Experimental analysis of energy absorption behaviour of Al-tube filled with pumice lightweight concrete under axial loading condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajak, D. K.; Deshpande, P. G.; Kumaraswamidhas, L. A.

2017-08-01

This Paper aimed at experimental investigation of compressive behaviour of square tube filled with pumice lightweight concrete (PLC). Square section of 20×20×30 mm is investigated, which is the backbone structure. The compression deformation result shows the better folding mechanism, displacement value, and energy absorption. PLC concrete filled with aluminium thin-wall tubes has been revealed superior energy absorption capacity (EAC) under low strain rate at room temperature. Superior EAC resulted as a result of mutual deformation benefit between aluminium section and PLC is also analysed. PLC was characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDX) analysis for better understanding of material behaviour. Individual and comparative load bearing graphs is logged for better prospective of analysing. Novel approach aimed at validation of porous lightweight concrete for better lightweight EA filler material.

Noncontact analysis of the fiber weight per unit area in prepreg by near-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Jiang, B; Huang, Y D

2008-05-26

The fiber weight per unit area in prepreg is an important factor to ensure the quality of the composite products. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology together with a noncontact reflectance sources has been applied for quality analysis of the fiber weight per unit area. The range of the unit area fiber weight was 13.39-14.14mgcm(-2). The regression method was employed by partial least squares (PLS) and principal components regression (PCR). The calibration model was developed by 55 samples to determine the fiber weight per unit area in prepreg. The determination coefficient (R(2)), root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) were 0.82, 0.092, 0.099, respectively. The predicted values of the fiber weight per unit area in prepreg measured by NIRS technology were comparable to the values obtained by the reference method. For this technology, the noncontact reflectance sources focused directly on the sample with neither previous treatment nor manipulation. The results of the paired t-test revealed that there was no significant difference between the NIR method and the reference method. Besides, the prepreg could be analyzed one time within 20s without sample destruction.

A comparison of two indices for the intraclass correlation coefficient.

PubMed

Shieh, Gwowen

2012-12-01

In the present study, we examined the behavior of two indices for measuring the intraclass correlation in the one-way random effects model: the prevailing ICC(1) (Fisher, 1938) and the corrected eta-squared (Bliese & Halverson, 1998). These two procedures differ both in their methods of estimating the variance components that define the intraclass correlation coefficient and in their performance of bias and mean squared error in the estimation of the intraclass correlation coefficient. In contrast with the natural unbiased principle used to construct ICC(1), in the present study it was analytically shown that the corrected eta-squared estimator is identical to the maximum likelihood estimator and the pairwise estimator under equal group sizes. Moreover, the empirical results obtained from the present Monte Carlo simulation study across various group structures revealed the mutual dominance relationship between their truncated versions for negative values. The corrected eta-squared estimator performs better than the ICC(1) estimator when the underlying population intraclass correlation coefficient is small. Conversely, ICC(1) has a clear advantage over the corrected eta-squared for medium and large magnitudes of population intraclass correlation coefficient. The conceptual description and numerical investigation provide guidelines to help researchers choose between the two indices for more accurate reliability analysis in multilevel research.

Tri-Squared Mean Cross Comparative Analysis: An Advanced Post Hoc Qualitative and Quantitative Metric for a More In-Depth Examination of the Initial Research Outcomes of the Tri-Square Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, James Edward

2013-01-01

This monograph provides an epistemological rational for the design of an advanced novel analysis metric. The metric is designed to analyze the outcomes of the Tri-Squared Test. This methodology is referred to as: "Tri-Squared Mean Cross Comparative Analysis" (given the acronym TSMCCA). Tri-Squared Mean Cross Comparative Analysis involves…

Magnetic vortex excitation as spin torque oscillator and its unusual trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natarajan, Kanimozhi; Muthuraj, Ponsudana; Rajamani, Amuda; Arumugam, Brinda

2018-05-01

We report an interesting observation of unusual trajectories of vortex core oscillations in a spin valve pillar. Micromagnetic simulation in the composite free layer spin valve nano-pillar shows magnetic vortex excitation under critical current density. When current density is slightly increased and wave vector is properly tuned, for the first time we observe a star like and square gyration. Surprisingly this star like and square gyration also leads to steady, coherent and sustained oscillations. Moreover, the frequency of gyration is also very high for this unusual trajectories. The power spectral analysis reveals that there is a marked increase in output power and frequency with less distortions. Our investigation explores the possibility of these unusual trajectories to exhibit spin torque oscillations.

Assessment of contribution of Australia's energy production to CO2 emissions and environmental degradation using statistical dynamic approach.

PubMed

Sarkodie, Samuel Asumadu; Strezov, Vladimir

2018-10-15

Energy production remains the major emitter of atmospheric emissions, thus, in accordance with Australia's Emissions Projections by 2030, this study analyzed the impact of Australia's energy portfolio on environmental degradation and CO 2 emissions using locally compiled data on disaggregate energy production, energy imports and exports spanning from 1974 to 2013. This study employed the fully modified ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, and canonical cointegrating regression estimators; statistically inspired modification of partial least squares regression analysis with a subsequent sustainability sensitivity analysis. The validity of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis proposes a paradigm shift from energy-intensive and carbon-intensive industries to less-energy-intensive and green energy industries and its related services, leading to a structural change in the economy. Thus, decoupling energy services provide better interpretation of the role of the energy sector portfolio in environmental degradation and CO 2 emissions assessment. The sensitivity analysis revealed that nonrenewable energy production above 10% and energy imports above 5% will dampen the goals for the 2030 emission reduction target. Increasing the share of renewable energy penetration in the energy portfolio decreases the level of CO 2 emissions, while increasing the share of non-renewable energy sources in the energy mix increases the level of atmospheric emissions, thus increasing climate change and their impacts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An exploratory NMR nutri-metabonomic investigation reveals dimethyl sulfone as a dietary biomarker for onion intake.

PubMed

Winning, Hanne; Roldán-Marín, Eduvigis; Dragsted, Lars O; Viereck, Nanna; Poulsen, Morten; Sánchez-Moreno, Concepción; Cano, M Pilar; Engelsen, Søren B

2009-11-01

The metabolome following intake of onion by-products is evaluated. Thirty-two rats were fed a diet containing an onion by-product or one of the two derived onion by-product fractions: an ethanol extract and the residue. A 24 hour urine sample was analyzed using (1)H NMR spectroscopy in order to investigate the effects of onion intake on the rat metabolism. Application of interval extended canonical variates analysis (ECVA) proved to be able to distinguish between the metabolomic profiles from rats consuming normal feed and rats fed with an onion diet. Two dietary biomarkers for onion intake were identified as dimethyl sulfone and 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid. The same two dietary biomarkers were subsequently revealed by interval partial least squares regression (PLS) to be perfect quantitative markers for onion intake. The best PLS calibration model yielded a root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 0.97% (w/w) with only 1 latent variable and a squared correlation coefficient of 0.94. This indicates that urine from rats on the by-product diet, the extract diet, and the residue diet all contain the same dietary biomarkers and it is concluded that dimethyl sulfone and 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid are dietary biomarkers for onion intake. Being able to detect specific dietary biomarkers is highly beneficial in the control of nutritionally enhanced functional foods.

Natural Gas Prices Forecast Comparison--AEO vs. Natural Gas Markets

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

Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle; Lekov, Alex; Dale, Larry

This paper evaluates the accuracy of two methods to forecast natural gas prices: using the Energy Information Administration's ''Annual Energy Outlook'' forecasted price (AEO) and the ''Henry Hub'' compared to U.S. Wellhead futures price. A statistical analysis is performed to determine the relative accuracy of the two measures in the recent past. A statistical analysis suggests that the Henry Hub futures price provides a more accurate average forecast of natural gas prices than the AEO. For example, the Henry Hub futures price underestimated the natural gas price by 35 cents per thousand cubic feet (11.5 percent) between 1996 and 2003more » and the AEO underestimated by 71 cents per thousand cubic feet (23.4 percent). Upon closer inspection, a liner regression analysis reveals that two distinct time periods exist, the period between 1996 to 1999 and the period between 2000 to 2003. For the time period between 1996 to 1999, AEO showed a weak negative correlation (R-square = 0.19) between forecast price by actual U.S. Wellhead natural gas price versus the Henry Hub with a weak positive correlation (R-square = 0.20) between forecasted price and U.S. Wellhead natural gas price. During the time period between 2000 to 2003, AEO shows a moderate positive correlation (R-square = 0.37) between forecasted natural gas price and U.S. Wellhead natural gas price versus the Henry Hub that show a moderate positive correlation (R-square = 0.36) between forecast price and U.S. Wellhead natural gas price. These results suggest that agencies forecasting natural gas prices should consider incorporating the Henry Hub natural gas futures price into their forecasting models along with the AEO forecast. Our analysis is very preliminary and is based on a very small data set. Naturally the results of the analysis may change, as more data is made available.« less

Rapid discrimination between buffalo and cow milk and detection of adulteration of buffalo milk with cow milk using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with multivariate methods.

PubMed

Durakli Velioglu, Serap; Ercioglu, Elif; Boyaci, Ismail Hakki

2017-05-01

This research paper describes the potential of synchronous fluorescence (SF) spectroscopy for authentication of buffalo milk, a favourable raw material in the production of some premium dairy products. Buffalo milk is subjected to fraudulent activities like many other high priced foodstuffs. The current methods widely used for the detection of adulteration of buffalo milk have various disadvantages making them unattractive for routine analysis. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the potential of SF spectroscopy in combination with multivariate methods for rapid discrimination between buffalo and cow milk and detection of the adulteration of buffalo milk with cow milk. SF spectra of cow and buffalo milk samples were recorded between 400-550 nm excitation range with Δλ of 10-100 nm, in steps of 10 nm. The data obtained for ∆λ = 10 nm were utilised to classify the samples using principal component analysis (PCA), and detect the adulteration level of buffalo milk with cow milk using partial least square (PLS) methods. Successful discrimination of samples and detection of adulteration of buffalo milk with limit of detection value (LOD) of 6% are achieved with the models having root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) and the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values of 2, 7, and 4%, respectively. The results reveal the potential of SF spectroscopy for rapid authentication of buffalo milk.

Communication: Diverse nanoscale cluster dynamics: Diffusion of 2D epitaxial clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, King C.; Evans, James W.; Liu, Da-Jiang

2017-11-01

The dynamics of nanoscale clusters can be distinct from macroscale behavior described by continuum formalisms. For diffusion of 2D clusters of N atoms in homoepitaxial systems mediated by edge atom hopping, macroscale theory predicts simple monotonic size scaling of the diffusion coefficient, DN ˜ N-β, with β = 3/2. However, modeling for nanoclusters on metal(100) surfaces reveals that slow nucleation-mediated diffusion displaying weak size scaling β < 1 occurs for "perfect" sizes Np = L2 and L(L+1) for integer L = 3,4,… (with unique square or near-square ground state shapes), and also for Np+3, Np+4,…. In contrast, fast facile nucleation-free diffusion displaying strong size scaling β ≈ 2.5 occurs for sizes Np+1 and Np+2. DN versus N oscillates strongly between the slowest branch (for Np+3) and the fastest branch (for Np+1). All branches merge for N = O(102), but macroscale behavior is only achieved for much larger N = O(103). This analysis reveals the unprecedented diversity of behavior on the nanoscale.

Three-Dimensional Assessment of Temporomandibular Joint Using MRI-CBCT Image Registration

PubMed Central

Lagravere, Manuel; Boulanger, Pierre; Jaremko, Jacob L.; Major, Paul W.

2017-01-01

Purpose To introduce a new approach to reconstruct a 3D model of the TMJ using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) registered images, and to evaluate the intra-examiner reproducibility values of reconstructing the 3D models of the TMJ. Methods MRI and CBCT images of five patients (10 TMJs) were obtained. Multiple MRIs and CBCT images were registered using a mutual information based algorithm. The articular disc, condylar head and glenoid fossa were segmented at two different occasions, at least one-week apart, by one investigator, and 3D models were reconstructed. Differences between the segmentation at two occasions were automatically measured using the surface contours (Average Perpendicular Distance) and the volume overlap (Dice Similarity Index) of the 3D models. Descriptive analysis of the changes at 2 occasions, including means and standard deviation (SD) were reported to describe the intra-examiner reproducibility. Results The automatic segmentation of the condyle revealed maximum distance change of 1.9±0.93 mm, similarity index of 98% and root mean squared distance of 0.1±0.08 mm, and the glenoid fossa revealed maximum distance change of 2±0.52 mm, similarity index of 96% and root mean squared distance of 0.2±0.04 mm. The manual segmentation of the articular disc revealed maximum distance change of 3.6±0.32 mm, similarity index of 80% and root mean squared distance of 0.3±0.1 mm. Conclusion The MRI-CBCT registration provides a reliable tool to reconstruct 3D models of the TMJ’s soft and hard tissues, allows quantification of the articular disc morphology and position changes with associated differences of the condylar head and glenoid fossa, and facilitates measuring tissue changes over time. PMID:28095486

Three-Dimensional Assessment of Temporomandibular Joint Using MRI-CBCT Image Registration.

PubMed

Al-Saleh, Mohammed A Q; Punithakumar, Kumaradevan; Lagravere, Manuel; Boulanger, Pierre; Jaremko, Jacob L; Major, Paul W

2017-01-01

To introduce a new approach to reconstruct a 3D model of the TMJ using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) registered images, and to evaluate the intra-examiner reproducibility values of reconstructing the 3D models of the TMJ. MRI and CBCT images of five patients (10 TMJs) were obtained. Multiple MRIs and CBCT images were registered using a mutual information based algorithm. The articular disc, condylar head and glenoid fossa were segmented at two different occasions, at least one-week apart, by one investigator, and 3D models were reconstructed. Differences between the segmentation at two occasions were automatically measured using the surface contours (Average Perpendicular Distance) and the volume overlap (Dice Similarity Index) of the 3D models. Descriptive analysis of the changes at 2 occasions, including means and standard deviation (SD) were reported to describe the intra-examiner reproducibility. The automatic segmentation of the condyle revealed maximum distance change of 1.9±0.93 mm, similarity index of 98% and root mean squared distance of 0.1±0.08 mm, and the glenoid fossa revealed maximum distance change of 2±0.52 mm, similarity index of 96% and root mean squared distance of 0.2±0.04 mm. The manual segmentation of the articular disc revealed maximum distance change of 3.6±0.32 mm, similarity index of 80% and root mean squared distance of 0.3±0.1 mm. The MRI-CBCT registration provides a reliable tool to reconstruct 3D models of the TMJ's soft and hard tissues, allows quantification of the articular disc morphology and position changes with associated differences of the condylar head and glenoid fossa, and facilitates measuring tissue changes over time.

Anther response to high-temperature stress during development and pollen thermotolerance heterosis as revealed by pollen tube growth and in vitro pollen vigor analysis in upland cotton.

PubMed

Song, Guicheng; Wang, Miaomiao; Zeng, Bin; Zhang, Jing; Jiang, Chenliang; Hu, Qirui; Geng, Guangtao; Tang, Canming

2015-05-01

Pollen tube growth in styles was strongly inhibited by temperature above 35 °C, and the yield of cotton decreased because of the adverse effect of high temperatures during square development. High-temperature stress during flowering influences the square development of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and cotton yield. Although it is well known that square development is sensitive to high temperature, high-temperature sensitive stages of square development and the effects of high temperature on pollen tube growth in the styles are unknown. The effect of high temperature on anther development corresponding to pollen vigor is unknown during anther development. The objectives of this study were to identify the stages of square development that are sensitive to high temperatures (37/30 and 40/34 °C), to determine whether the abnormal development of squares influenced by high temperature is responsible for the variation in the in vitro germination percent of pollen grains at anthesis, to identify the effect of high temperature on pollen germination in the styles, and to determine pollen thermotolerance heterosis. Our results show that the stages from the sporogenous cell to tetrad stage (square length <6.0 mm) were the most sensitive to high temperature, and the corresponding pollen viability at anthesis was consistent with the changes in the square development stage. Pollen tube growth in the styles was strongly inhibited by temperature above 35 °C, and the yield of cotton decreased because of the effect of high temperature during square development. The thermotolerance of hybrid F1 pollen showed heterosis, and pollen viability could be used as a criterion for screening for high-temperature tolerance cultivars. These results can be used in breeding to develop new cotton cultivars that can withstand high-temperature conditions, particularly in a future warmer climate.

Molecular Dynamics Approach in Designing Thermostable Aspergillus niger Xylanase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malau, N. D.; Sianturi, M.

2017-03-01

Molecular dynamics methods we have applied as a tool in designing thermostable Aspergillus niger Xylanase, by examining Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) and The Stability of the Secondary Structure of enzymes structure at its optimum temperature and compare with its high temperature behavior. As RMSD represents structural fluctuation at a particular temperature, a better understanding of this factor will suggest approaches to bioengineer these enzymes to enhance their thermostability. In this work molecular dynamic simulations of Aspergillus niger xylanase (ANX) have been carried at 400K (optimum catalytic temperature) for 2.5 ns and 500K (ANX reported inactive temperature) for 2.5 ns. Analysis have shown that the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) significant increase at higher temperatures compared at optimum temperature and some of the secondary structures of ANX that have been damaged at high temperature. Structural analysis revealed that the fluctuations of the α-helix and β-sheet regions are larger at higher temperatures compared to the fluctuations at optimum temperature.

Correlation between species-specific metabolite profiles and bioactivities of blueberries (Vaccinium spp.).

PubMed

Lee, Sarah; Jung, Eun Sung; Do, Seon-Gil; Jung, Ga-Young; Song, Gwanpil; Song, Jung-Min; Lee, Choong Hwan

2014-03-05

Metabolite profiling of three blueberry species (Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb., V. oldhamii Miquel., and V. corymbosum L.) was performed using gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) combined multivariate analysis. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis clearly showed metabolic differences among species. GC-TOF-MS analysis revealed significant differences in amino acids, organic acids, fatty acids, sugars, and phenolic acids among the three blueberry species. UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis indicated that anthocyanins were the major metabolites distinguishing V. bracteatum from V. oldhamii. The contents of anthocyanins such as glycosides of cyanidin were high in V. bracteatum, while glycosides of delphinidin, petunidin, and malvidin were high in V. oldhamii. Antioxidant activities assessed using ABTS and DPPH assays showed the greatest activity in V. oldhamii and revealed the highest correlation with total phenolic, total flavonoid, and total anthocyanin contents and their metabolites.

Study of possible solar heating effects on thermosonde probes: Error analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, James H.; Dewan, Edmond; Murphy, Edmund; Thomas, Peter

1989-07-01

Thermosonde data reveals a diurnal daytime shift in measured levels of C square (n) in the free atmosphere. The shift is manifested in two ways. First, an apparent offset in the smallest measured values of C square (n) exists. Secondly, the curve of the average profile shows an enhancement over nighttime profiles. Related optical and radar measurements have indicated that differences between day and night probably exist, but because of limited instrumental resolution and altitude capabilities those results are inconclusive. Several hypotheses were put forward concerning possible instrumental or solar based sources of data contamination. The possibility was examined that solar radiation causes probe heating with subsequent instrumental effects. Calculation, computer simulation, and direct measurements have shown that the sun heats the body of the probe sensor a couple of degrees above the ambient and that the level of heating depends upon the solar aspect angle and magnitude and direction of air flow over the probe. A small but insignificant ac type effect can result from improper probe geometry or probe mismatch together with a coupling of solar heating with velocity turbulence. Transient and dc type effects can occur, but measured, processed, and transmitted root mean square C square (n) information is not likely to contain instrumental contamination.

Determination of equilibrium structures of bromothymol blue revealed by using quantum chemistry with an aid of multivariate analysis of electronic absorption spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Toru; Hasegawa, Takeshi

2017-10-01

The pH dependent chemical structures of bromothymol blue (BTB), which have long been under controversy, are determined by employing a combined technique of multivariate analysis of electronic absorption spectra and quantum chemistry. Principle component analysis (PCA) of the pH dependent spectra apparently reveals that only two chemical species are adequate to fully account for the color changes, with which the spectral decomposition is readily performed by using augmented alternative least-squares (ALS) regression analysis. The quantity variation by the ALS analysis also reveals the practical acid dissociation constant, pKa‧. The determination of pKa‧ is performed for various ionic strengths, which reveals the thermodynamic acid constant (pKa = 7.5) and the number of charge on each chemical species; the yellow form is negatively charged species of - 1 and the blue form that of - 2. On this chemical information, the quantum chemical calculation is carried out to find that BTB molecules take the pure quinoid form in an acid solution and the quinoid-phenolate form in an alkaline solution. The time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations for the theoretically determined chemical structures account for the peak shift of the electronic spectra. In this manner, the structures of all the chemical species appeared in equilibrium have finally been confirmed.

Determination of equilibrium structures of bromothymol blue revealed by using quantum chemistry with an aid of multivariate analysis of electronic absorption spectra.

PubMed

Shimada, Toru; Hasegawa, Takeshi

2017-10-05

The pH dependent chemical structures of bromothymol blue (BTB), which have long been under controversy, are determined by employing a combined technique of multivariate analysis of electronic absorption spectra and quantum chemistry. Principle component analysis (PCA) of the pH dependent spectra apparently reveals that only two chemical species are adequate to fully account for the color changes, with which the spectral decomposition is readily performed by using augmented alternative least-squares (ALS) regression analysis. The quantity variation by the ALS analysis also reveals the practical acid dissociation constant, pK a '. The determination of pK a ' is performed for various ionic strengths, which reveals the thermodynamic acid constant (pK a =7.5) and the number of charge on each chemical species; the yellow form is negatively charged species of -1 and the blue form that of -2. On this chemical information, the quantum chemical calculation is carried out to find that BTB molecules take the pure quinoid form in an acid solution and the quinoid-phenolate form in an alkaline solution. The time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations for the theoretically determined chemical structures account for the peak shift of the electronic spectra. In this manner, the structures of all the chemical species appeared in equilibrium have finally been confirmed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Psychometric Properties and Correlates of the Beck Hopelessness Scale in Family Caregivers of Nigerian Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in Southwestern Nigeria

PubMed Central

Aloba, Olutayo; Ajao, Olayinka; Alimi, Taiwo; Esan, Olufemi

2016-01-01

Objectives: To examine the construct and correlates of hopelessness among family caregivers of Nigerian psychiatric patients. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study involving 264 family caregiver-patients’ dyads recruited from two university teaching hospitals psychiatric clinics in Southwestern Nigeria. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor 9-item model of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) among the family caregivers. Confirmatory factor analysis of the model revealed satisfactory indices of fitness (goodness of fit index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.96, Chi-square/degree of freedom (CMIN/DF) = 1.60, root mean square error of approximation = 0.048, expected cross-validation index = 0.307, and standardized root mean residual = 0.005). Reliability of the scale was modestly satisfactory (Cronbach's alpha 0.72). Construct validity of scale was supported by significant correlations with the family caregivers’ scores on the Zarit Burden Interview, mini international neuropsychiatric interview suicidality module, General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The greatest variance in the family caregivers’ scores on the BHS was contributed by their scores on the psychological distress scale (GHQ-12). Conclusions: The BHS has adequate psychometric properties among Nigerian psychiatric patients’ family caregivers. There is the need to pay attention to the psychological well-being of the family caregivers of Nigerian psychiatric patients. PMID:28163498

Amplitude-cyclic frequency decomposition of vibration signals for bearing fault diagnosis based on phase editing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbini, L.; Eltabach, M.; Hillis, A. J.; du Bois, J. L.

2018-03-01

In rotating machine diagnosis different spectral tools are used to analyse vibration signals. Despite the good diagnostic performance such tools are usually refined, computationally complex to implement and require oversight of an expert user. This paper introduces an intuitive and easy to implement method for vibration analysis: amplitude cyclic frequency decomposition. This method firstly separates vibration signals accordingly to their spectral amplitudes and secondly uses the squared envelope spectrum to reveal the presence of cyclostationarity in each amplitude level. The intuitive idea is that in a rotating machine different components contribute vibrations at different amplitudes, for instance defective bearings contribute a very weak signal in contrast to gears. This paper also introduces a new quantity, the decomposition squared envelope spectrum, which enables separation between the components of a rotating machine. The amplitude cyclic frequency decomposition and the decomposition squared envelope spectrum are tested on real word signals, both at stationary and varying speeds, using data from a wind turbine gearbox and an aircraft engine. In addition a benchmark comparison to the spectral correlation method is presented.

Ripening-dependent metabolic changes in the volatiles of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.) fruit: II. Multivariate statistical profiling of pineapple aroma compounds based on comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Steingass, Christof Björn; Jutzi, Manfred; Müller, Jenny; Carle, Reinhold; Schmarr, Hans-Georg

2015-03-01

Ripening-dependent changes of pineapple volatiles were studied in a nontargeted profiling analysis. Volatiles were isolated via headspace solid phase microextraction and analyzed by comprehensive 2D gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC×GC-qMS). Profile patterns presented in the contour plots were evaluated applying image processing techniques and subsequent multivariate statistical data analysis. Statistical methods comprised unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to classify the samples. Supervised partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression were applied to discriminate different ripening stages and describe the development of volatiles during postharvest storage, respectively. Hereby, substantial chemical markers allowing for class separation were revealed. The workflow permitted the rapid distinction between premature green-ripe pineapples and postharvest-ripened sea-freighted fruits. Volatile profiles of fully ripe air-freighted pineapples were similar to those of green-ripe fruits postharvest ripened for 6 days after simulated sea freight export, after PCA with only two principal components. However, PCA considering also the third principal component allowed differentiation between air-freighted fruits and the four progressing postharvest maturity stages of sea-freighted pineapples.

Bifurcation and Firing Patterns of the Pancreatic β-Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing; Liu, Shenquan; Liu, Xuanliang; Zeng, Yanjun

Using a model of individual isolated pancreatic β-cells, we investigated bifurcation diagrams of interspike intervals (ISIs) and largest Lyapunov exponents (LLE), which clearly demonstrated a wide range of transitions between different firing patterns. The numerical simulation results revealed the effect of different time constants and ion channels on the neuronal discharge rhythm. Furthermore, an individual cell exhibited tonic spiking, square-wave bursting, and tapered bursting. Additionally, several bifurcation phenomena can be observed in this paper, such as period-doubling, period-adding, inverse period-doubling and inverse period-adding scenarios. In addition, we researched the mechanisms underlying two kinds of bursting (tapered and square-wave bursting) by use of fast-slow dynamics analysis. Finally, we analyzed the codimension-two bifurcation of the fast subsystem and studied cusp bifurcation, generalized Hopf (or Bautin) bifurcation and Bogdanov-Takens bifurcation.

[Cu(aq)]2+ is structurally plastic and the axially elongated octahedron goes missing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Patrick; Benfatto, Maurizio; Qayyum, Munzarin

2018-05-01

High resolution (k = 18 Å-1 or k = 17 Å-1) copper K-edge EXAFS and MXAN (Minuit X-ray Absorption Near Edge) analyses have been used to investigate the structure of dissolved [Cu(aq)]2+ in 1,3-propanediol (1,3-P) or 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-P) aqueous frozen glasses. EXAFS analysis invariably found a single axially asymmetric 6-coordinate (CN6) site, with 4×Oeq = 1.97 Å, Oax1 = 2.22 Å, and Oax2 = 2.34 Å, plus a second-shell of 4×Owater = 3.6 Å. However, MXAN analysis revealed that [Cu(aq)]2+ occupies both square pyramidal (CN5) and axially asymmetric CN6 structures. The square pyramid included 4×H2O = 1.95 Å and 1×H2O = 2.23 Å. The CN6 sites included either a capped, near perfect, square pyramid with 5×H2O = 1.94 ± 0.04 Å and H2Oax = 2.22 Å (in 1,3-P) or a split axial configuration with 4×H2O = 1.94, H2Oax1 = 2.14 Å, and H2Oax2 = 2.28 Å (in 1,5-P). The CN6 sites also included an 8-H2O second-shell near 3.7 Å, which was undetectable about the strictly pyramidal sites. Equatorial angles averaging 94° ± 5° indicated significant departures from tetragonal planarity. MXAN assessment of the solution structure of [Cu(aq)]2+ in 1,5-P prior to freezing revealed the same structures as previously found in aqueous 1M HClO4, which have become axially compressed in the frozen glasses. [Cu(aq)]2+ in liquid and frozen solutions is dominated by a 5-coordinate square pyramid, but with split axial CN6 appearing in the frozen glasses. Among these phases, the Cu-O axial distances vary across 1 Å, and the equatorial angles depart significantly from the square plane. Although all these structures remove the dx2-y2, dz2 degeneracy, no structure can be described as a Jahn-Teller (JT) axially elongated octahedron. The JT-octahedral description for dissolved [Cu(aq)]2+ should thus be abandoned in favor of square pyramidal [Cu(H2O)5]2+. The revised ligand environments have bearing on questions of the Cu(i)/Cu(ii) self-exchange rate and on the mechanism for ligand exchange with bulk water. The plasticity of dissolved Cu(ii) complex ions falsifies the foundational assumption of the rack-induced bonding theory of blue copper proteins and obviates any need for a thermodynamically implausible protein constraint.

Multivariate analysis of fears in dental phobic patients according to a reduced FSS-II scale.

PubMed

Hakeberg, M; Gustafsson, J E; Berggren, U; Carlsson, S G

1995-10-01

This study analyzed and assessed dimensions of a questionnaire developed to measure general fears and phobias. A previous factor analysis among 109 dental phobics had revealed a five-factor structure with 22 items and an explained total variance of 54%. The present study analyzed the same material using a multivariate statistical procedure (LISREL) to reveal structural latent variables. The LISREL analysis, based on the correlation matrix, yielded a chi-square of 216.6 with 195 degrees of freedom (P = 0.138) and showed a model with seven latent variables. One was a general fear factor correlated to all 22 items. The other six factors concerned "Illness & Death" (5 items), "Failures & Embarrassment" (5 items), "Social situations" (5 items), "Physical injuries" (4 items), "Animals & Natural phenomena" (4 items). One item (opposite sex) was included in both "Failures & Embarrassment" and "Social situations". The last factor, "Social interaction", combined all the items in "Failures & Embarrassment" and "Social situations" (9 items). In conclusion, this multivariate statistical analysis (LISREL) revealed and confirmed a factor structure similar to our previous study, but added two important dimensions not shown with a traditional factor analysis. This reduced FSS-II version measures general fears and phobias and may be used on a routine clinical basis as well as in dental phobia research.

An Airline-Based Multilevel Analysis of Airfare Elasticity for Passenger Demand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castelli, Lorenzo; Ukovich, Walter; Pesenti, Raffaele

2003-01-01

Price elasticity of passenger demand for a specific airline is estimated. The main drivers affecting passenger demand for air transportation are identified. First, an Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis is performed. Then, a multilevel analysis-based methodology to investigate the pattern of variation of price elasticity of demand among the various routes of the airline under study is proposed. The experienced daily passenger demands on each fare-class are grouped for each considered route. 9 routes were studied for the months of February and May in years from 1999 to 2002, and two fare-classes were defined (business and economy). The analysis has revealed that the airfare elasticity of passenger demand significantly varies among the different routes of the airline.

A molecular dynamics study of Beta-Glucosidase B upon small substrate binding.

PubMed

Mazlan, Nur Shima Fadhilah; Ahmad Khairudin, Nurul Bahiyah

2016-07-01

Paenibacillus polymyxa β-glucosidase B (BglB), belongs to a GH family 1, is a monomeric enzyme that acts as an exo-β-glucosidase hydrolysing cellobiose and cellodextrins of higher degree of polymerization using retaining mechanism. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was performed at 300 K under periodic boundary condition for 5 ns using the complexes structure obtained from previous docking study, namely BglB-Beta-d-glucose and BglB-Cellobiose. From the root-mean-square deviation analysis, both enzyme complexes were reported to deviate from the initial structure in the early part of the simulation but it was stable afterwards. The root-mean-square fluctuation analysis revealed that the most flexible regions comprised of the residues from 26 to 29, 43 to 53, 272 to 276, 306 to 325 and 364 to 367. The radius of gyration analysis had shown the structure of BglB without substrate became more compact towards the end of the simulation compare to other two complexes. The residues His122 and Trp410 were observed to form stable hydrogen bond with occupancy higher than 10%. In conclusion, the behaviour of BglB enzyme towards the substrate binding was successfully explored via MD simulation approaches.

A Climatologically Significant Aerosol Longwave Indirect Effect in the Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lubin, D.; Vogelmann, A.

2006-12-01

Analysis of Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) data from the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site confirms a pervasive first indirect effect of aerosols in low-level stratiform clouds, which are the prevailing meteorological condition throughout the Arctic. The AERI longwave emission spectra under clouds of low to moderate optical depth (<8) are sensitive to both the effective droplet radius and the liquid water path, and can be used to retrieve both quantities. When supplemented by additional NSA sensor data, these AERI retrievals reveal a longwave surface flux enhancement of 8.2 Watts per square meter under liquid water clouds subject to aerosol entrainment versus similar clouds in clean air. Of this total enhancement revealed by co-located pyrgeometer data, 3.4 Watts per square meter can be readily attributed to the first indirect effect. This observed indirect effect occurs frequently during spring, but rarely during summer. The indirect effect's manifestation in the longwave is climatologically significant given that this part of the spectrum dominates the radiation budget at high latitudes throughout most of the year. Lubin, D., and A. M. Voglemann, Nature, 439, 453-456 (2006).

Communication: Diverse nanoscale cluster dynamics: Diffusion of 2D epitaxial clusters

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

Lai, King C.; Evans, James W.; Liu, Da -Jiang

The dynamics of nanoscale clusters can be distinct from macroscale behavior described by continuum formalisms. For diffusion of 2D clusters of N atoms in homoepitaxial systems mediated by edge atom hopping, macroscale theory predicts simple monotonic size scaling of the diffusion coefficient, D N ~ N –β, with β = 3/2. However, modeling for nanoclusters on metal(100) surfaces reveals that slow nucleation-mediated diffusion displaying weak size scaling β < 1 occurs for “perfect” sizes N p = L 2 and L(L+1) for integer L = 3,4,… (with unique square or near-square ground state shapes), and also for N p+3, Nmore » p+4,…. In contrast, fast facile nucleation-free diffusion displaying strong size scaling β ≈ 2.5 occurs for sizes N p+1 and N p+2. D N versus N oscillates strongly between the slowest branch (for N p+3) and the fastest branch (for N p+1). All branches merge for N = O(10 2), but macroscale behavior is only achieved for much larger N = O(10 3). Here, this analysis reveals the unprecedented diversity of behavior on the nanoscale.« less

Communication: Diverse nanoscale cluster dynamics: Diffusion of 2D epitaxial clusters

DOE PAGES

Lai, King C.; Evans, James W.; Liu, Da -Jiang

2017-11-27

The dynamics of nanoscale clusters can be distinct from macroscale behavior described by continuum formalisms. For diffusion of 2D clusters of N atoms in homoepitaxial systems mediated by edge atom hopping, macroscale theory predicts simple monotonic size scaling of the diffusion coefficient, D N ~ N –β, with β = 3/2. However, modeling for nanoclusters on metal(100) surfaces reveals that slow nucleation-mediated diffusion displaying weak size scaling β < 1 occurs for “perfect” sizes N p = L 2 and L(L+1) for integer L = 3,4,… (with unique square or near-square ground state shapes), and also for N p+3, Nmore » p+4,…. In contrast, fast facile nucleation-free diffusion displaying strong size scaling β ≈ 2.5 occurs for sizes N p+1 and N p+2. D N versus N oscillates strongly between the slowest branch (for N p+3) and the fastest branch (for N p+1). All branches merge for N = O(10 2), but macroscale behavior is only achieved for much larger N = O(10 3). Here, this analysis reveals the unprecedented diversity of behavior on the nanoscale.« less

Significance of crown shape in the replacement of a central incisor with a single implant-supported crown.

PubMed

Gobbato, Luca; Paniz, Gianluca; Mazzocco, Fabio; Chierico, Andrea; Tsukiyama, Teppei; Levi, Paul A; Weisgold, Arnold S

2013-05-01

When utilizing a single implant-supported crown to replace a central incisor, understanding the final shape of the implant restoration is an important factor to help achieve a successful esthetic outcome. In today's dentistry, tooth shape is a critical factor when dental implant prostheses are considered in the esthetic zone. The major esthetic goal for this type of restoration is to achieve the closest possible symmetry with the adjacent tooth, both at the soft and at the hard tissue levels. The goal of this study was to objectively analyze the significance of natural crown shape when replacing a central incisor with a single implant-supported crown. In this study, we investigated the shape of the crowns of maxillary central incisors in 60 individuals who presented to our clinics with an untreatable central incisor. The presence of a dental diastema, "black triangle," presence or absence of gingival symmetry, and the presence or absence of dental symmetry were recorded in the pre- and postoperative photographs. Out of 60 patients, 33.3% had triangular-shaped crowns, 16.6% square/tapered, and 50% square-shaped crown form. After treatment was rendered, 65% of the triangular group, 40% of the square/tapered group, and 13.3% of the square group required an additional restoration on the adjacent central incisor in order to fulfill the esthetic needs of the patients. Data analysis revealed that if there is a "black triangle," a diastema, or presence of dental or gingival asymmetry, an additional restoration on the adjacent central incisor is often required in order to fulfill esthetic goals. The additional restoration is highly recommended in situations with a triangular crown shape, while it is suggested in cases of square/tapered and square tooth shapes in the presence of a dental diastema.

Generational Analysis Reveals that TGF-Beta1 Inhibits the Rate of Angiogenesis in Vivo by Selective Decrease in the Number of New Vessels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parsons-Wingerter, Patricia; Elliott, Katherine E.; Farr, Andrew G.; Radhakrishnan, Krishnan; Clark, John I.; Sage, E. Helene

2000-01-01

Quantitative analysis of vascular generational branching demonstrated that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), a multifunctional cytokine and angiogenic regulator, strongly inhibited angiogenesis in the arterial tree of the developing quail chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) by inhibition of the normal increase in the number of new, small vessels. The cytokine was applied uniformly in solution at embryonic day 7 (E7) to the CAMs of quail embryos cultured in petri dishes. After 24 h the rate of arterial growth was inhibited by as much as 105% as a function of increasing TGF-beta1 concentration. Inhibition of the rate of angiogenesis in the arterial tree by TGF-beta1 relative to controls was measured in digital images by three well-correlated, computerized methods. The first computerized method, direct measurement by the computer code VESGEN of vascular morphological parameters according to branching generations G(sub 1) through G(sub greater than or equal to 5), revealed that TGF-beta1 selectively inhibited the increase in the number density of small vessels, N(sub v greater than or equal to 5), (382 plus or minus 85 per square centimeter) for specimens treated with 1 microgram TGF-beta1/CAM for 24 h, compared to 583 plus or minus 99 per square centimeter for controls), but did not significantly affect other parameters such as average vessel length or vessel diameter. The second and third methods, the fractal dimension (D(sub f)) and grid intersection (rho (sub v)), are statistical descriptors of spatial pattern and density. According to D(sub f) and rho(sub v), arterial density increased in control specimens from 1.382 plus or minus 0.007 and 662 plus or minus 52 per square centimeters at E7 (0 h) to 1.439 plus or minus 0.013 and 884 plus or minus 55 per square centimeters at E8 (24 h), compared to 1.379 plus or minus 0.039 and 650 plus or minus 111 per square centimeter for specimens treated with 1 microgram TGF-beta1/CAM for 24 h. TGF-beta1 therefore regulates vascular pattern and the rate of angiogenesis in a unique fingerprint manner, as do other major angiogenic regulators that include VEGF, FGF-2 (bFGF), and angiostatin. TGF-beta1 did not stimulate angiogenesis significantly at low cytokine concentrations, which suggests that this quail CAM model of angiogenesis is not associated with an inflammatory response.

MRI quantification of diffusion and perfusion in bone marrow by intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and non-negative least square (NNLS) analysis.

PubMed

Marchand, A J; Hitti, E; Monge, F; Saint-Jalmes, H; Guillin, R; Duvauferrier, R; Gambarota, G

2014-11-01

To assess the feasibility of measuring diffusion and perfusion fraction in vertebral bone marrow using the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) approach and to compare two fitting methods, i.e., the non-negative least squares (NNLS) algorithm and the more commonly used Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) non-linear least squares algorithm, for the analysis of IVIM data. MRI experiments were performed on fifteen healthy volunteers, with a diffusion-weighted echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence at five different b-values (0, 50, 100, 200, 600 s/mm2), in combination with an STIR module to suppress the lipid signal. Diffusion signal decays in the first lumbar vertebra (L1) were fitted to a bi-exponential function using the LM algorithm and further analyzed with the NNLS algorithm to calculate the values of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*) and perfusion fraction. The NNLS analysis revealed two diffusion components only in seven out of fifteen volunteers, with ADC=0.60±0.09 (10(-3) mm(2)/s), D*=28±9 (10(-3) mm2/s) and perfusion fraction=14%±6%. The values obtained by the LM bi-exponential fit were: ADC=0.45±0.27 (10(-3) mm2/s), D*=63±145 (10(-3) mm2/s) and perfusion fraction=27%±17%. Furthermore, the LM algorithm yielded values of perfusion fraction in cases where the decay was not bi-exponential, as assessed by NNLS analysis. The IVIM approach allows for measuring diffusion and perfusion fraction in vertebral bone marrow; its reliability can be improved by using the NNLS, which identifies the diffusion decays that display a bi-exponential behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural and dynamic characteristics in monolayer square ice.

PubMed

Zhu, YinBo; Wang, FengChao; Wu, HengAn

2017-07-28

When water is constrained between two sheets of graphene, it becomes an intriguing monolayer solid with a square pattern due to the ultrahigh van der Waals pressure. However, the square ice phase has become a matter of debate due to the insufficient experimental interpretation and the slightly rhomboidal feature in simulated monolayer square-like structures. Here, we performed classical molecular dynamics simulations to reveal monolayer square ice in graphene nanocapillaries from the perspective of structure and dynamic characteristics. Monolayer square-like ice (instantaneous snapshot), assembled square-rhombic units with stacking faults, is a long-range ordered structure, in which the square and rhombic units are assembled in an order of alternative distribution, and the other rhombic unit forms stacking faults (polarized water chains). Spontaneous flipping of water molecules in monolayer square-like ice is intrinsic and induces transformations among different elementary units, resulting in the structural evolution of monolayer square ice in dynamics. The existence of stacking faults should be attributed to the spontaneous flipping behavior of water molecules under ambient temperature. Statistical averaging results (thermal average positions) demonstrate the inherent square characteristic of monolayer square ice. The simulated data and insight obtained here might be significant for understanding the topological structure and dynamic behavior of monolayer square ice.

Effects of Flavor and Texture on the Sensory Perception of Gouda-Type Cheese Varieties during Ripening Using Multivariate Analysis.

PubMed

Shiota, Makoto; Iwasawa, Ai; Suzuki-Iwashima, Ai; Iida, Fumiko

2015-12-01

The impact of flavor composition, texture, and other factors on desirability of different commercial sources of Gouda-type cheese using multivariate analyses on the basis of sensory and instrumental analyses were investigated. Volatile aroma compounds were measured using headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and steam distillation extraction (SDE)-GC/MS, and fatty acid composition, low-molecular-weight compounds, including amino acids, and organic acids, as well pH, texture, and color were measured to determine their relationship with sensory perception. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was performed to discriminate between 2 different ripening periods in 7 sample sets, revealing that ethanol, ethyl acetate, hexanoic acid, and octanoic acid increased with increasing sensory attribute scores for sweetness, fruity, and sulfurous. A partial least squares (PLS) regression model was constructed to predict the desirability of cheese using these parameters. We showed that texture and buttery flavors are important factors affecting the desirability of Gouda-type cheeses for Japanese consumers using these multivariate analyses. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

Identifying maternal and infant factors associated with newborn size in rural Bangladesh by partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis

PubMed Central

Rahman, Md. Jahanur; Shamim, Abu Ahmed; Klemm, Rolf D. W.; Labrique, Alain B.; Rashid, Mahbubur; Christian, Parul; West, Keith P.

2017-01-01

Birth weight, length and circumferences of the head, chest and arm are key measures of newborn size and health in developing countries. We assessed maternal socio-demographic factors associated with multiple measures of newborn size in a large rural population in Bangladesh using partial least squares (PLS) regression method. PLS regression, combining features from principal component analysis and multiple linear regression, is a multivariate technique with an ability to handle multicollinearity while simultaneously handling multiple dependent variables. We analyzed maternal and infant data from singletons (n = 14,506) born during a double-masked, cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled maternal vitamin A or β-carotene supplementation trial in rural northwest Bangladesh. PLS regression results identified numerous maternal factors (parity, age, early pregnancy MUAC, living standard index, years of education, number of antenatal care visits, preterm delivery and infant sex) significantly (p<0.001) associated with newborn size. Among them, preterm delivery had the largest negative influence on newborn size (Standardized β = -0.29 − -0.19; p<0.001). Scatter plots of the scores of first two PLS components also revealed an interaction between newborn sex and preterm delivery on birth size. PLS regression was found to be more parsimonious than both ordinary least squares regression and principal component regression. It also provided more stable estimates than the ordinary least squares regression and provided the effect measure of the covariates with greater accuracy as it accounts for the correlation among the covariates and outcomes. Therefore, PLS regression is recommended when either there are multiple outcome measurements in the same study, or the covariates are correlated, or both situations exist in a dataset. PMID:29261760

A Partial Least-Squares Analysis of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Outcomes After Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

PubMed

Young, Julia M; Morgan, Benjamin R; Mišić, Bratislav; Schweizer, Tom A; Ibrahim, George M; Macdonald, R Loch

2015-12-01

Individuals who have aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages (SAHs) experience decreased health-related qualities of life (HRQoLs) that persist after the primary insult. To identify clinical variables that concurrently associate with HRQoL outcomes by using a partial least-squares approach, which has the distinct advantage of explaining multidimensional variance where predictor variables may be highly collinear. Data collected from the CONSCIOUS-1 trial was used to extract 29 clinical variables including SAH presentation, hospital procedures, and demographic information in addition to 5 HRQoL outcome variables for 256 individuals. A partial least-squares analysis was performed by calculating a heterogeneous correlation matrix and applying singular value decomposition to determine components that best represent the correlations between the 2 sets of variables. Bootstrapping was used to estimate statistical significance. The first 2 components accounting for 81.6% and 7.8% of the total variance revealed significant associations between clinical predictors and HRQoL outcomes. The first component identified associations between disability in self-care with longer durations of critical care stay, invasive intracranial monitoring, ventricular drain time, poorer clinical grade on presentation, greater amounts of cerebral spinal fluid drainage, and a history of hypertension. The second component identified associations between disability due to pain and discomfort as well as anxiety and depression with greater body mass index, abnormal heart rate, longer durations of deep sedation and critical care, and higher World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and Hijdra scores. By applying a data-driven, multivariate approach, we identified robust associations between SAH clinical presentations and HRQoL outcomes. EQ-VAS, EuroQoL visual analog scaleHRQoL, health-related quality of lifeICU, intensive care unitIVH, intraventricular hemorrhagePLS, partial least squaresSAH, subarachnoid hemorrhageSVD, singular value decompositionWFNS, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.

Identifying maternal and infant factors associated with newborn size in rural Bangladesh by partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis.

PubMed

Kabir, Alamgir; Rahman, Md Jahanur; Shamim, Abu Ahmed; Klemm, Rolf D W; Labrique, Alain B; Rashid, Mahbubur; Christian, Parul; West, Keith P

2017-01-01

Birth weight, length and circumferences of the head, chest and arm are key measures of newborn size and health in developing countries. We assessed maternal socio-demographic factors associated with multiple measures of newborn size in a large rural population in Bangladesh using partial least squares (PLS) regression method. PLS regression, combining features from principal component analysis and multiple linear regression, is a multivariate technique with an ability to handle multicollinearity while simultaneously handling multiple dependent variables. We analyzed maternal and infant data from singletons (n = 14,506) born during a double-masked, cluster-randomized, placebo-controlled maternal vitamin A or β-carotene supplementation trial in rural northwest Bangladesh. PLS regression results identified numerous maternal factors (parity, age, early pregnancy MUAC, living standard index, years of education, number of antenatal care visits, preterm delivery and infant sex) significantly (p<0.001) associated with newborn size. Among them, preterm delivery had the largest negative influence on newborn size (Standardized β = -0.29 - -0.19; p<0.001). Scatter plots of the scores of first two PLS components also revealed an interaction between newborn sex and preterm delivery on birth size. PLS regression was found to be more parsimonious than both ordinary least squares regression and principal component regression. It also provided more stable estimates than the ordinary least squares regression and provided the effect measure of the covariates with greater accuracy as it accounts for the correlation among the covariates and outcomes. Therefore, PLS regression is recommended when either there are multiple outcome measurements in the same study, or the covariates are correlated, or both situations exist in a dataset.

Novel insights into the lipidome of glioblastoma cells based on a combined PLSR and DD-HDS computational analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lespinats, S.; Meyer-Bäse, Anke; He, Huan; Marshall, Alan G.; Conrad, Charles A.; Emmett, Mark R.

2009-05-01

Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) and Data-Driven High Dimensional Scaling (DD-HDS) are employed for the prediction and the visualization of changes in polar lipid expression induced by different combinations of wild-type (wt) p53 gene therapy and SN38 chemotherapy of U87 MG glioblastoma cells. A very detailed analysis of the gangliosides reveals that certain gangliosides of GM3 or GD1-type have unique properties not shared by the others. In summary, this preliminary work shows that data mining techniques are able to determine the modulation of gangliosides by different treatment combinations.

Pulse gas chromatographic study of adsorption of substituted aromatics and heterocyclic molecules on MIL-47 at zero coverage.

PubMed

Duerinck, Tim; Couck, Sarah; Vermoortele, Frederik; De Vos, Dirk E; Baron, Gino V; Denayer, Joeri F M

2012-10-02

The low coverage adsorptive properties of the MIL-47 metal organic framework toward aromatic and heterocyclic molecules are reported in this paper. The effect of molecular functionality and size on Henry adsorption constants and adsorption enthalpies of alkyl and heteroatom functionalized benzene derivates and heterocyclic molecules was studied using pulse gas chromatography. By means of statistical analysis, experimental data was analyzed and modeled using principal component analysis and partial least-squares regression. Structure-property relationships were established, revealing and confirming several trends. Among the molecular properties governing the adsorption process, vapor pressure, mean polarizability, and dipole moment play a determining role.

Prediction of BP reactivity to talking using hybrid soft computing approaches.

PubMed

Kaur, Gurmanik; Arora, Ajat Shatru; Jain, Vijender Kumar

2014-01-01

High blood pressure (BP) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, optimal precision in measurement of BP is appropriate in clinical and research studies. In this work, anthropometric characteristics including age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and arm circumference (AC) were used as independent predictor variables for the prediction of BP reactivity to talking. Principal component analysis (PCA) was fused with artificial neural network (ANN), adaptive neurofuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and least square-support vector machine (LS-SVM) model to remove the multicollinearity effect among anthropometric predictor variables. The statistical tests in terms of coefficient of determination (R (2)), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) revealed that PCA based LS-SVM (PCA-LS-SVM) model produced a more efficient prediction of BP reactivity as compared to other models. This assessment presents the importance and advantages posed by PCA fused prediction models for prediction of biological variables.

Angular Magnetoresistance and Hall Measurements in New Dirac Material, ZrSiS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Mazhar; Schoop, Leslie; Lotsch, Bettina; Parkin, Stuart

Dirac and Weyl materials have shot to the forefront of condensed matter research in the last few years. Recently, the square-net material, ZrSiS, was theorized and experimentally shown (via ARPES) to host several highly dispersive Dirac cones, including the first Dirac cone demanded by non-symmorphic symmetry in a Si square net. Here we report the magnetoresistance and Hall Effect measurements in this compound. ZrSiS samples with RRR = 40 were found to have MR values up to 6000% at 2 K, be predominantly p-type with a carrier concentration of ~8 x 1019 cm-3 and mobility ~8500 cm2/Vs. Angular magnetoresistance measurements reveal a peculiar behavior with multiple local maxima, depending on field strength, indicating of a sensitive and sensitive Fermi surface. SdH oscillations analysis confirms Hall and angular magnetoresistance measurements. These results, in the context of the theoretical and ARPES results, will be discussed.

Analysis of the methods for assessing socio-economic development level of urban areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popova, Olga; Bogacheva, Elena

2017-01-01

The present paper provides a targeted analysis of current approaches (ratings) in the assessment of socio-economic development of urban areas. The survey focuses on identifying standardized methodologies to area assessment techniques formation that will result in developing the system of intelligent monitoring, dispatching, building management, scheduling and effective management of an administrative-territorial unit. This system is characterized by complex hierarchical structure, including tangible and intangible properties (parameters, attributes). Investigating the abovementioned methods should increase the administrative-territorial unit's attractiveness for investors and residence. The research aims at studying methods for evaluating socio-economic development level of the Russian Federation territories. Experimental and theoretical territory estimating methods were revealed. Complex analysis of the characteristics of the areas was carried out and evaluation parameters were determined. Integral indicators (resulting rating criteria values) as well as the overall rankings (parameters, characteristics) were analyzed. The inventory of the most widely used partial indicators (parameters, characteristics) of urban areas was revealed. The resulting criteria of rating values homogeneity were verified and confirmed by determining the root mean square deviation, i.e. divergence of indices. The principal shortcomings of assessment methodologies were revealed. The assessment methods with enhanced effectiveness and homogeneity were proposed.

Two-dimensional heat flow analysis applied to heat sterilization of ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir square timbers

Treesearch

William T. Simpson

2004-01-01

Equations for a two-dimensional finite difference heat flow analysis were developed and applied to ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir square timbers to calculate the time required to heat the center of the squares to target temperature. The squares were solid piled, which made their surfaces inaccessible to the heating air, and thus surface temperatures failed to attain...

Heteroleptic Palladium(II) dithiocarbamates: Synthesis, characterization and in vitro biological screening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Shahan Zeb; Zia-ur-Rehman; Amir, Muhammad Kashif; Ullah, Imdad; Akhter, M. S.; Bélanger-Gariepy, Francine

2018-03-01

Two new heteroleptic Pd(II) complexes of sodium 4-(2-pyrimidyl)piperazine-1-carbodithioate with tris-p-flourophenylphosphine (1) and tris-p-chlorophenylphosphine (2) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, multinuclear NMR {1H, 13C and 31P} and single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurement. In both complexes, Pd exhibit pseudo square planner geometry mediated by SS chelate, P and Cl. In vitro cytotoxicity against five different cancer cell lines using staurosporine as a standard revealed 1 to be more cytotoxic than 2, though both complexes are more active than cisplatin. Subsequent DNA binding studies revealed that non-covalent complex-DNA interaction may be the reason for arresting cancer cell growth. Furthermore, 1 and 2 are potent antioxidant agents.

Torsion of a Cosserat elastic bar with square cross section: theory and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drugan, W. J.; Lakes, R. S.

2018-04-01

An approximate analytical solution for the displacement and microrotation vector fields is derived for pure torsion of a prismatic bar with square cross section comprised of homogeneous, isotropic linear Cosserat elastic material. This is accomplished by analytical simplification coupled with use of the principle of minimum potential energy together with polynomial representations for the desired field components. Explicit approximate expressions are derived for cross section warp and for applied torque versus angle of twist of the bar. These show that torsional rigidity exceeds the classical elasticity value, the difference being larger for slender bars, and that cross section warp is less than the classical amount. Experimental measurements on two sets of 3D printed square cross section polymeric bars, each set having a different microstructure and four different cross section sizes, revealed size effects not captured by classical elasticity but consistent with the present analysis for physically sensible values of the Cosserat moduli. The warp can allow inference of Cosserat elastic constants independently of any sensitivity the material may have to dilatation gradients; warp also facilitates inference of Cosserat constants that are difficult to obtain via size effects.

Natural convection in square cavity filled with ferrofluid saturated porous medium in the presence of uniform magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javed, Tariq; Mehmood, Z.; Abbas, Z.

2017-02-01

This article contains numerical results for free convection through square enclosure enclosing ferrofluid saturated porous medium when uniform magnetic field is applied upon the flow along x-axis. Heat is provided through bottom wall and a square blockage placed near left or right bottom corner of enclosure as a heat source. Left and right vertical boundaries of the cavity are considered insulated while upper wall is taken cold. The problem is modelled in terms of system of nonlinear partial differential equations. Finite element method has been adopted to compute numerical simulations of mathematical problem for wide range of pertinent flow parameters including Rayleigh number, Hartman number, Darcy number and Prandtl number. Analysis of results reveals that the strength of streamline circulation is an increasing function of Darcy and Prandtl number where convection heat transfer is dominant for large values of these parameters whereas increase in Hartman number has opposite effects on isotherms and streamline circulations. Thermal conductivity and hence local heat transfer rate of fluid gets increased when ferroparticles are introduced in the fluid. Average Nusselt number increases with increase in Darcy and Rayleigh numbers while it is decreases when Hartman number is increased.

Using Population Genomics to Reveal Temporal Patterns of Host Use in the Cotton Fleahopper (Pseudatomoscelis seriatus)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The cotton fleahopper (CFH), Pseudatomoscelis seriatus (Reuter, 1876) (Hemiptera: Miridae), is a pest of commercial cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) with over 100 known host plants across its range. Both adults and nymphs attack small, developing squares, leading to abscission of the square. A new t...

Application of least median of squared orthogonal distance (LMD) and LMD-based reweighted least squares (RLS) methods on the stock-recruitment relationship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yan-Jun; Liu, Qun

1999-03-01

Analysis of stock-recruitment (SR) data is most often done by fitting various SR relationship curves to the data. Fish population dynamics data often have stochastic variations and measurement errors, which usually result in a biased regression analysis. This paper presents a robust regression method, least median of squared orthogonal distance (LMD), which is insensitive to abnormal values in the dependent and independent variables in a regression analysis. Outliers that have significantly different variance from the rest of the data can be identified in a residual analysis. Then, the least squares (LS) method is applied to the SR data with defined outliers being down weighted. The application of LMD and LMD-based Reweighted Least Squares (RLS) method to simulated and real fisheries SR data is explored.

Collinearity in Least-Squares Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Levie, Robert

2012-01-01

How useful are the standard deviations per se, and how reliable are results derived from several least-squares coefficients and their associated standard deviations? When the output parameters obtained from a least-squares analysis are mutually independent, as is often assumed, they are reliable estimators of imprecision and so are the functions…

Spectral distance decay: Assessing species beta-diversity by quantile regression

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rocchinl, D.; Nagendra, H.; Ghate, R.; Cade, B.S.

2009-01-01

Remotely sensed data represents key information for characterizing and estimating biodiversity. Spectral distance among sites has proven to be a powerful approach for detecting species composition variability. Regression analysis of species similarity versus spectral distance may allow us to quantitatively estimate how beta-diversity in species changes with respect to spectral and ecological variability. In classical regression analysis, the residual sum of squares is minimized for the mean of the dependent variable distribution. However, many ecological datasets are characterized by a high number of zeroes that can add noise to the regression model. Quantile regression can be used to evaluate trend in the upper quantiles rather than a mean trend across the whole distribution of the dependent variable. In this paper, we used ordinary least square (ols) and quantile regression to estimate the decay of species similarity versus spectral distance. The achieved decay rates were statistically nonzero (p < 0.05) considering both ols and quantile regression. Nonetheless, ols regression estimate of mean decay rate was only half the decay rate indicated by the upper quantiles. Moreover, the intercept value, representing the similarity reached when spectral distance approaches zero, was very low compared with the intercepts of upper quantiles, which detected high species similarity when habitats are more similar. In this paper we demonstrated the power of using quantile regressions applied to spectral distance decay in order to reveal species diversity patterns otherwise lost or underestimated by ordinary least square regression. ?? 2009 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Zero-field random-field effect in diluted triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuFe1-xAlxO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, T.; Mitsuda, S.; Kitagawa, K.; Terada, N.; Komiya, T.; Noda, Y.

2007-04-01

We performed neutron scattering experiments on a diluted triangular lattice antiferromagnet (TLA), CuFe1-xAlxO2 with x = 0.10. The detailed analysis of the scattering profiles revealed that the scattering function of magnetic reflection is described as the sum of a Lorentzian term and a Lorentzian-squared term with anisotropic width. The Lorentzian-squared term dominating at low temperature is indicative of the domain state in the prototypical random-field Ising model. Taking account of the sinusoidally amplitude-modulated magnetic structure with incommensurate wavenumber in CuFe1-xAlxO2 with x = 0.10, we conclude that the effective random field arises even at zero field, owing to the combination of site-random magnetic vacancies and the sinusoidal structure that is regarded as a partially disordered (PD) structure in a wide sense, as reported in the typical three-sublattice PD phase of a diluted Ising TLA, CsCo0.83Mg0.17Br3 (van Duijn et al 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 077202). While the previous study revealed the existence of a domain state in CsCo0.83Mg0.17Br3 by detecting magnetic reflections specific to the spin configuration near the domain walls, our present study revealed the existence of a domain state in CuFe1-xAlxO2 (x = 0.10) by determination of the functional form of the scattering function.

EXAFS study of some coordination polymers of copper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, A. P.

1995-02-01

The EXAFS spectra for (1) azelaic acid bis phenyl hydrazide, (2) azelaic acid bis 2,4 dinitro phenyl hydrazide and (3) sebacic acid bis phenyl hydrazide coordination polymers of copper were obtained using the EXAFS facility of the Daresbury Laboratory. The EXAFS analysis revealed that copper is surrounded by four nitrogen and two oxygen atoms in the first coordination shell, while the second coordination shell consists of two carbon atoms. This information suggests the octahedral geometry for the repeating units of polymeric complexes, in contrast to the square planar geometry previously proposed.

Synthetic aperture radar operator tactical target acquisition research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hershberger, M. L.; Craig, D. W.

1978-01-01

A radar target acquisition research study was conducted to access the effects of two levels of 13 radar sensor, display, and mission parameters on operator tactical target acquisition. A saturated fractional-factorial screening design was employed to examine these parameters. Data analysis computed ETA squared values for main and second-order effects for the variables tested. Ranking of the research parameters in terms of importance to system design revealed four variables (radar coverage, radar resolution/multiple looks, display resolution, and display size) accounted for 50 percent of the target acquisition probability variance.

Neither fixed nor random: weighted least squares meta-analysis.

PubMed

Stanley, T D; Doucouliagos, Hristos

2015-06-15

This study challenges two core conventional meta-analysis methods: fixed effect and random effects. We show how and explain why an unrestricted weighted least squares estimator is superior to conventional random-effects meta-analysis when there is publication (or small-sample) bias and better than a fixed-effect weighted average if there is heterogeneity. Statistical theory and simulations of effect sizes, log odds ratios and regression coefficients demonstrate that this unrestricted weighted least squares estimator provides satisfactory estimates and confidence intervals that are comparable to random effects when there is no publication (or small-sample) bias and identical to fixed-effect meta-analysis when there is no heterogeneity. When there is publication selection bias, the unrestricted weighted least squares approach dominates random effects; when there is excess heterogeneity, it is clearly superior to fixed-effect meta-analysis. In practical applications, an unrestricted weighted least squares weighted average will often provide superior estimates to both conventional fixed and random effects. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wave packet dynamics for a system with position and time-dependent effective mass in an infinite square well

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

Vubangsi, M.; Tchoffo, M.; Fai, L. C.

The problem of a particle with position and time-dependent effective mass in a one-dimensional infinite square well is treated by means of a quantum canonical formalism. The dynamics of a launched wave packet of the system reveals a peculiar revival pattern that is discussed. .

Effective One-Dimensional Coupling in the Highly Frustrated Square-Lattice Itinerant Magnet CaCo2 -yAs2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapkota, A.; Ueland, B. G.; Anand, V. K.; Sangeetha, N. S.; Abernathy, D. L.; Stone, M. B.; Niedziela, J. L.; Johnston, D. C.; Kreyssig, A.; Goldman, A. I.; McQueeney, R. J.

2017-10-01

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the itinerant antiferromagnet CaCo2 -yAs2 at a temperature of 8 K reveal two orthogonal planes of scattering perpendicular to the Co square lattice in reciprocal space, demonstrating the presence of effective one-dimensional spin interactions. These results are shown to arise from near-perfect bond frustration within the J1-J2 Heisenberg model on a square lattice with ferromagnetic J1 and hence indicate that the extensive previous experimental and theoretical study of the J1-J2 Heisenberg model on local-moment square spin lattices should be expanded to include itinerant spin systems.

Effective One-Dimensional Coupling in the Highly Frustrated Square-Lattice Itinerant Magnet CaCo_{2-y}As_{2}.

PubMed

Sapkota, A; Ueland, B G; Anand, V K; Sangeetha, N S; Abernathy, D L; Stone, M B; Niedziela, J L; Johnston, D C; Kreyssig, A; Goldman, A I; McQueeney, R J

2017-10-06

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the itinerant antiferromagnet CaCo_{2-y}As_{2} at a temperature of 8 K reveal two orthogonal planes of scattering perpendicular to the Co square lattice in reciprocal space, demonstrating the presence of effective one-dimensional spin interactions. These results are shown to arise from near-perfect bond frustration within the J_{1}-J_{2} Heisenberg model on a square lattice with ferromagnetic J_{1} and hence indicate that the extensive previous experimental and theoretical study of the J_{1}-J_{2} Heisenberg model on local-moment square spin lattices should be expanded to include itinerant spin systems.

Effective One-Dimensional Coupling in the Highly Frustrated Square-Lattice Itinerant Magnet CaCo 2 - y As 2

DOE PAGES

Sapkota, A.; Ueland, B. G.; Anand, V. K.; ...

2017-10-02

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the itinerant antiferromagnet CaCo 2–yAs 2 at a temperature of 8 K reveal two orthogonal planes of scattering perpendicular to the Co square lattice in reciprocal space, demonstrating the presence of effective one-dimensional spin interactions. Here, these results are shown to arise from near-perfect bond frustration within the J 1–J 2 Heisenberg model on a square lattice with ferromagnetic J 1 and hence indicate that the extensive previous experimental and theoretical study of the J 1–J 2 Heisenberg model on local-moment square spin lattices should be expanded to include itinerant spin systems.

Effective One-Dimensional Coupling in the Highly Frustrated Square-Lattice Itinerant Magnet CaCo 2 - y As 2

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

Sapkota, A.; Ueland, B. G.; Anand, V. K.

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the itinerant antiferromagnet CaCo 2–yAs 2 at a temperature of 8 K reveal two orthogonal planes of scattering perpendicular to the Co square lattice in reciprocal space, demonstrating the presence of effective one-dimensional spin interactions. Here, these results are shown to arise from near-perfect bond frustration within the J 1–J 2 Heisenberg model on a square lattice with ferromagnetic J 1 and hence indicate that the extensive previous experimental and theoretical study of the J 1–J 2 Heisenberg model on local-moment square spin lattices should be expanded to include itinerant spin systems.

Normal Mode Analysis of Polytheonamide B

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, Takaharu; Kokubo, Hironori; Shimizu, Hirofumi; Iwamoto, Masayuki; Oiki, Shigetoshi; Okamoto, Yuko

2007-09-01

Polytheonamide B is a linear 48-residue peptide which forms a single β-helix structure with alternating d- and l-amino acids and contains methylated and hydroxy variants of proteinogenic amino acids. To investigate the dynamical properties of polytheonamide B we perform the normal mode analysis. Root-mean-square displacements of all backbone atoms, root-mean-square fluctuations of the backbone dihedral angles (φ,\\psi), and correlation factors for the Cα atom fluctuations and for the dihedral angle fluctuations are calculated. The normal mode analysis reveals that polytheonamide B shows the elastic rod behavior in the very low-frequency regions and that librational motions of backbone amide planes have the modes with relatively low frequencies, which is relevant to the function of polytheonamide B. In addition, these librational motions occur almost independently and weakly anticorrelate with those of the hydrogen-bonded neighboring amide planes. Calculations of the backbone fluctuations show that the flexibility of polytheonamide B is roughly uniform over the entire helix. We compare our results with those of gramicidin A, the analogue of polytheonamide B, to discuss the structures and functions, and obtain some common features in the flexibilities and dynamics of the backbone atoms. These results present important clues for clarifying the function of polytheonamide B at the atomic level.

Conformation Analysis of T1 Lipase on Alcohols Solvent using Molecular Dynamics Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putri, A. M.; Sumaryada, T.; Wahyudi, S. T.

2017-07-01

Biodiesel usually is produced commercially via a transesterification reaction of vegetable oil with alcohol and alkali catalyst. The alkali catalyst has some drawbacks, such as the soap formation during the reaction. T1 Lipase enzyme had been known as a thermostable biocatalyst which is able to produce biodiesel through a cleaner process. In this paper the performance of T1 lipase enzyme as catalyst for transesterification reaction in pure ethanol, methanol, and water solvents were studied using a Molecular Dynamics (MD) Simulation at temperature of 300 K for 10 nanoseconds. The results have shown that in general the conformation of T1 lipase enzyme in methanol is more dynamics as shown by the value of root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean squared fluctuation (RMSF), and radius of gyration. The highest solvent accessible surface area (SASA) total was also found in methanol due to the contribution of non-polar amino acid in the interior of the protein. Analysis of MD simulation has also revealed that the enzyme structure tend to be more rigid in ethanol environment. The analysis of electrostatic interactions have shown that Glu359-Arg270 salt-bridge pair might hold the key of thermostability of T1 lipase enzyme as shown by its strong and stable binding in all three solvents.

Application of MCR-ALS to reveal intermediate conformations in the thermally induced α-β transition of poly-L-lysine monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcaráz, Mirta R.; Schwaighofer, Andreas; Goicoechea, Héctor; Lendl, Bernhard

2017-10-01

Temperature-induced conformational transitions of poly-L-lysine were monitored with Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy between 10 °C and 70 °C. Chemometric analysis of dynamic IR spectra was performed by multivariate curve analysis-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) of the amide I‧ and amide II‧ spectral region. With this approach, the pure spectral and concentration profiles of the conformational transition were obtained. Beside the initial α-helical, the intermediate random coil/extended helices and the final β-sheet structure, an additional intermediate PLL conformation was identified and attributed to a transient β-sheet structure.

The application of continuous wavelet transform and least squares support vector machine for the simultaneous quantitative spectrophotometric determination of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin as flavonoids in pharmaceutical plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sohrabi, Mahmoud Reza; Darabi, Golnaz

2016-01-01

Flavonoids are γ-benzopyrone derivatives, which are highly regarded in these researchers for their antioxidant property. In this study, two new signals processing methods been coupled with UV spectroscopy for spectral resolution and simultaneous quantitative determination of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin as flavonoids in Laurel, St. John's Wort and Green Tea without the need for any previous separation procedure. The developed methods are continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) methods integrated with UV spectroscopy individually. Different wavelet families were tested by CWT method and finally the Daubechies wavelet family (Db4) for Myricetin and the Gaussian wavelet families for Kaempferol (Gaus3) and Quercetin (Gaus7) were selected and applied for simultaneous analysis under the optimal conditions. The LS-SVM was applied to build the flavonoids prediction model based on absorption spectra. The root mean square errors for prediction (RMSEP) of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin were 0.0552, 0.0275 and 0.0374, respectively. The developed methods were validated by the analysis of the various synthetic mixtures associated with a well- known flavonoid contents. Mean recovery values of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin, in CWT method were 100.123, 100.253, 100.439 and in LS-SVM method were 99.94, 99.81 and 99.682, respectively. The results achieved by analyzing the real samples from the CWT and LS-SVM methods were compared to the HPLC reference method and the results were very close to the reference method. Meanwhile, the obtained results of the one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) test revealed that there was no significant difference between the suggested methods.

The application of continuous wavelet transform and least squares support vector machine for the simultaneous quantitative spectrophotometric determination of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin as flavonoids in pharmaceutical plants.

PubMed

Sohrabi, Mahmoud Reza; Darabi, Golnaz

2016-01-05

Flavonoids are γ-benzopyrone derivatives, which are highly regarded in these researchers for their antioxidant property. In this study, two new signals processing methods been coupled with UV spectroscopy for spectral resolution and simultaneous quantitative determination of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin as flavonoids in Laurel, St. John's Wort and Green Tea without the need for any previous separation procedure. The developed methods are continuous wavelet transform (CWT) and least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) methods integrated with UV spectroscopy individually. Different wavelet families were tested by CWT method and finally the Daubechies wavelet family (Db4) for Myricetin and the Gaussian wavelet families for Kaempferol (Gaus3) and Quercetin (Gaus7) were selected and applied for simultaneous analysis under the optimal conditions. The LS-SVM was applied to build the flavonoids prediction model based on absorption spectra. The root mean square errors for prediction (RMSEP) of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin were 0.0552, 0.0275 and 0.0374, respectively. The developed methods were validated by the analysis of the various synthetic mixtures associated with a well- known flavonoid contents. Mean recovery values of Myricetin, Kaempferol and Quercetin, in CWT method were 100.123, 100.253, 100.439 and in LS-SVM method were 99.94, 99.81 and 99.682, respectively. The results achieved by analyzing the real samples from the CWT and LS-SVM methods were compared to the HPLC reference method and the results were very close to the reference method. Meanwhile, the obtained results of the one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance) test revealed that there was no significant difference between the suggested methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

General Methods for Analysis of Sequential “n-step” Kinetic Mechanisms: Application to Single Turnover Kinetics of Helicase-Catalyzed DNA Unwinding

PubMed Central

Lucius, Aaron L.; Maluf, Nasib K.; Fischer, Christopher J.; Lohman, Timothy M.

2003-01-01

Helicase-catalyzed DNA unwinding is often studied using “all or none” assays that detect only the final product of fully unwound DNA. Even using these assays, quantitative analysis of DNA unwinding time courses for DNA duplexes of different lengths, L, using “n-step” sequential mechanisms, can reveal information about the number of intermediates in the unwinding reaction and the “kinetic step size”, m, defined as the average number of basepairs unwound between two successive rate limiting steps in the unwinding cycle. Simultaneous nonlinear least-squares analysis using “n-step” sequential mechanisms has previously been limited by an inability to float the number of “unwinding steps”, n, and m, in the fitting algorithm. Here we discuss the behavior of single turnover DNA unwinding time courses and describe novel methods for nonlinear least-squares analysis that overcome these problems. Analytic expressions for the time courses, fss(t), when obtainable, can be written using gamma and incomplete gamma functions. When analytic expressions are not obtainable, the numerical solution of the inverse Laplace transform can be used to obtain fss(t). Both methods allow n and m to be continuous fitting parameters. These approaches are generally applicable to enzymes that translocate along a lattice or require repetition of a series of steps before product formation. PMID:14507688

General methods for analysis of sequential "n-step" kinetic mechanisms: application to single turnover kinetics of helicase-catalyzed DNA unwinding.

PubMed

Lucius, Aaron L; Maluf, Nasib K; Fischer, Christopher J; Lohman, Timothy M

2003-10-01

Helicase-catalyzed DNA unwinding is often studied using "all or none" assays that detect only the final product of fully unwound DNA. Even using these assays, quantitative analysis of DNA unwinding time courses for DNA duplexes of different lengths, L, using "n-step" sequential mechanisms, can reveal information about the number of intermediates in the unwinding reaction and the "kinetic step size", m, defined as the average number of basepairs unwound between two successive rate limiting steps in the unwinding cycle. Simultaneous nonlinear least-squares analysis using "n-step" sequential mechanisms has previously been limited by an inability to float the number of "unwinding steps", n, and m, in the fitting algorithm. Here we discuss the behavior of single turnover DNA unwinding time courses and describe novel methods for nonlinear least-squares analysis that overcome these problems. Analytic expressions for the time courses, f(ss)(t), when obtainable, can be written using gamma and incomplete gamma functions. When analytic expressions are not obtainable, the numerical solution of the inverse Laplace transform can be used to obtain f(ss)(t). Both methods allow n and m to be continuous fitting parameters. These approaches are generally applicable to enzymes that translocate along a lattice or require repetition of a series of steps before product formation.

The characterization of organic monolayers at gold surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy correlation with macrostructural properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, C. A.

1992-09-01

Monolayer films formed by self-assembly of organothiols at epitaxially grown Au(111) films at mica were examined in air using scanning tunneling (STM) and atomic force microscopies (AFM). n-Alkanethiolate monolayers exhibit a hexagonal packing arrangement with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor spacings of 0.50 and 0.87 nm. This arrangement is consistent with (the square root of 3 x the square root of 3)R30 deg adlayer structure at Au(111). STM reveals the structure of the Au-bound sulfur, while AFM details the structure at the monolayer/air interface, revealing that the order at the Au-S interface is retained up to the monolayer/air interface. The investigation of the self-assembled (CF3CF2)7(CH2)2SH monolayer at Au(111) by AFM reveals a (2 x 2) adlayer structure, with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor spacings of 0.58 plus or minus 0.02 nm and 1.0 plus or minus 0.02 nm, respectively. This is consistent with the larger van der Waals diameter of the fluorinated chain. Coverage of this fluorinated thiolate monolayer is (6.3 plus or minus 0.8) x 10(exp -10) mol/cm(sup 2), consistent with the expected 0.25 monolayer coverage of the (2 x 2) adlayer structure at Au(111). Infrared reflection spectroscopy also confirmed this. Upon prolonged exposure to air, the thiolate species is oxidized to elemental sulfur in the forms of cyclooctasulfur (cyclo-S8) and other allotropes. STM reveals square structures on aged thiolate monolayers. Dimensions of these squares (0.40-0.50 nm per side) are close to those of cyclo-S8. Electrochemical reductive desorption experiments also reveal a change in the surface species with time, with a second desorption wave.

Mode selection in square resonator microlasers for widely tunable single mode lasing.

PubMed

Tang, Ming-Ying; Sui, Shao-Shuai; Yang, Yue-De; Xiao, Jin-Long; Du, Yun; Huang, Yong-Zhen

2015-10-19

Mode selection in square resonator semiconductor microlasers is demonstrated by adjusting the width of the output waveguide coupled to the midpoint of one side. The simulation and experimental results reveal that widely tunable single mode lasing can be realized in square resonator microlasers. Through adjusting the width of the output waveguide, the mode interval of the high-Q modes can reach four times of the longitudinal mode interval. Therefore, mode hopping can be efficiently avoided and the lasing wavelength can be tuned continuously by tuning the injection current. For a 17.8-μm-side-length square microlaser with a 1.4-μm-width output waveguide, mode-hopping-free single-mode operation is achieved with a continuous tuning range of 9.2 nm. As a result, the control of the lasing mode is realized for the square microlasers.

Recent landscape change in California's Central Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soulard, C. E.; Wilson, T. S.

2012-12-01

Long term monitoring of land use and land cover in California's intensively farmed Central Valley reveals several key physical and socioeconomic factors driving landscape change. As part of the USGS Land Cover Trends Project, we analyzed modern land-use/land-cover change for the California Central Valley ecoregion between 2000 and 2010, monitoring annual change between 2005 and 2010, while creating two new change intervals (2000-2005 and 2005-2010) to update the existing 27-year, interval-based analysis. Between 2000 and 2010, agricultural lands fluctuated due to changes in water allocations and emerging drought conditions, or were lost permanently to development (240 square km). Land-use pressure from agriculture and development also led to a decline in grasslands and shrublands across the region (280 square km). Overall, 400 square km of new developed lands were added in the first decade of the 21st century. From 2007 to 2010, development only expanded by 50 square km, coinciding with defaults in the banking system, the onset of historic foreclosure crisis in California and the global economic downturn. Our annual LULC change estimates capture landscape-level change in response to regional policy changes, climate, and fluctuations (e.g., growth or decline) in the national and global economy. The resulting change data provide insights into the drivers of landscape change in the California Central Valley and the combination of two consistent mapping efforts represents the first continuous, 37-year endeavor of its kind.

Eta Squared, Partial Eta Squared, and Misreporting of Effect Size in Communication Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Timothy R.; Hullett, Craig R.

2002-01-01

Alerts communication researchers to potential errors stemming from the use of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) to obtain estimates of eta squared in analysis of variance (ANOVA). Strives to clarify issues concerning the development and appropriate use of eta squared and partial eta squared in ANOVA. Discusses the reporting of…

Square One TV: Coding of Segments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeal, Betsy; Singer, Karen

This report describes the system used to code each segment of Square One TV for content analysis of all four seasons of production. The analysis is intended to aid in the assessment of how well Square One is meeting its three goals: (1) to promote positive attitudes toward, and enthusiasm for, mathematics; (2) to encourage the use and application…

On the Partitioning of Squared Euclidean Distance and Its Applications in Cluster Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Randy L.; And Others

1989-01-01

The partitioning of squared Euclidean--E(sup 2)--distance between two vectors in M-dimensional space into the sum of squared lengths of vectors in mutually orthogonal subspaces is discussed. Applications to specific cluster analysis problems are provided (i.e., to design Monte Carlo studies for performance comparisons of several clustering methods…

Dimensional Analysis and Electric Potential Due to a Uniformly Charged Sheet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aghamohammadi, Amir

2011-01-01

Dimensional analysis, superposition principle, and continuity of electric potential are used to study the electric potential of a uniformly charged square sheet on its plane. It is shown that knowing the electric potential on the diagonal and inside the square sheet is equivalent to knowing it everywhere on the plane of the square sheet. The…

Limiting exercise options: depending on a proxy may inhibit exercise self-management.

PubMed

Shields, Christopher A; Brawley, Lawrence R

2007-07-01

We examined the influence of proxy-assistance on exercisers' social cognitions and behavior. Fifty-six fitness class participants reported preference for proxy-assistance and reacted to exercising in different contexts. A 2 (proxy-led vs self-managed exercise context) by 2 (preferred assistance) MANOVA revealed significant assistance by context interactions for self-regulatory efficacy (SRE) and difficulty. Regarding self-managed exercise, high-assistance individuals expressed lower SRE and higher difficulty. Chi-square analysis revealed that significantly fewer high-assistance participants chose self-managed exercise. A one-way MANOVA on preferred assistance indicated that high-assistance participants were less confident, satisfied and perceived their self-managed exercise as more difficult. Results support Bandura's theorizing that use of a proxy can limit SRE of those preferring the proxy's control of their behavior.

Comparative analysis of targeted metabolomics: dominance-based rough set approach versus orthogonal partial least square-discriminant analysis.

PubMed

Blasco, H; Błaszczyński, J; Billaut, J C; Nadal-Desbarats, L; Pradat, P F; Devos, D; Moreau, C; Andres, C R; Emond, P; Corcia, P; Słowiński, R

2015-02-01

Metabolomics is an emerging field that includes ascertaining a metabolic profile from a combination of small molecules, and which has health applications. Metabolomic methods are currently applied to discover diagnostic biomarkers and to identify pathophysiological pathways involved in pathology. However, metabolomic data are complex and are usually analyzed by statistical methods. Although the methods have been widely described, most have not been either standardized or validated. Data analysis is the foundation of a robust methodology, so new mathematical methods need to be developed to assess and complement current methods. We therefore applied, for the first time, the dominance-based rough set approach (DRSA) to metabolomics data; we also assessed the complementarity of this method with standard statistical methods. Some attributes were transformed in a way allowing us to discover global and local monotonic relationships between condition and decision attributes. We used previously published metabolomics data (18 variables) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and non-ALS patients. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA) allowed satisfactory discrimination (72.7%) between ALS and non-ALS patients. Some discriminant metabolites were identified: acetate, acetone, pyruvate and glutamine. The concentrations of acetate and pyruvate were also identified by univariate analysis as significantly different between ALS and non-ALS patients. DRSA correctly classified 68.7% of the cases and established rules involving some of the metabolites highlighted by OPLS-DA (acetate and acetone). Some rules identified potential biomarkers not revealed by OPLS-DA (beta-hydroxybutyrate). We also found a large number of common discriminating metabolites after Bayesian confirmation measures, particularly acetate, pyruvate, acetone and ascorbate, consistent with the pathophysiological pathways involved in ALS. DRSA provides a complementary method for improving the predictive performance of the multivariate data analysis usually used in metabolomics. This method could help in the identification of metabolites involved in disease pathogenesis. Interestingly, these different strategies mostly identified the same metabolites as being discriminant. The selection of strong decision rules with high value of Bayesian confirmation provides useful information about relevant condition-decision relationships not otherwise revealed in metabolomics data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multilevel corporate environmental responsibility.

PubMed

Karassin, Orr; Bar-Haim, Aviad

2016-12-01

The multilevel empirical study of the antecedents of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been identified as "the first knowledge gap" in CSR research. Based on an extensive literature review, the present study outlines a conceptual multilevel model of CSR, then designs and empirically validates an operational multilevel model of the principal driving factors affecting corporate environmental responsibility (CER), as a measure of CSR. Both conceptual and operational models incorporate three levels of analysis: institutional, organizational, and individual. The multilevel nature of the design allows for the assessment of the relative importance of the levels and of their components in the achievement of CER. Unweighted least squares (ULS) regression analysis reveals that the institutional-level variables have medium relationships with CER, some variables having a negative effect. The organizational level is revealed as having strong and positive significant relationships with CER, with organizational culture and managers' attitudes and behaviors as significant driving forces. The study demonstrates the importance of multilevel analysis in improving the understanding of CSR drivers, relative to single level models, even if the significance of specific drivers and levels may vary by context. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Body shape helps legged robots climb and turn in complex 3-D terrains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yuanfeng; Wang, Zheliang; Li, Chen

Analogous to streamlined shapes that reduce drag in fluids, insects' ellipsoid-like rounded body shapes were recently discovered to be ``terradynamically streamlined'' and enhance locomotion in cluttered terrain by facilitating body rolling. Here, we hypothesize that there exist more terradynamic shapes that facilitate other modes of locomotion like climbing and turning in complex 3-D terrains by facilitating body pitching and yawing. To test our hypothesis, we modified the body shape of a legged robot by adding an elliptical and a rectangular shell and tested how it negotiated with circular and square vertical pillars. With a rectangular shell the robot always pitched against square pillars in an attempt to climb, whereas with an elliptical shell it always yawed and turned away from circular pillars given a small initial lateral displacement. Square / circular pillars facilitated pitching / yawing, respectively. To begin to reveal the contact physics, we developed a locomotion energy landscape model. Our model revealed that potential energy barriers to transition from pitching to yawing are high for angular locomotor and obstacle shapes (rectangular / square) but vanish for rounded shapes (elliptical / circular). Our study supports the plausibility of locomotion energy landscapes for understanding the rich locomotor transitions in complex 3-D terrains.

Regular square planer bis-(4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(thiophen-2-yl)butane-1,3-dione)/copper(II) complex: Trans/cis-DFT isomerization, crystal structure, thermal, solvatochromism, hirshfeld surface and DNA-binding analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hema, M. K.; Karthik, C. S.; Warad, Ismail; Lokanath, N. K.; Zarrouk, Abdelkader; Kumara, Karthik; Pampa, K. J.; Mallu, P.

2018-04-01

Trans-[Cu(O∩O)2] complex, O∩O = 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(thiophen-2-yl)butane-1,3-dione was reported with high potential toward CT-DNA binder. The solved XRD-structure of complex indicated a perfect regular square-planer geometry around the Cu(II) center. The trans/cis-DFT-isomerization calculation supported the XRD seen in reflecting the trans-isomer as the kinetic-favor isomer. The desired complex structure was also characterized by conductivity measurement, CHN-elemental analyses, MS, EDX, SEM, UV-Vis., FT-IR, HAS and TG/DTG. The Solvatochromism behavior of the complex was evaluated using four different polar solvents. MPE and Hirshfeld surface analysis (HSA) come to an agreement that fluoride and thiophene protons atoms are with suitable electro-potential environment to form non-classical H-bonds of type CThsbnd H⋯F. The DNA-binding properties were investigated by viscosity tests and spectrometric titrations, the results revealed the complex as strong calf-thymus DNA binder. High intrinsic-binding constants value ∼1.8 × 105 was collected.

Sparse partial least squares regression for simultaneous dimension reduction and variable selection

PubMed Central

Chun, Hyonho; Keleş, Sündüz

2010-01-01

Partial least squares regression has been an alternative to ordinary least squares for handling multicollinearity in several areas of scientific research since the 1960s. It has recently gained much attention in the analysis of high dimensional genomic data. We show that known asymptotic consistency of the partial least squares estimator for a univariate response does not hold with the very large p and small n paradigm. We derive a similar result for a multivariate response regression with partial least squares. We then propose a sparse partial least squares formulation which aims simultaneously to achieve good predictive performance and variable selection by producing sparse linear combinations of the original predictors. We provide an efficient implementation of sparse partial least squares regression and compare it with well-known variable selection and dimension reduction approaches via simulation experiments. We illustrate the practical utility of sparse partial least squares regression in a joint analysis of gene expression and genomewide binding data. PMID:20107611

A HIGHLY ELONGATED PROMINENT LENS AT z = 0.87: FIRST STRONG-LENSING ANALYSIS OF EL GORDO

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

Zitrin, Adi; Menanteau, Felipe; Hughes, John P.

We present the first strong-lensing (SL) analysis of the galaxy cluster ACT-CL J0102-4915 (El Gordo), in recent HST/ACS images, revealing a prominent strong lens at a redshift of z = 0.87. This finding adds to the already-established unique properties of El Gordo: it is the most massive, hot, X-ray luminous, and bright Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect cluster at z {approx}> 0.6, and the only {sup b}ullet{sup -}like merging cluster known at these redshifts. The lens consists of two merging massive clumps, where, for a source redshift of z{sub s} {approx} 2, each clump exhibits only a small, separate critical area, with amore » total area of 0.69 {+-} 0.11{open_square}' over the two clumps. For a higher source redshift, z{sub s} {approx} 4, the critical curves of the two clumps merge together into one bigger and very elongated lens (axis ratio {approx_equal} 5.5), enclosing an effective area of 1.44 {+-} 0.22{open_square}'. The critical curves continue expanding with increasing redshift so that for high-redshift sources (z{sub s} {approx}> 9) they enclose an area of {approx}1.91 {+-} 0.30{open_square}' (effective {theta}{sub e} {approx_equal} 46.''8 {+-} 3.''7) and a mass of 6.09 {+-} 1.04 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} M{sub Sun }. According to our model, the area of high magnification ({mu} > 10) for such high-redshift sources is {approx_equal}1.2{open_square}', and the area with {mu} > 5 is {approx_equal}2.3{open_square}', making El Gordo a compelling target for studying the high-redshift universe. We obtain a strong lower limit on the total mass of El Gordo, {approx}> 1.7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} M{sub Sun} from the SL regime alone, suggesting a total mass of roughly M{sub 200} {approx} 2.3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} M{sub Sun }. Our results should be revisited when additional spectroscopic and HST imaging data are available.« less

Quantitative and Discriminative Evaluation of Contents of Phenolic and Flavonoid and Antioxidant Competence for Chinese Honeys from Different Botanical Origins.

PubMed

Shen, Shi; Wang, Jingbo; Zhuo, Qin; Chen, Xi; Liu, Tingting; Zhang, Shuang-Qing

2018-05-08

Phenolics and flavonoids in honey are considered as the main phytonutrients which not only act as natural antioxidants, but can also be used as floral markers for honey identification. In this study, the chemical profiles of phenolics and flavonoids, antioxidant competences including total phenolic content, DPPH and ABTS assays and discrimination using chemometric analysis of various Chinese monofloral honeys from six botanical origins (acacia, Vitex , linden, rapeseed, Astragalus and Codonopsis ) were examined. A reproducible and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was optimized and validated for the simultaneous determination of 38 phenolics, flavonoids and abscisic acid in honey. Formononetin, ononin, calycosin and calycosin-7- O -β-d-glucoside were identified and quantified in honeys for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed obvious differences among the honey samples in three-dimensional space accounting for 72.63% of the total variance. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) also revealed that the botanical origins of honey samples correlated with their phenolic and flavonoid contents. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) classification was performed to derive a model with high prediction ability. Orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model was employed to identify markers specific to a particular honey type. The results indicated that Chinese honeys contained various and discriminative phenolics and flavonoids, as well as antioxidant competence from different botanical origins, which was an alternative approach to honey identification and nutritional evaluation.

Multiway analysis methods applied to the fluorescence excitation-emission dataset for the simultaneous quantification of valsartan and amlodipine in tablets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinç, Erdal; Ertekin, Zehra Ceren; Büker, Eda

2017-09-01

In this study, excitation-emission matrix datasets, which have strong overlapping bands, were processed by using four different chemometric calibration algorithms consisting of parallel factor analysis, Tucker3, three-way partial least squares and unfolded partial least squares for the simultaneous quantitative estimation of valsartan and amlodipine besylate in tablets. In analyses, preliminary separation step was not used before the application of parallel factor analysis Tucker3, three-way partial least squares and unfolded partial least squares approaches for the analysis of the related drug substances in samples. Three-way excitation-emission matrix data array was obtained by concatenating excitation-emission matrices of the calibration set, validation set, and commercial tablet samples. The excitation-emission matrix data array was used to get parallel factor analysis, Tucker3, three-way partial least squares and unfolded partial least squares calibrations and to predict the amounts of valsartan and amlodipine besylate in samples. For all the methods, calibration and prediction of valsartan and amlodipine besylate were performed in the working concentration ranges of 0.25-4.50 μg/mL. The validity and the performance of all the proposed methods were checked by using the validation parameters. From the analysis results, it was concluded that the described two-way and three-way algorithmic methods were very useful for the simultaneous quantitative resolution and routine analysis of the related drug substances in marketed samples.

Least-Squares Analysis of Data with Uncertainty in "y" and "x": Algorithms in Excel and KaleidaGraph

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tellinghuisen, Joel

2018-01-01

For the least-squares analysis of data having multiple uncertain variables, the generally accepted best solution comes from minimizing the sum of weighted squared residuals over all uncertain variables, with, for example, weights in x[subscript i] taken as inversely proportional to the variance [delta][subscript xi][superscript 2]. A complication…

A Search for WIMP Dark Matter Using an Optimized Chi-square Technique on the Final Data from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Experiment (CDMS II)

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

Manungu Kiveni, Joseph

2012-12-01

This dissertation describes the results of a WIMP search using CDMS II data sets accumulated at the Soudan Underground Laboratory in Minnesota. Results from the original analysis of these data were published in 2009; two events were observed in the signal region with an expected leakage of 0.9 events. Further investigation revealed an issue with the ionization-pulse reconstruction algorithm leading to a software upgrade and a subsequent reanalysis of the data. As part of the reanalysis, I performed an advanced discrimination technique to better distinguish (potential) signal events from backgrounds using a 5-dimensional chi-square method. This dataanalysis technique combines themore » event information recorded for each WIMP-search event to derive a backgrounddiscrimination parameter capable of reducing the expected background to less than one event, while maintaining high efficiency for signal events. Furthermore, optimizing the cut positions of this 5-dimensional chi-square parameter for the 14 viable germanium detectors yields an improved expected sensitivity to WIMP interactions relative to previous CDMS results. This dissertation describes my improved (and optimized) discrimination technique and the results obtained from a blind application to the reanalyzed CDMS II WIMP-search data.« less

In-situ X-ray diffraction studies of the phase transformations and structural states of B2, R and B19′ phases in Ti{sub 49.5}Ni{sub 50.5} alloy

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

Ostapenko, Marina G., E-mail: artifakt@ispms.tsc.ru; National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, 634050; Meisner, Ludmila L., E-mail: llm@ispms.tsc.ru

2015-10-27

The martensitic transformation, Debye–Waller factor, mean-square atomic displacements and the coefficient of thermal expansion on cooling of the Ti{sub 49.5}Ni{sub 50.5} shape memory alloy were examined using in-situ X-ray diffraction. It was revealed B2→R (T{sub R} ≡ T = 273 ± 10 K) along with B2→B19’ (M{sub s} ≡ T = 273 ± 10 K) transitions occur. It was found that Debye–Waller factor and mean-square displacement of B2 phase undergo significant increase as functions of temperature when phase transition B2→R and B2→B19’ take place. The analysis of the thermal expansion coefficient of the B2 phase indicates that the value of a increasesmore » almost linearly while cooling.« less

Analysis of secondary motions in square duct flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modesti, Davide; Pirozzoli, Sergio; Orlandi, Paolo; Grasso, Francesco

2018-04-01

We carry out direct numerical simulations (DNS) of square duct flow spanning the friction Reynolds number range {Re}τ * =150-1055, to study the nature and the role of secondary motions. We preliminarily find that secondary motions are not the mere result of the time averaging procedure, but rather they are present in the instantaneous flow realizations, corresponding to large eddies persistent in both space and time. Numerical experiments have also been carried out whereby the secondary motions are suppressed, hence allowing to quantifying their effect on the mean flow field. At sufficiently high Reynolds number, secondary motions are found to increase the friction coefficient by about 3%, hence proportionally to their relative strength with respect to the bulk flow. Simulations without secondary motions are found to yield larger deviations on the mean velocity profiles from the standard law-of-the-wall, revealing that secondary motions act as a self-regulating mechanism of turbulence whereby the effect of the corners is mitigated.

Magnetic stray-field studies of a single Cobalt nanoelement as a component of the building blocks of artificial square spin ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohlit, Merlin; Porrati, Fabrizio; Huth, Michael; Ohno, Yuzo; Ohno, Hideo; Müller, Jens

2016-02-01

We use Focused Electron Beam Deposition (FEBID) to directly write Cobalt magnetic nanoelements onto a micro-Hall magnetometer, which allows for high-sensitivity measurements of the magnetic stray field emanating from the samples. In a previous study [M. Pohlit et al., J. Appl. Phys. 117 (2015) 17C746] [21] we investigated thermal dynamics of an individual building block (nanocluster) of artificial square spin ice. In this work, we compare the results of this structure with interacting elements to the switching of a single nanoisland. By analyzing the survival function of the repeatedly prepared state in a given temperature range, we find thermally activated switching dynamics. A detailed analysis of the hysteresis loop reveals a metastable microstate preceding the overall magnetization reversal of the single nanoelement, also found in micromagnetic simulations. Such internal degrees of freedom may need to be considered, when analyzing the thermal dynamics of larger spin ice configurations on different lattice types.

Application of Partial Least Square (PLS) Analysis on Fluorescence Data of 8-Anilinonaphthalene-1-Sulfonic Acid, a Polarity Dye, for Monitoring Water Adulteration in Ethanol Fuel.

PubMed

Kumar, Keshav; Mishra, Ashok Kumar

2015-07-01

Fluorescence characteristic of 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) in ethanol-water mixture in combination with partial least square (PLS) analysis was used to propose a simple and sensitive analytical procedure for monitoring the adulteration of ethanol by water. The proposed analytical procedure was found to be capable of detecting even small adulteration level of ethanol by water. The robustness of the procedure is evident from the statistical parameters such as square of correlation coefficient (R(2)), root mean square of calibration (RMSEC) and root mean square of prediction (RMSEP) that were found to be well with in the acceptable limits.

Evaluation of a statewide science inservice and outreach program: Teacher and student outcomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lott, Kimberly Hardiman

Alabama Science in Motion (ASIM) is a statewide in-service and outreach program designed to provide in-service training for teachers in technology and content knowledge. ASIM is also designed to increase student interest in science and future science careers. The goals of ASIM include: to complement, enhance and facilitate implementation of the Alabama Course of Study: Science, to increase student interest in science and scientific careers, and to provide high school science teachers with curriculum development and staff development opportunities that will enhance their subject-content expertise, technology background, and instructional skills. This study was conducted to evaluate the goals and other measurable outcomes of the chemistry component of ASIM. Data were collected from 19 chemistry teachers and 182 students that participated in ASIM and 6 chemistry teachers and 42 students that do not participate in ASIM using both surveys and student records. Pre-treatment Chi-Square tests revealed that the teachers did not differ in years of chemistry teaching experience, major in college, and number of classes other than chemistry taught. Pre-treatment Chi-Square tests revealed that the students did not differ in age, ethnicity, school classification, or school type. The teacher survey used measured attitudes towards inquiry-based teaching, frequency of technology used by teacher self-report and perceived teaching ability of chemistry topics from the Alabama Course of Study-Science. The student surveys used were the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) and a modified version of the Test of Integrated Process Skills (TIPS). The students' science scores from the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9) were also obtained from student records. Analysis of teacher data using a MANOVA design revealed that participation in ASIM had a significantly positive effect on teacher attitude towards inquiry-based teaching and the frequency of technology used; however, there was no significant effect on the perceived teaching ability of topics from the Alabama Course of Study-Science. Similar analysis of student data revealed that participation in ASIM had a significantly positive effect on student process skills acquisition and science achievement, but there were no significant effects on science attitudes.

Students' motivational processes and their relationship to teacher ratings in school physical education: a self-determination theory approach.

PubMed

Standage, Martyn; Duda, Joan L; Ntoumanis, Nikos

2006-03-01

In the present study, we used a model of motivation grounded in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991; Ryan & Deci, 2000a, 2000b, 2002) to examine the relationship between physical education (PE) students' motivational processes and ratings of their effort and persistence as provided by their PE teacher. Data were obtained from 394 British secondary school students (204 boys, 189 girls, 1 gender not specified; M age = 11.97 years; SD = .89; range = 11-14 years) who responded to a multisection inventory (tapping autonomy-support, autonomy, competence, relatedness, and self-determined motivation). The students' respective PE teachers subsequently provided ratings reflecting the effort and persistence each student exhibited in their PE classes. The hypothesized relationships among the study variables were examined via structural equation modeling analysis using latent factors. Results of maximum likelihood analysis using the bootstrapping method revealed the proposed model demonstrated a good fit to the data, chi-squared (292) = 632.68, p < .001; comparative fit index = .95; incremental fit index = .95, standardized root mean square residual = .077; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .054 (90% confidence interval of RMSEA = .049 -.060). Specifically, the model showed that students who perceived an autonomy supportive environment experienced greater levels of autonomy, competence, and relatedness and had higher scores on an index of self-determination. Student-reported levels of self-determined motivation positively predicted teacher ratings of effort and persistence in PE. The findings are discussed with regard to enhancing student motivation in PE settings.

Quantification of scaling exponent with Crossover type phenomena for different types of forcing in DC glow discharge plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Debajyoti; Shaw, Pankaj Kumar; Ghosh, Sabuj; Janaki, M. S.; Sekar Iyengar, A. N.

2018-01-01

We have carried out a detailed study of scaling region using detrended fractal analysis test by applying different forcing likewise noise, sinusoidal, square on the floating potential fluctuations acquired under different pressures in a DC glow discharge plasma. The transition in the dynamics is observed through recurrence plot techniques which is an efficient method to observe the critical regime transitions in dynamics. The complexity of the nonlinear fluctuation has been revealed with the help of recurrence quantification analysis which is a suitable tool for investigating recurrence, an ubiquitous feature providing a deep insight into the dynamics of real dynamical system. An informal test for stationarity which checks for the compatibility of nonlinear approximations to the dynamics made in different segments in a time series has been proposed. In case of sinusoidal, noise, square forcing applied on fluctuation acquired at P = 0.12 mbar only one dominant scaling region is observed whereas the forcing applied on fluctuation (P = 0.04 mbar) two prominent scaling regions have been explored reliably using different forcing amplitudes indicating the signature of crossover phenomena. Furthermore a persistence long range behavior has been observed in one of these scaling regions. A comprehensive study of the quantification of scaling exponents has been carried out with the increase in amplitude and frequency of sinusoidal, square type of forcings. The scalings exponent is envisaged to be the roughness of the time series. The method provides a single quantitative idea of the scaling exponent to quantify the correlation properties of a signal.

Using statistical process control for monitoring the prevalence of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers.

PubMed

Kottner, Jan; Halfens, Ruud

2010-05-01

Institutionally acquired pressure ulcers are used as outcome indicators to assess the quality of pressure ulcer prevention programs. Determining whether quality improvement projects that aim to decrease the proportions of institutionally acquired pressure ulcers lead to real changes in clinical practice depends on the measurement method and statistical analysis used. To examine whether nosocomial pressure ulcer prevalence rates in hospitals in the Netherlands changed, a secondary data analysis using different statistical approaches was conducted of annual (1998-2008) nationwide nursing-sensitive health problem prevalence studies in the Netherlands. Institutions that participated regularly in all survey years were identified. Risk-adjusted nosocomial pressure ulcers prevalence rates, grade 2 to 4 (European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel system) were calculated per year and hospital. Descriptive statistics, chi-square trend tests, and P charts based on statistical process control (SPC) were applied and compared. Six of the 905 healthcare institutions participated in every survey year and 11,444 patients in these six hospitals were identified as being at risk for pressure ulcers. Prevalence rates per year ranged from 0.05 to 0.22. Chi-square trend tests revealed statistically significant downward trends in four hospitals but based on SPC methods, prevalence rates of five hospitals varied by chance only. Results of chi-square trend tests and SPC methods were not comparable, making it impossible to decide which approach is more appropriate. P charts provide more valuable information than single P values and are more helpful for monitoring institutional performance. Empirical evidence about the decrease of nosocomial pressure ulcer prevalence rates in the Netherlands is contradictory and limited.

30-Year Satellite Record Reveals Contrasting Arctic and Antarctic Decadal Sea Ice Variability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavalieri, D. J.; Parkinson, C. L.; Vinnikov, K. Y.

2003-01-01

A 30-year satellite record of sea ice extents derived mostly from satellite microwave radiometer observations reveals that the Arctic sea ice extent decreased by 0.30+0.03 x 10(exp 6) square kilometers per 10 yr from 1972 through 2002, but by 0.36 plus or minus 0.05 x 10(exp 6) square kilometers per 10yr from 1979 through 2002, indicating an acceleration of 20% in the rate of decrease. In contrast, the Antarctic sea ice extent decreased dramatically over the period 1973-1977, then gradually increased. Over the full 30-year period, the Antarctic ice extent decreased by 0.15 plus or minus 0.08 x 10(exp 6) square kilometers per 10 yr. The trend reversal is attributed to a large positive anomaly in Antarctic sea ice extent in the early 1970's, an anomaly that apparently began in the late 1960's, as observed in early visible and infrared satellite images.

Geography Matters in Online Hotel Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Mingshu; Zhou, Xiaolu

2016-06-01

In resonance with the popularity of user-generated contents (UGC) and the volunteered geographic information (VGI), this study crowdsourced 77,098 hotel reviews of 220 hotels provided by U.S. reviewers in the city of San Francisco, 2002 to 2015. In this exploratory analysis, we have revealed that there is spatial dependence of customer satisfaction at different locations (of hotels), which violates the assumption that ordinary least-square (OLS) is the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE); therefore, spatial model might be required for analysing any antecedents and consequences of such phenomena. These results have implications in marketing and management strategies.

Quantitative analysis of virgin coconut oil in cream cosmetics preparations using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

PubMed

Rohman, A; Man, Yb Che; Sismindari

2009-10-01

Today, virgin coconut oil (VCO) is becoming valuable oil and is receiving an attractive topic for researchers because of its several biological activities. In cosmetics industry, VCO is excellent material which functions as a skin moisturizer and softener. Therefore, it is important to develop a quantitative analytical method offering a fast and reliable technique. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with sample handling technique of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) can be successfully used to analyze VCO quantitatively in cream cosmetic preparations. A multivariate analysis using calibration of partial least square (PLS) model revealed the good relationship between actual value and FTIR-predicted value of VCO with coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.998.

Interdependence and contagion among industry-level US credit markets: An application of wavelet and VMD based copula approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain; Nor, Safwan Mohd; Kumar, Ronald Ravinesh; Mensi, Walid

2017-01-01

This study examines the interdependence and contagion among US industry-level credit markets. We use daily data of 11 industries from 17 December 2007 to 31 December 2014 for the time-frequency, namely, wavelet squared coherence analysis. The empirical analysis reveals that Basic Materials (Utilities) industry credit market has the highest (lowest) interdependence with other industries. Basic Materials credit market passes cyclical effect to all other industries. The little ;shift-contagion; as defined by Forbes and Rigobon (2002) is examined using elliptical and Archimedean copulas on the short-run decomposed series obtained through Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD). The contagion effects between US industry-level credit markets mainly occurred during the global financial crisis of 2007-08.

Generalized Structured Component Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Heungsun; Takane, Yoshio

2004-01-01

We propose an alternative method to partial least squares for path analysis with components, called generalized structured component analysis. The proposed method replaces factors by exact linear combinations of observed variables. It employs a well-defined least squares criterion to estimate model parameters. As a result, the proposed method…

Latin and Magic Squares

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emanouilidis, Emanuel

2005-01-01

Latin squares have existed for hundreds of years but it wasn't until rather recently that Latin squares were used in other areas such as statistics, graph theory, coding theory and the generation of random numbers as well as in the design and analysis of experiments. This note describes Latin and diagonal Latin squares, a method of constructing…

Binding affinity toward human prion protein of some anti-prion compounds - Assessment based on QSAR modeling, molecular docking and non-parametric ranking.

PubMed

Kovačević, Strahinja; Karadžić, Milica; Podunavac-Kuzmanović, Sanja; Jevrić, Lidija

2018-01-01

The present study is based on the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) analysis of binding affinity toward human prion protein (huPrP C ) of quinacrine, pyridine dicarbonitrile, diphenylthiazole and diphenyloxazole analogs applying different linear and non-linear chemometric regression techniques, including univariate linear regression, multiple linear regression, partial least squares regression and artificial neural networks. The QSAR analysis distinguished molecular lipophilicity as an important factor that contributes to the binding affinity. Principal component analysis was used in order to reveal similarities or dissimilarities among the studied compounds. The analysis of in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADMET) parameters was conducted. The ranking of the studied analogs on the basis of their ADMET parameters was done applying the sum of ranking differences, as a relatively new chemometric method. The main aim of the study was to reveal the most important molecular features whose changes lead to the changes in the binding affinities of the studied compounds. Another point of view on the binding affinity of the most promising analogs was established by application of molecular docking analysis. The results of the molecular docking were proven to be in agreement with the experimental outcome. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pretreatment and integrated analysis of spectral data reveal seaweed similarities based on chemical diversity.

PubMed

Wei, Feifei; Ito, Kengo; Sakata, Kenji; Date, Yasuhiro; Kikuchi, Jun

2015-03-03

Extracting useful information from high dimensionality and large data sets is a major challenge for data-driven approaches. The present study was aimed at developing novel integrated analytical strategies for comprehensively characterizing seaweed similarities based on chemical diversity. The chemical compositions of 107 seaweed and 2 seagrass samples were analyzed using multiple techniques, including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and solid- and solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), CHNS/O total elemental analysis, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IR-MS). The spectral data were preprocessed using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) and NMF combined with multivariate curve resolution-alternating least-squares (MCR-ALS) methods in order to separate individual component information from the overlapping and/or broad spectral peaks. Integrated analysis of the preprocessed chemical data demonstrated distinct discrimination of differential seaweed species. Further network analysis revealed a close correlation between the heavy metal elements and characteristic components of brown algae, such as cellulose, alginic acid, and sulfated mucopolysaccharides, providing a componential basis for its metal-sorbing potential. These results suggest that this integrated analytical strategy is useful for extracting and identifying the chemical characteristics of diverse seaweeds based on large chemical data sets, particularly complicated overlapping spectral data.

The self-transcendence scale: an investigation of the factor structure among nursing home patients.

PubMed

Haugan, Gørill; Rannestad, Toril; Garåsen, Helge; Hammervold, Randi; Espnes, Geir Arild

2012-09-01

Self-transcendence, the ability to expand personal boundaries in multiple ways, has been found to provide well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensionality of the Norwegian version of the Self-Transcendence Scale, which comprises 15 items. Reed's empirical nursing theory of self-transcendence provided the theoretical framework; self-transcendence includes an interpersonal, intrapersonal, transpersonal, and temporal dimension. Cross-sectional data were obtained from a sample of 202 cognitively intact elderly patients in 44 Norwegian nursing homes. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two and four internally consistent dimensions of self-transcendence, explaining 35.3% (two factors) and 50.7% (four factors) of the variance, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the hypothesized two- and four-factor models fitted better than the one-factor model (cx (2), root mean square error of approximation, standardized root mean square residual, normed fit index, nonnormed fit index, comparative fit index, goodness-of-fit index, and adjusted goodness-of-fit index). The findings indicate self-transcendence as a multifactorial construct; at present, we conclude that the two-factor model might be the most accurate and reasonable measure of self-transcendence. This research generates insights in the application of the widely used Self-Transcendence Scale by investigating its psychometric properties by applying a confirmatory factor analysis. It also generates new research-questions on the associations between self-transcendence and well-being.

Understanding Least Squares through Monte Carlo Calculations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tellinghuisen, Joel

2005-01-01

The method of least squares (LS) is considered as an important data analysis tool available to physical scientists. The mathematics of linear least squares(LLS) is summarized in a very compact matrix rotation that renders it practically "formulaic".

A functional promoter variant of the human formimidoyltransferase cyclodeaminase (FTCD) gene is associated with working memory performance in young but not older adults.

PubMed

Greenwood, Pamela M; Schmidt, Kevin; Lin, Ming-Kuan; Lipsky, Robert; Parasuraman, Raja; Jankord, Ryan

2018-06-21

The central role of working memory in IQ and the high heritability of working memory performance motivated interest in identifying the specific genes underlying this heritability. The FTCD (formimidoyltransferase cyclodeaminase) gene was identified as a candidate gene for allelic association with working memory in part from genetic mapping studies of mouse Morris water maze performance. The present study tested variants of this gene for effects on a delayed match-to-sample task of a large sample of younger and older participants. The rs914246 variant, but not the rs914245 variant, of the FTCD gene modulated accuracy in the task for younger, but not older, people under high working memory load. The interaction of haplotype × distance × load had a partial eta squared effect size of 0.015. Analysis of simple main effects had partial eta squared effect sizes ranging from 0.012 to 0.040. A reporter gene assay revealed that the C allele of the rs914246 genotype is functional and a main factor regulating FTCD gene expression. This study extends previous work on the genetics of working memory by revealing that a gene in the glutamatergic pathway modulates working memory in young people but not in older people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Tri-Center Analysis: Determining Measures of Trichotomous Central Tendency for the Parametric Analysis of Tri-Squared Test Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, James Edward

2014-01-01

This monograph provides an epistemological rational for the design of a novel post hoc statistical measure called "Tri-Center Analysis". This new statistic is designed to analyze the post hoc outcomes of the Tri-Squared Test. In Tri-Center Analysis trichotomous parametric inferential parametric statistical measures are calculated from…

Beyond Principal Component Analysis: A Trilinear Decomposition Model and Least Squares Estimation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pham, Tuan Dinh; Mocks, Joachim

1992-01-01

Sufficient conditions are derived for the consistency and asymptotic normality of the least squares estimator of a trilinear decomposition model for multiway data analysis. The limiting covariance matrix is computed. (Author/SLD)

Fundamental limits of image registration performance: Effects of image noise and resolution in CT-guided interventions.

PubMed

Ketcha, M D; de Silva, T; Han, R; Uneri, A; Goerres, J; Jacobson, M; Vogt, S; Kleinszig, G; Siewerdsen, J H

2017-02-11

In image-guided procedures, image acquisition is often performed primarily for the task of geometrically registering information from another image dataset, rather than detection / visualization of a particular feature. While the ability to detect a particular feature in an image has been studied extensively with respect to image quality characteristics (noise, resolution) and is an ongoing, active area of research, comparatively little has been accomplished to relate such image quality characteristics to registration performance. To establish such a framework, we derived Cramer-Rao lower bounds (CRLB) for registration accuracy, revealing the underlying dependencies on image variance and gradient strength. The CRLB was analyzed as a function of image quality factors (in particular, dose) for various similarity metrics and compared to registration accuracy using CT images of an anthropomorphic head phantom at various simulated dose levels. Performance was evaluated in terms of root mean square error (RMSE) of the registration parameters. Analysis of the CRLB shows two primary dependencies: 1) noise variance (related to dose); and 2) sum of squared image gradients (related to spatial resolution and image content). Comparison of the measured RMSE to the CRLB showed that the best registration method, RMSE achieved the CRLB to within an efficiency factor of 0.21, and optimal estimators followed the predicted inverse proportionality between registration performance and radiation dose. Analysis of the CRLB for image registration is an important step toward understanding and evaluating an intraoperative imaging system with respect to a registration task. While the CRLB is optimistic in absolute performance, it reveals a basis for relating the performance of registration estimators as a function of noise content and may be used to guide acquisition parameter selection (e.g., dose) for purposes of intraoperative registration.

Prediction of Maximal Oxygen Uptake by Six-Minute Walk Test and Body Mass Index in Healthy Boys.

PubMed

Jalili, Majid; Nazem, Farzad; Sazvar, Akbar; Ranjbar, Kamal

2018-05-14

To develop an equation to predict maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) based on the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and body composition in healthy boys. Direct VO2max, 6-minute walk distance, and anthropometric characteristics were measured in 349 healthy boys (12.49 ± 2.72 years). Multiple regression analysis was used to generate VO2max prediction equations. Cross-validation of the VO2max prediction equations was assessed with predicted residual sum of squares statistics. Pearson correlation was used to assess the correlation between measured and predicted VO2max. Objectively measured VO2max had a significant correlation with demographic and 6MWT characteristics (R = 0.11-0.723, P < .01). Multiple regression analysis revealed the following VO2max prediction equation: VO2max (mL/kg/min) = 12.701 + (0.06 × 6-minute walk distance m ) - (0.732 × body mass index kg/m2 ) (R 2 = 0.79, standard error of the estimate [SEE] = 2.91 mL/kg/min, %SEE = 6.9%). There was strong correlation between measured and predicted VO2max (r = 0.875, P < .001). Cross-validation revealed minimal shrinkage (R 2 p = 0.78 and predicted residual sum of squares SEE = 2.99 mL/kg/min). This study provides a relatively accurate and convenient VO2max prediction equation based on the 6MWT and body mass index in healthy boys. This model can be used for evaluation of cardiorespiratory fitness of boys in different settings. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis of daily disposable limbal ring contact lenses.

PubMed

Lorenz, Kathrine Osborn; Kakkassery, Joseph; Boree, Danielle; Pinto, David

2014-09-01

Limbal ring (also known as 'circle') contact lenses are becoming increasingly popular, especially in Asian markets because of their eye-enhancing effects. The pigment particles that give the eye-enhancing effects of these lenses can be found on the front or back surface of the contact lens or 'enclosed' within the lens matrix. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the pigment location and surface roughness of seven types of 'circle' contact lenses. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis was performed using a variable pressure Hitachi S3400N instrument to discern the placement of lens pigments. Atomic force microscopy (Dimension Icon AFM from Bruker Nano) was used to determine the surface roughness of the pigmented regions of the contact lenses. Atomic force microscopic analysis was performed in fluid phase under contact mode using a Sharp Nitride Lever probe (SNL-10) with a spring constant of 0.06 N/m. Root mean square (RMS) roughness values were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model with a log-normal distribution. Least square means and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each brand, location and pigment combination. SEM cross-sectional images at 500× and 2,000× magnification showed pigment on the surface of six of the seven lens types tested. The mean depth of pigment for 1-DAY ACUVUE DEFINE (1DAD) lenses was 8.1 μm below the surface of the lens, while the remaining lens types tested had pigment particles on the front or back surface. Results of the atomic force microscopic analysis indicated that 1DAD lenses had significantly lower root mean square roughness values in the pigmented area of the lens than the other lens types tested. SEM and AFM analysis revealed pigment on the surface of the lens for all types tested with the exception of 1DAD. Further research is required to determine if the difference in pigment location influences on-eye performance. © 2014 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2014 Optometrists Association Australia.

Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis of daily disposable limbal ring contact lenses

PubMed Central

Lorenz, Kathrine Osborn; Kakkassery, Joseph; Boree, Danielle; Pinto, David

2014-01-01

Background Limbal ring (also known as ‘circle’) contact lenses are becoming increasingly popular, especially in Asian markets because of their eye-enhancing effects. The pigment particles that give the eye-enhancing effects of these lenses can be found on the front or back surface of the contact lens or ‘enclosed’ within the lens matrix. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the pigment location and surface roughness of seven types of ‘circle’ contact lenses. Methods Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis was performed using a variable pressure Hitachi S3400N instrument to discern the placement of lens pigments. Atomic force microscopy (Dimension Icon AFM from Bruker Nano) was used to determine the surface roughness of the pigmented regions of the contact lenses. Atomic force microscopic analysis was performed in fluid phase under contact mode using a Sharp Nitride Lever probe (SNL-10) with a spring constant of 0.06 N/m. Root mean square (RMS) roughness values were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model with a log-normal distribution. Least square means and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each brand, location and pigment combination. Results SEM cross-sectional images at 500× and 2,000× magnification showed pigment on the surface of six of the seven lens types tested. The mean depth of pigment for 1-DAY ACUVUE DEFINE (1DAD) lenses was 8.1 μm below the surface of the lens, while the remaining lens types tested had pigment particles on the front or back surface. Results of the atomic force microscopic analysis indicated that 1DAD lenses had significantly lower root mean square roughness values in the pigmented area of the lens than the other lens types tested. Conclusions SEM and AFM analysis revealed pigment on the surface of the lens for all types tested with the exception of 1DAD. Further research is required to determine if the difference in pigment location influences on-eye performance. PMID:24689948

Systematic study of anharmonic features in a principal component analysis of gramicidin A.

PubMed

Kurylowicz, Martin; Yu, Ching-Hsing; Pomès, Régis

2010-02-03

We use principal component analysis (PCA) to detect functionally interesting collective motions in molecular-dynamics simulations of membrane-bound gramicidin A. We examine the statistical and structural properties of all PCA eigenvectors and eigenvalues for the backbone and side-chain atoms. All eigenvalue spectra show two distinct power-law scaling regimes, quantitatively separating large from small covariance motions. Time trajectories of the largest PCs converge to Gaussian distributions at long timescales, but groups of small-covariance PCs, which are usually ignored as noise, have subdiffusive distributions. These non-Gaussian distributions imply anharmonic motions on the free-energy surface. We characterize the anharmonic components of motion by analyzing the mean-square displacement for all PCs. The subdiffusive components reveal picosecond-scale oscillations in the mean-square displacement at frequencies consistent with infrared measurements. In this regime, the slowest backbone mode exhibits tilting of the peptide planes, which allows carbonyl oxygen atoms to provide surrogate solvation for water and cation transport in the channel lumen. Higher-frequency modes are also apparent, and we describe their vibrational spectra. Our findings expand the utility of PCA for quantifying the essential features of motion on the anharmonic free-energy surface made accessible by atomistic molecular-dynamics simulations. Copyright (c) 2010 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predicting the composition of red wine blends using an array of multicomponent Peptide-based sensors.

PubMed

Ghanem, Eman; Hopfer, Helene; Navarro, Andrea; Ritzer, Maxwell S; Mahmood, Lina; Fredell, Morgan; Cubley, Ashley; Bolen, Jessica; Fattah, Rabia; Teasdale, Katherine; Lieu, Linh; Chua, Tedmund; Marini, Federico; Heymann, Hildegarde; Anslyn, Eric V

2015-05-20

Differential sensing using synthetic receptors as mimics of the mammalian senses of taste and smell is a powerful approach for the analysis of complex mixtures. Herein, we report on the effectiveness of a cross-reactive, supramolecular, peptide-based sensing array in differentiating and predicting the composition of red wine blends. Fifteen blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, in addition to the mono varietals, were used in this investigation. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) showed a clear differentiation of blends based on tannin concentration and composition where certain mono varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon seemed to contribute less to the overall characteristics of the blend. Partial Least Squares (PLS) Regression and cross validation were used to build a predictive model for the responses of the receptors to eleven binary blends and the three mono varietals. The optimized model was later used to predict the percentage of each mono varietal in an independent test set composted of four tri-blends with a 15% average error. A partial least square regression model using the mouth-feel and taste descriptive sensory attributes of the wine blends revealed a strong correlation of the receptors to perceived astringency, which is indicative of selective binding to polyphenols in wine.

Road traffic accidents prediction modelling: An analysis of Anambra State, Nigeria.

PubMed

Ihueze, Chukwutoo C; Onwurah, Uchendu O

2018-03-01

One of the major problems in the world today is the rate of road traffic crashes and deaths on our roads. Majority of these deaths occur in low-and-middle income countries including Nigeria. This study analyzed road traffic crashes in Anambra State, Nigeria with the intention of developing accurate predictive models for forecasting crash frequency in the State using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and autoregressive integrated moving average with explanatory variables (ARIMAX) modelling techniques. The result showed that ARIMAX model outperformed the ARIMA (1,1,1) model generated when their performances were compared using the lower Bayesian information criterion, mean absolute percentage error, root mean square error; and higher coefficient of determination (R-Squared) as accuracy measures. The findings of this study reveal that incorporating human, vehicle and environmental related factors in time series analysis of crash dataset produces a more robust predictive model than solely using aggregated crash count. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on road traffic safety and provides an approach to forecasting using many human, vehicle and environmental factors. The recommendations made in this study if applied will help in reducing the number of road traffic crashes in Nigeria. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social Impact of Stigma Regarding Tuberculosis Hindering Adherence to Treatment: A Cross Sectional Study Involving Tuberculosis Patients in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Md Rocky Khan; Rahman, Md Shafiur; Mondal, Md Nazrul Islam; Sayem, Abu; Billah, Baki

2015-01-01

Stigma, considered a social disease, is more apparent in developing societies which are driven by various social affairs, and influences adherence to treatment. The aim of the present study was to examine levels of social stigma related to tuberculosis (TB) in sociodemographic context and identify the effects of sociodemographic factors on stigma. The study sample consisted of 372 TB patients. Data were collected using stratified sampling with simple random sampling techniques. T tests, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis were performed to examine correlations between stigma and sociodemographic variables. Approximately 85.9% of patients had experienced stigma. The most frequent indicator of the stigma experienced by patients involved problems taking part in social programs (79.5%). Mean levels of stigma were significantly higher in women (55.5%), illiterate individuals (60.8%), and villagers (60.8%) relative to those of other groups. Chi-square tests revealed that education, monthly family income, and type of patient (pulmonary and extrapulmonary) were significantly associated with stigma. Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that stigma was influenced by sex, education, and type of patient. Stigma is one of the most important barriers to treatment adherence. Therefore, in interventions that aim to reduce stigma, strong collaboration between various institutions is essential.

Application of silica fume as a new SP-extractor for trace determination of Zn(II) and Cd(II) in pharmaceutical and environmental samples by square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Salwa A.; Gaber, Ahmed A. Abdel; Rahim, Asmaa M. Abdel

2017-05-01

In this work, silica fume (SF) is used as a solid-phase extractor for extraction of Zn(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions. Characterization of SF is performed by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The optimum experimental conditions for the two metal ions are investigated using batch and column techniques. The maximum adsorption capacity values are found to be 54.13 and 121.28 mg g-1 at the optimum pH 6.0 and 8.0 for Zn(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The equilibrium data are analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms by nonlinear regression analysis. Also, the kinetics analysis revealed that the overall adsorption process is successfully fitted with the pseudo-second-order model. The method is applied for determination of the target metal ions in pharmaceutical and environmental samples using square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry. The limit of detection (LOD) values are 0.102 and 1.43 × 10-3 mg L-1 for Zn(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The percentage recovery values are 98.8-100.5 % which indicate the success of the proposed method for determination of Zn(II) and Cd(II) without interfering effects.

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of seminal plasma in nonobstructive azoospermia men: A noninvasive detection of spermatogenesis.

PubMed

Gilany, Kambiz; Mani-Varnosfaderani, Ahmad; Minai-Tehrani, Arash; Mirzajani, Fateme; Ghassempour, Alireza; Sadeghi, Mohammed Reza; Amini, Mehdi; Rezadoost, Hassan

2017-08-01

Male factor infertility is involved in almost half of all infertile couples. Lack of the ejaculated sperm owing to testicular malfunction has been reported in 6-10% of infertile men, a condition named nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). In this study, we investigated untargeted metabolomic profiling of the seminal plasma in NOA men using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and advance chemometrics. In this regard, the seminal plasma fluids of 11 NOA men with TESE-negative, nine NOA men with TESE-positive and 10 fertile healthy men (as a control group) were collected. Quadratic discriminate analysis (QDA) technique was implemented on total ion chromatograms (TICs) for identification of discriminatory retention times. We developed multivariate classification models using the QDA technique. Our results revealed that the developed QDA models could predict the classes of samples using their TIC data. The receiver operating characteristic curves for these models were >0.88. After recognition of discriminatory retention time's asymmetric penalized least square, evolving factor analysis, correlation optimized warping and alternating least squares strategies were applied for preprocessing and deconvolution of the overlapped chromatographic peaks. We could identify 36 discriminatory metabolites. These metabolites may be considered discriminatory biomarkers for different groups in NOA. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Metabolomics based on liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry reveals the chemical difference in the stems and roots derived from Ephedra sinica.

PubMed

Lv, Mengying; Chen, Jiaqing; Gao, Yiqiao; Sun, Jianbo; Zhang, Qianqian; Zhang, Mohan; Xu, Fengguo; Zhang, Zunjian

2015-10-01

To better understand different traditional uses of the stems (known as Mahuang) and roots (known as Mahuanggen) of Ephedra sinica, their chemical difference should be investigated. In this study, an ultra-fast liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry untargeted metabolomics approach was established to reveal global chemical difference between Mahuang and Mahuanggen. Clear separation was observed in scores plots of principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. Twenty two chemical markers responsible for such separation were screened out and unambiguously/tentatively characterized. Then chemical markers of pharmacologically important ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were absolutely quantified using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry under multiple reaction monitoring mode. The results showed that Mahuang was rich in ephedrine-type alkaloids, while Mahuanggen was rich in macrocyclic spermine alkaloids. Additionally, different types of flavan-3-ols and flavones exist in Mahuang and Mahuanggen extracts. This research facilitates a better understanding of different traditional uses of Mahuang and Mahuanggen and provides references for chemical analysis of other medicinal plants. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Accuracy analysis for triangulation and tracking based on time-multiplexed structured light.

PubMed

Wagner, Benjamin; Stüber, Patrick; Wissel, Tobias; Bruder, Ralf; Schweikard, Achim; Ernst, Floris

2014-08-01

The authors' research group is currently developing a new optical head tracking system for intracranial radiosurgery. This tracking system utilizes infrared laser light to measure features of the soft tissue on the patient's forehead. These features are intended to offer highly accurate registration with respect to the rigid skull structure by means of compensating for the soft tissue. In this context, the system also has to be able to quickly generate accurate reconstructions of the skin surface. For this purpose, the authors have developed a laser scanning device which uses time-multiplexed structured light to triangulate surface points. The accuracy of the authors' laser scanning device is analyzed and compared for different triangulation methods. These methods are given by the Linear-Eigen method and a nonlinear least squares method. Since Microsoft's Kinect camera represents an alternative for fast surface reconstruction, the authors' results are also compared to the triangulation accuracy of the Kinect device. Moreover, the authors' laser scanning device was used for tracking of a rigid object to determine how this process is influenced by the remaining triangulation errors. For this experiment, the scanning device was mounted to the end-effector of a robot to be able to calculate a ground truth for the tracking. The analysis of the triangulation accuracy of the authors' laser scanning device revealed a root mean square (RMS) error of 0.16 mm. In comparison, the analysis of the triangulation accuracy of the Kinect device revealed a RMS error of 0.89 mm. It turned out that the remaining triangulation errors only cause small inaccuracies for the tracking of a rigid object. Here, the tracking accuracy was given by a RMS translational error of 0.33 mm and a RMS rotational error of 0.12°. This paper shows that time-multiplexed structured light can be used to generate highly accurate reconstructions of surfaces. Furthermore, the reconstructed point sets can be used for high-accuracy tracking of objects, meeting the strict requirements of intracranial radiosurgery.

3D-printing zirconia implants; a dream or a reality? An in-vitro study evaluating the dimensional accuracy, surface topography and mechanical properties of printed zirconia implant and discs.

PubMed

Osman, Reham B; van der Veen, Albert J; Huiberts, Dennis; Wismeijer, Daniel; Alharbi, Nawal

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the dimensional accuracy, surface topography of a custom designed, 3D-printed zirconia dental implant and the mechanical properties of printed zirconia discs. A custom designed implant was 3D-printed in zirconia using digital light processing technique (DLP). The dimensional accuracy was assessed using the digital-subtraction technique. The mechanical properties were evaluated using biaxial flexure strength test. Three different build angles were adopted to print the specimens for the mechanical test; 0°(Vertical), 45° (Oblique) and 90°(Horizontal) angles. The surface topography, crystallographic phase structure and surface roughness were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy analysis (SEM), X-ray diffractometer and confocal microscopy respectively. The printed implant was dimensionally accurate with a root mean square (RMSE) value of 0.1mm. The Weibull analysis revealed a statistically significant higher characteristic strength (1006.6MPa) of 0° printed specimens compared to the other two groups and no significant difference between 45° (892.2MPa) and 90° (866.7MPa) build angles. SEM analysis revealed cracks, micro-porosities and interconnected pores ranging in size from 196nm to 3.3µm. The mean Ra (arithmetic mean roughness) value of 1.59µm (±0.41) and Rq (root mean squared roughness) value of 1.94µm (±0.47) was found. A crystallographic phase of primarily tetragonal zirconia typical of sintered Yttria tetragonal stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) was detected. DLP prove to be efficient for printing customized zirconia dental implants with sufficient dimensional accuracy. The mechanical properties showed flexure strength close to those of conventionally produced ceramics. Optimization of the 3D-printing process parameters is still needed to improve the microstructure of the printed objects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exponential stability of impulsive stochastic genetic regulatory networks with time-varying delays and reaction-diffusion

DOE PAGES

Cao, Boqiang; Zhang, Qimin; Ye, Ming

2016-11-29

We present a mean-square exponential stability analysis for impulsive stochastic genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) with time-varying delays and reaction-diffusion driven by fractional Brownian motion (fBm). By constructing a Lyapunov functional and using linear matrix inequality for stochastic analysis we derive sufficient conditions to guarantee the exponential stability of the stochastic model of impulsive GRNs in the mean-square sense. Meanwhile, the corresponding results are obtained for the GRNs with constant time delays and standard Brownian motion. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate our results of the mean-square exponential stability analysis.

DIFFERENTIATION OF AURANTII FRUCTUS IMMATURUS AND FRUCTUS PONICIRI TRIFOLIATAE IMMATURUS BY FLOW-INJECTION WITH ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPIC DETECTION AND PROTON NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE USING PARTIAL LEAST-SQUARES DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS.

PubMed

Zhang, Mengliang; Zhao, Yang; Harrington, Peter de B; Chen, Pei

2016-03-01

Two simple fingerprinting methods, flow-injection coupled to ultraviolet spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance, were used for discriminating between Aurantii fructus immaturus and Fructus poniciri trifoliatae immaturus . Both methods were combined with partial least-squares discriminant analysis. In the flow-injection method, four data representations were evaluated: total ultraviolet absorbance chromatograms, averaged ultraviolet spectra, absorbance at 193, 205, 225, and 283 nm, and absorbance at 225 and 283 nm. Prediction rates of 100% were achieved for all data representations by partial least-squares discriminant analysis using leave-one-sample-out cross-validation. The prediction rate for the proton nuclear magnetic resonance data by partial least-squares discriminant analysis with leave-one-sample-out cross-validation was also 100%. A new validation set of data was collected by flow-injection with ultraviolet spectroscopic detection two weeks later and predicted by partial least-squares discriminant analysis models constructed by the initial data representations with no parameter changes. The classification rates were 95% with the total ultraviolet absorbance chromatograms datasets and 100% with the other three datasets. Flow-injection with ultraviolet detection and proton nuclear magnetic resonance are simple, high throughput, and low-cost methods for discrimination studies.

Chi-square analysis of the reduction of ATP levels in L-02 hepatocytes by hexavalent chromium.

PubMed

Yuan, Yang; Peng, Li; Gong-Hua, Hu; Lu, Dai; Xia-Li, Zhong; Yu, Zhou; Cai-Gao, Zhong

2012-06-01

This study explored the reduction of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in L-02 hepatocytes by hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) using chi-square analysis. Cells were treated with 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 μM Cr(VI) for 12, 24, or 36 h. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) experiments and measurements of intracellular ATP levels were performed by spectrophotometry or bioluminescence assays following Cr(VI) treatment. The chi-square test was used to determine the difference between cell survival rate and ATP levels. For the chi-square analysis, the results of the MTT or ATP experiments were transformed into a relative ratio with respect to the control (%). The relative ATP levels increased at 12 h, decreased at 24 h, and increased slightly again at 36 h following 4, 8, 16, 32 μM Cr(VI) treatment, corresponding to a "V-shaped" curve. Furthermore, the results of the chi-square analysis demonstrated a significant difference of the ATP level in the 32-μM Cr(VI) group (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the chi-square test can be applied to analyze the interference effects of Cr(VI) on ATP levels in L-02 hepatocytes. The decreased ATP levels at 24 h indicated disruption of mitochondrial energy metabolism and the slight increase of ATP levels at 36 h indicated partial recovery of mitochondrial function or activated glycolysis in L-02 hepatocytes.

Disruption of TCA Cycle and Glutamate Metabolism Identified by Metabolomics in an In Vitro Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

PubMed

Veyrat-Durebex, Charlotte; Corcia, Philippe; Piver, Eric; Devos, David; Dangoumau, Audrey; Gouel, Flore; Vourc'h, Patrick; Emond, Patrick; Laumonnier, Frédéric; Nadal-Desbarats, Lydie; Gordon, Paul H; Andres, Christian R; Blasco, Hélène

2016-12-01

This study aims to develop a cellular metabolomics model that reproduces the pathophysiological conditions found in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in order to improve knowledge of disease physiology. We used a co-culture model combining the motor neuron-like cell line NSC-34 and the astrocyte clone C8-D1A, with each over-expressing wild-type or G93C mutant human SOD1, to examine amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) physiology. We focused on the effects of mutant human SOD1 as well as oxidative stress induced by menadione on intracellular metabolism using a metabolomics approach through gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Preliminary non-supervised analysis by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that cell type, genetic environment, and time of culture influenced the metabolomics profiles. Supervised analysis using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) on data from intracellular metabolomics profiles of SOD1 G93C co-cultures produced metabolites involved in glutamate metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle. This study revealed the feasibility of using a metabolomics approach in a cellular model of ALS. We identified potential disruption of the TCA cycle and glutamate metabolism under oxidative stress, which is consistent with prior research in the disease. Analysis of metabolic alterations in an in vitro model is a novel approach to investigation of disease physiology.

Co-occurrence correlations of heavy metals in sediments revealed using network analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Lili; Wang, Zhiping; Ju, Feng; Zhang, Tong

2015-01-01

In this study, the correlation-based study was used to identify the co-occurrence correlations among metals in marine sediment of Hong Kong, based on the long-term (from 1991 to 2011) temporal and spatial monitoring data. 14 stations out of the total 45 marine sediment monitoring stations were selected from three representative areas, including Deep Bay, Victoria Harbour and Mirs Bay. Firstly, Spearman's rank correlation-based network analysis was conducted as the first step to identify the co-occurrence correlations of metals from raw metadata, and then for further analysis using the normalized metadata. The correlations patterns obtained by network were consistent with those obtained by the other statistic normalization methods, including annual ratios, R-squared coefficient and Pearson correlation coefficient. Both Deep Bay and Victoria Harbour have been polluted by heavy metals, especially for Pb and Cu, which showed strong co-occurrence with other heavy metals (e.g. Cr, Ni, Zn and etc.) and little correlations with the reference parameters (Fe or Al). For Mirs Bay, which has better marine sediment quality compared with Deep Bay and Victoria Harbour, the co-occurrence patterns revealed by network analysis indicated that the metals in sediment dominantly followed the natural geography process. Besides the wide applications in biology, sociology and informatics, it is the first time to apply network analysis in the researches of environment pollutions. This study demonstrated its powerful application for revealing the co-occurrence correlations among heavy metals in marine sediments, which could be further applied for other pollutants in various environment systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gender role attitudes, relationship efficacy, and self-disclosure in intimate relationships.

PubMed

Horne, Rebecca M; Johnson, Matthew D

2018-01-01

Drawing from the intimacy process model and data from 5,042 individuals who remained partnered across Waves 1 and 2 of the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam), this study examined the contributions of traditional gender role attitudes and relationship efficacy in predicting levels of self-disclosure within an intimate relationship. Independent samples t-tests demonstrated females scored higher than males on self-disclosure and relationship efficacy measures but lower on traditional gender role attitudes. An ordinary least squares regression analysis revealed relationship efficacy was a stronger predictor of self-disclosure compared to traditional gender role attitudes, which were not associated with self-disclosure. The findings suggest attitudes with an interpersonal motivational system may be especially important for setting the intimacy process into motion within an intimate union.

Micromorphological characterization of zinc/silver particle composite coatings.

PubMed

Méndez, Alia; Reyes, Yolanda; Trejo, Gabriel; StĘpień, Krzysztof; Ţălu, Ştefan

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the three-dimensional (3D) surface micromorphology of zinc/silver particles (Zn/AgPs) composite coatings with antibacterial activity prepared using an electrodeposition technique. These 3D nanostructures were investigated over square areas of 5 μm × 5 μm by atomic force microscopy (AFM), fractal, and wavelet analysis. The fractal analysis of 3D surface roughness revealed that (Zn/AgPs) composite coatings have fractal geometry. Triangulation method, based on the linear interpolation type, applied for AFM data was employed in order to characterise the surfaces topographically (in amplitude, spatial distribution and pattern of surface characteristics). The surface fractal dimension Df , as well as height values distribution have been determined for the 3D nanostructure surfaces. © 2015 The Authors published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Statistical analysis of trypanosomes' motility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaburdaev, Vasily; Uppaluri, Sravanti; Pfohl, Thomas; Engstler, Markus; Stark, Holger; Friedrich, Rudolf

2010-03-01

Trypanosome is a parasite causing the sleeping sickness. The way it moves in the blood stream and penetrates various obstacles is the area of active research. Our goal was to investigate a free trypanosomes' motion in the planar geometry. Our analysis of trypanosomes' trajectories reveals that there are two correlation times - one is associated with a fast motion of its body and the second one with a slower rotational diffusion of the trypanosome as a point object. We propose a system of Langevin equations to model such motion. One of its peculiarities is the presence of multiplicative noise predicting higher level of noise for higher velocity of the trypanosome. Theoretical and numerical results give a comprehensive description of the experimental data such as the mean squared displacement, velocity distribution and auto-correlation function.

Partial least squares correspondence analysis: A framework to simultaneously analyze behavioral and genetic data.

PubMed

Beaton, Derek; Dunlop, Joseph; Abdi, Hervé

2016-12-01

For nearly a century, detecting the genetic contributions to cognitive and behavioral phenomena has been a core interest for psychological research. Recently, this interest has been reinvigorated by the availability of genotyping technologies (e.g., microarrays) that provide new genetic data, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNPs-which represent pairs of nucleotide letters (e.g., AA, AG, or GG) found at specific positions on human chromosomes-are best considered as categorical variables, but this coding scheme can make difficult the multivariate analysis of their relationships with behavioral measurements, because most multivariate techniques developed for the analysis between sets of variables are designed for quantitative variables. To palliate this problem, we present a generalization of partial least squares-a technique used to extract the information common to 2 different data tables measured on the same observations-called partial least squares correspondence analysis-that is specifically tailored for the analysis of categorical and mixed ("heterogeneous") data types. Here, we formally define and illustrate-in a tutorial format-how partial least squares correspondence analysis extends to various types of data and design problems that are particularly relevant for psychological research that include genetic data. We illustrate partial least squares correspondence analysis with genetic, behavioral, and neuroimaging data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. R code is available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network and via the authors' websites. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Identification of molecular descriptors for design of novel Isoalloxazine derivatives as potential Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors against Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Gurung, Arun Bahadur; Aguan, Kripamoy; Mitra, Sivaprasad; Bhattacharjee, Atanu

2017-06-01

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the level of Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter is reduced. Since Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) cleaves ACh, inhibitors of AChE are very much sought after for AD treatment. The side effects of current inhibitors necessitate development of newer AChE inhibitors. Isoalloxazine derivatives have proved to be promising (AChE) inhibitors. However, their structure-activity relationship studies have not been reported till date. In the present work, various quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) building methods such as multiple linear regression (MLR), partial least squares ,and principal component regression were employed to derive 3D-QSAR models using steric and electrostatic field descriptors. Statistically significant model was obtained using MLR coupled with stepwise selection method having r 2  = .9405, cross validated r 2 (q 2 ) = .6683, and a high predictability (pred_r 2  = .6206 and standard error, pred_r 2 se = .2491). Steric and electrostatic contribution plot revealed three electrostatic fields E_496, E_386 and E_577 and one steric field S_60 contributing towards biological activity. A ligand-based 3D-pharmacophore model was generated consisting of eight pharmacophore features. Isoalloxazine derivatives were docked against human AChE, which revealed critical residues implicated in hydrogen bonds as well as hydrophobic interactions. The binding modes of docked complexes (AChE_IA1 and AChE_IA14) were validated by molecular dynamics simulation which showed their stable trajectories in terms of root mean square deviation and molecular mechanics/Poisson-Boltzmann surface area binding free energy analysis revealed key residues contributing significantly to overall binding energy. The present study may be useful in the design of more potent Isoalloxazine derivatives as AChE inhibitors.

Mass transport in micellar surfactant solutions: 2. Theoretical modeling of adsorption at a quiescent interface.

PubMed

Danov, K D; Kralchevsky, P A; Denkov, N D; Ananthapadmanabhan, K P; Lips, A

2006-01-31

Here, we apply the detailed theoretical model of micellar kinetics from part 1 of this study to the case of surfactant adsorption at a quiescent interface, i.e., to the relaxation of surface tension and adsorption after a small initial perturbation. Our goal is to understand why for some surfactant solutions the surface tension relaxes as inverse-square-root of time, 1/t(1/2), but two different expressions for the characteristic relaxation time are applicable to different cases. In addition, our aim is to clarify why for other surfactant solutions the surface tension relaxes exponentially. For this goal, we carried out a computer modeling of the adsorption process, based on the general system of equations derived in part 1. This analysis reveals the existence of four different consecutive relaxation regimes (stages) for a given micellar solution: two exponential regimes and two inverse-square-root regimes, following one after another in alternating order. Experimentally, depending on the specific surfactant and method, one usually registers only one of these regimes. Therefore, to interpret properly the data, one has to identify which of these four kinetic regimes is observed in the given experiment. Our numerical results for the relaxation of the surface tension, micelle concentration and aggregation number are presented in the form of kinetic diagrams, which reveal the stages of the relaxation process. At low micelle concentrations, "rudimentary" kinetic diagrams could be observed, which are characterized by merging of some stages. Thus, the theoretical modeling reveals a general and physically rich picture of the adsorption process. To facilitate the interpretation of experimental data, we have derived convenient theoretical expressions for the time dependence of surface tension and adsorption in each of the four regimes.

Serial Surgical Debridement of Common Pressure Injuries in the Nursing Home Setting: Outcomes and Findings.

PubMed

Anvar, Bardia; Okonkwo, Henry

2017-07-01

This study examined the efficacy of bedside surgical debridement in a nursing home population. A retrospective chart review was performed of sacrum, sacrococcyx, coccyx, ischium, and trochanter (SSCIT) region pressure injuries in the Skilled Wound Care practice (Los Angeles, CA). The patient population was refined from 2128 to 227 patients visited 8 or more times during nursing home stays found to have 1 or more SSCIT pressure injuries. Of the 227 patients, there were approximately 319 individual SSCIT wounds, with an average of 1.4 SSCIT wounds per patient. Bedside surgical debridement was performed using a sharp excisional technique on 190 of 319 (59.5%) SSCIT wounds. An analysis of the square surface area of the 190 debrided wound sites revealed a mean ulcer surface area of 20.76 cm2. Of those 190 wound sites, 138 (73%) had a reduction in square surface area, and 52 (27%) had no change or an increase in square surface area and were categorized as nonresponders. Of the wounds that did improve by a reduction in wound surface area, the average wound surface area reduction was 6.81 cm2 at 4 weeks (25%), 8.91 cm2 reduction at 8 weeks (33%), and 10.87 cm2 reduction at 12 weeks (40%). From the 190 wound sites, there were a total of 43 (23%) wounds that had a square surface area of 0 (reepithelialized), which has a healing rate of 23%. Traditional bedside debridement provides excellent results in reducing the square surface area for a majority of wounds. Whether used alone or as an adjunct to any treatment plan, the use of surgical sharp equipment aids in achieving good wound healing and advancing the rate of wound closure. Although wound healing requires many components, sharp debridement can effectively remove devitalized tissue and is a proven significant component to advancing wound closure.

Metabolomics Reveals that Momordica charantia Attenuates Metabolic Changes in Experimental Obesity.

PubMed

Gong, Zhi-Gang; Zhang, Jianbing; Xu, Yong-Jiang

2017-02-01

Momordica charantia L., also known as bitter melon, has been shown to ameliorate obesity and insulin resistance. However, metabolic changes regulated by M. charantia in obesity are not clearly understood. In this study, serums obtained from obese and M. charantia-treated mice were analyzed by using gas and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and multivariate statistical analysis was performed by Orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. The results from this study indicated that body weight fat and insulin levels of obese mice are dramatically suppressed by 8 weeks of dietary supplementation of M. charantia. Metabolomic data revealed that overproductions of energy and nutrient metabolism in obese mice were restored by M. charantia treatment. The antiinflammatory and inhibition of insulin resistance effect of M. charantia in obesity was illustrated with the restoration of free fatty acids and eicosanoids. The findings achieved in this study further strengthen the therapeutic value of using M. charantia to treat obesity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Carbide-derived carbon (CDC) linear actuator properties in combination with conducting polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiefer, Rudolf; Aydemir, Nihan; Torop, Janno; Kilmartin, Paul A.; Tamm, Tarmo; Kaasik, Friedrich; Kesküla, Arko; Travas-Sejdic, Jadranka; Aabloo, Alvo

2014-03-01

Carbide-derived Carbon (CDC) material is applied for super capacitors due to their nanoporous structure and their high charging/discharging capability. In this work we report for the first time CDC linear actuators and CDC combined with polypyrrole (CDC-PPy) in ECMD (Electrochemomechanical deformation) under isotonic (constant force) and isometric (constant length) measurements in aqueous electrolyte. CDC-PPy actuators showing nearly double strain under cyclic voltammetric and square wave potential measurements in comparison to CDC linear actuators. The new material is investigated by SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and EDX (energy dispersive X-ray analysis) to reveal how the conducting polymer layer and the CDC layer interfere together.

Self-acting and hydrodynamic shaft seals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ludwig, L. P.

1973-01-01

Self-acting and hydrodynamic seals are described. The analytical procedures are outlined for obtaining a seal force balance and the operating film thickness. Particular attention is given to primary ring response (seal vibration) to rotating seat face runout. This response analysis revealed three different vibration modes. Proposed applications of self-acting seals in gas turbine engines and in rocket vehicle turbopumps are described. Also experimental data on self-acting face seals operating under simulated gas turbine conditions are given; these data show the feasibility of operating the seal at conditions of 345 newtons per square centimeter (500 psi) and 152 meters per second (500 ft/sec) sliding speed.

Propagation-invariant beams with quantum pendulum spectra: from Bessel beams to Gaussian beam-beams.

PubMed

Dennis, Mark R; Ring, James D

2013-09-01

We describe a new class of propagation-invariant light beams with Fourier transform given by an eigenfunction of the quantum mechanical pendulum. These beams, whose spectra (restricted to a circle) are doubly periodic Mathieu functions in azimuth, depend on a field strength parameter. When the parameter is zero, pendulum beams are Bessel beams, and as the parameter approaches infinity, they resemble transversely propagating one-dimensional Gaussian wave packets (Gaussian beam-beams). Pendulum beams are the eigenfunctions of an operator that interpolates between the squared angular momentum operator and the linear momentum operator. The analysis reveals connections with Mathieu beams, and insight into the paraxial approximation.

Steady-state and dynamic performance of a gas-lubricated seal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colsher, R.; Shapiro, W.

1972-01-01

Steady-state and dynamic performance of a gas-lubricated, self-acting face seal was determined using numerical methods based on a variable grid, finite-difference, time-transient procedure. Results were obtained for a gas turbine main shaft seal operating at 206.9 newton per square centimeter (300 psi) sealed air pressure and 152.4 meters per second (500 ft/sec) sliding velocity. Analysis of the seal dynamics revealed that the response of the seal nosepiece to runout of the seat face is markedly affected by secondary seal friction and by nosepiece inertia. The nosepiece response was determined for various levels of secondary seal friction and seat face runout magnitudes.

Identification of vapor-phase chemical warfare agent simulants and rocket fuels using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

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

Stearns, Jaime A.; McElman, Sarah E.; Dodd, James A.

2010-05-01

Application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to the identification of security threats is a growing area of research. This work presents LIBS spectra of vapor-phase chemical warfare agent simulants and typical rocket fuels. A large dataset of spectra was acquired using a variety of gas mixtures and background pressures and processed using partial least squares analysis. The five compounds studied were identified with a 99% success rate by the best method. The temporal behavior of the emission lines as a function of chamber pressure and gas mixture was also investigated, revealing some interesting trends that merit further study.

New Software for Market Segmentation Analysis: A Chi-Square Interaction Detector. AIR 1983 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lay, Robert S.

The advantages and disadvantages of new software for market segmentation analysis are discussed, and the application of this new, chi-square based procedure (CHAID), is illustrated. A comparison is presented of an earlier, binary segmentation technique (THAID) and a multiple discriminant analysis. It is suggested that CHAID is superior to earlier…

Characterisation of volatile profile and sensory analysis of fresh-cut "Radicchio di Chioggia" stored in air or modified atmosphere.

PubMed

Cozzolino, Rosaria; Martignetti, Antonella; Pellicano, Mario Paolo; Stocchero, Matteo; Cefola, Maria; Pace, Bernardo; De Giulio, Beatrice

2016-02-01

The volatile profile of two hybrids of "Radicchio di Chioggia", Corelli and Botticelli, stored in air or passive modified atmosphere (MAP) during 12 days of cold storage, was monitored by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) GC-MS. Botticelli samples were also subjected to sensory analysis. Totally, 61 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified in the headspace of radicchio samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that fresh product possessed a metabolic content similar to that of the MAP samples after 5 and 8 days of storage. Projection to latent structures by partial least squares (PLS) regression analysis showed the volatiles content of the samples varied depending only on the packaging conditions. Specifically, 12 metabolites describing the time evolution and explaining the effects of the different storage conditions were highlighted. Finally, a PCA analysis revealed that VOCs profile significantly correlated with sensory attributes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Palladium(II) complexes bearing di-(2-picolyl)amine functionalized chrysin fragments. An experimental and theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Montiel, Simplicio; Valdez-Calderón, Alejandro; Vásquez-Pérez, J. Manuel; Torres-Valencia, J. Martín; Martínez-Otero, Diego; López, Jorge A.; Cruz-Borbolla, Julián

2017-10-01

A new series of chrysin derivatives containing the di-(2-picolyl)amine (2a-d) moiety have been designed, synthesized, and treated with PdCl2·2CH3CN allowing the preparation of new cationic Palladium(II) complexes (3a-d). Solution-phase studies by 1H NMR spectroscopy of 3a-d revealed that the protons of the methylene groups of the di(2-picolyl)amine fragment are diasterotopic. GIAO/DFT studies were performed to predict the molecular structures of 3a-d by comparing the experimental and theoretical 1H-NMR chemical shifts. The molecular structure of 3c was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis revealing that di-(2-picolyl)amine fragment is coordinated to the palladium center in a κ3-N,N,N-tridentate fashion in an overall square-planar geometry completed with a chloride atom.

A Model Comparison for Characterizing Protein Motions from Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

David, Charles; Jacobs, Donald

2011-10-01

A comparative study is made using three computational models that characterize native state dynamics starting from known protein structures taken from four distinct SCOP classifications. A geometrical simulation is performed, and the results are compared to the elastic network model and molecular dynamics. The essential dynamics is quantified by a direct analysis of a mode subspace constructed from ANM and a principal component analysis on both the FRODA and MD trajectories using root mean square inner product and principal angles. Relative subspace sizes and overlaps are visualized using the projection of displacement vectors on the model modes. Additionally, a mode subspace is constructed from PCA on an exemplar set of X-ray crystal structures in order to determine similarly with respect to the generated ensembles. Quantitative analysis reveals there is significant overlap across the three model subspaces and the model independent subspace. These results indicate that structure is the key determinant for native state dynamics.

Metabolomic analysis of avocado fruits by GC-APCI-TOF MS: effects of ripening degrees and fruit varieties.

PubMed

Hurtado-Fernández, E; Pacchiarotta, T; Mayboroda, O A; Fernández-Gutiérrez, A; Carrasco-Pancorbo, A

2015-01-01

In order to investigate avocado fruit ripening, nontargeted GC-APCI-TOF MS metabolic profiling analyses were carried out. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to explore the metabolic profiles from fruit samples of 13 varieties at two different ripening degrees. Mannoheptulose; pentadecylfuran; aspartic, malic, stearic, citric and pantothenic acids; mannitol; and β-sitosterol were some of the metabolites found as more influential for the PLS-DA model. The similarities among genetically related samples (putative mutants of "Hass") and their metabolic differences from the rest of the varieties under study have also been evaluated. The achieved results reveal new insights into avocado fruit composition and metabolite changes, demonstrating therefore the value of metabolomics as a functional genomics tool in characterizing the mechanism of fruit ripening development, a key developmental stage in most economically important fruit crops.

NMR-based metabolomic analysis of spatial variation in soft corals.

PubMed

He, Qing; Sun, Ruiqi; Liu, Huijuan; Geng, Zhufeng; Chen, Dawei; Li, Yinping; Han, Jiao; Lin, Wenhan; Du, Shushan; Deng, Zhiwei

2014-03-28

Soft corals are common marine organisms that inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans. They are shown to be rich source of secondary metabolites with biological activities. In this work, soft corals from two geographical locations were investigated using ¹H-NMR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate statistical analysis at the metabolic level. A partial least-squares discriminant analysis showed clear separation among extracts of soft corals grown in Sanya Bay and Weizhou Island. The specific markers that contributed to discrimination between soft corals in two origins belonged to terpenes, sterols and N-containing compounds. The satisfied precision of classification obtained indicates this approach using combined ¹H-NMR and chemometrics is effective to discriminate soft corals collected in different geographical locations. The results revealed that metabolites of soft corals evidently depended on living environmental condition, which would provide valuable information for further relevant coastal marine environment evaluation.

Multi-element fingerprinting as a tool in origin authentication of four east China marine species.

PubMed

Guo, Lipan; Gong, Like; Yu, Yanlei; Zhang, Hong

2013-12-01

The contents of 25 elements in 4 types of commercial marine species from the East China Sea were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrometry. The elemental composition was used to differentiate marine species according to geographical origin by multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed that principal component analysis could distinguish samples from different areas and reveal the elements which played the most important role in origin diversity. The established models by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and by probabilistic neural network (PNN) can both precisely predict the origin of the marine species. Further study indicated that PLS-DA and PNN were efficacious in regional discrimination. The models from these 2 statistical methods, with an accuracy of 97.92% and 100%, respectively, could both distinguish samples from different areas without the need for species differentiation. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

Spike shape analysis of electromyography for parkinsonian tremor evaluation.

PubMed

Marusiak, Jarosław; Andrzejewska, Renata; Świercz, Dominika; Kisiel-Sajewicz, Katarzyna; Jaskólska, Anna; Jaskólski, Artur

2015-12-01

Standard electromyography (EMG) parameters have limited utility for evaluation of Parkinson disease (PD) tremor. Spike shape analysis (SSA) EMG parameters are more sensitive than standard EMG parameters for studying motor control mechanisms in healthy subjects. SSA of EMG has not been used to assess parkinsonian tremor. This study assessed the utility of SSA and standard time and frequency analysis for electromyographic evaluation of PD-related resting tremor. We analyzed 1-s periods of EMG recordings to detect nontremor and tremor signals in relaxed biceps brachii muscle of seven mild to moderate PD patients. SSA revealed higher mean spike amplitude, duration, and slope and lower mean spike frequency in tremor signals than in nontremor signals. Standard EMG parameters (root mean square, median, and mean frequency) did not show differences between the tremor and nontremor signals. SSA of EMG data is a sensitive method for parkinsonian tremor evaluation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Single-particle trajectories reveal two-state diffusion-kinetics of hOGG1 proteins on DNA.

PubMed

Vestergaard, Christian L; Blainey, Paul C; Flyvbjerg, Henrik

2018-03-16

We reanalyze trajectories of hOGG1 repair proteins diffusing on DNA. A previous analysis of these trajectories with the popular mean-squared-displacement approach revealed only simple diffusion. Here, a new optimal estimator of diffusion coefficients reveals two-state kinetics of the protein. A simple, solvable model, in which the protein randomly switches between a loosely bound, highly mobile state and a tightly bound, less mobile state is the simplest possible dynamic model consistent with the data. It yields accurate estimates of hOGG1's (i) diffusivity in each state, uncorrupted by experimental errors arising from shot noise, motion blur and thermal fluctuations of the DNA; (ii) rates of switching between states and (iii) rate of detachment from the DNA. The protein spends roughly equal time in each state. It detaches only from the loosely bound state, with a rate that depends on pH and the salt concentration in solution, while its rates for switching between states are insensitive to both. The diffusivity in the loosely bound state depends primarily on pH and is three to ten times higher than in the tightly bound state. We propose and discuss some new experiments that take full advantage of the new tools of analysis presented here.

The Impact of Entropy on the Spatial Organization of Synaptonemal Complexes within the Cell Nucleus

PubMed Central

Fritsche, Miriam; Reinholdt, Laura G.; Lessard, Mark; Handel, Mary Ann; Bewersdorf, Jörg; Heermann, Dieter W.

2012-01-01

We employ 4Pi-microscopy to study SC organization in mouse spermatocyte nuclei allowing for the three-dimensional reconstruction of the SC's backbone arrangement. Additionally, we model the SCs in the cell nucleus by confined, self-avoiding polymers, whose chain ends are attached to the envelope of the confining cavity and diffuse along it. This work helps to elucidate the role of entropy in shaping pachytene SC organization. The framework provided by the complex interplay between SC polymer rigidity, tethering and confinement is able to qualitatively explain features of SC organization, such as mean squared end-to-end distances, mean squared center-of-mass distances, or SC density distributions. However, it fails in correctly assessing SC entanglement within the nucleus. In fact, our analysis of the 4Pi-microscopy images reveals a higher ordering of SCs within the nuclear volume than what is expected by our numerical model. This suggests that while effects of entropy impact SC organization, the dedicated action of proteins or actin cables is required to fine-tune the spatial ordering of SCs within the cell nucleus. PMID:22574147

[The cytogenetic monitoring of the environmental conditions on the territories exposed by the radioactive contamination as a result of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station accident (colony Urazovo Belgorod region as an example)].

PubMed

Artiukhov, V G; Kalaev, V N

2006-01-01

Cytogenetic characteristics of the seed progeny of birch (Betula pendula Roth), growing in colony Urazovo Belgorod region exposed by the impact of Chernobyl precipitation in 1986, were determinated. The changing of cytogenetic characteristics in comparison with the control (mitotic index and level of mitosis pathologies grown, their spectrum widens part of persistent nucleolies at the stages of metaphase, anaphase, telophase of mitosis enlarges, square of surface of single nucleolies decreases, part of moderate-active nucleolies "bark-core vacuolisated" type increase) on the experimental squares is revealed. The most considerable effects were observed in 2000, which connected with the increasing of the contaminations of mentioned territory as a result of brick factory work. By means of cluster analysis methods it was established that the cleanest in northwestern part of colony Urazovo, the most contaminated is central part. It was purposed, that chemical compounds, are main agents caused the changing of cytogenetic properties of test-object after the normalization of the radiation level.

Estimating 1970-99 average annual groundwater recharge in Wisconsin using streamflow data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gebert, Warren A.; Walker, John F.; Kennedy, James L.

2011-01-01

Average annual recharge in Wisconsin for the period 1970-99 was estimated using streamflow data from U.S. Geological Survey continuous-record streamflow-gaging stations and partial-record sites. Partial-record sites have discharge measurements collected during low-flow conditions. The average annual base flow of a stream divided by the drainage area is a good approximation of the recharge rate; therefore, once average annual base flow is determined recharge can be calculated. Estimates of recharge for nearly 72 percent of the surface area of the State are provided. The results illustrate substantial spatial variability of recharge across the State, ranging from less than 1 inch to more than 12 inches per year. The average basin size for partial-record sites (50 square miles) was less than the average basin size for the gaging stations (305 square miles). Including results for smaller basins reveals a spatial variability that otherwise would be smoothed out using only estimates for larger basins. An error analysis indicates that the techniques used provide base flow estimates with standard errors ranging from 5.4 to 14 percent.

An initial model for estimating soybean development stages from spectral data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, K. E.; Badhwar, G. D.

1982-01-01

A model, utilizing a direct relationship between remotely sensed spectral data and soybean development stage, has been proposed. The model is based upon transforming the spectral data in Landsat bands to greenness values over time and relating the area of this curve to soybean development stage. Soybean development stages were estimated from data acquired in 1978 from research plots at the Purdue University Agronomy Farm as well as Landsat data acquired over sample areas of the U.S. Corn Belt in 1978 and 1979. Analysis of spectral data from research plots revealed that the model works well with reasonable variation in planting date, row spacing, and soil background. The R-squared of calculated U.S. observed development stage exceeded 0.91 for all treatment variables. Using Landsat data the calculated U.S. observed development stage gave an R-squared of 0.89 in 1978 and 0.87 in 1979. No difference in the models performance could be detected between early and late planted fields, small and large fields, or high and low yielding fields.

Slow relaxation dynamics of clogs in a vibrated granular silo.

PubMed

Guerrero, B V; Pugnaloni, L A; Lozano, C; Zuriguel, I; Garcimartín, A

2018-04-01

We experimentally explore the vibration-induced unclogging of arches halting the flow in a two-dimensional silo. The endurance of arches is determined by carrying out a survival analysis of their breaking times. By analyzing the dynamics of two morphological variables, we demonstrate that arches evolve toward less regular structures and it seems that there may exist a certain degree of irregularity that the arch reaches before collapsing. Moreover, we put forward that σ (the standard deviation of all angles between consecutive beads) describes faithfully the morphological evolution of the arch. Focusing on long-lasting arches, we study σ calculating its two-time autocorrelation function and its mean-squared displacement. In particular, the apparent logarithmic increase of the correlation and the decrease of the mean-squared displacement of σ when the waiting time is increased reveal a slowing down of the dynamics. This behavior is a clear hallmark of aging phenomena and confirms the lack of ergodicity in the unclogging dynamics. Our findings provide new insights on how an arch tends to destabilize and how the probability that it breaks with a long sustained vibration decreases with time.

Slow relaxation dynamics of clogs in a vibrated granular silo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, B. V.; Pugnaloni, L. A.; Lozano, C.; Zuriguel, I.; Garcimartín, A.

2018-04-01

We experimentally explore the vibration-induced unclogging of arches halting the flow in a two-dimensional silo. The endurance of arches is determined by carrying out a survival analysis of their breaking times. By analyzing the dynamics of two morphological variables, we demonstrate that arches evolve toward less regular structures and it seems that there may exist a certain degree of irregularity that the arch reaches before collapsing. Moreover, we put forward that σ (the standard deviation of all angles between consecutive beads) describes faithfully the morphological evolution of the arch. Focusing on long-lasting arches, we study σ calculating its two-time autocorrelation function and its mean-squared displacement. In particular, the apparent logarithmic increase of the correlation and the decrease of the mean-squared displacement of σ when the waiting time is increased reveal a slowing down of the dynamics. This behavior is a clear hallmark of aging phenomena and confirms the lack of ergodicity in the unclogging dynamics. Our findings provide new insights on how an arch tends to destabilize and how the probability that it breaks with a long sustained vibration decreases with time.

Hybrid least squares multivariate spectral analysis methods

DOEpatents

Haaland, David M.

2002-01-01

A set of hybrid least squares multivariate spectral analysis methods in which spectral shapes of components or effects not present in the original calibration step are added in a following estimation or calibration step to improve the accuracy of the estimation of the amount of the original components in the sampled mixture. The "hybrid" method herein means a combination of an initial classical least squares analysis calibration step with subsequent analysis by an inverse multivariate analysis method. A "spectral shape" herein means normally the spectral shape of a non-calibrated chemical component in the sample mixture but can also mean the spectral shapes of other sources of spectral variation, including temperature drift, shifts between spectrometers, spectrometer drift, etc. The "shape" can be continuous, discontinuous, or even discrete points illustrative of the particular effect.

Polarization-independent absorption enhancement in a graphene square array with a cascaded grating structure.

PubMed

Wu, Jun

2018-03-01

The polarization-independent enhanced absorption effect of graphene in the near-infrared range is investigated. This is achieved by placing a graphene square array on top of a dielectric square array backed by a two-dimensional multilayer grating. Total optical absorption in graphene can be attributed to critical coupling, which is achieved through the combined effect of guided-mode resonance with the dielectric square array and the photonic band gap with the two-dimensional multilayer grating. To reveal the physical origin of such a phenomenon, the electromagnetic field distributions for both polarizations are illustrated. The designed graphene absorber exhibits near-unity polarization-independent absorption at resonance with an ultra-narrow spectrum. Moreover, the polarization-independent absorption can be tuned simply by changing the geometric parameters. The results may have promising potential for the design of graphene-based optoelectronic devices.

Square cell packing in the Drosophila embryo through spatiotemporally regulated EGF receptor signaling

PubMed Central

Tamada, Masako; Zallen, Jennifer A.

2015-01-01

Summary Cells display dynamic and diverse morphologies during development, but the strategies by which differentiated tissues achieve precise shapes and patterns are not well understood. Here we identify a developmental program that generates a highly ordered square cell grid in the Drosophila embryo through sequential and spatially regulated cell alignment, oriented cell division, and apicobasal cell elongation. The basic leucine zipper transcriptional regulator Cnc is necessary and sufficient to produce a square cell grid in the presence of a midline signal provided by the EGF receptor ligand, Spitz. Spitz orients cell divisions through a Pins/LGN-dependent spindle positioning mechanism and controls cell shape and alignment through a transcriptional pathway that requires the Pointed ETS domain protein. These results identify a strategy for producing ordered square cell packing configurations in epithelia and reveal a molecular mechanism by which organized tissue structure is generated through spatiotemporally regulated responses to EGF receptor activation. PMID:26506305

Flux synthesis of regular Bi4TaO8Cl square nanoplates exhibiting dominant exposure surfaces of {001} crystal facets for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to methane.

PubMed

Li, Liang; Han, Qiutong; Tang, Lanqin; Zhang, Yuan; Li, Ping; Zhou, Yong; Zou, Zhigang

2018-01-25

Herein, orthorhombic regular Bi 4 TaO 8 Cl square nanoplates with an edge length of about 500 nm and a thickness of about 100 nm were successfully synthesized using a facile molten salt route. The as-prepared square nanoplates have been proven to be of {001} crystal facets as two dominantly exposed surfaces. The density functional theory calculation and photo-deposition of noble metal experiment demonstrate the electron and hole separation on different crystal facets and reveal that {001} crystal facets are in favor of the reduction reaction. Since the square nanoplate structure exhibits dominant exposure surfaces of the {001} facets, the molten salt route-based samples basically possess an obviously higher photocatalytic activity than those prepared by the solid state reaction (SSR) method. This study may provide inspiration for fabricating efficient photocatalysts.

Role of four-membered rings in C32 fullerene stability and mechanisms of generalized Stone-Wales transformation: a density functional theory investigation.

PubMed

Wang, Weiwei; Dang, Jingshuang; Zhao, Xiang

2011-08-28

Density functional theory (DFT) methods have been applied to study C(32) fullerenes built from four-, five-, and six-membered rings. The relative energies of pure C(32) fullerenes have been evaluated to locate three most stable structures, 32:D(4d) with two squares, 1:D(3) without square and 5:C(s) with one square. Structural analysis reveals that there is a rearrangement pathway between the lowest energy classical isomer 1:D(3) and the lowest energy non-classical isomer 32:D(4d), and 5:C(s) behaves just as an intermediate between them. The kinetic processes of generalized Stone-Wales transformation (GSWT) with four-membered rings have been explored and two distinct reaction mechanisms are determined by all the transition states and intrinsic reaction coordinates with PBE1PBE/6-31G(d) approach for the first time. One mechanism is the concerted reaction with a rotating dimer closed to the cage surface and another is the stepwise reaction with a carbene-like sp(3) structure, whereas the latter is sorted into two paths based on four-membered ring vanishing before or after the formation of the carbene-like structure. It is indicated that there is no absolute preference for any mechanism, which depends on the adaptability of different reactants on the diverse mechanisms. Furthermore, it's found that the interconversion process with the participation of squares is more reactive than the rearrangement between C(60)_I(h) and C(60)_C(2v), implying some potential importance of non-classical small fullerenes in the fullerene isomerization.

Least Squares Moving-Window Spectral Analysis.

PubMed

Lee, Young Jong

2017-08-01

Least squares regression is proposed as a moving-windows method for analysis of a series of spectra acquired as a function of external perturbation. The least squares moving-window (LSMW) method can be considered an extended form of the Savitzky-Golay differentiation for nonuniform perturbation spacing. LSMW is characterized in terms of moving-window size, perturbation spacing type, and intensity noise. Simulation results from LSMW are compared with results from other numerical differentiation methods, such as single-interval differentiation, autocorrelation moving-window, and perturbation correlation moving-window methods. It is demonstrated that this simple LSMW method can be useful for quantitative analysis of nonuniformly spaced spectral data with high frequency noise.

Luminaire layout: Design and implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Both, A. J.

1994-01-01

The information contained in this report was presented during the discussion regarding guidelines for PAR uniformity in greenhouses. The data shows a lighting uniformity analysis in a research greenhouse for rose production at the Cornell University campus. The luminaire layout was designed using the computer program Lumen-Micro. After implementation of the design, accurate measurements were taken in the greenhouse and the uniformity analysis for both the design and implementation were compared. A study of several supplemental lighting installations resulted in the following recommendations: include only the actual growing area in the lighting uniformity analysis; for growing areas up to 20 square meters, take four measurements per square meter; for growing areas above 20 square meters, take one measurement per square meter; use one of the uniformity criteria and frequency graphs to compare lighting uniformity amongst designs; and design for uniformity criterion of a least 0.75 and the fraction within +/- 15% of the average PAR value should be close to one.

Simultaneous quantitative analysis of olmesartan, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide in their combined dosage form utilizing classical and alternating least squares based chemometric methods.

PubMed

Darwish, Hany W; Bakheit, Ahmed H; Abdelhameed, Ali S

2016-03-01

Simultaneous spectrophotometric analysis of a multi-component dosage form of olmesartan, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide used for the treatment of hypertension has been carried out using various chemometric methods. Multivariate calibration methods include classical least squares (CLS) executed by net analyte processing (NAP-CLS), orthogonal signal correction (OSC-CLS) and direct orthogonal signal correction (DOSC-CLS) in addition to multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). Results demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed methods as quantitative tools of analysis as well as their qualitative capability. The three analytes were determined precisely using the aforementioned methods in an external data set and in a dosage form after optimization of experimental conditions. Finally, the efficiency of the models was validated via comparison with the partial least squares (PLS) method in terms of accuracy and precision.

Modulation bandwidth enhancement for coupled twin-square microcavity lasers.

PubMed

Xiao, Zhi-Xiong; Huang, Yong-Zhen; Yang, Yue-De; Tang, Min; Xiao, Jin-Long

2017-08-15

Modulation bandwidth enhancements are investigated for coupled twin-square microcavity lasers due to photon-photon resonance effect. For a coupled twin-square microcavity laser with the square side length of 20 μm, we demonstrate the increase of 3-dB modulation bandwidth from 9.6 GHz to 19.5 GHz, by adjusting the resonance mode wavelength interval between two square microcavities. The enhanced modulation bandwidth is explained by rate equation analysis, and numerical simulations are conducted for large signal modulation with improved eye-diagrams at 40 Gbit/s.

Addressing the identification problem in age-period-cohort analysis: a tutorial on the use of partial least squares and principal components analysis.

PubMed

Tu, Yu-Kang; Krämer, Nicole; Lee, Wen-Chung

2012-07-01

In the analysis of trends in health outcomes, an ongoing issue is how to separate and estimate the effects of age, period, and cohort. As these 3 variables are perfectly collinear by definition, regression coefficients in a general linear model are not unique. In this tutorial, we review why identification is a problem, and how this problem may be tackled using partial least squares and principal components regression analyses. Both methods produce regression coefficients that fulfill the same collinearity constraint as the variables age, period, and cohort. We show that, because the constraint imposed by partial least squares and principal components regression is inherent in the mathematical relation among the 3 variables, this leads to more interpretable results. We use one dataset from a Taiwanese health-screening program to illustrate how to use partial least squares regression to analyze the trends in body heights with 3 continuous variables for age, period, and cohort. We then use another dataset of hepatocellular carcinoma mortality rates for Taiwanese men to illustrate how to use partial least squares regression to analyze tables with aggregated data. We use the second dataset to show the relation between the intrinsic estimator, a recently proposed method for the age-period-cohort analysis, and partial least squares regression. We also show that the inclusion of all indicator variables provides a more consistent approach. R code for our analyses is provided in the eAppendix.

Statistical assessment of bi-exponential diffusion weighted imaging signal characteristics induced by intravoxel incoherent motion in malignant breast tumors

PubMed Central

Wong, Oi Lei; Lo, Gladys G.; Chan, Helen H. L.; Wong, Ting Ting; Cheung, Polly S. Y.

2016-01-01

Background The purpose of this study is to statistically assess whether bi-exponential intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model better characterizes diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) signal of malignant breast tumor than mono-exponential Gaussian diffusion model. Methods 3 T DWI data of 29 malignant breast tumors were retrospectively included. Linear least-square mono-exponential fitting and segmented least-square bi-exponential fitting were used for apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and IVIM parameter quantification, respectively. F-test and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) were used to statistically assess the preference of mono-exponential and bi-exponential model using region-of-interests (ROI)-averaged and voxel-wise analysis. Results For ROI-averaged analysis, 15 tumors were significantly better fitted by bi-exponential function and 14 tumors exhibited mono-exponential behavior. The calculated ADC, D (true diffusion coefficient) and f (pseudo-diffusion fraction) showed no significant differences between mono-exponential and bi-exponential preferable tumors. Voxel-wise analysis revealed that 27 tumors contained more voxels exhibiting mono-exponential DWI decay while only 2 tumors presented more bi-exponential decay voxels. ADC was consistently and significantly larger than D for both ROI-averaged and voxel-wise analysis. Conclusions Although the presence of IVIM effect in malignant breast tumors could be suggested, statistical assessment shows that bi-exponential fitting does not necessarily better represent the DWI signal decay in breast cancer under clinically typical acquisition protocol and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Our study indicates the importance to statistically examine the breast cancer DWI signal characteristics in practice. PMID:27709078

Assessment of phytoplankton class abundance using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix by parallel factor analysis and nonnegative least squares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Rongguo; Chen, Xiaona; Wu, Zhenzhen; Yao, Peng; Shi, Xiaoyong

2015-07-01

The feasibility of using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) along with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and nonnegative least squares (NNLS) method for the differentiation of phytoplankton taxonomic groups was investigated. Forty-one phytoplankton species belonging to 28 genera of five divisions were studied. First, the PARAFAC model was applied to EEMs, and 15 fluorescence components were generated. Second, 15 fluorescence components were found to have a strong discriminating capability based on Bayesian discriminant analysis (BDA). Third, all spectra of the fluorescence component compositions for the 41 phytoplankton species were spectrographically sorted into 61 reference spectra using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and then, the reference spectra were used to establish a database. Finally, the phytoplankton taxonomic groups was differentiated by the reference spectra database using the NNLS method. The five phytoplankton groups were differentiated with the correct discrimination ratios (CDRs) of 100% for single-species samples at the division level. The CDRs for the mixtures were above 91% for the dominant phytoplankton species and above 73% for the subdominant phytoplankton species. Sixteen of the 85 field samples collected from the Changjiang River estuary were analyzed by both HPLC-CHEMTAX and the fluorometric technique developed. The results of both methods reveal that Bacillariophyta was the dominant algal group in these 16 samples and that the subdominant algal groups comprised Dinophyta, Chlorophyta and Cryptophyta. The differentiation results by the fluorometric technique were in good agreement with those from HPLC-CHEMTAX. The results indicate that the fluorometric technique could differentiate algal taxonomic groups accurately at the division level.

Magnetization reversal of the domain structure in the anti-perovskite nitride Co{sub 3}FeN investigated by high-resolution X-ray microscopy

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

Hajiri, T., E-mail: t.hajiri@numse.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Kuroki, Y.; Ando, H.

2016-05-14

We performed X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) photoemission electron microscopy imaging to reveal the magnetic domain structure of anti-perovskite nitride Co{sub 3}FeN exhibiting a negative spin polarization. In square and disc patterns, we systematically and quantitatively determined the statistics of the stable states as a function of geometry. By direct imaging during the application of a magnetic field, we revealed the magnetic reversal process in a spatially resolved manner. We compared the hysteresis on the continuous area and the square patterns from the magnetic field-dependent XMCD ratio, which can be explained as resulting from the effect of the shape anisotropy,more » present in nanostructured thin films.« less

Bootstrap Confidence Intervals for Ordinary Least Squares Factor Loadings and Correlations in Exploratory Factor Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Guangjian; Preacher, Kristopher J.; Luo, Shanhong

2010-01-01

This article is concerned with using the bootstrap to assign confidence intervals for rotated factor loadings and factor correlations in ordinary least squares exploratory factor analysis. Coverage performances of "SE"-based intervals, percentile intervals, bias-corrected percentile intervals, bias-corrected accelerated percentile…

Factor Analysis by Generalized Least Squares.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joreskog, Karl G.; Goldberger, Arthur S.

Aitkin's generalized least squares (GLS) principle, with the inverse of the observed variance-covariance matrix as a weight matrix, is applied to estimate the factor analysis model in the exploratory (unrestricted) case. It is shown that the GLS estimates are scale free and asymptotically efficient. The estimates are computed by a rapidly…

Identified particle distributions in pp and Au+Au collisions at square root of (sNN)=200 GeV.

PubMed

Adams, J; Adler, C; Aggarwal, M M; Ahammed, Z; Amonett, J; Anderson, B D; Anderson, M; Arkhipkin, D; Averichev, G S; Badyal, S K; Balewski, J; Barannikova, O; Barnby, L S; Baudot, J; Bekele, S; Belaga, V V; Bellwied, R; Berger, J; Bezverkhny, B I; Bhardwaj, S; Bhaskar, P; Bhati, A K; Bichsel, H; Billmeier, A; Bland, L C; Blyth, C O; Bonner, B E; Botje, M; Boucham, A; Brandin, A; Bravar, A; Cadman, R V; Cai, X Z; Caines, H; Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, M; Carroll, J; Castillo, J; Castro, M; Cebra, D; Chaloupka, P; Chattopadhyay, S; Chen, H F; Chen, Y; Chernenko, S P; Cherney, M; Chikanian, A; Choi, B; Christie, W; Coffin, J P; Cormier, T M; Cramer, J G; Crawford, H J; Das, D; Das, S; Derevschikov, A A; Didenko, L; Dietel, T; Dong, X; Draper, J E; Du, F; Dubey, A K; Dunin, V B; Dunlop, J C; Dutta Majumdar, M R; Eckardt, V; Efimov, L G; Emelianov, V; Engelage, J; Eppley, G; Erazmus, B; Estienne, M; Fachini, P; Faine, V; Faivre, J; Fatemi, R; Filimonov, K; Filip, P; Finch, E; Fisyak, Y; Flierl, D; Foley, K J; Fu, J; Gagliardi, C A; Ganti, M S; Gutierrez, T D; Gagunashvili, N; Gans, J; Gaudichet, L; Germain, M; Geurts, F; Ghazikhanian, V; Ghosh, P; Gonzalez, J E; Grachov, O; Grigoriev, V; Gronstal, S; Grosnick, D; Guedon, M; Guertin, S M; Gupta, A; Gushin, E; Hallman, T J; Hardtke, D; Harris, J W; Heinz, M; Henry, T W; Heppelmann, S; Herston, T; Hippolyte, B; Hirsch, A; Hjort, E; Hoffmann, G W; Horsley, M; Huang, H Z; Huang, S L; Humanic, T J; Igo, G; Ishihara, A; Jacobs, P; Jacobs, W W; Janik, M; Johnson, I; Jones, P G; Judd, E G; Kabana, S; Kaneta, M; Kaplan, M; Keane, D; Kiryluk, J; Kisiel, A; Klay, J; Klein, S R; Klyachko, A; Koetke, D D; Kollegger, T; Konstantinov, A S; Kopytine, M; Kotchenda, L; Kovalenko, A D; Kramer, M; Kravtsov, P; Krueger, K; Kuhn, C; Kulikov, A I; Kumar, A; Kunde, G J; Kunz, C L; Kutuev, R Kh; Kuznetsov, A A; Lamont, M A C; Landgraf, J M; Lange, S; Lansdell, C P; Lasiuk, B; Laue, F; Lauret, J; Lebedev, A; Lednický, R; Leontiev, V M; LeVine, M J; Li, C; Li, Q; Lindenbaum, S J; Lisa, M A; Liu, F; Liu, L; Liu, Z; Liu, Q J; Ljubicic, T; Llope, W J; Long, H; Longacre, R S; Lopez-Noriega, M; Love, W A; Ludlam, T; Lynn, D; Ma, J; Ma, Y G; Magestro, D; Mahajan, S; Mangotra, L K; Mahapatra, D P; Majka, R; Manweiler, R; Margetis, S; Markert, C; Martin, L; Marx, J; Matis, H S; Matulenko, Yu A; McShane, T S; Meissner, F; Melnick, Yu; Meschanin, A; Messer, M; Miller, M L; Milosevich, Z; Minaev, N G; Mironov, C; Mishra, D; Mitchell, J; Mohanty, B; Molnar, L; Moore, C F; Mora-Corral, M J; Morozov, V; de Moura, M M; Munhoz, M G; Nandi, B K; Nayak, S K; Nayak, T K; Nelson, J M; Nevski, P; Nikitin, V A; Nogach, L V; Norman, B; Nurushev, S B; Odyniec, G; Ogawa, A; Okorokov, V; Oldenburg, M; Olson, D; Paic, G; Pandey, S U; Pal, S K; Panebratsev, Y; Panitkin, S Y; Pavlinov, A I; Pawlak, T; Perevoztchikov, V; Peryt, W; Petrov, V A; Phatak, S C; Picha, R; Planinic, M; Pluta, J; Porile, N; Porter, J; Poskanzer, A M; Potekhin, M; Potrebenikova, E; Potukuchi, B V K S; Prindle, D; Pruneau, C; Putschke, J; Rai, G; Rakness, G; Raniwala, R; Raniwala, S; Ravel, O; Ray, R L; Razin, S V; Reichhold, D; Reid, J G; Renault, G; Retiere, F; Ridiger, A; Ritter, H G; Roberts, J B; Rogachevski, O V; Romero, J L; Rose, A; Roy, C; Ruan, L J; Sahoo, R; Sakrejda, I; Salur, S; Sandweiss, J; Savin, I; Schambach, J; Scharenberg, R P; Schmitz, N; Schroeder, L S; Schweda, K; Seger, J; Seliverstov, D; Seyboth, P; Shahaliev, E; Shao, M; Sharma, M; Shestermanov, K E; Shimanskii, S S; Singaraju, R N; Simon, F; Skoro, G; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Sood, G; Sorensen, P; Sowinski, J; Spinka, H M; Srivastava, B; Stanislaus, S; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, A; Strikhanov, M; Stringfellow, B; Struck, C; Suaide, A A P; Sugarbaker, E; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Surrow, B; Symons, T J M; de Toledo, A Szanto; Szarwas, P; Tai, A; Takahashi, J; Tang, A H; Thein, D; Thomas, J H; Tikhomirov, V; Tokarev, M; Tonjes, M B; Trainor, T A; Trentalange, S; Tribble, R E; Trivedi, M D; Trofimov, V; Tsai, O; Ullrich, T; Underwood, D G; Van Buren, G; VanderMolen, A M; Vasiliev, A N; Vasiliev, M; Vigdor, S E; Viyogi, Y P; Voloshin, S A; Waggoner, W; Wang, F; Wang, G; Wang, X L; Wang, Z M; Ward, H; Watson, J W; Wells, R; Westfall, G D; Whitten, C; Wieman, H; Willson, R; Wissink, S W; Witt, R; Wood, J; Wu, J; Xu, N; Xu, Z; Xu, Z Z; Yakutin, A E; Yamamoto, E; Yang, J; Yepes, P; Yurevich, V I; Zanevski, Y V; Zborovský, I; Zhang, H; Zhang, H Y; Zhang, W M; Zhang, Z P; Zołnierczuk, P A; Zoulkarneev, R; Zoulkarneeva, J; Zubarev, A N

2004-03-19

Transverse mass and rapidity distributions for charged pions, charged kaons, protons, and antiprotons are reported for square root of [sNN]=200 GeV pp and Au+Au collisions at Relativistic Heary Ion Collider (RHIC). Chemical and kinetic equilibrium model fits to our data reveal strong radial flow and long duration from chemical to kinetic freeze-out in central Au+Au collisions. The chemical freeze-out temperature appears to be independent of initial conditions at RHIC energies.

Quantum dynamics of relativistic bosons through nonminimal vector square potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira, Luiz P.

2016-09-01

The dynamics of relativistic bosons (scalar and vectorial) through nonminimal vector square (well and barrier) potentials is studied in the Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau (DKP) formalism. We show that the problem can be mapped in effective Schrödinger equations for a component of the DKP spinor. An oscillatory transmission coefficient is found and there is total reflection. Additionally, the energy spectrum of bound states is obtained and reveals the Schiff-Snyder-Weinberg effect, for specific conditions the potential lodges bound states of particles and antiparticles.

Fundamental Properties of the Red Square

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuthill, Peter; Barnes, Peter; Cohen, Martin; Schmidt, Timothy

2007-04-01

This proposal follows the exciting recent discovery of the Red Square, the first near-sibling to the illustrious Red Rectangle; and also a potential example progenitor system for supernovae such as SN 1987A. Exploiting the unique extremely wide bandwidth correlator available at Mopra, we propose to rapidly and efficiently explore the molecular environment of this unique new object at 3 mm. This should reveal the fundamental properties of the gas in the underlying stellar system, and will provide the necessary springboard for future spatially-resolved work with interferometers.

Spectral L2/L1 norm: A new perspective for spectral kurtosis for characterizing non-stationary signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dong

2018-05-01

Thanks to the great efforts made by Antoni (2006), spectral kurtosis has been recognized as a milestone for characterizing non-stationary signals, especially bearing fault signals. The main idea of spectral kurtosis is to use the fourth standardized moment, namely kurtosis, as a function of spectral frequency so as to indicate how repetitive transients caused by a bearing defect vary with frequency. Moreover, spectral kurtosis is defined based on an analytic bearing fault signal constructed from either a complex filter or Hilbert transform. On the other hand, another attractive work was reported by Borghesani et al. (2014) to mathematically reveal the relationship between the kurtosis of an analytical bearing fault signal and the square of the squared envelope spectrum of the analytical bearing fault signal for explaining spectral correlation for quantification of bearing fault signals. More interestingly, it was discovered that the sum of peaks at cyclic frequencies in the square of the squared envelope spectrum corresponds to the raw 4th order moment. Inspired by the aforementioned works, in this paper, we mathematically show that: (1) spectral kurtosis can be decomposed into squared envelope and squared L2/L1 norm so that spectral kurtosis can be explained as spectral squared L2/L1 norm; (2) spectral L2/L1 norm is formally defined for characterizing bearing fault signals and its two geometrical explanations are made; (3) spectral L2/L1 norm is proportional to the square root of the sum of peaks at cyclic frequencies in the square of the squared envelope spectrum; (4) some extensions of spectral L2/L1 norm for characterizing bearing fault signals are pointed out.

Determination of suitable drying curve model for bread moisture loss during baking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soleimani Pour-Damanab, A. R.; Jafary, A.; Rafiee, S.

2013-03-01

This study presents mathematical modelling of bread moisture loss or drying during baking in a conventional bread baking process. In order to estimate and select the appropriate moisture loss curve equation, 11 different models, semi-theoretical and empirical, were applied to the experimental data and compared according to their correlation coefficients, chi-squared test and root mean square error which were predicted by nonlinear regression analysis. Consequently, of all the drying models, a Page model was selected as the best one, according to the correlation coefficients, chi-squared test, and root mean square error values and its simplicity. Mean absolute estimation error of the proposed model by linear regression analysis for natural and forced convection modes was 2.43, 4.74%, respectively.

Statistical Analysis of Zebrafish Locomotor Response.

PubMed

Liu, Yiwen; Carmer, Robert; Zhang, Gaonan; Venkatraman, Prahatha; Brown, Skye Ashton; Pang, Chi-Pui; Zhang, Mingzhi; Ma, Ping; Leung, Yuk Fai

2015-01-01

Zebrafish larvae display rich locomotor behaviour upon external stimulation. The movement can be simultaneously tracked from many larvae arranged in multi-well plates. The resulting time-series locomotor data have been used to reveal new insights into neurobiology and pharmacology. However, the data are of large scale, and the corresponding locomotor behavior is affected by multiple factors. These issues pose a statistical challenge for comparing larval activities. To address this gap, this study has analyzed a visually-driven locomotor behaviour named the visual motor response (VMR) by the Hotelling's T-squared test. This test is congruent with comparing locomotor profiles from a time period. Different wild-type (WT) strains were compared using the test, which shows that they responded differently to light change at different developmental stages. The performance of this test was evaluated by a power analysis, which shows that the test was sensitive for detecting differences between experimental groups with sample numbers that were commonly used in various studies. In addition, this study investigated the effects of various factors that might affect the VMR by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results indicate that the larval activity was generally affected by stage, light stimulus, their interaction, and location in the plate. Nonetheless, different factors affected larval activity differently over time, as indicated by a dynamical analysis of the activity at each second. Intriguingly, this analysis also shows that biological and technical repeats had negligible effect on larval activity. This finding is consistent with that from the Hotelling's T-squared test, and suggests that experimental repeats can be combined to enhance statistical power. Together, these investigations have established a statistical framework for analyzing VMR data, a framework that should be generally applicable to other locomotor data with similar structure.

Statistical Analysis of Zebrafish Locomotor Response

PubMed Central

Zhang, Gaonan; Venkatraman, Prahatha; Brown, Skye Ashton; Pang, Chi-Pui; Zhang, Mingzhi; Ma, Ping; Leung, Yuk Fai

2015-01-01

Zebrafish larvae display rich locomotor behaviour upon external stimulation. The movement can be simultaneously tracked from many larvae arranged in multi-well plates. The resulting time-series locomotor data have been used to reveal new insights into neurobiology and pharmacology. However, the data are of large scale, and the corresponding locomotor behavior is affected by multiple factors. These issues pose a statistical challenge for comparing larval activities. To address this gap, this study has analyzed a visually-driven locomotor behaviour named the visual motor response (VMR) by the Hotelling’s T-squared test. This test is congruent with comparing locomotor profiles from a time period. Different wild-type (WT) strains were compared using the test, which shows that they responded differently to light change at different developmental stages. The performance of this test was evaluated by a power analysis, which shows that the test was sensitive for detecting differences between experimental groups with sample numbers that were commonly used in various studies. In addition, this study investigated the effects of various factors that might affect the VMR by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The results indicate that the larval activity was generally affected by stage, light stimulus, their interaction, and location in the plate. Nonetheless, different factors affected larval activity differently over time, as indicated by a dynamical analysis of the activity at each second. Intriguingly, this analysis also shows that biological and technical repeats had negligible effect on larval activity. This finding is consistent with that from the Hotelling’s T-squared test, and suggests that experimental repeats can be combined to enhance statistical power. Together, these investigations have established a statistical framework for analyzing VMR data, a framework that should be generally applicable to other locomotor data with similar structure. PMID:26437184

Motion of an elastic capsule in a square microfluidic channel.

PubMed

Kuriakose, S; Dimitrakopoulos, P

2011-07-01

In the present study we investigate computationally the steady-state motion of an elastic capsule along the centerline of a square microfluidic channel and compare it with that in a cylindrical tube. In particular, we consider a slightly over-inflated elastic capsule made of a strain-hardening membrane with comparable shearing and area-dilatation resistance. Under the conditions studied in this paper (i.e., small, moderate, and large capsules at low and moderate flow rates), the capsule motion in a square channel is similar to and thus governed by the same scaling laws with the capsule motion in a cylindrical tube, even though in the channel the cross section in the upstream portion of large capsules is nonaxisymmetric (i.e., square-like with rounded corners). When the hydrodynamic forces on the membrane increase, the capsule develops a pointed downstream edge and a flattened rear (possibly with a negative curvature) so that the restoring tension forces are increased as also happens with droplets. Membrane tensions increase significantly with the capsule size while the area near the downstream tip is the most probable to rupture when a capsule flows in a microchannel. Because the membrane tensions increase with the interfacial deformation, a suitable Landau-Levich-Derjaguin-Bretherton analysis reveals that the lubrication film thickness h for large capsules depends on both the capillary number Ca and the capsule size a; our computations determine the latter dependence to be (in dimensionless form) h ~ a(-2) for the large capsules studied in this work. For small and moderate capsule sizes a, the capsule velocity Ux and additional pressure drop ΔP+ are governed by the same scaling laws as for high-viscosity droplets. The velocity and additional pressure drop of large thick capsules also follow the dynamics of high-viscosity droplets, and are affected by the lubrication film thickness. The motion of our large thick capsules is characterized by a Ux-U ~ h ~ a(-2) approach to the undisturbed average duct velocity and an additional pressure drop ΔP+ ~a(3)/h ~ a(5). By combining basic physical principles and geometric properties, we develop a theoretical analysis that explains the power laws we found for large capsules.

Cautionary Note on Reporting Eta-Squared Values from Multifactor ANOVA Designs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, Charles A.; Block, Richard A.; Aguinis, Herman

2004-01-01

The authors provide a cautionary note on reporting accurate eta-squared values from multifactor analysis of variance (ANOVA) designs. They reinforce the distinction between classical and partial eta-squared as measures of strength of association. They provide examples from articles published in premier psychology journals in which the authors…

Analysis of the Latin Square Task with Linear Logistic Test Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeuch, Nina; Holling, Heinz; Kuhn, Jorg-Tobias

2011-01-01

The Latin Square Task (LST) was developed by Birney, Halford, and Andrews [Birney, D. P., Halford, G. S., & Andrews, G. (2006). Measuring the influence of cognitive complexity on relational reasoning: The development of the Latin Square Task. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 146-171.] and represents a non-domain specific,…

Latin and Cross Latin Squares

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emanouilidis, Emanuel

2008-01-01

Latin squares were first introduced and studied by the famous mathematician Leonhard Euler in the 1700s. Through the years, Latin squares have been used in areas such as statistics, graph theory, coding theory, the generation of random numbers as well as in the design and analysis of experiments. Recently, with the international popularity of…

Closed-form analysis of fiber-matrix interface stresses under thermo-mechanical loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naik, Rajiv A.; Crews, John H., Jr.

1992-01-01

Closed form techniques for calculating fiber matrix (FM) interface stresses, using repeating square and diamond regular arrays, were presented for a unidirectional composite under thermo-mechanical loadings. An Airy's stress function micromechanics approach from the literature, developed for calculating overall composite moduli, was extended in the present study to compute FM interface stresses for a unidirectional graphite/epoxy (AS4/3501-6) composite under thermal, longitudinal, transverse, transverse shear, and longitudinal shear loadings. Comparison with finite element results indicate excellent agreement of the FM interface stresses for the square array. Under thermal and longitudinal loading, the square array has the same FM peak stresses as the diamond array. The square array predicted higher stress concentrations under transverse normal and longitudinal shear loadings than the diamond array. Under transverse shear loading, the square array had a higher stress concentration while the diamond array had a higher radial stress concentration. Stress concentration factors under transverse shear and longitudinal shear loadings were very sensitive to fiber volume fraction. The present analysis provides a simple way to calculate accurate FM interface stresses for both the square and diamond array configurations.

Revealing nonergodic dynamics in living cells from a single particle trajectory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanoiselée, Yann; Grebenkov, Denis S.

2016-05-01

We propose the improved ergodicity and mixing estimators to identify nonergodic dynamics from a single particle trajectory. The estimators are based on the time-averaged characteristic function of the increments and can thus capture additional information on the process as compared to the conventional time-averaged mean-square displacement. The estimators are first investigated and validated for several models of anomalous diffusion, such as ergodic fractional Brownian motion and diffusion on percolating clusters, and nonergodic continuous-time random walks and scaled Brownian motion. The estimators are then applied to two sets of earlier published trajectories of mRNA molecules inside live Escherichia coli cells and of Kv2.1 potassium channels in the plasma membrane. These statistical tests did not reveal nonergodic features in the former set, while some trajectories of the latter set could be classified as nonergodic. Time averages along such trajectories are thus not representative and may be strongly misleading. Since the estimators do not rely on ensemble averages, the nonergodic features can be revealed separately for each trajectory, providing a more flexible and reliable analysis of single-particle tracking experiments in microbiology.

Impact of high-performance work systems on individual- and branch-level performance: test of a multilevel model of intermediate linkages.

PubMed

Aryee, Samuel; Walumbwa, Fred O; Seidu, Emmanuel Y M; Otaye, Lilian E

2012-03-01

We proposed and tested a multilevel model, underpinned by empowerment theory, that examines the processes linking high-performance work systems (HPWS) and performance outcomes at the individual and organizational levels of analyses. Data were obtained from 37 branches of 2 banking institutions in Ghana. Results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that branch-level HPWS relates to empowerment climate. Additionally, results of hierarchical linear modeling that examined the hypothesized cross-level relationships revealed 3 salient findings. First, experienced HPWS and empowerment climate partially mediate the influence of branch-level HPWS on psychological empowerment. Second, psychological empowerment partially mediates the influence of empowerment climate and experienced HPWS on service performance. Third, service orientation moderates the psychological empowerment-service performance relationship such that the relationship is stronger for those high rather than low in service orientation. Last, ordinary least squares regression results revealed that branch-level HPWS influences branch-level market performance through cross-level and individual-level influences on service performance that emerges at the branch level as aggregated service performance.

Angel or Devil? Dentists and Dental Students Conceptions of Pediatric Dental Patients through Metaphor Analysis.

PubMed

Buldur, B

The aim of this qualitative study was to identify the conceptions of dentists and dental students (DSs) about pediatric dental patients (PDPs) using metaphor analysis. The study group (N = 259) consisted of dentists and DSs. Participants completed the sentence "A pediatric dental patient is like ... because …..." in order to reveal the metaphors they use about the concept of PDPs. The data were analyzed using the mixed-methods: qualitative (metaphor analysis) and quantitative (chi-square) data analysis techniques. The dentists and DSs produced 259 metaphors. These metaphors were gathered under six different conceptual categories that define a PDP as unpredictable, dangerous, uncontrollable, requiring care and sensitivity, valuable, and orientable. The most important factors leading to these conceptions were the uncooperativeness of some PDPs and the effectiveness of behavior management. The results of this study indicate that there was no significant difference among DSs, general dentists and specialist dentists with respect to six conceptual categories that identify the conceptions about PDPs.

Analysis of antique bronze coins by Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and multivariate analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachler, M. Orlić; Bišćan, M.; Kregar, Z.; Jelovica Badovinac, I.; Dobrinić, J.; Milošević, S.

2016-09-01

This work presents a feasibility study of applying the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to data obtained by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) with the aim of determining correlation between different samples. The samples were antique bronze coins coated in silver (follis) dated in the Roman Empire period and were made during different rulers in different mints. While raw LIBS data revealed that in the period from the year 286 to 383 CE content of silver was constantly decreasing, the PCA showed that the samples can be somewhat grouped together based on their place of origin, which could be a useful hint when analysing unknown samples. It was also found that PCA can help in discriminating spectra corresponding to ablation from the surface and from the bulk. Furthermore, Partial Least Squares method (PLS) was used to obtain, based on a set of samples with known composition, an estimation of relative copper concentration in studied ancient coins. This analysis showed that copper concentration in surface layers ranged from 83% to 90%.

Stability of phases of a square-well fluid within superposition approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piasecki, Jarosław; Szymczak, Piotr; Kozak, John J.

2013-04-01

The analytic and numerical methods introduced previously to study the phase behavior of hard sphere fluids starting from the Yvon-Born-Green (YBG) equation under the Kirkwood superposition approximation (KSA) are adapted to the square-well fluid. We are able to show conclusively that the YBG equation under the KSA closure when applied to the square-well fluid: (i) predicts the existence of an absolute stability limit corresponding to freezing where undamped oscillations appear in the long-distance behavior of correlations, (ii) in accordance with earlier studies reveals the existence of a liquid-vapor transition by the appearance of a "near-critical region" where monotonically decaying correlations acquire very long range, although the system never loses stability.

Quantum dynamics of relativistic bosons through nonminimal vector square potentials

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

Oliveira, Luiz P. de, E-mail: oliveira.phys@gmail.com

The dynamics of relativistic bosons (scalar and vectorial) through nonminimal vector square (well and barrier) potentials is studied in the Duffin–Kemmer–Petiau (DKP) formalism. We show that the problem can be mapped in effective Schrödinger equations for a component of the DKP spinor. An oscillatory transmission coefficient is found and there is total reflection. Additionally, the energy spectrum of bound states is obtained and reveals the Schiff–Snyder–Weinberg effect, for specific conditions the potential lodges bound states of particles and antiparticles. - Highlights: • DKP bosons in a nonminimal vector square potential are studied. • Spin zero and spin one bosons havemore » the same results. • The Schiff–Snyder–Weinberg effect is observed.« less

Coal-seismic, desktop computer programs in BASIC; Part 5, Perform X-square T-square analysis and plot normal moveout lines on seismogram overlay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hasbrouck, W.P.

1983-01-01

Processing of data taken with the U.S. Geological Survey's coal-seismic system is done with a desktop, stand-alone computer. Programs for this computer are written in the extended BASIC language used by the Tektronix 4051 Graphic System. This report presents computer programs to perform X-square/T-square analyses and to plot normal moveout lines on a seismogram overlay.

Reexamining competitive priorities: Empirical study in service sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idris, Fazli; Mohammad, Jihad

2015-02-01

The general objective of this study is to validate the multi-level concept of competitive priorities using reflective-formative model at a higher order for service industries. An empirical study of 228 firms from 9 different service industries is conducted to answer the objective of this study. Partial least square analysis with SmartPLS 2.0 was used to perform the analysis. Finding revealed six priorities: cost, flexibility, delivery, quality talent management, quality tangibility, and innovativeness. It emerges that quality are expanded into two types; one is related to managing talent for process improvement and the second one is the physical appearance and tangibility of the service quality. This study has confirmed competitive priorities as formative second-order hierarchical latent construct by using rigorous empirical evidence. Implications, limitation and suggestion for future research are accordingly discussed in this paper.

Profiles in coping: responses to sexual harassment across persons, organizations, and cultures.

PubMed

Cortina, Lilia M; Wasti, S Arzu

2005-01-01

This study explicates the complexity of sexual harassment coping behavior among 4 diverse samples of working women: (a) working-class Hispanic Americans, (b) working-class Anglo Americans, (c) professional Turks, and (d) professional Anglo Americans. K-means cluster analysis revealed 3 common harassment coping profiles: (a) detached, (b) avoidant negotiating, and (c) support seeking. The authors then tested an integrated framework of coping profile determinants, involving social power, stressor severity, social support, and culture. Analysis of variance, chi-square, and discriminant function results identified significant determinants at each of the 4 levels of this ecological model. These findings underscore the importance of focusing on whole patterns of experience--and considering influences at the level of the individual employee and multiple levels of the surrounding context--when studying how women cope with workplace sexual harassment.

A Comparison of Mean Phase Difference and Generalized Least Squares for Analyzing Single-Case Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manolov, Rumen; Solanas, Antonio

2013-01-01

The present study focuses on single-case data analysis specifically on two procedures for quantifying differences between baseline and treatment measurements. The first technique tested is based on generalized least square regression analysis and is compared to a proposed non-regression technique, which allows obtaining similar information. The…

Electrostatic and Small-Signal Analysis of CMUTs With Circular and Square Anisotropic Plates.

PubMed

Funding la Cour, Mette; Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Thomsen, Erik Vilain

2015-08-01

Traditionally, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) are modeled using the isotropic plate equation, and this leads to deviations between analytical calculations and finite element modeling (FEM). In this paper, the deflection is calculated for both circular and square plates using the full anisotropic plate equation. It is shown that the anisotropic calculations match excellently with FEM, whereas an isotropic approach causes up to 10% deviations in deflection. For circular plates, an exact solution can be found. For square plates using the Galerkin method, and utilizing the symmetry of the silicon crystal, a compact and accurate expression for the deflection can be obtained. The deviation from FEM in center deflection is <0.1%. The theory of multilayer plates is also applied to the CMUT. The deflection of a square plate was measured on fabricated CMUTs using a white light interferometer. Fitting the plate parameter for the anisotropic calculated deflection to the measurement, a deviation of 0.07% is seen. Electrostatic and small-signal dynamic analysis are performed using energy considerations including anisotropy. The stable position, effective spring constant, pullin distance, and pull-in voltage are found for both circular and square anisotropic plates, and the pressure dependence is included by comparison with the corresponding analysis for a parallel plate. Measurements on fabricated devices with both circular and square plates subjected to increasing bias voltage are performed, and it is observed that the models including anisotropic effects are within the uncertainty interval of the measurements. Finally, a lumped element small-signal model for both circular and square anisotropic plates is derived to describe the dynamics of the CMUT.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the osteoporosis assessment questionnaire short version (OPAQ-SV) for Chinese osteoporotic fracture females.

PubMed

Zhang, Yin-Ping; Wei, Huan-Huan; Wang, Wen; Xia, Ru-Yi; Zhou, Xiao-Ling; Porr, Caroline; Lammi, Mikko

2016-04-01

The Osteoporosis Assessment Questionnaire Short Version (OPAQ-SV) was cross-culturally adapted to measure health-related quality of life in Chinese osteoporotic fracture females and then validated in China for its psychometric properties. Cross-cultural adaptation, including translation of the original OPAQ-SV into Mandarin Chinese language, was performed according to published guidelines. Validation of the newly cross-culturally adapted OPAQ-SV was conducted by sampling 234 Chinese osteoporotic fracture females and also a control group of 235 Chinese osteoporotic females without fractures, producing robust content, construct, and discriminant validation results. Major categories of reliability were also met: the Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.975, indicating good internal consistency; the test-retest reliability was 0.80; and principal component analysis resulted in a 6-factor structure explaining 75.847 % of the total variance. Further, the Comparative Fit Index result was 0.922 following the modified model confirmatory factor analysis, and the chi-squared test was 1.98. The root mean squared error of approximation was 0.078. Moreover, significant differences were revealed between females with fractures and those without fractures across all domains (p < 0.001). Overall, the newly cross-culturally adapted OPAQ-SV appears to possess adequate validity and reliability and may be utilized in clinical trials to assess the health-related quality of life in Chinese osteoporotic fracture females.

Distinction of disorder, classical and quantum vibrational contributions to atomic mean-square amplitudes in dielectric pentachloronitrobenzene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, Jacqueline M.; Bürgi, Hans-Beat; McIntyre, Garry J.

2011-06-01

The solid-state molecular disorder of pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) and its role in causing anomalous dielectric properties are investigated. Normal coordinate analysis (NCA) of atomic mean-square displacement parameters (ADPs) is employed to distinguish disorder contributions from classical and quantum-mechanical vibrational contributions. The analysis relies on multitemperature (5-295 K) single-crystal neutron-diffraction data. Vibrational frequencies extracted from the temperature dependence of the ADPs are in good agreement with THz spectroscopic data. Aspects of the static disorder revealed by this work, primarily tilting and displacement of the molecules, are compared with corresponding results from previous, much more in-depth and time-consuming Monte Carlo simulations; their salient findings are reproduced by this work, demonstrating that the faster NCA approach provides reliable constraints for the interpretation of diffuse scattering. The dielectric properties of PCNB can thus be rationalized by an interpretation of the temperature-dependent ADPs in terms of thermal motion and molecular disorder. The use of atomic displacement parameters in the NCA approach is nonetheless hostage to reliable neutron data. The success of this study demonstrates that state-of-the-art single-crystal Laue neutron diffraction affords sufficiently fast the accurate data for this type of study. In general terms, the validation of this work opens up the field for numerous studies of solid-state molecular disorder in organic materials.

Quantifying Square Membrane Wrinkle Behavior Using MITC Shell Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, Mindy B.; Iwasa, Takashi; Natori, M. C.

2004-01-01

For future membrane based structures, quantified predictions of membrane wrinkling behavior in terms of amplitude, angle and wavelength are needed to optimize the efficiency and integrity of such structures, as well as their associated control systems. For numerical analyses performed in the past, limitations on the accuracy of membrane distortion simulations have often been related to the assumptions made while using finite elements. Specifically, this work demonstrates that critical assumptions include: effects of gravity. supposed initial or boundary conditions, and the type of element used to model the membrane. In this work, a 0.2 square meter membrane is treated as a structural material with non-negligible bending stiffness. Mixed Interpolation of Tensorial Components (MTTC) shell elements are used to simulate wrinkling behavior due to a constant applied in-plane shear load. Membrane thickness, gravity effects, and initial imperfections with respect to flatness were varied in numerous nonlinear analysis cases. Significant findings include notable variations in wrinkle modes for thickness in the range of 50 microns to 1000 microns, which also depend on the presence of an applied gravity field. However, it is revealed that relationships between overall strain energy density for cases with differing initial conditions are independent of assumed initial con&tions. In addition, analysis results indicate that the relationship between amplitude scale (W/t) and structural scale (L/t) is linear in the presence of a gravity field.

JOINT AND INDIVIDUAL VARIATION EXPLAINED (JIVE) FOR INTEGRATED ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE DATA TYPES.

PubMed

Lock, Eric F; Hoadley, Katherine A; Marron, J S; Nobel, Andrew B

2013-03-01

Research in several fields now requires the analysis of datasets in which multiple high-dimensional types of data are available for a common set of objects. In particular, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) includes data from several diverse genomic technologies on the same cancerous tumor samples. In this paper we introduce Joint and Individual Variation Explained (JIVE), a general decomposition of variation for the integrated analysis of such datasets. The decomposition consists of three terms: a low-rank approximation capturing joint variation across data types, low-rank approximations for structured variation individual to each data type, and residual noise. JIVE quantifies the amount of joint variation between data types, reduces the dimensionality of the data, and provides new directions for the visual exploration of joint and individual structure. The proposed method represents an extension of Principal Component Analysis and has clear advantages over popular two-block methods such as Canonical Correlation Analysis and Partial Least Squares. A JIVE analysis of gene expression and miRNA data on Glioblastoma Multiforme tumor samples reveals gene-miRNA associations and provides better characterization of tumor types.

Root Cause Analysis of Quality Defects Using HPLC-MS Fingerprint Knowledgebase for Batch-to-batch Quality Control of Herbal Drugs.

PubMed

Yan, Binjun; Fang, Zhonghua; Shen, Lijuan; Qu, Haibin

2015-01-01

The batch-to-batch quality consistency of herbal drugs has always been an important issue. To propose a methodology for batch-to-batch quality control based on HPLC-MS fingerprints and process knowledgebase. The extraction process of Compound E-jiao Oral Liquid was taken as a case study. After establishing the HPLC-MS fingerprint analysis method, the fingerprints of the extract solutions produced under normal and abnormal operation conditions were obtained. Multivariate statistical models were built for fault detection and a discriminant analysis model was built using the probabilistic discriminant partial-least-squares method for fault diagnosis. Based on multivariate statistical analysis, process knowledge was acquired and the cause-effect relationship between process deviations and quality defects was revealed. The quality defects were detected successfully by multivariate statistical control charts and the type of process deviations were diagnosed correctly by discriminant analysis. This work has demonstrated the benefits of combining HPLC-MS fingerprints, process knowledge and multivariate analysis for the quality control of herbal drugs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Cool Urban Island Change 1990 - 2014. Comparative Bioclimatic Analysis in a Desert Climate, the Case of Antofagasta City Square

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez Lancellotti, Gino; Ziede Bize, Marcela

2017-10-01

This article proposes to make a comparative bioclimatic analysis from 1990 to 2014 of the main square of Antofagasta, a coastal desert city in Chile, which was remodelled in 1995, and shows how the redesigning of green areas affects the microclimatic conditions and thermal comfort of the urban space. Ex ante measurements dating 1990 were compared with ex post results from 2014. Data were obtained in both cases in the month of September at different times of a day and in different climate conditions. The variables studied were: land surface temperature, humidity, wind speed, amount of light and square use frequency inside the square and in surrounding streets. The temperatures are not statistically different during the years 1990 and 2014 for the city of Antofagasta. The main layout of the square has not changed, and inside the square it is similar for both periods, but new species were introduced and bigger trees with shadow projection were cut down. The square had a micro-climate role in 2014 as well as in 1990. The highest frequency zone with an important surface lost it is comfort thermic condition with an increase of 1°C. Other smaller zones with less relevance for users gained in cooling with a 0.5°C reduction. The new design has been detrimental to the intensity of its micro climatic regulatory function affecting the thermic comfort of the square’s internal spaces, especially those formerly protected by shadow, which mitigate a high solar radiation. The study results suggest that bio-climatic analysis of public open spaces is a key component for the design of future projects as a heat mitigating tool in the context of climate change. Research question is: How does the redesign of the square impact a cool urban island and the thermic comfort of users? Significant differences between data in situ collected in 1990 and 2014. Thermal comfort was negatively affected by the redesign in the square. The square is still a cool island but with less strength.

Scanning electron microscopic and histologic evaluation of the AcrySof SA30AL acrylic intraocular lens. Manufacturing quality and morphology in the capsular bag.

PubMed

Escobar-Gomez, Marcela; Apple, David J; Vargas, Luis G; Werner, Liliana; Arthur, Stella N; Pandey, Suresh K; Izak, Andrea M; Schmidbauer, Josef M

2003-01-01

To evaluate the properties of the AcrySof(R) SA30AL (Alcon Laboratories, Inc.) single-piece foldable posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL). Center for Research on Ocular Therapeutics and Biodevices, Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Two nonimplanted clinical-quality AcrySof IOLs were examined by gross, light, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, 2 eyes implanted with this IOL obtained post-mortem, the first such eyes accessioned in our laboratory and the first described to date, were examined using the Miyake-Apple posterior photographic technique and by histologic sections. Scanning electron microscopy of the SA30AL IOL showed excellent surface finish. The edge of the optic was square (truncated) and had a matte (velvet or ground-glass) appearance, a feature that may minimize edge glare and other visual phenomena. A well-fabricated square or truncated optic edge was demonstrated. Miyake-Apple analysis revealed that the SA30AL IOL showed appropriate fit and configuration within the capsular bag. Histologic correlation of the IOL's square edge and its relation to the capsular bag and adjacent Soemmering's ring were noted. The AcrySof SA30AL IOL is a well-fabricated lens that situates well in the capsular bag. The truncated optic and its relationship to adjacent structures show a morphological profile that has been shown to be highly efficacious in reducing the rate of posterior capsule opacification.

Double-negative metamaterial for mobile phone application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, M. I.; Faruque, M. R. I.; Islam, M. T.

2017-01-01

In this paper, a new design and analysis of metamaterial and its applications to modern handset are presented. The proposed metamaterial unit-cell design consists of two connected square spiral structures, which leads to increase the effective media ratio. The finite instigation technique based on Computer Simulation Technology Microwave Studio is utilized in this investigation, and the measurement is taken in an anechoic chamber. A good agreement is observed among simulated and measured results. The results indicate that the proposed metamaterial can successfully cover cellular phone frequency bands. Moreover, the uses of proposed metamaterial in modern handset antennas are also analyzed. The results reveal that the proposed metamaterial attachment significantly reduces specific absorption rate values without reducing the antenna performances.

Ex-post-facto analysis of competitive employment outcomes for individuals with mental retardation: national perspective.

PubMed

Moore, Corey L; Harley, Debra A; Gamble, David

2004-08-01

Disparities in proportions of competitive job placements and provision of vocational rehabilitation services by level of mental retardation were identified for 28,565 individuals. Chi-square results reveal that consumers with mild mental retardation are significantly more likely to achieve competitive jobs compared to those with more severe levels. Logistic regression indicated that the odds of achieving a competitive job for consumers receiving job placement services, business/vocational training, and counseling were nearly two times that of individuals not receiving such services. Findings suggest that a significantly lower proportion of these services were provided to consumers with severe/profound mental retardation. Implications of findings for service, research, and policy are discussed.

Profile of Ambulance Runs at the Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarpa, Philip J.

1999-01-01

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has four onsite ambulances staffed with Paramedics at two fire stations that respond to 911 Emergency Medical System (EMS) medical dispatches. These ambulances serve over 22,000 NASA, military, government, and contractor employees in an area of approximately 520 square miles. Included in this coverage are several public areas such as beaches, a wildlife refuge and a popular Visitor Center. Reports are filled out on each patient encountered. However. the only element tracked has been the ambulance response time. Now that reports are filed electronically, it is possible to enter them into an electronic database for analysis. Data analyses reveal trends and assist in better allocation of resources.

Coronal temperatures of unusually active K-dwarf binary systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stern, Robert A.

1994-01-01

We report the results of a ROSAT pointed study of 4 BY Dra systems. Good quality pulse-height spectra are available from all four systems. Except for a required interstellar absorption component in HD 319139, the four systems have remarkably similar x-ray spectra; the two systems BD +22deg.669 and BD +23deg.635 look virtually identical in x rays. Analysis of the 4 x-ray spectra reveals that, in all cases, a single-temperature hot plasma (RS or Mewe) spectra is inadequate to fit the data, and two temperatures are required. We present examples of fitted pulse-height spectra and chi squared contours in kT(sub 1)-kT(sub 2) space.

Very thin, high Ge content Si 0.3Ge 0.7 relaxed buffer grown by MBE on SOI(0 0 1) substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myronov, M.; Shiraki, Y.

2007-04-01

Growth procedure and excellent properties of very thin 240 nm thick, 95% relaxed, high Ge content Si 0.3Ge 0.7 buffer grown on SOI(0 0 1) substrate are demonstrated. All epilayers of the newly developed Si 0.3Ge 0.7/SOI(0 0 1) variable-temperature virtual substrate were grown in a single process by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. Surface analysis of grown samples revealed smooth, cross-hatch free surface with low root mean square surface roughness of 0.9 nm and low threading dislocations density of 5×10 4 cm -2.

Cartilaginous Metabolomic Study Reveals Potential Mechanisms of Osteophyte Formation in Osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Xu, Zhongwei; Chen, Tingmei; Luo, Jiao; Ding, Shijia; Gao, Sichuan; Zhang, Jian

2017-04-07

Osteophyte is one of the inevitable consequences of progressive osteoarthritis with the main characteristics of cartilage degeneration and endochondral ossification. The pathogenesis of osteophyte formation is not fully understood to date. In this work, metabolomic approaches were employed to explore potential mechanisms of osteophyte formation by detecting metabolic variations between extracts of osteophyte cartilage tissues (n = 32) and uninvolved control cartilage tissues (n = 34), based on the platform of ultraperformance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, as well as the use of multivariate statistic analysis and univariate statistic analysis. The osteophyte group was significantly separated from the control group by the orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis models, indicating that metabolic state of osteophyte cartilage had been changed. In total, 28 metabolic variations further validated by mass spectrum (MS) match, tandom mass spectrum (MS/MS) match, and standards match mainly included amino acids, sulfonic acids, glycerophospholipids, and fatty acyls. These metabolites were related to some specific physiological or pathological processes (collagen dissolution, boundary layers destroyed, self-restoration triggered, etc.) which might be associated with the procedure of osteophyte formation. Pathway analysis showed phenylalanine metabolism (PI = 0.168, p = 0.004) was highly correlative to this degenerative process. Our findings provided a direction for targeted metabolomic study and an insight into further reveal the molecular mechanisms of ostophyte formation.

Validating an Agency-based Tool for Measuring Women's Empowerment in a Complex Public Health Trial in Rural Nepal.

PubMed

Gram, Lu; Morrison, Joanna; Sharma, Neha; Shrestha, Bhim; Manandhar, Dharma; Costello, Anthony; Saville, Naomi; Skordis-Worrall, Jolene

2017-01-02

Despite the rising popularity of indicators of women's empowerment in global development programmes, little work has been done on the validity of existing measures of such a complex concept. We present a mixed methods validation of the use of the Relative Autonomy Index for measuring Amartya Sen's notion of agency freedom in rural Nepal. Analysis of think-aloud interviews ( n  = 7) indicated adequate respondent understanding of questionnaire items, but multiple problems of interpretation including difficulties with the four-point Likert scale, questionnaire item ambiguity and difficulties with translation. Exploratory Factor Analysis of a calibration sample ( n  = 511) suggested two positively correlated factors ( r  = 0.64) loading on internally and externally motivated behaviour. Both factors increased with decreasing education and decision-making power on large expenditures and food preparation. Confirmatory Factor Analysis on a validation sample ( n  = 509) revealed good fit (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation 0.05-0.08, Comparative Fit Index 0.91-0.99). In conclusion, we caution against uncritical use of agency-based quantification of women's empowerment. While qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed overall satisfactory construct and content validity, the positive correlation between external and internal motivations suggests the existence of adaptive preferences. High scores on internally motivated behaviour may reflect internalized oppression rather than agency freedom.

Validating an Agency-based Tool for Measuring Women’s Empowerment in a Complex Public Health Trial in Rural Nepal

PubMed Central

Gram, Lu; Morrison, Joanna; Sharma, Neha; Shrestha, Bhim; Manandhar, Dharma; Costello, Anthony; Saville, Naomi; Skordis-Worrall, Jolene

2017-01-01

Abstract Despite the rising popularity of indicators of women’s empowerment in global development programmes, little work has been done on the validity of existing measures of such a complex concept. We present a mixed methods validation of the use of the Relative Autonomy Index for measuring Amartya Sen’s notion of agency freedom in rural Nepal. Analysis of think-aloud interviews (n = 7) indicated adequate respondent understanding of questionnaire items, but multiple problems of interpretation including difficulties with the four-point Likert scale, questionnaire item ambiguity and difficulties with translation. Exploratory Factor Analysis of a calibration sample (n = 511) suggested two positively correlated factors (r = 0.64) loading on internally and externally motivated behaviour. Both factors increased with decreasing education and decision-making power on large expenditures and food preparation. Confirmatory Factor Analysis on a validation sample (n = 509) revealed good fit (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation 0.05–0.08, Comparative Fit Index 0.91–0.99). In conclusion, we caution against uncritical use of agency-based quantification of women’s empowerment. While qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed overall satisfactory construct and content validity, the positive correlation between external and internal motivations suggests the existence of adaptive preferences. High scores on internally motivated behaviour may reflect internalized oppression rather than agency freedom. PMID:28303173

Optimal least-squares finite element method for elliptic problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jiang, Bo-Nan; Povinelli, Louis A.

1991-01-01

An optimal least squares finite element method is proposed for two dimensional and three dimensional elliptic problems and its advantages are discussed over the mixed Galerkin method and the usual least squares finite element method. In the usual least squares finite element method, the second order equation (-Delta x (Delta u) + u = f) is recast as a first order system (-Delta x p + u = f, Delta u - p = 0). The error analysis and numerical experiment show that, in this usual least squares finite element method, the rate of convergence for flux p is one order lower than optimal. In order to get an optimal least squares method, the irrotationality Delta x p = 0 should be included in the first order system.

Discrimination of Aurantii Fructus Immaturus and Fructus Poniciri Trifoliatae Immaturus by Flow Injection UV Spectroscopy (FIUV) and 1H NMR using Partial Least-squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Two simple fingerprinting methods, flow-injection UV spectroscopy (FIUV) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), for discrimination of Aurantii FructusImmaturus and Fructus Poniciri TrifoliataeImmaturususing were described. Both methods were combined with partial least-squares discriminant analysis...

Past, Present and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castellano, Doc

2001-05-01

'Back to the Future'! Who achieved What, When, Why and How is presented. A chronological Review from Galileo's fundamental concepts to today. An analysis of the validity of said concepts. Especially a critical analysis of Einstein's opinion that the velocity of c is the 'ultimate' Universal velocity. --- The Author presents ``21st C TMP''; per the PhD company's analysis of our dynamic Universe. Namely, X' = X - vt/[square root 1 - (v squared/C squared)]. Capital C equal to or GREATER than c, Einstein's 'ultimate' velocity. --- And " MAPHICS ", (TM); MA from MAthematics; and PHICS from PHysICS. " MAPHICS " the ``Omega Science'' that combines the Philosophy of Mathematics with the Philososphy of Physics into ONE Philosophy. `` MAPHICS '' (TM) is presented and explained. Its claimed speed and power of infinite resolution is demonstrated.

Effect of genetic algorithm as a variable selection method on different chemometric models applied for the analysis of binary mixture of amoxicillin and flucloxacillin: A comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attia, Khalid A. M.; Nassar, Mohammed W. I.; El-Zeiny, Mohamed B.; Serag, Ahmed

2016-03-01

Different chemometric models were applied for the quantitative analysis of amoxicillin (AMX), and flucloxacillin (FLX) in their binary mixtures, namely, partial least squares (PLS), spectral residual augmented classical least squares (SRACLS), concentration residual augmented classical least squares (CRACLS) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). All methods were applied with and without variable selection procedure (genetic algorithm GA). The methods were used for the quantitative analysis of the drugs in laboratory prepared mixtures and real market sample via handling the UV spectral data. Robust and simpler models were obtained by applying GA. The proposed methods were found to be rapid, simple and required no preliminary separation steps.

Square-Wave Ocular Oscillation and Ataxia in an Anti-GAD-Positive Individual With Hypothyroidism.

PubMed

Brokalaki, Chrysoula; Kararizou, Evangelia; Dimitrakopoulos, Antonis; Evdokimidis, Ioannis; Anagnostou, Evangelos

2015-12-01

Cerebellar ataxia is an uncommon manifestation of hypothyroidism with unknown pathomechanism. The few descriptions of the clinical phenotype range from limb, gait, and trunk ataxia to various ocular motor abnormalities. We evaluated a 62-year-old woman with previously undetected severe hypothyroidism who presented with prominent saccadic intrusions and gait ataxia. She had high titers of antithyroid autoantibodies and anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (anti-GAD) antibodies. Horizontal eye movement recordings revealed a series of nearly continuous pseudoharmonic square wave jerks (SWJs) constituting a square wave oscillation. Amplitudes reached maximum values of about 4, and wave frequency approached 100 cycles per minute. Thyroxine substitution and corticosteroid administration had little effect on SWJ parameters. The square wave oscillation nearly completely resolved after a single treatment session with intravenous immunoglobulin suggesting a causal link between an autoimmune process and the cerebellar dysfunction. Current concepts of the genesis of saccadic intrusions favor a role for anti-GAD antibodies in the etiology of SWJs.

Morphologies and optical and electrical properties of InGaN/GaN micro-square array light-emitting diode chips.

PubMed

Han, Dan; Ma, Shufang; Jia, Zhigang; Liu, Peizhi; Jia, Wei; Shang, Lin; Zhai, Guangmei; Xu, Bingshe

2018-04-10

InGaN/GaN micro-square array light-emitting diode (LED) chips (micro-chips) have been prepared via the focused ion beam (FIB) etching technique, which can not only reduce ohmic contact degradation but also control the aspect ratio precisely in three-dimensional (3D) structure LED (3D-LED) device fabrication. The effects of FIB beam current and micro-square array depth on morphologies and optical and electrical properties of the micro-chips have been studied. Our results show that sidewall surface morphology and optical and electrical properties of the micro-chips degrade with increased beam current. After potassium hydroxide etching with different times, an optimal current-voltage and luminescence performance can be obtained. Combining the results of cathodoluminescence mappings and light output-current characteristics, the light extraction efficiency of the micro-chips is reduced as FIB etch depth increases. The mechanisms of micro-square depth on light extraction have been revealed by 3D finite difference time domain.

Chi-Squared Test of Fit and Sample Size-A Comparison between a Random Sample Approach and a Chi-Square Value Adjustment Method.

PubMed

Bergh, Daniel

2015-01-01

Chi-square statistics are commonly used for tests of fit of measurement models. Chi-square is also sensitive to sample size, which is why several approaches to handle large samples in test of fit analysis have been developed. One strategy to handle the sample size problem may be to adjust the sample size in the analysis of fit. An alternative is to adopt a random sample approach. The purpose of this study was to analyze and to compare these two strategies using simulated data. Given an original sample size of 21,000, for reductions of sample sizes down to the order of 5,000 the adjusted sample size function works as good as the random sample approach. In contrast, when applying adjustments to sample sizes of lower order the adjustment function is less effective at approximating the chi-square value for an actual random sample of the relevant size. Hence, the fit is exaggerated and misfit under-estimated using the adjusted sample size function. Although there are big differences in chi-square values between the two approaches at lower sample sizes, the inferences based on the p-values may be the same.

Single-crystal growth, structure refinement and the properties of Bis(glycine) Strontium Chloride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaji, S. R.; Balu, T.; Rajasekaran, T. R.

2018-02-01

Single crystals of Bis (glycine) Strontium Chloride (BGSC) were grown by means of slow evaporation process by using analar grade Glycine and Strontium Chloride Hexahydrate as a parent compound from its aqueous solution at room temperature. The final chemical composition, [{{Sr}}{({{{C}}}2{{{H}}}5{{{NO}}}2)}2{{{Cl}}}2].{{{H}}}4{{{O}}}3+{{{H}}}8{{{O}}}3, formed were metallic light colorless block, about the size of 28 mm × 9 mm × 8 mm. A single-crystal x-ray diffraction study revealed an ordered superstructure with orthorhombic symmetry that could be assigned to the space group Pbcn. The structure in BGSC, revealed in the electron density distribution was analyzed by the direct methods (SHELXS-2014) and refined by least squares full matrix method (SHELXL-2014). The crystal structure, including anisotropic atomic displacement parameters for each atom and isotropic atomic displacement parameters for hydrogen atom, was refined to R1 = 0.0395, wR2 = 0.0776 using 1097 independent reflections. The FTIR spectrum of BGSC confirms the protonation of amino groups and the different molecular groups present in BGSC vibrate in different modes. Reverse Indentation Size Effect (RISE) was revealed in BGSC in the micro-hardness analysis using Vicker’s micro-hardness analysis. DTA and DSC results ruled out the possibility of structural change independent of mass change. The AFM studies shows fine nano size fiber like structure of the grown crystals.

30-Year Satellite Record Reveals Accelerated Arctic Sea Ice Loss, Antarctic Sea Ice Trend Reversal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cavalieri, Donald J.; Parkinson, C. L.; Vinnikov, K. Y.

2003-01-01

Arctic sea ice extent decreased by 0.30 plus or minus 0.03 x 10(exp 6) square kilometers per decade from 1972 through 2002, but decreased by 0.36 plus or minus 0.05 x 10(exp 6) square kilometers per decade from 1979 through 2002, indicating an acceleration of 20% in the rate of decrease. In contrast to the Arctic, the Antarctic sea ice extent decreased dramatically over the period 1973-1977, then gradually increased, with an overall 30-year trend of -0.15 plus or minus 0.08 x 10(exp 6) square kilometers per 10yr. The trend reversal is attributed to a large positive anomaly in Antarctic sea ice extent observed in the early 1970's.

Quantitative weaknesses of the Marcus-Hush theory of electrode kinetics revealed by Reverse Scan Square Wave Voltammetry: The reduction of 2-methyl-2-nitropropane at mercury microelectrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laborda, Eduardo; Wang, Yijun; Henstridge, Martin C.; Martínez-Ortiz, Francisco; Molina, Angela; Compton, Richard G.

2011-08-01

The Marcus-Hush and Butler-Volmer kinetic electrode models are compared experimentally by studying the reduction of 2-methyl-2-nitropropane in acetonitrile at mercury microelectrodes using Reverse Scan Square Wave Voltammetry. This technique is found to be very sensitive to the electrode kinetics and to permit critical comparison of the two models. The Butler-Volmer model satisfactorily fits the experimental data whereas Marcus-Hush does not quantitatively describe this redox system.

Antidot shape dependence of switching mechanism in permalloy samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yetiş, Hakan; Denizli, Haluk

2017-01-01

We study antidot shape dependence of the switching magnetization for various permalloy samples with square and triangular arrays of nanometer scale antidots. The remnant magnetization, squareness ratio, and coercive fields of the samples are extracted from the hysteresis loops which are obtained by solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation numerically. We find several different magnetic spin configurations which reveal the existence of superdomain wall structures. Our results are discussed in terms of the local shape anisotropy, array geometry, and symmetry properties in order to explain the formation of inhomogeneous domain structures.

Four Major South Korea's Rivers Using Deep Learning Models.

PubMed

Lee, Sangmok; Lee, Donghyun

2018-06-24

Harmful algal blooms are an annual phenomenon that cause environmental damage, economic losses, and disease outbreaks. A fundamental solution to this problem is still lacking, thus, the best option for counteracting the effects of algal blooms is to improve advance warnings (predictions). However, existing physical prediction models have difficulties setting a clear coefficient indicating the relationship between each factor when predicting algal blooms, and many variable data sources are required for the analysis. These limitations are accompanied by high time and economic costs. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence and deep learning methods have become increasingly common in scientific research; attempts to apply the long short-term memory (LSTM) model to environmental research problems are increasing because the LSTM model exhibits good performance for time-series data prediction. However, few studies have applied deep learning models or LSTM to algal bloom prediction, especially in South Korea, where algal blooms occur annually. Therefore, we employed the LSTM model for algal bloom prediction in four major rivers of South Korea. We conducted short-term (one week) predictions by employing regression analysis and deep learning techniques on a newly constructed water quality and quantity dataset drawn from 16 dammed pools on the rivers. Three deep learning models (multilayer perceptron, MLP; recurrent neural network, RNN; and long short-term memory, LSTM) were used to predict chlorophyll-a, a recognized proxy for algal activity. The results were compared to those from OLS (ordinary least square) regression analysis and actual data based on the root mean square error (RSME). The LSTM model showed the highest prediction rate for harmful algal blooms and all deep learning models out-performed the OLS regression analysis. Our results reveal the potential for predicting algal blooms using LSTM and deep learning.

1H NMR-based metabolic profiling reveals the effects of fluoxetine on lipid and amino acid metabolism in astrocytes.

PubMed

Bai, Shunjie; Zhou, Chanjuan; Cheng, Pengfei; Fu, Yuying; Fang, Liang; Huang, Wen; Yu, Jia; Shao, Weihua; Wang, Xinfa; Liu, Meiling; Zhou, Jingjing; Xie, Peng

2015-04-15

Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is a prescribed and effective antidepressant and generally used for the treatment of depression. Previous studies have revealed that the antidepressant mechanism of fluoxetine was related to astrocytes. However, the therapeutic mechanism underlying its mode of action in astrocytes remains largely unclear. In this study, primary astrocytes were exposed to 10 µM fluoxetine; 24 h post-treatment, a high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomic approach coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was used to characterize the metabolic variations of intracellular metabolites. The orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots of the spectra demonstrated that the fluoxetine-treated astrocytes were significantly distinguished from the untreated controls. In total, 17 differential metabolites were identified to discriminate the two groups. These key metabolites were mainly involved in lipids, lipid metabolism-related molecules and amino acids. This is the first study to indicate that fluoxetine may exert antidepressant action by regulating the astrocyte's lipid and amino acid metabolism. These findings should aid our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying fluoxetine therapy.

1H NMR-Based Metabolic Profiling Reveals the Effects of Fluoxetine on Lipid and Amino Acid Metabolism in Astrocytes

PubMed Central

Bai, Shunjie; Zhou, Chanjuan; Cheng, Pengfei; Fu, Yuying; Fang, Liang; Huang, Wen; Yu, Jia; Shao, Weihua; Wang, Xinfa; Liu, Meiling; Zhou, Jingjing; Xie, Peng

2015-01-01

Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), is a prescribed and effective antidepressant and generally used for the treatment of depression. Previous studies have revealed that the antidepressant mechanism of fluoxetine was related to astrocytes. However, the therapeutic mechanism underlying its mode of action in astrocytes remains largely unclear. In this study, primary astrocytes were exposed to 10 µM fluoxetine; 24 h post-treatment, a high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomic approach coupled with multivariate statistical analysis was used to characterize the metabolic variations of intracellular metabolites. The orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) score plots of the spectra demonstrated that the fluoxetine-treated astrocytes were significantly distinguished from the untreated controls. In total, 17 differential metabolites were identified to discriminate the two groups. These key metabolites were mainly involved in lipids, lipid metabolism-related molecules and amino acids. This is the first study to indicate that fluoxetine may exert antidepressant action by regulating the astrocyte’s lipid and amino acid metabolism. These findings should aid our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying fluoxetine therapy. PMID:25884334

Error analysis on squareness of multi-sensor integrated CMM for the multistep registration method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yan; Wang, Yiwen; Ye, Xiuling; Wang, Zhong; Fu, Luhua

2018-01-01

The multistep registration(MSR) method in [1] is to register two different classes of sensors deployed on z-arm of CMM(coordinate measuring machine): a video camera and a tactile probe sensor. In general, it is difficult to obtain a very precise registration result with a single common standard, instead, this method is achieved by measuring two different standards with a constant distance between them two which are fixed on a steel plate. Although many factors have been considered such as the measuring ability of sensors, the uncertainty of the machine and the number of data pairs, there is no exact analysis on the squareness between the x-axis and the y-axis on the xy plane. For this sake, error analysis on the squareness of multi-sensor integrated CMM for the multistep registration method will be made to examine the validation of the MSR method. Synthetic experiments on the squareness on the xy plane for the simplified MSR with an inclination rotation are simulated, which will lead to a regular result. Experiments have been carried out with the multi-standard device designed also in [1], meanwhile, inspections with the help of a laser interferometer on the xy plane have been carried out. The final results are conformed to the simulations, and the squareness errors of the MSR method are also similar to the results of interferometer. In other word, the MSR can also adopted/utilized to verify the squareness of a CMM.

Differentiation of Chinese rice wines from different wineries based on mineral elemental fingerprinting.

PubMed

Shen, Fei; Wu, Jian; Ying, Yibin; Li, Bobin; Jiang, Tao

2013-12-15

Discrimination of Chinese rice wines from three well-known wineries ("Guyuelongshan", "Kuaijishan", and "Pagoda") in China has been carried out according to mineral element contents in this study. Nineteen macro and trace mineral elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, V, Cr, Co, Ni, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Ba and Pb) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 117 samples. Then the experimental data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) to reveal significant differences and potential patterns between samples. Stepwise linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to develop classification models and achieved correct classified rates of 100% and 97.4% for the prediction sample set, respectively. The discrimination could be attributed to different raw materials (mainly water) and elaboration processes employed. The results indicate that the element compositions combined with multivariate analysis can be used as fingerprinting techniques to protect prestigious wineries and enable the authenticity of Chinese rice wine. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Shotgun metabolomic approach based on mass spectrometry for hepatic mitochondria of mice under arsenic exposure.

PubMed

García-Sevillano, M A; García-Barrera, T; Navarro, F; Montero-Lobato, Z; Gómez-Ariza, J L

2015-04-01

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based toxicometabolomics requires analytical approaches for obtaining unbiased metabolic profiles. The present work explores the general application of direct infusion MS using a high mass resolution analyzer (a hybrid systems triple quadrupole-time-of-flight) and a complementary gas chromatography-MS analysis to mitochondria extracts from mouse hepatic cells, emphasizing on mitochondria isolation from hepatic cells with a commercial kit, sample treatment after cell lysis, comprehensive metabolomic analysis and pattern recognition from metabolic profiles. Finally, the metabolomic platform was successfully checked on a case-study based on the exposure experiment of mice Mus musculus to inorganic arsenic during 12 days. Endogenous metabolites alterations were recognized by partial least squares-discriminant analysis. Subsequently, metabolites were identified by combining MS/MS analysis and metabolomics databases. This work reports for the first time the effects of As-exposure on hepatic mitochondria metabolic pathways based on MS, and reveals disturbances in Krebs cycle, β-oxidation pathway, amino acids degradation and perturbations in creatine levels. This non-target analysis provides extensive metabolic information from mitochondrial organelle, which could be applied to toxicology, pharmacology and clinical studies.

Wind Tunnel Strain-Gage Balance Calibration Data Analysis Using a Weighted Least Squares Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ulbrich, N.; Volden, T.

2017-01-01

A new approach is presented that uses a weighted least squares fit to analyze wind tunnel strain-gage balance calibration data. The weighted least squares fit is specifically designed to increase the influence of single-component loadings during the regression analysis. The weighted least squares fit also reduces the impact of calibration load schedule asymmetries on the predicted primary sensitivities of the balance gages. A weighting factor between zero and one is assigned to each calibration data point that depends on a simple count of its intentionally loaded load components or gages. The greater the number of a data point's intentionally loaded load components or gages is, the smaller its weighting factor becomes. The proposed approach is applicable to both the Iterative and Non-Iterative Methods that are used for the analysis of strain-gage balance calibration data in the aerospace testing community. The Iterative Method uses a reasonable estimate of the tare corrected load set as input for the determination of the weighting factors. The Non-Iterative Method, on the other hand, uses gage output differences relative to the natural zeros as input for the determination of the weighting factors. Machine calibration data of a six-component force balance is used to illustrate benefits of the proposed weighted least squares fit. In addition, a detailed derivation of the PRESS residuals associated with a weighted least squares fit is given in the appendices of the paper as this information could not be found in the literature. These PRESS residuals may be needed to evaluate the predictive capabilities of the final regression models that result from a weighted least squares fit of the balance calibration data.

Restoration and the City: The Role of Public Urban Squares

PubMed Central

San Juan, César; Subiza-Pérez, Mikel; Vozmediano, Laura

2017-01-01

Over recent decades, the study of psychological restoration has attracted a considerable amount of interest within and without the boundaries of environmental psychology, with most of the work focused on analyzing restoration in natural contexts. However, little attention has been paid to the (possible) restorative potential of urban settings, as they have usually been expected not to be restorative and to present some elements that might imply negative health outcomes in the short and long term. In this field study, our aim was to evaluate restoration in urban squares. To this end, we measured participants' attentional and affective states both before and after spending half an hour in an urban square. A sample of 46 subjects contemplated and walked through one of the two selected squares that differed in restorative potential (PRS). Analyses revealed a statistically significant increase in cognitive performance and a decrease in negative affect in both squares. They also showed that participants reported greater stress recovery rates in one of the settings. These results support the idea that cities can be potentially restorative and justify the relevance of a research area focused on the urban designs, which may offer psychological benefits to urban citizens. PMID:29270139

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and demographic correlate models of the strategies for weight management measure for overweight or obese adults.

PubMed

Kolodziejczyk, Julia K; Norman, Gregory J; Roesch, Scott C; Rock, Cheryl L; Arredondo, Elva M; Madanat, Hala; Patrick, Kevin

2015-01-01

There is a need for a self-report measure that assesses use of recommended strategies related to weight management. Cross-sectional analysis. Universities, community. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) involved data from 404 overweight/obese young adults (mean age = 22 years, 48% non-Hispanic white, 68% ethnic minority). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) involved data from 236 overweight/obese adults (mean age = 42 years, 63% non-Hispanic white, 84% ethnic minority). The Strategies for Weight Management (SWM) measure is a 35-item questionnaire that assesses use of recommended behavioral strategies for reducing energy intake and increasing energy expenditure in overweight/obese adults. EFA and CFA were conducted on the SWM. Correlate models assessed the associations between SWM factor/total scores and demographics by using linear regressions. EFA suggested a four-factor model: strategies categorized as targeting (1) energy intake, (2) energy expenditure, (3) self-monitoring, and (4) self-regulation. CFA indicated good model fit (χ(2)/df = 2.0, comparative fit index = .90, standardized root mean square residual = .06, and root mean square error of approximation = .07, confidence interval = .06-.08, R(2) = .11-.74). The fourth factor had the lowest loadings, possibly because the items cover a wide domain. The final model included 20 items. Correlate models revealed weak associations between the SWM scores and age, gender, Hispanic ethnicity, and relationship status in both samples, with the models explaining only 1% to 8% of the variance (betas = -.04 to .29, p < .05). The SWM has promising psychometric qualities in two diverse samples.

Spectral, thermal, kinetic, molecular modeling and eukaryotic DNA degradation studies for a new series of albendazole (HABZ) complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Metwaly, Nashwa M.; Refat, Moamen S.

2011-01-01

This work represents the elaborated investigation for the ligational behavior of the albendazole ligand through its coordination with, Cu(II), Mn(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Cr(III) ions. Elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic moment, spectral studies (IR, UV-Vis and ESR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG and DTG) have been used to characterize the isolated complexes. A deliberate comparison for the IR spectra reveals that the ligand coordinated with all mentioned metal ions by the same manner as a neutral bidentate through carbonyl of ester moiety and NH groups. The proposed chelation form for such complexes is expected through out the preparation conditions in a relatively acidic medium. The powder XRD study reflects the amorphous nature for the investigated complexes except Mn(II). The conductivity measurements reflect the non-electrolytic feature for all complexes. In comparing with the constants for the magnetic measurements as well as the electronic spectral data, the octahedral structure was proposed strongly for Cr(III) and Ni(II), the tetrahedral for Co(II) and Mn(II) complexes but the square-pyramidal for the Cu(II) one. The thermogravimetric analysis confirms the presence or absence of water molecules by any type of attachments. Also, the kinetic parameters are estimated from DTG and TG curves. ESR spectrum data for Cu(II) solid complex confirms the square-pyramidal state is the most fitted one for the coordinated structure. The albendazole ligand and its complexes are biologically investigated against two bacteria as well as their effective effect on degradation of calf thymus DNA.

Appointment length, psychiatrists' communication behaviors, and medication management appointment adherence.

PubMed

Cruz, Mario; Roter, Debra L; Cruz, Robyn F; Wieland, Melissa; Larson, Susan; Cooper, Lisa A; Pincus, Harold Alan

2013-09-01

The authors explored the relationship between critical elements of medication management appointments (appointment length, patient-centered talk, and positive nonverbal affect among providers) and patient appointment adherence. The authors used an exploratory, cross-sectional design employing quantitative analysis of 83 unique audio recordings of split treatment medication management appointments for 46 African-American and 37 white patients with 24 psychiatrists at four ambulatory mental health clinics. All patients had a diagnosis of depression. Data collected included demographic information; Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores for depression severity; psychiatrist verbal and nonverbal communication behaviors during medication management appointments, identified by the Roter Interaction Analysis System during analysis of audio recordings; and appointment adherence. Bivariate analyses were employed to identify covariates that might influence appointment adherence. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were employed to assess the relationship between appointment length, psychiatrist patient-centered talk, and positive voice tone ratings and patient appointment adherence, while adjusting for covariates and the clustering of observations within psychiatrists. Wald chi square analyses were used to test whether all or some variables significantly influenced appointment adherence. GEE revealed a significant relationship between positive voice tone ratings and appointment adherence (p=.03). Chi square analyses confirmed the hypothesis of a positive and significant relationship between appointment adherence and positive voice tone ratings (p=.03) but not longer visit length and more patient-centered communication. The nonverbal conveyance of positive affect was associated with greater adherence to medication management appointments by depressed patients. These findings potentially have important implications for communication skills training and adherence research.

Detection of novel coupled mutations in the katG gene (His276Met, Gln295His and Ser315Thr) in a multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain from Chennai, India, and insight into the molecular mechanism of isoniazid resistance using structural bioinformatics approaches.

PubMed

Ramasubban, Gayathri; Therese, Kulandai Lily; Vetrivel, Umashankar; Sivashanmugam, Muthukumaran; Rajan, Parvathy; Sridhar, R; Madhavan, Hajib N; Meenakshi, N

2011-04-01

This study reports on the structural basis of drug resistance targeting the katG gene in a multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strain with two novel mutations (His276Met and Gln295His) in addition to the most commonly reported mutation (Ser315Thr). A structural bioinformatics approach was used to predict the structure of the mutant KatG enzyme (MT). Subsequent molecular dynamics and docking studies were performed to explain the mechanism of isoniazid (INH) resistance. The results show significant conformational changes in the structure of MT leading to a change in INH binding residues at the active site, with a significant increase in the inhibition constant (Ki) of 5.67 μm in the mutant KatG-isoniazid complex (MT-INH) compared with the wild-type KatG-isoniazid complex (WT-INH). In the case of molecular dynamics studies, root mean square deviation (RMSD) analysis of the protein backbone in simulated biological conditions revealed an unstable trajectory with higher deviations in MT throughout the simulation process (1 ns). Moreover, root mean square fluctuation (RMSF) analysis revealed an overall increase in residual fluctuations in MT compared with the wild-type KatG enzyme (WT), whilst the INH binding residues of MT showed a decreased fluctuation that can be observed as peak deviations. Hence, the present study suggests that His276Met, Gln295His and Ser315Thr mutations targeting the katG gene result in decreased stability and flexibility of the protein at INH binding residues leading to impaired enzyme function. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. and the International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.

Analysis of correlated domain motions in IgG light chain reveals possible mechanisms of immunological signal transduction.

PubMed

Król, Marcin; Roterman, Irena; Piekarska, Barbara; Konieczny, Leszek; Rybarska, Janina; Stopa, Barbara; Spólnik, Paweł

2005-05-15

It was shown experimentally that binding of a micelle composed of Congo red molecules to immunological complexes leads to the enhanced stability of the latter, and simultaneously prevents binding of a complement molecule (C1q). The dye binds in a cavity created by the removal of N-terminal polypeptide chain, as observed experimentally in a model system-immunoglobulin G (IgG) light chain dimer. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of three forms of IgG light chain dimer, with and without the dye, were performed to investigate the role of N-terminal fragment and self-assembled ligand in coupling between V and C domains. Root-mean-square distance (RMSD) time profiles show that removal of N-terminal fragment leads to destabilization of V domain. A micelle composed of four self-assembled dye molecules stabilizes and fixes the domain. Analysis of root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF) values and dynamic cross-correlation matrices (DCCM) reveals that removal of N-terminal fragment results in complete decoupling between V and C domains. Binding of self-assembled Congo red molecules improves the coupling, albeit slightly. The disruption of a small beta-sheet composed of N- and C-terminal fragments of the domain (NC sheet) is the most likely reason for the decoupling. Self-assembled ligand, bound in the place originally occupied by N-terminal fragment, is not able to take over the function of the beta-sheet. Lack of correlation of motions between residues in V and C domains denotes that light chain-Congo red complexes have hampered ability to transmit conformational changes between domains. This is a likely explanation of the lack of complement binding by immunological complexes, which bind Congo red, and supports the idea that the NC sheet is the key structural fragment taking part in immunological signal transduction. Copyright 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A Nationwide Learning-Style Assessment of Undergraduate Athletic Training Students in CAAHEP-Accredited Athletic Training Programs

PubMed Central

Stradley, Stephanie L.; Buckley, Bernadette D.; Kaminski, Thomas W.; Horodyski, MaryBeth; Fleming, David; Janelle, Christopher M.

2002-01-01

Objective: To identify the learning styles and preferred environmental characteristics of undergraduate athletic training students in Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)-accredited athletic training education programs and to determine if learning-style differences existed among geographic regions of the country. Design and Setting: Fifty CAAHEP-accredited athletic training programs were randomly selected in proportion to the number of programs in each geographic region. Ten students from each school were selected to complete the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS). Subjects: A total of 193 undergraduate athletic training students (84 men, 109 women) with a mean age of 22.3 ± 2.8 years completed the PEPS, while 188 students completed the LSI. Measurements: We used chi-square analyses to determine if differences existed in learning-style type and if these differences were based on geographic location. We calculated analysis of variance to determine if there were any geographic differences in the mean overall combination scores of the LSI. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the PEPS. Results: The overall return rate was 38%. The chi-square analyses revealed no significant difference in learning-style type for athletic training students, regardless of the geographic region. The LSI yielded a relatively even distribution of learning styles: 29.3% of the students were accommodators, 19.7% were divergers, 21.8% were convergers, and 29.3% were assimilators. The overall mean combination scores were 4.9 (abstract-concrete) and 4.9 (active-reflective), and analysis of variance indicated no significant difference in the mean combination scores among the geographic regions. The PEPS revealed that undergraduate athletic training students demonstrated a strong preference for learning in the afternoon. Conclusions: Undergraduate athletic training students demonstrated great diversity in learning style. Educators must strongly consider this diversity and incorporate teaching methods that will benefit all types of learners. PMID:12937535

Least-Squares Regression and Spectral Residual Augmented Classical Least-Squares Chemometric Models for Stability-Indicating Analysis of Agomelatine and Its Degradation Products: A Comparative Study.

PubMed

Naguib, Ibrahim A; Abdelrahman, Maha M; El Ghobashy, Mohamed R; Ali, Nesma A

2016-01-01

Two accurate, sensitive, and selective stability-indicating methods are developed and validated for simultaneous quantitative determination of agomelatine (AGM) and its forced degradation products (Deg I and Deg II), whether in pure forms or in pharmaceutical formulations. Partial least-squares regression (PLSR) and spectral residual augmented classical least-squares (SRACLS) are two chemometric models that are being subjected to a comparative study through handling UV spectral data in range (215-350 nm). For proper analysis, a three-factor, four-level experimental design was established, resulting in a training set consisting of 16 mixtures containing different ratios of interfering species. An independent test set consisting of eight mixtures was used to validate the prediction ability of the suggested models. The results presented indicate the ability of mentioned multivariate calibration models to analyze AGM, Deg I, and Deg II with high selectivity and accuracy. The analysis results of the pharmaceutical formulations were statistically compared to the reference HPLC method, with no significant differences observed regarding accuracy and precision. The SRACLS model gives comparable results to the PLSR model; however, it keeps the qualitative spectral information of the classical least-squares algorithm for analyzed components.

A Stochastic Total Least Squares Solution of Adaptive Filtering Problem

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Noor Atinah

2014-01-01

An efficient and computationally linear algorithm is derived for total least squares solution of adaptive filtering problem, when both input and output signals are contaminated by noise. The proposed total least mean squares (TLMS) algorithm is designed by recursively computing an optimal solution of adaptive TLS problem by minimizing instantaneous value of weighted cost function. Convergence analysis of the algorithm is given to show the global convergence of the proposed algorithm, provided that the stepsize parameter is appropriately chosen. The TLMS algorithm is computationally simpler than the other TLS algorithms and demonstrates a better performance as compared with the least mean square (LMS) and normalized least mean square (NLMS) algorithms. It provides minimum mean square deviation by exhibiting better convergence in misalignment for unknown system identification under noisy inputs. PMID:24688412

Land use classification using texture information in ERTS-A MSS imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haralick, R. M. (Principal Investigator); Shanmugam, K. S.; Bosley, R.

1973-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Preliminary digital analysis of ERTS-1 MSS imagery reveals that the textural features of the imagery are very useful for land use classification. A procedure for extracting the textural features of ERTS-1 imagery is presented and the results of a land use classification scheme based on the textural features are also presented. The land use classification algorithm using textural features was tested on a 5100 square mile area covered by part of an ERTS-1 MSS band 5 image over the California coastline. The image covering this area was blocked into 648 subimages of size 8.9 square miles each. Based on a color composite of the image set, a total of 7 land use categories were identified. These land use categories are: coastal forest, woodlands, annual grasslands, urban areas, large irrigated fields, small irrigated fields, and water. The automatic classifier was trained to identify the land use categories using only the textural characteristics of the subimages; 75 percent of the subimages were assigned correct identifications. Since texture and spectral features provide completely different kinds of information, a significant increase in identification accuracy will take place when both features are used together.

Early detection of germinated wheat grains using terahertz image and chemometrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yuying; Ge, Hongyi; Lian, Feiyu; Zhang, Yuan; Xia, Shanhong

2016-02-01

In this paper, we propose a feasible tool that uses a terahertz (THz) imaging system for identifying wheat grains at different stages of germination. The THz spectra of the main changed components of wheat grains, maltose and starch, which were obtained by THz time spectroscopy, were distinctly different. Used for original data compression and feature extraction, principal component analysis (PCA) revealed the changes that occurred in the inner chemical structure during germination. Two thresholds, one indicating the start of the release of α-amylase and the second when it reaches the steady state, were obtained through the first five score images. Thus, the first five PCs were input for the partial least-squares regression (PLSR), least-squares support vector machine (LS-SVM), and back-propagation neural network (BPNN) models, which were used to classify seven different germination times between 0 and 48 h, with a prediction accuracy of 92.85%, 93.57%, and 90.71%, respectively. The experimental results indicated that the combination of THz imaging technology and chemometrics could be a new effective way to discriminate wheat grains at the early germination stage of approximately 6 h.

Geospatial analysis identifies critical mineral-resource potential in Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karl, Susan M.; Labay, Keith A.; Jacques, Katherine; Landowski, Claire

2017-03-03

Alaska consists of more than 663,000 square miles (1,717,000 square kilometers) of land—more than a sixth of the total area of the United States—and large tracts of it have not been systematically studied or sampled for mineral-resource potential. Many regions of the State are known to have significant mineral-resource potential, and there are currently six operating mines in the State along with numerous active mineral exploration projects. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys have developed a new geospatial tool that integrates and analyzes publicly available databases of geologic information and estimates the mineral-resource potential for critical minerals, which was recently used to evaluate Alaska. The results of the analyses highlight areas that have known mineral deposits and also reveal areas that were not previously considered to be prospective for these deposit types. These results will inform land management decisions by Federal, State, and private landholders, and will also help guide future exploration activities and scientific investigations in Alaska.

Synthesis, characterization, single crystal X-ray determination, fluorescence and electrochemical studies of new dinuclear nickel(II) and oxovanadium(IV) complexes containing double Schiff base ligands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shafaatian, Bita; Ozbakzaei, Zahra; Notash, Behrouz; Rezvani, S. Ahmad

2015-04-01

A series of new bimetallic complexes of nickel(II) and vanadium(IV) have been synthesized by the reaction of the new double bidentate Schiff base ligands with nickel acetate and vanadyl acetylacetonate in 1:1 M ratio. In nickel and also vanadyl complexes the ligands were coordinated to the metals via the imine N and enolic O atoms. The complexes have been found to possess 1:1 metals to ligands stoichiometry and the molar conductance data revealed that the metal complexes were non-electrolytes. The nickel and vanadyl complexes exhibited distorted square planar and square pyramidal coordination geometries, respectively. The emission spectra of the ligands and their complexes were studied in methanol. Electrochemical properties of the ligands and their metal complexes were also investigated in DMSO solvent at 150 mV s-1 scan rate. The ligands and metal complexes showed both quasi-reversible and irreversible processes at this scan rate. The Schiff bases and their complexes have been characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, UV/Vis spectroscopies, elemental analysis and conductometry. The crystal structure of the nickel complex has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Estimating Inflows to Lake Okeechobee Using Climate Indices: A Machine Learning Modeling Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalra, A.; Ahmad, S.

2008-12-01

The operation of regional water management systems that include lakes and storage reservoirs for flood control and water supply can be significantly improved by using climate indices. This research is focused on forecasting Lag 1 annual inflow to Lake Okeechobee, located in South Florida, using annual oceanic- atmospheric indices of Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), and El Nino-Southern Oscillations (ENSO). Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM), belonging to the class of data driven models, are developed to forecast annual lake inflow using annual oceanic-atmospheric indices data from 1914 to 2003. The models were trained with 80 years of data and tested for 10 years of data. Based on Correlation Coefficient, Root Means Square Error, and Mean Absolute Error model predictions were in good agreement with measured inflow volumes. Sensitivity analysis, performed to evaluate the effect of individual and coupled oscillations, revealed a strong signal for AMO and ENSO indices compared to PDO and NAO indices for one year lead-time inflow forecast. Inflow predictions from the SVM models were better when compared with the predictions obtained from feed forward back propagation Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models.

Response Surface Analysis of Experiments with Random Blocks

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

partitioned into a lack of fit sum of squares, SSLOF, and a pure error sum of squares, SSPE . The latter is obtained by pooling the pure error sums of squares...from the blocks. Tests concerning the polynomial effects can then proceed using SSPE as the error term in the denominators of the F test statistics. 3.2...the center point in each of the three blocks is equal to SSPE = 2.0127 with 5 degrees of freedom. Hence, the lack of fit sum of squares is SSLoF

Two ways to solve, using Lie group analysis, the fundamental valuation equation in the double-square-root model of the term structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinkala, W.

2011-01-01

Two approaches based on Lie group analysis are employed to obtain the closed-form solution of a partial differential equation derived by Francis A. Longstaff [J Financial Econom 1989;23:195-224] for the price of a discount bond in the double-square-root model of the term structure.

A Comparison of Approaches for the Analysis of Interaction Effects between Latent Variables Using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henseler, Jorg; Chin, Wynne W.

2010-01-01

In social and business sciences, the importance of the analysis of interaction effects between manifest as well as latent variables steadily increases. Researchers using partial least squares (PLS) to analyze interaction effects between latent variables need an overview of the available approaches as well as their suitability. This article…

Image-guided convection-enhanced delivery of muscimol to the primate brain

PubMed Central

Heiss, John D.; Walbridge, Stuart; Asthagiri, Ashok R.; Lonser, Russell R.

2009-01-01

Object Muscimol is a potent γ-aminobutyric acid-A receptor agonist (GABAA) that temporarily and selectively suppresses neurons. Targeted muscimol-suppression of neuronal structures could provide insight into the pathophysiology and treatment of a variety of neurologic disorders. To determine if muscimol delivered to the brain by convection-enhanced delivery (CED) could be monitored using a co-infused surrogate magnetic resonance (MR)-imaging tracer, we perfused the striata of primates with tritiated muscimol and gadolinium-DTPA. Methods Three primates underwent convective co-infusion of 3H-muscimol (0.8 μM) and gadolinium-DTPA (−5 mM) into the bilateral striata. Primates underwent serial MR-imaging during infusion and animals were sacrificed immediately after infusion. Post-mortem quantitative autoradiography and histological analysis was performed. Results MR-imaging revealed that infusate (tritiated muscimol and gadolinium-DTPA) distribution was clearly discernible from the non-infused parenchyma. Real-time MR-imaging of the infusion revealed the precise region of anatomic perfusion in each animal. Imaging analysis during infusion revealed that the distribution volume of infusate linearly increased (R=0.92) with volume of infusion. Overall, the mean (±S.D.) volume of distribution to volume of infusion ratio was 8.2±1.3. Autoradiographic analysis revealed that MR-imaging of gadolinium-DTPA closely correlated with the distribution of 3H-muscimol and precisely estimated its volume of distribution (mean difference in volume of distribution, 7.4%). Quantitative autoradiograms revealed that muscimol was homogeneously distributed over the perfused region in a square-shaped concentration profile. Conclusions Muscimol can be effectively delivered to clinically relevant volumes of the primate brain. Moreover, the distribution of muscimol can be tracked by co-infusion of gadolinium-DTPA using MR-imaging. The ability to accurately monitor and control the anatomic extent of muscimol distribution during its convection-enhanced delivery will enhance safety, permit correlations of muscimol distribution with clinical effect, and should lead to an improved understanding of the pathophysiologic processes underlying a variety of neurologic disorders. PMID:19715424

Analysis of surface-water data network in Kansas for effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information; with a section on theory and application of generalized least squares

USGS Publications Warehouse

Medina, K.D.; Tasker, Gary D.

1987-01-01

This report documents the results of an analysis of the surface-water data network in Kansas for its effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information. The network was analyzed using generalized least squares regression. The correlation and time-sampling error of the streamflow characteristic are considered in the generalized least squares method. Unregulated medium-, low-, and high-flow characteristics were selected to be representative of the regional information that can be obtained from streamflow-gaging-station records for use in evaluating the effectiveness of continuing the present network stations, discontinuing some stations, and (or) adding new stations. The analysis used streamflow records for all currently operated stations that were not affected by regulation and for discontinued stations for which unregulated flow characteristics, as well as physical and climatic characteristics, were available. The State was divided into three network areas, western, northeastern, and southeastern Kansas, and analysis was made for the three streamflow characteristics in each area, using three planning horizons. The analysis showed that the maximum reduction of sampling mean-square error for each cost level could be obtained by adding new stations and discontinuing some current network stations. Large reductions in sampling mean-square error for low-flow information could be achieved in all three network areas, the reduction in western Kansas being the most dramatic. The addition of new stations would be most beneficial for mean-flow information in western Kansas. The reduction of sampling mean-square error for high-flow information would benefit most from the addition of new stations in western Kansas. Southeastern Kansas showed the smallest error reduction in high-flow information. A comparison among all three network areas indicated that funding resources could be most effectively used by discontinuing more stations in northeastern and southeastern Kansas and establishing more new stations in western Kansas.

Performance of the Generalized S-X[squared] Item Fit Index for the Graded Response Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Taehoon; Chen, Troy T.

2011-01-01

The utility of Orlando and Thissen's ("2000", "2003") S-X[squared] fit index was extended to the model-fit analysis of the graded response model (GRM). The performance of a modified S-X[squared] in assessing item-fit of the GRM was investigated in light of empirical Type I error rates and power with a simulation study having…

Micromorphological characterization of zinc/silver particle composite coatings

PubMed Central

Méndez, Alia; Reyes, Yolanda; Trejo, Gabriel; StĘpień, Krzysztof

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the three‐dimensional (3D) surface micromorphology of zinc/silver particles (Zn/AgPs) composite coatings with antibacterial activity prepared using an electrodeposition technique. These 3D nanostructures were investigated over square areas of 5 μm × 5 μm by atomic force microscopy (AFM), fractal, and wavelet analysis. The fractal analysis of 3D surface roughness revealed that (Zn/AgPs) composite coatings have fractal geometry. Triangulation method, based on the linear interpolation type, applied for AFM data was employed in order to characterise the surfaces topographically (in amplitude, spatial distribution and pattern of surface characteristics). The surface fractal dimension D f, as well as height values distribution have been determined for the 3D nanostructure surfaces. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:1082–1089, 2015. © 2015 The Authors published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26500164

Coordination Polymer: Synthesis, Spectral Characterization and Thermal Behaviour of Starch-Urea Based Biodegradable Polymer and Its Polymer Metal Complexes

PubMed Central

Malik, Ashraf; Parveen, Shadma; Ahamad, Tansir; Alshehri, Saad M.; Singh, Prabal Kumar; Nishat, Nahid

2010-01-01

A starch-urea-based biodegradable coordination polymer modified by transition metal Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) was prepared by polycondensation of starch and urea. All the synthesized polymeric compounds were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), 1H-NMR spectroscopy, 13C-NMR spectroscopy, UV-visible spectra, magnetic moment measurements, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results of electronic spectra and magnetic moment measurements indicate that Mn(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) complexes show octahedral geometry, while Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes show square planar and tetrahedral geometry, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that all the polymeric metal complexes are more thermally stable than the parental ligand. In addition, biodegradable studies of all the polymeric compounds were also carried out through ASTM standards of biodegradable polymers by CO2 evolution method. PMID:20414461

Conserved linear dynamics of single-molecule Brownian motion.

PubMed

Serag, Maged F; Habuchi, Satoshi

2017-06-06

Macromolecular diffusion in homogeneous fluid at length scales greater than the size of the molecule is regarded as a random process. The mean-squared displacement (MSD) of molecules in this regime increases linearly with time. Here we show that non-random motion of DNA molecules in this regime that is undetectable by the MSD analysis can be quantified by characterizing the molecular motion relative to a latticed frame of reference. Our lattice occupancy analysis reveals unexpected sub-modes of motion of DNA that deviate from expected random motion in the linear, diffusive regime. We demonstrate that a subtle interplay between these sub-modes causes the overall diffusive motion of DNA to appear to conform to the linear regime. Our results show that apparently random motion of macromolecules could be governed by non-random dynamics that are detectable only by their relative motion. Our analytical approach should advance broad understanding of diffusion processes of fundamental relevance.

Conserved linear dynamics of single-molecule Brownian motion

PubMed Central

Serag, Maged F.; Habuchi, Satoshi

2017-01-01

Macromolecular diffusion in homogeneous fluid at length scales greater than the size of the molecule is regarded as a random process. The mean-squared displacement (MSD) of molecules in this regime increases linearly with time. Here we show that non-random motion of DNA molecules in this regime that is undetectable by the MSD analysis can be quantified by characterizing the molecular motion relative to a latticed frame of reference. Our lattice occupancy analysis reveals unexpected sub-modes of motion of DNA that deviate from expected random motion in the linear, diffusive regime. We demonstrate that a subtle interplay between these sub-modes causes the overall diffusive motion of DNA to appear to conform to the linear regime. Our results show that apparently random motion of macromolecules could be governed by non-random dynamics that are detectable only by their relative motion. Our analytical approach should advance broad understanding of diffusion processes of fundamental relevance. PMID:28585925

Conserved linear dynamics of single-molecule Brownian motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serag, Maged F.; Habuchi, Satoshi

2017-06-01

Macromolecular diffusion in homogeneous fluid at length scales greater than the size of the molecule is regarded as a random process. The mean-squared displacement (MSD) of molecules in this regime increases linearly with time. Here we show that non-random motion of DNA molecules in this regime that is undetectable by the MSD analysis can be quantified by characterizing the molecular motion relative to a latticed frame of reference. Our lattice occupancy analysis reveals unexpected sub-modes of motion of DNA that deviate from expected random motion in the linear, diffusive regime. We demonstrate that a subtle interplay between these sub-modes causes the overall diffusive motion of DNA to appear to conform to the linear regime. Our results show that apparently random motion of macromolecules could be governed by non-random dynamics that are detectable only by their relative motion. Our analytical approach should advance broad understanding of diffusion processes of fundamental relevance.

Morphologic dating of fault scarps using airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hilley, G.E.; Delong, S.; Prentice, C.; Blisniuk, K.; Arrowsmith, J.R.

2010-01-01

Models of fault scarp morphology have been previously used to infer the relative age of different fault scarps in a fault zone using labor-intensive ground surveying. We present a method for automatically extracting scarp morphologic ages within high-resolution digital topography. Scarp degradation is modeled as a diffusive mass transport process in the across-scarp direction. The second derivative of the modeled degraded fault scarp was normalized to yield the best-fitting (in a least-squared sense) scarp height at each point, and the signal-to-noise ratio identified those areas containing scarp-like topography. We applied this method to three areas along the San Andreas Fault and found correspondence between the mapped geometry of the fault and that extracted by our analysis. This suggests that the spatial distribution of scarp ages may be revealed by such an analysis, allowing the recent temporal development of a fault zone to be imaged along its length.

Understanding Turkish students' preferences for distance education depending on financial circumstances: A large-scale CHAID analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firat, Mehmet

2017-04-01

In the past, distance education was used as a method to meet the educational needs of citizens with limited options to attend an institution of higher education. Nowadays, it has become irreplaceable in higher education thanks to developments in instructional technology. But the question of why students choose distance education is still important. The purpose of this study was to determine Turkish students' reasons for choosing distance education and to investigate how these reasons differ depending on their financial circumstances. The author used a Chi squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) analysis to determine 18,856 Turkish students' reasons for choosing distance education. Results of the research revealed that Turkish students chose distance education not because of geographical limitations, family-related problems or economic difficulties, but for such reasons as already being engaged in their profession, increasing their knowledge, and seeking promotion to a better position.

Analysis of junior high school students' difficulty in resolving rectangular conceptual problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, Aliksia Kristiana Dwi; Mardiyana, Pramudya, Ikrar

2017-08-01

Geometry is one part of the mathematics that must be learned in school and it has important effects on the development of creative thinking skills of learners, but in fact, there are some difficulties experienced by the students. This research focuses on analysis difficulty in resolving rectangular conceptual problems among junior high school students in every creative thinking skills level. This research used a descriptive method aimed to identify the difficulties and cause of the difficulties experienced by five students. The difficulties are associated with rectangular shapes and related problems. Data collection was done based on students' work through test, interview, and observations. The result revealed that student' difficulties in understanding the rectangular concept can be found at every creative thinking skills level. The difficulties are identifying the objects rectangular in the daily life except for a rectangle and square, analyzing the properties of rectangular shapes, and seeing the interrelationships between figures.

Five novel lanthanide complexes with 2-chloroquinoline-4-carboxylic acid and 1,10-phenanthroline: Crystal structures, molecular spectra, thermal properties and bacteriostatic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ye; Jin, Cheng-Wei; He, Shu-Mei; Ren, Ning; Zhang, Jian-Jun

2016-12-01

Five novel lanthanide complexes [Ln2(2-ClQL)6(phen)2(H2O)2]·2H2O (Ln = Pr(1), Sm(2), Eu(3), Ho(4), Er(5)); 2-ClQL: 2-chloroquinoline-4-carboxylate; phen: 1,10-phenanthroline; were synthesized by conventional solution method at room temperature and characterized via elemental analysis, powder x-ray diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectrometry. The results indicate that complexes 1-5 are isostructural, and each Ln3+ ion is eight-coordinated adopting a distorted square antiprismatic molecular geometry. Binuclear complex 1 are stitched together via hydrogen bonding interactions to form 1D chains, and further to form 2D sheets by the π-π interactions. Luminescence investigation reveals that complex 3 displays strong red emission. TG/DTG-FTIR, reveal the thermal decomposition processes and products of title complexes. The bacteriostatic activities of the complexes were evaluated against Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus.

Neural congruence between intertemporal and interpersonal self-control: Evidence from delay and social discounting.

PubMed

Hill, Paul F; Yi, Richard; Spreng, R Nathan; Diana, Rachel A

2017-11-15

Behavioral studies using delay and social discounting as indices of self-control and altruism, respectively, have revealed functional similarities between farsighted and social decisions. However, neural evidence for this functional link is lacking. Twenty-five young adults completed a delay and social discounting task during fMRI scanning. A spatiotemporal partial least squares analysis revealed that both forms of discounting were well characterized by a pattern of brain activity in areas comprising frontoparietal control, default, and mesolimbic reward networks. Both forms of discounting appear to draw on common neurocognitive mechanisms, regardless of whether choices involve intertemporal or interpersonal outcomes. We also observed neural profiles differentiating between high and low discounters. High discounters were well characterized by increased medial temporal lobe and limbic activity. In contrast, low discount rates were associated with activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and right temporoparietal junction. This pattern may reflect biological mechanisms underlying behavioral heterogeneity in discount rates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-spectrometer calibration transfer based on independent component analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Yan; Xu, Hao; Xia, Zhenzhen; Gong, Zhiyong

2018-02-26

Calibration transfer is indispensable for practical applications of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy due to the need for precise and consistent measurements across different spectrometers. In this work, a method for multi-spectrometer calibration transfer is described based on independent component analysis (ICA). A spectral matrix is first obtained by aligning the spectra measured on different spectrometers. Then, by using independent component analysis, the aligned spectral matrix is decomposed into the mixing matrix and the independent components of different spectrometers. These differing measurements between spectrometers can then be standardized by correcting the coefficients within the independent components. Two NIR datasets of corn and edible oil samples measured with three and four spectrometers, respectively, were used to test the reliability of this method. The results of both datasets reveal that spectra measurements across different spectrometers can be transferred simultaneously and that the partial least squares (PLS) models built with the measurements on one spectrometer can predict that the spectra can be transferred correctly on another.

Comparative Metabolomic Analysis of the Green Microalga Chlorella sorokiniana Cultivated in the Single Culture and a Consortium with Bacteria for Wastewater Remediation.

PubMed

Chen, Taojing; Zhao, Quanyu; Wang, Liang; Xu, Yunfeng; Wei, Wei

2017-11-01

Co-culture of microalgae with many types of bacteria usually comes out with significant different treatment efficiencies for COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus in wastewater remediation, compared with the single culture. In order to understand the mechanism behind, a comparative experiment was designed in this study, using the green microalgae species Chlorella sorokiniana in the single culture and a consortium with a bacterium, Pseudomonas H4, for nutrient removal. Comparative metabolome profile analysis was conducted to reveal the Chlorella cell responses to the synergistic growth with the bacteria, and possible relations between the metabolic regulation of microalgae and the nutrient degradation were discussed. The detectable differential metabolites of Chlorella belonged to several classes, including carbohydrates, fatty acids, amino acids, phosphates, polyols, etc. The orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) model of the identified metabolites suggests the metabolism in this alga was significantly affected by the bacteria, corresponding to different treatment behaviors.

Use of valence band Auger electron spectroscopy to study thin film growth: oxide and diamond-like carbon films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steffen, H. J.

1994-12-01

It is demonstrated how Auger line shape analysis with factor analysis (FA), least-squares fitting and even simple peak height measurements may provide detailed information about the composition, different chemical states and also defect concentration or crystal order. Advantage is taken of the capability of Auger electron spectroscopy to give valence band structure information with high surface sensitivity and the special aspect of FA to identify and discriminate quantitatively unknown chemical species. Valence band spectra obtained from Ni, Fe, Cr and NiFe40Cr20 during oxygen exposure at room temperature reveal the oxidation process in the initial stage of the thin layer formation. Furthermore, the carbon chemical states that were formed during low energy C(+) and Ne(+) ion irradiation of graphite are delineated and the evolution of an amorphous network with sp3 bonds is disclosed. The analysis represents a unique method to quantify the fraction of sp3-hybridized carbon in diamond-like materials.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Fertility Problem Inventory–Short Form

PubMed Central

Zurlo, Maria Clelia; Cattaneo Della Volta, Maria Franscesca; Vallone, Federica

2017-01-01

The study analyses factor structure and psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Fertility Problem Inventory–Short Form. A sample of 206 infertile couples completed the Italian version of Fertility Problem Inventory (46 items) with demographics, State Anxiety Scale of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Form Y), Edinburgh Depression Scale and Dyadic Adjustment Scale, used to assess convergent and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was unsatisfactory (comparative fit index = 0.87; Tucker-Lewis Index = 0.83; root mean square error of approximation = 0.17), and Cronbach’s α (0.95) revealed a redundancy of items. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out deleting cross-loading items, and Mokken scale analysis was applied to verify the items homogeneity within the reduced subscales of the questionnaire. The Fertility Problem Inventory–Short Form consists of 27 items, tapping four meaningful and reliable factors. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed. Findings indicated that the Fertility Problem Inventory–Short Form is a valid and reliable measure to assess infertility-related stress dimensions. PMID:29379625

Staging workers' use of hearing protection devices: application of the transtheoretical model.

PubMed

Raymond, Delbert M; Lusk, Sally L

2006-04-01

The threat of noise-induced hearing loss is a serious concern for many workers. This study explores use of the transtheoretical model as a framework for defining stages of workers' acceptance of hearing protection devices. A secondary analysis was performed using a cross-section of data from a randomized, controlled clinical trial of an intervention to increase use of hearing protection. Use of hearing protection devices was well distributed across the theorized stages of change. Chi-square analysis and analysis of variance revealed significant differences between stages for the variables studied. Discrete stages of hearing protection device use can be identified, laying the foundation for further work investigating use of the transtheoretical model for promoting hearing protection device use. The model can provide a framework for tailoring interventions and evaluating their effects. With further development of the transtheoretical model, nurses may be able to easily identify workers' readiness to use hearing protection devices and tailor training toward that goal.

Multivariate fMRI and Eye Tracking Reveal Differential Effects of Visual Interference on Recognition Memory Judgments for Objects and Scenes.

PubMed

O'Neil, Edward B; Watson, Hilary C; Dhillon, Sonya; Lobaugh, Nancy J; Lee, Andy C H

2015-09-01

Recent work has demonstrated that the perirhinal cortex (PRC) supports conjunctive object representations that aid object recognition memory following visual object interference. It is unclear, however, how these representations interact with other brain regions implicated in mnemonic retrieval and how congruent and incongruent interference influences the processing of targets and foils during object recognition. To address this, multivariate partial least squares was applied to fMRI data acquired during an interference match-to-sample task, in which participants made object or scene recognition judgments after object or scene interference. This revealed a pattern of activity sensitive to object recognition following congruent (i.e., object) interference that included PRC, prefrontal, and parietal regions. Moreover, functional connectivity analysis revealed a common pattern of PRC connectivity across interference and recognition conditions. Examination of eye movements during the same task in a separate study revealed that participants gazed more at targets than foils during correct object recognition decisions, regardless of interference congruency. By contrast, participants viewed foils more than targets for incorrect object memory judgments, but only after congruent interference. Our findings suggest that congruent interference makes object foils appear familiar and that a network of regions, including PRC, is recruited to overcome the effects of interference.

Lake Vostok: An earthly analogue for the geomicrobiology on Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priscu, J. C.; Christner, B. C.

2007-12-01

The recent discovery of more than 150 subglacial lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet has important implications in our search for liquid water and associated life on other icy worlds. The largest of these lakes is Lake Vostok, which has a surface area of 14000 square km and a depth of 1000 m, making it one of the largest lakes on Earth. Although we have yet to sample directly the liquid water from any of the Antarctic subglacial lakes, refrozen lakewater (accretion ice) has been sampled just above the surface of Lake Vostok. Genomic and geochemical analysis of this ice reveals that the surface lake water supports a microbial assemblage with a density approaching 1000 cells per milliliter. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the 900 to 1000 base pair small subunit rRNA gene sequences obtained revealed a low diversity of clones that classify within the beta, gamma and delta subdivisions of the phylum Proteobacteria. Nearest phylogenetic neighbor analysis of these gene sequences imply that the lake contains an aerobic and anaerobic consortium of bacteria with metabolisms dedicated to iron and sulfur respiration or oxidation indicating that these metals play a role in the bioenergetics of microorganisms that occur in Lake Vostok. Sequence analysis further revealed that heterotrophic life in the lake can be sustained by chemolithotrophic production of new carbon supplemented by dissolved organic carbon released from the overlying ice sheet. Data obtained from orbiters have revealed that a deep ocean of liquid water lies under a thick chaotic ice cover on Europa where organic matter derived from comets and oxidants provided by radiation from Jupiter's magnetosphere may provide a habitat for life and a reservoir of endogenous and exogenous substances much like we observe in Lake Vostok. Future studies of Antarctic subglacial lake environments will play a crucial role in our understanding of life on Europa and other frozen worlds.

Method for exploiting bias in factor analysis using constrained alternating least squares algorithms

DOEpatents

Keenan, Michael R.

2008-12-30

Bias plays an important role in factor analysis and is often implicitly made use of, for example, to constrain solutions to factors that conform to physical reality. However, when components are collinear, a large range of solutions may exist that satisfy the basic constraints and fit the data equally well. In such cases, the introduction of mathematical bias through the application of constraints may select solutions that are less than optimal. The biased alternating least squares algorithm of the present invention can offset mathematical bias introduced by constraints in the standard alternating least squares analysis to achieve factor solutions that are most consistent with physical reality. In addition, these methods can be used to explicitly exploit bias to provide alternative views and provide additional insights into spectral data sets.

Engineering a Large Scale Indium Nanodot Array for Refractive Index Sensing.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaoqing; Hu, Xiaolin; Chen, Xiaoshu; Kang, Yangsen; Zhang, Zhiping; B Parizi, Kokab; Wong, H-S Philip

2016-11-23

In this work, we developed a simple method to fabricate 12 × 4 mm 2 large scale nanostructure arrays and investigated the feasibility of indium nanodot (ND) array with different diameters and periods for refractive index sensing. Absorption resonances at multiple wavelengths from the visible to the near-infrared range were observed for various incident angles in a variety of media. Engineering the ND array with a centered square lattice, we successfully enhanced the sensitivity by 60% and improved the figure of merit (FOM) by 190%. The evolution of the resonance dips in the reflection spectra, of square lattice and centered square lattice, from air to water, matches well with the results of Lumerical FDTD simulation. The improvement of sensitivity is due to the enhancement of local electromagnetic field (E-field) near the NDs with centered square lattice, as revealed by E-field simulation at resonance wavelengths. The E-field is enhanced due to coupling between the two square ND arrays with [Formula: see text]x period at phase matching. This work illustrates an effective way to engineer and fabricate a refractive index sensor at a large scale. This is the first experimental demonstration of poor-metal (indium) nanostructure array for refractive index sensing. It also demonstrates a centered square lattice for higher sensitivity and as a better basic platform for more complex sensor designs.

Transcriptome mining and in silico structural and functional analysis of ascorbic acid and tartaric acid biosynthesis pathway enzymes in rose-scanted geranium.

PubMed

Narnoliya, Lokesh K; Sangwan, Rajender S; Singh, Sudhir P

2018-06-01

Rose-scented geranium (Pelargonium sp.) is widely known as aromatic and medicinal herb, accumulating specialized metabolites of high economic importance, such as essential oils, ascorbic acid, and tartaric acid. Ascorbic acid and tartaric acid are multifunctional metabolites of human value to be used as vital antioxidants and flavor enhancing agents in food products. No information is available related to the structural and functional properties of the enzymes involved in ascorbic acid and tartaric acid biosynthesis in rose-scented geranium. In the present study, transcriptome mining was done to identify full-length genes, followed by their bioinformatic and molecular modeling investigations and understanding of in silico structural and functional properties of these enzymes. Evolutionary conserved domains were identified in the pathway enzymes. In silico physicochemical characterization of the catalytic enzymes revealed isoelectric point (pI), instability index, aliphatic index, and grand average hydropathy (GRAVY) values of the enzymes. Secondary structural prediction revealed abundant proportion of alpha helix and random coil confirmations in the pathway enzymes. Three-dimensional homology models were developed for these enzymes. The predicted structures showed significant structural similarity with their respective templates in root mean square deviation analysis. Ramachandran plot analysis of the modeled enzymes revealed that more than 84% of the amino acid residues were within the favored regions. Further, functionally important residues were identified corresponding to catalytic sites located in the enzymes. To, our best knowledge, this is the first report which provides a foundation on functional annotation and structural determination of ascorbic acid and tartaric acid pathway enzymes in rose-scanted geranium.

Improvement of near infrared spectroscopic (NIRS) analysis of caffeine in roasted Arabica coffee by variable selection method of stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (SCARS).

PubMed

Zhang, Xuan; Li, Wei; Yin, Bin; Chen, Weizhong; Kelly, Declan P; Wang, Xiaoxin; Zheng, Kaiyi; Du, Yiping

2013-10-01

Coffee is the most heavily consumed beverage in the world after water, for which quality is a key consideration in commercial trade. Therefore, caffeine content which has a significant effect on the final quality of the coffee products requires to be determined fast and reliably by new analytical techniques. The main purpose of this work was to establish a powerful and practical analytical method based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemometrics for quantitative determination of caffeine content in roasted Arabica coffees. Ground coffee samples within a wide range of roasted levels were analyzed by NIR, meanwhile, in which the caffeine contents were quantitative determined by the most commonly used HPLC-UV method as the reference values. Then calibration models based on chemometric analyses of the NIR spectral data and reference concentrations of coffee samples were developed. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to construct the models. Furthermore, diverse spectra pretreatment and variable selection techniques were applied in order to obtain robust and reliable reduced-spectrum regression models. Comparing the respective quality of the different models constructed, the application of second derivative pretreatment and stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (SCARS) variable selection provided a notably improved regression model, with root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) of 0.375 mg/g and correlation coefficient (R) of 0.918 at PLS factor of 7. An independent test set was used to assess the model, with the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.378 mg/g, mean relative error of 1.976% and mean relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.707%. Thus, the results provided by the high-quality calibration model revealed the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy for at-line application to predict the caffeine content of unknown roasted coffee samples, thanks to the short analysis time of a few seconds and non-destructive advantages of NIRS. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improvement of near infrared spectroscopic (NIRS) analysis of caffeine in roasted Arabica coffee by variable selection method of stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (SCARS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xuan; Li, Wei; Yin, Bin; Chen, Weizhong; Kelly, Declan P.; Wang, Xiaoxin; Zheng, Kaiyi; Du, Yiping

2013-10-01

Coffee is the most heavily consumed beverage in the world after water, for which quality is a key consideration in commercial trade. Therefore, caffeine content which has a significant effect on the final quality of the coffee products requires to be determined fast and reliably by new analytical techniques. The main purpose of this work was to establish a powerful and practical analytical method based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and chemometrics for quantitative determination of caffeine content in roasted Arabica coffees. Ground coffee samples within a wide range of roasted levels were analyzed by NIR, meanwhile, in which the caffeine contents were quantitative determined by the most commonly used HPLC-UV method as the reference values. Then calibration models based on chemometric analyses of the NIR spectral data and reference concentrations of coffee samples were developed. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was used to construct the models. Furthermore, diverse spectra pretreatment and variable selection techniques were applied in order to obtain robust and reliable reduced-spectrum regression models. Comparing the respective quality of the different models constructed, the application of second derivative pretreatment and stability competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (SCARS) variable selection provided a notably improved regression model, with root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) of 0.375 mg/g and correlation coefficient (R) of 0.918 at PLS factor of 7. An independent test set was used to assess the model, with the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.378 mg/g, mean relative error of 1.976% and mean relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.707%. Thus, the results provided by the high-quality calibration model revealed the feasibility of NIR spectroscopy for at-line application to predict the caffeine content of unknown roasted coffee samples, thanks to the short analysis time of a few seconds and non-destructive advantages of NIRS.

Variable selection based on clustering analysis for improvement of polyphenols prediction in green tea using synchronous fluorescence spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Jiajia; Wang, Xue; Zhou, Hao; Han, Shuqing; Riza, Dimas Firmanda Al; Kondo, Naoshi

2018-04-01

Synchronous fluorescence spectra, combined with multivariate analysis were used to predict flavonoids content in green tea rapidly and nondestructively. This paper presented a new and efficient spectral intervals selection method called clustering based partial least square (CL-PLS), which selected informative wavelengths by combining clustering concept and partial least square (PLS) methods to improve models’ performance by synchronous fluorescence spectra. The fluorescence spectra of tea samples were obtained and k-means and kohonen-self organizing map clustering algorithms were carried out to cluster full spectra into several clusters, and sub-PLS regression model was developed on each cluster. Finally, CL-PLS models consisting of gradually selected clusters were built. Correlation coefficient (R) was used to evaluate the effect on prediction performance of PLS models. In addition, variable influence on projection partial least square (VIP-PLS), selectivity ratio partial least square (SR-PLS), interval partial least square (iPLS) models and full spectra PLS model were investigated and the results were compared. The results showed that CL-PLS presented the best result for flavonoids prediction using synchronous fluorescence spectra.

Variable selection based on clustering analysis for improvement of polyphenols prediction in green tea using synchronous fluorescence spectra.

PubMed

Shan, Jiajia; Wang, Xue; Zhou, Hao; Han, Shuqing; Riza, Dimas Firmanda Al; Kondo, Naoshi

2018-03-13

Synchronous fluorescence spectra, combined with multivariate analysis were used to predict flavonoids content in green tea rapidly and nondestructively. This paper presented a new and efficient spectral intervals selection method called clustering based partial least square (CL-PLS), which selected informative wavelengths by combining clustering concept and partial least square (PLS) methods to improve models' performance by synchronous fluorescence spectra. The fluorescence spectra of tea samples were obtained and k-means and kohonen-self organizing map clustering algorithms were carried out to cluster full spectra into several clusters, and sub-PLS regression model was developed on each cluster. Finally, CL-PLS models consisting of gradually selected clusters were built. Correlation coefficient (R) was used to evaluate the effect on prediction performance of PLS models. In addition, variable influence on projection partial least square (VIP-PLS), selectivity ratio partial least square (SR-PLS), interval partial least square (iPLS) models and full spectra PLS model were investigated and the results were compared. The results showed that CL-PLS presented the best result for flavonoids prediction using synchronous fluorescence spectra.

New method to incorporate Type B uncertainty into least-squares procedures in radionuclide metrology.

PubMed

Han, Jubong; Lee, K B; Lee, Jong-Man; Park, Tae Soon; Oh, J S; Oh, Pil-Jei

2016-03-01

We discuss a new method to incorporate Type B uncertainty into least-squares procedures. The new method is based on an extension of the likelihood function from which a conventional least-squares function is derived. The extended likelihood function is the product of the original likelihood function with additional PDFs (Probability Density Functions) that characterize the Type B uncertainties. The PDFs are considered to describe one's incomplete knowledge on correction factors being called nuisance parameters. We use the extended likelihood function to make point and interval estimations of parameters in the basically same way as the least-squares function used in the conventional least-squares method is derived. Since the nuisance parameters are not of interest and should be prevented from appearing in the final result, we eliminate such nuisance parameters by using the profile likelihood. As an example, we present a case study for a linear regression analysis with a common component of Type B uncertainty. In this example we compare the analysis results obtained from using our procedure with those from conventional methods. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Analysis of Nonlinear Dynamics by Square Matrix Method

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

Yu, Li Hua

The nonlinear dynamics of a system with periodic structure can be analyzed using a square matrix. In this paper, we show that because the special property of the square matrix constructed for nonlinear dynamics, we can reduce the dimension of the matrix from the original large number for high order calculation to low dimension in the first step of the analysis. Then a stable Jordan decomposition is obtained with much lower dimension. The transformation to Jordan form provides an excellent action-angle approximation to the solution of the nonlinear dynamics, in good agreement with trajectories and tune obtained from tracking. Andmore » more importantly, the deviation from constancy of the new action-angle variable provides a measure of the stability of the phase space trajectories and their tunes. Thus the square matrix provides a novel method to optimize the nonlinear dynamic system. The method is illustrated by many examples of comparison between theory and numerical simulation. Finally, in particular, we show that the square matrix method can be used for optimization to reduce the nonlinearity of a system.« less

Visual similarity in short-term recall for where and when.

PubMed

Jalbert, Annie; Saint-Aubin, Jean; Tremblay, Sébastien

2008-03-01

Two experiments examined the effects of visual similarity on short-term recall for where and when in the visual spatial domain. A series of squares of similar or dissimilar colours were serially presented at various locations on the screen. At recall, all coloured squares were simultaneously presented in a random order at the bottom of the screen, and the locations used for presentation were indicated by white squares. Participants were asked to place the colours at their appropriate location in their presentation order. Performance for location (where) and order (when) was assessed separately. Results revealed that similarity severely hinders both memory for what was where and memory for what was when, under quiet and articulatory suppression conditions. These results provide further evidence that similarity has a major impact on processing relational information in memory.

Quantified Choice of Root-Mean-Square Errors of Approximation for Evaluation and Power Analysis of Small Differences between Structural Equation Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Libo; Bentler, Peter M.

2011-01-01

MacCallum, Browne, and Cai (2006) proposed a new framework for evaluation and power analysis of small differences between nested structural equation models (SEMs). In their framework, the null and alternative hypotheses for testing a small difference in fit and its related power analyses were defined by some chosen root-mean-square error of…

The microcomputer scientific software series 3: general linear model--analysis of variance.

Treesearch

Harold M. Rauscher

1985-01-01

A BASIC language set of programs, designed for use on microcomputers, is presented. This set of programs will perform the analysis of variance for any statistical model describing either balanced or unbalanced designs. The program computes and displays the degrees of freedom, Type I sum of squares, and the mean square for the overall model, the error, and each factor...

XAFS study of copper(II) complexes with square planar and square pyramidal coordination geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaur, A.; Klysubun, W.; Nitin Nair, N.; Shrivastava, B. D.; Prasad, J.; Srivastava, K.

2016-08-01

X-ray absorption fine structure of six Cu(II) complexes, Cu2(Clna)4 2H2O (1), Cu2(ac)4 2H2O (2), Cu2(phac)4 (pyz) (3), Cu2(bpy)2(na)2 H2O (ClO4) (4), Cu2(teen)4(OH)2(ClO4)2 (5) and Cu2(tmen)4(OH)2(ClO4)2 (6) (where ac, phac, pyz, bpy, na, teen, tmen = acetate, phenyl acetate, pyrazole, bipyridine, nicotinic acid, tetraethyethylenediamine, tetramethylethylenediamine, respectively), which were supposed to have square pyramidal and square planar coordination geometries have been investigated. The differences observed in the X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) features of the standard compounds having four, five and six coordination geometry points towards presence of square planar and square pyramidal geometry around Cu centre in the studied complexes. The presence of intense pre-edge feature in the spectra of four complexes, 1-4, indicates square pyramidal coordination. Another important XANES feature, present in complexes 5 and 6, is prominent shoulder in the rising part of edge whose intensity decreases in the presence of axial ligands and thus indicates four coordination in these complexes. Ab initio calculations were carried out for square planar and square pyramidal Cu centres to observe the variation of 4p density of states in the presence and absence of axial ligands. To determine the number and distance of scattering atoms around Cu centre in the complexes, EXAFS analysis has been done using the paths obtained from Cu(II) oxide model and an axial Cu-O path from model of a square pyramidal complex. The results obtained from EXAFS analysis have been reported which confirmed the inference drawn from XANES features. Thus, it has been shown that these paths from model of a standard compound can be used to determine the structural parameters for complexes having unknown structure.

Thermodynamic stability of nanosized multicomponent bubbles/droplets: the square gradient theory and the capillary approach.

PubMed

Wilhelmsen, Øivind; Bedeaux, Dick; Kjelstrup, Signe; Reguera, David

2014-01-14

Formation of nanosized droplets/bubbles from a metastable bulk phase is connected to many unresolved scientific questions. We analyze the properties and stability of multicomponent droplets and bubbles in the canonical ensemble, and compare with single-component systems. The bubbles/droplets are described on the mesoscopic level by square gradient theory. Furthermore, we compare the results to a capillary model which gives a macroscopic description. Remarkably, the solutions of the square gradient model, representing bubbles and droplets, are accurately reproduced by the capillary model except in the vicinity of the spinodals. The solutions of the square gradient model form closed loops, which shows the inherent symmetry and connected nature of bubbles and droplets. A thermodynamic stability analysis is carried out, where the second variation of the square gradient description is compared to the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix in the capillary description. The analysis shows that it is impossible to stabilize arbitrarily small bubbles or droplets in closed systems and gives insight into metastable regions close to the minimum bubble/droplet radii. Despite the large difference in complexity, the square gradient and the capillary model predict the same finite threshold sizes and very similar stability limits for bubbles and droplets, both for single-component and two-component systems.

Thermodynamic stability of nanosized multicomponent bubbles/droplets: The square gradient theory and the capillary approach

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

Wilhelmsen, Øivind, E-mail: oivind.wilhelmsen@ntnu.no; Bedeaux, Dick; Kjelstrup, Signe

Formation of nanosized droplets/bubbles from a metastable bulk phase is connected to many unresolved scientific questions. We analyze the properties and stability of multicomponent droplets and bubbles in the canonical ensemble, and compare with single-component systems. The bubbles/droplets are described on the mesoscopic level by square gradient theory. Furthermore, we compare the results to a capillary model which gives a macroscopic description. Remarkably, the solutions of the square gradient model, representing bubbles and droplets, are accurately reproduced by the capillary model except in the vicinity of the spinodals. The solutions of the square gradient model form closed loops, which showsmore » the inherent symmetry and connected nature of bubbles and droplets. A thermodynamic stability analysis is carried out, where the second variation of the square gradient description is compared to the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix in the capillary description. The analysis shows that it is impossible to stabilize arbitrarily small bubbles or droplets in closed systems and gives insight into metastable regions close to the minimum bubble/droplet radii. Despite the large difference in complexity, the square gradient and the capillary model predict the same finite threshold sizes and very similar stability limits for bubbles and droplets, both for single-component and two-component systems.« less

Racial disparity: substance dependency and psychological health problems among welfare recipients.

PubMed

Lee, Kyoung Hag; Hines, Lisa D

2014-01-01

This study explored the racial disparity of substance dependency and psychological health among White, African American, and Hispanic Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients as well as the relationship between substance dependency and psychological health. It analyzed 1,286 TANF recipients from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data. Analysis of variance indicated that Whites were experiencing more nicotine and alcohol dependency and psychological distress than others, but African Americans and Hispanics were experiencing more cocaine dependency than Whites. Ordinary least squares regression revealed that nicotine dependency is significantly related to the psychological distress of Whites. Alcohol dependency is significantly associated with the psychological distress of three groups. Culturally competent programs are suggested.

Assessment of Caregiver Inventory for Rett Syndrome

PubMed Central

Lane, Jane B.; Salter, Amber R.; Jones, Nancy E.; Cutter, Gary; Horrigan, Joseph; Skinner, Steve A.; Kaufmann, Walter E.; Glaze, Daniel G.; Neul, Jeffrey L.; Percy, Alan K.

2017-01-01

Rett syndrome (RTT) requires total caregiver attention and leads to potential difficulties throughout life. The Caregiver Burden Inventory, designed for Alzheimer disease, was modified to a RTT Caregiver Inventory Assessment (RTT CIA). Reliability and face, construct, and concurrent validity were assessed in caregivers of individuals with RTT. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables and t-tests or Wilcoxon two-sample tests for continuous variables were utilized. Survey completed by 198 caregivers; 70 caregivers completed follow-up assessment. Exploratory factor analysis revealed good agreement for Physical Burden, Emotional Burden, and Social Burden. Internal reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.898). RTT CIA represents a reliable and valid measure, providing a needed metric of caregiver burden in this disorder. PMID:28132121

QSAR study of curcumine derivatives as HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.

PubMed

Gupta, Pawan; Sharma, Anju; Garg, Prabha; Roy, Nilanjan

2013-03-01

A QSAR study was performed on curcumine derivatives as HIV-1 integrase inhibitors using multiple linear regression. The statistically significant model was developed with squared correlation coefficients (r(2)) 0.891 and cross validated r(2) (r(2) cv) 0.825. The developed model revealed that electronic, shape, size, geometry, substitution's information and hydrophilicity were important atomic properties for determining the inhibitory activity of these molecules. The model was also tested successfully for external validation (r(2) pred = 0.849) as well as Tropsha's test for model predictability. Furthermore, the domain analysis was carried out to evaluate the prediction reliability of external set molecules. The model was statistically robust and had good predictive power which can be successfully utilized for screening of new molecules.

Clustering of unhealthy outdoor advertisements around child-serving institutions: a comparison of three cities.

PubMed

Hillier, Amy; Cole, Brian L; Smith, Tony E; Yancey, Antronette K; Williams, Jerome D; Grier, Sonya A; McCarthy, William J

2009-12-01

Using GPS devices and digital cameras, we surveyed outdoor advertisements in Austin, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. GIS and hot spot analysis revealed that unhealthy ads were clustered around child-serving institutions in Los Angeles and Philadelphia but not in Austin. Multivariate generalized least square (GLS) regression models showed that percent black (p<0.04) was a significant positive predictor of clustering in Philadelphia and percent white (p<0.06) was a marginally significant negative predictor of clustering in Los Angeles after controlling for several land use variables. The results emphasize the importance of zoning and land use regulations to protect children from exposure to unhealthy commercial messages, particularly in neighborhoods with significant racial/ethnic minority populations.

Smoothing metallic glasses without introducing crystallization by gas cluster ion beam

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

Shao, Lin; Chen, Di; Myers, Michael

2013-03-11

We show that 30 keV Ar cluster ion bombardment of Ni{sub 52.5}Nb{sub 10}Zr{sub 15}Ti{sub 15}Pt{sub 7.5} metallic glass (MG) can remove surface mountain-like features and reduce the root mean square surface roughness from 12 nm to 0.7 nm. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals no crystallization after cluster ion irradiation. Molecular dynamics simulations show that, although damage cascades lead to local melting, the subsequent quenching rate is a few orders of magnitude higher than the critical cooling rate for MG formation, thus the melted zone retains its amorphous nature down to room temperature. These findings can be applied to obtain ultra-smooth MGsmore » without introducing crystallization.« less

Dynamics of road traffic noise in Bhadrak city, India.

PubMed

Swain, Bijay Kumar; Panda, Santosh Kumar; Goswami, Shreerup

2012-11-01

Road traffic noise assessed in 13 different squares of major intersection points in Bhadrak city during four different specified times i.e. 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 3-6 p.m. and 7-10 p.m.. Road traffic was found to be the most important source of community noise at the studied sites. The noise levels of all the 13 squares were found to be beyond the permissible limit [70 dB (A)] during day time. Leq (equivalent noise level) values ranged from 93.4 to 100.5; 91.5 to 100.6; 95.1 to 107.3 and 97.3 to 106.3 dB during 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 3-6 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. respectively. LNP values range from 115.7 to 127.7; 114.2 to 129.8; 118.2 to 138.2 and 120.7 to 135 dB, while TNI values range from 134.3 to 154.7; 130.7 to 157.9; 136.7 to 168.2 and 137.2 to 165 dB during 7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 3-6 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. respectively. Reprehensibly, even minimum LNP and TNI values are more than 114 and 130 dB respectively. Analysis of variance also computed for investigated squares at the peak hour i.e. 7-10 p.m. to infer the level of significance. The observed value of F (0.47) was less than the tabulated values and was not significant at both 5 and 1% levels of significance. Thus, the noise levels of different squares did not differ significantly at their peak hours. A preliminary public health survey carried out based on questionnaire method amongst 202 local inhabitants reveal the degree of annoyance due to road traffic noise.

Assessment, analysis and appraisal of road traffic noise pollution in Rourkela city, India.

PubMed

Goswami, Shreerup; Swain, Bijay Kumar; Panda, Santosh Kumar

2013-09-01

The problem of road traffic noise pollution has become a concern for both the public and the policy makers. Noise level was assessed in 12 different squares of Rourkela city during different specified times (7-10 a.m., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 3-6 p.m., 7-10 p.m., 10 p.m.-12 midnight and 4-6 a.m.). Noise descriptors such as L,eq, traffic noise index, noise pollution level, noise climate, Lday, Levening, Lnight and Lden were assessed to reveal the extent of noise pollution due to heavy traffic in this city. The equivalent noise levels of all the 12 squares were found to be much beyond the permissible limit (70dB during day time and 55dB during night time). Appallingly, even the minimum L eq and NPL values were more than 82 dB and 96 dB during day time and 69 dB and 91 dB during night time respectively. Lden values of investigated squares ranged from 83.4 to 86.1 dB and were even more than the day time permissible limit of traffic noise. The prediction model was used in the present study to predict noise pollution level instead of Leq. Comparison of predicted with that of the actual measured data demonstrated that the model used for the prediction has the ability to calibrate the multicomponent traffic noise and yield reliable results close to that by direct measurement. Lastly, it is inferred that the dimension of the traffic generated noise pollution in Rourkela is critical.

A comparison between the use of Cox regression and the use of partial least squares-Cox regression to predict the survival of kidney-transplant patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solimun

2017-05-01

The aim of this research is to model survival data from kidney-transplant patients using the partial least squares (PLS)-Cox regression, which can both meet and not meet the no-multicollinearity assumption. The secondary data were obtained from research entitled "Factors affecting the survival of kidney-transplant patients". The research subjects comprised 250 patients. The predictor variables consisted of: age (X1), sex (X2); two categories, prior hemodialysis duration (X3), diabetes (X4); two categories, prior transplantation number (X5), number of blood transfusions (X6), discrepancy score (X7), use of antilymphocyte globulin(ALG) (X8); two categories, while the response variable was patient survival time (in months). Partial least squares regression is a model that connects the predictor variables X and the response variable y and it initially aims to determine the relationship between them. Results of the above analyses suggest that the survival of kidney transplant recipients ranged from 0 to 55 months, with 62% of the patients surviving until they received treatment that lasted for 55 months. The PLS-Cox regression analysis results revealed that patients' age and the use of ALG significantly affected the survival time of patients. The factor of patients' age (X1) in the PLS-Cox regression model merely affected the failure probability by 1.201. This indicates that the probability of dying for elderly patients with a kidney transplant is 1.152 times higher than that for younger patients.

A Validation of Remotely Sensed Fires Using Ground Reports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruminski, M. G.; Hanna, J.

2007-12-01

A satellite based analysis of fire detections and smoke emissions for North America is produced daily by NOAA/NESDIS. The analysis incorporates data from the MODIS (Terra and Aqua) and AVHRR (NOAA-15/16/17) polar orbiting instruments and GOES East and West geostationary spacecraft with nominal resolutions of 1km and 4 km for the polar and geostationary platforms respectively. Automated fire detection algorithms are utilized for each of the sensors. Analysts perform a quality control procedure on the automated detects by deleting points that are deemed to be false detects and adding points that the algorithms did not detect. A limited validation of the final quality controlled product was performed using high resolution (30 m) ASTER data in the summer of 2006. Some limitations in using ASTER data are that each scene is only approximately 3600 square km, the data acquisition time is relatively constant at around 1030 local solar time and ASTER is another remotely sensed data source. This study expands on the ASTER validation by using ground reports of prescribed burns in Montana and Idaho for 2003 and 2004. It provides a non-remote sensing data source for comparison. While the ground data do not have the limitations noted above for ASTER there are still limitations. For example, even though the data set covers a much larger area (nearly 600,000 square km) than even several ASTER scenes, it still represents a single region of North America. And while the ground data are not restricted to a narrow time window, only a date is provided with each report, limiting the ability to make detailed conclusions about the detection capabilities for specific instruments, especially for the less temporally frequent polar orbiting MODIS and AVHRR sensors. Comparison of the ground data reports to the quality controlled fire analysis revealed a low rate of overall detection of 23.00% over the entire study period. Examination of the daily detection rates revealed a wide variation, with some days resulting in as little as 5 detects out of 107 reported fires while other days had as many as 84 detections out of 160 reports. Inspection of the satellite imagery from the days with very low detection rates revealed that extensive cloud cover prohibited satellite fire detection. On days when cloud cover was at a minimum, detection rates were substantially higher. An estimate of the fire size was also provided with the ground data set. Statistics will be presented for days with minimal cloud cover which will indicate the probability of detection for fires of various sizes.

Quantile regression applied to spectral distance decay

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rocchini, D.; Cade, B.S.

2008-01-01

Remotely sensed imagery has long been recognized as a powerful support for characterizing and estimating biodiversity. Spectral distance among sites has proven to be a powerful approach for detecting species composition variability. Regression analysis of species similarity versus spectral distance allows us to quantitatively estimate the amount of turnover in species composition with respect to spectral and ecological variability. In classical regression analysis, the residual sum of squares is minimized for the mean of the dependent variable distribution. However, many ecological data sets are characterized by a high number of zeroes that add noise to the regression model. Quantile regressions can be used to evaluate trend in the upper quantiles rather than a mean trend across the whole distribution of the dependent variable. In this letter, we used ordinary least squares (OLS) and quantile regressions to estimate the decay of species similarity versus spectral distance. The achieved decay rates were statistically nonzero (p < 0.01), considering both OLS and quantile regressions. Nonetheless, the OLS regression estimate of the mean decay rate was only half the decay rate indicated by the upper quantiles. Moreover, the intercept value, representing the similarity reached when the spectral distance approaches zero, was very low compared with the intercepts of the upper quantiles, which detected high species similarity when habitats are more similar. In this letter, we demonstrated the power of using quantile regressions applied to spectral distance decay to reveal species diversity patterns otherwise lost or underestimated by OLS regression. ?? 2008 IEEE.

Geographic applications of ERTS-A imagery to rural landscape change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehder, J. B. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

There are no author-identified significant results in this report. The study area, centered on Knoxville, Tennessee, encompasses nearly 20,000 square miles. The Knoxville Test Site, an 11 x 21 mile area over the city of Knoxville and the western portion of Knox County, has been chosen for the analysis of landscape change detection associated with urban growth. The second area, the Cumberland Plateau Test Site, exhibits landscape change through forest alterations and landform disturbances associated with strip mining in the area and was so chosen for its sharp contrasts in physical and human phenomena as well as its change dynamics. Accomplishments since reception of ERTS-1 imagery include: (1) basic cataloging and classifying of the data into a filling system; (2) a densitometer analysis; (3) first look analysis; and (4) preparation of results from the project. Examples of all four bands of the MSS have been received and analyses reveal distinctive positive and negative reactions. Band 5 has been found to be best for landscape analysis of contrasts between urban and rural landscapes, and band 7 for topographic features and water surfaces. Preliminary results are summarized.

A reduced-order adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system model as a software sensor for rapid estimation of five-day biochemical oxygen demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noori, Roohollah; Safavi, Salman; Nateghi Shahrokni, Seyyed Afshin

2013-07-01

The five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) is one of the key parameters in water quality management. In this study, a novel approach, i.e., reduced-order adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ROANFIS) model was developed for rapid estimation of BOD5. In addition, an uncertainty analysis of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and ROANFIS models was carried out based on Monte-Carlo simulation. Accuracy analysis of ANFIS and ROANFIS models based on both developed discrepancy ratio and threshold statistics revealed that the selected ROANFIS model was superior. Pearson correlation coefficient (R) and root mean square error for the best fitted ROANFIS model were 0.96 and 7.12, respectively. Furthermore, uncertainty analysis of the developed models indicated that the selected ROANFIS had less uncertainty than the ANFIS model and accurately forecasted BOD5 in the Sefidrood River Basin. Besides, the uncertainty analysis also showed that bracketed predictions by 95% confidence bound and d-factor in the testing steps for the selected ROANFIS model were 94% and 0.83, respectively.

On the role of magnetic field intensity for better micro-structural characterization during Barkhausen Noise analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusufzai, Mohd Zaheer Khan; Vashista, M.

2018-04-01

Barkhausen Noise analysis is a popular and preferred technique for micro-structural characterization. The root mean square value and peak value of Barkhausen Noise burst are important parameters to assess the micro-hardness and residual stress. Barkhausen Noise burst can be enveloped using a curve known as Barkhausen Noise profile. Peak position of profile changes with change in micro-structure. In the present work, raw signal of Barkhausen Noise burst was obtained from Ni based sample at various magnetic field intensity to observe the effect of variation in field intensity on Barkhausen Noise burst. Raw signal was opened using MATLAB to further process for microstructure analysis. Barkhausen Noise analysis parameters such as magnetizing frequency, number of burst, high pass and low pass filter frequency were kept constant and magnetizing field was varied in wide range between 200 Oe to 1200 Oe. The processed profiles of Barkhausen Noise burst obtained at various magnetizing field intensity clearly reveals requirement of optimum magnetic field strength for better characterization of micro-structure.

Investigating bias in squared regression structure coefficients

PubMed Central

Nimon, Kim F.; Zientek, Linda R.; Thompson, Bruce

2015-01-01

The importance of structure coefficients and analogs of regression weights for analysis within the general linear model (GLM) has been well-documented. The purpose of this study was to investigate bias in squared structure coefficients in the context of multiple regression and to determine if a formula that had been shown to correct for bias in squared Pearson correlation coefficients and coefficients of determination could be used to correct for bias in squared regression structure coefficients. Using data from a Monte Carlo simulation, this study found that squared regression structure coefficients corrected with Pratt's formula produced less biased estimates and might be more accurate and stable estimates of population squared regression structure coefficients than estimates with no such corrections. While our findings are in line with prior literature that identified multicollinearity as a predictor of bias in squared regression structure coefficients but not coefficients of determination, the findings from this study are unique in that the level of predictive power, number of predictors, and sample size were also observed to contribute bias in squared regression structure coefficients. PMID:26217273

Motion of an elastic capsule in a square microfluidic channel

PubMed Central

Kuriakose, S.; Dimitrakopoulos, P.

2013-01-01

In the present study we investigate computationally the steady-state motion of an elastic capsule along the centerline of a square microfluidic channel and compare it with that in a cylindrical tube. In particular, we consider a slightly over-inflated elastic capsule made of a strain-hardening membrane with comparable shearing and area-dilatation resistance. Under the conditions studied in this paper (i.e. small, moderate and large capsules at low and moderate flow rates), the capsule motion in a square channel is similar to, and thus governed by the same scaling laws with the capsule motion in a cylindrical tube, even though in the channel the cross-section in the upstream portion of large capsules is non-axisymmetric (i.e. square-like with rounded corners). When the hydrodynamic forces on the membrane increase, the capsule develops a pointed downstream edge and a flattened rear (possibly with a negative curvature) so that the restoring tension forces are increased as also happens with droplets. Membrane tensions increase significantly with the capsule size while the area near the downstream tip is the most probable to rupture when a capsule flows in a microchannel. Because the membrane tensions increase with the interfacial deformation, a suitable Landau-Levich-Derjaguin-Bretherton analysis reveals that the lubrication film thickness h for large capsules depends on both the capillary number Ca and the capsule size a; our computations determine the latter dependence to be (in dimensionless form) h ~ a−2 for the large capsules studied in this work. For small and moderate capsule sizes a, the capsule velocity Ux and additional pressure drop ΔP+ are governed by the same scaling laws as for high-viscosity droplets. The velocity and additional pressure drop of large thick capsules also follow the dynamics of high-viscosity droplets, and are affected by the lubrication film thickness. The motion of our large thick capsules is characterized by a Ux−u~h~a−2 approach to the undisturbed average duct velocity and an additional pressure drop ΔP+ ~ a3/h ~ a5. By combining basic physical principles and geometric properties, we develop a theoretical analysis that explains the power laws we found for large capsules. PMID:21867212

A simple method for processing data with least square method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chunyan; Qi, Liqun; Chen, Yongxiang; Pang, Guangning

2017-08-01

The least square method is widely used in data processing and error estimation. The mathematical method has become an essential technique for parameter estimation, data processing, regression analysis and experimental data fitting, and has become a criterion tool for statistical inference. In measurement data analysis, the distribution of complex rules is usually based on the least square principle, i.e., the use of matrix to solve the final estimate and to improve its accuracy. In this paper, a new method is presented for the solution of the method which is based on algebraic computation and is relatively straightforward and easy to understand. The practicability of this method is described by a concrete example.

Robust analysis of trends in noisy tokamak confinement data using geodesic least squares regression

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

Verdoolaege, G., E-mail: geert.verdoolaege@ugent.be; Laboratory for Plasma Physics, Royal Military Academy, B-1000 Brussels; Shabbir, A.

Regression analysis is a very common activity in fusion science for unveiling trends and parametric dependencies, but it can be a difficult matter. We have recently developed the method of geodesic least squares (GLS) regression that is able to handle errors in all variables, is robust against data outliers and uncertainty in the regression model, and can be used with arbitrary distribution models and regression functions. We here report on first results of application of GLS to estimation of the multi-machine scaling law for the energy confinement time in tokamaks, demonstrating improved consistency of the GLS results compared to standardmore » least squares.« less

Landsat-4 (TDRSS-user) orbit determination using batch least-squares and sequential methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oza, D. H.; Jones, T. L.; Hakimi, M.; Samii, M. V.; Doll, C. E.; Mistretta, G. D.; Hart, R. C.

1992-01-01

TDRSS user orbit determination is analyzed using a batch least-squares method and a sequential estimation method. It was found that in the batch least-squares method analysis, the orbit determination consistency for Landsat-4, which was heavily tracked by TDRSS during January 1991, was about 4 meters in the rms overlap comparisons and about 6 meters in the maximum position differences in overlap comparisons. The consistency was about 10 to 30 meters in the 3 sigma state error covariance function in the sequential method analysis. As a measure of consistency, the first residual of each pass was within the 3 sigma bound in the residual space.

Comparative evaluation of direct plating and most probable number for enumeration of low levels of Listeria monocytogenes in naturally contaminated ice cream products.

PubMed

Chen, Yi; Pouillot, Régis; S Burall, Laurel; Strain, Errol A; Van Doren, Jane M; De Jesus, Antonio J; Laasri, Anna; Wang, Hua; Ali, Laila; Tatavarthy, Aparna; Zhang, Guodong; Hu, Lijun; Day, James; Sheth, Ishani; Kang, Jihun; Sahu, Surasri; Srinivasan, Devayani; Brown, Eric W; Parish, Mickey; Zink, Donald L; Datta, Atin R; Hammack, Thomas S; Macarisin, Dumitru

2017-01-16

A precise and accurate method for enumeration of low level of Listeria monocytogenes in foods is critical to a variety of studies. In this study, paired comparison of most probable number (MPN) and direct plating enumeration of L. monocytogenes was conducted on a total of 1730 outbreak-associated ice cream samples that were naturally contaminated with low level of L. monocytogenes. MPN was performed on all 1730 samples. Direct plating was performed on all samples using the RAPID'L.mono (RLM) agar (1600 samples) and agar Listeria Ottaviani and Agosti (ALOA; 130 samples). Probabilistic analysis with Bayesian inference model was used to compare paired direct plating and MPN estimates of L. monocytogenes in ice cream samples because assumptions implicit in ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression analyses were not met for such a comparison. The probabilistic analysis revealed good agreement between the MPN and direct plating estimates, and this agreement showed that the MPN schemes and direct plating schemes using ALOA or RLM evaluated in the present study were suitable for enumerating low levels of L. monocytogenes in these ice cream samples. The statistical analysis further revealed that OLS linear regression analyses of direct plating and MPN data did introduce bias that incorrectly characterized systematic differences between estimates from the two methods. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Examination of Parameters Affecting the House Prices by Multiple Regression Analysis and its Contributions to Earthquake-Based Urban Transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denli, H. H.; Durmus, B.

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors which may affect the apartment prices with multiple linear regression analysis models and visualize the results by value maps. The study is focused on a county of Istanbul - Turkey. Totally 390 apartments around the county Umraniye are evaluated due to their physical and locational conditions. The identification of factors affecting the price of apartments in the county with a population of approximately 600k is expected to provide a significant contribution to the apartment market.Physical factors are selected as the age, number of rooms, size, floor numbers of the building and the floor that the apartment is positioned in. Positional factors are selected as the distances to the nearest hospital, school, park and police station. Totally ten physical and locational parameters are examined by regression analysis.After the regression analysis has been performed, value maps are composed from the parameters age, price and price per square meters. The most significant of the composed maps is the price per square meters map. Results show that the location of the apartment has the most influence to the square meter price information of the apartment. A different practice is developed from the composed maps by searching the ability of using price per square meters map in urban transformation practices. By marking the buildings older than 15 years in the price per square meters map, a different and new interpretation has been made to determine the buildings, to which should be given priority during an urban transformation in the county.This county is very close to the North Anatolian Fault zone and is under the threat of earthquakes. By marking the apartments older than 15 years on the price per square meters map, both older and expensive square meters apartments list can be gathered. By the help of this list, the priority could be given to the selected higher valued old apartments to support the economy of the country during an earthquake loss. We may call this urban transformation as earthquake-based urban transformation.

Developmental specialization in the right intraparietal sulcus for the abstract representation of numerical magnitude.

PubMed

Holloway, Ian D; Ansari, Daniel

2010-11-01

Because number is an abstract quality of a set, the way in which a number is externally represented does not change its quantitative meaning. In this study, we examined the development of the brain regions that support format-independent representation of numerical magnitude. We asked children and adults to perform both symbolic (Hindu-Arabic numerals) and nonsymbolic (arrays of squares) numerical comparison tasks as well as two control tasks while their brains were scanned using fMRI. In a preliminary analysis, we calculated the conjunction between symbolic and nonsymbolic numerical comparison. We then examined in which brain regions this conjunction differed between children and adults. This analysis revealed a large network of visual and parietal regions that showed greater activation in adults relative to children. In our primary analysis, we examined age-related differences in the conjunction of symbolic and nonsymbolic comparison after subtracting the control tasks. This analysis revealed a much more limited set of regions including the right inferior parietal lobe near the intraparietal sulcus. In addition to showing increased activation to both symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitudes over and above activation related to response selection, this region showed age-related differences in the distance effect. Our findings demonstrate that the format-independent representation of numerical magnitude in the right inferior parietal lobe is the product of developmental processes of cortical specialization and highlight the importance of using appropriate control tasks when conducting developmental neuroimaging studies.

An Analysis of Factor Extraction Strategies: A Comparison of the Relative Strengths of Principal Axis, Ordinary Least Squares, and Maximum Likelihood in Research Contexts That Include Both Categorical and Continuous Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coughlin, Kevin B.

2013-01-01

This study is intended to provide researchers with empirically derived guidelines for conducting factor analytic studies in research contexts that include dichotomous and continuous levels of measurement. This study is based on the hypotheses that ordinary least squares (OLS) factor analysis will yield more accurate parameter estimates than…

Understanding Scaling Relations in Fracture and Mechanical Deformation of Single Crystal and Polycrystalline Silicon by Performing Atomistic Simulations at Mesoscale

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-16

0.25 0.26 -0.85 1 SSR SSE R SSTO SSTO = = − 2 2 ˆ( ) : Regression sum of square, ˆwhere : mean value, : value from the fitted line ˆ...Error sum of square : Total sum of square i i i i SSR Y Y Y Y SSE Y Y SSTO SSE SSR = − = − = + ∑ ∑ Statistical analysis: Coefficient of correlation

Accelerometer Data Analysis and Presentation Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, Melissa J. B.; Hrovat, Kenneth; McPherson, Kevin; Moskowitz, Milton E.; Reckart, Timothy

1997-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center's Principal Investigator Microgravity Services project analyzes Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment and Space Acceleration Measurement System data for principal investigators of microgravity experiments. Principal investigators need a thorough understanding of data analysis techniques so that they can request appropriate analyses to best interpret accelerometer data. Accelerometer data sampling and filtering is introduced along with the related topics of resolution and aliasing. Specific information about the Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment and Space Acceleration Measurement System data sampling and filtering is given. Time domain data analysis techniques are discussed and example environment interpretations are made using plots of acceleration versus time, interval average acceleration versus time, interval root-mean-square acceleration versus time, trimmean acceleration versus time, quasi-steady three dimensional histograms, and prediction of quasi-steady levels at different locations. An introduction to Fourier transform theory and windowing is provided along with specific analysis techniques and data interpretations. The frequency domain analyses discussed are power spectral density versus frequency, cumulative root-mean-square acceleration versus frequency, root-mean-square acceleration versus frequency, one-third octave band root-mean-square acceleration versus frequency, and power spectral density versus frequency versus time (spectrogram). Instructions for accessing NASA Lewis Research Center accelerometer data and related information using the internet are provided.

More efficient parameter estimates for factor analysis of ordinal variables by ridge generalized least squares.

PubMed

Yuan, Ke-Hai; Jiang, Ge; Cheng, Ying

2017-11-01

Data in psychology are often collected using Likert-type scales, and it has been shown that factor analysis of Likert-type data is better performed on the polychoric correlation matrix than on the product-moment covariance matrix, especially when the distributions of the observed variables are skewed. In theory, factor analysis of the polychoric correlation matrix is best conducted using generalized least squares with an asymptotically correct weight matrix (AGLS). However, simulation studies showed that both least squares (LS) and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) perform better than AGLS, and thus LS or DWLS is routinely used in practice. In either LS or DWLS, the associations among the polychoric correlation coefficients are completely ignored. To mend such a gap between statistical theory and empirical work, this paper proposes new methods, called ridge GLS, for factor analysis of ordinal data. Monte Carlo results show that, for a wide range of sample sizes, ridge GLS methods yield uniformly more accurate parameter estimates than existing methods (LS, DWLS, AGLS). A real-data example indicates that estimates by ridge GLS are 9-20% more efficient than those by existing methods. Rescaled and adjusted test statistics as well as sandwich-type standard errors following the ridge GLS methods also perform reasonably well. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Assessment of Gait Characteristics in Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients Using a Hierarchical Partial Least Squares Method.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Ackland, David C; McClelland, Jodie A; Webster, Kate E; Halgamuge, Saman

2018-01-01

Quantitative gait analysis is an important tool in objective assessment and management of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients. Studies evaluating gait patterns in TKA patients have tended to focus on discrete data such as spatiotemporal information, joint range of motion and peak values of kinematics and kinetics, or consider selected principal components of gait waveforms for analysis. These strategies may not have the capacity to capture small variations in gait patterns associated with each joint across an entire gait cycle, and may ultimately limit the accuracy of gait classification. The aim of this study was to develop an automatic feature extraction method to analyse patterns from high-dimensional autocorrelated gait waveforms. A general linear feature extraction framework was proposed and a hierarchical partial least squares method derived for discriminant analysis of multiple gait waveforms. The effectiveness of this strategy was verified using a dataset of joint angle and ground reaction force waveforms from 43 patients after TKA surgery and 31 healthy control subjects. Compared with principal component analysis and partial least squares methods, the hierarchical partial least squares method achieved generally better classification performance on all possible combinations of waveforms, with the highest classification accuracy . The novel hierarchical partial least squares method proposed is capable of capturing virtually all significant differences between TKA patients and the controls, and provides new insights into data visualization. The proposed framework presents a foundation for more rigorous classification of gait, and may ultimately be used to evaluate the effects of interventions such as surgery and rehabilitation.

Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics to Identify a Novel Human Immunodeficiency Virus Inhibitor from Alkaloids of Toddalia asiatica.

PubMed

Priya, R; Sumitha, Rajendrarao; Doss, C George Priya; Rajasekaran, C; Babu, S; Seenivasan, R; Siva, R

2015-10-01

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an immunosuppressive disease. Over the past decades, it has plagued human health due to the grave consequences in its harness. For this reason, anti-HIV agents are imperative, and the search for the same from natural resources would assure the safety. In this investigation we have performed molecular docking, molecular property prediction, drug-likeness score, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to develop a novel anti-HIV drug. We have screened 12 alkaloids from a medicinal plant Toddalia asiatica for its probabilistic binding with the active site of the HIV-1-reverse transcriptase (HIV-1-RT) domain (the major contributor to the onset of the disease). The docking results were evaluated based on free energies of binding (ΔG), and the results suggested toddanol, toddanone, and toddalenone to be potent inhibitors of HIV-1-RT. In addition, the alkaloids were subjected to molecular property prediction analysis. Toddanol and toddanone with more rotatable bonds were found to have a drug-likeness score of 0.23 and 0.11, respectively. These scores were comparable with the standard anti-HIV drug zidovudine with a model score 0.28. Finally, two characteristic protein-ligand complexes were exposed to MD simulation to determine the stability of the predicted conformations. The toddanol-RT complex showed higher stability and stronger H-bonds than toddanone-RT complex. Based on these observations, we firmly believe that the alkaloid toddanol could aid in efficient HIV-1 drug discovery. In the present study, the molecular docking and MD simulations are performed to explore the possible binding mode of HIV 1 RT with 12 alkaloids of T. asiatica. Molecular docking by AutoDock4 revealed three alkaloids toddanol, toddanone, and toddalenone with highest binding affinity towards HIV 1 RT. The drug likeness model score revealed a positive score for toddanol and toddanone which is comparable to the drug likeness score of the standard anti HIV drug zidovudine. Results from simulation analysis revealed that toddanol RT complex is more stable than toddanone RT complex inferring toddanol as a potential anti HIV drug molecule. Abbreviations used: HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus, HIV 1 RT: HIV 1 reverse transcriptase, RNase H: Ribonuclease H, MD: Molecular dynamics, PDB: Protein databank, RMSD: Root mean square deviation, RMSF: Root mean square fluctuation.

Simulation analysis of the unconfined aquifer, Raft River geothermal area, Idaho-Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nichols, William D.

1979-01-01

This study covers about 1,000 mi2 (2,600 km2 ) of the southern Raft River drainage basin in south-central Idaho and northwest Utah. The main area of interest, approximately 200 mi2 (520 km2 ) of semiarid agricultural and rangeland in the southern Raft River Valley that includes the known Geothermal Resource Area near Bridge, Idaho, was modelled numerically to evaluate the hydrodynamics of the unconfined aquifer. Computed and estimated transmissivity values range from 1,200 feet squared per day (110 meters squared per day) to 73,500 feet squared per day (6,830 meters squared per day). Water budgets, including ground-water recharge and discharge for approximate equilibrium conditions, have been computed by several previous investigators; their estimates of available ground-water recharge range from about 46,000 acre-feet per year (57 cubic hectometers per year) to 100,000 acre-feet per year (123 cubic hectometers per year).Simulation modeling of equilibrium conditions represented by 1952 water levels suggests: (1) recharge to the water-table aquifer is about 63,000 acre-feet per year (77 cubic hectometers per year); (2) a significant volume of ground water is discharged through evapotranspiration by phreatophytes growing on the valley bottomlands; (3) the major source of recharge may be from upward leakage of water from a deeper, confined reservoir; and (4) the aquifer transmissivity probably does not exceed about 12,000 feet squared per day (3,100 meters squared per day). Additional analysis carried out by simulating transient conditions from 1952 to 1965 strongly suggests that aquifer transmissivity does not exceed about 7,700 feet squared per day (700 meters squared per day). The model was calibrated using slightly modified published pumpage data; it satisfactorily reproduced the historic water-level decline over the period 1952-65.

Interleukin 1β (+3954, -511 and -31) polymorphism in chronic periodontitis patients from North India.

PubMed

Amirisetty, Ramesh; Patel, Ritu Prabha; Das, Satrupa; Saraf, Jitendra; Jyothy, Akka; Munshi, Anjana

2015-07-01

Several studies have implicated the role of interleukin-1 in various chronic diseases including periodontitis. The present study was carried out with an aim to evaluate the role of interleukin 1β polymorphisms, namely +3954C/T, -511C/T and -31T/C, in the development of chronic periodontitis. Twenty-nine chronic periodontitis patients and 31 healthy controls of North Indian origin from Chhattisgarh were recruited for the study. The genotypes for the three variants were determined using the PCR-RFLP technique and the strength of association between genotypes and periodontitis was determined by odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) and chi-square analysis. Analysis for the +3954 allelic and genotypic frequencies of the polymorphism revealed a significant difference in the CT genotype between periodontitits patients and controls (p = 0.03). A significant difference was also observed in the allelic frequencies between the two groups (p = 0.02). For the -511 site, TT genotype revealed a significant association with the disease (p = 0.01). A significant association was also found following the co-dominant model (p = 0.007). However, the -31 polymorphism revealed no significant difference between patients and controls. In conclusion, the present study suggests a strong association of the TT genotype of -511 and CT genotype of +3954 variant of interleukin 1β with chronic periodontitis. However, the -31 variant did not show a significant association with the disease.

Identification of polymorphism in exons 7 and 12 of lactoferrin gene and its association with incidence of clinical mastitis in Murrah buffalo.

PubMed

Dinesh, Krishanender; Verma, Archana; Das Gupta, Ishwar; Thakur, Yash Pal; Verma, Nishant; Arya, Ashwani

2015-04-01

Lactoferrin gene is one of the important candidate genes for mastitis resistance. The gene is located on chromosome BTA 22 and consists of 17 exons spanning over 34.5 kb of genomic DNA. The present study was undertaken with the objectives to identify allelic variants in exons 7 and 12 of lactoferrin gene and to analyze association between its genetic variants and incidence of clinical mastitis in Murrah buffalo. The amplification of exons 7 and 12 of lactoferrin gene yielded amplicons of 232- and 461-bp sizes. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 232-bp amplicon using BccI restriction enzyme revealed three genotypes (AA, AB, and BB) with frequencies of 0.62, 0.22, and 0.16, respectively. The frequencies of two alleles, A and B, were estimated as 0.73 and 0.27. Hpy188I-RFLP for 461-bp amplicon revealed polymorphism with three genotypes, CC, CD, and DD, with respective frequencies of 0.06, 0.39, and 0.56, whereas frequencies for C and D alleles were 0.25 and 0.75. The chi-square (χ(2)) analysis revealed a significant association between incidence of clinical mastitis and genetic variants of exon 7, and animals of AA genotype of exon 7 were found to be least susceptible to mastitis. The findings indicate potential scope for incorporation of lactoferrin gene in selection and breeding of Murrah buffaloes for improved genetic resistance to mastitis.

Criterion Predictability: Identifying Differences Between [r-squares

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malgady, Robert G.

1976-01-01

An analysis of variance procedure for testing differences in r-squared, the coefficient of determination, across independent samples is proposed and briefly discussed. The principal advantage of the procedure is to minimize Type I error for follow-up tests of pairwise differences. (Author/JKS)

Extensive degeneracy, Coulomb phase and magnetic monopoles in artificial square ice.

PubMed

Perrin, Yann; Canals, Benjamin; Rougemaille, Nicolas

2016-12-15

Artificial spin-ice systems are lithographically patterned arrangements of interacting magnetic nanostructures that were introduced as way of investigating the effects of geometric frustration in a controlled manner. This approach has enabled unconventional states of matter to be visualized directly in real space, and has triggered research at the frontier between nanomagnetism, statistical thermodynamics and condensed matter physics. Despite efforts to create an artificial realization of the square-ice model-a two-dimensional geometrically frustrated spin-ice system defined on a square lattice-no simple geometry based on arrays of nanomagnets has successfully captured the macroscopically degenerate ground-state manifold of the model. Instead, square lattices of nanomagnets are characterized by a magnetically ordered ground state that consists of local loop configurations with alternating chirality. Here we show that all of the characteristics of the square-ice model are observed in an artificial square-ice system that consists of two sublattices of nanomagnets that are vertically separated by a small distance. The spin configurations we image after demagnetizing our arrays reveal unambiguous signatures of a Coulomb phase and algebraic spin-spin correlations, which are characterized by the presence of 'pinch' points in the associated magnetic structure factor. Local excitations-the classical analogues of magnetic monopoles-are free to evolve in an extensively degenerate, divergence-free vacuum. We thus provide a protocol that could be used to investigate collective magnetic phenomena, including Coulomb phases and the physics of ice-like materials.

The influence of a time-varying least squares parametric model when estimating SFOAEs evoked with swept-frequency tones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajicek, Joshua J.; Selesnick, Ivan W.; Henin, Simon; Talmadge, Carrick L.; Long, Glenis R.

2018-05-01

Stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs) were evoked and estimated using swept-frequency tones with and without the use of swept suppressor tones. SFOAEs were estimated using a least-squares fitting procedure. The estimated SFOAEs for the two paradigms (with- and without-suppression) were similar in amplitude and phase. The fitting procedure minimizes the square error between a parametric model of total ear-canal pressure (with unknown amplitudes and phases) and ear-canal pressure acquired during each paradigm. Modifying the parametric model to allow SFOAE amplitude and phase to vary over time revealed additional amplitude and phase fine structure in the without-suppressor, but not the with-suppressor paradigm. The use of a time-varying parametric model to estimate SFOAEs without-suppression may provide additional information about cochlear mechanics not available when using a with-suppressor paradigm.

The MiMeS survey of Magnetism in Massive Stars: magnetic analysis of the O-type stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grunhut, J. H.; Wade, G. A.; Neiner, C.; Oksala, M. E.; Petit, V.; Alecian, E.; Bohlender, D. A.; Bouret, J.-C.; Henrichs, H. F.; Hussain, G. A. J.; Kochukhov, O.; MiMeS Collaboration

2017-02-01

We present the analysis performed on spectropolarimetric data of 97 O-type targets included in the framework of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) Survey. Mean least-squares deconvolved Stokes I and V line profiles were extracted for each observation, from which we measured the radial velocity, rotational and non-rotational broadening velocities, and longitudinal magnetic field Bℓ. The investigation of the Stokes I profiles led to the discovery of two new multiline spectroscopic systems (HD 46106, HD 204827) and confirmed the presence of a suspected companion in HD 37041. We present a modified strategy of the least-squares deconvolution technique aimed at optimizing the detection of magnetic signatures while minimizing the detection of spurious signatures in Stokes V. Using this analysis, we confirm the detection of a magnetic field in six targets previously reported as magnetic by the MiMeS collaboration (HD 108, HD 47129A2, HD 57682, HD 148937, CPD-28 2561, and NGC 1624-2), as well as report the presence of signal in Stokes V in three new magnetic candidates (HD 36486, HD 162978, and HD 199579). Overall, we find a magnetic incidence rate of 7 ± 3 per cent, for 108 individual O stars (including all O-type components part of multiline systems), with a median uncertainty of the Bℓ measurements of about 50 G. An inspection of the data reveals no obvious biases affecting the incidence rate or the preference for detecting magnetic signatures in the magnetic stars. Similar to A- and B-type stars, we find no link between the stars' physical properties (e.g. Teff, mass, and age) and the presence of a magnetic field. However, the Of?p stars represent a distinct class of magnetic O-type stars.

Molecular dynamics simulation and binding free energy studies of novel leads belonging to the benzofuran class inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Polyketide Synthase 13.

PubMed

Cruz, Jorddy N; Costa, José F S; Khayat, André S; Kuca, Kamil; Barros, Carlos A L; Neto, A M J C

2018-05-04

In this work, the binding mechanism of new Polyketide Synthase 13 (Pks13) inhibitors has been studied through molecular dynamics simulation and free energy calculations. The drug Tam1 and its analogs, belonging to the benzofuran class, were submitted to 100 ns simulations, and according to the results obtained for root mean square deviation, all the simulations converged from approximately 30 ns. For the analysis of backbone flotation, the root mean square fluctuations were plotted for the Cα atoms; analysis revealed that the greatest fluctuation occurred in the residues that are part of the protein lid domain. The binding free energy value (ΔG bind ) obtained for the Tam16 lead molecule was of -51.43 kcal/mol. When comparing this result with the ΔG bind values for the remaining analogs, the drug Tam16 was found to be the highest ranked: this result is in agreement with the experimental results obtained by Aggarwal and collaborators, where it was verified that the IC 50 for Tam16 is the smallest necessary to inhibit the Pks13 (IC 50  = 0.19 μM). The energy decomposition analysis suggested that the residues which most interact with inhibitors are: Ser1636, Tyr1637, Asn1640, Ala1667, Phe1670, and Tyr1674, from which the greatest energy contribution to Phe1670 was particularly notable. For the lead molecule Tam16, a hydrogen bond with the hydroxyl of the phenol not observed in the other analogs induced a more stable molecular structure. Aggarwal and colleagues reported this hydrogen bonding as being responsible for the stability of the molecule, optimizing its physic-chemical, toxicological, and pharmacokinetic properties.

Centrifugal ultrafiltration of human serum for improving immunoglobulin A quantification using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Elsohaby, Ibrahim; McClure, J Trenton; Riley, Christopher B; Bryanton, Janet; Bigsby, Kathryn; Shaw, R Anthony

2018-02-20

Attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy is a simple, rapid and cost-effective method for the analysis of serum. However, the complex nature of serum remains a limiting factor to the reliability of this method. We investigated the benefits of coupling the centrifugal ultrafiltration with ATR-IR spectroscopy for quantification of human serum IgA concentration. Human serum samples (n = 196) were analyzed for IgA using an immunoturbidimetric assay. ATR-IR spectra were acquired for whole serum samples and for the retentate (residue) reconstituted with saline following 300 kDa centrifugal ultrafiltration. IR-based analytical methods were developed for each of the two spectroscopic datasets, and the accuracy of each of the two methods compared. Analytical methods were based upon partial least squares regression (PLSR) calibration models - one with 5-PLS factors (for whole serum) and the second with 9-PLS factors (for the reconstituted retentate). Comparison of the two sets of IR-based analytical results to reference IgA values revealed improvements in the Pearson correlation coefficient (from 0.66 to 0.76), and the root mean squared error of prediction in IR-based IgA concentrations (from 102 to 79 mg/dL) for the ultrafiltration retentate-based method as compared to the method built upon whole serum spectra. Depleting human serum low molecular weight proteins using a 300 kDa centrifugal filter thus enhances the accuracy IgA quantification by ATR-IR spectroscopy. Further evaluation and optimization of this general approach may ultimately lead to routine analysis of a range of high molecular-weight analytical targets that are otherwise unsuitable for IR-based analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Method for exploratory cluster analysis and visualisation of single-trial ERP ensembles.

PubMed

Williams, N J; Nasuto, S J; Saddy, J D

2015-07-30

The validity of ensemble averaging on event-related potential (ERP) data has been questioned, due to its assumption that the ERP is identical across trials. Thus, there is a need for preliminary testing for cluster structure in the data. We propose a complete pipeline for the cluster analysis of ERP data. To increase the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio of the raw single-trials, we used a denoising method based on Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). Next, we used a bootstrap-based method to determine the number of clusters, through a measure called the Stability Index (SI). We then used a clustering algorithm based on a Genetic Algorithm (GA) to define initial cluster centroids for subsequent k-means clustering. Finally, we visualised the clustering results through a scheme based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). After validating the pipeline on simulated data, we tested it on data from two experiments - a P300 speller paradigm on a single subject and a language processing study on 25 subjects. Results revealed evidence for the existence of 6 clusters in one experimental condition from the language processing study. Further, a two-way chi-square test revealed an influence of subject on cluster membership. Our analysis operates on denoised single-trials, the number of clusters are determined in a principled manner and the results are presented through an intuitive visualisation. Given the cluster structure in some experimental conditions, we suggest application of cluster analysis as a preliminary step before ensemble averaging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role played by amine and ethyl group in the reversible thermochromic process of [(C2H5)2NH2]2CuCl4 probing by FTIR and 2D-COS analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Dongjin; Xu, Jing; Cheng, Haifeng; Wang, Nannan; Zhou, Qun

2018-06-01

Thermochromic compound [(C2H5)2NH2]2CuCl4 displays a solid-solid phase transition at 52 °C apparent with color changing from green to yellow, induced by the geometry of [CuCl4]2- anion (regarded as chromophore of the compound) ranging from square-planar to flattened tetrahedral structure. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and two-dimensional correlation (2D-COS) analysis have been applied to study the role played by the amine and ethyl group of the ammonium cation during the phase transition process in heating and cooling process. With temperature increasing, strength weakening of the N-H…Cl H-bond and thermal disordering of the alkyl chain both occur in the phase transition. 2D-COS analysis reveals the N-H…Cl H-bond responds to increasing temperature in the first place, and may the dominating driving force for the structure variation of [CuCl4]2- anion. Although the thermochromic process of [(C2H5)2NH2]2CuCl4 is a reversible process, the sequential order of the variation of NH2+ and alkyl group of [(C2H5)2NH2]2CuCl4 derived by 2D-COS analysis during heating and cooling process are reverse, indicating the dynamic process of the phase transition is not perfect reversible. The existence of undercooling phenomenon in the cooling process has been revealed by 2D-COS analysis.

Analysis to determine the maximum dimensions of flexible apertures in sensored security netting products.

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

Murton, Mark; Bouchier, Francis A.; vanDongen, Dale T.

2013-08-01

Although technological advances provide new capabilities to increase the robustness of security systems, they also potentially introduce new vulnerabilities. New capability sometimes requires new performance requirements. This paper outlines an approach to establishing a key performance requirement for an emerging intrusion detection sensor: the sensored net. Throughout the security industry, the commonly adopted standard for maximum opening size through barriers is a requirement based on square inchestypically 96 square inches. Unlike standard rigid opening, the dimensions of a flexible aperture are not fixed, but variable and conformable. It is demonstrably simple for a human intruder to move through a 96-square-inchmore » opening that is conformable to the human body. The longstanding 96-square-inch requirement itself, though firmly embedded in policy and best practice, lacks a documented empirical basis. This analysis concluded that the traditional 96-square-inch standard for openings is insufficient for flexible openings that are conformable to the human body. Instead, a circumference standard is recommended for these newer types of sensored barriers. The recommended maximum circumference for a flexible opening should be no more than 26 inches, as measured on the inside of the netting material.« less

Proteomic analysis of cellular soluble proteins from human bronchial smooth muscle cells by combining nondenaturing micro 2DE and quantitative LC-MS/MS. 1. Preparation of more than 4000 native protein maps.

PubMed

Jin, Ya; Zhang, Jun; Yuan, Qi; Manabe, Takashi; Tan, Wen

2015-08-01

Soluble proteins of human bronchial smooth muscle cells (HBSMC) were separated by nondenaturing micro 2DE and a 30 mm × 40 mm area of the CBB-stained slab gel (1.0 mm thick) was cut into 1.1 mm × 1.1 mm squares, then the proteins in the 972 gel pieces (squares) were applied to quantitative LC-MS/MS. Grid-cutting of the gel was employed to; (i) ensure the total analysis of the proteins in the area, (ii) standardize the conditions of analysis by LC-MS/MS, (iii) reconstruct the protein distribution patterns from the quantity data [1]. Totally 4323 proteins were identified in successfully analyzed 967 squares and the quantity distribution of each was reconstructed as a color density pattern (a native protein map). The quantity of the proteins distributed from 3.6% to 1 × 10(-5) % of the total protein quantity in the grid area. Each protein map was characterized by several features, including the position of quantity peak square, number of detected squares, and degree of concentration (focused or dispersed). About 4% of the proteins were detected in 100 or more squares, suggesting that they might be ubiquitous and interacting with other proteins. In contrast, many proteins showed more concentrated quantity distribution and the quantity peak positions of 565 proteins with a defined degree of concentration were summarized into a quantity peak map. These results for the first time visualized the distribution patterns of cellular proteins on a nondenaturing 2D gel. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Internet search trends analysis tools can provide real-time data on kidney stone disease in the United States.

PubMed

Willard, Scott D; Nguyen, Mike M

2013-01-01

To evaluate the utility of using Internet search trends data to estimate kidney stone occurrence and understand the priorities of patients with kidney stones. Internet search trends data represent a unique resource for monitoring population self-reported illness and health information-seeking behavior. The Google Insights for Search analysis tool was used to study searches related to kidney stones, with each search term returning a search volume index (SVI) according to the search frequency relative to the total search volume. SVIs for the term, "kidney stones," were compiled by location and time parameters and compared with the published weather and stone prevalence data. Linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association of the search interest score with known epidemiologic variations in kidney stone disease, including latitude, temperature, season, and state. The frequency of the related search terms was categorized by theme and qualitatively analyzed. The SVI correlated significantly with established kidney stone epidemiologic predictors. The SVI correlated with the state latitude (R-squared=0.25; P<.001), the state mean annual temperature (R-squared=0.24; P<.001), and state combined sex prevalence (R-squared=0.25; P<.001). Female prevalence correlated more strongly than did male prevalence (R-squared=0.37; P<.001, and R-squared=0.17; P=.003, respectively). The national SVI correlated strongly with the average U.S. temperature by month (R-squared=0.54; P=.007). The search term ranking suggested that Internet users are most interested in the diagnosis, followed by etiology, infections, and treatment. Geographic and temporal variability in kidney stone disease appear to be accurately reflected in Internet search trends data. Internet search trends data might have broader applications for epidemiologic and urologic research. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discrete Tchebycheff orthonormal polynomials and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lear, W. M.

1980-01-01

Discrete Tchebycheff orthonormal polynomials offer a convenient way to make least squares polynomial fits of uniformly spaced discrete data. Computer programs to do so are simple and fast, and appear to be less affected by computer roundoff error, for the higher order fits, than conventional least squares programs. They are useful for any application of polynomial least squares fits: approximation of mathematical functions, noise analysis of radar data, and real time smoothing of noisy data, to name a few.

Simplified Least Squares Shadowing sensitivity analysis for chaotic ODEs and PDEs

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

Chater, Mario, E-mail: chaterm@mit.edu; Ni, Angxiu, E-mail: niangxiu@mit.edu; Wang, Qiqi, E-mail: qiqi@mit.edu

This paper develops a variant of the Least Squares Shadowing (LSS) method, which has successfully computed the derivative for several chaotic ODEs and PDEs. The development in this paper aims to simplify Least Squares Shadowing method by improving how time dilation is treated. Instead of adding an explicit time dilation term as in the original method, the new variant uses windowing, which can be more efficient and simpler to implement, especially for PDEs.

Least-squares sequential parameter and state estimation for large space structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thau, F. E.; Eliazov, T.; Montgomery, R. C.

1982-01-01

This paper presents the formulation of simultaneous state and parameter estimation problems for flexible structures in terms of least-squares minimization problems. The approach combines an on-line order determination algorithm, with least-squares algorithms for finding estimates of modal approximation functions, modal amplitudes, and modal parameters. The approach combines previous results on separable nonlinear least squares estimation with a regression analysis formulation of the state estimation problem. The technique makes use of sequential Householder transformations. This allows for sequential accumulation of matrices required during the identification process. The technique is used to identify the modal prameters of a flexible beam.

Nonlinear filtering properties of detrended fluctuation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiyono, Ken; Tsujimoto, Yutaka

2016-11-01

Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) has been widely used for quantifying long-range correlation and fractal scaling behavior. In DFA, to avoid spurious detection of scaling behavior caused by a nonstationary trend embedded in the analyzed time series, a detrending procedure using piecewise least-squares fitting has been applied. However, it has been pointed out that the nonlinear filtering properties involved with detrending may induce instabilities in the scaling exponent estimation. To understand this issue, we investigate the adverse effects of the DFA detrending procedure on the statistical estimation. We show that the detrending procedure using piecewise least-squares fitting results in the nonuniformly weighted estimation of the root-mean-square deviation and that this property could induce an increase in the estimation error. In addition, for comparison purposes, we investigate the performance of a centered detrending moving average analysis with a linear detrending filter and sliding window DFA and show that these methods have better performance than the standard DFA.

Analysis of Square Cup Deep-Drawing Test of Pure Titanium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogawa, Takaki; Ma, Ninshu; Ueyama, Minoru; Harada, Yasunori

2016-08-01

The prediction of formability of titunium is more difficult than steels since its strong anisotropy. If computer simulation can estimate the formability of titanium, we can select the optimal forming conditions. The purpose of this study was to acquire knowledge for the formability prediction by the computer simulation of the square cup deep-drawing of pure titanium. In this paper, the results of FEM analsis of pure titanium were compared with the experimental results to examine the analysis validity. We analyzed the formability of deepdrawing square cup of titanium by the FEM using solid elements. Compared the analysis results with the experimental results such as the forming shape, the punch load, and the thickness, the validity was confirmed. Further, through analyzing the change of the thickness around the forming corner, it was confirmed that the thickness increased to its maximum value during forming process at the stroke of 35mm more than the maximum stroke.

Baseline correction combined partial least squares algorithm and its application in on-line Fourier transform infrared quantitative analysis.

PubMed

Peng, Jiangtao; Peng, Silong; Xie, Qiong; Wei, Jiping

2011-04-01

In order to eliminate the lower order polynomial interferences, a new quantitative calibration algorithm "Baseline Correction Combined Partial Least Squares (BCC-PLS)", which combines baseline correction and conventional PLS, is proposed. By embedding baseline correction constraints into PLS weights selection, the proposed calibration algorithm overcomes the uncertainty in baseline correction and can meet the requirement of on-line attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) quantitative analysis. The effectiveness of the algorithm is evaluated by the analysis of glucose and marzipan ATR-FTIR spectra. BCC-PLS algorithm shows improved prediction performance over PLS. The root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) on marzipan spectra for the prediction of the moisture is found to be 0.53%, w/w (range 7-19%). The sugar content is predicted with a RMSECV of 2.04%, w/w (range 33-68%). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An augmented classical least squares method for quantitative Raman spectral analysis against component information loss.

PubMed

Zhou, Yan; Cao, Hui

2013-01-01

We propose an augmented classical least squares (ACLS) calibration method for quantitative Raman spectral analysis against component information loss. The Raman spectral signals with low analyte concentration correlations were selected and used as the substitutes for unknown quantitative component information during the CLS calibration procedure. The number of selected signals was determined by using the leave-one-out root-mean-square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) curve. An ACLS model was built based on the augmented concentration matrix and the reference spectral signal matrix. The proposed method was compared with partial least squares (PLS) and principal component regression (PCR) using one example: a data set recorded from an experiment of analyte concentration determination using Raman spectroscopy. A 2-fold cross-validation with Venetian blinds strategy was exploited to evaluate the predictive power of the proposed method. The one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) was used to access the predictive power difference between the proposed method and existing methods. Results indicated that the proposed method is effective at increasing the robust predictive power of traditional CLS model against component information loss and its predictive power is comparable to that of PLS or PCR.

Analysis of Lard in Lipstick Formulation Using FTIR Spectroscopy and Multivariate Calibration: A Comparison of Three Extraction Methods.

PubMed

Waskitho, Dri; Lukitaningsih, Endang; Sudjadi; Rohman, Abdul

2016-01-01

Analysis of lard extracted from lipstick formulation containing castor oil has been performed using FTIR spectroscopic method combined with multivariate calibration. Three different extraction methods were compared, namely saponification method followed by liquid/liquid extraction with hexane/dichlorometane/ethanol/water, saponification method followed by liquid/liquid extraction with dichloromethane/ethanol/water, and Bligh & Dyer method using chloroform/methanol/water as extracting solvent. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of lard were performed using principle component (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) analysis, respectively. The results showed that, in all samples prepared by the three extraction methods, PCA was capable of identifying lard at wavelength region of 1200-800 cm -1 with the best result was obtained by Bligh & Dyer method. Furthermore, PLS analysis at the same wavelength region used for qualification showed that Bligh and Dyer was the most suitable extraction method with the highest determination coefficient (R 2 ) and the lowest root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC) as well as root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values.

Disruption of redox catalytic functions of peroxiredoxin-thioredoxin complex in Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv using small interface binding molecules.

PubMed

Gurung, Arun Bahadur; Das, Amit Kumar; Bhattacharjee, Atanu

2017-04-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has distinctive ability to detoxify various microbicidal superoxides and hydroperoxides via a redox catalytic cycle involving thiol reductants of peroxiredoxin (Prx) and thioredoxin (Trx) systems which has conferred on it resistance against oxidative killing and survivability within host. We have used computational approach to disrupt catalytic functions of Prx-Trx complex which can possibly render the pathogen vulnerable to oxidative killing in the host. Using protein-protein docking method, we have successfully constructed the Prx-Trx complex. Statistics of interface region revealed contact area of each monomer less than 1500Å 2 and enriched in polar amino acids indicating transient interaction between Prx and Trx. We have identified ZINC40139449 as a potent interface binding molecule through virtual screening of drug-like compounds from ZINC database. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation studies showed differences in structural properties of Prx-Trx complex both in apo and ligand bound states with regard to root mean square deviation (RMSD), radius of gyration (Rg), root mean square fluctuations (RMSF), solvent accessible surface area (SASA) and number of hydrogen bonds (NHBs). Interestingly, we found stability of two conserved catalytic residues Cys61 and Cys174 of Prx and conserved catalytic motif, WCXXC of Trx upon binding of ZINC40139449. The time dependent displacement study reveals that the compound is quite stable in the interface binding region till 30ns of MD simulation. The structural properties were further validated by principal component analysis (PCA). We report ZINC40139449 as promising lead which can be further evaluated by in vitro or in vivo enzyme inhibition assays. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lower risk taking and exploratory behavior in alcohol-preferring sP rats than in alcohol non-preferring sNP rats in the multivariate concentric square field (MCSF) test.

PubMed

Roman, Erika; Colombo, Giancarlo

2009-12-14

The present investigation continues previous behavioral profiling studies of selectively bred alcohol-drinking and alcohol non-drinking rats. In this study, alcohol-naïve adult Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and non-preferring (sNP) rats were tested in the multivariate concentric square field (MCSF) test. The MCSF test has an ethoexperimental approach and measures general activity, exploration, risk assessment, risk taking, and shelter seeking in laboratory rodents. The multivariate design enables behavioral profiling in one and the same test situation. Age-matched male Wistar rats were included as a control group. Five weeks after the first MCSF trial, a repeated testing was done to explore differences in acquired experience. The results revealed distinct differences in exploratory strategies and behavioral profiles between sP and sNP rats. The sP rats were characterized by lower activity, lower exploratory drive, higher risk assessment, and lower risk taking behavior than in sNP rats. In the repeated trial, risk-taking behavior was almost abolished in sP rats. When comparing the performance of sP and sNP rats with that of Wistar rats, the principal component analysis revealed that the sP rats were the most divergent group. The vigilant behavior observed in sP rats with low exploratory drive and low risk-taking behavior is interpreted here as high innate anxiety-related behaviors and may be related to their propensity for high voluntary alcohol intake and preference. We suggest that the different lines of alcohol-preferring rats with different behavioral characteristics constitute valuable animal models that mimic the heterogeneity in human alcohol dependence.

Metabonomics reveals metabolite changes in biliary atresia infants.

PubMed

Zhou, Kejun; Xie, Guoxiang; Wang, Jun; Zhao, Aihua; Liu, Jiajian; Su, Mingming; Ni, Yan; Zhou, Ying; Pan, Weihua; Che, Yanran; Zhang, Ting; Xiao, Yongtao; Wang, Yang; Wen, Jie; Jia, Wei; Cai, Wei

2015-06-05

Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare neonatal cholestatic disorder caused by obstruction of extra- and intra-hepatic bile ducts. If untreated, progressive liver cirrhosis will lead to death within 2 years. Early diagnosis and operation improve the outcome significantly. Infants with neonatal hepatitis syndrome (NHS) present similar symptoms, confounding the early diagnosis of BA. The lack of noninvasive diagnostic methods to differentiate BA from NHS greatly delays the surgery of BA infants, thus deteriorating the outcome. Here we performed a metabolomics study in plasma of BA, NHS, and healthy infants using gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Scores plots of orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis clearly separated BA from NHS and healthy infants. Eighteen metabolites were found to be differentially expressed between BA and NHS, among which seven (l-glutamic acid, l-ornithine, l-isoleucine, l-lysine, l-valine, l-tryptophan, and l-serine) were amino acids. The altered amino acids were quantitatively verified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed the network of "Cellular Function and Maintenance, Hepatic System Development and Function, Neurological Disease" was altered most significantly. This study suggests that plasma metabolic profiling has great potential in differentiating BA from NHS, and amino acid metabolism is significantly different between the two diseases.

Crystal structure analysis, covalent docking, and molecular dynamics calculations reveal a conformational switch in PhaZ7 PHB depolymerase.

PubMed

Kellici, Tahsin F; Mavromoustakos, Thomas; Jendrossek, Dieter; Papageorgiou, Anastassios C

2017-07-01

An open and a closed conformation of a surface loop in PhaZ7 extracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) depolymerase were identified in two high-resolution crystal structures of a PhaZ7 Y105E mutant. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed high root mean square fluctuations (RMSF) of the 281-295 loop, in particular at residue Asp289 (RMSF 7.62 Å). Covalent docking between a 3-hydroxybutyric acid trimer and the catalytic residue Ser136 showed that the binding energy of the substrate is significantly more favorable in the open loop conformation compared to that in the closed loop conformation. MD simulations with the substrate covalently bound depicted 1 Å RMSF higher values for the residues 281-295 in comparison to the apo (substrate-free) form. In addition, the presence of the substrate in the active site enhanced the ability of the loop to adopt a closed form. Taken together, the analysis suggests that the flexible loop 281-295 of PhaZ7 depolymerase can act as a lid domain to control substrate access to the active site of the enzyme. Proteins 2017; 85:1351-1361. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis of characteristics of Si in blast furnace pig iron and calibration methods in the detection by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mei, Yaguang; Cheng, Yuxin; Cheng, Shusen; Hao, Zhongqi; Guo, Lianbo; Li, Xiangyou; Zeng, Xiaoyan

2017-10-01

During the iron-making process in blast furnace, the Si content in liquid pig iron was usually used to evaluate the quality of liquid iron and thermal state of blast furnace. None effective method was found for rapid detecting the Si concentration of liquid iron. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a kind of atomic emission spectrometry technology based on laser ablation. Its obvious advantage is realizing rapid, in-situ, online analysis of element concentration in open air without sample pretreatment. The characteristics of Si in liquid iron were analyzed from the aspect of thermodynamic theory and metallurgical technology. The relationship between Si and C, Mn, S, P or other alloy elements were revealed based on thermodynamic calculation. Subsequently, LIBS was applied on rapid detection of Si of pig iron in this work. During LIBS detection process, several groups of standard pig iron samples were employed in this work to calibrate the Si content in pig iron. The calibration methods including linear, quadratic and cubic internal standard calibration, multivariate linear calibration and partial least squares (PLS) were compared with each other. It revealed that the PLS improved by normalization was the best calibration method for Si detection by LIBS.

A Model and Simple Iterative Algorithm for Redundancy Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fornell, Claes; And Others

1988-01-01

This paper shows that redundancy maximization with J. K. Johansson's extension can be accomplished via a simple iterative algorithm based on H. Wold's Partial Least Squares. The model and the iterative algorithm for the least squares approach to redundancy maximization are presented. (TJH)

The Influence of Dimensionality on Estimation in the Partial Credit Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Ayala, R. J.

1995-01-01

The effect of multidimensionality on partial credit model parameter estimation was studied with noncompensatory and compensatory data. Analysis results, consisting of root mean square error bias, Pearson product-moment corrections, standardized root mean squared differences, standardized differences between means, and descriptive statistics…

Correspondence and Least Squares Analyses of Soil and Rock Compositions for the Viking Lander 1 and Pathfinder Sites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larsen, K. W.; Arvidson, R. E.; Jolliff, B. L.; Clark, B. C.

2000-01-01

Correspondence and Least Squares Mixing Analysis techniques are applied to the chemical composition of Viking 1 soils and Pathfinder rocks and soils. Implications for the parent composition of local and global materials are discussed.

Missing value imputation in DNA microarrays based on conjugate gradient method.

PubMed

Dorri, Fatemeh; Azmi, Paeiz; Dorri, Faezeh

2012-02-01

Analysis of gene expression profiles needs a complete matrix of gene array values; consequently, imputation methods have been suggested. In this paper, an algorithm that is based on conjugate gradient (CG) method is proposed to estimate missing values. k-nearest neighbors of the missed entry are first selected based on absolute values of their Pearson correlation coefficient. Then a subset of genes among the k-nearest neighbors is labeled as the best similar ones. CG algorithm with this subset as its input is then used to estimate the missing values. Our proposed CG based algorithm (CGimpute) is evaluated on different data sets. The results are compared with sequential local least squares (SLLSimpute), Bayesian principle component analysis (BPCAimpute), local least squares imputation (LLSimpute), iterated local least squares imputation (ILLSimpute) and adaptive k-nearest neighbors imputation (KNNKimpute) methods. The average of normalized root mean squares error (NRMSE) and relative NRMSE in different data sets with various missing rates shows CGimpute outperforms other methods. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spectral analysis of GEOS-3 altimeter data and frequency domain collocation. [to estimate gravity anomalies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eren, K.

1980-01-01

The mathematical background in spectral analysis as applied to geodetic applications is summarized. The resolution (cut-off frequency) of the GEOS 3 altimeter data is examined by determining the shortest wavelength (corresponding to the cut-off frequency) recoverable. The data from some 18 profiles are used. The total power (variance) in the sea surface topography with respect to the reference ellipsoid as well as with respect to the GEM-9 surface is computed. A fast inversion algorithm for matrices of simple and block Toeplitz matrices and its application to least squares collocation is explained. This algorithm yields a considerable gain in computer time and storage in comparison with conventional least squares collocation. Frequency domain least squares collocation techniques are also introduced and applied to estimating gravity anomalies from GEOS 3 altimeter data. These techniques substantially reduce the computer time and requirements in storage associated with the conventional least squares collocation. Numerical examples given demonstrate the efficiency and speed of these techniques.

Three-dimensional Reconstruction of Scar Contracture-bearing Axilla and Digital Webs Using the Square Flap Method.

PubMed

Huang, Chenyu; Ogawa, Rei

2014-05-01

Joint scar contractures are characterized by tight bands of soft tissue that bridge the 2 ends of the joint like a web. Classical treatment methods such as Z-plasties are mainly based on 2-dimensional designs. Our square flap method is an alternative surgical method that restores the span of the web in a stereometric fashion, thereby reconstructing joint function. In total, 20 Japanese patients with joint scar contractures on the axillary (n = 10) or first digital web (n = 10) underwent square flap surgery. The maximum range of motion and commissure length were measured before and after surgery. A theoretical stereometric geometrical model of the square flap was established to compare it to the classical single (60 degree), 4-flap (45 degree), and 5-flap (60 degree) Z-plasties in terms of theoretical web reconstruction efficacy. All cases achieved 100% contracture release. The maximum range of motion and web space improved after square flap surgery (P = 0.001). Stereometric geometrical modeling revealed that the standard square flap (α = 45 degree; β = 90 degree) yields a larger flap area, length/width ratio, and postsurgical commissure length than the Z-plasties. It can also be adapted by varying angles α and β, although certain angle thresholds must be met to obtain the stereometric advantages of this method. When used to treat joint scar contractures, the square flap method can fully span the web space in a stereometric manner, thus yielding a close-to-original shape and function. Compared with the classical Z-plasties, it also provides sufficient anatomical blood supply while imposing the least physiological tension on the adjacent skin.

Three-dimensional Reconstruction of Scar Contracture-bearing Axilla and Digital Webs Using the Square Flap Method

PubMed Central

Huang, Chenyu

2014-01-01

Background: Joint scar contractures are characterized by tight bands of soft tissue that bridge the 2 ends of the joint like a web. Classical treatment methods such as Z-plasties are mainly based on 2-dimensional designs. Our square flap method is an alternative surgical method that restores the span of the web in a stereometric fashion, thereby reconstructing joint function. Methods: In total, 20 Japanese patients with joint scar contractures on the axillary (n = 10) or first digital web (n = 10) underwent square flap surgery. The maximum range of motion and commissure length were measured before and after surgery. A theoretical stereometric geometrical model of the square flap was established to compare it to the classical single (60 degree), 4-flap (45 degree), and 5-flap (60 degree) Z-plasties in terms of theoretical web reconstruction efficacy. Results: All cases achieved 100% contracture release. The maximum range of motion and web space improved after square flap surgery (P = 0.001). Stereometric geometrical modeling revealed that the standard square flap (α = 45 degree; β = 90 degree) yields a larger flap area, length/width ratio, and postsurgical commissure length than the Z-plasties. It can also be adapted by varying angles α and β, although certain angle thresholds must be met to obtain the stereometric advantages of this method. Conclusions: When used to treat joint scar contractures, the square flap method can fully span the web space in a stereometric manner, thus yielding a close-to-original shape and function. Compared with the classical Z-plasties, it also provides sufficient anatomical blood supply while imposing the least physiological tension on the adjacent skin. PMID:25289342

Sequential Dictionary Learning From Correlated Data: Application to fMRI Data Analysis.

PubMed

Seghouane, Abd-Krim; Iqbal, Asif

2017-03-22

Sequential dictionary learning via the K-SVD algorithm has been revealed as a successful alternative to conventional data driven methods such as independent component analysis (ICA) for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data analysis. fMRI datasets are however structured data matrices with notions of spatio-temporal correlation and temporal smoothness. This prior information has not been included in the K-SVD algorithm when applied to fMRI data analysis. In this paper we propose three variants of the K-SVD algorithm dedicated to fMRI data analysis by accounting for this prior information. The proposed algorithms differ from the K-SVD in their sparse coding and dictionary update stages. The first two algorithms account for the known correlation structure in the fMRI data by using the squared Q, R-norm instead of the Frobenius norm for matrix approximation. The third and last algorithm account for both the known correlation structure in the fMRI data and the temporal smoothness. The temporal smoothness is incorporated in the dictionary update stage via regularization of the dictionary atoms obtained with penalization. The performance of the proposed dictionary learning algorithms are illustrated through simulations and applications on real fMRI data.

Data Mining Methods for Omics and Knowledge of Crude Medicinal Plants toward Big Data Biology

PubMed Central

Afendi, Farit M.; Ono, Naoaki; Nakamura, Yukiko; Nakamura, Kensuke; Darusman, Latifah K.; Kibinge, Nelson; Morita, Aki Hirai; Tanaka, Ken; Horai, Hisayuki; Altaf-Ul-Amin, Md.; Kanaya, Shigehiko

2013-01-01

Molecular biological data has rapidly increased with the recent progress of the Omics fields, e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics that necessitates the development of databases and methods for efficient storage, retrieval, integration and analysis of massive data. The present study reviews the usage of KNApSAcK Family DB in metabolomics and related area, discusses several statistical methods for handling multivariate data and shows their application on Indonesian blended herbal medicines (Jamu) as a case study. Exploration using Biplot reveals many plants are rarely utilized while some plants are highly utilized toward specific efficacy. Furthermore, the ingredients of Jamu formulas are modeled using Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) in order to predict their efficacy. The plants used in each Jamu medicine served as the predictors, whereas the efficacy of each Jamu provided the responses. This model produces 71.6% correct classification in predicting efficacy. Permutation test then is used to determine plants that serve as main ingredients in Jamu formula by evaluating the significance of the PLS-DA coefficients. Next, in order to explain the role of plants that serve as main ingredients in Jamu medicines, information of pharmacological activity of the plants is added to the predictor block. Then N-PLS-DA model, multiway version of PLS-DA, is utilized to handle the three-dimensional array of the predictor block. The resulting N-PLS-DA model reveals that the effects of some pharmacological activities are specific for certain efficacy and the other activities are diverse toward many efficacies. Mathematical modeling introduced in the present study can be utilized in global analysis of big data targeting to reveal the underlying biology. PMID:24688691

The quality estimation of exterior wall’s and window filling’s construction design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saltykov, Ivan; Bovsunovskaya, Maria

2017-10-01

The article reveals the term of “artificial envelope” in dwelling building. Authors offer a complex multifactorial approach to the design quality estimation of external fencing structures, which is based on various parameters impact. These referred parameters are: functional, exploitation, cost, and also, the environmental index is among them. The quality design index Qк is inputting for the complex characteristic of observed above parameters. The mathematical relation of this index from these parameters is the target function for the quality design estimation. For instance, the article shows the search of optimal variant for wall and window designs in small, middle and large square dwelling premises of economic class buildings. The graphs of target function single parameters are expressed for the three types of residual chamber’s dimensions. As a result of the showing example, there is a choice of window opening’s dimensions, which make the wall’s and window’s constructions properly correspondent to the producible complex requirements. The authors reveal the comparison of recommended window filling’s square in accordance with the building standards, and the square, due to the finding of the optimal variant of the design quality index. The multifactorial approach for optimal design searching, which is mentioned in this article, can be used in consideration of various construction elements of dwelling buildings in accounting of suitable climate, social and economic construction area features.

The Multi-Layer Variable Absorbers in NGC 1365 Revealed by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, E.; Risaliti, G.; Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F.; Arevalo, P.; Baur, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Brenneman, L. W.; Brightman, M.; Zhang, W. W.

2015-01-01

Between 2012 July and 2013 February, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton performed four long-look joint observations of the type 1.8 Seyfert, NGC 1365. We have analyzed the variable absorption seen in these observations in order to characterize the geometry of the absorbing material. Two of the observations caught NGC 1365 in an unusually low absorption state, revealing complexity in the multi-layer absorber that had previously been hidden. We find the need for three distinct zones of neutral absorption in addition to the two zones of ionized absorption and the Compton-thick torus previously seen in this source. The most prominent absorber is likely associated with broad-line region clouds with column densities of around approximately 10 (sup 23) per square centimeter and a highly clumpy nature as evidenced by an occultation event in 2013 February. We also find evidence of a patchy absorber with a variable column around approximately 10 (sup 22) per square centimeter and a line-of-sight covering fraction of 0.3-0.9, which responds directly to the intrinsic source flux, possibly due to a wind geometry. A full-covering, constant absorber with a low column density of approximately 1 by 10 (sup 22) per square centimeter is also present, though the location of this low density haze is unknown.

Revealing topographic lineaments through IHS enhancement of DEM data. [Digital Elevation Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murdock, Gary

1990-01-01

Intensity-hue-saturation (IHS) processing of slope (dip), aspect (dip direction), and elevation to reveal subtle topographic lineaments which may not be obvious in the unprocessed data are used to enhance digital elevation model (DEM) data from northwestern Nevada. This IHS method of lineament identification was applied to a mosiac of 12 square degrees using a Cray Y-MP8/864. Square arrays from 3 x 3 to 31 x 31 points were tested as well as several different slope enhancements. When relatively few points are used to fit the plane, lineaments of various lengths are observed and a mechanism for lineament classification is described. An area encompassing the gold deposits of the Carlin trend and including the Rain in the southeast to Midas in the northwest is investigated in greater detail. The orientation and density of lineaments may be determined on the gently sloping pediment surface as well as in the more steeply sloping ranges.

Selective Weighted Least Squares Method for Fourier Transform Infrared Quantitative Analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Xin; Li, Yan; Wei, Haoyun; Chen, Xia

2017-06-01

Classical least squares (CLS) regression is a popular multivariate statistical method used frequently for quantitative analysis using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry. Classical least squares provides the best unbiased estimator for uncorrelated residual errors with zero mean and equal variance. However, the noise in FT-IR spectra, which accounts for a large portion of the residual errors, is heteroscedastic. Thus, if this noise with zero mean dominates in the residual errors, the weighted least squares (WLS) regression method described in this paper is a better estimator than CLS. However, if bias errors, such as the residual baseline error, are significant, WLS may perform worse than CLS. In this paper, we compare the effect of noise and bias error in using CLS and WLS in quantitative analysis. Results indicated that for wavenumbers with low absorbance, the bias error significantly affected the error, such that the performance of CLS is better than that of WLS. However, for wavenumbers with high absorbance, the noise significantly affected the error, and WLS proves to be better than CLS. Thus, we propose a selective weighted least squares (SWLS) regression that processes data with different wavenumbers using either CLS or WLS based on a selection criterion, i.e., lower or higher than an absorbance threshold. The effects of various factors on the optimal threshold value (OTV) for SWLS have been studied through numerical simulations. These studies reported that: (1) the concentration and the analyte type had minimal effect on OTV; and (2) the major factor that influences OTV is the ratio between the bias error and the standard deviation of the noise. The last part of this paper is dedicated to quantitative analysis of methane gas spectra, and methane/toluene mixtures gas spectra as measured using FT-IR spectrometry and CLS, WLS, and SWLS. The standard error of prediction (SEP), bias of prediction (bias), and the residual sum of squares of the errors (RSS) from the three quantitative analyses were compared. In methane gas analysis, SWLS yielded the lowest SEP and RSS among the three methods. In methane/toluene mixture gas analysis, a modification of the SWLS has been presented to tackle the bias error from other components. The SWLS without modification presents the lowest SEP in all cases but not bias and RSS. The modification of SWLS reduced the bias, which showed a lower RSS than CLS, especially for small components.

Static, free vibration and thermal analysis of composite plates and shells using a flat triangular shell element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapania, R. K.; Mohan, P.

1996-09-01

Finite element static, free vibration and thermal analysis of thin laminated plates and shells using a three noded triangular flat shell element is presented. The flat shell element is a combination of the Discrete Kirchhoff Theory (DKT) plate bending element and a membrane element derived from the Linear Strain Triangular (LST) element with a total of 18 degrees of freedom (3 translations and 3 rotations per node). Explicit formulations are used for the membrane, bending and membrane-bending coupling stiffness matrices and the thermal load vector. Due to a strong analogy between the induced strain caused by the thermal field and the strain induced in a structure due to an electric field the present formulation is readily applicable for the analysis of structures excited by surface bonded or embedded piezoelectric actuators. The results are presented for (i) static analysis of (a) simply supported square plates under doubly sinusoidal load and uniformly distributed load (b) simply supported spherical shells under a uniformly distributed load, (ii) free vibration analysis of (a) square cantilever plates, (b) skew cantilever plates and (c) simply supported spherical shells; (iii) Thermal deformation analysis of (a) simply supported square plates, (b) simply supported-clamped square plate and (c) simply supported spherical shells. A numerical example is also presented demonstrating the application of the present formulation to analyse a symmetrically laminated graphite/epoxy laminate excited by a layer of piezoelectric polyvinylidene flouride (PVDF). The results presented are in good agreement with those available in the literature.

Aerial radiological survey of the Salem Nuclear Generating Station and surrounding area, Salem, New Jersey

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

Feimster, E.L.

An aerial radiological survey was performed from 24 July through 1 August 1980 over a 244-square-kilometer (95-square-mile) area centered on the Salem Nuclear Generating Station near Salem, New Jersey. All gamma ray data were collected by flying lines oriented north-south and spaced 152 meters (500 feet) apart, at an altitude of 91 meters (300 feet) above the ground. Processed data showed that all gamma rays detected within the survey area were those expected from naturally occurring terrestrial background emitters except directly over the site, where spectral analysis revealed the presence of /sup 60/Co. Count rates obtained from the aerial platformmore » were converted to exposure rates at 1 meter above the ground and are presented in the form of an exposure rate contour map. The resulting exposure rates varied between 5 and 55 microroentgens per hour (..mu..R/h). The river-shore areas ranged from 5 to 7 ..mu..R/h, inland areas showed 7 to 12 ..mu..R/h, and the site had a maximum exposure rate of 55 ..mu..R/h. These values include an estimated cosmic ray contribution of 4 ..mu..R/h. The exposure rates obtained from soil samples taken within the survey area displayed good agreement with the aerial data.« less

Within-Session Stability of Short-Term Heart Rate Variability Measurement

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract The primary aim of this study was to assess the retest stability of the short-term heart rate variability (HRV) measurement performed within one session and without the use of any intervention. Additionally, a precise investigation of the possible impact of intrinsic biological variation on HRV reliability was also performed. First, a single test-retest HRV measurement was conducted with 20-30 min apart from one another. Second, the HRV measurement was repeated in ten non-interrupted consecutive intervals. The lowest typical error (CV = 21.1%) was found for the square root of the mean squared differences of successive RR intervals (rMSSD) and the highest for the low frequency power (PLF) (CV = 93.9%). The standardized changes in the mean were trivial to small. The correlation analysis revealed the highest level for ln rMSSD (ICC = 0.87), while ln PLF represented the worst case (ICC = 0.59). The reliability indices for ln rMSSD in 10 consecutive intervals improved (CV = 9.9%; trivial standardized changes in the mean; ICC = 0.96). In conclusion, major differences were found in the reliability level between the HRV indices. The rMSSD demonstrated the highest reliability level. No substantial influence of intrinsic biological variation on the HRV reliability was observed. PMID:28149345

Testing and modelling of the SVOM MXT narrow field lobster-eye telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feldman, Charlotte; Pearson, James; Willingale, Richard; Sykes, John; Drumm, Paul; Houghton, Paul; Bicknell, Chris; Osborne, Julian; Martindale, Adrian; O'Brien, Paul; Fairbend, Ray; Schyns, Emile; Petit, Sylvain; Roudot, Romain; Mercier, Karine; Le Duigou, Jean-Michel; Gotz, Diego

2017-08-01

The Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a French-Chinese space mission to be launched in 2021 with the goal of studying gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful stellar explosions in the Universe. The Microchannel X-ray Telescope (MXT) on-board SVOM, is an X-ray focusing telescope with a detector-limited field of view of ˜1 square° , working in the 0.2-10 keV energy band. The MXT is a narrow-field-optimised lobster eye telescope, designed to promptly detect and accurately locate gamma-ray bursts afterglows. The breadboard MXT optic comprises of an array of square pore micro pore optics (MPOs) which are slumped to a spherical radius of 2 m giving a focal length of 1 m and an intrinsic field of view of ˜6° . We present details of the baseline design and results from the ongoing X-ray tests of the breadboard and structural thermal model MPOs performed at the University of Leicester and at Panter. In addition, we present details of modelling and analysis which reveals the factors that limit the angular resolution, characteristics of the point spread function and the efficiency and collecting area of the currently available MPOs.

Comparison of Statistical Approaches for Dealing With Immortal Time Bias in Drug Effectiveness Studies

PubMed Central

Karim, Mohammad Ehsanul; Gustafson, Paul; Petkau, John; Tremlett, Helen

2016-01-01

In time-to-event analyses of observational studies of drug effectiveness, incorrect handling of the period between cohort entry and first treatment exposure during follow-up may result in immortal time bias. This bias can be eliminated by acknowledging a change in treatment exposure status with time-dependent analyses, such as fitting a time-dependent Cox model. The prescription time-distribution matching (PTDM) method has been proposed as a simpler approach for controlling immortal time bias. Using simulation studies and theoretical quantification of bias, we compared the performance of the PTDM approach with that of the time-dependent Cox model in the presence of immortal time. Both assessments revealed that the PTDM approach did not adequately address immortal time bias. Based on our simulation results, another recently proposed observational data analysis technique, the sequential Cox approach, was found to be more useful than the PTDM approach (Cox: bias = −0.002, mean squared error = 0.025; PTDM: bias = −1.411, mean squared error = 2.011). We applied these approaches to investigate the association of β-interferon treatment with delaying disability progression in a multiple sclerosis cohort in British Columbia, Canada (Long-Term Benefits and Adverse Effects of Beta-Interferon for Multiple Sclerosis (BeAMS) Study, 1995–2008). PMID:27455963

iHWG-μNIR: a miniaturised near-infrared gas sensor based on substrate-integrated hollow waveguides coupled to a micro-NIR-spectrophotometer.

PubMed

Rohwedder, J J R; Pasquini, C; Fortes, P R; Raimundo, I M; Wilk, A; Mizaikoff, B

2014-07-21

A miniaturised gas analyser is described and evaluated based on the use of a substrate-integrated hollow waveguide (iHWG) coupled to a microsized near-infrared spectrophotometer comprising a linear variable filter and an array of InGaAs detectors. This gas sensing system was applied to analyse surrogate samples of natural fuel gas containing methane, ethane, propane and butane, quantified by using multivariate regression models based on partial least square (PLS) algorithms and Savitzky-Golay 1(st) derivative data preprocessing. The external validation of the obtained models reveals root mean square errors of prediction of 0.37, 0.36, 0.67 and 0.37% (v/v), for methane, ethane, propane and butane, respectively. The developed sensing system provides particularly rapid response times upon composition changes of the gaseous sample (approximately 2 s) due the minute volume of the iHWG-based measurement cell. The sensing system developed in this study is fully portable with a hand-held sized analyser footprint, and thus ideally suited for field analysis. Last but not least, the obtained results corroborate the potential of NIR-iHWG analysers for monitoring the quality of natural gas and petrochemical gaseous products.

The High Energy Spectrum of NGC 4151

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckmann, V.; Gehrels, N.; Shrader, C.; Soldi, S.; Lubinski, P.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Malzac, J.

2005-01-01

We present first INTEGRAL observations of the type 1.5 Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. Combining several INTEGRAL observations performed during 2003, totaling approximately 400 ksec of exposure time, allow us to study the spectrum in the 3 - 300 keV range. The measurements presented here reveal an overall spectrum from X-rays up to the soft gamma-rays that can be described by an absorbed (N(sub H) approximately equal to 5 x 10(exp 22) per square centimeter) and non-variable thermal component, plus a Fe Kalpha line, and an exponential cutoff occurs at 110 keV, consistent with earlier claims. The Galactic hydrogen column density in the line of sight is N(sub H), Gal approximately equal to 2.1 x 10 (exp 20) per square centimeter. The time resolved analysis shows little variation of the spectral parameters. The comparison with CGRO/OSSE data shows that the same spectral model can be applied over a time span of 15 years, while the flux varied by a factor of 2. Applying a Compton reflection component improves the model fit to the INTEGRAL data. Nonetheless the data available to date cannot significantly confirm or exclude the existence of reflection, nor is a high iron overabundance in the absorber, as had been previously suggested, clearly detectable.

Helping students mathematical construction on square and rectangle’s area by using Sarong motive chess

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuliana, Eka; Setyawan, Fariz; Veloo, Arsaythamby

2017-12-01

The aim of this study is developing the learning trajectory to construct students’ understanding of the concept of the area of square and rectangle by using Sarong Motive Chess. This research is a design research which is consists of three stages. The stages are preparing for the experiment, designing experiment, and making a retrospective analysis. The activities started by the activity of using sarong motive chess as the manipulative measurement unit. The Sarong motive chess helps students to understand the concept of area of square and rectangle. In the formal stage of cognitive level, students estimate the area of square and rectangle by determining the square unit at the surface area of sarong through many ways. The result of this study concludes that Sarong motive chess can be used for mathematics learning process. It helps the students to construct the concept of a square and rectangle’s area. This study produces learning trajectory to construct the concept of a square and rectangle’s area by using Sarong motive chess, especially for elementary school students.

Self-assembled squares and triangles by simultaneous hydrogen bonding and metal coordination.

PubMed

Marshall, Laura J; de Mendoza, Javier

2013-04-05

Through the combination of hydrogen bonding and metal-templated self-assembly, molecular squares and molecular triangles are observed in chloroform solution upon the complexation of hydrogen-bonded dimers of para-pyridyl-substituted 2-ureido-4-[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) and an appropriate cis-substituted palladium complex. Molecular modeling studies and NMR analysis confirmed the presence of two distinct structures in solution: the tubular structure of the molecular square and propeller-bowl structure of the molecular triangle.

An analysis of the least-squares problem for the DSN systematic pointing error model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alvarez, L. S.

1991-01-01

A systematic pointing error model is used to calibrate antennas in the Deep Space Network. The least squares problem is described and analyzed along with the solution methods used to determine the model's parameters. Specifically studied are the rank degeneracy problems resulting from beam pointing error measurement sets that incorporate inadequate sky coverage. A least squares parameter subset selection method is described and its applicability to the systematic error modeling process is demonstrated on Voyager 2 measurement distribution.

An error analysis of least-squares finite element method of velocity-pressure-vorticity formulation for Stokes problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chang, Ching L.; Jiang, Bo-Nan

1990-01-01

A theoretical proof of the optimal rate of convergence for the least-squares method is developed for the Stokes problem based on the velocity-pressure-vorticity formula. The 2D Stokes problem is analyzed to define the product space and its inner product, and the a priori estimates are derived to give the finite-element approximation. The least-squares method is found to converge at the optimal rate for equal-order interpolation.

Evaluation of quasi-square wave inverter as a power source for induction motors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guynes, B. V.; Haggard, R. L.; Lanier, J. R., Jr.

1977-01-01

The relative merits of quasi-square wave inverter-motor technology versus a sine wave inverter-motor system were investigated. The empirical results of several tests on various sizes of wye-wound induction motors are presented with mathematical analysis to support the conclusions of the study. It was concluded that, within the limitations presented, the quasi-square wave inverter-motor system is superior to the more complex sine wave system for most induction motor applications in space.

Robust Mean and Covariance Structure Analysis through Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Ke-Hai; Bentler, Peter M.

2000-01-01

Adapts robust schemes to mean and covariance structures, providing an iteratively reweighted least squares approach to robust structural equation modeling. Each case is weighted according to its distance, based on first and second order moments. Test statistics and standard error estimators are given. (SLD)

Latin-square three-dimensional gage master

DOEpatents

Jones, L.

1981-05-12

A gage master for coordinate measuring machines has an nxn array of objects distributed in the Z coordinate utilizing the concept of a Latin square experimental design. Using analysis of variance techniques, the invention may be used to identify sources of error in machine geometry and quantify machine accuracy.

Latin square three dimensional gage master

DOEpatents

Jones, Lynn L.

1982-01-01

A gage master for coordinate measuring machines has an nxn array of objects distributed in the Z coordinate utilizing the concept of a Latin square experimental design. Using analysis of variance techniques, the invention may be used to identify sources of error in machine geometry and quantify machine accuracy.

Application of Partial Least Square (PLS) Regression to Determine Landscape-Scale Aquatic Resources Vulnerability in the Ozark Mountains

EPA Science Inventory

Partial least squares (PLS) analysis offers a number of advantages over the more traditionally used regression analyses applied in landscape ecology, particularly for determining the associations among multiple constituents of surface water and landscape configuration. Common dat...

UPLC-QTOF analysis reveals metabolomic changes in the flag leaf of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under low-nitrogen stress.

PubMed

Zhang, Yang; Ma, Xin-Ming; Wang, Xiao-Chun; Liu, Ji-Hong; Huang, Bing-Yan; Guo, Xiao-Yang; Xiong, Shu-Ping; La, Gui-Xiao

2017-02-01

Wheat is one of the most important grain crop plants worldwide. Nitrogen (N) is an essential macronutrient for the growth and development of wheat and exerts a marked influence on its metabolites. To investigate the influence of low nitrogen stress on various metabolites of the flag leaf of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a metabolomic analysis of two wheat cultivars under different induced nitrogen levels was conducted during two important growth periods based on large-scale untargeted metabolomic analysis using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF). Multivariate analyses-such as principle components analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA)-were used for data analysis. PCA yielded distinctive clustering information among the samples, classifying the wheat flag samples into two categories: those under normal N treatment and low N treatment. By processing OPLS-DA, eleven secondary metabolites were shown to be responsible for classifying the two groups. The secondary metabolites may be considered potential biomarkers of low nitrogen stress. Chemical analyses showed that most of the identified secondary metabolites were flavonoids and their related derivatives, such as iso-vitexin, iso-orientin and methylisoorientin-2″-O-rhamnoside, etc. This study confirmed the effect of low nitrogen stress on the metabolism of wheat, and revealed that the accumulation of secondary metabolites is a response to abiotic stresses. Meanwhile, we aimed to identify markers which could be used to monitor the nitrogen status of wheat crops, presumably to guide appropriate fertilization regimens. Furthermore, the UPLC-QTOF metabolic platform technology can be used to study metabolomic variations of wheat under abiotic stresses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Contribution of small and medium enterprises to economic development: Evidence from a transiting economy.

PubMed

Obi, James; Ibidunni, Ayodotun Stephen; Tolulope, Atolagbe; Olokundun, Maxwell Ayodele; Amaihian, Augusta Bosede; Borishade, Taiye Tairat; Fred, Peter

2018-06-01

The focus of this research was to present a data article on the contribution of SMEs to economic development in a transiting economy. Descriptive research design was adopted in this study. Data were obtained from 600 respondents in 60 small-scale enterprises located in different parts of the country (20 small-scale enterprises located in Lagos State, 20 in Anambra State and 20 in Kano State of Nigeria respectively). Data analysis was carried out using tables and percentages and the null hypotheses of the study was tested using chi-square ( X 2 ) inferential statistical model at 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between the operation of small and medium-scale enterprises and economic growth in developing nations.

Recidivism following spouse abuse abatement counseling: treatment program implications.

PubMed

Hamberger, L K; Hastings, J E

1990-01-01

This paper examined demographic and personality characteristics of violence-free completers (n = 74) and violence repeating completers (n = 32) of a spouse abuse abatement counseling program. Chi-square analyses on categorical data, and analyses of variance on personality test data revealed several predicted findings. Compared to violence-free completers, recidivists reported higher levels of substance abuse both before and after treatment. Recidivists also showed evidence of higher narcissism, measured by the Narcissistic, Gregarious and Aggressive subscales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory. Referral source (self or court) did not differentiate the two groups, nor did record of criminal activity. Subsequent discriminant function analysis, entering all predicted variables, correctly identified 65.4% of the recidivists and 73.1% of violence-free completers. Clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed.

[Sexuality in Down syndrome individuals].

PubMed

Castelão, Talita Borges; Schiavo, Márcio Ruiz; Jurberg, Pedro

2003-02-01

To evaluate parents and health professionals' opinions on the sexuality of Down syndrome individuals and to describe how these individuals see their own sexuality. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses have been applied in the study. A total of 809 questionnaires were to parents and health professionals (348). Twelve focal groups' sessions were carried out separately with parents, professionals and DS individuals. Chi-square test was performed in the analysis. Parents see their children as eternal kids as they are afraid of the utmost outcome of their children's sexual life: unwanted pregnancy, and risk of syndrome recurrence. Health professionals revealed to be unprepared to provide sexual advice for DS individuals and adequate parents' attitude to their children's sexual drive. Down syndrome sexuality develops similarly to other individuals, but DS individuals experience restrictions depending on their social context.

Analysis of S-box in Image Encryption Using Root Mean Square Error Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Iqtadar; Shah, Tariq; Gondal, Muhammad Asif; Mahmood, Hasan

2012-07-01

The use of substitution boxes (S-boxes) in encryption applications has proven to be an effective nonlinear component in creating confusion and randomness. The S-box is evolving and many variants appear in literature, which include advanced encryption standard (AES) S-box, affine power affine (APA) S-box, Skipjack S-box, Gray S-box, Lui J S-box, residue prime number S-box, Xyi S-box, and S8 S-box. These S-boxes have algebraic and statistical properties which distinguish them from each other in terms of encryption strength. In some circumstances, the parameters from algebraic and statistical analysis yield results which do not provide clear evidence in distinguishing an S-box for an application to a particular set of data. In image encryption applications, the use of S-boxes needs special care because the visual analysis and perception of a viewer can sometimes identify artifacts embedded in the image. In addition to existing algebraic and statistical analysis already used for image encryption applications, we propose an application of root mean square error technique, which further elaborates the results and enables the analyst to vividly distinguish between the performances of various S-boxes. While the use of the root mean square error analysis in statistics has proven to be effective in determining the difference in original data and the processed data, its use in image encryption has shown promising results in estimating the strength of the encryption method. In this paper, we show the application of the root mean square error analysis to S-box image encryption. The parameters from this analysis are used in determining the strength of S-boxes

Determinants of caregivers' awareness of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in Malaysia.

PubMed

Abdul Majid, Abdul Halim; Zakaria, Mohd Normani; Abdullah, Nor Azimah Chew; Hamzah, Sulaiman; Mukari, Siti Zamratol-Mai Sarah

2017-10-01

This paper aims to investigate the effects of perceived attitude and anxiety on awareness of UNHS among caregivers in Malaysia. Using cross sectional research approach, data were collected and some 46 out of 87 questionnaires distributed to caregivers attending UNHS programs at selected public hospitals were usable for analysis (response rate of 52.8%). Partial Least Squares Method (PLS) algorithm and bootstrapping technique were employed to test the hypotheses of the study. R square value is 0.205, and it implies that exogenous latent variables explained 21% of the variance of the endogenous latent variable. This value indicates moderate and acceptable level of R-squared values. Findings from PLS structural model evaluation revealed that anxiety has no significant influence (β = -0.091, t = 0.753, p > 0.10) on caregivers' awareness; but perceived attitude has significant effect (β = -0.444, t = 3.434, p < 0.01) on caregivers' awareness. Caregivers' awareness of UNHS is influenced by their perceived attitude while anxiety is not associated with caregivers' awareness. This implies that caregivers may not believe in early detection of hearing impairment in children, thinking that their babies are too young to be tested for hearing loss. Moreover, socio-economic situation of the caregivers may have contributed to their failure to honor UNHS screening appointments as some of them may need to work to earn a living while some may perceive it a waste of time honoring such appointments. Non-significant relationship between anxiety and caregivers' awareness may be due to religious beliefs of caregivers. Limitations and suggestions were discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of O-Linked Glycoproteins Binding to the Lectin Helix pomatia Agglutinin as Markers of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

PubMed

Peiris, Diluka; Ossondo, Marlène; Fry, Simon; Loizidou, Marilena; Smith-Ravin, Juliette; Dwek, Miriam V

2015-01-01

Protein glycosylation is an important post-translational modification shown to be altered in all tumour types studied to date. Mucin glycoproteins have been established as important carriers of O-linked glycans but other glycoproteins exhibiting altered glycosylation repertoires have yet to be identified but offer potential as biomarkers for metastatic cancer. In this study a glycoproteomic approach was used to identify glycoproteins exhibiting alterations in glycosylation in colorectal cancer and to evaluate the changes in O-linked glycosylation in the context of the p53 and KRAS (codon 12/13) mutation status. Affinity purification with the carbohydrate binding protein from Helix pomatia agglutinin (HPA) was coupled to 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis with mass spectrometry to enable the identification of low abundance O-linked glycoproteins from human colorectal cancer specimens. Aberrant O-linked glycosylation was observed to be an early event that occurred irrespective of the p53 and KRAS status and correlating with metastatic colorectal cancer. Affinity purification using the lectin HPA followed by proteomic analysis revealed annexin 4, annexin 5 and CLCA1 to be increased in the metastatic colorectal cancer specimens. The results were validated using a further independent set of specimens and this showed a significant association between the staining score for annexin 4 and HPA and the time to metastasis; independently (annexin A4: Chi square 11.45, P = 0.0007; HPA: Chi square 9.065, P = 0.0026) and in combination (annexin 4 and HPA combined: Chi square 13.47; P = 0.0002). Glycoproteins showing changes in O-linked glycosylation in metastatic colorectal cancer have been identified. The glycosylation changes were independent of p53 and KRAS status. These proteins offer potential for further exploration as biomarkers and potential targets for metastatic colorectal cancer.

Bone orientation and position estimation errors using Cosserat point elements and least squares methods: Application to gait.

PubMed

Solav, Dana; Camomilla, Valentina; Cereatti, Andrea; Barré, Arnaud; Aminian, Kamiar; Wolf, Alon

2017-09-06

The aim of this study was to analyze the accuracy of bone pose estimation based on sub-clusters of three skin-markers characterized by triangular Cosserat point elements (TCPEs) and to evaluate the capability of four instantaneous physical parameters, which can be measured non-invasively in vivo, to identify the most accurate TCPEs. Moreover, TCPE pose estimations were compared with the estimations of two least squares minimization methods applied to the cluster of all markers, using rigid body (RBLS) and homogeneous deformation (HDLS) assumptions. Analysis was performed on previously collected in vivo treadmill gait data composed of simultaneous measurements of the gold-standard bone pose by bi-plane fluoroscopy tracking the subjects' knee prosthesis and a stereophotogrammetric system tracking skin-markers affected by soft tissue artifact. Femur orientation and position errors estimated from skin-marker clusters were computed for 18 subjects using clusters of up to 35 markers. Results based on gold-standard data revealed that instantaneous subsets of TCPEs exist which estimate the femur pose with reasonable accuracy (median root mean square error during stance/swing: 1.4/2.8deg for orientation, 1.5/4.2mm for position). A non-invasive and instantaneous criteria to select accurate TCPEs for pose estimation (4.8/7.3deg, 5.8/12.3mm), was compared with RBLS (4.3/6.6deg, 6.9/16.6mm) and HDLS (4.6/7.6deg, 6.7/12.5mm). Accounting for homogeneous deformation, using HDLS or selected TCPEs, yielded more accurate position estimations than RBLS method, which, conversely, yielded more accurate orientation estimations. Further investigation is required to devise effective criteria for cluster selection that could represent a significant improvement in bone pose estimation accuracy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Data Characterization and Map Making

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duenner, Rolando; Hasselfield, Matthew; Marriage, Tobias A.; Sievers, Jon; Acquaviva, Viviana; Addison, Graeme E.; Ade, Peter A. R.; Aguirre, Paula; Amiri, Mandana; Appel, John William;

Comparative assessment of orthogonal polynomials for wavefront reconstruction over the square aperture.

PubMed

Ye, Jingfei; Gao, Zhishan; Wang, Shuai; Cheng, Jinlong; Wang, Wei; Sun, Wenqing

2014-10-01

Four orthogonal polynomials for reconstructing a wavefront over a square aperture based on the modal method are currently available, namely, the 2D Chebyshev polynomials, 2D Legendre polynomials, Zernike square polynomials and Numerical polynomials. They are all orthogonal over the full unit square domain. 2D Chebyshev polynomials are defined by the product of Chebyshev polynomials in x and y variables, as are 2D Legendre polynomials. Zernike square polynomials are derived by the Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization process, where the integration region across the full unit square is circumscribed outside the unit circle. Numerical polynomials are obtained by numerical calculation. The presented study is to compare these four orthogonal polynomials by theoretical analysis and numerical experiments from the aspects of reconstruction accuracy, remaining errors, and robustness. Results show that the Numerical orthogonal polynomial is superior to the other three polynomials because of its high accuracy and robustness even in the case of a wavefront with incomplete data.

A Two-Layer Least Squares Support Vector Machine Approach to Credit Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jingli; Li, Jianping; Xu, Weixuan; Shi, Yong

Least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) is a revised version of support vector machine (SVM) and has been proved to be a useful tool for pattern recognition. LS-SVM had excellent generalization performance and low computational cost. In this paper, we propose a new method called two-layer least squares support vector machine which combines kernel principle component analysis (KPCA) and linear programming form of least square support vector machine. With this method sparseness and robustness is obtained while solving large dimensional and large scale database. A U.S. commercial credit card database is used to test the efficiency of our method and the result proved to be a satisfactory one.

Application of Partial Least Squares (PLS) Regression to Determine Landscape-Scale Aquatic Resource Vulnerability in the Ozark Mountains

EPA Science Inventory

Partial least squares (PLS) analysis offers a number of advantages over the more traditionally used regression analyses applied in landscape ecology to study the associations among constituents of surface water and landscapes. Common data problems in ecological studies include: s...

Predictors of Transience among Homeless Emerging Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Kristin M.; Bender, Kimberly; Thompson, Sanna J.

2014-01-01

This study identified predictors of transience among homeless emerging adults in three cities. A total of 601 homeless emerging adults from Los Angeles, Austin, and Denver were recruited using purposive sampling. Ordinary least squares regression results revealed that significant predictors of greater transience include White ethnicity, high…

Social representation of hearing aids: cross-cultural study in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Manchaiah, Vinaya; Danermark, Berth; Vinay; Ahmadi, Tayebeh; Tomé, David; Krishna, Rajalakshmi; Germundsson, Per

2015-01-01

The current study was aimed at understanding the social representation of hearing aids in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. We also compared these results to explore the cross-cultural differences and similarities among these countries. The study involved a cross-sectional design, and the data were collected from four different countries using the snowball sampling method. Data were analyzed using a content analysis to identify the most-similar categories of responses reported, a co-occurrences analysis to see which of these categories are reported commonly, and a chi-square analysis to study if there was any association between positive, neutral, and negative connotations among participants in different countries. The current study revealed four different social representations of hearing aids from India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, and also a global index. The study results provide very useful insights into how hearing aids are represented in the society. These findings may have important implications for public education and also for manufacturers from the viewpoint of designing and marketing hearing aids in different countries.

¹H NMR spectroscopy reveals the effect of genotype and growth conditions on composition of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) berries.

PubMed

Kortesniemi, Maaria; Sinkkonen, Jari; Yang, Baoru; Kallio, Heikki

2014-03-15

¹H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis were applied to the metabolic profiling and discrimination of wild sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) berries from different locations in Finland (subspecies (ssp.) rhamnoides) and China (ssp. sinensis). Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed discrimination of the two subspecies and different growth sites. The discrimination of ssp. rhamnoides was mainly associated with typically higher temperature, radiation and humidity and lower precipitation in the south, yielding higher levels of O-ethyl β-d-glucopyranoside and d-glucose, and lower levels of malic, quinic and ascorbic acids. Significant metabolic differences (p<0.05) in genetically identical berries were observed between latitudes 60° and 67° north in Finland. High altitudes (> 2,000 m) correlated with greater levels of malic and ascorbic acids in ssp. sinensis. The NMR metabolomics approach applied here is effective for identification of metabolites, geographical origin and subspecies of sea buckthorn berries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social representation of hearing aids: cross-cultural study in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Manchaiah, Vinaya; Danermark, Berth; Vinay; Ahmadi, Tayebeh; Tomé, David; Krishna, Rajalakshmi; Germundsson, Per

2015-01-01

Background The current study was aimed at understanding the social representation of hearing aids in India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. We also compared these results to explore the cross-cultural differences and similarities among these countries. Methods The study involved a cross-sectional design, and the data were collected from four different countries using the snowball sampling method. Data were analyzed using a content analysis to identify the most-similar categories of responses reported, a co-occurrences analysis to see which of these categories are reported commonly, and a chi-square analysis to study if there was any association between positive, neutral, and negative connotations among participants in different countries. Results The current study revealed four different social representations of hearing aids from India, Iran, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, and also a global index. Conclusion The study results provide very useful insights into how hearing aids are represented in the society. These findings may have important implications for public education and also for manufacturers from the viewpoint of designing and marketing hearing aids in different countries. PMID:26504376

Psychometric properties of the pain stages of change questionnaire as evaluated by rasch analysis in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Our objective was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Pain Stages of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) and its four subscales Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action and Maintenance. Methods A total of 231 patients, median age 42 years, with chronic musculoskeletal pain responded to the 30 items in PSOCQ. Thresholds for item scores, and unidimensionality and invariance of the PSOCQ and its four subscales were evaluated by Rasch analysis, partial credit model. Results The items had disordered threshold and needed to be rescored. The 30 items in the PSOCQ did not fit the Rasch model Chi- square item trait statistics. All subscales fitted the Rasch models. The associations to pain (11 point numeric rating scale), emotional distress (Hopkins symptom check list v 25) and self-efficacy (Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale) were highest for the Precontemplation subscale. Conclusion The present analysis revealed that all four subscales in PSOCQ fitted the Rasch model. No common construct for all subscales were identified, but the Action and Maintenance subscales were closely related. PMID:24646065

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Malay version comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire tested among mothers of primary school children in Malaysia.

PubMed

Shohaimi, Shamarina; Wei, Wong Yoke; Shariff, Zalilah Mohd

2014-01-01

Comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ) is an instrument specifically developed to evaluate parental feeding practices. It has been confirmed among children in America and applied to populations in France, Norway, and New Zealand. In order to extend the application of CFPQ, we conducted a factor structure validation of the translated version of CFPQ (CFPQ-M) using confirmatory factor analysis among mothers of primary school children (N = 397) in Malaysia. Several items were modified for cultural adaptation. Of 49 items, 39 items with loading factors >0.40 were retained in the final model. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the final model (twelve-factor model with 39 items and 2 error covariances) displayed the best fit for our sample (Chi-square = 1147; df = 634; P < 0.05; CFI = 0.900; RMSEA = 0.045; SRMR = 0.0058). The instrument with some modifications was confirmed among mothers of school children in Malaysia. The present study extends the usability of the CFPQ and enables researchers and parents to better understand the relationships between parental feeding practices and related problems such as childhood obesity.

Feedforward neural network model estimating pollutant removal process within mesophilic upflow anaerobic sludge blanket bioreactor treating industrial starch processing wastewater.

PubMed

Antwi, Philip; Li, Jianzheng; Meng, Jia; Deng, Kaiwen; Koblah Quashie, Frank; Li, Jiuling; Opoku Boadi, Portia

2018-06-01

In this a, three-layered feedforward-backpropagation artificial neural network (BPANN) model was developed and employed to evaluate COD removal an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating industrial starch processing wastewater. At the end of UASB operation, microbial community characterization revealed satisfactory composition of microbes whereas morphology depicted rod-shaped archaea. pH, COD, NH 4 + , VFA, OLR and biogas yield were selected by principal component analysis and used as input variables. Whilst tangent sigmoid function (tansig) and linear function (purelin) were assigned as activation functions at the hidden-layer and output-layer, respectively, optimum BPANN architecture was achieved with Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm (trainlm) after eleven training algorithms had been tested. Based on performance indicators such the mean squared errors, fractional variance, index of agreement and coefficient of determination (R 2 ), the BPANN model demonstrated significant performance with R 2 reaching 87%. The study revealed that, control and optimization of an anaerobic digestion process with BPANN model was feasible. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

QCL spectroscopy combined with the least squares method for substance analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samsonov, D. A.; Tabalina, A. S.; Fufurin, I. L.

2017-11-01

The article briefly describes distinctive features of quantum cascade lasers (QCL). It also describes an experimental set-up for acquiring mid-infrared absorption spectra using QCL. The paper demonstrates experimental results in the form of normed spectra. We tested the application of the least squares method for spectrum analysis. We used this method for substance identification and extraction of concentration data. We compare the results with more common methods of absorption spectroscopy. Eventually, we prove the feasibility of using this simple method for quantitative and qualitative analysis of experimental data acquired with QCL.

Chemometrics resolution and quantification power evaluation: Application on pharmaceutical quaternary mixture of Paracetamol, Guaifenesin, Phenylephrine and p-aminophenol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yehia, Ali M.; Mohamed, Heba M.

2016-01-01

Three advanced chemmometric-assisted spectrophotometric methods namely; Concentration Residuals Augmented Classical Least Squares (CRACLS), Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) and Principal Component Analysis-Artificial Neural Networks (PCA-ANN) were developed, validated and benchmarked to PLS calibration; to resolve the severely overlapped spectra and simultaneously determine; Paracetamol (PAR), Guaifenesin (GUA) and Phenylephrine (PHE) in their ternary mixture and in presence of p-aminophenol (AP) the main degradation product and synthesis impurity of Paracetamol. The analytical performance of the proposed methods was described by percentage recoveries, root mean square error of calibration and standard error of prediction. The four multivariate calibration methods could be directly used without any preliminary separation step and successfully applied for pharmaceutical formulation analysis, showing no excipients' interference.

Integrated microRNA and mRNA signatures in peripheral blood lymphocytes of familial epithelial ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Dou, Yun-De; Huang, Tao; Wang, Qun; Shu, Xin; Zhao, Shi-Gang; Li, Lei; Liu, Tao; Lu, Gang; Chan, Wai-Yee; Liu, Hong-Bin

2018-01-29

Characterization of the genetic landscapes of familial ovarian cancer through integrated analysis of microRNA and mRNA by partial least squares (PLS) and Monte Carlo technique based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The miRNA and mRNA transcriptional data in familial ovarian cancer were characterized from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of 74 familial ovarian cancer patients and 47 control subjects were analyzed with the integration of partial least squares (PLS) and Monte Carlo techniques. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were also performed. Total of 16 miRNA-mRNA pairs were identified with the target gene prediction results of miRNAs and mRNAs. An innovated miRNA-mRNA integrated network was constructed in which 6 downregulated miRNAs and 1 upregulated miRNAs were included. KEGG and GO pathway enrichment analysis revealed over-representation of dysregulated miRNAs in various biological processes especially in cancer pathology. Hsa-miR-34b played a pivotal role in this network and interacted with other miRNAs. Hsa-miR-136 and hsa-miR-335 were associated with p53 and Erk1/2 pathways and tumor suppressors, such as PTEN. The results from this research provide insights on miRNA-mRNA networks and offer new tools for studying transcriptional variants in familial ovarian cancer. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Healthcare Expenditures Associated with Depression Among Individuals with Osteoarthritis: Post-Regression Linear Decomposition Approach.

PubMed

Agarwal, Parul; Sambamoorthi, Usha

2015-12-01

Depression is common among individuals with osteoarthritis and leads to increased healthcare burden. The objective of this study was to examine excess total healthcare expenditures associated with depression among individuals with osteoarthritis in the US. Adults with self-reported osteoarthritis (n = 1881) were identified using data from the 2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Among those with osteoarthritis, chi-square tests and ordinary least square regressions (OLS) were used to examine differences in healthcare expenditures between those with and without depression. Post-regression linear decomposition technique was used to estimate the relative contribution of different constructs of the Anderson's behavioral model, i.e., predisposing, enabling, need, personal healthcare practices, and external environment factors, to the excess expenditures associated with depression among individuals with osteoarthritis. All analysis accounted for the complex survey design of MEPS. Depression coexisted among 20.6 % of adults with osteoarthritis. The average total healthcare expenditures were $13,684 among adults with depression compared to $9284 among those without depression. Multivariable OLS regression revealed that adults with depression had 38.8 % higher healthcare expenditures (p < 0.001) compared to those without depression. Post-regression linear decomposition analysis indicated that 50 % of differences in expenditures among adults with and without depression can be explained by differences in need factors. Among individuals with coexisting osteoarthritis and depression, excess healthcare expenditures associated with depression were mainly due to comorbid anxiety, chronic conditions and poor health status. These expenditures may potentially be reduced by providing timely intervention for need factors or by providing care under a collaborative care model.

MD simulations of ligand-bound and ligand-free aptamer: molecular level insights into the binding and switching mechanism of the add A-riboswitch.

PubMed

Sharma, Monika; Bulusu, Gopalakrishnan; Mitra, Abhijit

2009-09-01

Riboswitches are structural cis-acting genetic regulatory elements in 5' UTRs of mRNAs, consisting of an aptamer domain that regulates the behavior of an expression platform in response to its recognition of, and binding to, specific ligands. While our understanding of the ligand-bound structure of the aptamer domain of the adenine riboswitches is based on crystal structure data and is well characterized, understanding of the structure and dynamics of the ligand-free aptamer is limited to indirect inferences from physicochemical probing experiments. Here we report the results of 15-nsec-long explicit-solvent molecular dynamics simulations of the add A-riboswitch crystal structure (1Y26), both in the adenine-bound (CLOSED) state and in the adenine-free (OPEN) state. Root-mean-square deviation, root-mean-square fluctuation, dynamic cross-correlation, and backbone torsion angle analyses are carried out on the two trajectories. These, along with solvent accessible surface area analysis of the two average structures, are benchmarked against available experimental data and are shown to constitute the basis for obtaining reliable insights into the molecular level details of the binding and switching mechanism. Our analysis reveals the interaction network responsible for, and conformational changes associated with, the communication between the binding pocket and the expression platform. It further highlights the significance of a, hitherto unreported, noncanonical W:H trans base pairing between A73 and A24, in the OPEN state, and also helps us to propose a possibly crucial role of U51 in the context of ligand binding and ligand discrimination.

Problem solving stages in the five square problem

PubMed Central

Fedor, Anna; Szathmáry, Eörs; Öllinger, Michael

2015-01-01

According to the restructuring hypothesis, insight problem solving typically progresses through consecutive stages of search, impasse, insight, and search again for someone, who solves the task. The order of these stages was determined through self-reports of problem solvers and has never been verified behaviorally. We asked whether individual analysis of problem solving attempts of participants revealed the same order of problem solving stages as defined by the theory and whether their subjective feelings corresponded to the problem solving stages they were in. Our participants tried to solve the Five-Square problem in an online task, while we recorded the time and trajectory of their stick movements. After the task they were asked about their feelings related to insight and some of them also had the possibility of reporting impasse while working on the task. We found that the majority of participants did not follow the classic four-stage model of insight, but had more complex sequences of problem solving stages, with search and impasse recurring several times. This means that the classic four-stage model is not sufficient to describe variability on the individual level. We revised the classic model and we provide a new model that can generate all sequences found. Solvers reported insight more often than non-solvers and non-solvers reported impasse more often than solvers, as expected; but participants did not report impasse more often during behaviorally defined impasse stages than during other stages. This shows that impasse reports might be unreliable indicators of impasse. Our study highlights the importance of individual analysis of problem solving behavior to verify insight theory. PMID:26300794

Problem solving stages in the five square problem.

PubMed

Fedor, Anna; Szathmáry, Eörs; Öllinger, Michael

2015-01-01

According to the restructuring hypothesis, insight problem solving typically progresses through consecutive stages of search, impasse, insight, and search again for someone, who solves the task. The order of these stages was determined through self-reports of problem solvers and has never been verified behaviorally. We asked whether individual analysis of problem solving attempts of participants revealed the same order of problem solving stages as defined by the theory and whether their subjective feelings corresponded to the problem solving stages they were in. Our participants tried to solve the Five-Square problem in an online task, while we recorded the time and trajectory of their stick movements. After the task they were asked about their feelings related to insight and some of them also had the possibility of reporting impasse while working on the task. We found that the majority of participants did not follow the classic four-stage model of insight, but had more complex sequences of problem solving stages, with search and impasse recurring several times. This means that the classic four-stage model is not sufficient to describe variability on the individual level. We revised the classic model and we provide a new model that can generate all sequences found. Solvers reported insight more often than non-solvers and non-solvers reported impasse more often than solvers, as expected; but participants did not report impasse more often during behaviorally defined impasse stages than during other stages. This shows that impasse reports might be unreliable indicators of impasse. Our study highlights the importance of individual analysis of problem solving behavior to verify insight theory.

The 7-item generalized anxiety disorder scale as a tool for measuring generalized anxiety in multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Terrill, Alexandra L; Hartoonian, Narineh; Beier, Meghan; Salem, Rana; Alschuler, Kevin

2015-01-01

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) but understudied. Reliable and valid measures are needed to advance clinical care and expand research in this area. The objectives of this study were to examine the psychometric properties of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) in individuals with MS and to analyze correlates of GAD. Participants (N = 513) completed the anxiety module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (GAD-7). To evaluate psychometric properties of the GAD-7, the sample was randomly split to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, a one-factor structure was specified for the confirmatory factor analysis, which showed excellent global fit to the data (χ(2) 12 = 15.17, P = .23, comparative fit index = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation = 0.03, standardized root mean square residual = 0.03). The Cronbach alpha (0.75) indicated acceptable internal consistency for the scale. Furthermore, the GAD-7 was highly correlated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety (r = 0.70). Age and duration of MS were both negatively associated with GAD. Higher GAD-7 scores were observed in women and individuals with secondary progressive MS. Individuals with higher GAD-7 scores also endorsed more depressive symptoms. These findings support the reliability and internal validity of the GAD-7 for use in MS. Correlational analyses revealed important relationships with demographics, disease course, and depressive symptoms, which suggest the need for further anxiety research.

The 7-Item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale as a Tool for Measuring Generalized Anxiety in Multiple Sclerosis

PubMed Central

Hartoonian, Narineh; Beier, Meghan; Salem, Rana; Alschuler, Kevin

2015-01-01

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common in multiple sclerosis (MS) but understudied. Reliable and valid measures are needed to advance clinical care and expand research in this area. The objectives of this study were to examine the psychometric properties of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) in individuals with MS and to analyze correlates of GAD. Methods: Participants (N = 513) completed the anxiety module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (GAD-7). To evaluate psychometric properties of the GAD-7, the sample was randomly split to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results: Based on the exploratory factor analysis, a one-factor structure was specified for the confirmatory factor analysis, which showed excellent global fit to the data (χ212 = 15.17, P = .23, comparative fit index = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation = 0.03, standardized root mean square residual = 0.03). The Cronbach alpha (0.75) indicated acceptable internal consistency for the scale. Furthermore, the GAD-7 was highly correlated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale–Anxiety (r = 0.70). Age and duration of MS were both negatively associated with GAD. Higher GAD-7 scores were observed in women and individuals with secondary progressive MS. Individuals with higher GAD-7 scores also endorsed more depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These findings support the reliability and internal validity of the GAD-7 for use in MS. Correlational analyses revealed important relationships with demographics, disease course, and depressive symptoms, which suggest the need for further anxiety research. PMID:25892974

Arrhenius time-scaled least squares: a simple, robust approach to accelerated stability data analysis for bioproducts.

PubMed

Rauk, Adam P; Guo, Kevin; Hu, Yanling; Cahya, Suntara; Weiss, William F

2014-08-01

Defining a suitable product presentation with an acceptable stability profile over its intended shelf-life is one of the principal challenges in bioproduct development. Accelerated stability studies are routinely used as a tool to better understand long-term stability. Data analysis often employs an overall mass action kinetics description for the degradation and the Arrhenius relationship to capture the temperature dependence of the observed rate constant. To improve predictive accuracy and precision, the current work proposes a least-squares estimation approach with a single nonlinear covariate and uses a polynomial to describe the change in a product attribute with respect to time. The approach, which will be referred to as Arrhenius time-scaled (ATS) least squares, enables accurate, precise predictions to be achieved for degradation profiles commonly encountered during bioproduct development. A Monte Carlo study is conducted to compare the proposed approach with the common method of least-squares estimation on the logarithmic form of the Arrhenius equation and nonlinear estimation of a first-order model. The ATS least squares method accommodates a range of degradation profiles, provides a simple and intuitive approach for data presentation, and can be implemented with ease. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Calibration of a complex activated sludge model for the full-scale wastewater treatment plant.

PubMed

Liwarska-Bizukojc, Ewa; Olejnik, Dorota; Biernacki, Rafal; Ledakowicz, Stanislaw

2011-08-01

In this study, the results of the calibration of the complex activated sludge model implemented in BioWin software for the full-scale wastewater treatment plant are presented. Within the calibration of the model, sensitivity analysis of its parameters and the fractions of carbonaceous substrate were performed. In the steady-state and dynamic calibrations, a successful agreement between the measured and simulated values of the output variables was achieved. Sensitivity analysis revealed that upon the calculations of normalized sensitivity coefficient (S(i,j)) 17 (steady-state) or 19 (dynamic conditions) kinetic and stoichiometric parameters are sensitive. Most of them are associated with growth and decay of ordinary heterotrophic organisms and phosphorus accumulating organisms. The rankings of ten most sensitive parameters established on the basis of the calculations of the mean square sensitivity measure (δ(msqr)j) indicate that irrespective of the fact, whether the steady-state or dynamic calibration was performed, there is an agreement in the sensitivity of parameters.

Forest dynamics to precipitation and temperature in the Gulf of Mexico coastal region.

PubMed

Li, Tianyu; Meng, Qingmin

2017-05-01

The forest is one of the most significant components of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coast. It provides livelihood to inhabitant and is known to be sensitive to climatic fluctuations. This study focuses on examining the impacts of temperature and precipitation variations on coastal forest. Two different regression methods, ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR), were employed to reveal the relationship between meteorological variables and forest dynamics. OLS regression analysis shows that changes in precipitation and temperature, over a span of 12 months, are responsible for 56% of NDVI variation. The forest, which is not particularly affected by the average monthly precipitation in most months, is observed to be affected by cumulative seasonal and annual precipitation explicitly. Temperature and precipitation almost equally impact on NDVI changes; about 50% of the NDVI variations is explained in OLS modeling, and about 74% of the NDVI variations is explained in GWR modeling. GWR analysis indicated that both precipitation and temperature characterize the spatial heterogeneity patterns of forest dynamics.

Aroma profile and sensory characteristics of a sulfur dioxide-free mulberry (Morus nigra) wine subjected to non-thermal accelerating aging techniques.

PubMed

Tchabo, William; Ma, Yongkun; Kwaw, Emmanuel; Zhang, Haining; Xiao, Lulu; Tahir, Haroon Elrasheid

2017-10-01

The present study was undertaken to assess accelerating aging effects of high pressure, ultrasound and manosonication on the aromatic profile and sensorial attributes of aged mulberry wines (AMW). A total of 166 volatile compounds were found amongst the AMW. The outcomes of the investigation were presented by means of geometric mean (GM), cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares regressions (PLSR) and principal component regression (PCR). GM highlighted 24 organoleptic attributes responsible for the sensorial profile of the AMW. Moreover, CA revealed that the volatile composition of the non-thermal accelerated aged wines differs from that of the conventional aged wines. Besides, PCA discriminated the AMW on the basis of their main sensorial characteristics. Furthermore, PLSR identified 75 aroma compounds which were mainly responsible for the olfactory notes of the AMW. Finally, the overall quality of the AMW was noted to be better predicted by PLSR than PCR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparison of small-area hospitalisation rates, estimated morbidity and hospital access.

PubMed

Shulman, H; Birkin, M; Clarke, G P

2015-11-01

Published data on hospitalisation rates tend to reveal marked spatial variations within a city or region. Such variations may simply reflect corresponding variations in need at the small-area level. However, they might also be a consequence of poorer accessibility to medical facilities for certain communities within the region. To help answer this question it is important to compare these variable hospitalisation rates with small-area estimates of need. This paper first maps hospitalisation rates at the small-area level across the region of Yorkshire in the UK to show the spatial variations present. Then the Health Survey of England is used to explore the characteristics of persons with heart disease, using chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Using the most significant variables from this analysis the authors build a spatial microsimulation model of morbidity for heart disease for the Yorkshire region. We then compare these estimates of need with the patterns of hospitalisation rates seen across the region. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Forest dynamics to precipitation and temperature in the Gulf of Mexico coastal region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tianyu; Meng, Qingmin

2017-05-01

The forest is one of the most significant components of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) coast. It provides livelihood to inhabitant and is known to be sensitive to climatic fluctuations. This study focuses on examining the impacts of temperature and precipitation variations on coastal forest. Two different regression methods, ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR), were employed to reveal the relationship between meteorological variables and forest dynamics. OLS regression analysis shows that changes in precipitation and temperature, over a span of 12 months, are responsible for 56% of NDVI variation. The forest, which is not particularly affected by the average monthly precipitation in most months, is observed to be affected by cumulative seasonal and annual precipitation explicitly. Temperature and precipitation almost equally impact on NDVI changes; about 50% of the NDVI variations is explained in OLS modeling, and about 74% of the NDVI variations is explained in GWR modeling. GWR analysis indicated that both precipitation and temperature characterize the spatial heterogeneity patterns of forest dynamics.

Reevaluating the need for routine drainage in reduction mammaplasty.

PubMed

Matarasso, A; Wallach, S G; Rankin, M

1998-11-01

The incidence of complications after reduction mammaplasty without drains was reviewed by analysis of 50 bilateral reduction mammaplasty procedures. Patients ranged in age from 14 to 65 years; the average combined volume removed was 953 g. Eighty-four percent of the patients underwent a Pitanguy technique, and the remaining patients underwent an inferior pedicle or amputative technique with free nipple grafts. Three patients had six complications; one of these patients had three of the complications. Complications included two cases of fat necrosis and one case of wound disruption. One patient had a hematoma with wound disruption and partial nipple loss. There were no cases of infection. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of complications in reduction mammaplasty performed without drains. Incidentally, statistical analysis using the chi-squared test revealed that this series without drains compared favorably with previously published data for reduction mammaplasty using drains. It is concluded that routine closed suction drainage after reduction mammaplasty is unnecessary and should be reconsidered.

Quantitative assessment of specific defects in roasted ground coffee via infrared-photoacoustic spectroscopy.

PubMed

Dias, Rafael Carlos Eloy; Valderrama, Patrícia; Março, Paulo Henrique; Dos Santos Scholz, Maria Brigida; Edelmann, Michael; Yeretzian, Chahan

2018-07-30

Chemical analyses and sensory evaluation are the most applied methods for quality control of roasted and ground coffee (RG). However, faster alternatives would be highly valuable. Here, we applied infrared-photoacoustic spectroscopy (FTIR-PAS) on RG powder. Mixtures of specific defective beans were blended with healthy (defect-free) Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora bases in specific ratios, forming different classes of blends. Principal Component Analysis allowed predicting the amount/fraction and nature of the defects in blends while partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis revealed similarities between blends (=samples). A successful predictive model was obtained using six classes of blends. The model could classify 100% of the samples into four classes. The specificities were higher than 0.9. Application of FTIR-PAS on RG coffee to characterize and classify blends has shown to be an accurate, easy, quick and "green" alternative to current methods. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Solar granulation and statistical crystallography: A modeling approach using size-shape relations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noever, D. A.

1994-01-01

The irregular polygonal pattern of solar granulation is analyzed for size-shape relations using statistical crystallography. In contrast to previous work which has assumed perfectly hexagonal patterns for granulation, more realistic accounting of cell (granule) shapes reveals a broader basis for quantitative analysis. Several features emerge as noteworthy: (1) a linear correlation between number of cell-sides and neighboring shapes (called Aboav-Weaire's law); (2) a linear correlation between both average cell area and perimeter and the number of cell-sides (called Lewis's law and a perimeter law, respectively) and (3) a linear correlation between cell area and squared perimeter (called convolution index). This statistical picture of granulation is consistent with a finding of no correlation in cell shapes beyond nearest neighbors. A comparative calculation between existing model predictions taken from luminosity data and the present analysis shows substantial agreements for cell-size distributions. A model for understanding grain lifetimes is proposed which links convective times to cell shape using crystallographic results.

Energy-related environmental and economic performance analysis of two different types of electrically heated student residence halls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amber, Khuram Pervez; Aslam, Muhammad Waqar

2018-03-01

Student residence halls occupy 26% of the total area of a typical university campus in the UK and are directly responsible for 24% of university's annual CO2 emissions. Based on five years measured data, this paper aims to investigate the energy-related environmental and economic performance of electrically heated residence halls in which space heating is provided by two different types of electric heaters, that is, panel heater (PHT) and storage heater (SHT). Secondly, using statistical and machine learning methods, the paper attempts to investigate the relationship between daily electricity consumption and five factors (ambient temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed and type of day). Data analysis revealed that electricity consumption of both halls is mainly driven by ambient temperature only, whereas SHT residence has 39% higher annual electricity bill and emits 70% higher CO2 emissions on a per square metre basis compared to the PHT residence hall.

Investigation of stickiness influence in the anomalous transport and diffusion for a non-dissipative Fermi-Ulam model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livorati, André L. P.; Palmero, Matheus S.; Díaz-I, Gabriel; Dettmann, Carl P.; Caldas, Iberê L.; Leonel, Edson D.

2018-02-01

We study the dynamics of an ensemble of non interacting particles constrained by two infinitely heavy walls, where one of them is moving periodically in time, while the other is fixed. The system presents mixed dynamics, where the accessible region for the particle to diffuse chaotically is bordered by an invariant spanning curve. Statistical analysis for the root mean square velocity, considering high and low velocity ensembles, leads the dynamics to the same steady state plateau for long times. A transport investigation of the dynamics via escape basins reveals that depending of the initial velocity ensemble, the decay rates of the survival probability present different shapes and bumps, in a mix of exponential, power law and stretched exponential decays. After an analysis of step-size averages, we found that the stable manifolds play the role of a preferential path for faster escape, being responsible for the bumps and different shapes of the survival probability.

Ecological literacy through critical/place-based pedagogy in the environmental studies program at a small liberal arts college

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beeman-Cadwallader, Nicole

In 2007 Pioneer High School, a public school in Whittier, California changed the sequence of its science courses from the Traditional Biology-Chemistry-Physics (B-C-P) to Biology-Physics-Chemistry (B-P-C), or "Physics Second." The California Standards Tests (CSTs) scores in Physics and Chemistry from 2004-2012 were used to determine if there were any effects of the Physics Second sequencing on student achievement in those courses. The data was also used to determine whether the Physics Second sequence had an effect on performance in Physics and Chemistry based on gender. Independent t tests and chi-square analysis of the data determined an improvement in student performance in Chemistry but not Physics. The 2x2 Factorial ANOVA analysis revealed that in Physics male students performed better on the CSTs than their female peers. In Chemistry, it was noted that male and female students performed equally well. Neither finding was a result ofthe change to the "Physics Second" sequencing.

Structural analysis of three extensional detachment faults with data from the 2000 Space-Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spencer, J.E.

2010-01-01

The Space-Shuttle Radar Topography Mission provided geologists with a detailed digital elevation model of most of Earth's land surface. This new database is used here for structural analysis of grooved surfaces interpreted to be the exhumed footwalls of three active or recently active extensional detachment faults. Exhumed fault footwalls, each with an areal extent of one hundred to several hundred square kilometers, make up much of Dayman dome in eastern Papua New Guinea, the western Gurla Mandhata massif in the central Himalaya, and the northern Tokorondo Mountains in central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Footwall curvature in profile varies from planar to slightly convex upward at Gurla Mandhata to strongly convex upward at northwestern Dayman dome. Fault curvature decreases away from the trace of the bounding detachment fault in western Dayman dome and in the Tokorondo massif, suggesting footwall flattening (reduction in curvature) following exhumation. Grooves of highly variable wavelength and amplitude reveal extension direction, although structural processes of groove genesis may be diverse.

A new finite element formulation for computational fluid dynamics. IX - Fourier analysis of space-time Galerkin/least-squares algorithms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shakib, Farzin; Hughes, Thomas J. R.

1991-01-01

A Fourier stability and accuracy analysis of the space-time Galerkin/least-squares method as applied to a time-dependent advective-diffusive model problem is presented. Two time discretizations are studied: a constant-in-time approximation and a linear-in-time approximation. Corresponding space-time predictor multi-corrector algorithms are also derived and studied. The behavior of the space-time algorithms is compared to algorithms based on semidiscrete formulations.

Efficacy of micronized acellular dermal graft for use in interproximal papillae regeneration.

PubMed

Geurs, Nico C; Romanos, Alain H; Vassilopoulos, Philip J; Reddy, Michael S

2012-02-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate interdental papillary reconstruction based on a micronized acellular dermal matrix allograft technique. Thirty-eight papillae in 12 patients with esthetic complaints of insufficient papillae were evaluated. Decreased gingival recession values were found postoperatively (P < .001). Chi-square analysis showed significantly higher postoperative Papilla Index values (chi-square = 43, P < .001), further supported by positive symmetry statistical analysis values (positive kappa and weighted kappa values). This procedure shows promise as a method for papillary reconstruction.

Structural elucidation of estrus urinary lipocalin protein (EULP) and evaluating binding affinity with pheromones using molecular docking and fluorescence study

PubMed Central

Rajesh, Durairaj; Muthukumar, Subramanian; Saibaba, Ganesan; Siva, Durairaj; Akbarsha, Mohammad Abdulkader; Gulyás, Balázs; Padmanabhan, Parasuraman; Archunan, Govindaraju

2016-01-01

Transportation of pheromones bound with carrier proteins belonging to lipocalin superfamily is known to prolong chemo-signal communication between individuals belonging to the same species. Members of lipocalin family (MLF) proteins have three structurally conserved motifs for delivery of hydrophobic molecules to the specific recognizer. However, computational analyses are critically required to validate and emphasize the sequence and structural annotation of MLF. This study focused to elucidate the evolution, structural documentation, stability and binding efficiency of estrus urinary lipocalin protein (EULP) with endogenous pheromones adopting in-silico and fluorescence study. The results revealed that: (i) EULP perhaps originated from fatty acid binding protein (FABP) revealed in evolutionary analysis; (ii) Dynamic simulation study shows that EULP is highly stable at below 0.45 Å of root mean square deviation (RMSD); (iii) Docking evaluation shows that EULP has higher binding energy with farnesol and 2-iso-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP) than 2-naphthol; and (iv) Competitive binding and quenching assay revealed that purified EULP has good binding interaction with farnesol. Both, In-silico and experimental studies showed that EULP is an efficient binding partner to pheromones. The present study provides impetus to create a point mutation for increasing longevity of EULP to develop pheromone trap for rodent pest management. PMID:27782155

Structural elucidation of estrus urinary lipocalin protein (EULP) and evaluating binding affinity with pheromones using molecular docking and fluorescence study.

PubMed

Rajesh, Durairaj; Muthukumar, Subramanian; Saibaba, Ganesan; Siva, Durairaj; Akbarsha, Mohammad Abdulkader; Gulyás, Balázs; Padmanabhan, Parasuraman; Archunan, Govindaraju

2016-10-26

Transportation of pheromones bound with carrier proteins belonging to lipocalin superfamily is known to prolong chemo-signal communication between individuals belonging to the same species. Members of lipocalin family (MLF) proteins have three structurally conserved motifs for delivery of hydrophobic molecules to the specific recognizer. However, computational analyses are critically required to validate and emphasize the sequence and structural annotation of MLF. This study focused to elucidate the evolution, structural documentation, stability and binding efficiency of estrus urinary lipocalin protein (EULP) with endogenous pheromones adopting in-silico and fluorescence study. The results revealed that: (i) EULP perhaps originated from fatty acid binding protein (FABP) revealed in evolutionary analysis; (ii) Dynamic simulation study shows that EULP is highly stable at below 0.45 Å of root mean square deviation (RMSD); (iii) Docking evaluation shows that EULP has higher binding energy with farnesol and 2-iso-butyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP) than 2-naphthol; and (iv) Competitive binding and quenching assay revealed that purified EULP has good binding interaction with farnesol. Both, In-silico and experimental studies showed that EULP is an efficient binding partner to pheromones. The present study provides impetus to create a point mutation for increasing longevity of EULP to develop pheromone trap for rodent pest management.

Pedagogical monitoring as a tool to reduce dropout in distance learning in family health.

PubMed

de Castro E Lima Baesse, Deborah; Grisolia, Alexandra Monteiro; de Oliveira, Ana Emilia Figueiredo

2016-08-22

This paper presents the results of a study of the Monsys monitoring system, an educational support tool designed to prevent and control the dropout rate in a distance learning course in family health. Developed by UNA-SUS/UFMA, Monsys was created to enable data mining in the virtual learning environment known as Moodle. This is an exploratory study using documentary and bibliographic research and analysis of the Monsys database. Two classes (2010 and 2011) were selected as research subjects, one with Monsys intervention and the other without. The samples were matched (using a ration of 1:1) by gender, age, marital status, graduation year, previous graduation status, location and profession. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test and a multivariate logistic regression model with a 5 % significance level. The findings show that the dropout rate in the class in which Monsys was not employed (2010) was 43.2 %. However, the dropout rate in the class of 2011, in which the tool was employed as a pedagogical team aid, was 30.6 %. After statistical adjustment, the Monsys monitoring system remained in correlation with the course completion variable (adjusted OR = 1.74, IC95% = 1.17-2.59; p = 0.005), suggesting that the use of the Monsys tool, isolated to the adjusted variables, can enhance the likelihood that students will complete the course. Using the chi-square test, a profile analysis of students revealed a higher completion rate among women (67.7 %) than men (52.2 %). Analysis of age demonstrated that students between 40 and 49 years dropped out the least (32.1 %) and, with regard to professional training, nurses have the lowest dropout rates (36.3 %). The use of Monsys significantly reduced the dropout, with results showing greater association between the variables denoting presence of the monitoring system and female gender.

Green Chemistry Approach for the Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using the Fungus Alternaria sp.

PubMed

Dhanasekar, Naresh Niranjan; Rahul, Ganga Ravindran; Narayanan, Kannan Badri; Raman, Gurusamy; Sakthivel, Natarajan

2015-07-01

The synthesis of gold nanoparticles has gained tremendous attention owing to their immense applications in the field of biomedical sciences. Although several chemical procedures are used for the synthesis of nanoparticles, the release of toxic and hazardous by-products restricts their use in biomedical applications. In the present investigation, gold nanoparticles were synthesized biologically using the culture filtrate of the filamentous fungus Alternaria sp. The culture filtrate of the fungus was exposed to three different concentrations of chloroaurate ions. In all cases, the gold ions were reduced to Au(0), leading to the formation of stable gold nanoparticles of variable sizes and shapes. UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of nanoparticles by reduction of Au(3+) to Au(0). TEM analysis revealed the presence of spherical, rod, square, pentagonal, and hexagonal morphologies for 1 mM chloroaurate solution. However, quasi-spherical and spherical nanoparticles/heart-like morphologies with size range of about 7-13 and 15-18 nm were observed for lower molar concentrations of 0.3 and 0.5 mM gold chloride solution, respectively. The XRD spectrum revealed the face-centered cubic crystals of synthesized gold nanoparticles. FT-IR spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of aromatic primary amines, and the additional SPR bands at 290 and 230 nm further suggested that the presence of amino acids such as tryptophan/tyrosine or phenylalanine acts as the capping agent on the synthesized mycogenic gold nanoparticles.

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

McLetchie, D.N.; Tuskan, G.A.

Gender, the expression of maleness or femaleness, in dioecious plants has been associated with changes in morphology, physiology, ecological position, and commercial importance of several species, including members of the Salicaceae family. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the expression of gender in Salicaceae, including sex chromosomes, simple Mendelian genes, quantitative genes, environment, and genotype-by-environment interactions. Published reports would favor a genetic basis for gender. The objective of this study was to identify molecular markers associated with gender in a segregating family of hybrid poplars. Bulked segregant analysis and chi-squared analysis were used to test for the occurrence ofmore » sex chromosomes, individual loci, and chromosome ratios (i.e., ploidy levels) as the mechanisms for gender determination. Examination of 2488 PCR based RAPD markers from 1219 primers revealed nine polymorphic bands between male and female bulked samples. However, linkage analysis indicated that none of these markers were significantly associated with gender. Chisquared results for difference in male-to-female ratios between diploid and triploid genotypes also revealed no significant differences. These findings suggest gender is not controlled via sex chromosomes, simple Mendelian loci or ratios of autosome to gender-determining loci. It is possible that gender is determined genetically by regions of the genome not sampled by the tested markers or by a complex of loci operating in an additive threshold manner or in an epistatic manner. It is also possible that gender is determined environmentally at an early zygote stage, canalizing gender expression.« less

Time-frequency wavelet analysis of the interrelationship between the global macro assets and the fear indexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abid, Fathi; Kaffel, Bilel

2018-01-01

Understanding the interrelationships of the global macro assets is crucial for global macro investing. This paper investigates the local variance and the interconnection between the stock, gold, oil, Forex and the implied volatility markets in the time/frequency domains using the wavelet methodology, including the wavelet power spectrum, the wavelet squared coherence and phase difference, the wavelet multiple correlation and cross-correlation. The univariate analysis reveals that, in some crisis periods, underlying asset markets present the same pattern in terms of the wavelet power spectrum indicating high volatility for the medium scale, and that for the other market stress periods, volatility behaves differently. Moreover, unlike the underlying asset markets, the implied volatility markets are characterized by high power regions across the entire period, even in the absence of economic events. Bivariate results show a bidirectional relationship between the underlying assets and their corresponding implied volatility indexes, and a steady co-movement between the stock index and its corresponding fear index. Multiple correlation analysis indicates a strong correlation between markets at high scales with evidence of a nearly perfect integration for a period longer than a year. In addition, the hedging strategies based on the volatility index lead to an increase in portfolio correlation. On the other hand, the results from multiple cross-correlations reveal that the lead-lag effect starts from the medium scale and that the VIX (stock market volatility index) index is the potential leader or follower of the other markets.

Principal component analysis for the comparison of metabolic profiles from human rectal cancer biopsies and colorectal xenografts using high-resolution magic angle spinning 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Seierstad, Therese; Røe, Kathrine; Sitter, Beathe; Halgunset, Jostein; Flatmark, Kjersti; Ree, Anne H; Olsen, Dag Rune; Gribbestad, Ingrid S; Bathen, Tone F

2008-01-01

Background This study was conducted in order to elucidate metabolic differences between human rectal cancer biopsies and colorectal HT29, HCT116 and SW620 xenografts by using high-resolution magnetic angle spinning (MAS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and for determination of the most appropriate human rectal xenograft model for preclinical MR spectroscopy studies. A further aim was to investigate metabolic changes following irradiation of HT29 xenografts. Methods HR MAS MRS of tissue samples from xenografts and rectal biopsies were obtained with a Bruker Avance DRX600 spectrometer and analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) regression analysis. Results and conclusion HR MAS MRS enabled assignment of 27 metabolites. Score plots from PCA of spin-echo and single-pulse spectra revealed separate clusters of the different xenografts and rectal biopsies, reflecting underlying differences in metabolite composition. The loading profile indicated that clustering was mainly based on differences in relative amounts of lipids, lactate and choline-containing compounds, with HT29 exhibiting the metabolic profile most similar to human rectal cancers tissue. Due to high necrotic fractions in the HT29 xenografts, radiation-induced changes were not detected when comparing spectra from untreated and irradiated HT29 xenografts. However, PLS calibration relating spectral data to the necrotic fraction revealed a significant correlation, indicating that necrotic fraction can be assessed from the MR spectra. PMID:18439252

"i" Am Needed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Paul

2010-01-01

The mysteries of mathematics are not easily revealed. Much of present day school mathematics is the product of years, sometimes centuries, of inquiring, wrestling and discovering by men of the highest intellect. The number "i" (designation for the square root of -1) is no exception. This article presents a lesson on the need for "i".

The University and the Strategic Defense Initiative.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winn, Ira J.

1987-01-01

Under full scrutiny, the Strategic Defense Initiative program is revealed as a form of escapism from global realities, with dangerous and destabilizing themes for both the university and society. Universities must face this issue squarely, and limit their focus to activities best suited to an intellectually constructive and humane purpose. (MSE)

Monitoring Perceptions of the Causes of Poverty in South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davids, Yul Derek; Gouws, Amanda

2013-01-01

This study explored how people perceive the causes of poverty. Literature revealed that there are three broad theoretical explanations of perceptions of the causes of poverty, namely individualistic explanations, where blame is placed squarely on the poor themselves; structural explanations, where poverty is blamed on external social and economic…

Advancing biopharmaceutical process development by system-level data analysis and integration of omics data.

PubMed

Schaub, Jochen; Clemens, Christoph; Kaufmann, Hitto; Schulz, Torsten W

2012-01-01

Development of efficient bioprocesses is essential for cost-effective manufacturing of recombinant therapeutic proteins. To achieve further process improvement and process rationalization comprehensive data analysis of both process data and phenotypic cell-level data is essential. Here, we present a framework for advanced bioprocess data analysis consisting of multivariate data analysis (MVDA), metabolic flux analysis (MFA), and pathway analysis for mapping of large-scale gene expression data sets. This data analysis platform was applied in a process development project with an IgG-producing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line in which the maximal product titer could be increased from about 5 to 8 g/L.Principal component analysis (PCA), k-means clustering, and partial least-squares (PLS) models were applied to analyze the macroscopic bioprocess data. MFA and gene expression analysis revealed intracellular information on the characteristics of high-performance cell cultivations. By MVDA, for example, correlations between several essential amino acids and the product concentration were observed. Also, a grouping into rather cell specific productivity-driven and process control-driven processes could be unraveled. By MFA, phenotypic characteristics in glycolysis, glutaminolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, citrate cycle, coupling of amino acid metabolism to citrate cycle, and in the energy yield could be identified. By gene expression analysis 247 deregulated metabolic genes were identified which are involved, inter alia, in amino acid metabolism, transport, and protein synthesis.

Classification and quantitation of milk powder by near-infrared spectroscopy and mutual information-based variable selection and partial least squares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hui; Tan, Chao; Lin, Zan; Wu, Tong

2018-01-01

Milk is among the most popular nutrient source worldwide, which is of great interest due to its beneficial medicinal properties. The feasibility of the classification of milk powder samples with respect to their brands and the determination of protein concentration is investigated by NIR spectroscopy along with chemometrics. Two datasets were prepared for experiment. One contains 179 samples of four brands for classification and the other contains 30 samples for quantitative analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for exploratory analysis. Based on an effective model-independent variable selection method, i.e., minimal-redundancy maximal-relevance (MRMR), only 18 variables were selected to construct a partial least-square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model. On the test set, the PLS-DA model based on the selected variable set was compared with the full-spectrum PLS-DA model, both of which achieved 100% accuracy. In quantitative analysis, the partial least-square regression (PLSR) model constructed by the selected subset of 260 variables outperforms significantly the full-spectrum model. It seems that the combination of NIR spectroscopy, MRMR and PLS-DA or PLSR is a powerful tool for classifying different brands of milk and determining the protein content.

Membrane Introduction Mass Spectrometry Combined with an Orthogonal Partial-Least Squares Calibration Model for Mixture Analysis.

PubMed

Li, Min; Zhang, Lu; Yao, Xiaolong; Jiang, Xingyu

2017-01-01

The emerging membrane introduction mass spectrometry technique has been successfully used to detect benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene (BTEX), while overlapped spectra have unfortunately hindered its further application to the analysis of mixtures. Multivariate calibration, an efficient method to analyze mixtures, has been widely applied. In this paper, we compared univariate and multivariate analyses for quantification of the individual components of mixture samples. The results showed that the univariate analysis creates poor models with regression coefficients of 0.912, 0.867, 0.440 and 0.351 for BTEX, respectively. For multivariate analysis, a comparison to the partial-least squares (PLS) model shows that the orthogonal partial-least squares (OPLS) regression exhibits an optimal performance with regression coefficients of 0.995, 0.999, 0.980 and 0.976, favorable calibration parameters (RMSEC and RMSECV) and a favorable validation parameter (RMSEP). Furthermore, the OPLS exhibits a good recovery of 73.86 - 122.20% and relative standard deviation (RSD) of the repeatability of 1.14 - 4.87%. Thus, MIMS coupled with the OPLS regression provides an optimal approach for a quantitative BTEX mixture analysis in monitoring and predicting water pollution.

Further Development of a Computational Vision Model for the Generation and Analysis of Photo-Realistic Scenes for Military and Civilian Virtual Reality Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-02-01

rectangle in the center of the image straddling the boundary between the foreground grass and background treeline . The synthetic content of the target region...the square in the middle of the grass, the square in the middle of the tree leaves, and the square on the treeline are all synthetic textures. The...target rectangle on the treeline boundary. What was suprising was that the synthetic grass texture was not well matched in the rectangle in the grass

Statistical analysis of multivariate atmospheric variables. [cloud cover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tubbs, J. D.

1979-01-01

Topics covered include: (1) estimation in discrete multivariate distributions; (2) a procedure to predict cloud cover frequencies in the bivariate case; (3) a program to compute conditional bivariate normal parameters; (4) the transformation of nonnormal multivariate to near-normal; (5) test of fit for the extreme value distribution based upon the generalized minimum chi-square; (6) test of fit for continuous distributions based upon the generalized minimum chi-square; (7) effect of correlated observations on confidence sets based upon chi-square statistics; and (8) generation of random variates from specified distributions.

Analysis of stability for stochastic delay integro-differential equations.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Li, Longsuo

2018-01-01

In this paper, we concern stability of numerical methods applied to stochastic delay integro-differential equations. For linear stochastic delay integro-differential equations, it is shown that the mean-square stability is derived by the split-step backward Euler method without any restriction on step-size, while the Euler-Maruyama method could reproduce the mean-square stability under a step-size constraint. We also confirm the mean-square stability of the split-step backward Euler method for nonlinear stochastic delay integro-differential equations. The numerical experiments further verify the theoretical results.

Extension of the Haseman-Elston regression model to longitudinal data.

PubMed

Won, Sungho; Elston, Robert C; Park, Taesung

2006-01-01

We propose an extension to longitudinal data of the Haseman and Elston regression method for linkage analysis. The proposed model is a mixed model having several random effects. As response variable, we investigate the sibship sample mean corrected cross-product (smHE) and the BLUP-mean corrected cross product (pmHE), comparing them with the original squared difference (oHE), the overall mean corrected cross-product (rHE), and the weighted average of the squared difference and the squared mean-corrected sum (wHE). The proposed model allows for the correlation structure of longitudinal data. Also, the model can test for gene x time interaction to discover genetic variation over time. The model was applied in an analysis of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 (GAW13) simulated dataset for a quantitative trait simulating systolic blood pressure. Independence models did not preserve the test sizes, while the mixed models with both family and sibpair random effects tended to preserve size well. Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Failure detection and fault management techniques for flush airdata sensing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A.; Moes, Timothy R.; Leondes, Cornelius T.

1992-01-01

Methods based on chi-squared analysis are presented for detecting system and individual-port failures in the high-angle-of-attack flush airdata sensing system on the NASA F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle. The HI-FADS hardware is introduced, and the aerodynamic model describes measured pressure in terms of dynamic pressure, angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and static pressure. Chi-squared analysis is described in the presentation of the concept for failure detection and fault management which includes nominal, iteration, and fault-management modes. A matrix of pressure orifices arranged in concentric circles on the nose of the aircraft indicate the parameters which are applied to the regression algorithms. The sensing techniques are applied to the F-18 flight data, and two examples are given of the computed angle-of-attack time histories. The failure-detection and fault-management techniques permit the matrix to be multiply redundant, and the chi-squared analysis is shown to be useful in the detection of failures.

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

Hart, Philip R.; Athalye, Rahul A.; Xie, YuLong

Moving to the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 (ASHRAE 2013) edition from Standard 90.1-2010 (ASHRAE 2010) is cost-effective for the State of Arizona. The table below shows the state-wide economic impact of upgrading to Standard 90.1-2013 in terms of the annual energy cost savings in dollars per square foot, additional construction cost per square foot required by the upgrade, and life-cycle cost (LCC) per square foot. These results are weighted averages for all building types in all climate zones in the state, based on weightings shown in Table 4. The methodology used for this analysis is consistent with the methodology used inmore » the national cost-effectiveness analysis. Additional results and details on the methodology are presented in the following sections. The report provides analysis of two LCC scenarios: Scenario 1, representing publicly-owned buildings, considers initial costs, energy costs, maintenance costs, and replacement costs—without borrowing or taxes. Scenario 2, representing privately-owned buildings, adds borrowing costs and tax impacts.« less

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

Hart, Philip R.; Athalye, Rahul A.; Xie, YuLong

Moving to the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 (ASHRAE 2013) edition from Standard 90.1-2010 (ASHRAE 2010) is cost-effective for the State of Hawaii. The table below shows the state-wide economic impact of upgrading to Standard 90.1-2013 in terms of the annual energy cost savings in dollars per square foot, additional construction cost per square foot required by the upgrade, and life-cycle cost (LCC) per square foot. These results are weighted averages for all building types in all climate zones in the state, based on weightings shown in Table 4. The methodology used for this analysis is consistent with the methodology used inmore » the national cost-effectiveness analysis. Additional results and details on the methodology are presented in the following sections. The report provides analysis of two LCC scenarios: Scenario 1, representing publicly-owned buildings, considers initial costs, energy costs, maintenance costs, and replacement costs—without borrowing or taxes. Scenario 2, representing privately-owned buildings, adds borrowing costs and tax impacts.« less

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

Hart, Philip R.; Athalye, Rahul A.; Xie, YuLong

Moving to the ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 (ASHRAE 2013) edition from Standard 90.1-2010 (ASHRAE 2010) is cost-effective for the State of Connecticut. The table below shows the state-wide economic impact of upgrading to Standard 90.1-2013 in terms of the annual energy cost savings in dollars per square foot, additional construction cost per square foot required by the upgrade, and life-cycle cost (LCC) per square foot. These results are weighted averages for all building types in all climate zones in the state, based on weightings shown in Table 4. The methodology used for this analysis is consistent with the methodology used inmore » the national cost-effectiveness analysis. Additional results and details on the methodology are presented in the following sections. The report provides analysis of two LCC scenarios: Scenario 1, representing publicly-owned buildings, considers initial costs, energy costs, maintenance costs, and replacement costs—without borrowing or taxes. Scenario 2, representing privately-owned buildings, adds borrowing costs and tax impacts.« less

Integrated lipidomics and transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood reveals significantly enriched pathways in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Zhao, Chen; Mao, Jinghe; Ai, Junmei; Shenwu, Ming; Shi, Tieliu; Zhang, Daqing; Wang, Xiaonan; Wang, Yunliang; Deng, Youping

2013-01-01

Insulin resistance is a key element in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Plasma free fatty acids were assumed to mediate the insulin resistance, while the relationship between lipid and glucose disposal remains to be demonstrated across liver, skeletal muscle and blood. We profiled both lipidomics and gene expression of 144 total peripheral blood samples, 84 from patients with T2D and 60 from healthy controls. Then, factor and partial least squares models were used to perform a combined analysis of lipidomics and gene expression profiles to uncover the bioprocesses that are associated with lipidomic profiles in type 2 diabetes. According to factor analysis of the lipidomic profile, several species of lipids were found to be correlated with different phenotypes, including diabetes-related C23:2CE, C23:3CE, C23:4CE, ePE36:4, ePE36:5, ePE36:6; race-related (African-American) PI36:1; and sex-related PE34:1 and LPC18:2. The major variance of gene expression profile was not caused by known factors and no significant difference can be directly derived from differential gene expression profile. However, the combination of lipidomic and gene expression analyses allows us to reveal the correlation between the altered lipid profile with significantly enriched pathways, such as one carbon pool by folate, arachidonic acid metabolism, insulin signaling pathway, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, propanoate metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism. The genes in these pathways showed a good capability to classify diabetes samples. Combined analysis of gene expression and lipidomic profiling reveals type 2 diabetes-associated lipid species and enriched biological pathways in peripheral blood, while gene expression profile does not show direct correlation. Our findings provide a new clue to better understand the mechanism of disordered lipid metabolism in association with type 2 diabetes.

Development of Sizing Systems for Navy Women’s Uniforms

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

sample. Table la indicates the distance (D2) between the racial groups. Group 1 is White, Group 2 is Black, and Group 4 is Hispanic. There were too...TABLE ,. DEscriminant Analysis Pairwise Squared Generalized Distances between Groups D2 (IIJ) - (XI - Xj)’ COY’ (XI - Xj) Generalized Square( Distaace To

Confidence Intervals for Squared Semipartial Correlation Coefficients: The Effect of Nonnormality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Algina, James; Keselman, H. J.; Penfield, Randall D.

2010-01-01

The increase in the squared multiple correlation coefficient ([delta]R[superscript 2]) associated with a variable in a regression equation is a commonly used measure of importance in regression analysis. Algina, Keselman, and Penfield found that intervals based on asymptotic principles were typically very inaccurate, even though the sample size…

Prediction of properties and elemental composition of biomass pyrolysis oils by NMR and partial least squares analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Several partial least squares (PLS) models were created correlating various properties and chemical composition measurements with the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 73 different of pyrolysis bio-oil samples from various biomass sources (crude and intermediate products), finished oils and small molecule s...

Estimation of liver T₂ in transfusion-related iron overload in patients with weighted least squares T₂ IDEAL.

PubMed

Vasanawala, Shreyas S; Yu, Huanzhou; Shimakawa, Ann; Jeng, Michael; Brittain, Jean H

2012-01-01

MRI imaging of hepatic iron overload can be achieved by estimating T(2) values using multiple-echo sequences. The purpose of this work is to develop and clinically evaluate a weighted least squares algorithm based on T(2) Iterative Decomposition of water and fat with Echo Asymmetry and Least-squares estimation (IDEAL) technique for volumetric estimation of hepatic T(2) in the setting of iron overload. The weighted least squares T(2) IDEAL technique improves T(2) estimation by automatically decreasing the impact of later, noise-dominated echoes. The technique was evaluated in 37 patients with iron overload. Each patient underwent (i) a standard 2D multiple-echo gradient echo sequence for T(2) assessment with nonlinear exponential fitting, and (ii) a 3D T(2) IDEAL technique, with and without a weighted least squares fit. Regression and Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated strong correlation between conventional 2D and T(2) IDEAL estimation. In cases of severe iron overload, T(2) IDEAL without weighted least squares reconstruction resulted in a relative overestimation of T(2) compared with weighted least squares. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Metabolic phenotyping of urine for discriminating alcohol-dependent from social drinkers and alcohol-naive subjects.

PubMed

Mostafa, Hamza; Amin, Arwa M; Teh, Chin-Hoe; Murugaiyah, Vikneswaran; Arif, Nor Hayati; Ibrahim, Baharudin

2016-12-01

Alcohol-dependence (AD) is a ravaging public health and social problem. AD diagnosis depends on questionnaires and some biomarkers, which lack specificity and sensitivity, however, often leading to less precise diagnosis, as well as delaying treatment. This represents a great burden, not only on AD individuals but also on their families. Metabolomics using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) can provide novel techniques for the identification of novel biomarkers of AD. These putative biomarkers can facilitate early diagnosis of AD. To identify novel biomarkers able to discriminate between alcohol-dependent, non-AD alcohol drinkers and controls using metabolomics. Urine samples were collected from 30 alcohol-dependent persons who did not yet start AD treatment, 54 social drinkers and 60 controls, who were then analysed using NMR. Data analysis was done using multivariate analysis including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least square-discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA), followed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression to develop the discriminatory model. The reproducibility was done using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The OPLS-DA revealed significant discrimination between AD and other groups with sensitivity 86.21%, specificity 97.25% and accuracy 94.93%. Six biomarkers were significantly associated with AD in the multivariate logistic regression model. These biomarkers were cis-aconitic acid, citric acid, alanine, lactic acid, 1,2-propanediol and 2-hydroxyisovaleric acid. The reproducibility of all biomarkers was excellent (0.81-1.0). This study revealed that metabolomics analysis of urine using NMR identified AD novel biomarkers which can discriminate AD from social drinkers and controls with high accuracy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unbiased plasma metabolomics reveal the correlation of metabolic pathways and Prakritis of humans.

PubMed

Shirolkar, Amey; Chakraborty, Sutapa; Mandal, Tusharkanti; Dabur, Rajesh

2017-11-25

Ayurveda, an ancient Indian medicinal system, has categorized human body constitutions in three broad constitutional types (prakritis) i.e. Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Analysis of plasma metabolites and related pathways to classify Prakriti specific dominant marker metabolites and metabolic pathways. 38 healthy male individuals were assessed for dominant Prakritis and their fasting blood samples were collected. The processed plasma samples were subjected to rapid resolution liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (RRLC-ESI-QTOFMS). Mass profiles were aligned and subjected to multivariate analysis. Partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model showed 97.87% recognition capability. List of PLS-DA metabolites was subjected to permutative Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction and final list of 76 metabolites with p < 0.05 and fold-change > 2.0 was identified. Pathway analysis using metascape and JEPETTO plugins in Cytoscape revealed that steroidal hormone biosynthesis, amino acid, and arachidonic acid metabolism are major pathways varying with different constitution. Biological Go processes analysis showed that aromatic amino acids, sphingolipids, and pyrimidine nucleotides metabolic processes were dominant in kapha type of body constitution. Fat soluble vitamins, cellular amino acid, and androgen biosynthesis process along with branched chain amino acid and glycerolipid catabolic processes were dominant in pitta type individuals. Vata Prakriti was found to have dominant catecholamine, arachidonic acid and hydrogen peroxide metabolomics processes. The neurotransmission and oxidative stress in vata, BCAA catabolic, androgen, xenobiotics metabolic processes in pitta, and aromatic amino acids, sphingolipid, and pyrimidine metabolic process in kaphaPrakriti were the dominant marker pathways. Copyright © 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inter- and intraannual growth patterns of urban small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata mill.) at two public squares with contrasting microclimatic conditions.

PubMed

Moser, Astrid; Rahman, Mohammad A; Pretzsch, Hans; Pauleit, Stephan; Rötzer, Thomas

2017-06-01

The effects of urban conditions on tree growth have been investigated in an increasing number of studies over the last decades, emphasizing the harsh environment of cities. Urban trees often grow in highly paved, compacted sites with consequently less soil moisture, higher soil temperatures, and greater vapor pressure deficits. However, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the impact of harsh paved environments on urban tree growth during drought years on the growth patterns of urban trees. The present study investigated the structure and growth of the common urban tree species small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata) at a highly paved public square (CPS) compared with a contrasting more open, greener square (OGS). Continuously, measured high precision dendrometer data along with meteorological data of the extreme dry and warm summer 2015 as well as dendrochronological data of the sampled trees were investigated to analyze tree growth during a drought year. The results highlight different tree dimensions and growth patterns of the trees at both sites, influenced by tree age and distinct site conditions. While the trees at OGS grew up to 2.5 mm from July until mid of August, the trees at CPS had only 0.4-mm diameter increment. After the initial expansion at CPS, tree diameter contracted again during summer to the point of shrinkage (up to 0.8 mm) at the end of our investigation. Further drought year analysis confirmed the patterns of significant stem growth reductions in the consecutive two years following the drought. A correlation analysis revealed that transpiration, air temperature, and vapor pressure deficit were negatively correlated with the daily diameter growth, whereas precipitation had a strong positive effect. Due to high transpiration rates associated with anisohydric water use behavior, T. cordata was able to provide evaporative cooling even during drought. However, this anisohydric behavior resulted in substantial growth decline afterwards especially at paved sites like CPS. Our results suggest selection of tree species, such as those with isohydric water use behavior, which may achieve a better balance between growth, transpiration, and hence evaporative cooling.

Treatment needs and impact of oral health screening of athletes with intellectual disability in Belgium.

PubMed

Fernandez, C; Declerck, D; Dedecker, M; Marks, L

2015-12-30

Special Olympics Special Smiles (SOSS) is an initiative created for oral health data collection and education in oral hygiene for athletes with an intellectual disability. The aims of this study were to evaluate treatment needs of participants of Special Olympics in Belgium 2013 in comparison with those from 2008 and to assess the impact of screening and referral within the SOSS in a group of athletes who participated in two consecutive events, 2012 and 2013. Data were collected following a standardized protocol developed by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Oral Health. Oral hygiene habits, treatment urgency and reports of oral pain, gingival signs, sealants, untreated caries, missing and filled teeth were recorded. Data analysis of data from 2013 consisted in descriptive statistics followed by the analysis of the data by univariable and multivariable logistic regression. This data was compared with data from 2008 published by Leroy et al., 2012 using Chi square tests. Data from athletes who participated in both Special Olympics events (2012 and 2013) were compared using Exact McNemar's test and Chi-square test for homogeneity of proportions. The level of significance for all tests was set at a p-value < 0.05. A total of 627 athletes with intellectual disability participated to the SOSS program in 2013, while 132 athletes met the inclusion criteria of being a participant at both SO Belgium 2012 and 2013. The prevalence of gingival signs was 44.3 % in 2013, slightly higher than in 2008 (42.4 %). The burden of untreated decay affected 27.1 % of the population showing a net increase in comparison to 2008 (20.9 %). McNemar's test and Chi-square test revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the proportions of all compared parameters between 2012 and 2013. Special Olympics results from 2013 indicate a considerable unmet treatment need among Belgian Special Olympics Athletes, persistent from 2008 to 2013. Moreover, SO intervention had no impact in the oral health of athletes who participated in 2012 and 2013 events. Continuous efforts for preventive and restorative oral health care are needed for this population.

'A Speculative Idea': The Parallel Trajectories of Financial Speculation, Obstetrical Science, and Fiscal Management of Female Bodies in Henry James's Washington Square.

PubMed

Nixon, Kari

2017-09-01

This essay teases out the intimate connections between the scientific and fiscal realms in the context of American germ theory and obstetrics. By uncovering the economic and medical contexts of Henry James's Washington Square-set during the infancy of germ theory and the heyday of American obstetrics-this essay exposes a previously unexplored subtextual history of contagion in the text. Although this scientific history seems relegated to the novel's margins, understanding the changing scientific cosmologies and professional organizations in the context of the novel's setting and composition reveals that these tiny infectious particles and their vectors fundamentally shape the plot of the novel.

Global conjecturing process in pattern generalization problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutarto; Nusantara, Toto; Subanji; Dwi Hastuti, Intan; Dafik

2018-04-01

The aim of this global conjecturing process based on the theory of APOS. The subjects used in study were 15 of 8th grade students of Junior High School. The data were collected using Pattern Generalization Problem (PGP) and interviews. After students had already completed PGP; moreover, they were interviewed using students work-based to understand the conjecturing process. These interviews were video taped. The result of study reveals that the global conjecturing process occurs at the phase of action in which subjects build a conjecture by observing and counting the number of squares completely without distinguishing between black or white squares, finaly at the phase of process, the object and scheme were perfectly performed.

On Theoretical Limits of Dynamic Model Updating Using a Sensitivity-Based Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

GOLA, M. M.; SOMÀ, A.; BOTTO, D.

2001-07-01

The present work deals with the determination of the newly discovered conditions necessary for model updating with the eigensensitivity approach. The treatment concerns the maximum number of identifiable parameters regarding the structure of the eigenvectors derivatives. A mathematical demonstration is based on the evaluation of the rank of the least-squares matrix and produces the algebraic limiting conditions. Numerical application to a lumped parameter structure is employed to validate the mathematical limits taking into account different subsets of mode shapes. The demonstration is extended to the calculation of the eigenvector derivatives with both the Fox and Kapoor, and Nelson methods. III conditioning of the least-squares sensitivity matrix is revealed through the covariance jump.

Original and Mirror Face Images and Minimum Squared Error Classification for Visible Light Face Recognition.

PubMed

Wang, Rong

2015-01-01

In real-world applications, the image of faces varies with illumination, facial expression, and poses. It seems that more training samples are able to reveal possible images of the faces. Though minimum squared error classification (MSEC) is a widely used method, its applications on face recognition usually suffer from the problem of a limited number of training samples. In this paper, we improve MSEC by using the mirror faces as virtual training samples. We obtained the mirror faces generated from original training samples and put these two kinds of samples into a new set. The face recognition experiments show that our method does obtain high accuracy performance in classification.

Enhanced asymmetric magnetization reversal in nanoscale Co/CoO arrays: competition between exchange bias and magnetostatic coupling.

PubMed

Girgis, E; Portugal, R D; Loosvelt, H; Van Bael, M J; Gordon, I; Malfait, M; Temst, K; Van Haesendonck, C; Leunissen, L H A; Jonckheere, R

2003-10-31

Magnetization reversal was studied in square arrays of square Co/CoO dots with lateral size varying between 200 and 900 nm. While reference nonpatterned Co/CoO films show the typical shift and increased width of the hysteresis loop due to exchange bias, the patterned samples reveal a pronounced size dependence. In particular, an anomaly appears in the upper branch of the magnetization cycle and becomes stronger as the dot size decreases. This anomaly, which is absent at room temperature in the patterned samples, can be understood in terms of a competition between magnetostatic interdot interaction and exchange anisotropy during the magnetic switching process.

Growth and characterization of epitaxially stabilized ceria(001) nanostructures on Ru(0001)

DOE PAGES

Flege, Jan Ingo; Hocker, Jan; Kaemena, Bjorn; ...

2016-05-03

We have studied (001) surface terminated cerium oxide nanoparticles grown on a ruthenium substrate using physical vapor deposition. Their morphology, shape, crystal structure, and chemical state are determined by low-energy electron microscopy and micro-diffraction, scanning probe microscopy, and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Square islands are identified as CeO 2 nanocrystals exhibiting a (001) oriented top facet of varying size; they have a height of about 7 to 10 nm and a side length between about 50 and 500 nm, and are terminated with a p(2 × 2) surface reconstruction. Micro-illumination electron diffraction reveals the existence of a coincidence lattice atmore » the interface to the ruthenium substrate. The orientation of the side facets of the rod-like particles is identified as (111); the square particles are most likely of cuboidal shape, exhibiting (100) oriented side facets. Lastly, the square and needle-like islands are predominantly found at step bunches and may be grown exclusively at temperatures exceeding 1000 °C.« less

Methods for estimating annual exceedance probability discharges for streams in Arkansas, based on data through water year 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wagner, Daniel M.; Krieger, Joshua D.; Veilleux, Andrea G.

2016-08-04

In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey initiated a study to update regional skew, annual exceedance probability discharges, and regional regression equations used to estimate annual exceedance probability discharges for ungaged locations on streams in the study area with the use of recent geospatial data, new analytical methods, and available annual peak-discharge data through the 2013 water year. An analysis of regional skew using Bayesian weighted least-squares/Bayesian generalized-least squares regression was performed for Arkansas, Louisiana, and parts of Missouri and Oklahoma. The newly developed constant regional skew of -0.17 was used in the computation of annual exceedance probability discharges for 281 streamgages used in the regional regression analysis. Based on analysis of covariance, four flood regions were identified for use in the generation of regional regression models. Thirty-nine basin characteristics were considered as potential explanatory variables, and ordinary least-squares regression techniques were used to determine the optimum combinations of basin characteristics for each of the four regions. Basin characteristics in candidate models were evaluated based on multicollinearity with other basin characteristics (variance inflation factor < 2.5) and statistical significance at the 95-percent confidence level (p ≤ 0.05). Generalized least-squares regression was used to develop the final regression models for each flood region. Average standard errors of prediction of the generalized least-squares models ranged from 32.76 to 59.53 percent, with the largest range in flood region D. Pseudo coefficients of determination of the generalized least-squares models ranged from 90.29 to 97.28 percent, with the largest range also in flood region D. The regional regression equations apply only to locations on streams in Arkansas where annual peak discharges are not substantially affected by regulation, diversion, channelization, backwater, or urbanization. The applicability and accuracy of the regional regression equations depend on the basin characteristics measured for an ungaged location on a stream being within range of those used to develop the equations.

An integrated in silico approach for functional and structural impact of non- synonymous SNPs in the MYH1 gene in Jeju Native Pigs.

PubMed

Ghosh, Mrinmoy; Sodhi, Simrinder Singh; Sharma, Neelesh; Mongre, Raj Kumar; Kim, Nameun; Singh, Amit Kumar; Lee, Sung Jin; Kim, Dae Cheol; Kim, Sung Woo; Lee, Hak Kyo; Song, Ki-Duk; Jeong, Dong Kee

2016-02-04

This study was performed to identify the non- synonymous polymorphisms in the myosin heavy chain 1 gene (MYH1) association with skeletal muscle development in economically important Jeju Native Pig (JNP) and Berkshire breeds. Herein, we present an in silico analysis, with a focus on (a) in silico approaches to predict the functional effect of non-synonymous SNP (nsSNP) in MYH1 on growth, and (b) molecular docking and dynamic simulation of MYH1 to predict the effects of those nsSNP on protein-protein association. The NextGENe (V 2.3.4.) tool was used to identify the variants in MYH1 from JNP and Berkshire using RNA seq. Gene ontology analysis of MYH1 revealed significant association with muscle contraction and muscle organ development. The 95 % confidence intervals clearly indicate that the mRNA expression of MYH1 is significantly higher in the Berkshire longissimus dorsi muscle samples than JNP breed. Concordant in silico analysis of MYH1, the open-source software tools identified 4 potential nsSNP (L884T, K972C, N981G, and Q1285C) in JNP and 1 nsSNP (H973G) in Berkshire pigs. Moreover, protein-protein interactions were studied to investigate the effect of MYH1 mutations on association with hub proteins, and MYH1 was found to be closely associated with the protein myosin light chain, phosphorylatable, fast skeletal muscle MYLPF. The results of molecular docking studies on MYH1 (native and 4 mutants) and MYLFP demonstrated that the native complex showed higher electrostatic energy (-466.5 Kcal mol(-1)), van der Walls energy (-87.3 Kcal mol(-1)), and interaction energy (-835.7 Kcal mol(-1)) than the mutant complexes. Furthermore, the molecular dynamic simulation revealed that the native complex yielded a higher root-mean-square deviation (0.2-0.55 nm) and lower root-mean-square fluctuation (approximately 0.08-0.3 nm) as compared to the mutant complexes. The results suggest that the variants at L884T, K972C, N981G, and Q1285C in MYH1 in JNP might represent a cause for the poor growth performance for this breed. This study is a pioneering in-depth in silico analysis of polymorphic MYH1 and will serve as a valuable resource for further targeted molecular diagnosis and population-based studies conducted for improving the growth performance of JNP.

Chemometrics resolution and quantification power evaluation: Application on pharmaceutical quaternary mixture of Paracetamol, Guaifenesin, Phenylephrine and p-aminophenol.

PubMed

Yehia, Ali M; Mohamed, Heba M

2016-01-05

Three advanced chemmometric-assisted spectrophotometric methods namely; Concentration Residuals Augmented Classical Least Squares (CRACLS), Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) and Principal Component Analysis-Artificial Neural Networks (PCA-ANN) were developed, validated and benchmarked to PLS calibration; to resolve the severely overlapped spectra and simultaneously determine; Paracetamol (PAR), Guaifenesin (GUA) and Phenylephrine (PHE) in their ternary mixture and in presence of p-aminophenol (AP) the main degradation product and synthesis impurity of Paracetamol. The analytical performance of the proposed methods was described by percentage recoveries, root mean square error of calibration and standard error of prediction. The four multivariate calibration methods could be directly used without any preliminary separation step and successfully applied for pharmaceutical formulation analysis, showing no excipients' interference. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Feasibility for direct rapid energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and scattering analysis of complex matrix liquids by partial least squares.

PubMed

Angeyo, K H; Gari, S; Mustapha, A O; Mangala, J M

2012-11-01

The greatest challenge to material characterization by XRF technique is encountered in direct trace analysis of complex matrices. We exploited partial least squares (PLS) in conjunction with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence and scattering (EDXRFS) spectrometry to rapidly (200 s) analyze lubricating oils. The PLS-EDXRFS method affords non-invasive quality assurance (QA) analysis of complex matrix liquids as it gave optimistic results for both heavy- and low-Z metal additives. Scatter peaks may further be used for QA characterization via the light elements. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Syntrophic acetate oxidation in industrial CSTR biogas digesters.

PubMed

Sun, Li; Müller, Bettina; Westerholm, Maria; Schnürer, Anna

2014-02-10

The extent of syntrophic acetate oxidation (SAO) and the levels of known SAO bacteria and acetate- and hydrogen-consuming methanogens were determined in sludge from 13 commercial biogas production plants. Results from these measurements were statistically related to the prevailing operating conditions, through partial least squares (PLS) analysis. This revealed that high abundance of microorganisms involved in SAO was positively correlated with relatively low abundance of aceticlastic methanogens and high concentrations of free ammonia (>160 mg/L) and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Temperature was identified as another influencing factor for the population structure of the syntrophic acetate oxidising bacteria (SAOB). Overall, there was a high abundance of SAOB in the different digesters despite differences in their operating parameters, indicating that SAOB are an enduring and important component of biogas-producing consortia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering from finite arrays of gold nano-patches

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

Vincenti, M. A.; Ceglia, D. de; US Army-Charles M. Bowden Research Laboratory, 35898 Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama

We experimentally investigate the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) response of a 2D-periodic array of square gold nano-patches, functionalized by means of a conjugated, rigid thiol. We measure a Raman signal enhancement up to 200 times more intense compared to other plasmon-based nanostructures functionalized with the same molecule, and show that the enhancement is not strictly correlated to the presence of plasmonic resonances. The agreement between experimental and theoretical results reveals the importance of a full-wave analysis based on the inclusion of the actual scattering cross section of the molecule. The proposed numerical approach may serve not only as a toolmore » to predict the enhancement of Raman signal scattered from strongly resonant nanostructure but also as an effective instrument to engineer SERS platforms that target specific molecules.« less

Cross-section analysis of the Magnum-PSI plasma beam using a 2D multi-probe system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costin, C.; Anita, V.; Ghiorghiu, F.; Popa, G.; De Temmerman, G.; van den Berg, M. A.; Scholten, J.; Brons, S.

2015-02-01

The linear plasma generator Magnum-PSI was designed for the study of plasma-surface interactions under relevant conditions of fusion devices. A key factor for such studies is the knowledge of a set of parameters that characterize the plasma interacting with the solid surface. This paper reports on the electrical diagnosis of the plasma beam in Magnum-PSI using a multi-probe system consisting of 64 probes arranged in a 2D square matrix. Cross-section distributions of floating potential and ion current intensity were registered for a hydrogen plasma beam under various discharge currents (80-175 A) and magnetic field strengths (0.47-1.41 T in the middle of the coils). Probe measurements revealed a high level of flexibility of plasma beam parameters with respect to the operating conditions.

Black p-branes versus black holes in non-asymptotically flat Einstein-Yang-Mills theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Habib Mazharimousavi, S.; Halilsoy, M.

2016-09-01

We present a class of non-asymptotically flat (NAF) charged black p-branes (BpB) with p-compact dimensions in higher-dimensional Einstein-Yang-Mills theory. Asymptotically the NAF structure manifests itself as an anti-de sitter spacetime. We determine the total mass/energy enclosed in a thin shell located outside the event horizon. By comparing the entropies of BpB with those of black holes in the same dimensions we derive transition criteria between the two types of black objects. Given certain conditions satisfied, our analysis shows that BpB can be considered excited states of black holes. An event horizon r+ versus charge square Q2 plot for the BpB reveals such a transition where r+ is related to the horizon radius rh of the black hole (BH) both with the common charge Q.

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

Li, H.; Chang, C.; Cheng, H. H., E-mail: hhcheng@ntu.edu.tw

We report an investigation on the absorption mechanism of a GeSn photodetector with 2.4% Sn composition in the active region. Responsivity is measured and absorption coefficient is calculated. Square root of absorption coefficient linearly depends on photon energy indicating an indirect transition. However, the absorption coefficient is found to be at least one order of magnitude higher than that of most other indirect materials, suggesting that the indirect optical absorption transition cannot be assisted only by phonon. Our analysis of absorption measurements by other groups on the same material system showed the values of absorption coefficient on the same ordermore » of magnitude. Our study reveals that the strong enhancement of absorption for the indirect optical transition is the result of alloy disorder from the incorporation of the much larger Sn atoms into the Ge lattice that are randomly distributed.« less

Chandra Observations of M31 and their Implications for its ISM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Primini, F.; Garcia, M.; Murray, S.; Forman, W.; Jones, C.; McClintock, J.

2000-01-01

As part of the Chandra X-ray Observatory's Survey/Monitoring Program of M31, we have been regularly observing the bulge amd inner disk of M31 for nearly 1 year, using both the HRC and ACIS Instruments. We present results from our program th it are of interest to the study of the ISM in M31. In particular, spectral analysis of bright, unresolved x-ray sources in the bulge reveals the presence of significant local x-ray extinction (N(sub H) is about 2 x 10(exp 21)/square cm), and we will attempt to map out this extinction, Further, we find that diffuse emission accounts for a significant fraction of the overall x-ray flux from the bulge. Finally, our search for x-ray counterparts to supernova remnants in M31 yields surprisingly few candidates.

A two phase Mach number description of the equilibrium flow of nitrogen in ducts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bursik, J. W.; Hall, R. M.; Adcock, J. B.

1979-01-01

Some additional thermodynamic properties of the usual two-phase form which is linear in the moisture fraction are derived which are useful in the analysis of many kinds of duct flow. The method used is based on knowledge of the vapor pressure and Gibbs function as functions of temperature. With these, additional two-phase functions linear in moisture fraction are generated, which ultimately reveal that the squared ratio of mixture specific volume to mixture sound speed depends on liquid mass fraction and temperature in the same manner as do many weighted mean two-phase properties. This leads to a simple method of calculating two-phase Mach numbers for various duct flows. The matching of one- and two-phase flows at a saturated vapor point with discontinuous Mach number is also discussed.

Atypical depressive symptoms as a predictor of treatment response to exercise in Major Depressive Disorder.

PubMed

Rethorst, Chad D; Tu, Jian; Carmody, Thomas J; Greer, Tracy L; Trivedi, Madhukar H

2016-08-01

Effective treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) will require the development of alternative treatments and the ability for clinicians to match patients with the treatment likely to produce the greatest effect. We examined atypical depression subtype as a predictor of treatment response to aerobic exercise augmentation in persons with non-remitted MDD. Our results revealed a small-to-moderate effect, particularly in a group assigned to high-dose exercise (semi-partial eta-squared =0.0335, p=0.0735), indicating that those with atypical depression tended to have larger treatment response to exercise. Through this hypothesis-generating analysis, we indicate the need for research to examine depression subtype, along with other demographic, clinical and biological factors as predictors of treatment response to exercise. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Superheating of monolayer ice in graphene nanocapillaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, YinBo; Wang, FengChao; Wu, HengAn

2017-04-01

The freezing and melting of low-dimensional materials, either via a first-order phase transition or without any discontinuity in thermodynamic, still remain a matter of debate. Melting (superheating) in two-dimensional (2D) ice is fundamentally different from that in bulk counterpart. Here, we perform comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations of the superheating of monolayer ice in graphene nanocapillaries to understand the nature of melting transition in 2D water/ice. We find four different superheating (melting) scenarios can happen in the superheating of monolayer square-like ice, which are closely related to the lateral pressure and the channel width. The anomalous two-stage melting transition with arisen coexistence phase is found, which reveals the unknown extraordinary characteristics of melting in 2D water/ice. Under ultrahigh lateral pressure, the intermediate monolayer triangular amorphous ice will be formed during the superheating of monolayer square-like ice with both continuous-like and first-order phase transitions. Whereas, under low lateral pressure, the melting in monolayer square-like ice manifests typical discontinuity with notable hysteresis-loop in potential energy during the heating/cooling process. Moreover, we also find that highly puckered monolayer square-like ice can transform into bilayer AB-stacked amorphous ice with square pattern in the superheating process. The superheating behavior under high lateral pressure can be partly regarded as the compression limit of superheated monolayer water. The intrinsic phenomena in our simulated superheating of monolayer ice may be significant for understanding the melting behavior in 2D water/ice.

Superheating of monolayer ice in graphene nanocapillaries.

PubMed

Zhu, YinBo; Wang, FengChao; Wu, HengAn

2017-04-07

The freezing and melting of low-dimensional materials, either via a first-order phase transition or without any discontinuity in thermodynamic, still remain a matter of debate. Melting (superheating) in two-dimensional (2D) ice is fundamentally different from that in bulk counterpart. Here, we perform comprehensive molecular dynamics simulations of the superheating of monolayer ice in graphene nanocapillaries to understand the nature of melting transition in 2D water/ice. We find four different superheating (melting) scenarios can happen in the superheating of monolayer square-like ice, which are closely related to the lateral pressure and the channel width. The anomalous two-stage melting transition with arisen coexistence phase is found, which reveals the unknown extraordinary characteristics of melting in 2D water/ice. Under ultrahigh lateral pressure, the intermediate monolayer triangular amorphous ice will be formed during the superheating of monolayer square-like ice with both continuous-like and first-order phase transitions. Whereas, under low lateral pressure, the melting in monolayer square-like ice manifests typical discontinuity with notable hysteresis-loop in potential energy during the heating/cooling process. Moreover, we also find that highly puckered monolayer square-like ice can transform into bilayer AB-stacked amorphous ice with square pattern in the superheating process. The superheating behavior under high lateral pressure can be partly regarded as the compression limit of superheated monolayer water. The intrinsic phenomena in our simulated superheating of monolayer ice may be significant for understanding the melting behavior in 2D water/ice.

Four-Coordinate Iron(II) Diaryl Compounds with Monodentate N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligation: Synthesis, Characterization, and Their Tetrahedral-Square Planar Isomerization in Solution.

PubMed

Liu, Yuesheng; Luo, Lun; Xiao, Jie; Wang, Lei; Song, You; Qu, Jingping; Luo, Yi; Deng, Liang

2015-05-18

The salt elimination reactions of (IPr2Me2)2FeCl2 (IPr2Me2 = 1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene) with the corresponding aryl Grignard reagents afford [(IPr2Me2)2FeAr2] (Ar = Ph, 3; C6H4-p-Me, 4; C6H4-p-(t)Bu, 5; C6H3-3,5-(CF3)2, 6) in good yields. X-ray crystallographic studies revealed the presence of both tetrahedral and trans square planar isomers for 3 and 6 and the tetrahedral structures for 4 and 5. Magnetic susceptibility and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrum measurements on the solid samples indicated the high-spin (S = 2) and intermediate-spin (S = 1) nature of the tetrahedral and square planar structures, respectively. Solution property studies, including solution magnetic susceptibility measurement, variable-temperature (1)H and (19)F NMR, and absorption spectroscopy, on 3-6, as well as an (57)Fe Mössbauer spectrum study on a frozen tetrahydrofuran solution of tetrahedral [(IPr2Me2)2(57)FePh2] suggest the coexistence of tetrahedral and trans square planar structures in solution phase. Density functional theory calculations on (IPr2Me2)2FePh2 disclosed that the tetrahedral and trans square planar isomers are close in energy and that the geometry isomerization can occur by spin-change-coupled geometric transformation on four-coordinate iron(II) center.

The Relationship between Root Mean Square Error of Approximation and Model Misspecification in Confirmatory Factor Analysis Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savalei, Victoria

2012-01-01

The fit index root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) is extremely popular in structural equation modeling. However, its behavior under different scenarios remains poorly understood. The present study generates continuous curves where possible to capture the full relationship between RMSEA and various "incidental parameters," such as…

SQUARE ONE TV Content Analysis and Show Rundowns through Season Four.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Joel; And Others

This report summarizes the mathematical and pedagogical content of the SQUARE ONE TV library after four seasons of production, relating that content to the series' three goals: (1) to promote positive attitudes toward, and enthusiasm for, mathematics; (2) to encourage the use and application of problem-solving processes; and (3) to present sound…

A Geometric Analysis of when Fixed Weighting Schemes Will Outperform Ordinary Least Squares

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis-Stober, Clintin P.

2011-01-01

Many researchers have demonstrated that fixed, exogenously chosen weights can be useful alternatives to Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimation within the linear model (e.g., Dawes, Am. Psychol. 34:571-582, 1979; Einhorn & Hogarth, Org. Behav. Human Perform. 13:171-192, 1975; Wainer, Psychol. Bull. 83:213-217, 1976). Generalizing the approach of…

Linking Socioeconomic Status to Social Cognitive Career Theory Factors: A Partial Least Squares Path Modeling Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Jie-Tsuen; Hsieh, Hui-Hsien

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of socioeconomic status (SES) in predicting social cognitive career theory (SCCT) factors. Data were collected from 738 college students in Taiwan. The results of the partial least squares (PLS) analyses indicated that SES significantly predicted career decision self-efficacy (CDSE);…

Analyzing Multilevel Data: Comparing Findings from Hierarchical Linear Modeling and Ordinary Least Squares Regression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rocconi, Louis M.

2013-01-01

This study examined the differing conclusions one may come to depending upon the type of analysis chosen, hierarchical linear modeling or ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. To illustrate this point, this study examined the influences of seniors' self-reported critical thinking abilities three ways: (1) an OLS regression with the student…

The Impact of School Socioeconomic Status on Student-Generated Teacher Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnew, Steve

2011-01-01

This paper uses ordinary least squares, logit and probit regressions, along with chi-square analysis applied to nationwide data from the New Zealand ratemyteacher website to establish if there is any correlation between student ratings of their teachers and the socioeconomic status of the school the students attend. The results show that students…

Crashworthiness analysis on alternative square honeycomb structure under axial loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Meng; Deng, Zongquan; Guo, Hongwei; Liu, Rongqiang; Ding, Beichen

2013-07-01

Hexagonal metal honeycomb is widely used in energy absorption field for its special construction. However, many other metal honeycomb structures also show good energy absorption characteristics. Currently, most of the researches focus on hexagonal honeycomb, while few are performed into different honeycomb structures. Therefore, a new alternative square honeycomb is developed to expand the non-hexagonal metal honeycomb applications in the energy absorption fields with the aim of designing low mass and low volume energy absorbers. The finite element model of alternative square honeycomb is built to analyze its specific energy absorption property. As the diversity of honeycomb structure, the parameterized metal honeycomb finite element analysis program is conducted based on PCL language. That program can automatically create finite element model. Numerical results show that with the same foil thickness and cell length of metal honeycomb, the alternative square has better specific energy absorption than hexagonal honeycomb. Using response surface method, the mathematical formulas of honeycomb crashworthiness properties are obtained and optimization is done to get the maximum specific energy absorption property honeycomb. Optimal results demonstrate that to absorb same energy, alternative square honeycomb can save 10% volume of buffer structure than hexagonal honeycomb can do. This research is significant in providing technical support in the extended application of different honeycomb used as crashworthiness structures, and is absolutely essential in low volume and low mass energy absorber design.

Bem Sex Role Inventory Undifferentiated Score: A Comparison of Sexual Dysfunction Patients with Sexual Offenders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwyer, Margretta; And Others

1988-01-01

Examined Bem Sex Role undifferentiated scores on 93 male sex offenders as compared with 50 male sexually dysfunctional patients. Chi-square analyses revealed significant difference: offenders obtained undifferentiated scores more often than did sexual dysfunctional population. Concluded that Bem Sex Role Inventory is useful in identifying sexual…

Frontier Schools in Montana: Challenges and Sustainability Practices. A Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harmon, Hobart L.; Morton, Claudette

2010-01-01

This study reveals the challenges confronting small, rural "frontier" schools in Montana and the practices that contribute to their sustainability. A Montana frontier school is defined as a school district with 200 or fewer students and its attendant community in a county with five or fewer people per square mile. The researcher…

Factors Influencing the General Well-Being of Low-Income Korean Immigrant Elders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Kyoung Hag; Yoon, Dong Pil

2011-01-01

This study explores factors that influence the general well-being (anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, vitality, and general health) of low-income Korean immigrant elders by interviewing 206 older adults living in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Ordinary least squares regression results reveal that lack of…

Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics to Identify a Novel Human Immunodeficiency Virus Inhibitor from Alkaloids of Toddalia asiatica

PubMed Central

Priya, R.; Sumitha, Rajendrarao; Doss, C. George Priya; Rajasekaran, C.; Babu, S.; Seenivasan, R.; Siva, R.

2015-01-01

Background: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an immunosuppressive disease. Over the past decades, it has plagued human health due to the grave consequences in its harness. Objective: For this reason, anti-HIV agents are imperative, and the search for the same from natural resources would assure the safety. Materials and Methods: In this investigation we have performed molecular docking, molecular property prediction, drug-likeness score, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to develop a novel anti-HIV drug. We have screened 12 alkaloids from a medicinal plant Toddalia asiatica for its probabilistic binding with the active site of the HIV-1-reverse transcriptase (HIV-1-RT) domain (the major contributor to the onset of the disease). Results: The docking results were evaluated based on free energies of binding (ΔG), and the results suggested toddanol, toddanone, and toddalenone to be potent inhibitors of HIV-1-RT. In addition, the alkaloids were subjected to molecular property prediction analysis. Toddanol and toddanone with more rotatable bonds were found to have a drug-likeness score of 0.23 and 0.11, respectively. These scores were comparable with the standard anti-HIV drug zidovudine with a model score 0.28. Finally, two characteristic protein-ligand complexes were exposed to MD simulation to determine the stability of the predicted conformations. Conclusion: The toddanol-RT complex showed higher stability and stronger H-bonds than toddanone-RT complex. Based on these observations, we firmly believe that the alkaloid toddanol could aid in efficient HIV-1 drug discovery. SUMMARY In the present study, the molecular docking and MD simulations are performed to explore the possible binding mode of HIV 1 RT with 12 alkaloids of T. asiatica. Molecular docking by AutoDock4 revealed three alkaloids toddanol, toddanone, and toddalenone with highest binding affinity towards HIV 1 RT. The drug likeness model score revealed a positive score for toddanol and toddanone which is comparable to the drug likeness score of the standard anti HIV drug zidovudine. Results from simulation analysis revealed that toddanol RT complex is more stable than toddanone RT complex inferring toddanol as a potential anti HIV drug molecule. Abbreviations used: HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus, HIV 1 RT: HIV 1 reverse transcriptase, RNase H: Ribonuclease H, MD: Molecular dynamics, PDB: Protein databank, RMSD: Root mean square deviation, RMSF: Root mean square fluctuation. PMID:26929575

Applying Regression Analysis to Problems in Institutional Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bohannon, Tom R.

1988-01-01

Regression analysis is one of the most frequently used statistical techniques in institutional research. Principles of least squares, model building, residual analysis, influence statistics, and multi-collinearity are described and illustrated. (Author/MSE)

Analysis of surface-water data network in Kansas for effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information

USGS Publications Warehouse

Medina, K.D.; Tasker, Gary D.

1985-01-01

The surface water data network in Kansas was analyzed using generalized least squares regression for its effectiveness in providing regional streamflow information. The correlation and time-sampling error of the streamflow characteristic are considered in the generalized least squares method. Unregulated medium-flow, low-flow and high-flow characteristics were selected to be representative of the regional information that can be obtained from streamflow gaging station records for use in evaluating the effectiveness of continuing the present network stations, discontinuing some stations; and/or adding new stations. The analysis used streamflow records for all currently operated stations that were not affected by regulation and discontinued stations for which unregulated flow characteristics , as well as physical and climatic characteristics, were available. The state was divided into three network areas, western, northeastern, and southeastern Kansas, and analysis was made for three streamflow characteristics in each area, using three planning horizons. The analysis showed that the maximum reduction of sampling mean square error for each cost level could be obtained by adding new stations and discontinuing some of the present network stations. Large reductions in sampling mean square error for low-flow information could be accomplished in all three network areas, with western Kansas having the most dramatic reduction. The addition of new stations would be most beneficial for man- flow information in western Kansas, and to lesser degrees in the other two areas. The reduction of sampling mean square error for high-flow information would benefit most from the addition of new stations in western Kansas, and the effect diminishes to lesser degrees in the other two areas. Southeastern Kansas showed the smallest error reduction in high-flow information. A comparison among all three network areas indicated that funding resources could be most effectively used by discontinuing more stations in northeastern and southeastern Kansas and establishing more new stations in western Kansas. (Author 's abstract)

Rapid discrimination of sea buckthorn berries from different H. rhamnoides subspecies by multi-step IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yue; Zhang, Ying; Zhang, Jing; Fan, Gang; Tu, Ya; Sun, Suqin; Shen, Xudong; Li, Qingzhu; Zhang, Yi

2018-03-01

As an important ethnic medicine, sea buckthorn was widely used to prevent and treat various diseases due to its nutritional and medicinal properties. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, sea buckthorn was originated from H. rhamnoides, which includes five subspecies distributed in China. Confusion and misidentification usually occurred due to their similar morphology, especially in dried and powdered forms. Additionally, these five subspecies have vital differences in quality and physiological efficacy. This paper focused on the quick classification and identification method of sea buckthorn berry powders from five H. rhamnoides subspecies using multi-step IR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis. The holistic chemical compositions revealed by the FT-IR spectra demonstrated that flavonoids, fatty acids and sugars were the main chemical components. Further, the differences in FT-IR spectra regarding their peaks, positions and intensities were used to identify H. rhamnoides subspecies samples. The discrimination was achieved using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The results showed that the combination of multi-step IR spectroscopy and chemometric analysis offered a simple, fast and reliable method for the classification and identification of the sea buckthorn berry powders from different H. rhamnoides subspecies.

Temporal analysis of the frequency and duration of low and high streamflow: Years of record needed to characterize streamflow variability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huh, S.; Dickey, D.A.; Meador, M.R.; Ruhl, K.E.

2005-01-01

A temporal analysis of the number and duration of exceedences of high- and low-flow thresholds was conducted to determine the number of years required to detect a level shift using data from Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Two methods were used - ordinary least squares assuming a known error variance and generalized least squares without a known error variance. Using ordinary least squares, the mean number of years required to detect a one standard deviation level shift in measures of low-flow variability was 57.2 (28.6 on either side of the break), compared to 40.0 years for measures of high-flow variability. These means become 57.6 and 41.6 when generalized least squares is used. No significant relations between years and elevation or drainage area were detected (P>0.05). Cluster analysis did not suggest geographic patterns in years related to physiography or major hydrologic regions. Referring to the number of observations required to detect a one standard deviation shift as 'characterizing' the variability, it appears that at least 20 years of record on either side of a shift may be necessary to adequately characterize high-flow variability. A longer streamflow record (about 30 years on either side) may be required to characterize low-flow variability. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crystal structure of a small heat-shock protein from Xylella fastidiosa reveals a distinct high-order structure.

PubMed

Fonseca, Emanuella Maria Barreto; Scorsato, Valéria; Dos Santos, Marcelo Leite; Júnior, Atilio Tomazini; Tada, Susely Ferraz Siqueira; Dos Santos, Clelton Aparecido; de Toledo, Marcelo Augusto Szymanski; de Souza, Anete Pereira; Polikarpov, Igor; Aparicio, Ricardo

2017-04-01

Citrus variegated chlorosis is a disease that attacks economically important citrus plantations and is caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. In this work, the structure of a small heat-shock protein from X. fastidiosa (XfsHSP17.9) is reported. The high-order structures of small heat-shock proteins from other organisms are arranged in the forms of double-disc, hollow-sphere or spherical assemblies. Unexpectedly, the structure reported here reveals a high-order architecture forming a nearly square cavity.

Research on spacecraft electrical power conversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, T. G.

1974-01-01

The steady state characteristics and starting behavior of some widely used self-oscillating magnetically coupled square wave inverters were studied and the development of LC-tuned square wave inverters is reported. An analysis on high amplitude voltage spikes which occur in dc-to-square-wave parallel converters shows the importance of various circuit parameters for inverter design and for the suppression of spikes. A computerized simulation of an inductor energy storage dc-to-dc converter with closed loop regulators and of a preregulating current step-up converter are detailed. Work continued on the computer aided design of two-winding energy storage dc-to-dc converters.

Early Separation Incentives: An Analysis of Survey Data and Reenlistment Decision-Making Models

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

Table 8 Analyses of Variance for COL by Race and Gender (Enlisted Personnel) SOURCE 2F TYPE III SS MEAN SQUARE F VALUE PR > F SEX 1 80219.5873...SOURCE TYPEIII MEAN SUARE F VALUE PR >F SEX 1 82779.4582 82779.4582 1.04 0.3074 RACE 4 202214.2787 50553.5697 0.64 0.6362 Note: R-Square= 0.004141 12...Table 10 Analyses of Variance for COL by Race and Gender (Commissioned officers) SOURCE DF TYPE III SS MEAN SQUARE F VALUE PR > F SEX 1 1843343.079

Square wave voltammetry at the dropping mercury electrode: Experimental

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, J.A.; Christie, J.H.; Vukovic, M.; Osteryoung, R.A.

1977-01-01

Experimental verification of earlier theoretical work for square wave voltammetry at the dropping mercury electrode is given. Experiments using ferric oxalate and cadmium(II) in HCl confirm excellent agreement with theory. Experimental peak heights and peak widths are found to be within 2% of calculated results. An example of trace analysis using square wave voltammetry at the DME is presented. The technique is shown to have the same order of sensitivity as differential pulse polarography but is much faster to perform. A detection limit for cadmium in 0.1 M HCl for the system used here was 7 ?? 10-8 M.

Improving the Ability of Mathematic Representation Capabilities and Students Skills in Importing Square Forms to Square Using Variation Solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nirawati, R.

2018-04-01

This research was conducted to see whether the variation of the solution is acceptable and easy to understand by students with different level of ability so that it can be seen the difference of students ability in facilitating the quadratic form in the upper, middle and lower groups. This research used experimental method with factorial design. Based on the result of final test analysis, there were differences of students ability in upper group, medium group, and lower group in putting squared form based on the use certain variation of solution.

Uniform two-dimensional square assemblies from conjugated block copolymers driven by π–π interactions with controllable sizes

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

Han, Liang; Wang, Meijing; Jia, Xiangmeng

Two-dimensional (2-D) micro- and nano- architectures are attractive because of their unique properties caused by their ultrathin and flat morphologies. However, the formation of 2-D supramolecular highly symmetrical structures with considerable control is still a major challenge. Here, we presented a simple approach for the preparation of regular and homogeneous 2-D fluorescent square noncrystallization micelles with conjugated diblock copolymers PPV12-b-P2VPn through a process of dissolving-cooling-aging. The scale of the formed micelles could be controlled by the ratio of PPV/P2VP blocks and the concentration of the solution. The forming process of the platelet square micelles was analyzed by UV-Vis, DLS andmore » SLS, while the molecular arrangement was characterized by GIXD. The results revealed that the micelles of PPV12-b-P2VPn initially form 1-D structures and then grow into 2-D structures in solution, and the growth is driven by intermolecular π-π interactions with the PPV12 blocks. The formation of 2-D square micelles is induced by herringbone arrangement of the molecules, which is closely related to the presence of the branched alkyl chains attached to conjugated PPV12 cores.« less

External field characterization using CHAMP satellite data for induction studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunagu, Praveen; Chandrasekhar, E.

2013-06-01

Knowledge of external inducing source field morphology is essential for precise estimation of electromagnetic (EM) induction response. A better characterization of the external source field of magnetospheric origin can be achieved by decomposing it into outer and inner magnetospheric contributions, which are best represented in Geocentric Solar Magnetospheric (GSM) and Solar Magnetic (SM) reference frames, respectively. Thus we propose a spherical harmonic (SH) model to estimate the outer magnetospheric contribution, following the iterative reweighted least squares approach, using the vector magnetic data of the CHAMP satellite. The data covers almost a complete solar cycle from July 2001 to September 2010, spanning 54,474 orbits. The SH model, developed using orbit-averaged vector magnetic data, reveals the existence of a stable outer magnetospheric contribution of about 7.39 nT. This stable field was removed from the CHAMP data after transforming to SM frame. The residual field in the SM frame acts as a primary source for induction in the Earth. The analysis of this time-series using wavelet transformation showed a dominant 27-day periodicity of the geomagnetic field. Therefore, we calculated the inductive EM C-response function in a least squares sense considering the 27-day period variation as the inducing signal. From the estimated C-response, we have determined that the global depth to the perfect substitute conductor is about 1132 km and its conductivity is around 1.05 S/m.

Reducing Ice Adhesion on Nonsmooth Metallic Surfaces: Wettability and Topography Effects.

PubMed

Ling, Edwin Jee Yang; Uong, Victor; Renault-Crispo, Jean-Sébastien; Kietzig, Anne-Marie; Servio, Phillip

2016-04-06

The effects of ice formation and accretion on external surfaces range from being mildly annoying to potentially life-threatening. Ice-shedding materials, which lower the adhesion strength of ice to its surface, have recently received renewed research attention as a means to circumvent the problem of icing. In this work, we investigate how surface wettability and surface topography influence the ice adhesion strength on three different surfaces: (i) superhydrophobic laser-inscribed square pillars on copper, (ii) stainless steel 316 Dutch-weave meshes, and (iii) multiwalled carbon nanotube-covered steel meshes. The finest stainless steel mesh displayed the best performance with a 93% decrease in ice adhesion relative to polished stainless steel, while the superhydrophobic square pillars exhibited an increase in ice adhesion by up to 67% relative to polished copper. Comparisons of dynamic contact angles revealed little correlation between surface wettability and ice adhesion. On the other hand, by considering the ice formation process and the fracture mechanics at the ice-substrate interface, we found that two competing mechanisms governing ice adhesion strength arise on nonplanar surfaces: (i) mechanical interlocking of the ice within the surface features that enhances adhesion, and (ii) formation of microcracks that act as interfacial stress concentrators, which reduce adhesion. Our analysis provides insight toward new approaches for the design of ice-releasing materials through the use of surface topographies that promote interfacial crack propagation.

Quantifying non-ergodic dynamics of force-free granular gases.

PubMed

Bodrova, Anna; Chechkin, Aleksei V; Cherstvy, Andrey G; Metzler, Ralf

2015-09-14

Brownian motion is ergodic in the Boltzmann-Khinchin sense that long time averages of physical observables such as the mean squared displacement provide the same information as the corresponding ensemble average, even at out-of-equilibrium conditions. This property is the fundamental prerequisite for single particle tracking and its analysis in simple liquids. We study analytically and by event-driven molecular dynamics simulations the dynamics of force-free cooling granular gases and reveal a violation of ergodicity in this Boltzmann-Khinchin sense as well as distinct ageing of the system. Such granular gases comprise materials such as dilute gases of stones, sand, various types of powders, or large molecules, and their mixtures are ubiquitous in Nature and technology, in particular in Space. We treat-depending on the physical-chemical properties of the inter-particle interaction upon their pair collisions-both a constant and a velocity-dependent (viscoelastic) restitution coefficient ε. Moreover we compare the granular gas dynamics with an effective single particle stochastic model based on an underdamped Langevin equation with time dependent diffusivity. We find that both models share the same behaviour of the ensemble mean squared displacement (MSD) and the velocity correlations in the limit of weak dissipation. Qualitatively, the reported non-ergodic behaviour is generic for granular gases with any realistic dependence of ε on the impact velocity of particles.

Soil fungal diversity in natural grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau: associations with plant diversity and productivity.

PubMed

Yang, Teng; Adams, Jonathan M; Shi, Yu; He, Jin-Sheng; Jing, Xin; Chen, Litong; Tedersoo, Leho; Chu, Haiyan

2017-07-01

Previous studies have revealed inconsistent correlations between fungal diversity and plant diversity from local to global scales, and there is a lack of information about the diversity-diversity and productivity-diversity relationships for fungi in alpine regions. Here we investigated the internal relationships between soil fungal diversity, plant diversity and productivity across 60 grassland sites on the Tibetan Plateau, using Illumina sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region for fungal identification. Fungal alpha and beta diversities were best explained by plant alpha and beta diversities, respectively, when accounting for environmental drivers and geographic distance. The best ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression models, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and variation partitioning analysis (VPA) indicated that plant richness was positively correlated with fungal richness. However, no correlation between plant richness and fungal richness was evident for fungal functional guilds when analyzed individually. Plant productivity showed a weaker relationship to fungal diversity which was intercorrelated with other factors such as plant diversity, and was thus excluded as a main driver. Our study points to a predominant effect of plant diversity, along with other factors such as carbon : nitrogen (C : N) ratio, soil phosphorus and dissolved organic carbon, on soil fungal richness. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Characterization of a nonribosomal peptide antibiotic solid dispersion formulation by process analytical technologies sensors.

PubMed

Rahman, Ziyaur; Siddiqui, Akhtar; Khan, Mansoor A

2013-12-01

The focus of present investigation was to characterize and evaluate the variability of solid dispersion (SD) of amorphous vancomycin (VCM), utilizing crystalline polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) as a carrier and subsequently, determining their percentage composition by nondestructive method of process analytical technology (PAT) sensors. The SD were prepared by heat fusion method and characterized for physicochemical and spectral properties. Enhanced dissolution was shown by the SD formulations. Decreased crystallinity of PEG-6000 was observed indicating that the drug was present as solution and dispersed form within the polymer. The SD formulations were homogenous as shown by near infrared (NIR) chemical imaging data. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) method were applied to NIR and PXRD (powder X-ray diffraction) data to develop model for quantification of drug and carrier. PLS of both data showed correlation coefficient >0.9934 with good prediction capability as revealed by smaller value of root mean square and standard error. The model based on NIR and PXRD were two folds more accurate in estimating PEG-6000 than VCM. In conclusion, the drug dissolution from the SD increased by decreasing crystallinity of PEG-6000, and the chemometric models showed usefulness of PAT sensor in estimating percentage of both VCM and PEG-600 simultaneously. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Comparison between Two Linear Supervised Learning Machines' Methods with Principle Component Based Methods for the Spectrofluorimetric Determination of Agomelatine and Its Degradants.

PubMed

Elkhoudary, Mahmoud M; Naguib, Ibrahim A; Abdel Salam, Randa A; Hadad, Ghada M

2017-05-01

Four accurate, sensitive and reliable stability indicating chemometric methods were developed for the quantitative determination of Agomelatine (AGM) whether in pure form or in pharmaceutical formulations. Two supervised learning machines' methods; linear artificial neural networks (PC-linANN) preceded by principle component analysis and linear support vector regression (linSVR), were compared with two principle component based methods; principle component regression (PCR) as well as partial least squares (PLS) for the spectrofluorimetric determination of AGM and its degradants. The results showed the benefits behind using linear learning machines' methods and the inherent merits of their algorithms in handling overlapped noisy spectral data especially during the challenging determination of AGM alkaline and acidic degradants (DG1 and DG2). Relative mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) for the proposed models in the determination of AGM were 1.68, 1.72, 0.68 and 0.22 for PCR, PLS, SVR and PC-linANN; respectively. The results showed the superiority of supervised learning machines' methods over principle component based methods. Besides, the results suggested that linANN is the method of choice for determination of components in low amounts with similar overlapped spectra and narrow linearity range. Comparison between the proposed chemometric models and a reported HPLC method revealed the comparable performance and quantification power of the proposed models.

Tungsten oxide-Au nanosized film composites for glucose oxidation and sensing in neutral medium

PubMed Central

Gougis, Maxime; Ma, Dongling; Mohamedi, Mohamed

2015-01-01

In this work, we report for the first time the use of tungsten oxide (WOx) as catalyst support for Au toward the direct electrooxidation of glucose. The nanostructured WOx/Au electrodes were synthesized by means of laser-ablation technique. Both micro-Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the produced WOx thin film is amorphous and made of ultrafine particles of subnanometer size. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that only metallic Au was present at the surface of the WOx/Au composite, suggesting that the WOx support did not alter the electronic structure of Au. The direct electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in neutral medium such as phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.2) solution has been investigated with cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and square-wave voltammetry. Sensitivity as high as 65.7 μA cm−2 mM−1 up to 10 mM of glucose and a low detection limit of 10 μM were obtained with square-wave voltammetry. This interesting analytical performance makes the laser-fabricated WOx/Au electrode potentially promising for implantable glucose fuel cells and biomedical analysis as the evaluation of glucose concentration in biological fluids. Finally, owing to its unique capabilities proven in this work, it is anticipated that the laser-ablation technique will develop as a fabrication tool for chip miniature-sized sensors in the near future. PMID:25931820

Application of copulas to improve covariance estimation for partial least squares.

PubMed

D'Angelo, Gina M; Weissfeld, Lisa A

2013-02-20

Dimension reduction techniques, such as partial least squares, are useful for computing summary measures and examining relationships in complex settings. Partial least squares requires an estimate of the covariance matrix as a first step in the analysis, making this estimate critical to the results. In addition, the covariance matrix also forms the basis for other techniques in multivariate analysis, such as principal component analysis and independent component analysis. This paper has been motivated by an example from an imaging study in Alzheimer's disease where there is complete separation between Alzheimer's and control subjects for one of the imaging modalities. This separation occurs in one block of variables and does not occur with the second block of variables resulting in inaccurate estimates of the covariance. We propose the use of a copula to obtain estimates of the covariance in this setting, where one set of variables comes from a mixture distribution. Simulation studies show that the proposed estimator is an improvement over the standard estimators of covariance. We illustrate the methods from the motivating example from a study in the area of Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.