Objective and subjective treatment evaluation of scars using optical coherence tomography, sonography, photography, and standardised questionnaires.

PubMed

Reinholz, Markus; Schwaiger, Hannah; Poetschke, Julian; Epple, Andreas; Ruzicka, Thomas; Von Braunmühl, Tanja; Gauglitz, Gerd G

2016-12-01

Currently, different types of treatments for pathological scars are available, however, to date, there is no established method of measurement to objectively assess therapeutic outcome. Treatment success is usually evaluated clinically by the physician and patient. Non-invasive imaging techniques, such as HD-OCT (high-definition optical coherence tomography), may represent a valuable diagnostic tool to objectively measure therapeutic outcome. To compare HD-OCT with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools, such as questionnaires. In total, eight patients with pathological scars were treated in this pilot study with cryotherapy and intralesional steroid injections, and evaluated pre- and post-treatment using clinical examination, photography, sonography, and HD-OCT. The analysis of objective and subjective measuring methods was used to draw direct comparisons. HD-OCT revealed reduced epidermal and dermal thickness of the scar after four treatments with triamcinolone acetonide and cryotherapy. Based on sonography, a total reduction in scar height and reduction in scar depth was demonstrated. Both methods correlated well with the injected amount of triamcinolone acetonide. In addition, a positive correlation between well-established subjective and objective evaluation methods was found. We demonstrate that HD-OCT may be used as an objective diagnostic instrument to evaluate skin thickness under therapy for pathological scars, and serves as a valuable adjunctive device in combination with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools. This provides additional information for the therapist concerning the quality and success of the applied treatment.

454-pyrosequencing: A tool for discovery and biomarker development

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Roche GS-FLX (454) sequencer has made possible what was thought impossible just a few years ago: sequence >1 million high-quality nucleotide reads (mean 400 bp) in less than 12 h. This technology provides valuable species-specific sequence information, and is a valuable tool to discover and und...

Process analytical technology in the pharmaceutical industry: a toolkit for continuous improvement.

PubMed

Scott, Bradley; Wilcock, Anne

2006-01-01

Process analytical technology (PAT) refers to a series of tools used to ensure that quality is built into products while at the same time improving the understanding of processes, increasing efficiency, and decreasing costs. It has not been widely adopted by the pharmaceutical industry. As the setting for this paper, the current pharmaceutical manufacturing paradigm and PAT guidance to date are discussed prior to the review of PAT principles and tools, benefits, and challenges. The PAT toolkit contains process analyzers, multivariate analysis tools, process control tools, and continuous improvement/knowledge management/information technology systems. The integration and implementation of these tools is complex, and has resulted in uncertainty with respect to both regulation and validation. The paucity of staff knowledgeable in this area may complicate adoption. Studies to quantitate the benefits resulting from the adoption of PAT within the pharmaceutical industry would be a valuable addition to the qualitative studies that are currently available.

Travel fosters tool use in wild chimpanzees

PubMed Central

Gruber, Thibaud; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Neumann, Christof

2016-01-01

Ecological variation influences the appearance and maintenance of tool use in animals, either due to necessity or opportunity, but little is known about the relative importance of these two factors. Here, we combined long-term behavioural data on feeding and travelling with six years of field experiments in a wild chimpanzee community. In the experiments, subjects engaged with natural logs, which contained energetically valuable honey that was only accessible through tool use. Engagement with the experiment was highest after periods of low fruit availability involving more travel between food patches, while instances of actual tool-using were significantly influenced by prior travel effort only. Additionally, combining data from the main chimpanzee study communities across Africa supported this result, insofar as groups with larger travel efforts had larger tool repertoires. Travel thus appears to foster tool use in wild chimpanzees and may also have been a driving force in early hominin technological evolution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.16371.001 PMID:27431611

Utilizing Online Connectivity to Combat Reduced Federal Spending

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayall, T.

2013-12-01

With a diminishing grant pool and increasing competition for federal funding, utilizing free online resources to collaborate with other scientists, share information and insights, and promote your research is critical to success. As budgets tighten, efficient use of both time and money is becoming more and more important. Tools such as Mendeley, ResearchGate, and Science Exchange enable scientists to promote their own work while gaining valuable connections and collaborations. Additionally, scientists can build their online presence to increase visibility for potential funding. Through intelligent use of these online tools, scientists can increase their chances of funding and minimize wasted time and resources. For this session, I will examine how to adapt to the changing landscape of federal funding through the effective use of social media and online tools.

Simulating human photoreceptor optics using a liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber.

PubMed

Rativa, Diego; Vohnsen, Brian

2011-02-11

We introduce a liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber to simulate a retinal cone photoreceptor mosaic and the directionality selective mechanism broadly known as the Stiles-Crawford effect. Experimental measurements are realized across the visible spectrum to study waveguide coupling and directionality at different managed waveguide parameters. The crystal fiber method is a hybrid tool between theory and a real biological sample and a valuable addition as a retina model for real eye simulations.

The Tracking Meteogram, an AWIPS II Tool for Time-Series Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burks, Jason Eric; Sperow, Ken

2015-01-01

A new tool has been developed for the National Weather Service (NWS) Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) II through collaboration between NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) and the NWS Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL). Referred to as the "Tracking Meteogram", the tool aids NWS forecasters in assessing meteorological parameters associated with moving phenomena. The tool aids forecasters in severe weather situations by providing valuable satellite and radar derived trends such as cloud top cooling rates, radial velocity couplets, reflectivity, and information from ground-based lightning networks. The Tracking Meteogram tool also aids in synoptic and mesoscale analysis by tracking parameters such as the deepening of surface low pressure systems, changes in surface or upper air temperature, and other properties. The tool provides a valuable new functionality and demonstrates the flexibility and extensibility of the NWS AWIPS II architecture. In 2014, the operational impact of the tool was formally evaluated through participation in the NOAA/NWS Operations Proving Ground (OPG), a risk reduction activity to assess performance and operational impact of new forecasting concepts, tools, and applications. Performance of the Tracking Meteogram Tool during the OPG assessment confirmed that it will be a valuable asset to the operational forecasters. This presentation reviews development of the Tracking Meteogram tool, performance and feedback acquired during the OPG activity, and future goals for continued support and extension to other application areas.

HC StratoMineR: A Web-Based Tool for the Rapid Analysis of High-Content Datasets.

PubMed

Omta, Wienand A; van Heesbeen, Roy G; Pagliero, Romina J; van der Velden, Lieke M; Lelieveld, Daphne; Nellen, Mehdi; Kramer, Maik; Yeong, Marley; Saeidi, Amir M; Medema, Rene H; Spruit, Marco; Brinkkemper, Sjaak; Klumperman, Judith; Egan, David A

2016-10-01

High-content screening (HCS) can generate large multidimensional datasets and when aligned with the appropriate data mining tools, it can yield valuable insights into the mechanism of action of bioactive molecules. However, easy-to-use data mining tools are not widely available, with the result that these datasets are frequently underutilized. Here, we present HC StratoMineR, a web-based tool for high-content data analysis. It is a decision-supportive platform that guides even non-expert users through a high-content data analysis workflow. HC StratoMineR is built by using My Structured Query Language for storage and querying, PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor as the main programming language, and jQuery for additional user interface functionality. R is used for statistical calculations, logic and data visualizations. Furthermore, C++ and graphical processor unit power is diffusely embedded in R by using the rcpp and rpud libraries for operations that are computationally highly intensive. We show that we can use HC StratoMineR for the analysis of multivariate data from a high-content siRNA knock-down screen and a small-molecule screen. It can be used to rapidly filter out undesirable data; to select relevant data; and to perform quality control, data reduction, data exploration, morphological hit picking, and data clustering. Our results demonstrate that HC StratoMineR can be used to functionally categorize HCS hits and, thus, provide valuable information for hit prioritization.

Competency-Based Education for the Molecular Genetic Pathology Fellow

PubMed Central

Talbert, Michael L.; Dunn, S. Terence; Hunt, Jennifer; Hillyard, David R.; Mirza, Imran; Nowak, Jan A.; Van Deerlin, Vivianna; Vnencak-Jones, Cindy L.

2009-01-01

The following report represents guidelines for competency-based fellowship training in Molecular Genetic Pathology (MGP) developed by the Association for Molecular Pathology Training and Education Committee and Directors of MGP Programs in the United States. The goals of the effort were to describe each of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies as they apply to MGP fellowship training, provide a summary of goals and objectives, and recommend assessment tools. These guidelines are particularly pertinent to MGP training, which is a relatively new specialty that operates within a rapidly changing scientific and technological arena. It is hoped that this document will provide additional material for directors of existing MGP programs to consider for improvement of program objectives and enhancement of evaluation tools already in place. In addition, the guidelines should provide a valuable framework for the development of new MGP programs. PMID:19797613

Rising dough and baking bread at the Australian synchrotron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, S. C.; McCann, T.; Day, L.; Favaro, J.; Tuhumury, H.; Thompson, D.; Maksimenko, A.

2016-01-01

Wheat protein quality and the amount of common salt added in dough formulation can have a significant effect on the microstructure and loaf volume of bread. High-speed synchrotron micro-CT provides an ideal tool for observing the three dimensional structure of bread dough in situ during proving (rising) and baking. In this work, the synchrotron micro-CT technique was used to observe the structure and time evolution of doughs made from high and low protein flour and three different salt additives. These experiments showed that, as expected, high protein flour produces a higher volume loaf compared to low protein flour regardless of salt additives. Furthermore the results show that KCl in particular has a very negative effect on dough properties resulting in much reduced porosity. The hundreds of datasets produced and analysed during this experiment also provided a valuable test case for handling large quantities of data using tools on the Australian Synchrotron's MASSIVE cluster.

Modeling and Simulation Roadmap to Enhance Electrical Energy Security of U.S. Naval Bases

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

evaluating power system architectures and technologies and, therefore, can become a valuable tool for the implementation of the described plan for Navy...a well validated and consistent process for evaluating power system architectures and technologies and, therefore, can be a valuable tool for the...process for evaluating power system architectures and component technologies is needed to support the development and implementation of these new

MATISSE: A novel tool to access, visualize and analyse data from planetary exploration missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinzi, A.; Capria, M. T.; Palomba, E.; Giommi, P.; Antonelli, L. A.

2016-04-01

The increasing number and complexity of planetary exploration space missions require new tools to access, visualize and analyse data to improve their scientific return. ASI Science Data Center (ASDC) addresses this request with the web-tool MATISSE (Multi-purpose Advanced Tool for the Instruments of the Solar System Exploration), allowing the visualization of single observation or real-time computed high-order products, directly projected on the three-dimensional model of the selected target body. Using MATISSE it will be no longer needed to download huge quantity of data or to write down a specific code for every instrument analysed, greatly encouraging studies based on joint analysis of different datasets. In addition the extremely high-resolution output, to be used offline with a Python-based free software, together with the files to be read with specific GIS software, makes it a valuable tool to further process the data at the best spatial accuracy available. MATISSE modular structure permits addition of new missions or tasks and, thanks to dedicated future developments, it would be possible to make it compliant to the Planetary Virtual Observatory standards currently under definition. In this context the recent development of an interface to the NASA ODE REST API by which it is possible to access to public repositories is set.

Cyantraniliprole: a valuable tool for Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) management.

PubMed

Bielza, Pablo; Guillén, Juan

2015-08-01

Frankliniella occidentalis is a worldwide economically important pest. Scarcity of effective products and cross-resistance issues make resistance to existing insecticides a recurring problem that requires the development of new control tools, such as incorporating novel compounds. Lethal effects of cyantraniliprole on adults and larvae from field and insecticide-resistant populations were evaluated. In addition, the sublethal effects on biological features such as fecundity, fertility, feeding, oviposition and mating were studied. Results obtained for larvae produced LC50 values ranging from 33.4 to 109.2 mg L(-1) , with a low natural variability (3.3-fold) and a LC50 composite value of 52.2 mg L(-1) . The susceptibility for adults was 23-fold lower than for larvae. No evidence of cross-resistance between cyantraniliprole and established insecticides used against thrips was evident. Relevant sublethal effects of cyantraniliprole were demonstrated, including reduced fecundity, fertility, feeding, oviposition and mating success. Low variation in susceptibility across contemporary populations of F. occidentalis and a lack of cross-resistance to other insecticides indicate that cyantraniliprole is a potential candidate in rotation programmes within an insecticide resistance management strategy. The combined sublethal effect on reproduction will have an important impact on population reduction. Available data indicate that cyantraniliprole is likely to be a valuable tool for managing thrips populations. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nationwide genetic testing towards eliminating Lafora disease from Miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Ahonen, Saija; Seath, Ian; Rusbridge, Clare; Holt, Susan; Key, Gill; Wang, Travis; Wang, Peixiang; Minassian, Berge A

2018-01-01

Canine DNA-testing has become an important tool in purebred dog breeding and many breeders use genetic testing results when planning their breeding strategies. In addition, information obtained from testing of hundreds dogs in one breed gives valuable information about the breed-wide genotype frequency of disease associated allele. Lafora disease is a late onset, recessively inherited genetic disease which is diagnosed in Miniature Wirehaired Dachshunds (MWHD). It is one of the most severe forms of canine epilepsy leading to neurodegeneration and, frequently euthanasia within a few years of diagnosis. Canine Lafora disease is caused by a dodecamer repeat expansion mutation in the NHLRC1 gene and a DNA test is available to identify homozygous dogs at risk, carriers and dogs free of the mutation. Blood samples were collected from 733 MWHDs worldwide, mostly of UK origin, for canine Lafora disease testing. Among the tested MWHD population 7.0% were homozygous for the mutation and at risk for Lafora disease. In addition, 234 dogs were heterozygous, indicating a carrier frequency of 31.9% in the tested population. Among the tested MWHDs, the mutant allele frequency was 0.2. In addition, data from the tested dogs over 6 years (2012-2017) indicated that the frequency of the homozygous and carrier dogs has decreased from 10.4% to 2.7% and 41.5% to 25.7%, respectively among MWHDs tested. As a consequence, the frequency of dogs free of the mutation has increased from 48.1% to 71.6%. This study provides valuable data for the MWHD community and shows that the DNA test is a useful tool for the breeders to prevent occurrence of Lafora disease in MWHDs. DNA testing has, over 6 years, helped to decrease the frequency of carriers and dogs at risk. Additionally, the DNA test can continue to be used to slowly eradicate the disease-causing mutation in the breed. However, this should be done carefully, over time, to avoid further compromising the genetic diversity of the breed. The DNA test also provides a diagnostic tool for veterinarians if they are presented with a dog that shows clinical signs associated with canine Lafora disease.

Hypnosis as a Valuable Tool for Surgical Procedures in the Oral and Maxillofacial Area.

PubMed

Montenegro, Gil; Alves, Luiza; Zaninotto, Ana Luiza; Falcão, Denise Pinheiro; de Amorim, Rivadávio Fernandes Batista

2017-04-01

Hypnosis is a valuable tool in the management of patients who undergo surgical procedures in the maxillofacial complex, particularly in reducing and eliminating pain during surgery and aiding patients who have dental fear and are allergic to anesthesia. This case report demonstrates the efficacy of hypnosis in mitigating anxiety, bleeding, and pain during dental surgery without anesthesia during implant placement of tooth 14, the upper left first molar.

43 CFR 2430.4 - Additional criteria for classification of lands valuable for public purposes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Additional criteria for classification of... (2000) DISPOSAL CLASSIFICATIONS Criteria for Disposal Classifications § 2430.4 Additional criteria for classification of lands valuable for public purposes. (a) To be valuable for public purposes, lands must be...

A putative mesenchymal stem cells population isolated from adult human testes.

PubMed

Gonzalez, R; Griparic, L; Vargas, V; Burgee, K; Santacruz, P; Anderson, R; Schiewe, M; Silva, F; Patel, A

2009-08-07

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from several adult human tissues are reported to be a promising tool for regenerative medicine. In order to broaden the array of tools for therapeutic application, we isolated a new population of cells from adult human testis termed gonadal stem cells (GSCs). GSCs express CD105, CD166, CD73, CD90, STRO-1 and lack hematopoietic markers CD34, CD45, and HLA-DR which are characteristic identifiers of MSCs. In addition, GSCs express pluripotent markers Oct4, Nanog, and SSEA-4. GSCs propagated for at least 64 population doublings and exhibited clonogenic capability. GSCs have a broad plasticity and the potential to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic cells. These studies demonstrate that GSCs are easily obtainable stem cells, have growth kinetics and marker expression similar to MSCs, and differentiate into mesodermal lineage cells. Therefore, GSCs may be a valuable tool for therapeutic applications.

Charge-tagged ligands: useful tools for immobilising complexes and detecting reaction species during catalysis

PubMed Central

Limberger, Jones; Leal, Bárbara C.; Monteiro, Adriano L.

2015-01-01

In recent years, charge-tagged ligands (CTLs) have become valuable tools in organometallic catalysis. Insertion of an ionic side chain into the molecular skeleton of a known ligand has become a useful protocol for anchoring ligands, and consequently catalysts, in polar and ionic liquid phases. In addition, the insertion of a cationic moiety into a ligand is a powerful tool that can be used to detect reaction intermediates in organometallic catalysis through electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) experiments. The insertion of an ionic tag ensures the charge in the intermediates independently of the ESI-MS. For this reason, these ligands have been used as ionic probes in mechanistic studies for several catalytic reactions. Here, we summarise selected examples on the use of CTLs as immobilising agents in organometallic catalysis and as probes for studying mechanisms through ESI-MS. PMID:28553458

Flood damage assessment using computer-assisted analysis of color infrared photography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, William H.

1978-01-01

Use of digitized aerial photographs for flood damage assessment in agriculture is new and largely untested. However, under flooding circumstances similar to the 1975 Red River Valley flood, computer-assisted techniques can be extremely useful, especially if detailed crop damage estimates are needed within a relatively short period of time.Airphoto interpretation techniques, manual or computer-assisted, are not intended to replace conventional ground survey and sampling procedures. But their use should be considered a valuable addition to the tools currently available for assessing agricultural flood damage.

Introduction to the special section "Big'er' Data": Scaling up psychotherapy research in counseling psychology.

PubMed

Owen, Jesse; Imel, Zac E

2016-04-01

This article introduces the special section on utilizing large data sets to explore psychotherapy processes and outcomes. The increased use of technology has provided new opportunities for psychotherapy researchers. In particular, there is a rise in large databases of tens of thousands clients. Additionally, there are new ways to pool valuable resources for meta-analytic processes. At the same time, these tools also come with limitations. These issues are introduced as well as brief overview of the articles. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Thermal Video Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Hughes Aircraft Corporation's Probeye Model 3300 Thermal Video System consists of tripod mounted infrared scanner that detects the degree of heat emitted by an object and a TV monitor on which results are displayed. Latest addition to Hughes line of infrared medical applications can detect temperature variations as fine as one-tenth of a degree centigrade. Thermography, proving to be a valuable screening tool in diagnosis, can produce information to preclude necessity of performing more invasive tests that may be painful and hazardous. Also useful in verifying a patient's progress through therapy and rehabilitation.

An intelligent training system for payload-assist module deploys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loftin, R. Bowen; Wang, Lui; Baffes, Paul; Rua, Monica

1987-01-01

An autonomous intelligent training system which integrates expert system technology with training/teaching methodologies is described. The Payload-Assist Module Deploys/Intelligent Computer-Aided Training (PD/ICAT) system has, so far, proven to be a potentially valuable addition to the training tools available for training Flight Dynamics Officers in shuttle ground control. The authors are convinced that the basic structure of PD/ICAT can be extended to form a general architecture for intelligent training systems for training flight controllers and crew members in the performance of complex, mission-critical tasks.

Finalizing the Dtag: implementation and testing of design improvements for reliability and availability

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-14

ABSTRACT DTAGs have proven to be a valuable tool for the study of marine mammal acoustics and fine scale motion. The success of the DTAG has resulted in...Underwater Acoustics , Digital Communications 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE ABSTRACT u u u...continuously monitor and improve the tag design.\\ OBJECTIVES Dtags have proven to be a valuable tool for the study of marine mammal acoustics and fine

Investigation of an artificial intelligence technology--Model trees. Novel applications for an immediate release tablet formulation database.

PubMed

Shao, Q; Rowe, R C; York, P

2007-06-01

This study has investigated an artificial intelligence technology - model trees - as a modelling tool applied to an immediate release tablet formulation database. The modelling performance was compared with artificial neural networks that have been well established and widely applied in the pharmaceutical product formulation fields. The predictability of generated models was validated on unseen data and judged by correlation coefficient R(2). Output from the model tree analyses produced multivariate linear equations which predicted tablet tensile strength, disintegration time, and drug dissolution profiles of similar quality to neural network models. However, additional and valuable knowledge hidden in the formulation database was extracted from these equations. It is concluded that, as a transparent technology, model trees are useful tools to formulators.

EMERGY METHODS: VALUABLE INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division is investigating emergy methods as tools for integrated assessment in several projects evaluating environmental impacts, policies, and alternatives for remediation and intervention. Emergy accounting is a methodology that provides a quantitative...

Literacy and Informational Interviews

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decarie, Christina

2010-01-01

Informational interviews are valuable tools for improving writing, editing, and interviewing skills, and they are also extremely valuable in improving the soft skills that are valued by employers, such as confidence, adaptability, the ability to set and keep deadlines, the ability to manage risk, and so on. These soft skills, this article argues,…

Journals of Discovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingston, Cathy

2005-01-01

In this article, the author shares her experiences with science journaling, and finds it a valuable resource in discovering how well students have grasped the concepts of each lesson. The journal has also been a valuable tool in helping students to evaluate themselves, and write their comments on their own strengths and "weaknesses" or areas of…

The Outpatient Physical Examination.

PubMed

Artandi, Maja K; Stewart, Rosalyn W

2018-05-01

The physical examination in the outpatient setting is a valuable tool. Even in settings where there is lack of evidence, such as the annual physical examination of an asymptomatic adult, the physical examination is beneficial for the physician-patient relationship. When a patient has specific symptoms, the physical examination-in addition to a thorough history-can help narrow down, or in many cases establish, a diagnosis. In a time where imaging and laboratory tests are easily available, but are expensive and can be invasive, a skilled physical examination remains an important component of patient evaluation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A real-time, dual processor simulation of the rotor system research aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackie, D. B.; Alderete, T. S.

1977-01-01

A real-time, man-in-the loop, simulation of the rotor system research aircraft (RSRA) was conducted. The unique feature of this simulation was that two digital computers were used in parallel to solve the equations of the RSRA mathematical model. The design, development, and implementation of the simulation are documented. Program validation was discussed, and examples of data recordings are given. This simulation provided an important research tool for the RSRA project in terms of safe and cost-effective design analysis. In addition, valuable knowledge concerning parallel processing and a powerful simulation hardware and software system was gained.

Droplet Digital™ PCR Next-Generation Sequencing Library QC Assay.

PubMed

Heredia, Nicholas J

2018-01-01

Digital PCR is a valuable tool to quantify next-generation sequencing (NGS) libraries precisely and accurately. Accurately quantifying NGS libraries enable accurate loading of the libraries on to the sequencer and thus improve sequencing performance by reducing under and overloading error. Accurate quantification also benefits users by enabling uniform loading of indexed/barcoded libraries which in turn greatly improves sequencing uniformity of the indexed/barcoded samples. The advantages gained by employing the Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR™) library QC assay includes the precise and accurate quantification in addition to size quality assessment, enabling users to QC their sequencing libraries with confidence.

UNICOS Kernel Internals Application Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caredo, Nicholas; Craw, James M. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Having an understanding of UNICOS Kernel Internals is valuable information. However, having the knowledge is only half the value. The second half comes with knowing how to use this information and apply it to the development of tools. The kernel contains vast amounts of useful information that can be utilized. This paper discusses the intricacies of developing utilities that utilize kernel information. In addition, algorithms, logic, and code will be discussed for accessing kernel information. Code segments will be provided that demonstrate how to locate and read kernel structures. Types of applications that can utilize kernel information will also be discussed.

Metrics for the National SCADA Test Bed Program

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

Craig, Philip A.; Mortensen, J.; Dagle, Jeffery E.

2008-12-05

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (DOE-OE) National SCADA Test Bed (NSTB) Program is providing valuable inputs into the electric industry by performing topical research and development (R&D) to secure next generation and legacy control systems. In addition, the program conducts vulnerability and risk analysis, develops tools, and performs industry liaison, outreach and awareness activities. These activities will enhance the secure and reliable delivery of energy for the United States. This report will describe metrics that could be utilized to provide feedback to help enhance the effectiveness of the NSTB Program.

Multifunctional microbubbles and nanobubbles for photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging

PubMed Central

Kim, Chulhong; Qin, Ruogu; Xu, Jeff S.; Wang, Lihong V.; Xu, Ronald

2010-01-01

We develop a novel dual-modal contrast agent—encapsulated-ink poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microbubbles and nanobubbles—for photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging. Soft gelatin phantoms with embedded tumor simulators of encapsulated-ink PLGA microbubbles and nanobubbles in various concentrations are clearly shown in both photoacoustic and ultrasound images. In addition, using photoacoustic imaging, we successfully image the samples positioned below 1.8-cm-thick chicken breast tissues. Potentially, simultaneous photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging enhanced by encapsulated-dye PLGA microbubbles or nanobubbles can be a valuable tool for intraoperative assessment of tumor boundaries and therapeutic margins. PMID:20210423

Use of Random and Site-Directed Mutagenesis to Probe Protein Structure-Function Relationships: Applied Techniques in the Study of Helicobacter pylori.

PubMed

Whitmire, Jeannette M; Merrell, D Scott

2017-01-01

Mutagenesis is a valuable tool to examine the structure-function relationships of bacterial proteins. As such, a wide variety of mutagenesis techniques and strategies have been developed. This chapter details a selection of random mutagenesis methods and site-directed mutagenesis procedures that can be applied to an array of bacterial species. Additionally, the direct application of the techniques to study the Helicobacter pylori Ferric Uptake Regulator (Fur) protein is described. The varied approaches illustrated herein allow the robust investigation of the structural-functional relationships within a protein of interest.

Software Users Manual (SUM): Extended Testability Analysis (ETA) Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maul, William A.; Fulton, Christopher E.

2011-01-01

This software user manual describes the implementation and use the Extended Testability Analysis (ETA) Tool. The ETA Tool is a software program that augments the analysis and reporting capabilities of a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) testability analysis software package called the Testability Engineering And Maintenance System (TEAMS) Designer. An initial diagnostic assessment is performed by the TEAMS Designer software using a qualitative, directed-graph model of the system being analyzed. The ETA Tool utilizes system design information captured within the diagnostic model and testability analysis output from the TEAMS Designer software to create a series of six reports for various system engineering needs. The ETA Tool allows the user to perform additional studies on the testability analysis results by determining the detection sensitivity to the loss of certain sensors or tests. The ETA Tool was developed to support design and development of the NASA Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle. The diagnostic analysis provided by the ETA Tool was proven to be valuable system engineering output that provided consistency in the verification of system engineering requirements. This software user manual provides a description of each output report generated by the ETA Tool. The manual also describes the example diagnostic model and supporting documentation - also provided with the ETA Tool software release package - that were used to generate the reports presented in the manual

Inferring field-scale properties of a fractured aquifer from ground surface deformation during a well test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuite, Jonathan; Longuevergne, Laurent; Bour, Olivier; Boudin, Frédérick; Durand, Stéphane; Lavenant, Nicolas

2015-12-01

Fractured aquifers which bear valuable water resources are often difficult to characterize with classical hydrogeological tools due to their intrinsic heterogeneities. Here we implement ground surface deformation tools (tiltmetry and optical leveling) to monitor groundwater pressure changes induced by a classical hydraulic test at the Ploemeur observatory. By jointly analyzing complementary time constraining data (tilt) and spatially constraining data (vertical displacement), our results strongly suggest that the use of these surface deformation observations allows for estimating storativity and structural properties (dip, root depth, and lateral extension) of a large hydraulically active fracture, in good agreement with previous studies. Hence, we demonstrate that ground surface deformation is a useful addition to traditional hydrogeological techniques and opens possibilities for characterizing important large-scale properties of fractured aquifers with short-term well tests as a controlled forcing.

Grants4Targets - an innovative approach to translate ideas from basic research into novel drugs.

PubMed

Lessl, Monika; Schoepe, Stefanie; Sommer, Anette; Schneider, Martin; Asadullah, Khusru

2011-04-01

Collaborations between industry and academia are steadily gaining importance. To combine expertises Bayer Healthcare has set up a novel open innovation approach called Grants4Targets. Ideas on novel drug targets can easily be submitted to http://www.grants4targets.com. After a review process, grants are provided to perform focused experiments to further validate the proposed targets. In addition to financial support specific know-how on target validation and drug discovery is provided. Experienced scientists are nominated as project partners and, depending on the project, tools or specific models are provided. Around 280 applications have been received and 41 projects granted. According to our experience, this type of bridging fund combined with joint efforts provides a valuable tool to foster drug discovery collaborations. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The brain as a dynamic physical system.

PubMed

McKenna, T M; McMullen, T A; Shlesinger, M F

1994-06-01

The brain is a dynamic system that is non-linear at multiple levels of analysis. Characterization of its non-linear dynamics is fundamental to our understanding of brain function. Identifying families of attractors in phase space analysis, an approach which has proven valuable in describing non-linear mechanical and electrical systems, can prove valuable in describing a range of behaviors and associated neural activity including sensory and motor repertoires. Additionally, transitions between attractors may serve as useful descriptors for analysing state changes in neurons and neural ensembles. Recent observations of synchronous neural activity, and the emerging capability to record the spatiotemporal dynamics of neural activity by voltage-sensitive dyes and electrode arrays, provide opportunities for observing the population dynamics of neural ensembles within a dynamic systems context. New developments in the experimental physics of complex systems, such as the control of chaotic systems, selection of attractors, attractor switching and transient states, can be a source of powerful new analytical tools and insights into the dynamics of neural systems.

FDA toxicity databases and real-time data entry.

PubMed

Arvidson, Kirk B

2008-11-15

Structure-searchable electronic databases are valuable new tools that are assisting the FDA in its mission to promptly and efficiently review incoming submissions for regulatory approval of new food additives and food contact substances. The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Office of Food Additive Safety (CFSAN/OFAS), in collaboration with Leadscope, Inc., is consolidating genetic toxicity data submitted in food additive petitions from the 1960s to the present day. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Science's Informatics and Computational Safety Analysis Staff (CDER/OPS/ICSAS) is separately gathering similar information from their submissions. Presently, these data are distributed in various locations such as paper files, microfiche, and non-standardized toxicology memoranda. The organization of the data into a consistent, searchable format will reduce paperwork, expedite the toxicology review process, and provide valuable information to industry that is currently available only to the FDA. Furthermore, by combining chemical structures with genetic toxicity information, biologically active moieties can be identified and used to develop quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling and testing guidelines. Additionally, chemicals devoid of toxicity data can be compared to known structures, allowing for improved safety review through the identification and analysis of structural analogs. Four database frameworks have been created: bacterial mutagenesis, in vitro chromosome aberration, in vitro mammalian mutagenesis, and in vivo micronucleus. Controlled vocabularies for these databases have been established. The four separate genetic toxicity databases are compiled into a single, structurally-searchable database for easy accessibility of the toxicity information. Beyond the genetic toxicity databases described here, additional databases for subchronic, chronic, and teratogenicity studies have been prepared.

MVP-CA Methodology for the Expert System Advocate's Advisor (ESAA)

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-11-01

The Multi-Viewpoint Clustering Analysis (MVP-CA) tool is a semi-automated tool to provide a valuable aid for comprehension, verification, validation, maintenance, integration, and evolution of complex knowledge-based software systems. In this report,...

Storytelling: a leadership and educational tool.

PubMed

Kowalski, Karren

2015-06-01

A powerful tool that leaders and educators can use to engage the listeners-both staff and learners-is storytelling. Stories demonstrate important points, valuable lessons, and the behaviors that are preferred by the leader. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

Fall-risk prediction in older adults with cancer: an unmet need.

PubMed

Wildes, Tanya M; Depp, Brittany; Colditz, Graham; Stark, Susan

2016-09-01

Falls in older adults with cancer are more common than in noncancer controls, yet no fall-risk screening tool has been validated in this population. We undertook a cross-sectional pilot study of the Falls Risk Questionnaire (FRQ) in 21 adults aged ≥65 receiving systemic cancer therapy. Participants completed the FRQ, geriatric assessment measures, and a measure of fear-of-falling. The recruitment rate was 87.5 %, with 95.2 % completion of the FRQ and additional geriatric assessment and quality of life measures. The FRQ correlated significantly with the Timed Up and Go test (Pearson r 0.479, p = 0.028). In addition, the FRQ score correlated directly with fear-of-falling and inversely with QOL, particularly physical health and neurotoxicity subscales. In conclusion, the FRQ was feasible in older adults receiving cancer therapy and correlates with measures of physical performance, functional status, and fear-of-falling. The FRQ may prove to be a valuable fall-risk screening tool to implement fall-prevention interventions in this vulnerable population of older adults with cancer.

An Evaluation of Teaching Introductory Geomorphology Using Computer-based Tools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wentz, Elizabeth A.; Vender, Joann C.; Brewer, Cynthia A.

1999-01-01

Compares student reactions to traditional teaching methods and an approach where computer-based tools (GEODe CD-ROM and GIS-based exercises) were either integrated with or replaced the traditional methods. Reveals that the students found both of these tools valuable forms of instruction when used in combination with the traditional methods. (CMK)

HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS: A USEFUL EDUCATIONAL TOOL

EPA Science Inventory

An historical analysis that presents the ecological consequences of development can be a valuable educational tool for citizens, students, and environmental managers. In highly impacted areas, the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors can result in complex environmental condit...

43 CFR 2430.5 - Additional criteria for classification of lands valuable for residential, commercial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Additional criteria for classification of..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (2000) DISPOSAL CLASSIFICATIONS Criteria for Disposal Classifications § 2430.5 Additional criteria for classification of lands valuable for residential, commercial...

Mining secreted proteins that function in pepper fruit development and ripening using a yeast secretion trap (YST)

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

Lee, Je Min, E-mail: jemin@knu.ac.kr; Department of Horticultural Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu; Lee, Sang-Jik

Highlights: • Yeast secretion trap (YST) is a valuable tool for mining secretome. • A total of 80 secreted proteins are newly identified via YST in pepper fruits. • The secreted proteins are differentially regulated during pepper development and ripening. • Transient GFP-fusion assay and in planta secretion trap can effectively validate the secretion of proteins. - Abstract: Plant cells secrete diverse sets of constitutively- and conditionally-expressed proteins under various environmental and developmental states. Secreted protein populations, or secretomes have multiple functions, including defense responses, signaling, metabolic processes, and developmental regulation. To identify genes encoding secreted proteins that function inmore » fruit development and ripening, a yeast secretion trap (YST) screen was employed using pepper (Capsicum annuum) fruit cDNAs. The YST screen revealed 80 pepper fruit-related genes (CaPFRs) encoding secreted proteins including cell wall proteins, several of which have not been previously described. Transient GFP-fusion assay and an in planta secretion trap were used to validate the secretion of proteins encoded by selected YST clones. In addition, RNA gel blot analyses provided further insights into their expression and regulation during fruit development and ripening. Integrating our data, we conclude that the YST provides a valuable functional genomics tool for the identification of substantial numbers of novel secreted plant proteins that are associated with biological processes, including fruit development and ripening.« less

Beyond Art Waitressing: Meaningful Engagement in Interactive Art Galleries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kothe, Elsa Lenz

2012-01-01

The metaphor of "art waitressing" is a valuable tool for educators who seek guidance in enacting many of the new roles in museums, particularly the role of facilitator in an open-ended interactive gallery. Though this metaphor provides a valuable model for engaging visitors, the question quickly arises of how educators can go beyond "serving" an…

CENH3-GFP: a visual marker for gametophytic and somatic ploidy determination in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

De Storme, Nico; Keçeli, Burcu Nur; Zamariola, Linda; Angenon, Geert; Geelen, Danny

2016-01-05

The in vivo determination of the cell-specific chromosome number provides a valuable tool in several aspects of plant research. However, current techniques to determine the endosystemic ploidy level do not allow non-destructive, cell-specific chromosome quantification. Particularly in the gametophytic cell lineages, which are physically encapsulated in the reproductive organ structures, direct in vivo ploidy determination has been proven very challenging. Using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model, we here assess the applicability of recombinant CENH3-GFP reporters for the labeling of the cell's chromocenters and for the monitoring of the gametophytic and somatic chromosome number in vivo. By modulating expression of a CENH3-GFP reporter cassette using different promoters, we isolated two reporter lines that allow for a clear and highly specific labeling of centromeric chromosome regions in somatic and gametophytic cells respectively. Using polyploid plant series and reproductive mutants, we demonstrate that the pWOX2-CENH3-GFP recombinant fusion protein allows for the determination of the gametophytic chromosome number in both male and female gametophytic cells, and additionally labels centromeric regions in early embryo development. Somatic centromere labeling through p35S-CENH3-GFP shows a maximum of ten centromeric dots in young dividing tissues, reflecting the diploid chromosome number (2x = 10), and reveals a progressive decrease in GFP foci frequency throughout plant development. Moreover, using chemical and genetic induction of endomitosis, we demonstrate that CENH3-mediated chromosome labeling provides an easy and valuable tool for the detection and characterization of endomitotic polyploidization events. This study demonstrates that the introgression of the pWOX2-CENH3-GFP reporter construct in Arabidopsis thaliana provides an easy and reliable methodology for determining the chromosome number in developing male and female gametes, and during early embryo development. Somatically expressed CENH3-GFP reporters, on the other hand, constitute a valuable tool to quickly determine the basic somatic ploidy level in young seedlings at the individual cell level and to detect and to quantify endomitotic polyploidization events in a non-destructive, microscopy-based manner.

Standardized data sharing in a paediatric oncology research network--a proof-of-concept study.

PubMed

Hochedlinger, Nina; Nitzlnader, Michael; Falgenhauer, Markus; Welte, Stefan; Hayn, Dieter; Koumakis, Lefteris; Potamias, George; Tsiknakis, Manolis; Saraceno, Davide; Rinaldi, Eugenia; Ladenstein, Ruth; Schreier, Günter

2015-01-01

Data that has been collected in the course of clinical trials are potentially valuable for additional scientific research questions in so called secondary use scenarios. This is of particular importance in rare disease areas like paediatric oncology. If data from several research projects need to be connected, so called Core Datasets can be used to define which information needs to be extracted from every involved source system. In this work, the utility of the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Operational Data Model (ODM) as a format for Core Datasets was evaluated and a web tool was developed which received Source ODM XML files and--via Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT)--generated standardized Core Dataset ODM XML files. Using this tool, data from different source systems were extracted and pooled for joined analysis in a proof-of-concept study, facilitating both, basic syntactic and semantic interoperability.

Pediatric caregiver involvement in the assessment of physicians.

PubMed

Moreau, Katherine A; Pound, Catherine M; Eady, Kaylee

2015-08-01

Given the growth and benefits of consumerist and family-centred approaches to pediatric health care, there is a need to involve pediatric caregivers in the assessment of their children's physicians. We present interconnected questions that are important to address in order to facilitate pediatric caregiver involvement in the assessment of their children's physicians. Pediatric caregivers can be valuable assessors of physicians' non-technical skills. It is important to conduct additional research on caregiver involvement in assessment activities and create a reflective discourse on this topic. To ensure that pediatric caregivers' assessments of physicians are formally recognized and advantageous, it is important to understand: (a) what pediatric caregivers can assess; (b) what assessment tools exist for pediatric caregivers; (c) how to create appropriate assessment tools for pediatric caregivers; (d) how to collect pediatric caregivers' assessments; (e) how to increase the legitimacy, use, and effectiveness of pediatric caregivers' assessments; and (f) the consequences of pediatric caregiver assessment.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay-A rapid detection tool for identifying red fox (Vulpes vulpes) DNA in the carcasses of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena).

PubMed

Heers, Teresa; van Neer, Abbo; Becker, André; Grilo, Miguel Luca; Siebert, Ursula; Abdulmawjood, Amir

2017-01-01

Carcasses of wild animals are often visited by different scavengers. However, determining which scavenger caused certain types of bite marks is particularly difficult and knowledge thereof is lacking. Therefore, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay (target sequence cytochrome b) was developed to detect red fox DNA in carcasses of harbour porpoises. The MSwab™ method for direct testing without prior DNA isolation was validated. As a detection device, the portable real-time fluorometer Genie® II was used, which yields rapid results and can be used in field studies without huge laboratory equipment. In addition to in vitro evaluation and validation, a stranded and scavenged harbour porpoise carcass was successfully examined for red fox DNA residues. The developed LAMP method is a valuable diagnostic tool for confirming presumable red fox bite wounds in harbour porpoises without further DNA isolation steps.

Usability of Low-Cost Android Data Collection System for Community-Based Participatory Research.

PubMed

Salihu, Hamisu M; Salinas-Miranda, Abraham; Turner, DeAnne; King, Lindsey; Paothong, Arnut; Austin, Deborah; Berry, Estrellita Lo

2016-01-01

Android tablet computers can be valuable tools for data collection, but their usability has not been evaluated in community-based participatory research (CBPR). This article examines the usability of a low-cost bilingual touchscreen computerized survey system using Android tablets, piloted with a sample of 201 community residents in Tampa, Florida, from November 2013 to March 2014. Needs assessment questions were designed with the droidSURVEY software, and deployed using Android tablet computers. In addition, participants were asked questions about system usability. The mean system usability was 77.57 ± 17.66 (range, 0-100). The mean completion time for taking the 63 survey questions in the needs assessment was 23.11 ± 9.62 minutes. The survey completion rate was optimal (100%), with only 6.34% missingness per variable. We found no sociodemographic differences in usability scores. Our findings indicate that Android tablets could serve as useful tools in CBPR studies.

Rapidly Re-Configurable Flight Simulator Tools for Crew Vehicle Integration Research and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schutte, Paul C.; Trujillo, Anna; Pritchett, Amy R.

2000-01-01

While simulation is a valuable research and design tool, the time and difficulty required to create new simulations (or re-use existing simulations) often limits their application. This report describes the design of the software architecture for the Reconfigurable Flight Simulator (RFS), which provides a robust simulation framework that allows the simulator to fulfill multiple research and development goals. The core of the architecture provides the interface standards for simulation components, registers and initializes components, and handles the communication between simulation components. The simulation components are each a pre-compiled library 'plug-in' module. This modularity allows independent development and sharing of individual simulation components. Additional interfaces can be provided through the use of Object Data/Method Extensions (OD/ME). RFS provides a programmable run-time environment for real-time access and manipulation, and has networking capabilities using the High Level Architecture (HLA).

Rapidly Re-Configurable Flight Simulator Tools for Crew Vehicle Integration Research and Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pritchett, Amy R.

2002-01-01

While simulation is a valuable research and design tool, the time and difficulty required to create new simulations (or re-use existing simulations) often limits their application. This report describes the design of the software architecture for the Reconfigurable Flight Simulator (RFS), which provides a robust simulation framework that allows the simulator to fulfill multiple research and development goals. The core of the architecture provides the interface standards for simulation components, registers and initializes components, and handles the communication between simulation components. The simulation components are each a pre-compiled library 'plugin' module. This modularity allows independent development and sharing of individual simulation components. Additional interfaces can be provided through the use of Object Data/Method Extensions (OD/ME). RFS provides a programmable run-time environment for real-time access and manipulation, and has networking capabilities using the High Level Architecture (HLA).

The Culture Audit: A Leadership Tool for Assessment and Strategic Planning in Diverse Schools and Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bustamante, Rebecca M.

2006-01-01

This module is designed to introduce educational leaders to an organizational assessment tool called a "culture audit." Literature on organizational cultural competence suggests that culture audits are a valuable tool for determining how well school policies, programs, and practices respond to the needs of diverse groups and prepare…

Tools for Using Citizen Science in Environmental, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Extension Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stofer, Kathryn A.

2017-01-01

Citizen science is quickly becoming a valuable tool in the Extension professional's tool kit. This is the case whether you are a 4-H agent looking to involve youth in agriscience and agriculture-related science, technology, engineering, and math experiential learning activities or an agriculture and natural resources agent seeking to help…

A State for Excellence: New Jersey Boosts Learning Power with Online Video Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duff, Victoria; Sauer, Wendy; Gleason, Sonia Caus

2011-01-01

The New Jersey Department of Education supports all districts with a tool kit of valuable resources for planning and creating collaborative learning structures that focus on getting results for all students. This tool kit was the basis for the creation of Learning Forward's "Becoming a Learning School" (2009). The tool kit helps…

Value Innovation in Learner-Centered Design. How to Develop Valuable Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breuer, Henning; Schwarz, Heinrich; Feller, Kristina; Matsumoto, Mitsuji

2014-01-01

This paper shows how to address technological, cultural and social transformations with empirically grounded innovation. Areas in transition such as higher education and learning techniques today bring about new needs and opportunities for innovative tools and services. But how do we find these tools? The paper argues for using a strategy of…

Lightning Tracking Tool for Assessment of Total Cloud Lightning within AWIPS II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burks, Jason E.; Stano, Geoffrey T.; Sperow, Ken

2014-01-01

Total lightning (intra-cloud and cloud-to-ground) has been widely researched and shown to be a valuable tool to aid real-time warning forecasters in the assessment of severe weather potential of convective storms. The trend of total lightning has been related to the strength of a storm's updraft. Therefore a rapid increase in total lightning signifies the strengthening of the parent thunderstorm. The assessment of severe weather potential occurs in a time limited environment and therefore constrains the use of total lightning. A tool has been developed at NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center to assist in quickly analyzing the total lightning signature of multiple storms. The development of this tool comes as a direct result of forecaster feedback from numerous assessments requesting a real-time display of the time series of total lightning. This tool also takes advantage of the new architecture available within the AWIPS II environment. SPoRT's lightning tracking tool has been tested in the Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) Spring Program and significant changes have been made based on the feedback. In addition to the updates in response to the HWT assessment, the lightning tracking tool may also be extended to incorporate other requested displays, such as the intra-cloud to cloud-to-ground ratio as well as incorporate the lightning jump algorithm.

The medical autopsy as quality assurance tool in clinical medicine: dreams and realities.

PubMed

van den Tweel, Jan G; Wittekind, Christian

2016-01-01

The purpose of medical autopsy has changed to issues of quality assurance today. In addition, autopsies are considered valuable in medical education, e.g., delivering cases for problem-based learning for students. Many studies underscore the need for autopsies also in the era of technical progress emphasizing the continuing discrepancies between antemortem and post mortem diagnoses. Despite these important tasks, we face a decline of autopsy for several reasons with complex interactions. The role of all persons involved in this decline is evaluated and suggestions for changes are proposed. Last but not least, the future of the autopsy is in the hands of pathology itself.

DNA testing in neurologic diseases.

PubMed

O'Brien, D P; Leeb, T

2014-01-01

DNA testing is available for a growing number of hereditary diseases in neurology and other specialties. In addition to guiding breeding decisions, DNA tests are important tools in the diagnosis of diseases, particularly in conditions for which clinical signs are relatively nonspecific. DNA testing also can provide valuable insight into the risk of hereditary disease when decisions about treating comorbidities are being made. Advances in technology and bioinformatics will make broad screening for potential disease-causing mutations available soon. As DNA tests come into more common use, it is critical that clinicians understand the proper application and interpretation of these test results. Copyright © 2014 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Applications of yeast surface display for protein engineering

PubMed Central

Cherf, Gerald M.; Cochran, Jennifer R.

2015-01-01

The method of displaying recombinant proteins on the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae via genetic fusion to an abundant cell wall protein, a technology known as yeast surface display, or simply, yeast display, has become a valuable protein engineering tool for a broad spectrum of biotechnology and biomedical applications. This review focuses on the use of yeast display for engineering protein affinity, stability, and enzymatic activity. Strategies and examples for each protein engineering goal are discussed. Additional applications of yeast display are also briefly presented, including protein epitope mapping, identification of protein-protein interactions, and uses of displayed proteins in industry and medicine. PMID:26060074

GAP Final Technical Report 12-14-04

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

Andrew J. Bordner, PhD, Senior Research Scientist

2004-12-14

The Genomics Annotation Platform (GAP) was designed to develop new tools for high throughput functional annotation and characterization of protein sequences and structures resulting from genomics and structural proteomics, benchmarking and application of those tools. Furthermore, this platform integrated the genomic scale sequence and structural analysis and prediction tools with the advanced structure prediction and bioinformatics environment of ICM. The development of GAP was primarily oriented towards the annotation of new biomolecular structures using both structural and sequence data. Even though the amount of protein X-ray crystal data is growing exponentially, the volume of sequence data is growing even moremore » rapidly. This trend was exploited by leveraging the wealth of sequence data to provide functional annotation for protein structures. The additional information provided by GAP is expected to assist the majority of the commercial users of ICM, who are involved in drug discovery, in identifying promising drug targets as well in devising strategies for the rational design of therapeutics directed at the protein of interest. The GAP also provided valuable tools for biochemistry education, and structural genomics centers. In addition, GAP incorporates many novel prediction and analysis methods not available in other molecular modeling packages. This development led to signing the first Molsoft agreement in the structural genomics annotation area with the University of oxford Structural Genomics Center. This commercial agreement validated the Molsoft efforts under the GAP project and provided the basis for further development of the large scale functional annotation platform.« less

FDA toxicity databases and real-time data entry

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

Arvidson, Kirk B.

Structure-searchable electronic databases are valuable new tools that are assisting the FDA in its mission to promptly and efficiently review incoming submissions for regulatory approval of new food additives and food contact substances. The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Office of Food Additive Safety (CFSAN/OFAS), in collaboration with Leadscope, Inc., is consolidating genetic toxicity data submitted in food additive petitions from the 1960s to the present day. The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Pharmaceutical Science's Informatics and Computational Safety Analysis Staff (CDER/OPS/ICSAS) is separately gathering similar information from their submissions. Presently, these data are distributedmore » in various locations such as paper files, microfiche, and non-standardized toxicology memoranda. The organization of the data into a consistent, searchable format will reduce paperwork, expedite the toxicology review process, and provide valuable information to industry that is currently available only to the FDA. Furthermore, by combining chemical structures with genetic toxicity information, biologically active moieties can be identified and used to develop quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) modeling and testing guidelines. Additionally, chemicals devoid of toxicity data can be compared to known structures, allowing for improved safety review through the identification and analysis of structural analogs. Four database frameworks have been created: bacterial mutagenesis, in vitro chromosome aberration, in vitro mammalian mutagenesis, and in vivo micronucleus. Controlled vocabularies for these databases have been established. The four separate genetic toxicity databases are compiled into a single, structurally-searchable database for easy accessibility of the toxicity information. Beyond the genetic toxicity databases described here, additional databases for subchronic, chronic, and teratogenicity studies have been prepared.« less

Project delivery acceleration tool box : improvements to the Department of Transportation's project delivery process.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-05-01

The purpose of this document is to provide to Caltrans' employees, as well as external partners, some valuable tools that can be used to help accelerate project delivery. This document contains a compilation of all the Department's recent acceleratio...

Data visualization, bar naked: A free tool for creating interactive graphics.

PubMed

Weissgerber, Tracey L; Savic, Marko; Winham, Stacey J; Stanisavljevic, Dejana; Garovic, Vesna D; Milic, Natasa M

2017-12-15

Although bar graphs are designed for categorical data, they are routinely used to present continuous data in studies that have small sample sizes. This presentation is problematic, as many data distributions can lead to the same bar graph, and the actual data may suggest different conclusions from the summary statistics. To address this problem, many journals have implemented new policies that require authors to show the data distribution. This paper introduces a free, web-based tool for creating an interactive alternative to the bar graph (http://statistika.mfub.bg.ac.rs/interactive-dotplot/). This tool allows authors with no programming expertise to create customized interactive graphics, including univariate scatterplots, box plots, and violin plots, for comparing values of a continuous variable across different study groups. Individual data points may be overlaid on the graphs. Additional features facilitate visualization of subgroups or clusters of non-independent data. A second tool enables authors to create interactive graphics from data obtained with repeated independent experiments (http://statistika.mfub.bg.ac.rs/interactive-repeated-experiments-dotplot/). These tools are designed to encourage exploration and critical evaluation of the data behind the summary statistics and may be valuable for promoting transparency, reproducibility, and open science in basic biomedical research. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Microbiological Quantitative Risk Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez, Silvia; Schaffner, Donald W.

The meat and poultry industry faces ongoing challenges due to the natural association of pathogens of concern (e.g., Salmonella, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli O157:H7) with a variety of domesticated food animals. In addition, pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes pose a significant cross-contamination risk during further meat and poultry processing, distribution, and storage. Furthermore, the meat and poultry industries are constantly changing with the addition of new products, use of new raw materials, and targeting of new consumer populations, each of which may give rise to potential new risks. National and international regulations are increasingly using a “risk-based” approach to food safety (where the regulatory focus is driven by the magnitude of the risk), so risk assessment is becoming a valuable tool to systematically organize and evaluate the potential public health risk posed by food processing operations.

Cross Functional Career Navigation: The Way to Broaden Your Career Options

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenhalgh, Todd

2000-03-01

In today's rapid paced global environment, broadening career options for career development depends on successful cross-functional career navigation. For scientists and engineers, this means developing a diversity of skills in addition to a strong technical foundation. Fortunately, companies use cross-functional teams as one of the key tools for rapidly developing and commercializing products and services. Participation on these teams carries with it the additional benefit of allowing an individual to develop new skills, and to gain valuable expertise in areas that are critical to the growth of their company, their industry and, most importantly, their career. This talk will outline some of the important cross functional skills that can propel your career ahead and ways in which you can take charge of your career mapping and enhance your value and employability.

A cricket Gene Index: a genomic resource for studying neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution

PubMed Central

Danley, Patrick D; Mullen, Sean P; Liu, Fenglong; Nene, Vishvanath; Quackenbush, John; Shaw, Kerry L

2007-01-01

Background As the developmental costs of genomic tools decline, genomic approaches to non-model systems are becoming more feasible. Many of these systems may lack advanced genetic tools but are extremely valuable models in other biological fields. Here we report the development of expressed sequence tags (EST's) in an orthopteroid insect, a model for the study of neurobiology, speciation, and evolution. Results We report the sequencing of 14,502 EST's from clones derived from a nerve cord cDNA library, and the subsequent construction of a Gene Index from these sequences, from the Hawaiian trigonidiine cricket Laupala kohalensis. The Gene Index contains 8607 unique sequences comprised of 2575 tentative consensus (TC) sequences and 6032 singletons. For each of the unique sequences, an attempt was made to assign a provisional annotation and to categorize its function using a Gene Ontology-based classification through a sequence-based comparison to known proteins. In addition, a set of unique 70 base pair oligomers that can be used for DNA microarrays was developed. All Gene Index information is posted at the DFCI Gene Indices web page Conclusion Orthopterans are models used to understand the neurophysiological basis of complex motor patterns such as flight and stridulation. The sequences presented in the cricket Gene Index will provide neurophysiologists with many genetic tools that have been largely absent in this field. The cricket Gene Index is one of only two gene indices to be developed in an evolutionary model system. Species within the genus Laupala have speciated recently, rapidly, and extensively. Therefore, the genes identified in the cricket Gene Index can be used to study the genomics of speciation. Furthermore, this gene index represents a significant EST resources for basal insects. As such, this resource is a valuable comparative tool for the understanding of invertebrate molecular evolution. The sequences presented here will provide much needed genomic resources for three distinct but overlapping fields of inquiry: neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution. PMID:17459168

NeedATool: A Needlet Analysis Tool for Cosmological Data Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietrobon, Davide; Balbi, Amedeo; Cabella, Paolo; Gorski, Krzysztof M.

2010-11-01

We introduce NeedATool (Needlet Analysis Tool), a software for data analysis based on needlets, a wavelet rendition which is powerful for the analysis of fields defined on a sphere. Needlets have been applied successfully to the treatment of astrophysical and cosmological observations, and in particular to the analysis of cosmic microwave background (CMB) data. Usually, such analyses are performed in real space as well as in its dual domain, the harmonic one. Both spaces have advantages and disadvantages: for example, in pixel space it is easier to deal with partial sky coverage and experimental noise; in the harmonic domain, beam treatment and comparison with theoretical predictions are more effective. During the last decade, however, wavelets have emerged as a useful tool for CMB data analysis, since they allow us to combine most of the advantages of the two spaces, one of the main reasons being their sharp localization. In this paper, we outline the analytical properties of needlets and discuss the main features of the numerical code, which should be a valuable addition to the CMB analyst's toolbox.

Telescience - Concepts And Contributions To The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchant, Will; Dobson, Carl; Chakrabarti, Supriya; Malina, Roger F.

1987-10-01

A goal of the telescience concept is to allow scientists to use remotely located instruments as they would in their laboratory. Another goal is to increase reliability and scientific return of these instruments. In this paper we discuss the role of transparent software tools in development, integration, and postlaunch environments to achieve hands on access to the instrument. The use of transparent tools helps to reduce the parallel development of capability and to assure that valuable pre-launch experience is not lost in the operations phase. We also discuss the use of simulation as a rapid prototyping technique. Rapid prototyping provides a cost-effective means of using an iterative approach to instrument design. By allowing inexpensive produc-tion of testbeds, scientists can quickly tune the instrument to produce the desired scientific data. Using portions of the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) system, we examine some of the results of preliminary tests in the use of simulation and tran-sparent tools. Additionally, we discuss our efforts to upgrade our software "EUVE electronics" simulator to emulate a full instrument, and give the pros and cons of the simulation facilities we have developed.

Basic principles of stability.

PubMed

Egan, William; Schofield, Timothy

2009-11-01

An understanding of the principles of degradation, as well as the statistical tools for measuring product stability, is essential to management of product quality. Key to this is management of vaccine potency. Vaccine shelf life is best managed through determination of a minimum potency release requirement, which helps assure adequate potency throughout expiry. Use of statistical tools such a least squares regression analysis should be employed to model potency decay. The use of such tools provides incentive to properly design vaccine stability studies, while holding stability measurements to specification presents a disincentive for collecting valuable data. The laws of kinetics such as Arrhenius behavior help practitioners design effective accelerated stability programs, which can be utilized to manage stability after a process change. Design of stability studies should be carefully considered, with an eye to minimizing the variability of the stability parameter. In the case of measuring the degradation rate, testing at the beginning and the end of the study improves the precision of this estimate. Additional design considerations such as bracketing and matrixing improve the efficiency of stability evaluation of vaccines.

pTcGW plasmid vectors 1.1 version: a versatile tool for Trypanosoma cruzi gene characterisation

PubMed Central

Kugeratski, Fernanda G; Batista, Michel; Inoue, Alexandre Haruo; Ramos, Bruno Dias; Krieger, Marco Aurelio; Marchini/, Fabricio K

2015-01-01

The functional characterisation of thousands of Trypanosoma cruzi genes remains a challenge. Reverse genetics approaches compatible with high-throughput cloning strategies can provide the tool needed to tackle this challenge. We previously published the pTcGW platform, composed by plasmid vectors carrying different options of N-terminal fusion tags based on Gateway® technology. Here, we present an improved 1.1 version of pTcGW vectors, which is characterised by a fully flexible structure allowing an easy customisation of each element of the vectors in a single cloning step. Additionally, both N and C-terminal fusions are available with new tag options for protein complexes purification. Three of the newly created vectors were successfully used to determine the cellular localisation of four T. cruzi proteins. The 1.1 version of pTcGW platform can be used in a variety of assays, such as protein overexpression, identification of protein-protein interaction and protein localisation. This powerful and versatile tool allows adding valuable functional information to T. cruzi genes and is freely available for scientific community. PMID:26200713

The Stand-Alone Microprocessor System: A Valuable Tool in College Admissions and Recruitment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garrett, Larry Neal

1983-01-01

The stand-alone microprocessor is seen as one innovative tool that can be used both in the organizational management of decline and in meeting specific organizational needs such as those of the admissions director and staff. The term "microprocessor" is defined. (MLW)

Sign Language Legislation as a Tool for Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pabsch, Annika

2017-01-01

This article explores three models of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social) and identifies characteristics of a sustainable community necessary to sustain the Deaf community as a whole. It is argued that sign language legislation is a valuable tool for achieving sustainability for the generations to come.

"Both Answers Make Sense!"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockwood, Elise

2014-01-01

Formulas, problem types, keywords, and tricky techniques can certainly be valuable tools for successful counters. However, they can easily become substitutes for critical thinking about counting problems and for deep consideration of the set of outcomes. Formulas and techniques should serve as tools for students as they think critically about…

The Odd Fish Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essley, Roger

2005-01-01

Essley was a "different learner," and now he works in schools showing teachers how visual/verbal tools can help all students, including their "different learners," succeed. One valuable tool is storyboarding, a process by which students build a story through visual stages--drafts, conferences, revisions--before writing even begins. Essley shares…

Assessing Sustainability of Coral Reef Ecosystem Services using a Spatially-Explicit Decision Support Tool

EPA Science Inventory

Forecasting and communicating the potential outcomes of decision options requires support tools that aid in evaluating alternative scenarios in a user-friendly context and that highlight variables relevant to the decision options and valuable stakeholders. Envision is a GIS-base...

Speak up! Oral Examinations and Political Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buehler, Melissa J.; Schneider, Laura U.

2009-01-01

Testing assessments of undergraduate political science students is predictable and stagnant. A missing, yet valuable, testing assessment tool that can contribute to the repertoire of political science is the oral examination. Borrowing this testing tool largely from foreign language departments, oral exams require students to "think on their…

Wildlife as valuable natural resources vs. intolerable pests: A suburban wildlife management model

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeStefano, S.; Deblinger, R.D.

2005-01-01

Management of wildlife in suburban environments involves a complex set of interactions between both human and wildlife populations. Managers need additional tools, such as models, that can help them assess the status of wildlife populations, devise and apply management programs, and convey this information to other professionals and the public. We present a model that conceptualizes how some wildlife populations can fluctuate between extremely low (rare, threatened, or endangered status) and extremely high (overabundant) numbers over time. Changes in wildlife abundance can induce changes in human perceptions, which continually redefine species as a valuable resource to be protected versus a pest to be controlled. Management programs thatincorporate a number of approaches and promote more stable populations of wildlife avoid the problems of the resource versus pest transformation, are less costly to society, and encourage more positive and less negative interactions between humans and wildlife. We presenta case example of the beaver Castor canadensis in Massachusetts to illustrate how this model functions and can be applied. ?? 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.

VAAPA: a web platform for visualization and analysis of alternative polyadenylation.

PubMed

Guan, Jinting; Fu, Jingyi; Wu, Mingcheng; Chen, Longteng; Ji, Guoli; Quinn Li, Qingshun; Wu, Xiaohui

2015-02-01

Polyadenylation [poly(A)] is an essential process during the maturation of most mRNAs in eukaryotes. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) as an important layer of gene expression regulation has been increasingly recognized in various species. Here, a web platform for visualization and analysis of alternative polyadenylation (VAAPA) was developed. This platform can visualize the distribution of poly(A) sites and poly(A) clusters of a gene or a section of a chromosome. It can also highlight genes with switched APA sites among different conditions. VAAPA is an easy-to-use web-based tool that provides functions of poly(A) site query, data uploading, downloading, and APA sites visualization. It was designed in a multi-tier architecture and developed based on Smart GWT (Google Web Toolkit) using Java as the development language. VAAPA will be a valuable addition to the community for the comprehensive study of APA, not only by making the high quality poly(A) site data more accessible, but also by providing users with numerous valuable functions for poly(A) site analysis and visualization. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advances in QTL Mapping in Pigs

PubMed Central

Rothschild, Max F.; Hu, Zhi-liang; Jiang, Zhihua

2007-01-01

Over the past 15 years advances in the porcine genetic linkage map and discovery of useful candidate genes have led to valuable gene and trait information being discovered. Early use of exotic breed crosses and now commercial breed crosses for quantitative trait loci (QTL) scans and candidate gene analyses have led to 110 publications which have identified 1,675 QTL. Additionally, these studies continue to identify genes associated with economically important traits such as growth rate, leanness, feed intake, meat quality, litter size, and disease resistance. A well developed QTL database called PigQTLdb is now as a valuable tool for summarizing and pinpointing in silico regions of interest to researchers. The commercial pig industry is actively incorporating these markers in marker-assisted selection along with traditional performance information to improve traits of economic performance. The long awaited sequencing efforts are also now beginning to provide sequence available for both comparative genomics and large scale single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) association studies. While these advances are all positive, development of useful new trait families and measurement of new or underlying traits still limits future discoveries. A review of these developments is presented. PMID:17384738

Motivational interviewing: a valuable tool for the psychiatric advanced practice nurse.

PubMed

Karzenowski, Abby; Puskar, Kathy

2011-01-01

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is well known and respected by many health care professionals. Developed by Miller and Rollnick (2002) , it is a way to promote behavior change from within and resolve ambivalence. MI is individualized and is most commonly used in the psychiatric setting; it is a valuable tool for the Psychiatric Advanced Nurse Practice Nurse. There are many resources that talk about what MI is and the principles used to apply it. However, there is little information about how to incorporate MI into a clinical case. This article provides a summary of articles related to MI and discusses two case studies using MI and why advanced practice nurses should use MI with their patients.

Infrared Thermal Imaging as a Tool in University Physics Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mollmann, Klaus-Peter; Vollmer, Michael

2007-01-01

Infrared thermal imaging is a valuable tool in physics education at the university level. It can help to visualize and thereby enhance understanding of physical phenomena from mechanics, thermal physics, electromagnetism, optics and radiation physics, qualitatively as well as quantitatively. We report on its use as lecture demonstrations, student…

Power Pack Your Center Brochure--Keys To Developing an Effective Marketing Tool.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wassom, Julie

2000-01-01

Suggests that a center's informational brochure can be either a valuable marketing tool or an expensive elimination incentive. Provides a list of five questions center directors should address before beginning the design and development of the center brochure. Lists seven guidelines for brochure development. (SD)

Depression Awareness and Self-Management Through the Internet: Protocol for an Internationally Standardized Approach

PubMed Central

Koburger, Nicole; Larkin, Celine; Karwig, Gillian; Coffey, Claire; Maxwell, Margaret; Harris, Fiona; Rummel-Kluge, Christine; van Audenhove, Chantal; Sisask, Merike; Alexandrova-Karamanova, Anna; Perez, Victor; Purebl, György; Cebria, Annabel; Palao, Diego; Costa, Susana; Mark, Lauraliisa; Tóth, Mónika Ditta; Gecheva, Marieta; Ibelshäuser, Angela; Gusmão, Ricardo; Hegerl, Ulrich

2015-01-01

Background Depression incurs significant morbidity and confers increased risk of suicide. Many individuals experiencing depression remain untreated due to systemic and personal barriers to care. Guided Internet-based psychotherapeutic programs represent a promising means of overcoming such barriers and increasing the capacity for self-management of depression. However, existing programs tend to be available only in English and can be expensive to access. Furthermore, despite evidence of the effectiveness of a number of Internet-based programs, there is limited evidence regarding both the acceptability of such programs and feasibility of their use, for users and health care professionals. Objective This paper will present the protocol for the development, implementation, and evaluation of the iFightDepression tool, an Internet-based self-management tool. This is a cost-free, multilingual, guided, self-management program for mild to moderate depression cases. Methods The Preventing Depression and Improving Awareness through Networking in the European Union consortium undertook a comprehensive systematic review of the available evidence regarding computerized cognitive behavior therapy in addition to a consensus process involving mental health experts and service users to inform the development of the iFightDepression tool. The tool was implemented and evaluated for acceptability and feasibility of its use in a pilot phase in 5 European regions, with recruitment of users occurring through general practitioners and health care professionals who participated in a standardized training program. Results Targeting mild to moderate depression, the iFightDepression tool is based on cognitive behavioral therapy and addresses behavioral activation (monitoring and planning daily activities), cognitive restructuring (identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts), sleep regulation, mood monitoring, and healthy lifestyle habits. There is also a tailored version of the tool for young people, incorporating less formal language and additional age-appropriate modules on relationships and social anxiety. The tool is accompanied by a 3-hour training intervention for health care professionals. Conclusions It is intended that the iFightDepression tool and associated training for health care professionals will represent a valuable resource for the management of depression that will complement existing resources for health care professionals. It is also intended that the iFightDepression tool and training will represent an additional resource within a multifaceted approach to improving the care of depression and preventing suicidal behavior in Europe. PMID:26251104

On line biomonitors used as a tool for toxicity reduction evaluation of in situ groundwater remediation techniques.

PubMed

Küster, Eberhard; Dorusch, Falk; Vogt, Carsten; Weiss, Holger; Altenburger, Rolf

2004-07-15

Success of groundwater remediation is typically controlled via snapshot analysis of selected chemical substances or physical parameters. Biological parameters, i.e. ecotoxicological assays, are rarely employed. Hence the aim of the study was to develop a bioassay tool, which allows an on line monitoring of contaminated groundwater, as well as a toxicity reduction evaluation (TRE) of different remediation techniques in parallel and may furthermore be used as an additional tool for process control to supervise remediation techniques in a real time mode. Parallel testing of groundwater remediation techniques was accomplished for short and long time periods, by using the energy dependent luminescence of the bacterium Vibrio fischeri as biological monitoring parameter. One data point every hour for each remediation technique was generated by an automated biomonitor. The bacteria proved to be highly sensitive to the contaminated groundwater and the biomonitor showed a long standing time despite the highly corrosive groundwater present in Bitterfeld, Germany. The bacterial biomonitor is demonstrated to be a valuable tool for remediation success evaluation. Dose response relationships were generated for the six quantitatively dominant groundwater contaminants (2-chlortoluene, 1,2- and 1,4-dichlorobenzene, monochlorobenzene, ethylenbenzene and benzene). The concentrations of individual volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) could not explain the observed effects in the bacteria. An expected mixture toxicity was calculated for the six components using the concept of concentration addition. The calculated EC(50) for the mixture was still one order of magnitude lower than the observed EC(50) of the actual groundwater. The results pointed out that chemical analysis of the six most quantitative substances alone was not able to explain the effects observed with the bacteria. Thus chemical analysis alone may not be an adequate tool for remediation success evaluation in terms of toxicity reduction.

A Tupaia paramyxovirus vector system for targeting and transgene expression.

PubMed

Engeland, Christine E; Bossow, Sascha; Hudacek, Andrew W; Hoyler, Birgit; Förster, Judith; Veinalde, Rūta; Jäger, Dirk; Cattaneo, Roberto; Ungerechts, Guy; Springfeld, Christoph

2017-09-01

Viruses from the diverse family of Paramyxoviridae include important pathogens and are applied in gene therapy and for cancer treatment. The Tupaia paramyxovirus (TPMV), isolated from the kidney of a tree shrew, does not infect human cells and neutralizing antibodies against other Paramyxoviridae do not cross-react with TPMV. Here, we present a vector system for de novo generation of infectious TPMV that allows for insertion of additional genes as well as targeting using antibody single-chain variable fragments. We show that the recombinant TPMV specifically infect cells expressing the targeted receptor and replicate in human cells. This vector system provides a valuable tool for both basic research and therapeutic applications.

The Nurse Watch: Design and Evaluation of a Smart Watch Application with Vital Sign Monitoring and Checklist Reminders

PubMed Central

Bang, Magnus; Solnevik, Katarina; Eriksson, Henrik

2015-01-01

Computerized wearable devices such as smart watches will become valuable nursing tools. This paper describes a smart-watch system developed in close collaboration with a team of nurses working in a Swedish ICU. The smart-watch system provides real-time vital-sign monitoring, threshold alarms, and to-do reminders. Additionally, a Kanban board, visualized on a multitouch screen provides an overview of completed and upcoming tasks. We describe an approach to implement automated checklist systems with smart watches and discuss aspects of importance when implementing such memory and attention support. The paper is finalized with an in-development formative evaluation of the system. PMID:26958162

The Nurse Watch: Design and Evaluation of a Smart Watch Application with Vital Sign Monitoring and Checklist Reminders.

PubMed

Bang, Magnus; Solnevik, Katarina; Eriksson, Henrik

Computerized wearable devices such as smart watches will become valuable nursing tools. This paper describes a smart-watch system developed in close collaboration with a team of nurses working in a Swedish ICU. The smart-watch system provides real-time vital-sign monitoring, threshold alarms, and to-do reminders. Additionally, a Kanban board, visualized on a multitouch screen provides an overview of completed and upcoming tasks. We describe an approach to implement automated checklist systems with smart watches and discuss aspects of importance when implementing such memory and attention support. The paper is finalized with an in-development formative evaluation of the system.

Enhancing the quality of case studies in health services research.

PubMed Central

Yin, R K

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To provide guidance on improving the quality of case studies in health services research. DATA SOURCES: Secondary data, drawing from previous case study research. RESEARCH DESIGN: Guidance is provided to two audiences: potential case study investigators (eight items) and reviewers of case study proposals (four additional items). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The guidance demonstrates that many operational steps can be undertaken to improve the quality of case studies. These steps have been a hallmark of high-quality case studies in related fields but have not necessarily been practiced in health services research. CONCLUSIONS: Given higher-quality case studies, the case study method can become a valuable tool for health services research. Images Figure 3 PMID:10591280

Permanent foresty plots: a potentially valuable teaching resource in undergraduate biology porgrams for the Caribbean

Treesearch

H. Valles; C.M.S. Carrington

2016-01-01

There has been a recent proposal to change the way that biology is taught and learned in undergraduate biology programs in the USA so that students develop a better understanding of science and the natural world. Here, we use this new, recommended teaching– learning framework to assert that permanent forestry plots could be a valuable tool to help develop biology...

Evaluating the impact and costs of deploying an electronic medical record system to support TB treatment in Peru

PubMed Central

Fraser, Hamish SF; Blaya, Joaquin; Choi, Sharon S; Bonilla, Cesar; Jazayeri, Darius

2006-01-01

The PIH-EMR is a Web based electronic medical record that has been in operation for over four years in Peru supporting the treatment of drug resistant TB. We describe here the types of evaluations that have been performed on the EMR to assess its impact on patient care, reporting, logistics and observational research. Formal studies have been performed on components for drug order entry, drug requirements prediction tools and the use of PDAs to collect bacteriology data. In addition less formal data on the use of the EMR for reporting and research are reviewed. Experience and insights from porting the PIH-EMR to the Philippines, and modifying it to support HIV treatment in Haiti and Rwanda are discussed. We propose that additional data of this sort is valuable in assessing medical information systems especially in resource poor areas. PMID:17238344

Evaluating the impact and costs of deploying an electronic medical record system to support TB treatment in Peru.

PubMed

Fraser, Hamish S F; Blaya, Joaquin; Choi, Sharon S; Bonilla, Cesar; Jazayeri, Darius

2006-01-01

The PIH-EMR is a Web based electronic medical record that has been in operation for over four years in Peru supporting the treatment of drug resistant TB. We describe here the types of evaluations that have been performed on the EMR to assess its impact on patient care, reporting, logistics and observational research. Formal studies have been performed on components for drug order entry, drug requirements prediction tools and the use of PDAs to collect bacteriology data. In addition less formal data on the use of the EMR for reporting and research are reviewed. Experience and insights from porting the PIH-EMR to the Philippines, and modifying it to support HIV treatment in Haiti and Rwanda are discussed. We propose that additional data of this sort is valuable in assessing medical information systems especially in resource poor areas.

Decision Matrices: Tools to Enhance Middle School Engineering Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonczi, Amanda L.; Bergman, Brenda G.; Huntoon, Jackie; Allen, Robin; McIntyre, Barb; Turner, Sheri; Davis, Jen; Handler, Rob

2017-01-01

Decision matrices are valuable engineering tools. They allow engineers to objectively examine solution options. Decision matrices can be incorporated in K-12 classrooms to support authentic engineering instruction. In this article we provide examples of how decision matrices have been incorporated into 6th and 7th grade classrooms as part of an…

Journal Writing as an Adult Learning Tool. Practice Application Brief No. 22.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

Journals can be valuable tools for fostering adult learning and experience. Research has supported the following assumptions about learning from journals: (1) articulating connections between new and existing knowledge improves learning; (2) writing about learning is a way of demonstrating what has been learned; (3) journal writing accentuates…

Gifting of timberland as an estate planning tool

Treesearch

William C. Siegel

2004-01-01

Estate planning and associated tax considerations frequently focus on the transfer of property at death. Lifetime gifts, however, are also a valuable planning tool. The "ability to afford the gift" should be the first consideration in a giving program. Timberland and other property that someday might be needed should not be given away.

Tools for the Classroom? an Examination of Existing Sociometric Methods for Teacher Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMullen, Jake A.; Veermans, Koen; Laine, Kaarina

2014-01-01

Despite the recent technical and theoretical advances in the investigation of children's social relations, the inherent complexity of these methods may prevent their easy integration into the classroom. A simple and effective tool can be valuable for teachers who wish to investigate students' social realities in the classroom. Therefore, the…

Facebook as an Online Teaching Tool: Effects on Student Participation, Learning, and Overall Course Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camus, Melinda; Hurt, Nicole E.; Larson, Lincoln R.; Prevost, Luanna

2016-01-01

Online discussions are widely viewed as a valuable tool for encouraging student engagement and promoting interaction with course material outside of the traditional classroom. Strategies for conducting online discussions vary and are not confined to traditional, university-sponsored learning management systems (LMS). Social media platforms such as…

Opportunities and Possibilities: Philosophical Hermeneutics and the Educational Researcher

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agrey, Loren G.

2014-01-01

The opportunities that philosophical hermeneutics provide as a research tool are explored and it is shown that this qualitative research method can be employed as a valuable tool for the educational researcher. Used as an alternative to the standard quantitative approach to educational research, currently being the dominant paradigm of data…

Jazzing up the Psychological Contract

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, Nell Tabor

2010-01-01

Helping students and practitioners to understand and utilize the Psychological Contract is often a difficult task. Unlike fault-finding research, this paper presents the PC as a positive, vibrant and valuable tool. In an effort to make the concept less elusive, the paper draws upon the metaphor of jazz. The metaphor is an accepted tool of…

Macromedia Flash as a Tool for Mathematics Teaching and Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garofalo, Joe; Summers, Tim

2004-01-01

Macromedia Flash is a powerful and robust development tool. Because of its graphical, sound, and animation capabilities (and ubiquitous browser plug-in), major companies employ it in their website development (see www.nike.com or www.espn.com). These same features also make Flash a valuable environment for building multi-representational "movies"…

Potential pitfalls of strain rate imaging: angle dependency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castro, P. L.; Greenberg, N. L.; Drinko, J.; Garcia, M. J.; Thomas, J. D.

2000-01-01

Strain Rate Imaging (SRI) is a new echocardiographic technique that allows for the real-time determination of myocardial SR, which may be used for the early and accurate detection of coronary artery disease. We sought to study whether SR is affected by scan line alignment in a computer simulation and an in vivo experiment. Through the computer simulation and the in vivo experiment we generated and validated safe scanning sectors within the ultrasound scan sector and showed that while SRI will be an extremely valuable tool in detecting coronary artery disease there are potential pitfalls for the unwary clinician. Only after accounting for these affects due to angle dependency, can clinicians utilize SRI's potential as a valuable tool in detecting coronary artery disease.

Solar System Treks: Interactive Web Portals or STEM, Exploration and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Law, E.; Day, B. H.; Viotti, M.

2017-12-01

NASA's Solar System Treks project produces a suite of online visualization and analysis tools for lunar and planetary mapping and modeling. These portals offer great benefits for education and public outreach, providing access to data from a wide range of instruments aboard a variety of past and current missions. As a component of NASA's STEM Activation Infrastructure, they are available as resources for NASA STEM programs, and to the greater STEM community. As new missions are planned to a variety of planetary bodies, these tools facilitate public understanding of the missions and engage the public in the process of identifying and selecting where these missions will land. There are currently three web portals in the program: Moon Trek (https://moontrek.jpl.nasa.gov), Mars Trek (https://marstrek.jpl.nasa.gov), and Vesta Trek (https://vestatrek.jpl.nasa.gov). A new release of Mars Trek includes new tools and data products focusing on human landing site selection. Backed by evidence-based cognitive and computer science findings, an additional version is available for educational and public audiences in support of earning along novice-to-expert pathways, enabling authentic, real-world interaction with planetary data. Portals for additional planetary bodies are planned. As web-based toolsets, the portals do not require users to purchase or install any software beyond current web browsers. The portals provide analysis tools for measurement and study of planetary terrain. They allow data to be layered and adjusted to optimize visualization. Visualizations are easily stored and shared. The portals provide 3D visualization and give users the ability to mark terrain for generation of STL/OBJ files that can be directed to 3D printers. Such 3D prints are valuable tools in museums, public exhibits, and classrooms - especially for the visually impaired. The program supports additional clients, web services, and APIs facilitating dissemination of planetary data to external applications and venues. NASA challenges and hackathons also provide members of the software development community opportunities to participate in tool development and leverage data from the portals.

Traditional transcutaneous approaches in head and neck surgery

PubMed Central

Goessler, Ulrich R.

2012-01-01

The treatment of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal malignancies remains a challenging task for the head and neck surgeon as the chosen treatment modality often has to bridge the gap between oncologically sound radicality and preservation of function. Due to the increase in transoral laser surgery in early tumor stages and chemoradiation in advanced stages, the usage of traditional transcutaneous approaches has decreased over the recent past. In addition, the need for a function-sparing surgical approach as well as highest possible quality of life has become evident. In view of these facts, rationale and importance of traditional transcutaneous approaches to the treatment of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal malignancies are discussed in a contemporary background. The transcutaneous open partial laryngectomies remain a valuable tool in the surgeon's armamentarium for the treatment of early and advanced laryngeal carcinomas, especially in cases of impossible laryngeal overview using the rigid laryngoscope. Open partial laryngetomies offer superior overview and oncologic safety at the anterior commissure, especially in recurrencies. In select advanced cases and salvage settings, the supracricoid laryngectomy offers a valuable tool for function-preserving but oncologically safe surgical therapy at the cost of high postoperative morbidity and a very demanding rehabilitation of swallowing. In hypopharyngeal malignancies, the increasing use of transoral laser surgery has led to a decline in transcutaneous resections via partial pharyngectomy with partial laryngectomy in early tumor stages. In advanced stages of tumors of the piriform sinus and the postcricoid area with involvement of the larynx, total laryngectomy with partial pharyngectomy is an oncologically safe approach. The radical surgical approach using circumferent laryngopharyngectomy with/without esophagectomy is indicated in salvage cases with advanced recurrences or as a primary surgical approach in patients where chemoradiation does not offer sufficient oncologic control or preservation of function. In cases with impending reconstruction, fasciocutaneous free flaps (anterolateral thigh flap, radial forearm flap) seem to offer superior results to enteric flaps in cases where the cervical esophagus is not involved leading to better voice rehabilitation with fewer complications and postoperative morbidity. In salvage situations, the Gastroomental Free Flap has proven to be a valuable tool. In conclusion, the choice of a surgical treatment modality is influenced by the patient's anatomy, tumor size and location as well as the surgeon's personal expertise. PMID:23320058

Failure environment analysis tool applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pack, Ginger L.; Wadsworth, David B.

1993-02-01

Understanding risks and avoiding failure are daily concerns for the women and men of NASA. Although NASA's mission propels us to push the limits of technology, and though the risks are considerable, the NASA community has instilled within, the determination to preserve the integrity of the systems upon which our mission and, our employees lives and well-being depend. One of the ways this is being done is by expanding and improving the tools used to perform risk assessment. The Failure Environment Analysis Tool (FEAT) was developed to help engineers and analysts more thoroughly and reliably conduct risk assessment and failure analysis. FEAT accomplishes this by providing answers to questions regarding what might have caused a particular failure; or, conversely, what effect the occurrence of a failure might have on an entire system. Additionally, FEAT can determine what common causes could have resulted in other combinations of failures. FEAT will even help determine the vulnerability of a system to failures, in light of reduced capability. FEAT also is useful in training personnel who must develop an understanding of particular systems. FEAT facilitates training on system behavior, by providing an automated environment in which to conduct 'what-if' evaluation. These types of analyses make FEAT a valuable tool for engineers and operations personnel in the design, analysis, and operation of NASA space systems.

Failure environment analysis tool applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pack, Ginger L.; Wadsworth, David B.

1993-01-01

Understanding risks and avoiding failure are daily concerns for the women and men of NASA. Although NASA's mission propels us to push the limits of technology, and though the risks are considerable, the NASA community has instilled within, the determination to preserve the integrity of the systems upon which our mission and, our employees lives and well-being depend. One of the ways this is being done is by expanding and improving the tools used to perform risk assessment. The Failure Environment Analysis Tool (FEAT) was developed to help engineers and analysts more thoroughly and reliably conduct risk assessment and failure analysis. FEAT accomplishes this by providing answers to questions regarding what might have caused a particular failure; or, conversely, what effect the occurrence of a failure might have on an entire system. Additionally, FEAT can determine what common causes could have resulted in other combinations of failures. FEAT will even help determine the vulnerability of a system to failures, in light of reduced capability. FEAT also is useful in training personnel who must develop an understanding of particular systems. FEAT facilitates training on system behavior, by providing an automated environment in which to conduct 'what-if' evaluation. These types of analyses make FEAT a valuable tool for engineers and operations personnel in the design, analysis, and operation of NASA space systems.

Failure environment analysis tool applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pack, Ginger L.; Wadsworth, David B.

1994-01-01

Understanding risks and avoiding failure are daily concerns for the women and men of NASA. Although NASA's mission propels us to push the limits of technology, and though the risks are considerable, the NASA community has instilled within it, the determination to preserve the integrity of the systems upon which our mission and, our employees lives and well-being depend. One of the ways this is being done is by expanding and improving the tools used to perform risk assessment. The Failure Environment Analysis Tool (FEAT) was developed to help engineers and analysts more thoroughly and reliably conduct risk assessment and failure analysis. FEAT accomplishes this by providing answers to questions regarding what might have caused a particular failure; or, conversely, what effect the occurrence of a failure might have on an entire system. Additionally, FEAT can determine what common causes could have resulted in other combinations of failures. FEAT will even help determine the vulnerability of a system to failures, in light of reduced capability. FEAT also is useful in training personnel who must develop an understanding of particular systems. FEAT facilitates training on system behavior, by providing an automated environment in which to conduct 'what-if' evaluation. These types of analyses make FEAT a valuable tool for engineers and operations personnel in the design, analysis, and operation of NASA space systems.

Development and Exploration of a Regional Stormwater BMP Performance Database to Parameterize an Integrated Decision Support Tool (i-DST)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, C.; Li, Y.; Lopez, E.; Hogue, T. S.

2017-12-01

Decision support tools that quantitatively estimate the cost and performance of infrastructure alternatives are valuable for urban planners. Such a tool is needed to aid in planning stormwater projects to meet diverse goals such as the regulation of stormwater runoff and its pollutants, minimization of economic costs, and maximization of environmental and social benefits in the communities served by the infrastructure. This work gives a brief overview of an integrated decision support tool, called i-DST, that is currently being developed to serve this need. This presentation focuses on the development of a default database for the i-DST that parameterizes water quality treatment efficiency of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) by region. Parameterizing the i-DST by region will allow the tool to perform accurate simulations in all parts of the United States. A national dataset of BMP performance is analyzed to determine which of a series of candidate regionalizations explains the most variance in the national dataset. The data used in the regionalization analysis comes from the International Stormwater BMP Database and data gleaned from an ongoing systematic review of peer-reviewed and gray literature. In addition to identifying a regionalization scheme for water quality performance parameters in the i-DST, our review process will also provide example methods and protocols for systematic reviews in the field of Earth Science.

American Contact Dermatitis Society Contact Allergy Management Program: An Epidemiologic Tool to Quantify Ingredient Usage.

PubMed

Scheman, Andrew; Severson, David

2016-01-01

The usage prevalence of ingredients in topical products is important to dermatologists and industry. To determine the prevalence of methylisothiazolinone (MI) in various types of consumer products The Contact Allergy Management Program (CAMP) database was mapped and sorted in spreadsheet format to determine the prevalence of MI in various types of consumer products. Methylisothiazolinone was found in 13.2% of 4660 total products in CAMP. High usage of MI was seen in dishwashing products (64%), shampoos (53%), bathroom/kitchen/all-purpose cleaners (47%), hair conditioners (45%), hair dyes (43%), laundry additives/fresheners/softeners (30%), soaps/cleansers (29%), and surface cleaners/disinfectants (27%). Of the products containing MI, MI alone (without methylchloroisothiazolinone) was most common in makeup products (100%), cleaning/dish/laundry products (>99%), moisturizers (82%), shaving products (78%), sunscreens (71%), and antiaging products (67%). The American Contact Dermatitis Society's CAMP is a valuable tool to collect epidemiologic data on the incidence of specific ingredient usage in various types of topical products.

Crowdfunding for Personalized Medicine Research.

PubMed

Fumagalli, Danielle C; Gouw, Arvin M

2015-12-01

Given the current funding situation of the National Institutes of Health, getting funding for rare disease research is extremely difficult. In light of the enormous potential for research in the rare diseases and the scarcity of research funding, we provide a case study of a novel successful crowdfunding approach at a non-profit organization called Rare Genomics Institute. We partner with biotechnology companies willing to donate their products, such as mouse models, gene editing software, and sequencing services, for which researchers can apply. First, we find that personal stories can be powerful tools to seek funding from sympathetic donors who do not have the same rational considerations of impact and profit. Second, for foundations facing funding restrictions, company donations can be a valuable tool in addition to crowdfunding. Third, rare disease research is particularly rewarding for scientists as they proceed to be pioneers in the field during their academic careers. Overall, by connecting donors, foundations, researchers, and patients, crowdfunding has become a powerful alternative funding mechanism for personalized medicine.

Crowdfunding for Personalized Medicine Research

PubMed Central

Fumagalli, Danielle C.; Gouw, Arvin M.

2015-01-01

Given the current funding situation of the National Institutes of Health, getting funding for rare disease research is extremely difficult. In light of the enormous potential for research in the rare diseases and the scarcity of research funding, we provide a case study of a novel successful crowdfunding approach at a non-profit organization called Rare Genomics Institute. We partner with biotechnology companies willing to donate their products, such as mouse models, gene editing software, and sequencing services, for which researchers can apply. First, we find that personal stories can be powerful tools to seek funding from sympathetic donors who do not have the same rational considerations of impact and profit. Second, for foundations facing funding restrictions, company donations can be a valuable tool in addition to crowdfunding. Third, rare disease research is particularly rewarding for scientists as they proceed to be pioneers in the field during their academic careers. Overall, by connecting donors, foundations, researchers, and patients, crowdfunding has become a powerful alternative funding mechanism for personalized medicine. PMID:26604866

Reference intervals for acute phase protein and serum protein electrophoresis values in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

PubMed

Isaza, Ramiro; Wiedner, Ellen; Hiser, Sarah; Cray, Carolyn

2014-09-01

Acute phase protein (APP) immunoassays and serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) are assays for evaluating the inflammatory response and have use as diagnostic tools in a variety of species. Acute phase proteins are markers of inflammation that are highly conserved across different species while SPEP separates and quantifies serum protein fractions based on their physical properties. In the current study, serum samples from 35 clinically healthy Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) were analyzed using automated assays for C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, and haptoglobin and SPEP. Robust methods were used to generate reference intervals for the APPs: C-reactive protein (1.3-12.8 mg/l), serum amyloid A (0-47.5 mg/l), and haptoglobin (0-1.10 mg/ml). In addition, SPEP was performed on these samples to establish reference intervals for each protein fraction. A combination of APPs and SPEP measurements are valuable adjunctive diagnostic tools in elephant health care. © 2014 The Author(s).

Educational Services Officer

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

publication is a a recommended reading list. A brief description valuable tool to an ESO when it is available of the subject matter of each is given, and...factors that must be considered in the arrangement of an office. 9. Identify the basic office products. 3. Identify the tools necessary for the...of the office. Personnel served by the tools of the trade; however, if the office this office judge it by the measure of does not provide

SedInConnect: a stand-alone, free and open source tool for the assessment of sediment connectivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crema, Stefano; Cavalli, Marco

2018-02-01

There is a growing call, within the scientific community, for solid theoretic frameworks and usable indices/models to assess sediment connectivity. Connectivity plays a significant role in characterizing structural properties of the landscape and, when considered in combination with forcing processes (e.g., rainfall-runoff modelling), can represent a valuable analysis for an improved landscape management. In this work, the authors present the development and application of SedInConnect: a free, open source and stand-alone application for the computation of the Index of Connectivity (IC), as expressed in Cavalli et al. (2013) with the addition of specific innovative features. The tool is intended to have a wide variety of users, both from the scientific community and from the authorities involved in the environmental planning. Thanks to its open source nature, the tool can be adapted and/or integrated according to the users' requirements. Furthermore, presenting an easy-to-use interface and being a stand-alone application, the tool can help management experts in the quantitative assessment of sediment connectivity in the context of hazard and risk assessment. An application to a sample dataset and an overview on up-to-date applications of the approach and of the tool shows the development potential of such analyses. The modelled connectivity, in fact, appears suitable not only to characterize sediment dynamics at the catchment scale but also to integrate prediction models and as a tool for helping geomorphological interpretation.

A combination of HPLC and automated data analysis for monitoring the efficiency of high-pressure homogenization.

PubMed

Eggenreich, Britta; Rajamanickam, Vignesh; Wurm, David Johannes; Fricke, Jens; Herwig, Christoph; Spadiut, Oliver

2017-08-01

Cell disruption is a key unit operation to make valuable, intracellular target products accessible for further downstream unit operations. Independent of the applied cell disruption method, each cell disruption process must be evaluated with respect to disruption efficiency and potential product loss. Current state-of-the-art methods, like measuring the total amount of released protein and plating-out assays, are usually time-delayed and involve manual intervention making them error-prone. An automated method to monitor cell disruption efficiency at-line is not available to date. In the current study we implemented a methodology, which we had originally developed to monitor E. coli cell integrity during bioreactor cultivations, to automatically monitor and evaluate cell disruption of a recombinant E. coli strain by high-pressure homogenization. We compared our tool with a library of state-of-the-art methods, analyzed the effect of freezing the biomass before high-pressure homogenization and finally investigated this unit operation in more detail by a multivariate approach. A combination of HPLC and automated data analysis describes a valuable, novel tool to monitor and evaluate cell disruption processes. Our methodology, which can be used both in upstream (USP) and downstream processing (DSP), describes a valuable tool to evaluate cell disruption processes as it can be implemented at-line, gives results within minutes after sampling and does not need manual intervention.

A mobile phone food record app to digitally capture dietary intake for adolescents in a free-living environment: Usability study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Mobile technologies are emerging as a valuable tool to collect and assess dietary intake. Adolescents readily accept and adopt new technologies; hence, a food record application (FRapp) may be used as a tool to promote a better understanding of adolescent’s dietary intake and eating patt...

The Instructional Instrument SL-EDGE Student Library-Educational DiGital Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyriakopoulou, Antonia; Kalamboukis, Theodore

An educational digital environment that will provide appropriate methods and techniques for the support and enhancement of the educational and learning process is a valuable tool for both educators and learners. In the context of such a mission, the educational tool SL-EDGE (Student Library-Educational DiGital Environment) has been developed. The…

Faculty Use of Tablet PCs in Teacher Education and K-12 Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinweg, Sue Byrd; Williams, Sarah Carver; Stapleton, Joy Neal

2010-01-01

As new technological tools emerge almost daily, students in public school and university settings are becoming increasingly technologically savvy. Faculty members in both settings have the opportunity to explore tools that have the potential to be valuable resources in a variety of educational environments. The Tablet PC is an example of one such…

Training Theory of Mind and Executive Control: A Tool for Improving School Achievement?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kloo, Daniela; Perner, Josef

2008-01-01

In the preschool years, there are marked improvements in theory of mind (ToM) and executive functions. And, children's competence in these two core cognitive domains is associated with their academic achievement. Therefore, training ToM and executive control could be a valuable tool for improving children's success in school. This article reviews…

E-Portfolio, a Valuable Job Search Tool for College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Ti

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to find answers to the following questions: How do employers think about e-portfolios? Do employers really see e-portfolios as a suitable hiring tool? Which factors in students' e-portfolios attract potential employers? Can e-portfolios be successfully used by students in their search for a job?…

Deriving Forest Harvesting Machine Productivity from Positional Data

Treesearch

T.P. McDonald; S.E. Taylor; R.B. Rummer

2000-01-01

Automated production study systems will provide researchers a valuable tool for developing cost and impact models of forest operations under a wide range of conditions, making the development of true planning tools for tailoring logging systems to a particular site a reality. An automated time study system for skidders was developed, and in this study application of...

English Digital Dictionaries as Valuable Blended Learning Tools for Palestinian College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dwaik, Raghad A. A.

2015-01-01

Digital technology has become an indispensable aspect of foreign language learning around the globe especially in the case of college students who are often required to finish extensive reading assignments within a limited time period. Such pressure calls for the use of efficient tools such as digital dictionaries to help them achieve their…

The Mystery in Science: A Neglected Tool for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papacosta, Pangratios

2008-01-01

Of the many valuable tools available to science education, the mystery in science is the one that is most ignored, underused, or misunderstood. whenever it is used, it is only as mere entertainment or as an attention grabber. In this article, the author discusses how the mystery in science can improve student attitudes, generate a life-long…

Evaluation of modeling as a tool to determine the potential impacts related to drilling wastes in the Brazilian offshore.

PubMed

Pivel, María Alejandra Gómez; Dal Sasso Freitas, Carla Maria

2010-08-01

Numerical models that predict the fate of drilling discharges at sea constitute a valuable tool for both the oil industry and regulatory agencies. In order to provide reliable estimates, models must be validated through the comparison of predictions with field or laboratory observations. In this paper, we used the Offshore Operators Committee Model to simulate the discharges from two wells drilled at Campos Basin, offshore SE Brazil, and compared the results with field observations obtained 3 months after drilling. The comparison showed that the model provided reasonable predictions, considering that data about currents were reconstructed and theoretical data were used to characterize the classes of solids. The model proved to be a valuable tool to determine the degree of potential impact associated to drilling activities. However, since the accuracy of the model is directly dependent on the quality of input data, different possible scenarios should be considered when used for forecast modeling.

Using Facebook to Facilitate Course-Related Discussion Between Students and Faculty Members

PubMed Central

Kirwin, Jennifer L.

2012-01-01

Objectives. To use Facebook to facilitate online discussion of the content of a Comprehensive Disease Management course and to evaluate student use and perceptions of this exercise. Design. A Facebook page was created and coordinators encouraged students to “like” the page and to post and view study tips, links, or questions. At the end of the course, students’ use and perceptions were evaluated using an anonymous survey tool. Assessment. At the end of week 1, there were 81 followers, 5 wall posts, and 474 visits to the course Facebook page. At peak use, the page had 117 followers, 18 wall posts, and 1,326 visits. One hundred nineteen students (97% of the class) completed the survey tool. Twenty-six percent of students contributed posts compared to 11% who posted on the course discussion board on Blackboard. Students were more likely to post and be exposed to posts on Facebook than on Blackboard. Students found Facebook helpful and 57% said they would miss Facebook if use was not continued in subsequent courses. Conclusions. Students in a Comprehensive Disease Management course found the addition of a Facebook page a valuable study tool and thought most posts added to their learning. PMID:22438604

Using Facebook to facilitate course-related discussion between students and faculty members.

PubMed

DiVall, Margarita V; Kirwin, Jennifer L

2012-03-12

To use Facebook to facilitate online discussion of the content of a Comprehensive Disease Management course and to evaluate student use and perceptions of this exercise. A Facebook page was created and coordinators encouraged students to "like" the page and to post and view study tips, links, or questions. At the end of the course, students' use and perceptions were evaluated using an anonymous survey tool. At the end of week 1, there were 81 followers, 5 wall posts, and 474 visits to the course Facebook page. At peak use, the page had 117 followers, 18 wall posts, and 1,326 visits. One hundred nineteen students (97% of the class) completed the survey tool. Twenty-six percent of students contributed posts compared to 11% who posted on the course discussion board on Blackboard. Students were more likely to post and be exposed to posts on Facebook than on Blackboard. Students found Facebook helpful and 57% said they would miss Facebook if use was not continued in subsequent courses. Students in a Comprehensive Disease Management course found the addition of a Facebook page a valuable study tool and thought most posts added to their learning.

Use of job-exposure matrices to estimate occupational exposure to pesticides: A review.

PubMed

Carles, Camille; Bouvier, Ghislaine; Lebailly, Pierre; Baldi, Isabelle

2017-03-01

The health effects of pesticides have been extensively studied in epidemiology, mainly in agricultural populations. However, pesticide exposure assessment remains a key methodological issue for epidemiological studies. Besides self-reported information, expert assessment or metrology, job-exposure matrices still appear to be an interesting tool. We reviewed all existing matrices assessing occupational exposure to pesticides in epidemiological studies and described the exposure parameters they included. We identified two types of matrices, (i) generic ones that are generally used in case-control studies and document broad categories of pesticides in a large range of jobs, and (ii) specific matrices, developed for use in agricultural cohorts, that generally provide exposure metrics at the active ingredient level. The various applications of these matrices in epidemiological studies have proven that they are valuable tools to assess pesticide exposure. Specific matrices are particularly promising for use in agricultural cohorts. However, results obtained with matrices have rarely been compared with those obtained with other tools. In addition, the external validity of the given estimates has not been adequately discussed. Yet, matrices would help in reducing misclassification and in quantifying cumulated exposures, to improve knowledge about the chronic health effects of pesticides.

Toxicokinetic and Dosimetry Modeling Tools for Exposure ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

New technologies and in vitro testing approaches have been valuable additions to risk assessments that have historically relied solely on in vivo test results. Compared to in vivo methods, in vitro high throughput screening (HTS) assays are less expensive, faster and can provide mechanistic insights on chemical action. However, extrapolating from in vitro chemical concentrations to target tissue or blood concentrations in vivo is fraught with uncertainties, and modeling is dependent upon pharmacokinetic variables not measured in in vitro assays. To address this need, new tools have been created for characterizing, simulating, and evaluating chemical toxicokinetics. Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models provide estimates of chemical exposures that produce potentially hazardous tissue concentrations, while tissue microdosimetry PK models relate whole-body chemical exposures to cell-scale concentrations. These tools rely on high-throughput in vitro measurements, and successful methods exist for pharmaceutical compounds that determine PK from limited in vitro measurements and chemical structure-derived property predictions. These high throughput (HT) methods provide a more rapid and less resource–intensive alternative to traditional PK model development. We have augmented these in vitro data with chemical structure-based descriptors and mechanistic tissue partitioning models to construct HTPBPK models for over three hundred environmental and pharmace

A corpus of full-text journal articles is a robust evaluation tool for revealing differences in performance of biomedical natural language processing tools

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We introduce the linguistic annotation of a corpus of 97 full-text biomedical publications, known as the Colorado Richly Annotated Full Text (CRAFT) corpus. We further assess the performance of existing tools for performing sentence splitting, tokenization, syntactic parsing, and named entity recognition on this corpus. Results Many biomedical natural language processing systems demonstrated large differences between their previously published results and their performance on the CRAFT corpus when tested with the publicly available models or rule sets. Trainable systems differed widely with respect to their ability to build high-performing models based on this data. Conclusions The finding that some systems were able to train high-performing models based on this corpus is additional evidence, beyond high inter-annotator agreement, that the quality of the CRAFT corpus is high. The overall poor performance of various systems indicates that considerable work needs to be done to enable natural language processing systems to work well when the input is full-text journal articles. The CRAFT corpus provides a valuable resource to the biomedical natural language processing community for evaluation and training of new models for biomedical full text publications. PMID:22901054

Antarctica EVA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Love, Stan

2013-01-01

NASA astronaut Stan Love shared his experiences with the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET), an annual expedition to the southern continent to collect valuable samples for research in planetary science. ANSMET teams operate from isolated, remote field camps on the polar plateau, where windchill factors often reach -40? F. Several astronaut participants have noted ANSMET's similarity to a space mission. Some of the operational concepts, tools, and equipment employed by ANSMET teams may offer valuable insights to designers of future planetary surface exploration hardware.

MAGMA: Generalized Gene-Set Analysis of GWAS Data

PubMed Central

de Leeuw, Christiaan A.; Mooij, Joris M.; Heskes, Tom; Posthuma, Danielle

2015-01-01

By aggregating data for complex traits in a biologically meaningful way, gene and gene-set analysis constitute a valuable addition to single-marker analysis. However, although various methods for gene and gene-set analysis currently exist, they generally suffer from a number of issues. Statistical power for most methods is strongly affected by linkage disequilibrium between markers, multi-marker associations are often hard to detect, and the reliance on permutation to compute p-values tends to make the analysis computationally very expensive. To address these issues we have developed MAGMA, a novel tool for gene and gene-set analysis. The gene analysis is based on a multiple regression model, to provide better statistical performance. The gene-set analysis is built as a separate layer around the gene analysis for additional flexibility. This gene-set analysis also uses a regression structure to allow generalization to analysis of continuous properties of genes and simultaneous analysis of multiple gene sets and other gene properties. Simulations and an analysis of Crohn’s Disease data are used to evaluate the performance of MAGMA and to compare it to a number of other gene and gene-set analysis tools. The results show that MAGMA has significantly more power than other tools for both the gene and the gene-set analysis, identifying more genes and gene sets associated with Crohn’s Disease while maintaining a correct type 1 error rate. Moreover, the MAGMA analysis of the Crohn’s Disease data was found to be considerably faster as well. PMID:25885710

MAGMA: generalized gene-set analysis of GWAS data.

PubMed

de Leeuw, Christiaan A; Mooij, Joris M; Heskes, Tom; Posthuma, Danielle

2015-04-01

By aggregating data for complex traits in a biologically meaningful way, gene and gene-set analysis constitute a valuable addition to single-marker analysis. However, although various methods for gene and gene-set analysis currently exist, they generally suffer from a number of issues. Statistical power for most methods is strongly affected by linkage disequilibrium between markers, multi-marker associations are often hard to detect, and the reliance on permutation to compute p-values tends to make the analysis computationally very expensive. To address these issues we have developed MAGMA, a novel tool for gene and gene-set analysis. The gene analysis is based on a multiple regression model, to provide better statistical performance. The gene-set analysis is built as a separate layer around the gene analysis for additional flexibility. This gene-set analysis also uses a regression structure to allow generalization to analysis of continuous properties of genes and simultaneous analysis of multiple gene sets and other gene properties. Simulations and an analysis of Crohn's Disease data are used to evaluate the performance of MAGMA and to compare it to a number of other gene and gene-set analysis tools. The results show that MAGMA has significantly more power than other tools for both the gene and the gene-set analysis, identifying more genes and gene sets associated with Crohn's Disease while maintaining a correct type 1 error rate. Moreover, the MAGMA analysis of the Crohn's Disease data was found to be considerably faster as well.

MONGKIE: an integrated tool for network analysis and visualization for multi-omics data.

PubMed

Jang, Yeongjun; Yu, Namhee; Seo, Jihae; Kim, Sun; Lee, Sanghyuk

2016-03-18

Network-based integrative analysis is a powerful technique for extracting biological insights from multilayered omics data such as somatic mutations, copy number variations, and gene expression data. However, integrated analysis of multi-omics data is quite complicated and can hardly be done in an automated way. Thus, a powerful interactive visual mining tool supporting diverse analysis algorithms for identification of driver genes and regulatory modules is much needed. Here, we present a software platform that integrates network visualization with omics data analysis tools seamlessly. The visualization unit supports various options for displaying multi-omics data as well as unique network models for describing sophisticated biological networks such as complex biomolecular reactions. In addition, we implemented diverse in-house algorithms for network analysis including network clustering and over-representation analysis. Novel functions include facile definition and optimized visualization of subgroups, comparison of a series of data sets in an identical network by data-to-visual mapping and subsequent overlaying function, and management of custom interaction networks. Utility of MONGKIE for network-based visual data mining of multi-omics data was demonstrated by analysis of the TCGA glioblastoma data. MONGKIE was developed in Java based on the NetBeans plugin architecture, thus being OS-independent with intrinsic support of module extension by third-party developers. We believe that MONGKIE would be a valuable addition to network analysis software by supporting many unique features and visualization options, especially for analysing multi-omics data sets in cancer and other diseases. .

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; ...

2016-07-08

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy.

PubMed

Tremsin, Anton S; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with 100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

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

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.

Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain,more » texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. Additionally, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components.« less

Investigation of microstructure in additive manufactured Inconel 625 by spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Tremsin, Anton S.; Gao, Yan; Dial, Laura C.; Grazzi, Francesco; Shinohara, Takenao

2016-01-01

Abstract Non-destructive testing techniques based on neutron imaging and diffraction can provide information on the internal structure of relatively thick metal samples (up to several cm), which are opaque to other conventional non-destructive methods. Spatially resolved neutron transmission spectroscopy is an extension of traditional neutron radiography, where multiple images are acquired simultaneously, each corresponding to a narrow range of energy. The analysis of transmission spectra enables studies of bulk microstructures at the spatial resolution comparable to the detector pixel. In this study we demonstrate the possibility of imaging (with ~100 μm resolution) distribution of some microstructure properties, such as residual strain, texture, voids and impurities in Inconel 625 samples manufactured with an additive manufacturing method called direct metal laser melting (DMLM). Although this imaging technique can be implemented only in a few large-scale facilities, it can be a valuable tool for optimization of additive manufacturing techniques and materials and for correlating bulk microstructure properties to manufacturing process parameters. In addition, the experimental strain distribution can help validate finite element models which many industries use to predict the residual stress distributions in additive manufactured components. PMID:27877885

The database management system: A topic and a tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plummer, O. R.

1984-01-01

Data structures and data base management systems are common tools employed to deal with the administrative information of a university. An understanding of these topics is needed by a much wider audience, ranging from those interested in computer aided design and manufacturing to those using microcomputers. These tools are becoming increasingly valuable to academic programs as they develop comprehensive computer support systems. The wide use of these tools relies upon the relational data model as a foundation. Experience with the use of the IPAD RIM5.0 program is described.

Seismicity map tools for earthquake studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boucouvalas, Anthony; Kaskebes, Athanasios; Tselikas, Nikos

2014-05-01

We report on the development of new and online set of tools for use within Google Maps, for earthquake research. We demonstrate this server based and online platform (developped with PHP, Javascript, MySQL) with the new tools using a database system with earthquake data. The platform allows us to carry out statistical and deterministic analysis on earthquake data use of Google Maps and plot various seismicity graphs. The tool box has been extended to draw on the map line segments, multiple straight lines horizontally and vertically as well as multiple circles, including geodesic lines. The application is demonstrated using localized seismic data from the geographic region of Greece as well as other global earthquake data. The application also offers regional segmentation (NxN) which allows the studying earthquake clustering, and earthquake cluster shift within the segments in space. The platform offers many filters such for plotting selected magnitude ranges or time periods. The plotting facility allows statistically based plots such as cumulative earthquake magnitude plots and earthquake magnitude histograms, calculation of 'b' etc. What is novel for the platform is the additional deterministic tools. Using the newly developed horizontal and vertical line and circle tools we have studied the spatial distribution trends of many earthquakes and we here show for the first time the link between Fibonacci Numbers and spatiotemporal location of some earthquakes. The new tools are valuable for examining visualizing trends in earthquake research as it allows calculation of statistics as well as deterministic precursors. We plan to show many new results based on our newly developed platform.

ASCOT: a text mining-based web-service for efficient search and assisted creation of clinical trials

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Clinical trials are mandatory protocols describing medical research on humans and among the most valuable sources of medical practice evidence. Searching for trials relevant to some query is laborious due to the immense number of existing protocols. Apart from search, writing new trials includes composing detailed eligibility criteria, which might be time-consuming, especially for new researchers. In this paper we present ASCOT, an efficient search application customised for clinical trials. ASCOT uses text mining and data mining methods to enrich clinical trials with metadata, that in turn serve as effective tools to narrow down search. In addition, ASCOT integrates a component for recommending eligibility criteria based on a set of selected protocols. PMID:22595088

Mars Atmospheric Characterization Using Advanced 2-Micron Orbiting Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, U.; Engelund, W.; Refaat, T.; Kavaya, M.; Yu, J.; Petros, M.

2015-01-01

Mars atmospheric characterization is critical for exploring the planet. Future Mars missions require landing massive payloads to the surface with high accuracy. The accuracy of entry, descent and landing (EDL) of a payload is a major technical challenge for future Mars missions. Mars EDL depends on atmospheric conditions such as density, wind and dust as well as surface topography. A Mars orbiting 2-micron lidar system is presented in this paper. This advanced lidar is capable of measuring atmospheric pressure and temperature profiles using the most abundant atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) on Mars. In addition Martian winds and surface altimetry can be mapped, independent of background radiation or geographical location. This orbiting lidar is a valuable tool for developing EDL models for future Mars missions.

Measurement of Blood Coagulation Factor Synthesis in Cultures of Human Hepatocytes.

PubMed

Heinz, Stefan; Braspenning, Joris

2015-01-01

An important function of the liver is the synthesis and secretion of blood coagulation factors. Within the liver, hepatocytes are involved in the synthesis of most blood coagulation factors, such as fibrinogen, prothrombin, factor V, VII, IX, X, XI, XII, as well as protein C and S, and antithrombin, whereas liver sinusoidal endothelial cells produce factor VIII and von Willebrand factor. Here, we describe methods for the detection and quantification of most blood coagulation factors in hepatocytes in vitro. Hepatocyte cultures indeed provide a valuable tool to study blood coagulation factors. In addition, the generation and expansion of hepatocytes or hepatocyte-like cells may be used in future for cell-based therapies of liver diseases, including blood coagulation factor deficiencies.

The role of bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of airway disease

PubMed Central

Dixon, Jennifer; Tieu, Brandon H.

2016-01-01

Endoscopy of the airway is a valuable tool for the evaluation and management of airway disease. It can be used to evaluate many different bronchopulmonary diseases including airway foreign bodies, tumors, infectious and inflammatory conditions, airway stenosis, and bronchopulmonary hemorrhage. Traditionally, options for evaluation were limited to flexible and rigid bronchoscopy. Recently, more sophisticated technology has led to the development of endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy (ENB). These technological advances, combined with increasing provider experience have resulted in a higher diagnostic yield with endoscopic biopsies. This review will focus on the role of bronchoscopy, including EBUS, ENB, and rigid bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary diseases. In addition, it will cover the anesthetic considerations, equipment, diagnostic yield, and potential complications. PMID:28149583

A Five-Factor Model framework for understanding childhood personality disorder antecedents.

PubMed

De Clercq, Barbara; De Fruyt, Filip

2012-12-01

The present contribution reviews evidence that supports the relevance of childhood antecedents of personality disorders, and advocates that the validity of a Five-Factor Model framework for describing general trait differences in childhood can be extended towards the field of developmental personality difficulties. In addition, we suggest that several traditional childhood Axis I conditions include a substantial trait component that may be responsible for the recurring finding that childhood Axis I disorders are predictive for adult Axis II disorders. Given the valuable information provided by a trait assessment, we further propose to integrate dimensional personality and personality pathology measures as standard tools in mental health assessments at a young age. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2012, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ASCOT: a text mining-based web-service for efficient search and assisted creation of clinical trials.

PubMed

Korkontzelos, Ioannis; Mu, Tingting; Ananiadou, Sophia

2012-04-30

Clinical trials are mandatory protocols describing medical research on humans and among the most valuable sources of medical practice evidence. Searching for trials relevant to some query is laborious due to the immense number of existing protocols. Apart from search, writing new trials includes composing detailed eligibility criteria, which might be time-consuming, especially for new researchers. In this paper we present ASCOT, an efficient search application customised for clinical trials. ASCOT uses text mining and data mining methods to enrich clinical trials with metadata, that in turn serve as effective tools to narrow down search. In addition, ASCOT integrates a component for recommending eligibility criteria based on a set of selected protocols.

Computations of unsteady multistage compressor flows in a workstation environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gundy-Burlet, Karen L.

1992-01-01

High-end graphics workstations are becoming a necessary tool in the computational fluid dynamics environment. In addition to their graphic capabilities, workstations of the latest generation have powerful floating-point-operation capabilities. As workstations become common, they could provide valuable computing time for such applications as turbomachinery flow calculations. This report discusses the issues involved in implementing an unsteady, viscous multistage-turbomachinery code (STAGE-2) on workstations. It then describes work in which the workstation version of STAGE-2 was used to study the effects of axial-gap spacing on the time-averaged and unsteady flow within a 2 1/2-stage compressor. The results included time-averaged surface pressures, time-averaged pressure contours, standard deviation of pressure contours, pressure amplitudes, and force polar plots.

Are Serious Games a Good Strategy for Pharmacy Education?

PubMed

Cain, Jeff; Piascik, Peggy

2015-05-25

Serious gaming is the use of game principles for the purposes of learning, skill acquisition, and training. Higher education is beginning to incorporate serious gaming into curricula, and health professions education is the most common area for serious game use. Advantages of serious gaming in pharmacy education include authentic, situated learning without risk of patient consequences, collaborative learning, ability to challenge students of all performance levels, high student motivation with increased time on task, immediate feedback, ability to learn from mistakes without becoming discouraged, and potential for behavior and attitude change. Development of quality games for pharmacy education requires content expertise as well as expertise in the science and design of gaming. When well done, serious gaming provides a valuable additional tool for pharmacy education.

Chromophoric Nucleoside Analogues: Synthesis and Characterization of 6-Aminouracil-Based Nucleodyes.

PubMed

Freeman, Noam S; Moore, Curtis E; Wilhelmsson, L Marcus; Tor, Yitzhak

2016-06-03

Nucleodyes, visibly colored chromophoric nucleoside analogues, are reported. Design criteria are outlined and the syntheses of cytidine and uridine azo dye analogues derived from 6-aminouracil are described. Structural analysis shows that the nucleodyes are sound structural analogues of their native nucleoside counterparts, and photophysical studies demonstrate that the nucleodyes are sensitive to microenvironmental changes. Quantum chemical calculations are presented as a valuable complementary tool for the design of strongly absorbing nucleodyes, which overlap with the emission of known fluorophores. Förster critical distance (R0) calculations determine that the nucleodyes make good FRET pairs with both 2-aminopurine (2AP) and pyrrolocytosine (PyC). Additionally, unique tautomerization features exhibited by 5-(4-nitrophenylazo)-6-oxocytidine (8) are visualized by an extraordinary crystal structure.

Predicting the excess solubility of acetanilide, acetaminophen, phenacetin, benzocaine, and caffeine in binary water/ethanol mixtures via molecular simulation.

PubMed

Paluch, Andrew S; Parameswaran, Sreeja; Liu, Shuai; Kolavennu, Anasuya; Mobley, David L

2015-01-28

We present a general framework to predict the excess solubility of small molecular solids (such as pharmaceutical solids) in binary solvents via molecular simulation free energy calculations at infinite dilution with conventional molecular models. The present study used molecular dynamics with the General AMBER Force Field to predict the excess solubility of acetanilide, acetaminophen, phenacetin, benzocaine, and caffeine in binary water/ethanol solvents. The simulations are able to predict the existence of solubility enhancement and the results are in good agreement with available experimental data. The accuracy of the predictions in addition to the generality of the method suggests that molecular simulations may be a valuable design tool for solvent selection in drug development processes.

Predicting the excess solubility of acetanilide, acetaminophen, phenacetin, benzocaine, and caffeine in binary water/ethanol mixtures via molecular simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paluch, Andrew S.; Parameswaran, Sreeja; Liu, Shuai; Kolavennu, Anasuya; Mobley, David L.

2015-01-01

We present a general framework to predict the excess solubility of small molecular solids (such as pharmaceutical solids) in binary solvents via molecular simulation free energy calculations at infinite dilution with conventional molecular models. The present study used molecular dynamics with the General AMBER Force Field to predict the excess solubility of acetanilide, acetaminophen, phenacetin, benzocaine, and caffeine in binary water/ethanol solvents. The simulations are able to predict the existence of solubility enhancement and the results are in good agreement with available experimental data. The accuracy of the predictions in addition to the generality of the method suggests that molecular simulations may be a valuable design tool for solvent selection in drug development processes.

Self-Monitoring Symptoms in Glaucoma: A Feasibility Study of a Web-Based Diary Tool

PubMed Central

McDonald, Leanne; Glen, Fiona C.; Taylor, Deanna J.

2017-01-01

Purpose. Glaucoma patients annually spend only a few hours in an eye clinic but spend more than 5000 waking hours engaged in everything else. We propose that patients could self-monitor changes in visual symptoms providing valuable between clinic information; we test the hypothesis that this is feasible using a web-based diary tool. Methods. Ten glaucoma patients with a range of visual field loss took part in an eight-week pilot study. After completing a series of baseline tests, volunteers were prompted to monitor symptoms every three days and complete a diary about their vision during daily life using a bespoke web-based diary tool. Response to an end of a study questionnaire about the usefulness of the exercise was a main outcome measure. Results. Eight of the 10 patients rated the monitoring scheme to be “valuable” or “very valuable.” Completion rate to items was excellent (96%). Themes from a qualitative synthesis of the diary entries related to behavioural aspects of glaucoma. One patient concluded that a constant focus on monitoring symptoms led to negative feelings. Conclusions. A web-based diary tool for monitoring self-reported glaucoma symptoms is practically feasible. The tool must be carefully designed to ensure participants are benefitting, and it is not increasing anxiety. PMID:28546876

Doing More with Lease.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burdick, Barry

1999-01-01

Discusses the use of leasing programs as an equipment-acquisition tool to help schools conserve valuable capital. Discusses why leasing is a viable option and describes the different types of leasing plans. (GR)

Promotion-in-place: a logical approach.

PubMed

Futrell, D E

1992-01-01

The promotion-in-place system, says the author, can be a valuable tool for your healthcare institution. It can create a climate for individual achievement without the traditional roadblocks to success.

Tombstones as Textbooks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Karen L.

1989-01-01

Cemeteries can provide valuable teaching tools for studying art, genealogy, botany, math, geology, and local history. Several activities are suggested that will make a field trip to a local cemetery a learning experience. (IAH)

Multiwavelength digital holography for polishing tool shape measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lédl, Vít.; Psota, Pavel; Václavík, Jan; Doleček, Roman; Vojtíšek, Petr

2013-09-01

Classical mechano-chemical polishing is still a valuable technique, which gives unbeatable results for some types of optical surfaces. For example, optics for high power lasers requires minimized subsurface damage, very high cosmetic quality, and low mid spatial frequency error. One can hardly achieve this with use of subaperture polishing. The shape of the polishing tool plays a crucial role in achieving the required form of the optical surface. Often the shape of the polishing tool or pad is not known precisely enough during the manufacturing process. The tool shape is usually premachined and later is changed during the polishing procedure. An experienced worker could estimate the shape of the tool indirectly from the shape of the polished element, and that is why he can achieve the required shape in few reasonably long iterative steps. Therefore the lack of the exact tool shape knowledge is tolerated. Sometimes, this indirect method is not feasible even if small parts are considered. Moreover, if processes on machines like planetary (continuous) polishers are considered, the incorrect shape of the polishing pad could extend the polishing times extremely. Every iteration step takes hours. Even worse, polished piece could be wasted if the pad has a poor shape. The ability of the tool shape determination would be very valuable in those types of lengthy processes. It was our primary motivation to develop a contactless measurement method for large diffusive surfaces and demonstrate its usability. The proposed method is based on application of multiwavelength digital holographic interferometry with phase shift.

Comparison of Saliva Collection Methods for the Determination of Salivary Cortisol Levels in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta), Cynomolgus Macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and African Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

PubMed Central

Rapp-Santos, Kamala J; Altamura, Louis A; Norris, Sarah L; Lugo-Roman, Luis A; Rico, Pedro J; Hofer, Christian C

2017-01-01

The ability to quickly and accurately determine cortisol as a biomarker for stress is a valuable tool in assessing the wellbeing of NHP. In this study, 2 methods of collecting saliva (a commercial collection device and passive drool) and the resulting free salivary cortisol levels were compared with total serum cortisol concentration in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) at 2 collection time points. Serum and salivary cortisol levels were determined using a competitive quantitative ELISA. In addition, both saliva collection methods were evaluated for volume collected and ease of use. Compared with passive drool, the experimental collection device was more reliable in collecting sufficient volumes of saliva, and the resulting salivary cortisol values demonstrated stronger correlation with serum cortisol concentration in all species and collection days except cynomolgus macaques on day 1. This saliva collection device allows quick and reliable sample collection for the determination of salivary cortisol levels. In addition, the results might provide a useful tool for evaluating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity or the physiologic stress reaction in NHP as well as a biomarker of psychologic stress states in a variety of situations. PMID:28315649

Image Fusion Applied to Satellite Imagery for the Improved Mapping and Monitoring of Coral Reefs: a Proposal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholoum, M.; Bruce, D.; Hazeam, S. Al

2012-07-01

A coral reef ecosystem, one of the most complex marine environmental systems on the planet, is defined as biologically diverse and immense. It plays an important role in maintaining a vast biological diversity for future generations and functions as an essential spawning, nursery, breeding and feeding ground for many kinds of marine species. In addition, coral reef ecosystems provide valuable benefits such as fisheries, ecological goods and services and recreational activities to many communities. However, this valuable resource is highly threatened by a number of environmental changes and anthropogenic impacts that can lead to reduced coral growth and production, mass coral mortality and loss of coral diversity. With the growth of these threats on coral reef ecosystems, there is a strong management need for mapping and monitoring of coral reef ecosystems. Remote sensing technology can be a valuable tool for mapping and monitoring of these ecosystems. However, the diversity and complexity of coral reef ecosystems, the resolution capabilities of satellite sensors and the low reflectivity of shallow water increases the difficulties to identify and classify its features. This paper reviews the methods used in mapping and monitoring coral reef ecosystems. In addition, this paper proposes improved methods for mapping and monitoring coral reef ecosystems based on image fusion techniques. This image fusion techniques will be applied to satellite images exhibiting high spatial and low to medium spectral resolution with images exhibiting low spatial and high spectral resolution. Furthermore, a new method will be developed to fuse hyperspectral imagery with multispectral imagery. The fused image will have a large number of spectral bands and it will have all pairs of corresponding spatial objects. This will potentially help to accurately classify the image data. Accuracy assessment use ground truth will be performed for the selected methods to determine the quality of the information derived from image classification. The research will be applied to the Kuwait's southern coral reefs: Kubbar and Um Al-Maradim.

Geospatial tools for Ecosystem Services

EPA Science Inventory

Northeastern lakes provide valuable ecosystem services that benefit residents and visitors and are increasingly important for provisioning of recreational opportunities and amenities. Concurrently, population growth threatens lakes by, for instance, increasing nutrient loads. ...

Analyzing Collaborative Learning Processes Automatically: Exploiting the Advances of Computational Linguistics in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Carolyn; Wang, Yi-Chia; Cui, Yue; Arguello, Jaime; Stegmann, Karsten; Weinberger, Armin; Fischer, Frank

2008-01-01

In this article we describe the emerging area of text classification research focused on the problem of collaborative learning process analysis both from a broad perspective and more specifically in terms of a publicly available tool set called TagHelper tools. Analyzing the variety of pedagogically valuable facets of learners' interactions is a…

Teach Students to Dig for Understanding Using an Unexpected Technological Shovel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lake, Susan E. L.

2004-01-01

Online genealogy tools is an unexpected resource as these tools not only serve valuable for genealogy research, but also can be used by students to learn about their country's past and learn to use primary materials to draw conclusions. Some of these Online sources like the 1880 census available at www.ancestry.com, www.thepastwhispers.com, which…

Repeated fire effects on soil physical properties in two young longleaf pine stands on the west gulf coastal plain

Treesearch

Mary Anne Sword Sayer

2007-01-01

Repeated prescribed fire is a valuable tool for the management of longleaf and loblolly pine. When applied every two to ten years, for example, prescribed fire perpetuates existing longleaf pine ecosystems (Outcalt 1997). Furthermore, the acceptance of fire as a management tool, together with recent improvements in longleaf pine...

Family-Based Benchmarking of Copy Number Variation Detection Software.

PubMed

Nutsua, Marcel Elie; Fischer, Annegret; Nebel, Almut; Hofmann, Sylvia; Schreiber, Stefan; Krawczak, Michael; Nothnagel, Michael

2015-01-01

The analysis of structural variants, in particular of copy-number variations (CNVs), has proven valuable in unraveling the genetic basis of human diseases. Hence, a large number of algorithms have been developed for the detection of CNVs in SNP array signal intensity data. Using the European and African HapMap trio data, we undertook a comparative evaluation of six commonly used CNV detection software tools, namely Affymetrix Power Tools (APT), QuantiSNP, PennCNV, GLAD, R-gada and VEGA, and assessed their level of pair-wise prediction concordance. The tool-specific CNV prediction accuracy was assessed in silico by way of intra-familial validation. Software tools differed greatly in terms of the number and length of the CNVs predicted as well as the number of markers included in a CNV. All software tools predicted substantially more deletions than duplications. Intra-familial validation revealed consistently low levels of prediction accuracy as measured by the proportion of validated CNVs (34-60%). Moreover, up to 20% of apparent family-based validations were found to be due to chance alone. Software using Hidden Markov models (HMM) showed a trend to predict fewer CNVs than segmentation-based algorithms albeit with greater validity. PennCNV yielded the highest prediction accuracy (60.9%). Finally, the pairwise concordance of CNV prediction was found to vary widely with the software tools involved. We recommend HMM-based software, in particular PennCNV, rather than segmentation-based algorithms when validity is the primary concern of CNV detection. QuantiSNP may be used as an additional tool to detect sets of CNVs not detectable by the other tools. Our study also reemphasizes the need for laboratory-based validation, such as qPCR, of CNVs predicted in silico.

Recontextualizing Military Structures along the Stanegate and Hadrian's Wall Utilizing Aerial Photography and GIS Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieteski, Sara

This dissertation examines the region along the Stanegate frontier, just below Hadrian's Wall, on both a macroscopic and microscopic level, to analyze how landscape affected placement of forts, camps, and other military structures. It aims to explore known archaeological structures as well as expose new areas of interest, not yet discovered through traditional survey methods. It asks the question of whether temporary structures helped lead to the development of permanent structures, as part of the overall limes defensive strategy. While a lack of archaeological dating on many of these structures often provides the greatest challenge, the aim is to determine what additional information can be deduced about how landscape affected this region and to set an agenda of future survey work, designed to improve our understanding of it. In addition, this approach aims to improve understanding of the function of these installations and their relationship to the Wall and each other. Aerial photography and the construction of a geographic information system (GIS) can prove a valuable tool in surveying the region, to extract data from forts, camps, and recently discovered land depressions. Measurements can be taken to determine if there is a similar building pattern which might reflect contemporaneous construction periods. Distances between structures can be taken to determine the significance of their spacing and arrangement. In addition, data sets containing information on bedrock, ancient woodlands, ecology, and hydrology can provide valuable insight on the topography of each site. This work is meant to serve as a foundational piece for future scholars to build upon to continue to expand our understanding of the region, as computational methods become more sophisticated and data access becomes more readily available across the globe.

Multiple Sclerosis: Hope through Research

MedlinePlus

... been a valuable tool to test whether an experimental new therapy is effective at reducing exacerbations. top ... that they will require aggressive and perhaps even experimental treatment. The current FDA-approved therapies for MS ...

Winter maintenance performance measure.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-01-01

The Winter Performance Index is a method of quantifying winter storm events and the DOTs response to them. : It is a valuable tool for evaluating the States maintenance practices, performing post-storm analysis, training : maintenance personnel...

How social media moves New York.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-12-01

Social media networks are valuable tools for the public outreach needs of transportation providers: they are free, instantaneous, reach large numbers : of people simultaneously, and allow for sideline discussions. When transportation providers are tr...

Should prayer be used in medicine?

PubMed

Sciarra, Erica

2013-01-01

This brief article discusses the use of prayer in nursing and medicine. Although many believe prayer is a valuable tool, there is still much controversy. This author offers some insight into the value of prayer.

Measuring Competencies of Higher Education Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Jim; Ramaekers, Ger; van der Velden, Rolf

2005-01-01

This chapter describes a new conceptual model for measuring competencies of higher education graduates. The proposed instrument can become a valuable tool for higher education quality management, policy evaluation, and scientific research. (Contains 1 figure.)

Preparation of Gap Junctions in Membrane Microdomains for Immunoprecipitation and Mass Spectrometry Interactome Analysis.

PubMed

Fowler, Stephanie; Akins, Mark; Bennett, Steffany A L

2016-01-01

Protein interaction networks at gap junction plaques are increasingly implicated in a variety of intracellular signaling cascades. Identifying protein interactions of integral membrane proteins is a valuable tool for determining channel function. However, several technical challenges exist. Subcellular fractionation of the bait protein matrix is usually required to identify less abundant proteins in complex homogenates. Sufficient solvation of the lipid environment without perturbation of the protein interactome must also be achieved. The present chapter describes the flotation of light and heavy liver tissue membrane microdomains to facilitate the identification and analysis of endogenous gap junction proteins and includes technical notes for translation to other integral membrane proteins, tissues, or cell culture models. These procedures are valuable tools for the enrichment of gap junction membrane compartments and for the identification of gap junction signaling interactomes.

Control solutions for robots using Android and iOS devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, A. William, III; Gray, Jeremy P.; Rudnick, Dave; Karlsen, Robert E.

2012-06-01

As more Soldiers seek to utilize robots to enhance their mission capabilities, controls are needed which are intuitive, portable, and adaptable to a wide range of mission tasks. Android™ and iOS™ devices have the potential to meet each of these requirements as well as being based on readily available hardware. This paper will focus on some of the ways in which an Android™ or iOS™ device could be used to control specific and varied robot mobility functions and payload tools. Several small unmanned ground vehicle (SUGV) payload tools will have been investigated at Camp Pendleton during a user assessment and mission feasibility study for automatic remote tool changing. This group of payload tools will provide a basis, to researchers, concerning what types of control functions are needed to fully utilize SUGV robotic capabilities. Additional, mobility functions using tablet devices have been used as part of the Safe Operation of Unmanned systems for Reconnaissance in Complex Environments Army Technology Objective (SOURCE ATO) which is investigating the safe operation of robotics. Using Android™ and iOS™ hand-held devices is not a new concept in robot manipulation. However, the authors of this paper hope to introduce some novel concepts that may serve to make the interaction between Soldier and machine more fluid and intuitive. By creating a better user experience, Android™ and iOS™ devices could help to reduce training time, enhance performance, and increase acceptance of robotics as valuable mission tools for Soldiers.

The UK Healthy Universities Self-Review Tool: Whole System Impact.

PubMed

Dooris, Mark; Farrier, Alan; Doherty, Sharon; Holt, Maxine; Monk, Robert; Powell, Susan

2018-06-01

Over recent years, there has been growing interest in Healthy Universities, evidenced by an increased number of national networks and the participation of 375 participants from over 30 countries in the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, which also saw the launch of the Okanagan Charter. This paper reports on research exploring the use and impact of the UK Healthy Universities Network's self review tool, specifically examining whether this has supported universities to understand and embed a whole system approach. The research study comprised two stages, the first using an online questionnaire and the second using focus groups. The findings revealed a wide range of perspectives under five overarching themes: motivations; process; outcomes/benefits; challenges/suggested improvements; and future use. In summary, the self review tool was extremely valuable and, when engaged with fully, offered significant benefits to universities seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of their communities. These benefits were felt by institutions at different stages in the journey and spanned outcome and process dimensions: not only did the tool offer an engaging and user-friendly means of undertaking internal benchmarking, generating an easy-to-understand report summarizing strengths and weaknesses; it also proved useful in building understanding of the whole system Healthy Universities approach and served as a catalyst to effective cross-university and cross-sectoral partnership working. Additionally, areas for potential enhancement were identified, offering opportunities to increase the tool's utility further whilst engaging actively in the development of a global movement for Healthy Universities.

Diagnosis of stinging insect allergy: utility of cellular in-vitro tests.

PubMed

Scherer, Kathrin; Bircher, Andreas J; Heijnen, Ingmar Afm

2009-08-01

Diagnosis of stinging insect allergy is based on a detailed history, venom skin tests, and detection of venom-specific IgE. As an additional diagnostic tool, basophil responsiveness to venom allergens has been shown to be helpful in selected patients. This review summarizes the current diagnostic procedures for stinging insect allergy and discusses the latest developments in cellular in-vitro tests. Cellular assays have been evaluated in patients with Hymenoptera venom allergy. The diagnostic performance of the cellular mediator release test is similar to that of the flow cytometric basophil activation test (BAT), but the BAT has been the most intensively studied. BAT offers the possibility to assess basophil reactivity to allergens in their natural environment and to simultaneously analyze surface marker expression and intracellular signaling. It has been demonstrated that BAT represents a valuable additional diagnostic tool in selected patients when used in combination with other well established tests. A major limitation is the current lack of unified, standardized protocols. Flow cytometry offers huge possibilities to enhance knowledge of basophil functions. The BAT may be used as an additional test to confirm the diagnosis of stinging insect allergy in selected patients, provided that it is performed by an experienced laboratory using a validated assay. Test results have to be interpreted by clinicians familiar with the methodological aspects. The utility of the BAT to confirm allergy diagnosis and to predict the risk of subsequent systemic reactions may be improved by combined analysis of multiple surface markers and intracellular signaling pathways.

The Use of Individual Growth and Developmental Indicators for Progress Monitoring and Intervention Decision Making in Early Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Dale; Carta, Judith J.; Greenwood, Charles R.; Buzhardt, Joseph F.

2008-01-01

Progress monitoring tools have been shown to be essential elements in current approaches to intervention problem-solving models. Such tools have been valuable not only in marking individual children's level of performance relative to peers but also in measuring change in skill level in a way that can be attributed to intervention and development.…

Validation of BEHAVE fire behavior predictions in oak savannas using five fuel models

Treesearch

Keith Grabner; John Dwyer; Bruce Cutter

1997-01-01

Prescribed fire is a valuable tool in the restoration and management of oak savannas. BEHAVE, a fire behavior prediction system developed by the United States Forest Service, can be a useful tool when managing oak savannas with prescribed fire. BEHAVE predictions of fire rate-of-spread and flame length were validated using four standardized fuel models: Fuel Model 1 (...

Motion tracking and electromyography assist the removal of mirror hand contributions to fNIRS images acquired during a finger tapping task performed by children with cerebral palsy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hervey, Nathan; Khan, Bilal; Shagman, Laura; Tian, Fenghua; Delgado, Mauricio R.; Tulchin-Francis, Kirsten; Shierk, Angela; Smith, Linsley; Reid, Dahlia; Clegg, Nancy J.; Liu, Hanli; MacFarlane, Duncan; Alexandrakis, George

2013-03-01

Functional neurological imaging has been shown to be valuable in evaluating brain plasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). In recent studies it has been demonstrated that functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a viable and sensitive method for imaging motor cortex activities in children with CP. However, during unilateral finger tapping tasks children with CP often exhibit mirror motions (unintended motions in the non-tapping hand), and current fNIRS image formation techniques do not account for this. Therefore, the resulting fNIRS images contain activation from intended and unintended motions. In this study, cortical activity was mapped with fNIRS on four children with CP and five controls during a finger tapping task. Finger motion and arm muscle activation were concurrently measured using motion tracking cameras and electromyography (EMG). Subject-specific regressors were created from motion capture and EMG data and used in a general linear model (GLM) analysis in an attempt to create fNIRS images representative of different motions. The analysis provided an fNIRS image representing activation due to motion and muscle activity for each hand. This method could prove to be valuable in monitoring brain plasticity in children with CP by providing more consistent images between measurements. Additionally, muscle effort versus cortical effort was compared between control and CP subjects. More cortical effort was required to produce similar muscle effort in children with CP. It is possible this metric could be a valuable diagnostic tool in determining response to treatment.

NASA's Lunar and Planetary Mapping and Modeling Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Law, E.; Day, B. H.; Kim, R. M.; Bui, B.; Malhotra, S.; Chang, G.; Sadaqathullah, S.; Arevalo, E.; Vu, Q. A.

2016-12-01

NASA's Lunar and Planetary Mapping and Modeling Program produces a suite of online visualization and analysis tools. Originally designed for mission planning and science, these portals offer great benefits for education and public outreach (EPO), providing access to data from a wide range of instruments aboard a variety of past and current missions. As a component of NASA's Science EPO Infrastructure, they are available as resources for NASA STEM EPO programs, and to the greater EPO community. As new missions are planned to a variety of planetary bodies, these tools are facilitating the public's understanding of the missions and engaging the public in the process of identifying and selecting where these missions will land. There are currently three web portals in the program: the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal or LMMP (http://lmmp.nasa.gov), Vesta Trek (http://vestatrek.jpl.nasa.gov), and Mars Trek (http://marstrek.jpl.nasa.gov). Portals for additional planetary bodies are planned. As web-based toolsets, the portals do not require users to purchase or install any software beyond current web browsers. The portals provide analysis tools for measurement and study of planetary terrain. They allow data to be layered and adjusted to optimize visualization. Visualizations are easily stored and shared. The portals provide 3D visualization and give users the ability to mark terrain for generation of STL files that can be directed to 3D printers. Such 3D prints are valuable tools in museums, public exhibits, and classrooms - especially for the visually impaired. Along with the web portals, the program supports additional clients, web services, and APIs that facilitate dissemination of planetary data to a range of external applications and venues. NASA challenges and hackathons are also providing members of the software development community opportunities to participate in tool development and leverage data from the portals.

Development of National Program of Cancer Registries SAS Tool for Population-Based Cancer Relative Survival Analysis.

PubMed

Dong, Xing; Zhang, Kevin; Ren, Yuan; Wilson, Reda; O'Neil, Mary Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Studying population-based cancer survival by leveraging the high-quality cancer incidence data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) can offer valuable insight into the cancer burden and impact in the United States. We describe the development and validation of a SASmacro tool that calculates population-based cancer site-specific relative survival estimates comparable to those obtained through SEER*Stat. The NPCR relative survival analysis SAS tool (NPCR SAS tool) was developed based on the relative survival method and SAS macros developed by Paul Dickman. NPCR cancer incidence data from 25 states submitted in November 2012 were used, specifically cases diagnosed from 2003 to 2010 with follow-up through 2010. Decennial and annual complete life tables published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for 2000 through 2009 were used. To assess comparability between the 2 tools, 5-year relative survival rates were calculated for 25 cancer sites by sex, race, and age group using the NPCR SAS tool and the National Cancer Institute's SEER*Stat 8.1.5 software. A module to create data files for SEER*Stat was also developed for the NPCR SAS tool. Comparison of the results produced by both SAS and SEER*Stat showed comparable and reliable relative survival estimates for NPCR data. For a majority of the sites, the net differences between the NPCR SAS tool and SEER*Stat-produced relative survival estimates ranged from -0.1% to 0.1%. The estimated standard errors were highly comparable between the 2 tools as well. The NPCR SAS tool will allow researchers to accurately estimate cancer 5-year relative survival estimates that are comparable to those produced by SEER*Stat for NPCR data. Comparison of output from the NPCR SAS tool and SEER*Stat provided additional quality control capabilities for evaluating data prior to producing NPCR relative survival estimates.

Lasers: A Valuable Tool for Chemists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Findsen, E. W.; Ondrias, M. R.

1986-01-01

Discusses the properties of laser light, reviews types of lasers, presents operating principles, and considers mechanical aspects of laser light production. Applications reviewed include spectroscopy, photochemical reaction initiation, and investigation of biological processes involving porphyrins. (JM)

Cybergifts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corson-Finnerty, Adam

2000-01-01

Discusses how the Internet can be a valuable new fund-raising tool for libraries and other non-profit organizations. Topics include designing effective Web pages, the use of e-mail, and the use of permission marketing to build a constituency. (Author/LRW)

Internet Technology in Electronic Commerce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhanys, A. B.; Tursinbaeva, A. F.

2018-05-01

Informatization is an active process of acquiring information as a valuable resource for development using Informatics tools in order to dramatically increase the intellectual level of civilization on this basis – humanistic reconstruction of the whole human life.

Understanding criminals' thinking: further examination of the Measure of Offender Thinking Styles-Revised.

PubMed

Mandracchia, Jon T; Morgan, Robert D

2011-12-01

The Measure of Offender Thinking Styles (MOTS) was originally developed to examine the structure of dysfunctional thinking exhibited by criminal offenders. In the initial investigation, a three-factor model of criminal thinking was obtained using the MOTS. These factors included dysfunctional thinking characterized as Control, Cognitive Immaturity, and Egocentrism. In the present investigation, the stability of the three-factor model was examined with a confirmatory factor analysis of the revised version of the MOTS (i.e., MOTS-R). In addition, the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity of the MOTS-R were examined. Results indicated that the three-factor model of criminal thinking was supported. In addition, the MOTS-R demonstrated reliability and convergent validity with other measures of criminal thinking and attitudes. Overall, it appears that the MOTS-R may prove to be a valuable tool for use with an offender population, particularly because of the simple, intuitive structure of dysfunctional thinking that it represents.

Investigation of Rhodopsin Dynamics in its Signaling State by Solid-State Deuterium NMR Spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Struts, Andrey V.; Chawla, Udeep; Perera, Suchithranga M.D.C.; Brown, Michael F.

2017-01-01

Site-directed deuterium NMR spectroscopy is a valuable tool to study the structural dynamics of biomolecules in cases where solution NMR is inapplicable. Solid-state 2H NMR spectral studies of aligned membrane samples of rhodopsin with selectively labeled retinal provide information on structural changes of the chromophore in different protein states. In addition, solid-state 2H NMR relaxation time measurements allow one to study the dynamics of the ligand during the transition from the inactive to the active state. Here we describe the methodological aspects of solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy for functional studies of rhodopsin, with an emphasis on the dynamics of the retinal cofactor. We provide complete protocols for the preparation of NMR samples of rhodopsin with 11-cis-retinal selectively deuterated at the methyl groups in aligned membranes. In addition, we review optimized conditions for trapping the rhodopsin photointermediates; and lastly we address the challenging problem of trapping the signaling state of rhodopsin in aligned membrane films. PMID:25697522

Ground-based facilities for simulation of microgravity: organism-specific recommendations for their use, and recommended terminology.

PubMed

Herranz, Raul; Anken, Ralf; Boonstra, Johannes; Braun, Markus; Christianen, Peter C M; de Geest, Maarten; Hauslage, Jens; Hilbig, Reinhard; Hill, Richard J A; Lebert, Michael; Medina, F Javier; Vagt, Nicole; Ullrich, Oliver; van Loon, Jack J W A; Hemmersbach, Ruth

2013-01-01

Research in microgravity is indispensable to disclose the impact of gravity on biological processes and organisms. However, research in the near-Earth orbit is severely constrained by the limited number of flight opportunities. Ground-based simulators of microgravity are valuable tools for preparing spaceflight experiments, but they also facilitate stand-alone studies and thus provide additional and cost-efficient platforms for gravitational research. The various microgravity simulators that are frequently used by gravitational biologists are based on different physical principles. This comparative study gives an overview of the most frequently used microgravity simulators and demonstrates their individual capacities and limitations. The range of applicability of the various ground-based microgravity simulators for biological specimens was carefully evaluated by using organisms that have been studied extensively under the conditions of real microgravity in space. In addition, current heterogeneous terminology is discussed critically, and recommendations are given for appropriate selection of adequate simulators and consistent use of nomenclature.

Options for Synthetic DNA Order Screening, Revisited.

PubMed

DiEuliis, Diane; Carter, Sarah R; Gronvall, Gigi Kwik

2017-01-01

Gene synthesis providers affiliated with the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC) voluntarily screen double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) synthesis orders over 200 bp to check for matches to regulated pathogens and to screen customers. Questions have been raised, however, about the continuing feasibility and effectiveness of screening. There are technical challenges (e.g., oligonucleotides and tracts of DNA less than 200 bp are not screened) and corporate challenges (e.g., the costs of screening are high, but other costs are dropping, so screening is an increasing portion of operating costs). In this article, we describe tangible actions that should be taken to (i) preserve the effectiveness of DNA order screening as a security tool and (ii) develop additional mechanisms to increase the safety and security of DNA synthesis technologies. Screening is not a perfect solution to DNA synthesis security challenges, but we believe it is still a valuable addition to security, and it can remain effective for some time.

Visualization and Interaction in Research, Teaching, and Scientific Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammon, C. J.

2017-12-01

Modern computing provides many tools for exploring observations, numerical calculations, and theoretical relationships. The number of options is, in fact, almost overwhelming. But the choices provide those with modest programming skills opportunities to create unique views of scientific information and to develop deeper insights into their data, their computations, and the underlying theoretical data-model relationships. I present simple examples of using animation and human-computer interaction to explore scientific data and scientific-analysis approaches. I illustrate how valuable a little programming ability can free scientists from the constraints of existing tools and can facilitate the development of deeper appreciation data and models. I present examples from a suite of programming languages ranging from C to JavaScript including the Wolfram Language. JavaScript is valuable for sharing tools and insight (hopefully) with others because it is integrated into one of the most powerful communication tools in human history, the web browser. Although too much of that power is often spent on distracting advertisements, the underlying computation and graphics engines are efficient, flexible, and almost universally available in desktop and mobile computing platforms. Many are working to fulfill the browser's potential to become the most effective tool for interactive study. Open-source frameworks for visualizing everything from algorithms to data are available, but advance rapidly. One strategy for dealing with swiftly changing tools is to adopt common, open data formats that are easily adapted (often by framework or tool developers). I illustrate the use of animation and interaction in research and teaching with examples from earthquake seismology.

Central America Regional Climate Change Program: Tools for Your Use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Irwin, Dan; Irving, Bill; Yeager, Carey

2006-01-01

USAID/E-CAM and EGAT's Global Climate Change Team, in partnership with EPA, NASA, Oak Ridge National Lab, and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), have had a significant impact on the region's ability to monitor, mitigate, and adapt to environmental threats. Environmental decision-making tools and data are posted on a website (SERVIR: http://servir.nsstc.nasa.pov/home.html)that provides satellite and geographic data and maps to anybody with an Internet connection. The SERVIR program has been identified as the model for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) - a major international effort to develop a 21st century system for environmental management and disaster response. In coordination with the USAID/EPA program, NASA has developed a GIs tool that enables countries to examine their forest cover and document changes on an annual basis. This information is used in calculating carbon emissions as part of greenhouse gas inventories, but also serves a valuable monitoring function. In addition, USAID/E-CAM and EGAT's Global Climate Change Team in collaboration with EPA are helping countries meet their obligations as signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). EPA is assisting Central American governments to improve the quality of their greenhouse gas emission inventories reported to the UNFCCC through the development of tools and improvements in data quality. New EPA tools developed include software to automatically calculate greenhouse gas emissions for the agricultural and forestry sector inventories, determine key sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and document institutional arrangements. Several of these tools are state of the art and are comparable to tools currently used in the U.S.

Brian: a simulator for spiking neural networks in python.

PubMed

Goodman, Dan; Brette, Romain

2008-01-01

"Brian" is a new simulator for spiking neural networks, written in Python (http://brian. di.ens.fr). It is an intuitive and highly flexible tool for rapidly developing new models, especially networks of single-compartment neurons. In addition to using standard types of neuron models, users can define models by writing arbitrary differential equations in ordinary mathematical notation. Python scientific libraries can also be used for defining models and analysing data. Vectorisation techniques allow efficient simulations despite the overheads of an interpreted language. Brian will be especially valuable for working on non-standard neuron models not easily covered by existing software, and as an alternative to using Matlab or C for simulations. With its easy and intuitive syntax, Brian is also very well suited for teaching computational neuroscience.

A critical review of the arsenic uptake mechanisms and phytoremediation potential of Pteris vittata.

PubMed

Danh, Luu Thai; Truong, Paul; Mammucari, Raffaella; Foster, Neil

2014-01-01

The discovery of the arsenic hyperaccumulator, Pteris vittata (Chinese brake fern), has contributed to the promotion of its application as a means of phytoremediation for arsenic removal from contaminated soils and water. Understanding the mechanisms involved in arsenic tolerance and accumulation of this plant provides valuable tools to improve the phytoremediation efficiency. In this review, the current knowledge about the physiological and molecular mechanisms of arsenic tolerance and accumulation in P. vittata is summarized, and an attempt has been made to clarify some of the unresolved questions related to these mechanisms. In addition, the capacity of P. vittata for remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils is evaluated under field conditions for the first time, and possible solutions to improve the remediation capacity of Pteris vittata are also discussed.

A generalized linear factor model approach to the hierarchical framework for responses and response times.

PubMed

Molenaar, Dylan; Tuerlinckx, Francis; van der Maas, Han L J

2015-05-01

We show how the hierarchical model for responses and response times as developed by van der Linden (2007), Fox, Klein Entink, and van der Linden (2007), Klein Entink, Fox, and van der Linden (2009), and Glas and van der Linden (2010) can be simplified to a generalized linear factor model with only the mild restriction that there is no hierarchical model at the item side. This result is valuable as it enables all well-developed modelling tools and extensions that come with these methods. We show that the restriction we impose on the hierarchical model does not influence parameter recovery under realistic circumstances. In addition, we present two illustrative real data analyses to demonstrate the practical benefits of our approach. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

New Targets and Inhibitors of Mycobacterial Sulfur Metabolism§

PubMed Central

Paritala, Hanumantharao; Carroll, Kate S.

2015-01-01

The identification of new antibacterial targets is urgently needed to address multidrug resistant and latent tuberculosis infection. Sulfur metabolic pathways are essential for survival and the expression of virulence in many pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In addition, microbial sulfur metabolic pathways are largely absent in humans and therefore, represent unique targets for therapeutic intervention. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the enzymes associated with the production of sulfated and reduced sulfur-containing metabolites in Mycobacteria. Small molecule inhibitors of these catalysts represent valuable chemical tools that can be used to investigate the role of sulfur metabolism throughout the Mycobacterial lifecycle and may also represent new leads for drug development. In this light, we also summarize recent progress made in the development of inhibitors of sulfur metabolism enzymes. PMID:23808874

The present status of hypnosis

PubMed Central

Peterfy, G.

1973-01-01

In this brief survey of the medical uses of hypnosis the author attempts to clarify the various theories of hypnosis, indications for its use in medical practice, and applications in the treatment of psychosomatic disorders, psychiatric disorders and in miscellaneous cases. Brief descriptions of a variety of induction methods are given, and the potential hazards of hypnosis are explored. It is the author's impression that the practice of hypnosis has, through the years, been misunderstood and often unjustly discredited. The reputation gained for it by charlatans and well intentioned, though untrained, practitioners, has obscured its value as a therapeutic tool in the eyes of a large segment of the medical profession. Hypnosis, when judiciously utilized by a qualified therapist, may be a valuable addition to the armamentarium of psychotherapeutic treatment methods. PMID:4599597

Seronegative inflammations of the ankle and foot: diagnostic challenges

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

Capen, D.; Scheck, M.

Seronegative inflammatory disease was diagnosed in seven patients who had pain, swelling, and redness of the foot and/or ankle. Since the clinical findings mimicked infection, tendinitis, fasciitis, or chronic strain, the initial diagnosis was erroneous and treatment ineffective. In addition to the test for the HLA-B27 antigen, technetium-99m-diphosphonate scintigraphy and magnification roentgenograms have proved valuable tools. Increased isotope uptake was found in all involved extremities, and magnification roentgenograms helped to detect early and subtle lesions of bone. The lesions comprised cortical erosion, increased intracortical absorption of bone, periosteal reactions, and osteoporosis. The response to anti-inflammatory drugs was good in allmore » seven patients. Limited and preliminary follow-up data, including repeat bone scans, suggest that the inflammation may be of a transient nature.« less

Robotic upper limb rehabilitation after acute stroke by NeReBot: evaluation of treatment costs.

PubMed

Stefano, Masiero; Patrizia, Poli; Mario, Armani; Ferlini, Gregorio; Rizzello, Roberto; Rosati, Giulio

2014-01-01

Stroke is the first cause of disability. Several robotic devices have been developed for stroke rehabilitation. Robot therapy by NeReBot is demonstrated to be an effective tool for the treatment of poststroke paretic upper limbs, able to improve the activities of daily living of stroke survivors when used both as additional treatment and in partial substitution of conventional rehabilitation therapy in the acute and subacute phases poststroke. This study presents the evaluation of the costs related to delivering such therapy, in comparison with conventional rehabilitation treatment. By comparing several NeReBot treatment protocols, made of different combinations of robotic and nonrobotic exercises, we show that robotic technology can be a valuable and economically sustainable aid in the management of poststroke patient rehabilitation.

Optical coherence tomography in dermatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sattler, Elke; Kästle, Raphaela; Welzel, Julia

2013-06-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive diagnostic method that offers a view into the superficial layers of the skin in vivo in real-time. An infrared broadband light source allows the investigation of skin architecture and changes up to a depth of 1 to 2 mm with a resolution between 15 and 3 μm, depending on the system used. Thus OCT enables evaluation of skin lesions, especially nonmelanoma skin cancers and inflammatory diseases, quantification of skin changes, visualization of parasitic infestations, and examination of other indications such as the investigation of nails. OCT provides a quick and useful diagnostic imaging technique for a number of clinical questions and is a valuable addition or complement to other noninvasive imaging tools such as dermoscopy, high-frequency ultrasound, and confocal laser scan microscopy.

Meshless Modeling of Deformable Shapes and their Motion

PubMed Central

Adams, Bart; Ovsjanikov, Maks; Wand, Michael; Seidel, Hans-Peter; Guibas, Leonidas J.

2010-01-01

We present a new framework for interactive shape deformation modeling and key frame interpolation based on a meshless finite element formulation. Starting from a coarse nodal sampling of an object’s volume, we formulate rigidity and volume preservation constraints that are enforced to yield realistic shape deformations at interactive frame rates. Additionally, by specifying key frame poses of the deforming shape and optimizing the nodal displacements while targeting smooth interpolated motion, our algorithm extends to a motion planning framework for deformable objects. This allows reconstructing smooth and plausible deformable shape trajectories in the presence of possibly moving obstacles. The presented results illustrate that our framework can handle complex shapes at interactive rates and hence is a valuable tool for animators to realistically and efficiently model and interpolate deforming 3D shapes. PMID:24839614

Are Serious Games a Good Strategy for Pharmacy Education?

PubMed Central

Cain, Jeff

2015-01-01

Serious gaming is the use of game principles for the purposes of learning, skill acquisition, and training. Higher education is beginning to incorporate serious gaming into curricula, and health professions education is the most common area for serious game use. Advantages of serious gaming in pharmacy education include authentic, situated learning without risk of patient consequences, collaborative learning, ability to challenge students of all performance levels, high student motivation with increased time on task, immediate feedback, ability to learn from mistakes without becoming discouraged, and potential for behavior and attitude change. Development of quality games for pharmacy education requires content expertise as well as expertise in the science and design of gaming. When well done, serious gaming provides a valuable additional tool for pharmacy education. PMID:26089556

What We Talk About When We Talk About Drought: Tree-ring Perspectives on Model-Data Comparisons in Hydroclimate Research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, B.; Anchukaitis, K. J.

2017-12-01

Comparative analyses of paleoclimate reconstructions and climate model simulations can provide valuable insights into past and future climate events. Conducting meaningful and quantitative comparisons, however, can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Here, we use tree-ring based hydroclimate reconstructions to discuss some best practices for paleoclimate-model comparisons, highlighting recent studies that have successfully used this approach. These analyses have improved our understanding of the Medieval-era megadroughts, ocean forcing of large scale drought patterns, and even climate change contributions to future drought risk. Additional work is needed, however, to better reconcile and formalize uncertainties across observed, modeled, and reconstructed variables. In this regard, process based forward models of proxy-systems will likely be a critical tool moving forward.

Predicting the excess solubility of acetanilide, acetaminophen, phenacetin, benzocaine, and caffeine in binary water/ethanol mixtures via molecular simulation

PubMed Central

Paluch, Andrew S.; Parameswaran, Sreeja; Liu, Shuai; Kolavennu, Anasuya; Mobley, David L.

2015-01-01

We present a general framework to predict the excess solubility of small molecular solids (such as pharmaceutical solids) in binary solvents via molecular simulation free energy calculations at infinite dilution with conventional molecular models. The present study used molecular dynamics with the General AMBER Force Field to predict the excess solubility of acetanilide, acetaminophen, phenacetin, benzocaine, and caffeine in binary water/ethanol solvents. The simulations are able to predict the existence of solubility enhancement and the results are in good agreement with available experimental data. The accuracy of the predictions in addition to the generality of the method suggests that molecular simulations may be a valuable design tool for solvent selection in drug development processes. PMID:25637996

MRI and MRS on preserved samples as a tool in fish ecology.

PubMed

Bock, Christian; Wermter, Felizitas C; Mintenbeck, Katja

2017-05-01

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) gain increasing attention and importance as a tool in marine ecology. So far, studies were largely limited to morphological studies, e.g. for the creation of digital libraries. Here, the utility of MRI and MRS for ecologists is tested and exemplified using formalin preserved samples of the Antarctic silverfish, Pleuragramma antarctica. As this species lacks a swim bladder, buoyancy is attained by the deposition of large amounts of lipids that are mainly stored in subcutaneous and intermuscular lipid sacs. In this study MRI and MRS are not only used to study internal morphology, but additionally to investigate functional morphology and to measure parameters of high ecological interest. The data are compared with literature data obtained by means of traditional ecological methods. The results from this study show that MR scans are not only an alternative to histological sections (as shown before), but even allow the visualization of particular features in delicate soft tissues, such as Pleuragramma's lipid sacs. 3D rendering techniques proved to be a useful tool to study organ volumes and lipid content, which usually requires laborious chemical lipid extraction and analysis. Moreover, the application of MRS even allows for an analysis of lipids and fatty acids within lipid sacs, which wouldn't be possible using destructive methods. MRI and MRS, in particular when used in combination, have the capacity to provide useful data on parameters of high ecological relevance and thus have proven to be a highly valuable addition, if not alternative, to the classical methods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hordeum chilense genome, a useful tool to investigate the endosperm yellow pigment content in the Triticeae

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The wild barley Hordeum chilense fulfills some requirements for being a useful tool to investigate the endosperm yellow pigment content (YPC) in the Triticeae including its diploid constitution, the availability of genetic resources (addition and deletion stocks and a high density genetic map) and, especially, its high seed YPC not silenced in tritordeums (amphiploids derived from H. chilense and wheat). Thus, the aim of this work was to test the utility of the H. chilense genome for investigating the YPC in the Triticeae. Results Twelve genes related to endosperm carotenoid content and/or YPC in grasses (Dxr, Hdr [synonym ispH], Ggpps1, Psy2, Psy3, Pds, Zds, e-Lcy, b-Lcy, Hyd3, Ccd1 and Ppo1) were identified, and mapped in H. chilense using rice genes to identify orthologs from barley, wheat, sorghum and maize. Macrocolinearity studies revealed that gene positions were in agreement in H. vulgare and H. chilense. Additionally, three main regions associated with YPC were identified in chromosomes 2Hch, 3Hch and 7Hch in H. chilense, the former being the most significant one. Conclusions The results obtained are consistent with previous findings in wheat and suggest that Ggpps1, Zds and Hyd3 on chromosome 2Hch may be considered candidate genes in wheat for further studies in YPC improvement. Considering the syntenic location of carotenoid genes in H. chilense, we have concluded that the Hch genome may constitute a valuable tool for YPC studies in the Triticeae. PMID:23122232

Thermographic Assessment of the HAZ Properties and Structure of Thermomechanically Treated Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Górka, Jacek; Janicki, Damian; Fidali, Marek; Jamrozik, Wojciech

2017-12-01

Thermomechanically processed steels are materials of great mechanical properties connected with more than good weldability. This mixture makes them interesting for different types of industrial applications. When creating welded joints, a specified amount of heat is introduced into the welding area and a so called heat-affected zone (HAZ) is formed. The key issue is to reduce the width of the HAZ, because properties of the material in the HAZ are worse than in the base material. In the paper, thermographic measurements of HAZ temperatures were presented as a potential tool for quality assuring the welding process in terms of monitoring and control. The main issue solved was the precise temperature measurement in terms of varying emissivity during a welding thermal cycle. A model of emissivity changes was elaborated and successfully applied. Additionally, material in the HAZ was tested to reveal its properties and connect changes of those properties with heating parameters. The obtained results prove that correctly modeled emissivity allows measurement of temperature, which is a valuable tool for welding process monitoring.

Compound-specific isotope analysis as a tool to characterize biodegradation of ethylbenzene.

PubMed

Dorer, Conrad; Vogt, Carsten; Kleinsteuber, Sabine; Stams, Alfons J M; Richnow, Hans-Hermann

2014-08-19

This study applied one- and two-dimensional compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) for the elements carbon and hydrogen to assess different means of microbial ethylbenzene activation. Cultures incubated under nitrate-reducing conditions showed significant carbon and highly pronounced hydrogen isotope fractionation of comparable magnitudes, leading to nearly identical slopes in dual-isotope plots. The results imply that Georgfuchsia toluolica G5G6 and an enrichment culture dominated by an Azoarcus species activate ethylbenzene by anaerobic hydroxylation catalyzed by ethylbenzene dehydrogenase, similar to Aromatoleum aromaticum EbN1. The isotope enrichment pattern in dual plots from two strictly anaerobic enrichment cultures differed considerably from those for benzylic hydroxylation, indicating an alternative anaerobic activation step, most likely fumarate addition. Large hydrogen fractionation was quantified using a recently developed Rayleigh-based approach considering hydrogen atoms at reactive sites. Data from nine investigated microbial cultures clearly suggest that two-dimensional CSIA in combination with the magnitude of hydrogen isotope fractionation is a valuable tool to distinguish ethylbenzene degradation and may be of practical use for monitoring natural or technological remediation processes at field sites.

Evaluation of T1/T2 ratios in a pilot study as a potential biomarker of biopsy: proven benign and malignant breast lesions in correlation with histopathological disease stage.

PubMed

Malikova, Marina A; Tkacz, Jaroslaw N; Slanetz, Priscilla J; Guo, Chao-Yu; Aakil, Adam; Jara, Hernan

2017-08-01

Early breast cancer detection is important for intervention and prognosis. Advances in treatment and outcome require diagnostic tools with highly positive predictive value. To study the potential role of quantitative MRI (qMRI) using T1/T2 ratios to differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions. A cross-sectional study of 69 women with 69 known or suspicious breast lesions were scanned with mixed-turbo spin echo pulse sequence. Patients were grouped according to histopathological assessment of disease stage: untreated malignant tumor, treated malignancy and benign disease. Elevated T1/T2 means were observed for biopsy-proven malignant lesions and for malignant lesions treated prior to qMRI with chemotherapy and/or radiation, as compared with benign lesions. The qMRI-obtained T1/T2 ratios correlated with histopathology. Analysis revealed correlation between elevated T1/T2 ratio and disease stage. This could provide valuable complementary information on tissue properties as an additional diagnostic tool.

Monte Carlo Methodology Serves Up a Software Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Widely used for the modeling of gas flows through the computation of the motion and collisions of representative molecules, the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method has become the gold standard for producing research and engineering predictions in the field of rarefied gas dynamics. Direct Simulation Monte Carlo was first introduced in the early 1960s by Dr. Graeme Bird, a professor at the University of Sydney, Australia. It has since proved to be a valuable tool to the aerospace and defense industries in providing design and operational support data, as well as flight data analysis. In 2002, NASA brought to the forefront a software product that maintains the same basic physics formulation of Dr. Bird's method, but provides effective modeling of complex, three-dimensional, real vehicle simulations and parallel processing capabilities to handle additional computational requirements, especially in areas where computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is not applicable. NASA's Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC) software package is now considered the Agency s premier high-fidelity simulation tool for predicting vehicle aerodynamics and aerothermodynamic environments in rarified, or low-density, gas flows.

Investigating bioconjugation by atomic force microscopy

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Nanotechnological applications increasingly exploit the selectivity and processivity of biological molecules. Integration of biomolecules such as proteins or DNA into nano-systems typically requires their conjugation to surfaces, for example of carbon-nanotubes or fluorescent quantum dots. The bioconjugated nanostructures exploit the unique strengths of both their biological and nanoparticle components and are used in diverse, future oriented research areas ranging from nanoelectronics to biosensing and nanomedicine. Atomic force microscopy imaging provides valuable, direct insight for the evaluation of different conjugation approaches at the level of the individual molecules. Recent technical advances have enabled high speed imaging by AFM supporting time resolutions sufficient to follow conformational changes of intricately assembled nanostructures in solution. In addition, integration of AFM with different spectroscopic and imaging approaches provides an enhanced level of information on the investigated sample. Furthermore, the AFM itself can serve as an active tool for the assembly of nanostructures based on bioconjugation. AFM is hence a major workhorse in nanotechnology; it is a powerful tool for the structural investigation of bioconjugation and bioconjugation-induced effects as well as the simultaneous active assembly and analysis of bioconjugation-based nanostructures. PMID:23855448

Investigating bioconjugation by atomic force microscopy.

PubMed

Tessmer, Ingrid; Kaur, Parminder; Lin, Jiangguo; Wang, Hong

2013-07-15

Nanotechnological applications increasingly exploit the selectivity and processivity of biological molecules. Integration of biomolecules such as proteins or DNA into nano-systems typically requires their conjugation to surfaces, for example of carbon-nanotubes or fluorescent quantum dots. The bioconjugated nanostructures exploit the unique strengths of both their biological and nanoparticle components and are used in diverse, future oriented research areas ranging from nanoelectronics to biosensing and nanomedicine. Atomic force microscopy imaging provides valuable, direct insight for the evaluation of different conjugation approaches at the level of the individual molecules. Recent technical advances have enabled high speed imaging by AFM supporting time resolutions sufficient to follow conformational changes of intricately assembled nanostructures in solution. In addition, integration of AFM with different spectroscopic and imaging approaches provides an enhanced level of information on the investigated sample. Furthermore, the AFM itself can serve as an active tool for the assembly of nanostructures based on bioconjugation. AFM is hence a major workhorse in nanotechnology; it is a powerful tool for the structural investigation of bioconjugation and bioconjugation-induced effects as well as the simultaneous active assembly and analysis of bioconjugation-based nanostructures.

Methodology to assess clinical liver safety data.

PubMed

Merz, Michael; Lee, Kwan R; Kullak-Ublick, Gerd A; Brueckner, Andreas; Watkins, Paul B

2014-11-01

Analysis of liver safety data has to be multivariate by nature and needs to take into account time dependency of observations. Current standard tools for liver safety assessment such as summary tables, individual data listings, and narratives address these requirements to a limited extent only. Using graphics in the context of a systematic workflow including predefined graph templates is a valuable addition to standard instruments, helping to ensure completeness of evaluation, and supporting both hypothesis generation and testing. Employing graphical workflows interactively allows analysis in a team-based setting and facilitates identification of the most suitable graphics for publishing and regulatory reporting. Another important tool is statistical outlier detection, accounting for the fact that for assessment of Drug-Induced Liver Injury, identification and thorough evaluation of extreme values has much more relevance than measures of central tendency in the data. Taken together, systematical graphical data exploration and statistical outlier detection may have the potential to significantly improve assessment and interpretation of clinical liver safety data. A workshop was convened to discuss best practices for the assessment of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in clinical trials.

The replication of a mouse adapted SARS-CoV in a mouse cell line stably expressing the murine SARS-CoV receptor mACE2 efficiently induces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines

PubMed Central

Regla-Nava, Jose A.; Jimenez-Guardeño, Jose M.; Nieto-Torres, Jose L.; Gallagher, Thomas M.; Enjuanes, Luis; DeDiego, Marta L.

2013-01-01

Infection of conventional mice with a mouse adapted (MA15) severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) reproduces many aspects of human SARS such as pathological changes in lung, viremia, neutrophilia, and lethality. However, established mouse cell lines highly susceptible to mouse-adapted SARS-CoV infection are not available. In this work, efficiently transfectable mouse cell lines stably expressing the murine SARS-CoV receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) have been generated. These cells yielded high SARS-CoV-MA15 titers and also served as excellent tools for plaque assays. In addition, in these cell lines, SARS-CoV-MA15 induced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and IFN-β, mimicking what has been observed in experimental animal models infected with SARS-CoV and SARS patients. These cell lines are valuable tools to perform in vitro studies in a mouse cell system that reflects the species used for in vivo studies of SARS-CoV-MA15 pathogenesis. PMID:23911968

Combined experiment Phase 2 data characterization

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

Miller, M.S.; Shipley, D.E.; Young, T.S.

1995-11-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory`s ``Combined Experiment`` has yielded a large quantity of experimental data on the operation of a downwind horizontal axis wind turbine under field conditions. To fully utilize this valuable resource and identify particular episodes of interest, a number of databases were created that characterize individual data events and rotational cycles over a wide range of parameters. Each of the 59 five-minute data episodes collected during Phase 11 of the Combined Experiment have been characterized by the mean, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation of all data channels, except the blade surface pressures. Inflow condition, aerodynamic force coefficient,more » and minimum leading edge pressure coefficient databases have also been established, characterizing each of nearly 21,000 blade rotational cycles. In addition, a number of tools have been developed for searching these databases for particular episodes of interest. Due to their extensive size, only a portion of the episode characterization databases are included in an appendix, and examples of the cycle characterization databases are given. The search tools are discussed and the FORTRAN or C code for each is included in appendices.« less

Facebook: an effective tool for participant retention in longitudinal research.

PubMed

Mychasiuk, R; Benzies, K

2012-09-01

Facebook is currently one of the world's most visited websites, and home to millions of users who access their accounts on a regular basis. Owing to the website's ease of accessibility and free service, demographic characteristics of users span all domains. As such, Facebook may be a valuable tool for locating and communicating with participants in longitudinal research studies. This article outlines the benefit gained in a longitudinal follow-up study, of an intervention programme for at-risk families, through the use of Facebook as a search engine. Using Facebook as a resource, we were able to locate 19 participants that were otherwise 'lost' to follow-up, decreasing attrition in our study by 16%. Additionally, analysis indicated that hard-to-reach participants located with Facebook differed significantly on measures of receptive language and self-esteem when compared to their easier-to-locate counterparts. These results suggest that Facebook is an effective means of improving participant retention in a longitudinal intervention study and may help improve study validity by reaching participants that contribute differing results. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

FMAP: Functional Mapping and Analysis Pipeline for metagenomics and metatranscriptomics studies.

PubMed

Kim, Jiwoong; Kim, Min Soo; Koh, Andrew Y; Xie, Yang; Zhan, Xiaowei

2016-10-10

Given the lack of a complete and comprehensive library of microbial reference genomes, determining the functional profile of diverse microbial communities is challenging. The available functional analysis pipelines lack several key features: (i) an integrated alignment tool, (ii) operon-level analysis, and (iii) the ability to process large datasets. Here we introduce our open-sourced, stand-alone functional analysis pipeline for analyzing whole metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing data, FMAP (Functional Mapping and Analysis Pipeline). FMAP performs alignment, gene family abundance calculations, and statistical analysis (three levels of analyses are provided: differentially-abundant genes, operons and pathways). The resulting output can be easily visualized with heatmaps and functional pathway diagrams. FMAP functional predictions are consistent with currently available functional analysis pipelines. FMAP is a comprehensive tool for providing functional analysis of metagenomic/metatranscriptomic sequencing data. With the added features of integrated alignment, operon-level analysis, and the ability to process large datasets, FMAP will be a valuable addition to the currently available functional analysis toolbox. We believe that this software will be of great value to the wider biology and bioinformatics communities.

Cell and molecular biology of the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias and little skate Leucoraja erinacea: insights from in vitro cultured cells.

PubMed

Barnes, D W

2012-04-01

Two of the most commonly used elasmobranch experimental model species are the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias and the little skate Leucoraja erinacea. Comparative biology and genomics with these species have provided useful information in physiology, pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, evolutionary developmental biology and genetics. A wealth of information has been obtained using in vitro approaches to study isolated cells and tissues from these organisms under circumstances in which the extracellular environment can be controlled. In addition to classical work with primary cell cultures, continuously proliferating cell lines have been derived recently, representing the first cell lines from cartilaginous fishes. These lines have proved to be valuable tools with which to explore functional genomic and biological questions and to test hypotheses at the molecular level. In genomic experiments, complementary (c)DNA libraries have been constructed, and c. 8000 unique transcripts identified, with over 3000 representing previously unknown gene sequences. A sub-set of messenger (m)RNAs has been detected for which the 3' untranslated regions show elements that are remarkably well conserved evolutionarily, representing novel, potentially regulatory gene sequences. The cell culture systems provide physiologically valid tools to study functional roles of these sequences and other aspects of elasmobranch molecular cell biology and physiology. Information derived from the use of in vitro cell cultures is valuable in revealing gene diversity and information for genomic sequence assembly, as well as for identification of new genes and molecular markers, construction of gene-array probes and acquisition of full-length cDNA sequences. © 2012 The Author. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Homogenizing bacterial cell factories: Analysis and engineering of phenotypic heterogeneity.

PubMed

Binder, Dennis; Drepper, Thomas; Jaeger, Karl-Erich; Delvigne, Frank; Wiechert, Wolfgang; Kohlheyer, Dietrich; Grünberger, Alexander

2017-07-01

In natural habitats, microbes form multispecies communities that commonly face rapidly changing and highly competitive environments. Thus, phenotypic heterogeneity has evolved as an innate and important survival strategy to gain an overall fitness advantage over cohabiting competitors. However, in defined artificial environments such as monocultures in small- to large-scale bioreactors, cell-to-cell variations are presumed to cause reduced production yields as well as process instability. Hence, engineering microbial production toward phenotypic homogeneity is a highly promising approach for synthetic biology and bioprocess optimization. In this review, we discuss recent studies that have unraveled the cell-to-cell heterogeneity observed during bacterial gene expression and metabolite production as well as the molecular mechanisms involved. In addition, current single-cell technologies are briefly reviewed with respect to their applicability in exploring cell-to-cell variations. We highlight emerging strategies and tools to reduce phenotypic heterogeneity in biotechnological expression setups. Here, strain or inducer modifications are combined with cell physiology manipulations to achieve the ultimate goal of equalizing bacterial populations. In this way, the majority of cells can be forced into high productivity, thus reducing less productive subpopulations that tend to consume valuable resources during production. Modifications in uptake systems, inducer molecules or nutrients represent valuable tools for diminishing heterogeneity. Finally, we address the challenge of transferring homogeneously responding cells into large-scale bioprocesses. Environmental heterogeneity originating from extrinsic factors such as stirring speed and pH, oxygen, temperature or nutrient distribution can significantly influence cellular physiology. We conclude that engineering microbial populations toward phenotypic homogeneity is an increasingly important task to take biotechnological productions to the next level of control. Copyright © 2017 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Antarctic Search for Meteorites: The Future of Space, on Earth Today - EVA Knowledge Capture Outbrief

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Love, Stan

2013-01-01

NASA astronaut Stan Love shared his experiences with the Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET), an annual expedition to the southern continent to collect valuable samples for research in planetary science. ANSMET teams operate from isolated, remote field camps on the polar plateau, where windchill factors often reach -40 F. Several astronaut participants have noted ANSMET's similarity to a space mission. Some of the operational concepts, tools, and equipment employed by ANSMET teams may offer valuable insights to designers of future planetary surface exploration hardware.

Seeing is believing: on the use of image databases for visually exploring plant organelle dynamics.

PubMed

Mano, Shoji; Miwa, Tomoki; Nishikawa, Shuh-ichi; Mimura, Tetsuro; Nishimura, Mikio

2009-12-01

Organelle dynamics vary dramatically depending on cell type, developmental stage and environmental stimuli, so that various parameters, such as size, number and behavior, are required for the description of the dynamics of each organelle. Imaging techniques are superior to other techniques for describing organelle dynamics because these parameters are visually exhibited. Therefore, as the results can be seen immediately, investigators can more easily grasp organelle dynamics. At present, imaging techniques are emerging as fundamental tools in plant organelle research, and the development of new methodologies to visualize organelles and the improvement of analytical tools and equipment have allowed the large-scale generation of image and movie data. Accordingly, image databases that accumulate information on organelle dynamics are an increasingly indispensable part of modern plant organelle research. In addition, image databases are potentially rich data sources for computational analyses, as image and movie data reposited in the databases contain valuable and significant information, such as size, number, length and velocity. Computational analytical tools support image-based data mining, such as segmentation, quantification and statistical analyses, to extract biologically meaningful information from each database and combine them to construct models. In this review, we outline the image databases that are dedicated to plant organelle research and present their potential as resources for image-based computational analyses.

DDx: diagnostic assistance for the radiologist using PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haynor, David R.

1993-09-01

A potentially valuable tool in medical imaging is the development, and integration with PACS, of systems which enhance the interpretive accuracy of the user -- his ability, given a set of findings (in the broad sense, including clinical information about the patient as well as characteristics of the lesion being analyzed), to assign the proper disease label, or diagnosis, to them. Such systems, which we call here interpretive tools (IT), contain a variety of types of information about diseases and their radiologic diagnosis. They can contain information about large numbers of diseases, including statistical information (incidence, characteristic anatomical locations, association with age and gender or with other diseases, probabilities of various findings given a disease), textual information (description of diseases, treatment, literature references, lists of other entities that might be confused with the disease of interest, additional diagnostic points that may not be represented, or even representable, within IT), and image-based information (typical and atypical examples for each entity and radiographic finding, examples of normal anatomy). These databases can be used both for teaching purposes and as a tool for improving interpretive accuracy [Swett, 1987]. This paper describes some of the requirements for these databases and then discusses early work on the implementation of DDx, an IT whose domain is neuroradiology.

Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing

PubMed Central

Lateef, Fatimah

2010-01-01

Simulation is a technique for practice and learning that can be applied to many different disciplines and trainees. It is a technique (not a technology) to replace and amplify real experiences with guided ones, often “immersive” in nature, that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive fashion. Simulation-based learning can be the way to develop health professionals’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes, whilst protecting patients from unnecessary risks. Simulation-based medical education can be a platform which provides a valuable tool in learning to mitigate ethical tensions and resolve practical dilemmas. Simulation-based training techniques, tools, and strategies can be applied in designing structured learning experiences, as well as be used as a measurement tool linked to targeted teamwork competencies and learning objectives. It has been widely applied in fields such aviation and the military. In medicine, simulation offers good scope for training of interdisciplinary medical teams. The realistic scenarios and equipment allows for retraining and practice till one can master the procedure or skill. An increasing number of health care institutions and medical schools are now turning to simulation-based learning. Teamwork training conducted in the simulated environment may offer an additive benefit to the traditional didactic instruction, enhance performance, and possibly also help reduce errors. PMID:21063557

Simulation-based learning: Just like the real thing.

PubMed

Lateef, Fatimah

2010-10-01

Simulation is a technique for practice and learning that can be applied to many different disciplines and trainees. It is a technique (not a technology) to replace and amplify real experiences with guided ones, often "immersive" in nature, that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive fashion. Simulation-based learning can be the way to develop health professionals' knowledge, skills, and attitudes, whilst protecting patients from unnecessary risks. Simulation-based medical education can be a platform which provides a valuable tool in learning to mitigate ethical tensions and resolve practical dilemmas. Simulation-based training techniques, tools, and strategies can be applied in designing structured learning experiences, as well as be used as a measurement tool linked to targeted teamwork competencies and learning objectives. It has been widely applied in fields such aviation and the military. In medicine, simulation offers good scope for training of interdisciplinary medical teams. The realistic scenarios and equipment allows for retraining and practice till one can master the procedure or skill. An increasing number of health care institutions and medical schools are now turning to simulation-based learning. Teamwork training conducted in the simulated environment may offer an additive benefit to the traditional didactic instruction, enhance performance, and possibly also help reduce errors.

Patient-specific finite element modeling of bones.

PubMed

Poelert, Sander; Valstar, Edward; Weinans, Harrie; Zadpoor, Amir A

2013-04-01

Finite element modeling is an engineering tool for structural analysis that has been used for many years to assess the relationship between load transfer and bone morphology and to optimize the design and fixation of orthopedic implants. Due to recent developments in finite element model generation, for example, improved computed tomography imaging quality, improved segmentation algorithms, and faster computers, the accuracy of finite element modeling has increased vastly and finite element models simulating the anatomy and properties of an individual patient can be constructed. Such so-called patient-specific finite element models are potentially valuable tools for orthopedic surgeons in fracture risk assessment or pre- and intraoperative planning of implant placement. The aim of this article is to provide a critical overview of current themes in patient-specific finite element modeling of bones. In addition, the state-of-the-art in patient-specific modeling of bones is compared with the requirements for a clinically applicable patient-specific finite element method, and judgment is passed on the feasibility of application of patient-specific finite element modeling as a part of clinical orthopedic routine. It is concluded that further development in certain aspects of patient-specific finite element modeling are needed before finite element modeling can be used as a routine clinical tool.

Comprehensive evaluation of transportation projects : a toolkit for sketch planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-10-01

A quick-response project-planning tool can be extremely valuable in anticipating the congestion, safety, : emissions, and other impacts of large-scale network improvements and policy implementations. This report : identifies the advantages and limita...

Operations and Maintenance February Newsletter | Poster

Cancer.gov

Resource management in the form of “outsourcing” continues to be a valuable tool for the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) department. The O&M department uses this resource as an integral part of its approach to customer service.

Systematic reviews in the field of nutrition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Systematic reviews are valuable tools for staying abreast of evolving nutrition and aging -related topics, formulating dietary guidelines, establishing nutrient reference intakes, formulating clinical practice guidance, evaluating health claims, and setting research agendas. Basic steps of conductin...

78 FR 25669 - Exchange Visitor Program-Teachers

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-05-02

... elements into their curriculum, and that they do so. This cultural component is seen as a valuable tool to.... Government) for a finite period of time and with a view that they will return to their countries of...

Combining Simulation Tools for End-to-End Trajectory Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitley, Ryan; Gutkowski, Jeffrey; Craig, Scott; Dawn, Tim; Williams, Jacobs; Stein, William B.; Litton, Daniel; Lugo, Rafael; Qu, Min

2015-01-01

Trajectory simulations with advanced optimization algorithms are invaluable tools in the process of designing spacecraft. Due to the need for complex models, simulations are often highly tailored to the needs of the particular program or mission. NASA's Orion and SLS programs are no exception. While independent analyses are valuable to assess individual spacecraft capabilities, a complete end-to-end trajectory from launch to splashdown maximizes potential performance and ensures a continuous solution. In order to obtain end-to-end capability, Orion's in-space tool (Copernicus) was made to interface directly with the SLS's ascent tool (POST2) and a new tool to optimize the full problem by operating both simulations simultaneously was born.

Volcano Geodesy: Recent developments and future challenges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fernandez, Jose F.; Pepe, Antonio; Poland, Michael; Sigmundsson, Freysteinn

2017-01-01

Ascent of magma through Earth's crust is normally associated with, among other effects, ground deformation and gravity changes. Geodesy is thus a valuable tool for monitoring and hazards assessment during volcanic unrest, and it provides valuable data for exploring the geometry and volume of magma plumbing systems. Recent decades have seen an explosion in the quality and quantity of volcano geodetic data. New datasets (some made possible by regional and global scientific initiatives), as well as new analysis methods and modeling practices, have resulted in important changes to our understanding of the geodetic characteristics of active volcanism and magmatic processes, from the scale of individual eruptive vents to global compilations of volcano deformation. Here, we describe some of the recent developments in volcano geodesy, both in terms of data and interpretive tools, and discuss the role of international initiatives in meeting future challenges for the field.

Professional Regulation: A Potentially Valuable Tool in Responding to “Stem Cell Tourism”

PubMed Central

Zarzeczny, Amy; Caulfield, Timothy; Ogbogu, Ubaka; Bell, Peter; Crooks, Valorie A.; Kamenova, Kalina; Master, Zubin; Rachul, Christen; Snyder, Jeremy; Toews, Maeghan; Zoeller, Sonja

2014-01-01

The growing international market for unproven stem cell-based interventions advertised on a direct-to-consumer basis over the internet (“stem cell tourism”) is a source of concern because of the risks it presents to patients as well as their supporters, domestic health care systems, and the stem cell research field. Emerging responses such as public and health provider-focused education and national regulatory efforts are encouraging, but the market continues to grow. Physicians play a number of roles in the stem cell tourism market and, in many jurisdictions, are members of a regulated profession. In this article, we consider the use of professional regulation to address physician involvement in stem cell tourism. Although it is not without its limitations, professional regulation is a potentially valuable tool that can be employed in response to problematic types of physician involvement in the stem cell tourism market. PMID:25241736

A Critical View of Current State of Phytotechnologies to Remediate Soils: Still a Promising Tool?

PubMed Central

Conesa, Héctor M.; Evangelou, Michael W. H.; Robinson, Brett H.; Schulin, Rainer

2012-01-01

Phytotechnologies are often shown as an emerging tool to remediate contaminated soils. Research in this field has resulted in many important findings relating to plant and soil sciences. However, there have been scant private and public investments and little commercial success with this technology. Here, we investigate the barriers to the adoption of phytotechnologies and determine whether it is still a fertile area for future research. The terminology used in phytotechnologies includes a confusing mish-mash of terms relating to concepts and processes increasing the difficulty of developing a unique commercial image. We argue that the commercial success of phytotechnologies depends on the generation of valuable biomass on contaminated land, rather than a pure remediation technique that may not compare favourably with the costs of inaction or alternative technologies. Valuable biomass includes timber, bioenergy, feedstock for pyrolosis, biofortified products, or ecologically important species. PMID:22272168

Artificial intelligence for turboprop engine maintenance

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

NONE

1995-01-01

Long-term maintenance operations, causing the unit to out of action, may seem economical - but they result in reduced operating readiness. Offsetting that concern, careless, hurried maintenance reduces margins of safety and reliability. Any tool that improves maintenance without causing a sharp increase in cost is valuable. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the tools. Expert system and neural networks are two different areas of AI that show promise for turboprop engine maintenance.

Beauty and the iPod--A Story of Contrasts and the Use of Podcasting in Vocational Education--Nail Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naamani, Catherine; Taylor, Louise

2012-01-01

This paper takes a case study approach to provide evidence of the benefits of podcasting as a tool used to support a vocational qualification in the subject area of Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy (Nail Technology). It reflects on the experiences of both the lecturer and the students and concludes that podcasting is a valuable tool, supporting a…

The Use of E-Mail as a Tool To Enhance Second Language Education Programs: An Example from a Core French Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Geoff

2002-01-01

Outlines reasons why electronic mail, and specifically e-mail exchanges, are valuable tools for promoting authentic target language interaction in the second language (L2) classroom. Research examining the use of e-mail exchanges on the L2 learning process is outlined, followed by one specific example of an e-mail exchange in a secondary core…

Telescience - Concepts and contributions to the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchant, Will; Dobson, Carl; Chakrabarti, Supriya; Malina, Roger F.

1987-01-01

It is shown how the contradictory goals of low-cost and fast data turnaround characterizing the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) mission can be achieved via the early use of telescience style transparent tools and simulations. The use of transparent tools reduces the parallel development of capability while ensuring that valuable prelaunch experience is not lost in the operations phase. Efforts made to upgrade the 'EUVE electronics' simulator are described.

Next-Generation Sequencing in the Mycology Lab.

PubMed

Zoll, Jan; Snelders, Eveline; Verweij, Paul E; Melchers, Willem J G

New state-of-the-art techniques in sequencing offer valuable tools in both detection of mycobiota and in understanding of the molecular mechanisms of resistance against antifungal compounds and virulence. Introduction of new sequencing platform with enhanced capacity and a reduction in costs for sequence analysis provides a potential powerful tool in mycological diagnosis and research. In this review, we summarize the applications of next-generation sequencing techniques in mycology.

Engineering With Nature Geographic Project Mapping Tool (EWN ProMap)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

EWN ProMap database provides numerous case studies for infrastructure projects such as breakwaters, river engineering dikes, and seawalls that have...the EWN Project Mapping Tool (EWN ProMap) is to assist users in their search for case study information that can be valuable for developing EWN ideas...Essential elements of EWN include: (1) using science and engineering to produce operational efficiencies supporting sustainable delivery of

Designing drugs on the internet? Free web tools and services supporting medicinal chemistry.

PubMed

Ertl, Peter; Jelfs, Stephen

2007-01-01

The drug discovery process is supported by a multitude of freely available tools on the Internet. This paper summarizes some of the databases and tools that are of particular interest to medicinal chemistry. These include numerous data collections that provide access to valuable chemical data resources, allowing complex queries of compound structures, associated physicochemical properties and biological activities to be performed and, in many cases, providing links to commercial chemical suppliers. Further applications are available for searching protein-ligand complexes and identifying important binding interactions that occur. This is particularly useful for understanding the molecular recognition of ligands in the lead optimization process. The Internet also provides access to databases detailing metabolic pathways and transformations which can provide insight into disease mechanism, identify new targets entities or the potential off-target effects of a drug candidate. Furthermore, sophisticated online cheminformatics tools are available for processing chemical structures, predicting properties, and generating 2D or 3D structure representations--often required prior to more advanced analyses. The Internet provides a wealth of valuable resources that, if fully exploited, can greatly benefit the drug discovery community. In this paper, we provide an overview of some of the more important of these and, in particular, the freely accessible resources that are currently available.

The production of audiovisual teaching tools in minimally invasive surgery.

PubMed

Tolerton, Sarah K; Hugh, Thomas J; Cosman, Peter H

2012-01-01

Audiovisual learning resources have become valuable adjuncts to formal teaching in surgical training. This report discusses the process and challenges of preparing an audiovisual teaching tool for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The relative value in surgical education and training, for both the creator and viewer are addressed. This audiovisual teaching resource was prepared as part of the Master of Surgery program at the University of Sydney, Australia. The different methods of video production used to create operative teaching tools are discussed. Collating and editing material for an audiovisual teaching resource can be a time-consuming and technically challenging process. However, quality learning resources can now be produced even with limited prior video editing experience. With minimal cost and suitable guidance to ensure clinically relevant content, most surgeons should be able to produce short, high-quality education videos of both open and minimally invasive surgery. Despite the challenges faced during production of audiovisual teaching tools, these resources are now relatively easy to produce using readily available software. These resources are particularly attractive to surgical trainees when real time operative footage is used. They serve as valuable adjuncts to formal teaching, particularly in the setting of minimally invasive surgery. Copyright © 2012 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Promoting Awareness of Key Resources for Evidence-Informed Decision-making in Public Health: An Evaluation of a Webinar Series about Knowledge Translation Methods and Tools

PubMed Central

Yost, Jennifer; Mackintosh, Jeannie; Read, Kristin; Dobbins, Maureen

2016-01-01

The National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT) has developed several resources to support evidence-informed decision-making – the process of distilling and disseminating best available evidence from research, context, and experience – and knowledge translation, applying best evidence in practice. One such resource, the Registry of Methods and Tools, is a free online database of 195 methods and tools to support knowledge translation. Building on the identification of webinars as a strategy to improve the dissemination of information, NCCMT launched the Spotlight on Knowledge Translation Methods and Tools webinar series in 2012 to promote awareness and use of the Registry. To inform continued implementation of this webinar series, NCCMT conducted an evaluation of the series’ potential to improve awareness and use of the methods/tools within the Registry, as well as identify areas for improvement and “what worked.” For this evaluation, the following data were analyzed: electronic follow-up surveys administered immediately following each webinar; an additional electronic survey administered 6 months after two webinars; and Google Analytics for each webinar. As of November 2015, there have been 22 webinars conducted, reaching 2048 people in multiple sectors across Canada and around the world. Evaluation results indicate that the webinars increase awareness about the Registry and stimulate use of the methods/tools. Although webinar attendees were significantly less likely to have used the methods/tools 6 months after webinars, this may be attributed to the lack of an identified opportunity in their work to use the method/tool. Despite technological challenges and requests for further examples of how the methods/tools have been used, there is overwhelming positive feedback that the format, presenters, content, and interaction across webinars “worked.” This evaluation supports that webinars are a valuable strategy for increasing awareness and stimulating use of resources for evidence-informed decision-making and knowledge translation in public health practice. PMID:27148518

Educational websites--Bioinformatics Tools II.

PubMed

Lomberk, Gwen

2009-01-01

In this issue, the highlighted websites are a continuation of a series of educational websites; this one in particular from a couple of years ago, Bioinformatics Tools [Pancreatology 2005;5:314-315]. These include sites that are valuable resources for many research needs in genomics and proteomics. Bioinformatics has become a laboratory tool to map sequences to databases, develop models of molecular interactions, evaluate structural compatibilities, describe differences between normal and disease-associated DNA, identify conserved motifs within proteins, and chart extensive signaling networks, all in silico. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel and IAP.

The medical mission and modern cultural competency training.

PubMed

Campbell, Alex; Sullivan, Maura; Sherman, Randy; Magee, William P

2011-01-01

Culture has increasingly appreciated clinical consequences on the patient-physician relationship, and governing bodies of medical education are widely expanding educational programs to train providers in culturally competent care. A recent study demonstrated the value an international surgical mission in modern surgical training, while fulfilling the mandate of educational growth through six core competencies. This report further examines the impact of international volunteerism on surgical residents, and demonstrates that such experiences are particularly suited to education in cultural competency. Twenty-one resident physicians who participated in the inaugural Operation Smile Regan Fellowship were surveyed one year after their experiences. One hundred percent strongly agreed that participation in an international surgical mission was a quality educational experience and 94.7% deemed the experience a valuable part of their residency training. In additional to education in each of the ACGME core competencies, results demonstrate valuable training in cultural competence. A properly structured and proctored experience for surgical residents in international volunteerism is an effective instruction tool in the modern competency-based residency curriculum. These endeavors provide a unique understanding of the global burden of surgical disease, a deeper appreciation for global public health issues, and increased cultural sensitivity. A surgical mission experience should be widely available to surgery residents. Copyright © 2010 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of modern 3D echocardiography in valvular heart disease

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography has been conceived as one of the most promising methods for the diagnosis of valvular heart disease, and recently has become an integral clinical tool thanks to the development of high quality real-time transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). In particular, for mitral valve diseases, this new approach has proven to be the most unique, powerful, and convincing method for understanding the complicated anatomy of the mitral valve and its dynamism. The method has been useful for surgical management, including robotic mitral valve repair. Moreover, this method has become indispensable for nonsurgical mitral procedures such as edge to edge mitral repair and transcatheter closure of paravaluvular leaks. In addition, color Doppler 3D echo has been valuable to identify the location of the regurgitant orifice and the severity of the mitral regurgitation. For aortic and tricuspid valve diseases, this method may not be quite as valuable as for the mitral valve. However, the necessity of 3D echo is recognized for certain situations even for these valves, such as for evaluating the aortic annulus for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. It is now clear that this method, especially with the continued development of real-time 3D TEE technology, will enhance the diagnosis and management of patients with these valvular heart diseases. PMID:25378966

Genetics of Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency: Roadmap into the Genome Era.

PubMed

Fang, Qing; George, Akima S; Brinkmeier, Michelle L; Mortensen, Amanda H; Gergics, Peter; Cheung, Leonard Y M; Daly, Alexandre Z; Ajmal, Adnan; Pérez Millán, María Ines; Ozel, A Bilge; Kitzman, Jacob O; Mills, Ryan E; Li, Jun Z; Camper, Sally A

2016-12-01

The genetic basis for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) is complex, involving 30 genes in a variety of syndromic and nonsyndromic presentations. Molecular diagnosis of this disorder is valuable for predicting disease progression, avoiding unnecessary surgery, and family planning. We expect that the application of high throughput sequencing will uncover additional contributing genes and eventually become a valuable tool for molecular diagnosis. For example, in the last 3 years, six new genes have been implicated in CPHD using whole-exome sequencing. In this review, we present a historical perspective on gene discovery for CPHD and predict approaches that may facilitate future gene identification projects conducted by clinicians and basic scientists. Guidelines for systematic reporting of genetic variants and assigning causality are emerging. We apply these guidelines retrospectively to reports of the genetic basis of CPHD and summarize modes of inheritance and penetrance for each of the known genes. In recent years, there have been great improvements in databases of genetic information for diverse populations. Some issues remain that make molecular diagnosis challenging in some cases. These include the inherent genetic complexity of this disorder, technical challenges like uneven coverage, differing results from variant calling and interpretation pipelines, the number of tolerated genetic alterations, and imperfect methods for predicting pathogenicity. We discuss approaches for future research in the genetics of CPHD.

Implementation of Free Text Format Nursing Diagnoses at a University Hospital's Medical Department. Exploring Nurses' and Nursing Students' Experiences on Use and Usefulness. A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Frigstad, Sigrun Aasen; Nøst, Torunn Hatlen; André, Beate

2015-01-01

Background. Nursing documentation has long traditions and represents core element of nursing, but the documentation is often criticized of being incomplete. Nursing diagnoses are an important research topic in nursing in terms of quality of nursing assessment, interventions, and outcome in addition to facilitating communication and continuity. Aim. The aim of this study was to explore the nurses' and nursing students' experiences after implementing free text format nursing diagnoses in a medical department. Method. The study design included educational intervention of free text nursing diagnoses. Data was collected through five focus group interviews with 18 nurses and 6 students as informants. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results. The informants describe positive experiences concerning free text format nursing diagnoses' use and usefulness; it promotes reflection and discussion and is described as a useful tool in the diagnostic process, though it was challenging to find the diagnosis' appropriate formulation. Conclusion. Our findings indicate a valid usability of free text format nursing diagnoses as it promotes the diagnostic process. The use seems to enhance critical thinking and may serve as valuable preparation towards an implementation of standardized nursing diagnoses. Use and support of key personnel seem valuable in an implementation process. PMID:26075091

Combining remote sensing and on-site monitoring methods to investigate footpath erosion within a popular recreational heathland environment.

PubMed

Rodway-Dyer, Sue; Ellis, Nicola

2018-06-01

Footpaths are a prominent consequence of natural area tourism and reflect damage caused to valuable, sensitive habitats by people pressure. Degradation impacts on vegetation, wildlife, on and off-site soil movement and loss, creation of additional informal off-path footpaths (desire lines), and visual destruction of landscapes. Impacts need to be measured and monitored on a large temporal and spatial scale to aid in land management to maintain access and preserve natural environments. This study combined remote sensing (Light Detection and Ranging [LiDAR] and aerial photography) with on-site measurement of footpaths within a sensitive heathland habitat (Land's End, Cornwall, UK). Soil loss, slope angle change, vegetation damage and a hydrology model were combined to comprehensively study the site. Results showed 0.09 m mean soil loss over five years, footpath widening, increasing grass cover into heathland, and water channelling on the footpaths exacerbating erosion. The environments surrounding the footpaths were affected with visitors walking off path, requiring further management and monitoring. Multiple remote sensing techniques were highly successful in comprehensively assessing the area, particularly the hydrology model, demonstrating the potential of providing a valuable objective and quantitative monitoring and management tool. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Differential Effects of Social Media Sites for Promoting Cancer Risk Reduction.

PubMed

Lauckner, Carolyn; Whitten, Pamela

2016-09-01

Social media are potentially valuable tools for disseminating cancer education messages, but the differential effects of various sites on persuasive outcomes are unknown. In an effort to inform future health promotion, this research tested the effects of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs for delivering a cancer risk reduction message. Using an experimental design, participants were randomly placed in several conditions that delivered the same message but with different forms of social media. Effects on comprehension and attitudes were examined, as they are important variables in the behavior change process. YouTube led to higher comprehension and stronger attitudes toward cancer risk reduction than Twitter, but there were no differences between other sites. Additionally, YouTube led to stronger attitudes toward cancer risk reduction as compared to Facebook, but not any other sites. These results demonstrate that, even if the message is kept constant, the form of social media used to deliver content can have an effect on persuasive outcomes. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms behind the differences found, however. Altogether, this line of research is valuable for any individuals seeking to use social media for health promotion purposes and could have direct implications for the development of cancer risk reduction campaigns.

A Management Tool for Assessing Aquaculture Environmental Impacts in Chilean Patagonian Fjords: Integrating Hydrodynamic and Pellets Dispersion Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tironi, Antonio; Marin, Víctor H.; Campuzano, Francisco J.

2010-05-01

This article introduces a management tool for salmon farming, with a scope in the local sustainability of salmon aquaculture of the Aysen Fjord, Chilean Patagonia. Based on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) principles, the tool combines a large 3-level nested hydrodynamic model, a particle tracking module and a GIS application into an assessment tool for particulate waste dispersal of salmon farming activities. The model offers an open source alternative to particulate waste modeling and evaluation, contributing with valuable information for local decision makers in the process of locating new facilities and monitoring stations.

The impact of CMSA's case management adherence guidelines and guidelines training on case manager-reported behavior change.

PubMed

Aliotta, Sherry L; Boling, Jeanne; Commander, Connie; Day, David; Greenberg, Liza; Lattimer, Cheri; Marshall, Danielle; Rogers, Susan A

2007-01-01

The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) developed evidence-based guidelines (Case Management Adherence Guidelines, CMAG) for case managers to support increased efficacy of case managers in helping patients become more adherent to medication regimens. The effort was in response to documented high levels of nonadherence, and evidence demonstrating that lack of adherence negatively impacts patient health status. The CMSA engaged in a massive training program to support case manager adoption of the CMAG tools and approaches to improve patient knowledge and motivation. This article reports on findings of a follow-up survey that evaluated case manager's use of the tools and strategies discussed in the CMAG. Seven hundred fifty case managers from all settings were trained in the use of the CMAG. In a follow-up survey, 42% of respondents reported that there has been a very, or fairly, significant impact of using their new skills to increase their effectiveness in helping patients reach their outcome improvement goals. In addition, 43% reported that there has been a very, or fairly, big improvement in patient adherence since they took the training, while 39% did not see a major impact. At the time of the survey (up to 1 year after training), 43% of respondents indicated that the training was very valuable; another 39% reported that it was fairly valuable. Participants continue to use the skills and information adopted in the training sessions: 26% report that they currently use at least some of the information and skills very often, while another 49% use them fairly often. Sixty-six percent of respondents indicated that they specifically use motivational interviewing to help address patient knowledge and motivation regarding medication adherence. Medication adherence is a key issue in case management practice; efforts to positively impact low patient knowledge and motivation can be frustration for case managers. The CMAG offer evidence-based assessment tools to evaluate patient knowledge of medications and their motivation to adhere, and recommend the strategy of motivational interviewing to help case managers address adherence more effectively with patients. A 1-time training on the CMAG and motivational interviewing had some effect on self-reported case manager effectiveness in addressing medication adherence. Case managers appreciated the training; many reported that they continue to use skills and that they have observed changes in patient outcomes. Additional training, skill building, and reinforcement may help case managers apply CMAG and motivational interviewing effectively to support patients' adherence to medication regimens. The CMSA may continue to evaluate the impact of the CMAG and CMAG training to refine the tools and the training approach.

Grazing systems research: Focusing on the managers-introduction

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Translating experimental results into management guidelines or as bases for specific decisions presents a substantial challenge for scientists, advisors and land managers. While inductive reasoning can be a valuable tool in developing general guidelines, particular wholly science-based relationships...

Effects of temperature on bridge dynamic properties : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

Structural health monitoring (SHM) using ambient vibration has become a valuable tool in : evaluating and assessing the condition of civil structures. For bridge structures, a vibrationbased : SHM system uses the dynamic response of a bridge to measu...

Geospatial Tools for Evaluating Ecosystems in Lakes and Ponds of the Northeastern US

EPA Science Inventory

Northeastern lakes benefit residents and visitors by providing valuable ecosystem services such as nutrient retention, recreational opportunities, and aesthetic value. Concurrently, however, complex changes such landscape change, population growth, and management decisions influ...

Characteristics and use of urban health indicator tools by municipal built environment policy and decision-makers: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Pineo, Helen; Glonti, Ketevan; Rutter, Harry; Zimmermann, Nicole; Wilkinson, Paul; Davies, Michael

2017-01-13

There is wide agreement that there is a lack of attention to health in municipal environmental policy-making, such as urban planning and regeneration. Explanations for this include differing professional norms between health and urban environment professionals, system complexity and limited evidence for causality between attributes of the built environment and health outcomes. Data from urban health indicator (UHI) tools are potentially a valuable form of evidence for local government policy and decision-makers. Although many UHI tools have been specifically developed to inform policy, there is poor understanding of how they are used. This study aims to identify the nature and characteristics of UHI tools and their use by municipal built environment policy and decision-makers. Health and social sciences databases (ASSIA, Campbell Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, Social Policy and Practice and Web of Science Core Collection) will be searched for studies using UHI tools alongside hand-searching of key journals and citation searches of included studies. Advanced searches of practitioner websites and Google will also be used to find grey literature. Search results will be screened for UHI tools, and for studies which report on or evaluate the use of such tools. Data about UHI tools will be extracted to compile a census and taxonomy of existing tools based on their specific characteristics and purpose. In addition, qualitative and quantitative studies about the use of these tools will be appraised using quality appraisal tools produced by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and synthesised in order to gain insight into the perceptions, value and use of UHI tools in the municipal built environment policy and decision-making process. This review is not registered with PROSPERO. This systematic review focuses specifically on UHI tools that assess the physical environment's impact on health (such as transport, housing, air quality and greenspace). This study will help indicator producers understand whether this form of evidence is of value to built environment policy and decision-makers and how such tools should be tailored for this audience. N/A.

Elephant behaviour and conservation: social relationships, the effects of poaching, and genetic tools for management.

PubMed

Archie, Elizabeth A; Chiyo, Patrick I

2012-02-01

Genetic tools are increasingly valuable for understanding the behaviour, evolution, and conservation of social species. In African elephants, for instance, genetic data provide basic information on the population genetic causes and consequences of social behaviour, and how human activities alter elephants' social and genetic structures. As such, African elephants provide a useful case study to understand the relationships between social behaviour and population genetic structure in a conservation framework. Here, we review three areas where genetic methods have made important contributions to elephant behavioural ecology and conservation: (1) understanding kin-based relationships in females and the effects of poaching on the adaptive value of elephant relationships, (2) understanding patterns of paternity in elephants and how poaching can alter these patterns, and (3) conservation genetic tools to census elusive populations, track ivory, and understand the behavioural ecology of crop-raiding. By comparing studies from populations that have experienced a range of poaching intensities, we find that human activities have a large effect on elephant behaviour and genetic structure. Poaching disrupts kin-based association patterns, decreases the quality of elephant social relationships, and increases male reproductive skew, with important consequences for population health and the maintenance of genetic diversity. In addition, we find that genetic tools to census populations or gather forensic information are almost always more accurate than non-genetic alternatives. These results contribute to a growing understanding of poaching on animal behaviour, and how genetic tools can be used to understand and conserve social species. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Using airborne lidar as a sampling tool for estimating forest biomass resources in the upper Tanana Valley of interior Alaska

Treesearch

Hans-Erik Andersen; Jacob Strunk; Hailemariam Temesgen

2011-01-01

Airborne laser scanning, collected in a sampling mode, has the potential to be a valuable tool for estimating the biomass resources available to support bioenergy production in rural communities of interior Alaska. In this study, we present a methodology for estimating forest biomass over a 201,226-ha area (of which 163,913 ha are forested) in the upper Tanana valley...

Assessing Army Values in New Soldiers: Development of a Behaviorally Anchored Peer Evaluation Form

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-03

evaluation has long been a valuable tool in school and workplace performance assessment, and has sparked military interest as a tool for leader...Values. Adhering to these values can affect Awards, promotions, selection to attend military schools , leadership positions, and desirable assignments (AR...by ratee and/or rater gender . Assessing the psychometric properties of AVBARS-PE The AVBARS-PE was administered to 50 BCT Soldiers (25 male and 25

Contributions of Traditional Web 1.0 Tools e.g. Email and Web 2.0 Tools e.g. Weblog towards Knowledge Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dehinbo, Johnson

2010-01-01

The use of email utilizes the power of Web 1.0 to enable users to access their email from any computer and mobile devices that is connected to the Internet making email valuable in acquiring and transferring knowledge. But the advent of Web 2.0 and social networking seems to indicate certain limitations of email. The use of social networking seems…

Impulse-Momentum Diagrams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosengrant, David

2011-01-01

Multiple representations are a valuable tool to help students learn and understand physics concepts. Furthermore, representations help students learn how to think and act like real scientists. These representations include: pictures, free-body diagrams, energy bar charts, electrical circuits, and, more recently, computer simulations and…

Predictive models of moth development

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Degree-day models link ambient temperature to insect life-stages, making such models valuable tools in integrated pest management. These models increase management efficacy by predicting pest phenology. In Wisconsin, the top insect pest of cranberry production is the cranberry fruitworm, Acrobasis v...

Comparison of estrogen mixtures in vitro vs. in vivo

EPA Science Inventory

Numerous sources contribute to widespread contamination of drinking water sources with both natural and synthetic estrogens, which isa concern for potential ecological and human health effects. In vitro screening assays are valuable tools for identifying mechanisms of toxicity bu...

Using ecological models to investigate stressor effects throughout the life cycle of mummichogs

EPA Science Inventory

Ecological models of mummichogs (Fundulus heteroclitus) provide valuable tools to link controlled laboratory experiments to field observations. Mummichogs are useful study organisms due to their amenability to laboratory conditions, the availability of well-developed molecular to...

Poe and Prolixity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, John

1990-01-01

Describes a method of teaching Edgar Allan Poe's writings which uses writing as a tool to decipher the story and to teach a valuable lesson in creative writing and style, and which shows students how a text changes when it is either abridged or adapted. (SR)

The Use of Sobriety Checkpoints for Impaired Driving Enforcement

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-11-01

Sobriety checkpoints have been a valuable tool for law enforcement's continuing fight to remove impaired drivers from the road. The purpose of the checkpoint is twofold; to apprehend impaired drivers at the physical location of the checkpoint; and se...

Agricultural Geophysics: Past, present, and future

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Geophysical methods are becoming an increasingly valuable tool for agricultural applications. Agricultural geophysics investigations are commonly (although certainly not always) focused on delineating small- and/or large-scale objects/features within the soil profile (~ 0 to 2 m depth) over very lar...

Agricultural geophysics: Past/present accomplishments and future advancements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Geophysical methods have become an increasingly valuable tool for application within a variety of agroecosystems. Agricultural geophysics measurements are obtained at a wide range of scales and often exhibit significant variability both temporally and spatially. The three geophysical methods predomi...

Open Source Tools for Seismicity Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powers, P.

2010-12-01

The spatio-temporal analysis of seismicity plays an important role in earthquake forecasting and is integral to research on earthquake interactions and triggering. For instance, the third version of the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF), currently under development, will use Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequences (ETAS) as a model for earthquake triggering. UCERF will be a "living" model and therefore requires robust, tested, and well-documented ETAS algorithms to ensure transparency and reproducibility. Likewise, as earthquake aftershock sequences unfold, real-time access to high quality hypocenter data makes it possible to monitor the temporal variability of statistical properties such as the parameters of the Omori Law and the Gutenberg Richter b-value. Such statistical properties are valuable as they provide a measure of how much a particular sequence deviates from expected behavior and can be used when assigning probabilities of aftershock occurrence. To address these demands and provide public access to standard methods employed in statistical seismology, we present well-documented, open-source JavaScript and Java software libraries for the on- and off-line analysis of seismicity. The Javascript classes facilitate web-based asynchronous access to earthquake catalog data and provide a framework for in-browser display, analysis, and manipulation of catalog statistics; implementations of this framework will be made available on the USGS Earthquake Hazards website. The Java classes, in addition to providing tools for seismicity analysis, provide tools for modeling seismicity and generating synthetic catalogs. These tools are extensible and will be released as part of the open-source OpenSHA Commons library.

Assessment of Matrix Metalloproteinases by Gelatin Zymography.

PubMed

Cathcart, Jillian

2016-01-01

Matrix metalloproteinases are endopeptidases responsible for remodeling of the extracellular matrix and have been identified as critical contributors to breast cancer progression. Gelatin zymography is a valuable tool which allows the analysis of MMP expression. In this approach, enzymes are resolved electrophoretically on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel copolymerized with the substrate for the MMP of interest. Post electrophoresis, the enzymes are refolded in order for proteolysis of the incorporated substrate to occur. This assay yields valuable information about MMP isoforms or changes in activation and can be used to analyze the role of MMPs in normal versus pathological conditions.

Image-Based 3d Reconstruction Data as AN Analysis and Documentation Tool for Architects: the Case of Plaka Bridge in Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouimtzoglou, T.; Stathopoulou, E. K.; Agrafiotis, P.; Georgopoulos, A.

2017-02-01

Μodern advances in the field of image-based 3D reconstruction of complex architectures are valuable tools that may offer the researchers great possibilities integrating the use of such procedures in their studies. In the same way that photogrammetry was a well-known useful tool among the cultural heritage community for years, the state of the art reconstruction techniques generate complete and easy to use 3D data, thus enabling engineers, architects and other cultural heritage experts to approach their case studies in an exhaustive and efficient way. The generated data can be a valuable and accurate basis upon which further plans and studies will be drafted. These and other aspects of the use of image-based 3D data for architectural studies are to be presented and analysed in this paper, based on the experience gained from a specific case study, the Plaka Bridge. This historic structure is of particular interest, as it was recently lost due to extreme weather conditions and serves as a strong proof that preventive actions are of utmost importance in order to preserve our common past.

The advances and perspectives of recombinant protein production in the silk gland of silkworm Bombyx mori.

PubMed

Xu, Hanfu

2014-10-01

The silk gland of silkworm Bombyx mori, is one of the most important organs that has been fully studied and utilized so far. It contributes finest silk fibers to humankind. The silk gland has excellent ability of synthesizing silk proteins and is a kind tool to produce some useful recombinant proteins, which can be widely used in the biological, biotechnical and pharmaceutical application fields. It's a very active area to express recombinant proteins using the silk gland as a bioreactor, and great progress has been achieved recently. This review recapitulates the progress of producing recombinant proteins and silk-based biomaterials in the silk gland of silkworm in addition to the construction of expression systems. Current challenges and future trends in the production of valuable recombinant proteins using transgenic silkworms are also discussed.

Distinguishing the cognitive processes of mindfulness: Developing a standardised mindfulness technique for use in longitudinal randomised control trials.

PubMed

Isbel, Ben; Summers, Mathew J

2017-07-01

A capacity model of mindfulness is adopted to differentiate the cognitive faculty of mindfulness from the metacognitive processes required to cultivate this faculty in mindfulness training. The model provides an explanatory framework incorporating both the developmental progression from focussed attention to open monitoring styles of mindfulness practice, along with the development of equanimity and insight. A standardised technique for activating these processes without the addition of secondary components is then introduced. Mindfulness-based interventions currently available for use in randomised control trials introduce components ancillary to the cognitive processes of mindfulness, limiting their ability to draw clear causative inferences. The standardised technique presented here does not introduce such ancillary factors, rendering it a valuable tool with which to investigate the processes activated in mindfulness practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

1 H-NMR with Multivariate Analysis for Automobile Lubricant Comparison.

PubMed

Kim, Siwon; Yoon, Dahye; Lee, Dong-Kye; Yoon, Changshin; Kim, Suhkmann

2017-07-01

Identification of suspected automobile-related lubricants could provide valuable information in forensic cases. We examined that automobile lubricants might exhibit the chemometric characteristics to their individual usages. To compare the degree of clustering in the plots, we co-plotted general industrial oils that were highly dissimilar with automobile lubricants in additive compositions. 1 H-NMR spectroscopy was used with multivariate statistics as a tool for grouping, clustering, and identification of automobile lubricants in laboratory conditions. We analyzed automobile lubricants including automobile engine oils, automobile transmission oils, automobile gear oils, and motorcycle oils. In contrast to the general industrial oils, automobile lubricants showed relatively high tendencies of clustering to their usages. Our pilot study demonstrated that the comparison of known and questioned samples to their usages might be possible in forensic fields. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

A Synthetic Recursive “+1” Pathway for Carbon Chain Elongation

PubMed Central

Marcheschi, Ryan J.; Li, Han; Zhang, Kechun; Noey, Elizabeth L.; Kim, Seonah; Chaubey, Asha; Houk, K. N.; Liao, James C.

2013-01-01

Nature uses four methods of carbon chain elongation for the production of 2-ketoacids, fatty acids, polyketides, and isoprenoids. Using a combination of quantum mechanical (QM) modeling, protein–substrate modeling, and protein and metabolic engineering, we have engineered the enzymes involved in leucine biosynthesis for use as a synthetic “+1” recursive metabolic pathway to extend the carbon chain of 2-ketoacids. This modified pathway preferentially selects longer-chain substrates for catalysis, as compared to the non-recursive natural pathway, and can recursively catalyze five elongation cycles to synthesize bulk chemicals, such as 1-heptanol, 1-octanol, and phenylpropanol directly from glucose. The “+1” chemistry is a valuable metabolic tool in addition to the “+5” chemistry and “+2” chemistry for the biosynthesis of isoprenoids, fatty acids, or polyketides. PMID:22242720

Detecting insider activity using enhanced directory virtualization.

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

Shin, Dongwan; Claycomb, William R.

2010-07-01

Insider threats often target authentication and access control systems, which are frequently based on directory services. Detecting these threats is challenging, because malicious users with the technical ability to modify these structures often have sufficient knowledge and expertise to conceal unauthorized activity. The use of directory virtualization to monitor various systems across an enterprise can be a valuable tool for detecting insider activity. The addition of a policy engine to directory virtualization services enhances monitoring capabilities by allowing greater flexibility in analyzing changes for malicious intent. The resulting architecture is a system-based approach, where the relationships and dependencies between datamore » sources and directory services are used to detect an insider threat, rather than simply relying on point solutions. This paper presents such an architecture in detail, including a description of implementation results.« less

UnCover on the Web: search hints and applications in library environments.

PubMed

Galpern, N F; Albert, K M

1997-01-01

Among the huge maze of resources available on the Internet, UnCoverWeb stands out as a valuable tool for medical libraries. This up-to-date, free-access, multidisciplinary database of periodical references is searched through an easy-to-learn graphical user interface that is a welcome improvement over the telnet version. This article reviews the basic and advanced search techniques for UnCoverWeb, as well as providing information on the document delivery functions and table of contents alerting service called Reveal. UnCover's currency is evaluated and compared with other current awareness resources. System deficiencies are discussed, with the conclusion that although UnCoverWeb lacks the sophisticated features of many commercial database search services, it is nonetheless a useful addition to the repertoire of information sources available in a library.

Mechanical break junctions: enormous information in a nanoscale package.

PubMed

Natelson, Douglas

2012-04-24

Mechanical break junctions, particularly those in which a metal tip is repeatedly moved in and out of contact with a metal film, have provided many insights into electronic conduction at the atomic and molecular scale, most often by averaging over many possible junction configurations. This averaging throws away a great deal of information, and Makk et al. in this issue of ACS Nano demonstrate that, with both simulated and real experimental data, more sophisticated two-dimensional analysis methods can reveal information otherwise obscured in simple histograms. As additional measured quantities come into play in break junction experiments, including thermopower, noise, and optical response, these more sophisticated analytic approaches are likely to become even more powerful. While break junctions are not directly practical for useful electronic devices, they are incredibly valuable tools for unraveling the electronic transport physics relevant for ultrascaled nanoelectronics.

Embedding, serial sectioning and staining of zebrafish embryos using JB-4 resin.

PubMed

Sullivan-Brown, Jessica; Bisher, Margaret E; Burdine, Rebecca D

2011-01-01

Histological techniques are critical for observing tissue and cellular morphology. In this paper, we outline our protocol for embedding, serial sectioning, staining and visualizing zebrafish embryos embedded in JB-4 plastic resin-a glycol methacrylate-based medium that results in excellent preservation of tissue morphology. In addition, we describe our procedures for staining plastic sections with toluidine blue or hematoxylin and eosin, and show how to couple these stains with whole-mount RNA in situ hybridization. We also describe how to maintain and visualize immunofluorescence and EGFP signals in JB-4 resin. The protocol we outline-from embryo preparation, embedding, sectioning and staining to visualization-can be accomplished in 3 d. Overall, we reinforce that plastic embedding can provide higher resolution of cellular details and is a valuable tool for cellular and morphological studies in zebrafish.

Translating novel findings of perceptual-motor codes into the neuro-rehabilitation of movement disorders.

PubMed

Pazzaglia, Mariella; Galli, Giulia

2015-01-01

The bidirectional flow of perceptual and motor information has recently proven useful as rehabilitative tool for re-building motor memories. We analyzed how the visual-motor approach has been successfully applied in neurorehabilitation, leading to surprisingly rapid and effective improvements in action execution. We proposed that the contribution of multiple sensory channels during treatment enables individuals to predict and optimize motor behavior, having a greater effect than visual input alone. We explored how the state-of-the-art neuroscience techniques show direct evidence that employment of visual-motor approach leads to increased motor cortex excitability and synaptic and cortical map plasticity. This super-additive response to multimodal stimulation may maximize neural plasticity, potentiating the effect of conventional treatment, and will be a valuable approach when it comes to advances in innovative methodologies.

Mycotoxins co-contamination: Methodological aspects and biological relevance of combined toxicity studies.

PubMed

Alassane-Kpembi, Imourana; Schatzmayr, Gerd; Taranu, Ionelia; Marin, Daniela; Puel, Olivier; Oswald, Isabelle Paule

2017-11-02

Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites produced mainly by Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium. As evidenced by large-scale surveys, humans and animals are simultaneously exposed to several mycotoxins. Simultaneous exposure could result in synergistic, additive or antagonistic effects. However, most toxicity studies addressed the effects of mycotoxins separately. We present the experimental designs and we discuss the conclusions drawn from in vitro experiments exploring toxicological interactions of mycotoxins. We report more than 80 publications related to mycotoxin interactions. The studies explored combinations involving the regulated groups of mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins, ochratoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone and trichothecenes, but also the "emerging" mycotoxins beauvericin and enniatins. Over 50 publications are based on the arithmetic model of additivity. Few studies used the factorial designs or the theoretical biology-based models of additivity. The latter approaches are gaining increased attention. These analyses allow determination of the type of interaction and, optionally, its magnitude. The type of interaction reported for mycotoxin combinations depended on several factors, in particular cell models and the tested dose ranges. However, synergy among Fusarium toxins was highlighted in several studies. This review indicates that well-addressed in vitro studies remain valuable tools for the screening of interactive potential in mycotoxin mixtures.

Modeling Periodic Impulsive Effects on Online TV Series Diffusion.

PubMed

Fu, Peihua; Zhu, Anding; Fang, Qiwen; Wang, Xi

Online broadcasting substantially affects the production, distribution, and profit of TV series. In addition, online word-of-mouth significantly affects the diffusion of TV series. Because on-demand streaming rates are the most important factor that influences the earnings of online video suppliers, streaming statistics and forecasting trends are valuable. In this paper, we investigate the effects of periodic impulsive stimulation and pre-launch promotion on on-demand streaming dynamics. We consider imbalanced audience feverish distribution using an impulsive susceptible-infected-removed(SIR)-like model. In addition, we perform a correlation analysis of online buzz volume based on Baidu Index data. We propose a PI-SIR model to evolve audience dynamics and translate them into on-demand streaming fluctuations, which can be observed and comprehended by online video suppliers. Six South Korean TV series datasets are used to test the model. We develop a coarse-to-fine two-step fitting scheme to estimate the model parameters, first by fitting inter-period accumulation and then by fitting inner-period feverish distribution. We find that audience members display similar viewing habits. That is, they seek new episodes every update day but fade away. This outcome means that impulsive intensity plays a crucial role in on-demand streaming diffusion. In addition, the initial audience size and online buzz are significant factors. On-demand streaming fluctuation is highly correlated with online buzz fluctuation. To stimulate audience attention and interpersonal diffusion, it is worthwhile to invest in promotion near update days. Strong pre-launch promotion is also a good marketing tool to improve overall performance. It is not advisable for online video providers to promote several popular TV series on the same update day. Inter-period accumulation is a feasible forecasting tool to predict the future trend of the on-demand streaming amount. The buzz in public social communities also represents a highly correlated analysis tool to evaluate the advertising value of TV series.

Modeling Periodic Impulsive Effects on Online TV Series Diffusion

PubMed Central

Fang, Qiwen; Wang, Xi

2016-01-01

Background Online broadcasting substantially affects the production, distribution, and profit of TV series. In addition, online word-of-mouth significantly affects the diffusion of TV series. Because on-demand streaming rates are the most important factor that influences the earnings of online video suppliers, streaming statistics and forecasting trends are valuable. In this paper, we investigate the effects of periodic impulsive stimulation and pre-launch promotion on on-demand streaming dynamics. We consider imbalanced audience feverish distribution using an impulsive susceptible-infected-removed(SIR)-like model. In addition, we perform a correlation analysis of online buzz volume based on Baidu Index data. Methods We propose a PI-SIR model to evolve audience dynamics and translate them into on-demand streaming fluctuations, which can be observed and comprehended by online video suppliers. Six South Korean TV series datasets are used to test the model. We develop a coarse-to-fine two-step fitting scheme to estimate the model parameters, first by fitting inter-period accumulation and then by fitting inner-period feverish distribution. Results We find that audience members display similar viewing habits. That is, they seek new episodes every update day but fade away. This outcome means that impulsive intensity plays a crucial role in on-demand streaming diffusion. In addition, the initial audience size and online buzz are significant factors. On-demand streaming fluctuation is highly correlated with online buzz fluctuation. Conclusion To stimulate audience attention and interpersonal diffusion, it is worthwhile to invest in promotion near update days. Strong pre-launch promotion is also a good marketing tool to improve overall performance. It is not advisable for online video providers to promote several popular TV series on the same update day. Inter-period accumulation is a feasible forecasting tool to predict the future trend of the on-demand streaming amount. The buzz in public social communities also represents a highly correlated analysis tool to evaluate the advertising value of TV series. PMID:27669520

Development of an Optimum Rescue Tool, Detailed Prototype Concept Design.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-01

vAll Ai24 108 0VLOOKIN Of A1 OPTIU.M *t$CUI VOOL OITAILEO /D ..010 ",:N COAC IPT DES III AMETIc/01fI SANTA SAROARA CA IT A Ot SIN IT aL. -~ JUaI A...penetrate hardened metal structures of aircraft. A large number of tools are transported to the scene of a crashed air- craft. Valuable time is lost deciding...carrying system is necessary for transport of the tool to allow the operator free use of his hands. Such a system would be a shoulder sling assembly

Just a tweet away.

PubMed

Gamble, Kate Huvane

2009-05-01

Hospitals and health systems are utilizing Web 2.0 tools to improve staff communication, recruit for research, facilitate networking and build the hospital's brand. A number of hospitals are reporting that tools like YouTube (for Webcasts) can significantly increase traffic to the hospital's site. Mobile CIOs can stay in touch with IT staffs from the road by sending and receiving Twitter updates. Social media can break down hierarchal boundaries by making C-suite executives more easily accessible to others in the organization. Sites like LinkedIn and Plaxo can be a valuable tool for CIOs looking to fill positions or network with peers.

Mining Marketing Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

MarketMiner(R) Products, a line of automated marketing analysis tools manufactured by MarketMiner, Inc., can benefit organizations that perform significant amounts of direct marketing. MarketMiner received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from NASA's Johnson Space Center to develop the software as a data modeling tool for space mission applications. The technology was then built into the company current products to provide decision support for business and marketing applications. With the tool, users gain valuable information about customers and prospects from existing data in order to increase sales and profitability. MarketMiner(R) is a registered trademark of MarketMiner, Inc.

High-resolution DNA melting analysis in plant research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genetic and genomic studies provide valuable insight into the inheritance, structure, organization, and function of genes. The knowledge gained from the analysis of plant genes is beneficial to all aspects of plant research, including crop improvement. New methods and tools are continually developed...

Inferring Population Exposure from Biomonitoring Data on Urinary Concentrations (SOT)

EPA Science Inventory

Biomonitoring studies such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) are valuable to exposure assessment both as sources of data to evaluate exposure models and as training sets to develop heuristics for rapid-exposure-assessment tools. However, linking in...

Spatial Epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax, Afghanistan

PubMed Central

Leslie, Toby; Kolaczinski, Kate; Mohsen, Engineer; Mehboob, Najeebullah; Saleheen, Sarah; Khudonazarov, Juma; Freeman, Tim; Clements, Archie; Rowland, Mark; Kolaczinski, Jan

2006-01-01

Plasmodium vivax is endemic to many areas of Afghanistan. Geographic analysis helped highlight areas of malaria risk and clarified ecologic risk factors for transmission. Remote sensing enabled development of a risk map, thereby providing a valuable tool to help guide malaria control strategies. PMID:17176583

Reporting of Systematic Reviews of Micronutrients and Health: A Critical Appraisal

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Context: Systematic review is a valuable tool for evaluating nutrition-related research and formulating nutrition recommendation. Lack of standardized criteria for generating these reviews has restricted their potential utility. Objective: To evaluate the characteristics and reporting quality of pub...

Experimental Stream Facility: Design and Research

EPA Science Inventory

The Experimental Stream Facility (ESF) is a valuable research tool for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development’s (ORD) laboratories in Cincinnati, Ohio. This brochure describes the ESF, which is one of only a handful of research facilit...

THE ROLE OF PRE-EVENT CANOPY STORAGE IN THROUGHFALL AND STEMFLOW USING ISOTOPIC TRACERS

EPA Science Inventory

Stable isotopes can be a valuable tool for tracing the redistribution, storage, and evaporation of water associated with canopy interception of rainfall. Isotopic differences between throughfall and rainfall have been attributed to three mechanisms: evaporative fractionation, iso...

Simulation in Higher Education: A Sociomaterial View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopwood, Nick; Rooney, Donna; Boud, David; Kelly, Michelle

2016-01-01

This article presents a sociomaterial account of simulation in higher education. Sociomaterial approaches change the ontological and epistemological bases for understanding learning and offer valuable tools for addressing important questions about relationships between university education and professional practices. Simulation has grown in many…

How to handle stuck pipe and fishing problems

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

Brouse, M.

1983-01-01

This paper presents valuable information on evaluating fishing problems, including a rule of thumb equation for estimating the number of days that should be spent fishing. Also given is a description and usage breakdown of the numerous tools available to the operator.

HISTOPATHOLOGICAL BIOMARKERS AS INTEGRATORS OF ANTHROPOGENIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS

EPA Science Inventory

Histopathology is an extremely useful tool for assessing effects of exposure to stressors at the level of the individual. Even though the histopathological approach is somewhat qualitative, it is very valuable because the observed lesions represent an integration of cumulative e...

Fidelity of simulation and transfer of training : a review of the problem.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1969-12-01

The document is concerned with the several kinds of flight simulators available today which are valuable tools for research, training and proficiency determination. They range from simple trainer type devices, which are useful for the learning of spe...

HISTOPATHOLOGICAL BIOMARKERS AS INTEGRATORS OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANT EXPOSURE AND EFFECTS IN FISH

EPA Science Inventory

Histopathology can be an extremely useful tool for assessing effects of chemical exposure in fish at the level of the individual. Although somewhat qualitative, the histopathological approach is especially valuable because observed lesions represent an integration of cumulative e...

Application of geophysical methods to agriculture: An overview

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Geophysical methods are becoming an increasingly valuable tool for agricultural applications. Agricultural geophysics investigations are commonly (although certainly not always) focused on delineating small- and/or large-scale objects/features within the soil profile (~ 0 to 2 m depth) over very lar...

Using airborne light detection and ranging as a sampling tool for estimating forest biomass resources in the upper Tanana Valley of interior Alaska

Treesearch

Hans-Erik Andersen; Jacob Strunk; Hailemariam Temesgen

2011-01-01

Airborne laser scanning, collected in a sampling mode, has the potential to be a valuable tool for estimating the biomass resources available to support bioenergy production in rural communities of interior Alaska. In this study, we present a methodology for estimating forest biomass over a 201,226-ha area (of which 163,913 ha are forested) in the upper Tanana valley...

Productivity, part 2: cloud storage, remote meeting tools, screencasting, speech recognition software, password managers, and online data backup.

PubMed

Lackey, Amanda E; Pandey, Tarun; Moshiri, Mariam; Lalwani, Neeraj; Lall, Chandana; Bhargava, Puneet

2014-06-01

It is an opportune time for radiologists to focus on personal productivity. The ever increasing reliance on computers and the Internet has significantly changed the way we work. Myriad software applications are available to help us improve our personal efficiency. In this article, the authors discuss some tools that help improve collaboration and personal productivity, maximize e-learning, and protect valuable digital data. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Open Virtual Worlds as Pedagogical Research Tools: Learning from the Schome Park Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Twining, Peter; Peachey, Anna

This paper introduces the term Open Virtual Worlds and argues that they are ‘unclaimed educational spaces’, which provide a valuable tool for researching pedagogy. Having explored these claims the way in which Teen Second Life® virtual world was used for pedagogical experimentation in the initial phases of the Schome Park Programme is described. Four sets of pedagogical dimensions that emerged are presented and illustrated with examples from the Schome Park Programme.

Tying Profit to Performance: A Valuable Tool, But Use With Good Judgment

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

tool that ties profit to performance in a way that has been dem- onstrated to be a win-win for DoD and industry. PBL is...understood the definition of suc-cess: It was profit . If something made a profit for a business, it was good. If some- thing did not make a profit for a ... bankruptcy . Declining profits make it harder for businesses to raise capital or to invest for their futures. These

U.S. Army Workshop on Solid-Propellant Ignition and Combustion Modeling.

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-07-01

saving tool in the design, development, testing, and evaluation of future gun-propulsion systems , and that, under current funding constraints, research...53 7.1 What systems are currently being addressed...9 ............. . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 7.5 What model systems might be valuable for

Marking Ground Targets With Radio Transmitters Dropped From Aircraft

Treesearch

Thomas H. Nichols; Michael E. Ostry; Mark R. Fuller

1981-01-01

Reports development and use of a radio transmitter device that can be dropped from aircraft into target areas in remote habitats. Such a device could be a valuable tool for studying and managing forests and wildlife, for controlling forest fires, and for handling emergencies.

An algorithm for approximate rectification of digital aerial images

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

High-resolution aerial photography is one of the most valuable tools available for managing extensive landscapes. With recent advances in digital camera technology, computer hardware, and software, aerial photography is easier to collect, store, and transfer than ever before. Images can be automa...

MODELING THE EFFECT OF STREAM NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS AND JUVENILE MOVEMENT ON COHO SALMON

EPA Science Inventory

Simulation modeling can be a valuable tool for improving our scientific understanding of the mechanisms that affect fish abundance and sustainability. Spatially explicit models, in particular, can be used to study interactions between fish biology and spatiotemporal habitat patt...

Modular, Semantics-Based Composition of Biosimulation Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neal, Maxwell Lewis

2010-01-01

Biosimulation models are valuable, versatile tools used for hypothesis generation and testing, codification of biological theory, education, and patient-specific modeling. Driven by recent advances in computational power and the accumulation of systems-level experimental data, modelers today are creating models with an unprecedented level of…

Capacity for DNA-barcode based taxonomy in support of Great Lakes biological monitoring

EPA Science Inventory

Enumerating organisms collected via nets and sediment grabs is a mainstay of aquatic ecology. Since morphological taxonomy can require considerable resources and expertise, DNA barcode-based identification of mixed-organism samples offers a valuable tool in support of biological...

Hypnosis--A Neglected Tool for Client Empowerment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winsor, Roswitha M.

1993-01-01

Calls clinical hypnosis valuable treatment modality that deserves to be more widely used by social workers. Presents overview of hypnosis, distinguishing between directive, Ericksonian, and permissive hypnosis. Presents characteristics of hypnotic trance and differing capacities of individuals in trance. Describes how permissive hypnosis is used…

Surprise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adler, Jonathan E.

2008-01-01

Surprise is of great value for learning, especially in cases where deep-seated preconceptions and assumptions are upset by vivid demonstrations. In this essay, Jonathan Adler explores the ways in which surprise positively affects us and serves as a valuable tool for motivating learning. Adler considers how students' attention is aroused and…

DDL:Digital systems design language

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shival, S. G.

1980-01-01

Hardware description languages are valuable tools in such applications as hardware design, system documentation, and logic design training. DDL is convenient medium for inputting design details into hardware-design automation system. It is suitable for describing digital systems at gate, register transfer, and major combinational block level.

Quantum Cascade Lasers in Biomedical Infrared Imaging.

PubMed

Bird, Benjamin; Baker, Matthew J

2015-10-01

Technological advances, namely the integration of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) within an infrared (IR) microscope, are enabling the development of valuable label-free biomedical-imaging tools capable of targeting and detecting salient chemical species within practical clinical timeframes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating the Knowledge Management Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stylianou, Vasso; Savva, Andreas

2016-01-01

Knowledge Management (KM) efforts aim at leveraging an organization into a knowledge organization thereby presenting knowledge employees with a very powerful tool; organized valuable knowledge accessible when and where needed in flexible, technologically-enhanced modes. The attainment of this aim, i.e., the transformation into a knowledge…

78 FR 9667 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-11

... data are used widely and are valuable tools for analysts of business cycle conditions, including..., Department of the Treasury, and the business community. New orders serve as an indicator of future production... following formula: Affected Public: Business or other for-profit. Frequency: Annually. Respondent's...

Using biotechnology and genomics to improve biotic and abiotic stress in apple

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genomic sequencing, molecular biology, and transformation technologies are providing valuable tools to better understand the complexity of how plants develop, function, and respond to biotic and abiotic stress. These approaches should complement but not replace a solid understanding of whole plant ...

Temperature-mediated growth thresholds of Acrobasis vaccinii (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Degree-day models link ambient temperature to the development of insects, making such models valuable tools in integrated pest management. Phenology models increase management efficacy by quantifying and predicting pest phenology. In Wisconsin, the top pest of cranberry production is the cranberry f...

The potential of ultrasonography in the evaluation of foot orthotics therapy.

PubMed

Petcu, Daniel; Mitrea, Delia Alexandrina; Bondor, Cosmina Ioana; Perciun, Elena Rodica

2017-11-29

Foot orthotics prescription is based on the foot functioning paradigms with tissue stress theory being in avant-garde. The main goal of orthotic therapy is to reduce the internal tissue's pathological stresses in the foot structures. Traditionally, ultrasound scanning technique depicts anatomic related data of both common and uncommon pathology encountered in the clinical practice, helping in diagnosing, treating and evaluating, which are equally important for the practitioners. Its accessibility, compared to biomechanical modelling, makes this technique a valuable tool in the field of foot and ankle disorders. Despite its user-dependent limitation, the ongoing technical progress improves the ability of ultrasonography as a highly advanced procedure in musculoskeletal imaging, being also a valuable searching tool for musculotendinous mechanics or morphological changes as a result of a conservative intervention. The aim of the present work was to perform a review of the state of the art concerning the usefulness of ultrasonography in the study of foot orthotic therapy and to analyze its effectiveness.

Audience response made easy: using personal digital assistants as a classroom polling tool.

PubMed

Menon, Anil S; Moffett, Shannon; Enriquez, Melissa; Martinez, Miriam M; Dev, Parvati; Grappone, Todd

2004-01-01

Both teachers and students benefit from an interactive classroom. The teacher receives valuable input about effectiveness, student interest, and comprehension, whereas student participation, active learning, and enjoyment of the class are enhanced. Cost and deployment have limited the use of existing audience response systems, allowing anonymous linking of teachers and students in the classroom. These limitations can be circumvented, however, by use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), which are cheaper and widely used by students. In this study, the authors equipped a summer histology class of 12 students with PDAs and wireless Bluetooth cards to allow access to a central server. Teachers displayed questions in multiple-choice format as a Web page on the server and students responded with their PDAs, a process referred to as polling. Responses were immediately compiled, analyzed, and displayed. End-of-class survey results indicated that students were enthusiastic about the polling tool. The surveys also provided technical feedback that will be valuable in streamlining future trials.

DISCRETE EVENT SIMULATION OF OPTICAL SWITCH MATRIX PERFORMANCE IN COMPUTER NETWORKS

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

Imam, Neena; Poole, Stephen W

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present application of a Discrete Event Simulator (DES) for performance modeling of optical switching devices in computer networks. Network simulators are valuable tools in situations where one cannot investigate the system directly. This situation may arise if the system under study does not exist yet or the cost of studying the system directly is prohibitive. Most available network simulators are based on the paradigm of discrete-event-based simulation. As computer networks become increasingly larger and more complex, sophisticated DES tool chains have become available for both commercial and academic research. Some well-known simulators are NS2, NS3, OPNET,more » and OMNEST. For this research, we have applied OMNEST for the purpose of simulating multi-wavelength performance of optical switch matrices in computer interconnection networks. Our results suggest that the application of DES to computer interconnection networks provides valuable insight in device performance and aids in topology and system optimization.« less

Role of solute-transport models in the analysis of groundwater salinity problems in agricultural areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Konikow, Leonard F.

1981-01-01

Undesirable salinity increases occur in both groundwater and surface water and are commonly related to agricultural practices. Groundwater recharge from precipitation or irrigation will transport and disperse residual salts concentrated by evapotranspiration, salts leached from soil and aquifer materials, as well as some dissolved fertilizers and pesticides. Where stream salinity is affected by agricultural practices, the increases in salt load usually are attributable mostly to a groundwater component of flow. Thus, efforts to predict, manage, or control stream salinity increases should consider the role of groundwater in salt transport. Two examples of groundwater salinity problems in Colorado, U.S.A., illustrate that a model which simulates accurately the transport and dispersion of solutes in flowing groundwater can be (1) a valuable investigative tool to help understand the processes and parameters controlling the movement and fate of the salt, and (2) a valuable management tool for predicting responses and optimizing the development and use of the total water resource. ?? 1981.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

PubMed Central

Pinsky, Linda E; Wipf, Joyce E

2000-01-01

Videotapes, through vividly displayed clinical images and teaching interactions, are valuable tools for both learners and teachers. Visual images in combination with verbal instruction have been shown to significantly increase recall and retention. Many clinicians and medical teachers are aware of videotape resources, but have not had a chance to develop their use in medical education. In this paper, we discuss creative applications of videotapes in three major categories: presenting information, triggering discussion, and as a tool for direct self-observation and feedback. Videotapes may be valuable for presenting information in settings of didactic instruction; for triggering discussion during teaching workshops; and for self-observation of patient-doctor interactions and learner-teacher encounters. The article presents learner-centered approaches to review a videotaped clinical encounter in order to enhance value and comfort for the learner and teacher. Sources of tapes include on-site videotaping, published educational tapes and commercial tapes shown in accordance with fair use guidelines, examples of which are referenced. Videotapes add another dimension to traditional sources of physician education. PMID:11119173

MALDI TOF imaging mass spectrometry in clinical pathology: a valuable tool for cancer diagnostics (review).

PubMed

Kriegsmann, Jörg; Kriegsmann, Mark; Casadonte, Rita

2015-03-01

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight (TOF) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) is an evolving technique in cancer diagnostics and combines the advantages of mass spectrometry (proteomics), detection of numerous molecules, and spatial resolution in histological tissue sections and cytological preparations. This method allows the detection of proteins, peptides, lipids, carbohydrates or glycoconjugates and small molecules.Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue can also be investigated by IMS, thus, this method seems to be an ideal tool for cancer diagnostics and biomarker discovery. It may add information to the identification of tumor margins and tumor heterogeneity. The technique allows tumor typing, especially identification of the tumor of origin in metastatic tissue, as well as grading and may provide prognostic information. IMS is a valuable method for the identification of biomarkers and can complement histology, immunohistology and molecular pathology in various fields of histopathological diagnostics, especially with regard to identification and grading of tumors.

Audience Response Made Easy: Using Personal Digital Assistants as a Classroom Polling Tool

PubMed Central

Menon, Anil S.; Moffett, Shannon; Enriquez, Melissa; Martinez, Miriam M.; Dev, Parvati; Grappone, Todd

2004-01-01

Both teachers and students benefit from an interactive classroom. The teacher receives valuable input about effectiveness, student interest, and comprehension, whereas student participation, active learning, and enjoyment of the class are enhanced. Cost and deployment have limited the use of existing audience response systems, allowing anonymous linking of teachers and students in the classroom. These limitations can be circumvented, however, by use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), which are cheaper and widely used by students. In this study, the authors equipped a summer histology class of 12 students with PDAs and wireless Bluetooth cards to allow access to a central server. Teachers displayed questions in multiple-choice format as a Web page on the server and students responded with their PDAs, a process referred to as polling. Responses were immediately compiled, analyzed, and displayed. End-of-class survey results indicated that students were enthusiastic about the polling tool. The surveys also provided technical feedback that will be valuable in streamlining future trials. PMID:14764615

Professional regulation: a potentially valuable tool in responding to "stem cell tourism".

PubMed

Zarzeczny, Amy; Caulfield, Timothy; Ogbogu, Ubaka; Bell, Peter; Crooks, Valorie A; Kamenova, Kalina; Master, Zubin; Rachul, Christen; Snyder, Jeremy; Toews, Maeghan; Zoeller, Sonja

2014-09-09

The growing international market for unproven stem cell-based interventions advertised on a direct-to-consumer basis over the internet ("stem cell tourism") is a source of concern because of the risks it presents to patients as well as their supporters, domestic health care systems, and the stem cell research field. Emerging responses such as public and health provider-focused education and national regulatory efforts are encouraging, but the market continues to grow. Physicians play a number of roles in the stem cell tourism market and, in many jurisdictions, are members of a regulated profession. In this article, we consider the use of professional regulation to address physician involvement in stem cell tourism. Although it is not without its limitations, professional regulation is a potentially valuable tool that can be employed in response to problematic types of physician involvement in the stem cell tourism market. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computational Design and Discovery of Ni-Based Alloys and Coatings: Thermodynamic Approaches Validated by Experiments

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

Liu, Zi-Kui; Gleeson, Brian; Shang, Shunli

This project developed computational tools that can complement and support experimental efforts in order to enable discovery and more efficient development of Ni-base structural materials and coatings. The project goal was reached through an integrated computation-predictive and experimental-validation approach, including first-principles calculations, thermodynamic CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagram), and experimental investigations on compositions relevant to Ni-base superalloys and coatings in terms of oxide layer growth and microstructure stabilities. The developed description included composition ranges typical for coating alloys and, hence, allow for prediction of thermodynamic properties for these material systems. The calculation of phase compositions, phase fraction, and phase stabilities,more » which are directly related to properties such as ductility and strength, was a valuable contribution, along with the collection of computational tools that are required to meet the increasing demands for strong, ductile and environmentally-protective coatings. Specifically, a suitable thermodynamic description for the Ni-Al-Cr-Co-Si-Hf-Y system was developed for bulk alloy and coating compositions. Experiments were performed to validate and refine the thermodynamics from the CALPHAD modeling approach. Additionally, alloys produced using predictions from the current computational models were studied in terms of their oxidation performance. Finally, results obtained from experiments aided in the development of a thermodynamic modeling automation tool called ESPEI/pycalphad - for more rapid discovery and development of new materials.« less

Technology and tuberculosis control: the OUT-TB Web experience.

PubMed

Guthrie, Jennifer L; Alexander, David C; Marchand-Austin, Alex; Lam, Karen; Whelan, Michael; Lee, Brenda; Furness, Colin; Rea, Elizabeth; Stuart, Rebecca; Lechner, Julia; Varia, Monali; McLean, Jennifer; Jamieson, Frances B

2017-04-01

Develop a tool to disseminate integrated laboratory, clinical, and demographic case data necessary for improved contact tracing and outbreak detection of tuberculosis (TB). In 2007, the Public Health Ontario Laboratories implemented a universal genotyping program to monitor the spread of TB strains within Ontario. Ontario Universal Typing of TB (OUT-TB) Web utilizes geographic information system (GIS) technology with a relational database platform, allowing TB control staff to visualize genotyping matches and microbiological data within the context of relevant epidemiological and demographic data. OUT-TB Web is currently available to the 8 health units responsible for >85% of Ontario's TB cases and is a valuable tool for TB case investigation. Users identified key features to implement for application enhancements, including an e-mail alert function, customizable heat maps for visualizing TB and drug-resistant cases, socioeconomic map layers, a dashboard providing TB surveillance metrics, and a feature for animating the geographic spread of strains over time. OUT-TB Web has proven to be an award-winning application and a useful tool. Developed and enhanced using regular user feedback, future versions will include additional data sources, enhanced map and line-list filter capabilities, and development of a mobile app. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Motor and verbal perspective taking in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Changes in social interaction with people and tools.

PubMed

Studenka, Breanna E; Gillam, Sandra L; Hartzheim, Daphne; Gillam, Ronald B

2017-07-01

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty communicating with others nonverbally, via mechanisms such as hand gestures, eye contact and facial expression. Individuals with ASD also have marked deficits in planning future actions (Hughes, 1996), which might contribute to impairments in non-verbal communication. Perspective taking is typically assessed using verbal scenarios whereby the participant imagines how an actor would interact in a social situation (e.g., Sally Anne task; Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985). The current project evaluated motor perspective taking in five children with ASD (8-11 years old) as they participated in a narrative intervention program over the course of about 16 weeks. The goal of the motor perspective-taking task was to facilitate the action of an experimenter either hammering with a tool or putting it away. Initially, children with ASD facilitated the experimenter's action less than neurotypical control children. As the narrative intervention progressed, children with ASD exhibited increased motor facilitation that paralleled their increased use of mental state and causal language, indicating a link between verbal and motor perspective taking. Motoric perspective taking provides an additional way to assess understanding and communication in children with ASD and may be a valuable tool for both early assessment and diagnosis of children with ASD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tools for Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Microbes at Single-Cell Level

PubMed Central

Chen, Zixi; Chen, Lei; Zhang, Weiwen

2017-01-01

Microbiologists traditionally study population rather than individual cells, as it is generally assumed that the status of individual cells will be similar to that observed in the population. However, the recent studies have shown that the individual behavior of each single cell could be quite different from that of the whole population, suggesting the importance of extending traditional microbiology studies to single-cell level. With recent technological advances, such as flow cytometry, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and microspectroscopy, single-cell microbiology has greatly enhanced the understanding of individuality and heterogeneity of microbes in many biological systems. Notably, the application of multiple ‘omics’ in single-cell analysis has shed light on how individual cells perceive, respond, and adapt to the environment, how heterogeneity arises under external stress and finally determines the fate of the whole population, and how microbes survive under natural conditions. As single-cell analysis involves no axenic cultivation of target microorganism, it has also been demonstrated as a valuable tool for dissecting the microbial ‘dark matter.’ In this review, current state-of-the-art tools and methods for genomic and transcriptomic analysis of microbes at single-cell level were critically summarized, including single-cell isolation methods and experimental strategies of single-cell analysis with NGS. In addition, perspectives on the future trends of technology development in the field of single-cell analysis was also presented. PMID:28979258

Comparison of quantitative NMR and IRMS spectrometry for the authentication of "Polish Vodka".

PubMed

Ciepielowski, Grzegorz; Pacholczyk-Sienicka, Barbara; Frączek, Tomasz; Klajman, Kamila; Paneth, Piotr; Albrecht, Łukasz

2018-05-31

The production of "Polish Vodka" is restricted by law to the ethyl alcohol of agricultural origins obtained from rye, wheat, barley, oat, triticale and potatoes grown on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The current labeling system should guarantee that the spirit is authentic and of good quality but not all producers are honest. Unfortunately, the authentic "Polish Vodka" is the most often counterfeited by the addition of cheaper and more accessible maize spirits. These illegal practices significantly reduce costs of the spirit production. Therefore, the determination of the botanical origin of alcohol in Poland is highly relevant. The quantitative 2 H NMR and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) were used to investigate the authenticity of 30 samples of Polish spirits. Several isotopic parameters were used to determine the botanical origin of 10 unknown samples. Both approaches lead to the same conclusions regarding the percentage of maize-derived ethanol addition. Applied techniques are a valuable tool in the fight against counterfeiting of products. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

High-resolution mapping, characterization, and optimization of autonomously replicating sequences in yeast

PubMed Central

Liachko, Ivan; Youngblood, Rachel A.; Keich, Uri; Dunham, Maitreya J.

2013-01-01

DNA replication origins are necessary for the duplication of genomes. In addition, plasmid-based expression systems require DNA replication origins to maintain plasmids efficiently. The yeast autonomously replicating sequence (ARS) assay has been a valuable tool in dissecting replication origin structure and function. However, the dearth of information on origins in diverse yeasts limits the availability of efficient replication origin modules to only a handful of species and restricts our understanding of origin function and evolution. To enable rapid study of origins, we have developed a sequencing-based suite of methods for comprehensively mapping and characterizing ARSs within a yeast genome. Our approach finely maps genomic inserts capable of supporting plasmid replication and uses massively parallel deep mutational scanning to define molecular determinants of ARS function with single-nucleotide resolution. In addition to providing unprecedented detail into origin structure, our data have allowed us to design short, synthetic DNA sequences that retain maximal ARS function. These methods can be readily applied to understand and modulate ARS function in diverse systems. PMID:23241746

Ground-Based Facilities for Simulation of Microgravity: Organism-Specific Recommendations for Their Use, and Recommended Terminology

PubMed Central

Anken, Ralf; Boonstra, Johannes; Braun, Markus; Christianen, Peter C.M.; de Geest, Maarten; Hauslage, Jens; Hilbig, Reinhard; Hill, Richard J.A.; Lebert, Michael; Medina, F. Javier; Vagt, Nicole; Ullrich, Oliver

2013-01-01

Abstract Research in microgravity is indispensable to disclose the impact of gravity on biological processes and organisms. However, research in the near-Earth orbit is severely constrained by the limited number of flight opportunities. Ground-based simulators of microgravity are valuable tools for preparing spaceflight experiments, but they also facilitate stand-alone studies and thus provide additional and cost-efficient platforms for gravitational research. The various microgravity simulators that are frequently used by gravitational biologists are based on different physical principles. This comparative study gives an overview of the most frequently used microgravity simulators and demonstrates their individual capacities and limitations. The range of applicability of the various ground-based microgravity simulators for biological specimens was carefully evaluated by using organisms that have been studied extensively under the conditions of real microgravity in space. In addition, current heterogeneous terminology is discussed critically, and recommendations are given for appropriate selection of adequate simulators and consistent use of nomenclature. Key Words: 2-D clinostat—3-D clinostat—Gravity—Magnetic levitation—Random positioning machine—Simulated microgravity—Space biology. Astrobiology 13, 1–17. PMID:23252378

Rewiring cells: synthetic biology as a tool to interrogate the organizational principles of living systems.

PubMed

Bashor, Caleb J; Horwitz, Andrew A; Peisajovich, Sergio G; Lim, Wendell A

2010-01-01

The living cell is an incredibly complex entity, and the goal of predictively and quantitatively understanding its function is one of the next great challenges in biology. Much of what we know about the cell concerns its constituent parts, but to a great extent we have yet to decode how these parts are organized to yield complex physiological function. Classically, we have learned about the organization of cellular networks by disrupting them through genetic or chemical means. The emerging discipline of synthetic biology offers an additional, powerful approach to study systems. By rearranging the parts that comprise existing networks, we can gain valuable insight into the hierarchical logic of the networks and identify the modular building blocks that evolution uses to generate innovative function. In addition, by building minimal toy networks, one can systematically explore the relationship between network structure and function. Here, we outline recent work that uses synthetic biology approaches to investigate the organization and function of cellular networks, and describe a vision for a synthetic biology toolkit that could be used to interrogate the design principles of diverse systems.

Developing a Synthetic Biology Toolkit for Comamonas testosteroni, an Emerging Cellular Chassis for Bioremediation.

PubMed

Tang, Qiang; Lu, Ting; Liu, Shuang-Jiang

2018-06-12

Synthetic biology is rapidly evolving into a new phase that emphasizes real-world applications such as environmental remediation. Recently, Comamonas testosteroni has become a promising chassis for bioremediation due to its natural pollutant-degrading capacity; however, its application is hindered by the lack of fundamental gene expression tools. Here, we present a synthetic biology toolkit that enables rapid creation of functional gene circuits in C. testosteroni. We first built a shuttle system that allows efficient circuit construction in E. coli and necessary phenotypic testing in C. testosteroni. Then, we tested a set of wildtype inducible promoters, and further used a hybrid strategy to create engineered promoters to expand expression strength and dynamics. Additionally, we tested the T7 RNA Polymerase-P T7 promoter system and reduced its leaky expression through promoter mutation for gene expression. By coupling random library construction with FACS screening, we further developed a synthetic T7 promoter library to confer a wider range of expression strength and dynamic characteristics. This study provides a set of valuable tools to engineer gene circuits in C. testosteroni, facilitating the establishment of the organism as a useful microbial chassis for bioremediation purposes.

Development of designed site-directed pseudopeptide-peptido-mimetic immunogens as novel minimal subunit-vaccine candidates for malaria.

PubMed

Lozano, José Manuel; Lesmes, Liliana P; Carreño, Luisa F; Gallego, Gina M; Patarroyo, Manuel Elkin

2010-12-06

Synthetic vaccines constitute the most promising tools for controlling and preventing infectious diseases. When synthetic immunogens are designed from the pathogen native sequences, these are normally poorly immunogenic and do not induce protection, as demonstrated in our research. After attempting many synthetic strategies for improving the immunogenicity properties of these sequences, the approach consisting of identifying high binding motifs present in those, and then performing specific changes on amino-acids belonging to such motifs, has proven to be a workable strategy. In addition, other strategies consisting of chemically introducing non-natural constraints to the backbone topology of the molecule and modifying the α-carbon asymmetry are becoming valuable tools to be considered in this pursuit. Non-natural structural constraints to the peptide backbone can be achieved by introducing peptide bond isosters such as reduced amides, partially retro or retro-inverso modifications or even including urea motifs. The second can be obtained by strategically replacing L-amino-acids with their enantiomeric forms for obtaining both structurally site-directed designed immunogens as potential vaccine candidates and their Ig structural molecular images, both having immuno-therapeutic effects for preventing and controlling malaria.

Machine learning classification with confidence: application of transductive conformal predictors to MRI-based diagnostic and prognostic markers in depression.

PubMed

Nouretdinov, Ilia; Costafreda, Sergi G; Gammerman, Alexander; Chervonenkis, Alexey; Vovk, Vladimir; Vapnik, Vladimir; Fu, Cynthia H Y

2011-05-15

There is rapidly accumulating evidence that the application of machine learning classification to neuroimaging measurements may be valuable for the development of diagnostic and prognostic prediction tools in psychiatry. However, current methods do not produce a measure of the reliability of the predictions. Knowing the risk of the error associated with a given prediction is essential for the development of neuroimaging-based clinical tools. We propose a general probabilistic classification method to produce measures of confidence for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. We describe the application of transductive conformal predictor (TCP) to MRI images. TCP generates the most likely prediction and a valid measure of confidence, as well as the set of all possible predictions for a given confidence level. We present the theoretical motivation for TCP, and we have applied TCP to structural and functional MRI data in patients and healthy controls to investigate diagnostic and prognostic prediction in depression. We verify that TCP predictions are as accurate as those obtained with more standard machine learning methods, such as support vector machine, while providing the additional benefit of a valid measure of confidence for each prediction. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The replication of a mouse adapted SARS-CoV in a mouse cell line stably expressing the murine SARS-CoV receptor mACE2 efficiently induces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines.

PubMed

Regla-Nava, Jose A; Jimenez-Guardeño, Jose M; Nieto-Torres, Jose L; Gallagher, Thomas M; Enjuanes, Luis; DeDiego, Marta L

2013-11-01

Infection of conventional mice with a mouse adapted (MA15) severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV) reproduces many aspects of human SARS such as pathological changes in lung, viremia, neutrophilia, and lethality. However, established mouse cell lines highly susceptible to mouse-adapted SARS-CoV infection are not available. In this work, efficiently transfectable mouse cell lines stably expressing the murine SARS-CoV receptor angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) have been generated. These cells yielded high SARS-CoV-MA15 titers and also served as excellent tools for plaque assays. In addition, in these cell lines, SARS-CoV-MA15 induced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and IFN-β, mimicking what has been observed in experimental animal models infected with SARS-CoV and SARS patients. These cell lines are valuable tools to perform in vitro studies in a mouse cell system that reflects the species used for in vivo studies of SARS-CoV-MA15 pathogenesis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Application of mathematical models to metronomic chemotherapy: What can be inferred from minimal parameterized models?

PubMed

Ledzewicz, Urszula; Schättler, Heinz

2017-08-10

Metronomic chemotherapy refers to the frequent administration of chemotherapy at relatively low, minimally toxic doses without prolonged treatment interruptions. Different from conventional or maximum-tolerated-dose chemotherapy which aims at an eradication of all malignant cells, in a metronomic dosing the goal often lies in the long-term management of the disease when eradication proves elusive. Mathematical modeling and subsequent analysis (theoretical as well as numerical) have become an increasingly more valuable tool (in silico) both for determining conditions under which specific treatment strategies should be preferred and for numerically optimizing treatment regimens. While elaborate, computationally-driven patient specific schemes that would optimize the timing and drug dose levels are still a part of the future, such procedures may become instrumental in making chemotherapy effective in situations where it currently fails. Ideally, mathematical modeling and analysis will develop into an additional decision making tool in the complicated process that is the determination of efficient chemotherapy regimens. In this article, we review some of the results that have been obtained about metronomic chemotherapy from mathematical models and what they infer about the structure of optimal treatment regimens. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incorporating equity considerations in transport infrastructure evaluation: Current practice and a proposed methodology.

PubMed

Thomopoulos, N; Grant-Muller, S; Tight, M R

2009-11-01

Interest has re-emerged on the issue of how to incorporate equity considerations in the appraisal of transport projects and large road infrastructure projects in particular. This paper offers a way forward in addressing some of the theoretical and practical concerns that have presented difficulties to date in incorporating equity concerns in the appraisal of such projects. Initially an overview of current practice within transport regarding the appraisal of equity considerations in Europe is offered based on an extensive literature review. Acknowledging the value of a framework approach, research towards introducing a theoretical framework is then presented. The proposed framework is based on the well established MCA Analytic Hierarchy Process and is also contrasted with the use of a CBA based approach. The framework outlined here offers an additional support tool to decision makers who will be able to differentiate choices based on their views on specific equity principles and equity types. It also holds the potential to become a valuable tool for evaluators as a result of the option to assess predefined equity perspectives of decision makers against both the project objectives and the estimated project impacts. This framework may also be of further value to evaluators outside transport.

Atomic force microscopy as an advanced tool in neuroscience

PubMed Central

Jembrek, Maja Jazvinšćak; Šimić, Goran; Hof, Patrick R.; Šegota, Suzana

2015-01-01

This review highlights relevant issues about applications and improvements of atomic force microscopy (AFM) toward a better understanding of neurodegenerative changes at the molecular level with the hope of contributing to the development of effective therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative illnesses. The basic principles of AFM are briefly discussed in terms of evaluation of experimental data, including the newest PeakForce Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping (QNM) and the evaluation of Young’s modulus as the crucial elasticity parameter. AFM topography, revealed in imaging mode, can be used to monitor changes in live neurons over time, representing a valuable tool for high-resolution detection and monitoring of neuronal morphology. The mechanical properties of living cells can be quantified by force spectroscopy as well as by new AFM. A variety of applications are described, and their relevance for specific research areas discussed. In addition, imaging as well as non-imaging modes can provide specific information, not only about the structural and mechanical properties of neuronal membranes, but also on the cytoplasm, cell nucleus, and particularly cytoskeletal components. Moreover, new AFM is able to provide detailed insight into physical structure and biochemical interactions in both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. PMID:28123795

Patient seeking behaviors and online personas: social media's role in cosmetic dermatology.

PubMed

Ross, Nicholas A; Todd, Quintin; Saedi, Nazanin

2015-02-01

Social media sites, composed of providers, patients, and their social circles, facilitate health and healthcare delivery. To examine patients' perspective on social media as an information source, communication tool, and referral service through an anonymous survey. In addition, influences on patient Internet personas, an actively constructed online identity, around the time of cosmetic procedures are examined. Patients completed an anonymous institutional review board-approved survey during their initial cosmetic visit. Patients are highly active on social media using it as a multipurpose tool for physician referral services, support groups, and disease education. Patients gathered dermatology information from multiple sources, including friends, family, social media pages, and other online sources, often sharing their own experiences through social media platforms. Patients indicated a desire for provider educational materials on interactive media pages. Most preferred material written by a physician, but some indicated a preference for both physician and lay material. Online images highlighting dissatisfying skin features were influential to select patients, prompting manipulation of online personas and evaluation for aesthetic procedures. Although the study examines cosmetic patient perspectives, data highlight valuable trends for all dermatologists. Social media can improve patient education, collaboration, recruitment, and online professional image, leading to healthier patient-centered care.

The CTSA Consortium's Catalog of Assets for Translational and Clinical Health Research (CATCHR)

PubMed Central

Mapes, Brandy; Basford, Melissa; Zufelt, Anneliese; Wehbe, Firas; Harris, Paul; Alcorn, Michael; Allen, David; Arnim, Margaret; Autry, Susan; Briggs, Michael S.; Carnegie, Andrea; Chavis‐Keeling, Deborah; De La Pena, Carlos; Dworschak, Doris; Earnest, Julie; Grieb, Terri; Guess, Marilyn; Hafer, Nathaniel; Johnson, Tesheia; Kasper, Amanda; Kopp, Janice; Lockie, Timothy; Lombardo, Vincetta; McHale, Leslie; Minogue, Andrea; Nunnally, Beth; O'Quinn, Deanna; Peck, Kelly; Pemberton, Kieran; Perry, Cheryl; Petrie, Ginny; Pontello, Andria; Posner, Rachel; Rehman, Bushra; Roth, Deborah; Sacksteder, Paulette; Scahill, Samantha; Schieri, Lorri; Simpson, Rosemary; Skinner, Anne; Toussant, Kim; Turner, Alicia; Van der Put, Elaine; Wasser, June; Webb, Chris D.; Williams, Maija; Wiseman, Lori; Yasko, Laurel; Pulley, Jill

2014-01-01

Abstract The 61 CTSA Consortium sites are home to valuable programs and infrastructure supporting translational science and all are charged with ensuring that such investments translate quickly to improved clinical care. Catalog of Assets for Translational and Clinical Health Research (CATCHR) is the Consortium's effort to collect and make available information on programs and resources to maximize efficiency and facilitate collaborations. By capturing information on a broad range of assets supporting the entire clinical and translational research spectrum, CATCHR aims to provide the necessary infrastructure and processes to establish and maintain an open‐access, searchable database of consortium resources to support multisite clinical and translational research studies. Data are collected using rigorous, defined methods, with the resulting information made visible through an integrated, searchable Web‐based tool. Additional easy‐to‐use Web tools assist resource owners in validating and updating resource information over time. In this paper, we discuss the design and scope of the project, data collection methods, current results, and future plans for development and sustainability. With increasing pressure on research programs to avoid redundancy, CATCHR aims to make available information on programs and core facilities to maximize efficient use of resources. PMID:24456567

Perceived Utility of Pharmacy Licensure Examination Preparation Tools

PubMed Central

Peak, Amy Sutton; Sheehan, Amy Heck; Arnett, Stephanie

2006-01-01

Objectives To identify board examination preparation tools most commonly used by recent pharmacy graduates and determine which tools are perceived as most valuable and representative of the actual content of licensure examinations. Methods An electronic survey was sent to all 2004 graduates of colleges of pharmacy in Indiana. Participants identified which specific preparation tools were used and rated tools based on usefulness, representativeness of licensure examination, and monetary value, and provided overall recommendations to future graduates. Results The most commonly used preparation tools were the Pharmacy Law Review Session offered by Dr. Thomas Wilson at Purdue University, the Complete Review for Pharmacy, Pre-NAPLEX, PharmPrep, and the Kaplan NAPLEX Review. Tools receiving high ratings in all categories included Dr. Wilson's Pharmacy Law Review Session, Pre-NAPLEX, Comprehensive Pharmacy Review, Kaplan NAPLEX Review, and Review of Pharmacy. Conclusions Although no preparation tool was associated with a higher examination pass rate, certain tools were clearly rated higher than others by test takers. PMID:17149406

Non-Destructive Trace Element Tomography Using Europe's Brightest Synchrotron Sources (ESRF-Grenoble, DESY-Hamburg) — Towards a Better Understanding of Martian Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenker, F. E.; Vincze, L.; Vekemans, B.; de Poulle, E.

2018-04-01

Synchrotron sources are valuable tools to measure the main and trace element content of extraterrestrial samples. The non-destructive measurements will allow to identify important geological processes within the martian mantle and crust.

Using Mobile Devices for Motor-Learning Laboratory Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Kory

2014-01-01

When teaching motor-learning concepts, laboratory experiments can be valuable tools for promoting learning. In certain circumstances, traditional laboratory exercises are often impractical due to facilities, time, or cost. Inexpensive or free applications (apps) that run on mobile devices can serve as useful alternatives. This article details…

A spontaneous eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) color mutant conditions anthocyanin-free fruit pigmentation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Induced or spontaneously occuring color mutants in plants provide valuable tools for elucidating the genetic and developmental regulation of genes that influence pigmentation. We identified a single plant of the eggplant (Solanum melongena) cultivar Black Beauty bearing green fruit. Black Beauty no...

Low tunnels as a strawberry breeding tool and season-extending production system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Strawberries (Fragaria ×ananassa Duchesne ex Rozier) are very popular with consumers and economically valuable. Recent changes in weather patterns in prime North American strawberry-producing regions have resulted in reduced production. Partly due to the high perishability of strawberry fruit, impor...

Model Uncertainty and Bayesian Model Averaged Benchmark Dose Estimation for Continuous Data

EPA Science Inventory

The benchmark dose (BMD) approach has gained acceptance as a valuable risk assessment tool, but risk assessors still face significant challenges associated with selecting an appropriate BMD/BMDL estimate from the results of a set of acceptable dose-response models. Current approa...

[The child's voice through drawings in cross-cultural psychotherapy].

PubMed

Bouaziz, Nora

2016-01-01

The drawing is a valuable mediation tool to encourage the active participation of the child in the cross-cultural group psychotherapeutic process. It enables the therapists and, ultimately, the family, to take into account their psychological movements. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Alternative Model for Administration and Analysis of Research-Based Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Bethany R.; Zwickl, Benjamin M.; Hobbs, Robert D.; Aiken, John M.; Welch, Nathan M.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2016-01-01

Research-based assessments represent a valuable tool for both instructors and researchers interested in improving undergraduate physics education. However, the historical model for disseminating and propagating conceptual and attitudinal assessments developed by the physics education research (PER) community has not resulted in widespread adoption…

Malaysian Instructors' Assessment Beliefs in Tertiary ESL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elshawa, Niveen R. M.; Abdullah, Ain Nadzimah; Rashid, Sabariah Md

2017-01-01

Language assessment can be a valuable tool for providing information regarding language teaching. Given the importance of assessment that has undergone much change, there are important issues that warrant investigation, particularly those related to language instructors. Understanding the assessment beliefs of ESL instructors, especially at the…

Teaching Cases on Family Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvard Family Research Project, 2010

2010-01-01

Teaching cases are a valuable tool in preparing teachers and school administrators to engage effectively with families. Because the case method presents a story in practice, it offers students an active learning opportunity. Teaching cases involve real world situations and consider the perspectives of various stakeholders, including teachers,…

78 FR 73549 - Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-06

... consistent with human MMA. This model could serve as a valuable research tool for designing treatments for... federally-funded research and development. Foreign patent applications are filed on selected inventions to...: Peter Soukas, J.D.; 301-435-4646; [email protected] . Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National...

Teaching Content Analysis through "Harry Potter"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messinger, Adam M.

2012-01-01

Content analysis is a valuable research tool for social scientists that unfortunately can prove challenging to teach to undergraduate students. Published classroom exercises designed to teach content analysis have thus far been predominantly envisioned as lengthy projects for upper-level courses. A brief and engaging exercise may be more…

Rational Rhymes for Addressing Common Childhood Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Jeffrey M.

2011-01-01

Music-based interventions are valuable tools counselors can use when working with children. Specific types of music-based interventions, such as songs or rhymes, can be especially pertinent in addressing the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of children. Rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT) provides a therapeutic framework that encourages…

Hospital marketers sold on value of custom publications.

PubMed

Rees, T

1998-01-01

More and more hospital marketing and public relations executives are recognizing that publications, such as newsletters and magazines, are a very important part of their arsenal of marketing tools. They're also finding that custom publishers are valuable allies when it comes to target market opportunities.

Technology Integration and Innovation during Reflective Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baporikar, Neeta

2016-01-01

With emerging innovations, the use of technology tools to make learning process effective is foreseeable. Hence, appropriate incorporation of technology can make a valuable contribution to the learning and undoubtedly reflection is core to learning. With today's twenty-first century learners, it is important that educators advocate integrating…

Student Technology Use for Powerful Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heidenrich, Carol

2013-01-01

Technology has evolved as a valuable information and communication tool. In our knowledge and information society, students with information and communication technology (ICT) competence will be prepared for success. Teacher pedagogy and student learning have to change to fully integrate technology into the curriculum. Students may not have…

Action Learning in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marquardt, Michael J.

2015-01-01

Action learning was introduced into China less than 20 years ago, but has rapidly become a valuable tool for organizations seeking to solve problems, develop their leaders, and become learning organizations. This article provides an historical overview of action learning in China, its cultural underpinnings, and five case studies. It concludes…

Nonlinear Growth Curves in Developmental Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimm, Kevin J.; Ram, Nilam; Hamagami, Fumiaki

2011-01-01

Developmentalists are often interested in understanding change processes, and growth models are the most common analytic tool for examining such processes. Nonlinear growth curves are especially valuable to developmentalists because the defining characteristics of the growth process such as initial levels, rates of change during growth spurts, and…

EPAUS9R - An Energy Systems Database for use with the Market Allocation (MARKAL) Model

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA’s MARKAL energy system databases estimate future-year technology dispersals and associated emissions. These databases are valuable tools for exploring a variety of future scenarios for the U.S. energy-production systems that can impact climate change c

Metaphors Describing Energy Transfer through Ecosystems: Helpful or Misleading?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wernecke, Ulrike; Schwanewedel, Julia; Harms, Ute

2018-01-01

Energy transfer in ecosystems is an abstract and challenging topic for learners. Metaphors are widely used in scientific and educational discourse to communicate ideas about abstract phenomena. However, although considered valuable teaching tools, metaphors are ambiguous and can be misleading when used in educational contexts. Educational…

Deliver a set of tools for resolving bad inductive loops and correcting bad data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

This project prototyped and demonstrated procedures to find and mitigate loop detector errors, and to derive more valuable data from loops. Specifically, methods were developed to find and isolate out loop data which is "bad" or invalid, so that miti...

Deliver a set of tools for resolving bad inductive loops and correcting bad data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-10

This project prototyped and demonstrated procedures to find and mitigate loop detector errors, and to derive more valuable data from loops. Specifically, methods were developed to find and isolate out loop data which is "bad" or invalid, so that miti...

Geochemistry in Action: Watch a Dripstone Grow!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidkonz, Bertram

2017-01-01

Learning how cave formations, such as dripstone, take shape can be a valuable pedagogical tool in chemistry and geochemistry. Grasping the underlying processes requires students to synthesize knowledge of several different topical areas. The activity presented here uses an innovative experiment to connect chemistry concepts with an interesting…

Metamodeling Techniques to Aid in the Aggregation Process of Large Hierarchical Simulation Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

Level Outputs Campaign Level Model Campaign Level Outputs Aggregation Metamodeling Complexity (Spatial, Temporal, etc.) Others? Apply VRT (type......reduction, are called variance reduction techniques ( VRT ) [Law, 2006]. The implementation of some type of VRT can prove to be a very valuable tool

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic promoter databases as valuable tools in exploring the regulation of gene transcription: a comprehensive overview.

PubMed

Majewska, Małgorzata; Wysokińska, Halina; Kuźma, Łukasz; Szymczyk, Piotr

2018-02-20

The complete exploration of the regulation of gene expression remains one of the top-priority goals for researchers. As the regulation is mainly controlled at the level of transcription by promoters, study on promoters and findings are of great importance. This review summarizes forty selected databases that centralize experimental and theoretical knowledge regarding the organization of promoters, interacting transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in many eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. The presented databases offer researchers valuable support in elucidating the regulation of gene transcription. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Designing a Method with Physician Participation to Assess and Improve Quality of Healthcare in Otolaryngology.

PubMed

Arce, José M; Martín Cleary, Catalina; Cenjor, Carlos; Ramos, Ángel; Ortiz, Alberto

2017-04-01

Patient choice of healthcare centers to be treated for specific diseases is compromised by the low accessibility of understandable information. Physicians are rarely involved in healthcare quality assessment, despite their potentially valuable input. The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for evaluating the quality of care that specifically incorporates advice from medical specialists and provides accessible information for patients in search of high-quality healthcare. A pilot Delphi study was conducted among 28 Spanish otolaryngology experts, seeking their opinion on the quality-of-care indicators and on their ability to recommend the most suitable department for the treatment of specific otolaryngologic diseases. The average acceptance rate was 91.9% for quality-of-care indicator and 96.5% for the resources needed for improving the quality of care. Furthermore, 93% experts reported that patients frequently ask for physician advice on which center provides better care for a specific disease, 92.6% experts believe they could recommend the best centers for specific otolaryngologic diseases, and 80% experts agreed that expert opinion on the quality of care offered by different centers would be a valuable addition to quality-of-care assessment. The incorporation of physician advice into healthcare quality assessment may improve the usefulness of healthcare quality indicators for patients. Assessment tools incorporating physician advice should be developed and validated.

Genetics of Combined Pituitary Hormone Deficiency: Roadmap into the Genome Era

PubMed Central

Fang, Qing; George, Akima S.; Brinkmeier, Michelle L.; Mortensen, Amanda H.; Gergics, Peter; Cheung, Leonard Y. M.; Daly, Alexandre Z.; Ajmal, Adnan; Pérez Millán, María Ines; Ozel, A. Bilge; Kitzman, Jacob O.; Mills, Ryan E.; Li, Jun Z.

2016-01-01

The genetic basis for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) is complex, involving 30 genes in a variety of syndromic and nonsyndromic presentations. Molecular diagnosis of this disorder is valuable for predicting disease progression, avoiding unnecessary surgery, and family planning. We expect that the application of high throughput sequencing will uncover additional contributing genes and eventually become a valuable tool for molecular diagnosis. For example, in the last 3 years, six new genes have been implicated in CPHD using whole-exome sequencing. In this review, we present a historical perspective on gene discovery for CPHD and predict approaches that may facilitate future gene identification projects conducted by clinicians and basic scientists. Guidelines for systematic reporting of genetic variants and assigning causality are emerging. We apply these guidelines retrospectively to reports of the genetic basis of CPHD and summarize modes of inheritance and penetrance for each of the known genes. In recent years, there have been great improvements in databases of genetic information for diverse populations. Some issues remain that make molecular diagnosis challenging in some cases. These include the inherent genetic complexity of this disorder, technical challenges like uneven coverage, differing results from variant calling and interpretation pipelines, the number of tolerated genetic alterations, and imperfect methods for predicting pathogenicity. We discuss approaches for future research in the genetics of CPHD. PMID:27828722

Connecting the Interstellar Gas and Dust Properties in Distant Galaxies Using Quasar Absorption Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aller, Monique C.; Dwek, Eliahu; Kulkarni, Varsha P.; York, Donald G.; Welty, Daniel E.; Vladilo, Giovanni; Som, Debopam; Lackey, Kyle; Dwek, Eli; Beiranvand, Nassim;

E-learning and education in radiology.

PubMed

Pinto, Antonio; Brunese, Luca; Pinto, Fabio; Acampora, Ciro; Romano, Luigia

2011-06-01

To evaluate current applications of e-learning in radiology. A Medline search was performed using PubMed (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD) for publications discussing the applications of e-learning in radiology. The search strategy employed a single combination of the following terms: (1) e-learning, and (2) education and (3) radiology. This review was limited to human studies and to English-language literature. We reviewed all the titles and subsequent the abstract of 29 articles that appeared pertinent. Additional articles were identified by reviewing the reference lists of relevant papers. Finally, the full text of 38 selected articles was reviewed. Literature data shows that with the constant development of technology and global spread of computer networks, in particular of the Internet, the integration of multimedia and interactivity introduced into electronic publishing has allowed the creation of multimedia applications that provide valuable support for medical teaching and continuing medical education, specifically for radiology. Such technologies are valuable tools for collaboration, interactivity, simulation, and self-testing. However, not everything on the World Wide Web is useful, accurate, or beneficial: the quality and veracity of medical information on the World Wide Web is variable and much time can be wasted as many websites do not meet basic publication standards. E-learning will become an important source of education in radiology. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bayer Filter Snapshot Hyperspectral Fundus Camera for Human Retinal Imaging

PubMed Central

Liu, Wenzhong; Nesper, Peter; Park, Justin; Zhang, Hao F.; Fawzi, Amani A.

2016-01-01

Purpose To demonstrate the versatility and performance of a compact Bayer filter snapshot hyperspectral fundus camera for in-vivo clinical applications including retinal oximetry and macular pigment optical density measurements. Methods 12 healthy volunteers were recruited under an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved protocol. Fundus images were taken with a custom hyperspectral camera with a spectral range of 460–630 nm. We determined retinal vascular oxygen saturation (sO2) for the healthy population using the captured spectra by least squares curve fitting. Additionally, macular pigment optical density was localized and visualized using multispectral reflectometry from selected wavelengths. Results We successfully determined the mean sO2 of arteries and veins of each subject (ages 21–80) with excellent intrasubject repeatability (1.4% standard deviation). The mean arterial sO2 for all subjects was 90.9% ± 2.5%, whereas the mean venous sO2 for all subjects was 64.5% ± 3.5%. The mean artery–vein (A–V) difference in sO2 varied between 20.5% and 31.9%. In addition, we were able to reveal and quantify macular pigment optical density. Conclusions We demonstrated a single imaging tool capable of oxygen saturation and macular pigment density measurements in vivo. The unique combination of broad spectral range, high spectral–spatial resolution, rapid and robust imaging capability, and compact design make this system a valuable tool for multifunction spectral imaging that can be easily performed in a clinic setting. PMID:27767345

A fast and robust bulk-loading algorithm for indexing very large digital elevation datasets II. Experimental results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, Félix R.; Barrena, Manuel

2011-07-01

The spatial indexing of eventually all the available topographic information of Earth is a highly valuable tool for different geoscientific application domains. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) collected and made available to the public one of the world's largest digital elevation models (DEMs). With the aim of providing on easier and faster access to these data by improving their further analysis and processing, we have indexed the SRTM DEM by means of a spatial index based on the kd-tree data structure, called the Q-tree. This paper is the second in a two-part series that includes a thorough performance analysis to validate the bulk-load algorithm efficiency of the Q-tree. We investigate performance measuring elapsed time in different contexts, analyzing disk space usage, testing response time with typical queries, and validating the final index structure balance. In addition, the paper includes performance comparisons with Oracle 11g that helps to understand the real cost of our proposal. Our tests prove that the proposed algorithm outperforms Oracle 11g using around a 9% of the elapsed time, taking six times less storage with more than 96% of page utilization, and getting faster response times to spatial queries issued on 4.5 million points. In addition to this, the behavior of the spatial index has been successfully tested on both an open GIS (VT Builder) and a visualizer tool derived from the previous one.

Diagnosis and treatment of shock due to massive pulmonary embolism: approach with transesophageal echocardiography and intrapulmonary thrombolysis.

PubMed

Krivec, B; Voga, G; Zuran, I; Skale, R; Pareznik, R; Podbregar, M; Noc, M

1997-11-05

To evaluate the diagnostic value of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) as an initial diagnostic tool in shocked patients. The second objective was to study therapeutic impact of intrapulmonary thrombolysis in patients with diagnosed massive pulmonary embolism. Prospective observational study. Medical ICU in 800-bed general hospital. Twenty-four consecutive patients with unexplained shock and distended jugular veins. In 18 patients, right ventricular dilatation with global or segmental hypokinesis was documented. In addition, central pulmonary thromboemboli (12 patients), reduced contrast flow in right pulmonary artery (one patient), and right ventricular free wall akinesis (one patient) were found. No additional echocardiographic findings were apparent in four patients. According to pulmonary scintigraphy or autopsy, sensitivity of TEE for diagnosis of massive pulmonary embolism (MPE) in patients with right ventricular dilatation was 92% and specificity was 100%. In patients without right ventricular dilatation, left ventricular dysfunction (four patients) or cardiac tamponade (two patients) was confirmed. Intrapulmonary thrombolysis was evaluated in 11 of 13 patients with MPE. Two patients died prior to attempted thrombolysis. Three patients received streptokinase and eight received urokinase. Twenty-four hours after beginning of treatment, total pulmonary resistance index significantly decreased for 59% and mean pulmonary artery pressure for 31%. Cardiac index increased for 74%. Nine of 11 patients receiving thrombolysis survived to hospital discharge. Bedside TEE is a valuable tool for diagnosis of MPE. It enables immediate intrapulmonary thrombolysis, which seems to be an effective therapeutic alternative in our group of patients with obstructive shock.

Rapid Characterization of Candidate Biomarkers for Pancreatic Cancer Using Cell Microarrays (CMAs)

PubMed Central

Kim, Min-Sik; Kuppireddy, Sarada V.; Sakamuri, Sruthi; Singal, Mukul; Getnet, Derese; Harsha, H. C.; Goel, Renu; Balakrishnan, Lavanya; Jacob, Harrys K. C.; Kashyap, Manoj K.; Tankala, Shantal G.; Maitra, Anirban; Iacobuzio-Donahue, Christine A.; Jaffee, Elizabeth; Goggins, Michael G.; Velculescu, Victor E.; Hruban, Ralph H.; Pandey, Akhilesh

2013-01-01

Tissue microarrays have become a valuable tool for high-throughput analysis using immunohistochemical labeling. However, the large majority of biochemical studies are carried out in cell lines to further characterize candidate biomarkers or therapeutic targets with subsequent studies in animals or using primary tissues. Thus, cell line-based microarrays could be a useful screening tool in some situations. Here, we constructed a cell microarray (CMA) containing a panel of 40 pancreatic cancer cell lines available from American Type Culture Collection in addition to those locally available at Johns Hopkins. As proof of principle, we performed immunocytochemical labeling of an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM), a molecule generally expressed in the epithelium, on this pancreatic cancer CMA. In addition, selected molecules that have been previously shown to be differentially expressed in pancreatic cancer in the literature were validated. For example, we observed strong labeling of CA19-9 antigen, a prognostic and predictive marker for pancreatic cancer. We also carried out a bioinformatics analysis of a literature curated catalog of pancreatic cancer biomarkers developed previously by our group and identified two candidate biomarkers, HLA class I and transmembrane protease, serine 4 (TMPRSS4), and examined their expression in the cell lines represented on the pancreatic cancer CMAs. Our results demonstrate the utility of CMAs as a useful resource for rapid screening of molecules of interest and suggest that CMAs can become a universal standard platform in cancer research. PMID:22985314

Reviews

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-07-01

WE RECOMMEND God: The Failed Hypothesis A book that applies scientific logic to the search for a creator Go with the Flow This CD-ROM proves a great resource for teaching fluids Collins GCSE Student Book for EdExcel 360 Additional Science An attractive update that will sit well in modern classrooms The Rough Guide to Climate Change This book contains a thorough study of the must-teach subject InspireData Presentation software ideal for analysing data in the field WORTH A LOOK Uncertain Science...Uncertain World A book to persuade the public that unanswered questions are not a failure of science or scientists Fisher Space Pen An interesting teaching resource and a nice bit of stationery HANDLE WITH CARE Russian Space Pen A joke gift at best—no physics here IGCSE Physics for EdExcel Dull, old-fashioned approach to teaching the new qualification WEB WATCH How news headlines can prove a valuable tool to get pupils interested in a subject

3D confocal reconstruction of gene expression in mouse.

PubMed

Hecksher-Sørensen, J; Sharpe, J

2001-01-01

Three-dimensional computer reconstructions of gene expression data will become a valuable tool in biomedical research in the near future. However, at present the process of converting in situ expression data into 3D models is a highly specialized and time-consuming procedure. Here we present a method which allows rapid reconstruction of whole-mount in situ data from mouse embryos. Mid-gestation embryos were stained with the alkaline phosphotase substrate Fast Red, which can be detected using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and cut into 70 microm sections. Each section was then scanned and digitally reconstructed. Using this method it took two days to section, digitize and reconstruct the full expression pattern of Shh in an E9.5 embryo (a 3D model of this embryo can be seen at genex.hgu.mrc.ac.uk). Additionally we demonstrate that this technique allows gene expression to be studied at the single cell level in intact tissue.

From Awareness to Action: Determining the climate sensitivities that influence decision makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, C.

2017-12-01

Through the growth of computing power and analytical methods, a range of valuable and innovative tools allow the exhaustive exploration of a water system's response to a limitless set of scenarios. Similarly, possible adaptive actions can be evaluated across this broad set of possible futures. Finally, an ever increasing set of performance indicators is available to judge the relative value of a particular action over others. However, it's unclear whether this is improving the flow of actionable information or further cluttering it. This presentation will share lessons learned and other intuitions from a set of experiences engaging with public and private water managers and investors in the use of robustness-based climate vulnerability and adaptation analysis. Based on this background, a case for reductionism and focus on financial vulnerability will be forwarded. In addition, considerations for simpler, practical approaches for smaller water utilities will be discussed.

Technology architecture guidelines for a health care system.

PubMed

Jones, D T; Duncan, R; Langberg, M L; Shabot, M M

2000-01-01

Although the demand for use of information technology within the healthcare industry is intensifying, relatively little has been written about guidelines to optimize IT investments. A technology architecture is a set of guidelines for technology integration within an enterprise. The architecture is a critical tool in the effort to control information technology (IT) operating costs by constraining the number of technologies supported. A well-designed architecture is also an important aid to integrating disparate applications, data stores and networks. The authors led the development of a thorough, carefully designed technology architecture for a large and rapidly growing health care system. The purpose and design criteria are described, as well as the process for gaining consensus and disseminating the architecture. In addition, the processes for using, maintaining, and handling exceptions are described. The technology architecture is extremely valuable to health care organizations both in controlling costs and promoting integration.

Luminescence materials for pH and oxygen sensing in microbial cells - structures, optical properties, and biological applications.

PubMed

Zou, Xianshao; Pan, Tingting; Chen, Lei; Tian, Yanqing; Zhang, Weiwen

2017-09-01

Luminescence including fluorescence and phosphorescence sensors have been demonstrated to be important for studying cell metabolism, and diagnosing diseases and cancer. Various design principles have been employed for the development of sensors in different formats, such as organic molecules, polymers, polymeric hydrogels, and nanoparticles. The integration of the sensing with fluorescence imaging provides valuable tools for biomedical research and applications at not only bulk-cell level but also at single-cell level. In this article, we critically reviewed recent progresses on pH, oxygen, and dual pH and oxygen sensors specifically for their application in microbial cells. In addition, we focused not only on sensor materials with different chemical structures, but also on design and applications of sensors for better understanding cellular metabolism of microbial cells. Finally, we also provided an outlook for future materials design and key challenges in reaching broad applications in microbial cells.

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

Igarashi, Aki; Yamagata, Kousuke; Sugai, Tomokazu

Apple latent spherical virus (ALSV) vectors were evaluated for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of endogenous genes among a broad range of plant species. ALSV vectors carrying partial sequences of a subunit of magnesium chelatase (SU) and phytoene desaturase (PDS) genes induced highly uniform knockout phenotypes typical of SU and PDS inhibition on model plants such as tobacco and Arabidopsis thaliana, and economically important crops such as tomato, legume, and cucurbit species. The silencing phenotypes persisted throughout plant growth in these plants. In addition, ALSV vectors could be successfully used to silence a meristem gene, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and diseasemore » resistant N gene in tobacco and RCY1 gene in A. thaliana. As ALSV infects most host plants symptomlessly and effectively induces stable VIGS for long periods, the ALSV vector is a valuable tool to determine the functions of interested genes among a broad range of plant species.« less

Ethane-Bridged Bisporphyrin Conformational Changes As an Effective Analytical Tool for Nonenzymatic Detection of Urea in the Physiological Range.

PubMed

Buccolieri, Alessandro; Hasan, Mohammed; Bettini, Simona; Bonfrate, Valentina; Salvatore, Luca; Santino, Angelo; Borovkov, Victor; Giancane, Gabriele

2018-06-05

Conformational switching induced in ethane-bridged bisporphyrins was used as a sensitive transduction method for revealing the presence of urea dissolved in water via nonenzymatic approach. Bisporphyrins were deposited on solid quartz slides by means of the spin-coating method. Molecular conformations of Zn and Ni monometalated bis-porphyrins were influenced by water solvated urea molecules and their fluorescence emission was modulated by the urea concentration. Absorption, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopies allowed the identification of supramolecular processes, which are responsible for host-guest interaction between the active layers and urea molecules. A high selectivity of the sensing mechanism was highlighted upon testing the spectroscopic responses of bis-porphyrin films to citrulline and glutamine used as interfering agents. Additionally, potential applicability was demonstrated by quantifying the urea concentration in real physiological samples proposing this new approach as a valuable alternative analytical procedure to the traditionally used enzymatic methods.

Identification of mutations in Colombian patients affected with Fabry disease.

PubMed

Uribe, Alfredo; Mateus, Heidi Eliana; Prieto, Juan Carlos; Palacios, Maria Fernanda; Ospina, Sandra Yaneth; Pasqualim, Gabriela; da Silveira Matte, Ursula; Giugliani, Roberto

2015-12-15

Fabry Disease (FD) is an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid catabolism, caused by a deficiency of the lisosomal α-galactosidase A (AGAL). The disorder leads to a vascular disease secondary to the involvement of kidney, heart and the central nervous system. The mutation analysis is a valuable tool for diagnosis and genetic counseling. Although more than 600 mutations have been identified, most mutations are private. Our objective was to describe the analysis of nine Colombian patients with Fabry disease by automated sequencing of the seven exons of the GLA gene. Two novel mutations were identified in two patients affected with the classical subtype of FD, in addition to other 6 mutations previously reported. The present study confirms the heterogeneity of mutations in Fabry disease and the importance of molecular analysis for genetic counseling, female heterozygotes detection as well as therapeutic decisions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Crowdsourced data for flood hydrology: Feedback from recent citizen science projects in Argentina, France and New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Coz, Jérôme; Patalano, Antoine; Collins, Daniel; Guillén, Nicolás Federico; García, Carlos Marcelo; Smart, Graeme M.; Bind, Jochen; Chiaverini, Antoine; Le Boursicaud, Raphaël; Dramais, Guillaume; Braud, Isabelle

2016-10-01

New communication and digital image technologies have enabled the public to produce large quantities of flood observations and share them through social media. In addition to flood incident reports, valuable hydraulic data such as the extent and depths of inundated areas and flow rate estimates can be computed using messages, photos and videos produced by citizens. Such crowdsourced data help improve the understanding and modelling of flood hazard. Since little feedback on similar initiatives is available, we introduce three recent citizen science projects which have been launched independently by research organisations to quantitatively document flood flows in catchments and urban areas of Argentina, France, and New Zealand. Key drivers for success appear to be: a clear and simple procedure, suitable tools for data collecting and processing, an efficient communication plan, the support of local stakeholders, and the public awareness of natural hazards.

Evaluating the decision accuracy and speed of clinical data visualizations.

PubMed

Pieczkiewicz, David S; Finkelstein, Stanley M

2010-01-01

Clinicians face an increasing volume of biomedical data. Assessing the efficacy of systems that enable accurate and timely clinical decision making merits corresponding attention. This paper discusses the multiple-reader multiple-case (MRMC) experimental design and linear mixed models as means of assessing and comparing decision accuracy and latency (time) for decision tasks in which clinician readers must interpret visual displays of data. These tools can assess and compare decision accuracy and latency (time). These experimental and statistical techniques, used extensively in radiology imaging studies, offer a number of practical and analytic advantages over more traditional quantitative methods such as percent-correct measurements and ANOVAs, and are recommended for their statistical efficiency and generalizability. An example analysis using readily available, free, and commercial statistical software is provided as an appendix. While these techniques are not appropriate for all evaluation questions, they can provide a valuable addition to the evaluative toolkit of medical informatics research.

HPV vaccine: immersed in controversy.

PubMed

Ohri, Linda K

2007-11-01

There has been substantial media coverage of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine since the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil (Merck & Co., Inc.) on June 8, 2006. The most vocal complaints maintain that its use will promote promiscuity among teenagers, and condemn proposed mandated use for school entry. Some also question evidence for the vaccine's safety. There have been concerns raised by both providers and patients regarding financial barriers to access. Still others argue that additional populations could benefit who have not been included in current recommendations. Clarification of these issues is essential to advance optimal use of this important new vaccine. There is strong evidence to support HPV vaccine as an effective, safe, and efficient public health measure. School mandates are valuable tools to reduce disparities in availability of immunizations. The time has come to consider universal funding as a means to improve access to all recommended vaccines.

Temporally-Controlled Site-Specific Recombination in Zebrafish

PubMed Central

Hans, Stefan; Kaslin, Jan; Freudenreich, Dorian; Brand, Michael

2009-01-01

Conventional use of the site-specific recombinase Cre is a powerful technology in mouse, but almost absent in other vertebrate model organisms. In zebrafish, Cre-mediated recombination efficiency was previously very low. Here we show that using transposon-mediated transgenesis, Cre is in fact highly efficient in this organism. Furthermore, temporal control of recombination can be achieved by using the ligand-inducible CreERT2. Site-specific recombination only occurs upon administration of the drug tamoxifen (TAM) or its active metabolite, 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (4-OHT). Cre-mediated recombination is detectable already 4 or 2 hours after administration of TAM or 4-OHT, demonstrating fast recombination kinetics. In addition, low doses of TAM allow mosaic labeling of single cells. Combined, our results show that conditional Cre/lox will be a valuable tool for both, embryonic and adult zebrafish studies. Furthermore, single copy insertion transgenesis of Cre/lox constructs suggest a strategy suitable also for other organisms. PMID:19247481

Physician-directed software design: the role of utilization statistics and user input in enhancing HELP results review capabilities.

PubMed

Michael, P A

1993-01-01

The M.D. Rounds Report program was developed and implemented in June of 1992 as an adjunct to the HELP System at Rex Hospital. The program facilitates rapid access to information on allergies and current medications, laboratory results, radiology reports and therapist notes for a list of patients without physicians having to make additional menu or submenu selections. In planning for an upgrade of the program, utilization statistics and user feedback provided valuable information in terms of frequency of access, features used and unused, and the value of the program as a reporting tool in comparison to other online results reporting applications. A brief description of the functionality of the M.D. Rounds Report, evaluation of the program audit trail and user feedback, planned enhancements to the program, and a discussion of the prototyping and monitoring experience and the impact on future physician subsystem development will be presented.

On the search for design principles in biological systems.

PubMed

Poyatos, Juan F

2012-01-01

The search for basic concepts and underlying principles was at the core of the systems approach to science and technology. This approach was somehow abandoned in mainstream biology after its initial proposal, due to the rise and success of molecular biology. This situation has changed. The accumulated knowledge of decades of molecular studies in combination with new technological advances, while further highlighting the intricacies of natural systems, is also bringing back the quest-for-principles research program. Here, I present two lessons that I derived from my own quest: the importance of studying biological information processing to identify common principles in seemingly unrelated contexts and the adequacy of using known design principles at one level of biological organization as a valuable tool to help recognizing principles at an alternative one. These and additional lessons should contribute to the ultimate goal of establishing principles able to integrate the many scales of biological complexity.

Boundary conditions for the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT v1.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frigola, Amanda; Prange, Matthias; Schulz, Michael

2018-04-01

The Middle Miocene Climate Transition was characterized by major Antarctic ice sheet expansion and global cooling during the interval ˜ 15-13 Ma. Here we present two sets of boundary conditions for global general circulation models characterizing the periods before (Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum; MMCO) and after (Middle Miocene Glaciation; MMG) the transition. These boundary conditions include Middle Miocene global topography, bathymetry, and vegetation. Additionally, Antarctic ice volume and geometry, sea level, and atmospheric CO2 concentration estimates for the MMCO and the MMG are reviewed. The MMCO and MMG boundary conditions have been successfully applied to the Community Climate System Model version 3 (CCSM3) to provide evidence of their suitability for global climate modeling. The boundary-condition files are available for use as input in a wide variety of global climate models and constitute a valuable tool for modeling studies with a focus on the Middle Miocene.

Proteomics data repositories: Providing a safe haven for your data and acting as a springboard for further research

PubMed Central

Vizcaíno, Juan Antonio; Foster, Joseph M.; Martens, Lennart

2010-01-01

Despite the fact that data deposition is not a generalised fact yet in the field of proteomics, several mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics repositories are publicly available for the scientific community. The main existing resources are: the Global Proteome Machine Database (GPMDB), PeptideAtlas, the PRoteomics IDEntifications database (PRIDE), Tranche, and NCBI Peptidome. In this review the capabilities of each of these will be described, paying special attention to four key properties: data types stored, applicable data submission strategies, supported formats, and available data mining and visualization tools. Additionally, the data contents from model organisms will be enumerated for each resource. There are other valuable smaller and/or more specialized repositories but they will not be covered in this review. Finally, the concept behind the ProteomeXchange consortium, a collaborative effort among the main resources in the field, will be introduced. PMID:20615486

Evaluation of an autochthonous starter culture on the production of a traditional dry fermented sausage from Chaco (Argentina) at a small-scale facility.

PubMed

Palavecino Prpich, Noelia Z; Garro, Oscar A; Romero, Mara; Judis, María A; Cayré, María E; Castro, Marcela P

2016-05-01

The performance of a mixed starter culture, SAS-1, comprised of the autochthonous strains Lactobacillus sakei ACU-2 and Staphylococcus vitulinus ACU-10, was evaluated into the production process of a traditional dry sausage. Microbiological, physicochemical and sensory analyses were carried out to accomplish this goal. Results showed an improvement in performance through the introduction of SAS-1; adding mixed starter culture rapidly decreased pH, inhibited the growth of contaminant microorganisms and enhanced the beneficial ones, diminished TBARS, and highlighted color and aroma attributes. However, most influential organoleptic descriptors among consumer acceptance were not affected by the addition of the starter. This starter culture would represent a valuable tool to improve the homogeneity of artisanal manufacture of this traditional food. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phase space dynamics and control of the quantum particles associated to hypergraph states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berec, Vesna

2015-05-01

As today's nanotechnology focus becomes primarily oriented toward production and manipulation of materials at the subatomic level, allowing the performance and complexity of interconnects where the device density accepts more than hundreds devices on a single chip, the manipulation of semiconductor nanostructures at the subatomic level sets its prime tasks on preserving and adequate transmission of information encoded in specified (quantum) states. The presented study employs the quantum communication protocol based on the hypergraph network model where the numerical solutions of equations of motion of quantum particles are associated to vertices (assembled with device chip), which follow specific controllable paths in the phase space. We address these findings towards ultimate quest for prediction and selective control of quantum particle trajectories. In addition, presented protocols could represent valuable tool for reducing background noise and uncertainty in low-dimensional and operationally meaningful, scalable complex systems.

Applying a weed risk assessment approach to GM crops.

PubMed

Keese, Paul K; Robold, Andrea V; Myers, Ruth C; Weisman, Sarah; Smith, Joe

2014-12-01

Current approaches to environmental risk assessment of genetically modified (GM) plants are modelled on chemical risk assessment methods, which have a strong focus on toxicity. There are additional types of harms posed by plants that have been extensively studied by weed scientists and incorporated into weed risk assessment methods. Weed risk assessment uses robust, validated methods that are widely applied to regulatory decision-making about potentially problematic plants. They are designed to encompass a broad variety of plant forms and traits in different environments, and can provide reliable conclusions even with limited data. The knowledge and experience that underpin weed risk assessment can be harnessed for environmental risk assessment of GM plants. A case study illustrates the application of the Australian post-border weed risk assessment approach to a representative GM plant. This approach is a valuable tool to identify potential risks from GM plants.

Indirect human impacts turn off reciprocal feedbacks and decrease ecosystem resilience.

PubMed

Bertness, Mark D; Brisson, Caitlin P; Crotty, Sinead M

2015-05-01

Creek bank salt marsh die-off is a conservation problem in New England, driven by predator depletion, which releases herbivores from consumer control. Many marshes, however, have begun to recover from die-off. We examined the hypothesis that the loss of the foundation species Spartina alterniflora has decreased facilitator populations, weakening reciprocal positive plant/animal feedbacks, resilience, and slowing recovery. Field surveys and experiments revealed that loss of Spartina leads to decreased biodiversity, and increased mortality and decreased growth of the ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa, a key facilitator of Spartina. Experimental addition of Geukensia facilitators to creek banks accelerated Spartina recovery, showing that their loss limits recovery and the reciprocal feedbacks that drive community resilience. Reciprocal positive feedbacks involving foundation species, often lost to human impacts, may be a common, but generally overlooked mechanism of ecosystem resilience, making their reestablishment a valuable restoration tool.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum: Low Prevalence of Germline XPA Mutations in a Brazilian XP Population

PubMed Central

Santiago, Karina Miranda; França de Nóbrega, Amanda; Rocha, Rafael Malagoli; Rogatto, Silvia Regina; Achatz, Maria Isabel

2015-01-01

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by DNA repair defects that cause photophobia, sunlight-induced cancers, and neurodegeneration. Prevalence of germline mutations in the nucleotide excision repair gene XPA vary significantly in different populations. No Brazilian patients have been reported to carry a germline mutation in this gene. In this study, the germline mutational status of XPA was determined in Brazilian patients exhibiting major clinical features of XP syndrome. The study was conducted on 27 unrelated patients from select Brazilian families. A biallelic inactivating transition mutation c.619C>T (p.Arg207Ter) was identified in only one patient with a history of neurological impairment and mild skin abnormalities. These findings suggest that XP syndrome is rarely associated with inherited disease-causing XPA mutations in the Brazilian population. Additionally, this report demonstrates the effectiveness of genotype-phenotype correlation as a valuable tool to guide direct genetic screening. PMID:25913378

Xeroderma pigmentosum: low prevalence of germline XPA mutations in a Brazilian XP population.

PubMed

Santiago, Karina Miranda; França de Nóbrega, Amanda; Rocha, Rafael Malagoli; Rogatto, Silvia Regina; Achatz, Maria Isabel

2015-04-22

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by DNA repair defects that cause photophobia, sunlight-induced cancers, and neurodegeneration. Prevalence of germline mutations in the nucleotide excision repair gene XPA vary significantly in different populations. No Brazilian patients have been reported to carry a germline mutation in this gene. In this study, the germline mutational status of XPA was determined in Brazilian patients exhibiting major clinical features of XP syndrome. The study was conducted on 27 unrelated patients from select Brazilian families. A biallelic inactivating transition mutation c.619C>T (p.Arg207Ter) was identified in only one patient with a history of neurological impairment and mild skin abnormalities. These findings suggest that XP syndrome is rarely associated with inherited disease-causing XPA mutations in the Brazilian population. Additionally, this report demonstrates the effectiveness of genotype-phenotype correlation as a valuable tool to guide direct genetic screening.

Technology architecture guidelines for a health care system.

PubMed Central

Jones, D. T.; Duncan, R.; Langberg, M. L.; Shabot, M. M.

2000-01-01

Although the demand for use of information technology within the healthcare industry is intensifying, relatively little has been written about guidelines to optimize IT investments. A technology architecture is a set of guidelines for technology integration within an enterprise. The architecture is a critical tool in the effort to control information technology (IT) operating costs by constraining the number of technologies supported. A well-designed architecture is also an important aid to integrating disparate applications, data stores and networks. The authors led the development of a thorough, carefully designed technology architecture for a large and rapidly growing health care system. The purpose and design criteria are described, as well as the process for gaining consensus and disseminating the architecture. In addition, the processes for using, maintaining, and handling exceptions are described. The technology architecture is extremely valuable to health care organizations both in controlling costs and promoting integration. PMID:11079913

GC-MS based metabolite profiling of rice Koji fermentation by various fungi.

PubMed

Kim, Ah Jin; Choi, Jung Nam; Kim, Jiyoung; Park, Sait Byul; Yeo, Soo Hwan; Choi, Ji Ho; Lee, Choong Hwan

2010-01-01

In this study, Aspergillus kawachii, Aspergillus oryzae, and Rhizopus sp., were utilized for rice Koji fermentation, and the metabolites were analyzed in a time-dependent manner by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. On Principal Component Analysis, the metabolite patterns were clearly distinguished based on the fungi species. This approach revealed that the quantities of glucose, galactose, and glycerol gradually increased as a function of fermentation time in all trials rice Koji fermentation. The time-dependent changes of these metabolites showed significant increases in glucose in the A. oryzae-treated rice, and in glycerol and galactose in the A. kawachii-treated rice. In addition, glycolysis-related enzyme activities were correlated with the changes in these metabolites. The results indicate that time-dependent metabolite production has the potential to be a valuable tool in selecting inoculant fungi and the optimal fermentation time for rice koji.

A genome-scale map of expression for a mouse brain section obtained using voxelation

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

Chin, Mark H.; Geng, Alex B.; Khan, Arshad H.

Gene expression signatures in the mammalian brain hold the key to understanding neural development and neurological diseases. We have reconstructed 2- dimensional images of gene expression for 20,000 genes in a coronal slice of the mouse brain at the level of the striatum by using microarrays in combination with voxelation at a resolution of 1 mm3. Good reliability of the microarray results were confirmed using multiple replicates, subsequent quantitative RT-PCR voxelation, mass spectrometry voxelation and publicly available in situ hybridization data. Known and novel genes were identified with expression patterns localized to defined substructures within the brain. In addition, genesmore » with unexpected patterns were identified and cluster analysis identified a set of genes with a gradient of dorsal/ventral expression not restricted to known anatomical boundaries. The genome-scale maps of gene expression obtained using voxelation will be a valuable tool for the neuroscience community.« less

Use of artificial neural networks to identify the origin of green macroalgae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Żbikowski, Radosław

2011-08-01

This study demonstrates application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for identifying the origin of green macroalgae ( Enteromorpha sp. and Cladophora sp.) according to their concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn, Pb, Na, Ca, K and Mg. Earlier studies confirmed that algae can be used for biomonitoring surveys of metal contaminants in coastal areas of the Southern Baltic. The same data sets were classified with the use of different structures of radial basis function (RBF) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) networks. The selected networks were able to classify the samples according to their geographical origin, i.e. Southern Baltic, Gulf of Gdańsk and Vistula Lagoon. Additionally in the case of macroalgae from the Gulf of Gdańsk, the networks enabled the discrimination of samples according to areas of contrasting levels of pollution. Hence this study shows that artificial neural networks can be a valuable tool in biomonitoring studies.

A UBI 31-38 Peptide-coumarin Conjugate: Photophysical Features, Imaging Tracking and Synergism with Amphotericin B Against Cryptococcus.

PubMed

Ferreira, Soraya M Z M D; Carneiro, Hellem C; Alves, Rosemeire B; Batista, Ana Carolina S; da Silva Junior, Eufranio N; Dias, Gleiston G; Resende, Jarbas M; Santos, Daniel A; Oliveira, Debora L; Rodrigues, Marcio L; Freitas, Rossimiriam P

2018-01-01

Cryptococcosis is a fungal disease of global significance for which new effective treatments are needed. The conjugation of the synthetic antimicrobial peptide fragment UBI 31-38 to a coumarin derivative showed to be an effective approach for the design of a novel anticryptococcal agent. In addition to antifungal activity, the conjugate exhibited intense fluorescence, which could be valuable for mechanistic investigations of this molecule. In this work, we studied the photophysical properties of the conjugate and confocal scanning laser microscopy was used to inspect the distribution of the peptide-coumarin conjugate in Cryptococcus cell. The synergism of this compound with amphotericin B or fluconazole against C. gattii and C. neoformans strains was also investigated. The results indicated that the fluorescent conjugate alone as well as its combination with amphotericin B are promising tools against cryptococcosis. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Position-sensitive coincidence detection of nuclear reaction products at the Prague Van-de-Graaff accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granja, Carlos; Kraus, Vaclav; Pugatch, Valery; Kohout, Zdenek

2017-06-01

In low-energy nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest or fusion studies the spatial- and time-correlated detection of two and more reaction products can be a valuable tool in studies of reaction mechanisms, resolving reaction channels and measuring angular distributions of reaction products. For this purpose we constructed a configurable array of position-sensitive detectors based on the hybrid semiconductor pixel detector Timepix. Additional analog-signal electronics provide self-trigger together with extended multi-device control and synchronized readout electronics by a customized control and coincidence unit. The instrumentation, developed and used for detection of fission fragments in spontaneous and neutron induced fission as well as in charged particle detection in neutron induced reactions, is being implemented for low-energy light-ion induced nuclear reactions. Application and demonstration of the technique with two Timepix detectors on p+p elastic scattering at the Van-de-Graaff (VdG) accelerator in Prague is given.

Analysis of cholesterol trafficking with fluorescent probes

PubMed Central

Maxfield, Frederick R.; Wüstner, Daniel

2013-01-01

Cholesterol plays an important role in determining the biophysical properties of biological membranes, and its concentration is tightly controlled by homeostatic processes. The intracellular transport of cholesterol among organelles is a key part of the homeostatic mechanism, but sterol transport processes are not well understood. Fluorescence microscopy is a valuable tool for studying intracellular transport processes, but this method can be challenging for lipid molecules because addition of a fluorophore may alter the properties of the molecule greatly. We discuss the use of fluorescent molecules that can bind to cholesterol to reveal its distribution in cells. We also discuss the use of intrinsically fluorescent sterols that closely mimic cholesterol, as well as some minimally modified fluorophore-labeled sterols. Methods for imaging these sterols by conventional fluorescence microscopy and by multiphoton microscopy are described. Some label-free methods for imaging cholesterol itself are also discussed briefly. PMID:22325611

Logged In and Zoned Out.

PubMed

Ravizza, Susan M; Uitvlugt, Mitchell G; Fenn, Kimberly M

2017-02-01

Laptop computers are widely prevalent in university classrooms. Although laptops are a valuable tool, they offer access to a distracting temptation: the Internet. In the study reported here, we assessed the relationship between classroom performance and actual Internet usage for academic and nonacademic purposes. Students who were enrolled in an introductory psychology course logged into a proxy server that monitored their online activity during class. Past research relied on self-report, but the current methodology objectively measured time, frequency, and browsing history of participants' Internet usage. In addition, we assessed whether intelligence, motivation, and interest in course material could account for the relationship between Internet use and performance. Our results showed that nonacademic Internet use was common among students who brought laptops to class and was inversely related to class performance. This relationship was upheld after we accounted for motivation, interest, and intelligence. Class-related Internet use was not associated with a benefit to classroom performance.

A compact eyetracked optical see-through head-mounted display

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Hong; Gao, Chunyu

2012-03-01

An eye-tracked head-mounted display (ET-HMD) system is able to display virtual images as a classical HMD does, while additionally tracking the gaze direction of the user. There is ample evidence that a fully-integrated ETHMD system offers multi-fold benefits, not only to fundamental scientific research but also to emerging applications of such technology. For instance eyetracking capability in HMDs adds a very valuable tool and objective metric for scientists to quantitatively assess user interaction with 3D environments and investigate the effectiveness of various 3D visualization technologies for various specific tasks including training, education, and augmented cognition tasks. In this paper, we present an innovative optical approach to the design of an optical see-through ET-HMD system based on freeform optical technology and an innovative optical scheme that uniquely combines the display optics with the eye imaging optics. A preliminary design of the described ET-HMD system will be presented.

Designing of a novel gold nanodumbbells SERS substrate for detection of prohibited colorants in drinks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Juan; Qin, Suhua; Zhang, Li; Yang, Liangbao

2016-03-01

It is reported that the use of gold nanodumbbells as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for the detection of ultra-low levels of four different food colorants: sunset yellow, lemon yellow, orange II and chrysoidin. Gold nanodumbbells are suitable to on-site detection because which have a λmax of 785 nm that tune the surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles to the laser excitation wavelength of the Raman spectrometer equipped with a 785 nm diode laser. In order to investigate the on-site application of the gold nanodumbbells substrate, four pigments in the orange juice and coke were detected by the portable Raman instrument. The results showed that this novel SERS platform can be used as an effective method in detecting prohibited additive colorants in food. This SERS platform provides valuable and powerful analytical tool in real-world applications in food analysis.

Additive effects of levonorgestrel and ethinylestradiol on brain aromatase (cyp19a1b) in zebrafish specific in vitro and in vivo bioassays.

PubMed

Hinfray, N; Tebby, C; Garoche, C; Piccini, B; Bourgine, G; Aït-Aïssa, S; Kah, O; Pakdel, F; Brion, F

2016-09-15

Estrogens and progestins are widely used in combination in human medicine and both are present in aquatic environment. Despite the joint exposure of aquatic wildlife to estrogens and progestins, very little information is available on their combined effects. In the present study we investigated the effect of ethinylestradiol (EE2) and Levonorgestrel (LNG), alone and in mixtures, on the expression of the brain specific ER-regulated cyp19a1b gene. For that purpose, recently established zebrafish-derived tools were used: (i) an in vitro transient reporter gene assay in a human glial cell line (U251-MG) co-transfected with zebrafish estrogen receptors (zfERs) and the luciferase gene under the control of the zebrafish cyp19a1b gene promoter and (ii) an in vivo bioassay using a transgenic zebrafish expressing GFP under the control of the zebrafish cyp19a1b gene promoter (cyp19a1b-GFP). Concentration-response relationships for single chemicals were modeled and used to design the mixture experiments following a ray design. The results from mixture experiments were analyzed to predict joint effects according to concentration addition and statistical approaches were used to characterize the potential interactions between the components of the mixtures (synergism/antagonism). We confirmed that some progestins could elicit estrogenic effects in fish brain. In mixtures, EE2 and LNG exerted additive estrogenic effects both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that some environmental progestin could exert effects that will add to those of environmental (xeno-)estrogens. Moreover, our zebrafish specific assays are valuable tools that could be used in risk assessment for both single chemicals and their mixtures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in Exercise Data Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buxton, R. E.; Kalogera, K. L.; Hanson, A. M.

2018-01-01

The suite of exercise hardware aboard the International Space Station (ISS) generates an immense amount of data. The data collected from the treadmill, cycle ergometer, and resistance strength training hardware are basic exercise parameters (time, heart rate, speed, load, etc.). The raw data are post processed in the laboratory and more detailed parameters are calculated from each exercise data file. Updates have recently been made to how this valuable data are stored, adding an additional level of data security, increasing data accessibility, and resulting in overall increased efficiency of medical report delivery. Questions regarding exercise performance or how exercise may influence other variables of crew health frequently arise within the crew health care community. Inquiries over the health of the exercise hardware often need quick analysis and response to ensure the exercise system is operable on a continuous basis. Consolidating all of the exercise system data in a single repository enables a quick response to both the medical and engineering communities. A SQL server database is currently in use, and provides a secure location for all of the exercise data starting at ISS Expedition 1 - current day. The database has been structured to update derived metrics automatically, making analysis and reporting available within minutes of dropping the inflight data it into the database. Commercial tools were evaluated to help aggregate and visualize data from the SQL database. The Tableau software provides manageable interface, which has improved the laboratory's output time of crew reports by 67%. Expansion of the SQL database to be inclusive of additional medical requirement metrics, addition of 'app-like' tools for mobile visualization, and collaborative use (e.g. operational support teams, research groups, and International Partners) of the data system is currently being explored.

Putting tools in the toolbox: Development of a free, open-source toolbox for quantitative image analysis of porous media.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iltis, G.; Caswell, T. A.; Dill, E.; Wilkins, S.; Lee, W. K.

2014-12-01

X-ray tomographic imaging of porous media has proven to be a valuable tool for investigating and characterizing the physical structure and state of both natural and synthetic porous materials, including glass bead packs, ceramics, soil and rock. Given that most synchrotron facilities have user programs which grant academic researchers access to facilities and x-ray imaging equipment free of charge, a key limitation or hindrance for small research groups interested in conducting x-ray imaging experiments is the financial cost associated with post-experiment data analysis. While the cost of high performance computing hardware continues to decrease, expenses associated with licensing commercial software packages for quantitative image analysis continue to increase, with current prices being as high as $24,000 USD, for a single user license. As construction of the Nation's newest synchrotron accelerator nears completion, a significant effort is being made here at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), to provide an open-source, experiment-to-publication toolbox that reduces the financial and technical 'activation energy' required for performing sophisticated quantitative analysis of multidimensional porous media data sets, collected using cutting-edge x-ray imaging techniques. Implementation focuses on leveraging existing open-source projects and developing additional tools for quantitative analysis. We will present an overview of the software suite that is in development here at BNL including major design decisions, a demonstration of several test cases illustrating currently available quantitative tools for analysis and characterization of multidimensional porous media image data sets and plans for their future development.

Tool-use: An open window into body representation and its plasticity

PubMed Central

Martel, Marie; Cardinali, Lucilla; Roy, Alice C.; Farnè, Alessandro

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Over the last decades, scientists have questioned the origin of the exquisite human mastery of tools. Seminal studies in monkeys, healthy participants and brain-damaged patients have primarily focused on the plastic changes that tool-use induces on spatial representations. More recently, we focused on the modifications tool-use must exert on the sensorimotor system and highlighted plastic changes at the level of the body representation used by the brain to control our movements, i.e., the Body Schema. Evidence is emerging for tool-use to affect also more visually and conceptually based representations of the body, such as the Body Image. Here we offer a critical review of the way different tool-use paradigms have been, and should be, used to try disentangling the critical features that are responsible for tool incorporation into different body representations. We will conclude that tool-use may offer a very valuable means to investigate high-order body representations and their plasticity. PMID:27315277

Tool-use: An open window into body representation and its plasticity.

PubMed

Martel, Marie; Cardinali, Lucilla; Roy, Alice C; Farnè, Alessandro

2016-01-01

Over the last decades, scientists have questioned the origin of the exquisite human mastery of tools. Seminal studies in monkeys, healthy participants and brain-damaged patients have primarily focused on the plastic changes that tool-use induces on spatial representations. More recently, we focused on the modifications tool-use must exert on the sensorimotor system and highlighted plastic changes at the level of the body representation used by the brain to control our movements, i.e., the Body Schema. Evidence is emerging for tool-use to affect also more visually and conceptually based representations of the body, such as the Body Image. Here we offer a critical review of the way different tool-use paradigms have been, and should be, used to try disentangling the critical features that are responsible for tool incorporation into different body representations. We will conclude that tool-use may offer a very valuable means to investigate high-order body representations and their plasticity.

Analysing Teachers' Curriculum Implementation from Integrity and Actor-Oriented Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penuel, William R.; Phillips, Rachel S.; Harris, Christopher J.

2014-01-01

Curriculum materials and knowledge about curricular purposes and structures are valuable tools that teachers often draw upon to organize instruction and facilitate student learning. Careful analysis of teachers' curriculum implementation and the decision-making that undergirds their curriculum use is critical for fully understanding enactment.…

Making the Most of Talk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilles, Carol

2010-01-01

Research supports what many teachers have long known: talk is a valuable tool for learning. But how can we incorporate talk and still keep students on task, thinking collectively and deeply? Gillis offers a solid theoretical foundation for incorporating talk throughout the curriculum, and then provides practical help for implementing it, with…

77 FR 51807 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-27

... Minimum Data Elements (MDEs) for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP... screening and early detection tests for breast and cervical cancer. Mammography is extremely valuable as an early detection tool because it can detect breast cancer well before the woman can feel the lump, when...

A Show of Hands: Using Puppets with Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crepeau, Ingrid M.; Richards, M. Ann

Discrediting the notion that puppets are strictly for play, this book presents innovative ways for teachers of young children to use puppets as valuable and developmentally appropriate teaching tools. Chapter 1 of the book details the educational benefits of puppets and relates puppetry to play theory, developmentally appropriate practice, and…

Soil, Seeds, and the Pumpkin Patch!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Marianne; Vowell, Julie

2013-01-01

"Soil, Seeds, and the Pumpkin Patch!" is an integrated unit designed to provide elementary school teachers with ideas for using hands-on activities, fostering inquiry and valuable discussion, and using technology as a learning tool. This unit integrates science with language arts, mathematics, literature, and technology. During this unit, students…

RNA interference for functional genomics and improvement of cotton (Gossypium species)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

RNA interference (RNAi), is a powerful new technology in the discovery of genetic sequence functions, and has become a valuable tool for functional genomics of cotton (Gossypium ssp.). The rapid adoption of RNAi has replaced previous antisense technology. RNAi has aided in the discovery of function ...

Cathodoluminescence Petrography: A Valuable Tool for Teaching and Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kopp, Otto C.

1981-01-01

Cathodoluminescence is visible light emitted from a specimen when it is bombarded with electrons. A technique known as cathodoluminescence petrography can provide information especially useful in studies or courses related to mineralogy and petrology. The technique is briefly presented, along with examples to illustrate typical results. (Author/WB)

Leadership Coaching: Coaching Competencies and Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wise, Donald; Hammack, Marc

2011-01-01

Leadership coaching is now seen as a valuable tool to assist school leaders. Through a survey of school principals, this study identified specific coaching competencies used by leadership coaches that were perceived by principals to influence key best practices for schools. These best practices have in turn been correlated to increased student…

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers. Practice Guide Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2017

2017-01-01

An early foundation in writing offers students a valuable tool for learning, communication, and self-expression. Authored by a panel of experts, the "Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers" practice guide presents four recommendations educators can use to help elementary students strengthen their writing skills. The…

Web-Based Organizational Tools for Professional Librarians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooke, Nicole A.

2008-01-01

With the vastness of the Internet ever increasing, it is likely that busy, time-deprived librarians may not stumble upon valuable sites that may actually facilitate their organizational efforts and eventually save them time and energy, especially energy exerted prioritizing tasks and working in groups or other collaborative projects. This column…

Career management: a competitive advantage in today's health care marketplace.

PubMed

Bourbeau, J

2001-01-01

A valuable new tool to attract and retain new employees is being used by some of the most progressive companies in Michigan. It is called career management, and it is being used with great success by businesses of all types to give themselves a competitive advantage.

Land Use Planning Exercise Using Geographic Information Systems and Digital Soil Surveys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stout, Heidi M.; Lee, Brad D.

2004-01-01

Geographic information system (GIS) technology has become a valuable tool for environmental science professionals. By incorporating GIS into college-level course curricula, agricultural students become better qualified for employment opportunities. We have developed a case study-based laboratory exercise that introduces students to GIS and the…

Peering into the secrets of food and agricultural co-products

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Scanning electron microscopy is a valuable tool for understanding food contamination and for directing product development of food and industrial products. The current trend in food research is to produce foods that are fast to prepare and/or ready to eat. At the same time, these processed foods mus...

Discovery of the Depths

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katsioloudis, Petros J.

2009-01-01

Throughout history the oceans have directly or indirectly influenced humans. The importance of knowing how to protect this valuable resource and insure it for future generations is vital. Underwater Vehicles are tools essential for this process, and therefore research and development to perfect these devices is needed. However, the main goal of…

Using Performance Task Data to Improve Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, Amy L.; Wren, Douglas G.

2016-01-01

Two well-accepted ideas among educators are (a) performance assessment is an effective means of assessing higher-order thinking skills and (b) data-driven instruction planning is a valuable tool for optimizing student learning. This article describes a locally developed performance task (LDPT) designed to measure critical thinking, problem…

Kinaesthetic Learning Activities and Learning about Solar Cells

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richards, A. J.; Etkina, Eugenia

2013-01-01

Kinaesthetic learning activities (KLAs) can be a valuable pedagogical tool for physics instructors. They have been shown to increase engagement, encourage participation and improve learning outcomes. This paper details several KLAs developed at Rutgers University for inclusion in an instructional unit about semiconductors, p-n junctions and solar…

Migrant Education: An Annotated Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Barbara C., Comp.

Materials selected for inclusion in the annotated bibliography of 139 publications from 1970 to 1980 give a general understanding of the lives of migrant children, their educational needs and problems, and various attempts made to meet those needs. The bibliography, a valuable tool for researchers and teachers in migrant education, includes books,…

Usability of mobile phone food records to assess dietary intake in adolescents

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mobile technologies are emerging as a valuable tool to collect and assess dietary intake. Adolescents readily accept and adopt new technologies, hence, a food record application (FRapp) may provide an accurate mechanism to monitor dietary intake. We examined the usability of a FRapp in 17 free-livin...

Agrobacterium rhizogenes - based transformation of soybean roots to form composite plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Composite plants are a powerful tool to rapidly analyze the effects of gene overexpression, gene silencing, and examine test promoter expression in transgenic roots. No sterile tissue culture is needed. This avoids loss of valuable material due to contamination of sterile cultures. This method uses ...

Future Teachers Debate Charter Schools on Facebook: Analysing Their Political Subjectivities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nairn, Karen; Anderson, Vivienne; Blanch, Keely

2018-01-01

We argue that Garrett and Segall's concepts of "doing school" and "pushing back" are valuable tools for analysing pre-service teachers' political views of neoliberal education reforms such as the introduction of charter schools. We extend Garrett and Segall's conceptualization by hybridizing "doing school" and…

Phenology prediction component of GypsES

Treesearch

Jesse A. Logan; Lukas P. Schaub; F. William Ravlin

1991-01-01

Prediction of phenology is an important component of most pest management programs, and considerable research effort has been expended toward development of predictive tools for gypsy moth phenology. Although phenological prediction is potentially valuable for timing of spray applications (e.g. Bt, or Gypcheck) and other management activities (e.g. placement and...

Starting an e-Mentor Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caron, Daniel W.

2008-01-01

Mentorship is a valuable learning tool. A quick search of the Internet will result in hundreds of examples of mentorship between students, teachers, and people from industry. In this article, the author describes an e-mentor program used by aerospace students at Kingswoood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. The author also describes…

Social Networking Framework for Universities in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alqahtani, Sulaiman

2016-01-01

The interactive capacities of social networking instruments have unleashed a number of possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning in the higher education sector and many universities are engaged in harnessing the capabilities of these tools. While much valuable research has been conducted on this theme, scholarship has tended to be oriented…

Reverse engineering of legacy agricultural phenology modeling system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A program which implements predictive phenology modeling is a valuable tool for growers and scientists. Such a program was created in the late 1980's by the creators of general phenology modeling as proof of their techniques. However, this first program could not continue to meet the needs of the fi...

Sequenced Peer Revision: Creating Competence and Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Ingrid K.; Robertson, John

2013-01-01

Mastering techniques of self- and peer revision is a valuable tool for all writers, especially US-educated Generation 1.5 students, whose near fluency enables them to dialogue successfully about their writing. Using action research, 2 academic writing instructors systematically trained students to more responsibly and effectively revise their…

Identification, characterization and use of two tick promoters for construction of a dual luciferase reporter vector

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dual luciferase reporter systems are valuable tools for functional genomic studies, but have not previously been developed for use in tick cell culture. We evaluated expression of available luciferase constructs in tick cell cultures derived from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, an important vec...

Exploring Literature through Films. Project ELF.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Los Angeles County Office of Education, Downey, CA.

Noting that instructional films can serve as a valuable tool to motivate students and to help them organize, interpret, and evaluate concepts presented, this program guide is designed to assist teachers in planning instructional activities that will effectively integrate films into the English language arts curriculum. The first section of the…

A Land-Use-Planning Simulation Using Google Earth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodzin, Alec M.; Cirucci, Lori

2009-01-01

Google Earth (GE) is proving to be a valuable tool in the science classroom for understanding the environment and making responsible environmental decisions (Bodzin 2008). GE provides learners with a dynamic mapping experience using a simple interface with a limited range of functions. This interface makes geospatial analysis accessible and…

Noncontact ultrasound detection of exotic insects in wood packing materials

Treesearch

Mary R. Fleming; Dinesh K. Agrawal; Mahesh C. Bhardwaj; Leah S. Bauer; John J. Janowiak; Jeffrey E. Shield; Kelli Hoover; Rustum Roy

2005-01-01

Nondestructive methods for detection of wood-boring insects such as the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) inside solid wood packing materials is a valuable tool in the fight to exclude exotic insects from attacking a nation?s timber resources. Nondestructive, non-contact, ultrasound was investigated as...

Designing specific chloroplast markers for black walnut from a set of universal primers

Treesearch

Erin Victory; Rodney L. Robichaud; Keith Woeste

2003-01-01

Chloroplasts are a valuable source of genetic information because their sequence is highly conserved, they undergo little or no recombination, and they are uniparentally inherited. Chloroplast polymorphisms are powerful genetic tools for identifying matrilineal family groups, studying gene flow from seed versus pollen movement, reconstructing phylogeographic...

Prescribed burning in ponderosa pine: fuel reductions and redistributing fuels near boles to prevent injury

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Prescribed burning can be an effective tool for thinning forests and reducing fuels to lessen wildfire risks. However, prescribed burning sometimes fails to substantially reduce fuels and sometimes damages/kills valuable, large trees. This study compared fuel reductions between fall and spring pre...

The Beer Lambert Law Measurement Made Easy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onorato, Pasquale; Gratton, Luigi M.; Polesell, Marta; Salmoiraghi, Alessandro; Oss, Stefano

2018-01-01

We propose the use of a smartphone based apparatus as a valuable tool for investigating the optical absorption of a material and to verify the exponential decay predicted by Beer's law. The very simple experimental activities presented here, suitable for undergraduate students, allows one to measure the material transmittance including its…

Effectively Using Discussion Boards to Engage Students in Introductory Leadership Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Deborah N.

2015-01-01

This article discusses the use of online asynchronous discussion boards as a valuable tool for connecting students to leadership concepts, theories, and models in introductory leadership survey courses. Recommendations are given for designing effective discussion boards that engage students and enhance their learning. Student outcomes include…

THE INFLUENCE OF MODEL TIME STEP ON THE RELATIVE SENSITIVIY OF POPULATION GROWTH RATE TO REPRODUCTION

EPA Science Inventory

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in using population models in environmental assessments. Matrix population models represent a valuable tool for extrapolating from life stage-specific stressor effects on survival and reproduction to effects on finite populati...

A non-autonomous insect piggyBac trasposable element is mobile in tobacco

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The piggyBac transposable element, originally isolated from a virus in an insect cell line, is a valuable molecular tool for transgenesis and mutagenesis of invertebrates. For heterologous transgenesis in a variety of mammals, transfer of the piggyBac transposable element from an ectopic plasmid onl...

Grouping for Instructional Purposes. Focus On

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Suzanne

2008-01-01

Today's classrooms increasingly challenge teachers to address a diverse range of backgrounds, abilities, and learning needs. As teachers rise to the challenge, grouping can be a valuable instructional tool to address varying ability levels and learning needs within the classroom. At present, there is a good deal of support in the literature for…

Industrial Sponsor Perspective on Leveraging Capstone Design Projects to Enhance Their Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weissbach, Robert S.; Snyder, Joseph W.; Evans, Edward R., Jr.; Carucci, James R., Jr.

2017-01-01

Capstone design projects have become commonplace among engineering and engineering technology programs. These projects are valuable tools when assessing students, as they require students to work in teams, communicate effectively, and demonstrate technical competency. The use of industrial sponsors enhances these projects by giving these projects…

Teaching Waves with Google Earth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Logiurato, Fabrizio

2012-01-01

Google Earth is a huge source of interesting illustrations of various natural phenomena. It can represent a valuable tool for science education, not only for teaching geography and geology, but also physics. Here we suggest that Google Earth can be used for introducing in an attractive way the physics of waves. (Contains 9 figures.)

Advantages of Integrative Data Analysis for Developmental Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bainter, Sierra A.; Curran, Patrick J.

2015-01-01

Amid recent progress in cognitive development research, high-quality data resources are accumulating, and data sharing and secondary data analysis are becoming increasingly valuable tools. Integrative data analysis (IDA) is an exciting analytical framework that can enhance secondary data analysis in powerful ways. IDA pools item-level data across…

Dissecting Student Dialogue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanford, Angela; Henderson, Jennifer

2016-01-01

Although written expression is a valuable tool for both teacher and student to assess learning, teachers must be mindful that writing skills are often delayed for many youth. Through brain research, educators have not only learned that reading and writing skills must be acquired, but even some advanced students have deficiencies in processing…

Dynamic Factor Analysis Models with Time-Varying Parameters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chow, Sy-Miin; Zu, Jiyun; Shifren, Kim; Zhang, Guangjian

2011-01-01

Dynamic factor analysis models with time-varying parameters offer a valuable tool for evaluating multivariate time series data with time-varying dynamics and/or measurement properties. We use the Dynamic Model of Activation proposed by Zautra and colleagues (Zautra, Potter, & Reich, 1997) as a motivating example to construct a dynamic factor…

Getting Started

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sommers, Dixie

2012-01-01

In an uncertain economy, reliable information about tomorrow's labor market can be a valuable tool in career planning. Understanding the future workforce helps an individual prepare for his/her place in it. When choosing among careers--or assisting others who are making such choices--it helps to know a few basics: the types and number of jobs…

Critical Factors in Cultural Immersion: A Synthesis of Relevant Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barden, Sejal M.; Cashwell, Craig S.

2013-01-01

This synthesis of the literature on cross-cultural immersion experiences gives emphasis to the need for effective pedagogy for enhancing multicultural counseling competency, with cultural immersion being a potentially valuable training tool. The authors examine the empirical literature towards identifying both helpful and hindering structural and…

On the Value of Make-Believe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silcox, Mark

2012-01-01

The practice of make-believe has traditionally been viewed as valuable by psychologists and philosophers more or less exclusively as a mechanism for social initiation, a tool for everyday problem solving, or a method for children to learn about adult responsibilities. This instrumentalist approach has influenced the development of a wide variety…

The Role of Translation in Commercial French Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vande Berg, Camille Kennedy

While the exclusive use of French in commercial language courses has the advantage of maximizing student exposure to the target language, it also has the disadvantage of eliminating translation from pedagogical activities. However, translation can be a valuable instructional tool both for helping students assimilate the vocabulary and concepts of…

Multimodal Transcription of Video: Examining Interaction in Early Years Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Kate

2014-01-01

Video is an increasingly popular data collection tool for those undertaking social research, offering a temporal, sequential, fine-grained record which is durable, malleable and sharable. These characteristics make video a valuable resource for researching Early Years classrooms, particularly with regard to the study of children's interaction in…

Social Argumentation in Online Synchronous Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alagoz, Esra

2013-01-01

The ability to argue well is a valuable skill for students in both formal and informal learning environments. While many studies have explored the argumentative practices in formal environments and some researchers have developed tools to enhance the argumentative skills, the social argumentation that is occurring in informal spaces has yet to be…

The National Film Registry: Acquiring Our Film Heritage.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Roy A.

The National Film Registry, which is primarily a designated list of films to be preserved by the Library of Congress, is also a valuable tool for selecting "films that are culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant." Following a brief discussion of the history and selection process of the National Film Registry, Southeast…

Textbook Websites: User Technology Acceptance Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonas, Gregory A.; Norman, Carolyn Strand

2011-01-01

Compared with course management software (e.g. Blackboard and WebCT), the content and technology offered by a textbook website (TBW) is relatively costless to universities and professors, and is a potentially valuable tool that can be leveraged to help students learn course material. The present study uses the extended Technology Acceptance Model…

The Pitfalls of Strategic Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Sharon W.; Bastress, Robert L.

2011-01-01

Superintendents across the country have shared their frustration with planning initiatives that consume valuable chunks of time and energy without yielding a viable tool to drive improvement and accountability. In this article, the authors provide an example that reflects the actual experience of a school district whose identity they are shielding…

Web-Based Surveys Facilitate Undergraduate Research and Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimes, Paul, Ed.; Steele, Scott R.

2008-01-01

The author presents Web-based surveying as a valuable tool for achieving quality undergraduate research in upper-level economics courses. Web-based surveys can be employed in efforts to integrate undergraduate research into the curriculum without overburdening students or faculty. The author discusses the value of undergraduate research, notes…

In Praise of Assessment (Done Right)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Kim

2018-01-01

High-stakes testing gets a lot of criticism, for good reason. But, when done right, assessment can be a valuable tool for educators and students. Kim Marshall describes how different types of assessments can improve learning by revealing learning problems in real time, improving student retention through the "retrieval effect," and…

Assessment with Pumpkins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sikes, Erin; Sterling, Donna R.

2006-01-01

This article describes a pumpkin activity that allows teachers to evaluate their students' understanding of standards-based science skills. This activity is a valuable tool for the teacher to assess all the concepts introduced in the beginning of the life science. It assesses the lab skills that have been taught in the first quarter: observation,…

Design Software Gives Rocketry a Boost in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Spencer C.

2005-01-01

Building and launching model rockets makes a great activity for a technology education class. A model rocket curriculum provides a valuable tool for improving students' technical skills, including following technical instructions and procedures while learning about aerospace technology. This article describes a way of making model rocketry more…

Design Software Gives Rocketry a Boost in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Spencer C.

2005-01-01

Building and launching model rockets makes a great activity for a technology education class. A model rocket curriculum provides a valuable tool for improving students' technical skills that includes, but is not limited to, following technical instructions and procedures while learning about aerospace technology. This article describes a way that…

HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES: POLLUTION PREVENTION AND COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE FOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

EPA Science Inventory

This CD ROM is a result of several healthcare guidance documents coming into existence around the same time and the need for one tool where healthcare facilities could have access to these documents and other valuable healthcare resources regardless of connection to the internet....

The 6-E Learning Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chessin, Debby A.; Moore, Virginia J.

2004-01-01

Most of teachers are familiar with the 5-E model of science instruction-engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Evaluate (Trowbridge and Bybee 1990). It is a valuable tool that allows teachers to structure science experiences so students use the processes of scientific inquiry to construct and connect ideas rather than simply memorize seemingly…

The Dialogue Journal: A Tool for Building Better Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denne-Bolton, Sara

2013-01-01

Using dialogue journals gives English language learners valuable writing practice. This article explores topics such as audience, fluency, teacher-student relationships, empowerment, and making the connection to academic writing. And the author gives practical advice on how teachers can institute dialogue journals in their classrooms and how best…

Buyer--Be Informed

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noll, Brandi

2017-01-01

On the basis of her experience with buying new curricular materials--specifically, for reading instruction and intervention--the author shares valuable lessons about how to make the most of such purchases. A program can be beneficial for some students but detrimental for others; programs should be presented to employees as tools to critique and…

Designing Online Assignments for Japanese Language Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsurutani, Chiharu; Imura, Taeko

2015-01-01

An increasing number of language educators are taking a blended approach to their teaching in order to enhance students' learning experiences and outcomes. During recent years, online tools have become a valuable resource, aiding teachers in course delivery and assessment. Blended learning, which is campus-based learning supported by online…

Structural Equation Modeling: Possibilities for Language Learning Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hancock, Gregory R.; Schoonen, Rob

2015-01-01

Although classical statistical techniques have been a valuable tool in second language (L2) research, L2 research questions have started to grow beyond those techniques' capabilities, and indeed are often limited by them. Questions about how complex constructs relate to each other or to constituent subskills, about longitudinal development in…

Teaching Green Engineering: The Case of Ethanol Lifecycle Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallero, Daniel A.; Braiser, Chris

2008-01-01

Lifecycle assessment (LCA) is a valuable tool in teaching green engineering and has been used to assess biofuels, including ethanol. An undergraduate engineering course at Duke University has integrated LCA with other interactive teaching techniques to enhance awareness and to inform engineering decision making related to societal issues, such as…

Pig Mandible as a Valuable Tool to Improve Periodontal Surgery Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zangrando, Mariana S. Ragghianti; Sant'Ana, Adriana C. P.; Greghi, Sebastião L. A.; de Rezende, Maria Lucia R.; Damante, Carla A.

2014-01-01

Clinical education in dental practice is a challenge for professionals and students. The traditional method of clinical training in Periodontology usually is based on following the procedure and practicing under supervision, until achieving proficiency. However, laboratory practice is required before direct care in patients. Specific anatomic…

Validation of a modified FRAX® tool for improving outpatient efficiency--part of the "Catch Before a Fall" initiative.

PubMed

Parker, Simon; Ciaccio, Maria; Cook, Erica; Davenport, Graham; Cooper, Alun; Grange, Simon; Smitham, Peter

2015-01-01

We have validated our touch-screen-modified FRAX® tool against the traditional healthcare professional-led questionnaire, demonstrating strong concordance between doctor- and patient-derived results. We will use this in outpatient clinics and general practice to increase our capture rate of at-risk patients, making valuable use of otherwise wasted patient waiting times. Outpatient clinics offer an opportunity to collect valuable health information from a captive population. We have previously developed a modified fracture risk assessment (FRAX®) tool, enabling patients to self-assess their osteoporotic fracture risk in a touch-screen computer format and demonstrated its acceptability with patients. We aim to validate the accuracy of our tool against the traditional questionnaire. Fifty patients over 50 years of age within the fracture clinic independently completed a paper equivalent of our touch-screen-modified FRAX® questionnaire. Responses were analysed against the traditional healthcare professional (HCP)-led questionnaire which was carried out afterwards. Correlation was assessed by sensitivity, specificity, Cohen's kappa statistic and Fisher's exact test for each potential FRAX® outcome of "treat", "measure BMD" and "lifestyle advice". Age range was 51-98 years. The FRAX® tool was completed by 88 % of patients; six patients lacked confidence in estimating either their height or weight. Following question adjustment according to patient response and feedback, our tool achieved >95 % sensitivity and specificity for the "treat" and "lifestyle advice" groups, and 79 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity in the "measure BMD" group. Cohen's kappa value ranged from 0.823 to 0.995 across all groups, demonstrating "very good" agreement for all. Fisher's exact test demonstrated significant concordance between doctor and patient decisions. Our modified tool provides a simple, accurate and reliable method for patients to self-report their own FRAX® score outside the clinical contact period, thus releasing the HCP from the time required to complete the questionnaire and potentially increasing our capture rate of at-risk patients.

Towards Additive Manufacture of Functional, Spline-Based Morphometric Models of Healthy and Diseased Coronary Arteries: In Vitro Proof-of-Concept Using a Porcine Template.

PubMed

Jewkes, Rachel; Burton, Hanna E; Espino, Daniel M

2018-02-02

The aim of this study is to assess the additive manufacture of morphometric models of healthy and diseased coronary arteries. Using a dissected porcine coronary artery, a model was developed with the use of computer aided engineering, with splines used to design arteries in health and disease. The model was altered to demonstrate four cases of stenosis displaying varying severity, based on published morphometric data available. Both an Objet Eden 250 printer and a Solidscape 3Z Pro printer were used in this analysis. A wax printed model was set into a flexible thermoplastic and was valuable for experimental testing with helical flow patterns observed in healthy models, dominating the distal LAD (left anterior descending) and left circumflex arteries. Recirculation zones were detected in all models, but were visibly larger in the stenosed cases. Resin models provide useful analytical tools for understanding the spatial relationships of blood vessels, and could be applied to preoperative planning techniques, but were not suitable for physical testing. In conclusion, it is feasible to develop blood vessel models enabling experimental work; further, through additive manufacture of bio-compatible materials, there is the possibility of manufacturing customized replacement arteries.

Towards Additive Manufacture of Functional, Spline-Based Morphometric Models of Healthy and Diseased Coronary Arteries: In Vitro Proof-of-Concept Using a Porcine Template

PubMed Central

Jewkes, Rachel; Burton, Hanna E.; Espino, Daniel M.

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the additive manufacture of morphometric models of healthy and diseased coronary arteries. Using a dissected porcine coronary artery, a model was developed with the use of computer aided engineering, with splines used to design arteries in health and disease. The model was altered to demonstrate four cases of stenosis displaying varying severity, based on published morphometric data available. Both an Objet Eden 250 printer and a Solidscape 3Z Pro printer were used in this analysis. A wax printed model was set into a flexible thermoplastic and was valuable for experimental testing with helical flow patterns observed in healthy models, dominating the distal LAD (left anterior descending) and left circumflex arteries. Recirculation zones were detected in all models, but were visibly larger in the stenosed cases. Resin models provide useful analytical tools for understanding the spatial relationships of blood vessels, and could be applied to preoperative planning techniques, but were not suitable for physical testing. In conclusion, it is feasible to develop blood vessel models enabling experimental work; further, through additive manufacture of bio-compatible materials, there is the possibility of manufacturing customized replacement arteries. PMID:29393899

Chemometric assessment of enhanced bioremediation of oil contaminated soils.

PubMed

Soleimani, Mohsen; Farhoudi, Majid; Christensen, Jan H

2013-06-15

Bioremediation is a promising technique for reclamation of oil polluted soils. In this study, six methods for enhancing bioremediation were tested on oil contaminated soils from three refinery areas in Iran (Isfahan, Arak, and Tehran). The methods included bacterial enrichment, planting, and addition of nitrogen and phosphorous, molasses, hydrogen peroxide, and a surfactant (Tween 80). Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations and CHEMometric analysis of Selected Ion Chromatograms (SIC) termed CHEMSIC method of petroleum biomarkers including terpanes, regular, diaromatic and triaromatic steranes were used for determining the level and type of hydrocarbon contamination. The same methods were used to study oil weathering of 2 to 6 ring polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). Results demonstrated that bacterial enrichment and addition of nutrients were most efficient with 50% to 62% removal of TPH. Furthermore, the CHEMSIC results demonstrated that the bacterial enrichment was more efficient in degradation of n-alkanes and low molecular weight PACs as well as alkylated PACs (e.g. C₃-C₄ naphthalenes, C₂ phenanthrenes and C₂-C₃ dibenzothiophenes), while nutrient addition led to a larger relative removal of isoprenoids (e.g. norpristane, pristane and phytane). It is concluded that the CHEMSIC method is a valuable tool for assessing bioremediation efficiency. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

3D-Printed specimens as a valuable tool in anatomy education: A pilot study.

PubMed

Garas, Monique; Vaccarezza, Mauro; Newland, George; McVay-Doornbusch, Kylie; Hasani, Jamila

2018-06-06

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a modern technique of creating 3D-printed models that allows reproduction of human structures from MRI and CT scans via fusion of multiple layers of resin materials. To assess feasibility of this innovative resource as anatomy educational tool, we conducted a preliminary study on Curtin University undergraduate students to investigate the use of 3D models for anatomy learning as a main goal, to assess the effectiveness of different specimen types during the sessions and personally preferred anatomy learning tools among students as secondary aim. The study consisted of a pre-test, exposure to test (anatomical test) and post-test survey. During pre-test, all participants (both without prior experience and experienced groups) were given a brief introduction on laboratory safety and study procedure thus participants were exposed to 3D, wet and plastinated specimens of the heart, shoulder and thigh to identify the pinned structures (anatomical test). Then, participants were provided a post-test survey containing five questions. In total, 23 participants completed the anatomical test and post-test survey. A larger number of participants (85%) achieved right answers for 3D models compared to wet and plastinated materials, 74% of population selected 3D models as the most usable tool for identification of pinned structures and 45% chose 3D models as their preferred method of anatomy learning. This preliminary small-size study affirms the feasibility of 3D-printed models as a valuable asset in anatomy learning and shows their capability to be used adjacent to cadaveric materials and other widely used tools in anatomy education. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Utility of the advanced chronic kidney disease patient management tools: case studies.

PubMed

Patwardhan, Meenal B; Matchar, David B; Samsa, Gregory P; Haley, William E

2008-01-01

Appropriate management of advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) delays or limits its progression. The Advanced CKD Patient Management Toolkit was developed using a process-improvement technique to assist patient management and address CKD-specific management issues. We pilot tested the toolkit in 2 community nephrology practices, assessed the utility of individual tools, and evaluated the impact on conformance to an advanced CKD guideline through patient chart abstraction. Tool use was distinct in the 2 sites and depended on the site champion's involvement, the extent of process reconfiguration demanded by a tool, and its perceived value. Baseline conformance varied across guideline recommendations (averaged 54%). Posttrial conformance increased in all clinical areas (averaged 59%). Valuable features of the toolkit in real-world settings were its ability to: facilitate tool selection, direct implementation efforts in response to a baseline performance audit, and allow selection of tool versions and customizing them. Our results suggest that systematically created, multifaceted, and customizable tools can promote guideline conformance.

Ocular static and dynamic light scattering: a noninvasive diagnostic tool for eye research and clinical practice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansari, Rafat R.

2004-01-01

The noninvasive techniques of static and dynamic light scattering are emerging as valuable diagnostic tools for the early detection of ocular and systemic diseases. These include corneal abnormalities, pigmentary dispersion syndrome, glaucoma, cataract, diabetic vitreopathy, and possibly macular degeneration. Systemic conditions such as diabetes and possibly Alzheimer's disease can potentially be detected early via ocular tissues. The current state of development of these techniques for application to ophthalmic research and ultimately clinical practice is reviewed. (c) 2004 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.

Assessment of a human computer interface prototyping environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, Loretta A.

1993-01-01

A Human Computer Interface (HCI) prototyping environment with embedded evaluation capability has been successfully assessed which will be valuable in developing and refining HCI standards and evaluating program/project interface development, especially Space Station Freedom on-board displays for payload operations. The HCI prototyping environment is designed to include four components: (1) a HCI format development tool, (2) a test and evaluation simulator development tool, (3) a dynamic, interactive interface between the HCI prototype and simulator, and (4) an embedded evaluation capability to evaluate the adequacy of an HCI based on a user's performance.

Using Rapid Prototyping to Design a Smoking Cessation Website with End-Users.

PubMed

Ronquillo, Charlene; Currie, Leanne; Rowsell, Derek; Phillips, J Craig

2016-01-01

Rapid prototyping is an iterative approach to design involving cycles of prototype building, review by end-users and refinement, and can be a valuable tool in user-centered website design. Informed by various user-centered approaches, we used rapid prototyping as a tool to collaborate with users in building a peer-support focused smoking-cessation website for gay men living with HIV. Rapid prototyping was effective in eliciting feedback on the needs of this group of potential end-users from a smoking cessation website.

Uncertainty Quantification and Statistical Engineering for Hypersonic Entry Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cozmuta, Ioana

2011-01-01

NASA has invested significant resources in developing and validating a mathematical construct for TPS margin management: a) Tailorable for low/high reliability missions; b) Tailorable for ablative/reusable TPS; c) Uncertainty Quantification and Statistical Engineering are valuable tools not exploited enough; and d) Need to define strategies combining both Theoretical Tools and Experimental Methods. The main reason for this lecture is to give a flavor of where UQ and SE could contribute and hope that the broader community will work with us to improve in these areas.

The Sky is for Everyone — Outreach and Education with the Virtual Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freistetter, F.; Iafrate, G.; Ramella, M.; Aida-Wp5 Team

2010-12-01

The Virtual Observatory (VO) is an international project to collect astronomical data (images, spectra, simulations, mission-logs, etc.), organise them and develop tools that let astronomers access this huge amount of information. The VO not only simplifies the work of professional astronomers, it is also a valuable tool for education and public outreach. For teachers and astronomers who actively promote astronomy to the public, the VO is a great opportunity to access and use real astronomical data, and have a taste of the daily life of astronomers.