Quantification of intravoxel velocity standard deviation and turbulence intensity by generalizing phase-contrast MRI.

PubMed

Dyverfeldt, Petter; Sigfridsson, Andreas; Kvitting, John-Peder Escobar; Ebbers, Tino

2006-10-01

Turbulent flow, characterized by velocity fluctuations, is a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular diseases. A clinical noninvasive tool for assessing turbulence is lacking, however. It is well known that the occurrence of multiple spin velocities within a voxel during the influence of a magnetic gradient moment causes signal loss in phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI). In this paper a mathematical derivation of an expression for computing the standard deviation (SD) of the blood flow velocity distribution within a voxel is presented. The SD is obtained from the magnitude of PC-MRI signals acquired with different first gradient moments. By exploiting the relation between the SD and turbulence intensity (TI), this method allows for quantitative studies of turbulence. For validation, the TI in an in vitro flow phantom was quantified, and the results compared favorably with previously published laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) results. This method has the potential to become an important tool for the noninvasive assessment of turbulence in the arterial tree.

Virus purification by CsCl density gradient using general centrifugation.

PubMed

Nasukawa, Tadahiro; Uchiyama, Jumpei; Taharaguchi, Satoshi; Ota, Sumire; Ujihara, Takako; Matsuzaki, Shigenobu; Murakami, Hironobu; Mizukami, Keijirou; Sakaguchi, Masahiro

2017-11-01

Virus purification by cesium chloride (CsCl) density gradient, which generally requires an expensive ultracentrifuge, is an essential technique in virology. Here, we optimized virus purification by CsCl density gradient using general centrifugation (40,000 × g, 2 h, 4 °C), which showed almost the same purification ability as conventional CsCl density gradient ultracentrifugation (100,000 × g, 1 h, 4 °C) using phages S13' and φEF24C. Moreover, adenovirus strain JM1/1 was also successfully purified by this method. We suggest that general centrifugation can become a less costly alternative to ultracentrifugation for virus purification by CsCl densiy gradient and will thus encourage research in virology.

Diffusion pore imaging with generalized temporal gradient profiles.

PubMed

Laun, Frederik B; Kuder, Tristan A

2013-09-01

In porous material research, one main interest of nuclear magnetic resonance diffusion (NMR) experiments is the determination of the shape of pores. While it has been a longstanding question if this is in principle achievable, it has been shown recently that it is indeed possible to perform NMR-based diffusion pore imaging. In this work we present a generalization of these previous results. We show that the specific temporal gradient profiles that were used so far are not unique as more general temporal diffusion gradient profiles may be used. These temporal gradient profiles may consist of any number of "short" gradient pulses, which fulfil the short-gradient approximation. Additionally, "long" gradient pulses of small amplitude may be present, which can be used to fulfil the rephasing condition for the complete profile. Some exceptions exist. For example, classical q-space gradients consisting of two short gradient pulses of opposite sign cannot be used as the phase information is lost due to the temporal antisymmetry of this profile. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Front dynamics and entanglement in the XXZ chain with a gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisler, Viktor; Bauernfeind, Daniel

2017-11-01

We consider the XXZ spin chain with a magnetic field gradient and study the profiles of the magnetization as well as the entanglement entropy. For a slowly varying field, it is shown that, by means of a local density approximation, the ground-state magnetization profile can be obtained with standard Bethe ansatz techniques. Furthermore, it is argued that the low-energy description of the theory is given by a Luttinger liquid with slowly varying parameters. This allows us to obtain a very good approximation of the entanglement profile using a recently introduced technique of conformal field theory in curved spacetime. Finally, the front dynamics is also studied after the gradient field has been switched off, following arguments of generalized hydrodynamics for integrable systems. While for the XX chain the hydrodynamic solution can be found analytically, the XXZ case appears to be more complicated and the magnetization profiles are recovered only around the edge of the front via an approximate numerical solution.

Microgravimetry and the Measurement and Application of Gravity Gradients,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

Neumann, R., 1972, High precision gravimetry--recent develop- ments: Report to Paris Commission of E.A.E.G., Compagnie Generale de Geophysique , Massy...experimentation on vertical gradient: Compagnie Generale de Geophysique , Massy, France. 12. Fajklewicz, Z. J., 1976, Gravity vertical gradient

Measurement tensors in diffusion MRI: generalizing the concept of diffusion encoding.

PubMed

Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Szczepankiewicz, Filip; Pasternak, Ofer; Ozarslan, Evren; Topgaard, Daniel; Knutsson, Hans; Nilsson, Markus

2014-01-01

In traditional diffusion MRI, short pulsed field gradients (PFG) are used for the diffusion encoding. The standard Stejskal-Tanner sequence uses one single pair of such gradients, known as single-PFG (sPFG). In this work we describe how trajectories in q-space can be used for diffusion encoding. We discuss how such encoding enables the extension of the well-known scalar b-value to a tensor-valued entity we call the diffusion measurement tensor. The new measurements contain information about higher order diffusion propagator covariances not present in sPFG. As an example analysis, we use this new information to estimate a Gaussian distribution over diffusion tensors in each voxel, described by its mean (a diffusion tensor) and its covariance (a 4th order tensor).

Meta-Modeling-Based Groundwater Remediation Optimization under Flexibility in Environmental Standard.

PubMed

He, Li; Xu, Zongda; Fan, Xing; Li, Jing; Lu, Hongwei

2017-05-01

  This study develops a meta-modeling based mathematical programming approach with flexibility in environmental standards. It integrates numerical simulation, meta-modeling analysis, and fuzzy programming within a general framework. A set of models between remediation strategies and remediation performance can well guarantee the mitigation in computational efforts in the simulation and optimization process. In order to prevent the occurrence of over-optimistic and pessimistic optimization strategies, a high satisfaction level resulting from the implementation of a flexible standard can indicate the degree to which the environmental standard is satisfied. The proposed approach is applied to a naphthalene-contaminated site in China. Results show that a longer remediation period corresponds to a lower total pumping rate and a stringent risk standard implies a high total pumping rate. The wells located near or in the down-gradient direction to the contaminant sources have the most significant efficiency among all of remediation schemes.

Analytical Energy Gradients for Excited-State Coupled-Cluster Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wladyslawski, Mark; Nooijen, Marcel

The equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EOM-CC) and similarity transformed equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (STEOM-CC) methods have been firmly established as accurate and routinely applicable extensions of single-reference coupled-cluster theory to describe electronically excited states. An overview of these methods is provided, with emphasis on the many-body similarity transform concept that is the key to a rationalization of their accuracy. The main topic of the paper is the derivation of analytical energy gradients for such non-variational electronic structure approaches, with an ultimate focus on obtaining their detailed algebraic working equations. A general theoretical framework using Lagrange's method of undetermined multipliers is presented, and the method is applied to formulate the EOM-CC and STEOM-CC gradients in abstract operator terms, following the previous work in [P.G. Szalay, Int. J. Quantum Chem. 55 (1995) 151] and [S.R. Gwaltney, R.J. Bartlett, M. Nooijen, J. Chem. Phys. 111 (1999) 58]. Moreover, the systematics of the Lagrange multiplier approach is suitable for automation by computer, enabling the derivation of the detailed derivative equations through a standardized and direct procedure. To this end, we have developed the SMART (Symbolic Manipulation and Regrouping of Tensors) package of automated symbolic algebra routines, written in the Mathematica programming language. The SMART toolkit provides the means to expand, differentiate, and simplify equations by manipulation of the detailed algebraic tensor expressions directly. The Lagrangian multiplier formulation establishes a uniform strategy to perform the automated derivation in a standardized manner: A Lagrange multiplier functional is constructed from the explicit algebraic equations that define the energy in the electronic method; the energy functional is then made fully variational with respect to all of its parameters, and the symbolic differentiations directly yield the explicit equations for the wavefunction amplitudes, the Lagrange multipliers, and the analytical gradient via the perturbation-independent generalized Hellmann-Feynman effective density matrix. This systematic automated derivation procedure is applied to obtain the detailed gradient equations for the excitation energy (EE-), double ionization potential (DIP-), and double electron affinity (DEA-) similarity transformed equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles-and-doubles (STEOM-CCSD) methods. In addition, the derivatives of the closed-shell-reference excitation energy (EE-), ionization potential (IP-), and electron affinity (EA-) equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles-and-doubles (EOM-CCSD) methods are derived. Furthermore, the perturbative EOM-PT and STEOM-PT gradients are obtained. The algebraic derivative expressions for these dozen methods are all derived here uniformly through the automated Lagrange multiplier process and are expressed compactly in a chain-rule/intermediate-density formulation, which facilitates a unified modular implementation of analytic energy gradients for CCSD/PT-based electronic methods. The working equations for these analytical gradients are presented in full detail, and their factorization and implementation into an efficient computer code are discussed.

Monolithic stationary phases with a longitudinal gradient of porosity.

PubMed

Urban, Jiří; Hájek, Tomáš; Svec, Frantisek

2017-04-01

The duration of the hypercrosslinking reaction has been used to control the extent of small pores formation in polymer-based monolithic stationary phases. Segments of five columns hypercrosslinked for 30-360 min were coupled via zero-volume unions to prepare columns with segmented porosity gradients. The steepness of the porosity gradient affected column efficiency, mass transfer resistance, and separation of both small-molecule alkylbenzenes and high-molar-mass polystyrene standards. In addition, the segmented column with the steepest porosity gradient was prepared as a single column with a continuous porosity gradient. The steepness of porosity gradient in this type column was tuned. Compared to a completely hypercrosslinked column, the column with the shallower gradient produced comparable size-exclusion separation of polystyrene standards but allowed higher column permeability. The completely hypercrosslinked column and the column with porosity gradient were successfully coupled in online two-dimensional liquid chromatography of polymers. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

MO-G-17A-07: Improved Image Quality in Brain F-18 FDG PET Using Penalized-Likelihood Image Reconstruction Via a Generalized Preconditioned Alternating Projection Algorithm: The First Patient Results

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

Schmidtlein, CR; Beattie, B; Humm, J

2014-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the performance of a new penalized-likelihood PET image reconstruction algorithm using the 1{sub 1}-norm total-variation (TV) sum of the 1st through 4th-order gradients as the penalty. Simulated and brain patient data sets were analyzed. Methods: This work represents an extension of the preconditioned alternating projection algorithm (PAPA) for emission-computed tomography. In this new generalized algorithm (GPAPA), the penalty term is expanded to allow multiple components, in this case the sum of the 1st to 4th order gradients, to reduce artificial piece-wise constant regions (“staircase” artifacts typical for TV) seen in PAPA images penalized with only the 1stmore » order gradient. Simulated data were used to test for “staircase” artifacts and to optimize the penalty hyper-parameter in the root-mean-squared error (RMSE) sense. Patient FDG brain scans were acquired on a GE D690 PET/CT (370 MBq at 1-hour post-injection for 10 minutes) in time-of-flight mode and in all cases were reconstructed using resolution recovery projectors. GPAPA images were compared PAPA and RMSE-optimally filtered OSEM (fully converged) in simulations and to clinical OSEM reconstructions (3 iterations, 32 subsets) with 2.6 mm XYGaussian and standard 3-point axial smoothing post-filters. Results: The results from the simulated data show a significant reduction in the 'staircase' artifact for GPAPA compared to PAPA and lower RMSE (up to 35%) compared to optimally filtered OSEM. A simple power-law relationship between the RMSE-optimal hyper-parameters and the noise equivalent counts (NEC) per voxel is revealed. Qualitatively, the patient images appear much sharper and with less noise than standard clinical images. The convergence rate is similar to OSEM. Conclusions: GPAPA reconstructions using the 1{sub 1}-norm total-variation sum of the 1st through 4th-order gradients as the penalty show great promise for the improvement of image quality over that currently achieved with clinical OSEM reconstructions.« less

Gradient optimization and nonlinear control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasdorff, L.

1976-01-01

The book represents an introduction to computation in control by an iterative, gradient, numerical method, where linearity is not assumed. The general language and approach used are those of elementary functional analysis. The particular gradient method that is emphasized and used is conjugate gradient descent, a well known method exhibiting quadratic convergence while requiring very little more computation than simple steepest descent. Constraints are not dealt with directly, but rather the approach is to introduce them as penalty terms in the criterion. General conjugate gradient descent methods are developed and applied to problems in control.

Evaluation of an alternate method for sampling benthic macroinvertebrates in low-gradient streams sampled as part of the National Rivers and Streams Assessment.

PubMed

Flotemersch, Joseph E; North, Sheila; Blocksom, Karen A

2014-02-01

Benthic macroinvertebrates are sampled in streams and rivers as one of the assessment elements of the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Rivers and Streams Assessment. In a 2006 report, the recommendation was made that different yet comparable methods be evaluated for different types of streams (e.g., low gradient vs. high gradient). Consequently, a research element was added to the 2008-2009 National Rivers and Streams Assessment to conduct a side-by-side comparison of the standard macroinvertebrate sampling method with an alternate method specifically designed for low-gradient wadeable streams and rivers that focused more on stream edge habitat. Samples were collected using each method at 525 sites in five of nine aggregate ecoregions located in the conterminous USA. Methods were compared using the benthic macroinvertebrate multimetric index developed for the 2006 Wadeable Streams Assessment. Statistical analysis did not reveal any trends that would suggest the overall assessment of low-gradient streams on a regional or national scale would change if the alternate method was used rather than the standard sampling method, regardless of the gradient cutoff used to define low-gradient streams. Based on these results, the National Rivers and Streams Survey should continue to use the standard field method for sampling all streams.

G-bounce

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

Easson, Damien A.; Sawicki, Ignacy; Vikman, Alexander, E-mail: easson@asu.edu, E-mail: ignacy.sawicki@uni-heidelberg.de, E-mail: alexander.vikman@cern.ch

2011-11-01

We present a wide class of models which realise a bounce in a spatially flat Friedmann universe in standard General Relativity. The key ingredient of the theories we consider is a noncanonical, minimally coupled scalar field belonging to the class of theories with Kinetic Gravity Braiding / Galileon-like self-couplings. In these models, the universe smoothly evolves from contraction to expansion, suffering neither from ghosts nor gradient instabilities around the turning point. The end-point of the evolution can be a standard radiation-domination era or an inflationary phase. We formulate necessary restrictions for Lagrangians needed to obtain a healthy bounce and illustratemore » our results with phase portraits for simple systems including the recently proposed Galilean Genesis scenario.« less

Regulative feedback in pattern formation: towards a general relativistic theory of positional information.

PubMed

Jaeger, Johannes; Irons, David; Monk, Nick

2008-10-01

Positional specification by morphogen gradients is traditionally viewed as a two-step process. A gradient is formed and then interpreted, providing a spatial metric independent of the target tissue, similar to the concept of space in classical mechanics. However, the formation and interpretation of gradients are coupled, dynamic processes. We introduce a conceptual framework for positional specification in which cellular activity feeds back on positional information encoded by gradients, analogous to the feedback between mass-energy distribution and the geometry of space-time in Einstein's general theory of relativity. We discuss how such general relativistic positional information (GRPI) can guide systems-level approaches to pattern formation.

Modified Whole Effluent Toxicity Test to Assess and Decouple Wastewater Effects from Environmental Gradients

PubMed Central

Sauco, Sebastián; Gómez, Julio; Barboza, Francisco R.; Lercari, Diego; Defeo, Omar

2013-01-01

Environmental gradients and wastewater discharges produce aggregated effects on marine populations, obscuring the detection of human impact. Classical assessment methods do not include environmental effects in toxicity tests designs, which could lead to incorrect conclusions. We proposed a modified Whole Effluent Toxicity test (mWET) that includes environmental gradients in addition to effluent dilutions, together with the application of Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) to assess and decouple those effects. We tested this approach, analyzing the lethal effects of wastewater on a marine sandy beach bivalve affected by an artificial canal freshwater discharge used for rice crops irrigation. To this end, we compared bivalve mortality between canal water dilutions (CWd) and salinity controls (SC: without canal water). CWd were prepared by diluting the water effluent (sampled during the pesticide application period) with artificial marine water. The salinity gradient was included in the design by achieving the same final salinities in both CWd and SC, allowing us to account for the effects of salinity by including this variable as a random factor in the GLMM. Our approach detected significantly higher mortalities in CWd, indicating potential toxic effects of the effluent discharge. mWET represents an improvement over the internationally standardized WET tests, since it considers environmental variability and uses appropriate statistical analyses. PMID:23755304

TU-F-CAMPUS-I-04: Head-Only Asymmetric Gradient System Evaluation: ACR Image Quality and Acoustic Noise

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

Weavers, P; Shu, Y; Tao, S

Purpose: A high-performance head-only magnetic resonance imaging gradient system with an acquisition volume of 26 cm employing an asymmetric design for the transverse coils has been developed. It is able to reach a magnitude of 85 mT/m at a slew rate of 700 T/m/s, but operated at 80 mT/m and 500 T/m/s for this test. A challenge resulting from this asymmetric design is that the gradient nonlinearly exhibits both odd- and even-ordered terms, and as the full imaging field of view is often used, the nonlinearity is pronounced. The purpose of this work is to show the system can producemore » clinically useful images after an on-site gradient nonlinearity calibration and correction, and show that acoustic noise levels fall within non-significant risk (NSR) limits for standard clinical pulse sequences. Methods: The head-only gradient system was inserted into a standard 3T wide-bore scanner without acoustic damping. The ACR phantom was scanned in an 8-channel receive-only head coil and the standard American College of Radiology (ACR) MRI quality control (QC) test was performed. Acoustic noise levels were measured for several standard pulse sequences. Results: Images acquired with the head-only gradient system passed all ACR MR image quality tests; Both even and odd-order gradient distortion correction terms were required for the asymmetric gradients to pass. Acoustic noise measurements were within FDA NSR guidelines of 99 dBA (with assumed 20 dBA hearing protection) A-weighted and 140 dB for peak for all but one sequence. Note the gradient system was installed without any shroud or acoustic batting. We expect final system integration to greatly reduce noise experienced by the patient. Conclusion: A high-performance head-only asymmetric gradient system operating at 80 mT/m and 500 T/m/s conforms to FDA acoustic noise limits in all but one case, and passes all the ACR MR image quality control tests. This work was supported in part by the NIH grant 5R01EB010065.« less

First-principles study of structural and electronic properties of Be0.25Zn0.75S mixed compound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paliwal, U.; Joshi, K. B.

2018-05-01

In this work the first-principles study of structural and electronic properties of Be0.25Zn0.75S mixed compound is presented. The calculations are performed applying the QUANTUM ESPRESSO code utilizing the Perdew, Becke, Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation in the framework of density functional theory. Adopting standard optimization strategy, the ground state equilibrium lattice constant and bulk modulus are calculated. After settling the structure the electronic band structure, bandgap and static dielectric constant are evaluated. In absence of any experimental work on this system our findings are compared with the available theoretical calculations which are found to follow well anticipated general trends.

Novel approaches to analysis by flow injection gradient titration.

PubMed

Wójtowicz, Marzena; Kozak, Joanna; Kościelniak, Paweł

2007-09-26

Two novel procedures for flow injection gradient titration with the use of a single stock standard solution are proposed. In the multi-point single-line (MP-SL) method the calibration graph is constructed on the basis of a set of standard solutions, which are generated in a standard reservoir and subsequently injected into the titrant. According to the single-point multi-line (SP-ML) procedure the standard solution and a sample are injected into the titrant stream from four loops of different capacities, hence four calibration graphs are able to be constructed and the analytical result is calculated on the basis of a generalized slope of these graphs. Both approaches have been tested on the example of spectrophotometric acid-base titration of hydrochloric and acetic acids with using bromothymol blue and phenolphthalein as indicators, respectively, and sodium hydroxide as a titrant. Under optimized experimental conditions the analytical results of precision less than 1.8 and 2.5% (RSD) and of accuracy less than 3.0 and 5.4% (relative error (RE)) were obtained for MP-SL and SP-ML procedures, respectively, in ranges of 0.0031-0.0631 mol L(-1) for samples of hydrochloric acid and of 0.1680-1.7600 mol L(-1) for samples of acetic acid. The feasibility of both methods was illustrated by applying them to the total acidity determination in vinegar samples with precision lower than 0.5 and 2.9% (RSD) for MP-SL and SP-ML procedures, respectively.

MGH-USC Human Connectome Project Datasets with Ultra-High b-Value Diffusion MRI

PubMed Central

Fan, Qiuyun; Witzel, Thomas; Nummenmaa, Aapo; Van Dijk, Koene R.A.; Van Horn, John D.; Drews, Michelle K.; Somerville, Leah H.; Sheridan, Margaret A.; Santillana, Rosario M.; Snyder, Jenna; Hedden, Trey; Shaw, Emily E.; Hollinshead, Marisa O.; Renvall, Ville; Zanzonico, Roberta; Keil, Boris; Cauley, Stephen; Polimeni, Jonathan R.; Tisdall, Dylan; Buckner, Randy L.; Wedeen, Van J.; Wald, Lawrence L.; Toga, Arthur W.; Rosen, Bruce R.

2015-01-01

The MGH-USC CONNECTOM MRI scanner housed at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is a major hardware innovation of the Human Connectome Project (HCP). The 3T CONNECTOM scanner is capable of producing magnetic field gradient of up to 300 mT/m strength for in vivo human brain imaging, which greatly shortens the time spent on diffusion encoding, and decreases the signal loss due to T2 decay. To demonstrate the capability of the novel gradient system, data of healthy adult participants were acquired for this MGH-USC Adult Diffusion Dataset (N=35), minimally preprocessed, and shared through the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging Image Data Archive (LONI IDA) and the WU-Minn Connectome Database (ConnecomeDB). Another purpose of sharing the data is to facilitate methodological studies of diffusion MRI (dMRI) analyses utilizing high diffusion contrast, which perhaps is not easily feasible with standard MR gradient system. In addition, acquisition of the MGH-Harvard-USC Lifespan Dataset is currently underway to include 120 healthy participants ranging from 8 to 90 years old, which will also be shared through LONI IDA and ConnectomeDB. Here we describe the efforts of the MGH-USC HCP consortium in acquiring and sharing the ultra-high b-value diffusion MRI data and provide a report on data preprocessing and access. We conclude with a demonstration of the example data, along with results of standard diffusion analyses, including q-ball Orientation Distribution Function (ODF) reconstruction and tractography. PMID:26364861

Speed and convergence properties of gradient algorithms for optimization of IMRT.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaodong; Liu, Helen; Wang, Xiaochun; Dong, Lei; Wu, Qiuwen; Mohan, Radhe

2004-05-01

Gradient algorithms are the most commonly employed search methods in the routine optimization of IMRT plans. It is well known that local minima can exist for dose-volume-based and biology-based objective functions. The purpose of this paper is to compare the relative speed of different gradient algorithms, to investigate the strategies for accelerating the optimization process, to assess the validity of these strategies, and to study the convergence properties of these algorithms for dose-volume and biological objective functions. With these aims in mind, we implemented Newton's, conjugate gradient (CG), and the steepest decent (SD) algorithms for dose-volume- and EUD-based objective functions. Our implementation of Newton's algorithm approximates the second derivative matrix (Hessian) by its diagonal. The standard SD algorithm and the CG algorithm with "line minimization" were also implemented. In addition, we investigated the use of a variation of the CG algorithm, called the "scaled conjugate gradient" (SCG) algorithm. To accelerate the optimization process, we investigated the validity of the use of a "hybrid optimization" strategy, in which approximations to calculated dose distributions are used during most of the iterations. Published studies have indicated that getting trapped in local minima is not a significant problem. To investigate this issue further, we first obtained, by trial and error, and starting with uniform intensity distributions, the parameters of the dose-volume- or EUD-based objective functions which produced IMRT plans that satisfied the clinical requirements. Using the resulting optimized intensity distributions as the initial guess, we investigated the possibility of getting trapped in a local minimum. For most of the results presented, we used a lung cancer case. To illustrate the generality of our methods, the results for a prostate case are also presented. For both dose-volume and EUD based objective functions, Newton's method far outperforms other algorithms in terms of speed. The SCG algorithm, which avoids expensive "line minimization," can speed up the standard CG algorithm by at least a factor of 2. For the same initial conditions, all algorithms converge essentially to the same plan. However, we demonstrate that for any of the algorithms studied, starting with previously optimized intensity distributions as the initial guess but for different objective function parameters, the solution frequently gets trapped in local minima. We found that the initial intensity distribution obtained from IMRT optimization utilizing objective function parameters, which favor a specific anatomic structure, would lead to a local minimum corresponding to that structure. Our results indicate that from among the gradient algorithms tested, Newton's method appears to be the fastest by far. Different gradient algorithms have the same convergence properties for dose-volume- and EUD-based objective functions. The hybrid dose calculation strategy is valid and can significantly accelerate the optimization process. The degree of acceleration achieved depends on the type of optimization problem being addressed (e.g., IMRT optimization, intensity modulated beam configuration optimization, or objective function parameter optimization). Under special conditions, gradient algorithms will get trapped in local minima, and reoptimization, starting with the results of previous optimization, will lead to solutions that are generally not significantly different from the local minimum.

Performance analysis of structured gradient algorithm. [for adaptive beamforming linear arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Godara, Lal C.

1990-01-01

The structured gradient algorithm uses a structured estimate of the array correlation matrix (ACM) to estimate the gradient required for the constrained least-mean-square (LMS) algorithm. This structure reflects the structure of the exact array correlation matrix for an equispaced linear array and is obtained by spatial averaging of the elements of the noisy correlation matrix. In its standard form the LMS algorithm does not exploit the structure of the array correlation matrix. The gradient is estimated by multiplying the array output with the receiver outputs. An analysis of the two algorithms is presented to show that the covariance of the gradient estimated by the structured method is less sensitive to the look direction signal than that estimated by the standard method. The effect of the number of elements on the signal sensitivity of the two algorithms is studied.

Gradient descent learning algorithm overview: a general dynamical systems perspective.

PubMed

Baldi, P

1995-01-01

Gives a unified treatment of gradient descent learning algorithms for neural networks using a general framework of dynamical systems. This general approach organizes and simplifies all the known algorithms and results which have been originally derived for different problems (fixed point/trajectory learning), for different models (discrete/continuous), for different architectures (forward/recurrent), and using different techniques (backpropagation, variational calculus, adjoint methods, etc.). The general approach can also be applied to derive new algorithms. The author then briefly examines some of the complexity issues and limitations intrinsic to gradient descent learning. Throughout the paper, the author focuses on the problem of trajectory learning.

Uncertainty based pressure reconstruction from velocity measurement with generalized least squares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jiacheng; Scalo, Carlo; Vlachos, Pavlos

2017-11-01

A method using generalized least squares reconstruction of instantaneous pressure field from velocity measurement and velocity uncertainty is introduced and applied to both planar and volumetric flow data. Pressure gradients are computed on a staggered grid from flow acceleration. The variance-covariance matrix of the pressure gradients is evaluated from the velocity uncertainty by approximating the pressure gradient error to a linear combination of velocity errors. An overdetermined system of linear equations which relates the pressure and the computed pressure gradients is formulated and then solved using generalized least squares with the variance-covariance matrix of the pressure gradients. By comparing the reconstructed pressure field against other methods such as solving the pressure Poisson equation, the omni-directional integration, and the ordinary least squares reconstruction, generalized least squares method is found to be more robust to the noise in velocity measurement. The improvement on pressure result becomes more remarkable when the velocity measurement becomes less accurate and more heteroscedastic. The uncertainty of the reconstructed pressure field is also quantified and compared across the different methods.

Long-term outcomes of septal reduction for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Sedehi, Daniel; Finocchiaro, Gherardo; Tibayan, Yen; Chi, Jeffrey; Pavlovic, Aleksandra; Kim, Young M; Tibayan, Frederick A; Reitz, Bruce A; Robbins, Robert C; Woo, Joseph; Ha, Richard; Lee, David P; Ashley, Euan A

2015-07-01

Surgical myectomy and alcohol septal ablation (ASA) aim to decrease left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Outcome of myectomy beyond 10 years has rarely been described. We describe 20 years of follow-up of surgical myectomy and 5 years of follow-up for ASA performed for obstructive HCM. We studied 171 patients who underwent myectomy for symptomatic LVOT obstruction between 1972 and 2006. In addition, we studied 52 patients who underwent ASA for the same indication and who declined surgery. Follow-up of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, echocardiographic data, and vital status were obtained from patient records. Mortality rates were compared with expected mortality rates of age- and sex-matched populations. Surgical myectomy improved NYHA class (2.74±0.65 to 1.54±0.74, p<0.001), reduced resting gradient (67.4±43.4mmHg to 11.2±16.4mmHg, p<0.001), and inducible LVOT gradient (98.1±34.7mmHg to 33.6±34.9mmHg, p<0.001). Similarly, ASA improved functional class (2.99±0.35 to 1.5±0.74, p<0.001), resting gradient (67.1±26.9mmHg to 23.9±29.4mmHg, p<0.001) and provoked gradient (104.4±34.9mmHg to 35.5±38.6mmHg, p<0.001). Survival after myectomy at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years of follow-up was 92.9%, 81.1%, 68.9%, and 47.5%, respectively. Of note, long-term survival after myectomy was lower than for the general population [standardized mortality ratio (SMR)=1.40, p<0.005], but still compared favorably with historical data from non-operated HCM patients. Survival after ASA at 2 and 5 years was 97.8% and 94.7%, respectively. Short-term (5 year) survival after ASA (SMR=0.61, p=0.48) was comparable to that of the general population. Long-term follow-up of septal reduction strategies in obstructive HCM reveals that surgical myectomy and ASA are effective for symptom relief and LVOT gradient reduction and are associated with favorable survival. While overall prognosis for the community HCM population is similar to the general population, the need for surgical myectomy may identify a sub-group with poorer long-term prognosis. We await long-term outcomes of more extensive myectomy approaches adopted in the past 10 years at major institutions. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Hybrid preconditioning for iterative diagonalization of ill-conditioned generalized eigenvalue problems in electronic structure calculations

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

Cai, Yunfeng, E-mail: yfcai@math.pku.edu.cn; Department of Computer Science, University of California, Davis 95616; Bai, Zhaojun, E-mail: bai@cs.ucdavis.edu

2013-12-15

The iterative diagonalization of a sequence of large ill-conditioned generalized eigenvalue problems is a computational bottleneck in quantum mechanical methods employing a nonorthogonal basis for ab initio electronic structure calculations. We propose a hybrid preconditioning scheme to effectively combine global and locally accelerated preconditioners for rapid iterative diagonalization of such eigenvalue problems. In partition-of-unity finite-element (PUFE) pseudopotential density-functional calculations, employing a nonorthogonal basis, we show that the hybrid preconditioned block steepest descent method is a cost-effective eigensolver, outperforming current state-of-the-art global preconditioning schemes, and comparably efficient for the ill-conditioned generalized eigenvalue problems produced by PUFE as the locally optimal blockmore » preconditioned conjugate-gradient method for the well-conditioned standard eigenvalue problems produced by planewave methods.« less

Interactions of spatial strategies producing generalization gradient and blocking: A computational approach

PubMed Central

Dollé, Laurent; Chavarriaga, Ricardo

2018-01-01

We present a computational model of spatial navigation comprising different learning mechanisms in mammals, i.e., associative, cognitive mapping and parallel systems. This model is able to reproduce a large number of experimental results in different variants of the Morris water maze task, including standard associative phenomena (spatial generalization gradient and blocking), as well as navigation based on cognitive mapping. Furthermore, we show that competitive and cooperative patterns between different navigation strategies in the model allow to explain previous apparently contradictory results supporting either associative or cognitive mechanisms for spatial learning. The key computational mechanism to reconcile experimental results showing different influences of distal and proximal cues on the behavior, different learning times, and different abilities of individuals to alternatively perform spatial and response strategies, relies in the dynamic coordination of navigation strategies, whose performance is evaluated online with a common currency through a modular approach. We provide a set of concrete experimental predictions to further test the computational model. Overall, this computational work sheds new light on inter-individual differences in navigation learning, and provides a formal and mechanistic approach to test various theories of spatial cognition in mammals. PMID:29630600

Apparent violation of the sum rule for exchange-correlation charges by generalized gradient approximations.

PubMed

Kohut, Sviataslau V; Staroverov, Viktor N

2013-10-28

The exchange-correlation potential of Kohn-Sham density-functional theory, vXC(r), can be thought of as an electrostatic potential produced by the static charge distribution qXC(r) = -(1∕4π)∇(2)vXC(r). The total exchange-correlation charge, QXC = ∫qXC(r) dr, determines the rate of the asymptotic decay of vXC(r). If QXC ≠ 0, the potential falls off as QXC∕r; if QXC = 0, the decay is faster than coulombic. According to this rule, exchange-correlation potentials derived from standard generalized gradient approximations (GGAs) should have QXC = 0, but accurate numerical calculations give QXC ≠ 0. We resolve this paradox by showing that the charge density qXC(r) associated with every GGA consists of two types of contributions: a continuous distribution and point charges arising from the singularities of vXC(r) at each nucleus. Numerical integration of qXC(r) accounts for the continuous charge but misses the point charges. When the point-charge contributions are included, one obtains the correct QXC value. These findings provide an important caveat for attempts to devise asymptotically correct Kohn-Sham potentials by modeling the distribution qXC(r).

Analytic energy gradients for orbital-optimized MP3 and MP2.5 with the density-fitting approximation: An efficient implementation.

PubMed

Bozkaya, Uğur

2018-03-15

Efficient implementations of analytic gradients for the orbital-optimized MP3 and MP2.5 and their standard versions with the density-fitting approximation, which are denoted as DF-MP3, DF-MP2.5, DF-OMP3, and DF-OMP2.5, are presented. The DF-MP3, DF-MP2.5, DF-OMP3, and DF-OMP2.5 methods are applied to a set of alkanes and noncovalent interaction complexes to compare the computational cost with the conventional MP3, MP2.5, OMP3, and OMP2.5. Our results demonstrate that density-fitted perturbation theory (DF-MP) methods considered substantially reduce the computational cost compared to conventional MP methods. The efficiency of our DF-MP methods arise from the reduced input/output (I/O) time and the acceleration of gradient related terms, such as computations of particle density and generalized Fock matrices (PDMs and GFM), solution of the Z-vector equation, back-transformations of PDMs and GFM, and evaluation of analytic gradients in the atomic orbital basis. Further, application results show that errors introduced by the DF approach are negligible. Mean absolute errors for bond lengths of a molecular set, with the cc-pCVQZ basis set, is 0.0001-0.0002 Å. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Generalization Gradients in Human Predictive Learning: Effects of Discrimination Training and within-Subjects Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vervliet, Bram; Iberico, Carlos; Vervoort, Ellen; Baeyens, Frank

2011-01-01

Generalization gradients have been investigated widely in animal conditioning experiments, but much less so in human predictive learning tasks. Here, we apply the experimental design of a recent study on conditioned fear generalization in humans (Lissek et al., 2008) to a predictive learning task, and examine the effects of a number of relevant…

Energy approach to brittle fracture in strain-gradient modelling.

PubMed

Placidi, Luca; Barchiesi, Emilio

2018-02-01

In this paper, we exploit some results in the theory of irreversible phenomena to address the study of quasi-static brittle fracture propagation in a two-dimensional isotropic continuum. The elastic strain energy density of the body has been assumed to be geometrically nonlinear and to depend on the strain gradient. Such generalized continua often arise in the description of microstructured media. These materials possess an intrinsic length scale, which determines the size of internal boundary layers. In particular, the non-locality conferred by this internal length scale avoids the concentration of deformations, which is usually observed when dealing with local models and which leads to mesh dependency. A scalar Lagrangian damage field, ranging from zero to one, is introduced to describe the internal state of structural degradation of the material. Standard Lamé and second-gradient elastic coefficients are all assumed to decrease as damage increases and to be locally zero if the value attained by damage is one. This last situation is associated with crack formation and/or propagation. Numerical solutions of the model are provided in the case of an obliquely notched rectangular specimen subjected to monotonous tensile and shear loading tests, and brittle fracture propagation is discussed.

Comparing species interaction networks along environmental gradients.

PubMed

Pellissier, Loïc; Albouy, Camille; Bascompte, Jordi; Farwig, Nina; Graham, Catherine; Loreau, Michel; Maglianesi, Maria Alejandra; Melián, Carlos J; Pitteloud, Camille; Roslin, Tomas; Rohr, Rudolf; Saavedra, Serguei; Thuiller, Wilfried; Woodward, Guy; Zimmermann, Niklaus E; Gravel, Dominique

2018-05-01

Knowledge of species composition and their interactions, in the form of interaction networks, is required to understand processes shaping their distribution over time and space. As such, comparing ecological networks along environmental gradients represents a promising new research avenue to understand the organization of life. Variation in the position and intensity of links within networks along environmental gradients may be driven by turnover in species composition, by variation in species abundances and by abiotic influences on species interactions. While investigating changes in species composition has a long tradition, so far only a limited number of studies have examined changes in species interactions between networks, often with differing approaches. Here, we review studies investigating variation in network structures along environmental gradients, highlighting how methodological decisions about standardization can influence their conclusions. Due to their complexity, variation among ecological networks is frequently studied using properties that summarize the distribution or topology of interactions such as number of links, connectance, or modularity. These properties can either be compared directly or using a procedure of standardization. While measures of network structure can be directly related to changes along environmental gradients, standardization is frequently used to facilitate interpretation of variation in network properties by controlling for some co-variables, or via null models. Null models allow comparing the deviation of empirical networks from random expectations and are expected to provide a more mechanistic understanding of the factors shaping ecological networks when they are coupled with functional traits. As an illustration, we compare approaches to quantify the role of trait matching in driving the structure of plant-hummingbird mutualistic networks, i.e. a direct comparison, standardized by null models and hypothesis-based metaweb. Overall, our analysis warns against a comparison of studies that rely on distinct forms of standardization, as they are likely to highlight different signals. Fostering a better understanding of the analytical tools available and the signal they detect will help produce deeper insights into how and why ecological networks vary along environmental gradients. © 2017 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

MGH-USC Human Connectome Project datasets with ultra-high b-value diffusion MRI.

PubMed

Fan, Qiuyun; Witzel, Thomas; Nummenmaa, Aapo; Van Dijk, Koene R A; Van Horn, John D; Drews, Michelle K; Somerville, Leah H; Sheridan, Margaret A; Santillana, Rosario M; Snyder, Jenna; Hedden, Trey; Shaw, Emily E; Hollinshead, Marisa O; Renvall, Ville; Zanzonico, Roberta; Keil, Boris; Cauley, Stephen; Polimeni, Jonathan R; Tisdall, Dylan; Buckner, Randy L; Wedeen, Van J; Wald, Lawrence L; Toga, Arthur W; Rosen, Bruce R

2016-01-01

The MGH-USC CONNECTOM MRI scanner housed at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is a major hardware innovation of the Human Connectome Project (HCP). The 3T CONNECTOM scanner is capable of producing a magnetic field gradient of up to 300 mT/m strength for in vivo human brain imaging, which greatly shortens the time spent on diffusion encoding, and decreases the signal loss due to T2 decay. To demonstrate the capability of the novel gradient system, data of healthy adult participants were acquired for this MGH-USC Adult Diffusion Dataset (N=35), minimally preprocessed, and shared through the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging Image Data Archive (LONI IDA) and the WU-Minn Connectome Database (ConnectomeDB). Another purpose of sharing the data is to facilitate methodological studies of diffusion MRI (dMRI) analyses utilizing high diffusion contrast, which perhaps is not easily feasible with standard MR gradient system. In addition, acquisition of the MGH-Harvard-USC Lifespan Dataset is currently underway to include 120 healthy participants ranging from 8 to 90 years old, which will also be shared through LONI IDA and ConnectomeDB. Here we describe the efforts of the MGH-USC HCP consortium in acquiring and sharing the ultra-high b-value diffusion MRI data and provide a report on data preprocessing and access. We conclude with a demonstration of the example data, along with results of standard diffusion analyses, including q-ball Orientation Distribution Function (ODF) reconstruction and tractography. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of agar dilution and antibiotic gradient strip test with broth microdilution for susceptibility testing of swine Brachyspira species.

PubMed

Mirajkar, Nandita S; Gebhart, Connie J

2016-03-01

Production-limiting diseases in swine caused by Brachyspira are characterized by mucohemorrhagic diarrhea (B. hyodysenteriae and "B. hampsonii") or mild colitis (B. pilosicoli), while B. murdochii is often isolated from healthy pigs. Emergence of novel pathogenic Brachyspira species and strains with reduced susceptibility to commonly used antimicrobials has reinforced the need for standardized susceptibility testing. Two methods are currently used for Brachyspira susceptibility testing: agar dilution (AD) and broth microdilution (BMD). However, these tests have primarily been used for B. hyodysenteriae and rarely for B. pilosicoli. Information on the use of commercial susceptibility testing products such as antibiotic gradient strips is lacking. Our main objective was to validate and compare the susceptibility results, measured as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), of 6 antimicrobials for 4 Brachyspira species (B. hyodysenteriae, "B. hampsonii", B. pilosicoli, and B. murdochii) by BMD and AD (tiamulin, valnemulin, lincomycin, tylosin, and carbadox) or antibiotic gradient strip (doxycycline) methods. In general, the results of a high percentage of all 4 Brachyspira species differed by ±1 log2 dilution or less by BMD and AD for tiamulin, valnemulin, lincomycin, and tylosin, and by BMD and antibiotic gradient strip for doxycycline. The carbadox MICs obtained by BMD were 1-5 doubling dilutions different than those obtained by AD. BMD for Brachyspira was quicker to perform with less ambiguous interpretation of results when compared with AD and antibiotic gradient strip methods, and the results confirm the utility of BMD in routine diagnostics. © 2016 The Author(s).

Effects of evidence-based strategies to reduce the socioeconomic gradient of uptake in the English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (ASCEND): four cluster-randomised controlled trials

PubMed Central

Wardle, Jane; von Wagner, Christian; Kralj-Hans, Ines; Halloran, Stephen P; Smith, Samuel G; McGregor, Lesley M; Vart, Gemma; Howe, Rosemary; Snowball, Julia; Handley, Graham; Logan, Richard F; Rainbow, Sandra; Smith, Steve; Thomas, Mary C; Counsell, Nicholas; Morris, Steve; Duffy, Stephen W; Hackshaw, Allan; Moss, Sue; Atkin, Wendy; Raine, Rosalind

2016-01-01

Summary Background Uptake in the national colorectal cancer screening programme in England varies by socioeconomic status. We assessed four interventions aimed at reducing this gradient, with the intention of improving the health benefits of screening. Methods All people eligible for screening (men and women aged 60–74 years) across England were included in four cluster-randomised trials. Randomisation was based on day of invitation. Each trial compared the standard information with the standard information plus the following supplementary interventions: trial 1 (November, 2012), a supplementary leaflet summarising the gist of the key information; trial 2 (March, 2012), a supplementary narrative leaflet describing people's stories; trial 3 (June, 2013), general practice endorsement of the programme on the invitation letter; and trial 4 (July–August, 2013) an enhanced reminder letter with a banner that reiterated the screening offer. Socioeconomic status was defined by the Index of Multiple Deprivation score for each home address. The primary outcome was the socioeconomic status gradient in uptake across deprivation quintiles. This study is registered, number ISRCTN74121020. Findings As all four trials were embedded in the screening programme, loss to follow-up was minimal (less than 0·5%). Trials 1 (n=163 525) and 2 (n=150 417) showed no effects on the socioeconomic gradient of uptake or overall uptake. Trial 3 (n=265 434) showed no effect on the socioeconomic gradient but was associated with increased overall uptake (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·07, 95% CI 1·04–1·10, p<0·0001). In trial 4 (n=168 480) a significant interaction was seen with socioeconomic status gradient (p=0·005), with a stronger effect in the most deprived quintile (adjusted OR 1·11, 95% CI 1·04–1·20, p=0·003) than in the least deprived (1·00, 0·94–1·06, p=0·98). Overall uptake was also increased (1·07, 1·03–1·11, p=0·001). Interpretation Of four evidence-based interventions, the enhanced reminder letter reduced the socioeconomic gradient in screening uptake, but further reducing inequalities in screening uptake through written materials alone will be challenging. Funding National Institute for Health Research. PMID:26680217

Comparison of genetic algorithms with conjugate gradient methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bosworth, J. L.; Foo, N. Y.; Zeigler, B. P.

1972-01-01

Genetic algorithms for mathematical function optimization are modeled on search strategies employed in natural adaptation. Comparisons of genetic algorithms with conjugate gradient methods, which were made on an IBM 1800 digital computer, show that genetic algorithms display superior performance over gradient methods for functions which are poorly behaved mathematically, for multimodal functions, and for functions obscured by additive random noise. Genetic methods offer performance comparable to gradient methods for many of the standard functions.

Learning-Related Shifts in Generalization Gradients for Complex Sounds

PubMed Central

Wisniewski, Matthew G.; Church, Barbara A.; Mercado, Eduardo

2010-01-01

Learning to discriminate stimuli can alter how one distinguishes related stimuli. For instance, training an individual to differentiate between two stimuli along a single dimension can alter how that individual generalizes learned responses. In this study, we examined the persistence of shifts in generalization gradients after training with sounds. University students were trained to differentiate two sounds that varied along a complex acoustic dimension. Students subsequently were tested on their ability to recognize a sound they experienced during training when it was presented among several novel sounds varying along this same dimension. Peak shift was observed in Experiment 1 when generalization tests immediately followed training, and in Experiment 2 when tests were delayed by 24 hours. These findings further support the universality of generalization processes across species, modalities, and levels of stimulus complexity. They also raise new questions about the mechanisms underlying learning-related shifts in generalization gradients. PMID:19815929

Embedded WENO: A design strategy to improve existing WENO schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Lith, Bart S.; ten Thije Boonkkamp, Jan H. M.; IJzerman, Wilbert L.

2017-02-01

Embedded WENO methods utilise all adjacent smooth substencils to construct a desirable interpolation. Conventional WENO schemes under-use this possibility close to large gradients or discontinuities. We develop a general approach for constructing embedded versions of existing WENO schemes. Embedded methods based on the WENO schemes of Jiang and Shu [1] and on the WENO-Z scheme of Borges et al. [2] are explicitly constructed. Several possible choices are presented that result in either better spectral properties or a higher order of convergence for sufficiently smooth solutions. However, these improvements carry over to discontinuous solutions. The embedded methods are demonstrated to be indeed improvements over their standard counterparts by several numerical examples. All the embedded methods presented have no added computational effort compared to their standard counterparts.

High precision Hugoniot measurements of D2 near maximum compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benage, John; Knudson, Marcus; Desjarlais, Michael

2015-11-01

The Hugoniot response of liquid deuterium has been widely studied due to its general importance and to the significant discrepancy in the inferred shock response obtained from early experiments. With improvements in dynamic compression platforms and experimental standards these results have converged and show general agreement with several equation of state (EOS) models, including quantum molecular dynamics (QMD) calculations within the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA). This approach to modeling the EOS has also proven quite successful for other materials and is rapidly becoming a standard approach. However, small differences remain among predictions obtained using different local and semi-local density functionals; these small differences show up in the deuterium Hugoniot at ~ 30-40 GPa near the region of maximum compression. Here we present experimental results focusing on that region of the Hugoniot and take advantage of advancements in the platform and standards, resulting in data with significantly higher precision than that obtained in previous studies. These new data may prove to distinguish between the subtle differences predicted by the various density functionals. Results of these experiments will be presented along with comparison to various QMD calculations. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin company, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Toward an integrated view of ionospheric plasma instabilities: Altitudinal transitions and strong gradient case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makarevich, Roman A.

2016-04-01

A general dispersion relation is derived that integrates the Farley-Buneman, gradient-drift, and current-convective plasma instabilities (FBI, GDI, and CCI) within the same formalism for an arbitrary altitude, wave propagation vector, and background density gradient. The limiting cases of the FBI/GDI in the E region for nearly field-aligned irregularities, GDI/CCI in the main F region at long wavelengths, and GDI at high altitudes are successfully recovered using analytic analysis. Numerical solutions are found for more general representative cases spanning the entire ionosphere. It is demonstrated that the results are consistent with those obtained using a general FBI/GDI/CCI theory developed previously at and near E region altitudes under most conditions. The most significant differences are obtained for strong gradients (scale lengths of 100 m) at high altitudes such as those that may occur during highly structured soft particle precipitation events. It is shown that the strong gradient case is dominated by inertial effects and, for some scales, surprisingly strong additional damping due to higher-order gradient terms. The growth rate behavior is examined with a particular focus on the range of wave propagations with positive growth (instability cone) and its transitions between altitudinal regions. It is shown that these transitions are largely controlled by the plasma density gradients even when FBI is operational.

Short Diffusion Time Diffusion-Weighted Imaging With Oscillating Gradient Preparation as an Early Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarker for Radiation Therapy Response Monitoring in Glioblastoma: A Preclinical Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Bongers, Andre; Hau, Eric; Shen, Han

2018-01-04

To investigate a novel alternative diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) approach using oscillating gradients preparation (OGSE) to obtain much shorter effective diffusion times (Δ eff ) for tumor response monitoring by apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping in a glioblastoma mouse model. Twenty-four BALB/c nude mice inoculated with U87 glioblastoma cells were randomized into a control group and an irradiation group, which underwent a 15-day fractioned radiation therapy (RT) course with 2 Gy/d. Therapy response was assessed by mapping of ADCs at 6 time points using an in-house implementation of a cos-OGSE DWI sequence with Δ eff  = 1.25 ms and compared with a standard pulsed gradient DWI protocol (PGSE) with typical clinical diffusion time Δ eff  = 18 ms. Longitudinal ADC changes in tumor and contralateral white matter (WM) were statistically assessed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and post hoc (Sidak) testing. On short Δ eff OGSE maps tumor ADC was generally 30%-50% higher than in surrounding WM. Areas correlated well with histology. Tumor identification was generally more difficult on PGSE maps owing to nonsignificant WM/tumor contrast. During RT, OGSE maps also showed significant tumor ADC increase (approximately 15%) in response to radiation, consistently seen after 14-Gy RT dose. The clinical reference (PGSE) showed lower sensitivity to radiation changes, and no significant response across the radiation group and time course could be detected. Our short Δ eff DWI method using OGSE better reflected histologically defined tumor areas and enabled more consistent and earlier detection of microstructural radiation changes than conventional methods. Oscillating gradients preparation offers significant potential as a robust microstructural RT response biomarker, potentially helping to shift important therapy decisions to earlier stages in the RT time course. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stimulus generalization, discrimination learning, and peak shift in horses.

PubMed Central

Dougherty, D M; Lewis, P

1991-01-01

Using horses, we investigated three aspects of the stimulus control of lever-pressing behavior: stimulus generalization, discrimination learning, and peak shift. Nine solid black circles, ranging in size from 0.5 in. to 4.5 in. (1.3 cm to 11.4 cm) served as stimuli. Each horse was shaped, using successive approximations, to press a rat lever with its lip in the presence of a positive stimulus, the 2.5-in. (6.4-cm) circle. Shaping proceeded quickly and was comparable to that of other laboratory organisms. After responding was maintained on a variable-interval 30-s schedule, stimulus generalization gradients were collected from 2 horses prior to discrimination training. During discrimination training, grain followed lever presses in the presence of a positive stimulus (a 2.5-in circle) and never followed lever presses in the presence of a negative stimulus (a 1.5-in. [3.8-cm] circle). Three horses met a criterion of zero responses to the negative stimulus in fewer than 15 sessions. Horses given stimulus generalization testing prior to discrimination training produced symmetrical gradients; horses given discrimination training prior to generalization testing produced asymmetrical gradients. The peak of these gradients shifted away from the negative stimulus. These results are consistent with discrimination, stimulus generalization, and peak-shift phenomena observed in other organisms. PMID:1940765

[Application of general retention time formula for gradient liquid chromatography in the studies of ladder-like gradient elution].

PubMed

Sun, Xiaoli; Hao, Weiqiang; Wang, Junde; Di, Bin; Chen, Qiang; Zhuang, Wei; Yu, Qiang; Zhang, Peipei

2013-08-01

By not explicitly specifying the type of solvent strength model, the features of ladder-like gradient elution were studied based on the general retention time formula that was derived in our previous work. For the case where the solute is eluted at like gradient, we derived the expression that connects the mobile phase composition (phiR), at which the solute is eluted from the column, with the gradient slope (B). It was shown that phiR will increase with the increase of B in this case. For the case where the solute is eluted at the last isocratic segment of the ladder-like gradient, it was proven that the retention time (tR) will correlate linearly with the reciprocal of the gradient slope (1/B) when the initial and final mobile phase compositions are set to be constant. In experiments, by taking biphenyl as the sample, the values of retention time in isocratic and gradient elution were measured on a C18 column by using a mixture of methanol and water as the mobile phase. The experimental values were found to be well consistent with the theoretical values that were calculated from the expressions. These expressions will be helpful to understand the features of the ladder-like gradient in practice.

High-Throughput Ligand Discovery Reveals a Sitewise Gradient of Diversity in Broadly Evolved Hydrophilic Fibronectin Domains

PubMed Central

Woldring, Daniel R.; Holec, Patrick V.; Zhou, Hong; Hackel, Benjamin J.

2015-01-01

Discovering new binding function via a combinatorial library in small protein scaffolds requires balance between appropriate mutations to introduce favorable intermolecular interactions while maintaining intramolecular integrity. Sitewise constraints exist in a non-spatial gradient from diverse to conserved in evolved antibody repertoires; yet non-antibody scaffolds generally do not implement this strategy in combinatorial libraries. Despite the fact that biased amino acid distributions, typically elevated in tyrosine, serine, and glycine, have gained wider use in synthetic scaffolds, these distributions are still predominantly applied uniformly to diversified sites. While select sites in fibronectin domains and DARPins have shown benefit from sitewise designs, they have not been deeply evaluated. Inspired by this disparity between diversity distributions in natural libraries and synthetic scaffold libraries, we hypothesized that binders resulting from discovery and evolution would exhibit a non-spatial, sitewise gradient of amino acid diversity. To identify sitewise diversities consistent with efficient evolution in the context of a hydrophilic fibronectin domain, >105 binders to six targets were evolved and sequenced. Evolutionarily favorable amino acid distributions at 25 sites reveal Shannon entropies (range: 0.3–3.9; median: 2.1; standard deviation: 1.1) supporting the diversity gradient hypothesis. Sitewise constraints in evolved sequences are consistent with complementarity, stability, and consensus biases. Implementation of sitewise constrained diversity enables direct selection of nanomolar affinity binders validating an efficient strategy to balance inter- and intra-molecular interaction demands at each site. PMID:26383268

Optimization Based Efficiencies in First Order Reliability Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peck, Jeffrey A.; Mahadevan, Sankaran

2003-01-01

This paper develops a method for updating the gradient vector of the limit state function in reliability analysis using Broyden's rank one updating technique. In problems that use commercial code as a black box, the gradient calculations are usually done using a finite difference approach, which becomes very expensive for large system models. The proposed method replaces the finite difference gradient calculations in a standard first order reliability method (FORM) with Broyden's Quasi-Newton technique. The resulting algorithm of Broyden updates within a FORM framework (BFORM) is used to run several example problems, and the results compared to standard FORM results. It is found that BFORM typically requires fewer functional evaluations that FORM to converge to the same answer.

Ionosphere Threat Model Investigations by Using Turkish National Permanent GPS Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Köroǧlu, Meltem; Arikan, Feza; Koroglu, Ozan

2016-07-01

Global Positioning System (GPS) signal realibity may decrease significantly due to the variable electron density structure of ionosphere. In the literature, ionospheric disturbance is modeled as a linear semi-definite wave which has width, gradient and a constant velocity. To provide precise positioning, Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS) are used. GBAS collects all measurements from GPS network receivers and computes an integrity level for the measurement by comparing the network GPS receivers measurements with the threat models of ionosphere. Threat models are computed according to ionosphere gradient characteristics. Gradient is defined as the difference of slant delays between the receivers. Slant delays are estimated from the STEC (Slant Total Electron Content) values of the ionosphere that is given by the line integral of the electron density between the receiver and GPS satellite. STEC can be estimated over Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals by using IONOLAB-STEC and IONOLAB-BIAS algorithms. Since most of the ionospheric disturbance observed locally, threat models for the GBAS systems must be extracted as locally. In this study, an automated ionosphere gradient estimation algorithm was developed by using Turkish National Permanent GPS Network (TNPGN-Active) data for year 2011. The GPS receivers are grouped within 150 km radius. For each region, for each day and for each satellite all STEC values are estimated by using IONOLAB-STEC and IONOLAB-BIAS softwares (www.ionolab.org). In the gradient estimation, station-pair method is used. Statistical properties of the valid gradients are extracted as tables for each region, day and satellite. By observing the histograms of the maximum gradients and standard deviations of the gradients with respect to the elevation angle for each day, the anomalies and disturbances of the ionosphere can be detected. It is observed that, maximum gradient estimates are less than 40 mm/km and maximum standard deviation of the gradients are observed as 5 mm/km. In the stormy days, the level of gradients and the standard deviation values becomes larger than those of quiet days. These observations may also form a basis for the estimationof velocity and width of the traveling ionospheric disturbances. The study is supported by TUBITAK 115E915 and Joint TUBITAK 114E092 and AS CR14/001 projects.

Superfast maximum-likelihood reconstruction for quantum tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Jiangwei; Zhang, Zhengyun; Ng, Hui Khoon

2017-06-01

Conventional methods for computing maximum-likelihood estimators (MLE) often converge slowly in practical situations, leading to a search for simplifying methods that rely on additional assumptions for their validity. In this work, we provide a fast and reliable algorithm for maximum-likelihood reconstruction that avoids this slow convergence. Our method utilizes the state-of-the-art convex optimization scheme, an accelerated projected-gradient method, that allows one to accommodate the quantum nature of the problem in a different way than in the standard methods. We demonstrate the power of our approach by comparing its performance with other algorithms for n -qubit state tomography. In particular, an eight-qubit situation that purportedly took weeks of computation time in 2005 can now be completed in under a minute for a single set of data, with far higher accuracy than previously possible. This refutes the common claim that MLE reconstruction is slow and reduces the need for alternative methods that often come with difficult-to-verify assumptions. In fact, recent methods assuming Gaussian statistics or relying on compressed sensing ideas are demonstrably inapplicable for the situation under consideration here. Our algorithm can be applied to general optimization problems over the quantum state space; the philosophy of projected gradients can further be utilized for optimization contexts with general constraints.

SES Gradients Among Mexicans in the United States and in Mexico: A New Twist to the Hispanic Paradox?

PubMed Central

Palloni, Alberto; Riosmena, Fernando; Wong, Rebeca

2016-01-01

Recent empirical findings have suggested the existence of a twist in the Hispanic paradox, in which Mexican and other Hispanic foreign-born migrants living in the United States experience shallower socioeconomic status (SES) health disparities than those in the U.S. population. In this article, we seek to replicate this finding and test conjectures that could explain this new observed phenomenon using objective indicators of adult health by educational attainment in several groups: (1) Mexicanborn individuals living in Mexico and in the United States, (2) U.S.-born Mexican Americans, and (3) non-Hispanic American whites. Our analytical strategy improves upon previous research on three fronts. First, we derive four hypotheses from a general framework that has also been used to explain the standard Hispanic paradox. Second, we study biomarkers rather than self-reported health and related conditions. Third, we use a binational data platform that includes both Mexicans living in Mexico (Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006) and Mexican migrants to the United States (NHANES 1999–2010). We find steep education gradients among Mexicans living in Mexico’s urban areas in five of six biomarkers of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in the overall MetS score. Mexican migrants living in the United States experience similar patterns to Mexicans living in Mexico in glucose and obesity biomarkers. These results are inconsistent with previous findings, suggesting that Mexican migrants in the United States experience significantly attenuated health gradients relative to the non-Hispanic white U.S. population. Our empirical evidence also contradicts the idea that SES-health gradients in Mexico are shallower than those in the United States and could be invoked to explain shallower gradients among Mexicans living in the United States. PMID:27655408

SES Gradients Among Mexicans in the United States and in Mexico: A New Twist to the Hispanic Paradox?

PubMed

Beltrán-Sánchez, Hiram; Palloni, Alberto; Riosmena, Fernando; Wong, Rebeca

2016-10-01

Recent empirical findings have suggested the existence of a twist in the Hispanic paradox, in which Mexican and other Hispanic foreign-born migrants living in the United States experience shallower socioeconomic status (SES) health disparities than those in the U.S. In this article, we seek to replicate this finding and test conjectures that could explain this new observed phenomenon using objective indicators of adult health by educational attainment in several groups: (1) Mexican-born individuals living in Mexico and in the United States, (2) U.S.-born Mexican Americans, and (3) non-Hispanic American whites. Our analytical strategy improves upon previous research on three fronts. First, we derive four hypotheses from a general framework that has also been used to explain the standard Hispanic paradox. Second, we study biomarkers rather than self-reported health and related conditions. Third, we use a binational data platform that includes both Mexicans living in Mexico (Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2006) and Mexican migrants to the United States (NHANES 1999-2010). We find steep education gradients among Mexicans living in Mexico's urban areas in five of six biomarkers of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and in the overall MetS score. Mexican migrants living in the United States experience similar patterns to Mexicans living in Mexico in glucose and obesity biomarkers. These results are inconsistent with previous findings, suggesting that Mexican migrants in the United States experience significantly attenuated health gradients relative to the non-Hispanic white U.S. Our empirical evidence also contradicts the idea that SES-health gradients in Mexico are shallower than those in the United States and could be invoked to explain shallower gradients among Mexicans living in the United States.

Gradient-based adaptation of general gaussian kernels.

PubMed

Glasmachers, Tobias; Igel, Christian

2005-10-01

Gradient-based optimizing of gaussian kernel functions is considered. The gradient for the adaptation of scaling and rotation of the input space is computed to achieve invariance against linear transformations. This is done by using the exponential map as a parameterization of the kernel parameter manifold. By restricting the optimization to a constant trace subspace, the kernel size can be controlled. This is, for example, useful to prevent overfitting when minimizing radius-margin generalization performance measures. The concepts are demonstrated by training hard margin support vector machines on toy data.

Dipole-like electrostatic asymmetry of gold nanorods

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

Kim, Ji -Young; Han, Myung -Geun; Lien, Miao -Bin

The symmetry of metallic nanocolloids, typically envisaged as simple geometrical shapes, is rarely questioned. However, the symmetry considerations are so essential for understanding their electronic structure, optical properties, and biological effects that it is important to reexamine these foundational assumptions for nanocolloids. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are generally presumed to have nearly perfect geometry of a cylinder and therefore are centrosymmetric. We show that AuNRs, in fact, have a built-in electrostatic potential gradient on their surface and behave as noncentrosymmetric particles. The electrostatic potential gradient of 0.11 to 0.07 V/nm along the long axes of nanorods is observed by off-axis electronmore » holography. Kelvin probe microscopy, secondary electron imaging, energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, and plasmon mapping reveal that the axial asymmetry is associated with a consistently unequal number of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide moieties capping the two ends of the AuNRs. Electrostatic field maps simulated for the AuNR surface reproduce the holography images. The dipole-like surface potential gradient explains previously puzzling discrepancies in nonlinear optical effects originating from the noncentrosymmetric nature of AuNRs. Furthermore, similar considerations of symmetry breaking are applicable to other nanoscale structures for which the property-governing symmetry of the organic shell may differ from the apparent symmetry of inorganic core observed in standard electron microscopy images.« less

Dipole-like electrostatic asymmetry of gold nanorods

DOE PAGES

Kim, Ji -Young; Han, Myung -Geun; Lien, Miao -Bin; ...

2018-02-09

The symmetry of metallic nanocolloids, typically envisaged as simple geometrical shapes, is rarely questioned. However, the symmetry considerations are so essential for understanding their electronic structure, optical properties, and biological effects that it is important to reexamine these foundational assumptions for nanocolloids. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are generally presumed to have nearly perfect geometry of a cylinder and therefore are centrosymmetric. We show that AuNRs, in fact, have a built-in electrostatic potential gradient on their surface and behave as noncentrosymmetric particles. The electrostatic potential gradient of 0.11 to 0.07 V/nm along the long axes of nanorods is observed by off-axis electronmore » holography. Kelvin probe microscopy, secondary electron imaging, energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, and plasmon mapping reveal that the axial asymmetry is associated with a consistently unequal number of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide moieties capping the two ends of the AuNRs. Electrostatic field maps simulated for the AuNR surface reproduce the holography images. The dipole-like surface potential gradient explains previously puzzling discrepancies in nonlinear optical effects originating from the noncentrosymmetric nature of AuNRs. Furthermore, similar considerations of symmetry breaking are applicable to other nanoscale structures for which the property-governing symmetry of the organic shell may differ from the apparent symmetry of inorganic core observed in standard electron microscopy images.« less

Application of retention modelling to the simulation of separation of organic anions in suppressed ion chromatography.

PubMed

Zakaria, Philip; Dicinoski, Greg W; Ng, Boon Khing; Shellie, Robert A; Hanna-Brown, Melissa; Haddad, Paul R

2009-09-18

The ion-exchange separation of organic anions of varying molecular mass has been demonstrated using ion chromatography with isocratic, gradient and multi-step eluent profiles on commercially available columns with UV detection. A retention model derived previously for inorganic ions and based solely on electrostatic interactions between the analytes and the stationary phase was applied. This model was found to accurately describe the observed elution of all the anions under isocratic, gradient and multi-step eluent conditions. Hydrophobic interactions, although likely to be present to varying degrees, did not limit the applicability of the ion-exchange retention model. Various instrumental configurations were investigated to overcome problems associated with the use of organic modifiers in the eluent which caused compatibility issues with the electrolytically derived, and subsequently suppressed, eluent. The preferred configuration allowed the organic modifier stream to bypass the eluent generator, followed by subsequent mixing before entering the injection valve and column. Accurate elution prediction was achieved even when using 5-step eluent profiles with errors in retention time generally being less than 1% relative standard deviation (RSD) and all being less than 5% RSD. Peak widths for linear gradient separations were also modelled and showed good agreement with experimentally determined values.

Terrestrial gravity instrumentation in the 20th Century: A brief review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valliant, H. D.

1989-01-01

At the turn of the century, only pendulum apparatuses and torsion balances were available for general exploration work. Both of these early techniques were cumbersome and time-consuming. It was no wonder that the development of the gravity meter was welcomed with a universal sigh of relief. By 1935 potential field measurements with gravity meters supplanted gradient measurements with torsion balances. Potential field measurements are generally characterized by three types: absolute - measurements are made in fundamental units, traceable to national standards of length and time at each observation site; relative with absolute scale - differences in gravity are measured in fundamental units traceable to national standards of length and time; and relative - differences in gravity are measured with arbitrary scale. Improvements in the design of gravity meters since their introduction has led to a significant reduction in size and greatly increased precision. As the precision increased, applications expanded to include the measurement of crustal motion, the search for non-Newtonian forces, archeology, and civil engineering. Apart from enhancements to the astatic gravity meter, few developments in hardware were achieved. One of these was the vibrating string gravity meter which was developed in the 1950s and was employed briefly for marine and borehole applications. Another is the cryogenic gravity meter which utilizes the stability of superconducting current to achieve a relative instrument with extremely low drift suitable for tidal and secular gravity measurements. An advance in performing measurements from a moving platform was achieved with the development of the straight-line gravity meter. The latter part of the century also saw the rebirth of gradient measurements which offers advantages for observations from a moving platform. Definitive testing of the Bell gradiometer was recently reported.

Superelliptical insert gradient coil with a field-modifying layer for breast imaging.

PubMed

Moon, Sung M; Goodrich, K Craig; Hadley, J Rock; Kim, Seong-Eun; Zeng, Gengsheng L; Morrell, Glen R; McAlpine, Matthew A; Chronik, Blaine A; Parker, Dennis L

2011-03-01

Many MRI applications such as dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI of the breast require high spatial and temporal resolution and can benefit from improved gradient performance, e.g., increased gradient strength and reduced gradient rise time. The improved gradient performance required to achieve high spatial and temporal resolution for this application may be achieved by using local insert gradients specifically designed for a target anatomy. Current flat gradient systems cannot create an imaging volume large enough to accommodate both breasts; further, their gradient fields are not homogeneous, dropping off rapidly with distance from the gradient coil surface. To attain an imaging volume adequate for bilateral breast MRI, a planar local gradient system design has been modified into a superellipse shape, creating homogeneous gradient volumes that are 182% (Gx), 57% (Gy), and 75% (Gz) wider (left/right direction) than those of the corresponding standard planar gradient. Adding an additional field-modifying gradient winding results in an additional improvement of the homogeneous gradient field near the gradient coil surface over the already enlarged homogeneous gradient volumes of the superelliptical gradients (67%, 89%, and 214% for Gx, Gy, and Gz respectively). A prototype y-gradient insert has been built to demonstrate imaging and implementation characteristics of the superellipse gradient in a 3 T MRI system. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Plasma Irregularity Production in the Polar Cap F-Region Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamarche, Leslie

Plasma in the Earth's ionosphere is highly irregular on scales ranging between a few centimeters and hundreds of kilometers. Small-scale irregularities or plasma waves can scatter radio waves resulting in a loss of signal for navigation and communication networks. The polar region is particularly susceptible to strong disturbances due to its direct connection with the Sun's magnetic field and energetic particles. In this thesis, factors that contribute to the production of decameter-scale plasma irregularities in the polar F region ionosphere are investigated. Both global and local control of irregularity production are studied, i.e. we consider global solar control through solar illumination and solar wind as well as much more local control by plasma density gradients and convection electric field. In the first experimental study, solar control of irregularity production is investigated using the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radar at McMurdo, Antarctica. The occurrence trends for irregularities are analyzed statistically and a model is developed that describes the location of radar echoes within the radar's field-of-view. The trends are explained through variations in background plasma density with solar illumination affecting radar beam propagation. However, it is found that the irregularity occurrence during the night is higher than expected from ray tracing simulations based on a standard ionospheric density model. The high occurrence at night implies an additional source of plasma density and it is proposed that large-scale density enhancements called polar patches may be the source of this density. Additionally, occurrence maximizes around the terminator due to different competing irregularity production processes that favor a more or less sunlit ionosphere. The second study is concerned with modeling irregularity characteristics near a large-scale density gradient reversal, such as those expected near polar patches, with a particular focus on the asymmetry of the irregularity growth rate across the gradient reversal. Directional dependencies on the plasma density gradient, plasma drift, and wavevector are analyzed in the context of the recently developed general fluid theory of the gradient-drift instability. In the ionospheric F region, the strongest asymmetry is found when an elongated structure is oriented along the radar's boresight and moving perpendicular to its direction of elongation. These results have important implications for finding optimal configurations for oblique-scanning ionospheric radars such as SuperDARN to observe gradient reversals. To test the predictions of the developed model and the general theory of the gradient-drift instability, an experimental investigation is presented focusing on decameter-scale irregularities near a polar patch and the previously uninvestigated directional dependence of irregularity characteristics. Backscatter power and occurrence of irregularities are analyzed using measurements from the SuperDARN radar at Rankin Inlet, Canada, while background density gradients and convection electric fields are found from the north face of the Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar. It is shown that irregularity occurrence tends to follow the expected trends better than irregularity power, suggesting that while the gradient-drift instability may be a dominant process in generating small-scale irregularities, other mechanisms such as a shear-driven instability or nonlinear process may exert greater control over their intensity. It is concluded from this body of work that the production of small-scale plasma irregularities in the polar F-region ionosphere is controlled both by global factors such as solar illumination as well as local plasma density gradients and electric fields. In general, linear gradient-drift instability theory describes small-scale irregularity production well, particularly for low-amplitude perturbations. The production of irregularities is complex, and while ground-based radars are invaluable tools to study the ionosphere, care must be taken to interpret results correctly.

Chapter 5 - Development of biophysical gradient layers for the LANDFIRE Prototype Project

Treesearch

Lisa Holsinger; Robert E. Keane; Russell Parsons; Eva Karau

2006-01-01

Distributions of plant species are generally continuous, gradually changing across landscapes and blending into each other due to the influence of, and interactions between, a complex array of biophysical gradients (Whittaker 1967; 1975). Key biophysical gradients for understanding vegetation distributions include moisture, temperature, evaporative demand, nutrient...

Soil moisture gradients and controls on a southern Appalachian hillslope from drought through recharge

Treesearch

J.A. Yeakley; W.T. Swank; L.W. Swift; G.M. Hornberger; H.H. Shugart

1998-01-01

Soil moisture gradients along hillslopes in humid watersheds, although indicated by vegetation gradients and by studies using models, have been difficult to confirm empirically. While soil properties and topographic features are the two general physiographic factors controlling soil moisture on hillslopes, studies have shown conflicting results regarding which factor...

SU-F-J-95: Impact of Shape Complexity On the Accuracy of Gradient-Based PET Volume Delineation

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

Dance, M; Wu, G; Gao, Y

2016-06-15

Purpose: Explore correlation of tumor complexity shape with PET target volume accuracy when delineated with gradient-based segmentation tool. Methods: A total of 24 clinically realistic digital PET Monte Carlo (MC) phantoms of NSCLC were used in the study. The phantom simulated 29 thoracic lesions (lung primary and mediastinal lymph nodes) of varying size, shape, location, and {sup 18}F-FDG activity. A program was developed to calculate a curvature vector along the outline and the standard deviation of this vector was used as a metric to quantify a shape’s “complexity score”. This complexity score was calculated for standard geometric shapes and MC-generatedmore » target volumes in PET phantom images. All lesions were contoured using a commercially available gradient-based segmentation tool and the differences in volume from the MC-generated volumes were calculated as the measure of the accuracy of segmentation. Results: The average absolute percent difference in volumes between the MC-volumes and gradient-based volumes was 11% (0.4%–48.4%). The complexity score showed strong correlation with standard geometric shapes. However, no relationship was found between the complexity score and the accuracy of segmentation by gradient-based tool on MC simulated tumors (R{sup 2} = 0.156). When the lesions were grouped into primary lung lesions and mediastinal/mediastinal adjacent lesions, the average absolute percent difference in volumes were 6% and 29%, respectively. The former group is more isolated and the latter is more surround by tissues with relatively high SUV background. Conclusion: The complexity shape of NSCLC lesions has little effect on the accuracy of the gradient-based segmentation method and thus is not a good predictor of uncertainty in target volume delineation. Location of lesion within a relatively high SUV background may play a more significant role in the accuracy of gradient-based segmentation.« less

Properties of real metallic surfaces: Effects of density functional semilocality and van der Waals nonlocality

PubMed Central

Patra, Abhirup; Bates, Jefferson E.; Sun, Jianwei; Perdew, John P.

2017-01-01

We have computed the surface energies, work functions, and interlayer surface relaxations of clean (111), (100), and (110) surfaces of Al, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Pt, and Au. We interpret the surface energy from liquid metal measurements as the mean of the solid-state surface energies over these three lowest-index crystal faces. We compare experimental (and random phase approximation) reference values to those of a family of nonempirical semilocal density functionals, from the basic local density approximation (LDA) to our most advanced general purpose meta-generalized gradient approximation, strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN). The closest agreement is achieved by the simplest density functional LDA, and by the most sophisticated one, SCAN+rVV10 (Vydrov–Van Voorhis 2010). The long-range van der Waals interaction, incorporated through rVV10, increases the surface energies by about 10%, and increases the work functions by about 3%. LDA works for metal surfaces through two known error cancellations. The Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation tends to underestimate both surface energies (by about 24%) and work functions (by about 4%), yielding the least-accurate results. The amount by which a functional underestimates these surface properties correlates with the extent to which it neglects van der Waals attraction at intermediate and long range. Qualitative arguments are given for the signs of the van der Waals contributions to the surface energy and work function. A standard expression for the work function in Kohn–Sham (KS) theory is shown to be valid in generalized KS theory. Interlayer relaxations from different functionals are in reasonable agreement with one another, and usually with experiment. PMID:29042509

In situ determination of heat flow in unconsolidated sediments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sass, J.H.; Kennelly, J.P.; Wendt, W.E.; Moses, T.H.; Ziagos, J.P.

1979-01-01

Subsurface thermal measurements are the most effective, least ambiguous tools for identifying and delineating possible geothernml resources. Measurements of thermal gradient in the upper few tens of meters generally are sufficient to outline the major anomalies, but it is always desirable to combine these gradients with reliable estimates of thermal conductivity to provide data on the energy flux and to constrain models for the heat sources responsible for the observed, near-surface thermal anomalies. The major problems associated with heat-flow measurements in the geothermal exploration mode are concerned with the economics of casing and/or grouting holes, the repeated site visits necessary to obtain equilibrium temperature values, the possible legal liability associated with the disturbance of underground aquifers, the surface hazards presented by pipes protruding from the ground, and the security problems associated with leaving cased holes open for periods of weeks to months. We have developed a technique which provides reliable 'real-time' determinations of temperature, thermal conductivity, and hence, of heat flow during the drilling operation in unconsolidated sediments. A combined temperature, gradient, and thermal conductivity experiment can be carried out, by driving a thin probe through the bit about 1.5 meters into the formation in the time that would otherwise be required for a coring trip. Two or three such experiments over the depth range of, say, 50 to 150 meters provide a high-quality heat-flow determination at costs comparable to those associated with a standard cased 'gradient hole' to comparable depths. The hole can be backfilled and abandoned upon cessation of drilling, thereby eliminating the need for casing, grouting, or repeated site visits.

Spiral MRI on a 9.4T Vertical-bore Superconducting Magnet Using Unshielded and Self-shielded Gradient Coils

PubMed Central

Kodama, Nao; Setoi, Ayana; Kose, Katsumi

2018-01-01

Spiral MRI sequences were developed for a 9.4T vertical standard bore (54 mm) superconducting magnet using unshielded and self-shielded gradient coils. Clear spiral images with 64-shot scan were obtained with the self-shielded gradient coil, but severe shading artifacts were observed for the spiral-scan images acquired with the unshielded gradient coil. This shading artifact was successfully corrected with a phase-correction technique using reference scans that we developed based on eddy current field measurements. We therefore concluded that spiral imaging sequences can be installed even for unshielded gradient coils if phase corrections are performed using the reference scans. PMID:28367906

Spiral MRI on a 9.4T Vertical-bore Superconducting Magnet Using Unshielded and Self-shielded Gradient Coils.

PubMed

Kodama, Nao; Setoi, Ayana; Kose, Katsumi

2018-04-10

Spiral MRI sequences were developed for a 9.4T vertical standard bore (54 mm) superconducting magnet using unshielded and self-shielded gradient coils. Clear spiral images with 64-shot scan were obtained with the self-shielded gradient coil, but severe shading artifacts were observed for the spiral-scan images acquired with the unshielded gradient coil. This shading artifact was successfully corrected with a phase-correction technique using reference scans that we developed based on eddy current field measurements. We therefore concluded that spiral imaging sequences can be installed even for unshielded gradient coils if phase corrections are performed using the reference scans.

Gradient Theory simulations of pure fluid interfaces using a generalized expression for influence parameters and a Helmholtz energy equation of state for fundamentally consistent two-phase calculations

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

Dahms, Rainer N.

2014-12-31

The fidelity of Gradient Theory simulations depends on the accuracy of saturation properties and influence parameters, and require equations of state (EoS) which exhibit a fundamentally consistent behavior in the two-phase regime. Widely applied multi-parameter EoS, however, are generally invalid inside this region. Hence, they may not be fully suitable for application in concert with Gradient Theory despite their ability to accurately predict saturation properties. The commonly assumed temperature-dependence of pure component influence parameters usually restricts their validity to subcritical temperature regimes. This may distort predictions for general multi-component interfaces where temperatures often exceed the critical temperature of vapor phasemore » components. Then, the calculation of influence parameters is not well defined. In this paper, one of the first studies is presented in which Gradient Theory is combined with a next-generation Helmholtz energy EoS which facilitates fundamentally consistent calculations over the entire two-phase regime. Illustrated on pentafluoroethane as an example, reference simulations using this method are performed. They demonstrate the significance of such high-accuracy and fundamentally consistent calculations for the computation of interfacial properties. These reference simulations are compared to corresponding results from cubic PR EoS, widely-applied in combination with Gradient Theory, and mBWR EoS. The analysis reveals that neither of those two methods succeeds to consistently capture the qualitative distribution of obtained key thermodynamic properties in Gradient Theory. Furthermore, a generalized expression of the pure component influence parameter is presented. This development is informed by its fundamental definition based on the direct correlation function of the homogeneous fluid and by presented high-fidelity simulations of interfacial density profiles. As a result, the new model preserves the accuracy of previous temperature-dependent expressions, remains well-defined at supercritical temperatures, and is fully suitable for calculations of general multi-component two-phase interfaces.« less

Pulsed-field-gradient measurements of time-dependent gas diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mair, R. W.; Cory, D. G.; Peled, S.; Tseng, C. H.; Patz, S.; Walsworth, R. L.

1998-01-01

Pulsed-field-gradient NMR techniques are demonstrated for measurements of time-dependent gas diffusion. The standard PGSE technique and variants, applied to a free gas mixture of thermally polarized xenon and O2, are found to provide a reproducible measure of the xenon diffusion coefficient (5.71 x 10(-6) m2 s-1 for 1 atm of pure xenon), in excellent agreement with previous, non-NMR measurements. The utility of pulsed-field-gradient NMR techniques is demonstrated by the first measurement of time-dependent (i.e., restricted) gas diffusion inside a porous medium (a random pack of glass beads), with results that agree well with theory. Two modified NMR pulse sequences derived from the PGSE technique (named the Pulsed Gradient Echo, or PGE, and the Pulsed Gradient Multiple Spin Echo, or PGMSE) are also applied to measurements of time dependent diffusion of laser polarized xenon gas, with results in good agreement with previous measurements on thermally polarized gas. The PGMSE technique is found to be superior to the PGE method, and to standard PGSE techniques and variants, for efficiently measuring laser polarized noble gas diffusion over a wide range of diffusion times. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

Wetting of flat gradient surfaces.

PubMed

Bormashenko, Edward

2018-04-01

Gradient, chemically modified, flat surfaces enable directed transport of droplets. Calculation of apparent contact angles inherent for gradient surfaces is challenging even for atomically flat ones. Wetting of gradient, flat solid surfaces is treated within the variational approach, under which the contact line is free to move along the substrate. Transversality conditions of the variational problem give rise to the generalized Young equation valid for gradient solid surfaces. The apparent (equilibrium) contact angle of a droplet, placed on a gradient surface depends on the radius of the contact line and the values of derivatives of interfacial tensions. The linear approximation of the problem is considered. It is demonstrated that the contact angle hysteresis is inevitable on gradient surfaces. Electrowetting of gradient surfaces is discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analyses and assessments of span wise gust gradient data from NASA B-57B aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, Walter; Chang, Ho-Pen; Ringnes, Erik A.

1987-01-01

Analysis of turbulence measured across the airfoil of a Cambera B-57 aircraft is reported. The aircraft is instrumented with probes for measuring wind at both wing tips and at the nose. Statistical properties of the turbulence are reported. These consist of the standard deviations of turbulence measured by each individual probe, standard deviations and probability distribution of differences in turbulence measured between probes and auto- and two-point spatial correlations and spectra. Procedures associated with calculations of two-point spatial correlations and spectra utilizing data were addressed. Methods and correction procedures for assuring the accuracy of aircraft measured winds are also described. Results are found, in general, to agree with correlations existing in the literature. The velocity spatial differences fit a Gaussian/Bessel type probability distribution. The turbulence agrees with the von Karman turbulence correlation and with two-point spatial correlations developed from the von Karman correlation.

Role of a texture gradient in the perception of relative size.

PubMed

Tozawa, Junko

2010-01-01

Two theories regarding the role of a texture gradient in the perception of the relative size of objects are compared. Relational theory states that relative size is directly specified by the projective ratio of the numbers of texture elements spanned by objects. Distance calibration theory assumes that relative size is a product of visual angle and distance, once the distance is specified by the texture. Experiment 1 involved three variables: background (no texture, texture gradient patterns), the ratio of heights of the comparison stimulus to a standard (three levels), and angular vertical separation of the standard stimulus below the horizon (two levels). The effect of the retinal length of the comparison stimulus was examined in experiment 2. In both experiments, participants judged both the apparent size and distance of a comparison stimulus relative to a standard stimulus. Results suggest that the cues selected by observers to judge relative size were to some degree different from those used to judge relative distance. Relative size was strongly affected by a texture gradient and the retinal length of a comparison stimulus whereas relative distance perception was affected by relative height. When dominant cues that specify size are different from those which specify distance, relational theory might provide a better account of relative size perception than distance calibration theory.

Generalized gradient algorithm for trajectory optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhao, Yiyuan; Bryson, A. E.; Slattery, R.

1990-01-01

The generalized gradient algorithm presented and verified as a basis for the solution of trajectory optimization problems improves the performance index while reducing path equality constraints, and terminal equality constraints. The algorithm is conveniently divided into two phases, of which the first, 'feasibility' phase yields a solution satisfying both path and terminal constraints, while the second, 'optimization' phase uses the results of the first phase as initial guesses.

Global grids of gravity anomalies and vertical gravity gradients at 10 km altitude from GOCE gradient data 2009-2011 and polar gravity.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tscherning, Carl Christian; Arabelos, Dimitrios; Reguzzoni, Mirko

2013-04-01

The GOCE satellite measures gravity gradients which are filtered and transformed to gradients into an Earth-referenced frame by the GOCE High Level processing Facility. More than 80000000 data with 6 components are available from the period 2009-2011. IAG Arctic gravity was used north of 83 deg., while data at the Antarctic was not used due to bureaucratic restrictions by the data-holders. Subsets of the data have been used to produce gridded values at 10 km altitude of gravity anomalies and vertical gravity gradients in 20 deg. x 20 deg. blocks with 10' spacing. Various combinations and densities of data were used to obtain values in areas with known gravity anomalies. The (marginally) best choice was vertical gravity gradients selected with an approximately 0.125 deg spacing. Using Least-Squares Collocation, error-estimates were computed and compared to the difference between the GOCE-grids and grids derived from EGM2008 to deg. 512. In general a good agreement was found, however with some inconsistencies in certain areas. The computation time on a usual server with 24 processors was typically 100 minutes for a block with generally 40000 GOCE vertical gradients as input. The computations will be updated with new Wiener-filtered data in the near future.

Generalization of the van der Pauw Method: Analyzing Longitudinal Magnetoresistance Asymmetry to Quantify Doping Gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grayson, M.; Zhou, Wang; Yoo, Heun-Mo; Prabhu-Gaunkar, S.; Tiemann, L.; Reichl, C.; Wegscheider, W.

A longitudinal magnetoresistance asymmetry (LMA) between a positive and negative magnetic field is known to occur in both the extreme quantum limit and the classical Drude limit in samples with a nonuniform doping density. By analyzing the current stream function in van der Pauw measurement geometry, it is shown that the electron density gradient can be quantitatively deduced from this LMA in the Drude regime. Results agree with gradients interpolated from local densities calibrated across an entire wafer, establishing a generalization of the van der Pauw method to quantify density gradients. Results will be shown of various semoconductor systems where this method is applied, from bulk doped semiconductors, to exfoliated 2D materials. McCormick Catalyst Award from Northwestern University, EECS Bridge Funding, and AFOSR FA9550-15-1-0247.

Aztec user`s guide. Version 1

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

Hutchinson, S.A.; Shadid, J.N.; Tuminaro, R.S.

1995-10-01

Aztec is an iterative library that greatly simplifies the parallelization process when solving the linear systems of equations Ax = b where A is a user supplied n x n sparse matrix, b is a user supplied vector of length n and x is a vector of length n to be computed. Aztec is intended as a software tool for users who want to avoid cumbersome parallel programming details but who have large sparse linear systems which require an efficiently utilized parallel processing system. A collection of data transformation tools are provided that allow for easy creation of distributed sparsemore » unstructured matrices for parallel solution. Once the distributed matrix is created, computation can be performed on any of the parallel machines running Aztec: nCUBE 2, IBM SP2 and Intel Paragon, MPI platforms as well as standard serial and vector platforms. Aztec includes a number of Krylov iterative methods such as conjugate gradient (CG), generalized minimum residual (GMRES) and stabilized biconjugate gradient (BICGSTAB) to solve systems of equations. These Krylov methods are used in conjunction with various preconditioners such as polynomial or domain decomposition methods using LU or incomplete LU factorizations within subdomains. Although the matrix A can be general, the package has been designed for matrices arising from the approximation of partial differential equations (PDEs). In particular, the Aztec package is oriented toward systems arising from PDE applications.« less

Directly manipulated free-form deformation image registration.

PubMed

Tustison, Nicholas J; Avants, Brian B; Gee, James C

2009-03-01

Previous contributions to both the research and open source software communities detailed a generalization of a fast scalar field fitting technique for cubic B-splines based on the work originally proposed by Lee . One advantage of our proposed generalized B-spline fitting approach is its immediate application to a class of nonrigid registration techniques frequently employed in medical image analysis. Specifically, these registration techniques fall under the rubric of free-form deformation (FFD) approaches in which the object to be registered is embedded within a B-spline object. The deformation of the B-spline object describes the transformation of the image registration solution. Representative of this class of techniques, and often cited within the relevant community, is the formulation of Rueckert who employed cubic splines with normalized mutual information to study breast deformation. Similar techniques from various groups provided incremental novelty in the form of disparate explicit regularization terms, as well as the employment of various image metrics and tailored optimization methods. For several algorithms, the underlying gradient-based optimization retained the essential characteristics of Rueckert's original contribution. The contribution which we provide in this paper is two-fold: 1) the observation that the generic FFD framework is intrinsically susceptible to problematic energy topographies and 2) that the standard gradient used in FFD image registration can be modified to a well-understood preconditioned form which substantially improves performance. This is demonstrated with theoretical discussion and comparative evaluation experimentation.

Experimental aspects of buoyancy correction in measuring reliable high-pressure excess adsorption isotherms using the gravimetric method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Huong Giang T.; Horn, Jarod C.; Thommes, Matthias; van Zee, Roger D.; Espinal, Laura

2017-12-01

Addressing reproducibility issues in adsorption measurements is critical to accelerating the path to discovery of new industrial adsorbents and to understanding adsorption processes. A National Institute of Standards and Technology Reference Material, RM 8852 (ammonium ZSM-5 zeolite), and two gravimetric instruments with asymmetric two-beam balances were used to measure high-pressure adsorption isotherms. This work demonstrates how common approaches to buoyancy correction, a key factor in obtaining the mass change due to surface excess gas uptake from the apparent mass change, can impact the adsorption isotherm data. Three different approaches to buoyancy correction were investigated and applied to the subcritical CO2 and supercritical N2 adsorption isotherms at 293 K. It was observed that measuring a collective volume for all balance components for the buoyancy correction (helium method) introduces an inherent bias in temperature partition when there is a temperature gradient (i.e. analysis temperature is not equal to instrument air bath temperature). We demonstrate that a blank subtraction is effective in mitigating the biases associated with temperature partitioning, instrument calibration, and the determined volumes of the balance components. In general, the manual and subtraction methods allow for better treatment of the temperature gradient during buoyancy correction. From the study, best practices specific to asymmetric two-beam balances and more general recommendations for measuring isotherms far from critical temperatures using gravimetric instruments are offered.

Experimental aspects of buoyancy correction in measuring reliable highpressure excess adsorption isotherms using the gravimetric method.

PubMed

Nguyen, Huong Giang T; Horn, Jarod C; Thommes, Matthias; van Zee, Roger D; Espinal, Laura

2017-12-01

Addressing reproducibility issues in adsorption measurements is critical to accelerating the path to discovery of new industrial adsorbents and to understanding adsorption processes. A National Institute of Standards and Technology Reference Material, RM 8852 (ammonium ZSM-5 zeolite), and two gravimetric instruments with asymmetric two-beam balances were used to measure high-pressure adsorption isotherms. This work demonstrates how common approaches to buoyancy correction, a key factor in obtaining the mass change due to surface excess gas uptake from the apparent mass change, can impact the adsorption isotherm data. Three different approaches to buoyancy correction were investigated and applied to the subcritical CO 2 and supercritical N 2 adsorption isotherms at 293 K. It was observed that measuring a collective volume for all balance components for the buoyancy correction (helium method) introduces an inherent bias in temperature partition when there is a temperature gradient (i.e. analysis temperature is not equal to instrument air bath temperature). We demonstrate that a blank subtraction is effective in mitigating the biases associated with temperature partitioning, instrument calibration, and the determined volumes of the balance components. In general, the manual and subtraction methods allow for better treatment of the temperature gradient during buoyancy correction. From the study, best practices specific to asymmetric two-beam balances and more general recommendations for measuring isotherms far from critical temperatures using gravimetric instruments are offered.

A three-term conjugate gradient method under the strong-Wolfe line search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khadijah, Wan; Rivaie, Mohd; Mamat, Mustafa

2017-08-01

Recently, numerous studies have been concerned in conjugate gradient methods for solving large-scale unconstrained optimization method. In this paper, a three-term conjugate gradient method is proposed for unconstrained optimization which always satisfies sufficient descent direction and namely as Three-Term Rivaie-Mustafa-Ismail-Leong (TTRMIL). Under standard conditions, TTRMIL method is proved to be globally convergent under strong-Wolfe line search. Finally, numerical results are provided for the purpose of comparison.

Use of general purpose graphics processing units with MODFLOW

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hughes, Joseph D.; White, Jeremy T.

2013-01-01

To evaluate the use of general-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs) to improve the performance of MODFLOW, an unstructured preconditioned conjugate gradient (UPCG) solver has been developed. The UPCG solver uses a compressed sparse row storage scheme and includes Jacobi, zero fill-in incomplete, and modified-incomplete lower-upper (LU) factorization, and generalized least-squares polynomial preconditioners. The UPCG solver also includes options for sequential and parallel solution on the central processing unit (CPU) using OpenMP. For simulations utilizing the GPGPU, all basic linear algebra operations are performed on the GPGPU; memory copies between the central processing unit CPU and GPCPU occur prior to the first iteration of the UPCG solver and after satisfying head and flow criteria or exceeding a maximum number of iterations. The efficiency of the UPCG solver for GPGPU and CPU solutions is benchmarked using simulations of a synthetic, heterogeneous unconfined aquifer with tens of thousands to millions of active grid cells. Testing indicates GPGPU speedups on the order of 2 to 8, relative to the standard MODFLOW preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) solver, can be achieved when (1) memory copies between the CPU and GPGPU are optimized, (2) the percentage of time performing memory copies between the CPU and GPGPU is small relative to the calculation time, (3) high-performance GPGPU cards are utilized, and (4) CPU-GPGPU combinations are used to execute sequential operations that are difficult to parallelize. Furthermore, UPCG solver testing indicates GPGPU speedups exceed parallel CPU speedups achieved using OpenMP on multicore CPUs for preconditioners that can be easily parallelized.

Temperature logging of groundwater in bedrock wells for geothermal gradient characterization in New Hampshire, 2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Degnan, James; Barker, Gregory; Olson, Neil; Wilder, Leland

2012-01-01

Maximum groundwater temperatures at the bottom of the logs were between 11.7 and 17.3 degrees Celsius. Geothermal gradients were generally higher than typically reported for other water wells in the United States. Some of the high gradients were associated with high natural gamma emissions. Groundwater flow was discernible in 5 of the 10 wells studied but only obscured the portion of the geothermal gradient signal where groundwater actually flowed through the well. Temperature gradients varied by mapped bedrock type but can also vary by differences in mineralogy or rock type within the wells.

Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: Regional modeling analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Michael, H.A.; Voss, C.I.

2009-01-01

Groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes is produced primarily from shallow parts of the Bengal Basin aquifer system (India and Bangladesh), which contains high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (exceeding worldwide drinking water standards), though deeper groundwater is generally low in arsenic. An essential first step for determining sustainable management of the deep groundwater resource is identification of hydrogeologic controls on flow and quantification of basin-scale groundwater flow patterns. Results from groundwater modeling, in which the Bengal Basin aquifer system is represented as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity, indicate that this anisotropy is the primary hydrogeologic control on the natural flowpath lengths. Despite extremely low hydraulic gradients due to minimal topographic relief, anisotropy implies large-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) flow at depth. Other hydrogeologic factors, including lateral and vertical changes in hydraulic conductivity, have minor effects on overall flow patterns. However, because natural hydraulic gradients are low, the impact of pumping on groundwater flow is overwhelming; modeling indicates that pumping has substantially changed the shallow groundwater budget and flowpaths from predevelopment conditions. ?? Springer-Verlag 2009.

Droplet-based microfluidics platform for measurement of rapid erythrocyte water transport

PubMed Central

Jin, Byung-Ju; Esteva-Font, Cristina; Verkman, A.S.

2015-01-01

Cell membrane water permeability is an important determinant of epithelial fluid secretion, tissue swelling, angiogenesis, tumor spread and other biological processes. Cellular water channels, the aquaporins, are important drug targets. Water permeability is generally measured from the kinetics of cell volume change in response to an osmotic gradient. Here, we developed a microfluidics platform in which cells expressing a cytoplasmic, volume-sensing fluorescent dye are rapidly subjected to an osmotic gradient by solution mixing inside a ~ 0.1 nL droplet surrounded by oil. Solution mixing time was < 10 ms. Osmotic water permeability was deduced from a single, time-integrated fluorescence image of an observation area in which time after mixing is determined by spatial position. Water permeability was accurately measured in aquaporin-expressing erythrocytes with half-times for osmotic equilibration down to < 50 ms. Compared with conventional water permeability measurements using costly stopped-flow instrumentation, the microfluidics platform here utilizes sub-microliter blood sample volume, does not suffer from mixing artifact, and replaces challenging kinetic measurements by a single image capture using a standard laboratory fluorescence microscope. PMID:26159099

A multislice gradient echo pulse sequence for CEST imaging.

PubMed

Dixon, W Thomas; Hancu, Ileana; Ratnakar, S James; Sherry, A Dean; Lenkinski, Robert E; Alsop, David C

2010-01-01

Chemical exchange-dependent saturation transfer and paramagnetic chemical exchange-dependent saturation transfer are agent-mediated contrast mechanisms that depend on saturating spins at the resonant frequency of the exchangeable protons on the agent, thereby indirectly saturating the bulk water. In general, longer saturating pulses produce stronger chemical and paramagnetic exchange-dependent saturation transfer effects, with returns diminishing for pulses longer than T1. This could make imaging slow, so one approach to chemical exchange-dependent saturation transfer imaging has been to follow a long, frequency-selective saturation period by a fast imaging method. A new approach is to insert a short frequency-selective saturation pulse before each spatially selective observation pulse in a standard, two-dimensional, gradient-echo pulse sequence. Being much less than T1 apart, the saturation pulses have a cumulative effect. Interleaved, multislice imaging is straightforward. Observation pulses directed at one slice did not produce observable, unintended chemical exchange-dependent saturation transfer effects in another slice. Pulse repetition time and signal-to noise ratio increase in the normal way as more slices are imaged simultaneously. Copyright (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Controls on groundwater flow in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh: regional modeling analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Holly A.; Voss, Clifford I.

2009-11-01

Groundwater for domestic and irrigation purposes is produced primarily from shallow parts of the Bengal Basin aquifer system (India and Bangladesh), which contains high concentrations of dissolved arsenic (exceeding worldwide drinking water standards), though deeper groundwater is generally low in arsenic. An essential first step for determining sustainable management of the deep groundwater resource is identification of hydrogeologic controls on flow and quantification of basin-scale groundwater flow patterns. Results from groundwater modeling, in which the Bengal Basin aquifer system is represented as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity, indicate that this anisotropy is the primary hydrogeologic control on the natural flowpath lengths. Despite extremely low hydraulic gradients due to minimal topographic relief, anisotropy implies large-scale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) flow at depth. Other hydrogeologic factors, including lateral and vertical changes in hydraulic conductivity, have minor effects on overall flow patterns. However, because natural hydraulic gradients are low, the impact of pumping on groundwater flow is overwhelming; modeling indicates that pumping has substantially changed the shallow groundwater budget and flowpaths from predevelopment conditions.

An improved silver staining procedure for schizodeme analysis in polyacrylamide gradient gels.

PubMed

Gonçalves, A M; Nehme, N S; Morel, C M

1990-01-01

A simple protocol is described for the silver staining of polyacrylamide gradient gels used for the separation of restriction fragments of kinetoplast DNA [schizodeme analysis of trypanosomatids (Morel et al., 1980)]. The method overcomes the problems of non-uniform staining and strong background color which are frequently encountered when conventional protocols for silver staining of linear gels are applied to gradient gels. The method described has proven to be of general applicability for DNA, RNA and protein separations in gradient gels.

Vertical Gradients in Regional Alveolar Oxygen Tension in Supine Human Lung Imaged by Hyperpolarized 3He MRI

PubMed Central

Hamedani, Hooman; Shaghaghi, Hoora; Kadlecek, Stephen J.; Xin, Yi; Han, Biao; Siddiqui, Sarmad; Rajaei, Jennia; Ishii, Masaru; Rossman, Milton; Rizi, Rahim R.

2015-01-01

Purpose To evaluate whether regional alveolar oxygen tension (PAO2) vertical gradients imaged with hyperpolarized 3He can identify smoking-induced pulmonary alterations. To compare these gradients with common clinical measurements including pulmonary function tests, the six minute walk test, and the St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire. Materials and Methods 8 healthy nonsmokers, 12 asymptomatic smokers, and 7 symptomatic subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) underwent two sets of back-to-back PAO2 imaging acquisitions in supine position with two opposite directions (top to bottom and bottom to top), followed by clinically standard pulmonary tests. The whole-lung mean, standard deviation (DPAO2) and vertical gradients of PAO2 along the slices were extracted, and the results were compared with clinically derived metrics. Statistical tests were performed to analyze the differences between cohorts. Results The anterior-posterior vertical gradients and DPAO2 effectively differentiated all three cohorts (p<0.05). The average vertical gradient PAO2 in healthy subjects was −1.03 ± 0.51 Torr/cm toward lower values in the posterior/dependent regions. The directional gradient was absent in smokers (0.36 ± 1.22 Torr/cm) and was in the opposite direction in COPD subjects (2.18 ± 1.54 Torr/cm). The vertical gradients correlated with Smoking History (p=0.004); BMI (p=0.037), PFT metrics (FEV1, p=0.025; and %RV/TLC, p=0.033) and with distance walked in six minutes (p=0.009). Discussion Regional PAO2 data indicate that cigarette smoke induces physiological alterations that are not being detected by the most widely used physiologic tests. PMID:25395184

Shifts in Postdiscrimination Gradients within a Stimulus Dimension Based on Bilateral Facial Symmetry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derenne, Adam

2010-01-01

A shift in generalization gradients away from S+ and towards stimuli on the opposite end of the stimulus dimension from S- is a well established phenomenon in the laboratory, occurring with humans and nonhumans and with a wide range of stimuli. The phenomenon of gradient shifts has also been observed to have an analogous relationship to a variety…

Stream-profile analysis and stream-gradient index

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hack, John T.

1973-01-01

The generally regular three-dimensional geometry of drainage networks is the basis for a simple method of terrain analysis providing clues to bedrock conditions and other factors that determine topographic forms. On a reach of any stream, a gradient-index value can be obtained which allows meaningful comparisons of channel slope on streams of different sizes. The index is believed to reflect stream power or competence and is simply the product of the channel slope at a point and channel length measured along the longest stream above the pointwhere the calculation is made. In an adjusted topography, changes in gradient-index values along a stream generally correspond to differences in bedrock or introduced load. In any landscape the gradient index of a stream is related to total relief and stream regimen. Thus, climate, tectonic events, and geomorphic history must be considered in using the gradient index. Gradient-index values can be obtained quickly by simple measurements on topographic maps, or they can be obtained by more sophisticated photogrammetric measurements that involve simple computer calculations from x, y, z coordinates.

Contour Detection and Completion for Inpainting and Segmentation Based on Topological Gradient and Fast Marching Algorithms

PubMed Central

Auroux, Didier; Cohen, Laurent D.; Masmoudi, Mohamed

2011-01-01

We combine in this paper the topological gradient, which is a powerful method for edge detection in image processing, and a variant of the minimal path method in order to find connected contours. The topological gradient provides a more global analysis of the image than the standard gradient and identifies the main edges of an image. Several image processing problems (e.g., inpainting and segmentation) require continuous contours. For this purpose, we consider the fast marching algorithm in order to find minimal paths in the topological gradient image. This coupled algorithm quickly provides accurate and connected contours. We present then two numerical applications, to image inpainting and segmentation, of this hybrid algorithm. PMID:22194734

Control theory based airfoil design using the Euler equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jameson, Antony; Reuther, James

1994-01-01

This paper describes the implementation of optimization techniques based on control theory for airfoil design. In our previous work it was shown that control theory could be employed to devise effective optimization procedures for two-dimensional profiles by using the potential flow equation with either a conformal mapping or a general coordinate system. The goal of our present work is to extend the development to treat the Euler equations in two-dimensions by procedures that can readily be generalized to treat complex shapes in three-dimensions. Therefore, we have developed methods which can address airfoil design through either an analytic mapping or an arbitrary grid perturbation method applied to a finite volume discretization of the Euler equations. Here the control law serves to provide computationally inexpensive gradient information to a standard numerical optimization method. Results are presented for both the inverse problem and drag minimization problem.

Excitation energies of dissociating H2: A problematic case for the adiabatic approximation of time-dependent density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gritsenko, O. V.; van Gisbergen, S. J. A.; Görling, A.; Baerends, E. J.

2000-11-01

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is applied for calculation of the excitation energies of the dissociating H2 molecule. The standard TDDFT method of adiabatic local density approximation (ALDA) totally fails to reproduce the potential curve for the lowest excited singlet 1Σu+ state of H2. Analysis of the eigenvalue problem for the excitation energies as well as direct derivation of the exchange-correlation (xc) kernel fxc(r,r',ω) shows that ALDA fails due to breakdown of its simple spatially local approximation for the kernel. The analysis indicates a complex structure of the function fxc(r,r',ω), which is revealed in a different behavior of the various matrix elements K1c,1cxc (between the highest occupied Kohn-Sham molecular orbital ψ1 and virtual MOs ψc) as a function of the bond distance R(H-H). The effect of nonlocality of fxc(r,r') is modeled by using different expressions for the corresponding matrix elements of different orbitals. Asymptotically corrected ALDA (ALDA-AC) expressions for the matrix elements K12,12xc(στ) are proposed, while for other matrix elements the standard ALDA expressions are retained. This approach provides substantial improvement over the standard ALDA. In particular, the ALDA-AC curve for the lowest singlet excitation qualitatively reproduces the shape of the exact curve. It displays a minimum and approaches a relatively large positive energy at large R(H-H). ALDA-AC also produces a substantial improvement for the calculated lowest triplet excitation, which is known to suffer from the triplet instability problem of the restricted KS ground state. Failure of the ALDA for the excitation energies is related to the failure of the local density as well as generalized gradient approximations to reproduce correctly the polarizability of dissociating H2. The expression for the response function χ is derived to show the origin of the field-counteracting term in the xc potential, which is lacking in the local density and generalized gradient approximations and which is required to obtain a correct polarizability.

Gradient Optimization for Analytic conTrols - GOAT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assémat, Elie; Machnes, Shai; Tannor, David; Wilhelm-Mauch, Frank

Quantum optimal control becomes a necessary step in a number of studies in the quantum realm. Recent experimental advances showed that superconducting qubits can be controlled with an impressive accuracy. However, most of the standard optimal control algorithms are not designed to manage such high accuracy. To tackle this issue, a novel quantum optimal control algorithm have been introduced: the Gradient Optimization for Analytic conTrols (GOAT). It avoids the piecewise constant approximation of the control pulse used by standard algorithms. This allows an efficient implementation of very high accuracy optimization. It also includes a novel method to compute the gradient that provides many advantages, e.g. the absence of backpropagation or the natural route to optimize the robustness of the control pulses. This talk will present the GOAT algorithm and a few applications to transmons systems.

[Effects of slope gradient on slope runoff and sediment yield under different single rainfall conditions].

PubMed

He, Ji-Jun; Cai, Qiang-Guo; Liu, Song-Bo

2012-05-01

Based on the field observation data of runoff and sediment yield produced by single rainfall events in runoff plots, this paper analyzed the variation patterns of runoff and sediment yield on the slopes with different gradients under different single rainfall conditions. The differences in the rainfall conditions had little effects on the variation patterns of slope runoff with the gradient. Under the conditions of six different rainfall events in the study area, the variation patterns of slope runoff with the gradient were basically the same, i. e., the runoff increased with increasing gradient, but the increment of the runoff decreased slightly with increasing gradient, which was mainly determined by the infiltration flux of atmospheric precipitation. Rainfall condition played an important role on the slope sediment yield. Generally, there existed a critical slope gradient for slope erosion, but the critical gradient was not a fixed value, which varied with rainfall condition. The critical slope gradient for slope erosion increased with increasing slope gradient. When the critical slope gradient was greater, the variation of slope sediment yield with slope gradient always became larger.

Assessment of MODIS-derived indices (2001-2013) to drought across Taiwan's forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chung-Te; Wang, Hsueh-Ching; Huang, Cho-ying

2018-05-01

Tropical and subtropical ecosystems, the largest terrestrial carbon pools, are very susceptible to the variability of seasonal precipitation. However, the assessment of drought conditions in these regions is often overlooked due to the preconceived notion of the presence of high humidity. Drought indices derived from remotely sensed imagery have been commonly used for large-scale monitoring, but feasibility of drought assessment may vary across regions due to climate regimes and local biophysical conditions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of 11 commonly used MODIS-derived vegetation/drought index in the forest regions of Taiwan through comparison with the station-based standardized precipitation index with a 3-month time scale (SPI3). The drought indices were further transformed (standardized anomaly, SA) to make them better delineate the spatiotemporal variations of drought conditions. The results showed that the Normalized Difference Infrared Index utilizing the near-infrared and shortwave infrared bands (NDII6) may be more superior to other indices in delineating drought patterns. Overall, the NDII6 SA-SPI3 pair yielded the highest correlation (mean r ± standard deviation = 0.31 ± 0.13) and was most significant in central and south Taiwan ( r = 0.50-0.90) during the cold, dry season (January and April). This study illustrated that the NDII6 is suitable to delineate drought conditions in a relatively humid region. The results suggested the better performance of the NDII6 SA-SPI3 across the high climate gradient, especially in the regions with dramatic interannual amplifications of rainfall. This synthesis was conducted across a wide bioclimatic gradient, and the findings could be further generalized to a much broader geographical extent.

Assessment of MODIS-derived indices (2001-2013) to drought across Taiwan's forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chung-Te; Wang, Hsueh-Ching; Huang, Cho-ying

2017-12-01

Tropical and subtropical ecosystems, the largest terrestrial carbon pools, are very susceptible to the variability of seasonal precipitation. However, the assessment of drought conditions in these regions is often overlooked due to the preconceived notion of the presence of high humidity. Drought indices derived from remotely sensed imagery have been commonly used for large-scale monitoring, but feasibility of drought assessment may vary across regions due to climate regimes and local biophysical conditions. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of 11 commonly used MODIS-derived vegetation/drought index in the forest regions of Taiwan through comparison with the station-based standardized precipitation index with a 3-month time scale (SPI3). The drought indices were further transformed (standardized anomaly, SA) to make them better delineate the spatiotemporal variations of drought conditions. The results showed that the Normalized Difference Infrared Index utilizing the near-infrared and shortwave infrared bands (NDII6) may be more superior to other indices in delineating drought patterns. Overall, the NDII6 SA-SPI3 pair yielded the highest correlation (mean r ± standard deviation = 0.31 ± 0.13) and was most significant in central and south Taiwan (r = 0.50-0.90) during the cold, dry season (January and April). This study illustrated that the NDII6 is suitable to delineate drought conditions in a relatively humid region. The results suggested the better performance of the NDII6 SA-SPI3 across the high climate gradient, especially in the regions with dramatic interannual amplifications of rainfall. This synthesis was conducted across a wide bioclimatic gradient, and the findings could be further generalized to a much broader geographical extent.

Reducing the gradient artefact in simultaneous EEG-fMRI by adjusting the subject's axial position.

PubMed

Mullinger, Karen J; Yan, Winston X; Bowtell, Richard

2011-02-01

Large artefacts that compromise EEG data quality are generated when electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are carried out concurrently. The gradient artefact produced by the time-varying magnetic field gradients is the largest of these artefacts. Although average artefact correction (AAS) and related techniques can remove the majority of this artefact, the need to avoid amplifier saturation necessitates the use of a large dynamic range and strong low-pass filtering in EEG recording. Any intrinsic reduction in the gradient artefact amplitude would allow data with a higher bandwidth to be acquired without amplifier saturation, thus increasing the frequency range of neuronal activity that can be investigated using combined EEG-fMRI. Furthermore, gradient artefact correction methods assume a constant artefact morphology over time, so their performance is compromised by subject movement. Since the resulting, residual gradient artefacts can easily swamp signals from brain activity, any reduction in their amplitude would be highly advantageous for simultaneous EEG-fMRI studies. The aim of this work was to investigate whether adjustment of the subject's axial position in the MRI scanner can reduce the amplitude of the induced gradient artefact, before and after artefact correction using AAS. The variation in gradient artefact amplitude as a function of the subject's axial position was first investigated in six subjects by applying gradient pulses along the three Cartesian axes. The results of this study showed that a significant reduction in the gradient artefact magnitude can be achieved by shifting the subject axially by 4 cm towards the feet relative to the standard subject position (nasion at iso-centre). In a further study, the 4-cm shift was shown to produce a 40% reduction in the RMS amplitude (and a 31% reduction in the range) of the gradient artefact generated during the execution of a standard multi-slice, EPI sequence. By picking out signals occurring at harmonics of the slice acquisition frequency, it was also shown that the 4-cm shift led to a 36% reduction in the residual gradient artefact after AAS. Functional and anatomical MR data quality is not affected by the 4-cm shift, as the head remains in the homogeneous region of the static magnet field and gradients. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Systems of Inhomogeneous Linear Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherer, Philipp O. J.

Many problems in physics and especially computational physics involve systems of linear equations which arise e.g. from linearization of a general nonlinear problem or from discretization of differential equations. If the dimension of the system is not too large standard methods like Gaussian elimination or QR decomposition are sufficient. Systems with a tridiagonal matrix are important for cubic spline interpolation and numerical second derivatives. They can be solved very efficiently with a specialized Gaussian elimination method. Practical applications often involve very large dimensions and require iterative methods. Convergence of Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel methods is slow and can be improved by relaxation or over-relaxation. An alternative for large systems is the method of conjugate gradients.

Pearson's Functions to Describe FSW Weld Geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacombe, D.; Gutierrez-Orrantia, M. E.; Coupard, D.; Tcherniaeff, S.; Girot, F.

2011-01-01

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a relatively new joining technique particularly for aluminium alloys that are difficult to fusion weld. In this study, the geometry of the weld has been investigated and modelled using Pearson's functions. It has been demonstrated that the Pearson's parameters (mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis and geometric constant) can be used to characterize the weld geometry and the tensile strength of the weld assembly. Pearson's parameters and process parameters are strongly correlated allowing to define a control process procedure for FSW assemblies which make radiographic or ultrasonic controls unnecessary. Finally, an optimisation using a Generalized Gradient Method allows to determine the geometry of the weld which maximises the assembly tensile strength.

Blind retrospective motion correction of MR images.

PubMed

Loktyushin, Alexander; Nickisch, Hannes; Pohmann, Rolf; Schölkopf, Bernhard

2013-12-01

Subject motion can severely degrade MR images. A retrospective motion correction algorithm, Gradient-based motion correction, which significantly reduces ghosting and blurring artifacts due to subject motion was proposed. The technique uses the raw data of standard imaging sequences; no sequence modifications or additional equipment such as tracking devices are required. Rigid motion is assumed. The approach iteratively searches for the motion trajectory yielding the sharpest image as measured by the entropy of spatial gradients. The vast space of motion parameters is efficiently explored by gradient-based optimization with a convergence guarantee. The method has been evaluated on both synthetic and real data in two and three dimensions using standard imaging techniques. MR images are consistently improved over different kinds of motion trajectories. Using a graphics processing unit implementation, computation times are in the order of a few minutes for a full three-dimensional volume. The presented technique can be an alternative or a complement to prospective motion correction methods and is able to improve images with strong motion artifacts from standard imaging sequences without requiring additional data. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley company.

Adaptive dynamics on an environmental gradient that changes over a geological time-scale.

PubMed

Fortelius, Mikael; Geritz, Stefan; Gyllenberg, Mats; Toivonen, Jaakko

2015-07-07

The standard adaptive dynamics framework assumes two timescales, i.e. fast population dynamics and slow evolutionary dynamics. We further assume a third timescale, which is even slower than the evolutionary timescale. We call this the geological timescale and we assume that slow climatic change occurs within this timescale. We study the evolution of our model population over this very slow geological timescale with bifurcation plots of the standard adaptive dynamics framework. The bifurcation parameter being varied describes the abiotic environment that changes over the geological timescale. We construct evolutionary trees over the geological timescale and observe both gradual phenotypic evolution and punctuated branching events. We concur with the established notion that branching of a monomorphic population on an environmental gradient only happens when the gradient is not too shallow and not too steep. However, we show that evolution within the habitat can produce polymorphic populations that inhabit steep gradients. What is necessary is that the environmental gradient at some point in time is such that the initial branching of the monomorphic population can occur. We also find that phenotypes adapted to environments in the middle of the existing environmental range are more likely to branch than phenotypes adapted to extreme environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An empirical basis for Mach bands

PubMed Central

Lotto, R. Beau; Williams, S. Mark; Purves, Dale

1999-01-01

Mach bands, the illusory brightness maxima and minima perceived at the initiation and termination of luminance gradients, respectively, are generally considered a direct perceptual manifestation of lateral inhibitory interactions among retinal or other lower order visual neurons. Here we examine an alternative explanation, namely that Mach bands arise as a consequence of real-world luminance gradients. In this first of two companion papers, we analyze the natural sources of luminance gradients, demonstrating that real-world gradients arising from curved surfaces are ordinarily adorned by photometric highlights and lowlights in the position of the illusory bands. The prevalence of such gradients provides an empirical basis for the generation of this perceptual phenomenon. PMID:10220450

Geophysical logging of bedrock wells for geothermal gradient characterization in New Hampshire, 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Degnan, James R.; Barker, Gregory; Olson, Neil; Wilder, Leland

2014-01-01

Maximum groundwater temperatures at the bottom of the logs ranged from 11.2 to 15.4 degrees Celsius. Geothermal gradients were generally higher than those typically reported for other water wells in the United States. Some of the high gradients were associated with high natural gamma emissions. Groundwater flow was discernible in 4 of the 10 wells studied but only obscured the part of the geothermal gradient signal where groundwater actually flowed into, out of, or through the well. Temperature gradients varied by mapped bedrock type but can also vary by localized differences in mineralogy or rock type within the wells.

Identifying Time Periods of Minimal Thermal Gradient for Temperature-Driven Structural Health Monitoring

PubMed Central

Reilly, John; Glisic, Branko

2018-01-01

Temperature changes play a large role in the day to day structural behavior of structures, but a smaller direct role in most contemporary Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) analyses. Temperature-Driven SHM will consider temperature as the principal driving force in SHM, relating a measurable input temperature to measurable output generalized strain (strain, curvature, etc.) and generalized displacement (deflection, rotation, etc.) to create three-dimensional signatures descriptive of the structural behavior. Identifying time periods of minimal thermal gradient provides the foundation for the formulation of the temperature–deformation–displacement model. Thermal gradients in a structure can cause curvature in multiple directions, as well as non-linear strain and stress distributions within the cross-sections, which significantly complicates data analysis and interpretation, distorts the signatures, and may lead to unreliable conclusions regarding structural behavior and condition. These adverse effects can be minimized if the signatures are evaluated at times when thermal gradients in the structure are minimal. This paper proposes two classes of methods based on the following two metrics: (i) the range of raw temperatures on the structure, and (ii) the distribution of the local thermal gradients, for identifying time periods of minimal thermal gradient on a structure with the ability to vary the tolerance of acceptable thermal gradients. The methods are tested and validated with data collected from the Streicker Bridge on campus at Princeton University. PMID:29494496

Identifying Time Periods of Minimal Thermal Gradient for Temperature-Driven Structural Health Monitoring.

PubMed

Reilly, John; Glisic, Branko

2018-03-01

Temperature changes play a large role in the day to day structural behavior of structures, but a smaller direct role in most contemporary Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) analyses. Temperature-Driven SHM will consider temperature as the principal driving force in SHM, relating a measurable input temperature to measurable output generalized strain (strain, curvature, etc.) and generalized displacement (deflection, rotation, etc.) to create three-dimensional signatures descriptive of the structural behavior. Identifying time periods of minimal thermal gradient provides the foundation for the formulation of the temperature-deformation-displacement model. Thermal gradients in a structure can cause curvature in multiple directions, as well as non-linear strain and stress distributions within the cross-sections, which significantly complicates data analysis and interpretation, distorts the signatures, and may lead to unreliable conclusions regarding structural behavior and condition. These adverse effects can be minimized if the signatures are evaluated at times when thermal gradients in the structure are minimal. This paper proposes two classes of methods based on the following two metrics: (i) the range of raw temperatures on the structure, and (ii) the distribution of the local thermal gradients, for identifying time periods of minimal thermal gradient on a structure with the ability to vary the tolerance of acceptable thermal gradients. The methods are tested and validated with data collected from the Streicker Bridge on campus at Princeton University.

Iterative methods for elliptic finite element equations on general meshes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicolaides, R. A.; Choudhury, Shenaz

1986-01-01

Iterative methods for arbitrary mesh discretizations of elliptic partial differential equations are surveyed. The methods discussed are preconditioned conjugate gradients, algebraic multigrid, deflated conjugate gradients, an element-by-element techniques, and domain decomposition. Computational results are included.

Apparent Negative Reflection with the Gradient Acoustic Metasurface by Integrating Supercell Periodicity into the Generalized Law of Reflection.

PubMed

Liu, Bingyi; Zhao, Wenyu; Jiang, Yongyuan

2016-12-05

As the two dimensional version of the functional wavefront manipulation metamaterial, metasurface has become a research hot spot for engineering the wavefront at will with a subwavelength thickness. The wave scattered by the gradient metasurface, which is composed by the periodic supercells, is governed by the generalized Snell's law. However, the critical angle that derived from the generalized Snell's law circles the domain of the incident angles that allow the occurrence of the anomalous reflection and refraction, and no free space scattering waves could exist when the incident angle is beyond the critical angle. Here we theoretically demonstrate that apparent negative reflection can be realized by a gradient acoustic metasurface when the incident angle is beyond the critical angle. The underlying mechanism of the apparent negative reflection is understood as the higher order diffraction arising from the interaction between the local phase modulation and the non-local effects introduced by the supercell periodicity. The apparent negative reflection phenomena has been perfectly verified by the calculated scattered acoustic waves of the reflected gradient acoustic metasurface. This work may provide new freedom in designing functional acoustic signal modulation devices, such as acoustic isolator and acoustic illusion device.

No-reference image quality assessment based on natural scene statistics and gradient magnitude similarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Huizhen; Sun, Quansen; Ji, Zexuan; Wang, Tonghan; Chen, Qiang

2014-11-01

The goal of no-reference/blind image quality assessment (NR-IQA) is to devise a perceptual model that can accurately predict the quality of a distorted image as human opinions, in which feature extraction is an important issue. However, the features used in the state-of-the-art "general purpose" NR-IQA algorithms are usually natural scene statistics (NSS) based or are perceptually relevant; therefore, the performance of these models is limited. To further improve the performance of NR-IQA, we propose a general purpose NR-IQA algorithm which combines NSS-based features with perceptually relevant features. The new method extracts features in both the spatial and gradient domains. In the spatial domain, we extract the point-wise statistics for single pixel values which are characterized by a generalized Gaussian distribution model to form the underlying features. In the gradient domain, statistical features based on neighboring gradient magnitude similarity are extracted. Then a mapping is learned to predict quality scores using a support vector regression. The experimental results on the benchmark image databases demonstrate that the proposed algorithm correlates highly with human judgments of quality and leads to significant performance improvements over state-of-the-art methods.

On dealing with multiple correlation peaks in PIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masullo, A.; Theunissen, R.

2018-05-01

A novel algorithm to analyse PIV images in the presence of strong in-plane displacement gradients and reduce sub-grid filtering is proposed in this paper. Interrogation windows subjected to strong in-plane displacement gradients often produce correlation maps presenting multiple peaks. Standard multi-grid procedures discard such ambiguous correlation windows using a signal to noise (SNR) filter. The proposed algorithm improves the standard multi-grid algorithm allowing the detection of splintered peaks in a correlation map through an automatic threshold, producing multiple displacement vectors for each correlation area. Vector locations are chosen by translating images according to the peak displacements and by selecting the areas with the strongest match. The method is assessed on synthetic images of a boundary layer of varying intensity and a sinusoidal displacement field of changing wavelength. An experimental case of a flow exhibiting strong velocity gradients is also provided to show the improvements brought by this technique.

Optimization in Quaternion Dynamic Systems: Gradient, Hessian, and Learning Algorithms.

PubMed

Xu, Dongpo; Xia, Yili; Mandic, Danilo P

2016-02-01

The optimization of real scalar functions of quaternion variables, such as the mean square error or array output power, underpins many practical applications. Solutions typically require the calculation of the gradient and Hessian. However, real functions of quaternion variables are essentially nonanalytic, which are prohibitive to the development of quaternion-valued learning systems. To address this issue, we propose new definitions of quaternion gradient and Hessian, based on the novel generalized Hamilton-real (GHR) calculus, thus making a possible efficient derivation of general optimization algorithms directly in the quaternion field, rather than using the isomorphism with the real domain, as is current practice. In addition, unlike the existing quaternion gradients, the GHR calculus allows for the product and chain rule, and for a one-to-one correspondence of the novel quaternion gradient and Hessian with their real counterparts. Properties of the quaternion gradient and Hessian relevant to numerical applications are also introduced, opening a new avenue of research in quaternion optimization and greatly simplified the derivations of learning algorithms. The proposed GHR calculus is shown to yield the same generic algorithm forms as the corresponding real- and complex-valued algorithms. Advantages of the proposed framework are illuminated over illustrative simulations in quaternion signal processing and neural networks.

Electron temperature critical gradient and transport stiffness in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Smith, Sterling P.; Petty, Clinton C.; White, Anne E.; ...

2015-07-06

The electron energy flux has been probed as a function of electron temperature gradient on the DIII-D tokamak, in a continuing effort to validate turbulent transport models. In the scan of gradient, a critical electron temperature gradient has been found in the electron heat fluxes and stiffness at various radii in L-mode plasmas. The TGLF reduced turbulent transport model [G.M. Staebler et al, Phys. Plasmas 14, 055909 (2007)] and full gyrokinetic GYRO model [J. Candy and R.E. Waltz, J. Comput. Phys. 186, 545 (2003)] recover the general trend of increasing electron energy flux with increasing electron temperature gradient scale length,more » but they do not predict the absolute level of transport at all radii and gradients. Comparing the experimental observations of incremental (heat pulse) diffusivity and stiffness to the models’ reveals that TGLF reproduces the trends in increasing diffusivity and stiffness with increasing electron temperature gradient scale length with a critical gradient behavior. Furthermore, the critical gradient of TGLF is found to have a dependence on q 95, contrary to the independence of the experimental critical gradient from q 95.« less

Rumsey and Walker_AMT_2016_Table 2.xlsx

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Table summarizes instrument precision assessed by collocating the two sample boxes. Precision is quantified as the standard deviation of the residuals of an orthogonal least squares regression of concentrations from the two sample boxes. This allows for an estimation of gradient precision and ultimately gradient and flux detection limits. This dataset is associated with the following publication:Rumsey, I. Application of an online ion chromatography-based instrument for gradient flux measurements of speciated nitrogen and sulfur. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, USA, 9(6): 2581-2592, (2016).

Gradients of fear: How perception influences fear generalization.

PubMed

Struyf, Dieter; Zaman, Jonas; Hermans, Dirk; Vervliet, Bram

2017-06-01

The current experiment investigated whether overgeneralization of fear could be due to an inability to perceptually discriminate the initial fear-evoking stimulus from similar stimuli, as fear learning-induced perceptual impairments have been reported but their influence on generalization gradients remain to be elucidated. Three hundred and sixty-eight healthy volunteers participated in a differential fear conditioning paradigm with circles of different sizes as conditioned stimuli (CS), of which one was paired to an aversive IAPS picture. During generalization, each subject was presented with one of 10 different sized circles including the CSs, and were asked to categorize the stimulus as either a CS or as novel after fear responses were recorded. Linear mixed models were used to investigate differences in fear generalization gradients depending on the participant's perception of the test stimulus. We found that the incorrect perception of a novel stimulus as the initial fear-evoking stimulus strongly boosted fear responses. The current findings demonstrate that a significant number of novel stimuli used to assess generalization are incorrectly identified as the initial fear-evoking stimulus, providing a perceptual account for the observed overgeneralization in panic and anxiety disorders. Accordingly, enhancing perceptual processing may be a promising treatment for targeting excessive fear generalization. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

IMPROVED TEMPERATURE GRADIENT FOR MONITORING BEHAVIORAL THERMOREGULATION IN THE RAT

EPA Science Inventory

Past studies have found that the laboratory rat placed In a temperature gradient prefers temperatures that are markedly below its lower critical ambient temperature (LCT), whereas other rodents (e.g., mouse, hamster, and guinea pig) generally select thermal environments associate...

Auditory frequency generalization in the goldfish (Carassius auratus)1

PubMed Central

Fay, Richard R.

1970-01-01

Auditory frequency generalization in the goldfish was studied at five points within the best hearing range through the use of classical respiratory conditioning. Each experimental group received single-stimulus conditioning sessions at one of five stimulus frequencies (100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 Hz), and were subsequently tested for generalization at eight neighboring frequencies. All stimuli were presented 30 db above absolute threshold. Significant generalization decrements were found for all subjects. For the subjects conditioned in the range between 100 and 800 Hz, a nearly complete failure to generalize was found at one octave above and below the training frequency. The subjects conditioned at 1600 Hz produced relatively more flat gradients between 900 and 2000 Hz. The widths of the generalization gradients, expressed in Hz, increased as a power function of frequency with a slope greater than one. PMID:16811481

Generalized wall function and its application to compressible turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, J.; Wu, S. P.

2017-04-01

Wall function boundary conditions including the effects of compressibility and heat transfer are improved for compressible turbulent boundary flows. Generalized wall function formulation at zero-pressure gradient is proposed based on coupled velocity and temperature profiles in the entire near-wall region. The parameters in the generalized wall function are well revised. The proposed boundary conditions are integrated into Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics code that includes the shear stress transport turbulence model. Numerical results are presented for a compressible boundary layer over a flat plate at zero-pressure gradient. Compared with experimental data, the computational results show that the generalized wall function reduces the first grid spacing in the directed normal to the wall and proves the feasibility and effectivity of the generalized wall function method.

Generalized Procedure for Improved Accuracy of Thermal Contact Resistance Measurements for Materials With Arbitrary Temperature-Dependent Thermal Conductivity

DOE PAGES

Sayer, Robert A.

2014-06-26

Thermal contact resistance (TCR) is most commonly measured using one-dimensional steady-state calorimetric techniques. In the experimental methods we utilized, a temperature gradient is applied across two contacting beams and the temperature drop at the interface is inferred from the temperature profiles of the rods that are measured at discrete points. During data analysis, thermal conductivity of the beams is typically taken to be an average value over the temperature range imposed during the experiment. Our generalized theory is presented and accounts for temperature-dependent changes in thermal conductivity. The procedure presented enables accurate measurement of TCR for contacting materials whose thermalmore » conductivity is any arbitrary function of temperature. For example, it is shown that the standard technique yields TCR values that are about 15% below the actual value for two specific examples of copper and silicon contacts. Conversely, the generalized technique predicts TCR values that are within 1% of the actual value. The method is exact when thermal conductivity is known exactly and no other errors are introduced to the system.« less

Møller-Plesset perturbation theory gradient in the generalized hybrid orbital quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Jaewoon; Sugita, Yuji; Ten-no, S.

2010-02-01

An analytic gradient expression is formulated and implemented for the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) based on the generalized hybrid orbital QM/MM method. The method enables us to obtain an accurate geometry at a reasonable computational cost. The performance of the method is assessed for various isomers of alanine dipepetide. We also compare the optimized structures of fumaramide-derived [2]rotaxane and cAMP-dependent protein kinase with experiment.

Density gradient electrophoresis of cultured human embryonic kidney cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plank, L. D.; Kunze, M. E.; Giranda, V.; Todd, P. W.

1985-01-01

Ground based confirmation of the electrophoretic heterogeneity of human embryonic kidney cell cultures, the general characterization of their electrophoretic migration, and observations on the general properties of cultures derived from electrophoretic subpopulations were studied. Cell migration in a density gradient electrophoresis column and cell electrophoretic mobility was determined. The mobility and heterogeneity of cultured human embryonic kidney cells with those of fixed rat erythrocytes as model test particle was compared. Electrophoretically separated cell subpopulations with respect to size, viability, and culture characteristics were examined.

Enabling quaternion derivatives: the generalized HR calculus

PubMed Central

Xu, Dongpo; Jahanchahi, Cyrus; Took, Clive C.; Mandic, Danilo P.

2015-01-01

Quaternion derivatives exist only for a very restricted class of analytic (regular) functions; however, in many applications, functions of interest are real-valued and hence not analytic, a typical case being the standard real mean square error objective function. The recent HR calculus is a step forward and provides a way to calculate derivatives and gradients of both analytic and non-analytic functions of quaternion variables; however, the HR calculus can become cumbersome in complex optimization problems due to the lack of rigorous product and chain rules, a consequence of the non-commutativity of quaternion algebra. To address this issue, we introduce the generalized HR (GHR) derivatives which employ quaternion rotations in a general orthogonal system and provide the left- and right-hand versions of the quaternion derivative of general functions. The GHR calculus also solves the long-standing problems of product and chain rules, mean-value theorem and Taylor's theorem in the quaternion field. At the core of the proposed GHR calculus is quaternion rotation, which makes it possible to extend the principle to other functional calculi in non-commutative settings. Examples in statistical learning theory and adaptive signal processing support the analysis. PMID:26361555

Enabling quaternion derivatives: the generalized HR calculus.

PubMed

Xu, Dongpo; Jahanchahi, Cyrus; Took, Clive C; Mandic, Danilo P

2015-08-01

Quaternion derivatives exist only for a very restricted class of analytic (regular) functions; however, in many applications, functions of interest are real-valued and hence not analytic, a typical case being the standard real mean square error objective function. The recent HR calculus is a step forward and provides a way to calculate derivatives and gradients of both analytic and non-analytic functions of quaternion variables; however, the HR calculus can become cumbersome in complex optimization problems due to the lack of rigorous product and chain rules, a consequence of the non-commutativity of quaternion algebra. To address this issue, we introduce the generalized HR (GHR) derivatives which employ quaternion rotations in a general orthogonal system and provide the left- and right-hand versions of the quaternion derivative of general functions. The GHR calculus also solves the long-standing problems of product and chain rules, mean-value theorem and Taylor's theorem in the quaternion field. At the core of the proposed GHR calculus is quaternion rotation, which makes it possible to extend the principle to other functional calculi in non-commutative settings. Examples in statistical learning theory and adaptive signal processing support the analysis.

Experimental and observational studies find contrasting responses of soil nutrients to climate change.

PubMed

Yuan, Z Y; Jiao, F; Shi, X R; Sardans, Jordi; Maestre, Fernando T; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Reich, Peter B; Peñuelas, Josep

2017-06-01

Manipulative experiments and observations along environmental gradients, the two most common approaches to evaluate the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling, are generally assumed to produce similar results, but this assumption has rarely been tested. We did so by conducting a meta-analysis and found that soil nutrients responded differentially to drivers of climate change depending on the approach considered. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with water addition in manipulative experiments but increased with annual precipitation along environmental gradients. Different patterns were also observed between warming experiments and temperature gradients. Our findings provide evidence of inconsistent results and suggest that manipulative experiments may be better predictors of the causal impacts of short-term (months to years) climate change on soil nutrients but environmental gradients may provide better information for long-term correlations (centuries to millennia) between these nutrients and climatic features. Ecosystem models should consequently incorporate both experimental and observational data to properly assess the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling.

Do Work-Related Mechanical and Psychosocial Factors Contribute to the Social Gradient in Low Back Pain?: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study of the General Working Population in Norway.

PubMed

Sterud, Tom; Johannessen, Håkon A; Tynes, Tore

2016-07-01

A prospective cohort study. The aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which work-related factors contribute to the social gradient in low back pain (LBP). A social gradient in LBP is well established, but only a few studies have examined the extent to which exposure to mechanical and psychosocial work environment factors is a pathway for this gradient. A randomly drawn cohort from the general population in Norway aged 18 to 66 years was followed up for 3 years (n = 12,550, response rate at baseline = 67%). Eligible respondents were in paid work during 2006 and 2009 (n = 6819). Based on administrative register data respondents were coded into five educational levels (university/college ≥4 years was set as the reference group). Outcome of interest was self-reported moderate or severe LBP at follow-up adjusted for baseline LBP. In total, 11.2% (397 individuals) men and 14.5% (461 individual) women reported LBP at follow-up. There was a strong social gradient ranging from 16.4% (elementary) to 6.4% (university/college ≥4 years). The corresponding figures among women were 22.4% and 7.5%. Corrected for age, LBP at baseline and working hours, educational level was a significant predictor of LBP at follow-up (odds ratios 1.8-2.3 in men and 1.7-3.1 in women). Adjusting for mechanical factors reduced the gradient by 39% to 43% in men and 28% to 34% in women. Adjusting for psychosocial factors reduced the gradient by 5% to 12% in men and increased the gradient by 7% to 11% in women. Work-related mechanical factors contributed substantially to the social gradient in LBP among both men and women. The impact of psychosocial factors was modest among men and contributed to an increased gradient among women. 3.

A class of fractional differential hemivariational inequalities with application to contact problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Shengda; Liu, Zhenhai; Migorski, Stanislaw

2018-04-01

In this paper, we study a class of generalized differential hemivariational inequalities of parabolic type involving the time fractional order derivative operator in Banach spaces. We use the Rothe method combined with surjectivity of multivalued pseudomonotone operators and properties of the Clarke generalized gradient to establish existence of solution to the abstract inequality. As an illustrative application, a frictional quasistatic contact problem for viscoelastic materials with adhesion is investigated, in which the friction and contact conditions are described by the Clarke generalized gradient of nonconvex and nonsmooth functionals, and the constitutive relation is modeled by the fractional Kelvin-Voigt law.

Large Airborne Full Tensor Gradient Data Inversion Based on a Non-Monotone Gradient Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yong; Meng, Zhaohai; Li, Fengting

2018-03-01

Following the development of gravity gradiometer instrument technology, the full tensor gravity (FTG) data can be acquired on airborne and marine platforms. Large-scale geophysical data can be obtained using these methods, making such data sets a number of the "big data" category. Therefore, a fast and effective inversion method is developed to solve the large-scale FTG data inversion problem. Many algorithms are available to accelerate the FTG data inversion, such as conjugate gradient method. However, the conventional conjugate gradient method takes a long time to complete data processing. Thus, a fast and effective iterative algorithm is necessary to improve the utilization of FTG data. Generally, inversion processing is formulated by incorporating regularizing constraints, followed by the introduction of a non-monotone gradient-descent method to accelerate the convergence rate of FTG data inversion. Compared with the conventional gradient method, the steepest descent gradient algorithm, and the conjugate gradient algorithm, there are clear advantages of the non-monotone iterative gradient-descent algorithm. Simulated and field FTG data were applied to show the application value of this new fast inversion method.

Atmospheric gradients from very long baseline interferometry observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macmillan, D. S.

1995-01-01

Azimuthal asymmetries in the atmospheric refractive index can lead to errors in estimated vertical and horizontal station coordinates. Daily average gradient effects can be as large as 50 mm of delay at a 7 deg elevation. To model gradients, the constrained estimation of gradient paramters was added to the standard VLBI solution procedure. Here the analysis of two sets of data is summarized: the set of all geodetic VLBI experiments from 1990-1993 and a series of 12 state-of-the-art R&D experiments run on consecutive days in January 1994. In both cases, when the gradient parameters are estimated, the overall fit of the geodetic solution is improved at greater than the 99% confidence level. Repeatabilities of baseline lengths ranging up to 11,000 km are improved by 1 to 8 mm in a root-sum-square sense. This varies from about 20% to 40% of the total baseline length scatter without gradient modeling for the 1990-1993 series and 40% to 50% for the January series. Gradients estimated independently for each day as a piecewise linear function are mostly continuous from day to day within their formal uncertainties.

Parallel, Gradient-Based Anisotropic Mesh Adaptation for Re-entry Vehicle Configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bibb, Karen L.; Gnoffo, Peter A.; Park, Michael A.; Jones, William T.

2006-01-01

Two gradient-based adaptation methodologies have been implemented into the Fun3d refine GridEx infrastructure. A spring-analogy adaptation which provides for nodal movement to cluster mesh nodes in the vicinity of strong shocks has been extended for general use within Fun3d, and is demonstrated for a 70 sphere cone at Mach 2. A more general feature-based adaptation metric has been developed for use with the adaptation mechanics available in Fun3d, and is applicable to any unstructured, tetrahedral, flow solver. The basic functionality of general adaptation is explored through a case of flow over the forebody of a 70 sphere cone at Mach 6. A practical application of Mach 10 flow over an Apollo capsule, computed with the Felisa flow solver, is given to compare the adaptive mesh refinement with uniform mesh refinement. The examples of the paper demonstrate that the gradient-based adaptation capability as implemented can give an improvement in solution quality.

Hyperbolic Method for Dispersive PDEs: Same High-Order of Accuracy for Solution, Gradient, and Hessian

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazaheri, Alireza; Ricchiuto, Mario; Nishikawa, Hiroaki

2016-01-01

In this paper, we introduce a new hyperbolic first-order system for general dispersive partial differential equations (PDEs). We then extend the proposed system to general advection-diffusion-dispersion PDEs. We apply the fourth-order RD scheme of Ref. 1 to the proposed hyperbolic system, and solve time-dependent dispersive equations, including the classical two-soliton KdV and a dispersive shock case. We demonstrate that the predicted results, including the gradient and Hessian (second derivative), are in a very good agreement with the exact solutions. We then show that the RD scheme applied to the proposed system accurately captures dispersive shocks without numerical oscillations. We also verify that the solution, gradient and Hessian are predicted with equal order of accuracy.

Generalized Archimedes' principle in active fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razin, Nitzan; Voituriez, Raphael; Elgeti, Jens; Gov, Nir S.

2017-09-01

We show how a gradient in the motility properties of noninteracting pointlike active particles can cause a pressure gradient that pushes a large inert object. We calculate the force on an object inside a system of active particles with position-dependent motion parameters, in one and two dimensions, and show that a modified Archimedes' principle is satisfied. We characterize the system, both in terms of the model parameters and in terms of experimentally measurable quantities: the spatial profiles of the density, velocity and pressure. This theoretical analysis is motivated by recent experiments, which showed that the nucleus of a mouse oocyte (immature egg cell) moves from the cortex to the center due to a gradient of activity of vesicles propelled by molecular motors; it more generally applies to artificial systems of controlled localized activity.

Generalized Archimedes' principle in active fluids.

PubMed

Razin, Nitzan; Voituriez, Raphael; Elgeti, Jens; Gov, Nir S

2017-09-01

We show how a gradient in the motility properties of noninteracting pointlike active particles can cause a pressure gradient that pushes a large inert object. We calculate the force on an object inside a system of active particles with position-dependent motion parameters, in one and two dimensions, and show that a modified Archimedes' principle is satisfied. We characterize the system, both in terms of the model parameters and in terms of experimentally measurable quantities: the spatial profiles of the density, velocity and pressure. This theoretical analysis is motivated by recent experiments, which showed that the nucleus of a mouse oocyte (immature egg cell) moves from the cortex to the center due to a gradient of activity of vesicles propelled by molecular motors; it more generally applies to artificial systems of controlled localized activity.

Detection of an inhibitory cortical gradient underlying peak shift in learning: a neural basis for a false memory.

PubMed

Miasnikov, Alexandre A; Weinberger, Norman M

2012-11-01

Experience often does not produce veridical memory. Understanding false attribution of events constitutes an important problem in memory research. "Peak shift" is a well-characterized, controllable phenomenon in which human and animal subjects that receive reinforcement associated with one sensory stimulus later respond maximally to another stimulus in post-training stimulus generalization tests. Peak shift ordinarily develops in discrimination learning (reinforced CS+, unreinforced CS-) and has long been attributed to the interaction of an excitatory gradient centered on the CS+ and an inhibitory gradient centered on the CS-; the shift is away from the CS-. In contrast, we have obtained peak shifts during single tone frequency training, using stimulation of the cholinergic nucleus basalis (NB) to implant behavioral memory into the rat. As we also recorded cortical activity, we took the opportunity to investigate the possible existence of a neural frequency gradient that could account for behavioral peak shift. Behavioral frequency generalization gradients (FGGs, interruption of ongoing respiration) were determined twice before training while evoked potentials were recorded from the primary auditory cortex (A1), to obtain a baseline gradient of "habituatory" neural decrement. A post-training behavioral FGG obtained 24h after three daily sessions of a single tone paired with NB stimulation (200 trials/day) revealed a peak shift. The peak of the FGG was at a frequency lower than the CS while the cortical inhibitory gradient was at a frequency higher than the CS frequency. Further analysis indicated that the frequency location and magnitude of the gradient could account for the behavioral peak shift. These results provide a neural basis for a systematic case of memory misattribution and may provide an animal model for the study of the neural bases of a type of "false memory". Published by Elsevier Inc.

MULTIRESIDUE DETERMINATION OF ACIDIC PESTICIDES ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A multiresidue pesticide methodology has been studied and results for acidics are reported here with base/neutral to follow. This work studies a literature procedure as a possible general approach to many pesticides and potentially other analytes that are considered to be liquid chromatographic candidates rather than gas chromatographic ones. The analysis of thesewage effluent of a major southwestern US city serves as an example of the application of the methodology to a real sample. Recovery studies were also conducted to validate the proposed extraction step. A gradient elution program was followed for the high performance liquid chromatography leading to a general approach for acidics. Confirmation of identity was by EI GC/MS after conversion of the acids to the methyl ester (or other appropriate methylation) by means of trimethylsilyldiazomethane. The 3,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was used as an internal standard to monitor the reaction and PCB #19 was used for the quantitation internal standard. Although others have reported similar analyses of acids, conversion to the methyl ester was by means of diazomethane itself rather than by the more convenient and safer trimethylsilyldiazomethane. Thus, the present paper supports the use of trimethylsilyldiazomethane with all of these acids (trimethylsilyldiazomethane has been used in environmental work with some phenoxyacetic acid herbicides) and further supports the usefulness of this reagent as a potential re

Apparent Negative Reflection with the Gradient Acoustic Metasurface by Integrating Supercell Periodicity into the Generalized Law of Reflection

PubMed Central

Liu, Bingyi; Zhao, Wenyu; Jiang, Yongyuan

2016-01-01

As the two dimensional version of the functional wavefront manipulation metamaterial, metasurface has become a research hot spot for engineering the wavefront at will with a subwavelength thickness. The wave scattered by the gradient metasurface, which is composed by the periodic supercells, is governed by the generalized Snell’s law. However, the critical angle that derived from the generalized Snell’s law circles the domain of the incident angles that allow the occurrence of the anomalous reflection and refraction, and no free space scattering waves could exist when the incident angle is beyond the critical angle. Here we theoretically demonstrate that apparent negative reflection can be realized by a gradient acoustic metasurface when the incident angle is beyond the critical angle. The underlying mechanism of the apparent negative reflection is understood as the higher order diffraction arising from the interaction between the local phase modulation and the non-local effects introduced by the supercell periodicity. The apparent negative reflection phenomena has been perfectly verified by the calculated scattered acoustic waves of the reflected gradient acoustic metasurface. This work may provide new freedom in designing functional acoustic signal modulation devices, such as acoustic isolator and acoustic illusion device. PMID:27917909

Designing gradient coils with reduced hot spot temperatures.

PubMed

While, Peter T; Forbes, Larry K; Crozier, Stuart

2010-03-01

Gradient coil temperature is an important concern in the design and construction of MRI scanners. Closely spaced gradient coil windings cause temperature hot spots within the system as a result of Ohmic heating associated with large current being driven through resistive material, and can strongly affect the performance of the coils. In this paper, a model is presented for predicting the spatial temperature distribution of a gradient coil, including the location and extent of temperature hot spots. Subsequently, a method is described for designing gradient coils with improved temperature distributions and reduced hot spot temperatures. Maximum temperature represents a non-linear constraint and a relaxed fixed point iteration routine is proposed to adjust coil windings iteratively to minimise this coil feature. Several examples are considered that assume different thermal material properties and cooling mechanisms for the gradient system. Coil winding solutions are obtained for all cases considered that display a considerable drop in hot spot temperature (>20%) when compared to standard minimum power gradient coils with equivalent gradient homogeneity, efficiency and inductance. The method is semi-analytical in nature and can be adapted easily to consider other non-linear constraints in the design of gradient coils or similar systems. Crown Copyright (c) 2009. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the Convergence Analysis of the Optimized Gradient Method.

PubMed

Kim, Donghwan; Fessler, Jeffrey A

2017-01-01

This paper considers the problem of unconstrained minimization of smooth convex functions having Lipschitz continuous gradients with known Lipschitz constant. We recently proposed the optimized gradient method for this problem and showed that it has a worst-case convergence bound for the cost function decrease that is twice as small as that of Nesterov's fast gradient method, yet has a similarly efficient practical implementation. Drori showed recently that the optimized gradient method has optimal complexity for the cost function decrease over the general class of first-order methods. This optimality makes it important to study fully the convergence properties of the optimized gradient method. The previous worst-case convergence bound for the optimized gradient method was derived for only the last iterate of a secondary sequence. This paper provides an analytic convergence bound for the primary sequence generated by the optimized gradient method. We then discuss additional convergence properties of the optimized gradient method, including the interesting fact that the optimized gradient method has two types of worstcase functions: a piecewise affine-quadratic function and a quadratic function. These results help complete the theory of an optimal first-order method for smooth convex minimization.

On the Convergence Analysis of the Optimized Gradient Method

PubMed Central

Kim, Donghwan; Fessler, Jeffrey A.

2016-01-01

This paper considers the problem of unconstrained minimization of smooth convex functions having Lipschitz continuous gradients with known Lipschitz constant. We recently proposed the optimized gradient method for this problem and showed that it has a worst-case convergence bound for the cost function decrease that is twice as small as that of Nesterov’s fast gradient method, yet has a similarly efficient practical implementation. Drori showed recently that the optimized gradient method has optimal complexity for the cost function decrease over the general class of first-order methods. This optimality makes it important to study fully the convergence properties of the optimized gradient method. The previous worst-case convergence bound for the optimized gradient method was derived for only the last iterate of a secondary sequence. This paper provides an analytic convergence bound for the primary sequence generated by the optimized gradient method. We then discuss additional convergence properties of the optimized gradient method, including the interesting fact that the optimized gradient method has two types of worstcase functions: a piecewise affine-quadratic function and a quadratic function. These results help complete the theory of an optimal first-order method for smooth convex minimization. PMID:28461707

Full Gradient Solution to Adaptive Hybrid Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bean, Jacob; Schiller, Noah H.; Fuller, Chris

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on the adaptation mechanisms in adaptive hybrid controllers. Most adaptive hybrid controllers update two filters individually according to the filtered reference least mean squares (FxLMS) algorithm. Because this algorithm was derived for feedforward control, it does not take into account the presence of a feedback loop in the gradient calculation. This paper provides a derivation of the proper weight vector gradient for hybrid (or feedback) controllers that takes into account the presence of feedback. In this formulation, a single weight vector is updated rather than two individually. An internal model structure is assumed for the feedback part of the controller. The full gradient is equivalent to that used in the standard FxLMS algorithm with the addition of a recursive term that is a function of the modeling error. Some simulations are provided to highlight the advantages of using the full gradient in the weight vector update rather than the approximation.

Full Gradient Solution to Adaptive Hybrid Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bean, Jacob; Schiller, Noah H.; Fuller, Chris

2016-01-01

This paper focuses on the adaptation mechanisms in adaptive hybrid controllers. Most adaptive hybrid controllers update two filters individually according to the filtered-reference least mean squares (FxLMS) algorithm. Because this algorithm was derived for feedforward control, it does not take into account the presence of a feedback loop in the gradient calculation. This paper provides a derivation of the proper weight vector gradient for hybrid (or feedback) controllers that takes into account the presence of feedback. In this formulation, a single weight vector is updated rather than two individually. An internal model structure is assumed for the feedback part of the controller. The full gradient is equivalent to that used in the standard FxLMS algorithm with the addition of a recursive term that is a function of the modeling error. Some simulations are provided to highlight the advantages of using the full gradient in the weight vector update rather than the approximation.

Error measure comparison of currently employed dose-modulation schemes for e-beam proximity effect control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peckerar, Martin C.; Marrian, Christie R.

1995-05-01

Standard matrix inversion methods of e-beam proximity correction are compared with a variety of pseudoinverse approaches based on gradient descent. It is shown that the gradient descent methods can be modified using 'regularizers' (terms added to the cost function minimized during gradient descent). This modification solves the 'negative dose' problem in a mathematically sound way. Different techniques are contrasted using a weighted error measure approach. It is shown that the regularization approach leads to the highest quality images. In some cases, ignoring negative doses yields results which are worse than employing an uncorrected dose file.

A modified form of conjugate gradient method for unconstrained optimization problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghani, Nur Hamizah Abdul; Rivaie, Mohd.; Mamat, Mustafa

2016-06-01

Conjugate gradient (CG) methods have been recognized as an interesting technique to solve optimization problems, due to the numerical efficiency, simplicity and low memory requirements. In this paper, we propose a new CG method based on the study of Rivaie et al. [7] (Comparative study of conjugate gradient coefficient for unconstrained Optimization, Aus. J. Bas. Appl. Sci. 5(2011) 947-951). Then, we show that our method satisfies sufficient descent condition and converges globally with exact line search. Numerical results show that our proposed method is efficient for given standard test problems, compare to other existing CG methods.

The use of spatial dose gradients and probability density function to evaluate the effect of internal organ motion for prostate IMRT treatment planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Runqing; Barnett, Rob B.; Chow, James C. L.; Chen, Jeff Z. Y.

2007-03-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of internal organ motion on IMRT treatment planning of prostate patients using a spatial dose gradient and probability density function. Spatial dose distributions were generated from a Pinnacle3 planning system using a co-planar, five-field intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique. Five plans were created for each patient using equally spaced beams but shifting the angular displacement of the beam by 15° increments. Dose profiles taken through the isocentre in anterior-posterior (A-P), right-left (R-L) and superior-inferior (S-I) directions for IMRT plans were analysed by exporting RTOG file data from Pinnacle. The convolution of the 'static' dose distribution D0(x, y, z) and probability density function (PDF), denoted as P(x, y, z), was used to analyse the combined effect of repositioning error and internal organ motion. Organ motion leads to an enlarged beam penumbra. The amount of percentage mean dose deviation (PMDD) depends on the dose gradient and organ motion probability density function. Organ motion dose sensitivity was defined by the rate of change in PMDD with standard deviation of motion PDF and was found to increase with the maximum dose gradient in anterior, posterior, left and right directions. Due to common inferior and superior field borders of the field segments, the sharpest dose gradient will occur in the inferior or both superior and inferior penumbrae. Thus, prostate motion in the S-I direction produces the highest dose difference. The PMDD is within 2.5% when standard deviation is less than 5 mm, but the PMDD is over 2.5% in the inferior direction when standard deviation is higher than 5 mm in the inferior direction. Verification of prostate organ motion in the inferior directions is essential. The margin of the planning target volume (PTV) significantly impacts on the confidence of tumour control probability (TCP) and level of normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Smaller margins help to reduce the dose to normal tissues, but may compromise the dose coverage of the PTV. Lower rectal NTCP can be achieved by either a smaller margin or a steeper dose gradient between PTV and rectum. With the same DVH control points, the rectum has lower complication in the seven-beam technique used in this study because of the steeper dose gradient between the target volume and rectum. The relationship between dose gradient and rectal complication can be used to evaluate IMRT treatment planning. The dose gradient analysis is a powerful tool to improve IMRT treatment plans and can be used for QA checking of treatment plans for prostate patients.

The use of spatial dose gradients and probability density function to evaluate the effect of internal organ motion for prostate IMRT treatment planning.

PubMed

Jiang, Runqing; Barnett, Rob B; Chow, James C L; Chen, Jeff Z Y

2007-03-07

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of internal organ motion on IMRT treatment planning of prostate patients using a spatial dose gradient and probability density function. Spatial dose distributions were generated from a Pinnacle3 planning system using a co-planar, five-field intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique. Five plans were created for each patient using equally spaced beams but shifting the angular displacement of the beam by 15 degree increments. Dose profiles taken through the isocentre in anterior-posterior (A-P), right-left (R-L) and superior-inferior (S-I) directions for IMRT plans were analysed by exporting RTOG file data from Pinnacle. The convolution of the 'static' dose distribution D0(x, y, z) and probability density function (PDF), denoted as P(x, y, z), was used to analyse the combined effect of repositioning error and internal organ motion. Organ motion leads to an enlarged beam penumbra. The amount of percentage mean dose deviation (PMDD) depends on the dose gradient and organ motion probability density function. Organ motion dose sensitivity was defined by the rate of change in PMDD with standard deviation of motion PDF and was found to increase with the maximum dose gradient in anterior, posterior, left and right directions. Due to common inferior and superior field borders of the field segments, the sharpest dose gradient will occur in the inferior or both superior and inferior penumbrae. Thus, prostate motion in the S-I direction produces the highest dose difference. The PMDD is within 2.5% when standard deviation is less than 5 mm, but the PMDD is over 2.5% in the inferior direction when standard deviation is higher than 5 mm in the inferior direction. Verification of prostate organ motion in the inferior directions is essential. The margin of the planning target volume (PTV) significantly impacts on the confidence of tumour control probability (TCP) and level of normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Smaller margins help to reduce the dose to normal tissues, but may compromise the dose coverage of the PTV. Lower rectal NTCP can be achieved by either a smaller margin or a steeper dose gradient between PTV and rectum. With the same DVH control points, the rectum has lower complication in the seven-beam technique used in this study because of the steeper dose gradient between the target volume and rectum. The relationship between dose gradient and rectal complication can be used to evaluate IMRT treatment planning. The dose gradient analysis is a powerful tool to improve IMRT treatment plans and can be used for QA checking of treatment plans for prostate patients.

Gradient Pre-Emphasis to Counteract First-Order Concomitant Fields on Asymmetric MRI Gradient Systems

PubMed Central

Tao, Shengzhen; Weavers, Paul T.; Trzasko, Joshua D.; Shu, Yunhong; Huston, John; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Frigo, Louis M.; Bernstein, Matt A.

2016-01-01

PURPOSE To develop a gradient pre-emphasis scheme that prospectively counteracts the effects of the first-order concomitant fields for any arbitrary gradient waveform played on asymmetric gradient systems, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using a real-time implementation on a compact gradient system. METHODS After reviewing the first-order concomitant fields that are present on asymmetric gradients, a generalized gradient pre-emphasis model assuming arbitrary gradient waveforms is developed to counteract their effects. A numerically straightforward, simple to implement approximate solution to this pre-emphasis problem is derived, which is compatible with the current hardware infrastructure used on conventional MRI scanners for eddy current compensation. The proposed method was implemented on the gradient driver sub-system, and its real-time use was tested using a series of phantom and in vivo data acquired from 2D Cartesian phase-difference, echo-planar imaging (EPI) and spiral acquisitions. RESULTS The phantom and in vivo results demonstrate that unless accounted for, first-order concomitant fields introduce considerable phase estimation error into the measured data and result in images exhibiting spatially dependent blurring/distortion. The resulting artifacts are effectively prevented using the proposed gradient pre-emphasis. CONCLUSION An efficient and effective gradient pre-emphasis framework is developed to counteract the effects of first-order concomitant fields of asymmetric gradient systems. PMID:27373901

Size exclusion chromatography-gradients, an alternative approach to polymer gradient chromatography: 2. Separation of poly(meth)acrylates using a size exclusion chromatography-solvent/non-solvent gradient.

PubMed

Schollenberger, Martin; Radke, Wolfgang

2011-10-28

A gradient ranging from methanol to tetrahydrofuran (THF) was applied to a series of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) standards, using the recently developed concept of SEC-gradients. Contrasting to conventional gradients the samples eluted before the solvent, i.e. within the elution range typical for separations by SEC, however, the high molar mass PMMAs were retarded as compared to experiments on the same column using pure THF as the eluent. The molar mass dependence on retention volume showed a complex behaviour with a nearly molar mass independent elution for high molar masses. This molar mass dependence was explained in terms of solubility and size exclusion effects. The solubility based SEC-gradient was proven to be useful to separate PMMA and poly(n-butyl crylate) (PnBuA) from a poly(t-butyl crylate) (PtBuA) sample. These samples could be separated neither by SEC in THF, due to their very similar hydrodynamic volumes, nor by an SEC-gradient at adsorbing conditions, due to a too low selectivity. The example shows that SEC-gradients can be applied not only in adsorption/desorption mode, but also in precipitation/dissolution mode without risking blocking capillaries or breakthrough peaks. Thus, the new approach is a valuable alternative to conventional gradient chromatography. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A General Pressure Gradient Formulation for Ocean Models, Part 1: Scheme Design and Diagnostic Analysis, Part II: Energy, Momentum, and Bottom Torque Consistency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Y. T.

1998-01-01

A Jacobian formulation of the pressure gradient force for use in models with topography following coordinates is proposed. It can be used in conjunction with any vertical coordinate system and is easily implemented.

Current Density Functional Theory Using Meta-Generalized Gradient Exchange-Correlation Functionals.

PubMed

Furness, James W; Verbeke, Joachim; Tellgren, Erik I; Stopkowicz, Stella; Ekström, Ulf; Helgaker, Trygve; Teale, Andrew M

2015-09-08

We present the self-consistent implementation of current-dependent (hybrid) meta-generalized gradient approximation (mGGA) density functionals using London atomic orbitals. A previously proposed generalized kinetic energy density is utilized to implement mGGAs in the framework of Kohn-Sham current density functional theory (KS-CDFT). A unique feature of the nonperturbative implementation of these functionals is the ability to seamlessly explore a wide range of magnetic fields up to 1 au (∼235 kT) in strength. CDFT functionals based on the TPSS and B98 forms are investigated, and their performance is assessed by comparison with accurate coupled-cluster singles, doubles, and perturbative triples (CCSD(T)) data. In the weak field regime, magnetic properties such as magnetizabilities and nuclear magnetic resonance shielding constants show modest but systematic improvements over generalized gradient approximations (GGA). However, in the strong field regime, the mGGA-based forms lead to a significantly improved description of the recently proposed perpendicular paramagnetic bonding mechanism, comparing well with CCSD(T) data. In contrast to functionals based on the vorticity, these forms are found to be numerically stable, and their accuracy at high field suggests that the extension of mGGAs to CDFT via the generalized kinetic energy density should provide a useful starting point for further development of CDFT approximations.

Do work-related mechanical and psychosocial factors contribute to the social gradient in long-term sick leave: a prospective study of the general working population in Norway.

PubMed

Sterud, Tom; Johannessen, Håkon A

2014-05-01

A social gradient in long-term sick leave (LTSL) rates is well established, but only a few studies have examined to what extent this gradient may be explained by mechanical and psychosocial work environment factors. A randomly drawn cohort from the general population in Norway, aged 18-69 years, was interviewed in the second half of 2009 (n=12,255, response at baseline 60.9%) and followed up in national registries to the end of 2010. Eligible respondents were registered with an active employee relationship of at least 100 actual working days in 2009 and 2010 (n=6758). Based on administrative register data, respondents were coded into five educational levels (university/college ≥4 years was set as the reference group). Eight work-related psychosocial factors and 10 mechanical exposures were measured. The outcome of interest was medically confirmed LTSL ≥40 working days during 2010. In total, 9.4% (635 individuals) were classified with LTSL during 2010. There was a strong social gradient ranging from 12.4% (elementary) to 3.3% (university/college ≥4 years) among men. The corresponding figures among women were 15.4 and 4.6%. Adjusting for work-related mechanical and psychosocial factors explained between 41 and 44% of the social gradient in men. Among women, the corresponding figures were 31 and 54%. Work-related mechanical and psychosocial factors contribute to the social gradient in LTSL. The work-related factors that accounted for this gradient were rather similar for men and women.

Low Dissipative High Order Shock-Capturing Methods Using Characteristic-Based Filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Sandham, N. D.; Djomehri, M. J.

1998-01-01

An approach which closely maintains the non-dissipative nature of classical fourth or higher- order spatial differencing away from shock waves and steep gradient regions while being capable of accurately capturing discontinuities, steep gradient and fine scale turbulent structures in a stable and efficient manner is described. The approach is a generalization of the method of Gustafsson and Oisson and the artificial compression method (ACM) of Harten. Spatially non-dissipative fourth or higher-order compact and non-compact spatial differencings are used as the base schemes. Instead of applying a scalar filter as in Gustafsson and Olsson, an ACM like term is used to signal the appropriate amount of second or third-order TVD or ENO types of characteristic based numerical dissipation. This term acts as a characteristic filter to minimize numerical dissipation for the overall scheme. For time-accurate computations, time discretizations with low dissipation are used. Numerical experiments on 2-D vortical flows, vortex-shock interactions and compressible spatially and temporally evolving mixing layers showed that the proposed schemes have the desired property with only a 10% increase in operations count over standard second-order TVD schemes. Aside from the ability to accurately capture shock-turbulence interaction flows, this approach is also capable of accurately preserving vortex convection. Higher accuracy is achieved with fewer grid points when compared to that of standard second-order TVD or ENO schemes. To demonstrate the applicability of these schemes in sustaining turbulence where shock waves are absent, a simulation of 3-D compressible turbulent channel flow in a small domain is conducted.

Low Dissipative High Order Shock-Capturing Methods using Characteristic-Based Filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Sandham, N. D.; Djomehri, M. J.

1998-01-01

An approach which closely maintains the non-dissipative nature of classical fourth or higher- order spatial differencing away from shock waves and steep gradient regions while being capable of accurately capturing discontinuities, steep gradient and fine scale turbulent structures in a stable and efficient manner is described. The approach is a generalization of the method of Gustafsson and Olsson and the artificial compression method (ACM) of Harten. Spatially non-dissipative fourth or higher-order compact and non-compact spatial differencings are used as the base schemes. Instead of applying a scalar filter as in Gustafsson and Olsson, an ACM like term is used to signal the appropriate amount of second or third-order TVD or ENO types of characteristic based numerical dissipation. This term acts as a characteristic filter to minimize numerical dissipation for the overall scheme. For time-accurate computations, time discretizations with low dissipation are used. Numerical experiments on 2-D vortical flows, vortex-shock interactions and compressible spatially and temporally evolving mixing layers showed that the proposed schemes have the desired property with only a 10% increase in operations count over standard second-order TVD schemes. Aside from the ability to accurately capture shock-turbulence interaction flows, this approach is also capable of accurately preserving vortex convection. Higher accuracy is achieved with fewer grid points when compared to that of standard second-order TVD or ENO schemes. To demonstrate the applicability of these schemes in sustaining turbulence where shock waves are absent, a simulation of 3-D compressible turbulent channel flow in a small domain is conducted.

Solution of the Eshelby problem in gradient elasticity for multilayer spherical inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov-Bogorodskii, D. B.; Lurie, S. A.

2016-03-01

We consider gradient models of elasticity which permit taking into account the characteristic scale parameters of the material. We prove the Papkovich-Neuber theorems, which determine the general form of the gradient solution and the structure of scale effects. We derive the Eshelby integral formula for the gradient moduli of elasticity, which plays the role of the closing equation in the self-consistent three-phase method. In the gradient theory of deformations, we consider the fundamental Eshelby-Christensen problem of determining the effective elastic properties of dispersed composites with spherical inclusions; the exact solution of this problem for classical models was obtained in 1976. This paper is the first to present the exact analytical solution of the Eshelby-Christensen problem for the gradient theory, which permits estimating the influence of scale effects on the stress state and the effective properties of the dispersed composites under study.We also analyze the influence of scale factors.

A Novel Gradient Vector Flow Snake Model Based on Convex Function for Infrared Image Segmentation

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rui; Zhu, Shiping; Zhou, Qin

2016-01-01

Infrared image segmentation is a challenging topic because infrared images are characterized by high noise, low contrast, and weak edges. Active contour models, especially gradient vector flow, have several advantages in terms of infrared image segmentation. However, the GVF (Gradient Vector Flow) model also has some drawbacks including a dilemma between noise smoothing and weak edge protection, which decrease the effect of infrared image segmentation significantly. In order to solve this problem, we propose a novel generalized gradient vector flow snakes model combining GGVF (Generic Gradient Vector Flow) and NBGVF (Normally Biased Gradient Vector Flow) models. We also adopt a new type of coefficients setting in the form of convex function to improve the ability of protecting weak edges while smoothing noises. Experimental results and comparisons against other methods indicate that our proposed snakes model owns better ability in terms of infrared image segmentation than other snakes models. PMID:27775660

The geothermal gradient map of Central Tunisia: Comparison with structural, gravimetric and petroleum data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhia, Hamed Ben

1987-10-01

Five hundred and fifty temperature values, initially measured as either bottom-hole temperatures (BHT) or drill-stem tests (DST), from 98 selected petroleum exploration wells form the basis of a geothermal gradient map of central Tunisia. A "global-statistical" method was employed to correct the BHT measurements, using the DST as references. The geothermal gradient ranges from 23° to 49°C/km. Comparison of the geothermal gradient with structural, gravimetric and petroleum data indicates that: (1) the general trend of the geothermal gradient curves reflects the main structural directions of the region, (2) zones of low and high geothermal gradient are correlated with zones of negative and positive Bouguer anomalies and (3) the five most important oil fields of central Tunisia are located near the geothermal gradient curve of 40° C/km. Such associations could have practical importance in petroleum exploration, but their significance must first be established through further investigation and additional data.

Recent developments in LIBXC - A comprehensive library of functionals for density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehtola, Susi; Steigemann, Conrad; Oliveira, Micael J. T.; Marques, Miguel A. L.

2018-01-01

LIBXC is a library of exchange-correlation functionals for density-functional theory. We are concerned with semi-local functionals (or the semi-local part of hybrid functionals), namely local-density approximations, generalized-gradient approximations, and meta-generalized-gradient approximations. Currently we include around 400 functionals for the exchange, correlation, and the kinetic energy, spanning more than 50 years of research. Moreover, LIBXC is by now used by more than 20 codes, not only from the atomic, molecular, and solid-state physics, but also from the quantum chemistry communities.

Ion diffusion may introduce spurious current sources in current-source density (CSD) analysis.

PubMed

Halnes, Geir; Mäki-Marttunen, Tuomo; Pettersen, Klas H; Andreassen, Ole A; Einevoll, Gaute T

2017-07-01

Current-source density (CSD) analysis is a well-established method for analyzing recorded local field potentials (LFPs), that is, the low-frequency part of extracellular potentials. Standard CSD theory is based on the assumption that all extracellular currents are purely ohmic, and thus neglects the possible impact from ionic diffusion on recorded potentials. However, it has previously been shown that in physiological conditions with large ion-concentration gradients, diffusive currents can evoke slow shifts in extracellular potentials. Using computer simulations, we here show that diffusion-evoked potential shifts can introduce errors in standard CSD analysis, and can lead to prediction of spurious current sources. Further, we here show that the diffusion-evoked prediction errors can be removed by using an improved CSD estimator which accounts for concentration-dependent effects. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Standard CSD analysis does not account for ionic diffusion. Using biophysically realistic computer simulations, we show that unaccounted-for diffusive currents can lead to the prediction of spurious current sources. This finding may be of strong interest for in vivo electrophysiologists doing extracellular recordings in general, and CSD analysis in particular. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Ultrafast NMR diffusion measurements exploiting chirp spin echoes.

PubMed

Ahola, Susanna; Mankinen, Otto; Telkki, Ville-Veikko

2017-04-01

Standard diffusion NMR measurements require the repetition of the experiment multiple times with varying gradient strength or diffusion delay. This makes the experiment time-consuming and restricts the use of hyperpolarized substances to boost sensitivity. We propose a novel single-scan diffusion experiment, which is based on spatial encoding of two-dimensional data, employing the spin-echoes created by two successive adiabatic frequency-swept chirp π pulses. The experiment is called ultrafast pulsed-field-gradient spin-echo (UF-PGSE). We present a rigorous derivation of the echo amplitude in the UF-PGSE experiment, justifying the theoretical basis of the method. The theory reveals also that the standard analysis of experimental data leads to a diffusion coefficient value overestimated by a few per cent. Although the overestimation is of the order of experimental error and thus insignificant in many practical applications, we propose that it can be compensated by a bipolar gradient version of the experiment, UF-BP-PGSE, or by corresponding stimulated-echo experiment, UF-BP-pulsed-field-gradient stimulated-echo. The latter also removes the effect of uniform background gradients. The experiments offer significant prospects for monitoring fast processes in real time as well as for increasing the sensitivity of experiments by several orders of magnitude by nuclear spin hyperpolarization. Furthermore, they can be applied as basic blocks in various ultrafast multidimensional Laplace NMR experiments. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new smoothing modified three-term conjugate gradient method for [Formula: see text]-norm minimization problem.

PubMed

Du, Shouqiang; Chen, Miao

2018-01-01

We consider a kind of nonsmooth optimization problems with [Formula: see text]-norm minimization, which has many applications in compressed sensing, signal reconstruction, and the related engineering problems. Using smoothing approximate techniques, this kind of nonsmooth optimization problem can be transformed into a general unconstrained optimization problem, which can be solved by the proposed smoothing modified three-term conjugate gradient method. The smoothing modified three-term conjugate gradient method is based on Polak-Ribière-Polyak conjugate gradient method. For the Polak-Ribière-Polyak conjugate gradient method has good numerical properties, the proposed method possesses the sufficient descent property without any line searches, and it is also proved to be globally convergent. Finally, the numerical experiments show the efficiency of the proposed method.

[Maintaining mechanism of species diversity of land plant communities].

PubMed

Shang, Wenyan; Wu, Gang; Fu, Xiao; Liu, Yang

2005-03-01

The maintaining mechanism of species diversity of land plant communities is a key and advancing edge in biodiversity study. Botanists and ecologists have presented many hypotheses and theories with controversies, and no general theory system was available. In this paper, the problem was reviewed mainly on two scales. The first was big spatial scale, aiming at the physical and natural factors that affect the species diversity, including histories and ages of plant communities, gradient changes such as latitude gradient, water gradient, altitude gradient and soil nutrients gradient, area effect, and isolation; and the second was concentrated on a special plant community, and mainly discussed the relationships of biodiversity with biotic factors (primary productivity, relationship between species, and gap dynamics) and abiotic factors (succession, disturbance and spatial heterogeneity, and human activity).

Echo-Planar Imaging for a 9.4 Tesla Vertical-Bore Superconducting Magnet Using an Unshielded Gradient Coil.

PubMed

Kodama, Nao; Kose, Katsumi

2016-10-11

Echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences were developed for a 9.4 Tesla vertical standard bore (~54 mm) superconducting magnet using an unshielded gradient coil optimized for live mice imaging and a data correction technique with reference scans. Because EPI requires fast switching of intense magnetic field gradients, eddy currents were induced in the surrounding metallic materials, e.g., the room temperature bore, and this produced serious artifacts on the EPI images. We solved the problem using an unshielded gradient coil set of proper size (outer diameter = 39 mm, inner diameter = 32 mm) with time control of the current rise and reference scans. The obtained EPI images of a phantom and a plant sample were almost artifact-free and demonstrated the promise of our approach.

Age, gender, and socioeconomic gradients in metabolic syndrome: biomarker evidence from a large sample in Taiwan, 2005-2013.

PubMed

Wu, Hania F; Tam, Tony; Jin, Lei; Lao, Xiang Q; Chung, Roger Yat-Nork; Su, Xue F; Zee, Benny

2017-05-01

To examine the age and gender heterogeneities in the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) with biomarker data from Taiwan. Subjects included 102,201 men and 112,015 women aged 25 and above, from the 2005-2013 MJ Health Survey in Taiwan. SES was measured by education and family income. MetS was defined by the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria for Asian population. Logistic regression analyses were performed by age and gender groups. (1) Higher education level was associated with significantly lower risk of MetS. (2) Higher income was associated with lower MetS risk among women aged under 65, but no association among men of all ages. (3) SES gradients were generally much stronger among women than among men of the same age group. (4) SES gradients reduced over the life course with the exception that income gradient remains flat among men of all ages. Among Chinese in Taiwan, the gender and age heterogeneities in the SES gradients in MetS are similar to those reported for Western societies. This cross-cultural convergence is broadly consistent with the general hypothesis that social conditions are fundamental causes of diseases and health disparities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy harvesting from vibration of Timoshenko nanobeam under base excitation considering flexoelectric and elastic strain gradient effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Managheb, S. A. M.; Ziaei-Rad, S.; Tikani, R.

2018-05-01

The coupling between polarization and strain gradients is called flexoelectricity. This phenomenon exists in all dielectrics with any symmetry. In this paper, energy harvesting from a Timoshenko beam is studied by considering the flexoelectric and strain gradient effects. General governing equations and related boundary conditions are derived using Hamilton's principle. The flexoelectric effects are defined by gradients of normal and shear strains which lead to a more general model. The developed model also covers the classical Timoshenko beam theory by ignoring the flexoelectric effect. Based on the developed model, flexoelectricity effect on dielectric beams and energy harvesting from cantilever beam under harmonic base excitation is investigated. A parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effects of flexoelectric coefficients, strain gradient constants, base acceleration and the attaching tip mass on the energy harvested from a cantilever Timoshenko beam. Results show that the flexoelectricity has a significant effect on the energy harvester performance, especially in submicron and nano scales. In addition, this effect makes the beam to behave softer than before and also it changes the harvester first resonance frequency. The present study provides guidance for flexoelectric nano-beam analysis and a method to evaluate the performance of energy harvester in nano-dielectric devices.

A General, Synthetic Model for Predicting Biodiversity Gradients from Environmental Geometry.

PubMed

Gross, Kevin; Snyder-Beattie, Andrew

2016-10-01

Latitudinal and elevational biodiversity gradients fascinate ecologists, and have inspired dozens of explanations. The geometry of the abiotic environment is sometimes thought to contribute to these gradients, yet evaluations of geometric explanations are limited by a fragmented understanding of the diversity patterns they predict. This article presents a mathematical model that synthesizes multiple pathways by which environmental geometry can drive diversity gradients. The model characterizes species ranges by their environmental niches and limits on range sizes and places those ranges onto the simplified geometries of a sphere or cone. The model predicts nuanced and realistic species-richness gradients, including latitudinal diversity gradients with tropical plateaus and mid-latitude inflection points and elevational diversity gradients with low-elevation diversity maxima. The model also illustrates the importance of a mid-environment effect that augments species richness at locations with intermediate environments. Model predictions match multiple empirical biodiversity gradients, depend on ecological traits in a testable fashion, and formally synthesize elements of several geometric models. Together, these results suggest that previous assessments of geometric hypotheses should be reconsidered and that environmental geometry may play a deeper role in driving biodiversity gradients than is currently appreciated.

The molecular gradient using the divide-expand-consolidate resolution of the identity second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory: The DEC-RI-MP2 gradient

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

Bykov, Dmytro; Kristensen, Kasper; Kjærgaard, Thomas

We report an implementation of the molecular gradient using the divide-expand-consolidate resolution of the identity second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (DEC-RI-MP2). The new DEC-RI-MP2 gradient method combines the precision control as well as the linear-scaling and massively parallel features of the DEC scheme with efficient evaluations of the gradient contributions using the RI approximation. We further demonstrate that the DEC-RI-MP2 gradient method is capable of calculating molecular gradients for very large molecular systems. A test set of supramolecular complexes containing up to 158 atoms and 1960 contracted basis functions has been employed to demonstrate the general applicability of the DEC-RI-MP2 methodmore » and to analyze the errors of the DEC approximation. Moreover, the test set contains molecules of complicated electronic structures and is thus deliberately chosen to stress test the DEC-RI-MP2 gradient implementation. Additionally, as a showcase example the full molecular gradient for insulin (787 atoms and 7604 contracted basis functions) has been evaluated.« less

Changes in the structures of motile sperm subpopulations in dog spermatozoa after both cryopreservation and centrifugation on PureSperm(®) gradient.

PubMed

Dorado, J; Alcaráz, L; Duarte, N; Portero, J M; Acha, D; Hidalgo, M

2011-05-01

The aims of the present study were to: (1) determine if discrete motile sperm subpopulations exist and their incidence in fresh dog ejaculates, (2) evaluate the effects of cryopreservation on the distribution of spermatozoa within the different subpopulations, and (3) determine the effect of the discontinuous PureSperm(®) gradient on the sperm subpopulation structure of frozen-thawed dog spermatozoa. Semen from 5 dogs were collected and cryopreserved following a standard protocol. After thawing, semen samples were selected by centrifugation on PureSperm(®). Sperm motility (assessed by computerized-assisted semen analysis, CASA) was assessed before freezing, just after thawing and after preparation on the PureSperm(®) gradients. Cryopreservation had a significant (P<0.001) effect on CASA-derived parameters. PureSperm(®) centrifugation yielded sperm suspensions with improved motility (P<0.01). A multivariate clustering procedure separated 19414 motile spermatozoa into four subpopulations: Subpopulation 1 consisting of poorly active and non-progressive spermatozoa (20.97%), Subpopulation 2 consisting of slow and low-linear spermatozoa (18.24%), Subpopulation 3 consisting of highly active but non-progressive spermatozoa (20.75%), and Subpopulation 4 consisting of high speed and progressive spermatozoa (40.03%). Although, cryopreservation had a significant (P<0.001) effect on both the frequency distribution of spermatozoa within subpopulations and the motion characteristics of each subpopulation, the sperm subpopulation structure was perfectly maintained after freezing and thawing. The selected sperm samples was enrich in Subpopulation 4, reaching a proportion of 31.9% of the present spermatozoa, in contrast with the unselected sperm samples, where this sperm subpopulation accounted for 24.9% of the total. From these results, we concluded that four well-defined motile sperm subpopulations were present either in fresh semen, in unselected sperm samples or in selected preparations from dogs. The discontinuous PureSperm(®) gradient is a simple method to improve the quality of canine frozen-thawed semen samples, since Subpopulation 4 (high-speed and progressive spermatozoa) was more frequently observed after preparation on the gradient. Finally, this study also demonstrated that the general motile sperm structure present in dog remains constant despite the effect caused by either cryopreservation or separation on PureSperm(®) gradient. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seafloor Topography Estimation from Gravity Gradient Using Simulated Annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Jekeli, C.; Liu, L.

2017-12-01

Inferring seafloor topography from gravimetry is an indirect yet proven and efficient means to map the ocean floor. Standard techniques rely on an approximate, linear relationship (Parker's formula) between topography and gravity. It has been reported that in the very rugged areas the discrepancies between prediction and ship soundings are very large, partly because the linear term of Parker's infinite series is dominant only in areas where the local topography is small compared with the regional topography. The validity of the linear approximation is therefore in need of analysis. In this study the nonlinear effects caused by terrain are quantified by both numerical tests and an algorithmic approach called coherency. It is shown that the nonlinear effects are more significant at higher frequencies, which suggests that estimation algorithms with nonlinear approximation in the modeled relationship between gravity gradient and topography should be developed in preparation for future high-resolution gravity gradient missions. The simulated annealing (SA) method is such an optimization technique that can process nonlinear inverse problems, and is used to estimate the seafloor topography parameters in a forward model by minimizing the difference between the observed and forward-computed vertical gravity gradients. Careful treatments like choosing suitable truncation distance, padding the vicinity of the study area with a known topography model, and using the relative cost function, are considered to improve the estimation accuracy. This study uses the gravity gradient, which is more sensitive to topography at short wavelengths than gravity anomaly. The gravity gradient data are derived from satellite altimetry, but the SA has no restrictions on data distribution, as required in Parker's infinite series model, thus enabling the use of airborne gravity gradient data, whose survey trajectories are irregular. The SA method is tested in an area of Guyots (E 156°-158° in longitude, N 20°-22° in latitude). Comparison between the estimation and ship sounding shows that half of the discrepancy is within 110 m, which improves the result from standard techniques by 32%.

Experimental and observational studies find contrasting responses of soil nutrients to climate change

PubMed Central

Yuan, ZY; Jiao, F; Shi, XR; Sardans, Jordi; Maestre, Fernando T; Delgado-Baquerizo, Manuel; Reich, Peter B; Peñuelas, Josep

2017-01-01

Manipulative experiments and observations along environmental gradients, the two most common approaches to evaluate the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling, are generally assumed to produce similar results, but this assumption has rarely been tested. We did so by conducting a meta-analysis and found that soil nutrients responded differentially to drivers of climate change depending on the approach considered. Soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations generally decreased with water addition in manipulative experiments but increased with annual precipitation along environmental gradients. Different patterns were also observed between warming experiments and temperature gradients. Our findings provide evidence of inconsistent results and suggest that manipulative experiments may be better predictors of the causal impacts of short-term (months to years) climate change on soil nutrients but environmental gradients may provide better information for long-term correlations (centuries to millennia) between these nutrients and climatic features. Ecosystem models should consequently incorporate both experimental and observational data to properly assess the impacts of climate change on nutrient cycling. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23255.001 PMID:28570219

Gradient waveform pre-emphasis based on the gradient system transfer function.

PubMed

Stich, Manuel; Wech, Tobias; Slawig, Anne; Ringler, Ralf; Dewdney, Andrew; Greiser, Andreas; Ruyters, Gudrun; Bley, Thorsten A; Köstler, Herbert

2018-02-25

The gradient system transfer function (GSTF) has been used to describe the distorted k-space trajectory for image reconstruction. The purpose of this work was to use the GSTF to determine the pre-emphasis for an undistorted gradient output and intended k-space trajectory. The GSTF of the MR system was determined using only standard MR hardware without special equipment such as field probes or a field camera. The GSTF was used for trajectory prediction in image reconstruction and for a gradient waveform pre-emphasis. As test sequences, a gradient-echo sequence with phase-encoding gradient modulation and a gradient-echo sequence with a spiral read-out trajectory were implemented and subsequently applied on a structural phantom and in vivo head measurements. Image artifacts were successfully suppressed by applying the GSTF-based pre-emphasis. Equivalent results are achieved with images acquired using GSTF-based post-correction of the trajectory as a part of image reconstruction. In contrast, the pre-emphasis approach allows reconstruction using the initially intended trajectory. The artifact suppression shown for two sequences demonstrates that the GSTF can serve for a novel pre-emphasis. A pre-emphasis based on the GSTF information can be applied to any arbitrary sequence type. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

NEON, Establishing a Standardized Network for Groundwater Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzgerald, M.; Schroeter, N.; Goodman, K. J.; Roehm, C. L.

2013-12-01

The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is establishing a standardized set of data collection systems comprised of in-situ sensors and observational sampling to obtain data fundamental to the analysis of environmental change at a continental scale. NEON will be collecting aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric data using Observatory-wide standardized designs and methods via a systems engineering approach. This approach ensures a wealth of high quality data, data algorithms, and models that will be freely accessible to all communities such as academic researchers, policy makers, and the general public. The project is established to provide 30 years of data which will enable prediction and forecasting of drivers and responses of ecological change at scales ranging from localized responses through regional gradients and up to the continental scale. The Observatory is a distributed system of sites spread across the United States, including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, which is subdivided into 20 statistically unique domains, based on a set of 18 ecologically important parameters. Each domain contains at least one core aquatic and terrestrial site which are located in unmanaged lands, and up to 2 additional sites selected to study domain specific questions such as nitrogen deposition gradients and responses of land use change activities on the ecosystem. Here, we present the development of NEON's groundwater observation well network design and the timing strategy for sampling groundwater chemistry. Shallow well networks, up to 100 feet in depth, will be installed at NEON aquatic sites and will allow for observation of localized ecohydrologic site conditions, by providing basic spatio-temporal near-real time data on groundwater parameters (level, temperature, conductivity) collected from in situ high-resolution instrumentation positioned in each well; and biannual sampling of geochemical and nutrient (N and P) concentrations in a subset of wells for each site. These data will be used to calculate several higher level data products such as hydrologic gradients which drive nutrient fluxes and their change over time. When coupled with other NEON data products, these data will allow for examining surface water/groundwater interactions as well as additional terrestrial and aquatic linkages, such as riparian vegetation response to changing ecohydrologic conditions (i.e. groundwater withdraw for irrigation, land use change) and natural sources (i.e. drought and changing precipitation patterns). This work will present the well network arrays designed for the different types of aquatic sites (1st/2nd order streams, larger rivers, and lakes) including variations on the well network designs for sites where physical constraints hinder a consistent design due to topographic (steep topography, wetlands) or physical constraints (such as permafrost). A generalized sampling strategy for each type of environment will also be detailed indicating the time of year, largely governed by hydrologic conditions, when sampling should take place to provide consistent groundwater chemistry data to allow for analyzing geochemical trends spatially across the network and through time.

A low-cost gradient system for high-performance liquid chromatography. Quantitation of complex pharmaceutical raw materials.

PubMed

Erni, F; Frei, R W

1976-09-29

A device is described that makes use of an eight-port motor valve to generate step gradients on the low-pressure side of a piston pump with a low dead volume. Such a gradient device with an automatic control unit, which also permits repetition of previous steps, can be built for about half the cost of a gradient system with two pumps. Applications of this gradient unit to the separation of complex mixtures of glycosides and alkaloids are discussed and compared with separations systems using two high-pressure pumps. The gradients that are used on reversed-phase material with solvent mixtures of water and completely miscible organic solvents are suitable for quantitative routine control of pharmaceutical products. The reproducibility of retention data is excellent over several months and, with the use of loop injectors, major components can be determined quantitatively with a reproducibility of better than 2% (relative standard deviation). The step gradient selector valve can also be used as an introduction system for very large sample volumes. Up to 11 can be injected and samples with concentrations of less than 1 ppb can be determined with good reproducibilities.

Trends in the educational gradient of mortality among US adults aged 45 to 84 years: bringing regional context into the explanation.

PubMed

Montez, Jennifer Karas; Berkman, Lisa F

2014-01-01

We investigated trends in the educational gradient of US adult mortality, which has increased at the national level since the mid-1980s, within US regions. We used data from the 1986-2006 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File on non-Hispanic White and Black adults aged 45 to 84 years (n = 498,517). We examined trends in the gradient within 4 US regions by race-gender subgroup by using age-standardized death rates. Trends in the gradient exhibited a few subtle regional differences. Among women, the gradient was often narrowest in the Northeast. The region's distinction grew over time mainly because low-educated women in the Northeast did not experience a significant increase in mortality like their counterparts in other regions (particularly for White women). Among White men, the gradient narrowed to a small degree in the West. The subtle regional differences indicate that geographic context can accentuate or suppress trends in the gradient. Studies of smaller areas may provide insights into the specific contextual characteristics (e.g., state tax policies) that have shaped the trends, and thus help explain and reverse the widening mortality disparities among US adults.

Results for diffusion-weighted imaging with a fourth-channel gradient insert.

PubMed

Feldman, Rebecca E; Scholl, Timothy J; Alford, Jamu K; Handler, William B; Harris, Chad T; Chronik, Blaine A

2011-12-01

Diffusion-weighted imaging suffers from motion artifacts and relatively low signal quality due to the long echo times required to permit the diffusion encoding. We investigated the inclusion of a noncylindrical fourth gradient coil, dedicated entirely to diffusion encoding, into the imaging system. Standard three-axis whole body gradients were used during image acquisition, but we designed and constructed an insert coil to perform diffusion encodings. We imaged three phantoms on a 3-T system with a range of diffusion coefficients. Using the insert gradient, we were able to encode b values of greater than 1300 s/mm(2) with an echo time of just 83 ms. Images obtained using the insert gradient had higher signal to noise ratios than those obtained using the whole body gradient: at 500 s/mm(2) there was a 18% improvement in signal to noise ratio, at 1000 s/mm(2) there was a 39% improvement in signal to noise ratio, and at 1350 s/mm(2) there was a 56% improvement in signal to noise ratio. Using the insert gradient, we were capable of doing diffusion encoding at high b values by using relatively short echo times. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hydroxylapatite chromatography.

PubMed

Broadhurst, A V

2001-05-01

Hydroxylapatite (also called hydroxyapatite), a form of calcium phosphate, can be used as a matrix for the chromatography of both proteins and nucleic acids. Protocols are provided for both standard low-pressure chromatography of a protein mixture using a hydroxylapatite column prepared in the laboratory, and an HPLC method, applicable to proteins and nucleic acids, that uses a commercially available column. Alternate protocols describe column chromatography using a step gradient or batch binding and step-gradient elution.

Combination of Multiplex PCR and PCR-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis for Monitoring Common Sourdough-Associated Lactobacillus Species

PubMed Central

Settanni, Luca; Valmorri, Sara; van Sinderen, Douwe; Suzzi, Giovanna; Paparella, Antonello; Corsetti, Aldo

2006-01-01

A combination of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and a previously described multiplex PCR approach was employed to detect sourdough lactobacilli. Primers specific for certain groups of Lactobacillus spp. were used to amplify fragments, which were analyzed by DGGE. DGGE profiles obtained from Lactobacillus type strains acted as standards to analyze lactobacilli from four regional Abruzzo (central Italy) sourdoughs. PMID:16672538

Derivation of general analytic gradient expressions for density-fitted post-Hartree-Fock methods: An efficient implementation for the density-fitted second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory

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

Bozkaya, Uğur, E-mail: ugur.bozkaya@atauni.edu.tr

General analytic gradient expressions (with the frozen-core approximation) are presented for density-fitted post-HF methods. An efficient implementation of frozen-core analytic gradients for the second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) with the density-fitting (DF) approximation (applying to both reference and correlation energies), which is denoted as DF-MP2, is reported. The DF-MP2 method is applied to a set of alkanes, conjugated dienes, and noncovalent interaction complexes to compare the computational cost of single point analytic gradients with MP2 with the resolution of the identity approach (RI-MP2) [F. Weigend and M. Häser, Theor. Chem. Acc. 97, 331 (1997); R. A. Distasio, R. P. Steele,more » Y. M. Rhee, Y. Shao, and M. Head-Gordon, J. Comput. Chem. 28, 839 (2007)]. In the RI-MP2 method, the DF approach is used only for the correlation energy. Our results demonstrate that the DF-MP2 method substantially accelerate the RI-MP2 method for analytic gradient computations due to the reduced input/output (I/O) time. Because in the DF-MP2 method the DF approach is used for both reference and correlation energies, the storage of 4-index electron repulsion integrals (ERIs) are avoided, 3-index ERI tensors are employed instead. Further, as in case of integrals, our gradient equation is completely avoid construction or storage of the 4-index two-particle density matrix (TPDM), instead we use 2- and 3-index TPDMs. Hence, the I/O bottleneck of a gradient computation is significantly overcome. Therefore, the cost of the generalized-Fock matrix (GFM), TPDM, solution of Z-vector equations, the back transformation of TPDM, and integral derivatives are substantially reduced when the DF approach is used for the entire energy expression. Further application results show that the DF approach introduce negligible errors for closed-shell reaction energies and equilibrium bond lengths.« less

Gradient pre-emphasis to counteract first-order concomitant fields on asymmetric MRI gradient systems.

PubMed

Tao, Shengzhen; Weavers, Paul T; Trzasko, Joshua D; Shu, Yunhong; Huston, John; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Frigo, Louis M; Bernstein, Matt A

2017-06-01

To develop a gradient pre-emphasis scheme that prospectively counteracts the effects of the first-order concomitant fields for any arbitrary gradient waveform played on asymmetric gradient systems, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach using a real-time implementation on a compact gradient system. After reviewing the first-order concomitant fields that are present on asymmetric gradients, we developed a generalized gradient pre-emphasis model assuming arbitrary gradient waveforms to counteract their effects. A numerically straightforward, easily implemented approximate solution to this pre-emphasis problem was derived that was compatible with the current hardware infrastructure of conventional MRI scanners for eddy current compensation. The proposed method was implemented on the gradient driver subsystem, and its real-time use was tested using a series of phantom and in vivo data acquired from two-dimensional Cartesian phase-difference, echo-planar imaging, and spiral acquisitions. The phantom and in vivo results demonstrated that unless accounted for, first-order concomitant fields introduce considerable phase estimation error into the measured data and result in images with spatially dependent blurring/distortion. The resulting artifacts were effectively prevented using the proposed gradient pre-emphasis. We have developed an efficient and effective gradient pre-emphasis framework to counteract the effects of first-order concomitant fields of asymmetric gradient systems. Magn Reson Med 77:2250-2262, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Flow-related Right Ventricular - Pulmonary Arterial Pressure Gradients during Exercise.

PubMed

Wright, Stephen P; Opotowsky, Alexander R; Buchan, Tayler A; Esfandiari, Sam; Granton, John T; Goodman, Jack M; Mak, Susanna

2018-06-06

The assumption of equivalence between right ventricular and pulmonary arterial systolic pressure is fundamental to several assessments of right ventricular or pulmonary vascular hemodynamic function. Our aims were to 1) determine whether systolic pressure gradients develop across the right ventricular outflow tract in healthy adults during exercise, 2) examine the potential correlates of such gradients, and 3) consider the effect of such gradients on calculated indices of right ventricular function. Healthy untrained and endurance-trained adult volunteers were studied using right-heart catheterization at rest and during submaximal cycle ergometry. Right ventricular and pulmonary artery pressures were simultaneously transduced, and cardiac output was determined by thermodilution. Systolic pressures, peak and mean gradients, and indices of chamber, vascular, and valve function were analyzed offline. Summary data are reported as mean ± standard deviation or median [interquartile range]. No significant right ventricular outflow tract gradients were observed at rest (mean gradient = 4 [3-5] mmHg), and calculated effective orifice area was 3.6±1.0 cm2. Right ventricular systolic pressure increases during exercise were greater than that of pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Accordingly, mean gradients developed during light exercise (8 [7-9] mmHg) and increased during moderate exercise (12 [9-14] mmHg, p < 0.001). The magnitude of the mean gradient was linearly related to cardiac output (r2 = 0.70, p < 0.001). In healthy adults without pulmonic stenosis, systolic pressure gradients develop during exercise, and the magnitude is related to blood flow rate.

In vitro cell-mediated immunity after thermal injury is not impaired. Density gradient purification of mononuclear cells is associated with spurious (artifactual) immunosuppression.

PubMed Central

Xu, D Z; Deitch, E A; Sittig, K; Qi, L; McDonald, J C

1988-01-01

Mononuclear cells isolated by density gradient centrifugation from the peripheral blood of burn patients, but not healthy volunteers, are contaminated with large numbers of nonmononuclear cells. These contaminating leukocytes could cause artifactual alterations in standard in vitro tests of lymphocyte function. Thus, we compared the in vitro blastogenic response of density gradient purified leukocytes and T-cell purified lymphocytes from 13 burn patients to mitogenic (PHA) and antigenic stimuli. The mitogenic and antigenic response of the patients' density gradient purified leukocytes were impaired compared to healthy volunteers (p less than 0.01). However, when the contaminating nonlymphocytes were removed, the patients' cells responded normally to both stimuli. Thus, density gradient purified mononuclear cells from burn patients are contaminated by leukocytes that are not phenotypically or functionally lymphocytes. Since the lymphocytes from burn patients respond normally to PHA and alloantigens after the contaminating nonlymphocyte cell population has been removed, it appears that in vitro assays of lymphocyte function using density gradient purified leukocytes may give spurious results. PMID:2973771

VARIABILITY OF VISUAL FIELD MEASUREMENTS IS CORRELATED WITH THE GRADIENT OF VISUAL SENSITIVITY

PubMed Central

Wyatt, Harry J.; Dul, Mitchell W.; Swanson, William H.

2007-01-01

Conventional static automated perimetry provides important clinical information, but its utility is limited by considerable test-retest variability. Fixational eye movements during testing could contribute to variability. To assess this possibility, it is important to know how much sensitivity change would be caused by a given eye movement. To investigate this, we have evaluated the gradient, the rate at which sensitivity changes with location. We tested one eye each, twice within 3 weeks, of 29 patients with glaucoma, 17 young normal subjects and 13 older normal subjects. The 10-2 test pattern with the SITA Standard algorithm was used to assess sensitivity at locations with 2° spacing. Variability and gradient were calculated at individual test locations. Matrix correlations were determined between variability and gradient, and were substantial for the patients with glaucoma. The results were consistent with a substantial contribution to test-retest variability from small fixational eye movements interacting with visual field gradient. Successful characterization of the gradient of sensitivity appears to require sampling at relatively close spacing, as in the 10-2 test pattern. PMID:17320924

Variability of visual field measurements is correlated with the gradient of visual sensitivity.

PubMed

Wyatt, Harry J; Dul, Mitchell W; Swanson, William H

2007-03-01

Conventional static automated perimetry provides important clinical information, but its utility is limited by considerable test-retest variability. Fixational eye movements during testing could contribute to variability. To assess this possibility, it is important to know how much sensitivity change would be caused by a given eye movement. To investigate this, we have evaluated the gradient, the rate at which sensitivity changes with location. We tested one eye each, twice within 3 weeks, of 29 patients with glaucoma, 17 young normal subjects and 13 older normal subjects. The 10-2 test pattern with the SITA Standard algorithm was used to assess sensitivity at locations with 2 degrees spacing. Variability and gradient were calculated at individual test locations. Matrix correlations were determined between variability and gradient, and were substantial for the patients with glaucoma. The results were consistent with a substantial contribution to test-retest variability from small fixational eye movements interacting with visual field gradient. Successful characterization of the gradient of sensitivity appears to require sampling at relatively close spacing, as in the 10-2 test pattern.

Experimental challenges to stiffness as a transport paradigm

DOE PAGES

Luce, Timothy C.; Burrell, Keith H.; Holland, Christopher; ...

2018-01-04

Two power scans were carried out in H-mode plasmas in DIII-D; one employed standard co-current neutral beam injection (NBI), while the other used a mixture of co-current and counter-current NBI to scan power while holding the torque to a low fixed value. Analysis of the ion and electron heat transport, ion toroidal angular momentum transport, and thermal deuterium transport from these scans are presented. Invariance of the gradients or gradient scalelengths, as might be expected from stiff transport, was not generally observed. When invariance was seen, it was not accompanied by a strong increase in transport, except in the casemore » of the absolute deuterium ion transport. Conduction in the ion channel is the dominant energy loss mechanism. The variation of the ion heat transport with applied power is similar for the co-injection and fixed torque scans, indicating that ExB shearing is not determining the plasma response to additional power. There is however, a quantitative difference in the transport between the two scans, indicating ExB shearing does play a role in the transport. Comparison of these results with a previous experiment that directly probed stiffness at a single radius leads to the following conclusion: while local stiffness as formally defined may hold, invariance of the gradients or normalized scalelengths does not follow from stiff transport in more practical scaling experiments, such as the power scans discussed here. Lastly, possible reasons for the lack of correspondence between the local picture and the global expectations are discussed.« less

Experimental challenges to stiffness as a transport paradigm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luce, T. C.; Burrell, K. H.; Holland, C.; Marinoni, A.; Petty, C. C.; Smith, S. P.; Austin, M. E.; Grierson, B. A.; Zeng, L.

2018-02-01

Two power scans were carried out in H-mode plasmas in DIII-D; one employed standard co-current neutral beam injection (NBI), while the other used a mixture of co-current and counter-current NBI to scan power while holding the torque to a low fixed value. Analysis of the ion and electron heat transport, ion toroidal angular momentum transport, and thermal deuterium transport from these scans is presented. Invariance of the gradients or gradient scalelengths, as might be expected from stiff transport, was not generally observed. When invariance was seen, it was not accompanied by a strong increase in transport, except in the case of the absolute deuterium ion transport. Conduction in the ion channel is the dominant energy loss mechanism. The variation of the ion heat transport with applied power is similar for the co-injection and fixed torque scans, indicating that E  ×  B shearing is not determining the plasma response to additional power. There is however, a quantitative difference in the transport between the two scans, indicating E  ×  B shearing does play a role in the transport. Comparison of these results with a previous experiment that directly probed stiffness at a single radius leads to the following conclusion: while local stiffness as formally defined may hold, invariance of the gradients or normalized scalelengths does not follow from stiff transport in more practical scaling experiments, such as the power scans discussed here. Possible reasons for the lack of correspondence between the local picture and the global expectations are discussed.

Experimental challenges to stiffness as a transport paradigm

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

Luce, Timothy C.; Burrell, Keith H.; Holland, Christopher

Two power scans were carried out in H-mode plasmas in DIII-D; one employed standard co-current neutral beam injection (NBI), while the other used a mixture of co-current and counter-current NBI to scan power while holding the torque to a low fixed value. Analysis of the ion and electron heat transport, ion toroidal angular momentum transport, and thermal deuterium transport from these scans are presented. Invariance of the gradients or gradient scalelengths, as might be expected from stiff transport, was not generally observed. When invariance was seen, it was not accompanied by a strong increase in transport, except in the casemore » of the absolute deuterium ion transport. Conduction in the ion channel is the dominant energy loss mechanism. The variation of the ion heat transport with applied power is similar for the co-injection and fixed torque scans, indicating that ExB shearing is not determining the plasma response to additional power. There is however, a quantitative difference in the transport between the two scans, indicating ExB shearing does play a role in the transport. Comparison of these results with a previous experiment that directly probed stiffness at a single radius leads to the following conclusion: while local stiffness as formally defined may hold, invariance of the gradients or normalized scalelengths does not follow from stiff transport in more practical scaling experiments, such as the power scans discussed here. Lastly, possible reasons for the lack of correspondence between the local picture and the global expectations are discussed.« less

SIERRA - A 3-D device simulator for reliability modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chern, Jue-Hsien; Arledge, Lawrence A., Jr.; Yang, Ping; Maeda, John T.

1989-05-01

SIERRA is a three-dimensional general-purpose semiconductor-device simulation program which serves as a foundation for investigating integrated-circuit (IC) device and reliability issues. This program solves the Poisson and continuity equations in silicon under dc, transient, and small-signal conditions. Executing on a vector/parallel minisupercomputer, SIERRA utilizes a matrix solver which uses an incomplete LU (ILU) preconditioned conjugate gradient square (CGS, BCG) method. The ILU-CGS method provides a good compromise between memory size and convergence rate. The authors have observed a 5x to 7x speedup over standard direct methods in simulations of transient problems containing highly coupled Poisson and continuity equations such as those found in reliability-oriented simulations. The application of SIERRA to parasitic CMOS latchup and dynamic random-access memory single-event-upset studies is described.

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

Emami, Razieh; Mukohyama, Shinji; Namba, Ryo

Many models of inflation driven by vector fields alone have been known to be plagued by pathological behaviors, namely ghost and/or gradient instabilities. In this work, we seek a new class of vector-driven inflationary models that evade all of the mentioned instabilities. We build our analysis on the Generalized Proca Theory with an extension to three vector fields to realize isotropic expansion. We obtain the conditions required for quasi de-Sitter solutions to be an attractor analogous to the standard slow-roll one and those for their stability at the level of linearized perturbations. Identifying the remedy to the existing unstable models,more » we provide a simple example and explicitly show its stability. This significantly broadens our knowledge on vector inflationary scenarios, reviving potential phenomenological interests for this class of models.« less

Understanding of flux-limited behaviors of heat transport in nonlinear regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yangyu; Jou, David; Wang, Moran

2016-01-01

The classical Fourier's law of heat transport breaks down in highly nonequilibrium situations as in nanoscale heat transport, where nonlinear effects become important. The present work is aimed at exploring the flux-limited behaviors based on a categorization of existing nonlinear heat transport models in terms of their theoretical foundations. Different saturation heat fluxes are obtained, whereas the same qualitative variation trend of heat flux versus exerted temperature gradient is got in diverse nonlinear models. The phonon hydrodynamic model is proposed to act as a standard to evaluate other heat flux limiters because of its more rigorous physical foundation. A deeper knowledge is thus achieved about the phenomenological generalized heat transport models. The present work provides deeper understanding and accurate modeling of nonlocal and nonlinear heat transport beyond the diffusive limit.

Position-based dynamic of a particle system: a configurable algorithm to describe complex behaviour of continuum material starting from swarm robotics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

dell'Erba, Ramiro

2018-04-01

In a previous work, we considered a two-dimensional lattice of particles and calculated its time evolution by using an interaction law based on the spatial position of the particles themselves. The model reproduced the behaviour of deformable bodies both according to the standard Cauchy model and second gradient theory; this success led us to use this method in more complex cases. This work is intended as the natural evolution of the previous one in which we shall consider both energy aspects, coherence with the principle of Saint Venant and we start to manage a more general tool that can be adapted to different physical phenomena, supporting complex effects like lateral contraction, anisotropy or elastoplasticity.

Stable solutions of inflation driven by vector fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emami, Razieh; Mukohyama, Shinji; Namba, Ryo; Zhang, Ying-li

2017-03-01

Many models of inflation driven by vector fields alone have been known to be plagued by pathological behaviors, namely ghost and/or gradient instabilities. In this work, we seek a new class of vector-driven inflationary models that evade all of the mentioned instabilities. We build our analysis on the Generalized Proca Theory with an extension to three vector fields to realize isotropic expansion. We obtain the conditions required for quasi de-Sitter solutions to be an attractor analogous to the standard slow-roll one and those for their stability at the level of linearized perturbations. Identifying the remedy to the existing unstable models, we provide a simple example and explicitly show its stability. This significantly broadens our knowledge on vector inflationary scenarios, reviving potential phenomenological interests for this class of models.

Stability of peptides in high-temperature aqueous solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shock, Everett L.

1992-09-01

Estimated standard molal thermodynamic properties of aqueous dipeptides and their constituent amino acids indicate that temperature increases correspond to increased stability of peptide bonds relative to hydrolysis reactions. Pressure increases cause slight decreases in peptide bond stability, which are generally offset by greater stability caused by temperature increases along geothermal gradients. These calculations suggest that peptides, polypeptides, and proteins may survive hydrothermal alteration of organic matter depending on the rates of the hydrolysis reactions. Extremely thermophilic organisms may be able to take advantage of the decreased energy required to form peptide bonds in order to maintain structural proteins and enzymes at elevated temperatures and pressures. As the rates of hydrolysis reactions increase with increasing temperature, formation of peptide bonds may become a facile process in hydrothermal systems and deep in sedimentary basins.

Stability of gradient semigroups under perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aragão-Costa, E. R.; Caraballo, T.; Carvalho, A. N.; Langa, J. A.

2011-07-01

In this paper we prove that gradient-like semigroups (in the sense of Carvalho and Langa (2009 J. Diff. Eqns 246 2646-68)) are gradient semigroups (possess a Lyapunov function). This is primarily done to provide conditions under which gradient semigroups, in a general metric space, are stable under perturbation exploiting the known fact (see Carvalho and Langa (2009 J. Diff. Eqns 246 2646-68)) that gradient-like semigroups are stable under perturbation. The results presented here were motivated by the work carried out in Conley (1978 Isolated Invariant Sets and the Morse Index (CBMS Regional Conference Series in Mathematics vol 38) (RI: American Mathematical Society Providence)) for groups in compact metric spaces (see also Rybakowski (1987 The Homotopy Index and Partial Differential Equations (Universitext) (Berlin: Springer)) for the Morse decomposition of an invariant set for a semigroup on a compact metric space).

Molecular Signature of Organic Carbon Along a Salinity Gradient in Suwannee River Plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Bianchi, T. S.; Ward, N. D.; Arellano, A. R.; Paša-Tolić, L.; Tolic, N.; Kuo, L. J.

2016-12-01

Humic and fulvic acid isolates from Suwannee River dissolved organic matter (DOM) have served as reference standards for the International Humic Substances Society (IHSS) for many decades. The large database on Suwannee DOM provides an excellent framework to further expand the application of Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) in characterizing the chemical composition of aquatic DOM. In this study, we examined the DOM signature of the lower Suwannee River and plume region at 5 stations along a salinity gradient (0 to 28) using FT-ICR-MS. The chemical characteristics of DOM show distinct differences across this steep salinity gradient. In general, samples collected from the coastal station have lower carbon number and are less aromatic. Molecular level analysis reveals that the magnitude weighted proportion of lipids increased as salinity increased. Interestingly, a similar trend was observed for lignin-like compounds. Target quantification of lignin-phenols showed that while the concentrations of these compounds were lower at the coastal station, the DOC-normalized concentrations were not significantly different between the river and coastal stations. In addition to traditional DOM moieties, we identified for the first time, halogenated organic compounds (HOC). We observed more chlorinated compounds in DOM and increased Cl/C as salinity increased. A relatively high proportion of halogenated lipids (compared to non-halogenated) were observed in the total pool of HOC across all stations. Although not significant in relative proportion, halogenated lignin-like compounds were the most abundant HOC moieties in our samples. CO2 concentrations decreased and became more 13C-enriched along the salinity gradient, ranging from 3,990 ppm (13CO2 = -17.3‰) at salinity 0 to 520 ppm (13CO2 = -7.5‰) at salinity 28, indicating high levels of DOM degradation in the river and a shift to primary production in the marine receiving waters, which is consistent with trends of lipid and lignin-like compounds observed with FT-ICR-MS.

Recent assimilation developments of FOAM the Met Office ocean forecast system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lea, Daniel; Martin, Matthew; Waters, Jennifer; Mirouze, Isabelle; While, James; King, Robert

2015-04-01

FOAM is the Met Office's operational ocean forecasting system. This system comprises a range of models from a 1/4 degree resolution global to 1/12 degree resolution regional models and shelf seas models at 7 km resolution. The system is made up of the ocean model NEMO (Nucleus for European Modeling of the Ocean), the Los Alomos sea ice model CICE and the NEMOVAR assimilation run in 3D-VAR FGAT mode. Work is ongoing to transition to both a higher resolution global ocean model at 1/12 degrees and to run FOAM in coupled models. The FOAM system generally performs well. One area of concern however is the performance in the tropics where spurious oscillations and excessive vertical velocity gradients are found after assimilation. NEMOVAR includes a balance operator which in the extra-tropics uses geostrophic balance to produce velocity increments which balance the density increments applied. In the tropics, however, the main balance is between the pressure gradients produced by the density gradient and the applied wind stress. A scheme is presented which aims to maintain this balance when increments are applied. Another issue in FOAM is that there are sometimes persistent temperature and salinity errors which are not effectively corrected by the assimilation. The standard NEMOVAR has a single correlation length scale based on the local Rossby radius. This means that observations in the extra tropics have influence on the model only on short length-scales. In order to maximise the information extracted from the observations and to correct large scale model biases a multiple correlation length-scale scheme has been developed. This includes a larger length scale which spreads observation information further. Various refinements of the scheme are also explored including reducing the longer length scale component at the edge of the sea ice and in areas with high potential vorticity gradients. A related scheme which varies the correlation length scale in the shelf seas is also described.

Gradient isolator for flow field of fuel cell assembly

DOEpatents

Ernst, W.D.

1999-06-15

Isolator(s) include isolating material and optionally gasketing material strategically positioned within a fuel cell assembly. The isolating material is disposed between a solid electrolyte and a metal flow field plate. Reactant fluid carried by flow field plate channel(s) forms a generally transverse electrochemical gradient. The isolator(s) serve to isolate electrochemically a portion of the flow field plate, for example, transversely outward from the channel(s), from the electrochemical gradient. Further, the isolator(s) serve to protect a portion of the solid electrolyte from metallic ions. 4 figs.

Gradient isolator for flow field of fuel cell assembly

DOEpatents

Ernst, William D.

1999-01-01

Isolator(s) include isolating material and optionally gasketing material strategically positioned within a fuel cell assembly. The isolating material is disposed between a solid electrolyte and a metal flow field plate. Reactant fluid carried by flow field plate channel(s) forms a generally transverse electrochemical gradient. The isolator(s) serve to isolate electrochemically a portion of the flow field plate, for example, transversely outward from the channel(s), from the electrochemical gradient. Further, the isolator(s) serve to protect a portion of the solid electrolyte from metallic ions.

Boundedness and convergence of online gradient method with penalty for feedforward neural networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Huisheng; Wu, Wei; Liu, Fei; Yao, Mingchen

2009-06-01

In this brief, we consider an online gradient method with penalty for training feedforward neural networks. Specifically, the penalty is a term proportional to the norm of the weights. Its roles in the method are to control the magnitude of the weights and to improve the generalization performance of the network. By proving that the weights are automatically bounded in the network training with penalty, we simplify the conditions that are required for convergence of online gradient method in literature. A numerical example is given to support the theoretical analysis.

Applying additive modeling and gradient boosting to assess the effects of watershed and reach characteristics on riverine assemblages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maloney, Kelly O.; Schmid, Matthias; Weller, Donald E.

2012-01-01

Issues with ecological data (e.g. non-normality of errors, nonlinear relationships and autocorrelation of variables) and modelling (e.g. overfitting, variable selection and prediction) complicate regression analyses in ecology. Flexible models, such as generalized additive models (GAMs), can address data issues, and machine learning techniques (e.g. gradient boosting) can help resolve modelling issues. Gradient boosted GAMs do both. Here, we illustrate the advantages of this technique using data on benthic macroinvertebrates and fish from 1573 small streams in Maryland, USA.

Responses of leaf traits to climatic gradients: adaptive variation versus compositional shifts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, T.-T.; Wang, H.; Harrison, S. P.; Prentice, I. C.; Ni, J.; Wang, G.

2015-09-01

Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) typically rely on plant functional types (PFTs), which are assigned distinct environmental tolerances and replace one another progressively along environmental gradients. Fixed values of traits are assigned to each PFT; modelled trait variation along gradients is thus driven by PFT replacement. But empirical studies have revealed "universal" scaling relationships (quantitative trait variations with climate that are similar within and between species, PFTs and communities); and continuous, adaptive trait variation has been proposed to replace PFTs as the basis for next-generation DGVMs. Here we analyse quantitative leaf-trait variation on long temperature and moisture gradients in China with a view to understanding the relative importance of PFT replacement vs. continuous adaptive variation within PFTs. Leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and nitrogen content of dry matter were measured on all species at 80 sites ranging from temperate to tropical climates and from dense forests to deserts. Chlorophyll fluorescence traits and carbon, phosphorus and potassium contents were measured at 47 sites. Generalized linear models were used to relate log-transformed trait values to growing-season temperature and moisture indices, with or without PFT identity as a predictor, and to test for differences in trait responses among PFTs. Continuous trait variation was found to be ubiquitous. Responses to moisture availability were generally similar within and between PFTs, but biophysical traits (LA, SLA and LDMC) of forbs and grasses responded differently from woody plants. SLA and LDMC responses to temperature were dominated by the prevalence of evergreen PFTs with thick, dense leaves at the warm end of the gradient. Nutrient (N, P and K) responses to climate gradients were generally similar within all PFTs. Area-based nutrients generally declined with moisture; Narea and Karea declined with temperature, but Parea increased with temperature. Although the adaptive nature of many of these trait-climate relationships is understood qualitatively, a key challenge for modelling is to predict them quantitatively. Models must take into account that community-level responses to climatic gradients can be influenced by shifts in PFT composition, such as the replacement of deciduous by evergreen trees, which may run either parallel or counter to trait variation within PFTs. The importance of PFT shifts varies among traits, being important for biophysical traits but less so for physiological and chemical traits. Finally, models should take account of the diversity of trait values that is found in all sites and PFTs, representing the "pool" of variation that is locally available for the natural adaptation of ecosystem function to environmental change.

Toward the Application of the Maximum Entropy Production Principle to a Broader Range of Far From Equilibrium Dissipative Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lineweaver, C. H.

2005-12-01

The principle of Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) is being usefully applied to a wide range of non-equilibrium processes including flows in planetary atmospheres and the bioenergetics of photosynthesis. Our goal of applying the principle of maximum entropy production to an even wider range of Far From Equilibrium Dissipative Systems (FFEDS) depends on the reproducibility of the evolution of the system from macro-state A to macro-state B. In an attempt to apply the principle of MEP to astronomical and cosmological structures, we investigate the problematic relationship between gravity and entropy. In the context of open and non-equilibrium systems, we use a generalization of the Gibbs free energy to include the sources of free energy extracted by non-living FFEDS such as hurricanes and convection cells. Redox potential gradients and thermal and pressure gradients provide the free energy for a broad range of FFEDS, both living and non-living. However, these gradients have to be within certain ranges. If the gradients are too weak, FFEDS do not appear. If the gradients are too strong FFEDS disappear. Living and non-living FFEDS often have different source gradients (redox potential gradients vs thermal and pressure gradients) and when they share the same gradient, they exploit different ranges of the gradient. In a preliminary attempt to distinguish living from non-living FFEDS, we investigate the parameter space of: type of gradient and steepness of gradient.

Continuous gradient temperature Raman spectroscopy of n-6 DPA and DHA from -100 C to 20°C

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the great unanswered questions with respect to biological science in general is the absolute necessity of DHA in fast signal processing tissues. N-6 DPA, with just one less diene, group, is fairly abundant in terrestrial food chains yet cannot substitute for DHA. Gradient Temperature Raman sp...

Improving Rydberg Excitations within Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory with Generalized Gradient Approximations: The Exchange-Enhancement-for-Large-Gradient Scheme.

PubMed

Li, Shaohong L; Truhlar, Donald G

2015-07-14

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with conventional local and hybrid functionals such as the local and hybrid generalized gradient approximations (GGA) seriously underestimates the excitation energies of Rydberg states, which limits its usefulness for applications such as spectroscopy and photochemistry. We present here a scheme that modifies the exchange-enhancement factor to improve GGA functionals for Rydberg excitations within the TDDFT framework while retaining their accuracy for valence excitations and for the thermochemical energetics calculated by ground-state density functional theory. The scheme is applied to a popular hybrid GGA functional and tested on data sets of valence and Rydberg excitations and atomization energies, and the results are encouraging. The scheme is simple and flexible. It can be used to correct existing functionals, and it can also be used as a strategy for the development of new functionals.

Improving Rydberg Excitations within Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory with Generalized Gradient Approximations: The Exchange-Enhancement-for-Large-Gradient Scheme

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

Li, Shaohong L.; Truhlar, Donald G.

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with conventional local and hybrid functionals such as the local and hybrid generalized gradient approximations (GGA) seriously underestimates the excitation energies of Rydberg states, which limits its usefulness for applications such as spectroscopy and photochemistry. We present here a scheme that modifies the exchange-enhancement factor to improve GGA functionals for Rydberg excitations within the TDDFT framework while retaining their accuracy for valence excitations and for the thermochemical energetics calculated by ground-state density functional theory. The scheme is applied to a popular hybrid GGA functional and tested on data sets of valence and Rydberg excitations andmore » atomization energies, and the results are encouraging. The scheme is simple and flexible. It can be used to correct existing functionals, and it can also be used as a strategy for the development of new functionals.« less

Trailing edge flow conditions as a factor in airfoil design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ormsbee, A. I.; Maughmer, M. D.

1984-01-01

Some new developments relevant to the design of single-element airfoils using potential flow methods are presented. In particular, the role played by the non-dimensional trailing edge velocity in design is considered and the relationship between the specified value and the resulting airfoil geometry is explored. In addition, the ramifications of the unbounded trailing edge pressure gradients generally present in the potential flow solution of the flow over an airfoil are examined, and the conditions necessary to obtain a class of airfoils having finite trailing edge pressure gradients developed. The incorporation of these conditions into the inverse method of Eppler is presented and the modified scheme employed to generate a number of airfoils for consideration. The detailed viscous analysis of airfoils having finite trailing edge pressure gradients demonstrates a reduction in the strong inviscid-viscid interactions generally present near the trailing edge of an airfoil.

Improving Rydberg Excitations within Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory with Generalized Gradient Approximations: The Exchange-Enhancement-for-Large-Gradient Scheme

DOE PAGES

Li, Shaohong L.; Truhlar, Donald G.

2015-05-22

Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with conventional local and hybrid functionals such as the local and hybrid generalized gradient approximations (GGA) seriously underestimates the excitation energies of Rydberg states, which limits its usefulness for applications such as spectroscopy and photochemistry. We present here a scheme that modifies the exchange-enhancement factor to improve GGA functionals for Rydberg excitations within the TDDFT framework while retaining their accuracy for valence excitations and for the thermochemical energetics calculated by ground-state density functional theory. The scheme is applied to a popular hybrid GGA functional and tested on data sets of valence and Rydberg excitations andmore » atomization energies, and the results are encouraging. The scheme is simple and flexible. It can be used to correct existing functionals, and it can also be used as a strategy for the development of new functionals.« less

Automated two-point dixon screening for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis and siderosis: comparison with R2-relaxometry and chemical shift-based sequences.

PubMed

Henninger, B; Zoller, H; Rauch, S; Schocke, M; Kannengiesser, S; Zhong, X; Reiter, G; Jaschke, W; Kremser, C

2015-05-01

To evaluate the automated two-point Dixon screening sequence for the detection and estimated quantification of hepatic iron and fat compared with standard sequences as a reference. One hundred and two patients with suspected diffuse liver disease were included in this prospective study. The following MRI protocol was used: 3D-T1-weighted opposed- and in-phase gradient echo with two-point Dixon reconstruction and dual-ratio signal discrimination algorithm ("screening" sequence); fat-saturated, multi-gradient-echo sequence with 12 echoes; gradient-echo T1 FLASH opposed- and in-phase. Bland-Altman plots were generated and correlation coefficients were calculated to compare the sequences. The screening sequence diagnosed fat in 33, iron in 35 and a combination of both in 4 patients. Correlation between R2* values of the screening sequence and the standard relaxometry was excellent (r = 0.988). A slightly lower correlation (r = 0.978) was found between the fat fraction of the screening sequence and the standard sequence. Bland-Altman revealed systematically lower R2* values obtained from the screening sequence and higher fat fraction values obtained with the standard sequence with a rather high variability in agreement. The screening sequence is a promising method with fast diagnosis of the predominant liver disease. It is capable of estimating the amount of hepatic fat and iron comparable to standard methods. • MRI plays a major role in the clarification of diffuse liver disease. • The screening sequence was introduced for the assessment of diffuse liver disease. • It is a fast and automated algorithm for the evaluation of hepatic iron and fat. • It is capable of estimating the amount of hepatic fat and iron.

Echo-Planar Imaging for a 9.4 Tesla Vertical-Bore Superconducting Magnet Using an Unshielded Gradient Coil

PubMed Central

KODAMA, Nao; KOSE, Katsumi

2016-01-01

Echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequences were developed for a 9.4 Tesla vertical standard bore (∼54 mm) superconducting magnet using an unshielded gradient coil optimized for live mice imaging and a data correction technique with reference scans. Because EPI requires fast switching of intense magnetic field gradients, eddy currents were induced in the surrounding metallic materials, e.g., the room temperature bore, and this produced serious artifacts on the EPI images. We solved the problem using an unshielded gradient coil set of proper size (outer diameter = 39 mm, inner diameter = 32 mm) with time control of the current rise and reference scans. The obtained EPI images of a phantom and a plant sample were almost artifact-free and demonstrated the promise of our approach. PMID:27001398

Rare Earth Element Concentrations and Fractionation Patterns Along Groundwater Flow Paths in Two Different Aquifer Types (i.e., Sand vs. Carbonate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johannesson, K. H.; Tang, J.

2003-12-01

Groundwater samples were collected in two different types of aquifer (i.e., Carrizo Sand Aquifer, Texas and Upper Floridan carbonate Aquifer, west-central Florida) to study the concentrations, fractionation, and speciation of rare earth elements (REE) along groundwater flow paths in each aquifer. Major solutes and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were also measured in these groundwaters. The Carrizo Sand aquifer was sampled in October 2002 and June 2003, whereas, to date, we have only sampled the Floridan once (i.e., June 2003). The data reveal no significant seasonal differences in major solute and REE concentrations for the Carrizo. In Carrizo sand aquifer, groundwaters from relatively shallow wells (i.e., less than 167 m) in the recharge zone are chiefly Ca-Na-HCO3-Cl type waters. With flow down-gradient the groundwaters shift composition to the Na-HCO3 waters. pH and alkalinity initially decrease with flow away from the recharge zone before increasing again down-gradient. DOC is generally low (0.65 mg/L) along the flow path. REE concentrations are highest in groundwaters from the recharge zone (Nd 40.5 pmol/kg), and decrease substantially with flow down-gradient reaching relatively low and stable values (Nd 4.1-8.6 pmol/kg) roughly 10 km from the recharge zone. Generally, Carrizo groundwaters exhibit HREE-enriched shale-normalized patterns. The HREE enrichments are especially strong for waters from the recharge zone [(Yb/Nd)SN =1.7-5.6], whereas down-gradient (deep) groundwaters have flatter patterns [(Yb/Nd)SN =0.7-2.5]. All groundwaters have slightly positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* 0.09-0.14) and negative Ce anomalies (Ce/Ce* -0.85 - -0.07). In the Upper Floridan Aquifer, Ca, Mg, SO4, and Cl concentrations generally increase along groundwater flow path, whereas pH and alkalinity generally decrease. DOC is higher (0.64 - 2.29 mg/L) than in the Carrizo and initially increases along the flow path and then decreases down-gradient. LREE (Nd) concentrations generally increase along groundwater flow path, however, MREE (Gd) exhibit little change and HREE (Yb) concentrations tend to decreases along the flow path. Floridan groundwaters have HREE enriched shale-normalized patterns, although (Yb/Nd)SN values decrease along groundwater flow path. Thus, REE patterns of Floridan groundwaters tend to flatten with flow down-gradient. All groundwaters show positive Eu anomalies (0.06 - 0.17) and negative Ce anomalies (-0.12 - -0.63).

Direct Electricity from Heat: A Solution to Assist Aircraft Power Demands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldsby, Jon C.

2010-01-01

A thermionic device produces an electrical current with the application of a thermal gradient whereby the temperature at one electrode provides enough thermal energy to eject electrons. The system is totally predicated on the thermal gradient and the work function of the electrode collector relative to the emitter electrode. Combined with a standard thermoelectric device high efficiencies may result, capable of providing electrical energy from the waste heat of gas turbine engines.

Statistical Characterization of Altitude Matrices by Computer. Report 4. Frequency Distributions of Gradient.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-01-01

balanced at the mean, with the central part steeper ( platykurtic : broad mode or truncated tails) -r flatter (leptokurtic: peaked mode or extended...and NUPUR, have negative kurtosis (they are platykurtic , with truncated tails and/or broad modes relative to their standard deviations) FERRO, on the...the other areas, and its gradients are platykurtic but almost unskewed. Hence the square root of sine transformation (Fig,15) and the log tangent

Extraction of espresso coffee by using gradient of temperature. Effect on physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of espresso.

PubMed

Salamanca, C Alejandra; Fiol, Núria; González, Carlos; Saez, Marc; Villaescusa, Isabel

2017-01-01

Espresso extraction is generally carried out at a fixed temperature within the range 85-95°C. In this work the extraction of the espressos was made in a new generation coffee machine that enables temperature profiling of the brewing water. The effect of using gradient of temperature to brew espressos on physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of the beverage has been investigated. Three different extraction temperature profiles were tested: updrawn gradient (88-93°C), downdrawn gradient (93-88°C) and fixed temperature (90°C). The coffee species investigated were Robusta, Arabica natural and Washed Arabica. Results proved that the use of gradient temperature for brewing espressos allows increasing or decreasing the extraction of some chemical compounds from coffee grounds. Moreover an appropriate gradient of temperature can highlight or hide some sensorial attributes. In conclusion, the possibility of programming gradient of temperature in the coffee machines recently introduced in the market opens new expectations in the field of espresso brewing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of thermotropism in primary roots of maize: dependence on temperature and temperature gradient, and interaction with gravitropism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poff, K. L.

1991-01-01

Thermotropism in primary roots of Zea mays L. was studied with respect to gradient strength (degrees C cm-1), temperature of exposure within a gradient, pre-treatment temperature, and gravitropic stimulation. The magnitude of the response decreased with gradient strength. Maximum thermotropism was independent of gradient strength and pre-treatment temperature. The range of temperature for positive and negative thermotropism did not change with pre-treatment temperature. However, the exact range of temperatures for positive and negative thermotropism varied with gradient strengths. In general, temperatures of exposure lower than 25 degrees C resulted in positive tropic responses while temperatures of exposure of 39 degrees C or more resulted in negative tropic responses. Thermotropism was shown to modify and reverse the normal gravitropic curvature of a horizontal root when thermal gradients were applied opposite the 1 g vector. It is concluded that root thermotropism is a consequence of thermal sensing and that the curvature of the primary root results from the interaction of the thermal and gravitational sensing systems.

Statistics of chemical gradients in heterogeneous porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Borgne, T.; Huck, P. D.; Dentz, M.; Villermaux, E.

2017-12-01

As they create chemical disequilibrium and drive mixing fluxes, spatial gradients in solute concentrations exert a strong control on mixing and biogeochemical reactions in the subsurface. Large concentration gradients may develop in particular at interfaces between surface water and groundwater bodies, such as hyporheic zones, sea water - surface water interfaces or recharge areas. They also develop around contaminant plumes and fluids injected in subsurface operations. While macrodispersion theories predict smooth gradients, decaying in time due to dispersive dissipation, we show that concentration gradients are sustained by flow heterogeneity and have broadly distributed values. We present a general theory predicting the statistics of concentration gradients from the flow heterogeneity (Le Borgne et al., 2017). Analytical predictions are validated from high resolution simulations of transport in heterogeneous Darcy fields ranging from low to high permeability variances and low to high Peclet numbers. This modelling framework hence opens new perspectives for quantifying the dynamics of chemical gradients and the kinetics of associated biogeochemical reactions in heterogeneous subsurface environments.Reference:Le Borgne T., P.D. Huck, M. Dentz and E. Villermaux (2017) Scalar gradients in stirred mixtures and the deconstruction of random fields, J. of Fluid Mech. vol. 812, pp. 578-610 doi:10.1017/jfm.2016.799

Near Misses in Slot Machine Gambling Developed Through Generalization of Total Wins.

PubMed

Belisle, Jordan; Dixon, Mark R

2016-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the development of the near miss effect in slot machine gambling as a product of stimulus generalization from total wins. The study was conducted across two experiments. Twelve college students participated in the first experiment, which demonstrated that greater post-reinforcement pauses followed losing outcomes that were formally similar to total wins, relative to losing outcomes that were formally dissimilar [F (5, 7) = 5.24, p = .025] along a generalization gradient (R (2) = .96). Additionally, 11 out of 12 participants showed greater response latencies following near-misses than following total wins. Thirteen college students participated in the second experiment, which demonstrated that symbols that more saliently indicated a loss resulted in lower response latencies than functionally equivalent but visually dissimilar losing symbols [F (3, 10) = 15.50, p = .01]. A generalization gradient was observed across winning symbols (R (2) = .98), and an inverse of the gradient observed across winning symbols was observed across symbols that were the least formally similar (R (2) = .69). The present study replicates and extends previous research on near misses in slot machine gambling, and provides discussion around the clinical utility of such findings on the prevention of problem gambling.

Gradient augmented level set method for phase change simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anumolu, Lakshman; Trujillo, Mario F.

2018-01-01

A numerical method for the simulation of two-phase flow with phase change based on the Gradient-Augmented-Level-set (GALS) strategy is presented. Sharp capturing of the vaporization process is enabled by: i) identification of the vapor-liquid interface, Γ (t), at the subgrid level, ii) discontinuous treatment of thermal physical properties (except for μ), and iii) enforcement of mass, momentum, and energy jump conditions, where the gradients of the dependent variables are obtained at Γ (t) and are consistent with their analytical expression, i.e. no local averaging is applied. Treatment of the jump in velocity and pressure at Γ (t) is achieved using the Ghost Fluid Method. The solution of the energy equation employs the sub-grid knowledge of Γ (t) to discretize the temperature Laplacian using second-order one-sided differences, i.e. the numerical stencil completely resides within each respective phase. To carefully evaluate the benefits or disadvantages of the GALS approach, the standard level set method is implemented and compared against the GALS predictions. The results show the expected trend that interface identification and transport are predicted noticeably better with GALS over the standard level set. This benefit carries over to the prediction of the Laplacian and temperature gradients in the neighborhood of the interface, which are directly linked to the calculation of the vaporization rate. However, when combining the calculation of interface transport and reinitialization with two-phase momentum and energy, the benefits of GALS are to some extent neutralized, and the causes for this behavior are identified and analyzed. Overall the additional computational costs associated with GALS are almost the same as those using the standard level set technique.

Influence on cell death of high frequency motion of magnetic nanoparticles during magnetic hyperthermia experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hallali, N.; Clerc, P.; Fourmy, D.; Gigoux, V.; Carrey, J.

2016-07-01

Studies with transplanted tumors in animals and clinical trials have provided the proof-of-concept of magnetic hyperthermia (MH) therapy of cancers using iron oxide nanoparticles. Interestingly, in several studies, the application of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) to tumor cells having internalized and accumulated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) into their lysosomes can induce cell death without detectable temperature increase. To explain these results, among other hypotheses, it was proposed that cell death could be due to the high-frequency translational motion of MNPs under the influence of the AMF gradient generated involuntarily by most inductors. Such mechanical actions of MNPs might cause cellular damages and participate in the induction of cell death under MH conditions. To test this hypothesis, we developed a setup maximizing this effect. It is composed of an anti-Helmholtz coil and two permanent magnets, which produce an AMF gradient and a superimposed static MF. We have measured the MNP heating power and treated tumor cells by a standard AMF and by an AMF gradient, on which was added or not a static magnetic field. We showed that the presence of a static magnetic field prevents MNP heating and cell death in standard MH conditions. The heating power of MNPs in an AMF gradient is weak, position-dependent, and related to the presence of a non-zero AMF. Under an AMF gradient and a static field, no MNP heating and cell death were measured. Consequently, the hypothesis that translational motions could be involved in cell death during MH experiments is ruled out by our experiments.

Optimized operation of dielectric laser accelerators: Single bunch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanuka, Adi; Schächter, Levi

2018-05-01

We introduce a general approach to determine the optimal charge, efficiency and gradient for laser driven accelerators in a self-consistent way. We propose a way to enhance the operational gradient of dielectric laser accelerators by leverage of beam-loading effect. While the latter may be detrimental from the perspective of the effective gradient experienced by the particles, it can be beneficial as the effective field experienced by the accelerating structure, is weaker. As a result, the constraint imposed by the damage threshold fluence is accordingly weakened and our self-consistent approach predicts permissible gradients of ˜10 GV /m , one order of magnitude higher than previously reported experimental results—with unbunched pulse of electrons. Our approach leads to maximum efficiency to occur for higher gradients as compared with a scenario in which the beam-loading effect on the material is ignored. In any case, maximum gradient does not occur for the same conditions that maximum efficiency does—a trade-off set of parameters is suggested.

Mini-batch optimized full waveform inversion with geological constrained gradient filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hui; Jia, Junxiong; Wu, Bangyu; Gao, Jinghuai

2018-05-01

High computation cost and generating solutions without geological sense have hindered the wide application of Full Waveform Inversion (FWI). Source encoding technique is a way to dramatically reduce the cost of FWI but subject to fix-spread acquisition setup requirement and slow convergence for the suppression of cross-talk. Traditionally, gradient regularization or preconditioning is applied to mitigate the ill-posedness. An isotropic smoothing filter applied on gradients generally gives non-geological inversion results, and could also introduce artifacts. In this work, we propose to address both the efficiency and ill-posedness of FWI by a geological constrained mini-batch gradient optimization method. The mini-batch gradient descent optimization is adopted to reduce the computation time by choosing a subset of entire shots for each iteration. By jointly applying the structure-oriented smoothing to the mini-batch gradient, the inversion converges faster and gives results with more geological meaning. Stylized Marmousi model is used to show the performance of the proposed method on realistic synthetic model.

Predictors of elevational biodiversity gradients change from single taxa to the multi-taxa community level

PubMed Central

Peters, Marcell K.; Hemp, Andreas; Appelhans, Tim; Behler, Christina; Classen, Alice; Detsch, Florian; Ensslin, Andreas; Ferger, Stefan W.; Frederiksen, Sara B.; Gebert, Friederike; Haas, Michael; Helbig-Bonitz, Maria; Hemp, Claudia; Kindeketa, William J.; Mwangomo, Ephraim; Ngereza, Christine; Otte, Insa; Röder, Juliane; Rutten, Gemma; Schellenberger Costa, David; Tardanico, Joseph; Zancolli, Giulia; Deckert, Jürgen; Eardley, Connal D.; Peters, Ralph S.; Rödel, Mark-Oliver; Schleuning, Matthias; Ssymank, Axel; Kakengi, Victor; Zhang, Jie; Böhning-Gaese, Katrin; Brandl, Roland; Kalko, Elisabeth K.V.; Kleyer, Michael; Nauss, Thomas; Tschapka, Marco; Fischer, Markus; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf

2016-01-01

The factors determining gradients of biodiversity are a fundamental yet unresolved topic in ecology. While diversity gradients have been analysed for numerous single taxa, progress towards general explanatory models has been hampered by limitations in the phylogenetic coverage of past studies. By parallel sampling of 25 major plant and animal taxa along a 3.7 km elevational gradient on Mt. Kilimanjaro, we quantify cross-taxon consensus in diversity gradients and evaluate predictors of diversity from single taxa to a multi-taxa community level. While single taxa show complex distribution patterns and respond to different environmental factors, scaling up diversity to the community level leads to an unambiguous support for temperature as the main predictor of species richness in both plants and animals. Our findings illuminate the influence of taxonomic coverage for models of diversity gradients and point to the importance of temperature for diversification and species coexistence in plant and animal communities. PMID:28004657

Does a Flatter General Gradient of Visual Attention Explain Peripheral Advantages and Central Deficits in Deaf Adults?

PubMed Central

Samar, Vincent J.; Berger, Lauren

2017-01-01

Individuals deaf from early age often outperform hearing individuals in the visual periphery on attention-dependent dorsal stream tasks (e.g., spatial localization or movement detection), but sometimes show central visual attention deficits, usually on ventral stream object identification tasks. It has been proposed that early deafness adaptively redirects attentional resources from central to peripheral vision to monitor extrapersonal space in the absence of auditory cues, producing a more evenly distributed attention gradient across visual space. However, little direct evidence exists that peripheral advantages are functionally tied to central deficits, rather than determined by independent mechanisms, and previous studies using several attention tasks typically report peripheral advantages or central deficits, not both. To test the general altered attentional gradient proposal, we employed a novel divided attention paradigm that measured target localization performance along a gradient from parafoveal to peripheral locations, independent of concurrent central object identification performance in prelingually deaf and hearing groups who differed in access to auditory input. Deaf participants without cochlear implants (No-CI), with cochlear implants (CI), and hearing participants identified vehicles presented centrally, and concurrently reported the location of parafoveal (1.4°) and peripheral (13.3°) targets among distractors. No-CI participants but not CI participants showed a central identification accuracy deficit. However, all groups displayed equivalent target localization accuracy at peripheral and parafoveal locations and nearly parallel parafoveal-peripheral gradients. Furthermore, the No-CI group’s central identification deficit remained after statistically controlling peripheral performance; conversely, the parafoveal and peripheral group performance equivalencies remained after controlling central identification accuracy. These results suggest that, in the absence of auditory input, reduced central attentional capacity is not necessarily associated with enhanced peripheral attentional capacity or with flattening of a general attention gradient. Our findings converge with earlier studies suggesting that a general graded trade-off of attentional resources across the visual field does not adequately explain the complex task-dependent spatial distribution of deaf-hearing performance differences reported in the literature. Rather, growing evidence suggests that the spatial distribution of attention-mediated performance in deaf people is determined by sophisticated cross-modal plasticity mechanisms that recruit specific sensory and polymodal cortex to achieve specific compensatory processing goals. PMID:28559861

Control of Complex Dynamic Systems by Neural Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spall, James C.; Cristion, John A.

1993-01-01

This paper considers the use of neural networks (NN's) in controlling a nonlinear, stochastic system with unknown process equations. The NN is used to model the resulting unknown control law. The approach here is based on using the output error of the system to train the NN controller without the need to construct a separate model (NN or other type) for the unknown process dynamics. To implement such a direct adaptive control approach, it is required that connection weights in the NN be estimated while the system is being controlled. As a result of the feedback of the unknown process dynamics, however, it is not possible to determine the gradient of the loss function for use in standard (back-propagation-type) weight estimation algorithms. Therefore, this paper considers the use of a new stochastic approximation algorithm for this weight estimation, which is based on a 'simultaneous perturbation' gradient approximation that only requires the system output error. It is shown that this algorithm can greatly enhance the efficiency over more standard stochastic approximation algorithms based on finite-difference gradient approximations.

Early awareness of cerebrospinal fluid hypovolemia after craniotomy for microsurgical aneurysmal clipping.

PubMed

Kawahara, Ichiro; Tsutsumi, Keisuke; Matsunaga, Yuki; Takahata, Hideaki; Ono, Tomonori; Toda, Keisuke; Baba, Hiroshi

2013-08-01

Mild cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypovolemia is a well-known clinical entity, but critical CSF hypovolemia that can cause transtentorial herniation is an unusual and rare clinical entity that occurs after craniotomy. We investigated CSF hypovolemia after microsurgical aneurysmal clipping for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This study included 144 consecutive patients with SAH. Lumbar drainage (LD) was inserted after general anesthesia or postoperatively as a standard perioperative protocol. CSF hypovolemia diagnosis was based on three criteria. Eleven patients (7.6%) were diagnosed with CSF hypovolemia according to diagnostic criteria in a postoperative range of 0-8 days. In all patients, signs or symptoms of CSF hypovolemia improved within 24 hours by clamping LD and using the Trendelenburg position. As a cause of acute clinical deterioration after aneurysmal clipping, CSF hypovolemia is likely under-recognized, and may actually be misdiagnosed as vasospasm or brain swelling. We should always take the etiology of CSF hypovolemia into consideration, and especially pay attention in patients with pneumocephalus and subdural fluid collection alongside brain sag on computed tomography. These patients are at higher risk developing of pressure gradients between their cranial and spinal compartments, and therefore, brain sagging after LD, than after ventricular drainage. We should be vigilant to strictly manage LD so as not to produce high pressure gradients.

On a new functional form for the dispersive flux in porous media

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

Tompson, A.F.B.

A recently developed second-order model for local dispersive transport in porous media has been simplified to yield a new, closed-form relationship for the dispersive flux. In situations characterized by negligible velocity gradients, the flux can generally be represented as a convolution or memory integral over time of previous concentration gradients. The strength of this memory is controlled by an exponential weighting factor related to the magnitudes of the velocity and local molecular diffusive flux. The form of this result is consistent with other models of diffusive and dispersive transport phenomena over various spatial scales. In circumstances where the memory strengthmore » is small, the integral can be simplified and cast in the form of a standard Fickian relationship with apparent time-dependent dispersivity functions that grow to finite, asymptotic values. This specific formulation can be manipulated to yield a one-equation transport balance law in the form of a telegraph equation. Nonphysical effects, such as spurious upstream dispersion and instantaneous propagation of mass to extremely distant points predicted with a Fickian law, are reduced or eliminated. Although the importance of the new result in transport simulations will depend on the spatial and temporal scales of interest, it should provide some insight in the interpretation and design of new experiments.« less

A gradient-based model parametrization using Bernstein polynomials in Bayesian inversion of surface wave dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosselin, Jeremy M.; Dosso, Stan E.; Cassidy, John F.; Quijano, Jorge E.; Molnar, Sheri; Dettmer, Jan

2017-10-01

This paper develops and applies a Bernstein-polynomial parametrization to efficiently represent general, gradient-based profiles in nonlinear geophysical inversion, with application to ambient-noise Rayleigh-wave dispersion data. Bernstein polynomials provide a stable parametrization in that small perturbations to the model parameters (basis-function coefficients) result in only small perturbations to the geophysical parameter profile. A fully nonlinear Bayesian inversion methodology is applied to estimate shear wave velocity (VS) profiles and uncertainties from surface wave dispersion data extracted from ambient seismic noise. The Bayesian information criterion is used to determine the appropriate polynomial order consistent with the resolving power of the data. Data error correlations are accounted for in the inversion using a parametric autoregressive model. The inversion solution is defined in terms of marginal posterior probability profiles for VS as a function of depth, estimated using Metropolis-Hastings sampling with parallel tempering. This methodology is applied to synthetic dispersion data as well as data processed from passive array recordings collected on the Fraser River Delta in British Columbia, Canada. Results from this work are in good agreement with previous studies, as well as with co-located invasive measurements. The approach considered here is better suited than `layered' modelling approaches in applications where smooth gradients in geophysical parameters are expected, such as soil/sediment profiles. Further, the Bernstein polynomial representation is more general than smooth models based on a fixed choice of gradient type (e.g. power-law gradient) because the form of the gradient is determined objectively by the data, rather than by a subjective parametrization choice.

Transverse gradient in Apple-type undulators

PubMed Central

Calvi, M.; Camenzuli, C.; Prat, E.; Schmidt, Th.

2017-01-01

Apple-type undulators are globally recognized as the most flexible devices for the production of variable polarized light in the soft X-ray regime, both at synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities. Recently, the implementation of transverse gradient undulators has been proposed to enhance the performance of new generation light sources. In this paper it is demonstrated that Apple undulators do not only generate linear and elliptical polarized light but also variable transverse gradient under certain conditions. A general theoretical framework is introduced to evaluate the K-value and its transverse gradient for an Apple undulator, and formulas for all regular operational modes and different Apple types (including the most recent Delta type and Apple X) are calculated and critically discussed. PMID:28452751

The Role of Nonlinear Gradients in Parallel Imaging: A k-Space Based Analysis.

PubMed

Galiana, Gigi; Stockmann, Jason P; Tam, Leo; Peters, Dana; Tagare, Hemant; Constable, R Todd

2012-09-01

Sequences that encode the spatial information of an object using nonlinear gradient fields are a new frontier in MRI, with potential to provide lower peripheral nerve stimulation, windowed fields of view, tailored spatially-varying resolution, curved slices that mirror physiological geometry, and, most importantly, very fast parallel imaging with multichannel coils. The acceleration for multichannel images is generally explained by the fact that curvilinear gradient isocontours better complement the azimuthal spatial encoding provided by typical receiver arrays. However, the details of this complementarity have been more difficult to specify. We present a simple and intuitive framework for describing the mechanics of image formation with nonlinear gradients, and we use this framework to review some the main classes of nonlinear encoding schemes.

Temperature and porosity effects on wave propagation in nanobeams using bi-Helmholtz nonlocal strain-gradient elasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reza Barati, Mohammad

2018-05-01

In this paper, applying a general nonlocal strain-gradient elasticity model with two nonlocal and one strain-gradient parameters, wave dispersion behavior of thermally affected and elastically bonded nanobeams is investigated. The two nanobeams are considered to have material imperfections or porosities evenly dispersed across the thickness. Each nanobeam has uniform thickness and is modeled by refined shear deformation beam theory with sinusoidal transverse shear strains. The governing equations of the system are derived by Hamilton's rule and are analytically solved to obtain wave frequencies and the velocity of wave propagation. In the presented graphs, one can see that porosities, temperature, nonlocal, strain gradient and bonding springs have great influences on the wave characteristics of the system.

Comparison of various second-dimension gradient types in comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Jandera, Pavel; Hájek, Tomás; Cesla, Petr

2010-06-01

Gradient elution provides significant improvement in peak capacity with respect to isocratic conditions. In the second dimension, gradients are limited to a short-time period available for separation. Various types of second-dimension gradients in comprehensive LC x LC are compared: (i) "full in fraction", (ii) "segment in fraction" and (iii) "continuously shifting" gradients, applied in orthogonal LC x LC separations of phenolic acids and flavones on a polyethylene glycol column in the first dimension and two types of porous shell fused-core C18 columns in the second dimension (Ascentis Express and Kinetex). The porous shell columns provide narrow bandwidths and fast second-dimension separations at moderate operating pressure that allows important savings of the overall separation time in comprehensive LC x LC separations. The effects of the gradient type on the bandwidths, theoretical peak capacity, separation time and column pressure in the second dimension were investigated. The type of gradient program controls the range of lipophilicity of sample compounds that can be separated in the second-dimension reversed-phase time period. This range can be calibrated using alkylbenzene standards, to design the separation conditions for complete sample separation, avoiding harmful wrap around of non-eluted compounds to the subsequent second-dimension fractions.

Higher Nucleoporin-Importinβ Affinity at the Nuclear Basket Increases Nucleocytoplasmic Import

PubMed Central

Azimi, Mohammad; Mofrad, Mohammad R. K.

2013-01-01

Several in vitro studies have shown the presence of an affinity gradient in nuclear pore complex proteins for the import receptor Importinβ, at least partially contributing to nucleocytoplasmic transport, while others have historically argued against the presence of such a gradient. Nonetheless, the existence of an affinity gradient has remained an uncharacterized contributing factor. To shed light on the affinity gradient theory and better characterize how the existence of such an affinity gradient between the nuclear pore and the import receptor may influence the nucleocytoplasmic traffic, we have developed a general-purpose agent based modeling (ABM) framework that features a new method for relating rate constants to molecular binding and unbinding probabilities, and used our ABM approach to quantify the effects of a wide range of forward and reverse nucleoporin-Importinβ affinity gradients. Our results indicate that transport through the nuclear pore complex is maximized with an effective macroscopic affinity gradient of 2000 µM, 200 µM and 10 µM in the cytoplasmic, central channel and nuclear basket respectively. The transport rate at this gradient is approximately 10% higher than the transport rate for a comparable pore lacking any affinity gradient, which has a peak transport rate when all nucleoporins have an affinity of 200 µM for Importinβ. Furthermore, this optimal ratio of affinity gradients is representative of the ratio of affinities reported for the yeast nuclear pore complex – suggesting that the affinity gradient seen in vitro is highly optimized. PMID:24282617

Cardiac Imaging for Assessing Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis.

PubMed

Clavel, Marie-Annick; Burwash, Ian G; Pibarot, Philippe

2017-02-01

Up to 40% of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) harbor discordant Doppler-echocardiographic findings, the most common of which is the presence of a small aortic valve area (≤1.0 cm 2 ) suggesting severe AS, but a low gradient (<40 mm Hg) suggesting nonsevere AS. The purpose of this paper is to present the role of multimodality imaging in the diagnostic and therapeutic management of this challenging entity referred to as low-gradient AS. Doppler-echocardiography is critical to determine the subtype of low-gradient AS: that is, classical low-flow, paradoxical low-flow, or normal-flow. Patients with low-flow, low-gradient AS generally have a worse prognosis compared with patients with high-gradient or with normal-flow, low-gradient AS. Patients with low-gradient AS and evidence of severe AS benefit from aortic valve replacement (AVR). However, confirmation of the presence of severe AS is particularly challenging in these patients and requires a multimodality imaging approach including low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography and aortic valve calcium scoring by multidetector computed tomography. Transcatheter AVR using a transfemoral approach may be superior to surgical AVR in patients with low-flow, low-gradient AS. Further studies are needed to confirm the best valve replacement procedure and prosthetic valve for each category of low-gradient AS and to identify patients with low-gradient AS in whom AVR is likely to be futile. Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microfluidic transwell inserts for generation of tissue culture-friendly gradients in well plates

PubMed Central

Sip, Christopher G.; Bhattacharjee, Nirveek; Folch, Albert

2015-01-01

Gradients of biochemical molecules play a key role in many physiological processes such as axon growth, tissue morphogenesis, and trans-epithelium nutrient transport, as well as in pathophysiological phenomena such as wound healing, immune response, bacterial invasion, and cancer metastasis. In this paper, we report a microfluidic transwell insert for generating quantifiable concentration gradients in a user-friendly and modular format that is compatible with conventional cell cultures and with tissue explant cultures. The device is simply inserted into a standard 6-well plate, where it hangs self-supported at a distance of ~250 μm above the cell culture surface. The gradient is created by small microflows from the device, through an integrated track-etched porous membrane, into the cell culture well. The microfluidic transwell can deliver stable, quantifiable gradients over a large area with extremely low fluid shear stress to dissociated cells or tissue explants cultured independently on the surface of a 6-well plate. We used finite-element modeling to describe the porous membrane flow and molecular transport and to predict gradients generated by the device. Using the device, we applied a gradient of the chemotactic peptide N-Formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) to a large population of HL-60 cells (a neutrophil cell line) and directly observed the migration with time-lapse microscopy. On quantification of the chemotactic response with an automated tracking algorithm, we found 74% of the cells moving towards the gradient. Additionally, the modular design and low fluid shear stress made it possible to apply gradients of growth factors and second messengers to mouse retinal explant cultures. With a simplified interface and well-defined gradients, the microfluidic transwell device has potential for broad applications to gradient-sensing biology. PMID:24225908

Aircraft symmetric flight optimization. [gradient techniques for supersonic aircraft control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Falco, M.; Kelley, H. J.

1973-01-01

Review of the development of gradient techniques and their application to aircraft optimal performance computations in the vertical plane of flight. Results obtained using the method of gradients are presented for attitude- and throttle-control programs which extremize the fuel, range, and time performance indices subject to various trajectory and control constraints, including boundedness of engine throttle control. A penalty function treatment of state inequality constraints which generally appear in aircraft performance problems is outlined. Numerical results for maximum-range, minimum-fuel, and minimum-time climb paths for a hypothetical supersonic turbojet interceptor are presented and discussed. In addition, minimum-fuel climb paths subject to various levels of ground overpressure intensity constraint are indicated for a representative supersonic transport. A variant of the Gel'fand-Tsetlin 'method of ravines' is reviewed, and two possibilities for further development of continuous gradient processes are cited - namely, a projection version of conjugate gradients and a curvilinear search.

Relating Paleoclimate Data and Past Temperature Gradients: Some Suggestive Rules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rind, David

1999-01-01

Understanding tropical sensitivity is perhaps the major concern confronting researchers, for both past and future climate change issues. Tropical data has been beset by contradictions, and many techniques applicable to the extratropics are either unavailable or fraught with uncertainty when applied at low latitudes. Paleoclimate data, if interpreted within the context of the latitudinal temperature gradient data they imply, can be used to estimate what happened to tropical temperatures in the past, and provide a first guess for what might happen in the future. The approach is made possible by the modeling result that atmospheric dynamical changes, and the climate impacts they produce, respond primarily to temperature gradient changes. Here we review some "rules" obtained from GCM (General Circulation Model) experiments with different sea surface temperature gradients and different forcing, that can be used to relate paleoclimate reconstructions to the likely temperature gradient changes they suggest.

A gradient model of vegetation and climate utilizing NOAA satellite imagery. Phase 1: Texas transect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greegor, D.; Norwine, J. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

A climatological model/variable termed the sponge (a measure of moisture availability based on daily temperature maxima and minima, and precipitation) was tested for potential biogeograhic, ecological, and agro-climatological applications. Results, depicted in tabular and graphic form, suggest that, as generalized climatic index, sponge is particularly appropriate for large-area and global vegetation monitoring. The feasibility of utilizing NOAA/AVHRR data for vegetation classification was investigated and a vegetation gradient model that utilizes sponge and AVHRR data was initiated. Along an east-west Texas gradient, vegetation, sponge, and AVHRR pixel data (channels 1 and 2) were obtained for 12 locations. The normalized difference values for the AVHRR data when plotted against vegetation characteristics (biomass, net productivity, leaf area) and sponge values along the Texas gradient suggest that a multivariate gradient model incorporating AVHRR and sponge data may indeed be useful in global vegetation stratification and monitoring.

Rolling motion of an elastic cylinder induced by elastic strain gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lei; Chen, Shaohua

2014-10-01

Recent experiment shows that an elastic strain gradient field can be utilized to transport spherical particles on a stretchable substrate by rolling, inspired by which a generalized plane-strain Johnson-Kendall-Roberts model is developed in this paper in order to verify possible rolling of an elastic cylinder adhering on an elastic substrate subject to a strain gradient. With the help of contact mechanics, closed form solutions of interface tractions, stress intensity factors, and corresponding energy release rates in the plane-strain contact model are obtained, based on which a possible rolling motion of an elastic cylinder induced by strain gradients is found and the criterion for the initiation of rolling is established. The theoretical prediction is consistent well with the existing experimental observation. The result should be helpful for understanding biological transport mechanisms through muscle contractions and the design of transport systems with strain gradient.

Performance comparison of a new hybrid conjugate gradient method under exact and inexact line searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghani, N. H. A.; Mohamed, N. S.; Zull, N.; Shoid, S.; Rivaie, M.; Mamat, M.

2017-09-01

Conjugate gradient (CG) method is one of iterative techniques prominently used in solving unconstrained optimization problems due to its simplicity, low memory storage, and good convergence analysis. This paper presents a new hybrid conjugate gradient method, named NRM1 method. The method is analyzed under the exact and inexact line searches in given conditions. Theoretically, proofs show that the NRM1 method satisfies the sufficient descent condition with both line searches. The computational result indicates that NRM1 method is capable in solving the standard unconstrained optimization problems used. On the other hand, the NRM1 method performs better under inexact line search compared with exact line search.

Perturbing Hele-Shaw flow with a small gap gradient

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

Zhao, H.; Casademunt, J.; Yeung, C.

1992-02-15

A controlled perturbation is introduced into the Saffman-Taylor flow problem by adding a gradient to the gap of a Hele-Shaw cell. The stability of the single-finger steady state was found to be strongly affected by such a perturbation. Compared with patterns in a standard Hele-Shaw cell, the single Saffman-Taylor finger was stabilized or destabilized according to the sign of the gap gradient. While a linear stability analysis shows that this perturbation should have a negligible effect on the early-stage pattern formation, the experimental data indicate that the characteristic length for the initial breakup of a flat interface has been changedmore » by the perturbation.« less

The biogeochemistry of phosphorus across an alpine topographic/snow gradient

Treesearch

M. I. Litaor; T. R. Seastedt; M. D. Walker; M. Carbone; A. Townsend

2005-01-01

Phosphorus (P) availability has generally been assumed to be the limiting or co-limiting factor for plant growth in alpine environments. To test this assumption, the biogeochemistry of phosphorus (P) along an alpine topographic/snow gradient located on Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range was studied in the context of P limitation for plant growth. We measured the various...

Nonlinear stability of oscillatory core-annular flow: A generalized Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with time periodic coefficients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coward, Adrian V.; Papageorgiou, Demetrios T.; Smyrlis, Yiorgos S.

1994-01-01

In this paper the nonlinear stability of two-phase core-annular flow in a pipe is examined when the acting pressure gradient is modulated by time harmonic oscillations and viscosity stratification and interfacial tension is present. An exact solution of the Navier-Stokes equations is used as the background state to develop an asymptotic theory valid for thin annular layers, which leads to a novel nonlinear evolution describing the spatio-temporal evolution of the interface. The evolution equation is an extension of the equation found for constant pressure gradients and generalizes the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation with dispersive effects found by Papageorgiou, Maldarelli & Rumschitzki, Phys. Fluids A 2(3), 1990, pp. 340-352, to a similar system with time periodic coefficients. The distinct regimes of slow and moderate flow are considered and the corresponding evolution is derived. Certain solutions are described analytically in the neighborhood of the first bifurcation point by use of multiple scales asymptotics. Extensive numerical experiments, using dynamical systems ideas, are carried out in order to evaluate the effect of the oscillatory pressure gradient on the solutions in the presence of a constant pressure gradient.

Identification of ecological thresholds from variations in phytoplankton communities among lakes: contribution to the definition of environmental standards.

PubMed

Roubeix, Vincent; Danis, Pierre-Alain; Feret, Thibaut; Baudoin, Jean-Marc

2016-04-01

In aquatic ecosystems, the identification of ecological thresholds may be useful for managers as it can help to diagnose ecosystem health and to identify key levers to enable the success of preservation and restoration measures. A recent statistical method, gradient forest, based on random forests, was used to detect thresholds of phytoplankton community change in lakes along different environmental gradients. It performs exploratory analyses of multivariate biological and environmental data to estimate the location and importance of community thresholds along gradients. The method was applied to a data set of 224 French lakes which were characterized by 29 environmental variables and the mean abundances of 196 phytoplankton species. Results showed the high importance of geographic variables for the prediction of species abundances at the scale of the study. A second analysis was performed on a subset of lakes defined by geographic thresholds and presenting a higher biological homogeneity. Community thresholds were identified for the most important physico-chemical variables including water transparency, total phosphorus, ammonia, nitrates, and dissolved organic carbon. Gradient forest appeared as a powerful method at a first exploratory step, to detect ecological thresholds at large spatial scale. The thresholds that were identified here must be reinforced by the separate analysis of other aquatic communities and may be used then to set protective environmental standards after consideration of natural variability among lakes.

Two-dimensional radiative transfer for the retrieval of limb emission measurements in the martian atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kleinböhl, Armin; Friedson, A. James; Schofield, John T.

2017-01-01

The remote sounding of infrared emission from planetary atmospheres using limb-viewing geometry is a powerful technique for deriving vertical profiles of structure and composition on a global scale. Compared with nadir viewing, limb geometry provides enhanced vertical resolution and greater sensitivity to atmospheric constituents. However, standard limb profile retrieval techniques assume spherical symmetry and are vulnerable to biases produced by horizontal gradients in atmospheric parameters. We present a scheme for the correction of horizontal gradients in profile retrievals from limb observations of the martian atmosphere. It characterizes horizontal gradients in temperature, pressure, and aerosol extinction along the line-of-sight of a limb view through neighboring measurements, and represents these gradients by means of two-dimensional radiative transfer in the forward model of the retrieval. The scheme is applied to limb emission measurements from the Mars Climate Sounder instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Retrieval simulations using data from numerical models indicate that biases of up to 10 K in the winter polar region, obtained with standard retrievals using spherical symmetry, are reduced to about 2 K in most locations by the retrieval with two-dimensional radiative transfer. Retrievals from Mars atmospheric measurements suggest that the two-dimensional radiative transfer greatly reduces biases in temperature and aerosol opacity caused by observational geometry, predominantly in the polar winter regions.

Solving large mixed linear models using preconditioned conjugate gradient iteration.

PubMed

Strandén, I; Lidauer, M

1999-12-01

Continuous evaluation of dairy cattle with a random regression test-day model requires a fast solving method and algorithm. A new computing technique feasible in Jacobi and conjugate gradient based iterative methods using iteration on data is presented. In the new computing technique, the calculations in multiplication of a vector by a matrix were recorded to three steps instead of the commonly used two steps. The three-step method was implemented in a general mixed linear model program that used preconditioned conjugate gradient iteration. Performance of this program in comparison to other general solving programs was assessed via estimation of breeding values using univariate, multivariate, and random regression test-day models. Central processing unit time per iteration with the new three-step technique was, at best, one-third that needed with the old technique. Performance was best with the test-day model, which was the largest and most complex model used. The new program did well in comparison to other general software. Programs keeping the mixed model equations in random access memory required at least 20 and 435% more time to solve the univariate and multivariate animal models, respectively. Computations of the second best iteration on data took approximately three and five times longer for the animal and test-day models, respectively, than did the new program. Good performance was due to fast computing time per iteration and quick convergence to the final solutions. Use of preconditioned conjugate gradient based methods in solving large breeding value problems is supported by our findings.

Rapid developing of Ektaspeed dental film by increase of temperature.

PubMed

Fredholm, U; Julin, P

1987-01-01

Three rapid developing solutions and one standard solution were tested for contrast and fog with Ektaspeed film at temperatures ranging from 15 degrees to 30 degrees C. Temperatures below 18 degrees C were found to give extremely long developing times, more than 3 minutes with rapid developers, and were not recommended. In the interval between 21 degrees C and 24 degrees C the standard developer needed 3.5-2.5 minutes to get optimum contrast. Two rapid developers needed 1.5 minutes and the fastest 1 minute to get satisfactory contrast throughout this temperature range. A further increase of the temperature gave only a marginal time saving with the rapid solutions and was not considered worthwhile. The relation between developing time and temperature for the rapid developers had a very steep gradient below 21 degrees C, while it levelled out at room temperature. For the standard developer the time/temperature function had a more even gradient from 7.5 minutes at 15 degrees C to 1.5 minutes at 27 degrees C, i.e. an average reduction of 0.5 minute per degree. Between 27 degrees C and 30 degrees C the gradient levelled out. The fog did not increase significantly until at 30 degrees C or at more than double the optimal developing time at room temperature. Recommendations of optimal developing time of Ektaspeed film at different temperatures are given for the four tested developing solutions.

Characterization of Thin Film Materials using SCAN meta-GGA, an Accurate Nonempirical Density Functional

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

Buda, I. G.; Lane, C.; Barbiellini, B.

We discuss self-consistently obtained ground-state electronic properties of monolayers of graphene and a number of ’beyond graphene’ compounds, including films of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), using the recently proposed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) to the density functional theory. The SCAN meta-GGA results are compared with those based on the local density approximation (LDA) as well as the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). As expected, the GGA yields expanded lattices and softened bonds in relation to the LDA, but the SCAN meta-GGA systematically improves the agreement with experiment. Our study suggests the efficacy of the SCAN functionalmore » for accurate modeling of electronic structures of layered materials in high-throughput calculations more generally.« less

Solving the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for general relativity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parry, J.; Salopek, D. S.; Stewart, J. M.

1994-03-01

We demonstrate a systematic method for solving the Hamilton-Jacobi equation for general relativity with the inclusion of matter fields. The generating functional is expanded in a series of spatial gradients. Each term is manifestly invariant under reparametrizations of the spatial coordinates (``gauge invariant''). At each order we solve the Hamiltonian constraint using a conformal transformation of the three-metric as well as a line integral in superspace. This gives a recursion relation for the generating functional which then may be solved to arbitrary order simply by functionally differentiating previous orders. At fourth order in spatial gradients we demonstrate solutions for irrotational dust as well as for a scalar field. We explicitly evolve the three-metric to the same order. This method can be used to derive the Zel'dovich approximation for general relativity.

Characterization of Thin Film Materials using SCAN meta-GGA, an Accurate Nonempirical Density Functional

DOE PAGES

Buda, I. G.; Lane, C.; Barbiellini, B.; ...

2017-03-23

We discuss self-consistently obtained ground-state electronic properties of monolayers of graphene and a number of ’beyond graphene’ compounds, including films of transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), using the recently proposed strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) to the density functional theory. The SCAN meta-GGA results are compared with those based on the local density approximation (LDA) as well as the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). As expected, the GGA yields expanded lattices and softened bonds in relation to the LDA, but the SCAN meta-GGA systematically improves the agreement with experiment. Our study suggests the efficacy of the SCAN functionalmore » for accurate modeling of electronic structures of layered materials in high-throughput calculations more generally.« less

Minimization of Dead-Periods in MRI Pulse Sequences for Imaging Oblique Planes

PubMed Central

Atalar, Ergin; McVeigh, Elliot R.

2007-01-01

With the advent of breath-hold MR cardiac imaging techniques, the minimization of TR and TE for oblique planes has become a critical issue. The slew rates and maximum currents of gradient amplifiers limit the minimum possible TR and TE by adding dead-periods to the pulse sequences. We propose a method of designing gradient waveforms that will be applied to the amplifiers instead of the slice, readout, and phase encoding waveforms. Because this method ensures that the gradient amplifiers will always switch at their maximum slew rate, it results in the minimum possible dead-period for given imaging parameters and scan plane position. A GRASS pulse sequence has been designed and ultra-short TR and TE values have been obtained with standard gradient amplifiers and coils. For some oblique slices, we have achieved shorter TR and TE values than those for nonoblique slices. PMID:7869900

Automatic extraction of planetary image features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeMoigne-Stewart, Jacqueline J. (Inventor); Troglio, Giulia (Inventor); Benediktsson, Jon A. (Inventor); Serpico, Sebastiano B. (Inventor); Moser, Gabriele (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method for the extraction of Lunar data and/or planetary features is provided. The feature extraction method can include one or more image processing techniques, including, but not limited to, a watershed segmentation and/or the generalized Hough Transform. According to some embodiments, the feature extraction method can include extracting features, such as, small rocks. According to some embodiments, small rocks can be extracted by applying a watershed segmentation algorithm to the Canny gradient. According to some embodiments, applying a watershed segmentation algorithm to the Canny gradient can allow regions that appear as close contours in the gradient to be segmented.

A general multiscale framework for the emergent effective elastodynamics of metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sridhar, A.; Kouznetsova, V. G.; Geers, M. G. D.

2018-02-01

This paper presents a general multiscale framework towards the computation of the emergent effective elastodynamics of heterogeneous materials, to be applied for the analysis of acoustic metamaterials and phononic crystals. The generality of the framework is exemplified by two key characteristics. First, the underlying formalism relies on the Floquet-Bloch theorem to derive a robust definition of scales and scale separation. Second, unlike most homogenization approaches that rely on a classical volume average, a generalized homogenization operator is defined with respect to a family of particular projection functions. This yields a generalized macro-scale continuum, instead of the classical Cauchy continuum. This enables (in a micromorphic sense) to homogenize the rich dispersive behavior resulting from both Bragg scattering and local resonance. For an arbitrary unit cell, the homogenization projection functions are constructed using the Floquet-Bloch eigenvectors obtained in the desired frequency regime at select high symmetry points, which effectively resolves the emergent phenomena dominating that regime. Furthermore, a generalized Hill-Mandel condition is proposed that ensures power consistency between the homogenized and full-scale model. A high-order spatio-temporal gradient expansion is used to localize the multiscale problem leading to a series of recursive unit cell problems giving the appropriate micro-mechanical corrections. The developed multiscale method is validated against standard numerical Bloch analysis of the dispersion spectra of example unit cells encompassing multiple high-order branches generated by local resonance and/or Bragg scattering.

Combined solvent- and non-uniform temperature-programmed gradient liquid chromatography. I - A theoretical investigation.

PubMed

Gritti, Fabrice

2016-11-18

An new class of gradient liquid chromatography (GLC) is proposed and its performance is analyzed from a theoretical viewpoint. During the course of such gradients, both the solvent strength and the column temperature are simultaneously changed in time and space. The solvent and temperature gradients propagate along the chromatographic column at their own and independent linear velocity. This class of gradient is called combined solvent- and temperature-programmed gradient liquid chromatography (CST-GLC). The general expressions of the retention time, retention factor, and of the temporal peak width of the analytes at elution in CST-GLC are derived for linear solvent strength (LSS) retention models, modified van't Hoff retention behavior, linear and non-distorted solvent gradients, and for linear temperature gradients. In these conditions, the theory predicts that CST-GLC is equivalent to a unique and apparent dynamic solvent gradient. The apparent solvent gradient steepness is the sum of the solvent and temperature steepness. The apparent solvent linear velocity is the reciprocal of the steepness-averaged sum of the reciprocal of the actual solvent and temperature linear velocities. The advantage of CST-GLC over conventional GLC is demonstrated for the resolution of protein digests (peptide mapping) when applying smooth, retained, and linear acetonitrile gradients in combination with a linear temperature gradient (from 20°C to 90°C) using 300μm×150mm capillary columns packed with sub-2 μm particles. The benefit of CST-GLC is demonstrated when the temperature gradient propagates at the same velocity as the chromatographic speed. The experimental proof-of-concept for the realization of temperature ramps propagating at a finite and constant linear velocity is also briefly described. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Priori Subgrid Scale Modeling for a Droplet Laden Temporal Mixing Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okongo, Nora; Bellan, Josette

2000-01-01

Subgrid analysis of a transitional temporal mixing layer with evaporating droplets has been performed using a direct numerical simulation (DNS) database. The DNS is for a Reynolds number (based on initial vorticity thickness) of 600, with droplet mass loading of 0.2. The gas phase is computed using a Eulerian formulation, with Lagrangian droplet tracking. Since Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of this flow requires the computation of unfiltered gas-phase variables at droplet locations from filtered gas-phase variables at the grid points, it is proposed to model these by assuming the gas-phase variables to be given by the filtered variables plus a correction based on the filtered standard deviation, which can be computed from the sub-grid scale (SGS) standard deviation. This model predicts unfiltered variables at droplet locations better than simply interpolating the filtered variables. Three methods are investigated for modeling the SGS standard deviation: Smagorinsky, gradient and scale-similarity. When properly calibrated, the gradient and scale-similarity methods give results in excellent agreement with the DNS.

Topology of microwave background fluctuations - Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. Richard, III; Park, Changbom; Bies, William E.; Bennett, David P.; Juszkiewicz, Roman

1990-01-01

Topological measures are used to characterize the microwave background temperature fluctuations produced by 'standard' scenarios (Gaussian) and by cosmic strings (non-Gaussian). Three topological quantities: total area of the excursion regions, total length, and total curvature (genus) of the isotemperature contours, are studied for simulated Gaussian microwave background anisotropy maps and then compared with those of the non-Gaussian anisotropy pattern produced by cosmic strings. In general, the temperature gradient field shows the non-Gaussian behavior of the string map more distinctively than the temperature field for all topology measures. The total contour length and the genus are found to be more sensitive to the existence of a stringy pattern than the usual temperature histogram. Situations when instrumental noise is superposed on the map, are considered to find the critical signal-to-noise ratio for which strings can be detected.

Instability of quantum equilibrium in Bohm's dynamics

PubMed Central

Colin, Samuel; Valentini, Antony

2014-01-01

We consider Bohm's second-order dynamics for arbitrary initial conditions in phase space. In principle, Bohm's dynamics allows for ‘extended’ non-equilibrium, with initial momenta not equal to the gradient of phase of the wave function (as well as initial positions whose distribution departs from the Born rule). We show that extended non-equilibrium does not relax in general and is in fact unstable. This is in sharp contrast with de Broglie's first-order dynamics, for which non-standard momenta are not allowed and which shows an efficient relaxation to the Born rule for positions. On this basis, we argue that, while de Broglie's dynamics is a tenable physical theory, Bohm's dynamics is not. In a world governed by Bohm's dynamics, there would be no reason to expect to see an effective quantum theory today (even approximately), in contradiction with observation. PMID:25383020

Ultra-sensitive pressure dependence of bandgap of rutile-GeO2 revealed by many body perturbation theory.

PubMed

Samanta, Atanu; Jain, Manish; Singh, Abhishek K

2015-08-14

The reported values of bandgap of rutile GeO2 calculated by the standard density functional theory within local-density approximation (LDA)/generalized gradient approximation (GGA) show a wide variation (∼2 eV), whose origin remains unresolved. Here, we investigate the reasons for this variation by studying the electronic structure of rutile-GeO2 using many-body perturbation theory within the GW framework. The bandgap as well as valence bandwidth at Γ-point of rutile phase shows a strong dependence on volume change, which is independent of bandgap underestimation problem of LDA/GGA. This strong dependence originates from a change in hybridization among O-p and Ge-(s and p) orbitals. Furthermore, the parabolic nature of first conduction band along X-Γ-M direction changes towards a linear dispersion with volume expansion.

Competitive ability, stress tolerance and plant interactions along stress gradients.

PubMed

Qi, Man; Sun, Tao; Xue, SuFeng; Yang, Wei; Shao, DongDong; Martínez-López, Javier

2018-04-01

Exceptions to the generality of the stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) may be reconciled by considering species-specific traits and stress tolerance strategies. Studies have tested stress tolerance and competitive ability in mediating interaction outcomes, but few have incorporated this to predict how species interactions shift between competition and facilitation along stress gradients. We used field surveys, salt tolerance and competition experiments to develop a predictive model interspecific interaction shifts across salinity stress gradients. Field survey and greenhouse tolerance tests revealed tradeoffs between stress tolerance and competitive ability. Modeling showed that along salinity gradients, (1) plant interactions shifted from competition to facilitation at high salinities within the physiological limits of salt-intolerant plants, (2) facilitation collapsed when salinity stress exceeded the physiological tolerance of salt-intolerant plants, and (3) neighbor removal experiments overestimate interspecific facilitation by including intraspecific effects. A community-level field experiment, suggested that (1) species interactions are competitive in benign and, facilitative in harsh condition, but fuzzy under medium environmental stress due to niche differences of species and weak stress amelioration, and (2) the SGH works on strong but not weak stress gradients, so SGH confusion arises when it is applied across questionable stress gradients. Our study clarifies how species interactions vary along stress gradients. Moving forward, focusing on SGH applications rather than exceptions on weak or nonexistent gradients would be most productive. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Correlates of male fitness in captive zebra finches--a comparison of methods to disentangle genetic and environmental effects.

PubMed

Bolund, Elisabeth; Schielzeth, Holger; Forstmeier, Wolfgang

2011-11-08

It is a common observation in evolutionary studies that larger, more ornamented or earlier breeding individuals have higher fitness, but that body size, ornamentation or breeding time does not change despite of sometimes substantial heritability for these traits. A possible explanation for this is that these traits do not causally affect fitness, but rather happen to be indirectly correlated with fitness via unmeasured non-heritable aspects of condition (e.g. undernourished offspring grow small and have low fitness as adults due to poor health). Whether this explanation applies to a specific case can be examined by decomposing the covariance between trait and fitness into its genetic and environmental components using pedigree-based animal models. We here examine different methods of doing this for a captive zebra finch population where male fitness was measured in communal aviaries in relation to three phenotypic traits (tarsus length, beak colour and song rate). Our case study illustrates how methods that regress fitness over breeding values for phenotypic traits yield biased estimates as well as anti-conservative standard errors. Hence, it is necessary to estimate the genetic and environmental covariances between trait and fitness directly from a bivariate model. This method, however, is very demanding in terms of sample sizes. In our study parameter estimates of selection gradients for tarsus were consistent with the hypothesis of environmentally induced bias (βA=0.035±0.25 (SE), βE=0.57±0.28 (SE)), yet this differences between genetic and environmental selection gradients falls short of statistical significance. To examine the generality of the idea that phenotypic selection gradients for certain traits (like size) are consistently upwardly biased by environmental covariance a meta-analysis across study systems will be needed.

Correlates of male fitness in captive zebra finches - a comparison of methods to disentangle genetic and environmental effects

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Backgound It is a common observation in evolutionary studies that larger, more ornamented or earlier breeding individuals have higher fitness, but that body size, ornamentation or breeding time does not change despite of sometimes substantial heritability for these traits. A possible explanation for this is that these traits do not causally affect fitness, but rather happen to be indirectly correlated with fitness via unmeasured non-heritable aspects of condition (e.g. undernourished offspring grow small and have low fitness as adults due to poor health). Whether this explanation applies to a specific case can be examined by decomposing the covariance between trait and fitness into its genetic and environmental components using pedigree-based animal models. We here examine different methods of doing this for a captive zebra finch population where male fitness was measured in communal aviaries in relation to three phenotypic traits (tarsus length, beak colour and song rate). Results Our case study illustrates how methods that regress fitness over breeding values for phenotypic traits yield biased estimates as well as anti-conservative standard errors. Hence, it is necessary to estimate the genetic and environmental covariances between trait and fitness directly from a bivariate model. This method, however, is very demanding in terms of sample sizes. In our study parameter estimates of selection gradients for tarsus were consistent with the hypothesis of environmentally induced bias (βA = 0.035 ± 0.25 (SE), βE = 0.57 ± 0.28 (SE)), yet this differences between genetic and environmental selection gradients falls short of statistical significance. Conclusions To examine the generality of the idea that phenotypic selection gradients for certain traits (like size) are consistently upwardly biased by environmental covariance a meta-analysis across study systems will be needed. PMID:22067225

Orientationally invariant metrics of apparent compartment eccentricity from double pulsed field gradient diffusion experiments.

PubMed

Jespersen, Sune Nørhøj; Lundell, Henrik; Sønderby, Casper Kaae; Dyrby, Tim B

2013-12-01

Pulsed field gradient diffusion sequences (PFG) with multiple diffusion encoding blocks have been indicated to offer new microstructural tissue information, such as the ability to detect nonspherical compartment shapes in macroscopically isotropic samples, i.e. samples with negligible directional signal dependence on diffusion gradients in standard diffusion experiments. However, current acquisition schemes are not rotationally invariant in the sense that the derived metrics depend on the orientation of the sample, and are affected by the interplay of sampling directions and compartment orientation dispersion when applied to macroscopically anisotropic systems. Here we propose a new framework, the d-PFG 5-design, to enable rotationally invariant estimation of double wave vector diffusion metrics (d-PFG). The method is based on the idea that an appropriate orientational average of the signal emulates the signal from a powder preparation of the same sample, where macroscopic anisotropy is absent by construction. Our approach exploits the theory of exact numerical integration (quadrature) of polynomials on the rotation group, and we exemplify the general procedure with a set consisting of 60 pairs of diffusion wave vectors (the d-PFG 5-design) facilitating a theoretically exact determination of the fourth order Taylor or cumulant expansion of the orientationally averaged signal. The d-PFG 5-design is evaluated with numerical simulations and ex vivo high field diffusion MRI experiments in a nonhuman primate brain. Specifically, we demonstrate rotational invariance when estimating compartment eccentricity, which we show offers new microstructural information, complementary to that of fractional anisotropy (FA) from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The imaging observations are supported by a new theoretical result, directly relating compartment eccentricity to FA of individual pores. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

METALLICITY GRADIENTS THROUGH DISK INSTABILITY: A SIMPLE MODEL FOR THE MILKY WAY'S BOXY BULGE

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

Martinez-Valpuesta, Inma; Gerhard, Ortwin, E-mail: imv@mpe.mpg.de, E-mail: gerhard@mpe.mpg.de

2013-03-20

Observations show a clear vertical metallicity gradient in the Galactic bulge, which is often taken as a signature of dissipative processes in the formation of a classical bulge. Various evidence shows, however, that the Milky Way is a barred galaxy with a boxy bulge representing the inner three-dimensional part of the bar. Here we show with a secular evolution N-body model that a boxy bulge formed through bar and buckling instabilities can show vertical metallicity gradients similar to the observed gradient if the initial axisymmetric disk had a comparable radial metallicity gradient. In this framework, the range of metallicities inmore » bulge fields constrains the chemical structure of the Galactic disk at early times before bar formation. Our secular evolution model was previously shown to reproduce inner Galaxy star counts and we show here that it also has cylindrical rotation. We use it to predict a full mean metallicity map across the Galactic bulge from a simple metallicity model for the initial disk. This map shows a general outward gradient on the sky as well as longitudinal perspective asymmetries. We also briefly comment on interpreting metallicity gradient observations in external boxy bulges.« less

SDSS-IV MaNGA: stellar population gradients as a function of galaxy environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goddard, D.; Thomas, D.; Maraston, C.; Westfall, K.; Etherington, J.; Riffel, R.; Mallmann, N. D.; Zheng, Z.; Argudo-Fernández, M.; Bershady, M.; Bundy, K.; Drory, N.; Law, D.; Yan, R.; Wake, D.; Weijmans, A.; Bizyaev, D.; Brownstein, J.; Lane, R. R.; Maiolino, R.; Masters, K.; Merrifield, M.; Nitschelm, C.; Pan, K.; Roman-Lopes, A.; Storchi-Bergmann, T.

2017-02-01

We study the internal radial gradients of stellar population properties within 1.5 Re and analyse the impact of galaxy environment. We use a representative sample of 721 galaxies with masses ranging between 109 M⊙ and 1011.5 M⊙ from the SDSS-IV survey MaNGA. We split this sample by morphology into early-type and late-type galaxies. Using the full spectral fitting code FIREFLY, we derive the light and mass-weighted stellar population properties, age and metallicity, and calculate the gradients of these properties. We use three independent methods to quantify galaxy environment, namely the Nth nearest neighbour, the tidal strength parameter Q and distinguish between central and satellite galaxies. In our analysis, we find that early-type galaxies generally exhibit shallow light-weighted age gradients in agreement with the literature and mass-weighted median age gradients tend to be slightly positive. Late-type galaxies, instead, have negative light-weighted age gradients. We detect negative metallicity gradients in both early- and late-type galaxies that correlate with galaxy mass, with the gradients being steeper and the correlation with mass being stronger in late-types. We find, however, that stellar population gradients, for both morphological classifications, have no significant correlation with galaxy environment for all three characterizations of environment. Our results suggest that galaxy mass is the main driver of stellar population gradients in both early and late-type galaxies, and any environmental dependence, if present at all, must be very subtle.

Soil biology research across latitude, elevation and disturbance gradients: A review of forest studies from Puerto Rico during the past 25 years

Treesearch

Grizelle González; D. Lodge

2017-01-01

Progress in understanding changes in soil biology in response to latitude, elevation and disturbance gradients has generally lagged behind studies of above-ground plants and animals owing to methodological constraints and high diversity and complexity of interactions in below-ground food webs. New methods have opened research opportunities in below-ground systems,...

Can work ability explain the social gradient in sickness absence: a study of a general population in Sweden.

PubMed

Löve, Jesper; Holmgren, Kristina; Torén, Kjell; Hensing, Gunnel

2012-03-07

Understanding the reasons for the social gradient in sickness absence might provide an opportunity to reduce the general rates of sickness absence. The complete explanation for this social gradient still remains unclear and there is a need for studies using randomized working population samples. The main aim of the present study was to investigate if self-reported work ability could explain the association between low socioeconomic position and belonging to a sample of new cases of sick-listed employees. The two study samples consisted of a randomized working population (n = 2,763) and a sample of new cases of sick-listed employees (n = 3,044), 19-64 years old. Both samples were drawn from the same randomized general population. Socioeconomic status was measured with occupational position and physical and mental work ability was measured with two items extracted from the work ability index. There was an association between lower socioeconomic status and belonging to the sick-listed sample among both women and men. In men the crude Odds ratios increased for each downwards step in socioeconomic status, OR 1.32 (95% CI 0.98-1.78), OR 1.53 (1.05-2.24), OR 2.80 (2.11-3.72), and OR 2.98 (2.27-3.90). Among women this gradient was not as pronounced. Physical work ability constituted the strongest explanatory factor explaining the total association between socioeconomic status and being sick-listed in women. However, among men, the association between skilled non-manual, OR 2.07 (1.54-2.78), and non-skilled manual, OR 2.03 (1.53-2.71) positions in relation to being sick-listed remained. The explanatory effect of mental work ability was small. Surprisingly, even in the sick-listed sample most respondents had high mental and physical work ability. These results suggest that physical work ability may be an important key in explaining the social gradient in sickness absence, particularly in women. Hence, it is possible that the factors associated with the social gradient in sickness absence may differ, to some extent, between women and men.

A new solution-adaptive grid generation method for transonic airfoil flow calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakamura, S.; Holst, T. L.

1981-01-01

The clustering algorithm is controlled by a second-order, ordinary differential equation which uses the airfoil surface density gradient as a forcing function. The solution to this differential equation produces a surface grid distribution which is automatically clustered in regions with large gradients. The interior grid points are established from this surface distribution by using an interpolation scheme which is fast and retains the desirable properties of the original grid generated from the standard elliptic equation approach.

The Noninvasive Carbon Dioxide Gradient (NICO2G) during Hemorrhagic Shock

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

as well as a tPCO2- PaCO2 gap more than 16 mmHg were reported to be associated with poor outcomes in patients with septic shock (18). Previously, our...shortcomings, which include the need for frequent calibration with a tank of standardized cali- bration gas (24), relative bulk, need for a heated sensor, and...hemorrhagic, septic , and cardiogenic shock (27). Van der Linden et al. (28) demonstrated a venous-arterial gradient for PCO2 in hemorrhaged dogs. There was

Horizontal cryogenic bushing for the termination of a superconducting power-transmission line

DOEpatents

Minati, K.F.; Morgan, G.H.; McNerney, A.J.; Schauer, F.

1982-07-29

A termination for a superconducting power transmission line is disclosed which is comprised of a standard air entrance insulated vertical bushing with an elbow, a horizontal cryogenic bushing linking the pressurized cryogenic cable environment to the ambient temperature bushing and a stress cone which terminated the cable outer shield and transforms the large radial voltage gradient in the cable dielectric into a much lower radial voltage gradient in the high density helium coolant at the cold end of the cryogenic bushing.

Termination for a superconducting power transmission line including a horizontal cryogenic bushing

DOEpatents

Minati, Kurt F.; Morgan, Gerry H.; McNerney, Andrew J.; Schauer, Felix

1984-01-01

A termination for a superconducting power transmission line is disclosed which is comprised of a standard air entrance insulated vertical bushing with an elbow, a horizontal cryogenic bushing linking the pressurized cryogenic cable environment to the ambient temperature bushing and a stress cone which terminates the cable outer shield and transforms the large radial voltage gradient in the cable dielectric into a much lower radial voltage gradient in the high density helium coolant at the cold end of the cryogenic bushing.

Eutectic superalloys by edge-defined, film-fed growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurley, G. F.

1975-01-01

The feasibility of producing directionally solidified eutectic alloy composites by edge-defined, film-fed growth (EFG) was carried out. The three eutectic alloys which were investigated were gamma + delta, gamma/gamma prime + delta, and a Co-base TaC alloy containing Cr and Ni. Investigations into the compatibility and wettability of these metals with various carbides, borides, nitrides, and oxides disclosed that compounds with the largest (negative) heats of formation were most stable but poorest wetting. Nitrides and carbides had suitable stability and low contact angles but capillary rise was observed only with carbides. Oxides would not give capillary rise but would probably fulfill the other wetting requirements of EFG. Tantalum carbide was selected for most of the experimental portion of the program based on its exhibiting spontaneous capillary rise and satisfactory slow rate of degradation in the liquid metals. Samples of all three alloys were grown by EFG with the major experimental effort restricted to gamma + delta and gamma/gamma prime + delta alloys. In the standard, uncooled EFG apparatus, the thermal gradient was inferred from the growth speed and was 150 to 200 C/cm. This value may be compared to typical gradients of less than 100 C/cm normally achieved in a standard Bridgman-type apparatus. When a stream of helium was directed against the side of the bar during growth, the gradient was found to improve to about 250 C/cm. In comparison, a theoretical gradient of 700 C/cm should be possible under ideal conditions, without the use of chills. Methods for optimizing the gradient in EFG are discussed, and should allow attainment of close to the theoretical for a particular configuration.

A high-performance gradient insert for rapid and short-T2 imaging at full duty cycle.

PubMed

Weiger, Markus; Overweg, Johan; Rösler, Manuela Barbara; Froidevaux, Romain; Hennel, Franciszek; Wilm, Bertram Jakob; Penn, Alexander; Sturzenegger, Urs; Schuth, Wout; Mathlener, Menno; Borgo, Martino; Börnert, Peter; Leussler, Christoph; Luechinger, Roger; Dietrich, Benjamin Emanuel; Reber, Jonas; Brunner, David Otto; Schmid, Thomas; Vionnet, Laetitia; Pruessmann, Klaas P

2018-06-01

The goal of this study was to devise a gradient system for MRI in humans that reconciles cutting-edge gradient strength with rapid switching and brings up the duty cycle to 100% at full continuous amplitude. Aiming to advance neuroimaging and short-T 2 techniques, the hardware design focused on the head and the extremities as target anatomies. A boundary element method with minimization of power dissipation and stored magnetic energy was used to design anatomy-targeted gradient coils with maximally relaxed geometry constraints. The design relies on hollow conductors for high-performance cooling and split coils to enable dual-mode gradient amplifier operation. With this approach, strength and slew rate specifications of either 100 mT/m with 1200 mT/m/ms or 200 mT/m with 600 mT/m/ms were reached at 100% duty cycle, assuming a standard gradient amplifier and cooling unit. After manufacturing, the specified values for maximum gradient strength, maximum switching rate, and field geometry were verified experimentally. In temperature measurements, maximum local values of 63°C were observed, confirming that the device can be operated continuously at full amplitude. Testing for peripheral nerve stimulation showed nearly unrestricted applicability in humans at full gradient performance. In measurements of acoustic noise, a maximum average sound pressure level of 132 dB(A) was determined. In vivo capability was demonstrated by head and knee imaging. Full gradient performance was employed with echo planar and zero echo time readouts. Combining extreme gradient strength and switching speed without duty cycle limitations, the described system offers unprecedented options for rapid and short-T 2 imaging. Magn Reson Med 79:3256-3266, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Optimization with artificial neural network systems - A mapping principle and a comparison to gradient based methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leong, Harrison Monfook

1988-01-01

General formulae for mapping optimization problems into systems of ordinary differential equations associated with artificial neural networks are presented. A comparison is made to optimization using gradient-search methods. The performance measure is the settling time from an initial state to a target state. A simple analytical example illustrates a situation where dynamical systems representing artificial neural network methods would settle faster than those representing gradient-search. Settling time was investigated for a more complicated optimization problem using computer simulations. The problem was a simplified version of a problem in medical imaging: determining loci of cerebral activity from electromagnetic measurements at the scalp. The simulations showed that gradient based systems typically settled 50 to 100 times faster than systems based on current neural network optimization methods.

On the constrained minimization of smooth Kurdyka—Łojasiewicz functions with the scaled gradient projection method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prato, Marco; Bonettini, Silvia; Loris, Ignace; Porta, Federica; Rebegoldi, Simone

2016-10-01

The scaled gradient projection (SGP) method is a first-order optimization method applicable to the constrained minimization of smooth functions and exploiting a scaling matrix multiplying the gradient and a variable steplength parameter to improve the convergence of the scheme. For a general nonconvex function, the limit points of the sequence generated by SGP have been proved to be stationary, while in the convex case and with some restrictions on the choice of the scaling matrix the sequence itself converges to a constrained minimum point. In this paper we extend these convergence results by showing that the SGP sequence converges to a limit point provided that the objective function satisfies the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz property at each point of its domain and its gradient is Lipschitz continuous.

Interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum during rapid solidification

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

Brown, Nicholas T.; Martinez, Enrique; Qu, Jianmin

Using molecular dynamics simulations and the capillary fluctuation method, we have calculated the anisotropic crystal-melt interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum in a rapid solidification system where a temperature gradient is applied to enforce thermal non-equilibrium. To calculate these material properties, the standard capillary fluctuation method typically used for systems in equilibrium has been modified to incorporate a second-order Taylor expansion of the interfacial free energy term. The result is a robust method for calculating interfacial energy, stiffness and anisotropy as a function of temperature gradient using the fluctuations in the defined interface height. This work includes the calculationmore » of interface characteristics for temperature gradients ranging from 11 to 34 K/nm. The captured results are compared to a thermal equilibrium case using the same model and simulation technique with a zero gradient definition. We define the temperature gradient as the change in temperature over height perpendicular to the crystal-melt interface. The gradients are applied in MD simulations using defined thermostat regions on a stable solid-liquid interface initially in thermal equilibrium. The results of this work show that the interfacial stiffness and free energy for aluminum are dependent on the magnitude of the temperature gradient, however the anisotropic parameters remain independent of the non-equilibrium conditions applied in this analysis. As a result, the relationships of the interfacial free energy/stiffness are determined to be linearly related to the thermal gradient, and can be interpolated to find material characteristics at additional temperature gradients.« less

Interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum during rapid solidification

DOE PAGES

Brown, Nicholas T.; Martinez, Enrique; Qu, Jianmin

2017-05-01

Using molecular dynamics simulations and the capillary fluctuation method, we have calculated the anisotropic crystal-melt interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum in a rapid solidification system where a temperature gradient is applied to enforce thermal non-equilibrium. To calculate these material properties, the standard capillary fluctuation method typically used for systems in equilibrium has been modified to incorporate a second-order Taylor expansion of the interfacial free energy term. The result is a robust method for calculating interfacial energy, stiffness and anisotropy as a function of temperature gradient using the fluctuations in the defined interface height. This work includes the calculationmore » of interface characteristics for temperature gradients ranging from 11 to 34 K/nm. The captured results are compared to a thermal equilibrium case using the same model and simulation technique with a zero gradient definition. We define the temperature gradient as the change in temperature over height perpendicular to the crystal-melt interface. The gradients are applied in MD simulations using defined thermostat regions on a stable solid-liquid interface initially in thermal equilibrium. The results of this work show that the interfacial stiffness and free energy for aluminum are dependent on the magnitude of the temperature gradient, however the anisotropic parameters remain independent of the non-equilibrium conditions applied in this analysis. As a result, the relationships of the interfacial free energy/stiffness are determined to be linearly related to the thermal gradient, and can be interpolated to find material characteristics at additional temperature gradients.« less

Neoclassical, semi-collisional tearing mode theory in an axisymmetric torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connor, J. W.; Hastie, R. J.; Helander, P.

2017-12-01

A set of layer equations for determining the stability of semi-collisional tearing modes in an axisymmetric torus, incorporating neoclassical physics, in the small ion Larmor radius limit, is provided. These can be used as an inner layer module for inclusion in numerical codes that asymptotically match the layer to toroidal calculations of the tearing mode stability index, \\prime $ . They are more complete than in earlier work and comprise equations for the perturbed electron density and temperature, the ion temperature, Ampère's law and the vorticity equation, amounting to a twelvth-order set of radial differential equations. While the toroidal geometry is kept quite general when treating the classical and Pfirsch-Schlüter transport, parallel bootstrap current and semi-collisional physics, it is assumed that the fraction of trapped particles is small for the banana regime contribution. This is to justify the use of a model collision term when acting on the localised (in velocity space) solutions that remain after the Spitzer solutions have been exploited to account for the bulk of the passing distributions. In this respect, unlike standard neoclassical transport theory, the calculation involves the second Spitzer solution connected with a parallel temperature gradient, because this stability problem involves parallel temperature gradients that cannot occur in equilibrium toroidal transport theory. Furthermore, a calculation of the linearised neoclassical radial transport of toroidal momentum for general geometry is required to complete the vorticity equation. The solutions of the resulting set of equations do not match properly to the ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations at large distances from the layer, and a further, intermediate layer involving ion corrections to the electrical conductivity and ion parallel thermal transport is invoked to achieve this matching and allow one to correctly calculate the layer \\prime $ .

Development of an atmospheric N2O isotopocule model and optimization procedure, and application to source estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishijima, K.; Takigawa, M.; Sudo, K.; Toyoda, S.; Yoshida, N.; Röckmann, T.; Kaiser, J.; Aoki, S.; Morimoto, S.; Sugawara, S.; Nakazawa, T.

2015-07-01

This paper presents the development of an atmospheric N2O isotopocule model based on a chemistry-coupled atmospheric general circulation model (ACTM). We also describe a simple method to optimize the model and present its use in estimating the isotopic signatures of surface sources at the hemispheric scale. Data obtained from ground-based observations, measurements of firn air, and balloon and aircraft flights were used to optimize the long-term trends, interhemispheric gradients, and photolytic fractionation, respectively, in the model. This optimization successfully reproduced realistic spatial and temporal variations of atmospheric N2O isotopocules throughout the atmosphere from the surface to the stratosphere. The very small gradients associated with vertical profiles through the troposphere and the latitudinal and vertical distributions within each hemisphere were also reasonably simulated. The results of the isotopic characterization of the global total sources were generally consistent with previous one-box model estimates, indicating that the observed atmospheric trend is the dominant factor controlling the source isotopic signature. However, hemispheric estimates were different from those generated by a previous two-box model study, mainly due to the model accounting for the interhemispheric transport and latitudinal and vertical distributions of tropospheric N2O isotopocules. Comparisons of time series of atmospheric N2O isotopocule ratios between our model and observational data from several laboratories revealed the need for a more systematic and elaborate intercalibration of the standard scales used in N2O isotopic measurements in order to capture a more complete and precise picture of the temporal and spatial variations in atmospheric N2O isotopocule ratios. This study highlights the possibility that inverse estimation of surface N2O fluxes, including the isotopic information as additional constraints, could be realized.

Development of an atmospheric N2O isotopocule model and optimization procedure, and application to source estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishijima, K.; Takigawa, M.; Sudo, K.; Toyoda, S.; Yoshida, N.; Röckmann, T.; Kaiser, J.; Aoki, S.; Morimoto, S.; Sugawara, S.; Nakazawa, T.

2015-12-01

This work presents the development of an atmospheric N2O isotopocule model based on a chemistry-coupled atmospheric general circulation model (ACTM). We also describe a simple method to optimize the model and present its use in estimating the isotopic signatures of surface sources at the hemispheric scale. Data obtained from ground-based observations, measurements of firn air, and balloon and aircraft flights were used to optimize the long-term trends, interhemispheric gradients, and photolytic fractionation, respectively, in the model. This optimization successfully reproduced realistic spatial and temporal variations of atmospheric N2O isotopocules throughout the atmosphere from the surface to the stratosphere. The very small gradients associated with vertical profiles through the troposphere and the latitudinal and vertical distributions within each hemisphere were also reasonably simulated. The results of the isotopic characterization of the global total sources were generally consistent with previous one-box model estimates, indicating that the observed atmospheric trend is the dominant factor controlling the source isotopic signature. However, hemispheric estimates were different from those generated by a previous two-box model study, mainly due to the model accounting for the interhemispheric transport and latitudinal and vertical distributions of tropospheric N2O isotopocules. Comparisons of time series of atmospheric N2O isotopocule ratios between our model and observational data from several laboratories revealed the need for a more systematic and elaborate intercalibration of the standard scales used in N2O isotopic measurements in order to capture a more complete and precise picture of the temporal and spatial variations in atmospheric N2O isotopocule ratios. This study highlights the possibility that inverse estimation of surface N2O fluxes, including the isotopic information as additional constraints, could be realized.

Optical fringe-reflection deflectometry with sparse representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yong-Liang; Li, Sikun; Zhang, Qican; Zhong, Jianxin; Su, Xianyu; You, Zhisheng

2018-05-01

Optical fringe-reflection deflectometry is a surprisingly attractive scratch detection technique for specular surfaces owing to its unparalleled local sensibility. Full-field surface topography is obtained from a measured normal field using gradient integration. However, there may not be an ideal measured gradient field for deflectometry reconstruction in practice. Both the non-integrability condition and various kinds of image noise distributions, which are present in the indirect measured gradient field, may lead to ambiguity about the scratches on specular surfaces. In order to reduce misjudgment of scratches, sparse representation is introduced into the Southwell curl equation for deflectometry. The curl can be represented as a linear combination of the given redundant dictionary for curl and the sparsest solution for gradient refinement. The non-integrability condition and noise permutation can be overcome with sparse representation for gradient refinement. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the accuracy rate of judgment of scratches can be enhanced with sparse representation compared to the standard least-squares integration. Preliminary experiments are performed with the application of practical measured deflectometric data to verify the validity of the algorithm.

High angular resolution diffusion imaging with stimulated echoes: compensation and correction in experiment design and analysis.

PubMed

Lundell, Henrik; Alexander, Daniel C; Dyrby, Tim B

2014-08-01

Stimulated echo acquisition mode (STEAM) diffusion MRI can be advantageous over pulsed-gradient spin-echo (PGSE) for diffusion times that are long compared with T2 . It therefore has potential for biomedical diffusion imaging applications at 7T and above where T2 is short. However, gradient pulses other than the diffusion gradients in the STEAM sequence contribute much greater diffusion weighting than in PGSE and lead to a disrupted experimental design. Here, we introduce a simple compensation to the STEAM acquisition that avoids the orientational bias and disrupted experiment design that these gradient pulses can otherwise produce. The compensation is simple to implement by adjusting the gradient vectors in the diffusion pulses of the STEAM sequence, so that the net effective gradient vector including contributions from diffusion and other gradient pulses is as the experiment intends. High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) data were acquired with and without the proposed compensation. The data were processed to derive standard diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) maps, which highlight the need for the compensation. Ignoring the other gradient pulses, a bias in DTI parameters from STEAM acquisition is found, due both to confounds in the analysis and the experiment design. Retrospectively correcting the analysis with a calculation of the full B matrix can partly correct for these confounds, but an acquisition that is compensated as proposed is needed to remove the effect entirely. © 2014 The Authors. NMR in Biomedicine published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Developing terrestrial, multi-taxon indices of biological integrity: An example from coastal sage scrub

USGS Publications Warehouse

Diffendorfer, J.E.; Fleming, G.M.; Duggan, J.M.; Chapman, R.E.; Rahn, M.E.; Mitrovich, M.J.; Fisher, R.N.

2007-01-01

We screened 351 species or genera for their response to disturbance in coastal sage scrub (CSS) to develop a 15-metric, 5-taxon Index of Biological Integrity (IBI). We collected data on ants, birds, herpetofauna, small mammals, and plants for two years on 46 sites established across a gradient of disturbance in three reserves. The gradient spanned relatively intact CSS with thick stands of shrubs, to former CSS stands type-converted to exotic grasses. ANOVAs and clustering analyses indicated the IBI could distinguish four levels of disturbance in CSS. General measures of community structure, such as richness, did not show changes across the gradient for most taxa, and responses of taxa across the gradient were varied and rarely correlated. However, turnover in species or genera across the gradient was common across all taxa as shrub-obligate life forms were replaced by those favoring grassy or disturbed habitats. Our data indicate index-based approaches based on data collected across disturbance gradients may outperform more traditional community level metrics when responses to anthropogenic influences are complex and vary across species. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social capital, income inequality and the social gradient in self-rated health in Latin America: A fixed effects analysis.

PubMed

Vincens, Natalia; Emmelin, Maria; Stafström, Martin

2018-01-01

Latin America is the most unequal region in the world. The current sustainable development agenda increased attention to health inequity and its determinants in the region. Our aim is to investigate the social gradient in health in Latin America and assess the effects of social capital and income inequality on it. We used cross-sectional data from the World Values Survey and the World Bank. Our sample included 10,426 respondents in eight Latin American countries. Self-rated health was used as the outcome. Education level was the socioeconomic position indicator. We measured social capital by associational membership, civic participation, generalized trust, and neighborhood trust indicators at both individual and country levels. Income inequality was operationalized using the Gini index at country-level. We employed fixed effects logistic regressions and cross-level interactions to assess the impact of social capital and income inequality on the heath gradient, controlling for country heterogeneity. Education level was independently associated with self-rated health, representing a clear social gradient in health, favoring individuals in higher socioeconomic positions. Generalized and neighborhood trust at country-level moderated the effect on the association between socioeconomic position and health, yet favoring individuals in lower socioeconomic positions, especially in lower inequality countries, despite their lower individual social capital. Our findings suggest that collective rather than individual social capital can impact the social gradient in health in Latin America, explaining health inequalities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Image Motion Detection And Estimation: The Modified Spatio-Temporal Gradient Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsin, Cheng-Ho; Inigo, Rafael M.

1990-03-01

The detection and estimation of motion are generally involved in computing a velocity field of time-varying images. A completely new modified spatio-temporal gradient scheme to determine motion is proposed. This is derived by using gradient methods and properties of biological vision. A set of general constraints is proposed to derive motion constraint equations. The constraints are that the second directional derivatives of image intensity at an edge point in the smoothed image will be constant at times t and t+L . This scheme basically has two stages: spatio-temporal filtering, and velocity estimation. Initially, image sequences are processed by a set of oriented spatio-temporal filters which are designed using a Gaussian derivative model. The velocity is then estimated for these filtered image sequences based on the gradient approach. From a computational stand point, this scheme offers at least three advantages over current methods. The greatest advantage of the modified spatio-temporal gradient scheme over the traditional ones is that an infinite number of motion constraint equations are derived instead of only one. Therefore, it solves the aperture problem without requiring any additional assumptions and is simply a local process. The second advantage is that because of the spatio-temporal filtering, the direct computation of image gradients (discrete derivatives) is avoided. Therefore the error in gradients measurement is reduced significantly. The third advantage is that during the processing of motion detection and estimation algorithm, image features (edges) are produced concurrently with motion information. The reliable range of detected velocity is determined by parameters of the oriented spatio-temporal filters. Knowing the velocity sensitivity of a single motion detection channel, a multiple-channel mechanism for estimating image velocity, seldom addressed by other motion schemes in machine vision, can be constructed by appropriately choosing and combining different sets of parameters. By applying this mechanism, a great range of velocity can be detected. The scheme has been tested for both synthetic and real images. The results of simulations are very satisfactory.

Comparing implementations of penalized weighted least-squares sinogram restoration.

PubMed

Forthmann, Peter; Koehler, Thomas; Defrise, Michel; La Riviere, Patrick

2010-11-01

A CT scanner measures the energy that is deposited in each channel of a detector array by x rays that have been partially absorbed on their way through the object. The measurement process is complex and quantitative measurements are always and inevitably associated with errors, so CT data must be preprocessed prior to reconstruction. In recent years, the authors have formulated CT sinogram preprocessing as a statistical restoration problem in which the goal is to obtain the best estimate of the line integrals needed for reconstruction from the set of noisy, degraded measurements. The authors have explored both penalized Poisson likelihood (PL) and penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) objective functions. At low doses, the authors found that the PL approach outperforms PWLS in terms of resolution-noise tradeoffs, but at standard doses they perform similarly. The PWLS objective function, being quadratic, is more amenable to computational acceleration than the PL objective. In this work, the authors develop and compare two different methods for implementing PWLS sinogram restoration with the hope of improving computational performance relative to PL in the standard-dose regime. Sinogram restoration is still significant in the standard-dose regime since it can still outperform standard approaches and it allows for correction of effects that are not usually modeled in standard CT preprocessing. The authors have explored and compared two implementation strategies for PWLS sinogram restoration: (1) A direct matrix-inversion strategy based on the closed-form solution to the PWLS optimization problem and (2) an iterative approach based on the conjugate-gradient algorithm. Obtaining optimal performance from each strategy required modifying the naive off-the-shelf implementations of the algorithms to exploit the particular symmetry and sparseness of the sinogram-restoration problem. For the closed-form approach, the authors subdivided the large matrix inversion into smaller coupled problems and exploited sparseness to minimize matrix operations. For the conjugate-gradient approach, the authors exploited sparseness and preconditioned the problem to speed up convergence. All methods produced qualitatively and quantitatively similar images as measured by resolution-variance tradeoffs and difference images. Despite the acceleration strategies, the direct matrix-inversion approach was found to be uncompetitive with iterative approaches, with a computational burden higher by an order of magnitude or more. The iterative conjugate-gradient approach, however, does appear promising, with computation times half that of the authors' previous penalized-likelihood implementation. Iterative conjugate-gradient based PWLS sinogram restoration with careful matrix optimizations has computational advantages over direct matrix PWLS inversion and over penalized-likelihood sinogram restoration and can be considered a good alternative in standard-dose regimes.

Global Existence Results for Viscoplasticity at Finite Strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mielke, Alexander; Rossi, Riccarda; Savaré, Giuseppe

2018-01-01

We study a model for rate-dependent gradient plasticity at finite strain based on the multiplicative decomposition of the strain tensor, and investigate the existence of global-in-time solutions to the related PDE system. We reveal its underlying structure as a generalized gradient system, where the driving energy functional is highly nonconvex and features the geometric nonlinearities related to finite-strain elasticity as well as the multiplicative decomposition of finite-strain plasticity. Moreover, the dissipation potential depends on the left-invariant plastic rate, and thus depends on the plastic state variable. The existence theory is developed for a class of abstract, nonsmooth, and nonconvex gradient systems, for which we introduce suitable notions of solutions, namely energy-dissipation-balance and energy-dissipation-inequality solutions. Hence, we resort to the toolbox of the direct method of the calculus of variations to check that the specific energy and dissipation functionals for our viscoplastic models comply with the conditions of the general theory.

MATLAB Simulation of Gradient-Based Neural Network for Online Matrix Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunong; Chen, Ke; Ma, Weimu; Li, Xiao-Dong

This paper investigates the simulation of a gradient-based recurrent neural network for online solution of the matrix-inverse problem. Several important techniques are employed as follows to simulate such a neural system. 1) Kronecker product of matrices is introduced to transform a matrix-differential-equation (MDE) to a vector-differential-equation (VDE); i.e., finally, a standard ordinary-differential-equation (ODE) is obtained. 2) MATLAB routine "ode45" is introduced to solve the transformed initial-value ODE problem. 3) In addition to various implementation errors, different kinds of activation functions are simulated to show the characteristics of such a neural network. Simulation results substantiate the theoretical analysis and efficacy of the gradient-based neural network for online constant matrix inversion.

Deterministic convergence of chaos injection-based gradient method for training feedforward neural networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Huisheng; Zhang, Ying; Xu, Dongpo; Liu, Xiaodong

2015-06-01

It has been shown that, by adding a chaotic sequence to the weight update during the training of neural networks, the chaos injection-based gradient method (CIBGM) is superior to the standard backpropagation algorithm. This paper presents the theoretical convergence analysis of CIBGM for training feedforward neural networks. We consider both the case of batch learning as well as the case of online learning. Under mild conditions, we prove the weak convergence, i.e., the training error tends to a constant and the gradient of the error function tends to zero. Moreover, the strong convergence of CIBGM is also obtained with the help of an extra condition. The theoretical results are substantiated by a simulation example.

Opinion Formation Models on a Gradient

PubMed Central

Gastner, Michael T.; Markou, Nikolitsa; Pruessner, Gunnar; Draief, Moez

2014-01-01

Statistical physicists have become interested in models of collective social behavior such as opinion formation, where individuals change their inherently preferred opinion if their friends disagree. Real preferences often depend on regional cultural differences, which we model here as a spatial gradient g in the initial opinion. The gradient does not only add reality to the model. It can also reveal that opinion clusters in two dimensions are typically in the standard (i.e., independent) percolation universality class, thus settling a recent controversy about a non-consensus model. However, using analytical and numerical tools, we also present a model where the width of the transition between opinions scales , not as in independent percolation, and the cluster size distribution is consistent with first-order percolation. PMID:25474528

Phytoplankton Diversity Effects on Community Biomass and Stability along Nutrient Gradients in a Eutrophic Lake.

PubMed

Tian, Wang; Zhang, Huayong; Zhao, Lei; Zhang, Feifan; Huang, Hai

2017-01-20

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is a central issue in ecology, but how this relationship is affected by nutrient stress is still unknown. In this study, we analyzed the phytoplankton diversity effects on community biomass and stability along nutrient gradients in an artificial eutrophic lake. Four nutrient gradients, varying from slightly eutrophic to highly eutrophic states, were designed by adjusting the amount of polluted water that flowed into the lake. Mean phytoplankton biomass, species richness, and Shannon diversity index all showed significant differences among the four nutrient gradients. Phytoplankton community biomass was correlated with diversity (both species richness and Shannon diversity index), varying from positive to negative along the nutrient gradients. The influence of phytoplankton species richness on resource use efficiency (RUE) also changed from positive to negative along the nutrient gradients. However, the influence of phytoplankton Shannon diversity on RUE was not significant. Both phytoplankton species richness and Shannon diversity had a negative influence on community turnover (measured as community dissimilarity), i.e., a positive diversity-stability relationship. Furthermore, phytoplankton spatial stability decreased along the nutrient gradients in the lake. With increasing nutrient concentrations, the variability (standard deviation) of phytoplankton community biomass increased more rapidly than the average total biomass. Results in this study will be helpful in understanding the phytoplankton diversity effects on ecosystem functioning and how these effects are influenced by nutrient conditions in aquatic ecosystems.

Statistical Mechanics of Node-perturbation Learning with Noisy Baseline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Kazuyuki; Katahira, Kentaro; Okada, Masato

2017-02-01

Node-perturbation learning is a type of statistical gradient descent algorithm that can be applied to problems where the objective function is not explicitly formulated, including reinforcement learning. It estimates the gradient of an objective function by using the change in the object function in response to the perturbation. The value of the objective function for an unperturbed output is called a baseline. Cho et al. proposed node-perturbation learning with a noisy baseline. In this paper, we report on building the statistical mechanics of Cho's model and on deriving coupled differential equations of order parameters that depict learning dynamics. We also show how to derive the generalization error by solving the differential equations of order parameters. On the basis of the results, we show that Cho's results are also apply in general cases and show some general performances of Cho's model.

The Effects of Large Wood on Stream Channel Morphology on Three Low-Gradient Stream Reaches in the Coastal Redwood Region

Treesearch

Scott Carroll; E. George Robison

2007-01-01

Several studies have shown that large wood has a prominent role in habitat quality, however there is little research on the role of wood on pool characteristics and other habitat components in low gradient streams (channel slopes less than one percent). Longitudinal profiles are used to analyze general residual pool characteristics of three approximately 1000-meter...

Analysis of Multi-Vane Radiometers in High-Altitude Propulsion

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-17

m] I. Introduction EAR space is generally defined as the altitude region above where jet aircraft can produce enough lift to maintain level...temperature gradient [5]. To maximize the gradient, the hot surface and cold surface are separated by thermal insulator, in this case aerogel . The hot...of the multi-vanes are vehicle specific base on altitude. Each individual vane consists of silicone aerogel sandwiched between two thin aluminum

Global gradient estimates for divergence-type elliptic problems involving general nonlinear operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Yumi

2018-05-01

We study nonlinear elliptic problems with nonstandard growth and ellipticity related to an N-function. We establish global Calderón-Zygmund estimates of the weak solutions in the framework of Orlicz spaces over bounded non-smooth domains. Moreover, we prove a global regularity result for asymptotically regular problems which are getting close to the regular problems considered, when the gradient variable goes to infinity.

The natural statistics of blur

PubMed Central

Sprague, William W.; Cooper, Emily A.; Reissier, Sylvain; Yellapragada, Baladitya; Banks, Martin S.

2016-01-01

Blur from defocus can be both useful and detrimental for visual perception: It can be useful as a source of depth information and detrimental because it degrades image quality. We examined these aspects of blur by measuring the natural statistics of defocus blur across the visual field. Participants wore an eye-and-scene tracker that measured gaze direction, pupil diameter, and scene distances as they performed everyday tasks. We found that blur magnitude increases with increasing eccentricity. There is a vertical gradient in the distances that generate defocus blur: Blur below the fovea is generally due to scene points nearer than fixation; blur above the fovea is mostly due to points farther than fixation. There is no systematic horizontal gradient. Large blurs are generally caused by points farther rather than nearer than fixation. Consistent with the statistics, participants in a perceptual experiment perceived vertical blur gradients as slanted top-back whereas horizontal gradients were perceived equally as left-back and right-back. The tendency for people to see sharp as near and blurred as far is also consistent with the observed statistics. We calculated how many observations will be perceived as unsharp and found that perceptible blur is rare. Finally, we found that eye shape in ground-dwelling animals conforms to that required to put likely distances in best focus. PMID:27580043

Phase-encoded single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy for suppressing outer volume signals at 7 Tesla.

PubMed

Li, Ningzhi; An, Li; Johnson, Christopher; Shen, Jun

2017-01-01

Due to imperfect slice profiles, unwanted signals from outside the selected voxel may significantly contaminate metabolite signals acquired using in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The use of outer volume suppression may exceed the SAR threshold, especially at high field. We propose using phase-encoding gradients after radiofrequency (RF) excitation to spatially encode unwanted signals originating from outside of the selected single voxel. Phase-encoding gradients were added to a standard single voxel point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence which selects a 2 × 2 × 2 cm 3 voxel. Subsequent spatial Fourier transform was used to encode outer volume signals. Phantom and in vivo experiments were performed using both phase-encoded PRESS and standard PRESS at 7 Tesla. Quantification was performed using fitting software developed in-house. Both phantom and in vivo studies showed that spectra from the phase-encoded PRESS sequence were relatively immune from contamination by oil signals and have more accurate quantification results than spectra from standard PRESS spectra of the same voxel. The proposed phase-encoded single-voxel PRESS method can significantly suppress outer volume signals that may appear in the spectra of standard PRESS without increasing RF power deposition.

A Computer-Based Laboratory Project for the Study of Stimulus Generalization and Peak Shift

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derenne, Adam; Loshek, Eevett

2009-01-01

This paper describes materials designed for classroom projects on stimulus generalization and peak shift. A computer program (originally written in QuickBASIC) is used for data collection and a Microsoft Excel file with macros organizes the raw data on a spreadsheet and creates generalization gradients. The program is designed for use with human…

Neural Nets for Generalization and Classification: Comment on Staddon and Reid (1990).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepard, Roger N.

1990-01-01

The neural net model of J. E. R. Staddon and A. K. Reid (1990) explains exponential and Gaussian generalization gradients in the same way as the diffusion model of R. N. Shepard (1958). The cognitive generalization theory of Shepard (1987), also implemented as a connectionist network, goes beyond both models in accounting for classification…

An effective purification method using large bottles for human pancreatic islet isolation

PubMed Central

Shimoda, Masayuki; Itoh, Takeshi; Iwahashi, Shuichi; Takita, Morihito; Sugimoto, Koji; Kanak, Mazhar A.; Chujo, Daisuke; Naziruddin, Bashoo; Levy, Marlon F.; Grayburn, Paul A.; Matsumoto, Shinichi

2012-01-01

The purification process is one of the most difficult procedures in pancreatic islet isolation. It was demonstrated that the standard purification method using a COBE 2991 cell processor with Ficoll density gradient solution harmed islets mechanically by high shear force. We reported that purification using large bottles with a lower viscosity gradient solution could improve the efficacy of porcine islet purification. In this study, we examined whether the new bottle purification method could improve the purification of human islets. Nine human pancreata from brain-dead donors were used. After pancreas digestion, the digested tissue was divided into three groups. Each group was purified by continuous density gradient using ET-Kyoto and iodixanol gradient solution with either the standard COBE method (COBE group) or the top loading (top group) or bottom loading (bottom group) bottle purification methods. Islet yield, purity, recovery rate after purification, and in vitro and in vivo viability were compared. Islet yield per pancreas weight (IE/g) and the recovery rate in the top group were significantly higher than in the COBE and bottom groups. Furthermore, the average size of purified islets in the top group was significantly larger than in the COBE group, which indicated that the bottle method could reduce the shear force to the islets. In vivo viability was also significantly higher in the top group compared with the COBE group. In conclusion, the top-loading bottle method could improve the quality and quantity of human islets after purification. PMID:23221740

Relationship between Trends in Land Precipitation and Tropical SST Gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Chul Eddy; Ramanathan, V.

2007-01-01

In this study, we examined global zonal/annual mean precipitation trends. Land precipitation trend from 1951 to 2002 shows widespread drying between 10 S to 20 N but the trend from 1977 to 2002 shows partial recovery. Based on general circulation model sensitivity studies, we suggested that these features are driven largely by the meridional SST gradient trend in the tropics. Our idealized CCM3 experiments substantiated that land precipitation is more sensitive to meridional SST gradient than to an overall tropical warming. Various simulations produced for the IPCC 4th assessment report demonstrate that increasing CO2 increases SST in the entire tropics non-uniformly and increases land precipitation only in certain latitude belts, again pointing to the importance of SST gradient change. Temporally varying aerosols in the IPCC simulations alter meridional SST gradient and land precipitation substantially. Anthropogenic aerosol direct solar forcing without its effects on SST is shown by the CCM3 to have weak but non-negligible influence on land precipitation.

Large polarization gradients and temperature-stable responses in compositionally-graded ferroelectrics

DOE PAGES

Damodaran, Anoop R.; Pandya, Shishir; Qi, Yubo; ...

2017-05-10

A range of modern applications require large and tunable dielectric, piezoelectric or pyroelectric response of ferroelectrics. Such effects are intimately connected to the nature of polarization and how it responds to externally applied stimuli. Ferroelectric susceptibilities are, in general, strongly temperature dependent, diminishing rapidly as one transitions away from the ferroelectric phase transition (T C). In turn, researchers seek new routes to manipulate polarization to simultaneously enhance susceptibilities and broaden operational temperature ranges. Here, we demonstrate such a capability by creating composition and strain gradients in Ba 1-xSr xTiO 3 films which result in spatial polarization gradients as large asmore » 35 μC cm -2 across a 150 nm thick film. These polarization gradients allow for large dielectric permittivity with low loss (ε r≈775, tan δ<0.05), negligible temperature-dependence (13% deviation over 500 °C) and high-dielectric tunability (greater than 70% across a 300 °C range). The role of space charges in stabilizing polarization gradients is also discussed.« less

Large polarization gradients and temperature-stable responses in compositionally-graded ferroelectrics

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

Damodaran, Anoop R.; Pandya, Shishir; Qi, Yubo

A range of modern applications require large and tunable dielectric, piezoelectric or pyroelectric response of ferroelectrics. Such effects are intimately connected to the nature of polarization and how it responds to externally applied stimuli. Ferroelectric susceptibilities are, in general, strongly temperature dependent, diminishing rapidly as one transitions away from the ferroelectric phase transition (T C). In turn, researchers seek new routes to manipulate polarization to simultaneously enhance susceptibilities and broaden operational temperature ranges. Here, we demonstrate such a capability by creating composition and strain gradients in Ba 1-xSr xTiO 3 films which result in spatial polarization gradients as large asmore » 35 μC cm -2 across a 150 nm thick film. These polarization gradients allow for large dielectric permittivity with low loss (ε r≈775, tan δ<0.05), negligible temperature-dependence (13% deviation over 500 °C) and high-dielectric tunability (greater than 70% across a 300 °C range). The role of space charges in stabilizing polarization gradients is also discussed.« less

Fast Gradient Elution Reversed-Phase HPLC with Diode-Array Detection as a High Throughput Screening Method for Drugs of Abuse

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

Peter W. Carr; K.M. Fuller; D.R. Stoll

A new approach has been developed by modifying a conventional gradient elution liquid chromatograph for the high throughput screening of biological samples to detect the presence of regulated intoxicants. The goal of this work was to improve the speed of a gradient elution screening method over current approaches by optimizing the operational parameters of both the column and the instrument without compromising the reproducibility of the retention times, which are the basis for the identification. Most importantly, the novel instrument configuration substantially reduces the time needed to re-equilibrate the column between gradient runs, thereby reducing the total time for eachmore » analysis. The total analysis time for each gradient elution run is only 2.8 minutes, including 0.3 minutes for column reequilibration between analyses. Retention times standard calibration solutes are reproducible to better than 0.002 minutes in consecutive runs. A corrected retention index was adopted to account for day-to-day and column-to-column variations in retention time. The discriminating power and mean list length were calculated for a library of 47 intoxicants and compared with previous work from other laboratories to evaluate fast gradient elution HPLC as a screening tool.« less

QMR: A Quasi-Minimal Residual method for non-Hermitian linear systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freund, Roland W.; Nachtigal, Noel M.

1990-01-01

The biconjugate gradient (BCG) method is the natural generalization of the classical conjugate gradient algorithm for Hermitian positive definite matrices to general non-Hermitian linear systems. Unfortunately, the original BCG algorithm is susceptible to possible breakdowns and numerical instabilities. A novel BCG like approach is presented called the quasi-minimal residual (QMR) method, which overcomes the problems of BCG. An implementation of QMR based on a look-ahead version of the nonsymmetric Lanczos algorithm is proposed. It is shown how BCG iterates can be recovered stably from the QMR process. Some further properties of the QMR approach are given and an error bound is presented. Finally, numerical experiments are reported.

Gradient elution behavior of proteins in hydrophobic interaction chromatography with U-shaped retention factor curves.

PubMed

Creasy, Arch; Lomino, Joseph; Barker, Gregory; Khetan, Anurag; Carta, Giorgio

2018-04-27

Protein retention in hydrophobic interaction chromatography is described by the solvophobic theory as a function of the kosmostropic salt concentration. In general, an increase in salt concentration drives protein partitioning to the hydrophobic surface while a decrease reduces it. In some cases, however, protein retention also increases at low salt concentrations resulting in a U-shaped retention factor curve. During gradient elution the salt concentration is gradually decreased from a high value thereby reducing the retention factor and increasing the protein chromatographic velocity. For these conditions, a steep gradient can overtake the protein in the column, causing it to rebind. Two dynamic models, one based on the local equilibrium theory and the other based on the linear driving force approximation, are presented. We show that the normalized gradient slope determines whether the protein elutes in the gradient, partially elutes, or is trapped in the column. Experimental results are presented for two different monoclonal antibodies and for lysozyme on Capto Phenyl (High Sub) resin. One of the mAbs and lysozyme exhibit U-shaped retention factor curves and for each, we determine the critical gradient slope beyond which 100% recovery is no longer possible. Elution with a reverse gradient is also demonstrated at low salt concentrations for these proteins. Understanding this behavior has implications in the design of gradient elution since the gradient slope impacts protein recovery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Homeostasis of the Intraparenchymal-Blood Glutamate Concentration Gradient: Maintenance, Imbalance, and Regulation

PubMed Central

Bai, Wei; Zhou, Yuan-Guo

2017-01-01

It is widely accepted that glutamate is the most important excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). However, there is also a large amount of glutamate in the blood. Generally, the concentration gradient of glutamate between intraparenchymal and blood environments is stable. However, this gradient is dramatically disrupted under a variety of pathological conditions, resulting in an amplifying cascade that causes a series of pathological reactions in the CNS and peripheral organs. This eventually seriously worsens a patient’s prognosis. These two “isolated” systems are rarely considered as a whole even though they mutually influence each other. In this review, we summarize what is currently known regarding the maintenance, imbalance and regulatory mechanisms that control the intraparenchymal-blood glutamate concentration gradient, discuss the interrelationships between these systems and further explore their significance in clinical practice. PMID:29259540

Is there a species spectrum within the world-wide leaf economics spectrum? Major variations in leaf functional traits in the Mediterranean sclerophyll Quercus ilex.

PubMed

Niinemets, Ulo

2015-01-01

The leaf economics spectrum is a general concept describing coordinated variation in foliage structural, chemical and physiological traits across resource gradients. Yet, within this concept,the role of within-species variation, including ecotypic and plastic variation components, has been largely neglected. This study hypothesized that there is a within-species economics spectrum within the general spectrum in the evergreen sclerophyll Quercus ilex which dominates low resource ecosystems over an exceptionally wide range. An extensive database of foliage traits covering the full species range was constructed, and improved filtering algorithms were developed. Standardized data filtering was deemed absolutely essential as additional variation sources can result in trait variation of 10–300%,blurring the broad relationships. Strong trait variation, c. two-fold for most traits to up to almost an order of magnitude, was uncovered.Although the Q. ilex spectrum is part of the general spectrum, within-species trait and climatic relationships in this species partly differed from the overall spectrum. Contrary to world-wide trends, Q. ilex does not necessarily have a low nitrogen content per mass and can increase photosynthetic capacity with increasing foliage robustness. This study argues that the within-species economics spectrum needs to be considered in regional- to biome-level analyses.

Convergence and contrast in the community structure of Bacteria, Fungi and Archaea along a tropical elevation-climate gradient.

PubMed

Peay, Kabir G; von Sperber, Christian; Cardarelli, Emily; Toju, Hirokazu; Francis, Christopher A; Chadwick, Oliver A; Vitousek, Peter M

2017-05-01

Changes in species richness along climatological gradients have been instrumental in developing theories about the general drivers of biodiversity. Previous studies on microbial communities along climate gradients on mountainsides have revealed positive, negative and neutral richness trends. We examined changes in richness and composition of Fungi, Bacteria and Archaea in soil along a 50-1000 m elevation, 280-3280 mm/yr precipitation gradient in Hawai'i. Soil properties and their drivers are exceptionally well understood along this gradient. All three microbial groups responded strongly to the gradient, with community ordinations being similar along axes of environmental conditions (pH, rainfall) and resource availability (nitrogen, phosphorus). However, the form of the richness-climate relationship varied between Fungi (positive linear), Bacteria (unimodal) and Archaea (negative linear). These differences were related to resource-ecology and limiting conditions for each group, with fungal richness increasing most strongly with soil carbon, ammonia-oxidizing Archaea increasing with nitrogen mineralization rate, and Bacteria increasing with both carbon and pH. Reponses to the gradient became increasingly variable at finer taxonomic scales and within any taxonomic group most individual OTUs occurred in narrow climate-elevation ranges. These results show that microbial responses to climate gradients are heterogeneous due to complexity of underlying environmental changes and the diverse ecologies of microbial taxa. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Origins of UV-optical Color Gradients in Star-forming Galaxies at z ˜ 2: Predominant Dust Gradients but Negligible sSFR Gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, F. S.; Jiang, Dongfei; Faber, S. M.; Koo, David C.; Yesuf, Hassen M.; Tacchella, Sandro; Mao, Shude; Wang, Weichen; Guo, Yicheng; Fang, Jerome J.; Barro, Guillermo; Zheng, Xianzhong; Jia, Meng; Tong, Wei; Liu, Lu; Meng, Xianmin

2017-07-01

The rest-frame UV-optical (I.e., NUV - B) color is sensitive to both low-level recent star formation (specific star formation rate—sSFR) and dust. In this Letter, we extend our previous work on the origins of NUV - B color gradients in star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at z˜ 1 to those at z˜ 2. We use a sample of 1335 large (semimajor axis radius {R}{SMA}> 0\\buildrel{\\prime\\prime}\\over{.} 18) SFGs with extended UV emission out to 2{R}{SMA} in the mass range {M}* ={10}9{--}{10}11 {M}⊙ at 1.5< z< 2.8 in the CANDELS/GOODS-S and UDS fields. We show that these SFGs generally have negative NUV - B color gradients (redder centers), and their color gradients strongly increase with galaxy mass. We also show that the global rest-frame FUV - NUV color is approximately linear with {A}{{V}}, which is derived by modeling the observed integrated FUV to NIR spectral energy distributions of the galaxies. Applying this integrated calibration to our spatially resolved data, we find a negative dust gradient (more dust extinguished in the centers), which steadily becomes steeper with galaxy mass. We further find that the NUV - B color gradients become nearly zero after correcting for dust gradients regardless of galaxy mass. This indicates that the sSFR gradients are negligible and dust reddening is likely the principal cause of negative UV-optical color gradients in these SFGs. Our findings support that the buildup of the stellar mass in SFGs at Cosmic Noon is self-similar inside 2{R}{SMA}.

Reduction of Solvent Effect in Reverse Phase Gradient Elution LC-ICP-MS

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

Sullivan, Patrick Allen

2005-12-17

Quantification in liquid chromatography (LC) is becoming very important as more researchers are using LC, not as an analytical tool itself, but as a sample introduction system for other analytical instruments. The ability of LC instrumentation to quickly separate a wide variety of compounds makes it ideal for analysis of complex mixtures. For elemental speciation, LC is joined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to separate and detect metal-containing, organic compounds in complex mixtures, such as biological samples. Often, the solvent gradients required to perform complex separations will cause matrix effects within the plasma. This limits the sensitivity ofmore » the ICP-MS and the quantification methods available for use in such analyses. Traditionally, isotope dilution has been the method of choice for LC-ICP-MS quantification. The use of naturally abundant isotopes of a single element in quantification corrects for most of the effects that LC solvent gradients produce within the plasma. However, not all elements of interest in speciation studies have multiple naturally occurring isotopes; and polyatomic interferences for a given isotope can develop within the plasma, depending on the solvent matrix. This is the case for reverse phase LC separations, where increasing amounts of organic solvent are required. For such separations, an alternative to isotope dilution for quantification would be is needed. To this end, a new method was developed using the Apex-Q desolvation system (ESI, Omaha, NE) to couple LC instrumentation with an ICP-MS device. The desolvation power of the system allowed greater concentrations of methanol to be introduced to the plasma prior to destabilization than with direct methanol injection into the plasma. Studies were performed, using simulated and actual linear methanol gradients, to find analyte-internal standard (AIS) pairs whose ratio remains consistent (deviations {+-} 10%) over methanol concentration ranges of 5%-35% (simulated) and 8%-32% (actual). Quadrupole (low resolution) and sector field (high resolution) ICP-MS instrumentation were utilized in these studies. Once an AIS pair is determined, quantification studies can be performed. First, an analysis is performed by adding both elements of the AIS pair post-column while performing the gradient elution without sample injection. A comparison of the ratio of the measured intensities to the atomic ratio of the two standards is used to determine a correction factor that can be used to account for the matrix effects caused by the mobile phase. Then, organic and/or biological molecules containing one of the two elements in the AIS pair are injected into the LC column. A gradient method is used to vary the methanol-water mixture in the mobile phase and to separate out the compounds in a given sample. A standard solution of the second ion in the AIS pair is added continuously post-column. By comparing the ratio of the measured intensities to the atomic ratio of the eluting compound and internal standard, the concentration of the injected compound can be determined.« less

Microbleed detection using automated segmentation (MIDAS): a new method applicable to standard clinical MR images.

PubMed

Seghier, Mohamed L; Kolanko, Magdalena A; Leff, Alexander P; Jäger, Hans R; Gregoire, Simone M; Werring, David J

2011-03-23

Cerebral microbleeds, visible on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) T2* MRI, have generated increasing interest as an imaging marker of small vessel diseases, with relevance for intracerebral bleeding risk or brain dysfunction. Manual rating methods have limited reliability and are time-consuming. We developed a new method for microbleed detection using automated segmentation (MIDAS) and compared it with a validated visual rating system. In thirty consecutive stroke service patients, standard GRE T2* images were acquired and manually rated for microbleeds by a trained observer. After spatially normalizing each patient's GRE T2* images into a standard stereotaxic space, the automated microbleed detection algorithm (MIDAS) identified cerebral microbleeds by explicitly incorporating an "extra" tissue class for abnormal voxels within a unified segmentation-normalization model. The agreement between manual and automated methods was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa statistic. We found that MIDAS had generally moderate to good agreement with the manual reference method for the presence of lobar microbleeds (Kappa = 0.43, improved to 0.65 after manual exclusion of obvious artefacts). Agreement for the number of microbleeds was very good for lobar regions: (ICC = 0.71, improved to ICC = 0.87). MIDAS successfully detected all patients with multiple (≥2) lobar microbleeds. MIDAS can identify microbleeds on standard MR datasets, and with an additional rapid editing step shows good agreement with a validated visual rating system. MIDAS may be useful in screening for multiple lobar microbleeds.

Subsurface temperatures and geothermal gradients on the north slope of Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Collett, T.S.; Bird, K.J.; Magoon, L.B.

1993-01-01

On the North Slope of Alaska, geothermal gradient data are available from high-resolution, equilibrated well-bore surveys and from estimates based on well-log identification of the base of ice-bearing permafrost. A total of 46 North Slope wells, considered to be in or near thermal equilibrium, have been surveyed with high-resolution temperatures devices and geothermal gradients can be interpreted directly from these recorded temperature profiles. To augment the limited North Slope temperature data base, a new method of evaluating local geothermal gradients has been developed. In this method, a series of well-log picks for the base of the ice-bearing permafrost from 102 wells have been used, along with regional temperature constants derived from the high-resolution stabilized well-bore temperature surveys, to project geothermal gradients. Geothermal gradients calculated from the high-resolution temperature surveys generally agree with those projected from known ice-bearing permafrost depths over most of the North Slope. Values in the ice-bearing permafrost range from ??? 1.5??C 100 m in the Prudhoe Bay area to ??? 4.5??C 100 m in the east-central portion of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Geothermal gradients below the ice-bearing permafrost sequence range from ??? 1.6??C 100 m to ??? 5.2??C 100 m. ?? 1993.

Y-piece temperature and humidification during mechanical ventilation.

PubMed

Solomita, Mario; Daroowalla, Feroza; Leblanc, Deniese S; Smaldone, Gerald C

2009-04-01

Practitioners often presume there is adequate humidification in the ventilator circuit if the Y-piece is at a specified temperature, but control of Y-piece temperature may be inadequate to ensure adequate humidification. In an in vitro bench model we measured water-vapor delivery with several heated humidification setups and a wide range of minute volume (V (E)) values. The setup included a condenser, hygrometry, and thermometer. First, we calibrated the system with a point-source humidifier and water pump. Then we tested the water-vapor delivery during non-heated-wire humidification and during heated-wire humidification with a temperature gradient of +3 degrees C, 0 degrees C, and -3 degrees C between the humidifier and the Y-piece. We compared the results to 2 recommended humidification values: 100% saturated (absolute humidity 44 mg H(2)O/L) gas at 37 degrees C (saturated/37 degrees C); and 75% saturated (absolute humidity 33 mg H(2)O/L), which is the humidity recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (the ISO standard). In all the experiments the setup was set to provide 35 degrees C at the Y-piece. Our method for measuring water-vapor delivery closely approximated the amount delivered by a calibrated pump, but slightly underestimated the water-vapor delivery in all the experiments and the whole V (E) range. At all V (E) values, water-vapor delivery during non-heated-wire humidification matched or exceeded saturated/37 degrees C and was significantly greater than that during heated-wire humidification. During heated-wire humidification, water-vapor delivery varied with the temperature gradient and did not reach saturated/37 degrees C at V (E) > 6 L/min. Water-vapor delivery with the negative temperature gradient was below the ISO standard. Maintaining temperature at one point in the inspiratory circuit (eg, Y-piece), does not ensure adequate water-vapor delivery. Other factors (humidification system, V (E), gradient setting) are critical. At a given temperature, humidification may be significantly higher or lower than expected.

Automatic Differentiation in Quantum Chemistry with Applications to Fully Variational Hartree-Fock.

PubMed

Tamayo-Mendoza, Teresa; Kreisbeck, Christoph; Lindh, Roland; Aspuru-Guzik, Alán

2018-05-23

Automatic differentiation (AD) is a powerful tool that allows calculating derivatives of implemented algorithms with respect to all of their parameters up to machine precision, without the need to explicitly add any additional functions. Thus, AD has great potential in quantum chemistry, where gradients are omnipresent but also difficult to obtain, and researchers typically spend a considerable amount of time finding suitable analytical forms when implementing derivatives. Here, we demonstrate that AD can be used to compute gradients with respect to any parameter throughout a complete quantum chemistry method. We present DiffiQult , a Hartree-Fock implementation, entirely differentiated with the use of AD tools. DiffiQult is a software package written in plain Python with minimal deviation from standard code which illustrates the capability of AD to save human effort and time in implementations of exact gradients in quantum chemistry. We leverage the obtained gradients to optimize the parameters of one-particle basis sets in the context of the floating Gaussian framework.

Automatic Differentiation in Quantum Chemistry with Applications to Fully Variational Hartree–Fock

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Automatic differentiation (AD) is a powerful tool that allows calculating derivatives of implemented algorithms with respect to all of their parameters up to machine precision, without the need to explicitly add any additional functions. Thus, AD has great potential in quantum chemistry, where gradients are omnipresent but also difficult to obtain, and researchers typically spend a considerable amount of time finding suitable analytical forms when implementing derivatives. Here, we demonstrate that AD can be used to compute gradients with respect to any parameter throughout a complete quantum chemistry method. We present DiffiQult, a Hartree–Fock implementation, entirely differentiated with the use of AD tools. DiffiQult is a software package written in plain Python with minimal deviation from standard code which illustrates the capability of AD to save human effort and time in implementations of exact gradients in quantum chemistry. We leverage the obtained gradients to optimize the parameters of one-particle basis sets in the context of the floating Gaussian framework.

How glitter relates to gold: similarity-dependent reward prediction errors in the human striatum.

PubMed

Kahnt, Thorsten; Park, Soyoung Q; Burke, Christopher J; Tobler, Philippe N

2012-11-14

Optimal choices benefit from previous learning. However, it is not clear how previously learned stimuli influence behavior to novel but similar stimuli. One possibility is to generalize based on the similarity between learned and current stimuli. Here, we use neuroscientific methods and a novel computational model to inform the question of how stimulus generalization is implemented in the human brain. Behavioral responses during an intradimensional discrimination task showed similarity-dependent generalization. Moreover, a peak shift occurred, i.e., the peak of the behavioral generalization gradient was displaced from the rewarded conditioned stimulus in the direction away from the unrewarded conditioned stimulus. To account for the behavioral responses, we designed a similarity-based reinforcement learning model wherein prediction errors generalize across similar stimuli and update their value. We show that this model predicts a similarity-dependent neural generalization gradient in the striatum as well as changes in responding during extinction. Moreover, across subjects, the width of generalization was negatively correlated with functional connectivity between the striatum and the hippocampus. This result suggests that hippocampus-striatal connections contribute to stimulus-specific value updating by controlling the width of generalization. In summary, our results shed light onto the neurobiology of a fundamental, similarity-dependent learning principle that allows learning the value of stimuli that have never been encountered.

Potential surfaces for O atom-polymer reactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laskowski, B. C.; Jaffe, R. L.

1987-01-01

Ab initio quantum chemistry methods are used to study the energetics of interactions of O atoms with organic compounds. Polyethylene (CH2)n has been chosen as the model system to study the interactions of O(3P) and O(1D) atoms with polymers. In particular, H abstraction is investigated and polyethylene is represented by a C3 (propane) oligomeric model. The gradient method, as implemented in the GRADSCF package of programs, is used to determine the geometries and energies of products and reactants. The saddle point, barrier geometry is determined by minimizing the squares of the gradients of the potential with respect to the internal coordinates. To correctly describe the change in bonding during the reaction at least a two configuration MCSCF (multiconfiguration self consistent field) or GVB (generalized valence bond) wave function has to be used. Basis sets include standard Pople and Dunning sets, however, increased with polarization functions and diffuse p functions on both the C and O atoms. The latter is important due to the O(-) character of the wave function at the saddle point and products. Normal modes and vibrational energy levels are given for the reactants, saddle points and products. Finally, quantitative energetics are obtained by implementing a small CAS (complete active space) approach followed by limited configuration interaction (CI) calculations. Comparisons are made with available experimental data.

Effect of Harm Anchors in Visual Displays of Test Results on Patient Perceptions of Urgency About Near-Normal Values: Experimental Study.

PubMed

Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J; Scherer, Aaron M; Witteman, Holly O; Solomon, Jacob B; Exe, Nicole L; Fagerlin, Angela

2018-03-26

Patient-facing displays of laboratory test results typically provide patients with one reference point (the "standard range"). To test the effect of including an additional harm anchor reference point in visual displays of laboratory test results, which indicates how far outside of the standard range values would need to be in order to suggest substantial patient risk. Using a demographically diverse, online sample, we compared the reactions of 1618 adults in the United States who viewed visual line displays that included both standard range and harm anchor reference points ("Many doctors are not concerned until here") to displays that included either (1) only a standard range, (2) standard range plus evaluative categories (eg, "borderline high"), or (3) a color gradient showing degree of deviation from the standard range. Providing the harm anchor reference point significantly reduced perceived urgency of close-to-normal alanine aminotransferase and creatinine results (P values <.001) but not generally for platelet count results. Notably, display type did not significantly alter perceptions of more extreme results in potentially harmful ranges. Harm anchors also substantially reduced the number of participants who wanted to contact their doctor urgently or go to the hospital about these test results. Presenting patients with evaluative cues regarding when test results become clinically concerning can reduce the perceived urgency of out-of-range results that do not require immediate clinical action. ©Brian J Zikmund-Fisher, Aaron M Scherer, Holly O Witteman, Jacob B Solomon, Nicole L Exe, Angela Fagerlin. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 26.03.2018.

The potential and flux landscape theory of evolution.

PubMed

Zhang, Feng; Xu, Li; Zhang, Kun; Wang, Erkang; Wang, Jin

2012-08-14

We established the potential and flux landscape theory for evolution. We found explicitly the conventional Wright's gradient adaptive landscape based on the mean fitness is inadequate to describe the general evolutionary dynamics. We show the intrinsic potential as being Lyapunov function(monotonically decreasing in time) does exist and can define the adaptive landscape for general evolution dynamics for studying global stability. The driving force determining the dynamics can be decomposed into gradient of potential landscape and curl probability flux. Non-zero flux causes detailed balance breaking and measures how far the evolution from equilibrium state. The gradient of intrinsic potential and curl flux are perpendicular to each other in zero fluctuation limit resembling electric and magnetic forces on electrons. We quantified intrinsic energy, entropy and free energy of evolution and constructed non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The intrinsic non-equilibrium free energy is a Lyapunov function. Both intrinsic potential and free energy can be used to quantify the global stability and robustness of evolution. We investigated an example of three allele evolutionary dynamics with frequency dependent selection (detailed balance broken). We uncovered the underlying single, triple, and limit cycle attractor landscapes. We found quantitative criterions for stability through landscape topography. We also quantified evolution pathways and found paths do not follow potential gradient and are irreversible due to non-zero flux. We generalized the original Fisher's fundamental theorem to the general (i.e., frequency dependent selection) regime of evolution by linking the adaptive rate with not only genetic variance related to the potential but also the flux. We show there is an optimum potential where curl flux resulting from biotic interactions of individuals within a species or between species can sustain an endless evolution even if the physical environment is unchanged. We offer a theoretical basis for explaining the corresponding Red Queen hypothesis proposed by Van Valen. Our work provides a theoretical foundation for evolutionary dynamics.

NASA-UVa light aerospace alloy and structures technology program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gangloff, Richard P.; Haviland, John K.; Herakovich, Carl T.; Pilkey, Walter D.; Pindera, Marek-Jerzy; Scully, John R.; Stoner, Glenn E.; Swanson, Robert E.; Thornton, Earl A.; Wawner, Franklin E., Jr.

1991-01-01

The general objective of the NASA-UVa Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology Program was to conduct research on the performance of next generation, light weight aerospace alloys, composites, and associated thermal gradient structures. The following research areas were actively investigated: (1) mechanical and environmental degradation mechanisms in advanced light metals and composites; (2) aerospace materials science; (3) mechanics of materials and composites for aerospace structures; and (4) thermal gradient structures.

Transect studies on pine forests along parallel 52° north, 12-32° east and along a pollution gradient in Poland: general assumptions

Treesearch

Alicja Breymeyer

1998-01-01

The responses of pine forest to changing climate and environmental chemistry were studied along two transects following the pollution and continentality gradients in Poland. One axis begins on the western border of Poland, crosses the country along the 52nd parallel, and ends on the eastern border of Poland in the area of Bialowieza National Park, Biosphere Reserve....

Superconducting RF, the History, Challenges and Promise

ScienceCinema

Padamsee, Hasan

2018-01-01

After a short survey of on-going accelerator applications, I will discuss future applications prospects for this enabling technology, both near term and long term. A selection of technology highlights will serve as an introduction to outstanding issues for all types of applications, from pulsed high gradient to CW medium gradient. Finally I will touch upon the limits of niobium and the prospects of new materials. The talk will be targeted at a general audience.

Parallel Douglas-Kroll Energy and Gradients in NWChem. Estimating Scalar Relativistic Effects Using Douglas-Kroll Contracted Basis Sets.

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

De Jong, Wibe A.; Harrison, Robert J.; Dixon, David A.

A parallel implementation of the spin-free one-electron Douglas-Kroll(-Hess) Hamiltonian (DKH) in NWChem is discussed. An efficient and accurate method to calculate DKH gradients is introduced. It is shown that the use of standard (non-relativistic) contracted basis set can produce erroneous results for elements beyond the first row elements. The generation of DKH contracted cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, 5) basis sets for H, He, B - Ne, Al - Ar, and Ga - Br will be discussed.

Treating convection in sequential solvers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shyy, Wei; Thakur, Siddharth

1992-01-01

The treatment of the convection terms in the sequential solver, a standard procedure found in virtually all pressure based algorithms, to compute the flow problems with sharp gradients and source terms is investigated. Both scalar model problems and one-dimensional gas dynamics equations have been used to study the various issues involved. Different approaches including the use of nonlinear filtering techniques and adoption of TVD type schemes have been investigated. Special treatments of the source terms such as pressure gradients and heat release have also been devised, yielding insight and improved accuracy of the numerical procedure adopted.

Investigation of Re-X glass ceramic for acceleration insulating columns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faltens, A.; Rosenblum, S.

1985-05-01

In an induction linac the accelerating voltage appears along a voltage-graded vacuum insulator column which is a performance limiting and major cost component. Re-X glass ceramic insulators have the long-sought properties of allowing cast-in gradient electrodes, good breakdown characteristics, and compatibility with high vacuum systems. Re-X is a glass ceramic developed by General Electric for use in the manufacture of electrical apparatus, such as vacuum arc interrupters. We have examined vacuum outgassing behavior and voltage breakdown in vacuum and find excellent performance. The housings are in the shape of tubes with type 430 stainless steel terminations. Due to a matched coefficient of thermal expansion between metal and insulator, no vacuum leaks have resulted from any welding operation. The components should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture in large sizes and appear to be a very attractive accelerator column. We are planning to use a standard GE housing in our MBE-4 induction linac.

Subwavelength nonlinear phase control and anomalous phase matching in plasmonic metasurfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Euclides; Shalem, Guy; Prior, Yehiam

2016-01-01

Metasurfaces, and in particular those containing plasmonic-based metallic elements, constitute an attractive set of materials with a potential for replacing standard bulky optical elements. In recent years, increasing attention has been focused on their nonlinear optical properties, particularly in the context of second and third harmonic generation and beam steering by phase gratings. Here, we harness the full phase control enabled by subwavelength plasmonic elements to demonstrate a unique metasurface phase matching that is required for efficient nonlinear processes. We discuss the difference between scattering by a grating and by subwavelength phase-gradient elements. We show that for such interfaces an anomalous phase-matching condition prevails, which is the nonlinear analogue of the generalized Snell's law. The subwavelength phase control of optical nonlinearities paves the way for the design of ultrathin, flat nonlinear optical elements. We demonstrate nonlinear metasurface lenses, which act both as generators and as manipulators of the frequency-converted signal.

Ultra-sensitive pressure dependence of bandgap of rutile-GeO{sub 2} revealed by many body perturbation theory

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

Samanta, Atanu; Singh, Abhishek K.; Jain, Manish

2015-08-14

The reported values of bandgap of rutile GeO{sub 2} calculated by the standard density functional theory within local-density approximation (LDA)/generalized gradient approximation (GGA) show a wide variation (∼2 eV), whose origin remains unresolved. Here, we investigate the reasons for this variation by studying the electronic structure of rutile-GeO{sub 2} using many-body perturbation theory within the GW framework. The bandgap as well as valence bandwidth at Γ-point of rutile phase shows a strong dependence on volume change, which is independent of bandgap underestimation problem of LDA/GGA. This strong dependence originates from a change in hybridization among O-p and Ge-(s and p)more » orbitals. Furthermore, the parabolic nature of first conduction band along X-Γ-M direction changes towards a linear dispersion with volume expansion.« less

Electronic properties of III-nitride semiconductors: A first-principles investigation using the Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson potential

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

Araujo, Rafael B., E-mail: rafaelbna@gmail.com; Almeida, J. S. de, E-mail: jailton-almeida@hotmail.com; Ferreira da Silva, A.

In this work, we use density functional theory to investigate the influence of semilocal exchange and correlation effects on the electronic properties of III-nitride semiconductors considering zinc-blende and wurtzite crystal structures. We find that the inclusion of such effects through the use of the Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson potential yields an excellent description of the electronic structures of these materials giving energy band gaps which are systematically larger than the ones obtained with standard functionals such as the generalized gradient approximation. The discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical band gaps is then significantly reduced with semilocal exchange and correlation effects. However,more » the effective masses are overestimated in the zinc-blende nitrides, but no systematic trend is found in the wurtzite compounds. New results for energy band gaps and effective masses of zinc-blende and wurtzite indium nitrides are presented.« less

Simplified analysis of a generalized bias test for fabrics with two families of inextensible fibres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuomo, M.; dell'Isola, F.; Greco, L.

2016-06-01

Two tests for woven fabrics with orthogonal fibres are examined using simplified kinematic assumptions. The aim is to analyse how different constitutive assumptions may affect the response of the specimen. The fibres are considered inextensible, and the kinematics of 2D continua with inextensible chords due to Rivlin is adopted. In addition to two forms of strain energy depending on the shear deformation, also two forms of energy depending on the gradient of shear are examined. It is shown that this energy can account for the bending of the fibres. In addition to the standard bias extension test, a modified test has been examined, in which the head of the specimen is rotated rather than translated. In this case more bending occurs, so that the results of the simulation carried out with the different energy models adopted differ more that what has been found for the BE test.

Fecal-indicator bacteria in streams alonga gradient of residential development

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frenzel, Steven A.; Couvillion, Charles S.

2002-01-01

Fecal-indicator bacteria were sampled at 14 stream sites in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, as part of a study to determine the effects of urbanization on water quality. Population density in the subbasins sampled ranged from zero to 1,750 persons per square kilometer. Higher concentrations of fecal-coliform, E. coli, and enterococci bacteria were measured at the most urbanized sites. Although fecal-indicator bacteria concentrations were higher in summer than in winter, seasonal differences in bacteria concentrations generally were not significant. Areas served by sewer systems had significantly higher fecal-indicator bacteria concentrations than did areas served by septic systems. The areas served by sewer systems also had storm drains that discharged directly to the streams, whereas storm sewers were not present in the areas served by septic systems. Fecal-indicator bacteria concentrations were highly variable over a two-day period of stable streamflow, which may have implications for testing of compliance to water-quality standards.

Kinematics and control algorithm development and simulation for a redundant two-arm robotic manipulator system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hennessey, Michael P.; Huang, Paul C.; Bunnell, Charles T.

1989-01-01

An efficient approach to cartesian motion and force control of a 7 degree of freedom (DOF) manipulator is presented. It is based on extending the active stiffness controller to the 7 DOF case in general and use of an efficient version of the gradient projection technique for solving the inverse kinematics problem. Cooperative control is achieved through appropriate configuration of individual manipulator controllers. In addition, other aspects of trajectory generation using standard techniques are integrated into the controller. The method is then applied to a specific manipulator of interest (Robotics Research T-710). Simulation of the kinematics, dynamics, and control are provided in the context of several scenarios: one pertaining to a noncontact pick and place operation; one relating to contour following where contact is made between the manipulator and environment; and one pertaining to cooperative control.

Hydrological Variations in Australia Recovered by GRACE High-Resolution Mascons Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carabajal, Claudia C.; Boy, Jean-Paul; Sabaka, Terence J.; Lemoine, Frank G.; Rowlands. David; Luthcke, Scott B.; Brown, M. Y.

2011-01-01

Australia represents a challenging region in which to study hydrological variations as recovered by the GRACE (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment) mission data. Much of Australia is characterized by relatively small hydrological signals, with large precipitation gradients between the North and the South. These signals are better recovered using innovative GRACE processing techniques such as high-resolution mascon solutions, which may help overcome the deficiencies in the standard GRACE data processing and filtering methods. We will show the power of using regional and global mas con solutions to recover hydrological variations from 2003 to 2011, as well as the oceanic mass variations in the surrounding regions. We will compare the GRACE signals with state of the art hydrology and ocean general circulation models, precipitation, soil moisture and groundwater data sets. We especially emphasize the gravity signatures observed during the decadal drought in the Murray-Darling river basin and the early 2011 floods in North-Western Australia.

Rational and Efficient Preparative Isolation of Natural Products by MPLC-UV-ELSD based on HPLC to MPLC Gradient Transfer.

PubMed

Challal, Soura; Queiroz, Emerson Ferreira; Debrus, Benjamin; Kloeti, Werner; Guillarme, Davy; Gupta, Mahabir Prashad; Wolfender, Jean-Luc

2015-11-01

In natural product research, the isolation of biomarkers or bioactive compounds from complex natural extracts represents an essential step for de novo identification and bioactivity assessment. When pure natural products have to be obtained in milligram quantities, the chromatographic steps are generally labourious and time-consuming. In this respect, an efficient method has been developed for the reversed-phase gradient transfer from high-performance liquid chromatography to medium-performance liquid chromatography for the isolation of pure natural products at the level of tens of milligrams from complex crude natural extracts. The proposed method provides a rational way to predict retention behaviour and resolution at the analytical scale prior to medium-performance liquid chromatography, and guarantees similar performances at both analytical and preparative scales. The optimisation of the high-performance liquid chromatography separation and system characterisation allows for the prediction of the gradient at the medium-performance liquid chromatography scale by using identical stationary phase chemistries. The samples were introduced in medium-performance liquid chromatography using a pressure-resistant aluminium dry load cell especially designed for this study to allow high sample loading while maintaining a maximum achievable flow rate for the separation. The method has been validated with a mixture of eight natural product standards. Ultraviolet and evaporative light scattering detections were used in parallel for a comprehensive monitoring. In addition, post-chromatographic mass spectrometry detection was provided by high-throughput ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry analyses of all fractions. The processing of all liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data in the form of an medium-performance liquid chromatography x ultra high-performance liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry matrix enabled an efficient localisation of the compounds of interest in the generated fractions. The methodology was successfully applied for the separation of three different plant extracts that contain many diverse secondary metabolites. The advantages and limitations of this approach and the theoretical chromatographic background that rules such as liquid chromatography gradient transfer are presented from a practical viewpoint. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Phytoplankton Diversity Effects on Community Biomass and Stability along Nutrient Gradients in a Eutrophic Lake

PubMed Central

Tian, Wang; Zhang, Huayong; Zhao, Lei; Zhang, Feifan; Huang, Hai

2017-01-01

The relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning is a central issue in ecology, but how this relationship is affected by nutrient stress is still unknown. In this study, we analyzed the phytoplankton diversity effects on community biomass and stability along nutrient gradients in an artificial eutrophic lake. Four nutrient gradients, varying from slightly eutrophic to highly eutrophic states, were designed by adjusting the amount of polluted water that flowed into the lake. Mean phytoplankton biomass, species richness, and Shannon diversity index all showed significant differences among the four nutrient gradients. Phytoplankton community biomass was correlated with diversity (both species richness and Shannon diversity index), varying from positive to negative along the nutrient gradients. The influence of phytoplankton species richness on resource use efficiency (RUE) also changed from positive to negative along the nutrient gradients. However, the influence of phytoplankton Shannon diversity on RUE was not significant. Both phytoplankton species richness and Shannon diversity had a negative influence on community turnover (measured as community dissimilarity), i.e., a positive diversity–stability relationship. Furthermore, phytoplankton spatial stability decreased along the nutrient gradients in the lake. With increasing nutrient concentrations, the variability (standard deviation) of phytoplankton community biomass increased more rapidly than the average total biomass. Results in this study will be helpful in understanding the phytoplankton diversity effects on ecosystem functioning and how these effects are influenced by nutrient conditions in aquatic ecosystems. PMID:28117684

Evaluation of extreme ionospheric total electron content gradient associated with plasma bubbles for GNSS Ground-Based Augmentation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, S.; Yoshihara, T.

2017-08-01

Associated with plasma bubbles, extreme spatial gradients in ionospheric total electron content (TEC) were observed on 8 April 2008 at Ishigaki (24.3°N, 124.2°E, +19.6° magnetic latitude), Japan. The largest gradient was 3.38 TECU km-1 (total electron content unit, 1 TECU = 1016 el m-2), which is equivalent to an ionospheric delay gradient of 540 mm km-1 at the GPS L1 frequency (1.57542 GHz). This value is confirmed by using multiple estimating methods. The observed value exceeds the maximum ionospheric gradient that has ever been observed (412 mm km-1 or 2.59 TECU km-1) to be associated with a severe magnetic storm. It also exceeds the assumed maximum value (500 mm km-1 or 3.08 TECU km-1) which was used to validate the draft international standard for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Ground-Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS) to support Category II/III approaches and landings. The steepest part of this extreme gradient had a scale size of 5.3 km, and the front-normal velocities were estimated to be 71 m s-1 with a wavefront-normal direction of east-northeastward. The total width of the transition region from outside to inside the plasma bubble was estimated to be 35.3 km. The gradient of relatively small spatial scale size may fall between an aircraft and a GBAS ground subsystem and may be undetectable by both aircraft and ground.

On the effect of velocity gradients on the depth of correlation in μPIV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustin, B.; Stoeber, B.

2016-03-01

The present work revisits the effect of velocity gradients on the depth of the measurement volume (depth of correlation) in microscopic particle image velocimetry (μPIV). General relations between the μPIV weighting functions and the local correlation function are derived from the original definition of the weighting functions. These relations are used to investigate under which circumstances the weighting functions are related to the curvature of the local correlation function. Furthermore, this work proposes a modified definition of the depth of correlation that leads to more realistic results than previous definitions for the case when flow gradients are taken into account. Dimensionless parameters suitable to describe the effect of velocity gradients on μPIV cross correlation are derived and visual interpretations of these parameters are proposed. We then investigate the effect of the dimensionless parameters on the weighting functions and the depth of correlation for different flow fields with spatially constant flow gradients and with spatially varying gradients. Finally this work demonstrates that the results and dimensionless parameters are not strictly bound to a certain model for particle image intensity distributions but are also meaningful when other models for particle images are used.

Automated Processing of Plasma Samples for Lipoprotein Separation by Rate-Zonal Ultracentrifugation.

PubMed

Peters, Carl N; Evans, Iain E J

2016-12-01

Plasma lipoproteins are the primary means of lipid transport among tissues. Defining alterations in lipid metabolism is critical to our understanding of disease processes. However, lipoprotein measurement is limited to specialized centers. Preparation for ultracentrifugation involves the formation of complex density gradients that is both laborious and subject to handling errors. We created a fully automated device capable of forming the required gradient. The design has been made freely available for download by the authors. It is inexpensive relative to commercial density gradient formers, which generally create linear gradients unsuitable for rate-zonal ultracentrifugation. The design can easily be modified to suit user requirements and any potential future improvements. Evaluation of the device showed reliable peristaltic pump accuracy and precision for fluid delivery. We also demonstrate accurate fluid layering with reduced mixing at the gradient layers when compared to usual practice by experienced laboratory personnel. Reduction in layer mixing is of critical importance, as it is crucial for reliable lipoprotein separation. The automated device significantly reduces laboratory staff input and reduces the likelihood of error. Overall, this device creates a simple and effective solution to formation of complex density gradients. © 2015 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Refined gradient theory of scale-dependent superthin rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lurie, S. A.; Kuznetsova, E. L.; Rabinskii, L. N.; Popova, E. I.

2015-03-01

A version of the refined nonclassical theory of thin beams whose thickness is comparable with the scale characteristic of the material structure is constructed on the basis of the gradient theory of elasticity which, in contrast to the classical theory, contains some additional physical characteristics depending on the structure scale parameters and is therefore most appropriate for modeling the strains of scale-dependent systems. The fundamental conditions for the well-posedness of the gradient theories are obtained for the first time, and it is shown that some of the known applied gradient theories do not generally satisfy the well-posedness criterion. A version of the well-posed gradient strain theory which satisfies the symmetry condition is proposed. The well-posed gradient theory is then used to implement the method of kinematic hypotheses for constructing a refined theory of scale-dependent beams. The equilibrium equations of the refined theory of scale-dependent Timoshenko and Bernoulli beams are obtained. It is shown that the scale effects are localized near the beam ends, and therefore, taking the scale effects into account does not give any correction to the bending rigidity of long beams as noted in the previously published papers dealing with the scale-dependent beams.

Experiments on the Motion of Drops on a Horizontal Solid Surface due to a Wettability Gradient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moumen, Nadjoua; Subramanian, R, Shankar; MLaughlin, john B.

2006-01-01

Results from experiments performed on the motion of drops of tetraethylene glycol in a wettability gradient present on a silicon surface are reported and compared with predictions from a recently developed theoretical model. The gradient in wettability was formed by exposing strips cut from a silicon wafer to decyltrichlorosiland vapors. Video images of the drops captured during the experiments were subsequently analyzed for drop size and velocity as functions of position along the gradient. In separate experiments on the same strips, the static contact angle formed by small drops was measured and used to obtain the local wettability gradient to which a drop is subjected. The velocity of the drops was found to be a strong function of position along the gradient. A quasi-steady theoretical model that balances the local hydrodynamic resistance with the local driving force generally describes the observations; possible reasons for the remaining discrepancies are discussed. It is shown that a model in which the driving force is reduced to accomodate the hysteresis effect inferred from the data is able to remove most of the discrepancy between the observed and predicted velocities.

Restricted exchange microenvironments for cell culture.

PubMed

Hoh, Jan H; Werbin, Jeffrey L; Heinz, William F

2018-03-01

Metabolite diffusion in tissues produces gradients and heterogeneous microenvironments that are not captured in standard 2D cell culture models. Here we describe restricted exchange environment chambers (REECs) in which diffusive gradients are formed and manipulated on length scales approximating those found in vivo. In REECs, cells are grown in 2D in an asymmetric chamber (<50 μL) formed between a coverglass and a glass bottom cell culture dish separated by a thin (~100 μm) gasket. Diffusive metabolite exchange between the chamber and bulk media occurs through one or more openings micromachined into the coverglass. Cell-generated concentration gradients form radially in REECs with a single round opening (~200 μm diameter). At steady state only cells within several hundred micrometers of the opening experience metabolite concentrations that permit survival which is analogous to diffusive exchange near a capillary in tissue. The chamber dimensions, the openings' shape, size, and number, and the cellular density and metabolic activity define the gradient structure. For example, two parallel slots above confluent cells produce the 1D equivalent of a spheroid. Using REECs, we found that fibroblasts align along the axis of diffusion while MDCK cells do not. MDCK cells do, however, exhibit significant morphological variations along the diffusive gradient.

Switching neuronal state: optimal stimuli revealed using a stochastically-seeded gradient algorithm.

PubMed

Chang, Joshua; Paydarfar, David

2014-12-01

Inducing a switch in neuronal state using energy optimal stimuli is relevant to a variety of problems in neuroscience. Analytical techniques from optimal control theory can identify such stimuli; however, solutions to the optimization problem using indirect variational approaches can be elusive in models that describe neuronal behavior. Here we develop and apply a direct gradient-based optimization algorithm to find stimulus waveforms that elicit a change in neuronal state while minimizing energy usage. We analyze standard models of neuronal behavior, the Hodgkin-Huxley and FitzHugh-Nagumo models, to show that the gradient-based algorithm: (1) enables automated exploration of a wide solution space, using stochastically generated initial waveforms that converge to multiple locally optimal solutions; and (2) finds optimal stimulus waveforms that achieve a physiological outcome condition, without a priori knowledge of the optimal terminal condition of all state variables. Analysis of biological systems using stochastically-seeded gradient methods can reveal salient dynamical mechanisms underlying the optimal control of system behavior. The gradient algorithm may also have practical applications in future work, for example, finding energy optimal waveforms for therapeutic neural stimulation that minimizes power usage and diminishes off-target effects and damage to neighboring tissue.

Trends in mortality risk by education level and cause of death among US White women from 1986 to 2006.

PubMed

Montez, Jennifer Karas; Zajacova, Anna

2013-03-01

To elucidate why the inverse association between education level and mortality risk (the gradient) has increased markedly among White women since the mid-1980s, we identified causes of death for which the gradient increased. We used data from the 1986 to 2006 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File on non-Hispanic White women aged 45 to 84 years (n = 230 692). We examined trends in the gradient by cause of death across 4 time periods and 4 education levels using age-standardized death rates. During 1986 to 2002, the growing gradient for all-cause mortality reflected increasing mortality among low-educated women and declining mortality among college-educated women; during 2003 to 2006 it mainly reflected declining mortality among college-educated women. The gradient increased for heart disease, lung cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Lung cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease explained 47% of the overall increase. Mortality disparities among White women widened across 1986 to 2006 partially because of causes of death for which smoking is a major risk factor. A comprehensive policy framework should address the social conditions that influence smoking among disadvantaged women.

Gradient Magnitude Similarity Deviation: A Highly Efficient Perceptual Image Quality Index.

PubMed

Xue, Wufeng; Zhang, Lei; Mou, Xuanqin; Bovik, Alan C

2014-02-01

It is an important task to faithfully evaluate the perceptual quality of output images in many applications, such as image compression, image restoration, and multimedia streaming. A good image quality assessment (IQA) model should not only deliver high quality prediction accuracy, but also be computationally efficient. The efficiency of IQA metrics is becoming particularly important due to the increasing proliferation of high-volume visual data in high-speed networks. We present a new effective and efficient IQA model, called gradient magnitude similarity deviation (GMSD). The image gradients are sensitive to image distortions, while different local structures in a distorted image suffer different degrees of degradations. This motivates us to explore the use of global variation of gradient based local quality map for overall image quality prediction. We find that the pixel-wise gradient magnitude similarity (GMS) between the reference and distorted images combined with a novel pooling strategy-the standard deviation of the GMS map-can predict accurately perceptual image quality. The resulting GMSD algorithm is much faster than most state-of-the-art IQA methods, and delivers highly competitive prediction accuracy. MATLAB source code of GMSD can be downloaded at http://www4.comp.polyu.edu.hk/~cslzhang/IQA/GMSD/GMSD.htm.

Fat-suppressed three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo MR imaging of hyaline cartilage defects in the knee: comparison with standard MR imaging and arthroscopy.

PubMed

Disler, D G; McCauley, T R; Kelman, C G; Fuchs, M D; Ratner, L M; Wirth, C R; Hospodar, P P

1996-07-01

The sensitivity of fat-suppressed three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo (SPGR) images was compared with that of standard MR images for detecting hyaline cartilage defects of the knee, using arthroscopy as the standard of reference. We assessed 114 consecutive patients for hyaline cartilage defects of the knee with both standard MR imaging sequences and a sagittal fat-suppressed three-dimensional SPGR sequence. Of these patients, 48 with meniscal or ligament injury, or persistent symptoms, underwent subsequent arthroscopy. The standard MR images and SPGR images of these 48 patients were then retrospectively analyzed for articular defects in a blinded fashion by two independent observers. Sensitivity, specificity, and intraobserver and interobserver agreement were determined for the different imaging techniques. One fourth of the patients who went on to arthroscopy were shown to have isolated hyaline cartilage lesions that were clinically confused with meniscal tears and that were missed on the standard MR images. When looking at all surfaces combined for each reader, the SPGR imaging sequence had a significantly higher sensitivity than the standard MR imaging sequences for detecting hyaline cartilage defects (75-85% versus 29-38%, p < .001 for each comparison). When looking at individual surfaces for each reader, significant differences in sensitivity were shown for each surface except the trochlear and lateral tibial surfaces. We found no difference in specificity (97% versus 97%, p > .99). We also found that combined evaluation of standard MR and SPGR images gave no added diagnostic advantage (sensitivity, 86%; specificity, 97%; p > .42). Except for the lateral tibial surface, the study achieved excellent reproducibility among readings and between readers. Fat-suppressed three-dimensional SPGR imaging is more sensitive than standard MR imaging for the detection of hyaline cartilage defects of the knee.

Cracks in Complex Bodies: Covariance of Tip Balances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariano, Paolo Maria

2008-04-01

In complex bodies, actions due to substructural changes alter (in some cases drastically) the force driving the tip of macroscopic cracks in quasi-static and dynamic growth, and must be represented directly. Here it is proven that tip balances of standard and substructural interactions are covariant. In fact, the former balance follows from the Lagrangian density’s requirement of invariance with respect to the action of the group of diffeomorphisms of the ambient space to itself, the latter balance accrues from an analogous invariance with respect to the action of a Lie group over the manifold of substructural shapes. The evolution equation of the crack tip can be obtained by exploiting invariance with respect to relabeling the material elements in the reference place. The analysis is developed by first focusing on general complex bodies that admit metastable states with substructural dissipation of viscous-like type inside each material element. Then we account for gradient dissipative effects that induce nonconservative stresses; the covariance of tip balances in simple bodies follows as a corollary. When body actions and boundary data of Dirichlet type are absent, the standard variational description of quasi-static crack growth is simply extended to the case of complex materials.

Polyethylene Naphthalate Scintillator: A Novel Detector for the Dosimetry of Radioactive Ophthalmic Applicators.

PubMed

Flühs, Dirk; Flühs, Andrea; Ebenau, Melanie; Eichmann, Marion

2015-09-01

Dosimetric measurements in small radiation fields with large gradients, such as eye plaque dosimetry with β or low-energy photon emitters, require dosimetrically almost water-equivalent detectors with volumes of <1 mm(3) and linear responses over several orders of magnitude. Polyvinyltoluene-based scintillators fulfil these conditions. Hence, they are a standard for such applications. However, they show disadvantages with regard to certain material properties and their dosimetric behaviour towards low-energy photons. Polyethylene naphthalate, recently recognized as a scintillator, offers chemical, physical and basic dosimetric properties superior to polyvinyltoluene. Its general applicability as a clinical dosimeter, however, has not been shown yet. To prove this applicability, extensive measurements at several clinical photon and electron radiation sources, ranging from ophthalmic plaques to a linear accelerator, were performed. For all radiation qualities under investigation, covering a wide range of dose rates, a linearity of the detector response to the dose was shown. Polyethylene naphthalate proved to be a suitable detector material for the dosimetry of ophthalmic plaques, including low-energy photon emitters and other small radiation fields. Due to superior properties, it has the potential to replace polyvinyltoluene as the standard scintillator for such applications.

Characterization of Fuego for laminar and turbulent natural convection heat transfer.

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

Francis, Nicholas Donald, Jr.; .)

2005-08-01

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is conducted for internal natural convection heat transfer using the low Mach number code Fuego. The flow conditions under investigation are primarily laminar, transitional, or low-intensity level turbulent flows. In the case of turbulent boundary layers at low-level turbulence or transitional Reynolds numbers, the use of standard wall functions no longer applies, in general, for wall-bounded flows. One must integrate all the way to the wall in order to account for gradients in the dependent variables in the viscous sublayer. Fuego provides two turbulence models in which resolution of the near-wall region is appropriate.more » These models are the v2-f turbulence model and a Launder-Sharma, low-Reynolds number turbulence model. Two standard geometries are considered: the annulus formed between horizontal concentric cylinders and a square enclosure. Each geometry emphasizes wall shear flow and complexities associated with turbulent or near turbulent boundary layers in contact with a motionless core fluid. Overall, the Fuego simulations for both laminar and turbulent flows compared well to measured data, for both geometries under investigation, and to a widely accepted commercial CFD code (FLUENT).« less

Explaining social class differences in depression and well-being.

PubMed

Stansfeld, S A; Head, J; Marmot, M G

1998-01-01

Work characteristics, including skill discretion and decision authority, explain most of the socioeconomic status gradient in well-being and depression in middle-aged British civil servants from the Whitehall II Study, London. Social support explained about one-third of the gradient, life events and material difficulties less than one-third. Socioeconomic status was measured by employment grade. Work characteristics were based on the Karasek model, social support was measured by the Close Persons Questionnaire, depression by the General Health Questionnaire and well-being by the Affect Balance Scale. Despite a small contribution from social selective factors measured by upward mobility, the psychosocial work environment explained most of the cross-sectional socioeconomic status gradient in well-being and depression.

ptchg: A FORTRAN program for point-charge calculations of electric field gradients (EFGs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spearing, Dane R.

1994-05-01

ptchg, a FORTRAN program, has been developed to calculate electric field gradients (EFG) around an atomic site in crystalline solids using the point-charge direct-lattice summation method. It uses output from the crystal structure generation program Atoms as its input. As an application of ptchg, a point-charge calculation of the EFG quadrupolar parameters around the oxygen site in SiO 2 cristobalite is demonstrated. Although point-charge calculations of electric field gradients generally are limited to ionic compounds, the computed quadrupolar parameters around the oxygen site in SiO 2 cristobalite, a highly covalent material, are in good agreement with the experimentally determined values from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Coexistence of colossal stress and texture gradients in sputter deposited nanocrystalline ultra-thin metal films

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

Kuru, Yener; Welzel, Udo; Mittemeijer, Eric J.

2014-12-01

This paper demonstrates experimentally that ultra-thin, nanocrystalline films can exhibit coexisting colossal stress and texture depth gradients. Their quantitative determination is possible by X-ray diffraction experiments. Whereas a uniform texture by itself is known to generally cause curvature in so-called sin{sup 2}ψ plots, it is shown that the combined action of texture and stress gradients provides a separate source of curvature in sin{sup 2}ψ plots (i.e., even in cases where a uniform texture does not induce such curvature). On this basis, the texture and stress depth profiles of a nanocrystalline, ultra-thin (50 nm) tungsten film could be determined.

Elevational Gradients in β-Diversity Reflect Variation in the Strength of Local Community Assembly Mechanisms across Spatial Scales

PubMed Central

Tello, J. Sebastián; Myers, Jonathan A.; Macía, Manuel J.; Fuentes, Alfredo F.; Cayola, Leslie; Arellano, Gabriel; Loza, M. Isabel; Torrez, Vania; Cornejo, Maritza; Miranda, Tatiana B.; Jørgensen, Peter M.

2015-01-01

Despite long-standing interest in elevational-diversity gradients, little is known about the processes that cause changes in the compositional variation of communities (β-diversity) across elevations. Recent studies have suggested that β-diversity gradients are driven by variation in species pools, rather than by variation in the strength of local community assembly mechanisms such as dispersal limitation, environmental filtering, or local biotic interactions. However, tests of this hypothesis have been limited to very small spatial scales that limit inferences about how the relative importance of assembly mechanisms may change across spatial scales. Here, we test the hypothesis that scale-dependent community assembly mechanisms shape biogeographic β-diversity gradients using one of the most well-characterized elevational gradients of tropical plant diversity. Using an extensive dataset on woody plant distributions along a 4,000-m elevational gradient in the Bolivian Andes, we compared observed patterns of β-diversity to null-model expectations. β-deviations (standardized differences from null values) were used to measure the relative effects of local community assembly mechanisms after removing sampling effects caused by variation in species pools. To test for scale-dependency, we compared elevational gradients at two contrasting spatial scales that differed in the size of local assemblages and regions by at least an order of magnitude. Elevational gradients in β-diversity persisted after accounting for regional variation in species pools. Moreover, the elevational gradient in β-deviations changed with spatial scale. At small scales, local assembly mechanisms were detectable, but variation in species pools accounted for most of the elevational gradient in β-diversity. At large spatial scales, in contrast, local assembly mechanisms were a dominant force driving changes in β-diversity. In contrast to the hypothesis that variation in species pools alone drives β-diversity gradients, we show that local community assembly mechanisms contribute strongly to systematic changes in β-diversity across elevations. We conclude that scale-dependent variation in community assembly mechanisms underlies these iconic gradients in global biodiversity. PMID:25803846

Dense Bicoid hubs accentuate binding along the morphogen gradient

PubMed Central

Mir, Mustafa; Reimer, Armando; Haines, Jenna E.; Li, Xiao-Yong; Stadler, Michael; Garcia, Hernan

2017-01-01

Morphogen gradients direct the spatial patterning of developing embryos; however, the mechanisms by which these gradients are interpreted remain elusive. Here we used lattice light-sheet microscopy to perform in vivo single-molecule imaging in early Drosophila melanogaster embryos of the transcription factor Bicoid that forms a gradient and initiates patterning along the anteroposterior axis. In contrast to canonical models, we observed that Bicoid binds to DNA with a rapid off rate throughout the embryo such that its average occupancy at target loci is on-rate-dependent. We further observed Bicoid forming transient “hubs” of locally high density that facilitate binding as factor levels drop, including in the posterior, where we observed Bicoid binding despite vanishingly low protein levels. We propose that localized modulation of transcription factor on rates via clustering provides a general mechanism to facilitate binding to low-affinity targets and that this may be a prevalent feature of other developmental transcription factors. PMID:28982761

Interconfigurational energies in transition-metal atoms using gradient-corrected density-functional theory

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

Kutzler, F.W.; Painter, G.S.

1991-03-15

The rapid variation of charge and spin densities in atoms and molecules provides a severe test for local-density-functional theory and for the use of gradient corrections. In the study reported in this paper, we use the Langreth, Mehl, and Hu (LMH) functional and the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) of Perdew and Yue to calculate {ital s}-{ital d} transition energies, 4{ital s} ionization energies, and 3{ital d} ionization energies for the 3{ital d} transition-metal atoms. These calculations are compared with results from the local-density functional of Vosko, Wilk, and Nusair. By comparison with experimental energies, we find that the gradient functionalsmore » are only marginally more successful than the local-density approximation in calculating energy differences between states in transition-metal atoms. The GGA approximation is somewhat better than the LMH functional for most of the atoms studied, although there are several exceptions.« less

Space charge enhanced plasma gradient effects on satellite electric field measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diebold, Dan; Hershkowitz, Noah; Dekock, J.; Intrator, T.; Hsieh, M-K.

1991-01-01

It has been recognized that plasma gradients can cause error in magnetospheric electric field measurements made by double probes. Space charge enhanced Plasma Gradient Induced Error (PGIE) is discussed in general terms, presenting the results of a laboratory experiment designed to demonstrate this error, and deriving a simple expression that quantifies this error. Experimental conditions were not identical to magnetospheric conditions, although efforts were made to insure the relevant physics applied to both cases. The experimental data demonstrate some of the possible errors in electric field measurements made by strongly emitting probes due to space charge effects in the presence of plasma gradients. Probe errors in space and laboratory conditions are discussed, as well as experimental error. In the final section, theoretical aspects are examined and an expression is derived for the maximum steady state space charge enhanced PGIE taken by two identical current biased probes.

Gradient-based Optimization for Poroelastic and Viscoelastic MR Elastography

PubMed Central

Tan, Likun; McGarry, Matthew D.J.; Van Houten, Elijah E.W.; Ji, Ming; Solamen, Ligin; Weaver, John B.

2017-01-01

We describe an efficient gradient computation for solving inverse problems arising in magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). The algorithm can be considered as a generalized ‘adjoint method’ based on a Lagrangian formulation. One requirement for the classic adjoint method is assurance of the self-adjoint property of the stiffness matrix in the elasticity problem. In this paper, we show this property is no longer a necessary condition in our algorithm, but the computational performance can be as efficient as the classic method, which involves only two forward solutions and is independent of the number of parameters to be estimated. The algorithm is developed and implemented in material property reconstructions using poroelastic and viscoelastic modeling. Various gradient- and Hessian-based optimization techniques have been tested on simulation, phantom and in vivo brain data. The numerical results show the feasibility and the efficiency of the proposed scheme for gradient calculation. PMID:27608454

Use of the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm as a generic solver for mixed-model equations in animal breeding applications.

PubMed

Tsuruta, S; Misztal, I; Strandén, I

2001-05-01

Utility of the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm with a diagonal preconditioner for solving mixed-model equations in animal breeding applications was evaluated with 16 test problems. The problems included single- and multiple-trait analyses, with data on beef, dairy, and swine ranging from small examples to national data sets. Multiple-trait models considered low and high genetic correlations. Convergence was based on relative differences between left- and right-hand sides. The ordering of equations was fixed effects followed by random effects, with no special ordering within random effects. The preconditioned conjugate gradient program implemented with double precision converged for all models. However, when implemented in single precision, the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm did not converge for seven large models. The preconditioned conjugate gradient and successive overrelaxation algorithms were subsequently compared for 13 of the test problems. The preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm was easy to implement with the iteration on data for general models. However, successive overrelaxation requires specific programming for each set of models. On average, the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm converged in three times fewer rounds of iteration than successive overrelaxation. With straightforward implementations, programs using the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm may be two or more times faster than those using successive overrelaxation. However, programs using the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm would use more memory than would comparable implementations using successive overrelaxation. Extensive optimization of either algorithm can influence rankings. The preconditioned conjugate gradient implemented with iteration on data, a diagonal preconditioner, and in double precision may be the algorithm of choice for solving mixed-model equations when sufficient memory is available and ease of implementation is essential.

Contingency learning deficits and generalization in chronic unilateral hand pain patients.

PubMed

Meulders, Ann; Harvie, Daniel S; Bowering, Jane K; Caragianis, Suzanne; Vlaeyen, Johan W S; Moseley, G Lorimer

2014-10-01

Contingency learning, in particular the formation of danger beliefs, underpins conditioned fear and avoidance behavior, yet equally important is the formation of safety beliefs. That is, when threat beliefs and accompanying fear/avoidance spread to technically safe cues, it might cause disability. Indeed, such over generalization has been advanced as a trans-diagnostic pathologic marker, but it has not been investigated in chronic pain. Using a novel hand pain scenario contingency learning task, we tested the hypotheses that chronic hand pain patients demonstrate less differential pain expectancy judgments because of poor safety learning and demonstrate broader generalization gradients than healthy controls. Participants viewed digitized 3-dimensional hands in different postures presented in random order (conditioned stimulus [CS]) and rated the likelihood that a fictive patient would feel pain when moving the hand into that posture. Subsequently, the outcome (pain/no pain) was presented on the screen. One hand posture was followed by pain (CS+), another was not (CS-). Generalization was tested using novel hand postures (generalization stimuli) that varied in how similar they were to the original conditioned stimuli. Patients, but not healthy controls, demonstrated a contingency learning deficit determined by impaired safety learning, but not by exaggerated pain expectancy toward the CS+. Patients showed flatter, asymmetric generalization gradients than the healthy controls did, with higher pain expectancy for novel postures that were more similar to the original CS-. The results clearly uphold our hypotheses and suggest that contingency learning deficits might be important in the development and maintenance of the chronic pain-related disability. Chronic hand pain patients demonstrate 1) reduced differential contingency learning determined by a lack of safety belief formation, but not by exaggerated threat belief formation, and 2) flatter, asymmetric generalization gradients than the healthy controls. Copyright © 2014 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic hierarchy and health gradient in Europe: the role of income inequality and of social origins.

PubMed

Chauvel, Louis; Leist, Anja K

2015-11-14

Health inequalities reflect multidimensional inequality (income, education, and other indicators of socioeconomic position) and vary across countries and welfare regimes. To which extent there is intergenerational transmission of health via parental socioeconomic status has rarely been investigated in comparative perspective. The study sought to explore if different measures of stratification produce the same health gradient and to which extent health gradients of income and of social origins vary with level of living and income inequality. A total of 299,770 observations were available from 18 countries assessed in EU-SILC 2005 and 2011 data, which contain information on social origins. Income inequality (Gini) and level of living were calculated from EU-SILC. Logit rank transformation provided normalized inequalities and distributions of income and social origins up to the extremes of the distribution and was used to investigate net comparable health gradients in detail. Multilevel random-slope models were run to post-estimate best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) and related standard deviations of residual intercepts (median health) and slopes (income-health gradients) per country and survey year. Health gradients varied across different measures of stratification, with origins and income producing significant slopes after controls. Income inequality was associated with worse average health, but income inequality and steepness of the health gradient were only marginally associated. Linear health gradients suggest gains in health per rank of income and of origins even at the very extremes of the distribution. Intergenerational transmission of status gains in importance in countries with higher income inequality. Countries differ in the association of income inequality and income-related health gradient, and low income inequality may mask health problems of vulnerable individuals with low status. Not only income inequality, but other country characteristics such as familial orientation play a considerable role in explaining steepness of the health gradient.

Image-based gradient non-linearity characterization to determine higher-order spherical harmonic coefficients for improved spatial position accuracy in magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Weavers, Paul T; Tao, Shengzhen; Trzasko, Joshua D; Shu, Yunhong; Tryggestad, Erik J; Gunter, Jeffrey L; McGee, Kiaran P; Litwiller, Daniel V; Hwang, Ken-Pin; Bernstein, Matt A

2017-05-01

Spatial position accuracy in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important concern for a variety of applications, including radiation therapy planning, surgical planning, and longitudinal studies of morphologic changes to study neurodegenerative diseases. Spatial accuracy is strongly influenced by gradient linearity. This work presents a method for characterizing the gradient non-linearity fields on a per-system basis, and using this information to provide improved and higher-order (9th vs. 5th) spherical harmonic coefficients for better spatial accuracy in MRI. A large fiducial phantom containing 5229 water-filled spheres in a grid pattern is scanned with the MR system, and the positions all the fiducials are measured and compared to the corresponding ground truth fiducial positions as reported from a computed tomography (CT) scan of the object. Systematic errors from off-resonance (i.e., B0) effects are minimized with the use of increased receiver bandwidth (±125kHz) and two acquisitions with reversed readout gradient polarity. The spherical harmonic coefficients are estimated using an iterative process, and can be subsequently used to correct for gradient non-linearity. Test-retest stability was assessed with five repeated measurements on a single scanner, and cross-scanner variation on four different, identically-configured 3T wide-bore systems. A decrease in the root-mean-square error (RMSE) over a 50cm diameter spherical volume from 1.80mm to 0.77mm is reported here in the case of replacing the vendor's standard 5th order spherical harmonic coefficients with custom fitted 9th order coefficients, and from 1.5mm to 1mm by extending custom fitted 5th order correction to the 9th order. Minimum RMSE varied between scanners, but was stable with repeated measurements in the same scanner. The results suggest that the proposed methods may be used on a per-system basis to more accurately calibrate MR gradient non-linearity coefficients when compared to vendor standard corrections. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gravity gradient preprocessing at the GOCE HPF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouman, J.; Rispens, S.; Gruber, T.; Schrama, E.; Visser, P.; Tscherning, C. C.; Veicherts, M.

2009-04-01

One of the products derived from the GOCE observations are the gravity gradients. These gravity gradients are provided in the Gradiometer Reference Frame (GRF) and are calibrated in-flight using satellite shaking and star sensor data. In order to use these gravity gradients for application in Earth sciences and gravity field analysis, additional pre-processing needs to be done, including corrections for temporal gravity field signals to isolate the static gravity field part, screening for outliers, calibration by comparison with existing external gravity field information and error assessment. The temporal gravity gradient corrections consist of tidal and non-tidal corrections. These are all generally below the gravity gradient error level, which is predicted to show a 1/f behaviour for low frequencies. In the outlier detection the 1/f error is compensated for by subtracting a local median from the data, while the data error is assessed using the median absolute deviation. The local median acts as a high-pass filter and it is robust as is the median absolute deviation. Three different methods have been implemented for the calibration of the gravity gradients. All three methods use a high-pass filter to compensate for the 1/f gravity gradient error. The baseline method uses state-of-the-art global gravity field models and the most accurate results are obtained if star sensor misalignments are estimated along with the calibration parameters. A second calibration method uses GOCE GPS data to estimate a low degree gravity field model as well as gravity gradient scale factors. Both methods allow to estimate gravity gradient scale factors down to the 10-3 level. The third calibration method uses high accurate terrestrial gravity data in selected regions to validate the gravity gradient scale factors, focussing on the measurement band. Gravity gradient scale factors may be estimated down to the 10-2 level with this method.

Preprocessing of gravity gradients at the GOCE high-level processing facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouman, Johannes; Rispens, Sietse; Gruber, Thomas; Koop, Radboud; Schrama, Ernst; Visser, Pieter; Tscherning, Carl Christian; Veicherts, Martin

2009-07-01

One of the products derived from the gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer (GOCE) observations are the gravity gradients. These gravity gradients are provided in the gradiometer reference frame (GRF) and are calibrated in-flight using satellite shaking and star sensor data. To use these gravity gradients for application in Earth scienes and gravity field analysis, additional preprocessing needs to be done, including corrections for temporal gravity field signals to isolate the static gravity field part, screening for outliers, calibration by comparison with existing external gravity field information and error assessment. The temporal gravity gradient corrections consist of tidal and nontidal corrections. These are all generally below the gravity gradient error level, which is predicted to show a 1/ f behaviour for low frequencies. In the outlier detection, the 1/ f error is compensated for by subtracting a local median from the data, while the data error is assessed using the median absolute deviation. The local median acts as a high-pass filter and it is robust as is the median absolute deviation. Three different methods have been implemented for the calibration of the gravity gradients. All three methods use a high-pass filter to compensate for the 1/ f gravity gradient error. The baseline method uses state-of-the-art global gravity field models and the most accurate results are obtained if star sensor misalignments are estimated along with the calibration parameters. A second calibration method uses GOCE GPS data to estimate a low-degree gravity field model as well as gravity gradient scale factors. Both methods allow to estimate gravity gradient scale factors down to the 10-3 level. The third calibration method uses high accurate terrestrial gravity data in selected regions to validate the gravity gradient scale factors, focussing on the measurement band. Gravity gradient scale factors may be estimated down to the 10-2 level with this method.

A critical analysis of some popular methods for the discretisation of the gradient operator in finite volume methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syrakos, Alexandros; Varchanis, Stylianos; Dimakopoulos, Yannis; Goulas, Apostolos; Tsamopoulos, John

2017-12-01

Finite volume methods (FVMs) constitute a popular class of methods for the numerical simulation of fluid flows. Among the various components of these methods, the discretisation of the gradient operator has received less attention despite its fundamental importance with regards to the accuracy of the FVM. The most popular gradient schemes are the divergence theorem (DT) (or Green-Gauss) scheme and the least-squares (LS) scheme. Both are widely believed to be second-order accurate, but the present study shows that in fact the common variant of the DT gradient is second-order accurate only on structured meshes whereas it is zeroth-order accurate on general unstructured meshes, and the LS gradient is second-order and first-order accurate, respectively. This is explained through a theoretical analysis and is confirmed by numerical tests. The schemes are then used within a FVM to solve a simple diffusion equation on unstructured grids generated by several methods; the results reveal that the zeroth-order accuracy of the DT gradient is inherited by the FVM as a whole, and the discretisation error does not decrease with grid refinement. On the other hand, use of the LS gradient leads to second-order accurate results, as does the use of alternative, consistent, DT gradient schemes, including a new iterative scheme that makes the common DT gradient consistent at almost no extra cost. The numerical tests are performed using both an in-house code and the popular public domain partial differential equation solver OpenFOAM.

Perturbative Out of Equilibrium Quantum Field Theory beyond the Gradient Approximation and Generalized Boltzmann Equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozaki, H.

2004-01-01

Using the closed-time-path formalism, we construct perturbative frameworks, in terms of quasiparticle picture, for studying quasiuniform relativistic quantum field systems near equilibrium and non-equilibrium quasistationary systems. We employ the derivative expansion and take in up to the second-order term, i.e., one-order higher than the gradient approximation. After constructing self-energy resummed propagator, we formulated two kinds of mutually equivalent perturbative frameworks: The first one is formulated on the basis of the ``bare'' number density function, and the second one is formulated on the basis of ``physical'' number density function. In the course of construction of the second framework, the generalized Boltzmann equations directly come out, which describe the evolution of the system.

Odds per Adjusted Standard Deviation: Comparing Strengths of Associations for Risk Factors Measured on Different Scales and Across Diseases and Populations

PubMed Central

Hopper, John L.

2015-01-01

How can the “strengths” of risk factors, in the sense of how well they discriminate cases from controls, be compared when they are measured on different scales such as continuous, binary, and integer? Given that risk estimates take into account other fitted and design-related factors—and that is how risk gradients are interpreted—so should the presentation of risk gradients. Therefore, for each risk factor X0, I propose using appropriate regression techniques to derive from appropriate population data the best fitting relationship between the mean of X0 and all the other covariates fitted in the model or adjusted for by design (X1, X2, … , Xn). The odds per adjusted standard deviation (OPERA) presents the risk association for X0 in terms of the change in risk per s = standard deviation of X0 adjusted for X1, X2, … , Xn, rather than the unadjusted standard deviation of X0 itself. If the increased risk is relative risk (RR)-fold over A adjusted standard deviations, then OPERA = exp[ln(RR)/A] = RRs. This unifying approach is illustrated by considering breast cancer and published risk estimates. OPERA estimates are by definition independent and can be used to compare the predictive strengths of risk factors across diseases and populations. PMID:26520360

Motion of vortices in inhomogeneous Bose-Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groszek, Andrew J.; Paganin, David M.; Helmerson, Kristian; Simula, Tapio P.

2018-02-01

We derive a general and exact equation of motion for a quantized vortex in an inhomogeneous two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate. This equation expresses the velocity of a vortex as a sum of local ambient density and phase gradients in the vicinity of the vortex. We perform Gross-Pitaevskii simulations of single-vortex dynamics in both harmonic and hard-walled disk-shaped traps, and find excellent agreement in both cases with our analytical prediction. The simulations reveal that, in a harmonic trap, the main contribution to the vortex velocity is an induced ambient phase gradient, a finding that contradicts the commonly quoted result that the local density gradient is the only relevant effect in this scenario. We use our analytical vortex velocity formula to derive a point-vortex model that accounts for both density and phase contributions to the vortex velocity, suitable for use in inhomogeneous condensates. Although good agreement is obtained between Gross-Pitaevskii and point-vortex simulations for specific few-vortex configurations, the effects of nonuniform condensate density are in general highly nontrivial, and are thus difficult to efficiently and accurately model using a simplified point-vortex description.

Course 4: Density Functional Theory, Methods, Techniques, and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chrétien, S.; Salahub, D. R.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Density functional theory 2.1 Hohenberg and Kohn theorems 2.2 Levy's constrained search 2.3 Kohn-Sham method 3 Density matrices and pair correlation functions 4 Adiabatic connection or coupling strength integration 5 Comparing and constrasting KS-DFT and HF-CI 6 Preparing new functionals 7 Approximate exchange and correlation functionals 7.1 The Local Spin Density Approximation (LSDA) 7.2 Gradient Expansion Approximation (GEA) 7.3 Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA) 7.4 meta-Generalized Gradient Approximation (meta-GGA) 7.5 Hybrid functionals 7.6 The Optimized Effective Potential method (OEP) 7.7 Comparison between various approximate functionals 8 LAP correlation functional 9 Solving the Kohn-Sham equations 9.1 The Kohn-Sham orbitals 9.2 Coulomb potential 9.3 Exchange-correlation potential 9.4 Core potential 9.5 Other choices and sources of error 9.6 Functionality 10 Applications 10.1 Ab initio molecular dynamics for an alanine dipeptide model 10.2 Transition metal clusters: The ecstasy, and the agony... 10.3 The conversion of acetylene to benzene on Fe clusters 11 Conclusions

Comparing implementations of penalized weighted least-squares sinogram restoration

PubMed Central

Forthmann, Peter; Koehler, Thomas; Defrise, Michel; La Riviere, Patrick

2010-01-01

Purpose: A CT scanner measures the energy that is deposited in each channel of a detector array by x rays that have been partially absorbed on their way through the object. The measurement process is complex and quantitative measurements are always and inevitably associated with errors, so CT data must be preprocessed prior to reconstruction. In recent years, the authors have formulated CT sinogram preprocessing as a statistical restoration problem in which the goal is to obtain the best estimate of the line integrals needed for reconstruction from the set of noisy, degraded measurements. The authors have explored both penalized Poisson likelihood (PL) and penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) objective functions. At low doses, the authors found that the PL approach outperforms PWLS in terms of resolution-noise tradeoffs, but at standard doses they perform similarly. The PWLS objective function, being quadratic, is more amenable to computational acceleration than the PL objective. In this work, the authors develop and compare two different methods for implementing PWLS sinogram restoration with the hope of improving computational performance relative to PL in the standard-dose regime. Sinogram restoration is still significant in the standard-dose regime since it can still outperform standard approaches and it allows for correction of effects that are not usually modeled in standard CT preprocessing. Methods: The authors have explored and compared two implementation strategies for PWLS sinogram restoration: (1) A direct matrix-inversion strategy based on the closed-form solution to the PWLS optimization problem and (2) an iterative approach based on the conjugate-gradient algorithm. Obtaining optimal performance from each strategy required modifying the naive off-the-shelf implementations of the algorithms to exploit the particular symmetry and sparseness of the sinogram-restoration problem. For the closed-form approach, the authors subdivided the large matrix inversion into smaller coupled problems and exploited sparseness to minimize matrix operations. For the conjugate-gradient approach, the authors exploited sparseness and preconditioned the problem to speed up convergence. Results: All methods produced qualitatively and quantitatively similar images as measured by resolution-variance tradeoffs and difference images. Despite the acceleration strategies, the direct matrix-inversion approach was found to be uncompetitive with iterative approaches, with a computational burden higher by an order of magnitude or more. The iterative conjugate-gradient approach, however, does appear promising, with computation times half that of the authors’ previous penalized-likelihood implementation. Conclusions: Iterative conjugate-gradient based PWLS sinogram restoration with careful matrix optimizations has computational advantages over direct matrix PWLS inversion and over penalized-likelihood sinogram restoration and can be considered a good alternative in standard-dose regimes. PMID:21158306

Joint reconstruction via coupled Bregman iterations with applications to PET-MR imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasch, Julian; Brinkmann, Eva-Maria; Burger, Martin

2018-01-01

Joint reconstruction has recently attracted a lot of attention, especially in the field of medical multi-modality imaging such as PET-MRI. Most of the developed methods rely on the comparison of image gradients, or more precisely their location, direction and magnitude, to make use of structural similarities between the images. A challenge and still an open issue for most of the methods is to handle images in entirely different scales, i.e. different magnitudes of gradients that cannot be dealt with by a global scaling of the data. We propose the use of generalized Bregman distances and infimal convolutions thereof with regard to the well-known total variation functional. The use of a total variation subgradient respectively the involved vector field rather than an image gradient naturally excludes the magnitudes of gradients, which in particular solves the scaling behavior. Additionally, the presented method features a weighting that allows to control the amount of interaction between channels. We give insights into the general behavior of the method, before we further tailor it to a particular application, namely PET-MRI joint reconstruction. To do so, we compute joint reconstruction results from blurry Poisson data for PET and undersampled Fourier data from MRI and show that we can gain a mutual benefit for both modalities. In particular, the results are superior to the respective separate reconstructions and other joint reconstruction methods.

Elevational Gradients in Fish Diversity in the Himalaya: Water Discharge Is the Key Driver of Distribution Patterns

PubMed Central

Bhatt, Jay P.; Manish, Kumar; Pandit, Maharaj K.

2012-01-01

Background Studying diversity and distribution patterns of species along elevational gradients and understanding drivers behind these patterns is central to macroecology and conservation biology. A number of studies on biogeographic gradients are available for terrestrial ecosystems, but freshwater ecosystems remain largely neglected. In particular, we know very little about the species richness gradients and their drivers in the Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot. Methodology/Principal Findings We collated taxonomic and distribution data of fish species from 16 freshwater Himalayan rivers and carried out empirical studies on environmental drivers and fish diversity and distribution in the Teesta river (Eastern Himalaya). We examined patterns of fish species richness along the Himalayan elevational gradients (50–3800 m) and sought to understand the drivers behind the emerging patterns. We used generalized linear models (GLM) and generalized additive models (GAM) to examine the richness patterns; GLM was used to investigate relationship between fish species richness and various environmental variables. Regression modelling involved stepwise procedures, including elimination of collinear variables, best model selection, based on the least Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) and the highest percentage of deviance explained (D2). This maiden study on the Himalayan fishes revealed that total and non-endemic fish species richness monotonously decrease with increasing elevation, while endemics peaked around mid elevations (700–1500 m). The best explanatory model (synthetic model) indicated that water discharge is the best predictor of fish species richness patterns in the Himalayan rivers. Conclusions/Significance This study, carried out along one of the longest bioclimatic elevation gradients of the world, lends support to Rapoport’s elevational rule as opposed to mid domain effect hypothesis. We propose a species-discharge model and contradict species-area model in predicting fish species richness. We suggest that drivers of richness gradients in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are likely to be different. These studies are crucial in context of the impacts of unprecedented on-going river regulation on fish diversity and distribution in the Himalaya. PMID:23029444

A wet/wet differential pressure sensor for measuring vertical hydraulic gradient.

PubMed

Fritz, Brad G; Mackley, Rob D

2010-01-01

Vertical hydraulic gradient is commonly measured in rivers, lakes, and streams for studies of groundwater-surface water interaction. While a number of methods with subtle differences have been applied, these methods can generally be separated into two categories; measuring surface water elevation and pressure in the subsurface separately or making direct measurements of the head difference with a manometer. Making separate head measurements allows for the use of electronic pressure sensors, providing large datasets that are particularly useful when the vertical hydraulic gradient fluctuates over time. On the other hand, using a manometer-based method provides an easier and more rapid measurement with a simpler computation to calculate the vertical hydraulic gradient. In this study, we evaluated a wet/wet differential pressure sensor for use in measuring vertical hydraulic gradient. This approach combines the advantage of high-temporal frequency measurements obtained with instrumented piezometers with the simplicity and reduced potential for human-induced error obtained with a manometer board method. Our results showed that the wet/wet differential pressure sensor provided results comparable to more traditional methods, making it an acceptable method for future use.

The q-G method : A q-version of the Steepest Descent method for global optimization.

PubMed

Soterroni, Aline C; Galski, Roberto L; Scarabello, Marluce C; Ramos, Fernando M

2015-01-01

In this work, the q-Gradient (q-G) method, a q-version of the Steepest Descent method, is presented. The main idea behind the q-G method is the use of the negative of the q-gradient vector of the objective function as the search direction. The q-gradient vector, or simply the q-gradient, is a generalization of the classical gradient vector based on the concept of Jackson's derivative from the q-calculus. Its use provides the algorithm an effective mechanism for escaping from local minima. The q-G method reduces to the Steepest Descent method when the parameter q tends to 1. The algorithm has three free parameters and it is implemented so that the search process gradually shifts from global exploration in the beginning to local exploitation in the end. We evaluated the q-G method on 34 test functions, and compared its performance with 34 optimization algorithms, including derivative-free algorithms and the Steepest Descent method. Our results show that the q-G method is competitive and has a great potential for solving multimodal optimization problems.

Emerging dragonfly diversity at small Rhode Island (U.S.A.) wetlands along an urbanization gradient

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aliberti Lubertazzi, Maria A.; Ginsberg, Howard S.

2010-01-01

Natal habitat use by dragonflies was assessed on an urban to rural land-use gradient at a set of 21 wetlands, during two emergence seasons (2004, 2005). The wetlands were characterized for urbanization level by using the first factor from a principal components analysis combining chloride concentration in the wetland and percent forest in the surrounding buffer zone. Measurements of species diversity and its components (species richness and evenness) were analyzed and compared along the urbanization gradient, as were distributions of individual species. Dragonfly diversity, species richness, and evenness did not change along the urbanization gradient, so urban wetlands served as natal habitat for numerous dragonfly species. However, several individual species displayed strong relationships to the degree of urbanization, and most were more commonly found at urban sites and at sites with fish. In contrast, relatively rare species were generally found at the rural end of the gradient. These results suggest that urban wetlands can play important roles as dragonfly habitat and in dragonfly conservation efforts, but that conservation of rural wetlands is also important for some dragonfly species.

Lightweight, compact, and high-performance 3T MR system for imaging the brain and extremities.

PubMed

Foo, Thomas K F; Laskaris, Evangelos; Vermilyea, Mark; Xu, Minfeng; Thompson, Paul; Conte, Gene; Van Epps, Christopher; Immer, Christopher; Lee, Seung-Kyun; Tan, Ek T; Graziani, Dominic; Mathieu, Jean-Baptise; Hardy, Christopher J; Schenck, John F; Fiveland, Eric; Stautner, Wolfgang; Ricci, Justin; Piel, Joseph; Park, Keith; Hua, Yihe; Bai, Ye; Kagan, Alex; Stanley, David; Weavers, Paul T; Gray, Erin; Shu, Yunhong; Frick, Matthew A; Campeau, Norbert G; Trzasko, Joshua; Huston, John; Bernstein, Matt A

2018-03-13

To build and evaluate a small-footprint, lightweight, high-performance 3T MRI scanner for advanced brain imaging with image quality that is equal to or better than conventional whole-body clinical 3T MRI scanners, while achieving substantial reductions in installation costs. A conduction-cooled magnet was developed that uses less than 12 liters of liquid helium in a gas-charged sealed system, and standard NbTi wire, and weighs approximately 2000 kg. A 42-cm inner-diameter gradient coil with asymmetric transverse axes was developed to provide patient access for head and extremity exams, while minimizing magnet-gradient interactions that adversely affect image quality. The gradient coil was designed to achieve simultaneous operation of 80-mT/m peak gradient amplitude at a slew rate of 700 T/m/s on each gradient axis using readily available 1-MVA gradient drivers. In a comparison of anatomical imaging in 16 patients using T 2 -weighted 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) between the compact 3T and whole-body 3T, image quality was assessed as equivalent to or better across several metrics. The ability to fully use a high slew rate of 700 T/m/s simultaneously with 80-mT/m maximum gradient amplitude resulted in improvements in image quality across EPI, DWI, and anatomical imaging of the brain. The compact 3T MRI system has been in continuous operation at the Mayo Clinic since March 2016. To date, over 200 patient studies have been completed, including 96 comparison studies with a clinical 3T whole-body MRI. The increased gradient performance has reliably resulted in consistently improved image quality. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Intrinsic advantages of packed capillaries over narrow-bore columns in very high-pressure gradient liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Gritti, Fabrice; McDonald, Thomas; Gilar, Martin

2016-06-17

250μm×100mm fused silica glass capillaries were packed with 1.8μm high-strength silica (HSS) fully porous particles. They were prepared without bulky stainless steel endfittings and metal frits, which both generate significant sample dispersion. The isocratic efficiencies and gradient peak capacities of these prototype capillary columns were measured for small molecules (n-alkanophenones) using a home-made ultra-low dispersive micro-HPLC instrument. Their resolution power was compared to that of standard 2.1mm×100mm very high-pressure liquid chromatography (vHPLC) narrow-bore columns packed with the same particles. The results show that, for the same column efficiency (25000 plates) and gradient steepness (0.04min(-1)), the peak capacity of the 250μm i.d. capillary columns is systematically 15-20% higher than that of the 2.1mm i.d. narrow-bore columns. A validated model of gradient chromatography enabled one to predict accurately the observed peak capacities of the capillary columns for non-linear solvation strength retention behavior and under isothermal conditions. Thermodynamics applied to the eluent quantified the temperature difference for the thermal gradients in both capillary and narrow-bore columns. Experimental data revealed that the gradient peak capacity is more affected by viscous heating than the column efficiency. Unlike across 2.1mm i.d. columns, the changes in eluent composition across the 250μm i.d. columns during the gradient is rapidly relaxed by transverse dispersion. The combination of (1) the absence of viscous heating and (2) the high uniformity of the eluent composition across the diameter of capillary columns explains the intrinsic advantage of capillary over narrow-bore columns in gradient vHPLC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cold hands, warm feet: sleep deprivation disrupts thermoregulation and its association with vigilance.

PubMed

Romeijn, Nico; Verweij, Ilse M; Koeleman, Anne; Mooij, Anne; Steimke, Rosa; Virkkala, Jussi; van der Werf, Ysbrand; Van Someren, Eus J W

2012-12-01

Vigilance is affected by induced and spontaneous skin temperature fluctuations. Whereas sleep deprivation strongly affects vigilance, no previous study examined in detail its effect on human skin temperature fluctuations and their association with vigilance. In a repeated-measures constant routine design, skin temperatures were assessed continuously from 14 locations while performance was assessed using a reaction time task, including eyes-open video monitoring, performed five times a day for 2 days, after a normal sleep or sleep deprivation night. Participants were seated in a dimly lit, temperature-controlled laboratory. Eight healthy young adults (five males, age 22.0 ± 1.8 yr (mean ± standard deviation)). One night of sleep deprivation. Mixed-effect regression models were used to evaluate the effect of sleep deprivation on skin temperature gradients of the upper (ear-mastoid), middle (hand-arm), and lower (foot-leg) body, and on the association between fluctuations in performance and in temperature gradients. Sleep deprivation induced a marked dissociation of thermoregulatory skin temperature gradients, indicative of attenuated heat loss from the hands co-occurring with enhanced heat loss from the feet. Sleep deprivation moreover attenuated the association between fluctuations in performance and temperature gradients; the association was best preserved for the upper body gradient. Sleep deprivation disrupts coordination of fluctuations in thermoregulatory skin temperature gradients. The dissociation of middle and lower body temperature gradients may therefore be evaluated as a marker for sleep debt, and the upper body gradient as a possible aid in vigilance assessment when sleep debt is unknown. Importantly, our findings suggest that sleep deprivation affects the coordination between skin blood flow fluctuations and the baroreceptor-mediated cardiovascular regulation that prevents venous pooling of blood in the lower limbs when there is the orthostatic challenge of an upright posture.

Natural learning in NLDA networks.

PubMed

González, Ana; Dorronsoro, José R

2007-07-01

Non Linear Discriminant Analysis (NLDA) networks combine a standard Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) transfer function with the minimization of a Fisher analysis criterion. In this work we will define natural-like gradients for NLDA network training. Instead of a more principled approach, that would require the definition of an appropriate Riemannian structure on the NLDA weight space, we will follow a simpler procedure, based on the observation that the gradient of the NLDA criterion function J can be written as the expectation nablaJ(W)=E[Z(X,W)] of a certain random vector Z and defining then I=E[Z(X,W)Z(X,W)(t)] as the Fisher information matrix in this case. This definition of I formally coincides with that of the information matrix for the MLP or other square error functions; the NLDA J criterion, however, does not have this structure. Although very simple, the proposed approach shows much faster convergence than that of standard gradient descent, even when its costlier complexity is taken into account. While the faster convergence of natural MLP batch training can be also explained in terms of its relationship with the Gauss-Newton minimization method, this is not the case for NLDA training, as we will see analytically and numerically that the hessian and information matrices are different.

The child health/family income gradient: Evidence from England.

PubMed

Currie, Alison; Shields, Michael A; Price, Stephen Wheatley

2007-03-01

Recent studies using Canadian and US data have documented a positive relationship between family income and child health, with the slope of the gradient being larger for older than younger children [Case, A., Lubotsky, D., Paxson, C., 2002. Economic status and health in childhood: the origins of the gradient. American Economic Review 92, 1308-1334; Currie, J., Stabile, M., 2003. Socioeconomic status and child health: why is the relationship stronger for older children? American Economic Review 93, 1813-1823]. In this paper we explore whether or not these findings hold for England, analysing a sample of over 13,000 children (and their parents) drawn from the Health Survey for England. While we find consistent and robust evidence of a significant family income gradient in child health, using the subjective general health status measure, the slope of the gradient is very small. Moreover, we find no evidence that the slope of the gradient increases with child age. Furthermore, we find no evidence of such a gradient with more objective measures, based on nurse examinations and blood test results. Together these results suggest that family income is not a major determinant of child health in England. Finally, we provide some evidence that nutrition and family lifestyle choices have an important role in determining child health and that child health is highly correlated within the family.

Theory and applications of a novel ion exchange chromatographic technology using controlled pH gradients for separating proteins on anionic and cationic stationary phases.

PubMed

Tsonev, Latchezar I; Hirsh, Allen G

2008-07-25

pISep is a major new advance in low ionic strength ion exchange chromatography. It enables the formation of externally controlled pH gradients over the very broad pH range from 2 to 12. The gradients can be generated on either cationic or anionic exchangers over arbitrary pH ranges wherein the stationary phases remain totally charged. Associated pISep software makes possible the calculation of either linear, nonlinear or combined, multi-step, multi-slope pH gradients. These highly reproducible pH gradients, while separating proteins and glycoproteins in the order of their electrophoretic pIs, provide superior chromatographic resolution compared to salt. This paper also presents a statistical mechanical model for protein binding to ion exchange stationary phases enhancing the electrostatic interaction theory for the general dependence of retention factor k, on both salt and pH simultaneously. It is shown that the retention factors computed from short time isocratic salt elution data of a model protein can be used to accurately predict its salt elution concentration in varying slope salt elution gradients formed at varying isocratic pH as well as the pH at which it will be eluted from an anionic exchange column by a pISep pH gradient in the absence of salt.

Learning Incoherent Sparse and Low-Rank Patterns from Multiple Tasks

PubMed Central

Chen, Jianhui; Liu, Ji; Ye, Jieping

2013-01-01

We consider the problem of learning incoherent sparse and low-rank patterns from multiple tasks. Our approach is based on a linear multi-task learning formulation, in which the sparse and low-rank patterns are induced by a cardinality regularization term and a low-rank constraint, respectively. This formulation is non-convex; we convert it into its convex surrogate, which can be routinely solved via semidefinite programming for small-size problems. We propose to employ the general projected gradient scheme to efficiently solve such a convex surrogate; however, in the optimization formulation, the objective function is non-differentiable and the feasible domain is non-trivial. We present the procedures for computing the projected gradient and ensuring the global convergence of the projected gradient scheme. The computation of projected gradient involves a constrained optimization problem; we show that the optimal solution to such a problem can be obtained via solving an unconstrained optimization subproblem and an Euclidean projection subproblem. We also present two projected gradient algorithms and analyze their rates of convergence in details. In addition, we illustrate the use of the presented projected gradient algorithms for the proposed multi-task learning formulation using the least squares loss. Experimental results on a collection of real-world data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-task learning formulation and the efficiency of the proposed projected gradient algorithms. PMID:24077658

Learning Incoherent Sparse and Low-Rank Patterns from Multiple Tasks.

PubMed

Chen, Jianhui; Liu, Ji; Ye, Jieping

2012-02-01

We consider the problem of learning incoherent sparse and low-rank patterns from multiple tasks. Our approach is based on a linear multi-task learning formulation, in which the sparse and low-rank patterns are induced by a cardinality regularization term and a low-rank constraint, respectively. This formulation is non-convex; we convert it into its convex surrogate, which can be routinely solved via semidefinite programming for small-size problems. We propose to employ the general projected gradient scheme to efficiently solve such a convex surrogate; however, in the optimization formulation, the objective function is non-differentiable and the feasible domain is non-trivial. We present the procedures for computing the projected gradient and ensuring the global convergence of the projected gradient scheme. The computation of projected gradient involves a constrained optimization problem; we show that the optimal solution to such a problem can be obtained via solving an unconstrained optimization subproblem and an Euclidean projection subproblem. We also present two projected gradient algorithms and analyze their rates of convergence in details. In addition, we illustrate the use of the presented projected gradient algorithms for the proposed multi-task learning formulation using the least squares loss. Experimental results on a collection of real-world data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-task learning formulation and the efficiency of the proposed projected gradient algorithms.

No socioeconomic inequalities in ovarian cancer survival within two randomised clinical trials

PubMed Central

Abdel-Rahman, M E; Butler, J; Sydes, M R; Parmar, M K B; Gordon, E; Harper, P; Williams, C; Crook, A; Sandercock, J; Swart, A M; Rachet, B; Coleman, M P

2014-01-01

Background: Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among cancers of the female genital tract, with poor outcomes despite chemotherapy. There was a persistent socioeconomic gradient in 1-year survival in England and Wales for more than 3 decades (1971–2001). Inequalities in 5-year survival persisted for more than 20 years but have been smaller for women diagnosed around 2000. We explored one possible explanation. Methods: We analysed data on 1406 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer during 1991–1998 and recruited to one of two randomised clinical trials. In the second International Collaborative Ovarian Neoplasm (ICON2) trial, women diagnosed between 1991 and 1996 were randomised to receive either the three-drug combination cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and cisplatin (CAP) or single-agent carboplatin given at optimal dose. In the ICON3 trial, women diagnosed during 1995–1998 were randomised to receive either the same treatments as ICON2, or paclitaxel plus carboplatin. Relative survival at 1, 5 and 10 years was estimated for women in five categories of socioeconomic deprivation. The excess hazard of death over and above background mortality was estimated by fitting multivariable regression models with Poisson error structure and a dedicated link function in a generalised linear model framework, adjusting for the duration of follow-up and the confounding effects of age, Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and calendar period. Results: Unlike women with ovarian cancer in the general population, no statistically significant socioeconomic gradient was seen for women with ovarian cancer treated in the two randomised controlled trials. The deprivation gap in 1-year relative survival in the general population was statistically significant at −6.7% (95% CI (−8.1, −5.3)), compared with −3.6% (95% CI (−10.4, +3.2)) in the trial population. Conclusions: Although ovarian cancer survival is significantly lower among poor women than rich women in England and Wales, there was no evidence of an association between socioeconomic deprivation and survival among women with ovarian cancer who were treated and followed up consistently in two well-conducted randomised controlled trials. We conclude that the persistent socioeconomic gradient in survival among women with ovarian cancer, at least for 1-year survival, may be due to differences in access to treatment and standards of care. PMID:24918817

No socioeconomic inequalities in ovarian cancer survival within two randomised clinical trials.

PubMed

Abdel-Rahman, M E; Butler, J; Sydes, M R; Parmar, M K B; Gordon, E; Harper, P; Williams, C; Crook, A; Sandercock, J; Swart, A M; Rachet, B; Coleman, M P

2014-07-29

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among cancers of the female genital tract, with poor outcomes despite chemotherapy. There was a persistent socioeconomic gradient in 1-year survival in England and Wales for more than 3 decades (1971-2001). Inequalities in 5-year survival persisted for more than 20 years but have been smaller for women diagnosed around 2000. We explored one possible explanation. We analysed data on 1406 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer during 1991-1998 and recruited to one of two randomised clinical trials. In the second International Collaborative Ovarian Neoplasm (ICON2) trial, women diagnosed between 1991 and 1996 were randomised to receive either the three-drug combination cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and cisplatin (CAP) or single-agent carboplatin given at optimal dose. In the ICON3 trial, women diagnosed during 1995-1998 were randomised to receive either the same treatments as ICON2, or paclitaxel plus carboplatin.Relative survival at 1, 5 and 10 years was estimated for women in five categories of socioeconomic deprivation. The excess hazard of death over and above background mortality was estimated by fitting multivariable regression models with Poisson error structure and a dedicated link function in a generalised linear model framework, adjusting for the duration of follow-up and the confounding effects of age, Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and calendar period. Unlike women with ovarian cancer in the general population, no statistically significant socioeconomic gradient was seen for women with ovarian cancer treated in the two randomised controlled trials. The deprivation gap in 1-year relative survival in the general population was statistically significant at -6.7% (95% CI (-8.1, -5.3)), compared with -3.6% (95% CI (-10.4, +3.2)) in the trial population. Although ovarian cancer survival is significantly lower among poor women than rich women in England and Wales, there was no evidence of an association between socioeconomic deprivation and survival among women with ovarian cancer who were treated and followed up consistently in two well-conducted randomised controlled trials. We conclude that the persistent socioeconomic gradient in survival among women with ovarian cancer, at least for 1-year survival, may be due to differences in access to treatment and standards of care.

Application of Conjugate Gradient methods to tidal simulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barragy, E.; Carey, G.F.; Walters, R.A.

1993-01-01

A harmonic decomposition technique is applied to the shallow water equations to yield a complex, nonsymmetric, nonlinear, Helmholtz type problem for the sea surface and an accompanying complex, nonlinear diagonal problem for the velocities. The equation for the sea surface is linearized using successive approximation and then discretized with linear, triangular finite elements. The study focuses on applying iterative methods to solve the resulting complex linear systems. The comparative evaluation includes both standard iterative methods for the real subsystems and complex versions of the well known Bi-Conjugate Gradient and Bi-Conjugate Gradient Squared methods. Several Incomplete LU type preconditioners are discussed, and the effects of node ordering, rejection strategy, domain geometry and Coriolis parameter (affecting asymmetry) are investigated. Implementation details for the complex case are discussed. Performance studies are presented and comparisons made with a frontal solver. ?? 1993.

A STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT METHOD (SAM) FOR RIVERINE MACROINVERTEBRATES

EPA Science Inventory

A macroinvertebrate sampling method for large rivers based on desirable characteristics of existing nonwadeable methods was developed and tested. Six sites each were sampled on the Great Miami and Kentucky Rivers, reflecting a human disturbance gradient. Samples were collected ...

Thin Interface Asymptotics for an Energy/Entropy Approach to Phase-Field Models with Unequal Conductivities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McFadden, G. B.; Wheeler, A. A.; Anderson, D. M.

1999-01-01

Karma and Rapped recently developed a new sharp interface asymptotic analysis of the phase-field equations that is especially appropriate for modeling dendritic growth at low undercoolings. Their approach relieves a stringent restriction on the interface thickness that applies in the conventional asymptotic analysis, and has the added advantage that interfacial kinetic effects can also be eliminated. However, their analysis focussed on the case of equal thermal conductivities in the solid and liquid phases; when applied to a standard phase-field model with unequal conductivities, anomalous terms arise in the limiting forms of the boundary conditions for the interfacial temperature that are not present in conventional sharp-interface solidification models, as discussed further by Almgren. In this paper we apply their asymptotic methodology to a generalized phase-field model which is derived using a thermodynamically consistent approach that is based on independent entropy and internal energy gradient functionals that include double wells in both the entropy and internal energy densities. The additional degrees of freedom associated with the generalized phased-field equations can be chosen to eliminate the anomalous terms that arise for unequal conductivities.

NMR signals within the generalized Langevin model for fractional Brownian motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisý, Vladimír; Tóthová, Jana

2018-03-01

The methods of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance belong to the best developed and often used tools for studying random motion of particles in different systems, including soft biological tissues. In the long-time limit the current mathematical description of the experiments allows proper interpretation of measurements of normal and anomalous diffusion. The shorter-time dynamics is however correctly considered only in a few works that do not go beyond the standard memoryless Langevin description of the Brownian motion (BM). In the present work, the attenuation function S (t) for an ensemble of spin-bearing particles in a magnetic-field gradient, expressed in a form applicable for any kind of stationary stochastic dynamics of spins with or without a memory, is calculated in the frame of the model of fractional BM. The solution of the model for particles trapped in a harmonic potential is obtained in an exceedingly simple way and used for the calculation of S (t). In the limit of free particles coupled to a fractal heat bath, the results compare favorably with experiments acquired in human neuronal tissues. The effect of the trap is demonstrated by introducing a simple model for the generalized diffusion coefficient of the particle.

Radiative Processes in Graphene and Similar Nanostructures in Strong Electric Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavrilov, S. P.; Gitman, D. M.

2017-03-01

Low-energy single-electron dynamics in graphene monolayers and similar nanostructures is described by the Dirac model, being a 2+1 dimensional version of massless QED with the speed of light replaced by the Fermi velocity vF ≃ c/300. Methods of strong-field QFT are relevant for the Dirac model, since any low-frequency electric field requires a nonperturbative treatment of massless carriers in the case it remains unchanged for a sufficiently long time interval. In this case, the effects of creation and annihilation of electron-hole pairs produced from vacuum by a slowly varying and small-gradient electric field are relevant, thereby substantially affecting the radiation pattern. For this reason, the standard QED text-book theory of photon emission cannot be of help. We construct the Fock-space representation of the Dirac model, which takes exact accounts of the effects of vacuum instability caused by external electric fields, and in which the interaction between electrons and photons is taken into account perturbatively, following the general theory (the generalized Furry representation). We consider the effective theory of photon emission in the first-order approximation and construct the corresponding total probabilities, taking into account the unitarity relation.

Sex-stratified and age-adjusted social gradients in tobacco in Argentina and Uruguay: evidence from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS).

PubMed

De Maio, F G; Konfino, J; Ondarsuhu, D; Goldberg, L; Linetzky, B; Ferrante, D

2015-11-01

To examine social gradients in tobacco use in Argentina and Uruguay, using newly available directly comparable data sets. Secondary analysis of Global Adult Tobacco Survey data from Argentina (N=6645) and Uruguay (N=5581). Social gradients in current tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, and cessation attempt were examined with sex-stratified and age-adjusted logistic regression. Among men, there is evidence of higher odds of being a current smoker among respondents with lower levels of education, but the association is only statistically significant for respondents with less than primary education in Uruguay (OR=2.15, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.77). Similarly, women with lower levels of education have higher odds of being a current smoker in Uruguay. The association between education and exposure to secondhand smoke is broadly similar for both sexes in both countries, with generally higher odds among groups with low education, though the relationship is only statistically significant among men in Uruguay (OR=1.77, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.92). In both countries, respondents with lower levels of education in general have higher odds of having attempted to quit smoking in the past year, although these associations did not attain statistical significance. Social gradients in tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke and cessation attempts are broadly similar in both countries. Efforts to evaluate the long-term effects of tobacco control efforts in these countries should monitor how policies affect national averages, and the social gradients that are embedded in aggregate data. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Explaining the social gradient in sickness absence: a study of a general working population in Sweden.

PubMed

Löve, Jesper; Hensing, Gunnel; Holmgren, Kristina; Torén, Kjell

2013-06-05

Some previous studies have proposed potential explanatory factors for the social gradient in sickness absence. Yet, this research area is still in its infancy and in order to comprise the full range of socioeconomic positions there is a need for studies conducted on random population samples. The main aim of the present study was to investigate if somatic and mental symptoms, mental wellbeing, job strain, and physical work environment could explain the association between low socioeconomic position and belonging to a sample of new cases of sick-listed employees. This study was conducted on one random working population sample (n = 2763) and one sample of newly sick-listed cases of employees (n = 3044), drawn from the same random general population in western Sweden. Explanatory factors were self-rated 'Somatic and mental symptoms', 'Mental well-being', 'job strain', and 'physical work conditions' (i.e. heavy lifting and awkward work postures). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Somatic and mental symptoms, mental well-being, and job strain, could not explain the association between socioeconomic position and sickness absence in both women and men. However, physical work conditions explained the total association in women and much of this association in men. In men the gradient between Non-skilled manual OR 1.76 (1.24;2.48) and Skilled manual OR 1.59 (1.10;2.20), both in relation to Higher non-manual, remained unexplained. The present study strengthens the scientific evidence that social differences in physical work conditions seem to comprise a key element of the social gradient in sickness absence, particularly in women. Future studies should try to identify further predictors for this gradient in men.

General PFG signal attenuation expressions for anisotropic anomalous diffusion by modified-Bloch equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Guoxing

2018-05-01

Anomalous diffusion exists widely in polymer and biological systems. Pulsed-field gradient (PFG) anomalous diffusion is complicated, especially in the anisotropic case where limited research has been reported. A general PFG signal attenuation expression, including the finite gradient pulse (FGPW) effect for free general anisotropic fractional diffusion { 0 < α , β ≤ 2 } based on the fractional derivative, has not been obtained, where α and β are time and space derivative orders. It is essential to derive a general PFG signal attenuation expression including the FGPW effect for PFG anisotropic anomalous diffusion research. In this paper, two recently developed modified-Bloch equations, the fractal differential modified-Bloch equation and the fractional integral modified-Bloch equation, were extended to obtain general PFG signal attenuation expressions for anisotropic anomalous diffusion. Various cases of PFG anisotropic anomalous diffusion were investigated, including coupled and uncoupled anisotropic anomalous diffusion. The continuous-time random walk (CTRW) simulation was also carried out to support the theoretical results. The theory and the CTRW simulation agree with each other. The obtained signal attenuation expressions and the three-dimensional fractional modified-Bloch equations are important for analyzing PFG anisotropic anomalous diffusion in NMR and MRI.

Strike-parallel and strike-normal coordinate system around geometrically complicated rupture traces: use by NGA-West2 and further improvements

USGS Publications Warehouse

Spudich, Paul A.; Chiou, Brian

2015-01-01

We present a two-dimensional system of generalized coordinates for use with geometrically complex fault ruptures that are neither straight nor continuous. The coordinates are a generalization of the conventional strike-normal and strike-parallel coordinates of a single straight fault. The presented conventions and formulations are applicable to a single curved trace, as well as multiple traces representing the rupture of branching faults or noncontiguous faults. An early application of our generalized system is in the second round of the Next Generation of Ground-Motion Attenuation Model project for the Western United States (NGA-West2), where they were used in the characterization of the hanging-wall effects. We further improve the NGA-West2 strike-parallel formulation for multiple rupture traces with a more intuitive definition of the nominal strike direction. We also derive an analytical expression for the gradient of the generalized strike-normal coordinate. The direction of this gradient may be used as the strike-normal direction in the study of polarization effects on ground motions.

Adiabatic theory in regions of strong field gradients. [in magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whipple, E. C.; Northrop, T. G.; Birmingham, T. J.

1986-01-01

The theory for the generalized first invariant for adiabatic motion of charged particles in regions where there are large gradients in magnetic or electric fields is developed. The general condition for an invariant to exist in such regions is that the potential well in which the particle oscillates change its shape slowly as the particle drifts. It is shown how the Kruskal (1962) procedure can be applied to obtain expressions for the invariant and for drift velocities that are asymptotic in a smallness parameter epsilon. The procedure is illustrated by obtaining the invariant and drift velocities for particles traversing a perpendicular shock, and the generalized invariant is compared with the magnetic moment, and the drift orbits with the actual orbits, for a particular case. In contrast to the magnetic moment, the generalized first invariant is better for large gyroradii (large kinetic energies) than for small gyroradii. Expressions for the invariant when an electrostatic potential jump is imposed across the perpendicular shock, and when the particle traverses a rotational shear layer with a small normal component of the magnetic field are given.

Geomorphology of the Eastern North American Continental Margin: the role of deep sea sedimentation processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosher, D. C.; Campbell, C.; Piper, D.; Chaytor, J. D.; Gardner, J. V.; Rebesco, M.

2016-12-01

Deep-sea sedimentation processes impart a fundamental control on the morphology of the western North Atlantic continental margin from Blake Spur to Hudson Strait. This fact is illustrated by the variable patterns of cross-margin gradients that are based on extensive new multibeam echo-sounder data in concert with subbottom profiler and seismic reflection data. Most of the continental margin has a steep (>3o) upper slope down to 1500 to 2500 m and then a gradual middle and lower slope with a general concave upward shape There is a constant interplay of deep sea sedimentation processes, but the general morphology is dictated by the dominant one. Erosion by off-shelf sediment transport in turbidity currents creating channels, gullies and canyons creates the steep upper slope. These gullies and canyons amalgamate to form singular channels that are conduits to the abyssal plain. This process results in a general seaward flattening of gradients, producing an exponentially decaying slope profile. Comparatively, sediment mass failure produces steeper upper slopes due to head scarp development and a wedging architecture to the lower slope as deposits thin in the downslope direction. This process results in either a two-segment slope, and/or a significant downslope gradient change where MTDs pinch out. Large sediment bodies deposited by contour-following currents are developed all along the margin. Blake Ridge, Sackville Spur, and Hamilton Spur are large detached drifts on disparate parts of the margin. Along their crests, they form a linear profile from the shelf to abyssal plain. Deeper portions of the US continental margin are dominated by the Chesapeake Drift and Hatteras Outer Ridge; both plastered elongate mounded drifts. Farther north, particularly on the Grand Banks margin, are plastered and separated drifts. These drifts tend to form bathymetric steps in profile, where they onlap the margin. Stacked drifts create several steps. Turbidites of the abyssal plain onlap the lowermost drift creating a significant gradient change at this juncture. Understanding the geomorphological consequences of deep sea sedimentation processes is important to extended continental shelf mapping, for example, in which gradient change is a critical metric.

Gradients of Fear Potentiated Startle During Generalization, Extinction, and Extinction Recall--and Their Relations With Worry.

PubMed

Dunning, Jonathan P; Hajcak, Greg

2015-09-01

It is well established that fear conditioning plays a role in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders. Moreover, abnormalities in fear generalization, extinction, and extinction recall have also been associated with anxiety. The present study used a generalization paradigm to examine fear processing during phases of generalization, extinction, and extinction recall. Specifically, participants were shocked following a CS+ and were also presented with stimuli that ranged in perceptual similarity to the CS+ (i.e., 20%, 40%, or 60% smaller or larger than the CS+) during a fear generalization phase. Participants were also presented with the same stimuli during an extinction phase and an extinction recall phase 1week later; no shocks were presented during extinction or recall. Lastly, participants completed self-report measures of worry and trait anxiety. Results indicated that fear potentiated startle (FPS) to the CS+ and GS±20% shapes was present in generalization and extinction, suggesting that fear generalization persisted into extinction. FPS to the CS+ was also evident 1 week later during extinction recall. Higher levels of worry were associated with greater FPS to the CS+ during generalization and extinction phases. Moreover, individuals high in worry had fear response gradients that were steeper during both generalization and extinction. This suggests that high levels of worry are associated with greater discriminative fear conditioning to threatening compared to safe stimuli and less fear generalization to perceptually similar stimuli. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Monitoring of fluid motion in a micromixer by dynamic NMR microscopy.

PubMed

Ahola, Susanna; Casanova, Federico; Perlo, Juan; Münnemann, Kerstin; Blümich, Bernhard; Stapf, Siegfried

2006-01-01

The velocity distribution of liquid flowing in a commercial micromixer has been determined directly by using pulsed-field gradient NMR. Velocity maps with a spatial resolution of 29 microm x 43 microm were obtained by combining standard imaging gradient units with a homebuilt rectangular surface coil matching the mixer geometry. The technique provides access to mixers and reactors of arbitrary shape regardless of optical transparency. Local heterogeneities in the signal intensity and the velocity pattern were found and serve to investigate the quality and functionality of a micromixer, revealing clogging and inhomogeneous flow distributions.

Weighted graph based ordering techniques for preconditioned conjugate gradient methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clift, Simon S.; Tang, Wei-Pai

1994-01-01

We describe the basis of a matrix ordering heuristic for improving the incomplete factorization used in preconditioned conjugate gradient techniques applied to anisotropic PDE's. Several new matrix ordering techniques, derived from well-known algorithms in combinatorial graph theory, which attempt to implement this heuristic, are described. These ordering techniques are tested against a number of matrices arising from linear anisotropic PDE's, and compared with other matrix ordering techniques. A variation of RCM is shown to generally improve the quality of incomplete factorization preconditioners.

Discontinuous gradient differential equations and trajectories in the calculus of variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogaevskii, I. A.

2006-12-01

The concept of gradient of smooth functions is generalized for their sums with concave functions. An existence, uniqueness, and continuous dependence theorem for increasing time is formulated and proved for solutions of an ordinary differential equation the right-hand side of which is the gradient of the sum of a concave and a smooth function. With the use of this result a physically natural motion of particles, well defined even at discontinuities of the velocity field, is constructed in the variational problem of the minimal mechanical action in a space of arbitrary dimension. For such a motion of particles in the plane all typical cases of the birth and the interaction of point clusters of positive mass are described.

Fugacity and concentration gradients in a gravity field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, C. E.

1986-01-01

Equations are reviewed which show that at equilibrium fugacity and concentration gradients can exist in gravitational fields. At equilibrium, the logarithm of the ratio of the fugacities of a species at two different locations in a gravitational field is proportional to the difference in the heights of the two locations and the molecular weight of the species. An analogous relation holds for the concentration ratios in a multicomponent system. The ratio is calculated for a variety of examples. The kinetics for the general process are derived, and the time required to approach equilibrium is calculated for several systems. The following special topics are discussed: ionic solutions, polymers, multiphase systems, hydrostatic pressure, osmotic pressure, and solubility gradients in a gravity field.

Environmental and historical imprints on beta diversity: insights from variation in rates of species turnover along gradients

PubMed Central

Fitzpatrick, Matthew C.; Sanders, Nathan J.; Normand, Signe; Svenning, Jens-Christian; Ferrier, Simon; Gove, Aaron D.; Dunn, Robert R.

2013-01-01

A common approach for analysing geographical variation in biodiversity involves using linear models to determine the rate at which species similarity declines with geographical or environmental distance and comparing this rate among regions, taxa or communities. Implicit in this approach are weakly justified assumptions that the rate of species turnover remains constant along gradients and that this rate can therefore serve as a means to compare ecological systems. We use generalized dissimilarity modelling, a novel method that accommodates variation in rates of species turnover along gradients and between different gradients, to compare environmental and spatial controls on the floras of two regions with contrasting evolutionary and climatic histories: southwest Australia and northern Europe. We find stronger signals of climate history in the northern European flora and demonstrate that variation in rates of species turnover is persistent across regions, taxa and different gradients. Such variation may represent an important but often overlooked component of biodiversity that complicates comparisons of distance–decay relationships and underscores the importance of using methods that accommodate the curvilinear relationships expected when modelling beta diversity. Determining how rates of species turnover vary along and between gradients is relevant to understanding the sensitivity of ecological systems to environmental change. PMID:23926147

Influence of the Latitudinal Temperature Gradient on Soil Dust Concentration and Deposition in Greenland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tegen, Ina; Rind, David

2000-01-01

To investigate the effects of changes in the latitudinal temperature gradient and the global mean temperature on dust concentration in the Northern Hemisphere, experiments with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies General Circulation Model (GISS GCM) are performed. The dust concentration over Greenland is calculated from sources in central and eastern Asia, which are integrated on-line in the model. The results show that an increase in the latitudinal temperature gradient increases both the Asian dust source strength and the concentration over Greenland. The source increase is the result of increased surface winds, and to a minor extent, the increase in Greenland dust is also associated with increased northward transport. Cooling the climate in addition to this increased gradient leads to a decrease in precipitation scavenging, which helps produce a further (slight) increase in Greenland dust in this experiment. Reducing the latitudinal gradient reduces the surface wind and hence the dust source, with a subsequent reduction in Greenland dust concentrations. Warming the climate in addition to this reduced gradient leads to a further reduction in Greenland dust due to enhanced precipitation scavenging. These results can be used to evaluate the relationship of Greenland ice core temperature changes to changes in the latitudinal and global temperatures.

Field evaluations of newly available "interference-free" monitors for nitrogen dioxide and ozone at near-road and conventional National Ambient Air Quality Standards compliance sites.

PubMed

Leston, Alan R; Ollison, Will M

2017-11-01

Long-standing measurement techniques for determining ground-level ozone (O 3 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) are known to be biased by interfering compounds that result in overestimates of high O 3 and NO 2 ambient concentrations under conducive conditions. An increasing near-ground O 3 gradient (NGOG) with increasing height above ground level is also known to exist. Both the interference bias and NGOG were investigated by comparing data from a conventional Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) O 3 photometer and an identical monitor upgraded with an "interference-free" nitric oxide O 3 scrubber that alternatively sampled at 2 m and 6.2 m inlet heights above ground level (AGL). Intercomparison was also made between a conventional nitrogen oxide (NO x ) chemiluminescence Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitor and a new "direct-measure" NO 2 NO x 405 nm photometer at a near-road air quality measurement site. Results indicate that the O 3 monitor with the upgraded scrubber recorded lower regulatory-oriented concentrations than the deployed conventional metal oxide-scrubbed monitor and that O 3 concentrations 6.2 m AGL were higher than concentrations 2.0 m AGL, the nominal nose height of outdoor populations. Also, a new direct-measure NO 2 photometer recorded generally lower NO 2 regulatory-oriented concentrations than the conventional FRM chemiluminescence monitor, reporting lower daily maximum hourly average concentrations than the conventional monitor about 3 of every 5 days. Employing bias-prone instruments for measurement of ambient ozone or nitrogen dioxide from inlets at inappropriate heights above ground level may result in collection of positively biased data. This paper discusses tests of new regulatory instruments, recent developments in bias-free ozone and nitrogen dioxide measurement technology, and the presence/extent of a near-ground O 3 gradient (NGOG). Collection of unbiased monitor inlet height-appropriate data is crucial for determining accurate design values and meeting National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

General properties of solutions to inhomogeneous Black-Scholes equations with discontinuous maturity payoffs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O, Hyong-Chol; Jo, Jong-Jun; Kim, Ji-Sok

2016-02-01

We provide representations of solutions to terminal value problems of inhomogeneous Black-Scholes equations and study such general properties as min-max estimates, gradient estimates, monotonicity and convexity of the solutions with respect to the stock price variable, which are important for financial security pricing. In particular, we focus on finding representation of the gradient (with respect to the stock price variable) of solutions to the terminal value problems with discontinuous terminal payoffs or inhomogeneous terms. Such terminal value problems are often encountered in pricing problems of compound-like options such as Bermudan options or defaultable bonds with discrete default barrier, default intensity and endogenous default recovery. Our results can be used in pricing real defaultable bonds under consideration of existence of discrete coupons or taxes on coupons.

Pathways of fluid transport and reabsorption across the peritoneal membrane.

PubMed

Asghar, R B; Davies, S J

2008-05-01

The three-pore model of peritoneal fluid transport predicts that once the osmotic gradient has dissipated, fluid reabsorption will be due to a combination of small-pore reabsorption driven by the intravascular oncotic pressure, and an underlying disappearance of fluid from the cavity by lymphatic drainage. Our study measured fluid transport by these pathways in the presence and absence of an osmotic gradient. Paired hypertonic and standard glucose-dwell studies were performed using radio-iodinated serum albumin as an intraperitoneal volume marker and changes in intraperitoneal sodium mass to determine small-pore versus transcellular fluid transport. Disappearance of iodinated albumin was considered to indicate lymphatic drainage. Variability in transcellular ultrafiltration was largely explained by the rate of small-solute transport across the membrane. In the absence of an osmotic gradient, fluid reabsorption occurred via the small-pore pathway, the rate being proportional to the small-solute transport characteristics of the membrane. In most cases, fluid removal from the peritoneal cavity by this pathway was faster than by lymphatic drainage. Our study shows that the three-pore model describes the pathways of peritoneal fluid transport well. In the presence of high solute transport, poor transcellular ultrafiltration was due to loss of the osmotic gradient and an enhanced small-pore reabsorption rate after this gradient dissipated.

Functional traits reveal the expansion and packing of ecological niche space underlying an elevational diversity gradient in passerine birds.

PubMed

Pigot, Alex L; Trisos, Christopher H; Tobias, Joseph A

2016-01-13

Variation in species richness across environmental gradients may be associated with an expanded volume or increased packing of ecological niche space. However, the relative importance of these alternative scenarios remains unknown, largely because standardized information on functional traits and their ecological relevance is lacking for major diversity gradients. Here, we combine data on morphological and ecological traits for 523 species of passerine birds distributed across an Andes-to-Amazon elevation gradient. We show that morphological traits capture substantial variation in species dietary (75%) and foraging niches (60%) when multiple independent trait dimensions are considered. Having established these relationships, we show that the 14-fold increase in species richness towards the lowlands is associated with both an increased volume and density of functional trait space. However, we find that increases in volume contribute little to changes in richness, with most (78%) lowland species occurring within the range of trait space occupied at high elevations. Taken together, our results suggest that high species richness is mainly associated with a denser occupation of functional trait space, implying an increased specialization or overlap of ecological niches, and supporting the view that niche packing is the dominant trend underlying gradients of increasing biodiversity towards the lowland tropics. © 2016 The Author(s).

Functional traits reveal the expansion and packing of ecological niche space underlying an elevational diversity gradient in passerine birds

PubMed Central

Pigot, Alex L.; Trisos, Christopher H.; Tobias, Joseph A.

2016-01-01

Variation in species richness across environmental gradients may be associated with an expanded volume or increased packing of ecological niche space. However, the relative importance of these alternative scenarios remains unknown, largely because standardized information on functional traits and their ecological relevance is lacking for major diversity gradients. Here, we combine data on morphological and ecological traits for 523 species of passerine birds distributed across an Andes-to-Amazon elevation gradient. We show that morphological traits capture substantial variation in species dietary (75%) and foraging niches (60%) when multiple independent trait dimensions are considered. Having established these relationships, we show that the 14-fold increase in species richness towards the lowlands is associated with both an increased volume and density of functional trait space. However, we find that increases in volume contribute little to changes in richness, with most (78%) lowland species occurring within the range of trait space occupied at high elevations. Taken together, our results suggest that high species richness is mainly associated with a denser occupation of functional trait space, implying an increased specialization or overlap of ecological niches, and supporting the view that niche packing is the dominant trend underlying gradients of increasing biodiversity towards the lowland tropics. PMID:26740616

Surface water-ground water interactions along the lower Dungeness River and vertical hydraulic conductivity of streambed sediments, Clallam County, Washington, September 1999-July 2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Simonds, F. William; Sinclair, Kirk A.

2002-01-01

The Dungeness River emerges from the Olympic Mountains and flows generally north toward the Strait of Juan De Fuca, crossing the broad, fertile alluvial fan of the Sequim-Dungeness peninsula in northeastern Clallam County, Washington. Increasing competition for the peninsula's ground-water resources, changing water-use patterns, and recent requirements to maintain minimum in-stream flows to enhance endangered salmon and trout populations have severely strained the peninsula's water resources and necessitated a better understanding of the interaction between surface water and groundwater. Three methods were used to characterize the interchange between surface water and groundwater along the lower 11.8 miles of the Dungeness River corridor between September 1999 and July 2001. In-stream mini-piezometers were used to measure vertical hydraulic gradients between the river and the water-table aquifer at 27 points along the river and helped to define the distribution of gaining and losing stream reaches. Seepage runs were used to quantify the net volume of water exchanged between the river and ground water within each of five river reaches, termed 'seepage reaches.' Continuous water-level and water-temperature monitoring at two off-stream well transects provided data on near-river horizontal hydraulic gradients and temporal patterns of water exchange for a representative gaining stream reach and a representative losing stream reach. Vertical hydraulic gradients in the mini-piezometers generally were negative between river miles 11.8 and 3.6, indicating loss of water from the river to ground water. Gradients decreased in the downstream direction from an average of -0.86 at river mile 10.3 to -0.23 at river mile 3.7. Small positive gradients (+0.01 to +0.02) indicating ground-water discharge occurred in three localized reaches below river mile 3.7. Data from the seepage runs and off-stream transect wells supported and were generally consistent with the mini-piezometer findings. An exception occurred between river miles 8.1 and 5.5 where seepage results showed a small gain and the mini-piezometers showed negative gradients. Vertical hydraulic conductivity of riverbed sediments was estimated using hydraulic gradients measured with the mini-piezometers and estimated seepage fluxes. The resulting conductivity values ranged from an average of 1 to 29 feet per day and are similar to values reported for similar river environments elsewhere. The results of this study will be used to calibrate a transient, three-dimensional ground-water flow model of the Sequim-Dungeness peninsula. The model will be used to assess the potential effects on ground-water levels and river flows that result from future water use and land-use changes on the peninsula.

Microbleed Detection Using Automated Segmentation (MIDAS): A New Method Applicable to Standard Clinical MR Images

PubMed Central

Seghier, Mohamed L.; Kolanko, Magdalena A.; Leff, Alexander P.; Jäger, Hans R.; Gregoire, Simone M.; Werring, David J.

2011-01-01

Background Cerebral microbleeds, visible on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) T2* MRI, have generated increasing interest as an imaging marker of small vessel diseases, with relevance for intracerebral bleeding risk or brain dysfunction. Methodology/Principal Findings Manual rating methods have limited reliability and are time-consuming. We developed a new method for microbleed detection using automated segmentation (MIDAS) and compared it with a validated visual rating system. In thirty consecutive stroke service patients, standard GRE T2* images were acquired and manually rated for microbleeds by a trained observer. After spatially normalizing each patient's GRE T2* images into a standard stereotaxic space, the automated microbleed detection algorithm (MIDAS) identified cerebral microbleeds by explicitly incorporating an “extra” tissue class for abnormal voxels within a unified segmentation-normalization model. The agreement between manual and automated methods was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa statistic. We found that MIDAS had generally moderate to good agreement with the manual reference method for the presence of lobar microbleeds (Kappa = 0.43, improved to 0.65 after manual exclusion of obvious artefacts). Agreement for the number of microbleeds was very good for lobar regions: (ICC = 0.71, improved to ICC = 0.87). MIDAS successfully detected all patients with multiple (≥2) lobar microbleeds. Conclusions/Significance MIDAS can identify microbleeds on standard MR datasets, and with an additional rapid editing step shows good agreement with a validated visual rating system. MIDAS may be useful in screening for multiple lobar microbleeds. PMID:21448456

Cover of coastal vegetation as an indicator of eutrophication along environmental gradients.

PubMed

Wikström, Sofia A; Carstensen, Jacob; Blomqvist, Mats; Krause-Jensen, Dorte

2016-01-01

Coastal vegetation communities are important for primary production, biodiversity, coastal protection, carbon and nutrient cycling which, in combination with their sensitivity to eutrophication, render them potential indicators of environmental status for environmental policies like the EU Water and Marine Strategy Framework Directives. We evaluated one potential indicator for coastal vegetation, the cumulative cover at depths where the vegetation is light limited, by investigating its response to eutrophication along gradients in natural conditions. We used a large data set covering the Swedish coastline, spanning broad gradients in nutrient level, water clarity, seabed substrate, physical exposure and climate in addition to a salinity gradient from 0.5 to 30.5. Macroalgal cover increased significantly along gradients of declining nutrient concentration and increasing water clarity when we had accounted for diver effects, spatio-temporal sampling variability, salinity gradients, wave exposure and latitude. The developed empirical model explained 79% of the variation in algal cover across 130 areas. Based on this, we identified macroalgal cover as a promising indicator across the Baltic Sea, Kattegat and Skagerrak. A parallel analysis of soft-substrate macrophytes similarly identified significant increases in cover with decreasing concentrations of total nitrogen and increasing salinity, but the resulting empirical model explained only 52% of the variation in cover, probably due to the spatially more variable nature of soft-substrate vegetation. The identified general responses of vegetation cover to gradients of eutrophication across wide ranges in environmental settings may be useful for monitoring and management of marine vegetation in areas with strong environmental gradients.

Improving BeiDou real-time precise point positioning with numerical weather models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Cuixian; Li, Xingxing; Zus, Florian; Heinkelmann, Robert; Dick, Galina; Ge, Maorong; Wickert, Jens; Schuh, Harald

2017-09-01

Precise positioning with the current Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is proven to be of comparable accuracy to the Global Positioning System, which is at centimeter level for the horizontal components and sub-decimeter level for the vertical component. But the BeiDou precise point positioning (PPP) shows its limitation in requiring a relatively long convergence time. In this study, we develop a numerical weather model (NWM) augmented PPP processing algorithm to improve BeiDou precise positioning. Tropospheric delay parameters, i.e., zenith delays, mapping functions, and horizontal delay gradients, derived from short-range forecasts from the Global Forecast System of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) are applied into BeiDou real-time PPP. Observational data from stations that are capable of tracking the BeiDou constellation from the International GNSS Service (IGS) Multi-GNSS Experiments network are processed, with the introduced NWM-augmented PPP and the standard PPP processing. The accuracy of tropospheric delays derived from NCEP is assessed against with the IGS final tropospheric delay products. The positioning results show that an improvement in convergence time up to 60.0 and 66.7% for the east and vertical components, respectively, can be achieved with the NWM-augmented PPP solution compared to the standard PPP solutions, while only slight improvement in the solution convergence can be found for the north component. A positioning accuracy of 5.7 and 5.9 cm for the east component is achieved with the standard PPP that estimates gradients and the one that estimates no gradients, respectively, in comparison to 3.5 cm of the NWM-augmented PPP, showing an improvement of 38.6 and 40.1%. Compared to the accuracy of 3.7 and 4.1 cm for the north component derived from the two standard PPP solutions, the one of the NWM-augmented PPP solution is improved to 2.0 cm, by about 45.9 and 51.2%. The positioning accuracy for the up component improves from 11.4 and 13.2 cm with the two standard PPP solutions to 8.0 cm with the NWM-augmented PPP solution, an improvement of 29.8 and 39.4%, respectively.

Optimally growing boundary layer disturbances in a convergent nozzle preceded by a circular pipe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzun, Ali; Davis, Timothy B.; Alvi, Farrukh S.; Hussaini, M. Yousuff

2017-06-01

We report the findings from a theoretical analysis of optimally growing disturbances in an initially turbulent boundary layer. The motivation behind this study originates from the desire to generate organized structures in an initially turbulent boundary layer via excitation by disturbances that are tailored to be preferentially amplified. Such optimally growing disturbances are of interest for implementation in an active flow control strategy that is investigated for effective jet noise control. Details of the optimal perturbation theory implemented in this study are discussed. The relevant stability equations are derived using both the standard decomposition and the triple decomposition. The chosen test case geometry contains a convergent nozzle, which generates a Mach 0.9 round jet, preceded by a circular pipe. Optimally growing disturbances are introduced at various stations within the circular pipe section to facilitate disturbance energy amplification upstream of the favorable pressure gradient zone within the convergent nozzle, which has a stabilizing effect on disturbance growth. Effects of temporal frequency, disturbance input and output plane locations as well as separation distance between output and input planes are investigated. The results indicate that optimally growing disturbances appear in the form of longitudinal counter-rotating vortex pairs, whose size can be on the order of several times the input plane mean boundary layer thickness. The azimuthal wavenumber, which represents the number of counter-rotating vortex pairs, is found to generally decrease with increasing separation distance. Compared to the standard decomposition, the triple decomposition analysis generally predicts relatively lower azimuthal wavenumbers and significantly reduced energy amplification ratios for the optimal disturbances.

No effect of glucose administration in a novel contextual fear generalization protocol in rats

PubMed Central

Luyten, L; Schroyens, N; Luyck, K; Fanselow, M S; Beckers, T

2016-01-01

The excessive transfer of fear acquired for one particular context to similar situations has been implicated in the development and maintenance of anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Recent evidence suggests that glucose ingestion improves the retention of context conditioning. It has been speculated that glucose might exert that effect by ameliorating hippocampal functioning, and may hold promise as a therapeutic add-on in traumatized patients because improved retention of contextual fear could help to restrict its generalization. However, direct data regarding the effect of glucose on contextual generalization are lacking. Here, we introduce a new behavioral protocol to study such contextual fear generalization in rats. In adult Wistar rats, our procedure yields a gradient of generalization, with progressively less freezing when going from the original training context, over a perceptually similar generalization context, to a markedly dissimilar context. Moreover, we find a flattening of the gradient when the training-test interval is prolonged with 1 week. We next examine the effect of systemic glucose administration on contextual generalization with this novel procedure. Our data do not sustain generalization-reducing effects of glucose and question its applicability in traumatic situations. In summary, we have developed a replicable contextual generalization procedure for rats and demonstrate how it is a valuable tool to examine the neurobiological correlates and test pharmacological interventions pertaining to an important mechanism in the etiology of pathological anxiety. PMID:27676444

The Impact of Estimating High-Resolution Tropospheric Gradients on Multi-GNSS Precise Positioning

PubMed Central

Zhou, Feng; Li, Xingxing; Li, Weiwei; Chen, Wen; Dong, Danan; Wickert, Jens; Schuh, Harald

2017-01-01

Benefits from the modernized US Global Positioning System (GPS), the revitalized Russian GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and the newly-developed Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and European Galileo, multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has emerged as a powerful tool not only in positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), but also in remote sensing of the atmosphere and ionosphere. Both precise positioning and the derivation of atmospheric parameters can benefit from multi-GNSS observations. In this contribution, extensive evaluations are conducted with multi-GNSS datasets collected from 134 globally-distributed ground stations of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) network in July 2016. The datasets are processed in six different constellation combinations, i.e., GPS-, GLONASS-, BDS-only, GPS + GLONASS, GPS + BDS, and GPS + GLONASS + BDS + Galileo precise point positioning (PPP). Tropospheric gradients are estimated with eight different temporal resolutions, from 1 h to 24 h, to investigate the impact of estimating high-resolution gradients on position estimates. The standard deviation (STD) is used as an indicator of positioning repeatability. The results show that estimating tropospheric gradients with high temporal resolution can achieve better positioning performance than the traditional strategy in which tropospheric gradients are estimated on a daily basis. Moreover, the impact of estimating tropospheric gradients with different temporal resolutions at various elevation cutoff angles (from 3° to 20°) is investigated. It can be observed that with increasing elevation cutoff angles, the improvement in positioning repeatability is decreased. PMID:28368346

Measurement and Analysis of the Temperature Gradient of Blackbody Cavities, for Use in Radiation Thermometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Lucas, Javier; Segovia, José Juan

2018-05-01

Blackbody cavities are the standard radiation sources widely used in the fields of radiometry and radiation thermometry. Its effective emissivity and uncertainty depend to a large extent on the temperature gradient. An experimental procedure based on the radiometric method for measuring the gradient is followed. Results are applied to particular blackbody configurations where gradients can be thermometrically estimated by contact thermometers and where the relationship between both basic methods can be established. The proposed procedure may be applied to commercial blackbodies if they are modified allowing secondary contact temperature measurement. In addition, the established systematic may be incorporated as part of the actions for quality assurance in routine calibrations of radiation thermometers, by using the secondary contact temperature measurement for detecting departures from the real radiometrically obtained gradient and the effect on the uncertainty. On the other hand, a theoretical model is proposed to evaluate the effect of temperature variations on effective emissivity and associated uncertainty. This model is based on a gradient sample chosen following plausible criteria. The model is consistent with the Monte Carlo method for calculating the uncertainty of effective emissivity and complements others published in the literature where uncertainty is calculated taking into account only geometrical variables and intrinsic emissivity. The mathematical model and experimental procedure are applied and validated using a commercial type three-zone furnace, with a blackbody cavity modified to enable a secondary contact temperature measurement, in the range between 400 °C and 1000 °C.

The Impact of Estimating High-Resolution Tropospheric Gradients on Multi-GNSS Precise Positioning.

PubMed

Zhou, Feng; Li, Xingxing; Li, Weiwei; Chen, Wen; Dong, Danan; Wickert, Jens; Schuh, Harald

2017-04-03

Benefits from the modernized US Global Positioning System (GPS), the revitalized Russian GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS), and the newly-developed Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and European Galileo, multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has emerged as a powerful tool not only in positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), but also in remote sensing of the atmosphere and ionosphere. Both precise positioning and the derivation of atmospheric parameters can benefit from multi-GNSS observations. In this contribution, extensive evaluations are conducted with multi-GNSS datasets collected from 134 globally-distributed ground stations of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) network in July 2016. The datasets are processed in six different constellation combinations, i.e., GPS-, GLONASS-, BDS-only, GPS + GLONASS, GPS + BDS, and GPS + GLONASS + BDS + Galileo precise point positioning (PPP). Tropospheric gradients are estimated with eight different temporal resolutions, from 1 h to 24 h, to investigate the impact of estimating high-resolution gradients on position estimates. The standard deviation (STD) is used as an indicator of positioning repeatability. The results show that estimating tropospheric gradients with high temporal resolution can achieve better positioning performance than the traditional strategy in which tropospheric gradients are estimated on a daily basis. Moreover, the impact of estimating tropospheric gradients with different temporal resolutions at various elevation cutoff angles (from 3° to 20°) is investigated. It can be observed that with increasing elevation cutoff angles, the improvement in positioning repeatability is decreased.

Unifying expression scale for peptide hydrophobicity in proteomic reversed phase high-pressure liquid chromatography experiments.

PubMed

Grigoryan, Marine; Shamshurin, Dmitry; Spicer, Victor; Krokhin, Oleg V

2013-11-19

As an initial step in our efforts to unify the expression of peptide retention times in proteomic liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) experiments, we aligned the chromatographic properties of a number of peptide retention standards against a collection of peptides commonly observed in proteomic experiments. The standard peptide mixtures and tryptic digests of samples of different origins were separated under the identical chromatographic condition most commonly employed in proteomics: 100 Å C18 sorbent with 0.1% formic acid as an ion-pairing modifier. Following our original approach (Krokhin, O. V.; Spicer, V. Anal. Chem. 2009, 81, 9522-9530) the retention characteristics of these standards and collection of tryptic peptides were mapped into hydrophobicity index (HI) or acetonitrile percentage units. This scale allows for direct visualization of the chromatographic outcome of LC-MS acquisitions, monitors the performance of the gradient LC system, and simplifies method development and interlaboratory data alignment. Wide adoption of this approach would significantly aid understanding the basic principles of gradient peptide RP-HPLC and solidify our collective efforts in acquiring confident peptide retention libraries, a key component in the development of targeted proteomic approaches.

Magnified gradient function with deterministic weight modification in adaptive learning.

PubMed

Ng, Sin-Chun; Cheung, Chi-Chung; Leung, Shu-Hung

2004-11-01

This paper presents two novel approaches, backpropagation (BP) with magnified gradient function (MGFPROP) and deterministic weight modification (DWM), to speed up the convergence rate and improve the global convergence capability of the standard BP learning algorithm. The purpose of MGFPROP is to increase the convergence rate by magnifying the gradient function of the activation function, while the main objective of DWM is to reduce the system error by changing the weights of a multilayered feedforward neural network in a deterministic way. Simulation results show that the performance of the above two approaches is better than BP and other modified BP algorithms for a number of learning problems. Moreover, the integration of the above two approaches forming a new algorithm called MDPROP, can further improve the performance of MGFPROP and DWM. From our simulation results, the MDPROP algorithm always outperforms BP and other modified BP algorithms in terms of convergence rate and global convergence capability.

Automated apparatus for producing gradient gels

DOEpatents

Anderson, N.L.

1983-11-10

Apparatus for producing a gradient gel which serves as a standard medium for a two-dimensional analysis of proteins, the gel having a density gradient along its height formed by a variation in gel composition, with the apparatus including first and second pumping means each including a plurality of pumps on a common shaft and driven by a stepping motor capable of providing small incremental changes in pump outputs for the gel ingredients, the motors being controlled, by digital signals from a digital computer, a hollow form or cassette for receiving the gel composition, means for transferring the gel composition including a filler tube extending near the bottom of the cassette, adjustable horizontal and vertical arms for automatically removing and relocating the filler tube in the next cassette, and a digital computer programmed to automatically control the stepping motors, arm movements, and associated sensing operations involving the filling operation.

Automated apparatus for producing gradient gels

DOEpatents

Anderson, Norman L.

1986-01-01

Apparatus for producing a gradient gel which serves as a standard medium for a two-dimensional analysis of proteins, the gel having a density gradient along its height formed by a variation in gel composition, with the apparatus including first and second pumping means each including a plurality of pumps on a common shaft and driven by a stepping motor capable of providing small incremental changes in pump outputs for the gel ingredients, the motors being controlled, by digital signals from a digital computer, a hollow form or cassette for receiving the gel composition, means for transferring the gel composition including a filler tube extending near the bottom of the cassette, adjustable horizontal and vertical arms for automatically removing and relocating the filler tube in the next cassette, and a digital computer programmed to automatically control the stepping motors, arm movements, and associated sensing operations involving the filling operation.

Variation of alluvial-channel width with discharge and character of sediment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osterkamp, W.R.

1979-01-01

Use of channel measurements to estimate discharge characteristics of alluvial streams has shown that little agreement exists for the exponent of the width-discharge relation. For the equation Q = aWAb, where Q is mean discharge and WA is active-channel width, it is proposed that the exponent, b, should be of fixed value for most natural, perennial, alluvial stream channels and that the coefficient, a, varies with the characteristics of the bed and bank material.Three groups of perennial stream channels with differing characteristics were selected for study using consistent procedures of data collection. A common feature of the groups was general channel stability, that is, absence of excessive widening by erosive discharges. Group 1 consisted of 32 channels of gradient exceeding 0.0080, low suspended-sediment discharge, high channel roughness, and low discharge variability. Group 2 consisted of 13 streams in Kansas having at least 70 percent silt and clay in the bed material and having similar discharge variability, climate, gradient, and riparian vegetation. Group 3, in southern Missouri, consisted of discharge channels of 18 springs having similar conditions of very low discharge variability, climate and vegetation, but variable bed and bank material. Values for the exponent for the three groups of data are 1.98, 1.97, and 1.97, respectively, whereas values of the coefficients are 0.017, 0.042, and 0.011 when discharge is expressed in cubic meters per second and width is in meters. The relation for high-gradient channels (group 1) is supported by published data from laboratory flumes.The similarity of the three values of the exponent demonstrates that a standard exponent of 2.0, significant to two figures, is reasonable for the width-mean discharge relation of perennial, alluvial stream channels, and that the exponent is independent of other variables. Using a fixed exponent of 2.0, a family of simple power-function equations was developed expressing the manner in which channel sediment affects the width-discharge relation.

The geography of fear: a latitudinal gradient in anti-predator escape distances of birds across Europe.

PubMed

Díaz, Mario; Møller, Anders Pape; Flensted-Jensen, Einar; Grim, Tomáš; Ibáñez-Álamo, Juan Diego; Jokimäki, Jukka; Markó, Gábor; Tryjanowski, Piotr

2013-01-01

All animals flee from potential predators, and the distance at which this happens is optimized so the benefits from staying are balanced against the costs of flight. Because predator diversity and abundance decreases with increasing latitude, and differs between rural and urban areas, we should expect escape distance when a predator approached the individual to decrease with latitude and depend on urbanization. We measured the distance at which individual birds fled (flight initiation distance, FID, which represents a reliable and previously validated surrogate measure of response to predation risk) following a standardized protocol in nine pairs of rural and urban sites along a ca. 3000 km gradient from Southern Spain to Northern Finland during the breeding seasons 2009-2010. Raptor abundance was estimated by means of standard point counts at the same sites where FID information was recorded. Data on body mass and phylogenetic relationships among bird species sampled were extracted from the literature. An analysis of 12,495 flight distances of 714 populations of 159 species showed that mean FID decreased with increasing latitude after accounting for body size and phylogenetic effects. This decrease was paralleled by a similar cline in an index of the abundance of raptors. Urban populations had consistently shorter FIDs, supporting previous findings. The difference between rural and urban habitats decreased with increasing latitude, also paralleling raptor abundance trends. Overall, the latitudinal gradient in bird fear was explained by raptor abundance gradients, with additional small effects of latitude and intermediate effects of habitat. This study provides the first empirical documentation of a latitudinal trend in anti-predator behavior, which correlated positively with a similar trend in the abundance of predators.

Retention and effective diffusion of model metabolites on porous graphitic carbon.

PubMed

Lunn, Daniel B; Yun, Young J; Jorgenson, James W

2017-12-29

The study of metabolites in biological samples is of high interest for a wide range of biological and pharmaceutical applications. Reversed phase liquid chromatography is a common technique used for the separation of metabolites, but it provides little retention for polar metabolites. An alternative to C18 bonded phases, porous graphitic carbon has the ability to provide significant retention for both non-polar and polar analytes. The goal of this work is to study the retention and effective diffusion properties of porous graphitic carbon, to see if it is suitable for the wide injection bands and long run times associated with long, packed capillary-scale separations. The retention of a set of standard metabolites was studied for both stationary phases over a wide range of mobile phase conditions. This data showed that porous graphitic carbon benefits from significantly increased retention (often >100 fold) under initial gradient conditions for these metabolites, suggesting much improved ability to focus a wide injection band at the column inlet. The effective diffusion properties of these columns were studied using peak-parking experiments with the standard metabolites under a wide range of retention conditions. Under the high retention conditions, which can be associated with retention after injection loading for gradient separations, D eff /D m ∼0.1 for both the C18-bonded and porous graphitic carbon columns. As C18 bonded particles are widely, and successfully utilized for long gradient separations without issue of increasing peak width from longitudinal diffusion, this suggests that porous graphitic carbon should be amenable for long runtime gradient separations as well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic gradients in child development in very young children: Evidence from India, Indonesia, Peru, and Senegal

PubMed Central

Fernald, Lia C. H.; Kariger, Patricia; Hidrobo, Melissa; Gertler, Paul J.

2012-01-01

Gradients across socio-economic position exist for many measures of children's health and development in higher-income countries. These associations may not be consistent, however, among the millions of children living in lower- and middle-income countries. Our objective was to examine child development and growth in young children across socio-economic position in four developing countries. We used cross-sectional surveys, child development assessments, measures of length (LAZ), and home stimulation (Family Care Index) of children in India, Indonesia, Peru, and Senegal. The Extended Ages and Stages Questionnaire (EASQ) was administered to parents of all children ages 3–23 mo in the household (n =8,727), and length measurements were taken for all children 0–23 mo (n = 11,102). Household wealth and maternal education contributed significantly and independently to the variance in EASQ and LAZ scores in all countries, while controlling for child's age and sex, mother's age and marital status, and household size. Being in the fifth wealth quintile in comparison with the first quintile was associated with significantly higher EASQ scores (0.27 to 0.48 of a standardized score) and higher LAZ scores (0.37 to 0.65 of a standardized score) in each country, while controlling for maternal education and covariates. Wealth and education gradients increased over the first two years in most countries for both EASQ and LAZ scores, with larger gradients seen in 16–23-mo-olds than in 0–7mo-olds. Mediation analyses revealed that parental home stimulation activities and LAZ were significant mediating variables and explained up to 50% of the wealth effects on the EASQ. PMID:23045688

A parametric heat transfer study for cryogenic ball bearings in SSME HPOTP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chyu, Mingking K.

1989-01-01

A numerical modeling is to examine the effects of coolant convective heat transfer coefficient and frictional heating on the local temperature characteristics of a ball element in Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) High Pressure Oxidizer Turbopump (HPOTP) bearing. The present modeling uses a control-volume based, finite-difference method to solve the non-dimensionalized heat conduction equation in spherical coordinate system. The dimensionless temperature is found as a function of Biot number, heat flux ratio between the two race contacts, and location in the ball. The current results show that, for a given cooling capability, the ball temperature generally increases almost linearly with the heat input from the race-contacts. This increase is always very high at one of the two contacts. An increase in heat transfer coefficient generally reduces the ball temperature and alleviates the temperature gradient, except for the regions very close to the race contacts. For a 10-fold increase of heat transfer coefficient, temperature decrease is 35 percent for the average over entire ball, and 10 percent at the inner-race contact. The corresponding change of temperature gradient displays opposing trends between the regions immediately adjacent to the contacts and the remaining portion of the ball. The average temperature gradient in the vicinity of both contacts increases approximately 70 to 100 percent. A higher temperature gradient produces excessive thermal stress locally which may be detrimental to the material integrity. This, however, is the only unfavorable issue for an increase of heat transfer coefficient.

Ectotherm thermal stress and specialization across altitude and latitude.

PubMed

Buckley, Lauren B; Miller, Ethan F; Kingsolver, Joel G

2013-10-01

Gradients of air temperature, radiation, and other climatic factors change systematically but differently with altitude and latitude. We explore how these factors combine to produce altitudinal and latitudinal patterns of body temperature, thermal stress, and seasonal overlap that differ markedly from patterns based solely on air temperature. We use biophysical models to estimate body temperature as a function of an organism's phenotype and environmental conditions (air and surface temperatures and radiation). Using grasshoppers as a case study, we compare mean body temperatures and the incidence of thermal extremes along altitudinal gradients both under past and current climates. Organisms at high elevation can experience frequent thermal stress despite generally cooler air temperatures due to high levels of solar radiation. Incidences of thermal stress have increased more rapidly than have increases in mean conditions due to recent climate change. Increases in air temperature have coincided with shifts in cloudiness and solar radiation, which can exacerbate shifts in body temperature. We compare altitudinal thermal gradients and their seasonality between tropical and temperate mountains to ask whether mountain passes pose a greater physiological barrier in the tropics (Janzen's hypothesis). We find that considering body temperature rather than air temperature generally increases the amount of overlap in thermal conditions along gradients in elevation and thus decreases the physiological barrier posed by tropical mountains. Our analysis highlights the limitations of predicting thermal stress based solely on air temperatures, and the importance of considering how phenotypes influence body temperatures.

Metal-core/semiconductor-shell nanocones for broadband solar absorption enhancement.

PubMed

Zhou, Lin; Yu, Xiaoqiang; Zhu, Jia

2014-02-12

Nanostructure-based photovoltaic devices have exhibited several advantages, such as reduced reflection, extraordinary light trapping, and so forth. In particular, semiconductor nanostructures provide optical modes that have strong dependence on the size and geometry. Metallic nanostructures also attract a lot of attention because of the appealing plasmonic effect on the near-field enhancement. In this study, we propose a novel design, the metal-core/semiconductor-shell nanocones with the core radius varying in a linearly gradient style. With a thin layer of semiconductor absorber coated on a metallic cone, such a design can lead to significant and broadband absorption enhancement across the entire visible and near-infrared solar spectrum. As an example of demonstration, a layer of 16 nm thick crystalline silicon (c-Si) coated on a silver nanocone can absorb 27% of standard solar radiation across a broad spectral range of 300-1100 nm, which is equivalent to a 700 nm thick flat c-Si film. Therefore, the absorption enhancement factor approaching the Yablonovitch limit is achieved with this design. The significant absorption enhancement can be ascribed to three types of optical modes, that is, Fabry-Perot modes, plasmonic modes, and hybrid modes that combine the features of the previous two. In addition, the unique nanocone geometry enables the linearly gradient radius of the semiconductor shell, which can support multiple optical resonances, critical for the broadband absorption. Our design may find general usage as elements for the low cost, high efficiency solar conversion and water-splitting devices.

Accurate computation of gravitational field of a tesseroid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fukushima, Toshio

2018-02-01

We developed an accurate method to compute the gravitational field of a tesseroid. The method numerically integrates a surface integral representation of the gravitational potential of the tesseroid by conditionally splitting its line integration intervals and by using the double exponential quadrature rule. Then, it evaluates the gravitational acceleration vector and the gravity gradient tensor by numerically differentiating the numerically integrated potential. The numerical differentiation is conducted by appropriately switching the central and the single-sided second-order difference formulas with a suitable choice of the test argument displacement. If necessary, the new method is extended to the case of a general tesseroid with the variable density profile, the variable surface height functions, and/or the variable intervals in longitude or in latitude. The new method is capable of computing the gravitational field of the tesseroid independently on the location of the evaluation point, namely whether outside, near the surface of, on the surface of, or inside the tesseroid. The achievable precision is 14-15 digits for the potential, 9-11 digits for the acceleration vector, and 6-8 digits for the gradient tensor in the double precision environment. The correct digits are roughly doubled if employing the quadruple precision computation. The new method provides a reliable procedure to compute the topographic gravitational field, especially that near, on, and below the surface. Also, it could potentially serve as a sure reference to complement and elaborate the existing approaches using the Gauss-Legendre quadrature or other standard methods of numerical integration.

[Landscape pattern gradient dynamics and desakota features in rapid urbanization area: a case study in Panyu of Guangzhou].

PubMed

Yu, Long-Sheng; Fu, Yi-Fu; Yu, Huai-Yi; Li, Zhi-Qin

2011-01-01

In order to understand the landscape pattern gradient dynamics and desakota features in rapid urbanization area, this paper took the rapidly urbanizing Panyu District of Guangzhou City as a case, and analyzed its land use and land cover data, based on four Landsat TM images from 1990 to 2008. With the combination of gradient analysis and landscape pattern analysis, and by using the landscape indices in both class and landscape scales, the spatial dynamics and desakota feature of this rapidly urbanizing district were quantified. In the study district, there was a significant change in the landscape pattern, and a typical desakota feature presented along buffer gradient zones. Urban landscape increased and expanded annually, accompanied with serious fragmentation of agricultural landscape. The indices patch density, contagion, and landscape diversity, etc., changed regularly in the urbanization gradient, and the peak of landscape indices appeared in the gradient zone of 4-6 km away from the urban center. The landscape patterns at time series also reflected the differences among the dynamics in different gradient zones. The landscape pattern in desakota region was characterized by complex patch shape, high landscape diversity and fragmentation, and remarkable landscape dynamics. The peaks of landscape indices spread from the urban center to border areas, and desakota region was expanding gradually. The general trend of spatiotemporal dynamics in desakota region and its driving forces were discussed, which could be benefit to the regional land use policy-making and sustainable development planning.

Analytic energy gradients for the coupled-cluster singles and doubles method with the density-fitting approximation

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

Bozkaya, Uğur, E-mail: ugur.bozkaya@hacettepe.edu.tr; Department of Chemistry, Atatürk University, Erzurum 25240; Sherrill, C. David

2016-05-07

An efficient implementation is presented for analytic gradients of the coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) method with the density-fitting approximation, denoted DF-CCSD. Frozen core terms are also included. When applied to a set of alkanes, the DF-CCSD analytic gradients are significantly accelerated compared to conventional CCSD for larger molecules. The efficiency of our DF-CCSD algorithm arises from the acceleration of several different terms, which are designated as the “gradient terms”: computation of particle density matrices (PDMs), generalized Fock-matrix (GFM), solution of the Z-vector equation, formation of the relaxed PDMs and GFM, back-transformation of PDMs and GFM to the atomic orbitalmore » (AO) basis, and evaluation of gradients in the AO basis. For the largest member of the alkane set (C{sub 10}H{sub 22}), the computational times for the gradient terms (with the cc-pVTZ basis set) are 2582.6 (CCSD) and 310.7 (DF-CCSD) min, respectively, a speed up of more than 8-folds. For gradient related terms, the DF approach avoids the usage of four-index electron repulsion integrals. Based on our previous study [U. Bozkaya, J. Chem. Phys. 141, 124108 (2014)], our formalism completely avoids construction or storage of the 4-index two-particle density matrix (TPDM), using instead 2- and 3-index TPDMs. The DF approach introduces negligible errors for equilibrium bond lengths and harmonic vibrational frequencies.« less

Changes in the social class gradient of cirrhosis mortality in England and Wales across the 20th century.

PubMed

Crombie, Iain K; Precious, Elaine

2011-01-01

To explore the nature of the social class gradient of cirrhosis mortality in England and Wales across the 20th century. Data on male cirrhosis mortality by social class were obtained from the Registrar General's Decennial Supplements for the years 1921-1991. Data for 1941 were not collected because of the second World War. In 1921, cirrhosis mortality was substantially higher among the professional and managerial classes (I and II) than among the other social classes (III-V). This marked social class difference persisted until 1961 when the differences between the social classes were inconsistent. By 1991, the gradient had reversed and the lower social classes (IV and V) had the higher mortality. The excess mortality was greatest for social class V. The change in the mortality gradient is stark: in 1921social classes I and II had a cirrhosis mortality at least twice that of social classes IV and V, but by 1991 this ratio had reversed. The reversal in the social class gradient of cirrhosis mortality indicates a major change in risk factor distribution across social classes. Differential changes in alcohol consumption are a possible explanation for this change, although the 1991 social class gradient in cirrhosis is inconsistent with alcohol consumption data from national surveys. Further research is required to clarify the explanation for the observed gradient, so that appropriate preventive measures can be put into place.

Gradient Dynamics and Entropy Production Maximization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janečka, Adam; Pavelka, Michal

2018-01-01

We compare two methods for modeling dissipative processes, namely gradient dynamics and entropy production maximization. Both methods require similar physical inputs-how energy (or entropy) is stored and how it is dissipated. Gradient dynamics describes irreversible evolution by means of dissipation potential and entropy, it automatically satisfies Onsager reciprocal relations as well as their nonlinear generalization (Maxwell-Onsager relations), and it has statistical interpretation. Entropy production maximization is based on knowledge of free energy (or another thermodynamic potential) and entropy production. It also leads to the linear Onsager reciprocal relations and it has proven successful in thermodynamics of complex materials. Both methods are thermodynamically sound as they ensure approach to equilibrium, and we compare them and discuss their advantages and shortcomings. In particular, conditions under which the two approaches coincide and are capable of providing the same constitutive relations are identified. Besides, a commonly used but not often mentioned step in the entropy production maximization is pinpointed and the condition of incompressibility is incorporated into gradient dynamics.

Effects of high-gradient magnetic fields on living cell machinery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zablotskii, V.; Lunov, O.; Kubinova, S.; Polyakova, T.; Sykova, E.; Dejneka, A.

2016-12-01

A general interest in biomagnetic effects is related to fundamental studies of the influence of magnetic fields on living objects on the cellular and whole organism levels. Emerging technologies offer new directions for the use of high-gradient magnetic fields to control cell machinery and to understand the intracellular biological processes of the emerging field of nanomedicine. In this review we aim at highlighting recent advances made in identifying fundamental mechanisms by which magnetic gradient forces act on cell fate specification and cell differentiation. The review also provides an analysis of the currently available magnetic systems capable of generating magnetic fields with spatial gradients of up to 10 MT m-1, with the focus on their suitability for use in cell therapy. Relationships between experimental factors and underlying biophysical mechanisms and assumptions that would ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of cell machinery and the development of more predictive models for the evaluation of the effects of magnetic fields on cells, tissue and organisms are comprehensively discussed.

A trait-based approach to community assembly: partitioning of species trait values into within- and among-community components.

PubMed

Ackerly, D D; Cornwell, W K

2007-02-01

Plant functional traits vary both along environmental gradients and among species occupying similar conditions, creating a challenge for the synthesis of functional and community ecology. We present a trait-based approach that provides an additive decomposition of species' trait values into alpha and beta components: beta values refer to a species' position along a gradient defined by community-level mean trait values; alpha values are the difference between a species' trait values and the mean of co-occurring taxa. In woody plant communities of coastal California, beta trait values for specific leaf area, leaf size, wood density and maximum height all covary strongly, reflecting species distributions across a gradient of soil moisture availability. Alpha values, on the other hand, are generally not significantly correlated, suggesting several independent axes of differentiation within communities. This trait-based framework provides a novel approach to integrate functional ecology and gradient analysis with community ecology and coexistence theory.

Graded levels of FGF protein span the midbrain and can instruct graded induction and repression of neural mapping labels

PubMed Central

Chen, Yao; Mohammadi, Moosa; Flanagan, John G.

2009-01-01

Summary Graded guidance labels are widely used in neural map formation, but it is not well understood which potential strategy leads to their graded expression. In midbrain tectal map development, FGFs can induce an entire midbrain, but their protein distribution is unclear, nor is it known whether they may act instructively to produce graded gene expression. Using a receptor-alkaline phosphatase fusion probe, we find a long-range posterior>anterior FGF protein gradient spanning the midbrain. Heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) is required for this gradient. To test whether graded FGF concentrations can instruct graded gene expression, a quantitative tectal explant assay was developed. Engrailed-2 and ephrin-As, normally in posterior>anterior tectal gradients, showed graded upregulation. Moreover, EphAs, normally in anterior>posterior countergradients, showed coordinately graded downregulation. These results provide a mechanism to establish graded mapping labels, and more generally provide a developmental strategy to coordinately induce a structure and pattern its cell properties in gradients. PMID:19555646

Iris Location Algorithm Based on the CANNY Operator and Gradient Hough Transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, L. H.; Meng, K.; Wang, Y.; Dai, Z. Q.; Li, S.

2017-12-01

In the iris recognition system, the accuracy of the localization of the inner and outer edges of the iris directly affects the performance of the recognition system, so iris localization has important research meaning. Our iris data contain eyelid, eyelashes, light spot and other noise, even the gray transformation of the images is not obvious, so the general methods of iris location are unable to realize the iris location. The method of the iris location based on Canny operator and gradient Hough transform is proposed. Firstly, the images are pre-processed; then, calculating the gradient information of images, the inner and outer edges of iris are coarse positioned using Canny operator; finally, according to the gradient Hough transform to realize precise localization of the inner and outer edge of iris. The experimental results show that our algorithm can achieve the localization of the inner and outer edges of the iris well, and the algorithm has strong anti-interference ability, can greatly reduce the location time and has higher accuracy and stability.

Economic gradients in early child neurodevelopment: A multi-country study

PubMed Central

Wehby, George L.; McCarthy, Ann Marie

2013-01-01

Little is known about the importance of household wealth for child neurodevelopment very early in life including during infancy. Previous studies have focused on specific developmental domains instead of more holistic multi-domain measures of neurodevelopment and on economic effects for the “average” child instead of evaluating the heterogeneity in economic gradients by different levels of developmental ability. Furthermore, not much is known about whether economic gradients in early child neurodevelopment are country-specific or generalizable between populations. We evaluate wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment, an important predictor of future health and human capital, between ages 3 and 24 months in four South American countries. We also assess the heterogeneity in these gradients at different locations of the neurodevelopment distribution using quantile regression. Employing a unique dataset of 2032 children with neurodevelopment measures obtained by physicians in 2005–2006, we find a large positive wealth gradient in neurodevelopment in Brazil. The wealth gradient is larger for children at higher neurodevelopment rankings, suggesting that wealth is associated with child development inequalities in the form of a wider gap between low and high achievers on neurodevelopment in Brazil. This result highlights the need to target poverty in Brazil as a key factor in health and human capital disparities earlier in life rather than later as early developmental deficits will be carried forward and possibly multiplied later in life. More importantly, small or insignificant wealth gradients are generally found in the other countries. These results suggest that wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment are country-specific and vary with population demographic, health, and socioeconomic characteristics. Therefore, findings from previous studies based on specific populations may not be generalizable to other countries. Furthermore, wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment appear to be dynamic rather than fixed and sensitive to population characteristics that modify their intensity. PMID:23273409

Inverse solutions for electrical impedance tomography based on conjugate gradients methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, M.

2002-01-01

A multistep inverse solution for two-dimensional electric field distribution is developed to deal with the nonlinear inverse problem of electric field distribution in relation to its boundary condition and the problem of divergence due to errors introduced by the ill-conditioned sensitivity matrix and the noise produced by electrode modelling and instruments. This solution is based on a normalized linear approximation method where the change in mutual impedance is derived from the sensitivity theorem and a method of error vector decomposition. This paper presents an algebraic solution of the linear equations at each inverse step, using a generalized conjugate gradients method. Limiting the number of iterations in the generalized conjugate gradients method controls the artificial errors introduced by the assumption of linearity and the ill-conditioned sensitivity matrix. The solution of the nonlinear problem is approached using a multistep inversion. This paper also reviews the mathematical and physical definitions of the sensitivity back-projection algorithm based on the sensitivity theorem. Simulations and discussion based on the multistep algorithm, the sensitivity coefficient back-projection method and the Newton-Raphson method are given. Examples of imaging gas-liquid mixing and a human hand in brine are presented.

Implementation of a dose gradient method into optimization of dose distribution in prostate cancer 3D-CRT plans

PubMed Central

Giżyńska, Marta K.; Kukołowicz, Paweł F.; Kordowski, Paweł

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of this work is to present a method of beam weight and wedge angle optimization for patients with prostate cancer. Background 3D-CRT is usually realized with forward planning based on a trial and error method. Several authors have published a few methods of beam weight optimization applicable to the 3D-CRT. Still, none on these methods is in common use. Materials and methods Optimization is based on the assumption that the best plan is achieved if dose gradient at ICRU point is equal to zero. Our optimization algorithm requires beam quality index, depth of maximum dose, profiles of wedged fields and maximum dose to femoral heads. The method was tested for 10 patients with prostate cancer, treated with the 3-field technique. Optimized plans were compared with plans prepared by 12 experienced planners. Dose standard deviation in target volume, and minimum and maximum doses were analyzed. Results The quality of plans obtained with the proposed optimization algorithms was comparable to that prepared by experienced planners. Mean difference in target dose standard deviation was 0.1% in favor of the plans prepared by planners for optimization of beam weights and wedge angles. Introducing a correction factor for patient body outline for dose gradient at ICRU point improved dose distribution homogeneity. On average, a 0.1% lower standard deviation was achieved with the optimization algorithm. No significant difference in mean dose–volume histogram for the rectum was observed. Conclusions Optimization shortens very much time planning. The average planning time was 5 min and less than a minute for forward and computer optimization, respectively. PMID:25337411

IMPROVED PERFORMANCES IN SUBSONIC FLOWS OF AN SPH SCHEME WITH GRADIENTS ESTIMATED USING AN INTEGRAL APPROACH

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

Valdarnini, R., E-mail: valda@sissa.it

In this paper, we present results from a series of hydrodynamical tests aimed at validating the performance of a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) formulation in which gradients are derived from an integral approach. We specifically investigate the code behavior with subsonic flows, where it is well known that zeroth-order inconsistencies present in standard SPH make it particularly problematic to correctly model the fluid dynamics. In particular, we consider the Gresho–Chan vortex problem, the growth of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities, the statistics of driven subsonic turbulence and the cold Keplerian disk problem. We compare simulation results for the different tests with those obtained,more » for the same initial conditions, using standard SPH. We also compare the results with the corresponding ones obtained previously with other numerical methods, such as codes based on a moving-mesh scheme or Godunov-type Lagrangian meshless methods. We quantify code performances by introducing error norms and spectral properties of the particle distribution, in a way similar to what was done in other works. We find that the new SPH formulation exhibits strongly reduced gradient errors and outperforms standard SPH in all of the tests considered. In fact, in terms of accuracy, we find good agreement between the simulation results of the new scheme and those produced using other recently proposed numerical schemes. These findings suggest that the proposed method can be successfully applied for many astrophysical problems in which the presence of subsonic flows previously limited the use of SPH, with the new scheme now being competitive in these regimes with other numerical methods.« less

Glitch in the gradient: additional education does not uniformly equal better health.

PubMed

Zajacova, Anna; Rogers, Richard G; Johnson-Lawrence, Vicki

2012-12-01

While the relationship between education and general health has been firmly established in the literature, surprisingly little research has analyzed individual components of the global health judgments, such as chronic conditions or pain. We present a systematic account of the health gradient for multiple health outcomes by detailed educational categories among U.S. working-age adults. Using the 1997-2010 National Health Interview Surveys (N = 204,764), we analyze individual health outcomes ranging from cardiovascular disease to vision problems with a series of logistic regression models. The results at the presecondary and baccalaureate levels are consistent with the health gradient. An unexpected finding occurs among adults with some college but no degree, and those with technical/vocational associate degrees: these groups report more pain and a higher prevalence of a broad range of conditions than high school graduates who never attended college. We discuss several explanations for the observed patterns. The findings challenge the broadly accepted educational gradient in health; additionally, the lower postsecondary groups comprise a quarter of American adults. Jointly, there is a clear research and policy impetus to understand the source of this 'glitch' in the health gradient. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accuracy of Gradient Reconstruction on Grids with High Aspect Ratio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, James

2008-01-01

Gradient approximation methods commonly used in unstructured-grid finite-volume schemes intended for solutions of high Reynolds number flow equations are studied comprehensively. The accuracy of gradients within cells and within faces is evaluated systematically for both node-centered and cell-centered formulations. Computational and analytical evaluations are made on a series of high-aspect-ratio grids with different primal elements, including quadrilateral, triangular, and mixed element grids, with and without random perturbations to the mesh. Both rectangular and cylindrical geometries are considered; the latter serves to study the effects of geometric curvature. The study shows that the accuracy of gradient reconstruction on high-aspect-ratio grids is determined by a combination of the grid and the solution. The contributors to the error are identified and approaches to reduce errors are given, including the addition of higher-order terms in the direction of larger mesh spacing. A parameter GAMMA characterizing accuracy on curved high-aspect-ratio grids is discussed and an approximate-mapped-least-square method using a commonly-available distance function is presented; the method provides accurate gradient reconstruction on general grids. The study is intended to be a reference guide accompanying the construction of accurate and efficient methods for high Reynolds number applications

The educational gradient in marriage: a comparison of 25 European countries.

PubMed

Kalmijn, Matthijs

2013-08-01

Previous research has suggested that a new marriage gradient has emerged in the United States, with marriage becoming increasingly the privilege of the better-educated. This article examines whether this is true for Europe and explores differences in the marriage gradient among 25 European countries, using multilevel models. The focus is on the chances of living in a marital (or cohabiting) union during midlife (ages 40-49). Multilevel analyses show that the direction and strength of the gradient depend on the societal context. In countries where gender roles are traditional, better-educated women are less likely to be married than less-educated women; in gender-egalitarian countries, better-educated women are more likely to be married. For men, the educational effect on marriage is absent in traditional countries but becomes positive as gender roles become more equal. Inequality in a society also modifies the gradient: if the degree of economic inequality between educational groups in a society is strong, better-educated men are more likely to be married than less-educated men. In general, the results suggest that there may be an accumulation of social and economic disadvantages for the less well educated in more-developed countries.

Kinetic electromagnetic instabilities in an ITB plasma with weak magnetic shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W.; Yu, D. L.; Ma, R. R.; Shi, P. W.; Li, Y. Y.; Shi, Z. B.; Du, H. R.; Ji, X. Q.; Jiang, M.; Yu, L. M.; Yuan, B. S.; Li, Y. G.; Yang, Z. C.; Zhong, W. L.; Qiu, Z. Y.; Ding, X. T.; Dong, J. Q.; Wang, Z. X.; Wei, H. L.; Cao, J. Y.; Song, S. D.; Song, X. M.; Liu, Yi.; Yang, Q. W.; Xu, M.; Duan, X. R.

2018-05-01

Kinetic Alfvén and pressure gradient driven instabilities are very common in magnetized plasmas, both in space and the laboratory. These instabilities will be easily excited by energetic particles (EPs) and/or pressure gradients in present-day fusion and future burning plasmas. This will not only cause the loss and redistribution of the EPs, but also affect plasma confinement and transport. Alfvénic ion temperature gradient (AITG) instabilities with the frequency ω_BAE<ω<ω_TAE and the toroidal mode numbers n=2{-}8 are found to be unstable in NBI internal transport barrier plasmas with weak shear and low pressure gradients, where ω_BAE and ω_TAE are the frequencies of the beta- and toroidicity-induced Alfvén eigenmodes, respectively. The measured results are consistent with the general fishbone-like dispersion relation and kinetic ballooning mode equation, and the modes become more unstable the smaller the magnetic shear is in low pressure gradient regions. The interaction between AITG activity and EPs also needs to be investigated with greater attention in fusion plasmas, such as ITER (Tomabechi and The ITER Team 1991 Nucl. Fusion 31 1135), since these fluctuations can be enhanced by weak magnetic shear and EPs.

A Conjugate Gradient Algorithm with Function Value Information and N-Step Quadratic Convergence for Unconstrained Optimization

PubMed Central

Li, Xiangrong; Zhao, Xupei; Duan, Xiabin; Wang, Xiaoliang

2015-01-01

It is generally acknowledged that the conjugate gradient (CG) method achieves global convergence—with at most a linear convergence rate—because CG formulas are generated by linear approximations of the objective functions. The quadratically convergent results are very limited. We introduce a new PRP method in which the restart strategy is also used. Moreover, the method we developed includes not only n-step quadratic convergence but also both the function value information and gradient value information. In this paper, we will show that the new PRP method (with either the Armijo line search or the Wolfe line search) is both linearly and quadratically convergent. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the new PRP algorithm is competitive with the normal CG method. PMID:26381742

Nonlocal gradient corrections to the exchange free energy of an inhomogeneous many-fermion system at finite temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geldart, D. J. W.; Dunlap, E.; Glasser, M. L.; Shegelski, Mark R. A.

1993-10-01

A general exact result is derived for the coefficient B x( n; T) which determines the first gradient correction to the leading exchange contribution to the free energy at finite temperature of a weakly inhomogeneous extended many fermion system having arbitrary two-body interactions. Explicit analytical results are given in the case of bare Coulomb interactions, and the case of statically screened Coulomb interactions is studied numerically. It is shown that nonanalytical structure leads to different limiting values of B x( n; T) when the inverse screening length and the temperature are both small. Some implications for physical many-electron systems are discussed, including the reasons for discrepancies between the first principles and semiempirical gradient coefficients for atomic exchange energies.

A Conjugate Gradient Algorithm with Function Value Information and N-Step Quadratic Convergence for Unconstrained Optimization.

PubMed

Li, Xiangrong; Zhao, Xupei; Duan, Xiabin; Wang, Xiaoliang

2015-01-01

It is generally acknowledged that the conjugate gradient (CG) method achieves global convergence--with at most a linear convergence rate--because CG formulas are generated by linear approximations of the objective functions. The quadratically convergent results are very limited. We introduce a new PRP method in which the restart strategy is also used. Moreover, the method we developed includes not only n-step quadratic convergence but also both the function value information and gradient value information. In this paper, we will show that the new PRP method (with either the Armijo line search or the Wolfe line search) is both linearly and quadratically convergent. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the new PRP algorithm is competitive with the normal CG method.

Policy Gradient Adaptive Dynamic Programming for Data-Based Optimal Control.

PubMed

Luo, Biao; Liu, Derong; Wu, Huai-Ning; Wang, Ding; Lewis, Frank L

2017-10-01

The model-free optimal control problem of general discrete-time nonlinear systems is considered in this paper, and a data-based policy gradient adaptive dynamic programming (PGADP) algorithm is developed to design an adaptive optimal controller method. By using offline and online data rather than the mathematical system model, the PGADP algorithm improves control policy with a gradient descent scheme. The convergence of the PGADP algorithm is proved by demonstrating that the constructed Q -function sequence converges to the optimal Q -function. Based on the PGADP algorithm, the adaptive control method is developed with an actor-critic structure and the method of weighted residuals. Its convergence properties are analyzed, where the approximate Q -function converges to its optimum. Computer simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the PGADP-based adaptive control method.

Salicylate effects on proton gradient dissipation by isolated gastric mucosal surface cells.

PubMed

Olender, E J; Woods, D; Kozol, R; Fromm, D

1986-11-01

The effects of salicylate were examined on Na+/H+ exchange by isolated gastric mucosal surface cells loaded with H+ and resuspended in a buffered medium. Choline salicylate (pH 7.4) increases the dissipation of an intracellular proton gradient which was measured using acridine orange. The exchange of extracellular Na+ with intracellular H+ by surface cells not only remains intact but also is enhanced upon exposure to salicylate. This was confirmed by cellular uptake of 22Na and titration of cellular H+ efflux. Salicylate increases Na+/H+ exchange via a pathway predominantly sensitive to amiloride. However, the data also suggest that salicylate dissipates an intracellular proton gradient by an additional mechanism. The latter is independent of extracellular Na+ and not due to a generalized increase in cellular permeability.

MRI of gallstones with different compositions.

PubMed

Tsai, Hong-Ming; Lin, Xi-Zhang; Chen, Chiung-Yu; Lin, Pin-Wen; Lin, Jui-Che

2004-06-01

Gallstones are usually recognized on MRI as filling defects of hypointensity. However, they sometimes may appear as hyperintensities on T1-weighted imaging. This study investigated how gallstones appear on MRI and how their appearance influences the detection of gallstones. Gallstones from 24 patients who had MRI performed before the removal of the gallstones were collected for study. The gallstones were classified either as cholesterol gallstone (n = 4) or as pigment gallstone (n = 20) according to their gross appearance and based on analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. MRI included three sequences: single-shot fast spin-echo T2-weighted imaging, 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo T1-weighted imaging, and in-phase fast spoiled gradient-echo T1-weighted imaging. The signal intensity and the detection rate of gallstones on MRI were further correlated with the character of the gallstones. On T1-weighted 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo images, most of the pigment gallstones (18/20) were hyperintense and all the cholesterol gallstones (4/4) were hypointense. The mean ratio of the signal intensity of gallstone to bile was (+/- standard deviation) 3.36 +/- 1.88 for pigment gallstone and 0.24 +/- 0.10 for cholesterol gallstone on the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo sequence (p < 0.001). Combining the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo and single-shot fast spin-echo sequences achieved the highest gallstone detection rate (96.4%). Based on the differences of signal intensity of gallstones, the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo T1-weighted imaging was able to diagnose the composition of gallstones. Adding the 3D fast spoiled gradient-echo imaging to the single-shot fast spin-echo T2-weighted sequence can further improve the detection rate of gallstones.

Calibration of Gephyrocapsa Coccolith Abundance in Holocene Sediments for Paleo-temperature Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bollmann, J.; Brabec, B.

2001-12-01

Abundance and assemblage compositions of microplankton, together with their chemical and stable isotopic composition, have been among the most successful methods in paleoceanography. One of the most frequently applied techniques for reconstruction of paleo-temperature is a transfer function using the relative abundance of planktic foraminifera in sediment samples. Here we present evidence, suggesting that absolute sea surface temperature for a given location can be also calculated from the relative abundance of Gephyrocapsa morphotypes in sediment samples with an accuracy comparable to foraminifera transfer functions. By extrapolating this finding, paleo-enviromental interpretations can be obtained for the Late Pleistocene and discrepancies between the different currently used methods (e.g., foraminifer, alkenone and Ca/Mg derived temperature estimates) might be resolved. Eighty-one Holocene sediment samples were selected from the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans covering a temperature gradient from 13.4° C to 29.4° C, a salinity gradient from 32.21 to 37.34 and a productivity gradient of 0.045 to 0.492μ g chlorophyll/L. Standard multiple linear regression analyses were applied to this data set, linking the relative abundance of Gephyrocapsa morphotypes to mean sea surface temperature. The best model revealed an r2 of 0.8 with a standard residual error of 1.8° C for calculation of the mean sea surface temperature.

Patterns of Spatial Variation of Assemblages Associated with Intertidal Rocky Shores: A Global Perspective

PubMed Central

Cruz-Motta, Juan José; Miloslavich, Patricia; Palomo, Gabriela; Iken, Katrin; Konar, Brenda; Pohle, Gerhard; Trott, Tom; Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro; Herrera, César; Hernández, Alejandra; Sardi, Adriana; Bueno, Andrea; Castillo, Julio; Klein, Eduardo; Guerra-Castro, Edlin; Gobin, Judith; Gómez, Diana Isabel; Riosmena-Rodríguez, Rafael; Mead, Angela; Bigatti, Gregorio; Knowlton, Ann; Shirayama, Yoshihisa

2010-01-01

Assemblages associated with intertidal rocky shores were examined for large scale distribution patterns with specific emphasis on identifying latitudinal trends of species richness and taxonomic distinctiveness. Seventy-two sites distributed around the globe were evaluated following the standardized sampling protocol of the Census of Marine Life NaGISA project (www.nagisa.coml.org). There were no clear patterns of standardized estimators of species richness along latitudinal gradients or among Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs); however, a strong latitudinal gradient in taxonomic composition (i.e., proportion of different taxonomic groups in a given sample) was observed. Environmental variables related to natural influences were strongly related to the distribution patterns of the assemblages on the LME scale, particularly photoperiod, sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall. In contrast, no environmental variables directly associated with human influences (with the exception of the inorganic pollution index) were related to assemblage patterns among LMEs. Correlations of the natural assemblages with either latitudinal gradients or environmental variables were equally strong suggesting that neither neutral models nor models based solely on environmental variables sufficiently explain spatial variation of these assemblages at a global scale. Despite the data shortcomings in this study (e.g., unbalanced sample distribution), we show the importance of generating biological global databases for the use in large-scale diversity comparisons of rocky intertidal assemblages to stimulate continued sampling and analyses. PMID:21179546

STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT METHOD (SAM) FOR RIVERINE MACROINVERTEBRATES

EPA Science Inventory

During the summer of 2001, twelve sites were sampled for macroinvertebrates, six each on the Great Miami and Kentucky Rivers. Sites were chosen in each river from those sampled in the 1999 methods comparison study to reflect a disturbance gradient. At each site, a total distanc...

Assessing the contributions of East African and West Pacific warming to the 2014 boreal spring East African drought

USGS Publications Warehouse

Funk, Christopher C.; Shukla, Shraddhanand; Hoell, Andrew; Livneh, Ben

2015-01-01

Anthropogenic warming contributed to the 2014 East African drought by increasing East African and west Pacific temperatures, and increasing the gradient between standardized western and central Pacific SST causing reduced rainfall, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture.

Analysis of atmospheric flow over a surface protrusion using the turbulence kinetic energy equation with reference to aeronautical operating systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, W.; Harper, W. L.

1975-01-01

Flow over surface obstructions can produce significantly large wind shears such that adverse flying conditions can occur for aeronautical systems (helicopters, STOL vehicles, etc.). Atmospheric flow fields resulting from a semi-elliptical surface obstruction in an otherwise horizontally homogeneous statistically stationary flow are modelled with the boundary-layer/Boussinesq-approximation of the governing equation of fluid mechanics. The turbulence kinetic energy equation is used to determine the dissipative effects of turbulent shear on the mean flow. Iso-lines of turbulence kinetic energy and turbulence intensity are plotted in the plane of the flow and highlight regions of high turbulence intensity in the stagnation zone and sharp gradients in intensity along the transition from adverse to favourable pressure gradient. Discussion of the effects of the disturbed wind field in CTOL and STOL aircraft flight path and obstruction clearance standards is given. The results indicate that closer inspection of these presently recommended standards as influenced by wind over irregular terrains is required.

Subsystem density functional theory with meta-generalized gradient approximation exchange-correlation functionals.

PubMed

Śmiga, Szymon; Fabiano, Eduardo; Laricchia, Savio; Constantin, Lucian A; Della Sala, Fabio

2015-04-21

We analyze the methodology and the performance of subsystem density functional theory (DFT) with meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) exchange-correlation functionals for non-bonded molecular systems. Meta-GGA functionals depend on the Kohn-Sham kinetic energy density (KED), which is not known as an explicit functional of the density. Therefore, they cannot be directly applied in subsystem DFT calculations. We propose a Laplacian-level approximation to the KED which overcomes this limitation and provides a simple and accurate way to apply meta-GGA exchange-correlation functionals in subsystem DFT calculations. The so obtained density and energy errors, with respect to the corresponding supermolecular calculations, are comparable with conventional approaches, depending almost exclusively on the approximations in the non-additive kinetic embedding term. An embedding energy error decomposition explains the accuracy of our method.

Stacking dependence of carrier transport properties in multilayered black phosphorous

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, A.; Audiffred, M.; Heine, T.; Niehaus, T. A.

2016-02-01

We present the effect of different stacking orders on carrier transport properties of multi-layer black phosphorous. We consider three different stacking orders AAA, ABA and ACA, with increasing number of layers (from 2 to 6 layers). We employ a hierarchical approach in density functional theory (DFT), with structural simulations performed with generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and the bandstructure, carrier effective masses and optical properties evaluated with the meta-generalized gradient approximation (MGGA). The carrier transmission in the various black phosphorous sheets was carried out with the non-equilibrium green’s function (NEGF) approach. The results show that ACA stacking has the highest electron and hole transmission probabilities. The results show tunability for a wide range of band-gaps, carrier effective masses and transmission with a great promise for lattice engineering (stacking order and layers) in black phosphorous.

Dynamical behaviors determined by the Lyapunov function in competitive Lotka-Volterra systems.

PubMed

Tang, Ying; Yuan, Ruoshi; Ma, Yian

2013-01-01

Dynamical behaviors of the competitive Lotka-Volterra system even for 3 species are not fully understood. In this paper, we study this problem from the perspective of the Lyapunov function. We construct explicitly the Lyapunov function using three examples of the competitive Lotka-Volterra system for the whole state space: (1) the general 2-species case, (2) a 3-species model, and (3) the model of May-Leonard. The basins of attraction for these examples are demonstrated, including cases with bistability and cyclical behavior. The first two examples are the generalized gradient system, where the energy dissipation may not follow the gradient of the Lyapunov function. In addition, under a new type of stochastic interpretation, the Lyapunov function also leads to the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution on the final steady state when multiplicative noise is added.

Dynamical behaviors determined by the Lyapunov function in competitive Lotka-Volterra systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Ying; Yuan, Ruoshi; Ma, Yian

2013-01-01

Dynamical behaviors of the competitive Lotka-Volterra system even for 3 species are not fully understood. In this paper, we study this problem from the perspective of the Lyapunov function. We construct explicitly the Lyapunov function using three examples of the competitive Lotka-Volterra system for the whole state space: (1) the general 2-species case, (2) a 3-species model, and (3) the model of May-Leonard. The basins of attraction for these examples are demonstrated, including cases with bistability and cyclical behavior. The first two examples are the generalized gradient system, where the energy dissipation may not follow the gradient of the Lyapunov function. In addition, under a new type of stochastic interpretation, the Lyapunov function also leads to the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution on the final steady state when multiplicative noise is added.

Weakening gravity on redshift-survey scales with kinetic matter mixing

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

D'Amico, Guido; Huang, Zhiqi; Mancarella, Michele

We explore general scalar-tensor models in the presence of a kinetic mixing between matter and the scalar field, which we call Kinetic Matter Mixing. In the frame where gravity is de-mixed from the scalar this is due to disformal couplings of matter species to the gravitational sector, with disformal coefficients that depend on the gradient of the scalar field. In the frame where matter is minimally coupled, it originates from the so-called beyond Horndeski quadratic Lagrangian. We extend the Effective Theory of Interacting Dark Energy by allowing disformal coupling coefficients to depend on the gradient of the scalar field asmore » well. In this very general approach, we derive the conditions to avoid ghost and gradient instabilities and we define Kinetic Matter Mixing independently of the frame metric used to described the action. We study its phenomenological consequences for a ΛCDM background evolution, first analytically on small scales. Then, we compute the matter power spectrum and the angular spectra of the CMB anisotropies and the CMB lensing potential, on all scales. We employ the public version of COOP, a numerical Einstein-Boltzmann solver that implements very general scalar-tensor modifications of gravity. Rather uniquely, Kinetic Matter Mixing weakens gravity on short scales, predicting a lower σ{sub 8} with respect to the ΛCDM case. We propose this as a possible solution to the tension between the CMB best-fit model and low-redshift observables.« less

Interpolation Error Estimates for Mean Value Coordinates over Convex Polygons

PubMed Central

Rand, Alexander; Gillette, Andrew; Bajaj, Chandrajit

2012-01-01

In a similar fashion to estimates shown for Harmonic, Wachspress, and Sibson coordinates in [Gillette et al., AiCM, to appear], we prove interpolation error estimates for the mean value coordinates on convex polygons suitable for standard finite element analysis. Our analysis is based on providing a uniform bound on the gradient of the mean value functions for all convex polygons of diameter one satisfying certain simple geometric restrictions. This work makes rigorous an observed practical advantage of the mean value coordinates: unlike Wachspress coordinates, the gradient of the mean value coordinates does not become large as interior angles of the polygon approach π. PMID:24027379

Interpolation Error Estimates for Mean Value Coordinates over Convex Polygons.

PubMed

Rand, Alexander; Gillette, Andrew; Bajaj, Chandrajit

2013-08-01

In a similar fashion to estimates shown for Harmonic, Wachspress, and Sibson coordinates in [Gillette et al., AiCM, to appear], we prove interpolation error estimates for the mean value coordinates on convex polygons suitable for standard finite element analysis. Our analysis is based on providing a uniform bound on the gradient of the mean value functions for all convex polygons of diameter one satisfying certain simple geometric restrictions. This work makes rigorous an observed practical advantage of the mean value coordinates: unlike Wachspress coordinates, the gradient of the mean value coordinates does not become large as interior angles of the polygon approach π.

Quantitative DIC microscopy using an off-axis self-interference approach.

PubMed

Fu, Dan; Oh, Seungeun; Choi, Wonshik; Yamauchi, Toyohiko; Dorn, August; Yaqoob, Zahid; Dasari, Ramachandra R; Feld, Michael S

2010-07-15

Traditional Normarski differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is a very powerful method for imaging nonstained biological samples. However, one of its major limitations is the nonquantitative nature of the imaging. To overcome this problem, we developed a quantitative DIC microscopy method based on off-axis sample self-interference. The digital holography algorithm is applied to obtain quantitative phase gradients in orthogonal directions, which leads to a quantitative phase image through a spiral integration of the phase gradients. This method is practically simple to implement on any standard microscope without stringent requirements on polarization optics. Optical sectioning can be obtained through enlarged illumination NA.

Wind Characterization for the Assessment of Collision Risk During Flight Level Changes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carreno, Victor; Chartrand, Ryan

2009-01-01

A model of vertical wind gradient is presented based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) wind data. The objective is to have an accurate representation of wind to be used in Collision Risk Models (CRM) of aircraft procedures. Depending on how an aircraft procedure is defined, wind and the different characteristics of the wind will have a more severe or less severe impact on distances between aircraft. For the In-Trail Procedure, the non-linearity of the vertical wind gradient has the greatest impact on longitudinal distance. The analysis in this paper extracts standard deviation, mean, maximum, and linearity characteristics from the NOAA data.

A Modified Mixing Length Turbulence Model for Zero and Adverse Pressure Gradients. M.S. Thesis - Akron Univ., 1993

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conley, Julianne M.; Leonard, B. P.

1994-01-01

The modified mixing length (MML) turbulence model was installed in the Proteus Navier-Stokes code, then modified to make it applicable to a wider range of flows typical of aerospace propulsion applications. The modifications are based on experimental data for three flat-plate flows having zero, mild adverse, and strong adverse pressure gradients. Three transonic diffuser test cases were run with the new version of the model in order to evaluate its performance. All results are compared with experimental data and show improvements over calculations made using the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model, the standard algebraic model in Proteus.

Low-gradient aortic stenosis

PubMed Central

Clavel, Marie-Annick; Magne, Julien; Pibarot, Philippe

2016-01-01

Abstract An important proportion of patients with aortic stenosis (AS) have a ‘low-gradient’ AS, i.e. a small aortic valve area (AVA <1.0 cm2) consistent with severe AS but a low mean transvalvular gradient (<40 mmHg) consistent with non-severe AS. The management of this subset of patients is particularly challenging because the AVA-gradient discrepancy raises uncertainty about the actual stenosis severity and thus about the indication for aortic valve replacement (AVR) if the patient has symptoms and/or left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. The most frequent cause of low-gradient (LG) AS is the presence of a low LV outflow state, which may occur with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), i.e. classical low-flow, low-gradient (LF-LG), or preserved LVEF, i.e. paradoxical LF-LG. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of patients with AS may have a normal-flow, low-gradient (NF-LG) AS: i.e. a small AVA—low-gradient combination but with a normal flow. One of the most important clinical challenges in these three categories of patients with LG AS (classical LF-LG, paradoxical LF-LG, and NF-LG) is to differentiate a true-severe AS that generally benefits from AVR vs. a pseudo-severe AS that should be managed conservatively. A low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography may be used for this purpose in patients with classical LF-LG AS, whereas aortic valve calcium scoring by multi-detector computed tomography is the preferred modality in those with paradoxical LF-LG or NF-LG AS. Although patients with LF-LG severe AS have worse outcomes than those with high-gradient AS following AVR, they nonetheless display an important survival benefit with this intervention. Some studies suggest that transcatheter AVR may be superior to surgical AVR in patients with LF-LG AS. PMID:27190103

Toward an improved determination of Earth's lithospheric magnetic field from satellite observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotsiaros, S.

2016-12-01

An analytical and numerical analysis of the spectral properties of the gradient tensor, initially performed by Rummel and van Gelderen (1992) for the gravity potential, shows that when the tensor elements are grouped into sets of semi-tangential and pure-tangential parts, they produce almost identical signal content as the normal element. Moreover, simple eigenvalue relations can be derived between these sets and the spherical harmonic expansion of the potential. This theoretical development generally applies to any potential field. First, the analysis of Rummel and van Gelderen (1992) is adapted to the magnetic field case and then the elements of the magnetic gradient tensor are estimated by 2 years of Swarm data and grouped into Γ(1) = {[∇B]rθ,[∇B]rφ} resp. Γ(2) = {[∇B]θθ-[∇B]φφ, 2[∇B]θφ}. It is shown that the estimated combinations Γ(1) and Γ(2) produce similar signal content as the theoretical radial gradient [∇B]rr. These results demonstrate the ability of multi-satellite missions such as Swarm, which cannot directly measure the radial gradient, to retrieve similar signal content by means of the horizontal gradients. Finally, lithospheric field models are derived using the gradient combinations Γ(1) and Γ(2) and compared with models derived from traditional vector and gradient data. The model resulting from Γ(1) leads to a very similar, and in particular cases improved, model compared to models retrieved by using approximately three times more data, i.e. a full set of vector, North-South and East-West gradients. ReferencesRummel, R., and M. van Gelderen (1992), Spectral analysis of the full gravity tensor, Geophysical Journal International, 111 (1), 159-169.

A unifying retinex model based on non-local differential operators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zosso, Dominique; Tran, Giang; Osher, Stanley

2013-02-01

In this paper, we present a unifying framework for retinex that is able to reproduce many of the existing retinex implementations within a single model. The fundamental assumption, as shared with many retinex models, is that the observed image is a multiplication between the illumination and the true underlying reflectance of the object. Starting from Morel's 2010 PDE model for retinex, where illumination is supposed to vary smoothly and where the reflectance is thus recovered from a hard-thresholded Laplacian of the observed image in a Poisson equation, we define our retinex model in similar but more general two steps. First, look for a filtered gradient that is the solution of an optimization problem consisting of two terms: The first term is a sparsity prior of the reflectance, such as the TV or H1 norm, while the second term is a quadratic fidelity prior of the reflectance gradient with respect to the observed image gradients. In a second step, since this filtered gradient almost certainly is not a consistent image gradient, we then look for a reflectance whose actual gradient comes close. Beyond unifying existing models, we are able to derive entirely novel retinex formulations by using more interesting non-local versions for the sparsity and fidelity prior. Hence we define within a single framework new retinex instances particularly suited for texture-preserving shadow removal, cartoon-texture decomposition, color and hyperspectral image enhancement.

Radar observations of density gradients, electric fields, and plasma irregularities near polar cap patches in the context of the gradient-drift instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamarche, Leslie J.; Makarevich, Roman A.

2017-03-01

We present observations of plasma density gradients, electric fields, and small-scale plasma irregularities near a polar cap patch made by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network radar at Rankin Inlet (RKN) and the northern face of Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar (RISR-N). RKN echo power and occurrence are analyzed in the context of gradient-drift instability (GDI) theory, with a particular focus on the previously uninvestigated 2-D dependencies on wave propagation, electric field, and gradient vectors, with the latter two quantities evaluated directly from RISR-N measurements. It is shown that higher gradient and electric field components along the wave vector generally lead to the higher observed echo occurrence, which is consistent with the expected higher GDI growth rate, but the relationship with echo power is far less straightforward. The RKN echo power increases monotonically as the predicted linear growth rate approaches zero from negative values but does not continue this trend into positive growth rate values, in contrast with GDI predictions. The observed greater consistency of echo occurrence with GDI predictions suggests that GDI operating in the linear regime can control basic plasma structuring, but measured echo strength may be affected by other processes and factors, such as multistep or nonlinear processes or a shear-driven instability.

A search for stability gradients in North American breeding bird communities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Noon, B.R.; Dawson, D.K.; Kelly, J.P.

1985-01-01

To search for the existence of stability gradients in North American breeding land bird communities we operationally defined stability (after Jarvinen 1979) as year-to-year persistence in species composition and distribution of species abundances. From the census data for 174 study plots we derived nine indices that estimate the annual variability of species composition, the species abundance distribution, diversity, and breeding density. The resulting matrix of study plot by stability indices was used to estimate the correlation structure of the stability indices. The correlation matrix was, in turn, subjected to a principal components analysis to derive synthetic gradients of variation. We then searched for patterns of variation in these stability gradients associated with either geographic location or habitat type. Three independent principal component axes reproduced most of the variation in the initial data and were interpreted as gradients of variation in species turnover, diversity, and breeding abundance. Thus, the annual stability of community structure apparently responds independently to species and abundance variation. Despite the clarity of the derived gradients, few patterns emerged when the plots were ordinated by either habitat or geographic location. In general, grasslands showed greater annual variation in diversity than forested habitats, and, for some habitats, northern communities were less stable than more southern communities. However, few of these patterns were very strong, and we interpret them cautiously.

[Management of ascites due to portal hypertension].

PubMed

Godat, S; Antonino, A T; Dehlavi, M-A; Moradpour, D; Doerig, C

2012-09-05

Portal hypertension is regularly encountered by the general practitioner. It is defined by an elevation of the porto-systemic pressure gradient, with complications such as ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, variceal bleeding, hypersplenism, hepatopulmonary syndrome or hepatic encephalopathy occuring when a significant elevation of this gradient is reached. Cirrhosis is the primary cause of portal hypertension in industrialized countries. Symptomatic portal hypertension carries a poor prognosis. Management should be initiated rapidly, including the identification and correction of any reversible underlying condition. Liver transplantation should be considered in advanced cases.

An inverse problem strategy based on forward model evaluations: Gradient-based optimization without adjoint solves

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

Aguilo Valentin, Miguel Alejandro

2016-07-01

This study presents a new nonlinear programming formulation for the solution of inverse problems. First, a general inverse problem formulation based on the compliance error functional is presented. The proposed error functional enables the computation of the Lagrange multipliers, and thus the first order derivative information, at the expense of just one model evaluation. Therefore, the calculation of the Lagrange multipliers does not require the solution of the computationally intensive adjoint problem. This leads to significant speedups for large-scale, gradient-based inverse problems.

Polyethylene Naphthalate Scintillator: A Novel Detector for the Dosimetry of Radioactive Ophthalmic Applicators

PubMed Central

Flühs, Dirk; Flühs, Andrea; Ebenau, Melanie; Eichmann, Marion

2015-01-01

Background Dosimetric measurements in small radiation fields with large gradients, such as eye plaque dosimetry with β or low-energy photon emitters, require dosimetrically almost water-equivalent detectors with volumes of <1 mm3 and linear responses over several orders of magnitude. Polyvinyltoluene-based scintillators fulfil these conditions. Hence, they are a standard for such applications. However, they show disadvantages with regard to certain material properties and their dosimetric behaviour towards low-energy photons. Purpose, Materials and Methods Polyethylene naphthalate, recently recognized as a scintillator, offers chemical, physical and basic dosimetric properties superior to polyvinyltoluene. Its general applicability as a clinical dosimeter, however, has not been shown yet. To prove this applicability, extensive measurements at several clinical photon and electron radiation sources, ranging from ophthalmic plaques to a linear accelerator, were performed. Results For all radiation qualities under investigation, covering a wide range of dose rates, a linearity of the detector response to the dose was shown. Conclusion Polyethylene naphthalate proved to be a suitable detector material for the dosimetry of ophthalmic plaques, including low-energy photon emitters and other small radiation fields. Due to superior properties, it has the potential to replace polyvinyltoluene as the standard scintillator for such applications. PMID:27171681

Structural optimization of framed structures using generalized optimality criteria

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolonay, R. M.; Venkayya, Vipperla B.; Tischler, V. A.; Canfield, R. A.

1989-01-01

The application of a generalized optimality criteria to framed structures is presented. The optimality conditions, Lagrangian multipliers, resizing algorithm, and scaling procedures are all represented as a function of the objective and constraint functions along with their respective gradients. The optimization of two plane frames under multiple loading conditions subject to stress, displacement, generalized stiffness, and side constraints is presented. These results are compared to those found by optimizing the frames using a nonlinear mathematical programming technique.

Repeatability of gradient ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods in instrument-controlled thermal environments.

PubMed

Grinias, James P; Wong, Jenny-Marie T; Kennedy, Robert T

2016-08-26

The impact of viscous friction on eluent temperature and column efficiency in liquid chromatography is of renewed interest as the need for pressures exceeding 1000bar to use with columns packed with sub-2μm particles has grown. One way the development of axial and radial temperature gradients that arise due to viscous friction can be affected is by the thermal environment the column is placed in. In this study, a new column oven integrated into an ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatograph that enables both still-air and forced-air operating modes is investigated to find the magnitude of the effect of the axial thermal gradient that forms in 2.1×100mm columns packed with sub-2μm particles in these modes. Temperature increases of nearly 30K were observed when the generated power of the column exceeded 25W/m. The impact of the heating due to viscous friction on the repeatability of peak capacity, elution time, and peak area ratio to an internal standard for a gradient UHPLC-MS/MS method to analyze neurotransmitters was found to be limited. This result indicates that high speed UHPLC-MS/MS gradient methods under conditions of high viscous friction may be possible without the negative effects typically observed with isocratic separations under similar conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A hybrid neural learning algorithm using evolutionary learning and derivative free local search method.

PubMed

Ghosh, Ranadhir; Yearwood, John; Ghosh, Moumita; Bagirov, Adil

2006-06-01

In this paper we investigate a hybrid model based on the Discrete Gradient method and an evolutionary strategy for determining the weights in a feed forward artificial neural network. Also we discuss different variants for hybrid models using the Discrete Gradient method and an evolutionary strategy for determining the weights in a feed forward artificial neural network. The Discrete Gradient method has the advantage of being able to jump over many local minima and find very deep local minima. However, earlier research has shown that a good starting point for the discrete gradient method can improve the quality of the solution point. Evolutionary algorithms are best suited for global optimisation problems. Nevertheless they are cursed with longer training times and often unsuitable for real world application. For optimisation problems such as weight optimisation for ANNs in real world applications the dimensions are large and time complexity is critical. Hence the idea of a hybrid model can be a suitable option. In this paper we propose different fusion strategies for hybrid models combining the evolutionary strategy with the discrete gradient method to obtain an optimal solution much quicker. Three different fusion strategies are discussed: a linear hybrid model, an iterative hybrid model and a restricted local search hybrid model. Comparative results on a range of standard datasets are provided for different fusion hybrid models.

Cognitive Tests in Early Childhood: Psychometric and Cultural Considerations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Marian E.; Sando, Lara; Soles, Tamara Glen

2014-01-01

Cognitive assessment of young children contributes to high-stakes decisions because results are often used to determine eligibility for early intervention and special education. Previous reviews of cognitive measures for young children highlighted concerns regarding adequacy of standardization samples, steep item gradients, and insufficient floors…

Observations of Sk-69 deg 203 and the interstellar extinction towards SN 1987A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fitzpatrick, Edward L.; Walborn, Nolan R.

1990-01-01

Optical and UV spectroscopic observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) star Sk-69 deg 203 are discussed. The optical data reveal Sk-69 deg 203 to be a BO.7 Ia supergiant with a moderate nitrogen enhancement, and its UV spectrum is consistent with this classification. UV interstellar extinction curves were constructed for the star using, as flux standards, two lightly reddened LMS supergiants, which bracket Sk-69 deg 203's spectral type. The resultant extinction curves are consistent with the extinction law derived previously for the 30 Doradus region, and the results for Sk-69 deg 203 suggest that the general 30 Doradus extinction law is appropriate for dereddening the observed fluxes of SN 1987A. Published H I 21 observations place SN 1987A in a region with a strong E-W gradient in the total hydrogen content. Comparison with the H I column density implied by the reddening indicates that the supernova is imbedded approximately in the middle of the main H I complex.

Efficient and accurate approach to modeling the microstructure and defect properties of LaCoO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckeridge, J.; Taylor, F. H.; Catlow, C. R. A.

2016-04-01

Complex perovskite oxides are promising materials for cathode layers in solid oxide fuel cells. Such materials have intricate electronic, magnetic, and crystalline structures that prove challenging to model accurately. We analyze a wide range of standard density functional theory approaches to modeling a highly promising system, the perovskite LaCoO3, focusing on optimizing the Hubbard U parameter to treat the self-interaction of the B-site cation's d states, in order to determine the most appropriate method to study defect formation and the effect of spin on local structure. By calculating structural and electronic properties for different magnetic states we determine that U =4 eV for Co in LaCoO3 agrees best with available experiments. We demonstrate that the generalized gradient approximation (PBEsol +U ) is most appropriate for studying structure versus spin state, while the local density approximation (LDA +U ) is most appropriate for determining accurate energetics for defect properties.

Bipotential continuum models for granular mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goddard, Joe

2014-03-01

Most currently popular continuum models for granular media are special cases of a generalized Maxwell fluid model, which describes the evolution of stress and internal variables such as granular particle fraction and fabric,in terms of imposed strain rate. It is shown how such models can be obtained from two scalar potentials, a standard elastic free energy and a ``dissipation potential'' given rigorously by the mathematical theory of Edelen. This allows for a relatively easy derivation of properly invariant continuum models for granular media and fluid-particle suspensions within a thermodynamically consistent framework. The resulting continuum models encompass all the prominent regimes of granular flow, ranging from the quasi-static to rapidly sheared, and are readily extended to include higher-gradient or Cosserat effects. Models involving stress diffusion, such as that proposed recently by Kamrin and Koval (PRL 108 178301), provide an alternative approach that is mentioned in passing. This paper provides a brief overview of a forthcoming review articles by the speaker (The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics, and Appl. Mech. Rev.,in the press, 2013).

Approximating the Shifted Hartree-Exchange-Correlation Potential in Direct Energy Kohn-Sham Theory.

PubMed

Sharpe, Daniel J; Levy, Mel; Tozer, David J

2018-02-13

Levy and Zahariev [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113 113002 (2014)] have proposed a new approach for performing density functional theory calculations, termed direct energy Kohn-Sham (DEKS) theory. In this approach, the electronic energy equals the sum of orbital energies, obtained from Kohn-Sham-like orbital equations involving a shifted Hartree-exchange-correlation potential, which must be approximated. In the present study, density scaling homogeneity considerations are used to facilitate DEKS calculations on a series of atoms and molecules, leading to three nonlocal approximations to the shifted potential. The first two rely on preliminary Kohn-Sham calculations using a standard generalized gradient approximation (GGA) exchange-correlation functional and the results illustrate the benefit of describing the dominant Hartree component of the shift exactly. A uniform electron gas analysis is used to eliminate the need for these preliminary Kohn-Sham calculations, leading to a potential with an unconventional form that yields encouraging results, providing strong motivation for further research in DEKS theory.

First principles study on the elastic and electronic properties of CdX (X = S, Se and Te)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Sheetal; Verma, Ajay Singh; Sarkar, Bimal Kumar; Bhandari, Rajiv; Jindal, Vijay Kumar

2011-12-01

Wide band gap semiconductors are emerging as a potential candidate for optically active materials in blue green spectral region and operating at high power level and high temperature. CdX, X = S, Se and Te are wide band gap semiconductors having applications in optoelectronics devices. In this paper we investigated the elastic and electronic properties of Cadmium chalcogenide (cubic zinc-blende (ZB) structure) using standard Kohn-Sham self consistent density functional theory method (DFT) that uses non conserving pseudopotentials in fully nonlocal form within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exchange-correlation potential. The independent elastic constants, C11, C12 and C44, are calculated from direct computation of stresses generated by small strains. The shear modulus and Young's modulus are estimated for CdX. Using the GGA for the exchange correlation potential, the calculated direct fundamental band gap value is in very good agreement with the measured one.

Aquifer Reclamation Design: The Use of Contaminant Transport Simulation Combined With Nonlinear Programing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorelick, Steven M.; Voss, Clifford I.; Gill, Philip E.; Murray, Walter; Saunders, Michael A.; Wright, Margaret H.

1984-04-01

A simulation-management methodology is demonstrated for the rehabilitation of aquifers that have been subjected to chemical contamination. Finite element groundwater flow and contaminant transport simulation are combined with nonlinear optimization. The model is capable of determining well locations plus pumping and injection rates for groundwater quality control. Examples demonstrate linear or nonlinear objective functions subject to linear and nonlinear simulation and water management constraints. Restrictions can be placed on hydraulic heads, stresses, and gradients, in addition to contaminant concentrations and fluxes. These restrictions can be distributed over space and time. Three design strategies are demonstrated for an aquifer that is polluted by a constant contaminant source: they are pumping for contaminant removal, water injection for in-ground dilution, and a pumping, treatment, and injection cycle. A transient model designs either contaminant plume interception or in-ground dilution so that water quality standards are met. The method is not limited to these cases. It is generally applicable to the optimization of many types of distributed parameter systems.

Development of Fast and Reliable Free-Energy Density Functional Methods for Simulations of Dense Plasmas from Cold- to Hot-Temperature Regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karasiev, V. V.

2017-10-01

Free-energy density functional theory (DFT) is one of the standard tools in high-energy-density physics used to determine the fundamental properties of dense plasmas, especially in cold and warm regimes when quantum effects are essential. DFT is usually implemented via the orbital-dependent Kohn-Sham (KS) procedure. There are two challenges of conventional implementation: (1) KS computational cost becomes prohibitively expensive at high temperatures; and (2) ground-state exchange-correlation (XC) functionals do not take into account the XC thermal effects. This talk will address both challenges and report details of the formal development of new generalized gradient approximation (GGA) XC free-energy functional which bridges low-temperature (ground state) and high-temperature (plasma) limits. Recent progress on development of functionals for orbital-free DFT as a way to address the second challenge will also be discussed. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

3D hierarchical interface-enriched finite element method: Implementation and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soghrati, Soheil; Ahmadian, Hossein

2015-10-01

A hierarchical interface-enriched finite element method (HIFEM) is proposed for the mesh-independent treatment of 3D problems with intricate morphologies. The HIFEM implements a recursive algorithm for creating enrichment functions that capture gradient discontinuities in nonconforming finite elements cut by arbitrary number and configuration of materials interfaces. The method enables the mesh-independent simulation of multiphase problems with materials interfaces that are in close proximity or contact while providing a straightforward general approach for evaluating the enrichments. In this manuscript, we present a detailed discussion on the implementation issues and required computational geometry considerations associated with the HIFEM approximation of thermal and mechanical responses of 3D problems. A convergence study is provided to investigate the accuracy and convergence rate of the HIFEM and compare them with standard FEM benchmark solutions. We will also demonstrate the application of this mesh-independent method for simulating the thermal and mechanical responses of two composite materials systems with complex microstructures.

An innovative approach to compensator design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, J. R.

1972-01-01

The primary goal is to present for a control system a computer-aided-compensator design technique from a frequency domain point of view. The thesis for developing this technique is to describe the open loop frequency response by n discrete frequency points which result in n functions of the compensator coefficients. Several of these functions are chosen so that the system specifications are properly portrayed; then mathematical programming is used to improve all of these functions which have values below minimum standards. In order to do this several definitions in regard to measuring the performance of a system in the frequency domain are given. Next, theorems which govern the number of compensator coefficients necessary to make improvements in a certain number of functions are proved. After this a mathematical programming tool for aiding in the solution of the problem is developed. Then for applying the constraint improvement algorithm generalized gradients for the constraints are derived. Finally, the necessary theory is incorporated in a computer program called CIP (compensator improvement program).

Derivative discontinuity and exchange-correlation potential of meta-GGAs in density-functional theory.

PubMed

Eich, F G; Hellgren, Maria

2014-12-14

We investigate fundamental properties of meta-generalized-gradient approximations (meta-GGAs) to the exchange-correlation energy functional, which have an implicit density dependence via the Kohn-Sham kinetic-energy density. To this purpose, we construct the most simple meta-GGA by expressing the local exchange-correlation energy per particle as a function of a fictitious density, which is obtained by inverting the Thomas-Fermi kinetic-energy functional. This simple functional considerably improves the total energy of atoms as compared to the standard local density approximation. The corresponding exchange-correlation potentials are then determined exactly through a solution of the optimized effective potential equation. These potentials support an additional bound state and exhibit a derivative discontinuity at integer particle numbers. We further demonstrate that through the kinetic-energy density any meta-GGA incorporates a derivative discontinuity. However, we also find that for commonly used meta-GGAs the discontinuity is largely underestimated and in some cases even negative.

Band structure calculations of CuAlO2, CuGaO2, CuInO2, and CuCrO2 by screened exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gillen, Roland; Robertson, John

2011-07-01

We report density functional theory band structure calculations on the transparent conducting oxides CuAlO2, CuGaO2, CuInO2, and CuCrO2. The use of the hybrid functional screened-exchange local density approximation (sX-LDA) leads to considerably improved electronic properties compared to standard LDA and generalized gradient approximation (GGA) approaches. We show that the resulting electronic band gaps compare well with experimental values and previous quasiparticle calculations, and show the correct trends with respect to the atomic number of the cation (Al, Ga, In). The resulting energetic depths of Cu d and O p levels and the valence-band widths are considerable improvements compared to LDA and GGA and are in good agreement with available x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. Lastly, we show the calculated imaginary part of the dielectric function for all four systems.

Derivative discontinuity and exchange-correlation potential of meta-GGAs in density-functional theory

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

Eich, F. G., E-mail: eichf@missouri.edu; Hellgren, Maria

2014-12-14

We investigate fundamental properties of meta-generalized-gradient approximations (meta-GGAs) to the exchange-correlation energy functional, which have an implicit density dependence via the Kohn-Sham kinetic-energy density. To this purpose, we construct the most simple meta-GGA by expressing the local exchange-correlation energy per particle as a function of a fictitious density, which is obtained by inverting the Thomas-Fermi kinetic-energy functional. This simple functional considerably improves the total energy of atoms as compared to the standard local density approximation. The corresponding exchange-correlation potentials are then determined exactly through a solution of the optimized effective potential equation. These potentials support an additional bound state andmore » exhibit a derivative discontinuity at integer particle numbers. We further demonstrate that through the kinetic-energy density any meta-GGA incorporates a derivative discontinuity. However, we also find that for commonly used meta-GGAs the discontinuity is largely underestimated and in some cases even negative.« less

Long-range corrected density functional through the density matrix expansion based semilocal exchange hole.

PubMed

Patra, Bikash; Jana, Subrata; Samal, Prasanjit

2018-03-28

The exchange hole, which is one of the principal constituents of the density functional formalism, can be used to design accurate range-separated hybrid functionals in association with appropriate correlation. In this regard, the exchange hole derived from the density matrix expansion has gained attention due to its fulfillment of some of the desired exact constraints. Thus, the new long-range corrected density functional proposed here combines the meta generalized gradient approximation level exchange functional designed from the density matrix expansion based exchange hole coupled with the ab initio Hartree-Fock exchange through the range separation of the Coulomb interaction operator using the standard error function technique. Then, in association with the Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functional, the assessment and benchmarking of the above newly constructed range-separated functional with various well-known test sets shows its reasonable performance for a broad range of molecular properties, such as thermochemistry, non-covalent interaction and barrier heights of the chemical reactions.

Diffusive shock acceleration - Acceleration rate, magnetic-field direction and the diffusion limit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jokipii, J. R.

1992-01-01

This paper reviews the concept of diffusive shock acceleration, showing that the acceleration of charged particles at a collisionless shock is a straightforward consequence of the standard cosmic-ray transport equation, provided that one treats the discontinuity at the shock correctly. This is true for arbitrary direction of the upstream magnetic field. Within this framework, it is shown that acceleration at perpendicular or quasi-perpendicular shocks is generally much faster than for parallel shocks. Paradoxically, it follows also that, for a simple scattering law, the acceleration is faster for less scattering or larger mean free path. Obviously, the mean free path can not become too large or the diffusion limit becomes inapplicable. Gradient and curvature drifts caused by the magnetic-field change at the shock play a major role in the acceleration process in most cases. Recent observations of the charge state of the anomalous component are shown to require the faster acceleration at the quasi-perpendicular solar-wind termination shock.

An Easy Method for Plant Polysome Profiling.

PubMed

Lecampion, Cécile; Floris, Maïna; Fantino, Jean Raphaël; Robaglia, Christophe; Laloi, Christophe

2016-08-28

Translation of mRNA to protein is a fundamental and highly regulated biological process. Polysome profiling is considered as a gold standard for the analysis of translational regulation. The method described here is an easy and economical way for fractionating polysomes from various plant tissues. A sucrose gradient is made without the need for a gradient maker by sequentially freezing each layer. Cytosolic extracts are then prepared in a buffer containing cycloheximide and chloramphenicol to immobilize the cytosolic and chloroplastic ribosomes to mRNA and are loaded onto the sucrose gradient. After centrifugation, six fractions are directly collected from the bottom to the top of the gradient, without piercing the ultracentrifugation tube. During collection, the absorbance at 260 nm is read continuously to generate a polysome profile that gives a snapshot of global translational activity. Fractions are then pooled to prepare three different mRNA populations: the polysomes, mRNAs bound to several ribosomes; the monosomes, mRNAs bound to one ribosome; and mRNAs that are not bound to ribosomes. mRNAs are then extracted. This protocol has been validated for different plants and tissues including Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and adult plants, Nicotiana benthamiana, Solanum lycopersicum, and Oryza sativa leaves.

Moving force identification based on modified preconditioned conjugate gradient method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhen; Chan, Tommy H. T.; Nguyen, Andy

2018-06-01

This paper develops a modified preconditioned conjugate gradient (M-PCG) method for moving force identification (MFI) by improving the conjugate gradient (CG) and preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) methods with a modified Gram-Schmidt algorithm. The method aims to obtain more accurate and more efficient identification results from the responses of bridge deck caused by vehicles passing by, which are known to be sensitive to ill-posed problems that exist in the inverse problem. A simply supported beam model with biaxial time-varying forces is used to generate numerical simulations with various analysis scenarios to assess the effectiveness of the method. Evaluation results show that regularization matrix L and number of iterations j are very important influence factors to identification accuracy and noise immunity of M-PCG. Compared with the conventional counterpart SVD embedded in the time domain method (TDM) and the standard form of CG, the M-PCG with proper regularization matrix has many advantages such as better adaptability and more robust to ill-posed problems. More importantly, it is shown that the average optimal numbers of iterations of M-PCG can be reduced by more than 70% compared with PCG and this apparently makes M-PCG a preferred choice for field MFI applications.

A Galilean and tensorial invariant k-epsilon model for near wall turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, Z.; Shih, T. H.

1993-01-01

A k-epsilon model is proposed for wall bounded turbulent flows. In this model, the eddy viscosity is characterized by a turbulent velocity scale and a turbulent time scale. The time scale is bounded from below by the Kolmogorov time scale. The dissipation rate equation is reformulated using this time scale and no singularity exists at the wall. A new parameter R = k/S(nu) is introduced to characterize the damping function in the eddy viscosity. This parameter is determined by local properties of both the mean and the turbulent flow fields and is free from any geometry parameter. The proposed model is then Galilean and tensorial invariant. The model constants used are the same as in the high Reynolds number Standard k-epsilon Model. Thus, the proposed model will also be suitable for flows far from the wall. Turbulent channel flows and turbulent boundary layer flows with and without pressure gradients are calculated. Comparisons with the data from direct numerical simulations and experiments show that the model predictions are excellent for turbulent channel flows and turbulent boundary layers with favorable pressure gradients, good for turbulent boundary layers with zero pressure gradients, and fair for turbulent boundary layer with adverse pressure gradients.