software engineering as part of the ABET-accredited computer science curriculum at the College of Charleston. This approach is team-based and centers on learning software engineering in the context of open source software projects. In the first course, teams…

  17. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1988-01-01

    Topics covered in the workshop included studies and experiments conducted in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL), a cooperative effort of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the University of Maryland, and Computer Sciences Corporation; software models; software products; and software tools.

  18. Averting Denver Airports on a Chip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sullivan, Kevin J.

    1995-01-01

    As a result of recent advances in software engineering capabilities, we are now in a more stable environment. De-facto hardware and software standards are emerging. Work on software architecture and design patterns signals a consensus on the importance of early system-level design decisions, and agreements on the uses of certain paradigmatic software structures. We now routinely build systems that would have been risky or infeasible a few years ago. Unfortunately, technological developments threaten to destabilize software design again. Systems designed around novel computing and peripheral devices will spark ambitious new projects that will stress current software design and engineering capabilities. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and related technologies provide the physical basis for new systems with the potential to produce this kind of destabilizing effect. One important response to anticipated software engineering and design difficulties is carefully directed engineering-scientific research. Two specific problems meriting substantial research attention are: A lack of sufficient means to build software systems by generating, extending, specializing, and integrating large-scale reusable components; and a lack of adequate computational and analytic tools to extend and aid engineers in maintaining intellectual control over complex software designs.

  19. Software Management Metrics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-05-01

    obtained from Dr. Barry Boehm’s Software 5650, Contract No. F19628-86-C-O001, Engineering Economics [1] and from T. J. ESD/MITRE Software Center Acquisition...of References 1. Boehm, Barry W., SoJtware Engineering 3. Halstead, M. H., Elements of SoJhtare Economics, Englewood Cliffs, New Science, New York...1983, pp. 639-648. 35 35 - Bibliography Beizer, B., Software System Testing and Pressman , Roger S., Software Engineering:QualtyO Assurance, New York: Van

  20. SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE (SEI)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center established in 1984 by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. SEI has a broad charter to provide leadership in the practice of software engineering t...

  1. 7 Processes that Enable NASA Software Engineering Technologies: Value-Added Process Engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Housch, Helen; Godfrey, Sally

    2011-01-01

    The presentation reviews Agency process requirements and the purpose, benefits, and experiences or seven software engineering processes. The processes include: product integration, configuration management, verification, software assurance, measurement and analysis, requirements management, and planning and monitoring.

  2. Head-to-Head Comparison of Global Longitudinal Strain Measurements among Nine Different Vendors: The EACVI/ASE Inter-Vendor Comparison Study.

    PubMed

    Farsalinos, Konstantinos E; Daraban, Ana M; Ünlü, Serkan; Thomas, James D; Badano, Luigi P; Voigt, Jens-Uwe

    2015-10-01

    This study was planned by the EACVI/ASE/Industry Task Force to Standardize Deformation Imaging to (1) test the variability of speckle-tracking global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurements among different vendors and (2) compare GLS measurement variability with conventional echocardiographic parameters. Sixty-two volunteers were studied using ultrasound systems from seven manufacturers. Each volunteer was examined by the same sonographer on all machines. Inter- and intraobserver variability was determined in a true test-retest setting. Conventional echocardiographic parameters were acquired for comparison. Using the software packages of the respective manufacturer and of two software-only vendors, endocardial GLS was measured because it was the only GLS parameter that could be provided by all manufactures. We compared GLSAV (the average from the three apical views) and GLS4CH (measured in the four-chamber view) measurements among vendors and with the conventional echocardiographic parameters. Absolute values of GLSAV ranged from 18.0% to 21.5%, while GLS4CH ranged from 17.9% to 21.4%. The absolute difference between vendors for GLSAV was up to 3.7% strain units (P < .001). The interobserver relative mean errors were 5.4% to 8.6% for GLSAV and 6.2% to 11.0% for GLS4CH, while the intraobserver relative mean errors were 4.9% to 7.3% and 7.2% to 11.3%, respectively. These errors were lower than for left ventricular ejection fraction and most other conventional echocardiographic parameters. Reproducibility of GLS measurements was good and in many cases superior to conventional echocardiographic measurements. The small but statistically significant variation among vendors should be considered in performing serial studies and reflects a reference point for ongoing standardization efforts. Copyright © 2015 American Society of Echocardiography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Methodology for automating software systems. Task 1 of the foundations for automating software systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moseley, Warren

    1989-01-01

    The early stages of a research program designed to establish an experimental research platform for software engineering are described. Major emphasis is placed on Computer Assisted Software Engineering (CASE). The Poor Man's CASE Tool is based on the Apple Macintosh system, employing available software including Focal Point II, Hypercard, XRefText, and Macproject. These programs are functional in themselves, but through advanced linking are available for operation from within the tool being developed. The research platform is intended to merge software engineering technology with artificial intelligence (AI). In the first prototype of the PMCT, however, the sections of AI are not included. CASE tools assist the software engineer in planning goals, routes to those goals, and ways to measure progress. The method described allows software to be synthesized instead of being written or built.

  4. Statistical evaluation of fatty acid profile and cholesterol content in fish (common carp) lipids obtained by different sample preparation procedures.

    PubMed

    Spiric, Aurelija; Trbovic, Dejana; Vranic, Danijela; Djinovic, Jasna; Petronijevic, Radivoj; Matekalo-Sverak, Vesna

    2010-07-05

    Studies performed on lipid extraction from animal and fish tissues do not provide information on its influence on fatty acid composition of the extracted lipids as well as on cholesterol content. Data presented in this paper indicate the impact of extraction procedures on fatty acid profile of fish lipids extracted by the modified Soxhlet and ASE (accelerated solvent extraction) procedure. Cholesterol was also determined by direct saponification method, too. Student's paired t-test used for comparison of the total fat content in carp fish population obtained by two extraction methods shows that differences between values of the total fat content determined by ASE and modified Soxhlet method are not statistically significant. Values obtained by three different methods (direct saponification, ASE and modified Soxhlet method), used for determination of cholesterol content in carp, were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The obtained results show that modified Soxhlet method gives results which differ significantly from the results obtained by direct saponification and ASE method. However the results obtained by direct saponification and ASE method do not differ significantly from each other. The highest quantities for cholesterol (37.65 to 65.44 mg/100 g) in the analyzed fish muscle were obtained by applying direct saponification method, as less destructive one, followed by ASE (34.16 to 52.60 mg/100 g) and modified Soxhlet extraction method (10.73 to 30.83 mg/100 g). Modified Soxhlet method for extraction of fish lipids gives higher values for n-6 fatty acids than ASE method (t(paired)=3.22 t(c)=2.36), while there is no statistically significant difference in the n-3 content levels between the methods (t(paired)=1.31). The UNSFA/SFA ratio obtained by using modified Soxhlet method is also higher than the ratio obtained using ASE method (t(paired)=4.88 t(c)=2.36). Results of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that the highest positive impact to the second principal component (PC2) is recorded by C18:3 n-3, and C20:3 n-6, being present in a higher amount in the samples treated by the modified Soxhlet extraction, while C22:5 n-3, C20:3 n-3, C22:1 and C20:4, C16 and C18 negatively influence the score values of the PC2, showing significantly increased level in the samples treated by ASE method. Hotelling's paired T-square test used on the first three principal components for confirmation of differences in individual fatty acid content obtained by ASE and Soxhlet method in carp muscle showed statistically significant difference between these two data sets (T(2)=161.308, p<0.001). Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Application of updated guidelines on diastolic dysfunction in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

    PubMed

    Clancy, David J; Scully, Timothy; Slama, Michel; Huang, Stephen; McLean, Anthony S; Orde, Sam R

    2017-12-19

    Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is suggested to be associated with higher mortality in severe sepsis and septic shock, yet the methods of diagnosis described in the literature are often inconsistent. The recently published 2016 American Society of Echocardiography and European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (ASE/EACVI) guidelines offer the opportunity to apply a simple pragmatic diagnostic algorithm for the detection of diastolic dysfunction; however, it has not been tested in this cohort. We sought to assess the applicability in septic patients of recently published 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines on diastolic dysfunction compared with the 2009 ASE guidelines. Our hypothesis was that there would be poor agreement in classifying patients. Prospective observational study includes patients identified as having severe sepsis and septic shock. Patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography on day 1 and day 3 of their ICU admission. Patients with normal and abnormal (ejection fraction < 52%) systolic function had their diastolic function stratified according to both the 2009 ASE and 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines. On day 1 echocardiography, of the 62 patients analysed, 37 (60%) had diastolic dysfunction according to the 2016 ASE/EACVI guideline with a further 23% having indeterminate diastolic function, compared to the 2009 ASE guidelines where only 13 (21%) had confirmed diastolic dysfunction with 46 (74%) having indeterminate diastolic dysfunction. On day 3, of the 55 patients studied, 22 patients (40%) were defined as having diastolic dysfunction, with 6 (11%) having indeterminate diastolic dysfunction according to the 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines, compared to the 2009 guidelines where 11 (20%) were confirmed to have diastolic dysfunction and 41 (75%) had indeterminate diastolic function. Systolic dysfunction was identified in 18 of 62 patients (29%) on day 1 and 18 of 55 (33%) on day 3. These patients were classified as having abnormal diastolic function in 94 and 89% with the 2016 guidelines on day 1 and day 3, respectively, compared with 50 and 28% using the 2009 guidelines. The 2016 guidelines had less patients with indeterminate diastolic function on days 1 and 3 (11 and 6%) compared to the 2009 guidelines (50 and 72%). Normal systolic function was identified in 44 patients on day 1 and 37 on day 3. In this group, abnormal diastolic function was present in 45 and 54% on days 1 and 3 according to the 2016 ASE/EACVI guidelines, compared with 9 and 16% using the 2009 guidelines, respectively. In those with normal systolic function, the 2016 guidelines had less indeterminate patients with 30 and 16% on days 1 and 3, respectively, compared to 84 and 76% in the 2009 guidelines. The 2016 ASE/EACVI diastolic function guidelines identify a significantly higher incidence of dysfunction in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock compared to the previous 2009 guidelines. Although the new guidelines seem to be an improvement, issues remain with the application of guidelines using traditional measures of diastolic dysfunction in this cohort.

  6. Powerful Identification of Cis-regulatory SNPs in Human Primary Monocytes Using Allele-Specific Gene Expression

    PubMed Central

    Almlöf, Jonas Carlsson; Lundmark, Per; Lundmark, Anders; Ge, Bing; Maouche, Seraya; Göring, Harald H. H.; Liljedahl, Ulrika; Enström, Camilla; Brocheton, Jessy; Proust, Carole; Godefroy, Tiphaine; Sambrook, Jennifer G.; Jolley, Jennifer; Crisp-Hihn, Abigail; Foad, Nicola; Lloyd-Jones, Heather; Stephens, Jonathan; Gwilliam, Rhian; Rice, Catherine M.; Hengstenberg, Christian; Samani, Nilesh J.; Erdmann, Jeanette; Schunkert, Heribert; Pastinen, Tomi; Deloukas, Panos; Goodall, Alison H.; Ouwehand, Willem H.; Cambien, François; Syvänen, Ann-Christine

    2012-01-01

    A large number of genome-wide association studies have been performed during the past five years to identify associations between SNPs and human complex diseases and traits. The assignment of a functional role for the identified disease-associated SNP is not straight-forward. Genome-wide expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis is frequently used as the initial step to define a function while allele-specific gene expression (ASE) analysis has not yet gained a wide-spread use in disease mapping studies. We compared the power to identify cis-acting regulatory SNPs (cis-rSNPs) by genome-wide allele-specific gene expression (ASE) analysis with that of traditional expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) mapping. Our study included 395 healthy blood donors for whom global gene expression profiles in circulating monocytes were determined by Illumina BeadArrays. ASE was assessed in a subset of these monocytes from 188 donors by quantitative genotyping of mRNA using a genome-wide panel of SNP markers. The performance of the two methods for detecting cis-rSNPs was evaluated by comparing associations between SNP genotypes and gene expression levels in sample sets of varying size. We found that up to 8-fold more samples are required for eQTL mapping to reach the same statistical power as that obtained by ASE analysis for the same rSNPs. The performance of ASE is insensitive to SNPs with low minor allele frequencies and detects a larger number of significantly associated rSNPs using the same sample size as eQTL mapping. An unequivocal conclusion from our comparison is that ASE analysis is more sensitive for detecting cis-rSNPs than standard eQTL mapping. Our study shows the potential of ASE mapping in tissue samples and primary cells which are difficult to obtain in large numbers. PMID:23300628

  7. IEEE Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEE&T 2012) Proceedings (25th, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, April 17-19, 2012)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    IEEE Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training, Proceedings (MS), 2012

    2012-01-01

    The Conference on Software Engineering Education and Training (CSEE&T) is the premier international peer-reviewed conference, sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) Computer Society, which addresses all major areas related to software engineering education, training, and professionalism. This year, as…

  8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/american Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1991, Volume 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hyman, William A. (Editor); Goldstein, Stanley H. (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    The objectives of the program are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participant's institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. A compilation of the final reports on the research projects done by the faculty fellows during the summer of 1991 are presented. Some of the topics covered include: collision avoidance for rover vehicles, bioinstrumentation, neural nets, total quality management of flexible space structures, project scheduling, nondestructive tests, orthostatic intolerance to bedrest, hypersonic reentry simulation, measuring human energy expenditure, tribological models, trace element movement in Anarctic ice, gastrointestinal function, and computer assisted instruction.

  9. Modelling of diesel engine fuelled with biodiesel using engine simulation software

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Said, Mohd Farid Muhamad; Said, Mazlan; Aziz, Azhar Abdul

    2012-06-01

    This paper is about modelling of a diesel engine that operates using biodiesel fuels. The model is used to simulate or predict the performance and combustion of the engine by simplified the geometry of engine component in the software. The model is produced using one-dimensional (1D) engine simulation software called GT-Power. The fuel properties library in the software is expanded to include palm oil based biodiesel fuels. Experimental works are performed to investigate the effect of biodiesel fuels on the heat release profiles and the engine performance curves. The model is validated with experimental data and good agreement is observed. The simulation results show that combustion characteristics and engine performances differ when biodiesel fuels are used instead of no. 2 diesel fuel.

  10. Milestones in Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering History: A Comparative Review

    PubMed Central

    del Águila, Isabel M.; Palma, José; Túnez, Samuel

    2014-01-01

    We present a review of the historical evolution of software engineering, intertwining it with the history of knowledge engineering because “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This retrospective represents a further step forward to understanding the current state of both types of engineerings; history has also positive experiences; some of them we would like to remember and to repeat. Two types of engineerings had parallel and divergent evolutions but following a similar pattern. We also define a set of milestones that represent a convergence or divergence of the software development methodologies. These milestones do not appear at the same time in software engineering and knowledge engineering, so lessons learned in one discipline can help in the evolution of the other one. PMID:24624046

  11. Milestones in software engineering and knowledge engineering history: a comparative review.

    PubMed

    del Águila, Isabel M; Palma, José; Túnez, Samuel

    2014-01-01

    We present a review of the historical evolution of software engineering, intertwining it with the history of knowledge engineering because "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This retrospective represents a further step forward to understanding the current state of both types of engineerings; history has also positive experiences; some of them we would like to remember and to repeat. Two types of engineerings had parallel and divergent evolutions but following a similar pattern. We also define a set of milestones that represent a convergence or divergence of the software development methodologies. These milestones do not appear at the same time in software engineering and knowledge engineering, so lessons learned in one discipline can help in the evolution of the other one.

  12. Comparison of extraction techniques and modeling of accelerated solvent extraction for the authentication of natural vanilla flavors.

    PubMed

    Cicchetti, Esmeralda; Chaintreau, Alain

    2009-06-01

    Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of vanilla beans has been optimized using ethanol as a solvent. A theoretical model is proposed to account for this multistep extraction. This allows the determination, for the first time, of the total amount of analytes initially present in the beans and thus the calculation of recoveries using ASE or any other extraction technique. As a result, ASE and Soxhlet extractions have been determined to be efficient methods, whereas recoveries are modest for maceration techniques and depend on the solvent used. Because industrial extracts are obtained by many different procedures, including maceration in various solvents, authenticating vanilla extracts using quantitative ratios between the amounts of vanilla flavor constituents appears to be unreliable. When authentication techniques based on isotopic ratios are used, ASE is a valid sample preparation technique because it does not induce isotopic fractionation.

  13. A software engineering approach to expert system design and verification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bochsler, Daniel C.; Goodwin, Mary Ann

    1988-01-01

    Software engineering design and verification methods for developing expert systems are not yet well defined. Integration of expert system technology into software production environments will require effective software engineering methodologies to support the entire life cycle of expert systems. The software engineering methods used to design and verify an expert system, RENEX, is discussed. RENEX demonstrates autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations, including replanning trajectory events and subsystem fault detection, onboard a space vehicle during flight. The RENEX designers utilized a number of software engineering methodologies to deal with the complex problems inherent in this system. An overview is presented of the methods utilized. Details of the verification process receive special emphasis. The benefits and weaknesses of the methods for supporting the development life cycle of expert systems are evaluated, and recommendations are made based on the overall experiences with the methods.

  14. Consistent Evolution of Software Artifacts and Non-Functional Models

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-11-14

    induce bad software performance)? 15. SUBJECT TERMS EOARD, Nano particles, Photo-Acoustic Sensors, Model-Driven Engineering ( MDE ), Software Performance...Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, Via Vetoio, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy Email: vittorio.cortellessa@univaq.it Web : http: // www. di. univaq. it/ cortelle/ Phone...Model-Driven Engineering ( MDE ), Software Performance Engineering (SPE), Change Propagation, Performance Antipatterns. For sake of readability of the

  15. A self-referential HOWTO on release engineering

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

    Galassi, Mark C.

    Release engineering is a fundamental part of the software development cycle: it is the point at which quality control is exercised and bug fixes are integrated. The way in which software is released also gives the end user her first experience of a software package, while in scientific computing release engineering can guarantee reproducibility. For these reasons and others, the release process is a good indicator of the maturity and organization of a development team. Software teams often do not put in place a release process at the beginning. This is unfortunate because the team does not have early andmore » continuous execution of test suites, and it does not exercise the software in the same conditions as the end users. I describe an approach to release engineering based on the software tools developed and used by the GNU project, together with several specific proposals related to packaging and distribution. I do this in a step-by-step manner, demonstrating how this very paper is written and built using proper release engineering methods. Because many aspects of release engineering are not exercised in the building of the paper, the accompanying software repository also contains examples of software libraries.« less

  16. The Effect of AOP on Software Engineering, with Particular Attention to OIF and Event Quantification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Havelund, Klaus; Filman, Robert; Korsmeyer, David (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    We consider the impact of Aspect-Oriented Programming on Software Engineering, and, in particular, analyze two AOP systems, one of which does component wrapping and the other, quantification over events, for their software engineering effects.

  17. Second Generation Product Line Engineering Takes Hold in the DoD

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-01-01

    Feature- Oriented Domain Analysis ( FODA ) Feasibility Study” (CMU/SEI-90- TR-021, ADA235785). Pittsburgh, PA: Software Engineering Institute...software product line engineering and software architecture documentation and analysis . Clements is co-author of three practitioner-oriented books about

  18. Collected Software Engineering Papers, Volume 10

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1992-01-01

    This document is a collection of selected technical papers produced by participants in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) from Oct. 1991 - Nov. 1992. The purpose of the document is to make available, in one reference, some results of SEL research that originally appeared in a number of different forums. Although these papers cover several topics related to software engineering, they do not encompass the entire scope of SEL activities and interests. Additional information about the SEL and its research efforts may be obtained from the sources listed in the bibliography at the end of this document. For the convenience of this presentation, the 11 papers contained here are grouped into 5 major sections: (1) the Software Engineering Laboratory; (2) software tools studies; (3) software models studies; (4) software measurement studies; and (5) Ada technology studies.

  19. Quantifying microbial activity in deep subsurface sediments using a tritium based hydrognease enzyme assay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adhikari, R.; Nickel, J.; Kallmeyer, J.

    2012-12-01

    Microbial life is widespread in Earth's subsurface and estimated to represent a significant fraction of Earth's total living biomass. However, very little is known about subsurface microbial activity and its fundamental role in biogeochemical cycles of carbon and other biologically important elements. Hydrogen is one of the most important elements in subsurface anaerobic microbial metabolism. Heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic microorganisms use hydrogen in their metabolic pathways. They either consume or produce protons for ATP synthesis. Hydrogenase (H2ase) is a ubiquitous intracellular enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of molecular hydrogen and/or water into protons and electrons. The protons are used for the synthesis of ATP, thereby coupling energy generating metabolic processes to electron acceptors such as CO2 or sulfate. H2ase enzyme targets a key metabolic compound in cellular metabolism therefore the assay can be used as a measure for total microbial activity without the need to identify any specific metabolic process. Using the highly sensitive tritium assay we measured H2ase enzyme activity in the organic-rich sediments of Lake Van, a saline, alkaline lake in eastern Turkey, in marine sediments of the Barents Sea and in deep subseafloor sediments from the Nankai Trough. H2ase activity could be quantified at all depths of all sites but the activity distribution varied widely with depth and between sites. At the Lake Van sites H2ase activity ranged from ca. 20 mmol H2 cm-3d-1 close to the sediment-water interface to 0.5 mmol H2 cm-3d-1 at a depth of 0.8 m. In samples from the Barents Sea H2ase activity ranged between 0.1 to 2.5 mmol H2 cm-3d-1 down to a depth of 1.60 m. At all sites the sulfate reduction rate profile followed the upper part of the H2ase activity profile until sulfate reduction reached the minimum detection limit (ca. 10 pmol cm-3d-1). H2ase activity could still be quantified after the decline of sulfate reduction, indicating that other microbial processes are becoming quantitatively more important. Similarly, H2ase activity could be quantified at greater depths (ca. 400 mbsf) in Nankai Trough sediments. Nankai Trough is one of the world's most geologically active accretionary wedges, where the Philippine Plate is subducting under the southwest of Japan. Due to the transient faulting, huge amounts of energy are liberated that enhance chemical transformations of organic and inorganic matter. An increase in H2ase activity could be observed at greater depth, which suggests that microbial activity is stimulated by the fault activity. Current techniques for the quantification of microbial activity in deep sediments have already reached their physical and technical limits and-in many cases- are still not sensitive enough to quantify extremely low rates of microbial activity. Additional to the quantification of specific processes, estimates of total microbial activity will provide valuable information on energy flux and microbial metabolism in the subsurface biosphere and other low-energy environments as well as help identifying hotspots of microbial activity. The tritium H2ase assay has a potential to become a valuable tool to measure total subsurface microbial activity.

  20. NewsMars: Express journey to Mars ASE 2003: Knocked out by meteorites Events: Sun-Earth Day ASE 2003: Fun Physics - popular as ever Appointments: Sykes to bring science to the people UK Science Education: The future's bright, the future's science ASE 2003: A grand finale for Catherine Teaching Resources: UK goes to the planets Cambridge Physics Update: Basement physics Conferences: Earth Science Teachers' Association Conference 2003 New Website: JESEI sets sail GIREP: Teacher education seminar Malaysia: Rewards for curriculum change Cambridge Physics Update: My boomerang will come back! Teaching Resources: Widening particiption through ideas and evidence with the University of Surrey Wales: First Ffiseg Events: Nuna: Solar car on tour Physics on Stage: Physics on Stage 3 embraces life Symposium: In what sense a nuclear 'debate'? Gifted and Talented: Able pupils experiencing challenging science Australia: ISS flies high Down Under

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2003-03-01

    Mars: Express journey to Mars ASE 2003: Knocked out by meteorites Events: Sun-Earth Day ASE 2003: Fun Physics - popular as ever Appointments: Sykes to bring science to the people UK Science Education: The future's bright, the future's science ASE 2003: A grand finale for Catherine Teaching Resources: UK goes to the planets Cambridge Physics Update: Basement physics Conferences: Earth Science Teachers' Association Conference 2003 New Website: JESEI sets sail GIREP: Teacher education seminar Malaysia: Rewards for curriculum change Cambridge Physics Update: My boomerang will come back! Teaching Resources: Widening particiption through ideas and evidence with the University of Surrey Wales: First Ffiseg Events: Nuna: Solar car on tour Physics on Stage: Physics on Stage 3 embraces life Symposium: In what sense a nuclear 'debate'? Gifted and Talented: Able pupils experiencing challenging science Australia: ISS flies high Down Under

  1. An Architecture, System Engineering, and Acquisition Approach for Space System Software Resiliency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phillips, Dewanne Marie

    Software intensive space systems can harbor defects and vulnerabilities that may enable external adversaries or malicious insiders to disrupt or disable system functions, risking mission compromise or loss. Mitigating this risk demands a sustained focus on the security and resiliency of the system architecture including software, hardware, and other components. Robust software engineering practices contribute to the foundation of a resilient system so that the system "can take a hit to a critical component and recover in a known, bounded, and generally acceptable period of time". Software resiliency must be a priority and addressed early in the life cycle development to contribute a secure and dependable space system. Those who develop, implement, and operate software intensive space systems must determine the factors and systems engineering practices to address when investing in software resiliency. This dissertation offers methodical approaches for improving space system resiliency through software architecture design, system engineering, increased software security, thereby reducing the risk of latent software defects and vulnerabilities. By providing greater attention to the early life cycle phases of development, we can alter the engineering process to help detect, eliminate, and avoid vulnerabilities before space systems are delivered. To achieve this objective, this dissertation will identify knowledge, techniques, and tools that engineers and managers can utilize to help them recognize how vulnerabilities are produced and discovered so that they can learn to circumvent them in future efforts. We conducted a systematic review of existing architectural practices, standards, security and coding practices, various threats, defects, and vulnerabilities that impact space systems from hundreds of relevant publications and interviews of subject matter experts. We expanded on the system-level body of knowledge for resiliency and identified a new software architecture framework and acquisition methodology to improve the resiliency of space systems from a software perspective with an emphasis on the early phases of the systems engineering life cycle. This methodology involves seven steps: 1) Define technical resiliency requirements, 1a) Identify standards/policy for software resiliency, 2) Develop a request for proposal (RFP)/statement of work (SOW) for resilient space systems software, 3) Define software resiliency goals for space systems, 4) Establish software resiliency quality attributes, 5) Perform architectural tradeoffs and identify risks, 6) Conduct architecture assessments as part of the procurement process, and 7) Ascertain space system software architecture resiliency metrics. Data illustrates that software vulnerabilities can lead to opportunities for malicious cyber activities, which could degrade the space mission capability for the user community. Reducing the number of vulnerabilities by improving architecture and software system engineering practices can contribute to making space systems more resilient. Since cyber-attacks are enabled by shortfalls in software, robust software engineering practices and an architectural design are foundational to resiliency, which is a quality that allows the system to "take a hit to a critical component and recover in a known, bounded, and generally acceptable period of time". To achieve software resiliency for space systems, acquirers and suppliers must identify relevant factors and systems engineering practices to apply across the lifecycle, in software requirements analysis, architecture development, design, implementation, verification and validation, and maintenance phases.

  2. Evan Weaver | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    Evan Weaver Photo of Evan Weaver Evan Weaver Researcher III-Software Engineering Evan.Weaver , he works as a software engineer developing whole-building energy modeling tools. Prior to joining NREL, he worked in the biomedical industry as a software engineer, specializing in graphical user

  3. Requirements Engineering in Building Climate Science Software

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Batcheller, Archer L.

    2011-01-01

    Software has an important role in supporting scientific work. This dissertation studies teams that build scientific software, focusing on the way that they determine what the software should do. These requirements engineering processes are investigated through three case studies of climate science software projects. The Earth System Modeling…

  4. Glossary of Software Engineering Laboratory terms

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    A glossary of terms used in the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) is given. The terms are defined within the context of the software development environment for flight dynamics at the Goddard Space Flight Center. A concise reference for clarifying the language employed in SEL documents and data collection forms is given. Basic software engineering concepts are explained and standard definitions for use by SEL personnel are established.

  5. Software Reporting Metrics. Revision 2.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-11-01

    MITRE Corporation and ESD. Some of the data has been obtained from Dr. Barry Boehm’s Software Engineering Economics (Ref. 1). Thanks are also given to...data level control management " SP = structured programming Barry W. Boehm, Software Engineering Economics, &©1981, p. 122. Reprinted by permission of...investigated and implemented in future prototypes. 43 REFERENCES For further reading: " 1. Boehm, Barry W. Software Engineering Economics; Englewood

  6. Toward Reusable Graphics Components in Ada

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-03-01

    Then alternatives for obtaining well- engineered reusable software components were examined. Finally, the alternatives were analyzed, and the most...reusable software components. Chapter 4 describes detailed design and implementation strategies in building a well- engineered reusable set of components in...study. 2.2 The Object-Oriented Paradigm 2.2.1 The Need for Object-Oriented Techniques. Among software engineers the software crisis is a well known

  7. Object oriented development of engineering software using CLIPS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yoon, C. John

    1991-01-01

    Engineering applications involve numeric complexity and manipulations of a large amount of data. Traditionally, numeric computation has been the concern in developing an engineering software. As engineering application software became larger and more complex, management of resources such as data, rather than the numeric complexity, has become the major software design problem. Object oriented design and implementation methodologies can improve the reliability, flexibility, and maintainability of the resulting software; however, some tasks are better solved with the traditional procedural paradigm. The C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS), with deffunction and defgeneric constructs, supports the procedural paradigm. The natural blending of object oriented and procedural paradigms has been cited as the reason for the popularity of the C++ language. The CLIPS Object Oriented Language's (COOL) object oriented features are more versatile than C++'s. A software design methodology based on object oriented and procedural approaches appropriate for engineering software, and to be implemented in CLIPS was outlined. A method for sensor placement for Space Station Freedom is being implemented in COOL as a sample problem.

  8. Software requirements specification for the GIS-T/ISTEA pooled fund study phase C linear referencing engine

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

    Amai, W.; Espinoza, J. Jr.; Fletcher, D.R.

    1997-06-01

    This Software Requirements Specification (SRS) describes the features to be provided by the software for the GIS-T/ISTEA Pooled Fund Study Phase C Linear Referencing Engine project. This document conforms to the recommendations of IEEE Standard 830-1984, IEEE Guide to Software Requirements Specification (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 1984). The software specified in this SRS is a proof-of-concept implementation of the Linear Referencing Engine as described in the GIS-T/ISTEA pooled Fund Study Phase B Summary, specifically Sheet 13 of the Phase B object model. The software allows an operator to convert between two linear referencing methods and a datummore » network.« less

  9. A Software Engineering Approach based on WebML and BPMN to the Mediation Scenario of the SWS Challenge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brambilla, Marco; Ceri, Stefano; Valle, Emanuele Della; Facca, Federico M.; Tziviskou, Christina

    Although Semantic Web Services are expected to produce a revolution in the development of Web-based systems, very few enterprise-wide design experiences are available; one of the main reasons is the lack of sound Software Engineering methods and tools for the deployment of Semantic Web applications. In this chapter, we present an approach to software development for the Semantic Web based on classical Software Engineering methods (i.e., formal business process development, computer-aided and component-based software design, and automatic code generation) and on semantic methods and tools (i.e., ontology engineering, semantic service annotation and discovery).

  10. Software Engineering Education: Some Important Dimensions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mishra, Alok; Cagiltay, Nergiz Ercil; Kilic, Ozkan

    2007-01-01

    Software engineering education has been emerging as an independent and mature discipline. Accordingly, various studies are being done to provide guidelines for curriculum design. The main focus of these guidelines is around core and foundation courses. This paper summarizes the current problems of software engineering education programs. It also…

  11. Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) data base reporting software user's guide and system description. Volume 1: Introduction and user's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    Reporting software programs provide formatted listings and summary reports of the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) data base contents. The operating procedures and system information for 18 different reporting software programs are described. Sample output reports from each program are provided.

  12. Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) data base reporting software user's guide and system description. Volume 2: Program descriptions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The structure and functions of each reporting software program for the Software Engineering Laboratory data base are described. Baseline diagrams, module descriptions, and listings of program generation files are included.

  13. Software engineering standards and practices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Durachka, R. W.

    1981-01-01

    Guidelines are presented for the preparation of a software development plan. The various phases of a software development project are discussed throughout its life cycle including a general description of the software engineering standards and practices to be followed during each phase.

  14. Measurement of energy contrast of amplified ultrashort pulses using cross-polarized wave generation and spectral interferometry.

    PubMed

    Iliev, Marin; Meier, Amanda K; Galloway, Benjamin; Adams, Daniel E; Squier, Jeff A; Durfee, Charles G

    2014-07-28

    We present a method using spectral interferometry (SI) to characterize a pulse in the presence of an incoherent background such as amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). The output of a regenerative amplifier is interfered with a copy of the pulse that has been converted using third-order cross-polarized wave generation (XPW). The ASE shows as a pedestal background in the interference pattern. The energy contrast between the short-pulse component and the ASE is retrieved. The spectra of the interacting beams are obtained through an improvement to the self-referenced spectral interferometry (SRSI) analysis.

  15. Active seismic experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kovach, R. L.; Watkins, J. S.; Talwani, P.

    1972-01-01

    The Apollo 16 active seismic experiment (ASE) was designed to generate and monitor seismic waves for the study of the lunar near-surface structure. Several seismic energy sources are used: an astronaut-activated thumper device, a mortar package that contains rocket-launched grenades, and the impulse produced by the lunar module ascent. Analysis of some seismic signals recorded by the ASE has provided data concerning the near-surface structure at the Descartes landing site. Two compressional seismic velocities have so far been recognized in the seismic data. The deployment of the ASE is described, and the significant results obtained are discussed.

  16. Inhibiting glutamine uptake represents an attractive new strategy for treating acute myeloid leukemia

    PubMed Central

    Willems, Lise; Jacque, Nathalie; Jacquel, Arnaud; Neveux, Nathalie; Trovati Maciel, Thiago; Lambert, Mireille; Schmitt, Alain; Poulain, Laury; Green, Alexa S.; Uzunov, Madalina; Kosmider, Olivier; Radford-Weiss, Isabelle; Moura, Ivan Cruz; Auberger, Patrick; Ifrah, Norbert; Bardet, Valérie; Chapuis, Nicolas; Lacombe, Catherine; Mayeux, Patrick; Tamburini, Jérôme

    2013-01-01

    Cancer cells require nutrients and energy to adapt to increased biosynthetic activity, and protein synthesis inhibition downstream of mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) has shown promise as a possible therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Glutamine contributes to leucine import into cells, which controls the amino acid/Rag/mTORC1 signaling pathway. We show in our current study that glutamine removal inhibits mTORC1 and induces apoptosis in AML cells. The knockdown of the SLC1A5 high-affinity transporter for glutamine induces apoptosis and inhibits tumor formation in a mouse AML xenotransplantation model. l-asparaginase (l-ase) is an anticancer agent also harboring glutaminase activity. We show that l-ases from both Escherichia coli and Erwinia chrysanthemi profoundly inhibit mTORC1 and protein synthesis and that this inhibition correlates with their glutaminase activity levels and produces a strong apoptotic response in primary AML cells. We further show that l-ases upregulate glutamine synthase (GS) expression in leukemic cells and that a GS knockdown enhances l-ase–induced apoptosis in some AML cells. Finally, we observe a strong autophagic process upon l-ase treatment. These results suggest that l-ase anticancer activity and glutamine uptake inhibition are promising new therapeutic strategies for AML. PMID:24014241

  17. A practical model of thin disk regenerative amplifier based on analytical expression of ASE lifetime

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Huang; Chyla, Michal; Nagisetty, Siva Sankar; Chen, Liyuan; Endo, Akira; Smrz, Martin; Mocek, Tomas

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, a practical model of a thin disk regenerative amplifier has been developed based on an analytical approach, in which Drew A. Copeland [1] had evaluated the loss rate of the upper state laser level due to ASE and derived the analytical expression of the effective life-time of the upper-state laser level by taking the Lorentzian stimulated emission line-shape and total internal reflection into account. By adopting the analytical expression of effective life-time in the rate equations, we have developed a less numerically intensive model for predicting and analyzing the performance of a thin disk regenerative amplifier. Thanks to the model, optimized combination of various parameters can be obtained to avoid saturation, period-doubling bifurcation or first pulse suppression prior to experiments. The effective life-time due to ASE is also analyzed against various parameters. The simulated results fit well with experimental data. By fitting more experimental results with numerical model, we can improve the parameters of the model, such as reflective factor which is used to determine the weight of boundary reflection within the influence of ASE. This practical model will be used to explore the scaling limits imposed by ASE of the thin disk regenerative amplifier being developed in HiLASE Centre.

  18. Adverse effects of metal exposure on chemotaxis towards water-soluble attractants regulated mainly by ASE sensory neuron in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

    PubMed

    Xing, Xiaojuan; Du, Min; Zhang, Yanfen; Wang, Dayong

    2009-01-01

    Chemotaxis to water-soluble attractants is mainly controlled by ASE sensory neuron whose specification is regulated by che-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans. Our data suggested that exposure to high concentrations of metals, such as Pb, Cu, Ag, and Cr, would result in severe defects of chemotaxis to water-soluble attractants of NaCl, cAMP, and biotin. Moreover, the morphology of ASE neuron structures as observed by relative fluorescent intensities and relative size of fluorescent puncta of cell bodies, relative lengths of sensory endings in ASE neurons, and the expression patterns of che-1 were obviously altered in metal exposed animals when they meanwhile exhibited obvious chemotaxis defects to water-soluble attractants. In addition, the dendrite morphology could be noticeably changed in animals exposed to 150 micromol/L of Pb, Cu, and Ag. Furthermore, we observed significant decreases of chemotaxis to water-soluble attractants in Pb exposed che-1 mutant at concentrations more than 2.5 micromol/L, and in Cu, Ag, and Cr exposed che-1 mutant at concentrations more than 50 micromol/L. Therefore, impairment of the ASE neuron structures and functions may largely contribute to the appearance of chemotaxis defects to water-soluble attractants in metal exposed nematodes.

  19. Impact of repeated asenapine treatment on FosB/ΔFosB expression in neurons of the rat central nucleus of the amygdala: colocalization with corticoliberine (CRH) and effect of an unpredictable mild stress preconditioning.

    PubMed

    Majercikova, Z; Kiss, A

    2015-04-01

    FosB/ΔFosB expression in the central amygdalar nucleus (CeA) in response to repeated asenapine (ASE) treatment (an atypical antipsychotic used for the treatment of schizophrenia) was studied in normal rats and rats preconditioned with chronic unpredictable variable mild stress (CMS). The goal of this study was to reveal whether repeated ASE treatment for 14 days may: 1) induce FosB/ΔFosB expression in the amygdala, 2) activate CRH-synthesizing neurons in the CeA, and 3) interfere with 21 days lasting concomitant CMS preconditioning. Four groups of animals were studied: controls and ASE-, CMS-, and CMS+ASE-treated ones. CMS consisted of the restrain, social isolation, crowding, swimming, and cold and lasted 21 days. The ASE and CMS+ASE groups were from the 7th day of the experiment treated with ASE (0.3 mg/kg, subcutaneously - s.c.) twice a day, i.e. together for 14 days. Controls and CMS groups were treated with saline (300 µl/rat, s.c.) twice a day for 14 days. All the animals were sacrificed on the 22nd day, i.e. 16-18 hours after the last treatments. Single FosB/ΔFosB, FosB/ΔFosB colocalizations with CRH, and CRH immunolabeled perikarya were investigated in the CeA using a combined light and fluorescent immunohistochemistry. The distribution aspect of the black FosB/ΔFosB profiles was homogeneous over the whole CeA and no significant differences in the number of FosB/ΔFosB profiles between the individual groups of the rats really occurred. The level of colocalization pattern of FosB/ΔFosB in CRH perikarya was also very similar between the individual groups and in each case it reached approximately 10% of double-labeling. No differences were also seen in the number of CRH immunolabeled perikarya. The density of CRH nerve projections within the CeA was very alike in the individual groups of animals investigated. The study provides a new anatomical/functional finding about the lack of the stimulatory effect of the repeated ASE treatment on the expression of FosB/ΔFosB, FosB/ΔFosB/CRH colocalizations, and CRH immunolabeled perikarya number in the CeA. In addition, CMS preconditioning itself neither stimulated nor inhibited FosB/ΔFosB expression, nor altered the impact of ASE on the activity of CRH neurons in the CeA.

  20. The Use of a Block Diagram Simulation Language for Rapid Model Prototyping

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Whitlow, Johnathan E.; Engrand, Peter

    1996-01-01

    The research performed this summer was a continuation of work performed during the 1995 NASA/ASEE Summer Fellowship. The focus of the work was to expand previously generated predictive models for liquid oxygen (LOX) loading into the external fuel tank of the shuttle. The models which were developed using a block diagram simulation language known as VisSim, were evaluated on numerous shuttle flights and found to well in most cases. Once the models were refined and validated, the predictive methods were integrated into the existing Rockwell software propulsion advisory tool (PAT). Although time was not sufficient to completely integrate the models developed into PAT, the ability to predict flows and pressures in the orbiter section and graphically display the results was accomplished.

  1. Waveform agile high-power fiber laser illuminators for directed-energy weapon systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Engin, Doruk; Lu, Wei; Kimpel, Frank; Gupta, Shantanu

    2012-06-01

    A kW-class fiber-amplifier based laser illuminator system at 1030nm is demonstrated. At 125 kHz pulse repetition rate, 1.9mJ energy per pulse (235W average power) is achieved for 100nsec pulses with >72% optical conversion efficiency, and at 250kHz repetition, >350W average power is demonstrated, limited by the available pumps. Excellent agreement is established between the experimental results and dynamic fiber amplifier simulation, for predicting the pulse shape, spectrum and ASE accumulation throughout the fiber-amplifier chain. High pulse-energy, high power fiber-amplifier operation requires careful engineering - minimize ASE content throughout the pre-amplifier stages, use of large mode area gain fiber in the final power stage for effective pulse energy extraction, and pulse pre-shaping to compensate for the laser gain-saturation induced intra-pulse and pulse-pattern dependent distortion. Such optimization using commercially available (VLMA) fibers with core size in the 30-40μm range is estimated to lead to >4mJ pulse energy for 100nsec pulse at 50kHz repetition rate. Such waveform agile high-power, high-energy pulsed fiber laser illuminators at λ=1030nm satisfies requirements for active-tracking/ranging in high-energy laser (HEL) weapon systems, and in uplink laser beacon for deep space communication.

  2. Socio-Cultural Challenges in Global Software Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoda, Rashina; Babar, Muhammad Ali; Shastri, Yogeshwar; Yaqoob, Humaa

    2017-01-01

    Global software engineering education (GSEE) is aimed at providing software engineering (SE) students with knowledge, skills, and understanding of working in globally distributed arrangements so they can be prepared for the global SE (GSE) paradigm. It is important to understand the challenges involved in GSEE for improving the quality and…

  3. Experiences with Integrating Simulation into a Software Engineering Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bollin, Andreas; Hochmuller, Elke; Mittermeir, Roland; Samuelis, Ladislav

    2012-01-01

    Software Engineering education must account for a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills software engineers will be required to apply throughout their professional life. Covering all the topics in depth within a university setting is infeasible due to curricular constraints as well as due to the inherent differences between educational…

  4. An Engineering Context for Software Engineering

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-09-01

    medium in which I can plant the ideas from this dissertation. I have also written a book on requirements development that is used at NPS by myself and...Addison-Wesley, Anniversary ed., 1995. [Bry00] Bryant, A., “Metaphor, Myth, and Mimicry : The Bases of Software Engineering,” Annals of Software

  5. Selection of software for mechanical engineering undergraduates

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

    Cheah, C. T.; Yin, C. S.; Halim, T.

    A major problem with the undergraduate mechanical course is the limited exposure of students to software packages coupled with the long learning curve on the existing software packages. This work proposes the use of appropriate software packages for the entire mechanical engineering curriculum to ensure students get sufficient exposure real life design problems. A variety of software packages are highlighted as being suitable for undergraduate work in mechanical engineering, e.g. simultaneous non-linear equations; uncertainty analysis; 3-D modeling software with the FEA; analysis tools for the solution of problems in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, mechanical system design, and solid mechanics.

  6. Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    On December 1 and 2, the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL), a consortium composed of NASA/Goddard, the University of Maryland, and CSC, held the 24th Software Engineering Workshop (SEW), the last of the millennium. Approximately 240 people attended the 2-day workshop. Day 1 was composed of four sessions: International Influence of the Software Engineering Laboratory; Object Oriented Testing and Reading; Software Process Improvement; and Space Software. For the first session, three internationally known software process experts discussed the influence of the SEL with respect to software engineering research. In the Space Software session, prominent representatives from three different NASA sites- GSFC's Marti Szczur, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Rick Doyle, and the Ames Research Center IV&V Facility's Lou Blazy- discussed the future of space software in their respective centers. At the end of the first day, the SEW sponsored a reception at the GSFC Visitors' Center. Day 2 also provided four sessions: Using the Experience Factory; A panel discussion entitled "Software Past, Present, and Future: Views from Government, Industry, and Academia"; Inspections; and COTS. The day started with an excellent talk by CSC's Frank McGarry on "Attaining Level 5 in CMM Process Maturity." Session 2, the panel discussion on software, featured NASA Chief Information Officer Lee Holcomb (Government), our own Jerry Page (Industry), and Mike Evangelist of the National Science Foundation (Academia). Each presented his perspective on the most important developments in software in the past 10 years, in the present, and in the future.

  7. Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1984-01-01

    Experiences in measurement, utilization, and evaluation of software methodologies, models, and tools are discussed. NASA's involvement in ever larger and more complex systems, like the space station project, provides a motive for the support of software engineering research and the exchange of ideas in such forums. The topics of current SEL research are software error studies, experiments with software development, and software tools.

  8. FMT (Flight Software Memory Tracker) For Cassini Spacecraft-Software Engineering Using JAVA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kan, Edwin P.; Uffelman, Hal; Wax, Allan H.

    1997-01-01

    The software engineering design of the Flight Software Memory Tracker (FMT) Tool is discussed in this paper. FMT is a ground analysis software set, consisting of utilities and procedures, designed to track the flight software, i.e., images of memory load and updatable parameters of the computers on-board Cassini spacecraft. FMT is implemented in Java.

  9. Requirements: Towards an understanding on why software projects fail

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hussain, Azham; Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.

    2016-08-01

    Requirement engineering is at the foundation of every successful software project. There are many reasons for software project failures; however, poorly engineered requirements process contributes immensely to the reason why software projects fail. Software project failure is usually costly and risky and could also be life threatening. Projects that undermine requirements engineering suffer or are likely to suffer from failures, challenges and other attending risks. The cost of project failures and overruns when estimated is very huge. Furthermore, software project failures or overruns pose a challenge in today's competitive market environment. It affects the company's image, goodwill, and revenue drive and decreases the perceived satisfaction of customers and clients. In this paper, requirements engineering was discussed. Its role in software projects success was elaborated. The place of software requirements process in relation to software project failure was explored and examined. Also, project success and failure factors were also discussed with emphasis placed on requirements factors as they play a major role in software projects' challenges, successes and failures. The paper relied on secondary data and empirical statistics to explore and examine factors responsible for the successes, challenges and failures of software projects in large, medium and small scaled software companies.

  10. Sandia National Laboratories Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) software quality plan. Part 1 : ASC software quality engineering practices version 1.0.

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

    Minana, Molly A.; Sturtevant, Judith E.; Heaphy, Robert

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) Software Quality Plan is to clearly identify the practices that are the basis for continually improving the quality of ASC software products. Quality is defined in DOE/AL Quality Criteria (QC-1) as conformance to customer requirements and expectations. This quality plan defines the ASC program software quality practices and provides mappings of these practices to the SNL Corporate Process Requirements (CPR 1.3.2 and CPR 1.3.6) and the Department of Energy (DOE) document, ASCI Software Quality Engineering: Goals, Principles, and Guidelines (GP&G). This quality plan identifies ASC management andmore » software project teams' responsibilities for cost-effective software engineering quality practices. The SNL ASC Software Quality Plan establishes the signatories commitment to improving software products by applying cost-effective software engineering quality practices. This document explains the project teams opportunities for tailoring and implementing the practices; enumerates the practices that compose the development of SNL ASC's software products; and includes a sample assessment checklist that was developed based upon the practices in this document.« less

  11. Race, class and gender in engineering education: A quantitative investigation of first year enrollment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phillips, Canek Moises Luna

    Research explanations for the disparity across both race and gender in engineering education has typically relied on a deficit model, whereby women and people of color lack the requisite knowledge or psychological characteristics that Whites and men have to become engineers in sufficient numbers. Instead of using a deficit model approach to explain gender and race disparity, in the three studies conducted for this dissertation, I approach gender and race disparity as the result of processes of segregation linked to the historic and on-going perpetuation of systemic sources of oppression in the United States. In the first study, I investigate the relationship between the odds ratios of women and men enrolled in first year US engineering programs and institutional characteristics. To do this, I employ linear regression to study data from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to quantify relationships between odds ratios and institutional characteristics. Results of the linear regression models showed significant relationships between the cost of universities and university selectivity and the odds ratios of women choosing engineering. I theorize how the results could be related to the operation of occupational segregation in engineering, particularly how class-based markers have been historically used by women to overcome gender-based segregation in engineering. In the second study, I examine longitudinal patterns of race, gender, and intersectional combinations of race and gender in enrollments of students in first year engineering programs across the United States (US). Using enrollment data from the American Society of Engineering Education and California Post-Secondary Education Commission, I construct measures of segregation to study how trends in the disparity of students by race could be related to increases in public school segregation nationally over the past 25 years. I found that as public school segregation levels increased nationally, underrepresentation of Black and Hispanics and overrepresentation of White and Asian students has moved further toward the extremes in first year engineering programs compared to these groups’ shares of high school enrollment. I conclude that the study of public school segregation and its effect on racial disparity needs greater attention, as well as that the investigation I conducted serves as a beginning towards pushing back on deficit model explanations of race and gender disparity in engineering. In the third study, I return to the investigation of odds ratios and institutional characteristics, constructing odds ratios using ASEE and NCES data based on the odds of enrollment in first year engineering programs between Asian, Black, and Hispanic students compared to White students. I again quantify the relationships between odds ratios and institutional characteristics using linear regression models and discuss results using theory based in the perspective of occupational segregation. In this case, results were inconclusive leading me to conclude that other variables that I did not consider, such as the segregation levels of schools that students come from before enrollment, should be considered as I develop my own future study into the topic.

  12. Proceedings of the 14th Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1989-01-01

    Several software related topics are presented. Topics covered include studies and experiment at the Software Engineering Laboratory at the Goddard Space Flight Center, predicting project success from the Software Project Management Process, software environments, testing in a reuse environment, domain directed reuse, and classification tree analysis using the Amadeus measurement and empirical analysis.

  13. Software Process Improvement through the Removal of Project-Level Knowledge Flow Obstacles: The Perceptions of Software Engineers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Susan Marie

    2012-01-01

    Uncontrollable costs, schedule overruns, and poor end product quality continue to plague the software engineering field. Innovations formulated with the expectation to minimize or eliminate cost, schedule, and quality problems have generally fallen into one of three categories: programming paradigms, software tools, and software process…

  14. RICIS Software Engineering 90 Symposium: Aerospace Applications and Research Directions Proceedings Appendices

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    Papers presented at RICIS Software Engineering Symposium are compiled. The following subject areas are covered: flight critical software; management of real-time Ada; software reuse; megaprogramming software; Ada net; POSIX and Ada integration in the Space Station Freedom Program; and assessment of formal methods for trustworthy computer systems.

  15. 1997 NASA-ODU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler); Young, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    1998-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives of the program are as follows: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members, (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. Program description is as follows: College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lectures and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, and industry.

  16. 2000 NASA-HU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marable, William P. (Compiler); Murray, Deborah B. (Compiler); Hathaway, Roger A. (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend ten weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. The objectives are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend ten weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lecture and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, and industry. A list of the abstracts of the presentations is provided.

  17. The 1995 NASA-ODU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tiwari, Surendra N. (Compiler); Young, Deborah B. (Compiler)

    1995-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. The objectives of this program are: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; and (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. College or university faculty members will be appointed as Research Fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The Fellow will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of interest or that are directly relevant to the Fellows' research topics. The lectures and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, education, or industry.

  18. NASA/American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1985

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Goglia, G. (Compiler)

    1985-01-01

    Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. The objectives of this program are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to simulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center. College or university faculty members will be appointed as research fellows to spend 10 weeks in cooperative research and study at the NASA Langley Research Center. The fellows will devote approximately 90 percent of the time to a research problem and the remaining time to a study program. The study program will consist of lectures and seminars on topics of general interest or that are directly relevant to the fellows' research project. The lecturers and seminar leaders will be distinguished scientists and engineers from NASA, the educational community, or industry.

  19. Technology transfer in software engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bishop, Peter C.

    1989-01-01

    The University of Houston-Clear Lake is the prime contractor for the AdaNET Research Project under the direction of NASA Johnson Space Center. AdaNET was established to promote the principles of software engineering to the software development industry. AdaNET will contain not only environments and tools, but also concepts, principles, models, standards, guidelines and practices. Initially, AdaNET will serve clients from the U.S. government and private industry who are working in software development. It will seek new clients from those who have not yet adopted the principles and practices of software engineering. Some of the goals of AdaNET are to become known as an objective, authoritative source of new software engineering information and parts, to provide easy access to information and parts, and to keep abreast of innovations in the field.

  20. Effective Software Engineering Leadership for Development Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cagle West, Marsha

    2010-01-01

    Software is a critical component of systems ranging from simple consumer appliances to complex health, nuclear, and flight control systems. The development of quality, reliable, and effective software solutions requires the incorporation of effective software engineering processes and leadership. Processes, approaches, and methodologies for…

  1. Development of a comprehensive software engineering environment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hartrum, Thomas C.; Lamont, Gary B.

    1987-01-01

    The generation of a set of tools for software lifecycle is a recurring theme in the software engineering literature. The development of such tools and their integration into a software development environment is a difficult task because of the magnitude (number of variables) and the complexity (combinatorics) of the software lifecycle process. An initial development of a global approach was initiated in 1982 as the Software Development Workbench (SDW). Continuing efforts focus on tool development, tool integration, human interfacing, data dictionaries, and testing algorithms. Current efforts are emphasizing natural language interfaces, expert system software development associates and distributed environments with Ada as the target language. The current implementation of the SDW is on a VAX-11/780. Other software development tools are being networked through engineering workstations.

  2. Early embryonic programming of neuronal left/right asymmetry in C. elegans.

    PubMed

    Poole, Richard J; Hobert, Oliver

    2006-12-05

    Nervous systems are largely bilaterally symmetric on a morphological level but often display striking degrees of functional left/right (L/R) asymmetry. How L/R asymmetric functional features are superimposed onto an essentially bilaterally symmetric structure and how nervous-system laterality relates to the L/R asymmetry of internal organs are poorly understood. We address these questions here by using the establishment of L/R asymmetry in the ASE chemosensory neurons of C. elegans as a paradigm. This bilaterally symmetric neuron pair is functionally lateralized in that it senses a distinct class of chemosensory cues and expresses a putative chemoreceptor family in a L/R asymmetric manner. We show that the directionality of the asymmetry of the two postmitotic ASE neurons ASE left (ASEL) and ASE right (ASER) in adults is dependent on a L-/R-symmetry-breaking event at a very early embryonic stage, the six-cell stage, which also establishes the L/R asymmetric placement of internal organs. However, the L/R asymmetry of the ASE neurons per se is dependent on an even earlier anterior-posterior (A/P) Notch signal that specifies embryonic ABa/ABp blastomere identities at the four-cell stage. This Notch signal, which functions through two T box genes, acts genetically upstream of a miRNA-controlled bistable feedback loop that regulates the L/R asymmetric gene-expression program in the postmitotic ASE cells. Our results link adult neuronal laterality to the generation of the A/P axis at the two-cell stage and raise the possibility that neural asymmetries observed across the animal kingdom are similarly established by very early embryonic interactions.

  3. Tensile bond strength of an aged resin composite repaired with different protocols.

    PubMed

    Celik, Esra Uzer; Ergücü, Zeynep; Türkün, L Sebnem; Ercan, Utku Kürșat

    2011-08-01

    To evaluate the effect of different surface treatments and bonding procedures on the tensile bond strength (TBS) of resin composites repaired 6 months after polymerization. Resin composite sticks were aged in distilled water at 37°C for 6 months. They were divided into 12 groups (n = 10) according to the combination of surface treatment/bonding procedures [none, only bur treatment, XP Bond (XPB/Dentsply/DeTrey) with/without bur, AdheSE (A-SE/Ivoclar/Vivadent) with/without bur, Composite Primer (CP/GC) with/without bur, CP after bur and acid-etching, XPB after acid etching and CP with bur, A-SE after bur and CP]. The ultimate tensile bond strength (UTS) of the resin composites was tested in intact but aged specimens. Tensile bond strengths were tested with a universal testing machine (Shimadzu). Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Duncan Multiple Comparisons tests (p < 0.05). All repaired groups showed significantly higher TBS than the group without any sureface treatment (p < 0.05). Four groups resulted in TBS similar to those of intact resin composite UTS: A-SE, A-SE with bur, A-SE after CP with bur, and XPB after acid etching+CP with bur. Bur treatment, silane primer or etch-and-rinse adhesive application alone were not successful in the repair process of aged resin composite, whereas self-etching adhesive alone showed similar performance to the intact specimens. Combined procedures generally showed better performance: A-SE with bur, A-SE after CP with bur, and XPB after acid etching +CP with bur showed TBS similar to those of the intact specimens. It was concluded that bur roughening of the surfaces and rebonding procedures were essential for repairing aged resin composites.

  4. Electrostatic roles in electron transfer from [NiFe] hydrogenase to cytochrome c3 from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki F.

    PubMed

    Sugimoto, Yu; Kitazumi, Yuki; Shirai, Osamu; Nishikawa, Koji; Higuchi, Yoshiki; Yamamoto, Masahiro; Kano, Kenji

    2017-05-01

    Electrostatic interactions between proteins are key factors that govern the association and reaction rate. We spectroscopically determine the second-order reaction rate constant (k) of electron transfer from [NiFe] hydrogenase (H 2 ase) to cytochrome (cyt) c 3 at various ionic strengths (I). The k value decreases with I. To analyze the results, we develop a semi-analytical formula for I dependence of k based on the assumptions that molecules are spherical and the reaction proceeds via a transition state. Fitting of the formula to the experimental data reveals that the interaction occurs in limited regions with opposite charges and with radii much smaller than those estimated from crystal structures. This suggests that local charges in H 2 ase and cyt c 3 play important roles in the reaction. Although the crystallographic data indicate a positive electrostatic potential over almost the entire surface of the proteins, there exists a small region with negative potential on H 2 ase at which the electron transfer from H 2 ase to cyt c 3 may occur. This local negative potential region is identical to the hypothetical interaction sphere predicted by the analysis. Furthermore, I dependence of k is predicted by the Adaptive Poisson-Boltzmann Solver considering all charges of the amino acids in the proteins and the configuration of H 2 ase/cyt c 3 complex. The calculation reproduces the experimental results except at extremely low I. These results indicate that the stabilization derived from the local electrostatic interaction in the H 2 ase/cyt c 3 complex overcomes the destabilization derived from the electrostatic repulsion of the overall positive charge of both proteins. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Digital radiography using amorphous selenium: photoconductively activated switch (PAS) readout system.

    PubMed

    Reznik, Nikita; Komljenovic, Philip T; Germann, Stephen; Rowlands, John A

    2008-03-01

    A new amorphous selenium (a-Se) digital radiography detector is introduced. The proposed detector generates a charge image in the a-Se layer in a conventional manner, which is stored on electrode pixels at the surface of the a-Se layer. A novel method, called photoconductively activated switch (PAS), is used to read out the latent x-ray charge image. The PAS readout method uses lateral photoconduction at the a-Se surface which is a revolutionary modification of the bulk photoinduced discharge (PID) methods. The PAS method addresses and eliminates the fundamental weaknesses of the PID methods--long readout times and high readout noise--while maintaining the structural simplicity and high resolution for which PID optical readout systems are noted. The photoconduction properties of the a-Se surface were investigated and the geometrical design for the electrode pixels for a PAS radiography system was determined. This design was implemented in a single pixel PAS evaluation system. The results show that the PAS x-ray induced output charge signal was reproducible and depended linearly on the x-ray exposure in the diagnostic exposure range. Furthermore, the readout was reasonably rapid (10 ms for pixel discharge). The proposed detector allows readout of half a pixel row at a time (odd pixels followed by even pixels), thus permitting the readout of a complete image in 30 s for a 40 cm x 40 cm detector with the potential of reducing that time by using greater readout light intensity. This demonstrates that a-Se based x-ray detectors using photoconductively activated switches could form a basis for a practical integrated digital radiography system.

  6. Software reengineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fridge, Ernest M., III

    1991-01-01

    Today's software systems generally use obsolete technology, are not integrated properly with other software systems, and are difficult and costly to maintain. The discipline of reverse engineering is becoming prominent as organizations try to move their systems up to more modern and maintainable technology in a cost effective manner. JSC created a significant set of tools to develop and maintain FORTRAN and C code during development of the Space Shuttle. This tool set forms the basis for an integrated environment to re-engineer existing code into modern software engineering structures which are then easier and less costly to maintain and which allow a fairly straightforward translation into other target languages. The environment will support these structures and practices even in areas where the language definition and compilers do not enforce good software engineering. The knowledge and data captured using the reverse engineering tools is passed to standard forward engineering tools to redesign or perform major upgrades to software systems in a much more cost effective manner than using older technologies. A beta vision of the environment was released in Mar. 1991. The commercial potential for such re-engineering tools is very great. CASE TRENDS magazine reported it to be the primary concern of over four hundred of the top MIS executives.

  7. A Recommended Framework for the Network-Centric Acquisition Process

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-09-01

    ISO /IEC 12207 , Systems and Software Engineering-Software Life-Cycle Processes  ANSI/EIA 632, Processes for Engineering a System. There are...engineering [46]. Some of the process models presented in the DAG are:  ISO /IEC 15288, Systems and Software Engineering-System Life-Cycle Processes...e.g., ISO , IA, Security, etc.). Vetting developers helps ensure that they are using industry best industry practices and maximize the IA compliance

  8. Software Engineering Education Directory. Software Engineering Curriculum Project

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-05-01

    1986 with a questionnaire mailed to schools selected from Peterson’s Graduate Programs in Engineering and Applied Sciences 1986. We contacted schools...the publi- cation more complete. To discuss any issues related to this report, please contact: Education Program Software Engineering Institute...considered to be required course reading. How to Use This Section This portion of the directory is organized by state (in the U.S.), province (in

  9. The Impact of Software on Associate Degree Programs in Electronic Engineering Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hata, David M.

    1986-01-01

    Assesses the range and extent of computer assisted instruction software available in electronic engineering technology education. Examines the need for software skills in four areas: (1) high-level languages; (2) assembly language; (3) computer-aided engineering; and (4) computer-aided instruction. Outlines strategies for the future in three…

  10. Software engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fridge, Ernest M., III; Hiott, Jim; Golej, Jim; Plumb, Allan

    1993-01-01

    Today's software systems generally use obsolete technology, are not integrated properly with other software systems, and are difficult and costly to maintain. The discipline of reverse engineering is becoming prominent as organizations try to move their systems up to more modern and maintainable technology in a cost effective manner. The Johnson Space Center (JSC) created a significant set of tools to develop and maintain FORTRAN and C code during development of the space shuttle. This tool set forms the basis for an integrated environment to reengineer existing code into modern software engineering structures which are then easier and less costly to maintain and which allow a fairly straightforward translation into other target languages. The environment will support these structures and practices even in areas where the language definition and compilers do not enforce good software engineering. The knowledge and data captured using the reverse engineering tools is passed to standard forward engineering tools to redesign or perform major upgrades to software systems in a much more cost effective manner than using older technologies. The latest release of the environment was in Feb. 1992.

  11. X-ray light valve (XLV): a novel detectors' technology for digital mammography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marcovici, Sorin; Sukhovatkin, Vlad; Oakham, Peter

    2014-03-01

    A novel method, based on X-ray Light Valve (XLV) technology, is proposed for making good image quality yet inexpensive flat panel detectors for digital mammography. The digital mammography markets, particularly in the developing countries, demand quality machines at substantially lower prices than the ones available today. Continuous pressure is applied on x-ray detectors' manufacturers to reduce the flat panel detectors' prices. XLV presents a unique opportunity to achieve the needed price - performance characteristics for direct conversion, x-ray detectors. The XLV based detectors combine the proven, superior, spatial resolution of a-Se with the simplicity and low cost of liquid crystals and optical scanning. The x-ray quanta absorbed by a 200 μm a-Se produce electron - hole pairs that move under an electric field to the top and bottom of a-Se layer. This 2D charge distribution creates at the interface with the liquid crystals a continuous (analog) charge image corresponding to the impinging radiation's information. Under the influence of local electrical charges next to them, the liquid crystals twist proportionally to the charges and vary their light reflectivity. A scanning light source illuminates the liquid crystals while an associated, pixilated photo-detector, having a 42 μm pixel size, captures the light reflected by the liquid crystals and converts it in16 bit words that are transmitted to the machine for image processing and display. The paper will describe a novel XLV, 25 cm x 30 cm, flat panel detector structure and its underlying physics as well as its preliminary performance measured on several engineering prototypes. In particular, the paper will present the results of measuring XLV detectors' DQE, MTF, dynamic range, low contrast resolution and dynamic behavior. Finally, the paper will introduce the new, low cost, XLV detector based, digital mammography machine under development at XLV Diagnostics Inc.

  12. The Personal Software Process (PSPSM): An Empirical Study of the Impact of PSP on Individual Engineers.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-12-01

    Watts Humphrey and is described in his book A Discipline for Software Engineering [ Humphrey 95]. Its intended use is to guide the planning and...Pat; Humphrey , Watts S .; Khajenoori, Soheil; Macke, Susan; & Matvya, Annette. "Introducing the Personal Software Process: Three Industry Case... Humphrey 95] Humphrey , Watts S . A Discipline for Software Engineering. Reading, Ma.: Addison-Wesley, 1995. [Mauchly 40] Mauchly, J.W. "Significance

  13. Large-scale visualization projects for teaching software engineering.

    PubMed

    Müller, Christoph; Reina, Guido; Burch, Michael; Weiskopf, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    The University of Stuttgart's software engineering major complements the traditional computer science major with more practice-oriented education. Two-semester software projects in various application areas offered by the university's different computer science institutes are a successful building block in the curriculum. With this realistic, complex project setting, students experience the practice of software engineering, including software development processes, technologies, and soft skills. In particular, visualization-based projects are popular with students. Such projects offer them the opportunity to gain profound knowledge that would hardly be possible with only regular lectures and homework assignments.

  14. 48 CFR 227.7206 - Contracts for architect-engineer services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... Rights in Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation 227.7206 Contracts for architect-engineer services. Follow 227.7107 when contracting for architect-engineer services. ...-engineer services. 227.7206 Section 227.7206 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION...

  15. 48 CFR 227.7206 - Contracts for architect-engineer services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... Rights in Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation 227.7206 Contracts for architect-engineer services. Follow 227.7107 when contracting for architect-engineer services. ...-engineer services. 227.7206 Section 227.7206 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION...

  16. 48 CFR 227.7206 - Contracts for architect-engineer services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... Rights in Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation 227.7206 Contracts for architect-engineer services. Follow 227.7107 when contracting for architect-engineer services. ...-engineer services. 227.7206 Section 227.7206 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION...

  17. 48 CFR 227.7206 - Contracts for architect-engineer services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... Rights in Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation 227.7206 Contracts for architect-engineer services. Follow 227.7107 when contracting for architect-engineer services. ...-engineer services. 227.7206 Section 227.7206 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION...

  18. 48 CFR 227.7206 - Contracts for architect-engineer services.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ...-engineer services. 227.7206 Section 227.7206 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION... Rights in Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation 227.7206 Contracts for architect-engineer services. Follow 227.7107 when contracting for architect-engineer services. ...

  19. The 1982 ASEE-NASA Faculty Fellowship program (Aeronautics and Research)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fan, D. N.; Hodge, J. R.; Emadi, F. P.

    1982-01-01

    The NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program (Aeronautics and Research) conducted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center during the summer of 1982 is described. Abstracts of the Final Reports submitted by the Fellows detailing the results of their research are also presented.

  20. Demonstration of automated speed enforcement in school zones in Portland, Oregon

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-02-01

    The use of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) to reduce traffic speeds in school zones was demonstrated at five neighborhood schools in Portland, OR, during a two-month period. ASE was deployed at each demonstration school zone an average of two to th...

  1. Amplified spontaneous emission in solar-pumped iodine laser

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cho, Yong S.; Hwang, In H.; Han, Kwang S.; Lee, Ja H.

    1992-01-01

    The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from a long pulse, solar-simulating radiation pumped iodine laser amplifier is studied. The ASE threshold pump intensity is almost proportional to the inverse of the laser gain length when the gas pressure is constant in the laser tube.

  2. A Novel Coupling Pattern in Computational Science and Engineering Software

    EPA Science Inventory

    Computational science and engineering (CSE) software is written by experts of certain area(s). Due to the specialization, existing CSE software may need to integrate other CSE software systems developed by different groups of experts. The coupling problem is one of the challenges...

  3. A Novel Coupling Pattern in Computational Science and Engineering Software

    EPA Science Inventory

    Computational science and engineering (CSE) software is written by experts of certain area(s). Due to the specialization,existing CSE software may need to integrate other CSE software systems developed by different groups of experts. Thecoupling problem is one of the challenges f...

  4. Development of Biopolymer Composite Films Using a Microfluidization Technique for Carboxymethylcellulose and Apple Skin Particles

    PubMed Central

    Choi, Inyoung; Chang, Yoonjee; Shin, So-Hyang; Joo, Eunmi; Song, Hyun Ju; Eom, Haeyoung; Han, Jaejoon

    2017-01-01

    Biopolymer films based on apple skin powder (ASP) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were developed with the addition of apple skin extract (ASE) and tartaric acid (TA). ASP/CMC composite films were prepared by mixing CMC with ASP solution using a microfluidization technique to reduce particle size. Then, various concentrations of ASE and TA were incorporated into the film solution as an antioxidant and an antimicrobial agent, respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), optical, mechanical, water barrier, and solubility properties of the developed films were then evaluated to determine the effects of ASE and TA on physicochemical properties. The films were also analyzed for antioxidant effect on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity and antimicrobial activities against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, and Shigella flexneri. From the results, the ASP/CMC film containing ASE and TA was revealed to enhance the mechanical, water barrier, and solubility properties. Moreover, it showed the additional antioxidant and antimicrobial properties for application as an active packaging film. PMID:28617325

  5. STS-43 TDRS-E during preflight processing at KSC's VPF

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    STS-43 Tracking and Data Relay Satellite E (TDRS-E) undergoes preflight processing in the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) before being loaded into a payload canister for transfer to the launch pad and eventually into Atlantis', Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104's, payload bay (PLB). This side of the TDRS-E will rest at the bottom of the PLB therefore the airborne support equipment (ASE) forward frame keel pin (at center of spacecraft) and the umbilical boom running between the two ASE frames are visible. The solar array panels are covered with protective TRW shields. Above the shields the stowed antenna and solar sail are visible. The inertial upper stage (IUS) booster is the white portion of the spacecraft and rests in the ASE forward frame and ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) frame (at the bottom of the IUS). The IUS booster nozzle extends beyond the AFTA frame. View provided by KSC with alternate number KSC-91PC-1079.

  6. High power narrow-band fiber-based ASE source.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, O; Rekas, M; Wirth, C; Rothhardt, J; Rhein, S; Kliner, A; Strecker, M; Schreiber, T; Limpert, J; Eberhardt, R; Tünnermann, A

    2011-02-28

    In this paper we describe a high power narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light source at 1030 nm center wavelength generated in an Yb-doped fiber-based experimental setup. By cutting a small region out of a broadband ASE spectrum using two fiber Bragg gratings a strongly constrained bandwidth of 12±2 pm (3.5±0.6 GHz) is formed. A two-stage high power fiber amplifier system is used to boost the output power up to 697 W with a measured beam quality of M2≤1.34. In an additional experiment we demonstrate a stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) suppression of at least 17 dB (theoretically predicted ~20 dB), which is only limited by the dynamic range of the measurement and not by the onset of SBS when using the described light source. The presented narrow-band ASE source could be of great interest for brightness scaling applications by beam combination, where SBS is known as a limiting factor.

  7. The Role of Self-Efficacy in HIV Treatment Adherence: Validation of the HIV Treatment Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale (HIV-ASES)

    PubMed Central

    Johnson, Mallory O.; Neilands, Torsten B.; Dilworth, Samantha; Morin, Stephen F.; Remien, Robert H.; Chesney, Margaret A.

    2008-01-01

    Adherence to HIV treatment, including adherence to antiretroviral (ART) medication regimens, is paramount in the management of HIV. Self-efficacy for treatment adherence has been identified as an important correlate of medication adherence in the treatment of HIV and other medical conditions. This paper describes the validation of the HIV Treatment Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale (HIV-ASES) with two samples of HIV+ adults on ART. Factor analyses support subscales measuring Adherence Integration (eigenvalue = 6.12) and Adherence Perseverance (eigenvalue = 1.16), accounting for 61% of the variance in scale items. The HIV-ASES demonstrates robust internal consistency (ρs > .90) and 3-month (rs > .70) and 15-month (rs > .40) test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity analyses revealed relationships with psychosocial measures, ART adherence, clinical status, and healthcare utilization. Findings support the use of the HIV-ASES and provide guidance for further investigation of adherence self-efficacy in the context of treatment for HIV and other diseases. PMID:17588200

  8. Modeling a distributed environment for a petroleum reservoir engineering application with software product line

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Faria Scheidt, Rafael; Vilain, Patrícia; Dantas, M. A. R.

    2014-10-01

    Petroleum reservoir engineering is a complex and interesting field that requires large amount of computational facilities to achieve successful results. Usually, software environments for this field are developed without taking care out of possible interactions and extensibilities required by reservoir engineers. In this paper, we present a research work which it is characterized by the design and implementation based on a software product line model for a real distributed reservoir engineering environment. Experimental results indicate successfully the utilization of this approach for the design of distributed software architecture. In addition, all components from the proposal provided greater visibility of the organization and processes for the reservoir engineers.

  9. Research reports: 1991 NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Karr, Gerald R. (Editor); Chappell, Charles R. (Editor); Six, Frank (Editor); Freeman, L. Michael (Editor)

    1991-01-01

    The basic objectives of the programs, which are in the 28th year of operation nationally, are: (1) to further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) to stimulate an exchange of ideas between participants and NASA; (3) to enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of the participants' institutions; and (4) to contribute to the research objectives of the NASA Centers. The faculty fellows spent 10 weeks at MSFC engaged in a research project compatible with their interests and background and worked in collaboration with a NASA/MSFC colleague. This is a compilation of their research reports for summer 1991.

  10. Software IV and V Research Priorities and Applied Program Accomplishments Within NASA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blazy, Louis J.

    2000-01-01

    The mission of this research is to be world-class creators and facilitators of innovative, intelligent, high performance, reliable information technologies that enable NASA missions to (1) increase software safety and quality through error avoidance, early detection and resolution of errors, by utilizing and applying empirically based software engineering best practices; (2) ensure customer software risks are identified and/or that requirements are met and/or exceeded; (3) research, develop, apply, verify, and publish software technologies for competitive advantage and the advancement of science; and (4) facilitate the transfer of science and engineering data, methods, and practices to NASA, educational institutions, state agencies, and commercial organizations. The goals are to become a national Center Of Excellence (COE) in software and system independent verification and validation, and to become an international leading force in the field of software engineering for improving the safety, quality, reliability, and cost performance of software systems. This project addresses the following problems: Ensure safety of NASA missions, ensure requirements are met, minimize programmatic and technological risks of software development and operations, improve software quality, reduce costs and time to delivery, and improve the science of software engineering

  11. Implementing large projects in software engineering courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coppit, David

    2006-03-01

    In software engineering education, large projects are widely recognized as a useful way of exposing students to the real-world difficulties of team software development. But large projects are difficult to put into practice. First, educators rarely have additional time to manage software projects. Second, classrooms have inherent limitations that threaten the realism of large projects. Third, quantitative evaluation of individuals who work in groups is notoriously difficult. As a result, many software engineering courses compromise the project experience by reducing the team sizes, project scope, and risk. In this paper, we present an approach to teaching a one-semester software engineering course in which 20 to 30 students work together to construct a moderately sized (15KLOC) software system. The approach combines carefully coordinated lectures and homeworks, a hierarchical project management structure, modern communication technologies, and a web-based project tracking and individual assessment system. Our approach provides a more realistic project experience for the students, without incurring significant additional overhead for the instructor. We present our experiences using the approach the last 2 years for the software engineering course at The College of William and Mary. Although the approach has some weaknesses, we believe that they are strongly outweighed by the pedagogical benefits.

  12. Purification and Characterization of the [NiFe]-Hydrogenase of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 ▿

    PubMed Central

    Shi, Liang; Belchik, Sara M.; Plymale, Andrew E.; Heald, Steve; Dohnalkova, Alice C.; Sybirna, Kateryna; Bottin, Hervé; Squier, Thomas C.; Zachara, John M.; Fredrickson, James K.

    2011-01-01

    Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 possesses a periplasmic [NiFe]-hydrogenase (MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase) that has been implicated in H2 production and oxidation as well as technetium [Tc(VII)] reduction. To characterize the roles of MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase in these proposed reactions, the genes encoding both subunits of MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase were cloned and then expressed in an MR-1 mutant without hyaB and hydA genes. Expression of recombinant MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase in trans restored the mutant's ability to produce H2 at 37% of that for the wild type. Following purification, MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase coupled H2 oxidation to reduction of Tc(VII)O4− and methyl viologen. Change of the buffers used affected MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase-mediated reduction of Tc(VII)O4− but not methyl viologen. Under the conditions tested, all Tc(VII)O4− used was reduced in Tris buffer, while in HEPES buffer, only 20% of Tc(VII)O4− was reduced. The reduced products were soluble in Tris buffer but insoluble in HEPES buffer. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that Tc precipitates reduced in HEPES buffer were aggregates of crystallites with diameters of ∼5 nm. Measurements with X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy revealed that the reduction products were a mixture of Tc(IV) and Tc(V) in Tris buffer but only Tc(IV) in HEPES buffer. Measurements with extended X-ray adsorption fine structure showed that while the Tc bonding environment in Tris buffer could not be determined, the Tc(IV) product in HEPES buffer was very similar to Tc(IV)O2·nH2O, which was also the product of Tc(VII)O4− reduction by MR-1 cells. These results shows for the first time that MR-1 [NiFe]-H2ase catalyzes Tc(VII)O4− reduction directly by coupling to H2 oxidation. PMID:21724888

  13. A Role-Playing Game for a Software Engineering Lab: Developing a Product Line

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zuppiroli, Sara; Ciancarini, Paolo; Gabbrielli, Maurizio

    2012-01-01

    Software product line development refers to software engineering practices and techniques for creating families of similar software systems from a basic set of reusable components, called shared assets. Teaching how to deal with software product lines in a university lab course is a challenging task, because there are several practical issues that…

  14. On the Prospects and Concerns of Integrating Open Source Software Environment in Software Engineering Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kamthan, Pankaj

    2007-01-01

    Open Source Software (OSS) has introduced a new dimension in software community. As the development and use of OSS becomes prominent, the question of its integration in education arises. In this paper, the following practices fundamental to projects and processes in software engineering are examined from an OSS perspective: project management;…

  15. Ten recommendations for software engineering in research.

    PubMed

    Hastings, Janna; Haug, Kenneth; Steinbeck, Christoph

    2014-01-01

    Research in the context of data-driven science requires a backbone of well-written software, but scientific researchers are typically not trained at length in software engineering, the principles for creating better software products. To address this gap, in particular for young researchers new to programming, we give ten recommendations to ensure the usability, sustainability and practicality of research software.

  16. Model Driven Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaševic, Dragan; Djuric, Dragan; Devedžic, Vladan

    A relevant initiative from the software engineering community called Model Driven Engineering (MDE) is being developed in parallel with the Semantic Web (Mellor et al. 2003a). The MDE approach to software development suggests that one should first develop a model of the system under study, which is then transformed into the real thing (i.e., an executable software entity). The most important research initiative in this area is the Model Driven Architecture (MDA), which is Model Driven Architecture being developed under the umbrella of the Object Management Group (OMG). This chapter describes the basic concepts of this software engineering effort.

  17. Architecture independent environment for developing engineering software on MIMD computers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Valimohamed, Karim A.; Lopez, L. A.

    1990-01-01

    Engineers are constantly faced with solving problems of increasing complexity and detail. Multiple Instruction stream Multiple Data stream (MIMD) computers have been developed to overcome the performance limitations of serial computers. The hardware architectures of MIMD computers vary considerably and are much more sophisticated than serial computers. Developing large scale software for a variety of MIMD computers is difficult and expensive. There is a need to provide tools that facilitate programming these machines. First, the issues that must be considered to develop those tools are examined. The two main areas of concern were architecture independence and data management. Architecture independent software facilitates software portability and improves the longevity and utility of the software product. It provides some form of insurance for the investment of time and effort that goes into developing the software. The management of data is a crucial aspect of solving large engineering problems. It must be considered in light of the new hardware organizations that are available. Second, the functional design and implementation of a software environment that facilitates developing architecture independent software for large engineering applications are described. The topics of discussion include: a description of the model that supports the development of architecture independent software; identifying and exploiting concurrency within the application program; data coherence; engineering data base and memory management.

  18. NASA Software Documentation Standard

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    The NASA Software Documentation Standard (hereinafter referred to as "Standard") is designed to support the documentation of all software developed for NASA; its goal is to provide a framework and model for recording the essential information needed throughout the development life cycle and maintenance of a software system. The NASA Software Documentation Standard can be applied to the documentation of all NASA software. The Standard is limited to documentation format and content requirements. It does not mandate specific management, engineering, or assurance standards or techniques. This Standard defines the format and content of documentation for software acquisition, development, and sustaining engineering. Format requirements address where information shall be recorded and content requirements address what information shall be recorded. This Standard provides a framework to allow consistency of documentation across NASA and visibility into the completeness of project documentation. The basic framework consists of four major sections (or volumes). The Management Plan contains all planning and business aspects of a software project, including engineering and assurance planning. The Product Specification contains all technical engineering information, including software requirements and design. The Assurance and Test Procedures contains all technical assurance information, including Test, Quality Assurance (QA), and Verification and Validation (V&V). The Management, Engineering, and Assurance Reports is the library and/or listing of all project reports.

  19. Training, Quality Assurance Factors, and Tools Investigation: a Work Report and Suggestions on Software Quality Assurance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lee, Pen-Nan

    1991-01-01

    Previously, several research tasks have been conducted, some observations were obtained, and several possible suggestions have been contemplated involving software quality assurance engineering at NASA Johnson. These research tasks are briefly described. Also, a brief discussion is given on the role of software quality assurance in software engineering along with some observations and suggestions. A brief discussion on a training program for software quality assurance engineers is provided. A list of assurance factors as well as quality factors are also included. Finally, a process model which can be used for searching and collecting software quality assurance tools is presented.

  20. Malicious Hubs: Detecting Abnormally Malicious Autonomous Systems

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

    Kalafut, Andrew J.; Shue, Craig A; Gupta, Prof. Minaxi

    While many attacks are distributed across botnets, investigators and network operators have recently targeted malicious networks through high profile autonomous system (AS) de-peerings and network shut-downs. In this paper, we explore whether some ASes indeed are safe havens for malicious activity. We look for ISPs and ASes that exhibit disproportionately high malicious behavior using 12 popular blacklists. We find that some ASes have over 80% of their routable IP address space blacklisted and others account for large fractions of blacklisted IPs. Overall, we conclude that examining malicious activity at the AS granularity can unearth networks with lax security or thosemore » that harbor cybercrime.« less

  1. EngineSim: Turbojet Engine Simulator Adapted for High School Classroom Use

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Petersen, Ruth A.

    2001-01-01

    EngineSim is an interactive educational computer program that allows users to explore the effect of engine operation on total aircraft performance. The software is supported by a basic propulsion web site called the Beginner's Guide to Propulsion, which includes educator-created, web-based activities for the classroom use of EngineSim. In addition, educators can schedule videoconferencing workshops in which EngineSim's creator demonstrates the software and discusses its use in the educational setting. This software is a product of NASA Glenn Research Center's Learning Technologies Project, an educational outreach initiative within the High Performance Computing and Communications Program.

  2. Evaluating software development characteristics: Assessment of software measures in the Software Engineering Laboratory. [reliability engineering

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Basili, V. R.

    1981-01-01

    Work on metrics is discussed. Factors that affect software quality are reviewed. Metrics is discussed in terms of criteria achievements, reliability, and fault tolerance. Subjective and objective metrics are distinguished. Product/process and cost/quality metrics are characterized and discussed.

  3. Are Earth System model software engineering practices fit for purpose? A case study.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Easterbrook, S. M.; Johns, T. C.

    2009-04-01

    We present some analysis and conclusions from a case study of the culture and practices of scientists at the Met Office and Hadley Centre working on the development of software for climate and Earth System models using the MetUM infrastructure. The study examined how scientists think about software correctness, prioritize their requirements in making changes, and develop a shared understanding of the resulting models. We conclude that highly customized techniques driven strongly by scientific research goals have evolved for verification and validation of such models. In a formal software engineering context these represents costly, but invaluable, software integration tests with considerable benefits. The software engineering practices seen also exhibit recognisable features of both agile and open source software development projects - self-organisation of teams consistent with a meritocracy rather than top-down organisation, extensive use of informal communication channels, and software developers who are generally also users and science domain experts. We draw some general conclusions on whether these practices work well, and what new software engineering challenges may lie ahead as Earth System models become ever more complex and petascale computing becomes the norm.

  4. Increasing Mission Science Return Through Use of Spacecraft Autonomy and Sensor Webs: A Volcanology Example

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davies, A. G.; Chien, S. A.; Castano, R.; Tran, D. Q.; Scharenbroich, L. J.

    2006-12-01

    Mission science return is increased through use of onboard autonomy, and using disparate assets integrated into an autonomously-operating sensor web that can re-task these assets to rapidly obtain additional data. Software on spacecraft has been used to analyse data to detect dynamic events of high interest, such as on- going volcanic activity. This capability has been successfully demonstrated by the NASA New Millennium Program Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE), on the Earth Observing 1 spacecraft in Earth-orbit [1-2]. The potential now exists for eruption parameters to be quantified onboard a spacecraft, using models that relate thermal emission to volumetric eruption rate. This promises a notification not only of on-going activity, but also the magnitude of the event, within a few hours of the original observation, a process that normally takes weeks. ASE/EO-1 is part of the JPL Volcano Sensor Web [3]. This autonomous system collates information of volcanic activity from numerous assets and retasks EO-1 to obtain observations as soon as practicable. The use of a ground-based planner allows rapid insertion or replacement of new observations, with no human intervention. Endusers are notified automatically by email. Spacecraft autonomy, involving automatic fault detection and mitigation, onboard processing of data, and replanning of observations, allows mission operations to break free from pre-ordained operations sequencing, necessary for studying dynamic volcanic processes on other bodies in the Solar System (e.g., Io and Enceladus). Onboard processing allows quantification of dynamic processes, improving both science content per returned byte and optimization of subsequent resource use. This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory-California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA. [1] Chien, S. et al. (2004) The EO-1 Autonomous Science Agent, Proceedings of the 2004 Conferences on Autonomous Agents and Multi-agent Systems (AAMAS), New York City, USA, July 2004. [2] Davies, A. G. et al. (2006) Monitoring active volcanism with the Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment (ASE) on EO-1, RSE, 101, 427-446. [3] Davies, A. G. et al., (2006) Sensor Web enables rapid response to volcanic activity, Eos, 87, 1, 1&5.

  5. Software engineering and Ada in design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oneill, Don

    1986-01-01

    Modern software engineering promises significant reductions in software costs and improvements in software quality. The Ada language is the focus for these software methodology and tool improvements. The IBM FSD approach, including the software engineering practices that guide the systematic design and development of software products and the management of the software process are examined. The revised Ada design language adaptation is revealed. This four level design methodology is detailed including the purpose of each level, the management strategy that integrates the software design activity with the program milestones, and the technical strategy that maps the Ada constructs to each level of design. A complete description of each design level is provided along with specific design language recording guidelines for each level. Finally, some testimony is offered on education, tools, architecture, and metrics resulting from project use of the four level Ada design language adaptation.

  6. ASE Program Certification Standards for Automobile Technician Training Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation, Herndon, VA.

    This document presents and explains the development and application of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) program certification standards that were developed to improve the quality of secondary- and postsecondary-level automobile technician training by implementing a certification program that certifies programs in…

  7. The x-ray time of flight method for investigation of ghosting in amorphous selenium-based flat panel medical x-ray imagers.

    PubMed

    Rau, A W; Bakueva, L; Rowlands, J A

    2005-10-01

    Amorphous selenium (a-Se) based real-time flat-panel imagers (FPIs) are finding their way into the digital radiology department because they offer the practical advantages of digital x-ray imaging combined with an image quality that equals or outperforms that of conventional systems. The temporal imaging characteristics of FPIs can be affected by ghosting (i.e., radiation-induced changes of sensitivity) when the dose to the detector is high (e.g., portal imaging and mammography) or the images are acquired at a high frame rate (e.g., fluoroscopy). In this paper, the x-ray time-of-flight (TOF) method is introduced as a tool for the investigation of ghosting in a-Se photoconductor layers. The method consists of irradiating layers of a-Se with short x-ray pulses. From the current generated in the a-Se layer, ghosting is quantified and the ghosting parameters (charge carrier generation rate and carrier lifetimes and mobilities) are assessed. The x-ray TOF method is novel in that (1) x-ray sensitivity (S) and ghosting parameters can be measured simultaneously, (2) the transport of both holes and electrons can be isolated, and (3) the method is applicable to the practical a-Se layer structure with blocking contacts used in FPIs. The x-ray TOF method was applied to an analysis of ghosting in a-Se photoconductor layers under portal imaging conditions, i.e., 1 mm thick a-Se layers, biased at 5 V/ microm, were irradiated using a 6 MV LINAC x-ray beam to a total dose (ghosting dose) of 30 Gy. The initial sensitivity (S0) of the a-Se layers was 63 +/- 2 nC cm(-2) cGy(-1). It was found that S decreases to 30% of S0 after a ghosting dose of 5 Gy and to 21% after 30 Gy at which point no further change in S occurs. At an x-ray intensity of 22 Gy/s (instantaneous dose rate during a LINAC x-ray pulse), the charge carrier generation rate was 1.25 +/- 0.1 x 10(22) ehp m(-3) s(-1) and, to a first approximation, independent of the ghosting dose. However, both hole and electron transport showed a strong dependence on the ghosting dose: hole transport decreased by 61%, electron transport by up to approximately 80%. Therefore, degradation of both hole and electron transport due to the recombination of mobile charge carriers with trapped carriers (of opposite polarity) were identified as the main cause of ghosting in this study.

  8. CrossTalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. Volume 20, Number 6, June 2007

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-06-01

    California. He has co-authored the book Software Cost Estimation With COCOMO II with Barry Boehm and others. Clark helped define the COCOMO II model...Software Engineering at the University of Southern California. She worked with Barry Boehm and Chris Abts to develop and calibrate a cost-estimation...2003/02/ schorsch.html>. 2. See “Software Engineering, A Practitioners Approach” by Roger Pressman for a good description of coupling, cohesion

  9. Agile Software Teams: How They Engage with Systems Engineering on DoD Acquisition Programs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-07-01

    under Contract No. FA8721-05-C-0003 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineer- ing Institute, a federally funded...issues that would preclude or limit the use of Agile methods within the DoD” [Broadus 2013]. As operational tempos increase and programs fight to...environment in which it operates . This makes software different from other disciplines that have toleranc- es, generally resulting in software engineering

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

    Peck, T; Sparkman, D; Storch, N

    ''The LLNL Site-Specific Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASCI) Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document describes a set of recommended software quality engineering (SQE) practices for ASCI code projects at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). In this context, SQE is defined as the process of building quality into software products by applying the appropriate guiding principles and management practices. Continual code improvement and ongoing process improvement are expected benefits. Certain practices are recommended, although projects may select the specific activities they wish to improve, and the appropriate time lines for such actions. Additionally, projects can rely on the guidance ofmore » this document when generating ASCI Verification and Validation (VSrV) deliverables. ASCI program managers will gather information about their software engineering practices and improvement. This information can be shared to leverage the best SQE practices among development organizations. It will further be used to ensure the currency and vitality of the recommended practices. This Overview is intended to provide basic information to the LLNL ASCI software management and development staff from the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. Additionally the Overview provides steps to using the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I'' document. For definitions of terminology and acronyms, refer to the Glossary and Acronyms sections in the ''LLNL Site-Specific ASCI Software Quality Engineering Recommended Practices VI.I''.« less

  11. The Effective Use of Professional Software in an Undergraduate Mining Engineering Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kecojevic, Vladislav; Bise, Christopher; Haight, Joel

    2005-01-01

    The use of professional software is an integral part of a student's education in the mining engineering curriculum at The Pennsylvania State University. Even though mining engineering represents a limited market across U.S. educational institutions, the goal still exists for using this type of software to enrich the learning environment with…

  12. The Curiosity Mars Rover's Fault Protection Engine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Benowitz, Ed

    2014-01-01

    The Curiosity Rover, currently operating on Mars, contains flight software onboard to autonomously handle aspects of system fault protection. Over 1000 monitors and 39 responses are present in the flight software. Orchestrating these behaviors is the flight software's fault protection engine. In this paper, we discuss the engine's design, responsibilities, and present some lessons learned for future missions.

  13. A Guideline of Using Case Method in Software Engineering Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zainal, Dzulaiha Aryanee Putri; Razali, Rozilawati; Shukur, Zarina

    2014-01-01

    Software Engineering (SE) education has been reported to fall short in producing high quality software engineers. In seeking alternative solutions, Case Method (CM) is regarded as having potential to solve the issue. CM is a teaching and learning (T&L) method that has been found to be effective in Social Science education. In principle,…

  14. Success Factors for Using Case Method in Teaching and Learning Software Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Razali, Rozilawati; Zainal, Dzulaiha Aryanee Putri

    2013-01-01

    The Case Method (CM) has long been used effectively in Social Science education. Its potential use in Applied Science such as Software Engineering (SE) however has yet to be further explored. SE is an engineering discipline that concerns the principles, methods and tools used throughout the software development lifecycle. In CM, subjects are…

  15. Network Profiling Using Flow

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-08-01

    Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations...CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE MATERIAL IS FURNISHED ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF...required for any other external and/or commercial use. Requests for permission should be directed to the Software Engineering Institute at permission

  16. Discovering Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Regulating Human Gene Expression Using Allele Specific Expression from RNA-seq Data

    PubMed Central

    Kang, Eun Yong; Martin, Lisa J.; Mangul, Serghei; Isvilanonda, Warin; Zou, Jennifer; Ben-David, Eyal; Han, Buhm; Lusis, Aldons J.; Shifman, Sagiv; Eskin, Eleazar

    2016-01-01

    The study of the genetics of gene expression is of considerable importance to understanding the nature of common, complex diseases. The most widely applied approach to identifying relationships between genetic variation and gene expression is the expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) approach. Here, we increased the computational power of eQTL with an alternative and complementary approach based on analyzing allele specific expression (ASE). We designed a novel analytical method to identify cis-acting regulatory variants based on genome sequencing and measurements of ASE from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) data. We evaluated the power and resolution of our method using simulated data. We then applied the method to map regulatory variants affecting gene expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from 77 unrelated northern and western European individuals (CEU), which were part of the HapMap project. A total of 2309 SNPs were identified as being associated with ASE patterns. The SNPs associated with ASE were enriched within promoter regions and were significantly more likely to signal strong evidence for a regulatory role. Finally, among the candidate regulatory SNPs, we identified 108 SNPs that were previously associated with human immune diseases. With further improvements in quantifying ASE from RNA-seq, the application of our method to other datasets is expected to accelerate our understanding of the biological basis of common diseases. PMID:27765809

  17. Role of amplified spontaneous emission in optical free-space communication links with optical amplification: impact on isolation and data transmission and utilization for pointing, acquisition, and

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Winzer, Peter J.; Kalmar, Andras; Leeb, Walter R.

    1999-04-01

    We investigate the role of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) produced by an optical booster amplifier at the transmitter of free-space optical communication links. In a communication terminal with a single telescope for both transmission and reception, this ASE power has to be taken into account in connection with transmit-to-receive channel isolation, especially since it partly occupies the same state of polarization and the same frequency band as the receive signal. We show that the booster ASE intercepted by the receiver can represent a non-negligible source of background radiation: In a typical optical intersatellite link scenario, the ASE power spectral density generated by the booster amplifier at the transmitter and coupled to the receiver will be on the order of 10-20 W/Hz, which equals the background radiation of the sun. Exploiting these findings for pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) purposes, we describe a patent-pending PAT system doing without beacon lasers and without the need for diverting a part of the data signal for PAT. Utilizing the transmit booster ASE over a bandwidth of e.g. 20 nm at the receiver, a total power of about -46 dBm is available for PAT purposes without extra power consumption at the transmitter and without the need for beacon lAser alignment.

  18. IPAD project overview

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fulton, R. E.

    1980-01-01

    To respond to national needs for improved productivity in engineering design and manufacturing, a NASA supported joint industry/government project is underway denoted Integrated Programs for Aerospace-Vehicle Design (IPAD). The objective is to improve engineering productivity through better use of computer technology. It focuses on development of technology and associated software for integrated company-wide management of engineering information. The project has been underway since 1976 under the guidance of an Industry Technical Advisory Board (ITAB) composed of representatives of major engineering and computer companies and in close collaboration with the Air Force Integrated Computer-Aided Manufacturing (ICAM) program. Results to date on the IPAD project include an in-depth documentation of a representative design process for a large engineering project, the definition and design of computer-aided design software needed to support that process, and the release of prototype software to integrate selected design functions. Ongoing work concentrates on development of prototype software to manage engineering information, and initial software is nearing release.

  19. A Discussion of the Software Quality Assurance Role

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kandt, Ronald Kirk

    2010-01-01

    The basic idea underlying this paper is that the conventional understanding of the role of a Software Quality Assurance (SQA) engineer is unduly limited. This is because few have asked who the customers of a SQA engineer are. Once you do this, you can better define what tasks a SQA engineer should perform, as well as identify the knowledge and skills that such a person should have. The consequence of doing this is that a SQA engineer can provide greater value to his or her customers. It is the position of this paper that a SQA engineer providing significant value to his or her customers must not only assume the role of an auditor, but also that of a software and systems engineer. This is because software engineers and their managers particularly value contributions that directly impact products and their development. These ideas are summarized as lessons learned, based on my experience at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

  20. Testing Scientific Software: A Systematic Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Kanewala, Upulee; Bieman, James M

    2014-10-01

    Scientific software plays an important role in critical decision making, for example making weather predictions based on climate models, and computation of evidence for research publications. Recently, scientists have had to retract publications due to errors caused by software faults. Systematic testing can identify such faults in code. This study aims to identify specific challenges, proposed solutions, and unsolved problems faced when testing scientific software. We conducted a systematic literature survey to identify and analyze relevant literature. We identified 62 studies that provided relevant information about testing scientific software. We found that challenges faced when testing scientific software fall into two main categories: (1) testing challenges that occur due to characteristics of scientific software such as oracle problems and (2) testing challenges that occur due to cultural differences between scientists and the software engineering community such as viewing the code and the model that it implements as inseparable entities. In addition, we identified methods to potentially overcome these challenges and their limitations. Finally we describe unsolved challenges and how software engineering researchers and practitioners can help to overcome them. Scientific software presents special challenges for testing. Specifically, cultural differences between scientist developers and software engineers, along with the characteristics of the scientific software make testing more difficult. Existing techniques such as code clone detection can help to improve the testing process. Software engineers should consider special challenges posed by scientific software such as oracle problems when developing testing techniques.

  1. An Investigation of an Open-Source Software Development Environment in a Software Engineering Graduate Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ge, Xun; Huang, Kun; Dong, Yifei

    2010-01-01

    A semester-long ethnography study was carried out to investigate project-based learning in a graduate software engineering course through the implementation of an Open-Source Software Development (OSSD) learning environment, which featured authentic projects, learning community, cognitive apprenticeship, and technology affordances. The study…

  2. Implementing Large Projects in Software Engineering Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coppit, David

    2006-01-01

    In software engineering education, large projects are widely recognized as a useful way of exposing students to the real-world difficulties of team software development. But large projects are difficult to put into practice. First, educators rarely have additional time to manage software projects. Second, classrooms have inherent limitations that…

  3. Software Development in the Water Sciences: a view from the divide (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miles, B.; Band, L. E.

    2013-12-01

    While training in statistical methods is an important part of many earth scientists' training, these scientists often learn the bulk of their software development skills in an ad hoc, just-in-time manner. Yet to carry out contemporary research scientists are spending more and more time developing software. Here I present perspectives - as an earth sciences graduate student with professional software engineering experience - on the challenges scientists face adopting software engineering practices, with an emphasis on areas of the science software development lifecycle that could benefit most from improved engineering. This work builds on experience gained as part of the NSF-funded Water Science Software Institute (WSSI) conceptualization award (NSF Award # 1216817). Throughout 2013, the WSSI team held a series of software scoping and development sprints with the goals of: (1) adding features to better model green infrastructure within the Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys); and (2) infusing test-driven agile software development practices into the processes employed by the RHESSys team. The goal of efforts such as the WSSI is to ensure that investments by current and future scientists in software engineering training will enable transformative science by improving both scientific reproducibility and researcher productivity. Experience with the WSSI indicates: (1) the potential for achieving this goal; and (2) while scientists are willing to adopt some software engineering practices, transformative science will require continued collaboration between domain scientists and cyberinfrastructure experts for the foreseeable future.

  4. Engineering and Software Engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, Michael

    The phrase ‘software engineering' has many meanings. One central meaning is the reliable development of dependable computer-based systems, especially those for critical applications. This is not a solved problem. Failures in software development have played a large part in many fatalities and in huge economic losses. While some of these failures may be attributable to programming errors in the narrowest sense—a program's failure to satisfy a given formal specification—there is good reason to think that most of them have other roots. These roots are located in the problem of software engineering rather than in the problem of program correctness. The famous 1968 conference was motivated by the belief that software development should be based on “the types of theoretical foundations and practical disciplines that are traditional in the established branches of engineering.” Yet after forty years of currency the phrase ‘software engineering' still denotes no more than a vague and largely unfulfilled aspiration. Two major causes of this disappointment are immediately clear. First, too many areas of software development are inadequately specialised, and consequently have not developed the repertoires of normal designs that are the indispensable basis of reliable engineering success. Second, the relationship between structural design and formal analytical techniques for software has rarely been one of fruitful synergy: too often it has defined a boundary between competing dogmas, at which mutual distrust and incomprehension deprive both sides of advantages that should be within their grasp. This paper discusses these causes and their effects. Whether the common practice of software development will eventually satisfy the broad aspiration of 1968 is hard to predict; but an understanding of past failure is surely a prerequisite of future success.

  5. Enhancing requirements engineering for patient registry software systems with evidence-based components.

    PubMed

    Lindoerfer, Doris; Mansmann, Ulrich

    2017-07-01

    Patient registries are instrumental for medical research. Often their structures are complex and their implementations use composite software systems to meet the wide spectrum of challenges. Commercial and open-source systems are available for registry implementation, but many research groups develop their own systems. Methodological approaches in the selection of software as well as the construction of proprietary systems are needed. We propose an evidence-based checklist, summarizing essential items for patient registry software systems (CIPROS), to accelerate the requirements engineering process. Requirements engineering activities for software systems follow traditional software requirements elicitation methods, general software requirements specification (SRS) templates, and standards. We performed a multistep procedure to develop a specific evidence-based CIPROS checklist: (1) A systematic literature review to build a comprehensive collection of technical concepts, (2) a qualitative content analysis to define a catalogue of relevant criteria, and (3) a checklist to construct a minimal appraisal standard. CIPROS is based on 64 publications and covers twelve sections with a total of 72 items. CIPROS also defines software requirements. Comparing CIPROS with traditional software requirements elicitation methods, SRS templates and standards show a broad consensus but differences in issues regarding registry-specific aspects. Using an evidence-based approach to requirements engineering for registry software adds aspects to the traditional methods and accelerates the software engineering process for registry software. The method we used to construct CIPROS serves as a potential template for creating evidence-based checklists in other fields. The CIPROS list supports developers in assessing requirements for existing systems and formulating requirements for their own systems, while strengthening the reporting of patient registry software system descriptions. It may be a first step to create standards for patient registry software system assessments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. EXTRACTION AND DETECTION OF ARSENICALS IN SEAWEED VIA ACCELERATED SOLVENT EXTRACTION WITH ION CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATION AND ICP-MS DETECTION

    EPA Science Inventory

    An accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) device was evaluated as a semi-automated means of extracting arsenicals from ribbon kelp. Objective was to investigate effect of experimentally controllable ASE parameters (pressure, temperature, static time and solvent composition) on extr...

  7. The 1982 NASA/ASEE summer faculty fellowship research program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1982-01-01

    Aht NASA/ASEE Summer Faculty Fellowship Research Program conducted at the Marshall Space Flight Center by the University of Alabama at Huntsville, Ala. during the summer of 1982 is described. Abstracts of the Final Reports submitted by the Fellows detailing the results of their research are also presented.

  8. Total Human Exposure Risk Database and Advance Simulaiton Environment

    EPA Science Inventory

    THERdbASE is no longer supported by EPA and is no longer available as download.

    THERdbASE is a collection of databases and models that are useful to assist in conducting assessments of human exposure to chemical pollutants, especial...

  9. Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1993-01-01

    The workshop provided a forum for software practitioners from around the world to exchange information on the measurement, use, and evaluation of software methods, models, and tools. This year, approximately 450 people attended the workshop, which consisted of six sessions on the following topics: the Software Engineering Laboratory, measurement, technology assessment, advanced concepts, process, and software engineering issues in NASA. Three presentations were given in each of the topic areas. The content of those presentations and the research papers detailing the work reported are included in these proceedings. The workshop concluded with a tutorial session on how to start an Experience Factory.

  10. A Brief Study of Software Engineering Professional Continuing Education in DoD Acquisition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-04-01

    Lifecycle Processes (IEEE 12207 ) (810) 37% 61% 2% Guide to the Software Engineering Body of K l d (SWEBOK) (804) 67% 31% 2% now e ge Software...Engineering-Software Measurement Process ( ISO /IEC 15939) (797) 55% 44% 2% Capability Maturity Model Integration (806) 17% 81% 2% Six Sigma Process...Improvement (804) 7% 91% 1% ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems (803) 10% 89% 1% 28 Conclusions Significant problem areas R i tequ remen s Management Very

  11. Proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Software Engineering Workshop

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1999-01-01

    The Twenty-third Annual Software Engineering Workshop (SEW) provided 20 presentations designed to further the goals of the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) of the NASA-GSFC. The presentations were selected on their creativity. The sessions which were held on 2-3 of December 1998, centered on the SEL, Experimentation, Inspections, Fault Prediction, Verification and Validation, and Embedded Systems and Safety-Critical Systems.

  12. Reverse Engineering and Software Products Reuse to Teach Collaborative Web Portals: A Case Study with Final-Year Computer Science Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Medina-Dominguez, Fuensanta; Sanchez-Segura, Maria-Isabel; Mora-Soto, Arturo; Amescua, Antonio

    2010-01-01

    The development of collaborative Web applications does not follow a software engineering methodology. This is because when university students study Web applications in general, and collaborative Web portals in particular, they are not being trained in the use of software engineering techniques to develop collaborative Web portals. This paper…

  13. A Structured Approach for Reviewing Architecture Documentation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-01

    as those found in ISO 12207 [ ISO /IEC 12207 :2008] (for software engineering), ISO 15288 [ ISO /IEC 15288:2008] (for systems engineering), the Rational...Open Distributed Processing - Reference Model: Foundations ( ISO /IEC 10746-2). 1996. [ ISO /IEC 12207 :2008] International Organization for...Standardization & International Electrotechnical Commission. Sys- tems and software engineering – Software life cycle processes ( ISO /IEC 12207 ). 2008. [ ISO

  14. Changes in Transferable Knowledge Resulting from Study in a Graduate Software Engineering Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bareiss, Ray; Sedano, Todd; Katz, Edward

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents the initial results of a study of the evolution of students' knowledge of software engineering from the beginning to the end of a master's degree curriculum in software engineering. Students were presented with a problem involving the initiation of a complex new project at the beginning of the program and again at the end of…

  15. The Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Intent to Turnover among Software Engineers in the Information Technology Industry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agada, Chuks N.

    2013-01-01

    The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and intent to turnover among software engineers in the information technology (IT) industry. The population that was analyzed in this study was software engineers in the IT industry to determine whether there is a relationship between job satisfaction and intent to…

  16. RICIS Software Engineering 90 Symposium: Aerospace Applications and Research Directions Proceedings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    Papers presented at RICIS Software Engineering Symposium are compiled. The following subject areas are covered: synthesis - integrating product and process; Serpent - a user interface management system; prototyping distributed simulation networks; and software reuse.

  17. Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) data and information policy

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcgarry, Frank

    1991-01-01

    The policies and overall procedures that are used in distributing and in making available products of the Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL) are discussed. The products include project data and measures, project source code, reports, and software tools.

  18. Modernizing Systems and Software: How Evolving Trends in Future Trends in Systems and Software Technology Bode Well for Advancing the Precision of Technology

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-04-23

    of Code Need for increased functionality will be a forcing function to bring the fields of software and systems engineering... of Software-Intensive Systems is Increasing 3 How Evolving Trends in Systems and Software Technologies Bode Well for Advancing the Precision of ...Engineering in Continued Partnership 4 How Evolving Trends in Systems and Software Technologies Bode Well for Advancing the

  19. Assessing students' performance in software requirements engineering education using scoring rubrics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.; Hussain, Azham

    2017-10-01

    The study investigates how helpful the use of scoring rubrics is, in the performance assessment of software requirements engineering students and whether its use can lead to students' performance improvement in the development of software requirements artifacts and models. Scoring rubrics were used by two instructors to assess the cognitive performance of a student in the design and development of software requirements artifacts. The study results indicate that the use of scoring rubrics is very helpful in objectively assessing the performance of software requirements or software engineering students. Furthermore, the results revealed that the use of scoring rubrics can also produce a good achievement assessments direction showing whether a student is either improving or not in a repeated or iterative assessment. In a nutshell, its use leads to the performance improvement of students. The results provided some insights for further investigation and will be beneficial to researchers, requirements engineers, system designers, developers and project managers.

  20. Framework Support For Knowledge-Based Software Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huseth, Steve

    1988-03-01

    The advent of personal engineering workstations has brought substantial information processing power to the individual programmer. Advanced tools and environment capabilities supporting the software lifecycle are just beginning to become generally available. However, many of these tools are addressing only part of the software development problem by focusing on rapid construction of self-contained programs by a small group of talented engineers. Additional capabilities are required to support the development of large programming systems where a high degree of coordination and communication is required among large numbers of software engineers, hardware engineers, and managers. A major player in realizing these capabilities is the framework supporting the software development environment. In this paper we discuss our research toward a Knowledge-Based Software Assistant (KBSA) framework. We propose the development of an advanced framework containing a distributed knowledge base that can support the data representation needs of tools, provide environmental support for the formalization and control of the software development process, and offer a highly interactive and consistent user interface.

  1. Engine Structures Modeling Software System (ESMOSS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1991-01-01

    Engine Structures Modeling Software System (ESMOSS) is the development of a specialized software system for the construction of geometric descriptive and discrete analytical models of engine parts, components, and substructures which can be transferred to finite element analysis programs such as NASTRAN. The NASA Lewis Engine Structures Program is concerned with the development of technology for the rational structural design and analysis of advanced gas turbine engines with emphasis on advanced structural analysis, structural dynamics, structural aspects of aeroelasticity, and life prediction. Fundamental and common to all of these developments is the need for geometric and analytical model descriptions at various engine assembly levels which are generated using ESMOSS.

  2. Increasing the reliability of ecological models using modern software engineering techniques

    Treesearch

    Robert M. Scheller; Brian R. Sturtevant; Eric J. Gustafson; Brendan C. Ward; David J. Mladenoff

    2009-01-01

    Modern software development techniques are largely unknown to ecologists. Typically, ecological models and other software tools are developed for limited research purposes, and additional capabilities are added later, usually in an ad hoc manner. Modern software engineering techniques can substantially increase scientific rigor and confidence in ecological models and...

  3. Effects of the Meetings-Flow Approach on Quality Teamwork in the Training of Software Capstone Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Chung-Yang; Hong, Ya-Chun; Chen, Pei-Chi

    2014-01-01

    Software development relies heavily on teamwork; determining how to streamline this collaborative development is an essential training subject in computer and software engineering education. A team process known as the meetings-flow (MF) approach has recently been introduced in software capstone projects in engineering programs at various…

  4. Interpreting CMMI High Maturity for Small Organizations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-09-01

    Stoddard September, 2008 Congreso Internacional en Ingeniería de Software y sus Aplicaciones (International Congress of Software Engineering d...Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Congreso Internacional en Ingeniería de Software y sus Aplicaciones (International Congress of...de Software y sus Aplicaciones (International Congress of Software Engineering and its Applications) Why This Workshop? CMMI Process Performance

  5. STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, IUS / TDRS-C deployment

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1988-09-29

    During STS-26, inertial upper stage (IUS) with tracking and data relay satellite C (TDRS-C) located in the payload bay (PLB) of Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, is positioned into its proper deployment attitude (an angle of 50 degrees) by the airborne support equipment (ASE). In the foreground, the ASE forward cradle is visible. The IUS is mounted in the ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table. TDRS-C components in stowed configuration include solar array panels, TDRS single access #1 and #2, TDRS SGL, and S-Band omni antenna. In the background are the orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods, the Earth's cloud-covered surface, and the Earth's limb.

  6. Parallel grid generation algorithm for distributed memory computers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moitra, Stuti; Moitra, Anutosh

    1994-01-01

    A parallel grid-generation algorithm and its implementation on the Intel iPSC/860 computer are described. The grid-generation scheme is based on an algebraic formulation of homotopic relations. Methods for utilizing the inherent parallelism of the grid-generation scheme are described, and implementation of multiple levELs of parallelism on multiple instruction multiple data machines are indicated. The algorithm is capable of providing near orthogonality and spacing control at solid boundaries while requiring minimal interprocessor communications. Results obtained on the Intel hypercube for a blended wing-body configuration are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. Fortran implementations bAsed on the native programming model of the iPSC/860 computer and the Express system of software tools are reported. Computational gains in execution time speed-up ratios are given.

  7. OHD/HL - Staff

    Science.gov Websites

    Laboratory Branches Hydrologic Software Engineering Branch (HSEB) Hydrologic Science and Modeling Branch (HSMB) General Info Publications Documentation Software Standard and Guidelines Contact Us HL Staff resources and services. Staff Directory Chief, Hydrology Laboratory; Chief, Hydrologic Software Engineering

  8. Composite materials for the extravehicular mobility unit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barrera, Enrique V.; Tello, Hector M.

    1992-01-01

    The extravehicular mobility unit (EMU), commonly known as the astronaut space suit assembly (SSA) and primary life support system (PLSS), has evolved through the years to incorporate new and innovative materials in order to meet the demands of the space environment. The space shuttle program which is seeing an increasing level of extravehicular activity (EVA), also called space walks, along with interest in an EMU for Lunar-Mars missions means even more demanding conditions are being placed on the suit and PLSS. The project for this NASA-ASEE Summer Program was to investigate new materials for these applications. The focus was to emphasize the use of composite materials for every component of the EMU to enhance the properties while reducing the total weight of the EMU. To accomplish this, development of new materials called fullerene reinforced materials (FRM's) was initiated. Fullerenes are carbon molecules which when added to a material significantly reduce the weight of that material. The Faculty Fellow worked directly on the development of the fullerene reinforced materials. A chamber for fullerene production was designed and assembled and first generation samples were processed. He also supervised with the JSC Colleague, a study of composite materials for the EMU conducted by the student participant in the NASA-ASEE Program, Hector Tello a Rice University graduate student, and by a NASA Aerospace Technologist (Materials Engineer) Evelyne Orndoff, in the Systems Engineering Analysis Office (EC7), also a Rice University graduate student. Hector Tello conducted a study on beryllium and Be alloys and initiated a study of carbon and glass reinforced composites for space applications. Evelyne Orndoff compiled an inventory of the materials on the SSA. Ms. Orndoff also reviewed SSA material requirements and cited aspects of the SSA design where composite materials might be further considered. Hector Tello spent part of his time investigating the solar radiation sensitivity of anodic coatings. This project was directed toward the effects of ultra-violet radiation on high emissivity anodic coatings. The work of both Evelyne Orndoff and Hector Tello is of interest to the Engineering Directorate at NASA/JSC and is also directed toward their research as Rice University graduate students.

  9. ETICS: the international software engineering service for the grid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Meglio, A. D.; Bégin, M.-E.; Couvares, P.; Ronchieri, E.; Takacs, E.

    2008-07-01

    The ETICS system is a distributed software configuration, build and test system designed to fulfil the needs of improving the quality, reliability and interoperability of distributed software in general and grid software in particular. The ETICS project is a consortium of five partners (CERN, INFN, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, 4D Soft and the University of Wisconsin-Madison). The ETICS service consists of a build and test job execution system based on the Metronome software and an integrated set of web services and software engineering tools to design, maintain and control build and test scenarios. The ETICS system allows taking into account complex dependencies among applications and middleware components and provides a rich environment to perform static and dynamic analysis of the software and execute deployment, system and interoperability tests. This paper gives an overview of the system architecture and functionality set and then describes how the EC-funded EGEE, DILIGENT and OMII-Europe projects are using the software engineering services to build, validate and distribute their software. Finally a number of significant use and test cases will be described to show how ETICS can be used in particular to perform interoperability tests of grid middleware using the grid itself.

  10. Testing Scientific Software: A Systematic Literature Review

    PubMed Central

    Kanewala, Upulee; Bieman, James M.

    2014-01-01

    Context Scientific software plays an important role in critical decision making, for example making weather predictions based on climate models, and computation of evidence for research publications. Recently, scientists have had to retract publications due to errors caused by software faults. Systematic testing can identify such faults in code. Objective This study aims to identify specific challenges, proposed solutions, and unsolved problems faced when testing scientific software. Method We conducted a systematic literature survey to identify and analyze relevant literature. We identified 62 studies that provided relevant information about testing scientific software. Results We found that challenges faced when testing scientific software fall into two main categories: (1) testing challenges that occur due to characteristics of scientific software such as oracle problems and (2) testing challenges that occur due to cultural differences between scientists and the software engineering community such as viewing the code and the model that it implements as inseparable entities. In addition, we identified methods to potentially overcome these challenges and their limitations. Finally we describe unsolved challenges and how software engineering researchers and practitioners can help to overcome them. Conclusions Scientific software presents special challenges for testing. Specifically, cultural differences between scientist developers and software engineers, along with the characteristics of the scientific software make testing more difficult. Existing techniques such as code clone detection can help to improve the testing process. Software engineers should consider special challenges posed by scientific software such as oracle problems when developing testing techniques. PMID:25125798

  11. AN EVALUATION OF SAMPLE DISPERSION MEDIAS USED WITH ACCELERATED SOLVENT EXTRACTION FOR THE EXTRACTION AND RECOVERY OF ARSENICALS FROM LFB AND DORM-2

    EPA Science Inventory

    An accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) device was evaluated as a semi-automated means for extracting arsenicals from quality control (QC) samples and DORM-2 [standard reference material (SRM)]. Unlike conventional extraction procedures, the ASE requires that the sample be dispe...

  12. Practical Work Using Low-Level Radioactive Materials Available to the Public

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitcher, Ralph

    2011-01-01

    These notes describe six practical activities for supplementing standard practical work in radioactivity. They are based on a series of workshops given at ASE regional and national conferences by the ASE's Safeguards in Science Committee. The activities, which demonstrate aspects of radioactivity, feature consumer items that happen to be…

  13. 5 for Sydney

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berry, Bryan

    2010-01-01

    ASE has a long history of sending students to the International Science School (ISS), having been doing so since 1968. The ISS is a free science education programme run biennially by the Science Foundation for Physics at the University of Sydney. ASE's role is to select the students and organise funding to enable the students and escorts to…

  14. Achievement Motivation Training--Effects on ABE/ASE Students' Psychosocial Self-Perceptions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Larry G.

    A study was conducted to identify psychosocial needs of Adult Basic Education (ABE)/Adult Secondary Education (ASE) students by using the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ). A second purpose was to test effectiveness of Achievement Motivation Training (AMT) as a technique to counterbalance the negative impact of these students' former…

  15. ASE Annual Conference 2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCune, Roger

    2010-01-01

    In this article, the author describes the ASE Annual Conference 2010 which was held at Nottingham after a gap of 22 years. As always, the main conference was preceded by International Day, an important event for science educators from across the world. There were two strands to the programme: (1) "What works for me?"--sharing new ideas…

  16. Adult Services in the Eighties: Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heim, Kathleen M.

    The American Library Association's (ALA) Adult Services in the Eighties (ASE) project was undertaken to supply information about areas of current and unique concentration to aid librarians in identifying, describing, and planning the scope of adult services in their own libraries. The ASE project updates a study conducted in 1954--the most recent…

  17. A Look Back at ASE Annual Meetings/Conferences, 1963-2012

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ramsden, Phil; Ling, Jonathan; Broadbridge, Norma

    2013-01-01

    Viewed by someone with no involvement, the Association for Science Education (ASE) Annual Conference will seem like an impossibly ambitious task, relying significantly on volunteers (though increasingly supported by a small permanent staff) to organise and run it. Developed from events already established in the former associations, it offers a…

  18. 76 FR 28128 - Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-13

    ... INFORMATION CONTACT: Randolph Atkins, Ph.D., Office of Behavioral Safety Research, National Highway Traffic... this countermeasure to assist other communities in establishing well-designed speed management programs, including ASE. This study will conduct a census survey of existing ASE programs in the United States, as...

  19. Navy-ASEE Summer Faculty Research Program. Navy-ASEE Sabbatical Leave Program.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-09-01

    University Arnall Physical Therapy N. Arizona Univ. I Azimi-Sadjadi Elec. Eng. Colorado St. Univ. Baird Chem. Univ. of Alabama in Huntsville I Bandy Mech...provide the framework for the analysis of data in magneto -optics and on tunneling structures for a number of years. Dr. Bilal M. Ayyub Associate

  20. Autonomous Student Experiences in Outdoor and Adventure Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daniel, Brad; Bobilya, Andrew J.; Kalisch, Kenneth R.; McAvoy, Leo H.

    2014-01-01

    This article explores the current state of knowledge regarding the use of autonomous student experiences (ASE) in outdoor and adventure education (OAE) programs. ASE are defined as components (e.g., solo, final expedition) in which participants have a greater measure of choice and control over the planning, execution, and outcomes of their…

Top