Sample records for triggered considerable interest

  1. Neutrino Factory Plans at CERN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riche, J. A.

    2002-10-01

    The considerable interest raised by the discovery of neutrino oscillations and recent progress in studies of muon colliders has triggered interest in considering a neutrino factory at CERN. This paper explains the reference scenario, indicates the other possible choices and mentions the R&D that are foreseen.

  2. Emotional triggers in myocardial infarction: do they matter?

    PubMed

    Edmondson, Donald; Newman, Jonathan D; Whang, William; Davidson, Karina W

    2013-01-01

    Considerable excitement and interest have arisen recently concerning the role that acute emotional triggers may play in precipitating a myocardial infarction (MI). Observational studies have found repeatedly that patients report excessive anger, anxiety, sadness, grief, or acute stress immediately prior to onset of MI, and recent meta-analyses summarizing these findings reported strong associations between MI occurrence and many of these acute emotions. However, it is unclear whether and through what mechanisms acute emotional triggers might influence MI, and whether there is any clinical utility in knowing if or how emotions trigger MI. We debate whether emotional triggers matter by reviewing the recent evidence for the association between acute emotional triggers and MI and by describing the potential pathophysiological characteristics and mechanisms underlying this association and the preventive strategies that could be used to mitigate the risk of acute MI. We also examine whether the study of emotional triggers could influence clinical risk management or changes in clinical practice/management. We offer suggestions for research that might shed light on whether emotional triggers could initiate a paradigm shift in preventive cardiology, or whether acute emotional triggers are either intractable catalysts for, or merely an epiphenomenon of, some MIs.

  3. Emotional triggers in myocardial infarction: do they matter?

    PubMed Central

    Edmondson, Donald; Newman, Jonathan D.; Whang, William; Davidson, Karina W.

    2013-01-01

    Considerable excitement and interest have arisen recently concerning the role that acute emotional triggers may play in precipitating a myocardial infarction (MI). Observational studies have found repeatedly that patients report excessive anger, anxiety, sadness, grief, or acute stress immediately prior to onset of MI, and recent meta-analyses summarizing these findings reported strong associations between MI occurrence and many of these acute emotions. However, it is unclear whether and through what mechanisms acute emotional triggers might influence MI, and whether there is any clinical utility in knowing if or how emotions trigger MI. We debate whether emotional triggers matter by reviewing the recent evidence for the association between acute emotional triggers and MI and by describing the potential pathophysiological characteristics and mechanisms underlying this association and the preventive strategies that could be used to mitigate the risk of acute MI. We also examine whether the study of emotional triggers could influence clinical risk management or changes in clinical practice/management. We offer suggestions for research that might shed light on whether emotional triggers could initiate a paradigm shift in preventive cardiology, or whether acute emotional triggers are either intractable catalysts for, or merely an epiphenomenon of, some MIs. PMID:23178642

  4. In situ formation of magnetopolymersomes via electroporation for MRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bain, Jennifer; Ruiz-Pérez, Lorena; Kennerley, Aneurin J.; Muench, Stephen P.; Thompson, Rebecca; Battaglia, Giuseppe; Staniland, Sarah S.

    2015-09-01

    As the development of diagnostic/therapeutic (and combined: theranostic) nanomedicine grows, smart drug-delivery vehicles become ever more critical. Currently therapies consist of drugs tethered to, or encapsulated within nanoparticles or vesicles. There is growing interest in functionalising them with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to target the therapeutics by localising them using magnetic fields. An alternating magnetic field induces remote heating of the particles (hyperthermia) triggering drug release or cell death. Furthermore, MNPs are diagnostic MRI contrast agents. There is considerable interest in MNP embedded vehicles for nanomedicine, but their development is hindered by difficulties producing consistently monodisperse MNPs and their reliable loading into vesicles. Furthermore, it is highly advantageous to "trigger" MNP production and to tune the MNP's size and magnetic response. Here we present the first example of a tuneable, switchable magnetic delivery vehicle for nanomedical application. These are comprised of robust, tailored polymer vesicles (polymersomes) embedded with superparamagnetic magnetite MNPs (magnetopolymersomes) which show good MRI contrast (R2* = 148.8 s-1) and have a vacant core for loading of therapeutics. Critically, the magnetopolymersomes are produced by a pioneering nanoreactor method whereby electroporation triggers the in situ formation of MNPs within the vesicle membrane, offering a switchable, tuneable magnetic responsive theranostic delivery vehicle.

  5. Studying Triggers for Interest and Engagement Using Observational Methods

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Renninger, K. Ann; Bachrach, Jessica E.

    2015-01-01

    In this article, we discuss the contribution of observational methods to understanding the processes involved in triggering interest and establishing engagement. We begin by reviewing the literatures on interest and engagement, noting their similarities, differences, and the utility to each of better understanding the triggering process. We then…

  6. Beyond Sociocultural Influence: Self-monitoring and Self-awareness as Predictors of Women's Interest in Breast Cosmetic Surgery.

    PubMed

    Matera, Camilla; Nerini, Amanda; Giorgi, Claudia; Baroni, Duccio; Stefanile, Cristina

    2015-06-01

    The aim of the present research was to analyze the role of self-awareness, self-monitoring, perceived media pressures, and peer attributions on the consideration of breast cosmetic surgery among women. The internalization of thin ideals was taken into account as a key moderating variable. Participants were 132 Italian women (mean age = 33.62), who completed a questionnaire aimed at measuring the variables of interest. Path analysis was used to test our hypotheses. The results indicated that perceived media pressure, self-monitoring, and peer attributions influenced participants' interest in breast modification procedures through the internalization of thin ideals. Self-awareness (both private and public) had a direct effect on women's consideration of breast cosmetic surgery. This research is one of few analyzing how specific aspects of the self could influence women's interest in cosmetic surgery. These findings contribute to the understanding of the reasons that trigger women's interest in cosmetic surgery. Not only sociocultural influences contribute to the development of favorable attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, but also specific aspects of the self have a relevant role. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the table of contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

  7. (Lipo)polysaccharide interactions of antimicrobial peptides.

    PubMed

    Schmidtchen, Artur; Malmsten, Martin

    2015-07-01

    Due to rapidly increasing resistance development against conventional antibiotics, as well as problems associated with diseases either triggered or deteriorated by infection, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory peptides have attracted considerable interest during the last few years. While there is an emerging understanding of the direct antimicrobial function of such peptides through bacterial membrane destabilization, the mechanisms of their anti-inflammatory function are less clear. We here summarize some recent results obtained from our own research on anti-inflammatory peptides, with focus on peptide-(lipo)polysaccharide interactions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Development of longitudinally excited CO2 laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masroon, N. S.; Tanaka, M.; Tei, M.; Uno, K.; Tsuyama, M.; Nakano, H.

    2018-05-01

    Simple, compact, and affordable discharged-pumped CO2 laser controlled by a fast high voltage solid state switch has been developed. In this study, longitudinal excitation scheme has been adapted for simple configuration. In the longitudinal excitation scheme, the discharge is produced along the direction of the laser axis, and the electrodes are well separated with a small discharge cross-section. Triggered spark gap switch is usually used to switch out the high voltage because of simple and low cost. However, the triggered spark gap operates in the arc mode and suffer from recovery problem causing a short life time and low efficiency for high repetition rate operation. As a result, there is now considerable interest in replacing triggered spark gap switch with solid state switches. Solid state switches have significant advantages compared to triggered spark gap switch which include longer service lifetime, low cost and stable high trigger pulse. We have developed simple and low cost fast high voltage solid state switch that consists of series connected-MOSFETs. It has been installed to the longitudinally excited CO2 laser to realize the gap switch less operation. Characteristics of laser oscillation by varying the discharge length, charging voltage, capacitance and gas pressure have been evaluated. Longer discharge length produce high power of laser oscillation. Optimum charging voltage and gas pressure were existed for longitudinally excited CO2 laser.

  9. Unconscious manipulation of free choice by novel primes.

    PubMed

    Ocampo, Brenda

    2015-07-01

    The extent to which non-conscious perception can influence behaviour has been a topic of considerable controversy in psychology for decades. Although a challenging task, convincing empirical demonstrations have emerged suggesting that non-consciously perceived 'prime' stimuli can influence motor responses to subsequent targets. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that the influence of masked primes is not restricted to target-elicited responses, but can also bias free-choices between alternative behaviours. The present experiment extends these findings by showing that free-choices could also be biased by novel primes that never appeared as targets and therefore could not trigger acquired stimulus-response (S-R) mappings. This new evidence suggests that free-choice behaviour can be influenced by non-consciously triggered semantic representations. Furthermore, the results reported here support accounts of masked priming that posit an automatic semantic categorisation of non-consciously perceived visual stimuli. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. L1 track triggers for ATLAS in the HL-LHC

    DOE PAGES

    Lipeles, E.

    2012-01-01

    The HL-LHC, the planned high luminosity upgrade for the LHC, will increase the collision rate in the ATLAS detector approximately a factor of 5 beyond the luminosity for which the detectors were designed, while also increasing the number of pile-up collisions in each event by a similar factor. This means that the level-1 trigger must achieve a higher rejection factor in a more difficult environment. This presentation discusses the challenges that arise in this environment and strategies being considered by ATLAS to include information from the tracking systems in the level-1 decision. The main challenges involve reducing the data volumemore » exported from the tracking system for which two options are under consideration: a region of interest based system and an intelligent sensor method which filters on hits likely to come from higher transverse momentum tracks.« less

  11. Developing Student Interest: An Overview of the Research and Implications for Geoscience Education Research and Teaching Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Hoeven Kraft, Katrien J.

    2017-01-01

    Interest is a complex interplay between affective and cognitive components that drive motivation. Over decades of work in the educational psychology community, a theoretical framework has emerged that explains this complex interplay. Interest is initially externally triggered (triggered situational interest), which, through support, can become…

  12. In vitro selection of shape-changing DNA nanostructures capable of binding-induced cargo release.

    PubMed

    Oh, Seung Soo; Plakos, Kory; Xiao, Yi; Eisenstein, Michael; Soh, H Tom

    2013-11-26

    Many biological systems employ allosteric regulatory mechanisms, which offer a powerful means of directly linking a specific binding event to a wide spectrum of molecular functionalities. There is considerable interest in generating synthetic allosteric regulators that can perform useful molecular functions for applications in diagnostics, imaging and targeted therapies, but generating such molecules through either rational design or directed evolution has proven exceptionally challenging. To address this need, we present an in vitro selection strategy for generating conformation-switching DNA nanostructures that selectively release a small-molecule payload in response to binding of a specific trigger molecule. As an exemplar, we have generated a DNA nanostructure that hybridizes with a separate 'cargo strand' containing an abasic site. This abasic site stably sequesters a fluorescent cargo molecule in an inactive state until the DNA nanostructure encounters an ATP trigger molecule. This ATP trigger causes the nanostructure to release the cargo strand, thereby liberating the fluorescent payload and generating a detectable fluorescent readout. Our DNA nanostructure is highly sensitive, with an EC50 of 30 μM, and highly specific, releasing its payload in response to ATP but not to other chemically similar nucleotide triphosphates. We believe that this selection approach could be generalized to generate synthetic nanostructures capable of selective and controlled release of other small-molecule cargos in response to a variety of triggers, for both research and clinical applications.

  13. Situational Interest of High School Students Who Visit an Aquarium

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dohn, Niels Bonderup

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how situational interest of high school students was triggered during a field trip to an aquarium. Although the role of museums in stimulating interest among students has been acknowledged for some time, empirical evidence about how the specific variable of a museum setting might trigger situational…

  14. Schizophrenic Diblock-Copolymer-Functionalized Nanoparticles as Temperature-Responsive Pickering Emulsifiers.

    PubMed

    Ranka, Mikhil; Katepalli, Hari; Blankschtein, Daniel; Hatton, T Alan

    2017-11-21

    Stimuli-responsive pickering emulsions have received considerable attention in recent years, and the utilization of temperature as a stimulus has been of particular interest. Previous efforts have led to responsive systems that enable the formation of stable emulsions at room temperature, which can subsequently be triggered to destabilize with an increase in temperature. The development of a thermoresponsive system that exhibits the opposite response, however, i.e., one that can be triggered to form stable emulsions at elevated temperatures and subsequently be induced to phase separate at lower temperatures, has so far been lacking. Here, we describe a system that accomplishes this goal by leveraging a schizophrenic diblock copolymer that exhibits both an upper and a lower critical solution temperature. The diblock copolymer was conjugated to 20 nm silica nanoparticles, which were subsequently demonstrated to stabilize O/W emulsions at 65 °C and trigger phase separation upon cooling to 25 °C. The effects of particle concentration, electrolyte concentration, and polymer architecture were investigated, and facile control of emulsion stability was demonstrated for multiple oil types. Our approach is likely to be broadly adaptable to other schizophrenic diblock copolymers and find significant utility in applications such as enhanced oil recovery and liquid-phase heterogeneous catalysis, where stable emulsions are desired only at elevated temperatures.

  15. Skier triggering of backcountry avalanches with skilled route selection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sinickas, Alexandra; Haegeli, Pascal; Jamieson, Bruce

    2015-04-01

    Jamieson (2009) provided numerical estimates for the baseline probabilities of triggering an avalanche by a backcountry skier making fresh tracks without skilled route selection as a function of the North American avalanche danger scale (i.e., hazard levels Low, Moderate, Considerable, High and Extreme). Using the results of an expert survey, he showed that triggering probabilities while skiing directly up, down or across a trigger zone without skilled route selection increase roughly by a factor of 10 with each step of the North American avalanche danger scale (i.e. hazard level). The objective of the present study is to examine the effect of skilled route selection on the relationship between triggering probability and hazard level. To assess the effect of skilled route selection on triggering probability by hazard level, we analysed avalanche hazard assessments as well as reports of skiing activity and triggering of avalanches from 11 Canadian helicopter and snowcat operations during two winters (2012-13 and 2013-14). These reports were submitted to the daily information exchange among Canadian avalanche safety operations, and reflect professional decision-making and route selection practices of guides leading groups of skiers. We selected all skier-controlled or accidentally triggered avalanches with a destructive size greater than size 1 according to the Canadian avalanche size classification, triggered by any member of a guided group (guide or guest). These operations forecast the avalanche hazard daily for each of three elevation bands: alpine, treeline and below treeline. In contrast to the 2009 study, an exposure was defined as a group skiing within any one of the three elevation bands, and consequently within a hazard rating, for the day (~4,300 ratings over two winters). For example, a group that skied below treeline (rated Moderate) and treeline (rated Considerable) in one day, would receive one count for exposure to Moderate hazard, and one count for exposure to Considerable hazard. While the absolute values for triggering probability cannot be compared to the 2009 study because of different definitions of exposure, our preliminary results suggest that with skilled route selection the triggering probability is similar all hazard levels, except for extreme for which there are few exposures. This means that the guiding teams of backcountry skiing operations effectively control the hazard from triggering avalanches with skilled route selection. Groups were exposed relatively evenly to Low hazard (1275 times or 29% of total exposure), Moderate hazard (1450 times or 33 %) and Considerable hazard (1215 times or 28 %). At higher levels, the exposure reduced to roughly 380 times (9 % of total exposure) to High hazard, and only 13 times (0.3 %) to Extreme hazard. We assess the sensitivity of the results to some of our key assumptions.

  16. The Effects of Instruction of Creative Invention on Students' Situational Interest in Physics Lesson

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leung, Tim

    There are a few empirical studies (Palmer, 2008; Dohn, 2010) or intervention programs (Hidi & Harackiewicz, 2000) about students' situational interest in physics lessons, although the declining interest in physics among students has been well documented in the research literature (Gardner, 1998 ; International Bureau for Education, 2001; European Commission, 2007; Oon & Subramaniam, 2011). Even in the research area of science education, yet little is known about how to trigger students' catching and holding situational interest in a physics lesson. In this study, five intervention lessons of creative invention were developed. Each lesson consists of three parts including Eberle's (1971, 1972) SCAMPER technique on the creative thinking, knowledge and concepts of physics curriculum, hands-on activities related to both SCAMPER technique and physics concepts. Two surveys were developed and used to measure the situational interest and individual interest of students in physics lessons. Qualitative conversational interviews were used to interpret the sources of situational interest of students in physics lessons. Results in this study indicate that new inventive products and television programs or films related to SCAMPER can trigger the catching interest in physics lessons. Meaningful hands-on activities related to both SCAMPER technique and physics concepts can trigger the holding interest in physics lessons. There is no significant difference in situational interest among students with different academic abilities except in the topic related to electronic components. The students with lower academic ability have greater situational interest than the students with higher academic ability in learning the topic related to electronic components. There is no significant difference in situational interest between boys and girls except in the topic related to revolving paper lantern. Girls have higher situational interest than boys in learning the topic related to revolving paper lantern. The findings in this study suggest that educators can use instruction of creative invention to trigger students' situational interest and enhance students' individual interest in physics lessons.

  17. The clinical value of tissue factor assays.

    PubMed

    Francis, J L; Carvalho, M; Francis, D A

    1995-06-01

    Tissue factor (TF) is now considered to be the primary physiologic activator of the blood coagulation system. Coupled with recent advances in our understanding of the biochemistry of TF this has heightened interest in measuring aspects of TF activity in disease states. Expression of TF by blood monocytes in various diseases is an established trigger for intravascular coagulation and there is now a considerable body of experience with its measurement. This has considerable clinical potential although more widespread application awaits a consensus on the most appropriate methodologic approach to its measurement. TF can be detected in urine and may reflect the activation state of renal macrophages. Urinary TF is increased in cancer and could have diagnostic and prognostic value in a variety of malignant diseases. Finally, it is now possible to measure soluble TF in plasma. One such assay is commercially available and is technically simple to perform. The clinical value of such assays, however, must await better understanding of the source and function of soluble TF in plasma.

  18. Biomechanical and performance implications of weapon design: comparison of bullpup and conventional configurations.

    PubMed

    Stone, Richard T; Moeller, Brandon F; Mayer, Robert R; Rosenquist, Bryce; Van Ryswyk, Darin; Eichorn, Drew

    2014-06-01

    Shooter accuracy and stability were monitored while firing two bullpup and two conventional configuration rifles of the same caliber in order to determine if one style of weapon results in superior performance. Considerable debate exists among police and military professionals regarding the differences between conventional configuration weapons, where the magazine and action are located ahead of the trigger, and bullpup configuration, where they are located behind the trigger (closer to the user). To date, no published research has attempted to evaluate this question from a physical ergonomics standpoint, and the knowledge that one style might improve stability or result in superior performance is of interest to countless military, law enforcement, and industry experts. A live-fire evaluation of both weapon styles was performed using a total of 48 participants. Shooting accuracy and fluctuations in biomechanical stability (center of pressure) were monitored while subjects used the weapons to perform standard drills. The bullpup weapon designs were found to provide a significant advantage in accuracy and shooter stability, while subjects showed considerable preference toward the conventional weapons. Although many mechanical and maintenance issues must be considered before committing to a bullpup or conventional weapon system, it is clear in terms of basic human stability that the bullpup is the more advantageous configuration. Results can be used by competitive shooter, military, law enforcement, and industry experts while outfitting personnel with a weapon system that leads to superior performance.

  19. Tidal triggering of moonquakes.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hamilton, W. L.

    1972-01-01

    It is argued that the moonquakes recorded by sensors at the Apollo 12 landing site between December 1969 and December 1970, and which according to Latham et al. (1971) are believed to be triggered by the anomalistic lunar tide, could be triggered just as well by the latitudinal (or declination) tidal wave. Considerations are set forth which indicate that a combined latitudinal-anomalistic tidal mechanism is supported by Latham's data.

  20. Swift detection of MAXI J1820+070

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kennea, J. A.; Marshall, F. E.; Page, K. L.; Palmer, D. M.; Siegel, M. H.; Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory Team

    2018-03-01

    This is reposted from GCN #22471 as it is of interest to the transient community. At 00:11:39 UT, the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) triggered and located MAXI J1820+070 (Kawamuro et al, 2018; ATel #11399) (trigger=813771, retriggering as trigger=813772).

  1. Identification of a Novel Gnao-Mediated Alternate Olfactory Signaling Pathway in Murine OSNs.

    PubMed

    Scholz, Paul; Mohrhardt, Julia; Jansen, Fabian; Kalbe, Benjamin; Haering, Claudia; Klasen, Katharina; Hatt, Hanns; Osterloh, Sabrina

    2016-01-01

    It is generally agreed that in olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), the binding of odorant molecules to their specific olfactory receptor (OR) triggers a cAMP-dependent signaling cascade, activating cyclic-nucleotide gated (CNG) channels. However, considerable controversy dating back more than 20 years has surrounded the question of whether alternate signaling plays a role in mammalian olfactory transduction. In this study, we demonstrate a specific alternate signaling pathway in Olfr73-expressing OSNs. Methylisoeugenol (MIEG) and at least one other known weak Olfr73 agonist (Raspberry Ketone) trigger a signaling cascade independent from the canonical pathway, leading to the depolarization of the cell. Interestingly, this pathway is mediated by Gnao activation, leading to Cl(-) efflux; however, the activation of adenylyl cyclase III (ACIII), the recruitment of Ca(2+) from extra-or intracellular stores, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent signaling (PI signaling) are not involved. Furthermore, we demonstrated that our newly identified pathway coexists with the canonical olfactory cAMP pathway in the same OSN and can be triggered by the same OR in a ligand-selective manner. We suggest that this pathway might reflect a mechanism for odor recognition predominantly used in early developmental stages before olfactory cAMP signaling is fully developed. Taken together, our findings support the existence of at least one odor-induced alternate signal transduction pathway in native OSNs mediated by Olfr73 in a ligand-selective manner.

  2. Cyanobacteria as photosynthetic biocatalysts: a systems biology perspective.

    PubMed

    Gudmundsson, Steinn; Nogales, Juan

    2015-01-01

    The increasing need to replace oil-based products and to address global climate change concerns has triggered considerable interest in photosynthetic microorganisms. Cyanobacteria, in particular, have great potential as biocatalysts for fuels and fine-chemicals. During the last few years the biotechnological applications of cyanobacteria have experienced an unprecedented increase and the use of these photosynthetic organisms for chemical production is becoming a tangible reality. However, the field is still immature and many concerns about the economic feasibility of the biotechnological potential of cyanobacteria remain. In this review we describe recent successes in biofuel and fine-chemical production using cyanobacteria. We discuss the role of the photosynthetic metabolism and highlight the need for systems-level metabolic optimization in order to achieve the true potential of cyanobacterial biocatalysts.

  3. Triggering on New Physics with the CMS Detector

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

    Bose, Tulika

    The BU CMS group led by PI Tulika Bose has made several significant contributions to the CMS trigger and to the analysis of the data collected by the CMS experiment. Group members have played a leading role in the optimization of trigger algorithms, the development of trigger menus, and the online operation of the CMS High-Level Trigger. The group’s data analysis projects have concentrated on a broad spectrum of topics that take full advantage of their strengths in jets and calorimetry, trigger, lepton identification as well as their considerable experience in hadron collider physics. Their publications cover several searches formore » new heavy gauge bosons, vector-like quarks as well as diboson resonances.« less

  4. Diet and lifestyle as trigger factors for the onset of heartburn.

    PubMed

    Oliver, Katie; Davies, Gloria; Dettmar, Peter

    To examine prospectively the role of reported trigger factors on symptom onset in patients with heartburn and highlight the role of these factors in the management of heartburn in the primary care setting. METHOD Twenty-two patients with heartburn and 50 controls were recruited in Bedfordshire, UK. A seven-day symptom and trigger diary was completed by patients and controls. Patients reported a collection of heartburn symptoms varying in severity and time of day. Aspects of diet and lifestyle perceived as trigger factors included large meals, time of eating and posture. Multiple trigger factors were reported for heartburn. Although symptom onset varies between individuals, consideration should be given to trigger factors in the management of heartburn symptoms.

  5. Dynamic adjustments of cognitive control during economic decision making.

    PubMed

    Soutschek, Alexander; Schubert, Torsten

    2014-10-01

    Decision making in the Ultimatum game requires the resolution of conflicts between economic self-interest and fairness intuitions. Since cognitive control processes play an important role in conflict resolution, the present study examined how control processes that are triggered by conflicts between fairness and self-interest in unfair offers affect subsequent decisions in the Ultimatum game. Our results revealed that more unfair offers were accepted following previously unfair, compared to previously fair offers. Interestingly, the magnitude of this conflict adaptation effect correlated with the individual subjects' focus on economic self-interest. We concluded that conflicts between fairness and self-interest trigger cognitive control processes, which reinforce the focus on the current task goal. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. SQL Triggers Reacting on Time Events: An Extension Proposal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Behrend, Andreas; Dorau, Christian; Manthey, Rainer

    Being able to activate triggers at timepoints reached or after time intervals elapsed has been acknowledged by many authors as a valuable functionality of a DBMS. Recently, the interest in time-based triggers has been renewed in the context of data stream monitoring. However, up till now SQL triggers react to data changes only, even though research proposals and prototypes have been supporting several other event types, in particular time-based ones, since long. We therefore propose a seamless extension of the SQL trigger concept by time-based triggers, focussing on semantic issues arising from such an extension.

  7. Study on stair-step liquid triggered capillary valve for microfluidic systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Lei; Jones, Ben; Majeed, Bivragh; Nishiyama, Yukari; Okumura, Yasuaki; Stakenborg, Tim

    2018-06-01

    In lab-on-a-chip systems, various microfluidic technologies are being developed to handle fluids at very small quantities, e.g. in the scale of nano- or pico-liter. To achieve autonomous fluid handling at a low cost, passive fluidic control, based on the capillary force between the liquid and microchannel surface, is of the utmost interest in the microsystem. Valves are an essential component for flow control in many microfluidic systems, which enables a sequence of fluidic operations to be performed. In this paper, we present a new passive valve structure for a capillary driven microfluidic device. It is a variation of a capillary trigger valve that is amenable to silicon microfabrication; it will be referred to as a stair-step liquid triggered valve. In this paper, the valve functionality and its dependencies on channel geometry, surface contact angle, and surface roughness are studied both experimentally and with numerical modeling. The effect of the contact angle was explored in experiments on the silicon microfabricated valve structure; a maximal working contact angle, above which the valve fails to be triggered, was demonstrated. The fluidic behavior in the stair-step channel structure was further explored computationally using the finite volume method with the volume-of-fluid approach. Surface roughness due to scalloping of the sidewall during the Bosch etch process was hypothesized to reduce the sidewall contact angle. The reduced contact angle has considerable impacts on the capillary pressure as the liquid vapor interface traverses the stair-step structure of the valve. An improved match in the maximal working contact angle between the experiments and model was obtained when considering this surface roughness effect.

  8. An event-related visual occlusion method for examining anticipatory skill in natural interceptive tasks.

    PubMed

    Mann, David L; Abernethy, Bruce; Farrow, Damian; Davis, Mark; Spratford, Wayne

    2010-05-01

    This article describes a new automated method for the controlled occlusion of vision during natural tasks. The method permits the time course of the presence or absence of visual information to be linked to identifiable events within the task of interest. An example application is presented in which the method is used to examine the ability of cricket batsmen to pick up useful information from the prerelease movement patterns of the opposing bowler. Two key events, separated by a consistent within-action time lag, were identified in the cricket bowling action sequence-namely, the penultimate foot strike prior to ball release (Event 1), and the subsequent moment of ball release (Event 2). Force-plate registration of Event 1 was then used as a trigger to facilitate automated occlusion of vision using liquid crystal occlusion goggles at time points relative to Event 2. Validation demonstrated that, compared with existing approaches that are based on manual triggering, this method of occlusion permitted considerable gains in temporal precision and a reduction in the number of unusable trials. A more efficient and accurate protocol to examine anticipation is produced, while preserving the important natural coupling between perception and action.

  9. High-resolution T2-weighted abdominal magnetic resonance imaging using respiratory triggering: impact of butylscopolamine on image quality.

    PubMed

    Wagner, M; Klessen, C; Rief, M; Elgeti, T; Taupitz, M; Hamm, B; Asbach, P

    2008-05-01

    Respiratory triggering allows the acquisition of high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) images of the upper abdomen. However, the depiction of organs close to the gastrointestinal tract can be considerably impaired by ghosting artifacts and blurring caused by bowel peristalsis. To evaluate the effect of gastrointestinal motion suppression by intramuscular butylscopolamine administration on the image quality of a respiratory-triggered T2-weighted turbo spin-echo (T2w TSE) sequence of the upper abdomen. Images of 46 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Twenty-four patients had received intramuscular injection of 40 mg butylscopolamine immediately before MR imaging. Fourteen of the 24 patients in the butylscopolamine group underwent repeat imaging after a mean of 29 min. Quantitative analysis of the ghosting artifacts was done by measuring signal intensities in regions of interest placed in air anterior to the patient. In addition, image quality was assessed qualitatively by two radiologists by consensus. Spasmolytic medication with butylscopolamine reduced ghosting artifacts and significantly improved image quality of the respiratory-triggered T2w TSE sequence. The most pronounced effect of butylscopolamine administration on image quality was found for the pancreas and the left hepatic lobe. The rate of examinations with excellent or good depiction of the pancreas and the left hepatic lobe in the group without premedication and in the butylscopolamine group was 55% vs. 96% (pancreatic head), 35% vs. 88% (pancreatic body), 43% vs. 96% (pancreatic tail), and 45% vs. 83% (left hepatic lobe), respectively. Regarding the duration of the effect of intramuscular butylscopolamine, repeat imaging after a mean of 29 min did not result in a significant deterioration of image quality. Intramuscular butylscopolamine administration significantly improves image quality of respiratory-triggered T2-weighted abdominal MR imaging by persistent reduction of peristaltic artifacts. MR imaging of the liver and pancreas in particular benefits from the suppression of gastrointestinal peristalsis by butylscopolamine.

  10. Why do some adolescents encounter everyday events that increase their civic interest whereas others do not?

    PubMed

    Stattin, Håkan; Hussein, Oula; Özdemir, Metin; Russo, Silvia

    2017-02-01

    Using a longitudinal design, we asked 2 age cohorts of adolescents (15- and 18-year-olds) whether they, during the last year, had experienced events that had increased their civic interest and about details of their experiences. Based on self-determination theory, we predicted that the adolescents who reported having experienced events of this kind had already been more interested and had had more positive feelings about politics much earlier in time, and that this original interest would have increased more over time, than that of other adolescents. Second, we proposed that the adolescents who had encountered events that triggered their civic interest would have been engaged in behaviors that reflected their needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, much earlier in time, and that, over time, they would have increased these behaviors more than other adolescents. These 2 predictions were largely confirmed. As for the content of the events the adolescents reported, many of them concerned national and international issues experienced as threatening, and that challenged the adolescents' beliefs and morality. Overall, a previous interest in politics and engagement in exploratory behaviors that reflect the adolescents' psychological needs seem to play crucial roles in understanding why adolescents in their everyday life encounter events that trigger their civic interest. Further, the findings show that having had everyday experiences that trigger the adolescents' civic interests are associated with a later increase in political interest more broadly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  11. Real-time digital filtering, event triggering, and tomographic reconstruction of JET soft x-ray data (abstract)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edwards, A. W.; Blackler, K.; Gill, R. D.; van der Goot, E.; Holm, J.

    1990-10-01

    Based upon the experience gained with the present soft x-ray data acquisition system, new techniques are being developed which make extensive use of digital signal processors (DSPs). Digital filters make 13 further frequencies available in real time from the input sampling frequency of 200 kHz. In parallel, various algorithms running on further DSPs generate triggers in response to a range of events in the plasma. The sawtooth crash can be detected, for example, with a delay of only 50 μs from the onset of the collapse. The trigger processor interacts with the digital filter boards to ensure data of the appropriate frequency is recorded throughout a plasma discharge. An independent link is used to pass 780 and 24 Hz filtered data to a network of transputers. A full tomographic inversion and display of the 24 Hz data is carried out in real time using this 15 transputer array. The 780 Hz data are stored for immediate detailed playback following the pulse. Such a system could considerably improve the quality of present plasma diagnostic data which is, in general, sampled at one fixed frequency throughout a discharge. Further, it should provide valuable information towards designing diagnostic data acquisition systems for future long pulse operation machines when a high degree of real-time processing will be required, while retaining the ability to detect, record, and analyze events of interest within such long plasma discharges.

  12. A Site Characterization Protocol for Evaluating the Potential for Triggered or Induced Seismicity Resulting from Wastewater Injection and Hydraulic Fracturing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walters, R. J.; Zoback, M. D.; Gupta, A.; Baker, J.; Beroza, G. C.

    2014-12-01

    Regulatory and governmental agencies, individual companies and industry groups and others have recently proposed, or are developing, guidelines aimed at reducing the risk associated with earthquakes triggered by waste water injection or hydraulic fracturing. While there are a number of elements common to the guidelines proposed, not surprisingly, there are also some significant differences among them and, in a number of cases, important considerations that are not addressed. The goal of this work is to develop a comprehensive protocol for site characterization based on a rigorous scientific understanding of the responsible processes. Topics addressed will include the geologic setting (emphasizing faults that might be affected), historical seismicity, hydraulic characterization of injection and adjacent intervals, geomechanical characterization to identify potentially active faults, plans for seismic monitoring and reporting, plans for monitoring and reporting injection (pressure, volumes, and rates), other factors contributing to risk (potentially affected population centers, structures, and facilities), and implementing a modified Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA). The guidelines will be risk based and adaptable, rather than prescriptive, for a proposed activity and region of interest. They will be goal oriented and will rely, to the degree possible, on established best practice procedures, referring to existing procedures and recommendations. By developing a risk-based site characterization protocol, we hope to contribute to the development of rational and effective measures for reducing the risk posed by activities that potentially trigger earthquakes.

  13. The CMS High-Level Trigger and Trigger Menus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avetisyan, Aram

    2008-04-01

    The CMS experiment is one of the two general-purpose experiments due to start operation soon at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC will collide protons at a centre of mass energy of 14 TeV, with a bunch-crossing rate of 40 MHz. The online event selection for the CMS experiment is carried out in two distinct stages. At Level-1 the trigger electronics reduces the 40 MHz collision rate to provide up to 100 kHz of interesting events, based on objects found using its calorimeter and muon subsystems. The High Level Trigger (HLT) that runs in the Filter Farm of the CMS experiment is a set of sophisticated software tools that run in a real-time environment to make a further selection and archive few hundred Hz of interesting events. The coherent tuning of the HLT algorithms to accommodate multiple physics channels is a key issue for CMS, one that literally defines the reach of the experiment's physics program. In this presentation we will discuss the strategies and trigger configuration developed for startup physics program of the CMS experiment, up to a luminosity of 10^31 s-1cm-2. Emphasis will be given to the full trigger menus, including physics and calibration triggers.

  14. Dry needling — peripheral and central considerations

    PubMed Central

    Dommerholt, Jan

    2011-01-01

    Dry needling is a common treatment technique in orthopedic manual physical therapy. Although various dry needling approaches exist, the more common and best supported approach targets myofascial trigger points. This article aims to place trigger point dry needling within the context of pain sciences. From a pain science perspective, trigger points are constant sources of peripheral nociceptive input leading to peripheral and central sensitization. Dry needling cannot only reverse some aspects of central sensitization, it reduces local and referred pain, improves range of motion and muscle activation pattern, and alters the chemical environment of trigger points. Trigger point dry needling should be based on a thorough understanding of the scientific background of trigger points, the differences and similarities between active and latent trigger points, motor adaptation, and central sensitize application. Several outcome studies are included, as well as comments on dry needling and acupuncture. PMID:23115475

  15. Bifunctional ultraviolet/ultrasound responsive composite TiO2/polyelectrolyte microcapsules

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Hui; Wen, Dongsheng; Tarakina, Nadezda V.; Liang, Jierong; Bushby, Andy J.; Sukhorukov, Gleb B.

    2016-02-01

    Designing and fabricating multifunctional microcapsules are of considerable interest in both academic and industrial research aspects. This work reports an innovative approach to fabricate composite capsules with high UV and ultrasound responsive functionalities that can be used as external triggers for controlled release, yet with enhanced mechanical strength that can make them survive in a harsh environment. Needle-like TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were produced in situ into layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte (PE) shells through the hydrolysis of titanium butoxide (TIBO). These rigid TiO2 NPs yielded the formed capsules with excellent mechanical strength, showing a free standing structure. A possible mechanism is proposed for the special morphology formation of the TiO2 NPs and their reinforcing effects. Synergistically, their response to UV and ultrasound was visualized via SEM, with the results showing an irreversible shell rapture upon exposure to either UV or ultrasound irradiation. As expected, the release studies revealed that the dextran release from the TiO2/PE capsules was both UV-dependent and ultrasound-dependent. Besides, the biocompatibility of the capsules with the incorporation of amorphous TiO2 NPs was confirmed by an MTT assay experiment. All these pieces of evidence suggested a considerable potential medicinal application of TiO2/PE capsules for controlled drug delivery.Designing and fabricating multifunctional microcapsules are of considerable interest in both academic and industrial research aspects. This work reports an innovative approach to fabricate composite capsules with high UV and ultrasound responsive functionalities that can be used as external triggers for controlled release, yet with enhanced mechanical strength that can make them survive in a harsh environment. Needle-like TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were produced in situ into layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte (PE) shells through the hydrolysis of titanium butoxide (TIBO). These rigid TiO2 NPs yielded the formed capsules with excellent mechanical strength, showing a free standing structure. A possible mechanism is proposed for the special morphology formation of the TiO2 NPs and their reinforcing effects. Synergistically, their response to UV and ultrasound was visualized via SEM, with the results showing an irreversible shell rapture upon exposure to either UV or ultrasound irradiation. As expected, the release studies revealed that the dextran release from the TiO2/PE capsules was both UV-dependent and ultrasound-dependent. Besides, the biocompatibility of the capsules with the incorporation of amorphous TiO2 NPs was confirmed by an MTT assay experiment. All these pieces of evidence suggested a considerable potential medicinal application of TiO2/PE capsules for controlled drug delivery. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06666b

  16. An Overview of Recent Advances in Event-Triggered Consensus of Multiagent Systems.

    PubMed

    Ding, Lei; Han, Qing-Long; Ge, Xiaohua; Zhang, Xian-Ming

    2018-04-01

    Event-triggered consensus of multiagent systems (MASs) has attracted tremendous attention from both theoretical and practical perspectives due to the fact that it enables all agents eventually to reach an agreement upon a common quantity of interest while significantly alleviating utilization of communication and computation resources. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent advances in event-triggered consensus of MASs. First, a basic framework of multiagent event-triggered operational mechanisms is established. Second, representative results and methodologies reported in the literature are reviewed and some in-depth analysis is made on several event-triggered schemes, including event-based sampling schemes, model-based event-triggered schemes, sampled-data-based event-triggered schemes, and self-triggered sampling schemes. Third, two examples are outlined to show applicability of event-triggered consensus in power sharing of microgrids and formation control of multirobot systems, respectively. Finally, some challenging issues on event-triggered consensus are proposed for future research.

  17. Student treatment on clerkships based on their specialty interests.

    PubMed

    Woolley, Douglas C; Paolo, Anthony M; Bonaminio, Giulia A; Moser, Scott E

    2006-01-01

    Student clerkship experiences may suffer if teachers are not sympathetic to students' clinical interests. In this study, we quantified these experiences, compared reports of primary care and focused specialty students, and identified clerkships and teachers that posed special problems. Students starting their 4th year at 6 schools completed a survey. The response rate was 75%. Students reported that these experiences, which were provoked by their clinical interests, were common: hearing deprecating comments about their interests, being denied learning opportunities, receiving lower evaluations, being discouraged from pursing their interests, and needing to be evasive for self-protection. Primary care students reported less mistreatment than focused specialty students. Students identified some clerkships and types of teachers as special problem sources. Students reported mistreatment triggered by clinical interests at twice the national rates for mistreatment triggered by race or sex. Such mistreatment is common and challenges medical schools to ensure that students are treated well regardless of their career aspirations.

  18. WO3/Pt nanoparticles promote light-induced lipid peroxidation and lysosomal instability within tumor cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Clark, Andrea J.; Petty, Howard R.

    2016-02-01

    Although metal-metal oxide nanoparticles have attracted considerable interest as catalysts, they have attracted little interest in nanomedicine. This is likely due to the fact that metal oxide semiconductors generally require biologically harmful ultraviolet excitation. In contrast, this study focuses upon WO3/Pt nanoparticles, which can be excited by visible light. To optimize the nanoparticles’ catalytic performance, platinization was performed at alkaline pH. These nanoparticles destroyed organic dyes, consumed dissolved oxygen and produced hydroxyl radicals. 4T1 breast cancer cells internalized WO3/Pt nanoparticles within the membrane-bound endo-lysosomal compartment as shown by electron and fluorescence microscopy. During visible light exposure, but not in darkness, WO3/Pt nanoparticles manufacture reactive oxygen species, promote lipid peroxidation, and trigger lysosomal membrane disruption. As cells of the immune system degrade organic molecules, produce reactive oxygen species, and activate the lipid peroxidation pathway within target cells, these nanoparticles mimic the chemical attributes of immune effector cells. These biomimetic nanoparticles should become useful in managing certain cancers, especially ocular cancer.

  19. The ATLAS high level trigger steering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berger, N.; Bold, T.; Eifert, T.; Fischer, G.; George, S.; Haller, J.; Hoecker, A.; Masik, J.; Nedden, M. Z.; Reale, V. P.; Risler, C.; Schiavi, C.; Stelzer, J.; Wu, X.

    2008-07-01

    The High Level Trigger (HLT) of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider receives events which pass the LVL1 trigger at ~75 kHz and has to reduce the rate to ~200 Hz while retaining the most interesting physics. It is a software trigger and performs the reduction in two stages: the LVL2 trigger and the Event Filter (EF). At the heart of the HLT is the Steering software. To minimise processing time and data transfers it implements the novel event selection strategies of seeded, step-wise reconstruction and early rejection. The HLT is seeded by regions of interest identified at LVL1. These and the static configuration determine which algorithms are run to reconstruct event data and test the validity of trigger signatures. The decision to reject the event or continue is based on the valid signatures, taking into account pre-scale and pass-through. After the EF, event classification tags are assigned for streaming purposes. Several new features for commissioning and operation have been added: comprehensive monitoring is now built in to the framework; for validation and debugging, reconstructed data can be written out; the steering is integrated with the new configuration (presented separately), and topological and global triggers have been added. This paper will present details of the final design and its implementation, the principles behind it, and the requirements and constraints it is subject to. The experience gained from technical runs with realistic trigger menus will be described.

  20. Generating gradient germanium nanostructures by shock-induced amorphization and crystallization

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Shiteng; Kad, Bimal; Wehrenberg, Christopher E.; Remington, Bruce A.; Hahn, Eric N.; More, Karren L.; Meyers, Marc A.

    2017-01-01

    Gradient nanostructures are attracting considerable interest due to their potential to obtain superior structural and functional properties of materials. Applying powerful laser-driven shocks (stresses of up to one-third million atmospheres, or 33 gigapascals) to germanium, we report here a complex gradient nanostructure consisting of, near the surface, nanocrystals with high density of nanotwins. Beyond there, the structure exhibits arrays of amorphous bands which are preceded by planar defects such as stacking faults generated by partial dislocations. At a lower shock stress, the surface region of the recovered target is completely amorphous. We propose that germanium undergoes amorphization above a threshold stress and that the deformation-generated heat leads to nanocrystallization. These experiments are corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations which show that supersonic partial dislocation bursts play a role in triggering the crystalline-to-amorphous transition. PMID:28847926

  1. Generating gradient germanium nanostructures by shock-induced amorphization and crystallization.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Shiteng; Kad, Bimal; Wehrenberg, Christopher E; Remington, Bruce A; Hahn, Eric N; More, Karren L; Meyers, Marc A

    2017-09-12

    Gradient nanostructures are attracting considerable interest due to their potential to obtain superior structural and functional properties of materials. Applying powerful laser-driven shocks (stresses of up to one-third million atmospheres, or 33 gigapascals) to germanium, we report here a complex gradient nanostructure consisting of, near the surface, nanocrystals with high density of nanotwins. Beyond there, the structure exhibits arrays of amorphous bands which are preceded by planar defects such as stacking faults generated by partial dislocations. At a lower shock stress, the surface region of the recovered target is completely amorphous. We propose that germanium undergoes amorphization above a threshold stress and that the deformation-generated heat leads to nanocrystallization. These experiments are corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations which show that supersonic partial dislocation bursts play a role in triggering the crystalline-to-amorphous transition.

  2. Interdependence of ATP signalling and pannexin channels; the servant was really the master all along?

    PubMed

    Jackson, Michael F

    2015-12-15

    Pannexin channels are recognized as important conduits for the release of ATP, which contributes to purinergic signalling. Pathologically, ATP release via these channels acts as a find-me signal for apoptotic cell clearance. Accordingly, there is considerable and growing interest in understanding the function and regulation of pannexin channels. In a recent issue of the Biochemical Journal, Boyce et al. provide evidence that the surface expression of pannexin channels is regulated by extracellular ATP. They propose a model in which ATP triggers pannexin channel internalization through a pathway involving clathrin- and caveolin-independent entry into early endosomes. Intriguingly, their evidence suggests that internalization is initiated through the association of ATP with pannexin channels themselves as well as ionotropic purinergic receptor 7 (P2X7) receptors. © 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited.

  3. External triggering and triggered targeting strategies for drug delivery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yanfei; Kohane, Daniel S.

    2017-06-01

    Drug delivery systems that are externally triggered to release drugs and/or target tissues hold considerable promise for improving the treatment of many diseases by minimizing nonspecific toxicity and enhancing the efficacy of therapy. These drug delivery systems are constructed from materials that are sensitive to a wide range of external stimuli, including light, ultrasound, electrical and magnetic fields, and specific molecules. The responsiveness conferred by these materials allows the release of therapeutics to be triggered on demand and remotely by a physician or patient. In this Review, we describe the rationales for such systems and the types of stimuli that can be deployed, and provide an outlook for the field.

  4. Which Features Make Illustrations in Multimedia Learning Interesting?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Magner, Ulrike Irmgard Elisabeth; Glogger, Inga; Renkl, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    How can illustrations motivate learners in multimedia learning? Which features make illustrations interesting? Beside the theoretical relevance of addressing these questions, these issues are practically relevant when instructional designers are to decide which features of illustrations can trigger situational interest irrespective of individual…

  5. Performance of the ATLAS trigger system in 2015.

    PubMed

    Aaboud, M; Aad, G; Abbott, B; Abdallah, J; Abdinov, O; Abeloos, B; Aben, R; AbouZeid, O S; Abraham, N L; Abramowicz, H; Abreu, H; Abreu, R; Abulaiti, Y; Acharya, B S; Adachi, S; Adamczyk, L; Adams, D L; Adelman, J; Adomeit, S; Adye, T; Affolder, A A; Agatonovic-Jovin, T; Aguilar-Saavedra, J A; Ahlen, S P; Ahmadov, F; Aielli, G; Akerstedt, H; Åkesson, T P A; Akimov, A V; Alberghi, G L; Albert, J; Albrand, S; Alconada Verzini, M J; Aleksa, M; Aleksandrov, I N; Alexa, C; Alexander, G; Alexopoulos, T; Alhroob, M; Ali, B; Aliev, M; Alimonti, G; Alison, J; Alkire, S P; Allbrooke, B M M; Allen, B W; Allport, P P; Aloisio, A; Alonso, A; Alonso, F; Alpigiani, C; Alshehri, A A; Alstaty, M; Alvarez Gonzalez, B; Álvarez Piqueras, D; Alviggi, M G; Amadio, B T; Amaral Coutinho, Y; Amelung, C; Amidei, D; Amor Dos Santos, S P; Amorim, A; Amoroso, S; Amundsen, G; Anastopoulos, C; Ancu, L S; Andari, N; Andeen, T; Anders, C F; Anders, G; Anders, J K; Anderson, K J; Andreazza, A; Andrei, V; Angelidakis, S; 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Zhu, C G; Zhu, H; Zhu, J; Zhu, Y; Zhuang, X; Zhukov, K; Zibell, A; Zieminska, D; Zimine, N I; Zimmermann, C; Zimmermann, S; Zinonos, Z; Zinser, M; Ziolkowski, M; Živković, L; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Zur Nedden, M; Zwalinski, L

    2017-01-01

    During 2015 the ATLAS experiment recorded [Formula: see text] of proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of [Formula: see text]. The ATLAS trigger system is a crucial component of the experiment, responsible for selecting events of interest at a recording rate of approximately 1 kHz from up to 40 MHz of collisions. This paper presents a short overview of the changes to the trigger and data acquisition systems during the first long shutdown of the LHC and shows the performance of the trigger system and its components based on the 2015 proton-proton collision data.

  6. Performance of the ATLAS trigger system in 2015

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

    Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.

    During 2015 the ATLAS experiment recorded 3.8fb –1 of proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV. The ATLAS trigger system is a crucial component of the experiment, responsible for selecting events of interest at a recording rate of approximately 1 kHz from up to 40 MHz of collisions. This paper presents a short overview of the changes to the trigger and data acquisition systems during the first long shutdown of the LHC and shows the performance of the trigger system and its components based on the 2015 proton–proton collision data.

  7. Performance of the ATLAS trigger system in 2015

    DOE PAGES

    Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

    2017-05-18

    During 2015 the ATLAS experiment recorded 3.8fb –1 of proton–proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of 13TeV. The ATLAS trigger system is a crucial component of the experiment, responsible for selecting events of interest at a recording rate of approximately 1 kHz from up to 40 MHz of collisions. This paper presents a short overview of the changes to the trigger and data acquisition systems during the first long shutdown of the LHC and shows the performance of the trigger system and its components based on the 2015 proton–proton collision data.

  8. Upper Secondary Students' Situational Interest: A Case Study of the Role of a Zoo Visit in a Biology Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dohn, Niels Bonderup

    2013-01-01

    This paper comprises a presentation of the findings of a case study that investigated how situational factors triggered 12th grade students' interest during a field trip to a zoo. The purpose was to identify sources of interest and to investigate the attributes that make them interesting. Students' interest was investigated by a descriptive…

  9. Generating gradient germanium nanostructures by shock-induced amorphization and crystallization

    DOE PAGES

    Zhao, Shiteng; Kad, Bimal; Wehrenberg, Christopher E.; ...

    2017-08-28

    Gradient nanostructures are attracting considerable interest due to their potential to obtain superior structural and functional properties of materials. Applying powerful laser-driven shocks (stresses of up to one-third million atmospheres, or 33 gigapascals) to germanium, we report a complex gradient nanostructure consisting of, near the surface, nanocrystals with high density of nanotwins. Beyond there, the structure exhibits arrays of amorphous bands which are preceded by planar defects such as stacking faults generated by partial dislocations. At a lower shock stress, the surface region of the recovered target is completely amorphous. Here, we propose that germanium undergoes amorphization above a thresholdmore » stress and that the deformation-generated heat leads to nanocrystallization. These experiments are corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations which show that supersonic partial dislocation bursts play a role in triggering the crystalline-to-amorphous transition.« less

  10. Generating gradient germanium nanostructures by shock-induced amorphization and crystallization

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

    Zhao, Shiteng; Kad, Bimal; Wehrenberg, Christopher E.

    Gradient nanostructures are attracting considerable interest due to their potential to obtain superior structural and functional properties of materials. Applying powerful laser-driven shocks (stresses of up to one-third million atmospheres, or 33 gigapascals) to germanium, we report a complex gradient nanostructure consisting of, near the surface, nanocrystals with high density of nanotwins. Beyond there, the structure exhibits arrays of amorphous bands which are preceded by planar defects such as stacking faults generated by partial dislocations. At a lower shock stress, the surface region of the recovered target is completely amorphous. Here, we propose that germanium undergoes amorphization above a thresholdmore » stress and that the deformation-generated heat leads to nanocrystallization. These experiments are corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations which show that supersonic partial dislocation bursts play a role in triggering the crystalline-to-amorphous transition.« less

  11. Proximate determinants of fertility in peninsular Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Tey, Nai Peng; Ng, Sor Tho; Yew, Siew Yong

    2012-05-01

    The continuing decline in fertility despite a contraction in contraceptive use in Peninsular Malaysia since the mid-1980s has triggered considerable interest in the reasons behind this phenomenon, such as increase in abortion, sterility, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Fertility decline has been attributed to rapid socioeconomic development, which can only influence fertility through the intermediate variables. Application of vital statistics, population census, and survey data of Peninsular Malaysia on Bongaarts's model vindicates that marriage postponement and contraceptive use are the 2 most important proximate determinants of fertility, but the effects are not uniform across the ethnic groups. For instance, the predicted total fertility rate for Chinese and Malays are 2.9 and 1.6, respectively, compared with the observed level of 3.0 and 1.9. Postpartum infecundability and abortion also play a part in explaining ethnic fertility differentials. The fertility inhibiting effects of these proximate determinants have significant implications on reproductive health and future population growth.

  12. Superfast Near-Infrared Light-Driven Polymer Multilayer Rockets.

    PubMed

    Wu, Zhiguang; Si, Tieyan; Gao, Wei; Lin, Xiankun; Wang, Joseph; He, Qiang

    2016-02-03

    A gold nanoshell-functionalized polymer multilayer nanorocket performs self-propulsion upon the irradiation with NIR light in the absence of chemical fuel. Theoretical simulations reveal that the NIR light-triggered self-thermophoresis drives the propulsion of the nanorocket. The nanorocket also displays -efficient NIR light-triggered propulsion in -biofluids and thus holds considerable promise for various potential biomedical applications. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Oral insulin reloaded: a structured approach.

    PubMed

    Zijlstra, Eric; Heinemann, Lutz; Plum-Mörschel, Leona

    2014-05-01

    Optimal coverage of insulin needs is the paramount aim of insulin replacement therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus. To apply insulin without breaking the skin barrier by a needle and/or to allow a more physiological provision of insulin are the main reasons triggering the continuous search for alternative routes of insulin administration. Despite numerous attempts over the past 9 decades to develop an insulin pill, no insulin for oral dosing is commercially available. By way of a structured approach, we aim to provide a systematic update on the most recent developments toward an orally available insulin formulation with a clear focus on data from clinical-experimental and clinical studies. Thirteen companies that claim to be working on oral insulin formulations were identified. However, only 6 of these companies published new clinical trial results within the past 5 years. Interestingly, these clinical data reports make up a mere 4% of the considerably high total number of publications on the development of oral insulin formulations within this time period. While this picture clearly reflects the rising research interest in orally bioavailable insulin formulations, it also highlights the fact that the lion's share of research efforts is still allocated to the preclinical stages. © 2014 Diabetes Technology Society.

  14. LSTM, GRU, Highway and a Bit of Attention: An Empirical Overview for Language Modeling in Speech Recognition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-09-12

    on learning word triggers with an attention mechanism. 5.1. Model descriptions 5.1.1. Attention layer A minimalistic attention mechanism can be...word trigger model based on a minimalistic attention mechanism: it already showed some interesting qualitative re- sults, while the performance was not

  15. ATLAS jet trigger update for the LHC run II

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

    Delgado, A. T.

    The CERN Large Hadron Collider is the biggest and most powerful particle collider ever built. It produces up to 40 million proton-proton collisions per second at unprecedented energies to explore the fundamental laws and properties of Nature. The ATLAS experiment is one of the detectors that analyses and records these collisions. It generates dozens of GB/s of data that has to be reduced before it can be permanently stored, the event selection is made by the ATLAS trigger system, which reduces the data volume by a factor of 105. The trigger system has to be highly configurable in order tomore » adapt to changing running conditions and maximize the physics output whilst keeping the output rate under control. A particularly interesting pattern generated during collisions consists of a collimated spray of particles, known as a hadronic jet. To retain the interesting jets and efficiently reject the overwhelming background, optimal jet energy resolution is needed. Therefore the Jet trigger software requires CPU-intensive reconstruction algorithms. In order to reduce the resources needed for the reconstruction step, a partial detector readout scheme was developed, which effectively suppresses the low activity regions of the calorimeter. In this paper we describe the overall ATLAS trigger software, and the jet trigger in particular, along with the improvements made on the system. We then focus on detailed studies of the algorithm timing and the performance impact of the full and partial calorimeter readout schemes. We conclude with an outlook of the jet trigger plans for the next LHC data-taking period. (authors)« less

  16. An Inquiry into the Structure of Situational Interests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Azevedo, Flávio S.

    2018-01-01

    I advance theoretically and empirically grounded arguments for broadening how we frame and understand situational interests. A situational interest refers to the short-term spike in a person's attention and participation in an activity and it is triggered in the interactions between the person and environment features (e.g., novelty and surprise).…

  17. Innovative Techniques for Teaching about Landslides and Triggered Landslide Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, F. E.; Malamud, B. D.

    2014-12-01

    When we think of a landslide (mass wasting), both the public and scientists often envisage an individual movement of earth material down a slope. Yet, landslides often occur not as individuals, but as parts of a triggered landslide event. This is where a trigger (e.g., an earthquake or heavy rainfall) results in up to tens of thousands of landslides in a region in the minutes to days after the trigger. In this paper, we will present ideas for innovative demonstrations, teaching practicals and projects, ranging from low-cost low-tech to more advanced digital methods, to communicate the ideas of landslides and triggered landslide events to the public and students. This paper is aimed at those in secondary school/university education and the public sector looking for examples to interest and inform their respective audiences about landslides, triggered landslide events, and the importance and implications of considering landslides not just as individuals, but as populations.

  18. Role of alveolar epithelial early growth response-1 (Egr-1) in CD8+ T cell-mediated lung injury.

    PubMed

    Ramana, Chilakamarti V; Cheng, Guang-Shing; Kumar, Aseem; Kwon, Hyung-Joo; Enelow, Richard I

    2009-12-01

    Influenza infection of the distal airways results in severe lung injury, a considerable portion of which is immunopathologic and attributable to the host responses. We have used a mouse model to specifically investigate the role of antiviral CD8(+) T cells in this injury, and have found that the critical effector molecule is TNF-alpha expressed by the T cells upon antigen recognition. Interestingly, the immunopathology which ensues is characterized by significant accumulation of host inflammatory cells, recruited by chemokines expressed by the target alveolar epithelial cells. In this study we analyzed the mechanisms involved in the induction of epithelial chemokine expression triggered by antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell recognition, and demonstrate that the early growth response-1 (Egr-1) transcription factor is rapidly induced in epithelial cells, both in vitro and ex vivo, and that this is a critical regulator of a host of inflammatory chemokines. Genetic deficiency of Egr-1 significantly abrogates both the chemokine expression and the immunopathologic injury associated with T cell recognition, and it directly regulates transcriptional activity of a model CXC chemokine, MIP-2. We further demonstrate that Egr-1 induction is triggered by TNF-alpha-dependent ERK activation, and inhibition of this pathway ablates Egr-1 expression. These findings suggest that Egr-1 may represent an important target in mitigating the immunopathology of severe influenza infection.

  19. Role of alveolar epithelial Early growth response-1 (Egr-1) in CD8+ T Cell mediated Lung Injury

    PubMed Central

    Ramana, Chilakamarti V.; Cheng, Guang-Shing; Kumar, Aseem; Kwon, Hyung- Joo; Enelow, Richard I.

    2009-01-01

    Influenza infection of the distal airways results in severe lung injury, a considerable portion of which is immunopathologic and attributable to the host responses. We have used a mouse model to specifically investigate the role of antiviral CD8+ T cells in this injury, and have found that the critical effector molecule is TNF-α expressed by the T cells upon antigen recognition. Interestingly, the immunopathology which ensues is characterized by significant accumulation of host inflammatory cells, recruited by chemokines expressed by the target alveolar epithelial cells. In this study we analyzed the mechanisms involved in the induction of epithelial chemokine expression triggered by antigen-specific CD8+ T cell recognition, and demonstrate that the Early growth response-1 (Egr-1) transcription factor is rapidly induced in epithelial cells, both in vitro and ex vivo, and that this is a critical regulator of a host of inflammatory chemokines. Genetic deficiency of Egr-1 significantly abrogates both the chemokine expression and the immunopathologic injury associated with T cell recognition, and it directly regulates transcriptional activity of a model CXC chemokine, MIP-2. We further demonstrate that Egr-1 induction is triggered by TNF-α– dependent ERK activation, and inhibition of this pathway ablates Egr-1 expression. These findings suggest that Egr-1 may represent an important target in mitigating the immunopathology of severe influenza infection. PMID:19786304

  20. Joint cross-correlation analysis reveals complex, time-dependent functional relationship between cortical neurons and arm electromyograms

    PubMed Central

    Zhuang, Katie Z.; Lebedev, Mikhail A.

    2014-01-01

    Correlation between cortical activity and electromyographic (EMG) activity of limb muscles has long been a subject of neurophysiological studies, especially in terms of corticospinal connectivity. Interest in this issue has recently increased due to the development of brain-machine interfaces with output signals that mimic muscle force. For this study, three monkeys were implanted with multielectrode arrays in multiple cortical areas. One monkey performed self-timed touch pad presses, whereas the other two executed arm reaching movements. We analyzed the dynamic relationship between cortical neuronal activity and arm EMGs using a joint cross-correlation (JCC) analysis that evaluated trial-by-trial correlation as a function of time intervals within a trial. JCCs revealed transient correlations between the EMGs of multiple muscles and neural activity in motor, premotor and somatosensory cortical areas. Matching results were obtained using spike-triggered averages corrected by subtracting trial-shuffled data. Compared with spike-triggered averages, JCCs more readily revealed dynamic changes in cortico-EMG correlations. JCCs showed that correlation peaks often sharpened around movement times and broadened during delay intervals. Furthermore, JCC patterns were directionally selective for the arm-reaching task. We propose that such highly dynamic, task-dependent and distributed relationships between cortical activity and EMGs should be taken into consideration for future brain-machine interfaces that generate EMG-like signals. PMID:25210153

  1. Consideration of reference points for the management of renewable resources under an adaptive management paradigm

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Irwin, Brian J.; Conroy, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    The success of natural resource management depends on monitoring, assessment and enforcement. In support of these efforts, reference points (RPs) are often viewed as critical values of management-relevant indicators. This paper considers RPs from the standpoint of objective-driven decision making in dynamic resource systems, guided by principles of structured decision making (SDM) and adaptive resource management (AM). During the development of natural resource policy, RPs have been variously treated as either ‘targets’ or ‘triggers’. Under a SDM/AM paradigm, target RPs correspond approximately to value-based objectives, which may in turn be either of fundamental interest to stakeholders or intermediaries to other central objectives. By contrast, trigger RPs correspond to decision rules that are presumed to lead to desirable outcomes (such as the programme targets). Casting RPs as triggers or targets within a SDM framework is helpful towards clarifying why (or whether) a particular metric is appropriate. Further, the benefits of a SDM/AM process include elucidation of underlying untested assumptions that may reveal alternative metrics for use as RPs. Likewise, a structured decision-analytic framework may also reveal that failure to achieve management goals is not because the metrics are wrong, but because the decision-making process in which they are embedded is insufficiently robust to uncertainty, is not efficiently directed at producing a resource objective, or is incapable of adaptation to new knowledge.

  2. A network approach to the comorbidity between posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder: The role of overlapping symptoms.

    PubMed

    Afzali, Mohammad H; Sunderland, Matthew; Teesson, Maree; Carragher, Natacha; Mills, Katherine; Slade, Tim

    2017-01-15

    The role of symptom overlap between major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder in comorbidity between two disorders is unclear. The current study applied network analysis to map the structure of symptom associations between these disorders. Data comes from a sample of 909 Australian adults with a lifetime history of trauma and depressive symptoms. Data analysis consisted of the construction of two comorbidity networks of PTSD/MDD with and without overlapping symptoms, identification of the bridging symptoms, and computation of the centrality measures. The prominent bridging role of four overlapping symptoms (i.e., sleep problems, irritability, concentration problems, and loss of interest) and five non-overlapping symptoms (i.e., feeling sad, feelings of guilt, psychomotor retardation, foreshortened future, and experiencing flashbacks) is highlighted. The current study uses DSM-IV criteria for PTSD and does not take into consideration significant changes made to PTSD criteria in DSM-5. Moreover, due to cross-sectional nature of the data, network estimates do not provide information on whether a symptom actively triggers other symptoms or whether a symptom mostly is triggered by other symptoms. The results support the role of dysphoria-related symptoms in PTSD/MDD comorbidity. Moreover, Identification of central symptoms and bridge symptoms will provide useful targets for interventions that seek to intervene early in the development of comorbidity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. The Nature of Experiences Responsible for the Generation and Maintenance of Interest in STEM

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maltese, Adam V.; Melki, Christina S.; Wiebke, Heidi L.

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has established the importance of early interest in STEM as a key factor in persistence. Our current research builds on this foundation and extends it to add more detail to understanding the types of experiences that trigger and maintain interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Using survey data from…

  4. The Effects of Seductive Details on Motivation and Learning in Multimedia Environments: Does Individual Interest Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schehl, Jeanne M.

    2012-01-01

    Research about motivation indicates that a student's attention must be gained and sustained for learning to occur. As a result, motivational tactics, including adding interesting words, sounds and visuals to instructional materials, are commonly used by designers of instruction to trigger and sustain learners' interest and engagement…

  5. Leveraging CosmoQuest: Quantitative Analysis of Audience Interests and Behaviors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buxner, S.; Gay, P.; Bakerman, M. N.; Graziano, N.; Murph, S.; Reiheld, A.

    2017-12-01

    Online science education projects have the potential to reach larger audiences than any other form of public engagement. For this potential to be realized, educators and communicators must get their message heard above the roar of competing content - the news, memes, games, and gossip that dominate online spaces. Once heard, projects must further inspire engagement, and that engagement needs to be meaningful so that it motivates and supports learning. The CosmoQuest project, launched in 2012, has been collecting data on what factors trigger engagement, and how social media in particular can be used to learn about audiences interests, and measure what kinds of messages trigger interaction. This study examines the interplay between social media frequency and messaging, and user engagement in educational content and citizen science. It further data mines Twitter to directly measure the interests of people who follow CosmoQuest on social media. This information will allow us to effectively recruit new people from space science adjacent interests, and to effectively engage them through research validated strategies.

  6. Where do we stand after twenty years of dynamic triggering studies? (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prejean, S. G.; Hill, D. P.

    2013-12-01

    In the past two decades, remote dynamic triggering of earthquakes by other earthquakes has been explored in a variety of physical environments with a wide array of observation and modeling techniques. These studies have significantly refined our understanding of the state of the crust and the physical conditions controlling earthquake nucleation. Despite an ever growing database of dynamic triggering observations, significant uncertainties remain and vigorous debate in almost all aspects of the science continues. For example, although dynamic earthquake triggering can occur with peak dynamic stresses as small as 1 kPa, triggering thresholds and their dependence on local stress state, hydrological environment, and frictional properties of faults are not well understood. Some studies find a simple threshold based on the peak amplitude of shaking while others find dependencies on frequency, recharge time, and other parameters. Considerable debate remains over the range of physical processes responsible for dynamic triggering, and the wide variation in dynamic triggering responses and time scales suggests triggering by multiple physical processes. Although Coulomb shear failure with various friction laws can often explain dynamic triggering, particularly instantaneous triggering, delayed dynamic triggering may be dependent on fluid transport and other slowly evolving aseismic processes. Although our understanding of the global distribution of dynamic triggering has improved, it is far from complete due to spatially uneven monitoring. A major challenge involves establishing statistical significance of potentially triggered earthquakes, particularly if they are isolated events or time-delayed with respect to triggering stresses. Here we highlight these challenges and opportunities with existing data. We focus on environmental dependence of dynamic triggering by large remote earthquakes particularly in volcanic and geothermal systems, as these systems often have high rates of background seismicity. In many volcanic and geothermal systems, such as the Geysers in Northern California, dynamic triggering of micro-earthquakes is frequent and predictable. In contrast, most active and even erupting volcanoes in Alaska (with the exception of the Katmai Volcanic Cluster) do not experience dynamic triggering. We explore why.

  7. Development of an Electronic Pediatric All-Cause Harm Measurement Tool Using a Modified Delphi Method.

    PubMed

    Stockwell, David Christopher; Bisarya, Hema; Classen, David C; Kirkendall, Eric S; Lachman, Peter I; Matlow, Anne G; Tham, Eric; Hyman, Dan; Lehman, Samuel M; Searles, Elizabeth; Muething, Stephen E; Sharek, Paul J

    2016-12-01

    To have impact on reducing harm in pediatric inpatients, an efficient and reliable process for harm detection is needed. This work describes the first step toward the development of a pediatric all-cause harm measurement tool by recognized experts in the field. An international group of leaders in pediatric patient safety and informatics were charged with developing a comprehensive pediatric inpatient all-cause harm measurement tool using a modified Delphi technique. The process was conducted in 5 distinct steps: (1) literature review of triggers (elements from a medical record that assist in identifying patient harm) for inclusion; (2) translation of triggers to likely associated harm, improving the ability for expert prioritization; (3) 2 applications of a modified Delphi selection approach with consensus criteria using severity and frequency of harm as well as detectability of the associated trigger as criteria to rate each trigger and associated harm; (4) developing specific trigger logic and relevant values when applicable; and (5) final vetting of the entire trigger list for pilot testing. Literature and expert panel review identified 108 triggers and associated harms suitable for consideration (steps 1 and 2). This list was pared to 64 triggers and their associated harms after the first of the 2 independent expert reviews. The second independent expert review led to further refinement of the trigger package, resulting in 46 items for inclusion (step 3). Adding in specific trigger logic expanded the list. Final review and voting resulted in a list of 51 triggers (steps 4 and 5). Application of a modified Delphi method on an expert-constructed list of 108 triggers, focusing on severity and frequency of harms as well as detectability of triggers in an electronic medical record, resulted in a final list of 51 pediatric triggers. Pilot testing this list of pediatric triggers to identify all-cause harm for pediatric inpatients is the next step to establish the appropriateness of each trigger for inclusion in a global pediatric safety measurement tool.

  8. Exponential Synchronization of Networked Chaotic Delayed Neural Network by a Hybrid Event Trigger Scheme.

    PubMed

    Fei, Zhongyang; Guan, Chaoxu; Gao, Huijun; Zhongyang Fei; Chaoxu Guan; Huijun Gao; Fei, Zhongyang; Guan, Chaoxu; Gao, Huijun

    2018-06-01

    This paper is concerned with the exponential synchronization for master-slave chaotic delayed neural network with event trigger control scheme. The model is established on a network control framework, where both external disturbance and network-induced delay are taken into consideration. The desired aim is to synchronize the master and slave systems with limited communication capacity and network bandwidth. In order to save the network resource, we adopt a hybrid event trigger approach, which not only reduces the data package sending out, but also gets rid of the Zeno phenomenon. By using an appropriate Lyapunov functional, a sufficient criterion for the stability is proposed for the error system with extended ( , , )-dissipativity performance index. Moreover, hybrid event trigger scheme and controller are codesigned for network-based delayed neural network to guarantee the exponential synchronization between the master and slave systems. The effectiveness and potential of the proposed results are demonstrated through a numerical example.

  9. Implementation of a custom time-domain firmware trigger for RADAR-based cosmic ray detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prohira, S.; Besson, D.; Kunwar, S.; Ratzlaff, K.; Young, R.

    2018-05-01

    Interest in Radio-based detection schemes for ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECR) has surged in recent years, owing to the potentially very low cost/detection ratio. The method of radio-frequency (RF) scatter has been proposed as potentially the most economical detection technology. Though the first dedicated experiment to employ this method, the Telescope Array RADAR experiment (TARA) reported no signal, efforts to develop more robust and sensitive trigger techniques continue. This paper details the development of a time-domain firmware trigger that exploits characteristics of the expected scattered signal from an UHECR extensive-air shower (EAS). The improved sensitivity of this trigger is discussed, as well as implementation in two separate field deployments from 2016 to 2017.

  10. Can triggers be cumulative in inducing heart attack in soccer game spectators?

    PubMed

    Tasch, Christoph; Larcher, Lorenz

    2012-08-01

    Emotional stress and excitement associated with watching soccer matches has been suggested to act as an external trigger for the onset of acute coronary syndromes. We report about a patient of Italian nationality who developed acute coronary syndrome while watching the European football championship match Switzerland vs. Turkey in 2008. Although greater emotional intensity was possibly involved while watching his country play two days earlier (Italy vs Netherlands), he developed no symptoms. Hence, this case throws some interesting light on what can be considered as an acute trigger by discussing the assumption of a cumulative effect regarding to the potential trigger two days before and in which way psychological stress may have influence on the onset of acute coronary syndromes.

  11. Apparatus and method for detecting tampering in flexible structures

    DOEpatents

    Maxey, Lonnie C [Knoxville, TN; Haynes, Howard D [Knoxville, TN

    2011-02-01

    A system for monitoring or detecting tampering in a flexible structure includes taking electrical measurements on a sensing cable coupled to the structure, performing spectral analysis on the measured data, and comparing the spectral characteristics of the event to those of known benign and/or known suspicious events. A threshold or trigger value may used to identify an event of interest and initiate data collection. Alternatively, the system may be triggered at preset intervals, triggered manually, or triggered by a signal from another sensing device such as a motion detector. The system may be used to monitor electrical cables and conduits, hoses and flexible ducts, fences and other perimeter control devices, structural cables, flexible fabrics, and other flexible structures.

  12. ATLAS level-1 calorimeter trigger: Run-2 performance and Phase-1 upgrades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carlson, Ben; Hong, Tae Min; Atlas Collaboration

    2017-01-01

    The Run-2 performance and Phase-1 upgrade are presented for the hardware-based level-1 calorimeter trigger (L1Calo) for the ATLAS Experiment. This trigger has a latency of about 2.2 microseconds to make a decision to help ATLAS select about 100 kHz of the most interesting collisions from the nominal LHC rate of 40 MHz. We summarize the upgrade after Run-1 (2009-2012) and discuss its performance in Run-2 (2015-current). We also outline the on-going Phase-1 upgrade for the next run (2021-2024) and its expected performance.

  13. The CMS trigger system

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

    Khachatryan, Vardan

    This paper describes the CMS trigger system and its performance during Run 1 of the LHC. The trigger system consists of two levels designed to select events of potential physics interest from a GHz (MHz) interaction rate of proton-proton (heavy ion) collisions. The first level of the trigger is implemented in hardware, and selects events containing detector signals consistent with an electron, photon, muon, tau lepton, jet, or missing transverse energy. A programmable menu of up to 128 object-based algorithms is used to select events for subsequent processing. The trigger thresholds are adjusted to the LHC instantaneous luminosity during datamore » taking in order to restrict the output rate to 100 kHz, the upper limit imposed by the CMS readout electronics. The second level, implemented in software, further refines the purity of the output stream, selecting an average rate of 400 Hz for offline event storage. The objectives, strategy and performance of the trigger system during the LHC Run 1 are described.« less

  14. The CMS trigger system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khachatryan, V.; Sirunyan, A. M.; Tumasyan, A.; Adam, W.; Asilar, E.; Bergauer, T.; Brandstetter, J.; Brondolin, E.; Dragicevic, M.; Erö, J.; Flechl, M.; Friedl, M.; Frühwirth, R.; Ghete, V. M.; Hartl, C.; Hörmann, N.; Hrubec, J.; Jeitler, M.; Knünz, V.; König, A.; Krammer, M.; Krätschmer, I.; Liko, D.; Matsushita, T.; Mikulec, I.; Rabady, D.; Rahbaran, B.; Rohringer, H.; Schieck, J.; Schöfbeck, R.; Strauss, J.; Treberer-Treberspurg, W.; Waltenberger, W.; Wulz, C.-E.; Mossolov, V.; Shumeiko, N.; Suarez Gonzalez, J.; Alderweireldt, S.; Cornelis, T.; De Wolf, E. A.; Janssen, X.; Knutsson, A.; Lauwers, J.; Luyckx, S.; Van De Klundert, M.; Van Haevermaet, H.; Van Mechelen, P.; Van Remortel, N.; Van Spilbeeck, A.; Abu Zeid, S.; Blekman, F.; D'Hondt, J.; Daci, N.; De Bruyn, I.; Deroover, K.; Heracleous, N.; Keaveney, J.; Lowette, S.; Moreels, L.; Olbrechts, A.; Python, Q.; Strom, D.; Tavernier, S.; Van Doninck, W.; Van Mulders, P.; Van Onsem, G. P.; Van Parijs, I.; Barria, P.; Brun, H.; Caillol, C.; Clerbaux, B.; De Lentdecker, G.; Fasanella, G.; Favart, L.; Grebenyuk, A.; Karapostoli, G.; Lenzi, T.; Léonard, A.; Maerschalk, T.; Marinov, A.; Perniè, L.; Randle-conde, A.; Reis, T.; Seva, T.; Vander Velde, C.; Vanlaer, P.; Yonamine, R.; Zenoni, F.; Zhang, F.; Beernaert, K.; Benucci, L.; Cimmino, A.; Crucy, S.; Dobur, D.; Fagot, A.; Garcia, G.; Gul, M.; Mccartin, J.; Ocampo Rios, A. A.; Poyraz, D.; Ryckbosch, D.; Salva, S.; Sigamani, M.; Strobbe, N.; Tytgat, M.; Van Driessche, W.; Yazgan, E.; Zaganidis, N.; Basegmez, S.; Beluffi, C.; Bondu, O.; Brochet, S.; Bruno, G.; Caudron, A.; Ceard, L.; Da Silveira, G. G.; Delaere, C.; Favart, D.; Forthomme, L.; Giammanco, A.; Hollar, J.; Jafari, A.; Jez, P.; Komm, M.; Lemaitre, V.; Mertens, A.; Musich, M.; Nuttens, C.; Perrini, L.; Pin, A.; Piotrzkowski, K.; Popov, A.; Quertenmont, L.; Selvaggi, M.; Vidal Marono, M.; Beliy, N.; Hammad, G. H.; Aldá Júnior, W. L.; Alves, F. L.; Alves, G. A.; Brito, L.; Correa Martins Junior, M.; Hamer, M.; Hensel, C.; Mora Herrera, C.; Moraes, A.; Pol, M. E.; Rebello Teles, P.; Belchior Batista Das Chagas, E.; Carvalho, W.; Chinellato, J.; Custódio, A.; Da Costa, E. M.; Damiao, D. De Jesus; De Oliveira Martins, C.; Fonseca De Souza, S.; Huertas Guativa, L. M.; Malbouisson, H.; Matos Figueiredo, D.; Mundim, L.; Nogima, H.; Prado Da Silva, W. L.; Santoro, A.; Sznajder, A.; Tonelli Manganote, E. J.; Vilela Pereira, A.; Ahuja, S.; Bernardes, C. A.; De Souza Santos, A.; Dogra, S.; Fernandez Perez Tomei, T. R.; Gregores, E. M.; Mercadante, P. G.; Moon, C. S.; Novaes, S. F.; Padula, Sandra S.; Romero Abad, D.; Ruiz Vargas, J. C.; Aleksandrov, A.; Hadjiiska, R.; Iaydjiev, P.; Rodozov, M.; Stoykova, S.; Sultanov, G.; Vutova, M.; Dimitrov, A.; Glushkov, I.; Litov, L.; Pavlov, B.; Petkov, P.; Ahmad, M.; Bian, J. G.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, H. S.; Chen, M.; Cheng, T.; Du, R.; Jiang, C. H.; Plestina, R.; Romeo, F.; Shaheen, S. M.; Spiezia, A.; Tao, J.; Wang, C.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, H.; Asawatangtrakuldee, C.; Ban, Y.; Li, Q.; Liu, S.; Mao, Y.; Qian, S. J.; Wang, D.; Xu, Z.; Avila, C.; Cabrera, A.; Chaparro Sierra, L. F.; Florez, C.; Gomez, J. P.; Gomez Moreno, B.; Sanabria, J. C.; Godinovic, N.; Lelas, D.; Puljak, I.; Ribeiro Cipriano, P. M.; Antunovic, Z.; Kovac, M.; Brigljevic, V.; Kadija, K.; Luetic, J.; Micanovic, S.; Sudic, L.; Attikis, A.; Mavromanolakis, G.; Mousa, J.; Nicolaou, C.; Ptochos, F.; Razis, P. A.; Rykaczewski, H.; Bodlak, M.; Finger, M.; Finger, M., Jr.; Assran, Y.; El Sawy, M.; Elgammal, S.; Ellithi Kamel, A.; Mahmoud, M. A.; Calpas, B.; Kadastik, M.; Murumaa, M.; Raidal, M.; Tiko, A.; Veelken, C.; Eerola, P.; Pekkanen, J.; Voutilainen, M.; Härkönen, J.; Karimäki, V.; Kinnunen, R.; Lampén, T.; Lassila-Perini, K.; Lehti, S.; Lindén, T.; Luukka, P.; Mäenpää, T.; Peltola, T.; Tuominen, E.; Tuominiemi, J.; Tuovinen, E.; Wendland, L.; Talvitie, J.; Tuuva, T.; Besancon, M.; Couderc, F.; Dejardin, M.; Denegri, D.; Fabbro, B.; Faure, J. L.; Favaro, C.; Ferri, F.; Ganjour, S.; Givernaud, A.; Gras, P.; Hamel de Monchenault, G.; Jarry, P.; Locci, E.; Machet, M.; Malcles, J.; Rander, J.; Rosowsky, A.; Titov, M.; Zghiche, A.; Antropov, I.; Baffioni, S.; Beaudette, F.; Busson, P.; Cadamuro, L.; Chapon, E.; Charlot, C.; Dahms, T.; Davignon, O.; Filipovic, N.; Florent, A.; Granier de Cassagnac, R.; Lisniak, S.; Mastrolorenzo, L.; Miné, P.; Naranjo, I. N.; Nguyen, M.; Ochando, C.; Ortona, G.; Paganini, P.; Pigard, P.; Regnard, S.; Salerno, R.; Sauvan, J. 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F.; Verlage, T.; Weber, H.; Wittmer, B.; Zhukov, V.; Ata, M.; Brodski, M.; Dietz-Laursonn, E.; Duchardt, D.; Endres, M.; Erdmann, M.; Erdweg, S.; Esch, T.; Fischer, R.; Güth, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heidemann, C.; Hoepfner, K.; Klingebiel, D.; Knutzen, S.; Kreuzer, P.; Merschmeyer, M.; Meyer, A.; Millet, P.; Olschewski, M.; Padeken, K.; Papacz, P.; Pook, T.; Radziej, M.; Reithler, H.; Rieger, M.; Scheuch, F.; Sonnenschein, L.; Teyssier, D.; Thüer, S.; Cherepanov, V.; Erdogan, Y.; Flügge, G.; Geenen, H.; Geisler, M.; Hoehle, F.; Kargoll, B.; Kress, T.; Kuessel, Y.; Künsken, A.; Lingemann, J.; Nehrkorn, A.; Nowack, A.; Nugent, I. M.; Pistone, C.; Pooth, O.; Stahl, A.; Aldaya Martin, M.; Asin, I.; Bartosik, N.; Behnke, O.; Behrens, U.; Bell, A. J.; Borras, K.; Burgmeier, A.; Campbell, A.; Choudhury, S.; Costanza, F.; Diez Pardos, C.; Dolinska, G.; Dooling, S.; Dorland, T.; Eckerlin, G.; Eckstein, D.; Eichhorn, T.; Flucke, G.; Gallo, E.; Garay Garcia, J.; Geiser, A.; Gizhko, A.; Gunnellini, P.; Hauk, J.; Hempel, M.; Jung, H.; Kalogeropoulos, A.; Karacheban, O.; Kasemann, M.; Katsas, P.; Kieseler, J.; Kleinwort, C.; Korol, I.; Lange, W.; Leonard, J.; Lipka, K.; Lobanov, A.; Lohmann, W.; Mankel, R.; Marfin, I.; Melzer-Pellmann, I.-A.; Meyer, A. B.; Mittag, G.; Mnich, J.; Mussgiller, A.; Naumann-Emme, S.; Nayak, A.; Ntomari, E.; Perrey, H.; Pitzl, D.; Placakyte, R.; Raspereza, A.; Roland, B.; Sahin, M. Ö.; Saxena, P.; Schoerner-Sadenius, T.; Schröder, M.; Seitz, C.; Spannagel, S.; Trippkewitz, K. D.; Walsh, R.; Wissing, C.; Blobel, V.; Centis Vignali, M.; Draeger, A. R.; Erfle, J.; Garutti, E.; Goebel, K.; Gonzalez, D.; Görner, M.; Haller, J.; Hoffmann, M.; Höing, R. S.; Junkes, A.; Klanner, R.; Kogler, R.; Kovalchuk, N.; Lapsien, T.; Lenz, T.; Marchesini, I.; Marconi, D.; Meyer, M.; Nowatschin, D.; Ott, J.; Pantaleo, F.; Peiffer, T.; Perieanu, A.; Pietsch, N.; Poehlsen, J.; Rathjens, D.; Sander, C.; Scharf, C.; Schettler, H.; Schleper, P.; Schlieckau, E.; Schmidt, A.; Schwandt, J.; Sola, V.; Stadie, H.; Steinbrück, G.; Tholen, H.; Troendle, D.; Usai, E.; Vanelderen, L.; Vanhoefer, A.; Vormwald, B.; Akbiyik, M.; Barth, C.; Baus, C.; Berger, J.; Böser, C.; Butz, E.; Chwalek, T.; Colombo, F.; De Boer, W.; Descroix, A.; Dierlamm, A.; Fink, S.; Frensch, F.; Friese, R.; Giffels, M.; Gilbert, A.; Haitz, D.; Hartmann, F.; Heindl, S. M.; Husemann, U.; Katkov, I.; Kornmayer, A.; Lobelle Pardo, P.; Maier, B.; Mildner, H.; Mozer, M. U.; Müller, T.; Müller, Th.; Plagge, M.; Quast, G.; Rabbertz, K.; Röcker, S.; Roscher, F.; Sieber, G.; Simonis, H. J.; Stober, F. M.; Ulrich, R.; Wagner-Kuhr, J.; Wayand, S.; Weber, M.; Weiler, T.; Wöhrmann, C.; Wolf, R.; Anagnostou, G.; Daskalakis, G.; Geralis, T.; Giakoumopoulou, V. A.; Kyriakis, A.; Loukas, D.; Psallidas, A.; Topsis-Giotis, I.; Agapitos, A.; Kesisoglou, S.; Panagiotou, A.; Saoulidou, N.; Tziaferi, E.; Evangelou, I.; Flouris, G.; Foudas, C.; Kokkas, P.; Loukas, N.; Manthos, N.; Papadopoulos, I.; Paradas, E.; Strologas, J.; Bencze, G.; Hajdu, C.; Hazi, A.; Hidas, P.; Horvath, D.; Sikler, F.; Veszpremi, V.; Vesztergombi, G.; Zsigmond, A. J.; Beni, N.; Czellar, S.; Karancsi, J.; Molnar, J.; Szillasi, Z.; Bartók, M.; Makovec, A.; Raics, P.; Trocsanyi, Z. L.; Ujvari, B.; Mal, P.; Mandal, K.; Sahoo, D. K.; Sahoo, N.; Swain, S. K.; Bansal, S.; Beri, S. B.; Bhatnagar, V.; Chawla, R.; Gupta, R.; Bhawandeep, U.; Kalsi, A. K.; Kaur, A.; Kaur, M.; Kumar, R.; Mehta, A.; Mittal, M.; Singh, J. B.; Walia, G.; Kumar, Ashok; Bhardwaj, A.; Choudhary, B. C.; Garg, R. B.; Kumar, A.; Malhotra, S.; Naimuddin, M.; Nishu, N.; Ranjan, K.; Sharma, R.; Sharma, V.; Bhattacharya, S.; Chatterjee, K.; Dey, S.; Dutta, S.; Jain, Sa.; Majumdar, N.; Modak, A.; Mondal, K.; Mukherjee, S.; Mukhopadhyay, S.; Roy, A.; Roy, D.; Chowdhury, S. Roy; Sarkar, S.; Sharan, M.; Abdulsalam, A.; Chudasama, R.; Dutta, D.; Jha, V.; Kumar, V.; Mohanty, A. K.; Pant, L. M.; Shukla, P.; Topkar, A.; Aziz, T.; Banerjee, S.; Bhowmik, S.; Chatterjee, R. M.; Dewanjee, R. K.; Dugad, S.; Ganguly, S.; Ghosh, S.; Guchait, M.; Gurtu, A.; Kole, G.; Kumar, S.; Mahakud, B.; Maity, M.; Majumder, G.; Mazumdar, K.; Mitra, S.; Mohanty, G. B.; Parida, B.; Sarkar, T.; Sur, N.; Sutar, B.; Wickramage, N.; Chauhan, S.; Dube, S.; Kothekar, K.; Sharma, S.; Bakhshiansohi, H.; Behnamian, H.; Etesami, S. M.; Fahim, A.; Goldouzian, R.; Khakzad, M.; Najafabadi, M. Mohammadi; Naseri, M.; Paktinat Mehdiabadi, S.; Rezaei Hosseinabadi, F.; Safarzadeh, B.; Zeinali, M.; Felcini, M.; Grunewald, M.; Abbrescia, M.; Calabria, C.; Caputo, C.; Colaleo, A.; Creanza, D.; Cristella, L.; De Filippis, N.; De Palma, M.; Fiore, L.; Iaselli, G.; Maggi, G.; Maggi, M.; Miniello, G.; My, S.; Nuzzo, S.; Pompili, A.; Pugliese, G.; Radogna, R.; Ranieri, A.; Selvaggi, G.; Silvestris, L.; Venditti, R.; Verwilligen, P.; Abbiendi, G.; Battilana, C.; Benvenuti, A. C.; Bonacorsi, D.; Braibant-Giacomelli, S.; Brigliadori, L.; Campanini, R.; Capiluppi, P.; Castro, A.; Cavallo, F. R.; Chhibra, S. S.; Codispoti, G.; Cuffiani, M.; Dallavalle, G. M.; Fabbri, F.; Fanfani, A.; Fasanella, D.; Giacomelli, P.; Grandi, C.; Guiducci, L.; Marcellini, S.; Masetti, G.; Montanari, A.; Navarria, F. L.; Perrotta, A.; Rossi, A. M.; Rovelli, T.; Siroli, G. P.; Tosi, N.; Travaglini, R.; Cappello, G.; Chiorboli, M.; Costa, S.; Di Mattia, A.; Giordano, F.; Potenza, R.; Tricomi, A.; Tuve, C.; Barbagli, G.; Ciulli, V.; Civinini, C.; D'Alessandro, R.; Focardi, E.; Gonzi, S.; Gori, V.; Lenzi, P.; Meschini, M.; Paoletti, S.; Sguazzoni, G.; Tropiano, A.; Viliani, L.; Benussi, L.; Bianco, S.; Fabbri, F.; Piccolo, D.; Primavera, F.; Calvelli, V.; Ferro, F.; Lo Vetere, M.; Monge, M. R.; Robutti, E.; Tosi, S.; Brianza, L.; Dinardo, M. E.; Fiorendi, S.; Gennai, S.; Gerosa, R.; Ghezzi, A.; Govoni, P.; Malvezzi, S.; Manzoni, R. A.; Marzocchi, B.; Menasce, D.; Moroni, L.; Paganoni, M.; Pedrini, D.; Ragazzi, S.; Redaelli, N.; Tabarelli de Fatis, T.; Buontempo, S.; Cavallo, N.; Di Guida, S.; Esposito, M.; Fabozzi, F.; Iorio, A. O. M.; Lanza, G.; Lista, L.; Meola, S.; Merola, M.; Paolucci, P.; Sciacca, C.; Thyssen, F.; Bacchetta, N.; Bellato, M.; Benato, L.; Bisello, D.; Boletti, A.; Carlin, R.; Checchia, P.; Dall'Osso, M.; Dosselli, U.; Gasparini, F.; Gasparini, U.; Gozzelino, A.; Lacaprara, S.; Margoni, M.; Meneguzzo, A. T.; Montecassiano, F.; Passaseo, M.; Pazzini, J.; Pegoraro, M.; Pozzobon, N.; Simonetto, F.; Torassa, E.; Tosi, M.; Vanini, S.; Ventura, S.; Zanetti, M.; Zotto, P.; Zucchetta, A.; Zumerle, G.; Braghieri, A.; Magnani, A.; Montagna, P.; Ratti, S. P.; Re, V.; Riccardi, C.; Salvini, P.; Vai, I.; Vitulo, P.; Alunni Solestizi, L.; Biasini, M.; Bilei, G. M.; Ciangottini, D.; Fanò, L.; Lariccia, P.; Mantovani, G.; Menichelli, M.; Saha, A.; Santocchia, A.; Androsov, K.; Azzurri, P.; Bagliesi, G.; Bernardini, J.; Boccali, T.; Castaldi, R.; Ciocci, M. A.; Dell'Orso, R.; Donato, S.; Fedi, G.; Foà, L.; Giassi, A.; Grippo, M. T.; Ligabue, F.; Lomtadze, T.; Martini, L.; Messineo, A.; Palla, F.; Rizzi, A.; Savoy-Navarro, A.; Serban, A. T.; Spagnolo, P.; Tenchini, R.; Tonelli, G.; Venturi, A.; Verdini, P. G.; Barone, L.; Cavallari, F.; D'imperio, G.; Del Re, D.; Diemoz, M.; Gelli, S.; Jorda, C.; Longo, E.; Margaroli, F.; Meridiani, P.; Organtini, G.; Paramatti, R.; Preiato, F.; Rahatlou, S.; Rovelli, C.; Santanastasio, F.; Traczyk, P.; Amapane, N.; Arcidiacono, R.; Argiro, S.; Arneodo, M.; Bellan, R.; Biino, C.; Cartiglia, N.; Costa, M.; Covarelli, R.; Degano, A.; Demaria, N.; Finco, L.; Kiani, B.; Mariotti, C.; Maselli, S.; Migliore, E.; Monaco, V.; Monteil, E.; Obertino, M. M.; Pacher, L.; Pastrone, N.; Pelliccioni, M.; Pinna Angioni, G. L.; Ravera, F.; Romero, A.; Ruspa, M.; Sacchi, R.; Solano, A.; Staiano, A.; Tamponi, U.; Belforte, S.; Candelise, V.; Casarsa, M.; Cossutti, F.; Della Ricca, G.; Gobbo, B.; La Licata, C.; Marone, M.; Schizzi, A.; Zanetti, A.; Kropivnitskaya, A.; Nam, S. K.; Kim, D. H.; Kim, G. N.; Kim, M. S.; Kong, D. J.; Lee, S.; Oh, Y. D.; Sakharov, A.; Son, D. C.; Brochero Cifuentes, J. A.; Kim, H.; Kim, T. J.; Song, S.; Choi, S.; Go, Y.; Gyun, D.; Hong, B.; Jo, M.; Kim, H.; Kim, Y.; Lee, B.; Lee, K.; Lee, K. S.; Lee, S.; Park, S. K.; Roh, Y.; Yoo, H. D.; Choi, M.; Kim, H.; Kim, J. H.; Lee, J. S. H.; Park, I. C.; Ryu, G.; Ryu, M. S.; Choi, Y.; Goh, J.; Kim, D.; Kwon, E.; Lee, J.; Yu, I.; Dudenas, V.; Juodagalvis, A.; Vaitkus, J.; Ahmed, I.; Ibrahim, Z. A.; Komaragiri, J. R.; Ali, M. A. B. Md; Mohamad Idris, F.; Abdullah, W. A. T. Wan; Yusli, M. N.; Casimiro Linares, E.; Castilla-Valdez, H.; De La Cruz-Burelo, E.; Heredia-De La Cruz, I.; Hernandez-Almada, A.; Lopez-Fernandez, R.; Sanchez-Hernandez, A.; Carrillo Moreno, S.; Vazquez Valencia, F.; Pedraza, I.; Salazar Ibarguen, H. A.; Morelos Pineda, A.; Krofcheck, D.; Butler, P. H.; Ahmad, A.; Ahmad, M.; Hassan, Q.; Hoorani, H. R.; Khan, W. A.; Khurshid, T.; Shoaib, M.; Bialkowska, H.; Bluj, M.; Boimska, B.; Frueboes, T.; Górski, M.; Kazana, M.; Nawrocki, K.; Romanowska-Rybinska, K.; Szleper, M.; Zalewski, P.; Brona, G.; Bunkowski, K.; Byszuk, A.; Doroba, K.; Kalinowski, A.; Kierzkowski, K.; Konecki, M.; Krolikowski, J.; Misiura, M.; Oklinski, W.; Olszewski, M.; Pozniak, K.; Walczak, M.; Zabolotny, W.; Bargassa, P.; Silva, C. Beirão Da Cruz E.; Di Francesco, A.; Faccioli, P.; Ferreira Parracho, P. G.; Gallinaro, M.; Leonardo, N.; Lloret Iglesias, L.; Nguyen, F.; Rodrigues Antunes, J.; Seixas, J.; Toldaiev, O.; Vadruccio, D.; Varela, J.; Vischia, P.; Afanasiev, S.; Bunin, P.; Gavrilenko, M.; Golutvin, I.; Gorbunov, I.; Kamenev, A.; Karjavin, V.; Konoplyanikov, V.; Lanev, A.; Malakhov, A.; Matveev, V.; Moisenz, P.; Palichik, V.; Perelygin, V.; Shmatov, S.; Shulha, S.; Skatchkov, N.; Smirnov, V.; Zarubin, A.; Golovtsov, V.; Ivanov, Y.; Kim, V.; Kuznetsova, E.; Levchenko, P.; Murzin, V.; Oreshkin, V.; Smirnov, I.; Sulimov, V.; Uvarov, L.; Vavilov, S.; Vorobyev, A.; Andreev, Yu.; Dermenev, A.; Gninenko, S.; Golubev, N.; Karneyeu, A.; Kirsanov, M.; Krasnikov, N.; Pashenkov, A.; Tlisov, D.; Toropin, A.; Epshteyn, V.; Gavrilov, V.; Lychkovskaya, N.; Popov, V.; Pozdnyakov, I.; Safronov, G.; Spiridonov, A.; Vlasov, E.; Zhokin, A.; Bylinkin, A.; Andreev, V.; Azarkin, M.; Dremin, I.; Kirakosyan, M.; Leonidov, A.; Mesyats, G.; Rusakov, S. V.; Baskakov, A.; Belyaev, A.; Boos, E.; Dubinin, M.; Dudko, L.; Ershov, A.; Gribushin, A.; Kaminskiy, A.; Klyukhin, V.; Kodolova, O.; Lokhtin, I.; Myagkov, I.; Obraztsov, S.; Petrushanko, S.; Savrin, V.; Azhgirey, I.; Bayshev, I.; Bitioukov, S.; Kachanov, V.; Kalinin, A.; Konstantinov, D.; Krychkine, V.; Petrov, V.; Ryutin, R.; Sobol, A.; Tourtchanovitch, L.; Troshin, S.; Tyurin, N.; Uzunian, A.; Volkov, A.; Adzic, P.; Milosevic, J.; Rekovic, V.; Alcaraz Maestre, J.; Calvo, E.; Cerrada, M.; Chamizo Llatas, M.; Colino, N.; De La Cruz, B.; Delgado Peris, A.; Domínguez Vázquez, D.; Escalante Del Valle, A.; Fernandez Bedoya, C.; Fernández Ramos, J. P.; Flix, J.; Fouz, M. C.; Garcia-Abia, P.; Gonzalez Lopez, O.; Goy Lopez, S.; Hernandez, J. M.; Josa, M. I.; Navarro De Martino, E.; Pérez-Calero Yzquierdo, A.; Puerta Pelayo, J.; Quintario Olmeda, A.; Redondo, I.; Romero, L.; Santaolalla, J.; Soares, M. S.; Albajar, C.; de Trocóniz, J. F.; Missiroli, M.; Moran, D.; Cuevas, J.; Fernandez Menendez, J.; Folgueras, S.; Gonzalez Caballero, I.; Palencia Cortezon, E.; Vizan Garcia, J. M.; Cabrillo, I. J.; Calderon, A.; Castiñeiras De Saa, J. R.; De Castro Manzano, P.; Duarte Campderros, J.; Fernandez, M.; Garcia-Ferrero, J.; Gomez, G.; Lopez Virto, A.; Marco, J.; Marco, R.; Martinez Rivero, C.; Matorras, F.; Munoz Sanchez, F. J.; Piedra Gomez, J.; Rodrigo, T.; Rodríguez-Marrero, A. Y.; Ruiz-Jimeno, A.; Scodellaro, L.; Trevisani, N.; Vila, I.; Vilar Cortabitarte, R.; Abbaneo, D.; Auffray, E.; Auzinger, G.; Bachtis, M.; Baillon, P.; Ball, A. H.; Barney, D.; Benaglia, A.; Bendavid, J.; Benhabib, L.; Benitez, J. F.; Berruti, G. M.; Bloch, P.; Bocci, A.; Bonato, A.; Botta, C.; Breuker, H.; Camporesi, T.; Castello, R.; Cerminara, G.; D'Alfonso, M.; d'Enterria, D.; Dabrowski, A.; Daponte, V.; David, A.; De Gruttola, M.; De Guio, F.; De Roeck, A.; De Visscher, S.; Di Marco, E.; Dobson, M.; Dordevic, M.; Dorney, B.; du Pree, T.; Dünser, M.; Dupont, N.; Elliott-Peisert, A.; Franzoni, G.; Funk, W.; Gigi, D.; Gill, K.; Giordano, D.; Girone, M.; Glege, F.; Guida, R.; Gundacker, S.; Guthoff, M.; Hammer, J.; Harris, P.; Hegeman, J.; Innocente, V.; Janot, P.; Kirschenmann, H.; Kortelainen, M. J.; Kousouris, K.; Krajczar, K.; Lecoq, P.; Lourenço, C.; Lucchini, M. T.; Magini, N.; Malgeri, L.; Mannelli, M.; Martelli, A.; Masetti, L.; Meijers, F.; Mersi, S.; Meschi, E.; Moortgat, F.; Morovic, S.; Mulders, M.; Nemallapudi, M. V.; Neugebauer, H.; Orfanelli, S.; Orsini, L.; Pape, L.; Perez, E.; Peruzzi, M.; Petrilli, A.; Petrucciani, G.; Pfeiffer, A.; Piparo, D.; Racz, A.; Rolandi, G.; Rovere, M.; Ruan, M.; Sakulin, H.; Schäfer, C.; Schwick, C.; Seidel, M.; Sharma, A.; Silva, P.; Simon, M.; Sphicas, P.; Steggemann, J.; Stieger, B.; Stoye, M.; Takahashi, Y.; Treille, D.; Triossi, A.; Tsirou, A.; Veres, G. I.; Wardle, N.; Wöhri, H. K.; Zagozdzinska, A.; Zeuner, W. D.; Bertl, W.; Deiters, K.; Erdmann, W.; Horisberger, R.; Ingram, Q.; Kaestli, H. C.; Kotlinski, D.; Langenegger, U.; Renker, D.; Rohe, T.; Bachmair, F.; Bäni, L.; Bianchini, L.; Casal, B.; Dissertori, G.; Dittmar, M.; Donegà, M.; Eller, P.; Grab, C.; Heidegger, C.; Hits, D.; Hoss, J.; Kasieczka, G.; Lustermann, W.; Mangano, B.; Marionneau, M.; Martinez Ruiz del Arbol, P.; Masciovecchio, M.; Meister, D.; Micheli, F.; Musella, P.; Nessi-Tedaldi, F.; Pandolfi, F.; Pata, J.; Pauss, F.; Perrozzi, L.; Quittnat, M.; Rossini, M.; Starodumov, A.; Takahashi, M.; Tavolaro, V. R.; Theofilatos, K.; Wallny, R.; Aarrestad, T. K.; Amsler, C.; Caminada, L.; Canelli, M. F.; Chiochia, V.; De Cosa, A.; Galloni, C.; Hinzmann, A.; Hreus, T.; Kilminster, B.; Lange, C.; Ngadiuba, J.; Pinna, D.; Robmann, P.; Ronga, F. J.; Salerno, D.; Yang, Y.; Cardaci, M.; Chen, K. H.; Doan, T. H.; Jain, Sh.; Khurana, R.; Konyushikhin, M.; Kuo, C. M.; Lin, W.; Lu, Y. J.; Yu, S. S.; Kumar, Arun; Bartek, R.; Chang, P.; Chang, Y. H.; Chang, Y. W.; Chao, Y.; Chen, K. F.; Chen, P. H.; Dietz, C.; Fiori, F.; Grundler, U.; Hou, W.-S.; Hsiung, Y.; Liu, Y. F.; Lu, R.-S.; Miñano Moya, M.; Petrakou, E.; Tsai, J. f.; Tzeng, Y. M.; Asavapibhop, B.; Kovitanggoon, K.; Singh, G.; Srimanobhas, N.; Suwonjandee, N.; Adiguzel, A.; Bakirci, M. N.; Demiroglu, Z. S.; Dozen, C.; Eskut, E.; Girgis, S.; Gokbulut, G.; Guler, Y.; Gurpinar, E.; Hos, I.; Kangal, E. E.; Onengut, G.; Ozdemir, K.; Polatoz, A.; Sunar Cerci, D.; Tali, B.; Topakli, H.; Vergili, M.; Zorbilmez, C.; Akin, I. V.; Bilin, B.; Bilmis, S.; Isildak, B.; Karapinar, G.; Yalvac, M.; Zeyrek, M.; Gülmez, E.; Kaya, M.; Kaya, O.; Yetkin, E. A.; Yetkin, T.; Cakir, A.; Cankocak, K.; Sen, S.; Vardarlı, F. I.; Grynyov, B.; Levchuk, L.; Sorokin, P.; Aggleton, R.; Ball, F.; Beck, L.; Brooke, J. J.; Clement, E.; Cussans, D.; Flacher, H.; Goldstein, J.; Grimes, M.; Heath, G. P.; Heath, H. F.; Jacob, J.; Kreczko, L.; Lucas, C.; Meng, Z.; Newbold, D. M.; Paramesvaran, S.; Poll, A.; Sakuma, T.; Seif El Nasr-storey, S.; Senkin, S.; Smith, D.; Smith, V. J.; Bell, K. W.; Belyaev, A.; Brew, C.; Brown, R. M.; Calligaris, L.; Cieri, D.; Cockerill, D. J. A.; Coughlan, J. A.; Harder, K.; Harper, S.; Olaiya, E.; Petyt, D.; Shepherd-Themistocleous, C. H.; Thea, A.; Tomalin, I. R.; Williams, T.; Womersley, W. J.; Worm, S. D.; Baber, M.; Bainbridge, R.; Buchmuller, O.; Bundock, A.; Burton, D.; Casasso, S.; Citron, M.; Colling, D.; Corpe, L.; Cripps, N.; Dauncey, P.; Davies, G.; De Wit, A.; Della Negra, M.; Dunne, P.; Elwood, A.; Ferguson, W.; Fulcher, J.; Futyan, D.; Hall, G.; Iles, G.; Kenzie, M.; Lane, R.; Lucas, R.; Lyons, L.; Magnan, A.-M.; Malik, S.; Nash, J.; Nikitenko, A.; Pela, J.; Pesaresi, M.; Petridis, K.; Raymond, D. M.; Richards, A.; Rose, A.; Seez, C.; Tapper, A.; Uchida, K.; Vazquez Acosta, M.; Virdee, T.; Zenz, S. C.; Cole, J. E.; Hobson, P. R.; Khan, A.; Kyberd, P.; Leggat, D.; Leslie, D.; Reid, I. D.; Symonds, P.; Teodorescu, L.; Turner, M.; Borzou, A.; Call, K.; Dittmann, J.; Hatakeyama, K.; Liu, H.; Pastika, N.; Charaf, O.; Cooper, S. I.; Henderson, C.; Rumerio, P.; Arcaro, D.; Avetisyan, A.; Bose, T.; Fantasia, C.; Gastler, D.; Lawson, P.; Rankin, D.; Richardson, C.; Rohlf, J.; St. John, J.; Sulak, L.; Zou, D.; Alimena, J.; Berry, E.; Bhattacharya, S.; Cutts, D.; Dhingra, N.; Ferapontov, A.; Garabedian, A.; Hakala, J.; Heintz, U.; Laird, E.; Landsberg, G.; Mao, Z.; Narain, M.; Piperov, S.; Sagir, S.; Syarif, R.; Breedon, R.; Breto, G.; Calderon De La Barca Sanchez, M.; Chauhan, S.; Chertok, M.; Conway, J.; Conway, R.; Cox, P. T.; Erbacher, R.; Gardner, M.; Ko, W.; Lander, R.; Mulhearn, M.; Pellett, D.; Pilot, J.; Ricci-Tam, F.; Shalhout, S.; Smith, J.; Squires, M.; Stolp, D.; Tripathi, M.; Wilbur, S.; Yohay, R.; Cousins, R.; Everaerts, P.; Farrell, C.; Hauser, J.; Ignatenko, M.; Saltzberg, D.; Takasugi, E.; Valuev, V.; Weber, M.; Burt, K.; Clare, R.; Ellison, J.; Gary, J. W.; Hanson, G.; Heilman, J.; Ivova PANEVA, M.; Jandir, P.; Kennedy, E.; Lacroix, F.; Long, O. R.; Luthra, A.; Malberti, M.; Olmedo Negrete, M.; Shrinivas, A.; Wei, H.; Wimpenny, S.; Yates, B. R.; Branson, J. G.; Cerati, G. B.; Cittolin, S.; D'Agnolo, R. T.; Derdzinski, M.; Holzner, A.; Kelley, R.; Klein, D.; Letts, J.; Macneill, I.; Olivito, D.; Padhi, S.; Pieri, M.; Sani, M.; Sharma, V.; Simon, S.; Tadel, M.; Vartak, A.; Wasserbaech, S.; Welke, C.; Würthwein, F.; Yagil, A.; Zevi Della Porta, G.; Bradmiller-Feld, J.; Campagnari, C.; Dishaw, A.; Dutta, V.; Flowers, K.; Sevilla, M. Franco; Geffert, P.; George, C.; Golf, F.; Gouskos, L.; Gran, J.; Incandela, J.; Mccoll, N.; Mullin, S. D.; Richman, J.; Stuart, D.; Suarez, I.; West, C.; Yoo, J.; Anderson, D.; Apresyan, A.; Bornheim, A.; Bunn, J.; Chen, Y.; Duarte, J.; Mott, A.; Newman, H. B.; Pena, C.; Pierini, M.; Spiropulu, M.; Vlimant, J. R.; Xie, S.; Zhu, R. Y.; Andrews, M. B.; Azzolini, V.; Calamba, A.; Carlson, B.; Ferguson, T.; Paulini, M.; Russ, J.; Sun, M.; Vogel, H.; Vorobiev, I.; Cumalat, J. P.; Ford, W. T.; Gaz, A.; Jensen, F.; Johnson, A.; Krohn, M.; Mulholland, T.; Nauenberg, U.; Stenson, K.; Wagner, S. R.; Alexander, J.; Chatterjee, A.; Chaves, J.; Chu, J.; Dittmer, S.; Eggert, N.; Mirman, N.; Kaufman, G. Nicolas; Patterson, J. R.; Rinkevicius, A.; Ryd, A.; Skinnari, L.; Soffi, L.; Sun, W.; Tan, S. M.; Teo, W. D.; Thom, J.; Thompson, J.; Tucker, J.; Weng, Y.; Wittich, P.; Abdullin, S.; Albrow, M.; Anderson, J.; Apollinari, G.; Banerjee, S.; Bauerdick, L. A. T.; Beretvas, A.; Berryhill, J.; Bhat, P. C.; Bolla, G.; Burkett, K.; Butler, J. N.; Cheung, H. W. K.; Chlebana, F.; Cihangir, S.; Elvira, V. D.; Fisk, I.; Freeman, J.; Gottschalk, E.; Gray, L.; Green, D.; Grünendahl, S.; Gutsche, O.; Hanlon, J.; Hare, D.; Harris, R. M.; Hasegawa, S.; Hirschauer, J.; Hu, Z.; Jayatilaka, B.; Jindariani, S.; Johnson, M.; Joshi, U.; Jung, A. W.; Klima, B.; Kreis, B.; Kwan, S.; Lammel, S.; Linacre, J.; Lincoln, D.; Lipton, R.; Liu, T.; Lopes De Sá, R.; Lykken, J.; Maeshima, K.; Marraffino, J. M.; Martinez Outschoorn, V. I.; Maruyama, S.; Mason, D.; McBride, P.; Merkel, P.; Mishra, K.; Mrenna, S.; Nahn, S.; Newman-Holmes, C.; O'Dell, V.; Pedro, K.; Prokofyev, O.; Rakness, G.; Sexton-Kennedy, E.; Soha, A.; Spalding, W. J.; Spiegel, L.; Taylor, L.; Tkaczyk, S.; Tran, N. V.; Uplegger, L.; Vaandering, E. W.; Vernieri, C.; Verzocchi, M.; Vidal, R.; Weber, H. A.; Whitbeck, A.; Yang, F.; Acosta, D.; Avery, P.; Bortignon, P.; Bourilkov, D.; Carnes, A.; Carver, M.; Curry, D.; Das, S.; Di Giovanni, G. P.; Field, R. D.; Furic, I. K.; Gleyzer, S. V.; Hugon, J.; Konigsberg, J.; Korytov, A.; Low, J. F.; Ma, P.; Matchev, K.; Mei, H.; Milenovic, P.; Mitselmakher, G.; Rank, D.; Rossin, R.; Shchutska, L.; Snowball, M.; Sperka, D.; Terentyev, N.; Thomas, L.; Wang, J.; Wang, S.; Yelton, J.; Hewamanage, S.; Linn, S.; Markowitz, P.; Martinez, G.; Rodriguez, J. L.; Ackert, A.; Adams, J. R.; Adams, T.; Askew, A.; Bochenek, J.; Diamond, B.; Haas, J.; Hagopian, S.; Hagopian, V.; Johnson, K. F.; Khatiwada, A.; Prosper, H.; Weinberg, M.; Baarmand, M. M.; Bhopatkar, V.; Colafranceschi, S.; Hohlmann, M.; Kalakhety, H.; Noonan, D.; Roy, T.; Yumiceva, F.; Adams, M. R.; Apanasevich, L.; Berry, D.; Betts, R. R.; Bucinskaite, I.; Cavanaugh, R.; Evdokimov, O.; Gauthier, L.; Gerber, C. E.; Hofman, D. J.; Kurt, P.; O'Brien, C.; Sandoval Gonzalez, I. D.; Silkworth, C.; Turner, P.; Varelas, N.; Wu, Z.; Zakaria, M.; Bilki, B.; Clarida, W.; Dilsiz, K.; Durgut, S.; Gandrajula, R. P.; Haytmyradov, M.; Khristenko, V.; Merlo, J.-P.; Mermerkaya, H.; Mestvirishvili, A.; Moeller, A.; Nachtman, J.; Ogul, H.; Onel, Y.; Ozok, F.; Penzo, A.; Snyder, C.; Tiras, E.; Wetzel, J.; Yi, K.; Anderson, I.; Barnett, B. A.; Blumenfeld, B.; Eminizer, N.; Fehling, D.; Feng, L.; Gritsan, A. V.; Maksimovic, P.; Martin, C.; Osherson, M.; Roskes, J.; Sady, A.; Sarica, U.; Swartz, M.; Xiao, M.; Xin, Y.; You, C.; Baringer, P.; Bean, A.; Benelli, G.; Bruner, C.; Kenny, R. P., III; Majumder, D.; Malek, M.; Murray, M.; Sanders, S.; Stringer, R.; Wang, Q.; Ivanov, A.; Kaadze, K.; Khalil, S.; Makouski, M.; Maravin, Y.; Mohammadi, A.; Saini, L. K.; Skhirtladze, N.; Toda, S.; Lange, D.; Rebassoo, F.; Wright, D.; Anelli, C.; Baden, A.; Baron, O.; Belloni, A.; Calvert, B.; Eno, S. C.; Ferraioli, C.; Gomez, J. A.; Hadley, N. J.; Jabeen, S.; Kellogg, R. G.; Kolberg, T.; Kunkle, J.; Lu, Y.; Mignerey, A. C.; Shin, Y. H.; Skuja, A.; Tonjes, M. B.; Tonwar, S. C.; Apyan, A.; Barbieri, R.; Baty, A.; Bierwagen, K.; Brandt, S.; Busza, W.; Cali, I. A.; Demiragli, Z.; Di Matteo, L.; Gomez Ceballos, G.; Goncharov, M.; Gulhan, D.; Iiyama, Y.; Innocenti, G. M.; Klute, M.; Kovalskyi, D.; Lai, Y. S.; Lee, Y.-J.; Levin, A.; Luckey, P. D.; Marini, A. C.; Mcginn, C.; Mironov, C.; Narayanan, S.; Niu, X.; Paus, C.; Ralph, D.; Roland, C.; Roland, G.; Salfeld-Nebgen, J.; Stephans, G. S. F.; Sumorok, K.; Varma, M.; Velicanu, D.; Veverka, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, T. W.; Wyslouch, B.; Yang, M.; Zhukova, V.; Dahmes, B.; Evans, A.; Finkel, A.; Gude, A.; Hansen, P.; Kalafut, S.; Kao, S. C.; Klapoetke, K.; Kubota, Y.; Lesko, Z.; Mans, J.; Nourbakhsh, S.; Ruckstuhl, N.; Rusack, R.; Tambe, N.; Turkewitz, J.; Acosta, J. G.; Oliveros, S.; Avdeeva, E.; Bloom, K.; Bose, S.; Claes, D. R.; Dominguez, A.; Fangmeier, C.; Gonzalez Suarez, R.; Kamalieddin, R.; Keller, J.; Knowlton, D.; Kravchenko, I.; Meier, F.; Monroy, J.; Ratnikov, F.; Siado, J. E.; Snow, G. R.; Alyari, M.; Dolen, J.; George, J.; Godshalk, A.; Harrington, C.; Iashvili, I.; Kaisen, J.; Kharchilava, A.; Kumar, A.; Rappoccio, S.; Roozbahani, B.; Alverson, G.; Barberis, E.; Baumgartel, D.; Chasco, M.; Hortiangtham, A.; Massironi, A.; Morse, D. M.; Nash, D.; Orimoto, T.; Teixeira De Lima, R.; Trocino, D.; Wang, R.-J.; Wood, D.; Zhang, J.; Hahn, K. A.; Kubik, A.; Mucia, N.; Odell, N.; Pollack, B.; Pozdnyakov, A.; Schmitt, M.; Stoynev, S.; Sung, K.; Trovato, M.; Velasco, M.; Brinkerhoff, A.; Dev, N.; Hildreth, M.; Jessop, C.; Karmgard, D. J.; Kellams, N.; Lannon, K.; Lynch, S.; Marinelli, N.; Meng, F.; Mueller, C.; Musienko, Y.; Pearson, T.; Planer, M.; Reinsvold, A.; Ruchti, R.; Smith, G.; Taroni, S.; Valls, N.; Wayne, M.; Wolf, M.; Woodard, A.; Antonelli, L.; Brinson, J.; Bylsma, B.; Durkin, L. S.; Flowers, S.; Hart, A.; Hill, C.; Hughes, R.; Ji, W.; Kotov, K.; Ling, T. Y.; Liu, B.; Luo, W.; Puigh, D.; Rodenburg, M.; Winer, B. L.; Wulsin, H. W.; Driga, O.; Elmer, P.; Hardenbrook, J.; Hebda, P.; Koay, S. A.; Lujan, P.; Marlow, D.; Medvedeva, T.; Mooney, M.; Olsen, J.; Palmer, C.; Piroué, P.; Saka, H.; Stickland, D.; Tully, C.; Zuranski, A.; Malik, S.; Barnes, V. E.; Benedetti, D.; Bortoletto, D.; Gutay, L.; Jha, M. K.; Jones, M.; Jung, K.; Miller, D. H.; Neumeister, N.; Radburn-Smith, B. C.; Shi, X.; Shipsey, I.; Silvers, D.; Sun, J.; Svyatkovskiy, A.; Wang, F.; Xie, W.; Xu, L.; Parashar, N.; Stupak, J.; Adair, A.; Akgun, B.; Chen, Z.; Ecklund, K. M.; Geurts, F. J. M.; Guilbaud, M.; Li, W.; Michlin, B.; Northup, M.; Padley, B. P.; Redjimi, R.; Roberts, J.; Rorie, J.; Tu, Z.; Zabel, J.; Betchart, B.; Bodek, A.; de Barbaro, P.; Demina, R.; Eshaq, Y.; Ferbel, T.; Galanti, M.; Garcia-Bellido, A.; Han, J.; Harel, A.; Hindrichs, O.; Khukhunaishvili, A.; Petrillo, G.; Tan, P.; Verzetti, M.; Arora, S.; Barker, A.; Chou, J. P.; Contreras-Campana, C.; Contreras-Campana, E.; Duggan, D.; Ferencek, D.; Gershtein, Y.; Gray, R.; Halkiadakis, E.; Hidas, D.; Hughes, E.; Kaplan, S.; Kunnawalkam Elayavalli, R.; Lath, A.; Nash, K.; Panwalkar, S.; Park, M.; Salur, S.; Schnetzer, S.; Sheffield, D.; Somalwar, S.; Stone, R.; Thomas, S.; Thomassen, P.; Walker, M.; Foerster, M.; Riley, G.; Rose, K.; Spanier, S.; York, A.; Bouhali, O.; Castaneda Hernandez, A.; Dalchenko, M.; De Mattia, M.; Delgado, A.; Dildick, S.; Eusebi, R.; Gilmore, J.; Kamon, T.; Krutelyov, V.; Mueller, R.; Osipenkov, I.; Pakhotin, Y.; Patel, R.; Perloff, A.; Rose, A.; Safonov, A.; Tatarinov, A.; Ulmer, K. A.; Akchurin, N.; Cowden, C.; Damgov, J.; Dragoiu, C.; Dudero, P. R.; Faulkner, J.; Kunori, S.; Lamichhane, K.; Lee, S. W.; Libeiro, T.; Undleeb, S.; Volobouev, I.; Appelt, E.; Delannoy, A. G.; Greene, S.; Gurrola, A.; Janjam, R.; Johns, W.; Maguire, C.; Mao, Y.; Melo, A.; Ni, H.; Sheldon, P.; Snook, B.; Tuo, S.; Velkovska, J.; Xu, Q.; Arenton, M. W.; Cox, B.; Francis, B.; Goodell, J.; Hirosky, R.; Ledovskoy, A.; Li, H.; Lin, C.; Neu, C.; Sinthuprasith, T.; Sun, X.; Wang, Y.; Wolfe, E.; Wood, J.; Xia, F.; Clarke, C.; Harr, R.; Karchin, P. E.; Kottachchi Kankanamge Don, C.; Lamichhane, P.; Sturdy, J.; Belknap, D. A.; Carlsmith, D.; Cepeda, M.; Dasu, S.; Dodd, L.; Duric, S.; Gomber, B.; Grothe, M.; Hall-Wilton, R.; Herndon, M.; Hervé, A.; Klabbers, P.; Lanaro, A.; Levine, A.; Long, K.; Loveless, R.; Mohapatra, A.; Ojalvo, I.; Perry, T.; Pierro, G. A.; Polese, G.; Ruggles, T.; Sarangi, T.; Savin, A.; Sharma, A.; Smith, N.; Smith, W. H.; Taylor, D.; Woods, N.

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes the CMS trigger system and its performance during Run 1 of the LHC. The trigger system consists of two levels designed to select events of potential physics interest from a GHz (MHz) interaction rate of proton-proton (heavy ion) collisions. The first level of the trigger is implemented in hardware, and selects events containing detector signals consistent with an electron, photon, muon, τ lepton, jet, or missing transverse energy. A programmable menu of up to 128 object-based algorithms is used to select events for subsequent processing. The trigger thresholds are adjusted to the LHC instantaneous luminosity during data taking in order to restrict the output rate to 100 kHz, the upper limit imposed by the CMS readout electronics. The second level, implemented in software, further refines the purity of the output stream, selecting an average rate of 400 Hz for offline event storage. The objectives, strategy and performance of the trigger system during the LHC Run 1 are described.

  15. The CMS trigger system

    DOE PAGES

    Khachatryan, Vardan

    2017-01-24

    This paper describes the CMS trigger system and its performance during Run 1 of the LHC. The trigger system consists of two levels designed to select events of potential physics interest from a GHz (MHz) interaction rate of proton-proton (heavy ion) collisions. The first level of the trigger is implemented in hardware, and selects events containing detector signals consistent with an electron, photon, muon, tau lepton, jet, or missing transverse energy. A programmable menu of up to 128 object-based algorithms is used to select events for subsequent processing. The trigger thresholds are adjusted to the LHC instantaneous luminosity during datamore » taking in order to restrict the output rate to 100 kHz, the upper limit imposed by the CMS readout electronics. The second level, implemented in software, further refines the purity of the output stream, selecting an average rate of 400 Hz for offline event storage. The objectives, strategy and performance of the trigger system during the LHC Run 1 are described.« less

  16. More Than a Text Message: Dismantling Digital Triggers to Curate Behavior Change in Patient-Centered Health Interventions.

    PubMed

    Muench, Frederick; Baumel, Amit

    2017-05-26

    Digital triggers such as text messages, emails, and push alerts are designed to focus an individual on a desired goal by prompting an internal or external reaction at the appropriate time. Triggers therefore have an essential role in engaging individuals with digital interventions delivered outside of traditional health care settings, where other events in daily lives and fluctuating motivation to engage in effortful behavior exist. There is an emerging body of literature examining the use of digital triggers for short-term action and longer-term behavior change. However, little attention has been given to understanding the components of digital triggers. Using tailoring as an overarching framework, we separated digital triggers into 5 primary components: (1) who (sender), (2) how (stimulus type, delivery medium, heterogeneity), (3) when (delivered), (4) how much (frequency, intensity), and (5) what (trigger's target, trigger's structure, trigger's narrative). We highlighted key considerations when tailoring each component and the pitfalls of ignoring common mistakes, such as alert fatigue and habituation. As evidenced throughout the paper, there is a broad literature base from which to draw when tailoring triggers to curate behavior change in health interventions. More research is needed, however, to examine differences in efficacy based on component tailoring, to best use triggers to facilitate behavior change over time, and to keep individuals engaged in physical and mental health behavior change efforts. Dismantling digital triggers into their component parts and reassembling them according to the gestalt of one's change goals is the first step in this development work. ©Frederick Muench, Amit Baumel. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 26.05.2017.

  17. Engaging Non-Science Majors in Biology, One Disease at a Time

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garcia, Rebecca; Rahman, Alvina; Klein, Janette Gomos

    2015-01-01

    We designed a human biology course that interests nonmajors while improving science literacy through student engagement, using a constructivist-inspired, topic-centered approach. This way of learning highlights common diseases that provide a basis to incorporate specific biological concepts. The topic-centered approach triggers interest and…

  18. A Recipe for Triggering Relevance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McLaughlin, Frank

    1969-01-01

    To develop better communication with students, English teachers must acquaint themselves with the interests of teenagers and use these interests to establish a common ground of discussion. Movement toward such a dialogue can be started by radical teaching techniques that bridge the gap between the immediate concerns of the students and important…

  19. Novel metals and metal complexes as platforms for cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Frezza, Michael; Hindo, Sarmad; Chen, Di; Davenport, Andrew; Schmitt, Sara; Tomco, Dajena; Dou, Q Ping

    2010-06-01

    Metals are essential cellular components selected by nature to function in several indispensable biochemical processes for living organisms. Metals are endowed with unique characteristics that include redox activity, variable coordination modes, and reactivity towards organic substrates. Due to their reactivity, metals are tightly regulated under normal conditions and aberrant metal ion concentrations are associated with various pathological disorders, including cancer. For these reasons, coordination complexes, either as drugs or prodrugs, become very attractive probes as potential anticancer agents. The use of metals and their salts for medicinal purposes, from iatrochemistry to modern day, has been present throughout human history. The discovery of cisplatin, cis-[Pt(II) (NH(3))(2)Cl(2)], was a defining moment which triggered the interest in platinum(II)- and other metal-containing complexes as potential novel anticancer drugs. Other interests in this field address concerns for uptake, toxicity, and resistance to metallodrugs. This review article highlights selected metals that have gained considerable interest in both the development and the treatment of cancer. For example, copper is enriched in various human cancer tissues and is a co-factor essential for tumor angiogenesis processes. However the use of copper-binding ligands to target tumor copper could provide a novel strategy for cancer selective treatment. The use of nonessential metals as probes to target molecular pathways as anticancer agents is also emphasized. Finally, based on the interface between molecular biology and bioinorganic chemistry the design of coordination complexes for cancer treatment is reviewed and design strategies and mechanisms of action are discussed.

  20. The luteal phase after GnRH-agonist triggering of ovulation: present and future perspectives.

    PubMed

    Humaidan, Peter; Papanikolaou, E G; Kyrou, D; Alsbjerg, B; Polyzos, N P; Devroey, P; Fatemi, Human M

    2012-02-01

    In stimulated IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles, the luteal phase is disrupted, necessitating luteal-phase supplementation. The most plausible reason behind this is the ovarian multifollicular development obtained after ovarian stimulation, resulting in supraphysiological steroid concentrations and consecutive inhibition of LH secretion by the pituitary via negative feedback at the level of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. With the introduction of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-(GnRH) antagonist, an alternative to human chorionic gonadotrophin triggering of final oocyte maturation is the use of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) which reduces or even prevents ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Interestingly, the current regimens of luteal support after HCG triggering are not sufficient to secure the early implanting embryo after GnRHa triggering. This review discusses the luteal-phase insufficiency seen after GnRHa triggering and the various trials that have been performed to assess the most optimal luteal support in relation to GnRHa triggering. Although more research is needed, GnRHa triggering is now an alternative to HCG triggering, combining a significant reduction in OHSS with high ongoing pregnancy rates. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Simulating Shock Triggered Star Formation with AstroBEAR2.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Shule; Frank, Adam; Blackman, Eric

    2013-07-01

    Star formation can be triggered by the compression from shocks running over stable clouds. Triggered star formation is a favored explanation for the traces of SLRI's in our solar system. Previous research has shown that when parameters such as shock speed are within a certain range, the gravitational collapse of otherwise stable, dense cloud cores is possible. However, these studies usually focus on the precursors of star formation, and the conditions for the triggering. We use AstroBEAR2.0 code to simulate the collapse and subsequent evolution of a stable Bonnor-Ebert cloud by an incoming shock. Through our simulations, we show that interesting physics happens when the newly formed star interacts with the cloud residue and the post-shock flow. We identify these interactions as controlled by the initial conditions of the triggering and study the flow pattern as well as the evolution of important physics quantities such as accretion rate and angular momentum.

  2. 31 CFR Appendix C to Part 356 - Investment Considerations

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Investment Considerations C Appendix C..., App. C Appendix C to Part 356—Investment Considerations I. Inflation-Protected Securities A. Principal and Interest Variability An investment in securities with principal or interest determined by...

  3. Asynchronous sampled-data approach for event-triggered systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahmoud, Magdi S.; Memon, Azhar M.

    2017-11-01

    While aperiodically triggered network control systems save a considerable amount of communication bandwidth, they also pose challenges such as coupling between control and event-condition design, optimisation of the available resources such as control, communication and computation power, and time-delays due to computation and communication network. With this motivation, the paper presents separate designs of control and event-triggering mechanism, thus simplifying the overall analysis, asynchronous linear quadratic Gaussian controller which tackles delays and aperiodic nature of transmissions, and a novel event mechanism which compares the cost of the aperiodic system against a reference periodic implementation. The proposed scheme is simulated on a linearised wind turbine model for pitch angle control and the results show significant improvement against the periodic counterpart.

  4. Triboelectric effect: A new perspective on electron transfer process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, Shuaihang; Zhang, Zhinan

    2017-10-01

    As interest in the triboelectric effect increases in line with the development of tribo-electrification related devices, the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon require more systematic review from the dual perspectives of developed classical insights and emerging quantum understanding. In this paper, the clear energy changing and transferring process of electrons have been proposed from the quantum point of view as the trigger for the charging initiation process in the triboelectric effect, and the phonon modes on the friction surfaces are believed to hold great importance as one of the main driving forces. Compatible with Maxwell Displacement Current theory, the complete consideration for charging steady state, i.e., the competition mechanisms between the breakdown process and the continuously charging process, and the balance mechanisms of phonon-electron interaction, built voltage, and induced polarization, are illustrated. In brief, the proposed theory emphasizes the fundamental role of electron transferring in tribo-electrical fields. By comparing certain experimental results from the previous studies, the theory is justified.

  5. Climate-driven regime shifts in Arctic marine benthos

    PubMed Central

    Kortsch, Susanne; Primicerio, Raul; Beuchel, Frank; Renaud, Paul E.; Rodrigues, João; Lønne, Ole Jørgen; Gulliksen, Bjørn

    2012-01-01

    Climate warming can trigger abrupt ecosystem changes in the Arctic. Despite the considerable interest in characterizing and understanding the ecological impact of rapid climate warming in the Arctic, few long time series exist that allow addressing these research goals. During a 30-y period (1980–2010) of gradually increasing seawater temperature and decreasing sea ice cover in Svalbard, we document rapid and extensive structural changes in the rocky-bottom communities of two Arctic fjords. The most striking component of the benthic reorganization was an abrupt fivefold increase in macroalgal cover in 1995 in Kongsfjord and an eightfold increase in 2000 in Smeerenburgfjord. Simultaneous changes in the abundance of benthic invertebrates suggest that the macroalgae played a key structuring role in these communities. The abrupt, substantial, and persistent nature of the changes observed is indicative of a climate-driven ecological regime shift. The ecological processes thought to drive the observed regime shifts are likely to promote the borealization of these Arctic marine communities in the coming years. PMID:22891319

  6. Structural investigation of chemically synthesized ferrite magnetic nanomaterials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uyanga, E.; Sangaa, D.; Hirazawa, H.; Tsogbadrakh, N.; Jargalan, N.; Bobrikov, I. A.; Balagurov, A. M.

    2018-05-01

    In recent times, interest in ferrite magnetic nanomaterials has considerably grown, mainly due to their highly promising medical and biological applications. Spinel ferrite powder samples, with high heat generation abilities in AC magnetic fields, were studied for their application to the hyperthermia treatment of cancer tumors. These properties of ferrites strongly depend on their chemical composition, ion distribution between crystallographic positions, magnetic structure and method of preparation. In this study, crystal and magnetic structures of several magnetic spinels were investigated by neutron diffraction. The explanation of the mechanism triggering the heat generation ability in the magnetic materials, and the electronic and magnetic states of ferrite-spinel type structures, were theoretically defined by a first-principles method. Ferrites with the composition of CuxMg1-xFe2O4 have been investigated as a heat generating magnetic nanomaterial. Atomic fraction of copper in ferrite was varied between 0 and 100% (that is, x between 0 and 1.0 with 0.2 steps), with the copper dope limit corresponding to appear a tetragonal phase.

  7. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Guiding principles for the use of financial incentives in health behaviour change.

    PubMed

    Lynagh, Marita C; Sanson-Fisher, Rob W; Bonevski, Billie

    2013-03-01

    The use of financial incentives or pay-for-performance programs for health care providers has triggered emerging interest in the use of financial incentives for encouraging health behaviour change. This paper aims to identify key conditions under which the use of financial incentives for improvements in public health outcomes is most likely to be effective and appropriate. We review recent systematic reviews on their effectiveness in changing health behaviour and identify existing moral concerns concerning personal financial incentives. Current evidence indicates that incentives can be effective in driving health behaviour change under certain provisos, while a number of misgivings continue to be deliberated on. We outline a number of key principles for consideration in decisions about the potential use of incentives in leading to public health improvements. These key principles can assist policy makers in making decisions on the use of financial incentives directed at achieving improvements in public health.

  8. Detecting Periprocedural Myocardial Infarction in Contemporary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Trials.

    PubMed

    Spitzer, Ernest; de Vries, Ton; Cavalcante, Rafael; Tuinman, Marieke; Rademaker-Havinga, Tessa; Alkema, Maaike; Morel, Marie-Angele; Soliman, Osama I; Onuma, Yoshinobu; van Es, Gerrit-Anne; Tijssen, Jan G P; McFadden, Eugene; Serruys, Patrick W

    2017-04-10

    This study sought to investigate the differences in detecting (e.g., triggering) periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI) among 3 current definitions. PMI is a frequent component of primary endpoints in coronary device trials. Identification of all potential suspected events is critical for accurate event ascertainment. Automatic triggers based on study databases prevent underreporting of events. We generated automated algorithms to trigger PMI based on each definition and compared results using data from the RESOLUTE all comers trial. The operationalization of current PMI definitions was achieved by defining programmable algorithms used to interrogate the study database. From a total of 636 PMI triggers, we identified 234 for the World Health Organization extended definition, 382 for the Third Universal definition, and 216 for the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions definition. Differences among the biomarkers used, different cutoff values, and in the hierarchy among biomarkers within definitions, yielded a different number of triggers, and identified unique triggers for each definition. Only 38 triggers were consistently identified by all definitions. Availability of ECG data, eCRF data on clinical presentation, and the reporting of >2 post-procedural values of the same biomarker influenced considerably the number of PMI triggers identified. PMI definitions are not interchangeable. The number of triggers identified and consequently the potential number of events varies significantly, highlighting the importance of rigorous methodology when PMI is a component of a powered endpoint. Emphasis on collection of biomarkers, ECG data, and clinical status at baseline may improve the correct identification of PMI triggers. Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. 45 CFR 611.13 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... donation of Federal property and interests in property, (3) the detail of Federal personnel, (4) the sale... or any interest in such property without consideration or at a nominal consideration, or at a... interest to be served by such sale or lease to the recipient, and (5) any Federal agreement, arrangement...

  10. A Science for Citizenship Model: Assessing the Effects of Benefits, Risks, and Trust for Predicting Students' Interest in and Understanding of Science-Related Content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jack, Brady Michael; Lee, Ling; Yang, Kuay-Keng; Lin, Huann-shyang

    2017-10-01

    This study showcases the Science for Citizenship Model (SCM) as a new instructional methodology for presenting, to secondary students, science-related technology content related to the use of science in society not taught in the science curriculum, and a new approach for assessing the intercorrelations among three independent variables (benefits, risks, and trust) to predict the dependent variable of triggered interest in learning science. Utilizing a 50-minute instructional presentation on nanotechnology for citizenship, data were collected from 301 Taiwanese high school students. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and paired-samples t-tests were used to analyze the fitness of data to SCM and the extent to which a 50-minute class presentation of nanotechnology for citizenship affected students' awareness of benefits, risks, trust, and triggered interest in learning science. Results of SCM on pre-tests and post-tests revealed acceptable model fit to data and demonstrated that the strongest predictor of students' triggered interest in nanotechnology was their trust in science. Paired-samples t-test results on students' understanding of nanotechnology and their self-evaluated awareness of the benefits and risks of nanotechology, trust in scientists, and interest in learning science revealed low significant differences between pre-test and post-test. These results provide evidence that a short 50-minute presentation on an emerging science not normally addressed within traditional science curriculum had a significant yet limited impact on students' learning of nanotechnology in the classroom. Finally, we suggest why the results of this study may be important to science education instruction and research for understanding how the integration into classroom science education of short presentations of cutting-edge science and emerging technologies in support of the science for citizenship enterprise might be accomplished through future investigations.

  11. Evolutionary Ecology of Multitrophic Interactions between Plants, Insect Herbivores and Entomopathogens.

    PubMed

    Shikano, Ikkei

    2017-06-01

    Plants play an important role in the interactions between insect herbivores and their pathogens. Since the seminal review by Cory and Hoover (2006) on plant-mediated effects on insect-pathogen interactions, considerable progress has been made in understanding the complexity of these tritrophic interactions. Increasing interest in the areas of nutritional and ecological immunology over the last decade have revealed that plant primary and secondary metabolites can influence the outcomes of insect-pathogen interactions by altering insect immune functioning and physical barriers to pathogen entry. Some insects use plant secondary chemicals and nutrients to prevent infections (prophylactic medication) and medicate to limit the severity of infections (therapeutic medication). Recent findings suggest that there may be selectable plant traits that enhance entomopathogen efficacy, suggesting that entomopathogens could potentially impose selection pressure on plant traits that improve both pathogen and plant fitness. Moreover, plants in nature are inhabited by diverse communities of microbes, in addition to entomopathogens, some of which can trigger immune responses in insect herbivores. Plants are also shared by numerous other herbivorous arthropods with different modes of feeding that can trigger different defensive responses in plants. Some insect symbionts and gut microbes can degrade ingested defensive phytochemicals and be orally secreted onto wounded plant tissue during herbivory to alter plant defenses. Since non-entomopathogenic microbes and other arthropods are likely to influence the outcomes of plant-insect-entomopathogen interactions, I discuss a need to consider these multitrophic interactions within the greater web of species interactions.

  12. Use of GPUs in Trigger Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lamanna, Gianluca

    In recent years the interest for using graphics processor (GPU) in general purpose high performance computing is constantly rising. In this paper we discuss the possible use of GPUs to construct a fast and effective real time trigger system, both in software and hardware levels. In particular, we study the integration of such a system in the NA62 trigger. The first application of GPUs for rings pattern recognition in the RICH will be presented. The results obtained show that there are not showstoppers in trigger systems with relatively low latency. Thanks to the use of off-the-shelf technology, in continous development for purposes related to video game and image processing market, the architecture described would be easily exported to other experiments, to build a versatile and fully customizable online selection.

  13. Online track detection in triggerless mode for INO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jain, A.; Padmini, S.; Joseph, A. N.; Mahesh, P.; Preetha, N.; Behere, A.; Sikder, S. S.; Majumder, G.; Behera, S. P.

    2018-03-01

    The India based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a proposed particle physics research project to study the atmospheric neutrinos. INO-Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) will consist of 28,800 detectors having 3.6 million electronic channels expected to activate with 100 Hz single rate, producing data at a rate of 3 GBps. Data collected contains a few real hits generated by muon tracks and the remaining noise-induced spurious hits. Estimated reduction factor after filtering out data of interest from generated data is of the order of 103. This makes trigger generation critical for efficient data collection and storage. Trigger is generated by detecting coincidence across multiple channels satisfying trigger criteria, within a small window of 200 ns in the trigger region. As the probability of neutrino interaction is very low, track detection algorithm has to be efficient and fast enough to process 5 × 106 events-candidates/s without introducing significant dead time, so that not even a single neutrino event is missed out. A hardware based trigger system is presently proposed for on-line track detection considering stringent timing requirements. Though the trigger system can be designed with scalability, a lot of hardware devices and interconnections make it a complex and expensive solution with limited flexibility. A software based track detection approach working on the hit information offers an elegant solution with possibility of varying trigger criteria for selecting various potentially interesting physics events. An event selection approach for an alternative triggerless readout scheme has been developed. The algorithm is mathematically simple, robust and parallelizable. It has been validated by detecting simulated muon events for energies of the range of 1 GeV-10 GeV with 100% efficiency at a processing rate of 60 μs/event on a 16 core machine. The algorithm and result of a proof-of-concept for its faster implementation over multiple cores is presented. The paper also discusses about harnessing the computing capabilities of multi-core computing farm, thereby optimizing number of nodes required for the proposed system.

  14. 26 CFR 1.368-1T - Purpose and scope of exception of reorganization exchanges (temporary).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    .... In determining whether a proprietary interest in the target corporation is preserved, the consideration to be exchanged for the proprietary interests in the target corporation pursuant to a contract to... interest in the target corporation is preserved. If the contract does not provide for fixed consideration...

  15. 26 CFR 1.368-1T - Purpose and scope of exception of reorganization exchanges (temporary).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    .... In determining whether a proprietary interest in the target corporation is preserved, the consideration to be exchanged for the proprietary interests in the target corporation pursuant to a contract to... interest in the target corporation is preserved. If the contract does not provide for fixed consideration...

  16. More Than a Text Message: Dismantling Digital Triggers to Curate Behavior Change in Patient-Centered Health Interventions

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Digital triggers such as text messages, emails, and push alerts are designed to focus an individual on a desired goal by prompting an internal or external reaction at the appropriate time. Triggers therefore have an essential role in engaging individuals with digital interventions delivered outside of traditional health care settings, where other events in daily lives and fluctuating motivation to engage in effortful behavior exist. There is an emerging body of literature examining the use of digital triggers for short-term action and longer-term behavior change. However, little attention has been given to understanding the components of digital triggers. Using tailoring as an overarching framework, we separated digital triggers into 5 primary components: (1) who (sender), (2) how (stimulus type, delivery medium, heterogeneity), (3) when (delivered), (4) how much (frequency, intensity), and (5) what (trigger’s target, trigger’s structure, trigger’s narrative). We highlighted key considerations when tailoring each component and the pitfalls of ignoring common mistakes, such as alert fatigue and habituation. As evidenced throughout the paper, there is a broad literature base from which to draw when tailoring triggers to curate behavior change in health interventions. More research is needed, however, to examine differences in efficacy based on component tailoring, to best use triggers to facilitate behavior change over time, and to keep individuals engaged in physical and mental health behavior change efforts. Dismantling digital triggers into their component parts and reassembling them according to the gestalt of one’s change goals is the first step in this development work. PMID:28550001

  17. Advantages of video trigger in problem-based learning.

    PubMed

    Chan, Lap Ki; Patil, Nivritti G; Chen, Julie Y; Lam, Jamie C M; Lau, Chak S; Ip, Mary S M

    2010-01-01

    Traditionally, paper cases are used as 'triggers' to stimulate learning in problem-based learning (PBL). However, video may be a better medium because it preserves the original language, encourages the active extraction of information, avoids depersonalization of patients and allows direct observation of clinical consultations. In short, it exposes the students to the complexity of actual clinical problems. The study aims to find out whether students and facilitators who are accustomed to paper cases would prefer video triggers or paper cases and the reasons for their preference. After students and facilitators had completed a video PBL tutorial, their responses were measured by a structured questionnaire using a modified Likert scale. A total of 257 students (92%) and 26 facilitators (100%) responded. The majority of students and facilitators considered that using video triggers could enhance the students' observational powers and clinical reasoning, help them to integrate different information and better understand the cases and motivate them to learn. They found PBL using video triggers more interesting and preferred it to PBL using paper cases. Video triggers are preferred by both students and facilitators over paper cases in PBL.

  18. Interactive Teaching about Landslides and Triggered Landslide Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, Faith E.; Malamud, Bruce D.

    2015-04-01

    When we think of a landslide (mass wasting), both the public and scientists often envisage an individual movement of earth material down a slope. Yet, landslides often occur not as individuals, but as parts of a triggered landslide event. This is where a trigger (e.g., an earthquake or heavy rainfall) results in up to tens of thousands of landslides in a region in the minutes to days after the trigger. The sum of the impacts of these landslides may be greater than individual parts. This interactive Prezi poster will present ideas for innovative demonstrations, teaching practicals and projects, ranging from low-cost low-tech to more advanced digital methods, to communicate the ideas of landslides and triggered landslide events to the public and students. We will give live hands-on demonstrations and welcome discussions with other scientists to share ideas and best practices. This paper is aimed at those in secondary school/university education and the public sector looking for examples to interest and inform their respective audiences about landslides, triggered landslide events, and the importance and implications of considering landslides not just as individuals, but as populations.

  19. Unraveling a Three-Step Spatiotemporal Mechanism of Triggering of Receptor-Induced Nipah Virus Fusion and Cell Entry

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Qian; Stone, Jacquelyn A.; Bradel-Tretheway, Birgit; Dabundo, Jeffrey; Benavides Montano, Javier A.; Santos-Montanez, Jennifer; Biering, Scott B.; Nicola, Anthony V.; Iorio, Ronald M.; Lu, Xiaonan; Aguilar, Hector C.

    2013-01-01

    Membrane fusion is essential for entry of the biomedically-important paramyxoviruses into their host cells (viral-cell fusion), and for syncytia formation (cell-cell fusion), often induced by paramyxoviral infections [e.g. those of the deadly Nipah virus (NiV)]. For most paramyxoviruses, membrane fusion requires two viral glycoproteins. Upon receptor binding, the attachment glycoprotein (HN/H/G) triggers the fusion glycoprotein (F) to undergo conformational changes that merge viral and/or cell membranes. However, a significant knowledge gap remains on how HN/H/G couples cell receptor binding to F-triggering. Via interdisciplinary approaches we report the first comprehensive mechanism of NiV membrane fusion triggering, involving three spatiotemporally sequential cell receptor-induced conformational steps in NiV-G: two in the head and one in the stalk. Interestingly, a headless NiV-G mutant was able to trigger NiV-F, and the two head conformational steps were required for the exposure of the stalk domain. Moreover, the headless NiV-G prematurely triggered NiV-F on virions, indicating that the NiV-G head prevents premature triggering of NiV-F on virions by concealing a F-triggering stalk domain until the correct time and place: receptor-binding. Based on these and recent paramyxovirus findings, we present a comprehensive and fundamentally conserved mechanistic model of paramyxovirus membrane fusion triggering and cell entry. PMID:24278018

  20. Muon Trigger for Mobile Phones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borisyak, M.; Usvyatsov, M.; Mulhearn, M.; Shimmin, C.; Ustyuzhanin, A.

    2017-10-01

    The CRAYFIS experiment proposes to use privately owned mobile phones as a ground detector array for Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays. Upon interacting with Earth’s atmosphere, these events produce extensive particle showers which can be detected by cameras on mobile phones. A typical shower contains minimally-ionizing particles such as muons. As these particles interact with CMOS image sensors, they may leave tracks of faintly-activated pixels that are sometimes hard to distinguish from random detector noise. Triggers that rely on the presence of very bright pixels within an image frame are not efficient in this case. We present a trigger algorithm based on Convolutional Neural Networks which selects images containing such tracks and are evaluated in a lazy manner: the response of each successive layer is computed only if activation of the current layer satisfies a continuation criterion. Usage of neural networks increases the sensitivity considerably comparable with image thresholding, while the lazy evaluation allows for execution of the trigger under the limited computational power of mobile phones.

  1. Analysis of the National Science Foundation's Discovery Research K-12 ELL Projects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caswell, Linda; Martinez, Alina; Lee, Okhee; Berns, Barbara Brauner; Rhodes, Hilary

    2016-01-01

    Background/Context: Educational and societal phenomena can converge to draw attention to a new focus, such as ELs and STEM, and then trigger new research interests. A funding program can play a critical role in shaping these new research interests by prioritizing specific research topics and designs or by requiring particular specializations of…

  2. Hardware Trojans - Prevention, Detection, Countermeasures (A Literature Review)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-07-01

    Phase and Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.2 Hardware Trojan Actions...12 3.4 Trigger Design Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4 Prevention 14 4.1 Prevention...The specification is then realised into specific tar- 4 UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED DSTO–TN–1012 get technologies with consideration of functional and

  3. Seismic wave triggering of nonvolcanic tremor, episodic tremor and slip, and earthquakes on Vancouver Island

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rubinstein, Justin L.; Gomberg, Joan; Vidale, John E.; Wech, Aaron G.; Kao, Honn; Creager, Kenneth C.; Rogers, Garry

    2009-02-01

    We explore the physical conditions that enable triggering of nonvolcanic tremor and earthquakes by considering local seismic activity on Vancouver Island, British Columbia during and immediately after the arrival of large-amplitude seismic waves from 30 teleseismic and 17 regional or local earthquakes. We identify tremor triggered by four of the teleseismic earthquakes. The close temporal and spatial proximity of triggered tremor to ambient tremor and aseismic slip indicates that when a fault is close to or undergoing failure, it is particularly susceptible to triggering of further events. The amplitude of the triggering waves also influences the likelihood of triggering both tremor and earthquakes such that large amplitude waves triggered tremor in the absence of detectable aseismic slip or ambient tremor. Tremor and energy radiated from regional/local earthquakes share the same frequency passband so that tremor cannot be identified during these smaller, more frequent events. We confidently identify triggered local earthquakes following only one teleseism, that with the largest amplitude, and four regional or local events that generated vigorous aftershock sequences in their immediate vicinity. Earthquakes tend to be triggered in regions different from tremor and with high ambient seismicity rates. We also note an interesting possible correlation between large teleseismic events and episodic tremor and slip (ETS) episodes, whereby ETS events that are "late" and have built up more stress than normal are susceptible to triggering by the slight nudge of the shaking from a large, distant event, while ETS events that are "early" or "on time" are not.

  4. Novel Metals and Metal Complexes as Platforms for Cancer Therapy

    PubMed Central

    Frezza, Michael; Hindo, Sarmad; Chen, Di; Davenport, Andrew; Schmitt, Sara; Tomco, Dajena; Dou, Q. Ping

    2013-01-01

    Metals are essential cellular components selected by nature to function in several indispensable biochemical processes for living organisms. Metals are endowed with unique characteristics that include redox activity, variable coordination modes, and reactivity towards organic substrates. Due to their reactivity, metals are tightly regulated under normal conditions and aberrant metal ion concentrations are associated with various pathological disorders, including cancer. For these reasons, coordination complexes, either as drugs or prodrugs, become very attractive probes as potential anticancer agents. The use of metals and their salts for medicinal purposes, from iatrochemistry to modern day, has been present throughout human history. The discovery of cisplatin, cis-[PtII(NH3)2Cl2], was a defining moment which triggered the interest in platinum(II)- and other metal-containing complexes as potential novel anticancer drugs. Other interests in this field address concerns for uptake, toxicity, and resistance to metallodrugs. This review article highlights selected metals that have gained considerable interest in both the development and the treatment of cancer. For example, copper is enriched in various human cancer tissues and is a co-factor essential for tumor angiogenesis processes. However the use of copper-binding ligands to target tumor copper could provide a novel strategy for cancer selective treatment. The use of nonessential metals as probes to target molecular pathways as anticancer agents is also emphasized. Finally, based on the interface between molecular biology and bioinorganic chemistry the design of coordination complexes for cancer treatment is reviewed and design strategies and mechanisms of action are discussed. PMID:20337575

  5. Hyperspectral Sulfur Detection Using an SVM with Extreme Minority Positive Examples Onboard EO-1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mandrake, Lukas; Wagstaff, Kiri L.; Gleeson, Damhnait; Rebbapragada, Umaa; Tran, Daniel; Castano, Rebecca; Chien, Steven; Pappalardo, Robert T.

    2009-09-01

    Onboard classification of remote sensing data is of general interest given that it can be used as a trigger to initiate alarms, data download, additional higher- resolution scans, or more frequent scans of an area without ground interaction. In our case, we study the sulfur-rich Borup-Fiord glacial springs in Canada utilizing the Hyperion instrument aboard the EO-1 spacecraft. This system consists of naturally occurring sulfur-rich springs emerging from glacial ice, which are a known environment for microbial life. The biological activity of the spring is associated with sulfur compounds that can be detected remotely via spectral analysis. This system may offer an analog to far more exotic locales such as Europa where remote sensing of biogenic indicators is of considerable interest. Unfortunately, spacecraft processing power and memory is severely limited which places strong constraints on the algorithms available. Previous work has been performed in the generation and execution of an onboard SVM (support vector machine) classifier to autonomously identify the presence of sulfur compounds associated with the activity of microbial life. However, those results were limited in the number of positive examples available to be labeled. In this paper we extend the sample size from 1 to 7 example scenes between 2006 and 2008, corresponding to a change from 18 to 235 positive labels. Of key interest is our assessment of the classifier's behavior on non-sulfur-bearing imagery far from the training region. Selection of the most relevant spectral bands and parameters for the SVM are also explored.

  6. LIGO Triggered Search for Coincidence with High Energy Photon Survey Missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Camp, Jordan

    2009-01-01

    LIGO is about to begin a new, higher sensitivity science run, where gravitational detection is plausible. A possible candidate for detection is a compact binary merger, which would also be likely to emit a high energy electromagnetic signal. Coincident observation of the gw signal from a compact merger with an x-ray or gamma-ray signal would add considerable weight to the claim for gw detection. In this talk I will consider the possibility of using LIGO triggers with time and sky position to perform a coincident analysis of EM signals from the RXTE, SWIFT, and FERMI missions.

  7. Using Innovative Pedagogies in the Classroom: Re-Storying Gothic Tales as Entrepreneur Stories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cardow, Andrew; Smith, Robert

    2015-01-01

    It can be difficult to interest students in academic topics if they have no prior exposure to or experience of the subject. The authors introduce and discuss a pedagogic innovation designed to trigger interest in entrepreneurship and "enterprise culture". They use fiction in the form of Gothic context and the vampire motif to move the…

  8. A School-Based Study on Situational Interest of Investigative Study in Senior Physics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leung, Yat-yin

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the findings from the interview data of a research aiming at studying how to trigger students' situational interest in physics and its implications on learning and teaching in the New Senior Secondary (NSS) physics curriculum. 49 students from a boys' school were invited to write one to three learning experiences in physics that…

  9. An Inquiry into Situational Interest in a Tenth Grade History Class: Lesson Design and Implementation from Berlyne and Bergin Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Christine L.

    2010-01-01

    Using a "grounded theory" approach, this classroom-based empirical research study attempted to understand if using Berlyne's "collative variables" and Bergin's "situational factors" (external variables) in a learning sequence would "catch/trigger" and "hold" situational interest in students. A collative variable is a property of a stimulus that…

  10. A trigger-based design for evaluating the safety of in utero antiretroviral exposure in uninfected children of human immunodeficiency virus-infected mothers.

    PubMed

    Williams, Paige L; Seage, George R; Van Dyke, Russell B; Siberry, George K; Griner, Raymond; Tassiopoulos, Katherine; Yildirim, Cenk; Read, Jennifer S; Huo, Yanling; Hazra, Rohan; Jacobson, Denise L; Mofenson, Lynne M; Rich, Kenneth

    2012-05-01

    The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study's Surveillance Monitoring of ART Toxicities Study is a prospective cohort study conducted at 22 US sites between 2007 and 2011 that was designed to evaluate the safety of in utero antiretroviral drug exposure in children not infected with human immunodeficiency virus who were born to mothers who were infected. This ongoing study uses a "trigger-based" design; that is, initial assessments are conducted on all children, and only those meeting certain thresholds or "triggers" undergo more intensive evaluations to determine whether they have had an adverse event (AE). The authors present the estimated rates of AEs for each domain of interest in the Surveillance Monitoring of ART Toxicities Study. They also evaluated the efficiency of this trigger-based design for estimating AE rates and for testing associations between in utero exposures to antiretroviral drugs and AEs. The authors demonstrate that estimated AE rates from the trigger-based design are unbiased after correction for the sensitivity of the trigger for identifying AEs. Even without correcting for bias based on trigger sensitivity, the trigger approach is generally more efficient for estimating AE rates than is evaluating a random sample of the same size. Minor losses in efficiency when comparing AE rates between persons exposed and unexposed in utero to particular antiretroviral drugs or drug classes were observed under most scenarios.

  11. Status of the Electromagnetic Calorimeter Trigger system at the Belle II experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, S. H.; Lee, I. S.; Unno, Y.; Cheon, B. G.

    2017-09-01

    The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider in Japan has been under the construction toward a physics run in 2018 with an ultimate target of 40 times higher instantaneous luminosity than the KEKB collider. The main physics motivation is to search for the New Physics from heavy quark/lepton flavor decays. In order to select an event of interest efficiently under much higher luminosity and beam background environment than the KEKB, we have upgraded the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECL) hardware trigger system. It would be realized by the improvement of ECL trigger logic based on two main triggers, the total energy and the number of clusters, with an FPGA-based flexible architecture and a high speed serial link for the data transfer. We report the current status of hardware, firmware, and software that has been achieved so far. The overall scheme of the system will be presented as well.

  12. Triggered emissions close to the proton gyrofrequency seen by Cluster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grison, Benjamin; Pickett, Jolene; Omura, Yoshiharu; Santolik, Ondrej; Decreau, Pierrette; Masson, Arnaud; Engebretson, Mark; Cornilleau-Wehrlin, Nicole; Robert, Patrick; Dandouras, Iannis

    Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) triggered emissions have been recently observed onboard the Cluster spacecraft close to the plasmapause in the equatorial region of the magnetosphere. These waves appear as "risers": electromagnetic structures that have a positive frequency drift with time, i.e., the EMIC analogue of rising frequency whistler mode triggered emissions and chorus waves. In our first results concerning the emission process based on a single event, these risers have the following properties: they propagate away from the direction of the magnetic equator, they have elliptical left-handed polarization corresponding to the transverse Alfven mode, and frequency drifts of about 30 mHz/s. These risers are not common in the Cluster data set. Nevertheless a few other events were found with similar properties. Another interesting preliminary result is the existence of risers with a polarization opposite that of the EMIC triggered emissions and which correspond to the fast magnetosonic mode.

  13. UV-Induced Triggering of a Biomechanical Initiation Switch Within Collagen Promotes Development of a Melanoma-Permissive Microenvironment in the Skin

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    addition, our new data suggest that pre-treating mice with anti-HU177 antibody inhibited UVB -induced accumulation of mast cells in the skin. Moreover, pre...work is provided below. Our previous studies have indicated that UVA and UVB irradiation can dose dependently trigger conformational changes in both...vitro following UV-irradiation was unlikely do to thermal denaturation. Interestingly, macrophage adhesion to UVB irradiated collagen type-IV but not

  14. The LUX experiment - trigger and data acquisition systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Druszkiewicz, Eryk

    2013-04-01

    The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) detector is a two-phase xenon time projection chamber designed to detect interactions of dark matter particles with the xenon nuclei. Signals from the detector PMTs are processed by custom-built analog electronics which provide properly shaped signals for the trigger and data acquisition (DAQ) systems. During calibrations, both systems must be able to handle high rates and have large dynamic ranges; during dark matter searches, maximum sensitivity requires low thresholds. The trigger system uses eight-channel 64-MHz digitizers (DDC-8) connected to a Trigger Builder (TB). The FPGA cores on the digitizers perform real-time pulse identification (discriminating between S1 and S2-like signals) and event localization. The TB uses hit patterns, hit maps, and maximum response detection to make trigger decisions, which are reached within few microseconds after the occurrence of an event of interest. The DAQ system is comprised of commercial digitizers with customized firmware. Its real-time baseline suppression allows for a maximum event acquisition rate in excess of 1.5 kHz, which results in virtually no deadtime. The performance of the trigger and DAQ systems during the commissioning runs of LUX will be discussed.

  15. Mechanically triggered solute uptake in soft contact lenses.

    PubMed

    Tavazzi, Silvia; Ferraro, Lorenzo; Fagnola, Matteo; Cozza, Federica; Farris, Stefano; Bonetti, Simone; Simonutti, Roberto; Borghesi, Alessandro

    2015-06-01

    Molecular arrangement plays a role in the diffusion of water and solutes across soft contact lenses. In particular, the uptake of solutes in hydrated contact lenses can occur as long as free water is available for diffusion. In this work, we investigated the effect of mechanical vibrations of low frequency (200 Hz) on the solute uptake. Hyaluronan, a polysaccharide of ophthalmic use, was taken as example of solute of interest. For a specific water-hydrated hydrogel material, differential scanning calorimetry experiments showed that a large fraction of the hydration water accounted for loosely-bound water, both before and after one week of daily-wear of the lenses. The size (of the order of magnitude of few hundreds of nanometers) of hyaluronan in aqueous solution was found to be less than the size of the pores of the lens observed by scanning electron microscopy. However, solute uptake in already-hydrated lenses was negligible by simple immersion, while a significant increase occurred under mechanical vibrations of 200 Hz, thus providing experimental evidence of mechanically triggered enhanced solute uptake, which is attributed to the release of interfacial loosely-bound water. Also other materials were taken into consideration. However, the effectiveness of mechanical vibrations for hyaluronan uptake is restricted to lenses containing interfacial loosely-bound water. Indeed, loosely-bound water is expected to be bound to the polymer with bonding energies of the order of magnitude of 10-100 J/g, which are compatible with the energy input supplied by the vibrations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Twitter earthquake detection: Earthquake monitoring in a social world

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Earle, Paul S.; Bowden, Daniel C.; Guy, Michelle R.

    2011-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is investigating how the social networking site Twitter, a popular service for sending and receiving short, public text messages, can augment USGS earthquake response products and the delivery of hazard information. Rapid detection and qualitative assessment of shaking events are possible because people begin sending public Twitter messages (tweets) with in tens of seconds after feeling shaking. Here we present and evaluate an earthquake detection procedure that relies solely on Twitter data. A tweet-frequency time series constructed from tweets containing the word "earthquake" clearly shows large peaks correlated with the origin times of widely felt events. To identify possible earthquakes, we use a short-term-average, long-term-average algorithm. When tuned to a moderate sensitivity, the detector finds 48 globally-distributed earthquakes with only two false triggers in five months of data. The number of detections is small compared to the 5,175 earthquakes in the USGS global earthquake catalog for the same five-month time period, and no accurate location or magnitude can be assigned based on tweet data alone. However, Twitter earthquake detections are not without merit. The detections are generally caused by widely felt events that are of more immediate interest than those with no human impact. The detections are also fast; about 75% occur within two minutes of the origin time. This is considerably faster than seismographic detections in poorly instrumented regions of the world. The tweets triggering the detections also provided very short first-impression narratives from people who experienced the shaking.

  17. FPGA-based trigger system for the LUX dark matter experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akerib, D. S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.; Bailey, A. J.; Balajthy, J.; Beltrame, P.; Bernard, E. P.; Bernstein, A.; Biesiadzinski, T. P.; Boulton, E. M.; Bradley, A.; Bramante, R.; Cahn, S. B.; Carmona-Benitez, M. C.; Chan, C.; Chapman, J. J.; Chiller, A. A.; Chiller, C.; Currie, A.; Cutter, J. E.; Davison, T. J. R.; de Viveiros, L.; Dobi, A.; Dobson, J. E. Y.; Druszkiewicz, E.; Edwards, B. N.; Faham, C. H.; Fiorucci, S.; Gaitskell, R. J.; Gehman, V. M.; Ghag, C.; Gibson, K. R.; Gilchriese, M. G. D.; Hall, C. R.; Hanhardt, M.; Haselschwardt, S. J.; Hertel, S. A.; Hogan, D. P.; Horn, M.; Huang, D. Q.; Ignarra, C. M.; Ihm, M.; Jacobsen, R. G.; Ji, W.; Kazkaz, K.; Khaitan, D.; Knoche, R.; Larsen, N. A.; Lee, C.; Lenardo, B. G.; Lesko, K. T.; Lindote, A.; Lopes, M. I.; Malling, D. C.; Manalaysay, A. G.; Mannino, R. L.; Marzioni, M. F.; McKinsey, D. N.; Mei, D.-M.; Mock, J.; Moongweluwan, M.; Morad, J. A.; Murphy, A. St. J.; Nehrkorn, C.; Nelson, H. N.; Neves, F.; O`Sullivan, K.; Oliver-Mallory, K. C.; Ott, R. A.; Palladino, K. J.; Pangilinan, M.; Pease, E. K.; Phelps, P.; Reichhart, L.; Rhyne, C.; Shaw, S.; Shutt, T. A.; Silva, C.; Skulski, W.; Solovov, V. N.; Sorensen, P.; Stephenson, S.; Sumner, T. J.; Szydagis, M.; Taylor, D. J.; Taylor, W.; Tennyson, B. P.; Terman, P. A.; Tiedt, D. R.; To, W. H.; Tripathi, M.; Tvrznikova, L.; Uvarov, S.; Verbus, J. R.; Webb, R. C.; White, J. T.; Whitis, T. J.; Witherell, M. S.; Wolfs, F. L. H.; Yin, J.; Young, S. K.; Zhang, C.

    2016-05-01

    LUX is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon time projection chamber designed to detect nuclear recoils resulting from interactions with dark matter particles. Signals from the detector are processed with an FPGA-based digital trigger system that analyzes the incoming data in real-time, with just a few microsecond latency. The system enables first pass selection of events of interest based on their pulse shape characteristics and 3D localization of the interactions. It has been shown to be > 99 % efficient in triggering on S2 signals induced by only few extracted liquid electrons. It is continuously and reliably operating since its full underground deployment in early 2013. This document is an overview of the systems capabilities, its inner workings, and its performance.

  18. Inelastic electron tunneling mediated by a molecular quantum rotator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sugimoto, Toshiki; Kunisada, Yuji; Fukutani, Katsuyuki

    2017-12-01

    Inelastic electron tunneling (IET) accompanying nuclear motion is not only of fundamental physical interest but also has strong impacts on chemical and biological processes in nature. Although excitation of rotational motion plays an important role in enhancing electric conductance at a low bias, the mechanism of rotational excitation remains veiled. Here, we present a basic theoretical framework of IET that explicitly takes into consideration quantum angular momentum, focusing on a molecular H2 rotator trapped in a nanocavity between two metallic electrodes as a model system. It is shown that orientationally anisotropic electrode-rotator coupling is the origin of angular-momentum exchange between the electron and molecule; we found that the anisotropic coupling imposes rigorous selection rules in rotational excitation. In addition, rotational symmetry breaking induced by the anisotropic potential lifts the degeneracy of the energy level of the degenerated rotational state of the quantum rotator and tunes the threshold bias voltage that triggers rotational IET. Our theoretical results provide a paradigm for physical understanding of the rotational IET process and spectroscopy, as well as molecular-level design of electron-rotation coupling in nanoelectronics.

  19. On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants

    PubMed Central

    Kelley, Michael C.; Garstang, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Simple Summary We use data similar to that taken by the International Monitoring System for the detection of nuclear explosions, to determine whether elephants might be capable of detecting and locating the source of sounds generated by thunderstorms. Knowledge that elephants might be capable of responding to such storms, particularly at the end of the dry season when migrations are initiated, is of considerable interest to management and conservation. Abstract Theoretical calculations suggest that sounds produced by thunderstorms and detected by a system similar to the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the detection of nuclear explosions at distances ≥100 km, are at sound pressure levels equal to or greater than 6 × 10−3 Pa. Such sound pressure levels are well within the range of elephant hearing. Frequencies carrying these sounds might allow for interaural time delays such that adult elephants could not only hear but could also locate the source of these sounds. Determining whether it is possible for elephants to hear and locate thunderstorms contributes to the question of whether elephant movements are triggered or influenced by these abiotic sounds. PMID:26487406

  20. 76 FR 78591 - Corporate Reorganizations; Guidance on the Measurement of Continuity of Interest

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-19

    ... determining whether the target shareholders are fully subject to market appreciation and depreciation, certain... circumstances under which the consideration to be exchanged for the proprietary interests in the target... binding contract provides for fixed consideration, the target corporation shareholders can generally be...

  1. UV-crosslinkable and thermo-responsive chitosan hybrid hydrogel for NIR-triggered localized on-demand drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Wang, Lei; Li, Baoqiang; Xu, Feng; Xu, Zheheng; Wei, Daqing; Feng, Yujie; Wang, Yaming; Jia, Dechang; Zhou, Yu

    2017-10-15

    Innovative drug delivery technologies based on smart hydrogels for localized on-demand drug delivery had aroused great interest. To acquire smart UV-crosslinkable chitosan hydrogel for NIR-triggered localized on-demanded drug release, a novel UV-crosslinkable and thermo-responsive chitosan was first designed and synthesized by grafting with poly N-isopropylacrylamide, acetylation of methacryloyl groups and embedding with photothermal carbon. The UV-crosslinkable unit (methacryloyl groups) endowed chitosan with gelation via UV irradiation. The thermo-responsive unit (poly N-isopropylacrylamide) endowed chitosan hydrogel with temperature-triggered volume shrinkage and reversible swelling/de-swelling behavior. The chitosan hybrid hydrogel embedded with photothermal carbon exhibited distinct NIR-triggered volume shrinkage (∼42% shrinkage) in response to temperature elevation as induced by NIR laser irradiation. As a demonstration, doxorubicin release rate was accelerated and approximately 40 times higher than that from non-irradiated hydrogels. The UV-crosslinkable and thermal-responsive hybrid hydrogel served as in situ forming hydrogel-based drug depot is developed for NIR-triggered localized on-demand release. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Development of Micro and Nanostructured Materials for Interfacial Self-Healing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blaiszik, Benjamin James

    2009-01-01

    Damage in polymeric coatings, adhesives, microelectronic components, and composites spans many length scales. For small scale damage, autonomic self-healing can repair multiple damage modes without manual intervention. In autonomic self-healing materials, a healing response is triggered by damage to the material. Size scale considerations, such as…

  3. A tiered approach to incorporate exposure and pharmacokinetics considerations in in vitro based safety assessment

    EPA Science Inventory

    Application of in vitro based safety assessment requires reconciling chemical concentrations sufficient to produce bioactivity in vitro with those that trigger a molecular initiating event at the relevant in vivo target site. To address such need, computational tools such as phy...

  4. Why Do School Order and Safety Matter?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cornell, Dewey G.; Mayer, Matthew J.

    2010-01-01

    School safety and order are essential conditions for learning but represent a relatively new field of study, stimulated in large part by repeated episodes of school violence that have generated considerable public concern and triggered substantial changes in school discipline and security practices over the past two decades. This article sets the…

  5. Sensitivity and Switching Delay in Trigger Circuits; SENSIBILITA E RITARDO ENI CIRCUITI A SCATTO

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

    De Lotto, I.; Stanchi, L.

    The problem of regeneration in trigger circuits is studied, particularly in relation to switching delay and switching time. The factors that affect the speed, such as the threshold as a function of the input signal duration, are examined. The sensitivity of the circuit is also discussed. The characteristics of the dipole equivalent to a trigger circuit are determined, and the switching delay and switching rise time are examined using considerable simplifications (circuits with constant parameters) and graphical methods. For the particular case of a transistor circuit, the equation of the equivalent circuit is derived taking into account the nonlinearity ofmore » the parameters. This equation is processed by means of an analog computer. Using experimental data, the circuits are classified according to their sensitivity and the switching delay. A merit figure is obtained for synthetically evaluating different circuits and optimizing circuit sensitivity and speed. (auth)« less

  6. Conceptual, self-assembling graphene nanocontainers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boothroyd, Simon; Anwar, Jamshed

    2015-07-01

    We show that graphene nano-sheets, when appropriately functionalised, can form self-assembling nanocontainers which may be opened or closed using a chemical trigger such as pH or polarity of solvent. Conceptual design rules are presented for different container structures, whose ability to form and encapsulate guest molecules is verified by molecular dynamics simulations. The structural simplicity of the graphene nanocontainers offers considerable scope for scaling the capacity, modulating the nature of the internal environment, and defining the trigger for encapsulation or release of the guest molecule(s). This design study will serve to provide additional impetus to developing synthetic approaches for selective functionalisation of graphene.

  7. Mitral and tricuspid valve surgery in homozygous sickle cell disease: perioperative considerations for a successful outcome.

    PubMed

    Sachithanandan, Anand; Nanjaiah, Prakash; Wright, Christine J; Rooney, Stephen J

    2008-01-01

    Homozygous sickle cell disease (SCD) presents a multitude of challenges in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Special consideration must be made in such patients and routine practice modified to prevent hypoxia, hypothermia, acidaemia and low-flow states which may potentially trigger a fatal sickling crisis perioperatively. We discuss several perioperative management strategies including a preoperative exchange transfusion, high flow normothermic bypass and warm blood cardioplegia that was utilized in a woman with homozygous SCD who underwent a successful double valve procedure.

  8. Light-sensitive Lipid-based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery: Design Principles and Future Considerations for Biological Applications

    PubMed Central

    Yavlovich, Amichai; Smith, Brandon; Gupta, Kshitij; Blumenthal, Robert; Puri, Anu

    2011-01-01

    Radiation-based therapies aided by nanoparticles have been developed since decades, and can be primarily categorized into two main platforms. First, delivery of payload of photo-reactive drugs (photosensitizers) using the conventional nanoparticles, and second, design and development of photo-triggerable nanoparticles (primarily liposomes) to attain light-assisted on-demand drug delivery. The main focus of this review is to provide an update of the history, current status and future applications of photo-triggerable lipid-based nanoparticles (light-sensitive liposomes). We will begin with a brief overview on the applications of liposomes for delivery of photosensitizers, including the choice of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy, as well as the currently available light sources (lasers) used for these applications. The main segment of this review will encompass the details on the strategies to develop photo-triggerable designer liposomes for their drug delivery function. The principles underlying the assembly of photoreactive lipids into nanoparticles (liposomes) and photo-triggering mechanisms will be presented. We will also discuss factors that limit the applications of these liposomes for in vivo triggered drug delivery and emerging concepts that may lead to the biologically viable photo-activation strategies. We will conclude with our view point on the future perspectives of light-sensitive liposomes in the clinic. PMID:20939770

  9. Laser-based ion sources for medical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bychenkov, V. Yu.; Brantov, A. V.

    2015-10-01

    Interaction of relativistic short laser pulses with thin foils is studied by using 3D PIC simulations in the context of ICAN's "dream laser". It is shown that such a laser will make it possible to accelerate protons and deuterons to multi-MeV energies with a current density of 100 A/cm2. The laser-triggered hadron beams may trigger nuclear reactions of interest for nuclear medicine and pharmacy. As an example, the yields C-11 for PET, of Tc-99m for SPECT, and neutrons for therapy have been analyzed.

  10. The evolution of the Trigger and Data Acquisition System in the ATLAS experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krasznahorkay, A.; Atlas Collaboration

    2014-06-01

    The ATLAS experiment, aimed at recording the results of LHC proton-proton collisions, is upgrading its Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system during the current LHC first long shutdown. The purpose of the upgrade is to add robustness and flexibility to the selection and the conveyance of the physics data, simplify the maintenance of the infrastructure, exploit new technologies and, overall, make ATLAS data-taking capable of dealing with increasing event rates. The TDAQ system used to date is organised in a three-level selection scheme, including a hardware-based first-level trigger and second- and third-level triggers implemented as separate software systems distributed on separate, commodity hardware nodes. While this architecture was successfully operated well beyond the original design goals, the accumulated experience stimulated interest to explore possible evolutions. We will also be upgrading the hardware of the TDAQ system by introducing new elements to it. For the high-level trigger, the current plan is to deploy a single homogeneous system, which merges the execution of the second and third trigger levels, still separated, on a unique hardware node. Prototyping efforts already demonstrated many benefits to the simplified design. In this paper we report on the design and the development status of this new system.

  11. FPGA-based trigger system for the LUX dark matter experiment

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

    Akerib, D. S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.

    LUX is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon time projection chamber designed to detect nuclear recoils resulting from interactions with dark matter particles. Signals from the detector are processed with an FPGA-based digital trigger system that analyzes the incoming data in real-time, with just a few microsecond latency. The system enables first pass selection of events of interest based on their pulse shape characteristics and 3D localization of the interactions. It has been shown to be >99% efficient in triggering on S2 signals induced by only few extracted liquid electrons. It is continuously and reliably operating since its full underground deployment inmore » early 2013. This document is an overview of the systems capabilities, its inner workings, and its performance.« less

  12. FPGA-based trigger system for the LUX dark matter experiment

    DOE PAGES

    Akerib, D. S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.; ...

    2016-02-17

    We present that LUX is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon time projection chamber designed to detect nuclear recoils resulting from interactions with dark matter particles. Signals from the detector are processed with an FPGA-based digital trigger system that analyzes the incoming data in real-time, with just a few microsecond latency. The system enables first pass selection of events of interest based on their pulse shape characteristics and 3D localization of the interactions. It has been shown to be > 99% efficient in triggering on S2 signals induced by only few extracted liquid electrons. It is continuously and reliably operating since itsmore » full underground deployment in early 2013. Finally, this document is an overview of the systems capabilities, its inner workings, and its performance.« less

  13. FPGA-based trigger system for the LUX dark matter experiment

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

    Akerib, D. S.; Araújo, H. M.; Bai, X.

    We present that LUX is a two-phase (liquid/gas) xenon time projection chamber designed to detect nuclear recoils resulting from interactions with dark matter particles. Signals from the detector are processed with an FPGA-based digital trigger system that analyzes the incoming data in real-time, with just a few microsecond latency. The system enables first pass selection of events of interest based on their pulse shape characteristics and 3D localization of the interactions. It has been shown to be > 99% efficient in triggering on S2 signals induced by only few extracted liquid electrons. It is continuously and reliably operating since itsmore » full underground deployment in early 2013. Finally, this document is an overview of the systems capabilities, its inner workings, and its performance.« less

  14. Point and Click: Theoretical and Phenomenological Reflections on the Digitization of Early Childhood Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mangen, Anne

    2010-01-01

    This article presents some theoretical-methodological reflections on the current state of the art of research on information and communication technology (ICT) in early childhood education. The implementation of ICT in preschool has triggered considerable research activity on the educational potential of digital technologies. Numerous projects and…

  15. Taking over Someone Else's E-Learning Design: Challenges Trigger Change in E-Learning Beliefs and Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott, Karen M.

    2014-01-01

    As universities invest in the development of e-learning resources, e-learning sustainability has come under consideration. This has largely focused on the challenges and facilitators of organisational and technological sustainability and scalability, and professional development. Little research has examined the experience of a teacher dealing…

  16. Therapeutic-Ultrasound-Triggered Shape Memory of a Melamine-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Physical Hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Li, Guo; Yan, Qiang; Xia, Hesheng; Zhao, Yue

    2015-06-10

    Therapeutic-ultrasound-triggered shape memory was demonstrated for the first time with a melamine-enhanced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) physical hydrogel. The addition of a small amount of melamine (up to 1.5 wt %) in PVA results in a strong hydrogel due to the multiple H-bonding between the two constituents. A temporary shape of the hydrogel can be obtained by deformation of the hydrogel (∼65 wt % water) at room temperature, followed by fixation of the deformation by freezing/thawing the hydrogel under strain, which induces crystallization of PVA. We show that the ultrasound delivered by a commercially available device designed for the patient's pain relief could trigger the shape recovery process as a result of ultrasound-induced local heating in the hydrogel that melts the crystallized PVA cross-linking. This hydrogel is thus interesting for potential applications because it combines many desirable properties, being mechanically strong, biocompatible, and self-healable and displaying the shape memory capability triggered by a physiological stimulus.

  17. Search strategy using LHC pileup interactions as a zero bias sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nachman, Benjamin; Rubbo, Francesco

    2018-05-01

    Due to a limited bandwidth and a large proton-proton interaction cross section relative to the rate of interesting physics processes, most events produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are discarded in real time. A sophisticated trigger system must quickly decide which events should be kept and is very efficient for a broad range of processes. However, there are many processes that cannot be accommodated by this trigger system. Furthermore, there may be models of physics beyond the standard model (BSM) constructed after data taking that could have been triggered, but no trigger was implemented at run time. Both of these cases can be covered by exploiting pileup interactions as an effective zero bias sample. At the end of high-luminosity LHC operations, this zero bias dataset will have accumulated about 1 fb-1 of data from which a bottom line cross section limit of O (1 ) fb can be set for BSM models already in the literature and those yet to come.

  18. The CMS High Level Trigger System: Experience and Future Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bauer, G.; Behrens, U.; Bowen, M.; Branson, J.; Bukowiec, S.; Cittolin, S.; Coarasa, J. A.; Deldicque, C.; Dobson, M.; Dupont, A.; Erhan, S.; Flossdorf, A.; Gigi, D.; Glege, F.; Gomez-Reino, R.; Hartl, C.; Hegeman, J.; Holzner, A.; Hwong, Y. L.; Masetti, L.; Meijers, F.; Meschi, E.; Mommsen, R. K.; O'Dell, V.; Orsini, L.; Paus, C.; Petrucci, A.; Pieri, M.; Polese, G.; Racz, A.; Raginel, O.; Sakulin, H.; Sani, M.; Schwick, C.; Shpakov, D.; Simon, S.; Spataru, A. C.; Sumorok, K.

    2012-12-01

    The CMS experiment at the LHC features a two-level trigger system. Events accepted by the first level trigger, at a maximum rate of 100 kHz, are read out by the Data Acquisition system (DAQ), and subsequently assembled in memory in a farm of computers running a software high-level trigger (HLT), which selects interesting events for offline storage and analysis at a rate of order few hundred Hz. The HLT algorithms consist of sequences of offline-style reconstruction and filtering modules, executed on a farm of 0(10000) CPU cores built from commodity hardware. Experience from the operation of the HLT system in the collider run 2010/2011 is reported. The current architecture of the CMS HLT, its integration with the CMS reconstruction framework and the CMS DAQ, are discussed in the light of future development. The possible short- and medium-term evolution of the HLT software infrastructure to support extensions of the HLT computing power, and to address remaining performance and maintenance issues, are discussed.

  19. A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AT THE WATERSHED SCALE.

    EPA Science Inventory

    Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in watershed-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

  20. Tire bales in highway applications : feasibility and properties evaluation

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-03-01

    There are growing interests in the utilization of recycled tire bales for civil engineering applications, triggered partly by the significant volumes of tires that could be disposed of in transportation projects. However, evaluation of tire bale prop...

  1. A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AT THE catchment SCALE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in catchment-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

  2. RETROFIT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT: NAVIGATING MULTIDISCIPLINARY HURDLES AT THE WATERSHED SCALE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in watershed-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

  3. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist trigger increases the number of oocytes and embryos available for cryopreservation in cancer patients undergoing ovarian stimulation for fertility preservation.

    PubMed

    Pereira, Nigel; Kelly, Amelia G; Stone, Logan D; Witzke, Justine D; Lekovich, Jovana P; Elias, Rony T; Schattman, Glenn L; Rosenwaks, Zev

    2017-09-01

    To compare the oocyte and embryo yield associated with GnRH-agonist triggers vs. hCG triggers in cancer patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) for fertilization preservation. Retrospective cohort study. Academic center. Cancer patients undergoing COS with letrozole and gonadotropins or gonadotropin-only protocols for oocyte or embryo cryopreservation. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or hCG trigger. Number of metaphase II (MII) oocytes or two-pronuclei (2PN) embryos available for cryopreservation were primary outcomes. Separate multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the effect of trigger type on the primary outcomes, after controlling for confounders of interest. A total of 341 patients were included, 99 (29.0%) in the GnRH-agonist group and 242 (71%) in the hCG group. There was no difference in the baseline demographics of patients receiving GnRH-agonist or hCG triggers. Within the letrozole and gonadotropins group (n = 269), the number (mean ± SD, 11.8 ± 5.8 vs. 9.9 ± 6.0) and percentage of MII oocytes (89.6% vs. 73.0%) available for cryopreservation was higher with GnRH-agonist triggers compared with hCG triggers. Similar results were noted with GnRH-agonist triggers in the gonadotropin-only group (n = 72) (i.e., a higher number [13.3 ± 7.9 vs. 9.3 ± 6.0] and percentage of MII oocytes [85.7% vs. 72.8%] available for cryopreservation). Multivariate linear regression demonstrated approximately three more MII oocytes and 2PN embryos available for cryopreservation in the GnRH-agonist trigger group, irrespective of cancer and COS protocol type. Utilization of a GnRH-agonist trigger increases the number of MII oocytes and 2PN embryos available for cryopreservation in cancer patients undergoing COS for fertility preservation. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. [Nutrition or industry. Experiences with nutritional considerations in the agricultural policy].

    PubMed

    Botten, G

    1991-06-30

    The need to export health considerations to various sector policies is regarded as important in health promotion. Health is generally a highly appreciated benefit; thus many sectors seek to use health as an argument for their policy. This article describes the relation between nutrition and agricultural policy in Norway. In areas where nutrition and agriculture had mutual interests, health considerations were easily exported. However, when interests diverged the issue became more complicated. Much effort was focused upon achieving correct use of nutritional arguments. Before negotiating and weighing respective viewpoints it is essential to clarify each sector's standpoint and interest. Conflicts and negotiations are linked to strategies which seek explicitly to integrate health premisses into sectors outside the health services itself.

  5. Distributed convex optimisation with event-triggered communication in networked systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Jiayun; Chen, Weisheng

    2016-12-01

    This paper studies the distributed convex optimisation problem over directed networks. Motivated by practical considerations, we propose a novel distributed zero-gradient-sum optimisation algorithm with event-triggered communication. Therefore, communication and control updates just occur at discrete instants when some predefined condition satisfies. Thus, compared with the time-driven distributed optimisation algorithms, the proposed algorithm has the advantages of less energy consumption and less communication cost. Based on Lyapunov approaches, we show that the proposed algorithm makes the system states asymptotically converge to the solution of the problem exponentially fast and the Zeno behaviour is excluded. Finally, simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

  6. A hardware fast tracker for the ATLAS trigger

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asbah, Nedaa

    2016-09-01

    The trigger system of the ATLAS experiment is designed to reduce the event rate from the LHC nominal bunch crossing at 40 MHz to about 1 kHz, at the design luminosity of 1034 cm-2 s-1. After a successful period of data taking from 2010 to early 2013, the LHC already started with much higher instantaneous luminosity. This will increase the load on High Level Trigger system, the second stage of the selection based on software algorithms. More sophisticated algorithms will be needed to achieve higher background rejection while maintaining good efficiency for interesting physics signals. The Fast TracKer (FTK) is part of the ATLAS trigger upgrade project. It is a hardware processor that will provide, at every Level-1 accepted event (100 kHz) and within 100 microseconds, full tracking information for tracks with momentum as low as 1 GeV. Providing fast, extensive access to tracking information, with resolution comparable to the offline reconstruction, FTK will help in precise detection of the primary and secondary vertices to ensure robust selections and improve the trigger performance. FTK exploits hardware technologies with massive parallelism, combining Associative Memory ASICs, FPGAs and high-speed communication links.

  7. Special Interests and Transnational Relations in Agricultural Trade: Implications for United States-Mexico Relations,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-01-01

    their livelihood. U.S. consumers in- directly beccme members of this alliance because their interest in taste, nutrition and price leads them to...factor arises when U.S. consumer groups become involved in the issue. Three elements trigger consumer defense of Mexican tomato imports: price, nutrition ...addition, some consumers prefer Mexican tomatoes because they are vine-ripened, a process utilizing more labor but producing more nutritional and more

  8. Fabrication of Hyperbranched Block-Statistical Copolymer-Based Prodrug with Dual Sensitivities for Controlled Release.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Luping; Wang, Yunfei; Zhang, Xianshuo; Ma, Liwei; Wang, Baoyan; Ji, Xiangling; Wei, Hua

    2018-01-17

    Dendrimer with hyperbranched structure and multivalent surface is regarded as one of the most promising candidates close to the ideal drug delivery systems, but the clinical translation and scale-up production of dendrimer has been hampered significantly by the synthetic difficulties. Therefore, there is considerable scope for the development of novel hyperbranched polymer that can not only address the drawbacks of dendrimer but maintain its advantages. The reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer self-condensing vinyl polymerization (RAFT-SCVP) technique has enabled facile preparation of segmented hyperbranched polymer (SHP) by using chain transfer monomer (CTM)-based double-head agent during the past decade. Meanwhile, the design and development of block-statistical copolymers has been proven in our recent studies to be a simple yet effective way to address the extracellular stability vs intracellular high delivery efficacy dilemma. To integrate the advantages of both hyperbranched and block-statistical structures, we herein reported the fabrication of hyperbranched block-statistical copolymer-based prodrug with pH and reduction dual sensitivities using RAFT-SCVP and post-polymerization click coupling. The external homo oligo(ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate) (OEGMA) block provides sufficient extracellularly colloidal stability for the nanocarriers by steric hindrance, and the interior OEGMA units incorporated by the statistical copolymerization promote intracellular drug release by facilitating the permeation of GSH and H + for the cleavage of the reduction-responsive disulfide bond and pH-liable carbonate link as well as weakening the hydrophobic encapsulation of drug molecules. The delivery efficacy of the target hyperbranched block-statistical copolymer-based prodrug was evaluated in terms of in vitro drug release and cytotoxicity studies, which confirms both acidic pH and reduction-triggered drug release for inhibiting proliferation of HeLa cells. Interestingly, the simultaneous application of both acidic pH and GSH triggers promoted significantly the cleavage and release of CPT compared to the exertion of single trigger. This study thus developed a facile approach toward hyperbranched polymer-based prodrugs with high therapeutic efficacy for anticancer drug delivery.

  9. Crosstalk of Signaling Mechanisms Involved in Host Defense and Symbiosis Against Microorganisms in Rice.

    PubMed

    Akamatsu, Akira; Shimamoto, Ko; Kawano, Yoji

    2016-08-01

    Rice is one of the most important food crops, feeding about half population in the world. Rice pathogens cause enormous damage to rice production worldwide. In plant immunity research, considerable progress has recently been made in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered immunity. Using genome sequencing and molecular techniques, a number of new MAMPs and their receptors have been identified in the past two decades. Notably, the mechanisms for chitin perception via the lysine motif (LysM) domain-containing receptor OsCERK1, as well as the mechanisms for bacterial MAMP (e.g. flg22, elf18) perception via the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain-containing receptors FLS2 and EFR, have been clarified in rice and Arabidopsis, respectively. In chitin signaling in rice, two direct substrates of OsCERK1, Rac/ROP GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factor OsRacGEF1 and receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase OsRLCK185, have been identified as components of the OsCERK1 complex and are rapidly phosphorylated by OsCERK1 in response to chitin. Interestingly, OsCERK1 also participates in symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in rice and plays a role in the recognition of short-chitin molecules (CO4/5), which are symbiotic signatures included in AMF germinated spore exudates and induced by synthetic strigolactone. Thus, OsCERK1 contributes to both immunity and symbiotic responses. In this review, we describe recent studies on pathways involved in rice immunity and symbiotic signaling triggered by interactions with microorganisms. In addition, we describe recent advances in genetic engineering by using plant immune receptors and symbiotic microorganisms to enhance disease resistance of rice.

  10. B1-Phytoprostanes Trigger Plant Defense and Detoxification Responses1[w

    PubMed Central

    Loeffler, Christiane; Berger, Susanne; Guy, Alexandre; Durand, Thierry; Bringmann, Gerhard; Dreyer, Michael; von Rad, Uta; Durner, Jörg; Mueller, Martin J.

    2005-01-01

    Phytoprostanes are prostaglandin/jasmonate-like products of nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation that not only occur ubiquitously in healthy plants but also increase in response to oxidative stress. In this work, we show that the two naturally occurring B1-phytoprostanes (PPB1) regioisomers I and II (each comprising two enantiomers) are short-lived stress metabolites that display a broad spectrum of biological activities. Gene expression analysis of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) cell cultures treated with PPB1-I or -II revealed that both regioisomers triggered a massive detoxification and defense response. Interestingly, expression of several glutathione S-transferases, glycosyl transferases, and putative ATP-binding cassette transporters was found to be increased by one or both PPB1 regioisomers, and hence, may enhance the plant's capacity to inactivate and sequester reactive products of lipid peroxidation. Moreover, pretreatment of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) suspension cells with PPB1 considerably prevented cell death caused by severe CuSO4 poisoning. Several Arabidopsis genes induced by PPB1, such as those coding for adenylylsulfate reductase, tryptophan synthase β-chain, and PAD3 pointed to an activation of the camalexin biosynthesis pathway that indeed led to the accumulation of camalexin in PPB1 treated leaves of Arabidopsis. Stimulation of secondary metabolism appears to be a common plant reaction in response to PPB1. In three different plant species, PPB1-II induced a concentration dependent accumulation of phytoalexins that was comparable to that induced by methyl jasmonate. PPB1-I was much weaker active or almost inactive. No differences were found between the enantiomers of each regioisomer. Thus, results suggest that PPB1 represent stress signals that improve plants capacity to cope better with a variety of stresses. PMID:15618427

  11. A Trigger-based Design for Evaluating the Safety of In Utero Antiretroviral Exposure in Uninfected Children of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Mothers

    PubMed Central

    Williams, Paige L.; Seage, George R.; Van Dyke, Russell B.; Siberry, George K.; Griner, Raymond; Tassiopoulos, Katherine; Yildirim, Cenk; Read, Jennifer S.; Huo, Yanling; Hazra, Rohan; Jacobson, Denise L.; Mofenson, Lynne M.; Rich, Kenneth

    2012-01-01

    The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study’s Surveillance Monitoring of ART Toxicities Study is a prospective cohort study conducted at 22 US sites between 2007 and 2011 that was designed to evaluate the safety of in utero antiretroviral drug exposure in children not infected with human immunodeficiency virus who were born to mothers who were infected. This ongoing study uses a “trigger-based” design; that is, initial assessments are conducted on all children, and only those meeting certain thresholds or “triggers” undergo more intensive evaluations to determine whether they have had an adverse event (AE). The authors present the estimated rates of AEs for each domain of interest in the Surveillance Monitoring of ART Toxicities Study. They also evaluated the efficiency of this trigger-based design for estimating AE rates and for testing associations between in utero exposures to antiretroviral drugs and AEs. The authors demonstrate that estimated AE rates from the trigger-based design are unbiased after correction for the sensitivity of the trigger for identifying AEs. Even without correcting for bias based on trigger sensitivity, the trigger approach is generally more efficient for estimating AE rates than is evaluating a random sample of the same size. Minor losses in efficiency when comparing AE rates between persons exposed and unexposed in utero to particular antiretroviral drugs or drug classes were observed under most scenarios. PMID:22491086

  12. Radio Follow-Up of Gravitational-Wave Triggers during Advanced LIGO 01

    DOE PAGES

    Palliyaguru, N. T.; Corsi, Alessandra; Kasliwal, M. M.; ...

    2016-09-28

    We present radio follow-up observations carried out with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array during the first observing run (O1) of the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). A total of three gravitational-wave triggers were followed-up during the ≈4 months of O1, from 2015 September to 2016 January. Two of these triggers, GW150914 and GW151226, are binary black hole (BH) merger events of high significance. A third trigger, G194575, was subsequently declared as an event of no interest (i.e., a false alarm). Our observations targeted selected optical transients identified by the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory in the Advanced LIGOmore » error regions of the three triggers, and a limited region of the gravitational-wave localization area of G194575 not accessible to optical telescopes due to Sun constraints, where a possible high-energy transient was identified. No plausible radio counterparts to GW150914 and GW151226 were found, in agreement with expectations for binary BH mergers. We show that combining optical and radio observations is key to identifying contaminating radio sources that may be found in the follow-up of gravitational-wave triggers, such as emission associated with star formation and active galactic nuclei. We discuss our results in the context of the theoretical predictions for radio counterparts to gravitational-wave transients, and describe our future plans for the radio follow-up of Advanced LIGO (and Virgo) triggers.« less

  13. ? PID output-feedback control under event-triggered protocol

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Di; Wang, Zidong; Ding, Derui; Wei, Guoliang; Alsaadi, Fuad E.

    2018-07-01

    This paper is concerned with the ? proportional-integral-derivative (PID) output-feedback control problem for a class of linear discrete-time systems under event-triggered protocols. The controller and the actuators are connected through a communication network of limited bandwidth, and an event-triggered communication mechanism is adopted to decide when a certain control signal should be transmitted to the respective actuator. Furthermore, a novel PID output-feedback controller is designed where the accumulative sum-loop (the counterpart to the integral-loop in the continues-time setting) operates on a limited time-window with hope to mitigate the effect from the past measurement data. The main objective of the problem under consideration is to design a desired PID controller such that the closed-loop system is exponentially stable and the prescribed ? disturbance rejection attenuation level is guaranteed under event-triggered protocols. By means of the Lyapunov stability theory combined with the orthogonal decomposition, sufficient conditions are established under which the addressed PID controller design problem is recast into a linear convex optimization one that can be easily solved via available software packages. Finally, a simulation example is exploited to illustrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the established control scheme.

  14. Contact with beach sand among beach-goers and risk of illness

    EPA Science Inventory

    Background: Recently, numerous studies of fecal contamination of beach sand have triggered interest among scientists, the news media, and the general public. Evidence shows that beach sand harbors higher concentrations of fecal indicator organisms (microbes considered to indicate...

  15. News on Climate Change, Air Pollution, and Allergic Triggers of Asthma.

    PubMed

    D Amato, M; Cecchi, L; Annesi-Maesano, I; D Amato, G

    2018-01-01

    The rising frequency of obstructive respiratory diseases during recent years, in particular allergic asthma, can be partially explained by changes in the environment, with the increasing presence in the atmosphere of chemical triggers (particulate matter and gaseous components such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone) and biologic triggers (aeroallergens). In allergic individuals, aeroallergens stimulate airway sensitization and thus induce symptoms of bronchial asthma. Over the last 50 years, the earth's temperature has risen markedly, likely because of growing concentrations of anthropogenic greenhouse gas. Major atmospheric and climatic changes, including global warming induced by human activity, have a considerable impact on the biosphere and on the human environment. Urbanization and high levels of vehicle emissions induce symptoms of bronchial obstruction (in particular bronchial asthma), more so in people living in urban areas compared than in those who live in rural areas. Measures need to be taken to mitigate the future impact of climate change and global warming. However, while global emissions continue to rise, we must learn to adapt to climate variability.

  16. Causes of unusual distribution of coseismic landslides triggered by the Mw 6.1 2014 Ludian, Yunnan, China earthquake

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Xiao-li; Liu, Chun-guo; Wang, Ming-ming; Zhou, Qing

    2018-06-01

    The Mw 6.1 2014 Ludian, Yunnan, China earthquake triggered numerous coseismic landslides that do not appear to be associated with any previously known seismogenic fault. Traditional models of triggering for seismically generated landslides do not provide a reasonable explanation for the landslide pattern observed here. Here the Newmark method is applied to a grid to calculate the minimum accelerations required for slope failures throughout the affected region. The results demonstrate that for much of the study area, the distribution of failure prone slopes is similar to the actual pattern of coseismic landslides, however there are some areas where the model predicts considerably fewer failures than occurred. We suggest that this is a result of the complex source faults that generated the Ludian earthquake, which produced a half-conjugate rupture on nearly EW- and NNW trending faults at depth. The rupture directed much of its seismic moment southeast of the epicenter, increasing ground shaking and the number of resulting landslides.

  17. Rate of Change in Lake Level and its Impact on Reservoir-triggered Seismicity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simpson, D. W.

    2017-12-01

    With recent interest in increased seismicity related to fluid injection, it is useful to review cases of reservoir-triggered earthquakes to explore common characteristics and seek ways to mitigate the influence of anthropogenic impacts. Three reservoirs - Koyna, India; Nurek, Tajikistan; and Aswan, Egypt - are well-documented cases of triggered earthquakes with recorded time series of seismicity and water levels that extend for more than 30 years. The geological setting, regional tectonics and modes of reservoir utilization, along with the characteristics of the reservoir-seismicity interaction, are distinctly different in each of these three cases. Similarities and differences between these three cases point to regional and local geological and hydrological structures and the rate of changes in reservoir water level as important factors controlling the presence and timing of triggered seismicity. In a manner similar to the way in which the rate of fluid injection influences injection-related seismicity, the rate of change in reservoir water level is a significant factor in determining whether or not reservoir-triggered seismicity occurs. The high rate of annual water level rise may be important in sustaining the exceptionally long sequence of earthquakes at Koyna. In addition to the rate of filling being a determining factor in whether or not earthquakes are triggered, changes in the rate of filling may influence the time of occurrence of individual earthquakes.

  18. DC-SIGN–expressing macrophages trigger activation of mannosylated IgM B-cell receptor in follicular lymphoma

    PubMed Central

    Amin, Rada; Mourcin, Frédéric; Uhel, Fabrice; Pangault, Céline; Ruminy, Philippe; Dupré, Loic; Guirriec, Marion; Marchand, Tony; Fest, Thierry; Lamy, Thierry

    2015-01-01

    Follicular lymphoma (FL) results from the accumulation of malignant germinal center (GC) B cells leading to the development of an indolent and largely incurable disease. FL cells remain highly dependent on B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling and on a specific cell microenvironment, including T cells, macrophages, and stromal cells. Importantly, FL BCR is characterized by a selective pressure to retain surface immunoglobulin M (IgM) BCR despite an active class-switch recombination process, and by the introduction, in BCR variable regions, of N-glycosylation acceptor sites harboring unusual high-mannose oligosaccharides. However, the relevance of these 2 FL BCR features for lymphomagenesis remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that IgM+ FL B cells activated a stronger BCR signaling network than IgG+ FL B cells and normal GC B cells. BCR expression level and phosphatase activity could both contribute to such heterogeneity. Moreover, we underlined that a subset of IgM+ FL samples, displaying highly mannosylated BCR, efficiently bound dendritic cell–specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3–grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN), which could in turn trigger delayed but long-lasting BCR aggregation and activation. Interestingly, DC-SIGN was found within the FL cell niche in situ. Finally, M2 macrophages induced a DC-SIGN–dependent adhesion of highly mannosylated IgM+ FL B cells and triggered BCR-associated kinase activation. Interestingly, pharmacologic BCR inhibitors abolished such crosstalk between macrophages and FL B cells. Altogether, our data support an important role for DC-SIGN–expressing infiltrating cells in the biology of FL and suggest that they could represent interesting therapeutic targets. PMID:26272216

  19. Twitter Seismology: Earthquake Monitoring and Response in a Social World

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowden, D. C.; Earle, P. S.; Guy, M.; Smoczyk, G.

    2011-12-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is investigating how the social networking site Twitter, a popular service for sending and receiving short, public, text messages, can augment USGS earthquake response products and the delivery of hazard information. The potential uses of Twitter for earthquake response include broadcasting earthquake alerts, rapidly detecting widely felt events, qualitatively assessing earthquake damage effects, communicating with the public, and participating in post-event collaboration. Several seismic networks and agencies are currently distributing Twitter earthquake alerts including the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (@LastQuake), Natural Resources Canada (@CANADAquakes), and the Indonesian meteorological agency (@infogempabmg); the USGS will soon distribute alerts via the @USGSted and @USGSbigquakes Twitter accounts. Beyond broadcasting alerts, the USGS is investigating how to use tweets that originate near the epicenter to detect and characterize shaking events. This is possible because people begin tweeting immediately after feeling an earthquake, and their short narratives and exclamations are available for analysis within 10's of seconds of the origin time. Using five months of tweets that contain the word "earthquake" and its equivalent in other languages, we generate a tweet-frequency time series. The time series clearly shows large peaks correlated with the origin times of widely felt events. To identify possible earthquakes, we use a simple Short-Term-Average / Long-Term-Average algorithm similar to that commonly used to detect seismic phases. As with most auto-detection algorithms, the parameters can be tuned to catch more or less events at the cost of more or less false triggers. When tuned to a moderate sensitivity, the detector found 48 globally-distributed, confirmed seismic events with only 2 false triggers. A space-shuttle landing and "The Great California ShakeOut" caused the false triggers. This number of detections is very small compared to the 5,175 earthquakes in the USGS PDE global earthquake catalog for the same five month time period, and no accurate location or magnitude can be assigned based on Tweet data alone. However, Twitter earthquake detections are not without merit. The detections are generally caused by widely felt events that are of more immediate interest than those with no human impact. The detections are also fast; about 80% occurred within 2 minutes of the origin time. This is considerably faster than seismographic detections in poorly instrumented regions of the world. The tweets triggering the detections also provided (very) short first-impression narratives from people who experienced the shaking. The USGS will continue investigating how to use Twitter and other forms of social media to augment is current suite of seismographically derived products.

  20. Call for a dedicated European legal framework for bacteriophage therapy.

    PubMed

    Verbeken, Gilbert; Pirnay, Jean-Paul; Lavigne, Rob; Jennes, Serge; De Vos, Daniel; Casteels, Minne; Huys, Isabelle

    2014-04-01

    The worldwide emergence of antibiotic resistances and the drying up of the antibiotic pipeline have spurred a search for alternative or complementary antibacterial therapies. Bacteriophages are bacterial viruses that have been used for almost a century to combat bacterial infections, particularly in Poland and the former Soviet Union. The antibiotic crisis has triggered a renewed clinical and agricultural interest in bacteriophages. This, combined with new scientific insights, has pushed bacteriophages to the forefront of the search for new approaches to fighting bacterial infections. But before bacteriophage therapy can be introduced into clinical practice in the European Union, several challenges must be overcome. One of these is the conceptualization and classification of bacteriophage therapy itself and the extent to which it constitutes a human medicinal product regulated under the European Human Code for Medicines (Directive 2001/83/EC). Can therapeutic products containing natural bacteriophages be categorized under the current European regulatory framework, or should this framework be adapted? Various actors in the field have discussed the need for an adapted (or entirely new) regulatory framework for the reintroduction of bacteriophage therapy in Europe. This led to the identification of several characteristics specific to natural bacteriophages that should be taken into consideration by regulators when evaluating bacteriophage therapy. One important consideration is whether bacteriophage therapy development occurs on an industrial scale or a hospital-based, patient-specific scale. More suitable regulatory standards may create opportunities to improve insights into this promising therapeutic approach. In light of this, we argue for the creation of a new, dedicated European regulatory framework for bacteriophage therapy.

  1. 'Questerviews': using questionnaires in qualitative interviews as a method of integrating qualitative and quantitative health services research.

    PubMed

    Adamson, Joy; Gooberman-Hill, Rachael; Woolhead, Gillian; Donovan, Jenny

    2004-07-01

    Multi-method approaches are increasingly advocated in health services research (HSR). This paper examines the use of standardised self-completion questionnaires and questions, during in-depth interviews, a technique termed 'questerviews'. 'Questerview' techniques were used in four empirical studies of health perceptions conducted by the authors. The studies included both standardised self-completion questions or questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Respondents were tape-recorded while they completed the standardised questionnaires and were encouraged to discuss their definitions of terms and responses to items in-depth. In all studies, 'questerviews' were fully transcribed and data analysis involved the scrutinising of transcripts to identify emergent themes. Responses to the standardised items led to rich sources of qualitative data. They proved to be useful triggers as respondents discussed their understanding and definitions of terms, often explaining their responses with stories from their own experiences. The items triggered detailed exploration of the complex factors that comprise health, illness and healthcare seeking, and gave considerable insight into the ways in which people respond to standardised questions. Apparently simple questions and response categories conceal considerable complexity. Inclusion of standardised survey questions in qualitative interviews can provide an easy and fruitful method to explore research issues and provide triggers to difficult or contested topics. Well designed and validated questionnaires produce data of immense value to HSR, and this value could be further enhanced by their use within a qualitative interview. We suggest that the technique of 'questerviews' is a tangible and pragmatic way of doing this.

  2. Molecular dynamics and mutational analysis of the catalytic and translocation cycle of RNA polymerase

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background During elongation, multi-subunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs) cycle between phosphodiester bond formation and nucleic acid translocation. In the conformation associated with catalysis, the mobile “trigger loop” of the catalytic subunit closes on the nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) substrate. Closing of the trigger loop is expected to exclude water from the active site, and dehydration may contribute to catalysis and fidelity. In the absence of a NTP substrate in the active site, the trigger loop opens, which may enable translocation. Another notable structural element of the RNAP catalytic center is the “bridge helix” that separates the active site from downstream DNA. The bridge helix may participate in translocation by bending against the RNA/DNA hybrid to induce RNAP forward movement and to vacate the active site for the next NTP loading. The transition between catalytic and translocation conformations of RNAP is not evident from static crystallographic snapshots in which macromolecular motions may be restrained by crystal packing. Results All atom molecular dynamics simulations of Thermus thermophilus (Tt) RNAP reveal flexible hinges, located within the two helices at the base of the trigger loop, and two glycine hinges clustered near the N-terminal end of the bridge helix. As simulation progresses, these hinges adopt distinct conformations in the closed and open trigger loop structures. A number of residues (described as “switch” residues) trade atomic contacts (ion pairs or hydrogen bonds) in response to changes in hinge orientation. In vivo phenotypes and in vitro activities rendered by mutations in the hinge and switch residues in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) RNAP II support the importance of conformational changes predicted from simulations in catalysis and translocation. During simulation, the elongation complex with an open trigger loop spontaneously translocates forward relative to the elongation complex with a closed trigger loop. Conclusions Switching between catalytic and translocating RNAP forms involves closing and opening of the trigger loop and long-range conformational changes in the atomic contacts of amino acid side chains, some located at a considerable distance from the trigger loop and active site. Trigger loop closing appears to support chemistry and the fidelity of RNA synthesis. Trigger loop opening and limited bridge helix bending appears to promote forward nucleic acid translocation. PMID:22676913

  3. Complex traffic flow that allows as well as hampers lane-changing intrinsically contains social-dilemma structures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwamura, Yoshiro; Tanimoto, Jun

    2018-02-01

    To investigate an interesting question as to whether or not social dilemma structures can be found in a realistic traffic flow reproduced by a model, we built a new microscopic model in which an intentional driver may try lane-changing to go in front of other vehicles and may hamper others’ lane-changes. Our model consists of twofold parts; cellular automaton emulating a real traffic flow and evolutionary game theory to implement a driver’s decision making-process. Numerical results reveal that a social dilemma like the multi-player chicken game or prisoner’s dilemma game emerges depending on the traffic phase. This finding implies that a social dilemma, which has been investigated by applied mathematics so far, hides behind a traffic flow, which has been explored by fluid dynamics. Highlight - Complex system of traffic flow with consideration of driver’s decision making process is concerned. - A new model dovetailing cellular automaton with game theory is established. - Statistical result from numerical simulations reveals a social dilemma structure underlying traffic flow. - The social dilemma is triggered by a driver’s egocentric actions of lane-changing and hampering other’s lane-change.

  4. The Trojan Horse method for nuclear astrophysics: Recent results on resonance reactions

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

    Cognata, M. La; Pizzone, R. G.; Spitaleri, C.

    Nuclear astrophysics aims to measure nuclear-reaction cross sections of astrophysical interest to be included into models to study stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis. Low energies, < 1 MeV or even < 10 keV, are requested for this is the window where these processes are more effective. Two effects have prevented to achieve a satisfactory knowledge of the relevant nuclear processes, namely, the Coulomb barrier exponentially suppressing the cross section and the presence of atomic electrons. These difficulties have triggered theoretical and experimental investigations to extend our knowledge down to astrophysical energies. For instance, indirect techniques such as the Trojan Horse Methodmore » have been devised yielding new cutting-edge results. In particular, I will focus on the application of this indirect method to resonance reactions. Resonances might dramatically enhance the astrophysical S(E)-factor so, when they occur right at astrophysical energies, their measurement is crucial to pin down the astrophysical scenario. Unknown or unpredicted resonances might introduce large systematic errors in nucleosynthesis models. These considerations apply to low-energy resonances and to sub-threshold resonances as well, as they may produce sizable modifications of the S-factor due to, for instance, destructive interference with another resonance.« less

  5. Wine Resveratrol: From the Ground Up

    PubMed Central

    Bavaresco, Luigi; Lucini, Luigi; Busconi, Matteo; Flamini, Riccardo; De Rosso, Mirko

    2016-01-01

    The ability of the grapevine to activate defense mechanisms against some pathogens has been shown to be linked to the synthesis of resveratrol and other stilbenes by the plant (inducible viniferins). Metabolized viniferins may also be produced or modified by extracellular enzymes released by the pathogen in an attempt to eliminate undesirable toxic compounds. Because of the important properties of resveratrol, there is increasing interest in producing wines with higher contents of this compound and a higher nutritional value. Many biotic and abiotic elicitors can trigger the resveratrol synthesis in the berries, and some examples are reported. Under the same elicitation pressure, viticultural and enological factors can substantially affect the resveratrol concentration in the wine. The production of high resveratrol-containing grapes and wines relies on quality-oriented viticulture (suitable terroirs and sustainable cultural practices) and winemaking technologies that avoid degradation of the compound. In general, the oenological practices commonly used to stabilize wine after fermentation do not affect resveratrol concentration, which shows considerable stability. Finally the paper reports on two sirtuin genes (SIRT) expressed in grapevine leaves and berries and the role of resveratrol on the deacetylation activity of the encoded enzymes. PMID:27089363

  6. Spin-resolved band structure of a densely packed Pb monolayer on Si(111)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brand, C.; Muff, S.; Fanciulli, M.; Pfnür, H.; Tringides, M. C.; Dil, J. H.; Tegenkamp, C.

    2017-07-01

    Monolayer structures of Pb on Si(111) attracted recently considerable interest as superconductivity was found in these truly two-dimensional (2D) structures. In this study, we analyzed the electronic surface band structure of the so-called striped incommensurate Pb phase with 4/3 ML coverage by means of spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our results fully agree with density functional theory calculations done by Ren et al. [Phys. Rev. B 94, 075436 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevB.94.075436]. We observe a local Zeeman-type splitting of a fully occupied and spin-polarized surface band at the K¯√{3} points. The growth of this densely packed Pb structure results in the formation of imbalanced rotational domains, which triggered the detection of C3 v symmetry forbidden spin components for surface states around the Fermi energy. Moreover, the Fermi surface of the metallic surface state of this phase is Rashba spin split and revealed a pronounced warping. However, the 2D nesting vectors are incommensurate with the atomic structure, thus keeping this system rather immune against charge density wave formation and possibly enabling a superconducting behavior.

  7. Kinetic Modeling of Ultraintense X-Ray Laser-Matter Interactions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Royle, Ryan; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Mancini, Roberto; Johzaki, Tomoyuki

    2015-11-01

    High-intensity XFELs have become a novel way of creating and studying hot dense plasmas. The LCLS at Stanford can deliver a millijoule of energy with more than 1012 photons in a ~ 100 femtosecond pulse. By tightly focusing the beam to a micron-scale spot size, the XFEL can be intensified to more than 1018 W/cm2, making it possible to heat solid matter isochorically beyond a million degrees (>100 eV). Such extreme states of matter are of considerable interest due to their relevance to astrophysical plasmas. Additionally, they will allow novel ways of studying equation-of-state and opacity physics under Gbar pressure and strong fields. Photoionization is the dominant x-ray absorption mechanism and triggers the heating processes. A photoionization model that takes into account the subshell cross-sections has been developed in a kinetic plasma simulation code, PICLS, that solves the x-ray transport self-consistently. The XFEL-matter interaction with several elements, including solid carbon, aluminum, and iron, is studied with the code, and the results are compared with recent LCLS experiments. This work was supported by the DOE/OFES under Contract No. DE-SC0008827.

  8. A reliability-based maintenance technicians' workloads optimisation model with stochastic consideration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ighravwe, D. E.; Oke, S. A.; Adebiyi, K. A.

    2016-06-01

    The growing interest in technicians' workloads research is probably associated with the recent surge in competition. This was prompted by unprecedented technological development that triggers changes in customer tastes and preferences for industrial goods. In a quest for business improvement, this worldwide intense competition in industries has stimulated theories and practical frameworks that seek to optimise performance in workplaces. In line with this drive, the present paper proposes an optimisation model which considers technicians' reliability that complements factory information obtained. The information used emerged from technicians' productivity and earned-values using the concept of multi-objective modelling approach. Since technicians are expected to carry out routine and stochastic maintenance work, we consider these workloads as constraints. The influence of training, fatigue and experiential knowledge of technicians on workload management was considered. These workloads were combined with maintenance policy in optimising reliability, productivity and earned-values using the goal programming approach. Practical datasets were utilised in studying the applicability of the proposed model in practice. It was observed that our model was able to generate information that practicing maintenance engineers can apply in making more informed decisions on technicians' management.

  9. Advances in Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction with Water: A Review.

    PubMed

    Nahar, Samsun; Zain, M F M; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H; Hasan, Hassimi Abu; Hasan, Md Riad

    2017-06-08

    In recent years, the increasing level of CO₂ in the atmosphere has not only contributed to global warming but has also triggered considerable interest in photocatalytic reduction of CO₂. The reduction of CO₂ with H₂O using sunlight is an innovative way to solve the current growing environmental challenges. This paper reviews the basic principles of photocatalysis and photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, discusses the measures of the photocatalytic efficiency and summarizes current advances in the exploration of this technology using different types of semiconductor photocatalysts, such as TiO₂ and modified TiO₂, layered-perovskite Ag/ALa₄Ti₄O 15 (A = Ca, Ba, Sr), ferroelectric LiNbO₃, and plasmonic photocatalysts. Visible light harvesting, novel plasmonic photocatalysts offer potential solutions for some of the main drawbacks in this reduction process. Effective plasmonic photocatalysts that have shown reduction activities towards CO₂ with H₂O are highlighted here. Although this technology is still at an embryonic stage, further studies with standard theoretical and comprehensive format are suggested to develop photocatalysts with high production rates and selectivity. Based on the collected results, the immense prospects and opportunities that exist in this technique are also reviewed here.

  10. CO OBSERVATIONS AND INVESTIGATION OF TRIGGERED STAR FORMATION TOWARD THE N10 INFRARED BUBBLE AND SURROUNDINGS

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

    Gama, D. R. G.; Lepine, J. R. D.; Mendoza, E.

    We studied the environment of the dust bubble N10 in molecular emission. Infrared bubbles, first detected by the GLIMPSE survey at 8.0 μ m, are ideal regions to investigate the effect of the expansion of the H ii region on its surroundings and the eventual triggering of star formation at its borders. In this work, we present a multi-wavelength study of N10. This bubble is especially interesting because infrared studies of the young stellar content suggest a scenario of ongoing star formation, possibly triggered on the edge of the H ii region. We carried out observations of {sup 12}CO(1-0) andmore » {sup 13}CO(1-0) emission at PMO 13.7 m toward N10. We also analyzed the IR and sub-millimeter emission on this region and compare those different tracers to obtain a detailed view of the interaction between the expanding H ii region and the molecular gas. We also estimated the parameters of the denser cold dust condensation and the ionized gas inside the shell. Bright CO emission was detected and two molecular clumps were identified from which we have derived physical parameters. We also estimate the parameters for the densest cold dust condensation and for the ionized gas inside the shell. The comparison between the dynamical age of this region and the fragmentation timescale favors the “Radiation-Driven Implosion” mechanism of star formation. N10 is a case of particular interest with gas structures in a narrow frontier between the H ii region and surrounding molecular material, and with a range of ages of YSOs situated in the region, indicating triggered star formation.« less

  11. A pivotal role for the Streptococcus iniae extracellular polysaccharide in triggering proinflammatory cytokines transcription and inducing death in rainbow trout.

    PubMed

    Eyngor, Marina; Lublin, Avishay; Shapira, Roni; Hurvitz, Avshalom; Zlotkin, Amir; Tekoah, Yoram; Eldar, Avi

    2010-04-01

    Streptococcus iniae is a major pathogen of fish, causing considerable economic losses in Israel, the United States and the Far East. Containment of mortalities through vaccination was recently compromised due to the emergence of novel vaccine-escape strains that are distinguished from previous strains by their ability to produce large amounts of extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) that is released to the medium. In vitro and in vivo data now indicate that the EPS is a major virulence factor, capable of triggering the proinflammatory cytokine machinery and inducing mortality of fish. Streptococcus iniae EPS might therefore be considered to be responsible for sepsis and death just as lipopolysaccharide is for Gram-negative pathogens.

  12. Fast scintillation counter system and performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sasaki, H.; Nishioka, A.; Ohmori, N.; Kusumose, M.; Nakatsuka, T.; Horiki, T.; Hatano, Y.

    1985-01-01

    An experimental study of the fast scintillation counter (FS) system to observe a shower disk structure at Mt. Norikura is described, especially the system performance and a pulse wave-form by a single charge particles. The photomultiplier tube (PT) pulse appears at the leading edge of the main pulse. To remove this PT-pulse from the main pulse, the frame of the scintillator vessel was changed. The fast triggering system was made to decrease the dead time which came from the use of the function of the self triggering of the storage oscilloscope (OSC). To provide a new field on the multi-parameter study of the cosmic ray showers, the system response of the FS system also improved as a result of many considerations.

  13. Contact with beach sand, concentrations of fecal indicators, and enteric illness risk

    EPA Science Inventory

    Recent studies ofbeach sand fecal contamination have triggered interest among scientists and in the media. Although evidence shows that beach sand can harbor fecal indicator organisms as well as fecal pathogens, illness risk associated with beach sand contact and fecal indicators...

  14. Triggering the Chemical Instability of an Ionic Liquid under High Pressure.

    PubMed

    Faria, Luiz F O; Nobrega, Marcelo M; Temperini, Marcia L A; Bini, Roberto; Ribeiro, Mauro C C

    2016-09-01

    Ionic liquids are an interesting class of materials due to their distinguished properties, allowing their use in an impressive range of applications, from catalysis to hypergolic fuels. However, the reactivity triggered by the application of high pressure can give rise to a new class of materials, which is not achieved under normal conditions. Here, we report on the high-pressure chemical instability of the ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanamide, [allylC1im][N(CN)2], probed by both Raman and IR techniques and supported by quantum chemical calculations. Our results show a reaction occurring above 8 GPa, involving the terminal double bond of the allyl group, giving rise to an oligomeric product. The results presented herein contribute to our understanding of the stability of ionic liquids, which is of paramount interest for engineering applications. Moreover, gaining insight into this peculiar kind of reactivity could lead to the development of new or alternative synthetic routes to achieve, for example, poly(ionic liquids).

  15. Forest Carbon Accounting Considerations in US Bioenergy Policy

    Treesearch

    Reid A. Miner; Robert C. Abt; Jim L. Bowyer; Marilyn A. Buford; Robert W. Malmsheimer; Jay O' Laughlin; Elaine E. Oneil; Roger A. Sedjo; Kenneth E. Skog

    2014-01-01

    Four research-based insights are essential to understanding forest bioenergy and “carbon debts.” (1) As long as wood-producing land remains in forest, long-lived wood products and forest bioenergy reduce fossil fuel use and long-term carbon emission impacts. (2) Increased demand for wood can trigger investments that increase forest area and forest productivity and...

  16. Unsustainable Growth, Hyper-Competition, and Worth in Life Science Research: Narrowing Evaluative Repertoires in Doctoral and Postdoctoral Scientists' Work and Lives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fochler, Maximilian; Felt, Ulrike; Müller, Ruth

    2016-01-01

    There is a crisis of valuation practices in the current academic life sciences, triggered by unsustainable growth and "hyper-competition." Quantitative metrics in evaluating researchers are seen as replacing deeper considerations of the quality and novelty of work, as well as substantive care for the societal implications of research.…

  17. Poverty Impact Trigger Act of 2013

    THOMAS, 113th Congress

    Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13

    2013-01-04

    House - 01/04/2013 Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

  18. A video event trigger for high frame rate, high resolution video technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Glenn L.

    1991-12-01

    When video replaces film the digitized video data accumulates very rapidly, leading to a difficult and costly data storage problem. One solution exists for cases when the video images represent continuously repetitive 'static scenes' containing negligible activity, occasionally interrupted by short events of interest. Minutes or hours of redundant video frames can be ignored, and not stored, until activity begins. A new, highly parallel digital state machine generates a digital trigger signal at the onset of a video event. High capacity random access memory storage coupled with newly available fuzzy logic devices permits the monitoring of a video image stream for long term or short term changes caused by spatial translation, dilation, appearance, disappearance, or color change in a video object. Pretrigger and post-trigger storage techniques are then adaptable for archiving the digital stream from only the significant video images.

  19. A video event trigger for high frame rate, high resolution video technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, Glenn L.

    1991-01-01

    When video replaces film the digitized video data accumulates very rapidly, leading to a difficult and costly data storage problem. One solution exists for cases when the video images represent continuously repetitive 'static scenes' containing negligible activity, occasionally interrupted by short events of interest. Minutes or hours of redundant video frames can be ignored, and not stored, until activity begins. A new, highly parallel digital state machine generates a digital trigger signal at the onset of a video event. High capacity random access memory storage coupled with newly available fuzzy logic devices permits the monitoring of a video image stream for long term or short term changes caused by spatial translation, dilation, appearance, disappearance, or color change in a video object. Pretrigger and post-trigger storage techniques are then adaptable for archiving the digital stream from only the significant video images.

  20. The roles of family, culture, and social cognitive variables in the career interests and goals of Asian American college students.

    PubMed

    Hui, Kayi; Lent, Robert W

    2018-01-01

    Although family and cultural factors have been assumed to play important roles in the career development of Asian Americans, theory-driven research on this topic remains limited. We examined culturally relevant factors that may contribute to Asian Americans' consideration of fields in which they are overrepresented (e.g., science, technology, engineering) and underrepresented (e.g., education, social science). Drawing from social cognitive career theory, a culture-specific, social cognitive model of career interests and choice was tested in Holland's (1997) Investigative (I) and Social (S) themes. A sample of 802 Asian American undergraduates completed measures of family support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, interest, and career choice consideration in relation to both Holland themes. Two indicators of acculturation/enculturation (adherence to Asian values and generation status in the United States) were also obtained. The model accounted for a substantial amount of variance in Asian American college students' career consideration in both themes. Family support and acculturation played varying roles, depending on the Holland theme. For example, family support was linked to career choice consideration both directly (in the S theme) and indirectly, via other predictors (in both themes). Contrary to expectations, the acculturation variables did not moderate the relation of family support or interest to career consideration in either theme. We discuss the implications of these findings for efforts to understand and facilitate the career development of Asian American college students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  1. Effects of Exposure to Gun Violence in Movies on Children's Interest in Real Guns.

    PubMed

    Dillon, Kelly P; Bushman, Brad J

    2017-11-01

    More US children die by accidental gun use than children in other developed countries. One factor that can influence children's interest in guns is exposure to media containing guns. To test whether children who see a movie containing guns will handle a real gun longer and will pull the trigger more times than children who see the same movie not containing guns. One hundred four children aged 8 to 12 years recruited through advertisements were randomly assigned in pairs to watch a 20-minute PG-rated movie containing or not containing guns in a university laboratory. Children then played with toys and games in a room for 20 minutes while being video recorded. A cabinet in the room contained a real (disabled) gun with a sensor counting trigger pulls. Recordings were coded for the time spent holding the gun and in aggressive play. Data were collected from July 15, 2015, through January 1, 2016, and analyzed using generalized estimating equations (Tweedie log-link for time spent holding the gun; Poisson log-link for pulling the trigger). The 2 main outcomes were time spent holding the gun and the number of trigger pulls. Control variables included sex, age, trait aggressiveness, exposure to violent media, interest in guns, and number of guns at home. Among the 104 study participants (62 boys [59.6%] and 42 girls [40.4%]; mean (SD) age, 9.9 [1.5] years), the adjusted median number of trigger pulls among children who saw the movie containing guns was 2.8 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.2-2.8) compared with 0.01 (IQR, 0.01-0.2) among children who saw the movie not containing guns (adjusted odds ratio, 22.3; 95% CI, 6.0-83.4; P < .001). The adjusted median number of seconds spent holding the gun among children who saw a movie containing guns was 53.1 (IQR, 35.5-53.1) compared with 11.1 (IQR, 10.7-16.7) among children who saw the movie not containing guns (adjusted odds ratio, 3.0; 95% CI, 0.9-9.9; P = .07). Qualitative analyses on 4 pairs from each condition found that children who saw the movie containing guns also played more aggressively and sometimes fired the gun at people (ie, self, partner, or passersby on street). Children in the United States frequently have access to unsecured firearms and frequently consume media containing guns. This experiment shows that children who see movie characters use guns are more likely to use guns themselves. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT03220412.

  2. INCORPORATING WETLANDS IN WATER QUALITY TRADING: ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS (Journal Article)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Incorporating the use of wetlands as a technology to enhance water quality trading programs requires consideration of ecological, legal, and economic issues. We explore the case of encouraging the use of wetlands with a focus on the economic considerations. Interestingly, it is...

  3. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory effect of resveratrol and piceatannol

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Dietary polyphenols have been shown to inhibit a-glucosidase, an enzyme target of some anti-diabetic drugs. Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes and wine, has been reported to inhibit the activity of yeast a-glucosidase. This triggered our interest to synthesize analogs and determine their ef...

  4. Real-time prediction of rain-triggered lahars: incorporating seasonality and catchment recovery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, Robbie; Manville, Vern; Peakall, Jeff; Froude, Melanie J.; Odbert, Henry M.

    2017-12-01

    Rain-triggered lahars are a significant secondary hydrological and geomorphic hazard at volcanoes where unconsolidated pyroclastic material produced by explosive eruptions is exposed to intense rainfall, often occurring for years to decades after the initial eruptive activity. Previous studies have shown that secondary lahar initiation is a function of rainfall parameters, source material characteristics and time since eruptive activity. In this study, probabilistic rain-triggered lahar forecasting models are developed using the lahar occurrence and rainfall record of the Belham River valley at the Soufrière Hills volcano (SHV), Montserrat, collected between April 2010 and April 2012. In addition to the use of peak rainfall intensity (PRI) as a base forecasting parameter, considerations for the effects of rainfall seasonality and catchment evolution upon the initiation of rain-triggered lahars and the predictability of lahar generation are also incorporated into these models. Lahar probability increases with peak 1 h rainfall intensity throughout the 2-year dataset and is higher under given rainfall conditions in year 1 than year 2. The probability of lahars is also enhanced during the wet season, when large-scale synoptic weather systems (including tropical cyclones) are more common and antecedent rainfall and thus levels of deposit saturation are typically increased. The incorporation of antecedent conditions and catchment evolution into logistic-regression-based rain-triggered lahar probability estimation models is shown to enhance model performance and displays the potential for successful real-time prediction of lahars, even in areas featuring strongly seasonal climates and temporal catchment recovery.

  5. Signal-averaged P wave in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

    PubMed

    Rosenheck, S

    1997-10-01

    The theoretical and experimental rational of atrial signal-averaged ECG in patients with AF is delay in the intra-atrial and interatrial conduction. Similar to the ventricular signal-averaged ECG, the atrial signal-averaged ECG is an averaging of a high number of consecutive P waves that match the template created earlier P wave triggering is preferred over QRS triggering because of more accurate aligning. However, the small amplitude of the atrial ECG and its gradual increase from the isoelectric line may create difficulties in defining the start point if P wave triggering is used. Studies using P wave triggering and those using QRS triggering demonstrate a prolonged P wave duration in patients with paroxysmal AF. The negative predictive value of this test is relatively high at 60%-80%. The positive predictive value of atrial signal-averaged ECGs in predicting the risk of AF is considerably lower than the negative predictive value. All the data accumulated prospectively on the predictive value of P wave signal-averaging was determined only in patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery or following MI; its value in other patients with paroxysmal AF is still not determined. The clinical role of frequency-domain analysis (alone or added to time-domain analysis) remains undefined. Because of this limited knowledge on the predictive value of P wave signal-averaging, it is still not clinical medicine, and further research is needed before atrial signal-averaged ECG will be part of clinical testing.

  6. High voltage pulse generator

    DOEpatents

    Fasching, George E.

    1977-03-08

    An improved high-voltage pulse generator has been provided which is especially useful in ultrasonic testing of rock core samples. An N number of capacitors are charged in parallel to V volts and at the proper instance are coupled in series to produce a high-voltage pulse of N times V volts. Rapid switching of the capacitors from the paralleled charging configuration to the series discharging configuration is accomplished by using silicon-controlled rectifiers which are chain self-triggered following the initial triggering of a first one of the rectifiers connected between the first and second of the plurality of charging capacitors. A timing and triggering circuit is provided to properly synchronize triggering pulses to the first SCR at a time when the charging voltage is not being applied to the parallel-connected charging capacitors. Alternate circuits are provided for controlling the application of the charging voltage from a charging circuit to be applied to the parallel capacitors which provides a selection of at least two different intervals in which the charging voltage is turned "off" to allow the SCR's connecting the capacitors in series to turn "off" before recharging begins. The high-voltage pulse-generating circuit including the N capacitors and corresponding SCR's which connect the capacitors in series when triggered "on" further includes diodes and series-connected inductors between the parallel-connected charging capacitors which allow sufficiently fast charging of the capacitors for a high pulse repetition rate and yet allow considerable control of the decay time of the high-voltage pulses from the pulse-generating circuit.

  7. Global and local "teachable moments": The role of Nobel Prize and national pride.

    PubMed

    Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet; Segev, Elad

    2018-05-01

    This study examined to what extent Nobel Prize announcements and awards trigger global and local searches or "teachable moments" related to the laureates and their discoveries. We examined the longitudinal trends in Google searches for the names and discoveries of Nobel laureates from 2012 to 2017. The findings show that Nobel Prize events clearly trigger more searches for laureates, but also for their respective discoveries. We suggest that fascination with the Nobel prize creates a teachable moment not only for the underlying science, but also about the nature of science. Locality also emerged as playing a significant role in intensifying interest.

  8. Epstein-Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis: is there a link?

    PubMed

    Costenbader, Karen H; Karlson, Elizabeth W

    2006-01-01

    Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic, destructive, debilitating arthritis. Its etiology is unknown; it is presumed that environmental factors trigger development in the genetically predisposed. Epstein-Barr virus, a nearly ubiquitous virus in the human population, has generated great interest as a potential trigger. This virus stimulates polyclonal lymphocyte expansion and persists within B lymphocytes for the host's life, inhibited from reactivating by the immune response. In latent and replicating forms, it has immunomodulating actions that could play a role in the development of this autoimmune disease. The evidence linking Epstein-Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis is reviewed.

  9. Epstein–Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis: is there a link?

    PubMed Central

    Costenbader, Karen H; Karlson, Elizabeth W

    2006-01-01

    Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic, destructive, debilitating arthritis. Its etiology is unknown; it is presumed that environmental factors trigger development in the genetically predisposed. Epstein–Barr virus, a nearly ubiquitous virus in the human population, has generated great interest as a potential trigger. This virus stimulates polyclonal lymphocyte expansion and persists within B lymphocytes for the host's life, inhibited from reactivating by the immune response. In latent and replicating forms, it has immunomodulating actions that could play a role in the development of this autoimmune disease. The evidence linking Epstein–Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis is reviewed. PMID:16542469

  10. Level Zero Trigger Processor for the NA62 experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soldi, D.; Chiozzi, S.

    2018-05-01

    The NA62 experiment is designed to measure the ultra-rare decay K+ arrow π+ ν bar nu branching ratio with a precision of ~ 10% at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). The trigger system of NA62 consists in three different levels designed to select events of physics interest in a high beam rate environment. The L0 Trigger Processor (L0TP) is the lowest level system of the trigger chain. It is hardware implemented using programmable logic. The architecture of the NA62 L0TP system is a new approach compared to existing systems used in high-energy physics experiments. It is fully digital, based on a standard gigabit Ethernet communication between detectors and the L0TP Board. The L0TP Board is a commercial development board, mounting a programmable logic device (FPGA). The primitives generated by sub-detectors are sent asynchronously using the UDP protocol to the L0TP during the entire beam spill period. The L0TP realigns in time the primitives coming from seven different sources and performs a data selection based on the characteristics of the event such as energy, multiplicity and topology of hits in the sub-detectors. It guarantees a maximum latency of 1 ms. The maximum input rate is about 10 MHz for each sub-detector, while the design maximum output trigger rate is 1 MHz. A description of the trigger algorithm is presented here.

  11. Respiratory Pattern and Tidal Volumes Differ for Pressure Support and Volume-assured Pressure Support in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

    PubMed

    Nicholson, Trevor T; Smith, Sean B; Siddique, Teepu; Sufit, Robert; Ajroud-Driss, Senda; Coleman, John M; Wolfe, Lisa F

    2017-07-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease resulting in respiratory failure and death. Use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) improves survival. However, use of volume-assured pressure support (VAPS) has not been extensively studied in ALS. To explore the clinical usefulness of a detailed evaluation of device-recorded NIV data in the management of chronic respiratory failure in ALS, and to determine whether there are differences in efficacy between patients using VAPS or PS. We performed a retrospective chart review of 271 patients with ALS using either PS or VAPS, along with an evaluation of device-recorded data to explore differences in attainment of goal tidal volumes (Vt) and ratio of respiratory rate to tidal volume (f/Vt), in addition to triggering and cycling ability. Two hundred and fifteen patients were using PS, while 56 were using VAPS. There were no significant differences in demographic data, symptoms, pulmonary function, or patient compliance. Compared with VAPS, achieved Vt was significantly lower for PS while f/Vt was significantly higher. Percent spontaneous triggering was relatively preserved in both cohorts, whereas percent spontaneous cycling was considerably decreased in both. Furthermore, there was no association found between spontaneous triggering or cycling, and pulmonary function, indicating the presence of low spontaneous breath cycling or triggering ability is difficult to predict. Examination of device data for exhaled tidal volumes and f/Vt may be of use in evaluating efficacy of NIV in ALS. VAPS provides more reliable goal Vt than does PS, and is associated with decreased f/Vt. Spontaneous cycling is decreased in ALS despite preservation of triggering ability. Although a set backup rate may address decreased triggering, perhaps more importantly, setting a sufficient fixed inspiratory time would address the issue of decreased cycling.

  12. 32 CFR 195.2 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... term Federal financial assistance includes: (1) Grants and loans of Federal funds, (2) The grant or... or any interest in such property without consideration or at a nominal consideration, or at a consideration which is reduced for the purpose of assisting the recipient, or in recognition of the public...

  13. 47 CFR 24.831 - Mutually exclusive applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... will be entitled to comparative consideration with one or more conflicting applications only if the Commission determines that such comparative consideration will serve the public interest. (d)-(j) [Reserved] ...

  14. 47 CFR 24.831 - Mutually exclusive applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... will be entitled to comparative consideration with one or more conflicting applications only if the Commission determines that such comparative consideration will serve the public interest. (d)-(j) [Reserved] ...

  15. 47 CFR 24.831 - Mutually exclusive applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... will be entitled to comparative consideration with one or more conflicting applications only if the Commission determines that such comparative consideration will serve the public interest. (d)-(j) [Reserved] ...

  16. 47 CFR 24.831 - Mutually exclusive applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... will be entitled to comparative consideration with one or more conflicting applications only if the Commission determines that such comparative consideration will serve the public interest. (d)-(j) [Reserved] ...

  17. 47 CFR 24.831 - Mutually exclusive applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... will be entitled to comparative consideration with one or more conflicting applications only if the Commission determines that such comparative consideration will serve the public interest. (d)-(j) [Reserved] ...

  18. Demands for ‘off‐licence’ access to trastuzumab (Herceptin): content analysis of UK newspaper articles

    PubMed Central

    Hind, Daniel; Wailoo, Allan J.; Sutcliffe, Paul

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Background  Sensationalized reporting styles and a distorted framing of health‐care issues in newspapers may trigger inappropriate commissioning decisions. We evaluated UK press coverage of pre‐licensing access to trastuzumab (Herceptin) for early breast cancer as a case study. Methods and findings  Content analysis of newspaper articles published between April 2005 and May 2006 were coded by two researchers for interest groups represented, claims made and sensationalized reporting. Disagreements in coding were resolved by a third researcher. One thousand and ninety published articles were identified in the study period and a 20% sample (n = 218) was included in the content analysis. Most articles (76%, 95% CI 71–82) included claims about the clinical benefits of trastuzumab, and this was significantly higher than those expressing the uncertainty surrounding such benefits (6%, 95% CI 3–9) or those that discussed the potential harms (5%, 95% CI 2–8). Articles were significantly more likely to feature claims made by a breast cancer survivor or family member than any other interest group (P < 0.0001). Almost half of the articles carried some message to the effect that trastuzumab would make the difference between life and death (47%, 95% CI 40–53). Over a quarter (28%, 95% CI 22–34) suggested that trastuzumab is a ‘miracle drug’ or similar. Conclusions  The benefits of drugs are highlighted, frequently using sensationalist language, without equal consideration of uncertainty or risks. Health‐care purchasers should express decisions in opportunity cost terms; journalists should give fairer coverage to such arguments. PMID:20673243

  19. Demands for 'off-licence' access to trastuzumab (Herceptin): content analysis of UK newspaper articles.

    PubMed

    Hind, Daniel; Wailoo, Allan J; Sutcliffe, Paul

    2011-03-01

    Sensationalized reporting styles and a distorted framing of health-care issues in newspapers may trigger inappropriate commissioning decisions. We evaluated UK press coverage of pre-licensing access to trastuzumab (Herceptin) for early breast cancer as a case study. Content analysis of newspaper articles published between April 2005 and May 2006 were coded by two researchers for interest groups represented, claims made and sensationalized reporting. Disagreements in coding were resolved by a third researcher. One thousand and ninety published articles were identified in the study period and a 20% sample (n = 218) was included in the content analysis. Most articles (76%, 95% CI 71-82) included claims about the clinical benefits of trastuzumab, and this was significantly higher than those expressing the uncertainty surrounding such benefits (6%, 95% CI 3-9) or those that discussed the potential harms (5%, 95% CI 2-8). Articles were significantly more likely to feature claims made by a breast cancer survivor or family member than any other interest group (P < 0.0001). Almost half of the articles carried some message to the effect that trastuzumab would make the difference between life and death (47%, 95% CI 40-53). Over a quarter (28%, 95% CI 22-34) suggested that trastuzumab is a 'miracle drug' or similar. The benefits of drugs are highlighted, frequently using sensationalist language, without equal consideration of uncertainty or risks. Health-care purchasers should express decisions in opportunity cost terms; journalists should give fairer coverage to such arguments. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  20. Public health importance of triggers of myocardial infarction: a comparative risk assessment.

    PubMed

    Nawrot, Tim S; Perez, Laura; Künzli, Nino; Munters, Elke; Nemery, Benoit

    2011-02-26

    Acute myocardial infarction is triggered by various factors, such as physical exertion, stressful events, heavy meals, or increases in air pollution. However, the importance and relevance of each trigger are uncertain. We compared triggers of myocardial infarction at an individual and population level. We searched PubMed and the Web of Science citation databases to identify studies of triggers of non-fatal myocardial infarction to calculate population attributable fractions (PAF). When feasible, we did a meta-regression analysis for studies of the same trigger. Of the epidemiologic studies reviewed, 36 provided sufficient details to be considered. In the studied populations, the exposure prevalence for triggers in the relevant control time window ranged from 0.04% for cocaine use to 100% for air pollution. The reported odds ratios (OR) ranged from 1.05 to 23.7. Ranking triggers from the highest to the lowest OR resulted in the following order: use of cocaine, heavy meal, smoking of marijuana, negative emotions, physical exertion, positive emotions, anger, sexual activity, traffic exposure, respiratory infections, coffee consumption, air pollution (based on a difference of 30 μg/m3 in particulate matter with a diameter <10 μm [PM10]). Taking into account the OR and the prevalences of exposure, the highest PAF was estimated for traffic exposure (7.4%), followed by physical exertion (6.2%), alcohol (5.0%), coffee (5.0%), a difference of 30 μg/m3 in PM10 (4.8%), negative emotions (3.9%), anger (3.1%), heavy meal (2.7%), positive emotions (2.4%), sexual activity (2.2%), cocaine use (0.9%), marijuana smoking (0.8%) and respiratory infections (0.6%). Interpretation In view of both the magnitude of the risk and the prevalence in the population, air pollution is an important trigger of myocardial infarction, it is of similar magnitude (PAF 5-7%) as other well accepted triggers such as physical exertion, alcohol, and coffee. Our work shows that ever-present small risks might have considerable public health relevance. The research on air pollution and health at Hasselt University is supported by a grant from the Flemish Scientific Fund (FWO, Krediet aan navorsers/G.0873.11), tUL-impulse financing, and bijzonder onderzoeksfonds (BOF) and at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven by the sustainable development programme of BELSPO (Belgian Science Policy).

  1. The Relationship between Branding and Organisational Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stensaker, Bjorn

    2007-01-01

    Increased national and international competition within higher education has triggered an interest in branding within the sector. Higher education institutions are, as a consequence, currently re-examining their profile and image. This article addresses the problems higher education institutions face in this process, and points to the benefits and…

  2. Socioecological disparities in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina

    Treesearch

    Joshua A. Lewis; Wayne C. Zipperer; Henrik Ernstson; Brittany Bernik; Rebecca Hazen; Thomas Elmqvist; Michael J. Blum

    2017-01-01

    Despite growing interest in urban resilience, remarkably little is known about vegetation dynamics in the aftermath of disasters. In this study, we examined the composition and structure of plant communities across New Orleans (Louisiana, USA) following catastrophic flooding triggered by levee failures during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Focusing on eight...

  3. 47 CFR 1.1319 - Consideration of the environmental impact statements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 47 Telecommunication 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Consideration of the environmental impact... § 1.1319 Consideration of the environmental impact statements. (a) If the action is subject to a... environmental and non-environmental public interest factors. (2) Upon review of an initial decision, the...

  4. Did Educational Expansion Trigger the Development of an Education Society? Chances and Risks of a New Model of Society

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haunberger, Sigrid

    2010-01-01

    This article focuses on the question of whether educational expansion leads to a new type of society, the education society. Taking into consideration the combined elements of three models of society (the post-industrial society, the knowledge society and the information society)--the chances and risks of an educational society will be elicited…

  5. Vocational Education & Training: Key Considerations when Designing Vocational Models and Curriculums Intended for Under-Educated and Socially Deprived Youths and Adults in Developing Countries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cully, John H.

    2008-01-01

    In the past decades there has been a significant transformation in global fiscal trends from a traditional resource based to a fast moving knowledge and technologically centered market. While this readjustment has triggered a significant number of advantages, issues and consequences upon industrialized countries, it has created even more concerns…

  6. Automatic Classification of Extensive Aftershock Sequences Using Empirical Matched Field Processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gibbons, Steven J.; Harris, David B.; Kværna, Tormod; Dodge, Douglas A.

    2013-04-01

    The aftershock sequences that follow large earthquakes create considerable problems for data centers attempting to produce comprehensive event bulletins in near real-time. The greatly increased number of events which require processing can overwhelm analyst resources and reduce the capacity for analyzing events of monitoring interest. This exacerbates a potentially reduced detection capability at key stations, due the noise generated by the sequence, and a deterioration in the quality of the fully automatic preliminary event bulletins caused by the difficulty in associating the vast numbers of closely spaced arrivals over the network. Considerable success has been enjoyed by waveform correlation methods for the automatic identification of groups of events belonging to the same geographical source region, facilitating the more time-efficient analysis of event ensembles as opposed to individual events. There are, however, formidable challenges associated with the automation of correlation procedures. The signal generated by a very large earthquake seldom correlates well enough with the signals generated by far smaller aftershocks for a correlation detector to produce statistically significant triggers at the correct times. Correlation between events within clusters of aftershocks is significantly better, although the issues of when and how to initiate new pattern detectors are still being investigated. Empirical Matched Field Processing (EMFP) is a highly promising method for detecting event waveforms suitable as templates for correlation detectors. EMFP is a quasi-frequency-domain technique that calibrates the spatial structure of a wavefront crossing a seismic array in a collection of narrow frequency bands. The amplitude and phase weights that result are applied in a frequency-domain beamforming operation that compensates for scattering and refraction effects not properly modeled by plane-wave beams. It has been demonstrated to outperform waveform correlation as a classifier of ripple-fired mining blasts since the narrowband procedure is insensitive to differences in the source-time functions. For sequences in which the spectral content and time-histories of the signals from the main shock and aftershocks vary greatly, the spatial structure calibrated by EMFP is an invariant that permits reliable detection of events in the specific source region. Examples from the 2005 Kashmir and 2011 Van earthquakes demonstrate how EMFP templates from the main events detect arrivals from the aftershock sequences with high sensitivity and exceptionally low false alarm rates. Classical waveform correlation detectors are demonstrated to fail for these examples. Even arrivals with SNR below unity can produce significant EMFP triggers as the spatial pattern of the incoming wavefront is identified, leading to robust detections at a greater number of stations and potentially more reliable automatic bulletins. False EMFP triggers are readily screened by scanning a space of phase shifts relative to the imposed template. EMFP has the potential to produce a rapid and robust overview of the evolving aftershock sequence such that correlation and subspace detectors can be applied semi-autonomously, with well-chosen parameter specifications, to identify and classify clusters of very closely spaced aftershocks.

  7. An evaluation of the statistical significance of the association between northward turnings of the interplanetary magnetic field and substorm expansion onsets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hsu, Tung-Shin; McPherron, R. L.

    2002-11-01

    An outstanding problem in magnetospheric physics is deciding whether substorms are always triggered by external changes in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) or solar wind plasma, or whether they sometimes occur spontaneously. Over the past decade, arguments have been made on both sides of this issue. In fact, there is considerable evidence that some substorms are triggered. However, equally persuasive examples of substorms with no obvious trigger have been found. Because of conflicting views on this subject, further work is required to determine whether there is a physical relation between IMF triggers and substorm onset. In the work reported here a list of substorm onsets was created using two independent substorm signatures: sudden changes in the slope of the AL index and the start of a Pi 2 pulsation burst. Possible IMF triggers were determined from ISEE-2 observations. With the ISEE spacecraft near local noon immediately upstream of the bow shock, there can be little question about propagation delay to the magnetopause or whether a particular IMF feature hits the subsolar magnetopause. Thus it eliminates the objections that the calculated arrival time is subject to a large error or that the solar wind monitor missed a potential trigger incident at the subsolar point. Using a less familiar technique, statistics of point process, we find that the time delay between substorm onsets and the propagated arrival time of IMF triggers are clustered around zero. We estimate for independent processes that the probability of this clustering by chance alone is about 10-11. If we take into account the requirement that the IMF must have been southward prior to the onset, then the probability of clustering is higher, ˜10-5, but still extremely unlikely. Thus it is not possible to ascribe the apparent relation between IMF northward turnings and substorm onset to coincidence.

  8. Airport metal detector activation is rare after posterior spinal fusion in children with scoliosis.

    PubMed

    Fabricant, Peter D; Robles, Alex; Blanco, John S

    2013-12-01

    Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, travel security has become an ever-increasing priority in the United States. Frequent parent and patient inquiry and recent literature reports have generated interest in the impact of heightened security measures on patients with orthopaedic implants, and have indicated increasing rates of metal detector triggering. There are no reports to date, however, evaluating children and adolescents who have undergone posterior spinal fusion for scoliosis, so responses to patient and parent inquiries are not data-driven. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of airport metal detector triggering by patients who have had posterior-only spinal fusion and to characterise any potential predictors of metal detector activation. A cross-sectional study was performed by interviewing 90 patients who underwent posterior-only spinal fusion for a diagnosis of juvenile or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and have travelled by air in the past year. Demographic, clinical and surgical instrumentation data were collected and evaluated, along with patients' reports of airport metal detector triggering and subsequent screening procedures. Five patients with stainless steel instrumentation (5.6 % of the cohort) triggered an airport walkthrough metal detector, and an additional five patients who did not trigger an airport detector triggered a handheld detector at a different venue. All patients who triggered an airport metal detector had stainless steel instrumentation implanted prior to 2008, and no patient with titanium instrumentation triggered any detector in any venue. All trigger events required subsequent screening procedures, even when an implant card was presented. In this cohort of children and adolescents with posterior spinal instrumentation, airport walkthrough metal detector triggering was a rare event. Therefore, we advise patients and families with planned posterior scoliosis fusions using titanium instrumentation that airport detection risk is essentially non-existent, and only rare for those with planned stainless steel instrumentation. We no longer issue implant cards postoperatively, as these did not prevent further screening procedures in this cohort. Prognostic level 2. cross-sectional.

  9. Flow cytometric analysis of extracellular vesicle subsets in plasma: impact of swarm by particles of non-interest.

    PubMed

    Libregts, S F W M; Arkesteijn, G J A; Németh, A; Nolte-'t Hoen, E N M; Wauben, M H M

    2018-05-20

    Essentials Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in biological fluids are promising biomarkers for disease. Fluorescence-based flow cytometric analysis is suitable to detect low abundant EV subsets. Particles of non-interest can induce false-positive light scatter and fluorescent signals. Interference of particles of non-interest can be monitored by analyzing serial dilutions. Background Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in plasma are increasingly being recognized as potential biomarkers. EV analysis for diagnostic purposes should be robust and should allow analysis of EV subsets with a wide range of abundance and in a large number of patient samples. Flow cytometry offers possibilities to meet these criteria, as it allows multiparameter analysis of individual EVs. However, analysis of plasma EVs is challenging, because of their size and heterogeneity, and the presence of other submicrometer-sized particles in plasma that could interfere with EV analysis. Objectives To explore whether fluorescence-based flow cytometric analysis of EV subsets is suitable when the EVs of interest are present in low abundance in a background of non-labeled or differently labeled EVs and particles. Methods Fluorescently labeled EVs of interest were spiked at different ratios in full plasma, purified plasma components, or (non-)fluorescent polystyrene beads, and subsequently analyzed by flow cytometry with fluorescence threshold triggering. Results We found that light scatter detection of low-abundance or rare EV subsets during fluorescence threshold triggering was severely affected by particles of non-interest, owing to coincidence and swarming. Importantly, we show that interfering particles labeled with different fluorophores induced false-positive fluorescent signals on the particles of interest. These unwanted effects could only be discerned and controlled by performing serial dilutions and analyzing light scatter and fluorescence parameters. Conclusions We demonstrate how particles of non-interest in plasma can impact on the light scatter and fluorescence detection of low-abundance EVs of interest during fluorescence-based flow cytometric analysis, and provide a means to prevent erroneous data interpretation. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

  10. Polymeric micelles with stimuli-triggering systems for advanced cancer drug targeting.

    PubMed

    Nakayama, Masamichi; Akimoto, Jun; Okano, Teruo

    2014-08-01

    Since the 1990s, nanoscale drug carriers have played a pivotal role in cancer chemotherapy, acting through passive drug delivery mechanisms and subsequent pharmaceutical action at tumor tissues with reduction of adverse effects. Polymeric micelles, as supramolecular assemblies of amphiphilic polymers, have been considerably developed as promising drug carrier candidates, and a number of clinical studies of anticancer drug-loaded polymeric micelle carriers for cancer chemotherapy applications are now in progress. However, these systems still face several issues; at present, the simultaneous control of target-selective delivery and release of incorporated drugs remains difficult. To resolve these points, the introduction of stimuli-responsive mechanisms to drug carrier systems is believed to be a promising approach to provide better solutions for future tumor drug targeting strategies. As possible trigger signals, biological acidic pH, light, heating/cooling and ultrasound actively play significant roles in signal-triggering drug release and carrier interaction with target cells. This review article summarizes several molecular designs for stimuli-responsive polymeric micelles in response to variation of pH, light and temperature and discusses their potentials as next-generation tumor drug targeting systems.

  11. Distributed Event-Based Set-Membership Filtering for a Class of Nonlinear Systems With Sensor Saturations Over Sensor Networks.

    PubMed

    Ma, Lifeng; Wang, Zidong; Lam, Hak-Keung; Kyriakoulis, Nikos

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, the distributed set-membership filtering problem is investigated for a class of discrete time-varying system with an event-based communication mechanism over sensor networks. The system under consideration is subject to sector-bounded nonlinearity, unknown but bounded noises and sensor saturations. Each intelligent sensing node transmits the data to its neighbors only when certain triggering condition is violated. By means of a set of recursive matrix inequalities, sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of the desired distributed event-based filter which is capable of confining the system state in certain ellipsoidal regions centered at the estimates. Within the established theoretical framework, two additional optimization problems are formulated: one is to seek the minimal ellipsoids (in the sense of matrix trace) for the best filtering performance, and the other is to maximize the triggering threshold so as to reduce the triggering frequency with satisfactory filtering performance. A numerically attractive chaos algorithm is employed to solve the optimization problems. Finally, an illustrative example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed algorithm.

  12. Theoretical Study on Effects of Hydrogen-Bonding and Molecule-Cation Interactions on the Sensitivity of HMX.

    PubMed

    Li, Yunlu; Wu, Junpeng; Cao, Duanlin; Wang, Jianlong

    2016-10-04

    To assess the effects of weak interactions on the sensitivity of HMX, eleven complexes of HMX (where six of them are hydrogen-bonding complexes, and the other five are molecular-cation complexes) have been studied via quantum chemical treatment. The geometric and electronic structures were determined using DFT-B3LYP and MP2(full) methods with the 6-311++G(2df, 2p) and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The changes of the bond dissociation energy (BDE) of the trigger bond (N-NO2 in HMX) and nitro group charge have been computed on the detail consideration to access the sensitivity changes of HMX. The results indicate that upon complex forming, the BDE increases and the charge of nitro group turns more negative in complexes, suggesting that the strength of the N-NO2 trigger bond is enhanced then the sensitivity of HMX is reduced. Atom-in-molecules analysis have also been carried to understand the nature of intermolecular interactions and the strength of trigger bonds.

  13. DNA Isolation of Microbial Contaminants in Aviation Turbine Fuel via Traditional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Direct PCR. Preliminary Results

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2005-11-01

    fuel gauge malfunctions, fuel line and filter plugging, and corrosion. As a result, there is considerable interest in identifying microbial growth ...corrosion. As a result, there is considerable interest in identifying microbial growth and finding strategies to mitigate it. Previous research to... Rhodotorula sp. Yes Yes Trichosporium sp. Yes Trichoderma sp. (viride + others) Yes Yes 4 Table 2. Culturability Determined as a Percentage of

  14. Development, Validation and Integration of the ATLAS Trigger System Software in Run 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keyes, Robert; ATLAS Collaboration

    2017-10-01

    The trigger system of the ATLAS detector at the LHC is a combination of hardware, firmware, and software, associated to various sub-detectors that must seamlessly cooperate in order to select one collision of interest out of every 40,000 delivered by the LHC every millisecond. These proceedings discuss the challenges, organization and work flow of the ongoing trigger software development, validation, and deployment. The goal of this development is to ensure that the most up-to-date algorithms are used to optimize the performance of the experiment. The goal of the validation is to ensure the reliability and predictability of the software performance. Integration tests are carried out to ensure that the software deployed to the online trigger farm during data-taking run as desired. Trigger software is validated by emulating online conditions using a benchmark run and mimicking the reconstruction that occurs during normal data-taking. This exercise is computationally demanding and thus runs on the ATLAS high performance computing grid with high priority. Performance metrics ranging from low-level memory and CPU requirements, to distributions and efficiencies of high-level physics quantities are visualized and validated by a range of experts. This is a multifaceted critical task that ties together many aspects of the experimental effort and thus directly influences the overall performance of the ATLAS experiment.

  15. 32 CFR 644.541 - Award of contract.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... auctioneers, are in a position to give other advice and assistance, and may authorize auction sales on behalf... auctioneers. Consideration should be given to auction sales when there is likely to be considerable interest...

  16. Minors and Contested Medical-Surgical Treatment.

    PubMed

    Snelling, Jeanne

    2016-01-01

    Use of the best-interests test as the legal standard to justify medical treatment (or its cessation) in respect to legally incompetent adults or minors has come under sustained critique over the years. "Best interests" has variously been alleged to be indeterminate as well as susceptible to majoritarian ideology and inherent bias. It has also been alleged to be inferior to rights-based approaches. Against the background of several particularly hard cases involving minors discussed by Gillett in a prior article in this journal, this article considers some of these critiques. It concludes that these critical accounts make significant contributions to enabling a more procedurally and substantively robust consideration of what might be in a child's best interests. However, it is argued that none of these accounts alone provide a superior framework that would justify jettisoning the concept of best interests. Further, it is suggested that best interests still has an important role in achieving patient-centered decisionmaking in this context. It concludes by suggesting a taxonomy of considerations when determining best interests.

  17. 49 CFR Appendix F to Part 222 - Diagnostic Team Considerations

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Diagnostic Team Considerations F Appendix F to.... 222, App. F Appendix F to Part 222—Diagnostic Team Considerations For purposes of this part, a diagnostic team is a group of knowledgeable representatives of parties of interest in a highway-rail grade...

  18. 49 CFR Appendix F to Part 222 - Diagnostic Team Considerations

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Diagnostic Team Considerations F Appendix F to.... 222, App. F Appendix F to Part 222—Diagnostic Team Considerations For purposes of this part, a diagnostic team is a group of knowledgeable representatives of parties of interest in a highway-rail grade...

  19. 49 CFR Appendix F to Part 222 - Diagnostic Team Considerations

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Diagnostic Team Considerations F Appendix F to.... 222, App. F Appendix F to Part 222—Diagnostic Team Considerations For purposes of this part, a diagnostic team is a group of knowledgeable representatives of parties of interest in a highway-rail grade...

  20. 49 CFR Appendix F to Part 222 - Diagnostic Team Considerations

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Diagnostic Team Considerations F Appendix F to.... 222, App. F Appendix F to Part 222—Diagnostic Team Considerations For purposes of this part, a diagnostic team is a group of knowledgeable representatives of parties of interest in a highway-rail grade...

  1. 49 CFR Appendix F to Part 222 - Diagnostic Team Considerations

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Diagnostic Team Considerations F Appendix F to.... 222, App. F Appendix F to Part 222—Diagnostic Team Considerations For purposes of this part, a diagnostic team is a group of knowledgeable representatives of parties of interest in a highway-rail grade...

  2. An experimental study of steam explosions involving chemically reactive metal

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

    Cho, D.H.; Armstrong, D.R.; Gunther, W.H.

    1997-07-01

    An experimental study of molten zirconium-water explosions was conducted. A 1-kg mass of zirconium melt was dropped into a column of water. Explosions took place only when an external trigger was used. In the triggered tests, the extent of oxidation of the zirconium melt was very extensive. However, the explosion energetics estimated were found to be very small compared to the potential chemical energy available from the oxidation reaction. Zirconium is of particular interest, since it is a component of the core materials of the current nuclear power reactors. This paper describes the test apparatus and summarizes the results ofmore » four tests conducted using pure zirconium melt.« less

  3. Rainfall-triggered landslides, anthropogenic hazards, and mitigation strategies

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Larsen, M.C.

    2008-01-01

    Rainfall-triggered landslides are part of a natural process of hillslope erosion that can result in catastrophic loss of life and extensive property damage in mountainous, densely populated areas. As global population expansion on or near steep hillslopes continues, the human and economic costs associated with landslides will increase. Landslide hazard mitigation strategies generally involve hazard assessment mapping, warning systems, control structures, and regional landslide planning and policy development. To be sustainable, hazard mitigation requires that management of natural resources is closely connected to local economic and social interests. A successful strategy is dependent on a combination of multi-disciplinary scientific and engineering approaches, and the political will to take action at the local community to national scale.

  4. Crossed motor innervation of the base of human tongue

    PubMed Central

    Jordan, Amy S.; Nicholas, Christian L.; Cori, Jennifer M.; Semmler, John G.; Trinder, John

    2015-01-01

    Muscle fibers of the genioglossus (GG) form the bulk of the muscle mass at the base of the tongue. The motor control of the tongue is critical for vocalization, feeding, and breathing. Our goal was to assess the patterns of motor innervation of GG single motor units (SMUs) in humans. Simultaneous monopolar recordings were obtained from four sites in the base of the tongue bilaterally at two antero-posterior levels from 16 resting, awake, healthy adult males, who wore a face mask with airway pressure and airflow sensors. We analyzed 69 data segments in which at least one lead contained large action potentials generated by an SMU. Such potentials served as triggers for spike-triggered averaging (STA) of signals recorded from the other three sites. Spontaneous activity of the SMUs was classified as inspiratory modulated, expiratory modulated, or tonic. Consistent with the antero-posterior orientation of GG fibers, 44 STAs (77%) recorded ipsilateral to the trigger yielded sharp action potentials with a median amplitude of 52 μV [interquartile range (IQR): 25–190] that were time shifted relative to the trigger by about 1 ms. Notably, 48% of recordings on the side opposite to the trigger also yielded sharp action potentials. Of those, 17 (29%) had a median amplitude of 63 μV (IQR: 39–96), and most were generated by tonic SMUs. Thus a considerable proportion of GG muscle fibers receive a crossed motor innervation. Crossed innervation may help ensure symmetry and stability of tongue position and movements under normal conditions and following injury or degenerative changes affecting the tongue. PMID:25855691

  5. A Measurement of the Lifetime of the Λ b Baryon with the CDF Detector at the Tevatron Run II

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

    Unverhau, Tatjana Alberta Hanna

    2004-12-01

    In March 2001 the Tevatron accelerator entered its Run II phase, providing colliding proton and anti-proton beams with an unprecedented center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The Tevatron is currently the only accelerator to produce Λ b baryons, which provides a unique opportunity to measure the properties of these particles. This thesis presents a measurement of the mean lifetime of the Λ b baryon in the semileptonic channel Λmore » $$0\\atop{b}$$ → Λ$$+\\atop{c}$$ μ - $$\\bar{v}$$ μ. In total 186 pb -1 of data were used for this analysis, collected with the CDF detector between February 2002 and September 2003. To select the long-lived events from b-decays, the secondary vertex trigger was utilized. This significant addition to the trigger for Run II allows, for the first time, the selection of events with tracks displaced from the primary interaction vertex at the second trigger level. After the application of selection cuts this trigger sample contains approximately 991 Λ b candidates. To extract the mean lifetime of Λ b baryons from this sample, they transverse decay length of the candidates is fitted with an unbinned maximum likelihood fit under the consideration of the missing neutrino momentum and the bias introduced by the secondary vertex trigger. The mean lifetime of the Λ b is measured to be τ = 1.29 ± 0.11(stat.) ± 0.07(syst.) ps equivalent to a mean decay length of cτ = 387 ± 33(stat.) ± 21 (syst.) μm.« less

  6. Measuring the Interest of German Students in Agriculture: the Role of Knowledge, Nature Experience, Disgust, and Gender

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bickel, Malte; Strack, Micha; Bögeholz, Susanne

    2015-06-01

    Modern knowledge-based societies, especially their younger members, have largely lost their bonds to farming. However, learning about agriculture and its interrelations with environmental issues may be facilitated by students' individual interests in agriculture. To date, an adequate instrument to investigate agricultural interests has been lacking. Research has infrequently considered students' interest in agricultural content areas as well as influencing factors on students' agricultural interests. In this study, a factorial design of agricultural interests was developed combining five agricultural content areas and four components of individual interest. The instrument was validated with German fifth and sixth graders ( N = 1,085) using a variance decomposition confirmatory factor analysis model. The results demonstrated a second-order factor of general agricultural interest, with animal husbandry, arable farming, vegetable and fruit cropping, primary food processing, and agricultural engineering as discrete content areas of agricultural interest. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that prior knowledge, garden experience, and disgust sensitivity are predictors of general agricultural interest. In addition, gender influenced interest in four of the five agricultural content areas. Implications are directed at researchers, teachers, and environmental educators concerning how to trigger and develop pupils' agricultural interests.

  7. Adaptive Water Sampling based on Unsupervised Clustering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Py, F.; Ryan, J.; Rajan, K.; Sherman, A.; Bird, L.; Fox, M.; Long, D.

    2007-12-01

    Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) are widely used for oceanographic surveys, during which data is collected from a number of on-board sensors. Engineers and scientists at MBARI have extended this approach by developing a water sampler specialy for the AUV, which can sample a specific patch of water at a specific time. The sampler, named the Gulper, captures 2 liters of seawater in less than 2 seconds on a 21" MBARI Odyssey AUV. Each sample chamber of the Gulper is filled with seawater through a one-way valve, which protrudes through the fairing of the AUV. This new kind of device raises a new problem: when to trigger the gulper autonomously? For example, scientists interested in studying the mobilization and transport of shelf sediments would like to detect intermediate nepheloïd layers (INLs). To be able to detect this phenomenon we need to extract a model based on AUV sensors that can detect this feature in-situ. The formation of such a model is not obvious as identification of this feature is generally based on data from multiple sensors. We have developed an unsupervised data clustering technique to extract the different features which will then be used for on-board classification and triggering of the Gulper. We use a three phase approach: 1) use data from past missions to learn the different classes of data from sensor inputs. The clustering algorithm will then extract the set of features that can be distinguished within this large data set. 2) Scientists on shore then identify these features and point out which correspond to those of interest (e.g. nepheloïd layer, upwelling material etc) 3) Embed the corresponding classifier into the AUV control system to indicate the most probable feature of the water depending on sensory input. The triggering algorithm looks to this result and triggers the Gulper if the classifier indicates that we are within the feature of interest with a predetermined threshold of confidence. We have deployed this method of online classification and sampling based on AUV depth and HOBI Labs Hydroscat-2 sensor data. Using approximately 20,000 data samples the clustering algorithm generated 14 clusters with one identified as corresponding to a nepheloïd layer. We demonstrate that such a technique can be used to reliably and efficiently sample water based on multiple sources of data in real-time.

  8. Hurricane Katrina impacts on Mississippi forests

    Treesearch

    Sonja N. Oswalt; Christopher Oswalt; Jeffery Turner

    2008-01-01

    Hurricane Katrina triggered public interest and concern for forests in Mississippi that required rapid responses from the scientific community. A uniform systematic sample of 3,590 ground plots were established and measured in 687 days immediately after the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast. The hurricane damaged an estimated 521 million trees with more...

  9. Getting Hooked on Physics!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McHugh, M.; McCauley, V.

    2016-01-01

    A number of papers in this journal have dealt with the idea of using hooks in physics instruction. A hook, as the name suggests, engages students in learning by triggering their attention and interest. Hooks can be any type of pedagogical approach--a question, a demonstration, a puzzle or video. They are generally short and center on the most…

  10. Environmental Science: Activities with Plants of the Southwest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hackley, Sharon; Hackley, Mike

    In this book for students of all ages, the author introduces unusual recipe ideas for the prickly, odd, and pestiferous plants of the American southwestern desert. Students are involved in cooking activities designed to spark interest in ecology, trigger logical thinking, utilize math skills, and build sound environmental concepts. Care was taken…

  11. Practicing Induction: A Generative Dance between Newcomers and Organizations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sprogoe, Jonas; Rohde, Nicolas

    2009-01-01

    Research on induction of newcomers is primarily focused on individual processes, such as acquisition of knowledge and socialization in order to create a smooth and frictionless entry period. The interest of our research, however, is the processes that happen on the organizational level. We claim that induction potentially triggers both individual…

  12. Phonetic Pause Unites Phonology and Semantics against Morphology and Syntax

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sakarna, Ahmad Khalaf; Mobaideen, Adnan

    2012-01-01

    The present study investigates the phonological effect triggered by the different types of phonetic pause used in Quran on morphology, syntax, and semantics. It argues that Quranic pause provides interesting evidence about the close relation between phonology and semantics, from one side, and semantics, morphology, and syntax, from the other…

  13. Spaces of Surveillance: Indexicality and Solicitation on the Internet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elmer, Greg

    1997-01-01

    Investigates significance of the index in the process of mapping and formatting sites, spaces, and words on the Internet as well as diagnosing, tracking, and soliciting users. Argues that indexical technologies are increasingly called upon by commercial interests to automate the solicitation process whereby entry into an Internet site triggers the…

  14. Enzyme-triggered Gelation: Targeting Proteases with Internal Cleavage Sites

    PubMed Central

    Bremmer, Steven C.

    2014-01-01

    A generalizable method for detecting protease activity via gelation is described. A recognition sequence is used to target the protease of interest while a second protease is used to remove the residual residues from the gelator scaffold. Using this approach, selective assays for both MMP-9 and PSA are demonstrated. PMID:24394494

  15. Neurolinguistics of Linguistic Perseveration: Evidences from Clinical Population

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rao, Prema K. S.

    2007-01-01

    It is generally well known that linguistic perseveration is a common symptom in individuals with brain damage and that its manifestation may be at the phonological, syntactic and/or semantic levels. The influence of perseveratory behavior on a subject's response to test stimuli and in therapeutic process has triggered the interests of the speech…

  16. Assessment of Cognitive Communications Interest Areas for NASA Needs and Benefits

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knoblock, Eric J.; Madanayake, Arjuna

    2017-01-01

    This effort provides a survey and assessment of various cognitive communications interest areas, including node-to-node link optimization, intelligent routing/networking, and learning algorithms, and is conducted primarily from the perspective of NASA space communications needs and benefits. Areas of consideration include optimization methods, learning algorithms, and candidate implementations/technologies. Assessments of current research efforts are provided with mention of areas for further investment. Other considerations, such as antenna technologies and cognitive radio platforms, are briefly provided as well.

  17. Observer-Based Non-PDC Control for Networked T-S Fuzzy Systems With an Event-Triggered Communication.

    PubMed

    Peng, Chen; Ma, Shaodong; Xie, Xiangpeng

    2017-02-07

    This paper addresses the problem of an event-triggered non-parallel distribution compensation (PDC) control for networked Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems, under consideration of the limited data transmission bandwidth and the imperfect premise matching membership functions. First, a unified event-triggered T-S fuzzy model is provided, in which: 1) a fuzzy observer with the imperfect premise matching is constructed to estimate the unmeasurable states of the studied system; 2) a fuzzy controller is designed following the same premise as the observer; and 3) an output-based event-triggering transmission scheme is designed to economize the restricted network resources. Different from the traditional PDC method, the synchronous premise between the fuzzy observer and the T-S fuzzy system are no longer needed in this paper. Second, by use of Lyapunov theory, a stability criterion and a stabilization condition are obtained for ensuring asymptotically stable of the studied system. On account of the imperfect premise matching conditions are well considered in the derivation of the above criteria, less conservation can be expected to enhance the design flexibility. Compared with some existing emulation-based methods, the controller gains are no longer required to be known a priori. Finally, the availability of proposed non-PDC design scheme is illustrated by the backing-up control of a truck-trailer system.

  18. Autoantigen cross-reactive environmental antigen can trigger multiple sclerosis-like disease.

    PubMed

    Reynolds, Catherine J; Sim, Malcolm J W; Quigley, Kathryn J; Altmann, Daniel M; Boyton, Rosemary J

    2015-05-13

    Multiple sclerosis is generally considered an autoimmune disease resulting from interaction between predisposing genes and environmental factors, together allowing immunological self-tolerance to be compromised. The precise nature of the environmental inputs has been elusive, infectious agents having received considerable attention. A recent study generated an algorithm predicting naturally occurring T cell receptor (TCR) ligands from the proteome database. Taking the example of a multiple sclerosis patient-derived anti-myelin TCR, the study identified a number of stimulatory, cross-reactive peptide sequences from environmental and human antigens. Having previously generated a spontaneous multiple sclerosis (MS) model through expression of this TCR, we asked whether any of these could indeed function in vivo to trigger CNS disease by cross-reactive activation. A number of myelin epitope cross-reactive epitopes could stimulate T cell immunity in this MS anti-myelin TCR transgenic model. Two of the most stimulatory of these 'environmental' epitopes, from Dictyostyelium slime mold and from Emiliania huxleyi, were tested for the ability to induce MS-like disease in the transgenics. We found that immunization with cross-reactive peptide from Dictyostyelium slime mold (but not from E. huxleyi) induces severe disease. These specific environmental epitopes are unlikely to be common triggers of MS, but this study suggests that our search for the cross-reactivity triggers of autoimmune activation leading to MS should encompass epitopes not just from the 'infectome' but also from the full environmental 'exposome.'

  19. Can the analyte-triggered asymmetric autocatalytic Soai reaction serve as a universal analytical tool for measuring enantiopurity and assigning absolute configuration?

    PubMed

    Welch, Christopher J; Zawatzky, Kerstin; Makarov, Alexey A; Fujiwara, Satoshi; Matsumoto, Arimasa; Soai, Kenso

    2016-12-20

    An investigation is reported on the use of the autocatalytic enantioselective Soai reaction, known to be influenced by the presence of a wide variety of chiral materials, as a generic tool for measuring the enantiopurity and absolute configuration of any substance. Good generality for the reaction across a small group of test analytes was observed, consistent with literature reports suggesting a diversity of compound types that can influence the stereochemical outcome of this reaction. Some trends in the absolute sense of stereochemical enrichment were noted, suggesting the possible utility of the approach for assigning absolute configuration to unknown compounds, by analogy to closely related species with known outcomes. Considerable variation was observed in the triggering strength of different enantiopure materials, an undesirable characteristic when dealing with mixtures containing minor impurities with strong triggering strength in the presence of major components with weak triggering strength. A strong tendency of the reaction toward an 'all or none' type of behavior makes the reaction most sensitive for detecting enantioenrichment close to zero. Consequently, the ability to discern modest from excellent enantioselectivity was relatively poor. While these properties limit the ability to obtain precise enantiopurity measurements in a simple single addition experiment, prospects may exist for more complex experimental setups that may potentially offer improved performance.

  20. 26 CFR 25.2511-1 - Transfers in general.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... for insufficient consideration. However, in the case of a transfer creating an interest in property... creating an interest in the person disclaiming made before January 1, 1977, where the law governing the... this section is applicable for transfers creating an interest to be disclaimed made on or after...

  1. Binary selectable detector holdoff circuit: Design, testing, and application. [to laser radar data acquisition system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kadrmas, K. A.

    1973-01-01

    A very high speed switching circuit, part of a laser radar data acquisition system, has been designed and tested. The primary function of this circuit was to provide computer controlled switching of photodiode detector preamplifier power supply voltages, typically less than plus or minus 20 volts, in approximately 10 nanoseconds. Thus, in actual use, detector and/or detector preamplifier damage can be avoided as a result of sudden extremely large values of backscattered radiation being detected, such as might be due to short range, very thin atmospheric dust layers. Switching of the power supply voltages was chosen over direct switching the photodiode detector input to the preamplifier, based on system noise considerations. Also, the circuit provides a synchronized trigger pulse output for triggering devices such as the Biomation Model 8100 100 MHz analog to digital converter.

  2. Cause for concern: the absence of consideration of public and ethical interest in British public policy

    PubMed Central

    Pattison, S; Evans, H M

    2006-01-01

    In the UK, many fundamentally important policy decisions that are likely to affect the relationship between citizens and care services are now made at the sublegislative level and without adequate ethical consideration and scrutiny. This is well exemplified in the proposed guidance on the disclosure of information on children. A recent consultation paper by the UK government on the subject proposes an approach that seeks a simple technical solution to a complex problem, emphasising control and surveillance. This reflects pressure to be seen to act. The document fails with regard to ethical reflection appropriate to the complexity of the issue, an appreciation of complex relationships of trust, and a proper sense of the richness and complexity of the public interest. Such policies would, if implemented, fundamentally change the relationships between citizens and their carers, and among carers and the law and the state. This and similar proposals require far more ethical scrutiny and consideration of the public interest in the widest sense. PMID:17145911

  3. Stability of disformally coupled accretion disks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koivisto, Tomi S.; Nyrhinen, Hannu J.

    2017-10-01

    The no-hair theorem postulates that the only externally observable properties of a black hole are its mass, its electric charge, and its angular momentum. In scalar-tensor theories of gravity, a matter distribution around a black hole can lead to the so called ‘spontaneous scalarisation’ instability that triggers the development of scalar hair. In the Brans-Dicke type theories, this effect can be understood as a result of tachyonic effective mass of the scalar field. Here we consider the instability in the generalised class of scalar-theories that feature non-conformal, i.e. ‘disformal’, couplings to matter. Such theories have gained considerable interest in the recent years and have been studied in a wide variety of systems, both cosmological and astrophysical. In view of the prospects of gravitational wave astronomy, it is relevant to explore the implications of the theories in the strong-gravity regime. In this article, we concentrate on the spontaneous scalarisation of matter configurations around Schwarzschild and Kerr black holes. We find that in the more generic scalar-tensor theories, the instability of the Brans-Dicke theory can be enhanced, suggesting violations of the no-hair theorem. On the other hand, we find that, especially if the coupling is very strong, or if the gradients in the matter distribution are negligible, the disformal coupling tends to stabilise the system.

  4. Exploring the social reality of waqf community using social media: the Netnography approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Azmi, Ahmad Shazrin Mohamed; Rosly Hanif, Noor; Mashitoh Mahamood, Siti

    2018-02-01

    The emergence of waqf institutions in Malaysia has attracted the attention of many. Considerable attention has been paid by various parties including the Federal government. In tandem with the revival of waqf, it has driven the emergence of a group of people who are passionate in matters pertaining to the development of Waqf (herein referred to as the waqf community). According to the Theory of Structuration, interaction between the agency and structure would induce changes. Therefore, this waqf community, being a part of the agency, is capable to influence the structure and bring about changes. Triggered by the existence of this waqf community, this study is interested in exploring their social reality. Having observed that a majority of people from this Waqf community had formed a specialized Whatsapp group dedicated to discussing matters pertaining to waqf, this study has considered the usage of netnography as an instrument to observe their social reality. Despite having limitations in narrowing down the research, this study was able to extract nine findings on their behaviour namely; their sensitivities, unity, spirit, willingness, commitment, the disclosure of information, influence, focus, gaps and frictions. Overall, the approach can be improved further by strategizing a refinement on the scope and technique in making observations.

  5. Mappings of Least Dirichlet Energy and their Hopf Differentials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iwaniec, Tadeusz; Onninen, Jani

    2013-08-01

    The paper is concerned with mappings {h \\colon {X}} {{begin{array}{ll} onto \\ longrightarrow }} {{Y}} between planar domains having least Dirichlet energy. The existence and uniqueness (up to a conformal change of variables in {{X}}) of the energy-minimal mappings is established within the class {overline{fancyscript{H}}_2({X}, {Y})} of strong limits of homeomorphisms in the Sobolev space {fancyscript{W}^{1,2}({X}, {Y})} , a result of considerable interest in the mathematical models of nonlinear elasticity. The inner variation of the independent variable in {{X}} leads to the Hopf differential {hz overline{h_{bar{z}}} dz ⊗ dz} and its trajectories. For a pair of doubly connected domains, in which {{X}} has finite conformal modulus, we establish the following principle: A mapping {h in overline{fancyscript{H}}2 ({X}, {Y})} is energy-minimal if and only if its Hopf-differential is analytic in {{X}} and real along {partial {X}} . In general, the energy-minimal mappings may not be injective, in which case one observes the occurrence of slits in {{X}} (cognate with cracks). Slits are triggered by points of concavity of {{Y}} . They originate from {partial {X}} and advance along vertical trajectories of the Hopf differential toward {{X}} where they eventually terminate, so no crosscuts are created.

  6. Evolution of weighted complex bus transit networks with flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Ailing; Xiong, Jie; Shen, Jinsheng; Guan, Wei

    2016-02-01

    Study on the intrinsic properties and evolutional mechanism of urban public transit networks (PTNs) has great significance for transit planning and control, particularly considering passengers’ dynamic behaviors. This paper presents an empirical analysis for exploring the complex properties of Beijing’s weighted bus transit network (BTN) based on passenger flow in L-space, and proposes a bi-level evolution model to simulate the development of transit routes from the view of complex network. The model is an iterative process that is driven by passengers’ travel demands and dual-controlled interest mechanism, which is composed of passengers’ spatio-temporal requirements and cost constraint of transit agencies. Also, the flow’s dynamic behaviors, including the evolutions of travel demand, sectional flow attracted by a new link and flow perturbation triggered in nearby routes, are taken into consideration in the evolutional process. We present the numerical experiment to validate the model, where the main parameters are estimated by using distribution functions that are deduced from real-world data. The results obtained have proven that our model can generate a BTN with complex properties, such as the scale-free behavior or small-world phenomenon, which shows an agreement with our empirical results. Our study’s results can be exploited to optimize the real BTN’s structure and improve the network’s robustness.

  7. Social networks and bronchial asthma.

    PubMed

    D'Amato, Gennaro; Cecchi, Lorenzo; Liccardi, Gennaro; D'Amato, Maria; Stanghellini, Giovanni

    2013-02-01

    To focus on both positive and negative aspects of the interaction between asthmatic patients and the social networks, and to highlight the need of a psychological approach in some individuals to integrate pharmacological treatment is the purpose of review. There is evidence that in some asthmatic patients, the excessive use of social networks can induce depression and stress triggering bronchial obstruction, whereas in others their rational use can induce beneficial effects in terms of asthma management. The increasing asthma prevalence in developed countries seen at the end of last century has raised concern for the considerable burden of this disease on society as well as individuals. Bronchial asthma is a disease in which psychological implications play a role in increasing or in reducing the severity of bronchial obstruction. Internet and, in particular, social media are increasingly a part of daily life of both young and adult people, thus allowing virtual relationships with peers sharing similar interests and goals. Although social network users often disclose more about themselves online than they do in person, there might be a risk for adolescents and for sensitive individuals, who can be negatively influenced by an incorrect use. However, although some studies show an increased risk of depression, other observations suggest beneficial effects of social networks by enhancing communication, social connection and self-esteem.

  8. Advances in Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction with Water: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Nahar, Samsun; Zain, M. F. M.; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H.; Hasan, Hassimi Abu; Hasan, Md. Riad

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, the increasing level of CO2 in the atmosphere has not only contributed to global warming but has also triggered considerable interest in photocatalytic reduction of CO2. The reduction of CO2 with H2O using sunlight is an innovative way to solve the current growing environmental challenges. This paper reviews the basic principles of photocatalysis and photocatalytic CO2 reduction, discusses the measures of the photocatalytic efficiency and summarizes current advances in the exploration of this technology using different types of semiconductor photocatalysts, such as TiO2 and modified TiO2, layered-perovskite Ag/ALa4Ti4O15 (A = Ca, Ba, Sr), ferroelectric LiNbO3, and plasmonic photocatalysts. Visible light harvesting, novel plasmonic photocatalysts offer potential solutions for some of the main drawbacks in this reduction process. Effective plasmonic photocatalysts that have shown reduction activities towards CO2 with H2O are highlighted here. Although this technology is still at an embryonic stage, further studies with standard theoretical and comprehensive format are suggested to develop photocatalysts with high production rates and selectivity. Based on the collected results, the immense prospects and opportunities that exist in this technique are also reviewed here. PMID:28772988

  9. 77 FR 50628 - Review of Foreign Ownership Policies for Common Carrier and Aeronautical Radio Licensees

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-22

    ... the licensee in a manner that best accommodates their financial considerations and business needs. 9... national security and law enforcement interests. 11. The First Report and Order defers consideration, to a...

  10. 32 CFR 989.4 - Initial considerations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.4 Initial considerations. Air Force personnel will: (a... CATEX from environmental impact analysis (appendix B). (c) Make environmental documents, comments, and... national security interests while at the same time considering important environmental factors. (g...

  11. 32 CFR 989.4 - Initial considerations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.4 Initial considerations. Air Force personnel will: (a... CATEX from environmental impact analysis (appendix B). (c) Make environmental documents, comments, and... national security interests while at the same time considering important environmental factors. (g...

  12. 32 CFR 989.4 - Initial considerations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ANALYSIS PROCESS (EIAP) § 989.4 Initial considerations. Air Force personnel will: (a... CATEX from environmental impact analysis (appendix B). (c) Make environmental documents, comments, and... national security interests while at the same time considering important environmental factors. (g...

  13. Identification and characterization of a sex peptide receptor-like transcript from the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Lygus hesperus females exhibit a post-mating behavioral switch that triggers increased egg laying and decreased sexual interest. In Drosophila melanogaster, post-mating changes in behavior are controlled by sex peptide (SP) and the sex peptide receptor (DmSPR). SPR is present in most insect genome...

  14. Level of Intrinsic Motivation of Distance Education Students in e-Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Firat, Mehmet; Kilinç, Hakan; Yüzer, Tevfik Volkan

    2018-01-01

    According to researches, motivation that initiates and sustains behaviour is one of the most significant components of learning in any environment. Accordingly, level of intrinsic motivation triggers and sustains the interest of the open and distance education students when it comes to learning on their own in e-learning environments. Despite a…

  15. What clicks actually mean: Exploring digital news user practices.

    PubMed

    Kormelink, Tim Groot; Meijer, Irene Costera

    2018-05-01

    This article problematizes the relationship between clicks and audience interests. Clicking patterns are often seen as evidence that news users are mostly interested in junk news, leading to concerns about the state of journalism and the implications for society. Asking and observing how 56 users actually browse news and what clicking and not clicking mean to them, we identified 30 distinct considerations for (not) clicking and classified them into three categories: cognitive, affective and pragmatic. The results suggest, first, that interest is too crude a term to account for the variety of people's considerations for (not) clicking. Second, even if one aims for roughly estimating people's news interests, clicks are a flawed instrument because a lack of clicking does not measure people's lack of interest in news. Third, taking users' browsing patterns seriously could help bridge the gap between what people need as citizens and what they actually consume. Finally, we argue that all metrics should be critically assessed from a user perspective rather than taken at face value.

  16. What clicks actually mean: Exploring digital news user practices

    PubMed Central

    Kormelink, Tim Groot; Meijer, Irene Costera

    2017-01-01

    This article problematizes the relationship between clicks and audience interests. Clicking patterns are often seen as evidence that news users are mostly interested in junk news, leading to concerns about the state of journalism and the implications for society. Asking and observing how 56 users actually browse news and what clicking and not clicking mean to them, we identified 30 distinct considerations for (not) clicking and classified them into three categories: cognitive, affective and pragmatic. The results suggest, first, that interest is too crude a term to account for the variety of people’s considerations for (not) clicking. Second, even if one aims for roughly estimating people’s news interests, clicks are a flawed instrument because a lack of clicking does not measure people’s lack of interest in news. Third, taking users’ browsing patterns seriously could help bridge the gap between what people need as citizens and what they actually consume. Finally, we argue that all metrics should be critically assessed from a user perspective rather than taken at face value. PMID:29782573

  17. Best interests of adults who lack capacity part 2: key considerations.

    PubMed

    Griffith, Richard

    Last month's article discussed the key concepts underpinning the notion of best interests. In this article the author discusses the requirements for determining the best interests of an adult who lacks capacity under the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its code of practice (Department for Constitutional Affairs 2007).

  18. How Can We Enhance Girls' Interest in Scientific Topics?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kerger, Sylvie; Martin, Romain; Brunner, Martin

    2011-01-01

    Background: Girls are considerably less interested in scientific subjects than boys. One reason may be that scientific subjects are considered to be genuinely masculine. Thus, being interested in science may threaten the self-perception of girls as well as the femininity of their self-image. Aims: If scientific topics that are considered to be…

  19. Structural and Dynamic Aspects of Interest Development: Theoretical Considerations from an Ontogenetic Perspective.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krapp, Andreas

    2002-01-01

    Presents a collection of theoretical concepts and models that can be used to describe and explore structural and dynamic aspects of interest development from an ontogenic research perspective. Outlines basic ideas of an educational-psychological conceptualization of interest that is based on a dynamic theory of personality. (SLD)

  20. Comparison of Timothy grass pollen extract- and single major allergen-induced gene expression and mediator release in airway epithelial cells: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Röschmann, K I L; van Kuijen, A-M; Luiten, S; Jonker, M J; Breit, T M; Fokkens, W J; Petersen, A; van Drunen, C M

    2012-10-01

    Seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR) is a global health problem and its prevalence has increased considerably in the last decades. As the allergic response with its clinical manifestations is triggered by only a few proteins within natural extracts, there is an increasing tendency for single-component-resolved diagnosis and immunotherapy. As natural exposure is not to single proteins, but to complex mixtures of molecules, we were interested in comparing the activation of respiratory epithelial cells induced by the purified major allergen Phl p 1 with the induction caused by a complete extract of Timothy grass pollen (GPE). NCI-H292 cells were exposed to GPE or Ph1 p 1 for 24 h, isolated RNA and cell culture supernatants were used for microarray analysis, multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and subsequent analysis. We found 262 genes that showed a GPE-induced change of at least 3-fold, whereas Ph1 p 1-stimulation resulted in 71 genes with a fold induction of more than 3-fold. Besides genes that were regulated by both stimuli, we also detected genes displaying an opposite response after stimulation, suggesting that GPE might be more than purified major allergens with regard to induced immune responses. Additional components within GPE and the resulting modulation of general processes affecting gene transcription and signalling pathways might be crucial to maintain/overcome the diseased phenotype and to induce the influx of cells contributing to late-phase allergic responses. When the initial process of sensitization is the matter of interest or late-phase allergic responses, one might miss important immune modulatory molecules and their interaction with allergens by applying single components only. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  1. Fluctuations in energy loss and their implications for dosimetry and radiobiology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baily, N. A.; Steigerwalt, J. E.

    1972-01-01

    Serious consideration of the physics of energy deposition indicates that a fundamental change in the interpretation of absorbed dose is required at least for considerations of effects in biological systems. In addition, theoretical approaches to radiobiology and microdosimetry seem to require statistical considerations incorporating frequency distributions of the magnitude of the event sizes within the volume of interest.

  2. Happy heart syndrome: role of positive emotional stress in takotsubo syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Ghadri, Jelena R.; Sarcon, Annahita; Diekmann, Johanna; Bataiosu, Dana Roxana; Cammann, Victoria L.; Jurisic, Stjepan; Napp, Lars Christian; Jaguszewski, Milosz; Scherff, Frank; Brugger, Peter; Jäncke, Lutz; Seifert, Burkhardt; Bax, Jeroen J.; Ruschitzka, Frank; Lüscher, Thomas F.; Templin, Christian; Schwyzer, Moritz; Franke, Jennifer; Katus, Hugo A.; Burgdorf, Christof; Schunkert, Heribert; Thiele, Holger; Bauersachs, Johann; Tschöpe, Carsten; Rajan, Lawrence; Michels, Guido; Pfister, Roman; Ukena, Christian; Böhm, Michael; Erbel, Raimund; Cuneo, Alessandro; Kuck, Karl-Heinz; Jacobshagen, Claudius; Hasenfuß, Gerd; Karakas, Mahir; Koenig, Wolfgang; Rottbauer, Wolfgang; Said, Samir M.; Braun-Dullaeus, Ruediger C.; Cuculi, Florim; Banning, Adrian; Fischer, Thomas A.; Vasankari, Tuija; Airaksinen, K.E. Juhani; Fijalkowski, Marcin; Rynkiewicz, Andrzej; Opolski, Grzegorz; Dworakowski, Rafal; MacCarthy, Philip; Kaiser, Christoph; Osswald, Stefan; Galiuto, Leonarda; Crea, Filippo; Dichtl, Wolfgang; Franz, Wolfgang M.; Empen, Klaus; Felix, Stephan B.; Delmas, Clément; Lairez, Olivier; Erne, Paul; Prasad, Abhiram

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Aims Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is typically provoked by negative stressors such as grief, anger, or fear leading to the popular term ‘broken heart syndrome’. However, the role of positive emotions triggering TTS remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyse the prevalence and characteristics of patients with TTS following pleasant events, which are distinct from the stressful or undesirable episodes commonly triggering TTS. Methods and results Takotsubo syndrome patients with preceding pleasant events were compared to those with negative emotional triggers from the International Takotsubo Registry. Of 1750 TTS patients, we identified a total of 485 with a definite emotional trigger. Of these, 4.1% (n = 20) presented with pleasant preceding events and 95.9% (n = 465) with unequivocal negative emotional events associated with TTS. Interestingly, clinical presentation of patients with ‘happy heart syndrome’ was similar to those with the ‘broken heart syndrome’ including symptoms such as chest pain [89.5% (17/19) vs. 90.2% (412/457), P = 1.0]. Similarly, electrocardiographic parameters, laboratory findings, and 1-year outcome did not differ. However, in a post hoc analysis, a disproportionate higher prevalence of midventricular involvement was noted in ‘happy hearts’ compared with ‘broken hearts’ (35.0 vs. 16.3%, P = 0.030). Conclusion Our data illustrate that TTS can be triggered by not only negative but also positive life events. While patient characteristics were similar between groups, the midventricular TTS type was more prevalent among the ‘happy hearts’ than among the ‘broken hearts’. Presumably, despite their distinct nature, happy and sad life events may share similar final common emotional pathways, which can ultimately trigger TTS. PMID:26935270

  3. Happy heart syndrome: role of positive emotional stress in takotsubo syndrome.

    PubMed

    Ghadri, Jelena R; Sarcon, Annahita; Diekmann, Johanna; Bataiosu, Dana Roxana; Cammann, Victoria L; Jurisic, Stjepan; Napp, Lars Christian; Jaguszewski, Milosz; Scherff, Frank; Brugger, Peter; Jäncke, Lutz; Seifert, Burkhardt; Bax, Jeroen J; Ruschitzka, Frank; Lüscher, Thomas F; Templin, Christian

    2016-10-01

    Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is typically provoked by negative stressors such as grief, anger, or fear leading to the popular term 'broken heart syndrome'. However, the role of positive emotions triggering TTS remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to analyse the prevalence and characteristics of patients with TTS following pleasant events, which are distinct from the stressful or undesirable episodes commonly triggering TTS. Takotsubo syndrome patients with preceding pleasant events were compared to those with negative emotional triggers from the International Takotsubo Registry. Of 1750 TTS patients, we identified a total of 485 with a definite emotional trigger. Of these, 4.1% (n = 20) presented with pleasant preceding events and 95.9% (n = 465) with unequivocal negative emotional events associated with TTS. Interestingly, clinical presentation of patients with 'happy heart syndrome' was similar to those with the 'broken heart syndrome' including symptoms such as chest pain [89.5% (17/19) vs. 90.2% (412/457), P = 1.0]. Similarly, electrocardiographic parameters, laboratory findings, and 1-year outcome did not differ. However, in a post hoc analysis, a disproportionate higher prevalence of midventricular involvement was noted in 'happy hearts' compared with 'broken hearts' (35.0 vs. 16.3%, P = 0.030). Our data illustrate that TTS can be triggered by not only negative but also positive life events. While patient characteristics were similar between groups, the midventricular TTS type was more prevalent among the 'happy hearts' than among the 'broken hearts'. Presumably, despite their distinct nature, happy and sad life events may share similar final common emotional pathways, which can ultimately trigger TTS. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

  4. Taming the Wildness of "Trojan-Horse" Peptides by Charge-Guided Masking and Protease-Triggered Demasking for the Controlled Delivery of Antitumor Agents.

    PubMed

    Shi, Nian-Qiu; Qi, Xian-Rong

    2017-03-29

    Cell-penetrating peptide (CPP), also called "Trojan Horse" peptide, has become a successful approach to deliver various payloads into cells for achieving the intracellular access. However, the "Trojan Horse" peptide is too wild, not just to "Troy", but rather widely distributed in the body. Thus, there is an urgent need to tame the wildness of "Trojan Horse" peptide for targeted delivery of antineoplastic agents to the tumor site. To achieve this goal, we exploit a masked CPP-doxorubicin conjugate platform for targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs using charge-guided masking and protease-triggered demasking strategies. In this platform, the cell-penetrating function of the positively CPP (d-form nonaarginine) is abrogated by a negatively shielding peptide (masked CPP), and between them is a cleavable substrate peptide by the protease (MMP-2/9). Protease-triggered demasking would occur when the masked CPP reached the MMP-2/9-riched tumor. The CPP-doxorubicin conjugate (CPP-Dox) and the masked CPP-Dox conjugate (mCPP-Dox) were used as models for the evaluation of masking and demasking processes. It was found that exogenous MMP-2/9 could effectively trigger the reversion of CPP-cargo in this conjugate, and this trigger adhered to the Michaelis-Menten kinetics profile. This conjugate was sensitive to the trigger of endogenous MMP-2/9 and could induce enhanced cytotoxicity toward MMP-2/9-rich tumor cells. In vivo antitumor efficacy revealed that this masked conjugate had considerable antitumor activity and could inhibit the tumor growth at a higher level relative to CPP-cargo. Low toxicity in vivo showed the noticeably decreased wildness of this conjugate toward normal tissues and more controllable entry of antitumor agents into "Troy". On the basis of analyses in vitro and in vivo, this mCPP-cargo conjugate delivery system held an improved selectivity toward MMP-2/9-rich tumors and would be a promising strategy for tumor-targeted treatment.

  5. Tuning complement activation and pathway through controlled molecular architecture of dextran chains in nanoparticle corona.

    PubMed

    Coty, Jean-Baptiste; Eleamen Oliveira, Elquio; Vauthier, Christine

    2017-11-05

    The understanding of complement activation by nanomaterials is a key to a rational design of safe and efficient nanomedicines. This work proposed a systematic study investigating how molecular design of nanoparticle coronas made of dextran impacts on mechanisms that trigger complement activation. The nanoparticles used for this work consisted of dextran-coated poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) (PIBCA) nanoparticles have already been thoroughly characterized. Their different capacity to trigger complement activation established on the cleavage of the protein C3 was also already described making these nanoparticles good models to investigate the relation between the molecular feature of their corona and the mechanism by which they triggered complement activation. Results of this new study show that complement activation pathways can be selected by distinct architectures formed by dextran chains composing the nanoparticle corona. Assumptions that explain the relation between complement activation mechanisms triggered by the nanoparticles and the nanoparticle corona molecular feature were proposed. These results are of interest to better understand how the design of dextran-coated nanomaterials will impact interactions with the complement system. It can open perspectives with regard to the selection of a preferential complement activation pathway or prevent the nanoparticles to activate the complement system, based on a rational choice of the corona configuration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. HSA/PSS coated gold nanorods as thermo-triggered drug delivery vehicles for combined cancer photothermal therapy and chemotherapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tu, Ting-Yu; Yang, Shu-Jyuan; Wang, Chung-Hao; Lee, Shin-Yu; Shieh, Ming-Jium

    2018-02-01

    Drug delivery systems combined multimodal therapy strategies are very promising in cancer theranostic applications. In this work, a new drug-delivery vehicles based on human serum albumin (HSA)-coated gold nanorods (GNR/PSS/HSA NPs) was developed. The success of coating was verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, it is demonstrated that doxorubicin (DOX) is successfully loaded among multilayered gold nanorods by the electrostatic and hydrophobic force, and DOX@GNR/PSS/HSA NPs were highly biocompatible and stable in various physiological solutions. The NPs possess strong absorbance in nearinfrared (NIR) region, and high photothermal conversion efficiency for outstanding photothermal therapy applications. A bimodal drug release triggered by proteinase or NIR irradiation has been revealed, resulting in a significant chemotherapeutic effect in tumor sites because of the preferential drug accumulation and triggered release. Importantly, the in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that DOX@GNR/PSS/HSA NPs, which combined photothermal and chemotherapy for cancer therapy, revealing a remarkably superior synergistic anticancer effect over either monotherapy. All these results suggested a considerable potential of DOX@GNR/PSS/HSA NPs nano-platform for antitumor therapy.

  7. Retesting of liquefaction and nonliquefaction case histories from the 1976 Tangshan earthquake

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moss, R.E.S.; Kayen, R.E.; Tong, L.-Y.; Liu, S.-Y.; Cai, G.-J.; Wu, J.

    2011-01-01

    A field investigation was performed to retest liquefaction and nonliquefaction sites from the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China. These sites were carefully investigated in 1978 and 1979 by using standard penetration test (SPT) and cone penetration test (CPT) equipment; however, the CPT measurements are obsolete because of the now nonstandard cone that was used at the time. In 2007, a modern cone was mobilized to retest 18 selected sites that are particularly important because of the intense ground shaking they sustained despite their high fines content and/or because the site did not liquefy. Of the sites reinvestigated and carefully reprocessed, 13 were considered accurate representative case histories. Two of the sites that were originally investigated for liquefaction have been reinvestigated for cyclic failure of fine-grained soil and removed from consideration for liquefaction triggering. The most important outcome of these field investigations was the collection of more accurate data for three nonliquefaction sites that experienced intense ground shaking. Data for these three case histories is now included in an area of the liquefaction triggering database that was poorly populated and will help constrain the upper bound of future liquefaction triggering curves. ?? 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.

  8. 77 FR 29345 - Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-17

    ... of the Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) and Acting Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters... earlier notice of the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of...

  9. 44 CFR 331.4 - Special consideration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... HOMELAND SECURITY PREPAREDNESS PRESERVATION OF THE MOBILIZATION BASE THROUGH THE PLACEMENT OF PROCUREMENT... sells a significant proportion of its production to the Government is generally depressed or has a... hearing of interested parties, will give consideration to appropriate measures applicable to the entire...

  10. A bench study of intensive-care-unit ventilators: new versus old and turbine-based versus compressed gas-based ventilators

    PubMed Central

    Thille, Arnaud W.; Lyazidi, Aissam; Richard, Jean-Christophe M.; Galia, Fabrice; Brochard, Laurent

    2009-01-01

    Objective To compare 13 commercially available, new-generation, intensive-care-unit (ICU) ventilators regarding trigger function, pressurization capacity during pressure-support ventilation (PSV), accuracy of pressure measurements and expiratory resistance. Design and Setting Bench study at a research laboratory in a university hospital. Material Four turbine-based ventilators and nine conventional servo-valve compressed-gas ventilators were tested using a two-compartment lung model. Results Three levels of effort were simulated. Each ventilator was evaluated at four PSV levels (5, 10, 15, and 20 cm H2O), with and without positive end-expiratory pressure (5 cm H2O, Trigger function was assessed as the time from effort onset to detectable pressurization. Pressurization capacity was evaluated using the airway pressure-time product computed as the net area under the pressure-time curve over the first 0.3 s after inspiratory effort onset. Expiratory resistance was evaluated by measuring trapped volume in controlled ventilation. Significant differences were found across the ventilators, with a range of triggering-delay from 42 ms to 88 ms for all conditions averaged (P<.001). Under difficult conditions, the triggering delay was longer than 100 ms and the pressurization was poor with five ventilators at PSV5 and three at PSV10, suggesting an inability to unload patient’s effort. On average, turbine-based ventilators performed better than conventional ventilators, which showed no improvement compared to a 2000 bench comparison. Conclusion Technical performances of trigger function, pressurization capacity and expiratory resistance vary considerably across new-generation ICU ventilators. ICU ventilators seem to have reached a technical ceiling in recent years, and some ventilators still perform inadequately. PMID:19352622

  11. Real-time, contextual intervention using mobile technology to reduce marijuana use among youth: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Shrier, Lydia A; Rhoads, Amanda; Burke, Pamela; Walls, Courtney; Blood, Emily A

    2014-01-01

    We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of MOMENT, an intervention to reduce youth marijuana use that combines brief motivational enhancement therapy with mobile self-monitoring and responsive messaging. At baseline, primary care patients ages 15-24 who used marijuana frequently (at least 3 times per week) completed a recall assessment, then 1 week of mobile momentary and daily reports on use-related factors. For the intervention, youth participated in two motivational enhancement therapy sessions, during which they identified their top-3 social and emotional triggers for use and discussed healthy ways to manage them. They then completed two weeks of mobile reports. Upon reporting a top-3 trigger for use, desire to use, or recent use, they received a message supporting self-efficacy and prompting consideration of coping strategies. Generalized estimating equations examined changes in momentary-, daily-, and individual-level measures on 3-month recall and mobile assessments. Twenty-seven youth (M=19.2 years, 70% female) enrolled; there were 377-677 momentary and 50-106 daily reports per study phase. Participants reported reading the messages and finding them motivating, being comfortable with participation, and not experiencing the study as burdensome. Although proportion of momentary reports of being in a top-3 trigger context did not change (36%-43%), marijuana desire in a top-3 trigger context and marijuana use after top-3 trigger exposure decreased over the study (p<.0001 and p=.03, respectively). Daily- and individual-level measures showed similar, non-significant, improvements. The MOMENT intervention appears feasible, well-accepted, and potentially efficacious for youth who use marijuana frequently. © 2013.

  12. A bench study of intensive-care-unit ventilators: new versus old and turbine-based versus compressed gas-based ventilators.

    PubMed

    Thille, Arnaud W; Lyazidi, Aissam; Richard, Jean-Christophe M; Galia, Fabrice; Brochard, Laurent

    2009-08-01

    To compare 13 commercially available, new-generation, intensive-care-unit (ICU) ventilators in terms of trigger function, pressurization capacity during pressure-support ventilation (PSV), accuracy of pressure measurements, and expiratory resistance. Bench study at a research laboratory in a university hospital. Four turbine-based ventilators and nine conventional servo-valve compressed-gas ventilators were tested using a two-compartment lung model. Three levels of effort were simulated. Each ventilator was evaluated at four PSV levels (5, 10, 15, and 20 cm H2O), with and without positive end-expiratory pressure (5 cm H2O). Trigger function was assessed as the time from effort onset to detectable pressurization. Pressurization capacity was evaluated using the airway pressure-time product computed as the net area under the pressure-time curve over the first 0.3 s after inspiratory effort onset. Expiratory resistance was evaluated by measuring trapped volume in controlled ventilation. Significant differences were found across the ventilators, with a range of triggering delays from 42 to 88 ms for all conditions averaged (P < 0.001). Under difficult conditions, the triggering delay was longer than 100 ms and the pressurization was poor for five ventilators at PSV5 and three at PSV10, suggesting an inability to unload patient's effort. On average, turbine-based ventilators performed better than conventional ventilators, which showed no improvement compared to a bench comparison in 2000. Technical performance of trigger function, pressurization capacity, and expiratory resistance differs considerably across new-generation ICU ventilators. ICU ventilators seem to have reached a technical ceiling in recent years, and some ventilators still perform inadequately.

  13. Hazard Potential of Volcanic Flank Collapses Raised by New Megatsunami Evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramalho, R. S.; Winckler, G.; Madeira, J.; Helffrich, G. R.; Hipólito, A.; Quartau, R.; Adena, K.; Schaefer, J. M.

    2015-12-01

    Large-scale gravitational flank collapses of steep volcanic islands are hypothetically capable of triggering megatsunamis with highly catastrophic effects. Yet evidence for the existence and impact of collapsed-triggered megatsunamis and their run-up heights remains scarce and/or is highly contentious. Therefore a considerable debate still exists over the potential magnitude of collapse-triggered tsunamis and their inherent hazard. In particular, doubts still remain whether or not large-scale flank failures typically generate enough volume flux to result in megatsunamis, or alternatively operate by slow-moving or multiple smaller episodic failures with much lower tsunamigenic potential. Here we show that one of the tallest and most active oceanic volcanoes on Earth - Fogo, in the Cape Verde Islands - collapsed catastrophically and triggered a megatsunami with devastating near-field effects ~73,000 years ago. Our deductions are based on the recent discovery and cosmogenic 3He dating of tsunamigenic deposits - comprising fields of stranded megaclasts, chaotic conglomerates, and sand sheets - found on the adjacent Santiago Island, which attest to the impact of this megatsunami and document wave run-up heights exceeding 270 m. The evidence reported here implies that Fogo's flank failure involved at least one sudden and voluminous event that resulted in a megatsunami, in contrast to what has been suggested before. Our work thus provides another line of evidence that large-scale flank failures at steep volcanic islands may indeed happen catastrophically and are capable of triggering tsunamis of enormous height and energy. This new line of evidence therefore reinforces the hazard potential of volcanic island collapses and stands as a warning that such hazard should not be underestimated, particularly in areas where volcanic island edifices are close to other islands or to highly populated continental margins.

  14. Stress and substance P but not the substance P-metabolite SP5-11 trigger murine abortion by augmenting TNF-alpha levels at the feto-maternal interface.

    PubMed

    Fest, S; Zenclussen, A C; Joachim, R; Hagen, E; Demuth, H-U; Hoffmann, T

    2006-01-01

    In a well-established murine abortion model, stress is thought to trigger fetal rejection by inducing a proinflammatory immune response via substance P (SP), being tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-producing CD8+ T cells involved. Interestingly, the SP metabolite SP5-11 also binds to SP receptors and mediates SP-like effects on immune cells at sites of inflammation. No data were available regarding the effects of SP5-11 on pregnancy outcome in the CBA/J x DBA/2J abortion-prone combination. We investigated the influence of SP5-11 in contrast to stress or SP on the abortion rate and the cytokine production by lymphocytes as well as on the levels of CD8+ T cells. Stress and SP boosted the abortion rate and increased the percentage of type 1 [TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-12] and type 2 (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokine-producing lymphocytes in blood and decidua, predominantly CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, SP5-11 did not significantly affect the abortion rate or cytokine production in the decidua, while increasing the Th1 and Th2 cytokine production systemically. Our data suggest that stress and SP induce abortion by augmenting the local levels of TNF-alpha, which seems therefore to be a potent trigger of miscarriage. On the contrary, the SP metabolite SP5-11 only affects the systemic cytokine production without boosting the abortion rate in this experimental model.

  15. [Disclosure of conflicts of interest in the Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie].

    PubMed

    Bergoets, M; Pieters, G

    2009-01-01

    Between March 2000 and December 2008 authors disclosed conflicts of interest in 9% of articles in the Tijdschrift voor Psychiatrie. For the same period, in the articles dealing with pharmaceuticals, the percentage of articles containing disclosures of conflict of interest was considerably higher, namely 24%. The policy of the journal with regard to the disclosure of conflicts of interest has helped to promote transparency. Further efforts are needed to encourage authors to disclose conflicts of interest.

  16. Anaesthetic injection versus ischemic compression for the pain relief of abdominal wall trigger points in women with chronic pelvic pain.

    PubMed

    Montenegro, Mary L L S; Braz, Carolina A; Rosa-e-Silva, Julio C; Candido-dos-Reis, Francisco J; Nogueira, Antonio A; Poli-Neto, Omero B

    2015-12-01

    Chronic pelvic pain is a common condition among women, and 10 to 30 % of causes originate from the abdominal wall, and are associated with trigger points. Although little is known about their pathophysiology, variable methods have been practiced clinically. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of local anaesthetic injections versus ischemic compression via physical therapy for pain relief of abdominal wall trigger points in women with chronic pelvic pain. We conducted a parallel group randomized trial including 30 women with chronic pelvic pain with abdominal wall trigger points. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups. One group received an injection of 2 mL 0.5 % lidocaine without a vasoconstrictor into a trigger point. In the other group, ischemic compression via physical therapy was administered at the trigger points three times, with each session lasting for 60 s, and a rest period of 30 s between applications. Both treatments were administered during one weekly session for four weeks. Our primary outcomes were satisfactory clinical response rates and percentages of pain relief. Our secondary outcomes are pain threshold and tolerance at the trigger points. All subjects were evaluated at baseline and 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the interventions. The study was conducted at a tertiary hospital that was associated with a university providing assistance predominantly to working class women who were treated by the public health system. Clinical response rates and pain relief were significantly better at 1, 4, and 12 weeks for those receiving local anaesthetic injections than ischemic compression via physical therapy. The pain relief of women treated with local anaesthetic injections progressively improved at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after intervention. In contrast, women treated with ischemic compression did not show considerable changes in pain relief after intervention. In the local anaesthetic injection group, pain threshold and tolerance improved with time in the absence of significant differences between groups. Lidocaine injection seems to be better for reducing the severity of chronic pelvic pain secondary to abdominal wall trigger points compared to ischemic compression via physical therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00628355. Date of registration: February 25, 2008.

  17. 78 FR 41928 - Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-12

    ... the Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be... the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in...

  18. 78 FR 48678 - Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-09

    ... the Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be... the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in...

  19. 78 FR 75920 - Sunshine Act Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-13

    ... the Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be... the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in...

  20. 78 FR 34100 - Sunshine Act Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-06

    ... the Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be... the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in...

  1. 78 FR 31548 - Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-24

    ... Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be the subject... was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in a meeting...

  2. 78 FR 66005 - Notice of Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-04

    ... of the Currency), Director Richard Cordray (Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which... notice of the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the...

  3. Consideration of the 15 Factors in the Metropolitan Planning Process

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1995-01-01

    This synthesis will be of immediate interest to land luse and transportation : planning officials, with special interest to state, regional, and local planners : and administrators who must repond to the requirements of the Intermodal Surface : Trans...

  4. Evaluating the Relationship between Teacher Credential Students' Ability to Read and Their Interest in Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cockerham, Barbara Jean

    2013-01-01

    Teacher enthusiasm for reading has considerable influence on students' reading interest and reading ability. The purpose of this study was to better understand the relationship between reading ability and reading interest among adults who plan to become teachers. This study tested whether there is a relationship between reading ability as measured…

  5. 16 CFR 801.10 - Value of voting securities, non-corporate interests and assets to be acquired.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Value of voting securities, non-corporate... ACT OF 1976 COVERAGE RULES § 801.10 Value of voting securities, non-corporate interests and assets to... value of all consideration for such voting securities, non-corporate interests or assets to be acquired...

  6. 16 CFR 801.10 - Value of voting securities, non-corporate interests and assets to be acquired.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Value of voting securities, non-corporate... ACT OF 1976 COVERAGE RULES § 801.10 Value of voting securities, non-corporate interests and assets to... value of all consideration for such voting securities, non-corporate interests or assets to be acquired...

  7. 16 CFR 801.10 - Value of voting securities, non-corporate interests and assets to be acquired.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Value of voting securities, non-corporate... ACT OF 1976 COVERAGE RULES § 801.10 Value of voting securities, non-corporate interests and assets to... value of all consideration for such voting securities, non-corporate interests or assets to be acquired...

  8. Paramyxovirus fusion and entry: multiple paths to a common end.

    PubMed

    Chang, Andres; Dutch, Rebecca E

    2012-04-01

    The paramyxovirus family contains many common human pathogenic viruses, including measles, mumps, the parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and the zoonotic henipaviruses, Hendra and Nipah. While the expression of a type 1 fusion protein and a type 2 attachment protein is common to all paramyxoviruses, there is considerable variation in viral attachment, the activation and triggering of the fusion protein, and the process of viral entry. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of paramyxovirus F protein-mediated membrane fusion, an essential process in viral infectivity. We also review the role of the other surface glycoproteins in receptor binding and viral entry, and the implications for viral infection. Throughout, we concentrate on the commonalities and differences in fusion triggering and viral entry among the members of the family. Finally, we highlight key unanswered questions and how further studies can identify novel targets for the development of therapeutic treatments against these human pathogens.

  9. Crossover from polariton lasing to exciton lasing in a strongly coupled ZnO microcavity.

    PubMed

    Lai, Ying-Yu; Chou, Yu-Hsun; Lan, Yu-Pin; Lu, Tien-Chang; Wang, Shing-Chung; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

    2016-02-03

    Unlike conventional photon lasing, in which the threshold is limited by the population inversion of the electron-hole plasma, the exciton lasing generated by exciton-exciton scattering and the polariton lasing generated by dynamical condensates have received considerable attention in recent years because of the sub-Mott density and low-threshold operation. This paper presents a novel approach to generate both exciton and polariton lasing in a strongly coupled microcavity (MC) and determine the critical driving requirements for simultaneously triggering these two lasing operation in temperature <140 K and large negative polariton-exciton offset (<-133 meV) conditions. In addition, the corresponding lasing behaviors, such as threshold energy, linewidth, phase diagram, and angular dispersion are verified. The results afford a basis from which to understand the complicated lasing mechanisms in strongly coupled MCs and verify a new method with which to trigger dual laser emission based on exciton and polariton.

  10. Humic Substances: Determining Potential Molecular Regulatory Processes in Plants

    PubMed Central

    Shah, Zahid Hussain; Rehman, Hafiz M.; Akhtar, Tasneem; Alsamadany, Hameed; Hamooh, Bahget T.; Mujtaba, Tahir; Daur, Ihsanullah; Al Zahrani, Yahya; Alzahrani, Hind A. S.; Ali, Shawkat; Yang, Seung H.; Chung, Gyuhwa

    2018-01-01

    Humic substances (HSs) have considerable effects on soil fertility and crop productivity owing to their unique physiochemical and biochemical properties, and play a vital role in establishing biotic and abiotic interactions within the plant rhizosphere. A comprehensive understanding of the mode of action and tissue distribution of HS is, however, required, as this knowledge could be useful for devising advanced rhizospheric management practices. These substances trigger various molecular processes in plant cells, and can strengthen the plant’s tolerance to various kinds of abiotic stresses. HS manifest their effects in cells through genetic, post-transcriptional, and post-translational modifications of signaling entities that trigger different molecular, biochemical, and physiological processes. Understanding of such fundamental mechanisms will provide a better perspective for defining the cues and signaling crosstalk of HS that mediate various metabolic and hormonal networks operating in plant systems. Various regulatory activities and distribution strategies of HS have been discussed in this review. PMID:29593751

  11. Measurement of low-frequency magnetic pulses from negative stepped leaders in rocket-triggered lightning flashes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Gaopeng

    2017-04-01

    Measurement of low-frequency magnetic pulses from negative stepped leaders in rocket-triggered lightning flashes Gaopeng Lu,1,2 Yanfeng Fan,1,3 Hongbo Zhang,1,3 Rubin Jiang,1,2 Mingyuan Liu,1,2 and Xiushu Qie,1,2 1. Key Laboratory of Middle Atmosphere and Global Environment Observation, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China 2. Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210044, China 3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China We report the measurement of magnetic pulses from the negative stepped leaders in positive rocket-triggered lightning flashes with the low-frequency (4 kHz to 420 kHz) magnetic sensor at two different distances (78 m and 970 m, respectively) during the SHantong Artificial Triggered Lightning Experiments (SHATLE) during summer of 2015. Different from the magnetic radiation from positive leaders as observed in the considerably more frequent cases, the impulsive signals from the negative leader sustain for a much longer time interval, while the attenuation of current pulse launched by the stepping of leader is also observed. The general pattern of magnetic pulses observed for the negative stepped leader is different from the positive counterpart. Also, the initial negative leader appears to be brighter than the positive ones, as shown by both high-speed video observation and the magnetic measurement.

  12. Smart nanovehicles based on pH-triggered disassembly of supramolecular peptide-amphiphiles for efficient intracellular drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xianghui; Li, Yunkun; Li, Haiping; Liu, Rong; Sheng, Mingming; He, Bin; Gu, Zhongwei

    2014-03-26

    A novel type of nanovehicle (NV) based on stimuli-responsive supramolecular peptide-amphiphiles (SPAs, dendritic poly (L-lysine) non-covalently linked poly (L-leucine)) is developed for intracellular drug delivery. To determine the pH-dependent mechanism, the supramolecular peptide-amphiphile system (SPAS) is investigated at different pH conditions using a variety of physical and chemical approaches. The pH-triggered disassembly of SPAS can be attributed to the disappearance of non-covalent interactions within SPAs around the isoelectric point of poly (L-leucine). SPAS is found to encapsulate guest molecules at pH 7.4 but release them at pH 6.2. In this way, SPAS is able to act as a smart NV to deliver its target to tumor cells using intracellular pH as a trigger. The DOX-loaded NVs are approximately 150 nm in size. In vitro release profiles and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images of HepG2 cells confirm that lower pH conditions can trigger the disassembly of NVs and so achieve pH-dependent intracellular DOX delivery. In vitro cytotoxicity of the DOX-loaded NVs to HepG2 cells demonstrate that the smart NVs enhance the efficacy of hydrophobic DOX. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and CLSM results show that the NVs can enhance the endocytosis of DOX into HepG2 cells considerably and deliver DOX to the nuclei. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Ethical considerations surrounding the response to Ebola: the Spanish experience.

    PubMed

    Royo-Bordonada, Miguel Ángel; García López, Fernando J

    2016-08-18

    The recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, with 28,646 reported cases and 11,323 deaths, was declared a public health emergency of international interest by the World Health Organisation. In Spain, a single reported case triggered a public health crisis of a markedly media-centred nature. The approach to the first EVD epidemic has given rise to various ethical considerations around the world. We address the most relevant ethical considerations emanating from the management of EVD in Spain. Firstly, for reasons of global justice and humanitarian assistance, rich countries have the duty to support poorer countries in building up their core public-health capacities. Secondly, quarantine for high-risk contacts might have been a disproportionate and not properly justified measure, which could have contributed to stigmatising contacts and spreading panic. Thirdly, when the first secondary case was reported in Spain, it is doubtful whether informed consent requirements were strictly complied with when disclosing information concerning the alleged accident potentially causing the contagion. Moreover, this information was used by the Regional Health Minister to blame the patient, evading his responsibility to ensure safe medical procedures for health workers. Finally, the patient received convalescent plasma for compassionate use from a colleague of the first missionary repatriated, who also participated in a research study in Spain, despite having previously been denied the chance of being transferred to Spain to receive treatment. This fact highlights the asymmetry in the relationship between rich and poor countries. The management of this crisis highlighted the technical capacity of the health system and its professionals to respond effectively to public health emergencies caused by emerging diseases. This said, the failures in the protection of the EVD patient's privacy remind us that this aspect has to be borne in mind from the outset in crisis situations. Certain coercive measures, such as quarantine, should only be applied where there is some evidence that the benefit-risk balance could be favourable. Lastly, it is essential that research and interventions targeted at combating the fragility of the health systems in poor countries respond to reasons of global justice.

  14. Recurrent wheeze and cough in young children: is it asthma?

    PubMed Central

    Ng, Mark Chung Wai; How, Choon How

    2014-01-01

    A clinical diagnosis of asthma is often considered when a child presents with recurrent cough, wheeze and breathlessness. However, there are many other causes of wheeze in a young child. These range from recurrent viral infections to chronic suppurative lung disease, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and rare structural abnormalities. Arriving at a diagnosis includes taking into consideration the symptomatology, triggers, atopic features, family history, absence of red flags and therapeutic trial, where indicated. PMID:24862744

  15. Biotechnological uses of RNAi in plants: risk assessment considerations.

    PubMed

    Casacuberta, Josep M; Devos, Yann; du Jardin, Patrick; Ramon, Matthew; Vaucheret, Hervé; Nogué, Fabien

    2015-03-01

    RNAi offers opportunities to generate new traits in genetically modified (GM) plants. Instead of expressing novel proteins, RNAi-based GM plants reduce target gene expression. Silencing of off-target genes may trigger unintended effects, and identifying these genes would facilitate risk assessment. However, using bioinformatics alone is not reliable, due to the lack of genomic data and insufficient knowledge of mechanisms governing mRNA-small (s)RNA interactions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Strategic Communication in Pursuit of National Interests

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-22

    the tsunami-induced loss of electricity triggered a hydrogen explosion at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, further compounding the disaster .38...assistance and disaster relief. Operation Tomodachi conducted in Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in spring of 2011 provided an...humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Operation Tomodachi conducted in Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in spring of 2011 provided

  17. Revelations: A Qualitative Inquiry on Visual Artistic Emergence, Common Triggers, Shared Perceptions, and Strategies for Perpetuation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kobylenski, Steven John

    2009-01-01

    This research proposal identifies those experiences that lead to the pursuit of visual art as sustained passion in life. In seeking the potential factors that contribute to an individual's continued interest in visual art at key points in their physical maturity and educational lives, strategies for success could be developed for the benefit of…

  18. A Model for Facilitating Curriculum Development in Higher Education: A Faculty-Driven, Data-Informed, and Educational Developer-Supported Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wolf, Peter

    2007-01-01

    In the fall of 2003, Teaching Support Services (TSS), a department at the University of Guelph, was approached by a faculty member in the department of food sciences. Professor Art Hill was interested in seeking support in systematically assessing the department's undergraduate curriculum and using that assessment to trigger further improvement of…

  19. Guiding Digital and Media Literacy Development in Arab Curricula through Understanding Media Uses of Arab Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Melki, Jad P.

    2015-01-01

    The role of new media in the Arab uprisings and the news of widespread surveillance of digital and mobile media have triggered a renewed interest in Arab audiences research, particularly as it pertains to these audiences' critical abilities and digital media literacy competencies. Taken for granted have been Arab youth's widespread use of social…

  20. Analysis of the interactions between host factor Sam68 and viral elements during foot-and-mouth disease virus infection

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The nuclear protein Src-associated protein of 68 kDa in mitosis (Sam68) is known to bind RNA and be involved in cellular processes triggered in response to environmental stresses, including virus infection. Interestingly, Sam68, is a multi-functional protein implicated in the life cycle of retroviru...

  1. Towards higher stability of resonant absorption measurements in pulsed plasmas.

    PubMed

    Britun, Nikolay; Michiels, Matthieu; Snyders, Rony

    2015-12-01

    Possible ways to increase the reliability of time-resolved particle density measurements in pulsed gaseous discharges using resonant absorption spectroscopy are proposed. A special synchronization, called "dynamic source triggering," between a gated detector and two pulsed discharges, one representing the discharge of interest and another being used as a reference source, is developed. An internal digital delay generator in the intensified charge coupled device camera, used at the same time as a detector, is utilized for this purpose. According to the proposed scheme, the light pulses from the reference source follow the gates of detector, passing through the discharge of interest only when necessary. This allows for the utilization of short-pulse plasmas as reference sources, which is critical for time-resolved absorption analysis of strongly emitting pulsed discharges. In addition to dynamic source triggering, the reliability of absorption measurements can be further increased using simultaneous detection of spectra relevant for absorption method, which is also demonstrated in this work. The proposed methods are illustrated by the time-resolved measurements of the metal atom density in a high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) discharge, using either a hollow cathode lamp or another HiPIMS discharge as a pulsed reference source.

  2. 77 FR 68121 - Notice of Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-15

    ... Acting Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters..., Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), seconded by Director Thomas M. Hoenig (Appointive), concurred in by... earlier notice of the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of...

  3. 78 FR 56229 - Sunshine Act Meeting Notice

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-12

    ..., Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), Director Thomas J. Curry (Comptroller of the Currency), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be... the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in...

  4. 78 FR 3895 - Sunshine Act Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-17

    ..., Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), Director Thomas J. Curry (Comptroller of the Currency), and Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg, that Corporation business required its consideration of the matters which were to be... the meeting was practicable; that the public interest did not require consideration of the matters in...

  5. The electronics, trigger and data acquisition system for the liquid argon time projection chamber of the DarkSide-50 search for dark matter

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

    Agnes, P.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.

    The DarkSide-50 experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is a search for dark matter using a dual phase time projection chamber with 50 kg of low radioactivity argon as target. Light signals from interactions in the argon are detected by a system of 38 photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs), 19 above and 19 below the TPC volume inside the argon cryostat. We describe the electronics which processes the signals from the photo-multipliers, the trigger system which identifies events of interest, and the data-acquisition system which records the data for further analysis. The electronics include resistive voltage dividers on the PMTs,more » custom pre-amplifiers mounted directly on the PMT voltage dividers in the liquid argon, and custom amplifier/discriminators (at room temperature). After amplification, the PMT signals are digitized in CAEN waveform digitizers, and CAEN logic modules are used to construct the trigger, the data acquisition system for the TPC is based on the Fermilab "artdaq" software. The system has been in operation since early 2014.« less

  6. Childhood habit cough treated with self-hypnosis.

    PubMed

    Anbar, Ran D; Hall, Howard R

    2004-02-01

    To better understand factors associated with the development and persistence of habit cough and to report use of self-hypnosis for this condition. A retrospective chart review was performed for 56 children and adolescents with habit cough. Interested patients were instructed in self-hypnosis for relaxation and to help ignore the cough-triggering sensation. The patients' mean age was 10.7 years. The cough was triggered by upper respiratory infections in 59%, asthma in 13%, exercise in 5%, and eating in 4%. Onset of the cough occurred as early as 2 years, and its average duration was 13 months (range, 2 weeks to 7 years). There was a high incidence of abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome in the 50% of the patients who missed more than 1 week of school because of their cough. Among the 51 patients who used hypnosis, the cough resolved during or immediately after the initial hypnosis instruction session in 78% and within 1 month in an additional 12%. Habit cough is triggered by various physiologic conditions, related frequently to other diagnoses, and it is associated with significant school absence. Self-hypnosis offers a safe efficient treatment.

  7. The electronics, trigger and data acquisition system for the liquid argon time projection chamber of the DarkSide-50 search for dark matter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agnes, P.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.; Alton, A. K.; Arisaka, K.; Asner, D. M.; Ave, M.; Back, H. O.; Baldin, B.; Biery, K.; Bocci, V.; Bonfini, G.; Bonivento, W.; Bossa, M.; Bottino, B.; Brigatti, A.; Brodsky, J.; Budano, F.; Bussino, S.; Cadeddu, M.; Cadoni, M.; Calaprice, F.; Canci, N.; Candela, A.; Cao, H.; Caravati, M.; Cariello, M.; Carlini, M.; Catalanotti, S.; Cataudella, V.; Cavalcante, P.; Chepurnov, A.; Cicaló, C.; Cocco, A. G.; Covone, G.; Crippa, L.; D'Angelo, D.; D'Incecco, M.; Davini, S.; de Candia, A.; De Cecco, S.; De Deo, M.; De Filippis, G.; De Rosa, G.; De Vincenzi, M.; Derbin, A.; Devoto, A.; Di Eusanio, F.; Dionisi, C.; Di Pietro, G.; Edkins, E.; Empl, A.; Fan, A.; Fiorillo, G.; Fomenko, K.; Forster, G.; Franco, D.; Gabriele, F.; Galbiati, C.; Giagu, S.; Giganti, C.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goretti, A. M.; Granato, F.; Grandi, L.; Gromov, M.; Guan, M.; Guardincerri, Y.; Hackett, B. R.; Herner, K. R.; Hughes, D.; Humble, P.; Hungerford, E. V.; Ianni, A.; Ianni, A.; James, I.; Johnson, T. N.; Keeter, K.; Kendziora, C. L.; Kobychev, V.; Koh, G.; Korablev, D.; Korga, G.; Kubankin, A.; Li, X.; Lissia, M.; Loer, B.; Lombardi, P.; Longo, G.; Luitz, S.; Ma, Y.; Machado, A.; Machulin, I. N.; Mandarano, A.; Mari, S. M.; Maricic, J.; Marini, L.; Martoff, C. J.; Meyers, P. D.; Miletic, T.; Milincic, R.; Montanari, D.; Monte, A.; Montuschi, M.; Monzani, M. E.; Mosteiro, P.; Mount, B. J.; Muratova, V. N.; Musico, P.; Navrer Agasson, A.; Nelson, A.; Odrowski, S.; Oleinik, A.; Orsini, M.; Ortica, F.; Pagani, L.; Pallavicini, M.; Pantic, E.; Parmeggiano, S.; Pelczar, K.; Pelliccia, N.; Pocar, A.; Pordes, S.; Pugachev, D. A.; Qian, H.; Randle, K.; Ranucci, G.; Razeti, M.; Razeto, A.; Reinhold, B.; Renshaw, A. L.; Rescigno, M.; Riffard, Q.; Romani, A.; Rossi, B.; Rossi, N.; Rountree, S. D.; Sablone, D.; Saggese, P.; Saldanha, R.; Sands, W.; Sangiorgio, S.; Savarese, C.; Schlitzer, B.; Segreto, E.; Semenov, D. A.; Shields, E.; Singh, P. N.; Skorokhvatov, M. D.; Smirnov, O.; Sotnikov, A.; Stanford, C.; Suvorov, Y.; Tartaglia, R.; Tatarowicz, J.; Testera, G.; Tonazzo, A.; Trinchese, P.; Unzhakov, E. V.; Verducci, M.; Vishneva, A.; Vogelaar, R. B.; Wada, M.; Walker, S.; Wang, H.; Wang, Y.; Watson, A. W.; Westerdale, S.; Wojcik, M. M.; Xiang, X.; Xiao, X.; Xu, J.; Yang, C.; Yoo, J.; Zavatarelli, S.; Zec, A.; Zhong, W.; Zhu, C.; Zuzel, G.

    2017-12-01

    The DarkSide-50 experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is a search for dark matter using a dual phase time projection chamber with 50 kg of low radioactivity argon as target. Light signals from interactions in the argon are detected by a system of 38 photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs), 19 above and 19 below the TPC volume inside the argon cryostat. We describe the electronics which processes the signals from the photo-multipliers, the trigger system which identifies events of interest, and the data-acquisition system which records the data for further analysis. The electronics include resistive voltage dividers on the PMTs, custom pre-amplifiers mounted directly on the PMT voltage dividers in the liquid argon, and custom amplifier/discriminators (at room temperature). After amplification, the PMT signals are digitized in CAEN waveform digitizers, and CAEN logic modules are used to construct the trigger; the data acquisition system for the TPC is based on the Fermilab artdaq software. The system has been in operation since early 2014.

  8. The electronics, trigger and data acquisition system for the liquid argon time projection chamber of the DarkSide-50 search for dark matter

    DOE PAGES

    Agnes, P.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.; ...

    2017-12-01

    The DarkSide-50 experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is a search for dark matter using a dual phase time projection chamber with 50 kg of low radioactivity argon as target. Light signals from interactions in the argon are detected by a system of 38 photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs), 19 above and 19 below the TPC volume inside the argon cryostat. We describe the electronics which processes the signals from the photo-multipliers, the trigger system which identifies events of interest, and the data-acquisition system which records the data for further analysis. The electronics include resistive voltage dividers on the PMTs,more » custom pre-amplifiers mounted directly on the PMT voltage dividers in the liquid argon, and custom amplifier/discriminators (at room temperature). After amplification, the PMT signals are digitized in CAEN waveform digitizers, and CAEN logic modules are used to construct the trigger, the data acquisition system for the TPC is based on the Fermilab "artdaq" software. The system has been in operation since early 2014.« less

  9. ATLAS FTK a - very complex - custom super computer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kimura, N.; ATLAS Collaboration

    2016-10-01

    In the LHC environment for high interaction pile-up, advanced techniques of analysing the data in real time are required in order to maximize the rate of physics processes of interest with respect to background processes. The Fast TracKer (FTK) is a track finding implementation at the hardware level that is designed to deliver full-scan tracks with pT above 1 GeV to the ATLAS trigger system for events passing the Level-1 accept (at a maximum rate of 100 kHz). In order to achieve this performance, a highly parallel system was designed and currently it is being commissioned within in ATLAS. Starting in 2016 it will provide tracks for the trigger system in a region covering the central part of the ATLAS detector, and will be extended to the full detector coverage. The system relies on matching hits coming from the silicon tracking detectors against one billion patterns stored in custom ASIC chips (Associative memory chip - AM06). In a first stage, coarse resolution hits are matched against the patterns and the accepted hits undergo track fitting implemented in FPGAs. Tracks with pT > 1GeV are delivered to the High Level Trigger within about 100 ps. Resolution of the tracks coming from FTK is close to the offline tracking and it will allow for reliable detection of primary and secondary vertexes at trigger level and improved trigger performance for b-jets and tau leptons. This contribution will give an overview of the FTK system and present the status of commissioning of the system. Additionally, the expected FTK performance will be briefly described.

  10. Acoustic Manifestations of Natural versus Triggered Lightning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arechiga, R. O.; Johnson, J. B.; Edens, H. E.; Rison, W.; Thomas, R. J.; Eack, K.; Eastvedt, E. M.; Aulich, G. D.; Trueblood, J.

    2010-12-01

    Positive leaders are rarely detected by VHF lightning detection systems; positive leader channels are usually outlined only by recoil events. Positive cloud-to-ground (CG) channels are usually not mapped. The goal of this work is to study the types of thunder produced by natural versus triggered lightning and to assess which types of thunder signals have electromagnetic activity detected by the lightning mapping array (LMA). Towards this end we are investigating the lightning detection capabilities of acoustic techniques, and comparing them with the LMA. In a previous study we used array beam forming and time of flight information to locate acoustic sources associated with lightning. Even though there was some mismatch, generally LMA and acoustic techniques saw the same phenomena. To increase the database of acoustic data from lightning, we deployed a network of three infrasound arrays (30 m aperture) during the summer of 2010 (August 3 to present) in the Magdalena mountains of New Mexico, to monitor infrasound (below 20 Hz) and audio range sources due to natural and triggered lightning. The arrays were located at a range of distances (60 to 1400 m) surrounding the triggering site, called the Kiva, used by Langmuir Laboratory to launch rockets. We have continuous acoustic measurements of lightning data from July 20 to September 18 of 2009, and from August 3 to September 1 of 2010. So far, lightning activity around the Kiva was higher during the summer of 2009. We will present acoustic data from several interesting lightning flashes including a comparison between a natural and a triggered one.

  11. Using Physical Organic Chemistry To Shape the Course of Electrochemical Reactions.

    PubMed

    Moeller, Kevin D

    2018-05-09

    While organic electrochemistry can look quite different to a chemist not familiar with the technique, the reactions are at their core organic reactions. As such, they are developed and optimized using the same physical organic chemistry principles employed during the development of any other organic reaction. Certainly, the electron transfer that triggers the reactions can require a consideration of new "wrinkles" to those principles, but those considerations are typically minimal relative to the more traditional approaches needed to manipulate the pathways available to the reactive intermediates formed downstream of that electron transfer. In this review, three very different synthetic challenges-the generation and trapping of radical cations, the development of site-selective reactions on microelectrode arrays, and the optimization of current in a paired electrolysis-are used to illustrate this point.

  12. 15 CFR 923.52 - Consideration of the national interest in facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public..., and managing the coastal zone, including the siting of facilities such as energy facilities which are... to or affect a state's coastal zone. (4) Describe the process for continued consideration of the...

  13. 15 CFR 923.52 - Consideration of the national interest in facilities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM REGULATIONS Coordination, Public..., and managing the coastal zone, including the siting of facilities such as energy facilities which are... to or affect a state's coastal zone. (4) Describe the process for continued consideration of the...

  14. Interfacial contributions in lignocellulosic firber-reinforced polyurethane composites

    Treesearch

    Timothy G. Rials; Michael P. Wolcott; John M. Nassar

    2001-01-01

    Whereas lignocellulosic fibers have received considerable attention as a reinforcing agent in thermoplastic composites, their applicability to reactive polymer systems remains of considerable interest. The hydroxyl-rich nature of natural lignocellulosic fibers suggests that they are particularly useful in thermsetting systems such as polyurethanes. To further this...

  15. Bubbles are responsive materials interesting for nonequilibrium physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andreeva, Daria; Granick, Steve

    Understanding of nature and conditions of non-equilibrium transformations of bubbles, droplets, polysomes and vesicles in a gradient filed is a breath-taking question that dissipative systems raise. We ask: how to establish a dynamic control of useful characteristics, for example dynamic control of morphology and composition modulation in soft matter. A possible answer is to develop a new generation of dynamic impactors that can trigger spatiotemporal oscillations of structures and functions. We aim to apply acoustic filed for development of temperature and pressure oscillations at a microscale area. We demonstrate amazing dynamic behavior of gas-filled bubbles in pressure gradient field using a unique technique combining optical imaging, high intensity ultrasound and high speed camera. We find that pressure oscillations trigger continuous phase transformations that are considered to be impossible in physical systems.

  16. Design and analysis of linear cascade DNA hybridization chain reactions using DNA hairpins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bui, Hieu; Garg, Sudhanshu; Miao, Vincent; Song, Tianqi; Mokhtar, Reem; Reif, John

    2017-01-01

    DNA self-assembly has been employed non-conventionally to construct nanoscale structures and dynamic nanoscale machines. The technique of hybridization chain reactions by triggered self-assembly has been shown to form various interesting nanoscale structures ranging from simple linear DNA oligomers to dendritic DNA structures. Inspired by earlier triggered self-assembly works, we present a system for controlled self-assembly of linear cascade DNA hybridization chain reactions using nine distinct DNA hairpins. NUPACK is employed to assist in designing DNA sequences and Matlab has been used to simulate DNA hairpin interactions. Gel electrophoresis and ensemble fluorescence reaction kinetics data indicate strong evidence of linear cascade DNA hybridization chain reactions. The half-time completion of the proposed linear cascade reactions indicates a linear dependency on the number of hairpins.

  17. Why are men interested in cosmetic surgery procedures? Examining the role of different forms of peer influence, social comparison, internalization, and body dissatisfaction.

    PubMed

    Matera, Camilla; Nerini, Amanda; Stefanile, Cristina

    2018-06-16

    The present research examined the roles of different forms of peer influence, internalization, social comparison, and body dissatisfaction in men's interest in cosmetic surgery. Participants were 204 Italian men (M age  = 34.02, SD = 11.21). Regression analyses showed that appearance conversations with friends and peer attribution were associated with consideration of cosmetic surgery for social reasons, while teasing on muscularity (but not teasing on general body and shape) was linked to interest in cosmetic surgery for intrapersonal motives. Social comparison was significantly and positively associated with men's interest in cosmetic surgery, while internalization was not. Dissatisfaction with body fat was linked to men's consideration of cosmetic surgery for social motivations, while muscularity and height dissatisfaction did not emerge as significant correlates of cosmetic surgery attitudes. These findings highlight the importance of psychosocial factors, such as peer influence, body fat dissatisfaction, and social comparison in men's interest in cosmetic procedures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Evaluation of stone-matrix asphalt mixtures containing recycled asphalt shingles(RAS).

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-05-01

    In recent years, there has been increased interest in the use of reclaimed material in asphalt : mixtures. The use of recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) has been of interest because of the high asphalt : content, although this asphalt is considerably st...

  19. Re-Evaluation of Event Correlations in Virtual California Using Statistical Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glasscoe, M. T.; Heflin, M. B.; Granat, R. A.; Yikilmaz, M. B.; Heien, E.; Rundle, J.; Donnellan, A.

    2010-12-01

    Fusing the results of simulation tools with statistical analysis methods has contributed to our better understanding of the earthquake process. In a previous study, we used a statistical method to investigate emergent phenomena in data produced by the Virtual California earthquake simulator. The analysis indicated that there were some interesting fault interactions and possible triggering and quiescence relationships between events. We have converted the original code from Matlab to python/C++ and are now evaluating data from the most recent version of Virtual California in order to analyze and compare any new behavior exhibited by the model. The Virtual California earthquake simulator can be used to study fault and stress interaction scenarios for realistic California earthquakes. The simulation generates a synthetic earthquake catalog of events with a minimum size of ~M 5.8 that can be evaluated using statistical analysis methods. Virtual California utilizes realistic fault geometries and a simple Amontons - Coulomb stick and slip friction law in order to drive the earthquake process by means of a back-slip model where loading of each segment occurs due to the accumulation of a slip deficit at the prescribed slip rate of the segment. Like any complex system, Virtual California may generate emergent phenomena unexpected even by its designers. In order to investigate this, we have developed a statistical method that analyzes the interaction between Virtual California fault elements and thereby determine whether events on any given fault elements show correlated behavior. Our method examines events on one fault element and then determines whether there is an associated event within a specified time window on a second fault element. Note that an event in our analysis is defined as any time an element slips, rather than any particular “earthquake” along the entire fault length. Results are then tabulated and then differenced with an expected correlation, calculated by assuming a uniform distribution of events in time. We generate a correlation score matrix, which indicates how weakly or strongly correlated each fault element is to every other in the course of the VC simulation. We calculate correlation scores by summing the difference between the actual and expected correlations over all time window lengths and normalizing by the time window size. The correlation score matrix can focus attention on the most interesting areas for more in-depth analysis of event correlation vs. time. The previous study included 59 faults (639 elements) in the model, which included all the faults save the creeping section of the San Andreas. The analysis spanned 40,000 yrs of Virtual California-generated earthquake data. The newly revised VC model includes 70 faults, 8720 fault elements, and spans 110,000 years. Due to computational considerations, we will evaluate the elements comprising the southern California region, which our previous study indicated showed interesting fault interaction and event triggering/quiescence relationships.

  20. Distortions and Disconnections: Disrupted Brain Connectivity in Autism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wass, Sam

    2011-01-01

    The past few years have seen considerable interest in findings of abnormal brain connectivity in the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We review recent work from neuroimaging and other sources, and argue that there is considerable convergent evidence suggesting that connectivity is disrupted in ASD. We point to evidence both of local…

  1. Interfacial contributions in lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced polyurethane composites

    Treesearch

    Timothy G. Rials; Michael P. Wolcott; John M. Nassar

    2001-01-01

    Whereas lignocellulosic fibers have received considerable attention as a rein- forcing agent in thermoplastic composites, their applicability to reactive polymer systems remains of considerable interest. The hydroxyl-rich nature of natural lignocellulosic fibers suggests that they are particularly useful in thermosetting systems such as polyurethanes. To further this...

  2. Statistical considerations in the analysis of data from replicated bioassays

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Multiple-dose bioassay is generally the preferred method for characterizing virulence of insect pathogens. Linear regression of probit mortality on log dose enables estimation of LD50/LC50 and slope, the latter having substantial effect on LD90/95s (doses of considerable interest in pest management)...

  3. Responding to and Supporting Students with Disabilities: Risk Management Considerations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundquist, Anne; Shackelford, Allan

    2011-01-01

    Making the "right" risk management decisions involving students with significant psychological disabilities requires a clear and comprehensive understanding of the legal obligations and duties at issue. It also requires taking into consideration the best interests of these individual students. At the same time, decision makers must focus…

  4. Immunocytochemical localization of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the area postrema of the cat - Light and electron microscopic study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Damelio, F. E.; Gibbs, M. A.; Mehler, W. R.; Eng, L. F.

    1985-01-01

    Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was demonstrated in the cytoplasm and processes of ependymal cells and astroglial components of the area postrema of the cat. These observations differ from the findings in the ependyma of the ventricular cavities which are consistently negative for the protein. Since some studies have suggested sensory functions of the glial cells in this emetic chemoreceptor trigger zone, a careful consideration of morphological and biochemical attributes of these cells seems appropriate.

  5. [Peripheral paralysis of facial nerve in children].

    PubMed

    Steczkowska-Klucznik, Małgorzata; Kaciński, Marek

    2006-01-01

    Peripheral facial paresis is one of the most common diagnosed neuropathies in adults and also in children. Many factors can trigger facial paresis and most frequent are infectious, carcinoma and demyelinisation diseases. Very important and interesting problem is an idiopathic facial paresis (Bell's palsy). Actually the main target of scientific research is to assess the etiology (infectious, genetic, immunologic) and to find the most appropriate treatment.

  6. Landowner interest in multifunctional agroforestry riparian buffers.

    Treesearch

    Katie Trozzo; John Munsell; James Chamberlain

    2014-01-01

    Adoption of temperate agroforestry practices generally remains limited despite considerable advances in basic science. This study builds on temperate agroforestry adoption research by empirically testing a statistical model of interest in native fruit and nut tree riparian buffers using technology and agroforestry adoption theory. Data...

  7. 32 CFR 176.35 - HUD's review of the application.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... other existing housing, social service, community economic, or other development plans adopted by the... to the expressed interest and requests of representatives of the homeless, whether the application... communities in the vicinity of the installation. (2) Impact of notices of interest. Takes into consideration...

  8. 13 CFR 107.855 - Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... § 107.855 Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”). “Cost of Money” means the interest and other consideration that you receive from a Small Business. Subject to lower ceilings prescribed by local law, the Cost of Money to the Small Business must not exceed...

  9. 13 CFR 107.855 - Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... § 107.855 Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”). “Cost of Money” means the interest and other consideration that you receive from a Small Business. Subject to lower ceilings prescribed by local law, the Cost of Money to the Small Business must not exceed...

  10. 13 CFR 107.855 - Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... § 107.855 Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”). “Cost of Money” means the interest and other consideration that you receive from a Small Business. Subject to lower ceilings prescribed by local law, the Cost of Money to the Small Business must not exceed...

  11. 13 CFR 107.855 - Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... § 107.855 Interest rate ceiling and limitations on fees charged to Small Businesses (“Cost of Money”). “Cost of Money” means the interest and other consideration that you receive from a Small Business. Subject to lower ceilings prescribed by local law, the Cost of Money to the Small Business must not exceed...

  12. Physical modelling of rainfall-induced flow failures in loose granular soils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Take, W. A.; Beddoe, R. A.

    2015-09-01

    The tragic consequences of the March 2014 Oso landslide in Washington, USA were particularly high due to the mobility of the landslide debris. Confusingly, a landslide occurred at that exact same location a number of years earlier, but simply slumped into the river at the toe of the slope. Why did these two events differ so drastically in their mobility? Considerable questions remain regarding the conditions required to generate flow failures in loose soils. Geotechnical centrifuge testing, in combination with high-speed cameras and advanced image analysis has now provided the landslides research community with a powerful new tool to experimentally investigate the complex mechanics leading to high mobility landslides. This paper highlights recent advances in our understanding of the process of static liquefaction in loose granular soil slopes achieved through observations of highly-instrumented physical models. In particular, the paper summarises experimental results aimed to identify the point of initiation of the chain-reaction required to trigger liquefaction flow failures, to assess the effect of slope inclination on the likelihood of a flowslide being triggered, and to quantify the effect of antecedent groundwater levels on the distal reach of landslide debris with the objective of beginning to explain why neighbouring slopes can exhibit such a wide variation in landslide travel distance upon rainfall-triggering.

  13. Fabrication of supramolecular star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers for ROS-triggered drug release.

    PubMed

    Zuo, Cai; Peng, Jinlei; Cong, Yong; Dai, Xianyin; Zhang, Xiaolong; Zhao, Sijie; Zhang, Xianshuo; Ma, Liwei; Wang, Baoyan; Wei, Hua

    2018-03-15

    Star-shaped copolymers with branched structures can form unimolecular micelles with better stability than the micelles self-assembled from conventional linear copolymers. However, the synthesis of star-shaped copolymers with precisely controlled degree of branching (DB) suffers from complicated sequential polymerizations and multi-step purification procedures, as well as repeated optimizations of polymer compositions. The use of a supramolecular host-guest pair as the block junction would significantly simplify the preparation. Moreover, the star-shaped copolymer-based unimolecular micelle provides an elegant solution to the tradeoff between extracellular stability and intracellular high therapeutic efficacy if the association/dissociation of the supramolecular host-guest joint can be triggered by the biologically relevant stimuli. For this purpose, in this study, a panel of supramolecular star-shaped amphiphilic block copolymers with 9, 12, and 18 arms were designed and fabricated by host-guest complexations between the ring-opening polymerization (ROP)-synthesized star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) with 3, 4, and 6 arms end-capped with ferrocene (Fc) (PCL-Fc) and the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)-produced 3-arm poly(oligo ethylene glycol) methacrylates (POEGMA) with different degrees of polymerization (DPs) of 24, 30, 47 initiated by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) (3Br-β-CD-POEGMA). The effect of DB and polymer composition on the self-assembled properties of the five star-shaped copolymers was investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and fluorescence spectrometery. Interestingly, the micelles self-assembled from 12-arm star-shaped copolymers exhibited greater stability than the 9- and 18-arm formulations. The potential of the resulting supramolecular star-shaped amphiphilic copolymers as drug carriers was evaluated by an in vitro drug release study, which confirmed the ROS-triggered accelerated drug release from the doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded supramolecular star-shaped micelles due to the oxidation-induced dissociation of β-CD/Fc pair and the consequent loss of the colloidal stability of the star-shaped micelles. Studies of the delivery efficacy by an in vitro cytotoxicity study further indicated that higher DBs and longer hydrophilic arm compromised the therapeutic efficacy of the DOX-loaded supramolecular star-shaped micelles, resulting in significantly reduced cytotoxicity, as measured by increased IC 50 value. Overall, our results revealed that the screening of hydrophilic block by DB and MW for an optimized star-shaped copolymer should balance the stability versus therapeutic efficacy tradeoff for a comprehensive consideration. Therefore, the 12-arm star-shaped copolymer with POEGMA 30 is the best formulation tested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Visual Indicators on Vaccine Boxes as Early Warning Tools to Identify Potential Freeze Damage.

    PubMed

    Angoff, Ronald; Wood, Jillian; Chernock, Maria C; Tipping, Diane

    2015-07-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of visual freeze indicators on vaccines would assist health care providers in identifying vaccines that may have been exposed to potentially damaging temperatures. Twenty-seven sites in Connecticut involved in the Vaccine for Children Program participated. In addition to standard procedures, visual freeze indicators (FREEZEmarker ® L; Temptime Corporation, Morris Plains, NJ) were affixed to each box of vaccine that required refrigeration but must not be frozen. Temperatures were monitored twice daily. During the 24 weeks, all 27 sites experienced triggered visual freeze indicator events in 40 of the 45 refrigerators. A total of 66 triggered freeze indicator events occurred in all 4 types of refrigerators used. Only 1 of the freeze events was identified by a temperature-monitoring device. Temperatures recorded on vaccine data logs before freeze indicator events were within the 35°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C) range in all but 1 instance. A total of 46,954 doses of freeze-sensitive vaccine were stored at the time of a visual freeze indicator event. Triggered visual freeze indicators were found on boxes containing 6566 doses (14.0% of total doses). Of all doses stored, 14,323 doses (30.5%) were of highly freeze-sensitive vaccine; 1789 of these doses (12.5%) had triggered indicators on the boxes. Visual freeze indicators are useful in the early identification of freeze events involving vaccines. Consideration should be given to including these devices as a component of the temperature-monitoring system for vaccines.

  15. Judging the urgency of non-verbal auditory alarms: a case study.

    PubMed

    Arrabito, G Robert; Mondor, Todd; Kent, Kimberley

    2004-06-22

    When designed correctly, non-verbal auditory alarms can convey different levels of urgency to the aircrew, and thereby permit the operator to establish the appropriate level of priority to address the alarmed condition. The conveyed level of urgency of five non-verbal auditory alarms presently used in the Canadian Forces CH-146 Griffon helicopter was investigated. Pilots of the CH-146 Griffon helicopter and non-pilots rated the perceived urgency of the signals using a rating scale. The pilots also ranked the urgency of the alarms in a post-experiment questionnaire to reflect their assessment of the actual situation that triggers the alarms. The results of this investigation revealed that participants' ratings of perceived urgency appear to be based on the acoustic properties of the alarms which are known to affect the listener's perceived level of urgency. Although for 28% of the pilots the mapping of perceived urgency to the urgency of their perception of the triggering situation was statistically significant for three of the five alarms, the overall data suggest that the triggering situations are not adequately conveyed by the acoustic parameters inherent in the alarms. The pilots' judgement of the triggering situation was intended as a means of evaluating the reliability of the alerting system. These data will subsequently be discussed with respect to proposed enhancements in alerting systems as it relates to addressing the problem of phase of flight. These results call for more serious consideration of incorporating situational awareness in the design and assignment of auditory alarms in aircraft.

  16. 23 CFR 777.11 - Other considerations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... habitat. (c) The acquisition of proprietary interests in replacement wetlands or natural habitats as a mitigation measure may be in fee simple, by easement, or by other appropriate legally recognized instrument... the purpose is no longer served, the lands and interests therein shall immediately revert to the State...

  17. 38 CFR 18.13 - Definitions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... care, housing, social services, or parks and recreation; or (ii) The entire plant or other comparable...) grants of Federal funds, (2) the grant or donation of Federal property and interests in property, (3) the... or transient basis), Federal property or any interest in such property without consideration or at a...

  18. 75 FR 33384 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request for Regulation Project

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-06-11

    ... 8228; TD 8410), Allocation and Apportionment of Interest Expense and Certain Other Expenses (Sec. Sec... to be assured of consideration. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Gerald J. Shields, Internal...: Allocation and Apportionment of Interest Expense and Certain Other Expenses. OMB Number: 1545-1072...

  19. Use of Whole-Cell Bioassays for Screening Quorum Signaling, Quorum Interference, and Biofilm Dispersion.

    PubMed

    Thornhill, Starla G; McLean, Robert J C

    2018-01-01

    In most bacteria, a global level of regulation, termed quorum sensing (QS), exists involving intercellular communication via the production and response to cell density-dependent signal molecules. QS has been associated with a number of important features in bacteria including virulence regulation and biofilm formation. Consequently, there is considerable interest in understanding, detecting, and inhibiting QS. N-acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs) are used as extracellular QS signals by a variety of Gram-negative bacteria. Chromobacterium violaceum, commonly found in soil and water, produces the characteristic purple pigment violacein, regulated by AHL-mediated QS. Based on this readily observed pigmentation phenotype, C. violaceum strains can be used to detect various aspects of AHL-mediated QS activity. In another commonly used bioassay organism, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, QS can be detected by the use of a reporter gene such as lacZ. Here, we describe several commonly used approaches incorporating C. violaceum and A. tumefaciens that can be used to detect AHL and QS inhibitors. Due to the inherent low susceptibility of biofilm bacteria to antimicrobial agents, biofilm dispersion, whereby bacteria reenter the planktonic community, is another increasingly important area of research. At least one signal, distinct from traditional QS, has been identified and there are a variety of other environmental factors that also trigger dispersion. We describe a microtiter-based experimental strategy whereby potential biofilm dispersion compounds can be screened.

  20. New Updates Pertaining to Drug Delivery of Local Anesthetics in Particular Bupivacaine Using Lipid Nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beiranvand, Siavash; Eatemadi, Ali; Karimi, Arash

    2016-06-01

    Lipid nanoparticles (liposomes) were first described in 1965, and several work have led to development of important technical advances like triggered release liposomes and drug-loaded liposomes. These advances have led to numerous clinical trials in such diverse areas such as the delivery of anti-cancer, antifungal, and antibiotic drugs; the delivery of gene medicines; and most importantly the delivery of anesthesia drugs. Quite a number of liposomes are on the market, and many more are still in developmental stage. Lipid nanoparticles are the first nano-medicine delivery system to be advanced from laboratory concept to clinical application with high considerable clinical acceptance. Drug delivery systems for local anesthetics (LAs) have caught the interest of many researchers because there are many biomedical advantages connected to their application. There have been several formulation techniques to systemically deliver LA that include encapsulation in liposomes and complexation in cyclodextrins, nanoparticles, and to a little extent gold nanoparticles. The proposed formulations help to decrease the LA concentration utilized, increase its permeability, and most importantly increase the localization of the LA for a long period of time thereby leading to increase in the duration of the LA effect and finally to reduce any local and systemic toxicity. In this review, we will highlight on new updates pertaining to drug delivery of local anesthetics in particular bupivacaine using lipid nanoparticles.

  1. New Updates Pertaining to Drug Delivery of Local Anesthetics in Particular Bupivacaine Using Lipid Nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Beiranvand, Siavash; Eatemadi, Ali; Karimi, Arash

    2016-12-01

    Lipid nanoparticles (liposomes) were first described in 1965, and several work have led to development of important technical advances like triggered release liposomes and drug-loaded liposomes. These advances have led to numerous clinical trials in such diverse areas such as the delivery of anti-cancer, antifungal, and antibiotic drugs; the delivery of gene medicines; and most importantly the delivery of anesthesia drugs. Quite a number of liposomes are on the market, and many more are still in developmental stage. Lipid nanoparticles are the first nano-medicine delivery system to be advanced from laboratory concept to clinical application with high considerable clinical acceptance. Drug delivery systems for local anesthetics (LAs) have caught the interest of many researchers because there are many biomedical advantages connected to their application. There have been several formulation techniques to systemically deliver LA that include encapsulation in liposomes and complexation in cyclodextrins, nanoparticles, and to a little extent gold nanoparticles. The proposed formulations help to decrease the LA concentration utilized, increase its permeability, and most importantly increase the localization of the LA for a long period of time thereby leading to increase in the duration of the LA effect and finally to reduce any local and systemic toxicity. In this review, we will highlight on new updates pertaining to drug delivery of local anesthetics in particular bupivacaine using lipid nanoparticles.

  2. Tsunami hazard assessment for the Azores archipelago: a historical review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cabral, Nuno; Ferreira, Teresa; Queiroz, Maria Gabriela

    2010-05-01

    The Azores islands due to its complex geographical and geodynamic setting are exposed to tsunamigenic events associated to different triggering mechanisms, local or distant. Since the settlement of the Azores, in the fifteenth century, there are several documents that relate coastal areas flooding episodes with unusually high waves which caused death and destruction. This work had as main objective the characterization of the different events that can be associated with tsunamigenic phenomena, registered in the archipelago. With this aim, it was collected diverse documentation like chronics, manuscripts, newspaper articles and magazines, scientific publications, and international databases available online. From all the studied tsunami events it was identified the occurrence of some teletsunamis, among which the most relevant was triggered by the 1st November 1755 Lisbon earthquake, with an epicenter SW of Portugal, which killed 6 people in Terceira island. It is also noted the teletsunami generated by the 1761 earthquake, located in the same region as the latest, and the one generated in 1929 by an earthquake-triggered submarine landslide in the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. From the local events, originated in the Azores, the most significant were the tsunamis triggered by 1757 and 1980 earthquakes, both associated with the Terceira Rift dynamics. In the first case the waves may also be due to earthquake-triggered. With respect to tsunamis triggered by sea cliffs landslides it is important to mention the 1847 Quebrada Nova and the 1980 Rocha Alta events, both located in the Flores Island. The 1847 event is the deadliest tsunami recorded in Azores since 10 people died in Flores and Corvo islands in result of the propagated wave. The developed studies improve knowledge of the tsunami sources that affected the Azores during its history, also revealing the importance of awareness about this natural phenomenon. The obtained results showed that the tsunami hazard in the Azores is mostly driven from the events triggered by distant earthquakes and local earthquakes and landslides. In this context, were identified 12 tsunami events. In another context, it were identified 6 events associated with coastal areas flooding due to floods and/or extreme weather phenomena, hypothetically identified as meteotsunamis. It should be stressed that, despite the differences associated with their triggering mechanisms, both the tsunamis generated by geological factors and those related to atmospheric phenomena may have similar impact. Although the absence of reports identifying tsunamis associated with volcanic activity, the eruptive history of the Azores active volcanoes shows high magnitude eruptions with considerable tsunamigenic potential.

  3. Combining historical and geomorphological information to investigate earthquake induced landslides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cardinali, M.; Ferrari, G.; Galli, M.; Guidoboni, E.; Guzzetti, F.

    2003-04-01

    Landslides are caused by many different triggers, including earthquakes. In Italy, a detailed new generation catalogue of information on historical earthquakes for the period 461 B.C to 1997 is available (Catalogue of Strong Italian Earthquakes from 461 B.C. to 1997, ING-SGA 2000). The catalogue lists 548 earthquakes and provides information on a total of about 450 mass-movements triggered by 118 seismic events. The information on earthquake-induced landslides listed in the catalogue was obtained through the careful scrutiny of historical documents and chronicles, but was rarely checked in the field. We report on an attempt to combine the available historical information on landslides caused by earthquakes with standard geomorphological techniques, including the interpretation of aerial photographs and field surveys, to better determine the location, type and distribution of seismically induced historical slope failures. We present four examples in the Central Apennines. The first example describes a rock slide triggered by the 1279 April 30 Umbria-Marche Apennines earthquake (Io = IX) at Serravalle, along the Chienti River (Central Italy). The landslide is the oldest known earthquake-induced slope failure in Italy. The second example describes the location of 2 large landslides triggered by the 1584 September 10 earthquake (Io = IX) at San Piero in Bagno, along the Savio River (Northern Italy). The landslides were subsequently largely modified by mass movements occurred on 1855 making the recognition of the original seismically induced failures difficult, if not impossible. In the third example we present the geographical distribution of the available information on landslide events triggered by 8 earthquakes in Central Valnerina, in the period 1703 to 1979. A comparison with the location of landslides triggered by the September-October 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquake sequence is presented. The fourth example describes the geographical distribution of the available information on landslides triggered by the great 1915 January 13 Marsica (Central Italy) earthquake (Io = XI) mostly along the Liri River valley. Problems encountered in matching the recent historical information with the local geomorphological setting are discussed. A critical analysis of the four studied examples allows general considerations on the advantages and limitations of a combined historical and geomorphological approach to investigate past earthquake induced landslides. Lastly, a preliminary analysis of the relationship between the earthquake intensity and the distance of the known slope failures to the triggering earthquake epicentres is presented, for the four investigated areas and for the entire catalogue of historical earthquakes.

  4. Independent of plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) infection, pDC triggered by virus-infected cells mount enhanced type I IFN responses of different composition as opposed to pDC stimulated with free virus.

    PubMed

    Frenz, Theresa; Graalmann, Lukas; Detje, Claudia N; Döring, Marius; Grabski, Elena; Scheu, Stefanie; Kalinke, Ulrich

    2014-09-01

    Upon treatment with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) particles, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are triggered to mount substantial type I IFN responses, whereas myeloid DC (mDC) are only minor producers. Interestingly, bone marrow-derived (BM-)mDC were more vulnerable to infection with enhanced GFP (eGFP)-expressing VSV (VSVeGFP) than BM-pDC. BM-pDC stimulated with wild-type VSV mounted TLR-dependent IFN responses that were independent of RIG-I-like helicase (RLH) signaling. In contrast, in BM-pDC the VSV variant M2 induced particularly high IFN responses triggered in a TLR- and RLH-dependent manner, whereas BM-mDC stimulation was solely RLH-dependent. Importantly, VSVeGFP treatment of BM-pDC derived from IFN-β yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) reporter mice (messenger of IFN-β) resulted in YFP(+) and eGFP(+) single-positive cells, whereas among messenger of IFN-β-BM-mDC most YFP(+) cells were also eGFP(+). This observation indicated that unlike mDC, direct virus infection was not required to trigger IFN responses of pDC. VSV-infected BM-mDC triggered BM-pDC to mount significantly higher IFN responses than free virus particles. Stimulation with infected cells enhanced the percentages of pDC subsets expressing either IFN-β(+) or IFN-α6(+) plus IFN-β(+). Irrespective of whether stimulated with free virus or infected cells, IFN induction was dependent on autophagy of pDC, whereas autophagy of the infected mDC was dispensable. Collectively, these results indicated that productive VSV infection was needed to trigger IFN responses of mDC, but not of pDC, and that IFN responses were primarily induced by virus-infected cells that stimulated pDC in a TLR-dependent manner. Copyright © 2014 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  5. Evaluation of artificial time series microarray data for dynamic gene regulatory network inference.

    PubMed

    Xenitidis, P; Seimenis, I; Kakolyris, S; Adamopoulos, A

    2017-08-07

    High-throughput technology like microarrays is widely used in the inference of gene regulatory networks (GRNs). We focused on time series data since we are interested in the dynamics of GRNs and the identification of dynamic networks. We evaluated the amount of information that exists in artificial time series microarray data and the ability of an inference process to produce accurate models based on them. We used dynamic artificial gene regulatory networks in order to create artificial microarray data. Key features that characterize microarray data such as the time separation of directly triggered genes, the percentage of directly triggered genes and the triggering function type were altered in order to reveal the limits that are imposed by the nature of microarray data on the inference process. We examined the effect of various factors on the inference performance such as the network size, the presence of noise in microarray data, and the network sparseness. We used a system theory approach and examined the relationship between the pole placement of the inferred system and the inference performance. We examined the relationship between the inference performance in the time domain and the true system parameter identification. Simulation results indicated that time separation and the percentage of directly triggered genes are crucial factors. Also, network sparseness, the triggering function type and noise in input data affect the inference performance. When two factors were simultaneously varied, it was found that variation of one parameter significantly affects the dynamic response of the other. Crucial factors were also examined using a real GRN and acquired results confirmed simulation findings with artificial data. Different initial conditions were also used as an alternative triggering approach. Relevant results confirmed that the number of datasets constitutes the most significant parameter with regard to the inference performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. On-orbit operations and offline data processing of CALET onboard the ISS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asaoka, Y.; Ozawa, S.; Torii, S.; Adriani, O.; Akaike, Y.; Asano, K.; Bagliesi, M. G.; Bigongiari, G.; Binns, W. R.; Bonechi, S.; Bongi, M.; Brogi, P.; Buckley, J. H.; Cannady, N.; Castellini, G.; Checchia, C.; Cherry, M. L.; Collazuol, G.; Di Felice, V.; Ebisawa, K.; Fuke, H.; Guzik, T. G.; Hams, T.; Hareyama, M.; Hasebe, N.; Hibino, K.; Ichimura, M.; Ioka, K.; Ishizaki, W.; Israel, M. H.; Javaid, A.; Kasahara, K.; Kataoka, J.; Kataoka, R.; Katayose, Y.; Kato, C.; Kawanaka, N.; Kawakubo, Y.; Krawczynski, H. S.; Krizmanic, J. F.; Kuramata, S.; Lomtadze, T.; Maestro, P.; Marrocchesi, P. S.; Messineo, A. M.; Mitchell, J. W.; Miyake, S.; Mizutani, K.; Moiseev, A. A.; Mori, K.; Mori, M.; Mori, N.; Motz, H. M.; Munakata, K.; Murakami, H.; Nakahira, S.; Nishimura, J.; de Nolfo, G. A.; Okuno, S.; Ormes, J. F.; Pacini, L.; Palma, F.; Papini, P.; Penacchioni, A. V.; Rauch, B. F.; Ricciarini, S. B.; Sakai, K.; Sakamoto, T.; Sasaki, M.; Shimizu, Y.; Shiomi, A.; Sparvoli, R.; Spillantini, P.; Stolzi, F.; Takahashi, I.; Takayanagi, M.; Takita, M.; Tamura, T.; Tateyama, N.; Terasawa, T.; Tomida, H.; Tsunesada, Y.; Uchihori, Y.; Ueno, S.; Vannuccini, E.; Wefel, J. P.; Yamaoka, K.; Yanagita, S.; Yoshida, A.; Yoshida, K.; Yuda, T.

    2018-07-01

    The CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET), launched for installation on the International Space Station (ISS) in August, 2015, has been accumulating scientific data since October, 2015. CALET is intended to perform long-duration observations of high-energy cosmic rays onboard the ISS. CALET directly measures the cosmic-ray electron spectrum in the energy range of 1 GeV to 20 TeV with a 2% energy resolution above 30 GeV. In addition, the instrument can measure the spectrum of gamma rays well into the TeV range, and the spectra of protons and nuclei up to a PeV. In order to operate the CALET onboard ISS, JAXA Ground Support Equipment (JAXA-GSE) and the Waseda CALET Operations Center (WCOC) have been established at JAXA and Waseda University, respectively. Scientific operations using CALET are planned at WCOC, taking into account orbital variations of geomagnetic rigidity cutoff. Scheduled command sequences are used to control the CALET observation modes on orbit. Calibration data acquisition by, for example, recording pedestal and penetrating particle events, a low-energy electron trigger mode operating at high geomagnetic latitude, a low-energy gamma-ray trigger mode operating at low geomagnetic latitude, and an ultra heavy trigger mode, are scheduled around the ISS orbit while maintaining maximum exposure to high-energy electrons and other high-energy shower events by always having the high-energy trigger mode active. The WCOC also prepares and distributes CALET flight data to collaborators in Italy and the United States. As of August 31, 2017, the total observation time is 689 days with a live time fraction of the total time of ∼ 84%. Nearly 450 million events are collected with a high-energy (E > 10 GeV) trigger. In addition, calibration data acquisition and low-energy trigger modes, as well as an ultra-heavy trigger mode, are consistently scheduled around the ISS orbit. By combining all operation modes with the excellent-quality on-orbit data collected thus far, it is expected that a five-year observation period will provide a wealth of new and interesting results.

  7. Decision Points and Considerations for Identifying Rural Districts That Have Closed Student Achievement Gaps. REL 2016-130

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Culbertson, Michael J.; Billig, Shelley H.

    2016-01-01

    Rural districts have long faced challenges in closing achievement gaps between subgroups of students. This brief report describes key decision points and considerations for decision-makers interested in identifying rural districts that have closed academic achievement gaps. Examining practices in these districts may suggest activities associated…

  8. Homelessness in Urban America: A Review of the Literature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sommer, Heidi

    In the 1980s, homelessness attracted considerable attention from the media, advocates, politicians, and the public. Virtually every sector of society and the government responded. Interest in the issue has waned considerably since then, but the problem continues growing, particularly in large urban areas. While public policies address the problem,…

  9. Similarities and differences in the p53-mdm2 and NF-kB feedback loops

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krishna, Sandeep

    2008-03-01

    Ultradian oscillations in the p53 and NF-kB signalling systems are produced using similar mechanisms: a negative feedback loop combined with an effective time delay. However, seemingly small differences in the molecular implementation of this mechanism mean that the NF-kB system is in equilibrium in the resting state, while the p53 system is far from equilibrium. I will discuss how this affects the dynamical response of the systems. In particular, I will argue that the nonequilibrium driving makes the p53 system respond much faster to external stimuli than the NF-kB system. The interesting question then is whether this makes sense physiologically, and is consistent with the fact that p53 triggers cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis, while NF-kB triggers the immune response.

  10. A Carbon Dioxide Bubble-Induced Vortex Triggers Co-Assembly of Nanotubes with Controlled Chirality.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ling; Zhou, Laicheng; Xu, Na; Ouyang, Zhenjie

    2017-07-03

    It is challenging to prepare co-organized nanotube systems with controlled nanoscale chirality in an aqueous liquid flow field. Such systems are responsive to a bubbled external gas. A liquid vortex induced by bubbling carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas was used to stimulate the formation of nanotubes with controlled chirality; two kinds of achiral cationic building blocks were co-assembled in aqueous solution. CO 2 -triggered nanotube formation occurs by formation of metastable intermediate structures (short helical ribbons and short tubules) and by transition from short tubules to long tubules in response to chirality matching self-assembly. Interestingly, the chirality sign of these assemblies can be selected for by the circulation direction of the CO 2 bubble-induced vortex during the co-assembly process. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Cell-based assays in GPCR drug discovery.

    PubMed

    Siehler, Sandra

    2008-04-01

    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) transmit extracellular signals into the intracellular space, and play key roles in the physiological regulation of virtually every cell and tissue. Characteristic for the GPCR superfamily of cell surface receptors are their seven transmembrane-spanning alpha-helices, an extracellular N terminus and intracellular C-terminal tail. Besides transmission of extracellular signals, their activity is modulated by cellular signals in an auto- or transregulatory fashion. The molecular complexity of GPCRs and their regulated signaling networks triggered the interest in academic research groups to explore them further, and their drugability and role in pathophysiology triggers pharmaceutical research towards small molecular weight ligands and therapeutic antibodies. About 30% of marketed drugs target GPCRs, which underlines the importance of this target class. This review describes current and emerging cellular assays for the ligand discovery of GPCRs.

  12. The JET diagnostic fast central acquisition and trigger system (abstract)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Edwards, A. W.; Blackler, K.

    1995-01-01

    Most plasma physics diagnostics sample at a fixed frequency that is normally matched to available memory limits. This technique is not appropriate for long pulse machines such as JET where sampling frequencies of hundreds of kHz are required to diagnose very fast events. As a result of work using real-time event selection within the previous JET soft x-ray diagnostic, a single data acquisition and event triggering system for all suitable fast diagnostics, the fast central acquisition and trigger system (Fast CATS), has been developed for JET. The front-end analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) part samples all channels at 250 kHz, with a 100 kHz pass band and a stop band of 125 kHz. The back-end data collection system is based around Texas Instruments TMS320C40 microprocessors. Within this system, two levels of trigger algorithms are able to evaluate data. The first level typically analyzes data on a per diagnostic and individual channel basis. The second level looks at the data from one or more diagnostics in a window around the time of interest flagged by the first level system. Selection criteria defined by the diagnosticians are then imposed on the results from the second level to decide whether that data should be kept. The use of such a system involving intelligent real time trigger algorithms and fast data analysis will improve both the quantity and quality of JET diagnostic data, while providing valuable input to the design of data acquisition systems for very long pulse machines such as ITER. This paper will give an overview of the various elements of this new system. In addition, first results from this system following the restart of JET operation will be presented.

  13. Kids See Human Too: Adapting an Individual Differences Measure of Anthropomorphism for a Child Sample

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Severson, Rachel L.; Lemm, Kristi M.

    2016-01-01

    The study of anthropomorphism in adults has received considerable interest with the development of the Individual Differences in Anthropomorphism Questionnaire (IDAQ; Waytz, Cacioppo, & Epley, 2010). Anthropomorphism in children--its development, correlates, and consequences--is also of significant interest, yet a comparable measure does not…

  14. 45 CFR 30.18 - Interest, penalties, and administrative costs.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... equity and good conscience. (2) The Secretary also may waive interest, penalties, and administrative... determination by the Secretary that collection of these charges is: (A) Against equity and good conscience; or... consideration of waiver if statute prohibits collection of the debt during this period. (i) Common law or other...

  15. Emotion-Related Regulation: An Emerging Construct

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eisenberg, Nancy; Champion, Claire; Ma, Yue

    2004-01-01

    Emotion-related regulation is a topic of considerable current interest; however, this was not always true. We briefly discuss the history of interest in the topic and then the current state of the field, including definitions of the construct. In addition, we summarize some of the important issues for future attention, including definitional…

  16. 78 FR 50049 - Meeting of the Uniform Formulary Beneficiary Advisory Panel

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-16

    ... follow each agenda item) a. Corticosteroids-Immune Modulators b. Self-Monitoring Blood Glucose Systems c... individuals or interested groups to address the Panel. To ensure consideration of their comments, individuals and interested groups should submit written statements as outlined in this notice; but if they still...

  17. Mathematics and Academic Diversity in Japan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woodward, J.; Ono, Y.

    2004-01-01

    Japanese education has been the subject of considerable research and educational commentary in the United States over the last 20 years. Since the early 1990s, there has been increased interest in Japanese methods for teaching mathematics, and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study has accelerated American interest in Japanese…

  18. Self-assembled nanofiber hydrogels for mechanoresponsive therapeutic anti-TNFα antibody delivery.

    PubMed

    Kaplan, J A; Barthélémy, P; Grinstaff, M W

    2016-04-30

    Low molecular weight hydrogels, prepared from glycosyl-nucleoside-lipid amphiphiles, exhibit shear-thinning behaviour and reversible thermally- and mechanically-triggered sol-gel transitions. Using mechanical shear stimulation, the release of entrapped anti-TNFα increases and the released anti-TNFα demonstrates efficacy in in vitro neutralization bioassays. Delivery of anti-TNFα is of general interest and broad medicinal utility for treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

  19. Thinking Outside of the Detained Box: A Guide to Temporary Seizures of Property Under the Fourth Amendment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-01

    reasonable suspicion, this action triggers a responsibility to diligently develop probable cause with regard to the seized property.17 Once...Amendment prohibits only ‘meaningful interference’ with a person’s possessory interests, not Government action which is reasonable under the...tempered this standard by observing that while the police could have acted more expeditiously, their actions were reasonably diligent, because they

  20. Effect-based trigger values for in vitro bioassays: Reading across from existing water quality guideline values.

    PubMed

    Escher, Beate I; Neale, Peta A; Leusch, Frederic D L

    2015-09-15

    Cell-based bioassays are becoming increasingly popular in water quality assessment. The new generations of reporter-gene assays are very sensitive and effects are often detected in very clean water types such as drinking water and recycled water. For monitoring applications it is therefore imperative to derive trigger values that differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable effect levels. In this proof-of-concept paper, we propose a statistical method to read directly across from chemical guideline values to trigger values without the need to perform in vitro to in vivo extrapolations. The derivation is based on matching effect concentrations with existing chemical guideline values and filtering out appropriate chemicals that are responsive in the given bioassays at concentrations in the range of the guideline values. To account for the mixture effects of many chemicals acting together in a complex water sample, we propose bioanalytical equivalents that integrate the effects of groups of chemicals with the same mode of action that act in a concentration-additive manner. Statistical distribution methods are proposed to derive a specific effect-based trigger bioanalytical equivalent concentration (EBT-BEQ) for each bioassay of environmental interest that targets receptor-mediated toxicity. Even bioassays that are indicative of the same mode of action have slightly different numeric trigger values due to differences in their inherent sensitivity. The algorithm was applied to 18 cell-based bioassays and 11 provisional effect-based trigger bioanalytical equivalents were derived as an illustrative example using the 349 chemical guideline values protective for human health of the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling. We illustrate the applicability using the example of a diverse set of water samples including recycled water. Most recycled water samples were compliant with the proposed triggers while wastewater effluent would not have been compliant with a few. The approach is readily adaptable to any water type and guideline or regulatory framework and can be expanded from the protection goal of human health to environmental protection targets. While this work constitutes a proof of principle, the applicability remains limited at present due to insufficient experimental bioassay data on individual regulated chemicals and the derived effect-based trigger values are of course only provisional. Once the experimental database is expanded and made more robust, the proposed effect-based trigger values may provide guidance in a regulatory context. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The Inactivation of Arx in Pancreatic α-Cells Triggers Their Neogenesis and Conversion into Functional β-Like Cells

    PubMed Central

    Courtney, Monica; Gjernes, Elisabet; Druelle, Noémie; Ravaud, Christophe; Vieira, Andhira; Ben-Othman, Nouha; Pfeifer, Anja; Avolio, Fabio; Leuckx, Gunter; Lacas-Gervais, Sandra; Burel-Vandenbos, Fanny; Ambrosetti, Damien; Hecksher-Sorensen, Jacob; Ravassard, Philippe; Heimberg, Harry; Mansouri, Ahmed; Collombat, Patrick

    2013-01-01

    Recently, it was demonstrated that pancreatic new-born glucagon-producing cells can regenerate and convert into insulin-producing β-like cells through the ectopic expression of a single gene, Pax4. Here, combining conditional loss-of-function and lineage tracing approaches, we show that the selective inhibition of the Arx gene in α-cells is sufficient to promote the conversion of adult α-cells into β-like cells at any age. Interestingly, this conversion induces the continuous mobilization of duct-lining precursor cells to adopt an endocrine cell fate, the glucagon+ cells thereby generated being subsequently converted into β-like cells upon Arx inhibition. Of interest, through the generation and analysis of Arx and Pax4 conditional double-mutants, we provide evidence that Pax4 is dispensable for these regeneration processes, indicating that Arx represents the main trigger of α-cell-mediated β-like cell neogenesis. Importantly, the loss of Arx in α-cells is sufficient to regenerate a functional β-cell mass and thereby reverse diabetes following toxin-induced β-cell depletion. Our data therefore suggest that strategies aiming at inhibiting the expression of Arx, or its molecular targets/co-factors, may pave new avenues for the treatment of diabetes. PMID:24204325

  2. The effect of self-sorting and co-assembly on the mechanical properties of low molecular weight hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colquhoun, Catherine; Draper, Emily R.; Eden, Edward G. B.; Cattoz, Beatrice N.; Morris, Kyle L.; Chen, Lin; McDonald, Tom O.; Terry, Ann E.; Griffiths, Peter C.; Serpell, Louise C.; Adams, Dave J.

    2014-10-01

    Self-sorting in low molecular weight hydrogels can be achieved using a pH triggered approach. We show here that this method can be used to prepare gels with different types of mechanical properties. Cooperative, disruptive or orthogonal assembled systems can be produced. Gels with interesting behaviour can be also prepared, for example self-sorted gels where delayed switch-on of gelation occurs. By careful choice of gelator, co-assembled structures can also be generated, which leads to synergistic strengthening of the mechanical properties.Self-sorting in low molecular weight hydrogels can be achieved using a pH triggered approach. We show here that this method can be used to prepare gels with different types of mechanical properties. Cooperative, disruptive or orthogonal assembled systems can be produced. Gels with interesting behaviour can be also prepared, for example self-sorted gels where delayed switch-on of gelation occurs. By careful choice of gelator, co-assembled structures can also be generated, which leads to synergistic strengthening of the mechanical properties. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Full experimental and synthetic details for the dipeptides, full experimental descriptions, further NMR, single crystal diffraction data, fXRD data and SANS data. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr04039b

  3. Design considerations for community mental health management information systems.

    PubMed

    Lowe, B H; Sugarman, B

    1978-01-01

    Many community mental health centers are presently faced with the necessity of implementing a management information system. This article offers guidelines for centers dealing with this situation. Whether a center chooses to adapt an existing system or develop one of its own, careful planning prior to the implementation of the system can help ensure that it will meet the needs of the center and operate successfully. The guidelines are organized into the categories of data considerations, people considerations, and system considerations. The first two categories are of general interest, whereas the last category is more technical in nature.

  4. I thought we could be friends, but ...: systematic miscommunication and defensive distancing as obstacles to cross-group friendship formation.

    PubMed

    Vorauer, Jacquie D; Sakamoto, Yumiko

    2006-04-01

    This study examined the precursors and consequences of systematic miscommunications regarding relationship interest during intergroup interaction. Pairs of previously unacquainted same-sex students (White-White, White-Chinese, or Chinese-Chinese) engaged in a relatively intimate controlled interaction. White participants who had had little prior contact with Chinese persons were more apt to exhibit a signal-amplification bias (i.e., to perceive that their overtures had conveyed more interest than was actually the case) in intergroup as compared with intragroup exchanges. In contrast, White participants with high levels of prior contact with Chinese persons and Chinese participants did not show enhanced signal amplification in intergroup relative to intragroup exchanges. These results support our hypothesis that lack of intergroup contact experience sets the stage for miscommunications regarding friendship interest. White participants' tendency to feel that they had initially communicated more interest in being friends than their Chinese partner mediated a downward shift in their actual friendship interest over time, suggesting that signal amplification triggers defensive distancing and ultimately lowers the likelihood of cross-group friendship formation.

  5. PROPELLER for motion-robust imaging of in vivo mouse abdomen at 9.4 T.

    PubMed

    Teh, Irvin; Golay, Xavier; Larkman, David J

    2010-11-01

    In vivo high-field MRI in the abdomen of small animals is technically challenging because of the small voxel sizes, short T(2) and physiological motion. In standard Cartesian sampling, respiratory and gastrointestinal motion can lead to ghosting artefacts. Although respiratory triggering and navigator echoes can either avoid or compensate for motion, they can lead to variable TRs, require invasive intubation and ventilation, or extend TEs. A self-navigated fast spin echo (FSE)-based periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) acquisition was implemented at 9.4 T to enable high-resolution in vivo MRI of mouse abdomen without the use of additional navigators or triggering. T(2)-weighted FSE-PROPELLER data were compared with single-shot FSE and multi-shot FSE data with and without triggering. Single-shot methods, although rapid and robust to motion, demonstrated strong blurring. Multi-shot FSE data showed better resolution, but suffered from marked blurring in the phase-encoding direction and motion in between shots, leading to ghosting artefacts. When respiratory triggering was used, motion artefacts were largely avoided. However, TRs and acquisition times were lengthened by up to approximately 20%. The PROPELLER data showed a 25% and 61% improvement in signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio, respectively, compared with multi-shot FSE data, together with a 35% reduction in artefact power. A qualitative comparison between acquisition methods using diffusion-weighted imaging was performed. The results were similar, with the exception that respiratory triggering was unable to exclude major motion artefacts as a result of the sensitisation to motion by the diffusion gradients. The PROPELLER data were of consistently higher quality. Considerations specific to the use of PROPELLER at high field are discussed, including the selection of practical blade widths and the effects on contrast, resolution and artefacts.

  6. Rethinking the problem of ionosphere-lithosphere coupling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ruzhin, Yuri; Novikov, Victor

    2014-05-01

    An overview of research of possible relations between variations of geomagnetic field and seismicity is presented, including Sq-variations and geomagnetic storms. There are many papers demonstrating positive correlations between geomagnetic field variations and subsequent earthquake occurrence that allows to authors to talk about earthquake triggering impact provided by ionospheric processes on lithosphere. Nevertheless, there is another opinion on negligible impact of geomagnetic disturbances on the earthquake source supported by statistical analysis of correlation between variations of geomagnetic field and global and regional seismicity. Mainly, the both points of view on this problem are based on statistical research without detailed consideration of possible physical mechanisms which may be involved into the supposed earthquake triggering, or very rough estimations of possible increase of stresses in the faults under critical (near to failure) state were made. Recently it was shown that the fluids may play very important role in the electromagnetic earthquake triggering, and the secondary triggering mechanism should be considered when the fluid migrating into the fault under electromagnetic action may provide fault weakening up to earthquake triggering threshold. At the same time, depending on fault orientation, local hydrological structure of the crust around the fault, location of fluid reservoirs, etc. it may be possible that fluid migration from the fault may provide the fault strengthening, and in this case the impact of variation of geomagnetic field may provide an opposite effect. In so doing, it is useless to apply only statistical approach for the problem of ionosphere-lithosphere coupling, and in each case the possible behavior of fluids should be considered under electromagnetic impact on lithosphere. Experimental results supporting this idea and obtained at the spring-block model simulating the seismic cycle (slow accumulation and sharp drop of stresses in the fault gauge), as well as field observations of water level variations in the well during ionospheric disturbances are presented and discussed.

  7. The Viscoelastic Effect of Triggered Earthquakes in Various Tectonic Regions On a Global Scale

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sunbul, F.

    2015-12-01

    The relation between static stress changes and earthquake triggering has important implications for seismic hazard analysis. Considering long time difference between triggered events, viscoelastic stress transfer plays an important role in stress accumulation along the faults. Developing a better understanding of triggering effects may contribute to improvement of quantification of seismic hazard in tectonically active regions. Parsons (2002) computed the difference between the rate of earthquakes occurring in regions where shear stress increased and those regions where the shear stress decreased on a global scale. He found that 61% of the earthquakes occurred in regions with a shear stress increase, while 39% of events occurred in areas of shear stress decrease. Here, we test whether the inclusion of viscoelastic stress transfer affects the results obtained by Parsons (2002) for static stress transfer. Doing such a systematic analysis, we use Global Centroid Moment Tensor (CMT) catalog selecting 289 Ms>7 main shocks with their ~40.500 aftershocks located in ±2° circles for 5 years periods. For the viscoelastic post seismic calculations, we adapt 12 different published rheological models for 5 different tectonic regions. In order to minimise the uncertainties in this CMT catalog, we use the Frohlich and Davis (1999) statistical approach simultaneously. Our results shows that the 5590 aftershocks are triggered by the 289 Ms>7 earthquakes. 3419 of them are associated with calculated shear stress increase, while 2171 are associated with shear stress decrease. The summation of viscoelastic stress shows that, of the 5840 events, 3530 are associated with shear stress increases, and 2312 with shear stress decrease. This result shows an average 4.5% increase in total, the rate of increase in positive and negative areas are 3.2% and 6.5%, respectively. Therefore, over long time periods viscoelastic relaxation represents a considerable contribution to the total stress on neighbouring faults.

  8. Children's decision making: When self-interest and moral considerations conflict.

    PubMed

    Tasimi, Arber; Johnson, Marcia K; Wynn, Karen

    2017-09-01

    When children's self-interests are at odds with their moral considerations, what do they do? In the current study of 5- and 6-year-olds (N=160), we asked (a) whether children would select the offering of a do-gooder over a neutral individual at a personal cost, (b) whether they would reject the offering of a wrongdoer over a neutral individual at a personal cost, and (c) whether these two types of decisions involve comparable levels of conflict. In the absence of material considerations, children preferred a nice character to a neutral one, but this preference was easily overcome for material gain; children accepted a larger offering from a neutral source over a smaller offering from a nice source. In contrast, children's aversion to negative characters was largely unaffected by the same material consideration; they rejected a larger offering from a mean source in favor of a smaller offering from a neutral source. In addition, children's response times indicated that deciding whether or not to "sell out" to a wrongdoer for personal gain engenders conflict but that deciding whether to take a lesser gain from a do-gooder does not. These findings indicate that children weigh both their own material interests and others' social behaviors when selecting social partners and, importantly, that an aversion to wrongdoers is a more powerful influence on these choices than an attraction to do-gooders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. The formation of a Spitzer bubble RCW 79 triggered by a cloud-cloud collision

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ohama, Akio; Kohno, Mikito; Hasegawa, Keisuke; Torii, Kazufumi; Nishimura, Atsushi; Hattori, Yusuke; Hayakawa, Takahiro; Inoue, Tsuyoshi; Sano, Hidetoshi; Yamamoto, Hiroaki; Tachihara, Kengo; Fukui, Yasuo

    2018-05-01

    Understanding the mechanism of O-star formation is one of the most important current issues in astrophysics. Also an issue of keen interest is how O stars affect their surroundings and trigger secondary star formation. An H II region RCW 79 is one of the typical Spitzer bubbles alongside RCW 120. New observations of CO J = 1-0 emission with Mopra and NANTEN2 revealed that molecular clouds are associated with RCW 79 in four velocity components over a velocity range of 20 km s-1. We hypothesize that two of the clouds collided with each other and the collision triggered the formation of 12 O stars inside the bubble and the formation of 54 low-mass young stellar objects along the bubble wall. The collision is supported by observational signatures of bridges connecting different velocity components in the colliding clouds. The whole collision process happened over a timescale of ˜3 Myr. RCW 79 has a larger size by a factor of 30 in the projected area than RCW 120 with a single O star, and the large size favored formation of the 12 O stars due to the greater accumulated gas in the collisional shock compression.

  10. Measurement of the timing behaviour of off-the-shelf cameras

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schatz, Volker

    2017-04-01

    This paper presents a measurement method suitable for investigating the timing properties of cameras. A single light source illuminates the camera detector starting with a varying defined delay after the camera trigger. Pixels from the recorded camera frames are summed up and normalised, and the resulting function is indicative of the overlap between illumination and exposure. This allows one to infer the trigger delay and the exposure time with sub-microsecond accuracy. The method is therefore of interest when off-the-shelf cameras are used in reactive systems or synchronised with other cameras. It can supplement radiometric and geometric calibration methods for cameras in scientific use. A closer look at the measurement results reveals deviations from the ideal camera behaviour of constant sensitivity limited to the exposure interval. One of the industrial cameras investigated retains a small sensitivity long after the end of the nominal exposure interval. All three investigated cameras show non-linear variations of sensitivity at O≤ft({{10}-3}\\right) to O≤ft({{10}-2}\\right) during exposure. Due to its sign, the latter effect cannot be described by a sensitivity function depending on the time after triggering, but represents non-linear pixel characteristics.

  11. When your face describes your memories: facial expressions during retrieval of autobiographical memories.

    PubMed

    El Haj, Mohamad; Daoudi, Mohamed; Gallouj, Karim; Moustafa, Ahmed A; Nandrino, Jean-Louis

    2018-05-11

    Thanks to the current advances in the software analysis of facial expressions, there is a burgeoning interest in understanding emotional facial expressions observed during the retrieval of autobiographical memories. This review describes the research on facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval showing distinct emotional facial expressions according to the characteristics of retrieved memoires. More specifically, this research demonstrates that the retrieval of emotional memories can trigger corresponding emotional facial expressions (e.g. positive memories may trigger positive facial expressions). Also, this study demonstrates the variations of facial expressions according to specificity, self-relevance, or past versus future direction of memory construction. Besides linking research on facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval to cognitive and affective characteristics of autobiographical memory in general, this review positions this research within the broader context research on the physiologic characteristics of autobiographical retrieval. We also provide several perspectives for clinical studies to investigate facial expressions in populations with deficits in autobiographical memory (e.g. whether autobiographical overgenerality in neurologic and psychiatric populations may trigger few emotional facial expressions). In sum, this review paper demonstrates how the evaluation of facial expressions during autobiographical retrieval may help understand the functioning and dysfunctioning of autobiographical memory.

  12. Fipronil is a powerful uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation that triggers apoptosis in human neuronal cell line SHSY5Y.

    PubMed

    Vidau, Cyril; González-Polo, Rosa A; Niso-Santano, Mireia; Gómez-Sánchez, Rubén; Bravo-San Pedro, José M; Pizarro-Estrella, Elisa; Blasco, Rafael; Brunet, Jean-Luc; Belzunces, Luc P; Fuentes, José M

    2011-12-01

    Fipronil is a phenylpyrazole insecticide known to elicit neurotoxicity via an interaction with ionotropic receptors, namely GABA and glutamate receptors. Recently, we showed that fipronil and other phenylpyrazole compounds trigger cell death in Caco-2 cells. In this study, we investigated the mode of action and the type of cell death induced by fipronil in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Flow cytometric and western blot analyses demonstrated that fipronil induces cellular events belonging to the apoptosis process, such as mitochondrial potential collapse, cytochrome c release, caspase-3 activation, nuclear condensation and phosphatidylserine externalization. In addition, fipronil induces a rapid ATP depletion with concomitant activation of anaerobic glycolysis. This cellular response is characteristic of mitochondrial injury associated with a defect of the respiration process. Therefore, we also investigated the effect of fipronil on the oxygen consumption in isolated mitochondria. Interestingly, we show for the first time that fipronil is a strong uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation at relative low concentrations. Thus in this study, we report a new mode of action by which the insecticide fipronil could triggers apoptosis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Dynamic microvesicle release and clearance within the cardiovascular system: triggers and mechanisms.

    PubMed

    Ayers, Lisa; Nieuwland, Rienk; Kohler, Malcolm; Kraenkel, Nicolle; Ferry, Berne; Leeson, Paul

    2015-12-01

    Interest in cell-derived microvesicles (or microparticles) within cardiovascular diagnostics and therapeutics is rapidly growing. Microvesicles are often measured in the circulation at a single time point. However, it is becoming clear that microvesicle levels both increase and decrease rapidly in response to certain stimuli such as hypoxia, acute cardiac stress, shear stress, hypertriglyceridaemia and inflammation. Consequently, the levels of circulating microvesicles will reflect the balance between dynamic mechanisms for release and clearance. The present review describes the range of triggers currently known to lead to microvesicle release from different cellular origins into the circulation. Specifically, the published data are used to summarize the dynamic impact of these triggers on the degree and rate of microvesicle release. Secondly, a summary of the current understanding of microvesicle clearance via different cellular systems, including the endothelial cell and macrophage, is presented, based on reported studies of clearance in experimental models and clinical scenarios, such as transfusion or cardiac stress. Together, this information can be used to provide insights into potential underlying biological mechanisms that might explain the increases or decreases in circulating microvesicle levels that have been reported and help to design future clinical studies. © 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited.

  14. Introduction: Management of the luteal phase in assisted reproductive technology.

    PubMed

    Griesinger, Georg; Meldrum, David

    2018-05-01

    The increasing utilization of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist ovulation trigger and the widespread use of artificial cycles for the transfer of frozen-thawed or donated embryos has renewed interest in the luteal phase in assisted reproductive technology. The "luteal phase defect" phenomenon is now understood as a continuum: there is less impairment with milder stimulation than with more intense ovarian stimulation, and less impairment after controlled ovarian stimulation and human chorionic gonadotropin ovulation triggering than after gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist ovulation triggering, the latter being associated with rapid luteolysis. The intensity of the support of luteal phase necessary to achieve optimal outcomes therefore depends on the degree of luteal phase defect encountered in different treatment protocols. Ultimately, the luteal phase of an artificial cycle in which ovulation is suppressed, a corpus luteum is therefore absent, and the establishment of endometrial receptivity completely relies on the orchestrated exogenous administration of sex steroids, is the litmus test situation for the study of the efficacy of different luteal phase support preparations, doses, regimens, and routes of administration. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Eying the future: Eye movement in past and future thinking.

    PubMed

    El Haj, Mohamad; Lenoble, Quentin

    2017-06-07

    We investigated eye movement during past and future thinking. Participants were invited to retrieve past events and to imagine future events while their scan path was recorded by an eye-tracker. Past thinking triggered more fixation (p < .05), and saccade counts (p < .05) than future thinking. Past and future thinking triggered a similar duration of fixations and saccades, as well as a similar amplitude of saccades. Interestingly, participants rated past thinking as more vivid than future thinking (p < .01). Therefore, the vividness of past thinking seems to be accompanied by an increased number of fixations and saccades. Fixations and saccades in past thinking can be interpreted as an attempt by the visual system to find (through saccades) and activate (through fixations) stored memory representations. The same interpretation can be applied to future thinking as this ability requires activation of past experiences. However, future thinking triggers fewer fixations and saccades than past thinking: this may be due to its decreased demand on visual imagery, but could also be related to a potentially deleterious effect of eye movements on spatial imagery required for future thinking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Coupling of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) therapy to molecular grounds of the cell

    PubMed Central

    Funk, Richard HW

    2018-01-01

    In this review we compile results cited in reliable journals that show a ratio for the use of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) in therapy, indeed. This is true especially for chronically inflamed joints. Furthermore, we try to link this therapeutic approach to the molecular background of chronic inflammation and arthritis. At first we start with the clinical outcome of PEMF therapy. Then, we look for possible triggers and an electromagnetic counterpart that is endogenously inherent in cell biology and in the tissues of interest. Finally, we want to investigate causal molecular and cellular mechanisms of possible PEMF actions. It shows that there are endogenous mechanisms, indeed, which can act as triggers for PEMF like the resting membrane potential as well as resonance mechanisms in charged moieties like membrane transporters. Especially voltage-gated calcium channels can be triggered. These may lead into specific signaling pathways and also may elicit nitric oxide as well as moderate radical reactions, which can ultimately lead to e.g. NFκB-like reactions. Concerted in the right way, these reactions can cause a kind of cell protection and ultimately lead to a dampening of inflammatory signals like interleukins. PMID:29887943

  17. The Virtual Quake earthquake simulator: a simulation-based forecast of the El Mayor-Cucapah region and evidence of predictability in simulated earthquake sequences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoder, Mark R.; Schultz, Kasey W.; Heien, Eric M.; Rundle, John B.; Turcotte, Donald L.; Parker, Jay W.; Donnellan, Andrea

    2015-12-01

    In this manuscript, we introduce a framework for developing earthquake forecasts using Virtual Quake (VQ), the generalized successor to the perhaps better known Virtual California (VC) earthquake simulator. We discuss the basic merits and mechanics of the simulator, and we present several statistics of interest for earthquake forecasting. We also show that, though the system as a whole (in aggregate) behaves quite randomly, (simulated) earthquake sequences limited to specific fault sections exhibit measurable predictability in the form of increasing seismicity precursory to large m > 7 earthquakes. In order to quantify this, we develop an alert-based forecasting metric, and show that it exhibits significant information gain compared to random forecasts. We also discuss the long-standing question of activation versus quiescent type earthquake triggering. We show that VQ exhibits both behaviours separately for independent fault sections; some fault sections exhibit activation type triggering, while others are better characterized by quiescent type triggering. We discuss these aspects of VQ specifically with respect to faults in the Salton Basin and near the El Mayor-Cucapah region in southern California, USA and northern Baja California Norte, Mexico.

  18. The Virtual Quake Earthquake Simulator: Earthquake Probability Statistics for the El Mayor-Cucapah Region and Evidence of Predictability in Simulated Earthquake Sequences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schultz, K.; Yoder, M. R.; Heien, E. M.; Rundle, J. B.; Turcotte, D. L.; Parker, J. W.; Donnellan, A.

    2015-12-01

    We introduce a framework for developing earthquake forecasts using Virtual Quake (VQ), the generalized successor to the perhaps better known Virtual California (VC) earthquake simulator. We discuss the basic merits and mechanics of the simulator, and we present several statistics of interest for earthquake forecasting. We also show that, though the system as a whole (in aggregate) behaves quite randomly, (simulated) earthquake sequences limited to specific fault sections exhibit measurable predictability in the form of increasing seismicity precursory to large m > 7 earthquakes. In order to quantify this, we develop an alert based forecasting metric similar to those presented in Keilis-Borok (2002); Molchan (1997), and show that it exhibits significant information gain compared to random forecasts. We also discuss the long standing question of activation vs quiescent type earthquake triggering. We show that VQ exhibits both behaviors separately for independent fault sections; some fault sections exhibit activation type triggering, while others are better characterized by quiescent type triggering. We discuss these aspects of VQ specifically with respect to faults in the Salton Basin and near the El Mayor-Cucapah region in southern California USA and northern Baja California Norte, Mexico.

  19. On Event-Triggered Adaptive Architectures for Decentralized and Distributed Control of Large-Scale Modular Systems

    PubMed Central

    Albattat, Ali; Gruenwald, Benjamin C.; Yucelen, Tansel

    2016-01-01

    The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in physical systems controlled over wireless networks (networked control systems). These systems allow the computation of control signals via processors that are not attached to the physical systems, and the feedback loops are closed over wireless networks. The contribution of this paper is to design and analyze event-triggered decentralized and distributed adaptive control architectures for uncertain networked large-scale modular systems; that is, systems consist of physically-interconnected modules controlled over wireless networks. Specifically, the proposed adaptive architectures guarantee overall system stability while reducing wireless network utilization and achieving a given system performance in the presence of system uncertainties that can result from modeling and degraded modes of operation of the modules and their interconnections between each other. In addition to the theoretical findings including rigorous system stability and the boundedness analysis of the closed-loop dynamical system, as well as the characterization of the effect of user-defined event-triggering thresholds and the design parameters of the proposed adaptive architectures on the overall system performance, an illustrative numerical example is further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed decentralized and distributed control approaches. PMID:27537894

  20. A 3D model for rain-induced landslides based on molecular dynamics with fractal and fractional water diffusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martelloni, Gianluca; Bagnoli, Franco; Guarino, Alessio

    2017-09-01

    We present a three-dimensional model of rain-induced landslides, based on cohesive spherical particles. The rainwater infiltration into the soil follows either the fractional or the fractal diffusion equations. We analytically solve the fractal partial differential equation (PDE) for diffusion with particular boundary conditions to simulate a rainfall event. We developed a numerical integration scheme for the PDE, compared with the analytical solution. We adapt the fractal diffusion equation obtaining the gravimetric water content that we use as input of a triggering scheme based on Mohr-Coulomb limit-equilibrium criterion. This triggering is then complemented by a standard molecular dynamics algorithm, with an interaction force inspired by the Lennard-Jones potential, to update the positions and velocities of particles. We present our results for homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, i.e., systems composed by particles with same or different radius, respectively. Interestingly, in the heterogeneous case, we observe segregation effects due to the different volume of the particles. Finally, we analyze the parameter sensibility both for the triggering and the propagation phases. Our simulations confirm the results of a previous two-dimensional model and therefore the feasible applicability to real cases.

  1. On Event-Triggered Adaptive Architectures for Decentralized and Distributed Control of Large-Scale Modular Systems.

    PubMed

    Albattat, Ali; Gruenwald, Benjamin C; Yucelen, Tansel

    2016-08-16

    The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in physical systems controlled over wireless networks (networked control systems). These systems allow the computation of control signals via processors that are not attached to the physical systems, and the feedback loops are closed over wireless networks. The contribution of this paper is to design and analyze event-triggered decentralized and distributed adaptive control architectures for uncertain networked large-scale modular systems; that is, systems consist of physically-interconnected modules controlled over wireless networks. Specifically, the proposed adaptive architectures guarantee overall system stability while reducing wireless network utilization and achieving a given system performance in the presence of system uncertainties that can result from modeling and degraded modes of operation of the modules and their interconnections between each other. In addition to the theoretical findings including rigorous system stability and the boundedness analysis of the closed-loop dynamical system, as well as the characterization of the effect of user-defined event-triggering thresholds and the design parameters of the proposed adaptive architectures on the overall system performance, an illustrative numerical example is further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed decentralized and distributed control approaches.

  2. Nanocomposite thin films for triggerable drug delivery.

    PubMed

    Vannozzi, Lorenzo; Iacovacci, Veronica; Menciassi, Arianna; Ricotti, Leonardo

    2018-05-01

    Traditional drug release systems normally rely on a passive delivery of therapeutic compounds, which can be partially programmed, prior to injection or implantation, through variations in the material composition. With this strategy, the drug release kinetics cannot be remotely modified and thus adapted to changing therapeutic needs. To overcome this issue, drug delivery systems able to respond to external stimuli are highly desirable, as they allow a high level of temporal and spatial control over drug release kinetics, in an operator-dependent fashion. Areas covered: On-demand drug delivery systems actually represent a frontier in this field and are attracting an increasing interest at both research and industrial level. Stimuli-responsive thin films, enabled by nanofillers, hold a tremendous potential in the field of triggerable drug delivery systems. The inclusion of responsive elements in homogeneous or heterogeneous thin film-shaped polymeric matrices strengthens and/or adds intriguing properties to conventional (bare) materials in film shape. Expert opinion: This Expert Opinion review aims to discuss the approaches currently pursued to achieve an effective on-demand drug delivery, through nanocomposite thin films. Different triggering mechanisms allowing a fine control on drug delivery are described, together with current challenges and possible future applications in therapy and surgery.

  3. L1 track trigger for the CMS HL-LHC upgrade using AM chips and FPGAs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fedi, Giacomo

    2017-08-01

    The increase of luminosity at the HL-LHC will require the introduction of tracker information in CMS's Level-1 trigger system to maintain an acceptable trigger rate when selecting interesting events, despite the order of magnitude increase in minimum bias interactions. To meet the latency requirements, dedicated hardware has to be used. This paper presents the results of tests of a prototype system (pattern recognition ezzanine) as core of pattern recognition and track fitting for the CMS experiment, combining the power of both associative memory custom ASICs and modern Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices. The mezzanine uses the latest available associative memory devices (AM06) and the most modern Xilinx Ultrascale FPGAs. The results of the test for a complete tower comprising about 0.5 million patterns is presented, using as simulated input events traversing the upgraded CMS detector. The paper shows the performance of the pattern matching, track finding and track fitting, along with the latency and processing time needed. The pT resolution over pT of the muons measured using the reconstruction algorithm is at the order of 1% in the range 3-100 GeV/c.

  4. Crossover from polariton lasing to exciton lasing in a strongly coupled ZnO microcavity

    PubMed Central

    Lai, Ying-Yu; Chou, Yu-Hsun; Lan, Yu-Pin; Lu, Tien-Chang; Wang, Shing-Chung; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

    2016-01-01

    Unlike conventional photon lasing, in which the threshold is limited by the population inversion of the electron-hole plasma, the exciton lasing generated by exciton-exciton scattering and the polariton lasing generated by dynamical condensates have received considerable attention in recent years because of the sub-Mott density and low-threshold operation. This paper presents a novel approach to generate both exciton and polariton lasing in a strongly coupled microcavity (MC) and determine the critical driving requirements for simultaneously triggering these two lasing operation in temperature <140 K and large negative polariton-exciton offset (<−133 meV) conditions. In addition, the corresponding lasing behaviors, such as threshold energy, linewidth, phase diagram, and angular dispersion are verified. The results afford a basis from which to understand the complicated lasing mechanisms in strongly coupled MCs and verify a new method with which to trigger dual laser emission based on exciton and polariton. PMID:26838665

  5. Fatal course of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a female with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection.

    PubMed

    Elikowski, Waldemar; Małek-Elikowska, Małgorzata; Lisiecka, Monika; Mozer-Lisewska, Iwona

    2017-06-23

    Among diverse triggering factors of stress-induced takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), a viral or bacterial infection is rarely observed. Sepsis is an exception, regardless of the etiologic pathogen, in which case an excess of catecholamines may result in acute left ventricular dysfunction. TC precipitated by Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been reported only in two patients so far. The authors describe another case of TC triggered this time by recurrent C. difficile colitis which occurred in a 72-yearold female. Severe heart failure developed on the second day of a new episode of diarrhea. Echocardiography revealed apical ballooning, a typical form of TC, while the coronary arteries in coronary angiography were normal. Despite proper treatment of CDI, the course of the disease was fatal due to heart failure progression. In considerations of TC pathogenesis in the case presented, the impact of C. difficile toxins should be taken into account. One should remember about the potential extraintestinal complications of CDI, including sudden myocardial depression.

  6. Practical aspects in the management of hypokalemic periodic paralysis

    PubMed Central

    Levitt, Jacob O

    2008-01-01

    Management considerations in hypokalemic periodic paralysis include accurate diagnosis, potassium dosage for acute attacks, choice of diuretic for prophylaxis, identification of triggers, creating a safe physical environment, peri-operative measures, and issues in pregnancy. A positive genetic test in the context of symptoms is the gold standard for diagnosis. Potassium chloride is the favored potassium salt given at 0.5–1.0 mEq/kg for acute attacks. The oral route is favored, but if necessary, a mannitol solvent can be used for intravenous administration. Avoidance of or potassium prophylaxis for common triggers, such as rest after exercise, high carbohydrate meals, and sodium, can prevent attacks. Chronically, acetazolamide, dichlorphenamide, or potassium-sparing diuretics decrease attack frequency and severity but are of little value acutely. Potassium, water, and a telephone should always be at a patient's bedside, regardless of the presence of weakness. Perioperatively, the patient's clinical status should be checked frequently. Firm data on the management of periodic paralysis during pregnancy is lacking. Patient support can be found at . PMID:18426576

  7. Prevalence of myofascial trigger points in fibromyalgia: the overlap of two common problems.

    PubMed

    Ge, Hong-You

    2010-10-01

    With the objective evidence of their existence, myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) contribute to an increasing number of chronic regional and widespread pain conditions. The widespread spontaneous pain pattern in fibromyalgia (FM) is a summation of multiple regional pains due to active MTrPs. A regional pain in FM is from local active MTrPs and/or referred from remote active MTrPs. Positive tender points specified in FM are MTrPs, either active or latent. Manual stimulation of active MTrPs located in the muscles in different body regions completely reproduced overall spontaneous FM pain pattern. Active MTrPs as tonic peripheral nociceptive input contribute tremendously to the initiation and maintenance of central sensitization, to the impairment of descending inhibition, to the increased excitability of motor units, and to the induction of sympathetic hyperactivity observed in FM. The considerable overlap of MTrPs and FM in pain characteristics and pathophysiology suggests that FM pain is largely due to MTrPs.

  8. A basalt trigger for the 1991 eruptions of Pinatubo volcano?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pallister, J.S.; Hoblitt, R.P.; Reyes, A.G.

    1992-01-01

    THE eruptive products of calc-alkaline volcanos often show evidence for the mixing of basaltic and acid magmas before eruption (see, for example, refs 1, 2). These observations have led to the suggestion3 that the injection of basaltic magma into the base of a magma chamber (or the catastrophic overturn of a stably stratified chamber containing basaltic magma at its base) might trigger an eruption. Here we report evidence for the mixing of basaltic and dacitic magmas shortly before the paroxysmal eruptions of Pinatubo volcano on 15 June 1991. Andesitic scoriae erupted on 12 June contain minerals and glass with disequilibrium compositions, and are considerably more mafic than the dacitic pumices erupted on 15 June. Differences in crystal abundance and glass composition among the pumices may arise from pre-heating of the dacite magma by the underlying basaltic liquid before mixing. Degassing of this basaltic magma may also have contributed to the climatologically important sulphur dioxide emissions that accompanied the Pinatubo eruptions.

  9. Autoimmune encephalitis and its relation to infection.

    PubMed

    Venkatesan, Arun; Benavides, David R

    2015-03-01

    Encephalitis, an inflammatory condition of the brain that results in substantial morbidity and mortality, has numerous causes. Over the past decade, it has become increasingly recognized that autoimmune conditions contribute significantly to the spectrum of encephalitis causes. Clinical suspicion and early diagnosis of autoimmune etiologies are of particular importance due to the need for early institution of immune suppressive therapies to improve outcome. Emerging clinical observations suggest that the most commonly recognized cause of antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis, anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor encephalitis, may in some cases be triggered by herpes virus infection. Other conditions such as Rasmussen's encephalitis (RE) and febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) have also been posited to be autoimmune conditions triggered by infectious agents. This review focuses on emerging concepts in central nervous system autoimmunity and addresses clinical and mechanistic findings linking autoimmune encephalitis and infections. Particular consideration will be given to anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis and its relation to herpes simplex encephalitis.

  10. Envelope Protein Dynamics in Paramyxovirus Entry

    PubMed Central

    Plattet, Philippe; Plemper, Richard K.

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT Paramyxoviruses include major pathogens with significant global health and economic impact. This large family of enveloped RNA viruses infects cells by employing two surface glycoproteins that tightly cooperate to fuse their lipid envelopes with the target cell plasma membrane, an attachment and a fusion (F) protein. Membrane fusion is believed to depend on receptor-induced conformational changes within the attachment protein that lead to the activation and subsequent refolding of F. While structural and mechanistic studies have considerably advanced our insight into paramyxovirus cell adhesion and the structural basis of F refolding, how precisely the attachment protein links receptor engagement to F triggering remained poorly understood. Recent reports based on work with several paramyxovirus family members have transformed our understanding of the triggering mechanism of the membrane fusion machinery. Here, we review these recent findings, which (i) offer a broader mechanistic understanding of the paramyxovirus cell entry system, (ii) illuminate key similarities and differences between entry strategies of different paramyxovirus family members, and (iii) suggest new strategies for the development of novel therapeutics. PMID:23820396

  11. Paramyxovirus Fusion and Entry: Multiple Paths to a Common End

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Andres; Dutch, Rebecca E.

    2012-01-01

    The paramyxovirus family contains many common human pathogenic viruses, including measles, mumps, the parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus, and the zoonotic henipaviruses, Hendra and Nipah. While the expression of a type 1 fusion protein and a type 2 attachment protein is common to all paramyxoviruses, there is considerable variation in viral attachment, the activation and triggering of the fusion protein, and the process of viral entry. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of paramyxovirus F protein-mediated membrane fusion, an essential process in viral infectivity. We also review the role of the other surface glycoproteins in receptor binding and viral entry, and the implications for viral infection. Throughout, we concentrate on the commonalities and differences in fusion triggering and viral entry among the members of the family. Finally, we highlight key unanswered questions and how further studies can identify novel targets for the development of therapeutic treatments against these human pathogens. PMID:22590688

  12. Envelope protein dynamics in paramyxovirus entry.

    PubMed

    Plattet, Philippe; Plemper, Richard K

    2013-07-02

    Paramyxoviruses include major pathogens with significant global health and economic impact. This large family of enveloped RNA viruses infects cells by employing two surface glycoproteins that tightly cooperate to fuse their lipid envelopes with the target cell plasma membrane, an attachment and a fusion (F) protein. Membrane fusion is believed to depend on receptor-induced conformational changes within the attachment protein that lead to the activation and subsequent refolding of F. While structural and mechanistic studies have considerably advanced our insight into paramyxovirus cell adhesion and the structural basis of F refolding, how precisely the attachment protein links receptor engagement to F triggering remained poorly understood. Recent reports based on work with several paramyxovirus family members have transformed our understanding of the triggering mechanism of the membrane fusion machinery. Here, we review these recent findings, which (i) offer a broader mechanistic understanding of the paramyxovirus cell entry system, (ii) illuminate key similarities and differences between entry strategies of different paramyxovirus family members, and (iii) suggest new strategies for the development of novel therapeutics.

  13. Formation of recurring slope lineae on Mars by rarefied gas-triggered granular flows

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmidt, F.; Andrieu, F.; Costard, F.; Kocifaj, M.; Meresescu, A. G.

    2017-09-01

    Recurring Slope Linae or RSL are seasonal dark features appearing when the soil reaches its maximum temperature. They appear on various slopes at the equator of Mars, in orientation depending on the season. Today, liquid water related processes have been promoted, such as deliquescence of salts. Nevertheless external atmospheric source of water is inconsistent with the observations. Internal source is also very unlikely. We take into consideration here the force occurring when the sun illuminates granular soil in rarefied gas conditions to produce a Knudsen pump. This process significantly lowers the angle of repose of sandy material. Hence, relatively low slope could start to flow. RSL seems to originate from rough terrains and boulders. We propose that the local shadows due to boulders over the soil, is the triggering phenomena. In this case, the Knudsen pump is magnified and could lead to flow. This new exotic dry process involving neither water nor CO2 and is consistent with the seasonal and facet's orientation appearance of RSL.

  14. Cavitation instability as a trigger of aneurysm rupture.

    PubMed

    Volokh, K Y

    2015-10-01

    Aneurysm formation and growth is accompanied by microstructural alterations in the arterial wall. Particularly, the loss of elastin may lead to tissue disintegration and appearance of voids or cavities at the micron scale. Unstable growth and coalescence of voids may be a predecessor and trigger for the onset of macroscopic cracks. In the present work, we analyze the instability of membrane (2D) and bulk (3D) voids under hydrostatic tension by using two experimentally calibrated constitutive models of abdominal aortic aneurysm enhanced with energy limiters. The limiters provide the saturation value for the strain energy, which indicates the maximum energy that can be stored and dissipated by an infinitesimal material volume. We find that the unstable growth of voids can start when the critical stress is considerably less than the aneurysm strength. Moreover, this critical stress may even approach the arterial wall stress in the physiological range. This finding suggests that cavitation instability can be a rational indicator of the aneurysm rupture.

  15. Interaction Between Domperidone and Ketoconazole: Toward Prediction of Consequent QTc Prolongation Using Purely In Vitro Information

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, H; Polak, S; Jamei, M; Rostami-Hodjegan, A

    2014-01-01

    We aimed to investigate the application of combined mechanistic pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling and simulation in predicting the domperidone (DOM) triggered pseudo-electrocardiogram modification in the presence of a CYP3A inhibitor, ketoconazole (KETO), using in vitro–in vivo extrapolation. In vitro metabolic and inhibitory data were incorporated into physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models within Simcyp to simulate time course of plasma DOM and KETO concentrations when administered alone or in combination with KETO (DOM+KETO). Simulated DOM concentrations in plasma were used to predict changes in gender-specific QTcF (Fridericia correction) intervals within the Cardiac Safety Simulator platform taking into consideration DOM, KETO, and DOM+KETO triggered inhibition of multiple ionic currents in population. Combination of in vitro–in vivo extrapolation, PBPK, and systems pharmacology of electric currents in the heart was able to predict the direction and magnitude of PK and PD changes under coadministration of the two drugs although some disparities were detected. PMID:25116274

  16. Onboard Science and Applications Algorithm for Hyperspectral Data Reduction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chien, Steve A.; Davies, Ashley G.; Silverman, Dorothy; Mandl, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    An onboard processing mission concept is under development for a possible Direct Broadcast capability for the HyspIRI mission, a Hyperspectral remote sensing mission under consideration for launch in the next decade. The concept would intelligently spectrally and spatially subsample the data as well as generate science products onboard to enable return of key rapid response science and applications information despite limited downlink bandwidth. This rapid data delivery concept focuses on wildfires and volcanoes as primary applications, but also has applications to vegetation, coastal flooding, dust, and snow/ice applications. Operationally, the HyspIRI team would define a set of spatial regions of interest where specific algorithms would be executed. For example, known coastal areas would have certain products or bands downlinked, ocean areas might have other bands downlinked, and during fire seasons other areas would be processed for active fire detections. Ground operations would automatically generate the mission plans specifying the highest priority tasks executable within onboard computation, setup, and data downlink constraints. The spectral bands of the TIR (thermal infrared) instrument can accurately detect the thermal signature of fires and send down alerts, as well as the thermal and VSWIR (visible to short-wave infrared) data corresponding to the active fires. Active volcanism also produces a distinctive thermal signature that can be detected onboard to enable spatial subsampling. Onboard algorithms and ground-based algorithms suitable for onboard deployment are mature. On HyspIRI, the algorithm would perform a table-driven temperature inversion from several spectral TIR bands, and then trigger downlink of the entire spectrum for each of the hot pixels identified. Ocean and coastal applications include sea surface temperature (using a small spectral subset of TIR data, but requiring considerable ancillary data), and ocean color applications to track biological activity such as harmful algal blooms. Measuring surface water extent to track flooding is another rapid response product leveraging VSWIR spectral information.

  17. Decision Making for Chinese Students to Receive Their Higher Education in the U.S.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chao, Chiangnan

    2016-01-01

    This study examines Chinese students' decision making considerations for coming to the U.S. for their higher education. Due to the large number of Chinese students in the U.S, it is an interesting topic for educators and researchers to explore the decision making considerations Chinese students choose for studying abroad. International student…

  18. Legal Medicine in Medical Schools: A Survey of the State of the Art.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grumet, Barbara Ruhe

    1979-01-01

    Results of a survey of American medical schools indicate that there is considerable interest in legal medicine and that while 40 percent of the schools require students to complete some course work in legal medicine, the curricula vary considerably among the schools. Topics most frequently covered are informed consent and malpractice. (Author/JMD)

  19. Echogenic Glycol Chitosan Nanoparticles for Ultrasound-Triggered Cancer Theranostics

    PubMed Central

    Min, Hyun Su; You, Dong Gil; Son, Sejin; Jeon, Sangmin; Park, Jae Hyung; Lee, Seulki; Kwon, Ick Chan; Kim, Kwangmeyung

    2015-01-01

    Theranostic nanoparticles hold great promise for simultaneous diagnosis of diseases, targeted drug delivery with minimal toxicity, and monitoring of therapeutic efficacy. However, one of the current challenges in developing theranostic nanoparticles is enhancing the tumor-specific targeting of both imaging probes and anticancer agents. Herein, we report the development of tumor-homing echogenic glycol chitosan-based nanoparticles (Echo-CNPs) that concurrently execute cancer-targeted ultrasound (US) imaging and US-triggered drug delivery. To construct this novel Echo-CNPs, an anticancer drug and bioinert perfluoropentane (PFP), a US gas precursor, were simultaneously encapsulated into glycol chitosan nanoparticles using the oil in water (O/W) emulsion method. The resulting Echo-CNPs had a nano-sized particle structure, composing of hydrophobic anticancer drug/PFP inner cores and a hydrophilic glycol chitosan polymer outer shell. The Echo-CNPs had a favorable hydrodynamic size of 432 nm, which is entirely different from the micro-sized core-empty conventional microbubbles (1-10 μm). Furthermore, Echo-CNPs showed the prolonged echogenicity via the sustained microbubble formation process of liquid-phase PFP at the body temperature and they also presented a US-triggered drug release profile through the external US irradiation. Interestingly, Echo-CNPs exhibited significantly increased tumor-homing ability with lower non-specific uptake by other tissues in tumor-bearing mice through the nanoparticle's enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. Conclusively, theranostic Echo-CNPs are highly useful for simultaneous cancer-targeting US imaging and US-triggered delivery in cancer theranostics. PMID:26681985

  20. Wireless clinical alerts and patient outcomes in the surgical intensive care unit.

    PubMed

    Major, Kevin; Shabot, M Michael; Cunneen, Scott

    2002-12-01

    Errors in medicine have gained public interest since the Institute of Medicine published its 1999 report on this subject. Although errors of commission are frequently cited, errors of omission can be equally serious. A computerized surgical intensive care unit (SICU) information system when coupled to an event-driven alerting engine has the potential to reduce errors of omission for critical intensive care unit events. Automated alerts and patient outcomes were prospectively collected for all patients admitted to a tertiary-care SICU for a 2-year period. During the study period 3,973 patients were admitted to the SICU and received 13,608 days of care. A total of 15,066 alert pages were sent including alerts for physiologic condition (6,163), laboratory data (4,951), blood gas (3,774), drug allergy (130), and toxic drug levels (48). Admission Simplified Acute Physiology Score and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, SICU lengths of stay, and overall mortality rates were significantly higher in patients who triggered the alerting system. Patients triggering the alert paging system were 49.4 times more likely to die in the SICU compared with patients who did not generate an alert. Even after transfer to floor care the patients who triggered the alerting system were 5.7 times more likely to die in the hospital. An alert page identifies patients who will stay in the SICU longer and have a significantly higher chance of death compared with patients who do not trigger the alerting system.

  1. "It's Not Something I Chose You Know": Making Sense of Pedophiles' Sexual Interest in Children and the Impact on Their Psychosexual Identity.

    PubMed

    Blagden, Nicholas James; Mann, Ruth; Webster, Stephen; Lee, Rachael; Williams, Fiona

    2017-03-01

    Sexual interest in children is one of the most strongly predictive of the known risk factors for sexual reconviction. It is an important aspect of risk assessment to identify the presence of such interest, and an important task for treatment providers to address such a sexual interest where it is present. It has been argued that understanding pedophiles' deviant sexual interest in children can enhance risk assessment, management, and treatment planning. This research study aims to explore the phenomenology of deviant sexual interest in children, the impact it has on pedophilic offenders' identities, and their views on the treatability of that interest. The study used semistructured interviews and repertory grids to make sense of participants' experiences. The results revealed three superordinate themes: "'living' with a deviant sexual interest," "relational sexual self," and "possible and feared sexual self." The analysis unpacks these themes and repertory grid analysis is used to explore a subset of participants' identities in more detail. The results reveal that there needs to be an acceptance from both client and therapist that their sexual interest in children may never go away. Through this acceptance, clients could work on enhancing sexual self-regulation, recognizing their triggers, and so managing their sexual thoughts, feelings, and behavior. Implications for treatment are also discussed.

  2. International Law: How It Affects Rules of Engagement and Responses in Information Warfare

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1997-03-01

    with the least expenditure of life, time, and physical resources. Humanity. Prohibits the employment of any kind or degree of force not necessary...the beginning of warfare, the intent has been to physically and psychologically destroy an adversary. Little consideration was given to the amount of...threat to US security interests. For example, core interests are those interests dealing with the physical survival of a country or directly threatening

  3. 76 FR 70491 - Exemptions From Certain Prohibited Transaction Restrictions

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-14

    ... on such Sale price paid for the Notes from and after September 10, 2010, determined at the face..., determined at the face interest rate for the applicable Note.\\6\\ Accordingly, after due consideration, the... Condition (g)); and PTE 2008-12 (see Condition (f)). \\6\\ The face interest rates for the various Notes that...

  4. 77 FR 47052 - El Paso Natural Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-07

    ... planned Project under these general headings: Geology and soils; Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands... restore native grassland; Visual impacts in consideration of Native American sacred sites; The creation of...; environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries...

  5. 42 CFR 57.1508 - Amount of interest subsidy payments; limitations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... payments will be made, and the level of such payments shall be determined by the Secretary on the basis of... consideration his analysis of the present and reasonable projected future financial ability of the applicant to... Profession Personnel § 57.1508 Amount of interest subsidy payments; limitations. The length of time for which...

  6. The Effectiveness of Participatory Theatre with Early Adolescents in School-Based Sexuality Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ponzetti, James J., Jr.; Selman, Jan; Munro, Brenda; Esmail, Shaniff; Adams, Gerald

    2009-01-01

    Public concern about adolescent sexuality has garnered considerable interest in recent decades. Most teenagers are either thinking about or acting on their sexual impulses. Yet notable controversy exists regarding sexual education among youth. Adolescents report sexuality education must speak to issues of interest to them and be delivered in a…

  7. Landscape assessment of a stable aspen community in southern Utah, USA

    Treesearch

    Paul C. Rogers; A. Joshua Leffler; Ronald J. Ryel

    2010-01-01

    Recent reports of rapid die-off of aspen (Populus tremuloides), coupled with vigorous debate over longterm reduction of aspen cover in western North America, has prompted considerable research given the importance of this forest type for economic and non-economic interests. Despite this interest, indicators of aspen conditions are...

  8. 26 CFR 25.2701-3 - Determination of amount of gift.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    .... For purposes of paragraph (c)(1) of this section, junior equity interest means common stock or, in the... to the rights of all other classes of partnership interests. Common stock means the class or classes... payments are considered full and adequate consideration if a good faith effort is made to determine the...

  9. 26 CFR 25.2701-3 - Determination of amount of gift.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    .... For purposes of paragraph (c)(1) of this section, junior equity interest means common stock or, in the... to the rights of all other classes of partnership interests. Common stock means the class or classes... payments are considered full and adequate consideration if a good faith effort is made to determine the...

  10. Parent Interest in a School-Based, School Nurse-Led Weight Management Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubik, Martha Y.; Lee, Jiwoo

    2014-01-01

    Because one in three children is already overweight or obese, school-based interventions targeting secondary obesity prevention merit consideration. This study assessed parent interest in participating in a school-based, school nurse-led weight management program for young school-aged children. A random sample of parents ("n" = 122) of…

  11. Conflicts of Interest: An Indispensable Element of Education for Sustainable Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundegard, Iann; Wickman, Per-Olof

    2007-01-01

    A central concept introduced in the Nordic debate on sustainable development is "action competence". The concept has been defined as a competence of learners, i.e. the ability to take into consideration the social factors and human conflict of interest that lies behind environmental questions and sustainable development. The concern of…

  12. Compulsory treatment and patient responsibility.

    PubMed

    Arya, Dinesh

    2012-12-01

    Current legislative provisions for compulsory treatment of people with mental illness allow decisions to treat people under compulsion to be made on the basis of presence of a mental illness or mental disorder without consideration of whether the patient has the capacity to make decisions that are in his/her best interest. Issues of autonomy, equity, justice and beneficence in relation to treatment of people with mental illness are explored to determine decision-making rules that should be applied for compulsory mental health treatment. It is proposed that assessment of the capacity of the individual to make decisions in his/her best interest, rather than presence of diagnosable mental illness, should be the key consideration for compulsory mental health treatment.

  13. The mesmerists inquire about "Oriental mind powers": West meets East in the search for the universal trance.

    PubMed

    Schmit, David T

    2010-01-01

    Contemporary interest in Asian meditation raises questions about when Westerners began investigating these practices. A synopsis of Western-originating scientific meditation research is followed by a brief introduction to mesmerism. Next, the unappreciated ways the mesmerists explored Oriental mind powers is recounted. How the mesmerists' cultural positioning, philosophy, and interest in mind-body practices facilitated their inquiries of Oriental medicine and Hindu contemplative practices is explored, followed by a consideration of why these investigations were unique for the era. The way this work subverted Western cultural imperialism is examined. A consideration of the historical continuities and discontinuities between the mesmerists' inquiries and twentieth-century meditation research concludes the article.

  14. Outflow Channels Influencing Martian Climate: Global Circulation Model Simulations with Emplaced Water

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Santiago, D. L.; Colaprete, A.; Haberle, R. M.; Sloan, L. C.; Asphaug, E. I.

    2005-01-01

    The existence of surface water on Mars in past geologic epochs is inferred on the basis of geomorphologic interpretation of spaceflight images, and is supported by the recent Mars Odyssey identification of ice-rich soils [1]. The Mars Exploration Rovers have provided further chemical evidence for past surface hydrologic activity [2]. One issue is whether this water-rich climate ever existed in a steady state, or whether it was triggered by catastrophic events such as large impacts [3], and/ or catastrophic outburst floods, the topic of consideration here.

  15. Distal radical migration strategy: an emerging synthetic means.

    PubMed

    Li, Weipeng; Xu, Wentao; Xie, Jin; Yu, Shouyun; Zhu, Chengjian

    2018-02-05

    The remote radical migration strategy has gained considerable momentum. During the past three years, we have witnessed the rapid development of sustainable and practical C-C and C-H bond functionalization by means of long-distance 1,n-radical migration (n = 4, 5, 6) events. Its advent brings our chemical community a new platform to deal with the challenging migration transformations and thus complements the existing ionic-type migration protocols. In this review, the recent achievements in distal radical migration triggered C-C and C-H bond functionalization are summarized.

  16. H II Region G46.5-0.2: The Interplay between Ionizing Radiation, Molecular Gas, and Star Formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paron, S.; Ortega, M. E.; Dubner, G.; Yuan, Jing-Hua; Petriella, A.; Giacani, E.; Zeng Li, Jin; Wu, Yuefang; Liu, Hongli; Huang, Ya Fang; Zhang, Si-Ju

    2015-06-01

    H ii regions are particularly interesting because they can generate dense layers of gas and dust, elongated columns or pillars of gas pointing toward the ionizing sources, and cometary globules of dense gas where triggered star formation can occur. Understanding the interplay between the ionizing radiation and the dense surrounding gas is very important to explain the origin of these peculiar structures, and hence to characterize triggered star formation. G46.5-0.2 (G46), a poorly studied galactic H ii region located at about 4 kpc, is an excellent target for performing this kind of study. Using public molecular data extracted from the Galactic Ring Survey (13CO J = 1-0) and from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope data archive (12CO, 13CO, C18O J = 3-2, HCO+, and HCN J = 4-3), and infrared data from the GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL surveys, we perform a complete study of G46, its molecular environment, and the young stellar objects (YSOs) placed around it. We found that G46, probably excited by an O7V star, is located close to the edge of the GRSMC G046.34-00.21 molecular cloud. It presents a horse-shoe morphology opening in the direction of the cloud. We observed a filamentary structure in the molecular gas likely related to G46 and not considerable molecular emission toward its open border. We found that about 10‧ to the southwest of G46 there are some pillar-like features, shining at 8 μm and pointing toward the H ii region open border. We propose that the pillar-like features were carved and sculpted by the ionizing flux from G46. We found several YSOs likely embedded in the molecular cloud grouped in two main concentrations: one, closer to the G46 open border consisting of Class II type sources, and another mostly composed of Class I type YSOs located just ahead of the pillar-like features, strongly suggesting an age gradient in the YSO distribution.

  17. H ii REGION G46.5-0.2: THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN IONIZING RADIATION, MOLECULAR GAS, AND STAR FORMATION

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

    Paron, S.; Ortega, M. E.; Dubner, G.

    2015-06-15

    H ii regions are particularly interesting because they can generate dense layers of gas and dust, elongated columns or pillars of gas pointing toward the ionizing sources, and cometary globules of dense gas where triggered star formation can occur. Understanding the interplay between the ionizing radiation and the dense surrounding gas is very important to explain the origin of these peculiar structures, and hence to characterize triggered star formation. G46.5-0.2 (G46), a poorly studied galactic H ii region located at about 4 kpc, is an excellent target for performing this kind of study. Using public molecular data extracted from themore » Galactic Ring Survey ({sup 13}CO J = 1–0) and from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope data archive ({sup 12}CO, {sup 13}CO, C{sup 18}O J = 3–2, HCO{sup +}, and HCN J = 4–3), and infrared data from the GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL surveys, we perform a complete study of G46, its molecular environment, and the young stellar objects (YSOs) placed around it. We found that G46, probably excited by an O7V star, is located close to the edge of the GRSMC G046.34-00.21 molecular cloud. It presents a horse-shoe morphology opening in the direction of the cloud. We observed a filamentary structure in the molecular gas likely related to G46 and not considerable molecular emission toward its open border. We found that about 10′ to the southwest of G46 there are some pillar-like features, shining at 8 μm and pointing toward the H ii region open border. We propose that the pillar-like features were carved and sculpted by the ionizing flux from G46. We found several YSOs likely embedded in the molecular cloud grouped in two main concentrations: one, closer to the G46 open border consisting of Class II type sources, and another mostly composed of Class I type YSOs located just ahead of the pillar-like features, strongly suggesting an age gradient in the YSO distribution.« less

  18. Occupational exposure to neurotoxic substances in Asian countries - Challenges and approaches

    PubMed Central

    Meyer-Baron, Monika; Kim, Eun A; Nuwayhid, Iman; Ichihara, Gaku; Kang, Seong-Kyu

    2012-01-01

    The fact that a conference on neurotoxicity was held in China triggered the idea to provide an insight into occupational diseases, their development and the approaches to investigate them in Asian countries. A historical review, a meta-analysis, and studies on humans and animals provide impressions on past and current problems. The Korean example showed that each newly introduced industry is accompanied by its own problems as regards occupational diseases. Mercury and carbon disulfide were of importance in the beginning, whereas solvents and manganese became important later. Outbreaks of diseases were important reasons to guide both the public and the governmental attention to prevention and allowed within a relatively short time considerable progress. As the example on the replacement of 2-bromopropane by 1-bromopropane showed, also the introduction of chemicals that are more beneficial for the environment may result in additional occupational risks. A lower mutagenicity of 1-bromopopane was shown to be associated with a greater neurotoxicity in Japanese studies. Although occupational health and diseases are commonly related to adults, child workers exposed to solvents were examined in a Lebanese study. The study started outlining the health hazards in young workers because they might be at a much greater risk due to the not yet completed maturation of their nervous system. That some occupational diseases are not yet a focus of prevention was shown by the study on pesticides. If at all, the serious health consequences resulting from excessive exposure were investigated. Research enabling precautionary actions was not available from the international literature. Despite globalization the knowledge on occupational diseases is not yet “globalized” and each country obviously undergoes its own development triggered by local experiences. Economic development that requires a healthy workforce, but also public interest that challenges governmental regulations further efforts on the prevention of occupational diseases. The paper reflects a summary of the talks presented at the symposium “Occupational Neurotoxicities in Asian Countries” as part of the 11th International Symposium on Neurobehavioral Methods and Effects in Occupational and Environmental Health. PMID:22202747

  19. Near-Stall Modal Disturbances Within a Transonic Compressor Rotor

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-12-01

    kpi to kulite.position.interp %to loc creation.... what is interesting is why the other runs for 70,80, %85 pc were not affected? kpi ...kulite.position.interp; kulite.position.smooth = smooth(( kpi (loc_loc)... -(round( kpi (loc_loc(1)))): ... round( kpi (loc_loc(end))))’,0.05, ’rloess...8217); % Step 4: Correct Position Vector kulite.position.correct = kpi *blade.number; % total number of blade passings 90 % Trigger Plot with Error

  20. Mesothelioma: Identification of the Key Molecular Events Triggered by BAP1

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-01

    levels as well as cytokine changes induced by BAP1. In brief, we found that BAP1 silenced HM cells (and macrophages) release more HMGB1 into the... cytokine analysis. Cells were blindly characterized with the following antibodies: CD45 (leukocytes; anti-CD45-BV711, 563709, BD Biosciences, San...following asbestos exposure. Interestingly, BAP1 has been recently shown to regulate the myeloid stem cell compartment via complex alterations of the

  1. Mesothelioma: Identification of the Key Molecular Events Triggered by BAP1

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-04-01

    with 5ml of phosphate-buffered saline. The peritoneal cells obtained were pelleted and supernatant was removed for later cytokine analysis. Cells were...Interestingly, BAP1 has been recently shown to regulate the myeloid stem cell compartment via complex alterations of the transcriptional profile, possibly via...regulation of IL-6 activation by asbestos in lung epithelial cells : role of reactive oxygen species. J Immunol 1997; 159: 3921–3928. 43 Occupational

  2. Simultaneous passively Q-switched dual-wavelength solid-state laser working at 1065 and 1066 nm.

    PubMed

    Pallas, Florent; Herault, Emilie; Roux, Jean-Francois; Kevorkian, Antoine; Coutaz, Jean-Louis; Vitrant, Guy

    2012-07-15

    A passively Q-switched dual-wavelength solid-state laser is presented. The two wavelengths are emitted by two different crystals in order to avoid gain competition, and the synchronization between the pulses is obtained by external triggering of the saturable absorber. Sum frequency mixing is demonstrated, proving the interest of this source for terahertz generation in the 0.3-0.4 THz range through difference frequency generation.

  3. Small Surf

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2016-11-04

    A minor solar eruption triggered a crackling, white flash that sent an expanding wave of plasma below it over about six hours (Nov. 4, 2016). Some of the plasma also appeared to surge along a narrow path above the active region as well. Such occurrences are fairly common, but still interesting to watch up close. The images were taken in a wavelength of extreme ultraviolet light. Movies are available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA21202

  4. Development of a General Aza-Cope Reaction Trigger Applied to Fluorescence Imaging of Formaldehyde in Living Cells.

    PubMed

    Bruemmer, Kevin J; Walvoord, Ryan R; Brewer, Thomas F; Burgos-Barragan, Guillermo; Wit, Niek; Pontel, Lucas B; Patel, Ketan J; Chang, Christopher J

    2017-04-19

    Formaldehyde (FA) is a reactive signaling molecule that is continuously produced through a number of central biological pathways spanning epigenetics to one-carbon metabolism. On the other hand, aberrant, elevated levels of FA are implicated in disease states ranging from asthma to neurodegenerative disorders. In this context, fluorescence-based probes for FA imaging are emerging as potentially powerful chemical tools to help disentangle the complexities of FA homeostasis and its physiological and pathological contributions. Currently available FA indicators require direct modification of the fluorophore backbone through complex synthetic considerations to enable FA detection, often limiting the generalization of designs to other fluorophore classes. To address this challenge, we now present the rational, iterative development of a general reaction-based trigger utilizing 2-aza-Cope reactivity for selective and sensitive detection of FA in living systems. Specifically, we developed a homoallylamine functionality that can undergo a subsequent self-immolative β-elimination, creating a FA-responsive trigger that is capable of masking a phenol on a fluorophore or any other potential chemical scaffold for related imaging and/or therapeutic applications. We demonstrate the utility of this trigger by creating a series of fluorescent probes for FA with excitation and emission wavelengths that span the UV to visible spectral regions through caging of a variety of dye units. In particular, Formaldehyde Probe 573 (FAP573), based on a resorufin scaffold, is the most red-shifted and FA sensitive in this series in terms of signal-to-noise responses and enables identification of alcohol dehydrogenase 5 (ADH5) as an enzyme that regulates FA metabolism in living cells. The results provide a starting point for the broader use of 2-aza-Cope reactivity for probing and manipulating FA biology.

  5. Stability of submarine slopes in the northern South China Sea: a numerical approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Liang; Luan, Xiwu

    2013-01-01

    Submarine landslides occur frequently on most continental margins. They are effective mechanisms of sediment transfer but also a geological hazard to seafloor installations. In this paper, submarine slope stability is evaluated using a 2D limit equilibrium method. Considerations of slope, sediment, and triggering force on the factor of safety (FOS) were calculated in drained and undrained ( Φ=0) cases. Results show that submarine slopes are stable when the slope is <16° under static conditions and without a weak interlayer. With a weak interlayer, slopes are stable at <18° in the drained case and at <9° in the undrained case. Earthquake loading can drastically reduce the shear strength of sediment with increased pore water pressure. The slope became unstable at >13° with earthquake peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 0.5 g; whereas with a weak layer, a PGA of 0.2 g could trigger instability at slopes >10°, and >3° for PGA of 0.5 g. The northern slope of the South China Sea is geomorphologically stable under static conditions. However, because of the possibility of high PGA at the eastern margin of the South China Sea, submarine slides are likely on the Taiwan Bank slope and eastern part of the Dongsha slope. Therefore, submarine slides recognized in seismic profiles on the Taiwan Bank slope would be triggered by an earthquake, the most important factor for triggering submarine slides on the northern slope of the South China Sea. Considering the distribution of PGA, we consider the northern slope of the South China Sea to be stable, excluding the Taiwan Bank slope, which is tectonically active.

  6. Migraine and triggers: Post hoc ergo propter hoc?

    PubMed Central

    Hoffmann, Jan; Recober, Ana

    2013-01-01

    The influence of environmental factors on the clinical manifestation of migraine has been a matter of extensive debate over the past decades. Migraineurs commonly report foods, alcohol, meteorologic or atmospheric changes, exposure to light, sounds, or odors, as factors that trigger or aggravate their migraine attacks. In the same way, physicians frequently follow this belief in their recommendations in how migraineurs may reduce their attack frequency, especially with regard to the consumption of certain food components. Interestingly, despite being such a common belief, most of the clinical studies have shown conflicting results. The aim of the review is to critically analyze clinical and pathophysiological facts that support or refute a correlation between certain environmental stimuli and the occurrence of migraine attacks. Given the substantial discrepancy between patients' reports and objective clinical data, the methodological difficulties of investigating the link between environmental factors and migraine are highlighted. PMID:23996725

  7. Driving higher magnetic field sensitivity of the martensitic transformation in MnCoGe ferromagnet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, S. C.; Ge, Q.; Hu, Y. F.; Wang, L.; Liu, K.; Jiang, Q. Z.; Wang, D. H.; Hu, C. C.; Huang, H. B.; Cao, G. P.; Zhong, Z. C.; Du, Y. W.

    2017-11-01

    The sharp metamagnetic martensitic transformation (MMT) triggered by a low critical field plays a pivotal role in magnetoresponsive effects for ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs). Here, a sharper magnetic-field-induced metamagnetic martensitic transformation (MFIMMT) is realized in Mn1-xCo1+xGe systems with a giant magnetocaloric effect around room temperature, which represents the lowest magnetic driving and completion fields as well as the largest magnetization difference around MFIMMT reported heretofore in MnCoGe-based FSMAs. More interestingly, a reversible MFIMMT with field cycling is observed in the Mn0.965Co0.035Ge compound. These results indicate that the consensus would be broken that the magnetic field is difficult to trigger the MMT for MnCoGe-based systems. The origin of a higher degree of sensitivity of martensitic transformation to the magnetic field is discussed based on the X-ray absorption spectroscopic results.

  8. Automatic Analysis of Swift-XRT data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, P. A.; Tyler, L. G.; Beardmore, A. P.; Osborne, J. P.

    2008-08-01

    The Swift spacecraft detects and autonomously observes ˜100 Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) per year, ˜96% of which are detected by the X-ray telescope (XRT). GRBs are accompanied by optical transients and the field of ground-based follow-up of GRBs has expanded significantly over the last few years, with rapid response instruments capable of responding to Swift triggers on timescales of minutes. To make the most efficient use of limited telescope time, follow-up astronomers need accurate positions of GRBs as soon as possible after the trigger. Additionally, information such as the X-ray light curve, is of interest when considering observing strategy. The Swift team at Leicester University have developed techniques to improve the accuracy of the GRB positions available from the XRT, and to produce science-grade X-ray light curves of GRBs. These techniques are fully automated, and are executed as soon as data are available.

  9. Magnetic Field Triggered Multicycle Damage Sensing and Self Healing.

    PubMed

    Ahmed, Anansa S; Ramanujan, R V

    2015-09-08

    Multifunctional materials inspired by biological structures have attracted great interest, e.g. for wearable/ flexible "skin" and smart coatings. A current challenge in this area is to develop an artificial material which mimics biological skin by simultaneously displaying color change on damage as well as self healing of the damaged region. Here we report, for the first time, the development of a damage sensing and self healing magnet-polymer composite (Magpol), which actively responds to an external magnetic field. We incorporated reversible sensing using mechanochromic molecules in a shape memory thermoplastic matrix. Exposure to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) triggers shape recovery and facilitates damage repair. Magpol exhibited a linear strain response upto 150% strain and complete recovery after healing. We have demonstrated the use of this concept in a reusable biomedical device i.e., coated guidewires. Our findings offer a new synergistic method to bestow multifunctionality for applications ranging from medical device coatings to adaptive wing structures.

  10. Exploring transient X-ray sky with Einstein Probe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, W.; Zhang, C.; Ling, Z.; Zhao, D.; Chen, Y.; Lu, F.; Zhang, S.

    2017-10-01

    The Einstein Probe is a small satellite in time-domain astronomy to monitor the soft X-ray sky. It is a small mission in the space science programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It will carry out systematic survey and characterisation of high-energy transients at unprecedented sensitivity, spatial resolution, Grasp and monitoring cadence. Its wide-field imaging capability is achieved by using established technology of micro-pore lobster-eye X-ray focusing optics. Complementary to this is X-ray follow-up capability enabled by a narrow-field X-ray telescope. It is capable of on-board triggering and real time downlink of transient alerts, in order to trigger fast follow-up observations at multi-wavelengths. Its scientific goals are concerned with discovering and characterising diverse types of X-ray transients, including tidal disruption events, supernova shock breakouts, high-redshift GRBs, and of particular interest, X-ray counterparts of gravitational wave events.

  11. Finding Sub-threshold Short Gamma-ray Bursts in Fermi GBM Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burns, Eric; Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor Team

    2018-01-01

    The all-sky monitoring capability of Fermi GBM makes it ideal for finding transients, and the most prolific detector of short gamma-ray bursts with about 40 on-board triggers per year. Because the observed brightness of short gamma-ray bursts has no correlation with redshift, weak short gamma-ray bursts are important during the gravitational wave era. With this in mind, we discuss two searches of GBM data to find short gamma-ray which were below the on-board trigger threshold. The untargeted search looks for significant background-subtracted signals in two or more detectors at various timescales in the continuous data, detecting ~80 additional short GRB candidates per year. The targeted search is the most sensitive search for weak gamma-ray signals in GBM data and is run over limited time intervals around sources of interest like gravitational waves.

  12. ent-Jungermannenone C Triggers Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Cell Differentiation in Leukemia Cells.

    PubMed

    Yue, Zongwei; Xiao, Xinhua; Wu, Jinbao; Zhou, Xiaozhou; Liu, Weilong; Liu, Yaxi; Li, Houhua; Chen, Guoqiang; Wu, Yingli; Lei, Xiaoguang

    2018-02-23

    Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic malignancy that is characterized by clonal proliferation of myeloid blasts. Despite the progress that has been made in the treatment of various malignant hematopoietic diseases, the effective treatment of AML remains very challenging. Differentiation therapy has emerged as a promising approach for leukemia treatment, and new and effective chemical agents to trigger the differentiation of AML cells, especially drug-resistant cells, are urgently required. Herein, the natural product jungermannenone C, a tetracyclic diterpenoid isolated from liverworts, is reported to induce cell differentiation in AML cells. Interestingly, the unnatural enantiomer of jungermannenone C (1) was found to be more potent than jungermannenone C in inducing cell differentiation. Furthermore, compound 1 targets peroxiredoxins I and II by selectively binding to the conserved cysteine residues and leads to cellular reactive oxygen species accumulation. Accordingly, ent-jungermannenone C (1) shows potential for further investigation as an effective differentiation therapy against AML.

  13. A smart microelectromechanical sensor and switch triggered by gas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bouchaala, Adam; Jaber, Nizar; Shekhah, Osama; Chernikova, Valeriya; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Younis, Mohammad I.

    2016-07-01

    There is an increasing interest to realize smarter sensors and actuators that can deliver a multitude of sophisticated functionalities while being compact in size and of low cost. We report here combining both sensing and actuation on the same device based on a single microstructure. Specifically, we demonstrate a smart resonant gas (mass) sensor, which in addition to being capable of quantifying the amount of absorbed gas, can be autonomously triggered as an electrical switch upon exceeding a preset threshold of absorbed gas. Toward this, an electrostatically actuated polymer microbeam is fabricated and is then functionalized with a metal-organic framework, namely, HKUST-1. The microbeam is demonstrated to absorb vapors up to a certain threshold, after which is shown to collapse through the dynamic pull-in instability. Upon pull-in, the microstructure can be made to act as an electrical switch to achieve desirable actions, such as alarming.

  14. Induced Seismicity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Keranen, Katie M.; Weingarten, Matthew

    2018-05-01

    The ability of fluid-generated subsurface stress changes to trigger earthquakes has long been recognized. However, the dramatic rise in the rate of human-induced earthquakes in the past decade has created abundant opportunities to study induced earthquakes and triggering processes. This review briefly summarizes early studies but focuses on results from induced earthquakes during the past 10 years related to fluid injection in petroleum fields. Study of these earthquakes has resulted in insights into physical processes and has identified knowledge gaps and future research directions. Induced earthquakes are challenging to identify using seismological methods, and faults and reefs strongly modulate spatial and temporal patterns of induced seismicity. However, the similarity of induced and natural seismicity provides an effective tool for studying earthquake processes. With continuing development of energy resources, increased interest in carbon sequestration, and construction of large dams, induced seismicity will continue to pose a hazard in coming years.

  15. Geomorphological characteristics of increased landslide activity in the Gudbrandsdalen valley, Norway

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heyerdahl, Håkon; Høydal, Øyvind

    2016-04-01

    The Gudbrandsdalen valley in Eastern Norway lies in a region where annual precipitation is generally low (down to 300 mm/year). The landslide activity has consequently historically been low, although the lower part of the valley sides generally is draped with thick layers of Quaternary deposits, primarily of glacial or glaciofluvial origin. The perception of natural hazards in the valley was previously primarily connected to flooding in the main river in the valley bottom during early summer, due to large discharges resulting from snowmelt in the mountainous regions west and east of the valley. However, several high-intensity events have changed the image of the region. Starting with a localized, but intense, landslide event in the Northern part of the valley in year 2008, two larger events covering almost the entire valley occurred in the years 2011 and 2013. A high number of landslides was triggered in all these events, including many flash floods and debris flows/debris slides in small and steep tributary rivers along the valley slopes. Landslide triggering covers different release mechanisms: In 2008, landslides were triggered without precipitation in not-frozen soil deposits without snow cover in the lower part of the valley. Groundwater flow through the permeable bedrock ("Otta schist") resulting from snow-melt in the elevated mountainous areas caused landslide triggering due to positive pore-water pressures forming at the bedrock surface below soil deposits, or at depressions in the terrain. Subsequent rainfall resulted in even more landslides being released. In later events (years 2011 and 2013) many landslides were caused by surface water taking new paths downslope, often due to man-made changes in existing waterways (typically poorly planned drainage solutions or new roads). Relatively small discharges in slopes with unconsolidated and easily erodible glacial deposits (typically lateral moraine) in many cases lead to small initial slides that down-slope developed into large erosional debris slides/floods of considerable size. Also along existing tributary rivers, the intense rainfall events resulted in flash-floods with heavy erosion and entrainment of deposits from the riverbed, including massive transport of trees. Also on open slopes a number of landslides were observed, assumedly triggered primarily by direct infiltration of rainfall, and possibly assisted by groundwater flow in underlying bedrock. Considerable damage to infrastructure and also dwellings has resulted from the events. A new approach has proved necessary to capture the risk elements connect to landslide and flood for this valley region when it comes to planning purposes. Among others, there is a need to consider the potential damage resulting from under-dimensioned culverts leading to complete failure of railroad or road embankments). Work is underway in order to improve the understanding of release mechanisms for typical landslides in the valley, which also will be highly relevant for other areas in Norway were similar natural hazards are encountered, and where climatic change may change the regional landslide activity.

  16. On the dependence of response inhibition processes on sensory modality.

    PubMed

    Bodmer, Benjamin; Beste, Christian

    2017-04-01

    The ability to inhibit responses is a central sensorimotor function but only recently the importance of sensory processes for motor inhibition mechanisms went more into the research focus. In this regard it is elusive, whether there are differences between sensory modalities to trigger response inhibition processes. Due to functional neuroanatomical considerations strong differences may exist, for example, between the visual and the tactile modality. In the current study we examine what neurophysiological mechanisms as well as functional neuroanatomical networks are modulated during response inhibition. Therefore, a Go/NoGo-paradigm employing a novel combination of visual, tactile, and visuotactile stimuli was used. The data show that the tactile modality is more powerful than the visual modality to trigger response inhibition processes. However, the tactile modality loses its efficacy to trigger response inhibition processes when being combined with the visual modality. This may be due to competitive mechanisms leading to a suppression of certain sensory stimuli and the response selection level. Variations in sensory modalities specifically affected conflict monitoring processes during response inhibition by modulating activity in a frontal parietal network including the right inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and the temporoparietal junction. Attentional selection processes are not modulated. The results suggest that the functional neuroanatomical networks involved in response inhibition critically depends on the nature of the sensory input. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1941-1951, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Considerations and Changes in the Evaluation, Management, and Outcomes in the Management of Diverticular Disease: The Diagnosis, Pathology, and Treatment of Diverticular Colitis.

    PubMed

    Kucejko, Robert J; Poggio, Juan L

    2018-07-01

    Diverticular colitis, also known as segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis, is a colonic inflammatory disorder on the spectrum of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The disease consists of macroscopic and microscopic inflammation affecting inter-diverticular mucosa, sparing peri-diverticular mucosa, with inflammation confined to the descending and sigmoid colon. The disease likely arises from the altered immune response of an individual, genetically susceptible to the IBD spectrum of diseases. Patients with segmental colitis associated with diverticulosis (SCAD) are typically older, and likely represent a subgroup of IBD-susceptible patients who lacked an environmental trigger until that point in their life. Most patients remain in remission with initial treatments of mesalamine or topical steroids, and maintenance mesalamine afterwards. Only the most severe form of the disease necessitates immunomodulatory therapy and the consideration of surgery.

  18. Water content of latent fingerprints - Dispelling the myth.

    PubMed

    Kent, Terry

    2016-09-01

    Changing procedures in the handling of rare and precious documents in museums and elsewhere, based on assumptions about constituents of latent fingerprints, have led the author to an examination of available data. These changes appear to have been triggered by one paper using general biological data regarding eccrine sweat production to infer that deposited fingerprints are mostly water. Searching the fingerprint literature has revealed a number of reference works similarly quoting figures for average water content of deposited fingerprints of 98% or more. Whilst accurate estimation is difficult there is no evidence that the residue on fingers could be anything like 98% water, even if there were no contamination from sebaceous glands. Consideration of published analytical data of real fingerprints, and several theoretical considerations regarding evaporation and replenishment rates, indicates a probable initial average water content of a fingerprint, soon after deposition, of 20% or less. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Attitudes of research participants and the general public towards genomic data sharing: a systematic literature review.

    PubMed

    Shabani, Mahsa; Bezuidenhout, Louise; Borry, Pascal

    2014-11-01

    Introducing data sharing practices into the genomic research arena has challenged the current mechanisms established to protect rights of individuals and triggered policy considerations. To inform such policy deliberations, soliciting public and research participants' attitudes with respect to genomic data sharing is a necessity. The main electronic databases were searched in order to retrieve empirical studies, investigating the attitudes of research participants and the public towards genomic data sharing through public databases. In the 15 included studies, participants' attitudes towards genomic data sharing revealed the influence of a constellation of interrelated factors, including the personal perceptions of controllability and sensitivity of data, potential risks and benefits of data sharing at individual and social level and also governance level considerations. This analysis indicates that future policy responses and recruitment practices should be attentive to a wide variety of concerns in order to promote both responsible and progressive research.

  20. The students' interest for 2012 and 2013 cohort in construction engineering vocational education program Universitas Negeri Semarang in choosing the subject specialization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Julianto, Eko Nugroho; Salamah, Ummu

    2017-03-01

    On the 2012 curriculum, Vocational Education Program Universitas Negeri Semarang allowed the students to choose subjects for their specialization according to their ability. The subject specialization was given at the 6th semester to provide students in performing field work experience. Each course has its own enthusiasts specialization, students have certain considerations in selecting the course. The consideration of each of them is different from one another because they have their own talents, interests, aspirations and perceptions or a different view in assessing a subject specialization offered by Construction Engineering Vocational Education Program. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of interest caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors on 2012 and 2013 students' cohort in selecting subjects of specialization. This research is descriptive with quantitative approach, which is carried out to determine the magnitude of the interest students in choosing courses of specialization. Research conducted at the Civil Engineering Department Universitas Negeri Semarang, with research subjects that students PTB forces in 2012 and 2013, with a total sample of 87 students. The results showed that the interest of the student of 2012 and 2013 in selecting subjects of specialization is equal to 68.06% with the criteria are interested in contributions from intrinsic factors indicate the yield at 35.48% and 64.52% extrinsic factors.

  1. Design, economic and system considerations of large wind-driven generators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jorgensen, G. E.; Lotker, M.; Meier, R. C.; Brierley, D.

    1976-01-01

    The increased search for alternative energy sources has lead to renewed interest and studies of large wind-driven generators. This paper presents the results and considerations of such an investigation. The paper emphasizes the concept selection of wind-driven generators, system optimization, control system design, safety aspects, economic viability on electric utility systems and potential electric system interfacing problems.

  2. Research considerations when studying disasters.

    PubMed

    Cox, Catherine Wilson

    2008-03-01

    Nurses play an integral role during disasters because they are called upon more than any other health care professional during disaster response efforts; consequently, nurse researchers are interested in studying the issues that impact nurses in the aftermath of a disaster. This article offers research considerations for nurse scientists when developing proposals related to disaster research and identifies resources and possible funding sources for their projects.

  3. Southeast Asia Report. No. 1316

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-07-25

    28 Columnist Urges Consideration for Innocent (A. Battala; BULLETIN TODAY, 18 Jun 83) 29 Four Rebel Priests ’Disowned’ by Church Superiors...THAILAND Columnist Sees Declining U.S. Interest in Southeast Asia (Trairat; DAILY NEWS, 27 May 83) 58 Editorial Discusses Indochina Trade, Asks...cash from the municipal treasury vault. CSO: 4200/663 28 PHILIPPINES COLUMNIST URGES CONSIDERATION FOR INNOCENT Manila BULLETIN TODAY in

  4. Considerations on photochemical genotoxicity. II: report of the 2009 International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing Working Group.

    PubMed

    Lynch, Anthony M; Guzzie, Peggy J; Bauer, Daniel; Gocke, Elmar; Itoh, Satoru; Jacobs, Abby; Krul, Cyrille A M; Schepky, Andreas; Tanaka, Noriho; Kasper, Peter

    2011-08-16

    A workshop to reappraise the previous IWGT recommendations for photogenotoxicity testing [E. Gocke, L. Muller, P.J. Guzzie, S. Brendler-Schwaab, S. Bulera, C.F. Chignell, L.M. Henderson, A. Jacobs, H. Murli, R.D. Snyder, N. Tanaka, Considerations on photochemical genotoxicity: report of the International Workshop on Genotoxicity Test Procedures working group, Environ. Mol. Mutagen., 35 (2000) 173-184] was recently held as part of the 5th International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT) meeting in Basel, Switzerland (August 17-19, 2009). An Expert Panel was convened from regulatory, academic and industrial scientists (with several members serving on the original panel) and chaired by Dr Peter Kasper (BfArM, Germany). The aim of the workshop was to review progress made in photo(geno)toxicity testing over the past decade; a period which saw the introduction of several regulatory photosafety guidances in particular in Europe and the USA. Based on current regulatory guidelines a substantial proportion of compounds trigger the requirements for photosafety testing. Moreover, there has been growing concern within industry about the performance of the in vitro photosafety tests in the "real world" of compound development. Therefore, the expert group reviewed the status of the current regulatory guidance's and the impact these have had on compound development in the context of the various triggers for photosafety testing. In addition, the performance of photogenotoxicity assays (old and new) was discussed, particularly in view of reports of pseudophotoclastogencity. The Expert Panel finished with an assessment of the positioning of photogenotoxicity testing within a photosafety testing strategy. The most significant conclusion made by the Expert Panel was that photogenotoxicity testing should no longer be recommended as part of the standard photosafety testing strategy. In addition, progress was made on the refinement of triggers for photosafety testing. For example, there was support for harmonisation of methods to determine the Molar Extinction Coefficient (MEC) and a consensus agreement that there should be no requirement for testing of compounds with a MEC<1000Lmol(-1)cm(-1). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Biological event composition

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background In recent years, biological event extraction has emerged as a key natural language processing task, aiming to address the information overload problem in accessing the molecular biology literature. The BioNLP shared task competitions have contributed to this recent interest considerably. The first competition (BioNLP'09) focused on extracting biological events from Medline abstracts from a narrow domain, while the theme of the latest competition (BioNLP-ST'11) was generalization and a wider range of text types, event types, and subject domains were considered. We view event extraction as a building block in larger discourse interpretation and propose a two-phase, linguistically-grounded, rule-based methodology. In the first phase, a general, underspecified semantic interpretation is composed from syntactic dependency relations in a bottom-up manner. The notion of embedding underpins this phase and it is informed by a trigger dictionary and argument identification rules. Coreference resolution is also performed at this step, allowing extraction of inter-sentential relations. The second phase is concerned with constraining the resulting semantic interpretation by shared task specifications. We evaluated our general methodology on core biological event extraction and speculation/negation tasks in three main tracks of BioNLP-ST'11 (GENIA, EPI, and ID). Results We achieved competitive results in GENIA and ID tracks, while our results in the EPI track leave room for improvement. One notable feature of our system is that its performance across abstracts and articles bodies is stable. Coreference resolution results in minor improvement in system performance. Due to our interest in discourse-level elements, such as speculation/negation and coreference, we provide a more detailed analysis of our system performance in these subtasks. Conclusions The results demonstrate the viability of a robust, linguistically-oriented methodology, which clearly distinguishes general semantic interpretation from shared task specific aspects, for biological event extraction. Our error analysis pinpoints some shortcomings, which we plan to address in future work within our incremental system development methodology. PMID:22759461

  6. Tropical Cyclone Signatures in Atmospheric Convective Available Potential Energy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Studholme, Joshua; Gulev, Sergey

    2016-04-01

    Tropical cyclones play an important role in the climate system providing transports of energy and water vapor, forcing the ocean, and also affecting mid-latitude circulation phenomena. Tropical cyclone tracks experience strong interannual variability and in addition, longer term trend-like changes in all ocean basins. Analysis of recent historical data reveal a poleward shift in the locations of tropical cyclone tracks in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (Kossin et al. 2014, Nature, 509, 349-352). The physical consequences of these alterations are largely unconstrained. For example, the increasing encroachment of tropical cyclone activity into the extra-tropical environment presents a novel and still poorly understood paradigm for tropical-extratropical interactions. In this respect, the role that the atmospheric convective available potential energy (CAPE) plays in the dynamics of tropical cyclones is highly interesting. The two characteristic global-scale spatial patterns in CAPE are identified using EOF analysis. The first pattern shows an abundance of CAPE in the centre of the Pacific and corresponds to the El Nino Southern Oscillation. The second one is capturing positive CAPE anomalies in the oceanic tropics and negative anomalies over equatorial Africa. Associated with these buoyancy patterns, alterations in tropical cyclone activity occur in all basins forming both zonal and meridional patterns. Atmospheric buoyancy is the trigger for deep convection, and subsequently cyclone genesis. This is the mechanism of impact upon location at the start of cyclone tracks. It is found to have less impact upon where cyclones subsequently move, whether or not they undergo extratropical transition and when and where they experience lysis. It is shown that CAPE plays a critical role in the general circulation in the tropics which in turn is the larger steering context for embedded systems within the Walker and Hadley cells. So this lack of `latter life' impact posits an interesting start for further theoretical and physical consideration.

  7. Highlights of the International Symposium on Plant Lipids, 18th ISPL 2008, Bordeaux July 20–25th, 2008

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Plant lipids are of considerable interest in economic sectors such as agriculture, food, health and the cosmetics industry. In addition, the sector of renewable energies is showing increasing interest in the field of plant lipids. Our society is highly dependent on raw fossil materials whose reserve...

  8. Measuring Air Density in the Introductory Lab

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calza, G.; Gratton, L. M.; Lopez-Arias, T.; Oss, S.

    2010-01-01

    The measurement of the mass, or the density, of air can easily be done with very simple materials and offers many interesting phenomena for discussion--buoyancy and its effects being the most obvious but not the only one. Many interesting considerations can be done regarding the behavior of gases, the effect of the external conditions in the…

  9. Early Care and Education: Policy Considerations for Ensuring High-Quality Pre-K Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Best, Jane; Cohen, Courtney

    2013-01-01

    Interest in early care and education (ECE), also referred to as an early childhood education, has escalated in recent years. The interest is bipartisan, as evidenced by the multiple ECE-related bills already introduced by the 113th Congress. Further, 39 states have implemented prekindergarten (pre-K) programs. In 2013, 27 governors mentioned ECE…

  10. Career Assessment of Ultraorthodox Jewish Men: Reliability, Validity, and Results of the Strong Interest Inventory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pirutinsky, Steven

    2013-01-01

    Ultraorthodox men spend years studying religion and delay entry into the workforce until their early 30s. They then face barriers such as insufficient education and work experience, religious restrictions, and a lack of career information and self-knowledge. Although there is considerable interest in assessment, no measure has been validated…

  11. Recommendations for Planning and Managing International Short-term Pharmacy Service Trips

    PubMed Central

    Alsharif, Naser Z.; Rovers, John; Connor, Sharon; White, Nicole D.; Hogue, Michael D.

    2017-01-01

    International pharmacy service trips by schools and colleges of pharmacy allow students to provide health care to medically underserved areas. A literature review (2000-2016) in databases and Internet searches with specific keywords or terms was performed to assess current practices to establish and maintain successful pharmacy service trips. Educational documents such as syllabi were obtained from pharmacy programs and examined. A preliminary draft was developed and authors worked on sections of interest and expertise. Considerations and current recommendations are provided for the key aspects of the home institution and the host country requirements for pharmacy service trips based on findings from a literature search and the authors’ collective, extensive experience. Evaluation of the trip and ethical considerations are also discussed. This article serves as a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy that are interested in the development of new pharmacy service trips and provides key considerations for continuous quality improvement of current or future activities. PMID:28381883

  12. Recommendations for Planning and Managing International Short-term Pharmacy Service Trips.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Kalin L; Alsharif, Naser Z; Rovers, John; Connor, Sharon; White, Nicole D; Hogue, Michael D

    2017-03-25

    International pharmacy service trips by schools and colleges of pharmacy allow students to provide health care to medically underserved areas. A literature review (2000-2016) in databases and Internet searches with specific keywords or terms was performed to assess current practices to establish and maintain successful pharmacy service trips. Educational documents such as syllabi were obtained from pharmacy programs and examined. A preliminary draft was developed and authors worked on sections of interest and expertise. Considerations and current recommendations are provided for the key aspects of the home institution and the host country requirements for pharmacy service trips based on findings from a literature search and the authors' collective, extensive experience. Evaluation of the trip and ethical considerations are also discussed. This article serves as a resource for schools and colleges of pharmacy that are interested in the development of new pharmacy service trips and provides key considerations for continuous quality improvement of current or future activities.

  13. Scout-MRM: Multiplexed Targeted Mass Spectrometry-Based Assay without Retention Time Scheduling Exemplified by Dickeya dadantii Proteomic Analysis during Plant Infection.

    PubMed

    Rougemont, Blandine; Bontemps Gallo, Sébastien; Ayciriex, Sophie; Carrière, Romain; Hondermarck, Hubert; Lacroix, Jean Marie; Le Blanc, J C Yves; Lemoine, Jérôme

    2017-02-07

    Targeted mass spectrometry of a surrogate peptide panel is a powerful method to study the dynamics of protein networks, but chromatographic time scheduling remains a major limitation for dissemination and implementation of robust and large multiplexed assays. We unveil a Multiple Reaction Monitoring method (Scout-MRM) where the use of spiked scout peptides triggers complex transition lists, regardless of the retention time of targeted surrogate peptides. The interest of Scout-MRM method regarding the retention time independency, multiplexing capability, reproducibility, and putative interest in facilitating method transfer was illustrated by a 782-peptide-plex relative assay targeting 445 proteins of the phytopathogen Dickeya dadantii during plant infection.

  14. Vere-Jones' self-similar branching model

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

    Saichev, A.; Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095; Sornette, D.

    2005-11-01

    Motivated by its potential application to earthquake statistics as well as for its intrinsic interest in the theory of branching processes, we study the exactly self-similar branching process introduced recently by Vere-Jones. This model extends the ETAS class of conditional self-excited branching point-processes of triggered seismicity by removing the problematic need for a minimum (as well as maximum) earthquake size. To make the theory convergent without the need for the usual ultraviolet and infrared cutoffs, the distribution of magnitudes m{sup '} of daughters of first-generation of a mother of magnitude m has two branches m{sup '}m with exponent {beta}+d, where {beta} and d are two positive parameters. We investigate the condition and nature of the subcritical, critical, and supercritical regime in this and in an extended version interpolating smoothly between several models. We predict that the distribution of magnitudes of events triggered by a mother of magnitude m over all generations has also two branches m{sup '}m with exponent {beta}+h, with h=d{radical}(1-s), where s is the fraction of triggered events. This corresponds to a renormalization of the exponent d into h by the hierarchy of successive generations of triggered events. For a significant part of the parameter space, the distribution of magnitudes over a full catalog summed over an average steady flow of spontaneous sources (immigrants) reproduces the distribution of the spontaneous sources with a single branch and is blind to the exponents {beta},d of the distribution of triggered events. Since the distribution of earthquake magnitudes is usually obtained with catalogs including many sequences, we conclude that the two branches of the distribution of aftershocks are not directly observable and the model is compatible with real seismic catalogs. In summary, the exactly self-similar Vere-Jones model provides an attractive new approach to model triggered seismicity, which alleviates delicate questions on the role of magnitude cutoffs in other non-self-similar models. The new prediction concerning two branches in the distribution of magnitudes of aftershocks could be tested with recently introduced stochastic reconstruction methods, tailored to disentangle the different triggered sequences.« less

  15. Terminator 2020: Get Ready for the "Event" of The Next Decade

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McIntosh, S. W.; Leamon, R. J.; Fan, Y.; Rempel, M.; Dikpati, M.

    2017-12-01

    The abrupt end of solar activity cycles 22 and 23 at the Sun's equator are observed with instruments from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). These events are remarkable in that they rapidly trigger the onset of magnetic activity belonging to the next solar cycle at mid-latitudes. The triggered onset of new cycle flux emergence leads to blossoming of the new cycle shortly thereafter. Using small-scale tracers of magnetic solar activity we examine the timing of the cycle ``termination points'' in relation to the excitation of new activity and find that the time taken for the solar plasma to communicate this transition is less than one solar rotation, and possibly as little as a eight days. This very short transition time implies that the mean magnetic field present in the Sun's convection zone is approximately 80 kG. This value may be considerably larger than conventional explorations estimate and therefore, have a significant dynamical impact on the physical appearance of solar activity, and considerably impacting our ability to perform first-principles numerical simulations of the same. Should solar cycle 24 [and 25] continue in their progression we anticipate that a termination event of this type should occur in the 2020 timeframe. PSP will have a front row seat to observe this systemic flip in solar magnetism and the induced changes in our star's radiative and partiuculate output. Such observations may prove to be critical in assessing the Sun's ability to force short term evolution in the Earth's atmosphere.

  16. The role of interest and inflation rates in life-cycle cost analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eisenberger, I.; Remer, D. S.; Lorden, G.

    1978-01-01

    The effect of projected interest and inflation rates on life cycle cost calculations is discussed and a method is proposed for making such calculations which replaces these rates by a single parameter. Besides simplifying the analysis, the method clarifies the roles of these rates. An analysis of historical interest and inflation rates from 1950 to 1976 shows that the proposed method can be expected to yield very good projections of life cycle cost even if the rates themselves fluctuate considerably.

  17. 32 CFR 989.4 - Initial considerations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... national security interests while at the same time considering important environmental factors. (g... Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security). This coordination requirement does not apply to...

  18. Vibrational Spectroscopic Studies on the Formation of Ion-exchangeable Titania Nanotubes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hodos, Mária; Haspel, Henrik; Horváth, Endre; Kukovecz, Ákos; Kónya, Zoltán; Kiricsi, Imre

    2005-09-01

    Ion-exchangeable titanium-oxide nanotubes have commanded considerable interest from the materials science community in the past five years. Synthesized under hydrothermal conditions from TiO2, typical nanotubes are 150-200 nm long and 8-20 nm wide. High resolution TEM images revealed that unlike multiwall carbon nanotubes which are made of coaxial single-wall nanotubes, the titania tubes possess a spiral cross-section. An interesting feature of the titania tubes is their considerable ion-exchange capacity which could be utilized e.g. for enhancing their photocatalytic activity by doping the titania tubes with CdS nanoparticles. In this contribution we present a comprehensive TEM, FT-Raman and FT-farIR characterization study of the formation process.

  19. French Naval Policy Outside of Europe.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-09-01

    strategy" and "indi- rect strategy.ŝ In today’s world, direct strategy used against France would consist of overt armed aggression against French ter...8217 away at French interests one by one when he is afraid or unable to attack France directly. He would alternate local thrusts with calls for nego...of little importance to France were it not for the fact that it can endanger vital French inter- 4 ests without triggering France’s strategic

  20. Earthquake Tidal Triggering Associated with the 2015 Eruption of Axial Seamount

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilcock, W. S. D.; Tolstoy, M.; Waldhauser, F.; Tan, Y. J.; Garcia, C.; Arnulf, A. F.; Crone, T. J.

    2016-12-01

    The Ocean Observatories Initiative's real time cabled observatory at Axial Seamount includes a seven station seismic network that spans the southern half of the summit caldera. The network has been in operation since late 2014 and, in conjunction with geodetic sensors on the observatory, has recorded an exceptional data set to characterize the dynamics of the caldera through the April 2015 eruption. Prior to the eruption, earthquake rates were high and double-difference locations show that the inflation of the volcano was accommodated by deformation on an outward dipping caldera ring fault. The onset of the eruption was marked by a seismic crisis on April 24 and rapid deflation of the volcano; the caldera ring fault accommodated deflation and guided a dike beneath the east rim of the caldera. The seismic crisis was followed by a steady decline in the rates of earthquakes and deflation. Numerous seafloor explosions document the timing and location of lava flows in the caldera and on the north rift of the seamount. They ceased after about a month when the volcano started to reinflate. Efforts are presently underway to improve the resolution of hypocenters both through the use of cross-correlation-based double-difference hypocenter locations (Tan et al., this meeting) and by the incorporation of three-dimensional velocity models that account for the heterogeneous structure of the volcano. One particularly interesting aspect of the seismicity is the tidal triggering. Prior to the eruption, when the volcano is critically stressed, the earthquakes show a strong tidal triggering signal with higher rates of seismicity near low tides when faults are unclamped. Earthquake rates at the lowest tides are about six times those at the highest tides. There are also noticeable temporo-spatial patterns in the earthquake swarms that occur at each low tide suggesting that the characteristics of tidal triggering may be spatial dependent. Following the eruption, only a weak tidal triggering signal remains. We will present the results of ongoing efforts to characterize the patterns of tidal triggering, relate them to prior observations on mid-ocean ridges, and understand the implications for earthquake nucleation, eruption forecasting, and hydrological processes.

  1. Alkynyl gold(I) complex triggers necroptosis via ROS generation in colorectal carcinoma cells.

    PubMed

    Mármol, Inés; Virumbrales-Muñoz, María; Quero, Javier; Sánchez-de-Diego, Cristina; Fernández, Luis; Ochoa, Ignacio; Cerrada, Elena; Yoldi, Mª Jesús Rodríguez

    2017-11-01

    Given the rise of apoptosis-resistant tumors, there exist a growing interest in developing new drugs capable of inducing different types of cell death to reduce colorectal cancer-related death rates. As apoptosis and necroptosis do not share cellular machinery, necroptosis induction may have a great therapeutic potential on those apoptosis-resistant cancers, despite the inflammatory effects associated with it. We have synthesized an alkynyl gold(I) complex [Au(CC-2-NC 5 H 4 )(PTA)] whose anticancer effect was tested on the colorectal adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cell line. With regard to its mechanism of action, this gold complex enters the mitochondria and disrupts its normal function, leading to an increase in ROS production, which triggers necroptosis. Necroptosis induction has been found dependent of TNF-α (Tumor necrosisfactor α) and TNFR1(Tumor necrosisfactor receptor 1) binding, RIP1(Receptor-Interacting Protein 1) activation and NF-κB (Nuclear Factor Kappa-Light-Chain-Enhancer of Activated B Cells) signaling. Moreover, the antitumor potential of [Au(CC-2-NC 5 H 4 )(PTA)] has also been confirmed on the 3D cancer model spheroid. Overall, the obtained data show firstly that gold complexes might have the ability of inducing necroptosis, and secondarily that our compound [Au(CC-2-NC 5 H 4 )(PTA)] is an interesting alternative to current chemotherapy drugs in cases of apoptosis resistance. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Fast Plasma Investigation for MMS: Simulation of the Burst Triggering System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barrie, A. C.; Dorelli, J. C.; Winkert, G. E.; Lobell, J. V.; Holland, M. P.; Adrian, M. L.; Pollock, C. J.

    2011-01-01

    The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission will study small-scale reconnection structures and their rapid motions from closely spaced platforms using instruments capable of high angular, energy, and time resolution measurements. To meet these requirements, the Fast Plasma Instrument (FPI) consists of eight (8) identical half top-hat electron sensors and eight (8) identical ion sensors and an Instrument Data Processing Unit (IDPU). The sensors (electron or ion) are grouped into pairs whose 6 degree x 180 degree fields-of-view (FOV) are set 90 degrees apart. Each sensor is equipped with electrostatic aperture steering to allow the sensor to scan a 45 degree x 180 degree fan about the its nominal viewing (0 deflection) direction. Each pair of sensors, known as the Dual Electron Spectrometer (DES) and the Dual Ion Spectrometer (DIS), occupies a quadrant on the MMS spacecraft and the combination of the eight electron/ion sensors, employing aperture steering, image the full-sky every 30-ms (electrons) and 150-ms (ions), respectively. To probe the diffusion regions of reconnection, the highest temporal/spatial resolution mode of FPI results in the DES complement of a given spacecraft generating 6.5-Mb (raised dot) per second of electron data while the DIS generates 1.1-Mb (raised dot) per second of ion data yielding an FPI total data rate of 6.6-Mb (raised dot) per second. The FPI electron/ion data is collected by the IDPU then transmitted to the Central Data Instrument Processor (CIDP) on the spacecraft for science interest ranking. Only data sequences that contain the greatest amount of temporal/spatial structure will be intelligently down-linked by the spacecraft. This requires a data ranking process known as the burst trigger system. The burst trigger system uses pseudo physical quantities to approximate the local plasma environments. As each pseudo quantity will have a different value, a set of two scaling factors is employed for each pseudo term. These pseudo quantities are then combined at the instrument, spacecraft, and observatory level leading to a final ranking of data based on expected scientific interest. Here, we present simulations of the fixed point burst trigger system for the FPI. A variety of data sets based on previous mission data as well as analytical formulations are tested. Comparisons of floating point calculations versus the fixed point hardware simulation are shown. Analysis of the potential sources of error from overflows, quantization, etc. are examined and mitigation methods are presented. Finally a series of calibration curves are presented, showing the expected error in pseudo quantities based solely on the scale parameters chosen and the expected data range. We conclude with a presentation of the current base-lined FPI burst trigger approach.

  3. Intelligence, personality, and interests: evidence for overlapping traits.

    PubMed

    Ackerman, P L; Heggestad, E D

    1997-03-01

    The authors review the development of the modern paradigm for intelligence assessment and application and consider the differentiation between intelligence-as-maximal performance and intelligence-as-typical performance. They review theories of intelligence, personality, and interest as a means to establish potential overlap. Consideration of intelligence-as-typical performance provides a basis for evaluation of intelligence-personality and intelligence-interest relations. Evaluation of relations among personality constructs, vocational interests, and intellectual abilities provides evidence for communality across the domains of personality of J. L. Holland's (1959) model of vocational interests. The authors provide an extensive meta-analysis of personality-intellectual ability correlations, and a review of interest-intellectual ability associations. They identify 4 trait complexes: social, clerical/conventional, science/math, and intellectual/cultural.

  4. Trigger of Successive Filament Eruptions Observed by SDO and STEREO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dhara, Sajal Kumar; Belur, Ravindra; Kumar, Pankaj; Banyal, Ravinder Kumar; Mathew, Shibu K.; Joshi, Bhuwan

    2017-10-01

    Using multiwavelength observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), we investigate the mechanism of two successive eruptions (F1 and F2) of a filament in active region NOAA 11444 on 27 March 2012. The filament was inverse J-shaped and lay along a quasi-circular polarity inversion line (PIL). The first part of the filament erupted at ˜2{:}30 UT on 27 March 2012 (F1), the second part at around 4:20 UT on the same day (F2). A precursor or preflare brightening was observed below the filament main axis about 30 min before F1. The brightening was followed by a jet-like ejection below the filament, which triggered its eruption. Before the eruption of F2, the filament seemed to be trapped within the overlying arcade loops for almost 1.5 h before it successfully erupted. Interestingly, we observe simultaneously contraction (˜12 km s^{-1}) and expansion (˜20 km s^{-1}) of arcade loops in the active region before F2. Magnetograms obtained with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) show converging motion of the opposite polarities, which result in flux cancellation near the PIL. We suggest that flux cancellation at the PIL resulted in a jet-like ejection below the filament main axis, which triggered F1, similar to the tether-cutting process. F2 was triggered by removal of the overlying arcade loops via reconnection. Both filament eruptions produced high-speed (˜1000 km s^{-1}) coronal mass ejections.

  5. Aptamer Internalization via Endocytosis Inducing S-Phase Arrest and Priming Maver-1 Lymphoma Cells for Cytarabine Chemotherapy.

    PubMed

    Li, Huan; Yang, Shuanghui; Yu, Ge; Shen, Liangfang; Fan, Jia; Xu, Ling; Zhang, Hedong; Zhao, Nianxi; Zeng, Zihua; Hu, Tony; Wen, Jianguo; Zu, Youli

    2017-01-01

    The goal of precision therapy is to efficiently treat cancer without side effects. Aptamers are a class of small ligands composed of single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind to their targets with high affinity and specificity. In this study, we identified an ssDNA aptamer specifically targeting Maver-1 lymphoma cells with high binding affinity (K d = 70±8 pmol/L). Interestingly, cellular cycle studies revealed that exposure of Maver-1 cells to synthetic aptamers triggered S-phase arrest of 40% of the cells (vs. 18% baseline). Confocal microscopy confirmed specific cell binding of aptamers and the resultant endocytosis into Maver-1 cells. Subsequent functional assays validated the fact that aptamer internalization into targeted cells is a prerequisite for Maver-1 cell growth inhibition. Importantly, aptamer-induced S-phase arrest induced enhanced chemotherapeutic results involving cytarabine, which primarily kills lymphoma cells at S-phase. Combination treatments revealed that aptamer re-exposure considerably primed Maver-1 cells for cytarabine chemotherapy, thus achieving a synergistic killing effect by reaching cell death rates as high as 61% (vs. 13% or 14% induced by aptamer or cytarabine treatment alone). These findings demonstrated that aptamers do not only act as molecular ligands but can also function as biotherapeutic agents by inducing S-phase arrest of lymphoma cells. In addition, logical combination of aptamer and cytarabine treatments ushers the way to a unique approach in precision lymphoma chemotherapy.

  6. Aptamer Internalization via Endocytosis Inducing S-Phase Arrest and Priming Maver-1 Lymphoma Cells for Cytarabine Chemotherapy

    PubMed Central

    Li, Huan; Yang, Shuanghui; Yu, Ge; Shen, Liangfang; Fan, Jia; Xu, Ling; Zhang, Hedong; Zhao, Nianxi; Zeng, Zihua; Hu, Tony; Wen, Jianguo; Zu, Youli

    2017-01-01

    The goal of precision therapy is to efficiently treat cancer without side effects. Aptamers are a class of small ligands composed of single-stranded oligonucleotides that bind to their targets with high affinity and specificity. In this study, we identified an ssDNA aptamer specifically targeting Maver-1 lymphoma cells with high binding affinity (Kd = 70±8 pmol/L). Interestingly, cellular cycle studies revealed that exposure of Maver-1 cells to synthetic aptamers triggered S-phase arrest of 40% of the cells (vs. 18% baseline). Confocal microscopy confirmed specific cell binding of aptamers and the resultant endocytosis into Maver-1 cells. Subsequent functional assays validated the fact that aptamer internalization into targeted cells is a prerequisite for Maver-1 cell growth inhibition. Importantly, aptamer-induced S-phase arrest induced enhanced chemotherapeutic results involving cytarabine, which primarily kills lymphoma cells at S-phase. Combination treatments revealed that aptamer re-exposure considerably primed Maver-1 cells for cytarabine chemotherapy, thus achieving a synergistic killing effect by reaching cell death rates as high as 61% (vs. 13% or 14% induced by aptamer or cytarabine treatment alone). These findings demonstrated that aptamers do not only act as molecular ligands but can also function as biotherapeutic agents by inducing S-phase arrest of lymphoma cells. In addition, logical combination of aptamer and cytarabine treatments ushers the way to a unique approach in precision lymphoma chemotherapy. PMID:28435459

  7. Unsustainable Growth, Hyper-Competition, and Worth in Life Science Research: Narrowing Evaluative Repertoires in Doctoral and Postdoctoral Scientists' Work and Lives.

    PubMed

    Fochler, Maximilian; Felt, Ulrike; Müller, Ruth

    There is a crisis of valuation practices in the current academic life sciences, triggered by unsustainable growth and "hyper-competition." Quantitative metrics in evaluating researchers are seen as replacing deeper considerations of the quality and novelty of work, as well as substantive care for the societal implications of research. Junior researchers are frequently mentioned as those most strongly affected by these dynamics. However, their own perceptions of these issues are much less frequently considered. This paper aims at contributing to a better understanding of the interplay between how research is valued and how young researchers learn to live, work and produce knowledge within academia. We thus analyze how PhD students and postdocs in the Austrian life sciences ascribe worth to people, objects and practices as they talk about their own present and future lives in research. We draw on literature from the field of valuation studies and its interest in how actors refer to different forms of valuation to account for their actions. We explore how young researchers are socialized into different valuation practices in different stages of their growing into science. Introducing the concept of "regimes of valuation" we show that PhD students relate to a wider evaluative repertoire while postdocs base their decisions on one dominant regime of valuing research. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of these findings for the epistemic and social development of the life sciences, and for other scientific fields.

  8. The Reverse Transcription Inhibitor Abacavir Shows Anticancer Activity in Prostate Cancer Cell Lines

    PubMed Central

    Molinari, Agnese; Parisi, Chiara; Bozzuto, Giuseppina; Toccacieli, Laura; Formisano, Giuseppe; De Orsi, Daniela; Paradisi, Silvia; Grober, OlÌ Maria Victoria; Ravo, Maria; Weisz, Alessandro; Arcieri, Romano; Vella, Stefano; Gaudi, Simona

    2010-01-01

    Background Transposable Elements (TEs) comprise nearly 45% of the entire genome and are part of sophisticated regulatory network systems that control developmental processes in normal and pathological conditions. The retroviral/retrotransposon gene machinery consists mainly of Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs-1) and Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) that code for their own endogenous reverse transcriptase (RT). Interestingly, RT is typically expressed at high levels in cancer cells. Recent studies report that RT inhibition by non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) induces growth arrest and cell differentiation in vitro and antagonizes growth of human tumors in animal model. In the present study we analyze the anticancer activity of Abacavir (ABC), a nucleoside reverse transcription inhibitor (NRTI), on PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Principal Findings ABC significantly reduces cell growth, migration and invasion processes, considerably slows S phase progression, induces senescence and cell death in prostate cancer cells. Consistent with these observations, microarray analysis on PC3 cells shows that ABC induces specific and dose-dependent changes in gene expression, involving multiple cellular pathways. Notably, by quantitative Real-Time PCR we found that LINE-1 ORF1 and ORF2 mRNA levels were significantly up-regulated by ABC treatment. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the potential of ABC as anticancer agent able to induce antiproliferative activity and trigger senescence in prostate cancer cells. Noteworthy, we show that ABC elicits up-regulation of LINE-1 expression, suggesting the involvement of these elements in the observed cellular modifications. PMID:21151977

  9. Reductive Potential - A Savior Turns Stressor in Protein Aggregation Cardiomyopathy

    PubMed Central

    Narasimhan, Madhusudhanan; Rajasekaran, Namakkal S.

    2015-01-01

    Redox homeostasis is essential for basal signaling of several physiological processes, but a unilateral shift towards an ‘oxidative’ or ‘reductive’ trait will alter intracellular redox milieu. Typically, such an event influences the structure and the native function of a cell or an organelle. Numerous experimental research and clinical trials over the last 6 decades have demonstrated that enhanced oxygen-derived free radicals constitutes a major stimuli to trigger damage in several human diseases, including cardiovascular complications supporting the theory of oxidative stress (OS). However, until our key discovery, the dynamic interrelationship between “Reductive Stress (RS)” and cardiac health has been obscured by overwhelming OS studies (Rajasekaran et al., 2007). Notably, this seminal finding spurred considerable interest in investigations of other mechanistic insights, and thus far the results indicate a similar or stronger role for RS, than that of OS. In addition, from our own findings we strongly believe that constitutive activation of pathways that enable sustained generation of reducing equivalents glutathione (GSH), reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) will cause RS and impair the basal cellular signaling mechanisms operating through harmless pro-oxidative events, in turn, disrupting single and/or a combination of key cellular processes such as growth, maturation, differentiation, survival, death etc., that govern healthy cell physiology. Here, we have discussed the role of RS as a causal or contributing factor in relevant pathophysiology of a major cardiac disease of human origin. PMID:25446995

  10. Suppression of Instability of High Pressure DC Microplasma Operating in the Negative Differential Resistance (NDR) Regime

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahamud, Rajib; Farouk, Tanvir I.

    2015-09-01

    Microplasma devices have been the subject of considerable interest and research during the last decade. In a DC system most of the operation regime of the plasma discharges studied fall in the ``abnormal,'' ``normal'' and ``corona'' modes - where a quasi-steady state is achieved. It is well known that even in a DC system the negative differential resistance (NDR) regime can trigger self pulsing discharges. These pulsations are initiated by the parasitic capacitance of the system hence governed by the response time of the power circuit. The circuit response time is required to be larger than the ion transit time to initiate the oscillations. In this present study a suppressor circuit element in the form of an inductor is used to restrain the plasma from switching to a self pulsing mode. It has been identified that the combined response time of the inductor and the plasma discharge (L/Rplasma) has to be larger than the power circuit time constant (RC) to achieve suppression. Inhibition of oscillation has been observed in both experiments and numerical simulations. The obtained voltage-current characteristics show that the inductor element extends the normal glow regime to lower current. Additional parametric simulations are conducted to map out a ``stable'' operation regime. The author would like to thank DARPA (ARO Grant No. W911NF1210007) and University of South Carolina (USC) for the financial support of the work.

  11. A new threshold of apparent diffusion coefficient values in white matter after successful tissue plasminogen activator treatment for acute brain ischemia.

    PubMed

    Sato, Atsushi; Shimizu, Yusaku; Koyama, Junichi; Hongo, Kazuhiro

    2017-06-01

    Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is effective for the treatment of acute brain ischemia, but may trigger fatal brain edema or hemorrhage if the brain ischemia results in a large infarct. Herein, we attempted to predict the extent of infarcts by determining the optimal threshold of ADC values on DWI that predictively distinguishes between infarct and reversible areas, and by reconstructing color-coded images based on this threshold. The study subjects consisted of 36 patients with acute brain ischemia in whom MRA had confirmed reopening of the occluded arteries in a short time (mean: 99min) after tPA treatment. We measured the apparetnt diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in several small regions of interest over the white matter within high-intensity areas on the initial diffusion weighted image (DWI); then, by comparing the findings to the follow-up images, we obtained the optimal threshold of ADC values using receiver-operating characteristic analysis. The threshold obtained (583×10 -6 m 2 /s) was lower than those previously reported; this threshold could distinguish between infarct and reversible areas with considerable accuracy (sensitivity: 0.87, specificity: 0.94). The threshold obtained and the reconstructed images were predictive of the final radiological result of tPA treatment, and this threshold may be helpful in determining the appropriate management of patients with acute brain ischemia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  12. Resisting distraction and response inhibition trigger similar enhancements of future performance.

    PubMed

    Bissett, Patrick G; Grant, Lauren D; Weissman, Daniel H

    2017-10-01

    Resisting distraction and response inhibition are crucial aspects of cognitive control. Interestingly, each of these abilities transiently improves just after it is utilized. Competing views differ, however, as to whether utilizing either of these abilities (e.g., resisting distraction) enhances future performance involving the other ability (e.g., response inhibition). To distinguish between these views, we combined a Stroop-like task that requires resisting distraction with a restraint variant of the stop-signal task that requires response inhibition. We observed similar sequential-trial effects (i.e., performance enhancements) following trials in which participants (a) resisted distraction (i.e., incongruent go trials) and (b) inhibited a response (i.e., congruent stop trials). First, the congruency effect in go trials, which indexes overall distractibility, was smaller after both incongruent go trials and congruent stop trials than it was after congruent go trials. Second, stop failures were less frequent after both incongruent go trials and congruent stop trials than after congruent go trials. A control experiment ruled out the possibility that perceptual conflict or surprise engendered by occasional stop signals triggers sequential-trial effects independent of stopping. Thus, our findings support a novel, integrated view in which resisting distraction and response inhibition trigger similar sequential enhancements of future performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Hydrogen peroxide mechanosynthesis in siloxane-hydrogel contact lenses.

    PubMed

    Tavazzi, Silvia; Ferraro, Lorenzo; Cozza, Federica; Pastori, Valentina; Lecchi, Marzia; Farris, Stefano; Borghesi, Alessandro

    2014-11-26

    Drug-loaded contact lenses are emerging as the preferred treatment method for several ocular diseases, and efforts are being directed to promote extended and controlled delivery. One strategy is based on delivery induced by environmental triggers. One of these triggers can be hydrogen peroxide, since many platforms based on drug-loaded nanoparticles were demonstrated to be hydrogen-peroxide responsive. This is particularly interesting when hydrogen peroxide is the result of a specific pathophysiological condition. Otherwise, an alternative route to induce drug delivery is here proposed, namely the mechano-synthesis. The present work represents the proof-of-concept of the mechanosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide in siloxane-hydrogel contact lenses as a consequence of the cleavage of siloxane bonds at the interface between the polymer and water in aqueous phase. Their spongy morphology makes contact lenses promising systems for mechanical-to-chemical energy conversion, since the amount of hydrogen peroxide is expected to scale with the interfacial area between the polymer and water. The eyelid pressure during wear is sufficient to induce the hydrogen peroxide synthesis with concentrations which are biocompatible and suitable to trigger the drug release through hydrogen-peroxide-responsive platforms. For possible delivery on demand, the integration of piezoelectric polymers in the siloxane-hydrogel contact lenses could be designed, whose mechanical deformation could be induced by an applied wireless-controlled voltage.

  14. Disulfide cross-linked polyurethane micelles as a reduction-triggered drug delivery system for cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Yu, Shuangjiang; Ding, Jianxun; He, Chaoliang; Cao, Yue; Xu, Weiguo; Chen, Xuesi

    2014-05-01

    Nanoscale carriers that stably load drugs in blood circulation and release the payloads in desirable sites in response to a specific trigger are of great interest for smart drug delivery systems. For this purpose, a novel type of disulfide core cross-linked micelles, which are facilely fabricated by cross-linking of poly(ethylene glycol)/polyurethane block copolymers containing cyclic disulfide moieties via a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction, are developed. A broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX), is loaded into the micelles as a model drug. The drug release from the core cross-linked polyurethane micelles (CCL-PUMs) loaded with DOX is suppressed in normal phosphate buffer saline (PBS), whereas it is markedly accelerated with addition of an intracellular reducing agent, glutathione (GSH). Notably, although DOX-loaded CCL-PUMs display lower cytotoxicity in vitro compared to either free DOX or DOX-loaded uncross-linked polyurethane micelles, the drug-loaded CCL-PUMs show the highest anti-tumor efficacy with reduced toxicity in vivo. Since enhanced anti-tumor efficacy and reduced toxic side effects are key aspects of efficient cancer therapy, the novel reduction-responsive CCL-PUMs may hold great potential as a bio-triggered drug delivery system for cancer therapy. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. A binary link tracker for the BaBar level 1 trigger system

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

    Berenyi, A.; Chen, H.K.; Dao, K.

    1999-08-01

    The BaBar detector at PEP-II will operate in a high-luminosity e{sup +}e{sup {minus}} collider environment near the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance with the primary goal of studying CP violation in the B meson system. In this environment, typical physics events of interest involve multiple charged particles. These events are identified by counting these tracks in a fast first level (Level 1) trigger system, by reconstructing the tracks in real time. For this purpose, a Binary Link Tracker Module (BLTM) was designed and fabricated for the BaBar Level 1 Drift Chamber trigger system. The BLTM is responsible for linking track segments, constructed bymore » the Track Segment Finder Modules (TSFM), into complete tracks. A single BLTM module processes a 360 MBytes/s stream of segment hit data, corresponding to information from the entire Drift Chamber, and implements a fast and robust algorithm that tolerates high hit occupancies as well as local inefficiencies of the Drift Chamber. The algorithms and the necessary control logic of the BLTM were implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), using the VHDL hardware description language. The finished 9U x 400 mm Euro-format board contains roughly 75,000 gates of programmable logic or about 10,000 lines of VHDL code synthesized into five FPGAs.« less

  16. Cytokinin levels and signaling respond to wounding and the perception of herbivore elicitors in Nicotiana attenuata

    PubMed Central

    Schäfer, Martin; Meza-Canales, Ivan D; Navarro-Quezada, Aura; Brütting, Christoph; Vanková, Radomira; Baldwin, Ian T; Meldau, Stefan

    2015-01-01

    Nearly half a century ago insect herbivores were found to induce the formation of green islands by manipulating cytokinin (CK) levels. However, the response of the CK pathway to attack by chewing insect herbivores remains unclear. Here, we characterize the CK pathway of Nicotiana attenuata (Torr. ex S. Wats.) and its response to wounding and perception of herbivore-associated molecular patterns (HAMPs). We identified 44 genes involved in CK biosynthesis, inactivation, degradation, and signaling. Leaf wounding rapidly induced transcriptional changes in multiple genes throughout the pathway, as well as in the levels of CKs, including isopentenyladenosine and cis-zeatin riboside; perception of HAMPs present in the oral secretions (OS) of the specialist herbivore Manduca sexta amplified these responses. The jasmonate pathway, which triggers many herbivore-induced processes, was not required for these HAMP-triggered changes, but rather suppressed the CK responses. Interestingly CK pathway changes were observed also in systemic leaves in response to wounding and OS application indicating a role of CKs in mediating long distance systemic processes in response to herbivory. Since wounding and grasshopper OS elicited similar accumulations of CKs in Arabidopsis thaliana L., we propose that CKs are integral components of wounding and HAMP-triggered responses in many plant species. PMID:24924599

  17. Getting Hooked on Physics!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McHugh, M.; McCauley, V.

    2016-12-01

    A number of papers in this journal have dealt with the idea of using hooks in physics instruction. A hook, as the name suggests, engages students in learning by triggering their attention and interest. Hooks can be any type of pedagogical approach—a question, a demonstration, a puzzle or video. They are generally short and center on the most interesting aspects of a topic. Here we focus on using Conceptual Change (CC) teacher-led demonstrations as the pedagogical hook approach. Conceptual Change is an instructional method mentioned by a number of authors to stimulate interest among learners. This is where an educator presents an issue or topic that has associated misconceptions. As the teacher explains the truth behind the concept, cognitive conflict occurs and the students' initial perceptions are challenged and ideas start to change. However, the instruction used in association with the demonstrations must provide intelligible, plausible, relevant explanations so that students are convinced by the new ideas. The gap between prior knowledge and new knowledge has the potential to provide a strong stimulus for augmenting interest, engagement, and attention among students. Thus, CC can act as a hook in itself.

  18. Thrombopoiesis. Capturing the unicorn.

    PubMed

    Groopman, J E

    1994-11-01

    The elusive factor that stimulates megakaryocytes to produce platelets has at last been found; as well as its physiological interest, this factor--thrombopoietin--may be of considerable therapeutic importance.

  19. A Study on Using Serious Games in Teaching German as a Foreign Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alyaz, Yunus; Spaniel-Weise, Dorothea; Gursoy, Esim

    2017-01-01

    The interest in Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) has increased considerably in recent years although being a relatively new approach. Despite the interest that DGBLL took, the studies in the context of German as a Foreign Language (FL) are quite limited. Moreover, DGBLL in the Turkish context is not prevalent. Due to this gap in the…

  20. Interest in ICT Studies and Careers: Perspectives of Senior High School Female Students in Three Districts in the Central Region of Ghana

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ayebi-Arthur, Kofi

    2011-01-01

    The under-representation of females in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) fields of study and careers continues to attract considerable attention. This article discusses findings of a research that investigated interest in ICT studies and careers among female secondary school students from schools in three districts in the Central…

  1. American Higher Education: Servant of the People or Protector of Special Interests? Contributions to the Study of Education, Number 9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wallenfeldt, E. C.

    Current conditions at U.S. colleges and universities are discussed. Consideration is given to the nature of special interests and factions in American society and the system-wide influences of corporate power, militarization, racism, sexism, and overquantification as they pertain to higher education. The internal and external governance of…

  2. Interest Groups Vie for Public Support: The Battle Over Anti-Affirmative Action Initiatives in California and Michigan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hinz, Serena E.

    2016-01-01

    Although affirmative action in college admissions has not been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the consideration of race in admissions has been banned in nine states--in six of them by public vote. This article analyzes the campaigns to ban affirmative action in California and Michigan as a battle between interest groups. The…

  3. Featherless Dinosaurs and the Hip-Hop Simulacrum: Reconsidering Hip-Hop's Appropriateness for the Music Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kruse, Adam J.

    2016-01-01

    This article offers considerations for music teachers interested in including hip-hop music in their classrooms but who might feel concerned with or overwhelmed by issues of appropriateness. Two concerns related to hip-hop music are examined: language and negative social themes. Commercial interests in hip-hop music have created a simulacrum (or…

  4. The United States and the Asia-Pacific Region: National Interests and Strategic Imperatives (Strategic Forum, Number 239, April 2009)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-04-01

    policymakers. U.S. Interests From its earliest days, the United States has been engaged in trade with East Asia. In February 1784, the Empress of...larger East Asia region dating to the Empress of China and the opening of Japan. Taking into consideration the nearly 225- year history of U.S

  5. Investigation of the asymptotic state of rotating turbulence using large-eddy simulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Squires, Kyle D.; Chasnov, Jeffrey R.; Mansour, Nagi N.; Cambon, Claude

    1993-01-01

    Study of turbulent flows in rotating reference frames has long been an area of considerable scientific and engineering interest. Because of its importance, the subject of turbulence in rotating reference frames has motivated over the years a large number of theoretical, experimental, and computational studies. The bulk of these previous works has served to demonstrate that the effect of system rotation on turbulence is subtle and remains exceedingly difficult to predict. A rotating flow of particular interest in many studies, including the present work, is examination of the effect of solid-body rotation on an initially isotropic turbulent flow. One of the principal reasons for the interest in this flow is that it represents the most basic turbulent flow whose structure is altered by system rotation but without the complicating effects introduced by mean strains or flow inhomogeneities. The assumption of statistical homogeneity considerably simplifies analysis and computation. The principal objective of the present study has been to examine the asymptotic state of solid-body rotation applied to an initially isotropic, high Reynolds number turbulent flow. Of particular interest has been to determine the degree of two-dimensionalization and the existence of asymptotic self-similar states in homogeneous rotating turbulence.

  6. Dynamics Questions Associated with the AERCam Sprint Free-Flyer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, Trevor

    1997-01-01

    The International Space Station will require the development of small robotic vehicles for such tasks as external inspection, monitoring of extravehicular activities (EVA's) and station build-up, and providing additional lighting at EVA worksites. The Autonomous EVA Robotic Camera (AERCam) family of free-flyers is currently being developed at NASA Johnson Space Center to perform these functions; the first member of the family is the AERCam Sprint vehicle. Many interesting dynamical questions are associated with the Sprint free-flyer. For instance, the reaction of a vehicle which is nearly spherically symmetric (such as Sprint) to a stuck-on thruster is significantly more complicated than that obtained for an idealized, perfectly spherical, spacecraft model. In particular, the real spacecraft will experience a form of forced nutation, with convergence towards either its major or minor principal axis, depending on both the applied torque and the mass properties of the vehicle. Furthermore, the body-fixed jet force vector may have a significant component along this principal axis, so giving rise to a considerable net linear acceleration of the spacecraft. The large velocity that can result is very important, as it may lead to collision with the nearby Orbiter, and is completely overlooked in the idealized analysis. This report will firstly briefly describe the stuck-on thruster dynamics of the real vehicle, and outline how the small products of inertia of the spacecraft determine the time constants of the motion. Secondly, the dynamical effects of a failed-off jet on the Sprint free-flyer will be described in more detail, and compared with the stuck-on thruster case. This will help to show whether the two malfunctions should be dealt with differently in flight. Finally, the stuck-on thruster detection software (known as the uncommanded motion algorithm) that is proposed to be flown on the Sprint vehicle will be analyzed, and all possible perturbation sources that may tend to give rise to false stuck-on thruster alarms quantified. It will be shown that false alarms can be triggered by discrete events such as a failed-off thruster, a glancing collision with Orbiter structure, or thruster saturation. They can also be triggered by a combination of errors introduced by constantly present sources such as thrust level errors, thruster misalignment, inertial cross-coupling, angular rate sensor noise, and structural vibrations induced by thruster firings. Based on this fact, the original plan to have the spacecraft enter safe mode whenever the uncommanded motion algorithm is triggered does not appear to be advisable. A better approach seems to be to provide the Sprint pilot with a warning whenever uncommanded motion is detected, and then allow the crew to determine whether safing the vehicle is appropriate.

  7. Infant male circumcision and the autonomy of the child: two ethical questions.

    PubMed

    McMath, Akim

    2015-08-01

    Routine neonatal circumcision--the non-therapeutic circumcision of infant males--has generated considerable ethical controversy. In this article, I suggest that much of the disagreement results from conflicting ideas about the autonomy of the child. I examine two questions about autonomy. First, I ask whether we should be realists or idealists about the future autonomous choices of the child-that is, whether we should account for the fact that the child may not make the best choices in future, or whether we should assume that his future choices will reflect his best interests. Second, I ask whether the child has a right to autonomy with respect to circumcision, an interest in autonomy or neither--that is, whether respect for autonomy overrides considerations of interests, whether it counts as one interest among many or whether it counts for nothing. In response to the first question, I argue that we should be idealists when evaluating the child's own interests, but realists when evaluating public health justifications for circumcision. In response to the second question, I argue that the child has an interest in deciding whether or not to be circumcised, insofar as the decision is more likely to reflect his actual interests and his own values. Finally, I show how these findings may help to resolve some particular disputes over the ethics of infant male circumcision. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  8. Kinetically Controlled Synthesis of Pt-Based One-Dimensional Hierarchically Porous Nanostructures with Large Mesopores as Highly Efficient ORR Catalysts

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

    Fu, Shaofang; Zhu, Chengzhou; Song, Junhua

    2016-12-28

    Rational design and construction of Pt-based porous nanostructures with large mesopores have triggered significant considerations because of their high surface area and more efficient mass transport. Hydrochloric acid-induced kinetic reduction of metal precursors in the presence of soft template F-127 and hard template tellurium nanowires has been successfully demonstrated to construct one-dimensional hierarchical porous PtCu alloy nanostructures with large mesopores. Moreover, the electrochemical experiments demonstrated that the resultant PtCu hierarchically porous nanostructures with optimized composition exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction.

  9. On the mechanism of hepatic glycogenolysis induced by anoxia or cyanide.

    PubMed

    Bollen, M; de Ruysscher, D; Stalmans, W

    1983-09-30

    Addition of glucagon to isolated hepatocytes increased glycogenolysis and phosphorylase a in a proportional manner. KCN caused slightly more glycogenolysis at considerably lower levels of phosphorylase a; the discrepancy was most pronounced after pretreatment of the hepatocytes with EGTA. When incubated with tagatose, the hepatocytes accumulated tagatose 1-phosphate, a presumed inhibitor of phosphorylase a. In these conditions the glucagon-induced glycogenolysis was blocked, but the glycogen loss caused by KCN or anoxia was not affected. Cyanide and anoxia may allow phosphorylase b and a to become equally active, or they may trigger a non-phosphorolytic glycogenolysis.

  10. Sudbury project (University of Muenster-Ontario Geological Survey): Isotope systematics support the impact origin

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Deutsch, A.; Buhl, D.; Brockmeyer, P.; Lakomy, R.; Flucks, M.

    1992-01-01

    Within the framework of the Sudbury project a considerable number of Sr-Nd isotope analyses were carried out on petrographically well-defined samples of different breccia units. Together with isotope data from the literature these data are reviewed under the aspect of a self-consistent impact model. The crucial point of this model is that the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) is interpreted as a differentiated impact melt sheet without any need for an endogenic 'magmatic' component such as 'impact-triggered' magmatism or 'partial' impact melting of the crust and mixing with a mantle-derived magma.

  11. Metal vapor arc switch electromagnetic accelerator technology

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mongeau, P. P.

    1984-01-01

    A multielectrode device housed in an insulator vacuum vessel, the metal vapor vacuum switch has high power capability and can hold off voltages up to the 100 kilovolt level. Such switches can be electronically triggered and can interrupt or commutate at a zero current crossing. The physics of arc initiation, arc conduction, and interruption are examined, including material considerations; inefficiencies; arc modes; magnetic field effects; passive and forced extinction; and voltage recovery. Heating, electrode lifetime, device configuration, and external circuit configuration are discussed. The metal vapor vacuum switch is compared with SCRs, GTOs, spark gaps, ignitrons, and mechanical breakers.

  12. Viral entry mechanisms: the increasing diversity of paramyxovirus entry

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Everett Clinton; Popa, Andreea; Chang, Andres; Masante, Cyril; Dutch, Rebecca Ellis

    2009-01-01

    The paramyxovirus family contains established human pathogens such as measles virus and human respiratory syncytial virus, and emerging pathogens including the Hendra and Nipah viruses and the recently identified human metapneumovirus. Two major envelope glycoproteins, the attachment protein and the fusion protein, promote the processes of viral attachment and virus-cell membrane fusion required for entry. While common mechanisms of fusion protein proteolytic activation and the mechanism of membrane fusion promotion have been shown in recent years, considerable diversity exists in the family related to receptor binding and the potential mechanisms of fusion triggering. PMID:19878307

  13. Automatic motor activation in the executive control of action

    PubMed Central

    McBride, Jennifer; Boy, Frédéric; Husain, Masud; Sumner, Petroc

    2012-01-01

    Although executive control and automatic behavior have often been considered separate and distinct processes, there is strong emerging and convergent evidence that they may in fact be intricately interlinked. In this review, we draw together evidence showing that visual stimuli cause automatic and unconscious motor activation, and how this in turn has implications for executive control. We discuss object affordances, alien limb syndrome, the visual grasp reflex, subliminal priming, and subliminal triggering of attentional orienting. Consideration of these findings suggests automatic motor activation might form an intrinsic part of all behavior, rather than being categorically different from voluntary actions. PMID:22536177

  14. The Adverse Drug Event Collaborative: a joint venture to measure medication-related patient harm.

    PubMed

    Seddon, Mary E; Jackson, Aaron; Cameron, Chris; Young, Mary L; Escott, Linda; Maharaj, Ashika; Miller, Nigel

    2012-01-25

    To measure the extent of patient harm caused by medications (rate of Adverse Drug Events) in three DHBs, using a standardised trigger tool method. Counties Manukau, Capital and Coast and Canterbury DHBs decided to work collaboratively to implement the ADE Trigger Tool (TT). Definitions of ADE were agreed on and triggers refined. A random sample of closed charts (from March 2010 to February 2011) was obtained excluding patients who were admitted for <48 hours, children under the age of 18 and psychiatric admissions. In each DHB trained reviewers scanned these in a structured way to identify any of the 19 triggers. If triggers were identified, a more detailed, though time-limited review of the chart was done to determine whether an ADE had occurred. The severity of patient harm was categorised using the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention Index. No attempt was made to determine preventability of harm and ADEs from acts of omission were excluded. The ADE TT was applied to 1210 charts and 353 ADE were identified, with an average rate of 28.9/100 admissions and 38/1,000 bed days. 94.5% of the ADE identified were in the lower severity scales with temporary harm, however in 5 patients it was considered that the ADE contributed to their death, 9 required an intervention to sustain life and 4 suffered permanent harm. The most commonly implicated drugs were morphine and other opioids, anticoagulants, antibiotics, Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and diuretics. Patients who suffered an ADE were more likely to be female, older with more complex medical illnesses, and have a longer length of stay. The rate of medication-related harm identified by the ADE TT is considerably higher than that identified through traditional voluntary reporting mechanisms. The ADE TT provides a standardised measure of harm over time that can be used to determine trends and the effect of medication safety improvement programmes. This study not only shows the problem of medication-related patient harm, but it also shows the utility of informal collaboratives as a mechanism for change.

  15. Evidence-based medicine was bound to fail: a report to Alvan Feinstein.

    PubMed

    Fava, Giovanni A

    2017-04-01

    John Ioannidis has provided a lucid account, in the form of a report to David Sackett, of how evidence-based medicine (EBM) was hijacked to serve vested interests: major randomized controlled trials are largely done by and for the benefit of the industry; meta-analyses and guidelines are flooded with conflicts of interest; national and federal research funds are unable to address basic clinical questions. Nonetheless, EBM would remain a worthwhile goal. In this paper, in the form of a report to Alvan Feinstein, it is argued that current developments were largely predictable. EBM certainly gave an important contribution to questioning unsubstantiated therapeutic claims. Time has come, however, to become aware of its considerable limitations, including overall reductionism and insufficient consideration of problems related to financial conflicts of interest. EBM does not represent the scientific approach to medicine: it is only a restrictive interpretation of the scientific approach to clinical practice. EBM drives the prescribing clinician to an overestimated consideration of potential benefits, paying little attention to the likelihood of responsiveness and to potential vulnerabilities in relations to the adverse effects of treatment. It is time to substitute the fashionable popularity of a strategy developed outside of clinical medicine with models and research based on the insights of clinical judgment and patient-doctor interaction, as Feinstein had outlined. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Mesophyll cells are the main site of abscisic acid biosynthesis in water-stressed leaves.

    PubMed

    McAdam, Scott A M; Brodribb, Timothy John

    2018-05-07

    The hormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a critical role in enhancing plant survival during water deficit. Recent molecular evidence suggests that ABA is synthesized in the phloem companion cells and guard cells. However, the nature of cell turgor and water status in these two cell types cannot easily account for the rapid, water status-triggered ABA biosynthesis observed in leaves. Here we utilize the unique foliar anatomies of an angiosperm (Hakea lissosperma) and of four conifer species (Saxegothaea conspicua, Podocarpus latifolius, Cephalotaxus harringtonii, and Amentotaxus formosana) in which the mesophyll can be isolated from the vascular tissue to identify the main site of ABA biosynthesis in water-stressed leaves. In all five species tested, considerable ABA biosynthesis occurred in mesophyll tissue that had been separated from vascular tissue. In addition, the removal of the epidermis from the mesophyll in two conifer species had no impact on the observed increase in ABA levels under water deficit. Our results suggest that mesophyll cells are the predominant location of water deficit-triggered ABA biosynthesis in the leaf. {copyright, serif} 2018 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

  17. Initiation of human myoblast differentiation via dephosphorylation of Kir2.1 K+ channels at tyrosine 242.

    PubMed

    Hinard, Valérie; Belin, Dominique; Konig, Stéphane; Bader, Charles Roland; Bernheim, Laurent

    2008-03-01

    Myoblast differentiation is essential to skeletal muscle formation and repair. The earliest detectable event leading to human myoblast differentiation is an upregulation of Kir2.1 channel activity, which causes a negative shift (hyperpolarization) of the resting potential of myoblasts. After exploring various mechanisms, we found that this upregulation of Kir2.1 was due to dephosphorylation of the channel itself. Application of genistein, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, increased Kir2.1 activity and triggered the differentiation process, whereas application of bpV(Phen), a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, had the opposite effects. We could show that increased Kir2.1 activity requires dephosphorylation of tyrosine 242; replacing this tyrosine in Kir2.1 by a phenylalanine abolished inhibition by bpV(Phen). Finally, we found that the level of tyrosine phosphorylation in endogenous Kir2.1 channels is considerably reduced during differentiation when compared with proliferation. We propose that Kir2.1 channels are already present at the membrane of proliferating, undifferentiated human myoblasts but in a silent state, and that Kir2.1 tyrosine 242 dephosphorylation triggers differentiation.

  18. Stability of the Baseline Holder in Readout Circuits For Radiation Detectors

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Y.; Cui, Y.; O’Connor, P.; Seo, Y.; Camarda, G. S.; Hossain, A.; Roy, U.; Yang, G.; James, R. B.

    2016-01-01

    Baseline holder (BLH) circuits are used widely to stabilize the analog output of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for high-count-rate applications. The careful design of BLH circuits is vital to the overall stability of the analog-signal-processing chain in ASICs. Recently, we observed self-triggered fluctuations in an ASIC in which the shaping circuits have a BLH circuit in the feedback loop. In fact, further investigations showed that methods of enhancing small-signal stabilities cause an even worse situation. To resolve this problem, we used large-signal analyses to study the circuit’s stability. We found that a relatively small gain for the error amplifier and a small current in the non-linear stage of the BLH are required to enhance stability in large-signal analysis, which will compromise the properties of the BLH. These findings were verified by SPICE simulations. In this paper, we present our detailed analysis of the BLH circuits, and propose an improved version of them that have only minimal self-triggered fluctuations. We summarize the design considerations both for the stability and the properties of the BLH circuits. PMID:27182081

  19. Bifurcation theory and cardiac arrhythmias

    PubMed Central

    Karagueuzian, Hrayr S; Stepanyan, Hayk; Mandel, William J

    2013-01-01

    In this paper we review two types of dynamic behaviors defined by the bifurcation theory that are found to be particularly useful in describing two forms of cardiac electrical instabilities that are of considerable importance in cardiac arrhythmogenesis. The first is action potential duration (APD) alternans with an underlying dynamics consistent with the period doubling bifurcation theory. This form of electrical instability could lead to spatially discordant APD alternans leading to wavebreak and reentrant form of tachyarrhythmias. Factors that modulate the APD alternans are discussed. The second form of bifurcation of importance to cardiac arrhythmogenesis is the Hopf-homoclinic bifurcation that adequately describes the dynamics of the onset of early afterdepolarization (EAD)-mediated triggered activity (Hopf) that may cause ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF respectively). The self-termination of the triggered activity is compatible with the homoclinic bifurcation. Ionic and intracellular calcium dynamics underlying these dynamics are discussed using available experimental and simulation data. The dynamic analysis provides novel insights into the mechanisms of VT/VF, a major cause of sudden cardiac death in the US. PMID:23459417

  20. Cryptic Amyloidogenic Elements in the 3′ UTRs of Neurofilament Genes Trigger Axonal Neuropathy

    PubMed Central

    Rebelo, Adriana P.; Abrams, Alexander J.; Cottenie, Ellen; Horga, Alejandro; Gonzalez, Michael; Bis, Dana M.; Sanchez-Mejias, Avencia; Pinto, Milena; Buglo, Elena; Markel, Kasey; Prince, Jeffrey; Laura, Matilde; Houlden, Henry; Blake, Julian; Woodward, Cathy; Sweeney, Mary G.; Holton, Janice L.; Hanna, Michael; Dallman, Julia E.; Auer-Grumbach, Michaela; Reilly, Mary M.; Zuchner, Stephan

    2016-01-01

    Abnormal protein aggregation is observed in an expanding number of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we describe a mechanism for intracellular toxic protein aggregation induced by an unusual mutation event in families affected by axonal neuropathy. These families carry distinct frameshift variants in NEFH (neurofilament heavy), leading to a loss of the terminating codon and translation of the 3′ UTR into an extra 40 amino acids. In silico aggregation prediction suggested the terminal 20 residues of the altered NEFH to be amyloidogenic, which we confirmed experimentally by serial deletion analysis. The presence of this amyloidogenic motif fused to NEFH caused prominent and toxic protein aggregates in transfected cells and disrupted motor neurons in zebrafish. We identified a similar aggregation-inducing mechanism in NEFL (neurofilament light) and FUS (fused in sarcoma), in which mutations are known to cause aggregation in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, respectively. In summary, we present a protein-aggregation-triggering mechanism that should be taken into consideration during the evaluation of stop-loss variants. PMID:27040688

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