Re-conceptualizing stress: Shifting views on the consequences of stress and its effects on stress reactivity.

PubMed

Liu, Jenny J W; Vickers, Kristin; Reed, Maureen; Hadad, Marilyn

2017-01-01

The consequences of stress are typically regarded from a deficit-oriented approach, conceptualizing stress to be entirely negative in its outcomes. This approach is unbalanced, and may further hinder individuals from engaging in adaptive coping. In the current study, we explored whether negative views and beliefs regarding stress interacted with a stress framing manipulation (positive, neutral and negative) on measures of stress reactivity for both psychosocial and physiological stressors. Ninety participants were randomized into one of three framing conditions that conceptualized the experience of stress in balanced, unbalanced-negative or unbalanced-positive ways. After watching a video on stress, participants underwent a psychosocial (Trier Social Stress Test), or a physiological (CO2 challenge) method of stress-induction. Subjective and objective markers of stress were assessed. Most of the sampled population regarded stress as negative prior to framing. Further, subjective and objective reactivity were greater to the TSST compared to the CO2 challenge. Additionally, significant cubic trends were observed in the interactions of stress framing and stress-induction methodologies on heart rate and blood pressure. Balanced framing conditions in the TSST group had a significantly larger decrease in heart rate and diastolic blood pressure following stress compared to the positive and negative framing conditions. Findings confirmed a deficit-orientation of stress within the sampled population. In addition, results highlighted the relative efficacy of the TSST compared to CO2 as a method of stress provocation. Finally, individuals in framing conditions that posited stress outcomes in unbalanced manners responded to stressors less efficiently. This suggests that unbalanced framing of stress may have set forth unrealistic expectations regarding stress that later hindered individuals from adaptive responses to stress. Potential benefits of alternative conceptualizations of stress on stress reactivity are discussed, and suggestions for future research are made.

Improved score statistics for meta-analysis in single-variant and gene-level association studies.

PubMed

Yang, Jingjing; Chen, Sai; Abecasis, Gonçalo

2018-06-01

Meta-analysis is now an essential tool for genetic association studies, allowing them to combine large studies and greatly accelerating the pace of genetic discovery. Although the standard meta-analysis methods perform equivalently as the more cumbersome joint analysis under ideal settings, they result in substantial power loss under unbalanced settings with various case-control ratios. Here, we investigate the power loss problem by the standard meta-analysis methods for unbalanced studies, and further propose novel meta-analysis methods performing equivalently to the joint analysis under both balanced and unbalanced settings. We derive improved meta-score-statistics that can accurately approximate the joint-score-statistics with combined individual-level data, for both linear and logistic regression models, with and without covariates. In addition, we propose a novel approach to adjust for population stratification by correcting for known population structures through minor allele frequencies. In the simulated gene-level association studies under unbalanced settings, our method recovered up to 85% power loss caused by the standard methods. We further showed the power gain of our methods in gene-level tests with 26 unbalanced studies of age-related macular degeneration . In addition, we took the meta-analysis of three unbalanced studies of type 2 diabetes as an example to discuss the challenges of meta-analyzing multi-ethnic samples. In summary, our improved meta-score-statistics with corrections for population stratification can be used to construct both single-variant and gene-level association studies, providing a useful framework for ensuring well-powered, convenient, cross-study analyses. © 2018 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Detecting single-trial EEG evoked potential using a wavelet domain linear mixed model: application to error potentials classification.

PubMed

Spinnato, J; Roubaud, M-C; Burle, B; Torrésani, B

2015-06-01

The main goal of this work is to develop a model for multisensor signals, such as magnetoencephalography or electroencephalography (EEG) signals that account for inter-trial variability, suitable for corresponding binary classification problems. An important constraint is that the model be simple enough to handle small size and unbalanced datasets, as often encountered in BCI-type experiments. The method involves the linear mixed effects statistical model, wavelet transform, and spatial filtering, and aims at the characterization of localized discriminant features in multisensor signals. After discrete wavelet transform and spatial filtering, a projection onto the relevant wavelet and spatial channels subspaces is used for dimension reduction. The projected signals are then decomposed as the sum of a signal of interest (i.e., discriminant) and background noise, using a very simple Gaussian linear mixed model. Thanks to the simplicity of the model, the corresponding parameter estimation problem is simplified. Robust estimates of class-covariance matrices are obtained from small sample sizes and an effective Bayes plug-in classifier is derived. The approach is applied to the detection of error potentials in multichannel EEG data in a very unbalanced situation (detection of rare events). Classification results prove the relevance of the proposed approach in such a context. The combination of the linear mixed model, wavelet transform and spatial filtering for EEG classification is, to the best of our knowledge, an original approach, which is proven to be effective. This paper improves upon earlier results on similar problems, and the three main ingredients all play an important role.

Recurrence, submicroscopic complexity, and potential clinical relevance of copy gains detected by array CGH that are shown to be unbalanced insertions by FISH.

PubMed

Neill, Nicholas J; Ballif, Blake C; Lamb, Allen N; Parikh, Sumit; Ravnan, J Britt; Schultz, Roger A; Torchia, Beth S; Rosenfeld, Jill A; Shaffer, Lisa G

2011-04-01

Insertions occur when a segment of one chromosome is translocated and inserted into a new region of the same chromosome or a non-homologous chromosome. We report 71 cases with unbalanced insertions identified using array CGH and FISH in 4909 cases referred to our laboratory for array CGH and found to have copy-number abnormalities. Although the majority of insertions were non-recurrent, several recurrent unbalanced insertions were detected, including three der(Y)ins(Y;18)(q?11.2;p11.32p11.32)pat inherited from parents carrying an unbalanced insertion. The clinical significance of these recurrent rearrangements is unclear, although the small size, limited gene content, and inheritance pattern of each suggests that the phenotypic consequences may be benign. Cryptic, submicroscopic duplications were observed at or near the insertion sites in two patients, further confounding the clinical interpretation of these insertions. Using FISH, linear amplification, and array CGH, we identified a 126-kb duplicated region from 19p13.3 inserted into MECP2 at Xq28 in a patient with symptoms of Rett syndrome. Our results demonstrate that although the interpretation of most non-recurrent insertions is unclear without high-resolution insertion site characterization, the potential for an otherwise benign duplication to result in a clinically relevant outcome through the disruption of a gene necessitates the use of FISH to determine whether copy-number gains detected by array CGH represent tandem duplications or unbalanced insertions. Further follow-up testing using techniques such as linear amplification or sequencing should be used to determine gene involvement at the insertion site after FISH has identified the presence of an insertion.

Re-conceptualizing stress: Shifting views on the consequences of stress and its effects on stress reactivity

PubMed Central

Liu, Jenny J. W.

2017-01-01

Background The consequences of stress are typically regarded from a deficit-oriented approach, conceptualizing stress to be entirely negative in its outcomes. This approach is unbalanced, and may further hinder individuals from engaging in adaptive coping. In the current study, we explored whether negative views and beliefs regarding stress interacted with a stress framing manipulation (positive, neutral and negative) on measures of stress reactivity for both psychosocial and physiological stressors. Method Ninety participants were randomized into one of three framing conditions that conceptualized the experience of stress in balanced, unbalanced-negative or unbalanced-positive ways. After watching a video on stress, participants underwent a psychosocial (Trier Social Stress Test), or a physiological (CO2 challenge) method of stress-induction. Subjective and objective markers of stress were assessed. Results Most of the sampled population regarded stress as negative prior to framing. Further, subjective and objective reactivity were greater to the TSST compared to the CO2 challenge. Additionally, significant cubic trends were observed in the interactions of stress framing and stress-induction methodologies on heart rate and blood pressure. Balanced framing conditions in the TSST group had a significantly larger decrease in heart rate and diastolic blood pressure following stress compared to the positive and negative framing conditions. Conclusion Findings confirmed a deficit-orientation of stress within the sampled population. In addition, results highlighted the relative efficacy of the TSST compared to CO2 as a method of stress provocation. Finally, individuals in framing conditions that posited stress outcomes in unbalanced manners responded to stressors less efficiently. This suggests that unbalanced framing of stress may have set forth unrealistic expectations regarding stress that later hindered individuals from adaptive responses to stress. Potential benefits of alternative conceptualizations of stress on stress reactivity are discussed, and suggestions for future research are made. PMID:28273132

You Make the Diagnosis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bradway, Heather A.

2001-01-01

Explains a laboratory activity in which students study the effects of balanced and unbalanced nutrition on individuals' health by examining simulated urine samples. Uses a journal writing approach and includes laboratory instructions. (YDS)

Overcoming the knowledge-behavior gap: The effect of evidence-based HPV vaccination leaflets on understanding, intention, and actual vaccination decision.

PubMed

Wegwarth, O; Kurzenhäuser-Carstens, S; Gigerenzer, G

2014-03-10

Informed decision making requires transparent and evidence-based (=balanced) information on the potential benefit and harms of medical preventions. An analysis of German HPV vaccination leaflets revealed, however, that none met the standards of balanced risk communication. We surveyed a sample of 225 girl-parent pairs in a before-after design on the effects of balanced and unbalanced risk communication on participants' knowledge about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccination, their perceived risk, their intention to have the vaccine, and their actual vaccination decision. The balanced leaflet increased the number of participants who were correctly informed about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine by 33 to 66 absolute percentage points. In contrast, the unbalanced leaflet decreased the number of participants who were correctly informed about these facts by 0 to 18 absolute percentage points. Whereas the actual uptake of the HPV vaccination 14 months after the initial study did not differ between the two groups (22% balanced leaflet vs. 23% unbalanced leaflet; p=.93, r=.01), the originally stated intention to have the vaccine reliably predicted the actual vaccination decision for the balanced leaflet group only (concordance between intention and actual uptake: 97% in the balanced leaflet group, rs=.92, p=.00; 60% in the unbalanced leaflet group, rs=.37, p=.08). In contrast to a unbalanced leaflet, a balanced leaflet increased people's knowledge of the HPV vaccination, improved perceived risk judgments, and led to an actual vaccination uptake, which first was robustly predicted by people's intention and second did not differ from the uptake in the unbalanced leaflet group. These findings suggest that balanced reporting about HPV vaccination increases informed decisions about whether to be vaccinated and does not undermine actual uptake. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A SVM framework for fault detection of the braking system in a high speed train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jie; Li, Yan-Fu; Zio, Enrico

2017-03-01

In April 2015, the number of operating High Speed Trains (HSTs) in the world has reached 3603. An efficient, effective and very reliable braking system is evidently very critical for trains running at a speed around 300 km/h. Failure of a highly reliable braking system is a rare event and, consequently, informative recorded data on fault conditions are scarce. This renders the fault detection problem a classification problem with highly unbalanced data. In this paper, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) framework, including feature selection, feature vector selection, model construction and decision boundary optimization, is proposed for tackling this problem. Feature vector selection can largely reduce the data size and, thus, the computational burden. The constructed model is a modified version of the least square SVM, in which a higher cost is assigned to the error of classification of faulty conditions than the error of classification of normal conditions. The proposed framework is successfully validated on a number of public unbalanced datasets. Then, it is applied for the fault detection of braking systems in HST: in comparison with several SVM approaches for unbalanced datasets, the proposed framework gives better results.

A balancing act: physical balance, through arousal, influences size perception.

PubMed

Geuss, Michael N; Stefanucci, Jeanine K; de Benedictis-Kessner, Justin; Stevens, Nicholas R

2010-10-01

Previous research has demonstrated that manipulating vision influences balance. Here, we question whether manipulating balance can influence vision and how it may influence vision--specifically, the perception of width. In Experiment 1, participants estimated the width of beams while balanced and unbalanced. When unbalanced, participants judged the widths to be smaller. One possible explanation is that unbalanced participants did not view the stimulus as long as when balanced because they were focused on remaining balanced. In Experiment 2, we tested this notion by limiting viewing time. Experiment 2 replicated the findings of Experiment 1, but viewing time had no effect on width judgments. In Experiment 3, participants' level of arousal was manipulated, because the balancing task likely produced arousal. While jogging, participants judged the beams to be smaller. In Experiment 4, participants completed another arousing task (counting backward by sevens) that did not involve movement. Again, participants judged the beams to be smaller when aroused. Experiment 5A raised participants' level of arousal before estimating the board widths (to control for potential dual-task effects) and showed that heightened arousal still influenced perceived width of the boards. Collectively, heightened levels of arousal, caused by multiple manipulations (including balance), influenced perceived width.

Random forests ensemble classifier trained with data resampling strategy to improve cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis.

PubMed

Ozçift, Akin

2011-05-01

Supervised classification algorithms are commonly used in the designing of computer-aided diagnosis systems. In this study, we present a resampling strategy based Random Forests (RF) ensemble classifier to improve diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia. Random forests is an ensemble classifier that consists of many decision trees and outputs the class that is the mode of the class's output by individual trees. In this way, an RF ensemble classifier performs better than a single tree from classification performance point of view. In general, multiclass datasets having unbalanced distribution of sample sizes are difficult to analyze in terms of class discrimination. Cardiac arrhythmia is such a dataset that has multiple classes with small sample sizes and it is therefore adequate to test our resampling based training strategy. The dataset contains 452 samples in fourteen types of arrhythmias and eleven of these classes have sample sizes less than 15. Our diagnosis strategy consists of two parts: (i) a correlation based feature selection algorithm is used to select relevant features from cardiac arrhythmia dataset. (ii) RF machine learning algorithm is used to evaluate the performance of selected features with and without simple random sampling to evaluate the efficiency of proposed training strategy. The resultant accuracy of the classifier is found to be 90.0% and this is a quite high diagnosis performance for cardiac arrhythmia. Furthermore, three case studies, i.e., thyroid, cardiotocography and audiology, are used to benchmark the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results of experiments demonstrated the efficiency of random sampling strategy in training RF ensemble classification algorithm. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Short hypervariable microhaplotypes: A novel set of very short high discriminating power loci without stutter artefacts.

PubMed

van der Gaag, Kristiaan J; de Leeuw, Rick H; Laros, Jeroen F J; den Dunnen, Johan T; de Knijff, Peter

2018-07-01

Since two decades, short tandem repeats (STRs) are the preferred markers for human identification, routinely analysed by fragment length analysis. Here we present a novel set of short hypervariable autosomal microhaplotypes (MH) that have four or more SNPs in a span of less than 70 nucleotides (nt). These MHs display a discriminating power approaching that of STRs and provide a powerful alternative for the analysis;1;is of forensic samples that are problematic when the STR fragment size range exceeds the integrity range of severely degraded DNA or when multiple donors contribute to an evidentiary stain and STR stutter artefacts complicate profile interpretation. MH typing was developed using the power of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) enabling new powerful, fast and efficient SNP-based approaches. MH candidates were obtained from queries in data of the 1000 Genomes, and Genome of the Netherlands (GoNL) projects. Wet-lab analysis of 276 globally dispersed samples and 97 samples of nine large CEPH families assisted locus selection and corroboration of informative value. We infer that MHs represent an alternative marker type with good discriminating power per locus (allowing the use of a limited number of loci), small amplicon sizes and absence of stutter artefacts that can be especially helpful when unbalanced mixed samples are submitted for human identification. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural differences in reciprocal translocations. Potential for a model of risk in Rcp.

PubMed

Daniel, A

1979-10-01

Interchange segment sizes and the sizes of chromosome imbalance arising from the different modes of meiotic segregation were measured in a selected sample of 20 reciprocal translocations (Rep). The Rep were selected by two modes of ascertainment: (I) neonates with an unbalanced form of the translocation, and (II) couples with recurrent spontaneous abortions without evidence of full-term translocation aneuploid offspring. The measurements (% of haploid autosomal length: %HAL) were plotted as the observed or potential chromosomal imbalance with monosomy (abscissa) and trisomy (ordinate). It was found that (a) the interchange segments were larger in the spontaneous abortion Rcp, (b) that all of the imbalances observed in full-term neonates plotted close to the origin and to the left of the line joining 4% trisomy to 2% monosomy, and (c) the imbalances observed in the neonates in each individual Rcp were of the smallest size possible arising by any segregation mode. It was concluded that a major factor in the survival to term of aneuploid conceptuses is the size (proportion of genome) of the chromosome abnormality, irrespective of the origin of the chromosome regions. These results are discussed in relation to their use as a model to evaluate the risk of abnormal offspring in the progeny of translocation heterozygotes (the Chromosome Imbalance Size-Viability Model).

Recent advances in Li/SO2 battery technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ralston, R. E.

The areas of improvement discussed are related to cell closure-hermetic seals, improved glass-to-metal seals, and lithium-limited cell design. Attention is given to the design of a Li/SO2 cell which can safely withstand discharge below zero volts into voltage reversal. The design characteristics of an unbalanced cell, the new lithium-limited or balanced cell, and a high rate unbalanced design are compared in a table for the 'D' size cell. It is concluded that the improvements in cell closure, glass seal stability, and cell balance have resulted in storability, reliability, and abuse resistance characteristics which make the performance of today's Li/SO2 battery without equal among competitive primary batteries. However, the Li/SO2 cell must not be used in applications where extreme electrical or environmental conditions can push the system beyond its recommended limits.

IEEE 342 Node Low Voltage Networked Test System

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

Schneider, Kevin P.; Phanivong, Phillippe K.; Lacroix, Jean-Sebastian

The IEEE Distribution Test Feeders provide a benchmark for new algorithms to the distribution analyses community. The low voltage network test feeder represents a moderate size urban system that is unbalanced and highly networked. This is the first distribution test feeder developed by the IEEE that contains unbalanced networked components. The 342 node Low Voltage Networked Test System includes many elements that may be found in a networked system: multiple 13.2kV primary feeders, network protectors, a 120/208V grid network, and multiple 277/480V spot networks. This paper presents a brief review of the history of low voltage networks and how theymore » evolved into the modern systems. This paper will then present a description of the 342 Node IEEE Low Voltage Network Test System and power flow results.« less

Evaluation of Classifier Performance for Multiclass Phenotype Discrimination in Untargeted Metabolomics.

PubMed

Trainor, Patrick J; DeFilippis, Andrew P; Rai, Shesh N

2017-06-21

Statistical classification is a critical component of utilizing metabolomics data for examining the molecular determinants of phenotypes. Despite this, a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of the accuracy of classification techniques for phenotype discrimination given metabolomics data has not been conducted. We conducted such an evaluation using both simulated and real metabolomics datasets, comparing Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), Sparse PLS-DA, Random Forests, Support Vector Machines (SVM), Artificial Neural Network, k -Nearest Neighbors ( k -NN), and Naïve Bayes classification techniques for discrimination. We evaluated the techniques on simulated data generated to mimic global untargeted metabolomics data by incorporating realistic block-wise correlation and partial correlation structures for mimicking the correlations and metabolite clustering generated by biological processes. Over the simulation studies, covariance structures, means, and effect sizes were stochastically varied to provide consistent estimates of classifier performance over a wide range of possible scenarios. The effects of the presence of non-normal error distributions, the introduction of biological and technical outliers, unbalanced phenotype allocation, missing values due to abundances below a limit of detection, and the effect of prior-significance filtering (dimension reduction) were evaluated via simulation. In each simulation, classifier parameters, such as the number of hidden nodes in a Neural Network, were optimized by cross-validation to minimize the probability of detecting spurious results due to poorly tuned classifiers. Classifier performance was then evaluated using real metabolomics datasets of varying sample medium, sample size, and experimental design. We report that in the most realistic simulation studies that incorporated non-normal error distributions, unbalanced phenotype allocation, outliers, missing values, and dimension reduction, classifier performance (least to greatest error) was ranked as follows: SVM, Random Forest, Naïve Bayes, sPLS-DA, Neural Networks, PLS-DA and k -NN classifiers. When non-normal error distributions were introduced, the performance of PLS-DA and k -NN classifiers deteriorated further relative to the remaining techniques. Over the real datasets, a trend of better performance of SVM and Random Forest classifier performance was observed.

Serially-Connected Compensator for Eliminating the Unbalanced Three-Phase Voltage Impact on Wind Turbine Generators: Preprint

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

Wu, Z.; Hsu, P.; Muljadi, E.

2015-04-06

Untransposed transmission lines, unbalanced tap changer operations, and unbalanced loading in weak distribution lines can cause unbalanced-voltage conditions. The resulting unbalanced voltage at the point of interconnection affects proper gird integration and reduces the lifetime of wind turbines due to power oscillations, torque pulsations, mechanical stresses, energy losses, and uneven and overheating of the generator stator winding. This work investigates the dynamic impact of unbalanced voltage on the mechanical and electrical components of integrated Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence (FAST) wind turbine generation systems (WTGs) of Type 1 (squirrel-cage induction generator) and Type 3 (doubly-fed induction generator). To alleviate thismore » impact, a serially-connected compensator for a three-phase power line is proposed to balance the wind turbine-side voltage. Dynamic simulation studies are conducted in MATLAB/Simulink to compare the responses of these two types of wind turbine models under normal and unbalanced-voltage operation conditions and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed compensator.« less

A Serially-Connected Compensator for Eliminating the Unbalanced Three-Phase Voltage Impact on Wind Turbine Generators

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

Wu, Ziping; Hsu, Ping; Muljadi, Eduard

2015-10-05

Untransposed transmission lines, unbalanced tap changer operations, and unbalanced loading in weak distribution lines can cause unbalanced-voltage conditions. The resulting unbalanced voltage at the point of interconnection affects proper gird integration and reduces the lifetime of wind turbines due to power oscillations, torque pulsations, mechanical stresses, energy losses, and uneven and overheating of the generator stator winding. This work investigates the dynamic impact of unbalanced voltage on the mechanical and electrical components of integrated Fatigue, Aerodynamics, Structures, and Turbulence (FAST) wind turbine generation systems (WTGs) of Type 1 (squirrel-cage induction generator) and Type 3 (doubly-fed induction generator). To alleviate thismore » impact, a serially-connected compensator for a three-phase power line is proposed to balance the wind turbine-side voltage. Dynamic simulation studies are conducted in MATLAB/Simulink to compare the responses of these two types of wind turbine models under normal and unbalanced-voltage operation conditions and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed compensator.« less

Application of random effects to the study of resource selection by animals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gillies, C.S.; Hebblewhite, M.; Nielsen, S.E.; Krawchuk, M.A.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Frair, J.L.; Saher, D.J.; Stevens, C.E.; Jerde, C.L.

2006-01-01

1. Resource selection estimated by logistic regression is used increasingly in studies to identify critical resources for animal populations and to predict species occurrence.2. Most frequently, individual animals are monitored and pooled to estimate population-level effects without regard to group or individual-level variation. Pooling assumes that both observations and their errors are independent, and resource selection is constant given individual variation in resource availability.3. Although researchers have identified ways to minimize autocorrelation, variation between individuals caused by differences in selection or available resources, including functional responses in resource selection, have not been well addressed.4. Here we review random-effects models and their application to resource selection modelling to overcome these common limitations. We present a simple case study of an analysis of resource selection by grizzly bears in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains with and without random effects.5. Both categorical and continuous variables in the grizzly bear model differed in interpretation, both in statistical significance and coefficient sign, depending on how a random effect was included. We used a simulation approach to clarify the application of random effects under three common situations for telemetry studies: (a) discrepancies in sample sizes among individuals; (b) differences among individuals in selection where availability is constant; and (c) differences in availability with and without a functional response in resource selection.6. We found that random intercepts accounted for unbalanced sample designs, and models with random intercepts and coefficients improved model fit given the variation in selection among individuals and functional responses in selection. Our empirical example and simulations demonstrate how including random effects in resource selection models can aid interpretation and address difficult assumptions limiting their generality. This approach will allow researchers to appropriately estimate marginal (population) and conditional (individual) responses, and account for complex grouping, unbalanced sample designs and autocorrelation.

Application of random effects to the study of resource selection by animals.

PubMed

Gillies, Cameron S; Hebblewhite, Mark; Nielsen, Scott E; Krawchuk, Meg A; Aldridge, Cameron L; Frair, Jacqueline L; Saher, D Joanne; Stevens, Cameron E; Jerde, Christopher L

2006-07-01

1. Resource selection estimated by logistic regression is used increasingly in studies to identify critical resources for animal populations and to predict species occurrence. 2. Most frequently, individual animals are monitored and pooled to estimate population-level effects without regard to group or individual-level variation. Pooling assumes that both observations and their errors are independent, and resource selection is constant given individual variation in resource availability. 3. Although researchers have identified ways to minimize autocorrelation, variation between individuals caused by differences in selection or available resources, including functional responses in resource selection, have not been well addressed. 4. Here we review random-effects models and their application to resource selection modelling to overcome these common limitations. We present a simple case study of an analysis of resource selection by grizzly bears in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains with and without random effects. 5. Both categorical and continuous variables in the grizzly bear model differed in interpretation, both in statistical significance and coefficient sign, depending on how a random effect was included. We used a simulation approach to clarify the application of random effects under three common situations for telemetry studies: (a) discrepancies in sample sizes among individuals; (b) differences among individuals in selection where availability is constant; and (c) differences in availability with and without a functional response in resource selection. 6. We found that random intercepts accounted for unbalanced sample designs, and models with random intercepts and coefficients improved model fit given the variation in selection among individuals and functional responses in selection. Our empirical example and simulations demonstrate how including random effects in resource selection models can aid interpretation and address difficult assumptions limiting their generality. This approach will allow researchers to appropriately estimate marginal (population) and conditional (individual) responses, and account for complex grouping, unbalanced sample designs and autocorrelation.

The Expected Sample Variance of Uncorrelated Random Variables with a Common Mean and Some Applications in Unbalanced Random Effects Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vardeman, Stephen B.; Wendelberger, Joanne R.

2005-01-01

There is a little-known but very simple generalization of the standard result that for uncorrelated random variables with common mean [mu] and variance [sigma][superscript 2], the expected value of the sample variance is [sigma][superscript 2]. The generalization justifies the use of the usual standard error of the sample mean in possibly…

Proposal to use vibration analysis steering components and car body to monitor, for example, the state of unbalance wheel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janczur, R.

2016-09-01

The results of road tests of car VW Passat equipped with tires of size 195/65 R15, on the influence of the unbalancing front wheel on vibration of the parts of steering system, steering wheel and the body of the vehicle have been presented in this paper. Unbalances wheels made using weights of different masses, placed close to the outer edge of the steel rim and checked on the machine Hunter GSP 9700 for balancing wheels. The recorded waveforms vibration steering components and car body, at different constant driving speeds, subjected to spectral analysis to determine the possibility of isolating vibration caused by unbalanced wheel in various states and coming from good quality asphalt road surface. The results were discussed in terms of the possibility of identifying the state of unbalancing wheels and possible changes in radial stiffness of the tire vibration transmitted through the system driving wheel on the steering wheel. Vibration analysis steering components and car body, also in the longitudinal direction, including information from the CAN bus of the state of motion of the car, can be used to monitor the development of the state of unbalance wheel, tire damage or errors shape of brake discs or brake drums, causing pulsations braking forces.

A Three-Phase Microgrid Restoration Model Considering Unbalanced Operation of Distributed Generation

DOE PAGES

Wang, Zeyu; Wang, Jianhui; Chen, Chen

2016-12-07

Recent severe outages highlight the urgency of improving grid resiliency in the U.S. Microgrid formation schemes are proposed to restore critical loads after outages occur. Most distribution networks have unbalanced configurations that are not represented in sufficient detail by single-phase models. This study provides a microgrid formation plan that adopts a three-phase network model to represent unbalanced distribution networks. The problem formulation has a quadratic objective function with mixed-integer linear constraints. The three-phase network model enables us to examine the three-phase power outputs of distributed generators (DGs), preventing unbalanced operation that might trip DGs. Because the DG unbalanced operation constraintmore » is non-convex, an iterative process is presented that checks whether the unbalanced operation limits for DGs are satisfied after each iteration of optimization. We also develop a relatively conservative linear approximation on the unbalanced operation constraint to handle larger networks. Compared with the iterative solution process, the conservative linear approximation is able to accelerate the solution process at the cost of sacrificing optimality to a limited extent. Simulation in the IEEE 34 node and IEEE 123 test feeders indicate that the proposed method yields more practical microgrid formations results. In addition, this paper explores the coordinated operation of DGs and energy storage (ES) installations. The unbalanced three-phase outputs of ESs combined with the relatively balanced outputs of DGs could supply unbalanced loads. In conclusion, the case study also validates the DG-ES coordination.« less

A Three-Phase Microgrid Restoration Model Considering Unbalanced Operation of Distributed Generation

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

Wang, Zeyu; Wang, Jianhui; Chen, Chen

Recent severe outages highlight the urgency of improving grid resiliency in the U.S. Microgrid formation schemes are proposed to restore critical loads after outages occur. Most distribution networks have unbalanced configurations that are not represented in sufficient detail by single-phase models. This study provides a microgrid formation plan that adopts a three-phase network model to represent unbalanced distribution networks. The problem formulation has a quadratic objective function with mixed-integer linear constraints. The three-phase network model enables us to examine the three-phase power outputs of distributed generators (DGs), preventing unbalanced operation that might trip DGs. Because the DG unbalanced operation constraintmore » is non-convex, an iterative process is presented that checks whether the unbalanced operation limits for DGs are satisfied after each iteration of optimization. We also develop a relatively conservative linear approximation on the unbalanced operation constraint to handle larger networks. Compared with the iterative solution process, the conservative linear approximation is able to accelerate the solution process at the cost of sacrificing optimality to a limited extent. Simulation in the IEEE 34 node and IEEE 123 test feeders indicate that the proposed method yields more practical microgrid formations results. In addition, this paper explores the coordinated operation of DGs and energy storage (ES) installations. The unbalanced three-phase outputs of ESs combined with the relatively balanced outputs of DGs could supply unbalanced loads. In conclusion, the case study also validates the DG-ES coordination.« less

Can Characteristics of Reciprocal Translocations Predict the Chance of Transferable Embryos in PGD Cycles?

PubMed Central

Dul, Elsbeth; van Echten-Arends, Jannie; Groen, Henk; Kastrop, Peter; Amory-van Wissen, Lucie; Engelen, John; Land, Jolande; Coonen, Edith; van Ravenswaaij-Arts, Conny

2014-01-01

Translocation carriers have an increased risk of miscarriage or the birth of a child with congenital anomalies. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is performed in translocation carriers to select for balanced embryos and, thus, increase the chance of an ongoing pregnancy. However, a common experience is that reciprocal translocation carriers produce a high percentage of unbalanced embryos, which cannot be transferred. Therefore, the pregnancy rates in PGD in this patient group are low. In a cohort of 85 reciprocal translocation carriers undergoing PGD we have searched for cytogenetic characteristics of the translocations that can predict the percentage of balanced embryos. Using shape algorithms, the most likely segregation mode per translocation was determined. Shape algorithm, breakpoint location, and relative chromosome segment sizes proved not to be independent predictors of the percentage of balanced embryos. The ratio of the relative sizes of the translocated segments of both translocation chromosomes can give some insight into the chance of transferable embryos: Very asymmetrical translocations have a higher risk of unbalanced products (p = 0.048). Counseling of the couples on the pros and cons of all their reproductive options remains very important. PMID:26237378

Can Characteristics of Reciprocal Translocations Predict the Chance of Transferable Embryos in PGD Cycles?

PubMed

Dul, Elsbeth; van Echten-Arends, Jannie; Groen, Henk; Kastrop, Peter; Wissen, Lucie Amory-van; Engelen, John; Land, Jolande; Coonen, Edith; van Ravenswaaij-Arts, Conny

2014-04-02

Translocation carriers have an increased risk of miscarriage or the birth of a child with congenital anomalies. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is performed in translocation carriers to select for balanced embryos and, thus, increase the chance of an ongoing pregnancy. However, a common experience is that reciprocal translocation carriers produce a high percentage of unbalanced embryos, which cannot be transferred. Therefore, the pregnancy rates in PGD in this patient group are low. In a cohort of 85 reciprocal translocation carriers undergoing PGD we have searched for cytogenetic characteristics of the translocations that can predict the percentage of balanced embryos. Using shape algorithms, the most likely segregation mode per translocation was determined. Shape algorithm, breakpoint location, and relative chromosome segment sizes proved not to be independent predictors of the percentage of balanced embryos. The ratio of the relative sizes of the translocated segments of both translocation chromosomes can give some insight into the chance of transferable embryos: Very asymmetrical translocations have a higher risk of unbalanced products (p = 0.048). Counseling of the couples on the pros and cons of all their reproductive options remains very important.

The research of hourglass worm dynamic balancing simulation based on SolidWorks motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhuangzhuang; Yang, Jie; Liu, Pingyi; Zhao, Junpeng

2018-02-01

Hourglass worm is extensively used in industry due to its characteristic of heavy-load and a large reduction ratio. Varying sizes of unbalanced mass distribution appeared in the design of a single head worm. With machines developing towards higher speed and precision, the vibration and shock caused by the unbalanced mass distribution of rotating parts must be considered. Therefore, the balance grade of these parts must meet higher requirements. A method based on theoretical analysis and SolidWorks motion software simulation is presented in this paper; the virtual dynamic balance simulation test of the hourglass worm was carried out during the design of the product, so as to ensure that the hourglass worm meet the requirements of dynamic balance in the design process. This can effectively support the structural design of the hourglass worm and provide a way of thinking and designing the same type of products.

Total factor productivity change in dairy farming: Empirical evidence from southern Chile.

PubMed

Moreira, Víctor H; Bravo-Ureta, Boris E

2016-10-01

Despite the importance of productivity growth, many studies carried out at the farm level focus primarily on the technical efficiency (TE) component of farm productivity. Therefore, the general purpose of this paper is to measure total factor productivity change and then to decompose this change into several distinct elements. The data were an unbalanced panel for the period from 2005 to 2010 containing 477 farms and 1,426 observations obtained from TODOAGRO, a farm-management center created in 1996 in the southern part of Chile. The region where the data come from accounts for 20% of the total milk processed in the country. Stochastic production frontiers along with the translog functional form were used to analyze total factor productivity change. The econometric evidence indicates that farms exhibit decreasing returns to size implying that costs of production rise as farm size increases, which suggests that the motivation for farm growth stems from the search for income rather than from lowering costs. The main results indicated that productivity gains through TE improvements are limited, with an average TE for the whole sample of 91.0%, and average technical efficiency change of 0.05% per year. By contrast, average technological progress at the sample mean was rather high at 1.90%, which suggests that additional investments in research and subsequent adoption of improved technologies would have a positive effect on productivity growth. The findings also revealed that farm size is not associated with productivity growth for the dairy farms in the sample. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-Dimensional Multivariate Repeated Measures Analysis with Unequal Covariance Matrices.

PubMed

Harrar, Solomon W; Kong, Xiaoli

2015-03-01

In this paper, test statistics for repeated measures design are introduced when the dimension is large. By large dimension is meant the number of repeated measures and the total sample size grow together but either one could be larger than the other. Asymptotic distribution of the statistics are derived for the equal as well as unequal covariance cases in the balanced as well as unbalanced cases. The asymptotic framework considered requires proportional growth of the sample sizes and the dimension of the repeated measures in the unequal covariance case. In the equal covariance case, one can grow at much faster rate than the other. The derivations of the asymptotic distributions mimic that of Central Limit Theorem with some important peculiarities addressed with sufficient rigor. Consistent and unbiased estimators of the asymptotic variances, which make efficient use of all the observations, are also derived. Simulation study provides favorable evidence for the accuracy of the asymptotic approximation under the null hypothesis. Power simulations have shown that the new methods have comparable power with a popular method known to work well in low-dimensional situation but the new methods have shown enormous advantage when the dimension is large. Data from Electroencephalograph (EEG) experiment is analyzed to illustrate the application of the results.

High-Dimensional Multivariate Repeated Measures Analysis with Unequal Covariance Matrices

PubMed Central

Harrar, Solomon W.; Kong, Xiaoli

2015-01-01

In this paper, test statistics for repeated measures design are introduced when the dimension is large. By large dimension is meant the number of repeated measures and the total sample size grow together but either one could be larger than the other. Asymptotic distribution of the statistics are derived for the equal as well as unequal covariance cases in the balanced as well as unbalanced cases. The asymptotic framework considered requires proportional growth of the sample sizes and the dimension of the repeated measures in the unequal covariance case. In the equal covariance case, one can grow at much faster rate than the other. The derivations of the asymptotic distributions mimic that of Central Limit Theorem with some important peculiarities addressed with sufficient rigor. Consistent and unbiased estimators of the asymptotic variances, which make efficient use of all the observations, are also derived. Simulation study provides favorable evidence for the accuracy of the asymptotic approximation under the null hypothesis. Power simulations have shown that the new methods have comparable power with a popular method known to work well in low-dimensional situation but the new methods have shown enormous advantage when the dimension is large. Data from Electroencephalograph (EEG) experiment is analyzed to illustrate the application of the results. PMID:26778861

Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students.

PubMed

Aceijas, Carmen; Waldhäusl, Sabrina; Lambert, Nicky; Cassar, Simon; Bello-Corassa, Rafael

2017-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate students' health-related lifestyles and to identify barriers and social determinants of healthier lifestyles. An online survey, two focus groups and three in-depth interviews across 2014/2015. A stratified by school size and random sample ( n = 468) of university students answered a 67-item questionnaire comprising six scales: Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity, Rapid Eating and Activity Assessment for Patients-Short Version, CAGE, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale short version, and ad hoc scale for drug use/misuse. Stratified by gender, χ 2 tests were run to test associations/estimate risks and three multivariate Logistic Regression models were adjusted. A thematic approach guided the analysis of qualitative data. A total of 60% of the respondents were insufficiently physically active, 47% had an unbalanced diet and 30% had low mental wellbeing. Alcohol drinkers versus abstinent were almost equally distributed. A total of 42% of alcohol drinkers reported getting drunk at least once a month. Smokers accounted for 16% of the respondents. Identified risk factors for suboptimal physical activity were as follows: being a woman, not using the university gym and smoking. Risk factors for unbalanced diet were low mental wellbeing and drug use. Poor mental wellbeing was predicted by unbalanced diet, not feeling like shopping and cooking frequently, and a lack of help-seeking behaviour in cases of distress. Qualitative analysis revealed seven thematic categories: transition to new life, university environment and systems, finances, academic pressure, health promotion on campus and recommendations. This study provides robust evidence that the health-related lifestyles of the student population are worrying and suggests that the trend in chronic diseases associated with unhealthy lifestyles sustained over years might be unlikely to change in future generations. University students' health-related lifestyle is a concern. Nine out of the identified 10 predictors of problematic physical activity, nutrition and mental wellbeing, were environmental/societal or institutional barriers. Universities must expand corporate responsibilities to include the promotion of health as part of their core values.

An unbalanced spectra classification method based on entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhong-bao; Zhao, Wen-juan

2017-05-01

How to solve the problem of distinguishing the minority spectra from the majority of the spectra is quite important in astronomy. In view of this, an unbalanced spectra classification method based on entropy (USCM) is proposed in this paper to deal with the unbalanced spectra classification problem. USCM greatly improves the performances of the traditional classifiers on distinguishing the minority spectra as it takes the data distribution into consideration in the process of classification. However, its time complexity is exponential with the training size, and therefore, it can only deal with the problem of small- and medium-scale classification. How to solve the large-scale classification problem is quite important to USCM. It can be easily obtained by mathematical computation that the dual form of USCM is equivalent to the minimum enclosing ball (MEB), and core vector machine (CVM) is introduced, USCM based on CVM is proposed to deal with the large-scale classification problem. Several comparative experiments on the 4 subclasses of K-type spectra, 3 subclasses of F-type spectra and 3 subclasses of G-type spectra from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) verify USCM and USCM based on CVM perform better than kNN (k nearest neighbor) and SVM (support vector machine) in dealing with the problem of rare spectra mining respectively on the small- and medium-scale datasets and the large-scale datasets.

Characteristics of TCM constitutions of adult Chinese women in Hong Kong and identification of related influencing factors: a cross-sectional survey.

PubMed

Sun, Youzhi; Liu, Pei; Zhao, Yi; Jia, Lei; He, Yanhua; Xue, Steve An; Zheng, Xiao; Wang, Zhiyu; Wang, Neng; Chen, Jianping

2014-05-21

Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution (TCMC) refers to an integrated, metastable and natural specialty of individual in morphosis, physiological functions and psychological conditions. It is formed on the basis of innate and acquired endowments in the human life process, which can be divided into normal constitution and unbalanced ones. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of TCMCs of Chinese women in Hong Kong and its acquired influencing factors. Local Chinese women between 30 to 65 years old, were recruited from 18 districts of Hong Kong (n=944), and were assessed using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Physical Constitution Scale for their TCMC types. Social-demographic, reproductive, lifestyle, systemic health and emotional status information were collected through structured questionnaire. The associations between different independent factors and each TCMC type, as well as the complex unbalanced TCMC types were tested individually. Significant factors related to unbalanced TCMC types were identified in final models using multiple factor analysis. A total of 764 (80.9%) participants were diagnosed with unbalanced TCMCs. The most common TCMC type was Qi-deficiency constitution (53.9%), followed by Phlegm-wetness (38.9%), Yang-deficiency (38.2%), Yin-deficiency (35.5), Blood-stasis (35.4) and Qi-depressed (31%) constitution. Six hundred and eleven participants (64.7%) had at least two types of combined and unbalanced constitutions. Stepwise logistic analysis indicated that poor systemic health condition (OR, 1.76-2.89), negative emotions (OR=1.39), overweight (OR=1.58), high educational level (OR=1.18) and mental work (OR=1.44) were significantly positively correlated with certain unbalanced TCMCs. Meanwhile, aging (OR, 0.59-0.73), exercise habit (OR, 0.61-0.79) and reproductive history (OR=0.72) showed inverse associations with unbalanced constitutions. In addition, systemic health condition and emotional status, exercise habit and age were significantly associated with the combined unbalanced TCMC types. The majority of middle-aged Chinese women in Hong Kong had unbalanced and complex TCMCs. Qi-deficiency, Phlegm-wetness and Yang-deficiency constitutions are the most common constitutions. Poor systemic health condition, less-than-satisfactory emotional life, overweight and mental work are associated with and may be contributors for the formation of unbalanced TCMCs, while regular physical exercise was found to be a potential protective factor for unbalanced TCMCs.

The Mediated MIMIC Model for Understanding the Underlying Mechanism of DIF.

PubMed

Cheng, Ying; Shao, Can; Lathrop, Quinn N

2016-02-01

Due to its flexibility, the multiple-indicator, multiple-causes (MIMIC) model has become an increasingly popular method for the detection of differential item functioning (DIF). In this article, we propose the mediated MIMIC model method to uncover the underlying mechanism of DIF. This method extends the usual MIMIC model by including one variable or multiple variables that may completely or partially mediate the DIF effect. If complete mediation effect is found, the DIF effect is fully accounted for. Through our simulation study, we find that the mediated MIMIC model is very successful in detecting the mediation effect that completely or partially accounts for DIF, while keeping the Type I error rate well controlled for both balanced and unbalanced sample sizes between focal and reference groups. Because it is successful in detecting such mediation effects, the mediated MIMIC model may help explain DIF and give guidance in the revision of a DIF item.

The Mediated MIMIC Model for Understanding the Underlying Mechanism of DIF

PubMed Central

Cheng, Ying; Shao, Can; Lathrop, Quinn N.

2015-01-01

Due to its flexibility, the multiple-indicator, multiple-causes (MIMIC) model has become an increasingly popular method for the detection of differential item functioning (DIF). In this article, we propose the mediated MIMIC model method to uncover the underlying mechanism of DIF. This method extends the usual MIMIC model by including one variable or multiple variables that may completely or partially mediate the DIF effect. If complete mediation effect is found, the DIF effect is fully accounted for. Through our simulation study, we find that the mediated MIMIC model is very successful in detecting the mediation effect that completely or partially accounts for DIF, while keeping the Type I error rate well controlled for both balanced and unbalanced sample sizes between focal and reference groups. Because it is successful in detecting such mediation effects, the mediated MIMIC model may help explain DIF and give guidance in the revision of a DIF item.

CEO Compensation and Hospital Financial Performance

PubMed Central

Reiter, Kristin L.; Sandoval, Guillermo A.; Brown, Adalsteinn D.; Pink, George H.

2010-01-01

Growing interest in pay-for-performance and the level of CEO pay raises questions about the link between performance and compensation in the health sector. This study compares the compensation of non-profit hospital Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in Ontario, Canada to the three longest reported and most used measures of hospital financial performance. Our sample consisted of 132 CEOs from 92 hospitals between 1999 and 2006. Unbalanced panel data were analyzed using fixed effects regression. Results suggest that CEO compensation was largely unrelated to hospital financial performance. Inflation-adjusted salaries appeared to increase over time independent of hospital performance, and hospital size was positively correlated with CEO compensation. The apparent upward trend in salary despite some declines in financial performance challenges the fundamental assumption underlying this paper, that is, financial performance is likely linked to CEO compensation in Ontario. Further research is needed to understand long-term performance related to compensation incentives. PMID:19605619

CEO compensation and hospital financial performance.

PubMed

Reiter, Kristin L; Sandoval, Guillermo A; Brown, Adalsteinn D; Pink, George H

2009-12-01

Growing interest in pay-for-performance and the level of chief executive officers' (CEOs') pay raises questions about the link between performance and compensation in the health sector. This study compares the compensation of nonprofit hospital CEOs in Ontario, Canada to the three longest reported and most used measures of hospital financial performance. Our sample consisted of 132 CEOs from 92 hospitals between 1999 and 2006. Unbalanced panel data were analyzed using fixed effects regression. Results suggest that CEO compensation was largely unrelated to hospital financial performance. Inflation-adjusted salaries appeared to increase over time independent of hospital performance, and hospital size was positively correlated with CEO compensation. The apparent upward trend in salary despite some declines in financial performance challenges the fundamental assumption underlying this article, that is, financial performance is likely linked to CEO compensation in Ontario. Further research is needed to understand long-term performance related to compensation incentives.

Limitations of studies on school-based nutrition education interventions for obesity in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kong, Kaimeng; Liu, Jie; Tao, Yexuan

2016-01-01

School-based nutrition education has been widely implemented in recent years to fight the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity in China. A comprehensive literature search was performed using six databases to identify studies of school-based nutrition education interventions in China. The methodological quality and the risk of bias of selected literature were evaluated. Stratified analysis was performed to identify whether different methodologies influenced the estimated effect of the intervention. Seventeen articles were included in the analysis. Several of the included studies had inadequate intervention duration, inappropriate randomization methods, selection bias, unbalanced baseline characteristics between control and intervention groups, and absent sample size calculation. Overall, the studies showed no significant impact of nutrition education on obesity (OR=0.76; 95% CI=0.55-1.05; p=0.09). This can be compared with an OR of 0.68 for interventions aimed at preventing malnutrition and an OR of 0.49 for interventions aimed at preventing iron-deficiency anemia. When studies with unbalanced baseline characteristics between groups and selection bias in the study subjects were excluded, the impact of nutrition education on obesity was significant (OR=0.73; 95% CI=0.55-0.98; p=0.003). An analysis stratified according to the duration of intervention revealed that the intervention was effective only when it lasted for more than 2 years (OR=0.49, 95% CI=0.42-0.58; p<0.001). Studies of school-based nutrition education programs in China have some important limitations that might affect the estimated effectiveness of the intervention.

Evaluating effectiveness of down-sampling for stratified designs and unbalanced prevalence in Random Forest models of tree species distributions in Nevada

Treesearch

Elizabeth A. Freeman; Gretchen G. Moisen; Tracy S. Frescino

2012-01-01

Random Forests is frequently used to model species distributions over large geographic areas. Complications arise when data used to train the models have been collected in stratified designs that involve different sampling intensity per stratum. The modeling process is further complicated if some of the target species are relatively rare on the landscape leading to an...

Multivariate Welch t-test on distances

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Motivation: Permutational non-Euclidean analysis of variance, PERMANOVA, is routinely used in exploratory analysis of multivariate datasets to draw conclusions about the significance of patterns visualized through dimension reduction. This method recognizes that pairwise distance matrix between observations is sufficient to compute within and between group sums of squares necessary to form the (pseudo) F statistic. Moreover, not only Euclidean, but arbitrary distances can be used. This method, however, suffers from loss of power and type I error inflation in the presence of heteroscedasticity and sample size imbalances. Results: We develop a solution in the form of a distance-based Welch t-test, TW2, for two sample potentially unbalanced and heteroscedastic data. We demonstrate empirically the desirable type I error and power characteristics of the new test. We compare the performance of PERMANOVA and TW2 in reanalysis of two existing microbiome datasets, where the methodology has originated. Availability and Implementation: The source code for methods and analysis of this article is available at https://github.com/alekseyenko/Tw2. Further guidance on application of these methods can be obtained from the author. Contact: alekseye@musc.edu PMID:27515741

Multivariate Welch t-test on distances.

PubMed

Alekseyenko, Alexander V

2016-12-01

Permutational non-Euclidean analysis of variance, PERMANOVA, is routinely used in exploratory analysis of multivariate datasets to draw conclusions about the significance of patterns visualized through dimension reduction. This method recognizes that pairwise distance matrix between observations is sufficient to compute within and between group sums of squares necessary to form the (pseudo) F statistic. Moreover, not only Euclidean, but arbitrary distances can be used. This method, however, suffers from loss of power and type I error inflation in the presence of heteroscedasticity and sample size imbalances. We develop a solution in the form of a distance-based Welch t-test, [Formula: see text], for two sample potentially unbalanced and heteroscedastic data. We demonstrate empirically the desirable type I error and power characteristics of the new test. We compare the performance of PERMANOVA and [Formula: see text] in reanalysis of two existing microbiome datasets, where the methodology has originated. The source code for methods and analysis of this article is available at https://github.com/alekseyenko/Tw2 Further guidance on application of these methods can be obtained from the author. alekseye@musc.edu. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Empirical study of seven data mining algorithms on different characteristics of datasets for biomedical classification applications.

PubMed

Zhang, Yiyan; Xin, Yi; Li, Qin; Ma, Jianshe; Li, Shuai; Lv, Xiaodan; Lv, Weiqi

2017-11-02

Various kinds of data mining algorithms are continuously raised with the development of related disciplines. The applicable scopes and their performances of these algorithms are different. Hence, finding a suitable algorithm for a dataset is becoming an important emphasis for biomedical researchers to solve practical problems promptly. In this paper, seven kinds of sophisticated active algorithms, namely, C4.5, support vector machine, AdaBoost, k-nearest neighbor, naïve Bayes, random forest, and logistic regression, were selected as the research objects. The seven algorithms were applied to the 12 top-click UCI public datasets with the task of classification, and their performances were compared through induction and analysis. The sample size, number of attributes, number of missing values, and the sample size of each class, correlation coefficients between variables, class entropy of task variable, and the ratio of the sample size of the largest class to the least class were calculated to character the 12 research datasets. The two ensemble algorithms reach high accuracy of classification on most datasets. Moreover, random forest performs better than AdaBoost on the unbalanced dataset of the multi-class task. Simple algorithms, such as the naïve Bayes and logistic regression model are suitable for a small dataset with high correlation between the task and other non-task attribute variables. K-nearest neighbor and C4.5 decision tree algorithms perform well on binary- and multi-class task datasets. Support vector machine is more adept on the balanced small dataset of the binary-class task. No algorithm can maintain the best performance in all datasets. The applicability of the seven data mining algorithms on the datasets with different characteristics was summarized to provide a reference for biomedical researchers or beginners in different fields.

Genotype by environment interaction and the use of unbalanced historical data for genomic selection in an international wheat breeding program

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genomic selection (GS) offers breeders the possibility of using historic data and unbalanced breeding trials to form training populations for predicting the performance of new lines. However, in using datasets that are unbalanced over time and space, there is increasing exposure to particular genoty...

Estimation of the linear mixed integrated Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model

PubMed Central

Hughes, Rachael A.; Kenward, Michael G.; Sterne, Jonathan A. C.; Tilling, Kate

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The linear mixed model with an added integrated Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (IOU) process (linear mixed IOU model) allows for serial correlation and estimation of the degree of derivative tracking. It is rarely used, partly due to the lack of available software. We implemented the linear mixed IOU model in Stata and using simulations we assessed the feasibility of fitting the model by restricted maximum likelihood when applied to balanced and unbalanced data. We compared different (1) optimization algorithms, (2) parameterizations of the IOU process, (3) data structures and (4) random-effects structures. Fitting the model was practical and feasible when applied to large and moderately sized balanced datasets (20,000 and 500 observations), and large unbalanced datasets with (non-informative) dropout and intermittent missingness. Analysis of a real dataset showed that the linear mixed IOU model was a better fit to the data than the standard linear mixed model (i.e. independent within-subject errors with constant variance). PMID:28515536

Characteristics of TCM constitutions of adult Chinese women in Hong Kong and identification of related influencing factors: a cross-sectional survey

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution (TCMC) refers to an integrated, metastable and natural specialty of individual in morphosis, physiological functions and psychological conditions. It is formed on the basis of innate and acquired endowments in the human life process, which can be divided into normal constitution and unbalanced ones. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of TCMCs of Chinese women in Hong Kong and its acquired influencing factors. Methods Local Chinese women between 30 to 65years old, were recruited from 18 districts of Hong Kong (n = 944), and were assessed using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Physical Constitution Scale for their TCMC types. Social-demographic, reproductive, lifestyle, systemic health and emotional status information were collected through structured questionnaire. The associations between different independent factors and each TCMC type, as well as the complex unbalanced TCMC types were tested individually. Significant factors related to unbalanced TCMC types were identified in final models using multiple factor analysis. Results A total of 764 (80.9%) participants were diagnosed with unbalanced TCMCs. The most common TCMC type was Qi-deficiency constitution (53.9%), followed by Phlegm-wetness (38.9%), Yang-deficiency (38.2%), Yin-deficiency (35.5), Blood-stasis (35.4) and Qi-depressed (31%) constitution. Six hundred and eleven participants (64.7%) had at least two types of combined and unbalanced constitutions. Stepwise logistic analysis indicated that poor systemic health condition (OR, 1.76-2.89), negative emotions (OR = 1.39), overweight (OR = 1.58), high educational level (OR = 1.18) and mental work (OR = 1.44) were significantly positively correlated with certain unbalanced TCMCs. Meanwhile, aging (OR, 0.59-0.73), exercise habit (OR, 0.61-0.79) and reproductive history (OR = 0.72) showed inverse associations with unbalanced constitutions. In addition, systemic health condition and emotional status, exercise habit and age were significantly associated with the combined unbalanced TCMC types. Conclusion The majority of middle-aged Chinese women in Hong Kong had unbalanced and complex TCMCs. Qi-deficiency, Phlegm-wetness and Yang-deficiency constitutions are the most common constitutions. Poor systemic health condition, less-than-satisfactory emotional life, overweight and mental work are associated with and may be contributors for the formation of unbalanced TCMCs, while regular physical exercise was found to be a potential protective factor for unbalanced TCMCs. PMID:24886055

Sex-Biased Ratio of Avoidant/Ambivalent Attachment in Middle Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Del Giudice, Marco

2008-01-01

In this study, new evidence is presented of marked sex differences in the distribution of insecure attachment patterns in middle childhood. Attachment was assessed with the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) in a sample of 122 Italian 7-year-olds. The four-way distribution of attachment patterns was significantly unbalanced, with…

Unbalanced field RF electron gun

DOEpatents

Hofler, Alicia

2013-11-12

A design for an RF electron gun having a gun cavity utilizing an unbalanced electric field arrangement. Essentially, the electric field in the first (partial) cell has higher field strength than the electric field in the second (full) cell of the electron gun. The accompanying method discloses the use of the unbalanced field arrangement in the operation of an RF electron gun in order to accelerate an electron beam.

A control strategy for grid-side converter of DFIG under unbalanced condition based on Dig SILENT/Power Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Pingping; Zhang, Haitian; Chen, Lingqi; Zhang, Xiaoan

2018-01-01

The models of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and its grid-side converter (GSC) are established under unbalanced grid condition based on DIgSILENT/PowerFactory. According to the mathematical model, the vector equations of positive and negative sequence voltage and current are deduced in the positive sequence synchronous rotating reference frame d-q-0 when the characteristics of the simulation software are considered adequately. Moreover, the reference value of current component of GSC in the positive sequence frame d-q-0 under unbalanced condition can be obtained to improve the traditional control of GSC when the national issue of unbalanced current limits is combined. The simulated results indicate that the control strategy can restrain negative sequence current and the two times frequency power wave of GSC’s ac side effectively. The voltage of DC bus can be maintained a constant to ensure the uninterrupted operation of DFIG under unbalanced grid condition eventually.

The age profile of the location decision of Australian general practitioners.

PubMed

Mu, Chunzhou

2015-10-01

The unbalanced distribution of general practitioners (GPs) across geographic areas has been acknowledged as a problem in many countries around the world. Quantitative information regarding GPs' location decision over their lifecycle is essential in developing effective initiatives to address the unbalanced distribution and retention of GPs. This paper describes the age profile of GPs' location decision and relates it to individual characteristics. I use the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey of doctors (2008-2012) with a sample size of 5810 male and 5797 female GPs. I employ a mixed logit model to estimate GPs' location decision. The results suggest that younger GPs are more prepared to go to rural and remote areas but they tend to migrate back to urban areas as they age. Coming from a rural background increases the likelihood of choosing rural areas, but with heterogeneity: While male GPs from a rural background tend to stay in rural and remote areas regardless of age, female GPs from a rural background are willing to migrate to urban areas as they age. GPs who obtain basic medical degrees overseas are likely to move back to urban areas in the later stage of their careers. Completing a basic medical degree at an older age increases the likelihood of working outside major cities. I also examine factors influencing GPs' location transition patterns and the results further confirm the association of individual characteristics and GPs' location-age profile. The findings can help target GPs who are most likely to practise and remain in rural and remote areas, and tailor policy initiatives to address the undesirable distribution and movement of GPs according to the identified heterogeneous age profile of their location decisions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mapping ecological systems with a random foret model: tradeoffs between errors and bias

Treesearch

Emilie Grossmann; Janet Ohmann; James Kagan; Heather May; Matthew Gregory

2010-01-01

New methods for predictive vegetation mapping allow improved estimations of plant community composition across large regions. Random Forest (RF) models limit over-fitting problems of other methods, and are known for making accurate classification predictions from noisy, nonnormal data, but can be biased when plot samples are unbalanced. We developed two contrasting...

Persistence in the Determination of Work-Related Training Participation: Evidence from the BHPS, 1991-1997

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sousounis, Panos; Bladen-Hovell, Robin

2010-01-01

In this paper we investigate the role of workers' training history in determining current training-incidence. The analysis is conducted on an unbalanced sample comprising information on approximately 5000 employees from the first seven waves of the BHPS. Training participation is modelled as a dynamic random effects probit model where the effects…

Effect of unbalanced diets on the long-term metabolism of a toxicant. 1. Lead in rats: preliminary note.

PubMed

Baldini, M; Coni, E; Mantovani, A; Stacchini, A; Zanasi, F

1989-01-01

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of dietary imbalances on absorption and distribution of lead in the female Sprague-Dawley rat. In this note preliminary results on the relationship between blood concentrations of lead and unbalanced diets are presented. Hyperproteic, hyperglycidic, hyperlipidic and balanced diets were prepared, and most of them included 15 mg/kg lead. Blood samples were collected at day 0, 21, 36, and 95 of the diets and analyzed by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Lead uptake as a function of feed consumption was found to decrease in the order: balanced, hyperproteic and hyperglycidic, hyperlipidic diet. On the other hand lead blood levels were as follows (decreasing order): hyperlipidic, hyperproteic, hyperglycidic, balanced. Further research is being carried out on the influences of dietary imbalances on whole-body distribution of lead.

Optimal SVM parameter selection for non-separable and unbalanced datasets.

PubMed

Jiang, Peng; Missoum, Samy; Chen, Zhao

2014-10-01

This article presents a study of three validation metrics used for the selection of optimal parameters of a support vector machine (SVM) classifier in the case of non-separable and unbalanced datasets. This situation is often encountered when the data is obtained experimentally or clinically. The three metrics selected in this work are the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy, and balanced accuracy. These validation metrics are tested using computational data only, which enables the creation of fully separable sets of data. This way, non-separable datasets, representative of a real-world problem, can be created by projection onto a lower dimensional sub-space. The knowledge of the separable dataset, unknown in real-world problems, provides a reference to compare the three validation metrics using a quantity referred to as the "weighted likelihood". As an application example, the study investigates a classification model for hip fracture prediction. The data is obtained from a parameterized finite element model of a femur. The performance of the various validation metrics is studied for several levels of separability, ratios of unbalance, and training set sizes.

Influence of substrate bias voltage on structure and properties of the CrAlN films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Yanhong; Ji, Li; Liu, Xiaohong; Li, Hongxuan; Zhou, Huidi; Chen, Jianmin

2012-02-01

The CrAlN films were deposited on silicon and stainless steel substrates by unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. The influence of substrate bias on deposition rate, composition, structure, morphology and properties of the CrAlN films was investigated. The results showed that, with the increase of the substrate bias voltage, the deposition rate decreased accompanied by a change of the preferred orientation of the CrAlN film from (2 2 0) to (2 0 0). The grain size and the average surface roughness of the CrAlN films declined as the bias voltage increases above -100 V. The morphology of the films changed from obviously columnar to dense glass-like structure with the increase of the bias voltage from -50 to -250 V. Meanwhile, the films deposited at moderate bias voltage had better mechanical and tribological properties, while the films deposited at higher bias voltage showed better corrosion resistance. It was found that the corrosion resistance improvement was not only attributed to the low pinhole density of the film, but also to chemical composition of films.

MAP: an iterative experimental design methodology for the optimization of catalytic search space structure modeling.

PubMed

Baumes, Laurent A

2006-01-01

One of the main problems in high-throughput research for materials is still the design of experiments. At early stages of discovery programs, purely exploratory methodologies coupled with fast screening tools should be employed. This should lead to opportunities to find unexpected catalytic results and identify the "groups" of catalyst outputs, providing well-defined boundaries for future optimizations. However, very few new papers deal with strategies that guide exploratory studies. Mostly, traditional designs, homogeneous covering, or simple random samplings are exploited. Typical catalytic output distributions exhibit unbalanced datasets for which an efficient learning is hardly carried out, and interesting but rare classes are usually unrecognized. Here is suggested a new iterative algorithm for the characterization of the search space structure, working independently of learning processes. It enhances recognition rates by transferring catalysts to be screened from "performance-stable" space zones to "unsteady" ones which necessitate more experiments to be well-modeled. The evaluation of new algorithm attempts through benchmarks is compulsory due to the lack of past proofs about their efficiency. The method is detailed and thoroughly tested with mathematical functions exhibiting different levels of complexity. The strategy is not only empirically evaluated, the effect or efficiency of sampling on future Machine Learning performances is also quantified. The minimum sample size required by the algorithm for being statistically discriminated from simple random sampling is investigated.

Unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect: definition and decision making.

PubMed

Overman, David M; Baffa, Jeanne M; Cohen, Meryl S; Mertens, Luc; Gremmels, David B; Jegatheeswaram, Anusha; McCrindle, Brian W; Blackstone, Eugene H; Morell, Victor O; Caldarone, Christopher; Williams, William G; Pizarro, Christian

2010-04-01

Unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect is an uncommon lesion with widely varying anatomic manifestations. When unbalance is severe, diagnosis and treatment is straightforward, directed toward single-ventricle palliation. Milder forms, however, pose a challenge to current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The transition from anatomies that are capable of sustaining biventricular physiology to those that cannot is obscure, resulting in uneven application of surgical strategy and excess mortality. Imprecise assessments of ventricular competence have dominated clinical decision making in this regard. Malalignment of the atrioventricular junction and its attendant derangement of inflow physiology is a critical factor in determining the feasibility of biventricular repair in the setting of unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect. The atrioventricular valve index accurately identifies unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect and also brings into focus a zone of transition from anatomies that can support a biventricular end state and those that cannot.

Unbalanced and Minimal Point Equivalent Estimation Second-Order Split-Plot Designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, Peter A.; Kowalski, Scott M.; Vining, G. Geoffrey

2007-01-01

Restricting the randomization of hard-to-change factors in industrial experiments is often performed by employing a split-plot design structure. From an economic perspective, these designs minimize the experimental cost by reducing the number of resets of the hard-to- change factors. In this paper, unbalanced designs are considered for cases where the subplots are relatively expensive and the experimental apparatus accommodates an unequal number of runs per whole-plot. We provide construction methods for unbalanced second-order split- plot designs that possess the equivalence estimation optimality property, providing best linear unbiased estimates of the parameters; independent of the variance components. Unbalanced versions of the central composite and Box-Behnken designs are developed. For cases where the subplot cost approaches the whole-plot cost, minimal point designs are proposed and illustrated with a split-plot Notz design.

Analysis of temperature changes on three-phase synchronous generator using infrared: comparison between balanced and unbalanced load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amien, S.; Yoga, W.; Fahmi, F.

2018-02-01

Synchronous generators are a major tool in an electrical energy generating systems, the load supplied by the generator is unbalanced. This paper discusses the effect of synchronous generator temperature on the condition of balanced load and unbalanced load, which will then be compared with the measurement result of both states of the generator. Unbalanced loads can be caused by various asymmetric disturbances in the power system and the failure of load forecasting studies so that the load distribution in each phase is not the same and causing the excessive heat of the generator. The method used in data collection was by using an infrared thermometer and resistance calculation method. The temperature comparison result between the resistive, inductive and capacitive loads in the highest temperature balance occured when the generator is loaded with a resistive load, where T = 31.9 ° C and t = 65 minutes. While in a state of unbalanced load the highest temperature occured when the generator is loaded with a capacitive load, where T = 40.1 ° C and t = 60 minutes. By understanding this behavior, we can maintain the generator for longer operation life.

Altruistic unbalanced paired kidney exchange at Columbia University/New York-Presbyterian hospital: rationale and practical considerations.

PubMed

Ratner, Lloyd E; Ratner, Emily R; Kelly, Joan; Carrol, Maureen; Cherwinski, Karyn; Ernst, Victoria; Rana, Abbas

2008-01-01

Paired kidney exchanges are being used with increasing frequency to overcome humoral immunologic incompatibilities between patients in need of renal transplantation and their potential live donors. Altruistic unbalanced exchanges utilize compatible donor/recipient pairs in order to facilitate the transplantation of a patient with an incompatible donor. We have now performed several altruistic unbalanced paired kidney exchanges at our institution. Also, we have surveyed potential donors and recipients regarding their attitudes toward participating in altruistic unbalanced paired kidney exchanges. Patients are most amenable to participation if they perceive a benefit from trading away a compatible donor. Given the number of compatible live donor transplants performed annually, if practiced on a broad scale, altruistic unbalancedpaired kidney exchanges can have a profound impact upon the supply of kidneys for transplantation. These exchanges can be performed at individual centers without the requirement for largesharing pools or complex computer algorithms. However, there are a number of ethical and logistical considerations that must be addressed. Altruistic unbalanced paired kidney exchanges represent a major paradigm shift in renal transplantation, in that a private resource (i.e. the live kidney donor) is converted to a shared or public one.

TRANSFORMER FOR JOINING UNBALANCED TO BALANCED TRANSMISSION MEANS

DOEpatents

Bittner, B.J.; Opperman, R.H.

1960-06-28

An improved transformer is invented for joining an unbalanced transmission means to a balanced transmission means and is useful, for example, in transmitting an electromagnetic signal from a coaxial cable to a balanced dipole antenna.

Valve-sparing reimplantation for neoaortic root dilatation and regurgitation with an unbalanced cusp after the arterial switch operation.

PubMed

Yoneyama, Fumiya; Okamura, Toru; Harada, Yorikazu; Okita, Yutaka

2018-02-01

A 13-year-old male presented with neoaortic root dilatation and severe aortic valve regurgitation 13 years following an arterial switch operation. The valve cusps were unbalanced due to an enlarged non-coronary cusp. A valve-sparing reimplantation with a cusp plication was performed which resulted in a competent valve with trivial regurgitation. Thus, even in an unbalanced cusp, valve-sparing reimplantation can be used for neoaortic root dilatation and valve regurgitation after an arterial switch operation. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Meiotic segregation analysis in spermatozoa of pericentric inversion carriers using fluorescence in-situ hybridization.

PubMed

Morel, F; Laudier, B; Guérif, F; Couet, M L; Royère, D; Roux, C; Bresson, J L; Amice, V; De Braekeleer, M; Douet-Guilbert, N

2007-01-01

Pericentric inversions are structural chromosomal abnormalities resulting from two breaks, one on either side of the centromere, within the same chromosome, followed by 180 degrees rotation and reunion of the inverted segment. They can perturb spermatogenesis and lead to the production of unbalanced gametes through the formation of an inversion loop. We report here the analysis of the meiotic segregation in spermatozoa from six pericentric inversion carriers by multicolour fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) and review the literature. The frequencies of the non-recombinant products (inversion or normal chromosomes) were 80% for the inv(20), 91.41% for the inv(12), 99.43% for the inv(2), 68.12% for the inv(1), 97% for the inv(8)(p12q21) and 60.94% for the inv(8)(p12q24.1). The meiotic segregation of 20 pericentric inversions (including ours) is now available. The frequency of unbalanced spermatozoa varies from 0 to 37.85%. The probability of a crossover within the inverted segment is affected by the chromosome and region involved, the length of the inverted segment and the location of the breakpoints. No recombinant chromosomes were produced when the inverted segment involved <30% of the chromosome length (independent of the size of the inverted segment). Between 30 and 50%, few recombinant chromosomes were produced, inducing a slightly increased risk of aneusomy of recombination in the offspring. The risk of aneusomy became very important when the inverted segment was >50% of the chromosome length. Studies on spermatozoa from inversion carriers help in the comprehension of the mechanisms of meiotic segregation. They should be integrated in the genetic exploration of the infertile men to give them a personalized risk assessment of unbalanced spermatozoa.

Chromosomal Microarray versus Karyotyping for Prenatal Diagnosis

PubMed Central

Wapner, Ronald J.; Martin, Christa Lese; Levy, Brynn; Ballif, Blake C.; Eng, Christine M.; Zachary, Julia M.; Savage, Melissa; Platt, Lawrence D.; Saltzman, Daniel; Grobman, William A.; Klugman, Susan; Scholl, Thomas; Simpson, Joe Leigh; McCall, Kimberly; Aggarwal, Vimla S.; Bunke, Brian; Nahum, Odelia; Patel, Ankita; Lamb, Allen N.; Thom, Elizabeth A.; Beaudet, Arthur L.; Ledbetter, David H.; Shaffer, Lisa G.; Jackson, Laird

2013-01-01

Background Chromosomal microarray analysis has emerged as a primary diagnostic tool for the evaluation of developmental delay and structural malformations in children. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy, efficacy, and incremental yield of chromosomal microarray analysis as compared with karyotyping for routine prenatal diagnosis. Methods Samples from women undergoing prenatal diagnosis at 29 centers were sent to a central karyotyping laboratory. Each sample was split in two; standard karyotyping was performed on one portion and the other was sent to one of four laboratories for chromosomal microarray. Results We enrolled a total of 4406 women. Indications for prenatal diagnosis were advanced maternal age (46.6%), abnormal result on Down’s syndrome screening (18.8%), structural anomalies on ultrasonography (25.2%), and other indications (9.4%). In 4340 (98.8%) of the fetal samples, microarray analysis was successful; 87.9% of samples could be used without tissue culture. Microarray analysis of the 4282 nonmosaic samples identified all the aneuploidies and unbalanced rearrangements identified on karyotyping but did not identify balanced translocations and fetal triploidy. In samples with a normal karyotype, microarray analysis revealed clinically relevant deletions or duplications in 6.0% with a structural anomaly and in 1.7% of those whose indications were advanced maternal age or positive screening results. Conclusions In the context of prenatal diagnostic testing, chromosomal microarray analysis identified additional, clinically significant cytogenetic information as compared with karyotyping and was equally efficacious in identifying aneuploidies and unbalanced rearrangements but did not identify balanced translocations and triploidies. (Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01279733.) PMID:23215555

Characteristics of Low-latitude Coronal Holes near the Maximum of Solar Cycle 24

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

Hofmeister, Stefan J.; Veronig, Astrid; Reiss, Martin A.

We investigate the statistics of 288 low-latitude coronal holes extracted from SDO /AIA-193 filtergrams over the time range of 2011 January 01–2013 December 31. We analyze the distribution of characteristic coronal hole properties, such as the areas, mean AIA-193 intensities, and mean magnetic field densities, the local distribution of the SDO /AIA-193 intensity and the magnetic field within the coronal holes, and the distribution of magnetic flux tubes in coronal holes. We find that the mean magnetic field density of all coronal holes under study is 3.0 ± 1.6 G, and the percentaged unbalanced magnetic flux is 49 ± 16%.more » The mean magnetic field density, the mean unsigned magnetic field density, and the percentaged unbalanced magnetic flux of coronal holes depend strongly pairwise on each other, with correlation coefficients cc > 0.92. Furthermore, we find that the unbalanced magnetic flux of the coronal holes is predominantly concentrated in magnetic flux tubes: 38% (81%) of the unbalanced magnetic flux of coronal holes arises from only 1% (10%) of the coronal hole area, clustered in magnetic flux tubes with field strengths >50 G (10 G). The average magnetic field density and the unbalanced magnetic flux derived from the magnetic flux tubes correlate with the mean magnetic field density and the unbalanced magnetic flux of the overall coronal hole (cc>0.93). These findings give evidence that the overall magnetic characteristics of coronal holes are governed by the characteristics of the magnetic flux tubes.« less

Design of limited-stop service based on the degree of unbalance of passenger demand

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This paper presents a limited-stop service for a bus fleet to meet the unbalanced demand of passengers on a bus route and to improve the transit service of the bus route. This strategy includes two parts: a degree assessment of unbalanced passenger demand and an optimization of the limited-stop service. The degree assessment of unbalanced passenger demand, which is based on the different passenger demand between stations and the unbalance of passengers within the station, is used to judge whether implementing the limited-stop service is necessary for a bus route. The optimization of limited-stop service considers the influence of stop skipping action and bus capacity on the left-over passengers to determine the proper skipping stations for the bus fleet serving the entire route by minimizing both the waiting time and in-vehicle time of passengers and the running time of vehicles. A solution algorithm based on genetic algorithm is also presented to evaluate the degree of unbalanced passenger demand and optimize the limited-stop scheme. Then, the proper strategy is tested on a bus route in Changchun city of China. The threshold of degree assessment of unbalanced passenger demand can be calibrated and adapted to different passenger demands. PMID:29505585

Design of limited-stop service based on the degree of unbalance of passenger demand.

PubMed

Zhang, Hu; Zhao, Shuzhi; Liu, Huasheng; Liang, Shidong

2018-01-01

This paper presents a limited-stop service for a bus fleet to meet the unbalanced demand of passengers on a bus route and to improve the transit service of the bus route. This strategy includes two parts: a degree assessment of unbalanced passenger demand and an optimization of the limited-stop service. The degree assessment of unbalanced passenger demand, which is based on the different passenger demand between stations and the unbalance of passengers within the station, is used to judge whether implementing the limited-stop service is necessary for a bus route. The optimization of limited-stop service considers the influence of stop skipping action and bus capacity on the left-over passengers to determine the proper skipping stations for the bus fleet serving the entire route by minimizing both the waiting time and in-vehicle time of passengers and the running time of vehicles. A solution algorithm based on genetic algorithm is also presented to evaluate the degree of unbalanced passenger demand and optimize the limited-stop scheme. Then, the proper strategy is tested on a bus route in Changchun city of China. The threshold of degree assessment of unbalanced passenger demand can be calibrated and adapted to different passenger demands.

Echocardiographic definition and surgical decision-making in unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect: a Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society multiinstitutional study.

PubMed

Jegatheeswaran, Anusha; Pizarro, Christian; Caldarone, Christopher A; Cohen, Meryl S; Baffa, Jeanne M; Gremmels, David B; Mertens, Luc; Morell, Victor O; Williams, William G; Blackstone, Eugene H; McCrindle, Brian W; Overman, David M

2010-09-14

Although identification of unbalanced atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) is obvious when extreme, exact criteria to define the limits of unbalanced are not available. We sought to validate an atrioventricular valve index (AVVI) (left atrioventricular valve area/total atrioventricular valve area, centimeters squared) as a discriminator of balanced and unbalanced forms of complete AVSD and to characterize the association of AVVI with surgical strategies and outcomes. Diagnostic echocardiograms and hospital records of 356 infants with complete AVSD at 4 Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society (CHSS) institutions (2000-2006) were reviewed and AVVI measured (n=315). Patients were classified as unbalanced if AVVI≤0.4 (right dominant) or ≥0.6 (left dominant). Surgical strategy and outcomes were examined across the range of AVVI. Competing risks analysis until the time of commitment to a surgical strategy examined 4 end states: biventricular repair (BVR), univentricular repair (UVR), pulmonary artery banding (PAB), and death before surgery. A prediction nomogram for surgical strategy based on AVVI was developed. The majority of patients had balanced AVSD (0.4

Planar diode multiplier chains for THz spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maiwald, Frank W.; Drouin, Brian J.; Pearson, John C.; Mehdi, Imran; Lewena, Frank; Endres, Christian; Winnewisser, Gisbert

2005-01-01

High-resolution laboratory spectroscopy is utilized as a diagnostic tool to determine noise and harmonic content of balanced [9]-[11] and unbalanced [12]-[14] multiplier designs. Balanced multiplier designs suppress unintended harmonics more than -20dB. Much smaller values were measured on unbalanced multipliers.

Primary TKA Patients with Quantifiably Balanced Soft-Tissue Achieve Significant Clinical Gains Sooner than Unbalanced Patients

PubMed Central

Gustke, Kenneth A.; Golladay, Gregory J.; Roche, Martin W.; Elson, Leah C.; Anderson, Christopher R.

2014-01-01

Although total knee arthroplasty has a high success rate, poor outcomes and early revision are associated with ligament imbalance. This multicenter evaluation was performed in order to provide 1-year followup of a previously reported group of patients who had sensor-assisted TKA, comparing the clinical outcomes of quantitatively balanced versus unbalanced patients. At 1 year, the balanced cohort scored 179.3 and 10.4 in KSS and WOMAC, respectively; the unbalanced cohort scored 156.1 and 17.9 in KSS and WOMAC (P < 0.001; P = 0.085). The average activity level scores of quantitatively balanced patients were 68.6 (corresponding to tennis, light jogging, and heavy yard work), while the average activity level of unbalanced patients was 46.7 (corresponding to light housework, and limited walking distances) (P = 0.015). Out of all confounding variables, a balanced articulation was the most significant contributing factor to improved postoperative outcomes (P < 0.001). PMID:25210632

Cooper-pair size and binding energy for unconventional superconducting systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinóla Neto, F.; Neto, Minos A.; Salmon, Octavio D. Rodriguez

2018-06-01

The main proposal of this paper is to analyze the size of the Cooper pairs composed by unbalanced mass fermions from different electronic bands along the BCS-BEC crossover and study the binding energy of the pairs. We are considering an interaction between fermions with different masses leading to an inter-band pairing. In addiction to the attractive interaction we have an hybridization term to couple both bands, which in general acts unfavorable for the pairing between the electrons. We get first order phase transitions as the hybridization breaks the Cooper pairs for the s-wave symmetry of the gap amplitude. The results show the dependence of the Cooper-pair size as a function of the hybridization for T = 0 . We also propose the structure of the binding energy of the inter-band system as a function of the two-bands quasi-particle energies.

Frequency noise suppression of a single mode laser with an unbalanced fiber interferometer for subnanometer interferometry.

PubMed

Šmíd, Radek; Čížek, Martin; Mikel, Břetislav; Číp, Ondřej

2015-01-12

We present a method of noise suppression of laser diodes by an unbalanced Michelson fiber interferometer. The unstabilized laser source is represented by compact planar waveguide external cavity laser module, ORIONTM (Redfern Integrated Optics, Inc.), working at 1540.57 nm with a 1.5-kHz linewidth. We built up the unbalanced Michelson interferometer with a 2.09 km-long arm based on the standard telecommunication single-mode fiber (SMF-28) spool to suppress the frequency noise by the servo-loop control by 20 dB to 40 dB within the Fourier frequency range, remaining the tuning range of the laser frequency.

Feasibility of Biventricular Repair in Right Dominant Unbalanced Atrioventricular Septal Defect: A New Echocardiographic Metric to Refine Surgical Decision-Making.

PubMed

Lugones, Ignacio; Biancolini, María Fernanda; Biancolini, Julio César; Dios, Ana M S de; Lugones, Germán

2017-07-01

Unbalanced forms of atrioventricular septal defect continue to be challenging and present poor surgical outcomes. Echocardiographic indicators such as atrioventricular valve index, right ventricle/left ventricle inflow angle, and size of the ventricular septal defect have been identified as relevant discriminators that may guide surgical strategy. Our purpose is to describe another metric to refine surgical decision-making. We outline a geometrical description of the anatomic features of atrioventricular septal defect and describe equations that help explain the interplay between the main echocardiographic variables. A new metric called "indexed ventricular septal defect" is defined as the size of the defect in relation to the valve diameter. We derive a final equation relating this index with the atrioventricular valve index and the right ventricle/left ventricle inflow angle. In the light of that equation, we discuss the interdependence of variables and employ data from a Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society study to set the limits of the new index. Combined use of indexed ventricular septal defect and atrioventricular valve index might help clarify surgical decision-making in patients with mild and moderate unbalance (modified atrioventricular valve index between 0.2 and 0.39). For indexed ventricular septal defect smaller than 0.2, biventricular repair may be recommended. Between 0.2 and 0.35, this strategy could probably be achieved depending on other factors. However, other strategies should be considered for those patients showing an indexed ventricular septal defect between 0.35 and 0.5. For values above 0.5 to 0.55, univentricular palliation might be a reasonable strategy.

Chromosome Numbers and Genome Size Variation in Indian Species of Curcuma (Zingiberaceae)

PubMed Central

Leong-Škorničková, Jana; Šída, Otakar; Jarolímová, Vlasta; Sabu, Mamyil; Fér, Tomáš; Trávníček, Pavel; Suda, Jan

2007-01-01

Background and Aims Genome size and chromosome numbers are important cytological characters that significantly influence various organismal traits. However, geographical representation of these data is seriously unbalanced, with tropical and subtropical regions being largely neglected. In the present study, an investigation was made of chromosomal and genome size variation in the majority of Curcuma species from the Indian subcontinent, and an assessment was made of the value of these data for taxonomic purposes. Methods Genome size of 161 homogeneously cultivated plant samples classified into 51 taxonomic entities was determined by propidium iodide flow cytometry. Chromosome numbers were counted in actively growing root tips using conventional rapid squash techniques. Key Results Six different chromosome counts (2n = 22, 42, 63, >70, 77 and 105) were found, the last two representing new generic records. The 2C-values varied from 1·66 pg in C. vamana to 4·76 pg in C. oligantha, representing a 2·87-fold range. Three groups of taxa with significantly different homoploid genome sizes (Cx-values) and distinct geographical distribution were identified. Five species exhibited intraspecific variation in nuclear DNA content, reaching up to 15·1 % in cultivated C. longa. Chromosome counts and genome sizes of three Curcuma-like species (Hitchenia caulina, Kaempferia scaposa and Paracautleya bhatii) corresponded well with typical hexaploid (2n = 6x = 42) Curcuma spp. Conclusions The basic chromosome number in the majority of Indian taxa (belonging to subgenus Curcuma) is x = 7; published counts correspond to 6x, 9x, 11x, 12x and 15x ploidy levels. Only a few species-specific C-values were found, but karyological and/or flow cytometric data may support taxonomic decisions in some species alliances with morphological similarities. Close evolutionary relationships among some cytotypes are suggested based on the similarity in homoploid genome sizes and geographical grouping. A new species combination, Curcuma scaposa (Nimmo) Škorničk. & M. Sabu, comb. nov., is proposed. PMID:17686760

Frequency Noise Suppression of a Single Mode Laser with an Unbalanced Fiber Interferometer for Subnanometer Interferometry

PubMed Central

Šmíd, Radek; Čížek, Martin; Mikel, Břetislav; Číp, Ondřej

2015-01-01

We present a method of noise suppression of laser diodes by an unbalanced Michelson fiber interferometer. The unstabilized laser source is represented by compact planar waveguide external cavity laser module, ORIONTM (Redfern Integrated Optics, Inc.), working at 1540.57 nm with a 1.5-kHz linewidth. We built up the unbalanced Michelson interferometer with a 2.09 km-long arm based on the standard telecommunication single-mode fiber (SMF-28) spool to suppress the frequency noise by the servo-loop control by 20 dB to 40 dB within the Fourier frequency range, remaining the tuning range of the laser frequency. PMID:25587980

A novel passive micromixer based on unbalanced splits and collisions of fluid streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansari, Mubashshir Ahmad; Kim, Kwang-Yong; Anwar, Khalid; Kim, Sun Min

2010-05-01

A new passive micromixer based on the concept of unbalanced splits and cross-collisions of fluid streams is designed and fabricated. Experimental and numerical studies have been carried out on the micromixer at Reynolds numbers ranging from 10 to 80. The three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations have been used to analyze the mixing and flow behavior of the micromixer, which is composed of two sub-channels of unequal widths which repeatedly undergo splitting and recombination. The difference between the mass flow rates in the two sub-channels creates an unbalanced collision of the two fluid streams. Mixing is mainly due to the combined effect of unbalanced collisions of the fluid streams and Dean vortices. The micromixer shows interesting mixing behavior for different ratios of the widths of the two split sub-channels. The sub-channels wherein the major sub-channel is twice as wide as the minor sub-channel exhibit the highest mixing performance at Reynolds numbers larger than 40. The results show the lowest mixing performance for the case of uniform width, where balanced collisions occur.

Trend of sex ratio at birth in a public hospital in Hong Kong from 2001 to 2010.

PubMed

Tse, W C; Leung, K Y; Hung, Beatrice K M

2013-08-01

To identify factors affecting the sex ratio at birth. Cross-sectional study. Obstetric department of a public hospital in Hong Kong. All pregnant women delivered between 2001 and 2010. Sex ratio at birth versus women's eligibility status, age, parity, number of miscarriages or terminations of pregnancy, and number of fetuses were analysed using the Chi squared test. Multivariate regression was used to determine the effects of multiple factors on the sex of the newborn. A total of 54 039 cases were reviewed. The sex ratio at birth changed since 2003, and became unbalanced (>107 males per 100 females) since 2006 revealed by a significant increase in males per 100 females, from 106.6 in 2001-2005 to 111.4 in 2006-2010. From 2001 to 2010, the sex ratio at birth increased from being balanced to becoming unbalanced in eligible persons, and became more unbalanced in non-eligible persons. The ratio increased in eligible persons after having two children, but in non-eligible persons after having one child. The sex ratio at birth was unbalanced (1.095) in singleton pregnancies, but balanced (1.019) in multiple pregnancies. Based on logistic regression, the chance of a male baby being born increased with parity of 2 or above (odds ratio=1.1; P<0.001), non-eligible person status (odds ratio=1.05; P=0.034), and delivery in the period 2006-2010 (odds ratio=1.04; P=0.019). The ratio was not increased with advanced maternal age, the number of miscarriages/terminations of pregnancy, and number of fetuses. Compared with 2001-2005, the sex ratio at birth became unbalanced in 2006-2010. An unbalanced ratio ensued in the latter period in both eligible and non-eligible persons, but to a greater extent and even after having one child in the latter group.

Predictive value of sperm-FISH analysis on the outcome of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for a pericentric inversion inv5(p15.3q11.2) carrier.

PubMed

Bernicot, I; Dechanet, C; Mace, A; Hedon, B; Hamamah, S; Pellestor, F; Anahory, T

2010-07-01

Pericentric inversions (PIs) are structural chromosomal abnormalities, potentially associated with infertility or multiple miscarriages. More rarely, at meiosis, odd numbers of genetic recombinations within the inversion loop produce recombinant gametes which may lead to aneusomy of recombination in the offspring. We report a FISH segregation analysis of an inv5(p15.3q11.2) carrier, both in sperm and blastomeres. In sperm, we directly evaluated the proportion of recombinant gametes and compared the results with chromosomal abnormalities found in blastomeres collected from embryos obtained following a preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) procedure. A total of 7006 sperm nuclei were analyzed. The size of the inverted segment represented 27% of the total length of chromosome 5. The frequencies of balanced chromosomes (normal or inverted), recombinant chromosomes and unbalanced combinations were 97.1, 0.17 and 2.73%, respectively. Of six embryos, PGD FISH analysis revealed that one was a balanced embryo, whereas five were unbalanced and there were no recombinants. This study demonstrated the value of sperm-FISH analysis in providing reproductive genetic counseling for PI carriers. Our study also highlights the clinical relevance of performing PGD instead of prenatal diagnosis.

Intelligent switches of integrated lightwave circuits with core telecommunication functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izhaky, Nahum; Duer, Reuven; Berns, Neil; Tal, Eran; Vinikman, Shirly; Schoenwald, Jeffrey S.; Shani, Yosi

2001-05-01

We present a brief overview of a promising switching technology based on Silica on Silicon thermo-optic integrated circuits. This is basically a 2D solid-state optical device capable of non-blocking switching operation. Except of its excellent performance (insertion loss<5dB, switching time<2ms...), the switch enables additional important build-in functionalities. It enables single-to- single channel switching and single-to-multiple channel multicasting/broadcasting. In addition, it has the capability of channel weighting and variable output power control (attenuation), for instance, to equalize signal levels and compensate for unbalanced different optical input powers, or to equalize unbalanced EDFA gain curve. We examine the market segments appropriate for the switch size and technology, followed by a discussion of the basic features of the technology. The discussion is focused on important requirements from the switch and the technology (e.g., insertion loss, power consumption, channel isolation, extinction ratio, switching time, and heat dissipation). The mechanical design is also considered. It must take into account integration of optical fiber, optical planar wafer, analog electronics and digital microprocessor controls, embedded software, and heating power dissipation. The Lynx Photon.8x8 switch is compared to competing technologies, in terms of typical market performance requirements.

Is This Object Balanced or Unbalanced? Judgments Are on the Safe Side

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuel, Francoise; Kerzel, Dirk

2011-01-01

Do we perceive correctly whether a 2-D object is balanced or unbalanced? What would be the cause of biased equilibrium judgments? In two psychometric studies, we varied independently the characteristics of the objects and the equilibrium states. First, we observed that observers were excessively sensitive to the eccentricity of the object top.…

Visualization in Mechanics: The Dynamics of an Unbalanced Roller

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cumber, Peter S.

2017-01-01

It is well known that mechanical engineering students often find mechanics a difficult area to grasp. This article describes a system of equations describing the motion of a balanced and an unbalanced roller constrained by a pivot arm. A wide range of dynamics can be simulated with the model. The equations of motion are embedded in a graphical…

A Parallel Biological Optimization Algorithm to Solve the Unbalanced Assignment Problem Based on DNA Molecular Computing.

PubMed

Wang, Zhaocai; Pu, Jun; Cao, Liling; Tan, Jian

2015-10-23

The unbalanced assignment problem (UAP) is to optimally resolve the problem of assigning n jobs to m individuals (m < n), such that minimum cost or maximum profit obtained. It is a vitally important Non-deterministic Polynomial (NP) complete problem in operation management and applied mathematics, having numerous real life applications. In this paper, we present a new parallel DNA algorithm for solving the unbalanced assignment problem using DNA molecular operations. We reasonably design flexible-length DNA strands representing different jobs and individuals, take appropriate steps, and get the solutions of the UAP in the proper length range and O(mn) time. We extend the application of DNA molecular operations and simultaneity to simplify the complexity of the computation.

Clustering of longitudinal data by using an extended baseline: A new method for treatment efficacy clustering in longitudinal data.

PubMed

Schramm, Catherine; Vial, Céline; Bachoud-Lévi, Anne-Catherine; Katsahian, Sandrine

2018-01-01

Heterogeneity in treatment efficacy is a major concern in clinical trials. Clustering may help to identify the treatment responders and the non-responders. In the context of longitudinal cluster analyses, sample size and variability of the times of measurements are the main issues with the current methods. Here, we propose a new two-step method for the Clustering of Longitudinal data by using an Extended Baseline. The first step relies on a piecewise linear mixed model for repeated measurements with a treatment-time interaction. The second step clusters the random predictions and considers several parametric (model-based) and non-parametric (partitioning, ascendant hierarchical clustering) algorithms. A simulation study compares all options of the clustering of longitudinal data by using an extended baseline method with the latent-class mixed model. The clustering of longitudinal data by using an extended baseline method with the two model-based algorithms was the more robust model. The clustering of longitudinal data by using an extended baseline method with all the non-parametric algorithms failed when there were unequal variances of treatment effect between clusters or when the subgroups had unbalanced sample sizes. The latent-class mixed model failed when the between-patients slope variability is high. Two real data sets on neurodegenerative disease and on obesity illustrate the clustering of longitudinal data by using an extended baseline method and show how clustering may help to identify the marker(s) of the treatment response. The application of the clustering of longitudinal data by using an extended baseline method in exploratory analysis as the first stage before setting up stratified designs can provide a better estimation of treatment effect in future clinical trials.

Newton's Law: Not so Simple after All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, William C.; Gallagher, Jeremiah; Miller, William

2004-01-01

One of the most basic concepts related to force and motion is Newton's first law, which essentially states, "An object at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion in a straight line tends to remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Judging by the time and space…

Steady-State Modeling of Modular Multilevel Converter Under Unbalanced Grid Conditions

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

Shi, Xiaojie M.; Wang, Zhiqiang; Liu, Bo

This paper presents a steady-state model of MMC for the second-order phase voltage ripple prediction under unbalanced conditions, taking the impact of negative-sequence current control into account. From the steady-state model, a circular relationship is found among current and voltage quantities, which can be used to evaluate the magnitudes and initial phase angles of different circulating current components. Moreover, in order to calculate the circulating current in a point-to-point MMC-based HVdc system under unbalanced grid conditions, the derivation of equivalent dc impedance of an MMC is discussed as well. According to the dc impedance model, an MMC inverter can bemore » represented as a series connected R-L-C branch, with its equivalent resistance and capacitance directly related to the circulating current control parameters. Experimental results from a scaled-down three-phase MMC system under an emulated single-line-to-ground fault are provided to support the theoretical analysis and derived model. In conclusion, this new models provides an insight into the impact of different control schemes on the fault characteristics and improves the understanding of the operation of MMC under unbalanced conditions.« less

Steady-State Modeling of Modular Multilevel Converter Under Unbalanced Grid Conditions

DOE PAGES

Shi, Xiaojie M.; Wang, Zhiqiang; Liu, Bo; ...

2016-11-16

This paper presents a steady-state model of MMC for the second-order phase voltage ripple prediction under unbalanced conditions, taking the impact of negative-sequence current control into account. From the steady-state model, a circular relationship is found among current and voltage quantities, which can be used to evaluate the magnitudes and initial phase angles of different circulating current components. Moreover, in order to calculate the circulating current in a point-to-point MMC-based HVdc system under unbalanced grid conditions, the derivation of equivalent dc impedance of an MMC is discussed as well. According to the dc impedance model, an MMC inverter can bemore » represented as a series connected R-L-C branch, with its equivalent resistance and capacitance directly related to the circulating current control parameters. Experimental results from a scaled-down three-phase MMC system under an emulated single-line-to-ground fault are provided to support the theoretical analysis and derived model. In conclusion, this new models provides an insight into the impact of different control schemes on the fault characteristics and improves the understanding of the operation of MMC under unbalanced conditions.« less

An improved synchronous reference frame current control strategy for a photovoltaic grid-connected inverter under unbalanced and nonlinear load conditions.

PubMed

Naderipour, Amirreza; Asuhaimi Mohd Zin, Abdullah; Bin Habibuddin, Mohd Hafiz; Miveh, Mohammad Reza; Guerrero, Josep M

2017-01-01

In recent years, renewable energy sources have been considered the most encouraging resources for grid and off-grid power generation. This paper presents an improved current control strategy for a three-phase photovoltaic grid-connected inverter (GCI) under unbalanced and nonlinear load conditions. It is challenging to suppress the harmonic content in the output current below a pre-set value in the GCI. It is also difficult to compensate for unbalanced loads even when the grid is under disruption due to total harmonic distortion (THD) and unbalanced loads. The primary advantage and objective of this method is to effectively compensate for the harmonic current content of the grid current and microgrid without the use of any compensation devices, such as active and passive filters. This method leads to a very low THD in both the GCI currents and the current exchanged with the grid. The control approach is designed to control the active and reactive power and harmonic current compensation, and it also corrects the system unbalance. The proposed control method features the synchronous reference frame (SRF) method. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effective performance of the proposed method.

An improved synchronous reference frame current control strategy for a photovoltaic grid-connected inverter under unbalanced and nonlinear load conditions

PubMed Central

Naderipour, Amirreza; Asuhaimi Mohd Zin, Abdullah; Bin Habibuddin, Mohd Hafiz; Miveh, Mohammad Reza; Guerrero, Josep M.

2017-01-01

In recent years, renewable energy sources have been considered the most encouraging resources for grid and off-grid power generation. This paper presents an improved current control strategy for a three-phase photovoltaic grid-connected inverter (GCI) under unbalanced and nonlinear load conditions. It is challenging to suppress the harmonic content in the output current below a pre-set value in the GCI. It is also difficult to compensate for unbalanced loads even when the grid is under disruption due to total harmonic distortion (THD) and unbalanced loads. The primary advantage and objective of this method is to effectively compensate for the harmonic current content of the grid current and microgrid without the use of any compensation devices, such as active and passive filters. This method leads to a very low THD in both the GCI currents and the current exchanged with the grid. The control approach is designed to control the active and reactive power and harmonic current compensation, and it also corrects the system unbalance. The proposed control method features the synchronous reference frame (SRF) method. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effective performance of the proposed method. PMID:28192436

A Parallel Biological Optimization Algorithm to Solve the Unbalanced Assignment Problem Based on DNA Molecular Computing

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhaocai; Pu, Jun; Cao, Liling; Tan, Jian

2015-01-01

The unbalanced assignment problem (UAP) is to optimally resolve the problem of assigning n jobs to m individuals (m < n), such that minimum cost or maximum profit obtained. It is a vitally important Non-deterministic Polynomial (NP) complete problem in operation management and applied mathematics, having numerous real life applications. In this paper, we present a new parallel DNA algorithm for solving the unbalanced assignment problem using DNA molecular operations. We reasonably design flexible-length DNA strands representing different jobs and individuals, take appropriate steps, and get the solutions of the UAP in the proper length range and O(mn) time. We extend the application of DNA molecular operations and simultaneity to simplify the complexity of the computation. PMID:26512650

The Effect of Novel Research Activities on Long-term Survival of Temporarily Captive Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus)

PubMed Central

Shuert, Courtney; Horning, Markus; Mellish, Jo-Ann

2015-01-01

Two novel research approaches were developed to facilitate controlled access to, and long-term monitoring of, juvenile Steller sea lions for periods longer than typically afforded by traditional fieldwork. The Transient Juvenile Steller sea lion Project at the Alaska SeaLife Center facilitated nutritional, physiological, and behavioral studies on the platform of temporary captivity. Temporarily captive sea lions (TJs, n = 35) were studied, and were intraperitoneally implanted with Life History Transmitters (LHX tags) to determine causes of mortality post-release. Our goal was to evaluate the potential for long-term impacts of temporary captivity and telemetry implants on the survival of study individuals. A simple open-population Cormack-Jolly-Seber mark-recapture model was built in program MARK, incorporating resightings of uniquely branded study individuals gathered by several contributing institutions. A priori models were developed to weigh the evidence of effects of experimental treatment on survival with covariates of sex, age, capture age, cohort, and age class. We compared survival of experimental treatment to a control group of n = 27 free-ranging animals (FRs) that were sampled during capture events and immediately released. Sex has previously been show to differentially affect juvenile survival in Steller sea lions. Therefore, sex was included in all models to account for unbalanced sex ratios within the experimental group. Considerable support was identified for the effects of sex, accounting for over 71% of total weight for all a priori models with delta AICc <5, and over 91% of model weight after removal of pretending variables. Overall, most support was found for the most parsimonious model based on sex and excluding experimental treatment. Models including experimental treatment were not supported after post-hoc considerations of model selection criteria. However, given the limited sample size, alternate models including effects of experimental treatments remain possible and effects may yet become apparent in larger sample sizes. PMID:26580549

A 11.7-Mb Paracentric Inversion in Chromosome 1q Detected in Prenatal Diagnosis Associated with Familial Intellectual Disability.

PubMed

Rigola, Maria A; Baena, Neus; Català, Vicenç; Lozano, Iris; Gabau, Elisabet; Guitart, Miriam; Fuster, Carmen

2015-01-01

Most apparent balanced chromosomal inversions are usually clinically asymptomatic; however, infertility, miscarriages, and mental retardation have been reported in inversion carriers. We present a small family with a paracentric inversion 1q42.13q43 detected in routine prenatal diagnosis. Molecular cytogenetic methods defined the size of the inversion as 11.7 Mb and excluded other unbalanced chromosomal alterations in the patients. Our findings suggest that intellectual disability is caused by dysfunction, disruption, or position effects of genes located at or near the breakpoints involved in this inversion. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF RACIALLY-BALANCED SCHOOLS, PRESENTED AT NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CONFERENCE, GREYSTONE CONFERENCE CENTER MARCH 31, 1964, NEW YORK CITY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PAJONAS, PATRICIA; PETTIGREW, THOMAS F.

RACIALLY-UNBALANCED SCHOOLS SHOULD BE VIEWED WITH INTENSE CONCERN. NEGRO AMERICANS HAVE LEARNED THAT RACIALLY BALANCED FACILITIES ARE NECESSARY IF THEY ARE TO RECEIVE ANYTHING RESEMBLING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. BALANCED SCHOOLS ARE NEEDED TO INSURE THE NECESSARY POLITICAL LEVERAGE. LEGALLY, THE QUESTION OF UNBALANCED SCHOOLS WAS ANSWERED IN THE 1954…

Abnormal chromosome complement resulting from a familial inversion of chromosome 2.

PubMed Central

Richter, S; Lockwood, B; Lockwood, D; Allanson, J

1989-01-01

It has been suggested that pericentric inversions of chromosome 2 increase the risk for spontaneous abortion but do not increase the risk for unbalanced recombinant offspring. We report our experience of a familial pericentric inversion of chromosome 2 resulting in two unbalanced recombinant offspring. Both subjects have 46,XX,rec(2),dup q,inv(2)(p25q35). Images PMID:2479747

Unbalanced Nature, Unbounded Bodies, and Unlimited Technology: Ecocriticism and Karen Traviss' Wess'har Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Heather I.

2010-01-01

While nature is often claimed to be a space of harmonized balance or an antidote to the chaos of the modern world, we need a more grounded assessment of nature as endlessly changing and much less predictable than we like to assume. In this essay, I explore Karen Traviss' provocative exploration of unbalanced nature and unbounded bodies in her…

The influence of a balanced volume replacement concept on inflammation, endothelial activation, and kidney integrity in elderly cardiac surgery patients.

PubMed

Boldt, Joachim; Suttner, Stephan; Brosch, Christian; Lehmann, Andreas; Röhm, Kerstin; Mengistu, Andinet

2009-03-01

A balanced fluid replacement strategy appears to be promising for correcting hypovolemia. The benefits of a balanced fluid replacement regimen were studied in elderly cardiac surgery patients. In a randomized clinical trial, 50 patients aged >75 years undergoing cardiac surgery received a balanced 6% HES 130/0.42 plus a balanced crystalloid solution (n = 25) or a non-balanced HES in saline plus saline solution (n = 25) to keep pulmonary capillary wedge pressure/central venous pressure between 12-14 mmHg. Acid-base status, inflammation, endothelial activation (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, kidney integrity (kidney-specific proteins glutathione transferase-alpha; neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) were studied after induction of anesthesia, 5 h after surgery, 1 and 2 days thereafter. Serum creatinine (sCr) was measured approximately 60 days after discharge. A total of 2,750 +/- 640 mL of balanced and 2,820 +/- 550 mL of unbalanced HES were given until the second POD. Base excess (BE) was significantly reduced in the unbalanced (from +1.21 +/- 0.3 to -4.39 +/- 1.0 mmol L(-1) 5 h after surgery; P < 0.001) and remained unchanged in the balanced group (from 1.04 +/- 0.3 to -0.81 +/- 0.3 mmol L(-1) 5 h after surgery). Evolution of the BE was significantly different. Inflammatory response and endothelial activation were significantly less pronounced in the balanced than the unbalanced group. Concentrations of kidney-specific proteins after surgery indicated less alterations of kidney integrity in the balanced than in the unbalanced group. A total balanced volume replacement strategy including a balanced HES and a balanced crystalloid solution resulted in moderate beneficial effects on acid-base status, inflammation, endothelial activation, and kidney integrity compared to a conventional unbalanced volume replacement regimen.

Carbon film deposition on SnO{sub 2}/Si(111) using DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering

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

Aji, A. S.; Darma, Y.

In this paper, carbon deposition on SnO{sub 2} layer using DC unbalanced magnetron-sputtering technique at low temperature has been systematically studied. Sputtering process were carried out at pressure of 4.6×10{sup −2} Torr by keeping the substrate temperature at 300 °C. SnO{sub 2} were growth on silicon (111) substrate using thermal evaporation and continuing with dry oxidation of Sn at 225 °C. Thermal evaporation for high purity Sn was conducted by maintain the current source as high as 40 ampere. The quality of SnO{sub 2} on Si(111) and the characteristic of carbon thin film on SnO{sub 2} were analized by meanmore » XRD, FTIR and Raman spectra. XRD analysis shows that SnO{sub 2} film is growth uniformly on Si(111). FTIR and Raman spectra confirm the formation of thin film carbon on SnO{sub 2}. Additionally, thermal annealing for some sample series have been performed to study their structural stability. The change of atomic structure due to thermal annealing were analized by Raman and XRD spectra.« less

Determining baselines and variability of elements in plants and soils near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crock, J.G.; Severson, R.C.; Gough, L.P.

1992-01-01

Recent investigations on the Kenai Peninsula had two major objectives: (1) to establish elemental baseline concentrations ranges for native vegetation and soils; and, (2) to determine the sampling density required for preparing stable regional geochemical maps for various elements in native plants and soils. These objectives were accomplished using an unbalanced, nested analysis-of-variance (ANOVA) barbell sampling design. Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) BSG (feather moss, whole plant), Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (white spruce, twigs and needles), and soil horizons (02 and C) were collected and analyzed for major and trace total element concentrations. Using geometric means and geometric deviations, expected baseline ranges for elements were calculated. Results of the ANOVA show that intensive soil or plant sampling is needed to reliably map the geochemistry of the area, due to large local variability. For example, producing reliable element maps of feather moss using a 50 km cell (at 95% probability) would require sampling densities of from 4 samples per cell for Al, Co, Fe, La, Li, and V, to more than 15 samples per cell for Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn.Recent investigations on the Kenai Peninsula had two major objectives: (1) to establish elemental baseline concentrations ranges for native vegetation and soils; and, (2) to determine the sampling density required for preparing stable regional geochemical maps for various elements in native plants and soils. These objectives were accomplished using an unbalanced, nested analysis-of-variance (ANOVA) barbell sampling design. Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) BSG (feather moss, whole plant), Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (white spruce, twigs and needles), and soil horizons (02 and C) were collected and analyzed for major and trace total element concentrations. Using geometric means and geometric deviations, expected baseline ranges for elements were calculated. Results of the ANOVA show that intensive soil or plant sampling is needed to reliably map the geochemistry of the area, due to large local variability. For example, producing reliable element maps of feather moss using a 50 km cell (at 95% probability) would require sampling densities of from 4 samples per cell Al, Co, Fe, La, Li, and V, to more than 15 samples per cell for Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn.

Phenotypic Signatures Arising from Unbalanced Bacterial Growth

PubMed Central

Tan, Cheemeng; Smith, Robert Phillip; Tsai, Ming-Chi; Schwartz, Russell; You, Lingchong

2014-01-01

Fluctuations in the growth rate of a bacterial culture during unbalanced growth are generally considered undesirable in quantitative studies of bacterial physiology. Under well-controlled experimental conditions, however, these fluctuations are not random but instead reflect the interplay between intra-cellular networks underlying bacterial growth and the growth environment. Therefore, these fluctuations could be considered quantitative phenotypes of the bacteria under a specific growth condition. Here, we present a method to identify “phenotypic signatures” by time-frequency analysis of unbalanced growth curves measured with high temporal resolution. The signatures are then applied to differentiate amongst different bacterial strains or the same strain under different growth conditions, and to identify the essential architecture of the gene network underlying the observed growth dynamics. Our method has implications for both basic understanding of bacterial physiology and for the classification of bacterial strains. PMID:25101949

Phenotypic signatures arising from unbalanced bacterial growth.

PubMed

Tan, Cheemeng; Smith, Robert Phillip; Tsai, Ming-Chi; Schwartz, Russell; You, Lingchong

2014-08-01

Fluctuations in the growth rate of a bacterial culture during unbalanced growth are generally considered undesirable in quantitative studies of bacterial physiology. Under well-controlled experimental conditions, however, these fluctuations are not random but instead reflect the interplay between intra-cellular networks underlying bacterial growth and the growth environment. Therefore, these fluctuations could be considered quantitative phenotypes of the bacteria under a specific growth condition. Here, we present a method to identify "phenotypic signatures" by time-frequency analysis of unbalanced growth curves measured with high temporal resolution. The signatures are then applied to differentiate amongst different bacterial strains or the same strain under different growth conditions, and to identify the essential architecture of the gene network underlying the observed growth dynamics. Our method has implications for both basic understanding of bacterial physiology and for the classification of bacterial strains.

Processing of Signals from Fiber Bragg Gratings Using Unbalanced Interferometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamovsky, Grigory; Juergens, Jeff; Floyd, Bertram

2005-01-01

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) have become preferred sensory structures in fiber optic sensing system. High sensitivity, embedability, and multiplexing capabilities make FBGs superior to other sensor configurations. The main feature of FBGs is that they respond in the wavelength domain with the wavelength of the returned signal as the indicator of the measured parameter. The wavelength is then converted to optical intensity by a photodetector to detect corresponding changes in intensity. This wavelength-to-intensity conversion is a crucial part in any FBG-based sensing system. Among the various types of wavelength-to-intensity converters, unbalanced interferometers are especially attractive because of their small weight and volume, lack of moving parts, easy integration, and good stability. In this paper we investigate the applicability of unbalanced interferometers to analyze signals reflected from Bragg gratings. Analytical and experimental data are presented.

The Roles of Relative Linguistic Proficiency and Modality Switching in Language Switch Cost: Evidence from Chinese Visual Unimodal and Bimodal Bilinguals.

PubMed

Lu, Aitao; Wang, Lu; Guo, Yuyang; Zeng, Jiahong; Zheng, Dongping; Wang, Xiaolu; Shao, Yulan; Wang, Ruiming

2017-09-01

The current study investigated the mechanism of language switching in unbalanced visual unimodal bilinguals as well as balanced and unbalanced bimodal bilinguals during a picture naming task. All three groups exhibited significant switch costs across two languages, with symmetrical switch cost in balanced bimodal bilinguals and asymmetrical switch cost in unbalanced unimodal bilinguals and bimodal bilinguals. Moreover, the relative proficiency of the two languages but not their absolute proficiency had an effect on language switch cost. For the bimodal bilinguals the language switch cost also arose from modality switching. These findings suggest that the language switch cost might originate from multiple sources from both outside (e.g., modality switching) and inside (e.g., the relative proficiency of the two languages) the linguistic lexicon.

What drives health care expenditure?--Baumol's model of 'unbalanced growth' revisited.

PubMed

Hartwig, Jochen

2008-05-01

The share of health care expenditure in GDP rises rapidly in virtually all OECD countries, causing increasing concern among politicians and the general public. Yet, economists have to date failed to reach an agreement on what the main determinants of this development are. This paper revisits Baumol's [Baumol, W.J., 1967. Macroeconomics of unbalanced growth: the anatomy of urban crisis. American Economic Review 57 (3), 415-426] model of 'unbalanced growth', showing that the latter offers a ready explanation for the observed inexorable rise in health care expenditure. The main implication of Baumol's model in this context is that health care expenditure is driven by wage increases in excess of productivity growth. This hypothesis is tested empirically using data from a panel of 19 OECD countries. Our tests yield robust evidence in favor of Baumol's theory.

Impacts of raindrop evaporative cooling on tropical cyclone secondary eyewall formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Xuyang; Guan, Liang; Yan, Ziyu

2018-06-01

The impacts of raindrop evaporative cooling on secondary eyewall formation (SEF) of simulated tropical cyclones are investigated using idealized numerical experiments. The results suggest that the raindrop evaporative cooling effect is beneficial to the development of secondary eyewall through the planetary boundary layer (PBL) cold pool process. The evaporative cooling-driven downdrafts bring about the surface cold pool beneath a precipitation cloud. This cold pool dynamics act as a lifting mechanism to trigger the outer convection. The radially outward propagation of spiral rainbands broadens the TC size, by which modifies the surface heat fluxes and thus outer convection. Furthermore, the unbalanced PBL process contributes to the SEF. The radially outward surface outflows forces convection at outer region and thus favors a larger TC size. A larger TC implies an enhanced inertial stability at the outer region, which favors a higher conversion efficiency of diabatic heating to kinetic energy.

Persistence border collisions in a vibrating system excited by an unbalanced motor with a relay control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhusubaliyev, Zhanybai T.; Avrutin, Viktor; Rubanov, Vasily G.; Bushuev, Dmitry A.; Titov, Dmitry V.; Yanochkina, Olga O.

2018-05-01

The paper describes a new scenario for the transition to complex dynamics in a vibrating system with an unbalanced rotor and a relay feedback control. We show that the transition from a regular dynamics without switching events in the relay element to an irregular dynamics which takes place completely in the hysteresis region occurs via a cascade of persistence border collisions.

Thin-Wire Modeling Techniques Applied to Antenna Analysis.

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-10-11

Ol- MULT11 CRN LOOP ANTENNA ... 30 2.4.1 Balanced vs unbalanced operation ... 3 1 2.4.2 Horizontal vs vertical configuration ... 33 3.0...of the Ml A-l Mimloop ... 28 Hl; multiturn loop antenna of Ohio State University ...31 Configurations ot balanced and unbalanced MTLs ... 32...4. Evaluation of Multiturn Loop Antenna In each example the specific project is outlined and the antenna analysis problems of particular interest

Assumption or Fact? Line-to-Neutral Voltage Expression in an Unbalanced 3-Phase Circuit during Inverter Switching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masrur, M. A.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses the situation in a 3-phase motor or any other 3-phase system operating under unbalanced operating conditions caused by an open fault in an inverter switch. A dc voltage source is assumed as the input to the inverter, and under faulty conditions of the inverter switch, the actual voltage applied between the line to neutral…

Evaporation rate of nucleating clusters.

PubMed

Zapadinsky, Evgeni

2011-11-21

The Becker-Döring kinetic scheme is the most frequently used approach to vapor liquid nucleation. In the present study it has been extended so that master equations for all cluster configurations are included into consideration. In the Becker-Döring kinetic scheme the nucleation rate is calculated through comparison of the balanced steady state and unbalanced steady state solutions of the set of kinetic equations. It is usually assumed that the balanced steady state produces equilibrium cluster distribution, and the evaporation rates are identical in the balanced and unbalanced steady state cases. In the present study we have shown that the evaporation rates are not identical in the equilibrium and unbalanced steady state cases. The evaporation rate depends on the number of clusters at the limit of the cluster definition. We have shown that the ratio of the number of n-clusters at the limit of the cluster definition to the total number of n-clusters is different in equilibrium and unbalanced steady state cases. This causes difference in evaporation rates for these cases and results in a correction factor to the nucleation rate. According to rough estimation it is 10(-1) by the order of magnitude and can be lower if carrier gas effectively equilibrates the clusters. The developed approach allows one to refine the correction factor with Monte Carlo and molecular dynamic simulations.

Co-sputter deposited nickel-copper bimetallic nanoalloy embedded carbon films for electrocatalytic biomarker detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiba, Shunsuke; Kato, Dai; Kamata, Tomoyuki; Niwa, Osamu

2016-06-01

We report the fabrication of a nickel (Ni)-copper (Cu) bimetallic nanoalloy (~3 nm) embedded carbon film electrode with the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) co-sputtering technique, which requires only a one-step process at room temperature. Most of each nanoalloy body was firmly embedded in a chemically stable carbon matrix with an atomically flat surface (Ra: 0.21 nm), suppressing the aggregation and/or detachment of the nanoalloy from the electrode surface. The nanoalloy size and composition can be controlled simply by individually controlling the target powers of carbon, Ni and Cu, which also makes it possible to localize the nanoalloys near the electrode surface. This electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for d-mannitol, which should be detected with a low detection limit in urine samples for the diagnosis of severe intestinal diseases. With a Ni/Cu ratio of around 64/36, the electrocatalytic current per metal area was 3.4 times larger than that of an alloy film electrode with a similar composition (~70/30). This improved electrocatalytic activity realized higher stability (n = 60, relative standard deviation (RSD): 4.6%) than the alloy film (RSD: 32.2%) as demonstrated by continuous measurements of d-mannitol.We report the fabrication of a nickel (Ni)-copper (Cu) bimetallic nanoalloy (~3 nm) embedded carbon film electrode with the unbalanced magnetron (UBM) co-sputtering technique, which requires only a one-step process at room temperature. Most of each nanoalloy body was firmly embedded in a chemically stable carbon matrix with an atomically flat surface (Ra: 0.21 nm), suppressing the aggregation and/or detachment of the nanoalloy from the electrode surface. The nanoalloy size and composition can be controlled simply by individually controlling the target powers of carbon, Ni and Cu, which also makes it possible to localize the nanoalloys near the electrode surface. This electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity for d-mannitol, which should be detected with a low detection limit in urine samples for the diagnosis of severe intestinal diseases. With a Ni/Cu ratio of around 64/36, the electrocatalytic current per metal area was 3.4 times larger than that of an alloy film electrode with a similar composition (~70/30). This improved electrocatalytic activity realized higher stability (n = 60, relative standard deviation (RSD): 4.6%) than the alloy film (RSD: 32.2%) as demonstrated by continuous measurements of d-mannitol. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The concept of UBM co-sputtering for fabricating nanoalloy embedded carbon films. HRTEM images of the NiNP and Ni32Cu68 nanoalloy embedded carbon films. The experimental conditions for sputter deposition, HRTEM, HAADF-STEM, STEM-EDS measurements and continuous flow injection analysis. XPS analysis of the nanoalloy embedded carbon film. Repeated CVs of both the nanoalloy embedded carbon film and the alloy film. Amperometric detection of d-mannitol in the presence of chloride ions. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr02287a

Magnetoencephalography for the Detection of Intervention Effects of a Specific Nutrient Combination in Patients with Mild Alzheimer’s Disease: Results from an Exploratory Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Study

PubMed Central

van Straaten, Elisabeth C. W.; de Waal, Hanneke; Lansbergen, Marieke M.; Scheltens, Philip; Maestu, Fernando; Nowak, Rafal; Hillebrand, Arjan; Stam, Cornelis J.

2016-01-01

Synaptic loss is an early pathological finding in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and correlates with memory impairment. Changes in macroscopic brain activity measured with electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG) in AD indicate synaptic changes and may therefore serve as markers of intervention effects in clinical trials. EEG peak frequency and functional networks have shown, in addition to improved memory performance, to be sensitive to detect an intervention effect in mild AD patients of the medical food Souvenaid containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn® Connect, which is designed to enhance synapse formation and function. Here, we explore the value of MEG, with higher spatial resolution than EEG, in identifying intervention effects of the nutrient combination by comparing MEG spectral measures, functional connectivity, and networks between an intervention and a control group. Quantitative markers describing spectral properties, functional connectivity, and graph theoretical aspects of MEG from the exploratory 24-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled Souvenir II MEG sub-study (NTR1975, http://www.trialregister.nl) in drug naïve patients with mild AD were compared between a test group (n = 27), receiving Souvenaid, and a control group (n = 28), receiving an isocaloric control product. The groups were unbalanced at screening with respect to Mini-Mental State Examination. Peak frequencies of MEG were compared with EEG peak frequencies, recorded in the same patients at similar time points, were compared with respect to sensitivity to intervention effects. No consistent statistically significant intervention effects were detected. In addition, we found no difference in sensitivity between MEG and EEG peak frequency. This exploratory study could not unequivocally establish the value of MEG in detecting interventional effects on brain activity, possibly due to small sample size and unbalanced study groups. We found no indication that the difference could be attributed to a lack of sensitivity of MEG compared with EEG. MEG in randomized controlled trials is feasible but its value to disclose intervention effects of Souvenaid in mild AD patients needs to be studied further. PMID:27799918

Synthesis, crystal structure, and physical properties of the Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} phases

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

Forbes, Scott; Yuan, Fang; Kosuda, Kosuke

The second and third known rare-earth bismuthide oxides, Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}, have been discovered via high temperature reactions at 1300 °C. Like its Gd–Sb–O counterparts, the Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} phases crystallize in the monoclinic C2/m space group, with the latter containing disordered Bi atoms along the b direction of the unit cell. Unlike the RE{sub 8}Sb{sub 3}O{sub 8} series, the formation of the Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} phase does not necessarily precede the formation of Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}, which is likely due to the difficulty of accommodating bismuth in themore » RE–O framework due to its larger size. Physical property measurements performed on a pure Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} sample reveal semiconducting behavior. Although electronic structure calculations predict metallic behavior due to an unbalanced electron count, the semiconducting behavior originates from the Anderson localization of the Bi p states near the Fermi level as a result of atomic disorder. - Graphical abstract: Reaction of GdBi and Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3} at high temperatures yields Gd–Bi–O phases. - Highlights: • Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}, the second and third rare-earth bismuthide oxides, have been discovered. • Gd{sub 3}BiO{sub 3} and Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} are isostructural with RE{sub 3}SbO{sub 3} and RE{sub 8}Sb{sub 3}O{sub 8}. • Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8} displays semiconducting behavior despite an unbalanced electron count. • Anderson localization of Bi p states results in semiconducting behavior in Gd{sub 8}Bi{sub 3}O{sub 8}.« less

Magnetoencephalography for the Detection of Intervention Effects of a Specific Nutrient Combination in Patients with Mild Alzheimer's Disease: Results from an Exploratory Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Study.

PubMed

van Straaten, Elisabeth C W; de Waal, Hanneke; Lansbergen, Marieke M; Scheltens, Philip; Maestu, Fernando; Nowak, Rafal; Hillebrand, Arjan; Stam, Cornelis J

2016-01-01

Synaptic loss is an early pathological finding in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and correlates with memory impairment. Changes in macroscopic brain activity measured with electro- and magnetoencephalography (EEG and MEG) in AD indicate synaptic changes and may therefore serve as markers of intervention effects in clinical trials. EEG peak frequency and functional networks have shown, in addition to improved memory performance, to be sensitive to detect an intervention effect in mild AD patients of the medical food Souvenaid containing the specific nutrient combination Fortasyn ® Connect, which is designed to enhance synapse formation and function. Here, we explore the value of MEG, with higher spatial resolution than EEG, in identifying intervention effects of the nutrient combination by comparing MEG spectral measures, functional connectivity, and networks between an intervention and a control group. Quantitative markers describing spectral properties, functional connectivity, and graph theoretical aspects of MEG from the exploratory 24-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled Souvenir II MEG sub-study (NTR1975, http://www.trialregister.nl) in drug naïve patients with mild AD were compared between a test group ( n  = 27), receiving Souvenaid, and a control group ( n  = 28), receiving an isocaloric control product. The groups were unbalanced at screening with respect to Mini-Mental State Examination. Peak frequencies of MEG were compared with EEG peak frequencies, recorded in the same patients at similar time points, were compared with respect to sensitivity to intervention effects. No consistent statistically significant intervention effects were detected. In addition, we found no difference in sensitivity between MEG and EEG peak frequency. This exploratory study could not unequivocally establish the value of MEG in detecting interventional effects on brain activity, possibly due to small sample size and unbalanced study groups. We found no indication that the difference could be attributed to a lack of sensitivity of MEG compared with EEG. MEG in randomized controlled trials is feasible but its value to disclose intervention effects of Souvenaid in mild AD patients needs to be studied further.

Autovibration and chaotic motion of an unbalanced rotor in massive non-linear compliant supports

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasynkova, I. A.; Stepanova, P. P.

2018-05-01

Stability loss scenarios of an unbalanced rotor with a flexible massless shaft mounted in massive non-linear compliant supports are studied on the example of cylindrical precession. Dyffing type of non-linearity in compliant supports is considered. The system "rotor - supports" has eight degrees of freedom. Internal and external friction are taken into account. Autovibrations and chaotic vibrations are obtained. The results are confirmed by numerical check.

Mitigation of Power Quality Problems in Grid-Interactive Distributed Generation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhende, C. N.; Kalam, A.; Malla, S. G.

2016-04-01

Having an inter-tie between low/medium voltage grid and distributed generation (DG), both exposes to power quality (PQ) problems created by each other. This paper addresses various PQ problems arise due to integration of DG with grid. The major PQ problems are due to unbalanced and non-linear load connected at DG, unbalanced voltage variations on transmission line and unbalanced grid voltages which severely affect the performance of the system. To mitigate the above mentioned PQ problems, a novel integrated control of distribution static shunt compensator (DSTATCOM) is presented in this paper. DSTATCOM control helps in reducing the unbalance factor of PCC voltage. It also eliminates harmonics from line currents and makes them balanced. Moreover, DSTATCOM supplies the reactive power required by the load locally and hence, grid need not to supply the reactive power. To show the efficacy of the proposed controller, several operating conditions are considered and verified through simulation using MATLAB/SIMULINK.

The use of analysis of variance procedures in biological studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, B.K.

1987-01-01

The analysis of variance (ANOVA) is widely used in biological studies, yet there remains considerable confusion among researchers about the interpretation of hypotheses being tested. Ambiguities arise when statistical designs are unbalanced, and in particular when not all combinations of design factors are represented in the data. This paper clarifies the relationship among hypothesis testing, statistical modelling and computing procedures in ANOVA for unbalanced data. A simple two-factor fixed effects design is used to illustrate three common parametrizations for ANOVA models, and some associations among these parametrizations are developed. Biologically meaningful hypotheses for main effects and interactions are given in terms of each parametrization, and procedures for testing the hypotheses are described. The standard statistical computing procedures in ANOVA are given along with their corresponding hypotheses. Throughout the development unbalanced designs are assumed and attention is given to problems that arise with missing cells.

Visual gate for brain-computer interfaces.

PubMed

Dias, N S; Jacinto, L R; Mendes, P M; Correia, J H

2009-01-01

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) based on event related potentials (ERP) have been successfully developed for applications like virtual spellers and navigation systems. This study tests the use of visual stimuli unbalanced in the subject's field of view to simultaneously cue mental imagery tasks (left vs. right hand movement) and detect subject attention. The responses to unbalanced cues were compared with the responses to balanced cues in terms of classification accuracy. Subject specific ERP spatial filters were calculated for optimal group separation. The unbalanced cues appear to enhance early ERPs related to cue visuospatial processing that improved the classification accuracy (as low as 6%) of ERPs in response to left vs. right cues soon (150-200 ms) after the cue presentation. This work suggests that such visual interface may be of interest in BCI applications as a gate mechanism for attention estimation and validation of control decisions.

Effect of control surface mass unbalance on the stability of a closed-loop active control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nissim, E.

1989-01-01

The effects on stability of inertial forces arising from closed-loop activation of mass-unbalanced control surfaces are studied analytically using inertial energy approach, similar to the aerodynamic energy approach used for flutter suppression. The limitations of a single control surface like a leading-edge (LE) control or a trailing-edge (TE) control are demonstrated and compared to the superior combined LE-TE mass unbalanced system. It is shown that a spanwise section for sensor location can be determined which ensures minimum sensitivity to the mode shapes of the aircraft. It is shown that an LE control exhibits compatibility between inertial stabilization and aerodynamic stabilization, and that a TE control lacks such compatibility. The results of the present work should prove valuable, both for the purpose of flutter suppression using mass unbalanced control surfaces, or for the stabilization of structural modes of large space structures by means of inertial forces.

Dynamic balancing of dual-rotor system with very little rotating speed difference.

PubMed

Yang, Jian; He, Shi-zheng; Wang, Le-qin

2003-01-01

Unbalanced vibration in dual-rotor rotating machinery was studied with numerical simulations and experiments. A new method is proposed to separate vibration signals of inner and outer rotors for a system with very little difference in rotating speeds. Magnitudes and phase values of unbalance defects can be obtained directly by sampling the vibration signal synchronized with reference signal. The balancing process is completed by the reciprocity influence coefficients of inner and outer rotors method. Results showed the advantage of such method for a dual-rotor system as compared with conventional balancing.

Pediatric sample inclusion in an opt-out biorepository linking DNA to de-identified medical records: Pediatric BioVU

PubMed Central

McGregor, Tracy L.; Van Driest, Sara L.; Brothers, Kyle B.; Bowton, Erica A.; Muglia, Louis J.; Roden, Dan M.

2013-01-01

The Vanderbilt DNA repository, BioVU, links DNA from leftover clinical blood samples to de-identified electronic medical records. After initiating adult sample collection, pediatric extension required consideration of ethical concerns specific to pediatrics and implementation of specialized DNA extraction methods. In the first year of pediatric sample collection, over 11,000 samples were included from individuals younger than 18 years. We compared the pediatric BioVU cohort to the overall Vanderbilt University Medical Center pediatric population and found similar demographic characteristics; however, the BioVU cohort has higher rates of select diseases, medication exposures, and laboratory testing, demonstrating enriched representation of severe or chronic disease. This unbalanced sample accumulation may accelerate research of some cohorts, but also may limit study of relatively benign conditions and the accrual of unaffected and unbiased control samples. BioVU represents a feasible model for pediatric DNA biobanking but involves both ethical and practical considerations specific to the pediatric population. PMID:23281421

Functional Dependence for Calculation of Additional Real-Power Losses in a Double-Wound Supply Transformer Caused by Unbalanced Active Inductive Load in a Star Connection with an Insulated Neutral

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kostinskiy, Sergey S.; Troitskiy, Anatoly I.

2016-01-01

This article deals with the problem of calculating the additional real-power losses in double-wound supply transformers with voltage class 6 (10)/0,4 kV, caused by unbalanced active inductive load connected in a star connection with an insulated neutral. When solving the problem, authors used the theory of electric circuits, method of balanced…

Radio-frequency unbalanced M-Z interferometer for wavelength interrogation of fiber Bragg grating sensors.

PubMed

Zhou, Jiaao; Xia, Li; Cheng, Rui; Wen, Yongqiang; Rohollahnejad, Jalal

2016-01-15

The optical unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer (UMZI) has attracted significant interests for interrogation of FBG sensors owing to its excellent advantages in sensitivity, resolution, and demodulation speed. But this method is still limited to dynamic measurements due to its poor stability and reliability when used for quasi-static detections. Here, we propose for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a radio-frequency unbalanced M-Z interferometer (RF-UMZI) for interrogation of FBG sensors, which, owing to its operation in an incoherent rather than a coherent regime, provides an ideal solution for the existing stability problem of the conventional UMZI, with remarkable features of adjustable resolution and potentially extremely high sensitivity. A dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) and single-mode fiber (SMF) with a small length difference are served as the two unbalanced arms of the RF interferometer. The induced differential chromatic dispersion transfers the wavelength shift of the FBG to the change of the RF phase difference between the two interferometric carriers, which ultimately leads to the variation of the RF signal intensity. An interrogation of a strain-turned FBG was accomplished and a maximum sensitivity of 0.00835  a.u./με was obtained, which can easily be further improved by more than two orders of magnitude through various fiber dispersion components. Finally, the stability of the interrogation was tested.

A framework for detecting communities of unbalanced sizes in networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žalik, Krista Rizman; Žalik, Borut

2018-01-01

Community detection in large networks has been a focus of recent research in many of fields, including biology, physics, social sciences, and computer science. Most community detection methods partition the entire network into communities, groups of nodes that have many connections within communities and few connections between them and do not identify different roles that nodes can have in communities. We propose a community detection model that integrates more different measures that can fast identify communities of different sizes and densities. We use node degree centrality, strong similarity with one node from community, maximal similarity of node to community, compactness of communities and separation between communities. Each measure has its own strength and weakness. Thus, combining different measures can benefit from the strengths of each one and eliminate encountered problems of using an individual measure. We present a fast local expansion algorithm for uncovering communities of different sizes and densities and reveals rich information on input networks. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is better or as effective as the other community detection algorithms for both real-world and synthetic networks while it requires less time.

Usefulness of left ventricular inflow index to predict successful biventricular repair in right-dominant unbalanced atrioventricular canal.

PubMed

Szwast, Anita L; Marino, Bradley S; Rychik, Jack; Gaynor, James William; Spray, Thomas L; Cohen, Meryl S

2011-01-01

The outcome of biventricular (BV) repair for right-dominant unbalanced atrioventricular canal has remained poor, because it is difficult to predict left ventricular (LV) adequacy before surgery. Our aim was to determine whether preoperative echocardiographic parameters, specifically analysis of color inflow into the LV, would predict survival after BV repair in patients with right-dominant unbalanced atrioventricular canal. Subjects with right-dominant unbalanced atrioventricular canal diagnosed from 1994 to 2007 were included. The echocardiographic parameters were analyzed blinded to the palliation strategy and survival. The LV inflow index (LVII) was calculated as the secondary color inflow diameter indexed to the left atrioventricular valve (AVV) annulus diameter. Univariate analysis, survival analysis, and multivariate modeling with stepwise logistic regression were performed. Of the 45 subjects, 23 (51%) underwent single ventricle (SV) palliation and 22 (49%) underwent BV repair. Of the 23 who underwent SV palliation, 15 (65%) survived compared to 18 (82%) of 22 who underwent BV repair (p = 0.34). In the BV group, a greater LVII predicted survival (R2 = 0.46, p = 0.03). No subjects with a LVII <0.5 survived BV repair. Mortality in the BV group was associated with younger age at initial surgery (p <0.01) and abnormal left AVV morphology (p = 0.02). Of the BV subjects with a patent ductus arteriosus at the initial operation (n = 11), the nonsurvivors were more likely to have retrograde flow in the transverse arch (p <0.01). In the BV group, reoperation within 30 days of the initial repair was strongly associated with mortality (p <0.01). In conclusion, in cases of mild or moderate LV hypoplasia, a greater LVII predicted survival after BV repair in patients with right-dominant unbalanced atrioventricular canal. We propose incorporation of the LVII into the echocardiographic assessment of these patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Efficacy and safety of one-stage posterior hemivertebral resection for unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae: A more than 2-year follow-up.

PubMed

Huang, Yong; Feng, Ganjun; Song, Yueming; Liu, Limin; Zhou, Chunguang; Wang, Lei; Zhou, Zhongjie; Yang, Xi

2017-09-01

One-stage posterior hemivertebral resection has been proven to be an effective, reliable surgical option for treating congenital scoliosis due to a single hemivertebra. To date, however, no studies of treating unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae have appeared. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of one-stage posterior hemivertebral resection for unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae. Altogether, we studied 15 patients with unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae who had undergone hemivertebral resection using the one-stage posterior approach with at least 2 years of follow-up. Clinical outcomes were assessed radiographically and with the Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) score. Related complications were also recorded. The mean Cobb angle of the main curve was 62.4° (46°-98°) before surgery and 18.2° (9°-33°) at the most recent follow-up (average correction 73.3%). The compensatory cranial curve was corrected from 28.5° (11°-52°) to 9.1° (0°-30°) (average correction 70.0%). The compensatory caudal curve was corrected from 31.6° (14°-54°) to 6.9°(0°-19°) (average correction 79.1%). The segmental kyphosis/lordosis was corrected from 41.1° (-40° to 98°) to 12.3° (-25° to 41°) (average correction 65.5%). The mean growth rate of the T1-S1 length in immature patients was 9.8mm/year during the follow-up period. Health-related quality of life (SRS-22 score) had significantly improved. Complications include one wound infection and one developing deformity. One-stage posterior hemivertebral resection for unbalanced multiple hemivertebrae provides good radiographic and clinical outcomes with no severe complications when performed by an experienced surgeon. Longer follow-up to detect late complications is obligatory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variation in the levels of pregnancy-specific beta-1-glycoprotein in maternal serum from chromosomally abnormal pregnancies.

PubMed

Graham, G W; Crossley, J A; Aitken, D A; Connor, J M

1992-06-01

Human pregnancy-specific beta-1-glycoprotein (SP1) was assayed retrospectively in stored maternal serum (MS) samples from 82 chromosomally abnormal pregnancies and 377 matched controls. The median MSSP1 concentration in 48 Down's syndrome pregnancies was significantly elevated at 1.17 multiples of the control median (MOM), and significantly reduced (0.5 MOM) in a group of eight cases of unbalanced translocations. There was no significant difference in median SP1 concentrations in cases of trisomy 18, trisomy 13, balanced translocations, or sex chromosome abnormalities. A comparison with human chorionic gonadotrophin results in the same series of samples indicates that SP1 is a less sensitive predictor of Down's syndrome pregnancies.

Shuttle Ku-band signal design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindsey, W. C.; Braun, W. R.; Mckenzie, T. M.

1978-01-01

Carrier synchronization and data demodulation of Unbalanced Quadriphase Shift Keyed (UQPSK) Shuttle communications' signals by optimum and suboptimum methods are discussed. The problem of analyzing carrier reconstruction techniques for unbalanced QPSK signal formats is addressed. An evaluation of the demodulation approach of the Ku-Band Shuttle return link for UQPSK when the I-Q channel power ratio is large is carried out. The effects that Shuttle rocket motor plumes have on the RF communications are determined also. The effect of data asymmetry on bit error probability is discussed.

Identical cryptic partial monosomy 20pter and trisomy 20qter in three adult siblings due to a large maternal pericentric inversion: detection by MLPA and breakpoint mapping by SNP array analysis.

PubMed

Stevens, Servi J C; Smeets, Eric E J G L; Blom, Eveline; van Uum, Chris M J; Albrechts, Jozefa C M; Herbergs, Jos; Janssen, Jannie W M; Engelen, John J M

2009-10-01

Genotypic and phenotypic data are presented on three adult siblings with mild to moderate mental retardation and mild dysmorphic features. All three siblings showed a chromosome 20 gain at the q-telomere and loss at the p-telomere in routine subtelomeric MLPA screening. Analysis of GTG-banded chromosomes did not detect any abnormalities, but subtelomeric fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed cryptic partial monosomy of chromosome region 20p13 --> 20pter and cryptic partial trisomy of chromosome region 20q13.33 --> 20qter. Furthermore, FISH analysis in the mother showed a cryptic inv(20)(p13q13.33). This explained the cytogenetic mechanism underlying the chromosomal imbalance in the three children, that is, the meiotic formation of a recombinant chromosome 20 due to crossing-over in the inverted segment. All three children thus carried a rec(20)dup(20q)inv(20)(p13q13.33)mat chromosome. SNP array analysis enabled rapid and detailed imbalance sizing and showed a 1.06 Mb loss in 20p13 and a 2.51 Mb gain in 20q13.33, comprising 21 and 78 genes, respectively. The maternal inversion is the largest described thus far for chromosome 20, comprising 94.4% of its length. Such large inversions result in a particularly high risk for live-born unbalanced offspring because the partial monosomy and trisomy segments are small. Moreover, the inversion size is directly related to the percentage of unbalanced gametes due to high crossing-over change within the inverted segment. The fact that all three children carry an identical chromosomal rearrangement has consequences for genetic counseling for carriers of large pericentric inversions, as the recurrence risk is very high.

Effects of magnetic flux density and substrate bias voltage on Ni films prepared on a flexible substrate material using unbalanced magnetron sputtering assisted by inductively coupled plasma

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

Koda, Tatsunori; Toyota, Hiroshi, E-mail: h.toyota.za@it-hiroshima.ac.jp

The authors fabricated Ni films on a flexible substrate material using unbalanced magnetron sputtering assisted by inductively coupled plasma. The effects of magnetic flux density B{sub C} and substrate DC bias voltage V{sub S} on the Ni film structures were investigated. For V{sub S} = −40 V, the average surface grain size D{sub G} measured by atomic force microscopy for B{sub C} = 0, 3, and 5 mT was 88.2, 95.4, and 104.4 nm, respectively. In addition, D{sub G} increased with V{sub S}. From x-ray diffraction measurements, the (111) and (200) peaks were clearly visible for the fabricated Ni films. The ratio of the integrated intensities ofmore » I(111)/I(200) increased with V{sub S}. For V{sub S} = −40 V and B{sub C} = 3 mT, a film resistivity ρ of 8.96 × 10{sup −6} Ω cm was observed, which is close to the Ni bulk value of 6.84 × 10{sup −6} Ω cm. From these results, the authors determined that the structure of the fabricated Ni films on the flexible substrate material was affected by the values of B{sub C} and V{sub S}.« less

Sequential Service Restoration for Unbalanced Distribution Systems and Microgrids

DOE PAGES

Chen, Bo; Chen, Chen; Wang, Jianhui; ...

2017-07-07

The resilience and reliability of modern power systems are threatened by increasingly severe weather events and cyber-physical security events. An effective restoration methodology is desired to optimally integrate emerging smart grid technologies and pave the way for developing self-healing smart grids. In this paper, a sequential service restoration (SSR) framework is proposed to generate restoration solutions for distribution systems and microgrids in the event of large-scale power outages. The restoration solution contains a sequence of control actions that properly coordinate switches, distributed generators, and switchable loads to form multiple isolated microgrids. The SSR can be applied for three-phase unbalanced distributionmore » systems and microgrids and can adapt to various operation conditions. Mathematical models are introduced for three-phase unbalanced power flow, voltage regulators, transformers, and loads. Furthermore, the SSR problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model, and its effectiveness is evaluated via the modified IEEE 123 node test feeder.« less

Sequential Service Restoration for Unbalanced Distribution Systems and Microgrids

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

Chen, Bo; Chen, Chen; Wang, Jianhui

The resilience and reliability of modern power systems are threatened by increasingly severe weather events and cyber-physical security events. An effective restoration methodology is desired to optimally integrate emerging smart grid technologies and pave the way for developing self-healing smart grids. In this paper, a sequential service restoration (SSR) framework is proposed to generate restoration solutions for distribution systems and microgrids in the event of large-scale power outages. The restoration solution contains a sequence of control actions that properly coordinate switches, distributed generators, and switchable loads to form multiple isolated microgrids. The SSR can be applied for three-phase unbalanced distributionmore » systems and microgrids and can adapt to various operation conditions. Mathematical models are introduced for three-phase unbalanced power flow, voltage regulators, transformers, and loads. Furthermore, the SSR problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming model, and its effectiveness is evaluated via the modified IEEE 123 node test feeder.« less

Inheritance of a Balanced t(12;20)(q24.33;p12.2) and Unbalanced der(13)t(7;13)(p21.3;q33.2) from a Maternally Derived Double Balanced Translocation Carrier.

PubMed

Peterson, Jess F; Geddes, Gabrielle C; Basel, Donald G; Schippman, Dana; Grignon, John W; vanTuinen, Peter; Kappes, Ulrike P

2018-03-01

We report a 4-month-old male proband with a history of prominent forehead, hypertelorism, ear abnormalities, micrognathia, hypospadias, and multiple cardiac abnormalities. Initial microarray analysis detected a concurrent 7p21.3-p22.3 duplication and 13q33.2-q34 deletion indicating an unbalanced rearrangement. However, subsequent conventional cytogenetic studies only revealed what appeared to be a balanced t(12;20)(q24.33;p12.2). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using chromosome-specific subtelomere probes confirmed the presence of an unbalanced der(13)t(7;13)(p21.3;q33.2) and balanced t(12;20)(q24.33;p12.2), both of maternal origin. In addition to our unique clinical findings, this case highlights the benefits and limitations of both conventional cytogenetic studies and microarray analysis and how FISH complements each methodology.

Real-space observation of unbalanced charge distribution inside a perovskite-sensitized solar cell.

PubMed

Bergmann, Victor W; Weber, Stefan A L; Javier Ramos, F; Nazeeruddin, Mohammad Khaja; Grätzel, Michael; Li, Dan; Domanski, Anna L; Lieberwirth, Ingo; Ahmad, Shahzada; Berger, Rüdiger

2014-09-22

Perovskite-sensitized solar cells have reached power conversion efficiencies comparable to commercially available solar cells used for example in solar farms. In contrast to silicon solar cells, perovskite-sensitized solar cells can be made by solution processes from inexpensive materials. The power conversion efficiency of these cells depends substantially on the charge transfer at interfaces. Here we use Kelvin probe force microscopy to study the real-space cross-sectional distribution of the internal potential within high efficiency mesoscopic methylammonium lead tri-iodide solar cells. We show that the electric field is homogeneous through these devices, similar to that of a p-i-n type junction. On illumination under short-circuit conditions, holes accumulate in front of the hole-transport layer as a consequence of unbalanced charge transport in the device. After light illumination, we find that trapped charges remain inside the active device layers. Removing these traps and the unbalanced charge injection could enable further improvements in performance of perovskite-sensitized solar cells.

Obesity among adolescents: sedentary leisure time and sleeping as determinants.

PubMed

Liou, Yiing Mei; Liou, Tsan-Hon; Chang, Lu-Chuan

2010-06-01

Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents has nearly tripled. Physical inactivity, unbalanced diet, and unhealthy lifestyles may cause lifelong obesity. A representative, national cross-sectional study was carried out between 2006 and 2007 with 40 middle high schools with 384 classes. We used a three-stage stratified systematic sampling design with a probability proportionate to the size from the northern, middle, southern, and eastern areas in Taiwan. Questionnaires were completed by 8640 students (51.7% boys and 48.3% girls) aged between 13 and 16 years. Obesity was identified in 7.2% of the participants and 16.1% were overweight. Using stepwise logistic regression, we found that those whose fathers or mothers were obese, watched television for more than 2 hours/day on weekdays and slept for less than 7.75 hours/day at weekends had a statistically significantly greater risk of obesity (females: ORs = 3.4, 4.2, 1.8, and 4.2, respectively; P < 0.05; boys: ORs = 2.3, 1.7, 1.4, and 1.6, respectively; P < 0.05). To help prevent obesity, strategies are needed to decrease adolescents sedentary leisure time and help them have sufficient sleep. Nurses can play a key role in health promotion in relation to childhood and adolescent obesity.

Synchronization of two homodromy rotors installed on a double vibro-body in a coupling vibration system.

PubMed

Fang, Pan; Hou, Yongjun; Nan, Yanghai

2015-01-01

A new mechanism is proposed to implement synchronization of the two unbalanced rotors in a vibration system, which consists of a double vibro-body, two induction motors and spring foundations. The coupling relationship between the vibro-bodies is ascertained with the Laplace transformation method for the dynamics equation of the system obtained with the Lagrange's equation. An analytical approach, the average method of modified small parameters, is employed to study the synchronization characteristics between the two unbalanced rotors, which is converted into that of existence and the stability of zero solutions for the non-dimensional differential equations of the angular velocity disturbance parameters. By assuming the disturbance parameters that infinitely approach to zero, the synchronization condition for the two rotors is obtained. It indicated that the absolute value of the residual torque between the two motors should be equal to or less than the maximum of their coupling torques. Meanwhile, the stability criterion of synchronization is derived with the Routh-Hurwitz method, and the region of the stable phase difference is confirmed. At last, computer simulations are preformed to verify the correctness of the approximate solution of the theoretical computation for the stable phase difference between the two unbalanced rotors, and the results of theoretical computation is in accordance with that of computer simulations. To sum up, only the parameters of the vibration system satisfy the synchronization condition and the stability criterion of the synchronization, the two unbalanced rotors can implement the synchronization operation.

Synchronization of Two Homodromy Rotors Installed on a Double Vibro-Body in a Coupling Vibration System

PubMed Central

Fang, Pan; Hou, Yongjun; Nan, Yanghai

2015-01-01

A new mechanism is proposed to implement synchronization of the two unbalanced rotors in a vibration system, which consists of a double vibro-body, two induction motors and spring foundations. The coupling relationship between the vibro-bodies is ascertained with the Laplace transformation method for the dynamics equation of the system obtained with the Lagrange’s equation. An analytical approach, the average method of modified small parameters, is employed to study the synchronization characteristics between the two unbalanced rotors, which is converted into that of existence and the stability of zero solutions for the non-dimensional differential equations of the angular velocity disturbance parameters. By assuming the disturbance parameters that infinitely approach to zero, the synchronization condition for the two rotors is obtained. It indicated that the absolute value of the residual torque between the two motors should be equal to or less than the maximum of their coupling torques. Meanwhile, the stability criterion of synchronization is derived with the Routh-Hurwitz method, and the region of the stable phase difference is confirmed. At last, computer simulations are preformed to verify the correctness of the approximate solution of the theoretical computation for the stable phase difference between the two unbalanced rotors, and the results of theoretical computation is in accordance with that of computer simulations. To sum up, only the parameters of the vibration system satisfy the synchronization condition and the stability criterion of the synchronization, the two unbalanced rotors can implement the synchronization operation. PMID:25993472

Composite structural materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansell, G. S.; Loewy, R. G.; Wiberley, S. E.

1983-01-01

Progress and plans are reported for investigations of: (1) the mechanical properties of high performance carbon fibers; (2) fatigue in composite materials; (3) moisture and temperature effects on the mechanical properties of graphite-epoxy laminates; (4) the theory of inhomogeneous swelling in epoxy resin; (5) numerical studies of the micromechanics of composite fracture; (6) free edge failures of composite laminates; (7) analysis of unbalanced laminates; (8) compact lug design; (9) quantification of Saint-Venant's principles for a general prismatic member; (10) variation of resin properties through the thickness of cured samples; and (11) the wing fuselage ensemble of the RP-1 and RP-2 sailplanes.

Applications of asymptotic confidence intervals with continuity corrections for asymmetric comparisons in noninferiority trials.

PubMed

Soulakova, Julia N; Bright, Brianna C

2013-01-01

A large-sample problem of illustrating noninferiority of an experimental treatment over a referent treatment for binary outcomes is considered. The methods of illustrating noninferiority involve constructing the lower two-sided confidence bound for the difference between binomial proportions corresponding to the experimental and referent treatments and comparing it with the negative value of the noninferiority margin. The three considered methods, Anbar, Falk-Koch, and Reduced Falk-Koch, handle the comparison in an asymmetric way, that is, only the referent proportion out of the two, experimental and referent, is directly involved in the expression for the variance of the difference between two sample proportions. Five continuity corrections (including zero) are considered with respect to each approach. The key properties of the corresponding methods are evaluated via simulations. First, the uncorrected two-sided confidence intervals can, potentially, have smaller coverage probability than the nominal level even for moderately large sample sizes, for example, 150 per group. Next, the 15 testing methods are discussed in terms of their Type I error rate and power. In the settings with a relatively small referent proportion (about 0.4 or smaller), the Anbar approach with Yates' continuity correction is recommended for balanced designs and the Falk-Koch method with Yates' correction is recommended for unbalanced designs. For relatively moderate (about 0.6) and large (about 0.8 or greater) referent proportion, the uncorrected Reduced Falk-Koch method is recommended, although in this case, all methods tend to be over-conservative. These results are expected to be used in the design stage of a noninferiority study when asymmetric comparisons are envisioned. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

History dependent quantum walk on the cycle with an unbalanced coin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawec, Walter O.

2015-06-01

Recently, a new model of quantum walk, utilizing recycled coins, was introduced; however little is yet known about its properties. In this paper, we study its behavior on the cycle graph. In particular, we will consider its time averaged distribution and how it is affected by the walk's "memory parameter"-a real parameter, between zero and eight, which affects the walk's coin flip operator. Despite an infinite number of different parameters, our analysis provides evidence that only a few produce non-uniform behavior. Our analysis also shows that the initial state, and cycle size modulo four all affect the behavior of this walk. We also prove an interesting relationship between the recycled coin model and a different memory-based quantum walk recently proposed.

Large-scale benchmarking reveals false discoveries and count transformation sensitivity in 16S rRNA gene amplicon data analysis methods used in microbiome studies.

PubMed

Thorsen, Jonathan; Brejnrod, Asker; Mortensen, Martin; Rasmussen, Morten A; Stokholm, Jakob; Al-Soud, Waleed Abu; Sørensen, Søren; Bisgaard, Hans; Waage, Johannes

2016-11-25

There is an immense scientific interest in the human microbiome and its effects on human physiology, health, and disease. A common approach for examining bacterial communities is high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene hypervariable regions, aggregating sequence-similar amplicons into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Strategies for detecting differential relative abundance of OTUs between sample conditions include classical statistical approaches as well as a plethora of newer methods, many borrowing from the related field of RNA-seq analysis. This effort is complicated by unique data characteristics, including sparsity, sequencing depth variation, and nonconformity of read counts to theoretical distributions, which is often exacerbated by exploratory and/or unbalanced study designs. Here, we assess the robustness of available methods for (1) inference in differential relative abundance analysis and (2) beta-diversity-based sample separation, using a rigorous benchmarking framework based on large clinical 16S microbiome datasets from different sources. Running more than 380,000 full differential relative abundance tests on real datasets with permuted case/control assignments and in silico-spiked OTUs, we identify large differences in method performance on a range of parameters, including false positive rates, sensitivity to sparsity and case/control balances, and spike-in retrieval rate. In large datasets, methods with the highest false positive rates also tend to have the best detection power. For beta-diversity-based sample separation, we show that library size normalization has very little effect and that the distance metric is the most important factor in terms of separation power. Our results, generalizable to datasets from different sequencing platforms, demonstrate how the choice of method considerably affects analysis outcome. Here, we give recommendations for tools that exhibit low false positive rates, have good retrieval power across effect sizes and case/control proportions, and have low sparsity bias. Result output from some commonly used methods should be interpreted with caution. We provide an easily extensible framework for benchmarking of new methods and future microbiome datasets.

Unbalanced 5;16 translocation in a boy with papillary thyroid carcinoma

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

McDonald, M.; Maynard, S.; Sheldon, S.

This is the first reported case of an unbalanced chromosome rearrangement resulting in trisomy 5q35.5{r_arrow}qter and monosomy 16p 13.3{r_arrow}pter, in a boy with mental and growth retardation, minor anomalies, and a history of bilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma. This was the result of a familial balanced translocation. The clinical and cytogenetic manifestations of the case are presented and the possible role of the chromosomal rearrangement in the etiology of the thyroid carcinoma is discussed. 25 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

Investigating the ability of shunt hybrid power filter based on SRF method under non-ideal supply voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omran, Mohamed A.; Mohd, Izzeldin I.; Almelian, Mohamad M.; Ullah Sheikh, Usman; Bofares, Mustafa E. A. A.

2018-04-01

This study presents the capacity of a self-tuning filter based on the synchronous reference frame method with a fuzzy logic controller for the improvement of the efficiency of harmonic suppression of a shunt hybrid active power filter in an unbalanced distorted and un-distorted voltage supply conditions. The simulation results indicated that the filter with a fuzzy logic controller had a good filtering performance in steady and transient states, irrespective of whether the voltage supply is distorted or unbalanced.

Applying PWM to control overcurrents at unbalanced faults of force-commutated VSCs used as static var compensators

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

Jiang, Y.; Ekstroem, A.

1997-01-01

This study is devoted to investigating the possibility of controlling the overcurrent of a forced-commutated voltage source converter (VSC) by PWM when the ac system is undergoing large unbalanced disturbance. The converter is supposed to be used as a static var compensator at a high power level. A novel control strategy is proposed for controlling the reactive current and the dc side voltage independently. Digital simulation results are presented and compared with the results by using just the reactive current control with fundamental switching frequency.

Analysis of the unbalanced NBI rotation experiments in the ISX-B, PLT and PDX tokamaks

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

Stacey, W.M. Jr.; Ryu, C.M.; Malik, M.A.

1985-07-01

The recently developed Stacey-Sigmar theory for toroidal momentum confinement, which is based upon neoclassical gyroviscosity, has been applied to the analysis of the unbalanced NBI rotation experiments in ISX-B, PLT and PDX. Measured steady-state rotation velocities, momentum confinement times inferred therefrom and momentum confinement times inferred from rotation decay after termination of NBI were compared with theoretical predictions. Good agreement between theory and experiment was obtained over a wide range of the parameters which enter the theory (R,Z,T,B).

Joint quantum measurement using unbalanced array detection.

PubMed

Beck, M; Dorrer, C; Walmsley, I A

2001-12-17

We have measured the joint Q-function of a highly multimode field using unbalanced heterodyne detection with a charge-coupled device array detector. We use spectral interferometry between a weak signal field and a strong, 100 fs duration local oscillator pulse to reconstruct the joint quadrature amplitude statistics of about 25 temporal modes. By adjusting the time delay between the signal and local oscillator pulses we are able to shift all the classical noise to modes distinct from the signal. This obviates the need to use a balanced detector.

Performance of unbalanced QPSK in the presence of noisy reference and crosstalk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Divsalar, D.; Yuen, J. H.

1979-01-01

The problem of transmitting two telemetry data streams having different rates and different powers using unbalanced quadriphase shift keying (UQPSK) signaling is considered. It is noted that the presence of a noisy carrier phase reference causes a degradation in detection performance in coherent communications systems and that imperfect carrier synchronization not only attenuates the main demodulated signal voltage in UQPSK but also produces interchannel interference (crosstalk) which degrades the performance still further. Exact analytical expressions for symbol error probability of UQPSK in the presence of noise phase reference are derived.

A quantum cascade laser-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer for chemical sensing employing molecular absorption and dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayden, Jakob; Hugger, Stefan; Fuchs, Frank; Lendl, Bernhard

2018-02-01

We employ a novel spectroscopic setup based on an external cavity quantum cascade laser and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to simultaneously record spectra of absorption and dispersion of liquid samples in the mid-infrared. We describe the theory underlying the interferometric measurement and discuss its implications for the experiment. The capability of simultaneously recording a refractive index and absorption spectrum is demonstrated for a sample of acetone in cyclohexane. The recording of absorption spectra is experimentally investigated in more detail to illustrate the method's capabilities as compared to direct absorption spectroscopy. We find that absorption signals are recorded with strongly suppressed background, but with smaller absolute sensitivity. A possibility of optimizing the setup's performance by unbalancing the interferometer is presented.

Association of the type of 5q loss with complex karyotype, clonal evolution, TP53 mutation status, and prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

PubMed

Volkert, Sarah; Kohlmann, Alexander; Schnittger, Susanne; Kern, Wolfgang; Haferlach, Torsten; Haferlach, Claudia

2014-05-01

We analyzed 1,200 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) harboring a 5q deletion in order to clarify whether the type of 5q loss is associated with other biological markers and prognosis. We investigated all patients by chromosome banding analysis, FISH with a probe for EGR1 (5q31) and, if necessary, to resolve complex karyotypes with 24-color-FISH. Moreover, 420 patients were analyzed for mutations in the TP53 gene. The patient cohort was subdivided based on type of 5q loss: Patients with interstitial deletions and patients with 5q loss due to unbalanced rearrangements or monosomy 5. Loss of the long arm of chromosome 5 due to an unbalanced rearrangement occurred more often in AML (286/627; 45.6%) than MDS (188/573; 32.8%; P < 0.001). In both entities, patients with 5q loss due to unbalanced translocations showed complex karyotypes more frequently (MDS: 179/188; 95.2% vs. 124/385; 32.2%; P < 0.001; AML: 274/286; 95.8% vs. 256/341; 75.1%; P < 0.001). Moreover, in MDS unbalanced 5q translocations were associated with clonal evolution (109/188; 58.0% vs. 124/385; 32.2%; P < 0.001), mutation of TP53 (64/67; 95.5% vs. 40/120; 40.0%; P < 0.001), and shorter survival (15.3 months vs. not reached; P < 0.001). In MDS, complex karyotype was an independent adverse prognostic factor (HR = 5.34; P = 0.032), whereas in AML presence of TP53 mutations was the strongest adverse prognostic factor (HR = 2.21; P = 0.026). In conclusion, in AML and MDS, loss of the long arm of chromosome 5 due to unbalanced translocations is associated with complex karyotype and in MDS, moreover, with clonal evolution, mutations in the TP53 gene and adverse prognosis. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Distribution of magnesium in central nervous system tissue, trabecular and cortical bone in rats fed with unbalanced diets of minerals.

PubMed

Yasui, M; Yano, I; Yase, Y; Ota, K

1990-11-01

Recent epidemiological changes in patterns of foci of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the Western Pacific suggest that environmental factors play a contributory role in the pathogenic process of this disorder. In this experimental study on rats, a similar situation of dietary mineral imbalance was created as is found in the soil and drinking water of these ALS foci with a low content of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) and a high content of aluminum (Al). In groups of rats fed a low Ca diet, low Ca-Mg diet, and low Ca-Mg plus high Al diet, serum Ca levels were found to be lower than those in a group fed a standard diet. Also, serum Mg levels were lower in the groups fed a low Ca-Mg diet and a low Ca-Mg plus high Al diet than in the groups fed a standard diet and only a low Ca diet. There was no significant difference in Mg content of central nervous system (CNS) tissues of groups fed unbalanced and standard diets, except for a significant decrease in Mg content of the spinal cord of rats fed a low Ca-Mg plus high Al diet. Mg content of the lumbar spine and cortical bone decreased in the unbalanced diet groups compared with that of a group fed a standard diet. These findings suggest that under the disturbed bone mineralization induced by unbalanced mineral diets, Mg may be mobilized from bone to maintain the level necessary for vital activity in soft tissues including CNS tissue.

Gross regional domestic product estimation: Application of two-way unbalanced panel data models to economic growth in East Nusa Tenggara province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wibowo, Wahyu; Sinu, Elisabeth B.; Setiawan

2017-03-01

The condition of East Nusa Tenggara Province which recently developed new districts can affect the number of information or data collected become unbalanced. One of the consequences of ignoring the data incompleteness is the estimator become not valid. Therefore, the analysis of unbalanced panel data is very crucial.The aim of this paper is to find the estimation of Gross Regional Domestic Product in East Nusa Tenggara Province using unbalanced panel data regression model for two-way error component which assume random effect model (REM). In this research, we employ Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) as regression coefficients estimation method. Since variance of the model is unknown, ANOVA method is considered to obtain the variance components in order to construct the variance-covariance matrix. The data used in this research is secondary data taken from Central Bureau of Statistics of East Nusa Tenggara Province in 21 districts period 2004-2013. The predictors are the number of labor over 15 years old (X1), electrification ratios (X2), and local revenues (X3) while Gross Regional Domestic Product based on constant price 2000 is the response (Y). The FGLS estimation result shows that the value of R2 is 80,539% and all the predictors chosen are significantly affect (α = 5%) the Gross Regional Domestic Product in all district of East Nusa Tenggara Province. Those variables are the number of labor over 15 years old (X1), electrification ratios (X2), and local revenues (X3) with 0,22986, 0,090476, and 0,14749 of elasticities, respectively.

Is classic pericentric inversion of chromosome 2 inv(2)(p11q13) associated with an increased risk of unbalanced chromosomes?

PubMed

Ferfouri, Fatma; Clement, Patrice; Gomes, Denise Molina; Minz, Marie; Amar, Edouard; Selva, Jacqueline; Vialard, François

2009-10-01

To study pericentric inversion segregation and interchromosomal effect on sperm for men heterozygous for inv(2)(p11q13), to assess the risk of miscarriage. Case report. Department of reproductive biology, cytogenetics, gynecology, and obstetrics. Seven patients heterozygous for inv(2)(p11q13) and five patients with normal karyotype with experience of recurrent spontaneous miscarriage. Fluorescence in situ hybridization on sperm with 2 p and 2q subtelomeric probes to screen for inversion segregation, and X, Y, and 18 centromeric probes to study interchromosomal effects. One thousand sperm were analyzed per experiment and per patient. Rate of unbalanced chromosomes and aneuploid sperm. The inv(2)(p11q13) patients showed a 0.3% rate of sperm with unbalanced chromosomes. For interchromosomal effects, a 0.6% aneuploid sperm rate was observed for patients heterozygous for inv(2)(p11q13). This is similar to the 0.5% rate observed for control patients. Inv(2)(p11q13) seems not to increase miscarriage for couples with men heterozygous for this inversion.

On the Effects of a Spacecraft Subcarrier Unbalanced Modulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Tien Manh

1993-01-01

This paper presents mathematical models with associated analysis of the deleterious effects which a spacecraft's subcarrier unbalanced modulator has on the performance of a phase-modulated residual carrier communications link. The undesired spectral components produced by the phase and amplitude imbalances in the subcarrier modulator can cause (1) potential interference to the carrier tracking and (2) degradation in the telemetry bit signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A suitable model for the unbalanced modulator is developed and the threshold levels of undesired components that fall into the carrier tracking loop are determined. The distribution of the carrier phase error caused by the additive White Gaussian noise (AWGN) and undesired component at the residual RF carrier is derived for the limiting cases. Further, this paper analyses the telemetry bit signal-to-noise ratio degradations due to undesirable spectral components as well as the carrier tracking phase error induced by phase and amplitude imbalances. Numerical results which indicate the sensitivity of the carrier tracking loop and the telemetry symbol-error rate (SER) to various parameters of the models are also provided as a tool in the design of the subcarrier balanced modulator.

Simplified Estimation and Testing in Unbalanced Repeated Measures Designs.

PubMed

Spiess, Martin; Jordan, Pascal; Wendt, Mike

2018-05-07

In this paper we propose a simple estimator for unbalanced repeated measures design models where each unit is observed at least once in each cell of the experimental design. The estimator does not require a model of the error covariance structure. Thus, circularity of the error covariance matrix and estimation of correlation parameters and variances are not necessary. Together with a weak assumption about the reason for the varying number of observations, the proposed estimator and its variance estimator are unbiased. As an alternative to confidence intervals based on the normality assumption, a bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrap technique is considered. We also propose the naive percentile bootstrap for Wald-type tests where the standard Wald test may break down when the number of observations is small relative to the number of parameters to be estimated. In a simulation study we illustrate the properties of the estimator and the bootstrap techniques to calculate confidence intervals and conduct hypothesis tests in small and large samples under normality and non-normality of the errors. The results imply that the simple estimator is only slightly less efficient than an estimator that correctly assumes a block structure of the error correlation matrix, a special case of which is an equi-correlation matrix. Application of the estimator and the bootstrap technique is illustrated using data from a task switch experiment based on an experimental within design with 32 cells and 33 participants.

Breakpoint Features of Genomic Rearrangements in Neuroblastoma with Unbalanced Translocations and Chromothripsis

PubMed Central

Daveau, Romain; Combaret, Valérie; Pierre-Eugène, Cécile; Cazes, Alex; Louis-Brennetot, Caroline; Schleiermacher, Gudrun; Ferrand, Sandrine; Pierron, Gaëlle; Lermine, Alban; Frio, Thomas Rio; Raynal, Virginie; Vassal, Gilles; Barillot, Emmanuel; Delattre, Olivier; Janoueix-Lerosey, Isabelle

2013-01-01

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer of the peripheral nervous system in which structural chromosome aberrations are emblematic of aggressive tumors. In this study, we performed an in-depth analysis of somatic rearrangements in two neuroblastoma cell lines and two primary tumors using paired-end sequencing of mate-pair libraries and RNA-seq. The cell lines presented with typical genetic alterations of neuroblastoma and the two tumors belong to the group of neuroblastoma exhibiting a profile of chromothripsis. Inter and intra-chromosomal rearrangements were identified in the four samples, allowing in particular characterization of unbalanced translocations at high resolution. Using complementary experiments, we further characterized 51 rearrangements at the base pair resolution that revealed 59 DNA junctions. In a subset of cases, complex rearrangements were observed with templated insertion of fragments of nearby sequences. Although we did not identify known particular motifs in the local environment of the breakpoints, we documented frequent microhomologies at the junctions in both chromothripsis and non-chromothripsis associated breakpoints. RNA-seq experiments confirmed expression of several predicted chimeric genes and genes with disrupted exon structure including ALK, NBAS, FHIT, PTPRD and ODZ4. Our study therefore indicates that both non-homologous end joining-mediated repair and replicative processes may account for genomic rearrangements in neuroblastoma. RNA-seq analysis allows the identification of the subset of abnormal transcripts expressed from genomic rearrangements that may be involved in neuroblastoma oncogenesis. PMID:23991058

The Hip Impact Protection Project: Design and Methods

PubMed Central

Barton, Bruce A; Birge, Stanley J; Magaziner, Jay; Zimmerman, Sheryl; Ball, Linda; Brown, Kathleen M; Kiel, Douglas P

2013-01-01

Background Nearly 340,000 hip fractures occur each year in the U.S. With current demographic trends, the number of hip fractures is expected to double at least in the next 40 years. Purpose The Hip Impact Protection Project (HIP PRO) was designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of hip protectors in an elderly nursing home population. This paper describes the innovative clustered matched-pair research design used in HIP PRO to overcome the inherent limitations of clustered randomization. Methods Three clinical centers recruited 37 nursing homes to participate in HIP PRO. They were randomized so that the participating residents in that home received hip protectors for either the right or left hip. Informed consent was obtained from either the resident or the resident's responsible party. The target sample size was 580 residents with replacement if they dropped out, had a hip fracture, or died. One of the advantages of the HIP PRO study design was that each resident was his/her own case and control, eliminating imbalances, and there was no confusion over which residents wore pads (or on which hip). Limitations Generalizability of the findings may be limited. Adherence was higher in this study than in other studies because of: (1) the use of a run-in period, (2) staff incentives, and (3) the frequency of adherence assessments. The use of a single pad is not analogous to pad use in the real world and may have caused unanticipated changes in behavior. Fall assessment was not feasible, limiting the ability to analyze fractures as a function of falls. Finally, hip protector designs continue to evolve so that the results generated using this pad may not be applicable to other pad designs. However, information about factors related to adherence will be useful for future studies. Conclusions The clustered matched-pair study design avoided the major problem with previous cluster-randomized investigations of this question – unbalanced risk factors between the experimental group and the control group. Because each resident served as his/her own control, the effects of unbalanced risk factors on treatment effect were virtually eliminated. In addition, the use of frequent adherence assessments allowed us to study the effect of various demographic and environmental factors on adherence, which was vital for the assessment of efficacy. PMID:18697849

Definition and design of an experiment to test raster scanning with rotating unbalanced-mass devices on gimbaled payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lightsey, W. D.; Alhorn, D. C.; Polites, M. E.

1992-01-01

An experiment designed to test the feasibility of using rotating unbalanced-mass (RUM) devices for line and raster scanning gimbaled payloads, while expending very little power is described. The experiment is configured for ground-based testing, but the scan concept is applicable to ground-based, balloon-borne, and space-based payloads, as well as free-flying spacecraft. The servos used in scanning are defined; the electronic hardware is specified; and a computer simulation model of the system is described. Simulation results are presented that predict system performance and verify the servo designs.

Incomplete Detection of Nonclassical Phase-Space Distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bohmann, M.; Tiedau, J.; Bartley, T.; Sperling, J.; Silberhorn, C.; Vogel, W.

2018-02-01

We implement the direct sampling of negative phase-space functions via unbalanced homodyne measurement using click-counting detectors. The negativities significantly certify nonclassical light in the high-loss regime using a small number of detectors which cannot resolve individual photons. We apply our method to heralded single-photon states and experimentally demonstrate the most significant certification of nonclassicality for only two detection bins. By contrast, the frequently applied Wigner function fails to directly indicate such quantum characteristics for the quantum efficiencies present in our setup without applying additional reconstruction algorithms. Therefore, we realize a robust and reliable approach to characterize nonclassical light in phase space under realistic conditions.

Detection of gain enhancement in laser-induced fluorescence of rhodamine B lasing dye by silicon dioxide nanostructures-coated cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Tameemi, Mohammed N. A.

2018-03-01

In this work, nanostructured silicon dioxide films are deposited by closed-field unbalanced direct-current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering technique on two sides of quartz cells containing rhodamine B dye dissolved in ethanol with 10‒5 M concentration as a random gain medium. The preparation conditions are optimized to prepare highly pure SiO2 nanostructures with a minimum particle size of about 20 nm. The effect of SiO2 films as external cavity for the random gain medium is determined by the laser-induced fluorescence of this medium, and an increase of about 200% in intensity is observed after the deposition of nanostructured SiO2 thin films on two sides of the dye cell.

Analysis of hourly crash likelihood using unbalanced panel data mixed logit model and real-time driving environmental big data.

PubMed

Chen, Feng; Chen, Suren; Ma, Xiaoxiang

2018-06-01

Driving environment, including road surface conditions and traffic states, often changes over time and influences crash probability considerably. It becomes stretched for traditional crash frequency models developed in large temporal scales to capture the time-varying characteristics of these factors, which may cause substantial loss of critical driving environmental information on crash prediction. Crash prediction models with refined temporal data (hourly records) are developed to characterize the time-varying nature of these contributing factors. Unbalanced panel data mixed logit models are developed to analyze hourly crash likelihood of highway segments. The refined temporal driving environmental data, including road surface and traffic condition, obtained from the Road Weather Information System (RWIS), are incorporated into the models. Model estimation results indicate that the traffic speed, traffic volume, curvature and chemically wet road surface indicator are better modeled as random parameters. The estimation results of the mixed logit models based on unbalanced panel data show that there are a number of factors related to crash likelihood on I-25. Specifically, weekend indicator, November indicator, low speed limit and long remaining service life of rutting indicator are found to increase crash likelihood, while 5-am indicator and number of merging ramps per lane per mile are found to decrease crash likelihood. The study underscores and confirms the unique and significant impacts on crash imposed by the real-time weather, road surface, and traffic conditions. With the unbalanced panel data structure, the rich information from real-time driving environmental big data can be well incorporated. Copyright © 2018 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the layout and optical proximity correction effects to control the trench etching process on 4H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyoung, Sinsu; Jung, Eun-Sik; Sung, Man Young

2017-07-01

Although trench gate and super-junction technology have micro-trench problems when applied to the SiC process due to the material characteristics. In this paper, area effects are analyzed from the test element group with various patterns and optical proximity correction (OPC) methods are proposed and analyzed to reduce micro-trenches in the SiC trench etching process. First, the loading effects were analyzed from pattern samples with various trench widths (Wt). From experiments, the area must limited under a proper size for a uniform etching profile and reduced micro-trenches because a wider area accelerates the etch rate. Second, the area effects were more severely unbalanced at corner patterns because the corner pattern necessarily has an in-corner and out-corner that have different etching areas to each other. We can balance areas using OPC patterns to overcome this. Experiments with OPC represented improved micro-trench profile from when comparing differences of trench depth (Δdt) at out corner and in corner. As a result, the area effects can be used to improve the trench profile with optimized etching process conditions. Therefore, the trench gate and super-junction pillar of the SiC power MOSFET can have an improved uniform profile without micro-trenches using proper design and OPC.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Temporal trends of mercury concentrations in Wisconsin walleye (Sander vitreus), 1982-2005.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Paul W; Schrank, Candy S; Campfield, Patrick A

2007-11-01

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has monitored mercury (Hg) in several species of fish since the early 1970s primarily for fish consumption advisory purposes. We selected skin-on fillets of walleye (Sander vitreus) from inland lakes collected over the years 1982-2005 to assess temporal trends of Hg concentrations. While individual lakes are of interest, sample sizes, and unbalanced collections across fish lengths, seasons, or years prevent estimates of temporal trends of walleye Hg concentrations within most lakes. We evaluated temporal trends over all lakes using mixed effects models (3,024 records from 421 lakes). Relationships between Hg concentrations and a suite of lake chemistry, morphometry, and other variables were also explored. Hg concentrations generally increased with walleye length but the relationship varied among lakes. The best-fitting mixed effects models suggested that the overall rate of change in walleye Hg across all lakes in the dataset varied with latitude. Hg in walleye decreased 0.5% per year in northern lakes, increased 0.8% in southern lakes, and remained constant in middle latitude lakes over the period of 1982-2005. Season of collection was also an important predictor variable. Hg concentrations were highest in walleye captured in the spring and lowest in the fall. Other variables such as gender, lake area, and total alkalinity were also important predictors.

Transient analysis of unbalanced short circuits of the ERDA-NASA 100 kW wind turbine alternator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hwang, H. H.; Gilbert, L. J.

1976-01-01

Unbalanced short-circuit faults on the alternator of the ERDA-NASA Mod-O100-kW experimental wind turbine are studied. For each case, complete solutions for armature, field, and damper-circuit currents; short-circuit torque; and open-phase voltage are derived directly by a mathematical analysis. Formulated results are tabulated. For the Mod-O wind turbine alternator, numerical calculations are given, and results are presented by graphs. Comparisons for significant points among the more important cases are summarized. For these cases the transients are found to be potentially severe. The effect of the alternator neutral-to-ground impedance is evaluated.

Trisomy 2q11.2-->q21.1 resulting from an unbalanced insertion in two generations.

PubMed Central

Glass, I A; Stormer, P; Oei, P T; Hacking, E; Cotter, P D

1998-01-01

In this communication, we describe two cases of proximal 2q trisomy (2q11.2--> q21.1) resulting from an interchromosomal insertion. The chromosomal origin of the insertion was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. An unbalanced karyotype, 46,XX,der(8) ,ins(8;2) (p21.3; q21.1q11.2), was found in the proband and her mother, who both have mild mental retardation, short stature, dysmorphic features, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, and a psychotic illness. This family is a rare example of direct transmission of a partial autosomal trisomy. Images PMID:9598728

Performance Evaluation of UPQC under Nonlinear Unbalanced Load Conditions Using Synchronous Reference Frame Based Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kota, Venkata Reddy; Vinnakoti, Sudheer

2017-12-01

Today, maintaining Power Quality (PQ) is very important in the growing competent world. With new equipments and devices, new challenges are also being put before power system operators. Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) is proposed to mitigate many power quality problems and to improve the performance of the power system. In this paper, an UPQC with Fuzzy Logic controller for capacitor voltage balancing is proposed in Synchronous Reference Frame (SRF) based control with Modified Phased Locked Loop (MPLL). The proposed controller with SRF-MPLL based control is tested under non-linear and unbalanced load conditions. The system is developed in Matlab/Simulink and its performance is analyzed under various conditions like non-linear, unbalanced load and polluted supply voltage including voltage sag/swells. Active and reactive power flow in the system, power factor and %THD of voltages and currents before and after compensation are also analyzed in this work. Results prove the applicability of the proposed scheme for power quality improvement. It is observed that the fuzzy controller gives better performance than PI controller with faster capacitor voltage balancing and also improves the dynamic performance of the system.

[FISH analysis of meiotic segregation results of the spermatozoa from male pericentric inversion carriers].

PubMed

Pan, Cheng-Shuang; Qiu, Xiu-Fang; Huang, Xi-Xi; Weng, Zhi-Liang; Huang, Xue-Feng

2012-04-01

To analyze the meiotic segregation results of the spermatozoa from male pericentric inversion carriers by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH). Using chemical depolymerization and multicolor FISH, we analyzed the meiotic segregation results of the spermatozoa from 4 male pericentric inversion carriers. Of the 4 males studied, 46,XY,inv(9) (p11q12) was found in 2, 46,XY,inv(9) (p11q13) in 1 and 46,XY,inv(6) (p22q24) in the other; the lengths of the inverted segments represented 16.0, 16.0, 21.0 and 76.0% of the size of the whole chromosome involved; and the frequencies of recombinant sperm were 0.2, 0.4, 0.3 and 43.9%, del(p)/dup(q) accounting for 22.4% and del(q)/dup(p) 21.5%, respectively. Males with pericentric inversion may produce spermatozoa with recombinant chromosomes and the rate of recombination varies principally according to the size proportion to the whole chromosome involved. The results of FISH analysis of chromosomal unbalanced spermatozoa can provide accurate personalized information on the genetic risk of fertility.

Structure evolution of zinc oxide thin films deposited by unbalance DC magnetron sputtering

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

Aryanto, Didik, E-mail: didi027@lipi.go.id; Materials Research Group, Physics Department, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Gunungpati, Semarang 50229 Jawa Tengah; Marwoto, Putut

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films are deposited on corning glass substrates using unbalanced DC magnetron sputtering. The effect of growth temperature on surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of ZnO thin film is studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of ZnO thin film are transformed against the increasing of growth temperature. The mean grain size of film and the surface roughness are inversely and directly proportional towards the growth temperature from room temperature to 300 °C, respectively. The smaller grain size and finer roughness of ZnO thin film are obtainedmore » at growth temperature of 400 °C. The result of AFM analysis is in good agreement with the result of XRD analysis. ZnO thin films deposited in a series of growth temperatures have hexagonal wurtzite polycrystalline structures and they exhibit transformations in the crystallographic orientation. The results in this study reveal that the growth temperature strongly influences the surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of ZnO thin film.« less

Sexual Dimorphism of Body Size Is Controlled by Dosage of the X-Chromosomal Gene Myc and by the Sex-Determining Gene tra in Drosophila.

PubMed

Mathews, Kristina Wehr; Cavegn, Margrith; Zwicky, Monica

2017-03-01

Drosophila females are larger than males. In this article, we describe how X -chromosome dosage drives sexual dimorphism of body size through two means: first, through unbalanced expression of a key X -linked growth-regulating gene, and second, through female-specific activation of the sex-determination pathway. X -chromosome dosage determines phenotypic sex by regulating the genes of the sex-determining pathway. In the presence of two sets of X -chromosome signal elements (XSEs), Sex-lethal ( Sxl ) is activated in female ( XX ) but not male ( XY ) animals. Sxl activates transformer ( tra ), a gene that encodes a splicing factor essential for female-specific development. It has previously been shown that null mutations in the tra gene result in only a partial reduction of body size of XX animals, which shows that other factors must contribute to size determination. We tested whether X dosage directly affects animal size by analyzing males with duplications of X -chromosomal segments. Upon tiling across the X chromosome, we found four duplications that increase male size by >9%. Within these, we identified several genes that promote growth as a result of duplication. Only one of these, Myc , was found not to be dosage compensated. Together, our results indicate that both Myc dosage and tra expression play crucial roles in determining sex-specific size in Drosophila larvae and adult tissue. Since Myc also acts as an XSE that contributes to tra activation in early development, a double dose of Myc in females serves at least twice in development to promote sexual size dimorphism. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

Combining MLC and SVM Classifiers for Learning Based Decision Making: Analysis and Evaluations

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yi; Ren, Jinchang; Jiang, Jianmin

2015-01-01

Maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) and support vector machines (SVM) are two commonly used approaches in machine learning. MLC is based on Bayesian theory in estimating parameters of a probabilistic model, whilst SVM is an optimization based nonparametric method in this context. Recently, it is found that SVM in some cases is equivalent to MLC in probabilistically modeling the learning process. In this paper, MLC and SVM are combined in learning and classification, which helps to yield probabilistic output for SVM and facilitate soft decision making. In total four groups of data are used for evaluations, covering sonar, vehicle, breast cancer, and DNA sequences. The data samples are characterized in terms of Gaussian/non-Gaussian distributed and balanced/unbalanced samples which are then further used for performance assessment in comparing the SVM and the combined SVM-MLC classifier. Interesting results are reported to indicate how the combined classifier may work under various conditions. PMID:26089862

Combining MLC and SVM Classifiers for Learning Based Decision Making: Analysis and Evaluations.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Ren, Jinchang; Jiang, Jianmin

2015-01-01

Maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) and support vector machines (SVM) are two commonly used approaches in machine learning. MLC is based on Bayesian theory in estimating parameters of a probabilistic model, whilst SVM is an optimization based nonparametric method in this context. Recently, it is found that SVM in some cases is equivalent to MLC in probabilistically modeling the learning process. In this paper, MLC and SVM are combined in learning and classification, which helps to yield probabilistic output for SVM and facilitate soft decision making. In total four groups of data are used for evaluations, covering sonar, vehicle, breast cancer, and DNA sequences. The data samples are characterized in terms of Gaussian/non-Gaussian distributed and balanced/unbalanced samples which are then further used for performance assessment in comparing the SVM and the combined SVM-MLC classifier. Interesting results are reported to indicate how the combined classifier may work under various conditions.

Frequency effects in monolingual and bilingual natural reading.

PubMed

Cop, Uschi; Keuleers, Emmanuel; Drieghe, Denis; Duyck, Wouter

2015-10-01

This paper presents the first systematic examination of the monolingual and bilingual frequency effect (FE) during natural reading. We analyzed single fixation durations on content words for participants reading an entire novel. Unbalanced bilinguals and monolinguals show a similarly sized FE in their mother tongue (L1), but for bilinguals the FE is considerably larger in their second language (L2) than in their L1. The FE in both L1 and L2 reading decreased with increasing L1 proficiency, but it was not affected by L2 proficiency. Our results are consistent with an account of bilingual language processing that assumes an integrated mental lexicon with exposure as the main determiner for lexical entrenchment. This means that no qualitative difference in language processing between monolingual, bilingual L1, or bilingual L2 is necessary to explain reading behavior. We present this account and argue that not all groups of bilinguals necessarily have lower L1 exposure than monolinguals do and, in line with Kuperman and Van Dyke (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 39 (3), 802-823, 2013), that individual vocabulary size and language exposure change the accuracy of the relative corpus word frequencies and thereby determine the size of the FEs in the same way for all participants.

Common component classification: what can we learn from machine learning?

PubMed

Anderson, Ariana; Labus, Jennifer S; Vianna, Eduardo P; Mayer, Emeran A; Cohen, Mark S

2011-05-15

Machine learning methods have been applied to classifying fMRI scans by studying locations in the brain that exhibit temporal intensity variation between groups, frequently reporting classification accuracy of 90% or better. Although empirical results are quite favorable, one might doubt the ability of classification methods to withstand changes in task ordering and the reproducibility of activation patterns over runs, and question how much of the classification machines' power is due to artifactual noise versus genuine neurological signal. To examine the true strength and power of machine learning classifiers we create and then deconstruct a classifier to examine its sensitivity to physiological noise, task reordering, and across-scan classification ability. The models are trained and tested both within and across runs to assess stability and reproducibility across conditions. We demonstrate the use of independent components analysis for both feature extraction and artifact removal and show that removal of such artifacts can reduce predictive accuracy even when data has been cleaned in the preprocessing stages. We demonstrate how mistakes in the feature selection process can cause the cross-validation error seen in publication to be a biased estimate of the testing error seen in practice and measure this bias by purposefully making flawed models. We discuss other ways to introduce bias and the statistical assumptions lying behind the data and model themselves. Finally we discuss the complications in drawing inference from the smaller sample sizes typically seen in fMRI studies, the effects of small or unbalanced samples on the Type 1 and Type 2 error rates, and how publication bias can give a false confidence of the power of such methods. Collectively this work identifies challenges specific to fMRI classification and methods affecting the stability of models. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[The myxoedema coma exists, we met it].

PubMed

Fritsch, N; Tran-Van, D; Dardare, E; Gentile, A; Deroudilhe, G; Fontaine, B

2007-09-01

The myxoedema coma corresponds to the ultimate evolution of a hypothyroidism and is characterized by a major deficit in thyroid hormones responsible for a collapse of the metabolism. The preventive and curative treatment is based on the administration of thyroid hormones, whose benefits are opposed to the cardiovascular risks related to an iatrogenic hyperthyroidism for patients often old with cardiopathy. We report the case of a 92-year-old patient with unbalanced hypothyroidism and chronic cardiac deficiency, who presented a myxoedema coma in the postoperative period of an urgent digestive surgery. This observation illustrates the difficulties in treating patients with unbalanced hypothyroidism following emergency surgery, in the absence of consensus on the type and the amounts of thyroid hormones substitution.

Cyclopia and cebocephaly in two newborn infants with unbalanced segregation of a familial translocation rcp (1;7)(q32;q34).

PubMed

Schinzel, A

1984-05-01

This is a report of a family with a balanced reciprocal translocation, rcp (1;7)(q32;q34). Among pregnancies from translocation carriers, there were several miscarriages, and two unbalanced offspring with dup(1q32----qter) and del (7q34----qter) who died perinatally. One was a male cyclops with additional brain malformations and hydronephrosis, the other was a cebocephalic female with multiple additional malformations of heart, kidneys, and skeleton. In both pregnancies, the brain and renal anomalies were detected prenatally by ultrasound, in the cyclops during the 32nd and in the cebocephalic fetus during the 28th week of gestation.

Illusion optics in chaotic light

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

Zhang Suheng; Gan Shu; Xiong Jun

2010-08-15

The time-reversal process provides the possibility to counteract the time evolution of a physical system. Recent research has shown that such a process can occur in the first-order field correlation of chaotic light and result in the spatial interference and phase-reversal diffraction in an unbalanced interferometer. Here we report experimental investigations on the invisibility cloak and illusion phenomena in chaotic light. In an unbalanced interferometer illuminated by thermal light, we have observed the cloak effect and the optical transformation of one object into another object. The experimental results can be understood by the phase-reversal diffraction, and they demonstrate the theoreticalmore » proposal of similar effects in complementary media.« less

Dewetting kinetics of metallic liquid films: Competition between unbalanced Young's force and dissolutive reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Gui; Lin, Lin; Hui, Sheng; Wang, Shuo-Lin; Wang, Xiao-Dong; Lee, Duu-Jong

2017-11-01

Dewetting kinetics of Al and NiAl metallic liquid films on NiAl (1 0 0) substrates was studied using molecular dynamics simulations. A new dewetting-spreading transitional behavior was observed for high temperature dewetting. The dewetting-spreading transition comes from the competition between unbalanced Young's force and dissolutive reaction. Without dissolutive reaction, liquid films keep dewetting, but immediately turn into spreading when the dissolutive reaction involved. The dissolutive reaction depends on the initial Ni atom contents rather than the contact areas of dewetting films. The far-away-from saturated Ni content is the main mechanism which accelerates the wetting and reverses the dewetting process at high temperatures.

Detecting truly clonal alterations from multi-region profiling of tumours

PubMed Central

Werner, Benjamin; Traulsen, Arne; Sottoriva, Andrea; Dingli, David

2017-01-01

Modern cancer therapies aim at targeting tumour-specific alterations, such as mutations or neo-antigens, and maximal treatment efficacy requires that targeted alterations are present in all tumour cells. Currently, treatment decisions are based on one or a few samples per tumour, creating uncertainty on whether alterations found in those samples are actually present in all tumour cells. The probability of classifying clonal versus sub-clonal alterations from multi-region profiling of tumours depends on the earliest phylogenetic branching event during tumour growth. By analysing 181 samples from 10 renal carcinoma and 11 colorectal cancers we demonstrate that the information gain from additional sampling falls onto a simple universal curve. We found that in colorectal cancers, 30% of alterations identified as clonal with one biopsy proved sub-clonal when 8 samples were considered. The probability to overestimate clonal alterations fell below 1% in 7/11 patients with 8 samples per tumour. In renal cell carcinoma, 8 samples reduced the list of clonal alterations by 40% with respect to a single biopsy. The probability to overestimate clonal alterations remained as high as 92% in 7/10 renal cancer patients. Furthermore, treatment was associated with more unbalanced tumour phylogenetic trees, suggesting the need of denser sampling of tumours at relapse. PMID:28344344

Detecting truly clonal alterations from multi-region profiling of tumours

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Benjamin; Traulsen, Arne; Sottoriva, Andrea; Dingli, David

2017-03-01

Modern cancer therapies aim at targeting tumour-specific alterations, such as mutations or neo-antigens, and maximal treatment efficacy requires that targeted alterations are present in all tumour cells. Currently, treatment decisions are based on one or a few samples per tumour, creating uncertainty on whether alterations found in those samples are actually present in all tumour cells. The probability of classifying clonal versus sub-clonal alterations from multi-region profiling of tumours depends on the earliest phylogenetic branching event during tumour growth. By analysing 181 samples from 10 renal carcinoma and 11 colorectal cancers we demonstrate that the information gain from additional sampling falls onto a simple universal curve. We found that in colorectal cancers, 30% of alterations identified as clonal with one biopsy proved sub-clonal when 8 samples were considered. The probability to overestimate clonal alterations fell below 1% in 7/11 patients with 8 samples per tumour. In renal cell carcinoma, 8 samples reduced the list of clonal alterations by 40% with respect to a single biopsy. The probability to overestimate clonal alterations remained as high as 92% in 7/10 renal cancer patients. Furthermore, treatment was associated with more unbalanced tumour phylogenetic trees, suggesting the need of denser sampling of tumours at relapse.

Classification of highly unbalanced CYP450 data of drugs using cost sensitive machine learning techniques.

PubMed

Eitrich, T; Kless, A; Druska, C; Meyer, W; Grotendorst, J

2007-01-01

In this paper, we study the classifications of unbalanced data sets of drugs. As an example we chose a data set of 2D6 inhibitors of cytochrome P450. The human cytochrome P450 2D6 isoform plays a key role in the metabolism of many drugs in the preclinical drug discovery process. We have collected a data set from annotated public data and calculated physicochemical properties with chemoinformatics methods. On top of this data, we have built classifiers based on machine learning methods. Data sets with different class distributions lead to the effect that conventional machine learning methods are biased toward the larger class. To overcome this problem and to obtain sensitive but also accurate classifiers we combine machine learning and feature selection methods with techniques addressing the problem of unbalanced classification, such as oversampling and threshold moving. We have used our own implementation of a support vector machine algorithm as well as the maximum entropy method. Our feature selection is based on the unsupervised McCabe method. The classification results from our test set are compared structurally with compounds from the training set. We show that the applied algorithms enable the effective high throughput in silico classification of potential drug candidates.

An enhanced SOCP-based method for feeder load balancing using the multi-terminal soft open point in active distribution networks

DOE PAGES

Ji, Haoran; Wang, Chengshan; Li, Peng; ...

2017-09-20

The integration of distributed generators (DGs) exacerbates the feeder power flow fluctuation and load unbalanced condition in active distribution networks (ADNs). The unbalanced feeder load causes inefficient use of network assets and network congestion during system operation. The flexible interconnection based on the multi-terminal soft open point (SOP) significantly benefits the operation of ADNs. The multi-terminal SOP, which is a controllable power electronic device installed to replace the normally open point, provides accurate active and reactive power flow control to enable the flexible connection of feeders. An enhanced SOCP-based method for feeder load balancing using the multi-terminal SOP is proposedmore » in this paper. Furthermore, by regulating the operation of the multi-terminal SOP, the proposed method can mitigate the unbalanced condition of feeder load and simultaneously reduce the power losses of ADNs. Then, the original non-convex model is converted into a second-order cone programming (SOCP) model using convex relaxation. In order to tighten the SOCP relaxation and improve the computation efficiency, an enhanced SOCP-based approach is developed to solve the proposed model. Finally, case studies are performed on the modified IEEE 33-node system to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.« less

A set of 14 DIP-SNP markers to detect unbalanced DNA mixtures.

PubMed

Liu, Zhizhen; Liu, Jinding; Wang, Jiaqi; Chen, Deqing; Liu, Zidong; Shi, Jie; Li, Zeqin; Li, Wenyan; Zhang, Gengqian; Du, Bing

2018-03-04

Unbalanced DNA mixture is still a difficult problem for forensic practice. DIP-STRs are useful markers for detection of minor DNA but they are not widespread in the human genome and having long amplicons. In this study, we proposed a novel type of genetic marker, termed DIP-SNP. DIP-SNP refers to the combination of INDEL and SNP in less than 300bp length of human genome. The multiplex PCR and SNaPshot assay were established for 14 DIP-SNP markers in a Chinese Han population from Shanxi, China. This novel compound marker allows detection of the minor DNA contributor with sensitivity from 1:50 to 1:1000 in a DNA mixture of any gender with 1 ng-10 ng DNA template. Most of the DIP-SNP markers had a relatively high probability of informative alleles with an average I value of 0.33. In all, we proposed DIP-SNP as a novel kind of genetic marker for detection of minor contributor from unbalanced DNA mixture and established the detection method by associating the multiplex PCR and SNaPshot assay. DIP-SNP polymorphisms are promising markers for forensic or clinical mixture examination because they are shorter, widespread and higher sensitive. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Diet and Exercise on the Peripheral Immune System in Young Balb/c Mice

PubMed Central

Martínez-Carrillo, B. E.; Jarillo-Luna, R. A.; Campos-Rodríguez, R.; Valdés-Ramos, R.; Rivera-Aguilar, V.

2015-01-01

Although diet and exercise clearly have an influence on immune function, studies are scarce on the effect caused by exercise and the consumption of a carbohydrate-rich or fat-rich diet on the peripheral immune system. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of exercise and the two aforementioned unbalanced diets on young Balb/c mice, especially in relation to BMI, the level of glucose, and the percentage of lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood. The changes found were then related to the synthesis of leptin and adiponectin as well as the production of oxidative stress. The increase in BMI found with the carbohydrate-rich and fat-rich diets showed correlation with the levels of leptin and adiponectin. An increase in leptin and a decrease in adiponectin directly correlated with an increase in total lymphocytes and CD4+ cells and with a decrease in B cells. The increase in leptin also correlated with an increase in CD8+ cells. Glycemia and oxidative stress increased with the two unbalanced diets, negatively affecting the proliferation of total lymphocytes and the percentage of B cells, apparently by causing alterations in proteins through carbonylation. These alterations caused by an unbalanced diet were not modified by moderate exercise. PMID:26634209

Unbalanced Activation of Glutathione Metabolic Pathways Suggests Potential Involvement in Plant Defense against the Gall Midge Mayetiola destructor in Wheat

PubMed Central

Liu, Xuming; Zhang, Shize; Whitworth, R. Jeff; Stuart, Jeffrey J.; Chen, Ming-Shun

2015-01-01

Glutathione, γ-glutamylcysteinylglycine, exists abundantly in nearly all organisms. Glutathione participates in various physiological processes involved in redox reactions by serving as an electron donor/acceptor. We found that the abundance of total glutathione increased up to 60% in resistant wheat plants within 72 hours following attack by the gall midge Mayetiola destructor, the Hessian fly. The increase in total glutathione abundance, however, is coupled with an unbalanced activation of glutathione metabolic pathways. The activity and transcript abundance of glutathione peroxidases, which convert reduced glutathione (GSH) to oxidized glutathione (GSSG), increased in infested resistant plants. However, the enzymatic activity and transcript abundance of glutathione reductases, which convert GSSG back to GSH, did not change. This unbalanced regulation of the glutathione oxidation/reduction cycle indicates the existence of an alternative pathway to regenerate GSH from GSSG to maintain a stable GSSG/GSH ratio. Our data suggest the possibility that GSSG is transported from cytosol to apoplast to serve as an oxidant for class III peroxidases to generate reactive oxygen species for plant defense against Hessian fly larvae. Our results provide a foundation for elucidating the molecular processes involved in glutathione-mediated plant resistance to Hessian fly and potentially other pests as well. PMID:25627558

Crash Frequency Modeling Using Real-Time Environmental and Traffic Data and Unbalanced Panel Data Models

PubMed Central

Chen, Feng; Chen, Suren; Ma, Xiaoxiang

2016-01-01

Traffic and environmental conditions (e.g., weather conditions), which frequently change with time, have a significant impact on crash occurrence. Traditional crash frequency models with large temporal scales and aggregated variables are not sufficient to capture the time-varying nature of driving environmental factors, causing significant loss of critical information on crash frequency modeling. This paper aims at developing crash frequency models with refined temporal scales for complex driving environments, with such an effort providing more detailed and accurate crash risk information which can allow for more effective and proactive traffic management and law enforcement intervention. Zero-inflated, negative binomial (ZINB) models with site-specific random effects are developed with unbalanced panel data to analyze hourly crash frequency on highway segments. The real-time driving environment information, including traffic, weather and road surface condition data, sourced primarily from the Road Weather Information System, is incorporated into the models along with site-specific road characteristics. The estimation results of unbalanced panel data ZINB models suggest there are a number of factors influencing crash frequency, including time-varying factors (e.g., visibility and hourly traffic volume) and site-varying factors (e.g., speed limit). The study confirms the unique significance of the real-time weather, road surface condition and traffic data to crash frequency modeling. PMID:27322306

An enhanced SOCP-based method for feeder load balancing using the multi-terminal soft open point in active distribution networks

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

Ji, Haoran; Wang, Chengshan; Li, Peng

The integration of distributed generators (DGs) exacerbates the feeder power flow fluctuation and load unbalanced condition in active distribution networks (ADNs). The unbalanced feeder load causes inefficient use of network assets and network congestion during system operation. The flexible interconnection based on the multi-terminal soft open point (SOP) significantly benefits the operation of ADNs. The multi-terminal SOP, which is a controllable power electronic device installed to replace the normally open point, provides accurate active and reactive power flow control to enable the flexible connection of feeders. An enhanced SOCP-based method for feeder load balancing using the multi-terminal SOP is proposedmore » in this paper. Furthermore, by regulating the operation of the multi-terminal SOP, the proposed method can mitigate the unbalanced condition of feeder load and simultaneously reduce the power losses of ADNs. Then, the original non-convex model is converted into a second-order cone programming (SOCP) model using convex relaxation. In order to tighten the SOCP relaxation and improve the computation efficiency, an enhanced SOCP-based approach is developed to solve the proposed model. Finally, case studies are performed on the modified IEEE 33-node system to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.« less

Classification of high-grade spondylolistheses based on pelvic version and spine balance: possible rationale for reduction.

PubMed

Hresko, Michael T; Labelle, Hubert; Roussouly, Pierre; Berthonnaud, Eric

2007-09-15

Retrospective review of a radiographic database of high-grade spondylolisthesis patients in comparison with asymptomatic controls. To analyze the sagittal spinopelvic alignment in high-grade spondylolisthesis patients and identify subgroups that may require reduction to restore sagittal balance. High-grade spondylolisthesis is associated with an abnormally high pelvic incidence (PI); however, the spatial orientation of the pelvis, determined by sacral slope (SS) and pelvic tilt (PT), is not known. We hypothesized that sagittal spinal alignment would vary with the pelvic orientation. Digitized sagittal radiographs of 133 high-grade spondylolisthesis patients (mean age, 17 years) were measured to determined sagittal alignment. K-means cluster analysis identified 2 groups based on the PT and SS, which were compared by paired t test. Comparisons were made to asymptomatic controls matched for PI. High-grade spondylolisthesis patients had a mean PI of 78.9 degrees +/- 12.1 degrees . Cluster analysis identified a retroverted, unbalanced pelvis group with high PT (36.5 degrees +/- 8.0 degrees )/low SS (40.3 degrees +/- 9.0 degrees ) and a balanced pelvic group with low PT (mean 21.3 degrees +/- 8.2 degrees )/high SS (59.9 degrees +/- 11.2 degrees ). The retroverted pelvis group had significantly greater L5 incidence and lumbosacral angle with less thoracic kyphosis than the balanced pelvic group. A total of 83% of controls had a "balanced pelvis" based on the categorization by SS and PT. Analysis of sagittal alignment of high-grade spondylolisthesis patients revealed distinct groups termed "balanced" and "unbalanced" pelvis. The PT and SS were similar in controls and balanced pelvis patients. Unbalanced pelvis patients had a sagittal spinal alignment that differed from the balanced pelvis and control groups. Treatment strategies for high-grade spondylolisthesis should reflect the different mechanical strain on the spinopelvic junction in each group; reduction techniques might be considered in patients with an unbalanced pelvis high-grade spondylolisthesis.

Effect of unbalanced magnetic pull and hydraulic seal force on the vibration of large rotor-bearing systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Z.; Guo, P.; Liu, Y.

2014-03-01

The influence of unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) and hydraulic seal force on the vibration of large rotor-bearing systems is studied. The UMP caused by rotor eccentricity imposes important effects on rotating machinery, especially for large generators such as water turbine generator sets, because these machines operate above their first critical speed in some instances and are supported by oil film bearings. A magnetic stiffness matrix for studying the effects of the UMP is proposed. The magnetic stiffness matrix can be generated by decomposing the expression of air gap magnetic field energy. Two vibration models are constructed using the Lagrange equation. The difference between the two models lies in the boundary support condition: one has rigid support and the other has elastic bearing support. The influence of the magnetic stiffness and elastic support on the critical speed of the rotor is studied using Lyapunov nonlinear vibration stability theory. The vibration amplitude of the rotor is calculated, taking the magnetic stiffness and horizontal centrifugal force into account. The unbalanced hydraulic seal force is produced because of the asymmetry of seal clearance. This imbalance is one of the factors that causes self-excited vibration in rotating machinery, and is as important as the UMP for large water turbine generator sets. The rotor-bearing system is supported by an oil film journal bearing, whose characteristic also impose considerable influence on vibration. On the basis of the above-mentioned conditions, a three-dimensional finite element model of the rotating system that includes the oil film journal bearing is constructed. The effect of the UMP and unbalanced hydraulic seal force is considered in the construction, and studied in relation to the magnetic parameters, seal parameters, journal bearing stiffness, and outer diameter of the rotating machine critical speed. Conclusions may benefit the dynamic design and optimized operation of large rotating machinery.

Controllable Grid Interface | Water Power | NREL

Science.gov Websites

-through Frequency response Continuous operation under unbalanced voltage conditions Simulation of grid frequency limits Islanding operation Subsynchronous resonance conditions 50-hertz validation

Study of Stand-Alone Microgrid under Condition of Faults on Distribution Line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malla, S. G.; Bhende, C. N.

2014-10-01

The behavior of stand-alone microgrid is analyzed under the condition of faults on distribution feeders. During fault since battery is not able to maintain dc-link voltage within limit, the resistive dump load control is presented to do so. An inverter control is proposed to maintain balanced voltages at PCC under the unbalanced load condition and to reduce voltage unbalance factor (VUF) at load points. The proposed inverter control also has facility to protect itself from high fault current. Existing maximum power point tracker (MPPT) algorithm is modified to limit the speed of generator during fault. Extensive simulation results using MATLAB/SIMULINK established that the performance of the controllers is quite satisfactory under different fault conditions as well as unbalanced load conditions.

Research on the fiber Bragg grating sensor for the shock stress measurement

PubMed Central

Deng, Xiangyang; Chen, Guanghua; Peng, Qixian; Li, Zeren; Meng, Jianhua; Liu, Jun

2011-01-01

A fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor with an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer for the shock stress measurement is proposed and demonstrated. An analysis relationship between the shock stress and the central reflection wavelength shift of the FBG is firstly derived. In this sensor, the optical path difference of the unbalanced Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer is ∼3.1 mm and the length of the FBG is 2 mm. An arctangent function reduction method, which can avoid sine function's insensitive zone where the shock stress measurement has a reduced accuracy, is presented. A shock stress measurement of water driven by one stage gun (up to 1.4 GPa), with good theoretical accuracy (∼10%), is launched. PMID:22047282

Two-phase nc-TiN/a-(C,CN{sub x}) nanocomposite films: A HRTEM and MC simulation study

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

Guo, J.; Lu, Y. H.; Hu, X. J.

2013-06-18

The grain growth in two-phase nanocomposite Ti-C{sub x}-N{sub y} thin films grown by reactive close-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering in an Ar-N{sub 2} gas mixture with microstructures comprising of nanocrystalline (nc-) Ti(N,C) phase surrounded by amorphous (a-) (C,CN{sub x}) phase was investigated by a combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The HRTEM results revealed that amorphous-free solid solution Ti(C,N) thin films exhibited polycrystallites with different sizes, orientations and irregular shapes. The grain size varied in the range between several nanometers and several decade nanometers. Further increase of C content (up to {approx}19 at.% C) mademore » the amorphous phase wet nanocrystallites, which strongly hindered the growth of nanocrystallites. As a result, more regular Ti(C,N) nanocrystallites with an average size of {approx}5 nm were found to be separated by {approx}0.5-nm amorphous phases. When C content was further increased (up to {approx}48 at.% in this study), thicker amorphous matrices were produced and followed by the formation of smaller sized grains with lognormal distribution. Our MC analysis indicated that with increasing amorphous volume fraction (i.e. increasing C content), the transformation from nc/nc grain boundary (GB)-curvature-driven growth to a/nc GB-curvature-driven growth is directly responsible for the observed grain growth from great inhomogeneity to homogeneity process.« less

Electromagnetic coupling to centimeter-scale mechanical membrane resonators via RF cylindrical cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Luis A.; Castelli, Alessandro R.; Delmas, William; Sharping, Jay E.; Chiao, Raymond

2016-11-01

We present experimental and theoretical results for the excitation of a mechanical oscillator via radiation pressure with a room-temperature system employing a relatively low-(Q) centimeter-size mechanical oscillator coupled to a relatively low-Q standard three-dimensional radio-frequency (RF) cavity resonator. We describe the forces giving rise to optomechanical coupling using the Maxwell stress tensor and show that nanometer-scale displacements are possible and experimentally observable. The experimental system is composed of a 35 mm diameter silicon nitride membrane sputtered with a 300 nm gold conducting film and attached to the end of a RF copper cylindrical cavity. The RF cavity is operated in its {{TE}}011 mode and amplitude modulated on resonance with the fundamental drum modes of the membrane. Membrane motion is monitored using an unbalanced, non-zero optical path difference, optically filtered Michelson interferometer capable of measuring sub-nanometer displacements.

Magnetohydrodynamic actuation of droplets for millimetric planar fluidic systems

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

Ahmadi, A., E-mail: ali.ahmadi@ubc.ca; McDermid, C. M.; Markley, L.

2016-01-04

In this work, a magnetohydrodynamic method is proposed for the actuation of droplets in small-scale planar fluidic systems, providing an alternative to commonly used methods such as electrowetting-on-dielectric. Elementary droplet-based operations, including transport, merging, and mixing, are demonstrated. The forces acting on millimetric droplets are carefully investigated, with a primary focus on the magnetic actuation force and on the unbalanced capillary forces that arise due to hysteresis. A super-hydrophobic channel is 3D printed to guide the droplets, with thin wires installed as contact electrodes and permanent magnets providing a static magnetic field. It is shown that droplet motion is enhancedmore » by increasing the droplet size and minimizing the electrode contact surface. The effects of channel geometry on threshold voltage and minimum moveable droplet volume are characterized. Finally, the presence of electrolysis is investigated and mitigating strategies are discussed.« less

Design and control of one precise tracking simulation bed for Chinese 20/30 meter optic/infrared telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Changzhi; Li, Xiaoyan; Song, Xiaoli; Niu, Yong; Li, Aihua; Zhang, Zhenchao

2012-09-01

Direct drive technology is the key to solute future 30-m and larger telescope motion system to guarantee a very high tracking accuracy, in spite of unbalanced and sudden loads such as wind gusts and in spite of a structure that, because of its size, can not be infinitely stiff. However, this requires the design and realization of unusually large torque motor that the torque slew rate must be extremely steep too. A conventional torque motor design appears inadequate. This paper explores one redundant unit permanent magnet synchronous motor and its simulation bed for 30-m class telescope. Because its drive system is one high integrated electromechanical system, one complexly electromechanical design method is adopted to improve the efficiency, reliability and quality of the system during the design and manufacture circle. This paper discusses the design and control of the precise tracking simulation bed in detail.

Characterization of polycrystalline nickel cobaltite nanostructures prepared by DC plasma magnetron co-sputtering for gas sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammadi, Oday A.; Naji, Noor E.

2018-03-01

In this work, a gas sensor is fabricated from polycrystalline nickel cobaltite nano films deposited on transparent substrates by closed-field unbalanced dual-magnetrons (CFUBDM) co-sputtering technique. Two targets of nickel and cobalt are mounted on the cathode of discharge system and co-sputtered by direct current (DC) argon discharge plasma in presence of oxygen as a reactive gas. The total gas pressure is 0.5 mbar and the mixing ratio of Ar:O2 gases is 5:1. The characterization measurements performed on the prepared films show that their transmittance increases with the incident wavelength, the polycrystalline structure includes 5 crystallographic planes, the average particle size is about 35 nm, the electrical conductivity is linearly increasing with increasing temperature, and the activation energy is about 0.41 eV. These films show high sensitivity to ethanol vapor.

Characteristics of Sputtered Cr Thin Films and Application as a Working Electrode in Transparent Conductive Oxide-Less Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

PubMed

Park, Yong Seob; Kang, Ki-Noh; Kim, Young-Baek; Hwang, Sung Hwan; Lee, Jaehyeong

2018-09-01

Cr metal electrode was suggested as the working electrode material to fabricate DSSCs without the TCO, and thin films were fabricated by an unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. The surface morphologies show uniform and smooth surfaces regardless of various film thicknesses, and the small crystallites of various sizes were showed with the vertical direction on the surface of Cr thin films with the increase of film thickness. And also, the root mean square (RMS) surface roughness value of Cr thin films increased, and the sheet resistance is decreased with the increase of film thickness. The maximum cell efficiency of the TCO-less DSSC was observed when a Cr working electrode with a thickness of 80 nm was applied to the TCO-less DSSC. Consequently, these results are related to the result of the optimization of conduction characteristics, transmission properties and surface properties of Cr thin films.

A magnetostrictive composite-fiber Bragg Grating sensor.

PubMed

Quintero, Sully M M; Braga, Arthur M B; Weber, Hans I; Bruno, Antonio C; Araújo, Jefferson F D F

2010-01-01

This paper presents a light and compact optical fiber Bragg Grating sensor for DC and AC magnetic field measurements. The fiber is coated by a thick layer of a magnetostrictive composite consisting of particles of Terfenol-D dispersed in a polymeric matrix. Among the different compositions for the coating that were tested, the best magnetostrictive response was obtained using an epoxy resin as binder and a 30% volume fraction of Terfenol-D particles with sizes ranging from 212 to 300 μm. The effect of a compressive preload in the sensor was also investigated. The achieved resolution was 0.4 mT without a preload or 0.3 mT with a compressive pre-stress of 8.6 MPa. The sensor was tested at magnetic fields of up to 750 mT under static conditions. Dynamic measurements were conducted with a magnetic unbalanced four-pole rotor.

A Magnetostrictive Composite-Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor

PubMed Central

Quintero, Sully M. M.; Braga, Arthur M. B.; Weber, Hans I.; Bruno, Antonio C.; Araújo, Jefferson F. D. F.

2010-01-01

This paper presents a light and compact optical fiber Bragg Grating sensor for DC and AC magnetic field measurements. The fiber is coated by a thick layer of a magnetostrictive composite consisting of particles of Terfenol-D dispersed in a polymeric matrix. Among the different compositions for the coating that were tested, the best magnetostrictive response was obtained using an epoxy resin as binder and a 30% volume fraction of Terfenol-D particles with sizes ranging from 212 to 300 μm. The effect of a compressive preload in the sensor was also investigated. The achieved resolution was 0.4 mT without a preload or 0.3 mT with a compressive pre-stress of 8.6 MPa. The sensor was tested at magnetic fields of up to 750 mT under static conditions. Dynamic measurements were conducted with a magnetic unbalanced four-pole rotor. PMID:22163644

Circumpolar Genetic Structure and Recent Gene Flow of Polar Bears: A Reanalysis.

PubMed

Malenfant, René M; Davis, Corey S; Cullingham, Catherine I; Coltman, David W

2016-01-01

Recently, an extensive study of 2,748 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from across their circumpolar range was published in PLOS ONE, which used microsatellites and mitochondrial haplotypes to apparently show altered population structure and a dramatic change in directional gene flow towards the Canadian Archipelago-an area believed to be a future refugium for polar bears as their southernmost habitats decline under climate change. Although this study represents a major international collaborative effort and promised to be a baseline for future genetics work, methodological shortcomings and errors of interpretation undermine some of the study's main conclusions. Here, we present a reanalysis of this data in which we address some of these issues, including: (1) highly unbalanced sample sizes and large amounts of systematically missing data; (2) incorrect calculation of FST and of significance levels; (3) misleading estimates of recent gene flow resulting from non-convergence of the program BayesAss. In contrast to the original findings, in our reanalysis we find six genetic clusters of polar bears worldwide: the Hudson Bay Complex, the Western and Eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the Western and Eastern Polar Basin, and-importantly-we reconfirm the presence of a unique and possibly endangered cluster of bears in Norwegian Bay near Canada's expected last sea-ice refugium. Although polar bears' abundance, distribution, and population structure will certainly be negatively affected by ongoing-and increasingly rapid-loss of Arctic sea ice, these genetic data provide no evidence of strong directional gene flow in response to recent climate change.

Controllable Grid Interface | Wind | NREL

Science.gov Websites

assessments Continuous operation under unbalanced voltage conditions Grid condition simulation (strong and - and undervoltage and frequency limits) Islanding operation Subsynchronous resonance conditions 50-Hz

Spectroscopy analysis of graphene like deposition using DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering on γ‐Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layer

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

Aji, A. S., E-mail: yudi@fi.itb.ac.id; Darma, Y., E-mail: yudi@fi.itb.ac.id

In this work, graphene-like deposition using DC unbalanced magnetron-sputtering technique on γ‐Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer at low temperature has been systematically studied. The γ‐Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was growth on silicon substrate using thermal evaporation of Al wire and continuing with dry oxidation of Al at 550 °C. Sputtering process were carried out using Fe-doped carbon pellet as a target by maintain the chamber pressure of 4.6×10{sup −2} Torr at substrate temperature of 300 °C for time deposition range of 1 to 4 hours. The quality of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} on Si(100) and the characteristic of carbon thin film on γ‐Al{submore » 2}O{sub 3} were analized by mean XRD, opctical microscopy, EDAX, FTIR, and Raman spectra. XRD and optical microscopy analysis shows that Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film is growth uniformly on Si substrate and forming the γ phase of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Raman and FTIR spectra confirm the formation of graphene like carbon layer on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Additionally, thermal annealing for some sample series have been performed to study their structural stability. The change of atomic structure due to thermal annealing were analized by XRD spectra. The quality and the number of graphene layers are investigated by using Raman spectra peaks analysis.« less

Effects of Duplex Nitriding and TiN Coating Treatment on Wear Resistance, Corrosion Resistance and Biocompatibility of Ti6Al4V Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, W. H.; Su, Y. L.; Hsieh, Y. T.

2017-08-01

Ti6Al4V alloy substrates were nitrided at 900 °C. TiN coatings were then deposited on the nitrided substrates using a closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. The microstructure, hardness and adhesion properties of the TiN-N-Ti6Al4V substrates were evaluated and compared with those of an untreated Ti6Al4V sample, a nitrided Ti6Al4V sample and a TiN-coated Ti6Al4V sample, respectively. The tribological properties of the various samples were investigated by means of reciprocating sliding wear tests performed in 0.9 wt.% NaCl solution against 316L, Si3N4 and Ti6Al4V balls, respectively. In addition, the corrosion resistance was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization tests. Finally, the biocompatibility of the samples was investigated by observing the attachment and growth of purified mouse leukemic monocyte/macrophage cells (Raw 264.7) on the sample surface after culturing periods of 24, 72 and 120 h, respectively. Overall, the results showed that the duplex nitriding/TiN coating treatment significantly improved the tribological, anti-corrosion and biocompatibility properties of the original Ti6Al4V alloy.

Communication imperialism and dependency: a conceptual clarification.

PubMed

Lee, P S

1988-01-01

Communications imperialism has to do with the domination of a country's media activities by another. The ownership, structure, distribution or content of the media in 1 country are affected by pressures from media interests of another country or group out of proportion with those of that country. To determine if this is happening we should consider the country's policies, the private sector;s efforts to export communications elements, and actions of the dominant country against the dominated. The 4 aspects of international media in this situation are television program exportation, foreign ownership and control of media distribution, the infringement of capital opinions on other societies, and the transfer of commercialism and broadcasting norms. In addition to the software and hardware and the other forms of communication such as satellites, computers, and transportation of the mass media, there are the cultural effects on the developing countries. In the case of involuntary of voluntary dependency of the recipient country, the effect of the unbalanced international communication can be harmful or beneficial. Communication dependency may not be harmful to the culture of the recipient country. In determining the theory of unbalanced international communications 3 factors should be considered. There are: the role of the interacting countries, the nature of the dependency of the recipient country, and the beneficial or harmful effect of unbalanced communication pattern on that country.

Maternal consumption of a high-meat, low-carbohydrate diet in late pregnancy: relation to adult cortisol concentrations in the offspring.

PubMed

Herrick, Kirsten; Phillips, David I W; Haselden, Soraya; Shiell, Alistair W; Campbell-Brown, Mary; Godfrey, Keith M

2003-08-01

Recent studies have linked maternal consumption of an unbalanced high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in late pregnancy with raised adult blood pressure in the offspring. Because high-protein diets stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, we hypothesized that an unbalanced maternal diet might increase maternal cortisol levels, exposing the fetus to excess cortisol and programming lifelong hypersecretion of cortisol. We therefore measured fasting plasma cortisol concentrations in 251 subjects, 28-30 yr old, whose mothers had been advised to eat 0.45 kg of red meat daily during pregnancy and avoid carbohydrate-rich foods. Cortisol concentrations were higher in subjects with lower body mass index (P < 0.0001) and in those who reported recent vigorous activity (P = 0.03) and greater alcohol consumption (P = 0.004). Allowing for gender, current body mass index, activity, and alcohol consumption, cortisol concentrations increased 5.4% per portion of maternal meat/fish consumption per day (P = 0.03), decreased 3.3% per portion of maternal green vegetable consumption per week (P = 0.14), and were 12.2% higher in those born into manual social class families (P = 0.03). The specific advice given to mothers in this study precludes direct application to other populations, but the findings provide the first human evidence that an unbalanced maternal diet during late pregnancy may program lifelong hypercortisolemia in the offspring.

Looking for Solutions: Gender Differences in Relationship and Parenting Challenges Among Low-Income, Young Parents

PubMed Central

Albritton, Tashuna; Angley, Meghan; Grandelski, Valen; Hansen, Nathan; Kershaw, Trace

2015-01-01

The need for parenting and relationship strengthening programs is important among low-income minority parents where the burden of relational and parental stressors contributes to relationship dissolution. We examine these stressors among young parents. Data were collected from four focus groups (N = 35) with young parents. Data were audio-recorded and transcribed. Inductive coding was used to generate themes and codes, and analysis was completed using NVivo. Relationship and parenting challenges, values, and areas of need were the three major themes that emerged. Women's relationship challenges were family interference and unbalanced parenting, and men reported feeling disrespected and having limited finances. Common relationship challenges for women and men were family interference and unbalanced parenting. Both genders valued trust, communication, and honesty in relationships. Areas of need for women and men included: improving communication and understanding the impact of negative relationships on current relationships. Parenting challenges for women were unbalanced parenting, child safety, and feeling unprepared to parent; men reported limited finances. Both genders valued quality time with child to instill family morals. Areas of need for women and men included learning child discipline techniques and increasing knowledge about child development. Finally, women and men have relationship and parenting similarities and differences. Young parents are interested in learning how to improve relationships and co-parent to reduce relationship distress, which could reduce risk behaviors and improve child outcomes. PMID:24980026

Rotating mobile launcher

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, T. J.

1977-01-01

Apparatus holds remotely piloted arm that accelerates until launching speed is reached. Then vehicle and counterweight at other end of arm are released simultaneously to avoid structural damage from unbalanced rotating forces.

A Single-Phase Current Source Solar Inverter with Constant Instantaneous Power, Improved Reliability, and Reduced-Size DC-Link Filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bush, Craig R.

This dissertation presents a novel current source converter topology that is primarily intended for single-phase photovoltaic (PV) applications. In comparison with the existing PV inverter technology, the salient features of the proposed topology are: a) the low frequency (double of line frequency) ripple that is common to single-phase inverters is greatly reduced; b) the absence of low frequency ripple enables significantly reduced size pass components to achieve necessary DC-link stiffness and c) improved maximum power point tracking (MPPT) performance is readily achieved due to the tightened current ripple even with reduced-size passive components. The proposed topology does not utilize any electrolytic capacitors. Instead an inductor is used as the DC-link filter and reliable AC film capacitors are utilized for the filter and auxiliary capacitor. The proposed topology has a life expectancy on par with PV panels. The proposed modulation technique can be used for any current source inverter where an unbalanced three-phase operation is desires such as active filters and power controllers. The proposed topology is ready for the next phase of microgrid and power system controllers in that it accepts reactive power commands. This work presents the proposed topology and its working principle supported by with numerical verifications and hardware results. Conclusions and future work are also presented.

Attrition Bias in Panel Data: A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing? A Case Study Based on the Mabel Survey.

PubMed

Cheng, Terence C; Trivedi, Pravin K

2015-09-01

This paper investigates the nature and consequences of sample attrition in a unique longitudinal survey of medical doctors. We describe the patterns of non-response and examine if attrition affects the econometric analysis of medical labour market outcomes using the estimation of physician earnings equations as a case study. We compare the econometric gestimates obtained from a number of different modelling strategies, which are as follows: balanced versus unbalanced samples; an attrition model for panel data based on the classic sample selection model; and a recently developed copula-based selection model. Descriptive evidence shows that doctors who work longer hours, have lower years of experience, are overseas trained and have changed their work location are more likely to drop out. Our analysis suggests that the impact of attrition on inference about the earnings of general practitioners is small. For specialists, there appears to be some evidence for an economically significant bias. Finally, we discuss how the top-up samples in the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life survey can be used to address the problem of panel attrition. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Rotating-unbalanced-mass Devices for Scanning Balloon-borne Experiments, Free-flying Spacecraft, and Space Shuttle/space Station Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polites, Michael E.

1990-01-01

A new method is presented for scanning balloon-borne experiments, free-flying spacecraft, and gimballed experiments mounted to the space shuttle or the space station. It uses rotating-unbalanced-mass (RUM) devices for generating circular, line, or raster scan patterns and an auxiliary control system for target acquisition, keeping the scan centered on the target, and producing complementary motion for raster scanning. It is ideal for applications where the only possible way to accomplish the required scan is to physically scan the entire experiment or spacecraft as in x ray and gamma ray experiments. In such cases, this new method should have advantages over prior methods in terms of either power, weight, cost, performance, stability, or a combination of these.

Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Synthesized by Dual-Target Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Cui; Li, Guo-Qing; Gou, Wei; Mu, Zong-Xin; Zhang, Cheng-Wu

2004-11-01

Smooth, dense and uniform diamond-like carbon films (DLC films) for industrial applications have successfully been prepared by dual-target unbalanced magnetron sputtering and the DLC characteristics of the films are confirmed by Raman spectra. It is found that the sputtering current of target plays an important role in the DLC film deposition. Deposition rate of 3.5 μm/h is obtained by using the sputtering current of 30 A. The friction coefficient of the films is 0.2-0.225 measured by using a pin-on-disc microtribometer. The structure of the films tends to have a growth of sp3 bonds content at high sputtering current. The compressive residual stress in the films increases with the increasing sputtering current of the target.

New heterogeneous test statistics for the unbalanced fixed-effect nested design.

PubMed

Guo, Jiin-Huarng; Billard, L; Luh, Wei-Ming

2011-05-01

When the underlying variances are unknown or/and unequal, using the conventional F test is problematic in the two-factor hierarchical data structure. Prompted by the approximate test statistics (Welch and Alexander-Govern methods), the authors develop four new heterogeneous test statistics to test factor A and factor B nested within A for the unbalanced fixed-effect two-stage nested design under variance heterogeneity. The actual significance levels and statistical power of the test statistics were compared in a simulation study. The results show that the proposed procedures maintain better Type I error rate control and have greater statistical power than those obtained by the conventional F test in various conditions. Therefore, the proposed test statistics are recommended in terms of robustness and easy implementation. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

Large unbalanced credit scoring using Lasso-logistic regression ensemble.

PubMed

Wang, Hong; Xu, Qingsong; Zhou, Lifeng

2015-01-01

Recently, various ensemble learning methods with different base classifiers have been proposed for credit scoring problems. However, for various reasons, there has been little research using logistic regression as the base classifier. In this paper, given large unbalanced data, we consider the plausibility of ensemble learning using regularized logistic regression as the base classifier to deal with credit scoring problems. In this research, the data is first balanced and diversified by clustering and bagging algorithms. Then we apply a Lasso-logistic regression learning ensemble to evaluate the credit risks. We show that the proposed algorithm outperforms popular credit scoring models such as decision tree, Lasso-logistic regression and random forests in terms of AUC and F-measure. We also provide two importance measures for the proposed model to identify important variables in the data.

High-efficiency interaction-free measurement with an unbalanced Mach–Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chao, Liu; Jinhong, Liu; Junxiang, Zhang; Shiyao, Zhu

2018-06-01

The presence of an object can be detected without the absorption of photons in an interaction-free measurement (IFM) system based on the Zeno effect in chained Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZIs). In this paper, we propose a scheme with an unbalanced MZI to perform the transmission of two frequency components of input light simultaneously. The two components are separated at two output ports of the MZI, achieving a high probability of asserting the absence of the object. The two final outputs of the MZI can also be extended to perform special information processing via IFM. As a result, this proposal contributes to the improvement of efficiency in interaction-free measurements with a very small number of interferometers for potential practical implementations of quantum information technology.

Research on dynamic balancing simulation of rotary shaft based on ADAMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Weiqiang; Rui, Chengjie; Yang, Jie; Liu, Pingyi

2018-02-01

Due to the design and processing technology of rotary shaft, the mass center of it does not coincide with the rotating axis of the rotary shaft and there is an unbalanced mass. The unbalanced mass can have some disadvantages, such as the centrifugal force, the vibration and so on. Those disadvantages could reduce the accuracy and service life of the equipment.In this paper, the dynamic balance of the rotary shaft is analysed by the theory analysis combined with the dynamic simulation software. This method ensures that the rotary shaft meets the dynamic balancing requirements during the design stage. It effectively supports the structural design of the rotary shift, and provides a way of thinking and method for the design and development of the same type of products.

Signaling threat: how situational cues affect women in math, science, and engineering settings.

PubMed

Murphy, Mary C; Steele, Claude M; Gross, James J

2007-10-01

This study examined the cues hypothesis, which holds that situational cues, such as a setting's features and organization, can make potential targets vulnerable to social identity threat. Objective and subjective measures of identity threat were collected from male and female math, science, and engineering (MSE) majors who watched an MSE conference video depicting either an unbalanced ratio of men to women or a balanced ratio. Women who viewed the unbalanced video exhibited more cognitive and physiological vigilance, and reported a lower sense of belonging and less desire to participate in the conference, than did women who viewed the gender-balanced video. Men were unaffected by this situational cue. The implications for understanding vulnerability to social identity threat, particularly among women in MSE settings, are discussed.

Using the D-Wave 2X Quantum Computer to Explore the Formation of Global Terrorist Networks

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

Ambrosiano, John Joseph; Roberts, Randy Mark; Sims, Benjamin Hayden

Social networks with signed edges (+/-) play an important role in an area of social network theory called structural balance. In these networks, edges represent relationships that are labeled as either friendly (+) or hostile (-). A signed social network is balanced only if all cycles of three or more nodes in the graph have an odd number of hostile edges. A fundamental property of a balanced network is that it can be cleanly divided into 2 factions, where all relationships within each faction are friendly, and all relationships between members of different factions are hostile. The more unbalanced amore » network is, the more edges will fail to adhere to this rule, making factions more ambiguous. Social theory suggests unbalanced networks should be unstable, a finding that has been supported by research on gangs, which shows that unbalanced relationships are associated with greater violence, possibly due to this increased ambiguity about factional allegiances (Nakamura et al). One way to estimate the imbalance in a network, if only edge relationships are known, is to assign nodes to factions that minimize the number of violations of the edge rule described above. This problem is known to be computationally NP-hard. However, Facchetti et al. have pointed out that it is equivalent to an Ising model with a Hamiltonian that effectively counts the number of edge rule violations. Therefore, finding the assignment of factions that minimizes energy of the equivalent Ising system yields an estimate of the imbalance in the network. Based on the Ising model equivalence of the signed-social network balance problem, we have used the D-Wave 2X quantum annealing computer to explore some aspects of signed social networks. Because connectivity in the D-Wave computer is limited to its particular native topology, arbitrary networks cannot be represented directly. Rather, they must be “embedded” using a technique in which multiple qubits are chained together with special weights to simulate a collection of nodes with the required connectivity. This limits the size of a fully connected network in the D-Wave to about 50 simulated nodes, using all of the approximately 1150 qubits in the machine. In order to keep within this limitation, while exploring a problem of potential social relevance, we constructed time series of historical network snapshots from Stanford’s Mapping Militants Project, where nodes represent militant organizations, and edges represent either alliances or rivalries between organizations. We constructed two series from different theaters – Iraq and Syria – spanning timelines from about 2000 to 2016, each with networks whose maximum size was in the 20-30 node range. Computationally, our experience suggests D-Wave technology is promising, providing fast, nearly constant scaling of computational effort in the main part of the calculation that relies on the quantum annealing cycle. However, the cost of embedding an arbitrary network of interest in the D-Wave native topology scales poorly. If the embedding cost can be amortized relative to the annealing cycle, it may be possible to gain a substantial advantage over classical computing methods, provided a large enough network can be accommodated by partitioning into subnetworks or some similar strategy. In terms of our application to networks of militant organizations, we found a rise in network imbalance in the Syrian theater that appears to correspond roughly with the entrance of the Islamic State into a milieu already populated with other groups, a phenomenon we plan to explore in more detail. In these very preliminary results, we also noticed that during at least one period where both the size and imbalance of the network increased substantially, the imbalance per edge seemed to remain fairly steady. This may suggest some adaptive behavior among the participating factions, which may also warrant further exploration.« less

Identification of Single- and Multiple-Class Specific Signature Genes from Gene Expression Profiles by Group Marker Index

PubMed Central

Tsai, Yu-Shuen; Aguan, Kripamoy; Pal, Nikhil R.; Chung, I-Fang

2011-01-01

Informative genes from microarray data can be used to construct prediction model and investigate biological mechanisms. Differentially expressed genes, the main targets of most gene selection methods, can be classified as single- and multiple-class specific signature genes. Here, we present a novel gene selection algorithm based on a Group Marker Index (GMI), which is intuitive, of low-computational complexity, and efficient in identification of both types of genes. Most gene selection methods identify only single-class specific signature genes and cannot identify multiple-class specific signature genes easily. Our algorithm can detect de novo certain conditions of multiple-class specificity of a gene and makes use of a novel non-parametric indicator to assess the discrimination ability between classes. Our method is effective even when the sample size is small as well as when the class sizes are significantly different. To compare the effectiveness and robustness we formulate an intuitive template-based method and use four well-known datasets. We demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms the template-based method in difficult cases with unbalanced distribution. Moreover, the multiple-class specific genes are good biomarkers and play important roles in biological pathways. Our literature survey supports that the proposed method identifies unique multiple-class specific marker genes (not reported earlier to be related to cancer) in the Central Nervous System data. It also discovers unique biomarkers indicating the intrinsic difference between subtypes of lung cancer. We also associate the pathway information with the multiple-class specific signature genes and cross-reference to published studies. We find that the identified genes participate in the pathways directly involved in cancer development in leukemia data. Our method gives a promising way to find genes that can involve in pathways of multiple diseases and hence opens up the possibility of using an existing drug on other diseases as well as designing a single drug for multiple diseases. PMID:21909426

Anthropogenic resource subsidies determine space use by Australian arid zone dingoes: an improved resource selection modelling approach.

PubMed

Newsome, Thomas M; Ballard, Guy-Anthony; Dickman, Christopher R; Fleming, Peter J S; Howden, Chris

2013-01-01

Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) were introduced to Australia and became feral at least 4,000 years ago. We hypothesized that dingoes, being of domestic origin, would be adaptable to anthropogenic resource subsidies and that their space use would be affected by the dispersion of those resources. We tested this by analyzing Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) developed from GPS fixes (locations) of dingoes in arid central Australia. Using Generalized Linear Mixed-effect Models (GLMMs), we investigated resource relationships for dingoes that had access to abundant food near mine facilities, and for those that did not. From these models, we predicted the probability of dingo occurrence in relation to anthropogenic resource subsidies and other habitat characteristics over ∼ 18,000 km(2). Very small standard errors and subsequent pervasively high P-values of results will become more important as the size of data sets, such as our GPS tracking logs, increases. Therefore, we also investigated methods to minimize the effects of serial and spatio-temporal correlation among samples and unbalanced study designs. Using GLMMs, we accounted for some of the correlation structure of GPS animal tracking data; however, parameter standard errors remained very small and all predictors were highly significant. Consequently, we developed an alternative approach that allowed us to review effect sizes at different spatial scales and determine which predictors were sufficiently ecologically meaningful to include in final RSF models. We determined that the most important predictor for dingo occurrence around mine sites was distance to the refuse facility. Away from mine sites, close proximity to human-provided watering points was predictive of dingo dispersion as were other landscape factors including palaeochannels, rocky rises and elevated drainage depressions. Our models demonstrate that anthropogenically supplemented food and water can alter dingo-resource relationships. The spatial distribution of such resources is therefore critical for the conservation and management of dingoes and other top predators.

Incremental concept learning with few training examples and hierarchical classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouma, Henri; Eendebak, Pieter T.; Schutte, Klamer; Azzopardi, George; Burghouts, Gertjan J.

2015-10-01

Object recognition and localization are important to automatically interpret video and allow better querying on its content. We propose a method for object localization that learns incrementally and addresses four key aspects. Firstly, we show that for certain applications, recognition is feasible with only a few training samples. Secondly, we show that novel objects can be added incrementally without retraining existing objects, which is important for fast interaction. Thirdly, we show that an unbalanced number of positive training samples leads to biased classifier scores that can be corrected by modifying weights. Fourthly, we show that the detector performance can deteriorate due to hard-negative mining for similar or closely related classes (e.g., for Barbie and dress, because the doll is wearing a dress). This can be solved by our hierarchical classification. We introduce a new dataset, which we call TOSO, and use it to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for the localization and recognition of multiple objects in images.

Malnutrition

MedlinePlus

... fats, vitamins, and minerals - you may suffer from malnutrition. Causes of malnutrition include: Lack of specific nutrients in your diet. ... the lack of one vitamin can lead to malnutrition. An unbalanced diet Certain medical problems, such as ...

Investigating cellular network heterogeneity and modularity in cancer: a network entropy and unbalanced motif approach.

PubMed

Cheng, Feixiong; Liu, Chuang; Shen, Bairong; Zhao, Zhongming

2016-08-26

Cancer is increasingly recognized as a cellular system phenomenon that is attributed to the accumulation of genetic or epigenetic alterations leading to the perturbation of the molecular network architecture. Elucidation of network properties that can characterize tumor initiation and progression, or pinpoint the molecular targets related to the drug sensitivity or resistance, is therefore of critical importance for providing systems-level insights into tumorigenesis and clinical outcome in the molecularly targeted cancer therapy. In this study, we developed a network-based framework to quantitatively examine cellular network heterogeneity and modularity in cancer. Specifically, we constructed gene co-expressed protein interaction networks derived from large-scale RNA-Seq data across 8 cancer types generated in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. We performed gene network entropy and balanced versus unbalanced motif analysis to investigate cellular network heterogeneity and modularity in tumor versus normal tissues, different stages of progression, and drug resistant versus sensitive cancer cell lines. We found that tumorigenesis could be characterized by a significant increase of gene network entropy in all of the 8 cancer types. The ratio of the balanced motifs in normal tissues is higher than that of tumors, while the ratio of unbalanced motifs in tumors is higher than that of normal tissues in all of the 8 cancer types. Furthermore, we showed that network entropy could be used to characterize tumor progression and anticancer drug responses. For example, we found that kinase inhibitor resistant cancer cell lines had higher entropy compared to that of sensitive cell lines using the integrative analysis of microarray gene expression and drug pharmacological data collected from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database. In addition, we provided potential network-level evidence that smoking might increase cancer cellular network heterogeneity and further contribute to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (e.g., gefitinib) resistance. In summary, we demonstrated that network properties such as network entropy and unbalanced motifs associated with tumor initiation, progression, and anticancer drug responses, suggesting new potential network-based prognostic and predictive measure in cancer.

Water system is a controlling variable modulating bacterial diversity of gastrointestinal tract and performance in rainbow trout.

PubMed

Betiku, Omolola C; Yeoman, Carl J; Gaylord, T Gibson; Americus, Benjamin; Olivo, Sarah; Duff, Glenn C; Sealey, Wendy M

2018-01-01

A two-phase feeding study evaluating performance of rainbow trout and comparing luminal and mucosal gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bacterial community compositions when fed two alternative protein diets in two rearing systems was conducted. Alternative protein diets (animal protein and plant protein diets) balanced with crystalline amino acids: lysine, methionine and threonine or unbalanced, were fed to rainbow trout in two separate water systems (recirculating (RR) and flow-through (FF)) for a period of 16 weeks. The four diets, each contained 38% digestible protein and 20% fats, were fed to rainbow trout with an average weight of 12.02 ± 0.61 g, and sorted at 30 fish/tank and 12 tanks per dietary treatment. Phase 1 lasted for 8 weeks after which fish from each tank were randomly divided, with one-half moved to new tanks of the opposing system (i.e. from RR to FF and vice versa). The remaining halves were retained in their initial tank and system, and fed their original diets for another 8 weeks (phase 2). After the 16th week, 3 fish/tank were sampled for each of proximate analysis, body indexes and 16S rRNA analysis of GIT microbiota. Fish weight (P = 0.0008, P = 0.0030, P<0.0010) and body fat (P = 0.0008, P = 0.0041, P = 0.0177) were significantly affected by diet, diet quality (balanced or unbalanced) and system, respectively. Feed intake (P = 0.0008) and body energy (P<0.0010) were altered by system. Body indexes were not affected by dietary treatment and water systems. Compositional dissimilarities existed between samples from the rearing water and GIT locations (ANOSIM: (R = 0.29, P = 0.0010), PERMANOVA: R = 0.39, P = 0.0010), but not in dietary samples (ANOSIM: R = 0.004, P = 0.3140, PERMANOVA: R = 0.008, P = 0.4540). Bacteria were predominantly from the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Their abundance differed with more dissimilarity in the luminal samples (ANOSIM: R = 0.40, P = 0.0010, PERMANOVA: R = 0.56, P = 0.0010) than those from the mucosal intestine (ANOSIM: R = 0.37, P = 0.0010, PERMANOVA: R = 0.41, P = 0.0010). Bacteria generally associated with carbohydrate and certain amino acids metabolism were observed in the mucosal intestine while rearing water appeared to serve as the main route of colonization of Aeromonas and Acinetobacter in the rainbow trout.

Water system is a controlling variable modulating bacterial diversity of gastrointestinal tract and performance in rainbow trout

PubMed Central

Yeoman, Carl J.; Gaylord, T. Gibson; Americus, Benjamin; Olivo, Sarah; Duff, Glenn C.; Sealey, Wendy M.

2018-01-01

A two-phase feeding study evaluating performance of rainbow trout and comparing luminal and mucosal gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bacterial community compositions when fed two alternative protein diets in two rearing systems was conducted. Alternative protein diets (animal protein and plant protein diets) balanced with crystalline amino acids: lysine, methionine and threonine or unbalanced, were fed to rainbow trout in two separate water systems (recirculating (RR) and flow-through (FF)) for a period of 16 weeks. The four diets, each contained 38% digestible protein and 20% fats, were fed to rainbow trout with an average weight of 12.02 ± 0.61 g, and sorted at 30 fish/tank and 12 tanks per dietary treatment. Phase 1 lasted for 8 weeks after which fish from each tank were randomly divided, with one-half moved to new tanks of the opposing system (i.e. from RR to FF and vice versa). The remaining halves were retained in their initial tank and system, and fed their original diets for another 8 weeks (phase 2). After the 16th week, 3 fish/tank were sampled for each of proximate analysis, body indexes and 16S rRNA analysis of GIT microbiota. Fish weight (P = 0.0008, P = 0.0030, P<0.0010) and body fat (P = 0.0008, P = 0.0041, P = 0.0177) were significantly affected by diet, diet quality (balanced or unbalanced) and system, respectively. Feed intake (P = 0.0008) and body energy (P<0.0010) were altered by system. Body indexes were not affected by dietary treatment and water systems. Compositional dissimilarities existed between samples from the rearing water and GIT locations (ANOSIM: (R = 0.29, P = 0.0010), PERMANOVA: R = 0.39, P = 0.0010), but not in dietary samples (ANOSIM: R = 0.004, P = 0.3140, PERMANOVA: R = 0.008, P = 0.4540). Bacteria were predominantly from the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Their abundance differed with more dissimilarity in the luminal samples (ANOSIM: R = 0.40, P = 0.0010, PERMANOVA: R = 0.56, P = 0.0010) than those from the mucosal intestine (ANOSIM: R = 0.37, P = 0.0010, PERMANOVA: R = 0.41, P = 0.0010). Bacteria generally associated with carbohydrate and certain amino acids metabolism were observed in the mucosal intestine while rearing water appeared to serve as the main route of colonization of Aeromonas and Acinetobacter in the rainbow trout. PMID:29664968

Selective enrichment of volatiles confirmed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Pater, Imke

2018-04-01

Hydrogen sulfide gas is detected above Uranus's main cloud deck, confirming the prevalence of H2S ice particles as the main cloud component and a strongly unbalanced nitrogen/sulfur ratio in the planet's deep atmosphere.

Around Marshall

NASA Image and Video Library

1995-07-08

Marshall researchers, in the Astrionics lab, study rotating unbalanced mass devices. These require less power, and are lighter than current devices used for scanning images, a slice at a time. They have a wide range of space-based applications.

Selective enrichment of volatiles confirmed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Pater, Imke

2018-05-01

Hydrogen sulfide gas is detected above Uranus's main cloud deck, confirming the prevalence of H2S ice particles as the main cloud component and a strongly unbalanced nitrogen/sulfur ratio in the planet's deep atmosphere.

Large Unbalanced Credit Scoring Using Lasso-Logistic Regression Ensemble

PubMed Central

Wang, Hong; Xu, Qingsong; Zhou, Lifeng

2015-01-01

Recently, various ensemble learning methods with different base classifiers have been proposed for credit scoring problems. However, for various reasons, there has been little research using logistic regression as the base classifier. In this paper, given large unbalanced data, we consider the plausibility of ensemble learning using regularized logistic regression as the base classifier to deal with credit scoring problems. In this research, the data is first balanced and diversified by clustering and bagging algorithms. Then we apply a Lasso-logistic regression learning ensemble to evaluate the credit risks. We show that the proposed algorithm outperforms popular credit scoring models such as decision tree, Lasso-logistic regression and random forests in terms of AUC and F-measure. We also provide two importance measures for the proposed model to identify important variables in the data. PMID:25706988

Design Safety Used in NASA's Human-rated Primary Lithium Batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeevarajan, J.

2013-01-01

Single cell tests were benign for external short, inadvertent charge and overdischarge into reversal up to 4.5 A. At lower current loads cells die (may be due to excessive dendrite formation) benignly. String level external short circuits lead to an unbalanced overdischarge, with one cell going into reversal. The result is catastrophic violent venting. Unbalanced string overdischarges at different currents causes catastrophic violent venting also. Heat-to-vent is very dramatic displaying violent venting Simulated internal short is also catastrophic and displays violent venting. Battery is not UL-rated; hence does not have dual-fault tolerance or tolerance to inherent cell tolerance to failures Battery Design for NASA JSC's human-rated application for use on ISS was changed to include two bypass diodes per cell to provide for two-failure tolerance to overdischarge into reversal (and external short) hazards.

Characteristics of W Doped Nanocrystalline Carbon Films Prepared by Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering.

PubMed

Park, Yong Seob; Park, Chul Min; Kim, Nam-Hoon; Kim, Jae-Moon

2016-05-01

Nanocrystalline tungsten doped carbon (WC) films were prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Tungsten was used as the doping material in carbon thin films with the aim of application as a contact strip in an electric railway. The structural, physical, and electrical properties of the fabricated WC films with various DC bias voltages were investigated. The films had a uniform and smooth surface. Hardness and frication characteristics of the films were improved, and the resistivity and sheet resistance decreased with increasing negative DC bias voltage. These results are associated with the nanocrystalline WC phase and sp(2) clusters in carbon networks increased by ion bombardment enhanced with increasing DC bias voltage. Consequently, the increase of sp(2) clusters containing WC nanocrystalline in the carbon films is attributed to the improvement in the physical and electrical properties.

Green-wave control of an unbalanced two-route traffic system with signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobita, Kazuhiro; Nagatani, Takashi

2013-11-01

We introduce the preference parameter into the two-route dynamic model proposed by Wahle et al. The parameter represents the driver’s preference for the route choice. When the driver prefers a route, the traffic flow on route A does not balance with that on route B. We study the signal control for the unbalanced two-route traffic flow at the tour-time feedback strategy where the vehicles move ahead through a series of signals. The traffic signals are controlled by both cycle time and phase shift (offset time). We find that the mean tour time can be balanced by selecting the offset time successfully. We derive the relationship between the mean tour time and offset time (phase shift). Also, the dependences of the mean density and mean current on the offset time are derived.

Detection, Evaluation, and Optimization of Optical Signals Generated by Fiber Optic Bragg Gratings Under Dynamic Excitations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamovsky, Grigory; Lekki, John; Lock, James A.

2002-01-01

The dynamic response of a fiber optic Bragg grating to mechanical vibrations is examined both theoretically and experimentally. The theoretical expressions describing the consequences of changes in the grating's reflection spectrum are derived for partially coherent beams in an interferometer. The analysis is given in terms of the dominant wavelength, optical bandwidth, and optical path difference of the interfering signals. Changes in the reflection spectrum caused by a periodic stretching and compression of the grating were experimentally measured using an unbalanced Michelson interferometer, a Michelson interferometer with a non-zero optical path difference. The interferometer's sensitivity to changes in dominant wavelength of the interfering beams was measured as a function of interferometer unbalance and was compared to theoretical predictions. The theoretical analysis enables the user to determine the optimum performance for an unbalanced interferometer.

Stepwise occurrence of a complex unbalanced translocation in neuroblastoma leading to insertion of a telomere sequence and late chromosome 17q gain.

PubMed

Schleiermacher, Gudrun; Bourdeaut, Franck; Combaret, Valérie; Picrron, Gaelle; Raynal, Virginie; Aurias, Alain; Ribeiro, Agnes; Janoueix-Lerosey, Isabelle; Delattre, Olivier

2005-05-05

In neuroblastoma, the most frequent genetic alterations are unbalanced translocations involving chromosome 17. To gain insights into these rearrangements, we have characterized a previously identified der(1)t(1;17) of the CLB-Bar cell line. The 17q breakpoint was mapped by FISH. Subsequently, a rearranged fragment was identified by Southern analysis, cloned in a lambda vector and sequenced. The chromosome rearrangement is more complex than expected due to the presence of an interstitial 4p telomeric sequence between chromosome 1p and 17q. Three different genes, which may play a role in neuroblastoma development, are disrupted by the translocation breakpoints. Indeed, the 3'UTR of the PIP5K2B gene on chromosome 17q is directly fused to the (TTAGGG)n repeat of the chromosome 4p telomere, and the (1;4) fusion disrupts the MACF1 (microtubule-actin crosslinking factor 1) and POLN genes, respectively. Interestingly, the (1;4) fusion was present at diagnosis and at relapse, whereas the (4;17) fusion was detected at relapse only, leading to a secondary 17q gain confirmed by array CGH therefore indicating that 17q gain may not be a primary event in neuroblastoma. Finally, screening of a panel of neuroblastoma cell lines identified interstitial telomeric sequences in three other cases, suggesting that this may be a recurrent mechanism leading to unbalanced translocations in neuroblastoma.

Sperm FISH analysis of a 44,X,der(Y),t(Y;15)(q12;q10)pat,rob(13;14)(q10;q10)mat complex chromosome rearrangement.

PubMed

Ferfouri, F; Boitrelle, F; Clement, P; Molina Gomes, D; Selva, J; Vialard, F

2014-06-01

Complex chromosome rearrangements (CCR) with two independent chromosome rearrangements are rare. Although CCRs lead to high unbalanced gamete rates, data on meiotic segregation in this context are scarce. A male patient was referred to our clinic as part of a family screening programme prompted by the observation of a 44,X,der(Y),t(Y;15)(q12;q10)pat,rob(13;14)(q10;q10)mat karyotype in his brother. Karyotyping identified the same CCR. Sperm FISH (with locus-specific probes for the segments involved in the translocations and nine chromosomes not involved in both rearrangements) was used to investigate the rearrangements meiotic segregation products and establish whether or not an inter-chromosomal effect was present. Sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation was also evaluated. For rob(13;14) and der(Y), the proportions of unbalanced products were, respectively, 26.4% and 60.6%. Overall, 70.3% of the meiotic segregation products were unbalanced. No evidence of an inter-chromosomal effect was found, and the sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation rate was similar to our laboratory's normal cut-off value. In view of previously published sperm FISH analyses of Robertsonian translocations (and even though the mechanism is still unknown), we hypothesise that cosegregation of der(Y) and rob(13;14) could modify rob(13;14) meiotic segregation. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Unbalanced translocation 6p/16q (partial monosomy 6p and trisomy 16q): prenatal diagnosis and cytogenetics.

PubMed

Puhl, Alexander G; Zelazny, Julia; Galetzka, Danuta; Skala, Christine; Frey-Mahn, Gabriele; Wellek, Brigitte; Koelbl, Heinz

2010-06-01

Unbalanced translocation 6p/16q in one fetus is a very rare event and the prenatal sonographic findings have never been published before. We will give a short overview of the literature along with a case report focussing on prenatal ultrasound features and molecular cytogenetic analysis. A 21-year-old primigravid woman presented with a singleton pregnancy at 19 weeks' gestation. The fetus revealed a mild hydrocephalus, a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a Dandy-Walker malformation as well as an intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and limb anomalities. MLPA analysis from amniotic fluid cells showed an unbalanced translocation from the subtelomeric region of chromosome 6p to the subtelomeric region of chromosome 16q. Karyotype of the fetus was 46, XX.ishder(6)t(6;16)(p2?5;q?13)(pVYS246A+, pVYS228B-, pVYS229A+). Despite the karyotype the mother decided not to interrupt pregnancy. The fetus died in utero within the 39th week of gestation and was delivered vaginally after labour induction, with a birth weight of 1815g. Prenatal FISH and MLPA studies can be very important to help outline the chromosomal area of deletion and duplication and the sonographic findings forebode the cytogenetic region of interest. Subsequent to the processing of the case, a complete Medline search was conducted to review previous cases with similar genetic alterations. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genotype/phenotype analysis in a male patient with partial trisomy 4p and monosomy 20q due to maternal reciprocal translocation (4;20): A case report.

PubMed

Wu, Dong; Zhang, Hui; Hou, Qiaofang; Wang, Hongdan; Wang, Tao; Liao, Shixiu

2017-11-01

Translocations are the most frequent structural aberration in the human genome. Carriers of balanced chromosome rearrangement exhibit an increased risk of abortion and/or a chromosomally‑unbalanced child. The present study reported a clinical and cytogenetic analysis of a child who exhibited typical trisomy 4p and monosomy 20q features, including intellectual disability, delayed speech, tall stature, seizures and facial dysmorphism. The karyotype of the proband exhibited 46, XY, add(20) (q13.3). The karyotype of the mother indicated a balanced translocation karyotype: 46, XX, t(4;20) (p15.2;q13.1). The array‑based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis identified partial trisomy of the short arm of chromosome 4 and partial monosomy of distal 20q in the proband due to maternal balanced reciprocal translocation 4;20. The analysis of genotype/phenotype correlation demonstrated that fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 and msh homeobox 1 may be the important genes for 4p duplication, and that potassium voltage‑gated channel subfamily Q member 2, myelin transcription factor 1 and cholinergic receptor nicotinic α4 subunit may be the important genes for 20q deletion. To the best of our knowledge, the present study was the first to report an unbalanced translocation involving chromosomes 4p and 20q. The present study additionally demonstrated that aCGH analysis is able to reliably detect unbalanced submicroscopic chromosomal aberrations.

Looking for solutions: gender differences in relationship and parenting challenges among low-income, young parents.

PubMed

Albritton, Tashuna; Angley, Meghan; Grandelski, Valen; Hansen, Nathan; Kershaw, Trace

2014-12-01

The need for parenting and relationship strengthening programs is important among low-income minority parents where the burden of relational and parental stressors contributes to relationship dissolution. We examine these stressors among young parents. Data were collected from four focus groups (N = 35) with young parents. Data were audio-recorded and transcribed. Inductive coding was used to generate themes and codes, and analysis was completed using NVivo. Relationship and parenting challenges, values, and areas of need were the three major themes that emerged. Women's relationship challenges were family interference and unbalanced parenting, and men reported feeling disrespected and having limited finances. Common relationship challenges for women and men were family interference and unbalanced parenting. Both genders valued trust, communication, and honesty in relationships. Areas of need for women and men included: improving communication and understanding the impact of negative relationships on current relationships. Parenting challenges for women were unbalanced parenting, child safety, and feeling unprepared to parent; men reported limited finances. Both genders valued quality time with child to instill family morals. Areas of need for women and men included learning child discipline techniques and increasing knowledge about child development. Finally, women and men have relationship and parenting similarities and differences. Young parents are interested in learning how to improve relationships and co-parent to reduce relationship distress, which could reduce risk behaviors and improve child outcomes. © 2014 Family Process Institute.

Resuscitation With Balanced Fluids Is Associated With Improved Survival in Pediatric Severe Sepsis.

PubMed

Emrath, Elizabeth T; Fortenberry, James D; Travers, Curtis; McCracken, Courtney E; Hebbar, Kiran B

2017-07-01

To evaluate outcomes in patients receiving balanced fluids for resuscitation in pediatric severe sepsis. Observational cohort review of prospectively collected data from a large administrative database. PICUs from 43 children's hospitals. PICU patients diagnosed with severe sepsis. None. We reviewed data from the Pediatric Health Information System database from 2004 to 2012. Children with pediatric severe sepsis receiving balanced fluids for resuscitation in the first 24 and 72 hours of treatment were compared to those receiving unbalanced fluids. Thirty-six thousand nine hundred eight patients met entry criteria for analysis. Two thousand three hundred ninety-eight patients received exclusively balanced fluids at 24 hours and 1,641 at 72 hours. After propensity matching, the 72-hour balanced fluids group had lower mortality (12.5% vs 15.9%; p = 0.007; odds ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62-0.93), lower prevalence of acute kidney injury (16.0% vs 19.2%; p = 0.028; odds ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68-0.98), and fewer vasoactive infusion days (3.0 vs 3.3 d; p < 0.001) when compared with the unbalanced fluids group. In this retrospective analysis carried out by propensity matching, exclusive use of balanced fluids in pediatric severe sepsis patients for the first 72 hours of resuscitation was associated with improved survival, decreased prevalence of acute kidney injury, and shorter duration of vasoactive infusions when compared with exclusive use of unbalanced fluids.

Relatives with opposite chromosome constitutions, rec(10)dup(10p)inv(10)(p15.1q26.12) and rec(10)dup(10q)inv(10)(p15.1q26.12), due to a familial pericentric inversion.

PubMed

Ciuladaite, Zivile; Preiksaitiene, Egle; Utkus, Algirdas; Kučinskas, Vaidutis

2014-01-01

Large pericentric inversions in chromosome 10 are rare chromosomal aberrations with only few cases of familial inheritance. Such chromosomal rearrangements may lead to production of unbalanced gametes. As a result of a recombination event in the inversion loop, 2 recombinants with duplicated and deficient chromosome segments, including the regions distal to the inversion, may be produced. We report on 2 relatives in a family with opposite terminal chromosomal rearrangements of chromosome 10, i.e. rec(10)dup(10p)inv(10) and rec(10)dup(10q)inv(10), due to familial pericentric inversion inv(10)(p15.1q26.12). Based on array-CGH results, we characterized the exact genomic regions involved and compared the clinical features of both patients with previous reports on similar pericentric inversions and regional differences within 10p and 10q. The fact that both products of recombination are viable indicates a potentially high recurrence risk of unbalanced offspring. This report of unbalanced rearrangements in chromosome 10 in 2 generations confirms the importance of screening for terminal imbalances in patients with idiopathic intellectual disability by molecular cytogenetic techniques such as FISH, MLPA or microarrays. It also underlines the necessity for FISH to define structural characteristics of such cryptic intrachromosomal rearrangements and the underlying cytogenetic mechanisms. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A male and female RNA marker to infer sex in forensic analysis.

PubMed

van den Berge, M; Sijen, T

2017-01-01

In forensics, DNA profiling is used for the identification of the donor of a trace, while messenger RNA (mRNA) profiling can be applied to identify the cellular origin such as body fluids or organ tissues. The presence of male cell material can be readily assessed by the incorporation of Y-chromosomal markers in quantitation or STR profiling systems. However, no forensic marker exists to positively identify female cell material; merely the presence of female DNA is deduced from the absence of a Y peak, or unbalanced X-Y signals at the Amelogenin locus or unbalanced response of the total and Y-specific quantifier. The presence of two X-chromosomes in female cells invokes dosage compensation, which is achieved through inactivation of one of the X-chromosomes in females. Since this process involves specific RNA molecules, identification of female cellular material may be possible through RNA profiling. Additionally, male material may be identified through RNAs expressed from the Y-chromosome. RNAs preferentially expressed in either sex were assessed for their potential to act as sex markers in forensic RNA assays. To confirm sex-specificity, body fluids and organ tissues of multiple donors of either sex were tested. Additionally, sensitivity of the markers and the suitability of positively identifying male-female mixtures were assessed and degraded samples were used to assess performance of the markers in forensic settings. The addition of sex-specific markers is of added informative value in any RNA profiling system and both markers were incorporated into existing RNA assays that either target body fluids or organs. These are the first forensic assays that enable positive identification of female cellular material. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of two different strategies of fluid administration on inflammatory mediators, plasma electrolytes and acid/base disorders in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a randomized double blind study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Administration of normal saline might increase circulating levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and may cause variation of plasmatic electrolytic and hyperchloremic acidosis, which in turn can impair renal function. Hence the use of balanced solutions could influence the inflammatory cascade triggered by the surgical procedures, the plasmatic electrolyte concentration, the acid–base equilibrium, and the renal function. Methods This is a double blind randomized trial. Forty patients undergoing major abdominal surgery (bowel cancer) were allocated in two groups, the balanced solution (BS) group in which the fluids administered were balanced solutions (colloids and crystalloids); and the unbalanced solution (UBS) group in which the fluids administered were unbalanced solutions (colloids and crystalloids). Measurements were performed after anaesthesia induction (T0), at the end of surgery (T1), within 2 h after surgery (T2) and 24 h after the beginning of surgery (T3). The following data were collected: 1) active matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and its tissue inhibitor (TIMP-1), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10; 2) blood gases variables; 3) electrolytes, albumin, total serum protein and the strong ion difference; 4) neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) from urinary sample. Results The BS group exhibited higher circulating level of IL-10 and TIMP-1 and lower level of active MMP-9. The UBS group experienced hypercloremia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, worse acid–base equilibrium and higher level of NGAL. Conclusions The use of balanced solutions was responsible of less alteration of plasmatic electrolytes, acid–base equilibrium, kidney function and it might be associated with an early anti-inflammatory mechanisms triggering. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (Ref: NCT01320891). PMID:24059479

Text Classification for Assisting Moderators in Online Health Communities

PubMed Central

Huh, Jina; Yetisgen-Yildiz, Meliha; Pratt, Wanda

2013-01-01

Objectives Patients increasingly visit online health communities to get help on managing health. The large scale of these online communities makes it impossible for the moderators to engage in all conversations; yet, some conversations need their expertise. Our work explores low-cost text classification methods to this new domain of determining whether a thread in an online health forum needs moderators’ help. Methods We employed a binary classifier on WebMD’s online diabetes community data. To train the classifier, we considered three feature types: (1) word unigram, (2) sentiment analysis features, and (3) thread length. We applied feature selection methods based on χ2 statistics and under sampling to account for unbalanced data. We then performed a qualitative error analysis to investigate the appropriateness of the gold standard. Results Using sentiment analysis features, feature selection methods, and balanced training data increased the AUC value up to 0.75 and the F1-score up to 0.54 compared to the baseline of using word unigrams with no feature selection methods on unbalanced data (0.65 AUC and 0.40 F1-score). The error analysis uncovered additional reasons for why moderators respond to patients’ posts. Discussion We showed how feature selection methods and balanced training data can improve the overall classification performance. We present implications of weighing precision versus recall for assisting moderators of online health communities. Our error analysis uncovered social, legal, and ethical issues around addressing community members’ needs. We also note challenges in producing a gold standard, and discuss potential solutions for addressing these challenges. Conclusion Social media environments provide popular venues in which patients gain health-related information. Our work contributes to understanding scalable solutions for providing moderators’ expertise in these large-scale, social media environments. PMID:24025513

Metabolomic and Lipidomic Analysis of Serum Samples following Curcuma longa Extract Supplementation in High-Fructose and Saturated Fat Fed Rats.

PubMed

Tranchida, Fabrice; Shintu, Laetitia; Rakotoniaina, Zo; Tchiakpe, Léopold; Deyris, Valérie; Hiol, Abel; Caldarelli, Stefano

2015-01-01

We explored, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics and fatty acids profiling, the effects of a common nutritional complement, Curcuma longa, at a nutritionally relevant dose with human use, administered in conjunction with an unbalanced diet. Indeed, traditional food supplements have been long used to counter metabolic impairments induced by unbalanced diets. Here, rats were fed either a standard diet, a high level of fructose and saturated fatty acid (HFS) diet, a diet common to western countries and that certainly contributes to the epidemic of insulin resistance (IR) syndrome, or a HFS diet with a Curcuma longa extract (1% of curcuminoids in the extract) for ten weeks. Orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) on the serum NMR profiles and fatty acid composition (determined by GC/MS) showed a clear discrimination between HFS groups and controls. This discrimination involved metabolites such as glucose, amino acids, pyruvate, creatine, phosphocholine/glycerophosphocholine, ketone bodies and glycoproteins as well as an increase of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and a decrease of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Although the administration of Curcuma longa did not prevent the observed increase of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and insulin levels, discriminating metabolites were observed between groups fed HFS alone or with addition of a Curcuma longa extract, namely some MUFA and n-3 PUFA, glycoproteins, glutamine, and methanol, suggesting that curcuminoids may act respectively on the fatty acid metabolism, the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway and alcohol oxidation. Curcuma longa extract supplementation appears to be beneficial in these metabolic pathways in rats. This metabolomic approach highlights important serum metabolites that could help in understanding further the metabolic mechanisms leading to IR.

Metabolomic and Lipidomic Analysis of Serum Samples following Curcuma longa Extract Supplementation in High-Fructose and Saturated Fat Fed Rats

PubMed Central

Tranchida, Fabrice; Shintu, Laetitia; Rakotoniaina, Zo; Tchiakpe, Léopold; Deyris, Valérie; Hiol, Abel; Caldarelli, Stefano

2015-01-01

We explored, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics and fatty acids profiling, the effects of a common nutritional complement, Curcuma longa, at a nutritionally relevant dose with human use, administered in conjunction with an unbalanced diet. Indeed, traditional food supplements have been long used to counter metabolic impairments induced by unbalanced diets. Here, rats were fed either a standard diet, a high level of fructose and saturated fatty acid (HFS) diet, a diet common to western countries and that certainly contributes to the epidemic of insulin resistance (IR) syndrome, or a HFS diet with a Curcuma longa extract (1% of curcuminoids in the extract) for ten weeks. Orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) on the serum NMR profiles and fatty acid composition (determined by GC/MS) showed a clear discrimination between HFS groups and controls. This discrimination involved metabolites such as glucose, amino acids, pyruvate, creatine, phosphocholine/glycerophosphocholine, ketone bodies and glycoproteins as well as an increase of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and a decrease of n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Although the administration of Curcuma longa did not prevent the observed increase of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol and insulin levels, discriminating metabolites were observed between groups fed HFS alone or with addition of a Curcuma longa extract, namely some MUFA and n-3 PUFA, glycoproteins, glutamine, and methanol, suggesting that curcuminoids may act respectively on the fatty acid metabolism, the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway and alcohol oxidation. Curcuma longa extract supplementation appears to be beneficial in these metabolic pathways in rats. This metabolomic approach highlights important serum metabolites that could help in understanding further the metabolic mechanisms leading to IR. PMID:26288372

Sensitive and specific detection of EML4-ALK rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) specimens by multiplex amplicon RNA massive parallel sequencing.

PubMed

Moskalev, Evgeny A; Frohnauer, Judith; Merkelbach-Bruse, Sabine; Schildhaus, Hans-Ulrich; Dimmler, Arno; Schubert, Thomas; Boltze, Carsten; König, Helmut; Fuchs, Florian; Sirbu, Horia; Rieker, Ralf J; Agaimy, Abbas; Hartmann, Arndt; Haller, Florian

2014-06-01

Recurrent gene fusions of anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase (ALK) and echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) have been recently identified in ∼5% of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and are targets for selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors. While fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is the current gold standard for detection of EML4-ALK rearrangements, several limitations exist including high costs, time-consuming evaluation and somewhat equivocal interpretation of results. In contrast, targeted massive parallel sequencing has been introduced as a powerful method for simultaneous and sensitive detection of multiple somatic mutations even in limited biopsies, and is currently evolving as the method of choice for molecular diagnostic work-up of NSCLCs. We developed a novel approach for indirect detection of EML4-ALK rearrangements based on 454 massive parallel sequencing after reverse transcription and subsequent multiplex amplification (multiplex ALK RNA-seq) which takes advantage of unbalanced expression of the 5' and 3' ALK mRNA regions. Two lung cancer cell lines and a selected series of 32 NSCLC samples including 11 cases with EML4-ALK rearrangement were analyzed with this novel approach in comparison to ALK FISH, ALK qRT-PCR and EML4-ALK RT-PCR. The H2228 cell line with known EML4-ALK rearrangement showed 171 and 729 reads for 5' and 3' ALK regions, respectively, demonstrating a clearly unbalanced expression pattern. In contrast, the H1299 cell line with ALK wildtype status displayed no reads for both ALK regions. Considering a threshold of 100 reads for 3' ALK region as indirect indicator of EML4-ALK rearrangement, there was 100% concordance between the novel multiplex ALK RNA-seq approach and ALK FISH among all 32 NSCLC samples. Multiplex ALK RNA-seq is a sensitive and specific method for indirect detection of EML4-ALK rearrangements, and can be easily implemented in panel based molecular diagnostic work-up of NSCLCs by massive parallel sequencing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bayesian hierarchical piecewise regression models: a tool to detect trajectory divergence between groups in long-term observational studies.

PubMed

Buscot, Marie-Jeanne; Wotherspoon, Simon S; Magnussen, Costan G; Juonala, Markus; Sabin, Matthew A; Burgner, David P; Lehtimäki, Terho; Viikari, Jorma S A; Hutri-Kähönen, Nina; Raitakari, Olli T; Thomson, Russell J

2017-06-06

Bayesian hierarchical piecewise regression (BHPR) modeling has not been previously formulated to detect and characterise the mechanism of trajectory divergence between groups of participants that have longitudinal responses with distinct developmental phases. These models are useful when participants in a prospective cohort study are grouped according to a distal dichotomous health outcome. Indeed, a refined understanding of how deleterious risk factor profiles develop across the life-course may help inform early-life interventions. Previous techniques to determine between-group differences in risk factors at each age may result in biased estimate of the age at divergence. We demonstrate the use of Bayesian hierarchical piecewise regression (BHPR) to generate a point estimate and credible interval for the age at which trajectories diverge between groups for continuous outcome measures that exhibit non-linear within-person response profiles over time. We illustrate our approach by modeling the divergence in childhood-to-adulthood body mass index (BMI) trajectories between two groups of adults with/without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study (YFS). Using the proposed BHPR approach, we estimated the BMI profiles of participants with T2DM diverged from healthy participants at age 16 years for males (95% credible interval (CI):13.5-18 years) and 21 years for females (95% CI: 19.5-23 years). These data suggest that a critical window for weight management intervention in preventing T2DM might exist before the age when BMI growth rate is naturally expected to decrease. Simulation showed that when using pairwise comparison of least-square means from categorical mixed models, smaller sample sizes tended to conclude a later age of divergence. In contrast, the point estimate of the divergence time is not biased by sample size when using the proposed BHPR method. BHPR is a powerful analytic tool to model long-term non-linear longitudinal outcomes, enabling the identification of the age at which risk factor trajectories diverge between groups of participants. The method is suitable for the analysis of unbalanced longitudinal data, with only a limited number of repeated measures per participants and where the time-related outcome is typically marked by transitional changes or by distinct phases of change over time.

Interstitial Nephritis

MedlinePlus

... A reaction to a medicine, such as certain antibiotics. Too much of certain medicines. These include diuretics (water pills) or pain relievers, such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Unbalanced levels of certain nutrients in ...

Genetics Home Reference: HIVEP2-related intellectual disability

MedlinePlus

... to have difficulty with this activity; their walking style (gait) is often unbalanced and wide-based. Speech ... be inherited? More about Inheriting Genetic Conditions Diagnosis & Management Resources General Information from MedlinePlus (5 links) Diagnostic ...

Isolation, identification and characterization of highly tellurite-resistant, tellurite-reducing bacteria from Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arenas, Felipe A.; Pugin, Benoit; Henríquez, Nicole A.; Arenas-Salinas, Mauricio A.; Díaz-Vásquez, Waldo A.; Pozo, María F.; Muñoz, Claudia M.; Chasteen, Thomas G.; Pérez-Donoso, José M.; Vásquez, Claudio C.

2014-03-01

The tellurium oxyanion, tellurite, is extremely noxious to most living organisms. Its toxicity has been mainly related to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as to an unbalancing of the thiol:redox buffering system. Nevertheless, a few bacteria are capable of thriving at high tellurite concentrations. One mechanism of resistance is the enzymatic and non-enzymatic reduction of tellurite to the less toxic elemental tellurium. This reduction generates nano- to micrometric tellurium crystals that display different shapes and sizes. To date, a very limited number of highly tellurite-resistant and tellurite-reducing bacterial species are available from international culture collections. In this work, we decided to look for tellurite-reducing bacteria from an extreme environment, Antarctica. This environment exhibits a combination of several extreme factors such as high UV-radiation and desiccation and freezing conditions that impact directly on the local biodiversity. Since, as does, all these factors induce ROS formation, we hypothesized that Antarctic bacteria could also exhibit tellurite-resistance. In this context, we isolated 123 tellurite-resistant bacteria, and characterized six new tellurite-resistant and tellurite-reducing bacterial strains from samples collected in Antarctica. These strains were identified according to their 16S rRNA gene sequence as Staphylococcus hameolyticus, Staphylococcus sciuri, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, Pseudomonas lini, and two strains of Psychrobacter immobilis. The isolates display tellurite-resistance about 35- to 500-fold higher than Escherichia coli (Te-sensitive organism), and a high level of tellurite reduction which might be interesting for an application in the field of bioremediation or nanoparticle biosynthesis.

Disrupted functional connectivity patterns of the insula subregions in drug-free major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Wang, Chao; Wu, Huawang; Chen, Fangfang; Xu, Jinping; Li, Hongming; Li, Hong; Wang, Jiaojian

2018-07-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by impairments in emotional and cognitive functions. Emerging studies have shown that cognition and emotion interact by reaching identical brain regions, and the insula is one such region with functional and structural heterogeneity. Although previous literatures have shown the role of insula in MDD，it remains unclear whether the insular subregions show differential change patterns in MDD. Using the resting-state fMRI data in a group of 23 drug-free MDD patients and 34 healthy controls (HCs), we investigated whether the abnormal connectivity patterns of insular sub-regions or any behavioural correlates can be detected in MDD. Further hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify the functional connectivity-clustering patterns of insular sub-regions. Compared with HCs, the MDD exhibited higher connectivities between dorsal agranular insula and inferior parietal lobule and between ventral dysgranular and granular insula and thalamus/habehula, and lower connectivity of hypergranular insula to subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. Moreover, the three subregions with significant group differences were in three separate functional systems along anterior-to-posteior gradient. The anterior and middle insula showed positive correlation with depressive severity, while the posterior insular was to the contrary. The small and unbalanced sample size, only included moderate and severe depression and the possible inter-individual differences may limit the interpretability. These findings provided evidences for the MDD-related effects in functional connectivity patterns of insular subregions, and revealed that the subregions might be involved in different neural circuits associated with the contrary impacts on the depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sparse distance-based learning for simultaneous multiclass classification and feature selection of metagenomic data.

PubMed

Liu, Zhenqiu; Hsiao, William; Cantarel, Brandi L; Drábek, Elliott Franco; Fraser-Liggett, Claire

2011-12-01

Direct sequencing of microbes in human ecosystems (the human microbiome) has complemented single genome cultivation and sequencing to understand and explore the impact of commensal microbes on human health. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, the sophistication of data has outgrown available computational methods. While several existing machine learning methods have been adapted for analyzing microbiome data recently, there is not yet an efficient and dedicated algorithm available for multiclass classification of human microbiota. By combining instance-based and model-based learning, we propose a novel sparse distance-based learning method for simultaneous class prediction and feature (variable or taxa, which is used interchangeably) selection from multiple treatment populations on the basis of 16S rRNA sequence count data. Our proposed method simultaneously minimizes the intraclass distance and maximizes the interclass distance with many fewer estimated parameters than other methods. It is very efficient for problems with small sample sizes and unbalanced classes, which are common in metagenomic studies. We implemented this method in a MATLAB toolbox called MetaDistance. We also propose several approaches for data normalization and variance stabilization transformation in MetaDistance. We validate this method on several real and simulated 16S rRNA datasets to show that it outperforms existing methods for classifying metagenomic data. This article is the first to address simultaneous multifeature selection and class prediction with metagenomic count data. The MATLAB toolbox is freely available online at http://metadistance.igs.umaryland.edu/. zliu@umm.edu Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Circumpolar Genetic Structure and Recent Gene Flow of Polar Bears: A Reanalysis

PubMed Central

Malenfant, René M.; Davis, Corey S.; Cullingham, Catherine I.; Coltman, David W.

2016-01-01

Recently, an extensive study of 2,748 polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from across their circumpolar range was published in PLOS ONE, which used microsatellites and mitochondrial haplotypes to apparently show altered population structure and a dramatic change in directional gene flow towards the Canadian Archipelago—an area believed to be a future refugium for polar bears as their southernmost habitats decline under climate change. Although this study represents a major international collaborative effort and promised to be a baseline for future genetics work, methodological shortcomings and errors of interpretation undermine some of the study’s main conclusions. Here, we present a reanalysis of this data in which we address some of these issues, including: (1) highly unbalanced sample sizes and large amounts of systematically missing data; (2) incorrect calculation of FST and of significance levels; (3) misleading estimates of recent gene flow resulting from non-convergence of the program BayesAss. In contrast to the original findings, in our reanalysis we find six genetic clusters of polar bears worldwide: the Hudson Bay Complex, the Western and Eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the Western and Eastern Polar Basin, and—importantly—we reconfirm the presence of a unique and possibly endangered cluster of bears in Norwegian Bay near Canada’s expected last sea-ice refugium. Although polar bears’ abundance, distribution, and population structure will certainly be negatively affected by ongoing—and increasingly rapid—loss of Arctic sea ice, these genetic data provide no evidence of strong directional gene flow in response to recent climate change. PMID:26974333

Extremely fast increase in the organic loading rate during the co-digestion of rapeseed oil and sewage sludge in a CSTR--characterization of granules formed due to CaO addition to maintain process stability.

PubMed

Kasina, M; Kleyböcker, A; Michalik, M; Würdemann, H

2015-01-01

In a co-digestion system running with rapeseed oil and sewage sludge, an extremely fast increase in the organic loading rate was studied to develop a procedure to allow for flexible and demand-driven energy production. The over-acidification of the digestate was successfully prevented by calcium oxide dosage, which resulted in granule formation. Mineralogical analyses revealed that the granules were composed of insoluble salts of long chain fatty acids and calcium and had a porous structure. Long chain fatty acids and calcium formed the outer cover of granules and offered interfaces on the inside thereby enhancing the growth of biofilms. With granule size and age, the pore size increased and indicated degradation of granular interfaces. A stable biogas production up to the organic loading rate of 10.4 kg volatile solids m(-3) d(-1) was achieved although the hydrogen concentration was not favorable for propionic acid degradation. However, at higher organic loading rates, unbalanced granule formation and degradation were observed. Obviously, the adaption time for biofilm growth was too short to maintain the balance, thereby resulting in a low methane yield.

Biases in grant proposal success rates, funding rates and award sizes affect the geographical distribution of funding for biomedical research

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The ability of the United States to most efficiently make breakthroughs on the biology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases requires that physicians and scientists in each state have equal access to federal research grants and grant dollars. However, despite legislative and administrative efforts to ensure equal access, the majority of funding for biomedical research is concentrated in a minority of states. To gain insight into the causes of such disparity, funding metrics were examined for all NIH research project grants (RPGs) from 2004 to 2013. State-by-state differences in per application success rates, per investigator funding rates, and average award size each contributed significantly to vast disparities (greater than 100-fold range) in per capita RPG funding to individual states. To the extent tested, there was no significant association overall between scientific productivity and per capita funding, suggesting that the unbalanced allocation of funding is unrelated to the quality of scientists in each state. These findings reveal key sources of bias in, and new insight into the accuracy of, the funding process. They also support evidence-based recommendations for how the NIH could better utilize the scientific talent and capacity that is present throughout the United States. PMID:27077009

Biases in grant proposal success rates, funding rates and award sizes affect the geographical distribution of funding for biomedical research.

PubMed

Wahls, Wayne P

2016-01-01

The ability of the United States to most efficiently make breakthroughs on the biology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases requires that physicians and scientists in each state have equal access to federal research grants and grant dollars. However, despite legislative and administrative efforts to ensure equal access, the majority of funding for biomedical research is concentrated in a minority of states. To gain insight into the causes of such disparity, funding metrics were examined for all NIH research project grants (RPGs) from 2004 to 2013. State-by-state differences in per application success rates, per investigator funding rates, and average award size each contributed significantly to vast disparities (greater than 100-fold range) in per capita RPG funding to individual states. To the extent tested, there was no significant association overall between scientific productivity and per capita funding, suggesting that the unbalanced allocation of funding is unrelated to the quality of scientists in each state. These findings reveal key sources of bias in, and new insight into the accuracy of, the funding process. They also support evidence-based recommendations for how the NIH could better utilize the scientific talent and capacity that is present throughout the United States.

Mapping copy number variation by population-scale genome sequencing.

PubMed

Mills, Ryan E; Walter, Klaudia; Stewart, Chip; Handsaker, Robert E; Chen, Ken; Alkan, Can; Abyzov, Alexej; Yoon, Seungtai Chris; Ye, Kai; Cheetham, R Keira; Chinwalla, Asif; Conrad, Donald F; Fu, Yutao; Grubert, Fabian; Hajirasouliha, Iman; Hormozdiari, Fereydoun; Iakoucheva, Lilia M; Iqbal, Zamin; Kang, Shuli; Kidd, Jeffrey M; Konkel, Miriam K; Korn, Joshua; Khurana, Ekta; Kural, Deniz; Lam, Hugo Y K; Leng, Jing; Li, Ruiqiang; Li, Yingrui; Lin, Chang-Yun; Luo, Ruibang; Mu, Xinmeng Jasmine; Nemesh, James; Peckham, Heather E; Rausch, Tobias; Scally, Aylwyn; Shi, Xinghua; Stromberg, Michael P; Stütz, Adrian M; Urban, Alexander Eckehart; Walker, Jerilyn A; Wu, Jiantao; Zhang, Yujun; Zhang, Zhengdong D; Batzer, Mark A; Ding, Li; Marth, Gabor T; McVean, Gil; Sebat, Jonathan; Snyder, Michael; Wang, Jun; Ye, Kenny; Eichler, Evan E; Gerstein, Mark B; Hurles, Matthew E; Lee, Charles; McCarroll, Steven A; Korbel, Jan O

2011-02-03

Genomic structural variants (SVs) are abundant in humans, differing from other forms of variation in extent, origin and functional impact. Despite progress in SV characterization, the nucleotide resolution architecture of most SVs remains unknown. We constructed a map of unbalanced SVs (that is, copy number variants) based on whole genome DNA sequencing data from 185 human genomes, integrating evidence from complementary SV discovery approaches with extensive experimental validations. Our map encompassed 22,025 deletions and 6,000 additional SVs, including insertions and tandem duplications. Most SVs (53%) were mapped to nucleotide resolution, which facilitated analysing their origin and functional impact. We examined numerous whole and partial gene deletions with a genotyping approach and observed a depletion of gene disruptions amongst high frequency deletions. Furthermore, we observed differences in the size spectra of SVs originating from distinct formation mechanisms, and constructed a map of SV hotspots formed by common mechanisms. Our analytical framework and SV map serves as a resource for sequencing-based association studies.

An unbalanced portfolio.

PubMed

Federsel, Hans-Jurgen

2009-06-01

An excellent demonstration of how meaningful and valuable conferences devoted to the topic of project and portfolio management in the pharmaceutical industry can be, was given at an event organized in Barcelona, September 2008. Thus, over this 2-day meeting the delegates were updated on the state of the art in this wide-reaching area from speakers representing an array of companies; from small, relatively new players, via mid-sized, to established large and big pharmas. One common theme that emerged was the importance of assessing the value of drug projects as correctly as possible, especially under the current financial climate and the many challenges facing the industry. Furthermore, experiences from constructing portfolios with the aim to minimize risk and maximize return on investment were shared alongside mathematical approaches to obtain the data required for this purpose and accounts of the pleasures and hardships working in a global context and in partnership constellations. Copyright 2009 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

Translation priming between the native language and a second language: new evidence from Dutch-French bilinguals.

PubMed

Duyck, Wouter; Warlop, Nele

2009-01-01

During the last two decades, bilingual research has adopted the masked translation priming paradigm as a tool to investigate the architecture of the bilingual language system. Although there is now a consensus about the existence of forward translation priming (from native language primes (L1) to second language (L2) translation equivalent targets), the backward translation priming effect (from L2 to L1) has only been reported in studies with bilinguals living in an L2 dominant environment. In a lexical decision experiment, we obtained significant translation priming in both directions, with unbalanced Dutch-French bilinguals living in an L1 dominant environment. Also, we demonstrated that these priming effects do not interact with a low-level visual prime feature such as font size. The obtained backward translation priming effect is consistent with the model of bilingual lexicosemantic organization of Duyck and Brysbaert (2004), which assumes strong mappings between L2 word forms and underlying semantic representations.

Space shuttle Ku-band integrated rendezvous radar/communications system study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The results are presented of work performed on the Space Shuttle Ku-Band Integrated Rendezvous Radar/Communications System Study. The recommendations and conclusions are included as well as the details explaining the results. The requirements upon which the study was based are presented along with the predicted performance of the recommended system configuration. In addition, shuttle orbiter vehicle constraints (e.g., size, weight, power, stowage space) are discussed. The tradeoffs considered and the operation of the recommended configuration are described for an optimized, integrated Ku-band radar/communications system. Basic system tradeoffs, communication design, radar design, antenna tradeoffs, antenna gimbal and drive design, antenna servo design, and deployed assembly packaging design are discussed. The communications and radar performance analyses necessary to support the system design effort are presented. Detailed derivations of the communications thermal noise error, the radar range, range rate, and angle tracking errors, and the communications transmitter distortion parameter effect on crosstalk between the unbalanced quadriphase signals are included.

Large-aperture ground glass surface profile measurement using coherence scanning interferometry.

PubMed

Bae, Eundeok; Kim, Yunseok; Park, Sanguk; Kim, Seung-Woo

2017-01-23

We present a coherence scanning interferometer configured to deal with rough glass surfaces exhibiting very low reflectance due to severe sub-surface light scattering. A compound light source is prepared by combining a superluminescent light-emitting diode with an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier. The light source is attuned to offer a short temporal coherence length of 15 μm but with high spatial coherence to secure an adequate correlogram contrast by delivering strongly unbalanced optical power to the low reflectance target. In addition, the infrared spectral range of the light source is shifted close to the visible side at a 1,038 nm center wavelength, so a digital camera of multi-mega pixels available for industrial machine vision can be used to improve the correlogram contrast further with better lateral image resolutions. Experimental results obtained from a ground Zerodur mirror of 200 mm aperture size and 0.9 μm rms roughness are discussed to validate the proposed interferometer system.

High-speed rail turnout literature review : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

High-speed rail (HSR) turnout design criteria generally address unbalanced lateral acceleration or cant deficiency (CD), cant deficiency change rate (CDCR), and entry and exit jerk. Various countries have adopted different design values for their HSR...

Familial translocation t(6;20)(p21;p13) resulting in partial trisomy 6p and partial monosomy 20p: report of a new case and review of the literature.

PubMed

Berner, A L; Bağci, S; Wohlleber, E; Engels, E; Müller, A; Bartmann, P; Weber, R G; Reutter, H

2012-01-01

Carriers of completely balanced chromosomal translocations have all necessary genetic information. Nevertheless, because of the possibility of maldistribution during gametogenesis, they are at increased risk for infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth or having a child with congenital anomalies including mental retardation. As postnatal clinical reports are infrequent, prediction of clinical course for specific unbalanced karyotypes diagnosed during pregnancy remains difficult. Here, we report the 6th case of partial trisomy 6p and partial monosomy 20p due to an unbalanced adjacent-1 segregation of the rare familial translocation t(6;20)(p21;p13). We give a thorough clinical description of the present case, demonstrating broad phenotypic overlap with the 5 previously published cases reviewed here, providing important data on postnatal outcome. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Generation of vortex array laser beams with Dove prism embedded unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Shu-Chun

2009-02-01

This paper introduces a scheme for generation of vortex laser beams from a solid-state laser with off-axis laser-diode pumping. The proposed system consists of a Dove prism embedded in an unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration. This configuration allows controlled construction of p × p vortex array beams from Ince-Gaussian modes, IGep,p modes. An incident IGe p,p laser beam of variety order p can easily be generated from an end-pumped solid-state laser with an off-axis pumping mechanism. This study simulates this type of vortex array laser beam generation and discusses beam propagation effects. The formation of ordered transverse emission patterns have applications in a variety of areas such as optical data storage, distribution, and processing that exploit the robustness of soliton and vortex fields and optical manipulations of small particles and atoms in the featured intensity distribution.

Vibration signal correction of unbalanced rotor due to angular speed fluctuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Hongrui; He, Dong; Xi, Songtao; Chen, Xuefeng

2018-07-01

The rotating speed of a rotor is hardly constant in practice due to angular speed fluctuation, which affects the balancing accuracy of the rotor. In this paper, the effect of angular speed fluctuation on vibration responses of the unbalanced rotor is analyzed quantitatively. Then, a vibration signal correction method based on zoom synchrosqueezing transform (ZST) and tacholess order tracking is proposed. The instantaneous angular speed (IAS) of the rotor is extracted by the ZST firstly and then used to calculate the instantaneous phase. The vibration signal is further resampled in angular domain to reduce the effect of angular speed fluctuation. The signal obtained in angular domain is transformed into order domain using discrete Fourier transform (DFT) to estimate the amplitude and phase of the vibration signal. Simulated and experimental results show that the proposed method can successfully correct the amplitude and phase of the vibration signal due to angular speed fluctuation.

Simulative and experimental investigation on stator winding turn and unbalanced supply voltage fault diagnosis in induction motors using Artificial Neural Networks.

PubMed

Lashkari, Negin; Poshtan, Javad; Azgomi, Hamid Fekri

2015-11-01

The three-phase shift between line current and phase voltage of induction motors can be used as an efficient fault indicator to detect and locate inter-turn stator short-circuit (ITSC) fault. However, unbalanced supply voltage is one of the contributing factors that inevitably affect stator currents and therefore the three-phase shift. Thus, it is necessary to propose a method that is able to identify whether the unbalance of three currents is caused by ITSC or supply voltage fault. This paper presents a feedforward multilayer-perceptron Neural Network (NN) trained by back propagation, based on monitoring negative sequence voltage and the three-phase shift. The data which are required for training and test NN are generated using simulated model of stator. The experimental results are presented to verify the superior accuracy of the proposed method. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Visualization in mechanics: the dynamics of an unbalanced roller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cumber, Peter S.

2017-04-01

It is well known that mechanical engineering students often find mechanics a difficult area to grasp. This article describes a system of equations describing the motion of a balanced and an unbalanced roller constrained by a pivot arm. A wide range of dynamics can be simulated with the model. The equations of motion are embedded in a graphical user interface for its numerical solution in MATLAB. This allows a student's focus to be on the influence of different parameters on the system dynamics. The simulation tool can be used as a dynamics demonstrator in a lecture or as an educational tool driven by the imagination of the student. By way of demonstration the simulation tool has been applied to a range of roller-pivot arm configurations. In addition, approximations to the equations of motion are explored and a second-order model is shown to be accurate for a limited range of parameters.

Low-cycle thermal fatigue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halford, G. R.

1986-01-01

A state-of-the-art review is presented of the field of thermal fatigue. Following a brief historical review, the concept is developed that thermal fatigue can be viewed as processes of unbalanced deformation and cracking. The unbalances refer to dissimilar mechanisms occurring in opposing halves of thermal fatigue loading and unloading cycles. Extensive data summaries are presented and results are interpreted in terms of the unbalanced processes involved. Both crack initiation and crack propagation results are summarized. Testing techniques are reviewed, and considerable discussion is given to a technique for thermal fatigue simulation, known as the bithermal fatigue test. Attention is given to the use of isothermal life prediction methods for the prediction of thermal fatigue lives. Shortcomings of isothermally-based life prediction methods are pointed out. Several examples of analyses and thermal fatigue life predictions of high technology structural components are presented. Finally, numerous dos and don'ts relative to design against thermal fatigue are presented.

Improved power control using optimal adjustable coefficients for three-phase photovoltaic inverter under unbalanced grid voltage.

PubMed

Wang, Qianggang; Zhou, Niancheng; Lou, Xiaoxuan; Chen, Xu

2014-01-01

Unbalanced grid faults will lead to several drawbacks in the output power quality of photovoltaic generation (PV) converters, such as power fluctuation, current amplitude swell, and a large quantity of harmonics. The aim of this paper is to propose a flexible AC current generation method by selecting coefficients to overcome these problems in an optimal way. Three coefficients are brought in to tune the output current reference within the required limits of the power quality (the current harmonic distortion, the AC current peak, the power fluctuation, and the DC voltage fluctuation). Through the optimization algorithm, the coefficients can be determined aiming to generate the minimum integrated amplitudes of the active and reactive power references with the constraints of the inverter current and DC voltage fluctuation. Dead-beat controller is utilized to track the optimal current reference in a short period. The method has been verified in PSCAD/EMTDC software.

Improved Power Control Using Optimal Adjustable Coefficients for Three-Phase Photovoltaic Inverter under Unbalanced Grid Voltage

PubMed Central

Wang, Qianggang; Zhou, Niancheng; Lou, Xiaoxuan; Chen, Xu

2014-01-01

Unbalanced grid faults will lead to several drawbacks in the output power quality of photovoltaic generation (PV) converters, such as power fluctuation, current amplitude swell, and a large quantity of harmonics. The aim of this paper is to propose a flexible AC current generation method by selecting coefficients to overcome these problems in an optimal way. Three coefficients are brought in to tune the output current reference within the required limits of the power quality (the current harmonic distortion, the AC current peak, the power fluctuation, and the DC voltage fluctuation). Through the optimization algorithm, the coefficients can be determined aiming to generate the minimum integrated amplitudes of the active and reactive power references with the constraints of the inverter current and DC voltage fluctuation. Dead-beat controller is utilized to track the optimal current reference in a short period. The method has been verified in PSCAD/EMTDC software. PMID:25243215

Maneuver Analysis and Targeting Strategy for the Stardust Re-Entry Capsule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Helfrich, Cliff; Bhat, Ramachand S.; Kangas, Julie A.; Wilson, Roby S.; Wong, Mau C.; Potts, Christopher L.; Williams, Kenneth E.

2006-01-01

The Stardust Sample Return Capsule (SRC) returned to Earth on January 15, 2006 after seven years of collecting interstellar and comet particles over three heliocentric revolutions, as shown in Figure 1. The SRC was carried on board the Stardust spacecraft, as shown in Figure 2. Because the spacecraft was built with unbalanced thrusters, turns and attitude control maintenance resulted in undesirable delta-v being imparted to the trajectory. As a result, a carefully planned maneuver strategy was devised to accurately target the Stardust capsule to the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). This paper provides an overview of the Stardust spacecraft and mission and describes the maneuver strategy that was employed to achieve the stringent targeting requirements for landing in Utah. In addition, an overview of Stardust maneuver analysis tools and techniques will also be presented.

On the Analysis of Case-Control Studies in Cluster-correlated Data Settings.

PubMed

Haneuse, Sebastien; Rivera-Rodriguez, Claudia

2018-01-01

In resource-limited settings, long-term evaluation of national antiretroviral treatment (ART) programs often relies on aggregated data, the analysis of which may be subject to ecological bias. As researchers and policy makers consider evaluating individual-level outcomes such as treatment adherence or mortality, the well-known case-control design is appealing in that it provides efficiency gains over random sampling. In the context that motivates this article, valid estimation and inference requires acknowledging any clustering, although, to our knowledge, no statistical methods have been published for the analysis of case-control data for which the underlying population exhibits clustering. Furthermore, in the specific context of an ongoing collaboration in Malawi, rather than performing case-control sampling across all clinics, case-control sampling within clinics has been suggested as a more practical strategy. To our knowledge, although similar outcome-dependent sampling schemes have been described in the literature, a case-control design specific to correlated data settings is new. In this article, we describe this design, discuss balanced versus unbalanced sampling techniques, and provide a general approach to analyzing case-control studies in cluster-correlated settings based on inverse probability-weighted generalized estimating equations. Inference is based on a robust sandwich estimator with correlation parameters estimated to ensure appropriate accounting of the outcome-dependent sampling scheme. We conduct comprehensive simulations, based in part on real data on a sample of N = 78,155 program registrants in Malawi between 2005 and 2007, to evaluate small-sample operating characteristics and potential trade-offs associated with standard case-control sampling or when case-control sampling is performed within clusters.

Stress responsiveness in adult life: influence of mother's diet in late pregnancy.

PubMed

Reynolds, Rebecca M; Godfrey, Keith M; Barker, Mary; Osmond, Clive; Phillips, David I W

2007-06-01

Men and women whose mothers ate an unbalanced high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet in late pregnancy have raised blood pressure. We recently showed that they also have raised fasting plasma cortisol concentrations. Because raised fasting cortisol concentrations probably reflect a greater response to the stress of fasting and venesection, we suspected that this diet may have led to increased stress responsiveness in the adult offspring. The aim was to determine whether an unbalanced high-protein diet during pregnancy is associated with increased cortisol secretion in response to psychological stress in the offspring. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured during a modified Trier Social Stress Test in 70 men and women aged 36.3 yr whose mothers had taken part in a dietary intervention in which they were advised to eat 1 pound (0.45 kg) of red meat daily during pregnancy and to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods. The offspring of women who reported greater consumption of meat and fish in the second half of pregnancy had higher cortisol concentrations during the Trier Test. Compared with the offspring of mothers who had reported eating no more than 13 meat/fish portions per week, the average cortisol concentrations were raised by 22% (95% confidence interval, 13 to 71%) and 46% (5 to 103%) in the offspring of those eating 14-16 and at least 17 portions per week, respectively. These findings provide the first human evidence that an unbalanced high protein maternal diet during late pregnancy leads to increased cortisol secretion in response to psychological stress in the offspring.

"Double-hit" chronic lymphocytic leukemia: An aggressive subgroup with 17p deletion and 8q24 gain.

PubMed

Chapiro, Elise; Lesty, Claude; Gabillaud, Clémentine; Durot, Eric; Bouzy, Simon; Armand, Marine; Le Garff-Tavernier, Magali; Bougacha, Nadia; Struski, Stéphanie; Bidet, Audrey; Laharanne, Elodie; Barin, Carole; Veronese, Lauren; Prié, Nolwen; Eclache, Virginie; Gaillard, Baptiste; Michaux, Lucienne; Lefebvre, Christine; Gaillard, Jean-Baptiste; Terré, Christine; Penther, Dominique; Bastard, Christian; Nadal, Nathalie; Fert-Ferrer, Sandra; Auger, Nathalie; Godon, Catherine; Sutton, Laurent; Tournilhac, Olivier; Susin, Santos A; Nguyen-Khac, Florence

2018-03-01

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) with 17p deletion (17p-) is associated with a lack of response to standard treatment and thus the worst possible clinical outcome. Various chromosomal abnormalities (including unbalanced translocations, deletions, ring chromosomes and isochromosomes) result in the loss of 17p and one copy of the TP53 gene. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the type of chromosomal abnormality leading to 17p- and the additional aberrations influenced the prognosis in a series of 195 patients with 17p-CLL. Loss of 17p resulted primarily from an unbalanced translocation (70%) with several chromosome partners (the most frequent being chromosome 18q), followed by deletion 17p (23%), monosomy 17 (8%), isochromosome 17q [i(17q)] (5%) and a ring chromosome 17 (2%). In a univariate analysis, monosomy 17, a highly complex karyotype (≥5 abnormalities), and 8q24 gain were associated with poor treatment-free survival, and i(17q) (P = .04), unbalanced translocations (P = .03) and 8q24 gain (P = .001) were significantly associated with poor overall survival. In a multivariate analysis, 8q24 gain remained a significant predictor of poor overall survival. We conclude that 17p deletion and 8q24 gain have a synergistic impact on outcome, and so patients with this "double-hit" CLL have a particularly poor prognosis. Systematic, targeting screening for 8q24 gain should therefore be considered in cases of 17p- CLL. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ostomy Surgery of the Bowel

MedlinePlus

... gum with moderation, as they may also cause gas. Constipation is often the result of an unbalanced diet or eating and drinking too little. After ostomy surgery, people should avoid large amounts of liquids with meals drink plenty of liquids between meals ...

Information Theory for Gabor Feature Selection for Face Recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Linlin; Bai, Li

2006-12-01

A discriminative and robust feature—kernel enhanced informative Gabor feature—is proposed in this paper for face recognition. Mutual information is applied to select a set of informative and nonredundant Gabor features, which are then further enhanced by kernel methods for recognition. Compared with one of the top performing methods in the 2004 Face Verification Competition (FVC2004), our methods demonstrate a clear advantage over existing methods in accuracy, computation efficiency, and memory cost. The proposed method has been fully tested on the FERET database using the FERET evaluation protocol. Significant improvements on three of the test data sets are observed. Compared with the classical Gabor wavelet-based approaches using a huge number of features, our method requires less than 4 milliseconds to retrieve a few hundreds of features. Due to the substantially reduced feature dimension, only 4 seconds are required to recognize 200 face images. The paper also unified different Gabor filter definitions and proposed a training sample generation algorithm to reduce the effects caused by unbalanced number of samples available in different classes.

Metrics and experimental data for assessing unbalanced disassembly lines.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Disassembly lines are inherently multi-criteria, with balance having the possibility of : being one of the lower priorities. This is due to the fact that other criteria for example, : removing valuable or hazardous materials early on in the proce...

Effectiveness of exterior beam rotation prevention systems for bridge deck construction.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-06-01

Bridge decks often overhang past the exterior girders in order to increase the width of the deck while limiting the required : number of longitudinal girders. The overhanging portion of the deck results in unbalanced eccentric loads to the exterior g...

Digital Libraries and the Continuum of Scholarly Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borgman, Christine L.

2000-01-01

Explores the relationship between scholarly communication, an established research area receiving renewed interest, and digital libraries, a relatively new area of research. Stakeholders agree that the relationship structure inherent in scholarship has become unbalanced with the advent of electronic publishing, digital libraries, computer…

The role of activity complexes in the distribution of solar magnetic fields.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García de La Rosa, J. I.; Reyes, R. C.

Using published data on the large-scale distribution of solar activity, the authors conclude that the longlived coronal holes are formed and maintained by the unbalanced magnetic flux which developes at both extremes of the complexes of activity.

Behavioural and physiological effects of finely balanced decision-making in chickens.

PubMed

Davies, Anna C; Nicol, Christine J; Persson, Mia E; Radford, Andrew N

2014-01-01

In humans, more difficult decisions result in behavioural and physiological changes suggestive of increased arousal, but little is known about the effect of decision difficulty in other species. A difficult decision can have a number of characteristics; we aimed to monitor how finely balanced decisions, compared to unbalanced ones, affected the behaviour and physiology of chickens. An unbalanced decision was one in which the two options were of unequal net value (1 (Q1) vs. 6 (Q6) pieces of sweetcorn with no cost associated with either option); a finely balanced decision was one in which the options were of equal net value (i.e. hens were "indifferent" to both options). To identify hens' indifference, a titration procedure was used in which a cost (electromagnetic weight on an access door) was applied to the Q6 option, to find the individual point at which hens chose this option approximately equally to Q1 via a non-weighted door. We then compared behavioural and physiological indicators of arousal (head movements, latency to choose, heart-rate variability and surface body temperature) when chickens made decisions that were unbalanced or finely balanced. Significant physiological (heart-rate variability) and behavioural (latency to pen) differences were found between the finely balanced and balanced conditions, but these were likely to be artefacts of the greater time and effort required to push through the weighted doors. No other behavioural and physiological measures were significantly different between the decision categories. We suggest that more information is needed on when best to monitor likely changes in arousal during decision-making and that future studies should consider decisions defined as difficult in other ways.

Beta1 integrin inhibits apoptosis induced by cyclic stretch in annulus fibrosus cells via ERK1/2 MAPK pathway.

PubMed

Zhang, Kai; Ding, Wei; Sun, Wei; Sun, Xiao-jiang; Xie, You-zhuan; Zhao, Chang-qing; Zhao, Jie

2016-01-01

Low back pain is associated with intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) due to cellular loss through apoptosis. Mechanical factors play an important role in maintaining the survival of the annulus fibrosus (AF) cells and the deposition of extracellular matrix. However, the mechanisms that excessive mechanical forces lead to AF cell apoptosis are not clear. The present study was to look for how AF cells sense mechanical changes. In vivo experiments, the involvement of mechanoreceptors in apoptosis was examined by RT-PCR and/or immunoblotting in the lumbar spine of rats subjected to unbalanced dynamic and static forces. In vitro experiments, we investigated apoptotic signaling pathways in untransfected and transfected AF cells with the lentivirus vector for rat β1 integrin overexpression after cyclic stretch. Apoptosis in AF cells was assessed using flow cytometry, Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining. Western blotting was used to analyze expression of β1 integrin and caspase-3 and ERK1/2 MAPK signaling molecules. In the rat IVDD model, unbalanced dynamic and static forces induced apoptosis of disc cells, which corresponded to decreased expression of β1 integrin. Cyclic stretch-induced apoptosis in rat AF cells correlated with the activation of caspase-3 and with decreased levels of β1 integrin and the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 activation level. However, the overexpression of β1 integrin in AF cells ameliorated cyclic stretch-induced apoptosis and decreased caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, ERK1/2-specific inhibitor promotes apoptosis in vector β1-infected AF cells. These results suggest that the disruption of β1 integrin signaling may underlie disc cell apoptosis induced by mechanical stress. Further work is necessary to fully elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie IVDD caused by unbalanced dynamic and static forces.

Cryptic deletions are a common finding in “balanced” reciprocal and complex chromosome rearrangements: a study of 59 patients

PubMed Central

De Gregori, M; Ciccone, R; Magini, P; Pramparo, T; Gimelli, S; Messa, J; Novara, F; Vetro, A; Rossi, E; Maraschio, P; Bonaglia, M C; Anichini, C; Ferrero, G B; Silengo, M; Fazzi, E; Zatterale, A; Fischetto, R; Previderé, C; Belli, S; Turci, A; Calabrese, G; Bernardi, F; Meneghelli, E; Riegel, M; Rocchi, M; SGuerneri; Lalatta, F; Zelante, L; Romano, C; Fichera, Ma; Mattina, T; Arrigo, G; Zollino, M; Giglio, S; Lonardo, F; Bonfante, A; Ferlini, A; Cifuentes, F; Van Esch, H; Backx, L; Schinzel, A; Vermeesch, J R; Zuffardi, O

2007-01-01

Using array comparative genome hybridisation (CGH) 41 de novo reciprocal translocations and 18 de novo complex chromosome rearrangements (CCRs) were screened. All cases had been interpreted as “balanced” by conventional cytogenetics. In all, 27 cases of reciprocal translocations were detected in patients with an abnormal phenotype, and after array CGH analysis, 11 were found to be unbalanced. Thus 40% (11 of 27) of patients with a “chromosomal phenotype” and an apparently balanced translocation were in fact unbalanced, and 18% (5 of 27) of the reciprocal translocations were instead complex rearrangements with >3 breakpoints. Fourteen fetuses with de novo, apparently balanced translocations, all but two with normal ultrasound findings, were also analysed and all were found to be normal using array CGH. Thirteen CCRs were detected in patients with abnormal phenotypes, two in women who had experienced repeated spontaneous abortions and three in fetuses. Sixteen patients were found to have unbalanced mutations, with up to 4 deletions. These results suggest that genome‐wide array CGH may be advisable in all carriers of “balanced” CCRs. The parental origin of the deletions was investigated in 5 reciprocal translocations and 11 CCRs; all were found to be paternal. Using customised platforms in seven cases of CCRs, the deletion breakpoints were narrowed down to regions of a few hundred base pairs in length. No susceptibility motifs were associated with the imbalances. These results show that the phenotypic abnormalities of apparently balanced de novo CCRs are mainly due to cryptic deletions and that spermatogenesis is more prone to generate multiple chaotic chromosome imbalances and reciprocal translocations than oogenesis. PMID:17766364

[A survey on the dietary and health habits according to action styles for unbalanced diets among female university students].

PubMed

Nagashima, Kumiko; Sakaguchi, Sanae; Sakaguchi, Takehiro

2002-05-01

A survey of woman's students, who had grown up in a time of change-over of Japanese customs regarding food, was conducted to investigate dietary habits, a focus on actions in response to with set needs, The aim was to obtain to measure prospective health maintenance and promotion. The authors carried out a questionnaire for woman's students in 6 universities of Kanto area (a junior college and graduate courses were included) in years 1999 and 2000. In actions regarding the diet, 19.1% of the 815 students responded "I eat everything without fail", 17.7% "I eat almost everything irrespective of likes and dislikes", 24.5% "I strive to eat everything", 19.8% "I leave almost everything I dislike", and 18.5% "I don't eat what I dislike". The students who responded "I leave almost everything I dislike" and "I don't eat what I dislike" had low scores in the questionnaire for dietary and health habits, and they tended to like noodles and popular snacks, and also made frequent use of fast food restaurants. There was not a problem with the majority, but about 30% of the students were judged as confirming an unbalanced diet by this questionnaire. It was found that there were "gaps" and "bad habits" in the regular diet. Moreover, we recognized a tendency to prefer convenience and taste to nutritional balance. This simple questionnaire is suitable for rapid identification of unbalanced distory habits, and both "gaps" and "bad habits" in the regular system diet. It is the most important that we induce students who leave or don't eat what they dislike, to strive to eat everything, irrespective of likes and dislikes.

Abnormal meiosis in an intersectional allotriploid of Populus L. and segregation of ploidy levels in 2x × 3x progeny

PubMed Central

Huo, Beibei; Liu, Wanting; Li, Daili; Liao, Ling

2017-01-01

Triploid plants are usually highly aborted owing to unbalanced meiotic chromosome segregation, but limited viable gametes can participate in the transition to different ploidy levels. In this study, numerous meiotic abnormalities were found with high frequency in an intersectional allotriploid poplar (Populus alba × P. berolinensis ‘Yinzhong’), including univalents, precocious chromosome migration, lagging chromosomes, chromosome bridges, micronuclei, and precocious cytokinesis, indicating high genetic imbalance in this allotriploid. Some micronuclei trigger mini-spindle formation in metaphase II and participate in cytokinesis to form polyads with microcytes. Unbalanced chromosome segregation and chromosome elimination resulted in the formation of microspores with aneuploid chromosome sets. Fusion of sister nuclei occurs in microsporocytes with precocious cytokinesis, which could form second meiotic division restitution (SDR)-type gametes. However, SDR-type gametes likely contain incomplete chromosome sets due to unbalanced segregation of homologous chromosomes during the first meiotic division in triploids. Misorientation of spindles during the second meiotic division, such as fused and tripolar spindles with low frequency, could result in the formation of first meiotic division restitution (FDR)-type unreduced gametes, which most likely contain three complete chromosome sets. Although ‘Yinzhong’ yields 88.7% stainable pollen grains with wide diameter variation from 23.9 to 61.3 μm, the pollen viability is poor (2.78% ± 0.38). A cross of ‘Yinzhong’ pollen with a diploid female clone produced progeny with extensive segregation of ploidy levels, including 29 diploids, 18 triploids, 4 tetraploids, and 48 aneuploids, suggesting the formation of viable aneuploidy and unreduced pollen in ‘Yinzhong’. Individuals with different chromosome compositions are potential to analyze chromosomal function and to integrate the chromosomal dosage variation into breeding programs of Populus. PMID:28732039

Inequality, income, and poverty: comparative global evidence.

PubMed

Fosu, Augustin Kwasi

2010-01-01

Objectives. The study seeks to provide comparative global evidence on the role of income inequality, relative to income growth, in poverty reduction.Methods. An analysis-of-covariance model is estimated using a large global sample of 1980–2004 unbalanced panel data, with the headcount measure of poverty as the dependent variable, and the Gini coefficient and PPP-adjusted mean income as explanatory variables. Both random-effects and fixed-effects methods are employed in the estimation.Results. The responsiveness of poverty to income is a decreasing function of inequality, and the inequality elasticity of poverty is actually larger than the income elasticity of poverty. Furthermore, there is a large variation across regions (and countries) in the relative effects of inequality on poverty.Conclusion. Income distribution plays a more important role than might be traditionally acknowledged in poverty reduction, though this importance varies widely across regions and countries.

Industrial-hygiene characterization of ethylene oxide exposures of hospital and nursing-home workers

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

Ringenburg, V.L.; Elliott, L.J.; Morelli-Schroth, P.

Industrial-hygiene surveys were conducted at 12 hospitals and one nursing home to determine possible employee exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO). Different types of exposure situations existed at each of the facilities as a result of various engineering controls, administrative controls and work practices. Sampling indicated that the time-weighted averages (TWAs) of exposure over periods of 36 to 724 minutes ranged from below the limit of detection to 6.7 parts per million (ppm). Personal short-term exposure levels covering 2 to 30 minutes ranged from less than the limit of detection to 103.2ppm. Factors found to be responsible for these higher-than-permissible levelsmore » of EtO exposure included improper installation or lack of engineering controls (such as improper placement of the sterilizing operations), unbalanced ventilation systems, and lack of administrative controls resulting in inappropriate work practices.« less

Observation of a centrality-dependent dijet asymmetry in lead-lead collisions at sqrt[S(NN)] =2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC.

PubMed

Aad, G; Abbott, B; Abdallah, J; Abdelalim, A A; Abdesselam, A; Abdinov, O; Abi, B; Abolins, M; Abramowicz, H; Abreu, H; Acerbi, E; Acharya, B S; Ackers, M; Adams, D L; Addy, T N; Adelman, J; Aderholz, M; Adomeit, S; Adragna, P; Adye, T; Aefsky, S; Aguilar-Saavedra, J A; Aharrouche, M; Ahlen, S P; Ahles, F; Ahmad, A; Ahsan, M; Aielli, G; Akdogan, T; Akesson, T P A; Akimoto, G; Akimov, A V; Alam, M S; Alam, M A; Albrand, S; Aleksa, M; Aleksandrov, I N; Aleppo, M; Alessandria, F; Alexa, C; Alexander, G; Alexandre, G; Alexopoulos, T; Alhroob, M; Aliev, M; Alimonti, G; Alison, J; Aliyev, M; Allport, P P; Allwood-Spiers, S E; Almond, J; Aloisio, A; Alon, R; Alonso, A; Alonso, J; Alviggi, M G; Amako, K; Amaral, P; Amelung, C; Ammosov, V V; Amorim, A; Amorós, G; Amram, N; Anastopoulos, C; Andeen, T; Anders, C F; Anderson, K J; Andreazza, A; Andrei, V; Andrieux, M-L; Anduaga, X S; Angerami, A; Anghinolfi, F; Anjos, N; Annovi, A; Antonaki, A; Antonelli, M; Antonelli, S; Antos, J; Anulli, F; Aoun, S; Bella, L Aperio; Apolle, R; Arabidze, G; Aracena, I; Arai, Y; Arce, A T H; Archambault, J P; Arfaoui, S; Arguin, J-F; Arik, E; Arik, M; Armbruster, A J; Arms, K E; Armstrong, S R; Arnaez, O; Arnault, C; Artamonov, A; Artoni, G; Arutinov, D; Asai, S; Silva, J; Asfandiyarov, R; Ask, S; Asman, B; Asquith, L; Assamagan, K; Astbury, A; Astvatsatourov, A; Atoian, G; Aubert, B; Auerbach, B; Auge, E; Augsten, K; Aurousseau, M; Austin, N; Avramidou, R; Axen, D; Ay, C; Azuelos, G; Azuma, Y; Baak, M A; Baccaglioni, G; Bacci, C; Bach, A M; Bachacou, H; Bachas, K; Bachy, G; Backes, M; Badescu, E; Bagnaia, P; Bahinipati, S; Bai, Y; Bailey, D C; Bain, T; Baines, J T; Baker, O K; Baker, S; Pedrosa, F Baltasar Dos Santos; Banas, E; Banerjee, P; Banerjee, Sw; Banfi, D; Bangert, A; Bansal, V; Bansil, H S; Barak, L; Baranov, S P; Barashkou, A; Galtieri, A Barbaro; Barber, T; Barberio, E L; Barberis, D; Barbero, M; Bardin, D Y; Barillari, T; Barisonzi, M; Barklow, T; Barlow, N; Barnett, B M; Barnett, R M; Baroncelli, A; Barr, A J; Barreiro, F; da Costa, J Barreiro Guimarães; Barrillon, P; Bartoldus, R; Barton, A E; Bartsch, D; Bates, R L; Batkova, L; Batley, J R; Battaglia, A; Battistin, M; Battistoni, G; Bauer, F; Bawa, H S; Beare, B; Beau, T; Beauchemin, P H; Beccherle, R; Bechtle, P; Beck, H P; Beckingham, M; Becks, K H; Beddall, A J; Beddall, A; Bednyakov, V A; Bee, C; Begel, M; Harpaz, S Behar; Behera, P K; Beimforde, M; Belanger-Champagne, C; Bell, P J; Bell, W H; Bella, G; Bellagamba, L; Bellina, F; Bellomo, G; Bellomo, M; Belloni, A; Belotskiy, K; Beltramello, O; Ben Ami, S; Benary, O; Benchekroun, D; Benchouk, C; Bendel, M; Benedict, B H; Benekos, N; Benhammou, Y; Benjamin, D P; Benoit, M; Bensinger, J R; Benslama, K; Bentvelsen, S; Berge, D; Kuutmann, E Bergeaas; Berger, N; Berghaus, F; Berglund, E; Beringer, J; Bernardet, K; Bernat, P; Bernhard, R; Bernius, C; Berry, T; Bertin, A; Bertinelli, F; Bertolucci, F; Besana, M I; Besson, N; Bethke, S; Bhimji, W; Bianchi, R M; Bianco, M; Biebel, O; Biesiada, J; Biglietti, M; Bilokon, H; Bindi, M; Bingul, A; Bini, C; Biscarat, C; Bitenc, U; Black, K M; Blair, R E; Blanchard, J-B; Blanchot, G; Blocker, C; Blocki, J; Blondel, A; Blum, W; Blumenschein, U; Bobbink, G J; Bobrovnikov, V B; Bocci, A; Bock, R; Boddy, C R; Boehler, M; Boek, J; Boelaert, N; Böser, S; Bogaerts, J A; Bogdanchikov, A; Bogouch, A; Bohm, C; Boisvert, V; Bold, T; Boldea, V; Boonekamp, M; Boorman, G; Booth, C N; Booth, P; Booth, J R A; Bordoni, S; Borer, C; Borisov, A; Borissov, G; Borjanovic, I; Borroni, S; Bos, K; Boscherini, D; Bosman, M; Boterenbrood, H; Botterill, D; Bouchami, J; Boudreau, J; Bouhova-Thacker, E V; Boulahouache, C; Bourdarios, C; Bousson, N; Boveia, A; Boyd, J; Boyko, I R; Bozhko, N I; Bozovic-Jelisavcic, I; Bracinik, J; Braem, A; Brambilla, E; Branchini, P; Brandenburg, G W; Brandt, A; Brandt, G; Brandt, O; Bratzler, U; Brau, B; Brau, J E; Braun, H M; Brelier, B; Bremer, J; Brenner, R; Bressler, S; Breton, D; Brett, N D; Bright-Thomas, P G; Britton, D; Brochu, F M; Brock, I; Brock, R; Brodbeck, T J; Brodet, E; Broggi, F; Bromberg, C; Brooijmans, G; Brooks, W K; Brown, G; Brubaker, E; de Renstrom, P A Bruckman; Bruncko, D; Bruneliere, R; Brunet, S; Bruni, A; Bruni, G; Bruschi, M; Buanes, T; Bucci, F; Buchanan, J; Buchanan, N J; Buchholz, P; Buckingham, R M; Buckley, A G; Buda, S I; Budagov, I A; Budick, B; Büscher, V; Bugge, L; Buira-Clark, D; Buis, E J; Bulekov, O; Bunse, M; Buran, T; Burckhart, H; Burdin, S; Burgess, T; Burke, S; Busato, E; Bussey, P; Buszello, C P; Butin, F; Butler, B; Butler, J M; Buttar, C M; Butterworth, J M; Buttinger, W; Byatt, T; Urbán, S Cabrera; Caccia, M; Caforio, D; Cakir, O; Calafiura, P; Calderini, G; Calfayan, P; Calkins, R; Caloba, L P; Caloi, R; Calvet, D; Calvet, S; Camard, A; Camarri, P; Cambiaghi, M; Cameron, D; Cammin, J; Campana, S; Campanelli, M; Canale, V; Canelli, F; Canepa, A; Cantero, J; Capasso, L; Garrido, M D M Capeans; Caprini, I; Caprini, M; Capriotti, D; Capua, M; Caputo, R; Caramarcu, C; Cardarelli, R; Carli, T; Carlino, G; Carminati, L; Caron, B; Caron, S; Carpentieri, C; Montoya, G D Carrillo; Montero, S Carron; Carter, A A; Carter, J R; Carvalho, J; Casadei, D; Casado, M P; Cascella, M; Caso, C; Hernandez, A M Castaneda; Castaneda-Miranda, E; Gimenez, V Castillo; Castro, N F; Cataldi, G; Cataneo, F; Catinaccio, A; Catmore, J R; Cattai, A; Cattani, G; Caughron, S; Cavallari, A; Cavalleri, P; Cavalli, D; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cavasinni, V; Cazzato, A; Ceradini, F; Cerna, C; Cerqueira, A S; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Cerutti, F; Cetin, S A; Cevenini, F; Chafaq, A; Chakraborty, D; Chan, K; Chapleau, B; Chapman, J D; Chapman, J W; Chareyre, E; Charlton, D G; Chavda, V; Cheatham, S; Chekanov, S; Chekulaev, S V; Chelkov, G A; Chen, H; Chen, L; Chen, S; Chen, T; Chen, X; Cheng, S; Cheplakov, A; Chepurnov, V F; El Moursli, R Cherkaoui; Tcherniatine, V; Cheu, E; Cheung, S L; Chevalier, L; Chevallier, F; Chiefari, G; Chikovani, L; Childers, J T; Chilingarov, A; Chiodini, G; 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Zhou, N; Zhou, Y; Zhu, C G; Zhu, H; Zhu, Y; Zhuang, X; Zhuravlov, V; Zieminska, D; Zilka, B; Zimmermann, R; Zimmermann, S; Zimmermann, S; Ziolkowski, M; Zitoun, R; Zivković, L; Zmouchko, V V; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Zolnierowski, Y; Zsenei, A; zur Nedden, M; Zutshi, V; Zwalinski, L

2010-12-17

By using the ATLAS detector, observations have been made of a centrality-dependent dijet asymmetry in the collisions of lead ions at the Large Hadron Collider. In a sample of lead-lead events with a per-nucleon center of mass energy of 2.76 TeV, selected with a minimum bias trigger, jets are reconstructed in fine-grained, longitudinally segmented electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters. The transverse energies of dijets in opposite hemispheres are observed to become systematically more unbalanced with increasing event centrality leading to a large number of events which contain highly asymmetric dijets. This is the first observation of an enhancement of events with such large dijet asymmetries, not observed in proton-proton collisions, which may point to an interpretation in terms of strong jet energy loss in a hot, dense medium.

Statistical analysis of Skylab 3. [endocrine/metabolic studies of astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, D. A.

1974-01-01

The results of endocrine/metabolic studies of astronauts on Skylab 3 are reported. One-way analysis of variance, contrasts, two-way unbalanced analysis of variance, and analysis of periodic changes in flight are included. Results for blood tests, and urine tests are presented.

Intergenerational Effects of Incest on Parenting: Skills, Abilities, and Attitudes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armsworth, Mary W.; Stronck, Karin

1999-01-01

Investigates women's perceptions of generational influences of incest on their skills, abilities, and attitudes toward parenting their own children. Overarching themes that emerged were classified as unbalanced development, disconnected lives, and disowned dramas. Implications for clinical intervention, parent training, and future research are…

48 CFR 852.273-72 - Alternative evaluation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Alternative evaluation... Alternative evaluation. As prescribed in 873.110(c), insert the following provision: Alternative Evaluation... unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s). (End of...

φ-OTDR sensing system with bidirectional pumped fiber Raman amplifier and unbalanced MZ interferometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Liang; Tian, Ming; Dong, Lei

2017-10-01

In order to improve the detection distance and the sensitivity, we propose a novel distributed optical fiber sensing system. This system is composed of bidirectional pumping fiber Raman amplifier and unbalanced fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer. Based on the interference mechanism of phase sensitive optical time domain reflectometer (φ-OTDR), the system can get the sensing information of the whole optical fiber by analyzing the backward scattered light. The interferometer is used as the demodulator of the sensing system, which consists of a 3×3 coupler and two faraday rotator mirrors. By means of the demodulator, the signal light is divided into three beams with fixed phase difference. To deal with these three signals, we can get the vibration information directly on the optical fiber. Through experimental study, this system has a high sensitivity. The maximum sensing length and the spatial resolution of the φ-OTDR system are 100 km and 10 m. The signal to noise ratio about 18 dB is achieved.

Detection of capacity imbalance in vanadium electrolyte and its electrochemical regeneration for all-vanadium redox-flow batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roznyatovskaya, Nataliya; Herr, Tatjana; Küttinger, Michael; Fühl, Matthias; Noack, Jens; Pinkwart, Karsten; Tübke, Jens

2016-01-01

A vanadium electrolyte for redox-flow batteries (VRFB) with different VIII and VIV mole fractions has been studied by UV-vis spectroscopy. Spectrophotometric detection enables a rough estimate of the VIV and VIII content, which can be used to detect an electrolyte capacity imbalance, i.e. a deviation in the mole fraction of VIV or VIII away from 50%. The isosbestic point at 600 nm can be used as a reference point in the analysis of common VRFB electrolyte batches. The VRFB electrolyte is observed to have an imbalance after prolonged storage (a couple of years) in a tank under ambient conditions. A regeneration procedure, which involves pre-charging the unbalanced electrolyte and mixing part of it with a portion of initial unbalanced electrolyte, has been tested. The resulting rebalanced electrolyte has been compared with a common electrolyte in a charge-discharge cell test and is shown to be suitable for cell operation.

A Modular PV System Using Chain-Link-Type Multilevel Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatano, Nobuhiko; Ise, Toshifumi

This paper presents a modular photovoltaic system (MPVS) that uses a chain-link-type multilevel converter (CLMC). In large-scale PV generating systems, the DC power supply is generally composed of a large number of PV panels. Hence, losses are caused by differences in the maximum power point at each PV panel. An MPVS has been proposed to address the above mentioned problem. It helps improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency by applying maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control to each group of PV panels. In addition, if a CLMC is used in an MPVS, a high voltage can be output from the AC side and transmission losses can be decreased. However, with this circuit configuration, the current output from the AC side may be unbalanced. Therefore, we propose a method to output balanced current from the AC side, even if the output of the DC power supply is unbalanced. The validity of the proposed method is examined by digital simulation.

Sparse Coding and Lateral Inhibition Arising from Balanced and Unbalanced Dendrodendritic Excitation and Inhibition

PubMed Central

Migliore, Michele; Hines, Michael L.; Shepherd, Gordon M.

2014-01-01

The precise mechanism by which synaptic excitation and inhibition interact with each other in odor coding through the unique dendrodendritic synaptic microcircuits present in olfactory bulb is unknown. Here a scaled-up model of the mitral–granule cell network in the rodent olfactory bulb is used to analyze dendrodendritic processing of experimentally determined odor patterns. We found that the interaction between excitation and inhibition is responsible for two fundamental computational mechanisms: (1) a balanced excitation/inhibition in strongly activated mitral cells, leading to a sparse representation of odorant input, and (2) an unbalanced excitation/inhibition (inhibition dominated) in surrounding weakly activated mitral cells, leading to lateral inhibition. These results suggest how both mechanisms can carry information about the input patterns, with optimal level of synaptic excitation and inhibition producing the highest level of sparseness and decorrelation in the network response. The results suggest how the learning process, through the emergent development of these mechanisms, can enhance odor representation of olfactory bulb. PMID:25297097

Modular Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel PV Inverter with Distributed MPPT for Grid-Connected Applications

DOE PAGES

Xiao, Bailu; Hang, Lijun; Mei, Jun; ...

2014-09-04

This paper presents a modular cascaded H-bridge multilevel photovoltaic (PV) inverter for single- or three-phase grid-connected applications. The modular cascaded multilevel topology helps to improve the efficiency and flexibility of PV systems. To realize better utilization of PV modules and maximize the solar energy extraction, a distributed maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control scheme is applied to both single-phase and three-phase multilevel inverters, which allows the independent control of each dc-link voltage. For three-phase grid-connected applications, PV mismatches may introduce unbalanced supplied power, leading to unbalanced grid current. To solve this issue, a control scheme with modulation compensation is alsomore » proposed. An experimental three-phase 7-level cascaded H-bridge inverter has been built utilizing 9 H-bridge modules (3 modules per phase). Each H-bridge module is connected to a 185 W solar panel. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach.« less

Coordinated single-phase control scheme for voltage unbalance reduction in low voltage network.

PubMed

Pullaguram, Deepak; Mishra, Sukumar; Senroy, Nilanjan

2017-08-13

Low voltage (LV) distribution systems are typically unbalanced in nature due to unbalanced loading and unsymmetrical line configuration. This situation is further aggravated by single-phase power injections. A coordinated control scheme is proposed for single-phase sources, to reduce voltage unbalance. A consensus-based coordination is achieved using a multi-agent system, where each agent estimates the averaged global voltage and current magnitudes of individual phases in the LV network. These estimated values are used to modify the reference power of individual single-phase sources, to ensure system-wide balanced voltages and proper power sharing among sources connected to the same phase. Further, the high X / R ratio of the filter, used in the inverter of the single-phase source, enables control of reactive power, to minimize voltage unbalance locally. The proposed scheme is validated by simulating a LV distribution network with multiple single-phase sources subjected to various perturbations.This article is part of the themed issue 'Energy management: flexibility, risk and optimization'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Efficient Delaunay Tessellation through K-D Tree Decomposition

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

Morozov, Dmitriy; Peterka, Tom

Delaunay tessellations are fundamental data structures in computational geometry. They are important in data analysis, where they can represent the geometry of a point set or approximate its density. The algorithms for computing these tessellations at scale perform poorly when the input data is unbalanced. We investigate the use of k-d trees to evenly distribute points among processes and compare two strategies for picking split points between domain regions. Because resulting point distributions no longer satisfy the assumptions of existing parallel Delaunay algorithms, we develop a new parallel algorithm that adapts to its input and prove its correctness. We evaluatemore » the new algorithm using two late-stage cosmology datasets. The new running times are up to 50 times faster using k-d tree compared with regular grid decomposition. Moreover, in the unbalanced data sets, decomposing the domain into a k-d tree is up to five times faster than decomposing it into a regular grid.« less

L2-L1 Translation Priming Effects in a Lexical Decision Task: Evidence From Low Proficient Korean-English Bilinguals

PubMed Central

Lee, Yoonhyoung; Jang, Euna; Choi, Wonil

2018-01-01

One of the key issues in bilingual lexical representation is whether L1 processing is facilitated by L2 words. In this study, we conducted two experiments using the masked priming paradigm to examine how L2-L1 translation priming effects emerge when unbalanced, low proficiency, Korean-English bilinguals performed a lexical decision task. In Experiment 1, we used a 150 ms SOA (50 ms prime duration followed by a blank interval of 100 ms) and found a significant L2-L1 translation priming effect. In contrast, in Experiment 2, we used a 60 ms SOA (50 ms prime duration followed by a blank interval of 10 ms) and found a null effect of L2-L1 translation priming. This finding is the first demonstration of a significant L2-L1 translation priming effect with unbalanced Korean-English bilinguals. Implications of this work are discussed with regard to bilingual word recognition models. PMID:29599733

Prenatal diagnosis of a fetus with unbalanced translocation (4;13)(p16;q32) with overlapping features of Patau and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndromes.

PubMed

Tapper, Jill K; Zhang, Shuliu; Harirah, Hassan M; Panova, Neli I; Merryman, Linda S; Hawkins, Judy C; Lockhart, Lillian H; Gei, Alfredo B; Velagaleti, Gopalrao V N

2002-01-01

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) and Patau syndrome are two of the most severe conditions resulting from chromosome abnormalities. WHS is caused by a deletion of 4p16, while Patau syndrome is caused by trisomy for some or all regions of chromosome 13. Though the etiologies of these syndromes differ, they share several features including pre- and postnatal growth retardation, microcephaly, cleft lip and palate, and cardiac anomalies. We present here a female fetus with deletion of 4p16 --> pter and duplication of 13q32 --> qter due to unbalanced segregation of t(4;13)(p16;q32) in the father. She displayed overlapping features of both of these syndromes on ultrasound. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a fetus with both partial trisomy 13 and deletion of 4p16, the critical region for WHS. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Monochromatic X-ray-induced thermal effect on four-reflection “nested” meV-monochromators: dynamical diffraction theory and finite-element analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Ling-Fei; Gao, Li-Dan; Li, Zhen-Jie; Wang, Shan-Feng; Sheng, Wei-Fan; Liu, Peng; Xu, Wei

2015-09-01

The high energy resolution monochromator (HRM) is widely used in inelastic scattering programs to detect phonons with energy resolution, down to the meV level. Although the large amount of heat from insertion devices can be reduced by a high heat-load monochromator, the unbalanced heat load on the inner pair of crystals in a nested HRM can affect its overall performance. Here, a theoretical analysis of the unbalanced heat load using dynamical diffraction theory and finite element analysis is presented. By utilizing the ray-tracing method, the performance of different HRM nesting configurations is simulated. It is suggested that the heat balance ratio, energy resolution, and overall spectral transmission efficiency are the figures of merit for evaluating the performance of nested HRMs. Although the present study is mainly focused on nested HRMs working at 57Fe nuclear resonant energy at 14.4 keV, it is feasible to extend this to other nested HRMs working at different energies.

Patterns of Spatial Variation of Assemblages Associated with Intertidal Rocky Shores: A Global Perspective

PubMed Central

Cruz-Motta, Juan José; Miloslavich, Patricia; Palomo, Gabriela; Iken, Katrin; Konar, Brenda; Pohle, Gerhard; Trott, Tom; Benedetti-Cecchi, Lisandro; Herrera, César; Hernández, Alejandra; Sardi, Adriana; Bueno, Andrea; Castillo, Julio; Klein, Eduardo; Guerra-Castro, Edlin; Gobin, Judith; Gómez, Diana Isabel; Riosmena-Rodríguez, Rafael; Mead, Angela; Bigatti, Gregorio; Knowlton, Ann; Shirayama, Yoshihisa

2010-01-01

Assemblages associated with intertidal rocky shores were examined for large scale distribution patterns with specific emphasis on identifying latitudinal trends of species richness and taxonomic distinctiveness. Seventy-two sites distributed around the globe were evaluated following the standardized sampling protocol of the Census of Marine Life NaGISA project (www.nagisa.coml.org). There were no clear patterns of standardized estimators of species richness along latitudinal gradients or among Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs); however, a strong latitudinal gradient in taxonomic composition (i.e., proportion of different taxonomic groups in a given sample) was observed. Environmental variables related to natural influences were strongly related to the distribution patterns of the assemblages on the LME scale, particularly photoperiod, sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall. In contrast, no environmental variables directly associated with human influences (with the exception of the inorganic pollution index) were related to assemblage patterns among LMEs. Correlations of the natural assemblages with either latitudinal gradients or environmental variables were equally strong suggesting that neither neutral models nor models based solely on environmental variables sufficiently explain spatial variation of these assemblages at a global scale. Despite the data shortcomings in this study (e.g., unbalanced sample distribution), we show the importance of generating biological global databases for the use in large-scale diversity comparisons of rocky intertidal assemblages to stimulate continued sampling and analyses. PMID:21179546

Differential force balances during levitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todd, Paul

The simplest arithmetic of inertial, buoyant, magnetic and electrokinetic levitation is explored in the context of a model living system with “acceleration-sensitive structures” in which motion, if allowed, produces a biological effect. The simple model is a finite-sized object enclosed within another finite-sized object suspended in an outer fluid (liquid or vapor) medium. The inner object has density and electrical and magnetic properties quantitatively different from those of the outer object and the medium. In inertial levitation (“weightlessness”) inertial accelerations are balanced, and the forces due to them are canceled in accordance with Newton’s third law. In the presence of inertial acceleration (gravity, centrifugal) motionlessness depends on a balance between the levitating force and the inertial force. If the inner and outer objects differ in density one or the other will be subjected to an unbalanced force when one object is levitated by any other force (buoyant, magnetic, electrokinetic). The requirements for motionlessness of the internal object in the presence of a levitating force are equality of density in the case of buoyant levitation, equality of magnetic susceptibility in the case of magnetic levitation, and equality of zeta potential and dielectric constant in the case of electrokinetic levitation. Examples of internal “acceleration-sensitive structures” are cellular organelles and the organs of advanced plants and animals. For these structures fundamental physical data are important in the interpretation of the effects of forces used for levitation.

77 FR 56585 - Airworthiness Directives; Turbomeca S.A. Turboshaft Engines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-13

... would require performing a high gas generator speed (NG) rating vibration check. We are proposing this... have occurred following ``Level 3'' maintenance operations on the GG Assembly. Some of these maintenance operations may have created an unbalanced condition of the GG rotating assembly and, ultimately...

Profiles in Bilingualism: Factors Influencing Kindergartners' Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, L. Quentin; Wu, Shuang; Daraghmeh, Ahlam

2012-01-01

Three common assumptions concerning bilingual children's language proficiency are: (1) their proficiency in two languages is usually unbalanced; (2) low socioeconomic status (SES) indicates low proficiency in both languages; and (3) encouraging parents to speak some societal language at home will promote its development. Examining the vocabulary…

Disturbance dynamics and ecosystem-based forest management

Treesearch

Kalev Jogiste; W. Keith Moser; Malle Mandre

2005-01-01

Ecosystem-based management is intended to balance ecological, social and economic values of sustainable resource management. The desired future state of forest ecosystem is usually defined through productivity, biodiversity, stability or other terms. However, ecosystem-based management may produce an unbalanced emphasis on different components. Although ecosystem-based...

Meeting the Social Emotional Needs of Gifted Adolescents: A Personal and Contextual Journey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strop, Jean

2002-01-01

This article considers both the intrapersonal and interpersonal issues that have historically caused difficulty for groups of gifted students, including self-knowledge and self-acceptance, irrational beliefs, need for independence, heightened sensitivity, frustration tolerance, unbalanced value, and tolerating others. Interventions are provided…

29 CFR 1926.955 - Overhead lines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED... unbalanced stresses to which they will be subjected. (3) Where poles or structures may be unsafe for climbing..., except in bare-hand live-line work, or where barriers or protective devices are used. (ii) Equipment and...

29 CFR 1926.955 - Overhead lines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED... unbalanced stresses to which they will be subjected. (3) Where poles or structures may be unsafe for climbing..., except in bare-hand live-line work, or where barriers or protective devices are used. (ii) Equipment and...

29 CFR 1926.955 - Overhead lines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED... unbalanced stresses to which they will be subjected. (3) Where poles or structures may be unsafe for climbing..., except in bare-hand live-line work, or where barriers or protective devices are used. (ii) Equipment and...

29 CFR 1926.955 - Overhead lines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED... unbalanced stresses to which they will be subjected. (3) Where poles or structures may be unsafe for climbing..., except in bare-hand live-line work, or where barriers or protective devices are used. (ii) Equipment and...

29 CFR 1926.955 - Overhead lines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED... unbalanced stresses to which they will be subjected. (3) Where poles or structures may be unsafe for climbing..., except in bare-hand live-line work, or where barriers or protective devices are used. (ii) Equipment and...

Let Them Eat More Than Phonics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Jerry; Brown, Carolyn

2003-01-01

Uses reading-guide pyramid based on U.S. Department of Agriculture's food-guide pyramid to develop argument that new federal guidelines for scientific-based research will result in an unbalanced, phonics-rich approach to reading instruction. Argues for a balanced approach that includes comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and phonics. (PKP)

Restructuring Schools To Be Math Friendly to Females.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karp, Karen; Shakeshaft, Charol

1997-01-01

The gender gap in math Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, attributable to course avoidance, lack of confidence, and unbalanced classroom instruction, can have serious consequences for young women, such as limited university selection, limited career choices, and lower lifetime salaries. Solutions include hiring math specialists, establishing role…

Teddy's Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bedrossian, Laura

2008-01-01

Eighteen years ago, the author's son Teddy was born with an unbalanced chromosome translocation of 10/12, leaving him with severe disabilities, medically fragile, and chronically ill. The author describes how her entire world was changed that day. Through it all, her journey through life has been an extraordinary educational experience, despite…

Differential vulnerability of substantia nigra and corpus striatum to oxidative insult induced by reduced dietary levels of essential fatty acids

PubMed Central

Cardoso, Henriqueta D.; Passos, Priscila P.; Lagranha, Claudia J.; Ferraz, Anete C.; Santos Júnior, Eraldo F.; Oliveira, Rafael S.; Oliveira, Pablo E. L.; Santos, Rita de C. F.; Santana, David F.; Borba, Juliana M. C.; Rocha-de-Melo, Ana P.; Guedes, Rubem C. A.; Navarro, Daniela M. A. F.; Santos, Geanne K. N.; Borner, Roseane; Picanço-Diniz, Cristovam W.; Beltrão, Eduardo I.; Silva, Janilson F.; Rodrigues, Marcelo C. A.; Andrade da Costa, Belmira L. S.

2012-01-01

Oxidative stress (OS) has been implicated in the etiology of certain neurodegenerative disorders. Some of these disorders have been associated with unbalanced levels of essential fatty acids (EFA). The response of certain brain regions to OS, however, is not uniform and a selective vulnerability or resilience can occur. In our previous study on rat brains, we observed that a two-generation EFA dietary restriction reduced the number and size of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) rostro-dorso-medial. To understand whether OS contributes to this effect, we assessed the status of lipid peroxidation (LP) and anti-oxidant markers in both SN and corpus striatum (CS) of rats submitted to this dietary treatment for one (F1) or two (F2) generations. Wistar rats were raised from conception on control or experimental diets containing adequate or reduced levels of linoleic and α-linolenic fatty acids, respectively. LP was measured using the thiobarbituric acid reaction method (TBARS) and the total superoxide dismutase (t-SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activities were assessed. The experimental diet significantly reduced the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels of SN phospholipids in the F1 (~28%) and F2 (~50%) groups. In F1 adult animals of the experimental group there was no LP in both SN and CS. Consistently, there was a significant increase in the t-SOD activity (p < 0.01) in both regions. In EF2 young animals, degeneration in dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic neurons and a significant increase in LP (p < 0.01) and decrease in the CAT activity (p < 0.001) were detected in the SN, while no inter-group difference was found for these parameters in the CS. Conversely, a significant increase in t-SOD activity (p < 0.05) was detected in the CS of the experimental group compared to the control. The results show that unbalanced EFA dietary levels reduce the redox balance in the SN and reveal mechanisms of resilience in the CS under this stressful condition. PMID:22969716

Submultiple Data Collection to Explore Spectroscopic Instrument Instabilities Shows that Much of the "Noise" is not Stochastic.

PubMed

Meuse, Curtis W; Filliben, James J; Rubinson, Kenneth A

2018-04-17

As has long been understood, the noise on a spectrometric signal can be reduced by averaging over time, and the averaged noise is expected to decrease as t 1/2 , the square root of the data collection time. However, with contemporary capability for fast data collection and storage, we can retain and access a great deal more information about a signal train than just its average over time. During the same collection time, we can record the signal averaged over much shorter, equal, fixed periods. This is, then, the set of signals over submultiples of the total collection time. With a sufficiently large set of submultiples, the distribution of the signal's fluctuations over the submultiple periods of the data stream can be acquired at each wavelength (or frequency). From the autocorrelations of submultiple sets, we find only some fraction of these fluctuations consist of stochastic noise. Part of the fluctuations are what we call "fast drift", which is defined as drift over a time shorter than the complete measurement period of the average spectrum. In effect, what is usually assumed to be stochastic noise has a significant component of fast drift due to changes of conditions in the spectroscopic system. In addition, we show that the extreme values of the fluctuation of the signals are usually not balanced (equal magnitudes, equal probabilities) on either side of the mean or median without an inconveniently long measurement time; the data is almost inevitably biased. In other words, the unbalanced data is collected in an unbalanced manner around the mean, and so the median provides a better measure of the true spectrum. As is shown here, by using the medians of these distributions, the signal-to-noise of the spectrum can be increased and sampling bias reduced. The effect of this submultiple median data treatment is demonstrated for infrared, circular dichroism, and Raman spectrometry.

Bedload transport in a river confluence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Vide, J. P.; Plana-Casado, A.; Sambola, A.; Capapé, S.

2015-12-01

The confluence of the regulated Toltén River and its tributary the unregulated Allipén (south of Chile) has proved dynamic in the last decade. Daily bedload measurements with a Helley-Smith sampler, bed surveys, and grain-size distributions of the two rivers are obtained from a field campaign that lasts 3 months in high-flow season. The goals are to quantify total bedload and to understand the balance between tributary and main river and the bedload distribution in space and texture. The bedload transport varies 200-fold, with a maximum of 5000 t/day. The discharge varies five-fold, with a maximum of 900 m3/s. Two-thirds of the total bedload volume are transported through the deeper area of the cross section and gravel is predominant (64%). Average bedload volumes in the confluence seem unbalanced in favour of the tributary. Main river bedload transport is predominantly at below-capacity conditions, while the tributary bedload transport is at-capacity conditions. This is deemed the main reason of inaccuracy of the bedload predictors. The roles of entrainment into suspension, helical flow, partial transport, and mobile armour are discussed.

Analysis of categorical moderators in mixed-effects meta-analysis: Consequences of using pooled versus separate estimates of the residual between-studies variances.

PubMed

Rubio-Aparicio, María; Sánchez-Meca, Julio; López-López, José Antonio; Botella, Juan; Marín-Martínez, Fulgencio

2017-11-01

Subgroup analyses allow us to examine the influence of a categorical moderator on the effect size in meta-analysis. We conducted a simulation study using a dichotomous moderator, and compared the impact of pooled versus separate estimates of the residual between-studies variance on the statistical performance of the Q B (P) and Q B (S) tests for subgroup analyses assuming a mixed-effects model. Our results suggested that similar performance can be expected as long as there are at least 20 studies and these are approximately balanced across categories. Conversely, when subgroups were unbalanced, the practical consequences of having heterogeneous residual between-studies variances were more evident, with both tests leading to the wrong statistical conclusion more often than in the conditions with balanced subgroups. A pooled estimate should be preferred for most scenarios, unless the residual between-studies variances are clearly different and there are enough studies in each category to obtain precise separate estimates. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Genome organization and DNA methylation patterns of B chromosomes in the red fox and Chinese raccoon dogs.

PubMed

Bugno-Poniewierska, Monika; Solek, Przemysław; Wronski, Mariusz; Potocki, Leszek; Jezewska-Witkowska, Grażyna; Wnuk, Maciej

2014-12-01

The molecular structure of B chromosomes (Bs) is relatively well studied. Previous research demonstrates that Bs of various species usually contain two types of repetitive DNA sequences, satellite DNA and ribosomal DNA, but Bs also contain genes encoding histone proteins and many others. However, many questions remain regarding the origin and function of these chromosomes. Here, we focused on the comparative cytogenetic characteristics of the red fox and Chinese raccoon dog B chromosomes with particular attention to the distribution of repetitive DNA sequences and their methylation status. We confirmed that the small Bs of the red fox show a typical fluorescent telomeric distal signal, whereas medium-sized Bs of the Chinese raccoon dog were characterized by clusters of telomeric sequences along their length. We also found different DNA methylation patterns for the B chromosomes of both species. Therefore, we concluded that DNA methylation may maintain the transcriptional inactivation of DNA sequences localized to B chromosomes and may prevent genetic unbalancing and several negative phenotypic effects. © 2014 The Authors.

Multiway spectral community detection in networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao; Newman, M. E. J.

2015-11-01

One of the most widely used methods for community detection in networks is the maximization of the quality function known as modularity. Of the many maximization techniques that have been used in this context, some of the most conceptually attractive are the spectral methods, which are based on the eigenvectors of the modularity matrix. Spectral algorithms have, however, been limited, by and large, to the division of networks into only two or three communities, with divisions into more than three being achieved by repeated two-way division. Here we present a spectral algorithm that can directly divide a network into any number of communities. The algorithm makes use of a mapping from modularity maximization to a vector partitioning problem, combined with a fast heuristic for vector partitioning. We compare the performance of this spectral algorithm with previous approaches and find it to give superior results, particularly in cases where community sizes are unbalanced. We also give demonstrative applications of the algorithm to two real-world networks and find that it produces results in good agreement with expectations for the networks studied.

Advanced Energy Storage Management in Distribution Network

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

Liu, Guodong; Ceylan, Oguzhan; Xiao, Bailu

2016-01-01

With increasing penetration of distributed generation (DG) in the distribution networks (DN), the secure and optimal operation of DN has become an important concern. In this paper, an iterative mixed integer quadratic constrained quadratic programming model to optimize the operation of a three phase unbalanced distribution system with high penetration of Photovoltaic (PV) panels, DG and energy storage (ES) is developed. The proposed model minimizes not only the operating cost, including fuel cost and purchasing cost, but also voltage deviations and power loss. The optimization model is based on the linearized sensitivity coefficients between state variables (e.g., node voltages) andmore » control variables (e.g., real and reactive power injections of DG and ES). To avoid slow convergence when close to the optimum, a golden search method is introduced to control the step size and accelerate the convergence. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated on modified IEEE 13 nodes test feeders with multiple PV panels, DG and ES. Numerical simulation results validate the proposed algorithm. Various scenarios of system configuration are studied and some critical findings are concluded.« less

A Hybrid Cellular Genetic Algorithm for Multi-objective Crew Scheduling Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolai, Fariborz; Assadipour, Ghazal

Crew scheduling is one of the important problems of the airline industry. This problem aims to cover a number of flights by crew members, such that all the flights are covered. In a robust scheduling the assignment should be so that the total cost, delays, and unbalanced utilization are minimized. As the problem is NP-hard and the objectives are in conflict with each other, a multi-objective meta-heuristic called CellDE, which is a hybrid cellular genetic algorithm, is implemented as the optimization method. The proposed algorithm provides the decision maker with a set of non-dominated or Pareto-optimal solutions, and enables them to choose the best one according to their preferences. A set of problems of different sizes is generated and solved using the proposed algorithm. Evaluating the performance of the proposed algorithm, three metrics are suggested, and the diversity and the convergence of the achieved Pareto front are appraised. Finally a comparison is made between CellDE and PAES, another meta-heuristic algorithm. The results show the superiority of CellDE.

What was the programme theory of New Labour's Health System Reforms?

PubMed

Millar, Ross; Powell, Martin; Dixon, Anna

2012-01-01

To examine whether the Health System Reforms delivered the promise of being a coherent and mutually supporting reform programme; to identify the underlying programme theory of the reform programme; to reflect on whether lessons have been learned. Documentary analysis mapping the implicit and explicit programme theories about how the reforms intended to achieve its goals and outcomes. Semi-structured interviews with policy-makers to further understand the programme theory. The Health System Reforms assumed a 'one size fits all' approach to policy implementation with little recognition that some contexts can be more receptive than others. There was evidence of some policy evolution and rebalancing between the reform streams as policy-makers became aware of some perverse incentives and unforeseen consequences. Later elements aimed to restore balance to the system. The Health System Reforms do not appear to comprise a coherent and mutually supportive set of levers and incentives. They appear unbalanced with the centre of gravity favouring suppliers over commissioners. However, recent reform changes have sought to redress this imbalance to some extent, suggesting that lessons have been learned and policies have been adapted over time.

New low-level a-c amplifier provides adjustable noise cancellation and automatic temperature compensation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, J. R., Jr.

1964-01-01

Circuit utilizing a transistorized differential amplifier is developed for biomedical use. This low voltage operating circuit provides adjustable cancellation at the input for unbalanced noise signals, and automatic temperature compensation is accomplished by a single active element across the input-output ends.

Gender and Number Agreement in the Oral Production of Arabic Heritage Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albirini, Abdulkafi; Benmamoun, Elabbas; Chakrani, Brahim

2013-01-01

Heritage language acquisition has been characterized by various asymmetries, including the differential acquisition rates of various linguistic areas and the unbalanced acquisition of different categories within a single area. This paper examines Arabic heritage speakers' knowledge of subject-verb agreement versus noun-adjective agreement with the…

Obesity and the Unbalanced Energy Equation: Exercise versus Eating Habit Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

And Others; Dahlkoetter, JoAnn

1979-01-01

Compared relative effectiveness of exercise and eating habit change individually and in combination for weight loss and physical conditioning. Results indicated significant improvement for all treatment groups. Groups who exercised showed most improvement in physical fitness. Combining exercise and eating habit change yielded best results in…

In-Process Quality Control in Apparel Production: Sewing Defects

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-10-01

runout 2. unbalanced stitch, stitch length variation Operator: 1. Raw edge, ply misalignment, sewing off of garment Thread: 1. Thread damage, broken...sewing machine. Two measurements were made for each position of the handwheel. The method used for marking the wheel is described below. A special tape

Fad reducing diets: separating fads from facts.

PubMed

Blackburn, G L; Pavlou, K

1984-01-01

Generally, it is wise to stay away from any crash diet. All tend to be nutritionally unbalanced. Although all may cause great temporary weight losses in short periods of time, over the long term, the only thing they accomplish is the addition of another cycle of frustration and disappointment for the dieter.

Multilevel Analysis of Structural Equation Models via the EM Algorithm.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jo, See-Heyon

The question of how to analyze unbalanced hierarchical data generated from structural equation models has been a common problem for researchers and analysts. Among difficulties plaguing statistical modeling are estimation bias due to measurement error and the estimation of the effects of the individual's hierarchical social milieu. This paper…

Unbalancing Acts: Plagiarism as Catalyst for Instructor Emotion in the Composition Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biswas, Ann E.

2016-01-01

In this essay, the author reflects on her experiences while researching composition instructors' emotional responses to plagiarism. The research found that instructors faced a variety of complex and competing feelings when students plagiarized, and those responses threatened to upset relationships, power structures, and professional identities in…

Verbal and Nonverbal Cognitive Control in Bilinguals and Interpreters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woumans, Evy; Ceuleers, Evy; Van der Linden, Lize; Szmalec, Arnaud; Duyck, Wouter

2015-01-01

The present study explored the relation between language control and nonverbal cognitive control in different bilingual populations. We compared monolinguals, Dutch-French unbalanced bilinguals, balanced bilinguals, and interpreters on the Simon task (Simon & Rudell, 1967) and the Attention Network Test (ANT; Fan, McCandliss, Sommer, Raz,…

Statistical sex determination from craniometrics: Comparison of linear discriminant analysis, logistic regression, and support vector machines.

PubMed

Santos, Frédéric; Guyomarc'h, Pierre; Bruzek, Jaroslav

2014-12-01

Accuracy of identification tools in forensic anthropology primarily rely upon the variations inherent in the data upon which they are built. Sex determination methods based on craniometrics are widely used and known to be specific to several factors (e.g. sample distribution, population, age, secular trends, measurement technique, etc.). The goal of this study is to discuss the potential variations linked to the statistical treatment of the data. Traditional craniometrics of four samples extracted from documented osteological collections (from Portugal, France, the U.S.A., and Thailand) were used to test three different classification methods: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic regression (LR), and support vector machines (SVM). The Portuguese sample was set as a training model on which the other samples were applied in order to assess the validity and reliability of the different models. The tests were performed using different parameters: some included the selection of the best predictors; some included a strict decision threshold (sex assessed only if the related posterior probability was high, including the notion of indeterminate result); and some used an unbalanced sex-ratio. Results indicated that LR tends to perform slightly better than the other techniques and offers a better selection of predictors. Also, the use of a decision threshold (i.e. p>0.95) is essential to ensure an acceptable reliability of sex determination methods based on craniometrics. Although the Portuguese, French, and American samples share a similar sexual dimorphism, application of Western models on the Thai sample (that displayed a lower degree of dimorphism) was unsuccessful. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomass, community structure and nutritional status attributes of the deep subsurface microbiota---at Idaho and Hanford sites

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

White, D.C.; Ringelberg, D.B.

1991-10-28

The signature lipid biomarker technique based on phospholipid ester-linked fatty acid pattern analysis (PLFA) provides data on the total viable or potentially viable communities without the necessity of: (1) Quantitative recovery from the sediments or (2) The ability to culture the organisms. Analysis of PLFA provides evidence for the nutritional status (starvation and/or unbalanced growth) in situ. PLFA analysis of SSP samples from the INEL and PNL sites vadose zones showed higher biomass at the surface with prominent Actinomyces biomarkers with lower biomasses of stressed microbiota at progressively greater depth. The biomass and community diversity increased at the water tablemore » at both sites. Both these Western sites showed lower viable microbial biomasses than the WSRS samples. Cluster analysis of the total patterns from various sedimentary horizons showed three major consortia of microbes, with surface microbiota related at both sites, low viable biomass sites closely related at both sites, with anaerobic desaturase pathway being predominant at INEL and consortia utilizing predominantly branched saturated and the aerobic desaturase pathway at both sites. Preliminary examination of the consortia recovered from NTS show a clear relationship to water level.« less

Tongue Images Classification Based on Constrained High Dispersal Network.

PubMed

Meng, Dan; Cao, Guitao; Duan, Ye; Zhu, Minghua; Tu, Liping; Xu, Dong; Xu, Jiatuo

2017-01-01

Computer aided tongue diagnosis has a great potential to play important roles in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the majority of the existing tongue image analyses and classification methods are based on the low-level features, which may not provide a holistic view of the tongue. Inspired by deep convolutional neural network (CNN), we propose a novel feature extraction framework called constrained high dispersal neural networks (CHDNet) to extract unbiased features and reduce human labor for tongue diagnosis in TCM. Previous CNN models have mostly focused on learning convolutional filters and adapting weights between them, but these models have two major issues: redundancy and insufficient capability in handling unbalanced sample distribution. We introduce high dispersal and local response normalization operation to address the issue of redundancy. We also add multiscale feature analysis to avoid the problem of sensitivity to deformation. Our proposed CHDNet learns high-level features and provides more classification information during training time, which may result in higher accuracy when predicting testing samples. We tested the proposed method on a set of 267 gastritis patients and a control group of 48 healthy volunteers. Test results show that CHDNet is a promising method in tongue image classification for the TCM study.

An efficient data mining framework for the characterization of symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaque using bidimensional empirical mode decomposition technique.

PubMed

Molinari, Filippo; Raghavendra, U; Gudigar, Anjan; Meiburger, Kristen M; Rajendra Acharya, U

2018-02-23

Atherosclerosis is a type of cardiovascular disease which may cause stroke. It is due to the deposition of fatty plaque in the artery walls resulting in the reduction of elasticity gradually and hence restricting the blood flow to the heart. Hence, an early prediction of carotid plaque deposition is important, as it can save lives. This paper proposes a novel data mining framework for the assessment of atherosclerosis in its early stage using ultrasound images. In this work, we are using 1353 symptomatic and 420 asymptomatic carotid plaque ultrasound images. Our proposed method classifies the symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques using bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) and entropy features. The unbalanced data samples are compensated using adaptive synthetic sampling (ADASYN), and the developed method yielded a promising accuracy of 91.43%, sensitivity of 97.26%, and specificity of 83.22% using fourteen features. Hence, the proposed method can be used as an assisting tool during the regular screening of carotid arteries in hospitals. Graphical abstract Outline for our efficient data mining framework for the characterization of symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques.

Cross Layer Design for Optimizing Transmission Reliability, Energy Efficiency, and Lifetime in Body Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Chen, Xi; Xu, Yixuan; Liu, Anfeng

2017-04-19

High transmission reliability, energy efficiency, and long lifetime are pivotal issues for wireless body area networks (WBANs. However, these performance metrics are not independent of each other, making it hard to obtain overall improvements through optimizing one single aspect. Therefore, a Cross Layer Design Optimal (CLDO) scheme is proposed to simultaneously optimize transmission reliability, energy efficiency, and lifetime of WBANs from several layers. Firstly, due to the fact that the transmission power of nodes directly influences the reliability of links, the optimized transmission power of different nodes is deduced, which is able to maximize energy efficiency in theory under the premise that requirements on delay and jitter are fulfilled. Secondly, a relay decision algorithm is proposed to choose optimized relay nodes. Using this algorithm, nodes will choose relay nodes that ensure a balance of network energy consumption, provided that all nodes transmit with optimized transmission power and the same packet size. Thirdly, the energy consumption of nodes is still unbalanced even with optimized transmission power because of their different locations in the topology of the network. In addition, packet size also has an impact on final performance metrics. Therefore, a synthesized cross layer method for optimization is proposed. With this method, the transmission power of nodes with more residual energy will be enhanced while suitable packet size is determined for different links in the network, leading to further improvements in the WBAN system. Both our comprehensive theoretical analysis and experimental results indicate that the performance of our proposed scheme is better than reported in previous studies. Relative to the relay selection and power control game (RSPCG) scheme, the CLDO scheme can enhance transmission reliability by more than 44.6% and prolong the lifetime by as much as 33.2%.

Cross Layer Design for Optimizing Transmission Reliability, Energy Efficiency, and Lifetime in Body Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Chen, Xi; Xu, Yixuan; Liu, Anfeng

2017-01-01

High transmission reliability, energy efficiency, and long lifetime are pivotal issues for wireless body area networks (WBANs). However, these performance metrics are not independent of each other, making it hard to obtain overall improvements through optimizing one single aspect. Therefore, a Cross Layer Design Optimal (CLDO) scheme is proposed to simultaneously optimize transmission reliability, energy efficiency, and lifetime of WBANs from several layers. Firstly, due to the fact that the transmission power of nodes directly influences the reliability of links, the optimized transmission power of different nodes is deduced, which is able to maximize energy efficiency in theory under the premise that requirements on delay and jitter are fulfilled. Secondly, a relay decision algorithm is proposed to choose optimized relay nodes. Using this algorithm, nodes will choose relay nodes that ensure a balance of network energy consumption, provided that all nodes transmit with optimized transmission power and the same packet size. Thirdly, the energy consumption of nodes is still unbalanced even with optimized transmission power because of their different locations in the topology of the network. In addition, packet size also has an impact on final performance metrics. Therefore, a synthesized cross layer method for optimization is proposed. With this method, the transmission power of nodes with more residual energy will be enhanced while suitable packet size is determined for different links in the network, leading to further improvements in the WBAN system. Both our comprehensive theoretical analysis and experimental results indicate that the performance of our proposed scheme is better than reported in previous studies. Relative to the relay selection and power control game (RSPCG) scheme, the CLDO scheme can enhance transmission reliability by more than 44.6% and prolong the lifetime by as much as 33.2%. PMID:28422062

Unbalanced Bilingual Acquisition as a Mechanism of Grammatical Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Stephen; Yip, Virginia

2011-01-01

Bilingual first language acquisition (BFLA) has been considered a possible mechanism of contact-induced change in several recent studies (Siegel, 2008, p. 117; Satterfield, 2005, p. 2075; Thomason, 2001, p. 148; Yip & Matthews, 2007, p.15). There is as yet little consensus on the question, with divergent views regarding both BFLA at the individual…

Associated Factors for Self-Reported Binge Eating among Male and Female Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ledoux, Sylvie; And Others

1993-01-01

Adolescents (n=3,287) completed questionnaire concerning eating behaviors. Found that binge eaters had disorderly eating habits (skipping meals, snacking, eating sweets, unbalanced diets), concern with body shape (feeling too fat), and depressive symptoms more often than nonbinge eaters did. Relationship between binging episodes and eating habits,…

Modulation of Language Switching by Cue Timing: Implications for Models of Bilingual Language Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khateb, Asaid; Shamshoum, Rana; Prior, Anat

2017-01-01

The current study examines the interplay between global and local processes in bilingual language control. We investigated language-switching performance of unbalanced Arabic-Hebrew bilinguals in cued picture naming, using 5 different cuing parameters. The language cue could precede the picture, follow it, or appear simultaneously with it. Naming…

Unbalanced activation of glutathione metabolic pathways suggests potential involvement in plant defense against the gall midge mayetiola destructor in wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Glutathione, a thiol tripeptide of '-glutamylcysteinylglycine, exists abundantly in nearly all organisms. Glutathione participates in various physiological processes involved in redox reactions by serving as an electron donor/acceptor. In this study, we found that the abundance of total glutathion...

Teacher Allocation Policies and the Unbalanced Distribution of Novice and Senior Teachers across Regions in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özoglu, Murat; Beyazit, Yildirim

2015-01-01

Policies toward fostering a more balanced distribution of teacher quality have garnered considerable attention from researchers and policymakers around the world. This attention has been motivated largely by the widely acknowledged educational goal of providing quality education for all children. Equipped with similar policy concerns, this study…

Fan blade protection system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hermans, Thomas C. (Inventor); Wakeman, Thomas G. (Inventor); Hauser, Ambrose A. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

In one type of aircraft propulsion system, propeller blades are mounted on a ring which surrounds a turbine. An annular space exists between the turbine and the ring. If a propeller blade should break free, the unbalanced centrifugal load tends to deform the ring. The invention reduces the deformation, as by locating spacers between the turbine and the ring.

Taking a Hard Look at Formal Mentoring Programs: A Consideration of the Potential Challenges Facing Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blake-Beard, Stacy D.

2001-01-01

Comparison of women in formal and informal mentoring relationships showed that formal mentoring often led to unrealistic expectations; unbalanced focus on proteges; difficulty managing relationships among supervisors, proteges, and mentors; and damage from gossip. Informal mentoring may provide psychosocial and career support without these…

Intensity-based fibre-optic sensing system using contrast modulation of subcarrier interference pattern

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adamovsky, G.; Sherer, T. N.; Maitland, D. J.

1989-01-01

A novel technique to compensate for unwanted intensity losses in a fiber-optic sensing system is described. The technique involves a continuous sinusoidal modulation of the light source intensity at radio frequencies and an intensity sensor placed in an unbalanced interferometer. The system shows high sensitivity and stability.

Preserving Social Studies as Core Curricula in an Era of Common Core Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denton, David W.; Sink, Cindy

2015-01-01

Education reform over the last two decades has changed perceptions of core curricula. Although social studies has traditionally been part of the core, emphasis on standards-based teaching and learning, along with elaborate accountability schemes, is causing unbalanced treatment of subjects. While the research literature indicates teachers are…

Changes in Thought on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maoyuan, Pan

2007-01-01

The reforms and developments of China's higher education at a time when it faces two great challenges--the world's science/technology revolution and China's social market economy--are, on the whole, replete with achievements and fraught with difficulties and show great changes, but they are unbalanced. Everyone feels that these reforms and…

Income Inequality, Global Economy and the State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Cheol-Sung; Nielsen, Francois; Alderson, Arthur S.

2007-01-01

We investigate interrelationship among income inequality, global economy and the role of the state using an unbalanced panel data set with 311 observations on 60 countries, dated from 1970 to 1994. The analysis proceeds in two stages. First, we test for effects on income inequality of variables characterizing the situation of a society in the…

AST/R–BASED WATER REUSE AS A PART OF THE TOTAL WATER SOLUTION FOR WATER-STRESSED REGIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND REGULATORY PROSPECTIVE

EPA Science Inventory

Water supply and demand are increasingly unbalanced in many parts of the world. To address the imbalance, the total water solution methodology simultaneously considers regulatory, engineering, environmental and economic factors to optimize risk management solutions for an entire...

AST/R BASED WATER REUSE AS A PART OF THE TOTAL WATER SOLUTION FOR WATER-STRESSED REGIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF ENGINEERING PRACTICE AND REGULATORY PROSPECTIVE

EPA Science Inventory

Water supply and demand are increasingly unbalanced in many parts of the world. To address the imbalance, the total water solution methodology simultaneously considers regulatory, engineering, environmental and economic factors to optimize risk management solutions for an entire ...

Not All Ambiguous Words Are Created Equal: An EEG Investigation of Homonymy and Polysemy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klepousniotou, Ekaterini; Pike, G. Bruce; Steinhauer, Karsten; Gracco, Vincent

2012-01-01

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the time-course of meaning activation of different types of ambiguous words. Unbalanced homonymous ("pen"), balanced homonymous ("panel"), metaphorically polysemous ("lip"), and metonymically polysemous words ("rabbit") were used in a visual single-word priming delayed lexical decision task.…

Lessons in Learning: Understanding the Academic Trajectories of ESL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Council on Learning, 2008

2008-01-01

Canada depends on a steady flow of immigrants to maintain a viable workforce within an aging population. Without immigration, Canada's dependency ratio--the number of employed versus non-employed individuals--would grow dangerously unbalanced. In recent years, most immigrants have come from countries where the spoken language is not English or…

International Migration, Deindustrialization and Union Decline in 16 Affluent OECD Countries, 1962-1997

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Cheol-Sung

2005-01-01

This article, using unbalanced panel data on 16 affluent OECD countries, tests the effects of diverse aspects of globalization and deindustrialization on unionization trends. In contrast to the recent studies focusing on the conditional role of labor market institutions, this study underlines the role of two structural factors in transforming…

International Sexual Partnerships May Be Shaped by Sexual Histories and Socioeconomic Status.

PubMed

Truong, Hong-Ha M; Mehrotra, Megha; Montoya, Orlando; Lama, Javier R; Guanira, Juan V; Casapía, Martín; Veloso, Valdiléa G; Buchbinder, Susan P; Mayer, Kenneth H; Chariyalertsak, Suwat; Schechter, Mauro; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Kallás, Esper G; Grant, Robert M

2017-05-01

Exchange sex and higher education were associated with an increased likelihood of international sexual partnerships (ISPs). Exchange sex and older age were associated with an increased likelihood of condomless sex in ISPs. Educational and socioeconomic factors may create unbalanced power dynamics that influence exchange sex and condomless sex in ISPs.

Antecedents for Interrole Conflict in the High School Teacher/Coach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Timothy D.

2008-01-01

Antecedents for interrole conflict between the teaching role and coaching role for the high school teacher coach (TC) were examined. It was expected that younger TCs, those in smaller schools, TCs with more coaching jobs, or TCs with an unbalanced role preference will experience more conflict between the teaching and coaching role. Using…

The Body Politic: Childhood Obesity as a Symbol of an Unbalanced Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroner, Crystal

2011-01-01

As society's novices, children are becoming more susceptible to advertisers who target them as a profitable demographic. This creates an alarming trend of obesity and exacts a considerable financial, physical and ethical toll on the community. To view obesity as concurrent with malnourishment seems counter-intuitive, this study uses Butler's…

Hysteresis Control of Parallel-Connected Hybrid Inverters

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-09-01

92 C. MILITARY APPLICATIONS .....................................................................92 D...unbalanced to replicate the “real-world” application of the controller. Other areas of the controller could be changed to improve the fidelity of the load...a chip to perform the complex mathematics to transform from one reference frame to another while automatically adjusting the filter parameters. The

Bilingualism and Processing of Elementary Cognitive Tasks by Chicano Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nanez, Jose E., Sr.; Padilla, Raymond V.

1995-01-01

Two experiments conducted with 49 Chicano high school students, aged 15-17, found that balanced-proficient bilingual speakers had slower rates of cognitive information processing at the level of short-term memory than did unbalanced bilingual speakers. The groups did not differ in rates of cognitive information processing at the simpler level of…

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

PubMed

Bergh, Daniel

2015-01-01

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

Carbon Nanotube Thin-Film Antennas.

PubMed

Puchades, Ivan; Rossi, Jamie E; Cress, Cory D; Naglich, Eric; Landi, Brian J

2016-08-17

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) dipole antennas have been successfully designed, fabricated, and tested. Antennas of varying lengths were fabricated using flexible bulk MWCNT sheet material and evaluated to confirm the validity of a full-wave antenna design equation. The ∼20× improvement in electrical conductivity provided by chemically doped SWCNT thin films over MWCNT sheets presents an opportunity for the fabrication of thin-film antennas, leading to potentially simplified system integration and optical transparency. The resonance characteristics of a fabricated chlorosulfonic acid-doped SWCNT thin-film antenna demonstrate the feasibility of the technology and indicate that when the sheet resistance of the thin film is >40 ohm/sq no power is absorbed by the antenna and that a sheet resistance of <10 ohm/sq is needed to achieve a 10 dB return loss in the unbalanced antenna. The dependence of the return loss performance on the SWCNT sheet resistance is consistent with unbalanced metal, metal oxide, and other CNT-based thin-film antennas, and it provides a framework for which other thin-film antennas can be designed.

Control method of Three-phase Four-leg converter based on repetitive control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Wang

2018-03-01

The research chose the magnetic levitation force of wind power generation system as the object. In order to improve the power quality problem caused by unbalanced load in power supply system, we combined the characteristics and repetitive control principle of magnetic levitation wind power generation system, and then an independent control strategy for three-phase four-leg converter was proposed. In this paper, based on the symmetric component method, the second order generalized integrator was used to generate the positive and negative sequence of signals, and the decoupling control was carried out under the synchronous rotating reference frame, in which the positive and negative sequence voltage is PI double closed loop, and a PI regulator with repetitive control was introduced to eliminate the static error regarding the fundamental frequency fluctuation characteristic of zero sequence component. The simulation results based on Matlab/Simulink show that the proposed control project can effectively suppress the disturbance caused by unbalanced loads and maintain the load voltage balance. The project is easy to be achieved and remarkably improves the quality of the independent power supply system.

Research concerning the balancing of a plane mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bădoiu, D.; Petrescu, M. G.; Antonescu, N. N.; Toma, G.

2018-01-01

By statically balancing of the plane mechanisms and especially those functioning at high speeds is being pursued the decrease of the value of the resultant force of all inertia forces that work on the component elements, thus obtaining a significant decrease in vibrations and shocks during the functioning. On the other hand, the existence of balancing masses which ensure the balancing of the mechanism leads to increased gauge and its mass. In this paper are presented some possibilities of statically balancing a plane mechanism which is composed of three independent contours. First is analyzed the case when the mechanism is totally balanced. Then a solution is proposed for a partial balancing of the mechanism based on the balancing of the first harmonic of the inertia force developed in a piston of the mechanism. Finally, are presented some simulation results concerning the variation of the value of the resultant inertia force during a cinematic cycle when the mechanism is unbalanced and when it is partially balanced. Also, it is analyzed the variation of the motor moment when the mechanism is unbalanced and when is totally and partially balanced.

Practical quantum private query of blocks based on unbalanced-state Bennett-Brassard-1984 quantum-key-distribution protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Chun-Yan; Gao, Fei; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Wang, Tian-Yin

2014-12-01

Until now, the only kind of practical quantum private query (QPQ), quantum-key-distribution (QKD)-based QPQ, focuses on the retrieval of a single bit. In fact, meaningful message is generally composed of multiple adjacent bits (i.e., a multi-bit block). To obtain a message from database, the user Alice has to query l times to get each ai. In this condition, the server Bob could gain Alice's privacy once he obtains the address she queried in any of the l queries, since each ai contributes to the message Alice retrieves. Apparently, the longer the retrieved message is, the worse the user privacy becomes. To solve this problem, via an unbalanced-state technique and based on a variant of multi-level BB84 protocol, we present a protocol for QPQ of blocks, which allows the user to retrieve a multi-bit block from database in one query. Our protocol is somewhat like the high-dimension version of the first QKD-based QPQ protocol proposed by Jacobi et al., but some nontrivial modifications are necessary.

Comparison of Deterministic and Probabilistic Radial Distribution Systems Load Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Atma Ram; Kumar, Ashwani

2017-12-01

Distribution system network today is facing the challenge of meeting increased load demands from the industrial, commercial and residential sectors. The pattern of load is highly dependent on consumer behavior and temporal factors such as season of the year, day of the week or time of the day. For deterministic radial distribution load flow studies load is taken as constant. But, load varies continually with a high degree of uncertainty. So, there is a need to model probable realistic load. Monte-Carlo Simulation is used to model the probable realistic load by generating random values of active and reactive power load from the mean and standard deviation of the load and for solving a Deterministic Radial Load Flow with these values. The probabilistic solution is reconstructed from deterministic data obtained for each simulation. The main contribution of the work is: Finding impact of probable realistic ZIP load modeling on balanced radial distribution load flow. Finding impact of probable realistic ZIP load modeling on unbalanced radial distribution load flow. Compare the voltage profile and losses with probable realistic ZIP load modeling for balanced and unbalanced radial distribution load flow.

Ploidy dimorphism and reproductive biology in Stenodrepanum bergii (Leguminosae), a rare South American endemism.

PubMed

Caponio, Irene; Anton, Ana M; Fortunato, Renée H; Norrmann, G A

2012-01-01

This is the first report on chromosome numbers and the reproductive behaviour in Stenodrepanum Harms, a rare endemic and monotypic legume genus from the arid and salty areas of central-western Argentina. Sixty individuals belonging to two populations from two salty areas ("salinas") were surveyed and included mostly triploid (2n = 3x = 36) and only two diploid (2n = 2x = 24) plants. Meiosis in diploids is regular, with bivalent pairing and uniform and viable pollen. In contrast, meiosis in triploids is characterized by high trivalent pairing, with irregularly shaped pollen and variation in cytoplasm content and stainability, which is in agreement with an unbalanced segregation occurring in anaphases I and II. However, different triploid plants/individuals showed various degrees of pollen fertility, which may be attributed to particular genotypes. Research on reproductive biology events indicates sexual cross-pollinated reproduction enhanced by protogyny in both cytotypes. All plants produced seeds, but seedlings were only recovered from diploid plants pollinated with triploids, and even those eventually perished. Chromosome counts in these seedlings revealed aneuploid chromosome numbers owing to the combination of unbalanced gametes.

Results of a laboratory experiment that tests rotating unbalanced-mass devices for scanning gimbaled payloads and free-flying spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alhorn, D. C.; Polites, M. E.

1994-01-01

Rotating unbalanced-mass (RUM) devices are a new way to scan space-based, balloon-borne, and ground-based gimbaled payloads, like x-ray and gamma-ray telescopes. They can also be used to scan free-flying spacecraft. Circular scans, linear scans, and raster scans can be generated. A pair of RUM devices generates the basic scan motion and an auxiliary control system using torque motors, control moment gyros, or reaction wheels keeps the scan centered on the target and produces some complementary motion for raster scanning. Previous analyses and simulation results show that this approach offers significant power savings compared to scanning only with the auxiliary control system, especially with large payloads and high scan frequencies. However, these claims have never been proven until now. This paper describes a laboratory experiment which tests the concept of scanning a gimbaled payload with RUM devices. A description of the experiment is given and test results that prove the concept are presented. The test results are compared with those from a computer simulation model of the experiment and the differences are discussed.

A comparative study of stabilizing control of a planer electromagnetic levitation using PID and LQR controllers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yaseen, Mundher H. A.

Magnetic levitation is a technique to suspend an object without any mechanical support. The main objective of this study is to demonstrate stabilized closed loop control of 1-DOF Maglev experimentally using real-time control simulink feature of (SIMLAB) microcontroller. Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controllers are employed to examine the stability performance of the Maglev control system under effect of unbalanced change of load and wave signal on Maglev plane. The effect of unbalanced change of applied load on single point, line and plane are presented. Furthermore, in order to study the effect of sudden change in input signal, the input of wave signal has been applied on all points of the prototype maglev plate simultaneously. The results of pulse width modulation (PWM) reveal that the control system using LQR controller provides faster response to adjust the levitated plane comparing to PID controller. Moreover, the air gap distance that controlled using PID controller is rather stable with little oscillation. Meanwhile, LQR controller provided more stability and homogeneous response.

Sucrose Sensitivity of Honey Bees Is Differently Affected by Dietary Protein and a Neonicotinoid Pesticide

PubMed Central

Démares, Fabien J.; Crous, Kendall L.; Pirk, Christian W. W.; Nicolson, Susan W.; Human, Hannelie

2016-01-01

Over a decade, declines in honey bee colonies have raised worldwide concerns. Several potentially contributing factors have been investigated, e.g. parasites, diseases, and pesticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides have received much attention due to their intensive use in crop protection, and their adverse effects on many levels of honey bee physiology led the European Union to ban these compounds. Due to their neuronal target, a receptor expressed throughout the insect nervous system, studies have focused mainly on neuroscience and behaviour. Through the Geometric Framework of nutrition, we investigated effects of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on survival, food consumption and sucrose sensitivity of honey bees (Apis mellifera). Thiamethoxam did not affect protein and carbohydrate intake, but decreased responses to high concentrations of sucrose. Interestingly, when bees ate fixed unbalanced diets, dietary protein facilitated better sucrose detection. Both thiamethoxam and dietary protein influenced survival. These findings suggest that, in the presence of a pesticide and unbalanced food, honey bee health may be severely challenged. Consequences for foraging efficiency and colony activity, cornerstones of honey bee health, are also discussed. PMID:27272274

Surface treatment effect on Si (111) substrate for carbon deposition using DC unbalanced magnetron sputtering

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

Aji, A. S., E-mail: aji.ravazes70@gmail.com; Sahdan, M. F.; Hendra, I. B.

In this work, we studied the effect of HF treatment in silicon (111) substrate surface for depositing thin layer carbon. We performed the deposition of carbon by using DC Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering with carbon pallet (5% Fe) as target. From SEM characterization results it can be concluded that the carbon layer on HF treated substrate is more uniform than on substrate without treated. Carbon deposition rate is higher as confirmed by AFM results if the silicon substrate is treated by HF solution. EDAX characterization results tell that silicon (111) substrate with HF treatment have more carbon fraction than substrate withoutmore » treatment. These results confirmed that HF treatment on silicon Si (111) substrates could enhance the carbon deposition by using DC sputtering. Afterward, the carbon atomic arrangement on silicon (111) surface is studied by performing thermal annealing process to 900 °C. From Raman spectroscopy results, thin film carbon is not changing until 600 °C thermal budged. But, when temperature increase to 900 °C, thin film carbon is starting to diffuse to silicon (111) substrates.« less

Convergence analysis of directed signed networks via an M-matrix approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Deyuan

2018-04-01

This paper aims at solving convergence problems on directed signed networks with multiple nodes, where interactions among nodes are described by signed digraphs. The convergence analysis is achieved by matrix-theoretic and graph-theoretic tools, in which M-matrices play a central role. The fundamental digon sign-symmetry assumption upon signed digraphs can be removed with the proposed analysis approach. Furthermore, necessary and sufficient conditions are established for semi-positive and positive stabilities of Laplacian matrices of signed digraphs, respectively. A benefit of this result is that given strong connectivity, a directed signed network can achieve bipartite consensus (or state stability) if and only if the signed digraph associated with it is structurally balanced (or unbalanced). If the interactions between nodes are described by a signed digraph only with spanning trees, a directed signed network can achieve interval bipartite consensus (or state stability) if and only if the signed digraph contains a structurally balanced (or unbalanced) rooted subgraph. Simulations are given to illustrate the developed results by considering signed networks associated with digon sign-unsymmetric signed digraphs.

Practical quantum private query of blocks based on unbalanced-state Bennett-Brassard-1984 quantum-key-distribution protocol

PubMed Central

Wei, Chun-Yan; Gao, Fei; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Wang, Tian-Yin

2014-01-01

Until now, the only kind of practical quantum private query (QPQ), quantum-key-distribution (QKD)-based QPQ, focuses on the retrieval of a single bit. In fact, meaningful message is generally composed of multiple adjacent bits (i.e., a multi-bit block). To obtain a message from database, the user Alice has to query l times to get each ai. In this condition, the server Bob could gain Alice's privacy once he obtains the address she queried in any of the l queries, since each ai contributes to the message Alice retrieves. Apparently, the longer the retrieved message is, the worse the user privacy becomes. To solve this problem, via an unbalanced-state technique and based on a variant of multi-level BB84 protocol, we present a protocol for QPQ of blocks, which allows the user to retrieve a multi-bit block from database in one query. Our protocol is somewhat like the high-dimension version of the first QKD-based QPQ protocol proposed by Jacobi et al., but some nontrivial modifications are necessary. PMID:25518810

Studies on the psychosomatic functioning of ill-health according to eastern and Western medicine. 2. Anxiety-affinitive constitution associated with qi, blood, and body fluid--diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

PubMed

Takeichi, M; Sato, T; Takefu, M

1999-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to identify characteristics of psychosomatic function in medical students (N = 62, mean age, 23.3, SD, 1.7 years) whose ill-health was related to unbalanced qi, blood, and body fluid, and to develop a diagnosis and treatment method for these conditions. Our study revealed complicated characteristics. At the psychological level, these characteristics are stress-related emotional disturbances, including anxiety, insomnia and anergy, and the lowering of social function. At the physiological level, these characteristics are associated with high complexity of fractal dimension of eye (horizontal) and respiratory (thoracic) movements correlated to STA1-trait anxiety. Thus, the three psychosomatic characteristics related to unbalanced qi, blood, and body fluid suggest the concept of an anxiety-affinitive constitution, also described as the equivalent of ill-health. This indicates that diagnosis and treatment of this type of constitution has the potential to be useful for both the prevention of stress-related and life-style disease, and the treatment of current disease.

SPEEDY babies: A putative new behavioral syndrome of unbalanced motor-speech development

PubMed Central

Haapanen, Marja-Leena; Aro, Tuomo; Isotalo, Elina

2008-01-01

Even though difficulties in motor development in children with speech and language disorders are widely known, hardly any attention is paid to the association between atypically rapidly occurring unassisted walking and delayed speech development. The four children described here presented with a developmental behavioral triad: 1) atypically speedy motor development, 2) impaired expressive speech, and 3) tongue carriage dysfunction resulting in related misarticulations. Those characteristics might be phenotypically or genetically clustered. These children didn’t have impaired cognition, neurological or mental disease, defective sense organs, craniofacial dysmorphology or susceptibility to upper respiratory infections, particularly recurrent otitis media. Attention should be paid on discordant and unbalanced achievement of developmental milestones. Present children are termed SPEEDY babies, where SPEEDY refers to rapid independent walking, SPEE and DY to dyspractic or dysfunctional speech development and lingual dysfunction resulting in linguoalveolar misarticulations. SPEEDY babies require health care that recognizes and respects their motor skills and supports their needs for motor activities and on the other hand include treatment for impaired speech. The parents may need advice and support with these children. PMID:19337462

Sucrose Sensitivity of Honey Bees Is Differently Affected by Dietary Protein and a Neonicotinoid Pesticide.

PubMed

Démares, Fabien J; Crous, Kendall L; Pirk, Christian W W; Nicolson, Susan W; Human, Hannelie

2016-01-01

Over a decade, declines in honey bee colonies have raised worldwide concerns. Several potentially contributing factors have been investigated, e.g. parasites, diseases, and pesticides. Neonicotinoid pesticides have received much attention due to their intensive use in crop protection, and their adverse effects on many levels of honey bee physiology led the European Union to ban these compounds. Due to their neuronal target, a receptor expressed throughout the insect nervous system, studies have focused mainly on neuroscience and behaviour. Through the Geometric Framework of nutrition, we investigated effects of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on survival, food consumption and sucrose sensitivity of honey bees (Apis mellifera). Thiamethoxam did not affect protein and carbohydrate intake, but decreased responses to high concentrations of sucrose. Interestingly, when bees ate fixed unbalanced diets, dietary protein facilitated better sucrose detection. Both thiamethoxam and dietary protein influenced survival. These findings suggest that, in the presence of a pesticide and unbalanced food, honey bee health may be severely challenged. Consequences for foraging efficiency and colony activity, cornerstones of honey bee health, are also discussed.

Understanding the Inflammatory Cytokine Response in Pneumonia and Sepsis

PubMed Central

Kellum, John A.; Kong, Lan; Fink, Mitchell P.; Weissfeld, Lisa A.; Yealy, Donald M.; Pinsky, Michael R.; Fine, Jonathan; Krichevsky, Alexander; Delude, Russell L.; Angus, Derek C.

2015-01-01

Background Severe sepsis is common and frequently fatal, and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause. Although severe sepsis is often attributed to uncontrolled and unbalanced inflammation, evidence from humans with infection syndromes across the breadth of disease is lacking. In this study we describe the systemic cytokine response to pneumonia and determine if specific patterns, including the balance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers, are associated with severe sepsis and death. Methods This is a cohort study of 1886 subjects hospitalized with CAP through the emergency departments in 28 US academic and community hospitals. We defined severe sepsis as CAP complicated by new-onset organ dysfunction, following international consensus conference criteria. We measured plasma tumor necrosis factor, IL-6 (interleukin 6), and IL-10 levels daily for the first week and weekly thereafter. Our main outcome measures were severe sepsis and 90-day mortality. Results A total of 583 patients developed severe sepsis (31%), of whom 149 died (26%). Systemic cytokine level elevation occurred in 82% of all subjects with CAP. Mean cytokine concentrations were highest at presentation, declined rapidly over the first few days, but remained elevated throughout the first week, beyond resolution of clinical signs of infection. Cytokine levels were highest in fatal severe sepsis and lowest in CAP with no severe sepsis. Unbalanced (high/low) cytokine patterns were unusual (4.6%) and not associated with decreased survival. Highest risk of death was with combined high levels of the proinflammatory IL-6 and anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine activity (hazard ratio, 20.5; 95% confidence interval, 10.8–39.0) (P<.001). Conclusions The circulating cytokine response to pneumonia is heterogeneous and continues for more than a week after presentation, with considerable overlap between those who do and do not develop severe sepsis. Unbalanced activation is uncommon, and mortality is highest when both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels are high. PMID:17698689

Ensemble Pruning for Glaucoma Detection in an Unbalanced Data Set.

PubMed

Adler, Werner; Gefeller, Olaf; Gul, Asma; Horn, Folkert K; Khan, Zardad; Lausen, Berthold

2016-12-07

Random forests are successful classifier ensemble methods consisting of typically 100 to 1000 classification trees. Ensemble pruning techniques reduce the computational cost, especially the memory demand, of random forests by reducing the number of trees without relevant loss of performance or even with increased performance of the sub-ensemble. The application to the problem of an early detection of glaucoma, a severe eye disease with low prevalence, based on topographical measurements of the eye background faces specific challenges. We examine the performance of ensemble pruning strategies for glaucoma detection in an unbalanced data situation. The data set consists of 102 topographical features of the eye background of 254 healthy controls and 55 glaucoma patients. We compare the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and the Brier score on the total data set, in the majority class, and in the minority class of pruned random forest ensembles obtained with strategies based on the prediction accuracy of greedily grown sub-ensembles, the uncertainty weighted accuracy, and the similarity between single trees. To validate the findings and to examine the influence of the prevalence of glaucoma in the data set, we additionally perform a simulation study with lower prevalences of glaucoma. In glaucoma classification all three pruning strategies lead to improved AUC and smaller Brier scores on the total data set with sub-ensembles as small as 30 to 80 trees compared to the classification results obtained with the full ensemble consisting of 1000 trees. In the simulation study, we were able to show that the prevalence of glaucoma is a critical factor and lower prevalence decreases the performance of our pruning strategies. The memory demand for glaucoma classification in an unbalanced data situation based on random forests could effectively be reduced by the application of pruning strategies without loss of performance in a population with increased risk of glaucoma.

Unbalanced 2 x 2 Factorial Designs and the Interaction Effect: A Troublesome Combination

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

In this power study, ANOVAs of unbalanced and balanced 2 x 2 datasets are compared (N = 120). Datasets are created under the assumption that H1 of the effects is true. The effects are constructed in two ways, assuming: 1. contributions to the effects solely in the treatment groups; 2. contrasting contributions in treatment and control groups. The main question is whether the two ANOVA correction methods for imbalance (applying Sums of Squares Type II or III; SS II or SS III) offer satisfactory power in the presence of an interaction. Overall, SS II showed higher power, but results varied strongly. When compared to a balanced dataset, for some unbalanced datasets the rejection rate of H0 of main effects was undesirably higher. SS III showed consistently somewhat lower power. When the effects were constructed with equal contributions from control and treatment groups, the interaction could be re-estimated satisfactorily. When an interaction was present, SS III led consistently to somewhat lower rejection rates of H0 of main effects, compared to the rejection rates found in equivalent balanced datasets, while SS II produced strongly varying results. In data constructed with only effects in the treatment groups and no effects in the control groups, the H0 of moderate and strong interaction effects was often not rejected and SS II seemed applicable. Even then, SS III provided slightly better results when a true interaction was present. ANOVA allowed not always for a satisfactory re-estimation of the unique interaction effect. Yet, SS II worked better only when an interaction effect could be excluded, whereas SS III results were just marginally worse in that case. Overall, SS III provided consistently 1 to 5% lower rejection rates of H0 in comparison with analyses of balanced datasets, while results of SS II varied too widely for general application. PMID:25807514

Molecular analysis of DiGeorge Syndrome-related translocation breakpoints in 22q11.2

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

Chieffo, C.; Barnoski, B.L.; Emanuel, B.S.

1994-09-01

22q11 demonstrates a high frequency of disease-specific rearrangements. Several of the rearrangements are associated with developmental abnormalities such as DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS), Velocardiofacial Syndrome (VCFS), Cat Eye Syndrome (CES) and Supernumerary der(22)t(11;22) Syndrome. DGS and VCFS involve deletions of 22q11.2 resulting from unbalanced translocations or microdeletions. In contrast, CES and Supernumerary der(22)t(11;22) Syndrome result from duplications of this region via inter- or intra- chromosomal exchange. Although the molecular mechanism giving rise to these rearrangements has yet to be elucidated, the presence of known 22q11 repetitive elements are likely to be involved. GM5878 is a 46,XY,t(10;22) cell line from a balancedmore » translocation carrier father of an unbalanced DGS patient. GM0980 is a cell line from a patient with features of DGS/VCFS with an unbalanced karyotype. Using FISH cosmids, we have localized these translocation breakpoints near pH160b (D22S66) which maps to the center of the DiGeorge chromosomal region (DGCR). To further localize the breakpoint of GM5878, overlapping cosmids spanning this region were used as probes for FISH. Use of additional overlapping cosmids allowed the sublocalization of the breakpoint to a 10kb region. A 4.8 kb BglII fragment predicted to cross the breakpoint was isolated. When this fragment was used as a probe to normal and GM5878 DNA, novel bands were detected in GM5878 DNA digested with EcoRI and BglII. Similar analysis of the GM0980 breakpoint is being pursued. Full molecular characterization of these translocations is in progress using inverse PCR to clone the junctional fragments for sequencing. Detailed analysis of the region may reveal molecular features which make this a rearrangement prone area of the genome and help elucidate its relationship to human cytogenetic disease.« less

der(11)t(11;17): a distinct cytogenetic pathway of advanced stage neuroblastoma (NBL) - detected by spectral karyotyping (SKY).

PubMed

Stark, Batia; Jeison, Marta; Glaser-Gabay, Leticia; Bar-Am, Irit; Mardoukh, Jacques; Ash, Shifra; Atias, Dina; Stein, Jerry; Zaizov, Rina; Yaniv, Isaac

2003-07-18

Conventional cytogenetic, molecular cytogenic and genetic methods disclosed a broad spectrum of genetic abnormalities leading to gain and loss of chromosomal segments in advanced stage neuroblastoma (NBL). Specific correlation between the genetic findings could delineate distinct genetic pathways, of which the biology and prognostic significance is as yet undetermined. Using spectral karyotyping (SKY) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on metaphases from 16 patients with advanced stage NBL, it was possible to explore the whole spectrum of rearrangement within complex karyotypes and to detect hidden recurrent translocations. All translocations were unbalanced. The most prevalent recurrent unbalanced translocations resulted in 17q gain in 12 patients (75%), 11q loss in nine patients (56%), and 1p deletion/imbalance in eight patients (50%). The most frequent recurrent translocation was der(11)t(11;17) in six patients. Three cytogenetic pathways could be delineated. The first, with six patients, was characterized by the unbalanced translocation der(11)t(11;17), detected only by SKY, resulting in the concomitant 17q gain and 11q loss. No MYCN amplification or 1p deletion (except one patient with 1p imbalance) were found, while 3p deletion, and complex karyotypes were common. The second subgroup, with four patients, had 17q gain and 1p deletion, and in two patients 11q loss, that was apparent only by FISH. 1p deletion occurred through der(1)t(1;17) or del(1p). The third subgroup of four patients was characterized by MYCN amplification with 17q gain and 1p deletion, very rarely with 11q loss (one patient) through a translocation with a non-17q partner. The SKY subclassifications were in accordance with the findings reported by molecular genetic techniques, and may indicate that distinct oncogenes and suppressor genes are involved in the der(11)t(11;17) pathway of advanced stage NBL.

African crop yield reductions due to increasingly unbalanced Nitrogen and Phosphorus consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Velde, Marijn; Folberth, Christian; Balkovič, Juraj; Ciais, Philippe; Fritz, Steffen; Janssens, Ivan A.; Obersteiner, Michael; See, Linda; Skalský, Rastislav; Xiong, Wei; Peñuealas, Josep

2014-05-01

The impact of soil nutrient depletion on crop production has been known for decades, but robust assessments of the impact of increasingly unbalanced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) application rates on crop production are lacking. Here, we use crop response functions based on 741 FAO maize crop trials and EPIC crop modeling across Africa to examine maize yield deficits resulting from unbalanced N:P applications under low, medium, and high input scenarios, for past (1975), current, and future N:P mass ratios of respectively, 1:0.29, 1:0.15, and 1:0.05. At low N inputs (10 kg/ha), current yield deficits amount to 10% but will increase up to 27% under the assumed future N:P ratio, while at medium N inputs (50 kg N/ha), future yield losses could amount to over 40%. The EPIC crop model was then used to simulate maize yields across Africa. The model results showed relative median future yield reductions at low N inputs of 40%, and 50% at medium and high inputs, albeit with large spatial variability. Dominant low-quality soils such as Ferralsols, which are strongly adsorbing P, and Arenosols with a low nutrient retention capacity, are associated with a strong yield decline, although Arenosols show very variable crop yield losses at low inputs. Optimal N:P ratios, i.e. those where the lowest amount of applied P produces the highest yield (given N input) where calculated with EPIC to be as low as 1:0.5. Finally, we estimated the additional P required given current N inputs, and given N inputs that would allow Africa to close yield gaps (ca. 70%). At current N inputs, P consumption would have to increase 2.3-fold to be optimal, and to increase 11.7-fold to close yield gaps. The P demand to overcome these yield deficits would provide a significant additional pressure on current global extraction of P resources.

Fluorescence- and magnetic-activated cell sorting strategies to separate spermatozoa involving plural contributors from biological mixtures for human identification

PubMed Central

Xu, Yan; Xie, Jianhui; Chen, Ronghua; Cao, Yu; Ping, Yuan; Xu, Qingwen; Hu, Wei; Wu, Dan; Gu, Lihua; Zhou, Huaigu; Chen, Xin; Zhao, Ziqin; Zhong, Jiang; Li, Rui

2016-01-01

No effective method has been developed to distinguish sperm cells originating from different men in multi-suspect sexual assault cases. Here we combined MACS and FACS to isolate single donor sperm cells from forensic mixture samples including female vaginal epithelial cells and sperm cells from multiple contributors. Sperms from vaginal swab were isolated by MACS using FITC-conjugated A kinase anchor protein 3 (AKAP3) antibody; target individual sperm cells involving two or three donors were separated by FACS using FITC-labeled blood group A/B antigen antibody. This procedure was further tested in two mock multi-suspect sexual assault samples and one practical casework sample. Our results showed that complete single donor STR profiles could be successfully obtained from sperm/epithelial cell and sperm mixtures from two contributors. For unbalanced sperm/epithelial cells and sperm cells mixtures, sensitivity results revealed that target cells could be detected at as low as 1:32 and 1:8 mixed ratios, respectively. Although highly relies on cell number and blood types or secretor status of the individuals, this procedure would still be useful tools for forensic DNA analysis of multi-suspect sexual assault cases by the combined use of FACS and MACS based on sperm-specific AKAP3 antigen and human blood type antigen. PMID:27857155

Fano coil-type resonances: a plasmonic tool for the magnetic field manipulation (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panaro, Simone; Proietti Zaccaria, Remo; Toma, Andrea

2017-02-01

Spintronics and spin-based technology rely on the ultra-fast unbalance of the electronic spin population in quite localized spatial regions. However, as a matter of fact, the low susceptibility of conventional materials at high frequencies strongly limits these phenomena, rendering the efficiency of magnetically active devices insufficient for application purposes. Among the possible strategies which can be envisaged, plasmonics offers a direct approach to increase the effect of local electronic unbalancing processes. By confining and enhancing free radiation in nm-size spatial regions, plasmonic nano-assemblies have demonstrated to support very intense electric and magnetic hot-spots. In particular, very recent studies have proven the fine control of magnetic fields in Fano resonance condition. The near-field-induced out-of-phase oscillation of localized surface plasmons has manifested itself with the arising of magnetic sub-diffractive hot-spots. Here, we show how this effect can be further boosted in the mid-infrared regime via the introduction of higher order plasmonic modes. The investigated system, namely Moon Trimer Resonator (MTR), combines the high efficiency of a strongly coupled nano-assembly in Fano interferential condition with the elevated tunability of the quadrupolar resonance supported by a moon-like geometry. The fine control of the apical gap in this unique nanostructure, characterizes a plasmonic device able to tune its resonance without any consequence on the magnetic hot-spot size, thus enabling an efficient squeezing in the infrared.

Influences of Urban Expansion on Cultivated Lands in China Since 1970S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, F.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Yu, S.; Wang, X.; Zuo, L.

2018-04-01

Urban expansion has far-reaching influences on cultivated lands, and has a serious effect on grain output and safety. However, relatively little attention has been paid to monitor cultivated land losses through urban expansion over a long timeframe and multi-frequency, especially its differences on national scale systematically. In this work, the characteristics of Chinese cultivated land dynamics were described using annual occupied area per city, contribution rate of cultivated lands to urban expansion and the classification method of basic trend of cultivated land losses. Results indicate that: (1) in the past four decades, large amount of cultivated lands have been occupied during the urban expansion process, and have become the first land source for Chinese urban expansion. (2) Cultivated land loss among municipalities, provincial capitals and other cities was obviously different. The higher of cities' administrative level was, the more obvious of cultivated land loss in these cities appeared, and the earlier of acceleration loss stage of cultivated lands occurred. (3) Cultivated land loss in five population-size cities was unbalanced, representing obviously different loss process and contribution on urban expansion. The bigger of cities' population size was, the more obvious of cultivated land loss in these cities appeared, and the earlier of acceleration loss stage of cultivated lands occurred. (4) Cultivated land losses during urban expansion process were imbalanced in China, and were classified into seven trends. (5) Chinese cultivated land protection has been carried out from the awakening stage to the deep implementation stage.

Intergenerational Exchanges of Middle-Aged Adults With Their Parents and Parents-In-Law in Korea

PubMed Central

Kim, Kyungmin; Zarit, Steven H.; Fingerman, Karen L.; Han, Gyounghae

2015-01-01

The authors investigated patterns of support exchanges between Korean adult children and their parents and parents-in-law, gender differences in these patterns, and implications of children’s marital quality for exchange patterns. Data were from a nationally representative sample of married adults (N = 920, age 30–59 years) with at least 1 living parent and 1 living parent-in-law. Latent class analysis was applied to 12 indicators of exchanges (financial, instrumental, emotional support given to and received from parents and parents-in-law). Five classes of exchanges were identified, 3 showing balanced patterns of exchanges with parents and parents-in-law across three types of support and 2 classes with unbalanced patterns (e.g., giving instrumental and financial, but not emotional support). The findings revealed variability in intergenerational exchange patterns, with a mix of patrilineal traditional and balanced patterns. Significant associations of exchange patterns with adult children’s marital quality suggest the importance of balanced exchanges with parents for marriage. PMID:25937670

A Three-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation Scheme for the Regional Ocean Modeling System: Implementation and Basic Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Zhijin; Chao, Yi; McWilliams, James C.; Ide, Kayo

2008-01-01

A three-dimensional variational data assimilation scheme for the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), named ROMS3DVAR, has been described in the work of Li et al. (2008). In this paper, ROMS3DVAR is applied to the central California coastal region, an area characterized by inhomogeneity and anisotropy, as well as by dynamically unbalanced flows. A method for estimating the model error variances from limited observations is presented, and the construction of the inhomogeneous and anisotropic error correlations based on the Kronecker product is demonstrated. A set of single observation experiments illustrates the inhomogeneous and anisotropic error correlations and weak dynamic constraints used. Results are presented from the assimilation of data gathered during the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) experiment during August 2003. The results show that ROMS3DVAR is capable of reproducing complex flows associated with upwelling and relaxation, as well as the rapid transitions between them. Some difficulties encountered during the experiment are also discussed.

Plasmonic non-concentric nanorings array as an unidirectional nano-optical conveyor belt actuated by polarization rotation.

PubMed

Jiang, Min; Wang, Guanghui; Jiao, Wenxiang; Ying, Zhoufeng; Zou, Ningmu; Ho, Ho-Pui; Sun, Tianyu; Zhang, Xuping

2017-01-15

We report a nano-optical conveyor belt containing an array of gold plasmonic non-concentric nanorings (PNNRs) for the realization of trapping and unidirectional transportation of nanoparticles through rotating the polarization of an excitation beam. The location of hot spots within an asymmetric plasmonic nanostructure is polarization dependent, thus making it possible to manipulate a trapped target by rotating the incident polarization state. In the case of PNNR, the two poles have highly unbalanced trap potential. This greatly enhances the chance of transferring trapped particles between adjacent PNNRs in a given direction through rotating the polarization. As confirmed by three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain analysis, an array of PNNRs forms an unidirectional nano-optical conveyor belt, which delivers target nanoparticles or biomolecules over a long distance with nanometer accuracy. With the capacity to trap and to transfer, our design offers a versatile scheme for conducting mechanical sample manipulation in many on-chip optofluidic applications.

Thermal stability of trapped hydrogen in amorphous carbon thin films on Si substrate using ion beam scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, A.; Tecos, G.; Nandasiri, M. I.; Garratt, E.; Wickey, K. J.; Gao, X.; Kayani, A.

2009-11-01

Unbalanced magnetron sputtering deposition of C-H films has been performed with various levels of negative substrate bias and with a fixed flow rate of hydrogen. Argon was used as a sputtering gas and formed the majority of the gas in the plasma. The effect of hydrogenation on the final concentration of trapped elements and their thermal stability with respect to hydrogen content is studied using ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques. The elemental concentrations of the films were measured in samples deposited on silicon substrates with a 3.3 MeV of He++ beam used to perform Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), Non-Rutherford backscattering Spectroscopy (NRBS) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA). Thermal stability with respect to trapped hydrogen in the film has been studied. As the films were heated in-situ in the vacuum using a o non-gassy button heater, hydrogen was found to be decreasing around 400° C.

The Power of Low Back Pain Trials: A Systematic Review of Power, Sample Size, and Reporting of Sample Size Calculations Over Time, in Trials Published Between 1980 and 2012.

PubMed

Froud, Robert; Rajendran, Dévan; Patel, Shilpa; Bright, Philip; Bjørkli, Tom; Eldridge, Sandra; Buchbinder, Rachelle; Underwood, Martin

2017-06-01

A systematic review of nonspecific low back pain trials published between 1980 and 2012. To explore what proportion of trials have been powered to detect different bands of effect size; whether there is evidence that sample size in low back pain trials has been increasing; what proportion of trial reports include a sample size calculation; and whether likelihood of reporting sample size calculations has increased. Clinical trials should have a sample size sufficient to detect a minimally important difference for a given power and type I error rate. An underpowered trial is one within which probability of type II error is too high. Meta-analyses do not mitigate underpowered trials. Reviewers independently abstracted data on sample size at point of analysis, whether a sample size calculation was reported, and year of publication. Descriptive analyses were used to explore ability to detect effect sizes, and regression analyses to explore the relationship between sample size, or reporting sample size calculations, and time. We included 383 trials. One-third were powered to detect a standardized mean difference of less than 0.5, and 5% were powered to detect less than 0.3. The average sample size was 153 people, which increased only slightly (∼4 people/yr) from 1980 to 2000, and declined slightly (∼4.5 people/yr) from 2005 to 2011 (P < 0.00005). Sample size calculations were reported in 41% of trials. The odds of reporting a sample size calculation (compared to not reporting one) increased until 2005 and then declined (Equation is included in full-text article.). Sample sizes in back pain trials and the reporting of sample size calculations may need to be increased. It may be justifiable to power a trial to detect only large effects in the case of novel interventions. 3.

Unbalanced neuronal circuits in addiction.

PubMed

Volkow, Nora D; Wang, Gen-Jack; Tomasi, Dardo; Baler, Ruben D

2013-08-01

Through sequential waves of drug-induced neurochemical stimulation, addiction co-opts the brain's neuronal circuits that mediate reward, motivation to behavioral inflexibility and a severe disruption of self-control and compulsive drug intake. Brain imaging technologies have allowed neuroscientists to map out the neural landscape of addiction in the human brain and to understand how drugs modify it. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Global Views, Personal Perspectives: Connecting to Self as Scholar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simmons, Nicola

2009-01-01

A global view requires not only a broader perspective, but also greater depth to anchor it firmly. In increasingly changing contexts, are we connected to ourselves in a way that feeds our spirits and nourishes our work? A professional sphere based only on research and practice risks being unbalanced and may jeopardize our well-being as academics.…

The Welfare State and Relative Poverty in Rich Western Democracies, 1967-1997

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brady, David

2005-01-01

This study investigates the relationship between the welfare state and poverty with multiple measures of the welfare state and poverty in an unbalanced panel of 18 Western nations from 1967 to 1997. While addressing the limitations of past research, the analysis shows that social security transfers and public health spending significantly reduce…

Teaching Children To Love: 80 Games & Fun Activities for Raising Balanced Children in Unbalanced Times.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Childre, Doc Lew; Paddison, Sara Hatch, Ed.

Raising children in today's fast-paced society requires love and technique. Ways that parents can teach children to love, teach them values, and help them balance their lives are discussed in this activity book. The text opens with a discussion of heart intelligence (what is sometimes equated with emotional intelligence). Heart intelligence…

All about Motion & Balance. Physical Science for Children[TM]. Schlessinger Science Library. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2000

Walking on a balance beam or riding a bike both require motion and balance. This program will reveal how unbalanced forces create motion, while balanced forces keep things still. Students also learn how concepts like velocity, acceleration, and momentum fit into this puzzle. A unique hands-on activity combined with vivid imagery and graphics…

How Motivation is Learned: A Neurological Explanation. Preconvention Institute 7; Brain Functions in Reading and Reading Disability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, John A. R.

If motivation to read fails to develop, reading failure is the outcome. All of us have very delicately balanced neural systems for integrating incoming sensory inputs, evaluating their significance in the light of past experience, and storing the learning for future use. Autistic and hyperkinetic children apparently have unbalanced neurological…

It's a Long Way down: The Underlying Tensions in the Education Export Industry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marginson, Simon

2011-01-01

The stellar rise of the education export industry in Australian higher education, and the even more spectacular downturn now occurring, mask underlying tensions that have long dogged the industry and prevented it from improving quality or achieving long-term sustainability. The international education programme has been unbalanced by the drive for…

Plant disease severity assessment - How rater bias, assessment method and experimental design affect hypothesis testing and resource use efficiency

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The impact of rater bias and assessment method on hypothesis testing was studied for different experimental designs for plant disease assessment using balanced and unbalanced data sets. Data sets with the same number of replicate estimates for each of two treatments are termed ‘balanced’, and those ...

Cultural Congruence and Unbalanced Power between Home and School in Rural Ghana and the Impact on School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masko, Amy L.; Bosiwah, Lawrence

2016-01-01

This ethnographic inquiry examines the cultural congruence between home and school in rural Ghana, exploring the cultural norms of child-rearing practices within families and the institution of schooling. The data illustrate both the agreement between home and school in regard to discipline practices and instruction in morality, while…

Bilateral Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia and Lissencephaly in an Infant with Unbalanced t(12;17)(q24.31; p13.3) Translocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosso, Salvatore; Fichera, Marco; Galesi, Ornella; Luciano, Daniela; Pucci, Lucia; Giardini, Francesca; Berardi, Rosario; Balestri, Paolo

2008-01-01

Periventricular nodular heterotopia and Miller-Dieker syndrome are two different disorders of brain development. Miller-Dieker syndrome exhibits classical lissencephaly and is related to defects in the lissencephaly gene ("LIS1"). Periventricular nodular heterotopia is characterized by aggregates of grey matter adjacent to the lateral ventricle…

L[subscript 1] and L[subscript 2] Spoken Word Processing: Evidence from Divided Attention Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shafiee Nahrkhalaji, Saeedeh; Lotfi, Ahmad Reza; Koosha, Mansour

2016-01-01

The present study aims to reveal some facts concerning first language (L[subscript 1]) and second language (L[subscript 2]) spoken-word processing in unbalanced proficient bilinguals using behavioral measures. The intention here is to examine the effects of auditory repetition word priming and semantic priming in first and second languages of…

Dietary fat and not calcium supplementation or dairy product consumption is associated with changes in anthropometrics during a randomized, placebo-controlled energy-restriction trial

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insufficient calcium intake has been proposed to cause unbalanced energy partitioning leading to obesity. However, weight loss interventions including dietary calcium or dairy product consumption have not reported changes in lipid metabolism measured by the plasma lipidome. Methods. The objective ...

International Sexual Partnerships May Be Shaped by Sexual Histories and Socioeconomic Status

PubMed Central

Truong, Hong-Ha M.; Mehrotra, Megha; Montoya, Orlando; Lama, Javier R.; Guanira, Juan V.; Casapía, Martín; Veloso, Valdiléa G.; Buchbinder, Susan P.; Mayer, Kenneth H.; Chariyalertsak, Suwat; Schechter, Mauro; Bekker, Linda-Gail; Kallás, Esper G.; Grant, Robert M.

2017-01-01

Exchange sex and higher education were associated with an increased likelihood of international sexual partnerships (ISPs). Exchange sex and older age were associated with an increased likelihood of condomless sex in ISPs. Educational and socioeconomic factors may create unbalanced power dynamics that influence exchange sex and condomless sex in ISPs. PMID:28407648

Literacy Look-Fors: An Observation Protocol to Guide K-6 Classroom Walkthroughs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEwan-Adkins, Elaine K.

2011-01-01

With all of the reform models, research-based programs, leadership training, and professional development focused on reading and writing, we certainly know more about literacy today than we ever have before. So why are schools still suffering with low literacy levels? The answer lies in ineffective and unbalanced literacy instruction. Through the…

Rural Education and Urbanization: Experiences and Struggles in China since the Late 1970s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Shuqin; Law, Wing-Wah

2015-01-01

China has adopted an unbalanced policy for economic development to improve its domestic economy and international competitiveness for more than three decades. During this process, rural education has undergone a series of reforms. With reference to compulsory education, this article argues that rural education in China is a pragmatic instrument…

Reciprocity in Intergenerational Support: A Comparison of Chinese and German Adult Daughters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwarz, Beate; Trommsdorff, Gisela; Zheng, Gang; Shi, Shaohua

2010-01-01

This study investigates how Chinese and German adult daughters evaluate the norm of reciprocity and the unbalanced exchange of support in relation to their aging parents. Women from rural and urban China (n = 292) and from Germany (n = 264) have participated in this study. Results show that for the German daughters, differently from rural Chinese…

Publication Bias in Psychology: A Diagnosis Based on the Correlation between Effect Size and Sample Size

PubMed Central

Kühberger, Anton; Fritz, Astrid; Scherndl, Thomas

2014-01-01

Background The p value obtained from a significance test provides no information about the magnitude or importance of the underlying phenomenon. Therefore, additional reporting of effect size is often recommended. Effect sizes are theoretically independent from sample size. Yet this may not hold true empirically: non-independence could indicate publication bias. Methods We investigate whether effect size is independent from sample size in psychological research. We randomly sampled 1,000 psychological articles from all areas of psychological research. We extracted p values, effect sizes, and sample sizes of all empirical papers, and calculated the correlation between effect size and sample size, and investigated the distribution of p values. Results We found a negative correlation of r = −.45 [95% CI: −.53; −.35] between effect size and sample size. In addition, we found an inordinately high number of p values just passing the boundary of significance. Additional data showed that neither implicit nor explicit power analysis could account for this pattern of findings. Conclusion The negative correlation between effect size and samples size, and the biased distribution of p values indicate pervasive publication bias in the entire field of psychology. PMID:25192357

Publication bias in psychology: a diagnosis based on the correlation between effect size and sample size.

PubMed

Kühberger, Anton; Fritz, Astrid; Scherndl, Thomas

2014-01-01

The p value obtained from a significance test provides no information about the magnitude or importance of the underlying phenomenon. Therefore, additional reporting of effect size is often recommended. Effect sizes are theoretically independent from sample size. Yet this may not hold true empirically: non-independence could indicate publication bias. We investigate whether effect size is independent from sample size in psychological research. We randomly sampled 1,000 psychological articles from all areas of psychological research. We extracted p values, effect sizes, and sample sizes of all empirical papers, and calculated the correlation between effect size and sample size, and investigated the distribution of p values. We found a negative correlation of r = -.45 [95% CI: -.53; -.35] between effect size and sample size. In addition, we found an inordinately high number of p values just passing the boundary of significance. Additional data showed that neither implicit nor explicit power analysis could account for this pattern of findings. The negative correlation between effect size and samples size, and the biased distribution of p values indicate pervasive publication bias in the entire field of psychology.

Optimum sample size allocation to minimize cost or maximize power for the two-sample trimmed mean test.

PubMed

Guo, Jiin-Huarng; Luh, Wei-Ming

2009-05-01

When planning a study, sample size determination is one of the most important tasks facing the researcher. The size will depend on the purpose of the study, the cost limitations, and the nature of the data. By specifying the standard deviation ratio and/or the sample size ratio, the present study considers the problem of heterogeneous variances and non-normality for Yuen's two-group test and develops sample size formulas to minimize the total cost or maximize the power of the test. For a given power, the sample size allocation ratio can be manipulated so that the proposed formulas can minimize the total cost, the total sample size, or the sum of total sample size and total cost. On the other hand, for a given total cost, the optimum sample size allocation ratio can maximize the statistical power of the test. After the sample size is determined, the present simulation applies Yuen's test to the sample generated, and then the procedure is validated in terms of Type I errors and power. Simulation results show that the proposed formulas can control Type I errors and achieve the desired power under the various conditions specified. Finally, the implications for determining sample sizes in experimental studies and future research are discussed.

Spatial variation in total element concentration in soil within the Northern Great Plains coal region, and regional soil chemistry in Bighorn and Wind River basins, Wyoming and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Severson, R.C.; Tidball, R.R.

1979-01-01

PART A: To objectively determine the changes in chemical character of an area subjected to mining and reclamation, prior information is needed. This study represents a broadscale inventory of total chemical composition of the surficial materials of the Northern Great Plains coal region (western North and South Dakota, eastern Montana, and northeastern Wyoming); data are given for 41 elements in A and C soil horizons. An unbalanced, nested, analysis-of-variance design was used to quantify variation in total content of elements between glaciated and unglaciated terrains, for four increasingly smaller geographic scales, and to quantify variation due to sample preparation and analysis. From this statistical study, reliable maps on a regional basis (>100 km) were prepared for C, K, and Rb in A and C soil horizons; for N a, Si, Th, D, and Zn in A-horizon soil; and for As, Ca, Ge, and Mg in C-horizon soil. The distribution of variance components for the remaining 29 elements did not permit the construction of reliable maps. Therefore, a baseline value for each of these elements is given as a measure of the total element concentration in the soils of the Northern Great Plains coal region. The baseline is expressed as the 95-percent range in concentration to be expected in samples of natural soils. PART B: A reconnaissance study of total concentrations of 38 elements in samples of soils (0-40 cm deep, composite) from the Bighorn and Wind River Basins of Montana and Wyoming indicates that the geographic variation for most elements occurs locally (5 km or less). However, in the Bighorn Basin, Zn exhibits significant regional variation (between geologic units); and in the Wind River Basin, AI, Cr, K, Mn, Mo, Ni, U, and V exhibit similar variation. For the remaining elements, the lack of regional variation suggests that a single summary statistic can be used to estimate a baseline value that reflects the range in concentration to be expected in samples of soils in each basin. The concentrations of most of these elements in both basins are not much different from those measured independently in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming or in the Western United States. In addition, data from an analysis of variance provide an estimate of the number of random samples within an area of specified size (10 km square, approximately a township) that are needed to prepare a reliable map of total element concentration in soils for each of the elements in each of the basins.

Zone-Based Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Venkateswarlu Kumaramangalam, Muni; Adiyapatham, Kandasamy; Kandasamy, Chandrasekaran

2014-01-01

Extensive research happening across the globe witnessed the importance of Wireless Sensor Network in the present day application world. In the recent past, various routing algorithms have been proposed to elevate WSN network lifetime. Clustering mechanism is highly successful in conserving energy resources for network activities and has become promising field for researches. However, the problem of unbalanced energy consumption is still open because the cluster head activities are tightly coupled with role and location of a particular node in the network. Several unequal clustering algorithms are proposed to solve this wireless sensor network multihop hot spot problem. Current unequal clustering mechanisms consider only intra- and intercluster communication cost. Proper organization of wireless sensor network into clusters enables efficient utilization of limited resources and enhances lifetime of deployed sensor nodes. This paper considers a novel network organization scheme, energy-efficient edge-based network partitioning scheme, to organize sensor nodes into clusters of equal size. Also, it proposes a cluster-based routing algorithm, called zone-based routing protocol (ZBRP), for elevating sensor network lifetime. Experimental results show that ZBRP out-performs interims of network lifetime and energy conservation with its uniform energy consumption among the cluster heads. PMID:27437455

Zone-Based Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Venkateswarlu Kumaramangalam, Muni; Adiyapatham, Kandasamy; Kandasamy, Chandrasekaran

2014-01-01

Extensive research happening across the globe witnessed the importance of Wireless Sensor Network in the present day application world. In the recent past, various routing algorithms have been proposed to elevate WSN network lifetime. Clustering mechanism is highly successful in conserving energy resources for network activities and has become promising field for researches. However, the problem of unbalanced energy consumption is still open because the cluster head activities are tightly coupled with role and location of a particular node in the network. Several unequal clustering algorithms are proposed to solve this wireless sensor network multihop hot spot problem. Current unequal clustering mechanisms consider only intra- and intercluster communication cost. Proper organization of wireless sensor network into clusters enables efficient utilization of limited resources and enhances lifetime of deployed sensor nodes. This paper considers a novel network organization scheme, energy-efficient edge-based network partitioning scheme, to organize sensor nodes into clusters of equal size. Also, it proposes a cluster-based routing algorithm, called zone-based routing protocol (ZBRP), for elevating sensor network lifetime. Experimental results show that ZBRP out-performs interims of network lifetime and energy conservation with its uniform energy consumption among the cluster heads.

Aerodynamics of sports balls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehta, R. D.

Research data on the aerodynamic behavior of baseballs and cricket and golf balls are summarized. Cricket balls and baseballs are roughly the same size and mass but have different stitch patterns. Both are thrown to follow paths that avoid a batter's swing, paths that can curve if aerodynamic forces on the balls' surfaces are asymmetric. Smoke tracer wind tunnel tests and pressure taps have revealed that the unbalanced side forces are induced by tripping the boundary layer on the seam side and producing turbulence. More particularly, the greater pressures are perpendicular to the seam plane and only appear when the balls travel at velocities high enough so that the roughness length matches the seam heigh. The side forces, once tripped, will increase with spin velocity up to a cut-off point. The enhanced lift coefficient is produced by the Magnus effect. The more complex stitching on a baseball permits greater variations in the flight path curve and, in the case of a knuckleball, the unsteady flow effects. For golf balls, the dimples trip the boundary layer and the high spin rate produces a lift coefficient maximum of 0.5, compared to a baseball's maximum of 0.3. Thus, a golf ball travels far enough for gravitational forces to become important.

Aerodynamics of sports balls

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehta, R. D.

1985-01-01

Research data on the aerodynamic behavior of baseballs and cricket and golf balls are summarized. Cricket balls and baseballs are roughly the same size and mass but have different stitch patterns. Both are thrown to follow paths that avoid a batter's swing, paths that can curve if aerodynamic forces on the balls' surfaces are asymmetric. Smoke tracer wind tunnel tests and pressure taps have revealed that the unbalanced side forces are induced by tripping the boundary layer on the seam side and producing turbulence. More particularly, the greater pressures are perpendicular to the seam plane and only appear when the balls travel at velocities high enough so that the roughness length matches the seam heigh. The side forces, once tripped, will increase with spin velocity up to a cut-off point. The enhanced lift coefficient is produced by the Magnus effect. The more complex stitching on a baseball permits greater variations in the flight path curve and, in the case of a knuckleball, the unsteady flow effects. For golf balls, the dimples trip the boundary layer and the high spin rate produces a lift coefficient maximum of 0.5, compared to a baseball's maximum of 0.3. Thus, a golf ball travels far enough for gravitational forces to become important.

Morphological allometry and intersexuality in horsehair-worm-infected mantids, Hierodula formosana (Mantodea: Mantidae).

PubMed

Chiu, Ming-Chung; Huang, Chin-Gi; Wu, Wen-Jer; Shiao, Shiuh-Feng

2015-07-01

Parasitic castration is a strategy used by parasites to minimize damage to the host by consuming its reproductive system, which results in the morphological alteration of the host. We determined that the forewing shape and density of the antennal sensilla of field-collected adult male mantids (Hierodula formosana), infected by horsehair worms (Chordodes formosanus) was partially feminized (intersexuality), and both male and female mantids infected by horsehair worms exhibited allometric changes in their wings and walking legs. In addition, the testes of most infected male adults disappeared or reduced in size, whereas the number of ovarioles in infected female adults was unaffected. The infection mainly influenced the structures related to host reproduction and locomotion, suggesting unbalanced energy exploitation and the reduction of parasitic virulence. In addition, the intersexuality of infected male adults indicated that sexual differentiation in insects, which researchers have considered to be an autonomous process, was influenced by the infection. The similarity of the antennae of infected male adults with those of last-instar female nymphs suggested that parasitic juvenilization may cause such feminization, but the mechanism of parasitic influence on insect sex characteristics should be studied further.

Optimal flexible sample size design with robust power.

PubMed

Zhang, Lanju; Cui, Lu; Yang, Bo

2016-08-30

It is well recognized that sample size determination is challenging because of the uncertainty on the treatment effect size. Several remedies are available in the literature. Group sequential designs start with a sample size based on a conservative (smaller) effect size and allow early stop at interim looks. Sample size re-estimation designs start with a sample size based on an optimistic (larger) effect size and allow sample size increase if the observed effect size is smaller than planned. Different opinions favoring one type over the other exist. We propose an optimal approach using an appropriate optimality criterion to select the best design among all the candidate designs. Our results show that (1) for the same type of designs, for example, group sequential designs, there is room for significant improvement through our optimization approach; (2) optimal promising zone designs appear to have no advantages over optimal group sequential designs; and (3) optimal designs with sample size re-estimation deliver the best adaptive performance. We conclude that to deal with the challenge of sample size determination due to effect size uncertainty, an optimal approach can help to select the best design that provides most robust power across the effect size range of interest. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of Corporate Governance on Research and Development Investment in the Pharmaceutical Industry in South Korea.

PubMed

Lee, Munjae

2015-08-01

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of the corporate governance of pharmaceutical companies on research and development (R&D) investment. The period of the empirical analysis is from 2000 to 2012. Financial statements and comments in general, and internal transactions were extracted from TS-2000 of the Korea Listed Company Association. Sample firms were those that belong to the medical substance and drug manufacturing industries. Ultimately, 786 firm-year data of 81 firms were included in the sample (unbalanced panel data). The shareholding ratio of major shareholders and foreigners turned out to have a statistically significant influence on R&D investment (p < 0.05). No statistical significance was found in the shareholding ratio of institutional investors and the ratio of outside directors. The higher the shareholding ratio of the major shareholders, the greater the R&D investment. There will be a need to establish (or switch to) a holding company structure. Holding companies can directly manage R&D in fields with high initial risks, and they can diversify these risks. The larger the number of foreign investors, the greater the R&D investment, indicating that foreigners directly or indirectly impose pressure on a manager to make R&D investments that bring long-term benefits.

Chorionic villous sampling: differences in patients' perspectives according to indication, ethnic group and religion.

PubMed

Dar, Hanna; Zuck, Chedva; Friedman, Svetlana; Merkshamer, Ruth; Gonen, Ron

2006-08-01

The decision to undergo prenatal testing may be influenced by ethnic or religious factors. To evaluate factors that might influence the decision of pregnant women to choose chorionic villous sampling for prenatal testing. The study group comprised 239 women referred for prenatal diagnosis who elected to undergo CVS. The data were analyzed according to indication, ethnic group and religion. Among women undergoing CVS because of advanced maternal age and anxiety, we noted a significantly high proportion of unbalanced families, i.e., with three or more children of the same gender and deviated gender ratio. We found a significant excess of males among the Jewish families and a significant excess of females among the non-Jewish families. Jews were over-represented in the monogenic group while Christian Arabs were over-represented in the maternal age/anxiety group. The proportion of women who chose CVS for prenatal diagnosis varied according to indication, ethnic group and religion. The data in this study indicate that CVS may have been utilized for balancing families with > or = 3 or more children of the same sex. Christian Arabs chose CVS more often than the other groups. Jewish women may have utilized CVS for family balancing of both sexes, while non-Jews may have utilized CVS for balancing families with > or = 3 daughters.

Double-adjustment in propensity score matching analysis: choosing a threshold for considering residual imbalance.

PubMed

Nguyen, Tri-Long; Collins, Gary S; Spence, Jessica; Daurès, Jean-Pierre; Devereaux, P J; Landais, Paul; Le Manach, Yannick

2017-04-28

Double-adjustment can be used to remove confounding if imbalance exists after propensity score (PS) matching. However, it is not always possible to include all covariates in adjustment. We aimed to find the optimal imbalance threshold for entering covariates into regression. We conducted a series of Monte Carlo simulations on virtual populations of 5,000 subjects. We performed PS 1:1 nearest-neighbor matching on each sample. We calculated standardized mean differences across groups to detect any remaining imbalance in the matched samples. We examined 25 thresholds (from 0.01 to 0.25, stepwise 0.01) for considering residual imbalance. The treatment effect was estimated using logistic regression that contained only those covariates considered to be unbalanced by these thresholds. We showed that regression adjustment could dramatically remove residual confounding bias when it included all of the covariates with a standardized difference greater than 0.10. The additional benefit was negligible when we also adjusted for covariates with less imbalance. We found that the mean squared error of the estimates was minimized under the same conditions. If covariate balance is not achieved, we recommend reiterating PS modeling until standardized differences below 0.10 are achieved on most covariates. In case of remaining imbalance, a double adjustment might be worth considering.

Evaluating the effectiveness of Washington state repeated job search services on the employment rate of prime-age female welfare recipients☆

PubMed Central

Hsiao, Cheng; Shen, Yan; Wang, Boqing; Weeks, Greg

2014-01-01

This paper uses an unbalanced panel dataset to evaluate how repeated job search services (JSS) and personal characteristics affect the employment rate of the prime-age female welfare recipients in the State of Washington. We propose a transition probability model to take into account issues of sample attrition, sample refreshment and duration dependence. We also generalize Honoré and Kyriazidou’s [Honoré, B.E., Kyriazidou, E., 2000. Panel data discrete choice models with lagged dependent variables. Econometrica 68 (4), 839–874] conditional maximum likelihood estimator to allow for the presence of individual-specific effects. A limited information test is suggested to test for selection issues in non-experimental data. The specification tests indicate that the (conditional on the set of the confounding variables considered) assumptions of no selection due to unobservables and/or no unobserved individual-specific effects are not violated. Our findings indicate that the first job search service does have positive and significant impacts on the employment rate. However, providing repeated JSS to the same client has no significant impact. Further, we find that there are significant experience-enhancing effects. These findings suggest that providing one job search services training to individuals may have a lasting impact on raising their employment rates. PMID:26052178

Evaluating the effectiveness of Washington state repeated job search services on the employment rate of prime-age female welfare recipients.

PubMed

Hsiao, Cheng; Shen, Yan; Wang, Boqing; Weeks, Greg

2008-07-01

This paper uses an unbalanced panel dataset to evaluate how repeated job search services (JSS) and personal characteristics affect the employment rate of the prime-age female welfare recipients in the State of Washington. We propose a transition probability model to take into account issues of sample attrition, sample refreshment and duration dependence. We also generalize Honoré and Kyriazidou's [Honoré, B.E., Kyriazidou, E., 2000. Panel data discrete choice models with lagged dependent variables. Econometrica 68 (4), 839-874] conditional maximum likelihood estimator to allow for the presence of individual-specific effects. A limited information test is suggested to test for selection issues in non-experimental data. The specification tests indicate that the (conditional on the set of the confounding variables considered) assumptions of no selection due to unobservables and/or no unobserved individual-specific effects are not violated. Our findings indicate that the first job search service does have positive and significant impacts on the employment rate. However, providing repeated JSS to the same client has no significant impact. Further, we find that there are significant experience-enhancing effects. These findings suggest that providing one job search services training to individuals may have a lasting impact on raising their employment rates.

[Effect sizes, statistical power and sample sizes in "the Japanese Journal of Psychology"].

PubMed

Suzukawa, Yumi; Toyoda, Hideki

2012-04-01

This study analyzed the statistical power of research studies published in the "Japanese Journal of Psychology" in 2008 and 2009. Sample effect sizes and sample statistical powers were calculated for each statistical test and analyzed with respect to the analytical methods and the fields of the studies. The results show that in the fields like perception, cognition or learning, the effect sizes were relatively large, although the sample sizes were small. At the same time, because of the small sample sizes, some meaningful effects could not be detected. In the other fields, because of the large sample sizes, meaningless effects could be detected. This implies that researchers who could not get large enough effect sizes would use larger samples to obtain significant results.

Sample Size Estimation: The Easy Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weller, Susan C.

2015-01-01

This article presents a simple approach to making quick sample size estimates for basic hypothesis tests. Although there are many sources available for estimating sample sizes, methods are not often integrated across statistical tests, levels of measurement of variables, or effect sizes. A few parameters are required to estimate sample sizes and…

How soil moisture mediates the influence of transpiration on streamflow at hourly to interannual scales in a forested catchment

Treesearch

G.W. Moore; J.A. Jones; B.J. Bond

2011-01-01

The water balance equation dictates that streamflow may be reduced by transpiration. Yet temporal disequilibrium weakens the relationship between transpiration and streamflow in many cases where inputs and outputs are unbalanced. We address two critical knowledge barriers in ecohydrology with respect to time, scale dependence and lags. Study objectives were to...

The Interrelatedness of Affective Factors in EFL Learning: An Examination of Motivational Patterns in Relation to Anxiety in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Ming

2007-01-01

This study examines the motivational pattern in relation to the anxiety of Chinese learners of English. Based on a survey consisting of an anxiety questionnaire and a motivation questionnaire, the findings revealed an unbalanced pattern of two types of motivation clusters that resembled the integrative-instrumental duality, with the level of…

Balanced and Unbalanced Aspects of Tropical Cyclone Intensification

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-06

axisymmetric balance theory. The secondary ( overturning ) circulation and balanced tendency for the primary circulation are obtained by solving a...balance theory. The secondary ( overturning ) circulation and balanced tendency for the primary circulation are obtained by solving a general form of the... meridional circulation . This equation is often referred to as the Sawyer–Eliassen (SE) equation (Willoughby, 1979; Shapiro and Willoughby, 1982). For

Passive cyclic pitch control for horizontal axis wind turbines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bottrell, G. W.

1981-01-01

A flexible rotor concept, called the balanced pitch rotor, is described. The system provides passive adjustment of cyclic pitch in response to unbalanced pitching moments across the rotor disk. Various applications are described and performance predictions are made for wind shear and cross wind operating conditions. Comparisons with the teetered hub are made and significant cost savings are predicted.

Bilingualism and Attention: A Study of Balanced and Unbalanced Bilingual Deaf Users of American Sign Language and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kushalnagar, Poorna; Hannay, H. Julia; Hernandez, Arturo E.

2010-01-01

Early deafness is thought to affect low-level sensorimotor processing such as selective attention, whereas bilingualism is thought to be strongly associated with higher order cognitive processing such as attention switching under cognitive load. This study explores the effects of bimodal-bilingualism (in American Sign Language and written English)…

Excursive behaviors by female white-tailed deer during estrus at two mid-Atlantic sites

Treesearch

Jeffrey J. Kolodzinski; Lawrence V. Tannenbaum; Lisa I. Muller; David A. Osborn; Kent A. Adams; Mark C. Conner; W. Mark Ford; Karl V. Miller

2010-01-01

Current research suggests that female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) will adopt sedentary breeding strategies in populations with an abundance of males and a more active mate-searching strategy in low-density or unbalanced herds. We used GPS collars to document the movements of 10 female deer during the breeding season at two Mid-Atlantic...

Modeling the Psychometric Properties of Complex Performance Assessment Tasks Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis: A Multistage Model for Calibrating Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahraman, Nilufer; De Champlain, Andre; Raymond, Mark

2012-01-01

Item-level information, such as difficulty and discrimination are invaluable to the test assembly, equating, and scoring practices. Estimating these parameters within the context of large-scale performance assessments is often hindered by the use of unbalanced designs for assigning examinees to tasks and raters because such designs result in very…

Masked Translation Priming Effects in Visual Word Recognition by Trilinguals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aparicio, Xavier; Lavaur, Jean-Marc

2016-01-01

The present study aims to investigate how trilinguals process their two non-dominant languages and how those languages influence one another, as well as the relative importance of the dominant language on their processing. With this in mind, 24 French (L1)- English (L2)- and Spanish (L3)-unbalanced trilinguals, deemed equivalent in their L2 and L3…

Cutting strategies and timber yields for unbalanced even-aged northern hardwood forests

Treesearch

William B. Leak; Stanley M. Filip; Stanley M. Filip

1970-01-01

The even-aged hardwood forest, with a poorly balanced distribution of age-classes, can cause perplexing problems during the first rotation. What is the best cutting strategy to follow? By using linear programming, we developed some cutting strategies that maximize board-foot production and produce a balanced age distribution by the end of the first rotation. We...

Altitude valve for railway suspension control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xuan; Zhang, Lihao; Li, Qingxuan; Chen, WanSong

2017-09-01

With the variation of people and material during vehicle service, the gravity of vehicle could be unbalanced. As a result it might cause accident. In order to solve this problem, altitude valve is assembled on board. It can adjust the gravity of vehicle by the intake and outlet progress of the spring in the altitude valve to prevent the tilt of vehicles.

Characterization of two familial cases presenting with a syndromic specific learning disorder and carrying (17q;21q) unbalanced translocations.

PubMed

Coton, Julie; Labalme, Audrey; Till, Marianne; Bussy, Gerald; Krifi Papoz, Sonia; Lesca, Gaetan; Heron, Delphine; Sanlaville, Damien; Edery, Patrick; des Portes, Vincent; Rossi, Massimiliano

2018-05-01

Chromosomal microarray (CMA) can detect pathogenic copy number variations in 15-20% of individuals with intellectual disability and in 10% of patients with autism spectrum disorders. The diagnostic rate in specific learning disorders (SLD) is unknown. Our study emphasizes the usefulness of CMA in the diagnostic workout assessment of familial SLD.

The Detrimental Effects of Social Capital on the Balanced Development of Compulsory Education and Their Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Dongjiao

2009-01-01

The balanced development of compulsory education, with a focus on the goal of educational equality, is both a matter of policy orientation and a practical educational issue. At present, people are mostly concerned with the unbalanced state of development of compulsory education, its causes, and issues regarding its administration. Various modes of…

Evaluating Model Fit for Growth Curve Models: Integration of Fit Indices from SEM and MLM Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Wei; West, Stephen G.; Taylor, Aaron B.

2009-01-01

Evaluating overall model fit for growth curve models involves 3 challenging issues. (a) Three types of longitudinal data with different implications for model fit may be distinguished: balanced on time with complete data, balanced on time with data missing at random, and unbalanced on time. (b) Traditional work on fit from the structural equation…

76 FR 45638 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Fixed Income Clearing Corporation; Notice of Filing of Proposed...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-29

... the TPR, an industry group formed and sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.\\5\\ Because... that GSCC would likely have unbalanced net GCF securities and cash positions within each clearing bank... clearing bank will be net funds borrowers, while the dealers at the other clearing bank will be net funds...

76 FR 54824 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Fixed Income Clearing Corporation; Order Approving Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-02

... Federal Reserve Bank of New York.\\4\\ Because the GCF Repo service operates as a tri-party repo mechanism... that GSCC would likely have unbalanced net GCF securities and cash positions within each clearing bank... clearing bank will be net funds borrowers, while the dealers at the other clearing bank will be net funds...

Second-Class, Cash Strapped, Antiquated Institutions: Unbalanced Media Depictions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the "Chronicle of Higher Education"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waymer, Damion; Street, Joshua

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine "The Chronicle of Higher Education", a leading site for higher education news and politics, and its representation of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Design/methodology/approach: Frames are strong discursive tools that can help social actors achieve the following:…

Bilingual Word Recognition in Deaf and Hearing Signers: Effects of Proficiency and Language Dominance on Cross-Language Activation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morford, Jill P.; Kroll, Judith F.; Piñar, Pilar; Wilkinson, Erin

2014-01-01

Recent evidence demonstrates that American Sign Language (ASL) signs are active during print word recognition in deaf bilinguals who are highly proficient in both ASL and English. In the present study, we investigate whether signs are active during print word recognition in two groups of unbalanced bilinguals: deaf ASL-dominant and hearing…

The evaluation of shear deformation for contact analysis with large displacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nizam, Z. M.; Obiya, H.; Ijima, K.; Azhar, A. T. S.; Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Shaylinda, M. Z. N.

2018-04-01

A common problem encountered in the study of contact problem is the failure to obtain stable and accurate convergence result when the contact node is close to the element edge, which is referred as “critical area”. In previous studies, the modification of the element force equation to apply it to a node-element contact problem using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory [1]. A simple single-element consists two edges and a contact point was used to simulate contact phenomenon of a plane frame. The modification was proven to be effective by the converge-ability of the unbalanced force at the tip of element edge, which enabled the contact node to “pass-through”, resulting in precise results. However, in another recent study, we discover that, if shear deformation based on Timoshenko beam theory is taken into consideration, a basic simply supported beam coordinate afforded a much simpler and more efficient technique for avoiding the divergence of the unbalanced force in the “critical area”. Using our unique and robust Tangent Stiffness Method, the improved equation can be used to overcome any geometrically nonlinear analyses, including those involving extremely large displacements.

Use of unbalanced laminates as a screening method for microcracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Papadopoulos, Demetrios S.; Bowles, Kenneth J.

1990-01-01

State-of-the-art, high temperature polyimide matrix composites, reinforced with continuous graphite fibers are known to be susceptible to intraply cracking when thermally cycled over their useful service temperature range. It is believed that the transply cracking, in part, results from residual stresses caused by differences in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the polymer matrix and the reinforcement. Thermal cycling tests to investigate this phenomenon involve expensive time and energy consuming programs which are not economically feasible for use as a part of a materials screening process. As an alternative to thermal cycling studies, a study of unbalanced crossply graphite fiber reinforcement composites was conducted to assess the effect of the composite ply layup and surface condition on the residual stresses that remain after the processing of these materials. The residual stresses were assessed by measuring the radii of curvature of the types of laminates that were studied. The temperature at which stress-free conditions existed were determined and a dye penetrant method was used to observe surface damage resulting from excessive residual stress buildup. These results are compared with some published results of thermal cycling tests that were previously conducted on balanced polyimide composites.

Practical quantum private query of blocks based on unbalanced-state Bennett-Brassard-1984 quantum-key-distribution protocol.

PubMed

Wei, Chun-Yan; Gao, Fei; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Wang, Tian-Yin

2014-12-18

Until now, the only kind of practical quantum private query (QPQ), quantum-key-distribution (QKD)-based QPQ, focuses on the retrieval of a single bit. In fact, meaningful message is generally composed of multiple adjacent bits (i.e., a multi-bit block). To obtain a message a1a2···al from database, the user Alice has to query l times to get each ai. In this condition, the server Bob could gain Alice's privacy once he obtains the address she queried in any of the l queries, since each a(i) contributes to the message Alice retrieves. Apparently, the longer the retrieved message is, the worse the user privacy becomes. To solve this problem, via an unbalanced-state technique and based on a variant of multi-level BB84 protocol, we present a protocol for QPQ of blocks, which allows the user to retrieve a multi-bit block from database in one query. Our protocol is somewhat like the high-dimension version of the first QKD-based QPQ protocol proposed by Jacobi et al., but some nontrivial modifications are necessary.

Genetic counseling in adult carriers of a balanced chromosomal rearrangement ascertained in childhood: experiences from a nationwide reexamination of translocation carriers.

PubMed

Bache, Iben; Brondum-Nielsen, Karen; Tommerup, Niels

2007-03-01

Prenatal diagnosis is offered to carriers of a balanced chromosomal rearrangement because it may predispose to offspring with an unbalanced karyotype. Therefore, carriers examined prenatally or in childhood should be informed before they reach reproductive age. We aimed to determine how many of the adult carriers ascertained in childhood currently know about their carrier status. We used data obtained by a questionnaire study reexamining carriers of a balanced reciprocal translocation. When a carrier was older than 18 years of age and had been examined in childhood, relatives were asked whether she/he knew of the translocation. Among the 113 parents we interviewed, 10 carriers (9%) in 8 families had not been informed. In one of the eight families, an offspring with an unbalanced translocation was born 23 years after the father had been examined in childhood. Because of our findings, the practice of genetic counseling in Denmark has been changed: When a carrier of a balanced chromosomal rearrangement who was examined prenatally or in childhood turns 18 years of age, the parents will receive a letter reminding the family about the reproductive risk.

In favor of general probability distributions: lateral prefrontal and insular cortices respond to stimulus inherent, but irrelevant differences.

PubMed

Mestres-Missé, Anna; Trampel, Robert; Turner, Robert; Kotz, Sonja A

2016-04-01

A key aspect of optimal behavior is the ability to predict what will come next. To achieve this, we must have a fairly good idea of the probability of occurrence of possible outcomes. This is based both on prior knowledge about a particular or similar situation and on immediately relevant new information. One question that arises is: when considering converging prior probability and external evidence, is the most probable outcome selected or does the brain represent degrees of uncertainty, even highly improbable ones? Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the current study explored these possibilities by contrasting words that differ in their probability of occurrence, namely, unbalanced ambiguous words and unambiguous words. Unbalanced ambiguous words have a strong frequency-based bias towards one meaning, while unambiguous words have only one meaning. The current results reveal larger activation in lateral prefrontal and insular cortices in response to dominant ambiguous compared to unambiguous words even when prior and contextual information biases one interpretation only. These results suggest a probability distribution, whereby all outcomes and their associated probabilities of occurrence--even if very low--are represented and maintained.

Upper Ocean Meso-Submesoscale Eddy Variability in the Northwestern Pacific from Repeat ADCP Measurements and 1/48-deg MITgcm Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, B.; Nakano, T.; Chen, S.; Wang, J.; Fu, L. L.; Klein, P.

2016-12-01

With the use of Ka-band radar interferometry, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite will improve the measured sea surface height (SSH) resolution down to the spectral wavelength of 15km, allowing us to investigate for the first time the upper oceancirculation variability at the submesoscale range on the global scale. By analyzing repeat shipboardAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements along 137°E, as well as the 1/48-deg MITgcm simulation output, in the northwest Pacific, we demonstrate that the observed/modeled upper ocean velocities are comprised of balanced geostrophic motions and unbalanced ageostrophic wave motions. The length scale, Lc, that separates the dominance between these two types of motions is found to depend sensitively on the energy level of local mesoscale eddy variability. In the eddy-abundant western boundary current region of Kuroshio, Lc can be shorter than 15km, whereas Lc exceeds 200km along the path of relatively stable North Equatorial Current. Judicious separation between the balanced and unbalanced surface ocean signals will both be a challenge and opportunity for the SWOT mission.

De novo unbalanced translocation resulting in monosomy for proximal 14q and distal 4p in a fetus with intrauterine growth retardation, Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and partial hemihypoplasia.

PubMed

Chen, C P; Chern, S R; Lee, C C; Chen, W L; Chen, M H; Chang, K M

1998-12-01

We present the perinatal findings of a fetus with a de novo unbalanced chromosome translocation that resulted in monosomy for proximal 14q and monosomy for distal 4p. Prenatal sonographic examination at 27 weeks of gestation showed intrauterine growth retardation, microcephaly, cardiomegaly with arrhythmia, and asymmetry of the upper limbs. Genetic amniocentesis showed an abnormal karyotype of 45,XX,der(4)t(4;14)(p16.3;q12),-14. Linkage analysis of the family confirmed the maternal origin of the deletions. Molecular refinement of the deletion breakpoints indicated that the breakpoints at 4p16.3 and 14q12 were located between loci D4S403 (present) and D4S394 (absent), and between loci D14S252 (present) and D14S64 (absent), respectively. Necropsy showed dysmorphic features compatible with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, partial hemihypoplasia, and a normal brain without evidence of holoprosencephaly. Our case adds to the list of clinical phenotypes associated with the proximal regions of 14q.

Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome with Epibulbar Dermoid: An Unusual Association in a Patient with 4p Deletion and Functional Xp Disomy.

PubMed

Bragagnolo, Silvia; Colovati, Mileny E S; Guilherme, Roberta S; Dantas, Anelisa G; de Souza, Malú Zamariolli; de Soares, Maria F; Melaragno, Maria I; Perez, Ana B

2016-01-01

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) is a contiguous gene and multiple malformation syndrome that results from a deletion in the 4p16.3 region. We describe here a 6-month-old girl that presented with WHS features but also displayed unusual findings, such as epibulbar dermoid in the left eye, ear tags, and left microtia. Although on G-banding her karyotype appeared to be normal, chromosomal microarray analysis revealed an ∼13-Mb 4p16.3p15.33 deletion and an ∼9-Mb Xp22.33p22.31 duplication, resulting from a balanced maternal t(X;4)(p22.31;p15.33) translocation. The patient presented with functional Xp disomy due to an unbalanced X-autosome translocation, a rare cytogenetic finding in females with unbalanced rearrangements. Sequencing of both chromosome breakpoints detected no gene disruption. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first patient described in the literature with WHS and epibulbar dermoid, a typical characteristic of the oculoauriculovertebral spectrum (OAVS). Our data suggest that possible candidate genes for OAVS may have been deleted along with the WHS critical region. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A Rare Combination of Functional Disomy Xp, Deletion Xq13.2-q28 Spanning the XIST Gene, and Duplication 3q25.33-q29 in a Female with der(X)t(X;3)(q13.2;q25.33).

PubMed

Peterson, Jess F; Basel, Donald G; Bick, David P; Chirempes, Brett; Lorier, Rachel B; Zemlicka, Nykula; Grignon, John W; Weik, LuAnn; Kappes, Ulrike

2018-03-01

We report a 19-year-old female patient with a history of short stature, primary ovarian insufficiency, sensorineural hearing loss, sacral teratoma, neurogenic bladder, and intellectual disability with underlying mosaicism for der(X)t(X;3)(q13.2;q25.33), a ring X chromosome, and monosomy X. Derivative X chromosomes from unbalanced X-autosomal translocations are preferentially silenced by the XIST gene (Xq13.2) located within the X-inactivation center. The unbalanced X-autosomal translocation in our case resulted in loss of the XIST gene thus precluding the inactivation of the derivative X chromosome. As a result, clinical features of functional disomy Xp, Turner's syndrome, and duplication 3q syndrome were observed. Importantly, indications of the derivative X chromosome were revealed by microarray analysis following an initial diagnosis of Turner's syndrome made by conventional cytogenetic studies approximately 18 months earlier. This case demonstrates the importance of utilizing microarray analysis as a first-line test in patients with clinical features beyond the scope of a well-defined genetic syndrome.

Short-Exponent RSA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Hung-Min; Yang, Cheng-Ta; Wu, Mu-En

In some applications, a short private exponent d is chosen to improve the decryption or signing process for RSA public key cryptosystem. However, in a typical RSA, if the private exponent d is selected first, the public exponent e should be of the same order of magnitude as φ(N). Sun et al. devised three RSA variants using unbalanced prime factors p and q to lower the computational cost. Unfortunately, Durfee & Nguyen broke the illustrated instances of the first and third variants by solving small roots to trivariate modular polynomial equations. They also indicated that the instances with unbalanced primes p and q are more insecure than the instances with balanced p and q. This investigation focuses on designing a new RSA variant with balanced p and q, and short exponents d and e, to improve the security of an RSA variant against the Durfee & Nguyen's attack, and the other existing attacks. Furthermore, the proposed variant (Scheme A) is also extended to another RSA variant (Scheme B) in which p and q are balanced, and a trade-off between the lengths of d and e is enable. In addition, we provide the security analysis and feasibility analysis of the proposed schemes.

Improving optical properties of silicon nitride films to be applied in the middle infrared optics by a combined high-power impulse/unbalanced magnetron sputtering deposition technique.

PubMed

Liao, Bo-Huei; Hsiao, Chien-Nan

2014-02-01

Silicon nitride films are prepared by a combined high-power impulse/unbalanced magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS/UBMS) deposition technique. Different unbalance coefficients and pulse on/off ratios are applied to improve the optical properties of the silicon nitride films. The refractive indices of the Si3N4 films vary from 2.17 to 2.02 in the wavelength ranges of 400-700 nm, and all the extinction coefficients are smaller than 1×10(-4). The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffractometry measurements reveal the amorphous structure of the Si3N4 films with extremely low hydrogen content and very low absorption between the near IR and middle IR ranges. Compared to other deposition techniques, Si3N4 films deposited by the combined HIPIMS/UBMS deposition technique possess the highest refractive index, the lowest extinction coefficient, and excellent structural properties. Finally a four-layer coating is deposited on both sides of a silicon substrate. The average transmittance from 3200 to 4800 nm is 99.0%, and the highest transmittance is 99.97% around 4200 nm.

Asymmetric bagging and feature selection for activities prediction of drug molecules.

PubMed

Li, Guo-Zheng; Meng, Hao-Hua; Lu, Wen-Cong; Yang, Jack Y; Yang, Mary Qu

2008-05-28

Activities of drug molecules can be predicted by QSAR (quantitative structure activity relationship) models, which overcomes the disadvantages of high cost and long cycle by employing the traditional experimental method. With the fact that the number of drug molecules with positive activity is rather fewer than that of negatives, it is important to predict molecular activities considering such an unbalanced situation. Here, asymmetric bagging and feature selection are introduced into the problem and asymmetric bagging of support vector machines (asBagging) is proposed on predicting drug activities to treat the unbalanced problem. At the same time, the features extracted from the structures of drug molecules affect prediction accuracy of QSAR models. Therefore, a novel algorithm named PRIFEAB is proposed, which applies an embedded feature selection method to remove redundant and irrelevant features for asBagging. Numerical experimental results on a data set of molecular activities show that asBagging improve the AUC and sensitivity values of molecular activities and PRIFEAB with feature selection further helps to improve the prediction ability. Asymmetric bagging can help to improve prediction accuracy of activities of drug molecules, which can be furthermore improved by performing feature selection to select relevant features from the drug molecules data sets.

Energy Balanced Strategies for Maximizing the Lifetime of Sparsely Deployed Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Luo, Hanjiang; Guo, Zhongwen; Wu, Kaishun; Hong, Feng; Feng, Yuan

2009-01-01

Underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWA-SNs) are envisioned to perform monitoring tasks over the large portion of the world covered by oceans. Due to economics and the large area of the ocean, UWA-SNs are mainly sparsely deployed networks nowadays. The limited battery resources is a big challenge for the deployment of such long-term sensor networks. Unbalanced battery energy consumption will lead to early energy depletion of nodes, which partitions the whole networks and impairs the integrity of the monitoring datasets or even results in the collapse of the entire networks. On the contrary, balanced energy dissipation of nodes can prolong the lifetime of such networks. In this paper, we focus on the energy balance dissipation problem of two types of sparsely deployed UWA-SNs: underwater moored monitoring systems and sparsely deployed two-dimensional UWA-SNs. We first analyze the reasons of unbalanced energy consumption in such networks, then we propose two energy balanced strategies to maximize the lifetime of networks both in shallow and deep water. Finally, we evaluate our methods by simulations and the results show that the two strategies can achieve balanced energy consumption per node while at the same time prolong the networks lifetime. PMID:22399970

The Relationship between Sample Sizes and Effect Sizes in Systematic Reviews in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slavin, Robert; Smith, Dewi

2009-01-01

Research in fields other than education has found that studies with small sample sizes tend to have larger effect sizes than those with large samples. This article examines the relationship between sample size and effect size in education. It analyzes data from 185 studies of elementary and secondary mathematics programs that met the standards of…

Phylogenetic effective sample size.

PubMed

Bartoszek, Krzysztof

2016-10-21

In this paper I address the question-how large is a phylogenetic sample? I propose a definition of a phylogenetic effective sample size for Brownian motion and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes-the regression effective sample size. I discuss how mutual information can be used to define an effective sample size in the non-normal process case and compare these two definitions to an already present concept of effective sample size (the mean effective sample size). Through a simulation study I find that the AICc is robust if one corrects for the number of species or effective number of species. Lastly I discuss how the concept of the phylogenetic effective sample size can be useful for biodiversity quantification, identification of interesting clades and deciding on the importance of phylogenetic correlations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The endothelial sample size analysis in corneal specular microscopy clinical examinations.

PubMed

Abib, Fernando C; Holzchuh, Ricardo; Schaefer, Artur; Schaefer, Tania; Godois, Ronialci

2012-05-01

To evaluate endothelial cell sample size and statistical error in corneal specular microscopy (CSM) examinations. One hundred twenty examinations were conducted with 4 types of corneal specular microscopes: 30 with each BioOptics, CSO, Konan, and Topcon corneal specular microscopes. All endothelial image data were analyzed by respective instrument software and also by the Cells Analyzer software with a method developed in our lab. A reliability degree (RD) of 95% and a relative error (RE) of 0.05 were used as cut-off values to analyze images of the counted endothelial cells called samples. The sample size mean was the number of cells evaluated on the images obtained with each device. Only examinations with RE < 0.05 were considered statistically correct and suitable for comparisons with future examinations. The Cells Analyzer software was used to calculate the RE and customized sample size for all examinations. Bio-Optics: sample size, 97 ± 22 cells; RE, 6.52 ± 0.86; only 10% of the examinations had sufficient endothelial cell quantity (RE < 0.05); customized sample size, 162 ± 34 cells. CSO: sample size, 110 ± 20 cells; RE, 5.98 ± 0.98; only 16.6% of the examinations had sufficient endothelial cell quantity (RE < 0.05); customized sample size, 157 ± 45 cells. Konan: sample size, 80 ± 27 cells; RE, 10.6 ± 3.67; none of the examinations had sufficient endothelial cell quantity (RE > 0.05); customized sample size, 336 ± 131 cells. Topcon: sample size, 87 ± 17 cells; RE, 10.1 ± 2.52; none of the examinations had sufficient endothelial cell quantity (RE > 0.05); customized sample size, 382 ± 159 cells. A very high number of CSM examinations had sample errors based on Cells Analyzer software. The endothelial sample size (examinations) needs to include more cells to be reliable and reproducible. The Cells Analyzer tutorial routine will be useful for CSM examination reliability and reproducibility.

Accounting for twin births in sample size calculations for randomised trials.

PubMed

Yelland, Lisa N; Sullivan, Thomas R; Collins, Carmel T; Price, David J; McPhee, Andrew J; Lee, Katherine J

2018-05-04

Including twins in randomised trials leads to non-independence or clustering in the data. Clustering has important implications for sample size calculations, yet few trials take this into account. Estimates of the intracluster correlation coefficient (ICC), or the correlation between outcomes of twins, are needed to assist with sample size planning. Our aims were to provide ICC estimates for infant outcomes, describe the information that must be specified in order to account for clustering due to twins in sample size calculations, and develop a simple tool for performing sample size calculations for trials including twins. ICCs were estimated for infant outcomes collected in four randomised trials that included twins. The information required to account for clustering due to twins in sample size calculations is described. A tool that calculates the sample size based on this information was developed in Microsoft Excel and in R as a Shiny web app. ICC estimates ranged between -0.12, indicating a weak negative relationship, and 0.98, indicating a strong positive relationship between outcomes of twins. Example calculations illustrate how the ICC estimates and sample size calculator can be used to determine the target sample size for trials including twins. Clustering among outcomes measured on twins should be taken into account in sample size calculations to obtain the desired power. Our ICC estimates and sample size calculator will be useful for designing future trials that include twins. Publication of additional ICCs is needed to further assist with sample size planning for future trials. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sample size determination for mediation analysis of longitudinal data.

PubMed

Pan, Haitao; Liu, Suyu; Miao, Danmin; Yuan, Ying

2018-03-27

Sample size planning for longitudinal data is crucial when designing mediation studies because sufficient statistical power is not only required in grant applications and peer-reviewed publications, but is essential to reliable research results. However, sample size determination is not straightforward for mediation analysis of longitudinal design. To facilitate planning the sample size for longitudinal mediation studies with a multilevel mediation model, this article provides the sample size required to achieve 80% power by simulations under various sizes of the mediation effect, within-subject correlations and numbers of repeated measures. The sample size calculation is based on three commonly used mediation tests: Sobel's method, distribution of product method and the bootstrap method. Among the three methods of testing the mediation effects, Sobel's method required the largest sample size to achieve 80% power. Bootstrapping and the distribution of the product method performed similarly and were more powerful than Sobel's method, as reflected by the relatively smaller sample sizes. For all three methods, the sample size required to achieve 80% power depended on the value of the ICC (i.e., within-subject correlation). A larger value of ICC typically required a larger sample size to achieve 80% power. Simulation results also illustrated the advantage of the longitudinal study design. The sample size tables for most encountered scenarios in practice have also been published for convenient use. Extensive simulations study showed that the distribution of the product method and bootstrapping method have superior performance to the Sobel's method, but the product method was recommended to use in practice in terms of less computation time load compared to the bootstrapping method. A R package has been developed for the product method of sample size determination in mediation longitudinal study design.

Public Opinion Polls, Chicken Soup and Sample Size

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Phung

2005-01-01

Cooking and tasting chicken soup in three different pots of very different size serves to demonstrate that it is the absolute sample size that matters the most in determining the accuracy of the findings of the poll, not the relative sample size, i.e. the size of the sample in relation to its population.

Studies on the effects of storage stability of bio-oil obtained from pyrolysis of Calophyllum inophyllum deoiled seed cake on the performance and emission characteristics of a direct-injection diesel engine.

PubMed

Rajamohan, Sakthivel; Kasimani, Ramesh

2018-04-19

The highly unbalanced nature of bio-oil composition poses a serious threat in terms of storage and utilization of bio-oil as a viable fuel in engines. So it becomes inevitable to study the variations in physicochemical properties of the bio-oil during storage to value its chemical instability, for designing stabilization methodologies. The present study aims to investigate the effects of storage stability of bio-oil extracted from pyrolyzing Calophyllum inophyllum (CI) deoiled seed cake on the engine operating characteristics. The bio-oil is produced in a fixed bed reactor at 500 °C under the constant heating rate of 30 °C/min. All the stability analysis methods involve an accelerated aging procedure based on standards established by ASTM (D5304 and E2009) and European standard (EN 14112). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to analytically characterize the unaged and aged bio-oil samples. The results clearly depict that stabilizing Calophyllum inophyllum bio-oil with 10% (w/w) methanol improved its stability than that of the unstabilized sample thereby reducing the aging rate of bio-oil to 0.04 and 0.13 cst/h for thermal and oxidative aging respectively. Engine testing of the bio-oil sample revealed that aged bio-oil samples deteriorated engine performance and increased emission levels at the exhaust. The oxidatively aged sample showed the lowest BTE (24.41%), the highest BSEC (20.14 MJ/kWh), CO (1.51%), HC (132 ppm), NOx (1098 ppm) and smoke opacity (34.8%).

Sample size in studies on diagnostic accuracy in ophthalmology: a literature survey.

PubMed

Bochmann, Frank; Johnson, Zoe; Azuara-Blanco, Augusto

2007-07-01

To assess the sample sizes used in studies on diagnostic accuracy in ophthalmology. Design and sources: A survey literature published in 2005. The frequency of reporting calculations of sample sizes and the samples' sizes were extracted from the published literature. A manual search of five leading clinical journals in ophthalmology with the highest impact (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology and British Journal of Ophthalmology) was conducted by two independent investigators. A total of 1698 articles were identified, of which 40 studies were on diagnostic accuracy. One study reported that sample size was calculated before initiating the study. Another study reported consideration of sample size without calculation. The mean (SD) sample size of all diagnostic studies was 172.6 (218.9). The median prevalence of the target condition was 50.5%. Only a few studies consider sample size in their methods. Inadequate sample sizes in diagnostic accuracy studies may result in misleading estimates of test accuracy. An improvement over the current standards on the design and reporting of diagnostic studies is warranted.

Caution regarding the choice of standard deviations to guide sample size calculations in clinical trials.

PubMed

Chen, Henian; Zhang, Nanhua; Lu, Xiaosun; Chen, Sophie

2013-08-01

The method used to determine choice of standard deviation (SD) is inadequately reported in clinical trials. Underestimations of the population SD may result in underpowered clinical trials. This study demonstrates how using the wrong method to determine population SD can lead to inaccurate sample sizes and underpowered studies, and offers recommendations to maximize the likelihood of achieving adequate statistical power. We review the practice of reporting sample size and its effect on the power of trials published in major journals. Simulated clinical trials were used to compare the effects of different methods of determining SD on power and sample size calculations. Prior to 1996, sample size calculations were reported in just 1%-42% of clinical trials. This proportion increased from 38% to 54% after the initial Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) was published in 1996, and from 64% to 95% after the revised CONSORT was published in 2001. Nevertheless, underpowered clinical trials are still common. Our simulated data showed that all minimal and 25th-percentile SDs fell below 44 (the population SD), regardless of sample size (from 5 to 50). For sample sizes 5 and 50, the minimum sample SDs underestimated the population SD by 90.7% and 29.3%, respectively. If only one sample was available, there was less than 50% chance that the actual power equaled or exceeded the planned power of 80% for detecting a median effect size (Cohen's d = 0.5) when using the sample SD to calculate the sample size. The proportions of studies with actual power of at least 80% were about 95%, 90%, 85%, and 80% when we used the larger SD, 80% upper confidence limit (UCL) of SD, 70% UCL of SD, and 60% UCL of SD to calculate the sample size, respectively. When more than one sample was available, the weighted average SD resulted in about 50% of trials being underpowered; the proportion of trials with power of 80% increased from 90% to 100% when the 75th percentile and the maximum SD from 10 samples were used. Greater sample size is needed to achieve a higher proportion of studies having actual power of 80%. This study only addressed sample size calculation for continuous outcome variables. We recommend using the 60% UCL of SD, maximum SD, 80th-percentile SD, and 75th-percentile SD to calculate sample size when 1 or 2 samples, 3 samples, 4-5 samples, and more than 5 samples of data are available, respectively. Using the sample SD or average SD to calculate sample size should be avoided.

Dispersion and sampling of adult Dermacentor andersoni in rangeland in Western North America.

PubMed

Rochon, K; Scoles, G A; Lysyk, T J

2012-03-01

A fixed precision sampling plan was developed for off-host populations of adult Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni (Stiles) based on data collected by dragging at 13 locations in Alberta, Canada; Washington; and Oregon. In total, 222 site-date combinations were sampled. Each site-date combination was considered a sample, and each sample ranged in size from 86 to 250 10 m2 quadrats. Analysis of simulated quadrats ranging in size from 10 to 50 m2 indicated that the most precise sample unit was the 10 m2 quadrat. Samples taken when abundance < 0.04 ticks per 10 m2 were more likely to not depart significantly from statistical randomness than samples taken when abundance was greater. Data were grouped into ten abundance classes and assessed for fit to the Poisson and negative binomial distributions. The Poisson distribution fit only data in abundance classes < 0.02 ticks per 10 m2, while the negative binomial distribution fit data from all abundance classes. A negative binomial distribution with common k = 0.3742 fit data in eight of the 10 abundance classes. Both the Taylor and Iwao mean-variance relationships were fit and used to predict sample sizes for a fixed level of precision. Sample sizes predicted using the Taylor model tended to underestimate actual sample sizes, while sample sizes estimated using the Iwao model tended to overestimate actual sample sizes. Using a negative binomial with common k provided estimates of required sample sizes closest to empirically calculated sample sizes.

Simple, Defensible Sample Sizes Based on Cost Efficiency

PubMed Central

Bacchetti, Peter; McCulloch, Charles E.; Segal, Mark R.

2009-01-01

Summary The conventional approach of choosing sample size to provide 80% or greater power ignores the cost implications of different sample size choices. Costs, however, are often impossible for investigators and funders to ignore in actual practice. Here, we propose and justify a new approach for choosing sample size based on cost efficiency, the ratio of a study’s projected scientific and/or practical value to its total cost. By showing that a study’s projected value exhibits diminishing marginal returns as a function of increasing sample size for a wide variety of definitions of study value, we are able to develop two simple choices that can be defended as more cost efficient than any larger sample size. The first is to choose the sample size that minimizes the average cost per subject. The second is to choose sample size to minimize total cost divided by the square root of sample size. This latter method is theoretically more justifiable for innovative studies, but also performs reasonably well and has some justification in other cases. For example, if projected study value is assumed to be proportional to power at a specific alternative and total cost is a linear function of sample size, then this approach is guaranteed either to produce more than 90% power or to be more cost efficient than any sample size that does. These methods are easy to implement, based on reliable inputs, and well justified, so they should be regarded as acceptable alternatives to current conventional approaches. PMID:18482055

RnaSeqSampleSize: real data based sample size estimation for RNA sequencing.

PubMed

Zhao, Shilin; Li, Chung-I; Guo, Yan; Sheng, Quanhu; Shyr, Yu

2018-05-30

One of the most important and often neglected components of a successful RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) experiment is sample size estimation. A few negative binomial model-based methods have been developed to estimate sample size based on the parameters of a single gene. However, thousands of genes are quantified and tested for differential expression simultaneously in RNA-Seq experiments. Thus, additional issues should be carefully addressed, including the false discovery rate for multiple statistic tests, widely distributed read counts and dispersions for different genes. To solve these issues, we developed a sample size and power estimation method named RnaSeqSampleSize, based on the distributions of gene average read counts and dispersions estimated from real RNA-seq data. Datasets from previous, similar experiments such as the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) can be used as a point of reference. Read counts and their dispersions were estimated from the reference's distribution; using that information, we estimated and summarized the power and sample size. RnaSeqSampleSize is implemented in R language and can be installed from Bioconductor website. A user friendly web graphic interface is provided at http://cqs.mc.vanderbilt.edu/shiny/RnaSeqSampleSize/ . RnaSeqSampleSize provides a convenient and powerful way for power and sample size estimation for an RNAseq experiment. It is also equipped with several unique features, including estimation for interested genes or pathway, power curve visualization, and parameter optimization.

The special case of the 2 × 2 table: asymptotic unconditional McNemar test can be used to estimate sample size even for analysis based on GEE.

PubMed

Borkhoff, Cornelia M; Johnston, Patrick R; Stephens, Derek; Atenafu, Eshetu

2015-07-01

Aligning the method used to estimate sample size with the planned analytic method ensures the sample size needed to achieve the planned power. When using generalized estimating equations (GEE) to analyze a paired binary primary outcome with no covariates, many use an exact McNemar test to calculate sample size. We reviewed the approaches to sample size estimation for paired binary data and compared the sample size estimates on the same numerical examples. We used the hypothesized sample proportions for the 2 × 2 table to calculate the correlation between the marginal proportions to estimate sample size based on GEE. We solved the inside proportions based on the correlation and the marginal proportions to estimate sample size based on exact McNemar, asymptotic unconditional McNemar, and asymptotic conditional McNemar. The asymptotic unconditional McNemar test is a good approximation of GEE method by Pan. The exact McNemar is too conservative and yields unnecessarily large sample size estimates than all other methods. In the special case of a 2 × 2 table, even when a GEE approach to binary logistic regression is the planned analytic method, the asymptotic unconditional McNemar test can be used to estimate sample size. We do not recommend using an exact McNemar test. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is organic farming safer to farmers' health? A comparison between organic and traditional farming.

PubMed

Costa, Carla; García-Lestón, Julia; Costa, Solange; Coelho, Patrícia; Silva, Susana; Pingarilho, Marta; Valdiglesias, Vanessa; Mattei, Francesca; Dall'Armi, Valentina; Bonassi, Stefano; Laffon, Blanca; Snawder, John; Teixeira, João Paulo

2014-10-15

Exposure to pesticides is a major public health concern, because of the widespread distribution of these compounds and their possible long term effects. Recently, organic farming has been introduced as a consumer and environmental friendly agricultural system, although little is known about the effects on workers' health. The aim of this work was to evaluate genetic damage and immunological alterations in workers of both traditional and organic farming. Eighty-five farmers exposed to several pesticides, thirty-six organic farmers and sixty-one controls took part in the study. Biomarkers of exposure (pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and thioethers in urine and butyrylcholinesterase activity in plasma), early effect (micronuclei in lymphocytes and reticulocytes, T-cell receptor mutation assay, chromosomal aberrations, comet assay and lymphocytes subpopulations) and susceptibility (genetic polymorphisms related to metabolism - EPHX1, GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 - and DNA repair-XRCC1 and XRCC2) were evaluated. When compared to controls and organic farmers, pesticide farmers presented a significant increase of micronuclei in lymphocytes (frequency ratio, FR=2.80) and reticulocytes (FR=1.89), chromosomal aberrations (FR=2.19), DNA damage assessed by comet assay (mean ratio, MR=1.71), and a significant decrease in the proportion of B lymphocytes (MR=0.88). Results were not consistent for organic farmers when compared to controls, with a 48% increase of micronuclei in lumphocytes frequency (p=0.016) contrasted by the significant decreases of TCR-Mf (p=0.001) and %T (p=0.001). Our data confirm the increased presence of DNA damage in farmers exposed to pesticides, and show as exposure conditions may influence observed effects. These results must be interpreted with caution due to the small size of the sample and the unbalanced distribution of individuals in the three study groups. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparative study on nutritional status and body composition of urban and rural schoolchildren from Brandsen district (Argentina).

PubMed

Cesani, Maria Florencia; Garraza, Mariela; Bergel Sanchís, María Laura; Luis, María Antonia; Torres, María Fernanda; Quintero, Fabián Aníbal; Oyhenart, Evelia Edith

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether nutritional status and body composition varies according to the environment of residence (urban or rural) of children in the Brandsen district (Argentina). Weight, height, arm circumference and tricipital and subscapular skinfolds were performed in 1368 schoolchildren aged 3 to 14. NHANES III reference was used to estimate nutritional status -underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight, and obesity- and to evaluate body composition -deficit and excess of adipose (DA, EA) and muscular (DM, EM) tissues of the arm-. Central fat distribution (CFD) was estimated using the subscapular-tricipital index. A structured questionnaire was implemented to evaluate socio-environmental characteristics. Nutritional categories based on body size and body composition were compared between urban and rural areas of residence using Chi-squared tests (χ2). The results indicated for the total sample: 1.1% underweight, 6.9% stunting, 0.4% wasting, 12.1% overweight, 9.7% obesity, 22.0% DM, 2.5% EM, 0.1% DA, 17.6% EA, and 8.5% CFD. Significant differences between urban and rural areas were found only for CFD. The socio-environmental analysis showed that while access to public services and housing quality was significantly better in the urban area, a considerable number of city households lived under deficient conditions, lacked health insurance and had low socioeconomic level. Fifty-three percent of the undernourished children had DM without urban-rural significant differences, and none of them showed DA. In the overweight plus obesity group, 62.8% presented EA, 6.4% EM, 4.7% DM, and 22.8% CFD. The highest percentages of DM and CFD were recorded in rural areas (p = 0.00). We conclude that the child population shows the "double burden" of malnutrition. The environment of residence does not promote any differentiation in the nutritional status. Nevertheless, the increment of central adiposity and, in some cases of muscle deficit in rural children, suggests a consumption of unbalanced diet.

A Comparative Study on Nutritional Status and Body Composition of Urban and Rural Schoolchildren from Brandsen District (Argentina)

PubMed Central

Cesani, Maria Florencia; Garraza, Mariela; Bergel Sanchís, María Laura; Luis, María Antonia; Torres, María Fernanda; Quintero, Fabián Aníbal; Oyhenart, Evelia Edith

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether nutritional status and body composition varies according to the environment of residence (urban or rural) of children in the Brandsen district (Argentina). Weight, height, arm circumference and tricipital and subscapular skinfolds were performed in 1368 schoolchildren aged 3 to 14. NHANES III reference was used to estimate nutritional status -underweight, stunting, wasting, overweight, and obesity- and to evaluate body composition -deficit and excess of adipose (DA, EA) and muscular (DM, EM) tissues of the arm-. Central fat distribution (CFD) was estimated using the subscapular-tricipital index. A structured questionnaire was implemented to evaluate socio-environmental characteristics. Nutritional categories based on body size and body composition were compared between urban and rural areas of residence using Chi-squared tests (χ2). The results indicated for the total sample: 1.1% underweight, 6.9% stunting, 0.4% wasting, 12.1% overweight, 9.7% obesity, 22.0% DM, 2.5% EM, 0.1% DA, 17.6% EA, and 8.5% CFD. Significant differences between urban and rural areas were found only for CFD. The socio-environmental analysis showed that while access to public services and housing quality was significantly better in the urban area, a considerable number of city households lived under deficient conditions, lacked health insurance and had low socioeconomic level. Fifty-three percent of the undernourished children had DM without urban-rural significant differences, and none of them showed DA. In the overweight plus obesity group, 62.8% presented EA, 6.4% EM, 4.7% DM, and 22.8% CFD. The highest percentages of DM and CFD were recorded in rural areas (p = 0.00). We conclude that the child population shows the “double burden” of malnutrition. The environment of residence does not promote any differentiation in the nutritional status. Nevertheless, the increment of central adiposity and, in some cases of muscle deficit in rural children, suggests a consumption of unbalanced diet. PMID:23308120

Subtelomeric rearrangements in Indian children with idiopathic intellectual disability/developmental delay: Frequency estimation & clinical correlation using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)

PubMed Central

Mohan, Shruthi; Koshy, Teena; Vekatachalam, Perumal; Nampoothiri, Sheela; Yesodharan, Dhanya; Gowrishankar, Kalpana; Kumar, Jeevan; Ravichandran, Latha; Joseph, Santhosh; Chandrasekaran, Anupama; Paul, Solomon F. D.

2016-01-01

Background & objectives: Subtelomeres are prone to deleterious rearrangements owing to their proximity to unique sequences on the one end and telomeric repetitive sequences, which increase their tendency to recombine, on the other end. These subtelomeric rearrangements resulting in segmental aneusomy are reported to contribute to the aetiology of idiopathic intellectual disability/developmental delay (ID/DD). We undertook this study to estimate the frequency of subtelomeric rearrangements in children with ID/DD. Methods: One hundred and twenty seven children with idiopathic ID/DD were tested for subtelomeric rearrangements using karyotyping and FISH. Blood samples were cultured, harvested, fixed and GTG-banded using the standard protocols. Results: Rearrangements involving the subtelomeres were observed in 7.8 per cent of the tested samples. Detection of rearrangements visible at the resolution of the karyotype constituted 2.3 per cent, while those rearrangements detected only with FISH constituted 5.5 per cent. Five deletions and five unbalanced translocations were detected. Analysis of parental samples wherever possible was informative regarding the inheritance of the rearrangement. Interpretation & conclusions: The frequency of subtelomeric rearrangements observed in this study was within the reported range of 0-35 per cent. All abnormal genotypes were clinically correlated. Further analysis with array technologies presents a future prospect. Our results suggest the need to test individuals with ID/DD for subtelomeric rearrangements using sensitive methods such as FISH. PMID:27934799

Reporting of sample size calculations in analgesic clinical trials: ACTTION systematic review.

PubMed

McKeown, Andrew; Gewandter, Jennifer S; McDermott, Michael P; Pawlowski, Joseph R; Poli, Joseph J; Rothstein, Daniel; Farrar, John T; Gilron, Ian; Katz, Nathaniel P; Lin, Allison H; Rappaport, Bob A; Rowbotham, Michael C; Turk, Dennis C; Dworkin, Robert H; Smith, Shannon M

2015-03-01

Sample size calculations determine the number of participants required to have sufficiently high power to detect a given treatment effect. In this review, we examined the reporting quality of sample size calculations in 172 publications of double-blind randomized controlled trials of noninvasive pharmacologic or interventional (ie, invasive) pain treatments published in European Journal of Pain, Journal of Pain, and Pain from January 2006 through June 2013. Sixty-five percent of publications reported a sample size calculation but only 38% provided all elements required to replicate the calculated sample size. In publications reporting at least 1 element, 54% provided a justification for the treatment effect used to calculate sample size, and 24% of studies with continuous outcome variables justified the variability estimate. Publications of clinical pain condition trials reported a sample size calculation more frequently than experimental pain model trials (77% vs 33%, P < .001) but did not differ in the frequency of reporting all required elements. No significant differences in reporting of any or all elements were detected between publications of trials with industry and nonindustry sponsorship. Twenty-eight percent included a discrepancy between the reported number of planned and randomized participants. This study suggests that sample size calculation reporting in analgesic trial publications is usually incomplete. Investigators should provide detailed accounts of sample size calculations in publications of clinical trials of pain treatments, which is necessary for reporting transparency and communication of pre-trial design decisions. In this systematic review of analgesic clinical trials, sample size calculations and the required elements (eg, treatment effect to be detected; power level) were incompletely reported. A lack of transparency regarding sample size calculations may raise questions about the appropriateness of the calculated sample size. Copyright © 2015 American Pain Society. All rights reserved.

Determination of the optimal sample size for a clinical trial accounting for the population size.

PubMed

Stallard, Nigel; Miller, Frank; Day, Simon; Hee, Siew Wan; Madan, Jason; Zohar, Sarah; Posch, Martin

2017-07-01

The problem of choosing a sample size for a clinical trial is a very common one. In some settings, such as rare diseases or other small populations, the large sample sizes usually associated with the standard frequentist approach may be infeasible, suggesting that the sample size chosen should reflect the size of the population under consideration. Incorporation of the population size is possible in a decision-theoretic approach either explicitly by assuming that the population size is fixed and known, or implicitly through geometric discounting of the gain from future patients reflecting the expected population size. This paper develops such approaches. Building on previous work, an asymptotic expression is derived for the sample size for single and two-arm clinical trials in the general case of a clinical trial with a primary endpoint with a distribution of one parameter exponential family form that optimizes a utility function that quantifies the cost and gain per patient as a continuous function of this parameter. It is shown that as the size of the population, N, or expected size, N∗ in the case of geometric discounting, becomes large, the optimal trial size is O(N1/2) or O(N∗1/2). The sample size obtained from the asymptotic expression is also compared with the exact optimal sample size in examples with responses with Bernoulli and Poisson distributions, showing that the asymptotic approximations can also be reasonable in relatively small sample sizes. © 2016 The Author. Biometrical Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Requirements for Minimum Sample Size for Sensitivity and Specificity Analysis

PubMed Central

Adnan, Tassha Hilda

2016-01-01

Sensitivity and specificity analysis is commonly used for screening and diagnostic tests. The main issue researchers face is to determine the sufficient sample sizes that are related with screening and diagnostic studies. Although the formula for sample size calculation is available but concerning majority of the researchers are not mathematicians or statisticians, hence, sample size calculation might not be easy for them. This review paper provides sample size tables with regards to sensitivity and specificity analysis. These tables were derived from formulation of sensitivity and specificity test using Power Analysis and Sample Size (PASS) software based on desired type I error, power and effect size. The approaches on how to use the tables were also discussed. PMID:27891446

Gender Equity in High School World History Curriculum: Support for a Balanced Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brackett, Kirianne

2008-01-01

We are providing our secondary students with an unbalanced, inaccurate view of world history, this can lead to greater social injustice. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: (1) examine the reasons for and issues with providing a gender balanced view of history in order to lead to a more well rounded illustration of history; and (2) demonstrate…

Infantile spasms with periventricular nodular heterotopia, unbalanced chromosomal translocation 3p26.2 -10p15.1 and 6q22.31 duplication.

PubMed

Jones, Kevin; Weiss, Shelly K; Minassian, Berge

2016-07-01

Patients presenting with infantile spasms, dysmorphic features, and periventricular nodular heterotopia may benefit from genetic copy number variation microarray, or whole-exome sequencing to identify candidate genes. This will allow personalized diagnosis and prognostication and the eventual understanding of single and combined gene functions in brain health and disease.

University Language Policies and Language Choice among Ph.D. Graduates in Estonia: The (Unbalanced) Interplay between English and Estonian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soler-Carbonell, Josep

2014-01-01

The role of English as a global language and its consequences for the internationalization of higher education are matters that have increasingly drawn the attention of researchers from different fields of language and communication. In this paper, an overview of the situation in Estonia is presented. The Estonian context has not previously been…

Compact transmission system using single-sideband modulation of light for quantum cryptography.

PubMed

Duraffourg, L; Merolla, J M; Goedgebuer, J P; Mazurenko, Y; Rhodes, W T

2001-09-15

We report a new transmission that can be used for quantum key distribution. The system uses single-sideband-modulated light in an implementation of the BB84 quantum cryptography protocol. The system is formed by two integrated unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers and is based on interference between phase-modulated sidebands in the spectral domain. Experiments show that high interference visibility can be obtained.

Neither Good nor Useful: Looking Ad Vivum in Children's Assessments of Fat and Healthy Bodies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harwood, Valerie

2012-01-01

Fat bodies are not, fait accompli, bad. Yet in our international research, we found overwhelmingly that fat functioned as a marker to indicate health or lack of health. A body with fat was simply and conclusively unhealthy. This article reports on how this unbalanced view of fat was tied to assessments of healthy bodies that were achieved by…

In Search of a Cure for Proteostasis-Addicted Cancer: A AAA Target Revealed.

PubMed

Xia, Di; Ye, Yihong

2015-11-09

Tumorigenesis is often associated with an unbalanced protein homeostasis (proteostasis) network, which sensitizes cancer cells to drugs targeting protein quality control (PQC) regulators. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Anderson and colleagues investigated the anti-cancer activity of a new class of inhibitor against a multi-functional ATPase essential for proteostasis maintenance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring a New Technique for Comparing Bilinguals' L1 and L2 Reading Speed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauvin, Hanna S.; Hulstijn, Jan H.

2010-01-01

Is it possible to tell whether bilinguals are able to read simple text in their two languages equally fluently? Is it thus possible to distinguish balanced bilinguals from unbalanced bilinguals with respect to reading fluency in their first language (L1) and second language (L2)? In this study, we avoided making direct comparisons between L1 and…

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

Treesearch

Harold M. Rauscher

1985-01-01

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

Meiotic and pedigree segregation analyses in carriers of t(4;8)(p16;p23.1) differing in localization of breakpoint positions at 4p subband 4p16.3 and 4p16.1.

PubMed

Midro, Alina T; Zollino, Marcella; Wiland, Ewa; Panasiuk, Barbara; Iwanowski, Piotr S; Murdolo, Marina; Śmigiel, Robert; Sąsiadek, Maria; Pilch, Jacek; Kurpisz, Maciej

2016-02-01

The purpose of this study was to compare meiotic segregation in sperm cells from two carriers with t(4;8)(p16;p23.1) reciprocal chromosome translocations (RCTs), differing in localization of the breakpoint positions at the 4p subband-namely, 4p16.3 (carrier 1) and 4p16.1 (carrier 2)-and to compare data of the pedigree analyses performed by direct method. Three-color fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on sperm cells and FISH mapping for the evaluation of the breakpoint positions, data from pedigrees, and direct segregation analysis of the pedigrees were performed. Similar proportions of normal/balanced and unbalanced sperm cells were found in both carriers. The most common was an alternate type of segregation (about 52 % and about 48 %, respectively). Unbalanced adjacent I and adjacent II karyotypes were found in similar proportions about 15 %. The direct segregation analysis (following Stengel-Rutkowski) of the pedigree of carriers of t(4;8)(p16.1;p23.1) was performed and results were compared with the data of the pedigree segregation analysis obtained earlier through the indirect method. The probability of live-born progeny with unbalanced karyotype for carriers of t(4;8)(p16.1;p23.1) was moderately high at 18.8 %-comparable to the value obtained using the indirect method for the same carriership, which was 12 %. This was, however, markedly lower than the value of 41.2 % obtained through the pedigree segregation indirect analysis estimated for carriers of t(4;8)(p16.3;p23.1), perhaps due to the unique composition of genes present within the 4p16.1-4p 16.3 region. Revealed differences in pedigree segregation analysis did not correspond to the very similar profile of meiotic segregation patterns presented by carrier 1 and carrier 2. Most probably, such discordances may be due to differences in embryo survival rates arising from different genetic backgrounds.

Molecular cytogenetic analysis for TFE3 rearrangement in Xp11.2 renal cell carcinoma and alveolar soft part sarcoma: validation and clinical experience with 75 cases.

PubMed

Hodge, Jennelle C; Pearce, Kathryn E; Wang, Xiaoke; Wiktor, Anne E; Oliveira, Andre M; Greipp, Patricia T

2014-01-01

Renal cell carcinoma with TFE3 rearrangement at Xp11.2 is a distinct subtype manifesting an indolent clinical course in children, with recent reports suggesting a more aggressive entity in adults. This subtype is morphologically heterogeneous and can be misclassified as clear cell or papillary renal cell carcinoma. TFE3 is also rearranged in alveolar soft part sarcoma. To aid in diagnosis, a break-apart strategy fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe set specific for TFE3 rearrangement and a reflex dual-color, single-fusion strategy probe set involving the most common TFE3 partner gene, ASPSCR1, were validated on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from nine alveolar soft part sarcoma, two suspected Xp11.2 renal cell carcinoma, and nine tumors in the differential diagnosis. The impact of tissue cut artifact was reduced through inclusion of a chromosome X centromere control probe. Analysis of the UOK-109 renal carcinoma cell line confirmed the break-apart TFE3 probe set can distinguish the subtle TFE3/NONO fusion-associated inversion of chromosome X. Subsequent extensive clinical experience was gained through analysis of 75 cases with an indication of Xp11.2 renal cell carcinoma (n=54), alveolar soft part sarcoma (n=13), perivascular epithelioid cell neoplasms (n=2), chordoma (n=1), or unspecified (n=5). We observed balanced and unbalanced chromosome X;17 translocations in both Xp11.2 renal cell carcinoma and alveolar soft part sarcoma, supporting a preference but not a necessity for the translocation to be balanced in the carcinoma and unbalanced in the sarcoma. We further demonstrate the unbalanced separation is atypical, with TFE3/ASPSCR1 fusion and loss of the derivative X chromosome but also an unanticipated normal X chromosome gain in both males and females. Other diverse sex chromosome copy number combinations were observed. Our TFE3 FISH assay is a useful adjunct to morphologic analysis of such challenging cases and will be applicable to assess the growing spectrum of TFE3-rearranged tumors.

High Fidelity, “Faster than Real-Time” Simulator for Predicting Power System Dynamic Behavior - Final Technical Report

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

Flueck, Alex

The “High Fidelity, Faster than Real­Time Simulator for Predicting Power System Dynamic Behavior” was designed and developed by Illinois Institute of Technology with critical contributions from Electrocon International, Argonne National Laboratory, Alstom Grid and McCoy Energy. Also essential to the project were our two utility partners: Commonwealth Edison and AltaLink. The project was a success due to several major breakthroughs in the area of large­scale power system dynamics simulation, including (1) a validated faster than real­ time simulation of both stable and unstable transient dynamics in a large­scale positive sequence transmission grid model, (2) a three­phase unbalanced simulation platform formore » modeling new grid devices, such as independently controlled single­phase static var compensators (SVCs), (3) the world’s first high fidelity three­phase unbalanced dynamics and protection simulator based on Electrocon’s CAPE program, and (4) a first­of­its­ kind implementation of a single­phase induction motor model with stall capability. The simulator results will aid power grid operators in their true time of need, when there is a significant risk of cascading outages. The simulator will accelerate performance and enhance accuracy of dynamics simulations, enabling operators to maintain reliability and steer clear of blackouts. In the long­term, the simulator will form the backbone of the newly conceived hybrid real­time protection and control architecture that will coordinate local controls, wide­area measurements, wide­area controls and advanced real­time prediction capabilities. The nation’s citizens will benefit in several ways, including (1) less down time from power outages due to the faster­than­real­time simulator’s predictive capability, (2) higher levels of reliability due to the detailed dynamics plus protection simulation capability, and (3) more resiliency due to the three­ phase unbalanced simulator’s ability to model three­phase and single­ phase networks and devices.« less

Sample size calculations for randomized clinical trials published in anesthesiology journals: a comparison of 2010 versus 2016.

PubMed

Chow, Jeffrey T Y; Turkstra, Timothy P; Yim, Edmund; Jones, Philip M

2018-06-01

Although every randomized clinical trial (RCT) needs participants, determining the ideal number of participants that balances limited resources and the ability to detect a real effect is difficult. Focussing on two-arm, parallel group, superiority RCTs published in six general anesthesiology journals, the objective of this study was to compare the quality of sample size calculations for RCTs published in 2010 vs 2016. Each RCT's full text was searched for the presence of a sample size calculation, and the assumptions made by the investigators were compared with the actual values observed in the results. Analyses were only performed for sample size calculations that were amenable to replication, defined as using a clearly identified outcome that was continuous or binary in a standard sample size calculation procedure. The percentage of RCTs reporting all sample size calculation assumptions increased from 51% in 2010 to 84% in 2016. The difference between the values observed in the study and the expected values used for the sample size calculation for most RCTs was usually > 10% of the expected value, with negligible improvement from 2010 to 2016. While the reporting of sample size calculations improved from 2010 to 2016, the expected values in these sample size calculations often assumed effect sizes larger than those actually observed in the study. Since overly optimistic assumptions may systematically lead to underpowered RCTs, improvements in how to calculate and report sample sizes in anesthesiology research are needed.

Sample Size and Statistical Conclusions from Tests of Fit to the Rasch Model According to the Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Model (Rumm) Program in Health Outcome Measurement.

PubMed

Hagell, Peter; Westergren, Albert

Sample size is a major factor in statistical null hypothesis testing, which is the basis for many approaches to testing Rasch model fit. Few sample size recommendations for testing fit to the Rasch model concern the Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Models (RUMM) software, which features chi-square and ANOVA/F-ratio based fit statistics, including Bonferroni and algebraic sample size adjustments. This paper explores the occurrence of Type I errors with RUMM fit statistics, and the effects of algebraic sample size adjustments. Data with simulated Rasch model fitting 25-item dichotomous scales and sample sizes ranging from N = 50 to N = 2500 were analysed with and without algebraically adjusted sample sizes. Results suggest the occurrence of Type I errors with N less then or equal to 500, and that Bonferroni correction as well as downward algebraic sample size adjustment are useful to avoid such errors, whereas upward adjustment of smaller samples falsely signal misfit. Our observations suggest that sample sizes around N = 250 to N = 500 may provide a good balance for the statistical interpretation of the RUMM fit statistics studied here with respect to Type I errors and under the assumption of Rasch model fit within the examined frame of reference (i.e., about 25 item parameters well targeted to the sample).

Analysis of methods commonly used in biomedicine for treatment versus control comparison of very small samples.

PubMed

Ristić-Djurović, Jasna L; Ćirković, Saša; Mladenović, Pavle; Romčević, Nebojša; Trbovich, Alexander M

2018-04-01

A rough estimate indicated that use of samples of size not larger than ten is not uncommon in biomedical research and that many of such studies are limited to strong effects due to sample sizes smaller than six. For data collected from biomedical experiments it is also often unknown if mathematical requirements incorporated in the sample comparison methods are satisfied. Computer simulated experiments were used to examine performance of methods for qualitative sample comparison and its dependence on the effectiveness of exposure, effect intensity, distribution of studied parameter values in the population, and sample size. The Type I and Type II errors, their average, as well as the maximal errors were considered. The sample size 9 and the t-test method with p = 5% ensured error smaller than 5% even for weak effects. For sample sizes 6-8 the same method enabled detection of weak effects with errors smaller than 20%. If the sample sizes were 3-5, weak effects could not be detected with an acceptable error; however, the smallest maximal error in the most general case that includes weak effects is granted by the standard error of the mean method. The increase of sample size from 5 to 9 led to seven times more accurate detection of weak effects. Strong effects were detected regardless of the sample size and method used. The minimal recommended sample size for biomedical experiments is 9. Use of smaller sizes and the method of their comparison should be justified by the objective of the experiment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sample size determination for estimating antibody seroconversion rate under stable malaria transmission intensity.

PubMed

Sepúlveda, Nuno; Drakeley, Chris

2015-04-03

In the last decade, several epidemiological studies have demonstrated the potential of using seroprevalence (SP) and seroconversion rate (SCR) as informative indicators of malaria burden in low transmission settings or in populations on the cusp of elimination. However, most of studies are designed to control ensuing statistical inference over parasite rates and not on these alternative malaria burden measures. SP is in essence a proportion and, thus, many methods exist for the respective sample size determination. In contrast, designing a study where SCR is the primary endpoint, is not an easy task because precision and statistical power are affected by the age distribution of a given population. Two sample size calculators for SCR estimation are proposed. The first one consists of transforming the confidence interval for SP into the corresponding one for SCR given a known seroreversion rate (SRR). The second calculator extends the previous one to the most common situation where SRR is unknown. In this situation, data simulation was used together with linear regression in order to study the expected relationship between sample size and precision. The performance of the first sample size calculator was studied in terms of the coverage of the confidence intervals for SCR. The results pointed out to eventual problems of under or over coverage for sample sizes ≤250 in very low and high malaria transmission settings (SCR ≤ 0.0036 and SCR ≥ 0.29, respectively). The correct coverage was obtained for the remaining transmission intensities with sample sizes ≥ 50. Sample size determination was then carried out for cross-sectional surveys using realistic SCRs from past sero-epidemiological studies and typical age distributions from African and non-African populations. For SCR < 0.058, African studies require a larger sample size than their non-African counterparts in order to obtain the same precision. The opposite happens for the remaining transmission intensities. With respect to the second sample size calculator, simulation unravelled the likelihood of not having enough information to estimate SRR in low transmission settings (SCR ≤ 0.0108). In that case, the respective estimates tend to underestimate the true SCR. This problem is minimized by sample sizes of no less than 500 individuals. The sample sizes determined by this second method highlighted the prior expectation that, when SRR is not known, sample sizes are increased in relation to the situation of a known SRR. In contrast to the first sample size calculation, African studies would now require lesser individuals than their counterparts conducted elsewhere, irrespective of the transmission intensity. Although the proposed sample size calculators can be instrumental to design future cross-sectional surveys, the choice of a particular sample size must be seen as a much broader exercise that involves weighting statistical precision with ethical issues, available human and economic resources, and possible time constraints. Moreover, if the sample size determination is carried out on varying transmission intensities, as done here, the respective sample sizes can also be used in studies comparing sites with different malaria transmission intensities. In conclusion, the proposed sample size calculators are a step towards the design of better sero-epidemiological studies. Their basic ideas show promise to be applied to the planning of alternative sampling schemes that may target or oversample specific age groups.