Advice-Implicative Interrogatives: Building "Client-Centered" Support in a Children's Helpline

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Carly W.; Potter, Jonathan; Danby, Susan; Emmison, Michael; Hepburn, Alexa

2010-01-01

Interactional research on advice giving has described advice as normative and asymmetric. In this paper we examine how these dimensions of advice are softened by counselors on a helpline for children and young people through the use of questions. Through what we term "advice-implicative interrogatives," counselors ask clients about the…

Detectors for Active Interrogation Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, S. D.; Hamel, M. C.; Bourne, M. M.; Pozzi, S. A.

Active interrogation creates an environment that is particularly challenging from a radiation-detection standpoint: the elevated background levels from the source can mask the desired signatures from the SNM. Neutron based interrogation experiments have shown that nanosecond-level timing is required to discriminate induced-fission neutrons from the scattered source neutrons. Previous experiments using high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays have demonstrated the ability to induce and detect prompt photofission neutrons from single target materials; however, a real-world application would require spectroscopic capability to discern between photofission neutrons emitted by SNM and neutrons emitted by other reactions in non-SNM. Using digital pulse-shape discrimination, organic liquid scintillators are capable of reliably detecting neutrons in an intense gamma-ray field. Photon misclassification rates as low as 1 in 106 have been achieved, which is approaching the level of gaseous neutron detectors such as 3He without the need for neutron moderation. These scintillators also possess nanosecond-timing resolution, making them candidates for both neutron-and photon-driven active interrogation systems. We have applied an array of liquid and NaI(Tl) scintillators to successfully image 13.7 kg of HEU interrogated by a DT neutron generator; the system was in the direct presence of the accelerator during the experiment.

Investigation of active interrogation techniques to detect special nuclear material in maritime environments: Boarded search of a cargo container ship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grogan, Brandon R.; Henkel, James J.; Johnson, Jeffrey O.; Mihalczo, John T.; Miller, Thomas M.; Patton, Bruce W.

2013-12-01

The detonation of a terrorist nuclear weapon in the United States would result in the massive loss of life and grave economic damage. Even if a device was not detonated, its known or suspected presence aboard a cargo container ship in a U.S. port would have major economic and political consequences. One possible means to prevent this threat would be to board a ship at sea and search for the device before it reaches port. The scenario considered here involves a small Coast Guard team with strong intelligence boarding a container ship to search for a nuclear device. Using active interrogation, the team would nonintrusively search a block of shipping containers to locate the fissile material. Potential interrogation source and detector technologies for the team are discussed. The methodology of the scan is presented along with a technique for calculating the required interrogation source strength using computer simulations. MCNPX was used to construct a computer model of a container ship, and several search scenarios were simulated. The results of the simulations are presented in terms of the source strength required for each interrogation scenario. Validation measurements were performed in order to scale these simulation results to expected performance. Interrogations through the short (2.4 m) axis of a standardized shipping container appear to be feasible given the entire range of container loadings tested. Interrogations through several containers at once or a single container through its long (12.2 m) axis do not appear to be viable with a portable interrogation system.

Technician-Supported Remote Interrogation of CIEDs: Initial Use in US Emergency Departments and Perioperative Areas.

PubMed

Ahmed, Imdad; Patel, Amisha S; Balgaard, Timothy J; Rosenfeld, Lynda E

2016-03-01

Interrogation/interpretation of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) is frequently required in the emergency department (ED) or perioperative areas (OR) where resources to do this are often not available. CareLink Express (CLE; Medtronic, plc, Mounds View, MN, USA) is a technician-supported real-time remote interrogation system for Medtronic CIEDs. Using data from 136 US locations, this retrospective study was designed to assess CLE efficiency compared to traditional device management, and examine its findings. All 7,044 US CLE transmissions from the ED and OR (January 2012-October 2014) were compared to 217 traditional requests where CIED interrogations/interpretations were performed by calling industry representatives to these sites. CLE reduced the time to device interrogation/interpretation by 78%: 100 ± 140-22 ± 14 minutes, P < 0.0001, improving response time and consistency; ED: 82 ± 103-23 ± 18 minutes, P, ≤ 0.01; OR: 127 ± 181-17 ± 10 minutes, P < 0.0001. Actionable events (AE) (arrhythmia, device/lead abnormalities) were infrequent: 9.1% overall (ED: 9.9%; OR: 4.1%). Only 6.5% of patients with syncope/presyncope and 13.6% with a perceived shock had AE. AEs were more common in those with suspected device problems (30.4%) or audible alerts (52.6%). They were more likely in patients not enrolled in long-term remote monitoring (23.9% vs 8.2%, P < 0.0001) and in those with older CIED systems (7.4% in year 1 vs 31.0% after 10 years). The many patients with CIEDs, and the ability to quickly identify the minority with high-risk AE from the no/low-risk majority, strongly support CLE use in the ED and OR, sites which are expensive and prioritize efficiency. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of fiber optic sensing interrogators for launchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plattner, M. P.; Buck, T. C.; Eder, B.; Reutlinger, A.; McKenzie, I.

2017-11-01

We present our work about the development of two complementary interrogation schemes based on fiber optic sensing for the use of structural and thermal monitoring of Ariane launchers. The advantages of fiber optic sensing in particular light-weight, immunity to electromagnetic interferences and the possibility of sensor distribution along optical fibers are driving factors for utilization of this technology in space crafts [1]. The edge-filter (EF) and scanning-laser (SL) interrogators for determination of the mean wavelength of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have been implemented as two separate demonstrators. Within this paper we describe the functional principles of both interrogators. Furthermore we present test results where the developed systems have been used for readout of FBG sensors which are implemented in an Ariane structural demonstrator during thermal, thermal-vacuum and vibration tests. Functionality of both systems is demonstrated and their potential for further development towards space qualified systems is shown. Since the performance characteristics of the two systems are different from each other, they are dedicated for different sensing applications on a launcher. The EF sensor interrogator provides a sample rate of 20 kHz at a number of 4 connected sensors and supports parallel readout and aliasing free operation. Therefore it is best suited for high priority measurement. Structural monitoring which requires the acquisition of real time sensor information in order to support control of the launcher is one operation area for a future EF system. The SL interrogator provides an overall measurement rate of 1 kHz at a number of 24 connected sensors distributed on three sensor channels. It can be adapted to any sensors that have design wavelengths lying within the output spectrum of the laser diode. Furthermore the number of overall sensors to be read out with this system can be adapted easily. Thermal mapping of satellite panels is one possible future application for the SL interrogator.

Detectors for Active Interrogation Applications

DOE PAGES

Clarke, S. D.; Hamel, M. C.; Bourne, M. M.; ...

2017-10-26

Active interrogation creates an environment that is particularly challenging from a radiation-detection standpoint: the elevated background levels from the source can mask the desired signatures from the SNM. Neutron based interrogation experiments have shown that nanosecond-level timing is required to discriminate induced-fission neutrons from the scattered source neutrons. Previous experiments using high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays have demonstrated the ability to induce and detect prompt photofission neutrons from single target materials; however, a real-world application would require spectroscopic capability to discern between photofission neutrons emitted by SNM and neutrons emitted by other reactions in non-SNM. Using digital pulseshape discrimination, organic liquid scintillatorsmore » are capable of reliably detecting neutrons in an intense gamma-ray field. Photon misclassification rates as low as 1 in 10 6 have been achieved, which is approaching the level of gaseous neutron detectors such as 3He without the need for neutron moderation. These scintillators also possess nanosecond-timing resolution, making them candidates for both neutron-and photon-driven active interrogation systems. Lastly, we have applied an array of liquid and NaI(Tl) scintillators to successfully image 13.7 kg of HEU interrogated by a DT neutron generator; the system was in the direct presence of the accelerator during the experiment.« less

A national epidemiological study investigating risk factors for police interrogation and false confession among juveniles and young persons.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, Gisli H; Sigurdsson, Jon Fridrik; Sigfusdottir, Inga Dora; Asgeirsdottir, Bryndis Bjork; González, Rafael A; Young, Susan

2016-03-01

The principal aims of this study are to identify risk factors associated with police arrest and false confessions and to investigate whether the severity of the ADHD condition/symptoms increases the risk. 22,226 young persons in Iceland anonymously completed self-report questionnaires screening for conduct disorder and ADHD. In addition, they stated whether they had a diagnosis of ADHD and had received ADHD medication, and their history of offending, police interrogation and false confession. Participants were stratified into two age groups, 14-16 and 17-24 years. The older group was significantly more likely to have been interrogated by the police but the younger group were much more vulnerable to false confession during interrogation. Males were more likely to be at risk for both than females. The severity of the ADHD condition increased the risk of both interrogation and false confession. Negative binomial regressions showed that age, gender, conduct disorder, offending, and ADHD symptoms were all significant predictors of both interrogations and number of false confessions. Conduct disorder was the single best predictor of police interrogation, but the findings were more mixed regarding false confessions. Young people presenting with a combination of severe ADHD and comorbid conduct disorder had the worst outcome for both interrogation and false confessions. The findings endorse the need for support of persons with ADHD to be put in place to ensure fair due process and to prevent miscarriages of justice.

Causal Interrogation of Neuronal Networks and Behavior through Virally Transduced Ivermectin Receptors.

PubMed

Obenhaus, Horst A; Rozov, Andrei; Bertocchi, Ilaria; Tang, Wannan; Kirsch, Joachim; Betz, Heinrich; Sprengel, Rolf

2016-01-01

The causal interrogation of neuronal networks involved in specific behaviors requires the spatially and temporally controlled modulation of neuronal activity. For long-term manipulation of neuronal activity, chemogenetic tools provide a reasonable alternative to short-term optogenetic approaches. Here we show that virus mediated gene transfer of the ivermectin (IVM) activated glycine receptor mutant GlyRα1 (AG) can be used for the selective and reversible silencing of specific neuronal networks in mice. In the striatum, dorsal hippocampus, and olfactory bulb, GlyRα1 (AG) promoted IVM dependent effects in representative behavioral assays. Moreover, GlyRα1 (AG) mediated silencing had a strong and reversible impact on neuronal ensemble activity and c-Fos activation in the olfactory bulb. Together our results demonstrate that long-term, reversible and re-inducible neuronal silencing via GlyRα1 (AG) is a promising tool for the interrogation of network mechanisms underlying the control of behavior and memory formation.

Active-Interrogation Measurements of Induced-Fission Neutrons from Low-Enriched Uranium

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

J. L. Dolan; M. J. Marcath; M. Flaska

2012-07-01

Protection and control of nuclear fuels is paramount for nuclear security and safeguards; therefore, it is important to develop fast and robust controlling mechanisms to ensure the safety of nuclear fuels. Through both passive- and active-interrogation methods we can use fast-neutron detection to perform real-time measurements of fission neutrons for process monitoring. Active interrogation allows us to use different ranges of incident neutron energy to probe for different isotopes of uranium. With fast-neutron detectors, such as organic liquid scintillation detectors, we can detect the induced-fission neutrons and photons and work towards quantifying a sample’s mass and enrichment. Using MCNPX-PoliMi, amore » system was designed to measure induced-fission neutrons from U-235 and U-238. Measurements were then performed in the summer of 2010 at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy. Fissions were induced with an associated particle D-T generator and an isotopic Am-Li source. The fission neutrons, as well as neutrons from (n, 2n) and (n, 3n) reactions, were measured with five 5” by 5” EJ-309 organic liquid scintillators. The D-T neutron generator was available as part of a measurement campaign in place by Padova University. The measurement and data-acquisition systems were developed at the University of Michigan utilizing a CAEN V1720 digitizer and pulse-shape discrimination algorithms to differentiate neutron and photon detections. Low-enriched uranium samples of varying mass and enrichment were interrogated. Acquired time-of-flight curves and cross-correlation curves are currently analyzed to draw relationships between detected neutrons and sample mass and enrichment. In the full paper, the promise of active-interrogation measurements and fast-neutron detection will be assessed through the example of this proof-of-concept measurement campaign. Additionally, MCNPX-PoliMi simulation results will be compared to the measured data to validate the MCNPX-PoliMi code when used for active-interrogation simulations.« less

Investigation of Active Interrogation Techniques to Detect Special Nuclear Material in Maritime Environments

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

Miller, Thomas Martin; Patton, Bruce W

The detection and interdiction of special nuclear material (SNM) is still a high-priority focus area for many organizations around the world. One method that is commonly considered a leading candidate in the detection of SNM is active interrogation (AI). AI is different from its close relative, passive interrogation, in that an active source is used to enhance or create a detectable signal (usually fission) from SNM, particularly in shielded scenarios or scenarios where the SNM has a low activity. The use of AI thus makes the detection of SNM easier or, in some scenarios, even enables previously impossible detection. Inmore » this work the signal from prompt neutrons and photons as well as delayed neutrons and photons will be combined, as is typically done in AI. In previous work AI has been evaluated experimentally and computationally. However, for the purposes of this work, past scenarios are considered lightly shielded and tightly coupled spatially. At most, the previous work interrogated the contents of one standard cargo container (2.44 x 2.60 x 6.10 m) and the source and detector were both within a few meters of the object being interrogated. A few examples of this type of previous work can be found in references 1 and 2. Obviously, more heavily shielded AI scenarios will require larger source intensities, larger detector surface areas (larger detectors or more detectors), greater detector efficiencies, longer count times, or some combination of these.« less

Calibration of Cherenkov detectors for monoenergetic photon imaging in active interrogation applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, P. B.; Erickson, A. S.

2015-11-01

Active interrogation of cargo containers using monoenergetic photons offers a rapid and low-dose approach to search for shielded special nuclear materials. Cherenkov detectors can be used for imaging of the cargo provided that gamma ray energies used in interrogation are well resolved, as the case in 11B(d,n-γ)12C reaction resulting in 4.4 MeV and 15.1 MeV photons. While an array of Cherenkov threshold detectors reduces low energy background from scatter while providing the ability of high contrast transmission imaging, thus confirming the presence of high-Z materials, these detectors require a special approach to energy calibration due to the lack of resolution. In this paper, we discuss the utility of Cherenkov detectors for active interrogation with monoenergetic photons as well as the results of computational and experimental studies of their energy calibration. The results of the studies with sources emitting monoenergetic photons as well as complex gamma ray spectrum sources, for example 232Th, show that calibration is possible as long as the energies of photons of interest are distinct.

The development of enabling technologies for producing active interrogation beams.

PubMed

Kwan, Thomas J T; Morgado, Richard E; Wang, Tai-Sen F; Vodolaga, B; Terekhin, V; Onischenko, L M; Vorozhtsov, S B; Samsonov, E V; Vorozhtsov, A S; Alenitsky, Yu G; Perpelkin, E E; Glazov, A A; Novikov, D L; Parkhomchuk, V; Reva, V; Vostrikov, V; Mashinin, V A; Fedotov, S N; Minayev, S A

2010-10-01

A U.S./Russian collaboration of accelerator scientists was directed to the development of high averaged-current (∼1 mA) and high-quality (emittance ∼15 πmm mrad; energy spread ∼0.1%) 1.75 MeV proton beams to produce active interrogation beams that could be applied to counterterrorism. Several accelerator technologies were investigated. These included an electrostatic tandem accelerator of novel design, a compact cyclotron, and a storage ring with energy compensation and electron cooling. Production targets capable of withstanding the beam power levels were designed, fabricated, and tested. The cyclotron/storage-ring system was theoretically studied and computationally designed, and the electrostatic vacuum tandem accelerator at BINP was demonstrated for its potential in active interrogation of explosives and special nuclear materials.

Noninvasive ultrasonic examination technology in support of counter-terrorism and drug interdiction activities: the acoustic inspection device (AID)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz, Aaron A.; Burghard, Brion J.; Skorpik, James R.; Shepard, Chester L.; Samuel, Todd J.; Pappas, Richard A.

2003-07-01

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has developed a portable, battery-operated, handheld ultrasonic device that provides non-invasive container interrogation and material identification capabilities. The technique governing how the acoustic inspection device (AID) functions, involves measurements of ultrasonic pulses (0.1 to 5 MHz) that are launched into a container or material. The return echoes from these pulses are analyzed in terms of time-of-flight and frequency content to extract physical property measurements (the acoustic velocity and attenuation coefficient) of the material under test. The AID performs an automated analysis of the return echoes to identify the material, and detect contraband in the form of submerged packages and concealed compartments in liquid filled containers and solid-form commodities. An inspector can quickly interrogate outwardly innocuous commodity items such as shipping barrels, tanker trucks, and metal ingots. The AID can interrogate container sizes ranging from approximately 6 inches in diameter to over 96 inches in diameter and allows the inspector to sort liquid and material types into groups of like and unlike; a powerful method for discovering corrupted materials or miss-marked containers co-mingled in large shipments. This manuscript describes the functionality, capabilities and measurement methodology of the technology as it relates to homeland security applications.

Active Neutron-Based Interrogation System with D-D Neutron Source for Detection of Special Nuclear Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Y.; Misawa, T.; Yagi, T.; Pyeon, C. H.; Kimura, M.; Masuda, K.; Ohgaki, H.

2015-10-01

The detection of special nuclear materials (SNM) is an important issue for nuclear security. The interrogation systems used in a sea port and an airport are developed in the world. The active neutron-based interrogation system is the one of the candidates. We are developing the active neutron-based interrogation system with a D-D fusion neutron source for the nuclear security application. The D-D neutron source is a compact discharge-type fusion neutron source called IEC (Inertial-Electrostatic Confinement fusion) device which provides 2.45 MeV neutrons. The nuclear materials emit the highenergy neutrons by fission reaction. High-energy neutrons with energies over 2.45 MeV amount to 30% of all the fission neutrons. By using the D-D neutron source, the detection of SNMs is considered to be possible with the attention of fast neutrons if there is over 2.45 MeV. Ideally, neutrons at En>2.45 MeV do not exist if there is no nuclear materials. The detection of fission neutrons over 2.45 MeV are hopeful prospect for the detection of SNM with a high S/N ratio. In the future, the experiments combined with nuclear materials and a D-D neutron source will be conducted. Furthermore, the interrogation system will be numerically investigated by using nuclear materials, a D-D neutron source, and a steel container.

Rodent wearable ultrasound system for wireless neural recording.

PubMed

Piech, David K; Kay, Joshua E; Boser, Bernhard E; Maharbiz, Michel M

2017-07-01

Advances in minimally-invasive, distributed biological interface nodes enable possibilities for networks of sensors and actuators to connect the brain with external devices. The recent development of the neural dust sensor mote has shown that utilizing ultrasound backscatter communication enables untethered sub-mm neural recording devices. These implanted sensor motes require a wearable external ultrasound interrogation device to enable in-vivo, freely-behaving neural interface experiments. However, minimizing the complexity and size of the implanted sensors shifts the power and processing burden to the external interrogator. In this paper, we present an ultrasound backscatter interrogator that supports real-time backscatter processing in a rodent-wearable, completely wireless device. We demonstrate a generic digital encoding scheme which is intended for transmitting neural information. The system integrates a front-end ultrasonic interface ASIC with off-the-shelf components to enable a highly compact ultrasound interrogation device intended for rodent neural interface experiments but applicable to other model systems.

Do Persian Native Speakers Prosodically Mark Wh-in-situ Questions?

PubMed

Shiamizadeh, Zohreh; Caspers, Johanneke; Schiller, Niels O

2018-02-01

It has been shown that prosody contributes to the contrast between declarativity and interrogativity, notably in interrogative utterances lacking lexico-syntactic features of interrogativity. Accordingly, it may be proposed that prosody plays a role in marking wh-in-situ questions in which the interrogativity feature (the wh-phrase) does not move to sentence-initial position, as, for example, in Persian. This paper examines whether prosody distinguishes Persian wh-in-situ questions from declaratives in the absence of the interrogativity feature in the sentence-initial position. To answer this question, a production experiment was designed in which wh-questions and declaratives were elicited from Persian native speakers. On the basis of the results of previous studies, we hypothesize that prosodic features mark wh-in-situ questions as opposed to declaratives at both the local (pre- and post-wh part) and global level (complete sentence). The results of the current study confirm our hypothesis that prosodic correlates mark the pre-wh part as well as the complete sentence in wh-in-situ questions. The results support theoretical concepts such as the frequency code, the universal dichotomous association between relaxation and declarativity on the one hand and tension and interrogativity on the other, the relation between prosody and pragmatics, and the relation between prosody and encoding and decoding of sentence type.

Dual Neutral Particle Beam Interrogation of Intermodal Shipping Containers for Special Nuclear Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keith, Rodney Lyman

Intermodal shipping containers entering the United States provide an avenue to smuggle unsecured or stolen special nuclear material (SNM). The only direct method fielded to indicate the presence of SNM is by passive photon/neutron radiation detection. Active interrogation using neutral particle beams to induce fission in SNM is a method under consideration. One by-product of fission is the creation of fragments that undergo radioactive decay over a time period on the order of tens of seconds after the initial event. The "delayed" gamma-rays emitted from these fragments over this period are considered a hallmark for the presence of SNM. A fundamental model is developed using homogenized cargos with a SNM target embedded at the center and computationally interrogated using simultaneous neutron and photon beams. Findings from analysis of the delayed gamma emissions from these experiments are intended to mitigate the effects of poor quality information about the composition and disposition of suspect cargo before examination in an active interrogation portal.

Leveraging Earth and Planetary Datasets to Support Student Investigations in an Introductory Geoscience Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryan, Jeffrey; De Paor, Declan

2016-04-01

Engaging undergraduates in discovery-based research during their first two years of college was a listed priority in the 2012 Report of the USA President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and has been the focus of events and publications sponsored by the National Academies (NAS, 2015). Challenges faced in moving undergraduate courses and curricula in this direction are the paired questions of how to effectively provide such experiences to large numbers of students, and how to do so in ways that are cost- and time-effiicient for institutions and instructional faculty. In the geosciences, free access to of a growing number of global earth and planetary data resources and associated visualization tools permits one to build into introductory-level courses straightforward data interrogation and analysis activities that provide students with valuable experiences with the compilation and critical investigation of earth and planetary data. Google Earth provides global Earth and planetary imagery databases that span large ranges in resolution and in time, permitting easy examination of earth surface features and surface features on Mars or the Moon. As well, "community" data sources (i.e., Gigapan photographic collections and 3D visualizations of geologic features, as are supported by the NSF GEODE project) allow for intensive interrogation of specific geologic phenomena. Google Earth Engine provides access to rich satellite-based earth observation data, supporting studies of weather and related student efforts. GeoMapApp, the freely available visualization tool of the Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance (IEDA), permits examination of the seafloor and the integration of a range of third-party data. The "Earth" meteorological website (earth.nullschool.net) provides near real-time visualization of global weather and oceanic conditions, which in combination with weather option data from Google Earth permits a deeper interrogation of atmospheric conditions. In combination, these freely accessible data resources permit one to transform general- audience geoscience courses into extended investigations, in which students discover key information about the workings of our planet.

Interrogating Spatio-Mechanical EphA2 Signaling in Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

and membrane phase structure modulation by protein binding”, Martin B. Forstner, Chanel K. Lee, Atul N. Parikh, and Jay T. Groves. PMID: 17117874 55...Continuation Format Page anchored proteins and their behavior in supported lipid bilayers", Margot G. Paulick, Amber R. Wise, Martin B. Forstner, Jay T... Martin B. Forstner, Jay T. Groves and Carolyn R. Bertozzi. PMC: 2154431 67. Current Opinion in Immunology, 2007, 19, 6, 722 - 727: "Interrogating

Facilitating biomedical researchers' interrogation of electronic health record data: Ideas from outside of biomedical informatics.

PubMed

Hruby, Gregory W; Matsoukas, Konstantina; Cimino, James J; Weng, Chunhua

2016-04-01

Electronic health records (EHR) are a vital data resource for research uses, including cohort identification, phenotyping, pharmacovigilance, and public health surveillance. To realize the promise of EHR data for accelerating clinical research, it is imperative to enable efficient and autonomous EHR data interrogation by end users such as biomedical researchers. This paper surveys state-of-art approaches and key methodological considerations to this purpose. We adapted a previously published conceptual framework for interactive information retrieval, which defines three entities: user, channel, and source, by elaborating on channels for query formulation in the context of facilitating end users to interrogate EHR data. We show the current progress in biomedical informatics mainly lies in support for query execution and information modeling, primarily due to emphases on infrastructure development for data integration and data access via self-service query tools, but has neglected user support needed during iteratively query formulation processes, which can be costly and error-prone. In contrast, the information science literature has offered elaborate theories and methods for user modeling and query formulation support. The two bodies of literature are complementary, implying opportunities for cross-disciplinary idea exchange. On this basis, we outline the directions for future informatics research to improve our understanding of user needs and requirements for facilitating autonomous interrogation of EHR data by biomedical researchers. We suggest that cross-disciplinary translational research between biomedical informatics and information science can benefit our research in facilitating efficient data access in life sciences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design of a photonic integrated based optical interrogator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Selwan K.; Farnan, Martin; Karabacak, Devrez M.

2017-02-01

Optical sensors based on Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) are used in several applications and industries. In order for fiber optic sensors to compete with electrical sensors, several critical parameters of both the sensors and sensor interrogators need to be in place such as performance, cost, size, reliability relevant to the target application. Here we have developed a tunable laser based optical interrogator which delivers high performance (up to 8kHz sweep-rate and 120dB dynamic range) and precision (<100fm) by optimizing the laser calibration of a telecom tunable laser and incorporating optical periodic wavelength references (e.g. MZI) to correct and compensate for wavelength non-linearity and noise during operation. Scaling up optical sensing systems to deliver high level of performance over a large number of sensors is enabled by synchronizing multiple interrogators. Further improvements can be achieved by using photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology which reduces the footprint, cost, and improves performance. There exists several PIC technology platforms (e.g. InP, Si, TriPlex) that could be used to develop different optical building blocks used in the interrogator. Such building blocks include the tunable laser, couplers, photodiodes, MZIs, etc. are available on the InP platform. Here we have demonstrated the operation of an interrogator using PIC technology to replace many of the discrete optical components. The design and chip manufacturing was carried out as part of an InP multi-project wafer (MPW) run under the EU PARADIGM project. A custom package supporting fiber arrays was designed and manufactured to demonstrate the PIC functionality in an optical interrogator.

Active Detection of Shielded Special Nuclear Material in the Presence of Variable High Backgrounds Using a Mixed Photon-Neutron Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Philip N.; Clemett, Ceri D.; Hill, Cassie; O'Malley, John; Campbell, Ben

This paper describes and compares two approaches to the analysis of active interrogation data containing high photon backgrounds associated with mixed photon-neutron source flash active interrogation. Results from liquid scintillation detectors (EJ301/EJ309) fielded at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in collaboration with the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), using the NRL Mercury Inductive Voltage Adder (IVA) operating in both a photon and mixed photon-neutron mode at a Depleted Uranium (DU) target are presented. The standard approach applying a Figure of Merit (FOM) consisting of background sigma above background is compared with an approach looking to fit only the time-decaying photon signal with standard delayed photon emission from ∼10-MeV end-point-energy Bremsstrahlung photofission of DU. Examples where each approach does well and less well are presented together with a discussion of the relative limitations of both approaches to the type of mixed photon-neutron flash active interrogation being considered.

Quantifying activation of perfluorocarbon-based phase-change contrast agents using simultaneous acoustic and optical observation.

PubMed

Li, Sinan; Lin, Shengtao; Cheng, Yi; Matsunaga, Terry O; Eckersley, Robert J; Tang, Meng-Xing

2015-05-01

Phase-change contrast agents in the form of nanoscale droplets can be activated into microbubbles by ultrasound, extending the contrast beyond the vasculature. This article describes simultaneous optical and acoustical measurements for quantifying the ultrasound activation of phase-change contrast agents over a range of concentrations. In experiments, decafluorobutane-based nanodroplets of different dilutions were sonicated with a high-pressure activation pulse and two low-pressure interrogation pulses immediately before and after the activation pulse. The differences between the pre- and post-interrogation signals were calculated to quantify the acoustic power scattered by the microbubbles activated over a range of droplet concentrations. Optical observation occurred simultaneously with the acoustic measurement, and the pre- and post-microscopy images were processed to generate an independent quantitative indicator of the activated microbubble concentration. Both optical and acoustic measurements revealed linear relationships to the droplet concentration at a low concentration range <10(8)/mL when measured at body temperature. Further increases in droplet concentration resulted in saturation of the acoustic interrogation signal. Compared with body temperature, room temperature was found to produce much fewer and larger bubbles after ultrasound droplet activation. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Impact of fiber ring laser configuration on detection capabilities in FBG based sensor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osuch, Tomasz; Kossek, Tomasz; Markowski, Konrad

2014-11-01

In this paper fiber ring lasers (FRL) as interrogation units for distributed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensor networks are studied. In particular, two configurations of the fiber laser with erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as gain medium were analyzed. In the case of EDFA-based fiber interrogation systems, CW as well as active-mode locking operation were taken into account. The influence of spectral overlapping of FBGs spectra on detection capabilities of examined FRLs are presented. Experimental results show that the SOA-based fiber laser interrogation unit can operate as a multi-parametric sensing system. In turn, using an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser with an EDFA, an electronically switchable FBG based sensing system can be realized.

Hand Held Device for Wireless Powering and Interrogation of Biomems Sensors and Actuators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simons, Rainee N (Inventor); Miranda, Felix Antonio (Inventor)

2007-01-01

A compact, hand-held device for wireless powering, interrogation and data retrieval from at least one implanted sensor. The hand-held device includes an antenna for powering an implanted sensor and for receiving data from the implanted sensor to the hand-held device for at least one of storage, display or analysis. The hand-held device establishes electromagnetic coupling with a low radiating radio frequency power inductor in the implanted sensor at a predefined separation and the antenna geometry allows for the antenna to power, interrogate and retrieve data from the implanted sensor without strapping the hand-held device to a human body housing the implanted sensor The hand-held device optionally allows for activation of the implanted sensor only during interrogation and data retrieval.

Characterization of a FBG sensor interrogation system based on a mode-locked laser scheme.

PubMed

Madrigal, Javier; Fraile-Peláez, Francisco Javier; Zheng, Di; Barrera, David; Sales, Salvador

2017-10-02

This paper is focused on the characterization of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation system based on a fiber ring laser with a semiconductor optical amplifier as the gain medium, and an in-loop electro-optical modulator. This system operates as a switchable active (pulsed) mode-locked laser. The operation principle of the system is explained theoretically and validated experimentally. The ability of the system to interrogate an array of different FBGs in wavelength and spatial domain is demonstrated. Simultaneously, the influence of several important parameters on the performance of the interrogation technique has been investigated. Specifically, the effects of the bandwidth and the reflectivity of the FBGs, the SOA gain, and the depth of the intensity modulation have been addressed.

Performance Characterization of the Air Force Transformational Satellite 12 kW Hall Thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamhawi, Hani; Haag, Thomas W.; Smith, Timothy; Herman, Daniel; Huang, Wensheng; Shastry, Rohit; Peterson, Peter; Mathers, Alex

2013-01-01

The STMD GCD ISP project is tasked with developing, maturing, and testing enabling human exploration propulsion requirements and potential designs for advanced high-energy, in-space propulsion systems to support deep-space human exploration and reduce travel time between Earth's orbit and future destinations for human activity. High-power Hall propulsion systems have been identified as enabling technologies and have been the focus of the activities at NASA Glenn-In-house effort to evaluate performance and interrogate operation of NASA designed and manufactured Hall thrusters. Evaluate existing high TRL EP devices that may be suitable for implementation in SEP TDM.

Scalable interrogation: Eliciting human pheromone responses to deception in a security interview setting.

PubMed

Stedmon, Alex W; Eachus, Peter; Baillie, Les; Tallis, Huw; Donkor, Richard; Edlin-White, Robert; Bracewell, Robert

2015-03-01

Individuals trying to conceal knowledge from interrogators are likely to experience raised levels of stress that can manifest itself across biological, physiological, psychological and behavioural factors, providing an opportunity for detection. Using established research paradigms an innovative scalable interrogation was designed in which participants were given a 'token' that represented information they had to conceal from interviewers. A control group did not receive a token and therefore did not have to deceive the investigators. The aim of this investigation was to examine differences between deceivers and truth-tellers across the four factors by collecting data for cortisol levels, sweat samples, heart-rate, respiration, skin temperature, subjective stress ratings and video and audio recordings. The results provided an integrated understanding of responses to interrogation by those actively concealing information and those acting innocently. Of particular importance, the results also suggest, for the first time in an interrogation setting, that stressed individuals may secrete a volatile steroid based marker that could be used for stand-off detection. The findings are discussed in relation to developing a scalable interrogation protocol for future research in this area. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

More Declassified Evidence Implicates CIA Physicians in Unethical Research.

PubMed

Llanusa-Cestero, Renée

2017-01-01

In 2010, in an article in this journal, I argued that declassified documents implicated Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) physicians in the conduct of unethical research on enhanced interrogation using detainee subjects. The focus, then as now, is upon physicians at the Office of Medical Services (OMS). The 2010 article highlighted the heavily redacted "Draft OMS Guidelines on Medical and Psychological Support to Detainee Interrogations" (the Draft). This commentary focuses upon the recently declassified final version of that document revealing further culpable evidence of unethical human subject research. The commentary locates that unethical research in historical context and the development of the Nuremberg Code. The commentary also locates enhanced interrogation in contemporary political context and considers how to hold OMS physicians accountable for the conduct of unethical human research using detainee subjects.

Application experience with the NASA aircraft interrogation and display system - A ground-support equipment for digital flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, R. D.

1983-01-01

The NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility has developed a microprocessor-based, user-programmable, general-purpose aircraft interrogation and display system (AIDS). The hardware and software of this ground-support equipment have been designed to permit diverse applications in support of aircraft digital flight-control systems and simulation facilities. AIDS is often employed to provide engineering-units display of internal digital system parameters during development and qualification testing. Such visibility into the system under test has proved to be a key element in the final qualification testing of aircraft digital flight-control systems. Three first-generation 8-bit units are now in service in support of several research aircraft projects, and user acceptance has been high. A second-generation design, extended AIDS (XAIDS), incorporating multiple 16-bit processors, is now being developed to support the forward swept wing aircraft project (X-29A). This paper outlines the AIDS concept, summarizes AIDS operational experience, and describes the planned XAIDS design and mechanization.

Achievable Performance and Effective Interrogator Design for SAW RFID Sensor Tags

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, Richard J.

2011-01-01

For many NASA missions, remote sensing is a critical application that supports activities such as environmental monitoring, planetary science, structural shape and health monitoring, non-destructive evaluation, etc. The utility of the remote sensing devices themselves is greatly increased if they are passive that is, they do not require any on-board power supply such as batteries and if they can be identified uniquely during the sensor interrogation process. Additional passive sensor characteristics that enable greater utilization in space applications are small size and weight, long read ranges with low interrogator power, ruggedness, and operability in extreme environments (vacuum, extreme high/low temperature, high radiation, etc.) In this paper, we consider one very promising passive sensor technology, called surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio-frequency identification (RFID), that satisfies all of these criteria. Although SAW RFID tags have great potential for use in numerous space-based remote sensing applications, the limited collision resolution capability of current generation tags limits the performance in a cluttered sensing environment. That is, as more SAW-based sensors are added to the environment, numerous tag responses are superimposed at the receiver and decoding all or even a subset of the telemetry becomes increasingly difficult. Background clutter generated by reflectors other than the sensors themselves is also a problem, as is multipath interference and signal distortion, but the limiting factor in many remote sensing applications can be expected to be tag mutual interference. This problem may be greatly mitigated by proper design of the SAW tag waveform, but that remains an open research problem, and in the meantime, several other related questions remain to be answered including: What are the fundamental relationships between tag parameters such as bit-rate, time-bandwidth-product, SNR, and achievable collision resolution? What are the differences in optimal or near-optimal interrogator designs between noise-limited environments and interference-limited environments? What are the performance characteristics of different interrogator designs in term of parameters such as transmitter power level, range, and number of interfering tags? In this paper, we present the results of a research effort aimed at providing at least partial answers to all of these questions.

Electroremovable Traceless Hydrazides for Cobalt-Catalyzed Electro-Oxidative C-H/N-H Activation with Internal Alkynes.

PubMed

Mei, Ruhuai; Sauermann, Nicolas; Oliveira, João C A; Ackermann, Lutz

2018-06-27

Electrochemical oxidative C-H/N-H activations have been accomplished with a versatile cobalt catalyst in terms of [4 + 2] annulations of internal alkynes. The electro-oxidative C-H activation manifold proved viable with an undivided cell setup under exceedingly mild reaction conditions at room temperature using earth-abundant cobalt catalysts. The electrochemical cobalt catalysis prevents the use of transition metal oxidants in C-H activation catalysis, generating H 2 as the sole byproduct. Detailed mechanistic studies provided strong support for a facile C-H cobaltation by an initially formed cobalt(III) catalyst. The subsequent alkyne migratory insertion was interrogated by mass spectrometry and DFT calculations, providing strong support for a facile C-H activation and the formation of a key seven-membered cobalta(III) cycle in a regioselective fashion. Key to success for the unprecedented use of internal alkynes in electrochemical C-H/N-H activations was represented by the use of N-2-pyridylhydrazides, for which we developed a traceless electrocleavage strategy by electroreductive samarium catalysis at room temperature.

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

Clarke, S. D.; Hamel, M. C.; Bourne, M. M.

Active interrogation creates an environment that is particularly challenging from a radiation-detection standpoint: the elevated background levels from the source can mask the desired signatures from the SNM. Neutron based interrogation experiments have shown that nanosecond-level timing is required to discriminate induced-fission neutrons from the scattered source neutrons. Previous experiments using high-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays have demonstrated the ability to induce and detect prompt photofission neutrons from single target materials; however, a real-world application would require spectroscopic capability to discern between photofission neutrons emitted by SNM and neutrons emitted by other reactions in non-SNM. Using digital pulseshape discrimination, organic liquid scintillatorsmore » are capable of reliably detecting neutrons in an intense gamma-ray field. Photon misclassification rates as low as 1 in 10 6 have been achieved, which is approaching the level of gaseous neutron detectors such as 3He without the need for neutron moderation. These scintillators also possess nanosecond-timing resolution, making them candidates for both neutron-and photon-driven active interrogation systems. Lastly, we have applied an array of liquid and NaI(Tl) scintillators to successfully image 13.7 kg of HEU interrogated by a DT neutron generator; the system was in the direct presence of the accelerator during the experiment.« less

A knowledge based application of the extended aircraft interrogation and display system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.; Larson, Richard R.

1991-01-01

A family of multiple-processor ground support test equipment was used to test digital flight-control systems on high-performance research aircraft. A unit recently built for the F-18 high alpha research vehicle project is the latest model in a series called the extended aircraft interrogation and display system. The primary feature emphasized monitors the aircraft MIL-STD-1553B data buses and provides real-time engineering units displays of flight-control parameters. A customized software package was developed to provide real-time data interpretation based on rules embodied in a highly structured knowledge database. The configuration of this extended aircraft interrogation and display system is briefly described, and the evolution of the rule based package and its application to failure modes and effects testing on the F-18 high alpha research vehicle is discussed.

Building a COTS archive for satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singer, Ken; Terril, Dave; Kelly, Jack; Nichols, Cathy

1994-01-01

The goal of the NOAA/NESDIS Active Archive was to provide a method of access to an online archive of satellite data. The archive had to manage and store the data, let users interrogate the archive, and allow users to retrieve data from the archive. Practical issues of the system design such as implementation time, cost and operational support were examined in addition to the technical issues. There was a fixed window of opportunity to create an operational system, along with budget and staffing constraints. Therefore, the technical solution had to be designed and implemented subject to constraint imposed by the practical issues. The NOAA/NESDIS Active Archive came online in July of 1994, meeting all of its original objectives.

Detecting terrorist nuclear weapons at sea: The 10th door problem

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

Slaughter, D R

2008-09-15

While screening commercial cargo containers for the possible presence of WMD is important and necessary smugglers have successfully exploited the many other vehicles transporting cargo into the US including medium and small vessels at sea. These vessels provide a venue that is currently not screened and widely used. Physics limits that make screening of large vessels prohibitive impractical do not prohibit effective screening of the smaller vessels. While passive radiation detection is probably ineffective at sea active interrogation may provide a successful approach. The physics limits of active interrogation of ships at sea from standoff platforms are discussed. Autonomous platformsmore » that could carry interrogation systems at sea, both airborne and submersible, are summarized and their utilization discussed. An R&D program to investigate the limits of this approach to screening ships at sea is indicated and limitations estimated.« less

Active interrogation using low-energy nuclear reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antolak, Arlyn; Doyle, Barney; Leung, Ka-Ngo; Morse, Daniel; Provencio, Paula

2005-09-01

High-energy photons and neutrons can be used to interrogate for heavily shielded fissile materials inside sealed cargo containers by detecting their prompt and/or delayed fission signatures. The FIND (Fissmat Inspection for Nuclear Detection) active interrogation system is based on a dual neutron+gamma source that uses low-energy (< 500 keV) proton- or deuteron-induced nuclear reactions to produce high intensities of mono-energetic gamma rays and/or neutrons. The source can be operated in either pulsed (e.g., to detect delayed photofission neutrons and gammas) or continuous (e.g., detecting prompt fission signatures) modes. For the gamma-rays, the source target can be segmented to incorporate different (p,γ) isotopes for producing gamma-rays at selective energies, thereby improving the probability of detection. The design parameters for the FIND system are discussed and preliminary accelerator-based measurements of gamma and neutron yields, background levels, and fission signals for several target materials under consideration are presented.

Active Proton Interrogation for Homeland Security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, Steven; Morris, Christopher; Canavan, Gregory; Chung, Kiwhan; Elson, Jay; Hogan, Gary; Makela, Mark; Mariam, Fesseha; Murray, Matthew; Saunders, Alexander; Spaulding, Randy; Wang, Zhehui; Waters, Laurie; Wysocki, Frederick

2010-02-01

Energetic proton beams may provide an attractive technology for active interrogation of nuclear threats because: they have large fission cross sections, long mean free paths and high penetration, and proton beams can be manipulated with magnetic optics. We have measured time-dependent cross sections for delayed neutrons and gamma rays using 800 MeV protons from the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center and 4 GeV protons from the Brookhaven Alternating Gradient Synchrotron for a set of bare and shielded targets. The results show significant signals from both unshielded and shielded nuclear materials. Results will be presented. )

Dehydration, Dehydrogenation, and Condensation of Alcohols on Supported Oxide Catalysts Based on Cyclic (WO3)3 and (MoO3)3 Clusters

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

Rousseau, Roger J.; Dixon, David A.; Kay, Bruce D.

2014-01-01

Supported early transition metal oxides have important applications in numerous catalytic reactions. In this article we review preparation and activity of well-defined model WO3 and MoO3 catalysts prepared via deposition of cyclic gas-phase (WO3)3 and (MoO3)3 clusters generated by sublimation of WO3 and MoO3 powders. Conversion of small aliphatic alcohols to alkenes, aldehydes/ketons, and ethers is employed to probe the structure-activity relationships on model WO3 and MoO3 catalysts ranging from unsupported (WO3)3 and (MoO3)3 clusters embedded in alcohol matrices, to (WO3)3 clusters supported on surfaces of other oxides, and epitaxial and nanoporous WO3 films. Detailed theoretical calculations reveal the underlyingmore » reaction mechanisms and provide insight into the origin of the differences in the WO3 and MoO3 reactivity. For the range of interrogated (WO3)3 they further shed light into the role structure and binding of (WO3)3 clusters with the support play in determining their catalytic activity.« less

A parallel form of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, G H

1987-09-01

The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to present a parallel form of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS, Form 1); (2) to study test-retest reliabilities of interrogative suggestibility. Three groups of subjects were administered the two suggestibility scales in a counterbalanced order. Group 1 (28 normal subjects) and Group 2 (32 'forensic' patients) completed both scales within the same testing session, whereas Group 3 (30 'forensic' patients) completed the two scales between one week and eight months apart. All the correlations were highly significant, giving support for high 'temporal consistency' of interrogative suggestibility.

Investigation of Intelligence Activities At Abu Ghraib

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-23

detainees" within Abu Ghraib. It is clear that the interrogation practices of other government agencies led to a loss of accountability at Abu Ghraib. DoD...must document and enforce adherence by other government agencies with established DoD practices and procedures while conducting detainee interrogation...misinterpretation as to accepted practices or confusion occurred due to the proliferation of guidance and information from other theaters of operation

Active damage interrogation system for structural health monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lichtenwalner, Peter F.; Dunne, James P.; Becker, Ronald S.; Baumann, Erwin W.

1997-05-01

An integrated and automated smart structures approach for in situ damage assessment has been implemented and evaluated in a laboratory environment for health monitoring of a realistic aerospace structural component. This approach, called Active Damage Interrogation (ADI), utilizes an array of piezoelectric transducers attached to or embedded within the structure for both actuation and sensing. The ADI system, which is model independent, actively interrogates the structure through broadband excitation of multiple actuators across the desired frequency range. Statistical analysis of the changes in transfer functions between actuator/sensor pairs is used to detect, localize, and assess the severity of damage in the structure. This paper presents the overall concept of the ADI system and provides experimental results of damage assessment studies conducted for a composite structural component of the MD-900 Explorer helicopter rotor system. The potential advantages of this approach include simplicity (no need for a model), sensitivity, and low cost implementation. The results obtained thus far indicate considerably promise for integrated structural health monitoring of aerospace vehicles, leading to the practice of condition-based maintenance and consequent reduction in life cycle costs.

Problems of Practice: Canadian Cases in Leadership and Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollock, Katina; Ryan, James

2013-01-01

One way to support aspiring and current administrators is through the use of case study teaching (Barnes, Christensen, & Hansen, 1994). Using case studies as a teaching and learning tool helps bring real-life situations into principal preparation and support programs. Case study approaches provide students with time to interrogate contemporary…

Development of Techniques for Spent Fuel Assay – Differential Dieaway Final Report

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

Swinhoe, Martyn Thomas; Goodsell, Alison; Ianakiev, Kiril Dimitrov

This report summarizes the work done under a DNDO R&D funded project on the development of the differential dieaway method to measure plutonium in spent fuel. There are large amounts of plutonium that are contained in spent fuel assemblies, and currently there is no way to make quantitative non-destructive assay. This has led NA24 under the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) to establish a multi-year program to investigate, develop and implement measurement techniques for spent fuel. The techniques which are being experimentally tested by the existing NGSI project do not include any pulsed neutron active techniques. The present work coversmore » the active neutron differential dieaway technique and has advanced the state of knowledge of this technique as well as produced a design for a practical active neutron interrogation instrument for spent fuel. Monte Carlo results from the NGSI effort show that much higher accuracy (1-2%) for the Pu content in spent fuel assemblies can be obtained with active neutron interrogation techniques than passive techniques, and this would allow their use for nuclear material accountancy independently of any information from the operator. The main purpose of this work was to develop an active neutron interrogation technique for spent nuclear fuel.« less

Aircraft interrogation and display system: A ground support equipment for digital flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, R. D.

1982-01-01

A microprocessor-based general purpose ground support equipment for electronic systems was developed. The hardware and software are designed to permit diverse applications in support of aircraft flight systems and simulation facilities. The implementation of the hardware, the structure of the software, describes the application of the system to an ongoing research aircraft project are described.

Active Interrogation using Photofission Technique for Nuclear Materials Control and Accountability

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

Yang, Haori

2016-03-31

Innovative systems with increased sensitivity and resolution are in great demand to detect diversion and to prevent misuse in support of nuclear materials management for the U.S. fuel cycle. Nuclear fission is the most important multiplicative process involved in non-destructive active interrogation. This process produces the most easily recognizable signature for nuclear materials. In addition to thermal or high-energy neutrons, high-energy gamma rays can also excite a nucleus and cause fission through a process known as photofission. Electron linear accelerators (linacs) are widely used as the interrogating photon sources for inspection methods involving photofission technique. After photofission reactions, prompt signalsmore » are much stronger than the delayed signals, but it is difficult to quantify them in practical measurements. Delayed signals are easily distinguishable from the interrogating radiation. Linac-based, advanced inspection techniques utilizing the delayed signals after photofission have been extensively studied for homeland security applications. Previous research also showed that a unique delayed gamma ray energy spectrum exists for each fissionable isotope. In this work, high-energy delayed γ-rays were demonstrated to be signatures for detection, identification, and quantification of special nuclear materials. Such γ-rays were measured in between linac pulses using independent data acquisition systems. A list-mode system was developed to measure low-energy delayed γ-rays after irradiation. Photofission product yields of 238U and 239Pu were determined based on the measured delayed γ-ray spectra. The differential yields of delayed γ-rays were also proven to be able to discriminate nuclear from non-nuclear materials. The measurement outcomes were compared with Monte Carlo simulation results. It was demonstrated that the current available codes have capabilities and limitations in the simulation of photofission process. A two-fold approach was used to address the high-rate challenge in used nuclear fuel assay based on photofission technique. First, a standard HPGe preamplifier was modified to improve its capabilities in high-rate pulsed photofission environment. Second, advanced pulse processing algorithms were shown to greatly improve throughput rate without large sacrifice in energy resolution at ultra-high input count rate. Two customized gamma spectroscopy systems were also developed in real-time on FPGAs. They were shown to have promising performance matching available commercial units.« less

Implantable fiber-optic interface for parallel multisite long-term optical dynamic brain interrogation in freely moving mice

PubMed Central

Doronina-Amitonova, L. V.; Fedotov, I. V.; Ivashkina, O. I.; Zots, M. A.; Fedotov, A. B.; Anokhin, K. V.; Zheltikov, A. M.

2013-01-01

Seeing the big picture of functional responses within large neural networks in a freely functioning brain is crucial for understanding the cellular mechanisms behind the higher nervous activity, including the most complex brain functions, such as cognition and memory. As a breakthrough toward meeting this challenge, implantable fiber-optic interfaces integrating advanced optogenetic technologies and cutting-edge fiber-optic solutions have been demonstrated, enabling a long-term optogenetic manipulation of neural circuits in freely moving mice. Here, we show that a specifically designed implantable fiber-optic interface provides a powerful tool for parallel long-term optical interrogation of distinctly separate, functionally different sites in the brain of freely moving mice. This interface allows the same groups of neurons lying deeply in the brain of a freely behaving mouse to be reproducibly accessed and optically interrogated over many weeks, providing a long-term dynamic detection of genome activity in response to a broad variety of pharmacological and physiological stimuli. PMID:24253232

Implantable fiber-optic interface for parallel multisite long-term optical dynamic brain interrogation in freely moving mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doronina-Amitonova, L. V.; Fedotov, I. V.; Ivashkina, O. I.; Zots, M. A.; Fedotov, A. B.; Anokhin, K. V.; Zheltikov, A. M.

2013-11-01

Seeing the big picture of functional responses within large neural networks in a freely functioning brain is crucial for understanding the cellular mechanisms behind the higher nervous activity, including the most complex brain functions, such as cognition and memory. As a breakthrough toward meeting this challenge, implantable fiber-optic interfaces integrating advanced optogenetic technologies and cutting-edge fiber-optic solutions have been demonstrated, enabling a long-term optogenetic manipulation of neural circuits in freely moving mice. Here, we show that a specifically designed implantable fiber-optic interface provides a powerful tool for parallel long-term optical interrogation of distinctly separate, functionally different sites in the brain of freely moving mice. This interface allows the same groups of neurons lying deeply in the brain of a freely behaving mouse to be reproducibly accessed and optically interrogated over many weeks, providing a long-term dynamic detection of genome activity in response to a broad variety of pharmacological and physiological stimuli.

PRESTO-Tango as an open-source resource for interrogation of the druggable human GPCRome.

PubMed

Kroeze, Wesley K; Sassano, Maria F; Huang, Xi-Ping; Lansu, Katherine; McCorvy, John D; Giguère, Patrick M; Sciaky, Noah; Roth, Bryan L

2015-05-01

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are essential mediators of cellular signaling and are important targets of drug action. Of the approximately 350 nonolfactory human GPCRs, more than 100 are still considered to be 'orphans' because their endogenous ligands remain unknown. Here, we describe a unique open-source resource that allows interrogation of the druggable human GPCRome via a G protein-independent β-arrestin-recruitment assay. We validate this unique platform at more than 120 nonorphan human GPCR targets, demonstrate its utility for discovering new ligands for orphan human GPCRs and describe a method (parallel receptorome expression and screening via transcriptional output, with transcriptional activation following arrestin translocation (PRESTO-Tango)) for the simultaneous and parallel interrogation of the entire human nonolfactory GPCRome.

VectorBase: an updated bioinformatics resource for invertebrate vectors and other organisms related with human diseases

PubMed Central

Giraldo-Calderón, Gloria I.; Emrich, Scott J.; MacCallum, Robert M.; Maslen, Gareth; Dialynas, Emmanuel; Topalis, Pantelis; Ho, Nicholas; Gesing, Sandra; Madey, Gregory; Collins, Frank H.; Lawson, Daniel

2015-01-01

VectorBase is a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases supported Bioinformatics Resource Center (BRC) for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. Now in its 11th year, VectorBase currently hosts the genomes of 35 organisms including a number of non-vectors for comparative analysis. Hosted data range from genome assemblies with annotated gene features, transcript and protein expression data to population genetics including variation and insecticide-resistance phenotypes. Here we describe improvements to our resource and the set of tools available for interrogating and accessing BRC data including the integration of Web Apollo to facilitate community annotation and providing Galaxy to support user-based workflows. VectorBase also actively supports our community through hands-on workshops and online tutorials. All information and data are freely available from our website at https://www.vectorbase.org/. PMID:25510499

Measurement and analysis of gamma-rays emitted from spent nuclear fuel above 3 MeV.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Douglas C; Anderson, Elaina; Anderson, Kevin K; Campbell, Luke W; Fast, James E; Jarman, Kenneth; Kulisek, Jonathan; Orton, Christopher R; Runkle, Robert C; Stave, Sean

2013-12-01

The gamma-ray spectrum of spent nuclear fuel in the 3-6 MeV energy range is important for active interrogation since gamma rays emitted from nuclear decay are not expected to interfere with measurements in this energy region. There is, unfortunately, a dearth of empirical measurements from spent nuclear fuel in this region. This work is an initial attempt to partially fill this gap by presenting an analysis of gamma-ray spectra collected from a set of spent nuclear fuel sources using a high-purity germanium detector array. This multi-crystal array possesses a large collection volume, providing high energy resolution up to 16 MeV. The results of these measurements establish the continuum count-rate in the energy region between 3 and 6 MeV. Also assessed is the potential for peaks from passive emissions to interfere with peak measurements resulting from active interrogation delayed emissions. As one of the first documented empirical measurements of passive emissions from spent fuel for energies above 3 MeV, this work provides a foundation for active interrogation model validation and detector development. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison Of 252Cf Time Correlated Induced Fisssion With AmLi Induced Fission On Fresh MTR Research Reactor Fuel

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

Joshi, Jay Prakash

The effective application of international safeguards to research reactors requires verification of spent fuel as well as fresh fuel. To accomplish this goal various nondestructive and destructive assay techniques have been developed in the US and around the world. The Advanced Experimental Fuel Counter (AEFC) is a nondestructive assay (NDA) system developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) combining both neutron and gamma measurement capabilities. Since spent fuel assemblies are stored in water, the system was designed to be watertight to facilitate underwater measurements by inspectors. The AEFC is comprised of six 3He detectors as well as a shielded andmore » collimated ion chamber. The 3He detectors are used for active and passive neutron coincidence counting while the ion chamber is used for gross gamma counting. Active coincidence measurement data is used to measure residual fissile mass, whereas the passive coincidence measurement data along with passive gamma measurement can provide information about burnup, cooling time, and initial enrichment. In the past, most of the active interrogation systems along with the AEFC used an AmLi neutron interrogation source. Owing to the difficulty in obtaining an AmLi source, a 252Cf spontaneous fission (SF) source was used during a 2014 field trail in Uzbekistan as an alternative. In this study, experiments were performed to calibrate the AEFC instrument and compare use of the 252Cf spontaneous fission source and the AmLi (α,n) neutron emission source. The 252Cf source spontaneously emits bursts of time-correlated prompt fission neutrons that thermalize in the water and induce fission in the fuel assembly. The induced fission (IF) neutrons are also time correlated resulting in more correlated neutron detections inside the 3He detector, which helps reduce the statistical errors in doubles when using the 252Cf interrogation source instead of the AmLi source. In this work, two MTR fuel assemblies varying both in size and number of fuel plates were measured using 252Cf and AmLi active interrogation sources. This paper analyzes time correlated induced fission (TCIF) from fresh MTR fuel assemblies due to 252Cf and AmLi active interrogation sources.« less

Functional interrogation of non-coding DNA through CRISPR genome editing

PubMed Central

Canver, Matthew C.; Bauer, Daniel E.; Orkin, Stuart H.

2017-01-01

Methodologies to interrogate non-coding regions have lagged behind coding regions despite comprising the vast majority of the genome. However, the rapid evolution of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome editing has provided a multitude of novel techniques for laboratory investigation including significant contributions to the toolbox for studying non-coding DNA. CRISPR-mediated loss-of-function strategies rely on direct disruption of the underlying sequence or repression of transcription without modifying the targeted DNA sequence. CRISPR-mediated gain-of-function approaches similarly benefit from methods to alter the targeted sequence through integration of customized sequence into the genome as well as methods to activate transcription. Here we review CRISPR-based loss- and gain-of-function techniques for the interrogation of non-coding DNA. PMID:28288828

Enhancing the performance of a tensioned metastable fluid detector based active interrogation system for the detection of SNM in <1 m3 containers using a D-D neutron interrogation source in moderated/reflected geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grimes, T. F.; Hagen, A. R.; Archambault, B. C.; Taleyarkhan, R. P.

2018-03-01

This paper describes the development of a SNM detection system for interrogating 1m3 cargos via the combination of a D-D neutron interrogation source (with and without reflectors) and tensioned metastable fluid detectors (TMFDs). TMFDs have been previously shown (Taleyarkhan et al., 2008; Grimes et al., 2015; Grimes and Taleyarkhan, 2016; Archambault et al., 2017; Hagen et al., 2016) to be capable of using Threshold Energy Neutron Analysis (TENA) techniques to reject the ∼2.45 MeV D-D interrogating neutrons while still remaining sensitive to >2.45 MeV neutrons resulting from fission in the target (HEU) material. In order to enhance the performance, a paraffin reflector was included around the accelerator head. This reflector was used to direct neutrons into the package to increase the fission signal, lower the energy of the interrogating neutrons to increase the fission cross-section with HEU, and, also to direct interrogating neutrons away from the detectors in order to enhance the required discrimination between interrogating and fission neutrons. Experiments performed with a 239 Pu-Be neutron source and MnO2 indicated that impressive performance gains could be made by placing a parabolic paraffin moderator between the interrogation source and an air-filled cargo container with HEU placed at the center. However, experiments with other cargo fillers (as specified in the well-known ANSI N42.41-2007 report), and with HEU placed in locations other than the center of the package indicated that other reflector geometries might be superior due to over-"focusing" and the increased solid angle effects due to the accommodation of the moderator geometry. The best performance for the worst case of source location and box fill was obtained by placing the reflector only behind the D-D neutron source rather than in front of it. Finally, it was shown that there could be significant gains in the ability to detect concealed SNM by operating the system in multiple geometric configurations. Worst case scenarios were created by filling the box with hydrogenous material and placing the HEU as far away as possible from the neutron source. The performance of the system in the worst-case scenarios were greatly improved by exchanging the location of the accelerator and the opposite TMFD panel half way through interrogation. Using this operation, scenarios with positions of the concealed SNM that were once the most challenging to successfully detect became readily detectable.

An improved ATAC-seq protocol reduces background and enables interrogation of frozen tissues.

PubMed

Corces, M Ryan; Trevino, Alexandro E; Hamilton, Emily G; Greenside, Peyton G; Sinnott-Armstrong, Nicholas A; Vesuna, Sam; Satpathy, Ansuman T; Rubin, Adam J; Montine, Kathleen S; Wu, Beijing; Kathiria, Arwa; Cho, Seung Woo; Mumbach, Maxwell R; Carter, Ava C; Kasowski, Maya; Orloff, Lisa A; Risca, Viviana I; Kundaje, Anshul; Khavari, Paul A; Montine, Thomas J; Greenleaf, William J; Chang, Howard Y

2017-10-01

We present Omni-ATAC, an improved ATAC-seq protocol for chromatin accessibility profiling that works across multiple applications with substantial improvement of signal-to-background ratio and information content. The Omni-ATAC protocol generates chromatin accessibility profiles from archival frozen tissue samples and 50-μm sections, revealing the activities of disease-associated DNA elements in distinct human brain structures. The Omni-ATAC protocol enables the interrogation of personal regulomes in tissue context and translational studies.

Achievable Performance and Effective Interrogator Design for SAW RFID Sensor Tags

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton Richard J.

2012-01-01

For many NASA missions, remote sensing is a critical application that supports activities such as environmental monitoring, planetary science, structural shape and health monitoring, non-destructive evaluation, etc. The utility of the remote sensing devices themselves is greatly increased if they are passive V that is, they do not require any on-board power supply such as batteries V and if they can be identified uniquely during the sensor interrogation process. Additional passive sensor characteristics that enable greater utilization in space applications are small size and weight, long read ranges with low interrogator power, ruggedness, and operability in extreme environments (vacuum, extreme high/low temperature, high radiation, etc.) In this paper, we consider one very promising passive sensor technology, called surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio-frequency identification (RFID), that satisfies all of these criteria. In general, RFID is a method of identifying items using radio waves to interrogate tags encoded with a unique identifier that are affixed to the items of interest. In the case of passive tags, only the interrogator, which transmits power to the tags in the form of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation, requires access to a power supply. Passive RFID technologies are used today in many applications, including asset tracking and management, security and access control, and remote sensing. To date, most of the development and application in RFID technology has focused on either asset/inventory tracking and control or security and access control because these are the largest commercial application areas. Recently however, there has been growing interest in using passive RFID technology for remote sensing applications, and SAW devices are at the forefront of RFID sensing technology development. Although SAW RFID tags have great potential for use in numerous space-based remote sensing applications, the limited collision resolution capability of current generation tags limits the performance in a cluttered sensing environment. That is, as more SAW-based sensors are added to the environment, numerous tag responses are superimposed at the receiver and decoding all or even a subset of the telemetry becomes increasingly difficult. Background clutter generated by reflectors other than the sensors themselves is also a problem, as is multipath interference and signal distortion, but the limiting factor in many remote sensing applications can be expected to be tag mutual interference. This problem may be greatly mitigated by proper design of the SAW tag waveform, but that remains an open research problem, and in the meantime, several other related questions remain to be answered including: (1) What are the fundamental relationships between tag parameters such as bit-rate, time-bandwidth-product, SNR, and achievable collision resolution? (2) What are the differences in optimal or near-optimal interrogator designs between noise-limited environments and interference-limited environments? (3) What are the performance characteristics of different interrogator designs in term of parameters such as transmitter power level, range, and number of interfering tags? In this paper, we will present the results of a research effort aimed at providing at least partial answers to all of these questions.

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

Ballard, Sanford; Hipp, James; Kraus, Brian

GeoTess is a model parameterization and software support library that manages the construction, population, storage, and interrogation of data stored in 2D and 3D Earth models. Here, the software is available in Java and C++, with a C interface to the C++ library.

Monolithic integrated optic fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Edgar A.; Esterkin, Yan; Kempen, Cornelia; Sun, Songjian

2010-04-01

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are a mature sensing technology that has gained rapid acceptance in civil, aerospace, chemical and petrochemical, medicine, aviation and automotive industries. Fiber Bragg grating sensors can be use for a variety of measurements including strain, stress, vibration, acoustics, acceleration, pressure, temperature, moisture, and corrosion distributed at multiple locations within the structure using a single fiber element. The most prominent advantages of FBGs are: small size and light weight, multiple FBG transducers on a single fiber, and immunity to radio frequency interference. A major disadvantage of FBG technology is that conventional state-of-the-art fiber Bragg grating interrogation systems are typically bulky, heavy, and costly bench top instruments that are assembled from off-the-shelf fiber optic and optical components integrated with a signal electronics board into an instrument console. Based on the need for a compact FBG interrogation system, this paper describes recent progress towards the development of a miniature fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator (FBG-TransceiverTM) system based on multi-channel monolithic integrated optic sensor microchip technology. The integrated optic microchip technology enables the monolithic integration of all of the functionalities, both passive and active, of conventional bench top FBG sensor interrogators systems, packaged in a miniaturized, low power operation, 2-cm x 5-cm small form factor (SFF) package suitable for the long-term structural health monitoring in applications where size, weight, and power are critical for operation.

Using comprehension strategies with authentic text in a college chemistry course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cain, Stephen Daniel

College science students learn important topics by reading textbooks, which contain dense technical prose. Comprehension strategies are known to increase learning from reading. One class of comprehension strategies, called elaboration strategies, is intended to link new information with prior knowledge. Elaboration strategies have an appeal in science courses where new information frequently depends on previously learned information. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an elaboration strategy in an authentic college environment. General chemistry students read text about Lewis structures, figures drawn by chemists to depict molecules, while assigned to use either an elaboration strategy, namely elaborative interrogation, or another strategy, rereading, which served as a placebo control. Two texts of equal length were employed in this pretest-posttest experimental design. One was composed by the researcher. The other was an excerpt from a college textbook and contained a procedure for constructing Lewis structures. Students (N = 252) attending a large community college were randomly assigned to one of the two texts and assigned one of the two strategies. The elaborative interrogation strategy was implemented with instructions to answer why-questions posed throughout the reading. Answering why-questions has been hypothesized to activate prior knowledge of a topic, and thus to aid in cognitively connecting new material with prior knowledge. The rereading strategy was implemented with instructions to read text twice. The use of authentic text was one of only a few instances of applying elaborative interrogation with a textbook. In addition, previous studies have generally focused on the learning of facts contained in prose. The application of elaborative interrogation to procedural text has not been previously reported. Results indicated that the more effective strategy was undetermined when reading authentic text in this setting. However, prior knowledge level was identified as a statistically significant factor for learning from authentic text. That is, students with high prior knowledge learned more, regardless of assigned strategy. Another descriptive study was conducted with a separate student sample (N = 34). Previously reported Lewis structure research was replicated. The trend of difficulty for 50 structures in the earlier work was supported.

Active Interrogation of Depleted Uranium Using a Single Pulse, High-Intensity Photon and Mixed Photon-Neutron Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clemett, Ceri D.; Martin, Philip N.; Hill, Cassie; Threadgold, James R.; Maddock, Robert C.; Campbell, Ben; O'Malley, John; Woolf, Richard S.; Phlips, Bernard F.; Hutcheson, Anthony L.; Wulf, Eric A.; Zier, Jacob C.; Jackson, Stuart L.; Commisso, Robert J.; Schumer, Joseph W.

2015-04-01

Active interrogation is a method used to enhance the likelihood of detection of shielded special nuclear material (SNM); an external source of radiation is used to interrogate a target and to stimulate fission within any SNM present. Radiation produced by the fission process can be detected and used to infer the presence of the SNM. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have carried out a joint experimental study into the use of single pulse, high-intensity sources of bremsstrahlung x-rays and D(γb, n)H photoneutrons in an active interrogation system. The source was operated in both x-ray-only and mixed x-ray/photoneutron modes, and was used to irradiate a depleted uranium (DU) target which was enclosed by up to 150 g·cm - 2 of steel shielding. Resulting radiation signatures were measured by a suite of over 80 detectors and the data used to characterise detectable fission signatures as a function of the areal mass of the shielding. This paper describes the work carried out and discusses data collected with 3He proportional counters, NaI(Tl) scintillators and Eljen EJ-309 liquid scintillators. Results with the x-ray-only source demonstrate detection ( > 3\\sigmab) of the DU target through a minimum of 113 g·cm - 2 of steel, dropping to 85 g·cm- 2 when using a mixed x-ray/photoneutron source. The 3He proportional counters demonstrate detection ( > 3\\sigmab) of the DU target through the maximum 149. 7 g·cm - 2 steel shielding deployed for both photon and mixed x-ray/photoneutron sources.

Functional interrogation of non-coding DNA through CRISPR genome editing.

PubMed

Canver, Matthew C; Bauer, Daniel E; Orkin, Stuart H

2017-05-15

Methodologies to interrogate non-coding regions have lagged behind coding regions despite comprising the vast majority of the genome. However, the rapid evolution of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based genome editing has provided a multitude of novel techniques for laboratory investigation including significant contributions to the toolbox for studying non-coding DNA. CRISPR-mediated loss-of-function strategies rely on direct disruption of the underlying sequence or repression of transcription without modifying the targeted DNA sequence. CRISPR-mediated gain-of-function approaches similarly benefit from methods to alter the targeted sequence through integration of customized sequence into the genome as well as methods to activate transcription. Here we review CRISPR-based loss- and gain-of-function techniques for the interrogation of non-coding DNA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of electrolyte composition on the reactivity of a redox active polymer studied through surface interrogation and ion-sensitive scanning electrochemical microscopy.

PubMed

Burgess, Mark; Hernández-Burgos, Kenneth; Cheng, Kevin J; Moore, Jeffrey S; Rodríguez-López, Joaquín

2016-06-21

Elucidating the impact of interactions between the electrolyte and electroactive species in redox active polymers is key to designing better-performing electrodes for electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Here, we present on the improvement of the electrochemical activity of poly(para-nitrostyrene) (PNS) in solution and as a film by exploiting the ionic interactions between reduced PNS and K(+), which showed increased reactivity when compared to tetrabutylammonium (TBA(+))- and Li(+)-containing electrolytes. While cyclic voltammetry enabled the study of the effects of cations on the electrochemical reversibility and the reduction potential of PNS, scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) provided new tools to probe the ionic and redox reactivity of this system. Using an ion-sensitive Hg SECM tip allowed to probe the ingress of ions into PNS redox active films, while surface interrogation SECM (SI-SECM) measured the specific kinetics of PNS and a solution phase mediator in the presence of the tested electrolytes. SI-SECM measurements illustrated that the interrogation kinetics of PNS in the presence of K(+) compared to TBA(+) and Li(+) are greatly enhanced under the same surface concentration of adsorbed radical anion, exhibiting up to a 40-fold change in redox kinetics. We foresee using this new application of SECM methods for elucidating optimal interactions that enhance polymer reactivity for applications in redox flow batteries.

Polymerase chain reaction system

DOEpatents

Benett, William J.; Richards, James B.; Stratton, Paul L.; Hadley, Dean R.; Milanovich, Fred P.; Belgrader, Phil; Meyer, Peter L.

2004-03-02

A portable polymerase chain reaction DNA amplification and detection system includes one or more chamber modules. Each module supports a duplex assay of a biological sample. Each module has two parallel interrogation ports with a linear optical system. The system is capable of being handheld.

Theory and Performance of AIMS for Active Interrogation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walters, William J.; Royston, Katherine E. K.; Haghighat, Alireza

2014-06-01

A hybrid Monte Carlo and deterministic methodology has been developed for application to active interrogation systems. The methodology consists of four steps: i) determination of neutron flux distribution due to neutron source transport and subcritical multiplication; ii) generation of gamma source distribution from (n, γ) interactions; iii) determination of gamma current at a detector window; iv) detection of gammas by the detector. This paper discusses the theory and results of the first three steps for the case of a cargo container with a sphere of HEU in third-density water. In the first step, a response-function formulation has been developed to calculate the subcritical multiplication and neutron flux distribution. Response coefficients are pre-calculated using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The second step uses the calculated neutron flux distribution and Bugle-96 (n, γ) cross sections to find the resulting gamma source distribution. Finally, in the third step the gamma source distribution is coupled with a pre-calculated adjoint function to determine the gamma flux at a detector window. A code, AIMS (Active Interrogation for Monitoring Special-Nuclear-materials), has been written to output the gamma current for an source-detector assembly scanning across the cargo using the pre-calculated values and takes significantly less time than a reference MCNP5 calculation.

Amphetamine Elicits Opposing Actions on Readily Releasable and Reserve Pools for Dopamine

PubMed Central

Covey, Dan P.; Juliano, Steven A.; Garris, Paul A.

2013-01-01

Amphetamine, a highly addictive drug with therapeutic efficacy, exerts paradoxical effects on the fundamental communication modes employed by dopamine neurons in modulating behavior. While amphetamine elevates tonic dopamine signaling by depleting vesicular stores and driving non-exocytotic release through reverse transport, this psychostimulant also activates phasic dopamine signaling by up-regulating vesicular dopamine release. We hypothesized that these seemingly incongruent effects arise from amphetamine depleting the reserve pool and enhancing the readily releasable pool. This novel hypothesis was tested using in vivo voltammetry and stimulus trains of varying duration to access different vesicular stores. We show that amphetamine actions are stimulus dependent in the dorsal striatum. Specifically, amphetamine up-regulated vesicular dopamine release elicited by a short-duration train, which interrogates the readily releasable pool, but depleted release elicited by a long-duration train, which interrogates the reserve pool. These opposing actions of vesicular dopamine release were associated with concurrent increases in tonic and phasic dopamine responses. A link between vesicular depletion and tonic signaling was supported by results obtained for amphetamine in the ventral striatum and cocaine in both striatal sub-regions, which demonstrated augmented vesicular release and phasic signals only. We submit that amphetamine differentially targeting dopamine stores reconciles the paradoxical activation of tonic and phasic dopamine signaling. Overall, these results further highlight the unique and region-distinct cellular mechanisms of amphetamine and may have important implications for its addictive and therapeutic properties. PMID:23671560

Pedagogical Distance: Explaining Misalignment in Student-Driven Online Learning Activities Using Activity Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westberry, Nicola; Franken, Margaret

2015-01-01

This paper provides an Activity Theory analysis of two online student-driven interactive learning activities to interrogate assumptions that such groups can effectively learn in the absence of the teacher. Such an analysis conceptualises learning tasks as constructed objects that drive pedagogical activity. The analysis shows a disconnect between…

Police interviewing and interrogation of juvenile suspects: a descriptive examination of actual cases.

PubMed

Cleary, Hayley M D

2014-06-01

Although empirical attention to police interrogation has gained traction in recent years, comparatively few studies have examined interrogation of juvenile suspects, and virtually none have examined actual interrogations. Despite a growing literature on youths' interrogation-related capacities, we still know very little about what actually transpires when police question youth. The present study examines electronically recorded police interviews with juveniles to describe the characteristics, processes, and outcomes that occur in actual juvenile interrogations, including interview duration, individuals present, and confessions. Fifty-seven electronic recordings from 17 police departments were analyzed using observational research software. The median juvenile interrogation lasted 46 min, though the range was extensive (6 min to nearly 5 hr). Youth frequently submitted to questioning without a parent or advocate present, and disruptions to the interview process were common. Interrogation outcomes varied and included full confessions, partially incriminating admissions, and denials of guilt. Results from this study provide context for interrogation research using other methods and suggest that youth may frequently consent to interrogation in the absence of important legal protections.

A MHz speed wavelength sweeping for ultra-high speed FBG interrogation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Gyeong Hun; Lee, Hwi Don; Eom, Tae Joong; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Chang-Seok

2015-09-01

We demonstrated a MHz speed wavelength-swept fiber laser based on the active mode locking (AML) technique and applied to interrogation system of an array of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. MHz speed wavelength sweeping of wavelength-swept fiber laser can be obtained by programmable frequency modulation of the semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) without any wavelength tunable filter. Both static and dynamic strain measurement of FBG sensors were successfully characterized with high linearity of an R-square value of 0.9999 at sweeping speed of 50 kHz.

Optimal sensor placement for active guided wave interrogation of complex metallic components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coelho, Clyde K.; Kim, Seung Bum; Chattopadhyay, Aditi

2011-04-01

With research in structural health monitoring (SHM) moving towards increasingly complex structures for damage interrogation, the placement of sensors is becoming a key issue in the performance of the damage detection methodologies. For ultrasonic wave based approaches, this is especially important because of the sensitivity of the travelling Lamb waves to material properties, geometry and boundary conditions that may obscure the presence of damage if they are not taken into account during sensor placement. The framework proposed in this paper defines a sensing region for a pair of piezoelectric transducers in a pitch-catch damage detection approach by taking into account the material attenuation and probability of false alarm. Using information about the region interrogated by a sensoractuator pair, a simulated annealing optimization framework was implemented in order to place sensors on complex metallic geometries such that a selected minimum damage type and size could be detected with an acceptable probability of false alarm anywhere on the structure. This approach was demonstrated on a lug joint to detect a crack and on a large Naval SHM test bed and resulted in a placement of sensors that was able to interrogate all parts of the structure using the minimum number of transducers.

Asian American Student Engagement in Student Leadership and Activism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manzano, Lester J.; Poon, OiYan A.; Na, Vanessa S.

2017-01-01

Conceptual models for understanding the ways in which Asian American students engage in leadership and activism are interrogated. The chapter provides a discussion of implications for student affairs professionals working with Asian American student leaders and activists.

29 CFR 18.614 - Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge. 18.614... interrogation of witnesses by judge. (a) Calling by the judge. The judge may, on the judge's own motion or at... thus called. (b) Interrogation by the judge. The judge may interrogate witnesses, whether called by the...

29 CFR 18.614 - Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge. 18.614... interrogation of witnesses by judge. (a) Calling by the judge. The judge may, on the judge's own motion or at... thus called. (b) Interrogation by the judge. The judge may interrogate witnesses, whether called by the...

29 CFR 18.614 - Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge. 18.614... interrogation of witnesses by judge. (a) Calling by the judge. The judge may, on the judge's own motion or at... thus called. (b) Interrogation by the judge. The judge may interrogate witnesses, whether called by the...

29 CFR 18.614 - Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge. 18.614... interrogation of witnesses by judge. (a) Calling by the judge. The judge may, on the judge's own motion or at... thus called. (b) Interrogation by the judge. The judge may interrogate witnesses, whether called by the...

29 CFR 18.614 - Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Calling and interrogation of witnesses by judge. 18.614... interrogation of witnesses by judge. (a) Calling by the judge. The judge may, on the judge's own motion or at... thus called. (b) Interrogation by the judge. The judge may interrogate witnesses, whether called by the...

Technical Requirements Analysis and Control Systems (TRACS) Initial Operating Capability (IOC) documentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammond, Dana P.

1991-01-01

The Technical Requirements Analysis and Control Systems (TRACS) software package is described. TRACS offers supplemental tools for the analysis, control, and interchange of project requirements. This package provides the fundamental capability to analyze and control requirements, serves a focal point for project requirements, and integrates a system that supports efficient and consistent operations. TRACS uses relational data base technology (ORACLE) in a stand alone or in a distributed environment that can be used to coordinate the activities required to support a project through its entire life cycle. TRACS uses a set of keyword and mouse driven screens (HyperCard) which imposes adherence through a controlled user interface. The user interface provides an interactive capability to interrogate the data base and to display or print project requirement information. TRACS has a limited report capability, but can be extended with PostScript conventions.

MAHLI at the Rocknest sand shadow: Science and science-enabling activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minitti, M. E.; Kah, L. C.; Yingst, R. A.; Edgett, K. S.; Anderson, R. C.; Beegle, L. W.; Carsten, J. L.; Deen, R. G.; Goetz, W.; Hardgrove, C.; Harker, D. E.; Herkenhoff, K. E.; Hurowitz, J. A.; Jandura, L.; Kennedy, M. R.; Kocurek, G.; Krezoski, G. M.; Kuhn, S. R.; Limonadi, D.; Lipkaman, L.; Madsen, M. B.; Olson, T. S.; Robinson, M. L.; Rowland, S. K.; Rubin, D. M.; Seybold, C.; Schieber, J.; Schmidt, M.; Sumner, D. Y.; Tompkins, V. V.; Van Beek, J. K.; Van Beek, T.

2013-11-01

Martian solar days 57-100, the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover acquired and processed a solid (sediment) sample and analyzed its mineralogy and geochemistry with the Chemistry and Mineralogy and Sample Analysis at Mars instruments. An aeolian deposit—herein referred to as the Rocknest sand shadow—was inferred to represent a global average soil composition and selected for study to facilitate integration of analytical results with observations from earlier missions. During first-time activities, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) was used to support both science and engineering activities related to sample assessment, collection, and delivery. Here we report on MAHLI activities that directly supported sample analysis and provide MAHLI observations regarding the grain-scale characteristics of the Rocknest sand shadow. MAHLI imaging confirms that the Rocknest sand shadow is one of a family of bimodal aeolian accumulations on Mars—similar to the coarse-grained ripples interrogated by the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity—in which a surface veneer of coarse-grained sediment stabilizes predominantly fine-grained sediment of the deposit interior. The similarity in grain size distribution of these geographically disparate deposits support the widespread occurrence of bimodal aeolian transport on Mars. We suggest that preservation of bimodal aeolian deposits may be characteristic of regions of active deflation, where winnowing of the fine-sediment fraction results in a relatively low sediment load and a preferential increase in the coarse-grained fraction of the sediment load. The compositional similarity of Martian aeolian deposits supports the potential for global redistribution of fine-grained components, combined with potential local contributions.

Metabolic interrogation as a tool to optimize chemotherapeutic regimens.

PubMed

Sandulache, Vlad C; Chen, Yunyun; Feng, Lei; William, William N; Skinner, Heath D; Myers, Jeffrey N; Meyn, Raymond E; Li, Jinzhong; Mijiti, Ainiwaer; Bankson, James A; Fuller, Clifton D; Konopleva, Marina Y; Lai, Stephen Y

2017-03-14

Platinum-based (Pt) chemotherapy is broadly utilized in the treatment of cancer. Development of more effective, personalized treatment strategies require identification of novel biomarkers of treatment response. Since Pt compounds are inactivated through cellular metabolic activity, we hypothesized that metabolic interrogation can predict the effectiveness of Pt chemotherapy in a pre-clinical model of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).We tested the effects of cisplatin (CDDP) and carboplatin (CBP) on DNA damage, activation of cellular death cascades and tumor cell metabolism, specifically lactate production. Pt compounds induced an acute dose-dependent, transient drop in lactate generation in vitro, which correlated with effects on DNA damage and cell death. Neutralization of free radical stress abrogated these effects. The magnitude of this effect on lactate production correlated with the differential sensitivity of HNSCC cells to Pt compounds (CDDP vs CBP) and p53-driven Pt chemotherapy resistance. Using dual flank xenograft tumors, we demonstrated that Pt-driven effects on lactate levels correlate with effects on tumor growth delay in a dose-dependent manner and that lactate levels can define the temporal profile of Pt chemotherapy-induced metabolic stress. Lactate interrogation also predicted doxorubicin effects on cell death in both solid tumor (HNSCC) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell lines.Real-time metabolic interrogation of acute changes in cell and tumor lactate levels reflects chemotherapy effects on DNA damage, cell death and tumor growth delay. We have identified a real-time biomarker of chemotherapy effectiveness which can be used to develop adaptive, iterative and personalized treatment regimens against a variety of solid and hematopoietic malignancies.

Metabolic interrogation as a tool to optimize chemotherapeutic regimens

PubMed Central

Feng, Lei; William, William N.; Skinner, Heath D.; Myers, Jeffrey N.; Meyn, Raymond E.; Li, Jinzhong; Mijiti, Ainiwaer; Bankson, James A.; Fuller, Clifton D.; Konopleva, Marina Y.; Lai, Stephen Y.

2017-01-01

Platinum-based (Pt) chemotherapy is broadly utilized in the treatment of cancer. Development of more effective, personalized treatment strategies require identification of novel biomarkers of treatment response. Since Pt compounds are inactivated through cellular metabolic activity, we hypothesized that metabolic interrogation can predict the effectiveness of Pt chemotherapy in a pre-clinical model of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We tested the effects of cisplatin (CDDP) and carboplatin (CBP) on DNA damage, activation of cellular death cascades and tumor cell metabolism, specifically lactate production. Pt compounds induced an acute dose-dependent, transient drop in lactate generation in vitro, which correlated with effects on DNA damage and cell death. Neutralization of free radical stress abrogated these effects. The magnitude of this effect on lactate production correlated with the differential sensitivity of HNSCC cells to Pt compounds (CDDP vs CBP) and p53-driven Pt chemotherapy resistance. Using dual flank xenograft tumors, we demonstrated that Pt-driven effects on lactate levels correlate with effects on tumor growth delay in a dose-dependent manner and that lactate levels can define the temporal profile of Pt chemotherapy-induced metabolic stress. Lactate interrogation also predicted doxorubicin effects on cell death in both solid tumor (HNSCC) and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cell lines. Real-time metabolic interrogation of acute changes in cell and tumor lactate levels reflects chemotherapy effects on DNA damage, cell death and tumor growth delay. We have identified a real-time biomarker of chemotherapy effectiveness which can be used to develop adaptive, iterative and personalized treatment regimens against a variety of solid and hematopoietic malignancies. PMID:28184025

Development and application of a hybrid transport methodology for active interrogation systems

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

Royston, K.; Walters, W.; Haghighat, A.

A hybrid Monte Carlo and deterministic methodology has been developed for application to active interrogation systems. The methodology consists of four steps: i) neutron flux distribution due to neutron source transport and subcritical multiplication; ii) generation of gamma source distribution from (n, 7) interactions; iii) determination of gamma current at a detector window; iv) detection of gammas by the detector. This paper discusses the theory and results of the first three steps for the case of a cargo container with a sphere of HEU in third-density water cargo. To complete the first step, a response-function formulation has been developed tomore » calculate the subcritical multiplication and neutron flux distribution. Response coefficients are pre-calculated using the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code. The second step uses the calculated neutron flux distribution and Bugle-96 (n, 7) cross sections to find the resulting gamma source distribution. In the third step the gamma source distribution is coupled with a pre-calculated adjoint function to determine the gamma current at a detector window. The AIMS (Active Interrogation for Monitoring Special-Nuclear-Materials) software has been written to output the gamma current for a source-detector assembly scanning across a cargo container using the pre-calculated values and taking significantly less time than a reference MCNP5 calculation. (authors)« less

GeoTess: A generalized Earth model software utility

DOE PAGES

Ballard, Sanford; Hipp, James; Kraus, Brian; ...

2016-03-23

GeoTess is a model parameterization and software support library that manages the construction, population, storage, and interrogation of data stored in 2D and 3D Earth models. Here, the software is available in Java and C++, with a C interface to the C++ library.

Smart Cards for Transit : Multi-Use Remotely Interrogated Stored-Data Cards for Fare and Toll Payment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-04-01

This project developed relevant information on existing and future, stored readable/writable data card technology for fare and toll payments. The project supports the FTA objective of developing a plan for a common standard card-based fare payment sy...

A pilot study of implantable cardiac device interrogation by emergency department personnel.

PubMed

Neuenschwander, James F; Hiestand, Brian C; Peacock, W Frank; Billings, John M; Sondrup, Cole; Hummel, John D; Abraham, William T

2014-03-01

Implanted devices (eg, pacemakers and defibrillators) provide valuable information and may be interrogated to obtain diagnostic information and to direct management. During admission to an emergency department (ED), significant time and cost are spent waiting for device manufacturer representatives or cardiologists to access the data. If ED personnel could safely interrogate implanted devices, more rapid disposition could occur, thus leading to potentially better outcomes at a reduced cost. This was a pilot study examining the feasibility of ED device interrogation. This was a prospective convenience sample study of patients presenting to the ED with any chief complaint and who had an implantable device capable of being interrogated by a Medtronic reader. After obtaining informed consent, study patients underwent device interrogation by ED research personnel. After reviewing the device data, the physician documented their opinions of the value of data in aiding care. Patients were followed up at intervals ranging from 30 days out to 1 year to determine adverse events relating to interrogation. Forty-four patients underwent device interrogation. Their mean age was 56 ± 14.7 years (range, 28-83), 75% (33/44) were male and 75% (33/44) were hospitalized from the ED. The interrogations took less than 10 minutes 89% of the time. In 60% of the cases, ED physicians reported the data-assisted patient care. No adverse events were reported relating to the ED interrogations. In this pilot study, we found that ED personnel can safely and quickly interrogate implantable devices to obtain potentially useful clinical data.

48 CFR 237.173-3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... advisors to interrogators, in interrogations of detainees if— (1) Such personnel are subject to the same...); and DoD Directive 3115.09, DoD Intelligence Interrogations, Detainee Debriefings, and Tactical... and interrogations as those that apply to Government personnel in such positions in such...

48 CFR 237.173-3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... advisors to interrogators, in interrogations of detainees if— (1) Such personnel are subject to the same...); and DoD Directive 3115.09, DoD Intelligence Interrogations, Detainee Debriefings, and Tactical... and interrogations as those that apply to Government personnel in such positions in such...

48 CFR 237.173-3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... advisors to interrogators, in interrogations of detainees if— (1) Such personnel are subject to the same...); and DoD Directive 3115.09, DoD Intelligence Interrogations, Detainee Debriefings, and Tactical... and interrogations as those that apply to Government personnel in such positions in such...

48 CFR 237.173-3 - Policy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... advisors to interrogators, in interrogations of detainees if— (1) Such personnel are subject to the same...); and DoD Directive 3115.09, DoD Intelligence Interrogations, Detainee Debriefings, and Tactical... and interrogations as those that apply to Government personnel in such positions in such...

[A metapsychological reading of questioning by police and during criminal investigations].

PubMed

Sztulman, H; Rousseaux, N

1990-01-01

The pursuit and reception of a confession during police interrogation and cross examination lead to a dynamic interaction between interrogator and interrogated which can be examined under the light of psychoanalytical concepts. This reference framework enables a reading of the different positions occupied by the interrogator with regard to the interrogated, and allows to understand certain mechanisms in the arrival of a confession as well as some of its effects.

BSM (+BMM) Data Emulator Dynamic Interrogative Data Capture (DIDC) Assessment Report: Proof of Concept

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

The report documents the study conducted as part of the BSM+BMM Data Emulator project, to examine the DIDC concept and determine the best set of DIDC parameters that provide the most support to the performance measure estimation process with the leas...

76 FR 44282 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-25

..., 2011. Three respondents provided comments on the interim rule. II. Discussion and Analysis A summary of... Comment: Three respondents provided comments supporting the idea that establishing an effective system of... by reiterating this language in the DFARS. C. Clarity of Definitions Comment: One respondent...

Cultivating Critical Reflection: Educators Making Sense and Meaning of Professional Identity and Relational Dynamics in Complex Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Ann

2017-01-01

Critical reflection underpins socially just and inclusive practices that are distinguishing features of democratic learning communities. Critical reflection supports educators' interrogation of the underlying assumptions, intentions, values and beliefs that shape their worldview and sociocultural standpoint. Dominant sociocultural norms…

32 CFR 637.21 - Recording interviews and interrogations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Recording interviews and interrogations. 637.21 Section 637.21 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW... interviews and interrogations. The recording of interviews and interrogations by military police personnel is...

32 CFR 637.21 - Recording interviews and interrogations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Recording interviews and interrogations. 637.21 Section 637.21 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW... interviews and interrogations. The recording of interviews and interrogations by military police personnel is...

32 CFR 637.21 - Recording interviews and interrogations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Recording interviews and interrogations. 637.21 Section 637.21 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW... interviews and interrogations. The recording of interviews and interrogations by military police personnel is...

32 CFR 637.21 - Recording interviews and interrogations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Recording interviews and interrogations. 637.21 Section 637.21 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW... interviews and interrogations. The recording of interviews and interrogations by military police personnel is...

32 CFR 637.21 - Recording interviews and interrogations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Recording interviews and interrogations. 637.21 Section 637.21 National Defense Department of Defense (Continued) DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY (CONTINUED) LAW... interviews and interrogations. The recording of interviews and interrogations by military police personnel is...

Fiber-MZI-based FBG sensor interrogation: comparative study with a CCD spectrometer.

PubMed

Das, Bhargab; Chandra, Vikash

2016-10-10

We present an experimental comparative study of the two most commonly used fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation techniques: a charge-coupled device (CCD) spectrometer and a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (F-MZI). Although the interferometric interrogation technique is historically known to offer the highest sensitivity measurements, very little information exists regarding how it compares with the current commercially available spectral-characteristics-based interrogation systems. It is experimentally established here that the performance of a modern-day CCD spectrometer interrogator is very close to a F-MZI interrogator with the capability of measuring Bragg wavelength shifts with sub-picometer-level accuracy. The results presented in this research study can further be used as a guideline for choosing between the two FBG sensor interrogator types for small-amplitude dynamic perturbation measurements down to nano-level strain.

29 CFR 18.611 - Mode and order of interrogation and presentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Mode and order of interrogation and presentation. 18.611... of interrogation and presentation. (a) Control by judge. The judge shall exercise reasonable control... interrogation and presentation effective for the ascertainment of the truth, (2) Avoid needless consumption of...

48 CFR 252.237-7010 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 252.237-7010 Section 252.237-7010 Federal Acquisition... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. As prescribed in 237.173-5, use the following clause: Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by Contractor Personnel ((JUN 2013)) (a) Definitions. As used in...

Interactions among Elaborative Interrogation, Knowledge, and Interest in the Process of Constructing Knowledge from Text

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozgungor, Sevgi; Guthrie, John T.

2004-01-01

The authors examined the impact of elaborative interrogation on knowledge construction during expository text reading, specifically, the interactions among elaborative interrogation, knowledge, and interest. Three measures of learning were taken: recall, inference, and coherence. Elaborative interrogation affected all aspects of learning measured,…

29 CFR 18.611 - Mode and order of interrogation and presentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Mode and order of interrogation and presentation. 18.611... of interrogation and presentation. (a) Control by judge. The judge shall exercise reasonable control... interrogation and presentation effective for the ascertainment of the truth, (2) Avoid needless consumption of...

29 CFR 18.611 - Mode and order of interrogation and presentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Mode and order of interrogation and presentation. 18.611... of interrogation and presentation. (a) Control by judge. The judge shall exercise reasonable control... interrogation and presentation effective for the ascertainment of the truth, (2) Avoid needless consumption of...

48 CFR 252.237-7010 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 252.237-7010 Section 252.237-7010 Federal Acquisition... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. As prescribed in 237.173-5, use the following clause: Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by Contractor Personnel ((JUN 2013)) (a) Definitions. As used in...

25 CFR 11.303 - Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation. 11.303 Section 11.303 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER... to custodial interrogation. Prior to custodial interrogation, the suspect shall be advised of the...

25 CFR 11.303 - Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation. 11.303 Section 11.303 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER... to custodial interrogation. Prior to custodial interrogation, the suspect shall be advised of the...

29 CFR 18.611 - Mode and order of interrogation and presentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Mode and order of interrogation and presentation. 18.611... of interrogation and presentation. (a) Control by judge. The judge shall exercise reasonable control... interrogation and presentation effective for the ascertainment of the truth, (2) Avoid needless consumption of...

25 CFR 11.303 - Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation. 11.303 Section 11.303 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER... to custodial interrogation. Prior to custodial interrogation, the suspect shall be advised of the...

29 CFR 18.611 - Mode and order of interrogation and presentation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Mode and order of interrogation and presentation. 18.611... of interrogation and presentation. (a) Control by judge. The judge shall exercise reasonable control... interrogation and presentation effective for the ascertainment of the truth, (2) Avoid needless consumption of...

25 CFR 11.303 - Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation. 11.303 Section 11.303 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER... to custodial interrogation. Prior to custodial interrogation, the suspect shall be advised of the...

25 CFR 11.303 - Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Notification of rights prior to custodial interrogation. 11.303 Section 11.303 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAW AND ORDER... to custodial interrogation. Prior to custodial interrogation, the suspect shall be advised of the...

Improving Reasoning and Recall: The Differential Effects of Elaborative Interrogation and Mnemonic Elaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scruggs, Thomas E.; And Others

1993-01-01

Fifty-three adolescents with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation were taught reasons for dinosaur extinction. Those taught in a mnemonic elaborative interrogation condition recalled more reasons than did students who received direct teaching. Students in elaborative interrogation and mnemonic elaborative interrogation groups recalled…

Goals, dilemmas and assumptions in infant feeding education and support. Applying theory of constraints thinking tools to develop new priorities for action.

PubMed

Trickey, Heather; Newburn, Mary

2014-01-01

Three important infant feeding support problems are addressed: (1) mothers who use formula milk can feel undersupported and judged; (2) mothers can feel underprepared for problems with breastfeeding; and (3) many mothers who might benefit from breastfeeding support do not access help. Theory of constraints (TOC) is used to examine these problems in relation to ante-natal education and post-natal support. TOC suggests that long-standing unresolved problems or 'undesirable effects' in any system (in this case a system to provide education and support) are caused by conflicts, or dilemmas, within the system, which might not be explicitly acknowledged. Potential solutions are missed by failure to question assumptions which, when interrogated, often turn out to be invalid. Three core dilemmas relating to the three problems are identified, articulated and explored using TOC methodology. These are whether to: (1) promote feeding choice or to promote breastfeeding; (2) present breastfeeding positively, as straightforward and rewarding, or focus on preparing mothers for problems; and (3) offer support proactively or ensure that mothers themselves initiate requests for support. Assumptions are identified and interrogated, leading to clarified priorities for action relating to each problem. These are (1) shift the focus from initial decision-making towards support for mothers throughout their feeding journeys, enabling and protecting decisions to breastfeed as one aspect of ongoing support; (2) to promote the concept of an early-weeks investment and adjustment period during which breastfeeding is established; and (3) to develop more proactive mother-centred models of support for all forms of infant feeding. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Duplex Interrogation by a Direct DNA Repair Protein in Search of Base Damage

PubMed Central

Yi, Chengqi; Chen, Baoen; Qi, Bo; Zhang, Wen; Jia, Guifang; Zhang, Liang; Li, Charles J.; Dinner, Aaron R.; Yang, Cai-Guang; He, Chuan

2012-01-01

ALKBH2 is a direct DNA repair dioxygenase guarding mammalian genome against N1-methyladenine, N3-methylcytosine, and 1,N6-ethenoadenine damage. A prerequisite for repair is to identify these lesions in the genome. Here we present crystal structures of ALKBH2 bound to different duplex DNAs. Together with computational and biochemical analyses, our results suggest that DNA interrogation by ALKBH2 displays two novel features: i) ALKBH2 probes base-pair stability and detects base pairs with reduced stability; ii) ALKBH2 does not have nor need a “damage-checking site”, which is critical for preventing spurious base-cleavage for several glycosylases. The demethylation mechanism of ALKBH2 insures that only cognate lesions are oxidized and reversed to normal bases, and that a flipped, non-substrate base remains intact in the active site. Overall, the combination of duplex interrogation and oxidation chemistry allows ALKBH2 to detect and process diverse lesions efficiently and correctly. PMID:22659876

Laser interrogation techniques for high-sensitivity strain sensing by fiber-Bragg-grating structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagliardi, G.; Salza, M.; Ferraro, P.; De Natale, P.

2017-11-01

Novel interrogation methods for static and dynamic measurements of mechanical deformations by fiber Bragg-gratings (FBGs) structures are presented. The sensor-reflected radiation gives information on suffered strain, with a sensitivity dependent on the interrogation setup. Different approaches have been carried out, based on laser-frequency modulation techniques and near-IR lasers, to measure strain in single-FBG and in resonant high-reflectivity FBG arrays. In particular, for the fiber resonator, the laser frequency is actively locked to the cavity resonances by the Pound-Drever-Hall technique, thus tracking any frequency change due to deformations. The loop error and correction signals fed back to the laser are used as strain monitor. Sensitivity limits vary between 200 nɛ/√Hz in the quasi-static domain (0.5÷2 Hz), and between 1 and 4 nɛ/√Hz in the 0.4-1 kHz range for the single-FBG scheme, while strain down to 50 pɛ can be detected by using the laser-cavity-locked method.

Array of nucleic acid probes on biological chips for diagnosis of HIV and methods of using the same

DOEpatents

Chee, Mark; Gingeras, Thomas R.; Fodor, Stephen P. A.; Hubble, Earl A.; Morris, MacDonald S.

1999-01-19

The invention provides an array of oligonucleotide probes immobilized on a solid support for analysis of a target sequence from a human immunodeficiency virus. The array comprises at least four sets of oligonucleotide probes 9 to 21 nucleotides in length. A first probe set has a probe corresponding to each nucleotide in a reference sequence from a human immunodeficiency virus. A probe is related to its corresponding nucleotide by being exactly complementary to a subsequence of the reference sequence that includes the corresponding nucleotide. Thus, each probe has a position, designated an interrogation position, that is occupied by a complementary nucleotide to the corresponding nucleotide. The three additional probe sets each have a corresponding probe for each probe in the first probe set. Thus, for each nucleotide in the reference sequence, there are four corresponding probes, one from each of the probe sets. The three corresponding probes in the three additional probe sets are identical to the corresponding probe from the first probe or a subsequence thereof that includes the interrogation position, except that the interrogation position is occupied by a different nucleotide in each of the four corresponding probes.

MEMS Fabry-Perot sensor interrogated by optical system-on-a-chip for simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing.

PubMed

Pang, Cheng; Bae, Hyungdae; Gupta, Ashwani; Bryden, Kenneth; Yu, Miao

2013-09-23

We present a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) based Fabry-Perot (FP) sensor along with an optical system-on-a-chip (SOC) interrogator for simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing. The sensor employs a simple structure with an air-backed silicon membrane cross-axially bonded to a 45° polished optical fiber. This structure renders two cascaded FP cavities, enabling simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing in close proximity along the optical axis. The optical SOC consists of a broadband source, a MEMS FP tunable filter, a photodetector, and the supporting circuitry, serving as a miniature spectrometer for retrieving the two FP cavity lengths. Within the measured pressure and temperature ranges, experimental results demonstrate that the sensor exhibits a good linear response to external pressure and temperature changes.

48 CFR 252.237-7010 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 252.237-7010 Section 252.237-7010 Federal Acquisition... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. As prescribed in 237.173-5, use the following clause: Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by Contractor Personnel (NOV 2010) (a) Definitions. As used in this...

8 CFR 343b.3 - Interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interrogation. 343b.3 Section 343b.3 Aliens... NATURALIZATION FOR RECOGNITION BY A FOREIGN STATE § 343b.3 Interrogation. When Form N-565 presents a prima facie... issuance of the certificate. Interrogation of the applicant shall be conducted before the application is...

14 CFR 91.215 - ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... interrogations with the code specified by ATC, or a Mode S capability, replying to Mode 3/A interrogations with the code specified by ATC and intermode and Mode S interrogations in accordance with the applicable... equipment having a Mode C capability that automatically replies to Mode C interrogations by transmitting...

8 CFR 343b.3 - Interrogation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 8 Aliens and Nationality 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Interrogation. 343b.3 Section 343b.3 Aliens... NATURALIZATION FOR RECOGNITION BY A FOREIGN STATE § 343b.3 Interrogation. When Form N-565 presents a prima facie... issuance of the certificate. Interrogation of the applicant shall be conducted before the application is...

14 CFR 91.215 - ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... interrogations with the code specified by ATC, or a Mode S capability, replying to Mode 3/A interrogations with the code specified by ATC and intermode and Mode S interrogations in accordance with the applicable... equipment having a Mode C capability that automatically replies to Mode C interrogations by transmitting...

14 CFR 91.215 - ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... interrogations with the code specified by ATC, or a Mode S capability, replying to Mode 3/A interrogations with the code specified by ATC and intermode and Mode S interrogations in accordance with the applicable... equipment having a Mode C capability that automatically replies to Mode C interrogations by transmitting...

14 CFR 91.215 - ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... interrogations with the code specified by ATC, or a Mode S capability, replying to Mode 3/A interrogations with the code specified by ATC and intermode and Mode S interrogations in accordance with the applicable... equipment having a Mode C capability that automatically replies to Mode C interrogations by transmitting...

14 CFR 91.215 - ATC transponder and altitude reporting equipment and use.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... interrogations with the code specified by ATC, or a Mode S capability, replying to Mode 3/A interrogations with the code specified by ATC and intermode and Mode S interrogations in accordance with the applicable... equipment having a Mode C capability that automatically replies to Mode C interrogations by transmitting...

48 CFR 252.237-7010 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 252.237-7010 Section 252.237-7010 Federal Acquisition... interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. As prescribed in 237.173-5, use the following clause: PROHIBITION ON INTERROGATION OF DETAINEES BY CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL (NOV 2010) (a) Definitions. As used in this...

Police training in interviewing and interrogation methods: A comparison of techniques used with adult and juvenile suspects.

PubMed

Cleary, Hayley M D; Warner, Todd C

2016-06-01

Despite empirical progress in documenting and classifying various interrogation techniques, very little is known about how police are trained in interrogation methods, how frequently they use various techniques, and whether they employ techniques differentially with adult versus juvenile suspects. This study reports the nature and extent of formal (e.g., Reid Technique, PEACE, HUMINT) and informal interrogation training as well as self-reported technique usage in a diverse national sample (N = 340) of experienced American police officers. Officers were trained in a variety of different techniques ranging from comparatively benign pre-interrogation strategies (e.g., building rapport, observing body language or speech patterns) to more psychologically coercive techniques (e.g., blaming the victim, discouraging denials). Over half the sample reported being trained to use psychologically coercive techniques with both adults and juveniles. The majority (91%) receive informal, "on the job" interrogation training. Technique usage patterns indicate a spectrum of psychological intensity where information-gathering approaches were used most frequently and high-pressure tactics less frequently. Reid-trained officers (56%) were significantly more likely than officers without Reid training to use pre-interrogation and manipulation techniques. Across all analyses and techniques, usage patterns were identical for adult and juvenile suspects, suggesting that police interrogate youth in the same manner as adults. Overall, results suggest that training in specific interrogation methods is strongly associated with usage. Findings underscore the need for more law enforcement interrogation training in general, especially with juvenile suspects, and highlight the value of training as an avenue for reducing interrogation-induced miscarriages of justice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Towards isozyme-selective HDAC inhibitors for interrogating disease.

PubMed

Gupta, Praveer; Reid, Robert C; Iyer, Abishek; Sweet, Matthew J; Fairlie, David P

2012-01-01

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes have emerged as promising targets for the treatment of a wide range of human diseases, including cancers, inflammatory and metabolic disorders, immunological, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. At present, such applications are limited by the lack of selective inhibitors available for each of the eighteen HDAC enzymes, with most currently available HDAC inhibitors having broad-spectrum activity against multiple HDAC enzymes. Such broad-spectrum activity maybe useful in treating some diseases like cancers, but can be detrimental due to cytotoxic side effects that accompany prolonged treatment of chronic diseased states. Here we summarize progress towards the design and discovery of HDAC inhibitors that are selective for some of the eleven zinc-containing classical HDAC enzymes, and identify opportunities to use such isozyme-selective inhibitors as chemical probes for interrogating the biological roles of individual HDAC enzymes in diseases.

Detection of fissionable materials in cargoes using monochromatic photon radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danagoulian, Areg; Lanza, Richard; O'Day, Buckley; LNSP Team

2015-04-01

The detection of Special Nuclear Materials (e.g. Pu and U) and nuclear devices in the commercial cargo traffic is one of the challenges posed by the threat of nuclear terrorism. Radiography and active interrogation of heavily loaded cargoes require ~ 1 - 10MeV photons for penetration. In a proof-of-concept system under development at MIT, the interrogating monochromatic photon beam is produced via a 11B(d , nγ) 12C reaction. To achieve this, a boron target is used along with the 3 MeV d+ RFQ accelerator at MIT-Bates. The reactions results in the emission of very narrow 4.4 MeV and 15.1 MeV gammas lines. The photons, after traversing the cargo, are detected by an array of NaI(Tl) detectors. A spectral analysis of the transmitted gammas allows to independently determine the areal density and the atomic number (Z) of the cargo. The proposed approach could revolutionize cargo inspection, which, in its current fielded form has to rely on simple but high dose bremsstrahlung sources. Use of monochromatic sources would significantly reduce the necessary dose and allow for better determination of the cargo's atomic number. The general methodology will be described and the preliminary results from the proof-of-concept system will be presented and discussed. Supported by NSF/DNDO Collaborative Research ARI-LA Award ECCS-1348328.

Lies and coercion: why psychiatrists should not participate in police and intelligence interrogations.

PubMed

Janofsky, Jeffrey S

2006-01-01

Police interrogators routinely use deceptive techniques to obtain confessions from criminal suspects. The United States Executive Branch has attempted to justify coercive interrogation techniques in which physical or mental pain and suffering may be used during intelligence interrogations of persons labeled unlawful combatants. It may be appropriate for law enforcement, military, or intelligence personnel who are not physicians to use such techniques. However, forensic psychiatry ethical practice requires honesty, striving for objectivity, and respect for persons. Deceptive and coercive interrogation techniques violate these moral values. When a psychiatrist directly uses, works with others who use, or trains others to use deceptive or coercive techniques to obtain information in police, military, or intelligence interrogations, the psychiatrist breaches basic principles of ethics.

Teacher Quality, Appraisal and Development: The Flaws in the IQMS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Clerq, Francine

2008-01-01

This article addresses the issue of how to monitor and develop the quality of teaching in schools by identifying the international lessons of teacher appraisal, monitoring and support systems and by interrogating the recently introduced South African Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS). The aim is to show why teacher monitoring and…

Students' Imaginings of Spaces of Learning in Outdoor and Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, Lou

2014-01-01

In this article, I interrogate students' stories about the spaces and places in a tertiary Outdoor and Environmental Education course that support and shape their environmental ethics. Drawing on a longitudinal qualitative study, I explore the ways in which particular sites of learning (outdoor, practical learning) are privileged and how…

Blurring Boundaries within Mathematics Education: Prospective K-8 Teachers Interrogating Intersectional Identities, Narratives, and Positionings in Out-of-School Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guzman, Lynette DeAun

2017-01-01

Mathematics teacher noticing as a pedagogical practice--attending to, interpreting, and responding to children's mathematical thinking--is growing within mathematics education communities. Much of the research literature primarily focuses on supporting teacher noticing of children's mathematical thinking within classroom contexts, such as…

Safety and efficiency of emergency department interrogation of cardiac devices

PubMed Central

Neuenschwander, James F.; Peacock, W. Frank; Migeed, Madgy; Hunter, Sara A.; Daughtery, John C.; McCleese, Ian C.; Hiestand, Brian C.

2016-01-01

Objective Patients with implanted cardiac devices may wait extended periods for interrogation in emergency departments (EDs). Our purpose was to determine if device interrogation could be done safely and faster by ED staff. Methods Prospective randomized, standard therapy controlled, trial of ED staff device interrogation vs. standard process (SP), with 30-day follow-up. Eligibility criteria: ED presentation with a self-report of a potential device related complaint, with signed informed consent. SP interrogation was by company representative or hospital employee. Results Of 60 patients, 42 (70%) were male, all were white, with a median (interquartile range) age of 71 (64 to 82) years. No patient was lost to follow up. Of all patients, 32 (53%) were enrolled during business hours. The overall median (interquartile range) ED vs. SP time to interrogation was 98.5 (40 to 260) vs. 166.5 (64 to 412) minutes (P=0.013). While ED and SP interrogation times were similar during business hours, 102 (59 to 138) vs. 105 (64 to 172) minutes (P=0.62), ED interrogation times were shorter vs. SP during non-business hours; 97 (60 to 126) vs. 225 (144 to 412) minutes, P=0.002, respectively. There was no difference in ED length of stay between the ED and SP interrogation, 249 (153 to 390) vs. 246 (143 to 333) minutes (P=0.71), regardless of time of presentation. No patient in any cohort suffered an unplanned medical contact or post-discharge adverse device related event. Conclusion ED staff cardiac device interrogations are faster, and with similar 30-day outcomes, as compared to SP. PMID:28168230

Safety and efficiency of emergency department interrogation of cardiac devices.

PubMed

Neuenschwander, James F; Peacock, W Frank; Migeed, Madgy; Hunter, Sara A; Daughtery, John C; McCleese, Ian C; Hiestand, Brian C

2016-12-01

Patients with implanted cardiac devices may wait extended periods for interrogation in emergency departments (EDs). Our purpose was to determine if device interrogation could be done safely and faster by ED staff. Prospective randomized, standard therapy controlled, trial of ED staff device interrogation vs. standard process (SP), with 30-day follow-up. Eligibility criteria: ED presentation with a self-report of a potential device related complaint, with signed informed consent. SP interrogation was by company representative or hospital employee. Of 60 patients, 42 (70%) were male, all were white, with a median (interquartile range) age of 71 (64 to 82) years. No patient was lost to follow up. Of all patients, 32 (53%) were enrolled during business hours. The overall median (interquartile range) ED vs. SP time to interrogation was 98.5 (40 to 260) vs. 166.5 (64 to 412) minutes (P=0.013). While ED and SP interrogation times were similar during business hours, 102 (59 to 138) vs. 105 (64 to 172) minutes (P=0.62), ED interrogation times were shorter vs. SP during non-business hours; 97 (60 to 126) vs. 225 (144 to 412) minutes, P=0.002, respectively. There was no difference in ED length of stay between the ED and SP interrogation, 249 (153 to 390) vs. 246 (143 to 333) minutes (P=0.71), regardless of time of presentation. No patient in any cohort suffered an unplanned medical contact or post-discharge adverse device related event. ED staff cardiac device interrogations are faster, and with similar 30-day outcomes, as compared to SP.

Research on the demodulation techniques of long-period fiber gratings strain sensing with low cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qingwei; Liu, Yueming; Tian, Weijian; Feng, Guilan

2012-10-01

The working principle of LPFG(Long-Period Fiber Grating) is based on coupling effect between propagating core-mode and co-propagating cladding-modes. The effective refractive index of cladding-modes could be obviously influenced by the environmental changes resulting in LPFG more sensitive than FBG (Fiber Bragg Grating) in sensing areas, such as temperature, strain, concentration, bending and etc. LPFG should have more potential in the field of sensors compared with FBG. One of the challenges in using LPFG for environmental sensing is how to interrogate the signal from the LPFG transmission spectrum, due to the large spectral range of the resonant dip. Nowadays the application of LPFG is normally limited in signal interrogation of FBG as optical edge filter. The signal interrogation of LPFG itself needs further research. Presently research on signal interrogation of fiber grating focuses on wavelength interrogation. The aim of wavelength interrogation is to get the wavelength shift caused by environmental change. To solve these problems, a kind of strain sensing interrogation technique for LPFG with low-cost based on tunable FBGs has been developed. Comparing with the method using Fabry-Perot cavity, tunable FBGs can lower the cost with the guarantee of sensing precision. The cost is further lowered without using expensive optical instruments such as optical switch. The problem of temperature cross-sensitivity was solved by using reference gratings. An experiment was performed to demonstrate the interrogation system. And in the experiment, the sensing signal of LPFG applied 0-1300μɛ was successfully interrogated. The results of the interrogation system and OSA are similar.

Multi-level RF identification system

DOEpatents

Steele, Kerry D.; Anderson, Gordon A.; Gilbert, Ronald W.

2004-07-20

A radio frequency identification system having a radio frequency transceiver for generating a continuous wave RF interrogation signal that impinges upon an RF identification tag. An oscillation circuit in the RF identification tag modulates the interrogation signal with a subcarrier of a predetermined frequency and modulates the frequency-modulated signal back to the transmitting interrogator. The interrogator recovers and analyzes the subcarrier signal and determines its frequency. The interrogator generates an output indicative of the frequency of the subcarrier frequency, thereby identifying the responding RFID tag as one of a "class" of RFID tags configured to respond with a subcarrier signal of a predetermined frequency.

Lesion search and recognition by thymine DNA glycosylase revealed by single molecule imaging

PubMed Central

Buechner, Claudia N.; Maiti, Atanu; Drohat, Alexander C.; Tessmer, Ingrid

2015-01-01

The ability of DNA glycosylases to rapidly and efficiently detect lesions among a vast excess of nondamaged DNA bases is vitally important in base excision repair (BER). Here, we use single molecule imaging by atomic force microscopy (AFM) supported by a 2-aminopurine fluorescence base flipping assay to study damage search by human thymine DNA glycosylase (hTDG), which initiates BER of mutagenic and cytotoxic G:T and G:U mispairs in DNA. Our data reveal an equilibrium between two conformational states of hTDG–DNA complexes, assigned as search complex (SC) and interrogation complex (IC), both at target lesions and undamaged DNA sites. Notably, for both hTDG and a second glycosylase, hOGG1, which recognizes structurally different 8-oxoguanine lesions, the conformation of the DNA in the SC mirrors innate structural properties of their respective target sites. In the IC, the DNA is sharply bent, as seen in crystal structures of hTDG lesion recognition complexes, which likely supports the base flipping required for lesion identification. Our results support a potentially general concept of sculpting of glycosylases to their targets, allowing them to exploit the energetic cost of DNA bending for initial lesion sensing, coupled with continuous (extrahelical) base interrogation during lesion search by DNA glycosylases. PMID:25712093

Interrogating Meanings of Work in Children's Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieland, Stacey M. B.; Bauer, Janell C.

2015-01-01

In this article, Wieland and Bauer discuss a teaching activity that helps students understand how meanings of work (MOW) are socially constructed through commonplace texts: children's books. The activity helps students consider how children's books shape future workers' understandings of what work is, what kinds of work are most…

An Optogenetic Platform for Real-Time, Single-Cell Interrogation of Stochastic Transcriptional Regulation.

PubMed

Rullan, Marc; Benzinger, Dirk; Schmidt, Gregor W; Milias-Argeitis, Andreas; Khammash, Mustafa

2018-05-17

Transcription is a highly regulated and inherently stochastic process. The complexity of signal transduction and gene regulation makes it challenging to analyze how the dynamic activity of transcriptional regulators affects stochastic transcription. By combining a fast-acting, photo-regulatable transcription factor with nascent RNA quantification in live cells and an experimental setup for precise spatiotemporal delivery of light inputs, we constructed a platform for the real-time, single-cell interrogation of transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that transcriptional activation and deactivation are fast and memoryless. By analyzing the temporal activity of individual cells, we found that transcription occurs in bursts, whose duration and timing are modulated by transcription factor activity. Using our platform, we regulated transcription via light-driven feedback loops at the single-cell level. Feedback markedly reduced cell-to-cell variability and led to qualitative differences in cellular transcriptional dynamics. Our platform establishes a flexible method for studying transcriptional dynamics in single cells. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The dynamic nature of interrogation.

PubMed

Kelly, Christopher E; Miller, Jeaneé C; Redlich, Allison D

2016-06-01

Building on a substantial body of literature examining interrogation methods employed by police investigators and their relationship to suspect behaviors, we analyzed a sample of audio and video interrogation recordings of individuals suspected of serious violent crimes. Existing survey research has focused on the tactics reportedly used, at what rate, and under what conditions; observational studies detail which methods are actually employed. With a few notable exceptions, these foundational studies were static examinations of interrogation methods that documented the absence or presence of various approaches. In the present study, we cast interrogation as a dynamic phenomenon and code the recordings in 5-min intervals to examine how interrogation methods and suspect cooperation change over time. Employing the interrogation taxonomy framework, particularly 4 discrete domains-rapport and relationship building, emotion provocation, presentation of evidence, and confrontation/competition-we found that the emphasis of the domains varied across interrogations and were significantly different when suspects confessed versus when they denied involvement. In regression models, suspect cooperation was positively influenced by the rapport and relationship building domain, though it was negatively impacted by presentation of evidence and confrontation/competition. Moreover, we found that the negative effects of confrontation/competition on suspect cooperation lasted for up to 15 min. The implications of the findings for practice and future research include the benefits of a rapport-based approach, the deleterious effects of accusatorial methods, and the importance of studying when, not just if, certain interrogation techniques are employed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Perspective: Size selected clusters for catalysis and electrochemistry

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

Halder, Avik; Curtiss, Larry A.; Fortunelli, Alessandro

We report that size-selected clusters containing a handful of atoms may possess noble catalytic properties different from nano-sized or bulk catalysts. Size- and composition-selected clusters can also serve as models of the catalytic active site, where an addition or removal of a single atom can have a dramatic effect on their activity and selectivity. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of studies performed under both ultra-high vacuum and realistic reaction conditions aimed at the interrogation, characterization and understanding of the performance of supported size-selected clusters in heterogeneous and electrochemical reactions, which address the effects of cluster size, cluster composition,more » cluster-support interactions and reaction conditions, the key parameters for the understanding and control of catalyst functionality. Computational modelling based on density functional theory sampling of local minima and energy barriers or ab initio Molecular Dynamics simulations is an integral part of this research by providing fundamental understanding of the catalytic processes at the atomic level, as well as by predicting new materials compositions which can be validated in experiments. Lastly, we discuss approaches which aim at the scale up of the production of well-defined clusters for use in real world applications.« less

Perspective: Size selected clusters for catalysis and electrochemistry

DOE PAGES

Halder, Avik; Curtiss, Larry A.; Fortunelli, Alessandro; ...

2018-03-15

We report that size-selected clusters containing a handful of atoms may possess noble catalytic properties different from nano-sized or bulk catalysts. Size- and composition-selected clusters can also serve as models of the catalytic active site, where an addition or removal of a single atom can have a dramatic effect on their activity and selectivity. In this Perspective, we provide an overview of studies performed under both ultra-high vacuum and realistic reaction conditions aimed at the interrogation, characterization and understanding of the performance of supported size-selected clusters in heterogeneous and electrochemical reactions, which address the effects of cluster size, cluster composition,more » cluster-support interactions and reaction conditions, the key parameters for the understanding and control of catalyst functionality. Computational modelling based on density functional theory sampling of local minima and energy barriers or ab initio Molecular Dynamics simulations is an integral part of this research by providing fundamental understanding of the catalytic processes at the atomic level, as well as by predicting new materials compositions which can be validated in experiments. Lastly, we discuss approaches which aim at the scale up of the production of well-defined clusters for use in real world applications.« less

Perspective: Size selected clusters for catalysis and electrochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halder, Avik; Curtiss, Larry A.; Fortunelli, Alessandro; Vajda, Stefan

2018-03-01

Size-selected clusters containing a handful of atoms may possess noble catalytic properties different from nano-sized or bulk catalysts. Size- and composition-selected clusters can also serve as models of the catalytic active site, where an addition or removal of a single atom can have a dramatic effect on their activity and selectivity. In this perspective, we provide an overview of studies performed under both ultra-high vacuum and realistic reaction conditions aimed at the interrogation, characterization, and understanding of the performance of supported size-selected clusters in heterogeneous and electrochemical reactions, which address the effects of cluster size, cluster composition, cluster-support interactions, and reaction conditions, the key parameters for the understanding and control of catalyst functionality. Computational modeling based on density functional theory sampling of local minima and energy barriers or ab initio molecular dynamics simulations is an integral part of this research by providing fundamental understanding of the catalytic processes at the atomic level, as well as by predicting new materials compositions which can be validated in experiments. Finally, we discuss approaches which aim at the scale up of the production of well-defined clusters for use in real world applications.

Design of a novel instrument for active neutron interrogation of artillery shells.

PubMed

Bélanger-Champagne, Camille; Vainionpää, Hannes; Peura, Pauli; Toivonen, Harri; Eerola, Paula; Dendooven, Peter

2017-01-01

The most common explosives can be uniquely identified by measuring the elemental H/N ratio with a precision better than 10%. Monte Carlo simulations were used to design two variants of a new prompt gamma neutron activation instrument that can achieve this precision. The instrument features an intense pulsed neutron generator with precise timing. Measuring the hydrogen peak from the target explosive is especially challenging because the instrument itself contains hydrogen, which is needed for neutron moderation and shielding. By iterative design optimization, the fraction of the hydrogen peak counts coming from the explosive under interrogation increased from [Formula: see text]% to [Formula: see text]% (statistical only) for the benchmark design. In the optimized design variants, the hydrogen signal from a high-explosive shell can be measured to a statistics-only precision better than 1% in less than 30 minutes for an average neutron production yield of 109 n/s.

Design of a novel instrument for active neutron interrogation of artillery shells

PubMed Central

Vainionpää, Hannes; Peura, Pauli; Toivonen, Harri; Eerola, Paula; Dendooven, Peter

2017-01-01

The most common explosives can be uniquely identified by measuring the elemental H/N ratio with a precision better than 10%. Monte Carlo simulations were used to design two variants of a new prompt gamma neutron activation instrument that can achieve this precision. The instrument features an intense pulsed neutron generator with precise timing. Measuring the hydrogen peak from the target explosive is especially challenging because the instrument itself contains hydrogen, which is needed for neutron moderation and shielding. By iterative design optimization, the fraction of the hydrogen peak counts coming from the explosive under interrogation increased from 53-7+7% to 74-10+8% (statistical only) for the benchmark design. In the optimized design variants, the hydrogen signal from a high-explosive shell can be measured to a statistics-only precision better than 1% in less than 30 minutes for an average neutron production yield of 109 n/s. PMID:29211773

Detection of tiny amounts of fissile materials in large-sized containers with radioactive waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batyaev, V. F.; Skliarov, S. V.

2018-01-01

The paper is devoted to non-destructive control of tiny amounts of fissile materials in large-sized containers filled with radioactive waste (RAW). The aim of this work is to model an active neutron interrogation facility for detection of fissile ma-terials inside NZK type containers with RAW and determine the minimal detectable mass of U-235 as a function of various param-eters: matrix type, nonuniformity of container filling, neutron gen-erator parameters (flux, pulse frequency, pulse duration), meas-urement time. As a result the dependence of minimal detectable mass on fissile materials location inside container is shown. Nonu-niformity of the thermal neutron flux inside a container is the main reason of the space-heterogeneity of minimal detectable mass in-side a large-sized container. Our experiments with tiny amounts of uranium-235 (<1 g) confirm the detection of fissile materials in NZK containers by using active neutron interrogation technique.

Research on the Problem of High-Precision Deployment for Large-Aperture Space-Based Science Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lake, Mark S.; Peterson, Lee D.; Hachkowski, M. Roman; Hinkle, Jason D.; Hardaway, Lisa R.

1998-01-01

The present paper summarizes results from an ongoing research program conducted jointly by the University of Colorado and NASA Langley Research Center since 1994. This program has resulted in general guidelines for the design of high-precision deployment mechanisms, and tests of prototype deployable structures incorporating these mechanisms have shown microdynamically stable behavior (i.e., dimensional stability to parts per million). These advancements have resulted from the identification of numerous heretofore unknown microdynamic and micromechanical response phenomena, and the development of new test techniques and instrumentation systems to interrogate these phenomena. In addition, recent tests have begun to interrogate nanomechanical response of materials and joints and have been used to develop an understanding of nonlinear nanodynamic behavior in microdynamically stable structures. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to enable nano-precision active control of micro-precision deployable structures (i.e., active control to a resolution of parts per billion).

Active detection of shielded SNM with 60-keV neutrons

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

Hagmann, C; Dietrich, D; Hall, J

2008-07-08

Fissile materials, e.g. {sup 235}U and {sup 239}Pu, can be detected non-invasively by active neutron interrogation. A unique characteristic of fissile material exposed to neutrons is the prompt emission of high-energy (fast) fission neutrons. One promising mode of operation subjects the object to a beam of medium-energy (epithermal) neutrons, generated by a proton beam impinging on a Li target. The emergence of fast secondary neutrons then clearly indicates the presence of fissile material. Our interrogation system comprises a low-dose 60-keV neutron generator (5 x 10{sup 6}/s), and a 1 m{sup 2} array of scintillators for fast neutron detection. Preliminary experimentalmore » results demonstrate the detectability of small quantities (370 g) of HEU shielded by steel (200 g/cm{sup 2}) or plywood (30 g/cm{sup 2}), with a typical measurement time of 1 min.« less

Predicting the Development of Interrogative Forms and Functions in Early Years: A Corpus-Based Study of Mandarin-Speaking Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hui; Jing, Mengguo; Wong, Eileen Chin Mei

2017-01-01

This study examined the development of and possible predictors of interrogative forms and functions in early childhood Mandarin. All the interrogatives drawn from the Early Child Mandarin Corpus (168 children 2;6, 3;6, 4;6, and 5;6) were analyzed. The main results indicated that (i) there were significant age effects in interrogative forms and…

Reading Scientific Papers for Understanding: Revisiting Watson and Crick (1953)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinchin, Ian M.

2005-01-01

The ability to use the research literature within a given field is a basic skill that students should acquire as part of their higher education studies. However, undergraduates need support in developing this skill. The use of concept maps as an aid to interrogating the literature is described here. This may help students to highlight key issues…

Paying Attention to Procedural Texts: Critically Reading School Routines as Embodied Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zanden, Sarah Vander; Wohlwend, Karen E.

2011-01-01

In this article, we look closely at the way power circulates through school routines with ordinary texts in everyday moments. We address texts that support different types of achievement and how critical literacy helps us redefine achievement and examine what we're doing with texts and students in classrooms. We interrogate the notion of…

Clonal B cells in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia exhibit functional features of chronic active B-cell receptor signaling

PubMed Central

Argyropoulos, K V; Vogel, R; Ziegler, C; Altan-Bonnet, G; Velardi, E; Calafiore, M; Dogan, A; Arcila, M; Patel, M; Knapp, K; Mallek, C; Hunter, Z R; Treon, S P; van den Brink, M R M; Palomba, M L

2016-01-01

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is a B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) characterized by immunoglobulin M (IgM) monoclonal gammopathy and the medullary expansion of clonal lymphoplasmacytic cells. Neoplastic transformation has been partially attributed to hyperactive MYD88 signaling, secondary to the MYD88 L265P mutation, occurring in the majority of WM patients. Nevertheless, the presence of chronic active B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling, a feature of multiple IgM+ B-NHL, remains a subject of speculation in WM. Here, we interrogated the BCR signaling capacity of primary WM cells by utilizing multiparametric phosphoflow cytometry and found heightened basal phosphorylation of BCR-related signaling proteins, and augmented phosphoresponses on surface IgM (sIgM) crosslinking, compared with normal B cells. In support of those findings we observed high sIgM expression and loss of phosphatase activity in WM cells, which could both lead to signaling potentiation in clonal cells. Finally, led by the high-signaling heterogeneity among WM samples, we generated patient-specific phosphosignatures, which subclassified patients into a ‘high' and a ‘healthy-like' signaling group, with the second corresponding to patients with a more indolent clinical phenotype. These findings support the presence of chronic active BCR signaling in WM while providing a link between differential BCR signaling utilization and distinct clinical WM subgroups. PMID:26867669

Predicting the development of interrogative forms and functions in early years: a corpus-based study of Mandarin-speaking young children.

PubMed

Li, Hui; Jing, Mengguo; Wong, Eileen Chin Mei

2017-01-01

This study examined the development of and possible predictors of interrogative forms and functions in early childhood Mandarin. All the interrogatives drawn from the Early Child Mandarin Corpus (168 children 2;6, 3;6, 4;6, and 5;6) were analyzed. The main results indicated that (i) there were significant age effects in interrogative forms and functions, with the periods between the ages of 3;6 and 4;6 and between the ages of 2;6 and 3;6 being critical in the early acquisition of interrogative forms and functions, respectively; (ii) the form-function preference was verified, with wh-questions being primarily used to seek information (RfI), and intonation/echo and rhetorical questions being used to request action (RfA); (iii) more than half (59·5%) of the Mandarin interrogatives were used for RfI, whereas only 38·9% of them were used for RfA; and (iv) age, TV viewing time, and parent-child conversation time were the significant predictors of interrogative development.

The truth about lying: inhibition of the anterior prefrontal cortex improves deceptive behavior.

PubMed

Karim, Ahmed A; Schneider, Markus; Lotze, Martin; Veit, Ralf; Sauseng, Paul; Braun, Christoph; Birbaumer, Niels

2010-01-01

Recent neuroimaging studies have indicated a predominant role of the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) in deception and moral cognition, yet the functional contribution of the aPFC to deceptive behavior remains unknown. We hypothesized that modulating the excitability of the aPFC by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could reveal its functional contribution in generating deceitful responses. Forty-four healthy volunteers participated in a thief role-play in which they were supposed to steal money and then to attend an interrogation with the Guilty Knowledge Test. During the interrogation, participants received cathodal, anodal, or sham tDCS. Remarkably, inhibition of the aPFC by cathodal tDCS did not lead to an impairment of deceptive behavior but rather to a significant improvement. This effect manifested in faster reaction times in telling lies, but not in telling the truth, a decrease in sympathetic skin-conductance response and feelings of guilt while deceiving the interrogator and a significantly higher lying quotient reflecting skillful lying. Increasing the excitability of the aPFC by anodal tDCS did not affect deceptive behavior, confirming the specificity of the stimulation polarity. These findings give causal support to recent correlative data obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging studies indicating a pivotal role of the aPFC in deception.

Comparing the Properties of Electrochemical-Based DNA Sensors Employing Different Redox Tags

PubMed Central

Kang, Di; Zuo, Xiaolei; Yang, Renqiang; Xia, Fan; Plaxco, Kevin W.; White, Ryan J.

2009-01-01

Many electrochemical biosensor approaches developed in recent years utilize redox labeled (most commonly methylene blue or ferrocene) oligonucleotide probes site-specifically attached to an interrogating electrode. Sensors in this class have been reported employing a range of probe architectures, including single- and double-stranded DNA, more complex DNA structures, DNA and RNA aptamers and, most recently, DNA-small molecule chimeras. Signaling in this class of sensors is generally predicated on binding-induced changes in the efficiency with which the covalently attached redox label transfers electrons with the interrogating electrode. Here we have investigated how the properties of the redox tag affect the performance of such sensors. Specifically, we compare the differences in signaling and stability of electrochemical DNA sensors (E-DNA sensors) fabricated using either ferrocene or methylene blue as the signaling redox moiety. We find that while both tags support efficient E-DNA signaling, ferrocene produces slightly improved signal gain and target affinity. These small advantages, however, come at a potentially significant price: the ferrocene-based sensors are far less stable than their methylene blue counterparts, particularly with regards to stability to long-term storage, repeated electrochemical interrogations, repeated sensing/regeneration iterations, and employment in complex sample matrices such as blood serum. PMID:19810694

Methods and systems using encapsulated tracers and chemicals for reservoir interrogation and manipulation

DOEpatents

Roberts, Jeffery; Aines, Roger D; Duoss, Eric B; Spadaccini, Christopher M

2014-11-04

An apparatus, method, and system of reservoir interrogation. A tracer is encapsulating in a receptacle. The receptacle containing the tracer is injected into the reservoir. The tracer is analyzed for reservoir interrogation.

Negotiate Instead of Interrogate-Get Better Results from Interrogations Through Negotiation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

and ideas. Incorporation of negotiation theory and practice into interrogation settings will yield better results. The goal of this paper is to... practice or theory. The end result is a new way to look at interrogations and create a paradigm shift. Through a compare and contrast methodology, this...tried and true practice , why were the two concepts never combined before? First, we must clarify some definitions and terms. There are two main

Single transmission line interrogated multiple channel data acquisition system

DOEpatents

Fasching, George E.; Keech, Jr., Thomas W.

1980-01-01

A single transmission line interrogated multiple channel data acquisition system is provided in which a plurality of remote station/sensor circuits each monitors a specific process variable and each transmits measurement values over a single transmission line to a master interrogating station when addressed by said master interrogating station. Typically, as many as 330 remote stations may be parallel connected to the transmission line which may exceed 7,000 feet. The interrogation rate is typically 330 stations/second. The master interrogating station samples each station according to a shared, charging transmit-receive cycle. All remote station address signals, all data signals from the remote stations/sensors and all power for all of the remote station/sensors are transmitted via a single continuous terminated coaxial cable. A means is provided for periodically and remotely calibrating all remote sensors for zero and span. A provision is available to remotely disconnect any selected sensor station from the main transmission line.

DIGGING DEEPER INTO DEEP DATA: MOLECULAR DOCKING AS A HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN BIOPHYSICAL INTERROGATION SYSTEM IN COMPUTATIONAL TOXICOLOGY.

EPA Science Inventory

Developing and evaluating prediactive strategies to elucidate the mode of biological activity of environmental chemicals is a major objective of the concerted efforts of the US-EPA's computational toxicology program.

Diagnostic yield of device interrogation in the evaluation of syncope in an elderly population.

PubMed

D'Angelo, Robert N; Pickett, Christopher C

2017-06-01

Device interrogation has become a standard part of the syncope evaluation for patients admitted with permanent pacemakers (PPM) or implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD), although few studies have shown interrogation yields clinically useful data. The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnostic yield of device interrogation as well as other commonly performed tests in the workup of unexplained syncope in patients with previously implanted PPMs or ICDs. We retrospectively reviewed records of 88 patients admitted to our medical center for syncope with previously implanted pacemakers between January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2015 using ICD-9 billing data. Pacemaker interrogation demonstrated an arrhythmia as the cause for syncope in 4 patients (4%) and evidence of device failure secondary to perforation in 1 patient (1%). The cause of syncope was unknown in 34 patients (39%). Orthostatic hypotension was the most commonly identified cause of syncope (26%), followed by vasovagal syncope (13%), autonomic dysfunction (5%), ventricular arrhythmia (3%), atrial arrhythmia (2%), congestive heart failure (2%), stroke (2%), and other less common causes (8%). History was the most important determinant of syncope (36%), followed by orthostatic vital signs (14%), device interrogations (4%), head CT (2%), and transthoracic echocardiogram (1%). Device interrogation is rarely useful for elucidating a cause of syncope without concerning physical exam, telemetry, or EKG findings. Interrogation may occasionally yield paroxysmal arrhythmias responsible for syncopal episode, but these rarely alter clinical outcomes. Interrogation appears to be more useful in patients with syncope after recent device placement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asking Questions: Will Army Tactical Interrogation be Ready for War?

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-17

still never answer the basic question: "Is there enough?" It is the interrogator portion of this question that this paper will address to provide a...tenative answer for the near to midrange future. Section II of this paper will examine the historical 2 AA 4 importance of interrogator derived...the former that this paper will concern itself. In addition to interrogators, there have historically existed, and there continue to exist today (almost

Interrogating History: Promoting Student Activism Using Children's Literature and the Full Circling Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Trisha Wies

2017-01-01

Adolescents are often disengaged in the learning process, being more focused on social media and self-interest than classroom content. Full circling is a process that can be used to help students collaboratively engage in learning and actively reflect on historical events--especially those that are under reported in history books. In the present…

Debating Race, Race-ing Debate: An Extended Ethnographic Case Study of Black Intellectual Insurgency in U.S. Intercollegiate Debate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, David Kent

2014-01-01

The following study is an extended ethnographic case study of a "black intellectual insurgency" within the predominantly white space of the U.S. intercollegiate policy debate activity. A growing number of black students are entering the debate activity and insisting that "whiteness" be confronted and interrogated and that…

Web-Based Tools for Modelling and Analysis of Multivariate Data: California Ozone Pollution Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinov, Ivo D.; Christou, Nicolas

2011-01-01

This article presents a hands-on web-based activity motivated by the relation between human health and ozone pollution in California. This case study is based on multivariate data collected monthly at 20 locations in California between 1980 and 2006. Several strategies and tools for data interrogation and exploratory data analysis, model fitting…

FBG Interrogation Method with High Resolution and Response Speed Based on a Reflective-Matched FBG Scheme

PubMed Central

Cui, Jiwen; Hu, Yang; Feng, Kunpeng; Li, Junying; Tan, Jiubin

2015-01-01

In this paper, a high resolution and response speed interrogation method based on a reflective-matched Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) scheme is investigated in detail. The nonlinear problem of the reflective-matched FBG sensing interrogation scheme is solved by establishing and optimizing the mathematical model. A mechanical adjustment to optimize the interrogation method by tuning the central wavelength of the reference FBG to improve the stability and anti-temperature perturbation performance is investigated. To satisfy the measurement requirements of optical and electric signal processing, a well- designed acquisition circuit board is prepared, and experiments on the performance of the interrogation method are carried out. The experimental results indicate that the optical power resolution of the acquisition circuit border is better than 8 pW, and the stability of the interrogation method with the mechanical adjustment can reach 0.06%. Moreover, the nonlinearity of the interrogation method is 3.3% in the measurable range of 60 pm; the influence of temperature is significantly reduced to 9.5%; the wavelength resolution and response speed can achieve values of 0.3 pm and 500 kHz, respectively. PMID:26184195

FBG Interrogation Method with High Resolution and Response Speed Based on a Reflective-Matched FBG Scheme.

PubMed

Cui, Jiwen; Hu, Yang; Feng, Kunpeng; Li, Junying; Tan, Jiubin

2015-07-08

In this paper, a high resolution and response speed interrogation method based on a reflective-matched Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) scheme is investigated in detail. The nonlinear problem of the reflective-matched FBG sensing interrogation scheme is solved by establishing and optimizing the mathematical model. A mechanical adjustment to optimize the interrogation method by tuning the central wavelength of the reference FBG to improve the stability and anti-temperature perturbation performance is investigated. To satisfy the measurement requirements of optical and electric signal processing, a well- designed acquisition circuit board is prepared, and experiments on the performance of the interrogation method are carried out. The experimental results indicate that the optical power resolution of the acquisition circuit border is better than 8 pW, and the stability of the interrogation method with the mechanical adjustment can reach 0.06%. Moreover, the nonlinearity of the interrogation method is 3.3% in the measurable range of 60 pm; the influence of temperature is significantly reduced to 9.5%; the wavelength resolution and response speed can achieve values of 0.3 pm and 500 kHz, respectively.

Detection and interrogation of biomolecules via nanoscale probes: From fundamental physics to DNA sequencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zwolak, Michael

2013-03-01

A rapid and low-cost method to sequence DNA would revolutionize personalized medicine, where genetic information is used to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. There is a longstanding interest in nanopores as a platform for rapid interrogation of single DNA molecules. I will discuss a sequencing protocol based on the measurement of transverse electronic currents during the translocation of single-stranded DNA through nanopores. Using molecular dynamics simulations coupled to quantum mechanical calculations of the tunneling current, I will show that the DNA nucleotides are predicted to have distinguishable electronic signatures in experimentally realizable systems. Several recent experiments support our theoretical predictions. In addition to their possible impact in medicine and biology, the above methods offer ideal test beds to study open scientific issues in the relatively unexplored area at the interface between solids, liquids, and biomolecules at the nanometer length scale. http://mike.zwolak.org

Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Energy Development Program: Annual report, fiscal year 1985

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

Brown, D.W.; Franke, P.R.; Smith, M.C.

1987-01-01

The primary objective for the Hot Dry Rock Program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory during fiscal year 1985 was to complete the Phase 2 reservoir connection and to begin flow testing the resulting reservoir. The connection was achieved through redrilling one well and additional fracturing operations, and progress was made toward developing a detailed understanding of the fractured region through a variety of reservoir interrogation methods. Other accomplishments during the fiscal year included improvement of the high-temperature, inflatable, open-hole packer used to isolate sections of the uncased wellbore in collaboration with the Baker Corporation and the design and fabricationmore » of a high-temperature borehole acoustic televiewer in a cooperative program with a research institute in West Germany. Progress was also made in techniques for the collection and analysis of microseismic data. Reservoir-engineering activities and geochemical studies, as well as the more routine support activities, continued in FY85. 18 refs., 15 figs.« less

Detection of single ion channel activity with carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Weiwei; Wang, Yung Yu; Lim, Tae-Sun; Pham, Ted; Jain, Dheeraj; Burke, Peter J.

2015-03-01

Many processes in life are based on ion currents and membrane voltages controlled by a sophisticated and diverse family of membrane proteins (ion channels), which are comparable in size to the most advanced nanoelectronic components currently under development. Here we demonstrate an electrical assay of individual ion channel activity by measuring the dynamic opening and closing of the ion channel nanopores using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Two canonical dynamic ion channels (gramicidin A (gA) and alamethicin) and one static biological nanopore (α-hemolysin (α-HL)) were successfully incorporated into supported lipid bilayers (SLBs, an artificial cell membrane), which in turn were interfaced to the carbon nanotubes through a variety of polymer-cushion surface functionalization schemes. The ion channel current directly charges the quantum capacitance of a single nanotube in a network of purified semiconducting nanotubes. This work forms the foundation for a scalable, massively parallel architecture of 1d nanoelectronic devices interrogating electrophysiology at the single ion channel level.

From third degree to third generation interrogation strategies: putting science into the art of criminal interviewing

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

research design flaw, “the pretesting process may have affected the ability to correctly classify subjects on the post - test ,” they conclude their results...Value Detainee Interrogation Group (HIG) in response to the highly publicized post -9/11 interrogation tactics the United States used on terrorist...in response to the highly publicized post -9/11 interrogation tactics the United States used on terrorist suspects.13 Part of the group’s mission was

Real time interrogation technique for fiber Bragg grating enhanced fiber loop ringdown sensors array.

PubMed

Zhang, Yunlong; Li, Ruoming; Shi, Yuechun; Zhang, Jintao; Chen, Xiangfei; Liu, Shengchun

2015-06-01

A novel fiber Bragg grating aided fiber loop ringdown (FLRD) sensor array and the wavelength-time multiplexing based interrogation technique for the FLRD sensors array are proposed. The interrogation frequency of the system is formulated and the interrelationships among the parameters of the system are analyzed. To validate the performance of the proposed system, a five elements array is experimentally demonstrated, and the system shows the capability of real time monitoring every FLRD element with interrogation frequency of 125.5 Hz.

Hand-Held Units for Short-Range Wireless Biotelemetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, Felix A.; Simons, Rainee N.

2008-01-01

Special-purpose hand-held radiotransceiver units have been proposed as means of short-range radio powering and interrogation of surgically implanted microelectromechanical sensors and actuators. These units are based partly on the same principles as those of the units described in "Printed Multi- Turn Loop Antennas for RF Biotelemetry" (LEW-17879-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 6 (June 2007), page 48. Like the previously reported units, these units would make it unnecessary to have wire connections between the implanted devices and the external equipment used to activate and interrogate them. Like a unit of the previously reported type, a unit of the type now proposed would include a printed-circuit antenna on a dielectric substrate. The antenna circuitry would include integrated surface-mount inductors for impedance tuning. Circuits for processing the signals transmitted and received by the antenna would be included on the substrate. During operation, the unit would be positioned near (but not in electrical contact with) a human subject, in proximity to a microelectromechanical sensor or actuator that has been surgically implanted in the subject. It has been demonstrated that significant electromagnetic coupling with an implanted device could be established at a distance of as much as 4 in. (.10 cm). During operation in the interrogation mode, the antenna of the unit would receive a radio telemetry signal transmitted by the surgically implanted device. The antenna substrate would have dimensions of approximately 3.25 by 3.75 inches (approximately 8.3 by 9.5 cm). The substrate would have a thickness of the order of 30 mils (of the order of a somewhat less than a millimeter). The substrate would be made of low-radiofrequency- loss dielectric material that could be, for example, fused quartz, alumina, or any of a number of commercially available radio-frequency dielectric composite materials. The antenna conductors would typically be made of copper or a combination of chromium and gold. The choice of metal and the thickness of the metal layer(s) would depend on the choice of substrate material. For example, on a quartz or alumina substrate, one would typically use a layer of chromium 150 A thick and a layer of gold 2 m thick. The proposed units and the implanted devices that they would interrogate or activate would be inherently safe to use. They would operate at low radiated-power levels for short interrogation times (typically, milliseconds). Hence, there would be little local heating of tissues surrounding the implanted devices and little absorption of radio energy by such sensitive body parts as the eyes and the brain. Because the implanted devices would not depend on battery power and would be activated only during short interrogation intervals and would otherwise be in the goff h state most of the time, the useful lifetimes of the implanted devices would be greater than those of comparable battery-powered implanted devices. The compactness of the hand-held transceiver units would facilitate transport and storage and would facilitate self-diagnosis by patients able to handle the units while away from medical facilities.

Interrogating an Omission: The Absence of a Rights-Based Approach to Education in World Bank Policy Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Menashy, Francine

2013-01-01

This study provides a discursive analysis of World Bank policy documents in order to reveal the stark omission of a rights-based approach to education, while highlighting instead the support of an economic-instrumentalist approach. Plausible explanations are provided to shed light on this exclusion, including the feasibility critique of education…

Journalism and Urban School Reform: Versions of Democratic Decision Making in Two American Cities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipps, Dorothy; Fowlkes, Elizabeth; Peltzman, Alissa

2006-01-01

School reform involves the public: its expectation of participation and its support for a reform agenda. In theory, the press influences both. To explore this link, we compare education coverage in four press outlets, two each in Chicago and Cleveland. Articles and editors are interrogated for (1) style of journalism and (2) assumptions about the…

The Meaning of "Choice and Control" for People with Intellectual Disabilities Who Are Planning Their Social Care and Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Val; Porter, Sue

2017-01-01

Background: This paper questions consumerist assumptions in current English social care policy and aims to look behind the processes of personalization to interrogate what "choice and control" means in the lives of a diverse group of people with intellectual disabilities. Methods: Data were from multiple interviews and direct practice…

"Learning to See the Person, Not the Culture or the Faith": Critical Reflections on Internationalizing Higher Education in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trahar, Sheila

2017-01-01

Experiences as a Work Package leader on a European Union project on internationalization of higher education in Israel motivated the author to use her research on internationalization and university teaching experiences in various countries to facilitate the Israeli partners to interrogate their pedagogical practices. Supported to engage in a…

Data collection and information presentation for optimal decision making by clinical managers--the Autocontrol Project.

PubMed Central

Grant, A. M.; Richard, Y.; Deland, E.; Després, N.; de Lorenzi, F.; Dagenais, A.; Buteau, M.

1997-01-01

The Autocontrol methodology has been developed in order to support the optimisation of decision-making and the use of resources in the context of a clinical unit. The theoretical basis relates to quality assurance and information systems and is influenced by management and cognitive research in the health domain. The methodology uses population rather than individual decision making and because of its dynamic feedback design promises to have rapid and profound effect on practice. Most importantly the health care professional is the principle user of the Autocontrol system. In this methodology we distinguish three types of evidence necessary for practice change: practice based or internal evidence, best evidence derived from the literature or external evidence concerning the practice in question, and process based evidence on how to optimise the process of practice change. The software used by the system is of the executive decision support type which facilitates interrogation of large databases. The Autocontrol system is designed to interrogate the data of the patient medical record however the latter often lacks data on concomitant resource use and this must be supplemented. This paper reviews the Autocontrol methodology and gives examples from current studies. PMID:9357733

Data collection and information presentation for optimal decision making by clinical managers--the Autocontrol Project.

PubMed

Grant, A M; Richard, Y; Deland, E; Després, N; de Lorenzi, F; Dagenais, A; Buteau, M

1997-01-01

The Autocontrol methodology has been developed in order to support the optimisation of decision-making and the use of resources in the context of a clinical unit. The theoretical basis relates to quality assurance and information systems and is influenced by management and cognitive research in the health domain. The methodology uses population rather than individual decision making and because of its dynamic feedback design promises to have rapid and profound effect on practice. Most importantly the health care professional is the principle user of the Autocontrol system. In this methodology we distinguish three types of evidence necessary for practice change: practice based or internal evidence, best evidence derived from the literature or external evidence concerning the practice in question, and process based evidence on how to optimise the process of practice change. The software used by the system is of the executive decision support type which facilitates interrogation of large databases. The Autocontrol system is designed to interrogate the data of the patient medical record however the latter often lacks data on concomitant resource use and this must be supplemented. This paper reviews the Autocontrol methodology and gives examples from current studies.

Performance of a remote interrogation system for the in-hospital evaluation of cardiac implantable electronic devices.

PubMed

Mittal, Suneet; Younge, Kevin; King-Ellison, Kelly; Hammill, Eric; Stein, Kenneth

2016-08-01

Patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) often need device interrogation in an in-hospital environment. A diagnosis-only, remote interrogation device and process for CIED interrogation was developed to address this situation. Here, we describe our initial clinical experience with this system. The LATITUDE Consult Communicator is a stand-alone interrogation-only device used to read the patient's implanted CIED. Once retrieved, the data are securely transmitted via an analog phone line to a central server. The clinician can request a review of the transmitted data at any time. Following FDA approval, we determined the usage and performance of the system. Communicators (n = 53) were installed in 42 hospital facilities. The most common location was in the emergency department (n = 32, 60 %). There were 509 discreet transmissions, which were categorized as follows: no arrhythmia episodes in the past 72 h and no out of range measurements (n = 174, 34 %); arrhythmia episodes in past 72 h but no out of range measurements (n = 170, 33 %); and further review recommended (n = 130, 26 %). (In 35 [7 %] instances, interrogation without analysis was requested.) The further review interrogations were then sub-divided into those of a non-urgent and urgent nature. Overall, only 53 (10 %) of the 509 transmissions were classified as urgent. Clinicians had access to full technical consultation in ≤15 min in 89 % of instances. Our data demonstrate the feasibility of a new diagnosis-only, remote interrogation device and remote evaluation process for the interrogation of CIEDs in an in-hospital environment.

The D-D Neutron Generator as an Alternative to Am(Li) Isotopic Neutron Source in the Active Well Coincidence Counter

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

McElroy, Robert Dennis; Cleveland, Steven L.

The 235U mass assay of bulk uranium items, such as oxide canisters, fuel pellets, and fuel assemblies, is not achievable by traditional gamma-ray assay techniques due to the limited penetration of the item by the characteristic 235U gamma rays. Instead, fast neutron interrogation methods such as active neutron coincidence counting must be used. For international safeguards applications, the most commonly used active neutron systems, the Active Well Coincidence Counter (AWCC), Uranium Neutron Collar (UNCL) and 252Cf Shuffler, rely on fast neutron interrogation using an isotopic neutron source [i.e., 252Cf or Am(Li)] to achieve better measurement accuracies than are possible usingmore » gamma-ray techniques for high-mass, high-density items. However, the Am(Li) sources required for the AWCC and UNCL systems are no longer manufactured, and newly produced systems rely on limited supplies of sources salvaged from disused instruments. The 252Cf shuffler systems rely on the use of high-output 252Cf sources, which while still available have become extremely costly for use in routine operations and require replacement every five to seven years. Lack of a suitable alternative neutron interrogation source would leave a potentially significant gap in the safeguarding of uranium processing facilities. In this work, we made use of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Large Volume Active Well Coincidence Counter (LV-AWCC) and a commercially available deuterium-deuterium (D-D) neutron generator to examine the potential of the D-D neutron generator as an alternative to the isotopic sources. We present the performance of the LV-AWCC with D-D generator for the assay of 235U based on the results of Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) simulations and measurements of depleted uranium (DU), low enriched uranium (LEU), and highly enriched uranium (HEU) items.« less

Experimental and Computational Interrogation of Fast SCR Mechanism and Active Sites on H-Form SSZ-13

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

Li, Sichi; Zheng, Yang; Gao, Feng

Experiment and density functional theory (DFT) models are combined to develop a unified, quantitative model of the mechanism and kinetics of fast selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO/NO2 mixtures over H-SSZ-13 zeolite. Rates, rate orders, and apparent activation energies collected under differential conditions reveal two distinct kinetic regimes. First-principles thermodynamics simulations are used to determine the relative coverages of free Brønsted sites, chemisorbed NH4+ and physisorbed NH3 as a function of reaction conditions. First-principles metadynamics calculations show that all three sites can contribute to the rate-limiting N-N bond forming step in fast SCR. The results are used to parameterize amore » kinetic model that encompasses the full range of reaction conditions and recovers observed rate orders and apparent activation energies. Observed kinetic regimes are related to changes in most-abundant surface intermediates. Financial support was provided by the National Science Foundation GAOLI program under award number 1258690-CBET. We thank the Center for Research Computing at Notre« less

Navigating the Neural Space in Search of the Neural Code.

PubMed

Jazayeri, Mehrdad; Afraz, Arash

2017-03-08

The advent of powerful perturbation tools, such as optogenetics, has created new frontiers for probing causal dependencies in neural and behavioral states. These approaches have significantly enhanced the ability to characterize the contribution of different cells and circuits to neural function in health and disease. They have shifted the emphasis of research toward causal interrogations and increased the demand for more precise and powerful tools to control and manipulate neural activity. Here, we clarify the conditions under which measurements and perturbations support causal inferences. We note that the brain functions at multiple scales and that causal dependencies may be best inferred with perturbation tools that interface with the system at the appropriate scale. Finally, we develop a geometric framework to facilitate the interpretation of causal experiments when brain perturbations do or do not respect the intrinsic patterns of brain activity. We describe the challenges and opportunities of applying perturbations in the presence of dynamics, and we close with a general perspective on navigating the activity space of neurons in the search for neural codes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Endele, Max; Etzrodt, Martin; Schroeder, Timm, E-mail: timm.schroeder@bsse.ethz.ch

Hematopoiesis is the cumulative consequence of finely tuned signaling pathways activated through extrinsic factors, such as local niche signals and systemic hematopoietic cytokines. Whether extrinsic factors actively instruct the lineage choice of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells or are only selectively allowing survival and proliferation of already intrinsically lineage-committed cells has been debated over decades. Recent results demonstrated that cytokines can instruct lineage choice. However, the precise function of individual cytokine-triggered signaling molecules in inducing cellular events like proliferation, lineage choice, and differentiation remains largely elusive. Signal transduction pathways activated by different cytokine receptors are highly overlapping, but support themore » production of distinct hematopoietic lineages. Cellular context, signaling dynamics, and the crosstalk of different signaling pathways determine the cellular response of a given extrinsic signal. New tools to manipulate and continuously quantify signaling events at the single cell level are therefore required to thoroughly interrogate how dynamic signaling networks yield a specific cellular response. - Highlights: • Recent studies provided definite proof for lineage-instructive action of cytokines. • Signaling pathways involved in hematopoietic lineage instruction remain elusive. • New tools are emerging to quantitatively study dynamic signaling networks over time.« less

The role of abusive states of being in interrogation.

PubMed

Putnam, Frank W

2013-01-01

Interrogation, the questioning of persons detained by police, military, or intelligence organizations, is designed to extract information that a subject may resist disclosing. Interrogation techniques are frequently predicated on inducing mental states of despair, dread, dependency, and debility that weaken an individual's resistance. Descriptions of techniques from 2 Central Intelligence Agency training manuals are illustrated by examples from interviews of and writings by Murat Kurnaz, who was held at Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp for 5 years. Interrogation techniques are designed to create a destabilizing sense of shock; undermine an individual's grasp on reality; and provoke internal psychological division, self-conflict, and confusion. The long-term effects of interrogation often include posttraumatic stress disorder as well as states of anxiety, depression, and depersonalization.

Use of light absorbers to alter optical interrogation with epi-illumination and transillumination in three-dimensional cardiac models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramshesh, Venkat K.; Knisley, Stephen B.

2006-03-01

Cardiac optical mapping currently provides 2-D maps of transmembrane voltage-sensitive fluorescence localized near the tissue surface. Methods for interrogation at different depths are required for studies of arrhythmias and the effects of defibrillation shocks in 3-D cardiac tissue. We model the effects of coloading with a dye that absorbs excitation or fluorescence light on the radius and depth of the interrogated region with specific illumination and collection techniques. Results indicate radii and depths of interrogation are larger for transillumination versus epi-illumination, an effect that is more pronounced for broad-field excitation versus laser scanner. Coloading with a fluorescence absorber lessens interrogated depth for epi-illumination and increases it for transillumination, which is confirmed with measurements using transillumination of heart tissue slices. Coloading with an absorber of excitation light consistently decreases the interrogated depths. Transillumination and coloading also decrease the intensities of collected fluorescence. Thus, localization can be modified with wavelength-specific absorbers at the expense of a reduction in fluorescence intensity.

Police practices and perceptions regarding juvenile interrogation and interrogative suggestibility.

PubMed

Meyer, Jessica R; Reppucci, N Dickon

2007-01-01

Recent media coverage has highlighted cases in which young suspects were wrongly convicted because they provided interrogation-induced false confessions. Although youth may be more highly suggestible and easily influenced by authority than adults, police are trained to use the same psychologically coercive and deceptive tactics with youth as with adults. This investigation is the first standard documentation of the reported interrogation practices of law enforcement and police beliefs about the reliability of these techniques and their knowledge of child development. Participants were 332 law enforcement officers who completed surveys about interrogation procedures and developmental issues pertaining to youth. Results indicated that, while police acknowledge some developmental differences between youth and adults, there were indications that (1) how police perceive youth in general and how they perceive and treat them in the interrogation context may be contradictory and (2) their general view is that youth can be dealt with in the same manner as adults. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Coded acoustic wave sensors and system using time diversity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solie, Leland P. (Inventor); Hines, Jacqueline H. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

An apparatus and method for distinguishing between sensors that are to be wirelessly detected is provided. An interrogator device uses different, distinct time delays in the sensing signals when interrogating the sensors. The sensors are provided with different distinct pedestal delays. Sensors that have the same pedestal delay as the delay selected by the interrogator are detected by the interrogator whereas other sensors with different pedestal delays are not sensed. Multiple sensors with a given pedestal delay are provided with different codes so as to be distinguished from one another by the interrogator. The interrogator uses a signal that is transmitted to the sensor and returned by the sensor for combination and integration with the reference signal that has been processed by a function. The sensor may be a surface acoustic wave device having a differential impulse response with a power spectral density consisting of lobes. The power spectral density of the differential response is used to determine the value of the sensed parameter or parameters.

mzResults: An Interactive Viewer for Interrogation and Distribution of Proteomics Results*

PubMed Central

Webber, James T.; Askenazi, Manor; Marto, Jarrod A.

2011-01-01

The growing use of mass spectrometry in the context of biomedical research has been accompanied by an increased demand for distribution of results in a format that facilitates rapid and efficient validation of claims by reviewers and other interested parties. However, the continued evolution of mass spectrometry hardware, sample preparation methods, and peptide identification algorithms complicates standardization and creates hurdles related to compliance with journal submission requirements. Moreover, the recently announced Philadelphia Guidelines (1, 2) suggest that authors provide native mass spectrometry data files in support of their peer-reviewed research articles. These trends highlight the need for data viewers and other tools that work independently of manufacturers' proprietary data systems and seamlessly connect proteomics results with original data files to support user-driven data validation and review. Based upon our recently described API1-based framework for mass spectrometry data analysis (3, 4), we created an interactive viewer (mzResults) that is built on established database standards and enables efficient distribution and interrogation of results associated with proteomics experiments, while also providing a convenient mechanism for authors to comply with data submission standards as described in the Philadelphia Guidelines. In addition, the architecture of mzResults supports in-depth queries of the native mass spectrometry files through our multiplierz software environment. We use phosphoproteomics data to illustrate the features and capabilities of mzResults. PMID:21266631

Covalent Ligand Discovery against Druggable Hotspots Targeted by Anti-cancer Natural Products.

PubMed

Grossman, Elizabeth A; Ward, Carl C; Spradlin, Jessica N; Bateman, Leslie A; Huffman, Tucker R; Miyamoto, David K; Kleinman, Jordan I; Nomura, Daniel K

2017-11-16

Many natural products that show therapeutic activities are often difficult to synthesize or isolate and have unknown targets, hindering their development as drugs. Identifying druggable hotspots targeted by covalently acting anti-cancer natural products can enable pharmacological interrogation of these sites with more synthetically tractable compounds. Here, we used chemoproteomic platforms to discover that the anti-cancer natural product withaferin A targets C377 on the regulatory subunit PPP2R1A of the tumor-suppressor protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) complex leading to activation of PP2A activity, inactivation of AKT, and impaired breast cancer cell proliferation. We developed a more synthetically tractable cysteine-reactive covalent ligand, JNS 1-40, that selectively targets C377 of PPP2R1A to impair breast cancer signaling, proliferation, and in vivo tumor growth. Our study highlights the utility of using chemoproteomics to map druggable hotspots targeted by complex natural products and subsequently interrogating these sites with more synthetically tractable covalent ligands for cancer therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interrogating Surface Functional Group Heterogeneity of Activated Thermoplastics Using Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy.

PubMed

ONeil, Colleen E; Jackson, Joshua M; Shim, Sang-Hee; Soper, Steven A

2016-04-05

We present a novel approach for characterizing surfaces utilizing super-resolution fluorescence microscopy with subdiffraction limit spatial resolution. Thermoplastic surfaces were activated by UV/O3 or O2 plasma treatment under various conditions to generate pendant surface-confined carboxylic acids (-COOH). These surface functional groups were then labeled with a photoswitchable dye and interrogated using single-molecule, localization-based, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to elucidate the surface heterogeneity of these functional groups across the activated surface. Data indicated nonuniform distributions of these functional groups for both COC and PMMA thermoplastics with the degree of heterogeneity being dose dependent. In addition, COC demonstrated relative higher surface density of functional groups compared to PMMA for both UV/O3 and O2 plasma treatment. The spatial distribution of -COOH groups secured from super-resolution imaging were used to simulate nonuniform patterns of electroosmotic flow in thermoplastic nanochannels. Simulations were compared to single-particle tracking of fluorescent nanoparticles within thermoplastic nanoslits to demonstrate the effects of surface functional group heterogeneity on the electrokinetic transport process.

Autobalanced Ramsey Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanner, Christian; Huntemann, Nils; Lange, Richard; Tamm, Christian; Peik, Ekkehard

2018-01-01

We devise a perturbation-immune version of Ramsey's method of separated oscillatory fields. Spectroscopy of an atomic clock transition without compromising the clock's accuracy is accomplished by actively balancing the spectroscopic responses from phase-congruent Ramsey probe cycles of unequal durations. Our simple and universal approach eliminates a wide variety of interrogation-induced line shifts often encountered in high precision spectroscopy, among them, in particular, light shifts, phase chirps, and transient Zeeman shifts. We experimentally demonstrate autobalanced Ramsey spectroscopy on the light shift prone Yb+ 171 electric octupole optical clock transition and show that interrogation defects are not turned into clock errors. This opens up frequency accuracy perspectives below the 10-18 level for the Yb+ system and for other types of optical clocks.

A Comparison of Neutron-Based Non-Destructive Assessment Methods for Chemical Warfare Materiel and High Explosives

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

E.H. Seabury; D.L. Chichester; C.J. Wharton

2008-08-01

Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) systems employ neutrons as a probe to interrogate items, e.g. chemical warfare materiel-filled munitions. The choice of a neutron source in field-portable systems is determined by its ability to excite nuclei of interest, operational concerns such as radiological safety and ease-of-use, and cost. Idaho National Laboratory’s PINS Chemical Assay System has traditionally used a Cf-252 isotopic neutron source, but recently a Deuterium-Tritium (DT) Electronic Neutron Generator (ENG) has been tested as an alternate neutron source. This paper presents the results of using both of these neutron sources to interrogate chemical warfare materiel (CWM) andmore » high explosive (HE) filled munitions.« less

A Comparison of Neutron-Based Non-Destructive Assessment Methods for Chemical Warfare Material and High Explosives

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

Seabury, E. H.; Chichester, D. L.; Wharton, C. J.

2009-03-10

Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) systems employ neutrons as a probe to interrogate items, e.g. chemical warfare materiel-filled munitions. The choice of a neutron source in field-portable systems is determined by its ability to excite nuclei of interest, operational concerns such as radiological safety and ease-of-use, and cost. Idaho National Laboratory's PINS Chemical Assay System has traditionally used a {sup 252}Cf isotopic neutron source, but recently a deuterium-tritium (DT) electronic neutron generator (ENG) has been tested as an alternate neutron source. This paper presents the results of using both of these neutron sources to interrogate chemical warfare materiel (CWM)more » and high explosive (HE) filled munitions.« less

New Concepts and Fermilab Facilities for Antimatter Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Gerald

2008-04-01

There has long been significant interest in continuing antimatter research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Beam kinetic energies ranging from 10 GeV all the way down to the eV scale and below are of interest. There are three physics missions currently being developed: the continuation of charmonium physics utilizing an internal target; atomic physics with in-flight generated antihydrogen atoms; and deceleration to thermal energies and paasage of antiprotons through a grating system to determine their gravitation acceleration. Non-physics missions include the study of medical applications, tests of deep-space propulsion concepts, low-risk testing of nuclear fuel elements, and active interrogation for smuggled nuclear materials in support of homeland security. This paper reviews recent beam physics and accelerator technology innovations in the development of methods and new Fermilab facilities for the above missions.

DD fusion neutron production at UW-Madison using IEC devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fancher, Aaron; Michalak, Matt; Kulcinski, Gerald; Santarius, John; Bonomo, Richard

2017-10-01

An inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) device using spherical, gridded electrodes at high voltage accelerates deuterium ions, allowing for neutrons to be produced within the device from DD fusion reactions. The effects of the device cathode voltage (30-170 kV), current (30-100 mA), and pressure (0.15-1.25 mTorr) on the neutron production rate have been measured. New high voltage capabilities have resulted in the achievement of a steady state neutron production rate of 3.3x108 n/s at 175 kV, 100 mA, and 1.0 mTorr of deuterium. Applications of IEC devices include the production of DD neutrons to detect chemical explosives and special nuclear materials using active interrogation methods. Research supported by US Dept. of Homeland Security Grant 2015-DN-077-AR1095 and the Grainger Foundation.

48 CFR 237.173 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 237.173 Section 237.173 Federal Acquisition Regulations... SERVICE CONTRACTING Service Contracts-General 237.173 Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by...

48 CFR 237.173 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 237.173 Section 237.173 Federal Acquisition Regulations... SERVICE CONTRACTING Service Contracts-General 237.173 Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by...

48 CFR 237.173 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 237.173 Section 237.173 Federal Acquisition Regulations... SERVICE CONTRACTING Service Contracts-General 237.173 Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by...

48 CFR 237.173 - Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by contractor personnel. 237.173 Section 237.173 Federal Acquisition Regulations... SERVICE CONTRACTING Service Contracts-General 237.173 Prohibition on interrogation of detainees by...

Using Elaborative Interrogation Enhanced Worked Examples to Improve Chemistry Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pease, Rebecca Simpson

2012-01-01

Elaborative interrogation, which prompts students to answer why-questions placed strategically within informational text, has been shown to increase learning comprehension through reading. In this study, elaborative interrogation why-questions requested readers to explain why paraphrased statements taken from a reading were "true."…

University Sustainability Reporting: Taking Stock of Transparency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bice, Sara; Coates, Hamish

2016-01-01

This paper interrogates the case for improved and broadened public sustainability reporting by universities, and explores whether and how global performance measures capture the institutional attitudes and activities pertinent to universities' contributions to sustainability. The analysis explores all stand-alone, English language reports produced…

Remote file inquiry (RFI) system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

System interrogates and maintains user-definable data files from remote terminals, using English-like, free-form query language easily learned by persons not proficient in computer programming. System operates in asynchronous mode, allowing any number of inquiries within limitation of available core to be active concurrently.

Improved Fission Neutron Data Base for Active Interrogation of Actinides

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

Pozzi, Sara; Czirr, J. Bart; Haight, Robert

2013-11-06

This project will develop an innovative neutron detection system for active interrogation measurements. Many active interrogation methods to detect fissionable material are based on the detection of neutrons from fission induced by fast neutrons or high-energy gamma rays. The energy spectrum of the fission neutrons provides data to identify the fissionable isotopes and materials such as shielding between the fissionable material and the detector. The proposed path for the project is as follows. First, the team will develop new neutron detection systems and algorithms by Monte Carlo simulations and bench-top experiments. Next, They will characterize and calibrate detection systems bothmore » with monoenergetic and white neutron sources. Finally, high-fidelity measurements of neutron emission from fissions induced by fast neutrons will be performed. Several existing fission chambers containing U-235, Pu-239, U-238, or Th-232 will be used to measure the neutron-induced fission neutron emission spectra. The challenge for making confident measurements is the detection of neutrons in the energy ranges of 0.01 – 1 MeV and above 8 MeV, regions where the basic data on the neutron energy spectrum emitted from fission is least well known. In addition, improvements in the specificity of neutron detectors are required throughout the complete energy range: they must be able to clearly distinguish neutrons from other radiations, in particular gamma rays and cosmic rays. The team believes that all of these challenges can be addressed successfully with emerging technologies under development by this collaboration. In particular, the collaboration will address the area of fission neutron emission spectra for isotopes of interest in the advanced fuel cycle initiative (AFCI).« less

Spectroscopic neutron detection using composite scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jovanovic, I.; Foster, A.; Kukharev, V.; Mayer, M.; Meddeb, A.; Nattress, J.; Ounaies, Z.; Trivelpiece, C.

2016-09-01

Shielded special nuclear material (SNM), especially highly enriched uranium, is exceptionally difficult to detect without the use of active interrogation (AI). We are investigating the potential use of low-dose active interrogation to realize simultaneous high-contrast imaging and photofission of SNM using energetic gamma-rays produced by low-energy nuclear reactions, such as 11B(d,nγ)12C and 12C(p,p‧)12C. Neutrons produced via fission are one reliable signature of the presence of SNM and are usually identified by their unique timing characteristics, such as the delayed neutron die-away. Fast neutron spectroscopy may provide additional useful discriminating characteristics for SNM detection. Spectroscopic measurements can be conducted by recoil-based or thermalization and capture-gated detectors; the latter may offer unique advantages since they facilitate low-statistics and event-by-event neutron energy measurements without spectrum unfolding. We describe the results of the development and characterization of a new type of capture-gated spectroscopic neutron detector based on a composite of scintillating polyvinyltoluene and lithium-doped scintillating glass in the form of millimeter-thick rods. The detector achieves >108 neutron-gamma discrimination resulting from its geometric properties and material selection. The design facilitates simultaneous pulse shape and pulse height discrimination, despite the fact that no materials intrinsically capable of pulse shape discrimination have been used to construct the detector. Accurate single-event measurements of neutron energy may be possible even when the energy is relatively low, such as with delayed fission neutrons. Simulation and preliminary measurements using the new composite detector are described, including those conducted using radioisotope sources and the low-dose active interrogation system based on low-energy nuclear reactions.

Bright Lights and Questions: Using Mutual Interrogation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adam, Aishikin; Alangui, Willy; Barton, Bill

2010-01-01

Mutual Interrogation is a research methodology for ethnomathematics proposed by Alangui in 2006 in an attempt to avoid the potential inequality set up when a restricted cultural practice is viewed through the lens of the near-universal and highly developed research domain of mathematics. Using three significant examples of mutual interrogation in…

Elaborative-Interrogation and Prior-Knowledge Effects on Learning of Facts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woloshyn, Vera E.; And Others

1992-01-01

The differences among elaborative-interrogation, reading-to-understand, and no-exposure control conditions with familiar domain material in contrast to unfamiliar domain material were studied for 50 Canadian and 50 west German undergraduates. Results provide evidence of effects of both elaborative interrogation and prior knowledge on learning.…

Simulation of path delay multiplexing-based Fourier transform spectrometer for fiber Bragg grating interrogation.

PubMed

Chelliah, Pandian; Sahoo, Trilochan; Singh, Sheela; Sujatha, Annie

2015-10-20

A Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) used for interrogating a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) consists of a scanning-type interferometer. The FTS has a broad wavelength range of operation and good multiplexing capability. However, it has poor wavelength resolution and interrogation speed. We propose a modification to the FTS using path delay multiplexing to improve the same. Using this method, spatial resolution and interrogation time can be improved by n times by using n path delays. In this paper, simulation results for n=2, 5 are shown.

Low-cost interferometric TDM technology for dynamic sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bush, Jeff; Cekorich, Allen

2004-12-01

A low-cost design approach for Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) fiber-optic interferometric interrogation of multi-channel sensor arrays is presented. This paper describes the evolutionary design process of the subject design. First, the requisite elements of interferometric interrogation are defined for a single channel sensor. The concept is then extended to multi-channel sensor interrogation implementing a TDM multiplex scheme where "traditional" design elements are utilized. The cost of the traditional TDM interrogator is investigated and concluded to be too high for entry into many markets. A new design approach is presented which significantly reduces the cost for TDM interrogation. This new approach, in accordance with the cost objectives, shows promise to bring this technology to within the threshold of commercial acceptance for a wide range of distributed fiber sensing applications.

Detection of special nuclear material from delayed neutron emission induced by a dual-particle monoenergetic source

DOE PAGES

Mayer, Michael F.; Nattress, J.; Jovanovic, I.

2016-06-27

Detection of unique signatures of special nuclear materials is critical for their interdiction in a variety of nuclear security and nonproliferation scenarios. We report on the observation of delayed neutrons from fission of uranium induced in dual-particle active interrogation based on the 11B(d,n γ) 12C nuclear reaction. Majority of the fissions are attributed to fast fission induced by the incident quasi-monoenergetic neutrons. A Li-doped glass–polymer composite scintillation neutron detector, which displays excellent neutron/γ discrimination at low energies, was used in the measurements, along with a recoil-based liquid scintillation detector. Time- dependent buildup and decay of delayed neutron emission from 238Umore » were measured between the interrogating beam pulses and after the interrogating beam was turned off, respectively. Characteristic buildup and decay time profiles were compared to the common parametrization into six delayed neutron groups, finding a good agreement between the measurement and nuclear data. Furthermore, this method is promising for detecting fissile and fissionable materials in cargo scanning applications and can be readily integrated with transmission radiography using low-energy nuclear reaction sources.« less

Targeting Neuronal-like Metabolism of Metastatic Tumor Cells as a Novel Therapy for Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

Contribution to Project: Ian primarily focuses on developing tissue imaging pipeline and perform imaging data analysis . Funding Support: Partially...3D ReconsTruction), a multi-faceted image analysis pipeline , permitting quantitative interrogation of functional implications of heterogeneous... analysis pipeline , to observe and quantify phenotypic metastatic landscape heterogeneity in situ with spatial and molecular resolution. Our implementation

Interrogating "Belonging" in Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumsion, Jennifer; Wong, Sandie

2011-01-01

In this article, the authors interrogate the use of "belonging" in "Belonging, Being and Becoming: the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia" (EYLF), Australia's first national curriculum for early childhood education and care settings and, from the authors' interrogation, possibilities are offered for thinking about and…

Phase modulation in RF tag

DOEpatents

Carrender, Curtis Lee; Gilbert, Ronald W.

2007-02-20

A radio frequency (RF) communication system employs phase-modulated backscatter signals for RF communication from an RF tag to an interrogator. The interrogator transmits a continuous wave interrogation signal to the RF tag, which based on an information code stored in a memory, phase-modulates the interrogation signal to produce a backscatter response signal that is transmitted back to the interrogator. A phase modulator structure in the RF tag may include a switch coupled between an antenna and a quarter-wavelength stub; and a driver coupled between the memory and a control terminal of the switch. The driver is structured to produce a modulating signal corresponding to the information code, the modulating signal alternately opening and closing the switch to respectively decrease and increase the transmission path taken by the interrogation signal and thereby modulate the phase of the response signal. Alternatively, the phase modulator may include a diode coupled between the antenna and driver. The modulating signal from the driver modulates the capacitance of the diode, which modulates the phase of the response signal reflected by the diode and antenna.

Low-Cost Interrogation Technique for Dynamic Measurements with FBG-Based Devices.

PubMed

Díaz, Camilo A R; Leitão, Cátia; Marques, Carlos A; Domingues, M Fátima; Alberto, Nélia; Pontes, Maria José; Frizera, Anselmo; Ribeiro, Moisés R N; André, Paulo S B; Antunes, Paulo F C

2017-10-23

Fiber Bragg gratings are widely used optical fiber sensors for measuring temperature and/or mechanical strain. Nevertheless, the high cost of the interrogation systems is the most important drawback for their large commercial application. In this work, an in-line Fabry-Perot interferometer based edge filter is explored in the interrogation of fiber Bragg grating dynamic measurements up to 5 kHz. Two devices an accelerometer and an arterial pulse wave probe were interrogated with the developed approach and the results were compared with a commercial interrogation monitor. The data obtained with the edge filter are in agreement with the commercial device, with a maximum RMSE of 0.05 being able to meet the requirements of the measurements. Resolutions of 3.6 pm and 2.4 pm were obtained, using the optical accelerometer and the arterial pulse wave probe, respectively.

Processing Interrogative Sentence Mood at the Semantic-Syntactic Interface: An Electrophysiological Research in Chinese, German, and Polish

PubMed Central

Kao, Chung-Shan; Dietrich, Rainer; Sommer, Werner

2010-01-01

Background Languages differ in the marking of the sentence mood of a polar interrogative (yes/no question). For instance, the interrogative mood is marked at the beginning of the surface structure in Polish, whereas the marker appears at the end in Chinese. In order to generate the corresponding sentence frame, the syntactic specification of the interrogative mood is early in Polish and late in Chinese. In this respect, German belongs to an interesting intermediate class. The yes/no question is expressed by a shift of the finite verb from its final position in the underlying structure into the utterance initial position, a move affecting, hence, both the sentence's final and the sentence's initial constituents. The present study aimed to investigate whether during generation of the semantic structure of a polar interrogative, i.e., the processing preceding the grammatical formulation, the interrogative mood is encoded according to its position in the syntactic structure at distinctive time points in Chinese, German, and Polish. Methodology/Principal Findings In a two-choice go/nogo experimental design, native speakers of the three languages responded to pictures by pressing buttons and producing utterances in their native language while their brain potentials were recorded. The emergence and latency of lateralized readiness potentials (LRP) in nogo conditions, in which speakers asked a yes/no question, should indicate the time point of processing the interrogative mood. The results revealed that Chinese, German, and Polish native speakers did not differ from each other in the electrophysiological indicator. Conclusions/Significance The findings suggest that the semantic encoding of the interrogative mood is temporally consistent across languages despite its disparate syntactic specification. The consistent encoding may be ascribed to economic processing of interrogative moods at various sentential positions of the syntactic structures in languages or, more generally, to the overarching status of sentence mood in the semantic structure. PMID:20927373

Interrogative suggestibility, confabulation, and acquiescence in people with mild learning disabilities (mental handicap): implications for reliability during police interrogations.

PubMed

Clare, I C; Gudjonsson, G H

1993-09-01

In order to assess a criminal suspect's ability to make a reliable statement, performance on three measures--interrogative suggestibility, confabulation and acquiescence--may be used. This paper presents preliminary data on these measures for people with mild learning disabilities (Full Scale IQ [FSIQ]: 57-75). It was found that they were more suggestible than their average ability counterparts (FSIQ: 83-111) because they were much more susceptible to 'leading questions'. They also confabulated more and were more acquiescent. Overall, the data emphasized their potential vulnerability to giving erroneous testimony during interrogations.

A multi-parameter optical fiber sensor with interrogation and discrimination capabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Yage; Wu, Hua; Yang, Qinyu; Pei, Jincheng; Yang, Xichun

2009-11-01

A multi-parameter and multi-function, but low-cost, optical fiber grating sensor with self-interrogation and self-discrimination capabilities is presented theoretically and experimentally. The sensor bases on three fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) and one fiber long period grating (LPG). Strain, vibration, pressure, ordinary temperature (-10 to 100 °C) and high temperature (100-800 °C) can be measured by the sensor. When high temperature (100-800 °C) is measured, the LPG is used as a high temperture sensor head and FBG 1 is used as an interrogation element. Alternatively, when one of the other four measurands is measured, FBG 1 (or FBG 2) is used as a sensor head and LPG is used as an interrogation element. When two of the other four measurands are measured simultaneously, FBG 1 and FBG 2 are used as sensor heads and LPG is used as a shared interrogation element. FBG 3 is used as a reference element to eliminate the errors resulted from light source fluctuation and the cross-sensitivity between measurand and environmental temperature. The measurands can be interrogated according to the signals of the photodiodes (PDs), which are related to the relative wavelength shift of the LPG and the FBGs. Experimental results agree well with theoretical analyses. The interrogation scheme is immune to light source fluctuation and the cross-sensitivity between measurands and enviromental temperature, and also the dynamic range is large.

Handbook for Military Justice and Civil Law

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-09-01

In most cases, however, to an individual to identify himself is not an "interrogation," and production of the identification is not a "statement...mind, the most productive approach for the reader is to develop a thorough knowledge of what actions are legally permissible (producing admissible...activities that constitute reasonable searches, and other command activities which, although permissible and productive of admissible evidence, are not

REVERSED ENZYME ACTIVITY INTERROGATION TEST (READIT) AS A METHOD FOR GENOTYPING NAT1 POLYMORPHISMS. (R828292)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Failure to Launch?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asquith, Christina

2006-01-01

When reporters from the Arabic news channel Aljazeera International traveled on assignment to Crosby, North Dakota, they did not receive a warm welcome from locals. Instead, someone called the sheriff, who then reported possible terrorist activity to the U.S. Border Patrol. After a brief interrogation, agents confirmed that they were American…

Active Well Counting Using New PSD Plastic Detectors

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

Hausladen, Paul; Newby, Jason; McElroy, Robert Dennis

This report presents results and analysis from a series of proof-of-concept measurements to assess the suitability of segmented detectors constructed from Eljen EJ-299-34 PSD-plastic scintillator with pulse-shape discrimination capability for the purposes of quantifying uranium via active neutron coincidence counting. Present quantification of bulk uranium materials for international safeguards and domestic materials control and accounting relies on active neutron coincidence counting systems, such as the Active Well Coincidence Counter (AWCC) and the Uranium Neutron Coincidence Collar (UNCL), that use moderated He-3 proportional counters along with necessarily low-intensity 241Am(Li) neutron sources. Scintillation-based fast-neutron detectors are a potentially superior technology to themore » existing AWCC and UNCL designs due to their spectroscopic capability and their inherently short neutron coincidence times that largely eliminate random coincidences and enable interrogation by stronger sources. One of the past impediments to the investigation and adoption of scintillation counters for the purpose of quantifying bulk uranium was the commercial availability of scintillators having the necessary neutron-gamma pulse-shape discrimination properties only as flammable liquids. Recently, Eljen EJ-299-34 PSD-plastic scintillator became commercially available. The present work is the first assessment of an array of PSD-plastic detectors for the purposes of quantifying bulk uranium. The detector panel used in the present work was originally built as the focal plane for a fast-neutron imager, but it was repurposed for the present investigation by construction of a stand to support the inner well of an AWCC immediately in front of the detector panel. The detector panel and data acquisition of this system are particularly well suited for performing active-well fast-neutron counting of LEU and HEU samples because the active detector volume is solid, the 241Am(Li) interrogating neutrons are largely below the detector threshold, and the segmented construction of the detector modules allow for separation of true neutron-neutron coincidences from inter-detector scattering using the kinematics of neutron scattering. The results from a series of measurements of a suite of uranium standards are presented, and compared to measurements of the same standards and source configurations using the AWCC. Using these results, the performance of the segmented detectors reconfigured as a well counter is predicted and outperforms the AWCC.« less

Can You Believe It? 12-Month-Olds Use Word Order to Distinguish between Declaratives and Polar Interrogatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geffen, Susan; Mintz, Toben H.

2015-01-01

Word order is a core mechanism for conveying syntactic structure, yet interrogatives usually disrupt canonical word orders. For example, in English, polar interrogatives typically invert the subject and auxiliary verb and insert an utterance-initial "do" if no auxiliary is present. These word order patterns result from differences in the…

Use of Elaborative Interrogation to Help Students Acquire Information Consistent with Prior Knowledge and Information Inconsistent with Prior Knowledge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woloshyn, Vera E.; And Others

1994-01-01

Thirty-two factual statements, half consistent and half not consistent with subjects' prior knowledge, were processed by 140 sixth and seventh graders. Half were directed to use elaborative interrogation (using prior knowledge) to answer why each statement was true. Across all memory measures, elaborative interrogation subjects performed better…

The Development of Interrogative Forms and Functions in Early Childhood Cantonese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hui; Tse, Shek Kam; Sin Wong, Jessie Ming; Mei Wong, Eileen Chin; Leung, Shing On

2013-01-01

This study investigated question acquisition in Cantonese-speaking young children with a focus on the development of interrogative forms and functions. Data from a child Cantonese corpus (492 children aged 36, 48 and 60 months) were analysed. The main results were that: (1) all the interrogative forms and functions were produced by the three age…

Nanowire humidity optical sensor system based on fast Fourier transform technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rota-Rodrigo, S.; Pérez-Herrera, R.; Lopez-Aldaba, A.; López Bautista, M. C.; Esteban, O.; López-Amo, M.

2015-09-01

In this paper, a new sensor system for relative humidity measurements based on its interaction with the evanescent field of a nanowire is presented. The interrogation of the sensing head is carried out by monitoring the fast Fourier transform phase variations of one of the nanowire interference frequencies. This method is independent of the signal amplitude and also avoids the necessity of tracking the wavelength evolution in the spectrum, which can be a handicap when there are multiple interference frequency components with different sensitivities. The sensor is operated within a wide humidity range (20%-70% relative humidity) with a maximum sensitivity achieved of 0.14rad/% relative humidity. Finally, due to the system uses an optical interrogator as unique active element, the system presents a cost-effective feature.

The phase interrogation method for optical fiber sensor by analyzing the fork interference pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Riqing; Qiu, Liqiang; Hu, Haifeng; Meng, Lu; Zhang, Yong

2018-02-01

The phase interrogation method for optical fiber sensor is proposed based on the fork interference pattern between the orbital angular momentum beam and plane wave. The variation of interference pattern with phase difference between the two light beams is investigated to realize the phase interrogation. By employing principal component analysis method, the features of the interference pattern can be extracted. Moreover, the experimental system is designed to verify the theoretical analysis, as well as feasibility of phase interrogation. In this work, the Mach-Zehnder interferometer was employed to convert the strain applied on sensing fiber to the phase difference between the reference and measuring paths. This interrogation method is also applicable for the measurements of other physical parameters, which can produce the phase delay in optical fiber. The performance of the system can be further improved by employing highlysensitive materials and fiber structures.

Low-Cost Interrogation Technique for Dynamic Measurements with FBG-Based Devices

PubMed Central

Domingues, M. Fátima; Alberto, Nélia; Pontes, Maria José; Ribeiro, Moisés R. N.; André, Paulo S. B.; Antunes, Paulo F. C.

2017-01-01

Fiber Bragg gratings are widely used optical fiber sensors for measuring temperature and/or mechanical strain. Nevertheless, the high cost of the interrogation systems is the most important drawback for their large commercial application. In this work, an in-line Fabry–Perot interferometer based edge filter is explored in the interrogation of fiber Bragg grating dynamic measurements up to 5 kHz. Two devices an accelerometer and an arterial pulse wave probe were interrogated with the developed approach and the results were compared with a commercial interrogation monitor. The data obtained with the edge filter are in agreement with the commercial device, with a maximum RMSE of 0.05 being able to meet the requirements of the measurements. Resolutions of 3.6 pm and 2.4 pm were obtained, using the optical accelerometer and the arterial pulse wave probe, respectively. PMID:29065518

Event-recording devices with identification codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watters, David G. (Inventor); Huestis, David L. (Inventor); Bahr, Alfred J. (Inventor); Vidmar, Robert J. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

A recording device allows wireless interrogation to determine its identity and its state. The state indicates whether one or more physical or chemical events have taken place. In effect, the one or more physical or chemical events are recorded by the device. The identity of the device allows it to be distinguished from a number of similar devices. The recording device may be used in an array of devices that allows wireless probing by an interrogation unit. When probed, each device tells the interrogator who it is and what state it is in. The devices allow multiple use and the interrogator may use a logical reset to determine the state of each device. The interrogator can thus easily identify particular items in an array that have reached a particular condition. The device may record the status of each device in a database to maintain a history for each.

Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor System for Monitoring Smart Composite Aerospace Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moslehi, Behzad; Black, Richard J.; Gowayed, Yasser

2012-01-01

Lightweight, electromagnetic interference (EMI) immune, fiber-optic, sensor- based structural health monitoring (SHM) will play an increasing role in aerospace structures ranging from aircraft wings to jet engine vanes. Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors for SHM include advanced signal processing, system and damage identification, and location and quantification algorithms. Potentially, the solution could be developed into an autonomous onboard system to inspect and perform non-destructive evaluation and SHM. A novel method has been developed to massively multiplex FBG sensors, supported by a parallel processing interrogator, which enables high sampling rates combined with highly distributed sensing (up to 96 sensors per system). The interrogation system comprises several subsystems. A broadband optical source subsystem (BOSS) and routing and interface module (RIM) send light from the interrogation system to a composite embedded FBG sensor matrix, which returns measurand-dependent wavelengths back to the interrogation system for measurement with subpicometer resolution. In particular, the returned wavelengths are channeled by the RIM to a photonic signal processing subsystem based on powerful optical chips, then passed through an optoelectronic interface to an analog post-detection electronics subsystem, digital post-detection electronics subsystem, and finally via a data interface to a computer. A range of composite structures has been fabricated with FBGs embedded. Stress tensile, bending, and dynamic strain tests were performed. The experimental work proved that the FBG sensors have a good level of accuracy in measuring the static response of the tested composite coupons (down to submicrostrain levels), the capability to detect and monitor dynamic loads, and the ability to detect defects in composites by a variety of methods including monitoring the decay time under different dynamic loading conditions. In addition to quasi-static and dynamic load monitoring, the system can capture acoustic emission events that can be a prelude to structural failure, as well as piezoactuator-induced ultrasonic Lamb-waves-based techniques as a basis for damage detection.

Image-guided therapies for myocardial repair: concepts and practical implementation

PubMed Central

Bengel, Frank M.; George, Richard T.; Schuleri, Karl H.; Lardo, Albert C.; Wollert, Kai C.

2013-01-01

Cell- and molecule-based therapeutic strategies to support wound healing and regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI) are under development. These emerging therapies aim at sustained preservation of ventricular function by enhancing tissue repair after myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion. Such therapies will benefit from guidance with regard to timing, regional targeting, suitable candidate selection, and effectiveness monitoring. Such guidance is effectively obtained by non-invasive tomographic imaging. Infarct size, tissue characteristics, muscle mass, and chamber geometry can be determined by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Radionuclide imaging can be used for the tracking of therapeutic agents and for the interrogation of molecular mechanisms such as inflammation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix activation. This review article portrays the hypothesis that an integrated approach with an early implementation of structural and molecular tomographic imaging in the development of novel therapies will provide a framework for achieving the goal of improved tissue repair after MI. PMID:23720377

Wireless event-recording device with identification codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watters, David G. (Inventor); Huestis, David L. (Inventor); Bahr, Alfred J. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A wireless recording device can be interrogated to determine its identity and its state. The state indicates whether a particular physical or chemical event has taken place. In effect, the physical or chemical event is recorded by the device. The identity of the device allows it to be distinguished from a number of similar devices. Thus the sensor device may be used in an array of devices that can be probed by a wireless interrogation unit. The device tells the interrogator who it is and what state it is in. The interrogator can thus easily identify particular items in an array that have reached a particular condition.

Design of Interrogation Protocols for Radiation Dose Measurements Using Optically-Stimulated Luminescent Dosimeters.

PubMed

Abraham, Sara A; Kearfott, Kimberlee J; Jawad, Ali H; Boria, Andrew J; Buth, Tobias J; Dawson, Alexander S; Eng, Sheldon C; Frank, Samuel J; Green, Crystal A; Jacobs, Mitchell L; Liu, Kevin; Miklos, Joseph A; Nguyen, Hien; Rafique, Muhammad; Rucinski, Blake D; Smith, Travis; Tan, Yanliang

2017-03-01

Optically-stimulated luminescent dosimeters are capable of being interrogated multiple times post-irradiation. Each interrogation removes a fraction of the signal stored within the optically-stimulated luminescent dosimeter. This signal loss must be corrected to avoid systematic errors in estimating the average signal of a series of optically-stimulated luminescent dosimeter interrogations and requires a minimum number of consecutive readings to determine an average signal that is within a desired accuracy of the true signal with a desired statistical confidence. This paper establishes a technical basis for determining the required number of readings for a particular application of these dosimeters when using certain OSL dosimetry systems.

Low-cost and high-resolution interrogation scheme for LPG-based temperature sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venkata Reddy, M.; Srimannarayana, K.; Venkatappa Rao, T.; Vengal Rao, P.

2015-09-01

A low-cost and high-resolution interrogation scheme for a long-period fiber grating (LPG) temperature sensor with adjustable temperature range has been designed, developed and tested. In general LPGs are widely used as optical sensors and can be used as optical edge filters to interrogate the wavelength encoded signal from sensors such as fiber Bragg grating (FBG) by converting it into intensity modulated signal. But the interrogation of LPG sensors using FBG is a bit novel and it is to be studied experimentally. The sensor works based on measurement of shift in attenuation band of LPG corresponding to the applied temperature. The wavelength shift of LPG attenuation band is monitored using an optical spectrum analyser (OSA). Further the bulk and expensive OSA is replaced with a low-cost interrogation system that employ an FBG, photodiode and a transimpedance amplifier (TIA). The designed interrogation scheme makes the system low-cost, fast in response, and also enhances its resolution up to 0.1°C. The measurable temperature range using the proposed scheme is limited to 120 °C. However this range can be shifted within 15-450 °C by means of adjusting the Bragg wavelength of FBG.

Progress in miniaturization of a multichannel optical fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopatin, Craig M.; Mahmood, Shah; Mendoza, Edgar; Moslehi, Behzad; Black, Richard; Chau, Kelvin; Oblea, Levy

2007-07-01

An effort to develop a miniaturized multichannel optical fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator was initiated in 2006 under the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. The goal was to develop an interrogator that would be sufficiently small and light to be incorporated into a health monitoring system for use on tactical missiles. Two companies, Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corporation (IFOS) and Redondo Optics, were funded in Phase I, and this paper describes the prototype interrogators that were developed. The two companies took very different approaches: IFOS focused on developing a unit that would have a high channel count and high resolution, using off-the-shelf components, while Redondo Optics chose to develop a unit that would be very small and lightweight, using custom designed integrated optical chips. It is believed that both approaches will result in interrogators that will be significantly small, lighter, and possibly even more precise than what is currently commercially available. This paper will also briefly describe some of the sensing concepts that may be used to interrogate the health of the solid rocket motors used in many missile systems. The sponsor of this program was NAVAIR PMA 280.

Walking on by Is Just the Beginning: Dialogically Interrogating Face-Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herakova, Liliana L.

2016-01-01

Courses: Introduction to Communication Studies, Interpersonal Communication, Nonverbal Communication. Objectives: After completing this single-class activity, students should be able to (1) describe and interpret face-work as a communicative act that both reflects and constructs identity, (2) explain the concept of intersectionality in basic…

Displaying Knowledge through Interrogatives in Student-Initiated Sequences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solem, Marit Skarbø

2016-01-01

This article presents an analysis of student initiatives in whole-class interactions. While prior research on question-answer sequences in classroom interactions has shown students to be rather passive recipients of knowledge, this article focuses on aspects of classroom interaction where students take a more active role. Following a conversation…

Teamwork through Team Building: Face-to-Face to Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staggers, Julie; Garcia, Susan; Nagelhout, Ed

2008-01-01

This article describes the ways the authors incorporated team-building activities into our online business writing courses by interrogating the ways that kinesthetic learning translates into the electronic realm. The authors review foundational theories of team building, including Cog's Ladder and Tuckman's Stages, and offer sample exercises they…

Multi-Party, Whole-Body Interactions in Mathematical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Jasmine Y.

2017-01-01

This study interrogates the contributions of multi-party, whole-body interactions to students' collaboration and negotiation of mathematics ideas in a task setting called walking scale geometry, where bodies in interaction became complex resources for students' emerging goals in problem solving. Whole bodies took up overlapping roles representing…

Genetic and Proteomic Interrogation of Lower Confidence Candidate Genes Reveals Signaling Networks in beta-Catenin-Active Cancers | Office of Cancer Genomics

Cancer.gov

Genome-scale expression studies and comprehensive loss-of-function genetic screens have focused almost exclusively on the highest confidence candidate genes. Here, we describe a strategy for characterizing the lower confidence candidates identified by such approaches.

Visual Snapshots of Intracellular Kinase Activity At The Onset of Mitosis

PubMed Central

Dai, Zhaohua; Dulyaninova, Natalya G.; Kumar, Sanjai; Bresnick, Anne R.; Lawrence, David S.

2007-01-01

Summary Visual snapshots of intracellular kinase activity can be acquired with exquisite temporal control using a light-activatable (caged) sensor, thereby providing a means to interrogate enzymatic activity at any point during the cell division cycle. Robust protein kinase activity transpires just prior to, but not immediately following, nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB). Furthermore, kinase activity is required for progression from prophase into metaphase. Finally, the application of selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, in combination with the caged sensor, correlates the action of the PKC β isoform with subsequent NEB. PMID:18022564

Miniature fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator (FBG-Transceiver) system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Edgar A.; Kempen, Cornelia; Lopatin, Craig

2007-04-01

This paper describes recent progress conducted towards the development of a miniature fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogator (FBG-Transceiver TM) system based on multi-channel integrated optic sensor (InOSense TM) microchip technology. The hybrid InOSense TM microchip technology enables the integration of all of the functionalities, both passive and active, of conventional bench top FBG sensor interrogator systems, packaged in a miniaturized, low power operation, 2-cm x 5-cm package suitable for the long-term structural health monitoring in applications where size, weight, and power are critical for operation. The FBG-Transceiver system uses active optoelectronic components monolithically integrated to the InOSense TM microchip, a microprocessor controlled signal processing electronics board capable of processing the FBG sensors signals related to stress-strain and temperature as well as vibration and acoustics. The FBG-Transceiver TM system represents a new, reliable, highly robust technology that can be used to accurately monitor the status of an array of distributed fiber optic Bragg grating sensors installed in critical infrastructures. Its miniature package, low power operation, and state-of-the-art data communications architecture, all at a very affordable price makes it a very attractive solution for a large number of SHM/NDI applications in aerospace, naval and maritime industry, civil structures like bridges, buildings and dams, the oil and chemical industry, and for homeland security applications. The miniature, cost-efficient FBG-Transceiver TM system is poised to revolutionize the field of structural health monitoring and nondestructive inspection market. The sponsor of this program is NAVAIR under a DOD SBIR contract.

Nanoscale Plasmonic V-Groove Waveguides for the Interrogation of Single Fluorescent Bacterial Cells.

PubMed

Lotan, Oren; Bar-David, Jonathan; Smith, Cameron L C; Yagur-Kroll, Sharon; Belkin, Shimshon; Kristensen, Anders; Levy, Uriel

2017-09-13

We experimentally demonstrate the interrogation of an individual Escherichia coli cell using a nanoscale plasmonic V-groove waveguide. Several different configurations were studied. The first involved the excitation of the cell in a liquid environment because it flows on top of the waveguide nanocoupler, while the obtained fluorescence is coupled into the waveguide and collected at the other nanocoupler. The other two configurations involved the positioning of the bacterium within the nanoscale waveguide and its excitation in a dry environment either directly from the top or through waveguide modes. This is achieved by taking advantage of the waveguide properties not only for light guiding but also as a mechanical tool for trapping the bacteria within the V-grooves. The obtained results are supported by a set of numerical simulations, shedding more light on the mechanism of excitation. This demonstration paves the way for the construction of an efficient bioplasmonic chip for diverse cell-based sensing applications.

Portable fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy system for in-situ interrogation of biological tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito Nogueira, Marcelo; Cosci, Alessandro; Teixeira Rosa, Ramon Gabriel; Salvio, Ana Gabriela; Pratavieira, Sebastião; Kurachi, Cristina

2017-12-01

Fluorescence spectroscopy and lifetime techniques are potential methods for optical diagnosis and characterization of biological tissues with an in-situ, fast, and noninvasive interrogation. Several diseases may be diagnosed due to differences in the fluorescence spectra of targeted fluorophores, when, these spectra are similar, considering steady-state fluorescence, others may be detected by monitoring their fluorescence lifetime. Despite this complementarity, most of the current fluorescence lifetime systems are not robust and portable, and not being feasible for clinical applications. We describe the assembly of a fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy system in a suitcase, its characterization, and validation with clinical measurements of skin lesions. The assembled system is all encased and robust, maintaining its mechanical, electrical, and optical stability during transportation, and is feasible for clinical measurements. The instrument response function measured was about 300 ps, and the system is properly calibrated. At the clinical study, the system showed to be reliable, and the achieved spectroscopy results support its potential use as an auxiliary tool for skin diagnostics.

Postdoctoral Fellow | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

The Hernandez lab is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to join the research program, which is focused on interrogating the molecular underpinnings of metastatic colonization. The lab utilizes multi-photon intravital microscopy to mechanistically interrogate and visualize the dynamics of metastatic outgrowth, including the roles of supporting stromal and immune cells. The lab has begun pioneering first-ever human tissue models by repurposing perfusion systems to sustain metastasis-bearing tissue (liver and peritoneum) ex vivo. We envision these models will allow us to 1) evaluate putative metastasis governing genes in human tissue, 2) personalize investigation of the metastatic cascade by leveraging multi-photon imaging with an individual patient’s tumor cells, which will be dissociated, labelled, and subsequently injected into the perfusate to seed that patient’s metastatic target tissue, and 3) utilized tumor-bearing tissue as a platform for drug discovery and evaluation of novel drug-delivery combinations. We believe our human tissue models have the potential to transcend multiple disciplines in translational medicine and permit investigations and manipulations not previously possible.

Comparative Activity and Functional Ecology of Permafrost Soils and Lithic Niches in a Hyper-Arid Polar Desert

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goordial, J.; Davila, A.; Greer, C. W.; Cannam, R.; DiRuggiero, J.; McKay, C. P.; Whyte, L. G.

2016-01-01

This study represents the first metagenomic interrogation of Antarctic permafrost and polar cryptoendolithic microbial communities. The results underlie two different habitability conditions in the same location under extreme cold and dryness: the permafrost habitat where viable microbial life and activity is questionable, and the cryptoendolithic habitat which contains organisms capable of growth under the extreme conditions of the Antarctic Dry Valleys.

A Safe, Self-Calibrating, Wireless System for Measuring Volume of Any Fuel at Non-Horizontal Orientation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodward, Stanley E.; Taylor, Bryant D.

2010-01-01

A system for wirelessly measuring the volume of fluid in tanks at non-horizontal orientation is predicated upon two technologies developed at Langley Research Center. The first is a magnetic field response recorder that powers and interrogates magnetic field response sensors [ Magnetic Field Response Measurement Acquisition System, (LAR-16908), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 6 (June 2006), page 28]. Magnetic field response sensors are a class of sensors that are powered via oscillating magnetic fields and when electrically active respond with their own magnetic fields whose attributes are dependent upon the magnitude of the physical quantity being measured. The response recorder facilitates the use of the second technology, which is a magnetic field response fluid-level sensor ["Wireless Fluid- Level Sensors for Harsh Environments," (LAR-17155), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 33, No. 4 (April 2009), page 30]. The method for powering and interrogating the sensors allows them to be completely encased in materials (Fig. 1) that are chemically resilient to the fluid being measured, thereby facilitating measurement of substances (e.g., acids, petroleum, cryogenic, caustic, and the like) that would normally destroy electronic circuitry. When the sensors are encapsulated, no fluid (or fluid vapor) is exposed to any electrical component of the measurement system. There is no direct electrical line from the vehicle or plant power into a fuel container. The means of interrogating and powering the sensors can be completely physically and electrically isolated from the fuel and vapors by placing the sensor on the other side of an electrically non-conductive bulkhead (Fig. 2). These features prevent the interrogation system and its electrical components from becoming an ignition source.

Active neutron and gamma-ray imaging of highly enriched uranium for treaty verification

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

Hamel, Michael C.; Polack, J. Kyle; Ruch, Marc L.

The detection and characterization of highly enriched uranium (HEU) presents a large challenge in the non-proliferation field. HEU has a low neutron emission rate and most gamma rays are low energy and easily shielded. To address this challenge, an instrument known as the dual-particle imager (DPI) was used with a portable deuterium-tritium (DT) neutron generator to detect neutrons and gamma rays from induced fission in HEU. We evaluated system response using a 13.7-kg HEU sphere in several configurations with no moderation, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) moderation, and tungsten moderation. A hollow tungsten sphere was interrogated to evaluate the response to amore » possible hoax item. First, localization capabilities were demonstrated by reconstructing neutron and gamma-ray images. Once localized, additional properties such as fast neutron energy spectra and time-dependent neutron count rates were attributed to the items. For the interrogated configurations containing HEU, the reconstructed neutron spectra resembled Watt spectra, which gave confidence that the interrogated items were undergoing induced fission. The time-dependent neutron count rate was also compared for each configuration and shown to be dependent on the neutron multiplication of the item. This result showed that the DPI is a viable tool for localizing and confirming fissile mass and multiplication.« less

Active neutron and gamma-ray imaging of highly enriched uranium for treaty verification

DOE PAGES

Hamel, Michael C.; Polack, J. Kyle; Ruch, Marc L.; ...

2017-08-11

The detection and characterization of highly enriched uranium (HEU) presents a large challenge in the non-proliferation field. HEU has a low neutron emission rate and most gamma rays are low energy and easily shielded. To address this challenge, an instrument known as the dual-particle imager (DPI) was used with a portable deuterium-tritium (DT) neutron generator to detect neutrons and gamma rays from induced fission in HEU. We evaluated system response using a 13.7-kg HEU sphere in several configurations with no moderation, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) moderation, and tungsten moderation. A hollow tungsten sphere was interrogated to evaluate the response to amore » possible hoax item. First, localization capabilities were demonstrated by reconstructing neutron and gamma-ray images. Once localized, additional properties such as fast neutron energy spectra and time-dependent neutron count rates were attributed to the items. For the interrogated configurations containing HEU, the reconstructed neutron spectra resembled Watt spectra, which gave confidence that the interrogated items were undergoing induced fission. The time-dependent neutron count rate was also compared for each configuration and shown to be dependent on the neutron multiplication of the item. This result showed that the DPI is a viable tool for localizing and confirming fissile mass and multiplication.« less

Enhancement of Arabidopsis growth characteristics using genome interrogation with artificial transcription factors

PubMed Central

Pinas, Johan E.; Henkel, Christiaan V.; Augustijn, Dieuwertje; Hooykaas, Paul J. J.; van der Zaal, Bert J.

2017-01-01

The rapidly growing world population has a greatly increasing demand for plant biomass, thus creating a great interest in the development of methods to enhance the growth and biomass accumulation of crop species. In this study, we used zinc finger artificial transcription factor (ZF-ATF)-mediated genome interrogation to manipulate the growth characteristics and biomass of Arabidopsis plants. We describe the construction of two collections of Arabidopsis lines expressing fusions of three zinc fingers (3F) to the transcriptional repressor motif EAR (3F-EAR) or the transcriptional activator VP16 (3F-VP16), and the characterization of their growth characteristics. In total, six different 3F-ATF lines with a consistent increase in rosette surface area (RSA) of up to 55% were isolated. For two lines we demonstrated that 3F-ATF constructs function as dominant in trans acting causative agents for an increase in RSA and biomass, and for five larger plant lines we have investigated 3F-ATF induced transcriptomic changes. Our results indicate that genome interrogation can be used as a powerful tool for the manipulation of plant growth and biomass and that it might supply novel cues for the discovery of genes and pathways involved in these properties. PMID:28358915

Enhancement of Arabidopsis growth characteristics using genome interrogation with artificial transcription factors.

PubMed

Tol, Niels van; Rolloos, Martijn; Pinas, Johan E; Henkel, Christiaan V; Augustijn, Dieuwertje; Hooykaas, Paul J J; van der Zaal, Bert J

2017-01-01

The rapidly growing world population has a greatly increasing demand for plant biomass, thus creating a great interest in the development of methods to enhance the growth and biomass accumulation of crop species. In this study, we used zinc finger artificial transcription factor (ZF-ATF)-mediated genome interrogation to manipulate the growth characteristics and biomass of Arabidopsis plants. We describe the construction of two collections of Arabidopsis lines expressing fusions of three zinc fingers (3F) to the transcriptional repressor motif EAR (3F-EAR) or the transcriptional activator VP16 (3F-VP16), and the characterization of their growth characteristics. In total, six different 3F-ATF lines with a consistent increase in rosette surface area (RSA) of up to 55% were isolated. For two lines we demonstrated that 3F-ATF constructs function as dominant in trans acting causative agents for an increase in RSA and biomass, and for five larger plant lines we have investigated 3F-ATF induced transcriptomic changes. Our results indicate that genome interrogation can be used as a powerful tool for the manipulation of plant growth and biomass and that it might supply novel cues for the discovery of genes and pathways involved in these properties.

Simulation Of A Photofission-Based Cargo Interrogation System

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

King, Michael; Gozani, Tsahi; Stevenson, John

A comprehensive model has been developed to characterize and optimize the detection of Bremsstrahlung x-ray induced fission signatures from nuclear materials hidden in cargo containers. An effective active interrogation system should not only induce a large number of fission events but also efficiently detect their signatures. The proposed scanning system utilizes a 9-MV commercially available linear accelerator and the detection of strong fission signals i.e. delayed gamma rays and prompt neutrons. Because the scanning system is complex and the cargo containers are large and often highly attenuating, the simulation method segments the model into several physical steps, representing each changemore » of radiation particle. Each approximation is carried-out separately, resulting in a major reduction in computational time and a significant improvement in tally statistics. The model investigates the effect on the fission rate and detection rate by various cargo types, densities and distributions. Hydrogenous and metallic cargos, homogeneous and heterogeneous, as well as various locations of the nuclear material inside the cargo container were studied. We will show that for the photofission-based interrogation system simulation, the final results are not only in good agreement with a full, single-step simulation but also with experimental results, further validating the full-system simulation.« less

Wavelength interrogation of fiber Bragg grating sensors using tapered hollow Bragg waveguides.

PubMed

Potts, C; Allen, T W; Azar, A; Melnyk, A; Dennison, C R; DeCorby, R G

2014-10-15

We describe an integrated system for wavelength interrogation, which uses tapered hollow Bragg waveguides coupled to an image sensor. Spectral shifts are extracted from the wavelength dependence of the light radiated at mode cutoff. Wavelength shifts as small as ~10  pm were resolved by employing a simple peak detection algorithm. Si/SiO₂-based cladding mirrors enable a potential operational range of several hundred nanometers in the 1550 nm wavelength region for a taper length of ~1  mm. Interrogation of a strain-tuned grating was accomplished using a broadband amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) source, and potential for single-chip interrogation of multiplexed sensor arrays is demonstrated.

Interrogative suggestibility in opiate users.

PubMed

Murakami, A; Edelmann, R J; Davis, P E

1996-09-01

The present study investigated interrogative suggestibility in opiate users. A group of patients undergoing a methadone detoxification programme in an in-patient drug treatment unit (Detox group, n = 21), and a group of residents who had come off drugs and were no longer suffering from withdrawal syndrome (Rehab group, n = 19) were compared on interrogative suggestibility and various other psychological factors. Significant differences were found between the two groups, with the Detox group having more physical and psychological problems, and a higher total suggestibility score in comparison with the Rehab group. These findings are discussed in relation to the context of police interrogations and the reliability of confessions made by suspects and witnesses dependent on opiates.

GPS-Squitter capacity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlando, Vincent A.; Harman, William H.

1994-05-01

GPS-Squitter is a system concept that merges the capabilities of Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) and the Mode S beacon radar. The result is an integrated concept for seamless surveillance and data link that permits equipped aircraft to participate in ADS and/or beacon ground environments. This concept offers many possibilities for transition from a beacon to an ADS-based environment. This report provides the details of the techniques used to estimate GPS-Squitter surveillance and data link capacity. Surveillance capacity of airborne aircraft is calculated for the omni and six-sector ground stations. Next, the capacity of GPS-Squitter for surface traffic is estimated. The interaction between airborne and surface operations is addressed to show the independence of these systems. Air ground data link capacity for GPS-Squitter is estimated, together with an estimate of the use of the Mode S link to support other ground surveillance and data link activities as well as TCAS operation. The analysis indicates the low transponder occupancy resulting from the total effect of these activities. Low occupancy is a key requirement in avoiding interference with the operation of the current ATCRBS and future Mode S interrogators.

Resolution-improved in situ DNA hybridization detection based on microwave photonic interrogation.

PubMed

Cao, Yuan; Guo, Tuan; Wang, Xudong; Sun, Dandan; Ran, Yang; Feng, Xinhuan; Guan, Bai-ou

2015-10-19

In situ bio-sensing system based on microwave photonics filter (MPF) interrogation method with improved resolution is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A microfiber Bragg grating (mFBG) is used as sensing probe for DNA hybridization detection. Different from the traditional wavelength monitoring technique, we use the frequency interrogation scheme for resolution-improved bio-sensing detection. Experimental results show that the frequency shift of MPF notch presents a linear response to the surrounding refractive index (SRI) change over the range of 1.33 to 1.38, with a SRI resolution up to 2.6 × 10(-5) RIU, which has been increased for almost two orders of magnitude compared with the traditional fundamental mode monitoring technique (~3.6 × 10(-3) RIU). Due to the high Q value (about 27), the whole process of DNA hybridization can be in situ monitored. The proposed MPF-based bio-sensing system provides a new interrogation method over the frequency domain with improved sensing resolution and rapid interrogation rate for biochemical and environmental measurement.

Laser-Based Acousto-Optic Uplink Communications Technique

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-08-18

An apparatus for enabling acousto - optic communication comprising an in-water platform comprising means for emitting an acoustic signal to an acousto ...portion of the first interrogation beam and a second laser beam formed from the reflection of the first interrogation beam off of the acousto - optic interaction... optic interaction zone, an in-air platform comprising the ability for transmitting a first optical interrogation beam, the ability for receiving a

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

Adhikary, Suraj; Eichman, Brandt F.

DNA glycosylases specialized for the repair of alkylation damage must identify, with fine specificity, a diverse array of subtle modifications within DNA. The current mechanism involves damage sensing through interrogation of the DNA duplex, followed by more specific recognition of the target base inside the active site pocket. To better understand the physical basis for alkylpurine detection, we determined the crystal structure of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mag1 (spMag1) in complex with DNA and performed a mutational analysis of spMag1 and the close homologue from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (scMag). Despite strong homology, spMag1 and scMag differ in substrate specificity and cellular alkylation sensitivity,more » although the enzymological basis for their functional differences is unknown. We show that Mag preference for 1,N{sup 6}-ethenoadenine ({var_epsilon}A) is influenced by a minor groove-interrogating residue more than the composition of the nucleobase-binding pocket. Exchanging this residue between Mag proteins swapped their {var_epsilon}A activities, providing evidence that residues outside the extrahelical base-binding pocket have a role in identification of a particular modification in addition to sensing damage.« less

Interrogation of an object for dimensional and topographical information

DOEpatents

McMakin, Douglas L.; Severtsen, Ronald H.; Hall, Thomas E.; Sheen, David M.; Kennedy, Mike O.

2004-03-09

Disclosed are systems, methods, devices, and apparatus to interrogate a clothed individual with electromagnetic radiation to determine one or more body measurements at least partially covered by the individual's clothing. The invention further includes techniques to interrogate an object with electromagnetic radiation in the millimeter and/or microwave range to provide a volumetric representation of the object. This representation can be used to display images and/or determine dimensional information concerning the object.

Interrogation of an object for dimensional and topographical information

DOEpatents

McMakin, Doug L [Richland, WA; Severtsen, Ronald H [Richland, WA; Hall, Thomas E [Richland, WA; Sheen, David M [Richland, WA

2003-01-14

Disclosed are systems, methods, devices, and apparatus to interrogate a clothed individual with electromagnetic radiation to determine one or more body measurements at least partially covered by the individual's clothing. The invention further includes techniques to interrogate an object with electromagnetic radiation in the millimeter and/or microwave range to provide a volumetric representation of the object. This representation can be used to display images and/or determine dimensional information concerning the object.

Educing Information - Interrogation: Science and Art, Foundations for the Future

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

television. Law school was (and remains) even less informative with respect to such questions. Most lawyers and judges learn the “art” (but not the...Maryland; its fi rst priority was to train interrogators and the students learned personality analysis, ways of infl uencing people and making friends...J.D. Simmons College School for Health Studies June 2006 Abstract The interrogation of suspects, witnesses, and others is an essential source of

Detained and drugged: a brief overview of the use of pharmaceuticals for the interrogation of suspects, prisoners, patients, and POWs in the US.

PubMed

Calkins, Laura

2010-01-01

Using medical literature citations, Congressional hearings, and declassified documents this paper examines the uses of pharmaceuticals in the interrogation of vulnerable populations. From the use of IV relaxants on criminal suspects during the 1920s to the Global War on Terror, the nexus of drugs, testing, and interrogations will be explored in both the domestic and international contexts.

A cost-effective edge-filter-based FBG strain interrogator using catastrophic fuse effect microcavity interferometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, Camilo A. R.; Marques, Carlos A. F.; Domingues, M. Fátima F.; Ribeiro, Moisés. R. N.; Neto, Anselmo F.; Pontes, Maria J.; André, Paulo S.; Antunes, Paulo F. C.

2018-02-01

This paper presents a simple, compact, stable and inexpensive in-line solution based on catastrophic fuse effect micro-cavity interferometers for edge-filter strain interrogation of a fiber Bragg grating sensor. By using a commercial spliced machine and recycling damage fiber for the catastrophic fuse effect it is possible to construct a micro-cavity with high contrast of more than 20dB, and acceptable half free spectra range (FSR) around 13nm of interrogation range. The strain from 0 to 1440μStrain of the FBG sensor is measured with evidences of high repeatability and stability. Future work will investigate the use of the proposed method for applications requiring higher interrogation rates.

Interactions between factors related to the decision of sex offenders to confess during police interrogation: a classification-tree approach.

PubMed

Beauregard, Eric; Deslauriers-Varin, Nadine; St-Yves, Michel

2010-09-01

Most studies of confessions have looked at the influence of individual factors, neglecting the potential interactions between these factors and their impact on the decision to confess or not during an interrogation. Classification and regression tree analyses conducted on a sample of 624 convicted sex offenders showed that certain factors related to the offenders (e.g., personality, criminal career), victims (e.g., sex, relationship to offender), and case (e.g., time of day of the crime) were related to the decision to confess or not during the police interrogation. Several interactions were also observed between these factors. Results will be discussed in light of previous findings and interrogation strategies for sex offenders.

Effectiveness of false correction strategy on science reading comprehension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghent, Cynthia Anne

False-correction reading strategy theoretically prompted college students to activate their prior knowledge when provided false statements linked to a portion of their biology textbook. This strategy is based in elaborative interrogation theory, which suggests that prompting readers to answer interrogatives about text students are reading increases their comprehension of that text. These interrogatives always asked "why" statements pulled from a text, one sentence in length, were "true." True statements in this study based on a text were converted by the experimenter into false statements, one sentence in length. Students were requested to rewrite each statement (n=12) on average every 200 words in a text as they were reading, converting each false statement into a true statement. These students outperformed other students requested to reread the same biology text twice (an established placebo-control strategy). These students, in turn, outperformed still other students reading an unrelated control text taken from the same textbook used only to establish a prior knowledge baseline for all students included in this study. Students participating in this study were enrolled students in an undergraduate introductory general biology course designed for non-majors. A three-group, posttest-only, randomized experimental control-group design was used to prevent pretest activation of students' prior knowledge thus increasing chances of producing evidence of false-correction effectiveness and to begin augmenting potential generalizability to science classrooms. Students' (n=357) general biology knowledge, verbal ability, and attempts to use the false correction strategy were collected and analyzed. Eight of the participants were interviewed by the researcher in a first attempt in this domain to collect data on participants' points of view about the strategy. The results of this study are not yet recommended for use in authentic school settings as further research is indicated.

Evaluation of fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogation using InGaAs linear detector arrays and Gaussian approximation on embedded hardware.

PubMed

Kumar, Saurabh; Amrutur, Bharadwaj; Asokan, Sundarrajan

2018-02-01

Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors have become popular for applications related to structural health monitoring, biomedical engineering, and robotics. However, for successful large scale adoption, FBG interrogation systems are as important as sensor characteristics. Apart from accuracy, the required number of FBG sensors per fiber and the distance between the device in which the sensors are used and the interrogation system also influence the selection of the interrogation technique. For several measurement devices developed for applications in biomedical engineering and robotics, only a few sensors per fiber are required and the device is close to the interrogation system. For these applications, interrogation systems based on InGaAs linear detector arrays provide a good choice. However, their resolution is dependent on the algorithms used for curve fitting. In this work, a detailed analysis of the choice of algorithm using the Gaussian approximation for the FBG spectrum and the number of pixels used for curve fitting on the errors is provided. The points where the maximum errors occur have been identified. All comparisons for wavelength shift detection have been made against another interrogation system based on the tunable swept laser. It has been shown that maximum errors occur when the wavelength shift is such that one new pixel is included for curve fitting. It has also been shown that an algorithm with lower computation cost compared to the more popular methods using iterative non-linear least squares estimation can be used without leading to the loss of accuracy. The algorithm has been implemented on embedded hardware, and a speed-up of approximately six times has been observed.

Evaluation of fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogation using InGaAs linear detector arrays and Gaussian approximation on embedded hardware

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Saurabh; Amrutur, Bharadwaj; Asokan, Sundarrajan

2018-02-01

Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors have become popular for applications related to structural health monitoring, biomedical engineering, and robotics. However, for successful large scale adoption, FBG interrogation systems are as important as sensor characteristics. Apart from accuracy, the required number of FBG sensors per fiber and the distance between the device in which the sensors are used and the interrogation system also influence the selection of the interrogation technique. For several measurement devices developed for applications in biomedical engineering and robotics, only a few sensors per fiber are required and the device is close to the interrogation system. For these applications, interrogation systems based on InGaAs linear detector arrays provide a good choice. However, their resolution is dependent on the algorithms used for curve fitting. In this work, a detailed analysis of the choice of algorithm using the Gaussian approximation for the FBG spectrum and the number of pixels used for curve fitting on the errors is provided. The points where the maximum errors occur have been identified. All comparisons for wavelength shift detection have been made against another interrogation system based on the tunable swept laser. It has been shown that maximum errors occur when the wavelength shift is such that one new pixel is included for curve fitting. It has also been shown that an algorithm with lower computation cost compared to the more popular methods using iterative non-linear least squares estimation can be used without leading to the loss of accuracy. The algorithm has been implemented on embedded hardware, and a speed-up of approximately six times has been observed.

Automatic translation among spoken languages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walter, Sharon M.; Costigan, Kelly

1994-01-01

The Machine Aided Voice Translation (MAVT) system was developed in response to the shortage of experienced military field interrogators with both foreign language proficiency and interrogation skills. Combining speech recognition, machine translation, and speech generation technologies, the MAVT accepts an interrogator's spoken English question and translates it into spoken Spanish. The spoken Spanish response of the potential informant can then be translated into spoken English. Potential military and civilian applications for automatic spoken language translation technology are discussed in this paper.

Tunable-optical-filter-based white-light interferometry for sensing.

PubMed

Yu, Bing; Wang, Anbo; Pickrell, Gary; Xu, Juncheng

2005-06-15

We describe tunable-optical-filter-based white-light interferometry for sensor interrogation. By introducing a tunable optical filter into a white-light interferometry system, one can interrogate an interferometer with either quadrature demodulation or spectral-domain detection at low cost. To demonstrate the feasibility of effectively demodulating various types of interferometric sensor, experiments have been performed using an extrinsic Fabry-Perot tunable filter to interrogate two extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric temperature sensors and a diaphragm-based pressure sensor.

Adaptive Piezoelectric Circuitry Sensor Network with High-Frequency Harmonics Interrogation for Structural Damage Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-17

AFRL-OSR-VA-TR-2014-0255 ADAPTIVE PIEZOELECTRIC CIRCUITRY SENSOR NETWORK KON -WELL WANG MICHIGAN UNIV ANN ARBOR Final Report 09/17/2014 DISTRIBUTION A...Harmonics Interrogation for Structural Damage Detection FA9550-11-1-0072 Kon -Well Wang and Jiong Tang The Regents of the University of Michigan, 3003...mechanism. These efforts have yielded a complete methodology of adaptive high-frequency piezoelectric self-sensing interrogation. None None None SAR Kon

Analysis and Validation of Contactless Time-Gated Interrogation Technique for Quartz Resonator Sensors

PubMed Central

Baù, Marco; Ferrari, Marco; Ferrari, Vittorio

2017-01-01

A technique for contactless electromagnetic interrogation of AT-cut quartz piezoelectric resonator sensors is proposed based on a primary coil electromagnetically air-coupled to a secondary coil connected to the electrodes of the resonator. The interrogation technique periodically switches between interleaved excitation and detection phases. During the excitation phase, the resonator is set into vibration by a driving voltage applied to the primary coil, whereas in the detection phase, the excitation signal is turned off and the transient decaying response of the resonator is sensed without contact by measuring the voltage induced back across the primary coil. This approach ensures that the readout frequency of the sensor signal is to a first order approximation independent of the interrogation distance between the primary and secondary coils. A detailed theoretical analysis of the interrogation principle based on a lumped-element equivalent circuit is presented. The analysis has been experimentally validated on a 4.432 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal resonator, demonstrating the accurate readout of the series resonant frequency and quality factor over an interrogation distance of up to 2 cm. As an application, the technique has been applied to the measurement of liquid microdroplets deposited on a 4.8 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal. More generally, the proposed technique can be exploited for the measurement of any physical or chemical quantities affecting the resonant response of quartz resonator sensors. PMID:28574459

Analysis and Validation of Contactless Time-Gated Interrogation Technique for Quartz Resonator Sensors.

PubMed

Baù, Marco; Ferrari, Marco; Ferrari, Vittorio

2017-06-02

A technique for contactless electromagnetic interrogation of AT-cut quartz piezoelectric resonator sensors is proposed based on a primary coil electromagnetically air-coupled to a secondary coil connected to the electrodes of the resonator. The interrogation technique periodically switches between interleaved excitation and detection phases. During the excitation phase, the resonator is set into vibration by a driving voltage applied to the primary coil, whereas in the detection phase, the excitation signal is turned off and the transient decaying response of the resonator is sensed without contact by measuring the voltage induced back across the primary coil. This approach ensures that the readout frequency of the sensor signal is to a first order approximation independent of the interrogation distance between the primary and secondary coils. A detailed theoretical analysis of the interrogation principle based on a lumped-element equivalent circuit is presented. The analysis has been experimentally validated on a 4.432 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal resonator, demonstrating the accurate readout of the series resonant frequency and quality factor over an interrogation distance of up to 2 cm. As an application, the technique has been applied to the measurement of liquid microdroplets deposited on a 4.8 MHz AT-cut quartz crystal. More generally, the proposed technique can be exploited for the measurement of any physical or chemical quantities affecting the resonant response of quartz resonator sensors.

Ultrafast Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation for Sensing in Detonation and Shock Wave Experiments.

PubMed

Rodriguez, George; Gilbertson, Steve M

2017-01-27

Chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) sensors coupled to high speed interrogation systems are described as robust diagnostic approaches to monitoring shock wave and detonation front propagation tracking events for use in high energy density shock physics applications. Taking advantage of the linear distributed spatial encoding of the spectral band in single-mode CFBGs, embedded fiber systems and associated photonic interrogation methodologies are shown as an effective approach to sensing shock and detonation-driven loading processes along the CFBG length. Two approaches, one that detects spectral changes in the integrated spectrum of the CFBG and another coherent pulse interrogation approach that fully resolves its spectral response, shows that 100-MHz-1-GHz interrogation rates are possible with spatial resolution along the CFBG in the 50 µm to sub-millimeter range depending on the combination of CFBG parameters (i.e., length, chirp rate, spectrum) and interrogator design specifics. Results from several dynamic tests are used to demonstrate the performance of these high speed systems for shock and detonation propagation tracking under strong and weak shock pressure loading: (1) linear detonation front tracking in the plastic bonded explosive (PBX) PBX-9501; (2) tracking of radial decaying shock with crossover to non-destructive CFBG response; (3) shock wave tracking along an aluminum cylinder wall under weak loading accompanied by dynamic strain effects in the CFBG sensor.

Ultrafast Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation for Sensing in Detonation and Shock Wave Experiments

PubMed Central

Rodriguez, George; Gilbertson, Steve M.

2017-01-01

Chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) sensors coupled to high speed interrogation systems are described as robust diagnostic approaches to monitoring shock wave and detonation front propagation tracking events for use in high energy density shock physics applications. Taking advantage of the linear distributed spatial encoding of the spectral band in single-mode CFBGs, embedded fiber systems and associated photonic interrogation methodologies are shown as an effective approach to sensing shock and detonation-driven loading processes along the CFBG length. Two approaches, one that detects spectral changes in the integrated spectrum of the CFBG and another coherent pulse interrogation approach that fully resolves its spectral response, shows that 100-MHz–1-GHz interrogation rates are possible with spatial resolution along the CFBG in the 50 μm to sub-millimeter range depending on the combination of CFBG parameters (i.e., length, chirp rate, spectrum) and interrogator design specifics. Results from several dynamic tests are used to demonstrate the performance of these high speed systems for shock and detonation propagation tracking under strong and weak shock pressure loading: (1) linear detonation front tracking in the plastic bonded explosive (PBX) PBX-9501; (2) tracking of radial decaying shock with crossover to non-destructive CFBG response; (3) shock wave tracking along an aluminum cylinder wall under weak loading accompanied by dynamic strain effects in the CFBG sensor. PMID:28134819

Ultrafast Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation for Sensing in Detonation and Shock Wave Experiments

DOE PAGES

Rodriguez, George; Gilbertson, Steve Michael

2017-01-27

Chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) sensors coupled to high speed interrogation systems are described as robust diagnostic approaches to monitoring shock wave and detonation front propagation tracking events for use in high energy density shock physics applications. Taking advantage of the linear distributed spatial encoding of the spectral band in single-mode CFBGs, embedded fiber systems and associated photonic interrogation methodologies are shown as an effective approach to sensing shock and detonation-driven loading processes along the CFBG length. Two approaches, one that detects spectral changes in the integrated spectrum of the CFBG and another coherent pulse interrogation approach that fully resolvesmore » its spectral response, shows that 100-MHz–1-GHz interrogation rates are possible with spatial resolution along the CFBG in the 50 µm to sub-millimeter range depending on the combination of CFBG parameters (i.e., length, chirp rate, spectrum) and interrogator design specifics. In conclusion, results from several dynamic tests are used to demonstrate the performance of these high speed systems for shock and detonation propagation tracking under strong and weak shock pressure loading: (1) linear detonation front tracking in the plastic bonded explosive (PBX) PBX-9501; (2) tracking of radial decaying shock with crossover to non-destructive CFBG response; (3) shock wave tracking along an aluminum cylinder wall under weak loading accompanied by dynamic strain effects in the CFBG sensor.« less

Overcoming Innocents' Naiveté: Pre-interrogation Decision-making Among Innocent Suspects.

PubMed

Scherr, Kyle C; Alberts, Kimberly M; Franks, Andrew S; Hawkins, Ian

2016-07-01

Suspects, especially innocent ones, are highly susceptible to waiving their interrogation rights. This research tested the ability of two strategies to overcome innocent suspects' willingness to waive their rights. One strategy was based on the social influence of scarcity (i.e., not constraining the pre-interrogation time limit). The other strategy focused on disrupting individuals' cognitive fluency during the decision-making process (i.e., violating their induced expectation of offering a waiver). Disrupting innocent individuals' cognitive fluency increased their willingness to invoke their rights and, notably, was not qualified by interactions with any other factors. However, scarcity did not influence individuals' pre-interrogation decision-making. Results also further established the association between innocent individuals' naïve mindset and their willingness to waive their rights - specifically, innocents' willingness to waive their rights increased with the strength of their just world beliefs. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed. The importance and benefit of reforming pre-interrogation protocols using fair and feasible strategies that would disrupt suspects' cognitive fluency are emphasized. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Revisiting the False Confession Problem.

PubMed

Alvarez-Toro, Viviana; Lopez-Morales, Cesar A

2018-03-01

Despite the existence of important safeguards in our criminal legal system, innocent suspects often succumb to forceful and deceptive interrogation techniques. Among those over-represented members of the false confessor population are minors, people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, and those with psychiatric disorders. Some of the confessions made by these at-risk populations can hardly be considered voluntary or reliable, but they are generally admitted at trial, regardless of their prejudicial effect. Forensic psychiatrists should become more involved in the overall process of evaluating confessions, not only testifying in courts, but also assisting policymakers in reforming the interrogation process and influencing the legal process. Thus, forensic psychiatrists may give their expert opinion by providing proper training to police interrogators and examining videotaped interrogations. In addition, forensic experts can be instrumental in contributing to three legal solutions that we propose to the false confession problem: a constitutional approach, an evidence law approach, and a jury instruction approach. Each of these approaches requires forensic psychiatrists to help judges and jurors understand the coercive nature of the interrogation process and its effect on suspects' behavior. © 2018 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Dynamic interrogator for elastic wave sensing using Fabry Perot filters based on fiber Bragg gratings.

PubMed

Harish, Achar V; Varghese, Bibin; Rao, Babu; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan; Srinivasan, Balaji

2015-07-01

Use of in-fiber Fabry-Perot (FP) filters based on fiber Bragg gratings as both sensor as well as an interrogator for enhancing the detection limit of elastic wave sensing is investigated in this paper. The sensitivity of such a demodulation scheme depends on the spectral discrimination of the sensor and interrogator gratings. Simulations have shown that the use of in-fiber FP filters with high finesse provide better performance in terms of sensitivity compared to the demodulation using fiber Bragg gratings. Based on these results, a dynamic interrogator capable of sensing acoustic waves with amplitude of less than 1 micro-strain over frequencies of 10 kHz to several 100 kHz has been implemented. Frequency response of the fiber Bragg gratings in the given experimental setup has been compared to that of the conventional piezo sensors demonstrating that fiber Bragg gratings can be used over a relatively broad frequency range. Dynamic interrogator has been packaged in a compact box without any degradation in its performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Frontiers in Chemical Sensors: Novel Principles and Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orellana, Guillermo; Moreno-Bondi, Maria Cruz

This third volume of Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors aims to enable the researcher or technologist to become acquainted with the latest principles and techniques that keep on enlarging the applications in this fascinating field. It deals with the novel luminescence lifetime-based techniques for interrogation of sensor arrays in high-throughput screening, cataluminescence, chemical sensing with hollow waveguides, new ways in sensor design and fabrication by means of either combinatorial methods or engineered indicator/support couples.

The Kalman Filter Applied to Process Range Data of the Cubic Model 40 Autotape System

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-12-01

the unit to be tracked, two responders operated at two different shore sites and the associated antenna/RF assemblies. Required support systems include...where the range arcs are orthogonal. Figure 9 diagrams error contours which are actually the locii of constant MPE for two particular responder sites ...ranges simultaneously, once per second, the ranges being those between the Interrogator and each of the responders . The ranges are computed from the

Novel RF Interrogation of a Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Using Bidirectional Modulation of a Mach-Zehnder Electro-Optical Modulator

PubMed Central

Choi, Sang-Jin; Mao, Wankai; Pan, Jae-Kyung

2013-01-01

We propose and experimentally demonstrate the novel radio-frequency (RF) interrogation of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor using bidirectional modulation of a Mach-Zehnder electro-optical modulator (MZ-EOM). Based on the microwave photonic technique and active detection, the transfer function of the proposed system was obtained, and the time delay was calculated from the change in the free spectral range (FSR) at different wavelengths over the optimal measuring range. The results show that the time delay and the wavelength variation have a good linear relationship, with a gradient of 9.31 ps/nm. An actual measurement taken with a sensing FBG for temperature variation shows the relationship with a gradient of 0.93 ps/10 °C. The developed system could be used for FBG temperature or strain sensing and other multiplexed sensor applications. PMID:23820744

Simultaneous and quasi-independent strain and temperature sensor based on microstructured optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Aldaba, A.; Auguste, J.-L.; Jamier, R.; Roy, P.; Lopez-Amo, M.

2017-04-01

In this paper, a new sensor system for simultaneous and quasi-independent strain and temperature measurements is presented. The interrogation of the sensing head has been carried out by monitoring the FFT phase variations of two of the microstructured optical fiber (MOF) cavity interference frequencies. This method is independent of the signal amplitude and also avoids the need to track the wavelength evolution in the spectrum, which can be a handicap when there are multiple interference frequency components with different sensitivities. The sensor is operated within a range of temperature of 30°C-75°C, and 380μɛ of maximum strain were applied; being the sensitivities achieved of 127.5pm/°C and -19.1pm/μɛ respectively. Because the system uses an optical interrogator as unique active element, the system presents a cost-effective feature.

A Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Interrogation System Based on a Linearly Wavelength-Swept Thermo-Optic Laser Chip

PubMed Central

Lee, Hyung-Seok; Lee, Hwi Don; Kim, Hyo Jin; Cho, Jae Du; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Chang-Seok

2014-01-01

A linearized wavelength-swept thermo-optic laser chip was applied to demonstrate a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation system. A broad tuning range of 11.8 nm was periodically obtained from the laser chip for a sweep rate of 16 Hz. To measure the linear time response of the reflection signal from the FBG sensor, a programmed driving signal was directly applied to the wavelength-swept laser chip. The linear wavelength response of the applied strain was clearly extracted with an R-squared value of 0.99994. To test the feasibility of the system for dynamic measurements, the dynamic strain was successfully interrogated with a repetition rate of 0.2 Hz by using this FBG sensor interrogation system. PMID:25177803

Judicial astrology in theory and practice in later medieval Europe.

PubMed

Carey, Hilary M

2010-06-01

Interrogations and elections were two branches of Arabic judicial astrology made available in Latin translation to readers in western Europe from the twelfth century. Through an analysis of the theory and practice of interrogations and elections, including the writing of the Jewish astrologer Sahl b. Bishr, this essay considers the extent to which judicial astrology was practiced in the medieval west. Consideration is given to historical examples of interrogations and elections mostly from late medieval English manuscripts. These include the work of John Dunstaple (ca. 1390-1453), the musician and astrologer who is known have served at the court of John, duke of Bedford. On the basis of the relatively small number of surviving historical horoscopes, it is argued that the practice of interrogations and elections lagged behind the theory.

The interrogation decision-making model: A general theoretical framework for confessions.

PubMed

Yang, Yueran; Guyll, Max; Madon, Stephanie

2017-02-01

This article presents a new model of confessions referred to as the interrogation decision-making model . This model provides a theoretical umbrella with which to understand and analyze suspects' decisions to deny or confess guilt in the context of a custodial interrogation. The model draws upon expected utility theory to propose a mathematical account of the psychological mechanisms that not only underlie suspects' decisions to deny or confess guilt at any specific point during an interrogation, but also how confession decisions can change over time. Findings from the extant literature pertaining to confessions are considered to demonstrate how the model offers a comprehensive and integrative framework for organizing a range of effects within a limited set of model parameters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Phase-Sensitive Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors: Recent Progress and Future Prospects

PubMed Central

Deng, Shijie; Wang, Peng; Yu, Xinglong

2017-01-01

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is an optical sensing technique that is capable of performing real-time, label-free and high-sensitivity monitoring of molecular interactions. SPR biosensors can be divided according to their operating principles into angle-, wavelength-, intensity- and phase-interrogated devices. With their complex optical configurations, phase-interrogated SPR sensors generally provide higher sensitivity and throughput, and have thus recently emerged as prominent biosensing devices. To date, several methods have been developed for SPR phase interrogation, including heterodyne detection, polarimetry, shear interferometry, spatial phase modulation interferometry and temporal phase modulation interferometry. This paper summarizes the fundamentals of phase-sensitive SPR sensing, reviews the available methods for phase interrogation of these sensors, and discusses the future prospects for and trends in the development of this technology. PMID:29206182

Infrared/Terahertz Double Resonance for Chemical Remote Sensing: Signatures and Performance Predictions

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

remote sensing , such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, has limited recognition specificity because of atmospheric pressure broadening. Active interrogation techniques promise much greater chemical recognition that can overcome the limits imposed by atmospheric pressure broadening. Here we introduce infrared - terahertz (IR/THz) double resonance spectroscopy as an active means of chemical remote sensing that retains recognition specificity through rare, molecule-unique coincidences between IR molecular absorption and a line-tunable CO2

User Data on the Social Web: Authorship, Agency, and Appropriation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyman, Jessica

2013-01-01

Social web services catalog users' activities across the Internet, aggregating, analyzing, and selling a vast array of user data to be used largely for consumer profiling and target marketing. This article interrogates the tacit agreements and terms-of-use policies that govern who owns user data, how it circulates, and how it can be used. Relying…

Spatializing Environmental Education: Critical Territorial Consciousness and Radical Place-Making in Public Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stahelin, Nicolas

2017-01-01

In this case study of an environmental education (EE) program run in public schools of Rio de Janeiro, I use a constructivist spatial analytic to interrogate notions of space, place, and territory in critical EE practices. I examine the connections between socioenvironmental relations, counter-hegemonic political activity, and education by delving…

Sexual Learning and the Seaside: Relocating the "Dirty Weekend" and Teenage Girls' Sexuality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemingway, Judy

2006-01-01

This paper explores the geographical constitution of the "dirty weekend" and teenage girls' sexuality by interrogating the cultural habitus of the seaside resort. It reidentifies the littoral pleasure zone as an active agent in sexual learning and disrupts taken-for-granted inscriptions of the seaside as an inert backdrop against which…

Valuing Production Values: A "Do It Yourself" Media Production Club

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenson, Jennifer; Dahya, Negin; Fisher, Stephanie

2014-01-01

In this paper, we identify how and why digital media production can contribute to the active participation of children in education and also consider how much of the existing work in this area is framed as a "miraculous" answer to educational challenges without critical interrogation of either the process or product. To begin, we…

In-Situ Characterization of Underwater Radioactive Sludge

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

Simpson, A.P.; Clapham, M.J.; Swinson, B.

2008-07-01

A fundamental requirement underpinning safe clean-up technologies for legacy spent nuclear fuel (SNF) ponds, pools and wet silos is the ability to characterize the radioactive waste form prior to retrieval. The corrosion products resulting from the long term underwater storage of spent nuclear fuel, reactor components and reprocessing debris present a major hazard to facility decontamination and decommissioning in terms of their radioactive content and physical / chemical reactivity. The ability to perform in-situ underwater non-destructive characterization of sludge and debris in a safe and cost-effective manner offers significant benefits over traditional destructive sampling methods. Several techniques are available formore » underwater measurements including (i) Gross gamma counting, (ii) Low-, Medium- and High- Resolution Gamma Spectroscopy, (iii) Passive neutron counting and (iv) Active Neutron Interrogation. The optimum technique depends on (i) the radioactive inventory (ii) mechanical access restrictions for deployment of the detection equipment, interrogation sources etc. (iii) the integrity of plant records and (iv) the extent to which Acceptable Knowledge which may be used for 'fingerprinting' the radioactive contents to a marker nuclide. Prior deployments of underwater SNF characterization equipment around the world have been reviewed with respect to recent developments in gamma and neutron detection technologies, digital electronics advancements, data transfer techniques, remote operation capabilities and improved field ruggedization. Modeling and experimental work has been performed to determine the capabilities, performance envelope and operational limitations of the future generation of non-destructive underwater sludge characterization techniques. Recommendations are given on the optimal design of systems and procedures to provide an acceptable level of confidence in the characterization of residual sludge content of legacy wet storage facilities such that retrieval and repackaging of SNF sludges may proceed safely and efficiently with support of the regulators and the public. (author)« less

Toward multi-area distributed network of implanted neural interrogators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Marc P.; Hou, Xiaoxiao; Galligan, Craig; Ashe, Jeffrey; Borton, David A.

2017-08-01

As we aim to improve our understanding of the brain, it is critical that researchers have simultaneous multi-area, large-scale access to the brain. Information processing in the brain occurs through close and distant coupling of functional sub-domains, as opposed to within isolated single neurons. However, commercially available neural interfaces capable of sensing electrophysiology of single neurons, currently allow access to only a small, mm3 volume of cortical cells, are not scalable to recording from orders of magnitude more neurons, and leverage bulky, skull mounted hardware and cabling sensitive to relative movements of the skull and brain. In this work, we propose a system capable of recording from many individual distributed neural interrogator nodes, untethered from any external electronics. Using an array of epidural inductive coils to wirelessly power the implanted electronics, the system is intended to be agnostic to the surgical placement of any individual node. Here, we demonstrate the ability to transmit nearly 15mW of power with greater than 50% power transfer efficiency, benchtop testing of individual subcircuit system components showing successful digitization of neural signals, and wireless transmission currently supporting a data rate of 3.84Mbps. We leverage a software defined radio based RF receiver to demodulate the data which can be stored in memory for later retrieval. Finally, we introduce a packaging technology capable of isolating active electronics from the surrounding tissue while providing capability for electrical feed-through assemblies for external neural interfacing. We expect, based on the presented preliminary findings, that the system can be integrated into a platform technology for the study of the intricate interactions between cortical domains.

Progress on Establishing the Feasibility of Lead Slowing Down Spectroscopy for Direct Measurement of Plutonium in Used Fuel

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

Kulisek, Jonathan A.; Anderson, Kevin K.; Bowyer, Sonya M.

2012-07-19

Developing a method for the accurate, direct, and independent assay of the fissile isotopes in bulk materials (such as used fuel) of next-generation domestic nuclear fuel cycles is a goal of the Office of Nuclear Energy, Fuel Cycle R&D, Material Protection and Control Technology (MPACT) Campaign. To meet this goal, MPACT continues to support a multi-institutional collaboration to address the feasibility of Lead Slowing Down Spectroscopy (LSDS) as an active nondestructive assay method that has the potential to provide independent, direct measurement of Pu and U isotopic masses in used fuel with an uncertainty considerably lower than the approximately 10%more » typical of today’s confirmatory assay methods. An LSDS is comprised of a stack of lead (typically 1-6 m3) in which materials to be measured are placed in the lead and a pulse of neutrons is injected. The neutrons in this pulse lose energy due to inelastic and (subsequently) elastic scattering and the average energy of the neutrons decreases as the time increases by a well-defined relationship. In the interrogation energy region (~0.1-1000 eV) the neutrons have little energy spread (~30%) about the average neutron energy. Due to this characteristic, the energy of the (assay) neutrons can then be determined by measuring the time elapsed since the neutron pulse. By measuring the induced fission neutrons emitted from the used fuel, it is possible to determine isotopic-mass content by unfolding the unique structure of isotopic resonances across the interrogation energy region. This paper will present efforts on the development of time-spectral analysis algorithms, fast neutron detector advances, and validation and testing measurements.« less

Cross-Tissue and Tissue-Specific eQTLs: Partitioning the Heritability of a Complex Trait

PubMed Central

Torres, Jason M.; Gamazon, Eric R.; Parra, Esteban J.; Below, Jennifer E.; Valladares-Salgado, Adan; Wacher, Niels; Cruz, Miguel; Hanis, Craig L.; Cox, Nancy J.

2014-01-01

Top signals from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are enriched with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) identified in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. We therefore hypothesized that such eQTLs might account for a disproportionate share of the heritability estimated from all SNPs interrogated through GWASs. To test this hypothesis, we applied linear mixed models to the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) T2D data set and to data sets representing Mexican Americans from Starr County, TX, and Mexicans from Mexico City. We estimated the proportion of phenotypic variance attributable to the additive effect of all variants interrogated in these GWASs, as well as a much smaller set of variants identified as eQTLs in human adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and lymphoblastoid cell lines. The narrow-sense heritability explained by all interrogated SNPs in each of these data sets was substantially greater than the heritability accounted for by genome-wide-significant SNPs (∼10%); GWAS SNPs explained over 50% of phenotypic variance in the WTCCC, Starr County, and Mexico City data sets. The estimate of heritability attributable to cross-tissue eQTLs was greater in the WTCCC data set and among lean Hispanics, whereas adipose eQTLs significantly explained heritability among Hispanics with a body mass index ≥ 30. These results support an important role for regulatory variants in the genetic component of T2D susceptibility, particularly for eQTLs that elicit effects across insulin-responsive peripheral tissues. PMID:25439722

Adaptive CT scanning system

DOEpatents

Sampayan, Stephen E.

2016-11-22

Apparatus, systems, and methods that provide an X-ray interrogation system having a plurality of stationary X-ray point sources arranged to substantially encircle an area or space to be interrogated. A plurality of stationary detectors are arranged to substantially encircle the area or space to be interrogated, A controller is adapted to control the stationary X-ray point sources to emit X-rays one at a time, and to control the stationary detectors to detect the X-rays emitted by the stationary X-ray point sources.

Intelligence, previous convictions and interrogative suggestibility: a path analysis of alleged false-confession cases.

PubMed

Sharrock, R; Gudjonsson, G H

1993-05-01

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between interrogative suggestibility and previous convictions among 108 defendants in criminal trials, using a path analysis technique. It was hypothesized that previous convictions, which may provide defendants with interrogative experiences, would correlate negatively with 'shift' as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (Gudjonsson, 1984a), after intelligence and memory had been controlled for. The hypothesis was partially confirmed and the theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Subthreshold neutron interrogator for detection of radioactive materials

DOEpatents

Evans, Michael L.; Menlove, Howard O.; Baker, Michael P.

1980-01-01

A device for detecting fissionable material such as uranium in low concentrations by interrogating with photoneutrons at energy levels below 500 keV, and typically about 26 keV. Induced fast neutrons having energies above 500 keV by the interrogated fissionable material are detected by a liquid scintillator or recoil proportional counter which is sensitive to the induced fast neutrons. Since the induced fast neutrons are proportional to the concentration of fissionable material, detection of induced fast neutrons indicate concentration of the fissionable material.

Explosives (and other threats) detection using pulsed neutron interrogation and optimized detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strellis, Dan A.; Elsalim, Mashal; Gozani, Tsahi

2011-06-01

We have previously reported results from a human-portable system using neutron interrogation to detect contraband and explosives. We summarized our methodology for distinguishing threat materials such as narcotics, C4, and mustard gas in the myriad of backgrounds present in the maritime environment. We are expanding our mission for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to detect Special Nuclear Material (SNM) through the detection of multiple fission signatures without compromising the conventional threat detection performance. This paper covers our initial investigations into using neutrons from compact pulsed neutron generators via the d(D,n)3He or d(T,n)α reactions with energies of ~2.5 and 14 MeV, respectively, for explosives (and other threats) detection along with a variety of gamma-ray detectors. Fast neutrons and thermal neutrons (after successive collisions) can stimulate the emission of various threat detection signatures. For explosives detection, element-specific gamma-ray signatures via the (n,n'γ) inelastic scattering reaction and the (n,'γ) thermal capture reaction are detected. For SNM, delayed gamma-rays following fission can be measured with the same detector. Our initial trade-off investigations of several gamma-ray detectors types (NaI, CsI, LaBr3, HPGe) for measuring gamma-ray signatures in a pulsed neutron environment for potential application in a human-portable active interrogation system are covered in this paper.

Surface plasmon resonance sensor using vari-focal liquid lens under angular interrogation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Muyoung; Bang, Yousung; Lee, Jooho; Jang, Wonjae; Won, Yong Hyub

2017-02-01

In this paper, a surface plasmon resonance sensor for the detection of refractive index variation is presented. A novel waveguide type surface plasmon resonance sensing configuration with focal length variable liquid lens is introduced. The method of surface plasmon resonance sensor is based on the waveguide type with incident angle variation. The incident angle is varied by using an electrowetting liquid lens which is possible to actively change focal length as applying voltage. The optical system, which is adapted to electrowetting lens can continuously change the incident angle of light from 73 to 78 degrees with compact size. The surface plasmon waves are excited between metal and dielectric interface. The sensing surfaces are prepared by a coating of gold metal above high refractive index glass substrate. The incident light which is 532nm monochromatic light source passes through a noble metal coated substrate to detect intensity with incident angle variation. An analysis to distinguish the contribution of light with various incident angle is focused on the angular characteristics of the surface plasmon sensor under wavelength interrogation. The resonance angle is determined corresponding to sensing material refractive index with high sensitivity. The result suggests that the performance of surface plasmon resonance sensor can be improved by real time varying incident angle. From this presented study, it provides a different approach for angular interrogation surface plasmon resonance sensor and can be miniaturized for a portable device.

Advanced analysis techniques for uranium assay

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

Geist, W. H.; Ensslin, Norbert; Carrillo, L. A.

2001-01-01

Uranium has a negligible passive neutron emission rate making its assay practicable only with an active interrogation method. The active interrogation uses external neutron sources to induce fission events in the uranium in order to determine the mass. This technique requires careful calibration with standards that are representative of the items to be assayed. The samples to be measured are not always well represented by the available standards which often leads to large biases. A technique of active multiplicity counting is being developed to reduce some of these assay difficulties. Active multiplicity counting uses the measured doubles and triples countmore » rates to determine the neutron multiplication (f4) and the product of the source-sample coupling ( C ) and the 235U mass (m). Since the 35U mass always appears in the multiplicity equations as the product of Cm, the coupling needs to be determined before the mass can be known. A relationship has been developed that relates the coupling to the neutron multiplication. The relationship is based on both an analytical derivation and also on empirical observations. To determine a scaling constant present in this relationship, known standards must be used. Evaluation of experimental data revealed an improvement over the traditional calibration curve analysis method of fitting the doubles count rate to the 235Um ass. Active multiplicity assay appears to relax the requirement that the calibration standards and unknown items have the same chemical form and geometry.« less

When Pinocchio's nose does not grow: belief regarding lie-detectability modulates production of deception

PubMed Central

Sip, Kamila E.; Carmel, David; Marchant, Jennifer L.; Li, Jian; Petrovic, Predrag; Roepstorff, Andreas; McGregor, William B.; Frith, Christopher D.

2013-01-01

Does the brain activity underlying the production of deception differ depending on whether or not one believes their deception can be detected? To address this question, we had participants commit a mock theft in a laboratory setting, and then interrogated them while they underwent functional MRI (fMRI) scanning. Crucially, during some parts of the interrogation participants believed a lie-detector was activated, whereas in other parts they were told it was switched-off. We were thus able to examine the neural activity associated with the contrast between producing true vs. false claims, as well as the independent contrast between believing that deception could and could not be detected. We found increased activation in the right amygdala and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), as well as the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), during the production of false (compared to true) claims. Importantly, there was a significant interaction between the effects of deception and belief in the left temporal pole and right hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, where activity increased during the production of deception when participants believed their false claims could be detected, but not when they believed the lie-detector was switched-off. As these regions are associated with binding socially complex perceptual input and memory retrieval, we conclude that producing deceptive behavior in a context in which one believes this deception can be detected is associated with a cognitively taxing effort to reconcile contradictions between one's actions and recollections. PMID:23382715

8 CFR 343b.4 - Applicant outside of United States.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... the certificate. When such interrogation is not practicable, or is not conducted because the... interrogation by a State Department representative. When forwarding the certificate in such a case, the...

Portable fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy system for in-situ interrogation of biological tissues.

PubMed

Saito Nogueira, Marcelo; Cosci, Alessandro; Teixeira Rosa, Ramon Gabriel; Salvio, Ana Gabriela; Pratavieira, Sebastião; Kurachi, Cristina

2017-10-01

Fluorescence spectroscopy and lifetime techniques are potential methods for optical diagnosis and characterization of biological tissues with an in-situ, fast, and noninvasive interrogation. Several diseases may be diagnosed due to differences in the fluorescence spectra of targeted fluorophores, when, these spectra are similar, considering steady-state fluorescence, others may be detected by monitoring their fluorescence lifetime. Despite this complementarity, most of the current fluorescence lifetime systems are not robust and portable, and not being feasible for clinical applications. We describe the assembly of a fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy system in a suitcase, its characterization, and validation with clinical measurements of skin lesions. The assembled system is all encased and robust, maintaining its mechanical, electrical, and optical stability during transportation, and is feasible for clinical measurements. The instrument response function measured was about 300 ps, and the system is properly calibrated. At the clinical study, the system showed to be reliable, and the achieved spectroscopy results support its potential use as an auxiliary tool for skin diagnostics. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Interrogating personhood and dementia

PubMed Central

Higgs, Paul; Gilleard, Chris

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objectives: To interrogate the concept of personhood and its application to care practices for people with dementia. Method: We outline the work of Tom Kitwood on personhood and relate this to conceptualisations of personhood in metaphysics and in moral philosophy. Results: The philosophical concept of personhood has a long history. The metaphysical tradition examines the necessary and sufficient qualities that make up personhood such as agency, consciousness, identity, rationality and second-order reflexivity. Alternative viewpoints treat personhood as a matter of degree rather than as a superordinate category. Within moral philosophy personhood is treated as a moral status applicable to some or to all human beings. Conclusion: In the light of the multiple meanings attached to the term in both metaphysics and moral philosophy, personhood is a relatively unhelpful concept to act as the foundation for developing models and standards of care for people with dementia. Care, we suggest, should concentrate less on ambiguous and somewhat abstract terms such as personhood and focus instead on supporting people's existing capabilities, while minimising the harmful consequences of their incapacities. PMID:26708149

Demonstration of an ultrasensitive refractive-index plasmonic sensor by enabling its quadrupole resonance in phase interrogation.

PubMed

Lee, Hsin-Cheng; Li, Chung-Tien; Chen, How-Foo; Yen, Ta-Jen

2015-11-15

We present an ultrasensitive plasmonic sensing system by introducing a nanostructured X-shaped plasmonic sensor (XPS) and measuring its localized optical properties in phase interrogation. Our tailored XPS exhibits two major resonant modes of a low-order dipole and a high-order quadrupole, between which the quadrupole resonance allows an ultrahigh sensitivity, due to its higher quality factor. Furthermore, we design an in-house common-path phase-interrogation system, in contrast to conventional wavelength-interrogation methods, to achieve greater sensing capability. The experimental measurement shows that the sensing resolution of the XPS reaches 1.15×10(-6) RIU, not only two orders of magnitude greater than the result of the controlled extinction measurement (i.e., 9.90×10(-5) RIU), but also superior than current reported plasmonic sensors.

High-Speed Interrogation for Large-Scale Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing

PubMed Central

Hu, Chenyuan; Bai, Wei

2018-01-01

A high-speed interrogation scheme for large-scale fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing arrays is presented. This technique employs parallel computing and pipeline control to modulate incident light and demodulate the reflected sensing signal. One Electro-optic modulator (EOM) and one semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) were used to generate a phase delay to filter reflected spectrum form multiple candidate FBGs with the same optical path difference (OPD). Experimental results showed that the fastest interrogation delay time for the proposed method was only about 27.2 us for a single FBG interrogation, and the system scanning period was only limited by the optical transmission delay in the sensing fiber owing to the multiple simultaneous central wavelength calculations. Furthermore, the proposed FPGA-based technique had a verified FBG wavelength demodulation stability of ±1 pm without average processing. PMID:29495263

High-Speed Interrogation for Large-Scale Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing.

PubMed

Hu, Chenyuan; Bai, Wei

2018-02-24

A high-speed interrogation scheme for large-scale fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensing arrays is presented. This technique employs parallel computing and pipeline control to modulate incident light and demodulate the reflected sensing signal. One Electro-optic modulator (EOM) and one semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) were used to generate a phase delay to filter reflected spectrum form multiple candidate FBGs with the same optical path difference (OPD). Experimental results showed that the fastest interrogation delay time for the proposed method was only about 27.2 us for a single FBG interrogation, and the system scanning period was only limited by the optical transmission delay in the sensing fiber owing to the multiple simultaneous central wavelength calculations. Furthermore, the proposed FPGA-based technique had a verified FBG wavelength demodulation stability of ±1 pm without average processing.

Frequency stability degradation of an oscillator slaved to a periodically interrogated atomic resonator.

PubMed

Santarelli, G; Audoin, C; Makdissi, A; Laurent, P; Dick, G J; Clairon, A

1998-01-01

Atomic frequency standards using trapped ions or cold atoms work intrinsically in a pulsed mode. Theoretically and experimentally, this mode of operation has been shown to lead to a degradation of the frequency stability due to the frequency noise of the interrogation oscillator. In this paper a physical analysis of this effect has been made by evaluating the response of a two-level atom to the interrogation oscillator phase noise in Ramsey and multi-Rabi interrogation schemes using a standard quantum mechanical approach. This response is then used to calculate the degradation of the frequency stability of a pulsed atomic frequency standard such as an atomic fountain or an ion trap standard. Comparison is made to an experimental evaluation of this effect in the LPTF Cs fountain frequency standard, showing excellent agreement.

Surface Acoustic Wave Tag-Based Coherence Multiplexing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youngquist, Robert C. (Inventor); Malocha, Donald (Inventor); Saldanha, Nancy (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based coherence multiplexing system includes SAW tags each including a SAW transducer, a first SAW reflector positioned a first distance from the SAW transducer and a second SAW reflector positioned a second distance from the SAW transducer. A transceiver including a wireless transmitter has a signal source providing a source signal and circuitry for transmitting interrogation pulses including a first and a second interrogation pulse toward the SAW tags, and a wireless receiver for receiving and processing response signals from the SAW tags. The receiver receives scrambled signals including a convolution of the wideband interrogation pulses with response signals from the SAW tags and includes a computing device which implements an algorithm that correlates the interrogation pulses or the source signal before transmitting against the scrambled signals to generate tag responses for each of the SAW tags.

Interrogation of a ring-resonator ultrasound sensor using a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

PubMed

Peternella, Fellipe Grillo; Ouyang, Boling; Horsten, Roland; Haverdings, Michael; Kat, Pim; Caro, Jacob

2017-12-11

We experimentally demonstrate an interrogation procedure of a ring-resonator ultrasound sensor using a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). The sensor comprises a silicon ring resonator (RR) located on a silicon-oxide membrane, designed to have its lowest vibrational mode in the MHz range, which is the range of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging. Ultrasound incident on the membrane excites its vibrational mode and as a result induces a modulation of the resonance wavelength of the RR, which is a measure of the amplitude of the ultrasound waves. The interrogation procedure developed is based on the mathematical description of the interrogator operation presented in Appendix A, where we identify the amplitude of the angular deflection Φ 0 on the circle arc periodically traced in the plane of the two orthogonal interrogator voltages, as the principal sensor signal. Interrogation is demonstrated for two sensors with membrane vibrational modes at 1.3 and 0.77 MHz, by applying continuous wave ultrasound in a wide pressure range. Ultrasound is detected at a pressure as low as 1.2 Pa. Two optical path differences (OPDs) of the MZI are used. Thus, different interference conditions of the optical signals are defined, leading to a higher apparent sensitivity for the larger OPD, which is accompanied by a weaker signal, however. Independent measurements using the modulation method yield a resonance modulation per unit of pressure of 21.4 fm/Pa (sensor #1) and 103.8 fm/Pa (sensor #2).

Validation and Interrogation of Differentially Expressed and Alternatively Spliced Genes in African American Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

These analyses have led to two submitted manuscripts. The first manuscript, “Variants of stemness -related genes predicted to regulate RNA splicing...and Table 1-3 at the end of this progress report. The second manuscript, “Single nucleotide polymorphisms of stemness pathway genes predicted to...cancer and support a contribution of the stemness pathway to prostate cancer patient outcome. Please see Figure 5-7 and Table 4-6 at the end of this

Device Management and Flow Optimization on Left Ventricular Assist Device Support.

PubMed

Tchoukina, Inna; Smallfield, Melissa C; Shah, Keyur B

2018-07-01

The authors discuss principles of continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) operation, basic differences between the axial and centrifugal flow designs and hemodynamic performance, normal LVAD physiology, and device interaction with the heart. Systematic interpretation of LVAD parameters and recognition of abnormal patterns of flow and pulsatility on the device interrogation are necessary for clinical assessment of the patient. Optimization of pump flow using LVAD parameters and echocardiographic and hemodynamics guidance are reviewed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A high-temperature fiber sensor using a low cost interrogation scheme.

PubMed

Barrera, David; Sales, Salvador

2013-09-04

Regenerated Fibre Bragg Gratings have the potential for high-temperature monitoring. In this paper, the inscription of Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs) and the later regeneration process to obtain Regenerated Fiber Bragg Gratings (RFBGs) in high-birefringence optical fiber is reported. The obtained RFBGs show two Bragg resonances corresponding to the slow and fast axis that are characterized in temperature terms. As the temperature increases the separation between the two Bragg resonances is reduced, which can be used for low cost interrogation. The proposed interrogation setup is based in the use of optical filters in order to convert the wavelength shift of each of the Bragg resonances into optical power changes. The design of the optical filters is also studied in this article. In first place, the ideal filter is calculated using a recursive method and defining the boundary conditions. This ideal filter linearizes the output of the interrogation setup but is limited by the large wavelength shift of the RFBG with temperature and the maximum attenuation. The response of modal interferometers as optical filters is also analyzed. They can be easily tuned shifting the optical spectrum. The output of the proposed interrogation scheme is simulated in these conditions improving the sensitivity.

Postmortem ICD interrogation in mode of death classification.

PubMed

Nikolaidou, Theodora; Johnson, Miriam J; Ghosh, Justin M; Marincowitz, Carl; Shah, Saumil; Lammiman, Michael J; Schilling, Richard J; Clark, Andrew L

2018-04-01

The definition of sudden death due to arrhythmia relies on the time interval between onset of symptoms and death. However, not all sudden deaths are due to arrhythmia. In patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), postmortem device interrogation may help better distinguish the mode of death compared to a time-based definition alone. This study aims to assess the proportion of "sudden" cardiac deaths in patients with an ICD that have confirmed arrhythmia. We conducted a literature search for studies using postmortem ICD interrogation and a time-based classification of the mode of death. A modified QUADAS-2 checklist was used to assess risk of bias in individual studies. Outcome data were pooled where sufficient data were available. Our search identified 22 studies undertaken between 1982 and 2015 with 23,600 participants. The pooled results (excluding studies with high risk of bias) suggest that ventricular arrhythmias are present at the time of death in 76% of "sudden" deaths (95% confidence interval [CI] 67-85; range 42-88). Postmortem ICD interrogation identifies 24% of "sudden" deaths to be nonarrhythmic. Postmortem device interrogation should be considered in all cases of unexplained sudden cardiac death. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A High-Temperature Fiber Sensor Using a Low Cost Interrogation Scheme

PubMed Central

Barrera, David; Sales, Salvador

2013-01-01

Regenerated Fibre Bragg Gratings have the potential for high-temperature monitoring. In this paper, the inscription of Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs) and the later regeneration process to obtain Regenerated Fiber Bragg Gratings (RFBGs) in high-birefringence optical fiber is reported. The obtained RFBGs show two Bragg resonances corresponding to the slow and fast axis that are characterized in temperature terms. As the temperature increases the separation between the two Bragg resonances is reduced, which can be used for low cost interrogation. The proposed interrogation setup is based in the use of optical filters in order to convert the wavelength shift of each of the Bragg resonances into optical power changes. The design of the optical filters is also studied in this article. In first place, the ideal filter is calculated using a recursive method and defining the boundary conditions. This ideal filter linearizes the output of the interrogation setup but is limited by the large wavelength shift of the RFBG with temperature and the maximum attenuation. The response of modal interferometers as optical filters is also analyzed. They can be easily tuned shifting the optical spectrum. The output of the proposed interrogation scheme is simulated in these conditions improving the sensitivity. PMID:24008282

High performance multi-spectral interrogation for surface plasmon resonance imaging sensors.

PubMed

Sereda, A; Moreau, J; Canva, M; Maillart, E

2014-04-15

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing has proven to be a valuable tool in the field of surface interactions characterization, especially for biomedical applications where label-free techniques are of particular interest. In order to approach the theoretical resolution limit, most SPR-based systems have turned to either angular or spectral interrogation modes, which both offer very accurate real-time measurements, but at the expense of the 2-dimensional imaging capability, therefore decreasing the data throughput. In this article, we show numerically and experimentally how to combine the multi-spectral interrogation technique with 2D-imaging, while finding an optimum in terms of resolution, accuracy, acquisition speed and reduction in data dispersion with respect to the classical reflectivity interrogation mode. This multi-spectral interrogation methodology is based on a robust five parameter fitting of the spectral reflectivity curve which enables monitoring of the reflectivity spectral shift with a resolution of the order of ten picometers, and using only five wavelength measurements per point. In fine, such multi-spectral based plasmonic imaging system allows biomolecular interaction monitoring in a linear regime independently of variations of buffer optical index, which is illustrated on a DNA-DNA model case. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interferometric interrogation of π-phase shifted fiber Bragg grating sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srivastava, Deepa; Tiwari, Umesh; Das, Bhargab

2018-03-01

Interferometric interrogation technique realized for conventional fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors is historically known to offer the highest sensitivity measurements, however, it has not been yet explored for π-phase-shifted FBG (πFBG) sensors. This, we believe, is due to the complex nature of the reflection/transmission spectrum of a πFBG, which cannot be directly used for interferometric interrogation purpose. Therefore, we propose here an innovative as well as simple concept towards this direction, wherein, the transmission spectrum of a πFBG sensor is optically filtered using a specially designed fiber grating. The resulting filtered spectrum retains the entire characteristics of a πFBG sensor and hence the filtered spectrum can be interrogated with interferometric principles. Furthermore, due to the extremely narrow transmission notch of a πFBG sensor, a fiber interferometer can be realized with significantly longer path difference. This leads to substantially enhanced detection limit as compared to sensors based on a regular FBG of similar length. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that high resolution weak dynamic strain measurement down to 4 pε /√{ Hz } is easily achievable. Preliminary experimental results are also presented as proof-of-concept of the proposed interrogation principle.

47 CFR 95.193 - (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... command of a user, except that an FRS unit receiving an interrogation request may automatically respond... automatically respond to more than one interrogation request received within a thirty-second period. (c) You...

47 CFR 95.193 - (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... command of a user, except that an FRS unit receiving an interrogation request may automatically respond... automatically respond to more than one interrogation request received within a thirty-second period. (c) You...

47 CFR 95.193 - (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... command of a user, except that an FRS unit receiving an interrogation request may automatically respond... automatically respond to more than one interrogation request received within a thirty-second period. (c) You...

47 CFR 95.193 - (FRS Rule 3) Types of communications.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... command of a user, except that an FRS unit receiving an interrogation request may automatically respond... automatically respond to more than one interrogation request received within a thirty-second period. (c) You...

13 reasons why the brain is susceptible to oxidative stress.

PubMed

Cobley, James Nathan; Fiorello, Maria Luisa; Bailey, Damian Miles

2018-05-01

The human brain consumes 20% of the total basal oxygen (O 2 ) budget to support ATP intensive neuronal activity. Without sufficient O 2 to support ATP demands, neuronal activity fails, such that, even transient ischemia is neurodegenerative. While the essentiality of O 2 to brain function is clear, how oxidative stress causes neurodegeneration is ambiguous. Ambiguity exists because many of the reasons why the brain is susceptible to oxidative stress remain obscure. Many are erroneously understood as the deleterious result of adventitious O 2 derived free radical and non-radical species generation. To understand how many reasons underpin oxidative stress, one must first re-cast free radical and non-radical species in a positive light because their deliberate generation enables the brain to achieve critical functions (e.g. synaptic plasticity) through redox signalling (i.e. positive functionality). Using free radicals and non-radical derivatives to signal sensitises the brain to oxidative stress when redox signalling goes awry (i.e. negative functionality). To advance mechanistic understanding, we rationalise 13 reasons why the brain is susceptible to oxidative stress. Key reasons include inter alia unsaturated lipid enrichment, mitochondria, calcium, glutamate, modest antioxidant defence, redox active transition metals and neurotransmitter auto-oxidation. We review RNA oxidation as an underappreciated cause of oxidative stress. The complex interplay between each reason dictates neuronal susceptibility to oxidative stress in a dynamic context and neural identity dependent manner. Our discourse sets the stage for investigators to interrogate the biochemical basis of oxidative stress in the brain in health and disease. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Musical Styles as Communities of Practice: Challenges for Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Music in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, Allan

2009-01-01

The last three decades have been marked by significant expansion of music education within higher education, the outcomes of which can be seen in the increased numbers of students studying music and in the diversity of activity and purpose within music courses. This article interrogates the relationship between stylistic diversity and music…

Xu Bing, Ed Pien and Gu Xiong: Lost and Found in Translation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahon, Patrick

2008-01-01

The works of contemporary artists Xu Bing, Ed Pien and Gu Xiong are involved in bringing to light some of the factors inherent in social, cultural and linguistic translation. In doing so, each artist is also engaged in the nuanced activity of moving between historical and contemporary aesthetic strategies in order to interrogate the way meaning is…

Engaging a Prosumer: Preservice Teachers Interrogate Popular Toys through Stop-Motion Animation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivashkevich, Olga

2015-01-01

Today's global digital culture not only engages young people in daily consumption of visual images, texts, and artifacts, but also provides them with the tools to actively participate in the production of imagery and narratives. Whether they post a picture on Facebook, create a blog, or make a YouTube video with their peers, they engage in what…

Analysis of a novel sensor interrogation technique based on fiber cavity ring-down (CRD) loop and OTDR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yüksel, Kivilcim; Yilmaz, Anil

2018-07-01

We present the analysis of a remote sensor based on fiber Cavity Ring-Down (CRD) loop interrogated by an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) taking into account both practical limitations and the related signal processing. A commercial OTDR is used for both pulse generation and sensor output detection. This allows obtaining a compact and simple design for intensity-based sensor applications. This novel sensor interrogation approach is experimentally demonstrated by placing a variable attenuator inside the fiber loop that mimics a sensor head.

Simple interrogator for optical fiber-based white light Fabry-Perot interferometers.

PubMed

Yu, Zhihao; Tian, Zhipeng; Wang, Anbo

2017-02-15

In this Letter, we present the design of a simple signal interrogator for optical fiber-based white light Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometers. With the hardware being composed of only a flat fused silica wafer and a CCD camera, this interrogator translates the spectral interference into a spatial interference pattern, and then demodulates the F-P cavity length with the use of a relatively simple demodulation algorithm. The concept is demonstrated experimentally in a fiber optic sensor with a sapphire wafer as the F-P cavity.

The relationship between criminal conviction and interrogative suggestibility among delinquent boys.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, G H; Singh, K K

1984-03-01

This study investigates the relationship between interrogative suggestibility, as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS), and number of previous convictions among 35 delinquent boys. The GSS measures two independent aspects of suggestibility. First, the extent to which subjects give in to suggestive questions. Second, the extent to which subjects give in to interpersonal pressure given in the form of critical feedback about test performance. The number of convictions were found to correlate negatively with the latter aspect of interrogative suggestibility, but not significantly with the former.

Long period grating refractive-index sensor: optimal design for single wavelength interrogation.

PubMed

Kapoor, Amita; Sharma, Enakshi K

2009-11-01

We report the design criteria for the use of long period gratings (LPGs) as refractive-index sensors with output power at a single interrogating wavelength as the measurement parameter. The design gives maximum sensitivity in a given refractive-index range when the interrogating wavelength is fixed. Use of the design criteria is illustrated by the design of refractive-index sensors for specific application to refractive-index variation of a sugar solution with a concentration and detection of mole fraction of xylene in heptane (paraffin).

A somatic-mutational process recurrently duplicates germline susceptibility loci and tissue-specific super-enhancers in breast cancers

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

Glodzik, Dominik; Morganella, Sandro; Davies, Helen

Somatic rearrangements contribute to the mutagenized landscape of cancer genomes. Here, we systematically interrogated rearrangements in 560 breast cancers by using a piecewise constant fitting approach. We identified 33 hotspots of large (>100 kb) tandem duplications, a mutational signature associated with homologous-recombination-repair deficiency. Notably, these tandem-duplication hotspots were enriched in breast cancer germline susceptibility loci (odds ratio (OR) = 4.28) and breast-specific 'super-enhancer' regulatory elements (OR = 3.54). These hotspots may be sites of selective susceptibility to double-strand-break damage due to high transcriptional activity or, through incrementally increasing copy number, may be sites of secondary selective pressure. Furthermore, the transcriptomicmore » consequences ranged from strong individual oncogene effects to weak but quantifiable multigene expression effects. We thus present a somatic-rearrangement mutational process affecting coding sequences and noncoding regulatory elements and contributing a continuum of driver consequences, from modest to strong effects, thereby supporting a polygenic model of cancer development.« less

Directed natural product biosynthesis gene cluster capture and expression in the model bacterium Bacillus subtilis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongxin; Li, Zhongrui; Yamanaka, Kazuya; Xu, Ying; Zhang, Weipeng; Vlamakis, Hera; Kolter, Roberto; Moore, Bradley S.; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2015-03-01

Bacilli are ubiquitous low G+C environmental Gram-positive bacteria that produce a wide assortment of specialized small molecules. Although their natural product biosynthetic potential is high, robust molecular tools to support the heterologous expression of large biosynthetic gene clusters in Bacillus hosts are rare. Herein we adapt transformation-associated recombination (TAR) in yeast to design a single genomic capture and expression vector for antibiotic production in Bacillus subtilis. After validating this direct cloning ``plug-and-play'' approach with surfactin, we genetically interrogated amicoumacin biosynthetic gene cluster from the marine isolate Bacillus subtilis 1779. Its heterologous expression allowed us to explore an unusual maturation process involving the N-acyl-asparagine pro-drug intermediates preamicoumacins, which are hydrolyzed by the asparagine-specific peptidase into the active component amicoumacin A. This work represents the first direct cloning based heterologous expression of natural products in the model organism B. subtilis and paves the way to the development of future genome mining efforts in this genus.

A somatic-mutational process recurrently duplicates germline susceptibility loci and tissue-specific super-enhancers in breast cancers

DOE PAGES

Glodzik, Dominik; Morganella, Sandro; Davies, Helen; ...

2017-01-23

Somatic rearrangements contribute to the mutagenized landscape of cancer genomes. Here, we systematically interrogated rearrangements in 560 breast cancers by using a piecewise constant fitting approach. We identified 33 hotspots of large (>100 kb) tandem duplications, a mutational signature associated with homologous-recombination-repair deficiency. Notably, these tandem-duplication hotspots were enriched in breast cancer germline susceptibility loci (odds ratio (OR) = 4.28) and breast-specific 'super-enhancer' regulatory elements (OR = 3.54). These hotspots may be sites of selective susceptibility to double-strand-break damage due to high transcriptional activity or, through incrementally increasing copy number, may be sites of secondary selective pressure. Furthermore, the transcriptomicmore » consequences ranged from strong individual oncogene effects to weak but quantifiable multigene expression effects. We thus present a somatic-rearrangement mutational process affecting coding sequences and noncoding regulatory elements and contributing a continuum of driver consequences, from modest to strong effects, thereby supporting a polygenic model of cancer development.« less

Directed natural product biosynthesis gene cluster capture and expression in the model bacterium Bacillus subtilis.

PubMed

Li, Yongxin; Li, Zhongrui; Yamanaka, Kazuya; Xu, Ying; Zhang, Weipeng; Vlamakis, Hera; Kolter, Roberto; Moore, Bradley S; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2015-03-24

Bacilli are ubiquitous low G+C environmental Gram-positive bacteria that produce a wide assortment of specialized small molecules. Although their natural product biosynthetic potential is high, robust molecular tools to support the heterologous expression of large biosynthetic gene clusters in Bacillus hosts are rare. Herein we adapt transformation-associated recombination (TAR) in yeast to design a single genomic capture and expression vector for antibiotic production in Bacillus subtilis. After validating this direct cloning "plug-and-play" approach with surfactin, we genetically interrogated amicoumacin biosynthetic gene cluster from the marine isolate Bacillus subtilis 1779. Its heterologous expression allowed us to explore an unusual maturation process involving the N-acyl-asparagine pro-drug intermediates preamicoumacins, which are hydrolyzed by the asparagine-specific peptidase into the active component amicoumacin A. This work represents the first direct cloning based heterologous expression of natural products in the model organism B. subtilis and paves the way to the development of future genome mining efforts in this genus.

Mitochondrial shape governs BAX-induced membrane permeabilization and apoptosis.

PubMed

Renault, Thibaud T; Floros, Konstantinos V; Elkholi, Rana; Corrigan, Kelly-Ann; Kushnareva, Yulia; Wieder, Shira Y; Lindtner, Claudia; Serasinghe, Madhavika N; Asciolla, James J; Buettner, Christoph; Newmeyer, Donald D; Chipuk, Jerry E

2015-01-08

Proapoptotic BCL-2 proteins converge upon the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) to promote mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) and apoptosis. Here we investigated the mechanistic relationship between mitochondrial shape and MOMP and provide evidence that BAX requires a distinct mitochondrial size to induce MOMP. We utilized the terminal unfolded protein response pathway to systematically define proapoptotic BCL-2 protein composition after stress and then directly interrogated their requirement for a productive mitochondrial size. Complementary biochemical, cellular, in vivo, and ex vivo studies reveal that Mfn1, a GTPase involved in mitochondrial fusion, establishes a mitochondrial size that is permissive for proapoptotic BCL-2 family function. Cells with hyperfragmented mitochondria, along with size-restricted OMM model systems, fail to support BAX-dependent membrane association and permeabilization due to an inability to stabilize BAXα9·membrane interactions. This work identifies a mechanistic contribution of mitochondrial size in dictating BAX activation, MOMP, and apoptosis. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic interrogative data capture (DIDC) : concept of operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

This Concept of Operations (ConOps) describes the characteristics of the Dynamic Interrogative Data Capture (DIDC) algorithms and associated software. The objective of the DIDC algorithms and software is to optimize the capture and transmission of ve...

Concept of a programmable maintenance processor applicable to multiprocessing systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.

1988-01-01

A programmable maintenance processor concept applicable to multiprocessing systems has been developed at the NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility. This stand-alone-processor is intended to provide support for system and application software testing as well as hardware diagnostics. An initial machanization has been incorporated into the extended aircraft interrogation and display system (XAIDS) which is multiprocessing general-purpose ground support equipment. The XAIDS maintenance processor has independent terminal and printer interfaces and a dedicated magnetic bubble memory that stores system test sequences entered from the terminal. This report describes the hardware and software embodied in this processor and shows a typical application in the check-out of a new XAIDS.

Systems and Methods for RFID-Enabled Pressure Sensing Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Timothy F. (Inventor); Lin, Gregory Y. (Inventor); Ngo, Phong H. (Inventor); Fink, Patrick W. (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Methods, apparatuses and systems for radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled information collection are disclosed, including an enclosure, a collector coupled to the enclosure, an interrogator, a processor, and one or more RFID field sensors, each having an individual identification, disposed within the enclosure. In operation, the interrogator transmits an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure. The electromagnetic field is affected by one or more influences. RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors to the interrogator. The interrogator receives the reflected signals, measures one or more returned signal strength indications ("RSSI") of the reflected signals and sends the RSSI measurements and identification of the responding RFID sensors to the processor to determine one or more facts about the influences. Other embodiments are also described.

Finite element analysis of wirelessly interrogated implantable bio-MEMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dissanayake, Don W.; Al-Sarawi, Said F.; Lu, Tien-Fu; Abbott, Derek

2008-12-01

Wirelessly interrogated bio-MEMS devices are becoming more popular due to many challenges, such as improving the diagnosis, monitoring, and patient wellbeing. The authors present here a passive, low power and small area device, which can be interrogated wirelessly using a uniquely coded signal for a secure and reliable operation. The proposed new approach relies on converting the interrogating coded signal to surface acoustic wave that is then correlated with an embedded code. The suggested method is implemented to operate a micropump, which consist of a specially designed corrugated microdiaphragm to modulate the fluid flow in microchannels. Finite Element Analysis of the micropump operation is presented and a performance was analysed. Design parameters of the diaphragm design were finetuned for optimal performance and different polymer based materials were used in various parts of the micropump to allow for better flexibility and high reliability.

Systems and Methods for RFID-Enabled Dispenser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, Patrick W. (Inventor); Kennedy, Timothy F. (Inventor); Lin, Gregory Y. (Inventor); Ngo, Phong H. (Inventor); Byerly, Diane (Inventor)

2015-01-01

Methods, apparatuses and systems for radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled information collection are disclosed, including an enclosure, a collector coupled to the enclosure, an interrogator, a processor, and one or more RFID field sensors, each having an individual identification, disposed within the enclosure. In operation, the interrogator transmits an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure. The electromagnetic field is affected by one or more influences. RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors to the interrogator. The interrogator receives the reflected signals, measures one or more returned signal strength indications ("RSSI") of the reflected signals and sends the RSSI measurements and identification of the responding RFID sensors to the processor to determine one or more facts about the influences. Other embodiments are also described.

Systems and Methods for RFID-Enabled Pressure Sensing Apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Gregory Y. (Inventor); Ngo, Phong H. (Inventor); Kennedy, Timothy F. (Inventor); Fink, Patrick W. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

Methods, apparatuses and systems for radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled information collection are disclosed, including an enclosure, a collector coupled to the enclosure, an interrogator, a processor, and one or more RFID field sensors, each having an individual identification, disposed within the enclosure. In operation, the interrogator transmits an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure. The electromagnetic field is affected by one or more influences. RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors to the interrogator. The interrogator receives the reflected signals, measures one or more returned signal strength indications ("RSSI") of the reflected signals and sends the RSSI measurements and identification of the responding RFID sensors to the processor to determine one or more facts about the influences. Other embodiments are also described.

Prosodic differences between declaratives and interrogatives in infant-directed speech.

PubMed

Geffen, Susan; Mintz, Toben H

2017-07-01

In many languages, declaratives and interrogatives differ in word order properties, and in syntactic organization more broadly. Thus, in order to learn the distinct syntactic properties of the two sentence types, learners must first be able to distinguish them using non-syntactic information. Prosodic information is often assumed to be a useful basis for this type of discrimination, although no systematic studies of the prosodic cues available to infants have been reported. Analysis of maternal speech in three Standard American English-speaking mother-infant dyads found that polar interrogatives differed from declaratives on the patterning of pitch and duration on the final two syllables, but wh-questions did not. Thus, while prosody is unlikely to aid discrimination of declaratives from wh-questions, infant-directed speech provides prosodic information that infants could use to distinguish declaratives and polar interrogatives. We discuss how learners could leverage this information to identify all question forms, in the context of syntax acquisition.

System and Method for RFID-Enabled Information Collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, Patrick W. (Inventor); Kennedy, Timothy F. (Inventor); Lin, Gregory Y. (Inventor); Ngo, Phong H. (Inventor); Byerly, Diane (Inventor)

2016-01-01

Methods, apparatuses and systems for radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled information collection are disclosed, including an enclosure, a collector coupled to the enclosure, an interrogator, a processor, and one or more RFID field sensors, each having an individual identification, disposed within the enclosure. In operation, the interrogator transmits an incident signal to the collector, causing the collector to generate an electromagnetic field within the enclosure. The electromagnetic field is affected by one or more influences. RFID sensors respond to the electromagnetic field by transmitting reflected signals containing the individual identifications of the responding RFID sensors to the interrogator. The interrogator receives the reflected signals, measures one or more returned signal strength indications ("RSSI") of the reflected signals and sends the RSSI measurements and identification of the responding RFID sensors to the processor to determine one or more facts about the influences. Other embodiments are also described.

RFID Torque Sensing Tag System for Fasteners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fink, Patrick W. (Inventor); Lin, Gregory Y. (Inventor); Ngo, Phong H. (Inventor); Kennedy, Timothy F. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

The present invention provides an RFID-based torque sensor that can be used to quickly monitor off the shelf fasteners including fasteners that are used in expensive satellites or other uses where fastener failure can be very costly. In one embodiment, an antenna, RFID ring and spring comprise a sensor tag that can be interrogated with an interrogation signal produced by an interrogator device. When sufficient torque is applied to the fastener, an RFID circuit is connected, and produces a radio frequency (RF) signal that can be read by the interrogator. In one embodiment, the RFID circuit does not transmit when the spring member is not compressed, thereby indicating insufficient tensioning of the fastener. The present invention offers the ability to remotely, quickly, and inexpensively verify that any number of fasteners are torqued properly upon initial installation. Where applicable, the present invention allows low cost monitoring over the life of the fastener.

Infrared differential-absorption Mueller matrix spectroscopy and neural network-based data fusion for biological aerosol standoff detection.

PubMed

Carrieri, Arthur H; Copper, Jack; Owens, David J; Roese, Erik S; Bottiger, Jerold R; Everly, Robert D; Hung, Kevin C

2010-01-20

An active spectrophotopolarimeter sensor and support system were developed for a military/civilian defense feasibility study concerning the identification and standoff detection of biological aerosols. Plumes of warfare agent surrogates gamma-irradiated Bacillus subtilis and chicken egg white albumen (analytes), Arizona road dust (terrestrial interferent), water mist (atmospheric interferent), and talcum powders (experiment controls) were dispersed inside windowless chambers and interrogated by multiple CO(2) laser beams spanning 9.1-12.0 microm wavelengths (lambda). Molecular vibration and vibration-rotation activities by the subject analyte are fundamentally strong within this "fingerprint" middle infrared spectral region. Distinct polarization-modulations of incident irradiance and backscatter radiance of tuned beams generate the Mueller matrix (M) of subject aerosol. Strings of all 15 normalized elements {M(ij)(lambda)/M(11)(lambda)}, which completely describe physical and geometric attributes of the aerosol particles, are input fields for training hybrid Kohonen self-organizing map feed-forward artificial neural networks (ANNs). The properly trained and validated ANN model performs pattern recognition and type-classification tasks via internal mappings. A typical ANN that mathematically clusters analyte, interferent, and control aerosols with nil overlap of species is illustrated, including sensitivity analysis of performance.

Local oscillator induced degradation of medium-term stability in passive atomic frequency standards

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dick, G. John; Prestage, John D.; Greenhall, Charles A.; Maleki, Lute

1990-01-01

As the performance of passive atomic frequency standards improves, a new limitation is encountered due to frequency fluctuations in an ancillary local oscillator (L.O.). The effect is due to time variation in the gain of the feedback which compensates L.O. frequency fluctuations. The high performance promised by new microwave and optical trapped ion standards may be severely compromised by this effect. Researchers present an analysis of this performance limitation for the case of sequentially interrogated standards. The time dependence of the sensitivity of the interrogation process to L.O. frequency fluctuations is evaluated for single-pulse and double-pulse Ramsey RF interrogation and for amplitude modulated pulses. The effect of these various time dependencies on performance of the standard is calculated for an L.O. with frequency fluctuations showing a typical 1/f spectral density. A limiting 1/sq. root gamma dependent deviation of frequency fluctuations is calculated as a function of pulse lengths, dead time, and pulse overlap. Researchers also present conceptual and hardware-oriented solutions to this problem which achieve a much more nearly constant sensitivity to L.O. fluctuations. Solutions involve use of double-pulse interrogation; alternate interrogation of multiple traps so that the dead time of one trap can be covered by operation of the other; and the use of double-pulse interrogation for two traps, so that during the time of the RF pulses, the increasing sensitivity of one trap tends to compensate for the decreasing sensitivity of the other. A solution making use of amplified-modulated pulses is also presented which shows nominally zero time variation.

Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Interrogation at Forensic Autopsy: An Underestimated Resource?

PubMed

Lacour, Philipp; Buschmann, Claas; Storm, Christian; Nee, Jens; Parwani, Abdul Shokor; Huemer, Martin; Attanasio, Philipp; Boldt, Leif-Hendrik; Rauch, Geraldine; Kucher, Andreas; Pieske, Burkert; Haverkamp, Wilhelm; Blaschke, Florian

2018-06-19

Postmortem interrogations of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), recommended at autopsy in suspected cases of sudden cardiac death, are rarely performed, and data on systematic postmortem CIED analysis in the forensic pathology are missing. The aim of the study was to determine whether nonselective postmortem CIED interrogations and data analysis are useful to the forensic pathologist to determine the cause, mechanism, and time of death and to detect potential CIED-related safety issues. From February 2012 to April 2017, all autopsy subjects in the department of forensic medicine at the University Hospital Charité who had a CIED underwent device removal and interrogation. Over the study period, 5368 autopsies were performed. One hundred fifty subjects had in total 151 CIEDs, including 109 pacemakers, 35 defibrillators, and 7 implantable loop recorders. In 40 cases (26.7%) time of death and in 51 cases (34.0%) cause of death could not be determined by forensic autopsy. Of these, CIED interrogation facilitated the determination of time of death in 70.0% of the cases and clarified the cause of death in 60.8%. Device concerns were identified in 9 cases (6.0%), including 3 hardware, 4 programming, and 2 algorithm issues. One CIED was submitted to the manufacturer for a detailed technical analysis. Our data demonstrate the necessity of systematic postmortem CIED interrogation in forensic medicine to determine the cause and timing of death more accurately. In addition, CIED analysis is an important tool to detect potential CIED-related safety issues. © 2018 American Heart Association, Inc.

Police reports of mock suspect interrogations: A test of accuracy and perception.

PubMed

Kassin, Saul M; Kukucka, Jeff; Lawson, Victoria Z; DeCarlo, John

2017-06-01

A 2-phased experiment assessed the accuracy and completeness of police reports on mock interrogations and their effects on people's perceptions. In Phase 1, 16 experienced officers investigated a mock crime scene, interrogated 2 innocent suspects-1 described by the experimenter as more suspicious than the other-and filed an incident report. All 32 sessions were covertly recorded; the recordings were later used to assess the reports. In Phase 2, 96 lay participants were presented with a brief summary of the case and then either read 1 police report, read 1 verbatim interrogation transcript, or listened to an audiotape of a session. Results showed that (a) Police and suspects diverged in their perceptions of the interrogations; (b) Police committed frequent errors of omission in their reports, understating their use of confrontation, maximization, leniency, and false evidence; and (c) Phase 2 participants who read a police report, compared to those who read a verbatim transcript, perceived the process as less pressure-filled and were more likely to misjudge suspects as guilty. These findings are limited by the brevity and low-stakes nature of the task and by the fact that no significant effects were obtained for our suspicion manipulation, suggesting a need for more research. Limitations notwithstanding, this study adds to a growing empirical literature indicating the need for a requirement that all suspect interrogations be electronically recorded. To provide a more objective and accurate account of what transpired, this study also suggests the benefit of producing verbatim transcripts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Design concept for the microwave interrogation structure in PARCS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dick, G. J.; Klipstein, W. M.; Heavner, T. P.; Jefferts, S. R.

2002-01-01

In this paper we will describe key aspects of the conceptual design of the microwave interrogation structure in the laser-cooled cesium frequency standard that is part of the Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) experiment.

Fully digital data processing during cardiovascular implantable electronic device follow-up in a high-volume tertiary center.

PubMed

Staudacher, Ingo; Nalpathamkalam, Asha Roy; Uhlmann, Lorenz; Illg, Claudius; Seehausen, Sebastian; Akhavanpoor, Mohammadreza; Buchauer, Anke; Geis, Nicolas; Lugenbiel, Patrick; Schweizer, Patrick A; Xynogalos, Panagiotis; Zylla, Maura M; Scholz, Eberhard; Zitron, Edgar; Katus, Hugo A; Thomas, Dierk

2017-10-11

Increasing numbers of patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and limited follow-up capacities highlight unmet challenges in clinical electrophysiology. Integrated software (MediConnect ® ) enabling fully digital processing of device interrogation data has been commercially developed to facilitate follow-up visits. We sought to assess feasibility of fully digital data processing (FDDP) during ambulatory device follow-up in a high-volume tertiary hospital to provide guidance for future users of FDDP software. A total of 391 patients (mean age, 70 years) presenting to the outpatient department for routine device follow-up were analyzed (pacemaker, 44%; implantable cardioverter defibrillator, 39%; cardiac resynchronization therapy device, 16%). Quality of data transfer and follow-up duration were compared between digital (n = 265) and manual processing of device data (n = 126). Digital data import was successful, complete and correct in 82% of cases when early software versions were used. When using the most recent software version the rate of successful digital data import increased to 100%. Software-based import of interrogation data was complete and without failure in 97% of cases. The mean duration of a follow-up visit did not differ between the two groups (digital 18.7 min vs. manual data transfer 18.2 min). FDDP software was successfully implemented into the ambulatory follow-up of patients with implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. Digital data import into electronic patient management software was feasible and supported the physician's workflow. The total duration of follow-up visits comprising technical device interrogation and clinical actions was not affected in the present tertiary center outpatient cohort.

8 CFR 335.11 - Preliminary examinations on petitions for naturalization filed prior to October 1, 1991.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... interrogation, including the petitioner's application to file a petition for naturalization (Form N-400) and any.... The designated examiner may take such part in the interrogation of the petitioner and witnesses and...

Programed asynchronous serial data interrogation in a two-computer system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schneberger, N. A.

1975-01-01

Technique permits redundant computers, with one unit in control mode and one in MONITOR mode, to interrogate the same serial data source. Its use for program-controlled serial data transfer results in extremely simple hardware and software mechanization.

Spectral Doppler interrogation of the patent foramen ovale-a window to left heart hemodynamics.

PubMed

Fadel, Bahaa M; Husain, Aysha; Bakarman, Hatem; Dahdouh, Ziad; Salvo, Giovanni Di; Mohty, Dania

2015-02-01

Spectral Doppler interrogation of flow across a patent foramen ovale (PFO) allows recording of the instantaneous pressure gradient between left and right atrium (RA). The assessment of RA pressure using the size and collapsibility of the inferior vena cava would thus allow estimation of left atrial (LA) pressure. In this article, we illustrate the value of spectral Doppler interrogation of flow across the PFO by transthoracic echocardiography as a novel and simple tool for the assessment of LA pressure and left cardiac hemodynamics in addition to the conventional noninvasive parameters. © 2014, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Perioperative Interrogation of St. Jude Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices: A Guide for Anesthesiologists.

PubMed

Cronin, Brett; Essandoh, Michael K

2018-04-01

Feelings of trepidation or uncertainty regarding cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in the perioperative period can often be mitigated by a thorough knowledge of societal recommendations, recommended management options, and familiarity with CIEDs. Given that effective interpretation of an interrogation report is vital to determining perioperative management options and applying societal recommendations, the creation and interpretation of St. Jude CIED interrogation reports are discussed. In an effort to increase the familiarity with St. Jude transvenous CIEDs amongst anesthesiologists, basic programming of a St. Jude pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) also are described. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Dynamic load simulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joncas, K. P.

1972-01-01

Concepts and techniques for identifying and simulating both the steady state and dynamic characteristics of electrical loads for use during integrated system test and evaluation are discussed. The investigations showed that it is feasible to design and develop interrogation and simulation equipment to perform the desired functions. During the evaluation, actual spacecraft loads were interrogated by stimulating the loads with their normal input voltage and measuring the resultant voltage and current time histories. Elements of the circuits were optimized by an iterative process of selecting element values and comparing the time-domain response of the model with those obtained from the real equipment during interrogation.

Hidden explosives detector employing pulsed neutron and x-ray interrogation

DOEpatents

Schultz, F.J.; Caldwell, J.T.

1993-04-06

Methods and systems for the detection of small amounts of modern, highly-explosive nitrogen-based explosives, such as plastic explosives, hidden in airline baggage. Several techniques are employed either individually or combined in a hybrid system. One technique employed in combination is X-ray imaging. Another technique is interrogation with a pulsed neutron source in a two-phase mode of operation to image both nitrogen and oxygen densities. Another technique employed in combination is neutron interrogation to form a hydrogen density image or three-dimensional map. In addition, deliberately-placed neutron-absorbing materials can be detected.

Hidden explosives detector employing pulsed neutron and x-ray interrogation

DOEpatents

Schultz, Frederick J.; Caldwell, John T.

1993-01-01

Methods and systems for the detection of small amounts of modern, highly-explosive nitrogen-based explosives, such as plastic explosives, hidden in airline baggage. Several techniques are employed either individually or combined in a hybrid system. One technique employed in combination is X-ray imaging. Another technique is interrogation with a pulsed neutron source in a two-phase mode of operation to image both nitrogen and oxygen densities. Another technique employed in combination is neutron interrogation to form a hydrogen density image or three-dimensional map. In addition, deliberately-placed neutron-absorbing materials can be detected.

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

Rodriguez, George; Gilbertson, Steve Michael

Chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) sensors coupled to high speed interrogation systems are described as robust diagnostic approaches to monitoring shock wave and detonation front propagation tracking events for use in high energy density shock physics applications. Taking advantage of the linear distributed spatial encoding of the spectral band in single-mode CFBGs, embedded fiber systems and associated photonic interrogation methodologies are shown as an effective approach to sensing shock and detonation-driven loading processes along the CFBG length. Two approaches, one that detects spectral changes in the integrated spectrum of the CFBG and another coherent pulse interrogation approach that fully resolvesmore » its spectral response, shows that 100-MHz–1-GHz interrogation rates are possible with spatial resolution along the CFBG in the 50 µm to sub-millimeter range depending on the combination of CFBG parameters (i.e., length, chirp rate, spectrum) and interrogator design specifics. In conclusion, results from several dynamic tests are used to demonstrate the performance of these high speed systems for shock and detonation propagation tracking under strong and weak shock pressure loading: (1) linear detonation front tracking in the plastic bonded explosive (PBX) PBX-9501; (2) tracking of radial decaying shock with crossover to non-destructive CFBG response; (3) shock wave tracking along an aluminum cylinder wall under weak loading accompanied by dynamic strain effects in the CFBG sensor.« less

Active sensors for health monitoring of aging aerospace structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giurgiutiu, Victor; Redmond, James M.; Roach, Dennis P.; Rackow, Kirk

2000-06-01

A project to develop non-intrusive active sensors that can be applied on existing aging aerospace structures for monitoring the onset and progress of structural damage (fatigue cracks and corrosion) is presented. The state of the art in active sensors structural health monitoring and damage detection is reviewed. Methods based on (a) elastic wave propagation and (b) electro-mechanical (E/M) impedance technique are cited and briefly discussed. The instrumentation of these specimens with piezoelectric active sensors is illustrated. The main detection strategies (E/M impedance for local area detection and wave propagation for wide area interrogation) are discussed. The signal processing and damage interpretation algorithms are tuned to the specific structural interrogation method used. In the high frequency E/M impedance approach, pattern recognition methods are used to compare impedance signatures taken at various time intervals and to identify damage presence and progression from the change in these signatures. In the wave propagation approach, the acousto- ultrasonic methods identifying additional reflection generated from the damage site and changes in transmission velocity and phase are used. Both approaches benefit from the use of artificial intelligence neural networks algorithms that can extract damage features based on a learning process. Design and fabrication of a set of structural specimens representative of aging aerospace structures is presented. Three built-up specimens, (pristine, with cracks, and with corrosion damage) are used. The specimen instrumentation with active sensors fabricated at the University of South Carolina is illustrated. Preliminary results obtained with the E/M impedance method on pristine and cracked specimens are presented.

Prompt Neutron Spectrometry for Identification of SNM in Unknown Shielding Configurations: FY16 ONR YIP Final Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-31

UMKC-YIP-TR-2016 May 2016 Technical Report Prompt Neutron Spectrometry for Identification of SNM in Unknown Shielding...University of Missouri – Kansas City MSND: Micro-structured Neutron Detector HRM: Handheld Radiation Monitor PHS: Pulse Height Spectrum ANI: Active... Neutron Interrogation Distribution Statement A 6 Administrative Information and Acknowledgements Members of the University of Missouri

Workshop on Monitoring and Failure Detection in Earthen Embankments

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-15

funded by your agreement who graduated during this period and will receive scholarships or fellowships for further studies in science, mathematics...that are widely used to image and characterize subsurface geology . Many of these technologies can be adapted to the interrogation and...the active seismic techniques, have a long history in shallow exploration (tens to hundreds of meters) for geology , environmental, and civil

Interrogation of Multidrug Resistance (MDR1) P-glycoprotein (Pgp, ABCB1) Expression in Human Pancreatic Carcinoma Cells: Correlation of 99mTc-Sestamibi Uptake with Western Blot Analysis

PubMed Central

Harpstrite, Scott E.; Gu, Hannah; Natarajan, Radhika; Sharma, Vijay

2014-01-01

Objective Histopathological studies indicate approximately 63% of pancreatic tumors express MDR1 Pgp and its polymorphic variants. However, Pgp expression detected at the messenger RNA or protein level does not always correlate with functional transport activity. Because Pgp transport activity is affected by specific mutations as well as the phosphorylation state of the protein, altered or less active forms of Pgp may also be detected by PCR or immunohistochemistry, which do not accurately reflect the status of tumor cell resistance. To interrogate status of functional expression of MDR1 Pgp in MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells, cellular transport studies using 99mTc-Sestamibi were performed and correlated with western blot analysis. Methods Biochemical transport assays in human pancreatic carcinoma MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells, human epidermal carcinoma drug sensitive KB-3-1 cells and human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells (negative controls), and human epidermal carcinoma drug resistant KB-8-5 cells, human breast carcinoma stably transfected with Pgp MCF-7/MDR1Pgp cells, and liver carcinoma HepG2 cells (positive controls) were performed. Protein levels were determined using a monoclonal antibody C219. Results 99mTc-Sestamibi demonstrates accumulation in human pancreatic carcinoma MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells. Uptake profiles are not affected by treatment with LY335979, a Pgp-inhibitor, and correlate to Western blot analysis. Conclusions These cellular transport studies indicate an absence of Pgp at a functional level in MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells. Because major pancreatic tumors originate from pancreatic duct and 99mTc-Sestamibi undergoes a dominant hepatobiliary mode of excretion, it would not be a sensitive probe for imaging pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Following interrogation of the functional status of Pgp in other pancreatic carcinoma cells, chemotherapeutic drugs that are also MDR1 substrates could offer alternative therapeutics for treating pancreatic adenocarcinomas. PMID:25036383

Optogenetic interrogation of neural circuits: technology for probing mammalian brain structures

PubMed Central

Zhang, Feng; Gradinaru, Viviana; Adamantidis, Antoine R; Durand, Remy; Airan, Raag D; de Lecea, Luis; Deisseroth, Karl

2015-01-01

Elucidation of the neural substrates underlying complex animal behaviors depends on precise activity control tools, as well as compatible readout methods. Recent developments in optogenetics have addressed this need, opening up new possibilities for systems neuroscience. Interrogation of even deep neural circuits can be conducted by directly probing the necessity and sufficiency of defined circuit elements with millisecond-scale, cell type-specific optical perturbations, coupled with suitable readouts such as electrophysiology, optical circuit dynamics measures and freely moving behavior in mammals. Here we collect in detail our strategies for delivering microbial opsin genes to deep mammalian brain structures in vivo, along with protocols for integrating the resulting optical control with compatible readouts (electrophysiological, optical and behavioral). The procedures described here, from initial virus preparation to systems-level functional readout, can be completed within 4–5 weeks. Together, these methods may help in providing circuit-level insight into the dynamics underlying complex mammalian behaviors in health and disease. PMID:20203662

Genetic interaction analysis of point mutations enables interrogation of gene function at a residue-level resolution

PubMed Central

Braberg, Hannes; Moehle, Erica A.; Shales, Michael; Guthrie, Christine; Krogan, Nevan J.

2014-01-01

We have achieved a residue-level resolution of genetic interaction mapping – a technique that measures how the function of one gene is affected by the alteration of a second gene – by analyzing point mutations. Here, we describe how to interpret point mutant genetic interactions, and outline key applications for the approach, including interrogation of protein interaction interfaces and active sites, and examination of post-translational modifications. Genetic interaction analysis has proven effective for characterizing cellular processes; however, to date, systematic high-throughput genetic interaction screens have relied on gene deletions or knockdowns, which limits the resolution of gene function analysis and poses problems for multifunctional genes. Our point mutant approach addresses these issues, and further provides a tool for in vivo structure-function analysis that complements traditional biophysical methods. We also discuss the potential for genetic interaction mapping of point mutations in human cells and its application to personalized medicine. PMID:24842270

Self-hypnosis training and captivity survival.

PubMed

Wood, D P; Sexton, J L

1997-01-01

In February and March, 1973, 566 U.S. military prisoners (POWs) were released from North Vietnam. These men had been POWs for a period of time between 2 months and 9 years, with a mean incarceration of 4.44 years. They had faced physical and psychological stress similar to that experienced by POWs from previous wars: starvation, disease, inadequate shelter, lack of medical care, interrogations and torture (Deaton, Burge, Richlin & Latrownik, 1977; Mitchell, 1991). By definition, such prison conditions constituted a traumatic experience (Deaton et al., 1977). However, a unique stress for our POWs in North Vietnam was the additional trauma of solitary confinement. This paper reviews the coping and "time killing" activities of U.S. Navy Vietnam POWs who experienced solitary confinement and tortuous interrogation. This paper also reports the physical and psychological adjustment of our POWs following their release from captivity. Suggestions are made regarding the revision of the curriculum for captivity survival training programs such as Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) school.

Simulation of differential die-away instrument’s response to asymmetrically burned spent nuclear fuel

DOE PAGES

Martinik, Tomas; Henzl, Vladimir; Grape, Sophie; ...

2015-03-04

Here, previous simulation studies of Differential Die–Away (DDA) instrument’s response to active interrogation of spent nuclear fuel from a pressurized water reactor (PWR) yielded promising results in terms of its capability to accurately measure or estimate basic spent fuel assembly (SFA) characteristics, such as multiplication, initial enrichment (IE) and burn-up (BU) as well as the total plutonium content. These studies were however performed only for a subset of idealized SFAs with a symmetric BU with respect to its longitudinal axis. Therefore, to complement the previous results, additional simulations have been performed of the DDA instrument’s response to interrogation of asymmetricallymore » burned spent nuclear fuel in order to determine whether detailed assay of SFAs from all 4 sides will be necessary in real life applications or whether a cost and time saving single sided assay could be used to achieve results of similar quality as previously reported in case of symmetrically burned SFAs.« less

A novel microfluidic mixer based on dual-hydrodynamic focusing for interrogating the kinetics of DNA-protein interaction.

PubMed

Li, Ying; Xu, Fei; Liu, Chao; Xu, Youzhi; Feng, Xiaojun; Liu, Bi-Feng

2013-08-21

Kinetic measurement of biomacromolecular interaction plays a significant role in revealing the underlying mechanisms of cellular activities. Due to the small diffusion coefficient of biomacromolecules, it is difficult to resolve the rapid kinetic process with traditional analytical methods such as stopped-flow or laminar mixers. Here, we demonstrated a unique continuous-flow laminar mixer based on microfluidic dual-hydrodynamic focusing to characterize the kinetics of DNA-protein interactions. The time window of this mixer for kinetics observation could cover from sub-milliseconds to seconds, which made it possible to capture the folding process with a wide dynamic range. Moreover, the sample consumption was remarkably reduced to <0.55 μL min⁻¹, over 1000-fold saving in comparison to those reported previously. We further interrogated the interaction kinetics of G-quadruplex and the single-stranded DNA binding protein, indicating that this novel micromixer would be a useful approach for analyzing the interaction kinetics of biomacromolecules.

Inheritable Silencing of Endogenous Genes by Hit-and-Run Targeted Epigenetic Editing.

PubMed

Amabile, Angelo; Migliara, Alessandro; Capasso, Paola; Biffi, Mauro; Cittaro, Davide; Naldini, Luigi; Lombardo, Angelo

2016-09-22

Gene silencing is instrumental to interrogate gene function and holds promise for therapeutic applications. Here, we repurpose the endogenous retroviruses' silencing machinery of embryonic stem cells to stably silence three highly expressed genes in somatic cells by epigenetics. This was achieved by transiently expressing combinations of engineered transcriptional repressors that bind to and synergize at the target locus to instruct repressive histone marks and de novo DNA methylation, thus ensuring long-term memory of the repressive epigenetic state. Silencing was highly specific, as shown by genome-wide analyses, sharply confined to the targeted locus without spreading to nearby genes, resistant to activation induced by cytokine stimulation, and relieved only by targeted DNA demethylation. We demonstrate the portability of this technology by multiplex gene silencing, adopting different DNA binding platforms and interrogating thousands of genomic loci in different cell types, including primary T lymphocytes. Targeted epigenome editing might have broad application in research and medicine. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interrogator system for identifying electrical circuits

DOEpatents

Jatko, W.B.; McNeilly, D.R.

1988-04-12

A system for interrogating electrical leads to correctly ascertain the identity of equipment attached to remote ends of the leads is disclosed. The system includes a source of a carrier signal generated in a controller/receiver to be sent over the leads and an identifier unit at the equipment. The identifier is activated by command of the carrier and uses a portion of the carrier to produce a supply voltage. Each identifier is uniquely programmed for a specific piece of equipment, and causes the impedance of the circuit to be modified whereby the carrier signal is modulated according to that program. The modulation can be amplitude, frequency or phase modulation. A demodulator in the controller/receiver analyzes the modulated carrier signal, and if a verified signal is recognized displays and/or records the information. This information can be utilized in a computer system to prepare a wiring diagram of the electrical equipment attached to specific leads. Specific circuit values are given for amplitude modulation, and the system is particularly described for use with thermocouples. 6 figs.

Interrogator system for identifying electrical circuits

DOEpatents

Jatko, William B.; McNeilly, David R.

1988-01-01

A system for interrogating electrical leads to correctly ascertain the identity of equipment attached to remote ends of the leads. The system includes a source of a carrier signal generated in a controller/receiver to be sent over the leads and an identifier unit at the equipment. The identifier is activated by command of the carrier and uses a portion of the carrier to produce a supply voltage. Each identifier is uniquely programmed for a specific piece of equipment, and causes the impedance of the circuit to be modified whereby the carrier signal is modulated according to that program. The modulation can be amplitude, frequency or phase modulation. A demodulator in the controller/receiver analyzes the modulated carrier signal, and if a verified signal is recognized displays and/or records the information. This information can be utilized in a computer system to prepare a wiring diagram of the electrical equipment attached to specific leads. Specific circuit values are given for amplitude modulation, and the system is particularly described for use with thermocouples.

Interrogating Key Positions of Size-Reduced TALE Repeats Reveals a Programmable Sensor of 5-Carboxylcytosine.

PubMed

Maurer, Sara; Giess, Mario; Koch, Oliver; Summerer, Daniel

2016-12-16

Transcription-activator-like effector (TALE) proteins consist of concatenated repeats that recognize consecutive canonical nucleobases of DNA via the major groove in a programmable fashion. Since this groove displays unique chemical information for the four human epigenetic cytosine nucleobases, TALE repeats with epigenetic selectivity can be engineered, with potential to establish receptors for the programmable decoding of all human nucleobases. TALE repeats recognize nucleobases via key amino acids in a structurally conserved loop whose backbone is positioned very close to the cytosine 5-carbon. This complicates the engineering of selectivities for large 5-substituents. To interrogate a more promising structural space, we engineered size-reduced repeat loops, performed saturation mutagenesis of key positions, and screened a total of 200 repeat-nucleobase interactions for new selectivities. This provided insight into the structural requirements of TALE repeats for affinity and selectivity, revealed repeats with improved or relaxed selectivity, and resulted in the first selective sensor of 5-carboxylcytosine.

Simulation of differential die-away instrument’s response to asymmetrically burned spent nuclear fuel

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

Martinik, Tomas; Henzl, Vladimir; Grape, Sophie

Here, previous simulation studies of Differential Die–Away (DDA) instrument’s response to active interrogation of spent nuclear fuel from a pressurized water reactor (PWR) yielded promising results in terms of its capability to accurately measure or estimate basic spent fuel assembly (SFA) characteristics, such as multiplication, initial enrichment (IE) and burn-up (BU) as well as the total plutonium content. These studies were however performed only for a subset of idealized SFAs with a symmetric BU with respect to its longitudinal axis. Therefore, to complement the previous results, additional simulations have been performed of the DDA instrument’s response to interrogation of asymmetricallymore » burned spent nuclear fuel in order to determine whether detailed assay of SFAs from all 4 sides will be necessary in real life applications or whether a cost and time saving single sided assay could be used to achieve results of similar quality as previously reported in case of symmetrically burned SFAs.« less

Interrogation of patient data delivered to the operating theatre during hepato-pancreatic surgery using high-performance computing.

PubMed

John, Nigel W; McCloy, Rory F; Herrman, Simone

2004-01-01

The Op3D visualization system allows, for the first time, a surgeon in the operating theatre to interrogate patient-specific medical data sets rendered in three dimensions using high-performance computing. The hypothesis of this research is that the success rate of hepato-pancreatic surgical resections can be improved by replacing the light box with an interactive 3D representation of the medical data in the operating theatre. A laptop serves as the client computer and an easy-to-use interface has been developed for the surgeon to interact with and interrogate the patient data. To date, 16 patients have had 3D reconstructions of their DICOM data sets, including preoperative interrogation and planning of surgery. Interrogation of the 3D images live in theatre and comparison with the surgeons' operative findings (including intraoperative ultrasound) led to the operation being abandoned in 25% of cases, adoption of an alternative surgical approach in 25% of cases, and helpful image guidance for successful resection in 50% of cases. The clinical value of the latest generation of scanners and digital imaging techniques cannot be realized unless appropriate dissemination of the images takes place. This project has succeeded in translating the image technology into a user-friendly form and delivers 3D reconstructions of patient-specific data to the "sharp end"-the surgeon undertaking the tumor resection in theatre, in a manner that allows interaction and interpretation. More time interrogating the 3D data sets preoperatively would help reduce the incidence of abandoned operations-this is part of the surgeons' learning curve. We have developed one of the first practical applications to benefit from remote visualization, and certainly the first medical visualization application of this kind.

Surface acoustic wave devices as passive buried sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedt, J.-M.; Rétornaz, T.; Alzuaga, S.; Baron, T.; Martin, G.; Laroche, T.; Ballandras, S.; Griselin, M.; Simonnet, J.-P.

2011-02-01

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are currently used as passive remote-controlled sensors for measuring various physical quantities through a wireless link. Among the two main classes of designs—resonator and delay line—the former has the advantage of providing narrow-band spectrum informations and hence appears compatible with an interrogation strategy complying with Industry-Scientific-Medical regulations in radio-frequency (rf) bands centered around 434, 866, or 915 MHz. Delay-line based sensors require larger bandwidths as they consists of a few interdigitated electrodes excited by short rf pulses with large instantaneous energy and short response delays but is compatible with existing equipment such as ground penetrating radar (GPR). We here demonstrate the measurement of temperature using the two configurations, particularly for long term monitoring using sensors buried in soil. Although we have demonstrated long term stability and robustness of packaged resonators and signal to noise ratio compatible with the expected application, the interrogation range (maximum 80 cm) is insufficient for most geology or geophysical purposes. We then focus on the use of delay lines, as the corresponding interrogation method is similar to the one used by GPR which allows for rf penetration distances ranging from a few meters to tens of meters and which operates in the lower rf range, depending on soil water content, permittivity, and conductivity. Assuming propagation losses in a pure dielectric medium with negligible conductivity (snow or ice), an interrogation distance of about 40 m is predicted, which overcomes the observed limits met when using interrogation methods specifically developed for wireless SAW sensors, and could partly comply with the above-mentioned applications. Although quite optimistic, this estimate is consistent with the signal to noise ratio observed during an experimental demonstration of the interrogation of a delay line buried at a depth of 5 m in snow.

Fission Signatures for Nuclear Material Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gozani, Tsahi

2009-06-01

Detection and interdiction of nuclear materials in all forms of transport is one of the most critical security issues facing the United States and the rest of the civilized world. Naturally emitted gamma rays by these materials, while abundant and detectable when unshielded, are low in energy and readily shielded. X-ray radiography is useful in detecting the possible presence of shielding material. Positive detection of concealed nuclear materials requires methods which unequivocally detect specific attributes of the materials. These methods typically involve active interrogation by penetrating radiation of neutrons, photons or other particles. Fortunately, nuclear materials, probed by various types of radiation, yield very unique and often strong signatures. Paramount among them are the detectable fission signatures, namely prompt neutrons and gamma rays, and delayed neutrons gamma rays. Other useful signatures are the nuclear states excited by neutrons, via inelastic scattering, or photons, via nuclear resonance fluorescence and absorption. The signatures are very different in magnitude, level of specificity, ease of excitation and detection, signal to background ratios, etc. For example, delayed neutrons are very unique to the fission process, but are scarce, have low energy, and hence are easily absorbed. Delayed gamma rays are more abundant but "featureless", and have a higher background from natural sources and more importantly, from activation due to the interrogation sources. The prompt fission signatures need to be measured in the presence of the much higher levels of probing radiation. This requires taking special measures to look for the signatures, sometimes leading to a significant sensitivity loss or a complete inability to detect them. Characteristic gamma rays induced in nuclear materials reflecting their nuclear structure, while rather unique, require very high intensity of interrogation radiation and very high resolution in energy and/or time. The trade off of signatures, their means of stimulation, and methods of detection, will be reviewed.

BSM (+BMM) Data Emulator Dynamic Interrogative Data Capture (DIDC) Assessment Report: Impacts of DIDC

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

The objective of the Dynamic Interrogative Data Capture (DIDC) algorithms and software is to optimize the capture and transmission of vehicle-based data under a range of dynamically configurable messaging strategies. The key hypothesis of DIDC is tha...

Interrogation: General vs. Local.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Jeannette

This paper proposes a set of hypotheses on the nature of interrogration as a possible language universal. Examples and phrase structure rules and diagrams are given. Examining Tamazight and English, genetically unrelated languages with almost no contact, the author distinguishes two types of interrogation: (1) general, querying acceptability to…

Quantum prisoners' dilemma under enhanced interrogation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siopsis, George; Balu, Radhakrishnan; Solmeyer, Neal

2018-06-01

In the quantum version of prisoners' dilemma, each prisoner is equipped with a single qubit that the interrogator can entangle. We enlarge the available Hilbert space by introducing a third qubit that the interrogator can entangle with the other two. We discuss an enhanced interrogation technique based on tripartite entanglement and analyze Nash equilibria. We show that for tripartite entanglement approaching a W-state, we calculate the Nash equilibria numerically and show that they coincide with the Pareto-optimal choice where both prisoners cooperate. Upon continuous variation between a W-state and a pure bipartite entangled state, the game is shown to have a surprisingly rich structure. The role of bipartite and tripartite entanglement is explored to explain that structure. As an application, we consider an evolutionary game based on our quantum game with a network of agents on a square lattice with periodic boundary conditions and show that the strategy corresponding to Nash equilibrium completely dominates without placing any restrictions on the initial set of strategies.

[Research on symmetrical optical waveguide based surface plasmon resonance sensing with spectral interrogation].

PubMed

Zhang, Yi-long; Liu, Le; Guo, Jun; Zhang, Peng-fei; Guo, Ji-hua; Ma, Hui; He, Yong-hong

2015-02-01

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors with spectral interrogation can adopt fiber to transmit light signals, thus leaving the sensing part separated, which is very convenient for miniaturization, remote-sensing and on-site analysis. Symmetrical optical waveguide (SOW) SPR has the same refractive index of the-two buffer media layers adjacent to the metal film, resulting in longer propagation distance, deeper penetration depth and better performance compared to conventional SPR In the present paper, we developed a symmetrical optical, waveguide (SOW) SPR sensor with wavelength interrogation. In the system, MgF2-Au-MgF2 film was used as SOW module for glucose sensing, and a fiber based light source and detection was used in the spectral interrogation. In the experiment, a refractive index resolution of 2.8 x 10(-7) RIU in fluid protocol was acquired. This technique provides advantages of high resolution and could have potential use in compact design, on-site analysis and remote sensing.

Chemotherapy activates cancer-associated fibroblasts to maintain colorectal cancer-initiating cells by IL-17A

PubMed Central

Lotti, Fiorenza; Jarrar, Awad M.; Pai, Rish K.; Hitomi, Masahiro; Lathia, Justin; Mace, Adam; Gantt, Gerald A.; Sukhdeo, Kumar; DeVecchio, Jennifer; Vasanji, Amit; Leahy, Patrick; Hjelmeland, Anita B.

2013-01-01

Many solid cancers display cellular hierarchies with self-renewing, tumorigenic stemlike cells, or cancer-initiating cells (CICs) at the apex. Whereas CICs often exhibit relative resistance to conventional cancer therapies, they also receive critical maintenance cues from supportive stromal elements that also respond to cytotoxic therapies. To interrogate the interplay between chemotherapy and CICs, we investigated cellular heterogeneity in human colorectal cancers. Colorectal CICs were resistant to conventional chemotherapy in cell-autonomous assays, but CIC chemoresistance was also increased by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Comparative analysis of matched colorectal cancer specimens from patients before and after cytotoxic treatment revealed a significant increase in CAFs. Chemotherapy-treated human CAFs promoted CIC self-renewal and in vivo tumor growth associated with increased secretion of specific cytokines and chemokines, including interleukin-17A (IL-17A). Exogenous IL-17A increased CIC self-renewal and invasion, and targeting IL-17A signaling impaired CIC growth. Notably, IL-17A was overexpressed by colorectal CAFs in response to chemotherapy with expression validated directly in patient-derived specimens without culture. These data suggest that chemotherapy induces remodeling of the tumor microenvironment to support the tumor cellular hierarchy through secreted factors. Incorporating simultaneous disruption of CIC mechanisms and interplay with the tumor microenvironment could optimize therapeutic targeting of cancer. PMID:24323355

General-Purpose Electronic System Tests Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Richard D.

1989-01-01

Versatile digital equipment supports research, development, and maintenance. Extended aircraft interrogation and display system is general-purpose assembly of digital electronic equipment on ground for testing of digital electronic systems on advanced aircraft. Many advanced features, including multiple 16-bit microprocessors, pipeline data-flow architecture, advanced operating system, and resident software-development tools. Basic collection of software includes program for handling many types of data and for displays in various formats. User easily extends basic software library. Hardware and software interfaces to subsystems provided by user designed for flexibility in configuration to meet user's requirements.

Optogalvanic spectroscopy of lanthanum hyperfine structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Amanda; Hankes, Jessie; Banner, Patrick; Olmschenk, Steven

2017-04-01

Optogalvanic spectroscopy is a sensitive technique to measure optical transitions of atoms and ions produced in a high voltage discharge. Advantages of this technique include a comparatively simple optical setup and the ability to interrogate excited state transitions. Here, we use optogalavanic spectroscopy in a hollow cathode lamp to measure the hyperfine spectrum of several transitions in lanthanum. Hyperfine coefficients are determined for the corresponding energy levels and compared to available previous measurements. This research is supported by the Army Research Office, Research Corporation for Science Advancement, and Denison University.

Designs and Algorithms to Map Eye Tracking Data with Dynamic Multielement Moving Objects.

PubMed

Kang, Ziho; Mandal, Saptarshi; Crutchfield, Jerry; Millan, Angel; McClung, Sarah N

2016-01-01

Design concepts and algorithms were developed to address the eye tracking analysis issues that arise when (1) participants interrogate dynamic multielement objects that can overlap on the display and (2) visual angle error of the eye trackers is incapable of providing exact eye fixation coordinates. These issues were addressed by (1) developing dynamic areas of interests (AOIs) in the form of either convex or rectangular shapes to represent the moving and shape-changing multielement objects, (2) introducing the concept of AOI gap tolerance (AGT) that controls the size of the AOIs to address the overlapping and visual angle error issues, and (3) finding a near optimal AGT value. The approach was tested in the context of air traffic control (ATC) operations where air traffic controller specialists (ATCSs) interrogated multiple moving aircraft on a radar display to detect and control the aircraft for the purpose of maintaining safe and expeditious air transportation. In addition, we show how eye tracking analysis results can differ based on how we define dynamic AOIs to determine eye fixations on moving objects. The results serve as a framework to more accurately analyze eye tracking data and to better support the analysis of human performance.

Designs and Algorithms to Map Eye Tracking Data with Dynamic Multielement Moving Objects

PubMed Central

Mandal, Saptarshi

2016-01-01

Design concepts and algorithms were developed to address the eye tracking analysis issues that arise when (1) participants interrogate dynamic multielement objects that can overlap on the display and (2) visual angle error of the eye trackers is incapable of providing exact eye fixation coordinates. These issues were addressed by (1) developing dynamic areas of interests (AOIs) in the form of either convex or rectangular shapes to represent the moving and shape-changing multielement objects, (2) introducing the concept of AOI gap tolerance (AGT) that controls the size of the AOIs to address the overlapping and visual angle error issues, and (3) finding a near optimal AGT value. The approach was tested in the context of air traffic control (ATC) operations where air traffic controller specialists (ATCSs) interrogated multiple moving aircraft on a radar display to detect and control the aircraft for the purpose of maintaining safe and expeditious air transportation. In addition, we show how eye tracking analysis results can differ based on how we define dynamic AOIs to determine eye fixations on moving objects. The results serve as a framework to more accurately analyze eye tracking data and to better support the analysis of human performance. PMID:27725830

Long fiber Bragg grating sensor interrogation using discrete-time microwave photonic filtering techniques.

PubMed

Ricchiuti, Amelia Lavinia; Barrera, David; Sales, Salvador; Thevenaz, Luc; Capmany, José

2013-11-18

A novel technique for interrogating photonic sensors based on long fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) is presented and experimentally demonstrated, dedicated to detect the presence and the precise location of several spot events. The principle of operation is based on a technique used to analyze microwave photonics (MWP) filters. The long FBGs are used as quasi-distributed sensors. Several hot-spots can be detected along the FBG with a spatial accuracy under 0.5 mm using a modulator and a photo-detector (PD) with a modest bandwidth of less than 1 GHz. The proposed interrogation system is intrinsically robust against environmental changes.

Enhanced-locality fiber-optic two-photon-fluorescence live-brain interrogation

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

Fedotov, I. V.; Doronina-Amitonova, L. V.; Russian Quantum Center, ul. Novaya 100, Skolkovo, Moscow Region 1430125

2014-02-24

Two-photon excitation is shown to substantially enhance the locality of fiber-based optical interrogation of strongly scattering biotissues. In our experiments, a high-numerical-aperture, large-core-are fiber probe is used to deliver the 200-fs output of a 100-MHz mode-locked ytterbium fiber laser to samples of live mouse brain, induce two-photon fluorescence of nitrogen–vacancy centers in diamond markers in brain sample. Fiber probes with a high numerical aperture and a large core area are shown to enable locality enhancement in fiber-laser–fiber-probe two-photon brain excitation and interrogation without sacrificing the efficiency of fluorescence response collection.

Highly sensitive distributed birefringence measurements based on a two-pulse interrogation of a dynamic Brillouin grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soto, Marcelo A.; Denisov, Andrey; Angulo-Vinuesa, Xabier; Martin-Lopez, Sonia; Thévenaz, Luc; Gonzalez-Herraez, Miguel

2017-04-01

A method for distributed birefringence measurements is proposed based on the interference pattern generated by the interrogation of a dynamic Brillouin grating (DBG) using two short consecutive optical pulses. Compared to existing DBG interrogation techniques, the method here offers an improved sensitivity to birefringence changes thanks to the interferometric effect generated by the reflections of the two pulses. Experimental results demonstrate the possibility to obtain the longitudinal birefringence profile of a 20 m-long Panda fibre with an accuracy of 10-8 using 16 averages and 30 cm spatial resolution. The method enables sub-metric and highly-accurate distributed temperature and strain sensing.

Using satellites to improve civilian aircraft surveillance coverage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgraw, K.

1984-01-01

Surveillance of aircraft is presently accomplished through the use of terrestrial based secondary radar sensors, which are capable of interrogating transponders aboard aircraft. Transponder responses provide the basis for determining radial distance by measuring round-trip signal time while antenna angular position is used to determine azimuthal position. These interrogating radar beams are line-of-sight and thus have their coverage obscured by mountains and tall buildings. The addition of more radar sites is rendered unfeasible by the lack of easy access to the required additional site locations. A possible solution to this problem is to deploy satellites that interrogate transponder-equipped aircraft from a position that provides an unobstructed view.

Testimony and interrogation of minors: assumptions about maturity and morality.

PubMed

Owen-Kostelnik, Jessica; Reppucci, N Dickon; Meyer, Jessica R

2006-01-01

This article examines the legal histories and social contexts of testimony and interrogation involving minors, developmental research on suggestibility and judgment, interactions between development and legal/sociological contexts, and the reasoning behind how minors are treated in different legal contexts. The authors argue (a) that young witnesses, victims, and suspects alike possess youthful characteristics that influence their ability to validly inform legal processes, some of which were recently recognized by the Supreme Court as they apply to the juvenile death penalty, and (b) that consideration should be given to reforming current practices in the context of juvenile interrogation. ((c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

PubChem applications in drug discovery: a bibliometric analysis

PubMed Central

Cheng, Tiejun; Pan, Yongmei; Hao, Ming; Wang, Yanli; Bryant, Stephen H.

2014-01-01

A bibliometric analysis of PubChem applications is presented by reviewing 1132 research articles. The massive volume of chemical structure and bioactivity data in PubChem and its online services has been used globally in various fields including chemical biology, medicinal chemistry and informatics research. PubChem supports drug discovery in many aspects such as lead identification and optimization, compound–target profiling, polypharmacology studies and unknown chemical identity elucidation. PubChem has also become a valuable resource for developing secondary databases, informatics tools and web services. The growing PubChem resource with its public availability offers support and great opportunities for the interrogation of pharmacological mechanisms and the genetic basis of diseases, which are vital for drug innovation and repurposing. PMID:25168772

Interrogating Your Wisdom of Practice to Improve Classroom Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chappell, Philip

2017-01-01

This article presents a heuristic for language teachers to articulate and explore their fundamental theories of and philosophical stances towards language, language learning, and language teaching. It includes tools with which teachers can interrogate those theories, weighing them up against their actual classroom practices. Through presenting…

Interrogating Institutionalized Establishments: Urban-Rural Inequalities in China's Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Mei; Yang, Rui

2013-01-01

China's urban-rural disparities are a fundamental source of China's overall educational inequalities. This article addresses the issue with data collected through interviews with members at various Chinese higher education institutions. It interrogates China's current policies together with the socio-political institutional arrangements that…

Interrogating Racism in Qualitative Research Methodology. Counterpoints.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Gerardo R., Ed.; Parker, Laurence, Ed.

This book explores the link between critical race theory and qualitative research methodology, interrogating how race connects and conflicts with other areas of difference and is never entirely absent from the research process. After an introduction, "Critical Race Theory in Education: Theory, Praxis, and Recommendations" (Sylvia R.…

Interrogating Our Practices of Integrating Spirituality into Workplace Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, Leona M.; Fenwick, Tara J.; Parsons, Jim

2005-01-01

Workplace education's interest in spirituality is examined, with an emphasis placed on why this interest might be increasing and what challenges it presents. This article interrogates commonplace strategies to integrate spirituality in workplace education,--providing holistic education, creating sacred spaces and mentoring--questions each approach…

Interrogative Suggestibility among Adolescent Boys and Its Relationship with Intelligence, Memory, and Cognitive Set.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Krishna K.; Gudjonsson, Gisli H.

1992-01-01

Investigated hypotheses generated by Gudjonsson and Clark model of interrogative suggestibility. Adolescent boys (n=40) completed Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale and measures of intellectual skills, memory, field-dependence, hostility, and attitudes toward persons in authority. Suggestibility correlated negatively with intelligence quotient and…

Evaluating the Efficacy of Elaborative Strategies for Remembering Expository Text.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boudreau, Rhonda L.; Wood, Eileen; Willoughby, Teena; Specht, Jacqueline

1999-01-01

One hundred Canadian undergraduates read a lengthy expository text, used one of five study strategies for 50 minutes, and completed recall and multiple-choice tests. Students using self-study, repetition, or unsupported elaborative interrogation had difficulty recognizing the passage's main ideas. Elaborative interrogation's effectiveness was…

Measurement of the ATCRBS Surface Interrogation Environments at Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles International Airports

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-07-01

The Transportation Systems Center is conducting a progrm to develop a surface surveillance sensor that uses replies from ATCRBS tansponders. The operation of this system can be affected by surface interrogations at major airports where such a system ...

"Enhanced" interrogation of detainees: do psychologists and psychiatrists participate?

PubMed Central

Halpern, Abraham L; Halpern, John H; Doherty, Sean B

2008-01-01

After revelations of participation by psychiatrists and psychologists in interrogation of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and Central Intelligence Agency secret detention centers, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association adopted Position Statements absolutely prohibiting their members from participating in torture under any and all circumstances, and, to a limited degree, forbidding involvement in interrogations. Some interrogations utilize very aggressive techniques determined to be torture by many nations and organizations throughout the world. This paper explains why psychiatrists and psychologists involved in coercive interrogations violate the Geneva Conventions and the laws of the United States. Whether done with ignorance of professional ethical obligations or not, these psychiatrists and psychologists have crossed an ethical barrier that may best be averted from re-occurring by teaching medical students and residents in all medical specialties about the ethics principles stemming from the 1946–1947 Nuremberg trials and the Geneva Conventions, together with the Ethics Codes of the World Medical Association and the American Medical Association; and, with regard to psychiatric residents and psychological trainees, by the teaching about The Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry and the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, respectively. In this way, all physicians and psychologists will clearly understand that they have an absolute moral obligation to "First, do no harm" to the human beings they professionally encounter. PMID:18817568

Radio-frequency unbalanced M-Z interferometer for wavelength interrogation of fiber Bragg grating sensors.

PubMed

Zhou, Jiaao; Xia, Li; Cheng, Rui; Wen, Yongqiang; Rohollahnejad, Jalal

2016-01-15

The optical unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer (UMZI) has attracted significant interests for interrogation of FBG sensors owing to its excellent advantages in sensitivity, resolution, and demodulation speed. But this method is still limited to dynamic measurements due to its poor stability and reliability when used for quasi-static detections. Here, we propose for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a radio-frequency unbalanced M-Z interferometer (RF-UMZI) for interrogation of FBG sensors, which, owing to its operation in an incoherent rather than a coherent regime, provides an ideal solution for the existing stability problem of the conventional UMZI, with remarkable features of adjustable resolution and potentially extremely high sensitivity. A dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) and single-mode fiber (SMF) with a small length difference are served as the two unbalanced arms of the RF interferometer. The induced differential chromatic dispersion transfers the wavelength shift of the FBG to the change of the RF phase difference between the two interferometric carriers, which ultimately leads to the variation of the RF signal intensity. An interrogation of a strain-turned FBG was accomplished and a maximum sensitivity of 0.00835  a.u./με was obtained, which can easily be further improved by more than two orders of magnitude through various fiber dispersion components. Finally, the stability of the interrogation was tested.

Handbook For Military Justice and Civil Law

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-02-01

cases, however, to an individual to identify himself is not an "interrogation," and production of the identification is not a "statement" within the...evidence obtained in violation of constitutional mandates will not be admissible in any later criminal prosecution. With this in mind, the most productive ...reasonable searches, and other command activities which, although permissible and productive of admissible evidence, are not actually true searches or

Toward microendoscopy-inspired cardiac optogenetics in vivo: technical overview and perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimas, Aleksandra; Entcheva, Emilia

2014-08-01

The ability to perform precise, spatially localized actuation and measurements of electrical activity in the heart is crucial in understanding cardiac electrophysiology and devising new therapeutic solutions for control of cardiac arrhythmias. Current cardiac imaging techniques (i.e. optical mapping) employ voltage- or calcium-sensitive fluorescent dyes to visualize the electrical signal propagation through cardiac syncytium in vitro or in situ with very high-spatiotemporal resolution. The extension of optogenetics into the cardiac field, where cardiac tissue is genetically altered to express light-sensitive ion channels allowing electrical activity to be elicited or suppressed in a precise cell-specific way, has opened the possibility for all-optical interrogation of cardiac electrophysiology. In vivo application of cardiac optogenetics faces multiple challenges and necessitates suitable optical systems employing fiber optics to actuate and sense electrical signals. In this technical perspective, we present a compendium of clinically relevant access routes to different parts of the cardiac electrical conduction system based on currently employed catheter imaging systems and determine the quantitative size constraints for endoscopic cardiac optogenetics. We discuss the relevant technical advancements in microendoscopy, cardiac imaging, and optogenetics and outline the strategies for combining them to create a portable, miniaturized fiber-based system for all-optical interrogation of cardiac electrophysiology in vivo.

Accurate Differentiation of Carotenoid Pigments Using Flight Representative Raman Spectrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malherbe, Cedric; Hutchinson, Ian B.; McHugh, Melissa; Ingley, Richard; Jehlička, Jan; Edwards, Howell G. M.

2017-04-01

Raman spectrometers will be utilized on two Mars rover missions, ExoMars and Mars 2020, in the near future, to search for evidence of life and habitable geological niches on Mars. Carotenoid pigments are recognized target biomarkers, and as they are highly active in Raman spectroscopy, they can be readily used to characterize the capabilities of space representative instrumentation. As part of the preparatory work being performed for the ExoMars mission, a gypsum crust colonized by microorganisms was interrogated with commercial portable Raman instruments and a flight representative Raman laser spectrometer. Four separate layers, each exhibiting different coloration resulting from specific halophilic microorganism activities within the gypsum crust, were studied by using two excitation wavelengths: 532 and 785 nm. Raman or fluorescence data were readily obtained during the present study. Gypsum, the main constituent of the crust, was detected with both excitation wavelengths, while the resonance Raman signal associated with carotenoid pigments was only detected with a 532 nm excitation wavelength. The fluorescence originating from bacteriochlorophyll a was found to overwhelm the Raman signal for the layer colonized by sulfur bacteria when interrogated with a 785 nm excitation wavelength. Finally, it was demonstrated that portable instruments and the prototype were capable of detecting a statistically significant difference in band positions of carotenoid signals between the sample layers.

Learning about Posterior Probability: Do Diagrams and Elaborative Interrogation Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clinton, Virginia; Alibali, Martha Wagner; Nathan, Mitchel J.

2016-01-01

To learn from a text, students must make meaningful connections among related ideas in that text. This study examined the effectiveness of two methods of improving connections--elaborative interrogation and diagrams--in written lessons about posterior probability. Undergraduate students (N = 198) read a lesson in one of three questioning…

17 CFR 240.0-10 - Small entities under the Securities Exchange Act for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... interrogation devices or moving tickers at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it... purposes of paragraph (g) of this section, “interrogation device” shall refer to any device that may be...

17 CFR 240.0-10 - Small entities under the Securities Exchange Act for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... interrogation devices or moving tickers at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it... purposes of paragraph (g) of this section, “interrogation device” shall refer to any device that may be...

17 CFR 240.0-10 - Small entities under the Securities Exchange Act for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... interrogation devices or moving tickers at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it... purposes of paragraph (g) of this section, “interrogation device” shall refer to any device that may be...

17 CFR 240.0-10 - Small entities under the Securities Exchange Act for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... interrogation devices or moving tickers at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it... purposes of paragraph (g) of this section, “interrogation device” shall refer to any device that may be...

17 CFR 240.0-10 - Small entities under the Securities Exchange Act for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... interrogation devices or moving tickers at all times during the preceding fiscal year (or in the time that it... purposes of paragraph (g) of this section, “interrogation device” shall refer to any device that may be...

Interrogative Suggestibility in an Adolescent Forensic Occupation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, G.; And Others

1995-01-01

Sixty-five juvenile offenders in residential care completed the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale, and their scores were matched for IQ and memory with those of 60 adult offenders. The juveniles gave in significantly more to interrogative pressure through negative feedback but were no more yielding to leading questions than adults. (JPS)

Ask Systems: Interrogative Access to Multiple Ways of Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonassen, David H.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to familiarize instructional designers and researchers with a useful design and research paradigm known as "Ask Systems." Ask Systems are interrogative interfaces to information and learning environments that model conversations with a skilled, reflective practitioner (Schon, The reflective practitioner, "1983") or…

Testimony and Interrogation of Minors: Assumptions about Maturity and Morality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owen-Kostelnik, Jessica; Reppucci, N. Dickon; Meyer, Jessica R.

2006-01-01

This article examines the legal histories and social contexts of testimony and interrogation involving minors, developmental research on suggestibility and judgment, interactions between development and legal/sociological contexts, and the reasoning behind how minors are treated in different legal contexts. The authors argue (a) that young…

Acquisition of Multiple Questions in English, Russian, and Malayalam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grebenyova, Lydia

2011-01-01

This article presents the results of four studies exploring the acquisition of the language-specific syntactic and semantic properties of multiple interrogatives in English, Russian, and Malayalam, languages that behave differently with respect to the syntax and semantics of multiple interrogatives. A corpus analysis investigated the frequency of…

Interrogative suggestibility and perceptual motor performance.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, G H

1984-04-01

This study investigates the relationship between interrogative suggestibility, as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale, and Arrow-Dot scores. The tendency of subjects (25 men and 25 women, mean age 30.2 yr.) to alter their answers once interpersonal pressure had been applied correlated significantly with poor Arrow-Dot Ego functioning.

Are Dysphoric Individuals More Suggestible or Less Suggestible Than Nondysphoric Individuals?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacFarland, Wendy L.; Morris, Steven J.

1998-01-01

Dysphoric individuals are shown to be susceptible to interrogative suggestion, whether in the form of leading questions or interrogative pressure. The association of a clinically relevant condition of dysphoria (depression) with relatively high levels of suggestibility was investigated in a college student population (N=139). Applicability to…

Phase modulation for reduced vibration sensitivity in laser-cooled clocks in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klipstein, W.; Dick, G.; Jefferts, S.; Walls, F.

2001-01-01

The standard interrogation technique in atomic beam clocks is square-wave frequency modulation (SWFM), which suffers a first order sensitivity to vibrations as changes in the transit time of the atoms translates to perceived frequency errors. Square-wave phase modulation (SWPM) interrogation eliminates sensitivity to this noise.

Revisiting the Relationship between Transposable Elements and the Eukaryotic Stress Response.

PubMed

Horváth, Vivien; Merenciano, Miriam; González, Josefa

2017-11-01

A relationship between transposable elements (TEs) and the eukaryotic stress response was suggested in the first publications describing TEs. Since then, it has often been assumed that TEs are activated by stress, and that this activation is often beneficial for the organism. In recent years, the availability of new high-throughput experimental techniques has allowed further interrogation of the relationship between TEs and stress. By reviewing the recent literature, we conclude that although there is evidence for a beneficial effect of TE activation under stress conditions, the relationship between TEs and the eukaryotic stress response is quite complex. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associated Particle Tagging (APT) in Magnetic Spectrometers

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

Jordan, David V.; Baciak, James E.; Stave, Sean C.

2012-10-16

Summary In Brief The Associated Particle Tagging (APT) project, a collaboration of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Idaho State University (ISU)/Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC), has completed an exploratory study to assess the role of magnetic spectrometers as the linchpin technology in next-generation tagged-neutron and tagged-photon active interrogation (AI). The computational study considered two principle concepts: (1) the application of a solenoidal alpha-particle spectrometer to a next-generation, large-emittance neutron generator for use in the associated particle imaging technique, and (2) the application of tagged photon beams to the detection of fissile material via active interrogation.more » In both cases, a magnetic spectrometer momentum-analyzes charged particles (in the neutron case, alpha particles accompanying neutron generation in the D-T reaction; in the tagged photon case, post-bremsstrahlung electrons) to define kinematic properties of the relevant neutral interrogation probe particle (i.e. neutron or photon). The main conclusions of the study can be briefly summarized as follows: Neutron generator: • For the solenoidal spectrometer concept, magnetic field strengths of order 1 Tesla or greater are required to keep the transverse size of the spectrometer smaller than 1 meter. The notional magnetic spectrometer design evaluated in this feasibility study uses a 5-T magnetic field and a borehole radius of 18 cm. • The design shows a potential for 4.5 Sr tagged neutron solid angle, a factor of 4.5 larger than achievable with current API neutron-generator designs. • The potential angular resolution for such a tagged neutron beam can be less than 0.5o for modest Si-detector position resolution (3 mm). Further improvement in angular resolution can be made by using Si-detectors with better position resolution. • The report documents several features of a notional generator design incorporating the alpha-particle spectrometer concept, and outlines challenges involved in the magnetic field design. Tagged photon interrogation: • We investigated a method for discriminating fissile from benign cargo-material response to an energy-tagged photon beam. The method relies upon coincident detection of the tagged photon and a photoneutron or photofission neutron produced in the target material. The method exploits differences in the shape of the neutron production cross section as a function of incident photon energy in order to discriminate photofission yield from photoneutrons emitted by non-fissile materials. Computational tests of the interrogation method as applied to material composition assay of a simple, multi-layer target suggest that the tagged-photon information facilitates precise (order 1% thickness uncertainty) reconstruction of the constituent thicknesses of fissile (uranium) and high-Z (Pb) constituents of the test targets in a few minutes of photon-beam exposure. We assumed an 18-MeV endpoint tagged photon beam for these simulations. • The report addresses several candidate design and data analysis issues for beamline infrastructure required to produce a tagged photon beam in a notional AI-dedicated facility, including the accelerator and tagging spectrometer.« less

Californium interrogation prompt neutron (CIPN) instrument for non-destructive assay of spent nuclear fuel – design concept and experimental demonstration

DOE PAGES

Henzlova, Daniela; Menlove, Howard Olsen; Rael, Carlos D.; ...

2015-10-09

Our paper presents results of the first experimental demonstration of the Californium Interrogation Prompt Neutron (CIPN) instrument developed within a multi-year effort launched by the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel Project of the United States Department of Energy. The goals of this project focused on developing viable non-destructive assay techniques with capabilities to improve an independent verification of spent fuel assembly characteristics. For this purpose, the CIPN instrument combines active and passive neutron interrogation, along with passive gamma-ray measurements, to provide three independent observables. We describe the initial feasibility demonstration of the CIPN instrument, which involved measurements of fourmore » pressurized-water-reactor spent fuel assemblies with different levels of burnup and two initial enrichments. The measurements were performed at the Post-Irradiation Examination Facility at the Korea Atomic Energy Institute in the Republic of Korea. The key aim of the demonstration was to evaluate CIPN instrument performance under realistic deployment conditions, with the focus on a detailed assessment of systematic uncertainties that are best evaluated experimentally. The measurements revealed good positioning reproducibility, as well as a high degree of insensitivity of the CIPN instrument's response to irregularities in a radial burnup profile. Systematic uncertainty of individual CIPN instrument signals due to assembly rotation was found to be <4.5%, even for assemblies with fairly extreme gradients in the radial burnup profile. Lastly, these features suggest that the CIPN instrument is capable of providing a good representation of assembly average characteristics, independent of assembly orientation in the instrument.« less

Californium interrogation prompt neutron (CIPN) instrument for non-destructive assay of spent nuclear fuel – design concept and experimental demonstration

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

Henzlova, Daniela; Menlove, Howard Olsen; Rael, Carlos D.

Our paper presents results of the first experimental demonstration of the Californium Interrogation Prompt Neutron (CIPN) instrument developed within a multi-year effort launched by the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative Spent Fuel Project of the United States Department of Energy. The goals of this project focused on developing viable non-destructive assay techniques with capabilities to improve an independent verification of spent fuel assembly characteristics. For this purpose, the CIPN instrument combines active and passive neutron interrogation, along with passive gamma-ray measurements, to provide three independent observables. We describe the initial feasibility demonstration of the CIPN instrument, which involved measurements of fourmore » pressurized-water-reactor spent fuel assemblies with different levels of burnup and two initial enrichments. The measurements were performed at the Post-Irradiation Examination Facility at the Korea Atomic Energy Institute in the Republic of Korea. The key aim of the demonstration was to evaluate CIPN instrument performance under realistic deployment conditions, with the focus on a detailed assessment of systematic uncertainties that are best evaluated experimentally. The measurements revealed good positioning reproducibility, as well as a high degree of insensitivity of the CIPN instrument's response to irregularities in a radial burnup profile. Systematic uncertainty of individual CIPN instrument signals due to assembly rotation was found to be <4.5%, even for assemblies with fairly extreme gradients in the radial burnup profile. Lastly, these features suggest that the CIPN instrument is capable of providing a good representation of assembly average characteristics, independent of assembly orientation in the instrument.« less

Self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells requires insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor and ERBB2 receptor signaling

PubMed Central

Wang, Linlin; Schulz, Thomas C.; Sherrer, Eric S.; Dauphin, Derek S.; Shin, Soojung; Nelson, Angelique M.; Ware, Carol B.; Zhan, Mei; Song, Chao-Zhong; Chen, Xiaoji; Brimble, Sandii N.; McLean, Amanda; Galeano, Maria J.; Uhl, Elizabeth W.; D'Amour, Kevin A.; Chesnut, Jonathan D.; Rao, Mahendra S.

2007-01-01

Despite progress in developing defined conditions for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) cultures, little is known about the cell-surface receptors that are activated under conditions supportive of hESC self-renewal. A simultaneous interrogation of 42 receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) in hESCs following stimulation with mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) conditioned medium (CM) revealed rapid and prominent tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R); less prominent tyrosine phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family members, including ERBB2 and ERBB3; and trace phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptors. Intense IGF1R and IR phosphorylation occurred in the absence of MEF conditioning (NCM) and was attributable to high concentrations of insulin in the proprietary KnockOut Serum Replacer (KSR). Inhibition of IGF1R using a blocking antibody or lentivirus-delivered shRNA reduced hESC self-renewal and promoted differentiation, while disruption of ERBB2 signaling with the selective inhibitor AG825 severely inhibited hESC proliferation and promoted apoptosis. A simple defined medium containing an IGF1 analog, heregulin-1β (a ligand for ERBB2/ERBB3), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), and activin A supported long-term growth of multiple hESC lines. These studies identify previously unappreciated RTKs that support hESC proliferation and self-renewal, and provide a rationally designed medium for the growth and maintenance of pluripotent hESCs. PMID:17761519

International education is a broken field: Can ubuntu education bring solutions?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piper, Benjamin

2016-02-01

Ubuntu is an African philosophy of human kindness; applying it in the Global South would fundamentally alter the design of the education sector. This essay argues, however, that the field of international educational development is not, in fact, structured to support an education influenced by ubuntu ideals. Specifically, the educational development milieu includes donors, implementers and academicians who do not sufficiently question the power dynamics which underpin education development. This creates a field where the power imbalances between donors and host governments are not interrogated, where development workers place too much faith in their own knowledge rather than that of local education experts, and where development practitioners rarely appreciate the privilege of working in countries which are not their own. An ubuntu education would alter the educational development field in myriad critical ways, a few of which are suggested in this essay. Educational development programmes in universities and intake programmes for implementers and donors should teach officers humility, appreciating existing local talent and expertise. Donor programmes should incentivise reflective practice which formally embeds appreciation for local culture and expertise, thereby supporting structures which help educational development experts to review their metacognitive processes. The field should also dramatically increase the numbers of local, minority and female educational development practitioners and provide more avenues for advancement for those groups. These are activities which are critical to supporting the education development field, but require a fundamental change of attitude by practitioners to ensure the right kind of relationships between the West and the Global South.

ATCRBS Uplink Environment Measurement Near Jacksonville, Florida.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-25

SCAr _ 3.86 3.85 3.91 10.12 9.31 4.68 4.04 3.92 STAG 1 1 1 5 1 3 1 1 2A 2C 2E 2G 21 2K 2M 20 20 2S 2U 65 23 123 28 35 25 355 2q - --.- 353 34 355 27...to Horizon (Nominal) 3 2.0 OVERALL PULSE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL INTERROGATORS 5 2.1 Total Pulse Rate 5 2.2 Suppression Rates 5 2.3 Interrogation Rates...34Effective" Beamwidths Include Sidelobes 65 4.3 FAA ARSR Mainbeans at Location 2M+ 66 4.4 Mainbeam Coincidences for 31 Interrogators at 2M+ 71 4.5 Discussion

Flow cytometer acquisition and detection system

DOEpatents

Casstevens, Martin K.; Burzynski, Ryszard; Weibel, John; Kachynski, Alexander

2010-05-04

A flow cytometer has a flow cell through which a sample flows and at least one laser emitting an excitation beam for illuminating a corresponding interrogation region in the flow cell. Scattered and fluorescence light from each interrogation region is collected by one or more input fibers for that region, and the input fiber(s) are fed to a dispersion module for that interrogation region that disperses the incoming light into different spectral regions. The dispersed light is conveyed, such as by a plurality of output fibers, to one or more photosensitive detectors. Thus, time multiplexed light signals may be delivered to a detector whereby several unique light signals can be measured by a single detector.

Characterization of FBG sensor interrogation based on a FDML wavelength swept laser

PubMed Central

Jung, Eun Joo; Kim, Chang-Seok; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Moon Ki; Jeon, Min Yong; Jung, Woonggyu; Chen, Zhongping

2012-01-01

In this study, we develop an ultra-fast fiber Bragg grating sensor system that is based on the Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) swept laser. A FDML wavelength swept laser has many advantages compared to the conventional wavelength swept laser source, such as high-speed interrogation, narrow spectral sensitivity, and high phase stability. The newly developed FDML wavelength swept laser shows a superior performance of a high scan rate of 31.3 kHz and a broad scan range of over 70 nm simultaneously. The performance of the grating sensor interrogating system using a FDML wavelength swept laser is characterized in both static and dynamic strain responses. PMID:18852764

Interrogation of weak Bragg grating sensors based on dual-wavelength differential detection.

PubMed

Cheng, Rui; Xia, Li

2016-11-15

It is shown that for weak Bragg gratings the logarithmic ratio of reflected intensities at any two wavelengths within the spectrum follows a linear relationship with the Bragg wavelength shift, with a slope proportional to their wavelength spacing. This finding is exploited to develop a flexible, efficient, and cheap interrogation solution of weak fiber Bragg grating (FBGs), especially ultra-short FBGs, in distributed sensing based on dual-wavelength differential detection. The concept is experimentally studied in both single and distributed sensing systems with ultra-short FBG sensors. The work may form the basis of new and promising FBG interrogation techniques based on detecting discrete rather than continuous spectra.

Method for identifying and probing phase transitions in materials

DOEpatents

Asay, Blaine W.; Henson, Bryan F.; Sander, Robert K.; Robinson, Jeanne M.; Son, Steven F.; Dickson, Peter M.

2002-01-01

The present invention includes a method for identifying and probing phase transitions in materials. A polymorphic material capable of existing in at least one non-centrosymmetric phase is interrogated with a beam of laser light at a chosen wavelength and frequency. A phase transition is induced in the material while it is interrogated. The intensity of light scattered by the material and having a wavelength equal to one half the wavelength of the interrogating laser light is detected. If the phase transition results in the production of a non-centrosymmetric phase, the intensity of this scattered light increases; if the phase transition results in the disappearance of a non-centrosymmetric phase, the intensity of this scattered light decreases.

Wirelessly Interrogated Position or Displacement Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodard, Stanley E.; Taylor, Bryant D.

2007-01-01

Two simple position or displacement sensors based on inductance-capacitance resonant circuits have been conceived. These sensors are both powered and interrogated without use of wires and without making contact with other objects. Instead, excitation and interrogation are accomplished by means of a magnetic-field-response recorder. Both of the present position or displacement sensors consist essentially of variable rectangular parallel-plate capacitors electrically connected in series with fixed inductors. Simple inductance-capacitance circuits of the type used in these sensors are inherently robust; their basic mode of operation does not depend on maintenance of specific environmental conditions. Hence, these sensors can be used under such harsh conditions as cryogenic temperatures, high pressures, and radioactivity.

Optical temperature compensation schemes of spectral modulation sensors for aircraft engine control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berkcan, Ertugrul

1993-02-01

Optical temperature compensation schemes for the ratiometric interrogation of spectral modulation sensors for source temperature robustness are presented. We have obtained better than 50 - 100X decrease of the temperature coefficient of the sensitivity using these types of compensation. We have also developed a spectrographic interrogation scheme that provides increased source temperature robustness; this affords a significantly improved accuracy over FADEC temperature ranges as well as temperature coefficient of the sensitivity that is substantially and further reduced. This latter compensation scheme can be integrated in a small E/O package including the detection, analog and digital signal processing. We find that these interrogation schemes can be used within a detector spatially multiplexed architecture.

Ortho-Babinet polarization-interrogating filter: an interferometric approach to polarization measurement.

PubMed

Van Delden, Jay S

2003-07-15

A novel, interferometric, polarization-interrogating filter assembly and method for the simultaneous measurement of all four Stokes parameters across a partially polarized irradiance image in a no-moving-parts, instantaneous, highly sensitive manner is described. In the reported embodiment of the filter, two spatially varying linear retarders and a linear polarizer comprise an ortho-Babinet, polarization-interrogating (OBPI) filter. The OBPI filter uniquely encodes the incident ensemble of electromagnetic wave fronts comprising a partially polarized irradiance image in a controlled, deterministic, spatially varying manner to map the complete state of polarization across the image to local variations in a superposed interference pattern. Experimental interferograms are reported along with a numerical simulation of the method.

Radiation induced pulmonary fibrosis as a model of progressive fibrosis: Contributions of DNA damage, inflammatory response and cellular senescence genes.

PubMed

Beach, Tyler A; Johnston, Carl J; Groves, Angela M; Williams, Jacqueline P; Finkelstein, Jacob N

2017-04-01

Purpose/Aim of Study: Studies of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) have resulted in DNA damage, inflammatory response, and cellular senescence being widely hypothesized to play a role in the progression of the disease. Utilizing these aforementioned terms, genomics databases were interrogated along with the term, "pulmonary fibrosis," to identify genes common among all 4 search terms. Findings were compared to data derived from a model of radiation-induced progressive pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) to verify that these genes are similarly expressed, supporting the use of radiation as a model for diseases involving PF, such as human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In an established model of RIPF, C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 12.5 Gy thorax irradiation and sacrificed at 24 hours, 1, 4, 12, and 32 weeks following exposure, and lung tissue was compared to age-matched controls by RNA sequencing. Of 176 PF associated gene transcripts identified by database interrogation, 146 (>82%) were present in our experimental model, throughout the progression of RIPF. Analysis revealed that nearly 85% of PF gene transcripts were associated with at least 1 other search term. Furthermore, of 22 genes common to all four terms, 16 were present experimentally in RIPF. This illustrates the validity of RIPF as a model of progressive PF/IPF based on the numbers of transcripts reported in both literature and observed experimentally. Well characterized genes and proteins are implicated in this model, supporting the hypotheses that DNA damage, inflammatory response and cellular senescence are associated with the pathogenesis of PF.

Scattering-free optical levitation of a cavity mirror.

PubMed

Guccione, G; Hosseini, M; Adlong, S; Johnsson, M T; Hope, J; Buchler, B C; Lam, P K

2013-11-01

We demonstrate the feasibility of levitating a small mirror using only radiation pressure. In our scheme, the mirror is supported by a tripod where each leg of the tripod is a Fabry-Perot cavity. The macroscopic state of the mirror is coherently coupled to the supporting cavity modes allowing coherent interrogation and manipulation of the mirror motion. The proposed scheme is an extreme example of the optical spring, where a mechanical oscillator is isolated from the environment and its mechanical frequency and macroscopic state can be manipulated solely through optical fields. We model the stability of the system and find a three-dimensional lattice of trapping points where cavity resonances allow for buildup of optical field sufficient to support the weight of the mirror. Our scheme offers a unique platform for studying quantum and classical optomechanics and can potentially be used for precision gravitational field sensing and quantum state generation.

Iterative key-residues interrogation of a phytase with thermostability increasing substitutions identified in directed evolution.

PubMed

Shivange, Amol V; Roccatano, Danilo; Schwaneberg, Ulrich

2016-01-01

Bacterial phytases have attracted industrial interest as animal feed supplement due to their high activity and sufficient thermostability (required for feed pelleting). We devised an approach named KeySIDE,  an iterative Key-residues interrogation of the wild type with Substitutions Identified in Directed Evolution for improving Yersinia mollaretii phytase (Ymphytase) thermostability by combining key beneficial substitutions and elucidating their individual roles. Directed evolution yielded in a discovery of nine positions in Ymphytase and combined iteratively to identify key positions. The "best" combination (M6: T77K, Q154H, G187S, and K289Q) resulted in significantly improved thermal resistance; the residual activity improved from 35 % (wild type) to 89 % (M6) at 58 °C and 20-min incubation. Melting temperature increased by 3 °C in M6 without a loss of specific activity. Molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed reduced flexibility in the loops located next to helices (B, F, and K) which possess substitutions (Helix-B: T77K, Helix-F: G187S, and Helix-K: K289E/Q). Reduced flexibility in the loops might be caused by strengthened hydrogen bonding network (e.g., G187S and K289E/K289Q) and a salt bridge (T77K). Our results demonstrate a promising approach to design phytases in food research, and we hope that the KeySIDE might become an attractive approach for understanding of structure-function relationships of enzymes.

The Impact of Caregivers' Interrogative Styles in English and Japanese on Early Bilingual Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakamura, Janice; Quay, Suzanne

2012-01-01

This study examines the relationship between caregivers' conversational styles in One-Person-One-Language (OPOL) settings and early bilingual development. In particular, it attempts to demonstrate that interrogative styles may have an impact on bilingual children's responsiveness in two language contexts. It is based on longitudinal data of a…

Engineering Evaluation of UXO Detection Technologies and Interrogation Methodologies for Use in Panama: Empire, Balboa West and Pina Ranges

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-07-01

7 2.5 PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES...False Alarm Ratio (FAR) ...................................................................... 5 Table 2-1 Plant And Animal Species Found On Areas...be effected by the implementation of UXO detection and interrogation technologies. The ranges contain many species of plants , mammals, and birds

Correlation between Question Intonation and Focus of Interrogation--Evidence from French Dislocated Questions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Xiao-nan

This study explores the relationship between question intonation patterns in French using dislocated questions and question-focus (Q- focus). A dislocated question is defined as an interrogative sentence whose sequence is interrupted by the topicalization of a constituent at the left ("Toi, tu viens?"), at the right (Tu viens,…

AN/UPX-41(C) IFF Interrogator Compatibility with the National Airspace System : Top-Level Test Plan Chesapeake Fixed-Base Experiment

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-08-04

In 2012, the Navy requested spectrum certification for the shipboard AN/UPX-41(C) Digital Interrogator System, Software Version 5.5 with Mode 5. : Current operating conditions for the Navys AN/UPX-41(C) are the same as restrictions imposed on the ...

AN/UPX-41(C) Digital Interrogator System Compatibility with the National Airspace System: Chesapeake Fixed-Base Test.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-31

In 2012, the Navy requested spectrum certification for the shipboard AN/UPX-41(C) Digital Interrogator System, Software Version 5.5 with Mode 5. Current operating conditions for the Navys AN/UPX-41(C) are the same as restrictions imposed on the AN...

Prosodic Differences between Declaratives and Interrogatives in Infant-Directed Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geffen, Susan; Mintz, Toben H.

2017-01-01

In many languages, declaratives and interrogatives differ in word order properties, and in syntactic organization more broadly. Thus, in order to learn the distinct syntactic properties of the two sentence types, learners must first be able to distinguish them using non-syntactic information. Prosodic information is often assumed to be a useful…

Trauma, Justice and the Politics of Emotion: The Violence of Sentimentality in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zembylas, Michalinos

2008-01-01

This article interrogates the sentimentality, resentment or desensitization in education as a result of the politics of emotion in the circulation of trauma narratives. Such an interrogation advises a different analysis of trauma narratives, one that acknowledges the politics of trauma and the dangers from its rhetoric. Sentimental education takes…

Absolute Interrogative Intonation Patterns in Buenos Aires Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Su Ar

2010-01-01

In Spanish, each uttered phrase, depending on its use, has one of a variety of intonation patterns. For example, a phrase such as "Maria viene manana" "Mary is coming tomorrow" can be used as a declarative or as an absolute interrogative (a yes/no question) depending on the intonation pattern that a speaker produces. …

75 FR 67632 - Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; Prohibition on Interrogation of Detainees by...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-03

... implement section 1038 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Pub. L. 111-84). Section 1038 prohibits contractor personnel from interrogating detainees under the control of the...-0310. Please cite DFARS Case 2010-D027. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background Section 1038 of the...

French Interrogative Structures: A New Pedagogical Norm for the 21st-Century Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antes, Theresa A.

2016-01-01

This study investigated interrogative structures most frequently used by native speakers of French, in an attempt to reconcile differences between language forms taught in the French as a foreign language classroom and those that are encountered in authentic input. Radio, television, and magazine interviews provided multiple examples of…

What Counts as a Developmental Sequence? Exemplar-Based L2 Learning of English Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eskildsen, Søren W.

2015-01-01

Drawing on usage-based linguistics and its exemplar-based path of language learning, from recurring multiword expressions to increasingly abstract, schematized constructions, this article examines evidence for the exemplar-based developmental sequences for yes/no interrogatives and WH interrogatives in English as a second language (L2). The…

Evidentials and Interrogatives: A Case Study from Korean

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Dong Sik

2010-01-01

My aims in this thesis are to establish how evidentiality is grammatically encoded in Korean, and to investigate the semantic nature of evidential morphemes in Korean, which helps us to explain the semantic and pragmatic behavior of evidential markers in non-declarative sentences, such as interrogatives. By doing so, this thesis also shows the…

TDM interrogation of intensity-modulated USFBGs network based on multichannel lasers.

PubMed

Rohollahnejad, Jalal; Xia, Li; Cheng, Rui; Ran, Yanli; Rahubadde, Udaya; Zhou, Jiaao; Zhu, Lin

2017-01-23

We report a large-scale multi-channel fiber sensing network, where ultra-short FBGs (USFBGs) instead of conventional narrow-band ultra-weak FBGs are used as the sensors. In the time division multiplexing scheme of the network, each grating response is resolved as three adjacent discrete peaks. The central wavelengths of USFBGs are tracked with the differential detection, which is achieved by calculating the peak-to-peak ratio of two maximum peaks. Compared with previous large-scale hybrid multiplexing sensing networks (e.g., WDM/TDM) which typically have relatively low interrogation speed and very high complexity, the proposed system can achieve interrogation of all channel sensors through very fast and simple intensity measurements with a broad dynamic range. A proof-of-concept experiment with twenty USFBGs, at two wavelength channels, was performed and a fast static strain measurements were demonstrated, with a high average sensitivity of ~0.54dB/µƐ and wide dynamic range of over ~3000µƐ. The channel to channel switching time was 10ms and total network interrogation time was 50ms.

A Neutron Based Interrogation System For SNM In Cargo

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

Kane, Steven Z.; Koltick, David S.

A complete system has been simulated using experimentally obtained input parameters for the detection of special nuclear materials (SNM). A variation of the associated particle imaging (API) technique, referred to as reverse associated particle imaging detection (RAPID), has been developed in the context of detecting 5-kg spherical samples of U-235 in cargo. The RAPID technique allows for the interrogation of containers at neutron production rates between {approx}1x10{sup 8} neutrons/s and {approx}3x10{sup 8} neutrons/s. The merit of performance for the system is the time to detect the threat material with 95% probability of detection and 10{sup -4} false positive rate permore » interrogated voxel of cargo. Detection times of 5 minutes were found for a maximally loaded cargo container uniformly filled with iron and as low as 1 second in containers loaded to 1/4 of full capacity with either iron or wood. The worse case system performance, 30 minutes interrogation time, occurs for a maximally loaded container containing wood at 0.4 g/cm{sup 3}.« less

Standardizing psycho-medical torture during the War on Terror: Why it happened, how it happened, and why it didn't work.

PubMed

Balfe, Myles

2016-12-01

After 9/11/2001 the United States launched a global War on Terror. As part of this War, terrorism suspects were detained by the U.S. military and by the C.I.A. It is now widely recognized that the United States tortured a number of these detainees in the context of its 'enhanced interrogation' programme. This article examines how and why U.S. organizations developed standards that allowed healthcare professionals to become involved in torture; why the standards developed by U.S. security institutions failed to control the actions of enhanced interrogation personnel on the ground; and what the role of standards were in stopping the enhanced interrogation initiative. The article concludes by discussing the general lessons that the enhanced interrogation programme has for social science research on standards, namely that individuals can experience ambivalence when caught between competing organizational and professional standards and that it might be inherently difficult to successfully enact certain protocols when these relate to deviant or destructive acts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Notes on SAW Tag Interrogation Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, Richard J.

2010-01-01

We consider the problem of interrogating a single SAW RFID tag with a known ID and known range in the presence of multiple interfering tags under the following assumptions: (1) The RF propagation environment is well approximated as a simple delay channel with geometric power-decay constant alpha >/= 2. (2) The interfering tag IDs are unknown but well approximated as independent, identically distributed random samples from a probability distribution of tag ID waveforms with known second-order properties, and the tag of interest is drawn independently from the same distribution. (3) The ranges of the interfering tags are unknown but well approximated as independent, identically distributed realizations of a random variable rho with a known probability distribution f(sub rho) , and the tag ranges are independent of the tag ID waveforms. In particular, we model the tag waveforms as random impulse responses from a wide-sense-stationary, uncorrelated-scattering (WSSUS) fading channel with known bandwidth and scattering function. A brief discussion of the properties of such channels and the notation used to describe them in this document is given in the Appendix. Under these assumptions, we derive the expression for the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for an arbitrary combination of transmitted interrogation signal and linear receiver filter. Based on this expression, we derive the optimal interrogator configuration (i.e., transmitted signal/receiver filter combination) in the two extreme noise/interference regimes, i.e., noise-limited and interference-limited, under the additional assumption that the coherence bandwidth of the tags is much smaller than the total tag bandwidth. Finally, we evaluate the performance of both optimal interrogators over a broad range of operating scenarios using both numerical simulation based on the assumed model and Monte Carlo simulation based on a small sample of measured tag waveforms. The performance evaluation results not only provide guidelines for proper interrogator design, but also provide some insight on the validity of the assumed signal model. It should be noted that the assumption that the impulse response of the tag of interest is known precisely implies that the temperature and range of the tag are also known precisely, which is generally not the case in practice. However, analyzing interrogator performance under this simplifying assumption is much more straightforward and still provides a great deal of insight into the nature of the problem.

fMRI studies of successful emotional memory encoding: a quantitative meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Murty, Vishnu P.; Ritchey, Maureen; Adcock, R. Alison; LaBar, Kevin S.

2010-01-01

Over the past decade, fMRI techniques have been increasingly used to interrogate the neural correlates of successful emotional memory encoding. These investigations have typically aimed to either characterize the contributions of the amygdala and medial temporal lobe (MTL) memory system, replicating results in animals, or delineate the neural correlates of specific behavioral phenomena. It has remained difficult, however, to synthesize these findings into a systems neuroscience account of how networks across the whole brain support the enhancing effects of emotion on memory encoding. To this end, the present study employed a meta-analytic approach using activation likelihood estimates to assess the anatomical specificity and reliability of event-related fMRI activations related to successful memory encoding for emotional versus neutral information. The meta-analysis revealed consistent clusters within bilateral amygdala, anterior hippocampus, anterior and posterior parahippocampal gyrus, the ventral visual stream, left lateral prefrontal cortex and right ventral parietal cortex. The results within the amygdala and MTL support a wealth of findings from the animal literature linking these regions to arousal-mediated memory effects. The consistency of findings in cortical targets, including the visual, prefrontal, and parietal cortices, underscores the importance of generating hypotheses regarding their participation in emotional memory formation. In particular, we propose that the amygdala interacts with these structures to promote enhancements in perceptual processing, semantic elaboration, and attention, which serve to benefit subsequent memory for emotional material. These findings may motivate future research on emotional modulation of widespread neural systems and the implications of this modulation for cognition. PMID:20688087

A prototype of Virtual Observatory access for planetary data in the framework of Europlanet-RI/IDIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gangloff, M.; Cecconi, B.; Bourrel, N.; Jacquey, C.; Le Sidaner, P.; Berthier, J.; André, N.; Pallier, E.; Erard, S.; Aboudarham, J.; Chanteur, G. M.; Capria, M. T.; Khodachenko, M.; Manaud, N.; Schmidt, W.; Schmitt, B.; Topf, F.; Trautan, F.; Sarkissian, A.

2011-12-01

Europlanet RI is a four-year project supported by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme. Launched in January 2009, it is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative, ie. A combination of Networking Activities, Transnational Access Activities and Joint Research Activities. The Networking Activities aim at further fostering a culture of cooperation in the field of Planetary Sciences. The objective of the Transnational Access Activities is to provide transnational access to a range of laboratory and field site facilities tailored to the needs of planetary research and on-line access to the available planetary science data, information and software tools, through the IDIS e-service. The overall aim of the Joint Research Activities (JRA) is to improve the services provided by the ensemble of Transnational Access Activities. In EuroPlaNet-RI, JRA4 must prepare essential tools for IDIS (Integrated and Distributed Information Service) allowing the planetary science community to interrogate some selected data centres, access and process data and visualize the results. This is the first step towards a Planetary Virtual Observatory. The first requirement for different data centres to be able to operate together collectively is adequate standardization. In particular a common description of data and services is essential. This is why the major part of JRA4/Task2 activity is focussing on data models, associated dictionnaries, and protocols to exchange queries. A specific data model is being developed for IDIS, associated with the PDAP protocol, a standard defined by the IPDA (International Planetary Data Alliance) The scope of this prototype is to demonstrate the capabilities of the IDIS Data Model, and the PDAP protocol to search and retrieve data in the wide topical planetology context.

Archaeal phylogenomics provides evidence in support of a methanogenic origin of the Archaea and a thaumarchaeal origin for the eukaryotes.

PubMed

Kelly, S; Wickstead, B; Gull, K

2011-04-07

We have developed a machine-learning approach to identify 3537 discrete orthologue protein sequence groups distributed across all available archaeal genomes. We show that treating these orthologue groups as binary detection/non-detection data is sufficient to capture the majority of archaeal phylogeny. We subsequently use the sequence data from these groups to infer a method and substitution-model-independent phylogeny. By holding this phylogeny constrained and interrogating the intersection of this large dataset with both the Eukarya and the Bacteria using Bayesian and maximum-likelihood approaches, we propose and provide evidence for a methanogenic origin of the Archaea. By the same criteria, we also provide evidence in support of an origin for Eukarya either within or as sisters to the Thaumarchaea.

The Nimbus 4 data catalog. Volume 4: Data orbits 1957-2775 and Interrogation, Recording and Location System (IRLS) balloon tracking experiment data from launch through 27 March 1971, 1 September - 31 October 1970

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Nimbus 4 satellite data for the period September 1 through October 31 1970 are presented. Data are also given on interrogation recording and location system balloon tracking from launch through March 27, 1971.

Those Who Know and Are Known: Students Using Ethnography to Interrogate Language and Literacy Ideologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeBlanc, Robert Jean

2018-01-01

Framing ethnography as a form of democratic inquiry, this study examines how the author worked with a group of Mexican and Vietnamese American adolescents to learn and apply ethnographic tools to interrogate language and literacy ideologies in their school and community. Examination of the students' findings reveals circulating ideologies and…

Scripting, Ritualising and Performing Leadership: Interrogating Recent Policy Developments in Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, Tanya; Savage, Julia

2013-01-01

In this article, we argue that leadership of schools is a form of performance that has become ritualised and routinised through the official scripting of policy texts that mandate how leadership of schools should occur. Our interrogation of recent policy scripts in Australia reveals that there is limited scope for leadership in schools to occur as…

Questioning Masculinities: Interrogating Boys' Capacities for Self-Problematization in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kehler, Michael; Martino, Wayne

2007-01-01

In drawing on selected interviews with adolescent boys from both Australia and North America, we present an analysis of boys' own capacities for interrogating gender normalisation in their school lives. We set this analysis against a critique of the public media debates about boys' education, which continue to be fuelled by a moral panic about the…

An Evaluation of "Miranda" Rights and Interrogation in Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salseda, Lindsay M.; Dixon, Dennis R.; Fass, Tracy; Miora, Deborah; Leark, Robert A.

2011-01-01

The primary deficits present in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may lead to increased susceptibility to involvement in the criminal justice system. The same deficits may also cause individuals with ASD to be more vulnerable to interrogation techniques and other aspects of the legal system. Due to the increased level of vulnerability as well as…

Asking for Action or Information? Crosslinguistic Comparison of Interrogative Functions in Early Child Cantonese and Mandarin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Hui; Wong, Eileen Chin Mei; Tse, Shek Kam; Leung, Shing On; Ye, Qianling

2015-01-01

Request for information (RfI) is believed to be the universally dominant function of young children's questioning, whereas request for action (RfA) has been reported to be the leading interrogative form used in early child Cantonese. The possibility of crosslinguistic variability prompts further research and comparison with additional languages.…

Reading Resistance: The Record of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's Interrogation by Wartime Japan's "Thought Police"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Takao

2009-01-01

This article examines the record of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's interrogation as a thought criminal following his arrest in July, 1943. By comparing and contrasting his responses and statements against the official government positions, I hope to clarify the nature of his critique of the wartime fascist regime. Makiguchi himself was an educator, and…

Interrogative Types in Parental Speech to Language Learning Children: A Linguistic Universal? Research Report No. 56.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buium, Nissan

The verbal interactions of eight mother-child pairs (four Hebrew-speaking mothers and four English-speaking mothers with their 24-month-old language learning children) were recorded and analyzed to determine the frequency of occurrence of various interrogative forms in the mothers' language. Results indicated that English-speaking mothers produced…

DNA interrogation by the CRISPR RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9.

PubMed

Sternberg, Samuel H; Redding, Sy; Jinek, Martin; Greene, Eric C; Doudna, Jennifer A

2014-03-06

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated enzyme Cas9 is an RNA-guided endonuclease that uses RNA-DNA base-pairing to target foreign DNA in bacteria. Cas9-guide RNA complexes are also effective genome engineering agents in animals and plants. Here we use single-molecule and bulk biochemical experiments to determine how Cas9-RNA interrogates DNA to find specific cleavage sites. We show that both binding and cleavage of DNA by Cas9-RNA require recognition of a short trinucleotide protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). Non-target DNA binding affinity scales with PAM density, and sequences fully complementary to the guide RNA but lacking a nearby PAM are ignored by Cas9-RNA. Competition assays provide evidence that DNA strand separation and RNA-DNA heteroduplex formation initiate at the PAM and proceed directionally towards the distal end of the target sequence. Furthermore, PAM interactions trigger Cas9 catalytic activity. These results reveal how Cas9 uses PAM recognition to quickly identify potential target sites while scanning large DNA molecules, and to regulate scission of double-stranded DNA.

A Study of the Mechanism of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Nickel by Surface Interrogation Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

PubMed

Liang, Zhenxing; Ahn, Hyun S; Bard, Allen J

2017-04-05

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Ni in alkaline media was investigated by scanning electrochemical microscopy under two operating modes. First, the substrate generation/tip collection mode was employed to extract the "true" cathodic current associated with the HER from the total current in the polarization curve. Compared to metallic Ni, the electrocatalytic activity of the HER is improved in the presence of the low-valence-state oxide of Ni. This result is in agreement with a previous claim that the dissociative adsorption of water can be enhanced at the Ni/Ni oxide interface. Second, the surface-interrogation scanning electrochemical microscopy (SI-SECM) mode was used to directly measure the coverage of the adsorbed hydrogen on Ni at given potentials. Simulation indicates that the hydrogen coverage follows a Frumkin isotherm with respect to the applied potential. On the basis of the combined analysis of the Tafel slope and surface hydrogen coverage, the rate-determining step is suggested to be the adsorption of hydrogen (Volmer step) in the investigated potential window.

Bioinformatic approaches to interrogating vitamin D receptor signaling.

PubMed

Campbell, Moray J

2017-09-15

Bioinformatics applies unbiased approaches to develop statistically-robust insight into health and disease. At the global, or "20,000 foot" view bioinformatic analyses of vitamin D receptor (NR1I1/VDR) signaling can measure where the VDR gene or protein exerts a genome-wide significant impact on biology; VDR is significantly implicated in bone biology and immune systems, but not in cancer. With a more VDR-centric, or "2000 foot" view, bioinformatic approaches can interrogate events downstream of VDR activity. Integrative approaches can combine VDR ChIP-Seq in cell systems where significant volumes of publically available data are available. For example, VDR ChIP-Seq studies can be combined with genome-wide association studies to reveal significant associations to immune phenotypes. Similarly, VDR ChIP-Seq can be combined with data from Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to infer the impact of VDR target genes in cancer progression. Therefore, bioinformatic approaches can reveal what aspects of VDR downstream networks are significantly related to disease or phenotype. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neutron Interrogation System For Underwater Threat Detection And Identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barzilov, Alexander P.; Novikov, Ivan S.; Womble, Phil C.

2009-03-01

Wartime and terrorist activities, training and munitions testing, dumping and accidents have generated significant munitions contamination in the coastal and inland waters in the United States and abroad. Although current methods provide information about the existence of the anomaly (for instance, metal objects) in the sea bottom, they fail to identify the nature of the found objects. Field experience indicates that often in excess of 90% of objects excavated during the course of munitions clean up are found to be non-hazardous items (false alarm). The technology to detect and identify waterborne or underwater threats is also vital for protection of critical infrastructures (ports, dams, locks, refineries, and LNG/LPG). We are proposing a compact neutron interrogation system, which will be used to confirm possible threats by determining the chemical composition of the suspicious underwater object. The system consists of an electronic d-T 14-MeV neutron generator, a gamma detector to detect the gamma signal from the irradiated object and a data acquisition system. The detected signal then is analyzed to quantify the chemical elements of interest and to identify explosives or chemical warfare agents.

DNA interrogation by the CRISPR RNA-guided endonuclease Cas9

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sternberg, Samuel H.; Redding, Sy; Jinek, Martin; Greene, Eric C.; Doudna, Jennifer A.

2014-03-01

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated enzyme Cas9 is an RNA-guided endonuclease that uses RNA-DNA base-pairing to target foreign DNA in bacteria. Cas9-guide RNA complexes are also effective genome engineering agents in animals and plants. Here we use single-molecule and bulk biochemical experiments to determine how Cas9-RNA interrogates DNA to find specific cleavage sites. We show that both binding and cleavage of DNA by Cas9-RNA require recognition of a short trinucleotide protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). Non-target DNA binding affinity scales with PAM density, and sequences fully complementary to the guide RNA but lacking a nearby PAM are ignored by Cas9-RNA. Competition assays provide evidence that DNA strand separation and RNA-DNA heteroduplex formation initiate at the PAM and proceed directionally towards the distal end of the target sequence. Furthermore, PAM interactions trigger Cas9 catalytic activity. These results reveal how Cas9 uses PAM recognition to quickly identify potential target sites while scanning large DNA molecules, and to regulate scission of double-stranded DNA.

Touching is believing: interrogating halide perovskite solar cells at the nanoscale via scanning probe microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiangyu; Huang, Boyuan; Nasr Esfahani, Ehsan; Wei, Linlin; Yao, Jianjun; Zhao, Jinjin; Chen, Wei

2017-10-01

Halide perovskite solar cells based on CH3NH3PbI3 and related materials have emerged as the most exciting development in the next generation photovoltaic technologies, yet the microscopic phenomena involving photo-carriers, ionic defects, spontaneous polarization, and molecular vibration and rotation interacting with numerous grains, grain boundaries, and interfaces are still inadequately understood. In fact, there is still need for an effective method to interrogate the local photovoltaic properties of halide perovskite solar cells that can be directly traced to their microstructures on one hand and linked to their device performance on the other hand. In this perspective, we propose that scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques have great potential to realize such promises at the nanoscale, and highlight some of the recent progresses and challenges along this line of investigation toward local probing of photocurrent, work function, ionic activities, polarization switching, and chemical degradation. We also emphasize the importance of multi-modality imaging, in-operando scanning, big data analysis, and multidisciplinary collaboration for further studies toward fully understanding of these complex systems.

Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence Measurements on ^237Np for Security and Safeguards Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angell, C. T.; Joshi, T.; Yee, Ryan; Norman, E. B.; Kulp, W. D.; Warren, G. A.; Korbly, S.; Klimenko, A.; Wilson, C.; Copping, R.; Shuh, D. K.

2009-10-01

The smuggling of nuclear material and the diversion of fissile material for covert weapon programs both present grave risks to world security. Methods are needed to detect nuclear material smuggled in cargo, and for proper material accountability in civilian fuel re-processing facilities. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) is a technique that can address both needs. It is a non-destructive active interrogation method that provides isotope-specific information. It works by using a γ-ray beam to resonantly excite levels in a nucleus and observing the γ-rays emitted whose energy and intensity are characteristic of that isotope. ^237Np presents significant safeguard challenges; it is fissile yet currently has fewer safeguard restrictions. NRF measurements on ^237Np will expand the nuclear database and will permit designing interrogation and assay systems. Measurements were made using the bremsstrahlung beam at the HVRL at MIT on a 7 g target of ^237Np with two incident electron energies of 2.8 and 3.1 MeV. Results will be presented with discussion of the relevant nuclear structure necessary to predict levels in other actinides.

Integrated waveguide and nanostructured sensor platform for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearce, Stuart J.; Pollard, Michael E.; Oo, SweZin; Chen, Ruiqi; Kalsi, Sumit; Charlton, Martin D. B.

2014-01-01

Limitations of current sensors include large dimensions, sometimes limited sensitivity and inherent single-parameter measurement capability. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy can be utilized for environment and pharmaceutical applications with the intensity of the Raman scattering enhanced by a factor of 10. By fabricating and characterizing an integrated optical waveguide beneath a nanostructured precious metal coated surface a new surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensing arrangement can be achieved. Nanostructured sensors can provide both multiparameter and high-resolution sensing. Using the slab waveguide core to interrogate the nanostructures at the base allows for the emission to reach discrete sensing areas effectively and should provide ideal parameters for maximum Raman interactions. Thin slab waveguide films of silicon oxynitride were etched and gold coated to create localized nanostructured sensing areas of various pitch, diameter, and shape. These were interrogated using a Ti:Sapphire laser tuned to 785-nm end coupled into the slab waveguide. The nanostructured sensors vertically projected a Raman signal, which was used to actively detect a thin layer of benzyl mercaptan attached to the sensors.

The usefulness of assessing suggestibility and compliance in prisoners with unidentified intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Søndenaa, Erik; Rasmussen, Kirsten; Palmstierna, Tom; Nøttestad, Jim Aage

2010-10-01

This present study explored the relationship of interrogative suggestibility (n = 133) and compliance (n = 118) to intellectual functioning among prison inmates. The Norwegian versions of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) and the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale (GCS) were used. The results supported previous findings of a negative correlation between the Gudjonsson scales and IQ, and the scales were found useful throughout the IQ range. The impact of a memory artifact was discussed in the light of recent studies and criticism of the scales. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Multiplexing curvature sensors using fibre segment interferometry for lateral vibration measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissinger, Thomas; Chehura, Edmon; James, Stephen W.; Tatam, Ralph P.

2017-04-01

Dynamic fibre-optic curvature sensing is demonstrated by interrogating chains of fibre segments, separated by broadband Bragg grating reflectors, using range-resolved interferometry (RRI). Four fibre strings, containing four fibre segments each of gauge length 20 cm, are attached to the opposing sides of a support structure and the resulting differential strain measurements allow inference of lateral displacements of a cantilever test object. Dynamic tip displacement resolutions in the micrometre range at an interferometric bandwidth of 21 kHz demonstrate the suitability of this approach for highly sensitive and cost-effective fibre-optic directional vibration measurements of smart structures.

Preparation and Characterization of Mesoporous Nickel derived from Liquid crystalline Template and Evaluation of its Electro catalytic activity towards Methanol Oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohanapriya, S.; Renuka devi, R.; Raj, V.

2018-02-01

Mesoporous Nickel has been prepared by electrodeposition using non-ionic surfactant based liquid crystalline template under optimized processing conditions. Physico-chemical properties of mesoporous nickel is systematically characterized through XRD, SEM and AFM analyses. Comparison of electrocatalytic activity of mesoporous nickel with smooth nickel was interrogated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses. Distinctly enhanced electrocatalytic activity with improved surface poisoning resistance related to mesoporous nickel electrode towards methanol oxidation stems from unique mesoporous morphology. This mesoporous morphology with high surface to volume ratio is highly beneficial to promote active catalytic centers to offer readily accessible Pt catalytic sites for MOR, through facilitating mass and electron transports.

Interrogating Protein Phosphatases with Chemical Activity Probes.

PubMed

Casey, Garrett R; Stains, Cliff I

2018-06-04

Protein phosphatases, while long overlooked, have recently become appreciated as drivers of both normal- and disease-associated signaling events. As a result, the spotlight is now turning torwards this enzyme family and efforts geared towards the development of modern chemical tools for studying these enzymes are well underway. This Minireview focuses on the evolution of chemical activity probes, both optical and covalent, for the study of protein phosphatases. Small-molecule probes, global monitoring of phosphatase activity through the use of covalent modifiers, and targeted fluorescence-based activity probes are discussed. We conclude with an overview of open questions in the field and highlight the potential impact of chemical tools for studying protein phosphatases. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Coherent pulse interrogation system for fiber Bragg grating sensing of strain and pressure in dynamic extremes of materials.

PubMed

Rodriguez, George; Jaime, Marcelo; Balakirev, Fedor; Mielke, Chuck H; Azad, Abul; Marshall, Bruce; La Lone, Brandon M; Henson, Bryan; Smilowitz, Laura

2015-06-01

A 100 MHz fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system is described and applied to strain and pressure sensing. The approach relies on coherent pulse illumination of the FBG sensor with a broadband short pulse from a femtosecond modelocked erbium fiber laser. After interrogation of the FBG sensor, a long multi-kilometer run of single mode fiber is used for chromatic dispersion to temporally stretch the spectral components of the reflected pulse from the FBG sensor. Dynamic strain or pressure induced spectral shifts in the FBG sensor are detected as a pulsed time domain waveform shift after encoding by the chromatic dispersive line. Signals are recorded using a single 35 GHz photodetector and a 50 G Samples per second, 25 GHz bandwidth, digitizing oscilloscope. Application of this approach to high-speed strain sensing in magnetic materials in pulsed magnetic fields to ~150 T is demonstrated. The FBG wavelength shifts are used to study magnetic field driven magnetostriction effects in LaCoO₃. A sub-microsecond temporal shift in the FBG sensor wavelength attached to the sample under first order phase change appears as a fractional length change (strain: ΔL/L<10^-4) in the material. A second application used FBG sensing of pressure dynamics to nearly 2 GPa in the thermal ignition of the high explosive PBX-9501 is also demonstrated. Both applications demonstrate the use of this FBG interrogation system in dynamical extreme conditions that would otherwise not be possible using traditional FBG interrogation approaches that are deemed too slow to resolve such events.

Modifying Operating Cycles to Increase Stability in a LITS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burt, Eric; Tjoelker, Robert

2009-01-01

The short-term instability in the frequency of a linear-ion-trap frequency standard (LITS) can be reduced by modifying two cycles involved in its operation: (1) the bimodal (bright/dim) cycle of a plasma discharge lamp used for state preparation and detection and (2) a microwave-interrogation cycle. The purpose and effect of the modifications is to enable an increase in the microwave- interrogation cycle time, motivated by the general principle that the short-term uncertainty or instability decreases with increasing microwave-interrogation time. Stated from a slightly different perspective, the effect of modifications is to enable the averaged LITS readings to settle to their longterm stability over a shorter total observation time. The basic principles of a LITS were discussed in several NASA Tech Briefs articles. Here are recapitulated only those items of background information necessary to place the present modifications in context. A LITS includes a microwave local oscillator, the frequency of which is stabilized by comparison with the frequency of a ground-state hyperfine transition of Hg-199(+) ions. In a LITS of the type to which the modifications apply, the comparison involves a combination of optical and micro wave excitation and interrogation of the ions in two collinear ion traps: a quadrupole trap wherein the optical excitation used for state preparation and detection takes place, and a multipole (e.g., 12-pole) trap wherein the microwave interrogation of the clock transition takes place. The ions are initially loaded into the quadrupole trap and are thereafter shuttled between the two traps. This concludes the background information.

Knowingly but naively: The overpowering influence of innocence on interrogation rights decision-making.

PubMed

Scherr, Kyle C; Normile, Christopher J; Bierstetel, Sabrina J; Franks, Andrew S; Hawkins, Ian

2018-02-01

Most suspects waive the guaranteed protections that interrogation rights afford them against police intimidation. One factor thought to motivate suspects' inclination to waive their rights stems from the acquiescence bias whereby suspects mindlessly comply with interrogators' requests. However, research bearing on the phenomenology of innocence has demonstrated the power of innocents' mindset, which could motivate some innocent suspects to waive their rights knowingly (instead of mindlessly complying). To test these ideas, participants (N = 178) were (a) rightfully (guilty) or wrongfully (innocent) accused of wrongdoing during an experimental session, (b) administered 1 of 2 forms that by signing either waived or invoked their rights to a student advocate, and (c) given questions to assess their degree of knowing during the decision-making process (i.e., extent to which individuals were cognizant of their decisions). Results demonstrated that unknowing innocent and guilty individuals tended to passively comply, engaging in a pre-interrogation acquiescence bias by signing waive and invoke forms at similar rates. But, as participants became more cognizant of their decisions, they acquiesced at lower rates and their change from acquiescence differed depending on their status. As innocents became more cognizant, they signed the waiver form at higher rates than the invoke form, thereby demonstrating that innocence can motivate some suspects to knowingly forgo their rights. Conversely, as guilty individuals became more cognizant, they signed the invoke form at higher rates than the waiver form. These findings have implications for reforming pre-interrogation protocols, protecting suspects' civil liberties, and preventing innocents from offering false self-incriminating evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Design of a fiber-optic interrogator module for telecommunication satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putzer, Philipp; Koch, Alexander W.; Plattner, Markus; Hurni, Andreas; Manhart, Markus

2017-11-01

In this paper we present the results of the radiation tests performed on the optical components of the fiber-optic interrogator module as a part of the Hybrid Sensor Bus (HSB) system. The HSB-system is developed in the frame of an ESAARTES program and will be verified as flight demonstrator onboard the German Heinrich Hertz satellite in 2016. The HSB system is based on a modular concept which includes sensor interrogation modules based on I2C electrical and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) fiber-optical sensor elements. Onboard fiber-optic sensing allows the implementation of novel control and monitoring methods. For read-out of multiple FBG sensors, a design based on a tunable laser diode as well as a design based on a spectrometer is considered. The expected and tested total ionizing dose (TID) applicable to the HSB system is in the range between 100 krad and 300 krad inside the satellite in the geostationary orbit over a life time of 15 years. We present radiation test results carried out on critical optical components to be used in the fiber-optic interrogation module. These components are a modulated grating Y-branch (MGY) tunable laser diode acting as light source for the tuning laser approach, the line detector of a spectrometer, photodetectors and the FBG sensors acting as sensor elements. A detailed literature inquiry of radiation effects on optical fibers and FBG sensors, is also included in the paper. The fiber-optic interrogator module implemented in the HSB system is based on the most suitable technology, which sustains the harsh environment in the geostationary orbit.

Quantitative assessment of protein activity in orphan tissues and single cells using the metaVIPER algorithm. | Office of Cancer Genomics

Cancer.gov

We and others have shown that transition and maintenance of biological states is controlled by master regulator proteins, which can be inferred by interrogating tissue-specific regulatory models (interactomes) with transcriptional signatures, using the VIPER algorithm. Yet, some tissues may lack molecular profiles necessary for interactome inference (orphan tissues), or, as for single cells isolated from heterogeneous samples, their tissue context may be undetermined.

Stretchable Transparent Electrode Arrays for Simultaneous Electrical and Optical Interrogation of Neural Circuits in Vivo.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Liu, Xiaojun; Xu, Wenjing; Luo, Wenhan; Li, Ming; Chu, Fangbing; Xu, Lu; Cao, Anyuan; Guan, Jisong; Tang, Shiming; Duan, Xiaojie

2018-05-09

Recent developments of transparent electrode arrays provide a unique capability for simultaneous optical and electrical interrogation of neural circuits in the brain. However, none of these electrode arrays possess the stretchability highly desired for interfacing with mechanically active neural systems, such as the brain under injury, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Here, we report a stretchable transparent electrode array from carbon nanotube (CNT) web-like thin films that retains excellent electrochemical performance and broad-band optical transparency under stretching and is highly durable under cyclic stretching deformation. We show that the CNT electrodes record well-defined neuronal response signals with negligible light-induced artifacts from cortical surfaces under optogenetic stimulation. Simultaneous two-photon calcium imaging through the transparent CNT electrodes from cortical surfaces of GCaMP-expressing mice with epilepsy shows individual activated neurons in brain regions from which the concurrent electrical recording is taken, thus providing complementary cellular information in addition to the high-temporal-resolution electrical recording. Notably, the studies on rats show that the CNT electrodes remain operational during and after brain contusion that involves the rapid deformation of both the electrode array and brain tissue. This enables real-time, continuous electrophysiological monitoring of cortical activity under traumatic brain injury. These results highlight the potential application of the stretchable transparent CNT electrode arrays in combining electrical and optical modalities to study neural circuits, especially under mechanically active conditions, which could potentially provide important new insights into the local circuit dynamics of the spinal cord and PNS as well as the mechanism underlying traumatic injuries of the nervous system.

The characterization of radioactive waste: a critical review of techniques implemented or under development at CEA, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérot, Bertrand; Jallu, Fanny; Passard, Christian; Gueton, Olivier; Allinei, Pierre-Guy; Loubet, Laurent; Estre, Nicolas; Simon, Eric; Carasco, Cédric; Roure, Christophe; Boucher, Lionel; Lamotte, Hervé; Comte, Jérôme; Bertaux, Maïté; Lyoussi, Abdallah; Fichet, Pascal; Carrel, Frédérick

2018-03-01

This review paper describes the destructive and non-destructive measurements implemented or under development at CEA, in view to perform the most complete radioactive waste characterization. First, high-energy photon imaging (radiography, tomography) brings essential information on the waste packages, such as density, position and shape of the waste inside the container and in the possible binder, quality of coating and blocking matrices, presence of internal shields or structures, presence of cracks, voids, or other defects in the container or in the matrix, liquids or other forbidden materials, etc. Radiological assessment is then performed using a series of non-destructive techniques such as gamma-ray spectroscopy, which allows characterizing a wide range of radioactive and nuclear materials, passive neutron coincidence counting and active neutron interrogation with the differential die-away technique, or active photon interrogation with high-energy photons (photofission), to measure nuclear materials. Prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) can also be employed to detect toxic chemicals or elements which can greatly influence the above measurements, such as neutron moderators or absorbers. Digital auto-radiography can also be used to detect alpha and beta contaminated waste. These non-destructive assessments can be completed by gas measurements, to quantify the radioactive and radiolysis gas releases, and by destructive examinations such as coring homogeneous waste packages or cutting the heterogeneous ones, in view to perform visual examination and a series of physical, chemical, and radiochemical analyses on samples. These last allow for instance to check the mechanical and containment properties of the package envelop, or of the waste binder, to measure toxic chemicals, to assess the activity of long-lived radionuclides or pure beta emitters, to determine the isotopic composition of nuclear materials, etc.

Detecting concealed objects at a checkpoint

DOEpatents

McMakin, Douglas L [Richland, WA; Hall, Thomas E [Kennewick, WA; Sheen, David M [Richland, WA; Severtsen, Ronald H [Richland, WA

2008-07-29

Disclosed are systems, methods, devices, and apparatus to interrogate a clothed individual with electromagnetic radiation to determine if a concealed object is being carried. This determination includes establishing data corresponding to an image of the individual with a pair of opposed, semi-cylindrical array panels each configured to interrogate the individual with electromagnetic radiation in the 200 MHz to 1 THz range.

Double Jeopardy in the Interrogation Room for Youths with Mental Illness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redlich, Allison D.

2007-01-01

Comments on the article by J. Owen-Kostelnik, N. D. Reppucci, and J. R. Meyer (see record 2006-05893-002) which reviewed the issues surrounding the police interrogation of minors. This commentary expands on the review by addressing the mental health status of youths who come into contact with police. It stems from two immutable facts: (a) The…

Examining Adolescents' and Their Parents' Conceptual and Practical Knowledge of Police Interrogation: A Family Dyad Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolard, Jennifer L.; Cleary, Hayley M. D.; Harvell, Samantha A. S.; Chen, Rusan

2008-01-01

This study examines whether parents have the prerequisite knowledge about police interrogation that would allow them to compensate for youths' knowledge deficits, protect their interests, and buffer against their vulnerability to coercion. A racially diverse urban/suburban convenience sample of 77 11- to 13-year-olds, 46 14- to 15-year-olds, and…

The relationship of intelligence and memory to interrogative suggestibility: the importance of range effects.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, G H

1988-05-01

This paper looks at the relationship between intelligence, memory and interrogative suggestibility, particularly with reference to range effects. The subjects were 60 normal subjects and 100 forensic patients who had completed the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Clear range effects of IQ and memory were evident in their relationship with suggestibility.