Content modification attacks on consensus seeking multi-agent system with double-integrator dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Yimeng; Gupta, Nirupam; Chopra, Nikhil

2016-11-01

In this paper, vulnerability of a distributed consensus seeking multi-agent system (MAS) with double-integrator dynamics against edge-bound content modification cyber attacks is studied. In particular, we define a specific edge-bound content modification cyber attack called malignant content modification attack (MCoMA), which results in unbounded growth of an appropriately defined group disagreement vector. Properties of MCoMA are utilized to design detection and mitigation algorithms so as to impart resilience in the considered MAS against MCoMA. Additionally, the proposed detection mechanism is extended to detect the general edge-bound content modification attacks (not just MCoMA). Finally, the efficacies of the proposed results are illustrated through numerical simulations.

Formal Modeling of Diffie-Hellman Derivability for Exploratory Automated Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

monomials (displayed as a column vector for readability): (23) MA(x̄) =  MA1(x̄) MA2 (x̄) ... MAr (x̄)  =  xα111 x α12 2 · · ·xα1nn xα211 x...ȳ β̄ ∈ F[y1, . . . , yr] and A ∈ Mr×n(Z) is such that P (MA1(x̄), MA2 (x̄), . . . ,MAr (x̄)) = 0 then for every γ̄, (28) ∑ β̄·A=γ̄ cβ̄ = 0. An...Corollary 8.3. Suppose (29) R(ȳ) = ∑ β̄ cβ̄Mβ̄(ȳ)∑ β̄ dβ̄Mβ̄(ȳ) ∈ F(y1, . . . , yr), A ∈Mr×n(Z) and γ̄ ∈M1×n(Z) are such that (30) R (MA1(x̄), MA2

Evaluation of a Unique Defibrillation Unit with Dual-Vector Biphasic Waveform Capabilities: Towards a Miniaturized Defibrillator.

PubMed

Okamura, Hideo; Desimone, Christopher V; Killu, Ammar M; Gilles, Emily J; Tri, Jason; Asirvatham, Roshini; Ladewig, Dejae J; Suddendorf, Scott H; Powers, Joanne M; Wood-Wentz, Christina M; Gray, Peter D; Raymond, Douglas M; Savage, Shelley J; Savage, Walter T; Bruce, Charles J; Asirvatham, Samuel J; Friedman, Paul A

2017-02-01

Automated external defibrillators can provide life-saving therapies to treat ventricular fibrillation. We developed a prototype unit that can deliver a unique shock waveform produced by four independent capacitors that is delivered through two shock vectors, with the rationale of providing more robust shock pathways during emergent defibrillation. We describe the initial testing and feasibility of this unique defibrillation unit, features of which may enable downsizing of current defibrillator devices. We tested our defibrillation unit in four large animal models (two canine and two swine) under general anesthesia. Experimental defibrillation thresholds (DFT) were obtained by delivery of a unique waveform shock pulse via a dual-vector pathway with four defibrillation pads (placed across the chest). DFTs were measured and compared with those of a commercially available biphasic defibrillator (Zoll M series, Zoll Medical, Chelmsford, MA, USA) tested in two different vectors. Shocks were delivered after 10 seconds of stable ventricular fibrillation and the output characteristics and shock outcome recorded. Each defibrillation series used a step-down to failure protocol to define the defibrillation threshold. A total of 96 shocks were delivered during ventricular fibrillation in four large animals. In comparison to the Zoll M series, which delivered a single-vector, biphasic shock, the energy required for successful defibrillation using the unique dual-vector biphasic waveform did not differ significantly (P = 0.65). Our early findings support the feasibility of a unique external defibrillation unit using a dual-vector biphasic waveform approach. This warrants further study to leverage this unique concept and work toward a miniaturized, portable shock delivery system. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of Faraday Rotation Observed in Filter Magnetograph Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagyard, Mona J.; Adams, Mitzi L.; Smith, J. E.; West, Edward A.

1999-01-01

In this paper we analyze the effects of Faraday rotation on the azimuth of the transverse magnetic field from observations taken with the Marshall Space Flight Center's vector magnetograph for a simple sunspot observed on June 9, 1985. Vector magnetograms were obtained over the wavelength interval of 170 mA redward of line center of the Fe I 5250.22 A spectral line to 170 mA to the blue, in steps of 10 mA. These data were analyzed to produce the variation of the azimuth as a function of wavelength at each pixel over the field of vi ew of the sunspot. At selected locations in the sunspot, curves of the observed variation of azimuth with wavelength were compared with model calculations for the amount of Faraday rotation of the azimuth. From these comparisons we derived the amount of rotation as functions of bo th the magnitude and inclination of the sunspot's field and deduced the ranges of these field values for which Faraday rotation presents a significant problem in observations taken near the center of a spectral line.

Cushing's Syndrome

MedlinePlus

... Support and Research Foundation 60 Robbins, #12 Plymouth MA Plymouth, MA 02360 cushinfo@csrf.net http://csrf.net Tel: ... Support and Research Foundation 60 Robbins, #12 Plymouth MA Plymouth, MA 02360 cushinfo@csrf.net http://csrf. ...

Langerin negative dendritic cells promote potent CD8+ T-cell priming by skin delivery of live adenovirus vaccine microneedle arrays

PubMed Central

Bachy, Veronique; Hervouet, Catherine; Becker, Pablo D.; Chorro, Laurent; Carlin, Leo M.; Herath, Shanthi; Papagatsias, Timos; Barbaroux, Jean-Baptiste; Oh, Sea-Jin; Benlahrech, Adel; Athanasopoulos, Takis; Dickson, George; Patterson, Steven; Kwon, Sung-Yun; Geissmann, Frederic; Klavinskis, Linda S.

2013-01-01

Stabilization of virus protein structure and nucleic acid integrity is challenging yet essential to preserve the transcriptional competence of live recombinant viral vaccine vectors in the absence of a cold chain. When coupled with needle-free skin delivery, such a platform would address an unmet need in global vaccine coverage against HIV and other global pathogens. Herein, we show that a simple dissolvable microneedle array (MA) delivery system preserves the immunogenicity of vaccines encoded by live recombinant human adenovirus type 5 (rAdHu5). Specifically, dried rAdHu5 MA immunization induced CD8+ T-cell expansion and multifunctional cytokine responses equipotent with conventional injectable routes of immunization. Intravital imaging demonstrated MA cargo distributed both in the epidermis and dermis, with acquisition by CD11c+ dendritic cells (DCs) in the dermis. The MA immunizing properties were attributable to CD11c+ MHCIIhi CD8αneg epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAMneg) CD11b+ langerin (Lang; CD207)neg DCs, but neither Langerhans cells nor Lang+ DCs were required for CD8+ T-cell priming. This study demonstrates an important technical advance for viral vaccine vectors progressing to the clinic and provides insights into the mechanism of CD8+ T-cell priming by live rAdHu5 MAs. PMID:23386724

Langerin negative dendritic cells promote potent CD8+ T-cell priming by skin delivery of live adenovirus vaccine microneedle arrays.

PubMed

Bachy, Veronique; Hervouet, Catherine; Becker, Pablo D; Chorro, Laurent; Carlin, Leo M; Herath, Shanthi; Papagatsias, Timos; Barbaroux, Jean-Baptiste; Oh, Sea-Jin; Benlahrech, Adel; Athanasopoulos, Takis; Dickson, George; Patterson, Steven; Kwon, Sung-Yun; Geissmann, Frederic; Klavinskis, Linda S

2013-02-19

Stabilization of virus protein structure and nucleic acid integrity is challenging yet essential to preserve the transcriptional competence of live recombinant viral vaccine vectors in the absence of a cold chain. When coupled with needle-free skin delivery, such a platform would address an unmet need in global vaccine coverage against HIV and other global pathogens. Herein, we show that a simple dissolvable microneedle array (MA) delivery system preserves the immunogenicity of vaccines encoded by live recombinant human adenovirus type 5 (rAdHu5). Specifically, dried rAdHu5 MA immunization induced CD8(+) T-cell expansion and multifunctional cytokine responses equipotent with conventional injectable routes of immunization. Intravital imaging demonstrated MA cargo distributed both in the epidermis and dermis, with acquisition by CD11c(+) dendritic cells (DCs) in the dermis. The MA immunizing properties were attributable to CD11c(+) MHCII(hi) CD8α(neg) epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM(neg)) CD11b(+) langerin (Lang; CD207)(neg) DCs, but neither Langerhans cells nor Lang(+) DCs were required for CD8(+) T-cell priming. This study demonstrates an important technical advance for viral vaccine vectors progressing to the clinic and provides insights into the mechanism of CD8(+) T-cell priming by live rAdHu5 MAs.

Immune tolerance of vector beetle to its partner plant parasitic nematode modulated by its insect parasitic nematode.

PubMed

Zhou, Jiao; Zhao, Li-Lin; Yu, Hai-Ying; Wang, Yan-Hong; Zhang, Wei; Hu, Song-Nian; Zou, Zhen; Sun, Jiang-Hua

2018-04-02

Immune response of insect vectors to transmitted pathogens or insect hosts against parasites are well studied, whereas the mechanism of tripartite interactions remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the immune interactions of the vector beetle Monochamus alternatus ( Ma) to the devastating plant parasitic nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus ( Bx) and the insect parasitic nematode Howardula phyllotretae ( Hp). We report the unique immune mechanism by which the vector beetle tolerates many devastating Bx in its trachea, yet that immune tolerance is compromised by the parasitic nematode Hp. Contact with either nematode species triggers epithelial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in Ma. Only the entry of Bx, not Hp, infection, induces increased expression of antioxidative genes, through which the ROS levels are balanced in the trachea of beetles. Furthermore, we found that up-regulation of antioxidative genes was induced by the interaction of Toll receptors. In contrast, beetles infected by Hp retain high levels of oxidative stress and melanization in trachea, and as a result, decrease Bx loading. This study highlights the role of Toll receptors in mediating the activation of antioxidative genes in immune tolerance to plant parasitic nematodes, and suggests the use of insect parasites as a biologic control.-Zhou, J., Zhao, L.-L., Yu, H.-Y., Wang, Y.-H., Zhang, W., Hu, S.-N., Zou, Z., Sun, J.-H. Immune tolerance of vector beetle to its partner plant parasitic nematode modulated by its insect parasitic nematode.

Photothermal Therapy Employing Gold Nanoparticle- Loaded Macrophages as Delivery Vehicles: Comparing the Efficiency of Nanoshells Versus Nanorods.

PubMed

Christie, Catherine; Madsen, Steen J; Peng, Qian; Hirschberg, Henry

2017-01-01

Macrophages (Ma) loaded with gold based nanoparticles, which convert near infrared light to heat, have been studied as targeted transport vectors for photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. The purpose of the experiments reported here was to compare the efficacy of gold-silica nanoshells (AuNS) and gold nanorods (AuNR) in macrophage mediated PTT. PTT efficacy was evaluated in hybrid glioma spheroids consisting of human glioma cells and either AuNS or AuNR loaded Ma, designated MaNS and MaNR respectivly. Spheroids were irradiated for 10 min. with light from an 810 nm diode laser at irradiances ranging from 0 to 28 W/cm2. PTT efficacy was determined from spheroid growth over a 14-day period. The uptake by Ma of pegylated AuNR (3.9 ± 0.9 %) was twice that of pegylated AuNS, (7.9 ± 0.7 %). Hybrid spheroids consisting of a 5:1 ratio of glioma cells to loaded Ma exhibited significant growth inhibition with MaNS when subjected to irradiances of 7 W/cm2 or greater. In contrast, no significant growth inhibition was observed for the MaNR hybrid spheroids at this 5:1 ratio, even at the highest irradiance investigated (28 W/cm2). Although AuNR were taken up by Ma in larger numbers then AuNS, MaNS were shown to have greater PTT efficacy compared to MaNR for equivalent numbers of loaded Ma.

Vector magnetic fields in sunspots. I - Stokes profile analysis using the Marshall Space Flight Center magnetograph

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramaniam, K. S.; West, E. A.

1991-01-01

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) vector magnetograph is a tunable filter magnetograph with a bandpass of 125 mA. Results are presented of the inversion of Stokes polarization profiles observed with the MSFC vector magnetograph centered on a sunspot to recover the vector magnetic field parameters and thermodynamic parameters of the spectral line forming region using the Fe I 5250.2 A spectral line using a nonlinear least-squares fitting technique. As a preliminary investigation, it is also shown that the recovered thermodynamic parameters could be better understood if the fitted parameters like Doppler width, opacity ratio, and damping constant were broken down into more basic quantities like temperature, microturbulent velocity, or density parameter.

In-vivo measurement of relationship between applied current amplitude and current density magnitude from 10 mA to 110 mA.

PubMed

DeMonte, Tim P; Wang, Dinghui; Ma, Weijing; Gao, Jia-Hong; Joy, Michael L G

2009-01-01

Current density imaging (CDI) is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique used to quantitatively measure current density vectors throughout the volume of an object/subject placed in the MRI system. Electrical current pulses are applied externally to the object/subject and are synchronized with the MRI sequence. In this work, CDI is used to measure average current density magnitude in the torso region of an in-vivo piglet for applied current pulse amplitudes ranging from 10 mA to 110 mA. The relationship between applied current amplitude and current density magnitude is linear in simple electronic elements such as wires and resistors; however, this relationship may not be linear in living tissue. An understanding of this relationship is useful for research in defibrillation, human electro-muscular incapacitation (e.g. TASER(R)) and other bioelectric stimulation devices. This work will show that the current amplitude to current density magnitude relationship is slightly nonlinear in living tissue in the range of 10 mA to 110 mA.

MA-NOTMP: A Triazacyclononane Trimethylphosphinate Based Bifunctional Chelator for Gallium Radiolabelling of Biomolecules.

PubMed

Poty, Sophie; Désogère, Pauline; Šimeček, Jakub; Bernhard, Claire; Goncalves, Victor; Goze, Christine; Boschetti, Frédéric; Notni, Johannes; Wester, Hans J; Denat, Franck

2015-09-01

In the past few years, gallium-68 has demonstrated significant potential as a radioisotope for positron emission tomography (PET), and the optimization of chelators for gallium coordination is a major goal in the development of radiopharmaceuticals. Methylaminotriazacyclononane trimethylphosphinate (MA-NOTMP), a new C-functionalized triazacyclononane derivative with phosphinate pendant arms, presents excellent coordination properties for (68) Ga (low ligand concentration, labelling at low pH even at room temperature). A "ready-to-be-grafted" bifunctional chelating agent (p-NCS-Bz-MA-NOTMP) was prepared to allow (68) Ga labelling of sensitive biological vectors. Conjugation to a bombesin(7-14) derivative was performed, and preliminary in vitro experiments demonstrated the potential of MA-NOTMP in the development of radiopharmaceuticals. This new chelator is therefore of major interest for labelling sensitive biomolecules, and further in vivo experiments will soon be performed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The assisted prediction modelling frame with hybridisation and ensemble for business risk forecasting and an implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hui; Hong, Lu-Yao; Zhou, Qing; Yu, Hai-Jie

2015-08-01

The business failure of numerous companies results in financial crises. The high social costs associated with such crises have made people to search for effective tools for business risk prediction, among which, support vector machine is very effective. Several modelling means, including single-technique modelling, hybrid modelling, and ensemble modelling, have been suggested in forecasting business risk with support vector machine. However, existing literature seldom focuses on the general modelling frame for business risk prediction, and seldom investigates performance differences among different modelling means. We reviewed researches on forecasting business risk with support vector machine, proposed the general assisted prediction modelling frame with hybridisation and ensemble (APMF-WHAE), and finally, investigated the use of principal components analysis, support vector machine, random sampling, and group decision, under the general frame in forecasting business risk. Under the APMF-WHAE frame with support vector machine as the base predictive model, four specific predictive models were produced, namely, pure support vector machine, a hybrid support vector machine involved with principal components analysis, a support vector machine ensemble involved with random sampling and group decision, and an ensemble of hybrid support vector machine using group decision to integrate various hybrid support vector machines on variables produced from principle components analysis and samples from random sampling. The experimental results indicate that hybrid support vector machine and ensemble of hybrid support vector machines were able to produce dominating performance than pure support vector machine and support vector machine ensemble.

Heavy and Light Quarks with Lattice Chiral Fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, K. F.; Dong, S. J.

The feasibility of using lattice chiral fermions which are free of O(a) errors for both the heavy and light quarks is examined. The fact that the effective quark propagators in these fermions have the same form as that in the continuum with the quark mass being only an additive parameter to a chirally symmetric anti-Hermitian Dirac operator is highlighted. This implies that there is no distinction between the heavy and light quarks and no mass dependent tuning of the action or operators as long as the discretization error O(m2a2) is negligible. Using the overlap fermion, we find that the O(m2a2) (and O(ma2)) errors in the dispersion relations of the pseudoscalar and vector mesons and the renormalization of the axial-vector current and scalar density are small. This suggests that the applicable range of ma may be extended to ~0.56 with only 5% error, which is a factor of ~2.4 larger than the corresponding range of the improved Wilson action. We show that the generalized Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relation with unequal masses can be utilized to determine the finite ma corrections in the renormalization of the matrix elements for the heavy-light decay constants and semileptonic decay constants of the B/D meson.

Plate Kinematic model of the NW Indian Ocean and derived regional stress history of the East African Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuck-Martin, Amy; Adam, Jürgen; Eagles, Graeme

2015-04-01

Starting with the break up of Gondwana, the northwest Indian Ocean and its continental margins in Madagascar, East Africa and western India formed by divergence of the African and Indian plates and were shaped by a complicated sequence of plate boundary relocations, ridge propagation events, and the independent movement of the Seychelles microplate. As a result, attempts to reconcile the different plate-tectonic components and processes into a coherent kinematic model have so far been unsatisfactory. A new high-resolution plate kinematic model has been produced in an attempt to solve these problems, using seafloor spreading data and rotation parameters generated by a mixture of visual fitting of magnetic isochron data and iterative joint inversion of magnetic isochron and fracture zone data. Using plate motion vectors and plate boundary geometries derived from this model, the first-order regional stress pattern was modelled for distinct phases of margin formation. The stress pattern is correlated with the tectono-stratigraphic history of related sedimentary basins. The plate kinematic model identifies three phases of spreading, from the Jurassic to the Paleogene, which resulted in the formation of three main oceanic basins. Prior to these phases, intracontinental 'Karoo' rifting episodes in the late Carboniferous to late Triassic had failed to break up Gondwana, but initiated the formation of sedimentary basins along the East African and West Madagascan margins. At the start of the first phase of spreading (183 to 133 Ma) predominantly NW - SE extension caused continental rifting that separated Madagascar/India/Antarctica from Africa. Maximum horizontal stresses trended perpendicular to the local plate-kinematic vector, and parallel to the rift axes. During and after continental break-up and subsequent spreading, the regional stress regime changed drastically. The extensional stress regime became restricted to the active spreading ridges that in turn adopted trends normal to the plate divergence vector. Away from the active ridges, compressional horizontal stresses caused by ridge-push forces were transmitted through the subsiding oceanic lithosphere, with an SH max orientation parallel to plate divergence vectors. These changes are documented by the lower Bajocian continental breakup unconformity, which can be traced throughout East African basins. At 133 Ma, the plate boundary moved from north to south of Madagascar, incorporating it into the African plate and initiating its separation from Antarctica. The orientation of the plate divergence vector however did not change markedly. The second phase (89 - 61 Ma) led to the separation of India from Madagascar, initiating a new and dramatic change in stress orientation from N-S to ENE-WSW. This led to renewed tectonic activity in the sedimentary basins of western Madagascar. In the third phase (61 Ma to present) asymmetric spreading of the Carlsberg Ridge separated India from the Seychelles and the Mascarene Plateau via the southward propagation of the Carlsberg Ridge to form the Central Indian Ridge. The anti-clockwise rotation of the independent Seychelles microplate between chrons 28n (64.13 Ma) and 26n (58.38 Ma) and the opening of the short-lived Laxmi Basin (67 Ma to abandonment within chron 28n (64.13 - 63.10 Ma)) have been further constrained by the new plate kinematic model. Along the East African margin, SH max remained in a NE - SW orientation and the sedimentary basins experienced continued thick, deep water sediment deposition. Contemporaneously, in the sedimentary basins along East African passive margin, ridge-push related maximum horizontal stresses became progressively outweighed by local gravity-driven NE-SW maximum horizontal stresses trending parallel to the margin. These stress regimes are caused by sediment loading and extensional collapse of thick sediment wedges, predominantly controlled by margin geometry. Our study successfully integrates an interpretation of paleo-stress regimes constrained by the new high resolution plate kinematic and basin history to produce a margin scale tectono-stratigraphic framework that highlights the important interplay of plate boundary forces and basin formation events along the East African margin.

Poincaré gauge gravity: An emergent scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chkareuli, J. L.

2017-04-01

The Poincaré gauge gravity (PGG) with the underlying vector fields of tetrads and spin-connections is perhaps the best theory candidate for gravitation to be unified with the other three elementary forces of nature. There is a clear analogy between the local frame in PGG and the local internal symmetry space in the Standard Model. As a result, the spin-connection fields, gauging the local frame Lorentz symmetry group S O (1 ,3 )LF , appear in PGG much as photons and gluons appear in SM. We propose that such an analogy may follow from their common emergent nature allowing us to derive PGG in the same way as conventional gauge theories. In essence, we start with an arbitrary theory of some vector and fermion fields which possesses only global spacetime symmetries, such as Lorentz and translational invariance, in flat Minkowski space. The two vector field multiplets involved are proposed to belong, respectively, to the adjoint (Aμi j) and vector (eμi) representations of the starting global Lorentz symmetry. We show that if these prototype vector fields are covariantly constrained, Aμi jAij μ=±MA2 and eμieiμ=±Me2 , thus causing a spontaneous violation of the accompanying global symmetries (MA ,e are their proposed violation scales), then the only possible theory compatible with these length-preserving constraints is turned out to be the gauge invariant PGG, while the corresponding massless (pseudo)Goldstone modes are naturally collected in the emergent gauge fields of tetrads and spin-connections. In a minimal theory case being linear in a curvature we unavoidably come to the Einstein-Cartan theory. The extended theories with propagating spin-connection and tetrad modes are also considered and their possible unification with the Standard Model is briefly discussed.

Identification and characterization of novel NuMA isoforms

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

Wu, Jin, E-mail: petersdu2112@hotmail.com; Xu, Zhe; Core Laboratory for Clinical Medical Research, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing

2014-11-21

Highlights: • Seven NuMA isoforms generated by alternative splicing were categorized into 3 groups: long, middle and short. • Both exons 15 and 16 in long NuMA were “hotspot” for alternative splicing. • Lower expression of short NuMA was observed in cancer cells compared with nonneoplastic controls. • Distinct localization pattern of short isoforms indicated different function from that of long and middle NuMA. - Abstract: The large nuclear mitotic apparatus (NuMA) has been investigated for over 30 years with functions related to the formation and maintenance of mitotic spindle poles during mitosis. However, the existence and functions of NuMAmore » isoforms generated by alternative splicing remains unclear. In the present work, we show that at least seven NuMA isoforms (categorized into long, middle and short groups) generated by alternative splicing from a common NuMA mRNA precursor were discovered in HeLa cells and these isoforms differ mainly at the carboxyl terminus and the coiled-coil domains. Two “hotspot” exons with molecular mass of 3366-nt and 42-nt tend to be spliced during alternative splicing in long and middle groups. Furthermore, full-length coding sequences of long and middle NuMA obtained by using fusion PCR were constructed into GFP-tagged vector to illustrate their cellular localization. Long NuMA mainly localized in the nucleus with absence from nucleoli during interphase and translocated to the spindle poles in mitosis. Middle NuMA displayed the similar cell cycle-dependent distribution pattern as long NuMA. However, expression of NuMA short isoforms revealed a distinct subcellular localization. Short NuMA were present in the cytosol during the whole cycle, without colocalization with mitotic apparatus. These results have allowed us tentatively to explore a new research direction for NuMA’s various functions.« less

The derivation of vector magnetic fields from Stokes profiles - Integral versus least squares fitting techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ronan, R. S.; Mickey, D. L.; Orrall, F. Q.

1987-01-01

The results of two methods for deriving photospheric vector magnetic fields from the Zeeman effect, as observed in the Fe I line at 6302.5 A at high spectral resolution (45 mA), are compared. The first method does not take magnetooptical effects into account, but determines the vector magnetic field from the integral properties of the Stokes profiles. The second method is an iterative least-squares fitting technique which fits the observed Stokes profiles to the profiles predicted by the Unno-Rachkovsky solution to the radiative transfer equation. For sunspot fields above about 1500 gauss, the two methods are found to agree in derived azimuthal and inclination angles to within about + or - 20 deg.

Anomaly formulas for the complex-valued analytic torsion on compact bordisms

PubMed Central

Maldonado Molina, Osmar

2013-01-01

We extend the complex-valued analytic torsion, introduced by Burghelea and Haller on closed manifolds, to compact Riemannian bordisms. We do so by considering a flat complex vector bundle over a compact Riemannian manifold, endowed with a fiberwise nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form. The Riemmanian metric and the bilinear form are used to define non-selfadjoint Laplacians acting on vector-valued smooth forms under absolute and relative boundary conditions. In order to define the complex-valued analytic torsion in this situation, we study spectral properties of these generalized Laplacians. Then, as main results, we obtain so-called anomaly formulas for this torsion. Our reasoning takes into account that the coefficients in the heat trace asymptotic expansion associated to the boundary value problem under consideration, are locally computable. The anomaly formulas for the complex-valued Ray–Singer torsion are derived first by using the corresponding ones for the Ray–Singer metric, obtained by Brüning and Ma on manifolds with boundary, and then an argument of analytic continuation. In odd dimensions, our anomaly formulas are in accord with the corresponding results of Su, without requiring the variations of the Riemannian metric and bilinear structures to be supported in the interior of the manifold. PMID:27087744

Vector semirational rogue waves and modulation instability for the coupled higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations in the birefringent optical fibers.

PubMed

Sun, Wen-Rong; Liu, De-Yin; Xie, Xi-Yang

2017-04-01

We report the existence and properties of vector breather and semirational rogue-wave solutions for the coupled higher-order nonlinear Schrödinger equations, which describe the propagation of ultrashort optical pulses in birefringent optical fibers. Analytic vector breather and semirational rogue-wave solutions are obtained with Darboux dressing transformation. We observe that the superposition of the dark and bright contributions in each of the two wave components can give rise to complicated breather and semirational rogue-wave dynamics. We show that the bright-dark type vector solitons (or breather-like vector solitons) with nonconstant speed interplay with Akhmediev breathers, Kuznetsov-Ma solitons, and rogue waves. By adjusting parameters, we note that the rogue wave and bright-dark soliton merge, generating the boomeron-type bright-dark solitons. We prove that the rogue wave can be excited in the baseband modulation instability regime. These results may provide evidence of the collision between the mixed ultrashort soliton and rogue wave.

Long-lived tissue resident HIV-1 specific memory CD8+ T cells are generated by skin immunization with live virus vectored microneedle arrays.

PubMed

Zaric, Marija; Becker, Pablo Daniel; Hervouet, Catherine; Kalcheva, Petya; Ibarzo Yus, Barbara; Cocita, Clement; O'Neill, Lauren Alexandra; Kwon, Sung-Yun; Klavinskis, Linda Sylvia

2017-12-28

The generation of tissue resident memory (T RM ) cells at the body surfaces to provide a front line defence against invading pathogens represents an important goal in vaccine development for a wide variety of pathogens. It has been widely assumed that local vaccine delivery to the mucosae is necessary to achieve that aim. Here we characterise a novel micro-needle array (MA) delivery system fabricated to deliver a live recombinant human adenovirus type 5 vaccine vector (AdHu5) encoding HIV-1 gag. We demonstrate rapid dissolution kinetics of the microneedles in skin. Moreover, a consequence of MA vaccine cargo release was the generation of long-lived antigen-specific CD8 + T cells that accumulate in mucosal tissues, including the female genital and respiratory tract. The memory CD8 + T cell population maintained in the peripheral mucosal tissues was attributable to a MA delivered AdHu5 vaccine instructing CD8 + T cell expression of CXCR3 + , CD103 +, CD49a + , CD69 + , CD127 + homing, retention and survival markers. Furthermore, memory CD8 + T cells generated by MA immunization significantly expanded upon locally administered antigenic challenge and showed a predominant poly-functional profile producing high levels of IFNγ and Granzyme B. These data demonstrate that skin vaccine delivery using microneedle technology induces mobilization of long lived, poly-functional CD8 + T cells to peripheral tissues, phenotypically displaying hallmarks of residency and yields new insights into how to design and deliver effective vaccine candidates with properties to exert local immunosurveillance at the mucosal surfaces. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research on bearing fault diagnosis of large machinery based on mathematical morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yu

2018-04-01

To study the automatic diagnosis of large machinery fault based on support vector machine, combining the four common faults of the large machinery, the support vector machine is used to classify and identify the fault. The extracted feature vectors are entered. The feature vector is trained and identified by multi - classification method. The optimal parameters of the support vector machine are searched by trial and error method and cross validation method. Then, the support vector machine is compared with BP neural network. The results show that the support vector machines are short in time and high in classification accuracy. It is more suitable for the research of fault diagnosis in large machinery. Therefore, it can be concluded that the training speed of support vector machines (SVM) is fast and the performance is good.

Photochemical internalization enhanced macrophage delivered chemotherapy.

PubMed

Shin, Diane; Christie, Catherine; Ju, David; Nair, Rohit Kumar; Molina, Stephanie; Berg, Kristian; Krasieva, Tatiana B; Madsen, Steen J; Hirschberg, Henry

2018-03-01

Macrophage (Ma) vectorization of chemotherapeutic drugs has the advantage for cancer therapy in that it can actively target and maintain an elevated concentration of drugs at the tumor site, preventing their spread into healthy tissue. A potential drawback is the inability to deliver a sufficient number of drug-loaded Ma into the tumor, thus limiting the amount of active drug delivered. This study examined the ability of photochemical internalization (PCI) to enhance the efficacy of released drug by Ma transport. Tumor spheroids consisting of either F98 rat glioma cells or F98 cells combined with a subpopulation of empty or doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded mouse Ma (RAW264.7) were used as in vitro tumor models. PCI was performed with the photosensitizer AlPcS 2a and laser irradiation at 670 nm. RAW264.7 Ma pulsed with DOX released the majority of the incorporated DOX within two hours of incubation. PCI significantly increased the toxicity of DOX either as pure drug or derived from monolayers of DOX-loaded Ma. Significant growth inhibition of hybrid spheroids was also observed with PCI even at subpopulations of DOX-loaded Ma as low as 11% of the total initial hybrid spheroid cell number. Results show that RAW264.7 Ma, pulsed with DOX, could effectively incorporate and release DOX. PCI significantly increased the ability of both free and Ma-released DOX to inhibit the growth of tumor spheroids in vitro. The growth of F98 + DOX loaded Ma hybrid spheroids were synergistically reduced by PCI, compared to either photodynamic therapy or released DOX acting alone. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Checklist of available generic names for Microsporidia with type species and type host

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The science of microsporidiology encompasses a diverse assemblage of pathogens from a large and varied group of hosts. Many members of this group have been studied and exploited for their role in the control of insect pests and vectors as well as their detrimental impact on vertebrates including ma...

Low autocrine interferon beta production as a gene therapy approach for AIDS: Infusion of interferon beta-engineered lymphocytes in macaques chronically infected with SIVmac251

PubMed Central

Gay, Wilfried; Lauret, Evelyne; Boson, Bertrand; Larghero, Jérome; Matheux, Franck; Peyramaure, Sophie; Rousseau, Véronique; Dormont, Dominique; De Maeyer, Edward; Le Grand, Roger

2004-01-01

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate gene therapy for AIDS based on the transduction of circulating lymphocytes with a retroviral vector giving low levels of constitutive macaque interferon β production in macaques chronically infected with a pathogenic isolate of SIVmac251. Results Two groups of three animals infected for more than one year with a pathogenic primary isolate of SIVmac251 were included in this study. The macaques received three infusions of their own lymphocytes transduced ex vivo with the construct encoding macaque IFN-β (MaIFN-β or with a vector carrying a version of the MaIFN-β gene with a deletion preventing translation of the mRNA. Cellular or plasma viremia increased transiently following injection in most cases, regardless of the retroviral construct used. Transduced cells were detected only transiently after each infusion, among the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of all the animals, with copy numbers of 10 to 1000 per 106 peripheral mononuclear cells. Conclusion Long-term follow-up indicated that the transitory presence of such a small number of cells producing such small amounts of MaIFN-β did not prevent animals from the progressive decrease in CD4+ cell count typical of infection with simian immunodeficiency virus. These results reveal potential pitfalls for future developments of gene therapy strategies of HIV infection. PMID:15447786

The Chicken or the Egg? The Direction of the Relationship Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Performance.

PubMed

Carey, Emma; Hill, Francesca; Devine, Amy; Szücs, Dénes

2015-01-01

This review considers the two possible causal directions between mathematics anxiety (MA) and poor mathematics performance. Either poor maths performance may elicit MA (referred to as the Deficit Theory), or MA may reduce future maths performance (referred to as the Debilitating Anxiety Model). The evidence is in conflict: the Deficit Theory is supported by longitudinal studies and studies of children with mathematical learning disabilities, but the Debilitating Anxiety Model is supported by research which manipulates anxiety levels and observes a change in mathematics performance. It is suggested that this mixture of evidence might indicate a bidirectional relationship between MA and mathematics performance (the Reciprocal Theory), in which MA and mathematics performance can influence one another in a vicious cycle.

Temporal, geomagnetic and related attributes of kimberlite magmatism at Ekati, Northwest Territories, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockhart, Grant; Grütter, Herman; Carlson, Jon

2004-09-01

This paper outlines the development of a multi-disciplinary strategy to focus exploration for economic kimberlites on the Ekati property. High-resolution aeromagnetic data provide an over-arching spatial and magnetostratigraphic framework for exploration and kimberlite discovery at Ekati, and hence also for this investigation. The temporal, geomagnetic, spatial and related attributes of kimberlites with variable diamond content have been constrained by judiciously augmenting the information gathered during routine exploration with detailed, laboratory-based or field-based investigations. The natural remanent magnetisation of 36 Ekati kimberlites has been correlated with their age as determined by isotopic dating techniques, and placed in the context of a well-constrained geomagnetic polarity timescale. Kimberlite magmatism occurred over the period 75 to 45 Ma, in at least five temporally discrete intrusive episodes. Based on current evidence, the older kimberlites (75 to 59 Ma) have low diamond contents and are distributed throughout the property. Younger kimberlites (56 to 45 Ma) have moderate to high diamond contents and occur in three distinct intrusive corridors with NNE to NE orientations. Economic kimberlite pipes erupted at 55.4±0.4 Ma along the A154-Lynx intrusive corridor, which is 7 km wide and oriented at 015°, and at 53.2±0.3 Ma along the Panda intrusive corridor, which is 1 km wide and oriented at 038°. The intrusion ages straddle a paleopole reversal at Chron C24n, consistent with the observation that the older economic kimberlites present as aeromagnetic "low" anomalies while the younger economic pipes are characterised as aeromagnetic "highs". The aeromagnetic responses for these kimberlites are generally muted because they contain volcaniclastic rock types with low magnetic susceptibility. Kimberlites throughout the Ekati property carry a primary natural magnetic remanence (NRM) vector in Ti-bearing groundmass magnetite, and it dominates over vectors related to induced magnetisation. Magnetostratigraphic correlation of Ekati kimberlites may therefore present a powerful adjunct to existing exploration techniques, mainly because the diamond content of Ekati kimberlites apparently is related more to the age of eruption than to any other parameter investigated in this work.

MaGate Simulator: A Simulation Environment for a Decentralized Grid Scheduler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Ye; Brocco, Amos; Courant, Michele; Hirsbrunner, Beat; Kuonen, Pierre

This paper presents a simulator for of a decentralized modular grid scheduler named MaGate. MaGate’s design emphasizes scheduler interoperability by providing intelligent scheduling serving the grid community as a whole. Each MaGate scheduler instance is able to deal with dynamic scheduling conditions, with continuously arriving grid jobs. Received jobs are either allocated on local resources, or delegated to other MaGates for remote execution. The proposed MaGate simulator is based on GridSim toolkit and Alea simulator, and abstracts the features and behaviors of complex fundamental grid elements, such as grid jobs, grid resources, and grid users. Simulation of scheduling tasks is supported by a grid network overlay simulator executing distributed ant-based swarm intelligence algorithms to provide services such as group communication and resource discovery. For evaluation, a comparison of behaviors of different collaborative policies among a community of MaGates is provided. Results support the use of the proposed approach as a functional ready grid scheduler simulator.

Paleomagnetic study of 1765 Ma dyke swarm from the Singhbhum Craton: Implications to the paleogeography of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankar, Ravi; Srinivasa Sarma, D.; Ramesh Babu, N.; Parashuramulu, V.

2018-05-01

We report the first key paleopole as a result of paleomagnetic study on a precisely dated 1765.3 ± 1.0 Ma WNW-ESE trending dyke swarm from Singhbhum Craton. This pole has been used in this study to propose the paleogeographic reconstruction of India with Baltica Craton and North China Craton. Incremental alternating field (AF) and thermal demagnetization, isolated high coercivity components with north to north-westerly declination and shallow negative inclination from 9 sampling sites which are representing different individual dykes. The primary origin of the ChRM is supported by the positive baked contact test. The WNW-ESE trending dykes yield a mean paleomagnetic direction with a declination = 329.2° and an inclination = -22.8° (k = 31.6; α95 = 9.3°). The positive bake contact test proves the primary nature of remanence. The pole position of Singhbhum Craton at 1765 Ma is 45°N, 311°E (dp = 5.2 and dm = 9.9). Paleogeographic reconstruction at ca. 1770 Ma, supported by geological, tectonic and metallogenic evidences indicate that the Baltica Craton and India linkage can be stable for at least ∼370 Ma (∼1770-1400 Ma). There is also reasonable evidence in support of India-North China Craton spatial proximity at ∼1770 Ma.

Ecological distribution and population dynamics of Rift Valley fever virus mosquito vectors (Diptera, Culicidae) in Senegal.

PubMed

Biteye, Biram; Fall, Assane G; Ciss, Mamadou; Seck, Momar T; Apolloni, Andrea; Fall, Moussa; Tran, Annelise; Gimonneau, Geoffrey

2018-01-09

Many zoonotic infectious diseases have emerged and re-emerged over the last two decades. There has been a significant increase in vector-borne diseases due to climate variations that lead to environmental changes favoring the development and adaptation of vectors. This study was carried out to improve knowledge of the ecology of mosquito vectors involved in the transmission of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) in Senegal. An entomological survey was conducted in three Senegalese agro-systems, Senegal River Delta (SRD), Senegal River Valley (SRV) and Ferlo, during the rainy season (July to November) of 2014 and 2015. Mosquitoes were trapped using CDC light traps set at ten sites for two consecutive nights during each month of the rainy season, for a total of 200 night-traps. Ecological indices were calculated to characterize the different populations of RVFV mosquito vectors. Generalized linear models with mixed effects were used to assess the influence of climatic conditions on the abundance of RVFV mosquito vectors. A total of 355,408 mosquitoes belonging to 7 genera and 35 species were captured in 200 night-traps. RVFV vectors represented 89.02% of the total, broken down as follows: Ae. vexans arabiensis (31.29%), Cx. poicilipes (0.6%), Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (33.09%) and Ma. uniformis (24.04%). Comparison of meteorological indices (rainfall, temperature, relative humidity), abundances and species diversity indicated that there were no significant differences between SRD and SRV (P = 0.36) while Ferlo showed significant differences with both (P < 0.001). Mosquito collection increased significantly with temperature for Ae. vexans arabiensis (P < 0.001), Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (P = 0.04) and Ma. uniformis (P = 0.01), while Cx. poicilipes decreased (P = 0.003). Relative humidity was positively and significantly associated with the abundances of Ae. vexans arabiensis (P < 0.001), Cx. poicilipes (P = 0.01) and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (P = 0.007). Rainfall had a positive and significant effect on the abundances of Ae. vexans arabiensis (P = 0.005). The type of biotope (temporary ponds, river or lake) around the trap points had a significant effect on the mosquito abundances (P < 0.001). In terms of species diversity, the SRD and SRV ecosystems are similar to each other and different from that of Ferlo. Meteorological indices and the type of biotope (river, lake or temporary pond) have significant effects on the abundance of RVFV mosquito vectors.

Prevention of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy using targeted MaFGF mediated by nanoparticles combined with ultrasound-targeted MB destruction

PubMed Central

Zheng, Lei; ZhuGe, De-Li; Chen, Bin; Lu, Cui-Tao; Yuan, Jian-Jun; Zhao, Ying-Zheng

2017-01-01

The present study seeks to observe the preventive effects of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (DOX-CM) in rats using targeted non-mitogenic acidic fibroblast growth factor (MaFGF) mediated by nanoparticles (NP) combined with ultrasound-targeted MB destruction (UTMD). DOX-CM rats were induced by intraperitoneally injected doxorubicin. Six weeks after intervention, the indices from the transthoracic echocardiography and velocity vector imaging showed that the left ventricular function in the MaFGF-loaded NP (MaFGF-NP) + UTMD group was significantly improved compared with the DOX-CM group. The increased malondialdehyde and decreased superoxide dismutase were observed in the DOX-CM group, while a significant increase in superoxide dismutase and a decrease in malondialdehyde were detected in the groups treated with MaFGF-NP + UTMD. From the Masson staining, the MaFGF-NP + UTMD group showed a significant difference from the DOX-CM group. The cardiac collagen volume fraction and the ratio of the perivascular collagen area to the luminal area number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labelling positive cells in the MaFGF-NP + UTMD group decreased to 8.9%, 0.55-fold, compared with the DOX-CM group (26.5%, 1.7-fold). From terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end labelling staining, the results showed the strongest inhibition of apoptosis progress in MaFGF-NP + UTMD group. The immunohistochemical staining of the TGF-β1 in MaFGF-NP + UTMD group reached 3.6%, which was much lower than that of the DOX-CM group (12.6%). These results confirmed that the abnormalities, including left ventricular dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis, cardiomyocytes apoptosis and oxidative stress, could be suppressed by twice weekly MaFGF treatments for 6 consecutive weeks (free MaFGF or MaFGF-NP+/UTMD), with the strongest improvements observed in the MaFGF-NP + UTMD group. Western blot analyses of the heart tissue further revealed the highest pAkt levels, highest anti-apoptosis protein (Bcl-2) levels and strongest reduction in proapoptosis protein (Bax) levels in the MaFGF-NP + UTMD group. This study confirmed the preventive effects of DOX-CM in the rats with MaFGF-NP and UTMD by retarding myocardial fibrosis, inhibiting oxidative stress, and decreasing cardiomyocyte apoptosis. PMID:29026304

The Chicken or the Egg? The Direction of the Relationship Between Mathematics Anxiety and Mathematics Performance

PubMed Central

Carey, Emma; Hill, Francesca; Devine, Amy; Szücs, Dénes

2016-01-01

This review considers the two possible causal directions between mathematics anxiety (MA) and poor mathematics performance. Either poor maths performance may elicit MA (referred to as the Deficit Theory), or MA may reduce future maths performance (referred to as the Debilitating Anxiety Model). The evidence is in conflict: the Deficit Theory is supported by longitudinal studies and studies of children with mathematical learning disabilities, but the Debilitating Anxiety Model is supported by research which manipulates anxiety levels and observes a change in mathematics performance. It is suggested that this mixture of evidence might indicate a bidirectional relationship between MA and mathematics performance (the Reciprocal Theory), in which MA and mathematics performance can influence one another in a vicious cycle. PMID:26779093

Intrinsic Geodesy

DTIC Science & Technology

1952-03-01

to which astro - nomical latitudes and longitudes are referred. Moreover, the direction in space of the axis has a physical reality and maV be used for...product, or mixed product, or box product of three vectors i, U, E is the scalar V -i Bi~ F- iXiU.E - ’Exg . B - FXc i a- =1. .X F- F.x = .cx5 (EI-1) Z

A Two-Layer Least Squares Support Vector Machine Approach to Credit Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jingli; Li, Jianping; Xu, Weixuan; Shi, Yong

Least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) is a revised version of support vector machine (SVM) and has been proved to be a useful tool for pattern recognition. LS-SVM had excellent generalization performance and low computational cost. In this paper, we propose a new method called two-layer least squares support vector machine which combines kernel principle component analysis (KPCA) and linear programming form of least square support vector machine. With this method sparseness and robustness is obtained while solving large dimensional and large scale database. A U.S. commercial credit card database is used to test the efficiency of our method and the result proved to be a satisfactory one.

Microscopic diffusion anisotropy in the human brain: Age-related changes.

PubMed

Lawrenz, Marco; Brassen, Stefanie; Finsterbusch, Jürgen

2016-11-01

The fractional anisotropy (FA) that can be derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), is ambiguous because it not only depends on the tissue microstructure but also on the axon or fiber orientation distribution within a voxel. Measures of the microscopic diffusion anisotropy, like the microscopic anisotropy index (MA) that can be determined with so-called double-wave-vector (DWV) or double diffusion encoding (DDE) imaging, are independent of this orientation distribution and, thus, offer a more direct and undisguised access to the tissue structure on a cellular or microscopic scale. In this study, FA and MA measurements were performed in a group of aged (>60y), healthy volunteers and compared to the data obtained recently for a group of young (<33y), healthy volunteers to reveal age-related differences. The coefficients-of-variation (CV) determined for the aged group were considerably lower for MA than for FA in average and in most of the 16 ROIs analyzed due to lower between-subject variations of MA. FA differences between the young and the aged group were in line with previous DTI studies. MA was also decreased in the aged group but in more of the 16 ROIs and with a higher significance. Furthermore, MA differences were also observed in frontal brain regions containing fiber crossings that did not reveal significant FA differences, i.e. MA seems to provide a better sensitivity to detect microstructural changes in such regions. In some non-cortical gray matter structures like the putamen, FA was increased but MA was decreased in the aged group which could indicate a coherent fiber orientation in the aged group related to the loss of crossing or fanning fibers. In conclusion, MA not only could improve the detectability of differences of the tissue microstructure but, in conjunction with FA, could also help to identify the underlying changes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Late Eocene Uplift of the Al Hajar Mountains, Oman, Supported by Stratigraphy and Low-Temperature Thermochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansman, Reuben J.; Ring, Uwe; Thomson, Stuart N.; den Brok, Bas; Stübner, Konstanze

2017-12-01

Uplift of the Al Hajar Mountains in Oman has been related to either Late Cretaceous ophiolite obduction or the Neogene Zagros collision. To test these hypotheses, the cooling of the central Al Hajar Mountains is constrained by 10 apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe), 15 fission track (AFT), and four zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) sample ages. These data show differential cooling between the two major structural culminations of the mountains. In the 3 km high Jabal Akhdar culmination AHe single-grain ages range between 39 ± 2 Ma and 10 ± 1 Ma (2σ errors), AFT ages range from 51 ± 8 Ma to 32 ± 4 Ma, and ZHe single-grain ages range from 62 ± 3 Ma to 39 ± 2 Ma. In the 2 km high Saih Hatat culmination AHe ages range from 26 ± 4 to 12 ± 4 Ma, AFT ages from 73 ± 19 Ma to 57 ± 8 Ma, and ZHe single-grain ages from 81 ± 4 Ma to 58 ± 3 Ma. Thermal modeling demonstrates that cooling associated with uplift and erosion initiated at 40 Ma, indicating that uplift occurred 30 Myr after ophiolite obduction and at least 10 Myr before the Zagros collision. Therefore, this uplift cannot be related to either event. We propose that crustal thickening supporting the topography of the Al Hajar Mountains was caused by a slowdown of Makran subduction and that north Oman took up the residual fraction of N-S convergence between Arabia and Eurasia.

Physical and biological regulation of neuron regenerative growth and network formation on recombinant dragline silks

DOE PAGES

An, Bo; Tang-Schomer, Min D.; Huang, Wenwen; ...

2015-02-11

In this paper, recombinant spider silks produced in transgenic goat milk were studied as cell culture matrices for neuronal growth. Major ampullate spidroin 1 (MaSp1) supported neuronal growth, axon extension and network connectivity, with cell morphology comparable to the gold standard poly-lysine. In addition, neurons growing on MaSp1 films had increased neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) expression at both mRNA and protein levels. The results indicate that MaSp1 films present useful surface charge and substrate stiffness to support the growth of primary rat cortical neurons. Moreover, a putative neuron-specific surface binding sequence GRGGL within MaSp1 may contribute to the biologicalmore » regulation of neuron growth. These findings indicate that MaSp1 could regulate neuron growth through its physical and biological features. Finally, this dual regulation mode of MaSp1 could provide an alternative strategy for generating functional silk materials for neural tissue engineering.« less

Physical and biological regulation of neuron regenerative growth and network formation on recombinant dragline silks

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

An, Bo; Tang-Schomer, Min D.; Huang, Wenwen

In this paper, recombinant spider silks produced in transgenic goat milk were studied as cell culture matrices for neuronal growth. Major ampullate spidroin 1 (MaSp1) supported neuronal growth, axon extension and network connectivity, with cell morphology comparable to the gold standard poly-lysine. In addition, neurons growing on MaSp1 films had increased neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) expression at both mRNA and protein levels. The results indicate that MaSp1 films present useful surface charge and substrate stiffness to support the growth of primary rat cortical neurons. Moreover, a putative neuron-specific surface binding sequence GRGGL within MaSp1 may contribute to the biologicalmore » regulation of neuron growth. These findings indicate that MaSp1 could regulate neuron growth through its physical and biological features. Finally, this dual regulation mode of MaSp1 could provide an alternative strategy for generating functional silk materials for neural tissue engineering.« less

Physical and biological regulation of neuron regenerative growth and network formation on recombinant dragline silks.

PubMed

An, Bo; Tang-Schomer, Min; Huang, Wenwen; He, Jiuyang; Jones, Justin; Lewis, Randolph V; Kaplan, David L

2015-04-01

Recombinant spider silks produced in transgenic goat milk were studied as cell culture matrices for neuronal growth. Major ampullate spidroin 1 (MaSp1) supported neuronal growth, axon extension and network connectivity, with cell morphology comparable to the gold standard poly-lysine. In addition, neurons growing on MaSp1 films had increased neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) expression at both mRNA and protein levels. The results indicate that MaSp1 films present useful surface charge and substrate stiffness to support the growth of primary rat cortical neurons. Moreover, a putative neuron-specific surface binding sequence GRGGL within MaSp1 may contribute to the biological regulation of neuron growth. These findings indicate that MaSp1 could regulate neuron growth through its physical and biological features. This dual regulation mode of MaSp1 could provide an alternative strategy for generating functional silk materials for neural tissue engineering. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust support vector regression networks for function approximation with outliers.

PubMed

Chuang, Chen-Chia; Su, Shun-Feng; Jeng, Jin-Tsong; Hsiao, Chih-Ching

2002-01-01

Support vector regression (SVR) employs the support vector machine (SVM) to tackle problems of function approximation and regression estimation. SVR has been shown to have good robust properties against noise. When the parameters used in SVR are improperly selected, overfitting phenomena may still occur. However, the selection of various parameters is not straightforward. Besides, in SVR, outliers may also possibly be taken as support vectors. Such an inclusion of outliers in support vectors may lead to seriously overfitting phenomena. In this paper, a novel regression approach, termed as the robust support vector regression (RSVR) network, is proposed to enhance the robust capability of SVR. In the approach, traditional robust learning approaches are employed to improve the learning performance for any selected parameters. From the simulation results, our RSVR can always improve the performance of the learned systems for all cases. Besides, it can be found that even the training lasted for a long period, the testing errors would not go up. In other words, the overfitting phenomenon is indeed suppressed.

Fuzzy support vector machine: an efficient rule-based classification technique for microarrays.

PubMed

Hajiloo, Mohsen; Rabiee, Hamid R; Anooshahpour, Mahdi

2013-01-01

The abundance of gene expression microarray data has led to the development of machine learning algorithms applicable for tackling disease diagnosis, disease prognosis, and treatment selection problems. However, these algorithms often produce classifiers with weaknesses in terms of accuracy, robustness, and interpretability. This paper introduces fuzzy support vector machine which is a learning algorithm based on combination of fuzzy classifiers and kernel machines for microarray classification. Experimental results on public leukemia, prostate, and colon cancer datasets show that fuzzy support vector machine applied in combination with filter or wrapper feature selection methods develops a robust model with higher accuracy than the conventional microarray classification models such as support vector machine, artificial neural network, decision trees, k nearest neighbors, and diagonal linear discriminant analysis. Furthermore, the interpretable rule-base inferred from fuzzy support vector machine helps extracting biological knowledge from microarray data. Fuzzy support vector machine as a new classification model with high generalization power, robustness, and good interpretability seems to be a promising tool for gene expression microarray classification.

Currency crisis indication by using ensembles of support vector machine classifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramli, Nor Azuana; Ismail, Mohd Tahir; Wooi, Hooy Chee

2014-07-01

There are many methods that had been experimented in the analysis of currency crisis. However, not all methods could provide accurate indications. This paper introduces an ensemble of classifiers by using Support Vector Machine that's never been applied in analyses involving currency crisis before with the aim of increasing the indication accuracy. The proposed ensemble classifiers' performances are measured using percentage of accuracy, root mean squared error (RMSE), area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve and Type II error. The performances of an ensemble of Support Vector Machine classifiers are compared with the single Support Vector Machine classifier and both of classifiers are tested on the data set from 27 countries with 12 macroeconomic indicators for each country. From our analyses, the results show that the ensemble of Support Vector Machine classifiers outperforms single Support Vector Machine classifier on the problem involving indicating a currency crisis in terms of a range of standard measures for comparing the performance of classifiers.

The Effects of Naltrexone on Subjective Response to Methamphetamine in a Clinical Sample: a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Laboratory Study

PubMed Central

Ray, Lara A; Bujarski, Spencer; Courtney, Kelly E; Moallem, Nathasha R; Lunny, Katy; Roche, Daniel; Leventhal, Adam M; Shoptaw, Steve; Heinzerling, Keith; London, Edythe D; Miotto, Karen

2015-01-01

Methamphetamine (MA) use disorder is a serious psychiatric condition for which there are no FDA-approved medications. Naltrexone (NTX) is an opioid receptor antagonist with demonstrated efficacy, albeit moderate, for the treatment of alcoholism and opioid dependence. Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that NTX may be useful for the treatment of MA use disorder. To inform treatment development, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled human laboratory study of NTX. Non-treatment-seeking individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for MA abuse or dependence (n=30) completed two separate 5-day inpatient stays. During each admission, participants completed testing sessions comprised of MA cue-reactivity and intravenous MA administration (30 mg) after receiving oral NTX (50 mg) or placebo for 4 days. This study tested the hypotheses that NTX would (a) attenuate cue-induced MA craving, and (b) reduce subjective responses to MA administration. Results largely supported the study hypotheses such that (a) NTX significantly blunted cue-induced craving for MA and (b) attenuated several of the hedonic subjective effects of MA, including craving, during controlled MA administration and as compared with placebo. NTX decreased overall subjective ratings of ‘crave drug,' ‘stimulated,' and ‘would like drug access,' decreased the the post-MA administration timecourse of ‘anxious' and increased ratings of ‘bad drug effects,' as compared with placebo. These findings support a potential mechanism of action by showing that NTX reduced cue-induced craving and subjective responses to MA. This is consistent with positive treatment studies of NTX for amphetamine dependence, as well as ongoing clinical trials for MA. PMID:25801501

True Polar Wander and Hotspot Fixity: A Paleomagnetic Investigation of the Skewness of Magnetic Anomaly 12r (32 Ma B.P.) on the Pacific Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordon, R. G.; Horner-Johnson, B. C.

2010-12-01

Prior studies have shown that Pacific hotspots and Indo-Atlantic hotspots have moved in approximate unison relative to the spin axis since 65 Ma B.P. [Morgan, 1981; Gordon and Cape, 1981; Gordon, 1982] and since 56 Ma B.P. [Petronotis et al., 1994], which is most simply interpreted as true polar wander. In contrast, Pacific hotspots and Indo-Atlantic hotspots give conflicting results for 72 Ma B.P. and for 81 Ma B.P., which may indicate motion between Pacific hotspots and Indo-Atlantic hotspots [Tarduno and Cottrell, 1997; Petronotis et al., 1999; Tarduno et al., 2003]. Thus it is important to estimate Pacific plate apparent polar wander (APW) for more time intervals. From such estimates the APW of Pacific hotspots can be inferred and compared with that of Indo-Atlantic hotspots [e.g., Besse and Courtillot 2002]. Here we present a study of the skewness of anomaly 12r between the Galapagos and Clipperton and between the Clipperton and Clarion fracture zones. We chose this region for several reasons: First, numerical experiments, like those conducted by Acton and Gordon [1991], indicate that magnetic profiles between the Galapagos and Clarion fracture zones should contain the most information about the Pacific plate paleomagnetic pole for chron C12r (32 Ma B.P.). Second, in these two spreading rate corridors, spreading half rates range from 72 to 86 mm/a and therefore have negligible anomalous skewness, given that they exceed ≈50 mm/a [Roest et al., 1992; Dyment et al. 1994]. Third, vector aeromagnetic profiles are available for analysis. One of the challenges to interpreting magnetic anomalies in low latitudes where the anomalies strike nearly north-south is the very low amplitude of the signal relative to the noise, the latter of which can be especially intense near the present magnetic equator due to the amplification of diurnal variation by the equatorial electrojet. Previously we showed that vector aeromagnetic profiles record low-latitude Pacific plate magnetic anomalies due to seafloor spreading with much greater clarity than do shipboard profiles in the same region [Horner-Johnson and Gordon, 2003]. The pole that we obtain has compact 95% confidence limits. We reduce the profiles to this pole and show that the appearance of the reduced-to-the-pole profiles is sensitive to the assumed pole position. The new pole shows that Pacific hotspots have moved significantly relative to the spin axis during the formation of the Hawaiian island and seamount chain, and is consistent with Pacific hotspots having moved in approximate unison with Indo-Atlantic hotspots relative to the spin axis since 32 Ma B.P.

Enhancement of extracellular expression of Bacillus naganoensis pullulanase from recombinant Bacillus subtilis: Effects of promoter and host.

PubMed

Song, Wan; Nie, Yao; Mu, Xiao Qing; Xu, Yan

2016-08-01

Pullulanase plays an important role in industrial applications of starch processing. However, extracellular production of pullulanase from recombinant Bacillus subtilis is yet limited due to the issues on regulatory elements of B. subtilis expression system. In this study, the gene encoding B. naganoensis pullulanase (PUL) was expressed in B. subtilis WB800 under the promoter PHpaII in the shuttle vector pMA0911. The extracellular activity of expressed pullulanase was 3.9 U ml(-1) from the recombinant B. subtilis WB800/pMA0911-PHpaII-pul. To further enhance the yield of PUL, the promoter PHpaII in pMA0911 was replaced by a stronger constitutive promoter P43. Then the activity was increased to 8.7 U ml(-1) from the recombinant B. subtilis WB800/pMA0911-P43-pul. Effect of host on pullulanase expression was further investigated by comparison between B. subtilis WB600 and B. subtilis WB800. In addition to the available B. subtilis WB800 recombinants, the constructed plasmids pMA0911-PHpaII-pul and pMA0911-P43-pul were transformed into B. subtilis WB600, respectively. Consequently, the extracellular production of PUL was significantly enhanced by B. subtilis WB600/pMA0911-P43-pul, resulting in the extracellular pullulanase activity of 24.5 U ml(-1). Therefore, promoter and host had an impact on pullulanase expression and their optimization would be useful to improve heterologous protein expression in B. subtilis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

TWSVR: Regression via Twin Support Vector Machine.

PubMed

Khemchandani, Reshma; Goyal, Keshav; Chandra, Suresh

2016-02-01

Taking motivation from Twin Support Vector Machine (TWSVM) formulation, Peng (2010) attempted to propose Twin Support Vector Regression (TSVR) where the regressor is obtained via solving a pair of quadratic programming problems (QPPs). In this paper we argue that TSVR formulation is not in the true spirit of TWSVM. Further, taking motivation from Bi and Bennett (2003), we propose an alternative approach to find a formulation for Twin Support Vector Regression (TWSVR) which is in the true spirit of TWSVM. We show that our proposed TWSVR can be derived from TWSVM for an appropriately constructed classification problem. To check the efficacy of our proposed TWSVR we compare its performance with TSVR and classical Support Vector Regression(SVR) on various regression datasets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiscale asymmetric orthogonal wavelet kernel for linear programming support vector learning and nonlinear dynamic systems identification.

PubMed

Lu, Zhao; Sun, Jing; Butts, Kenneth

2014-05-01

Support vector regression for approximating nonlinear dynamic systems is more delicate than the approximation of indicator functions in support vector classification, particularly for systems that involve multitudes of time scales in their sampled data. The kernel used for support vector learning determines the class of functions from which a support vector machine can draw its solution, and the choice of kernel significantly influences the performance of a support vector machine. In this paper, to bridge the gap between wavelet multiresolution analysis and kernel learning, the closed-form orthogonal wavelet is exploited to construct new multiscale asymmetric orthogonal wavelet kernels for linear programming support vector learning. The closed-form multiscale orthogonal wavelet kernel provides a systematic framework to implement multiscale kernel learning via dyadic dilations and also enables us to represent complex nonlinear dynamics effectively. To demonstrate the superiority of the proposed multiscale wavelet kernel in identifying complex nonlinear dynamic systems, two case studies are presented that aim at building parallel models on benchmark datasets. The development of parallel models that address the long-term/mid-term prediction issue is more intricate and challenging than the identification of series-parallel models where only one-step ahead prediction is required. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed multiscale kernel learning.

Spectral measurements of Terrestrial Mars Analogues: support for the ExoMars - Ma_Miss instrument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Angelis, S.; De Sanctis, M. C.; Ammannito, E.; Di Iorio, T.; Carli, C.; Frigeri, A.; Capria, M. T.; Federico, C.; Boccaccini, A.; Capaccioni, F.; Giardino, M.; Cerroni, P.; Palomba, E.; Piccioni, G.

2013-09-01

The Ma_Miss (Mars Multispectral Imager for Subsurface Studies) instrument onboard of ExoMars 2018 mission to Mars will investigate the Martian subsoil down to a depth of 2 meters [1]. Ma_Miss is a miniaturized spectrometer, completely integrated within the drilling system of the ExoMars Pasteur rover; it will acquire spectra in the range 0.4-2.2μm, from the excavated borehole wall. The spectroscopic investigation of the subsurface materials will give us precious information about mineralogical, petrologic and geological processes, and will give insights about materials that have not been modified by surface processes such as erosion, weathering or oxidation. Spectroscopic measurements have been performed on Terrestrial Mars Analogues with the Ma_Miss laboratory model (breadboard). Moreover spectroscopic investigation of different sets of Terrestrial Mars Analogues is being carried on with different laboratory setups, as a support for the ExoMars-Ma_Miss instrument.

Evaluation of quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays targeting Mycobacterium avium, M. intracellulare, and M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis in drinking water biofilms.

PubMed

Chern, Eunice C; King, Dawn; Haugland, Richard; Pfaller, Stacy

2015-03-01

Mycobacterium avium (MA), Mycobacterium intracellulare (MI), and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) are difficult to culture due to their slow growing nature. A quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method for the rapid detection of MA, MI, and MAP can be used to provide data supporting drinking water biofilms as potential sources of human exposure. The aim of this study was to characterize two qPCR assays targeting partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of MA and MI and use these assays, along with two previously reported MAP qPCR assays (IS900 and Target 251), to investigate Mycobacterium occurrence in kitchen faucet biofilms. MA and MI qPCR assays demonstrated 100% specificity and sensitivity when evaluated against 18 non-MA complex, 76 MA, and 17 MI isolates. Both assays detected approximately 1,000 cells from a diluted cell stock inoculated on a sampling swab 100% of the time. DNA analysis by qPCR indicated that 35.3, 56.9 and 11.8% of the 51 kitchen faucet biofilm samples collected contained MA, MI, and MAP, respectively. This study introduces novel qPCR assays designed to specifically detect MA and MI in biofilm. Results support the use of qPCR as an alternative to culture for detection and enumeration of MA, MI, and MAP in microbiologically complex samples.

Kinetic Study of Methyl Acetate Oxidation in a Pt/Al2O3 Fixed-Bed Reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoy, Michael; Li, K. Y.; Li, Jeffrey S.; Chen, S. M.; Yaws, C. L.; Chu, H. W.; Simon, W. E.

1994-01-01

To support technology development for future long-term missions, a metabolic simulator will be used in a closed chamber to test the functions of a Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS). Methyl acetate (MA) was selected as the fuel because its metabolic respiratory quotient is near that of humans. A kinetic study of the catalytic oxidation of MA over Pt/Al203 was then conducted to support the design and operation of the simulator. Kinetic data were obtained as a conversion percentage of MA versus retention time. The reaction was studied at one atmosphere and temperatures from 220 to 340 deg. C. The inlet MA concentration was varied from 100 to 2000 ppm with retention times from 0.01 to 10 sec. A first-order rate law and a Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate equation were tested by nonlinear regression of the kinetic data to estimate rate constants in the rate law. Regression results of the L-H equation explain the kinetic data better than the results of the first-order rate law. A Taguchi experimental design was used to study the effects of temperature, retention time, and concentrations of MA, CO2, and O2 on the conversion of MA. Results indicate that temperature has greatest effect, followed by retention time, and finally MA concentration. It was further determined that the effects of CO2 and O2 concentrations, and the cross effects, are negligible.

Effect on return to work or education of Individual Placement and Support modified for people with mood and anxiety disorders: results of a randomised clinical trial.

PubMed

Hellström, Lone; Bech, Per; Hjorthøj, Carsten; Nordentoft, Merete; Lindschou, Jane; Eplov, Lene Falgaard

2017-10-01

The effect of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) on return to work or education among people with mood or anxiety disorders is unclear, while IPS increases return to work for people with severe mental illness. We examined the effect of IPS modified for people with mood and anxiety disorders (IPS-MA) on return to work and education compared with services as usual (SAU). In a randomised clinical superiority trial, 326 participants with mood and anxiety disorders were centrally randomised to IPS-MA, consisting of individual mentor support and career counselling (n=162) or SAU (n=164). The primary outcome was competitive employment or education at 24 months, while weeks of competitive employment or education, illness symptoms and level of functioning, and well-being were secondary outcomes. After 24 months, 44.4% (72/162) of the participants receiving IPS-MA had returned to work or education compared with 37.8% (62/164) following SAU (OR=1.34, 95% CI: 0.86 to 2.10, p=0.20). We found no difference in mean number of weeks in employment or education (IPS-MA 32.4 weeks vs SAU 26.7 weeks, p=0.14), level of depression (Hamilton Depression 6-Item Scale score IPS-MA 5.7 points vs SAU 5.0 points, p=0.12), level of anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety 6-Item Scale score IPS-MA 5.8 points vs SAU 5.1 points, p=0.17), level of functioning (Global Assessment of Functioning IPS-MA 59.1 points vs SAU 59.5 points, p=0.81) or well-being measured by WHO-Five Well-being Index (IPS-MA 49.6 points vs SAU 48.5 points, p=0.83) at 24 months. The modified version of IPS, IPS-MA, was not superior to SAU in supporting people with mood or anxiety disorders in return to work at 24 months. NCT01721824. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

alpha-Phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone attenuates methamphetamine-induced depletion of striatal dopamine without altering hyperthermia.

PubMed

Cappon, G D; Broening, H W; Pu, C; Morford, L; Vorhees, C V

1996-10-01

Methamphetamine (MA) administration to adult rats (4 x 10 mg/kg s.c.) induces neurotoxicity predominately characterized by a persistent reduction of neostriatal dopamine (DA) content. Hyperthermia following MA administration potentiates the resulting DA depletion. DA-derived free radicals are postulated to be a mechanism through which MA-induced neurotoxicity is produced. The spin trapping agent PBN reacts with free radicals to form nitroxyl adducts, thereby preventing damaging free radical reactions with cellular substrates. MA with saline pretreatment (Sal-MA) reduced neostriatal DA by 55% (P < 0.01 vs. Sal-Sal). MA with PBN pretreatment (PBN-MA) at 36 or 60 mg/kg reduced neostriatal DA by 36 and 22%, respectively (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 vs Sal-MA) indicating partial protection. PBN pretreatment did not alter MA-induced hyperthermia. Thus, PBN does not attenuate MA-induced neurotoxicity by reducing MA-induced hyperthermia. These results support a role for free radicals in the generation of MA-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity.

A Code Generation Approach for Auto-Vectorization in the Spade Compiler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huayong; Andrade, Henrique; Gedik, Buğra; Wu, Kun-Lung

We describe an auto-vectorization approach for the Spade stream processing programming language, comprising two ideas. First, we provide support for vectors as a primitive data type. Second, we provide a C++ library with architecture-specific implementations of a large number of pre-vectorized operations as the means to support language extensions. We evaluate our approach with several stream processing operators, contrasting Spade's auto-vectorization with the native auto-vectorization provided by the GNU gcc and Intel icc compilers.

Kinematics, Exhumation, and Sedimentation of the North Central Andes (Bolivia): An Integrated Thermochronometer and Thermokinematic Modeling Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rak, Adam J.; McQuarrie, Nadine; Ehlers, Todd A.

2017-11-01

Quantifying mountain building processes in convergent orogens requires determination of the timing and rate of deformation in the overriding plate. In the central Andes, large discrepancies in both timing and rate of deformation prevent evaluating the shortening history in light of internal or external forcing factors. Geologic map patterns, age and location of reset thermochronometer systems, and synorogenic sediment distribution are all a function of the geometry, kinematics, and rate of deformation in a fold-thrust-belt-foreland basin (FTB-FB) system. To determine the timing and rate of deformation in the northern Bolivian Andes, we link thermokinematic modeling to a sequentially forward modeled, balanced cross section isostatically accounting for thrust loads and erosion. Displacement vectors, in 10 km increments, are assigned variable ages to create velocity fields in a thermokinematic model for predicting thermochronometer ages. We match both the pattern of predicted cooling ages with the across strike pattern of measured zircon fission track, apatite fission track, and apatite (U-Th)/He cooling ages as well as the modeled age of FB formations to published sedimentary sections. Results indicate that northern Bolivian FTB deformation started at 50 Ma and may have begun as early as 55 Ma. Acceptable rates of shortening permit either a constant rate of shortening ( 4-5 mm/yr) or varying shortening rates with faster rates (7-10 mm/yr) at 45-50 Ma and 12-8 Ma, significantly slower rates (2-4 mm/yr) from 35 to 15 Ma and indicate the northern Bolivian Subandes started deforming between 19 and 14 Ma.

Modes of Action of Acarbose Hydrolysis and Transglycosylation Catalyzed by a Thermostable Maltogenic Amylase, the Gene for Which Was Cloned from a Thermus Strain

PubMed Central

Kim, Tae-Jip; Kim, Myo-Jeong; Kim, Byung-Cheon; Kim, Jae-Cherl; Cheong, Tae-Kyou; Kim, Jung-Wan; Park, Kwan-Hwa

1999-01-01

A maltogenic amylase gene was cloned in Escherichia coli from a gram-negative thermophilic bacterium, Thermus strain IM6501. The gene encoded an enzyme (ThMA) with a molecular mass of 68 kDa which was expressed by the expression vector p6xHis119. The optimal temperature of ThMA was 60°C, which was higher than those of other maltogenic amylases reported so far. Thermal inactivation kinetic analysis of ThMA indicated that it was stabilized in the presence of 10 mM EDTA. ThMA harbored both hydrolysis and transglycosylation activities. It hydrolyzed β-cyclodextrin and starch mainly to maltose and pullulan to panose. ThMA not only hydrolyzed acarbose, an amylase inhibitor, to glucose and pseudotrisaccharide (PTS) but also transferred PTS to 17 sugar acceptors, including glucose, fructose, maltose, cellobiose, etc. Structural analysis of acarbose transfer products by using methylation, thin-layer chromatography, high-performance ion chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that PTS was transferred primarily to the C-6 of the acceptors and at lower degrees to the C-3 and/or C-4. The transglycosylation of sugar to methyl-α-d-glucopyranoside by forming an α-(1,3)-glycosidic linkage was demonstrated for the first time by using acarbose and ThMA. Kinetic analysis of the acarbose transfer products showed that the C-4 transfer product formed most rapidly but readily hydrolyzed, while the C-6 transfer product was stable and accumulated in the reaction mixture as the main product. PMID:10103262

Signal detection using support vector machines in the presence of ultrasonic speckle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotropoulos, Constantine L.; Pitas, Ioannis

2002-04-01

Support Vector Machines are a general algorithm based on guaranteed risk bounds of statistical learning theory. They have found numerous applications, such as in classification of brain PET images, optical character recognition, object detection, face verification, text categorization and so on. In this paper we propose the use of support vector machines to segment lesions in ultrasound images and we assess thoroughly their lesion detection ability. We demonstrate that trained support vector machines with a Radial Basis Function kernel segment satisfactorily (unseen) ultrasound B-mode images as well as clinical ultrasonic images.

77 FR 9682 - Announcement of Funding Awards for the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-17

... 35804 84,762 25 City of Huntsville. NE. HA Tuscaloosa 2117 Jack Warner Tuscaloosa...... AL 35401 96,333... Street.... Boston MA 02111 520,356 50 Cambridge Housing Authority.. 675 Massachusetts Cambridge....... MA 02139 350,721 25 Avenue. Worcester Housing Authority.. 40 Belmont Street.... Worcester....... MA 01605...

Safety and Mission Assurance for In-House Design Lessons Learned from Ares I Upper Stage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, Joel M.

2011-01-01

This viewgraph presentation identifies lessons learned in the course of the Ares I Upper Stage design and in-house development effort. The contents include: 1) Constellation Organization; 2) Upper Stage Organization; 3) Presentation Structure; 4) Lesson-Importance of Systems Engineering/Integration; 5) Lesson-Importance of Early S&MA Involvement; 6) Lesson-Importance of Appropriate Staffing Levels; 7) Lesson-Importance S&MA Team Deployment; 8) Lesson-Understanding of S&MA In-Line Engineering versus Assurance; 9) Lesson-Importance of Close Coordination between Supportability and Reliability/Maintainability; 10) Lesson-Importance of Engineering Data Systems; 11) Lesson-Importance of Early Development of Supporting Databases; 12) Lesson-Importance of Coordination with Safety Assessment/Review Panels; 13) Lesson-Implementation of Software Reliability; 14) Lesson-Implementation of S&MA Technical Authority/Chief S&MA Officer; 15) Lesson-Importance of S&MA Evaluation of Project Risks; 16) Lesson-Implementation of Critical Items List and Government Mandatory Inspections; 17) Lesson-Implementation of Critical Items List Mandatory Inspections; 18) Lesson-Implementation of Test Article Safety Analysis; and 19) Lesson-Importance of Procurement Quality.

Social support modifies the negative effects of acculturation on obesity and central obesity in Mexican men.

PubMed

Yoshida, Yilin; Broyles, Stephanie; Scribner, Richard; Chen, Liwei; Phillippi, Stephen; Jackson-Thompson, Jeanette; Simoes, Eduardo J; Tseng, Tung-Sung

2018-06-26

This study examined the moderating role of social support in the acculturation-obesity/central obesity relationship in Mexican American (MA) men and women. Data from NHANES 1999-2008 were used. Acculturation derived from language use, country of birth and length of residence in the U.S. Social support assessed emotional and financial support. BMI (≥30) and waist circumference (≥88 cm for women; ≥102 cm for men) measured obesity and central obesity, respectively. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were used to describe associations. Compared to less acculturation, more acculturation was associated with higher odds of obesity (ORs 2.48; 95% CI 1.06-5.83) and central obesity (2.90; 1.39-6.08) among MA men with low/no social support, but not among MA men reporting high social support. The modifying effects was not observed among women. Higher amounts of social support appeared to attenuate the risk of obesity/central obesity associated with acculturation. Interventions enhancing social support maybe effective among acculturated MAs, particularly among men.

Variations in county-level costs between traditional medicare and medicare advantage have implications for premium support.

PubMed

Biles, Brian; Casillas, Giselle; Guterman, Stuart

2015-01-01

Concern about the future growth of Medicare spending has led some in Congress and elsewhere to promote converting Medicare to a "premium support" system. Under premium support, Medicare would provide a "defined contribution" to each Medicare beneficiary to purchase either a Medicare Advantage (MA)-type private health plan or the traditional Medicare public plan. To better understand the implications of such a shift, we compared the average costs per beneficiary of providing Medicare benefits at the county level for traditional Medicare and four types of MA plans. We found that the relative costs of Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare varied greatly by MA plan type and by geographic location. The costs of health maintenance organization-type plans averaged 7 percent less than those of traditional Medicare, but the costs of the more loosely structured preferred provider organization and private fee-for-service plans averaged 12-18 percent more than those of traditional Medicare. In some counties MA plan costs averaged 28 percent less than costs in traditional Medicare, while in other counties MA plan costs averaged 26 percent more than traditional Medicare costs. Enactment of a Medicare premium-support proposal could trigger cost increases for beneficiaries participating in Medicare Advantage as well as those in traditional Medicare. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Membrane binding of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 matrix protein in vivo supports a conformational myristyl switch mechanism.

PubMed Central

Spearman, P; Horton, R; Ratner, L; Kuli-Zade, I

1997-01-01

The interaction of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Gag protein with the plasma membrane of a cell is a critical event in the assembly of HIV particles. The matrix protein region (MA) of HIV type 1 (HIV-1) Pr55Gag has previously been demonstrated to confer membrane-binding properties on the precursor polyprotein. Both the myristic acid moiety and additional determinants within MA are essential for plasma membrane binding and subsequent particle formation. In this study, we demonstrated the myristylation-dependent membrane interaction of MA in an in vivo membrane-binding assay. When expressed within mammalian cells, MA was found both in association with cellular membranes and in a membrane-free form. In contrast, the intact precursor Pr55Gag molecule analyzed in an identical manner was found almost exclusively bound to membranes. Both membrane-bound and membrane-free forms of MA were myristylated and phosphorylated. Differential membrane binding was not due to the formation of multimers, as dimeric and trimeric forms of MA were also found in both membrane-bound and membrane-free fractions. To define the requirements for membrane binding of MA, we analyzed the membrane binding of a series of MA deletion mutants. Surprisingly, deletions within alpha-helical regions forming the globular head of MA led to a dramatic increase in overall membrane binding. The stability of the MA-membrane interaction was not affected by these deletions, and no deletion eliminated membrane binding of the molecule. These results establish that myristic acid is a primary determinant of the stability of the Gag protein-membrane interaction and provide support for the hypothesis that a significant proportion of HIV-1 MA molecules may adopt a conformation in which myristic acid is hidden and unavailable for membrane interaction. PMID:9261380

Support Vector Machines Model of Computed Tomography for Assessing Lymph Node Metastasis in Esophageal Cancer with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

PubMed

Wang, Zhi-Long; Zhou, Zhi-Guo; Chen, Ying; Li, Xiao-Ting; Sun, Ying-Shi

The aim of this study was to diagnose lymph node metastasis of esophageal cancer by support vector machines model based on computed tomography. A total of 131 esophageal cancer patients with preoperative chemotherapy and radical surgery were included. Various indicators (tumor thickness, tumor length, tumor CT value, total number of lymph nodes, and long axis and short axis sizes of largest lymph node) on CT images before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were recorded. A support vector machines model based on these CT indicators was built to predict lymph node metastasis. Support vector machines model diagnosed lymph node metastasis better than preoperative short axis size of largest lymph node on CT. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.887 and 0.705, respectively. The support vector machine model of CT images can help diagnose lymph node metastasis in esophageal cancer with preoperative chemotherapy.

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

European Master's Program in Gerontology (EuMaG): Goals, Curriculum, and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aartsen, Marja

2011-01-01

The European Master's Program in Gerontology (EuMaG) started in September 2003 with support from the European Commission. The EuMaG is a modular, 2-year, part-time international training program about the aging process and its societal implications. The multidisciplinary curriculum comprises four domains of gerontology (i.e., social gerontology,…

Towards multilevel mental stress assessment using SVM with ECOC: an EEG approach.

PubMed

Al-Shargie, Fares; Tang, Tong Boon; Badruddin, Nasreen; Kiguchi, Masashi

2018-01-01

Mental stress has been identified as one of the major contributing factors that leads to various diseases such as heart attack, depression, and stroke. To avoid this, stress quantification is important for clinical intervention and disease prevention. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of exploiting electroencephalography (EEG) signals to discriminate between different stress levels. We propose a new assessment protocol whereby the stress level is represented by the complexity of mental arithmetic (MA) task for example, at three levels of difficulty, and the stressors are time pressure and negative feedback. Using 18-male subjects, the experimental results showed that there were significant differences in EEG response between the control and stress conditions at different levels of MA task with p values < 0.001. Furthermore, we found a significant reduction in alpha rhythm power from one stress level to another level, p values < 0.05. In comparison, results from self-reporting questionnaire NASA-TLX approach showed no significant differences between stress levels. In addition, we developed a discriminant analysis method based on multiclass support vector machine (SVM) with error-correcting output code (ECOC). Different stress levels were detected with an average classification accuracy of 94.79%. The lateral index (LI) results further showed dominant right prefrontal cortex (PFC) to mental stress (reduced alpha rhythm). The study demonstrated the feasibility of using EEG in classifying multilevel mental stress and reported alpha rhythm power at right prefrontal cortex as a suitable index.

Lorentzian Goldstone modes shared among photons and gravitons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chkareuli, J. L.; Jejelava, J.; Kepuladze, Z.

2018-02-01

It has long been known that photons and gravitons may appear as vector and tensor Goldstone modes caused by spontaneous Lorentz invariance violation (SLIV). Usually this approach is considered for photons and gravitons separately. We develop the emergent electrogravity theory consisting of the ordinary QED and the tensor-field gravity model which mimics the linearized general relativity in Minkowski spacetime. In this theory, Lorentz symmetry appears incorporated into higher global symmetries of the length-fixing constraints put on the vector and tensor fields involved, A_{μ }2=± MA2 and H_{μ ν }2=± MH2 (MA and MH are the proposed symmetry breaking scales). We show that such a SLIV pattern being related to breaking of global symmetries underlying these constraints induces the massless Goldstone and pseudo-Goldstone modes shared by photon and graviton. While for a vector field case the symmetry of the constraint coincides with Lorentz symmetry SO(1, 3) of the electrogravity Lagrangian, the tensor-field constraint itself possesses much higher global symmetry SO(7, 3), whose spontaneous violation provides a sufficient number of zero modes collected in a graviton. Accordingly, while the photon may only contain true Goldstone modes, the graviton appears at least partially to be composed of pseudo-Goldstone modes rather than of pure Goldstone ones. When expressed in terms of these modes, the theory looks essentially nonlinear and contains a variety of Lorentz and CPT violating couplings. However, all SLIV effects turn out to be strictly cancelled in the lowest order processes considered in some detail. How this emergent electrogravity theory could be observationally different from conventional QED and GR theories is also briefly discussed.

Physiological Motion Axis for the Seat of a Dynamic Office Chair.

PubMed

Kuster, Roman Peter; Bauer, Christoph Markus; Oetiker, Sarah; Kool, Jan

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to determine and verify the optimal location of the motion axis (MA) for the seat of a dynamic office chair. A dynamic seat that supports pelvic motion may improve physical well-being and decrease the risk of sitting-associated disorders. However, office work requires an undisturbed view on the work task, which means a stable position of the upper trunk and head. Current dynamic office chairs do not fulfill this need. Consequently, a dynamic seat was adapted to the physiological kinematics of the human spine. Three-dimensional motion tracking in free sitting helped determine the physiological MA of the spine in the frontal plane. Three dynamic seats with physiological, lower, and higher MA were compared in stable upper body posture (thorax inclination) and seat support of pelvic motion (dynamic fitting accuracy). Spinal kinematics during sitting and walking were compared. The physiological MA was at the level of the 11th thoracic vertebra, causing minimal thorax inclination and high dynamic fitting accuracy. Spinal motion in active sitting and walking was similar. The physiological MA of the seat allows considerable lateral flexion of the spine similar to walking with a stable upper body posture and a high seat support of pelvic motion. The physiological MA enables lateral flexion of the spine, similar to walking, without affecting stable upper body posture, thus allowing active sitting while focusing on work. © 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

The Effect of Mixed-Age Classes in Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindstrom, Elly-Ann; Lindahl, Erica

2011-01-01

Mixed-aged (MA) classes are a common phenomenon around the world. In Sweden, these types of classes increased rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s, despite the fact that existing empirical support for MA classes is weak. In this paper, the effect of attending an MA class during grades 4-6 on students' cognitive skills is estimated. Using a unique…

Testing of the Support Vector Machine for Binary-Class Classification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scholten, Matthew

2011-01-01

The Support Vector Machine is a powerful algorithm, useful in classifying data in to species. The Support Vector Machines implemented in this research were used as classifiers for the final stage in a Multistage Autonomous Target Recognition system. A single kernel SVM known as SVMlight, and a modified version known as a Support Vector Machine with K-Means Clustering were used. These SVM algorithms were tested as classifiers under varying conditions. Image noise levels varied, and the orientation of the targets changed. The classifiers were then optimized to demonstrate their maximum potential as classifiers. Results demonstrate the reliability of SMV as a method for classification. From trial to trial, SVM produces consistent results

Role of upper-most crustal composition in the evolution of the Precambrian ocean-atmosphere system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Large, R. R.; Mukherjee, I.; Zhukova, I.; Corkrey, R.; Stepanov, A.; Danyushevsky, L. V.

2018-04-01

Recent research has emphasized the potential relationships between supercontinent cycles, mountain building, nutrient flux, ocean-atmosphere chemistry and the origin of life. The composition of the Upper-Most Continental Crust (UMCC) also figures prominently in these relationships, and yet little detailed data on each component of this complex relationship has been available for assessment. Here we provide a new set of data on the trace element concentrations, including the Rare Earth Elements (REE), in the matrix of 52 marine black shale formations spread globally through the Archean and Proterozoic. The data support previous studies on the temporal geochemistry of shales, but with some important differences. Results indicate a change in provenance of the black shales (upper-most crustal composition), from more mafic in the Archean prior to 2700 Ma, to more felsic from 2700 to 2200 Ma, followed by a return to mafic compositions from 2200 to 1850 Ma. Around 1850 to 1800 Ma there is a rapid change to uniform felsic compositions, which remained for a billion years to 800 Ma. The shale matrix geochemistry supports the assertion that the average upper-most continental source rocks for the shales changed from a mix of felsic, mafic and ultramafic prior to 2700 Ma to more felsic after 1850 Ma, with an extended transition period between. The return to more mafic UMCC from 2200 to 1850 Ma is supported by the frequency of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) and banded iron formations, which suggest a peak in major mantle-connected plume events and associated Fe-rich hydrothermal activity over this period. Support for the change to felsic UMCC around 1850 Ma is provided by previous geological data which shows that felsic magmas, including, A-type granites and K-Th-U-rich granites intruded vast areas of the continental crust, peaking around 1850 Ma and declining to 1000 Ma. The implications of this change in UMCC are far reaching and may go some way to explain the distinct features of the Boring Billion (1800-800 Ma). Firstly, because mafic-ultramafic rocks contain significantly higher levels of the bio-essential nutrient elements (e.g. Fe, P, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Se, Mn, Zn) compared with felsic rocks, the flux of macro- and micro-nutrients to the ocean would have decreased significantly post 1850 Ma. This would have contributed to a drop in productivity and a drop in atmosphere O2 as suggested by the marine pyrite proxy. In addition, a change from mafic to felsic dominant composition of the UMCC post 1850 Ma, would have led to a decrease in the erosive flux of Ca and Mg to the ocean, affecting the oceanic carbonate equilibrium and likely contributing to a rise in atmosphere CO2. On this basis, we speculate that the commencement of the middle Proterozoic, commonly known as the Boring Billion period from 1800 to 800 Ma, marks the start of an extended time in Earth's evolution when the UMCC became dominated by felsic rocks, particularly K-U-Th-anorogenic granites. This led to a period of anomalously low concentrations of bio-essential trace elements, but elevated REE, U, Th, Pb, Tl, Rb/Al and K/Na in the oceans.

Patent Analysis for Supporting Merger and Acquisition (M&A) Prediction: A Data Mining Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Chih-Ping; Jiang, Yu-Syun; Yang, Chin-Sheng

M&A plays an increasingly important role in the contemporary business environment. Companies usually conduct M&A to pursue complementarity from other companies for preserving and/or extending their competitive advantages. For the given bidder company, a critical first step to the success of M&A activities is the appropriate selection of target companies. However, existing studies on M&A prediction incur several limitations, such as the exclusion of technological variables in M&A prediction models and the omission of the profile of the respective bidder company and its compatibility with candidate target companies. In response to these limitations, we propose an M&A prediction technique which not only encompasses technological variables derived from patent analysis as prediction indictors but also takes into account the profiles of both bidder and candidate target companies when building an M&A prediction model. We collect a set of real-world M&A cases to evaluate the proposed technique. The evaluation results are encouraging and will serve as a basis for future studies.

Changing the S and MA [Safety and Mission Assurance] Paradigm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malone, Roy W., Jr.

2010-01-01

Objectives: 1) Optimize S&MA organization to best facilitate Shuttle transition in 2010, successfully support Ares developmental responsibilities, and minimize the impacts of the gap between last Shuttle flight and start of Ares V Project. 2) Improve leveraging of critical skills and experience between Shuttle and Ares. 3) Split technical and supervisory functions to facilitate technical penetration. 4) Create Chief Safety and Mission Assurance Officer (CSO) stand-alone position for successfully implementation of S&MA Technical Authority. 5) Minimize disruption to customers. 6) Provide early involvement of S&MA leadership team and frequent/open communications with S&MA team members and steak-holders.

Multiclass Reduced-Set Support Vector Machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tang, Benyang; Mazzoni, Dominic

2006-01-01

There are well-established methods for reducing the number of support vectors in a trained binary support vector machine, often with minimal impact on accuracy. We show how reduced-set methods can be applied to multiclass SVMs made up of several binary SVMs, with significantly better results than reducing each binary SVM independently. Our approach is based on Burges' approach that constructs each reduced-set vector as the pre-image of a vector in kernel space, but we extend this by recomputing the SVM weights and bias optimally using the original SVM objective function. This leads to greater accuracy for a binary reduced-set SVM, and also allows vectors to be 'shared' between multiple binary SVMs for greater multiclass accuracy with fewer reduced-set vectors. We also propose computing pre-images using differential evolution, which we have found to be more robust than gradient descent alone. We show experimental results on a variety of problems and find that this new approach is consistently better than previous multiclass reduced-set methods, sometimes with a dramatic difference.

Rottlerin impairs the formation and maintenance of psychostimulant-supported memory.

PubMed

Liao, Tien You; Tzeng, Wen-Yu; Wu, Hsin-Hua; Cherng, Chianfang G; Wang, Ching-Yi; Hu, Sherry S-J; Yu, Lung

2016-04-01

Since brain proteins such as protein kinase C (PKC), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) are involved in the establishment and maintenance of psychostimulant memory, we sought to determine if systemic treatment with rottlerin, a natural compound affecting all these proteins, may modulate stimulant-supported memory. Stimulant-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) was used in modeling stimulant-supported memory. Three cocaine (10 mg/kg; COC) or three methamphetamine (1 mg/kg; MA) conditioning trials reliably established the drug-induced CPP in male C57BL/6 mice. An intra-peritoneal rottlerin injection (5 mg/kg) at least 24 h prior to the first COC or first MA conditioning trial prevented the establishment of CPP. Following the establishment of the COC- or MA-induced CPP, saline conditioning trial was used to extinguish the CPP. Rottlerin (5 mg/kg, intra-peritoneal (i.p.)) administered 20 h prior to the first saline conditioning trial diminished subsequent drug- and stressor-primed reinstatement of the extinguished CPP. Rottlerin (5 mg/kg, i.p.) produced a fast-onset and long-lasting increase in hippocampal BDNF levels. However, treatment with a BDNF tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) receptor antagonist, K252a (5 μg/kg), did not affect rottlerin's suppressing effect on COC-induced CPP and treatment with 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (10 mg/kg x 6, 7,8-DHF), a selective TrkB agonist, prior to each conditioning trial did not affect COC-induced CPP. These results suggest that systemic rottlerin treatment may impair the formation of COC- and MA-supported memory. Importantly, such a treatment may advance our understanding of the underlying mechanism through which extinction training resulted in the "forgetting" of the COC- and MA-supported memory.

A Subdivision-Based Representation for Vector Image Editing.

PubMed

Liao, Zicheng; Hoppe, Hugues; Forsyth, David; Yu, Yizhou

2012-11-01

Vector graphics has been employed in a wide variety of applications due to its scalability and editability. Editability is a high priority for artists and designers who wish to produce vector-based graphical content with user interaction. In this paper, we introduce a new vector image representation based on piecewise smooth subdivision surfaces, which is a simple, unified and flexible framework that supports a variety of operations, including shape editing, color editing, image stylization, and vector image processing. These operations effectively create novel vector graphics by reusing and altering existing image vectorization results. Because image vectorization yields an abstraction of the original raster image, controlling the level of detail of this abstraction is highly desirable. To this end, we design a feature-oriented vector image pyramid that offers multiple levels of abstraction simultaneously. Our new vector image representation can be rasterized efficiently using GPU-accelerated subdivision. Experiments indicate that our vector image representation achieves high visual quality and better supports editing operations than existing representations.

An Evaluation of the Evidence that Methamphetamine Abuse Causes Cognitive Decline in Humans

PubMed Central

Dean, Andy C; Groman, Stephanie M; Morales, Angelica M; London, Edythe D

2013-01-01

Methamphetamine (MA) is one of the most commonly abused illicit substances worldwide. Among other problems, abuse of the drug has been associated with reduced cognitive function across several domains. However, much of the literature has not attempted to differentiate cognitive difficulties caused by MA abuse from preexisting cognitive difficulties that are likely caused by other factors. Here, we address this question, evaluating evidence for a priori hypotheses pertaining to six lines of research: (a) animal studies; (b) cross-sectional human studies; (c) a twin study; (d) studies of changes in cognition with abstinence from MA; (e) studies of changes in brain structure and function with abstinence from MA; and (f) studies of the relationship between the severity of MA abuse and the extent of cognitive deficits observed. Overall the findings were mixed, with some support for a causal relationship between MA abuse and cognitive decline, and other findings suggesting that there is no relationship. The preponderance of the data, however, does support the possibility that MA abuse causes cognitive decline, of unknown duration, in at least some users of the drug. When averaged across individuals, this decline is likely to be mild in early-to-middle adulthood. However, moderator variables are likely to contribute to the presence and/or severity of cognitive decline exhibited by a given individual. PMID:22948978

Chronology of Miocene-Pliocene deposits at Split Mountain Gorge, Southern California: A record of regional tectonics and Colorado River evolution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dorsey, R.J.; Fluette, A.; McDougall, K.; Housen, B.A.; Janecke, S.U.; Axen, G.J.; Shirvell, C.R.

2007-01-01

Late Miocene to early Pliocene deposit at Split Mountain Gorge, California, preserve a record of basinal response to changes in regional tectonics, paleogeography, and evolution of the Colorado River. The base of the Elephant Trees Formation, magnetostratigraphically dated as 8.1 ?? 0.4 Ma, provides the earliest well-dated record of extension in the southwestern Salton Trough. The oldest marine sediments are ca. 6.3 Ma. The nearly synchronous timing of marine incursion in the Salton Trough and northern Gulf of California region supports a model for localization of Pacific-North America plate motion in the Gulf ca. 6 Ma. The first appearance of Colorado River sand at the Miocene-Pliocene boundary (5.33 Ma) suggests rapid propagation of the river to the Salton Trough, and supports a lake-spillover hypothesis for initiation of the lower Colorado River. ?? 2007 Geological Society of America.

Oligocene Termite Nests with In Situ Fungus Gardens from the Rukwa Rift Basin, Tanzania, Support a Paleogene African Origin for Insect Agriculture

PubMed Central

Roberts, Eric M.; Todd, Christopher N.; Aanen, Duur K.; Nobre, Tânia; Hilbert-Wolf, Hannah L.; O’Connor, Patrick M.; Tapanila, Leif; Mtelela, Cassy; Stevens, Nancy J.

2016-01-01

Based on molecular dating, the origin of insect agriculture is hypothesized to have taken place independently in three clades of fungus-farming insects: the termites, ants or ambrosia beetles during the Paleogene (66–24 Ma). Yet, definitive fossil evidence of fungus-growing behavior has been elusive, with no unequivocal records prior to the late Miocene (7–10 Ma). Here we report fossil evidence of insect agriculture in the form of fossil fungus gardens, preserved within 25 Ma termite nests from southwestern Tanzania. Using these well-dated fossil fungus gardens, we have recalibrated molecular divergence estimates for the origins of termite agriculture to around 31 Ma, lending support to hypotheses suggesting an African Paleogene origin for termite-fungus symbiosis; perhaps coinciding with rift initiation and changes in the African landscape. PMID:27333288

pLS101 plasmid vector

DOEpatents

Lacks, S.A.; Balganesh, T.S.

1985-02-19

Disclosed is recombinant plasmid pLS101, consisting essentially of a 2.0 Kb ma1M gene fragment ligated to a 4.4 Kb Tcr DNA fragment, which is particularly useful for transforming Gram-positive bacteria. This plasmid contains at least four restriction sites suitable for inserting exogeneous gene sequences. Also disclosed is a method for plasmid isolation by penicillin selection, as well as processes for enrichment of recombinant plasmids in Gram-positive bacterial systems. 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Local Geoid Determination Using the Global Positioning System

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-01

Positioning System by Ma, Wei-Ming September 1988 Co-Advisor: Kandiah Jeyapalan Co-Advisor: Stevens P. Tucker Approved for public release; distribution is... Jeyapalan and Stevens P. Tucker, my thesis advisors, for their dedicated assistance and guidance during the study. Without their encouragement...method of collocation is [ Jeyapalan , 1977]: x = A*X+S +n +O.S q q P where x the vector of the observation (x = Ah - N0(X,Y,Z) - H) A a given rectangular

Chemical Communications

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-27

TOTAL: Patents Submitted Submitted: "Systems and Methods for Amplification and Phage Display", Derda, R., Tang, S.K.Y., Whitesides, G.M. PCT/US11...College 60 Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138 5a: 5f-1a: 5f-c: Systems and Methods for Amplification and Phage Display Patent Filed in US? (5d-1) Y NPatent...the bacteriophage- T7 promoter (See S.I. for details). This series of FP encoding vectors contain the ampicillin-resistant gene as a selective marker

Insect cell transformation vectors that support high level expression and promoter assessment in insect cell culture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A somatic transformation vector, pDP9, was constructed that provides a simplified means of producing permanently transformed cultured insect cells that support high levels of protein expression of foreign genes. The pDP9 plasmid vector incorporates DNA sequences from the Junonia coenia densovirus th...

Prolonged absorption of antimony(V) by the oral route from non-inclusion meglumine antimoniate-beta-cyclodextrin conjugates.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Raul R; Ferreira, Weverson A; Martins, Patricia S; Neto, Rubens L M; Rocha, Olguita G F; Le Moyec, Laurence; Demicheli, Cynthia; Frézard, Frédéric

2010-03-01

The orally active composition comprising meglumine antimoniate (MA) and beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) differs markedly from conventional drug-CD complexes, since it combines a water-soluble drug and a hydrophilic CD. In order to obtain insights into the mechanism(s) responsible for the improved oral delivery of the drug, physicochemical and pharmacokinetic studies were carried out. The composition investigated here was prepared at a 7:1 antimony(Sb)/beta-CD molar ratio, a condition that improves its solubility in water and allows the oral administration of a high dose of Sb in large animals. It was characterized by circular dichroism, (1)H-NMR, ESI-MS and photon correlation spectroscopy. Pharmacokinetic data were obtained in Beagle dogs after oral administration of the composition at 100 mg Sb/kg. (1)H-NMR and ESI-MS data supported the formation of non-inclusion complexes between MA and beta-CD. Sub-micron assemblies were also evidenced that slowly dissociate and presumably release the MA drug, upon reconstitution of the composition in water. Pharmacokinetic studies of MA and MA/beta-CD in dogs showed a prolongation of the serum mean residence time of Sb from 4.1 to 6.8 h, upon complexation of MA with beta-CD. Evidence was also obtained that Sb remains essentially under the form of pentavalent Sb-meglumine complex, following gastro-intestinal absorption from the MA/beta-CD composition. In conclusion, the present data support the model that the sustained drug release property of 7:1 MA/beta-CD composition resulted in the prolongation of MA absorption by the oral route and, consequently, in the increase of the drug mean residence time in serum. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of Peanut-Tobacco Rotations on Population Dynamics of Meloidogyne arenaria in Mixed Race Populations.

PubMed

Hirunsalee, A; Barker, K R; Beute, M K

1995-06-01

A 3-year microplot study was initiated to characterize the population dynamics, reproduction potential, and survivorship of single or mixed populations of Meloidogyne arenaria race 1 (Ma1) and race 2 (Ma2), as affected by crop rotations of peanut 'Florigiant' and M. incognita races 1 and 3-resistant 'McNair 373' and susceptible 'Coker 371-Gold' tobacco. Infection, reproduction, and root damage by Ma2 on peanut and by Ma1 on resistant tobacco were limited in the first year. Infection, reproduction, and root-damage potentials on susceptible tobacco were similar for Ma1 and Ma2. In the mixed (1:1) population, Ma1 was dominant on peanut and Ma2 was dominant on both tobacco cultivars. Crop rotation affected the population dynamics of different nematode races. For years 2 and 3, the low numbers of Ma1 and Ma2 from a previous-year poor host increased rapidly on suitable hosts. Ma1 had greater reproduction factors ([RF] = population density at harvest/population density at preplandng) than did Ma2 and Ma1 + Ma2 in second-year peanut plots following first-year resistant tobacco, and in third-year peanut plots following second-year tobacco. In mixed infestations, Ma1 predominated over Ma2 in previous-year peanut plots, whereas Ma2 predominated over Ma1 in previous-year tobacco plots. Moderate damage on resistant tobacco was induced by Ma1 in the second year. In the third year, moderate damage on peanut was associated with 'Ma2' from previous-year peanut plots. The resistant tobacco supported sufficient reproduction of Ma1 over 2 years to effect moderate damage and yield suppression to peanut in year 3.

Effects of Peanut-Tobacco Rotations on Population Dynamics of Meloidogyne arenaria in Mixed Race Populations

PubMed Central

Hirunsalee, Anan; Barker, K. R.; Beute, M. K.

1995-01-01

A 3-year microplot study was initiated to characterize the population dynamics, reproduction potential, and survivorship of single or mixed populations of Meloidogyne arenaria race 1 (Ma1) and race 2 (Ma2), as affected by crop rotations of peanut 'Florigiant' and M. incognita races 1 and 3-resistant 'McNair 373' and susceptible 'Coker 371-Gold' tobacco. Infection, reproduction, and root damage by Ma2 on peanut and by Ma1 on resistant tobacco were limited in the first year. Infection, reproduction, and root-damage potentials on susceptible tobacco were similar for Ma1 and Ma2. In the mixed (1:1) population, Ma1 was dominant on peanut and Ma2 was dominant on both tobacco cultivars. Crop rotation affected the population dynamics of different nematode races. For years 2 and 3, the low numbers of Ma1 and Ma2 from a previous-year poor host increased rapidly on suitable hosts. Ma1 had greater reproduction factors ([RF] = population density at harvest/population density at preplandng) than did Ma2 and Ma1 + Ma2 in second-year peanut plots following first-year resistant tobacco, and in third-year peanut plots following second-year tobacco. In mixed infestations, Ma1 predominated over Ma2 in previous-year peanut plots, whereas Ma2 predominated over Ma1 in previous-year tobacco plots. Moderate damage on resistant tobacco was induced by Ma1 in the second year. In the third year, moderate damage on peanut was associated with 'Ma2' from previous-year peanut plots. The resistant tobacco supported sufficient reproduction of Ma1 over 2 years to effect moderate damage and yield suppression to peanut in year 3. PMID:19277278

Stress direction history of the western United States and Mexico since 85 Ma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bird, Peter

2002-06-01

A data set of 369 paleostress direction indicators (sets of dikes, veins, or fault slip vectors) is collected from previous compilations and the geologic literature. Like contemporary data, these stress directions show great variability, even over short distances. Therefore statistical methods are helpful in deciding which apparent variations in space or in time are significant. First, the interpolation technique of Bird and Li [1996] is used to interpolate stress directions to a grid of evenly spaced points in each of seventeen 5-m.y. time steps since 85 Ma. Then, a t test is used to search for stress direction changes between pairs of time windows whose sense can be determined with some minimum confidence. Available data cannot resolve local stress provinces, and only the broadest changes affecting country-sized regions are reasonably certain. During 85-50 Ma, the most compressive horizontal stress azimuth $\\hat \\sigma $1H was fairly constant at ~68° (United States) to 75° (Mexico). During 50-35 Ma, both counterclockwise stress changes (in the Pacific Northwest) and clockwise stress changes (from Nevada to New Mexico) are seen, but only locally and with about 50% confidence. A major stress azimuth change by ~90° occurred at 33 +/- 2 Ma in Mexico and at 30 +/- 2 Ma in the western United States. This was probably an interchange between $\\hat \\sigma $1 and $\\hat \\sigma $3 caused by a decrease in horizontal compression and/or an increase in vertical compression. The most likely cause was the rollback of horizontally subducting Farallon slab from under the southwestern United States and northwest Mexico, which was rapid during 35-25 Ma. After this transition, a clockwise rotation of principal stress axes by 36°-48° occurred more gradually since 22 Ma, affecting the region between latitudes 28°N and 41°N. This occurred as the lengthening Pacific/North America transform boundary gradually added dextral shear on northwest striking planes to the previous stress field of SW-NE extension.

Photocrosslinkable Gelatin/Tropoelastin Hydrogel Adhesives for Peripheral Nerve Repair.

PubMed

Soucy, Jonathan R; Shirzaei Sani, Ehsan; Portillo Lara, Roberto; Diaz, David; Dias, Felipe; Weiss, Anthony S; Koppes, Abigail N; Koppes, Ryan A; Annabi, Nasim

2018-05-09

Suturing peripheral nerve transections is the predominant therapeutic strategy for nerve repair. However, the use of sutures leads to scar tissue formation, hinders nerve regeneration, and prevents functional recovery. Fibrin-based adhesives have been widely used for nerve reconstruction, but their limited adhesive and mechanical strength and inability to promote nerve regeneration hamper their utility as a stand-alone intervention. To overcome these challenges, we engineered composite hydrogels that are neurosupportive and possess strong tissue adhesion. These composites were synthesized by photocrosslinking two naturally derived polymers, gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) and methacryloyl-substituted tropoelastin (MeTro). The engineered materials exhibited tunable mechanical properties by varying the GelMA/MeTro ratio. In addition, GelMA/MeTro hydrogels exhibited 15-fold higher adhesive strength to nerve tissue ex vivo compared to fibrin control. Furthermore, the composites were shown to support Schwann cell (SC) viability and proliferation, as well as neurite extension and glial cell participation in vitro, which are essential cellular components for nerve regeneration. Finally, subcutaneously implanted GelMA/MeTro hydrogels exhibited slower degradation in vivo compared with pure GelMA, indicating its potential to support the growth of slowly regenerating nerves. Thus, GelMA/MeTro composites may be used as clinically relevant biomaterials to regenerate nerves and reduce the need for microsurgical suturing during nerve reconstruction.

[Support vector machine?assisted diagnosis of human malignant gastric tissues based on dielectric properties].

PubMed

Zhang, Sa; Li, Zhou; Xin, Xue-Gang

2017-12-20

To achieve differential diagnosis of normal and malignant gastric tissues based on discrepancies in their dielectric properties using support vector machine. The dielectric properties of normal and malignant gastric tissues at the frequency ranging from 42.58 to 500 MHz were measured by coaxial probe method, and the Cole?Cole model was used to fit the measured data. Receiver?operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the discrimination capability with respect to permittivity, conductivity, and Cole?Cole fitting parameters. Support vector machine was used for discriminating normal and malignant gastric tissues, and the discrimination accuracy was calculated using k?fold cross? The area under the ROC curve was above 0.8 for permittivity at the 5 frequencies at the lower end of the measured frequency range. The combination of the support vector machine with the permittivity at all these 5 frequencies combined achieved the highest discrimination accuracy of 84.38% with a MATLAB runtime of 3.40 s. The support vector machine?assisted diagnosis is feasible for human malignant gastric tissues based on the dielectric properties.

Research on intrusion detection based on Kohonen network and support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuai, Chunyan; Yang, Hengcheng; Gong, Zeweiyi

2018-05-01

In view of the problem of low detection accuracy and the long detection time of support vector machine, which directly applied to the network intrusion detection system. Optimization of SVM parameters can greatly improve the detection accuracy, but it can not be applied to high-speed network because of the long detection time. a method based on Kohonen neural network feature selection is proposed to reduce the optimization time of support vector machine parameters. Firstly, this paper is to calculate the weights of the KDD99 network intrusion data by Kohonen network and select feature by weight. Then, after the feature selection is completed, genetic algorithm (GA) and grid search method are used for parameter optimization to find the appropriate parameters and classify them by support vector machines. By comparing experiments, it is concluded that feature selection can reduce the time of parameter optimization, which has little influence on the accuracy of classification. The experiments suggest that the support vector machine can be used in the network intrusion detection system and reduce the missing rate.

GIS Plate Tectonic Reconstruction of the Gulf of California-Salton Trough Oblique Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skinner, L. A.; Bennett, S. E.; Umhoefer, P. J.; Oskin, M. E.; Dorsey, R. J.; Nava, R. A.

2011-12-01

We present GIS-based plate tectonic reconstruction maps for the Gulf of California-Salton Trough oblique rift. The maps track plate boundary deformation in 2 and 1 Myr slices (6-2 Ma and 2 Ma-present) using a custom ArcGIS add-in tool to close extensional basins and restore slip on dextral faults. The tool takes a set of polygons depicting present day locations of tectonic blocks and sequentially restores displacement of their centroids along a vector specific to that time slice. Tectonic blocks are defined by faults, geology, seismic data, and bathymetry/topography. Spreading center and fault-slip rates were acquired from geologic data, cross-Gulf tie points, GPS studies, and aeromagnetic data. A recent GPS study indicated that ~92% of modern-day Pacific-North America (PAC-NAM) plate motion is localized between the Baja California microplate and North America. Relative plate motion azimuth varies from ~302° in the southern Gulf to ~314° in the Salton Trough. Baja-North America GPS rates agree remarkably with ~6 Ma geologic offsets across the Gulf and are used during reconstruction steps back to 6 Ma. In the southern Gulf, unpublished GPS data indicate that modern plate motion is partitioned between the plate boundary, Gulf-margin system, and borderland faults west of Baja California. The Alarcon and Guaymas spreading centers initiated at 2.4 Ma and 6 Ma (Lizarralde et al., 2007), respectively, while the Farallon, Pescadero, and Carmen spreading centers began between ~2-1 Ma (Lonsdale, 1989). Therefore, the 2, 4, and 6 Ma reconstruction steps include a long transtensional fault zone along much of the southern Gulf, connecting the Guaymas spreading center with either the Alarcon spreading center or East Pacific Rise. In the northern Gulf, transtensional strain initiated in coastal Sonora by ~7 Ma and migrated westward as the Gulf opened. At ~6 Ma strain migrated west into marine pull-apart basins that now lie within the eastern Gulf. Seismic reflection studies suggest that these eastern basins were abandoned ~3.3-2.0 Ma as strain migrated west, forming new transtensional basins that host the modern-day plate boundary. Cross-rift geologic tie points include a fusulinid-bearing clast conglomerate, the Poway conglomerate, and 12.5 Ma & 6.1-6.4 Ma correlative tuffs. Since ~6.1 Ma, the magnitude of extension across the northern Gulf requires that ~90% of PAC-NAM relative plate motion has been located in marine pull-apart basins, while ~10% has been accommodated by faults west of Baja California. In the Salton Trough, roughly 90% of the relative plate motion became localized at 7-8 Ma, prior to regional marine incursion at 6.3-6.5 Ma. Plio-Pleistocene strain was accommodated linked dextral slip on the San Andreas fault and oblique extension on the West Salton detachment fault. Initiation of new strike slip faults at ~1.1-1.3 Ma resulted in westerly expansion and widening of the dextral deformation zone. Modern strain is accommodated by a network of transtensional pull-aparts and transpressional fold-thrust belts.

A Power Transformers Fault Diagnosis Model Based on Three DGA Ratios and PSO Optimization SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Hongzhe; Zhang, Wei; Wu, Rongrong; Yang, Chunyan

2018-03-01

In order to make up for the shortcomings of existing transformer fault diagnosis methods in dissolved gas-in-oil analysis (DGA) feature selection and parameter optimization, a transformer fault diagnosis model based on the three DGA ratios and particle swarm optimization (PSO) optimize support vector machine (SVM) is proposed. Using transforming support vector machine to the nonlinear and multi-classification SVM, establishing the particle swarm optimization to optimize the SVM multi classification model, and conducting transformer fault diagnosis combined with the cross validation principle. The fault diagnosis results show that the average accuracy of test method is better than the standard support vector machine and genetic algorithm support vector machine, and the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy of transformer fault diagnosis is proved.

Design for Safety - The Ares Launch Vehicles Paradigm Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Safie, Fayssal M.; Maggio, Gaspare

2010-01-01

The lessons learned from the S&MA early involvement in the Ares I launch vehicle design phases proved that performing an in-line function jointly with engineering is critical for S&MA to have an effective role in supporting the system, element, and component design. These lessons learned were used to effectively support the Ares V conceptual design phase and planning for post conceptual design phases. The Top level Conceptual LOM assessment for Ares V performed by the S&MA community jointly with the engineering Advanced Concept Office (ACO) was influential in the final selection of the Ares V system configuration. Post conceptual phase, extensive reliability effort should be planned to support future Heavy Lift Launch Vehicles (HLLV) design. In-depth reliability analysis involving the design, manufacturing, and system engineering communities is critical to understand design and process uncertainties and system integrated failures.

The Design of a Templated C++ Small Vector Class for Numerical Computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, Patrick J.

2000-01-01

We describe the design and implementation of a templated C++ class for vectors. The vector class is templated both for vector length and vector component type; the vector length is fixed at template instantiation time. The vector implementation is such that for a vector of N components of type T, the total number of bytes required by the vector is equal to N * size of (T), where size of is the built-in C operator. The property of having a size no bigger than that required by the components themselves is key in many numerical computing applications, where one may allocate very large arrays of small, fixed-length vectors. In addition to the design trade-offs motivating our fixed-length vector design choice, we review some of the C++ template features essential to an efficient, succinct implementation. In particular, we highlight some of the standard C++ features, such as partial template specialization, that are not supported by all compilers currently. This report provides an inventory listing the relevant support currently provided by some key compilers, as well as test code one can use to verify compiler capabilities.

An Efficient Wait-Free Vector

DOE PAGES

Feldman, Steven; Valera-Leon, Carlos; Dechev, Damian

2016-03-01

The vector is a fundamental data structure, which provides constant-time access to a dynamically-resizable range of elements. Currently, there exist no wait-free vectors. The only non-blocking version supports only a subset of the sequential vector API and exhibits significant synchronization overhead caused by supporting opposing operations. Since many applications operate in phases of execution, wherein each phase only a subset of operations are used, this overhead is unnecessary for the majority of the application. To address the limitations of the non-blocking version, we present a new design that is wait-free, supports more of the operations provided by the sequential vector,more » and provides alternative implementations of key operations. These alternatives allow the developer to balance the performance and functionality of the vector as requirements change throughout execution. Compared to the known non-blocking version and the concurrent vector found in Intel’s TBB library, our design outperforms or provides comparable performance in the majority of tested scenarios. Over all tested scenarios, the presented design performs an average of 4.97 times more operations per second than the non-blocking vector and 1.54 more than the TBB vector. In a scenario designed to simulate the filling of a vector, performance improvement increases to 13.38 and 1.16 times. This work presents the first ABA-free non-blocking vector. Finally, unlike the other non-blocking approach, all operations are wait-free and bounds-checked and elements are stored contiguously in memory.« less

A 400 MHz Wireless Neural Signal Processing IC With 625 $\\times$ On-Chip Data Reduction and Reconfigurable BFSK/QPSK Transmitter Based on Sequential Injection Locking.

PubMed

Teng, Kok-Hin; Wu, Tong; Liu, Xiayun; Yang, Zhi; Heng, Chun-Huat

2017-06-01

An 8-channel wireless neural signal processing IC, which can perform real-time spike detection, alignment, and feature extraction, and wireless data transmission is proposed. A reconfigurable BFSK/QPSK transmitter (TX) at MICS/MedRadio band is incorporated to support different data rate requirement. By using an Exponential Component-Polynomial Component (EC-PC) spike processing unit with an incremental principal component analysis (IPCA) engine, the detection of neural spikes with poor SNR is possible while achieving 625× data reduction. For the TX, a dual-channel at 401 MHz and 403.8 MHz are supported by applying sequential injection locked techniques while attaining phase noise of -102 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset. From the measurement, error vector magnitude (EVM) of 4.60%/9.55% with power amplifier (PA) output power of -15 dBm is achieved for the QPSK at 8 Mbps and the BFSK at 12.5 kbps. Fabricated in 65 nm CMOS with an active area of 1 mm 2 , the design consumes a total current of 5  ∼ 5.6 mA with a maximum energy efficiency of 0.7 nJ/b.

The Methamphetamine Problem in the United States

PubMed Central

Gonzales, Rachel; Mooney, Larissa; Rawson, Richard

2015-01-01

Significant public health problems associated with methamphetamine (MA) production and use in the United States have emerged over the past 25 years. Although the popular press (Newsweek, Aug 8, 2008), has called MA “America’s Most Dangerous Drug” there has been considerable controversy about the size of the problem. Epidemiological indicators have given a mixed picture. National surveys of the adult U.S. population and school-based populations have consistently been used to support the position that MA use is a relatively minor concern (NSDUH, 2006; Johnston & O’Malley, 2007). However, many other data sources, including law-enforcement groups, welfare agencies, substance abuse treatment program admission data, data on criminal justice populations, and state/county executives indicate that MA is a very significant public health problem for many communities throughout much of the country (NDIC, 2007b; NACO, 2005, 2006; NIDA CEWG, 2007). In this article, we describe (1) the historical underpinnings of the MA problem, (2) trends in the epidemiological nature of the MA problem, (3) key subgroups at risk for MA problems, (4) the health and social factors associated with MA use, (5) interventions available for addressing the MA problem, and (5) lessons learned related to the MA problem. PMID:20070191

Electrical Characteristics of GaAs MESFET Fabrication by Ion Implantation of Si or Se

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-10-04

only the z-component of the polarization vector is non-zero, given by - dao . Since all the stress tensors are independent of z, the effective charge...GaAs," Stanford University, 1990. [381 Jong-Lam Lee , Jin Sup Kim, Hyung Moo Park, and Dong Sung Ma, "Depth Pro- files on Ion Implantation Induced Vacancy...February 1990. [40] Yao- Tsung Tsai and Timothy A. Grotjohn, "Source and Drain Resistance Studies of Short Channel MESFET’s Using Two-Dimensional Device

Mechanism of Telomerase Inhibition Using a Small Inhibitory RNAs and Induction of Breast Tumor Cell Sensitization

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

immunoprecipitation; TnT- transcription and translation. References Cited Barik , S. 2004. Control of nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus replication by siRNA...Virus Res. 102: 27-35. Barquinero, J . et al. 2004. Retroviral vectors: new applications for an old tool. Gene Ther. 11(suppl 1): S3-S9...proteins and heterochromatin. Oncogene. 21: 553-563. Chen, J -L., Blasco, M.A., and Greider, C.W. 2000. Secondary structure of vertebrate telomerase RNA

Implementation and application of moving average as continuous analytical quality control instrument demonstrated for 24 routine chemistry assays.

PubMed

Rossum, Huub H van; Kemperman, Hans

2017-07-26

General application of a moving average (MA) as continuous analytical quality control (QC) for routine chemistry assays has failed due to lack of a simple method that allows optimization of MAs. A new method was applied to optimize the MA for routine chemistry and was evaluated in daily practice as continuous analytical QC instrument. MA procedures were optimized using an MA bias detection simulation procedure. Optimization was graphically supported by bias detection curves. Next, all optimal MA procedures that contributed to the quality assurance were run for 100 consecutive days and MA alarms generated during working hours were investigated. Optimized MA procedures were applied for 24 chemistry assays. During this evaluation, 303,871 MA values and 76 MA alarms were generated. Of all alarms, 54 (71%) were generated during office hours. Of these, 41 were further investigated and were caused by ion selective electrode (ISE) failure (1), calibration failure not detected by QC due to improper QC settings (1), possible bias (significant difference with the other analyzer) (10), non-human materials analyzed (2), extreme result(s) of a single patient (2), pre-analytical error (1), no cause identified (20), and no conclusion possible (4). MA was implemented in daily practice as a continuous QC instrument for 24 routine chemistry assays. In our setup when an MA alarm required follow-up, a manageable number of MA alarms was generated that resulted in valuable MA alarms. For the management of MA alarms, several applications/requirements in the MA management software will simplify the use of MA procedures.

Moral and cognitive development in retarded and nonretarded children.

PubMed

Taylor, J J; Achenbach, T M

1975-07-01

Subjects were 30 cultural-familially retarded and 30 nonretarded children matched for MA within 3 MA levels. The subjects were administered measures of moral judgement and cognitive operations hypothesized by Kohlberg to constitute necessary but not sufficient conditions for attainment of specific moral stages. Moral and cognitive performance improved with MA, but there were no differences between the MA-matched retarded and nonretarded children. Moral judgement related more strongly to MA then to any of the specific cognitive operations tested. The findings failed to support Kohlberg and Gilligan's (1971) hypothesis that the moral judgment of older individuals should be more advanced than that of younger individuals matched for cognitive level, but they were in accord with Zigler's (1969) "developmental" concept of cultural-familial retardation.

Soft-sensing model of temperature for aluminum reduction cell on improved twin support vector regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tao

2018-06-01

The complexity of aluminum electrolysis process leads the temperature for aluminum reduction cells hard to measure directly. However, temperature is the control center of aluminum production. To solve this problem, combining some aluminum plant's practice data, this paper presents a Soft-sensing model of temperature for aluminum electrolysis process on Improved Twin Support Vector Regression (ITSVR). ITSVR eliminates the slow learning speed of Support Vector Regression (SVR) and the over-fit risk of Twin Support Vector Regression (TSVR) by introducing a regularization term into the objective function of TSVR, which ensures the structural risk minimization principle and lower computational complexity. Finally, the model with some other parameters as auxiliary variable, predicts the temperature by ITSVR. The simulation result shows Soft-sensing model based on ITSVR has short time-consuming and better generalization.

Coordinated Dispersal and Pre-Isthmian Assembly of the Central American Ichthyofauna

PubMed Central

Tagliacollo, Victor A.; Duke-Sylvester, Scott M.; Matamoros, Wilfredo A.; Chakrabarty, Prosanta

2017-01-01

Abstract We document patterns of coordinated dispersal over evolutionary time frames in heroine cichlids and poeciliine live-bearers, the two most species-rich clades of freshwater fishes in the Caribbean basin. Observed dispersal rate (DO) values were estimated from time-calibrated molecular phylogenies in Lagrange+, a modified version of the ML-based parametric biogeographic program Lagrange. DO is measured in units of “wallaces” (wa) as the number of biogeographic range-expansion events per million years. DO estimates were generated on a dynamic paleogeographic landscape of five areas over three time intervals from Upper Cretaceous to Recent. Expected dispersal rate (DE) values were generated from alternative paleogeographic models, with dispersal rates proportional to target area and source-river discharge volume, and inversely proportional to paleogeographic distance. Correlations between DO and DE were used to assess the relative contributions of these three biogeographic parameters. DO estimates imply a persistent dispersal corridor across the Eastern (Antillean) margin of the Caribbean plate, under the influence of prevailing and perennial riverine discharge vectors such as the Proto–Orinoco–Amazon river. Ancestral area estimation places the earliest colonizations of the Greater Antilles and Central America during the Paleocene–Eocene (ca. 58–45 Ma), potentially during the existence of an incomplete Paleogene Arc (∼59 Ma) or Lesser Antilles Arc (∼45 Ma), but predating the GAARlandia land bridge (∼34–33 Ma). Paleogeographic distance is the single best predictor of DO. The Western (Central American) plate margin did not serve as a dispersal corridor until the Late Neogene (12–0 Ma), and contributed relatively little to the formation of modern distributions. PMID:26370565

S81L and G170R mutations causing Primary Hyperoxaluria type I in homozygosis and heterozygosis: an example of positive interallelic complementation

PubMed Central

Montioli, Riccardo; Roncador, Alessandro; Oppici, Elisa; Mandrile, Giorgia; Giachino, Daniela Francesca; Cellini, Barbara; Borri Voltattorni, Carla

2014-01-01

Primary Hyperoxaluria type I (PH1) is a rare disease due to the deficit of peroxisomal alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT), a homodimeric pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP) enzyme present in humans as major (Ma) and minor (Mi) allele. PH1-causing mutations are mostly missense identified in both homozygous and compound heterozygous patients. Until now, the pathogenesis of PH1 has been only studied by approaches mimicking homozygous patients, whereas the molecular aspects of the genotype-enzymatic-clinical phenotype relationship in compound heterozygous patients are completely unknown. Here, for the first time, we elucidate the enzymatic phenotype linked to the S81L mutation on AGT-Ma, relative to a PLP-binding residue, and how it changes when the most common mutation G170R on AGT-Mi, known to cause AGT mistargeting without affecting the enzyme functionality, is present in the second allele. By using a bicistronic eukaryotic expression vector, we demonstrate that (i) S81L-Ma is mainly in its apo-form and has a significant peroxisomal localization and (ii) S81L and G170R monomers interact giving rise to the G170R-Mi/S81L-Ma holo-form, which is imported into peroxisomes and exhibits an enhanced functionality with respect to the parental enzymes. These data, integrated with the biochemical features of the heterodimer and the homodimeric counterparts in their purified recombinant form, (i) highlight the molecular basis of the pathogenicity of S81L-Ma and (ii) provide evidence for a positive interallelic complementation between the S81L and G170R monomers. Our study represents a valid approach to investigate the molecular pathogenesis of PH1 in compound heterozygous patients. PMID:24990153

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

Feldman, Steven; Valera-Leon, Carlos; Dechev, Damian

The vector is a fundamental data structure, which provides constant-time access to a dynamically-resizable range of elements. Currently, there exist no wait-free vectors. The only non-blocking version supports only a subset of the sequential vector API and exhibits significant synchronization overhead caused by supporting opposing operations. Since many applications operate in phases of execution, wherein each phase only a subset of operations are used, this overhead is unnecessary for the majority of the application. To address the limitations of the non-blocking version, we present a new design that is wait-free, supports more of the operations provided by the sequential vector,more » and provides alternative implementations of key operations. These alternatives allow the developer to balance the performance and functionality of the vector as requirements change throughout execution. Compared to the known non-blocking version and the concurrent vector found in Intel’s TBB library, our design outperforms or provides comparable performance in the majority of tested scenarios. Over all tested scenarios, the presented design performs an average of 4.97 times more operations per second than the non-blocking vector and 1.54 more than the TBB vector. In a scenario designed to simulate the filling of a vector, performance improvement increases to 13.38 and 1.16 times. This work presents the first ABA-free non-blocking vector. Finally, unlike the other non-blocking approach, all operations are wait-free and bounds-checked and elements are stored contiguously in memory.« less

A comparative study of surface EMG classification by fuzzy relevance vector machine and fuzzy support vector machine.

PubMed

Xie, Hong-Bo; Huang, Hu; Wu, Jianhua; Liu, Lei

2015-02-01

We present a multiclass fuzzy relevance vector machine (FRVM) learning mechanism and evaluate its performance to classify multiple hand motions using surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals. The relevance vector machine (RVM) is a sparse Bayesian kernel method which avoids some limitations of the support vector machine (SVM). However, RVM still suffers the difficulty of possible unclassifiable regions in multiclass problems. We propose two fuzzy membership function-based FRVM algorithms to solve such problems, based on experiments conducted on seven healthy subjects and two amputees with six hand motions. Two feature sets, namely, AR model coefficients and room mean square value (AR-RMS), and wavelet transform (WT) features, are extracted from the recorded sEMG signals. Fuzzy support vector machine (FSVM) analysis was also conducted for wide comparison in terms of accuracy, sparsity, training and testing time, as well as the effect of training sample sizes. FRVM yielded comparable classification accuracy with dramatically fewer support vectors in comparison with FSVM. Furthermore, the processing delay of FRVM was much less than that of FSVM, whilst training time of FSVM much faster than FRVM. The results indicate that FRVM classifier trained using sufficient samples can achieve comparable generalization capability as FSVM with significant sparsity in multi-channel sEMG classification, which is more suitable for sEMG-based real-time control applications.

A new method for the prediction of chatter stability lobes based on dynamic cutting force simulation model and support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Chong; Wang, Lun; Liao, T. Warren

2015-10-01

Currently, chatter has become the critical factor in hindering machining quality and productivity in machining processes. To avoid cutting chatter, a new method based on dynamic cutting force simulation model and support vector machine (SVM) is presented for the prediction of chatter stability lobes. The cutting force is selected as the monitoring signal, and the wavelet energy entropy theory is used to extract the feature vectors. A support vector machine is constructed using the MATLAB LIBSVM toolbox for pattern classification based on the feature vectors derived from the experimental cutting data. Then combining with the dynamic cutting force simulation model, the stability lobes diagram (SLD) can be estimated. Finally, the predicted results are compared with existing methods such as zero-order analytical (ZOA) and semi-discretization (SD) method as well as actual cutting experimental results to confirm the validity of this new method.

Community detection in complex networks using proximate support vector clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Feifan; Zhang, Baihai; Chai, Senchun; Xia, Yuanqing

2018-03-01

Community structure, one of the most attention attracting properties in complex networks, has been a cornerstone in advances of various scientific branches. A number of tools have been involved in recent studies concentrating on the community detection algorithms. In this paper, we propose a support vector clustering method based on a proximity graph, owing to which the introduced algorithm surpasses the traditional support vector approach both in accuracy and complexity. Results of extensive experiments undertaken on computer generated networks and real world data sets illustrate competent performances in comparison with the other counterparts.

A Wavelet Support Vector Machine Combination Model for Singapore Tourist Arrival to Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rafidah, A.; Shabri, Ani; Nurulhuda, A.; Suhaila, Y.

2017-08-01

In this study, wavelet support vector machine model (WSVM) is proposed and applied for monthly data Singapore tourist time series prediction. The WSVM model is combination between wavelet analysis and support vector machine (SVM). In this study, we have two parts, first part we compare between the kernel function and second part we compare between the developed models with single model, SVM. The result showed that kernel function linear better than RBF while WSVM outperform with single model SVM to forecast monthly Singapore tourist arrival to Malaysia.

Will Medicare Advantage payment reforms impact plan rebates and enrollment?

PubMed

Nicholas, Lauren Hersch

2014-01-01

To assess the relationship between Medicare Advantage (MA) plan rebates and enrollment and simulate the effects of Affordable Care Act (ACA) payment reforms. First difference regressions of county-level MA payment and enrollment data from CMS from 2006 to 2010. A $10 decrease in the per member/per month rebate to MA plans was associated with a 0.20 percentage point (0.9%) decrease in MA penetration (P < .001) and a 7.1% decline in the average MA enrollee's risk score (P < .001). These effects are small overall, but larger in counties with low levels of traditional Medicare spending; a $10 decrease in monthly rebates was associated with a 0.64 percentage point decline in MA penetration and a 10% decrease in risk score. ACA reforms are predicted to reduce the level of rebates in lower-spending counties, leading to enrollment decreases of 1.7 to 1.9 percentage points in the lowest-spending counties. The simulation predicts that the disenrollment would come from MA enrollees with higher risk scores. MA enrollment responds to availability of supplemental benefits supported by rebates. ACA provisions designed to lower MA spending will predominantly affect Medicare beneficiaries living in counties where MA plans may be unable to offer a comparable product at a price similar to that of traditional Medicare.

Predicting primary progressive aphasias with support vector machine approaches in structural MRI data.

PubMed

Bisenius, Sandrine; Mueller, Karsten; Diehl-Schmid, Janine; Fassbender, Klaus; Grimmer, Timo; Jessen, Frank; Kassubek, Jan; Kornhuber, Johannes; Landwehrmeyer, Bernhard; Ludolph, Albert; Schneider, Anja; Anderl-Straub, Sarah; Stuke, Katharina; Danek, Adrian; Otto, Markus; Schroeter, Matthias L

2017-01-01

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) encompasses the three subtypes nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA, semantic variant PPA, and the logopenic variant PPA, which are characterized by distinct patterns of language difficulties and regional brain atrophy. To validate the potential of structural magnetic resonance imaging data for early individual diagnosis, we used support vector machine classification on grey matter density maps obtained by voxel-based morphometry analysis to discriminate PPA subtypes (44 patients: 16 nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA, 17 semantic variant PPA, 11 logopenic variant PPA) from 20 healthy controls (matched for sample size, age, and gender) in the cohort of the multi-center study of the German consortium for frontotemporal lobar degeneration. Here, we compared a whole-brain with a meta-analysis-based disease-specific regions-of-interest approach for support vector machine classification. We also used support vector machine classification to discriminate the three PPA subtypes from each other. Whole brain support vector machine classification enabled a very high accuracy between 91 and 97% for identifying specific PPA subtypes vs. healthy controls, and 78/95% for the discrimination between semantic variant vs. nonfluent/agrammatic or logopenic PPA variants. Only for the discrimination between nonfluent/agrammatic and logopenic PPA variants accuracy was low with 55%. Interestingly, the regions that contributed the most to the support vector machine classification of patients corresponded largely to the regions that were atrophic in these patients as revealed by group comparisons. Although the whole brain approach took also into account regions that were not covered in the regions-of-interest approach, both approaches showed similar accuracies due to the disease-specificity of the selected networks. Conclusion, support vector machine classification of multi-center structural magnetic resonance imaging data enables prediction of PPA subtypes with a very high accuracy paving the road for its application in clinical settings.

Bias estimates used in lieu of validation of fission products and minor actinides in MCNP K eff calculations for PWR burnup credit casks

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

Mueller, Don E.; Marshall, William J.; Wagner, John C.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation recently issued Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) 8, Revision 3. This ISG provides guidance for burnup credit (BUC) analyses supporting transport and storage of PWR pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel in casks. Revision 3 includes guidance for addressing validation of criticality (k eff) calculations crediting the presence of a limited set of fission products and minor actinides (FP&MA). Based on previous work documented in NUREG/CR-7109, recommendation 4 of ISG-8, Rev. 3, includes a recommendation to use 1.5 or 3% of the FP&MA worth to conservatively cover the biasmore » due to the specified FP&MAs. This bias is supplementary to the bias and bias uncertainty resulting from validation of k eff calculations for the major actinides in SNF and does not address extension to actinides and fission products beyond those identified herein. The work described in this report involves comparison of FP&MA worths calculated using SCALE and MCNP with ENDF/B-V, -VI, and -VII based nuclear data and supports use of the 1.5% FP&MA worth bias when either SCALE or MCNP codes are used for criticality calculations, provided the other conditions of the recommendation 4 are met. The method used in this report may also be applied to demonstrate the applicability of the 1.5% FP&MA worth bias to other codes using ENDF/B V, VI or VII based nuclear data. The method involves use of the applicant s computational method to generate FP&MA worths for a reference SNF cask model using specified spent fuel compositions. The applicant s FP&MA worths are then compared to reference values provided in this report. The applicants FP&MA worths should not exceed the reference results by more than 1.5% of the reference FP&MA worths.« less

A Fast Reduced Kernel Extreme Learning Machine.

PubMed

Deng, Wan-Yu; Ong, Yew-Soon; Zheng, Qing-Hua

2016-04-01

In this paper, we present a fast and accurate kernel-based supervised algorithm referred to as the Reduced Kernel Extreme Learning Machine (RKELM). In contrast to the work on Support Vector Machine (SVM) or Least Square SVM (LS-SVM), which identifies the support vectors or weight vectors iteratively, the proposed RKELM randomly selects a subset of the available data samples as support vectors (or mapping samples). By avoiding the iterative steps of SVM, significant cost savings in the training process can be readily attained, especially on Big datasets. RKELM is established based on the rigorous proof of universal learning involving reduced kernel-based SLFN. In particular, we prove that RKELM can approximate any nonlinear functions accurately under the condition of support vectors sufficiency. Experimental results on a wide variety of real world small instance size and large instance size applications in the context of binary classification, multi-class problem and regression are then reported to show that RKELM can perform at competitive level of generalized performance as the SVM/LS-SVM at only a fraction of the computational effort incurred. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of six New World Leishmania species through the implementation of a High-Resolution Melting (HRM) genotyping assay.

PubMed

Hernández, Carolina; Alvarez, Catalina; González, Camila; Ayala, Martha Stella; León, Cielo Maritza; Ramírez, Juan David

2014-11-14

Leishmaniases are tropical zoonotic diseases, caused by parasites from the genus Leishmania. New World (NW) species are related to sylvatic cycles although urbanization processes have been reported in some South American Countries such as Colombia. This eco-epidemiological complexity imposes a challenge to the detection of circulating parasite species, not only related to human cases but also infecting vectors and reservoirs. Currently, no harmonized methods have been deployed to discriminate the NW Leishmania species. Herein, we conducted a systematic and mechanistic High-Resolution Melting (HRM) assay targeted to HSP70 and ITS1. Specific primers were designed that coupled with a HRM analyses permitted to discriminate six NW Leishmania species. In order to validate the herein described algorithm, we included 35 natural isolates obtained from human cases, insect vectors and mammals. Our genotyping assay allowed the correct assignment of the six NW Leishmania species (L. mexicana, L. infantum (chagasi), L. amazonensis, L. panamensis, L. guyanensis and L. braziliensis) based on reference strains. When the algorithm was applied to a set of well-characterized strains by means of PCR-RFLP, MLEE and monoclonal antibodies (MA) we observed a tailored concordance between the HRM and PCR-RFLP/MLEE/MA (KI = 1.0). Additionally, we tested the limit of detection for the HRM method showing that this is able to detect at least 10 equivalent-parasites per mL. This is a rapid and reliable method to conduct molecular epidemiology and host-parasite association studies in endemic areas.

Support vector machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garay, Michael J.; Mazzoni, Dominic; Davies, Roger; Wagstaff, Kiri

2004-01-01

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are a type of supervised learning algorith,, other examples of which are Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Decision Trees, and Naive Bayesian Classifiers. Supervised learning algorithms are used to classify objects labled by a 'supervisor' - typically a human 'expert.'.

Altered methamphetamine place conditioning in mice vaccinated with a succinyl-methamphetamine-tetanus-toxoid vaccine.

PubMed

Haile, Colin N; Kosten, Therese A; Shen, Xiaoyun Y; O'Malley, Patrick W; Winoske, Kevin J; Kinsey, Berma M; Wu, Yan; Huang, Zhen; Lykissa, Ernest D; Naidu, Naga; Cox, Joseph A; Arora, Reetakshi; Kosten, Thomas R; Orson, Frank M

2015-12-01

We previously reported that an anti-methamphetamine (MA) vaccine attenuated drug-conditioned effects in mice, but it used a carrier protein and adjuvant not available for clinical use. Here we produced a vaccine with the same hapten (succinyl-methamphetamine, SMA) but attached to tetanus toxoid (SMA-TT) and adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide, components approved for use in humans. We then assessed the vaccine's ability to generate anti-MA antibodies, alter acquisition and reinstatement of MA place conditioning, and prevent MA brain penetration. Mice were administered SMA-TT at weeks 0 and 3 and non-vaccinated mice received saline. Anti-MA antibody concentrations were determined at 8 and 12 weeks. Place conditioning began during week 9 in which vaccinated and non-vaccinated mice were divided into groups and conditioned with .5, or 2.0 mg/kg MA. Following acquisition training, mice were extinguished and then a reinstatement test was performed in which mice were administered their original training dose of MA. Separate groups of non-vaccinated and vaccinated mice were administered .5 and 2.0 mg/kg MA and brain MA levels determined. Anti-MA antibody levels were elevated at week 8 and remained so through week 12. The SMA-TT vaccine attenuated acquisition and reinstatement of MA place conditioning. Significantly greater proportions of vaccinated mice during acquisition and reinstatement tests showed conditioned place aversion. Moreover, MA brain levels were decreased in vaccinated mice following administration of both doses of MA. Results support further development of anti-MA vaccines using components approved for use in humans. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

New technologies for supporting real-time on-board software development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerridge, D.

1995-03-01

The next generation of on-board data management systems will be significantly more complex than current designs, and will be required to perform more complex and demanding tasks in software. Improved hardware technology, in the form of the MA31750 radiation hard processor, is one key component in addressing the needs of future embedded systems. However, to complement these hardware advances, improved support for the design and implementation of real-time data management software is now needed. This will help to control the cost and risk assoicated with developing data management software development as it becomes an increasingly significant element within embedded systems. One particular problem with developing embedded software is managing the non-functional requirements in a systematic way. This paper identifies how Logica has exploited recent developments in hard real-time theory to address this problem through the use of new hard real-time analysis and design methods which can be supported by specialized tools. The first stage in transferring this technology from the research domain to industrial application has already been completed. The MA37150 Hard Real-Time Embedded Software Support Environment (HESSE) is a loosely integrated set of hardware and software tools which directly support the process of hard real-time analysis for software targeting the MA31750 processor. With further development, this HESSE promises to provide embedded system developers with software tools which can reduce the risks associated with developing complex hard real-time software. Supported in this way by more sophisticated software methods and tools, it is foreseen that MA31750 based embedded systems can meet the processing needs for the next generation of on-board data management systems.

Lysine acetylation sites prediction using an ensemble of support vector machine classifiers.

PubMed

Xu, Yan; Wang, Xiao-Bo; Ding, Jun; Wu, Ling-Yun; Deng, Nai-Yang

2010-05-07

Lysine acetylation is an essentially reversible and high regulated post-translational modification which regulates diverse protein properties. Experimental identification of acetylation sites is laborious and expensive. Hence, there is significant interest in the development of computational methods for reliable prediction of acetylation sites from amino acid sequences. In this paper we use an ensemble of support vector machine classifiers to perform this work. The experimentally determined acetylation lysine sites are extracted from Swiss-Prot database and scientific literatures. Experiment results show that an ensemble of support vector machine classifiers outperforms single support vector machine classifier and other computational methods such as PAIL and LysAcet on the problem of predicting acetylation lysine sites. The resulting method has been implemented in EnsemblePail, a web server for lysine acetylation sites prediction available at http://www.aporc.org/EnsemblePail/. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Product Quality Modelling Based on Incremental Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Zhang, W.; Qin, B.; Shi, W.

2012-05-01

Incremental Support vector machine (ISVM) is a new learning method developed in recent years based on the foundations of statistical learning theory. It is suitable for the problem of sequentially arriving field data and has been widely used for product quality prediction and production process optimization. However, the traditional ISVM learning does not consider the quality of the incremental data which may contain noise and redundant data; it will affect the learning speed and accuracy to a great extent. In order to improve SVM training speed and accuracy, a modified incremental support vector machine (MISVM) is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the margin vectors are extracted according to the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) condition; then the distance from the margin vectors to the final decision hyperplane is calculated to evaluate the importance of margin vectors, where the margin vectors are removed while their distance exceed the specified value; finally, the original SVs and remaining margin vectors are used to update the SVM. The proposed MISVM can not only eliminate the unimportant samples such as noise samples, but also can preserve the important samples. The MISVM has been experimented on two public data and one field data of zinc coating weight in strip hot-dip galvanizing, and the results shows that the proposed method can improve the prediction accuracy and the training speed effectively. Furthermore, it can provide the necessary decision supports and analysis tools for auto control of product quality, and also can extend to other process industries, such as chemical process and manufacturing process.

Life and death of the resurrection plate: Evidence for its existence and subduction in the northeastern Pacific in Paleocene-Eocene time

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haeussler, P.J.; Bradley, D.C.; Wells, R.E.; Miller, M.L.

2003-01-01

Onshore evidence suggests that a plate is missing from published reconstructions of the northeastern Pacific Ooean in Paleocene- Eocene time. The Resurrection plate, named for the Resurrection Peninsula ophiolite near Seward, Alaska, was located east of the Kula plate and north of the Farallon plate. We interpret coeval near-trench magmatism in southern Alaska and the Cascadia margin as evidence for two slab windows associated with trench-ridge-trench (TRT) triple junctions, which formed the western and southern boundaries of the Resurrection plate. In Alaska, the Sanak-Baranof belt of near-trench intrusions records a west-to-east migration, from 61 to 50 Ma, of the northern TRT triple junction along a 2100-km-long section of coastline. In Oregon, Washington, and southern Vancouver Island, voluminous basaltic volcanism of the Siletz River Volcanics, Crescent Formation, and Metchosin Volcanics occurred between ca. 66 and 48 Ma. Lack of a clear age progression of magmatism along the Cascadia margin suggests that this southern triple junction did not migrate significantly. Synchronous near-trench magmatism from southeastern Alaska to Puget Sound at ca. 50 Ma documents the middle Eocene subduction of a spreading center, the crest of which was subparallel to the margin. We interpret this ca. 50 Ma event as recording the subduction-zone consumption of the last of the Resurrection plate. The existence and subsequent subduction of the Resurrection plate explains (1) northward terrane transport along the southeastern Alaska-British Columbia margin between 70 and 50 Ma, synchronous with an eastward-migrating triple junction in southern Alaska; (2) rapid uplift and voluminous magmatism in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia prior to 50 Ma related to subduction of buoyant, young oceanic crust of the Resurrection plate; (3) cessation of Coast Mountains magmatism at ca. 50 Ma due to cessation of subduction, (4) primitive mafic magmatism in the Coast Mountains and Cascade Range just after 50 Ma, related to slab-window magmatism, (5) birth of the Queen Charlotte transform margin at ca. 50 Ma, (6) extensional exhumation of high-grade metamorphic terranes and development of core complexes in British Columbia, Idaho, and Washington, and extensional collapse of the Cordilleran foreland fold-and-thrust belt in Alberta, Montana, and Idaho after 50 Ma related to initiation of the transform margin, (7) enigmatic 53-45 Ma magmatism associated with extension from Montana to the Yukon Territory as related to slab breakup and the formation of a slab window, (8) right-lateral margin-parallel strike-slip faulting in southern and western Alaska during Late Cretaceous and Paleocene time, which cannot be explained by Farallon convergence vectors, and (9) simultaneous changes in Pacific-Farallon and Pacific-Kula plate motions concurrent with demise of the Kula-Resurrection Ridge.

Bayesian Kernel Methods for Non-Gaussian Distributions: Binary and Multi-class Classification Problems

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-28

those of the support vector machine and relevance vector machine, and the model runs more quickly than the other algorithms . When one class occurs...incremental support vector machine algorithm for online learning when fewer than 50 data points are available. (a) Papers published in peer-reviewed journals...learning environments, where data processing occurs one observation at a time and the classification algorithm improves over time with new

A meta-analysis of an implicit measure of personality functioning: the Mutuality of Autonomy Scale.

PubMed

Graceffo, Robert A; Mihura, Joni L; Meyer, Gregory J

2014-01-01

The Mutuality of Autonomy scale (MA) is a Rorschach variable designed to capture the degree to which individuals mentally represent self and other as mutually autonomous versus pathologically destructive (Urist, 1977). Discussions of the MA's validity found in articles and chapters usually claim good support, which we evaluated by a systematic review and meta-analysis of its construct validity. Overall, in a random effects analysis across 24 samples (N = 1,801) and 91 effect sizes, the MA scale was found to maintain a relationship of r =.20, 95% CI [.16,.25], with relevant validity criteria. We hypothesized that MA summary scores that aggregate more MA response-level data would maintain the strongest relationship with relevant validity criteria. Results supported this hypothesis (aggregated scoring method: r =.24, k = 57, S = 24; nonaggregated scoring methods: r =.15, k = 34, S = 10; p =.039, 2-tailed). Across 7 exploratory moderator analyses, only 1 (criterion method) produced significant results. Criteria derived from the Thematic Apperception Test produced smaller effects than clinician ratings, diagnostic differentiation, and self-attributed characteristics; criteria derived from observer reports produced smaller effects than clinician ratings and self-attributed characteristics. Implications of the study's findings are discussed in terms of both research and clinical work.

Correlating The Star Formation Histories Of MaNGA Galaxies With Their Past AGN Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez Ortiz, Andrea

2017-01-01

We investigate active galactic nuclei (AGN) as a primary mechanism affecting star formation in MaNGA galaxies. Using the Pipe3D code, we modeled the stellar population from MaNGA spectra and derived the star formation histories of 53 AGN host galaxies. We seek to compare the star formation histories of the host galaxies of AGN with the ages of their radio lobes to better understand the role of AGN feedback in the star formation histories of MaNGA galaxies. MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) is one of the three core programs in the fourth generation Sloan Digital Sky Survey(SDSS). MaNGA will investigate the internal kinematics of nearly 10,000 local galaxies through dithered observations using fiber integral field units (IFUs) that vary in diameter from 12" (19 fibers) to 32" (127 fibers). In this poster, we present initial results on the star formation histories of MaNGA AGN host galaxies. This work was supported by the SDSS Research Experience for Undergraduates program, which is funded by a grant from Sloan Foundation to the Astrophysical Research Consortium.

Vector-model-supported approach in prostate plan optimization

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

Liu, Eva Sau Fan; Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Wu, Vincent Wing Cheung

Lengthy time consumed in traditional manual plan optimization can limit the use of step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiotherapy/volumetric-modulated radiotherapy (S&S IMRT/VMAT). A vector model base, retrieving similar radiotherapy cases, was developed with respect to the structural and physiologic features extracted from the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) files. Planning parameters were retrieved from the selected similar reference case and applied to the test case to bypass the gradual adjustment of planning parameters. Therefore, the planning time spent on the traditional trial-and-error manual optimization approach in the beginning of optimization could be reduced. Each S&S IMRT/VMAT prostate reference database comprised 100more » previously treated cases. Prostate cases were replanned with both traditional optimization and vector-model-supported optimization based on the oncologists' clinical dose prescriptions. A total of 360 plans, which consisted of 30 cases of S&S IMRT, 30 cases of 1-arc VMAT, and 30 cases of 2-arc VMAT plans including first optimization and final optimization with/without vector-model-supported optimization, were compared using the 2-sided t-test and paired Wilcoxon signed rank test, with a significance level of 0.05 and a false discovery rate of less than 0.05. For S&S IMRT, 1-arc VMAT, and 2-arc VMAT prostate plans, there was a significant reduction in the planning time and iteration with vector-model-supported optimization by almost 50%. When the first optimization plans were compared, 2-arc VMAT prostate plans had better plan quality than 1-arc VMAT plans. The volume receiving 35 Gy in the femoral head for 2-arc VMAT plans was reduced with the vector-model-supported optimization compared with the traditional manual optimization approach. Otherwise, the quality of plans from both approaches was comparable. Vector-model-supported optimization was shown to offer much shortened planning time and iteration number without compromising the plan quality.« less

A helper virus-free HSV-1 vector containing the vesicular glutamate transporter-1 promoter supports expression preferentially in VGLUT1-containing glutamatergic neurons.

PubMed

Zhang, Guo-rong; Geller, Alfred I

2010-05-17

Multiple potential uses of direct gene transfer into neurons require restricting expression to specific classes of glutamatergic neurons. Thus, it is desirable to develop vectors containing glutamatergic class-specific promoters. The three vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) are expressed in distinct populations of neurons, and VGLUT1 is the predominant VGLUT in the neocortex, hippocampus, and cerebellar cortex. We previously reported a plasmid (amplicon) Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1) vector that placed the Lac Z gene under the regulation of the VGLUT1 promoter (pVGLUT1lac). Using helper virus-free vector stocks, we showed that this vector supported approximately 90% glutamatergic neuron-specific expression in postrhinal (POR) cortex, in rats sacrificed at either 4 days or 2 months after gene transfer. We now show that pVGLUT1lac supports expression preferentially in VGLUT1-containing glutamatergic neurons. pVGLUT1lac vector stock was injected into either POR cortex, which contains primarily VGLUT1-containing glutamatergic neurons, or into the ventral medial hypothalamus (VMH), which contains predominantly VGLUT2-containing glutamatergic neurons. Rats were sacrificed at 4 days after gene transfer, and the types of cells expressing ss-galactosidase were determined by immunofluorescent costaining. Cell counts showed that pVGLUT1lac supported expression in approximately 10-fold more cells in POR cortex than in the VMH, whereas a control vector supported expression in similar numbers of cells in these two areas. Further, in POR cortex, pVGLUT1lac supported expression predominately in VGLUT1-containing neurons, and, in the VMH, pVGLUT1lac showed an approximately 10-fold preference for the rare VGLUT1-containing neurons. VGLUT1-specific expression may benefit specific experiments on learning or specific gene therapy approaches, particularly in the neocortex. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vector magnetic field observations with the Haleakala polarimeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mickey, D. L.

1985-01-01

Several enhancements were recently made to the Haleakala polarimeter. Linear array detectors provide simultaneous resolution over a 3-A wavelength range, with spectral resolution of 40 mA. Optical fibers are now used to carry the intensity-modulated light from the rotating quarter-wave plate polarimeter to the echelle spectrometer, permitting its removal from the spar to a more stable environment. These changes, together with improved quarter-wave plates, reduced systematic errors to a few parts in 10,000 for routine observations. Examples of Stokes profiles and derived magnetic field maps are presented.

Reconstructing late Pliocene to middle Pleistocene Death Valley lakes and river systems as a test of pupfish (Cyprinodontidae) dispersal hypotheses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knott, J.R.; Machette, M.N.; Klinger, R.E.; Sarna-Wojcicki, A. M.; Liddicoat, J.C.; Tinsley, J. C.; David, B.T.; Ebbs, V.M.

2008-01-01

During glacial (pluvial) climatic periods, Death Valley is hypothesized to have episodically been the terminus for the Amargosa, Owens, and Mojave Rivers. Geological and biological studies have tended to support this hypothesis and a hydrological link that included the Colorado River, allowing dispersal of pupfish throughout southeastern California and western Nevada. Recent mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (mtDNA) studies show a common pupfish (Cyprinodontidae) ancestry in this region with divergence beginning 3-2 Ma. We present tephrochronologic and paleomagnetic data in the context of testing the paleohydrologic connections with respect to the common collection point of the Amargosa, Owens, and Mojave Rivers in Death during successive time periods: (1) the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene (3-2 Ma), (2) early to middle Pleistocene (1.2-0.5 Ma), and (3) middle to late Pleistocene (<0.70.03 Ma; paleolakes Manly and Mojave). Using the 3.35 Ma Zabriskie Wash tuff and 3.28 Ma Nomlaki Tuff Member of the Tuscan and Tehama Formations, which are prominent marker beds in the region, we conclude that at 3-2 Ma, a narrow lake occupied the ancient Furnace Creek Basin and that Death Valley was not hydrologically connected with the Amargosa or Mojave Rivers. A paucity of data for Panamint Valley does not allow us to evaluate an Owens River connection to Death Valley ca. 3-2 Ma. Studies by others have shown that Death Valley was not hydrologically linked to the Amargosa, Owens, or Mojave Rivers from 1.2 to 0.5 Ma. We found no evidence that Lake Manly flooded back up the Mojave River to pluvial Lake Mojave between 0.18 and 0.12 Ma, although surface water flowed from the Amargosa and Owens Rivers to Death Valley at this time. There is also no evidence for a connection of the Owens, Amargosa, or Mojave Rivers to the Colorado River in the last 3-2 m.y. Therefore, the hypothesis that pupfish dispersed or were isolated in basins throughout southeastern California and western Nevada by such a connection is not supported. Beyond the biologically predicted time frame, however, sparse and disputed data suggest that a fluvial system connected Panamint (Owens River), Death, and Amargosa Valleys, which could account for the dispersal and isolation before 3 Ma. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

Sustained-Release Methylphenidate in a Randomized Trial of Treatment of Methamphetamine Use Disorder

PubMed Central

Ling, Walter; Chang, Linda; Hillhouse, Maureen; Ang, Alfonso; Striebel, Joan; Jenkins, Jessica; Hernandez, Jasmin; Olaer, Mary; Mooney, Larissa; Reed, Susan; Fukaya, Erin; Kogachi, Shannon; Alicata, Daniel; Holmes, Nataliya; Esagoff, Asher

2014-01-01

Background and aims No effective pharmacotherapy for methamphetamine (MA) use disorder has yet been found. This study evaluated sustained-release methylphenidate (MPH-SR) compared with placebo (PLA) for treatment of MA use disorder in people also undergoing behavioural support and motivational incentives. Design This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design with MPH-SR or PLA provided for 10 weeks (active phase) followed by 4 weeks of single-blind PLA. Twice-weekly clinic visits, weekly group counseling (CBT), and motivational incentives (MI) for MA-negative urine drug screens (UDS) were included. Setting Treatment sites were in Los Angeles, California (LA) and Honolulu, Hawaii (HH), USA. Participants 110 MA-dependent (via DSM-IV) participants (LA = 90; HH = 20). Measurements The primary outcome measure is self-reported days of MA use during the last 30 days of the active phase. Included in the current analyses are drug use (UDS and self-report), retention, craving, compliance (dosing, CBT, MI), adverse events, and treatment satisfaction. Findings No difference was found between treatment groups in self-reported days of MA use during the last 30 days of the active phase (p=0.22). In planned secondary outcomes analyses, however, the MPH group had fewer self-reported MA use days from baseline through the active phase compared with the PLA group (p=0.05). The MPH group also had lower craving scores and fewer marijuana-positive UDS than the PLA group in the last 30 days of the active phase. The two groups had similar retention, other drug use, adverse events, and treatment satisfaction. Conclusions Methylphenidate may lead to a reduction in concurrent methamphetamine use when provided as treatment for patients undergoing behavioural support for moderate to severe methamphetamine use disorder but this requires confirmation. PMID:24825486

Predicting and testing continental vertical motion histories since the Paleozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Nan; Zhong, Shijie; Flowers, Rebecca M.

2012-02-01

Dynamic topography at the Earth's surface caused by mantle convection can affect a range of geophysical and geological observations including bathymetry, sea-level change, continental flooding, sedimentation and erosion. These observations provide important constraints on and test of mantle dynamic models. Based on global mantle convection models coupled with the surface plate motion history, we compute dynamic topography and its history for the last 400 Ma associated with Pangea assembly and breakup, with particular focus on cratonic regions. We propose that burial-unroofing histories of cratons inferred from thermochronology data can be used as a new diagnostic to test dynamic topography and mantle dynamic models. Our models show that there are currently two broad dynamic topography highs in the Pacific and Africa for the present-day Earth that are associated with the broad, warm structures (i.e., superplumes) in the deep mantle, consistent with previous proposals of dynamical support for the Pacific and African superswells. Our models reveal that Pangea assembly and breakup, by affecting subduction and mantle upwelling processes, have significant effects on continental vertical motions. Our models predict that the Slave craton in North America subsides before Pangea assembly at 330 Ma but uplifts significantly from 330 Ma to 240 Ma in response to pre-Pangea subduction and post-assembly mantle warming. The Kaapvaal craton of Africa is predicted to undergo uplift from ~180 Ma to 90 Ma after Pangea breakup, but its dynamic topography remains stable for the last 90 Ma. The predicted histories of elevation change for the Slave and Kaapvaal cratons compare well with the burial-unroofing histories inferred from thermochronology studies, thus supporting our dynamic models including the development of the African superplume mantle structure. The vertical motion histories for other cratons can provide further tests of and constraints on our mantle dynamic models.

Predicting and testing continental vertical motion histories since the Paleozoic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, N.; Zhong, S.; Flowers, R. M.

2011-12-01

Dynamic topography at the Earth's surface caused by mantle convection can affect a range of geophysical and geological observations including bathymetry, sea-level change, continental flooding, sedimentation and erosion. These observations provide important constraints on and test of mantle dynamic models. Based on global mantle convection models coupled with the surface plate motion history, we compute dynamic topography and its history for the last 400 Ma associated with Pangea assembly and breakup, with particular focus on continental cratonic regions. We propose that burial-unroofing histories of continental cratons inferred from thermochronology data can be used as a new diagnostic to test dynamic topography and mantle dynamic models. Our models show that there are currently two broad dynamic topography highs in the Pacific and Africa for the present-day Earth that are associated with the broad, warm structures (i.e., superplumes) in the deep mantle, consistent with previous proposals of dynamical support for the Pacific and African superswells. Our models reveal that Pangea assembly and breakup, by affecting subduction and mantle upwelling processes, have significant effects on continental vertical motions. Our models predict that the Slave craton in North America subsides before Pangea assembly at 330 Ma but uplifts significantly from 330 Ma to 240 Ma in response to pre-Pangea subduction and post-assembly mantle warming. The Kaapvaal craton of Africa is predicted to undergo uplift from ~180 Ma to 90 Ma after Pangea breakup, but its dynamic topography remains stable for the last 90 Ma. The predicted histories of elevation change for the Slave and Kaapvaal cratons compare well with the burial-unroofing histories inferred from thermochronology studies, thus supporting our dynamic models including the development of the African superplume mantle structure. The vertical motion histories for other cratons can provide further tests and constraints on our mantle dynamic models.

Regional associations between Medicare Advantage penetration and administrative claims-based measures of hospital outcome

PubMed Central

Kulkarni, Vivek T.; Shah, Sachin J.; Bernheim, Susannah M.; Wang, Yongfei; Normand, Sharon-Lise T.; Han, Lein F.; Rapp, Michael T.; Drye, Elizabeth E.; Krumholz, Harlan M.

2017-01-01

Structured Abstract Background Risk-standardized measures of hospital outcomes reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) include Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients and exclude Medicare Advantage (MA) patients due to data availability. MA penetration varies greatly nationwide and appears associated with increased FFS population risk. Whether variation in MA penetration affects the performance on the CMS measures is unknown. Objective To determine whether the MA penetration rate is associated with outcomes measures based on fee-for-service patients. Research Design In this retrospective study, 2008 MA penetration was estimated at the Hospital Referral Region (HRR) level. Risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs), and risk-standardized readmission rates (RSRRs) for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia from 2006–2008 were estimated among HRRs, along with several markers of FFS population risk. Weighted linear regression was used to test the association between each of these variables and MA penetration among HRRs. Results Among 304 HRRs, MA penetration varied greatly (median: 17.0%, range: 2.1% – 56.6%). Although MA penetration was significantly (p<0.05) associated with 5 of the 6 markers of FFS population risk, MA penetration was insignificantly (p≥0.05) associated with 5 of 6 hospital outcome measures. Conclusion RSMRs and RSRRs for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia do not seem to differ systematically with MA penetration, lending support to the widespread use of these measures even in areas of high MA penetration. PMID:22456113

Automatic event detection in low SNR microseismic signals based on multi-scale permutation entropy and a support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Rui-Sheng; Sun, Hong-Mei; Peng, Yan-Jun; Liang, Yong-Quan; Lu, Xin-Ming

2017-07-01

Microseismic monitoring is an effective means for providing early warning of rock or coal dynamical disasters, and its first step is microseismic event detection, although low SNR microseismic signals often cannot effectively be detected by routine methods. To solve this problem, this paper presents permutation entropy and a support vector machine to detect low SNR microseismic events. First, an extraction method of signal features based on multi-scale permutation entropy is proposed by studying the influence of the scale factor on the signal permutation entropy. Second, the detection model of low SNR microseismic events based on the least squares support vector machine is built by performing a multi-scale permutation entropy calculation for the collected vibration signals, constructing a feature vector set of signals. Finally, a comparative analysis of the microseismic events and noise signals in the experiment proves that the different characteristics of the two can be fully expressed by using multi-scale permutation entropy. The detection model of microseismic events combined with the support vector machine, which has the features of high classification accuracy and fast real-time algorithms, can meet the requirements of online, real-time extractions of microseismic events.

Semantic Relations for Problem-Oriented Medical Records

PubMed Central

Uzuner, Ozlem; Mailoa, Jonathan; Ryan, Russell; Sibanda, Tawanda

2010-01-01

Summary Objective We describe semantic relation (SR) classification on medical discharge summaries. We focus on relations targeted to the creation of problem-oriented records. Thus, we define relations that involve the medical problems of patients. Methods and Materials We represent patients’ medical problems with their diseases and symptoms. We study the relations of patients’ problems with each other and with concepts that are identified as tests and treatments. We present an SR classifier that studies a corpus of patient records one sentence at a time. For all pairs of concepts that appear in a sentence, this SR classifier determines the relations between them. In doing so, the SR classifier takes advantage of surface, lexical, and syntactic features and uses these features as input to a support vector machine. We apply our SR classifier to two sets of medical discharge summaries, one obtained from the Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston, MA and the other from Partners Healthcare, Boston, MA. Results On the BIDMC corpus, our SR classifier achieves micro-averaged F-measures that range from 74% to 95% on the various relation types. On the Partners corpus, the micro-averaged F-measures on the various relation types range from 68% to 91%. Our experiments show that lexical features (in particular, tokens that occur between candidate concepts, which we refer to as inter-concept tokens) are very informative for relation classification in medical discharge summaries. Using only the inter-concept tokens in the corpus, our SR classifier can recognize 84% of the relations in the BIDMC corpus and 72% of the relations in the Partners corpus. Conclusion These results are promising for semantic indexing of medical records. They imply that we can take advantage of lexical patterns in discharge summaries for relation classification at a sentence level. PMID:20646918

Avian Plasmodium infection in field-collected mosquitoes during 2012-2013 in Tarlac, Philippines.

PubMed

Chen, Tien-Huang; Aure, Wilfredo E; Cruz, Estrella Irlandez; Malbas, Fedelino F; Teng, Hwa-Jen; Lu, Liang-Chen; Kim, Kyeong Soon; Tsuda, Yoshio; Shu, Pei-Yun

2015-12-01

Global warming threatens to increase the spread and prevalence of mosquito-transmitted diseases. Certain pathogens may be carried by migratory birds and transmitted to local mosquito populations. Mosquitoes were collected in the northern Philippines during bird migration seasons to detect avian malaria parasites as well as for the identification of potential vector species and the estimation of infections among local mosquito populations. We used the nested PCR to detect the avian malaria species. Culex vishnui (47.6%) was the most abundant species collected and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (13.8%) was the second most abundant. Avian Plasmodium parasites were found in eight mosquito species, for which the infection rates were between 0.5% and 6.2%. The six Plasmodium genetic lineages found in this study included P. juxtanucleare -GALLUS02, Tacy7 (Donana04), CXBIT01, Plasmodium species LIN2 New Zealand, and two unclassified lineages. The potential mosquito vectors for avian Plasmodium parasites in the Philippines were Cq. crassipes, Cx. fuscocephala, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. sitiens, Cx. vishnui, and Ma. Uniformis; two major genetic lineages, P. juxtanucleare and Tacy7, were identified. © 2015 The Society for Vector Ecology.

A hybrid approach to select features and classify diseases based on medical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AbdelLatif, Hisham; Luo, Jiawei

2018-03-01

Feature selection is popular problem in the classification of diseases in clinical medicine. Here, we developing a hybrid methodology to classify diseases, based on three medical datasets, Arrhythmia, Breast cancer, and Hepatitis datasets. This methodology called k-means ANOVA Support Vector Machine (K-ANOVA-SVM) uses K-means cluster with ANOVA statistical to preprocessing data and selection the significant features, and Support Vector Machines in the classification process. To compare and evaluate the performance, we choice three classification algorithms, decision tree Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machines and applied the medical datasets direct to these algorithms. Our methodology was a much better classification accuracy is given of 98% in Arrhythmia datasets, 92% in Breast cancer datasets and 88% in Hepatitis datasets, Compare to use the medical data directly with decision tree Naïve Bayes, and Support Vector Machines. Also, the ROC curve and precision with (K-ANOVA-SVM) Achieved best results than other algorithms

Alpharetroviral Self-inactivating Vectors: Long-term Transgene Expression in Murine Hematopoietic Cells and Low Genotoxicity

PubMed Central

Suerth, Julia D; Maetzig, Tobias; Brugman, Martijn H; Heinz, Niels; Appelt, Jens-Uwe; Kaufmann, Kerstin B; Schmidt, Manfred; Grez, Manuel; Modlich, Ute; Baum, Christopher; Schambach, Axel

2012-01-01

Comparative integrome analyses have highlighted alpharetroviral vectors with a relatively neutral, and thus favorable, integration spectrum. However, previous studies used alpharetroviral vectors harboring viral coding sequences and intact long-terminal repeats (LTRs). We recently developed self-inactivating (SIN) alpharetroviral vectors with an advanced split-packaging design. In a murine bone marrow (BM) transplantation model we now compared alpharetroviral, gammaretroviral, and lentiviral SIN vectors and showed that all vectors transduced hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), leading to comparable, sustained multilineage transgene expression in primary and secondary transplanted mice. Alpharetroviral integrations were decreased near transcription start sites, CpG islands, and potential cancer genes compared with gammaretroviral, and decreased in genes compared with lentiviral integrations. Analyzing the transcriptome and intragenic integrations in engrafting cells, we observed stronger correlations between in-gene integration targeting and transcriptional activity for gammaretroviral and lentiviral vectors than for alpharetroviral vectors. Importantly, the relatively “extragenic” alpharetroviral integration pattern still supported long-term transgene expression upon serial transplantation. Furthermore, sensitive genotoxicity studies revealed a decreased immortalization incidence compared with gammaretroviral and lentiviral SIN vectors. We conclude that alpharetroviral SIN vectors have a favorable integration pattern which lowers the risk of insertional mutagenesis while supporting long-term transgene expression in the progeny of transplanted HSCs. PMID:22334016

Maximum depositional ages and evolving provenance of Franciscan metagraywackes, NW California: LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ernst, W. G.; Dumitru, T. A.; Tsujimori, T.; McLaughlin, R. J.; Makishima, A.; Nakamura, E.

2012-12-01

In the Cape Mendocino-Garberville-Covelo area, the Franciscan Complex comprises an imbricate stack of east-rooting allochthons. Five structurally higher to lower thrust sheets crop out from east to west: Eastern Belt outliers; Central Belt mélange; Coastal Belt Yager terrane; Coastal Belt Coastal terrane; and Coastal Belt King Range/False Cape terranes. We analyzed detrital zircons from 11 rocks: 2 Eastern Belt; 5 Central Belt; 4 King Range/False Cape terrane. Combined with earlier analyses of 3 Yager terrane and 3 Coastal terrane zircon suites (Dumitru et al., in review), 17 rocks were investigated. Maximum ages of sedimentation and inferred ultimate sources of these units as follows. Eastern Belt (Yolla Bolly): 98-120 Ma Sierran batholith, 140- 230 Ma Andean arc, minor 1300-1400 Ma Mazatzal granites, minor 1800 Ma Yavapai basement, trace >2.5 Ga Archean craton. Central Belt: minor 62-80 Ma Idaho batholith, 85-200 Ma Sierran batholith-Andean arc, 1300-1400 Ma Mazatzal granites, minor 1600-1750 Ma Mazatzal-Yavapai basement. Yager terrane: 50-75 Ma Idaho batholith, 85-120 Ma Sierran batholith, minor 160-200 Ma Andean arc. Coastal terrane: 30-50 Ma, Cascade + Challis volcanics, 55-80 Ma Idaho batholith, 100 Ma Sierran batholith, 1300-1400 Ma, Mazatzal granites. King Range/False Cape terrane: 22-50 Ma Cascade + Challis Idaho batholith, 100-180 Ma Sierran batholith-Andean arc, minor 1400 Ma Mazatzal-Yavapai granites. Depositional ages of Franciscan imbricate thrust sheets young westward from the mid Cretaceous Eastern Belt through the end-of-Cretaceous Central Belt, to the Paleogene Coastal Belt. Over time, the Franciscan received greater proportions of younger clastics derived from more northerly sources. Although mostly arc-derived, some recycled 1400 and 1700-1800 Ma ± 2.5 Ga arc zircons probably were supplied to the Franciscan Complex by erosion and westward transport of detrital grains from Lower Paleozoic miogeoclinal strata covering the cratonal edge. Except for metagraywackes of the Early Cretaceous Skaggs Spring Schist and Picket Peak terrane, Grenville and Appalachian igneous zircons are conspicuously missing from mid-Cretaceous and younger Franciscan rocks, supporting northwestward offset of the trench deposits relative to SW North America.

Untangling the mechanism of 3-methyladenine (3-MA) in enhancing the specific productivity: Transcriptome analysis of recombinant CHO cells treated with 3-MA.

PubMed

Baek, Eric; Lee, Jae Seong; Lee, Gyun Min

2018-06-25

3-Methyladenine (3-MA) is a chemical additive that enhances the specific productivity (q p ) in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cell lines. Different from its widely known function of inhibiting autophagy, 3-MA has instead shown to increase autophagic flux in various rCHO cell lines. Thus, the mechanism by which 3-MA enhances the q p requires investigation. To evaluate the effect of 3-MA on transcriptome dynamics in rCHO cells, RNA-seq was performed with Fc-fusion protein-producing rCHO cells treated with 3-MA. By analyzing genes that were differentially expressed following the addition of 3-MA during culture, the role of 3-MA in the biological processes of rCHO cells was identified. One pathway markedly influenced by the addition of 3-MA was the unfolded protein response (UPR). Having a close relationship with autophagy, the UPR reestablishes protein folding homeostasis under endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The addition of 3-MA increased the expression of key regulators of the UPR, such as Atf4, Ddit3, and Creb3l3, further supporting the idea that the enhancement of ER capacity acts as a key in increasing the q p . Consequently, the downstream effectors of UPR, which include autophagy-promoting genes, were upregulated as well. Hence, the role of 3-MA in increasing UPR pathway could have made a salient contribution to the increased autophagic flux in rCHO cells. Taken together, transcriptome analysis improved the understanding of the role of 3-MA in gene expression dynamics in rCHO cells and its mechanism in enhancing the q p . This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

2D Larkin-Imry-Ma state of deformed ABM phase of superfluid 3He in ``ordered'' aerogel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, Vladimir; Senin, Andrey; Yudin, Alexey

2014-03-01

We report NMR studies of high temperature superfluid phase of 3He in so called ``ordered'' aerogel1 which strands are almost parallel to each other. Previously, it was found that the NMR properties of this phase depend on whether it is obtained on cooling from the normal phase or on warming from the low temperature phase2. These two types of high temperature phase (called as ESP1 and ESP2) correspond to Anderson-Brinkman-Morel (ABM) phase with large polar distortion and with orbital vector being in 2D Larkin-Imry-Ma (LIM) state. Here we present results which show that the observed difference in NMR signatures of the ESP1 and the ESP2 states is due to that the corresponding 2D LIM states can be anisotropic. In the ESP1 phase the anisotropy is absent or small, while in the ESP2 phase the anisotropy is large. NMR data have allowed us to estimate values of these anisotropies.

Identifying saltcedar with hyperspectral data and support vector machines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) are a group of dense phreatophytic shrubs and trees that are invasive to riparian areas throughout the United States. This study determined the feasibility of using hyperspectral data and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to discriminate saltcedar from other cover t...

3D-engineering of Cellularized Conduits for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yu; Wu, Yao; Gou, Zhiyuan; Tao, Jie; Zhang, Jiumeng; Liu, Qianqi; Kang, Tianyi; Jiang, Shu; Huang, Siqing; He, Jiankang; Chen, Shaochen; Du, Yanan; Gou, Maling

2016-08-01

Tissue engineered conduits have great promise for bridging peripheral nerve defects by providing physical guiding and biological cues. A flexible method for integrating support cells into a conduit with desired architectures is wanted. Here, a 3D-printing technology is adopted to prepare a bio-conduit with designer structures for peripheral nerve regeneration. This bio-conduit is consisted of a cryopolymerized gelatin methacryloyl (cryoGelMA) gel cellularized with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). By modeling using 3D-printed “lock and key” moulds, the cryoGelMA gel is structured into conduits with different geometries, such as the designed multichannel or bifurcating and the personalized structures. The cryoGelMA conduit is degradable and could be completely degraded in 2-4 months in vivo. The cryoGelMA scaffold supports the attachment, proliferation and survival of the seeded ASCs, and up-regulates the expression of their neurotrophic factors mRNA in vitro. After implanted in a rat model, the bio-conduit is capable of supporting the re-innervation across a 10 mm sciatic nerve gap, with results close to that of the autografts in terms of functional and histological assessments. The study describes an indirect 3D-printing technology for fabricating cellularized designer conduits for peripheral nerve regeneration, and could lead to the development of future nerve bio-conduits for clinical use.

Preparation and characterization of malonic acid cross-linked chitosan and collagen 3D scaffolds: an approach on non-covalent interactions.

PubMed

Mitra, Tapas; Sailakshmi, G; Gnanamani, A; Mandal, A B

2012-05-01

The present study emphasizes the influence of non-covalent interactions on the mechanical and thermal properties of the scaffolds of chitosan/collagen origin. Malonic acid (MA), a bifuncitonal diacid was chosen to offer non-covalent cross-linking. Three dimensional scaffolds was prepared using chitosan at 1.0% (w/v) and MA at 0.2% (w/v), similarly collagen 0.5% (w/v) and MA 0.2% (w/v) and characterized. Results on FT-IR, TGA, DSC, SEM and mechanical properties (tensile strength, stiffness, Young's modulus, etc.) assessment demonstrated the existence of non-covalent interaction between MA and chitosan/collagen, which offered flexibility and high strength to the scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering research. Studies using NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells suggested biocompatibility nature of the scaffolds. Docking simulation study further supports the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions between MA and chitosan/collagen.

Comparing machine learning and logistic regression methods for predicting hypertension using a combination of gene expression and next-generation sequencing data.

PubMed

Held, Elizabeth; Cape, Joshua; Tintle, Nathan

2016-01-01

Machine learning methods continue to show promise in the analysis of data from genetic association studies because of the high number of variables relative to the number of observations. However, few best practices exist for the application of these methods. We extend a recently proposed supervised machine learning approach for predicting disease risk by genotypes to be able to incorporate gene expression data and rare variants. We then apply 2 different versions of the approach (radial and linear support vector machines) to simulated data from Genetic Analysis Workshop 19 and compare performance to logistic regression. Method performance was not radically different across the 3 methods, although the linear support vector machine tended to show small gains in predictive ability relative to a radial support vector machine and logistic regression. Importantly, as the number of genes in the models was increased, even when those genes contained causal rare variants, model predictive ability showed a statistically significant decrease in performance for both the radial support vector machine and logistic regression. The linear support vector machine showed more robust performance to the inclusion of additional genes. Further work is needed to evaluate machine learning approaches on larger samples and to evaluate the relative improvement in model prediction from the incorporation of gene expression data.

Landscapes with different biodiversity influence distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites: A comparative study from southwest China.

PubMed

Peng, Pei-Ying; Guo, Xian-Guo; Jin, Dao-Chao; Dong, Wen-Ge; Qian, Ti-Jun; Qin, Feng; Yang, Zhi-Hua; Fan, Rong

2018-01-01

From a previous field investigation in Yunnan, southwest China between 2001 and 2015, we selected two types of landscapes to make a retrospectively comparative study on the distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites. One landscape is "mountainous uncultivated land (MUL)" with higher biodiversity, which is located in a famous "World Nature Heritage Site", the Three-Parallel-Rivers Region in the northwest of Yunnan. The other is "cultivated flatland landscape (CFL)" with lower biodiversity, which is located in the south of Yunnan. The landscapes with different biodiversity apparently influenced the distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites. Much more species of small mammals and mites were found in MUL than in CFL. A total of 3,177 small mammals captured from MUL were identified as 55 species, 30 genera and 10 families in five orders. From these small mammal hosts, 5,882 chigger mites were collected and identified as 127 species, 15 genera and 3 subfamilies in two families. A total of 1,112 small mammals captured from CFL were identified as 19 species, 12 genera and 5 families in three orders. From these hosts, 17,742 chiggers were collected and identified as 86 species, 12 genera and 3 subfamilies in two families. Both the species diversity (S = 55) and community diversity (H = 2.673) of small mammals in MUL were much higher than those in CFL (S = 19; H = 0.926). There were also higher values of β diversity in MUL than in CFL. Different main reservoir rodent hosts of zoonoses (including tsutsugamushi disease) were found in two types of landscapes. Rattus tanezumi (one main reservoir host) was most abundant in CFL, which accounted for 80.22% of all the small mammals. Another two main reservoir hosts, Eothenomys miletus and Apodemus chevrieri were the dominant species in MUL, but they were not as abundant as R. tanezumi in CFL. Different vector species of chigger mites also existed in MUL and CFL. Leptotrombidium deliense (a main and powerful vector of tsutsugamushi disease in China) and Ascoschoengastia indica (a potential vector of tsutsugamushi disease) were the dominant species of chigger mites in CFL (Cr = 25.81% for A. indica; Cr = 23.47% for L. deliense). Leptotrombidium scutellare (also a main vector of tsutsugamushi disease in China) was the dominant chigger species in MUL (Cr = 26.09%). Higher infestation of vector mites on small mammals was found in the simple landscape with lower biodiversity (CFL) than in the complex landscape with higher biodiversity (MUL). The overall prevalence (P), mean abundance (MA) and mean intensity (MI) of chigger mites on small mammals were much higher in CFL than in MUL. The main vector mite species on their main rodent hosts also showed a higher P, MA and MI in CFL than in MUL.

Landscapes with different biodiversity influence distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites: A comparative study from southwest China

PubMed Central

Peng, Pei-Ying; Jin, Dao-Chao; Dong, Wen-Ge; Qian, Ti-Jun; Qin, Feng; Yang, Zhi-Hua; Fan, Rong

2018-01-01

From a previous field investigation in Yunnan, southwest China between 2001 and 2015, we selected two types of landscapes to make a retrospectively comparative study on the distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites. One landscape is “mountainous uncultivated land (MUL)” with higher biodiversity, which is located in a famous “World Nature Heritage Site”, the Three-Parallel-Rivers Region in the northwest of Yunnan. The other is “cultivated flatland landscape (CFL)” with lower biodiversity, which is located in the south of Yunnan. The landscapes with different biodiversity apparently influenced the distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites. Much more species of small mammals and mites were found in MUL than in CFL. A total of 3,177 small mammals captured from MUL were identified as 55 species, 30 genera and 10 families in five orders. From these small mammal hosts, 5,882 chigger mites were collected and identified as 127 species, 15 genera and 3 subfamilies in two families. A total of 1,112 small mammals captured from CFL were identified as 19 species, 12 genera and 5 families in three orders. From these hosts, 17,742 chiggers were collected and identified as 86 species, 12 genera and 3 subfamilies in two families. Both the species diversity (S = 55) and community diversity (H = 2.673) of small mammals in MUL were much higher than those in CFL (S = 19; H = 0.926). There were also higher values of β diversity in MUL than in CFL. Different main reservoir rodent hosts of zoonoses (including tsutsugamushi disease) were found in two types of landscapes. Rattus tanezumi (one main reservoir host) was most abundant in CFL, which accounted for 80.22% of all the small mammals. Another two main reservoir hosts, Eothenomys miletus and Apodemus chevrieri were the dominant species in MUL, but they were not as abundant as R. tanezumi in CFL. Different vector species of chigger mites also existed in MUL and CFL. Leptotrombidium deliense (a main and powerful vector of tsutsugamushi disease in China) and Ascoschoengastia indica (a potential vector of tsutsugamushi disease) were the dominant species of chigger mites in CFL (Cr = 25.81% for A. indica; Cr = 23.47% for L. deliense). Leptotrombidium scutellare (also a main vector of tsutsugamushi disease in China) was the dominant chigger species in MUL (Cr = 26.09%). Higher infestation of vector mites on small mammals was found in the simple landscape with lower biodiversity (CFL) than in the complex landscape with higher biodiversity (MUL). The overall prevalence (P), mean abundance (MA) and mean intensity (MI) of chigger mites on small mammals were much higher in CFL than in MUL. The main vector mite species on their main rodent hosts also showed a higher P, MA and MI in CFL than in MUL. PMID:29364908

Optimizing the Performance of X-Ray Optics for MaGIXS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadlapalli, N.; Hertz, E.; Cheimets, P.

2017-12-01

The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-Ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) is an X-ray imaging spectrometer that will observe the solar corona in the soft X-ray regime with both spatial and spectral resolution. The science goal of MaGIXS is to better understand the problem of coronal heating by measuring the temperature distribution, composition, and temporal variability of hot plasmas (>4 MK) in active regions. In order to do this, the instrument will observe the corona with a fast cadence ( 5 seconds) in wavelengths between 6-24 A with a 6" spatial resolution and a 0.1 A spectral resolution. To ensure that this instrument can achieve such a resolution, it is crucial to have exact measurements of the focal lengths of the mirrors. The mirrors will be aligned and mounted using the Centroid Detector Assembly (CDA) (a steerable laser originally developed for aligning the AXAF mirrors), a CMM Romer arm, and Hartmann aperture masks to perform the focal length measurements. We have designed metrology supports that elevate the aperture mask and mirror up to the height of the optical axis defined by the CDA of the laser, allows the aperture mask 3 translational degrees of freedom, and the allows the mirror 3 translational and 3 rotational degrees of freedom needed for alignment. The measured and verified focal lengths will then be used to carry out the alignment of the mirrors as the MaGIXS instrument is assembled for launch. MaGIXS is supported by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, contract number NNM15AA15C. This work is additionally supported by the NSF-REU solar physics program at SAO, grant number AGS-1560313.

The geochemistry and petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic Green Mountain arc: A composite(?), bimodal, oceanic, fringing arc

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, D.S.; Barnes, C.G.; Premo, W.R.; Snoke, A.W.

2011-01-01

The inferred subduction affinity of the ~1780-Ma Green Mountain arc, a dominantly bimodal igneous terrane (together with immature marine and volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks) accreted to the southern margin of the Wyoming province, is integral to arc-accretion models of the Paleoproterozoic growth of southern Laurentia. Conversely, the dominantly bimodal nature of many putative arc-related igneous suites throughout southern Laurentia, including the Green Mountain arc, has also been used to support models of growth by extension of pre-existing crust. We report new geochemical and isotopic data from ~1780-Ma gabbroic and granodioritic to tonalitic rocks of the Big Creek Gneiss, interpreted as consanguineous with previously studied metavolcanic rocks of the Green Mountain Formation.The ~1780-Ma Big Creek Gneiss mafic rocks show clear geochemical signatures of a subduction origin and provide no supporting evidence for extensional tectonism. The ~1780-Ma Big Creek Gneiss felsic rocks are attributed to partial melting of mafic and/or mixed lower-crustal material. The bimodal nature of the suite results from the combination of arc basalts and felsic crustal melts. The lack of andesite is consistent with the observed tholeiitic differentiation trend of the mafic magmas. The lower e{open}Nd(1780Ma) values for the felsic rocks vs. the mafic rocks suggest that the unexposed lower crust of the arc may be older than the arc and that Trans-Hudson- or Penokean-aged rocks possibly form the substratum of the arc. Our results reinforce previous interpretations that arc-related magmatism played a key role in the Paleoproterozoic crustal growth of southern Laurentia, but also support the possibility of unexposed older crust as basement to the arcs. ?? 2011 Elsevier B.V.

Mass and Reliability Source (MaRS) Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Valdenegro, Wladimir

2017-01-01

The Mass and Reliability Source (MaRS) Database consolidates components mass and reliability data for all Oribital Replacement Units (ORU) on the International Space Station (ISS) into a single database. It was created to help engineers develop a parametric model that relates hardware mass and reliability. MaRS supplies relevant failure data at the lowest possible component level while providing support for risk, reliability, and logistics analysis. Random-failure data is usually linked to the ORU assembly. MaRS uses this data to identify and display the lowest possible component failure level. As seen in Figure 1, the failure point is identified to the lowest level: Component 2.1. This is useful for efficient planning of spare supplies, supporting long duration crewed missions, allowing quicker trade studies, and streamlining diagnostic processes. MaRS is composed of information from various databases: MADS (operating hours), VMDB (indentured part lists), and ISS PART (failure data). This information is organized in Microsoft Excel and accessed through a program made in Microsoft Access (Figure 2). The focus of the Fall 2017 internship tour was to identify the components that were the root cause of failure from the given random-failure data, develop a taxonomy for the database, and attach material headings to the component list. Secondary objectives included verifying the integrity of the data in MaRS, eliminating any part discrepancies, and generating documentation for future reference. Due to the nature of the random-failure data, data mining had to be done manually without the assistance of an automated program to ensure positive identification.

Recognition of > or = 3850 Ma water-lain sediments in West Greenland and their significance for the early Archaean Earth.

PubMed

Nutman, A P; Mojzsis, S J; Friend, C R

1997-01-01

A layered body of amphibolite, banded iron formation (BIF), and ultramafic rocks from the island of Akilia, southern West Greenland, is cut by a quartz-dioritic sheet from which SHRIMP zircon 206Pb/207Pb weighted mean ages of 3865 +/- 11 Ma and 3840 +/- 8 Ma (2 sigma) can be calculated by different approaches. Three other methods of assessing the zircon data yield ages of >3830 Ma. The BIFs are interpreted as water-lain sediments, which with a minimum age of approximately 3850 Ma, are the oldest sediments yet documented. These rocks provide proof that by approximately 3850 Ma (1) there was a hydrosphere, supporting the chemical sedimentation of BIF, and that not all water was stored in hydrous minerals, and (2) that conditions satisfying the stability of liquid water imply surface temperatures were similar to present. Carbon isotope data of graphitic microdomains in apatite from the Akilia island BIF are consistent with a bio-organic origin (Mojzsis et al. 1996), extending the record of life on Earth to >3850 Ma. Life and surface water by approximately 3850 Ma provide constraints on either the energetics or termination of the late meteoritic bombardment event (suggested from the lunar cratering record) on Earth.

Recognition of > or = 3850 Ma water-lain sediments in West Greenland and their significance for the early Archaean Earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nutman, A. P.; Mojzsis, S. J.; Friend, C. R.; Bada, J. L. (Principal Investigator)

1997-01-01

A layered body of amphibolite, banded iron formation (BIF), and ultramafic rocks from the island of Akilia, southern West Greenland, is cut by a quartz-dioritic sheet from which SHRIMP zircon 206Pb/207Pb weighted mean ages of 3865 +/- 11 Ma and 3840 +/- 8 Ma (2 sigma) can be calculated by different approaches. Three other methods of assessing the zircon data yield ages of >3830 Ma. The BIFs are interpreted as water-lain sediments, which with a minimum age of approximately 3850 Ma, are the oldest sediments yet documented. These rocks provide proof that by approximately 3850 Ma (1) there was a hydrosphere, supporting the chemical sedimentation of BIF, and that not all water was stored in hydrous minerals, and (2) that conditions satisfying the stability of liquid water imply surface temperatures were similar to present. Carbon isotope data of graphitic microdomains in apatite from the Akilia island BIF are consistent with a bio-organic origin (Mojzsis et al. 1996), extending the record of life on Earth to >3850 Ma. Life and surface water by approximately 3850 Ma provide constraints on either the energetics or termination of the late meteoritic bombardment event (suggested from the lunar cratering record) on Earth.

Paradoxical Air Microembolism Induces Cerebral Bioelectrical Abnormalities and Occasionally Headache in Patent Foramen Ovale Patients With Migraine

PubMed Central

Sevgi, Eser Başak; Erdener, Sefik Evren; Demirci, Mehmet; Topcuoglu, Mehmet Akif; Dalkara, Turgay

2012-01-01

Background Although controversial, paradoxical embolism via patent foramen ovale (PFO) may account for some of the migraine attacks in a subset of migraine with aura (MA) patients. Induction of MA attacks with air bubble injection during transcranial Doppler ultrasound in MA patients with PFO supports this view. It is likely that cerebral embolism in patients with right-to-left shunt induces bioelectrical abnormalities to initiate MA under some conditions. Methods and Results We investigated changes in cerebral bioelectrical activity after intravenous microbubble injection in 10 MA patients with large PFO and right-to-left cardiac shunt. Eight PFO patients without migraine but with large right-to-left shunt and 12 MA patients without PFO served as controls. Four MA patients with PFO were reexamined with sham injections of saline without microbubbles. Bioelectrical activity was evaluated using spectral electroencephalography and, passage of microbubbles through cerebral arteries was monitored with transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Microbubble embolism caused significant electroencephalographic power increase in MA+PFO patients but not in control groups including the sham-injected MA+PFO patients. Headache developed in 2 MA with PFO patients after microbubble injection. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that air microembolism through large PFOs may cause cerebral bioelectrical disturbances and, occasionally, headache in MA patients, which may reflect an increased reactivity of their brain to transient subclinical hypoxia–ischemia, and suggest that paradoxical embolism is not a common cause of migraine but may induce headache in the presence of a large PFO and facilitating conditions. PMID:23316313

Applying spectral unmixing and support vector machine to airborne hyperspectral imagery for detecting giant reed

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study evaluated linear spectral unmixing (LSU), mixture tuned matched filtering (MTMF) and support vector machine (SVM) techniques for detecting and mapping giant reed (Arundo donax L.), an invasive weed that presents a severe threat to agroecosystems and riparian areas throughout the southern ...

Support vector machines classifiers of physical activities in preschoolers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The goal of this study is to develop, test, and compare multinomial logistic regression (MLR) and support vector machines (SVM) in classifying preschool-aged children physical activity data acquired from an accelerometer. In this study, 69 children aged 3-5 years old were asked to participate in a s...

Fabric wrinkle characterization and classification using modified wavelet coefficients and optimized support-vector-machine classifier

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This paper presents a novel wrinkle evaluation method that uses modified wavelet coefficients and an optimized support-vector-machine (SVM) classification scheme to characterize and classify wrinkle appearance of fabric. Fabric images were decomposed with the wavelet transform (WT), and five parame...

Comparison of Support Vector Machine, Neural Network, and CART Algorithms for the Land-Cover Classification Using Limited Training Data Points

EPA Science Inventory

Support vector machine (SVM) was applied for land-cover characterization using MODIS time-series data. Classification performance was examined with respect to training sample size, sample variability, and landscape homogeneity (purity). The results were compared to two convention...

Yield stress determines bioprintability of hydrogels based on gelatin-methacryloyl and gellan gum for cartilage bioprinting

PubMed Central

Mouser, Vivian H. M.; Melchels, Ferry P.W.; Visser, Jetze; Dhert, Wouter J.A.; Gawlitta, Debby; Malda, Jos

2016-01-01

Bioprinting of chondrocyte-laden hydrogels facilitates the fabrication of constructs with controlled organization and shape for e.g. articular cartilage implants. Gelatin-methacryloyl (gelMA) supplemented with gellan gum is a promising bio-ink. However, the rheological properties governing the printing process, and the influence of gellan gum on the mechanical properties and chondrogenesis of the blend, are still unknown. Here, we investigated the suitability of gelMA/gellan for cartilage bioprinting. Multiple concentrations, ranging from 3-25% gelMA with 0-1.5% gellan gum, were evaluated for their printability, defined as the ability to form filaments and to incorporate cells at 15-37°C. To support the printability assessment, yield stress and viscosity of the hydrogels were measured. Stiffness of UV-cured constructs, as well as cartilage-like tissue formation by embedded chondrocytes, were determined in vitro. A large range of gelMA/gellan concentrations were printable with inclusion of cells and formed the bioprinting window. Addition of gellan gum improved filament deposition by inducing yielding behavior, increased construct stiffness, and supported chondrogenesis. High gellan gum concentrations, however, did compromise cartilage matrix production and distribution, and even higher concentrations resulted in too high yield stresses to allow cell encapsulation. This study demonstrates the high potential of gelMA/gellan blends for cartilage bioprinting and identifies yield stress as dominant factor for bioprintability. PMID:27431733

Yield stress determines bioprintability of hydrogels based on gelatin-methacryloyl and gellan gum for cartilage bioprinting.

PubMed

Mouser, Vivian H M; Melchels, Ferry P W; Visser, Jetze; Dhert, Wouter J A; Gawlitta, Debby; Malda, Jos

2016-07-19

Bioprinting of chondrocyte-laden hydrogels facilitates the fabrication of constructs with controlled organization and shape e.g. for articular cartilage implants. Gelatin-methacryloyl (gelMA) supplemented with gellan gum is a promising bio-ink. However, the rheological properties governing the printing process, and the influence of gellan gum on the mechanical properties and chondrogenesis of the blend, are still unknown. Here, we investigated the suitability of gelMA/gellan for cartilage bioprinting. Multiple concentrations, ranging from 3% to 20% gelMA with 0%-1.5% gellan gum, were evaluated for their printability, defined as the ability to form filaments and to incorporate cells at 15 °C-37 °C. To support the printability assessment, yield stress and viscosity of the hydrogels were measured. Stiffness of UV-cured constructs, as well as cartilage-like tissue formation by embedded chondrocytes, were determined in vitro. A large range of gelMA/gellan concentrations were printable with inclusion of cells and formed the bioprinting window. The addition of gellan gum improved filament deposition by inducing yielding behavior, increased construct stiffness and supported chondrogenesis. High gellan gum concentrations, however, did compromise cartilage matrix production and distribution, and even higher concentrations resulted in too high yield stresses to allow cell encapsulation. This study demonstrates the high potential of gelMA/gellan blends for cartilage bioprinting and identifies yield stress as a dominant factor for bioprintability.

Evaluating the capacity of California's publicly funded universities to provide medication abortion.

PubMed

Raifman, Sarah; Anderson, Patricia; Kaller, Shelly; Tober, Diane; Grossman, Daniel

2018-05-18

To explore capacity of University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) student health centers (SHCs) to provide medication abortion (MA) and SHC staff perspectives on providing MA. SHC staff completed an online survey; we conducted site visits and conference calls with a subset of SHCs. The survey focused on barriers to abortion, resources needed for MA, and potential benefits and challenges. 11 UCs (100%) and 20 CSUs (87%) completed surveys. All facilities provided basic primary care, including sexual and reproductive health services and some contraceptive services, but not abortion. All sites had adequate staffing and physical plant, but most would require training, access to ultrasound when needed, 24-hour hotlines (CSUs), and back-up care to provide MA. It would be feasible to provide MA at SHCs, but investment is needed to support staff training, equipment, 24-hour hotlines, back-up care, and minimal security upgrades, in order to implement MA services. If SB320 is passed, provision of MA services at student health centers could improve access to early abortion for students in California. This model may be scaled up at other universities around the country. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vector-model-supported optimization in volumetric-modulated arc stereotactic radiotherapy planning for brain metastasis

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

Liu, Eva Sau Fan; Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Wu, Vincent Wing Cheung

Long planning time in volumetric-modulated arc stereotactic radiotherapy (VMA-SRT) cases can limit its clinical efficiency and use. A vector model could retrieve previously successful radiotherapy cases that share various common anatomic features with the current case. The prsent study aimed to develop a vector model that could reduce planning time by applying the optimization parameters from those retrieved reference cases. Thirty-six VMA-SRT cases of brain metastasis (gender, male [n = 23], female [n = 13]; age range, 32 to 81 years old) were collected and used as a reference database. Another 10 VMA-SRT cases were planned with both conventional optimization and vector-model-supported optimization, followingmore » the oncologists' clinical dose prescriptions. Planning time and plan quality measures were compared using the 2-sided paired Wilcoxon signed rank test with a significance level of 0.05, with positive false discovery rate (pFDR) of less than 0.05. With vector-model-supported optimization, there was a significant reduction in the median planning time, a 40% reduction from 3.7 to 2.2 hours (p = 0.002, pFDR = 0.032), and for the number of iterations, a 30% reduction from 8.5 to 6.0 (p = 0.006, pFDR = 0.047). The quality of plans from both approaches was comparable. From these preliminary results, vector-model-supported optimization can expedite the optimization of VMA-SRT for brain metastasis while maintaining plan quality.« less

PlasmoGEM, a database supporting a community resource for large-scale experimental genetics in malaria parasites.

PubMed

Schwach, Frank; Bushell, Ellen; Gomes, Ana Rita; Anar, Burcu; Girling, Gareth; Herd, Colin; Rayner, Julian C; Billker, Oliver

2015-01-01

The Plasmodium Genetic Modification (PlasmoGEM) database (http://plasmogem.sanger.ac.uk) provides access to a resource of modular, versatile and adaptable vectors for genome modification of Plasmodium spp. parasites. PlasmoGEM currently consists of >2000 plasmids designed to modify the genome of Plasmodium berghei, a malaria parasite of rodents, which can be requested by non-profit research organisations free of charge. PlasmoGEM vectors are designed with long homology arms for efficient genome integration and carry gene specific barcodes to identify individual mutants. They can be used for a wide array of applications, including protein localisation, gene interaction studies and high-throughput genetic screens. The vector production pipeline is supported by a custom software suite that automates both the vector design process and quality control by full-length sequencing of the finished vectors. The PlasmoGEM web interface allows users to search a database of finished knock-out and gene tagging vectors, view details of their designs, download vector sequence in different formats and view available quality control data as well as suggested genotyping strategies. We also make gDNA library clones and intermediate vectors available for researchers to produce vectors for themselves. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Kinematics and timing of three superposed extensional systems, east central Idaho: Evidence for an Eocene tectonic transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janecke, Susanne U.

1992-12-01

Cenozoic crustal extension in east central Idaho began about 50 Ma and continues at present. Three distinct episodes characterize one of the longest intervals of Cenozoic extension yet documented in the North America Cordillera. Crosscutting relationships between NE striking normal faults and volcanic rocks, regional dike trends, and slickenline data indicate NW-SE extension during peak Eocene volcanism about 49-48 Ma (episode 1). NE striking normal faults, with at most a few kilometers of offset, formed in an intraarc setting during rapid NE subduction of oceanic plates under the Pacific Northwest. North to NNW striking and west dipping normal faults, with offsets up to 10-15 km, formed during a younger middle Eocene to Oligocene basin-forming event (episode 2). This newly documented episode was the most important extensional event in east central Idaho and began during the waning phases of Challis volcanism. WSW-ENE to SW-NE extension during episode 2 was nearly perpendicular to the extension direction during episode 1 and perpendicular to the grain of the Idaho-Montana fold and thrust belt. The flip in extension direction between episode 1 and episode 2 is tightly constrained by 40Ar/39Ar age determinations to have taken place at the end of Eocene Challis magmatism about 46-48 Ma. I infer that plate boundary forces controlled the geometry of normal faults and dikes during episode 1, whereas internal stresses within previously thickened crust drove major SW to WSW directed extension during episode 2. A drop in convergence rates between the North American and Farallon plates between 59 Ma and 42 Ma (Stock and Molnar, 1988) may coincide with the onset of gravitational spreading during episode 2 and may also explain the abrupt end of Eocene magmatism in the Pacific Northwest. Miocene and younger SW dipping Basin and Range faults (episode 3) extended the region in a NE-SW direction. Although faults formed during episode 2 and episode 3 are not parallel, slickenlines indicate only small changes in slip vector trends, suggesting little rotation of the extension direction in east central Idaho since 46 Ma.

1-norm support vector novelty detection and its sparseness.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Zhou, WeiDa

2013-12-01

This paper proposes a 1-norm support vector novelty detection (SVND) method and discusses its sparseness. 1-norm SVND is formulated as a linear programming problem and uses two techniques for inducing sparseness, or the 1-norm regularization and the hinge loss function. We also find two upper bounds on the sparseness of 1-norm SVND, or exact support vector (ESV) and kernel Gram matrix rank bounds. The ESV bound indicates that 1-norm SVND has a sparser representation model than SVND. The kernel Gram matrix rank bound can loosely estimate the sparseness of 1-norm SVND. Experimental results show that 1-norm SVND is feasible and effective. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ℓ(p)-Norm multikernel learning approach for stock market price forecasting.

PubMed

Shao, Xigao; Wu, Kun; Liao, Bifeng

2012-01-01

Linear multiple kernel learning model has been used for predicting financial time series. However, ℓ(1)-norm multiple support vector regression is rarely observed to outperform trivial baselines in practical applications. To allow for robust kernel mixtures that generalize well, we adopt ℓ(p)-norm multiple kernel support vector regression (1 ≤ p < ∞) as a stock price prediction model. The optimization problem is decomposed into smaller subproblems, and the interleaved optimization strategy is employed to solve the regression model. The model is evaluated on forecasting the daily stock closing prices of Shanghai Stock Index in China. Experimental results show that our proposed model performs better than ℓ(1)-norm multiple support vector regression model.

Applications of Support Vector Machine (SVM) Learning in Cancer Genomics

PubMed Central

HUANG, SHUJUN; CAI, NIANGUANG; PACHECO, PEDRO PENZUTI; NARANDES, SHAVIRA; WANG, YANG; XU, WAYNE

2017-01-01

Machine learning with maximization (support) of separating margin (vector), called support vector machine (SVM) learning, is a powerful classification tool that has been used for cancer genomic classification or subtyping. Today, as advancements in high-throughput technologies lead to production of large amounts of genomic and epigenomic data, the classification feature of SVMs is expanding its use in cancer genomics, leading to the discovery of new biomarkers, new drug targets, and a better understanding of cancer driver genes. Herein we reviewed the recent progress of SVMs in cancer genomic studies. We intend to comprehend the strength of the SVM learning and its future perspective in cancer genomic applications. PMID:29275361

Environmental Assessment (EA): Proposed Construction of a Munitions Flight Maintenance Facility, Hill Air Force Base, Utah

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

1997) Ozone(031 /·-c.,.. ?i Ogden C.ty Ma1 tenance Area (Redes~gnated 2001) er ~~.., Sa Laice Oty Ma1 enance Alea (RedeSIQreled 1999) Pr...disposal. 3.4 Vegetation Hill AFB is located in a geographic region that would typically support a mountain -brush type native plant community. Dominant

Environmental Assessment (EA): Proposed Construction of a Munitions Flight Maintenance Facility, Hill Air Force Base, Utah

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

031 /·-c.,.. ?i Ogden C.ty Ma1 tenance Area (Redes~gnated 2001) er ~~.., Sa Laice Oty Ma1 enance Alea (RedeSIQreled 1999) Pr<MYOrem...Vegetation Hill AFB is located in a geographic region that would typically support a mountain -brush type native plant community. Dominant vegetation

Safety of the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Vaccine among Pregnant U.S. Military Women and Their Newborns

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

copyediting. The authors appreciate the support of Eileen Hruska and the Defense Man- power Data Center, Seaside, California, with vaccine data access and...e33–40. 16. Ryan MA, Pershyn-Kisor MA, Honner WK, Smith TC, Reed RJ, Gray GC. The Department of Defense Birth Defects Registry: overview of a new

Motion of Caribbean Plate during last 7 million years and implications for earlier Cenozoic movements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sykes, Lynn R.; McCann, William R.; Kafka, Alan L.

1982-12-01

The direction and rate of movement of the Caribbean plate with respect to North America are determined from the slip vectors of shallow earthquakes and from the configuration of downgoing seismic zones in the Greater and Lesser Antilles. A calibration of the relative plate motion for the northeastern Caribbean using data from other subduction zones indicates an average rate of 3.7±0.5 cm/yr for the past 7 million years (Ma). The direction of plate motion inferred from focal mechanisms (ENE) is nearly the same as that deduced from the configuration of downgoing seismic zones going around the major bend in the arc. With respect to North America, the Caribbean plate is moving at an angular velocity of 0.36°/Ma about a center of rotation near 66°N, 132°W. Vector addition using those data and that for the relative motion of North and South America indicates that the Caribbean is moving at an angular velocity of 0.47°/Ma about a center of rotation near 60°N, 88°W with respect to South America. The presence of intermediate-depth earthquakes beneath Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is ascribed to the curvature of the plate boundary and a component of underthrusting that has been going on for at least the past 7 Ma and is likely occurring today. The alternative hypothesis that earthquakes beneath those areas are occurring in materials that were subducted during the Eocene, the last major episode of magmatism, is not tenable from thermal considerations. The lack of recent magmatism in the eastern Greater Antilles is ascribed to the relatively small component of underthrusting. The 2 cm/yr rate of seafloor creation along the mid-Cayman spreading center for the past 2.4 Ma does not appear to reflect the total Caribbean-North American plate motion while the 4 cm/yr spreading rate from 6.0 to 2.4 Ma does. Between the mid-Cayman spreading center and eastern Guatemala, the northern boundary of the Caribbean plate is narrow and follows the southern margin of the Cayman trough. Seismic activity between the spreading center and eastern Hispaniola, however, occurs over a zone about 250 km wide that extends from Cuba to Jamaica and across the entire width of Hispaniola. Individual faults within this broad plate boundary appear to have accommodated differing amounts of motion as a function of geological time while the cumulative plate motion across the zone remained nearly constant. The percentage of total plate motion accommodated near southern Hispaniola and Jamaica is inferred to have increased about 2.4 Ma ago. That change may have been caused by the collision of parts of the Bahama bank and northern Hispaniola. This explanation for the sudden decrease in seafloor creation along the mid-Cayman spreading center is less catastrophist than the hypothesis that the entire Caribbean plate suddenly changed its velocity with respect to surrounding plates. The Caribbean plate may be regarded as a small buffer plate whose motion is now governed by the movement of the larger North and South American plates which bound it on three sides. The Caribbean plate is either at rest or moving eastward at a rate of no more than 1 cm/yr in the hot spot reference frame. Since the relative motion of the larger plates surrounding the Caribbean has been nearly constant for the last 38 Ma (anomaly 13 time) and since the forces on the Caribbean plate do not appear to have changed greatly during that interval, we extrapolate the motion of the last 7 Ma back to 38 Ma. A reconstruction for the late Eocene places the Caribbean plate about 1400 km west of its present position. The faster rate of plate motion we calculate makes it more likely that the lithosphere beneath the basins of the Caribbean originated in the Pacific. It also has implications for the seismic potential of the region, paleocirculation in the Atlantic Ocean and origin of sediments in the area. Our late Eocene reconstruction aligns the eastern continental margin of Yucatan with that along the southeast side of the Nicaragua rise. This 2500-km-long feature may have acted as an arc-arc transform fault from the late Mesozoic to the late Eocene. Arc-related rocks of those ages in the Greater Antilles and northern Lesser Antilles define a northwesterly trending subduction zone along the northeastern edge of the former East Pacific-Caribbean plate. At least three fragments of anomalous seafloor have been sutured onto Hispaniola in the past 50 Ma.

Support vector machine applied to predict the zoonotic potential of E. coli O157 cattle isolates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Methods based on sequence data analysis facilitate the tracking of disease outbreaks, allow relationships between strains to be reconstructed and virulence factors to be identified. However, these methods are used postfactum after an outbreak has happened. Here, we show that support vector machine a...

Support vector machine incremental learning triggered by wrongly predicted samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Ting-long; Guan, Qiu; Wu, Yi-rong

2018-05-01

According to the classic Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) theorem, at every step of incremental support vector machine (SVM) learning, the newly adding sample which violates the KKT conditions will be a new support vector (SV) and migrate the old samples between SV set and non-support vector (NSV) set, and at the same time the learning model should be updated based on the SVs. However, it is not exactly clear at this moment that which of the old samples would change between SVs and NSVs. Additionally, the learning model will be unnecessarily updated, which will not greatly increase its accuracy but decrease the training speed. Therefore, how to choose the new SVs from old sets during the incremental stages and when to process incremental steps will greatly influence the accuracy and efficiency of incremental SVM learning. In this work, a new algorithm is proposed to select candidate SVs and use the wrongly predicted sample to trigger the incremental processing simultaneously. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve good performance with high efficiency, high speed and good accuracy.

Prediction of Spirometric Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1) Data Using Support Vector Regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavitha, A.; Sujatha, C. M.; Ramakrishnan, S.

2010-01-01

In this work, prediction of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) in pulmonary function test is carried out using the spirometer and support vector regression analysis. Pulmonary function data are measured with flow volume spirometer from volunteers (N=175) using a standard data acquisition protocol. The acquired data are then used to predict FEV1. Support vector machines with polynomial kernel function with four different orders were employed to predict the values of FEV1. The performance is evaluated by computing the average prediction accuracy for normal and abnormal cases. Results show that support vector machines are capable of predicting FEV1 in both normal and abnormal cases and the average prediction accuracy for normal subjects was higher than that of abnormal subjects. Accuracy in prediction was found to be high for a regularization constant of C=10. Since FEV1 is the most significant parameter in the analysis of spirometric data, it appears that this method of assessment is useful in diagnosing the pulmonary abnormalities with incomplete data and data with poor recording.

Quantum Support Vector Machine for Big Data Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebentrost, Patrick; Mohseni, Masoud; Lloyd, Seth

2014-09-01

Supervised machine learning is the classification of new data based on already classified training examples. In this work, we show that the support vector machine, an optimized binary classifier, can be implemented on a quantum computer, with complexity logarithmic in the size of the vectors and the number of training examples. In cases where classical sampling algorithms require polynomial time, an exponential speedup is obtained. At the core of this quantum big data algorithm is a nonsparse matrix exponentiation technique for efficiently performing a matrix inversion of the training data inner-product (kernel) matrix.

New Poly(amino acid methacrylate) Brush Supports the Formation of Well-Defined Lipid Membranes

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A novel poly(amino acid methacrylate) brush comprising zwitterionic cysteine groups (PCysMA) was utilized as a support for lipid bilayers. The polymer brush provides a 12-nm-thick cushion between the underlying hard support and the aqueous phase. At neutral pH, the zeta potential of the PCysMA brush was ∼−10 mV. Cationic vesicles containing >25% DOTAP were found to form a homogeneous lipid bilayer, as determined by a combination of surface analytical techniques. The lipid mobility as measured by FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) gave diffusion coefficients of ∼1.5 μm2 s–1, which are comparable to those observed for lipid bilayers on glass substrates. PMID:25746444

Classification of Multiple Chinese Liquors by Means of a QCM-based E-Nose and MDS-SVM Classifier.

PubMed

Li, Qiang; Gu, Yu; Jia, Jing

2017-01-30

Chinese liquors are internationally well-known fermentative alcoholic beverages. They have unique flavors attributable to the use of various bacteria and fungi, raw materials, and production processes. Developing a novel, rapid, and reliable method to identify multiple Chinese liquors is of positive significance. This paper presents a pattern recognition system for classifying ten brands of Chinese liquors based on multidimensional scaling (MDS) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms in a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM)-based electronic nose (e-nose) we designed. We evaluated the comprehensive performance of the MDS-SVM classifier that predicted all ten brands of Chinese liquors individually. The prediction accuracy (98.3%) showed superior performance of the MDS-SVM classifier over the back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) classifier (93.3%) and moving average-linear discriminant analysis (MA-LDA) classifier (87.6%). The MDS-SVM classifier has reasonable reliability, good fitting and prediction (generalization) performance in classification of the Chinese liquors. Taking both application of the e-nose and validation of the MDS-SVM classifier into account, we have thus created a useful method for the classification of multiple Chinese liquors.

Predicting complications of percutaneous coronary intervention using a novel support vector method.

PubMed

Lee, Gyemin; Gurm, Hitinder S; Syed, Zeeshan

2013-01-01

To explore the feasibility of a novel approach using an augmented one-class learning algorithm to model in-laboratory complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Data from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2) multicenter registry for the years 2007 and 2008 (n=41 016) were used to train models to predict 13 different in-laboratory PCI complications using a novel one-plus-class support vector machine (OP-SVM) algorithm. The performance of these models in terms of discrimination and calibration was compared to the performance of models trained using the following classification algorithms on BMC2 data from 2009 (n=20 289): logistic regression (LR), one-class support vector machine classification (OC-SVM), and two-class support vector machine classification (TC-SVM). For the OP-SVM and TC-SVM approaches, variants of the algorithms with cost-sensitive weighting were also considered. The OP-SVM algorithm and its cost-sensitive variant achieved the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the majority of the PCI complications studied (eight cases). Similar improvements were observed for the Hosmer-Lemeshow χ(2) value (seven cases) and the mean cross-entropy error (eight cases). The OP-SVM algorithm based on an augmented one-class learning problem improved discrimination and calibration across different PCI complications relative to LR and traditional support vector machine classification. Such an approach may have value in a broader range of clinical domains.

Predicting complications of percutaneous coronary intervention using a novel support vector method

PubMed Central

Lee, Gyemin; Gurm, Hitinder S; Syed, Zeeshan

2013-01-01

Objective To explore the feasibility of a novel approach using an augmented one-class learning algorithm to model in-laboratory complications of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Materials and methods Data from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium (BMC2) multicenter registry for the years 2007 and 2008 (n=41 016) were used to train models to predict 13 different in-laboratory PCI complications using a novel one-plus-class support vector machine (OP-SVM) algorithm. The performance of these models in terms of discrimination and calibration was compared to the performance of models trained using the following classification algorithms on BMC2 data from 2009 (n=20 289): logistic regression (LR), one-class support vector machine classification (OC-SVM), and two-class support vector machine classification (TC-SVM). For the OP-SVM and TC-SVM approaches, variants of the algorithms with cost-sensitive weighting were also considered. Results The OP-SVM algorithm and its cost-sensitive variant achieved the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the majority of the PCI complications studied (eight cases). Similar improvements were observed for the Hosmer–Lemeshow χ2 value (seven cases) and the mean cross-entropy error (eight cases). Conclusions The OP-SVM algorithm based on an augmented one-class learning problem improved discrimination and calibration across different PCI complications relative to LR and traditional support vector machine classification. Such an approach may have value in a broader range of clinical domains. PMID:23599229

An Older, Slower Hawaii-Emperor Bend

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharp, W. D.; Clague, D. A.

2002-12-01

The Hawaii-Emperor Bend is widely interpreted to indicate a profound change in the direction of Pacific Plate motion at about 43 Ma. This interpretation rests on the assumption that the Hawaiian hotspot has remained fixed; however, the fixity of the Hawaiian hotspot has long been challenged on the basis of plate-circuit reconstructions and considerations of mantle dynamics. Moreover, paleomagnetists (e.g., Tarduno and Cottrell, 1997) have suggested that prior to formation of the Bend the Hawaiian hotspot moved southward relative to Earth's spin axis at cm-per-year rates--that is, the Bend may primarily record slowing of the hotspot's own motion. If so, the rate of volcanic migration along the chain--which must be the vector sum of hotspot and Pacific Plate motions--should slow at the Bend. Published interpretations of Hawaii-Emperor seamount ages portray a uniform volcanic migration rate of about 8 cm per year through the Bend; however, many of the ages underlying these interpretations are whole-rock K-Ar and Ar-Ar total fusion ages of uncertain reliability. We report 15 new Ar-Ar plateau ages of milligram quantities of selected feldspars and hornblendes from 6 seamounts that bracket the Bend, extending from 1350 km north of the Bend to 225 km east of the Bend. The dated rocks are post-shield, transitional to alkalic basalts and trachytes that--by analogy with Quaternary Hawaiian volcanoes--erupted between 1 and 2 m.y. after passage of the seamount over the leading edge of the hotspot. Accordingly, north of the Bend, from Suiko seamount (age = 61.3 +/-0.5 Ma, 2σ ) to Koko seamount (50.6 +/-0.2 Ma), volcanism apparently migrated at about 10 cm per year during formation of the southern Emperor Chain. Through the Bend, from Koko seamount via Kimmei (47.3 +/-0.4 Ma), Diakakuji (46.7 +/-0.2 Ma), Abbott (41.5 +/-0.3 Ma) and Colahan (38.8 +/-0.2 Ma) seamounts, migration of volcanism slowed to 5.2 +/-0.6 cm per year--qualitatively consistent with hotspot motion that slowed or stopped near the Bend. Slower migration of volcanism around the Bend accentuates a precipitous drop in eruption rate that accompanied the Bend's inception. Furthermore, the new, older age of Koko seamount indicates that the Bend began to form at about 50 Ma. Therefore, inception of the Bend coincided with--and may have been causally linked to--reorganization of northern Pacific spreading ridges between marine magnetic anomalies 22 and 24, corresponding to 49-53 Ma on the Cande and Kent (1995) geomagnetic polarity time scale. Thus a change in direction of Pacific Plate motion may yet prove to have played a role in forming the Bend, though earlier than previously believed.

A support vector machine approach for classification of welding defects from ultrasonic signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuan; Ma, Hong-Wei; Zhang, Guang-Ming

2014-07-01

Defect classification is an important issue in ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation. A layered multi-class support vector machine (LMSVM) classification system, which combines multiple SVM classifiers through a layered architecture, is proposed in this paper. The proposed LMSVM classification system is applied to the classification of welding defects from ultrasonic test signals. The measured ultrasonic defect echo signals are first decomposed into wavelet coefficients by the wavelet packet transform. The energy of the wavelet coefficients at different frequency channels are used to construct the feature vectors. The bees algorithm (BA) is then used for feature selection and SVM parameter optimisation for the LMSVM classification system. The BA-based feature selection optimises the energy feature vectors. The optimised feature vectors are input to the LMSVM classification system for training and testing. Experimental results of classifying welding defects demonstrate that the proposed technique is highly robust, precise and reliable for ultrasonic defect classification.

Support vector machine based decision for mechanical fault condition monitoring in induction motor using an advanced Hilbert-Park transform.

PubMed

Ben Salem, Samira; Bacha, Khmais; Chaari, Abdelkader

2012-09-01

In this work we suggest an original fault signature based on an improved combination of Hilbert and Park transforms. Starting from this combination we can create two fault signatures: Hilbert modulus current space vector (HMCSV) and Hilbert phase current space vector (HPCSV). These two fault signatures are subsequently analysed using the classical fast Fourier transform (FFT). The effects of mechanical faults on the HMCSV and HPCSV spectrums are described, and the related frequencies are determined. The magnitudes of spectral components, relative to the studied faults (air-gap eccentricity and outer raceway ball bearing defect), are extracted in order to develop the input vector necessary for learning and testing the support vector machine with an aim of classifying automatically the various states of the induction motor. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Results of paleomagnetic study of Early Proterozoic rocks in the Baikal Range of the Siberian craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vodovozov, V. Yu.; Didenko, A. N.; Gladkochub, D. P.; Mazukabzov, A. M.; Donskaya, T. V.

2007-10-01

This paper presents paleomagnetic results obtained from the study of Early Proterozoic rocks in the Baikal Range of the Siberian craton, namely, the 1850 1880-Ma volcanicalstic rocks of the Akitkanskian series of the North Baikal volcanic-plutonic belt) and 1674-Ma basic dikes of the Chaya complex within the massif. The data of this work are used to reconstruct the development of the Siberian craton structure in the Early Precambrian. The projections of the inferred paleomagnetic directions onto a sphere form S (southern) and W (western) groups of vectors of characteristic magnetization components. The S group consists of three clusters representing primary magnetization components belonging to different time levels of the end of the Early Proterozoic. The W group is represented by directions associated with a metachronous magnetization probably acquired during the Riphean. Four paleomagnetic poles are obtained. Two of them that can be regarded as key poles correspond to time levels of 1875 and 1670 Ma (the Early Proterozoic). The two other poles can be used for a detailed reconstruction of the Proterozoic segment of the Siberian apparent polar wander path. The data presented in the paper indicate that the formation of the southern Siberian craton structure was accomplished at the end of the Early Proterozoic, which resulted in a synchronous motion of different blocks composing the southern flank of the craton (in particular, the Sharyzhalgai and Baikal Ranges).

Flexible metabolism in Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana: role of the glyoxylate cycle during insect pathogenesis.

PubMed

Padilla-Guerrero, Israel Enrique; Barelli, Larissa; González-Hernández, Gloria Angélica; Torres-Guzmán, Juan Carlos; Bidochka, Michael J

2011-01-01

Insect pathogenic fungi such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana have an increasing role in the control of agricultural insect pests and vectors of human diseases. Many of the virulence factors are well studied but less is known of the metabolism of these fungi during the course of insect infection or saprobic growth. Here, we assessed enzyme activity and gene expression in the central carbon metabolic pathway, including isocitrate dehydrogenase, aconitase, citrate synthase, malate synthase (MLS) and isocitrate lyase (ICL), with particular attention to the glyoxylate cycle when M. anisopliae and B. bassiana were grown under various conditions. We observed that ICL and MLS, glyoxylate cycle intermediates, were upregulated during growth on 2-carbon compounds (acetate and ethanol) as well as in insect haemolymph. We fused the promoter of the M. anisopliae ICL gene (Ma-icl) to a marker gene (mCherry) and showed that Ma-icl was upregulated when M. anisopliae was grown in the presence of acetate. Furthermore, Ma-icl was upregulated when fungi were engulfed by insect haemocytes as well as during appressorium formation. Addition of the ICL inhibitor 3-nitroproprionate delayed conidial germination and inhibited appressorium formation. These results show that these insect pathogenic fungi have a flexible metabolism that includes the glyoxylate cycle as an integral part of germination, pathogenesis and saprobic growth.

Origin and transportation history of lunar breccia 14311

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merle, Renaud E.; Nemchin, Alexander A.; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Pidgeon, Robert T.; Grange, Marion L.; Snape, Joshua F.; Thiessen, Fiona

2017-05-01

In this paper, we compare the U-Pb zircon age distribution pattern of sample 14311 from the Apollo 14 landing site with those from other breccias collected at the same landing site. Zircons in breccia 14311 show major age peaks at 4340 and 4240 Ma and small peaks at 4110, 4030, and 3960 Ma. The zircon age patterns of breccia 14311 and other Apollo 14 breccias are statistically different suggesting a separate provenance and transportation history for these breccias. This interpretation is supported by different U-Pb Ca-phosphate and exposure ages for breccia 14311 (Ca-phosphate age: 3938 ± 4 Ma, exposure age: 550-660 Ma) from the other Apollo 14 breccias (Ca-phosphate age: 3927 ± 2 Ma, compatible with the Imbrium impact, exposure age: 25-30 Ma). Based on these observations, we consider two hypotheses for the origin and transportation history of sample 14311. (1) Breccia 14311 was formed in the Procellarum KREEP terrane by a 3938 Ma-old impact and deposited near the future site of the Imbrium basin. The breccia was integrated into the Fra Mauro Formation during the deposition of the Imbrium impact ejecta at 3927 Ma. The zircons were annealed by mare basalt flooding at 3400 Ma at Apollo 14 landing site. Eventually, at approximately 660 Ma, a small and local impact event excavated this sample and it has been at the surface of the Moon since this time. (2) Breccia 14311 was formed by a 3938 Ma-old impact. The location of the sample is not known at that time but at 3400 Ma, it was located nearby or buried by hot basaltic flows. It was transported from where it was deposited to the Apollo 14 landing site by an impact at approximately 660 Ma, possibly related to the formation of the Copernicus crater and has remained at the surface of the Moon since this event. This latter hypothesis is the simplest scenario for the formation and transportation history of the 14311 breccia.

Androgen-primed castrate males are sufficient for methamphetamine-facilitated increases in proceptive behavior in female rats

PubMed Central

Rudzinskas, Sarah A.; Mong, Jessica A.

2015-01-01

Methamphetamine (MA) is a psychomotor stimulant associated with increases in sex drive in both men and women. Women, however, are far more likely to face social disadvantages as a consequence of MA use, and their increased sexual motivation poses additional health concerns such as unplanned pregnancies. To better understand the mechanisms underlying MA-facilitated sexual motivation in females, we previously established a rodent model where a ‘binge”-type administration paradigm of MA to sexually receptive female rats significantly increases proceptive behavior in the presence of a sexually active, gonadally-intact male. Our previous work with this model has led us to consider whether the increases in proceptive behavior are truly indicative of increased sexual motivation, or instead a consequence of heightened motor responsivity. Here, we test whether MA-induced increases in proceptive behaviors are specific to a sexually relevant stimulus. Females’ sexual, social, exploratory behaviors, and interaction times were scored during the exposure to stimulus males, including castrates, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated castrates. MA-treated females demonstrated significant increases in proceptive behaviors toward DHT-treated castrate males but not toward castrate males. While the non-MA-treated females did display proceptive behavior, there was no significant difference between behaviors elicited by DHT-CX males compared to CX males. Our results support the hypothesis that MA facilitates proceptive behavior only in response to specific, androgen mediated sexually-relevant cues. PMID:26497407

Digital geologic map of the Thirsty Canyon NW quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Minor, S.A.; Orkild, P.P.; Sargent, K.A.; Warren, R.G.; Sawyer, D.A.; Workman, J.B.

1998-01-01

This digital geologic map compilation presents new polygon (i.e., geologic map unit contacts), line (i.e., fault, fold axis, dike, and caldera wall), and point (i.e., structural attitude) vector data for the Thirsty Canyon NW 7 1/2' quadrangle in southern Nevada. The map database, which is at 1:24,000-scale resolution, provides geologic coverage of an area of current hydrogeologic and tectonic interest. The Thirsty Canyon NW quadrangle is located in southern Nye County about 20 km west of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and 30 km north of the town of Beatty. The map area is underlain by extensive layers of Neogene (about 14 to 4.5 million years old [Ma]) mafic and silicic volcanic rocks that are temporally and spatially associated with transtensional tectonic deformation. Mapped volcanic features include part of a late Miocene (about 9.2 Ma) collapse caldera, a Pliocene (about 4.5 Ma) shield volcano, and two Pleistocene (about 0.3 Ma) cinder cones. Also documented are numerous normal, oblique-slip, and strike-slip faults that reflect regional transtensional deformation along the southern part of the Walker Lane belt. The Thirsty Canyon NW map provides new geologic information for modeling groundwater flow paths that may enter the map area from underground nuclear testing areas located in the NTS about 25 km to the east. The geologic map database comprises six component ArcINFO map coverages that can be accessed after decompressing and unbundling the data archive file (tcnw.tar.gz). These six coverages (tcnwpoly, tcnwflt, tcnwfold, tcnwdike, tcnwcald, and tcnwatt) are formatted here in ArcINFO EXPORT format. Bundled with this database are two PDF files for readily viewing and printing the map, accessory graphics, and a description of map units and compilation methods.

Addressing Fission Product Validation in MCNP Burnup Credit Criticality Calculations

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

Mueller, Don; Bowen, Douglas G; Marshall, William BJ J

2015-01-01

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Division of Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation issued Interim Staff Guidance (ISG) 8, Revision 3 in September 2012. This ISG provides guidance for NRC staff members’ review of burnup credit (BUC) analyses supporting transport and dry storage of pressurized water reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in casks. The ISG includes guidance for addressing validation of criticality (k eff) calculations crediting the presence of a limited set of fission products and minor actinides (FP&MAs). Based on previous work documented in NRC Regulatory Guide (NUREG) Contractor Report (CR)-7109, the ISG recommends that NRC staff members acceptmore » the use of either 1.5 or 3% of the FP&MA worth—in addition to bias and bias uncertainty resulting from validation of k eff calculations for the major actinides in SNF—to conservatively account for the bias and bias uncertainty associated with the specified unvalidated FP&MAs. The ISG recommends (1) use of 1.5% of the FP&MA worth if a modern version of SCALE and its nuclear data are used and (2) 3% of the FP&MA worth for well qualified, industry standard code systems other than SCALE with the Evaluated Nuclear Data Files, Part B (ENDF/B),-V, ENDF/B-VI, or ENDF/B-VII cross sections libraries. The work presented in this paper provides a basis for extending the use of the 1.5% of the FP&MA worth bias to BUC criticality calculations performed using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code. The extended use of the 1.5% FP&MA worth bias is shown to be acceptable by comparison of FP&MA worths calculated using SCALE and MCNP with ENDF/B-V, -VI, and -VII–based nuclear data. The comparison supports use of the 1.5% FP&MA worth bias when the MCNP code is used for criticality calculations, provided that the cask design is similar to the hypothetical generic BUC-32 cask model and that the credited FP&MA worth is no more than 0.1 Δk eff (ISG-8, Rev. 3, Recommendation 4).« less

Methamphetamine use is associated with high levels of depressive symptoms in adolescents and young adults in Rural Chiang Mai Province, Thailand.

PubMed

DiMiceli, Lauren E; Sherman, Susan G; Aramrattana, Apinun; Sirirojn, Bangorn; Celentano, David D

2016-02-19

High levels of depressive symptoms often occur among individuals that use or that are dependent on methamphetamine (MA). Thailand is currently experiencing an epidemic of MA use among youth. Understanding the nature of the relationship between depressive symptoms and MA use and identifying those most at risk can further understanding of prevention and treatment options for youth who use MA and present with depressive symptoms. In 2011, we conducted a cross sectional epidemiologic study that examined associations between MA use and high levels of depressive symptoms among adolescents and young adults aged 14-29 living in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. A combination of cluster and systematic sampling was conducted to obtain a study sample of participants actively recruited in Chiang Mai province. Depressive symptoms were measured using a Thai translation of the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D). The independent variables measured reported lifetime and recent MA use within the past 3 months. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess associations between MA use and high levels of depressive symptoms. Approximately 19% (n = 394) of the sample reported ever having consumed MA and 31% (n = 124) of lifetime users reported recent MA use within the past 3 months. Recent MA use was associated with high levels of depressive symptoms (aPOR recent use: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.20, 5.63). This is one of the first studies to examine the association between MA use and high levels of depressive symptoms in a general Thai population. The odds of having high levels of depressive symptoms was significantly greater among recent MA users compared to non-users. These findings support the need for policies, programs and interventions to prevent and treat depressive symptoms presenting among MA using Thai adolescents and young adults in rural Chiang Mai province, Thailand to aid in cessation of MA use. Furthermore, additional research is needed to investigate treatment options for adolescents and young adults in Thailand that use MA and present with high levels of depressive symptoms.

Bayesian data assimilation provides rapid decision support for vector-borne diseases.

PubMed

Jewell, Chris P; Brown, Richard G

2015-07-06

Predicting the spread of vector-borne diseases in response to incursions requires knowledge of both host and vector demographics in advance of an outbreak. Although host population data are typically available, for novel disease introductions there is a high chance of the pathogen using a vector for which data are unavailable. This presents a barrier to estimating the parameters of dynamical models representing host-vector-pathogen interaction, and hence limits their ability to provide quantitative risk forecasts. The Theileria orientalis (Ikeda) outbreak in New Zealand cattle demonstrates this problem: even though the vector has received extensive laboratory study, a high degree of uncertainty persists over its national demographic distribution. Addressing this, we develop a Bayesian data assimilation approach whereby indirect observations of vector activity inform a seasonal spatio-temporal risk surface within a stochastic epidemic model. We provide quantitative predictions for the future spread of the epidemic, quantifying uncertainty in the model parameters, case infection times and the disease status of undetected infections. Importantly, we demonstrate how our model learns sequentially as the epidemic unfolds and provide evidence for changing epidemic dynamics through time. Our approach therefore provides a significant advance in rapid decision support for novel vector-borne disease outbreaks. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Paleomagnetism of the 1210 Ma Gnowangerup-Fraser dyke swarm, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pisarevsky, S. A.; Li, Z. X.; Wingate, M. T. D.; Tohver, E.

2012-04-01

The Gnowangerup-Fraser mafic dyke swarm is part of the Marnda Moorn LIP and subparallel to the southern and southeastern margins of the Yilgarn Craton. Some dykes become progressively recrystallized towards the craton margin and others are strongly deformed within the orogen, implying that at least some dykes were emplaced prior to the youngest deformation in the Albany-Fraser Orogen. Five dykes have previously yielded U-Pb ages between 1203 and 1218 Ma, and the primary nature of the magnetic directions in a 1212 Ma Fraser dyke is supported by a positive baked-contact test. We collected paleomagnetism samples from 19 dykes, along the Phillips and Fitzgerald Rivers, and near Ravensthorpe. AF demagnetisation revealed a stable bipolar remanence in 13 dykes. The mean paleomagnetic pole is almost identical to the VGP of the 1212 Ma Fraser dyke. The combined robust paleopole places the West Australian Craton in a near-polar position at 1210 Ma. Comparison with coeval Laurentian paleopoles indicates that Laurentia and Australia were widely separated at that time.

Cold Gas in Quenched Dwarf Galaxies using HI-MaNGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonilla, Alaina

2017-01-01

MaNGA (Mapping of Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory) is a 6-year Sloan Digital Sky Survey fourth generation (SDSS-IV) project that will obtain integral field spectroscopy of a catalogue of 10,000 nearby galaxies. In this study, we explore the properties of the passive dwarf galaxy sample presented in Penny et al. 2016, making use of MaNGA IFU (Integral Field Unit) data to plot gas emission, stellar velocity, and flux maps. In addition, HI-MaNGA, a legacy radio-survey of MaNGA, collects single dish HI data retrieved from the GBT (Green Bank Telescope), which we use to study the the 21cm emission lines present in HI detections. Studying the HI content of passive dwarves will help us reveal the processes that are preventing star formation, such as possible AGN feedback. This work was supported by the SDSS Research Experience for Undergraduates program, which is funded by a grant from the Sloan Foundation to the Astrophysical Research Consortium.

Support Vector Machines: Relevance Feedback and Information Retrieval.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drucker, Harris; Shahrary, Behzad; Gibbon, David C.

2002-01-01

Compares support vector machines (SVMs) to Rocchio, Ide regular and Ide dec-hi algorithms in information retrieval (IR) of text documents using relevancy feedback. If the preliminary search is so poor that one has to search through many documents to find at least one relevant document, then SVM is preferred. Includes nine tables. (Contains 24…

Subpixel urban land cover estimation: comparing cubist, random forests, and support vector regression

Treesearch

Jeffrey T. Walton

2008-01-01

Three machine learning subpixel estimation methods (Cubist, Random Forests, and support vector regression) were applied to estimate urban cover. Urban forest canopy cover and impervious surface cover were estimated from Landsat-7 ETM+ imagery using a higher resolution cover map resampled to 30 m as training and reference data. Three different band combinations (...

Applications of Support Vector Machine (SVM) Learning in Cancer Genomics.

PubMed

Huang, Shujun; Cai, Nianguang; Pacheco, Pedro Penzuti; Narrandes, Shavira; Wang, Yang; Xu, Wayne

2018-01-01

Machine learning with maximization (support) of separating margin (vector), called support vector machine (SVM) learning, is a powerful classification tool that has been used for cancer genomic classification or subtyping. Today, as advancements in high-throughput technologies lead to production of large amounts of genomic and epigenomic data, the classification feature of SVMs is expanding its use in cancer genomics, leading to the discovery of new biomarkers, new drug targets, and a better understanding of cancer driver genes. Herein we reviewed the recent progress of SVMs in cancer genomic studies. We intend to comprehend the strength of the SVM learning and its future perspective in cancer genomic applications. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Dual linear structured support vector machine tracking method via scale correlation filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Weisheng; Chen, Yanquan; Xiao, Bin; Feng, Chen

2018-01-01

Adaptive tracking-by-detection methods based on structured support vector machine (SVM) performed well on recent visual tracking benchmarks. However, these methods did not adopt an effective strategy of object scale estimation, which limits the overall tracking performance. We present a tracking method based on a dual linear structured support vector machine (DLSSVM) with a discriminative scale correlation filter. The collaborative tracker comprised of a DLSSVM model and a scale correlation filter obtains good results in tracking target position and scale estimation. The fast Fourier transform is applied for detection. Extensive experiments show that our tracking approach outperforms many popular top-ranking trackers. On a benchmark including 100 challenging video sequences, the average precision of the proposed method is 82.8%.

Object recognition of ladar with support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jian-Feng; Li, Qi; Wang, Qi

2005-01-01

Intensity, range and Doppler images can be obtained by using laser radar. Laser radar can detect much more object information than other detecting sensor, such as passive infrared imaging and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), so it is well suited as the sensor of object recognition. Traditional method of laser radar object recognition is extracting target features, which can be influenced by noise. In this paper, a laser radar recognition method-Support Vector Machine is introduced. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a new hotspot of recognition research after neural network. It has well performance on digital written and face recognition. Two series experiments about SVM designed for preprocessing and non-preprocessing samples are performed by real laser radar images, and the experiments results are compared.

nu-Anomica: A Fast Support Vector Based Novelty Detection Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, Santanu; Bhaduri, Kanishka; Oza, Nikunj C.; Srivastava, Ashok N.

2009-01-01

In this paper we propose nu-Anomica, a novel anomaly detection technique that can be trained on huge data sets with much reduced running time compared to the benchmark one-class Support Vector Machines algorithm. In -Anomica, the idea is to train the machine such that it can provide a close approximation to the exact decision plane using fewer training points and without losing much of the generalization performance of the classical approach. We have tested the proposed algorithm on a variety of continuous data sets under different conditions. We show that under all test conditions the developed procedure closely preserves the accuracy of standard one-class Support Vector Machines while reducing both the training time and the test time by 5 - 20 times.

ℓ p-Norm Multikernel Learning Approach for Stock Market Price Forecasting

PubMed Central

Shao, Xigao; Wu, Kun; Liao, Bifeng

2012-01-01

Linear multiple kernel learning model has been used for predicting financial time series. However, ℓ 1-norm multiple support vector regression is rarely observed to outperform trivial baselines in practical applications. To allow for robust kernel mixtures that generalize well, we adopt ℓ p-norm multiple kernel support vector regression (1 ≤ p < ∞) as a stock price prediction model. The optimization problem is decomposed into smaller subproblems, and the interleaved optimization strategy is employed to solve the regression model. The model is evaluated on forecasting the daily stock closing prices of Shanghai Stock Index in China. Experimental results show that our proposed model performs better than ℓ 1-norm multiple support vector regression model. PMID:23365561

Support vector machine for automatic pain recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monwar, Md Maruf; Rezaei, Siamak

2009-02-01

Facial expressions are a key index of emotion and the interpretation of such expressions of emotion is critical to everyday social functioning. In this paper, we present an efficient video analysis technique for recognition of a specific expression, pain, from human faces. We employ an automatic face detector which detects face from the stored video frame using skin color modeling technique. For pain recognition, location and shape features of the detected faces are computed. These features are then used as inputs to a support vector machine (SVM) for classification. We compare the results with neural network based and eigenimage based automatic pain recognition systems. The experiment results indicate that using support vector machine as classifier can certainly improve the performance of automatic pain recognition system.

Design of 2D time-varying vector fields.

PubMed

Chen, Guoning; Kwatra, Vivek; Wei, Li-Yi; Hansen, Charles D; Zhang, Eugene

2012-10-01

Design of time-varying vector fields, i.e., vector fields that can change over time, has a wide variety of important applications in computer graphics. Existing vector field design techniques do not address time-varying vector fields. In this paper, we present a framework for the design of time-varying vector fields, both for planar domains as well as manifold surfaces. Our system supports the creation and modification of various time-varying vector fields with desired spatial and temporal characteristics through several design metaphors, including streamlines, pathlines, singularity paths, and bifurcations. These design metaphors are integrated into an element-based design to generate the time-varying vector fields via a sequence of basis field summations or spatial constrained optimizations at the sampled times. The key-frame design and field deformation are also introduced to support other user design scenarios. Accordingly, a spatial-temporal constrained optimization and the time-varying transformation are employed to generate the desired fields for these two design scenarios, respectively. We apply the time-varying vector fields generated using our design system to a number of important computer graphics applications that require controllable dynamic effects, such as evolving surface appearance, dynamic scene design, steerable crowd movement, and painterly animation. Many of these are difficult or impossible to achieve via prior simulation-based methods. In these applications, the time-varying vector fields have been applied as either orientation fields or advection fields to control the instantaneous appearance or evolving trajectories of the dynamic effects.

Ages of pre-rift basement and synrift rocks along the conjugate rift and transform margins of the Argintine Precordillera and Laurentia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, William A.; Tucker, Robert D.; Astini, Ricardo A.; Denison, Rodger E.

2012-01-01

New geochronologic data from basement rocks support the interpretation that the Argentine Precordillera (Cuyania) terrane was rifted from the Ouachita embayment of the Iapetan margin of Laurentia. New data from the Ozark dome show a range of ages in two groups at 1466 ± 3 to 1462 ± 1 Ma and 1323 ± 2 to 1317 ± 2 Ma, consistent with existing data for the Eastern Granite-Rhyolite province and Southern Granite-Rhyolite province, respectively. Similarly, a newly determined age of 1364 ± 2 Ma for the Tishomingo Granite in the Arbuckle Mountains confirms previously published analyses for this part of the Southern Granite-Rhyolite province. Along with previously reported ages from basement olistoliths in Ordovician slope deposits in the Ouachita embayment, the data for basement ages support the interpretation that rocks of the Southern Granite-Rhyolite province form the margin of Laurentian crust around the corner of the Ouachita embayment, which is bounded by the Ouachita rift and Alabama-Oklahoma transform fault. In contrast, both west and east of the corner of the Ouachita embayment, Grenville-Llano basement (approximately 1325–1000 Ma) forms the rifted margin of Laurentia. New U/Pb zircon data from basement rocks in the southern part of the Argentine Precordillera indicate crystallization ages of 1205 ± 1 Ma and 1204 ± 2 Ma, consistent with previously reported ages (approximately 1250–1000 Ma) of basement rocks from other parts of the Precordillera. These data document multiple events within the same time span as multiple events in the Grenville orogeny in eastern Laurentia, and are consistent with Grenville-age rocks along the conjugate margins of the Precordillera and Laurentia. Ages from one newly analyzed collection, however, are older than those from other basement rocks in the Precordillera. These ages, from granodioritic-granitic basement clasts in a conglomerate olistolith in Ordovician slope deposits, are 1370 ± 2 Ma and 1367 ± 5 Ma. These older ages from the Precordillera are consistent with indications that the Iapetan margin in the Ouachita embayment of Laurentia truncated the Grenville front and left older rocks of the Southern Granite-Rhyolite province (1390–1320 Ma) at the rifted margin. Chronostratigraphic correlations of synrift and post-rift sedimentary deposits on the Precordillera and on the Texas promontory of Laurentia document initial rifting in the Early Cambrian. Previously published data from synrift plutonic and volcanic rocks in the Wichita and Arbuckle Mountains along the transform-parallel intracratonic Southern Oklahoma fault system inboard from the Ouachita embayment document crystallization ages of 539–530 Ma. New data from synrift volcanic rocks in the Arbuckle Mountains in the eastern part of the Southern Oklahoma fault system yield ages of 539 ± 5 Ma and 536 ± 5 Ma, confirming the age of synrift volcanism.

Techniques utilized in the simulated altitude testing of a 2D-CD vectoring and reversing nozzle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Block, H. Bruce; Bryant, Lively; Dicus, John H.; Moore, Allan S.; Burns, Maureen E.; Solomon, Robert F.; Sheer, Irving

1988-01-01

Simulated altitude testing of a two-dimensional, convergent-divergent, thrust vectoring and reversing exhaust nozzle was accomplished. An important objective of this test was to develop test hardware and techniques to properly operate a vectoring and reversing nozzle within the confines of an altitude test facility. This report presents detailed information on the major test support systems utilized, the operational performance of the systems and the problems encountered, and test equipment improvements recommended for future tests. The most challenging support systems included the multi-axis thrust measurement system, vectored and reverse exhaust gas collection systems, and infrared temperature measurement systems used to evaluate and monitor the nozzle. The feasibility of testing a vectoring and reversing nozzle of this type in an altitude chamber was successfully demonstrated. Supporting systems performed as required. During reverser operation, engine exhaust gases were successfully captured and turned downstream. However, a small amount of exhaust gas spilled out the collector ducts' inlet openings when the reverser was opened more than 60 percent. The spillage did not affect engine or nozzle performance. The three infrared systems which viewed the nozzle through the exhaust collection system worked remarkably well considering the harsh environment.

A pilot study on the status of lymphatic filariasis in a rural community of Bihar.

PubMed

Das, V N R; Siddiqui, N A; Kumar, N; Verma, N; Verma, R B; Dinesh, D S; Kar, S K; Das, P

2006-03-01

A pilot study of lymphatic filariasis was conducted in two contiguous villages of Patna district in Bihar situated at the side of the river Ganges, known to be endemic for lymphatic filariasis, to study present status of transmission parameters of filariasis. Of the 1872 persons examined, 8.4% were found asymptomatic but microfilaraemic. Morbidity pattern due to filarial infection showed an increase with advancement of age and significantly high in males as compared to female (p < 0.001). Acute and chronic filarial disease was observed as 0.5% and 9% respectively. Microfilaria was found in 10% of acute and 11.2% of chronic filarial cases. The Mf rate was found to be 9.9% in males and 9.0% in females respectively. The parasite species was identified as W. bancrofti. The vector fauna surveyed show highest prevalence of vector species of Cx. quinquefasciatus (43%) in both domestic as well as predomestic area in the community. Other species like Cx. vishnui and Ma. uniformis were also seen. Each household and predomestic area was searched for mosquito fauna at night. The infection rate in vectors was found to be 14% and infectivity rate (L3) was 8%. The filariasis cases detected in the study were treated with 12 days course of DEC 6 mg/kg body weight.

Larvicidal efficacy screening of Anacardaciae crude extracts on the dengue hemorrhagic vector, Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Zuharah, W F; Fadzly, N; Ali, Y; Zakaria, R; Juperi, S; Asyraf, M; Dieng, H

2014-06-01

Vector-borne diseases are still rife because of the re-emergence of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the larvicidal efficacy of crude leaf extract of Mangifera indica, Gluta renghas, and Melanochyla fasciculiflora against vector of dengue hemorrhagic fever, Aedes aegypti. These plant species are endemic species and widely distributed in Malaysian forests. Leaves of Ma. indica, G. renghas and M. fascculiflora were collected from Teluk Bahang National Park, Penang Malaysia. Fractions of leaves were segregated, air-dried, powdered and extracted using Soxhlet with methanol. The solvent was removed by using rotary evaporator to obtain the crude extract. Using WHO standard larval bioassay test method, third instar larvae of Aedes aegypti were exposed to concentration ranging from 200- 4500 ppm of methanol extract for all plant species. Larval mortality was observed after 24 hours exposure. The highest susceptibility and toxicity was recorded by Mangifera indica with the lowest concentration at 800 ppm followed by M. fasciculiflora and G. renghas. This indicates that crude plant extract is very effective in killing Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. This finding may lead to new low cost alternative, environmentally friendly method for mosquito control programs. To our knowledge, this is the first report on larvicidal bioefficacy from endemic Malaysian plants.

Adenovirus Vectors Target Several Cell Subtypes of Mammalian Inner Ear In Vivo

PubMed Central

Li, Wenyan; Shen, Jun

2016-01-01

Mammalian inner ear harbors diverse cell types that are essential for hearing and balance. Adenovirus is one of the major vectors to deliver genes into the inner ear for functional studies and hair cell regeneration. To identify adenovirus vectors that target specific cell subtypes in the inner ear, we studied three adenovirus vectors, carrying a reporter gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) from two vendors or with a genome editing gene Cre recombinase (Cre), by injection into postnatal days 0 (P0) and 4 (P4) mouse cochlea through scala media by cochleostomy in vivo. We found three adenovirus vectors transduced mouse inner ear cells with different specificities and expression levels, depending on the type of adenoviral vectors and the age of mice. The most frequently targeted region was the cochlear sensory epithelium, including auditory hair cells and supporting cells. Adenovirus with GFP transduced utricular supporting cells as well. This study shows that adenovirus vectors are capable of efficiently and specifically transducing different cell types in the mammalian inner ear and provides useful tools to study inner ear gene function and to evaluate gene therapy to treat hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. PMID:28116172

Bayesian data assimilation provides rapid decision support for vector-borne diseases

PubMed Central

Jewell, Chris P.; Brown, Richard G.

2015-01-01

Predicting the spread of vector-borne diseases in response to incursions requires knowledge of both host and vector demographics in advance of an outbreak. Although host population data are typically available, for novel disease introductions there is a high chance of the pathogen using a vector for which data are unavailable. This presents a barrier to estimating the parameters of dynamical models representing host–vector–pathogen interaction, and hence limits their ability to provide quantitative risk forecasts. The Theileria orientalis (Ikeda) outbreak in New Zealand cattle demonstrates this problem: even though the vector has received extensive laboratory study, a high degree of uncertainty persists over its national demographic distribution. Addressing this, we develop a Bayesian data assimilation approach whereby indirect observations of vector activity inform a seasonal spatio-temporal risk surface within a stochastic epidemic model. We provide quantitative predictions for the future spread of the epidemic, quantifying uncertainty in the model parameters, case infection times and the disease status of undetected infections. Importantly, we demonstrate how our model learns sequentially as the epidemic unfolds and provide evidence for changing epidemic dynamics through time. Our approach therefore provides a significant advance in rapid decision support for novel vector-borne disease outbreaks. PMID:26136225

Stable Local Volatility Calibration Using Kernel Splines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, Thomas F.; Li, Yuying; Wang, Cheng

2010-09-01

We propose an optimization formulation using L1 norm to ensure accuracy and stability in calibrating a local volatility function for option pricing. Using a regularization parameter, the proposed objective function balances the calibration accuracy with the model complexity. Motivated by the support vector machine learning, the unknown local volatility function is represented by a kernel function generating splines and the model complexity is controlled by minimizing the 1-norm of the kernel coefficient vector. In the context of the support vector regression for function estimation based on a finite set of observations, this corresponds to minimizing the number of support vectors for predictability. We illustrate the ability of the proposed approach to reconstruct the local volatility function in a synthetic market. In addition, based on S&P 500 market index option data, we demonstrate that the calibrated local volatility surface is simple and resembles the observed implied volatility surface in shape. Stability is illustrated by calibrating local volatility functions using market option data from different dates.

[Supporting patients in self-management: moving to a personalised approach].

PubMed

Eikelenboom, N; van Lieshout, J; Jacobs, A; Verhulst, F; Lacroix, J; van Halteren, A; Klomp, M; Smeele, I; Wensing, M

2016-01-01

The aim of this research was to assess the effect of providing personalised self-management support on patient activation (knowledge, skills, self-efficacy) and self-management behaviour. Cluster randomised trial in 15 general practices (Dutch Trial Register No.: NTR 3960). Patients aged 18 years or older with a chronic condition were invited to participate in the study. The Self-Management Screening (SeMaS) questionnaire - which illustrates barriers to self-management - was used as a tool for personalised self-management support. Nurse practitioners in the intervention practices were trained for 2 hours in using SeMaS and personalising self-management support on the basis of the SeMaS profile. At baseline and after 6 months, patients filled in questionnaires on patient activation (PAM-13) and lifestyle. Using data from the questionnaires and medical records, the use of individual care plans, referrals to self-management interventions, self-monitoring and healthcare use were assessed. We used a multiple multilevel regression model for data analysis. After 6 months, no difference was found in patient activation between the control group (n = 348) and the intervention group (n = 296). 29.4% of the patients in the intervention group performed self-monitoring, versus 15.2% in the control group (regression coefficient r = 0.9, p = 0.01). In the per-protocol analysis (control n = 348; intervention n = 136), the number of individual care plans (r = 1.3, p = 0.04) and the number of patients performing self-monitoring (r = 1.0; p = 0.01) were higher in the intervention group. Personalised self-management support with the use of the SeMaS method stimulates self-monitoring and the use of individual care plans. The intervention had no effect on patient activation or lifestyle. Given the positive secondary outcomes, the further potential of the tool should be researched.

Construction and Initial Tests of MAIZE: 1 MA LTD-Driven Z-Pinch *

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilgenbach, R. M.; Gomez, M. R.; Zier, J. C.; Tang, W.; French, D. M.; Lau, Y. Y.; Mazarakis, M. G.; Cuneo, M. E.; Johnston, M. D.; Oliver, B. V.; Mehlhorn, T. A.; Kim, A. A.; Sinebryukhov, V. A.

2008-11-01

We report construction and initial testing of a 1-MA Linear Transformer Driver (LTD), The Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-pinch Experiments, (MAIZE). This machine, the first of its type to reach the USA, is based on the joint HCEI, Sandia Laboratories, and UM development effort. The compact LTD uses 80 capacitors and 40 spark gap switches, in 40 ``bricks'', to deliver 1 MA, 100 kV pulses with 70 ns risetime into a matched resistive load. Test results will be presented for a single brick and the full LTD. Design and construction will be presented of a low-inductance MITL. Experimental research programs under design and construction at UM include: a) Studies of Magneto-Raleigh-Taylor Instability of planar foils, and b) Vacuum convolute studies including cathode and anode plasma. Theory and simulation results will be presented for these planned experiments. Initial experimental designs and moderate-current feasibility experiments will be discussed. *Research supported by U. S. DoE through Sandia National Laboratories award document numbers 240985, 768225, 790791 and 805234 to the UM. MRG supported by NNSA Fellowship and JCZ supported by NPSC Fellowship / Sandia National Labs.

Comment on "Relict Basin Closure and Crustal Shortening Budgets During Continental Collision: An Example From Caucasus Sediment Provenance" by Cowgill et al. (2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Stephen J.; Saintot, Aline; Mosar, Jon; Okay, Aral I.; Nikishin, Anatoly M.

2018-03-01

The southern slope of the Greater Caucasus mountains is the site of a former rift basin. In order to explain shortening deficits, plate deceleration, and the 5 Ma reorganization of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone Cowgill et al. (2016) proposed that this basin closed 5 Myrs ago. Within the western Greater Caucasus, at least, careful examination of sedimentological, provenance, and seismic data, however, supports an earlier 35 Ma basin closure age. Basin closure cannot therefore be the driving mechanism for the 5 Ma deceleration of the Arabian plate and reorganization of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone.

Methamphetamine facilitates female sexual behavior and enhances neuronal activation in the medial amygdala and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus.

PubMed

Holder, Mary K; Hadjimarkou, Maria M; Zup, Susan L; Blutstein, Tamara; Benham, Rebecca S; McCarthy, Margaret M; Mong, Jessica A

2010-02-01

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Users of MA report dramatic increases in sexual drive that have been associated with increased engagement in risky sexual behavior leading to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The ability of MA to enhance sexual drive in females is enigmatic since related psychostimulants like amphetamine and cocaine appear not to affect sexual drive in women, and in rodents models, amphetamine has been reported to be inhibitory to female sexual behavior. Examination of MA's effects on female sexual behavior in an animal model is lacking. Here, using a rodent model, we have demonstrated that MA enhanced female sexual behavior. MA (5mg/kg) or saline vehicle was administered once daily for 3 days to adult ovariectomized rats primed with ovarian steroids. MA treatment significantly increased the number of proceptive events and the lordosis response compared to hormonally primed, saline controls. The effect of MA on the neural circuitry underlying the motivation for sexual behavior was examined using Fos immunoreactivity. In the medial amygdala and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, nuclei implicated in motivated behaviors, ovarian hormones and MA independently enhance the neuronal activation, but more striking was the significantly greater activation induced by their combined administration. Increases in dopamine neurotransmission may underlie the MA/hormone mediated increase in neuronal activation. In support of this possibility, ovarian hormones significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase (the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis) immunoreactivity in the medial amygdala. Thus our present data suggest that the interactions of MA and ovarian hormones leads to changes in the neural substrate of key nuclei involved in mediating female sexual behaviors, and these changes may underlie MA's ability to enhance these behaviors. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust estimators of palaeosecular variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suttie, Neil; Biggin, Andrew; Holme, Richard

2015-02-01

The Fisher distribution is central to palaeomagnetism but presents several problems when used to characterize geomagnetic field directions as observed in sequences of volcanic rocks. First, it introduces a shallowing effect when used to define the mean of any group of directional unit vectors. This is problematic because it can suggest the presence of persistent non-axial dipole components when none are present. More importantly, it fails to capture the observed `long tail' in distributions of both directions and associated virtual geomagnetic poles in terms of angular distance from a central direction. To achieve a good fit to data, it therefore requires the introduction of a second distribution (and therefore the estimation of additional parameters) or the arbitrary removal of data. Here we present a new distribution to describe palaeomagnetic directions and demonstrate that it overcomes both of these problems, generating robust indicators of both the central direction (or pole position) and the spread of palaeomagnetic data as defined by unit vectors. Starting from the assumption that poles (or directions) have an expected colatitude, rather than a mean location, we derive the spherical exponential distribution. We demonstrate that this new distribution provides a good fit to palaeomagnetic data sets from seven large igneous provinces between 15 and 65 Ma and also those produced by numerical dynamo models. We also use it to derive a new shape parameter which may be used as a diagnostic tool for testing goodness of fit of models to data and use this to argue for a shift in geomagnetic behaviour between 5 and 15 Ma. Furthermore, we point out that this new statistic can be used to determine the most appropriate distribution to be used when constructing confidence limits for poles.

Methamphetamine Facilitates Female Sexual Behavior and Enhances Neuronal Activation in the Medial Amygdala and Ventromedial Nucleus of the Hypothalamus

PubMed Central

Holder, Mary K; Hadjimarkou, Maria M.; Zup, Susan L.; Blutstein, Tamara; Benham, Rebecca S.; McCarthy, Margaret M.; Mong, Jessica A.

2009-01-01

Summary Methamphetamine (MA) abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Users of MA report dramatic increases in sexual drive that have been associated with increased engagement in risky sexual behavior leading to higher rates of sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies. The ability of MA to enhance sexual drive in females is enigmatic since related psychostimulants like amphetamine and cocaine appear not to affect sexual drive in women, and in rodents models, amphetamine has been reported to be inhibitory to female sexual behavior. Examination of MA’s effects on female sexual behavior in an animal model is lacking. Here, using a rodent model, we have demonstrated that MA enhanced female sexual behavior. MA (5mg/kg) or saline vehicle was administered once daily for three days to adult ovariectomized rats primed with ovarian steroids. MA treatment significantly increased the number of proceptive events and the lordosis response compared to hormonally-primed, saline controls. The effect of MA on the neural circuitry underlying the motivation for sexual behavior was examined using Fos immunoreactivity. In the medial amygdala and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, nuclei implicated in motivated behaviors, ovarian hormones and MA independently enhance the neuronal activation, but more striking was the significantly greater activation induced by their combined administration. Increases in dopamine neurotransmission may underlie the MA/hormone mediated increase in neuronal activation. In support of this possibility, ovarian hormones significantly increased tyrosine hyroxylase (the rate limiting enzyme in dopamine synthesis) immunoreactivity in the medial amygdala. Thus our present data suggest that the interactions of MA and ovarian hormones leads to changes in the neural substrate of key nuclei involved in mediating female sexual behaviors, and these changes may underlie MA’s ability to enhance these behaviors. PMID:19589643

Estimation of Teacher Practices Based on Text Transcripts of Teacher Speech Using a Support Vector Machine Algorithm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Araya, Roberto; Plana, Francisco; Dartnell, Pablo; Soto-Andrade, Jorge; Luci, Gina; Salinas, Elena; Araya, Marylen

2012-01-01

Teacher practice is normally assessed by observers who watch classes or videos of classes. Here, we analyse an alternative strategy that uses text transcripts and a support vector machine classifier. For each one of the 710 videos of mathematics classes from the 2005 Chilean National Teacher Assessment Programme, a single 4-minute slice was…

Measurement of the neutrino neutral-current elastic differential cross section on mineral oil at Eν˜1GeV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar-Arevalo, A. A.; Anderson, C. E.; Bazarko, A. O.; Brice, S. J.; Brown, B. C.; Bugel, L.; Cao, J.; Coney, L.; Conrad, J. M.; Cox, D. C.; Curioni, A.; Dharmapalan, R.; Djurcic, Z.; Finley, D. A.; Fleming, B. T.; Ford, R.; Garcia, F. G.; Garvey, G. T.; Grange, J.; Green, C.; Green, J. A.; Hart, T. L.; Hawker, E.; Imlay, R.; Johnson, R. A.; Karagiorgi, G.; Kasper, P.; Katori, T.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kourbanis, I.; Koutsoliotas, S.; Laird, E. M.; Linden, S. K.; Link, J. M.; Liu, Y.; Liu, Y.; Louis, W. C.; Mahn, K. B. M.; Marsh, W.; Mauger, C.; McGary, V. T.; McGregor, G.; Metcalf, W.; Meyers, P. D.; Mills, F.; Mills, G. B.; Monroe, J.; Moore, C. D.; Mousseau, J.; Nelson, R. H.; Nienaber, P.; Nowak, J. A.; Osmanov, B.; Ouedraogo, S.; Patterson, R. B.; Pavlovic, Z.; Perevalov, D.; Polly, C. C.; Prebys, E.; Raaf, J. L.; Ray, H.; Roe, B. P.; Russell, A. D.; Sandberg, V.; Schirato, R.; Schmitz, D.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Shoemaker, F. C.; Smith, D.; Soderberg, M.; Sorel, M.; Spentzouris, P.; Spitz, J.; Stancu, I.; Stefanski, R. J.; Sung, M.; Tanaka, H. A.; Tayloe, R.; Tzanov, M.; van de Water, R. G.; Wascko, M. O.; White, D. H.; Wilking, M. J.; Yang, H. J.; Zeller, G. P.; Zimmerman, E. D.

2010-11-01

We report a measurement of the flux-averaged neutral-current elastic differential cross section for neutrinos scattering on mineral oil (CH2) as a function of four-momentum transferred squared, Q2. It is obtained by measuring the kinematics of recoiling nucleons with kinetic energy greater than 50 MeV which are readily detected in MiniBooNE. This differential cross-section distribution is fit with fixed nucleon form factors apart from an axial mass MA that provides a best fit for MA=1.39±0.11GeV. Using the data from the charged-current neutrino interaction sample, a ratio of neutral-current to charged-current quasielastic cross sections as a function of Q2 has been measured. Additionally, single protons with kinetic energies above 350 MeV can be distinguished from neutrons and multiple nucleon events. Using this marker, the strange quark contribution to the neutral-current axial vector form factor at Q2=0, Δs, is found to be Δs=0.08±0.26.

Multi-kernel aggregation of local and global features in long-wave infrared for detection of SWAT teams in challenging environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arya, Ankit S.; Anderson, Derek T.; Bethel, Cindy L.; Carruth, Daniel

2013-05-01

A vision system was designed for people detection to provide support to SWAT team members operating in challenging environments such as low-to-no light, smoke, etc. When the vision system is mounted on a mobile robot platform: it will enable the robot to function as an effective member of the SWAT team; to provide surveillance information; to make first contact with suspects; and provide safe entry for team members. The vision task is challenging because SWAT team members are typically concealed, carry various equipment such as shields, and perform tactical and stealthy maneuvers. Occlusion is a particular challenge because team members operate in close proximity to one another. An uncooled electro-opticaljlong wav e infrared (EO/ LWIR) camera, 7.5 to 13.5 m, was used. A unique thermal dataset was collected of SWAT team members from multiple teams performing tactical maneuvers during monthly training exercises. Our approach consisted of two stages: an object detector trained on people to find candidate windows, and a secondary feature extraction, multi-kernel (MK) aggregation and classification step to distinguish between SWAT team members and civilians. Two types of thermal features, local and global, are presented based on ma ximally stable extremal region (MSER) blob detection. Support vector machine (SVM) classification results of approximately [70, 93]% for SWAT team member detection are reported based on the exploration of different combinations of visual information in terms of training data.

Refining a personalized mHealth intervention to promote medication adherence among HIV+ methamphetamine users.

PubMed

Montoya, Jessica L; Georges, Shereen; Poquette, Amelia; Depp, Colin A; Atkinson, J Hampton; Moore, David J

2014-01-01

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions to promote antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence have shown promise; however, among persons living with HIV who abuse methamphetamine (MA), effective tailoring of content to match the expressed needs of this patient population may be necessary. This study aimed (1) to understand patient perspectives of barriers and facilitators of ART adherence among people with HIV who use MA, and (2) to obtain feedback on the thematic content of an mHealth intervention in order to tailor the intervention to this subgroup. Two separate focus groups, each with 10 HIV+/MA+ individuals, were conducted. Transcribed audio recordings were qualitatively analyzed to identify emergent themes. Inter-rater reliability of themes was high (mean Kappa = .97). Adherence barriers included MA use, misguided beliefs about ART adherence, memory and planning difficulties, social barriers and perceived stigma, and mental heath issues. Facilitators of effective ART adherence were cognitive compensatory strategies, promotion of well-being, health-care supports, adherence education, and social support. Additionally, the focus groups generated content for reminder text messages to be used in the medication adherence intervention. This qualitative study demonstrates the feasibility of using focus groups to derive patient-centered intervention content to address the health challenge at hand in targeted populations.

Fast support vector data descriptions for novelty detection.

PubMed

Liu, Yi-Hung; Liu, Yan-Chen; Chen, Yen-Jen

2010-08-01

Support vector data description (SVDD) has become a very attractive kernel method due to its good results in many novelty detection problems. However, the decision function of SVDD is expressed in terms of the kernel expansion, which results in a run-time complexity linear in the number of support vectors. For applications where fast real-time response is needed, how to speed up the decision function is crucial. This paper aims at dealing with the issue of reducing the testing time complexity of SVDD. A method called fast SVDD (F-SVDD) is proposed. Unlike the traditional methods which all try to compress a kernel expansion into one with fewer terms, the proposed F-SVDD directly finds the preimage of a feature vector, and then uses a simple relationship between this feature vector and the SVDD sphere center to re-express the center with a single vector. The decision function of F-SVDD contains only one kernel term, and thus the decision boundary of F-SVDD is only spherical in the original space. Hence, the run-time complexity of the F-SVDD decision function is no longer linear in the support vectors, but is a constant, no matter how large the training set size is. In this paper, we also propose a novel direct preimage-finding method, which is noniterative and involves no free parameters. The unique preimage can be obtained in real time by the proposed direct method without taking trial-and-error. For demonstration, several real-world data sets and a large-scale data set, the extended MIT face data set, are used in experiments. In addition, a practical industry example regarding liquid crystal display micro-defect inspection is also used to compare the applicability of SVDD and our proposed F-SVDD when faced with mass data input. The results are very encouraging.

Support Vector Machine-Based Endmember Extraction

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

Filippi, Anthony M; Archibald, Richard K

Introduced in this paper is the utilization of Support Vector Machines (SVMs) to automatically perform endmember extraction from hyperspectral data. The strengths of SVM are exploited to provide a fast and accurate calculated representation of high-dimensional data sets that may consist of multiple distributions. Once this representation is computed, the number of distributions can be determined without prior knowledge. For each distribution, an optimal transform can be determined that preserves informational content while reducing the data dimensionality, and hence, the computational cost. Finally, endmember extraction for the whole data set is accomplished. Results indicate that this Support Vector Machine-Based Endmembermore » Extraction (SVM-BEE) algorithm has the capability of autonomously determining endmembers from multiple clusters with computational speed and accuracy, while maintaining a robust tolerance to noise.« less

Dopaminergic Neuron-Specific Deletion of p53 Gene Attenuates Methamphetamine Neurotoxicity.

PubMed

Lu, Tao; Kim, Paul P; Greig, Nigel H; Luo, Yu

2017-08-01

p53 plays an essential role in the regulation of cell death in dopaminergic (DA) neurons and its activation has been implicated in the neurotoxic effects of methamphetamine (MA). However, how p53 mediates MA neurotoxicity remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the effect of DA-specific p53 gene deletion in DAT-p53KO mice. Whereas in vivo MA binge exposure reduced locomotor activity in wild-type (WT) mice, this was significantly attenuated in DAT-p53KO mice and associated with significant differences in the levels of the p53 target genes BAX and p21 between WT and DAT-p53KO. Notably, DA-specific deletion of p53 provided protection of substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive fibers following binge MA, with DAT-p53KO mice having less decline of TH protein levels in striatum versus WT mice. Whereas DAT-p53KO mice demonstrated a consistently higher density of TH fibers in striatum compared to WT mice at 10 days after MA exposure, DA neuron counts within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) were similar. Finally, supportive of these results, administration of a p53-specific inhibitor (PFT-α) provided a similarly protective effect on MA binge-induced behavioral deficits. Neither DA specific p53 deletion nor p53 pharmacological inhibition affected hyperthermia induced by MA binge. These findings demonstrate a specific contribution of p53 activation in behavioral deficits and DA neuronal terminal loss by MA binge exposure.

Predicting domain-domain interaction based on domain profiles with feature selection and support vector machines

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Protein-protein interaction (PPI) plays essential roles in cellular functions. The cost, time and other limitations associated with the current experimental methods have motivated the development of computational methods for predicting PPIs. As protein interactions generally occur via domains instead of the whole molecules, predicting domain-domain interaction (DDI) is an important step toward PPI prediction. Computational methods developed so far have utilized information from various sources at different levels, from primary sequences, to molecular structures, to evolutionary profiles. Results In this paper, we propose a computational method to predict DDI using support vector machines (SVMs), based on domains represented as interaction profile hidden Markov models (ipHMM) where interacting residues in domains are explicitly modeled according to the three dimensional structural information available at the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Features about the domains are extracted first as the Fisher scores derived from the ipHMM and then selected using singular value decomposition (SVD). Domain pairs are represented by concatenating their selected feature vectors, and classified by a support vector machine trained on these feature vectors. The method is tested by leave-one-out cross validation experiments with a set of interacting protein pairs adopted from the 3DID database. The prediction accuracy has shown significant improvement as compared to InterPreTS (Interaction Prediction through Tertiary Structure), an existing method for PPI prediction that also uses the sequences and complexes of known 3D structure. Conclusions We show that domain-domain interaction prediction can be significantly enhanced by exploiting information inherent in the domain profiles via feature selection based on Fisher scores, singular value decomposition and supervised learning based on support vector machines. Datasets and source code are freely available on the web at http://liao.cis.udel.edu/pub/svdsvm. Implemented in Matlab and supported on Linux and MS Windows. PMID:21034480

Constraining primordial vector mode from B-mode polarization

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

Saga, Shohei; Ichiki, Kiyotomo; Shiraishi, Maresuke, E-mail: saga.shohei@nagoya-u.jp, E-mail: maresuke.shiraishi@pd.infn.it, E-mail: ichiki@a.phys.nagoya-u.ac.jp

The B-mode polarization spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) may be the smoking gun of not only the primordial tensor mode but also of the primordial vector mode. If there exist nonzero vector-mode metric perturbations in the early Universe, they are known to be supported by anisotropic stress fluctuations of free-streaming particles such as neutrinos, and to create characteristic signatures on both the CMB temperature, E-mode, and B-mode polarization anisotropies. We place constraints on the properties of the primordial vector mode characterized by the vector-to-scalar ratio r{sub v} and the spectral index n{sub v} of the vector-shear power spectrum,more » from the Planck and BICEP2 B-mode data. We find that, for scale-invariant initial spectra, the ΛCDM model including the vector mode fits the data better than the model including the tensor mode. The difference in χ{sup 2} between the vector and tensor models is Δχ{sup 2} = 3.294, because, on large scales the vector mode generates smaller temperature fluctuations than the tensor mode, which is preferred for the data. In contrast, the tensor mode can fit the data set equally well if we allow a significantly blue-tilted spectrum. We find that the best-fitting tensor mode has a large blue tilt and leads to an indistinct reionization bump on larger angular scales. The slightly red-tilted vector mode supported by the current data set can also create O(10{sup -22})-Gauss magnetic fields at cosmological recombination. Our constraints should motivate research that considers models of the early Universe that involve the vector mode.« less

Constraining the Uplift History of the Jabal Akhdar and Saih Hatat Culminations, Al Hajar Mountains, Oman, with Fission Track and (U-Th)/He Ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansman, R. J.; Ring, U.; Thomson, S. N.; Den Brok, B.; Stübner, K.

2016-12-01

We constrain the timing of the enigmatic uplift history of the Al Hajar Mountains in Oman by apatite (U-Th)/He and fission-track (AHe and AFT), as well as zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) ages. Our data show differential cooling between the two major culminations of the mountain range, which are separated by the Semail gap, a major NNE-oriented depression in the Al Hajar Mountains. In the up to 3 km high Jabal Akhdar Culmination west of the Semail Gap AHe sample mean ages range between 35.5 ± 4.3 Ma and 23.9 ± 8.8 Ma (1σ errors), AFT ages range 51 ± 4 to 32 ± 2 Ma (1σ errors), and ZHe sample mean ages range 50.6 ± 16.7 to 46.1 ± 7.1 Ma (1σ errors). Whereas, in the Saih Hatat Culmination to the east AHe ages range from 23.6 ± 1.7 Ma to 15.7 ± 4.1 Ma, AFT ages range 73 ± 10 to 57 ± 4 Ma, and ZHe ages range 70.6 ± 10.8 Ma through to 58.8 ± 1.8 Ma. These data demonstrate that the uplift initiated at 45 Ma and had ceased by 15 Ma, climaxing between 40 to 35 Ma. In addition, U-Pb dating of calcite tectonics also supports N-S shortening at 40 to 35 Ma. We propose that the Semail gap is a west-dipping thrust, which uplifted the Jabal Akhdar Culmination in the hanging-wall but hardly affected the Saih Hatat Culmination in the footwall. During mountain uplift, the Al Hajar Mountains were located at least 600 km outboard of the current Eurasia-Arabia subduction/collision zone on the continental margin of the downgoing Arabian Plate. We therefore conclude that the uplift of the Al Hajar Mountains preceded the Zagros collisional event by at least 15 Myr and were not causally related to the Zagros collision and Makran subduction.

Curriculum Assessment Using Artificial Neural Network and Support Vector Machine Modeling Approaches: A Case Study. IR Applications. Volume 29

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Chau-Kuang

2010-01-01

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) approaches have been on the cutting edge of science and technology for pattern recognition and data classification. In the ANN model, classification accuracy can be achieved by using the feed-forward of inputs, back-propagation of errors, and the adjustment of connection weights. In…

Progressive Classification Using Support Vector Machines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagstaff, Kiri; Kocurek, Michael

2009-01-01

An algorithm for progressive classification of data, analogous to progressive rendering of images, makes it possible to compromise between speed and accuracy. This algorithm uses support vector machines (SVMs) to classify data. An SVM is a machine learning algorithm that builds a mathematical model of the desired classification concept by identifying the critical data points, called support vectors. Coarse approximations to the concept require only a few support vectors, while precise, highly accurate models require far more support vectors. Once the model has been constructed, the SVM can be applied to new observations. The cost of classifying a new observation is proportional to the number of support vectors in the model. When computational resources are limited, an SVM of the appropriate complexity can be produced. However, if the constraints are not known when the model is constructed, or if they can change over time, a method for adaptively responding to the current resource constraints is required. This capability is particularly relevant for spacecraft (or any other real-time systems) that perform onboard data analysis. The new algorithm enables the fast, interactive application of an SVM classifier to a new set of data. The classification process achieved by this algorithm is characterized as progressive because a coarse approximation to the true classification is generated rapidly and thereafter iteratively refined. The algorithm uses two SVMs: (1) a fast, approximate one and (2) slow, highly accurate one. New data are initially classified by the fast SVM, producing a baseline approximate classification. For each classified data point, the algorithm calculates a confidence index that indicates the likelihood that it was classified correctly in the first pass. Next, the data points are sorted by their confidence indices and progressively reclassified by the slower, more accurate SVM, starting with the items most likely to be incorrectly classified. The user can halt this reclassification process at any point, thereby obtaining the best possible result for a given amount of computation time. Alternatively, the results can be displayed as they are generated, providing the user with real-time feedback about the current accuracy of classification.

Monitoring and Assessment Science to Support Decision-Making by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winslow, M.; Akhtar-Schuster, M.; Cherlet, M.; Martius, C.; Sommer, S.; Thomas, R.; Vogt, J.

2009-12-01

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is a global treaty that emerged from the Rio Earth Summit and formally took force in 1996. It has now been ratified by 193 countries (known as Parties to the Convention). Yet the UNCCD has gained only modest support from donors, largely due to questions about the science base underlying its target issue (desertification) resulting in ambiguous definitions and quantification of the problem. The UNCCD recognizes the need to reform itself and commissioned a scientific conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina in September 2009 to discuss ways to improve the scientific underpinning of monitoring and assessment (M&A) of desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD). Previous attempts by the UNCCD on M&A focused largely on a search for a common, simple, universal set of indicators that could be reported by country Parties to the Convention Secretariat, which would collate them into a global report. However experience found that no single set of indicators is satisfactory to all countries, because DLDD depends strongly on the local environmental and human/social context. Three preparatory Working Groups analyzed the issue of DLDD M&A and recommended the following. Parties should recognize that M&A methods must integrate human-environment parameters to capture the complexity of DLDD phenomena as defined in the Convention’s text. Traditional tendencies had been to isolate biophysical from social and economic parameters, leading to unrealistic conclusions. Parties should take advantage of a much wider range of analytical techniques than just the coarse-scale indicators that had been their main focus to date. Powerful but underutilized techniques include integrated assessment models, remote sensing, geographic information systems and mapping, participatory stakeholder assessment, hierarchical aggregation of related data, knowledge management and many others. Multiple methods could provide validation checks on each other from complementary perspectives. M&A should also collect information to support benefit/cost analysis because decision-makers require such information in weighing priorities for public investment. Such information should include non-monetary as well as monetary values. Ecosystem services should also be valued, even if they are currently available free to land users. Parties should recognize the potential utility of knowledge management (KM) methods to overcome knowledge barriers that currently inhibit M&A collaboration between institutions, scientific disciplines, scale levels, formal/informal sectors, development sectors (e.g. water, health, food, infrastructure etc.), and between land users, scientists and policy makers. Improved KM could also build human and institutional capacities, resulting in improved M&A in the future.

Automated image segmentation using support vector machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powell, Stephanie; Magnotta, Vincent A.; Andreasen, Nancy C.

2007-03-01

Neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases demonstrate problems associated with brain maturation and aging. Automated methods to delineate brain structures of interest are required to analyze large amounts of imaging data like that being collected in several on going multi-center studies. We have previously reported on using artificial neural networks (ANN) to define subcortical brain structures including the thalamus (0.88), caudate (0.85) and the putamen (0.81). In this work, apriori probability information was generated using Thirion's demons registration algorithm. The input vector consisted of apriori probability, spherical coordinates, and an iris of surrounding signal intensity values. We have applied the support vector machine (SVM) machine learning algorithm to automatically segment subcortical and cerebellar regions using the same input vector information. SVM architecture was derived from the ANN framework. Training was completed using a radial-basis function kernel with gamma equal to 5.5. Training was performed using 15,000 vectors collected from 15 training images in approximately 10 minutes. The resulting support vectors were applied to delineate 10 images not part of the training set. Relative overlap calculated for the subcortical structures was 0.87 for the thalamus, 0.84 for the caudate, 0.84 for the putamen, and 0.72 for the hippocampus. Relative overlap for the cerebellar lobes ranged from 0.76 to 0.86. The reliability of the SVM based algorithm was similar to the inter-rater reliability between manual raters and can be achieved without rater intervention.

Detail of diagonal end post support bracket mounted to east ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Detail of diagonal end post support bracket mounted to east face of track girder, east span. View south - New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Fort Point Channel Rolling Lift Bridge, Spanning Fort Point Channel, Boston, Suffolk County, MA

Molecular detection and antimicrobial resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae from house flies (Musca domestica) in kitchens, farms, hospitals and slaughterhouses.

PubMed

Ranjbar, Reza; Izadi, Morteza; Hafshejani, Taghi T; Khamesipour, Faham

2016-01-01

Identifying disease vectors and pathogens is one of the key steps in controlling vector-borne diseases. This study investigated the possible role of house flies (Musca domestica) as vectors in the transmission of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Chaharmahal VA Bakhtiari and Isfahan provinces of Iran. House flies were captured from household kitchens, cattle farms, chicken farms, animal hospitals, human hospitals and slaughterhouses. Isolation of K. pneumoniae from external surfaces and guts of the flies was performed using MacConkey agar (MA) and thioglycollate broth (TGB). Identification of the isolates was performed with phenotypic techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 600 house flies were sampled during the study period from different locations in four different seasons. Overall, 11.3% of the captured house flies were positive for K. pneumoniae. In Chaharmahal VA Bakhtiari province, the prevalence was 12.7%, while in Isfahan province, 10.0% of the sampled house flies were infected with K. pneumoniae. Season-wise, the highest prevalence of infections among the house flies was in summer. The organisms were highly resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin, cefotaxime and piperacillin. A lowest level of resistance was observed for imipenem/cilastatin. The findings of this study demonstrated that house flies are potential vectors of antibiotic-resistant K. pneumoniae in Isfahan and Chaharmahal provinces, Iran. Control efforts for infections caused by this particular bacterium should take M. domestica into account. Copyright © 2016 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Robust Motion Artifact Detection Algorithm for Accurate Detection of Heart Rates From Photoplethysmographic Signals Using Time-Frequency Spectral Features.

PubMed

Dao, Duy; Salehizadeh, S M A; Noh, Yeonsik; Chong, Jo Woon; Cho, Chae Ho; McManus, Dave; Darling, Chad E; Mendelson, Yitzhak; Chon, Ki H

2017-09-01

Motion and noise artifacts (MNAs) impose limits on the usability of the photoplethysmogram (PPG), particularly in the context of ambulatory monitoring. MNAs can distort PPG, causing erroneous estimation of physiological parameters such as heart rate (HR) and arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2). In this study, we present a novel approach, "TifMA," based on using the time-frequency spectrum of PPG to first detect the MNA-corrupted data and next discard the nonusable part of the corrupted data. The term "nonusable" refers to segments of PPG data from which the HR signal cannot be recovered accurately. Two sequential classification procedures were included in the TifMA algorithm. The first classifier distinguishes between MNA-corrupted and MNA-free PPG data. Once a segment of data is deemed MNA-corrupted, the next classifier determines whether the HR can be recovered from the corrupted segment or not. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to build a decision boundary for the first classification task using data segments from a training dataset. Features from time-frequency spectra of PPG were extracted to build the detection model. Five datasets were considered for evaluating TifMA performance: (1) and (2) were laboratory-controlled PPG recordings from forehead and finger pulse oximeter sensors with subjects making random movements, (3) and (4) were actual patient PPG recordings from UMass Memorial Medical Center with random free movements and (5) was a laboratory-controlled PPG recording dataset measured at the forehead while the subjects ran on a treadmill. The first dataset was used to analyze the noise sensitivity of the algorithm. Datasets 2-4 were used to evaluate the MNA detection phase of the algorithm. The results from the first phase of the algorithm (MNA detection) were compared to results from three existing MNA detection algorithms: the Hjorth, kurtosis-Shannon entropy, and time-domain variability-SVM approaches. This last is an approach recently developed in our laboratory. The proposed TifMA algorithm consistently provided higher detection rates than the other three methods, with accuracies greater than 95% for all data. Moreover, our algorithm was able to pinpoint the start and end times of the MNA with an error of less than 1 s in duration, whereas the next-best algorithm had a detection error of more than 2.2 s. The final, most challenging, dataset was collected to verify the performance of the algorithm in discriminating between corrupted data that were usable for accurate HR estimations and data that were nonusable. It was found that on average 48% of the data segments were found to have MNA, and of these, 38% could be used to provide reliable HR estimation.

Paleointensity and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of basalts at Gamarri, Ethiopia: Correlation with the Réunion subchron and Huckleberry Ridge excursion?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kindley, C.; Macho, A.; Tsegaye, M. A.; Feinberg, J. M.; Singer, B. S.; Jicha, B. R.; Brown, M. C.; Birke, T. K.

2012-12-01

Characterization of the geomagnetic field during subchrons, reversals, and excursions is vital to understanding geodynamo processes and interactions across the core-mantle boundary. Moreover, an accurate timescale for geomagnetic field instabilities is critical to global high resolution stratigraphy. The Réunion subchron and Huckleberry Ridge excursion are ideal candidates for study due to globally distributed recordings in both sedimentary and igneous rocks. We present new full-vector paleomagnetic data for 30 basaltic flows from the Gamarri volcanic section in the Afar region of Ethiopia and 11 40Ar/39Ar ages. Paleointensities were calculated using the LTD-DHT Shaw technique and results generally agree with those of Carlut et al. (1999). Two geomagnetic instabilities are recorded, an older excursion and a younger period of normal polarity within the reversed Matuyama chron. Our results show a longer duration of low (<20 μT) paleointensity in the oldest flows and more variable low paleointensity values in the younger flows, and are generally lower than Thellier-style values of Carlut et al. (1999). Relative to 28.201 Ma Fish Canyon sanidine, plateau 40Ar/39Ar ages of the youngest (GB21) and oldest (GA02) flows are 2.029 ± 0.041 (2σ) and 2.410 ± 0.130 Ma, respectively. This eruptive duration is longer than that reported by Kidane et al. (1999), where the unspiked K-Ar method yields ages for GB23 (2 flows overlying GB21) and GA02 of 2.02 ± 0.08 (2σ) and 2.14 ± 0.12 Ma, respectively. 40Ar/39Ar ages of 4 lavas within the normal polarity zone in the upper section are between 2.063 ± 0.044 and 2.118 ± 0.057 Ma, but are indistinguishable at 2σ. These flows may sample the Huckleberry Ridge excursion (2.086 ± 0.016 Ma, Singer et al. 2004), the Réunion subchron (2.153-2.115 Ma, Channell et al. 2003), or both. Given several 40Ar/39Ar ages >2.2 Ma, the older excursion in the Gamarri section is not consistent with the Réunion subchron, and can be linked to any of several excursions occurring between ~2.2 and ~2.5 Ma. These excursions have been observed within records from ODP 982 (Channell & Guyodo, 2004) and IODP U1314 (Ohno et al., 2012), as well as within the GPTS as cryptochron C2r.2r-1 (originally dated as 2.420 to 2.441 Ma by Cande & Kent, 1995). Thus, we no longer interpret the excursion recorded in the lower portion of the Gamarri section to be part of the Réunion subchron and recommend that it be omitted from efforts to construct integrated global field models across the Huckleberry Ridge excursion and Réunion subchron.

Solar Energy Investigation Activities for Primary Pupils: Experience Sharing from a Teacher of a Solar Energy School in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cho, Kit Fan

2005-01-01

CCC Kei Wai Primary School (Ma Wan) is a 30-classroom 7-story primary school located at Ma Wan Island. The campus was completed in 2003. There are three arrays of photovoltaic modules installed on the roof with an expected annual yield of 5600 kWh a.c. electricity. This system is supported by a research project called "Building Integrated…

Supporting Uncertainty Reasoning in SIMulated Operators for Networks (SIMON) (Le support du raisonnement dans l’incertitude pour des operateurs simules dans un reseau)

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

moteur de simulation de l’Environnement Intégré de Modélisation de la Performance est utilisé de pair avec l’approche pour démontrer comment des...d’être utilisé dans les forces générées par ordinateur. Le travail ultérieur inclura plus d’essais, l’intégration avec les moteurs de simulateurs et...Aspects are reasoning units relevant to simulated tasks. Each Aspect schema is a 4-tuple: AspectSchema = <MA, WM, LM, CL>, where MA refers to meta

Early Pan-African evolution of the basement around Elat, Israel, and the Sinai Peninsula revealed by single-zircon evaporation dating, and implications for crustal accretion rates

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

Kroener, A.; Eyal, M.; Eyal, Y.

1990-06-01

The authors report {sup 207}Pb/{sup 206}Pb single-zircon evaporation ages for early Pan-African rocks from southern Israel and the northeastern Sinai Peninsula, the northernmost extension of the Arabian-Nubian shield. The oldest rocks are metamorphic schists of presumed island-arc derivation; detrital zircons date the source terrain at ca. 800-820 Ma. A major phase of tonalite-trondhjemite plutonism occurred at ca. 760-780 Ma; more evolved granitic rocks were emplaced at about 745 Ma. A metagabbro-metadiorite complex reflects the youngest igneous phase at ca. 640 Ma. We find no evidence for pre-Pan-African crust, and our data document important crust-forming events that correlate with similar episodesmore » elsewhere in the shield. The widespread presence of early Pan-African juvenile rocks (i.e., ca. 760-850 Ma) in many parts of the Arabian-Nubian shield makes this period the most important in the magmatic history of the shield and supports earlier suggestions for unusually high crust-production rates.« less

Gelatin methacrylamide hydrogel with graphene nanoplatelets for neural cell-laden 3D bioprinting.

PubMed

Wei Zhu; Harris, Brent T; Zhang, Lijie Grace

2016-08-01

Nervous system is extremely complex which leads to rare regrowth of nerves once injury or disease occurs. Advanced 3D bioprinting strategy, which could simultaneously deposit biocompatible materials, cells and supporting components in a layer-by-layer manner, may be a promising solution to address neural damages. Here we presented a printable nano-bioink composed of gelatin methacrylamide (GelMA), neural stem cells, and bioactive graphene nanoplatelets to target nerve tissue regeneration in the assist of stereolithography based 3D bioprinting technique. We found the resultant GelMA hydrogel has a higher compressive modulus with an increase of GelMA concentration. The porous GelMA hydrogel can provide a biocompatible microenvironment for the survival and growth of neural stem cells. The cells encapsulated in the hydrogel presented good cell viability at the low GelMA concentration. Printed neural construct exhibited well-defined architecture and homogenous cell distribution. In addition, neural stem cells showed neuron differentiation and neurites elongation within the printed construct after two weeks of culture. These findings indicate the 3D bioprinted neural construct has great potential for neural tissue regeneration.

Anaerobic digestion of microalgal bacterial flocs from a raceway pond treating aquaculture wastewater: need for a biorefinery.

PubMed

Van Den Hende, Sofie; Laurent, Cedric; Bégué, Marine

2015-11-01

An outdoor raceway pond with microalgal bacterial flocs (MaB-flocs) is a novel sunlight-based system to treat pikeperch aquaculture wastewater while producing biomass. The harvested MaB-floc biomass (33tonTSha(-1)y(-1)) needs further valorization. Therefore, the biochemical methane yield (BMY) of MaB-floc biomass was determined in batch experiments. The results show significant differences between the BMY of MaB-flocs amongst their harvest dates (128-226NLCH4kg(-1)VS), a low anaerobic digestion conversion efficiency (25.0-36.2%), a moderate chlorophyll a removal (51.5-86.9%) and a low biogas profit (<0.01€m(-3)wastewater). None of the pretreatment methods screened (freezing, thermal, microwave, ultrasonic and chlorination, flue gas sparging, and acid) can be recommended due to a low BMY improvement and/or unfavorable energy balance. Therefore, anaerobic digestion of this MaB-floc biomass should only be granted a supporting role within a biorefinery concept. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary-driven support vector machines for determining the degree of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.

PubMed

Stoean, Ruxandra; Stoean, Catalin; Lupsor, Monica; Stefanescu, Horia; Badea, Radu

2011-01-01

Hepatic fibrosis, the principal pointer to the development of a liver disease within chronic hepatitis C, can be measured through several stages. The correct evaluation of its degree, based on recent different non-invasive procedures, is of current major concern. The latest methodology for assessing it is the Fibroscan and the effect of its employment is impressive. However, the complex interaction between its stiffness indicator and the other biochemical and clinical examinations towards a respective degree of liver fibrosis is hard to be manually discovered. In this respect, the novel, well-performing evolutionary-powered support vector machines are proposed towards an automated learning of the relationship between medical attributes and fibrosis levels. The traditional support vector machines have been an often choice for addressing hepatic fibrosis, while the evolutionary option has been validated on many real-world tasks and proven flexibility and good performance. The evolutionary approach is simple and direct, resulting from the hybridization of the learning component within support vector machines and the optimization engine of evolutionary algorithms. It discovers the optimal coefficients of surfaces that separate instances of distinct classes. Apart from a detached manner of establishing the fibrosis degree for new cases, a resulting formula also offers insight upon the correspondence between the medical factors and the respective outcome. What is more, a feature selection genetic algorithm can be further embedded into the method structure, in order to dynamically concentrate search only on the most relevant attributes. The data set refers 722 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection and 24 indicators. The five possible degrees of fibrosis range from F0 (no fibrosis) to F4 (cirrhosis). Since the standard support vector machines are among the most frequently used methods in recent artificial intelligence studies for hepatic fibrosis staging, the evolutionary method is viewed in comparison to the traditional one. The multifaceted discrimination into all five degrees of fibrosis and the slightly less difficult common separation into solely three related stages are both investigated. The resulting performance proves the superiority over the standard support vector classification and the attained formula is helpful in providing an immediate calculation of the liver stage for new cases, while establishing the presence/absence and comprehending the weight of each medical factor with respect to a certain fibrosis level. The use of the evolutionary technique for fibrosis degree prediction triggers simplicity and offers a direct expression of the influence of dynamically selected indicators on the corresponding stage. Perhaps most importantly, it significantly surpasses the classical support vector machines, which are both widely used and technically sound. All these therefore confirm the promise of the new methodology towards a dependable support within the medical decision-making. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interpreting linear support vector machine models with heat map molecule coloring

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Model-based virtual screening plays an important role in the early drug discovery stage. The outcomes of high-throughput screenings are a valuable source for machine learning algorithms to infer such models. Besides a strong performance, the interpretability of a machine learning model is a desired property to guide the optimization of a compound in later drug discovery stages. Linear support vector machines showed to have a convincing performance on large-scale data sets. The goal of this study is to present a heat map molecule coloring technique to interpret linear support vector machine models. Based on the weights of a linear model, the visualization approach colors each atom and bond of a compound according to its importance for activity. Results We evaluated our approach on a toxicity data set, a chromosome aberration data set, and the maximum unbiased validation data sets. The experiments show that our method sensibly visualizes structure-property and structure-activity relationships of a linear support vector machine model. The coloring of ligands in the binding pocket of several crystal structures of a maximum unbiased validation data set target indicates that our approach assists to determine the correct ligand orientation in the binding pocket. Additionally, the heat map coloring enables the identification of substructures important for the binding of an inhibitor. Conclusions In combination with heat map coloring, linear support vector machine models can help to guide the modification of a compound in later stages of drug discovery. Particularly substructures identified as important by our method might be a starting point for optimization of a lead compound. The heat map coloring should be considered as complementary to structure based modeling approaches. As such, it helps to get a better understanding of the binding mode of an inhibitor. PMID:21439031

Output-only modal parameter estimator of linear time-varying structural systems based on vector TAR model and least squares support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Si-Da; Ma, Yuan-Chen; Liu, Li; Kang, Jie; Ma, Zhi-Sai; Yu, Lei

2018-01-01

Identification of time-varying modal parameters contributes to the structural health monitoring, fault detection, vibration control, etc. of the operational time-varying structural systems. However, it is a challenging task because there is not more information for the identification of the time-varying systems than that of the time-invariant systems. This paper presents a vector time-dependent autoregressive model and least squares support vector machine based modal parameter estimator for linear time-varying structural systems in case of output-only measurements. To reduce the computational cost, a Wendland's compactly supported radial basis function is used to achieve the sparsity of the Gram matrix. A Gamma-test-based non-parametric approach of selecting the regularization factor is adapted for the proposed estimator to replace the time-consuming n-fold cross validation. A series of numerical examples have illustrated the advantages of the proposed modal parameter estimator on the suppression of the overestimate and the short data. A laboratory experiment has further validated the proposed estimator.

Prediction of hourly PM2.5 using a space-time support vector regression model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wentao; Deng, Min; Xu, Feng; Wang, Hang

2018-05-01

Real-time air quality prediction has been an active field of research in atmospheric environmental science. The existing methods of machine learning are widely used to predict pollutant concentrations because of their enhanced ability to handle complex non-linear relationships. However, because pollutant concentration data, as typical geospatial data, also exhibit spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence, they may violate the assumptions of independent and identically distributed random variables in most of the machine learning methods. As a result, a space-time support vector regression model is proposed to predict hourly PM2.5 concentrations. First, to address spatial heterogeneity, spatial clustering is executed to divide the study area into several homogeneous or quasi-homogeneous subareas. To handle spatial dependence, a Gauss vector weight function is then developed to determine spatial autocorrelation variables as part of the input features. Finally, a local support vector regression model with spatial autocorrelation variables is established for each subarea. Experimental data on PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing are used to verify whether the results of the proposed model are superior to those of other methods.

Time to relapse following treatment for methamphetamine use: a long-term perspective on patterns and predictors.

PubMed

Brecht, Mary-Lynn; Herbeck, Diane

2014-06-01

This paper describes methamphetamine (MA) use patterns, specifically the duration of continuing abstinence ("time to relapse") for periods averaging 5 years post-discharge from treatment for MA use, and the relationship with selected user and treatment characteristics. A sample of 350 treatment admissions from a large county substance use disorder (SUD) treatment system was randomly selected (within gender, race/ethnicity, treatment modality strata). Retrospective self-report data are from natural history interviews (NHI) conducted approximately 3 years after treatment and a follow-up of 2-3 years later. Relapse is defined as any use of MA with time as the number of months of continuous MA abstinence after treatment discharge until relapse. This outcome was constructed from a monthly MA use timeline using NHI data. A Cox model was used to examine time to relapse and predictors. Sixty-one percent of the sample relapsed to MA use within 1 year after treatment discharge and 14% during years 2-5. Significant protective factors predicting longer time to relapse included having experienced serious MA-related psychiatric/behavioral problems (hazard ratio [HR]=0.75, p=0.027), longer duration of the index treatment episode (HR=0.93, p=0.001), and participating in self-help or other treatment during the post-treatment abstinence period (HR=0.29, p<0.001); risk factors for shorter time to relapse included having a parent with alcohol and/or drug use problems (HR=1.35, p=0.020) and involvement in MA sales (HR=1.48, p=0.002). Results contribute a long-term perspective on patterns of MA use following treatment and support a need for early post-treatment and long-term continuing care and relapse-prevention services. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnetic resonance index of activity (MaRIA) and Clermont score are highly and equally effective MRI indices in detecting mucosal healing in Crohn's disease.

PubMed

Buisson, Anthony; Pereira, Bruno; Goutte, Marion; Reymond, Maud; Allimant, Christophe; Obritin-Guilhen, Hélène; Bommelaer, Gilles; Hordonneau, Constance

2017-11-01

Magnetic resonance index of activity (MaRIA) and Clermont score are currently the two main MRI indices that have been validated compared to endoscopy in Crohn's disease (CD). To compare the accuracy of MaRIA and Clermont score in assessing CD mucosal healing. Fourty-four CD patients underwent prospectively and consecutively MRI and colonoscopy. Considering 207 segments, MaRIA>7 and Clermont score>8.4 demonstrated substantial accuracy to detect endoscopic ulcerations (73.9% and 74.0%, respectively) and presented with high specificity (82.1% and 81.3%) and high negative predictive value (NPV) (82.1% and 82.4%) for MaRIA and Clermont score, respectively. The sensitivity for detecting deep ulcerations was 90.9% for both MaRIA>11 and Clermont score>12.5, with a specificity of 82.0% and 80.0%, respectively. Among 44 patients, deep MRI remission predicted mucosal healing with specificity=85.3% and NPV=85.3% according to Barcelona criteria (no segmental MaRIA>7), and specificity=88.2% and NPV=85.7% according to Clermont criteria (no segmental Clermont score>8.4). In addition, MRI remission predicted mucosal healing with specificity=76.5% and NPV=86.7% according to Barcelona criteria (no segmental MaRIA>11), and specificity=79.4% and NPV=84.4% according to Clermont criteria (no segmental Clermont score>12.5). MaRIA and Clermont score are equally effective in detecting CD endoscopic ulcerations supporting their use as therapeutic endpoints. Copyright © 2017 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The timing of metamorphism in the Odenwald-Spessart basement, Mid-German Crystalline Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Will, T. M.; Schulz, B.; Schmädicke, E.

2017-07-01

New in situ electron microprobe monazite and white mica 40Ar/39Ar step heating ages support the proposition that the Odenwald-Spessart basement, Mid-German Crystalline Zone, consists of at least two distinct crustal terranes that experienced different geological histories prior to their juxtaposition. The monazite ages constrain tectonothermal events at 430 ± 43 Ma, 349 ± 14 Ma, 331 ± 16 Ma and 317 ± 12 Ma/316 ± 4 Ma, and the 40Ar/39Ar analyses provide white mica ages of 322 ± 3 Ma and 324 ± 3 Ma. Granulite-facies metamorphism occurred in the western Odenwald at c. 430 and 349 Ma, and amphibolite-facies metamorphism affected the eastern Odenwald and the central Spessart basements between c. 324 and 316 Ma. We interpret these data to indicate that the Otzberg-Michelbach Fault Zone, which separates the eastern Odenwald-Spessart basement from the Western Odenwald basement, is part of the Rheic Suture, which marks the position of a major Variscan plate boundary separating Gondwana- and Avalonia-derived crustal terranes. The age of the Carboniferous granulite-facies event in the western Odenwald overlaps with the minimum age of eclogite-facies metamorphism in the adjacent eastern Odenwald. The granulite- and eclogite-facies rocks experienced contrasting pressure-temperature paths but occur in close spatial proximity, being separated by the Rheic Suture. As high-pressure and high-temperature metamorphisms are of similar age, we interpret the Odenwald-Spessart basement as a paired metamorphic belt and propose that the adjacent high-pressure and high-temperature rocks were metamorphosed in the same subduction zone system. Juxtaposition of these rocks occurred during the final stages of the Variscan orogeny along the Rheic Suture.

Support vector machine for the diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ushasukhanya, S.; Nithyakalyani, A.; Sivakumar, V.

2018-04-01

Harmful mesothelioma is an illness in which threatening (malignancy) cells shape in the covering of the trunk or stomach area. Being presented to asbestos can influence the danger of threatening mesothelioma. Signs and side effects of threatening mesothelioma incorporate shortness of breath and agony under the rib confine. Tests that inspect within the trunk and belly are utilized to recognize (find) and analyse harmful mesothelioma. Certain elements influence forecast (shot of recuperation) and treatment choices. In this review, Support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were utilized for Mesothelioma sickness conclusion. SVM output is contrasted by concentrating on Mesothelioma’s sickness and findings by utilizing similar information set. The support vector machine algorithm gives 92.5% precision acquired by means of 3-overlap cross-approval. The Mesothelioma illness dataset were taken from an organization reports from Turkey.

An implementation of support vector machine on sentiment classification of movie reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yulietha, I. M.; Faraby, S. A.; Adiwijaya; Widyaningtyas, W. C.

2018-03-01

With technological advances, all information about movie is available on the internet. If the information is processed properly, it will get the quality of the information. This research proposes to the classify sentiments on movie review documents. This research uses Support Vector Machine (SVM) method because it can classify high dimensional data in accordance with the data used in this research in the form of text. Support Vector Machine is a popular machine learning technique for text classification because it can classify by learning from a collection of documents that have been classified previously and can provide good result. Based on number of datasets, the 90-10 composition has the best result that is 85.6%. Based on SVM kernel, kernel linear with constant 1 has the best result that is 84.9%

Combined empirical mode decomposition and texture features for skin lesion classification using quadratic support vector machine.

PubMed

Wahba, Maram A; Ashour, Amira S; Napoleon, Sameh A; Abd Elnaby, Mustafa M; Guo, Yanhui

2017-12-01

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common malignant skin lesions. Automated lesion identification and classification using image processing techniques is highly required to reduce the diagnosis errors. In this study, a novel technique is applied to classify skin lesion images into two classes, namely the malignant Basal cell carcinoma and the benign nevus. A hybrid combination of bi-dimensional empirical mode decomposition and gray-level difference method features is proposed after hair removal. The combined features are further classified using quadratic support vector machine (Q-SVM). The proposed system has achieved outstanding performance of 100% accuracy, sensitivity and specificity compared to other support vector machine procedures as well as with different extracted features. Basal Cell Carcinoma is effectively classified using Q-SVM with the proposed combined features.

The optional selection of micro-motion feature based on Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Bo; Ren, Hongmei; Xiao, Zhi-he; Sheng, Jing

2017-11-01

Micro-motion form of target is multiple, different micro-motion forms are apt to be modulated, which makes it difficult for feature extraction and recognition. Aiming at feature extraction of cone-shaped objects with different micro-motion forms, this paper proposes the best selection method of micro-motion feature based on support vector machine. After the time-frequency distribution of radar echoes, comparing the time-frequency spectrum of objects with different micro-motion forms, features are extracted based on the differences between the instantaneous frequency variations of different micro-motions. According to the methods based on SVM (Support Vector Machine) features are extracted, then the best features are acquired. Finally, the result shows the method proposed in this paper is feasible under the test condition of certain signal-to-noise ratio(SNR).

When did anoles diverge? An analysis of multiple dating strategies.

PubMed

Román-Palacios, Cristian; Tavera, Jose; Del Rosario Castañeda, María

2018-06-12

Whereas most of the studies that discuss the evolutionary divergence of Anolis lizards have dated the clade's crown group in between 31-64 Ma, a single study has recovered a significantly older age for the same node (87 Ma). These differences also entail notable consequences on the preferred biogeographical hypothesis for the whole clade. Here we analyze a total of seven dating strategies by combining three calibration sources in independent BEAST runs to infer the most probable divergence timing for anole lizards (a mitochondrial rate for ND2 gene, the Anolis dominicanus fossil, and a group of fossils assigned to the Priscagamines, Iguanines, and Idontosaurus clades). Based on the estimated timing, we also addressed whether chronograms differ the most in deeper or shallower nodes by exploring the trend in the standard deviation of mean ages between chronograms across time. Next, we focus on the pattern for a single shallow node by hypothesizing the biogeography of the island-endemic Malpelo anole (Anolis agassizi), and evaluating the temporal congruence between the species' divergence and the island geology. The estimated set of ages suggests that anoles most likely diverged 72 Ma (71-73 Ma), with the crown group established around 58 Ma (51-65 Ma). Dispersal is therefore supported as the major driver in the biogeography of the group (and in Caribbean lineages in particular). Our analyses also indicated that (1) rate-based analyses pulled dates toward younger ages, (2) the differences in node ages between chronograms decrease towards the tips regardless of the position of the constrained node, and that (3) the estimated age for deep nodes (e.g. Anolis stem) is highly influenced when deep nodes are also constrained. The latter two results imply that the estimated age for shallower nodes is largely unaffected by the used temporal constraint. The congruence of all chronograms for the Malpelo anole also support this finding. Anolis agassizi was found to have diverged before the emergence of Malpelo island in each analysis (anole: 19-31 Ma vs. Malpelo island: 16-17 Ma). We recommend when performing absolute dating analyses to first test for sequence saturation in the analyzed dataset (especially when calibrations are based on molecular rates). Our study also points out the importance of using of multiple node constraints, especially when placed deeply in the tree, for fossil-based divergence dating analyses. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Vaxvec: The first web-based recombinant vaccine vector database and its data analysis

PubMed Central

Deng, Shunzhou; Martin, Carly; Patil, Rasika; Zhu, Felix; Zhao, Bin; Xiang, Zuoshuang; He, Yongqun

2015-01-01

A recombinant vector vaccine uses an attenuated virus, bacterium, or parasite as the carrier to express a heterologous antigen(s). Many recombinant vaccine vectors and related vaccines have been developed and extensively investigated. To compare and better understand recombinant vectors and vaccines, we have generated Vaxvec (http://www.violinet.org/vaxvec), the first web-based database that stores various recombinant vaccine vectors and those experimentally verified vaccines that use these vectors. Vaxvec has now included 59 vaccine vectors that have been used in 196 recombinant vector vaccines against 66 pathogens and cancers. These vectors are classified to 41 viral vectors, 15 bacterial vectors, 1 parasitic vector, and 1 fungal vector. The most commonly used viral vaccine vectors are double-stranded DNA viruses, including herpesviruses, adenoviruses, and poxviruses. For example, Vaxvec includes 63 poxvirus-based recombinant vaccines for over 20 pathogens and cancers. Vaxvec collects 30 recombinant vector influenza vaccines that use 17 recombinant vectors and were experimentally tested in 7 animal models. In addition, over 60 protective antigens used in recombinant vector vaccines are annotated and analyzed. User-friendly web-interfaces are available for querying various data in Vaxvec. To support data exchange, the information of vaccine vectors, vaccines, and related information is stored in the Vaccine Ontology (VO). Vaxvec is a timely and vital source of vaccine vector database and facilitates efficient vaccine vector research and development. PMID:26403370

Seismic tomographic constraints on plate-tectonic reconstructions of Nazca subduction under South America since late Cretaceous (˜80 Ma)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y. W.; Wu, J.; Suppe, J.

2017-12-01

Global seismic tomography has provided new and increasingly higher resolution constraints on subducted lithospheric remnants in terms of their position, depth, and volumes. In this study we aim to link tomographic slab anomalies in the mantle under South America to Andean geology using methods to unfold (i.e. structurally restore) slabs back to earth surface and input them to globally consistent plate reconstructions (Wu et al., 2016). The Andean margin of South America has long been interpreted as a classic example of a continuous subduction system since early Jurassic or later. However, significant gaps in Andean plate tectonic reconstructions exist due to missing or incomplete geology from extensive Nazca-South America plate convergence (i.e. >5000 km since 80 Ma). We mapped and unfolded the Nazca slab from global seismic tomography to produce a quantitative plate reconstruction of the Andes back to the late Cretaceous 80 Ma. Our plate model predicts the latest phase of Nazca subduction began in the late Cretaceous subduction after a 100 to 80 Ma plate reorganization, which is supported by Andean geology that indicates a margin-wide compressional event at the mid-late Cretaceous (Tunik et al., 2010). Our Andean plate tectonic reconstructions predict the Andean margin experienced periods of strike-slip/transtensional and even divergent plate tectonics between 80 to 55 Ma. This prediction is roughly consistent with the arc magmatism from northern Chile between 20 to 36°S that resumed at 80 Ma after a magmatic gap. Our model indicates the Andean margin only became fully convergent after 55 Ma. We provide additional constraints on pre-subduction Nazca plate paleogeography by extracting P-wave velocity perturbations within our mapped slab surfaces following Wu et al. (2016). We identified localized slow anomalies within our mapped Nazca slab that apparently show the size and position of the subducted Nazca ridge, Carnegie ridge and the hypothesized Inca plateau within the Nazca slab. These intra-slab velocity anomalies provide the most complete tomographic evidence to date in support the classic, but still controversial hypothesis of subducted, relatively buoyant oceanic lithosphere features along the Andean margin.

John F. Kennedy National Historic Site General Management Plan support : transportation study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-01

This report provides an overview of transportation and access issues related to the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site and the surrounding area in Brookline, MA. The study defines transportation-related goals for the site and provides support for...

Construction of reduced graphene oxide supported molybdenum carbides composite electrode as high-performance anode materials for lithium ion batteries

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

Chen, Minghua; Zhang, Jiawei; Chen, Qingguo, E-mail: qgchen@263.net

Highlights: • Reduced graphene oxide supported molybdenum carbides are prepared by two-step strategy. • A unique sheet-on-sheet integrated nanostructure is favorable for fast ion/electron transfer. • The integrated electrode shows excellent Li ion storage performance. - Abstract: Metal carbides are emerging as promising anodes for advanced lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Herein we report reduced graphene oxide (RGO) supported molybdenum carbides (Mo{sub 2}C) integrated electrode by the combination of solution and carbothermal methods. In the designed integrated electrode, Mo{sub 2}C nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed among graphene nanosheets, forming a unique sheet-on-sheet integrated nanostructure. As anode of LIBs, the as-prepared Mo{sub 2}C-RGOmore » integrated electrode exhibits noticeable electrochemical performances with a high reversible capacity of 850 mAh g{sup −1} at 100 mA g{sup −1}, and 456 mAh g{sup −1} at 1000 mA g{sup −1}, respectively. Moreover, the Mo{sub 2}C-RGO integrated electrode shows excellent cycling life with a capacity of ∼98.6 % at 1000 mA g{sup −1} after 400 cycles. Our research may pave the way for construction of high-performance metal carbides anodes of LIBs.« less

A low cost implementation of multi-parameter patient monitor using intersection kernel support vector machine classifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, Dhanya; Kumar, C. Santhosh

2016-03-01

Predicting the physiological condition (normal/abnormal) of a patient is highly desirable to enhance the quality of health care. Multi-parameter patient monitors (MPMs) using heart rate, arterial blood pressure, respiration rate and oxygen saturation (S pO2) as input parameters were developed to monitor the condition of patients, with minimum human resource utilization. The Support vector machine (SVM), an advanced machine learning approach popularly used for classification and regression is used for the realization of MPMs. For making MPMs cost effective, we experiment on the hardware implementation of the MPM using support vector machine classifier. The training of the system is done using the matlab environment and the detection of the alarm/noalarm condition is implemented in hardware. We used different kernels for SVM classification and note that the best performance was obtained using intersection kernel SVM (IKSVM). The intersection kernel support vector machine classifier MPM has outperformed the best known MPM using radial basis function kernel by an absoute improvement of 2.74% in accuracy, 1.86% in sensitivity and 3.01% in specificity. The hardware model was developed based on the improved performance system using Verilog Hardware Description Language and was implemented on Altera cyclone-II development board.

On the sparseness of 1-norm support vector machines.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Zhou, Weida

2010-04-01

There is some empirical evidence available showing that 1-norm Support Vector Machines (1-norm SVMs) have good sparseness; however, both how good sparseness 1-norm SVMs can reach and whether they have a sparser representation than that of standard SVMs are not clear. In this paper we take into account the sparseness of 1-norm SVMs. Two upper bounds on the number of nonzero coefficients in the decision function of 1-norm SVMs are presented. First, the number of nonzero coefficients in 1-norm SVMs is at most equal to the number of only the exact support vectors lying on the +1 and -1 discriminating surfaces, while that in standard SVMs is equal to the number of support vectors, which implies that 1-norm SVMs have better sparseness than that of standard SVMs. Second, the number of nonzero coefficients is at most equal to the rank of the sample matrix. A brief review of the geometry of linear programming and the primal steepest edge pricing simplex method are given, which allows us to provide the proof of the two upper bounds and evaluate their tightness by experiments. Experimental results on toy data sets and the UCI data sets illustrate our analysis. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Weighted K-means support vector machine for cancer prediction.

PubMed

Kim, SungHwan

2016-01-01

To date, the support vector machine (SVM) has been widely applied to diverse bio-medical fields to address disease subtype identification and pathogenicity of genetic variants. In this paper, I propose the weighted K-means support vector machine (wKM-SVM) and weighted support vector machine (wSVM), for which I allow the SVM to impose weights to the loss term. Besides, I demonstrate the numerical relations between the objective function of the SVM and weights. Motivated by general ensemble techniques, which are known to improve accuracy, I directly adopt the boosting algorithm to the newly proposed weighted KM-SVM (and wSVM). For predictive performance, a range of simulation studies demonstrate that the weighted KM-SVM (and wSVM) with boosting outperforms the standard KM-SVM (and SVM) including but not limited to many popular classification rules. I applied the proposed methods to simulated data and two large-scale real applications in the TCGA pan-cancer methylation data of breast and kidney cancer. In conclusion, the weighted KM-SVM (and wSVM) increases accuracy of the classification model, and will facilitate disease diagnosis and clinical treatment decisions to benefit patients. A software package (wSVM) is publicly available at the R-project webpage (https://www.r-project.org).

South Virgin-White Hills detachment fault system of SE Nevada and NW Arizona: Applying apatite fission track thermochronology to constrain the tectonic evolution of a major continental detachment fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitzgerald, Paul G.; Duebendorfer, Ernest M.; Faulds, James E.; O'Sullivan, Paul

2009-04-01

The South Virgin-White Hills detachment (SVWHD) in the central Basin and Range province with an along-strike extent of ˜60 km is a major continental detachment fault system. Displacement on the SVWHD decreases north to south from ˜17 to <6 km. This is accompanied by a change in fault and footwall rock type from mylonite overprinted by cataclasite to chlorite cataclasite and then fault breccia reflecting decreasing fault displacement and footwall exhumation. Apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology was applied both along-strike and across-strike to assess this displacement gradient. The overall thermal history reflects Laramide cooling (˜75 Ma) and then rapid cooling beginning in the late early Miocene. Age patterns reflect some complexity but extension along the SVWHD appears synchronous with rapid cooling initiated at ˜17 Ma due to tectonic exhumation. Slip rate is more rapid (˜8.6 km/Ma) in the north compared to ˜1 km/Ma in the south. The displacement gradient results from penecontemporaneous along-strike motion and formation of the SVWHD by linkage of originally separate fault segments that have differential displacements and hence differential slip rates. East-west transverse structures likely play a role in linkage of different fault segments. The preextension paleogeothermal gradient is well constrained in the Gold Butte block as 18-20°C/km. We present a new thermochronologic approach to constrain fault dip during slip, treating the vertical exhumation rate and the slip as vectors, with the angle between them used to constrain fault dip during slip through the closure temperature of a particular thermochronometer. AFT data from the western rim of the Colorado Plateau constrain the initiation of timing of cooling associated with the Laramide Orogeny at ˜75 Ma, and a reheating event in the late Eocene/early Oligocene associated with burial by sediments ("rim gravels") most likely shed from the Kingman High to the west of the plateau.

Neurocognitive deficits are associated with unemployment in chronic methamphetamine users

PubMed Central

Weber, Erica; Blackstone, Kaitlin; Iudicello, Jennfer E.; Morgan, Erin E.; Grant, Igor; Moore, David J.; Woods, Steven Paul

2013-01-01

Background Unemployment rates are high among chronic methamphetamine (MA) users and carry a significant economic burden, yet little is known about the neurocognitive and psychiatric predictors of employment in this vulnerable population. Methods The present study examined this issue in 63 participants with recent MA dependence and 47 comparison subjects without histories of MA use disorders. All participants completed a comprehensive neurocognitive, psychiatric and neuromedical evaluation. Individuals with HIV infection, severe neuropsychological or psychiatric conditions that might affect cognition (e.g., seizure disorder, schizophrenia), or a positive Breathalyzer or urine toxicology screen on the day of testing were excluded. Results Consistent with previous research, a logistic regression revealed MA dependence as a significant, independent predictor of full-time unemployment status. Within the MA-dependent sample, greater impairment in global neurocognitive functioning and history of injection drug use emerged as significant independent predictors of unemployment status. The association between worse global cognitive functioning and unemployment was primarily driven by deficits in executive functions, learning, verbal fluency, and working memory. Conclusion These findings indicate that neurocognitive deficits play a significant role in the higher unemployment rates of MA-dependent individuals, and highlight the need for vocational rehabilitation and supported employment programs that assess and bolster cognitive skills in this population. PMID:22560676

Archean evolution of the Leo Rise and its Eburnean reworking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiéblemont, Denis; Goujou, Jean Christian; Egal, Emmanuel; Cocherie, Alain; Delor, Claude; Lafon, Jean Michel; Fanning, C. Mark

2004-06-01

Recent geological mapping in southeastern Guinea, supported by zircon dating, has called into question traditional understanding concerning the evolution of the Leo Rise. Gneiss dated at about 3540 Ma appears to constitute the earliest evidence for continental accretion within the Leo Rise. The existence of a Leonian depositional cycle at about 3000 Ma is confirmed, marked by volcanic and sedimentary rocks that can be correlated with the Loko Group in Sierra Leone. The span of ages (3244-3050 Ma) suggests that the Leonian cycle comprises different episodes whose respective chronology is as yet uncertain. Clearly distinct from the Leonian cycle, the Liberian cycle (˜2900-2800 Ma) is represented in Guinea by granite and migmatite (˜2910-2800 Ma), reflecting remobilization of the ancient Archean basement and deformation of the Leonian rocks; no deposition is associated with this cycle. After the Liberian, the Nimba and Simandou successions, containing Liberian detrital zircons, are assigned to the Birimian (˜2200-2000 Ma). Finally, Eburnean tectonism caused intense deformation of the Archean craton, accompanied by high-grade metamorphism and the intrusion of granite and syenite with ages between 2080 and 2020 Ma. The evolution of the Kénéma-Man domain, attributed to the cumulated effect of the Leonian and Liberian cycles, is thus in part Eburnean. We can suppose, therefore, that the NNE-SSW-trending structures attributed to the Liberian in Sierra Leone are, in fact, Eburnean. The Kambui Supergroup, also affected by this tectonism, should thus be assigned to the Birimian rather than the Liberian, which would explain its similarities with the Nimba and Simandou successions.

Social cognition and aggression in methamphetamine dependence with and without a history of psychosis.

PubMed

Uhlmann, Anne; Ipser, Jonathan C; Wilson, Don; Stein, Dan J

2018-04-01

In substance use and psychotic disorders, socially problematic behaviours, such as high aggression may, in part, be explained by deficits in social cognition skills, like the detection of emotions or intentions in others. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of social cognition impairment and its association with aggression in individuals with methamphetamine (MA) dependence, methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP), and healthy controls (CTRL). A total of 20 MAP participants, 21 MA-dependent participants without psychosis, and 21 CTRL participants performed a facial morphing emotion recognition task (ERT) across four basic emotions (anger, fear, happiness and sadness) and the reading the mind in the eyes task (RMET), and completed the aggression questionnaire. Both MA-dependent groups showed impairment in social cognition in terms of lower RMET scores relative to CTRL participants (MA; p = .047; MAP: p < .001). Additionally, performance decrements were significantly greater in MAP (p = .040), compared to MA-dependent participants. While deficits in recognising emotional expressions were restricted to anger in the MA group (p = .020), a generalized impairment across all four emotions was observed in MAP (all p ≤ .001). Additionally, both patient groups demonstrated higher levels of aggression than CTRLs, yet no association was found with social cognition. This study supported the notion of deficits in recognising facial emotional expressions and inferring mental states of others in MA dependence, with additional impairments in MAP. Failure to detect an association between social cognitive impairment and aggressive behaviour may implicate independent disturbances of the two phenomena in MA dependence.

Effectiveness of personalised support for self-management in primary care: a cluster randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Eikelenboom, Nathalie; van Lieshout, Jan; Jacobs, Annelies; Verhulst, Frank; Lacroix, Joyca; van Halteren, Aart; Klomp, Maarten; Smeele, Ivo; Wensing, Michel

2016-01-01

Background Self-management support is an important component of the clinical management of many chronic conditions. The validated Self-Management Screening questionnaire (SeMaS) assesses individual characteristics that influence a patient’s ability to self-manage. Aim To assess the effect of providing personalised self-management support in clinical practice on patients’ activation and health-related behaviours. Design and setting A cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in 15 primary care group practices in the south of the Netherlands. Method After attending a dedicated self-management support training session, practice nurses in the intervention arm discussed the results of SeMaS with the patient at baseline, and tailored the self-management support. Participants completed a 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) and validated lifestyle questionnaires at baseline and after 6 months. Data, including individual care plans, referrals to self-management interventions, self-monitoring, and healthcare use, were extracted from patients’ medical records. Multilevel multiple regression was used to assess the effect on outcomes. Results The PAM-13 score did not differ significantly between the control (n = 348) and intervention (n = 296) arms at 6 months. In the intervention arm, 29.4% of the patients performed self-monitoring, versus 15.2% in the control arm (effect size r = 0.9, P = 0.01). In the per protocol analysis (control n = 348; intervention n = 136), the effect of the intervention was significant on the number of individual care plans (effect size r = 1.3, P = 0.04) and on self-monitoring (effect size r = 1.0, P = 0.01). Conclusion This study showed that discussing SeMaS and offering tailored support did not affect patient activation or lifestyle, but did stimulate patients to self-monitor and use individual care plans. PMID:27080318

A collaborative framework for Distributed Privacy-Preserving Support Vector Machine learning.

PubMed

Que, Jialan; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Ohno-Machado, Lucila

2012-01-01

A Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a popular tool for decision support. The traditional way to build an SVM model is to estimate parameters based on a centralized repository of data. However, in the field of biomedicine, patient data are sometimes stored in local repositories or institutions where they were collected, and may not be easily shared due to privacy concerns. This creates a substantial barrier for researchers to effectively learn from the distributed data using machine learning tools like SVMs. To overcome this difficulty and promote efficient information exchange without sharing sensitive raw data, we developed a Distributed Privacy Preserving Support Vector Machine (DPP-SVM). The DPP-SVM enables privacy-preserving collaborative learning, in which a trusted server integrates "privacy-insensitive" intermediary results. The globally learned model is guaranteed to be exactly the same as learned from combined data. We also provide a free web-service (http://privacy.ucsd.edu:8080/ppsvm/) for multiple participants to collaborate and complete the SVM-learning task in an efficient and privacy-preserving manner.

T-ray relevant frequencies for osteosarcoma classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Withayachumnankul, W.; Ferguson, B.; Rainsford, T.; Findlay, D.; Mickan, S. P.; Abbott, D.

2006-01-01

We investigate the classification of the T-ray response of normal human bone cells and human osteosarcoma cells, grown in culture. Given the magnitude and phase responses within a reliable spectral range as features for input vectors, a trained support vector machine can correctly classify the two cell types to some extent. Performance of the support vector machine is deteriorated by the curse of dimensionality, resulting from the comparatively large number of features in the input vectors. Feature subset selection methods are used to select only an optimal number of relevant features for inputs. As a result, an improvement in generalization performance is attainable, and the selected frequencies can be used for further describing different mechanisms of the cells, responding to T-rays. We demonstrate a consistent classification accuracy of 89.6%, while the only one fifth of the original features are retained in the data set.

The APEX experiment at JLab. Searching for the vector boson A' decaying to e+e-

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franklin, Gregg B.

2017-04-01

Jefferson Lab's A' Experiment (APEX) will search for a new vector boson, the A', in the mass range 65 MeV < mA' < 550 MeV, with sensitivity for the A' coupling to electrons of α' > 6 × 10-8α, where α = e2/4π. New vector bosons with such small couplings arise naturally from a small kinetic mixing of the "dark photon", A', with the photon — one of the very few ways in which new forces can couple to the Standard Model — and have received considerable attention as an explanation of various dark-matter related anomalies. In this experiment, A' bosons produced by radiation off an electron beam could appear as narrow resonances with small production cross-sections in the e+e- invariant mass distribution. The two Jefferson Lab HRS spectrometers will provide a reconstructed invariant-mass resolution for the A' of δM/M < 0.5%. With a 33-day run, the experiment will achieve high sensitivity by taking advantage of this mass resolution and high statistics of the e+e- pairs, which will be orders of magnitude larger than in previous searches for the A' boson in this mass range. This paper will review the key concepts of the experiment and the status of the preparations for running APEX. The results of a completed pilot run will be presented.

Reduction, Analysis, and Properties of Electric Current Systems in Solar Active Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gary, G. Allen; Demoulin, Pascal

1995-01-01

The specific attraction and, in large part, the significance of solar vector magnetograms lie in the fact that they give the most important data on the electric currents and the nonpotentiality of active regions. Using the vector magnetograms from the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), we employ a unique technique in the area of data analysis for resolving the 180 degree ambiguity in order to calculate the spatial structure of the vertical electric current density. The 180 degree ambiguity is resolved by applying concepts from the nonlinear multivariable optimization theory. The technique is shown to be of particular importance in very nonpotential active regions. The characterization of the vertical electric current density for a set of vector magnetograms using this method then gives the spatial scale, locations, and magnitude of these current systems. The method, which employs an intermediate parametric function which covers the magnetogram and which defines the local "preferred" direction, minimizes a specific functional of the observed transverse magnetic field. The specific functional that is successful is the integral of the square of the vertical current density. We find that the vertical electric current densities have common characteristics for the extended bipolar beta gamma delta-regions studied. The largest current systems have j(sub z)'s which maximizes around 30 mA per square meter and have a linear decreasing distribution to a diameter of 30 Mm.

Comparison of Cold Weather Clothing Biophysical Properties: US Army, Canadian Department of National Defence, and Norwegian Military

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

Natick, MA 2 Rutgers University, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Newark, NJ 3 Research Support Division, USARIEM, Natick, MA 4 Toronto...issue for the U.S. military, as they routinely travel and conduct a range of physical activities around the world within the full spectrum of extreme...level of physical analysis (level 1), for example, clothing can be weighed and inspected for physical attributes. Biophysical analysis (level 2

Support For International Conference on Physiological and Cognitive Performance In Extreme Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-07-01

W.S. Roberts and M.A Febbraio 8 INVITED LECTURE 2: HEAT STRESS AND EXERCISE METABOLISM M.A Febbraio 12 PAPER 3: EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL...R. Snow 72 PAPER 14: WHOLE-BODY PRE-COOLING: THERMAL, CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC CONSEQUENCES. A.D. MacDonald, J. Booth, A.L. Fogarty, K.A...French 191 POSTER 8: ORIGIN AND REGULATION OF METABOLIC HEAT KP. Ivanov 195 POSTER 9: RESTORATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN A COOLED

Radiation of extant cetaceans driven by restructuring of the oceans.

PubMed

Steeman, Mette E; Hebsgaard, Martin B; Fordyce, R Ewan; Ho, Simon Y W; Rabosky, Daniel L; Nielsen, Rasmus; Rahbek, Carsten; Glenner, Henrik; Sørensen, Martin V; Willerslev, Eske

2009-12-01

The remarkable fossil record of whales and dolphins (Cetacea) has made them an exemplar of macroevolution. Although their overall adaptive transition from terrestrial to fully aquatic organisms is well known, this is not true for the radiation of modern whales. Here, we explore the diversification of extant cetaceans by constructing a robust molecular phylogeny that includes 87 of 89 extant species. The phylogeny and divergence times are derived from nuclear and mitochondrial markers, calibrated with fossils. We find that the toothed whales are monophyletic, suggesting that echolocation evolved only once early in that lineage some 36-34 Ma. The rorqual family (Balaenopteridae) is restored with the exclusion of the gray whale, suggesting that gulp feeding evolved 18-16 Ma. Delphinida, comprising all living dolphins and porpoises other than the Ganges/Indus dolphins, originated about 26 Ma; it contains the taxonomically rich delphinids, which began diversifying less than 11 Ma. We tested 2 hypothesized drivers of the extant cetacean radiation by assessing the tempo of lineage accumulation through time. We find no support for a rapid burst of speciation early in the history of extant whales, contrasting with expectations of an adaptive radiation model. However, we do find support for increased diversification rates during periods of pronounced physical restructuring of the oceans. The results imply that paleogeographic and paleoceanographic changes, such as closure of major seaways, have influenced the dynamics of radiation in extant cetaceans.

Recombinase-Mediated Cassette Exchange Using Adenoviral Vectors.

PubMed

Kolb, Andreas F; Knowles, Christopher; Pultinevicius, Patrikas; Harbottle, Jennifer A; Petrie, Linda; Robinson, Claire; Sorrell, David A

2017-01-01

Site-specific recombinases are important tools for the modification of mammalian genomes. In conjunction with viral vectors, they can be utilized to mediate site-specific gene insertions in animals and in cell lines which are difficult to transfect. Here we describe a method for the generation and analysis of an adenovirus vector supporting a recombinase-mediated cassette exchange reaction and discuss the advantages and limitations of this approach.

The effect of line damping, magneto-optics and parasitic light on the derivation of sunspot vector magnetic fields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skumanich, A.; Lites, B. W.

1985-01-01

The least square fitting of Stokes observations of sunspots using a Milne-Eddington-Unno model appears to lead, in many circumstances, to various inconsistencies such as anomalously large doppler widths and, hence, small magnetic fields which are significantly below those inferred solely from the Zeeman splitting in the intensity profile. It is found that the introduction of additional physics into the model such as the inclusion of damping wings and magneto-optic birefrigence significantly improves the fit to Stokes parameters. Model fits excluding the intensity profile, i.e., of both magnitude as well as spectral shape of the polarization parameters alone, suggest that parasitic light in the intensity profile may also be a source of inconsistencies. The consequences of the physical changes on the vector properties of the field derived from the Fe I lambda 6173 line for the 17 November 1975 spot as well as on the thermodynamic state are discussed. A Doppler width delta lambda (D) - 25mA is bound to be consistent with a low spot temperature and microturbulence, and a damping constant of a = 0.2.

SecureMA: protecting participant privacy in genetic association meta-analysis.

PubMed

Xie, Wei; Kantarcioglu, Murat; Bush, William S; Crawford, Dana; Denny, Joshua C; Heatherly, Raymond; Malin, Bradley A

2014-12-01

Sharing genomic data is crucial to support scientific investigation such as genome-wide association studies. However, recent investigations suggest the privacy of the individual participants in these studies can be compromised, leading to serious concerns and consequences, such as overly restricted access to data. We introduce a novel cryptographic strategy to securely perform meta-analysis for genetic association studies in large consortia. Our methodology is useful for supporting joint studies among disparate data sites, where privacy or confidentiality is of concern. We validate our method using three multisite association studies. Our research shows that genetic associations can be analyzed efficiently and accurately across substudy sites, without leaking information on individual participants and site-level association summaries. Our software for secure meta-analysis of genetic association studies, SecureMA, is publicly available at http://github.com/XieConnect/SecureMA. Our customized secure computation framework is also publicly available at http://github.com/XieConnect/CircuitService. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Identification of coffee bean varieties using hyperspectral imaging: influence of preprocessing methods and pixel-wise spectra analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Chu; Liu, Fei; He, Yong

2018-02-01

Hyperspectral imaging was used to identify and to visualize the coffee bean varieties. Spectral preprocessing of pixel-wise spectra was conducted by different methods, including moving average smoothing (MA), wavelet transform (WT) and empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Meanwhile, spatial preprocessing of the gray-scale image at each wavelength was conducted by median filter (MF). Support vector machine (SVM) models using full sample average spectra and pixel-wise spectra, and the selected optimal wavelengths by second derivative spectra all achieved classification accuracy over 80%. Primarily, the SVM models using pixel-wise spectra were used to predict the sample average spectra, and these models obtained over 80% of the classification accuracy. Secondly, the SVM models using sample average spectra were used to predict pixel-wise spectra, but achieved with lower than 50% of classification accuracy. The results indicated that WT and EMD were suitable for pixel-wise spectra preprocessing. The use of pixel-wise spectra could extend the calibration set, and resulted in the good prediction results for pixel-wise spectra and sample average spectra. The overall results indicated the effectiveness of using spectral preprocessing and the adoption of pixel-wise spectra. The results provided an alternative way of data processing for applications of hyperspectral imaging in food industry.

Kepler orbits in the Stokesian sedimentation of discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chajwa, Rahul; Menon, Narayanan; Ramaswamy, Sriram

We study experimentally the settling dynamics of a pair of falling discs in a viscous fluid (Re 10-4), in a quasi-two-dimensional geometry with the vector normal to the discs, and the trajectory of the centres of the discs, lying in a plane. For initial conditions that are symmetric about the settling direction, we find periodic or scattering orbits of the settling pair [S. Jung et al., PRE 74, 035302 (2006)], and account for these in a purely far-field analysis [S. Kim, Int J Multiphase Flow 11, 699 (1985)]. In particular, we show that the problem of a symmetrically settling pair of spheroids can be mapped to the Kepler two-body problem. The solution to this problem gives a sharp transition between bound and scattering trajectories which is consistent with experimental observations. For initial conditions where the motions of the particles are not symmetric about the settling direction, we obtain yet another separatrix between full rotations and periodic oscillations which we study within an effective Hamiltonian description of this inertialess and entirely dissipative dynamical system. Present addresses - RC: ICTS-TIFR, Hessarghatta, Bengaluru 560 089; NM: Physics Department, UMass Amherst MA 01003; SR: Dept of Physics, IISc, Bengaluru 560 012 SR was supported in part by a J C Bose Fellowship of the SERB, India.

Mach Number effects on turbulent superstructures in wall bounded flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaehler, Christian J.; Bross, Matthew; Scharnowski, Sven

2017-11-01

Planer and three-dimensional flow field measurements along a flat plat boundary layer in the Trisonic Wind Tunnel Munich (TWM) are examined with the aim to characterize the scaling, spatial organization, and topology of large scale turbulent superstructures in compressible flow. This facility is ideal for this investigation as the ratio of boundary layer thickness to test section spanwise extent ratio is around 1/25, ensuring minimal sidewall and corner effects on turbulent structures in the center of the test section. A major difficulty in the experimental investigation of large scale features is the mutual size of the superstructures which can extend over many boundary layer thicknesses. Using multiple PIV systems, it was possible to capture the full spatial extent of large-scale structures over a range of Mach numbers from Ma = 0.3 - 3. To calculate the average large-scale structure length and spacing, the acquired vector fields were analyzed by statistical multi-point methods that show large scale structures with a correlation length of around 10 boundary layer thicknesses over the range of Mach numbers investigated. Furthermore, the average spacing between high and low momentum structures is on the order of a boundary layer thicknesses. This work is supported by the Priority Programme SPP 1881 Turbulent Superstructures of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

Monitoring of wind load and response for cable-supported bridges in Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Kai-yuen; Chan, Wai-Yee K.; Man, King-Leung

2001-08-01

Structural health monitoring for the three cable-supported bridges located in the West of Hong Kong or the Tsing Ma Control Area has been carried out since the opening of these bridges to public traffic. The three cable-supported bridges are referred to as the Tsing Ma (suspension) Bridge, the Kap Shui Mun (cable-stayed) Bridge and the Ting Kau (cable-stayed) Bridge. The structural health monitoring works involved are classified as six monitoring categories, namely, wind load and response, temperature load and response, traffic load and response, geometrical configuration monitoring, strains and stresses/forces monitoring and global dynamic characteristics monitoring. As wind loads and responses had been a major concern in the design and construction stages, this paper therefore outlines the work of wind load and response monitoring on Tsing Ma, Kap Shui Mun and Ting Kau Bridges. The paper starts with a brief description of the sensory systems. The description includes the layout and performance requirements of sensory systems for wind load and responses monitoring. Typical results of wind load and response monitoring in graphical forms are then presented. These graphical forms include the plots of wind rose diagrams, wind incidences vs wind speeds, wind turbulence intensities, wind power spectra, gust wind factors, coefficient of terrain roughness, extreme wind analyses, deck deflections/rotations vs wind speeds, acceleration spectra, acceleration/displacement contours, and stress demand ratios. Finally conclusions on wind load and response monitoring on the three cable-supported bridges are drawn.

Temporal and Spatial Scales of Sub-Continental Mantle Convection: Comparison of Modern and Geological Observations of Dynamic Support

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, S. M.; Lovell, B.; Crosby, A. G.

2011-12-01

The topographies of Africa and Antarctica form patterns of interlocking swells. The admittance between swell topography and free-air gravity indicates that these swells are dynamically supported by mantle convection, with swell diameters of 1850±450 km and full heights between 800 and 1800 m. The implication is that mantle convection not only supports swells surrounding hotspots but also influences topography across the entire surface areas of Africa and Antarctica. Topographic swells and associated gravity anomalies with diameters over 1000 km are observed on other continents and throughout the oceans. Numerical models support the idea that dynamically supported swell topography is a worldwide phenomenon. We investigate whether dynamically supported swells are also observed throughout the geological record, focussing on intensively studied Mesozoic- Cenozoic sedimentary rocks around Britain and Ireland. Since 200 Ma, this region was affected by three dynamically supported swells that peaked during the Middle Jurassic, Early Cretaceous and Eocene (c. 175, 146 and 56 Ma), each several thousand kilometres in diameter, and the region now lies on the edge of the modern swell centred on Iceland. The diameters and maximum heights of the Mesozoic British swells and the modern African and Antarctic swells are similar. The ancient British swells grew in 5--10 Myr and decayed over 20--30 Myr, suggesting vertical motion rates comparable to those estimated from geomorphological studies of Africa. Igneous production rate and swell height are not correlated in the modern and the geological records. Vertical motions of Britain and Ireland, a typical piece of continental lithosphere far from a destructive plate boundary, have been demonstrably affected by convective support for over half of the past 200 Ma period. Mantle convection should be considered as a common control on regional sea-level at time periods from 10s down to 1 Myr or less, and with vertical motion rates in the order 10s to 100s m/Myr.

IGA resistance of TT Alloy 690 and concentration behavior of Broached Egg Crate tube support configuration

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

Suzuki, S.; Kusakabe, T.; Yamamoto, H.

1992-12-31

In order to improve the reliability of the Steam Generator (SG), TT Alloy 690 and BEC (Broached Egg Crate) type tube support plate has been developed. Some tests are carried out to heighten the reliability for these improvements all the more and the following results are obtained. (1) SERT test (Slow Extension Rate Test) made clear that TT690 has less IGA susceptibility in comparison with MA600. (2) The alkaline susceptibility on the occurrence of IGA/SCC on TT690 and MA600 obtained by SERT corresponds to that obtained by Model Boiler test. (3) By model boiler test, superior concentration behaviors for BECmore » type tube support plate configuration have been recognized in comparison with Drill type. This result is obtained by the joint research of the five utilities (Kansai Epco, Hokkaido Epco, Shikoku Epco, Kyushu Epco, JAPCO) and MHI.« less

Moment analysis method as applied to the 2S --> 2P transition in cryogenic alkali metal/rare gas matrices.

PubMed

Terrill Vosbein, Heidi A; Boatz, Jerry A; Kenney, John W

2005-12-22

The moment analysis method (MA) has been tested for the case of 2S --> 2P ([core]ns1 --> [core]np1) transitions of alkali metal atoms (M) doped into cryogenic rare gas (Rg) matrices using theoretically validated simulations. Theoretical/computational M/Rg system models are constructed with precisely defined parameters that closely mimic known M/Rg systems. Monte Carlo (MC) techniques are then employed to generate simulated absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of the 2S --> 2P M/Rg transition to which the MA method can be applied with the goal of seeing how effective the MA method is in re-extracting the M/Rg system parameters from these known simulated systems. The MA method is summarized in general, and an assessment is made of the use of the MA method in the rigid shift approximation typically used to evaluate M/Rg systems. The MC-MCD simulation technique is summarized, and validating evidence is presented. The simulation results and the assumptions used in applying MA to M/Rg systems are evaluated. The simulation results on Na/Ar demonstrate that the MA method does successfully re-extract the 2P spin-orbit coupling constant and Landé g-factor values initially used to build the simulations. However, assigning physical significance to the cubic and noncubic Jahn-Teller (JT) vibrational mode parameters in cryogenic M/Rg systems is not supported.

Provenance of Late Ordovician Sandstones along the southeastern Appalachian Mountains: Implications for the Tectonic Model of the Taconic Orogeny

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerrero, J. C.; Herrmann, A. D.; Haynes, J.

2017-12-01

A provenance study of sandstones along the southeastern Appalachian Mountains has been conducted in order to test the current volcanic arc-continent collision and foreland basin formation model of the Taconic Orogeny. Samples along the southeastern Appalachians were taken from sandstone sequences deposited between 460-450 Ma. Results from these sandstones show three dominate age ranges: 465-685 Ma, 980-1300 Ma, and 1300-1500 Ma. The 980-1300 Ma and 1300-1500 Ma ages are seen throughout the study area and are compatible with previously reported ages of the Grenville Orogeny and the Rhyolite-Granite Province. The northernmost samples have a small quantity of 465-685 Ma zircons which is attributed to an accretionary wedge that formed as a result of the continent-island arc collision and acted as a physical barrier keeping sediment from depositing within the basin. The younger age signal becomes stronger to the south, as samples in Georgia and Alabama show strong concentrations of 465-685 zircons. These ages are attributed to exotic terranes (Dalhonega Terrane and Carolina Terrane) that were accreted onto Laurentia during the Taconic Orogeny and/or a possible change in subduction direction leading to a back-arc basin model for the southern Appalachian Taconic Orogeny. The results from this provenance analysis support previous studies indicating that the model for the Taconic Orogeny is a combined A-type subduction for the north and a B-type subduction model for the southern part of the orogeny.

Self-supported Zn3P2 nanowire arrays grafted on carbon fabrics as an advanced integrated anode for flexible lithium ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenwu; Gan, Lin; Guo, Kai; Ke, Linbo; Wei, Yaqing; Li, Huiqiao; Shen, Guozhen; Zhai, Tianyou

2016-04-01

We, for the first time, successfully grafted well-aligned binary lithium-reactive zinc phosphide (Zn3P2) nanowire arrays on carbon fabric cloth by a facile CVD method. When applied as a novel self-supported binder-free anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) integrated anode shows excellent electrochemical performances: a highly reversible initial lithium storage capacity of ca. 1200 mA h g-1 with a coulombic efficiency of up to 88%, a long lifespan of over 200 cycles without obvious decay, and a high rate capability of ca. 400 mA h g-1 capacity retention at an ultrahigh rate of 15 A g-1. More interestingly, a flexible LIB full cell is assembled based on the as-synthesized integrated anode and the commercial LiFePO4 cathode, and shows striking lithium storage performances very close to the half cells: a large reversible capacity over 1000 mA h g-1, a long cycle life of over 200 cycles without obvious decay, and an ultrahigh rate performance of ca. 300 mA h g-1 even at 20 A g-1. Considering the excellent lithium storage performances of coin-type half cells as well as flexible full cells, the as-prepared carbon cloth grafted well-aligned Zn3P2 nanowire arrays would be a promising integrated anode for flexible LIB full cell devices.We, for the first time, successfully grafted well-aligned binary lithium-reactive zinc phosphide (Zn3P2) nanowire arrays on carbon fabric cloth by a facile CVD method. When applied as a novel self-supported binder-free anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) integrated anode shows excellent electrochemical performances: a highly reversible initial lithium storage capacity of ca. 1200 mA h g-1 with a coulombic efficiency of up to 88%, a long lifespan of over 200 cycles without obvious decay, and a high rate capability of ca. 400 mA h g-1 capacity retention at an ultrahigh rate of 15 A g-1. More interestingly, a flexible LIB full cell is assembled based on the as-synthesized integrated anode and the commercial LiFePO4 cathode, and shows striking lithium storage performances very close to the half cells: a large reversible capacity over 1000 mA h g-1, a long cycle life of over 200 cycles without obvious decay, and an ultrahigh rate performance of ca. 300 mA h g-1 even at 20 A g-1. Considering the excellent lithium storage performances of coin-type half cells as well as flexible full cells, the as-prepared carbon cloth grafted well-aligned Zn3P2 nanowire arrays would be a promising integrated anode for flexible LIB full cell devices. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr08467a

SDSS-IV MaNGA: Probing the Kinematic Morphology–Density Relation of Early-type Galaxies with MaNGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, J. E.; Leauthaud, A.; Emsellem, E.; Goddard, D.; Ge, J.; Andrews, B. H.; Brinkman, J.; Brownstein, J. R.; Greco, J.; Law, D.; Lin, Y.-T.; Masters, K. L.; Merrifield, M.; More, S.; Okabe, N.; Schneider, D. P.; Thomas, D.; Wake, D. A.; Yan, R.; Drory, N.

2017-12-01

The “kinematic” morphology–density relation for early-type galaxies posits that those galaxies with low angular momentum are preferentially found in the highest-density regions of the universe. We use a large sample of galaxy groups with halo masses {10}12.5< {M}{halo}< {10}14.5 {h}-1 {M}ȯ observed with the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) survey to examine whether there is a correlation between local environment and rotational support that is independent of stellar mass. We find no compelling evidence for a relationship between the angular momentum content of early-type galaxies and either local overdensity or radial position within the group at fixed stellar mass.

Vaxvec: The first web-based recombinant vaccine vector database and its data analysis.

PubMed

Deng, Shunzhou; Martin, Carly; Patil, Rasika; Zhu, Felix; Zhao, Bin; Xiang, Zuoshuang; He, Yongqun

2015-11-27

A recombinant vector vaccine uses an attenuated virus, bacterium, or parasite as the carrier to express a heterologous antigen(s). Many recombinant vaccine vectors and related vaccines have been developed and extensively investigated. To compare and better understand recombinant vectors and vaccines, we have generated Vaxvec (http://www.violinet.org/vaxvec), the first web-based database that stores various recombinant vaccine vectors and those experimentally verified vaccines that use these vectors. Vaxvec has now included 59 vaccine vectors that have been used in 196 recombinant vector vaccines against 66 pathogens and cancers. These vectors are classified to 41 viral vectors, 15 bacterial vectors, 1 parasitic vector, and 1 fungal vector. The most commonly used viral vaccine vectors are double-stranded DNA viruses, including herpesviruses, adenoviruses, and poxviruses. For example, Vaxvec includes 63 poxvirus-based recombinant vaccines for over 20 pathogens and cancers. Vaxvec collects 30 recombinant vector influenza vaccines that use 17 recombinant vectors and were experimentally tested in 7 animal models. In addition, over 60 protective antigens used in recombinant vector vaccines are annotated and analyzed. User-friendly web-interfaces are available for querying various data in Vaxvec. To support data exchange, the information of vaccine vectors, vaccines, and related information is stored in the Vaccine Ontology (VO). Vaxvec is a timely and vital source of vaccine vector database and facilitates efficient vaccine vector research and development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemiological characteristics and methodological quality of meta-analyses on diabetes mellitus treatment: a systematic review.

PubMed

Wu, Xin Yin; Lam, Victor C K; Yu, Yue Feng; Ho, Robin S T; Feng, Ye; Wong, Charlene H L; Yip, Benjamin H K; Tsoi, Kelvin K F; Wong, Samuel Y S; Chung, Vincent C H

2016-11-01

Well-conducted meta-analyses (MAs) are considered as one of the best sources of clinical evidence for treatment decision. MA with methodological flaws may introduce bias and mislead evidence users. The aim of this study is to investigate the characteristics and methodological quality of MAs on diabetes mellitus (DM) treatments. Systematic review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Review and Database of Abstract of Reviews of Effects were searched for relevant MAs. Assessing methodological quality of systematic reviews (AMSTAR) tool was used to evaluate the methodological quality of included MAs. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify association between characteristics of MA and AMSTAR results. A total of 252 MAs including 4999 primary studies and 13,577,025 patients were included. Over half of the MAs (65.1%) only included type 2 DM patients and 160 MAs (63.5%) focused on pharmacological treatments. About 89.7% MAs performed comprehensive literature search and 89.3% provided characteristics of included studies. Included MAs generally had poor performance on the remaining AMSTAR items, especially in assessing publication bias (39.3%), providing lists of studies (19.0%) and declaring source of support comprehensively (7.5%). Only 62.7% MAs mentioned about harm of interventions. MAs with corresponding author from Asia performed less well in providing MA protocol than those from Europe. Methodological quality of MA on DM treatments was unsatisfactory. There is considerable room for improvement, especially in assessing publication bias, providing lists of studies and declaring source of support comprehensively. Also, there is an urgent need for MA authors to report treatment harm comprehensively. © 2016 European Society of Endocrinology.

Re-Os geochronology of a Mesoproterozoic sedimentary succession, Taoudeni basin, Mauritania: Implications for basin-wide correlations and Re-Os organic-rich sediments systematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rooney, Alan D.; Selby, David; Houzay, Jean-Pierre; Renne, Paul R.

2010-01-01

The exceptionally well-preserved sedimentary rocks of the Taoudeni basin, NW Africa represent one of the world's most widespread (> 1 M km 2) Proterozoic successions. Hitherto, the sedimentary rocks were considered to be Mid Tonian based on Rb-Sr illite and glauconite geochronology of the Atar Group. However, new Re-Os organic-rich sediment (ORS) geochronology from two drill cores indicates that the Proterozoic Atar Group is ˜ 200 Ma older (1107 ± 12 Ma, 1109 ± 22 Ma and 1105 ± 37 Ma). The Re-Os geochronology suggests that the Rb-Sr geochronology records the age of diagenetic events possibly associated with the Pan African collision. The new Re-Os geochronology data provide absolute age constraints for recent carbon isotope chemostratigraphy which suggests that the Atar Group is Mesoproterozoic and not Neoproterozoic. The new Re-Os ORS geochronology supports previous studies that suggest that rapid hydrocarbon generation (flash pyrolysis) from contact metamorphism of a dolerite sill does not significantly disturb the Re-Os ORS systematics. Modelled contact conditions suggest that the Re-Os ORS systematics remain undisturbed at ˜ 650 °C at the sill/shale contact and ≥ 280 °C 20 m from the sill/shale contact. Moreover, the Re-Os geochronology indicates that the West African craton has a depositional history that predates 1100 Ma and that ORS can be correlated on a basin-wide scale. In addition, the Re-Os depositional ages for the ORS of the Taoudeni basin are comparable to those of ORS from the São Francisco craton, suggesting that these cratons are correlatable. This postulate is further supported by identical Os i values for the Atar Group and the Vazante Group of the São Francisco craton.

Fuzzy support vector machines for adaptive Morse code recognition.

PubMed

Yang, Cheng-Hong; Jin, Li-Cheng; Chuang, Li-Yeh

2006-11-01

Morse code is now being harnessed for use in rehabilitation applications of augmentative-alternative communication and assistive technology, facilitating mobility, environmental control and adapted worksite access. In this paper, Morse code is selected as a communication adaptive device for persons who suffer from muscle atrophy, cerebral palsy or other severe handicaps. A stable typing rate is strictly required for Morse code to be effective as a communication tool. Therefore, an adaptive automatic recognition method with a high recognition rate is needed. The proposed system uses both fuzzy support vector machines and the variable-degree variable-step-size least-mean-square algorithm to achieve these objectives. We apply fuzzy memberships to each point, and provide different contributions to the decision learning function for support vector machines. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the proposed method elicited a higher recognition rate than other algorithms in the literature.

A novel representation for apoptosis protein subcellular localization prediction using support vector machine.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Liao, Bo; Li, Dachao; Zhu, Wen

2009-07-21

Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays an important role in development of an organism. Obtaining information on subcellular location of apoptosis proteins is very helpful to understand the apoptosis mechanism. In this paper, based on the concept that the position distribution information of amino acids is closely related with the structure and function of proteins, we introduce the concept of distance frequency [Matsuda, S., Vert, J.P., Ueda, N., Toh, H., Akutsu, T., 2005. A novel representation of protein sequences for prediction of subcellular location using support vector machines. Protein Sci. 14, 2804-2813] and propose a novel way to calculate distance frequencies. In order to calculate the local features, each protein sequence is separated into p parts with the same length in our paper. Then we use the novel representation of protein sequences and adopt support vector machine to predict subcellular location. The overall prediction accuracy is significantly improved by jackknife test.

Product demand forecasts using wavelet kernel support vector machine and particle swarm optimization in manufacture system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qi

2010-03-01

Demand forecasts play a crucial role in supply chain management. The future demand for a certain product is the basis for the respective replenishment systems. Aiming at demand series with small samples, seasonal character, nonlinearity, randomicity and fuzziness, the existing support vector kernel does not approach the random curve of the sales time series in the space (quadratic continuous integral space). In this paper, we present a hybrid intelligent system combining the wavelet kernel support vector machine and particle swarm optimization for demand forecasting. The results of application in car sale series forecasting show that the forecasting approach based on the hybrid PSOWv-SVM model is effective and feasible, the comparison between the method proposed in this paper and other ones is also given, which proves that this method is, for the discussed example, better than hybrid PSOv-SVM and other traditional methods.

Evaluation and recognition of skin images with aging by support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Liangjun; Wu, Shulian; Li, Hui

2016-10-01

Aging is a very important issue not only in dermatology, but also cosmetic science. Cutaneous aging involves both chronological and photoaging aging process. The evaluation and classification of aging is an important issue with the medical cosmetology workers nowadays. The purpose of this study is to assess chronological-age-related and photo-age-related of human skin. The texture features of skin surface skin, such as coarseness, contrast were analyzed by Fourier transform and Tamura. And the aim of it is to detect the object hidden in the skin texture in difference aging skin. Then, Support vector machine was applied to train the texture feature. The different age's states were distinguished by the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The results help us to further understand the mechanism of different aging skin from texture feature and help us to distinguish the different aging states.

Scattering transform and LSPTSVM based fault diagnosis of rotating machinery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Shangjun; Cheng, Bo; Shang, Zhaowei; Liu, Geng

2018-05-01

This paper proposes an algorithm for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery to overcome the shortcomings of classical techniques which are noise sensitive in feature extraction and time consuming for training. Based on the scattering transform and the least squares recursive projection twin support vector machine (LSPTSVM), the method has the advantages of high efficiency and insensitivity for noise signal. Using the energy of the scattering coefficients in each sub-band, the features of the vibration signals are obtained. Then, an LSPTSVM classifier is used for fault diagnosis. The new method is compared with other common methods including the proximal support vector machine, the standard support vector machine and multi-scale theory by using fault data for two systems, a motor bearing and a gear box. The results show that the new method proposed in this study is more effective for fault diagnosis of rotating machinery.

Classification of Stellar Spectra with Fuzzy Minimum Within-Class Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong-bao, Liu; Wen-ai, Song; Jing, Zhang; Wen-juan, Zhao

2017-06-01

Classification is one of the important tasks in astronomy, especially in spectra analysis. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a typical classification method, which is widely used in spectra classification. Although it performs well in practice, its classification accuracies can not be greatly improved because of two limitations. One is it does not take the distribution of the classes into consideration. The other is it is sensitive to noise. In order to solve the above problems, inspired by the maximization of the Fisher's Discriminant Analysis (FDA) and the SVM separability constraints, fuzzy minimum within-class support vector machine (FMWSVM) is proposed in this paper. In FMWSVM, the distribution of the classes is reflected by the within-class scatter in FDA and the fuzzy membership function is introduced to decrease the influence of the noise. The comparative experiments with SVM on the SDSS datasets verify the effectiveness of the proposed classifier FMWSVM.

Geographical traceability of Marsdenia tenacissima by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chao; Yang, Sheng-Chao; Guo, Qiao-Sheng; Zheng, Kai-Yan; Wang, Ping-Li; Meng, Zhen-Gui

2016-01-01

A combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with chemometrics tools provided an approach for studying Marsdenia tenacissima according to its geographical origin. A total of 128 M. tenacissima samples from four provinces in China were analyzed with FTIR spectroscopy. Six pattern recognition methods were used to construct the discrimination models: support vector machine-genetic algorithms, support vector machine-particle swarm optimization, K-nearest neighbors, radial basis function neural network, random forest and support vector machine-grid search. Experimental results showed that K-nearest neighbors was superior to other mathematical algorithms after data were preprocessed with wavelet de-noising, with a discrimination rate of 100% in both the training and prediction sets. This study demonstrated that FTIR spectroscopy coupled with K-nearest neighbors could be successfully applied to determine the geographical origins of M. tenacissima samples, thereby providing reliable authentication in a rapid, cheap and noninvasive way.

Physician Reimbursement in Medicare Advantage Compared With Traditional Medicare and Commercial Health Insurance.

PubMed

Trish, Erin; Ginsburg, Paul; Gascue, Laura; Joyce, Geoffrey

2017-09-01

Nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, yet little is known about the prices that MA plans pay for physician services. Medicare Advantage insurers typically also sell commercial plans, and the extent to which MA physician reimbursement reflects traditional Medicare (TM) rates vs negotiated commercial prices is unclear. To compare prices paid for physician and other health care services in MA, traditional Medicare, and commercial plans. Retrospective analysis of claims data evaluating MA prices paid to physicians and for laboratory services and durable medical equipment between 2007 and 2012 in 348 US core-based statistical areas. The study population included all MA and commercial enrollees with a large national health insurer operating in both markets, as well as a 20% sample of TM beneficiaries. Enrollment in an MA plan. Mean reimbursement paid to physicians, laboratories, and durable medical equipment suppliers for MA and commercial enrollees relative to TM rates for 11 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding Systems (HCPCS) codes spanning 7 sites of care. The sample consisted of 144 million claims. Physician reimbursement in MA was more strongly tied to TM rates than commercial prices, although MA plans tended to pay physicians less than TM. For a mid-level office visit with an established patient (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code 99213), the mean MA price was 96.9% (95% CI, 96.7%-97.2%) of TM. Across the common physician services we evaluated, mean MA reimbursement ranged from 91.3% of TM for cataract removal in an ambulatory surgery center (CPT 66984; 95% CI, 90.7%-91.9%) to 102.3% of TM for complex evaluation and management of a patient in the emergency department (CPT 99285; 95% CI, 102.1%-102.6%). However, for laboratory services and durable medical equipment, where commercial prices are lower than TM rates, MA plans take advantage of these lower commercial prices, ranging from 67.4% for a walker (HCPCS code E0143; 95% CI, 66.3%-68.5%) to 75.8% for a complete blood cell count (CPT 85025; 95% CI, 75.0%-76.6%). Traditional Medicare's administratively set rates act as a strong anchor for physician reimbursement in the MA market, although MA plans succeed in negotiating lower prices for other health care services for which TM overpays. Reforms that transition the Medicare program toward some premium support models could substantially affect how physicians and other clinicians are paid.

Object recognition of real targets using modelled SAR images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zherdev, D. A.

2017-12-01

In this work the problem of recognition is studied using SAR images. The algorithm of recognition is based on the computation of conjugation indices with vectors of class. The support subspaces for each class are constructed by exception of the most and the less correlated vectors in a class. In the study we examine the ability of a significant feature vector size reduce that leads to recognition time decrease. The images of targets form the feature vectors that are transformed using pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN).

Palaeomagnetic analysis of the Sterkfontein palaeocave deposits: implications for the age of the hominin fossils and stone tool industries.

PubMed

Herries, Andy I R; Shaw, John

2011-05-01

Palaeomagnetic analysis was conducted on speleothems from Members 1-5 at Sterkfontein Cave, South Africa. Palaeomagnetic analysis of siltstone and speleothem from the bulk of Member 4 indicate a reversed magnetic polarity that dates the deposits and its Australopithecus africanus fossils to between 2.58 and ~2.16 Ma. Further confirmation of this age comes in the form of two short normal polarity events correlated to the Rèunion (~2.16 Ma) and Huckleberry Ridge (~2.05 Ma) events in speleothem capping the bulk of Member 4 and coeval with deposition of the final phase of Member 4, including A. africanus fossil Sts 5. At ~2.16-2.05 Ma, Sts 5 is the youngest representative of A. africanus yet discovered. Palaeomagnetic analysis of the Silberberg Grotto deposits identifies a single short geomagnetic field event in flowstone overlying the StW 573 Australopithecus fossil, which is suggested to represent the Rèunion event at ~2.16 Ma. This further supports the uranium lead age estimates of 2.3-2.2 Ma for the StW 573 fossil. Based on a reversed polarity for the deposits below the skeleton it cannot be older than 2.58 Ma. If StW 573 is considered to be a second species of Australopithecus then this indicates that two species of Australopithecus are present at Sterkfontein between 2.6 and 2.0 Ma. All of the Member 5 deposits date to less than 1.8 Ma based on a comparison of palaeomagnetic, faunal, and electron spin resonance age estimates. The StW 53 fossil bearing infill (M5A) is intermediate in age between Member 4 and the rest of Member 5 (B-C) at around 1.78-1.49 Ma. The rest of Member 5 (B-C) containing Oldowan and Acheulian stone tools and Homo and Paranthropus fossils was deposited gradually between 1.40 and 1.07 Ma, much younger than previously suggested. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geochronology of high-grade metamorphic rocks from the Anjul area, Lut block, eastern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bröcker, Michael; Fotoohi Rad, Gholamreza; Abbaslu, Fateme; Rodionov, Nikolay

2014-03-01

U-Pb and Rb-Sr geochronology has been used to constrain robust ages for leucosomes and high-grade gneisses from the Anjul area in the eastern part of the Lut block, Iran. The new results do not support the previously suggested Proterozoic age for this occurrence, but instead reveal the importance of Jurassic and Cretaceous magmatic and/or metamorphic processes. Ionprobe U-Pb zircon dating yielded four age groups (>200, ˜168, ˜120 and ˜110 Ma). Textural observations suggest that ages >200 Ma represent inherited zircons. The majority of zircons yielded Jurassic (168 ± 2 and 169 ± 2 Ma) and Cretaceous (120 ± 3, 108 ± 2, 111 ± 3 Ma) intercept ages. Explanations for the two dominant age groups (˜168 and ˜110 Ma) include the following alternatives: (a) the Jurassic ages constrain the protolith age of magmatic precursors that experienced metamorphic overprinting at ˜110 Ma; and (b) both the ˜168 Ma and ˜110 Ma ages indicate the time of metamorphic episodes, e.g. zircon-formation during different anatectic events or migmatization followed by a lower temperature overprint associated with new zircon growth. Multi-point Rb-Sr mineral isochrons of three additional gneisses indicated ages of 102 ± 3 Ma, 102 ± 1 Ma and 97 ± 2 Ma. These ages further document the importance of Cretaceous metamorphism in the Anjul area. The difference compared to the U-Pb ages of zircon overgrowths is interpreted to indicate cooling after a thermal event with or without partial melting. The two major occurrences of metamorphic rocks in the eastern Lut block are exposed in the Deh-Salm and the Anjul region. These occurrences may represent two different segments of a single metamorphic belt that can broadly be related to accretionary and/or collisional processes induced by convergence between the Afro-Arabian and Eurasian plates. Our geochronological study provides a conclusive evidence for Cretaceous metamorphism. We speculate that zircon overgrowths with Cretaceous ages reflect metamorphic processes unrelated to melt formation that overprinted a pre-existing population recording Jurassic anatexis.

Interpreting support vector machine models for multivariate group wise analysis in neuroimaging

PubMed Central

Gaonkar, Bilwaj; Shinohara, Russell T; Davatzikos, Christos

2015-01-01

Machine learning based classification algorithms like support vector machines (SVMs) have shown great promise for turning a high dimensional neuroimaging data into clinically useful decision criteria. However, tracing imaging based patterns that contribute significantly to classifier decisions remains an open problem. This is an issue of critical importance in imaging studies seeking to determine which anatomical or physiological imaging features contribute to the classifier’s decision, thereby allowing users to critically evaluate the findings of such machine learning methods and to understand disease mechanisms. The majority of published work addresses the question of statistical inference for support vector classification using permutation tests based on SVM weight vectors. Such permutation testing ignores the SVM margin, which is critical in SVM theory. In this work we emphasize the use of a statistic that explicitly accounts for the SVM margin and show that the null distributions associated with this statistic are asymptotically normal. Further, our experiments show that this statistic is a lot less conservative as compared to weight based permutation tests and yet specific enough to tease out multivariate patterns in the data. Thus, we can better understand the multivariate patterns that the SVM uses for neuroimaging based classification. PMID:26210913

Sparse kernel methods for high-dimensional survival data.

PubMed

Evers, Ludger; Messow, Claudia-Martina

2008-07-15

Sparse kernel methods like support vector machines (SVM) have been applied with great success to classification and (standard) regression settings. Existing support vector classification and regression techniques however are not suitable for partly censored survival data, which are typically analysed using Cox's proportional hazards model. As the partial likelihood of the proportional hazards model only depends on the covariates through inner products, it can be 'kernelized'. The kernelized proportional hazards model however yields a solution that is dense, i.e. the solution depends on all observations. One of the key features of an SVM is that it yields a sparse solution, depending only on a small fraction of the training data. We propose two methods. One is based on a geometric idea, where-akin to support vector classification-the margin between the failed observation and the observations currently at risk is maximised. The other approach is based on obtaining a sparse model by adding observations one after another akin to the Import Vector Machine (IVM). Data examples studied suggest that both methods can outperform competing approaches. Software is available under the GNU Public License as an R package and can be obtained from the first author's website http://www.maths.bris.ac.uk/~maxle/software.html.

Intelligent Design of Metal Oxide Gas Sensor Arrays Using Reciprocal Kernel Support Vector Regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dougherty, Andrew W.

Metal oxides are a staple of the sensor industry. The combination of their sensitivity to a number of gases, and the electrical nature of their sensing mechanism, make the particularly attractive in solid state devices. The high temperature stability of the ceramic material also make them ideal for detecting combustion byproducts where exhaust temperatures can be high. However, problems do exist with metal oxide sensors. They are not very selective as they all tend to be sensitive to a number of reduction and oxidation reactions on the oxide's surface. This makes sensors with large numbers of sensors interesting to study as a method for introducing orthogonality to the system. Also, the sensors tend to suffer from long term drift for a number of reasons. In this thesis I will develop a system for intelligently modeling metal oxide sensors and determining their suitability for use in large arrays designed to analyze exhaust gas streams. It will introduce prior knowledge of the metal oxide sensors' response mechanisms in order to produce a response function for each sensor from sparse training data. The system will use the same technique to model and remove any long term drift from the sensor response. It will also provide an efficient means for determining the orthogonality of the sensor to determine whether they are useful in gas sensing arrays. The system is based on least squares support vector regression using the reciprocal kernel. The reciprocal kernel is introduced along with a method of optimizing the free parameters of the reciprocal kernel support vector machine. The reciprocal kernel is shown to be simpler and to perform better than an earlier kernel, the modified reciprocal kernel. Least squares support vector regression is chosen as it uses all of the training points and an emphasis was placed throughout this research for extracting the maximum information from very sparse data. The reciprocal kernel is shown to be effective in modeling the sensor responses in the time, gas and temperature domains, and the dual representation of the support vector regression solution is shown to provide insight into the sensor's sensitivity and potential orthogonality. Finally, the dual weights of the support vector regression solution to the sensor's response are suggested as a fitness function for a genetic algorithm, or some other method for efficiently searching large parameter spaces.

Shallow stratification prevailed for ∼1700 to ∼1300 Ma ocean: Evidence from organic carbon isotopes in the North China Craton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Genming; Junium, Christopher K.; Kump, Lee R.; Huang, Junhua; Li, Chao; Feng, Qinglai; Shi, Xiaoying; Bai, Xiao; Xie, Shucheng

2014-08-01

The Late Paleoproterozoic to Early Mesoproterozoic (from ∼1700 Ma to ∼1300 Ma) was highlighted by the assembly of the Nuna supercontinent, expansion of euxinic marine environments and apparent stasis in the diversity of eukaryotes. The isotopic composition of carbonate carbon (δ13Ccarb) was surprisingly constant during this interval, but little is known about the secular variation in the organic carbon isotopic composition (δ13Corg). Here we report δ13Corg data from the latest Paleoproterozoic (>1650 Ma) to Early Mesoproterozoic (∼1300 Ma) succession in North China. The δ13Corg values range from -25‰ to -34‰, and are dependent on sedimentary facies. In subtidal and deeper environments δ13Corg values are low and constant, ca. -32‰, but relatively enriched and more variable in shallower intertidal and supratidal environments. We attribute the facies-dependent variation in δ13Corg to the presence of a shallow chemocline. A probable result of a shallow chemocline is that it supported significant contributions of organic matter produced by chemoautotrophic and/or anaerobic photoautotrophic microbes in relatively deep environments from the latest Paleoproterozoic to Early Mesoproterozoic continental shelf of North China.

Bacterial microbiota profile in gills of modified atmosphere-packaged oysters stored at 4 °C.

PubMed

Chen, Huibin; Wang, Meiying; Lin, Xiangzhi; Shi, Caihua; Liu, Zhiyu

2017-02-01

As filter-feeding bivalves, oysters can accumulate microorganisms into their gills, causing spoilage and potential safety issues. This study aims to investigate the changes in the gill microbiota of oysters packed under air and modified atmospheres (MAs, 50% CO 2 : 50% N 2 , 70% CO 2 : 30% O 2 , and 50% CO 2 : 50% O 2 ) during storage at 4 °C. The diversity of bacterial microbiota in oyster gills was profiled through polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) analysis on the 16S rRNA gene V3 region to describe the variation during the entire storage period. The DGGE profile revealed high bacterial diversity in the air- and MA-packaged oyster gills, and the spoilage bacterial microbiota varied in the MA-packaged oyster gills. Results indicated that CO 2 :O 2 (70%:30%) was suitable for oyster MA packaging and that high bacterial loads in oyster gills need to be considered during storage. In addition, Lactobacillus and Lactococcus species were found to grow dominantly in fresh oyster gills under MA packaging, which supports the potential application of MA packaging for oyster storage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mesenchymal stem cells induce mature dendritic cells into a novel Jagged-2-dependent regulatory dendritic cell population.

PubMed

Zhang, Bin; Liu, Rui; Shi, Dan; Liu, Xingxia; Chen, Yuan; Dou, Xiaowei; Zhu, Xishan; Lu, Chunhua; Liang, Wei; Liao, Lianming; Zenke, Martin; Zhao, Robert C H

2009-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in addition to their multilineage differentiation, exert immunomodulatory effects on immune cells, even dendritic cells (DCs). However, whether they influence the destiny of full mature DCs (maDCs) remains controversial. Here we report that MSCs vigorously promote proliferation of maDCs, significantly reduce their expression of Ia, CD11c, CD80, CD86, and CD40 while increasing CD11b expression. Interestingly, though these phenotypes clearly suggest their skew to immature status, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation could not reverse this trend. Moreover, high endocytosic capacity, low immunogenicity, and strong immunoregulatory function of MSC-treated maDCs (MSC-DCs) were also observed. Furthermore we found that MSCs, partly via cell-cell contact, drive maDCs to differentiate into a novel Jagged-2-dependent regulatory DC population and escape their apoptotic fate. These results further support the role of MSCs in preventing rejection in organ transplantation and treatment of autoimmune disease.

Development program on a cold cathode electron gun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spindt, C. A.

1979-01-01

A prototype electron gun with a field emitter cathode capable of producing 95 mA in a 1/4 mm diameter beam at 12 kV was produced. Achievement of this goal required supporting studies in cathode fabrication, cathode performance, gun design, cathode mounting and gun fabrication. A series of empirical investigations advanced fabrication technology: More stable emitters were produced and multiple cone failure caused by chain reaction discharges were reduced. The cathode is capable of producing well over 95 mA, but a substantial collector development effort was required to demonstrate emission levels in the 100 mA region. Space charge problems made these levels difficult to achieve. Recommendations are made for future process and materials investigation. Electron gun designs were modeled and tested. A pair of two-electrode gun structures were fabricated and tested; one gun was delivered to NASA. Cathodes were pretested up to 100 mA at SRI and delivered to NASA for test in the gun structure.

Zircon ages delimit the provenance of a sand extrudite from the Botucatu Formation in the Paraná volcanic province, Iraí, Brazil.

PubMed

Pinto, Viter M; Hartmann, Léo A; Santos, João O S; McNaughton, Neal J

2015-09-01

Ion microprobe age determinations of 102 detrital zircon crystals from a sand extrudite, Cretaceous Paraná volcanic province, set limits on the origin of the numerous sand layers present in this major flood basalt province. The zircon U-Pb ages reflect four main orogenic cycles: Mesoproterozoic (1155-962 Ma), latest Proterozoic-early Cambrian (808-500 Ma) and two Palaeozoic (Ordovician- 480 to 450 Ma, and Permian to Lower Triassic- 296 to 250 Ma). Two additional small concentrations are present in the Neoarchean (2.8 to 2.6 Ga) and Paleoproterozoic (2.0 to 1.7 Ga). Zircon age peaks closely match the several pulses of igneous activity in the Precambrian Brazilian Shield and active orogeny in Argentina. A main delimitation of the origin of the sand is the absence of zircon ages from the underlying Cretaceous basalts, thus supporting an injectite origin of the sand as an extrudite that emanated from the paleoerg that constitutes the Botucatu Formation.

Age of Jurassic continental tholeiites of French Guyana, Surinam and Guinea: Implications for the initial opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deckart, Katja; Féraud, Gilbert; Bertrand, Hervé

1997-08-01

A detailed 40Ar/39Ar study, of mineral separates from the Jurassic Atlantic Continental Tholeiites (JACT) of Guyana (French Guyana and Surinam, South America), and Guinea (West Africa) related to the initial opening of the Central Atlantic, has been carried out. In French Guyana, plateau ages of 196.0 ± 5.7 Ma and 196.1 ± 7.5 Ma were obtained on single, small amphibole grains from NNW—SSE trending dykes. In Guinea, single biotite grains from intrusive formations from the Kakoulima and Fouta Djalon areas yielded plateau ages of 200.4 ± 0.2 Ma and 194.8 ± 0.5 Ma, concordant with high temperature apparent ages on other biotites. The bulk plagioclase samples display disturbed age spectra due to alteration and excess argon. However, intermediate temperature, weighted mean plagioclase ages are similar in both regions of Guyana and Guinea, ranging from 200.2 ± 2.4 Ma to 188.7 ± 1.9 Ma, partly in agreement with the amphibole and biotite data. These data, combined with previous 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb results from the northern part of the Central Atlantic margins, indicate intense magmatic activity distributed over a large area from Iberia to Liberia (ca. 4500 km long) for a short period of time (204-195 Ma, perhaps less for the bulk of the magmatism) during the initial break-up of Pangea continent. These data do not support an initiation of the magmatism from a radial volcano-tectonic system centred in the south of the region, as suggested by May [1], and the initial break-up seems to affect the whole Central Atlantic during a period of 9 Ma.

[Methamphetamine Consumption During Pregnancy and its Effects on Neonates].

PubMed

Pflügner, Alina; Thome, Ulrich; Bernhard, Matthias K; Vogel, Mandy; Bläser, Annett; Nickel, Petra; Kiess, Wieland

2018-01-01

 Methamphetamine (MA) has become one of the most commonly used illegal drugs during pregnancy. We sought to determine how MA abuse modifies pregnancy outcomes and the health of the newborn infants. Patients 102 newborns from mothers with antenatal MA consumption were admitted to the University Hospital Leipzig from 2004-2015.  The effects of MA abuse on pregnancy outcomes and neonates were researched in a retrospective controlled study. We analysed the date of pregnancy detection, number of antenatal preventive examinations, body measurements of the neonates, duration of hospitalization, rate of preterm infants, congenital malformations and symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome.  The majority of pregnancies of MA abusing women were diagnosed during the 2. trimester and they had a median of 4 prenatal care visits. The group of MA exposed neonates includes twice as many preterm neonates as the control group (MA:20,6%; CG:10,7%). The consumption was associated with intrauterine growth restriction, an increased incidence of poor cardio respiratory adaptation, cardiac defects and a floppy muscle tone. The median time of hospitalization was 10d as compared to a control group (CG:5d). Special care was needed in 44% of the neonates (CG:0,98%). The median age of primiparous women was 22.5 yr (CG:30 yr), 4.9% were married (CG:38%). 57 of 102 women were unemployed.  Because of the adverse effects of perinatal MA abuse a multidisciplinary team is necessary to detect the consumption, to alleviate side effects and to provide efficient medical care for the newborns. Psychological and social support for the families are also important. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Along-strike continuity of structure, stratigraphy, and kinematic history in the Himalayan thrust belt: The view from Northeastern India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeCelles, P. G.; Carrapa, B.; Gehrels, G. E.; Chakraborty, T.; Ghosh, P.

2016-12-01

The Himalaya consists of thrust sheets tectonically shingled together since 58 Ma as India collided with and slid beneath Asia. Major Himalayan structures, including the South Tibetan Detachment (STD), Main Central Thrust (MCT), Lesser Himalayan Duplex (LHD), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), and Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), persist along strike from northwestern India to Arunachal Pradesh near the eastern end of the orogenic belt. Previous work suggests significant basement involvement and a kinematic history unique to the Arunachal Himalaya. We present new geologic and geochronologic data to support a regional structural cross section and kinematic restoration of the Arunachal Himalaya. Large Paleoproterozoic orthogneiss bodies (Bomdila Gneiss) previously interpreted as Indian basement have ages of 1774-1810 Ma, approximately 50 Ma younger than Lesser Himalayan strata into which their granitic protoliths intruded. Bomdila Gneiss is therefore part of the Lesser Himalayan cover sequence, and no evidence exists for basement involvement in the Arunachal Himalaya. Minimum shortening in rocks structurally beneath the STD is 421 km. The MCT was active during the early Miocene; STD extension overlapped MCT shortening and continued until approximately 15-12 Ma; and growth of the LHD began 11 Ma, followed by slip along the MBT (post-7.5 Ma) and MFT (post-1 Ma) systems. Earlier thrusting events involved long-distance transport of strong, low-taper thrust sheets, whereas events after 12-10 Ma stacked smaller, weaker thrust sheets into a steeply tapered orogenic wedge dominated by duplexing. A coeval kinematic transition is observed in other Himalayan regions, suggesting that orogenic wedge behavior was controlled by rock strength and erodibility.

The mechanism of post-rift fault activities in Baiyun sag, Pearl River Mouth basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhen; Xu, Ziying; Sun, Longtao; Pang, Xiong; Yan, Chengzhi; Li, Yuanping; Zhao, Zhongxian; Wang, Zhangwen; Zhang, Cuimei

2014-08-01

Post-rift fault activities were often observed in deepwater basins, which have great contributions to oil and gas migration and accumulation. The main causes for post-rift fault activities include tectonic events, mud or salt diapirs, and gravitational collapse. In the South China Sea continental margin, post-rift fault activities are widely distributed, especially in Baiyun sag, one of the largest deepwater sag with its main body located beneath present continental slope. During the post-rift stage, large population of faults kept active for a long time from 32 Ma (T70) till 5.5 Ma (T10). Seismic interpretation, fault analysis and analogue modeling experiments indicate that the post-rift fault activities in Baiyun sag between 32 Ma (T70) and 13.8 Ma (T30) was mainly controlled by gravity pointing to the Main Baiyun sag, which caused the faults extensive on the side facing Main Baiyun sag and the back side compressive. Around 32 Ma (T70), the breakup of the continental margin and the spreading of the South China Sea shed a combined effect of weak compression toward Baiyun sag. The gravity during post-rift stage might be caused by discrepant subsidence and sedimentation between strongly thinned sag center and wing areas. This is supported by positive relationship between sedimentation rate and fault growth index. After 13.8 Ma (T30), fault activity shows negative relationship with sedimentation rate. Compressive uplift and erosion in seismic profiles as well as negative tectonic subsiding rates suggest that the fault activity from 13.8 Ma (T30) to 5.5 Ma (T10) might be controlled by the subductive compression from the Philippine plate in the east.

Refining the chronostratigraphy of the Karoo Basin, South Africa: magnetostratigraphic constraints support an early Permian age for the Ecca Group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belica, Mercedes E.; Tohver, Eric; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Flint, Stephen; Parra-Avila, Luis A.; Lanci, Luca; Denyszyn, Steven; Pisarevsky, Sergei A.

2017-12-01

The Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin, South Africa provides an important chrono- and biostratigraphic record of vertebrate turnovers that have been attributed to the end-Permian mass extinction events at ca. 252 and 260 Ma. However, an unresolved controversy exists over the age of the Beaufort Group due to a large data set of published U-Pb SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe) zircon results that indicate a ca. 274-250 Ma age range for deposition of the underlying Ecca Group. This age range requires the application of a highly diachronous sedimentation model to the Karoo Basin stratigraphy and is not supported by published palaeontologic and palynologic data. This study tested the strength of these U-Pb isotopic data sets using a magnetostratigraphic approach. Here, we present a composite ∼1500 m section through a large part of the Ecca Group from the Tanqua depocentre, located in the southwestern segment of the Karoo Basin. After the removal of two normal polarity overprints, a likely primary magnetic signal was isolated at temperatures above 450 °C. This section is restricted to a reverse polarity, indicating that it formed during the Kiaman Reverse Superchron (ca. 318-265 Ma), a distinctive magnetostratigraphic marker for early-middle Permian rocks. The Ecca Group has a corresponding palaeomagnetic pole at 40.8°S, 77.4°E (A95 = 5.5°). U-Pb SHRIMP ages on zircons are presented here for comparison with prior isotopic studies of the Ecca Group. A weighted mean U-Pb age of 269.5 ± 1.2 Ma was determined from a volcanic ash bed located in the uppermost Tierberg Formation sampled from the O + R1 research core. The age is interpreted here as a minimum constraint due to a proposed Pb-loss event that has likely influenced a number of published results. A comparison with the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale as well as published U-Pb TIMS ages from the overlying Beaufort Group supports a ca. 290-265 Ma age for deposition of the Ecca Group.

Vectoring of parallel synthetic jets: A parametric study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berk, Tim; Gomit, Guillaume; Ganapathisubramani, Bharathram

2016-11-01

The vectoring of a pair of parallel synthetic jets can be described using five dimensionless parameters: the aspect ratio of the slots, the Strouhal number, the Reynolds number, the phase difference between the jets and the spacing between the slots. In the present study, the influence of the latter four on the vectoring behaviour of the jets is examined experimentally using particle image velocimetry. Time-averaged velocity maps are used to study the variations in vectoring behaviour for a parametric sweep of each of the four parameters independently. A topological map is constructed for the full four-dimensional parameter space. The vectoring behaviour is described both qualitatively and quantitatively. A vectoring mechanism is proposed, based on measured vortex positions. We acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC Grant Agreement No. 277472).

Determination of Anti-Adeno-Associated Virus Vector Neutralizing Antibody Titer with an In Vitro Reporter System

PubMed Central

Meliani, Amine; Leborgne, Christian; Triffault, Sabrina; Jeanson-Leh, Laurence; Veron, Philippe

2015-01-01

Abstract Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are a platform of choice for in vivo gene transfer applications. However, neutralizing antibodies (NAb) to AAV can be found in humans and some animal species as a result of exposure to the wild-type virus, and high-titer NAb develop following AAV vector administration. In some conditions, anti-AAV NAb can block transduction with AAV vectors even when present at low titers, thus requiring prescreening before vector administration. Here we describe an improved in vitro, cell-based assay for the determination of NAb titer in serum or plasma samples. The assay is easy to setup and sensitive and, depending on the purpose, can be validated to support clinical development of gene therapy products based on AAV vectors. PMID:25819687

Matrix Multiplication Algorithm Selection with Support Vector Machines

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

libraries that could intelligently choose the optimal algorithm for a particular set of inputs. Users would be oblivious to the underlying algorithmic...SAT.” J. Artif . Intell. Res.(JAIR), vol. 32, pp. 565–606, 2008. [9] M. G. Lagoudakis and M. L. Littman, “Algorithm selection using reinforcement...Artificial Intelligence , vol. 21, no. 05, pp. 961–976, 2007. [15] C.-C. Chang and C.-J. Lin, “LIBSVM: A library for support vector machines,” ACM

Support Vector Data Description Model to Map Specific Land Cover with Optimal Parameters Determined from a Window-Based Validation Set.

PubMed

Zhang, Jinshui; Yuan, Zhoumiqi; Shuai, Guanyuan; Pan, Yaozhong; Zhu, Xiufang

2017-04-26

This paper developed an approach, the window-based validation set for support vector data description (WVS-SVDD), to determine optimal parameters for support vector data description (SVDD) model to map specific land cover by integrating training and window-based validation sets. Compared to the conventional approach where the validation set included target and outlier pixels selected visually and randomly, the validation set derived from WVS-SVDD constructed a tightened hypersphere because of the compact constraint by the outlier pixels which were located neighboring to the target class in the spectral feature space. The overall accuracies for wheat and bare land achieved were as high as 89.25% and 83.65%, respectively. However, target class was underestimated because the validation set covers only a small fraction of the heterogeneous spectra of the target class. The different window sizes were then tested to acquire more wheat pixels for validation set. The results showed that classification accuracy increased with the increasing window size and the overall accuracies were higher than 88% at all window size scales. Moreover, WVS-SVDD showed much less sensitivity to the untrained classes than the multi-class support vector machine (SVM) method. Therefore, the developed method showed its merits using the optimal parameters, tradeoff coefficient ( C ) and kernel width ( s ), in mapping homogeneous specific land cover.

Visual communications and image processing '92; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Nov. 18-20, 1992

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maragos, Petros

The topics discussed at the conference include hierarchical image coding, motion analysis, feature extraction and image restoration, video coding, and morphological and related nonlinear filtering. Attention is also given to vector quantization, morphological image processing, fractals and wavelets, architectures for image and video processing, image segmentation, biomedical image processing, and model-based analysis. Papers are presented on affine models for motion and shape recovery, filters for directly detecting surface orientation in an image, tracking of unresolved targets in infrared imagery using a projection-based method, adaptive-neighborhood image processing, and regularized multichannel restoration of color images using cross-validation. (For individual items see A93-20945 to A93-20951)

Vectoring of parallel synthetic jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berk, Tim; Ganapathisubramani, Bharathram; Gomit, Guillaume

2015-11-01

A pair of parallel synthetic jets can be vectored by applying a phase difference between the two driving signals. The resulting jet can be merged or bifurcated and either vectored towards the actuator leading in phase or the actuator lagging in phase. In the present study, the influence of phase difference and Strouhal number on the vectoring behaviour is examined experimentally. Phase-locked vorticity fields, measured using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), are used to track vortex pairs. The physical mechanisms that explain the diversity in vectoring behaviour are observed based on the vortex trajectories. For a fixed phase difference, the vectoring behaviour is shown to be primarily influenced by pinch-off time of vortex rings generated by the synthetic jets. Beyond a certain formation number, the pinch-off timescale becomes invariant. In this region, the vectoring behaviour is determined by the distance between subsequent vortex rings. We acknowledge the financial support from the European Research Council (ERC grant agreement no. 277472).

Western Pacific Warm Pool expansion event during 2.0-1.5 Ma and its implications to global climate dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo, L.; Chuang, C. K.; Wei, K. Y.; Shen, C. C.; Mii, H. S.; Chang, Y. P.

2017-12-01

In this study, we reconstruct surface and upper thermocline seawater temperatures by using planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides sacculifer and Neogloboquadrina deutertrei in the southern Western Pacific Warm Pool (S-WPWP, ODP Site 1115B, 9o11'S, 151o34'E, water depth 1149 m) during past 2.2-1.1 million years (Ma). Significant S-WPWP surface warming in both glacial and interglacial periods during 1.86-1.55 Ma is accompanied with gradual upper thermocline cooling. S-WPWP sea surface temperature dropped 2.1oC from 1.50-1.21 Ma but upper thermocline temperature further decreased 1.1oC at this time period. WPWP expansion event is also supported by vertical foraminiferal Mg/Ca-derived temperature profile records in the central WPWP (ODP Site 806, Ford et al. 2015). Although foraminiferal Mg/Ca-derived temperature records from Eastern Equatorial Pacific suggests long-term cooling trend (Wara et al. 2005), alkenone undersaturation index (UK'37)-inferred surface temperature records suggest 1oC warming during 2.0-1.5 Ma (Fedorov et al. 2013). We argue that seasonal expansion of WPWP may be attributable to the meridional thermocline gradient increasing (Martinez-Garcia et al. 2010) during 2.0-1.5 Ma. Long-term extent variability of WPWP could have impact on cross-equatorial energy transportation and meridional precipitation belt movements (Lo et al., 2014).

A highly adhesive and naturally derived sealant.

PubMed

Assmann, Alexander; Vegh, Andrea; Ghasemi-Rad, Mohammad; Bagherifard, Sara; Cheng, George; Sani, Ehsan Shirzaei; Ruiz-Esparza, Guillermo U; Noshadi, Iman; Lassaletta, Antonio D; Gangadharan, Sidhu; Tamayol, Ali; Khademhosseini, Ali; Annabi, Nasim

2017-09-01

Conventional surgical techniques to seal and repair defects in highly stressed elastic tissues are insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to engineer an inexpensive, highly adhesive, biocompatible, and biodegradable sealant based on a modified and naturally derived biopolymer, gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA). We tuned the degree of gelatin modification, prepolymer concentration, photoinitiator concentration, and crosslinking conditions to optimize the physical properties and adhesion of the photocrosslinked GelMA sealants. Following ASTM standard tests that target wound closure strength, shear resistance, and burst pressure, GelMA sealant was shown to exhibit adhesive properties that were superior to clinically used fibrin- and poly(ethylene glycol)-based glues. Chronic in vivo experiments in small as well as translational large animal models proved GelMA to effectively seal large lung leakages without the need for sutures or staples, presenting improved performance as compared to fibrin glue, poly(ethylene glycol) glue and sutures only. Furthermore, high biocompatibility of GelMA sealant was observed, as evidenced by a low inflammatory host response and fast in vivo degradation while allowing for adequate wound healing at the same time. Combining these results with the low costs, ease of synthesis and application of the material, GelMA sealant is envisioned to be commercialized not only as a sealant to stop air leakages, but also as a biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel to support lung tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The reanalysis of biogeography of the Asian tree frog, Rhacophorus (Anura: Rhacophoridae): geographic shifts and climatic change influenced the dispersal process and diversification

PubMed Central

Wang, Hui; Wu, Jun; Kang, Xing; Qian, Lifu; Chen, Jinyun; Rao, Dingqi; Jiang, Jianping

2017-01-01

Rapid uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau and climate change in Asia are thought to have profoundly modulated the diversification of most of the species distributed throughout Asia. The ranoid tree frog genus Rhacophorus, the largest genus in the Rhacophoridae, is widely distributed in Asia and especially speciose in the areas south and east of the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we infer phylogenetic relationships among species and estimate divergence times, asking whether the spatiotemporal characteristics of diversification within Rhacophorus were related to rapid uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau and concomitant climate change. Phylogenetic analysis recovered distinct lineage structures in Rhacophorus, which indicated a clear distribution pattern from Southeast Asia toward East Asia and India. Molecular dating suggests that the first split within the genus date back to the Middle Oligocene (approx. 30 Ma). The Rhacophorus lineage through time (LTT) showed that there were periods of increased speciation rate: 14–12 Ma and 10–4 Ma. In addition, ancestral area reconstructions supported Southeast Asia as the ancestral area of Rhacophorus. According to the results of molecular dating, ancestral area reconstructions and LTT we think the geographic shifts, the staged rapid rises of the Tibetan Plateau with parallel climatic changes and reinforcement of the Asian monsoons (15 Ma, 8 Ma and 4–3 Ma), possibly prompted a burst of diversification in Rhacophorus. PMID:29177111

Power line identification of millimeter wave radar based on PCA-GS-SVM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Fang; Zhang, Guifeng; Cheng, Yansheng

2017-12-01

Aiming at the problem that the existing detection method can not effectively solve the security of UAV's ultra low altitude flight caused by power line, a power line recognition method based on grid search (GS) and the principal component analysis and support vector machine (PCA-SVM) is proposed. Firstly, the candidate line of Hough transform is reduced by PCA, and the main feature of candidate line is extracted. Then, upport vector machine (SVM is) optimized by grid search method (GS). Finally, using support vector machine classifier optimized parameters to classify the candidate line. MATLAB simulation results show that this method can effectively identify the power line and noise, and has high recognition accuracy and algorithm efficiency.

Experimental Investigation for Fault Diagnosis Based on a Hybrid Approach Using Wavelet Packet and Support Vector Classification

PubMed Central

Li, Pengfei; Jiang, Yongying; Xiang, Jiawei

2014-01-01

To deal with the difficulty to obtain a large number of fault samples under the practical condition for mechanical fault diagnosis, a hybrid method that combined wavelet packet decomposition and support vector classification (SVC) is proposed. The wavelet packet is employed to decompose the vibration signal to obtain the energy ratio in each frequency band. Taking energy ratios as feature vectors, the pattern recognition results are obtained by the SVC. The rolling bearing and gear fault diagnostic results of the typical experimental platform show that the present approach is robust to noise and has higher classification accuracy and, thus, provides a better way to diagnose mechanical faults under the condition of small fault samples. PMID:24688361

Malaria transmission and vector behaviour in a forested malaria focus in central Vietnam and the implications for vector control

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background In Vietnam, malaria is becoming progressively restricted to specific foci where human and vector characteristics alter the known malaria epidemiology, urging for alternative or adapted control strategies. Long-lasting insecticidal hammocks (LLIH) were designed and introduced in Ninh Thuan province, south-central Vietnam, to control malaria in the specific context of forest malaria. An entomological study in this specific forested environment was conducted to assess the behavioural patterns of forest and village vectors and to assess the spatio-temporal risk factors of malaria transmission in the province. Methods Five entomological surveys were conducted in three villages in Ma Noi commune and in five villages in Phuoc Binh commune in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam. Collections were made inside the village, at the plot near the slash-and-burn fields in the forest and on the way to the forest. All collected mosquito species were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect Plasmodium in the head-thoracic portion of individual mosquitoes after morphological identification. Collection data were analysed by use of correspondence and multivariate analyses. Results The mosquito density in the study area was low with on average 3.7 anopheline bites per man-night and 17.4 culicine bites per man-night. Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes were only found in the forest and on the way to the forest. Malaria transmission in the forested malaria foci was spread over the entire night, from dusk to dawn, but was most intense in the early evening as nine of the 13 Plasmodium positive bites occurred before 21H. The annual entomological inoculation rate of Plasmodium falciparum was 2.2 infective bites per person-year to which Anopheles dirus s.s. and Anopheles minimus s.s. contributed. The Plasmodium vivax annual entomological inoculation rate was 2.5 infective bites per person-year with Anopheles sawadwongporni, Anopheles dirus s.s. and Anopheles pampanai as vectors. Conclusion The vector behaviour and spatio-temporal patterns of malaria transmission in Southeast Asia impose new challenges when changing objectives from control to elimination of malaria and make it necessary to focus not only on the known main vector species. Moreover, effective tools to prevent malaria transmission in the early evening and in the early morning, when the treated bed net cannot be used, need to be developed. PMID:21182774

Malaria transmission and vector behaviour in a forested malaria focus in central Vietnam and the implications for vector control.

PubMed

Van Bortel, Wim; Trung, Ho Dinh; Hoi, Le Xuan; Van Ham, Nguyen; Van Chut, Nguyen; Luu, Nguyen Dinh; Roelants, Patricia; Denis, Leen; Speybroeck, Niko; D'Alessandro, Umberto; Coosemans, Marc

2010-12-23

In Vietnam, malaria is becoming progressively restricted to specific foci where human and vector characteristics alter the known malaria epidemiology, urging for alternative or adapted control strategies. Long-lasting insecticidal hammocks (LLIH) were designed and introduced in Ninh Thuan province, south-central Vietnam, to control malaria in the specific context of forest malaria. An entomological study in this specific forested environment was conducted to assess the behavioural patterns of forest and village vectors and to assess the spatio-temporal risk factors of malaria transmission in the province. Five entomological surveys were conducted in three villages in Ma Noi commune and in five villages in Phuoc Binh commune in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam. Collections were made inside the village, at the plot near the slash-and-burn fields in the forest and on the way to the forest. All collected mosquito species were subjected to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect Plasmodium in the head-thoracic portion of individual mosquitoes after morphological identification. Collection data were analysed by use of correspondence and multivariate analyses. The mosquito density in the study area was low with on average 3.7 anopheline bites per man-night and 17.4 culicine bites per man-night. Plasmodium-infected mosquitoes were only found in the forest and on the way to the forest. Malaria transmission in the forested malaria foci was spread over the entire night, from dusk to dawn, but was most intense in the early evening as nine of the 13 Plasmodium positive bites occurred before 21H. The annual entomological inoculation rate of Plasmodium falciparum was 2.2 infective bites per person-year to which Anopheles dirus s.s. and Anopheles minimus s.s. contributed. The Plasmodium vivax annual entomological inoculation rate was 2.5 infective bites per person-year with Anopheles sawadwongporni, Anopheles dirus s.s. and Anopheles pampanai as vectors. The vector behaviour and spatio-temporal patterns of malaria transmission in Southeast Asia impose new challenges when changing objectives from control to elimination of malaria and make it necessary to focus not only on the known main vector species. Moreover, effective tools to prevent malaria transmission in the early evening and in the early morning, when the treated bed net cannot be used, need to be developed.

Feature selection using a one dimensional naïve Bayes' classifier increases the accuracy of support vector machine classification of CDR3 repertoires.

PubMed

Cinelli, Mattia; Sun, Yuxin; Best, Katharine; Heather, James M; Reich-Zeliger, Shlomit; Shifrut, Eric; Friedman, Nir; Shawe-Taylor, John; Chain, Benny

2017-04-01

Somatic DNA recombination, the hallmark of vertebrate adaptive immunity, has the potential to generate a vast diversity of antigen receptor sequences. How this diversity captures antigen specificity remains incompletely understood. In this study we use high throughput sequencing to compare the global changes in T cell receptor β chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3β) sequences following immunization with ovalbumin administered with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or CFA alone. The CDR3β sequences were deconstructed into short stretches of overlapping contiguous amino acids. The motifs were ranked according to a one-dimensional Bayesian classifier score comparing their frequency in the repertoires of the two immunization classes. The top ranking motifs were selected and used to create feature vectors which were used to train a support vector machine. The support vector machine achieved high classification scores in a leave-one-out validation test reaching >90% in some cases. The study describes a novel two-stage classification strategy combining a one-dimensional Bayesian classifier with a support vector machine. Using this approach we demonstrate that the frequency of a small number of linear motifs three amino acids in length can accurately identify a CD4 T cell response to ovalbumin against a background response to the complex mixture of antigens which characterize Complete Freund's Adjuvant. The sequence data is available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/?term¼SRP075893 . The Decombinator package is available at github.com/innate2adaptive/Decombinator . The R package e1071 is available at the CRAN repository https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/e1071/index.html . b.chain@ucl.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

A combined geochronological approach to investigating long lived granite magmatism, the Shap granite, UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, A. J.; Woodcock, N. H.

2018-04-01

With the advent of more precise dating methods, it has become apparent that zircon dates from granite plutons frequently indicate older emplacement ages than other dating methods. Here we attempt to reconcile a number of dating methods from the c. 5 km2 Caledonian Shap granite, Northern England. The results reveal a more complex and protracted evolution than indicated by application of any single dating method. Zircon U-Pb dates give a weighted mean age of 415.6 ± 1.4 (2σ) Ma. A mafic enclave, dated at 412 ± 2 (2σ) Ma (revised Rb-Sr feldspar age from Davidson et al., 2005), contains resorbed K-feldspar and zircon crystals scavenged from the host crystal mush. These ages are at odds with field relations in the thermal aureole that suggest final emplacement at approximately 404 Ma or later during Acadian deformation. Previously reported Re-Os ages on molybdenites associated with magmatic fluids, have given ages of 405.2 ± 1.8 (2σ) Ma (Selby et al., 2008) and confirm the overlap of at least some magmatic activity with Acadian deformation. A similar emplacement age is supported by Rb-Sr whole-rock-mineral and biotite K-Ar dates when adjusted for revised decay constants (402 ± 3 Ma and 401 ± 7 Ma, respectively, Wadge et al., 1978). The lower closure temperatures of these systems relative to the U-Pb system in zircon means that they are more likely to record the timing of final granite emplacement. These data suggest that most zircons grew before final granite emplacement, by about 10 Ma on average. We suggest that the majority of zircon crystals record pre-emplacement magmatic activity within a deeper part of the system. Mafic enclaves and their scavenged cargo of crystals record the assembly of a mid-crustal batholith where crystals remained at least locally mobile at 412 Ma. Gravity data support the existence of an extensive, 1500 km2 intrusive body, originally at about 15 km depth beneath Shap. This batholith is likely to have remained below the granite solidus for much of its existence due to conductive heat loss, but episodic influxes of silicic magma between c. 412 and 405 Ma are thought to have enabled periods of rejuvenation. These influxes are recorded by complex compositional zoning patterns within K-feldspar megacrysts. The Shap granite itself is likely to represent a rejuvenated crystal slurry, emplaced as a cylindrical cupola above the main magma body during Acadian transpression. This study highlights the importance of integrating different dating techniques and that final emplacement of granites can only be indicated by the youngest zircon ages.

Miocene History of the East Antarctic Ice-sheet Inferred from the Eustatic and Paleoceanographic Record of The Marion Plateau, Northeastern Australia (ODP Leg 194)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, C. M.; Browning, E.; Lowery, C.; Leckie, R. M.; Karner, G. D.; Schouten, S.

2012-12-01

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) had a major influence on Cenozoic eustasy and paleoceanography. Reconstructing changes in ice volume and climate associated with the EAIS is thus critical to a better understanding of climate dynamics, but this has proven difficult to do using only sedimentary records from Antarctica because ice sheets tend to erase evidences of their own history. It is possible, however, to gain information about the dynamics of the EAIS by reconstructing glacio-eustasy and regional paleoceanographic changes away from Antarctica. We present a record of carbonate deposition spanning the uppermost Oligocene to upper Miocene on the Marion Plateau of Northeastern Australia (ODP Leg 194). The Marion Plateau is ideally located for our study on a tectonically quiescent margin, and it is a sensitive recorder of Antarctic paleoenvironmental changes due to its geographical position in the southern hemisphere. We conducted a multi-disciplinary study involving sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, calcareous nannofossil and foraminifer micropaleontology, and organic geochemistry. Eleven lower and middle Miocene sequence boundaries can be recognized on the Marion Plateau based on facies and seismic reflection lines, and each sequence boundary (sea-level fall) is associated with a phase of growth of the EAIS (as evidenced by positive shifts in δ18O, termed "Mi Events"). The oldest boundary recovered is 23.16 Ma old. By combining backstripping and δ18O estimates, the amplitude of four of the Miocene eustatic falls are constrained to 27±1 m at 16.5 Ma (Mi2), 27±1 m at 15.6 Ma (Mi2a), 33±3 m at 14.8 Ma (Mi3a), and 59±6 m at 13.6 Ma (Mi3). The amplitude of the eustatic drop associated with event Mi3 suggests a major growth phase of the EAIS in the middle Miocene, which is supported by other deep-sea records and several recent studies from continental Antarctica. Furthermore, nannofossil assemblages show four main clusters corresponding to changes in temperature and productivity on the Marion Plateau; for much of the Miocene, surface waters of the Marion Plateau are characterized by warm, subtropical temperatures, but at 14.8 Ma (coeval with event Mi3a) assemblages suddenly become dominated by the cold-water species Dictyococcites productus and Dictyococcites antarcticus. TEX86 data support the observation based on nannofossil assemblages, suggesting incursions of colder waters on the Marion Plateau from 14.8 Ma to 13.6 Ma, with a progressive return to sub-tropical temperatures afterwards. The combined glacio-eustatic and paleoceanographic records of the Marion Plateau suggest the onset of significant cooling on Antarctica by 14.8 Ma, followed by a major growth phase of the EAIS by 13.6 Ma.

Earth observation in support of malaria control and epidemiology: MALAREO monitoring approaches.

PubMed

Franke, Jonas; Gebreslasie, Michael; Bauwens, Ides; Deleu, Julie; Siegert, Florian

2015-06-03

Malaria affects about half of the world's population, with the vast majority of cases occuring in Africa. National malaria control programmes aim to reduce the burden of malaria and its negative, socioeconomic effects by using various control strategies (e.g. vector control, environmental management and case tracking). Vector control is the most effective transmission prevention strategy, while environmental factors are the key parameters affecting transmission. Geographic information systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) and spatial modelling are increasingly being recognised as valuable tools for effective management and malaria vector control. Issues previously inhibiting the use of EO in epidemiology and malaria control such as poor satellite sensor performance, high costs and long turnaround times, have since been resolved through modern technology. The core goal of this study was to develop and implement the capabilities of EO data for national malaria control programmes in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. High- and very high resolution (HR and VHR) land cover and wetland maps were generated for the identification of potential vector habitats and human activities, as well as geoinformation on distance to wetlands for malaria risk modelling, population density maps, habitat foci maps and VHR household maps. These products were further used for modelling malaria incidence and the analysis of environmental factors that favour vector breeding. Geoproducts were also transferred to the staff of national malaria control programmes in seven African countries to demonstrate how EO data and GIS can support vector control strategy planning and monitoring. The transferred EO products support better epidemiological understanding of environmental factors related to malaria transmission, and allow for spatio-temporal targeting of malaria control interventions, thereby improving the cost-effectiveness of interventions.

Seminal quality prediction using data mining methods.

PubMed

Sahoo, Anoop J; Kumar, Yugal

2014-01-01

Now-a-days, some new classes of diseases have come into existences which are known as lifestyle diseases. The main reasons behind these diseases are changes in the lifestyle of people such as alcohol drinking, smoking, food habits etc. After going through the various lifestyle diseases, it has been found that the fertility rates (sperm quantity) in men has considerably been decreasing in last two decades. Lifestyle factors as well as environmental factors are mainly responsible for the change in the semen quality. The objective of this paper is to identify the lifestyle and environmental features that affects the seminal quality and also fertility rate in man using data mining methods. The five artificial intelligence techniques such as Multilayer perceptron (MLP), Decision Tree (DT), Navie Bayes (Kernel), Support vector machine+Particle swarm optimization (SVM+PSO) and Support vector machine (SVM) have been applied on fertility dataset to evaluate the seminal quality and also to predict the person is either normal or having altered fertility rate. While the eight feature selection techniques such as support vector machine (SVM), neural network (NN), evolutionary logistic regression (LR), support vector machine plus particle swarm optimization (SVM+PSO), principle component analysis (PCA), chi-square test, correlation and T-test methods have been used to identify more relevant features which affect the seminal quality. These techniques are applied on fertility dataset which contains 100 instances with nine attribute with two classes. The experimental result shows that SVM+PSO provides higher accuracy and area under curve (AUC) rate (94% & 0.932) among multi-layer perceptron (MLP) (92% & 0.728), Support Vector Machines (91% & 0.758), Navie Bayes (Kernel) (89% & 0.850) and Decision Tree (89% & 0.735) for some of the seminal parameters. This paper also focuses on the feature selection process i.e. how to select the features which are more important for prediction of fertility rate. In this paper, eight feature selection methods are applied on fertility dataset to find out a set of good features. The investigational results shows that childish diseases (0.079) and high fever features (0.057) has less impact on fertility rate while age (0.8685), season (0.843), surgical intervention (0.7683), alcohol consumption (0.5992), smoking habit (0.575), number of hours spent on setting (0.4366) and accident (0.5973) features have more impact. It is also observed that feature selection methods increase the accuracy of above mentioned techniques (multilayer perceptron 92%, support vector machine 91%, SVM+PSO 94%, Navie Bayes (Kernel) 89% and decision tree 89%) as compared to without feature selection methods (multilayer perceptron 86%, support vector machine 86%, SVM+PSO 85%, Navie Bayes (Kernel) 83% and decision tree 84%) which shows the applicability of feature selection methods in prediction. This paper lightens the application of artificial techniques in medical domain. From this paper, it can be concluded that data mining methods can be used to predict a person with or without disease based on environmental and lifestyle parameters/features rather than undergoing various medical test. In this paper, five data mining techniques are used to predict the fertility rate and among which SVM+PSO provide more accurate results than support vector machine and decision tree.

A Collaborative Framework for Distributed Privacy-Preserving Support Vector Machine Learning

PubMed Central

Que, Jialan; Jiang, Xiaoqian; Ohno-Machado, Lucila

2012-01-01

A Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a popular tool for decision support. The traditional way to build an SVM model is to estimate parameters based on a centralized repository of data. However, in the field of biomedicine, patient data are sometimes stored in local repositories or institutions where they were collected, and may not be easily shared due to privacy concerns. This creates a substantial barrier for researchers to effectively learn from the distributed data using machine learning tools like SVMs. To overcome this difficulty and promote efficient information exchange without sharing sensitive raw data, we developed a Distributed Privacy Preserving Support Vector Machine (DPP-SVM). The DPP-SVM enables privacy-preserving collaborative learning, in which a trusted server integrates “privacy-insensitive” intermediary results. The globally learned model is guaranteed to be exactly the same as learned from combined data. We also provide a free web-service (http://privacy.ucsd.edu:8080/ppsvm/) for multiple participants to collaborate and complete the SVM-learning task in an efficient and privacy-preserving manner. PMID:23304414

New Zircon U-Pb Age Constrain of the Origin of Devil's River Uplift (SW Texas) and Insights into the Late Proterozoic and Paleozoic Evolution of the Southern Margin of Laurentia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, E.; Dickerson, P. W.; Stockli, D. F.

2017-12-01

The Devils River Uplift (DRU) in SW Texas records the evolution of the southern Laurentian margin from Grenvillian orogenesis and assembly of Rodinia, to its fragmentation by rifting, and to the amalgamation of Pangaea. It was cored by a well (Shell No. 1 Stewart), penetrating Precambrian gneisses and Cambrian metasediments and sandstones. New zircon LA-ICP-MS data from a total of 10 samples elucidate the crystallization and depositional ages, as well as the detrital provenance, of Precambrian and Cambrian rocks from the DRU. Zircons from five Precambrian crystalline basement samples (6000-9693') yield uniform U-Pb crystallization ages of 1230 Ma that are similar to ages for young gneisses of the Valley Spring Domain (Llano uplift) in central Texas, where they mark the cessation of arc magmatism within the Grenville orogenic belt. The 1230 Ma igneous basement is overlain by L.-M. Cambrian metasedimentary rocks ( 4000-6000') with maximum depositional ages of 533-545 Ma. Detrital zircons from Cambrian strata are dominated by a 1070-1080 Ma population, likely derived from basement units exposed in Texas (Llano uplift, Franklin Mts.), with minor contributions from local 1230 Ma Precambrian basement and the 1380-1500 Ma Granite Rhyolite Province. The L.-M. Cambrian interval is dominated (>80%) by Neoproterozoic detrital magmatic zircons with two major distinct age clusters at 570-700 Ma and 780-820 Ma, supporting a two-stage Rodinia rift model and providing strong evidence for major Cryogenian-Eocambrian intraplate magmatism along the southern margin of Rodinia. Moreover, detrital zircon signatures for L.-M. and U. Cambrian strata strongly correlate with those from the Cuyania terrane of W. Argentina - notably the W. Sierras Pampeanas (Sa. Pie de Palo, Sa. de Maz): 1230 Ma from metasandstones (PdP); 1081-1038 Ma from metasiliciclastics (PdP, SdM); Cryogenian-Eocambrian [774 & 570 Ma] plutons (SdM, PdP). In summary, these new zircon U-Pb data from DRU in SW Texas show that it is part of the Grenville orogenic belt, characterized by 1230 Ma magmatism, and that it experienced Cryogenian-Eocambrian intraplate magmatism as well. Significant correlations between DRU and the Cuyania terrane imply that both participated in Rodinia rifting and creation of the southern Laurentian margin.

Differentiation of Enhancing Glioma and Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma by Texture-Based Machine Learning.

PubMed

Alcaide-Leon, P; Dufort, P; Geraldo, A F; Alshafai, L; Maralani, P J; Spears, J; Bharatha, A

2017-06-01

Accurate preoperative differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma is essential to avoid unnecessary neurosurgical resection in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a machine-learning algorithm by using texture analysis of contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images for differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma. Seventy-one adult patients with enhancing gliomas and 35 adult patients with primary central nervous system lymphomas were included. The tumors were manually contoured on contrast-enhanced T1WI, and the resulting volumes of interest were mined for textural features and subjected to a support vector machine-based machine-learning protocol. Three readers classified the tumors independently on contrast-enhanced T1WI. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were estimated for each reader and for the support vector machine classifier. A noninferiority test for diagnostic accuracy based on paired areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve was performed with a noninferiority margin of 0.15. The mean areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.877 (95% CI, 0.798-0.955) for the support vector machine classifier; 0.878 (95% CI, 0.807-0.949) for reader 1; 0.899 (95% CI, 0.833-0.966) for reader 2; and 0.845 (95% CI, 0.757-0.933) for reader 3. The mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the support vector machine classifier was significantly noninferior to the mean area under the curve of reader 1 ( P = .021), reader 2 ( P = .035), and reader 3 ( P = .007). Support vector machine classification based on textural features of contrast-enhanced T1WI is noninferior to expert human evaluation in the differentiation of primary central nervous system lymphoma and enhancing glioma. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

The relationship between gold ore and geotectonic in West Qinling: Evidence from magnetotelluric soundings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Daili; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Letian

2017-03-01

The West Qinling belt is the westward extensioin of the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogen in central China. It links the Kunlun and Qilian orogens to the west and the Songpan-Ganze belt to the south, making it an important tectonics syntaxis in China. According to the collection and analysis of the data of West Qinling Mountains gold deposit metallogenic chronology, the gold deposits in this area can be divided into five groups by time: 225-245 Ma, 220-190 Ma, 170 Ma±, 135-110 Ma, 75-45 Ma. The formation time is related to the geological process at that time. The relationship between the formation of gold deposit and geological structure can be explored by the research on the present geological structures. According to the regional tectonic evolution and magmatic activity, the gold deposits are divided into four metallogenic epoches: from the end of the Indo-Chinese epoch to the early Yanshanian (245-225 Ma), is one of the initial stages of gold mineralization; the early and the middle Yanshanian (220-190 Ma, 170 Ma±), is the main forming time of the gold mineralization in the West Qinling; the late Yanshanian (135-110 Ma), is the superimposed mineralization stage; at last, the effect of Himalayan hydrothermal activity to the gold deposits. Under the support of three projects naemed " the research on the conductivity of the lithosphere of the Central Orogenic in China ", " the MT array observation of the intersection area of COC(Central Orogen in China) and the North-South seismic belt ", " the experiment research of MT standard network observation in the area of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and the North-China " (Sinoprobe-01-02), we collected massive magnetotellurics data for futher study of the present geological strusctures to discess the relationship between gold deposites and geotectonic in West Qinling.

Detrital zircon age patterns from turbidites of the Balagne and Piedmont nappes of Alpine Corsica (France): Evidence for an European margin source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Wei; Rossi, Philippe; Faure, Michel; Li, Xian-Hua; Ji, Wenbin; Chu, Yang

2018-01-01

At the front of metamorphic Cenozoic Alpine nappe of Schistes Lustrés, Western Alpine Corsica (France) exposes non- to very low grade metamorphic nappes, such as the Piedmont nappes, Upper nappes, and the Balagne nappe. The provenance of the Balagne nappe remains still opened: an origin close to the Corsican continental margin; or an origin far East from the Corsican margin toward the "Apenninic" oceanic domain. This would constrain that the Balagne ophiolite be derived from the opposite OCT (Ocean - Continent transition), close to a microcontinent located to the East of the Mesozoic Corsican margin. A systematic U-Pb dating of 586 detrital zircon grains collected from the turbidites in the Balagne and Piedmont nappes has been performed to constrain the source of sediments. The zircon grains yield U-Pb age spectra ranging from Neoarchean to Late Paleozoic with age peaks at 2600 Ma, 2080 Ma, 1830 Ma, 910 Ma, 600 Ma, 560 Ma, 450 Ma, 330 Ma and 280 Ma with different continental model ages (TDM2) from 3.5 Ga to 1.0 Ga. The variety of composition of the Corsican batholith, unique in its present Mediterranean environment, and in spite of Alpine transcurrent movements, provide a key to analyze the detrital zircon age distribution patterns of sedimentary rocks. These new results i) confirm the lack of any Cretaceous zircon that validates absence of a magmatic arc of this age, at least in the surroundings of the turbiditic formations from the Balagne and the Piedmont nappes; ii) fully support an European provenance of detritus of the Balagne nappe, iii) put forward evidence that no ophiolitic zircon was contained neither in the Cretaceous nor in the Eocene turbidites samples, and iv) question both the deposition of the Piedmont Narbinco flysch within the ocean continent transition and its possible relationships with the Late Cretaceous Pyrenean basins.

The case for nearly continuous extension of the West Antarctic Rift System, 105-25 Ma (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, D. S.; Luyendyk, B. P.

2010-12-01

It is a common perception that extension in the West Antarctic Rift System (WARS) was a two-phase process, with a Cretaceous phase ending when the Campbell Plateau rifted from West Antarctica (~80 Ma), and a mid-Cenozoic phase synchronous with sea floor spreading in the Adare trough (~45-25 Ma). Several lines of evidence indicate that significant extension probably occurred in the intervening 80-45 Ma interval. The strongest evidence comes from subsidence rates on the Central High and Coulman High structures in the central-western Ross Sea, where DSDP Site 270 and other areas with shallow basement have subsided 1 km or more since Oligocene time. With sediment load, these subsidence rates are reasonable for thermal subsidence resulting from extension with a stretching factor of about 2.0-2.5 at about 50-70 Ma, but are hard to reconcile with an extension age around 90 Ma. The seismic velocity structure of the WARS inferred from global surface-wave dispersion is similar to that of oceanic lithosphere of age 40-60 Ma [Ritzwoller et al., 2001 JGR]. Geometric relations of sea floor between Adare Trough and Iselen Bank, northwest Ross Sea, suggest sea floor spreading of about 130 km during early Cenozoic, before the Adare Trough spreading episode started. Numerous cooling ages in the Transantarctic Mountains in the range of 55-45 Ma [Fitzgerald, 1992 Tectonics; Miller et al., 2010 Tectonics] support the interpretation of significant extension prior to 45 Ma. Present crustal thickness of about 22 km near DSDP Site 270 [Trey et al., 1999 Tectonophysics] suggests a pre-extension crustal thickness exceeding 50 km. A simple overall interpretation follows that the WARS has a tectonic history similar to the Basin and Range of western North America: a thick-crust orogenic highland extended for many tens of million years. The main difference between the WARS and the Basin and Range is the post-tectonic cooling and subsidence in the WARS.

Crustal evolution at mantle depths constrained from Pamir xenoliths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kooijman, E.; Hacker, B. R.; Smit, M. A.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.; Ratschbacher, L.

2012-12-01

Lower crustal xenoliths erupted in the Pamir at ~11 Ma provide an exclusive opportunity to study the evolution of crust at mantle depths during a continent-continent collision. To investigate, and constrain the timing of, the petrologic processes that occurred during burial to the peak conditions (2.5-2.8 GPa, 1000-1100 °C; [1]), we performed chemical- and isotope analyses of accessory minerals in 10 xenoliths, ranging from eclogites to grt-ky-qtz granulites. In situ laser ablation split-stream ICPMS yielded 1) U-Pb ages, Ti concentrations and REE in zircon, 2) U/Th-Pb ages and REE in monazite, and 3) U-Pb ages and trace elements in rutile. In addition, garnet, and biotite and K-feldspar were dated using Lu-Hf and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, respectively. Zircon and monazite U-(Th-)Pb ages are 101.9±1.8, 53.7±1.0, 39.1±0.8, 21.7±0.4, 18.2±0.5, 16.9±0.8, 15.1±0.3 (2σ) and 12.5-11.1 Ma; most samples showed several or all of these populations. The 53.7 Ma and older ages are xenocrystic or detrital. For younger ages, zircon and monazite in individual samples recorded different ages-although zircon in one rock and monazite in another can be the same age. The 39.1 Ma zircon and monazite mostly occur as inclusions in minerals of the garnet-bearing assemblage that represents the early, low-P stages of burial. Garnet Lu-Hf ages of 37.8±0.3 Ma support garnet growth at this time. Spinifex-like textures containing 21.7-11.1 Ma zircon and monazite record short-lived partial melting events during burial. Aligned kyanite near these patches indicates associated deformation. Zircons yielding ≤12.5 Ma exhibit increased Eu/Eu* and markedly decreased HREE concentrations, interpreted to record feldspar breakdown and omphacite growth during increasing pressure. Rutile U-Pb cooling ages are 10.8±0.3 Ma in all samples. This agrees with the weighted mean 40Ar/39Ar age of eight biotite, K-feldspar and whole rock separates of 11.00+0.16/-0.09 Ma. Rutile in eclogites provides Zr/Hf and Nb/Ta trends that indicate clinopyroxene fractionation. This is consistent with the occurrence of rutile in omphacite-rich parts of the rocks and supports their HP petrogenesis. In the felsic granulites rutile is associated with the amphibolite-facies garnet-bearing assemblage and its Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf primarily reflect fractionation by rutile. Zirconium-in-rutile temperatures are 800-835 °C for the felsic granulites and 860-895 °C for the eclogites. Titanium-in-zircon temperatures increase from ~735 °C (0.7-1.0 GPa) at 39.1 Ma to ~900 °C (>2.5 GPa) at 11.5 Ma; a further, abrupt increase toward 1000 °C at 11.1 Ma marks melting at the onset of eruption. The analytical uncertainty on the Miocene ages is small compared to the 28-Myr burial record, enabling precise dating of individual reaction and deformation events. These events are at least an order of magnitude shorter than the duration of burial, and evidently occurred in pulses recorded by the (re)crystallization of zircon or monazite. Reference: [1] Hacker et al. (2005) J Petrol 46 (8): 1661-1687.

A software tool for automatic classification and segmentation of 2D/3D medical images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strzelecki, Michal; Szczypinski, Piotr; Materka, Andrzej; Klepaczko, Artur

2013-02-01

Modern medical diagnosis utilizes techniques of visualization of human internal organs (CT, MRI) or of its metabolism (PET). However, evaluation of acquired images made by human experts is usually subjective and qualitative only. Quantitative analysis of MR data, including tissue classification and segmentation, is necessary to perform e.g. attenuation compensation, motion detection, and correction of partial volume effect in PET images, acquired with PET/MR scanners. This article presents briefly a MaZda software package, which supports 2D and 3D medical image analysis aiming at quantification of image texture. MaZda implements procedures for evaluation, selection and extraction of highly discriminative texture attributes combined with various classification, visualization and segmentation tools. Examples of MaZda application in medical studies are also provided.

MaMiCo: Transient multi-instance molecular-continuum flow simulation on supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, Philipp; Bian, Xin

2017-11-01

We present extensions of the macro-micro-coupling tool MaMiCo, which was designed to couple continuum fluid dynamics solvers with discrete particle dynamics. To enable local extraction of smooth flow field quantities especially on rather short time scales, sampling over an ensemble of molecular dynamics simulations is introduced. We provide details on these extensions including the transient coupling algorithm, open boundary forcing, and multi-instance sampling. Furthermore, we validate the coupling in Couette flow using different particle simulation software packages and particle models, i.e. molecular dynamics and dissipative particle dynamics. Finally, we demonstrate the parallel scalability of the molecular-continuum simulations by using up to 65 536 compute cores of the supercomputer Shaheen II located at KAUST. Program Files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/w7rgdrhb85.1 Licensing provisions: BSD 3-clause Programming language: C, C++ External routines/libraries: For compiling: SCons, MPI (optional) Subprograms used: ESPResSo, LAMMPS, ls1 mardyn, waLBerla For installation procedures of the MaMiCo interfaces, see the README files in the respective code directories located in coupling/interface/impl. Journal reference of previous version: P. Neumann, H. Flohr, R. Arora, P. Jarmatz, N. Tchipev, H.-J. Bungartz. MaMiCo: Software design for parallel molecular-continuum flow simulations, Computer Physics Communications 200: 324-335, 2016 Does the new version supersede the previous version?: Yes. The functionality of the previous version is completely retained in the new version. Nature of problem: Coupled molecular-continuum simulation for multi-resolution fluid dynamics: parts of the domain are resolved by molecular dynamics or another particle-based solver whereas large parts are covered by a mesh-based CFD solver, e.g. a lattice Boltzmann automaton. Solution method: We couple existing MD and CFD solvers via MaMiCo (macro-micro coupling tool). Data exchange and coupling algorithmics are abstracted and incorporated in MaMiCo. Once an algorithm is set up in MaMiCo, it can be used and extended, even if other solvers are used (as soon as the respective interfaces are implemented/available). Reasons for the new version: We have incorporated a new algorithm to simulate transient molecular-continuum systems and to automatically sample data over multiple MD runs that can be executed simultaneously (on, e.g., a compute cluster). MaMiCo has further been extended by an interface to incorporate boundary forcing to account for open molecular dynamics boundaries. Besides support for coupling with various MD and CFD frameworks, the new version contains a test case that allows to run molecular-continuum Couette flow simulations out-of-the-box. No external tools or simulation codes are required anymore. However, the user is free to switch from the included MD simulation package to LAMMPS. For details on how to run the transient Couette problem, see the file README in the folder coupling/tests, Remark on MaMiCo V1.1. Summary of revisions: Open boundary forcing; Multi-instance MD sampling; support for transient molecular-continuum systems Restrictions: Currently, only single-centered systems are supported. For access to the LAMMPS-based implementation of DPD boundary forcing, please contact Xin Bian, xin.bian@tum.de. Additional comments: Please see file license_mamico.txt for further details regarding distribution and advertising of this software.

The Hulan Group: Its role in the evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt of NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Fu-Yuan; Zhao, Guo-Chun; Sun, De-You; Wilde, Simon A.; Yang, Jin-Hui

2007-05-01

The Hulan Group of central Jilin Province, northeastern (NE) China, consists of felsic volcanic and sedimentary rocks that underwent sub-greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphism and multiple phases of deformation during formation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Young Nd model ages of ˜1100 Ma obtained in this study do not support earlier models that the Hulan Group was either rifted from the North China Craton to the south or from the Jiamusi Block to the north, since both these blocks have much older Nd model ages. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages from a meta-sedimentary rock of the Hulan Group define a maximum age of deposition of 287 ± 6 Ma, not Early Palaeozoic as previously believed. Rb-Sr mineral isochron data indicate that metamorphism of the Hulan Group occurred at ˜250 Ma. This conclusion is further supported by an age of 248 ± 4 Ma for the Dayushan granite, which intruded the Hulan Group. These new isotopic data, together with evaluation of the regional geology, indicate that final oceanic closure in the Chinese segment of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt took place in the Late Permian. The Hulan area is located along the Solonker-Xra Moron-Changchun suture that extends from Inner Mongolia across to central Jilin Province. It is this zone that marks the final ocean closure, resulting in the amalgamation of the North China and Siberian cratons.

Radiation of Extant Cetaceans Driven by Restructuring of the Oceans

PubMed Central

Steeman, Mette E.; Hebsgaard, Martin B.; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Ho, Simon Y. W.; Rabosky, Daniel L.; Nielsen, Rasmus; Rahbek, Carsten; Glenner, Henrik; Sørensen, Martin V.; Willerslev, Eske

2009-01-01

Abstract The remarkable fossil record of whales and dolphins (Cetacea) has made them an exemplar of macroevolution. Although their overall adaptive transition from terrestrial to fully aquatic organisms is well known, this is not true for the radiation of modern whales. Here, we explore the diversification of extant cetaceans by constructing a robust molecular phylogeny that includes 87 of 89 extant species. The phylogeny and divergence times are derived from nuclear and mitochondrial markers, calibrated with fossils. We find that the toothed whales are monophyletic, suggesting that echolocation evolved only once early in that lineage some 36–34 Ma. The rorqual family (Balaenopteridae) is restored with the exclusion of the gray whale, suggesting that gulp feeding evolved 18–16 Ma. Delphinida, comprising all living dolphins and porpoises other than the Ganges/Indus dolphins, originated about 26 Ma; it contains the taxonomically rich delphinids, which began diversifying less than 11 Ma. We tested 2 hypothesized drivers of the extant cetacean radiation by assessing the tempo of lineage accumulation through time. We find no support for a rapid burst of speciation early in the history of extant whales, contrasting with expectations of an adaptive radiation model. However, we do find support for increased diversification rates during periods of pronounced physical restructuring of the oceans. The results imply that paleogeographic and paleoceanographic changes, such as closure of major seaways, have influenced the dynamics of radiation in extant cetaceans. PMID:20525610

Preparation for a first-in-man lentivirus trial in patients with cystic fibrosis

PubMed Central

Alton, Eric W F W; Beekman, Jeffery M; Boyd, A Christopher; Brand, June; Carlon, Marianne S; Connolly, Mary M; Chan, Mario; Conlon, Sinead; Davidson, Heather E; Davies, Jane C; Davies, Lee A; Dekkers, Johanna F; Doherty, Ann; Gea-Sorli, Sabrina; Gill, Deborah R; Griesenbach, Uta; Hasegawa, Mamoru; Higgins, Tracy E; Hironaka, Takashi; Hyndman, Laura; McLachlan, Gerry; Inoue, Makoto; Hyde, Stephen C; Innes, J Alastair; Maher, Toby M; Moran, Caroline; Meng, Cuixiang; Paul-Smith, Michael C; Pringle, Ian A; Pytel, Kamila M; Rodriguez-Martinez, Andrea; Schmidt, Alexander C; Stevenson, Barbara J; Sumner-Jones, Stephanie G; Toshner, Richard; Tsugumine, Shu; Wasowicz, Marguerite W; Zhu, Jie

2017-01-01

We have recently shown that non-viral gene therapy can stabilise the decline of lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, the effect was modest, and more potent gene transfer agents are still required. Fuson protein (F)/Hemagglutinin/Neuraminidase protein (HN)-pseudotyped lentiviral vectors are more efficient for lung gene transfer than non-viral vectors in preclinical models. In preparation for a first-in-man CF trial using the lentiviral vector, we have undertaken key translational preclinical studies. Regulatory-compliant vectors carrying a range of promoter/enhancer elements were assessed in mice and human air–liquid interface (ALI) cultures to select the lead candidate; cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance receptor (CFTR) expression and function were assessed in CF models using this lead candidate vector. Toxicity was assessed and ‘benchmarked’ against the leading non-viral formulation recently used in a Phase IIb clinical trial. Integration site profiles were mapped and transduction efficiency determined to inform clinical trial dose-ranging. The impact of pre-existing and acquired immunity against the vector and vector stability in several clinically relevant delivery devices was assessed. A hybrid promoter hybrid cytosine guanine dinucleotide (CpG)- free CMV enhancer/elongation factor 1 alpha promoter (hCEF) consisting of the elongation factor 1α promoter and the cytomegalovirus enhancer was most efficacious in both murine lungs and human ALI cultures (both at least 2-log orders above background). The efficacy (at least 14% of airway cells transduced), toxicity and integration site profile supports further progression towards clinical trial and pre-existing and acquired immune responses do not interfere with vector efficacy. The lead rSIV.F/HN candidate expresses functional CFTR and the vector retains 90–100% transduction efficiency in clinically relevant delivery devices. The data support the progression of the F/HN-pseudotyped lentiviral vector into a first-in-man CF trial in 2017. PMID:27852956

Mantle convective support, drainage patterns and sedimentary flux: Examples from the West Africa passive margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lodhia, B. H.; Roberts, G. G.; Fraser, A.; Goes, S. D. B.; Fishwick, S.; Jarvis, J.

2017-12-01

Sedimentary flux measurements, regional subsidence patterns, inversion of drainage patterns, tomographic models and simple isostatic calculations are combined to constrain the history of sub-plate support of North West Africa. Backstripping of 8 commercial wells and mapping of 53,000 line-km of 2D seismic reflection data show that rapid ( 0.03 mm a-1) Neogene-Recent subsidence occurred in a 500 x 500 km region offshore Mauritania. 0.4-0.8 km of water-loaded subsidence occurred in the center of the basin during the last 23 Ma. Salt withdrawal, thin-skinned tectonics, glacio-eustasy and flexure of the lithosphere due to the emplacement of Cape Verde cannot explain the timing or magnitude of this phase of subsidence. Instead, conversion of shear wave velocities into temperature and simple isostatic calculations indicate that asthenospheric temperatures determine bathymetry from Cape Verde to West Africa. Our results indicate that asthenospheric flow from Cape Verde to Mauritania generated a bathymetric gradient of 1/300 at a wavelength of 103 km during the last 23 Ma. We explore the relationship between uplift and erosion onshore and measured solid sedimentary flux offshore. First, the history of sedimentary flux to the margin was determined by depth-converting and decompacting biostratigraphically-dated isopachs. Compaction and velocity errors, determined using check-shot data, were propagated into calculated sedimentary flux history. Solid-sedimentary flux rates of 0.2-0.1+0.2 ×103 km3 /Ma between 23.8-5.6 Ma, and 1.9-1.4+2.0 ×103 km3 /Ma from 5.6-0 Ma are observed. Secondly, a calibrated stream power erosional model was used to invert 14700 river profiles for a history of regional uplift rate. Incision rates were integrated along best-fitting theoretical river profiles to predict sedimentary flux at mouths of the rivers draining NW Africa. Our predicted history of sedimentary flux increases in two stages towards the present-day, in agreement with our offshore measurements. Predicted fluxes are indistinguishable if precipitation rate varies with a period < 1 Ma or drainage area varies by < 50%. We suggest that the history of Cenozoic epeirogeny in the Fouta Djallon swell and growth of the Atlas Mountains determined the rate of Neogene sediment delivery to NW Africa's passive margin.

Recognition and Classification of Road Condition on the Basis of Friction Force by Using a Mobile Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Tatsuhito; Katsura, Seiichiro

A person operating a mobile robot in a remote environment receives realistic visual feedback about the condition of the road on which the robot is moving. The categorization of the road condition is necessary to evaluate the conditions for safe and comfortable driving. For this purpose, the mobile robot should be capable of recognizing and classifying the condition of the road surfaces. This paper proposes a method for recognizing the type of road surfaces on the basis of the friction between the mobile robot and the road surfaces. This friction is estimated by a disturbance observer, and a support vector machine is used to classify the surfaces. The support vector machine identifies the type of the road surface using feature vector, which is determined using the arithmetic average and variance derived from the torque values. Further, these feature vectors are mapped onto a higher dimensional space by using a kernel function. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by experimental results.

Protein Kinase Classification with 2866 Hidden Markov Models and One Support Vector Machine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weber, Ryan; New, Michael H.; Fonda, Mark (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The main application considered in this paper is predicting true kinases from randomly permuted kinases that share the same length and amino acid distributions as the true kinases. Numerous methods already exist for this classification task, such as HMMs, motif-matchers, and sequence comparison algorithms. We build on some of these efforts by creating a vector from the output of thousands of structurally based HMMs, created offline with Pfam-A seed alignments using SAM-T99, which then must be combined into an overall classification for the protein. Then we use a Support Vector Machine for classifying this large ensemble Pfam-Vector, with a polynomial and chisquared kernel. In particular, the chi-squared kernel SVM performs better than the HMMs and better than the BLAST pairwise comparisons, when predicting true from false kinases in some respects, but no one algorithm is best for all purposes or in all instances so we consider the particular strengths and weaknesses of each.

Salient Feature Identification and Analysis using Kernel-Based Classification Techniques for Synthetic Aperture Radar Automatic Target Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

and machine learning for a range of research including such topics as medical imaging [10] and handwriting recognition [11]. The type of feature...1989. [11] C. Bahlmann, B. Haasdonk, and H. Burkhardt, “Online handwriting recognition with support vector machines-a kernel approach,” in Eighth...International Workshop on Frontiers in Handwriting Recognition, pp. 49–54, IEEE, 2002. [12] C. Cortes and V. Vapnik, “Support-vector networks,” Machine

Algorithm for detection the QRS complexes based on support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van, G. V.; Podmasteryev, K. V.

2017-11-01

The efficiency of computer ECG analysis depends on the accurate detection of QRS-complexes. This paper presents an algorithm for QRS complex detection based of support vector machine (SVM). The proposed algorithm is evaluated on annotated standard databases such as MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. The QRS detector obtained a sensitivity Se = 98.32% and specificity Sp = 95.46% for MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database. This algorithm can be used as the basis for the software to diagnose electrical activity of the heart.

A portable approach for PIC on emerging architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Decyk, Viktor

2016-03-01

A portable approach for designing Particle-in-Cell (PIC) algorithms on emerging exascale computers, is based on the recognition that 3 distinct programming paradigms are needed. They are: low level vector (SIMD) processing, middle level shared memory parallel programing, and high level distributed memory programming. In addition, there is a memory hierarchy associated with each level. Such algorithms can be initially developed using vectorizing compilers, OpenMP, and MPI. This is the approach recommended by Intel for the Phi processor. These algorithms can then be translated and possibly specialized to other programming models and languages, as needed. For example, the vector processing and shared memory programming might be done with CUDA instead of vectorizing compilers and OpenMP, but generally the algorithm itself is not greatly changed. The UCLA PICKSC web site at http://www.idre.ucla.edu/ contains example open source skeleton codes (mini-apps) illustrating each of these three programming models, individually and in combination. Fortran2003 now supports abstract data types, and design patterns can be used to support a variety of implementations within the same code base. Fortran2003 also supports interoperability with C so that implementations in C languages are also easy to use. Finally, main codes can be translated into dynamic environments such as Python, while still taking advantage of high performing compiled languages. Parallel languages are still evolving with interesting developments in co-Array Fortran, UPC, and OpenACC, among others, and these can also be supported within the same software architecture. Work supported by NSF and DOE Grants.

First experience of vectorizing electromagnetic physics models for detector simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amadio, G.; Apostolakis, J.; Bandieramonte, M.; Bianchini, C.; Bitzes, G.; Brun, R.; Canal, P.; Carminati, F.; de Fine Licht, J.; Duhem, L.; Elvira, D.; Gheata, A.; Jun, S. Y.; Lima, G.; Novak, M.; Presbyterian, M.; Shadura, O.; Seghal, R.; Wenzel, S.

2015-12-01

The recent emergence of hardware architectures characterized by many-core or accelerated processors has opened new opportunities for concurrent programming models taking advantage of both SIMD and SIMT architectures. The GeantV vector prototype for detector simulations has been designed to exploit both the vector capability of mainstream CPUs and multi-threading capabilities of coprocessors including NVidia GPUs and Intel Xeon Phi. The characteristics of these architectures are very different in terms of the vectorization depth, parallelization needed to achieve optimal performance or memory access latency and speed. An additional challenge is to avoid the code duplication often inherent to supporting heterogeneous platforms. In this paper we present the first experience of vectorizing electromagnetic physics models developed for the GeantV project.

78 FR 71581 - Procurement List; Additions and Deletions

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-29

... Prime Vendor Supply Chain Management Service [to support production, assembly, receipt, storage... Army, W6QK ACC-APG Natick, Natick, MA. Service Type/Location: Integrated Prime Vendor, Supply Chain...

Vector-Based Data Services for NASA Earth Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, J.; Roberts, J. T.; Ruvane, K.; Cechini, M. F.; Thompson, C. K.; Boller, R. A.; Baynes, K.

2016-12-01

Vector data sources offer opportunities for mapping and visualizing science data in a way that allows for more customizable rendering and deeper data analysis than traditional raster images, and popular formats like GeoJSON and Mapbox Vector Tiles allow diverse types of geospatial data to be served in a high-performance and easily consumed-package. Vector data is especially suited to highly dynamic mapping applications and visualization of complex datasets, while growing levels of support for vector formats and features in open-source mapping clients has made utilizing them easier and more powerful than ever. NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) is working to make NASA data more easily and conveniently accessible than ever by serving vector datasets via GeoJSON, Mapbox Vector Tiles, and raster images. This presentation will review these output formats, the services, including WFS, WMS, and WMTS, that can be used to access the data, and some ways in which vector sources can be utilized in popular open-source mapping clients like OpenLayers. Lessons learned from GIBS' recent move towards serving vector will be discussed, as well as how to use GIBS open source software to create, configure, and serve vector data sources using Mapserver and the GIBS OnEarth Apache module.

Evidence that explains absence of a latent period for Xylella fastidiosa in its sharpshooter vectors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar), and other sharpshooter (Cicadelline) leafhoppers transmit Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), the causative agent of Pierce’s disease of grapevine and other scorch diseases. Past research has supported that vectors have virtually no late...

Statistical learning algorithms for identifying contrasting tillage practices with landsat thematic mapper data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tillage management practices have direct impact on water holding capacity, evaporation, carbon sequestration, and water quality. This study examines the feasibility of two statistical learning algorithms, such as Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) and Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), for cla...

Application of Classification Models to Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mielens, Jason D.; Hoffman, Matthew R.; Ciucci, Michelle R.; McCulloch, Timothy M.; Jiang, Jack J.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The authors present 3 methods of performing pattern recognition on spatiotemporal plots produced by pharyngeal high-resolution manometry (HRM). Method: Classification models, including the artificial neural networks (ANNs) multilayer perceptron (MLP) and learning vector quantization (LVQ), as well as support vector machines (SVM), were…

A Language-Independent Approach to Automatic Text Difficulty Assessment for Second-Language Learners

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

best-suited for regression. Our baseline uses z-normalized shallow length features and TF -LOG weighted vectors on bag-of-words for Arabic, Dari...length features and TF -LOG weighted vectors on bag-of-words for Arabic, Dari, English and Pashto. We compare Support Vector Machines and the Margin...football, whereas they are much less common in documents about opera). We used TF -LOG weighted word frequencies on bag-of-words for each document

Drainage of malignant ascites: patient selection and perspectives

PubMed Central

Stukan, Maciej

2017-01-01

Malignant ascites (MA) is a sign of advanced cancer and poor prognosis. MA can result in impairment in quality of life (QOL) and significant symptoms. As a supportive treatment, ascites can be drained by paracentesis (PC), percutaneously implanted catheters (tunneled, untunneled, central venous catheters), or peritoneal ports, or peritoneovenous shunts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) of different drainage methods for the management of MA. A systematic review of the literature was performed, and 32 original articles met the inclusion criteria. Patients selected for permanent drain insertion demonstrated symptoms related to MA and had undergone repeated PC. The primary focus of the reviewed articles was procedural safety issues. The rate of technical success of drainage device installation was 100%. Most patients experienced improvements in symptom control after ascites drainage. When analyzed together, 19.7% (255/1297) of patients experienced any complication and 6.2% (81/1297) experienced serious adverse events during MA drainage. Complications were reported for every drainage method; however, the least occurred after PC or central venous catheter, while the most serious occurred after peritoneovenous shunts. Adverse events were as follows: catheter obstruction: 4.4%, infection: 4.1%, leakage: 3.5%, catheter dislodgment: 2.3%, hypotension: 0.6%, injuries during device insertion: 0.6%, renal impairment: 0.5%, electrolyte imbalance: 0.2%, other: 3.6%. PRO and QOL endpoints were available for 12 studies. When PRO were measured using an interview, a significant improvement in symptom control and QOL was reported in almost all patients. Once standardized questionnaires were used, improvements in symptomatic scores and role functioning were observed. Deterioration was observed in cognitive and emotional subscales. MA drainage is a safe and effective method to control symptoms associated with ascites, and should be perceived as a supportive care, that can be applied for those who need it at any time of their cancer trajectory. Patient selection should be performed using a thorough assessment of symptoms and QOL, and should not be delayed. PMID:28442933

Socioeconomic status can affect pregnancy outcomes and complications, even with a universal healthcare system.

PubMed

Kim, Min Kyoung; Lee, Seung Mi; Bae, Sung-Hee; Kim, Hyun Joo; Lim, Nam Gu; Yoon, Seok-Jun; Lee, Jin Yong; Jo, Min-Woo

2018-01-05

Low socioeconomic status can increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but it remains unclear whether this negative association is attributed to inadequate prenatal care. Korea has been adopting a universal healthcare system. All Korean citizens must be enrolled National Health Insurance (NHI) or be recipient of Medical Aid (MA). In addition, Korean government launched a financial support system for antenatal care for all pregnant women in 2008. Therefore, in theory, there is no financial barrier to receive prenatal cares regardless of someone's social class. However, it is still unclear whether adverse pregnancy outcomes observed in low-income women are attributable to low SES or to economic barriers specific to the utilization of medical services. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether socioeconomic status affects pregnancy outcomes after the introduction of this support system, which allows all pregnant women to receive adequate prenatal care regardless of socioeconomic status. Using the National Health Insurance database in Korea, we selected women who gave birth between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. As a proxy indicator reflecting socioeconomic status, we classified subjects as MA recipient ("low" SES) or a NHI beneficiary ("middle/high" SES). In the MA group, 29.4% women received inadequate prenatal care, compared to 11.4% in the NHI group. Mothers in the MA group were more likely to have an abortion (30.1%), rather than deliver a baby, than those in the NHI group (20.7%, P < 0.001). Mothers in the MA group were also more likely to undergo a Caesarean delivery (45.8%; NHI group: 39.6%, P < 0.001), and have preeclampsia (1.5%; NHI group: 0.6%, P < 0.001), obstetric hemorrhage (4.7%; NHI group: 3.9%, P = 0.017), and a preterm delivery (2.1%; NHI group: 1.4%, P < 0.001) than those in the NHI group. Women in the MA group tended to show higher rates of abortion, Caesarean delivery, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, and obstetrical hemorrhage than those in the NHI group Therefore, health authorities should consider investigating what kind of barriers exist or what factors may affect these inequitable outcomes.

Bias Corrections for Regional Estimates of the Time-averaged Geomagnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Constable, C.; Johnson, C. L.

2009-05-01

We assess two sources of bias in the time-averaged geomagnetic field (TAF) and paleosecular variation (PSV): inadequate temporal sampling, and the use of unit vectors in deriving temporal averages of the regional geomagnetic field. For the first temporal sampling question we use statistical resampling of existing data sets to minimize and correct for bias arising from uneven temporal sampling in studies of the time- averaged geomagnetic field (TAF) and its paleosecular variation (PSV). The techniques are illustrated using data derived from Hawaiian lava flows for 0-5~Ma: directional observations are an updated version of a previously published compilation of paleomagnetic directional data centered on ± 20° latitude by Lawrence et al./(2006); intensity data are drawn from Tauxe & Yamazaki, (2007). We conclude that poor temporal sampling can produce biased estimates of TAF and PSV, and resampling to appropriate statistical distribution of ages reduces this bias. We suggest that similar resampling should be attempted as a bias correction for all regional paleomagnetic data to be used in TAF and PSV modeling. The second potential source of bias is the use of directional data in place of full vector data to estimate the average field. This is investigated for the full vector subset of the updated Hawaiian data set. Lawrence, K.P., C.G. Constable, and C.L. Johnson, 2006, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 7, Q07007, DOI 10.1029/2005GC001181. Tauxe, L., & Yamazkai, 2007, Treatise on Geophysics,5, Geomagnetism, Elsevier, Amsterdam, Chapter 13,p509

Support Vector Machines Trained with Evolutionary Algorithms Employing Kernel Adatron for Large Scale Classification of Protein Structures.

PubMed

Arana-Daniel, Nancy; Gallegos, Alberto A; López-Franco, Carlos; Alanís, Alma Y; Morales, Jacob; López-Franco, Adriana

2016-01-01

With the increasing power of computers, the amount of data that can be processed in small periods of time has grown exponentially, as has the importance of classifying large-scale data efficiently. Support vector machines have shown good results classifying large amounts of high-dimensional data, such as data generated by protein structure prediction, spam recognition, medical diagnosis, optical character recognition and text classification, etc. Most state of the art approaches for large-scale learning use traditional optimization methods, such as quadratic programming or gradient descent, which makes the use of evolutionary algorithms for training support vector machines an area to be explored. The present paper proposes an approach that is simple to implement based on evolutionary algorithms and Kernel-Adatron for solving large-scale classification problems, focusing on protein structure prediction. The functional properties of proteins depend upon their three-dimensional structures. Knowing the structures of proteins is crucial for biology and can lead to improvements in areas such as medicine, agriculture and biofuels.

Extraction of inland Nypa fruticans (Nipa Palm) using Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alberto, R. T.; Serrano, S. C.; Damian, G. B.; Camaso, E. E.; Biagtan, A. R.; Panuyas, N. Z.; Quibuyen, J. S.

2017-09-01

Mangroves are considered as one of the major habitats in coastal ecosystem, providing a lot of economic and ecological services in human society. Nypa fruticans (Nipa palm) is one of the important species of mangroves because of its versatility and uniqueness as halophytic palm. However, nipas are not only adaptable in saline areas, they can also managed to thrive away from the coastline depending on the favorable soil types available in the area. Because of this, mapping of this species are not limited alone in the near shore areas, but in areas where this species are present as well. The extraction process of Nypa fruticans were carried out using the available LiDAR data. Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification process was used to extract nipas in inland areas. The SVM classification process in mapping Nypa fruticans produced high accuracy of 95+%. The Support Vector Machine classification process to extract inland nipas was proven to be effective by utilizing different terrain derivatives from LiDAR data.

Distributed collaborative probabilistic design for turbine blade-tip radial running clearance using support vector machine of regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Cheng-Wei; Bai, Guang-Chen

2014-12-01

To improve the computational precision and efficiency of probabilistic design for mechanical dynamic assembly like the blade-tip radial running clearance (BTRRC) of gas turbine, a distribution collaborative probabilistic design method-based support vector machine of regression (SR)(called as DCSRM) is proposed by integrating distribution collaborative response surface method and support vector machine regression model. The mathematical model of DCSRM is established and the probabilistic design idea of DCSRM is introduced. The dynamic assembly probabilistic design of aeroengine high-pressure turbine (HPT) BTRRC is accomplished to verify the proposed DCSRM. The analysis results reveal that the optimal static blade-tip clearance of HPT is gained for designing BTRRC, and improving the performance and reliability of aeroengine. The comparison of methods shows that the DCSRM has high computational accuracy and high computational efficiency in BTRRC probabilistic analysis. The present research offers an effective way for the reliability design of mechanical dynamic assembly and enriches mechanical reliability theory and method.

Support vector machine firefly algorithm based optimization of lens system.

PubMed

Shamshirband, Shahaboddin; Petković, Dalibor; Pavlović, Nenad T; Ch, Sudheer; Altameem, Torki A; Gani, Abdullah

2015-01-01

Lens system design is an important factor in image quality. The main aspect of the lens system design methodology is the optimization procedure. Since optimization is a complex, nonlinear task, soft computing optimization algorithms can be used. There are many tools that can be employed to measure optical performance, but the spot diagram is the most useful. The spot diagram gives an indication of the image of a point object. In this paper, the spot size radius is considered an optimization criterion. Intelligent soft computing scheme support vector machines (SVMs) coupled with the firefly algorithm (FFA) are implemented. The performance of the proposed estimators is confirmed with the simulation results. The result of the proposed SVM-FFA model has been compared with support vector regression (SVR), artificial neural networks, and generic programming methods. The results show that the SVM-FFA model performs more accurately than the other methodologies. Therefore, SVM-FFA can be used as an efficient soft computing technique in the optimization of lens system designs.

Using Support Vector Machines to Automatically Extract Open Water Signatures from POLDER Multi-Angle Data Over Boreal Regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierce, J.; Diaz-Barrios, M.; Pinzon, J.; Ustin, S. L.; Shih, P.; Tournois, S.; Zarco-Tejada, P. J.; Vanderbilt, V. C.; Perry, G. L.; Brass, James A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This study used Support Vector Machines to classify multiangle POLDER data. Boreal wetland ecosystems cover an estimated 90 x 10(exp 6) ha, about 36% of global wetlands, and are a major source of trace gases emissions to the atmosphere. Four to 20 percent of the global emission of methane to the atmosphere comes from wetlands north of 4 degrees N latitude. Large uncertainties in emissions exist because of large spatial and temporal variation in the production and consumption of methane. Accurate knowledge of the areal extent of open water and inundated vegetation is critical to estimating magnitudes of trace gas emissions. Improvements in land cover mapping have been sought using physical-modeling approaches, neural networks, and active microwave, examples that demonstrate the difficulties of separating open water, inundated vegetation and dry upland vegetation. Here we examine the feasibility of using a support vector machine to classify POLDER data representing open water, inundated vegetation and dry upland vegetation.

Color image segmentation with support vector machines: applications to road signs detection.

PubMed

Cyganek, Bogusław

2008-08-01

In this paper we propose efficient color segmentation method which is based on the Support Vector Machine classifier operating in a one-class mode. The method has been developed especially for the road signs recognition system, although it can be used in other applications. The main advantage of the proposed method comes from the fact that the segmentation of characteristic colors is performed not in the original but in the higher dimensional feature space. By this a better data encapsulation with a linear hypersphere can be usually achieved. Moreover, the classifier does not try to capture the whole distribution of the input data which is often difficult to achieve. Instead, the characteristic data samples, called support vectors, are selected which allow construction of the tightest hypersphere that encloses majority of the input data. Then classification of a test data simply consists in a measurement of its distance to a centre of the found hypersphere. The experimental results show high accuracy and speed of the proposed method.

Prediction of B-cell linear epitopes with a combination of support vector machine classification and amino acid propensity identification.

PubMed

Wang, Hsin-Wei; Lin, Ya-Chi; Pai, Tun-Wen; Chang, Hao-Teng

2011-01-01

Epitopes are antigenic determinants that are useful because they induce B-cell antibody production and stimulate T-cell activation. Bioinformatics can enable rapid, efficient prediction of potential epitopes. Here, we designed a novel B-cell linear epitope prediction system called LEPS, Linear Epitope Prediction by Propensities and Support Vector Machine, that combined physico-chemical propensity identification and support vector machine (SVM) classification. We tested the LEPS on four datasets: AntiJen, HIV, a newly generated PC, and AHP, a combination of these three datasets. Peptides with globally or locally high physicochemical propensities were first identified as primitive linear epitope (LE) candidates. Then, candidates were classified with the SVM based on the unique features of amino acid segments. This reduced the number of predicted epitopes and enhanced the positive prediction value (PPV). Compared to four other well-known LE prediction systems, the LEPS achieved the highest accuracy (72.52%), specificity (84.22%), PPV (32.07%), and Matthews' correlation coefficient (10.36%).

Sparse Solutions for Single Class SVMs: A Bi-Criterion Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Das, Santanu; Oza, Nikunj C.

2011-01-01

In this paper we propose an innovative learning algorithm - a variation of One-class nu Support Vector Machines (SVMs) learning algorithm to produce sparser solutions with much reduced computational complexities. The proposed technique returns an approximate solution, nearly as good as the solution set obtained by the classical approach, by minimizing the original risk function along with a regularization term. We introduce a bi-criterion optimization that helps guide the search towards the optimal set in much reduced time. The outcome of the proposed learning technique was compared with the benchmark one-class Support Vector machines algorithm which more often leads to solutions with redundant support vectors. Through out the analysis, the problem size for both optimization routines was kept consistent. We have tested the proposed algorithm on a variety of data sources under different conditions to demonstrate the effectiveness. In all cases the proposed algorithm closely preserves the accuracy of standard one-class nu SVMs while reducing both training time and test time by several factors.

Support from the Army Research Office to be Used Towards Student Travel Fellowships for the National Radio Science Meetings in January 2010, 2011, and 2012

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-06

Chris Crabtree, NRL 13:20 H3-1 SIMULATIONS OF RADIATION BELT ELECTRON DYNAMICS IN HIGH-SPEED-STREAM STORMS Anthony A. Chan*1, Yen-fei Chen1, Scot ...Technology 244 Wood St., Lexington, MA 02420-9185 U.S.A. wjb@LL.MIT.EDU, 781-981-7973 David W. Miller Space Systems Laboratory, Massachusetts...R. Leslie, I. Osaretin, M. Shields Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 244 Wood St., Lexington, MA 02420-9185 U.S.A. wjb

Final MTI Data Report: Pilgrim Nuclear Station

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

Parker, M.J.

2003-03-17

During the period from May 2000 to September 2001, ocean surface water temperature data was collected at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station near Plymouth, MA. This effort was led by the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) with the assistance of a local sub-contractor, Marine BioControl Corporation of Sandwich, MA. Permission for setting up the monitoring system was granted by Energy Corporation, which owns the plant site. This work was done in support of SRTC's ground truth mission for the U.S. Department of Energy's Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) satellite.

Communicating Biology Through Continuing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Jack L.

1978-01-01

The author describes the need for a national program in continuing adult education made available for interested students when they are interested. To finance these free community schools, federal support is required. (MA)

Bayesian Divergence-Time Estimation with Genome-Wide SNP Data of Sea Catfishes (Ariidae) Supports Miocene Closure of the Panamanian Isthmus.

PubMed

Stange, Madlen; Sánchez-Villagra, Marcelo R; Salzburger, Walter; Matschiner, Michael

2018-01-27

The closure of the Isthmus of Panama has long been considered to be one of the best defined biogeographic calibration points for molecular divergence-time estimation. However, geological and biological evidence has recently cast doubt on the presumed timing of the initial isthmus closure around 3 Ma but has instead suggested the existence of temporary land bridges as early as the Middle or Late Miocene. The biological evidence supporting these earlier land bridges was based either on only few molecular markers or on concatenation of genome-wide sequence data, an approach that is known to result in potentially misleading branch lengths and divergence times, which could compromise the reliability of this evidence. To allow divergence-time estimation with genomic data using the more appropriate multi-species coalescent model, we here develop a new method combining the SNP-based Bayesian species-tree inference of the software SNAPP with a molecular clock model that can be calibrated with fossil or biogeographic constraints. We validate our approach with simulations and use our method to reanalyze genomic data of Neotropical army ants (Dorylinae) that previously supported divergence times of Central and South American populations before the isthmus closure around 3 Ma. Our reanalysis with the multi-species coalescent model shifts all of these divergence times to ages younger than 3 Ma, suggesting that the older estimates supporting the earlier existence of temporary land bridges were artifacts resulting at least partially from the use of concatenation. We then apply our method to a new RAD-sequencing data set of Neotropical sea catfishes (Ariidae) and calibrate their species tree with extensive information from the fossil record. We identify a series of divergences between groups of Caribbean and Pacific sea catfishes around 10 Ma, indicating that processes related to the emergence of the isthmus led to vicariant speciation already in the Late Miocene, millions of years before the final isthmus closure. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists.

Landslide susceptibility mapping & prediction using Support Vector Machine for Mandakini River Basin, Garhwal Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Deepak; Thakur, Manoj; Dubey, Chandra S.; Shukla, Dericks P.

2017-10-01

In recent years, various machine learning techniques have been applied for landslide susceptibility mapping. In this study, three different variants of support vector machine viz., SVM, Proximal Support Vector Machine (PSVM) and L2-Support Vector Machine - Modified Finite Newton (L2-SVM-MFN) have been applied on the Mandakini River Basin in Uttarakhand, India to carry out the landslide susceptibility mapping. Eight thematic layers such as elevation, slope, aspect, drainages, geology/lithology, buffer of thrusts/faults, buffer of streams and soil along with the past landslide data were mapped in GIS environment and used for landslide susceptibility mapping in MATLAB. The study area covering 1625 km2 has merely 0.11% of area under landslides. There are 2009 pixels for past landslides out of which 50% (1000) landslides were considered as training set while remaining 50% as testing set. The performance of these techniques has been evaluated and the computational results show that L2-SVM-MFN obtains higher prediction values (0.829) of receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-area under the curve) as compared to 0.807 for PSVM model and 0.79 for SVM. The results obtained from L2-SVM-MFN model are found to be superior than other SVM prediction models and suggest the usefulness of this technique to problem of landslide susceptibility mapping where training data is very less. However, these techniques can be used for satisfactory determination of susceptible zones with these inputs.

Improvements on ν-Twin Support Vector Machine.

PubMed

Khemchandani, Reshma; Saigal, Pooja; Chandra, Suresh

2016-07-01

In this paper, we propose two novel binary classifiers termed as "Improvements on ν-Twin Support Vector Machine: Iν-TWSVM and Iν-TWSVM (Fast)" that are motivated by ν-Twin Support Vector Machine (ν-TWSVM). Similar to ν-TWSVM, Iν-TWSVM determines two nonparallel hyperplanes such that they are closer to their respective classes and are at least ρ distance away from the other class. The significant advantage of Iν-TWSVM over ν-TWSVM is that Iν-TWSVM solves one smaller-sized Quadratic Programming Problem (QPP) and one Unconstrained Minimization Problem (UMP); as compared to solving two related QPPs in ν-TWSVM. Further, Iν-TWSVM (Fast) avoids solving a smaller sized QPP and transforms it as a unimodal function, which can be solved using line search methods and similar to Iν-TWSVM, the other problem is solved as a UMP. Due to their novel formulation, the proposed classifiers are faster than ν-TWSVM and have comparable generalization ability. Iν-TWSVM also implements structural risk minimization (SRM) principle by introducing a regularization term, along with minimizing the empirical risk. The other properties of Iν-TWSVM, related to support vectors (SVs), are similar to that of ν-TWSVM. To test the efficacy of the proposed method, experiments have been conducted on a wide range of UCI and a skewed variation of NDC datasets. We have also given the application of Iν-TWSVM as a binary classifier for pixel classification of color images. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel solutions for an old disease: diagnosis of acute appendicitis with random forest, support vector machines, and artificial neural networks.

PubMed

Hsieh, Chung-Ho; Lu, Ruey-Hwa; Lee, Nai-Hsin; Chiu, Wen-Ta; Hsu, Min-Huei; Li, Yu-Chuan Jack

2011-01-01

Diagnosing acute appendicitis clinically is still difficult. We developed random forests, support vector machines, and artificial neural network models to diagnose acute appendicitis. Between January 2006 and December 2008, patients who had a consultation session with surgeons for suspected acute appendicitis were enrolled. Seventy-five percent of the data set was used to construct models including random forest, support vector machines, artificial neural networks, and logistic regression. Twenty-five percent of the data set was withheld to evaluate model performance. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate performance, which was compared with that of the Alvarado score. Data from a total of 180 patients were collected, 135 used for training and 45 for testing. The mean age of patients was 39.4 years (range, 16-85). Final diagnosis revealed 115 patients with and 65 without appendicitis. The AUC of random forest, support vector machines, artificial neural networks, logistic regression, and Alvarado was 0.98, 0.96, 0.91, 0.87, and 0.77, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values of random forest were 94%, 100%, 100%, and 87%, respectively. Random forest performed better than artificial neural networks, logistic regression, and Alvarado. We demonstrated that random forest can predict acute appendicitis with good accuracy and, deployed appropriately, can be an effective tool in clinical decision making. Copyright © 2011 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The evolution of scarab beetles tracks the sequential rise of angiosperms and mammals

PubMed Central

Ahrens, Dirk; Schwarzer, Julia; Vogler, Alfried P.

2014-01-01

Extant terrestrial biodiversity arguably is driven by the evolutionary success of angiosperm plants, but the evolutionary mechanisms and timescales of angiosperm-dependent radiations remain poorly understood. The Scarabaeoidea is a diverse lineage of predominantly plant- and dung-feeding beetles. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis of Scarabaeoidea based on four DNA markers for a taxonomically comprehensive set of specimens and link it to recently described fossil evidence. The phylogeny strongly supports multiple origins of coprophagy, phytophagy and anthophagy. The ingroup-based fossil calibration of the tree widely confirmed a Jurassic origin of the Scarabaeoidea crown group. The crown groups of phytophagous lineages began to radiate first (Pleurostict scarabs: 108 Ma; Glaphyridae between 101 Ma), followed by the later diversification of coprophagous lineages (crown-group age Scarabaeinae: 76 Ma; Aphodiinae: 50 Ma). Pollen feeding arose even later, at maximally 62 Ma in the oldest anthophagous lineage. The clear time lag between the origins of herbivores and coprophages suggests an evolutionary path driven by the angiosperms that first favoured the herbivore fauna (mammals and insects) followed by the secondary radiation of the dung feeders. This finding makes it less likely that extant dung beetle lineages initially fed on dinosaur excrements, as often hypothesized. PMID:25100705

The TEF modeling and analysis approach to advance thermionic space power technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Albert C.

1997-01-01

Thermionics space power systems have been proposed as advanced power sources for future space missions that require electrical power levels significantly above the capabilities of current space power systems. The Defense Special Weapons Agency's (DSWA) Thermionic Evaluation Facility (TEF) is carrying out both experimental and analytical research to advance thermionic space power technology to meet this expected need. A Modeling and Analysis (M&A) project has been created at the TEF to develop analysis tools, evaluate concepts, and guide research. M&A activities are closely linked to the TEF experimental program, providing experiment support and using experimental data to validate models. A planning exercise has been completed for the M&A project, and a strategy for implementation was developed. All M&A activities will build on a framework provided by a system performance model for a baseline Thermionic Fuel Element (TFE) concept. The system model is composed of sub-models for each of the system components and sub-systems. Additional thermionic component options and model improvements will continue to be incorporated in the basic system model during the course of the program. All tasks are organized into four focus areas: 1) system models, 2) thermionic research, 3) alternative concepts, and 4) documentation and integration. The M&A project will provide a solid framework for future thermionic system development.

Clinical Trials Using Anti-CD19/CD28/CD3zeta CAR Gammaretroviral Vector-transduced Autologous T Lymphocytes KTE-C19

Cancer.gov

NCI supports clinical trials that test new and more effective ways to treat cancer. Find clinical trials studying anti-cd19/cd28/cd3zeta car gammaretroviral vector-transduced autologous t lymphocytes kte-c19.

Elucidating the Potential of Plant Rhabdoviruses as Vector Expressions Systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Maize fine streak virus (MFSV) is a member of the genus Nucleorhabdovirus that is transmitted by the leafhopper Graminella nigrifons. The virus replicates in both its maize host and its insect vector. To determine whether Drosophila S2 cells support the production of full-length MFSV proteins, we ...

Seasonal sea ice cover during the warm Pliocene: Evidence from the Iceland Sea (ODP Site 907)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clotten, Caroline; Stein, Ruediger; Fahl, Kirsten; De Schepper, Stijn

2018-01-01

Sea ice is a critical component in the Arctic and global climate system, yet little is known about its extent and variability during past warm intervals, such as the Pliocene (5.33-2.58 Ma). Here, we present the first multi-proxy (IP25, sterols, alkenones, palynology) sea ice reconstructions for the Late Pliocene Iceland Sea (ODP Site 907). Our interpretation of a seasonal sea ice cover with occasional ice-free intervals between 3.50-3.00 Ma is supported by reconstructed alkenone-based summer sea surface temperatures. As evidenced from brassicasterol and dinosterol, primary productivity was low between 3.50 and 3.00 Ma and the site experienced generally oligotrophic conditions. The East Greenland Current (and East Icelandic Current) may have transported sea ice into the Iceland Sea and/or brought cooler and fresher waters favoring local sea ice formation. Between 3.00 and 2.40 Ma, the Iceland Sea is mainly sea ice-free, but seasonal sea ice occurred between 2.81 and 2.74 Ma. Sea ice extending into the Iceland Sea at this time may have acted as a positive feedback for the build-up of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS), which underwent a major expansion ∼2.75 Ma. Thereafter, most likely a stable sea ice edge developed close to Greenland, possibly changing together with the expansion and retreat of the GIS and affecting the productivity in the Iceland Sea.

Effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure on verbal memory revealed with fMRI

PubMed Central

Lu, Lisa H.; Johnson, Arianne; O’Hare, Elizabeth D.; Bookheimer, Susan Y.; Smith, Lynne M.; O’Connor, Mary J.; Sowell, Elizabeth R.

2009-01-01

Objective Efforts to understand specific effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure on cognitive processing are hampered by high rates of concomitant alcohol use during pregnancy. We examined whether neurocognitive systems differed among children with differing prenatal teratogenic exposures when they engaged in a verbal memory task. Patients and Methods Participants (7-15 years old) engaged in a verbal paired associate learning task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The MA group included 14 children with prenatal methamphetamine exposure, 12 of whom had concomitant alcohol exposure. They were compared to 9 children with prenatal alcohol but not methamphetamine exposure (ALC) and 20 unexposed controls (CON). Groups did not differ in age, gender, or socioeconomic status. Participants’ IQ and verbal learning performance were measured using standardized instruments. Results The MA group activated more diffuse brain regions, including bilateral medial temporal structures known to be important for memory, than both the ALC and the CON groups. These group differences remained after IQ was covaried. More activation in medial temporal structures by the MA group compared to the ALC group cannot be explained by performance differences because both groups performed at similar levels on the verbal memory task. Conclusions More diffuse activation in the MA group during verbal memory may reflect recruitment of compensatory systems to support a weak verbal memory network. Differences in activation patterns between the MA and ALC groups suggest that prenatal MA exposure influences the development of the verbal memory system above and beyond effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. PMID:19525715

Perceiver as polar planimeter: Direct perception of jumping, reaching, and jump-reaching affordances for the self and others.

PubMed

Thomas, Brandon J; Hawkins, Matthew M; Nalepka, Patrick

2017-03-30

Runeson (Scandanavian Journal of Psychology 18:172-179, 1977) suggested that the polar planimeter might serve as an informative model system of perceptual mechanism. The key aspect of the polar planimeter is that it registers a higher order property of the environment without computational mediation on the basis of lower order properties, detecting task-specific information only. This aspect was posited as a hypothesis for the perception of jumping and reaching affordances for the self and another person. The findings supported this hypothesis. The perception of reaching while jumping significantly differed from an additive combination of jump-without-reaching and reach-without-jumping perception. The results are consistent with Gibson's (The senses considered as perceptual systems, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA; Gibson, The senses considered as perceptual systems, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 1966; The ecological approach to visual perception, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA; Gibson, The ecological approach to visual perception, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, 1979) theory of information-that aspects of the environment are specified by patterns in energetic media.

Sex-dependent modification by chronic caffeine of acute methamphetamine effects on anxiety-related behavior in rats.

PubMed

Hughes, Robert N; Hamilton, Jennifer J

2018-06-01

For fourteen days, male and female PVG/c hooded rats were provided continuously with either pure drinking water, or water containing caffeine in a quantity approximating a daily dose of 31.1 mg/kg. Then at intervals of 3 days, they were administered 1, 2 mg/kg methamphetamine (MA) or saline before being tested for anxiety-related behavior in a zero maze or a light/dark box, or their short-term spatial memory was assessed in a Y maze following introduction of a novel brightness change in one of the arms. Each rat experienced each type of apparatus with the same acute MA or saline treatment while still exposed to chronic caffeine or pure drinking water. While chronic caffeine on its own did not affect any behavioral measure, acute MA was anxiolytic for male rats suggested by increased entries and occupancy of zero-maze enclosed areas, and decreased emergence latencies and increased entries into the light/dark-box light compartment. Females were less affected than males by MA in both types of apparatus unless they also consumed caffeine. For male rats, choices of the Y-maze novel arm were affected by neither caffeine nor MA, but for females provided with unadulterated water, such choices were reduced by 1 mg/kg MA but increased for those exposed to caffeine, thereby suggesting either impaired or improved memory respectively. However, changes in anxiety could also explain these results. Overall, results generated in the three types of apparatus supported potentiation by caffeine of any effects of MA on anxiety for females only. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Three-Dimensional-Bioprinted Dopamine-Based Matrix for Promoting Neural Regeneration.

PubMed

Zhou, Xuan; Cui, Haitao; Nowicki, Margaret; Miao, Shida; Lee, Se-Jun; Masood, Fahed; Harris, Brent T; Zhang, Lijie Grace

2018-03-14

Central nerve repair and regeneration remain challenging problems worldwide, largely because of the extremely weak inherent regenerative capacity and accompanying fibrosis of native nerves. Inadequate solutions to the unmet needs for clinical therapeutics encourage the development of novel strategies to promote nerve regeneration. Recently, 3D bioprinting techniques, as one of a set of valuable tissue engineering technologies, have shown great promise toward fabricating complex and customizable artificial tissue scaffolds. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) possesses excellent biocompatible and biodegradable properties because it contains many arginine-glycine-aspartic acids (RGD) and matrix metalloproteinase sequences. Dopamine (DA), as an essential neurotransmitter, has proven effective in regulating neuronal development and enhancing neurite outgrowth. In this study, GelMA-DA neural scaffolds with hierarchical structures were 3D-fabricated using our custom-designed stereolithography-based printer. DA was functionalized on GelMA to synthesize a biocompatible printable ink (GelMA-DA) for improving neural differentiation. Additionally, neural stem cells (NSCs) were employed as the primary cell source for these scaffolds because of their ability to terminally differentiate into a variety of cell types including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. The resultant GelMA-DA scaffolds exhibited a highly porous and interconnected 3D environment, which is favorable for supporting NSC growth. Confocal microscopy analysis of neural differentiation demonstrated that a distinct neural network was formed on the GelMA-DA scaffolds. In particular, the most significant improvements were the enhanced neuron gene expression of TUJ1 and MAP2. Overall, our results demonstrated that 3D-printed customizable GelMA-DA scaffolds have a positive role in promoting neural differentiation, which is promising for advancing nerve repair and regeneration in the future.

A WAO - ARIA - GA²LEN consensus document on molecular-based allergy diagnostics

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Molecular-based allergy (MA) diagnostics is an approach used to map the allergen sensitization of a patient at a molecular level, using purified natural or recombinant allergenic molecules (allergen components) instead of allergen extracts. Since its introduction, MA diagnostics has increasingly entered routine care, with currently more than 130 allergenic molecules commercially available for in vitro specific IgE (sIgE) testing. MA diagnostics allows for an increased accuracy in allergy diagnosis and prognosis and plays an important role in three key aspects of allergy diagnosis: (1) resolving genuine versus cross-reactive sensitization in poly-sensitized patients, thereby improving the understanding of triggering allergens; (2) assessing, in selected cases, the risk of severe, systemic versus mild, local reactions in food allergy, thereby reducing unnecessary anxiety for the patient and the need for food challenge testing; and (3) identifying patients and triggering allergens for specific immunotherapy (SIT). Singleplex and multiplex measurement platforms are available for MA diagnostics. The Immuno-Solid phase Allergen Chip (ISAC) is the most comprehensive platform currently available, which involves a biochip technology to measure sIgE antibodies against more than one hundred allergenic molecules in a single assay. As the field of MA diagnostics advances, future work needs to focus on large-scale, population-based studies involving practical applications, elucidation and expansion of additional allergenic molecules, and support for appropriate test interpretation. With the rapidly expanding evidence-base for MA diagnosis, there is a need for allergists to keep abreast of the latest information. The aim of this consensus document is to provide a practical guide for the indications, determination, and interpretation of MA diagnostics for clinicians trained in allergology. PMID:24090398

Middle Miocene climate cooling linked to intensification of eastern equatorial Pacific upwelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holbourn, A. E.; Kuhnt, W.; Lyle, M. W.; Schneider, L. J.; Romero, O. E.; Andersen, N.

2013-12-01

During the middle Miocene, Earth's climate transitioned from a relatively warm phase (Miocene climatic optimum, ~17-15 Ma) into a colder mode with re-establishment of permanent ice sheets on Antarctica. Carbon sequestration and atmospheric CO2 drawdown through increased terrigenous and/or marine productivity have been proposed as the main drivers of this fundamental transition. However, comparatively little is known about the processes initially sustaining global warmth and about the chain of climate events that reversed this trend and promoted ice growth on Antarctica after ~15 Ma. We integrate high-resolution (1-3 kyr) benthic stable isotope data with XRF-scanner derived biogenic silica and carbonate accumulation estimates in an exceptionally well-preserved sedimentary archive to reconstruct variations in eastern equatorial Pacific upwelling and to investigate temporal linkages between high- and low-latitude climate change over the interval 16-13 Ma. Our records show that the climatic optimum (16.8-14.7 Ma) was characterized by high amplitude climate variations, marked by intense perturbations of the carbon cycle. Episodes of peak warmth at (southern hemisphere) insolation maxima coincided with transient shoaling of the carbonate compensation depth and enhanced carbonate dissolution in the deep ocean. A switch to obliquity-paced climate variability after 14.7 Ma concurred with a general improvement in carbonate preservation and the onset of stepwise global cooling, culminating with extensive ice growth over Antarctica at ~13.8 Ma (Mi3 event). We find that two massive increases in opal accumulation at ~14.0 and ~13.8 Ma occurred just before and during the final and most prominent cooling step, supporting the hypothesis that increased primary productivity due to enhancement of the eastern equatorial Pacific cold tongue contributed to CO2 drawdown and promoted global cooling.

A WAO - ARIA - GA²LEN consensus document on molecular-based allergy diagnostics.

PubMed

Canonica, Giorgio Walter; Ansotegui, Ignacio J; Pawankar, Ruby; Schmid-Grendelmeier, Peter; van Hage, Marianne; Baena-Cagnani, Carlos E; Melioli, Giovanni; Nunes, Carlos; Passalacqua, Giovanni; Rosenwasser, Lanny; Sampson, Hugh; Sastre, Joaquin; Bousquet, Jean; Zuberbier, Torsten

2013-10-03

Molecular-based allergy (MA) diagnostics is an approach used to map the allergen sensitization of a patient at a molecular level, using purified natural or recombinant allergenic molecules (allergen components) instead of allergen extracts. Since its introduction, MA diagnostics has increasingly entered routine care, with currently more than 130 allergenic molecules commercially available for in vitro specific IgE (sIgE) testing.MA diagnostics allows for an increased accuracy in allergy diagnosis and prognosis and plays an important role in three key aspects of allergy diagnosis: (1) resolving genuine versus cross-reactive sensitization in poly-sensitized patients, thereby improving the understanding of triggering allergens; (2) assessing, in selected cases, the risk of severe, systemic versus mild, local reactions in food allergy, thereby reducing unnecessary anxiety for the patient and the need for food challenge testing; and (3) identifying patients and triggering allergens for specific immunotherapy (SIT).Singleplex and multiplex measurement platforms are available for MA diagnostics. The Immuno-Solid phase Allergen Chip (ISAC) is the most comprehensive platform currently available, which involves a biochip technology to measure sIgE antibodies against more than one hundred allergenic molecules in a single assay. As the field of MA diagnostics advances, future work needs to focus on large-scale, population-based studies involving practical applications, elucidation and expansion of additional allergenic molecules, and support for appropriate test interpretation. With the rapidly expanding evidence-base for MA diagnosis, there is a need for allergists to keep abreast of the latest information. The aim of this consensus document is to provide a practical guide for the indications, determination, and interpretation of MA diagnostics for clinicians trained in allergology.

Payload Performance of TDRS KL and Future Services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toral, Marco A.; Heckler, Gregory W.; Pogorelc, Patricia M.; George, Nicholas E.; Han, Katherine S.

2017-01-01

NASA has accepted two of the 3nd generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, TDRS K, L, and M, designed and built by Boeing Defense, Space Security (DSS). TDRS K, L, and M provide S-band Multiple Access (MA) service and S-band, Ku-band and Ka-band Single Access (SA) services to near Earth orbiting satellites. The TDRS KLM satellites offer improved services relative to the 1st generation TDRS spacecraft, such as: an enhanced MA service featuring increased EIRPs and GT; and Ka-band SA capability which provides a 225 and 650 MHz return service (customer-to-TDRS direction) bandwidth and a 50 MHz forward service (TDRS-to-customer direction) bandwidth. MA services are provided through a 15 element forward phased array that forms up to two beams with onboard active beamforming and a 32 element return phased array supported by ground-based beamforming. SA services are provided through two 4.6m tri-band reflector antennas which support program track pointing and autotrack pointing. Prior to NASAs acceptance of the satellites, payload on-orbit testing was performed on each satellite to determine on-orbit compliance with design requirements. Performance parameters evaluated include: EIRP, GT, antenna gain patterns, SA antenna autotrack performance, and radiometric tracking performance. On-orbit antenna calibration and pointing optimization was also performed on the MA and SA antennas including 24 hour duration tests to characterize and calibrate out diurnal effects. Bit-Error-Rate (BER) tests were performed to evaluate the end-to-end link BER performance of service through a TDRS K and L spacecraft. The TDRS M is planned to be launched in August 2017. This paper summarizes the results of the TDRS KL communications payload on-orbit performance verification and end-to-end service characterization and compares the results with the performance of the 2nd generation TDRS J. The paper also provides a high-level overview of an optical communications application that will augment the data rates supported by the Space Network.

Payload Performance of Third Generation TDRS and Future Services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toral, Marco; Heckler, Gregory; Pogorelc, Patsy; George, Nicholas; Han, Katherine S.

2017-01-01

NASA has accepted two of the 3rd generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellites, TDRS K, L, and M, designed and built by Boeing Defense, Space & Security (DSS). TDRS K, L, and M provide S-band Multiple Access (MA) service and S-band, Ku-band and Ka-band Single Access (SA) services to near Earth orbiting satellites. The TDRS KLM satellites offer improved services relative to the 1st generation TDRS spacecraft, such as: an enhanced MA service featuring increased EIRPs and G/T; and Ka-band SA capability which provides a 225 and 650 MHz return service (customer-to-TDRS direction) bandwidth and a 50 MHz forward service (TDRS-to-customer direction) bandwidth. MA services are provided through a 15 element forward phased array that forms up to two beams with onboard active beamforming and a 32 element return phased array supported by ground-based beamforming. SA services are provided through two 4.6m tri-band reflector antennas which support program track pointing and autotrack pointing. Prior to NASAs acceptance of the satellites, payload on-orbit testing was performed on each satellite to determine on-orbit compliance with design requirements. Performance parameters evaluated include: EIRP, G/T, antenna gain patterns, SA antenna autotrack performance, and radiometric tracking performance. On-orbit antenna calibration and pointing optimization was also performed on the MA and SA antennas including 24 hour duration tests to characterize and calibrate out diurnal effects. Bit-Error-Rate (BER) tests were performed to evaluate the end-to-end link BER performance of service through a TDRS K and L spacecraft. The TDRS M is planned to be launched in August 2017. This paper summarizes the results of the TDRS KL communications payload on-orbit performance verification and end-to-end service characterization and compares the results with the performance of the 2nd generation TDRS J. The paper also provides a high-level overview of an optical communications application that will augment the data rates supported by the Space Network.

The high speed buffer board: A SAIL EIA-485 communications accelerator card for the vector measuring current meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singer, Robin; Butler, Douglas M.

1990-07-01

A High Speed Buffer Board (HSBB) was developed for the Vector Measuring Current Meter (VMCM) to implement the transmission of data at 9600 baud over an EIA-485 link. The HSBB significantly extends the VMCM communication functionality, which was previously limited to 300 baud transmission via 20mA current loop or FSK telemetry. The increased speed allows rapid sampling of a large number of current meters on a common cable and the EIA-485 circuitry, which was designed for low power operation, provides a useful multipoint communication method for data transmission over long cable lengths. SAIL protocol (IEEE 997) was utilized to coordinate data transfer by the instruments on a common link. An MC68HC11 microcontroller resides in the VMCM, buffering data it receives at 300 baud from the VMCM UART. In response to a jumper selectable SAIL address, the MC68HC11 offloads the data 9600 baud via EIA-485 to the SAIL controller. Synchronous data collection from many instruments is ensured by the SAIL synoptic set command and an embedded resynchronization/reset command. The low power consumption allows deployments of six months or more with a standard VMCM battery stack.

A new fundamental model of moving particle for reinterpreting Schroedinger equation

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

Umar, Muhamad Darwis

2012-06-20

The study of Schroedinger equation based on a hypothesis that every particle must move randomly in a quantum-sized volume has been done. In addition to random motion, every particle can do relative motion through the movement of its quantum-sized volume. On the other way these motions can coincide. In this proposed model, the random motion is one kind of intrinsic properties of the particle. The every change of both speed of randomly intrinsic motion and or the velocity of translational motion of a quantum-sized volume will represent a transition between two states, and the change of speed of randomly intrinsicmore » motion will generate diffusion process or Brownian motion perspectives. Diffusion process can take place in backward and forward processes and will represent a dissipative system. To derive Schroedinger equation from our hypothesis we use time operator introduced by Nelson. From a fundamental analysis, we find out that, naturally, we should view the means of Newton's Law F(vector sign) = ma(vector sign) as no an external force, but it is just to describe both the presence of intrinsic random motion and the change of the particle energy.« less

A Memetic Algorithm for Global Optimization of Multimodal Nonseparable Problems.

PubMed

Zhang, Geng; Li, Yangmin

2016-06-01

It is a big challenging issue of avoiding falling into local optimum especially when facing high-dimensional nonseparable problems where the interdependencies among vector elements are unknown. In order to improve the performance of optimization algorithm, a novel memetic algorithm (MA) called cooperative particle swarm optimizer-modified harmony search (CPSO-MHS) is proposed in this paper, where the CPSO is used for local search and the MHS for global search. The CPSO, as a local search method, uses 1-D swarm to search each dimension separately and thus converges fast. Besides, it can obtain global optimum elements according to our experimental results and analyses. MHS implements the global search by recombining different vector elements and extracting global optimum elements. The interaction between local search and global search creates a set of local search zones, where global optimum elements reside within the search space. The CPSO-MHS algorithm is tested and compared with seven other optimization algorithms on a set of 28 standard benchmarks. Meanwhile, some MAs are also compared according to the results derived directly from their corresponding references. The experimental results demonstrate a good performance of the proposed CPSO-MHS algorithm in solving multimodal nonseparable problems.

Gastrostomy feeding tube - pump - child

MedlinePlus

... at home. In: O'Keefe SJD, ed. The Principles and Practice of Nutritional Support . New York, NY: Springer; 2015:chap 10. Schattner MA, Grossman EB. Nutritional management. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. ...

What are the Needs of Nutrition Educators?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celender, Ivy M.; And Others

1978-01-01

A clinical psychologist identifies eight major needs of selected nutrition educators based on group interviews. The needs include: help in motivating people, help in coping with food faddism, and more administrative support. (MA)

Vectorization and parallelization of the finite strip method for dynamic Mindlin plate problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Hsin-Chu; He, Ai-Fang

1993-01-01

The finite strip method is a semi-analytical finite element process which allows for a discrete analysis of certain types of physical problems by discretizing the domain of the problem into finite strips. This method decomposes a single large problem into m smaller independent subproblems when m harmonic functions are employed, thus yielding natural parallelism at a very high level. In this paper we address vectorization and parallelization strategies for the dynamic analysis of simply-supported Mindlin plate bending problems and show how to prevent potential conflicts in memory access during the assemblage process. The vector and parallel implementations of this method and the performance results of a test problem under scalar, vector, and vector-concurrent execution modes on the Alliant FX/80 are also presented.

Mesoproterozoic juvenile mafic-ultramafic magmatism in the SW Amazonian Craton (Rio Negro-Juruena province): SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology and Nd-Sr constraints of the Figueira Branca Suite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, Wilson; Geraldes, Mauro C.; D'Agrella-Filho, Manoel S.; Santos, João O. S.; Sant'Ana Barros, Márcia A.; Ruiz, Amarildo S.; Corrêa da Costa, Paulo C.

2011-12-01

The Figueira Branca Suite (FBS) comprises a layered mafic-ultramafic complex which together with mafic-felsic plugs makes up a string of NW-trending intrusive bodies that are emplaced into the Jauru domain (Rio Negro-Juruena province; 1.80-1.60 Ga). This domain comprises Orosirian calc-alkaline rocks and coeval metamorphic volcanic-sedimentary associations, intruded by voluminous granitoid plutons resulted from outboard Cachoeirinha (1587-1522 Ma) and Santa Helena (1485-1420 Ma) accretionary orogens that eventually created the Rondonian-San Ignacio province along the SW margin of the proto-Amazonian Craton. SHRIMP U-Pb age in zircon for one cumulatic gabbro from the FBS yielded a concordia intercept age of 1425.5 ± 8.0 Ma (MSWD = 1.11). Another gabbroic plug which crops out to the East gives a similar within error concordia intercept zircon age of 1415.9 ± 6.9 Ma (MSWD = 0.25), whereas a nearby monzogranite yields a concordia intercept zircon age of 1428.9 ± 2.8 Ma (MSWD = 1.30). All these results are crystallization ages and constrain an important intraplate magmatic event within the Orosirian continental crust at the time of outboard Santa Helena orogen. On the other hand, igneous titanite from another gabbro located to the West of the FBS yielded a weighted mean 207Pb/ 206Pb crystallization age of 1541 ± 23 Ma (MSWD = 0.74). Therefore this rock is not genetically associated with the FBS, as previously suggested by the field information. Additional Nd-Sr isotopic analyses of the FBS mafic-ultramafic rocks and coeval gabbro showed comparable ɛNd(1.42Ga) values (+3.0 to +4.7) and variable ɛSr(1.42Ga) ones (-39.1 to -8.1). These data plot in the depleted field quadrant of the Nd-Sr diagram, indicating a significant influence of the MORB end-member reservoir in the magma genesis. This interpretation is similarly supported by comparison of the Nd evolutionary path of the FBS with those that characterize the isotopic evolution of the Jauru crust and the Cachoeirinha and Santa Helena intrusive plutons. The bulk isotopic signature allows the genetic relationship among the Santa Helena Suite and the FBS and coeval rocks. The anorogenic character of the FBS is supported by the geologic framework of the Jauru domain, given that the emplacement took place under an extensional regime, associated with the recognized regional NW-trending structures. 40Ar- 39Ar analyses were carried out in mafic rocks that are assigned to the FBS. Biotite from a gabbronorite yielded an ideogram age of 1222 ± 5 Ma while a nearby troctolite yielded plateau biotite ages of 1275 ± 4 Ma and 1268 ± 4 Ma. These ages are minimum estimates of the regional cooling of the FBS. One gabbro of the Alto Jauru Group yields a 40Ar- 39Ar plateau age of 1781 ± 15 Ma, interpreted as the time of regional cooling that succeeded continental accretion and metamorphism at Orosirian times. Later on heterogenous crustal thickening and uplift took place from West to East, as response from the Cachoeirinha and Santa Helena orogen dynamics, which is marked by the 1539-1510 Ma and 1452-1322 Ma 40Ar- 39Ar age-patterns, respectively. The available apparent ages suggest that Cachoeirinha crust was subjected to a fast exhumation rate (ca. 50 m.y.), as estimated by the zircon-titanite-hornblende-biotite time-path, while the Santa Helena crust seems to display a lower exhumation rate. Particularly, the youngest 40Ar- 39Ar biotite age (1322 Ma) available for the Santa Helena crust signals the post-tectonic phase of the Rondonian-San Ignacio province.

Preparation of 3D nanoporous copper-supported cuprous oxide for high-performance lithium ion battery anodes.

PubMed

Liu, Dequan; Yang, Zhibo; Wang, Peng; Li, Fei; Wang, Desheng; He, Deyan

2013-03-07

Three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous architectures can provide efficient and rapid pathways for Li-ion and electron transport as well as short solid-state diffusion lengths in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). In this work, 3D nanoporous copper-supported cuprous oxide was successfully fabricated by low-cost selective etching of an electron-beam melted Cu(50)Al(50) alloy and subsequent in situ thermal oxidation. The architecture was used as an anode in lithium ion batteries. In the first cycle, the sample delivered an extremely high lithium storage capacity of about 2.35 mA h cm(-2). A high reversible capacity of 1.45 mA h cm(-2) was achieved after 120 cycles. This work develops a promising approach to building reliable 3D nanostructured electrodes for high-performance lithium ion batteries.

A Study of E+A Galaxies Through SDSS-MaNGA Integral Field Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wally, Muhammad; Weaver, Olivia A.; Anderson, Miguel Ricardo; Liu, Allen; Falcone, Julia; Wallack, Nicole Lisa; James, Olivia; Liu, Charles

2017-01-01

We outline the selection process and analysis of sixteen E+A galaxies observed by the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at the Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey as a part of the fourth generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-IV). We present their Integral field spectroscopy and analyze their spatial distribution of stellar ages, metallicities and other stellar population properties. We can potentially study the variation in these properties as a function of redshift. This work was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation via the SDSS-IV Faculty and Student Team (FAST) initiative, ARC Agreement #SSP483 to the CUNY College of Staten Island. This work was also supported by grants to The American Museum of Natural History, and the CUNY College of Staten Island through The National Science Foundation.

Palaeopole for the 69 Ma Prospector Mountain stock: a critique of the Carmacks/`Baja BC' transport estimate for Yukon, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symons, D. T. A.; Kawasaki, K.; McCausland, P. J. A.; Hart, C. J. R.

2017-01-01

The 69 Ma Prospector Mountain stock is located in southwestern Yukon in the northern Canadian Cordillera. This massive monzonite-syenogranite stock is thought to be the intrusive volcanic centre for the surrounding coeval Carmacks Group volcanics. Anomalous palaeomagnetic data from these volcanics have provided the only evidence for the commonly posited hypothesis that the Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTT) was part of the far-travelled (1950 ± 600 km northward) `Baja BC' terrane from 70 to 50 Ma. All other geologic evidence and averaged palaeomagnetic data support a northward displacement of ˜415 ± 15 km. This study provides a direct test of the Carmacks volcanics' estimate and examines the possible causes of its anomalous results. Both the stock and volcanics are unmetamorphosed and rest unconformably on metamorphosed basement rocks of the YTT. Palaeomagnetic and mineral magnetic results from 17 of 19 tested sites (218 specimens) in the Prospector stock and its peripheral skarn isolated a stable thermoremanent magnetization (TRM) in magnetite or low-Ti titanomagnetite that was mostly determined on demagnetization between temperatures of 500 and 580 °C. The TRM has a direction of Decl. = 8.3°, Incl. = 82.4° (N = 17, k = 71.9, α95 = 4.2°), providing a non-significant northwards translation estimate of 70 ± 880 km for the YTT. The normal-polarity TRM direction at Prospector Mountain provides a highly significant palaeomagnetic reversals test with the reversed-polarity TRM of the 70 Ma Swede Dome stock, another volcanic centre of the Carmacks Group about 190 km to the north. The test affirms to a high probability that both stocks carry primary TRMs and have not been tectonically tilted significantly since emplacement. Combining the palaeopoles for these two stocks with that for the 75 Ma Mount Lorne volcanic centre stock about 210 km south of Prospector Mountain yields a combined northward translation estimate of 330 ± 400 km for the YTT since ˜71 Ma. This estimate agrees closely with the 415 ± 15 km estimate from geological constraints on strike-slip motion along the inboard Tintina fault zone since ˜70 Ma, and with the palaeomagnetic estimate of 650 ± 450 km northward since ˜108 Ma from four mid-Cretaceous batholiths. In contrast, the palaeomagnetic directions from four areas of the ˜70 Ma Carmacks volcanics are poorly clustered. Nonetheless their estimates of ˜1900 km northward have been used for a quarter of a century to support a far-travelled `Baja BC' tectonic model for the YTT. This paper discusses and concludes that the anomalous far-travelled estimates from the Carmacks volcanics are attributable to the unfortunate additive effects of inadequate averaging of secular variation, dipole offset error, unrecognized primary dip and other possible causes.

Multiaxis Thrust-Vectoring Characteristics of a Model Representative of the F-18 High-Alpha Research Vehicle at Angles of Attack From 0 deg to 70 deg

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asbury, Scott C.; Capone, Francis J.

1995-01-01

An investigation was conducted in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel to determine the multiaxis thrust-vectoring characteristics of the F-18 High-Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV). A wingtip supported, partially metric, 0.10-scale jet-effects model of an F-18 prototype aircraft was modified with hardware to simulate the thrust-vectoring control system of the HARV. Testing was conducted at free-stream Mach numbers ranging from 0.30 to 0.70, at angles of attack from O' to 70', and at nozzle pressure ratios from 1.0 to approximately 5.0. Results indicate that the thrust-vectoring control system of the HARV can successfully generate multiaxis thrust-vectoring forces and moments. During vectoring, resultant thrust vector angles were always less than the corresponding geometric vane deflection angle and were accompanied by large thrust losses. Significant external flow effects that were dependent on Mach number and angle of attack were noted during vectoring operation. Comparisons of the aerodynamic and propulsive control capabilities of the HARV configuration indicate that substantial gains in controllability are provided by the multiaxis thrust-vectoring control system.

MaNIDA: an operational infrastructure for shipborne data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macario, Ana; Scientific MaNIDA Team

2013-04-01

The Marine Network for Integrated Data Access (MaNIDA) aims to build a sustainable e-Infrastruture to support discovery and re-use of data archived in a distributed network of data providers in Germany (see related abstracts in session ESSI1.2 and session ESSI2.2). Because one of the primary focus of MaNIDA is the underway data acquired on board of German academic research vessels, we will be addressing various issues related to cruise-level metadata, shiptrack navigation, sampling events conducted during the cruise (event logs), standardization of device-related (type, name, parameters) and place-related (gazetteer) vocabularies, QA/QC procedures (near real time and post-cruise validation, corrections, quality flags) as well as ingestion and management of contextual information (e.g. various types of cruise-related reports and project-related information). One of MaNIDA's long-term goal is to be able to offer an integrative "one-stop-shop" framework for management and access of ship-related information based on international standards and interoperability. This access framework will be freely available and is intended for scientists, funding agencies and the public. The master "catalog" we are building currently contains information from 13 German academic research vessels and respective cruises (to date ~1900 cruises with expected growing rate of ~150 cruises annually). Moreover, MaNIDA's operational infrastructure will additionally provide a direct pipeline to SeaDataNet Cruise Summary Report Inventory, among others. In this presentation, we will focus on the extensions we are currently implementing to support automated acquisition and standardized transfer of various types of data from German research vessels to hosts on land. Our concept towards nationwide common QA/QC procedures for various types of underway data (including versioning concept) and common workflows will also be presented. The "linking" of cruise-related information with quality-controlled data and data products (e.g., digital terrain models), publications, cruise-related reports, people and other contextual information will be additionally shown in the framework of a prototype for R.V. Polarstern.

Breast cancer risk assessment and diagnosis model using fuzzy support vector machine based expert system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dheeba, J.; Jaya, T.; Singh, N. Albert

2017-09-01

Classification of cancerous masses is a challenging task in many computerised detection systems. Cancerous masses are difficult to detect because these masses are obscured and subtle in mammograms. This paper investigates an intelligent classifier - fuzzy support vector machine (FSVM) applied to classify the tissues containing masses on mammograms for breast cancer diagnosis. The algorithm utilises texture features extracted using Laws texture energy measures and a FSVM to classify the suspicious masses. The new FSVM treats every feature as both normal and abnormal samples, but with different membership. By this way, the new FSVM have more generalisation ability to classify the masses in mammograms. The classifier analysed 219 clinical mammograms collected from breast cancer screening laboratory. The tests made on the real clinical mammograms shows that the proposed detection system has better discriminating power than the conventional support vector machine. With the best combination of FSVM and Laws texture features, the area under the Receiver operating characteristic curve reached .95, which corresponds to a sensitivity of 93.27% with a specificity of 87.17%. The results suggest that detecting masses using FSVM contribute to computer-aided detection of breast cancer and as a decision support system for radiologists.

Foamy Virus Vector Carries a Strong Insulator in Its Long Terminal Repeat Which Reduces Its Genotoxic Potential

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Strong viral enhancers in gammaretrovirus vectors have caused cellular proto-oncogene activation and leukemia, necessitating the use of cellular promoters in “enhancerless” self-inactivating integrating vectors. However, cellular promoters result in relatively low transgene expression, often leading to inadequate disease phenotype correction. Vectors derived from foamy virus, a nonpathogenic retrovirus, show higher preference for nongenic integrations than gammaretroviruses/lentiviruses and preferential integration near transcriptional start sites, like gammaretroviruses. We found that strong viral enhancers/promoters placed in foamy viral vectors caused extremely low immortalization of primary mouse hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells compared to analogous gammaretrovirus/lentivirus vectors carrying the same enhancers/promoters, an effect not explained solely by foamy virus' modest insertional site preference for nongenic regions compared to gammaretrovirus/lentivirus vectors. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted insertion of analogous proviral sequences into the LMO2 gene and then measuring LMO2 expression, we demonstrate a sequence-specific effect of foamy virus, independent of insertional bias, contributing to reduced genotoxicity. We show that this effect is mediated by a 36-bp insulator located in the foamy virus long terminal repeat (LTR) that has high-affinity binding to the CCCTC-binding factor. Using our LMO2 activation assay, LMO2 expression was significantly increased when this insulator was removed from foamy virus and significantly reduced when the insulator was inserted into the lentiviral LTR. Our results elucidate a mechanism underlying the low genotoxicity of foamy virus, identify a novel insulator, and support the use of foamy virus as a vector for gene therapy, especially when strong enhancers/promoters are required. IMPORTANCE Understanding the genotoxic potential of viral vectors is important in designing safe and efficacious vectors for gene therapy. Self-inactivating vectors devoid of viral long-terminal-repeat enhancers have proven safe; however, transgene expression from cellular promoters is often insufficient for full phenotypic correction. Foamy virus is an attractive vector for gene therapy. We found foamy virus vectors to be remarkably less genotoxic, well below what was expected from their integration site preferences. We demonstrate that the foamy virus long terminal repeats contain an insulator element that binds CCCTC-binding factor and reduces its insertional genotoxicity. Our study elucidates a mechanism behind the low genotoxic potential of foamy virus, identifies a unique insulator, and supports the use of foamy virus as a vector for gene therapy. PMID:29046446

Diagnosing collisions of magnetized, high energy density plasma flows using a combination of collective Thomson scattering, Faraday rotation, and interferometry (invited).

PubMed

Swadling, G F; Lebedev, S V; Hall, G N; Patankar, S; Stewart, N H; Smith, R A; Harvey-Thompson, A J; Burdiak, G C; de Grouchy, P; Skidmore, J; Suttle, L; Suzuki-Vidal, F; Bland, S N; Kwek, K H; Pickworth, L; Bennett, M; Hare, J D; Rozmus, W; Yuan, J

2014-11-01

A suite of laser based diagnostics is used to study interactions of magnetised, supersonic, radiatively cooled plasma flows produced using the Magpie pulse power generator (1.4 MA, 240 ns rise time). Collective optical Thomson scattering measures the time-resolved local flow velocity and temperature across 7-14 spatial positions. The scattering spectrum is recorded from multiple directions, allowing more accurate reconstruction of the flow velocity vectors. The areal electron density is measured using 2D interferometry; optimisation and analysis are discussed. The Faraday rotation diagnostic, operating at 1053 nm, measures the magnetic field distribution in the plasma. Measurements obtained simultaneously by these diagnostics are used to constrain analysis, increasing the accuracy of interpretation.

Hybrid Model Based on Genetic Algorithms and SVM Applied to Variable Selection within Fruit Juice Classification

PubMed Central

Fernandez-Lozano, C.; Canto, C.; Gestal, M.; Andrade-Garda, J. M.; Rabuñal, J. R.; Dorado, J.; Pazos, A.

2013-01-01

Given the background of the use of Neural Networks in problems of apple juice classification, this paper aim at implementing a newly developed method in the field of machine learning: the Support Vector Machines (SVM). Therefore, a hybrid model that combines genetic algorithms and support vector machines is suggested in such a way that, when using SVM as a fitness function of the Genetic Algorithm (GA), the most representative variables for a specific classification problem can be selected. PMID:24453933

Predicting healthcare associated infections using patients' experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pratt, Michael A.; Chu, Henry

2016-05-01

Healthcare associated infections (HAI) are a major threat to patient safety and are costly to health systems. Our goal is to predict the HAI performance of a hospital using the patients' experience responses as input. We use four classifiers, viz. random forest, naive Bayes, artificial feedforward neural networks, and the support vector machine, to perform the prediction of six types of HAI. The six types include blood stream, urinary tract, surgical site, and intestinal infections. Experiments show that the random forest and support vector machine perform well across the six types of HAI.

Support Services for Higher Degree Research Students: A Survey of Three Australian Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Pujitha; Woodman, Karen; Taji, Acram; Travelyan, James; Samani, Shamim; Sharda, Hema; Narayanaswamy, Ramesh; Lucey, Anthony; Sahama, Tony; Yarlagadda, Prasad K. D. V.

2016-01-01

A survey was conducted across three Australian universities to identify the types and format of support services available for higher degree research (HDR, or MA and Ph.D.) students. The services were classified with regards to availability, location and accessibility. A comparative tool was developed to help institutions categorise their services…

Late Cenozoic Colorado River Incision and Implications for Neogene Uplift of the Colorado Rockies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslan, A.; Karlstrom, K. E.; Kirby, E.; Heizler, M. T.

2012-12-01

Basalt flows and volcanic ashes serve as a datum for calculating post-10 Ma river incision rates in western Colorado. The main picture that emerges from the data is one of regional variability of incision rates, which we hypothesize to reflect differential uplift of the Colorado Rockies during the Neogene. Maximum rates (90-180 m/Ma) and magnitudes (750-1500 m) of river incision are recorded between Grand Mesa and Glenwood Canyon, and in the Flat Tops. Minimum rates (<30 m/Ma) and magnitudes (<250 m) of river incision are associated post-Laramide normal faults within the Browns Park-Sand Wash basin in northwestern Colorado and in Middle Park of north-central Colorado. Differential uplift of the Colorado Rockies during the late Cenozoic can be inferred by comparing incision rates and magnitudes at locations upstream and downstream of knickzones. Along the Colorado River, post-10 Ma incision rates and magnitudes incision remain fairly constant (rates >100 m/Ma; magnitudes >1000 m) from Grand Mesa upstream to Gore Canyon, and then decrease markedly in Middle Park (rates <10 m/Ma; magnitudes <100 m) across the Gore Canyon knickzone. Normal-faulting of ca. 10 Ma deposits in Middle Park shows that incision rate variations partly reflect late Cenozoic faulting. Along the Yampa River, post-10 Ma incision rates and magnitudes are low (rates 15-27 m/Ma; magnitudes < 230 m) immediately upstream of Yampa Canyon, and then increase significantly (rates 96-132 m/Ma; magnitudes ~1250 m) upstream near the headwaters. We interpret this upstream increase in river incision rate and magnitude to reflect Neogene uplift of the Yampa River headwaters relative to its lower reaches. Lastly, differential late Cenozoic uplift of the Colorado Rockies is suggested by differences in the timing of regional exhumation and river incision within different drainage basins. Colorado River incision and regional exhumation occurred between 9.8 and 7.8 Ma. In contrast, Yampa River incision began between 8 and 6 Ma. Because incision in both the Colorado and Yampa River systems began prior to integration of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon, it is plausible that differences in the timing of river incision in the upper Colorado Basin are related to Neogene differential uplift. Assuming river incision and rock uplift magnitudes are subequal, flexural isostatic modeling suggests that isostatic adjustments account for only 33-50% of the post-10 Ma rock uplift recorded in western Colorado, and that there has been 0.75 to 1.0 km of post-10 Ma epeirogenic rock uplift. Areas with the largest magnitudes of post-10 Ma rock uplift generally overlie areas of basaltic magmatism and anomalously low mantle P-wave velocities. We support the hypothesis that mantle buoyancy has produced 0.75-1.0 km of Neogene uplift of the Colorado Rockies.

Expansion of postoperative pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum: determining when it is safe to fly.

PubMed

Szymanski, Trevor J; Jaklitsch, Michael T; Jacobson, Francine; Mullen, Gary J; Ferrigno, Massimo

2010-04-01

The possibility of expansion of pneumothorax (PTX) and/or pneumomediastinum (PMED) during commercial flights makes air travel after thoracic surgery particularly worrisome. Guidelines from the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) suggest delaying air travel 2 to 3 wk following uncomplicated thoracic surgery and 1 wk following radiographic resolution of PTX; they also state that PTX is an "absolute contraindication" to air travel. However, both AsMA guidelines and thoracic surgeons' recommendations for postoperative air travel require further examination. We reviewed the literature looking for evidence supporting official guidelines and conducted a survey of U.S. thoracic surgeons about their recommendations for air travel by patients with postoperative PTX and/or PMED. We found no experimental evidence supporting the AsMA guidelines. Of the 68 thoracic surgeons who returned our questionnaire, 44% recommended that patients wait variable periods of time of up to 42 d (13.8 +/- 11.6 d) following complete resolution of PTX prior to air travel, while 46% of them allowed their patients to fly with some degree of PTX. Following mediastinoscopy, 76.9% of the surgeons allowed their patients to fly without delay, even with PMED. The only adverse in-flight event reported was a case of thoracic pain during ascent. A wide variability exists among thoracic surgeons regarding their recommendations for air travel by patients with postoperative PTX and/or PMED. Both AsMA guidelines and surgeons' recommendations should rely more on scientific evidence. Studies of PTX and PMED expansion during simulated flight are needed to develop better guidelines.

Effective robotic assistive pattern of treadmill training for spinal cord injury in a rat model

PubMed Central

Zhao, Bo-Lun; Li, Wen-Tao; Zhou, Xiao-Hua; Wu, Su-Qian; Cao, Hong-Shi; Bao, Zhu-Ren; An, Li-Bin

2018-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to establish an effective robotic assistive stepping pattern of body-weight-supported treadmill training based on a rat spinal cord injury (SCI) model and assess the effect by comparing this with another frequently used assistive stepping pattern. The recorded stepping patterns of both hind limbs of trained intact rats were edited to establish a 30-sec playback normal rat stepping pattern (NRSP). Step features (step length, step height, step number and swing duration), BBB scores, latencies, and amplitudes of the transcranial electrical motor-evoked potentials (tceMEPs) and neurofilament 200 (NF200) expression in the spinal cord lesion area during and after 3 weeks of body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) were compared in rats with spinal contusion receiving NRSP assistance (NRSPA) and those that received manual assistance (MA). Hind limb stepping performance among rats receiving NRSPA during BWSTT was greater than that among rats receiving MA in terms of longer step length, taller step height, and longer swing duration. Furthermore a higher BBB score was also indicated. The rats in the NRSPA group achieved superior results in the tceMEPs assessment and greater NF200 expression in the spinal cord lesion area compared with the rats in the MA group. These findings suggest NRSPA was an effective assistive pattern of treadmill training compared with MA based on the rat SCI model and this approach could be used as a new platform for animal experiments for better understanding the mechanisms of SCI rehabilitation. PMID:29545846

Hominin track assemblages from Okote Member deposits near Ileret, Kenya, and their implications for understanding fossil hominin paleobiology at 1.5 Ma.

PubMed

Hatala, Kevin G; Roach, Neil T; Ostrofsky, Kelly R; Wunderlich, Roshna E; Dingwall, Heather L; Villmoare, Brian A; Green, David J; Braun, David R; Harris, John W K; Behrensmeyer, Anna K; Richmond, Brian G

2017-11-01

Tracks can provide unique, direct records of behaviors of fossil organisms moving across their landscapes millions of years ago. While track discoveries have been rare in the human fossil record, over the last decade our team has uncovered multiple sediment surfaces within the Okote Member of the Koobi Fora Formation near Ileret, Kenya that contain large assemblages of ∼1.5 Ma fossil hominin tracks. Here, we provide detailed information on the context and nature of each of these discoveries, and we outline the specific data that are preserved on the Ileret hominin track surfaces. We analyze previously unpublished data to refine and expand upon earlier hypotheses regarding implications for hominin anatomy and social behavior. While each of the track surfaces discovered at Ileret preserves a different amount of data that must be handled in particular ways, general patterns are evident. Overall, the analyses presented here support earlier interpretations of the ∼1.5 Ma Ileret track assemblages, providing further evidence of large, human-like body sizes and possibly evidence of a group composition that could support the emergence of certain human-like patterns of social behavior. These data, used in concert with other forms of paleontological and archaeological evidence that are deposited on different temporal scales, offer unique windows through which we can broaden our understanding of the paleobiology of hominins living in East Africa at ∼1.5 Ma. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Psychometric and Clinimetric Properties of the Melbourne Assessment 2 in Children With Cerebral Palsy.

PubMed

Wang, Tien-Ni; Liang, Kai-Jie; Liu, Yi-Chia; Shieh, Jeng-Yi; Chen, Hao-Ling

2017-09-01

To examine the psychometric and clinimetric properties of the Melbourne Assessment 2 (MA2), an outcome measurement that is increasingly used in clinical studies. Psychometric and clinimetric study. Community. Seventeen children with cerebral palsy (CP) from 5 to 12 years were recruited for the estimation of the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC). Thirty-five children with CP were recruited to receive an 8-week intensive neurorehabilitation intervention to estimate the validity, responsiveness, and minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Thirty-five children with CP received upper limb neurorehabilitation programs for 8 weeks. The MA2 and the criterion measures, including the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition (BOT-2), the Box and Blocks Test (BBT), and the Pediatric Motor Activity Log-Revised (PMAL-R), were evaluated at pretreatment and posttreatment. The MA2 has 4 subscales: range of motion, fluency, accuracy, and dexterity. The test-retest reliability of the MA2 is high (intraclass correlation coefficient, .92-.98). The significant relationships between the MA2 and BBT, BOT-2, and PMAL-R support its validity. The significance of paired t test results (P<.001) and large magnitudes of the standardized response mean (1.70-2.00) confirm the responsiveness of the MA2. The MDC values of the 4 subscales of the MA2 are 2.85, 1.63, 1.97, and 1.84, respectively, and the suggested MCID values of these 4 subscales are 2.35, 3.20, 2.09, and 2.22, respectively, indicating the minimum scores of improvement to be interpreted as both statistically significant and clinically important. The study findings indicate that the MA2 has sound psychometric and clinimetric properties and is thus an adequate measurement for research and clinical applications. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vector control activities: Fiscal Year, 1986

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

Not Available

1987-04-01

The program is divided into two major components - operations and support studies. The support studies are designed to improve the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the control program and to identify other vector control problems requiring TVA attention and study. Nonchemical methods of control are emphasized and are supplemented with chemical measures as needed. TVA also cooperates with various concerned municipalities in identifying blood-sucking arthropod pest problems and demonstrating control techniques useful in establishing abatement programs, and provides technical assistance to other TVA programs and organizations. The program also helps Land Between The Lakes (LBL) plan and conduct vectormore » control operations and tick control research. Specific program control activities and support studies are discussed.« less

A Fully Integrated Sensor SoC with Digital Calibration Hardware and Wireless Transceiver at 2.4 GHz

PubMed Central

Kim, Dong-Sun; Jang, Sung-Joon; Hwang, Tae-Ho

2013-01-01

A single-chip sensor system-on-a-chip (SoC) that implements radio for 2.4 GHz, complete digital baseband physical layer (PHY), 10-bit sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter and dedicated sensor calibration hardware for industrial sensing systems has been proposed and integrated in a 0.18-μm CMOS technology. The transceiver's building block includes a low-noise amplifier, mixer, channel filter, receiver signal-strength indicator, frequency synthesizer, voltage-controlled oscillator, and power amplifier. In addition, the digital building block consists of offset quadrature phase-shift keying (OQPSK) modulation, demodulation, carrier frequency offset compensation, auto-gain control, digital MAC function, sensor calibration hardware and embedded 8-bit microcontroller. The digital MAC function supports cyclic redundancy check (CRC), inter-symbol timing check, MAC frame control, and automatic retransmission. The embedded sensor signal processing block consists of calibration coefficient calculator, sensing data calibration mapper and sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter with digital decimation filter. The sensitivity of the overall receiver and the error vector magnitude (EVM) of the overall transmitter are −99 dBm and 18.14%, respectively. The proposed calibration scheme has a reduction of errors by about 45.4% compared with the improved progressive polynomial calibration (PPC) method and the maximum current consumption of the SoC is 16 mA. PMID:23698271

Multicomponent ionic liquid CMC prediction.

PubMed

Kłosowska-Chomiczewska, I E; Artichowicz, W; Preiss, U; Jungnickel, C

2017-09-27

We created a model to predict CMC of ILs based on 704 experimental values published in 43 publications since 2000. Our model was able to predict CMC of variety of ILs in binary or ternary system in a presence of salt or alcohol. The molecular volume of IL (V m ), solvent-accessible surface (Ŝ), solvation enthalpy (Δ solv G ∞ ), concentration of salt (C s ) or alcohol (C a ) and their molecular volumes (V ms and V ma , respectively) were chosen as descriptors, and Kernel Support Vector Machine (KSVM) and Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) as regression methodologies to create the models. Data was split into training and validation set (80/20) and subjected to bootstrap aggregation. KSVM provided better fit with average R 2 of 0.843, and MSE of 0.608, whereas EA resulted in R 2 of 0.794 and MSE of 0.973. From the sensitivity analysis it was shown that V m and Ŝ have the highest impact on ILs micellization in both binary and ternary systems, however surprisingly in the presence of alcohol the V m becomes insignificant/irrelevant. Micelle stabilizing or destabilizing influence of the descriptors depends upon the additives. Previous attempts at modelling the CMC of ILs was generally limited to small number of ILs in simplified (binary) systems. We however showed successful prediction of the CMC over a range of different systems (binary and ternary).

Detection of distorted frames in retinal video-sequences via machine learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolar, Radim; Liberdova, Ivana; Odstrcilik, Jan; Hracho, Michal; Tornow, Ralf P.

2017-07-01

This paper describes detection of distorted frames in retinal sequences based on set of global features extracted from each frame. The feature vector is consequently used in classification step, in which three types of classifiers are tested. The best classification accuracy 96% has been achieved with support vector machine approach.

Using the Relevance Vector Machine Model Combined with Local Phase Quantization to Predict Protein-Protein Interactions from Protein Sequences.

PubMed

An, Ji-Yong; Meng, Fan-Rong; You, Zhu-Hong; Fang, Yu-Hong; Zhao, Yu-Jun; Zhang, Ming

2016-01-01

We propose a novel computational method known as RVM-LPQ that combines the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) model and Local Phase Quantization (LPQ) to predict PPIs from protein sequences. The main improvements are the results of representing protein sequences using the LPQ feature representation on a Position Specific Scoring Matrix (PSSM), reducing the influence of noise using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and using a Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) based classifier. We perform 5-fold cross-validation experiments on Yeast and Human datasets, and we achieve very high accuracies of 92.65% and 97.62%, respectively, which is significantly better than previous works. To further evaluate the proposed method, we compare it with the state-of-the-art support vector machine (SVM) classifier on the Yeast dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that our RVM-LPQ method is obviously better than the SVM-based method. The promising experimental results show the efficiency and simplicity of the proposed method, which can be an automatic decision support tool for future proteomics research.

Study on vibration characteristics and fault diagnosis method of oil-immersed flat wave reactor in Arctic area converter station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Wenqing; Wang, Yuandong; Li, Wenpeng; Sun, Guang; Qu, Guomin; Cui, Shigang; Li, Mengke; Wang, Yongqiang

2017-10-01

Based on long term vibration monitoring of the No.2 oil-immersed fat wave reactor in the ±500kV converter station in East Mongolia, the vibration signals in normal state and in core loose fault state were saved. Through the time-frequency analysis of the signals, the vibration characteristics of the core loose fault were obtained, and a fault diagnosis method based on the dual tree complex wavelet (DT-CWT) and support vector machine (SVM) was proposed. The vibration signals were analyzed by DT-CWT, and the energy entropy of the vibration signals were taken as the feature vector; the support vector machine was used to train and test the feature vector, and the accurate identification of the core loose fault of the flat wave reactor was realized. Through the identification of many groups of normal and core loose fault state vibration signals, the diagnostic accuracy of the result reached 97.36%. The effectiveness and accuracy of the method in the fault diagnosis of the flat wave reactor core is verified.

Dual inhibition of Met kinase and angiogenesis to overcome HGF-induced EGFR-TKI resistance in EGFR mutant lung cancer.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Shinji; Wang, Wei; Li, Qi; Yamada, Tadaaki; Kita, Kenji; Donev, Ivan S; Nakamura, Takahiro; Matsumoto, Kunio; Shimizu, Eiji; Nishioka, Yasuhiko; Sone, Saburo; Nakagawa, Takayuki; Uenaka, Toshimitsu; Yano, Seiji

2012-09-01

Acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is a serious problem in the management of EGFR mutant lung cancer. We recently reported that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) induces resistance to EGFR-TKIs by activating the Met/PI3K pathway. HGF is also known to induce angiogenesis in cooperation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is an important therapeutic target in lung cancer. Therefore, we hypothesized that dual inhibition of HGF and VEGF may be therapeutically useful for controlling HGF-induced EGFR-TKI-resistant lung cancer. We found that a dual Met/VEGF receptor 2 kinase inhibitor, E7050, circumvented HGF-induced EGFR-TKI resistance in EGFR mutant lung cancer cell lines by inhibiting the Met/Gab1/PI3K/Akt pathway in vitro. HGF stimulated VEGF production by activation of the Met/Gab1 signaling pathway in EGFR mutant lung cancer cell lines, and E7050 showed an inhibitory effect. In a xenograft model, tumors produced by HGF-transfected Ma-1 (Ma-1/HGF) cells were more angiogenic than vector control tumors and showed resistance to gefitinib. E7050 alone inhibited angiogenesis and retarded growth of Ma-1/HGF tumors. E7050 combined with gefitinib induced marked regression of tumor growth. Moreover, dual inhibition of HGF and VEGF by neutralizing antibodies combined with gefitinib also markedly regressed tumor growth. These results indicate the therapeutic rationale of dual targeting of HGF-Met and VEGF-VEGF receptor 2 for overcoming HGF-induced EGFR-TKI resistance in EGFR mutant lung cancer. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How do long-offset oceanic transforms adapt to plate motion changes? The example of the Western Pacific-Antarctic plate boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lodolo, Emanuele; Coren, Franco; Ben-Avraham, Zvi

2013-03-01

Oceanic transform faults respond to changes in the direction of relative plate motion. Studies have shown that short-offset transforms generally adjust with slight bends near the ridge axis, while long-offset ones have a remarkably different behavior. The western Pacific-Antarctic plate boundary highlights these differences. A set of previously unpublished seismic profiles, in combination with magnetic anomaly identifications, shows how across a former, ~1250 km long transform (the Emerald Fracture Zone), plate motion changes have produced a complex geometric readjustment. Three distinct sections are recognized along this plate boundary: an eastern section, characterized by parallel, multiple fault strand lineaments; a central section, shallower than the rest of the ridge system, overprinted by a mantle plume track; and a western section, organized in a cascade of short spreading axes/transform lineaments. This configuration was produced by changes that occurred since 30 Ma in the Australia-Pacific relative plate motion, combined with a gradual clockwise change in Pacific-Antarctic plate motion. These events caused extension along the former Emerald Fracture Zone, originally linking the Pacific-Antarctic spreading ridge system with the Southeast Indian ridge. Then an intra-transform propagating ridge started to develop in response to a ~6 Ma change in the Pacific-Antarctic spreading direction. The close proximity of the Euler poles of rotation amplified the effects of the geometric readjustments that occurred along the transform system. This analysis shows that when a long-offset transform older than 20 Ma is pulled apart by changes in spreading velocity vectors, it responds with the development of multiple discrete, parallel fault strands, whereas in younger lithosphere, locally modified by thermal anisotropies, tensional stresses generate an array of spreading axes offset by closely spaced transforms.

Orthogonal vector algorithm to obtain the solar vector using the single-scattering Rayleigh model.

PubMed

Wang, Yinlong; Chu, Jinkui; Zhang, Ran; Shi, Chao

2018-02-01

Information obtained from a polarization pattern in the sky provides many animals like insects and birds with vital long-distance navigation cues. The solar vector can be derived from the polarization pattern using the single-scattering Rayleigh model. In this paper, an orthogonal vector algorithm, which utilizes the redundancy of the single-scattering Rayleigh model, is proposed. We use the intersection angles between the polarization vectors as the main criteria in our algorithm. The assumption that all polarization vectors can be considered coplanar is used to simplify the three-dimensional (3D) problem with respect to the polarization vectors in our simulation. The surface-normal vector of the plane, which is determined by the polarization vectors after translation, represents the solar vector. Unfortunately, the two-directionality of the polarization vectors makes the resulting solar vector ambiguous. One important result of this study is, however, that this apparent disadvantage has no effect on the complexity of the algorithm. Furthermore, two other universal least-squares algorithms were investigated and compared. A device was then constructed, which consists of five polarized-light sensors as well as a 3D attitude sensor. Both the simulation and experimental data indicate that the orthogonal vector algorithms, if used with a suitable threshold, perform equally well or better than the other two algorithms. Our experimental data reveal that if the intersection angles between the polarization vectors are close to 90°, the solar-vector angle deviations are small. The data also support the assumption of coplanarity. During the 51 min experiment, the mean of the measured solar-vector angle deviations was about 0.242°, as predicted by our theoretical model.

Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and whole-rock Nd-isotope constraints on sediment provenance in the Neoproterozoic Sergipano orogen, Brazil: From early passive margins to late foreland basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, E. P.; McNaughton, N. J.; Windley, B. F.; Carvalho, M. J.; Nascimento, R. S.

2015-11-01

SHRIMP U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology and depleted-mantle Nd-model ages of clastic rocks were combined to understand the sediment provenance in the Neoproterozoic Sergipano Belt. The Sergipano is the main orogenic belt between the Borborema province and the São Francisco Craton, eastern South America; it is divisible into several lithostratigraphic domains from North to South: Canindé, Poço Redondo-Marancó, Macururé, Vaza Barris, and Estância. Nd model ages (TDM) and detrital zircon U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology indicate that the protoliths of clastic metasedimentary rocks from the Marancó and Macururé domains were mostly derived from eroded late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic rocks (1000-900 Ma), whereas detritus of similar rocks from the Canindé domain came from a younger source (ca. 700 Ma and 1000 Ma). Samples from the Vaza Barris domain show the greatest scatter of both TDM and zircon ages amongst all domains, but with important contributions from Proterozoic sources (690-1050 Ma and ca. 2100 Ma) and less from Archaean sources. The Estância domain samples have zircon population peaks at 570 Ma, 600 Ma, and 920-980 Ma, with a few older grains; one diamictite contains only ca. 2150 Ma zircon grains. Our preliminary results support a model in which sediments of the Marancó and Macururé domains were deposited on a continental margin of the ancient Borborema plate before its collision with the São Francisco Craton; the Canindé domain is likely to be an aborted Neoproterozoic rift assemblage within the southern part of the Borborema plate (Pernambuco-Alagoas massif). The basal units of the Vaza Barris and Estância domains have clast sources from the São Francisco Craton and are best interpreted as passive margin sediments. However, the uppermost units of the Estância and Vaza Barris domains come from foreland basins formed during collision of Borborema plate with the São Francisco Craton.

Link between SSZ ophiolite formation, emplacement and arc inception, Northland, New Zealand: U Pb SHRIMP constraints; Cenozoic SW Pacific tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whattam, Scott A.; Malpas, John; Smith, Ian E. M.; Ali, Jason R.

2006-10-01

New U-Pb age-data from zircons separated from a Northland ophiolite gabbro yield a mean 206Pb/ 238U age of 31.6 ± 0.2 Ma, providing support for a recently determined 28.3 ± 0.2 Ma SHRIMP age of an associated plagiogranite and ˜ 29-26 Ma 40Ar/ 39Ar ages ( n = 9) of basalts of the ophiolite. Elsewhere, Miocene arc-related calc-alkaline andesite dikes which intrude the ophiolitic rocks contain zircons which yield mean 206Pb/ 238U ages of 20.1 ± 0.2 and 19.8 ± 0.2 Ma. The ophiolite gabbro and the andesites both contain rare inherited zircons ranging from 122-104 Ma. The Early Cretaceous zircons in the arc andesites are interpreted as xenocrysts from the Mt. Camel basement terrane through which magmas of the Northland Miocene arc lavas erupted. The inherited zircons in the ophiolite gabbros suggest that a small fraction of this basement was introduced into the suboceanic mantle by subduction and mixed with mantle melts during ophiolite formation. We postulate that the tholeiitic suite of the ophiolite represents the crustal segment of SSZ lithosphere (SSZL) generated in the southern South Fiji Basin (SFB) at a northeast-dipping subduction zone that was initiated at about 35 Ma. The subduction zone nucleated along a pre-existing transform boundary separating circa 45-20 Ma oceanic lithosphere to the north and west of the Northland Peninsula from nascent back arc basin lithosphere of the SFB. Construction of the SSZL propagated southward along the transform boundary as the SFB continued to unzip to the southeast. After subduction of a large portion of oceanic lithosphere by about 26 Ma and collision of the SSZL with New Zealand, compression between the Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate was taken up along a new southwest-dipping subduction zone behind the SSZL. Renewed volcanism began in the oceanic forearc at 25 Ma producing boninitic-like, SSZ and within-plate alkalic and calc-alkaline rocks. Rocks of these types temporally overlap ophiolite emplacement and subsequent Miocene continental arc construction.

Intensity dependent effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on corticospinal excitability in chronic spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Murray, Lynda M; Edwards, Dylan J; Ruffini, Giulio; Labar, Douglas; Stampas, Argyrios; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Cortes, Mar

2015-04-01

To investigate the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) intensity on corticospinal excitability and affected muscle activation in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). Single-blind, randomized, sham-controlled, crossover study. Medical research institute and rehabilitation hospital. Volunteers (N = 9) with chronic SCI and motor dysfunction in wrist extensor muscles. Three single session exposures to 20 minutes of a-tDCS (anode over the extensor carpi radialis [ECR] muscle representation on the left primary motor cortex, cathode over the right supraorbital area) using 1 mA, 2 mA, or sham stimulation, delivered at rest, with at least 1 week between sessions. Corticospinal excitability was assessed with motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) from the ECR muscle using surface electromyography after transcranial magnetic stimulation. Changes in spinal excitability, sensory threshold, and muscle strength were also investigated. Mean MEP amplitude significantly increased by approximately 40% immediately after 2mA a-tDCS (pre: 0.36 ± 0.1 mV; post: 0.47 ± 0.11 mV; P = .001), but not with 1 mA or sham. Maximal voluntary contraction measures remained unaltered across all conditions. Sensory threshold significantly decreased over time after 1mA (P = .002) and 2mA (P = .039) a-tDCS and did not change with sham. F-wave persistence showed a nonsignificant trend for increase (pre: 32% ± 12%; post: 41% ± 10%; follow-up: 46% ± 12%) after 2 mA stimulation. No adverse effects were reported with any of the experimental conditions. The a-tDCS can transiently raise corticospinal excitability to affected muscles in patients with chronic SCI after 2 mA stimulation. Sensory perception can improve with both 1 and 2 mA stimulation. This study gives support to the safe and effective use of a-tDCS using small electrodes in patients with SCI and highlights the importance of stimulation intensity. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feature selection using a one dimensional naïve Bayes’ classifier increases the accuracy of support vector machine classification of CDR3 repertoires

PubMed Central

Cinelli, Mattia; Sun, , Yuxin; Best, Katharine; Heather, James M.; Reich-Zeliger, Shlomit; Shifrut, Eric; Friedman, Nir; Shawe-Taylor, John; Chain, Benny

2017-01-01

Abstract Motivation: Somatic DNA recombination, the hallmark of vertebrate adaptive immunity, has the potential to generate a vast diversity of antigen receptor sequences. How this diversity captures antigen specificity remains incompletely understood. In this study we use high throughput sequencing to compare the global changes in T cell receptor β chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3β) sequences following immunization with ovalbumin administered with complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) or CFA alone. Results: The CDR3β sequences were deconstructed into short stretches of overlapping contiguous amino acids. The motifs were ranked according to a one-dimensional Bayesian classifier score comparing their frequency in the repertoires of the two immunization classes. The top ranking motifs were selected and used to create feature vectors which were used to train a support vector machine. The support vector machine achieved high classification scores in a leave-one-out validation test reaching >90% in some cases. Summary: The study describes a novel two-stage classification strategy combining a one-dimensional Bayesian classifier with a support vector machine. Using this approach we demonstrate that the frequency of a small number of linear motifs three amino acids in length can accurately identify a CD4 T cell response to ovalbumin against a background response to the complex mixture of antigens which characterize Complete Freund’s Adjuvant. Availability and implementation: The sequence data is available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/?term¼SRP075893. The Decombinator package is available at github.com/innate2adaptive/Decombinator. The R package e1071 is available at the CRAN repository https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/e1071/index.html. Contact: b.chain@ucl.ac.uk Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:28073756

A gene cassette for adapting Escherichia coli strains as hosts for att-Int-mediated rearrangement and pL expression vectors.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, R; Bolten, B; Backman, K C

1994-01-28

A cassette of genes from bacteriophage lambda, when carried on a derivative of bacteriophage Mu, renders strains of Escherichia coli (and in principle other Mu-sensitive bacteria) capable of supporting lambda-based expression vectors, such as rearrangement vectors and pL vectors. The gene cassette contains a temperature-sensitive allele of the repressor gene, cIts857, and a shortened leftward operon comprising, oLpL, N, xis and int. Transfection and lysogenization of this cassette into various host bacteria is mediated by phage Mu functions. Examples of regulated expression of the gene encoding T4 DNA ligase are presented.

Approaches to utilize mesenchymal progenitor cells as cellular vehicles.

PubMed

Pereboeva, L; Komarova, S; Mikheeva, G; Krasnykh, V; Curiel, D T

2003-01-01

Mammalian cells represent a novel vector approach for gene delivery that overcomes major drawbacks of viral and nonviral vectors and couples cell therapy with gene delivery. A variety of cell types have been tested in this regard, confirming that the ideal cellular vector system for ex vivo gene therapy has to comply with stringent criteria and is yet to be found. Several properties of mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs), such as easy access and simple isolation and propagation procedures, make these cells attractive candidates as cellular vehicles. In the current work, we evaluated the potential utility of MPCs as cellular vectors with the intent to use them in the cancer therapy context. When conventional adenoviral (Ad) vectors were used for MPC transduction, the highest transduction efficiency of MPCs was 40%. We demonstrated that Ad primary-binding receptors were poorly expressed on MPCs, while the secondary Ad receptors and integrins presented in sufficient amounts. By employing Ad vectors with incorporated integrin-binding motifs (Ad5lucRGD), MPC transduction was augmented tenfold, achieving efficient genetic loading of MPCs with reporter and anticancer genes. MPCs expressing thymidine kinase were able to exert a bystander killing effect on the cancer cell line SKOV3ip1 in vitro. In addition, we found that MPCs were able to support Ad replication, and thus can be used as cell vectors to deliver oncolytic viruses. Our results show that MPCs can foster expression of suicide genes or support replication of adenoviruses as potential anticancer therapeutic payloads. These findings are consistent with the concept that MPCs possess key properties that ensure their employment as cellular vehicles and can be used to deliver either therapeutic genes or viruses to tumor sites.

Extending R packages to support 64-bit compiled code: An illustration with spam64 and GIMMS NDVI3g data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerber, Florian; Mösinger, Kaspar; Furrer, Reinhard

2017-07-01

Software packages for spatial data often implement a hybrid approach of interpreted and compiled programming languages. The compiled parts are usually written in C, C++, or Fortran, and are efficient in terms of computational speed and memory usage. Conversely, the interpreted part serves as a convenient user-interface and calls the compiled code for computationally demanding operations. The price paid for the user friendliness of the interpreted component is-besides performance-the limited access to low level and optimized code. An example of such a restriction is the 64-bit vector support of the widely used statistical language R. On the R side, users do not need to change existing code and may not even notice the extension. On the other hand, interfacing 64-bit compiled code efficiently is challenging. Since many R packages for spatial data could benefit from 64-bit vectors, we investigate strategies to efficiently pass 64-bit vectors to compiled languages. More precisely, we show how to simply extend existing R packages using the foreign function interface to seamlessly support 64-bit vectors. This extension is shown with the sparse matrix algebra R package spam. The new capabilities are illustrated with an example of GIMMS NDVI3g data featuring a parametric modeling approach for a non-stationary covariance matrix.

Mammary Stem Cells and Breast Cancer Stem Cells: Molecular Connections and Clinical Implications.

PubMed

Celià-Terrassa, Toni

2018-05-04

Cancer arises from subpopulations of transformed cells with high tumor initiation and repopulation ability, known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), which share many similarities with their normal counterparts. In the mammary gland, several studies have shown common molecular regulators between adult mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and breast cancer stem cells (bCSCs). Cell plasticity and self-renewal are essential abilities for MaSCs to maintain tissue homeostasis and regenerate the gland after pregnancy. Intriguingly, these properties are similarly executed in breast cancer stem cells to drive tumor initiation, tumor heterogeneity and recurrence after chemotherapy. In addition, both stem cell phenotypes are strongly influenced by external signals from the microenvironment, immune cells and supportive specific niches. This review focuses on the intrinsic and extrinsic connections of MaSC and bCSCs with clinical implications for breast cancer progression and their possible therapeutic applications.

Army ant invasions reveal phylogeographic processes across the Isthmus of Panama.

PubMed

Brady, Seán G

2017-02-01

Female army ants cannot fly, making them very poor dispersers across water barriers. This dependence on terrestrial corridors motivated the investigation by Winston et al. (), published in this issue of Molecular Ecology, into the role of Panamanian isthmus formation in the diversification of Eciton army ants. Complete closure of this isthmus occurred around three million years ago (3 Ma), but it has also been hypothesized that earlier, temporary land connections facilitated additional colonization events between South and Central America over the past 13 million years or more. The phylogenomic and population genomic analyses by Winston et al. () uncovered multiple incursions of Eciton lineages into Central America between 4 and 7 Ma. Their study contributes to a growing body of evidence arguing that transitory land bridges predating 3 Ma supported substantial intercontinental biotic exchange. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

New data supporting a Sm-146,147-Nd-142,143 formation interval for the lunar mantle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nyquist, L. E.; Wiesmann, H.; Bansal, B. M.; Shih, C.-Y.

1994-01-01

Very small variations in Nd-142 abundance in SNC meteorites lunar basalts, and a terrestrial supracrustal rock, have been attributed to the decay of 103 Ma Sm-146 initially present in basalt source regions in varying abundances as a result of planetary differentiation. We previously interpreted variations in Nd-142 abundances in two Apollo 17 high-Ti basalts, three Apollo 12 low-Ti basalts, and two KREEP basalts as defining an isochron giving a formation interval of approximately 94 Ma for the lunar mantle. Here we report new data for a third Apollo 17 high-Ti basalt, two Apollo 15 low-Ti basalts, the VLT basaltic lunar meteorite A881757 (formerly Asuka 31), basalt-like KREEP impact melt rocks 14310 and 14078, and three terrestrial rock standards. Those lunar samples which were not exposed to large lunar surface thermal neutron fluences yield a revised mantle formation interval of 237 +/- 64 Ma.

High resolution 40AR/39AR chronostratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous El Gallo Formation, Baja California del Norte, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renne, Paul R.; Fulford, Madeleine M.; Busby-Spera, Cathy

1991-03-01

Laser probe 40Ar/39Ar analyses of individual sanidine grains from four tuffs in the alluvial Late Cretaceous (Campanian) El Gallo Formation yield statistically distinct mean dates ranging from 74.87±0.05 Ma to 73.59±0.09 Ma. The exceptional precision of these dates permits calculation of statistically significant sediment accumulation rates that are much higher than passive sediment loading would cause, implying rapid tectonically induced subsidence. The dates bracket tightly the age of important dinosaur and mammalian faunas previously reported from the El Gallo Formation. The dates support an age less than 73 Ma for the Campanian/Maastrichtian stage boundary, younger than indicated by several currently used time scales. Further application of the single grain 40Ar/39Ar technique may be expected to greatly benefit stratigraphic studies of Mesozoic sedimentary basins and contribute to calibration of biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic time scales.

Isometric scaling of above- and below-ground biomass at the individual and community levels in the understorey of a sub-tropical forest

PubMed Central

Cheng, Dongliang; Zhong, Quanlin; Niklas, Karl J.; Ma, Yuzhu; Yang, Yusheng; Zhang, Jianhua

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Empirical studies and allometric partitioning (AP) theory indicate that plant above-ground biomass (MA) scales, on average, one-to-one (isometrically) with below-ground biomass (MR) at the level of individual trees and at the level of entire forest communities. However, the ability of the AP theory to predict the biomass allocation patterns of understorey plants has not been established because most previous empirical tests have focused on canopy tree species or very large shrubs. Methods In order to test the AP theory further, 1586 understorey sub-tropical forest plants from 30 sites in south-east China were harvested and examined. The numerical values of the scaling exponents and normalization constants (i.e. slopes and y-intercepts, respectively) of log–log linear MA vs. MR relationships were determined for all individual plants, for each site, across the entire data set, and for data sorted into a total of 19 sub-sets of forest types and successional stages. Similar comparisons of MA/MR were also made. Key Results The data revealed that the mean MA/MR of understorey plants was 2·44 and 1·57 across all 1586 plants and for all communities, respectively, and MA scaled nearly isometrically with respect to MR, with scaling exponents of 1·01 for all individual plants and 0·99 for all communities. The scaling exponents did not differ significantly among different forest types or successional stages, but the normalization constants did, and were positively correlated with MA/MR and negatively correlated with scaling exponents across all 1586 plants. Conclusions The results support the AP theory’s prediction that MA scales nearly one-to-one with MR (i.e. MA ∝ MR ≈1·0) and that plant biomass partitioning for individual plants and at the community level share a strikingly similar pattern, at least for the understorey plants examined in this study. Furthermore, variation in environmental conditions appears to affect the numerical values of normalization constants, but not the scaling exponents of the MA vs. MR relationship. This feature of the results suggests that plant size is the primary driver of the MA vs. MR biomass allocation pattern for understorey plants in sub-tropical forests. PMID:25564468

Polynomial interpretation of multipole vectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, Gabriel; Weeks, Jeff

2004-09-01

Copi, Huterer, Starkman, and Schwarz introduced multipole vectors in a tensor context and used them to demonstrate that the first-year Wilkinson microwave anisotropy probe (WMAP) quadrupole and octopole planes align at roughly the 99.9% confidence level. In the present article, the language of polynomials provides a new and independent derivation of the multipole vector concept. Bézout’s theorem supports an elementary proof that the multipole vectors exist and are unique (up to rescaling). The constructive nature of the proof leads to a fast, practical algorithm for computing multipole vectors. We illustrate the algorithm by finding exact solutions for some simple toy examples and numerical solutions for the first-year WMAP quadrupole and octopole. We then apply our algorithm to Monte Carlo skies to independently reconfirm the estimate that the WMAP quadrupole and octopole planes align at the 99.9% level.

Geochronological and Taxonomic Revisions of the Middle Eocene Whistler Squat Quarry (Devil’s Graveyard Formation, Texas) and Implications for the Early Uintan in Trans-Pecos Texas

PubMed Central

Campisano, Christopher J.; Kirk, E. Christopher; Townsend, K. E. Beth; Deino, Alan L.

2014-01-01

The Whistler Squat Quarry (TMM 41372) of the lower Devil’s Graveyard Formation in Trans-Pecos Texas is a middle Eocene fossil locality attributed to Uintan biochronological zone Ui1b. Specimens from the Whistler Squat Quarry were collected immediately above a volcanic tuff with prior K/Ar ages ranging from ∼47–50 Ma and below a tuff previously dated to ∼44 Ma. New 40Ar/39Ar analyses of both of the original tuff samples provide statistically indistinguishable ages of 44.88±0.04 Ma for the lower tuff and 45.04±0.10 Ma for the upper tuff. These dates are compatible with magnetically reversed sediments at the site attributable to C20r (43.505–45.942 Ma) and a stratigraphic position above a basalt dated to 46.80 Ma. Our reanalysis of mammalian specimens from the Whistler Squat Quarry and a stratigraphically equivalent locality significantly revises their faunal lists, confirms the early Uintan designation for the sites, and highlights several biogeographic and biochronological differences when compared to stratotypes in the Bridger and Uinta Formations. Previous suggestions of regional endemism in the early Uintan are supported by the recognition of six endemic taxa (26% of mammalian taxa) from the Whistler Squat Quarry alone, including three new taxa. The revised faunal list for the Whistler Squat Quarry also extends the biostratigraphic ranges of nine non-endemic mammalian taxa to Ui1b. PMID:24988115

Exogenous ACE2 Expression Allows Refractory Cell Lines To Support Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Replication

PubMed Central

Mossel, Eric C.; Huang, Cheng; Narayanan, Krishna; Makino, Shinji; Tesh, Robert B.; Peters, C. J.

2005-01-01

Of 30 cell lines and primary cells examined, productive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (Urbani strain) (SARS-CoV) infection after low-multiplicity inoculation was detected in only six: three African green monkey kidney epithelial cell lines (Vero, Vero E6, and MA104), a human colon epithelial line (CaCo-2), a porcine kidney epithelial line [PK(15)], and mink lung epithelial cells (Mv 1 Lu). SARS-CoV produced a lytic infection in Vero, Vero E6, and MA104 cells, but there was no visible cytopathic effect in Caco-2, Mv 1 Lu, or PK(15) cells. Multistep growth kinetics were identical in Vero E6 and MA104 cells, with maximum titer reached 24 h postinoculation (hpi). Virus titer was maximal 96 hpi in CaCo-2 cells, and virus was continually produced from infected CaCo-2 cells for at least 6 weeks after infection. CaCo-2 was the only human cell type of 13 tested that supported efficient SARS-CoV replication. Expression of the SARS-CoV receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), resulted in SARS-CoV replication in all refractory cell lines examined. Titers achieved were variable and dependent upon the method of ACE2 expression. PMID:15731278

LANDMARK-BASED SPEECH RECOGNITION: REPORT OF THE 2004 JOHNS HOPKINS SUMMER WORKSHOP.

PubMed

Hasegawa-Johnson, Mark; Baker, James; Borys, Sarah; Chen, Ken; Coogan, Emily; Greenberg, Steven; Juneja, Amit; Kirchhoff, Katrin; Livescu, Karen; Mohan, Srividya; Muller, Jennifer; Sonmez, Kemal; Wang, Tianyu

2005-01-01

Three research prototype speech recognition systems are described, all of which use recently developed methods from artificial intelligence (specifically support vector machines, dynamic Bayesian networks, and maximum entropy classification) in order to implement, in the form of an automatic speech recognizer, current theories of human speech perception and phonology (specifically landmark-based speech perception, nonlinear phonology, and articulatory phonology). All three systems begin with a high-dimensional multiframe acoustic-to-distinctive feature transformation, implemented using support vector machines trained to detect and classify acoustic phonetic landmarks. Distinctive feature probabilities estimated by the support vector machines are then integrated using one of three pronunciation models: a dynamic programming algorithm that assumes canonical pronunciation of each word, a dynamic Bayesian network implementation of articulatory phonology, or a discriminative pronunciation model trained using the methods of maximum entropy classification. Log probability scores computed by these models are then combined, using log-linear combination, with other word scores available in the lattice output of a first-pass recognizer, and the resulting combination score is used to compute a second-pass speech recognition output.

Experimental and computational prediction of glass transition temperature of drugs.

PubMed

Alzghoul, Ahmad; Alhalaweh, Amjad; Mahlin, Denny; Bergström, Christel A S

2014-12-22

Glass transition temperature (Tg) is an important inherent property of an amorphous solid material which is usually determined experimentally. In this study, the relation between Tg and melting temperature (Tm) was evaluated using a data set of 71 structurally diverse druglike compounds. Further, in silico models for prediction of Tg were developed based on calculated molecular descriptors and linear (multilinear regression, partial least-squares, principal component regression) and nonlinear (neural network, support vector regression) modeling techniques. The models based on Tm predicted Tg with an RMSE of 19.5 K for the test set. Among the five computational models developed herein the support vector regression gave the best result with RMSE of 18.7 K for the test set using only four chemical descriptors. Hence, two different models that predict Tg of drug-like molecules with high accuracy were developed. If Tm is available, a simple linear regression can be used to predict Tg. However, the results also suggest that support vector regression and calculated molecular descriptors can predict Tg with equal accuracy, already before compound synthesis.

Anticipatory Monitoring and Control of Complex Systems using a Fuzzy based Fusion of Support Vector Regressors

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

Miltiadis Alamaniotis; Vivek Agarwal

This paper places itself in the realm of anticipatory systems and envisions monitoring and control methods being capable of making predictions over system critical parameters. Anticipatory systems allow intelligent control of complex systems by predicting their future state. In the current work, an intelligent model aimed at implementing anticipatory monitoring and control in energy industry is presented and tested. More particularly, a set of support vector regressors (SVRs) are trained using both historical and observed data. The trained SVRs are used to predict the future value of the system based on current operational system parameter. The predicted values are thenmore » inputted to a fuzzy logic based module where the values are fused to obtain a single value, i.e., final system output prediction. The methodology is tested on real turbine degradation datasets. The outcome of the approach presented in this paper highlights the superiority over single support vector regressors. In addition, it is shown that appropriate selection of fuzzy sets and fuzzy rules plays an important role in improving system performance.« less

Incremental classification learning for anomaly detection in medical images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giritharan, Balathasan; Yuan, Xiaohui; Liu, Jianguo

2009-02-01

Computer-aided diagnosis usually screens thousands of instances to find only a few positive cases that indicate probable presence of disease.The amount of patient data increases consistently all the time. In diagnosis of new instances, disagreement occurs between a CAD system and physicians, which suggests inaccurate classifiers. Intuitively, misclassified instances and the previously acquired data should be used to retrain the classifier. This, however, is very time consuming and, in some cases where dataset is too large, becomes infeasible. In addition, among the patient data, only a small percentile shows positive sign, which is known as imbalanced data.We present an incremental Support Vector Machines(SVM) as a solution for the class imbalance problem in classification of anomaly in medical images. The support vectors provide a concise representation of the distribution of the training data. Here we use bootstrapping to identify potential candidate support vectors for future iterations. Experiments were conducted using images from endoscopy videos, and the sensitivity and specificity were close to that of SVM trained using all samples available at a given incremental step with significantly improved efficiency in training the classifier.

Agricultural mapping using Support Vector Machine-Based Endmember Extraction (SVM-BEE)

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

Archibald, Richard K; Filippi, Anthony M; Bhaduri, Budhendra L

Extracting endmembers from remotely sensed images of vegetated areas can present difficulties. In this research, we applied a recently developed endmember-extraction algorithm based on Support Vector Machines (SVMs) to the problem of semi-autonomous estimation of vegetation endmembers from a hyperspectral image. This algorithm, referred to as Support Vector Machine-Based Endmember Extraction (SVM-BEE), accurately and rapidly yields a computed representation of hyperspectral data that can accommodate multiple distributions. The number of distributions is identified without prior knowledge, based upon this representation. Prior work established that SVM-BEE is robustly noise-tolerant and can semi-automatically and effectively estimate endmembers; synthetic data and a geologicmore » scene were previously analyzed. Here we compared the efficacies of the SVM-BEE and N-FINDR algorithms in extracting endmembers from a predominantly agricultural scene. SVM-BEE was able to estimate vegetation and other endmembers for all classes in the image, which N-FINDR failed to do. Classifications based on SVM-BEE endmembers were markedly more accurate compared with those based on N-FINDR endmembers.« less

Exploring the capabilities of support vector machines in detecting silent data corruptions

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

Subasi, Omer; Di, Sheng; Bautista-Gomez, Leonardo

As the exascale era approaches, the increasing capacity of high-performance computing (HPC) systems with targeted power and energy budget goals introduces significant challenges in reliability. Silent data corruptions (SDCs), or silent errors, are one of the major sources that corrupt the execution results of HPC applications without being detected. Here in this paper, we explore a set of novel SDC detectors – by leveraging epsilon-insensitive support vector machine regression – to detect SDCs that occur in HPC applications. The key contributions are threefold. (1) Our exploration takes temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal features into account and analyzes different detectors based onmore » different features. (2) We provide an in-depth study on the detection ability and performance with different parameters, and we optimize the detection range carefully. (3) Experiments with eight real-world HPC applications show that support-vector-machine-based detectors can achieve detection sensitivity (i.e., recall) up to 99% yet suffer a less than 1% false positive rate for most cases. Our detectors incur low performance overhead, 5% on average, for all benchmarks studied in this work.« less

Exploring the capabilities of support vector machines in detecting silent data corruptions

DOE PAGES

Subasi, Omer; Di, Sheng; Bautista-Gomez, Leonardo; ...

2018-02-01

As the exascale era approaches, the increasing capacity of high-performance computing (HPC) systems with targeted power and energy budget goals introduces significant challenges in reliability. Silent data corruptions (SDCs), or silent errors, are one of the major sources that corrupt the execution results of HPC applications without being detected. Here in this paper, we explore a set of novel SDC detectors – by leveraging epsilon-insensitive support vector machine regression – to detect SDCs that occur in HPC applications. The key contributions are threefold. (1) Our exploration takes temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal features into account and analyzes different detectors based onmore » different features. (2) We provide an in-depth study on the detection ability and performance with different parameters, and we optimize the detection range carefully. (3) Experiments with eight real-world HPC applications show that support-vector-machine-based detectors can achieve detection sensitivity (i.e., recall) up to 99% yet suffer a less than 1% false positive rate for most cases. Our detectors incur low performance overhead, 5% on average, for all benchmarks studied in this work.« less

Optimizing support vector machine learning for semi-arid vegetation mapping by using clustering analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Lihong

In remote sensing communities, support vector machine (SVM) learning has recently received increasing attention. SVM learning usually requires large memory and enormous amounts of computation time on large training sets. According to SVM algorithms, the SVM classification decision function is fully determined by support vectors, which compose a subset of the training sets. In this regard, a solution to optimize SVM learning is to efficiently reduce training sets. In this paper, a data reduction method based on agglomerative hierarchical clustering is proposed to obtain smaller training sets for SVM learning. Using a multiple angle remote sensing dataset of a semi-arid region, the effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by classification experiments with a series of reduced training sets. The experiments show that there is no loss of SVM accuracy when the original training set is reduced to 34% using the proposed approach. Maximum likelihood classification (MLC) also is applied on the reduced training sets. The results show that MLC can also maintain the classification accuracy. This implies that the most informative data instances can be retained by this approach.

Clifford support vector machines for classification, regression, and recurrence.

PubMed

Bayro-Corrochano, Eduardo Jose; Arana-Daniel, Nancy

2010-11-01

This paper introduces the Clifford support vector machines (CSVM) as a generalization of the real and complex-valued support vector machines using the Clifford geometric algebra. In this framework, we handle the design of kernels involving the Clifford or geometric product. In this approach, one redefines the optimization variables as multivectors. This allows us to have a multivector as output. Therefore, we can represent multiple classes according to the dimension of the geometric algebra in which we work. We show that one can apply CSVM for classification and regression and also to build a recurrent CSVM. The CSVM is an attractive approach for the multiple input multiple output processing of high-dimensional geometric entities. We carried out comparisons between CSVM and the current approaches to solve multiclass classification and regression. We also study the performance of the recurrent CSVM with experiments involving time series. The authors believe that this paper can be of great use for researchers and practitioners interested in multiclass hypercomplex computing, particularly for applications in complex and quaternion signal and image processing, satellite control, neurocomputation, pattern recognition, computer vision, augmented virtual reality, robotics, and humanoids.

Analysis of programming properties and the row-column generation method for 1-norm support vector machines.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Zhou, WeiDa

2013-12-01

This paper deals with fast methods for training a 1-norm support vector machine (SVM). First, we define a specific class of linear programming with many sparse constraints, i.e., row-column sparse constraint linear programming (RCSC-LP). In nature, the 1-norm SVM is a sort of RCSC-LP. In order to construct subproblems for RCSC-LP and solve them, a family of row-column generation (RCG) methods is introduced. RCG methods belong to a category of decomposition techniques, and perform row and column generations in a parallel fashion. Specially, for the 1-norm SVM, the maximum size of subproblems of RCG is identical with the number of Support Vectors (SVs). We also introduce a semi-deleting rule for RCG methods and prove the convergence of RCG methods when using the semi-deleting rule. Experimental results on toy data and real-world datasets illustrate that it is efficient to use RCG to train the 1-norm SVM, especially in the case of small SVs. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of support vector machines for copper potential mapping in Kerman region, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shabankareh, Mahdi; Hezarkhani, Ardeshir

2017-04-01

The first step in systematic exploration studies is mineral potential mapping, which involves classification of the study area to favorable and unfavorable parts. Support vector machines (SVM) are designed for supervised classification based on statistical learning theory. This method named support vector classification (SVC). This paper describes SVC model, which combine exploration data in the regional-scale for copper potential mapping in Kerman copper bearing belt in south of Iran. Data layers or evidential maps were in six datasets namely lithology, tectonic, airborne geophysics, ferric alteration, hydroxide alteration and geochemistry. The SVC modeling result selected 2220 pixels as favorable zones, approximately 25 percent of the study area. Besides, 66 out of 86 copper indices, approximately 78.6% of all, were located in favorable zones. Other main goal of this study was to determine how each input affects favorable output. For this purpose, the histogram of each normalized input data to its favorable output was drawn. The histograms of each input dataset for favorable output showed that each information layer had a certain pattern. These patterns of SVC results could be considered as regional copper exploration characteristics.

Hybrid modelling based on support vector regression with genetic algorithms in forecasting the cyanotoxins presence in the Trasona reservoir (Northern Spain).

PubMed

García Nieto, P J; Alonso Fernández, J R; de Cos Juez, F J; Sánchez Lasheras, F; Díaz Muñiz, C

2013-04-01

Cyanotoxins, a kind of poisonous substances produced by cyanobacteria, are responsible for health risks in drinking and recreational waters. As a result, anticipate its presence is a matter of importance to prevent risks. The aim of this study is to use a hybrid approach based on support vector regression (SVR) in combination with genetic algorithms (GAs), known as a genetic algorithm support vector regression (GA-SVR) model, in forecasting the cyanotoxins presence in the Trasona reservoir (Northern Spain). The GA-SVR approach is aimed at highly nonlinear biological problems with sharp peaks and the tests carried out proved its high performance. Some physical-chemical parameters have been considered along with the biological ones. The results obtained are two-fold. In the first place, the significance of each biological and physical-chemical variable on the cyanotoxins presence in the reservoir is determined with success. Finally, a predictive model able to forecast the possible presence of cyanotoxins in a short term was obtained. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The application of artificial neural networks and support vector regression for simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of commercial eye drop contents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valizadeh, Maryam; Sohrabi, Mahmoud Reza

2018-03-01

In the present study, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and support vector regression (SVR) as intelligent methods coupled with UV spectroscopy for simultaneous quantitative determination of Dorzolamide (DOR) and Timolol (TIM) in eye drop. Several synthetic mixtures were analyzed for validating the proposed methods. At first, neural network time series, which one type of network from the artificial neural network was employed and its efficiency was evaluated. Afterwards, the radial basis network was applied as another neural network. Results showed that the performance of this method is suitable for predicting. Finally, support vector regression was proposed to construct the Zilomole prediction model. Also, root mean square error (RMSE) and mean recovery (%) were calculated for SVR method. Moreover, the proposed methods were compared to the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as a reference method. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test at the 95% confidence level applied to the comparison results of suggested and reference methods that there were no significant differences between them. Also, the effect of interferences was investigated in spike solutions.

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Wound Healing of Morus alba Root Extract by Up-Regulating Keratin Filament and CXCL12/CXCR4 Signaling.

PubMed

Kim, Kang-Hoon; Chung, Won-Seok; Kim, Yoomi; Kim, Ki-Suk; Lee, In-Seung; Park, Ji Young; Jeong, Hyeon-Soo; Na, Yun-Cheol; Lee, Chang-Hun; Jang, Hyeung-Jin

2015-08-01

Facilitation of the wound healing process is important because a prolonged wound site increases pain and the risk of infection. In oriental medicine, an extract of Morus alba root (MA) has usually been prescribed as traditional treatment for accelerating wound healing, and it has been proven to be safe for centuries. To study the molecular mechanism of MA-mediated skin wound healing, we performed a primary cell culture and a skin explant culture and observed significant difference between the groups with and without MA extract. In the cellular system, a real-time cell analysis and real-time quantitative PCR were performed. It was found that MA extract enhanced proliferation in a dose-dependent manner on Kera-308 cell line, and up-regulated keratin expression including wound-induced Krt6a. In skin explant culture, the mRNA level derived from cell outgrowth displayed a tendency toward more up-regulated mRNA associated keratin filaments and toward a more up-regulated mRNA level of C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) and a chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis signaling pathway downstream. In this process, we concluded that MA extract had a scientific possibility of wound repair by increasing intracellular and extracellular supports and by inducing a CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling pathway. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Promoting physical activity in the workplace: A systematic meta-review

PubMed Central

Jirathananuwat, Areeya; Pongpirul, Krit

2017-01-01

Introduction: Physically active (PA) people have a lower risk of various diseases, compared to those with sedentary lifestyles. Evidence on the effects of PA promoting programs in the workplace is large, and several systematic reviews (SR) and/or meta-analyses (MA) have been published. However, they have failed to consider factors that could influence interventions. This paper aimed to classify and describe interventions to promote PA in the workplace based on evidence from SR/MA. Method: A literature search for SR/MA was done using PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct (January 2006-February 2015). Quality assessment of SR/MA was performed using AMSTAR. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was used for classifying the interventions into predisposing, enabling, reinforcing, environment, and policy domains of focus. Results: Eleven SR/MA included 220 primary studies, of which 139 (63%) were randomized controlled trials. Of 48 interventions identified, 22 (46%) and 17 (35%) focused on predisposing or enabling employees to have more PA, respectively. Of the 22 predisposing factors, 6 were information delivery, 5 were self-motivation, and 11 were program training. The enabling approaches were 12 instrument resources and 5 health service facilities. The reinforcing approaches were 4 incentive and 3 social support. The remaining interventions focused on the environmental development and policy regulation. Conclusions: This systematic meta-review classified interventions using appropriate framework and described the intervention pattern. PMID:28740029

Promoting physical activity in the workplace: A systematic meta-review.

PubMed

Jirathananuwat, Areeya; Pongpirul, Krit

2017-09-28

Physically active (PA) people have a lower risk of various diseases, compared to those with sedentary lifestyles. Evidence on the effects of PA promoting programs in the workplace is large, and several systematic reviews (SR) and/or meta-analyses (MA) have been published. However, they have failed to consider factors that could influence interventions. This paper aimed to classify and describe interventions to promote PA in the workplace based on evidence from SR/MA. A literature search for SR/MA was done using PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct (January 2006-February 2015). Quality assessment of SR/MA was performed using AMSTAR. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was used for classifying the interventions into predisposing, enabling, reinforcing, environment, and policy domains of focus. Eleven SR/MA included 220 primary studies, of which 139 (63%) were randomized controlled trials. Of 48 interventions identified, 22 (46%) and 17 (35%) focused on predisposing or enabling employees to have more PA, respectively. Of the 22 predisposing factors, 6 were information delivery, 5 were self-motivation, and 11 were program training. The enabling approaches were 12 instrument resources and 5 health service facilities. The reinforcing approaches were 4 incentive and 3 social support. The remaining interventions focused on the environmental development and policy regulation. This systematic meta-review classified interventions using appropriate framework and described the intervention pattern.

Associations of Adiponectin with Adiposity, Insulin Sensitivity, and Diet in Young, Healthy, Mexican Americans and Non-Latino White Adults.

PubMed

Pereira, Rocio I; Low Wang, Cecilia C; Wolfe, Pamela; Havranek, Edward P; Long, Carlin S; Bessesen, Daniel H

2015-12-22

Low circulating adiponectin levels may contribute to higher diabetes risk among Mexican Americans (MA) compared to non-Latino whites (NLW). Our objective was to determine if among young healthy adult MAs have lower adiponectin than NLWs, independent of differences in adiposity. In addition, we explored associations between adiponectin and diet. This was an observational, cross-sectional study of healthy MA and NLW adults living in Colorado (U.S.A.). We measured plasma total adiponectin, adiposity (BMI, and visceral adipose tissue), insulin sensitivity (IVGTT), and self-reported dietary intake in 43 MA and NLW adults. Mean adiponectin levels were 40% lower among MA than NLW (5.8 ± 3.3 vs. 10.7 ± 4.2 µg/mL, p = 0.0003), and this difference persisted after controlling for age, sex, BMI, and visceral adiposity. Lower adiponectin in MA was associated with lower insulin sensitivity (R² = 0.42, p < 0.01). Lower adiponectin was also associated with higher dietary glycemic index, lower intake of vegetables, higher intake of trans fat, and higher intake of grains. Our findings confirm that ethnic differences in adiponectin reflect differences in insulin sensitivity, but suggest that these are not due to differences in adiposity. Observed associations between adiponectin and diet support the need for future studies exploring the regulation of adiponectin by diet and other environmental factors.

Intelligence Support to Supply Chain Risk Management

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

of Master of Science in Operations Analysis Charles L. Carter, MA Major, USAF June 2012 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. APPROVED FOR...literature regarding supply chain risk management and intelligence doctrine. This review established the importance of supply chain risk analysis to...risk analysis . This research culminated in the development of a methodology for intelligence professionals to use to support supply chain risk

Bundles over nearly-Kahler homogeneous spaces in heterotic string theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klaput, Michael; Lukas, Andre; Matti, Cyril

2011-09-01

We construct heterotic vacua based on six-dimensional nearly-Kahler homogeneous manifolds and non-trivial vector bundles thereon. Our examples are based on three specific group coset spaces. It is shown how to construct line bundles over these spaces, compute their properties and build up vector bundles consistent with supersymmetry and anomaly cancelation. It turns out that the most interesting coset is SU(3)/U(1)2. This space supports a large number of vector bundles which lead to consistent heterotic vacua, some of them with three chiral families.

Spatially explicit multi-criteria decision analysis for managing vector-borne diseases

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The complex epidemiology of vector-borne diseases creates significant challenges in the design and delivery of prevention and control strategies, especially in light of rapid social and environmental changes. Spatial models for predicting disease risk based on environmental factors such as climate and landscape have been developed for a number of important vector-borne diseases. The resulting risk maps have proven value for highlighting areas for targeting public health programs. However, these methods generally only offer technical information on the spatial distribution of disease risk itself, which may be incomplete for making decisions in a complex situation. In prioritizing surveillance and intervention strategies, decision-makers often also need to consider spatially explicit information on other important dimensions, such as the regional specificity of public acceptance, population vulnerability, resource availability, intervention effectiveness, and land use. There is a need for a unified strategy for supporting public health decision making that integrates available data for assessing spatially explicit disease risk, with other criteria, to implement effective prevention and control strategies. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a decision support tool that allows for the consideration of diverse quantitative and qualitative criteria using both data-driven and qualitative indicators for evaluating alternative strategies with transparency and stakeholder participation. Here we propose a MCDA-based approach to the development of geospatial models and spatially explicit decision support tools for the management of vector-borne diseases. We describe the conceptual framework that MCDA offers as well as technical considerations, approaches to implementation and expected outcomes. We conclude that MCDA is a powerful tool that offers tremendous potential for use in public health decision-making in general and vector-borne disease management in particular. PMID:22206355

A Mathematical and Sociological Analysis of Google Search Algorithm

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-16

through the collective intelligence of the web to determine a page’s importance. Let v be a vector of RN with N ≥ 8 billion. Any unit vector in RN is...scrolled up by some artifical hits. Aknowledgment: The authors would like to thank Dr. John Lavery for his encouragement and support which enable them to

Automated Creation of Labeled Pointcloud Datasets in Support of Machine-Learning Based Perception

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

computationally intensive 3D vector math and took more than ten seconds to segment a single LIDAR frame from the HDL-32e with the Dell XPS15 9650’s Intel...Core i7 CPU. Depth Clustering avoids the computationally intensive 3D vector math of Euclidean Clustering-based DON segmentation and, instead

HMMR acts in the PLK1-dependent spindle positioning pathway and supports neural development

PubMed Central

Jiang, Jihong; Kuan, Chia-Wei; Fotovati, Abbas; Chu, Tony LH; He, Zhengcheng; Lengyell, Tess C; Li, Huaibiao; Kroll, Torsten; Li, Amanda M; Goldowitz, Daniel; Frappart, Lucien; Ploubidou, Aspasia; Patel, Millan S; Pilarski, Linda M; Simpson, Elizabeth M; Lange, Philipp F; Allan, Douglas W

2017-01-01

Oriented cell division is one mechanism progenitor cells use during development and to maintain tissue homeostasis. Common to most cell types is the asymmetric establishment and regulation of cortical NuMA-dynein complexes that position the mitotic spindle. Here, we discover that HMMR acts at centrosomes in a PLK1-dependent pathway that locates active Ran and modulates the cortical localization of NuMA-dynein complexes to correct mispositioned spindles. This pathway was discovered through the creation and analysis of Hmmr-knockout mice, which suffer neonatal lethality with defective neural development and pleiotropic phenotypes in multiple tissues. HMMR over-expression in immortalized cancer cells induces phenotypes consistent with an increase in active Ran including defects in spindle orientation. These data identify an essential role for HMMR in the PLK1-dependent regulatory pathway that orients progenitor cell division and supports neural development. PMID:28994651

A Decision Support System for Evaluating and Selecting Information Systems Projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Hepu; Wibowo, Santoso

2009-01-01

This chapter presents a decision support system (DSS) for effectively solving the information systems (IS) project selection problem. The proposed DSS recognizes the multidimensional nature of the IS project selection problem, the availability of multicriteria analysis (MA) methods, and the preferences of the decision-maker (DM) on the use of specific MA methods in a given situation. A knowledge base consisting of IF-THEN production rules is developed for assisting the DM with a systematic adoption of the most appropriate method with the efficient use of the powerful reasoning and explanation capabilities of intelligent DSS. The idea of letting the problem to be solved determines the method to be used is incorporated into the proposed DSS. As a result, effective decisions can be made for solving the IS project selection problem. An example is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed DSS for solving the problem of selecting IS projects in real world situations.

EMMA: An Extensible Mammalian Modular Assembly Toolkit for the Rapid Design and Production of Diverse Expression Vectors.

PubMed

Martella, Andrea; Matjusaitis, Mantas; Auxillos, Jamie; Pollard, Steven M; Cai, Yizhi

2017-07-21

Mammalian plasmid expression vectors are critical reagents underpinning many facets of research across biology, biomedical research, and the biotechnology industry. Traditional cloning methods often require laborious manual design and assembly of plasmids using tailored sequential cloning steps. This process can be protracted, complicated, expensive, and error-prone. New tools and strategies that facilitate the efficient design and production of bespoke vectors would help relieve a current bottleneck for researchers. To address this, we have developed an extensible mammalian modular assembly kit (EMMA). This enables rapid and efficient modular assembly of mammalian expression vectors in a one-tube, one-step golden-gate cloning reaction, using a standardized library of compatible genetic parts. The high modularity, flexibility, and extensibility of EMMA provide a simple method for the production of functionally diverse mammalian expression vectors. We demonstrate the value of this toolkit by constructing and validating a range of representative vectors, such as transient and stable expression vectors (transposon based vectors), targeting vectors, inducible systems, polycistronic expression cassettes, fusion proteins, and fluorescent reporters. The method also supports simple assembly combinatorial libraries and hierarchical assembly for production of larger multigenetic cargos. In summary, EMMA is compatible with automated production, and novel genetic parts can be easily incorporated, providing new opportunities for mammalian synthetic biology.

Effects of Cucumber mosaic virus infection on vector and non-vector herbivores of squash.

PubMed

Mauck, Kerry E; De Moraes, Consuelo M; Mescher, Mark C

2010-11-01

Plant chemicals mediating interactions with insect herbivores seem a likely target for manipulation by insectvectored plant pathogens. Yet, little is currently known about the chemical ecology of insect-vectored diseases or their effects on the ecology of vector and nonvector insects. We recently reported that a widespread plant pathogen, Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), greatly reduces the quality of host-plants (squash) for aphid vectors, but that aphids are nevertheless attracted to the odors of infected plants-which exhibit elevated emissions of a volatile blend otherwise similar to the odor of healthy plants. This finding suggests that exaggerating existing host-location cues can be a viable vector attraction strategy for pathogens that otherwise reduce host quality for vectors. Here we report additional data regarding the effects of CMV infection on plant interactions with a common nonvector herbivore, the squash bug, Anasa tristis, which is a pest in this system. We found that adult A. tristis females preferred to oviposit on healthy plants in the field, and that healthy plants supported higher populations of nymphs. Collectively, our recent findings suggest that CMV-induced changes in host plant chemistry influence the behavior of both vector and non-vector herbivores, with significant implications both for disease spread and for broader community-level interactions.

Player Monitoring in Indoor Team Sports: Concurrent Validity of Inertial Measurement Units to Quantify Average and Peak Acceleration Values

PubMed Central

Roell, Mareike; Roecker, Kai; Gehring, Dominic; Mahler, Hubert; Gollhofer, Albert

2018-01-01

The increasing interest in assessing physical demands in team sports has led to the development of multiple sports related monitoring systems. Due to technical limitations, these systems primarily could be applied to outdoor sports, whereas an equivalent indoor locomotion analysis is not established yet. Technological development of inertial measurement units (IMU) broadens the possibilities for player monitoring and enables the quantification of locomotor movements in indoor environments. The aim of the current study was to validate an IMU measuring by determining average and peak human acceleration under indoor conditions in team sport specific movements. Data of a single wearable tracking device including an IMU (Optimeye S5, Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia) were compared to the results of a 3D motion analysis (MA) system (Vicon Motion Systems, Oxford, UK) during selected standardized movement simulations in an indoor laboratory (n = 56). A low-pass filtering method for gravity correction (LF) and two sensor fusion algorithms for orientation estimation [Complementary Filter (CF), Kalman-Filter (KF)] were implemented and compared with MA system data. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between LF and MA data but not between sensor fusion algorithms and MA. Higher precision and lower relative errors were found for CF (RMSE = 0.05; CV = 2.6%) and KF (RMSE = 0.15; CV = 3.8%) both compared to the LF method (RMSE = 1.14; CV = 47.6%) regarding the magnitude of the resulting vector and strongly emphasize the implementation of orientation estimation to accurately describe human acceleration. Comparing both sensor fusion algorithms, CF revealed slightly lower errors than KF and additionally provided valuable information about positive and negative acceleration values in all three movement planes with moderate to good validity (CV = 3.9 – 17.8%). Compared to x- and y-axis superior results were found for the z-axis. These findings demonstrate that IMU-based wearable tracking devices can successfully be applied for athlete monitoring in indoor team sports and provide potential to accurately quantify accelerations and decelerations in all three orthogonal axes with acceptable validity. An increase in accuracy taking magnetometers in account should be specifically pursued by future research. PMID:29535641

Scorebox extraction from mobile sports videos using Support Vector Machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Wonjun; Park, Jimin; Kim, Changick

2008-08-01

Scorebox plays an important role in understanding contents of sports videos. However, the tiny scorebox may give the small-display-viewers uncomfortable experience in grasping the game situation. In this paper, we propose a novel framework to extract the scorebox from sports video frames. We first extract candidates by using accumulated intensity and edge information after short learning period. Since there are various types of scoreboxes inserted in sports videos, multiple attributes need to be used for efficient extraction. Based on those attributes, the optimal information gain is computed and top three ranked attributes in terms of information gain are selected as a three-dimensional feature vector for Support Vector Machines (SVM) to distinguish the scorebox from other candidates, such as logos and advertisement boards. The proposed method is tested on various videos of sports games and experimental results show the efficiency and robustness of our proposed method.

Discontinuity Detection in the Shield Metal Arc Welding Process

PubMed Central

Cocota, José Alberto Naves; Garcia, Gabriel Carvalho; da Costa, Adilson Rodrigues; de Lima, Milton Sérgio Fernandes; Rocha, Filipe Augusto Santos; Freitas, Gustavo Medeiros

2017-01-01

This work proposes a new methodology for the detection of discontinuities in the weld bead applied in Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) processes. The detection system is based on two sensors—a microphone and piezoelectric—that acquire acoustic emissions generated during the welding. The feature vectors extracted from the sensor dataset are used to construct classifier models. The approaches based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers are able to identify with a high accuracy the three proposed weld bead classes: desirable weld bead, shrinkage cavity and burn through discontinuities. Experimental results illustrate the system’s high accuracy, greater than 90% for each class. A novel Hierarchical Support Vector Machine (HSVM) structure is proposed to make feasible the use of this system in industrial environments. This approach presented 96.6% overall accuracy. Given the simplicity of the equipment involved, this system can be applied in the metal transformation industries. PMID:28489045

Discontinuity Detection in the Shield Metal Arc Welding Process.

PubMed

Cocota, José Alberto Naves; Garcia, Gabriel Carvalho; da Costa, Adilson Rodrigues; de Lima, Milton Sérgio Fernandes; Rocha, Filipe Augusto Santos; Freitas, Gustavo Medeiros

2017-05-10

This work proposes a new methodology for the detection of discontinuities in the weld bead applied in Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) processes. The detection system is based on two sensors-a microphone and piezoelectric-that acquire acoustic emissions generated during the welding. The feature vectors extracted from the sensor dataset are used to construct classifier models. The approaches based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers are able to identify with a high accuracy the three proposed weld bead classes: desirable weld bead, shrinkage cavity and burn through discontinuities. Experimental results illustrate the system's high accuracy, greater than 90% for each class. A novel Hierarchical Support Vector Machine (HSVM) structure is proposed to make feasible the use of this system in industrial environments. This approach presented 96.6% overall accuracy. Given the simplicity of the equipment involved, this system can be applied in the metal transformation industries.

Paleomagnetic determinations on Lanzarote from magnetic and gravity anomalies: Implications for the early history of the Canary Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Montenegro, I.; Montesinos, F. G.; GarcíA, A.; Vieira, R.; VillalaíN, J. J.

2005-12-01

The Bouguer and aeromagnetic anomaly maps of Lanzarote show a gravity high and a dipolar magnetic anomaly over the central part of the island, indicating one isolated source. Assuming that the structure responsible for both anomalies is the same, a methodology has been designed to estimate the total magnetization vector of the source, which is interpreted as a large intrusive body (mafic core) positioned as a result of magma rising to the surface during the early stages of growth of Lanzarote. Considering its geometry to be known from a previous three-dimensional (3-D) gravity model, the approach proposed in this paper is based on the delineation of magnetic contacts through analysis of the horizontal gradient of the reduced-to-the-pole anomaly map, comparison between the gravity and the pseudogravity anomalies, and 3-D forward magnetic modeling. The total magnetization vector obtained by this method is defined by a module of 4.5 A m-1 and a direction D = -20° and I = 30°. Comparing the paleomagnetic pole, obtained from this direction, with the apparent polar wander path of Africa for the last 160 Myr, it is concluded that the main component of the total magnetization vector is probably a primary natural remanent magnetization (NRM) which could have been acquired between 60 and 100 Ma. This result suggests that the emplacement of magmas at shallow depths linked to the beginning of volcanism in Lanzarote took place during the Upper Cretaceous, thus providing the first evidence of a timeline for the early formative stages of this volcanic island.

Analysis of Particle Content of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 8 Vectors by Ion-Exchange Chromatography

PubMed Central

Lock, Martin; Alvira, Mauricio R.

2012-01-01

Abstract Advances in adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy have brought the possibility of commercial manufacturing of AAV vectors one step closer. To realize this prospect, a parallel effort with the goal of ever-increasing sophistication for AAV vector production technology and supporting assays will be required. Among the important release assays for a clinical gene therapy product, those monitoring potentially hazardous contaminants are most critical for patient safety. A prominent contaminant in many AAV vector preparations is vector particles lacking a genome, which can substantially increase the dose of AAV capsid proteins and lead to possible unwanted immunological consequences. Current methods to determine empty particle content suffer from inconsistency, are adversely affected by contaminants, or are not applicable to all serotypes. Here we describe the development of an ion-exchange chromatography-based assay that permits the rapid separation and relative quantification of AAV8 empty and full vector particles through the application of shallow gradients and a strong anion-exchange monolith chromatography medium. PMID:22428980

Vector-borne diseases in Haiti: a review.

PubMed

Ben-Chetrit, Eli; Schwartz, Eli

2015-01-01

Haiti lies on the western third of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, and is one of the poorest nations in the Western hemisphere. Haiti attracts a lot of medical attention and support due to severe natural disasters followed by disastrous health consequences. Vector-borne infections are still prevalent there with some unique aspects comparing it to Latin American countries and other Caribbean islands. Although vector-borne viral diseases such as dengue and recently chikungunya can be found in many of the Caribbean islands, including Haiti, there is an apparent distinction of the vector-borne parasitic diseases. Contrary to neighboring Carribbean islands, Haiti is highly endemic for malaria, lymphatic filariasis and mansonellosis. Affected by repeat natural disasters, poverty and lack of adequate infrastructure, control of transmission within Haiti and prevention of dissemination of vector-borne pathogens to other regions is challenging. In this review we summarize some aspects concerning diseases caused by vector-borne pathogens in Haiti. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Shellcode Detection Method Based on Full Native API Sequence and Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yixuan; Fan, Wenqing; Huang, Wei; An, Jing

2017-09-01

Dynamic monitoring the behavior of a program is widely used to discriminate between benign program and malware. It is usually based on the dynamic characteristics of a program, such as API call sequence or API call frequency to judge. The key innovation of this paper is to consider the full Native API sequence and use the support vector machine to detect the shellcode. We also use the Markov chain to extract and digitize Native API sequence features. Our experimental results show that the method proposed in this paper has high accuracy and low detection rate.

Localization of U(1) gauge vector field on flat branes with five-dimension (asymptotic) AdS5 spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhen-Hua; Xie, Qun-Ying

2018-05-01

In order to localize U(1) gauge vector field on Randall-Sundrum-like braneworld model with infinite extra dimension, we propose a new kind of non-minimal coupling between the U(1) gauge field and the gravity. We propose three kinds of coupling methods and they all support the localization of zero mode. In addition, one of them can support the localization of massive modes. Moreover, the massive tachyonic modes can be excluded. And our method can be used not only in the thin braneword models but also in the thick ones.

Support vector machine multiuser receiver for DS-CDMA signals in multipath channels.

PubMed

Chen, S; Samingan, A K; Hanzo, L

2001-01-01

The problem of constructing an adaptive multiuser detector (MUD) is considered for direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) signals transmitted through multipath channels. The emerging learning technique, called support vector machines (SVM), is proposed as a method of obtaining a nonlinear MUD from a relatively small training data block. Computer simulation is used to study this SVM MUD, and the results show that it can closely match the performance of the optimal Bayesian one-shot detector. Comparisons with an adaptive radial basis function (RBF) MUD trained by an unsupervised clustering algorithm are discussed.

Estimation of perceptible water vapor of atmosphere using artificial neural network, support vector machine and multiple linear regression algorithm and their comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shastri, Niket; Pathak, Kamlesh

2018-05-01

The water vapor content in atmosphere plays very important role in climate. In this paper the application of GPS signal in meteorology is discussed, which is useful technique that is used to estimate the perceptible water vapor of atmosphere. In this paper various algorithms like artificial neural network, support vector machine and multiple linear regression are use to predict perceptible water vapor. The comparative studies in terms of root mean square error and mean absolute errors are also carried out for all the algorithms.

Implementation of support vector machine for classification of speech marked hijaiyah letters based on Mel frequency cepstrum coefficient feature extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhi Pradana, Wisnu; Adiwijaya; Novia Wisesty, Untari

2018-03-01

Support Vector Machine or commonly called SVM is one method that can be used to process the classification of a data. SVM classifies data from 2 different classes with hyperplane. In this study, the system was built using SVM to develop Arabic Speech Recognition. In the development of the system, there are 2 kinds of speakers that have been tested that is dependent speakers and independent speakers. The results from this system is an accuracy of 85.32% for speaker dependent and 61.16% for independent speakers.

Detrital Zircon U-Pb Analysis of the Liuqu Conglomerate Along the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone, and Implications for the Mode and Timing of Collision Tectonics in Southern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Y.; Dilek, Y.

2016-12-01

The Liuqu Conglomerate (LQC) along the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in Southern Tibet is a terrestrial deposit that provides significant spatial and temporal constraints for the timing and nature of collisional events in the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan-Himalayan orogenic belt. The 10-km-wide (N-S) LQC is exposed discontinuously for more than 1000 km in an E-W direction, and is tectonically overlain to the north by the Cretaceous Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere along a S-vergent thrust fault system and to the south by Triassic-Jurassic metamorphosed sedimentary-volcanic rocks of the Tethyan Himalaya along N-vergent reverse-thrust faults. The major facies of the LQC are the matrix-supported to clast-supported conglomerates. The matrix is poorly to moderate sorted red quartz sandstone, mudstone and sub-rounded pebble to cobble-sized clasts. The clast lithology present in central and southern parts includes dark red sandstone, siltstone and mudstone greyish-green shale, grey phyllite and slate with their provenance in the Triassic Tethyan Himalaya to the south. The clastic material making up its stratigraphy in the northern part of the LQC includes quartz sandstone, radiolarian chert, minor dolerite, gabbro and peridotite derived from the Cretaceous ophiolite. Here we report in-situ detrital zircon U-Pb age analysis of sandstone from the LQC near Liuqu area. 163 concordant U-Pb ages obtained from sample 22-LQ-15, 27-LQ-15 and 35-LQ-15 show the youngest age is 307±13 Ma with discordance of -17.02%, and the oldest zircon grain is 3362 ±51 Ma with discordance of 2.63%. Statistically, the age spectrum of these zircons from the three sandstone samples display a prominent peak centred in 935 Ma, a large peak around 516 Ma, and two small clusters around 2429 Ma and 2772 Ma. The zircon U-Pb results provide evidence of age clusters of the sandstone in LQC are consistent with the detrital U-Pb age signature of the sandstone in Tethyan Himalaya. Thus, the sediments in the LQC could be derived from the northern edge of the Indian margin and a late Jurassic-Cretaceous intra-oceanic island arc that lay within Thethys and developed prior to the final collision between India and Eurasia plates.

Detrital zircon geochronology of some neoproterozoic to triassic rocks in interior alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bradley, D.C.; McClelland, W.C.; Wooden, J.L.; Till, A.B.; Roeske, S.M.; Miller, M.L.; Karl, Susan M.; Abbott, J.G.

2007-01-01

We report 777 U-Pb SHRIMP detrital zircon ages from thirteen sandstones and metasandstones in interior Alaska. About sixty grains per sample were analyzed; typically, half to three-fourths of these were concordant within ?? 10%. Farewell terrane. Two quartzites were collected from Ruby quadrangle and a third from Taylor Mountains quadrangle. All three are interpreted to represent a low stratigraphic level in the Nixon Fork platform succession; the samples from Ruby quadrangle are probably late Neoproterozoic, and the sample from Taylor Mountains quadrangle is probably Cambrian in age. The youngest detrital zircon in any of the three is 851 Ma. The two Ruby quadrangle samples area almost identical: one has a major age cluster at 1980-2087 and minor age clusters at 944-974 and 1366-1383 Ma; the other has a major age cluster at 1993-2095 Ma and minor age clusters at 912-946 and 1366-1395 Ma. The Taylor Mountains sample shows one dominant peak at 1914-2057 Ma. Notably absent are zircons in the range 1800-1900 Ma, which are typical of North American sources. The detrital zircon populations are consistent with paleontological evidence for a peri- Siberian position of the Farewell terrane during the early Paleozoic. Mystic subterrane of the Farewell terrane. Three graywackes from flysch of the Mystic subterrane, Talkeetna quadrangle, were sampled with the expectation that all three were Pennsylvanian. Asample from Pingston Creek is Triassic (as revealed by an interbedded ash dated at ca. 223 Ma) and is dominated by age clusters of 341-359 and 1804-1866 Ma, both consistent with a sediment source in the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Minor age clusters at 848-869 and 1992-2018 Ma could have been sourced in the older part of the Farewell terrane. Still other minor age clusters at 432-461, 620-657, 1509-1536, and 1627-1653 Ma are not readily linked to sources that are now nearby. Asample from Surprise Glacier is mid-Mississippian or younger. Adominant age cluster at 1855-1883 and a minor one at 361-367 Ma could have been sourced in the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Other age clusters at 335-336, 457-472, 510-583, and 1902-1930 have no obvious nearby source. A sample from Ripsnorter Creek is Silurian or younger. The dominant age cluster at 937-981 Ma and a minor one at 2047-2077 Ma could have been sourced in the Farewell terrane. Minor age clusters at 1885-1900 and 2719-2770 Ma could have been sourced in the Yukon-Tanana terrane. Other age clusters at 429 490, 524-555, 644-652, 1023-1057, 1131-1185, and 1436-1445 Ma have no obvious nearby source. The so-called Mystic subterrane is structurally complex and would appear to include more than one Phanerozoic turbidite succession; more mapping and detrital zircon geochronology are needed. Wickersham and Yukon-Tanana terranes. A grit from Wickersham terrane in Tanana quadrangle and a grit from Yukon-Tanana terrane in Talkeetna quadrangle have similar, exclusively Precambrian detrital zircon populations, supporting previous correlations. The Wickersham sample has major age clusters at 1776-1851 and 1930-1964 Ma, and the youngest grain is 1198 Ma. The Yukon-Tanana grit has a major age cluster at 1834-1867 Ma, and the youngest grain is 1789 Ma. A North American source has been previously proposed, and this seems likely based on detrital zircon data. Ruby terrane and Minook Complex. Detrital zircons from quartzites in the Ruby terrane show two quite different age patterns. Asample from the Bear Creek area of Tanana quadrangle has detrital zircon ages that are similar to those from the Wickersham and Yukon-Tanana grits. The dominant age clusters are 1823-1856 and 1887-1931 Ma. In contrast, a quartzite from nearby Senatis Mountain (Tanana quadrangle) yielded a completely different detrital zircon age spectrum, featuring a broad peak with no significant gaps from 1024 to 1499 Ma and a minor age cluster at 1671-1695 Ma. The youngest concordant zircon is 1024 ?? 6 Ma. Aquartzite from the Minook Complex, a sliver along t

6 Ma age of carving Westernmost Grand Canyon: Reconciling geologic data with combined AFT, (U-Th)/He, and 4He/3He thermochronologic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winn, Carmen; Karlstrom, Karl E.; Shuster, David L.; Kelley, Shari; Fox, Matthew

2017-09-01

Conflicting hypotheses about the timing of carving of the Grand Canyon involve either a 70 Ma (;old;) or <6 Ma (;young;) Grand Canyon. This paper evaluates the controversial westernmost segment of the Grand Canyon where the following lines of published evidence firmly favor a ;young; Canyon. 1) North-derived Paleocene Hindu Fanglomerate was deposited across the present track of the westernmost Grand Canyon, which therefore was not present at ∼55 Ma. 2) The 19 Ma Separation Point basalt is stranded between high relief side canyons feeding the main stem of the Colorado River and was emplaced before these tributaries and the main canyon were incised. 3) Geomorphic constraints indicate that relief generation in tributaries and on plateaus adjacent to the westernmost Grand Canyon took place after 17 Ma. 4) The late Miocene-Pliocene Muddy Creek Formation constraint shows that no river carrying far-traveled materials exited at the mouth of the Grand Canyon until after 6 Ma. Interpretations of previously-published low-temperature thermochronologic data conflict with these lines of evidence, but are reconciled in this paper via the integration of three methods of analyses on the same sample: apatite (U-Th)/He ages (AHe), 4He/3He thermochronometry (4He/3He), and apatite fission-track ages and lengths (AFT). HeFTy software was used to generate time-temperature (t-T) paths that predict all new and published 4He/3He, AHe, and AFT data to within assumed uncertainties. These t-T paths show cooling from ∼100 °C to 40-60 °C in the Laramide (70-50 Ma), long-term residence at 40-60 °C in the mid-Tertiary (50-10 Ma), and cooling to near-surface temperatures after 10 Ma, and thus support young incision of the westernmost Grand Canyon. A subset of AHe data, when interpreted alone (i.e. without 4He/3He or AFT data), are better predicted by t-T paths that cool to surface temperatures during the Laramide, consistent with an ;old; Grand Canyon. However, the combined AFT, AHe, and 4He/3He analysis of a key sample from Separation Canyon can only be reconciled by a ;young; Canyon. Additional new AFT (5 samples) and AHe data (3 samples) in several locations along the canyon corridor also support a ;young; Canyon. This inconsistency, which mimics the overall controversy of the age of the Grand Canyon, is reconciled here by optimizing cooling paths so they are most consistent with multiple thermochronometers from the same rocks. To do this, we adjusted model parameters and uncertainties to account for uncertainty in the rate of radiation damage annealing in these apatites during sedimentary burial and the resulting variations in He retentivity. In westernmost Grand Canyon, peak burial conditions (temperature and duration) during the Laramide were likely insufficient to fully anneal radiation damage that accumulated during prolonged, near-surface residence since the Proterozoic. We conclude that application of multiple thermochronometers from common rocks reconciles conflicting thermochronologic interpretations and the data presented here are best explained by a ;young; westernmost Grand Canyon. Samples spread along the river corridor also suggest the possibility of variable mid-Tertiary thermal histories beneath north-retreating cliffs.

A Graphics Environment Supporting the Rapid Prototyping of Pictorial Cockpit Displays

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-12-01

0 - niDi cO 3 FIL .OF I A GRAPHICS ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTING THE RAPID PROTOTYPING OF PICTORIAL COCKPIT DISPLAYS THESIS Alan J. Braaten Captain, USAF...COCKPIT DISPLAYS THESIS Alan J. Braaten Captain, USAF AFIT/GCS/IA/86D- 1 Appram:ed for public release; distribution unlimited AFIT/GCS/MA/80- 1 A...GRAPHICS ENVIROWNT SUPPORTING THE RAPID PROTOTYPING OF PICTORIAL COCKPIT DISPLAYS THESIS Preented to the Faculty Of the School of Engineering of the Air

Geochronology, Magnetic Lithostratigraphy, and the Tectonostratigraphic Evolution of the Late Meso- to Neoproterozoic Ghanzi Basin in Botswana and Namibia, and Implications for Copper-Silver Mineralization in the Kalahari Copperbelt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Wesley Scott

Despite a wealth of research on the Kalahari Copperbelt over the past 30 years, two crucial aspects of the mineralizing systems have remained elusive. First, the age of the rift sequence hosting the deposits and, second, the nature of the fluid pathways for the mineralizing fluids. Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) U-Pb isotopic analysis on one igneous sample of the Makgabana Hills rhyolite (Kgwebe Formation) within the central Kalahari Copperbelt in Botswana constrains the depositional age of the unconformably overlying Ghanzi Group to after 1085.5 +/- 4.5 Ma. The statistically youngest detrital zircon age populations obtained from the uppermost unit of the Ngwako Pan Formation (1066 +/- 9.4 Ma, MSWD = 0.88, n = 3), the overlying D'Kar Formation (1063 +/- 11, MSWD = 0.056, n = 3), and the lower Mamuno Formation (1056.0 +/- 9.9 Ma, MSWD = 0.68, n = 4) indicate that the middle and upper Ghanzi Groups were deposited after 1060 to 1050 Ma. Lu-Hf analysis of detrital zircon suggests that the Mesoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic rocks of the Namaqua Sector and the Rehoboth Basement Inlier were the primary sediment sources for the siliciclastic rocks of the Ghanzi Group and lesser material was derived from the basin-bounding footwall margin of the northwest Botswana rift, the Paleoproterozoic Magondi Belt and the Okwa Block, and possibly parts of the Limpopo Belt on the northern margin of the Kalahari Craton in southern Africa. A molybdenite Re-Os age of 981 +/- 3 Ma provides a minimum depositional age constraint on D'Kar Formation sedimentation. Authigenic xenotime U-Th-Pb ages of 925 and 950 Ma further the evidence for an earliest Neoproterozoic (Tonian) age for the D'Kar Formation. Re-Os ages of 549 +/- 11.2 Ma (low-level highly radiogenic chalcocite-idaite) and 515.9 +/- 2.4 Ma (molybdenite), and a U-Th-Pb age of 538.4 +/- 8.3 Ma (xenotime inclusion in chalcopyrite) from several Cu-Ag deposits in the central Kalahari Copperbelt suggest prolonged mineralizing events during basin inversion related to the Pan-African ( 600 to 480 Ma) Damara orogen. High-resolution aeromagnetic maps were utilized to define the stratigraphy and structure of the Ghanzi Group of the central Kalahari Copperbelt. Maps of the second vertical derivative transformation were compared with detailed stratigraphic data from drill holes. These data reveal previously unrecognized thinning of the Ngwako Pan Formation onto rocks of the underlying Kgwebe Formation and suggest the presence of syn-sedimentary horst and graben and/or half-graben structures. Truncation of the aeromagnetics fabric of the uppermost Ngwako Pan Formation rocks suggests that the rocks were gently folded and eroded above paleotopographic highs prior to the ensuing basin-wide marine transgression and sedimentation of the unconformably overlying mixed marine siliciclastic and carbonate rocks of the D'Kar Formation. Detailed facies architecture derived from both drilling and magnetic data at the Zone 5 Cu-Ag deposit, located east of the Kgwebe and Makgabana Hills, suggests that its physical (stratigraphic) and chemical (organic material and in-situ bacteriogenic sulfide) nature were influenced by the underlying basin architecture, which was critical in development of trap sites and in funneling epigenetic hydrothermal fluids into those traps. The presented new data indicate that the basin architecture underlying the Kalahari Copperbelt strongly influenced the localization of deformation and hydrothermal fluid flow during epigenetic events. The results of this study can be used to help vector exploration for Cu-Ag deposits through the recognition of buried paleotopographic highs and associated favorable trap sites.

Sedimentary Flux to Passive Margins From Inversion of Drainage Patterns: Examples from Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lodhia, Bhavik Harish; Roberts, Gareth G.; Fraser, Alastair

2017-04-01

We show that inversion of more than 14000 rivers from the African continent provides information about Cenozoic uplift and sedimentary flux to its passive margins. We test predicted sedimentary flux using a dense two-dimensional seismic dataset offshore northwest Africa. First, six biostratigraphically dated horizons were mapped (seabed, 5.6 Ma, 23.8 Ma, 58.40 Ma, 89.4 Ma and basement) across the Mauritanian margin and used to construct isopachs. Check-shot data were used to convert time to depth and to determine best-fitting compaction parameters. Observed solid sedimentary fluxes are ˜2x103 km3 /Ma between 58.4 and 23.8 Ma, ˜4x103 km3 /Ma between 23.8 and 5.6 Ma, and ˜28x103 km3 /Ma between 5.6 and 0 Ma. Compaction errors were propagated into our history of sedimentary flux. Secondly, we inverted our drainage inventory to explore the relationship between uplift and erosion onshore and our measured flux. The stream power erosional model was calibrated using independent observations of marine terrace elevations and ages. We integrate incision rates along best-fitting theoretical river profiles to predict sedimentary flux at mouths of the rivers draining northwest Africa (e.g. Senegal). Calculated Neogene uplift and erosion is staged. Our predicted history of sedimentary flux increases in three stages towards the present-day, which agrees with the offshore measurements. Finally, using our inverse approach we systematically tested different erosional scenarios. We find that sedimentary flux to Africa's passive margins is controlled up the history of uplift and erosional processes play a moderating role. Predicted fluxes are indistinguishable if precipitation rate varies with a period less than ˜ 1 Ma or drainage area varies by less than 50%. To investigate the geodynamic setting of the Mauritanian margin we backstripped eight commercial wells that penetrate Neogene stratigraphy. Wells in the central part of the Mauritania basin include 500-800 m of Neogene water-loaded subsidence that cannot be attributed to extension, thermal subsidence, salt-tectonics or glacio-eustasy. Stratigraphy mapped across the margin shows that this anomalous subsidence affected an area larger than 500 by 500 km. We suggest that this anomalous subsidence was caused by Neogene dynamic drawdown. Conversion of the Schaeffer & Lebedev (2013) velocity model to temperature and simple isostatic calculations indicate that negative buoyancy anomalies directly beneath the Mauritanian margin generate up to 500 m of drawdown today. Measured ocean-age depth residuals and calculated subsidence histories suggest that dynamic uplift of the Cape Verde swell and dynamic drawdown in the east generated a gradient in dynamic support during the last 25 Ma.

Octahedron Fe3O4 particles supported on 3D MWCNT/graphene foam: In-situ method and application as a comprehensive microwave absorption material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Luolin; Zhao, Yan; Li, Ye; Han, Xiao; Zhang, Tong

2017-09-01

In this work, we used in-situ method to directly prepare a novel structure consisting of well-distributed octahedron Fe3O4 particles, porous graphene foam (GF) and fibrous multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT): started with an intense stir to anchor Fe3+ on the surfaces of graphene oxide and oxided MWCNT, followed by solvothermal reaction to synthesize 3D lightweight Fe3O4/MWCNT/GF hybrids with high performance microwave absorption (MA). The maximum Reflection Loss (RL) value of -35.30 dB and 9.01 GHz bandwidth with RL below -10 dB detected with the thickness of 3.0 mm are achieved by Fe3O4/MWCNT/GF with an ultralow bulk density of 5.0 mg cm-3, of which the Specific Microwave Absorption Performance is much higher than most available MA materials reported. Impedance matching, high loss characteristic, interfacial polarization and polarization relaxation significantly improve MA properties, which serves as a guide for fabricating comprehensive MA materials enjoying numerous advantages of high RL value, broad bandwidth, low density and thin thickness.

Mitochondrial genomes reveal the extinct Hippidion as an outgroup to all living equids.

PubMed

Der Sarkissian, Clio; Vilstrup, Julia T; Schubert, Mikkel; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Eme, David; Weinstock, Jacobo; Alberdi, Maria Teresa; Martin, Fabiana; Lopez, Patricio M; Prado, Jose L; Prieto, Alfredo; Douady, Christophe J; Stafford, Tom W; Willerslev, Eske; Orlando, Ludovic

2015-03-01

Hippidions were equids with very distinctive anatomical features. They lived in South America 2.5 million years ago (Ma) until their extinction approximately 10 000 years ago. The evolutionary origin of the three known Hippidion morphospecies is still disputed. Based on palaeontological data, Hippidion could have diverged from the lineage leading to modern equids before 10 Ma. In contrast, a much later divergence date, with Hippidion nesting within modern equids, was indicated by partial ancient mitochondrial DNA sequences. Here, we characterized eight Hippidion complete mitochondrial genomes at 3.4-386.3-fold coverage using target-enrichment capture and next-generation sequencing. Our dataset reveals that the two morphospecies sequenced (H. saldiasi and H. principale) formed a monophyletic clade, basal to extant and extinct Equus lineages. This contrasts with previous genetic analyses and supports Hippidion as a distinct genus, in agreement with palaeontological models. We date the Hippidion split from Equus at 5.6-6.5 Ma, suggesting an early divergence in North America prior to the colonization of South America, after the formation of the Panamanian Isthmus 3.5 Ma and the Great American Biotic Interchange. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Stromatolites in the approximately 3400 Ma Strelley Pool Formation, Western Australia: examining biogenicity from the macro- to the nano-scale.

PubMed

Wacey, David

2010-05-01

The 3426-3350 Ma Strelley Pool Formation (SPF) is a silicified, dominantly sedimentary unit within the Pilbara Supergroup, Western Australia. It is found widely across the East Pilbara Terrane, and it forms a prominent marker horizon and separates the largely volcanic 3520-3427 Ma Warrawoona and 3350-3315 Ma Kelly groups. It has become one of the key formations for study by astrobiologists, following reports of some of the world's oldest stromatolites. Abundant contextural and morphological evidence has been presented over the last decade in support of a biological role in SPF stromatolite formation. This evidence is reviewed here, and additional data are presented from recent fieldwork carried out across the approximately 25 km of SPF outcrops in the East Strelley greenstone belt of the East Pilbara Terrane. In addition to contextural and morphological evidence, a compelling claim for early life requires geochemical evidence for biological cycling. A potential avenue of approach to obtain such evidence for the SPF stromatolites (and other ancient examples) is discussed in the context of a pilot study in which nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) was used.

Mitochondrial genomes reveal the extinct Hippidion as an outgroup to all living equids

PubMed Central

Der Sarkissian, Clio; Vilstrup, Julia T.; Schubert, Mikkel; Seguin-Orlando, Andaine; Eme, David; Weinstock, Jacobo; Alberdi, Maria Teresa; Martin, Fabiana; Lopez, Patricio M.; Prado, Jose L.; Prieto, Alfredo; Douady, Christophe J.; Stafford, Tom W.; Willerslev, Eske; Orlando, Ludovic

2015-01-01

Hippidions were equids with very distinctive anatomical features. They lived in South America 2.5 million years ago (Ma) until their extinction approximately 10 000 years ago. The evolutionary origin of the three known Hippidion morphospecies is still disputed. Based on palaeontological data, Hippidion could have diverged from the lineage leading to modern equids before 10 Ma. In contrast, a much later divergence date, with Hippidion nesting within modern equids, was indicated by partial ancient mitochondrial DNA sequences. Here, we characterized eight Hippidion complete mitochondrial genomes at 3.4–386.3-fold coverage using target-enrichment capture and next-generation sequencing. Our dataset reveals that the two morphospecies sequenced (H. saldiasi and H. principale) formed a monophyletic clade, basal to extant and extinct Equus lineages. This contrasts with previous genetic analyses and supports Hippidion as a distinct genus, in agreement with palaeontological models. We date the Hippidion split from Equus at 5.6–6.5 Ma, suggesting an early divergence in North America prior to the colonization of South America, after the formation of the Panamanian Isthmus 3.5 Ma and the Great American Biotic Interchange. PMID:25762573

A phylogenetic analysis of the grape genus (Vitis L.) reveals broad reticulation and concurrent diversification during neogene and quaternary climate change.

PubMed

Wan, Yizhen; Schwaninger, Heidi R; Baldo, Angela M; Labate, Joanne A; Zhong, Gan-Yuan; Simon, Charles J

2013-07-05

Grapes are one of the most economically important fruit crops. There are about 60 species in the genus Vitis. The phylogenetic relationships among these species are of keen interest for the conservation and use of this germplasm. We selected 309 accessions from 48 Vitis species,varieties, and outgroups, examined ~11 kb (~3.4 Mb total) of aligned nuclear DNA sequences from 27 unlinked genes in a phylogenetic context, and estimated divergence times based on fossil calibrations. Vitis formed a strongly supported clade. There was substantial support for species and less for the higher-level groupings (series). As estimated from extant taxa, the crown age of Vitis was 28 Ma and the divergence of subgenera (Vitis and Muscadinia) occurred at ~18 Ma. Higher clades in subgenus Vitis diverged 16 - 5 Ma with overlapping confidence intervals, and ongoing divergence formed extant species at 12 - 1.3 Ma. Several species had species-specific SNPs. NeighborNet analysis showed extensive reticulation at the core of subgenus Vitis representing the deeper nodes, with extensive reticulation radiating outward. Fitch Parsimony identified North America as the origin of the most recent common ancestor of extant Vitis species. Phylogenetic patterns suggested origination of the genus in North America, fragmentation of an ancestral range during the Miocene, formation of extant species in the late Miocene-Pleistocene, and differentiation of species in the context of Pliocene-Quaternary tectonic and climatic change. Nuclear SNPs effectively resolved relationships at and below the species level in grapes and rectified several misclassifications of accessions in the repositories. Our results challenge current higher-level classifications, reveal the abundance of genetic diversity in the genus that is potentially available for crop improvement, and provide a valuable resource for species delineation, germplasm conservation and use.

Carbon-based coating containing ultrafine MoO2 nanoparticles as an integrated anode for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Quanyi; Yang, Qi; Zhao, Yanhong; Wan, Bin

2017-10-01

Copper-supported MoO2-C composite as an integrated anode with excellent battery performance was synthesized by a facile knife coating technique followed by heat treatment in a vacuum. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal analysis, nitrogen adsorption and desorption analysis, field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show the MoO2-C composite coating is comprised of a porous carbon matrix with a pore size of 1-3 nm and ultrafine MoO2 nanoparticles with a size of 5-10 nm encapsulated inside, the coating is tightly attached on the surface of copper foil, and the interface between them is free of cracks. Stable PAN-DMF-H2O system containing ammonium molybdate suitable for knife coating technique and the MoO2-C composite with ultrafine MoO2 nanoparticles encapsulated in the carbon matrix can be prepared through controlling amount of added ammonium molybdate solution. The copper-supported MoO2-C composite coating can be directly utilized as the integrated anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). It delivers a capacity of 814 mA h g-1 at a current density of 100 mA g-1 after 100 cycles without apparent capacity fading. Furthermore, with increase of current densities to 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 mA g-1, it exhibits average capacities of 809, 697, 568, 383, and 188 mA h g-1. Its outstanding electrochemical performance is attributed to combined merits of integrated anode and structure with ultrafine MoO2 nanoparticles embedded in the porous carbon matrix.

Energy-exchange collisions of dark-bright-bright vector solitons.

PubMed

Radhakrishnan, R; Manikandan, N; Aravinthan, K

2015-12-01

We find a dark component guiding the practically interesting bright-bright vector one-soliton to two different parametric domains giving rise to different physical situations by constructing a more general form of three-component dark-bright-bright mixed vector one-soliton solution of the generalized Manakov model with nine free real parameters. Moreover our main investigation of the collision dynamics of such mixed vector solitons by constructing the multisoliton solution of the generalized Manakov model with the help of Hirota technique reveals that the dark-bright-bright vector two-soliton supports energy-exchange collision dynamics. In particular the dark component preserves its initial form and the energy-exchange collision property of the bright-bright vector two-soliton solution of the Manakov model during collision. In addition the interactions between bound state dark-bright-bright vector solitons reveal oscillations in their amplitudes. A similar kind of breathing effect was also experimentally observed in the Bose-Einstein condensates. Some possible ways are theoretically suggested not only to control this breathing effect but also to manage the beating, bouncing, jumping, and attraction effects in the collision dynamics of dark-bright-bright vector solitons. The role of multiple free parameters in our solution is examined to define polarization vector, envelope speed, envelope width, envelope amplitude, grayness, and complex modulation of our solution. It is interesting to note that the polarization vector of our mixed vector one-soliton evolves in sphere or hyperboloid depending upon the initial parametric choices.

Using an object-based grid system to evaluate a newly developed EP approach to formulate SVMs as applied to the classification of organophosphate nerve agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Land, Walker H., Jr.; Lewis, Michael; Sadik, Omowunmi; Wong, Lut; Wanekaya, Adam; Gonzalez, Richard J.; Balan, Arun

2004-04-01

This paper extends the classification approaches described in reference [1] in the following way: (1.) developing and evaluating a new method for evolving organophosphate nerve agent Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers using Evolutionary Programming, (2.) conducting research experiments using a larger database of organophosphate nerve agents, and (3.) upgrading the architecture to an object-based grid system for evaluating the classification of EP derived SVMs. Due to the increased threats of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by international terrorist organizations, a significant effort is underway to develop tools that can be used to detect and effectively combat biochemical warfare. This paper reports the integration of multi-array sensors with Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for the detection of organophosphates nerve agents using a grid computing system called Legion. Grid computing is the use of large collections of heterogeneous, distributed resources (including machines, databases, devices, and users) to support large-scale computations and wide-area data access. Finally, preliminary results using EP derived support vector machines designed to operate on distributed systems have provided accurate classification results. In addition, distributed training time architectures are 50 times faster when compared to standard iterative training time methods.

Detection of Hard Exudates in Colour Fundus Images Using Fuzzy Support Vector Machine-Based Expert System.

PubMed

Jaya, T; Dheeba, J; Singh, N Albert

2015-12-01

Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. Currently, there is a need for making decisions using intelligent computer algorithms when screening a large volume of data. This paper presents an expert decision-making system designed using a fuzzy support vector machine (FSVM) classifier to detect hard exudates in fundus images. The optic discs in the colour fundus images are segmented to avoid false alarms using morphological operations and based on circular Hough transform. To discriminate between the exudates and the non-exudates pixels, colour and texture features are extracted from the images. These features are given as input to the FSVM classifier. The classifier analysed 200 retinal images collected from diabetic retinopathy screening programmes. The tests made on the retinal images show that the proposed detection system has better discriminating power than the conventional support vector machine. With the best combination of FSVM and features sets, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve reached 0.9606, which corresponds to a sensitivity of 94.1% with a specificity of 90.0%. The results suggest that detecting hard exudates using FSVM contribute to computer-assisted detection of diabetic retinopathy and as a decision support system for ophthalmologists.

Repeat Transduction in the Mouse Lung by Using Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors with Different Serotypes

PubMed Central

Halbert, Christine L.; Rutledge, Elizabeth A.; Allen, James M.; Russell, David W.; Miller, A. Dusty

2000-01-01

Vectors derived from adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) promote gene transfer and expression in the lung; however, we have found that while gene expression can persist for at least 8 months in mice, it was reduced dramatically in rabbits over a period of 2 months. The efficiency and persistence of AAV2-mediated gene expression in the human lung have yet to be determined, but it seems likely that readministration will be necessary over the lifetime of an individual. Unfortunately, we have found that transduction by a second administration of an AAV2 vector is blocked, presumably due to neutralizing antibodies generated in response to the primary vector exposure. Here, we have explored the use of AAV2 vectors pseudotyped with capsid proteins from AAV serotypes 2, 3, and 6 for readministration in the mouse lung. We found that an AAV6 vector transduced airway epithelial and alveolar cells in the lung at rates that were at least as high as those of AAV2 pseudotype vectors, while transduction rates mediated by AAV3 were much lower. AAV6 pseudotype vector transduction was unaffected by prior administration of an AAV2 or AAV3 vector, and transduction by an AAV2 pseudotype vector was unaffected by prior AAV6 vector administration, showing that cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies against AAV2 and AAV6 are not generated in mice. Interestingly, while prior administration of an AAV2 vector completely blocked transduction by a second AAV2 pseudotype vector, prior administration of an AAV6 vector only partially inhibited transduction by a second administration of an AAV6 pseudotype vector. Analysis of sera obtained from mice and humans showed that AAV6 is less immunogenic than AAV2, which helps explain this finding. These results support the development of AAV6 vectors for lung gene therapy both alone and in combination with AAV2 vectors. PMID:10627564