Metacognition and Group Differences: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Hilawani, Yasser A.

2014-01-01

In this study, metacognition refers to performing visual analysis and discrimination of real life events and situations in naïve psychology, naïve physics, and naïve biology domains. It is used, along with measuring reaction time, to examine differences in the ability of four groups of students to select appropriate pictures that correspond with…

Methods for extracting climate indicator data from social media.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuka, M. Z.; Fuka, D. R.

2011-12-01

This paper shows how we've used the R software suite to extract climate indicator data from Twitter. In the course of this research we've collected extensive data sets of unsolicited observations ("tweets") for hundreds of climate-related phenological, biological, epidemiological and meteorological effects. R has proved itself in our work as a useful tool for manipulating those large data sets. Our experience from this effort has yielded a variety of insights on using R to extract geophysics-specific information from publicly accessible social media sources. We illustrate our methodology by mapping tweeted US armadillo sightings to explore the impact of climate variability on the extent of the animal's range. This example usefully demonstrates R's technical capabilities in collecting, time-stamping, geolocating, analyzing, visualizing and otherwise processing climate-related data derived from unsolicited social media postings. We also "mash-up" the data sets with those acquired by more traditional means, for example, temperature and precipitation data across the armadillo's US range. Our data-handling practice is extendable to social sharing services other than Twitter, providing the environmental modeling community an opportunity to access largely untapped resources of non-traditional climate indicator data to better understand the effects of climate change at local, regional and global scales.

Guide to Using Sierra

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

Shaw, Ryan Phillip; Agelastos, Anthony Michael; Miller, Joel D.

2015-03-01

Sierra is an engineering mechanics simulation code suite supporting the Nation's Nuclear Weapons mission as well as other customers. It has explicit ties to Sandia National Labs' workfow, including geometry and meshing, design and optimization, and visualization. Dis- tinguishing strengths include "application aware" development, scalability, SQA and V&V, multiple scales, and multi-physics coupling. This document is intended to help new and existing users of Sierra as a user manual and troubleshooting guide.

Guide to Using Sierra

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

Shaw, Ryan Phillip; Agelastos, Anthony Michael; Miller, Joel D.

2017-04-01

Sierra is an engineering mechanics simulation code suite supporting the Nation's Nuclear Weapons mission as well as other customers. It has explicit ties to Sandia National Labs' workfow, including geometry and meshing, design and optimization, and visualization. Dis- tinguishing strengths include "application aware" development, scalability, SQA and V&V, multiple scales, and multi-physics coupling. This document is intended to help new and existing users of Sierra as a user manual and troubleshooting guide.

Digital image analysis agrees with visual estimates of adult bone marrow trephine biopsy cellularity.

PubMed

Hagiya, A S; Etman, A; Siddiqi, I N; Cen, S; Matcuk, G R; Brynes, R K; Salama, M E

2018-04-01

Evaluation of cellularity is an essential component of bone marrow trephine biopsy examination. The standard practice is to report the results as visual estimates (VE). Digital image analysis (DIA) offers the promise of more objective measurements of cellularity. Adult bone marrow trephine biopsy sections were assessed for cellularity by VE. Sections were scanned using an Aperio AT2 Scanscope and analyzed using a Cytonuclear (version 1.4) algorithm on halo software. Intraclass correlation (ICC) was used to assess relatedness between VE and DIA, and between MRI and DIA for a separate subset of patients. Trephine biopsy sections from a subset of patients with bone marrow biopsies uninvolved by malignancy were assessed for age-related changes. Interobserver VE agreement was good to excellent. The ICC value was 0.81 for VE and DIA, and 0.50 for MRI and DIA. Linearity studies showed no statistically significant trend for age-related changes in cellularity in our cohort (r = -.29, P = .06). Agreement was good between VE and DIA. It may be possible to use DIA or VE to measure cellularity in the appropriate clinical scenario. The limited sample size precludes similar determinations for MRI calculations. Further studies examining healthy donors are necessary before making definitive conclusions regarding age and cellularity. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using virtual reality to augment perception, enhance sensorimotor adaptation, and change our minds

PubMed Central

Wright, W. Geoffrey

2014-01-01

Technological advances that involve human sensorimotor processes can have both intended and unintended effects on the central nervous system (CNS). This mini review focuses on the use of virtual environments (VE) to augment brain functions by enhancing perception, eliciting automatic motor behavior, and inducing sensorimotor adaptation. VE technology is becoming increasingly prevalent in medical rehabilitation, training simulators, gaming, and entertainment. Although these VE applications have often been shown to optimize outcomes, whether it be to speed recovery, reduce training time, or enhance immersion and enjoyment, there are inherent drawbacks to environments that can potentially change sensorimotor calibration. Across numerous VE studies over the years, we have investigated the effects of combining visual and physical motion on perception, motor control, and adaptation. Recent results from our research involving exposure to dynamic passive motion within a visually-depicted VE reveal that short-term exposure to augmented sensorimotor discordance can result in systematic aftereffects that last beyond the exposure period. Whether these adaptations are advantageous or not, remains to be seen. Benefits as well as risks of using VE-driven sensorimotor stimulation to enhance brain processes will be discussed. PMID:24782724

What explains violated expectations of parent-child relationship in transition to parenthood?

PubMed

Flykt, Marjo; Palosaari, Esa; Lindblom, Jallu; Vänskä, Mervi; Poikkeus, Piia; Repokari, Leena; Tiitinen, Aila; Tulppala, Maija; Punamäki, Raija-Leena

2014-04-01

Parent-child relationship is created already in prenatal fantasies and expectations of the child-to-be. Negative violation of these expectations after the child is born is known to be harmful for the parent-child relationship. Yet, research is scarce about the medical and psychological factors contributing to violated expectations (VE). This study models the role of parent-, delivery- and infant-related underlying mechanisms for VE. It further compares parents with assisted reproductive treatment (ART) and spontaneous conception (SC), and primi- and multiparous couples. The couples (n = 743) separately filled in questionnaires concerning their prenatal expectations (T1) and 2 months postnatal representations (T2) of intimacy and autonomy in the relationship with their child, measured with Subjective Family Picture Test. A negative or positive discrepancy indicated violated expectations. The parent-related (mental health and marital quality), delivery-related (maternal and paternal birth experience, unplanned Caesarean, and amount of analgesia) and infant-related (infant health problems, difficult infant characteristics, and parental worry) factors were assessed at T2. Results show that among mothers, the associations were mostly indirect and mediated via mental health problems. Among fathers, the associations were direct, marital problems most crucially predicting VE. ART fathers were less susceptible to VE resulting from infant-related problems than SC fathers, but more susceptible to VE resulting from delivery problems. Delivery- and infant-related factors also predicted VE differently among primi- and multiparous mothers. Considering factors that contribute to VE is important when working with couples in transition to parenthood. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Spatial awareness in immersive virtual environments revealed in open-loop walking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turano, Kathleen A.; Chaudhury, Sidhartha

2005-03-01

People are able to walk without vision to previously viewed targets in the real world. This ability to update one"s position in space has been attributed to a path integration system that uses internally generated self-motion signals together with the perceived object-to-self distance of the target. In a previous study using an immersive virtual environment (VE), we found that many subjects were unable to walk without vision to a previously viewed target located 4 m away. Their walking paths were influenced by the room structure that varied trial to trial. In this study we investigated whether the phenomenon is specific to a VE by testing subjects in a real world and a VE. The real world was viewed with field restricting goggles and via cameras using the same head-mounted display as in the VE. The results showed that only in the VE were walking paths influenced by the room structure. Women were more affected than men, and the effect decreased over trials and after subjects performed the task in the real world. The results also showed that a brief (<0.5 s) exposure to the visual scene during self-motion was sufficient to reduce the influence of the room structure on walking paths. The results are consistent with the idea that without visual experience within the VE, the path integration system is unable to effectively update one"s spatial position. As a result, people rely on other cues to define their position in space. Women, unlike men, choose to use visual cues about environmental structure to reorient.

Advanced virtual endoscopy for endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery.

PubMed

Wolfsberger, Stefan; Neubauer, André; Bühler, Katja; Wegenkittl, Rainer; Czech, Thomas; Gentzsch, Stephan; Böcher-Schwarz, Hans-Gerd; Knosp, Engelbert

2006-11-01

Virtual endoscopy (vE) is the navigation of a camera through a virtual anatomical space that is computationally reconstructed from radiological image data. Inside this three-dimensional space, arbitrary movements and adaptations of viewing parameters are possible. Thereby, vE can be used for noninvasive diagnostic purposes and for simulation of surgical tasks. This article describes the development of an advanced system of vE for endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery and its application to teaching, training, and in the routine clinical setting. The vE system was applied to a series of 35 patients with pituitary pathology (32 adenomas, three Rathke's cleft cysts) operated endoscopically via the transsphenoidal route at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Medical University Vienna between 2004 and 2006. The virtual endoscopic images correlated well with the intraoperative view. For the transsphenoidal approach, vE improved intraoperative orientation by depicting anatomical landmarks and variations. For planning a safe and tailored opening of the sellar floor, transparent visualization of the pituitary adenoma and the normal gland in relation to the internal carotid arteries was useful. According to our experience, vE can be a valuable tool for endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery for training purposes and preoperative planning. For the novice, it can act as a simulator for endoscopic anatomy and for training surgical tasks. For the experienced pituitary surgeon, vE can depict the individual patient's anatomy, and may, therefore, improve intraoperative orientation. By prospectively visualizing unpredictable anatomical variations, vE may increase the safety of this surgical procedure.

ParaView visualization of Abaqus output on the mechanical deformation of complex microstructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qingbin; Li, Jiang; Liu, Jie

2017-02-01

Abaqus® is a popular software suite for finite element analysis. It delivers linear and nonlinear analyses of mechanical and fluid dynamics, includes multi-body system and multi-physics coupling. However, the visualization capability of Abaqus using its CAE module is limited. Models from microtomography have extremely complicated structures, and datasets of Abaqus output are huge, requiring a visualization tool more powerful than Abaqus/CAE. We convert Abaqus output into the XML-based VTK format by developing a Python script and then using ParaView to visualize the results. Such capabilities as volume rendering, tensor glyphs, superior animation and other filters allow ParaView to offer excellent visualizing manifestations. ParaView's parallel visualization makes it possible to visualize very big data. To support full parallel visualization, the Python script achieves data partitioning by reorganizing all nodes, elements and the corresponding results on those nodes and elements. The data partition scheme minimizes data redundancy and works efficiently. Given its good readability and extendibility, the script can be extended to the processing of more different problems in Abaqus. We share the script with Abaqus users on GitHub.

The Convolutional Visual Network for Identification and Reconstruction of NOvA Events

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

Psihas, Fernanda

In 2016 the NOvA experiment released results for the observation of oscillations in the vμ and ve channels as well as ve cross section measurements using neutrinos from Fermilab’s NuMI beam. These and other measurements in progress rely on the accurate identification and reconstruction of the neutrino flavor and energy recorded by our detectors. This presentation describes the first application of convolutional neural network technology for event identification and reconstruction in particle detectors like NOvA. The Convolutional Visual Network (CVN) Algorithm was developed for identification, categorization, and reconstruction of NOvA events. It increased the selection efficiency of the ve appearancemore » signal by 40% and studies show potential impact to the vμ disappearance analysis.« less

Making useful gadgets with miniaturized G proteins

PubMed Central

Martemyanov, Kirill A.; Garcia-Marcos, Mikel

2018-01-01

G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) relay information from extracellular stimuli to intracellular responses in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes, but understanding their complex effects in live cells is a daunting task. In this issue of JBC, Wan et al. repurpose “mini G proteins”—previously used as affinity tools for structural studies—to develop a suite of probes to visualize GPCR activation in live cells. The approach is expected to revolutionize our understanding of the spatiotemporal control and mechanisms of GPCR signaling. PMID:29752421

The RAVEN Toolbox and Its Use for Generating a Genome-scale Metabolic Model for Penicillium chrysogenum

PubMed Central

Agren, Rasmus; Liu, Liming; Shoaie, Saeed; Vongsangnak, Wanwipa; Nookaew, Intawat; Nielsen, Jens

2013-01-01

We present the RAVEN (Reconstruction, Analysis and Visualization of Metabolic Networks) Toolbox: a software suite that allows for semi-automated reconstruction of genome-scale models. It makes use of published models and/or the KEGG database, coupled with extensive gap-filling and quality control features. The software suite also contains methods for visualizing simulation results and omics data, as well as a range of methods for performing simulations and analyzing the results. The software is a useful tool for system-wide data analysis in a metabolic context and for streamlined reconstruction of metabolic networks based on protein homology. The RAVEN Toolbox workflow was applied in order to reconstruct a genome-scale metabolic model for the important microbial cell factory Penicillium chrysogenum Wisconsin54-1255. The model was validated in a bibliomic study of in total 440 references, and it comprises 1471 unique biochemical reactions and 1006 ORFs. It was then used to study the roles of ATP and NADPH in the biosynthesis of penicillin, and to identify potential metabolic engineering targets for maximization of penicillin production. PMID:23555215

Evaluative Appraisals of Environmental Mystery and Surprise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nasar, Jack L.; Cubukcu, Ebru

2011-01-01

This study used a desktop virtual environment (VE) of 15 large-scale residential streets to test the effects of environmental mystery and surprise on response. In theory, mystery and surprise should increase interest and visual appeal. For each VE, participants walked through an approach street and turned right onto a post-turn street. We designed…

"You've Got the Power": Documentary Film as a Tool of Environmental Adult Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clover, Darlene E.

2011-01-01

Educators call for more creative means to combat the moribund narratives of contemporary environmentalism. Using visual methodology and environmental adult education theory, this article discusses how a documentary film titled "You've Got the Power" works to pose questions about complex environmental issues and develop critical thinking…

3-D localization of virtual sound sources: effects of visual environment, pointing method, and training.

PubMed

Majdak, Piotr; Goupell, Matthew J; Laback, Bernhard

2010-02-01

The ability to localize sound sources in three-dimensional space was tested in humans. In Experiment 1, naive subjects listened to noises filtered with subject-specific head-related transfer functions. The tested conditions included the pointing method (head or manual pointing) and the visual environment (VE; darkness or virtual VE). The localization performance was not significantly different between the pointing methods. The virtual VE significantly improved the horizontal precision and reduced the number of front-back confusions. These results show the benefit of using a virtual VE in sound localization tasks. In Experiment 2, subjects were provided with sound localization training. Over the course of training, the performance improved for all subjects, with the largest improvements occurring during the first 400 trials. The improvements beyond the first 400 trials were smaller. After the training, there was still no significant effect of pointing method, showing that the choice of either head- or manual-pointing method plays a minor role in sound localization performance. The results of Experiment 2 reinforce the importance of perceptual training for at least 400 trials in sound localization studies.

Vertically-Integrated Dual-Continuum Models for CO2 Injection in Fractured Aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Y.; Guo, B.; Bandilla, K.; Celia, M. A.

2017-12-01

Injection of CO2 into a saline aquifer leads to a two-phase flow system, with supercritical CO2 and brine being the two fluid phases. Various modeling approaches, including fully three-dimensional (3D) models and vertical-equilibrium (VE) models, have been used to study the system. Almost all of that work has focused on unfractured formations. 3D models solve the governing equations in three dimensions and are applicable to generic geological formations. VE models assume rapid and complete buoyant segregation of the two fluid phases, resulting in vertical pressure equilibrium and allowing integration of the governing equations in the vertical dimension. This reduction in dimensionality makes VE models computationally more efficient, but the associated assumptions restrict the applicability of VE model to formations with moderate to high permeability. In this presentation, we extend the VE and 3D models for CO2 injection in fractured aquifers. This is done in the context of dual-continuum modeling, where the fractured formation is modeled as an overlap of two continuous domains, one representing the fractures and the other representing the rock matrix. Both domains are treated as porous media continua and can be modeled by either a VE or a 3D formulation. The transfer of fluid mass between rock matrix and fractures is represented by a mass transfer function connecting the two domains. We have developed a computational model that combines the VE and 3D models, where we use the VE model in the fractures, which typically have high permeability, and the 3D model in the less permeable rock matrix. A new mass transfer function is derived, which couples the VE and 3D models. The coupled VE-3D model can simulate CO2 injection and migration in fractured aquifers. Results from this model compare well with a full-3D model in which both the fractures and rock matrix are modeled with 3D models, with the hybrid VE-3D model having significantly reduced computational cost. In addition to the VE-3D model, we explore simplifications of the rock matrix domain by using sugar-cube and matchstick conceptualizations and develop VE-dual porosity and VE-matchstick models. These vertically-integrated dual-permeability and dual-porosity models provide a range of computationally efficient tools to model CO2 storage in fractured saline aquifers.

Pulse-coupled neural network implementation in FPGA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldemark, Joakim T. A.; Lindblad, Thomas; Lindsey, Clark S.; Waldemark, Karina E.; Oberg, Johnny; Millberg, Mikael

1998-03-01

Pulse Coupled Neural Networks (PCNN) are biologically inspired neural networks, mainly based on studies of the visual cortex of small mammals. The PCNN is very well suited as a pre- processor for image processing, particularly in connection with object isolation, edge detection and segmentation. Several implementations of PCNN on von Neumann computers, as well as on special parallel processing hardware devices (e.g. SIMD), exist. However, these implementations are not as flexible as required for many applications. Here we present an implementation in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) together with a performance analysis. The FPGA hardware implementation may be considered a platform for further, extended implementations and easily expanded into various applications. The latter may include advanced on-line image analysis with close to real-time performance.

Visualizing Ecosystem Energy Flow in Complex Food Web Networks: A Comparison of Three Alaskan Large Marine Ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kearney, K.; Aydin, K.

2016-02-01

Oceanic food webs are often depicted as network graphs, with the major organisms or functional groups displayed as nodes and the fluxes of between them as the edges. However, the large number of nodes and edges and high connectance of many management-oriented food webs coupled with graph layout algorithms poorly-suited to certain desired characteristics of food web visualizations often lead to hopelessly tangled diagrams that convey little information other than, "It's complex." Here, I combine several new graph visualization techniques- including a new node layout alorithm based on a trophic similarity (quantification of shared predator and prey) and trophic level, divided edge bundling for edge routing, and intelligent automated placement of labels- to create a much clearer visualization of the important fluxes through a food web. The technique will be used to highlight the differences in energy flow within three Alaskan Large Marine Ecosystems (the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and Aleutian Islands) that include very similar functional groups but unique energy pathways.

The Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) 2017 Airborne Campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, C. E.; Goetz, S. J.; Griffith, P. C.; Hoy, E.; Larson, E. K.; Hodkinson, D. J.; Hansen, C.; Woods, J.; Kasischke, E. S.; Margolis, H. A.

2017-12-01

The 2017 ABoVE Airborne Campaign (AAC) was one of the largest airborne experiments ever conducted by NASA's Earth Science Division. It involved nine aircraft in 17 deployments - more than 100 flights - between April and October and sampled over 4 million km2in Alaska and northwestern Canada. Many of these flights were coordinated with detailed, same-day ground-based measurements to link field-based, process-level studies with geospatial data products derived from satellite remote sensing. A major goal of the 2017 AAC was to collect data that spanned the critical intermediate space and time scales that are essential for a comprehensive understanding of scaling issues across the ABoVE Study Domain and extrapolation to the pan-Arctic. Additionally, the 2017 AAC provided unique opportunities to validate satellite and airborne remote sensing data for northern high latitude ecosystems, develop and advance fundamental remote sensing science, and explore scientific insights from innovative sensor combinations. The 2017 AAC science strategy coupled domain-wide sampling with L-band and P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR), imaging spectroscopy (AVIRIS-NG), full waveform lidar (LVIS) and atmospheric carbon dioxide and methane with more spatially and temporally focused studies using Ka-band SAR (Ka-SPAR) and solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (CFIS). Additional measurements were coordinated with the NEON Airborne Observing Platform, the ASCENDS instrument development suite, and the ATOM EV-S2 investigation. Targets of interest included the array of field sites operated by the ABoVE Science Team as well as the intensive sites operated by the DOE NGEE-Arctic team on the Seward Peninsula and in Barrow, NSF's LTER sites at Toolik Lake (North Slope) and Bonanza Creek (Interior Alaska), the Canadian Cold Regions Hydrology sites in the Arctic tundra near Trail Valley Creek NT, the Government of the Northwest Territories Slave River/Slave Delta watershed time series and numerous forest and fire disturbance plots maintained by the Alaskan and Canadian Forestry Services. We will present an overview of the 2017 AAC and highlight some key preliminary results.

Naïve-like conversion enhances the difference in innate in vitro differentiation capacity between rabbit ES cells and iPS cells

PubMed Central

HONSHO, Kimiko; HIROSE, Michiko; HATORI, Masanori; YASMIN, Lubna; IZU, Haruna; MATOBA, Shogo; TOGAYACHI, Sumie; MIYOSHI, Hiroyuki; SANKAI, Tadashi; OGURA, Atsuo; HONDA, Arata

2014-01-01

Quality evaluation of pluripotent stem cells using appropriate animal models needs to be improved for human regenerative medicine. Previously, we demonstrated that although the in vitro neural differentiating capacity of rabbit induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be mitigated by improving their baseline level of pluripotency, i.e., by converting them into the so-called “naïve-like” state, the effect after such conversion of rabbit embryonic stem cells (ESCs) remains to be elucidated. Here we found that naïve-like conversion enhanced the differences in innate in vitro differentiation capacity between ESCs and iPSCs. Naïve-like rabbit ESCs exhibited several features indicating pluripotency, including the capacity for teratoma formation. They differentiated into mature oligodendrocytes much more effectively (3.3–7.2 times) than naïve-like iPSCs. This suggests an inherent variation in differentiation potential in vitro among PSC lines. When naïve-like ESCs were injected into preimplantation rabbit embryos, although they contributed efficiently to forming the inner cell mass of blastocysts, no chimeric pups were obtained. Thus, in vitro neural differentiation following naïve-like conversion is a promising option for determining the quality of PSCs without the need to demonstrate chimeric contribution. These results provide an opportunity to evaluate which pluripotent stem cells or treatments are best suited for therapeutic use. PMID:25345855

Revolutionary Design for Astronaut Exploration — Beyond the Bio-Suit System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newman, Dava J.; Canina, Marita; Trotti, Guillermo L.

2007-01-01

The Bio-Suit System is designed to revolutionize human space exploration by providing enhanced astronaut extravehicular activity (EVA) locomotion and performance based on the concepts of a `second skin' capability. The novel Bio-Suit concept provides an overall exploration system realized through symbiotic relationships between a suite of advanced technologies, creative design, human modeling and analysis, and new mission operations techniques. By working at the intersection of engineering, design, life sciences and operations, new emergent capabilities and interrelationships result for applications to space missions, medical rehabilitation, and extreme sports activities. In many respects, the Bio-Suit System mimics Nature (biomimetics). For example, the second skin is capable of augmenting our biological skin by providing mechanical counter-pressure. We have designed and tested prototypes that prove mechanical counter-pressure feasibility. The `epidermis' of our second skin suit is patterned from 3D laser scans that incorporate human skin strain field maps for maximum mobility and natural movements, while requiring minimum energy expenditure for exploration tasks. We provide a technology roadmap for future design, pressure production and technology investments for the Bio-Suit System. Woven into the second skin are active materials to enhance human performance as well as to provide necessary performance metrics (i.e., energy expenditure). Wearable technologies will be embedded throughout the Bio-Suit System to place the explorer in an information-rich environment enabling real-time mission planning, prediction, and visualization. The Bio-Suit System concept augments human capabilities by coupling human and robotic abilities into a hybrid of the two, to the point where the explorer is hardly aware of the boundary between innate human performance and robotic activities.

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

Zitney, S.E.; McCorkle, D.; Yang, C.

Process modeling and simulation tools are widely used for the design and operation of advanced power generation systems. These tools enable engineers to solve the critical process systems engineering problems that arise throughout the lifecycle of a power plant, such as designing a new process, troubleshooting a process unit or optimizing operations of the full process. To analyze the impact of complex thermal and fluid flow phenomena on overall power plant performance, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has developed the Advanced Process Engineering Co-Simulator (APECS). The APECS system is an integrated software suite that combinesmore » process simulation (e.g., Aspen Plus) and high-fidelity equipment simulations such as those based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD), together with advanced analysis capabilities including case studies, sensitivity analysis, stochastic simulation for risk/uncertainty analysis, and multi-objective optimization. In this paper we discuss the initial phases of the integration of the APECS system with the immersive and interactive virtual engineering software, VE-Suite, developed at Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory. VE-Suite uses the ActiveX (OLE Automation) controls in the Aspen Plus process simulator wrapped by the CASI library developed by Reaction Engineering International to run process/CFD co-simulations and query for results. This integration represents a necessary step in the development of virtual power plant co-simulations that will ultimately reduce the time, cost, and technical risk of developing advanced power generation systems.« less

The consistency of Fletcher-Suit applicator geometry and of the rectal probe’s position in high dose rate brachytherapy treatment fraction of cervix carcinoma

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Purpose The dose values computed with the treatment planning system and the in vivo dose measurements with semiconductor detectors in rectum during the high dose rate brachytherapy treatment fraction of the cervix carcinoma are occasionally significantly different. We’ve investigated the consistency of the Fletcher-Suit applicator geometry and the in vivo rectal probe’s position stability during the high dose rate brachytherapy treatment fraction. Material and methods The patient lied in a lithotomic position during a biplane reconstruction images, throughout the treatment planning and dose administration. We obtained post-treatment reconstruction images and prepared a post-treatment plan. The amount of 14 treatment fractions of 10 patients were considered in the study. Two methods were applied: evaluation of the difference of reconstructed pre-treatment and post-treatment applicator points and rectal probe’s detectors being relevant to the co-ordinate system fixed to the applicator, and estimation of applicators and rectal probe’s reallocation with respect to the pelvic bones with registration of pre- and post-treatment reconstruction images. Results We’ve experienced good consistency in the Fletcher-Suit applicator geometry in all treatment fractions. 70% of them presented small variation in the rectal probe’s position, while the rest showed significant shift in the applicator or rectal probe’s position with regard to the pelvic bones. PMID:27807458

hwhap_Ep16_Spacesuits

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-26

>> HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PODCAST. WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL PODCAST OF THE NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, EPISODE 16: SPACESUITS. I’M GARY JORDAN AND I’LL BE YOUR HOST TODAY. SO IF YOU’RE NEW TO THE SHOW, THIS IS WHERE WE BRING IN NASA EXPERTS-- SCIENTISTS, ENGINEERS, ASTRONAUTS-- ALL TO TELL YOU THE COOLEST PARTS ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON HERE AT NASA. SO ALLYOOP ON TWITTER IS ASKING IF WE CAN DO AN EPISODE ON SPACESUITS. WELL, THANKS FOR YOUR SUGGESTION, ALLYOOP. LET’S DO IT! TODAY WE’RE TALKING SPACESUITS WITH LES PADILLA. HE’S THE EMU HARDWARE MANAGER AT THE NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, AND THAT JUST MEANS HE MANAGES THE HARDWARE ON THOSE CLASSIC WHITE SPACESUITS YOU SEE WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT ASTRONAUTS. WE HAD A GREAT DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW THOSE SPACESUITS WORK, WHAT THEY’RE MADE OF, HOW THEY’VE EVOLVED OVER TIME, AND WHAT THEY’LL LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE. SO WITH NO FURTHER DELAY, LET’S GO LIGHT SPEED AND JUMP RIGHT AHEAD TO OUR TALK WITH MR. LES PADILLA. ENJOY. [ MUSIC ] >> T MINUS FIVE SECONDS AND COUNTING-- MARK. [ INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER ] >> HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PODCAST. [ MUSIC ] >> I LIKE TO EXPLAIN TO OTHERS, I FEEL LIKE A KID IN A CANDY STORE WHEN THEY ASK ABOUT IT. >> YEAH. >> IT’S AWESOME TO BOTH SEE THE PAST WHERE IT CAME FROM AND THE FUTURE DESIGNS WHERE WE’RE MAYBE HEADED TOWARDS. >> THAT’S RIGHT, AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. >> ALL RIGHT. >> SO I HOPE YOU-- I SEE YOU HAVE A LARGE BINDER OF NOTES. IT’S ACTUALLY ONE PAGE. BUT YEAH, SO WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT ALL TODAY. SO FIRST OF ALL, SPACESUITS. LET’S START FROM LIKE THE OVERARCHING, LIKE WHAT IS A SPACESUIT, WHY DO YOU NEED A SPACESUIT? I THINK THE CLOSEST THING THAT I’VE BEEN DESCRIBED IS LIKE THINK OF IT LIKE A SPACESHIP THAT’S SHAPED LIKE A HUMAN BODY. IS THAT KIND OF RIGHT? >> THAT’S A FANTASTIC DESCRIPTION RIGHT THERE. >> COOL. >> A LOT BETTER AND A LOT SHORTER THAN I COULD’VE SAID IT. >> OKAY SO WHAT ARE THEY, HOW, LIKE WHY A SPACESUIT? WHY DO WE NEED THAT? WHY CAN’T WE JUST USE THE FANCY SPACECRAFT WITH LIKE ARMS ON IT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? >> YEAH, SO AT SOME POINT, PEOPLE BEFORE US DECIDED, “WE WANT TO GO TO SPACE.” AND AFTER THAT THEY DECIDED GOING TO SPACE WASN’T ENOUGH. WE WANT TO GO EXTRAVEHICULAR, OUTSIDE THE SPACESHIP-- WHATEVER SPACESHIP IT IS, FROM SHUTTLE TO STATION, TO BEFORE THOSE AND THE MERCURY MISSIONS ALL THE WAY IN THE EARLY DAYS. AND THE SPACESUIT, THE PURPOSE OF IT IS TO BE SORT OF AS YOU SAID, A MINIATURE AIRCRAFT, BUT ALLOW US MOBILITY, FLEXIBILITY, MANEUVERABILITY, SO THAT A CREW MEMBER COULD MOVE AROUND WHEN THEY’RE DOING WORK OR JUST EXPERIENCING THE ENVIRONMENT OUT THERE. LIKE IN THE EARLY DAYS IN GEMINI WHEN THEY WENT OUT THE DOOR. >> THAT’S RIGHT, ED WHITE. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, YOU GOT IT. JUST EXPERIENCING THE ENVIRONMENT, DID NOT WANT TO COME BACK IN. >> YEAH. >> OR LATER DAYS, EVEN WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, WHERE THERE ARE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES AND THERE IS-- WE’VE ALREADY COMPLETED THE ASSEMBLY, SO IT’S MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES IS WHERE WE’RE AT. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT THERE AND DO MORE THAN JUST FLY AROUND AND ENJOY THE SCENERY. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TURN BOLTS. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PULL OUT LARGE BATTERIES AND PUT THEM BACK IN. AND SO THEY NEED SOMETHING THAT OFFERS DEXTERITY AND YET PROTECTION FROM THE VERY HARSH SPACE ENVIRONMENT. >> YOU KNOW, WE JUST SAW THAT, BECAUSE WE JUST DID THE SPACEWALK THE OTHER DAY, RIGHT. THAT WAS THE SECOND OF THREE PLANNED ONES, AND THAT WAS WHEN THEY WERE PUTTING ON SOME OF THE SHIELDS AND EVERYTHING. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> AND THEY DID SOME ROBOTIC WORK, RIGHT, WITH THE STATION’S ROBOTIC ARM. THEY TOOK THE PRESSURIZED MATING ADAPTOR, MOVED IT TO A NEW PLACE, BUT THEY NEEDED HUMAN HANDS TO ACTUALLY CONNECT THE CABLES AND ACTUALLY PUT ON THE SHIELDS. SO IT MAKES SENSE, RIGHT-- YOU NEED THE SUITS BECAUSE THERE’S SOME THINGS THAT ROBOTS JUST CAN’T DO, I GUESS, RIGHT? >> YEAH, NOT YET, NOT WHERE WE ARE TODAY. YOU CAN’T GO TO SPACE WITHOUT EVA. >> YEAH, THAT’S TRUE. OKAY, SO LIKE GOING BACK TO ED WHITE AND GEMINI, THAT WAS-- THE FIRST ONE WAS-- OH, NO, I HAD-- I JUST HAD IT. I WANT TO SAY JUNE 1965? ‘65, THERE IT IS. ALL RIGHT, YEAH. HE CAME OUT AND THEY ACTUALLY USED THE AIR GUN TO MOVE AROUND. AND SUPER FAMOUS VIDEO OF WATCHING HIM JUST LIKE DRIFT OUT, AND HE’S GOT THE UMBILICAL, AND HE’S GOT THE AIR. SO I’VE GOT TO ASK-- WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT AIR GUN THINGY? AND THEN WHY DO WE NOT SEE ANYONE USE THOSE ANYMORE? >> YEAH, GREAT QUESTION, YEAH. AND SO THERE’S PROBABLY PEOPLE WISER AND MORE EXPERIENCED THAT HAVE EXTRA DETAILS ON THAT, BUT AT A HIGH, GENERAL LEVEL IT’S JUST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. SO YOU’RE OUT THERE IN SPACE. WE CALL IT-- WE SAY NO GRAVITY. THERE IS SOME GRAVITY, BUT IT’S MICROGRAVITY, VERY LOW, AND FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES YOU’RE FREEFALLING TOWARDS THE EARTH. AND SO UNLESS YOU’RE HOLDING ONTO A HANDRAIL OR THE VEHICLE ITSELF, YOU WILL CONTINUE TO FLOAT, AND THE GRAVITATIONAL PULL TO THE SURFACE OF EARTH WILL BEGIN TO BRING YOU DOWN. SO AS SOON AS YOU GO OUT THAT DOOR, YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE A WAY-- IT COULD BE A TETHER OR A ROPE TO PULL YOU BACK IN, BUT A WAY TO MANEUVER AROUND THE AREA YOU WANT TO GO. AND SO THE AIR GUN PROVIDES A SMALL PROPULSION CAPABILITY TO NAVIGATE. >> OKAY, MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. SO, OKAY, THEY’RE GOING OUT AND USING THE AIR GUN, BUT NOW I GUESS THEY HAVE-- IT TOOK THEM A WHILE, RIGHT, DURING THE GEMINI? THAT WAS KIND OF A LOT OF THE POINT OF THE GEMINI PROGRAM, WAS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS, HOW TO DO SPACE RENDEZVOUS, AND HOW TO DO SPACEWALKS. IT TOOK THEM A WHILE, RIGHT? SO THAT WAS GEMINI 4 WAS WHEN ED WHITE CAME OUT. AND THEN IT WASN’T UNTIL GEMINI 12, BUZZ ALDRIN HAD PUT IN SOME PROCEDURES FOR NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY TRAINING, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY TRAIN IN THE WATER TO SEE HOW THEY CAN MOVE AROUND, BECAUSE EVERYONE WAS GETTING SORT OF TIRED WHEN THEY WERE GOING OUT BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE PROCEDURES YET. AND THEY FINALLY NAILED IT FOR GEMINI 12, RIGHT? >> YES. SPACEWALKS ARE TOUGH, TOUGH JOBS. >> YEAH. >> THE ASTRONAUTS ARE JUST AMAZING THE WAY THEY DO WORK SO SEAMLESSLY. AND AS TRAINED PROFESSIONALS, THEY MAKE IT SEEM EASY, BUT INSIDE THOSE SUITS-- BECAUSE I’VE SEEN THE SUITS COME OUT-- THERE’S A LOT OF SWEAT IN THERE. THERE’S A LOT OF HARD WORK THAT GOES ON FOR THOSE ASTRONAUTS, AND IT IS NOT EASY. AND AS YOU SAID, TRAINING ON THE GROUND IS PIVOTAL TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE ACTIVITIES LOOK SEAMLESS ON ORBIT. >> YEAH, I’M TOTALLY NOT FOLLOWING THE SCRIPT RIGHT NOW, BUT I MEAN, SO THE NBL TRAINING THAT THEY DO, THEY DO IT IN THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY-- SUPER BIG POOL. THEY HAVE LIKE 1-TO-1 SCALE MOCKUPS OF THE OUTSIDE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, SO WHEN THEY ACTUALLY GO UP THERE AND THEY-- WELL, IN THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY, THEY TRAIN IN A SPACESUIT, PRETTY MUCH. SO THEY KNOW EXACTLY HOW IT FEELS, AND WHERE THINGS ARE, AND THEY KNOW HOW TO MOVE FROM PLACE TO PLACE AND USE PROPER TOOLS. BECAUSE ONCE YOU’RE OUT THERE, YOU’VE GOT TO KNOW KIND OF WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND WHAT TO EXPECT, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT ENCOUNTER SOME HURDLES. AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME HURDLES IN THE PAST. >> THERE HAVE BEEN, ABSOLUTELY. ALL IN THAT NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB, YOU’RE RIGHT. THEY ACTUALLY TRAIN IN A SPACESUIT THAT IS ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE THE ONES THEY FLY IN. SMALL LITTLE DIFFERENCES, LIKE THE WHITE BACKPACK, WHICH IS THE ENGINE OF THE SPACESUIT, THE PRIMARY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM. IN THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB, IT IS JUST A HOLLOW SHELL AND WE HAVE UMBILICALS, LONG HOSES, THAT SUPPLY THE AIR AND THE POWER TO THE SUIT. >> RIGHT. >> AND THE TOOLS WILL HAVE THINGS THAT ARE CHANGED ON THEM TO MAKE THEM MORE NEUTRAL BUOYANT, SO THEY’LL FLOAT IN WATER AND DON’T SINK DIRECTLY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POOL. BUT OVERALL, IT IS, AS YOU POINTED OUT, JUST LIKE THE FLIGHT HARDWARE, AND THE SUITS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY USE ON ORBIT SO THEY CAN TRAIN AND BE PREPARED. BECAUSE AS YOU NOTED, THERE IS NO GO OUT THE DOOR AND, “I’M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT I’M DOING OUT HERE. LET’S GO AHEAD AND PLAN ANOTHER DAY.” >> “LET’S FIGURE IT OUT. OH, WE CAN’T DO IT. I GUESS WE’LL COME OUT AGAIN.” BECAUSE YEAH, IT TAKES A LONG TIME, RIGHT? BECAUSE I MEAN, I WAS LISTENING TO SHANE THE OTHER DAY, BECAUSE HE JUST LANDED A COUPLE DAYS AGO AT THE TIME OF THIS RECORDING, AND HE WAS SAYING IT TAKES HOURS OF PREP WORK BEFOREHAND, RIGHT, LIKE FOUR HOURS. THEY’VE GOT TO PRE-BREATHE, THEY’VE GOT TO DO ALL THESE THINGS, PUT ON THE SUIT, AND THEN THEY GO OUT AND IT’S ANOTHER SEVEN-ISH HOURS THAT THEY’RE OUT THERE. THEN THEY COME BACK AND THEY HAVE LIKE A TWO-HOUR DEBRIEF. I MEAN, THAT’S A LONG DAY. HE CALLED IT ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING-- ESPECIALLY PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY-- CHALLENGING THINGS ABOUT FLYING IN SPACE. >> YEAH. >> I CAN IMAGINE. AND ESPECIALLY-- I MEAN, THAT’S WHAT THEY TRAIN FOR, RIGHT? >> THAT’S RIGHT. >> IN THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY THEY DO LIKE SIX-HOUR RUNS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. KIND OF THE SAME, THEY DO SOME PREP WORK BEFOREHAND. BUT THEY GET USED TO IT, AND THEY DO A LOT OF THAT TRAINING. >> SO I’VE NEVER BEEN, OBVIOUSLY, OUT THE DOOR IN SPACE. I’VE NEVER BEEN AN ASTRONAUT IN THAT ASPECT, BUT GARY, ONE OF THE BEST WAYS THAT I CAN DESCRIBE WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS HAVE YOU EVER GONE SKYDIVING? >> I HAVE, ONE TIME! >> YES, THEN YOU KNOW! SO THE STIMULI WHEN YOU MAKE THAT DECISION OF “ALL RIGHT, I’M ABOUT TO GET OUT OF A PERFECTLY GOOD AIRPLANE,” AND YOU GO OUT, JUST EVERYTHING GOING ON. IT IS-- THE FIRST TIME YOU GO, IT’S VERY HARD TO CONCENTRATE. >> OH, YEAH. >> IT’S KIND OF GOOD WITH THAT TANDEM THING, THE GUY GOING, “LOOK AT YOUR ALTIMETER.” [ LAUGHTER [ BUT IMAGINE FREEFALLING LIKE THAT FOR SEVEN HOURS STRAIGHT WHILE HAVING TO DO MAINTENANCE WORK ON THE SPACE STATION AND WATCH YOUR DISPLAY CONTROL MODULE ON YOUR EMU AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE ON THE GROUND AND INSIDE THE STATION. AND THAT’S JUST A SHADOW OF THE DIFFICULTY OF THE JOB THAT THOSE GUYS DO. >> OKAY, WELL, WHEN I WENT OUT THE DOOR FOR WHENEVER I WENT SKY DIVING, MY LEGS WENT WEAK AND I ALWAYS HAD THE GUY STRAPPED TO MY BACK, AND HE HAD TO LIKE PUSH FORWARD TO THE END OF THE DOOR AND ACTUALLY LIKE PUSH ME OUT. HE DID THE WHOLE LIKE INSTEAD OF “WE’RE GOING TO GO OUT ON THREE. ONE, TWO,” AND THEN WE WENT OUT. SO I WAS LIKE-- I WAS TOTALLY WEAK, BUT I CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE. BECAUSE MY HEART DROPPED ON THAT FIRST RUN, AND THEN IT WAS THRILLING FOR A WHILE. BUT I MEAN, EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO FAST. AND NOW LIKE YOU SAID, TAKE THAT AND THEN STRETCH IT OVER A SUPER LONG PERIOD. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. OKAY, SO LET’S TAKE A STEP BACK AND LET’S GO BACK TO KIND OF WHERE I WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO GO, BUT TALKING ABOUT SPACESUITS, AND FIRST OF ALL, WHY DO WE NEED IT? >> SURE. >> YOU KNOW, YOU NEED THE DEXTERITY, OBVIOUSLY, BUT THERE’S A HUMAN ASPECT TO THAT, RIGHT? YOU CAN’T JUST, “OH, YOU KNOW WHAT, SOMETHING’S BROKEN ON THE OUTSIDE. LET’S JUST GO OUT THE HATCH AND TORQUE IT--” TORQUE IT, WHAT AM I SAYING? “TORQUE IT WITH A WRENCH OR SOMETHING AND FIX IT.” YOU NEED, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU HINTED AT LIFE SUPPORT A WHILE BACK WITH THE BACKPACK. SO WHAT’S IT ABOUT-- THIS MAY SEEM A BIT OBVIOUS OF A QUESTION, BUT WHAT’S IT ABOUT SPACE THAT THE HUMAN BODY CANNOT JUST GO OUT AND DO TASKS IN? >> SURE, AND YOU KNOW, I THINK MOST PEOPLE COULD TELL YOU THAT SPACE, YEAH, IT’S A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT. BUT WHY IS IT IS WE’RE GETTING AT-- WELL, THE SPACESUIT PROVIDES THE CAPABILITY TO REGULATE TEMPERATURE. IN THE LOW EARTH ORBIT, AS WE CALL IT, WHERE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS, TEMPERATURE RANGES DURING THE EVA DAYS CAN SWING FROM NEGATIVE 148 DEGREES-- SO THAT’S 148 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT BELOW ZERO UP TO 248 DEGREES. AND THOSE ARE ESTIMATES THAT CAN BE HIGHER OR LOWER, BUT THAT’S A HUGE WINDOW THAT THE HUMAN ANATOMY WAS NOT DESIGNED TO WORK WITHIN WITHOUT PROTECTION. >> YEAH, I FEEL LIKE HOUSTON, TEXAS CAN GET UP TO ABOUT POSITIVE 248 DEGREES, BUT-- I KNOW IT’S NOT EVEN CLOSE, BUT-- >> NOT NEGATIVE 148, THOUGH. >> NO, NOT EVEN-- NO, NOT EVEN 148 TO ME. BUT YOU’RE RIGHT, THAT’S INTENSE. SO HOW DOES THE SPACESUIT PROTECT FROM THAT, THE EXTREME NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE TEMPERATURES? >> YEAH, SO THERE’S A LOT OF PLANNING UP FRONT IN CHOOSING DAYS THAT WE GO EVAs, WE CALL IT-- EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES. >> THANK YOU. >> SPACEWALKS. >> WE TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM THOSE ACRONYMS, BUT YES, SPACEWALKS, RIGHT. >> WE CHOOSE SPECIAL DAYS THAT HAVE THE LEAST IMPACT-- MORE HABITABLE CONDITIONS WOULD BE A BETTER WAY TO PUT IT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN ON THE BEST DAYS, TEMPERATURE SWINGS WHEN THE SUN’S LOOKING AT YOU TO WHEN THE SUN’S BEHIND THE STATION ARE LARGE SWINGS THAT CAN BE 100 DEGREES. AND SO THAT’S WHERE THE SPACESUIT COMES INTO PLAY. AND THE SPACESUIT WAS DESIGNED TO WORK IN THESE ENVIRONMENTS. THERE ARE-- THE OUTER LAYER IS WHITE BECAUSE IT REFLECTS HEAT. >> AH. >> LITTLE SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THAT. >> OKAY, NOW YOU KNOW WHY THE SPACESUITS ARE WHITE. >> THERE YOU GO. ALL RIGHT, WHEREAS IF IT WERE BLACK IT WOULD ABSORB THE HEAT, GET A LOT HOTTER QUICKER, AND MAKE IT HARD FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SUIT AND THE INDIVIDUAL INSIDE. THE MULTIPLE INSULATION LAYERS ON THE SUIT ITSELF-- THERE ARE SEVEN LAYERS OF INSULATION WITHIN THE OUTER LAYER OF THE SPACESUIT. >> OH. >> AND WITHOUT GETTING INTO DETAILS, THOSE ARE SPECIFICALLY TO REFLECT HEAT AND TO PROTECT THE CREW MEMBERS, AND KEEP IN THE PROPER ENVIRONMENT HEAT THAT’S NECESSARY INSIDE THE SUIT. >> OKAY. >> SO IT MAY BE HOT OUT THERE, BUT WHEN THAT SUN GOES BEHIND STATION, IT GETS VERY COLD. THAT CREW MEMBER WANTS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HEAT KEPT WITHIN THAT SPACESUIT. >> I WOULD THINK SO, YEAH. >> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. >> NEGATIVE 148 IS PRETTY COLD. >> BUT LOWER LEVELS OF THAT SPACESUIT IS THE BLADDER ITSELF, AND THAT GETS INTO ONE OF THE NEXT IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE SUIT, WHICH IS PROVIDING AN OXYGEN ENVIRONMENT. >> RIGHT. >> YOU’VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO BREATHE IN SPACE, AND THERE IS A 100% OXYGEN ENVIRONMENT INSIDE THE SUIT. AND AS GARY KNOWS, AND WE’VE TALKED ABOUT IT BRIEFLY BEFORE, 100% OXYGEN ENVIRONMENT IS NOT NATURAL. >> RIGHT. >> IT’S NOT WHAT WE EXPERIENCE DOWN HERE IN AMBIENT OR ONE ATMOSPHERE PRESSURE, WHERE WE GET-- WHAT IS IT, 78% NITROGEN? >> NITROGEN, YEAH, AND A LITTLE BIT OF CARBON DIOXIDE, JUST LITTLE BIT. >> JUST A TINY BIT, TINY BIT. BUT WHEN THE LOWER PRESSURES OF THE SUIT, THE SUIT PRESSURE IS 4.3 PSI WHEN WE GO ON SPACEWALKS. >> AND THAT’S ABOUT THE PRESSURE WE FEEL HERE ON EARTH? >> THE PRESSURE WE FEEL HERE ON EARTH IS 14.7. >> WHOA, OKAY, SO A LITTLE BIT LOWER. >> SO ALMOST A THIRD, A THIRD. >> WOW. >> CLOSE TO A THIRD, A FOURTH OF THAT. >> OKAY, SO WHAT WOULD THAT FEEL LIKE? WHAT’S THE NEXT COMPARABLE THING OF WHAT 4 PSI WOULD FEEL LIKE TO LIKE US HERE ON EARTH? >> OOH, THAT’S A TOUGH ONE. >> YEAH, HARD TO COMPARE, RIGHT? >> THAT’S A TOUGH ONE, BECAUSE I’VE BEEN INSIDE OF A SUIT SO I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE, BUT I HAVEN’T BEEN INSIDE SOMETHING ELSE THAT HAS THAT 4 PSI OF PRESSURE THAT I COULD DO A 1-TO-1 COMPARISON OF. I WOULD SAY PUTTING MULTIPLE GLOVES ON. >> OH, OKAY. YEAH, SO IT’S REALLY STRENUOUS ON YOUR HANDS, THEN? >> ABSOLUTELY. WHEN YOU’RE OUT-- COMPARED TO A NEAR ZERO PRESSURE ENVIRONMENT LIKE THE SPACE IS, 4.3 IS-- IT’S FATIGUING. YOU’VE GOT PRESSURE ON YOUR HANDS, YOUR BODY. TO MOVE, YOU’VE GOT 4.3 POUNDS OF PRESSURE OVER ALL OF YOUR BODY THAT YOU’RE WORKING AGAINST. >> PRETTY STIFF. >> THAT IS. COMPARE THAT TO THE RUSSIAN ORLAN. THEIR SUIT IS 5.8 PSI. THAT’S EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. >> WOW. >> YOU COMPARE THAT TO SOME OTHER SPACESUITS THAT WE’VE LOOKED AT IN THE PAST THAT ARE EVEN HIGHER PRESSURE, AND YOU CAN SEE WHY IT GETS-- WE NEED LOW PSI. AND SO 4.3 IS NOT PERFECT WITH ZERO RESISTANCE, BUT IT’S A NICE SWEET SPOT THAT OUR CREW MEMBERS ARE ABLE TO WORK, AND THOSE THAT HAVE RAN IN BOTH THE RUSSIAN SUIT AND THE AMERICAN SPACESUIT HAVE SAID, “YEAH, IT’S A LOT EASIER, THIS 4.3 PSI.” >> OKAY. >> YEAH. BUT THAT DRIVES US TO WHY THE OXYGEN’S AT 100%. AT THAT LOWER PRESSURE, WE NEED THE 100% OXYGEN. >> OH, OKAY. SO THAT’S HOW YOU COUNTER, YOU KNOW, WE’RE IN THE 14-SOMETHING PSI HERE, SO THEN-- >> LOWER OXYGEN CONCENTRATION. >> LOWER OXYGEN, OKAY. THAT MAKES-- AND THAT BRINGS US BACK TO THE PRE-BREATHING THAT WE KIND OF ALLUDED TO EARLIER. >> YES, SIR. >> YOU NEED TO KIND OF PURGE YOUR BODY OF NITROGEN, IS THAT RIGHT? >> THAT’S RIGHT. >> OKAY. >> THAT’S RIGHT, OTHERWISE THE OXYGEN TOXICITY IS THE CONCERN IF YOU DON’T GO TO THAT PREBREATHE PROTOCOL. >> OKAY, ALL RIGHT. WELL, AWESOME. THAT EXPLAINS WHY YOU NEED THE PRESSURE THAT YOU DO. OKAY. BUT I GUESS IF YOU WERE TO DROP IT ANY LOWER IT WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH, RIGHT? LIKE 4.3 IS PROBABLY THE SWEET SPOT? >> 4.3 IS THE SWEET SPOT WITH WHAT OUR CURRENT SPACESUIT IS CERTIFIED TO. >> OH. >> YOU CAN ADJUST IT DIFFERENT WAYS. I MEAN, IT’S KIND OF LIKE IF YOU CHANGE THE PRESSURE, NOW YOU’VE GOT TO PLAY WITH THE OXYGEN. YOU’VE GOT TO PLAY WITH WHAT IS THE SUIT CAPABILITIES AT THAT LEVEL. 4.3 IS THE PERFECT SWEET SPOT FOR WHAT THIS SUIT IS CERTIFIED FOR. >> AH, I SEE. WHICH IS DOING WORK ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> COOL, VERY COOL. SO YOU’RE OUTSIDE-- YOU ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT WE’RE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT, RIGHT, MEANS WE’RE IN THE MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT. >> YES. >> TINY BIT OF GRAVITY, NOT TOO MUCH. IS IT FAIR TO SAY A LITTLE BIT OF ATMOSPHERE, TOO? LIKE TINY, TINY BIT? >> TINY BIT. >> YEAH, THAT’S WHY WE NEED TO BOOST THE STATION EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. >> YES. >> THERE’S LIKE A TINY LITTLE BIT OF DRAG. BUT HOW MUCH ARE WE PROTECTED FROM THE EARTH’S, I GUESS, MAGNETIC SPHERE? HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT RADIATION AT THAT ALTITUDE? >> YEAH, NO, ABSOLUTELY. GREAT QUESTION. AND IT’S A GREAT CONCERN. THERE’S A REASON THAT CREW MEMBERS ARE LIMITED FOR HOW LONG THEY CAN STAY UP ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. THAT’S ONE OF THE PLAYERS IN THERE IS THE HEALTH THEMSELF. RADIATION, I MEAN, I GUESS THE MOST HIGH LEVEL WAY TO DESCRIBE IT IS SUBATOMIC PARTICLES THAT ARE SUPERCHARGED WE GET FROM THE SUN, WE GET FROM OUTSIDE OUR MILKY WAY GALAXY, AND THAT CAN COME IN, AND THEY JUST TEAR RIGHT THROUGH YOUR DNA. AND THAT CAN BE ACUTE IF THERE’S LARGE DOSES OF RADIATION, WHICH FORTUNATELY AREN’T A CONCERN WHERE WE WORK IN LOW EARTH ORBIT. >> OH. >> BUT OVER A LONG-TERM EXPOSURE, THERE COULD BE CHRONIC EFFECTS. LIKE WHEN YOU REARRANGE THE DNA, IT CAN LEAD TO CANCER, OTHER DISEASES. SO IT’S VERY SERIOUS. WE HAVE A TEAM DEDICATED TO RADIATION AND MAKING SURE WE PROTECT OUR CREW MEMBERS. THE SPACESUIT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SOME LEVEL OF PROTECTION WHEN THEY’RE OUT THERE FOR THAT LIMITED SPACEWALK ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. THE SPACE STATION ITSELF IS ALSO DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE CREW MEMBERS FROM CERTAIN LEVELS OF RADIATION THAT WE GET FROM SOLAR WIND FROM THE SUN. >> OKAY, ALL RIGHT, YEAH. SO I GUESS THE SUIT IS DESIGNED FOR WHAT-- FOR THAT PURPOSE. >> FOR THAT PURPOSE IN LIMITED SPACEWALKS, YEAH. >> OKAY. WELL, SO HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER I GUESS EXTRAVEHICULAR SUITS? YOU KNOW, THE SUIT ITSELF HAS EVOLVED OVER TIME, RIGHT? BUT I HEARD, I THINK THE TECHNOLOGY IS SORT OF ADAPTED FROM 1970s TECHNOLOGY, AND THEN THEY JUST MADE IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER, RIGHT? >> SURE, SURE. >> YEAH. >> YEAH, SO YOU HAVE-- I MEAN, WE CAN GO RIGHT THROUGH THEM. YOU HAVE ALL THE WAY BACK FROM THE MERCURY SUITS, THE FIRST ONES WE WENT UP THERE WITH INSIDE OF THE MERCURY, AND THOSE WERE COMPLETELY DESIGNED FOR, HEY, THE CREW MEMBER IS STAYING INSIDE THIS VEHICLE. BUT IN CAS WE HAVE CABIN DEPRESSURIZATION, WE NEED THE GUYS TO HAVE A SUIT SO THAT THEY CAN EXIST FOR HOPEFULLY THE PERIOD OF TIME TO GET THE CABIN BACK PRESSURIZED. THOSE WERE EARLY SUITS. WE HAD EVEN BEFORE THAT PRESSURIZED SUITS FOR OUR PILOTS AND BALLOONISTS THAT WERE GOING HIGH ALTITUDE. >> RIGHT, YEAH, AND WE STILL DO, RIGHT? WE HAVE THE PILOTS OVER AT ELLINGTON FIELD HERE IN TEXAS THAT WEAR THOSE PRESSURIZED SUITS FOR THE WB-57s, THOSE HIGH ALTITUDE PLANES. >> YEP, YEP. >> SO THEY’RE, I GUESS-- ARE THEY TECHNICALLY IN SPACE AT THAT ALTITUDE? I THINK THEY ARE, RIGHT? IS IT 16 MILES THAT IS LIKE YOU’RE TECHNICALLY IN SPACE? >> YOU’RE GETTING BEYOND MY KNOWLEDGE HERE. >> I DON’T WANT TO GET LOST. SO MAYBE-- LISTEN-- >> YOU HEAR THINGS, BUT YEAH. BUT I KNOW THEY DO WEAR THE SUITS, AND THEY HAVE TO. THEY HAVE TO DO THE WHOLE SAME THING THAT ASTRONAUTS DO. THEY HAVE TO PREBREATHE AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT YEAH, SO-- >> THAT’S WHERE SPACESUITS STARTED FROM. >> RIGHT. >> THAT WAS THE FIRST STEPPING STONE, WAS HIGH ALTITUDE FLYING. >> YEAH. SO I GUESS THOSE MERCURY SUITS THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, IS THAT WHERE KIND OF THE LAUNCH AND ENTRY SUITS KIND OF WENT TOWARDS? WHENEVER YOU’RE LAUNCHING INTO SPACECRAFT, YOU HAVE TO WEAR A SPECIFIC SUIT IN CASE OF THAT, RIGHT, SUDDEN DEPRESSURIZATION? IS THAT LIKE THE REASON? >> SO ABSOLUTELY, THE MERCURY SUIT WAS A-- YOU KNOW, WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF THOSE WHO DESIGNED THAT MERCURY SUIT. AND HE NEXT SUIT WAS GEMINI AFTER THAT, AND THE NEXT ONE AFTER THAT, AND ALL THE DAY TO APOLLO-- YES, ABSOLUTELY DO THOSE PROVIDE DATA AND INSIGHT TOWARDS THE ACES SUIT, OR THE LAUNCH AND ENTRY SUIT THAT WE’RE NOW WORKING ON FOR NEXT VEHICLES. >> OH, RIGHT. >> SO YES, DATA FROM THOSE SUITS WAS PIVOTAL TO MAKE OUR CURRENT LAUNCH AND ENTRY SUITS. I MEAN, ONE OF THE MOST-- THE GEMINI SUIT THAT CAME AFTER THE MERCURY, THAT WAS THE ONE THAT ED WHITE WENT OUT ON HIS EVA IN. THAT WAS THE MOST POLARIZING OR ONE OF THE MOST WELL KNOWN ONES THAT YOU’LL SEE IN A LOT OF THE OLD MOVIES WITH THE ALUMINIZED NYLON OUTER COVERING, WHERE IT’S ALL SHINY, AND A LOT OF ZIPPERS HERE AND THERE. >> CHROME. >> YEAH. EVERY MOVIE THAT EVER HAD SCIENCE FICTION LAID TO IT-- MY PARENTS WATCHED-- I REMEMBER SEEING THE SHINY SUITS. >> YEAH. >> AND SO THAT’S GEMINI. >> YEAH. >> TO SET THE TONE ON THAT. AND THE REASON FOR THE SHINY SUITS WAS THEY WERE IN THAT TIME-- WE HAD A LOT OF DATA, BUT THE BIG CONCERNS WERE THERMAL AND RADIATION, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER. AND SO YOU’LL SEE THAT ALUMINIZED MATERIAL ON THE GEMINI SUIT EARLY ON, BECAUSE THEY REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE GUYS WHO PROTECTED, SO THEY WENT ALL OUT. AS WE GOT MORE DATA AND WE FIGURED OUT WHAT WE NEEDED AND WHERE WE NEED TO GROW IN, AND WHERE WE DIDN’T NEED SO MUCH, YOU SAW THAT SHINY ALUMINUM OR NYLON, IT WENT AWAY. >> RIGHT, YEAH. AND NOW WE SEE THE WHITE SUIT. >> YOU GOT IT. >> ALL RIGHT, YEAH. AND THEN WE SAW THE FAMOUS WHITE ONES LIKE ON THE MOON, WALKING ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON. >> THE APOLLO SUITS. >> THE APOLLO SUITS. AND THEN WE-- NOW WE HAVE THE WHITE SUITS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION THAT WE USE ALL THE TIME. SO KIND OF GOING THROUGH A LITTLE BIT OF THE FEATURES OF THOSE SUITS, I WANT TO-- I ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW, WHENEVER YOU LOOK AT A SPACESUIT, THE FIRST THING, I THINK, YOUR EYES GO TO IS THAT SHIELD, THAT GOLD SHIELD. WHAT IS THAT? >> YEAH, SO THE-- I THINK THE TERM IS GOLDIZED. >> OOH. >> YES. >> I LIKE THAT. >> THAT GOLD VISOR IS LIKE BASICALLY VERY FANCY SUNGLASSES. >> COOL. >> SO THE VISOR ITSELF IF A LEXAN MATERIAL THAT YOU’LL FIND IN SOME OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD GOODS. IT IS SPECIFICALLY TO PROTECT THE CREW MEMBERS’ EYES FROM SUN. >> OKAY. >> AND SO THERE’S A GOLD SHEET THAT GOES OVER THAT. IT HAS GREAT CHARACTERISTICS OF BLOCKING HARMFUL UV RAYS AND OTHER RAYS THAT WOULD COME FROM THE SUN, AND HELP THE ASTRONAUT CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN THAT SPACEWALK ENVIRONMENT. >> BUT THEY CAN KIND OF PULL IT UP, RIGHT, DURING NIGHTTIMES. IT’S LIKE SUNGLASSES ARE. IF YOU WALK FROM OUTSIDE TO INSIDE AND IT’S SUDDENLY DARK, YOU TAKE YOUR SUNGLASSES OFF. SO IT’S KIND OF-- >> SURE, THEY’VE GOT A COOL KNOB ON THE SIDE OF THE HELMET. YOU JUST FLIP THAT VISOR UP, AND WHAT YOU REALLY NEAT IS THERE ARE OPAQUE VISORS ON THE SIDE THAT WE RARELY SEE IN PICTURES. >> RIGHT. >> MOST PICTURES YOU WANT TO SEE THE FACE OR AT LEAST THE COOL GOLD VISOR. BUT THERE ARE COMPLETELY OPAQUE WHITE VISORS THAT CAN COVER-- MAYBE IF THE SUN’S ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE, IT CAN BLOCK ON THE RIGHT, OR THE LEFT, OR HALFWAY DOWN THE FRONT. AND THEN THE GOLD VISOR, AS YOU POINTED OUT, CAN COMPLETELY COVER YOUR FACE AT FULL SUN, OR PARTIALLY, OR JUST COMPLETELY REMOVE IT ALL TOGETHER. SLIDES BACK BEHIND THE HELMET BUBBLE UNDERNEATH. OH, OKAY. OH, SO I’M THINKING ABOUT THE PICTURE OF-- I WANT TO SAY IT’S ON APOLLO 17, RIGHT, WHERE YOU HAVE THE-- I THINK IT WAS GENE CERNAN, I THINK, POSING, AND THEN HE HAS TWO OF THOSE OPAQUE VISORS DOWN-- >> AH, NOW I’M WITH YOU, YEAH. >> YEAH, AND HE’S GOT THE EARTH BEHIND HIM OR SOMETHING. >> YOU GOT IT, YOU GOT IT. >> I’M THINKING ABOUT THAT PICTURE RIGHT NOW. SO IF YOU DON’T KNOW THAT PICTURE, GO LOOK THAT ONE UP, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT WITH THESE OPAQUE VISORS. IT’S LIKE THOSE WHITE SHIELDS THAT COME DOWN ON THE SIDES. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> COOL. >> AND THE APOLLO SUITS ARE THE FIRST SUITS WITH THAT FAMOUS FISHBOWL TYPE HELMET. REMEMBER THAT? IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR EARLIER SUITS, THEY HAVE ROUND VISORS THAT ARE FIXED, BUT THEY’RE MORE OVAL OR SMALLER IN SHAPE, SO IT’S LIMITED VIEW. IN THE APOLLO SUITS, AND YOU’LL SEE IT ON THE CURRENT SUITS ON THE STATION, YOU HAVE THE FULL FISHBOWL HELMETS SO YOU CAN ALMOST HAVE A COMPLETE VIEW SIDE TO SIDE IN FRONT, A LITTLE ABOVE, LIMITED BELOW BY THE NECK RING, BUT A MUCH BIGGER FIELD OF VIEW FROM THE APOLLO AND THE CURRENT SUITS WE HAVE TODAY. >> AND THAT SOUNDS LIKE THE PERFECT REASON TO DO IT, RIGHT-- THEY LEARNED. THEY SAID, “ALL RIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A BIGGER FIELD OF VIEW,” SO THEY DESIGNED A HELMET AND THEN WENT, “OKAY, NOW I CAN SEE A LOT MORE.” SO WHAT’S THE-- I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ALWAYS WANTED TO ASK IS I’M SURE-- YOU’RE OUTSIDE DOING A SPACEWALK FOR HOURS, RIGHT. YOUR NOSE HAS TO GET ITCHY. >> MAN, YOU KNEW YOUR NOSE WOULD GET ITCHY. [ LAUGHTER ] >> HOW DO YOU-- LIKE WHAT IF YOU JUST FEEL AN ITCH? LIKE, WHERE DO YOU GO? >> YEAH, SO-- >> DON’T THEY HAVE LIKE VELCRO OR SOMETHING? LIKE HARD VELCRO THEY CAN SCRUB THEIR NOSE ON OR SOMETHING? >> SO THERE ARE. THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED A VALSALVA. IT’S A STRANGE NAME, BUT IT’S KIND OF A-- NOT TO GET TOO INTO THE DETAILS-- IT’S A FOAM BLOCK THAT’S FIXED INSIDE THE HELMET ON THE NECK RING. >> OKAY. >> NOW, THE PURPOSE OF THIS ITEM THAT’S CALLED A VALSALVA IS FOR WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH PREBREATHE AND YOU’RE PRESSURIZING THE SUIT BEFORE GOING OUT THE DOOR. LIKE WHEN YOU GO UP IN AN AIRPLANE, ONCE THAT CABIN STARTS PRESSURIZING, YOUR EARS CAN POP. THAT’S UNCOMFORTABLE. FOR US FLYING IN A PLANE, AND ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE INSIDE OF A SPACESUIT. ONLY THEY CAN’T GRAB THEIR NOSE AND BLOW THE AIR OUT TO EQUAL THE PRESSURIZATION. SO THEY HAVE THESE VALSALVAS THEY CAN FIT ON THEIR NOSE, AND THEY CAN KIND OF-- IT SERVES THE PURPOSE OF BLOCKING THE NASAL PASSAGE SO THEY CAN MAKE SURE THAT THEIR EARS DON’T POP. >> OH! >> SO YOU CAN SWALLOW, OR YOU CAN PUSH DOWN YOUR NOSE ON THIS BLOCK TO EQUALISE THE PRESSURE THERE. AND ALL THAT LONG STORY TO SAY, IF YOU CAN REACH YOUR NOSE DOWN THERE AND SCRATCH ON THAT BLOCK, THAT COULD BE AN OPTION, OTHERWISE YOU’RE OUT OF LUCK. >> YEAH, YEAH. WELL, I DIDN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT. LIKE I WAS THINKING ABOUT ITCHY NOSE, BUT OF COURSE-- WHAT IF YOUR EARS HAVE TO POP? NOW YOU HAVE A THING TO DO THAT, TOO. >> ABSOLUTELY. >> THAT’S PRETTY COOL. >> LIKE YOU SAID EARLIER, IT’S THROUGH THESE GENERATIONS OF SUIT EVOLUTION THEY’VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY, WITH GREAT CREW FEEDBACK OF “HEY, WE NEED THIS.” >> YEAH, YEAH, EXACTLY. WELL, YEAH. YOU’VE BEEN DOING-- THE FIRST SPACEWALK WAS, WE SAID, IN 1965. SO YOU HAVE A LOT TO LEARN FROM THE MID-60s TO NOW, OBVIOUSLY. SO WHAT ABOUT LIKE-- I MEAN, AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT YOU’RE OUTSIDE FOR THAT LONG. WHEN DO YOU EAT? DO YOU EAT LIKE RIGHT BEFOREHAND? LIKE BEFORE OR AFTER THE PREBREATHE? LIKE, I WOULD JUST GET SO HUNGRY. I HAVE TO EAT LIKE EVERY TWO TO THREE HOURS. >> I’M WITH YOU, GARY. THAT’S PROBABLY THE ONLY REASON WE’RE NOT ASTRONAUTS-- WE’VE GOT TO EAT EVERY TWO OR THREE HOURS. >> THAT WOULD BE, HONESTLY-- EVERYTHING ELSE I QUALIFY FOR, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I HAVE TO EAT EVERY TWO OR THREE HOURS, OR I CAN’T. [ LAUGHTER ] >> SO I WOULD SAY THAT’S CREW MEMBER SPECIFIC, WHERE YOU SEE AS-- I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN I WOULD RUN MARATHONS, I HAD FRIENDS THAT COULD EAT A BURGER BEFORE A MARATHON WITH NO PROBLEM. THAT’S NOT THIS GUY. >> NOT THIS GUY, EITHER. NO WAY. >> AND SO, SAME THING WITH CREW MEMBERS. YOU HAVE SOME THAT-- THEY HAVE A LOT OF TIME EARLIER ON WHERE IT’S RECOMMENDED, “DO NOT EAT PAST THIS TIME.” AND THERE ARE SOME THAT’LL EAT RIGHT UP ALONG THAT BARRIER, AND THERE ARE SOME THAT’LL STOP EATING WAY BEFORE THAT. BECAUSE NATURALLY, WHEN YOU EAT, NOT ONLY DOES IT SUPPLY ENERGY TO YOUR BODY, BUT IT ALSO CAUSES NORMAL BODILY FUNCTIONS AS WELL, WHICH LEADS INTO ANOTHER DISCUSSION. [ LAUGHTER ] >> THAT’S RIGHT. LET’S GO INTO THAT ONE. [ LAUGHTER ] YEAH, SO, SEVEN HOURS. AGAIN, YOU’RE OUT THERE FOR A LONG TIME. YOU’VE GOT TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. >> THAT’S RIGHT. >> WHAT DO THEY DO? >> YEAH, THAT’S A CALL THAT YOU HAVE TO ANSWER. >> RIGHT, RIGHT. >> SO UNFORTUNATELY, AS WE SAID EARLIER, WHEN YOU’RE OUT IN A SPACEWALK, YOU CAN’T JUST SAY, “HEY JOHN, I’M GOING TO HEAD INSIDE AND HIT THE JOHN.” YOU’RE STUCK OUT THERE FOR THE DURATION. >> OH, YEAH. AND EVERY MOMENT IS PLANNED, RIGHT? >> THAT’S RIGHT. >> SO YOU CAN’T-- YOU HAVE TO JUST DO YOUR THING. >> YES, ABSOLUTELY. AND SO THERE IS NO TOILET INSIDE THE SUIT. THEY HAVE-- AN ACRONYM WOULD BE THE MAG, AND IT’S BASICALLY AN ABSORPTION GARMENT. >> AS IN MAXIMUM? >> YOU’VE GOT IT, MY FRIEND. >> ALL RIGHT! >> YOU’VE GOT IT, YOU’VE GOT IT. >> BRING THAT ABSORBENCY UP TO MAXIMUM. >> SO IT’S BASICALLY A VERY LARGE DEPENDS DIAPER THAT THEY’LL WEAR ON THESE SPACEWALKS. NOW, I CAN TELL YOU, ANYONE WHO’S BEEN INSIDE A SUIT HAS ZERO DESIRE TO USE THAT DIAPER. >> YES, I CAN IMAGINE. >> ABSOLUTELY. BUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM IS GLAD IT’S THERE IF THEY GET THAT CALL. >> YES, YEAH. OKAY, YEAH. I COULD TOTALLY SEE THAT. AND THERE’S WATER, TOO, IN THE SUIT IN CASE YOU GET THIRSTY? >> ABSOLUTELY. SAME THING WITH THE MARATHON-- YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE HYDRATION, AND SO THEY HAVE WHAT THEY CALL DISPOSABLE IN SUIT DRINK BAGS. SITS RIGHT HERE ON THE CHEST, ACTUALLY VELCROS TO THE LIQUID COOLING VENTILATION GARMENT, WHICH IS HOW THEY GET THE COOLANT INSIDE THE SUIT. >> AH. >> OVER 300 FEET OF LITTLE TUBES RUN OVER THEIR ENTIRE BODY THAT CAN PROVIDE WARM OR COLD WATER THAT THE CREW MEMBER CAN ADJUST AS THEY PREFER ON A TEMPERATURE CONTROL VALVE. >> IT’S LIKE A SPACE VERSION OF AIR CONDITIONING. >> THAT’S RIGHT, LOWER THERMOSTAT RIGHT THERE. >> I’M TOO COLD. I’M JUST GOING TO TURN THE HEAT UP. OH, YEAH. >> THERE YOU GO. WELL, SITTING ON TOP OF THAT IS THAT BAG WITH WATER. >> YEAH. >> AND THEY’LL TAKE OUT 32-ISH OUNCES OF WATER AS SUITS THEM. >> OKAY, ALL RIGHT. SO THEY HAVE A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED. OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE TO PLAN FOR THAT IF YOU’RE GOING TO GO OUT IN SPACE FOR THAT LONG. THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. SO LET’S SEE. HOW MUCH DO THEY WEIGH? THAT’S A BIG QUESTION, RIGHT? >> A BIG QUESTION, AND BIG WEIGHT. >> YEAH. >> SO EVERY SUIT THAT’S AN EMU-- HERE I AM WITH ACRONYMS AGAIN-- THE SPACESUIT THAT OUR CREW MEMBERS USE, OUR U.S. CREW MEMBERS USE IS DESIGNED TO FIT FROM THE 5th PERCENTILE UP TO THE 95th PERCENTILE OF MEN AND WOMEN. AND SO WITH THAT, YOU HAVE CERTAIN COMPONENTS THAT ARE INTERCHANGEABLE AND DO NOT CHANGE. WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS LIKE THE HARD UPPER TORSO-- PICTURE THE TORSO OF THE SUIT. >> YES. >> YOU’VE GOT THREE SIZES, AND THE MAJORITY OF CREW MEMBERS MIGHT USE A LARGE, FOR EXAMPLE. AND THEY SHARE THAT LARGE BETWEEN THEM. BUT ALL THE PIECES THAT CONNECT TO THE SUIT, THE ARMS, THE GLOVES, THE BOOTS, THOSE CAN ADJUST IN SIZE. AND SO IF IT’S A SMALLER SIZE IT’S GOING TO WEIGH LESS. IF IT’S A LARGER SIZE, IT’LL WEIGH MORE. BUT OVERALL, THE AVERAGE WEIGHT OF A SPACESUIT ITSELF IS ABOUT 270 POUNDS. >> WOW! >> YEAH. >> OKAY, THAT’S PRETTY HEAVY. WELL, ON EARTH, RIGHT? SO IT’S GOT SOME WEIGHT. SO HOW WOULD-- I GUESS 300 POUNDS IN SPACE WOULD BE NOT SO HARD TO MOVE AROUND, RIGHT? I GUESS YOU’RE IN THE MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT. BUT LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, IT’S THAT PRESSURE. IT’S THE PRESSURE INSIDE WHERE YOU HAVE THE GLOVES AND YOU’RE TRYING TO SQUEEZE YOUR HANDS, AND THAT’S KIND OF THE HARD PART. >> SURE. YEAH, WHAT CAN BE OUR FRIEND AT TIMES IS MOMENTUM OR INERTIA. AND THAT CAN BE AN ENEMY AT TIMES AS WELL, WHEN YOU’RE IN THAT MICRO ENVIRONMENT. SO CREW MEMBERS ARE TRAINED SPECIFICALLY TO GO SLOW ALONG A SPACE STATION. IF YOU GET 300 POUNDS MOVING, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO STOP. NOW, THEY CAN STOP IT, BUT IT’S JUST WASTED ENERGY. SO THEY GO VERY SLOWLY SO THEY DON’T GET THAT LARGE MASS MOVING TOO QUICKLY. >> I’D ASSUME IT ALSO HELPS WITH CONSERVING ENERGY, TOO, RIGHT? >> THAT’S RIGHT. >> SO NOT ONLY DO YOU CONSIDER AND MAKE SURE YOU CAN HAVE CONTROLLED MOVEMENT, AND YOU’RE GOING THE RIGHT PACE, AND YOU DON’T FLY EVERYWHERE, USING THAT LIMITED AMOUNT OF ENERGY BECAUSE YOU’RE CARRYING EVERYTHING WITH YOU, RIGHT? WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LABORATORY, YOU HAVE UMBILICALS THAT HOOK UP TO ALL THE OXYGEN AND EVERYTHING YOU WANT, BUT YOU ONLY HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT WITH YOU. BECAUSE IT’S LIKE BACKPACKING, IN SPACE, WITH A LOT MORE TECHNOLOGY. >> YES, YES. >> BUT YEAH, SO YOU REALLY HAVE TO CONSERVE. YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE-- YOU HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF OXYGEN, SO YOU HAVE TO BREATHE SLOWLY AND MAKE SURE YOUR HEART RATE’S NOT GOING UP, YOU’RE CALM WHEN YOU’RE DOING IT. >> GREAT POINT. >> YEAH, OKAY. BECAUSE I REMEMBER LISTENING WHEN WE WERE ON THE EVA, DOING THE EVA-- LIKE I WAS SAYING, THE SPACEWALK. >> THERE YOU GO WITH YOUR ACRONYMS. >> WE WERE DOING THE SPACEWALK JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, AND YEAH, THEY WERE SAYING YOU’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR TIME WHEN YOU’RE MOVING AROUND. BECAUSE YOU’RE OUT THERE FOR-- PLAN SIX AND A HALF, IT CAN GO UP TO SEVEN. LAST TIME IT WAS SEVEN HOURS, FOUR MINUTES. IT CAN GO UP TO EIGHT, AND I THINK THE LONGEST SPACEWALK EVER WAS ALMOST NINE. IT WAS LIKE 8 HOURS, 52 MINUTES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. >> IT WAS CLOSE. >> THAT’S A LONG TIME TO BE OUT THERE, AND YOU’VE GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE CONSERVING THAT ENERGY. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT-- YOU BRIEFLY MENTIONED THAT THIS IS WHAT THE EMU IS MEANT TO DO, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT YOU GET CERTIFIED TO DO THIS, THAT-- WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW TO DESIGN FUTURE SUITS? ESPECIALLY NOT-- BECAUSE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS GOING TO BE THERE FOR THE NEXT HOPEFULLY DECADE, I WOULD THINK. >> SURE. >> BUT AFTER THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DEEP SPACE. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT PLANETARY EXPLORATION. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE ABOUT THE SUIT TO MEET THOSE NEEDS? >> YEAH, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF DATA ON WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE, BUT THERE’S A LOT OF DATA THAT WE DON’T KNOW YET. >> RIGHT, BECAUSE WE HAVEN’T BEEN THERE. >> THAT’S RIGHT, SO LIKE THE PIONEERS WITH THE HIGH ALTITUDE FLYING FOUND, “HEY, MY SUIT IS ONLY DESIGNED TO GO UP AT 5,000 FEET, AND NOW I’M AT 40,000 FEET. I THINK I’M REACHING THAT ENVELOPE.” YOU NEED NEW MATERIALS. YOU NEED NEW VEHICLES. WE’RE GOING TO FIND OUT THE SAME THING WITH THE SUIT. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THE CURRENT SPACESUIT THAT SERVES FANTASTICALLY AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS NOT A PLANETARY SUIT. MOBILITY WILL BE AN ISSUE. IT IS NOT MEANT TO WALK IN IN A GRAVITY ENVIRONMENT. THINGS WE’LL HAVE TO LOOK INTO IS-- EVEN THE APOLLO SUIT, WHICH WAS LIGHTER, A LITTLE MORE FLEXIBLE, HAD SOME DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS TO ALLOW THE CREW MEMBERS TO STOOP DOWN AND PICK UP ROCKS WHERE THE CURRENT SUIT COULDN’T. EVEN THAT SUIT, THERE WAS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THERE WHERE THEY DIDN’T EXPECT THE AMOUNT OF DUST AND DIRT THAT WOULD COME IN AND GET INSIDE ALL THE SEALS. AND IT SOUNDS MINOR, BUT CLEANLINESS CAN HAVE CATASTROPHIC RESULTS IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF CLEANLINESS. >> THAT’S RIGHT. THEY’RE TINY LITTLE THINGS. >> THAT’S RIGHT. IF THEY GET INSIDE SEAL AND SURFACES, YOU COULD HAVE A LEAK, AND A LEAK IS SOMETHING THAT YOU DO NOT WANT WHEN YOU’RE OUT DOING A SPACEWALK. SO THERE ARE-- THE SHORT ANSWER IS OUR CURRENT SUITS ARE CERTIFIED FOR THE LOW EARTH ENVIRONMENT, FROM RADIATION REQUIREMENTS, TO THERMAL REQUIREMENTS, TO-- YOU DON’T REALLY NEED MOBILITY IN YOUR LOWER HALF. YOU JUST NEED YOUR UPPER BODY TO BE ABLE TO MOVE. REMEMBER, YOUR HANDS ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS YOU HAVE ON SPACE STATION. YOUR FEET AND LEGS ARE NEAR USELESS. THEY GET A LITTLE BIT OF USE, BUT NOT A WHOLE LOT. WELL, PLANETARY SUITS, WE’RE GOING TO NEED LEGS AND FEET. WE’RE GOING TO NEED TO USE THEM A LOT. >> DEFINITELY. >> AS YOU WERE HITTING ON EARLIER, AT THE LUNAR ACTIVITIES, WE’RE ONLY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. BUT IF WE GO TO MARS, AND IF WE LAND ON MARS, WE’RE GOING TO BE OUT THERE FOR A LOT MORE THAN A COUPLE OF DAYS. SO WE NEED A SUIT THAT’S ROBUST ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THOSE REQUIREMENTS. >> OKAY, SO I HAVE-- I’M SURE YOU’VE SEEN THE MOVIE “THE MARTIAN,” RIGHT? >> I HAVE! >> YEAH, IT’S A GOOD MOVIE. IT’S A GOOD MOVIE. SO IN THAT ONE, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT A PLANETARY SUIT, THEY HAD THOSE LIKE SKINTIGHT ORANGE THINGS. THEY LOOKED SUPER COOL. >> AWESOME SUITS. >> YEAH, THEY LOOKED AWESOME. BUT THEN WHEN THEY WERE UP ORBITING MARS, AND THEY HAD THAT WHOLE-- I DON’T WANT TO-- IN CASE ANYONE HASN’T SEEN IT-- >> SPOILER ALERT. >> WHICH, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN IT, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU NEED TO SEE IT. BUT THEY HAD-- WHEN THEY WERE ORBITING EARTH, THEY HAD THE EMU. THEY HAD THAT BIG WHITE SUIT. AND THEN IT GOT A LITTLE TIGHTER, SKINTIGHT. IS THERE A CHANCE THAT MAYBE A PLANETARY SUIT WOULD BE SKINTIGHT, OR DO YOU NEED THOSE EXTRA LAYERS? >> SO YEAH, GREAT QUESTION. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT PLANET WE GO TO. >> OKAY. >> I MEAN, YOU HIT ON EARLIER THAT THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF ATMOSPHERE IN THE LOW EARTH ORBIT THAT PROTECTS THE STATION TO A CERTAIN EXTENT AND CAUSES DRAG. WELL, ON MARS THERE’S ATMOSPHERE, AS WELL, WHEREAS OTHER PLANETS OR OTHER MOONS AROUND OTHER PLANETS THAT MAYBE IN THE FUTURE WE’LL LOOK AT GOING TO, WILL HAVE NEAR ZERO ATMOSPHERE. THAT’S WHERE YOU’LL NEED THE MULTIPLE LAYERS, LIKE IN OUR EMU RIGHT NOW. WHEN YOU HAVE THAT VERY MINIMAL ATMOSPHERE. M>> OKAY. >> THE MARS, WE SHOULD HAVE MORE OF AN ATMOSPHERE. WHAT YOU WANT THERE-- WHERE WE MAY GET TO MORE MULTIPLE LAYERS IS IF WE NEED A-- IF THE TECHNOLOGY IS NOT AVAILABLE TO HAVE ROBUSTNESS IN A SKINTIGHT SUIT, THEN YOU’LL GET THE MULTIPLE LAYERS. >> OH, OKAY. >> BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU DON’T WANT A SUIT THAT’S GOING TO WEAR OUT AND GET A HOLE SOONER. THEN YOU’RE IN TROUBLE OUT THERE. >> RIGHT. >> BUT ABSOLUTELY, THOSE SKINTIGHT SUITS LIKE MATT DAMON HAD IN “THE MARTIAN,” AND THERE’S EVEN BEEN SOME PLAYED AROUND WITH HERE IN THE U.S. THAT WE’VE DONE SOME STUDIES FOR ADVANCED SUITS. THOSE ARE BY FAR PREFERRED IN THE ASPECTS OF MOBILITY. YOU CAN MOVE AROUND IN THOSE A LOT EASIER WITHOUT GETTING PAIN OR ABRASION FROM MULTIPLE LAYERS RUBBING ON YOU. YOU MENTIONED BACKPACKING EARLIER. WELL, IF YOU HAD A COUPLE PAIRS OF JEANS ON AT ONE TIME, AND THEN A NUMBER OF SHIRTS ON, AND THEN A BACKPACK, YOU’RE GOING GET BLISTERS AND PAIN IN PLACES. YOU DON’T WANT TO FEEL THAT. THAT’S THE TRADE OFF FOR IF YOU GET A SUIT WITH A LOT OF LAYERS OF INSULATION AND WHATNOT, AND THEN YOU TRY TO WALK DISTANCES. THAT’S GOING TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE. >> YEAH. IF THEY DO, THEY’LL PROBABLY HAVE TO DO SHORT EVAs, OR SPACEWALKS. >> OR A LUNAR ROVER. >> OH, THAT’S WHERE THE ROVER COMES IN. SO I’VE SEEN THEY HAVE ONE HERE AT THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER CALLED THE SUV. IT’S LIKE AN ANALOG. THEY SEE-- IT LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE THE ONE THAT WAS IN “THE MARTIAN.” IN FACT, “THE MARTIAN” KIND OF COPIED US. BUT THAT’S FINE. >> I’M OKAY WITH THAT. >> IN THE BACK, THEY HAD SUITS ON THE OUTSIDE. >> YES. >> THERE’S A REASON FOR THAT, RIGHT? >> YES. >> AND THAT WAS THAT DUST THING THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT A LITTLE BIT. >> YES, YES, THAT ABSOLUTELY PLAYS INTO IT. ONE OF THE COOL THINGS ABOUT THE CURRENT SUIT WE HAVE TODAY IS JUST THE LARGE PERCENTILE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT CAN FIT INTO IT. MAYBE NOT PERFECTLY, BUT THEY CAN GET INSIDE THAT SUIT, SMALL OR LARGE, AND GO OUT AND DO AN EVA, WHEREAS THE OTHER SUITS THAT ARE FIXED IN SIZING-- I’M GONNA USE-- OBVIOUSLY THE ORLAN HAS BEEN GREAT FOR MANY YEARS. NOT HITTING THAT AT ALL, JUST SHOWING THE DIFFERENCES. >> RIGHT. >> YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE CUT SIZE. I MEAN, YOU EITHER HAVE A 37 INCH TO 44 INCH CHEST, AND YOU CAN FIT IN THERE, OR YOU CAN’T. >> OH. >> AND SO THERE’S GREAT THINGS ABOUT THAT. ONE OF THE BAD THINGS ABOUT THE EMU SUIT WHERE THOSE-- IS THAT YOU DON’T GET A LOT OF SHOULDER MOVEMENT, AND IT’S A LOT LONGER TO GET IN WHEN YOU HAVE TO PUT THE SUIT TOGETHER. ON THE GROUND WITH TECH SUPPORT, WE CAN GET THEM IN THERE IN 45 MINUTES. WHEN THEY’RE ON ORBIT, IT’S DIFFICULT TO SLIDE UP INSIDE THAT HARD UPPER TORSO. ALL RIGHT, NOW I HAVE TO PUT MY GLOVES ON, HELMET ON. NOW I’VE GOT TO PUT PANTS ON. I EXPLAINED IT IN 20 SECONDS. THOSE GUYS ARE TAKING OVER AN HOUR WITH HELP, PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED PEOPLE, TO GET INSIDE THAT SUIT. >> RIGHT. >> SO YOU HIT ON THAT SUIT ON THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. IT OPENS UP INSIDE THAT VEHICLE. YOU CAN CRAWL INTO THAT SUIT FROM INSIDE YOUR VEHICLE WITHOUT HAVING TO DEPRESSURIZE THE WHOLE VEHICLE, CLOSE THAT HATCH ON THE SUIT, AND THEN WALK RIGHT OFF THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. >> SWEET. >> PRETTY NEAT. >> THAT’S AWESOME, BUT YOU’RE RIGHT. YOU HAVE A SIZE THING TO CONSIDER BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE THAT ADJUSTABLE FEATURES OF THE EMU THAT’S ON STATION RIGHT NOW. >> BUT SINCE THE EMU WAS DESIGNED, THERE IS TECHNOLOGY THAT’S ALLOWED US TO VERY QUICKLY ADJUST THE SIZE ON SOME OF THOSE FIXED SUITS THAT FORMERLY WE COULDN’T. SO THAT’S NOT AN ISSUE TODAY, ALTHOUGH IT WAS IN THE ‘80s WHEN WE DESIGNED THE EMU. >> RIGHT. WOW. THAT IS SO COOL. OKAY, ONE MORE QUESTION, AND THEN I’M GOING TO LET YOU GO. SO WE TALKED ABOUT “THE MARTIAN” AND THOSE SKINTIGHT SUITS, BUT THERE WAS ONE SCENE IN THERE THAT HE WAS KIND OF FLOATING AROUND. AND, WELL, OKAY, I’M NOT GOING TO DO ANY SPOILERS, BUT BASICALLY HE HAD TO-- HE HAD TO-- >> I HEAR SPOILER. >> OKAY, IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN “THE MARTIAN” YET, TURN OFF THE PODCAST. I’LL GIVE YOU THREE SECONDS. ONE, TWO, THREE. OKAY, SO HE POKES A HOLE IN HIS GLOVE ON THE OUTSIDE, AND HE HAS TO PROPEL HIMSELF OUT INTO THE THING. >> YES. >> IS THAT LIKE A THING? CAN THAT HAPPEN? I MEAN, IT PROBABLY CAN’T BE SUCCESSFUL LIKE IT WAS IN “THE MARTIAN,” BUT IS THAT A THING? IF YOU WERE TO POKE A HOLE, WOULD YOU PROPEL YOURSELF? >> SO-- MAN. SO THERE’S DEFINITELY SOME HOLLYWOOD ASPECTS TO THAT, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. >> YES, YES. >> BUT YES, IN THEORY, YOU HAVE A PRESSURIZED SUIT. YOU’VE GOT TWO PRIMARY OXYGEN TANKS, AND THEN YOU HAVE A SECONDARY OXYGEN TANK THAT HOLDS JUST IN ITSELF ABOUT 6,000 POUNDS OF PRESSURE OF OXYGEN. SO IF YOU HAVE A HOLE AND YOU’RE PUSHING OUT AIR, EVEN IF IT’S A LOW FORCE, IT WILL GET THAT BODY MOVING. NOW, I CAN’T TELL YOU THAT IT’S GOING TO FLY YOU TO A DIFFERENT SPACECRAFT LIKE IN THE MOVIE, BUT IT WOULD BE SOME LEVEL OF PROPULSION, AND IT WOULD HELP YOU OUT. >> THAT IS SO COOL. ALL RIGHT, COOL. I JUST LOVE THAT MOVIE. THAT’S WHY I KEEP BRINGING IT UP. >> IT’S A GREAT MOVIE. >> IT’S A GOOD ONE. WELL, I THINK THAT’S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE, LES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON. THIS WAS SO INTERESTING, BUT I’M SURE WE DID NOT HIT ALL OF THE POINTS ABOUT SPACESUITS. THERE’S A LOT MORE TO THIS TOPIC. >> MY HUGE BINDER WASN’T USED. >> SO IF YOU’RE LISTENING AND YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS, MAKE SURE TO SUBMIT THEM. STAY TUNED ‘TIL AFTER THE LITTLE ENDING MUSIC CREDITS HERE, AND THEN WE’LL TALK ABOUT WHERE YOU CAN SUBMIT SOME IDEAS. AND MAYBE WE’LL DO A SPACESUITS NUMBER TWO EPISODE. WHO KNOWS. I’M SURE THERE’S MORE WE COULD TALK ABOUT. SO THANKS AGAIN, LES, AND STICK AROUND FOR MORE ON SPACESUITS. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME, GARY. >> NO PROBLEM. ALL RIGHT. [ MUSIC ] [ INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER ] >> WELCOME TO SPACE. >> HEY, THANKS FOR STICKING AROUND. SO TODAY WE TALKED WITH LES PADILLA ABOUT SPACESUITS. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EVERYTHING SPACESUITS, JUST GO TO NASA.GOV/SUITUP. WE’VE GOT A NICE REFERENCE THERE FOR ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF SPACESUITS, INCLUDING THE EMUs, MAINLY WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT TODAY. OTHERWISE, YOU CAN GO TO NASA.GOV/ISS TO LEARN ABOUT EVERYTHING GOING ON ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. AND JUST THIS PAST MONTH IN OCTOBER, WE HAD THREE SPACEWALKS, WHERE ASTRONAUTS WERE GOING OUT IN THE EMUs TO CONDUCT SPACEWALK AND MAINTENANCE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE STATION. YOU CAN ALSO FIND ALL THIS INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SO JUST GO TO FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM. YOU KNOW THIS, RIGHT? WE TALK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ACCOUNTS ON WHATEVER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM YOU LIKE-- FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM. ON FACEBOOK, INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. ON TWITTER IT’S @SPACE_STATION AND INSTAGRAM IS @ISS. AND IN THE BEGINNING, YOU CAN SEE THAT ALLYOOP ACTUALLY SUGGESTED THE TOPIC FOR THIS EPISODE, AND WE’RE LISTENING TO EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY. SO JUST USE THE HASHTAG #ASKNASA ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM, AND SUBMIT AN IDEA FOR SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT OR A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ANSWER, OR MAYBE YOU’D LIKE TO FOCUS AN ENTIRE EPISODE ON ONE SPECIFIC TOPIC. SO WE’LL MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT THOSE IDEAS AND FIND THE RIGHT PERSON TO BRING ON THE SHOW. JUST MAKE SURE TO MENTION IT’S FOR HWHAP-- H-W-H-A-P-- “HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PODCAST.” THIS PODCAST WAS RECORDED ON APRIL 13, 2017. THANKS TO ALEX PERRYMAN, JOHN STOLL, AND MATT MACKENZIE. AND THANKS AGAIN TO LES PADILLA FOR COMING ON THE SHOW. WE’LL BE BACK NEXT WEEK.

User-centered virtual environment assessment and design for cognitive rehabilitation applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fidopiastis, Cali Michael

Virtual environment (VE) design for cognitive rehabilitation necessitates a new methodology to ensure the validity of the resulting rehabilitation assessment. We propose that benchmarking the VE system technology utilizing a user-centered approach should precede the VE construction. Further, user performance baselines should be measured throughout testing as a control for adaptive effects that may confound the metrics chosen to evaluate the rehabilitation treatment. To support these claims we present data obtained from two modules of a user-centered head-mounted display (HMD) assessment battery, specifically resolution visual acuity and stereoacuity. Resolution visual acuity and stereoacuity assessments provide information about the image quality achieved by an HMD based upon its unique system parameters. When applying a user-centered approach, we were able to quantify limitations in the VE system components (e.g., low microdisplay resolution) and separately point to user characteristics (e.g., changes in dark focus) that may introduce error in the evaluation of VE based rehabilitation protocols. Based on these results, we provide guidelines for calibrating and benchmarking HMDs. In addition, we discuss potential extensions of the assessment to address higher level usability issues. We intend to test the proposed framework within the Human Experience Modeler (HEM), a testbed created at the University of Central Florida to evaluate technologies that may enhance cognitive rehabilitation effectiveness. Preliminary results of a feasibility pilot study conducted with a memory impaired participant showed that the HEM provides the control and repeatability needed to conduct such technology comparisons. Further, the HEM affords the opportunity to integrate new brain imaging technologies (i.e., functional Near Infrared Imaging) to evaluate brain plasticity associated with VE based cognitive rehabilitation.

It's how you get there: walking down a virtual alley activates premotor and parietal areas.

PubMed

Wagner, Johanna; Solis-Escalante, Teodoro; Scherer, Reinhold; Neuper, Christa; Müller-Putz, Gernot

2014-01-01

Voluntary drive is crucial for motor learning, therefore we are interested in the role that motor planning plays in gait movements. In this study we examined the impact of an interactive Virtual Environment (VE) feedback task on the EEG patterns during robot assisted walking. We compared walking in the VE modality to two control conditions: walking with a visual attention paradigm, in which visual stimuli were unrelated to the motor task; and walking with mirror feedback, in which participants observed their own movements. Eleven healthy participants were considered. Application of independent component analysis to the EEG revealed three independent component clusters in premotor and parietal areas showing increased activity during walking with the adaptive VE training paradigm compared to the control conditions. During the interactive VE walking task spectral power in frequency ranges 8-12, 15-20, and 23-40 Hz was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased. This power decrease is interpreted as a correlate of an active cortical area. Furthermore activity in the premotor cortex revealed gait cycle related modulations significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) from baseline in the frequency range 23-40 Hz during walking. These modulations were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced depending on gait cycle phases in the interactive VE walking task compared to the control conditions. We demonstrate that premotor and parietal areas show increased activity during walking with the adaptive VE training paradigm, when compared to walking with mirror- and movement unrelated feedback. Previous research has related a premotor-parietal network to motor planning and motor intention. We argue that movement related interactive feedback enhances motor planning and motor intention. We hypothesize that this might improve gait recovery during rehabilitation.

An Investigation into the Cognition Behind Spontaneous String Pulling in New Caledonian Crows

PubMed Central

Taylor, Alex H.; Medina, Felipe S.; Holzhaider, Jennifer C.; Hearne, Lindsay J.; Hunt, Gavin R.; Gray, Russell D.

2010-01-01

The ability of some bird species to pull up meat hung on a string is a famous example of spontaneous animal problem solving. The “insight” hypothesis claims that this complex behaviour is based on cognitive abilities such as mental scenario building and imagination. An operant conditioning account, in contrast, would claim that this spontaneity is due to each action in string pulling being reinforced by the meat moving closer and remaining closer to the bird on the perch. We presented experienced and naïve New Caledonian crows with a novel, visually restricted string-pulling problem that reduced the quality of visual feedback during string pulling. Experienced crows solved this problem with reduced efficiency and increased errors compared to their performance in standard string pulling. Naïve crows either failed or solved the problem by trial and error learning. However, when visual feedback was available via a mirror mounted next to the apparatus, two naïve crows were able to perform at the same level as the experienced group. Our results raise the possibility that spontaneous string pulling in New Caledonian crows may not be based on insight but on operant conditioning mediated by a perceptual-motor feedback cycle. PMID:20179759

Visual data mining for quantized spatial data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braverman, Amy; Kahn, Brian

2004-01-01

In previous papers we've shown how a well known data compression algorithm called Entropy-constrained Vector Quantization ( can be modified to reduce the size and complexity of very large, satellite data sets. In this paper, we descuss how to visualize and understand the content of such reduced data sets.

Pseudo Jahn-Teller coupling in trioxides XO3(0,1,-1) with 22 and 23 valence electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grein, Friedrich

2013-05-01

D3h and C2v geometries and energies, vertical excitation energies, as well as minimal energy paths as function of the O1(z)-X-O2 angle α were obtained for XO3(0,1,-1) (X = B, Al, Ga; C, Si, Ge; N, P, As; S, Se) molecules and ions with 22 and 23 valence electrons (VE), using density functional theory (DFT), coupled cluster with single and double substitutions with noniterative triple excitations (CCSD(T)), equation of motion (EOM)-CCSD, time-dependent DFT, and multi-reference configuration interaction methods. It is shown that pseudo Jahn-Teller (PJT) coupling increases as the central atom X becomes heavier, due to decreases in excitation energies. As is well known for CO3, the excited 1E' states of the 22 VE systems SiO3, GeO3; NO_3 ^ +, PO3+, AsO3+; BO3-, AlO3-, GaO3- have strong vibronic coupling with the 1A1' ground state via the e' vibrational modes, leading to a C2v minimum around α = 145°. For first and second row X atoms, there is an additional D3h minimum (α = 120°). Interacting excited states have minima around 135°. In the 23 VE systems CO3-, SiO3-; NO3, PO3; SO3+, coupling of the excited 2E' with the 2A2' ground state via the e' mode does not generate a C2v state. Minima of interacting excited states are close to 120°. However, due to very strong PJT coupling, a double-well potential is predicted for GeO3-, AsO3, and SeO3+, with a saddle point at D3h symmetry. Interaction of the b2 highest occupied molecular orbital with the b2 lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, both oxygen lone pair molecular orbitals, is seen as the reason for the C2v stabilization of 22 VE molecules.

Visual attention for a desktop virtual environment with ambient scent

PubMed Central

Toet, Alexander; van Schaik, Martin G.

2013-01-01

In the current study participants explored a desktop virtual environment (VE) representing a suburban neighborhood with signs of public disorder (neglect, vandalism, and crime), while being exposed to either room air (control group), or subliminal levels of tar (unpleasant; typically associated with burned or waste material) or freshly cut grass (pleasant; typically associated with natural or fresh material) ambient odor. They reported all signs of disorder they noticed during their walk together with their associated emotional response. Based on recent evidence that odors reflexively direct visual attention to (either semantically or affectively) congruent visual objects, we hypothesized that participants would notice more signs of disorder in the presence of ambient tar odor (since this odor may bias attention to unpleasant and negative features), and less signs of disorder in the presence of ambient grass odor (since this odor may bias visual attention toward the vegetation in the environment and away from the signs of disorder). Contrary to our expectations the results provide no indication that the presence of an ambient odor affected the participants’ visual attention for signs of disorder or their emotional response. However, the paradigm used in present study does not allow us to draw any conclusions in this respect. We conclude that a closer affective, semantic, or spatiotemporal link between the contents of a desktop VE and ambient scents may be required to effectively establish diagnostic associations that guide a user’s attention. In the absence of these direct links, ambient scent may be more diagnostic for the physical environment of the observer as a whole than for the particular items in that environment (or, in this case, items represented in the VE). PMID:24324453

Prevalence of eye disease and visual impairment in Île de la Gonave, Haïti.

PubMed

Tousignant, B; Brûlé, J

2017-08-01

Epidemiological data describing the prevalence of blindness and visual impairment in Haiti are sparse. The Haitian National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness (CNPC) estimates the prevalence of blindness at 1 %. Other regional data estimate moderate and severe visual impairment at 5% and 22%, respectively. IRIS Mundial (IM) is a non-governmental organization collaborating with the CNPC to develop eye care infrastructure in Haiti. To estimate the prevalence and causes of blindness and visual impairment on the Haitian island of Gonâve, to assist in planning of relevant eye care infrastructure. Results from eye exams carried out by a team from IM in January 2013 have been compiled and analyzed. In all, 1724 patients were examined (38% men, 62% women). In the best eye, 87% of patients had visual acuity, 6% had moderate visual impairment, and 7% had severe visual impairment. Moreover, 1% of patients had high myopia, 1% high hyperopia, 1% high astigmatism, and 32% were presbyopic. Clinically significant binocular cataracts were found in 1.5 % of patients, while 2 % were diagnosed with probable glaucoma. Our data give a glimpse of the prevalence of visual impairment and ocular disease on Gonâve Island in Haiti. Uncorrected refractive error, cataracts, and glaucoma are confirmed as prevalent conditions in this population and their presence should guide the planning of relevant eye care interventions.

Astronomical Video Suites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francisco Salgado, Jose

2010-01-01

Astronomer and visual artist Jose Francisco Salgado has directed two astronomical video suites to accompany live performances of classical music works. The suites feature awe-inspiring images, historical illustrations, and visualizations produced by NASA, ESA, and the Adler Planetarium. By the end of 2009, his video suites Gustav Holst's The Planets and Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition will have been presented more than 40 times in over 10 countries. Lately Salgado, an avid photographer, has been experimenting with high dynamic range imaging, time-lapse, infrared, and fisheye photography, as well as with stereoscopic photography and video to enhance his multimedia works.

The Papillomavirus Episteme: a major update to the papillomavirus sequence database.

PubMed

Van Doorslaer, Koenraad; Li, Zhiwen; Xirasagar, Sandhya; Maes, Piet; Kaminsky, David; Liou, David; Sun, Qiang; Kaur, Ramandeep; Huyen, Yentram; McBride, Alison A

2017-01-04

The Papillomavirus Episteme (PaVE) is a database of curated papillomavirus genomic sequences, accompanied by web-based sequence analysis tools. This update describes the addition of major new features. The papillomavirus genomes within PaVE have been further annotated, and now includes the major spliced mRNA transcripts. Viral genes and transcripts can be visualized on both linear and circular genome browsers. Evolutionary relationships among PaVE reference protein sequences can be analysed using multiple sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees. To assist in viral discovery, PaVE offers a typing tool; a simplified algorithm to determine whether a newly sequenced virus is novel. PaVE also now contains an image library containing gross clinical and histopathological images of papillomavirus infected lesions. Database URL: https://pave.niaid.nih.gov/. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

[The significance of visual analyzer in controlling the standing posture in individuals with the spastic form of child cerebral paralysis while wearing "Adel" suit].

PubMed

Sologubov, E G; Iavorskii, A B; Kobrin, V I

1996-01-01

The paper discussed the results of stabilographic examination of the children suffered from the spastic form of child cerebral paralysis (CCP) treated by means of graded wearing of "Adel" suit which is a modification of the "Penguin" spacesuit. There has been studied the state of 30 children before treatment with the use of "Adel" suit and after the treatment as well as following the several courses of wearing the suit. Besides the patients, eleven healthy volunteer subjects (control group) were examined. There have been obtained the results pointing to the fact that in the healthy persons when they try to achieve the standing posture the leading role pertains to visual analyzer, at the same time, in the patients with spastic form of CCP the realization of standing posture depends upon the severity of the motor function disorders. When in the process of control stabilographic examination the patients suffered from spastic form of CCP demonstrate the significant role of the visual analyzer in achieving the standing posture, the use of the "Adel" suit is most desirable. The use of the "Adel" suit in the CCP patients with a decreased role of visual analyzer in achieving the standing pose as it was found under control examination enhances its significance in controlling the position of the center of gravity of the body.

Sub aquatic 3D visualization and temporal analysis utilizing ArcGIS online and 3D applications

EPA Science Inventory

We used 3D Visualization tools to illustrate some complex water quality data we’ve been collecting in the Great Lakes. These data include continuous tow data collected from our research vessel the Lake Explorer II, and continuous water quality data collected from an autono...

NATO Agency Reform

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-30

within a marketp lace Mintzberg, 1985 • Strategy Formation • Strategic Managemen t Longitudinal Stu d y Primarily Quantitat i ve... Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other...its own operations , profits, and losses. Another paradigm shift was the invention of the general (or corporate) office, which took the place of

From wildlife biology to soil science, the USDA and the United Nations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

It all(?) started at age 18, wearing a rented tuxedo at the Explorers Club in NYC. I tried to explain my high school research on pine marten to my dinner companions while perched nervously on the dais. I haven’t worn a penguin suit since, but every year has been just as fascinating as I’ve worked my...

Missing pieces to modeling the Arctic-Boreal puzzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Joshua B.; Hayes, Daniel J.; Schwalm, Christopher R.; Huntzinger, Deborah N.; Stofferahn, Eric; Schaefer, Kevin; Luo, Yiqi; Wullschleger, Stan D.; Goetz, Scott; Miller, Charles E.; Griffith, Peter; Chadburn, Sarah; Chatterjee, Abhishek; Ciais, Philippe; Douglas, Thomas A.; Genet, Hélène; Ito, Akihiko; Neigh, Christopher S. R.; Poulter, Benjamin; Rogers, Brendan M.; Sonnentag, Oliver; Tian, Hanqin; Wang, Weile; Xue, Yongkang; Yang, Zong-Liang; Zeng, Ning; Zhang, Zhen

2018-02-01

NASA has launched the decade-long Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). While the initial phases focus on field and airborne data collection, early integration with modeling activities is important to benefit future modeling syntheses. We compiled feedback from ecosystem modeling teams on key data needs, which encompass carbon biogeochemistry, vegetation, permafrost, hydrology, and disturbance dynamics. A suite of variables was identified as part of this activity with a critical requirement that they are collected concurrently and representatively over space and time. Individual projects in ABoVE may not capture all these needs, and thus there is both demand and opportunity for the augmentation of field observations, and synthesis of the observations that are collected, to ensure that science questions and integrated modeling activities are successfully implemented.

The Electronic Sandtable: An Application of VE-Technology as Tactical Situation Display

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-11-01

plastic stereoscopic intelligibility of a complex tactical situation. The visualization of three-dimensional data. It has been situation scenario is not...generated artificial reality was mentioned first in science ergonomics and human factors is essential for the fiction literature at the middle of the...basically two different types of TSD’s VRML-Browsers and Videogames work like this. used by the strike forces. VE-systems are on their way of becoming

The Uses of Emotion Maps in Research and Clinical Practice with Families and Couples: Methodological Innovation and Critical Inquiry

PubMed Central

Gabb, Jacqui; Singh, Reenee

2015-01-01

We explore how “emotion maps” can be productively used in clinical assessment and clinical practice with families and couples. This graphic participatory method was developed in sociological studies to examine everyday family relationships. Emotion maps enable us to effectively “see” the dynamic experience and emotional repertoires of family life. Through the use of a case example, in this article we illustrate how emotion maps can add to the systemic clinicians’ repertoire of visual methods. For clinicians working with families, couples, and young people, the importance of gaining insight into how lives are lived, at home, cannot be understated. Producing emotion maps can encourage critical personal reflection and expedite change in family practice. Hot spots in the household become visualized, facilitating dialogue on prevailing issues and how these events may be perceived differently by different family members. As emotion maps are not reliant on literacy or language skills they can be equally completed by parents and children alike, enabling children's perspective to be heard. Emotion maps can be used as assessment tools, to demonstrate the process of change within families. Furthermore, emotion maps can be extended to use through technology and hence are well suited particularly to working with young people. We end the article with a wider discussion of the place of emotions and emotion maps within systemic psychotherapy. PMID:25091031

Digital Technology in the Visual Arts Classroom: An [un]Easy Partnership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilks, Judith; Cutcher, Alexandra; Wilks, Susan

2012-01-01

This article scrutinizes the dichotomy of the uneasy and easy partnerships that exist between digital technology and visual arts education. The claim that by putting computers into schools "we have bought 'one half of a product'... we've bought the infrastructure and the equipment but we haven't bought the educational…

Impaired Right Ventricular-Pulmonary Arterial Coupling and Effect of Sildenafil in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: An Ancillary Analysis From the Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status And Exercise Capacity in Diastolic Heart Failure (RELAX) Trial.

PubMed

Hussain, Imad; Mohammed, Selma F; Forfia, Paul R; Lewis, Gregory D; Borlaug, Barry A; Gallup, Dianne S; Redfield, Margaret M

2016-04-01

Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (RVD) is a poor prognostic factor in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The physiological perturbations associated with RVD or RV function indexed to load (RV-pulmonary arterial [PA] coupling) in HFpEF have not been defined. HFpEF patients with marked impairment in RV-PA coupling may be uniquely sensitive to sildenafil. In a subset of HFpEF patients enrolled in the Phosphodiesteas-5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status And Exercise Capacity in Diastolic Heart Failure (RELAX) trial, physiological variables and therapeutic effect of sildenafil were examined relative to the severity of RVD (tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion [TAPSE]) and according to impairment in RV-PA coupling (TAPSE/pulmonary artery systolic pressure) ratio. The prevalence of atrial fibrillation and diuretic use, n-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide levels, renal dysfunction, neurohumoral activation, myocardial necrosis and fibrosis biomarkers, and the severity of diastolic dysfunction all increased with severity of RVD. Peak oxygen consumption decreased and ventilatory inefficiency (VE/VCO2 slope) increased with increasing severity of RVD. Many but not all physiological derangements were more closely associated with the TAPSE/pulmonary artery systolic pressure ratio. Compared with placebo, at 24 weeks, TAPSE decreased, and peak oxygen consumption and VE/CO2 slope were unchanged with sildenafil. There was no interaction between RV-PA coupling and treatment effect, and sildenafil did not improve TAPSE, peak oxygen consumption, or VE/VCO2 in patients with pulmonary hypertension and RVD. HFpEF patients with RVD and impaired RV-PA coupling have more advanced heart failure. In RELAX patients with RVD and impaired RV-PA coupling, sildenafil did not improve RV function, exercise capacity, or ventilatory efficiency. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00763867. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Linear Stability of Relativistic Space-Charge Flow in a Magnetically Insulated Transmission Line Oscillator

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-04-01

MILO Magnetica fy insulated transmission line Slow-wave structure Relativistic Brillouin flow Space-charge waves Slow electromagnetic waves (over) 19... resonant layer always see a decelerating axial electric field. Consequently, field energy increases at the expense of particle energy. 17 AFWL-TR-88-103...Ve). If ve is greater than the structure coupling velocity, a resonant layer of electrons will always be present, and oscillations will occur at any

High sensitivity to multisensory conflicts in agoraphobia exhibited by virtual reality.

PubMed

Viaud-Delmon, Isabelle; Warusfel, Olivier; Seguelas, Angeline; Rio, Emmanuel; Jouvent, Roland

2006-10-01

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of auditory feedback in a VR system planned for clinical use and to address the different factors that should be taken into account in building a bimodal virtual environment (VE). We conducted an experiment in which we assessed spatial performances in agoraphobic patients and normal subjects comparing two kinds of VEs, visual alone (Vis) and auditory-visual (AVis), during separate sessions. Subjects were equipped with a head-mounted display coupled with an electromagnetic sensor system and immersed in a virtual town. Their task was to locate different landmarks and become familiar with the town. In the AVis condition subjects were equipped with the head-mounted display and headphones, which delivered a soundscape updated in real-time according to their movement in the virtual town. While general performances remained comparable across the conditions, the reported feeling of immersion was more compelling in the AVis environment. However, patients exhibited more cybersickness symptoms in this condition. The result of this study points to the multisensory integration deficit of agoraphobic patients and underline the need for further research on multimodal VR systems for clinical use.

The Harvest suite for rapid core-genome alignment and visualization of thousands of intraspecific microbial genomes.

PubMed

Treangen, Todd J; Ondov, Brian D; Koren, Sergey; Phillippy, Adam M

2014-01-01

Whole-genome sequences are now available for many microbial species and clades, however existing whole-genome alignment methods are limited in their ability to perform sequence comparisons of multiple sequences simultaneously. Here we present the Harvest suite of core-genome alignment and visualization tools for the rapid and simultaneous analysis of thousands of intraspecific microbial strains. Harvest includes Parsnp, a fast core-genome multi-aligner, and Gingr, a dynamic visual platform. Together they provide interactive core-genome alignments, variant calls, recombination detection, and phylogenetic trees. Using simulated and real data we demonstrate that our approach exhibits unrivaled speed while maintaining the accuracy of existing methods. The Harvest suite is open-source and freely available from: http://github.com/marbl/harvest.

Biological Visualization, Imaging and Simulation(Bio-VIS) at NASA Ames Research Center: Developing New Software and Technology for Astronaut Training and Biology Research in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Jeffrey

2003-01-01

The Bio- Visualization, Imaging and Simulation (BioVIS) Technology Center at NASA's Ames Research Center is dedicated to developing and applying advanced visualization, computation and simulation technologies to support NASA Space Life Sciences research and the objectives of the Fundamental Biology Program. Research ranges from high resolution 3D cell imaging and structure analysis, virtual environment simulation of fine sensory-motor tasks, computational neuroscience and biophysics to biomedical/clinical applications. Computer simulation research focuses on the development of advanced computational tools for astronaut training and education. Virtual Reality (VR) and Virtual Environment (VE) simulation systems have become important training tools in many fields from flight simulation to, more recently, surgical simulation. The type and quality of training provided by these computer-based tools ranges widely, but the value of real-time VE computer simulation as a method of preparing individuals for real-world tasks is well established. Astronauts routinely use VE systems for various training tasks, including Space Shuttle landings, robot arm manipulations and extravehicular activities (space walks). Currently, there are no VE systems to train astronauts for basic and applied research experiments which are an important part of many missions. The Virtual Glovebox (VGX) is a prototype VE system for real-time physically-based simulation of the Life Sciences Glovebox where astronauts will perform many complex tasks supporting research experiments aboard the International Space Station. The VGX consists of a physical display system utilizing duel LCD projectors and circular polarization to produce a desktop-sized 3D virtual workspace. Physically-based modeling tools (Arachi Inc.) provide real-time collision detection, rigid body dynamics, physical properties and force-based controls for objects. The human-computer interface consists of two magnetic tracking devices (Ascention Inc.) attached to instrumented gloves (Immersion Inc.) which co-locate the user's hands with hand/forearm representations in the virtual workspace. Force-feedback is possible in a work volume defined by a Phantom Desktop device (SensAble inc.). Graphics are written in OpenGL. The system runs on a 2.2 GHz Pentium 4 PC. The prototype VGX provides astronauts and support personnel with a real-time physically-based VE system to simulate basic research tasks both on Earth and in the microgravity of Space. The immersive virtual environment of the VGX also makes it a useful tool for virtual engineering applications including CAD development, procedure design and simulation of human-system systems in a desktop-sized work volume.

PAR-2 triggers placenta-derived protease-induced altered VE-cadherin reorganization at endothelial junctions in preeclampsia.

PubMed

Gu, Y; Groome, L J; Alexander, J S; Wang, Y

2012-10-01

PAR-2 is a G-protein coupled protease receptor whose activation in endothelial cells (ECs) is associated with increased solute permeability. VE-cadherin is an endothelial-specific junction protein, which exhibits a disorganized distribution at cell junction during inflammation and is a useful indicator of endothelial barrier dysfunction. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that PAR-2 activation mediates placenta-derived chymotrypsin-like protease (CLP)-induced endothelial junction disturbance and permeability in preeclampsia (PE). PAR-2 and VE-cadherin were examined by immunofluorescent staining. Specific CLP induced PAR-2 activation and altered VE-cadherin distribution was assessed following depletion of protease chymotrypsin in the placental conditioned medium and after PAR-2 siRNA. VE-cadherin assembly was determined by treating cells with protease chymotrypsin and/or the specific PAR-2 agonist SLIGKV-NH2. Our results showed: 1) placental conditioned medium not only disturbed VE-cadherin distribution at cell junctions but also activated PAR-2 in ECs; 2) PAR-2 siRNA blocked the placental conditioned medium induced PAR-2 upregulation and disorganization of VE-cadherin at cell junctions; 3) PAR-2 agonist induced PAR-2 activation and VE-cadherin reorganization were dose-dependent; and 4) PAR-2 agonist could stimulate ERK1/2 activation. These results strongly suggest that proteases produced by the placenta elicit endothelial barrier dysfunction via a PAR-2 signaling regulatory mechanism in PE. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PAR-2 triggers placenta-derived protease-induced altered VE-cadherin reorganization at endothelial junctions in preeclampsia

PubMed Central

Gu, Yang; Groome, Lynn J.; Alexander, J. Steven; Wang, Yuping

2014-01-01

PAR-2 is a G-protein coupled protease receptor whose activation in endothelial cells (ECs) is associated with increased solute permeability. VE-cadherin is an endothelial specific junction protein, which exhibits a disorganized distribution at cell junction during inflammation and is a useful indicator of endothelial barrier dysfunction. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that PAR-2 activation mediates placenta-derived chymotrypsin-like protease (CLP)-induced endothelial junction disturbance and permeability in preeclampsia (PE). PAR-2 and VE-cadherin were examined by immunofluorescent staining. Specific CLP-induced PAR-2 activation and altered VE-cadherin distribution was assessed following depletion of protease chymotrypsin in the placental conditioned medium and after PAR-2 siRNA. VE-cadherin assembly was determined by treating cells with protease chymotrypsin and/or the specific PAR-2 agonist SLIGKV-NH2. Our results showed: 1) placental conditioned medium not only disturbed VE-cadherin distribution at cell junctions but also activated PAR-2 in ECs; 2) PAR-2 siRNA blocked the placental conditioned medium induced PAR-2 upregulation and disorganization of VE-cadherin at cell junctions; 3) PAR-2 agonist induced PAR-2 activation and VE-cadherin reorganization were dose-dependent; and 4) PAR-2 agonist could stimulate ERK1/2 activation. These results strongly suggest that proteases produced by the placenta elicit endothelial barrier dysfunction via a PAR-2 signaling regulatory mechanism in PE. PMID:22840244

The uses of emotion maps in research and clinical practice with families and couples: methodological innovation and critical inquiry.

PubMed

Gabb, Jacqui; Singh, Reenee

2015-03-01

We explore how "emotion maps" can be productively used in clinical assessment and clinical practice with families and couples. This graphic participatory method was developed in sociological studies to examine everyday family relationships. Emotion maps enable us to effectively "see" the dynamic experience and emotional repertoires of family life. Through the use of a case example, in this article we illustrate how emotion maps can add to the systemic clinicians' repertoire of visual methods. For clinicians working with families, couples, and young people, the importance of gaining insight into how lives are lived, at home, cannot be understated. Producing emotion maps can encourage critical personal reflection and expedite change in family practice. Hot spots in the household become visualized, facilitating dialogue on prevailing issues and how these events may be perceived differently by different family members. As emotion maps are not reliant on literacy or language skills they can be equally completed by parents and children alike, enabling children's perspective to be heard. Emotion maps can be used as assessment tools, to demonstrate the process of change within families. Furthermore, emotion maps can be extended to use through technology and hence are well suited particularly to working with young people. We end the article with a wider discussion of the place of emotions and emotion maps within systemic psychotherapy. © 2014 The Authors. Family Process published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Family Process Institute.

SIERRA Code Coupling Module: Arpeggio User Manual Version 4.44

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

Subia, Samuel R.; Overfelt, James R.; Baur, David G.

2017-04-01

The SNL Sierra Mechanics code suite is designed to enable simulation of complex multiphysics scenarios. The code suite is composed of several specialized applications which can operate either in standalone mode or coupled with each other. Arpeggio is a supported utility that enables loose coupling of the various Sierra Mechanics applications by providing access to Framework services that facilitate the coupling. More importantly Arpeggio orchestrates the execution of applications that participate in the coupling. This document describes the various components of Arpeggio and their operability. The intent of the document is to provide a fast path for analysts interested inmore » coupled applications via simple examples of its usage.« less

Performance Measurement, Visualization and Modeling of Parallel and Distributed Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yan, Jerry C.; Sarukkai, Sekhar R.; Mehra, Pankaj; Lum, Henry, Jr. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

This paper presents a methodology for debugging the performance of message-passing programs on both tightly coupled and loosely coupled distributed-memory machines. The AIMS (Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System) toolkit, a suite of software tools for measurement and analysis of performance, is introduced and its application illustrated using several benchmark programs drawn from the field of computational fluid dynamics. AIMS includes (i) Xinstrument, a powerful source-code instrumentor, which supports both Fortran77 and C as well as a number of different message-passing libraries including Intel's NX Thinking Machines' CMMD, and PVM; (ii) Monitor, a library of timestamping and trace -collection routines that run on supercomputers (such as Intel's iPSC/860, Delta, and Paragon and Thinking Machines' CM5) as well as on networks of workstations (including Convex Cluster and SparcStations connected by a LAN); (iii) Visualization Kernel, a trace-animation facility that supports source-code clickback, simultaneous visualization of computation and communication patterns, as well as analysis of data movements; (iv) Statistics Kernel, an advanced profiling facility, that associates a variety of performance data with various syntactic components of a parallel program; (v) Index Kernel, a diagnostic tool that helps pinpoint performance bottlenecks through the use of abstract indices; (vi) Modeling Kernel, a facility for automated modeling of message-passing programs that supports both simulation -based and analytical approaches to performance prediction and scalability analysis; (vii) Intrusion Compensator, a utility for recovering true performance from observed performance by removing the overheads of monitoring and their effects on the communication pattern of the program; and (viii) Compatibility Tools, that convert AIMS-generated traces into formats used by other performance-visualization tools, such as ParaGraph, Pablo, and certain AVS/Explorer modules.

Training haptic stiffness discrimination: time course of learning with or without visual information and knowledge of results.

PubMed

Teodorescu, Kinneret; Bouchigny, Sylvain; Korman, Maria

2013-08-01

In this study, we explored the time course of haptic stiffness discrimination learning and how it was affected by two experimental factors, the addition of visual information and/or knowledge of results (KR) during training. Stiffness perception may integrate both haptic and visual modalities. However, in many tasks, the visual field is typically occluded, forcing stiffness perception to be dependent exclusively on haptic information. No studies to date addressed the time course of haptic stiffness perceptual learning. Using a virtual environment (VE) haptic interface and a two-alternative forced-choice discrimination task, the haptic stiffness discrimination ability of 48 participants was tested across 2 days. Each day included two haptic test blocks separated by a training block Additional visual information and/or KR were manipulated between participants during training blocks. Practice repetitions alone induced significant improvement in haptic stiffness discrimination. Between days, accuracy was slightly improved, but decision time performance was deteriorated. The addition of visual information and/or KR had only temporary effects on decision time, without affecting the time course of haptic discrimination learning. Learning in haptic stiffness discrimination appears to evolve through at least two distinctive phases: A single training session resulted in both immediate and latent learning. This learning was not affected by the training manipulations inspected. Training skills in VE in spaced sessions can be beneficial for tasks in which haptic perception is critical, such as surgery procedures, when the visual field is occluded. However, training protocols for such tasks should account for low impact of multisensory information and KR.

MRI-negative PET-positive temporal lobe epilepsy: a distinct surgically remediable syndrome.

PubMed

Carne, R P; O'Brien, T J; Kilpatrick, C J; MacGregor, L R; Hicks, R J; Murphy, M A; Bowden, S C; Kaye, A H; Cook, M J

2004-10-01

Most patients with non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy (NLTLE) will have the findings of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) on a high resolution MRI. However, a significant minority of patients with NLTLE and electroclinically well-lateralized temporal lobe seizures have no evidence of HS on MRI. Many of these patients have concordant hypometabolism on fluorodeoxyglucose-PET ([18F]FDG-PET). The pathophysiological basis of this latter group remains uncertain. We aimed to determine whether NLTLE without HS on MRI represents a variant of or a different clinicopathological syndrome from that of NLTLE with HS on MRI. The clinical, EEG, [18F]FDG-PET, histopathological and surgical outcomes of 30 consecutive NLTLE patients with well-lateralized EEG but without HS on MRI (HS-ve TLE) were compared with 30 consecutive age- and sex-matched NLTLE patients with well-lateralized EEG with HS on MRI (HS+ve TLE). Both the HS+ve TLE group and the HS-ve TLE patients had a high degree of [18F]FDG-PET concordant lateralization (26 out of 30 HS-ve TLE versus 27 out of 27 HS+ve TLE). HS-ve TLE patients had more widespread hypometabolism on [18F]FDG-PET by blinded visual analysis [odds ratio (OR = + infinity (2.51, -), P = 0.001]. The HS-ve TLE group less frequently had a history of febrile convulsions [OR = 0.077 (0.002-0.512), P = 0.002], more commonly had a delta rhythm at ictal onset [OR = 3.67 (0.97-20.47), P = 0.057], and less frequently had histopathological evidence of HS [OR = 0 (0-0.85), P = 0.031]. There was no significant difference in surgical outcome despite half of those without HS having a hippocampal-sparing procedure. Based on the findings outlined, HS-ve PET-positive TLE may be a surgically remediable syndrome distinct from HS+ve TLE, with a pathophysiological basis that primarily involves lateral temporal neocortical rather than mesial temporal structures.

MASH Suite: a user-friendly and versatile software interface for high-resolution mass spectrometry data interpretation and visualization.

PubMed

Guner, Huseyin; Close, Patrick L; Cai, Wenxuan; Zhang, Han; Peng, Ying; Gregorich, Zachery R; Ge, Ying

2014-03-01

The rapid advancements in mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation, particularly in Fourier transform (FT) MS, have made the acquisition of high-resolution and high-accuracy mass measurements routine. However, the software tools for the interpretation of high-resolution MS data are underdeveloped. Although several algorithms for the automatic processing of high-resolution MS data are available, there is still an urgent need for a user-friendly interface with functions that allow users to visualize and validate the computational output. Therefore, we have developed MASH Suite, a user-friendly and versatile software interface for processing high-resolution MS data. MASH Suite contains a wide range of features that allow users to easily navigate through data analysis, visualize complex high-resolution MS data, and manually validate automatically processed results. Furthermore, it provides easy, fast, and reliable interpretation of top-down, middle-down, and bottom-up MS data. MASH Suite is convenient, easily operated, and freely available. It can greatly facilitate the comprehensive interpretation and validation of high-resolution MS data with high accuracy and reliability.

Design Rules for High Temperature Microchemical Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-25

as expected for a CSTR , while the conversion in the channel reactor is as expected for a PFR. Flow visualization using smoke to image the flow...that according to the standard Taylor-Aris analysis all reactors should show CSTR behavior in the limit of rapid diffusion of all of the reactants...0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 C on ve rs io n CSTR PFR Data Posted Reactor PFR CSTR 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 Residence Time, Sec 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 C on ve

Impact of Virtual Environments on Sensorimotor Coordination and User Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harm, Deborah L.; Taylor, Laura C.; Kennedy, Robert S.; Reschke, Millard F.

2011-01-01

One critical unresolved issue related to the safe use of virtual environments (VEs) is maladaptive sensorimotor coordination following exposure to VEs. Moving visual displays used in VEs, especially in the absence of concordant vestibular signals leads to adaptive responses during VE exposure, but maladaptive responses following return to the normal environment. In the current set of investigations, we examined the effect of HMD and dome VE displays on eye-head-hand coordination, gaze holding and postural equilibrium. Subjects (61) performed a navigation and a pick and place task. Further, we compared 30 min and 60 min exposures across 3 days (each separated by 1 day). A subset of these results will be presented. In general, we found significant decrements in all three measures following exposure to the VEs. In addition, we found that these disturbances generally recovered within 1-2 hrs and decreased across days. These findings suggest the need for post-VE monitoring of sensorimotor coordination and for developing a set of recommendations for users concerning activities that are safe to engage in following use of a VE.

MASH Suite Pro: A Comprehensive Software Tool for Top-Down Proteomics*

PubMed Central

Cai, Wenxuan; Guner, Huseyin; Gregorich, Zachery R.; Chen, Albert J.; Ayaz-Guner, Serife; Peng, Ying; Valeja, Santosh G.; Liu, Xiaowen; Ge, Ying

2016-01-01

Top-down mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics is arguably a disruptive technology for the comprehensive analysis of all proteoforms arising from genetic variation, alternative splicing, and posttranslational modifications (PTMs). However, the complexity of top-down high-resolution mass spectra presents a significant challenge for data analysis. In contrast to the well-developed software packages available for data analysis in bottom-up proteomics, the data analysis tools in top-down proteomics remain underdeveloped. Moreover, despite recent efforts to develop algorithms and tools for the deconvolution of top-down high-resolution mass spectra and the identification of proteins from complex mixtures, a multifunctional software platform, which allows for the identification, quantitation, and characterization of proteoforms with visual validation, is still lacking. Herein, we have developed MASH Suite Pro, a comprehensive software tool for top-down proteomics with multifaceted functionality. MASH Suite Pro is capable of processing high-resolution MS and tandem MS (MS/MS) data using two deconvolution algorithms to optimize protein identification results. In addition, MASH Suite Pro allows for the characterization of PTMs and sequence variations, as well as the relative quantitation of multiple proteoforms in different experimental conditions. The program also provides visualization components for validation and correction of the computational outputs. Furthermore, MASH Suite Pro facilitates data reporting and presentation via direct output of the graphics. Thus, MASH Suite Pro significantly simplifies and speeds up the interpretation of high-resolution top-down proteomics data by integrating tools for protein identification, quantitation, characterization, and visual validation into a customizable and user-friendly interface. We envision that MASH Suite Pro will play an integral role in advancing the burgeoning field of top-down proteomics. PMID:26598644

Visual Impairment Screening Assessment (VISA) tool: pilot validation.

PubMed

Rowe, Fiona J; Hepworth, Lauren R; Hanna, Kerry L; Howard, Claire

2018-03-06

To report and evaluate a new Vision Impairment Screening Assessment (VISA) tool intended for use by the stroke team to improve identification of visual impairment in stroke survivors. Prospective case cohort comparative study. Stroke units at two secondary care hospitals and one tertiary centre. 116 stroke survivors were screened, 62 by naïve and 54 by non-naïve screeners. Both the VISA screening tool and the comprehensive specialist vision assessment measured case history, visual acuity, eye alignment, eye movements, visual field and visual inattention. Full completion of VISA tool and specialist vision assessment was achieved for 89 stroke survivors. Missing data for one or more sections typically related to patient's inability to complete the assessment. Sensitivity and specificity of the VISA screening tool were 90.24% and 85.29%, respectively; the positive and negative predictive values were 93.67% and 78.36%, respectively. Overall agreement was significant; k=0.736. Lowest agreement was found for screening of eye movement and visual inattention deficits. This early validation of the VISA screening tool shows promise in improving detection accuracy for clinicians involved in stroke care who are not specialists in vision problems and lack formal eye training, with potential to lead to more prompt referral with fewer false positives and negatives. Pilot validation indicates acceptability of the VISA tool for screening of visual impairment in stroke survivors. Sensitivity and specificity were high indicating the potential accuracy of the VISA tool for screening purposes. Results of this study have guided the revision of the VISA screening tool ahead of full clinical validation. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Catchment hydrological responses to forest harvest amount and spatial pattern

EPA Science Inventory

Forest harvest effects on streamflow dynamics have been well described experimentally, but a clear understanding of process-level hydrological controls can be difficult to ascertain from data alone. We apply a new model, Visualizing Ecosystems for Land Management Assessments (VE...

[Virtual environment: assistance in nursing care for the deaf based on the protocol of primary care].

PubMed

Rodrigues, Silvia Cristina Martini; Damião, Gardênia Costa

2014-08-01

Presenting a Virtual Environment (VE) based on the Protocol of Treatment of Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus type 2, used in Primary Care for evaluation of dietary habits in nursing consultations. An experimental study applied by two nurses and a nurse manager, in a sample of 30 deaf patients aged between 30 and 60 years. The environment was built in Visual Basic NET and offered eight screens about feeding containing food pictures, videos in Libras (Brazilian sign language) and audio. The analysis of the VE was done through questionnaires applied to patients and professionals by the Poisson statistical test. The VE shows the possible diagnostics in red, yellow, green and blue colors, depending on the degree of patients' need. The environment obtained excellent acceptance by patients and nurses, allowing great interaction between them, even without an interpreter. The time in consultation was reduced to 15 minutes, with the preservation of patient privacy.

Visual and semiquantitative 11C-methionine PET: an independent prognostic factor for survival of newly diagnosed and treatment-naïve gliomas.

PubMed

Poetsch, Nina; Woehrer, Adelheid; Gesperger, Johanna; Furtner, Julia; Haug, Alexander R; Wilhelm, Dorothee; Widhalm, Georg; Karanikas, Georgios; Weber, Michael; Rausch, Ivo; Mitterhauser, Markus; Wadsak, Wolfgang; Hacker, Marcus; Preusser, Matthias; Traub-Weidinger, Tatjana

2018-02-19

Few data exist regarding the prognostic value of L-[S-methyl-11C]methionine (MET) PET for treatment-naïve gliomas. A total of 160 glioma patients (89 men, 71 women; mean age: 45, range 18-84 y) underwent a MET PET prior to any therapy. The PET scans were evaluated visually and semiquantitatively by tumor-to-background (T/N) ratio thresholds chosen by analysis of receiver operating characteristics. Additionally, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1-R132H (IDH1-R132H) immunohistochemistry was performed. Survival analysis was done using Kaplan-Meier estimates and the Cox proportional hazards model. Significantly shorter mean survival times (7.2 vs 8.6 y; P = 0.024) were seen in patients with amino acid avid gliomas (n = 137) compared with visually negative tumors (n = 33) in MET PET. T/N ratio thresholds of 2.1 and 3.5 were significantly associated with survival (10.3 vs 7 vs 4.3 y; P < 0.001). Mean survival differed significantly using the median T/N ratio of 2.4 as cutoff, independent of histopathology (P < 0.01; mean survival: 10.2 ± 0.8 y vs 5.5 ± 0.6 y). In the subgroup of 142 glioma patients characterized by IDH1-R132H status, METT/N ratio demonstrated a significant prognostic impact in IDH1-R132H wildtype astrocytomas and glioblastoma (P = 0.001). Additionally, multivariate testing revealed semiquantitative MET PET as an independent prognostic parameter for treatment-naïve glioma patients without (P = 0.031) and with IDH1-R132H characterization of gliomas (P = 0.024; odds ratio 1.57). This retrospective analysis demonstrates the value of MET PET as a prognostic parameter on survival in treatment-naïve glioma patients. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Motion sickness and proprioceptive aftereffects following virtual environment exposure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stanney, K. M.; Kennedy, R. S.; Drexler, J. M.; Harm, D. L.

1999-01-01

To study the potential aftereffects of virtual environments (VE), tests of visually guided behavior and felt limb position (pointing with eyes open and closed) along with self-reports of motion sickness-like discomfort were administered before and after 30 min exposure of 34 subjects. When post- discomfort was compared to a pre-baseline, the participants reported more sickness afterward (p < 0.03). The change in felt limb position resulted in subjects pointing higher (p < 0.038) and slightly to the left, although the latter difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.08). When findings from a second study using a different VE system were compared, they essentially replicated the results of the first study with higher sickness afterward (p < 0.001) and post- pointing errors were also up (p < 0.001) and to the left (p < 0.001). While alternative explanations (e.g. learning, fatigue, boredom, habituation, etc.) of these outcomes cannot be ruled out, the consistency of the post- effects on felt limb position changes in the two VE implies that these recalibrations may linger once interaction with the VE has concluded, rendering users potentially physiologically maladapted for the real world when they return. This suggests there may be safety concerns following VE exposures until pre-exposure functioning has been regained. The results of this study emphasize the need for developing and using objective measures of post-VE exposure aftereffects in order to systematically determine under what conditions these effects may occur.

So Happy Together

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

These three images show the progression of 'stacking' the Mars Science Laboratory rover and its descent stage in one of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's 'clean room.' In the first image, the car-size rover is in the middle of the picture with several team members surrounding it. The team members are all dressed in special head-to-toe white suits, called 'bunny suits.' One team member is holding on to a tether to guide the large insect-like descent stage down on top of the rover. The descent stage looms high in this image. The second image shows the descent stage a few feet above the rover with the team member continuing to guide the two pieces together. The final image shows the two pieces on top of each other.

Imagine taking a very long 10-month journey with someone you've just recently met! The assembly team successfully introduced the Mars Science Laboratory rover to one of its space travel partners. For the first time, it was coupled with its 'descent stage,' the part of the spacecraft that lowers the rover to the Martian surface.

Up until now, thousands of hands and minds have been making sure this pairing is a perfect fit ... on paper. The intricate parts of the rover and descent stage have all separately undergone some serious testing. Now that they're stacked together, their teams can see how they fit together in real life. With this match-making a success, the rover and descent stage will be joined with the protective case (the 'aeroshell') for more testing. But, these pieces aren't staying together forever! They'll be separated, checked, and assembled many more times before finally coming together just before launch.

Direct manipulation of virtual objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Long K.

Interacting with a Virtual Environment (VE) generally requires the user to correctly perceive the relative position and orientation of virtual objects. For applications requiring interaction in personal space, the user may also need to accurately judge the position of the virtual object relative to that of a real object, for example, a virtual button and the user's real hand. This is difficult since VEs generally only provide a subset of the cues experienced in the real world. Complicating matters further, VEs presented by currently available visual displays may be inaccurate or distorted due to technological limitations. Fundamental physiological and psychological aspects of vision as they pertain to the task of object manipulation were thoroughly reviewed. Other sensory modalities -- proprioception, haptics, and audition -- and their cross-interactions with each other and with vision are briefly discussed. Visual display technologies, the primary component of any VE, were canvassed and compared. Current applications and research were gathered and categorized by different VE types and object interaction techniques. While object interaction research abounds in the literature, pockets of research gaps remain. Direct, dexterous, manual interaction with virtual objects in Mixed Reality (MR), where the real, seen hand accurately and effectively interacts with virtual objects, has not yet been fully quantified. An experimental test bed was designed to provide the highest accuracy attainable for salient visual cues in personal space. Optical alignment and user calibration were carefully performed. The test bed accommodated the full continuum of VE types and sensory modalities for comprehensive comparison studies. Experimental designs included two sets, each measuring depth perception and object interaction. The first set addressed the extreme end points of the Reality-Virtuality (R-V) continuum -- Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE) and Reality Environment (RE). This validated, linked, and extended several previous research findings, using one common test bed and participant pool. The results provided a proven method and solid reference points for further research. The second set of experiments leveraged the first to explore the full R-V spectrum and included additional, relevant sensory modalities. It consisted of two full-factorial experiments providing for rich data and key insights into the effect of each type of environment and each modality on accuracy and timeliness of virtual object interaction. The empirical results clearly showed that mean depth perception error in personal space was less than four millimeters whether the stimuli presented were real, virtual, or mixed. Likewise, mean error for the simple task of pushing a button was less than four millimeters whether the button was real or virtual. Mean task completion time was less than one second. Key to the high accuracy and quick task performance time observed was the correct presentation of the visual cues, including occlusion, stereoscopy, accommodation, and convergence. With performance results already near optimal level with accurate visual cues presented, adding proprioception, audio, and haptic cues did not significantly improve performance. Recommendations for future research include enhancement of the visual display and further experiments with more complex tasks and additional control variables.

The Top 10 Challenges in Extreme-Scale Visual Analytics

PubMed Central

Wong, Pak Chung; Shen, Han-Wei; Johnson, Christopher R.; Chen, Chaomei; Ross, Robert B.

2013-01-01

In this issue of CG&A, researchers share their R&D findings and results on applying visual analytics (VA) to extreme-scale data. Having surveyed these articles and other R&D in this field, we’ve identified what we consider the top challenges of extreme-scale VA. To cater to the magazine’s diverse readership, our discussion evaluates challenges in all areas of the field, including algorithms, hardware, software, engineering, and social issues. PMID:24489426

Reducing Negative Effects from Virtual Environments: Implications for Just-In-Time Training

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-02-01

ability to perform mission- critical tasks following VE exposure. For instance, a group of side effects collectively known as cybersickness can be...detracting, such as visual motor coordination and balance disturbances. Cybersickness occurs in approximately 80-95% of individuals receiving virtual

Integrating segmentation methods from the Insight Toolkit into a visualization application.

PubMed

Martin, Ken; Ibáñez, Luis; Avila, Lisa; Barré, Sébastien; Kaspersen, Jon H

2005-12-01

The Insight Toolkit (ITK) initiative from the National Library of Medicine has provided a suite of state-of-the-art segmentation and registration algorithms ideally suited to volume visualization and analysis. A volume visualization application that effectively utilizes these algorithms provides many benefits: it allows access to ITK functionality for non-programmers, it creates a vehicle for sharing and comparing segmentation techniques, and it serves as a visual debugger for algorithm developers. This paper describes the integration of image processing functionalities provided by the ITK into VolView, a visualization application for high performance volume rendering. A free version of this visualization application is publicly available and is available in the online version of this paper. The process for developing ITK plugins for VolView according to the publicly available API is described in detail, and an application of ITK VolView plugins to the segmentation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs) is presented. The source code of the ITK plugins is also publicly available and it is included in the online version.

Simulating the effect of non-linear mode coupling in cosmological parameter estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiessling, A.; Taylor, A. N.; Heavens, A. F.

2011-09-01

Fisher Information Matrix methods are commonly used in cosmology to estimate the accuracy that cosmological parameters can be measured with a given experiment and to optimize the design of experiments. However, the standard approach usually assumes both data and parameter estimates are Gaussian-distributed. Further, for survey forecasts and optimization it is usually assumed that the power-spectrum covariance matrix is diagonal in Fourier space. However, in the low-redshift Universe, non-linear mode coupling will tend to correlate small-scale power, moving information from lower to higher order moments of the field. This movement of information will change the predictions of cosmological parameter accuracy. In this paper we quantify this loss of information by comparing naïve Gaussian Fisher matrix forecasts with a maximum likelihood parameter estimation analysis of a suite of mock weak lensing catalogues derived from N-body simulations, based on the SUNGLASS pipeline, for a 2D and tomographic shear analysis of a Euclid-like survey. In both cases, we find that the 68 per cent confidence area of the Ωm-σ8 plane increases by a factor of 5. However, the marginal errors increase by just 20-40 per cent. We propose a new method to model the effects of non-linear shear-power mode coupling in the Fisher matrix by approximating the shear-power distribution as a multivariate Gaussian with a covariance matrix derived from the mock weak lensing survey. We find that this approximation can reproduce the 68 per cent confidence regions of the full maximum likelihood analysis in the Ωm-σ8 plane to high accuracy for both 2D and tomographic weak lensing surveys. Finally, we perform a multiparameter analysis of Ωm, σ8, h, ns, w0 and wa to compare the Gaussian and non-linear mode-coupled Fisher matrix contours. The 6D volume of the 1σ error contours for the non-linear Fisher analysis is a factor of 3 larger than for the Gaussian case, and the shape of the 68 per cent confidence volume is modified. We propose that future Fisher matrix estimates of cosmological parameter accuracies should include mode-coupling effects.

Neural correlates of atomoxetine improving inhibitory control and visual processing in Drug-naïve adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Fan, Li-Ying; Chou, Tai-Li; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2017-10-01

Atomoxetine improves inhibitory control and visual processing in healthy volunteers and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, little is known about the neural correlates of these two functions after chronic treatment with atomoxetine. This study aimed to use the counting Stroop task with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) to investigate the changes related to inhibitory control and visual processing in adults with ADHD. This study is an 8-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial of atomoxetine in 24 drug-naïve adults with ADHD. We investigated the changes of treatment with atomoxetine compared to placebo-treated counterparts using the counting Stroop fMRI and two CANTAB tests: rapid visual information processing (RVP) for inhibitory control and delayed matching to sample (DMS) for visual processing. Atomoxetine decreased activations in the right inferior frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex, which were correlated with the improvement in inhibitory control assessed by the RVP. Also, atomoxetine increased activation in the left precuneus, which was correlated with the improvement in the mean latency of correct responses assessed by the DMS. Moreover, anterior cingulate activation in the pre-treatment was able to predict the improvements of clinical symptoms. Treatment with atomoxetine may improve inhibitory control to suppress interference and may enhance the visual processing to process numbers. In addition, the anterior cingulate cortex might play an important role as a biological marker for the treatment effectiveness of atomoxetine. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4850-4864, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differences between naïve and expert observers’ vergence and accommodative responses to a range of targets

PubMed Central

Horwood, Anna M; Riddell, Patricia M

2015-01-01

Purpose Vergence and accommodation studies often use adult participants with experience of vision science. Reports of infant and clinical responses are generally more variable and of lower gain, with the implication that differences lie in immaturity or sub-optimal clinical characteristics but expert /naïve differences are rarely considered or quantified. Methods Sixteen undergraduates, naïve to vision science were individually matched by age, visual acuity, refractive error, heterophoria, stereoacuity and near point of accommodation to 2nd & 3rd year orthoptics and optometry undergraduates (“experts”). Accommodation and vergence responses were assessed to targets moving between 33cm, 50 cm, 1m and 2m using a haploscopic device incorporating a PlusoptiX SO4 autorefractor. Disparity, blur and looming cues were separately available or minimised in all combinations. Instruction set was minimal. Results In all cases, vergence and accommodation response slopes (gain) were steeper and closer to 1.0 in the expert group (p=0.001), with the largest expert /naïve differences for both vergence and accommodation being for near targets (p=0.012). For vergence, the differences between expert and naïve response slopes increased with increasingly open-loop targets (linear trend p=0.025). Although we predicted that proximal cues would drive additional response in the experts, the proximity-only cue was the only condition that showed no statistical effect of experience. Conclusions Expert observers provide more accurate responses to near target demand than closely matched naïve observers. We suggest that attention, practice, voluntary and proprioceptive effects may enhance responses in experienced participants when compared to a more typical general population. Differences between adult reports and the developmental and clinical literature may partially reflect expert / naïve effects, as well as developmental change. If developmental and clinical studies are to be compared to adult normative data, uninstructed naïve adult data should be used. PMID:20444119

Planetary Surface Visualization and Analytics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Law, E. S.; Solar System Treks Team

2018-04-01

An introduction and update of the Solar System Treks Project which provides a suite of interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable users (engineers, scientists, public) to access large amounts of mapped planetary data products.

TetrUSS Capabilities for S and C Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frink, Neal T.; Parikh, Paresh

2004-01-01

TetrUSS is a suite of loosely coupled computational fluid dynamics software that is packaged into a complete flow analysis system. The system components consist of tools for geometry setup, grid generation, flow solution, visualization, and various utilities tools. Development began in 1990 and it has evolved into a proven and stable system for Euler and Navier-Stokes analysis and design of unconventional configurations. It is 1) well developed and validated, 2) has a broad base of support, and 3) is presently is a workhorse code because of the level of confidence that has been established through wide use. The entire system can now run on linux or mac architectures. In the following slides, I will highlight more of the features of the VGRID and USM3D codes.

Virtual Reality: You Are There

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Telepresence or "virtual reality," allows a person, with assistance from advanced technology devices, to figuratively project himself into another environment. This technology is marketed by several companies, among them Fakespace, Inc., a former Ames Research Center contractor. Fakespace developed a teleoperational motion platform for transmitting sounds and images from remote locations. The "Molly" matches the user's head motion and, when coupled with a stereo viewing device and appropriate software, creates the telepresence experience. Its companion piece is the BOOM-the user's viewing device that provides the sense of involvement in the virtual environment. Either system may be used alone. Because suits, gloves, headphones, etc. are not needed, a whole range of commercial applications is possible, including computer-aided design techniques and virtual reality visualizations. Customers include Sandia National Laboratories, Stanford Research Institute and Mattel Toys.

Trajectory data analyses for pedestrian space-time activity study.

PubMed

Qi, Feng; Du, Fei

2013-02-25

It is well recognized that human movement in the spatial and temporal dimensions has direct influence on disease transmission(1-3). An infectious disease typically spreads via contact between infected and susceptible individuals in their overlapped activity spaces. Therefore, daily mobility-activity information can be used as an indicator to measure exposures to risk factors of infection. However, a major difficulty and thus the reason for paucity of studies of infectious disease transmission at the micro scale arise from the lack of detailed individual mobility data. Previously in transportation and tourism research detailed space-time activity data often relied on the time-space diary technique, which requires subjects to actively record their activities in time and space. This is highly demanding for the participants and collaboration from the participants greatly affects the quality of data(4). Modern technologies such as GPS and mobile communications have made possible the automatic collection of trajectory data. The data collected, however, is not ideal for modeling human space-time activities, limited by the accuracies of existing devices. There is also no readily available tool for efficient processing of the data for human behavior study. We present here a suite of methods and an integrated ArcGIS desktop-based visual interface for the pre-processing and spatiotemporal analyses of trajectory data. We provide examples of how such processing may be used to model human space-time activities, especially with error-rich pedestrian trajectory data, that could be useful in public health studies such as infectious disease transmission modeling. The procedure presented includes pre-processing, trajectory segmentation, activity space characterization, density estimation and visualization, and a few other exploratory analysis methods. Pre-processing is the cleaning of noisy raw trajectory data. We introduce an interactive visual pre-processing interface as well as an automatic module. Trajectory segmentation(5) involves the identification of indoor and outdoor parts from pre-processed space-time tracks. Again, both interactive visual segmentation and automatic segmentation are supported. Segmented space-time tracks are then analyzed to derive characteristics of one's activity space such as activity radius etc. Density estimation and visualization are used to examine large amount of trajectory data to model hot spots and interactions. We demonstrate both density surface mapping(6) and density volume rendering(7). We also include a couple of other exploratory data analyses (EDA) and visualizations tools, such as Google Earth animation support and connection analysis. The suite of analytical as well as visual methods presented in this paper may be applied to any trajectory data for space-time activity studies.

Visual information underpinning skilled anticipation: The effect of blur on a coupled and uncoupled in situ anticipatory response.

PubMed

Mann, David L; Abernethy, Bruce; Farrow, Damian

2010-07-01

Coupled interceptive actions are understood to be the result of neural processing-and visual information-which is distinct from that used for uncoupled perceptual responses. To examine the visual information used for action and perception, skilled cricket batters anticipated the direction of balls bowled toward them using a coupled movement (an interceptive action that preserved the natural coupling between perception and action) or an uncoupled (verbal) response, in each of four different visual blur conditions (plano, +1.00, +2.00, +3.00). Coupled responses were found to be better than uncoupled ones, with the blurring of vision found to result in different effects for the coupled and uncoupled response conditions. Low levels of visual blur did not affect coupled anticipation, a finding consistent with the comparatively poorer visual information on which online interceptive actions are proposed to rely. In contrast, some evidence was found to suggest that low levels of blur may enhance the uncoupled verbal perception of movement.

Immersive visualization for navigation and control of the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartman, Frank R.; Cooper, Brian; Maxwell, Scott; Wright, John; Yen, Jeng

2004-01-01

The Rover Sequencing and Visualization Program (RSVP) is a suite of tools for sequencing of planetary rovers, which are subject to significant light time delay and thus are unsuitable for teleoperation.

Towards A Complete Model Of Photopic Visual Threshold Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Overington, I.

1982-02-01

Based on a wide variety of fragmentary evidence taken from psycho-physics, neurophysiology and electron microscopy, it has been possible to put together a very widely applicable conceptual model of photopic visual threshold performance. Such a model is so complex that a single comprehensive mathematical version is excessively cumbersome. It is, however, possible to set up a suite of related mathematical models, each of limited application but strictly known envelope of usage. Such models may be used for assessment of a variety of facets of visual performance when using display imagery, including effects and interactions of image quality, random and discrete display noise, viewing distance, image motion, etc., both for foveal interrogation tasks and for visual search tasks. The specific model may be selected from the suite according to the assessment task in hand. The paper discusses in some depth the major facets of preperceptual visual processing and their interaction with instrumental image quality and noise. It then highlights the statistical nature of visual performance before going on to consider a number of specific mathematical models of partial visual function. Where appropriate, these are compared with widely popular empirical models of visual function.

Ergonomic assessment of neck posture in the minimally invasive surgery suite during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

PubMed

van Det, M J; Meijerink, W J H J; Hoff, C; van Veelen, M A; Pierie, J P E N

2008-11-01

With the expanding implementation of minimally invasive surgery, the operating team is confronted with challenges in the field of ergonomics. Visual feedback is derived from a monitor placed outside the operating field. This crossover trial was conducted to evaluate and compare neck posture in relation to monitor position in a dedicated minimally invasive surgery (MIS) suite and a conventional operating room. Assessment of the neck was conducted for 16 surgeons, assisting surgeons, and scrub nurses performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in both types of operating room. Flexion and rotation of the cervical spine were measured intraoperatively using a video analysis system. A two-question visual analog scale (VAS) questionnaire was used to evaluate posture in relation to the monitor position. Neck rotation was significantly reduced in the MIS suite for the surgeon (p = 0.018) and the assisting surgeon (p < 0.001). Neck flexion was significantly improved in the MIS suite for the surgeon (p < 0.001) and the scrub nurse (p = 0.018). On the questionnaire, the operating room team scored their posture significantly higher in the MIS suite and also indicated fewer musculoskeletal complaints. The ergonomic quality of the neck posture is significantly improved in the MIS suite for the entire operating room team.

Developing an Integrated Model Framework for the Assessment of Sustainable Agricultural Residue Removal Limits for Bioenergy Systems

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

David Muth, Jr.; Jared Abodeely; Richard Nelson

Agricultural residues have significant potential as a feedstock for bioenergy production, but removing these residues can have negative impacts on soil health. Models and datasets that can support decisions about sustainable agricultural residue removal are available; however, no tools currently exist capable of simultaneously addressing all environmental factors that can limit availability of residue. The VE-Suite model integration framework has been used to couple a set of environmental process models to support agricultural residue removal decisions. The RUSLE2, WEPS, and Soil Conditioning Index models have been integrated. A disparate set of databases providing the soils, climate, and management practice datamore » required to run these models have also been integrated. The integrated system has been demonstrated for two example cases. First, an assessment using high spatial fidelity crop yield data has been run for a single farm. This analysis shows the significant variance in sustainably accessible residue across a single farm and crop year. A second example is an aggregate assessment of agricultural residues available in the state of Iowa. This implementation of the integrated systems model demonstrates the capability to run a vast range of scenarios required to represent a large geographic region.« less

Near real-time monitoring systems for adaptive management and improved forest governance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musinsky, J.; Tabor, K.; Cano, A.

2012-12-01

The destruction and degradation of the world's forests from deforestation, illegal logging and fire has wide-ranging environmental and economic impacts, including biodiversity loss, the degradation of ecosystem services and the emission of greenhouse gases. In an effort to strengthen local capacity to respond to these threats, Conservation International has developed a suite of near real-time satellite monitoring systems generating daily alerts, maps and reports of forest fire, fire risk, deforestation and degradation that are used by national and sub-national government agencies, NGO's, scientists, communities, and the media to respond to and report on threats to forest resources. Currently, the systems support more than 1000 subscribers from 45 countries, focusing on Madagascar, Indonesia, Bolivia and Peru. This presentation will explore the types of innovative applications users have found for these data, challenges they've encountered in data acquisition and accuracy, and feedback they've given on the usefulness of these systems for REDD+ implementation, protected areas management and improved forest governance.;

Expression of receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase in developing and adult renal vasculature

PubMed Central

Takahashi, Keiko; Kim, Rachel; Lauhan, Colette; Park, Yuna; Nguyen, Nghiep G.; Vestweber, Dietmar; Dominguez, Melissa G.; Valenzuela, David M.; Murphy, Andrew J.; Yancopoulos, George D.; Gale, Nicholas W.; Takahashi, Takamune

2017-01-01

Renal vascular development is a coordinated process that requires ordered endothelial cell proliferation, migration, intercellular adhesion, and morphogenesis. In recent decades, studies have defined the pivotal role of endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases (RPTKs) in the development and maintenance of renal vasculature. However, the expression and the role of receptor tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) in renal endothelium are poorly understood, though coupled and counterbalancing roles of RPTKs and RPTPs are well defined in other systems. In this study, we evaluated the promoter activity and immunolocalization of two endothelial RPTPs, VE-PTP and PTPμ, in developing and adult renal vasculature using the heterozygous LacZ knock-in mice and specific antibodies. In adult kidneys, both VE-PTP and PTPμ were expressed in the endothelium of arterial, glomerular, and medullary vessels, while their expression was highly limited in peritubular capillaries and venous endothelium. VE-PTP and PTPμ promoter activity was also observed in medullary tubular segments in adult kidneys. In embryonic (E12.5, E13.5, E15.5, E17.5) and postnatal (P0, P3, P7) kidneys, these RPTPs were expressed in ingrowing renal arteries, developing glomerular microvasculature (as early as the S-shaped stage), and medullary vessels. Their expression became more evident as the vasculatures matured. Peritubular capillary expression of VE-PTP was also noted in embryonic and postnatal kidneys. Compared to VE-PTP, PTPμ immunoreactivity was relatively limited in embryonic and neonatal renal vasculature and evident immunoreactivity was observed from the P3 stage. These findings indicate 1) VE-PTP and PTPμ are expressed in endothelium of arterial, glomerular, and medullary renal vasculature, 2) their expression increases as renal vascular development proceeds, suggesting that these RPTPs play a role in maturation and maintenance of these vasculatures, and 3) peritubular capillary VE-PTP expression is down-regulated in adult kidneys, suggesting a role of VE-PTP in the development of peritubular capillaries. PMID:28542220

The Habitable Zone Gallery 2.0: The Online Exoplanet System Visualization Suite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandler, C. O.; Kane, S. R.; Gelino, D. M.

2017-11-01

The Habitable Zone Gallery 2.0 provides new and improved visualization and data analysis tools to the exoplanet habitability community and beyond. Modules include interactive habitable zone plotting and downloadable 3D animations.

Scientific Visualization to Study Flux Transfer Events at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rastatter, Lutz; Kuznetsova, Maria M.; Sibeck, David G.; Berrios, David H.

2011-01-01

In this paper we present results of modeling of reconnection at the dayside magnetopause with subsequent development of flux transfer event signatures. The tools used include new methods that have been added to the suite of visualization methods that are used at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). Flux transfer events result from localized reconnection that connect magnetosheath magnetic field and plasma with magnetospheric fields and plasma and results in flux rope structures that span the dayside magnetopause. The onset of flux rope formation and the three-dimensional structure of flux ropes are studied as they have been modeled by high-resolution magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the dayside magnetosphere of the Earth. We show that flux transfer events are complex three-dimensional structures that require modern visualization and analysis techniques. Two suites of visualization methods are presented and we demonstrate the usefulness of those methods through the CCMC web site to the general science user.

Gravitational waves in Einstein-æther and generalized TeVeS theory after GW170817

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Yungui; Hou, Shaoqi; Liang, Dicong; Papantonopoulos, Eleftherios

2018-04-01

In this work we discuss the polarization contents of Einstein-æther theory and the generalized tensor-vector-scalar (TeVeS) theory, as both theories have a normalized timelike vector field. We derive the linearized equations of motion around the flat spacetime background using the gauge-invariant variables to easily separate physical degrees of freedom. We find the plane wave solutions and identify the polarizations by examining the geodesic deviation equations. We find that there are five polarizations in Einstein-æther theory and six polarizations in the generalized TeVeS theory. In particular, the transverse breathing mode is mixed with the pure longitudinal mode. We also discuss the experimental tests of the extra polarizations in Einstein-æther theory using pulsar timing arrays combined with the gravitational-wave speed bound derived from the observations on GW 170817 and GRB 170817A. It turns out that it might be difficult to use pulsar timing arrays to distinguish different polarizations in Einstein-æther theory. The same speed bound also forces one of the propagating modes in the generalized TeVeS theory to travel much faster than the speed of light. Since the strong coupling problem does not exist in some parameter subspaces, the generalized TeVeS theory is excluded in these parameter subspaces.

Visualizations and Mental Models - The Educational Implications of GEOWALL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapp, D.; Kendeou, P.

2003-12-01

Work in the earth sciences has outlined many of the faulty beliefs that students possess concerning particular geological systems and processes. Evidence from educational and cognitive psychology has demonstrated that students often have difficulty overcoming their na‹ve beliefs about science. Prior knowledge is often remarkably resistant to change, particularly when students' existing mental models for geological principles may be faulty or inaccurate. Figuring out how to help students revise their mental models to include appropriate information is a major challenge. Up until this point, research has tended to focus on whether 2-dimensional computer visualizations are useful tools for helping students develop scientifically correct models. Research suggests that when students are given the opportunity to use dynamic computer-based visualizations, they are more likely to recall the learned information, and are more likely to transfer that knowledge to novel settings. Unfortunately, 2-dimensional visualization systems are often inadequate representations of the material that educators would like students to learn. For example, a 2-dimensional image of the Earth's surface does not adequately convey particular features that are critical for visualizing the geological environment. This may limit the models that students can construct following these visualizations. GEOWALL is a stereo projection system that has attempted to address this issue. It can display multidimensional static geologic images and dynamic geologic animations in a 3-dimensional format. Our current research examines whether multidimensional visualization systems such as GEOWALL may facilitate learning by helping students to develop more complex mental models. This talk will address some of the cognitive issues that influence the construction of mental models, and the difficulty of updating existing mental models. We will also discuss our current work that seeks to examine whether GEOWALL is an effective tool for helping students to learn geological information (and potentially restructure their na‹ve conceptions of geologic principles).

An agent-based peer-to-peer architecture for semantic discovery of manufacturing services across virtual enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenyu; Zhang, Shuai; Cai, Ming; Jian, Wu

2015-04-01

With the development of virtual enterprise (VE) paradigm, the usage of serviceoriented architecture (SOA) is increasingly being considered for facilitating the integration and utilisation of distributed manufacturing resources. However, due to the heterogeneous nature among VEs, the dynamic nature of a VE and the autonomous nature of each VE member, the lack of both sophisticated coordination mechanism in the popular centralised infrastructure and semantic expressivity in the existing SOA standards make the current centralised, syntactic service discovery method undesirable. This motivates the proposed agent-based peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture for semantic discovery of manufacturing services across VEs. Multi-agent technology provides autonomous and flexible problemsolving capabilities in dynamic and adaptive VE environments. Peer-to-peer overlay provides highly scalable coupling across decentralised VEs, each of which exhibiting as a peer composed of multiple agents dealing with manufacturing services. The proposed architecture utilises a novel, efficient, two-stage search strategy - semantic peer discovery and semantic service discovery - to handle the complex searches of manufacturing services across VEs through fast peer filtering. The operation and experimental evaluation of the prototype system are presented to validate the implementation of the proposed approach.

Comparison of arterial potassium and ventilatory dynamics during sinusoidal work rate variation in man.

PubMed Central

Casaburi, R; Stringer, W W; Singer, E

1995-01-01

1. The mechanisms underlying the exercise hyperpnoea have been difficult to define. Recently it has been suggested that exercise ventilation (VE) changes in proportion to changes in arterial potassium concentration ([K+]a). Similar VE and [K+]a time courses following work rate changes have been cited as supporting evidence. This study compared [K+]a and VE dynamics during moderate exercise in man. 2. We observed VE and gas exchange responses in five healthy men to sinusoidal work rate variation between 25 and approximately 105 W. Tests of approximately 30 min duration were performed at sinusoidal periods of 9, 6 and 3 min and in the steady state. In each test, during two or three sine periods, arterial blood was sampled (24 per test) and analysed for [K+] and blood gases. Response amplitude and phase (relative to work rate) were determined for each variable. 3. [K+]a fluctuated in response to sinusoidal work rate forcing with mean-to-peak amplitude averaging 0.15 mmol 1(-1). However, among tests, VE amplitude and phase were not highly correlated with [K+]a (r = 0.36 and 0.67, respectively). Further, average [K+]a amplitude in the 9 and 6 min sinusoidal studies tended to exceed the steady-state amplitude, while average VE amplitude fell progressively with increasing forcing frequency. The dissimilar dynamics of [K+]a and VE seem inconsistent with a major role for [K+]a as a proportional controller of ventilation during non-steady state moderate exercise in man. 4. Among tests, VE and CO2 output (VCO2) amplitude and phase were closely correlated (r = 0.87 and 0.94, respectively). Further, arterial CO2 pressure (Pa,CO2) and arterial pH(pHa) did not fluctuate significantly in ten of twenty and thirteen of twenty studies, respectively. In tests where sinusoidal fluctuation was detected, amplitude averaged 1.1 mmHg and 0.008 units, respectively. Thus VE demonstrated a close dynamic coupling to CO2 output, with consequent tight regulation of Pa,CO2 and pHa. PMID:7666376

I've Just Seen a Face: Portraits. [Lesson Plan].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, DC.

Image has always been important to the powerful. Their portraits have traditionally been designed to impress people with the gravity of the subject, but changing sensibilities and media have tended to introduce more intimacy and spontaneity. Creating visual and literary representations of people has proved to be an enduring human activity. This…

Gold-nanofève surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy visualizes hypotaurine as a robust anti-oxidant consumed in cancer survival.

PubMed

Shiota, Megumi; Naya, Masayuki; Yamamoto, Takehiro; Hishiki, Takako; Tani, Takeharu; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Kubo, Akiko; Koike, Daisuke; Itoh, Mai; Ohmura, Mitsuyo; Kabe, Yasuaki; Sugiura, Yuki; Hiraoka, Nobuyoshi; Morikawa, Takayuki; Takubo, Keiyo; Suina, Kentaro; Nagashima, Hideaki; Sampetrean, Oltea; Nagano, Osamu; Saya, Hideyuki; Yamazoe, Shogo; Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Suematsu, Makoto

2018-04-19

Gold deposition with diagonal angle towards boehmite-based nanostructure creates random arrays of horse-bean-shaped nanostructures named gold-nanofève (GNF). GNF generates many electromagnetic hotspots as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) excitation sources, and enables large-area visualization of molecular vibration fingerprints of metabolites in human cancer xenografts in livers of immunodeficient mice with sufficient sensitivity and uniformity. Differential screening of GNF-SERS signals in tumours and those in parenchyma demarcated tumour boundaries in liver tissues. Furthermore, GNF-SERS combined with quantum chemical calculation identified cysteine-derived glutathione and hypotaurine (HT) as tumour-dominant and parenchyma-dominant metabolites, respectively. CD44 knockdown in cancer diminished glutathione, but not HT in tumours. Mechanisms whereby tumours sustained HT under CD44-knockdown conditions include upregulation of PHGDH, PSAT1 and PSPH that drove glycolysis-dependent activation of serine/glycine-cleavage systems to provide one-methyl group for HT synthesis. HT was rapidly converted into taurine in cancer cells, suggesting that HT is a robust anti-oxidant for their survival under glutathione-suppressed conditions.

Kinematic/Dynamic Characteristics for Visual and Kinesthetic Virtual Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bortolussi, Michael R. (Compiler); Adelstein, B. D.; Gold, Miriam

1996-01-01

Work was carried out on two topics of principal importance to current progress in virtual environment research at NASA Ames and elsewhere. The first topic was directed at maximizing the temporal dynamic response of visually presented Virtual Environments (VEs) through reorganization and optimization of system hardware and software. The final results of this portion of the work was a VE system in the Advanced Display and Spatial Perception Laboratory at NASA Ames capable of updating at 60 Hz (the maximum hardware refresh rate) with latencies approaching 30 msec. In the course of achieving this system performance, specialized hardware and software tools for measurement of VE latency and analytic models correlating update rate and latency for different system configurations were developed. The second area of activity was the preliminary development and analysis of a novel kinematic architecture for three Degree Of Freedom (DOF) haptic interfaces--devices that provide force feedback for manipulative interaction with virtual and remote environments. An invention disclosure was filed on this work and a patent application is being pursued by NASA Ames. Activities in these two areas are expanded upon below.

Functional Interaction Network Construction and Analysis for Disease Discovery.

PubMed

Wu, Guanming; Haw, Robin

2017-01-01

Network-based approaches project seemingly unrelated genes or proteins onto a large-scale network context, therefore providing a holistic visualization and analysis platform for genomic data generated from high-throughput experiments, reducing the dimensionality of data via using network modules and increasing the statistic analysis power. Based on the Reactome database, the most popular and comprehensive open-source biological pathway knowledgebase, we have developed a highly reliable protein functional interaction network covering around 60 % of total human genes and an app called ReactomeFIViz for Cytoscape, the most popular biological network visualization and analysis platform. In this chapter, we describe the detailed procedures on how this functional interaction network is constructed by integrating multiple external data sources, extracting functional interactions from human curated pathway databases, building a machine learning classifier called a Naïve Bayesian Classifier, predicting interactions based on the trained Naïve Bayesian Classifier, and finally constructing the functional interaction database. We also provide an example on how to use ReactomeFIViz for performing network-based data analysis for a list of genes.

Ego depletion in visual perception: Ego-depleted viewers experience less ambiguous figure reversal.

PubMed

Wimmer, Marina C; Stirk, Steven; Hancock, Peter J B

2017-10-01

This study examined the effects of ego depletion on ambiguous figure perception. Adults (N = 315) received an ego depletion task and were subsequently tested on their inhibitory control abilities that were indexed by the Stroop task (Experiment 1) and their ability to perceive both interpretations of ambiguous figures that was indexed by reversal (Experiment 2). Ego depletion had a very small effect on reducing inhibitory control (Cohen's d = .15) (Experiment 1). Ego-depleted participants had a tendency to take longer to respond in Stroop trials. In Experiment 2, ego depletion had small to medium effects on the experience of reversal. Ego-depleted viewers tended to take longer to reverse ambiguous figures (duration to first reversal) when naïve of the ambiguity and experienced less reversal both when naïve and informed of the ambiguity. Together, findings suggest that ego depletion has small effects on inhibitory control and small to medium effects on bottom-up and top-down perceptual processes. The depletion of cognitive resources can reduce our visual perceptual experience.

Low doses of cyclic AMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitors rapidly evoke opioid receptor-mediated thermal hyperalgesia in naïve mice which is converted to prominent analgesia by cotreatment with ultra-low-dose naltrexone.

PubMed

Crain, Stanley M; Shen, Ke-Fei

2008-09-22

Systemic (s.c.) injection in naïve mice of cyclic AMP-phosphodiesterase (cAMP-PDE) inhibitors, e.g. 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine [(IBMX) or caffeine, 10 mg/kg] or the more specific cAMP-PDE inhibitor, rolipram (1 mug/kg), rapidly evokes thermal hyperalgesia (lasting >5 h). These effects appear to be mediated by enhanced excitatory opioid receptor signaling, as occurs during withdrawal in opioid-dependent mice. Cotreatment of these mice with ultra-low-dose naltrexone (NTX, 0.1 ng/kg-1 pg/kg, s.c.) results in prominent opioid analgesia (lasting >4 h) even when the dose of rolipram is reduced to 1 pg/kg. Cotreatment of these cAMP-PDE inhibitors in naïve mice with an ultra-low-dose (0.1 ng/kg) of the kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) or the mu-opioid receptor antagonist, beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA) also results in opioid analgesia. These excitatory effects of cAMP-PDE inhibitors in naïve mice may be mediated by enhanced release of small amounts of endogenous bimodally-acting (excitatory/inhibitory) opioid agonists by neurons in nociceptive networks. Ultra-low-dose NTX, nor-BNI or beta-FNA selectively antagonizes high-efficacy excitatory (hyperalgesic) Gs-coupled opioid receptor-mediated signaling in naïve mice and results in rapid conversion to inhibitory (analgesic) Gi/Go-coupled opioid receptor-mediated signaling which normally requires activation by much higher doses of opioid agonists. Cotreatment with a low subanalgesic dose of kelatorphan, an inhibitor of multiple endogenous opioid peptide-degrading enzymes, stabilizes endogenous opioid agonists released by cAMP-PDE inhibitors, resulting in conversion of the hyperalgesia to analgesia without requiring selective blockade of excitatory opioid receptor signaling. The present study provides a novel pharmacologic paradigm that may facilitate development of valuable non-narcotic clinical analgesics utilizing cotreatment with ultra-low-dose rolipram plus ultra-low-dose NTX or related agents.

Bringing the Unidata IDV to the Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, W. I.; Oxelson Ganter, J.

2015-12-01

Maintaining software compatibility across new computing environments and the associated underlying hardware is a common problem for software engineers and scientific programmers. While traditional software engineering provides a suite of tools and methodologies which may mitigate this issue, they are typically ignored by developers lacking a background in software engineering. Causing further problems, these methodologies are best applied at the start of project; trying to apply them to an existing, mature project can require an immense effort. Visualization software is particularly vulnerable to this problem, given the inherent dependency on particular graphics hardware and software API's. As a result of these issues, there exists a large body of software which is simultaneously critical to the scientists who are dependent upon it, and yet increasingly difficult to maintain.The solution to this problem was partially provided with the advent of Cloud Computing; Application Streaming. This technology allows a program to run entirely on a remote virtual machine while still allowing for interactivity and dynamic visualizations, with little-to-no re-engineering required. When coupled with containerization technology such as Docker, we are able to easily bring the same visualization software to a desktop, a netbook, a smartphone, and the next generation of hardware, whatever it may be.Unidata has been able to harness Application Streaming to provide a tablet-compatible version of our visualization software, the Integrated Data Viewer (IDV). This work will examine the challenges associated with adapting the IDV to an application streaming platform, and include a brief discussion of the underlying technologies involved.

3D Scientific Visualization with Blender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kent, Brian R.

2015-03-01

This is the first book written on using Blender (an open source visualization suite widely used in the entertainment and gaming industries) for scientific visualization. It is a practical and interesting introduction to Blender for understanding key parts of 3D rendering and animation that pertain to the sciences via step-by-step guided tutorials. 3D Scientific Visualization with Blender takes you through an understanding of 3D graphics and modelling for different visualization scenarios in the physical sciences.

Adoption of the Creative Process According to the Immersive Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vuk, Sonja; Tacol, Tonka; Vogrinc, Janez

2015-01-01

The immersive method is a new concept of visual education that is better suited to the needs of students in contemporary post-industrial society. The features of the immersive method are: (1) it emerges from interaction with visual culture; (2) it encourages understanding of contemporary art (as an integral part of visual culture); and (3) it…

LANL compact laser pumping simulation. Final task report

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

Feldman, B.S.; White, J.

1987-09-28

Rockwell has been tasked with the objective of both qualitatively and quantitatively defining the performance of LANL Compact Laser coupling systems. The performance criteria of the system will be based upon the magnitude and uniformity of the energy distribution in the laser pumping rod. Once this is understood, it will then be possible to improve the device performance via changes in the system`s component parameters. For this study, the authors have chosen to use the Los Alamos Radiometry Code (LARC), which was previously developed by Rockwell. LARC, as an analysis tool, is well suited for this problem because the codemore » contains the needed photometric calculation capability and easily handles the three-dimensionality of the problem. Also, LARC`s internal graphics can provide very informative visual displays of the optical system.« less

Viewpoint in the Visual-Spatial Modality: The Coordination of Spatial Perspective

PubMed Central

Pyers, Jennie E.; Perniss, Pamela; Emmorey, Karen

2015-01-01

Sign languages express viewpoint-dependent spatial relations (e.g., left, right) iconically but must conventionalize from whose viewpoint the spatial relation is being described, the signer's or the perceiver's. In Experiment 1, ASL signers and sign-naïve gesturers expressed viewpoint-dependent relations egocentrically, but only signers successfully interpreted the descriptions non-egocentrically, suggesting that viewpoint convergence in the visual modality emerges with language conventionalization. In Experiment 2, we observed that the cost of adopting a non-egocentric viewpoint was greater for producers than for perceivers, suggesting that sign languages have converged on the most cognitively efficient means of expressing left-right spatial relations. We suggest that non-linguistic cognitive factors such as visual perspective-taking and motor embodiment may constrain viewpoint convergence in the visual-spatial modality. PMID:26981027

Viewpoint in the Visual-Spatial Modality: The Coordination of Spatial Perspective.

PubMed

Pyers, Jennie E; Perniss, Pamela; Emmorey, Karen

2015-06-01

Sign languages express viewpoint-dependent spatial relations (e.g., left, right) iconically but must conventionalize from whose viewpoint the spatial relation is being described, the signer's or the perceiver's. In Experiment 1, ASL signers and sign-naïve gesturers expressed viewpoint-dependent relations egocentrically, but only signers successfully interpreted the descriptions non-egocentrically, suggesting that viewpoint convergence in the visual modality emerges with language conventionalization. In Experiment 2, we observed that the cost of adopting a non-egocentric viewpoint was greater for producers than for perceivers, suggesting that sign languages have converged on the most cognitively efficient means of expressing left-right spatial relations. We suggest that non-linguistic cognitive factors such as visual perspective-taking and motor embodiment may constrain viewpoint convergence in the visual-spatial modality.

Systems Analysis and Integration | Transportation Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

data visualization displayed on a wall. Using a suite of simulation and analysis tools, NREL evaluates savings and reduce emissions. Pictured here, engineers discuss the 3D results of a vehicle simulation vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles. Using a suite of simulation and analysis tools, NREL

VISUAL PLUMES MIXING ZONE MODELING SOFTWARE

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a long history of both supporting plume model development and providing mixing zone modeling software. The Visual Plumes model is the most recent addition to the suite of public-domain models available through the EPA-Athens Center f...

How well do you see what you hear? The acuity of visual-to-auditory sensory substitution

PubMed Central

Haigh, Alastair; Brown, David J.; Meijer, Peter; Proulx, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) aim to compensate for the loss of a sensory modality, typically vision, by converting information from the lost modality into stimuli in a remaining modality. “The vOICe” is a visual-to-auditory SSD which encodes images taken by a camera worn by the user into “soundscapes” such that experienced users can extract information about their surroundings. Here we investigated how much detail was resolvable during the early induction stages by testing the acuity of blindfolded sighted, naïve vOICe users. Initial performance was well above chance. Participants who took the test twice as a form of minimal training showed a marked improvement on the second test. Acuity was slightly but not significantly impaired when participants wore a camera and judged letter orientations “live”. A positive correlation was found between participants' musical training and their acuity. The relationship between auditory expertise via musical training and the lack of a relationship with visual imagery, suggests that early use of a SSD draws primarily on the mechanisms of the sensory modality being used rather than the one being substituted. If vision is lost, audition represents the sensory channel of highest bandwidth of those remaining. The level of acuity found here, and the fact it was achieved with very little experience in sensory substitution by naïve users is promising. PMID:23785345

The nature of very low luminosity objects (VeLLOs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vorobyov, Eduard I.; Elbakyan, Vardan; Dunham, Michael M.; Guedel, Manuel

2017-04-01

Aims: The nature of very low luminosity objects (VeLLOs) with the internal luminosity Lobj ≤ 0.1 L⊙ is investigated by means of numerical modeling coupling the core collapse simulations with the stellar evolution calculations. Methods: The gravitational collapse of a large sample of model cores in the mass range 0.1-2.0 M⊙ is investigated. Numerical simulations were started at the pre-stellar phase and terminated at the end of the embedded phase when 90% of the initial core mass had been accreted onto the forming protostar plus disk system. The disk formation and evolution was studied using numerical hydrodynamics simulations, while the formation and evolution of the central star was calculated using a stellar evolution code. Three scenarios for mass accretion from the disk onto the star were considered: hybrid accretion in which a fraction of accreted energy absorbed by the protostar depends on the accretion rate, hot accretion wherein a fraction of accreted energy is constant, and cold accretion wherein all accretion energy is radiated away. Results: Our conclusions on the nature of VeLLOs depend crucially on the character of protostellar accretion. In the hybrid accretion scenario, most VeLLOs (90.6%) are expected to be the first hydrostatic cores (FHSCs) and only a small fraction (9.4%) are true protostars. In the hot accretion scenario, all VeLLOs are FHSCs due to overly high photospheric luminosity of protostars. In the cold accretion scenario, on the contrary, the majority of VeLLOs belong to the Class I phase of stellar evolution. The reason is that the stellar photospheric luminosity, which sets the floor for the total internal luminosity of a young star, is lower in cold accretion, thus enabling more VeLLOs in the protostellar stage. VeLLOs are relatively rare objects occupying 7%-11% of the total duration of the embedded phase and their masses do not exceed 0.3 M⊙. When compared with published observations inferring a fraction of VeLLOs in the protostellar stage of 6.25%, we find that cold accretion provides a much better fit to observations than hybrid accretion (5.7% for cold accretion vs. 0.7% for hybrid accretion). Both accretion scenarios predict more VeLLOs in the Class I phase than in the Class 0 phase, in contrast to observations. Finally, when accretion variability with episodic bursts is artificially filtered out from our numerically derived accretion rates, the fraction of VeLLOs in the protostellar stage drops significantly, suggesting a causal link between the two phenomena.

Unsupervised Neural Network Quantifies the Cost of Visual Information Processing.

PubMed

Orbán, Levente L; Chartier, Sylvain

2015-01-01

Untrained, "flower-naïve" bumblebees display behavioural preferences when presented with visual properties such as colour, symmetry, spatial frequency and others. Two unsupervised neural networks were implemented to understand the extent to which these models capture elements of bumblebees' unlearned visual preferences towards flower-like visual properties. The computational models, which are variants of Independent Component Analysis and Feature-Extracting Bidirectional Associative Memory, use images of test-patterns that are identical to ones used in behavioural studies. Each model works by decomposing images of floral patterns into meaningful underlying factors. We reconstruct the original floral image using the components and compare the quality of the reconstructed image to the original image. Independent Component Analysis matches behavioural results substantially better across several visual properties. These results are interpreted to support a hypothesis that the temporal and energetic costs of information processing by pollinators served as a selective pressure on floral displays: flowers adapted to pollinators' cognitive constraints.

You've Got That Magic Touch: Integrating the Sense of Touch into Early Childhood Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schneider, Elaine Fogel; Patterson, Philip P.

2010-01-01

Newborns have often been characterized as helpless. However, more recent research suggests that infants are armed with an arsenal of sensory and perceptual abilities that enable them to organize and attach meaning to the world. Examples of such abilities include visual, auditory, olfactory, and gustatory skills. Although initially primitive, these…

"I've Known Rivers": A Reflection on the Synergy of Multigenre, Multimodal Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richter, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

In this article an elementary literacy specialist reflects on the use of multigenre, multimodal texts to support the teaching of poetry. She explores the synergy between poetry and related informational, visual, and auditory texts to afford deeper insights into the poem and the poet, in this instance, the poem, "The Negro Speaks of…

SNPversity: A web-based tool for visualizing diversity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Many stand-alone desktop software suites exist to visualize single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) diversity, but web-based software that can be easily implemented and used for biological databases is absent. SNPversity was created to answer this need by building an open-source visualizat...

Mini-Spec: A Compact, Fiber-Coupled, VPH Grating Spectrograph for Small Observatories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nations, H. L.; Haynes, P.; Brewer, P.

2003-05-01

We report on the development and testing of what we believe to be the first VPH grating based spectrograph developed primarily for use at telescopes of modest aperture. To date, the most common instrument suite for such observatories is typically that of a CCD camera with attached filter wheel. While there is no doubt that a wide range of interesting and good science has been done with such instrumentation, the addition of a robust and easy to operate spectrograph would greatly increase the utility of such installations. While some commercial spectrographs exist for use on small telescopes, the authors have found them to be, with few exceptions, either inefficient, difficult for inexperienced students or amateurs to use, or not remotely operable. Correcting these deficiencies is thus the primary motivation for Mini-Spec. The design of Mini-Spec has been influenced by previous work the authors have done on a full-sized fiber-coupled spectrograph (Nations and Pierce, 2002). Mini-Spec uses some of those original design features, only reduced drastically in size. This size reduction (the spectrograph fits within a 7 inch cube), along with a much more careful choice of some critical components, has resulted in a dramatic reduction in cost. The spectrograph uses a highly efficient 1200 l/mm, 40 mm diameter vph grating on loan from Richard Rallison. Focus, central wavelength selection, and comparison lamps are all controlled via an RS-232 link and a custom Visual Basic GUI. Sample spectra of stellar and non-stellar targets will be presented along with a discussion of research projects admirably suited for this instrument. Funding for equipment has been provided by a NASA EPSCoR grant to PI Ron Canterna. HLN has been partially funded by a Wyoming Space Grant Faculty Fellowship.

miRNet - dissecting miRNA-target interactions and functional associations through network-based visual analysis

PubMed Central

Fan, Yannan; Siklenka, Keith; Arora, Simran K.; Ribeiro, Paula; Kimmins, Sarah; Xia, Jianguo

2016-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can regulate nearly all biological processes and their dysregulation is implicated in various complex diseases and pathological conditions. Recent years have seen a growing number of functional studies of miRNAs using high-throughput experimental technologies, which have produced a large amount of high-quality data regarding miRNA target genes and their interactions with small molecules, long non-coding RNAs, epigenetic modifiers, disease associations, etc. These rich sets of information have enabled the creation of comprehensive networks linking miRNAs with various biologically important entities to shed light on their collective functions and regulatory mechanisms. Here, we introduce miRNet, an easy-to-use web-based tool that offers statistical, visual and network-based approaches to help researchers understand miRNAs functions and regulatory mechanisms. The key features of miRNet include: (i) a comprehensive knowledge base integrating high-quality miRNA-target interaction data from 11 databases; (ii) support for differential expression analysis of data from microarray, RNA-seq and quantitative PCR; (iii) implementation of a flexible interface for data filtering, refinement and customization during network creation; (iv) a powerful fully featured network visualization system coupled with enrichment analysis. miRNet offers a comprehensive tool suite to enable statistical analysis and functional interpretation of various data generated from current miRNA studies. miRNet is freely available at http://www.mirnet.ca. PMID:27105848

TypingSuite: Integrated Software for Presenting Stimuli, and Collecting and Analyzing Typing Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazerolle, Erin L.; Marchand, Yannick

2015-01-01

Research into typing patterns has broad applications in both psycholinguistics and biometrics (i.e., improving security of computer access via each user's unique typing patterns). We present a new software package, TypingSuite, which can be used for presenting visual and auditory stimuli, collecting typing data, and summarizing and analyzing the…

A deflectable guiding catheter for real-time MRI-guided interventions.

PubMed

Bell, Jamie A; Saikus, Christina E; Ratnayaka, Kanishka; Wu, Vincent; Sonmez, Merdim; Faranesh, Anthony Z; Colyer, Jessica H; Lederman, Robert J; Kocaturk, Ozgur

2012-04-01

To design a deflectable guiding catheter that omits long metallic components yet preserves mechanical properties to facilitate therapeutic interventional MRI procedures. The catheter shaft incorporated Kevlar braiding. A 180° deflection was attained with a 5-cm nitinol slotted tube, a nitinol spring, and a Kevlar pull string. We tested three designs: passive, passive incorporating an inductively coupled coil, and active receiver. We characterized mechanical properties, MRI properties, RF induced heating, and in vivo performance in swine. Torque and tip deflection force were satisfactory. Representative procedures included hepatic and azygos vein access, laser cardiac septostomy, and atrial septal defect crossing. Visualization was best in the active configuration, delineating profile and tip orientation. The passive configuration could be used in tandem with an active guidewire to overcome its limited conspicuity. There was no RF-induced heating in all configurations under expected use conditions in vitro and in vivo. Kevlar and short nitinol component substitutions preserved mechanical properties. The active design offered the best visibility and usability but reintroduced metal conductors. We describe versatile deflectable guiding catheters with a 0.057" lumen for interventional MRI catheterization. Implementations are feasible using active, inductive, and passive visualization strategies to suit application requirements. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 mediates phosphorylation of vascular endothelial cadherin and nuclear localization of β-catenin in response to homocysteine.

PubMed

Beard, Richard S; Reynolds, Jason J; Bearden, Shawn E

2012-01-01

Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) is an independent risk factor for vascular disease and stroke in part by causing generalized endothelial dysfunction. A receptor that is sensitive to Hcy and its intracellular signaling systems has not been identified. β-catenin is a pleiotropic regulator of transcription and cell function. Using a brain microvascular endothelial cell line (bEnd.3), we tested the hypothesis that Hcy causes receptor-dependent nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Hcy increased phosphorylation of Y731 on vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin), a site involved in coupling β-catenin to VE-cadherin. This was blocked by inhibition of either metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) or ionotropic glutamate receptor (NMDAr) and by shRNA knockdown of mGluR5. Expression of these receptors was confirmed by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting. Directed pharmacology with specific agonists elucidated a signaling cascade where Hcy activates mGluR5 which activates NMDAr with subsequent PKC activation and uncoupling of the VE-cadherin/β-catenin complex. Moreover, Hcy caused a shift in localization of β-catenin from membrane-bound VE-cadherin to the cell nucleus, where it bound DNA, including a regulatory region of the gene for claudin-5, leading to reduced expression of claudin-5. Nuclear localization, DNA binding of β-catenin, and reduced claudin-5 expression were blocked by inhibition of mGluR5. Knockdown of mGluR5 expression with shRNA also rescued claudin-5 expression from the effects of Hcy treatment. These data uniquely identify mGluR5 as a master switch that drives β-catenin nuclear localization in vascular endothelium and regulates cell-cell coupling in response to elevated Hcy levels. These studies dissect a pharmacological opportunity for developing new therapeutic strategies in HHcy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Music and words in the visual cortex: The impact of musical expertise.

PubMed

Mongelli, Valeria; Dehaene, Stanislas; Vinckier, Fabien; Peretz, Isabelle; Bartolomeo, Paolo; Cohen, Laurent

2017-01-01

How does the human visual system accommodate expertise for two simultaneously acquired symbolic systems? We used fMRI to compare activations induced in the visual cortex by musical notation, written words and other classes of objects, in professional musicians and in musically naïve controls. First, irrespective of expertise, selective activations for music were posterior and lateral to activations for words in the left occipitotemporal cortex. This indicates that symbols characterized by different visual features engage distinct cortical areas. Second, musical expertise increased the volume of activations for music and led to an anterolateral displacement of word-related activations. In musicians, there was also a dramatic increase of the brain-scale networks connected to the music-selective visual areas. Those findings reveal that acquiring a double visual expertise involves an expansion of category-selective areas, the development of novel long-distance functional connectivity, and possibly some competition between categories for the colonization of cortical space. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"I've Got Swag": Simone Performs Critical Literacy in a High-School English Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Elisabeth

2011-01-01

Drawing on multimodal, post-structural, and critical theory, the author examines a high-school English classroom exchange about editing a student publication. Analysing a young woman's embodied identity performances, the author illustrates how Simone, a tenth-grader, employed, adjusted, and coupled modes of communication like speech, laughter,…

Home-Based Computer Gaming in Vestibular Rehabilitation of Gaze and Balance Impairment.

PubMed

Szturm, Tony; Reimer, Karen M; Hochman, Jordan

2015-06-01

Disease or damage of the vestibular sense organs cause a range of distressing symptoms and functional problems that could include loss of balance, gaze instability, disorientation, and dizziness. A novel computer-based rehabilitation system with therapeutic gaming application has been developed. This method allows different gaze and head movement exercises to be coupled to a wide range of inexpensive, commercial computer games. It can be used in standing, and thus graded balance demands using a sponge pad can be incorporated into the program. A case series pre- and postintervention study was conducted of nine adults diagnosed with peripheral vestibular dysfunction who received a 12-week home rehabilitation program. The feasibility and usability of the home computer-based therapeutic program were established. Study findings revealed that using head rotation to interact with computer games, when coupled to demanding balance conditions, resulted in significant improvements in standing balance, dynamic visual acuity, gaze control, and walking performance. Perception of dizziness as measured by the Dizziness Handicap Inventory also decreased significantly. These preliminary findings provide support that a low-cost home game-based exercise program is well suited to train standing balance and gaze control (with active and passive head motion).

The Human Retrosplenial Cortex and Thalamus Code Head Direction in a Global Reference Frame.

PubMed

Shine, Jonathan P; Valdés-Herrera, José P; Hegarty, Mary; Wolbers, Thomas

2016-06-15

Spatial navigation is a multisensory process involving integration of visual and body-based cues. In rodents, head direction (HD) cells, which are most abundant in the thalamus, integrate these cues to code facing direction. Human fMRI studies examining HD coding in virtual environments (VE) have reported effects in retrosplenial complex and (pre-)subiculum, but not the thalamus. Furthermore, HD coding appeared insensitive to global landmarks. These tasks, however, provided only visual cues for orientation, and attending to global landmarks did not benefit task performance. In the present study, participants explored a VE comprising four separate locales, surrounded by four global landmarks. To provide body-based cues, participants wore a head-mounted display so that physical rotations changed facing direction in the VE. During subsequent MRI scanning, subjects saw stationary views of the environment and judged whether their orientation was the same as in the preceding trial. Parameter estimates extracted from retrosplenial cortex and the thalamus revealed significantly reduced BOLD responses when HD was repeated. Moreover, consistent with rodent findings, the signal did not continue to adapt over repetitions of the same HD. These results were supported by a whole-brain analysis showing additional repetition suppression in the precuneus. Together, our findings suggest that: (1) consistent with the rodent literature, the human thalamus may integrate visual and body-based, orientation cues; (2) global reference frame cues can be used to integrate HD across separate individual locales; and (3) immersive training procedures providing full body-based cues may help to elucidate the neural mechanisms supporting spatial navigation. In rodents, head direction (HD) cells signal facing direction in the environment via increased firing when the animal assumes a certain orientation. Distinct brain regions, the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and thalamus, code for visual and vestibular cues of orientation, respectively. Putative HD signals have been observed in human RSC but not the thalamus, potentially because body-based cues were not provided. Here, participants encoded HD in a novel virtual environment while wearing a head-mounted display to provide body-based cues for orientation. In subsequent fMRI scanning, we found evidence of an HD signal in RSC, thalamus, and precuneus. These findings harmonize rodent and human data, and suggest that immersive training procedures provide a viable way to examine the neural basis of navigation. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/366371-11$15.00/0.

Visualization of Circuit Card EM Fields.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-03-31

0.010 - Photoimageable (Min.): 0.005 «Located at 7845 -J Airpark Road; Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879. 301-977-0303, http://www.capitalelectro.com...rlabelC«’); tit-. Ch .3SO; print -dep« fig_conn.h36.ep«; fignre; X differential node rel.diff_vec-0; h_vec«0.6:0.2:6.0; len_h«length(h_ve_); for i

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Feet: Inversion Effect in Newborns' Sensitivity to Biological Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardi, Lara; Regolin, Lucia; Simion, Francesca

2014-01-01

Inversion effect in biological motion perception has been recently attributed to an innate sensitivity of the visual system to the gravity-dependent dynamic of the motion. However, the specific cues that determine the inversion effect in naïve subjects were never investigated. In the present study, we have assessed the contribution of the local…

Eye-tracking of visual attention in web-based assessment using the Force Concept Inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jing; Chen, Li; Fu, Zhao; Fritchman, Joseph; Bao, Lei

2017-07-01

This study used eye-tracking technology to investigate students’ visual attention while taking the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) in a web-based interface. Eighty nine university students were randomly selected into a pre-test group and a post-test group. Students took the 30-question FCI on a computer equipped with an eye-tracker. There were seven weeks of instruction between the pre- and post-test data collection. Students’ performance on the FCI improved significantly from pre-test to post-test. Meanwhile, the eye-tracking results reveal that the time students spent on taking the FCI test was not affected by student performance and did not change from pre-test to post-test. Analysis of students’ attention to answer choices shows that on the pre-test students primarily focused on the naïve choices and ignored the expert choices. On the post-test, although students had shifted their primary attention to the expert choices, they still kept a high level of attention to the naïve choices, indicating significant conceptual mixing and competition during problem solving. Outcomes of this study provide new insights on students’ conceptual development in learning physics.

A Simple Model of Hox Genes: Bone Morphology Demonstration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shmaefsky, Brian

2008-01-01

Visual demonstrations of abstract scientific concepts are effective strategies for enhancing content retention (Shmaefsky 2004). The concepts associated with gene regulation of growth and development are particularly complex and are well suited for teaching with visual models. This demonstration provides a simple and accurate model of Hox gene…

Visual Representations of Academic Misconduct: Enhancing Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivancic, Sonia R.; Hosek, Angela M.

2017-01-01

Courses: This unit activity is suited for courses with research and source citation components, such as the Basic Communication; Interpersonal, and Organizational Communication courses. Objectives: Students will (a) visually interpret and analyze instances of plagiarism; (b) revise their work to use proper citations and reduce instances of…

Capacity for visual features in mental rotation

PubMed Central

Xu, Yangqing; Franconeri, Steven L.

2015-01-01

Although mental rotation is a core component of scientific reasoning, we still know little about its underlying mechanism. For instance - how much visual information can we rotate at once? Participants rotated a simple multi-part shape, requiring them to maintain attachments between features and moving parts. The capacity of this aspect of mental rotation was strikingly low – only one feature could remain attached to one part. Behavioral and eyetracking data showed that this single feature remained ‘glued’ via a singular focus of attention, typically on the object’s top. We argue that the architecture of the human visual system is not suited for keeping multiple features attached to multiple parts during mental rotation. Such measurement of the capacity limits may prove to be a critical step in dissecting the suite of visuospatial tools involved in mental rotation, leading to insights for improvement of pedagogy in science education contexts. PMID:26174781

Capacity for Visual Features in Mental Rotation.

PubMed

Xu, Yangqing; Franconeri, Steven L

2015-08-01

Although mental rotation is a core component of scientific reasoning, little is known about its underlying mechanisms. For instance, how much visual information can someone rotate at once? We asked participants to rotate a simple multipart shape, requiring them to maintain attachments between features and moving parts. The capacity of this aspect of mental rotation was strikingly low: Only one feature could remain attached to one part. Behavioral and eye-tracking data showed that this single feature remained "glued" via a singular focus of attention, typically on the object's top. We argue that the architecture of the human visual system is not suited for keeping multiple features attached to multiple parts during mental rotation. Such measurement of capacity limits may prove to be a critical step in dissecting the suite of visuospatial tools involved in mental rotation, leading to insights for improvement of pedagogy in science-education contexts. © The Author(s) 2015.

Revel8or: Model Driven Capacity Planning Tool Suite

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

Zhu, Liming; Liu, Yan; Bui, Ngoc B.

2007-05-31

Designing complex multi-tier applications that must meet strict performance requirements is a challenging software engineering problem. Ideally, the application architect could derive accurate performance predictions early in the project life-cycle, leveraging initial application design-level models and a description of the target software and hardware platforms. To this end, we have developed a capacity planning tool suite for component-based applications, called Revel8tor. The tool adheres to the model driven development paradigm and supports benchmarking and performance prediction for J2EE, .Net and Web services platforms. The suite is composed of three different tools: MDAPerf, MDABench and DSLBench. MDAPerf allows annotation of designmore » diagrams and derives performance analysis models. MDABench allows a customized benchmark application to be modeled in the UML 2.0 Testing Profile and automatically generates a deployable application, with measurement automatically conducted. DSLBench allows the same benchmark modeling and generation to be conducted using a simple performance engineering Domain Specific Language (DSL) in Microsoft Visual Studio. DSLBench integrates with Visual Studio and reuses its load testing infrastructure. Together, the tool suite can assist capacity planning across platforms in an automated fashion.« less

Space Suit Performance: Methods for Changing the Quality of Quantitative Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowley, Matthew; Benson, Elizabeth; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2014-01-01

NASA is currently designing a new space suit capable of working in deep space and on Mars. Designing a suit is very difficult and often requires trade-offs between performance, cost, mass, and system complexity. To verify that new suits will enable astronauts to perform to their maximum capacity, prototype suits must be built and tested with human subjects. However, engineers and flight surgeons often have difficulty understanding and applying traditional representations of human data without training. To overcome these challenges, NASA is developing modern simulation and analysis techniques that focus on 3D visualization. Early understanding of actual performance early on in the design cycle is extremely advantageous to increase performance capabilities, reduce the risk of injury, and reduce costs. The primary objective of this project was to test modern simulation and analysis techniques for evaluating the performance of a human operating in extra-vehicular space suits.

Evaluating the Effect of Display Realism on Natural Resource Decision Making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chong, Steven S.

2018-05-01

Geographic information systems (GIS) facilitate location-based decision making. Despite the improved availability of GIS software to non-professionals, training in cartographic design has not followed suit. Prior research indicates that when presented with map choices, users are influenced by naïve realism, a preference for realistic displays cotaining irrelevant, extraneous details, leading to decreased task efficiency. This study investigated the role of naïve realism in decision making for natural resource management, a field that often employs geospatial tools. Data was collected through a GIS user ability test, a questionnaire and direct observation. Forty volunteer expert and non-expert resource managers evaluated the suitability of different sites for a land management scenario. Each participant was tested on two map display treatments containing different levels of realism - a simpler 2D display and a more complex 3D display - to compare task performance. Performance was measured by task accuracy and task completion time. User perceptions and preferences about the displays were also recorded. Display realism had an impact on performance and there were indications naïve realism was present. Users completed tasks significantly faster on the 2D display and many individuals misjudged which display they were most accurate or fastest with. The results are informative for designing information systems containing interactive maps, particularly for resource management applications. The results also suggest that the order displays were presented had a significant effect and may have implications for teaching users map-based tasks.

Perceptual learning in a non-human primate model of artificial vision

PubMed Central

Killian, Nathaniel J.; Vurro, Milena; Keith, Sarah B.; Kyada, Margee J.; Pezaris, John S.

2016-01-01

Visual perceptual grouping, the process of forming global percepts from discrete elements, is experience-dependent. Here we show that the learning time course in an animal model of artificial vision is predicted primarily from the density of visual elements. Three naïve adult non-human primates were tasked with recognizing the letters of the Roman alphabet presented at variable size and visualized through patterns of discrete visual elements, specifically, simulated phosphenes mimicking a thalamic visual prosthesis. The animals viewed a spatially static letter using a gaze-contingent pattern and then chose, by gaze fixation, between a matching letter and a non-matching distractor. Months of learning were required for the animals to recognize letters using simulated phosphene vision. Learning rates increased in proportion to the mean density of the phosphenes in each pattern. Furthermore, skill acquisition transferred from trained to untrained patterns, not depending on the precise retinal layout of the simulated phosphenes. Taken together, the findings suggest that learning of perceptual grouping in a gaze-contingent visual prosthesis can be described simply by the density of visual activation. PMID:27874058

Multiscale visual quality assessment for cluster analysis with self-organizing maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Jürgen; von Landesberger, Tatiana; Bremm, Sebastian; Schreck, Tobias

2011-01-01

Cluster analysis is an important data mining technique for analyzing large amounts of data, reducing many objects to a limited number of clusters. Cluster visualization techniques aim at supporting the user in better understanding the characteristics and relationships among the found clusters. While promising approaches to visual cluster analysis already exist, these usually fall short of incorporating the quality of the obtained clustering results. However, due to the nature of the clustering process, quality plays an important aspect, as for most practical data sets, typically many different clusterings are possible. Being aware of clustering quality is important to judge the expressiveness of a given cluster visualization, or to adjust the clustering process with refined parameters, among others. In this work, we present an encompassing suite of visual tools for quality assessment of an important visual cluster algorithm, namely, the Self-Organizing Map (SOM) technique. We define, measure, and visualize the notion of SOM cluster quality along a hierarchy of cluster abstractions. The quality abstractions range from simple scalar-valued quality scores up to the structural comparison of a given SOM clustering with output of additional supportive clustering methods. The suite of methods allows the user to assess the SOM quality on the appropriate abstraction level, and arrive at improved clustering results. We implement our tools in an integrated system, apply it on experimental data sets, and show its applicability.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Going Beyond Gas: Nissan Brings Car Charging

Science.gov Websites

Charging to Indianapolis Convenience Store Chain " We've seen a steady increase in our customer base that alleviating customer concerns needed to be a top priority. "PEV sales hinge on customers steady increase in our customer base since installing the equipment a couple of years ago." Although

Spatial visualization in physics problem solving.

PubMed

Kozhevnikov, Maria; Motes, Michael A; Hegarty, Mary

2007-07-08

Three studies were conducted to examine the relation of spatial visualization to solving kinematics problems that involved either predicting the two-dimensional motion of an object, translating from one frame of reference to another, or interpreting kinematics graphs. In Study 1, 60 physics-naíve students were administered kinematics problems and spatial visualization ability tests. In Study 2, 17 (8 high- and 9 low-spatial ability) additional students completed think-aloud protocols while they solved the kinematics problems. In Study 3, the eye movements of fifteen (9 high- and 6 low-spatial ability) students were recorded while the students solved kinematics problems. In contrast to high-spatial students, most low-spatial students did not combine two motion vectors, were unable to switch frames of reference, and tended to interpret graphs literally. The results of the study suggest an important relationship between spatial visualization ability and solving kinematics problems with multiple spatial parameters. 2007 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Creative computing with Landlab: an open-source toolkit for building, coupling, and exploring two-dimensional numerical models of Earth-surface dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobley, Daniel E. J.; Adams, Jordan M.; Nudurupati, Sai Siddhartha; Hutton, Eric W. H.; Gasparini, Nicole M.; Istanbulluoglu, Erkan; Tucker, Gregory E.

2017-01-01

The ability to model surface processes and to couple them to both subsurface and atmospheric regimes has proven invaluable to research in the Earth and planetary sciences. However, creating a new model typically demands a very large investment of time, and modifying an existing model to address a new problem typically means the new work is constrained to its detriment by model adaptations for a different problem. Landlab is an open-source software framework explicitly designed to accelerate the development of new process models by providing (1) a set of tools and existing grid structures - including both regular and irregular grids - to make it faster and easier to develop new process components, or numerical implementations of physical processes; (2) a suite of stable, modular, and interoperable process components that can be combined to create an integrated model; and (3) a set of tools for data input, output, manipulation, and visualization. A set of example models built with these components is also provided. Landlab's structure makes it ideal not only for fully developed modelling applications but also for model prototyping and classroom use. Because of its modular nature, it can also act as a platform for model intercomparison and epistemic uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. Landlab exposes a standardized model interoperability interface, and is able to couple to third-party models and software. Landlab also offers tools to allow the creation of cellular automata, and allows native coupling of such models to more traditional continuous differential equation-based modules. We illustrate the principles of component coupling in Landlab using a model of landform evolution, a cellular ecohydrologic model, and a flood-wave routing model.

Regional Ocean Products Portal: Transforming Information to Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, M. K.; Kobara, S.; Gayanilo, F. C.; Baum, S. K.; Simoniello, C.; Jochens, A. E.

2010-12-01

Scientific visualization of complex fusions of heterogeneous 2, 3, and 4-D data sets is a challenge in most fields of geosciences and oceanography is no exception. Despite increased computing power, dedicated graphic processing units, and more capable software, 30 years of change in the ways that geophysical sciences are conducted continues to challenge our ability to present the data in visually meaningful ways. Oceanography, for example, changed from a science in which a sole researcher studied a single phenomena, e.g. ocean currents to one in which a multidisciplinary collaborative teams study complex coupled systems. In three decades we’ve moved from a time where a map of mean circulation and a coastline rendered on a pen-plotter would suffice, to one in which we require detailed dynamic views of relationships and change. We now need to visualize multiple parameters of relatively sparse observed data combined with computer generated output on dense numerical model grids. We want parameters within ocean and atmosphere volumes rendered over detailed earth terrains with illumination and infrastructure. We want to “see” the dynamic relations between the oceans, atmosphere, land, biogeochemistry, biota, and ecosystem all at once and in context. As the computational power increased, the density of the model grid points increased accordingly. The latest challenge has been due to the internet, the notion of sensor webs, and the near real-time availability of high-bandwidth interoperable standards-based data streams. Not only do we want to see it all, we want to see it now, and we want to see it the way we want and that may change from moment to moment. Increasingly this involves 4D visualizations combined with a strong element of traditional Geographic Information System type presentation. The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System Regional Association (GCOOS-RA) is one of 11 regional observing systems that comprise the non-federal part of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). With IOOS guidance, and cooperation of regional data providers, GCOOS-RA has established a regional interoperable system of systems which has the potential to deliver marine, and coastal marine oceanographic, atmospheric, biogeochemical, and ecosystem related data in an automated and largely unattended way from sensors to products. GCOOS-RA devotes 10% of it’s funding to Education and Outreach activities and we have a number of modeling partners producing terabytes of output. With the interoperable parts of the data delivery system complete, our current challenge has been producing automated workflows that generate useful interactive graphical representations over the web. We have used a variety of commercial and free software packages. Some are net-enabled and can acquire remote datasets. Several are designed for 3D including ITTVIS IDL, Unidata IDV, and IVS’s Fledermaus. This talk will present a survey of software packages we’ve used, our successes and remaining challenges.

PLANETarium Pilot: visualizing PLANET Earth inside-out on the planetarium's full-dome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, Maxim; Wiethoff, Tobias

2016-04-01

In the past decade, projection systems in most planetariums, traditional sites of outreach and education, have advanced from interfaces that can display the motion of stars as moving beam spots to systems that are able to visualize multicolor, high-resolution, immersive full-dome videos or images. These extraordinary capabilities are ideally suited for visualization of global processes occurring on the surface and within the interior of the Earth, a spherical body just as the full dome. So far, however, our community has largely ignored this wonderful interface for outreach and education, and any previous geo-shows have mostly been limited to cartoon-style animations. Thus, we here propose a framework to convey recent scientific results on the origin and evolution of our PLANET to the >100 million per-year worldwide audience of planetariums, making the traditionally astronomy-focussed interface a true PLANETarium. In order to do this most efficiently, we intend to show "inside-out" visualizations of scientific datasets and models, as if the audience was positioned in the Earth's core. Such visualizations are expected to be renderable to the dome with little or no effort. For example, showing global geophysical datasets (e.g., gravity, air temperature), or horizontal slices of seismic-tomography images and spherical computer models requires no rendering at all. Rendering of 3D Cartesian datasets or models may further be achieved using standard techiques. Here, we show several example pilot animations. These animations rendered for the full dome are projected back to 2D for visualization on the flatscreen. Present-day science visualizations are typically as intuitive as cartoon-style animations, yet more appealing visually, and clearly with a higher level of detail. In addition to e.g. climate change and natural hazards, themes for any future geo-shows may include the coupled evolution of the Earth's interior and life, from the accretion of our planet to the evolution of mantle convection as well as the sustainment of a magnetic field and habitable conditions. We believe that high-quality tax-funded science visualizations should not exclusively be used for communication among scientists, but also recycled to raise the public's awareness and appreciation of the Geosciences.

PLANETarium Pilot: visualizing PLANET Earth inside-out on the planetarium's full-dome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, M. D.; Wiethoff, T.

2014-12-01

In the past decade, projection systems in most planetariums, traditional sites of outreach and education, have advanced from interfaces that can display the motion of stars as moving beam spots to systems that are able to visualize multicolor, high-resolution, immersive full-dome videos or images. These extraordinary capabilities are ideally suited for visualization of global processes occurring on the surface and within the interior of the Earth, a spherical body just as the full dome. So far, however, our community has largely ignored this wonderful interface for outreach and education, and any previous geo-shows have mostly been limited to cartoon-style animations. Thus, we here propose a framework to convey recent scientific results on the origin and evolution of our PLANET to the >100 million per-year worldwide audience of planetariums, making the traditionally astronomy-focussed interface a true PLANETarium. In order to do this most efficiently, we intend to show „inside-out" visualizations of scientific datasets and models, as if the audience was positioned in the Earth's inner core. Such visualizations are expected to be renderable to the dome with little or no effort. For example, showing global geophysical datasets (e.g., gravity, air temperature), or horizontal slices of seismic-tomography images and spherical computer models requires no rendering at all. Rendering of 3D Cartesian datasets or models may further be achieved using standard techiques. Here, we show several example pilot animations. These animations rendered for the full dome are projected back to 2D for visualization on a flatscreen. Present-day science visualizations are typically as intuitive as cartoon-style animations, yet more appealing visually, and clearly with a higher level of detail. In addition to e.g. climate change and natural hazards, themes for any future geo-shows may include the coupled evolution of the Earth's interior and life, from the accretion of our planet to the evolution of mantle convection as well as the sustainment of a magnetic field and habitable conditions. We believe that high-quality tax-funded science visualizations should not exclusively be used for communication among scientists, but also recycled to raise the public's awareness and appreciation of the geosciences.

Enhancing Autonomy of Aerial Systems Via Integration of Visual Sensors into Their Avionics Suite

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

aerial platform for subsequent visual sensor integration. 14. SUBJECT TERMS autonomous system, quadrotors, direct method, inverse ...CONTROLLER ARCHITECTURE .....................................................43 B. INVERSE DYNAMICS IN THE VIRTUAL DOMAIN ......................45 1...control station GPS Global-Positioning System IDVD inverse dynamics in the virtual domain ILP integer linear program INS inertial-navigation system

We've Got Minorities, Yes We Do: Visual Representations of Racial and Ethnic Diversity in College Recruitment Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pippert, Timothy D.; Essenburg, Laura J.; Matchett, Edward J.

2013-01-01

Colleges and universities have expanded their use of the internet and social media in marketing strategies, but the direct mailing of admissions brochures continues to be at the heart of recruitment efforts. Because admissions brochures often serve as a potential student's introduction to the campus, they are carefully crafted to provide a…

Gαs Relays Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptor 1 Signaling to Stabilize Vascular Endothelial-Cadherin at Endothelial Junctions to Control Mouse Embryonic Vascular Integrity.

PubMed

Shao, Ximing; Liu, Ke; Fan, Yi; Ding, Zhihao; Chen, Min; Zhu, Minyan; Weinstein, Lee S; Li, Hongchang; Li, Huashun

2015-11-20

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), controls vascular stability by stabilizing vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin junctional localization and inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) signaling. However, the molecular mechanisms that link S1PR1 signaling to intracellular effectors remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the heterotrimeric G protein subfamily member Gαs, encoded by GNAS, acts as a relay mediator of S1PR1 signaling to control vascular integrity by stabilizing VE-cadherin at endothelial junctions. The endothelial cell-specific deletion of Gαs in mice causes early embryonic lethality with massive hemorrhage and a disorganized vasculature. The immunostaining results revealed that Gαs deletion remarkably reduces the junctional localization of VE-cadherin, whereas the mural cell coverage of the vessels is not impaired. In addition, we found that Gαs depletion blocks the S1PR1-activation induced VE-cadherin stabilization at junctions, supporting that Gαs acts downstream of S1PR1 signaling. Thus, our results demonstrate that Gαs is an essential mediator to relay S1PR1 signaling and maintain vascular integrity. Copyright © 2015 Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Genetics Society of China. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Presentation-Oriented Visualization Techniques.

PubMed

Kosara, Robert

2016-01-01

Data visualization research focuses on data exploration and analysis, yet the vast majority of visualizations people see were created for a different purpose: presentation. Whether we are talking about charts showing data to help make a presenter's point, data visuals created to accompany a news story, or the ubiquitous infographics, many more people consume charts than make them. Traditional visualization techniques treat presentation as an afterthought, but are there techniques uniquely suited to data presentation but not necessarily ideal for exploration and analysis? This article focuses on presentation-oriented techniques, considering their usefulness for presentation first and any other purposes as secondary.

Preoperative Ultrasound Prediction of Essential Landmarks for Successful Fetoscopic Laser Treatment of Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

PubMed

Miller, Jena L; Block-Abraham, Dana M; Blakemore, Karin J; Baschat, Ahmet A

2018-06-06

The insertion site of the fetoscope for laser occlusion (FLOC) treatment of twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) determines the likelihood of treatment success. We assessed a standardized preoperative ultrasound approach for its ability to identify critical landmarks for successful FLOC. Three surgeons independently performed preoperative ultrasound and deduced the likely orientation of the intertwin membrane (ITM) and vascular equator (VE) based on the sites of the cord insertion, the lie of the donor, and the size discordance between twins. At FLOC, these landmarks were visually verified and compared to preoperative assessments. Fifty consecutive FLOC surgeries had 127 preoperative assessments. Basic ITM and VE orientation were accurately predicted in 115 (90.6%), 109 (85.8%), and 105 (82.7%) assessments. Predictions were anatomically correct in 96 (75.6%), 70 (55.1%), and 58 (45.7%) assessments with no differences in accuracy between operators of different training level. The ITM/VE relationship was most poorly predicted in stage-3 TTTS (χ2, p = 0.016). In TTTS, preoperative ultrasound identification of placental cord insertion sites, lie of the donor twin, and size discordance enables preoperative prediction of key landmarks for successful FLOC. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Stability of simulated flight path control at +3 Gz in a human centrifuge.

PubMed

Guardiera, Simon; Dalecki, Marc; Bock, Otmar

2010-04-01

Earlier studies have shown that naïve subjects and experienced jet pilots produce exaggerated manual forces when exposed to increased acceleration (+Gz). This study was designed to evaluate whether this exaggeration affects the stability of simulated flight path control. We evaluated naïve subjects' performance in a flight simulator which either remained stationary (+1 Gz), or rotated to induce an acceleration in accordance to the simulated flight path with a mean acceleration of about +3 Gz. In either case, subjects were requested to produce a series of altitude changes in pursuit of a visual target airplane. Resulting flight paths were analyzed to determine the largest oscillation after an altitude change (Oscillation) and the mean deviation between subject and target flight path (Tracking Error). Flight stability after an altitude change was degraded in +3 Gz compared to +1 Gz, as evidenced by larger Oscillations (+11%) and increased Tracking Errors (+80%). These deficits correlated significantly with subjects' +3 Gz deficits in a manual-force production task. We conclude that force exaggeration in +3 Gz may impair flight stability during simulated jet maneuvers in naïve subjects, most likely as a consequence of vestibular stimulation.

Pose Measurement Performance of the Argon Relative Navigation Sensor Suite in Simulated Flight Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Galante, Joseph M.; Eepoel, John Van; Strube, Matt; Gill, Nat; Gonzalez, Marcelo; Hyslop, Andrew; Patrick, Bryan

2012-01-01

Argon is a flight-ready sensor suite with two visual cameras, a flash LIDAR, an on- board flight computer, and associated electronics. Argon was designed to provide sensing capabilities for relative navigation during proximity, rendezvous, and docking operations between spacecraft. A rigorous ground test campaign assessed the performance capability of the Argon navigation suite to measure the relative pose of high-fidelity satellite mock-ups during a variety of simulated rendezvous and proximity maneuvers facilitated by robot manipulators in a variety of lighting conditions representative of the orbital environment. A brief description of the Argon suite and test setup are given as well as an analysis of the performance of the system in simulated proximity and rendezvous operations.

Comparison of hyperthermic hyperventilation during passive heating and prolonged light and moderate exercise in the heat.

PubMed

Tsuji, Bun; Honda, Yasushi; Fujii, Naoto; Kondo, Narihiko; Nishiyasu, Takeshi

2012-11-01

Elevation of core temperature leads to increases in ventilation in both resting subjects and those engaged in prolonged exercise. We compared the characteristics of the hyperthermic hyperventilation elicited during passive heating at rest and during prolonged moderate and light exercise. Twelve healthy men performed three trials: a rest trial in which subjects were passively heated using hot-water immersion (41°C) and a water-perfused suit and two exercise trials in which subjects exercised at 25% (light) or 50% (moderate) of peak oxygen uptake in the heat (37°C and 50% relative humidity) after first using water immersion (18°C) to reduce resting esophageal temperature (T(es)). This protocol enabled detection of a T(es) threshold for hyperventilation during the exercise. When minute ventilation (Ve) was expressed as a function of T(es), 9 of the 12 subjects showed T(es) thresholds for hyperventilation in all trials. The T(es) thresholds for increases in Ve during light and moderate exercise (37.1 ± 0.4 and 36.9 ± 0.4°C) were both significantly lower than during rest (38.3 ± 0.6°C), but the T(es) thresholds did not differ between the two exercise intensities. The sensitivity of Ve to increasing T(es) (slope of the T(es)-Ve relation) above the threshold was significantly lower during moderate exercise (8.7 ± 3.5 l · min(-1) · °C(-1)) than during rest (32.5 ± 24.2 l · min(-1) · °C(-1)), but the sensitivity did not differ between light (10.4 ± 13.0 l · min(-1) · °C(-1)) and moderate exercise. These results suggest the core temperature threshold for hyperthermic hyperventilation and the hyperventilatory response to increasing core temperature in passively heated subjects differs from that in exercising subjects, irrespective of whether the exercise is moderate or light.

Learning to control an SSVEP-based BCI speller in naïve subjects.

PubMed

Zhihua Tang; Yijun Wang; Guoya Dong; Weihua Pei; Hongda Chen

2017-07-01

High-speed steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) has been demonstrated in several recent studies. This study aimed to investigate some issues regarding feasibility of learning to control an SSVEP-based BCI speller in naïve subjects. An experiment with new BCI users was designed to answer the following questions: (1) How many people can use the SSVEP-BCI speller? (2) How much time is required to train the user? (3) Does continuous system use lead to user fatigue and deteriorated BCI performance? The experiment consisted of three tasks including a 40-class BCI spelling task, a psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) task, and a test of sleepiness scale. Subjects' reaction time (RT) in the PVT task and the fatigue rank in the sleepiness scale test were used as objective and subjective parameters to evaluate subjects' alertness level. Among 11 naïve subjects, 10 of them fulfilled the 9-block experiment. Four of them showed clear learning effects (i.e., an increasing trend of classification accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR)) over time. The remaining subjects showed stable BCI performance during the whole experiment. The results of RT and fatigue rank showed a gradually increasing trend, which is not significant across blocks. In summary, the results of this study suggest that controlling an SSVEP-based BCI speller is in general feasible to learn by naïve subjects after a short training procedure, showing no clear performance deterioration related to fatigue.

Data-Intensive Scientific Management, Analysis and Visualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goranova, Mariana; Shishedjiev, Bogdan; Juliana Georgieva, Juliana

2012-11-01

The proposed integrated system provides a suite of services for data-intensive sciences that enables scientists to describe, manage, analyze and visualize data from experiments and numerical simulations in distributed and heterogeneous environment. This paper describes the advisor and the converter services and presents an example from the monitoring of the slant column content of atmospheric minor gases.

A Representation for Visual Information.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

receive 3-D information. Tlhe representation described here is well suited for the analysis of stereo pairs. It is also well suited for the...cylinder representation [Agin and Binford 731, [Nevadia and Binford 741 and de Medial Axis Transfonm [Blum 67] as examples of representations that have...negative minimum are de points at which that filter most strongly resembles the input signal. If the inner- product at that point is also larger than inner

Molecular and Cellular Biology Animations: Development and Impact on Student Learning

PubMed Central

2005-01-01

Educators often struggle when teaching cellular and molecular processes because typically they have only two-dimensional tools to teach something that plays out in four dimensions. Learning research has demonstrated that visualizing processes in three dimensions aids learning, and animations are effective visualization tools for novice learners and aid with long-term memory retention. The World Wide Web Instructional Committee at North Dakota State University has used these research results as an inspiration to develop a suite of high-quality animations of molecular and cellular processes. Currently, these animations represent transcription, translation, bacterial gene expression, messenger RNA (mRNA) processing, mRNA splicing, protein transport into an organelle, the electron transport chain, and the use of a biological gradient to drive adenosine triphosphate synthesis. These animations are integrated with an educational module that consists of First Look and Advanced Look components that feature captioned stills from the animation representing the key steps in the processes at varying levels of complexity. These animation-based educational modules are available via the World Wide Web at http://vcell.ndsu.edu/animations. An in-class research experiment demonstrated that student retention of content material was significantly better when students received a lecture coupled with the animations and then used the animation as an individual study activity. PMID:15917875

A deflectable guiding catheter for real-time MRI-guided interventions

PubMed Central

Bell, Jamie A.; Saikus, Christina E.; Ratnakaya, Kanishka; Wu, Vincent; Sonmez, Merdim; Faranesh, Anthony Z.; Colyer, Jessica H.; Lederman, Robert J.; Kocaturk, Ozgur

2011-01-01

Purpose To design a deflectable guiding catheter that omits long metallic components yet preserves mechanical properties to facilitate therapeutic interventional MRI procedures. Materials and Methods The catheter shaft incorporated Kevlar braiding. 180° deflection was attained with a 5 cm nitinol slotted tube, a nitinol spring, and a Kevlar pull string. We tested three designs: passive, passive incorporating an inductively-coupled coil, and active receiver. We characterized mechanical properties, MRI properties, RF induced heating, and in vivo performance in swine. Results Torque and tip deflection force were satisfactory. Representative procedures included hepatic and azygos vein access, laser cardiac septostomy, and atrial septal defect crossing. Visualization was best in the active configuration, delineating profile and tip orientation. The passive configuration could be used in tandem with an active guidewire to overcome its limited conspicuity. There was no RF-induced heating in all configurations under expected use conditions in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion Kevlar and short nitinol component substitutions preserved mechanical properties. The active design offered the best visibility and usability but reintroduced metal conductors. We describe versatile deflectable guiding catheters with a 0.057” lumen for interventional MRI catheterization. Implementations are feasible using active, inductive, and passive visualization strategies to suit application requirements. PMID:22128071

Using RSVP for analyzing state and previous activities for the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Brian K.; Hartman, Frank; Maxwell, Scott; Wright, John; Yen, Jeng

2004-01-01

Current developments in immersive environments for mission planning include several tools which make up a system for performing and rehearsing missions. This system, known as the Rover Sequencing and Visualization Program (RSVP), includes tools for planning long range sorties for highly autonomous rovers, tools for planning operations with robotic arms, and advanced tools for visualizing telemetry from remote spacecraft and landers. One of the keys to successful planning of rover activities is knowing what the rover has accomplished to date and understanding the current rover state. RSVP builds on the lessons learned and the heritage of the Mars Pathfinder mission This paper will discuss the tools and methodologies present in the RSVP suite for examining rover state, reviewing previous activities, visually comparing telemetered results to rehearsed results, and reviewing science and engineering imagery. In addition we will present how this tool suite was used on the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) project to explore the surface of Mars.

GAC: Gene Associations with Clinical, a web based application.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinyan; Rupji, Manali; Kowalski, Jeanne

2017-01-01

We present GAC, a shiny R based tool for interactive visualization of clinical associations based on high-dimensional data. The tool provides a web-based suite to perform supervised principal component analysis (SuperPC), an approach that uses both high-dimensional data, such as gene expression, combined with clinical data to infer clinical associations. We extended the approach to address binary outcomes, in addition to continuous and time-to-event data in our package, thereby increasing the use and flexibility of SuperPC.  Additionally, the tool provides an interactive visualization for summarizing results based on a forest plot for both binary and time-to-event data.  In summary, the GAC suite of tools provide a one stop shop for conducting statistical analysis to identify and visualize the association between a clinical outcome of interest and high-dimensional data types, such as genomic data. Our GAC package has been implemented in R and is available via http://shinygispa.winship.emory.edu/GAC/. The developmental repository is available at https://github.com/manalirupji/GAC.

A Predictive Model of Anesthesia Depth Based on SVM in the Primary Visual Cortex

PubMed Central

Shi, Li; Li, Xiaoyuan; Wan, Hong

2013-01-01

In this paper, a novel model for predicting anesthesia depth is put forward based on local field potentials (LFPs) in the primary visual cortex (V1 area) of rats. The model is constructed using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to realize anesthesia depth online prediction and classification. The raw LFP signal was first decomposed into some special scaling components. Among these components, those containing higher frequency information were well suited for more precise analysis of the performance of the anesthetic depth by wavelet transform. Secondly, the characteristics of anesthetized states were extracted by complexity analysis. In addition, two frequency domain parameters were selected. The above extracted features were used as the input vector of the predicting model. Finally, we collected the anesthesia samples from the LFP recordings under the visual stimulus experiments of Long Evans rats. Our results indicate that the predictive model is accurate and computationally fast, and that it is also well suited for online predicting. PMID:24044024

Visual training paired with electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain improves orientation-selective visual acuity in the rat.

PubMed

Kang, Jun Il; Groleau, Marianne; Dotigny, Florence; Giguère, Hugo; Vaucher, Elvire

2014-07-01

The cholinergic afferents from the basal forebrain to the primary visual cortex play a key role in visual attention and cortical plasticity. These afferent fibers modulate acute and long-term responses of visual neurons to specific stimuli. The present study evaluates whether this cholinergic modulation of visual neurons results in cortical activity and visual perception changes. Awake adult rats were exposed repeatedly for 2 weeks to an orientation-specific grating with or without coupling this visual stimulation to an electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain. The visual acuity, as measured using a visual water maze before and after the exposure to the orientation-specific grating, was increased in the group of trained rats with simultaneous basal forebrain/visual stimulation. The increase in visual acuity was not observed when visual training or basal forebrain stimulation was performed separately or when cholinergic fibers were selectively lesioned prior to the visual stimulation. The visual evoked potentials show a long-lasting increase in cortical reactivity of the primary visual cortex after coupled visual/cholinergic stimulation, as well as c-Fos immunoreactivity of both pyramidal and GABAergic interneuron. These findings demonstrate that when coupled with visual training, the cholinergic system improves visual performance for the trained orientation probably through enhancement of attentional processes and cortical plasticity in V1 related to the ratio of excitatory/inhibitory inputs. This study opens the possibility of establishing efficient rehabilitation strategies for facilitating visual capacity.

Quantifying Uncertainty in Flood Inundation Mapping Using Streamflow Ensembles and Multiple Hydraulic Modeling Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseiny, S. M. H.; Zarzar, C.; Gomez, M.; Siddique, R.; Smith, V.; Mejia, A.; Demir, I.

2016-12-01

The National Water Model (NWM) provides a platform for operationalize nationwide flood inundation forecasting and mapping. The ability to model flood inundation on a national scale will provide invaluable information to decision makers and local emergency officials. Often, forecast products use deterministic model output to provide a visual representation of a single inundation scenario, which is subject to uncertainty from various sources. While this provides a straightforward representation of the potential inundation, the inherent uncertainty associated with the model output should be considered to optimize this tool for decision making support. The goal of this study is to produce ensembles of future flood inundation conditions (i.e. extent, depth, and velocity) to spatially quantify and visually assess uncertainties associated with the predicted flood inundation maps. The setting for this study is located in a highly urbanized watershed along the Darby Creek in Pennsylvania. A forecasting framework coupling the NWM with multiple hydraulic models was developed to produce a suite ensembles of future flood inundation predictions. Time lagged ensembles from the NWM short range forecasts were used to account for uncertainty associated with the hydrologic forecasts. The forecasts from the NWM were input to iRIC and HEC-RAS two-dimensional software packages, from which water extent, depth, and flow velocity were output. Quantifying the agreement between output ensembles for each forecast grid provided the uncertainty metrics for predicted flood water inundation extent, depth, and flow velocity. For visualization, a series of flood maps that display flood extent, water depth, and flow velocity along with the underlying uncertainty associated with each of the forecasted variables were produced. The results from this study demonstrate the potential to incorporate and visualize model uncertainties in flood inundation maps in order to identify the high flood risk zones.

Virtual Reality to Maximize Function for Hand and Arm Rehabilitation: Exploration of Neural Mechanisms

PubMed Central

MERIANS, Alma S.; TUNIK, Eugene; ADAMOVICH, Sergei V.

2015-01-01

Stroke patients report hand function as the most disabling motor deficit. Current evidence shows that learning new motor skills is essential for inducing functional neuroplasticity and functional recovery. Adaptive training paradigms that continually and interactively move a motor outcome closer to the targeted skill are important to motor recovery. Computerized virtual reality simulations when interfaced with robots, movement tracking and sensing glove systems are particularly adaptable, allowing for online and offline modifications of task based activities using the participant’s current performance and success rate. We have developed a second generation system that can exercise the hand and the arm together or in isolation and provides for both unilateral and bilateral hand and arm activities in three-dimensional space. We demonstrate that by providing haptic assistance for the hand and arm and adaptive anti-gravity support, the system can accommodate patients with lower level impairments. We hypothesize that combining training in VE with observation of motor actions can bring additional benefits. We present a proof of concept of a novel system that integrates interactive VE with functional neuroimaging to address this issue. Three components of this system are synchronized, the presentation of the visual display of the virtual hands, the collection of fMRI images and the collection of hand joint angles from the instrumented gloves. We show that interactive VEs can facilitate activation of brain areas during training by providing appropriately modified visual feedback. We predict that visual augmentation can become a tool to facilitate functional neuroplasticity. PMID:19592790

Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection.

PubMed

O'Daniels, Sean T; Kesler, Dylan C; Mihail, Jeanne D; Webb, Elisabeth B; Werner, Scott J

2017-05-15

Most diurnal birds are presumed visually sensitive to near ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, however, controlled behavioral studies investigating UV sensitivity remain few. Although woodpeckers are important as primary cavity excavators and nuisance animals, published work on their visual systems is limited. We developed a novel foraging-based behavioral assay designed to test UV sensitivity in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). We acclimated 21 wild-caught woodpeckers to foraging for frozen mealworms within 1.2m sections of peeled cedar (Thuja spp.) poles. We then tested the functional significance of UV cues by placing frozen mealworms behind UV-reflective covers, UV-absorptive covers, or decayed red pine substrates within the same 1.2m poles in independent experiments. Behavioral responses were greater toward both UV-reflective and UV-absorptive substrates in three experiments. Study subjects therefore reliably differentiated and attended to two distinct UV conditions of a foraging substrate. Cue-naïve subjects showed a preference for UV-absorptive substrates, suggesting that woodpeckers may be pre-disposed to foraging from such substrates. Behavioral responses were greater toward decayed pine substrates (UV-reflective) than sound pine substrates suggesting that decayed pine can be a useful foraging cue. The finding that cue-naïve subjects selected UV-absorbing foraging substrates has implications for ecological interactions of woodpeckers with fungi. Woodpeckers transport fungal spores, and communication methods analogous to those of plant-pollinator mutualisms (i.e. UV-absorbing patterns) may have evolved to support woodpecker-fungus mutualisms. Published by Elsevier Inc.

High variability of the subjective visual vertical test of vertical perception, in some people with neck pain - Should this be a standard measure of cervical proprioception?

PubMed

Treleaven, Julia; Takasaki, Hiroshi

2015-02-01

Subjective visual vertical (SVV) assesses visual dependence for spacial orientation, via vertical perception testing. Using the computerized rod-and-frame test (CRFT), SVV is thought to be an important measure of cervical proprioception and might be greater in those with whiplash associated disorder (WAD), but to date research findings are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the most sensitive SVV error measurement to detect group differences between no neck pain control, idiopathic neck pain (INP) and WAD subjects. Cross sectional study. Neck Disability Index (NDI), Dizziness Handicap Inventory short form (DHIsf) and the average constant error (CE), absolute error (AE), root mean square error (RMSE), and variable error (VE) of the SVV were obtained from 142 subjects (48 asymptomatic, 36 INP, 42 WAD). The INP group had significantly (p < 0.03) greater VE and RMSE when compared to both the control and WAD groups. There were no differences seen between the WAD and controls. The results demonstrated that people with INP (not WAD), had an altered strategy for maintaining the perception of vertical by increasing variability of performance. This may be due to the complexity of the task. Further, the SVV performance was not related to reported pain or dizziness handicap. These findings are inconsistent with other measures of cervical proprioception in neck pain and more research is required before the SVV can be considered an important measure and utilized clinically. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional visual sensitivity to ultraviolet wavelengths in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and its influence on foraging substrate selection

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Daniels, Sean T.; Kesler, Dylan C.; Mihail, Jeanne D.; Webb, Elisabeth B.; Werner, Scott J.

2017-01-01

Most diurnal birds are presumed visually sensitive to near ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, however, controlled behavioral studies investigating UV sensitivity remain few. Although woodpeckers are important as primary cavity excavators and nuisance animals, published work on their visual systems is limited. We developed a novel foraging-based behavioral assay designed to test UV sensitivity in the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). We acclimated 21 wild-caught woodpeckers to foraging for frozen mealworms within 1.2 m sections of peeled cedar (Thuja spp.) poles. We then tested the functional significance of UV cues by placing frozen mealworms behind UV-reflective covers, UV-absorptive covers, or decayed red pine substrates within the same 1.2 m poles in independent experiments. Behavioral responses were greater toward both UV-reflective and UV-absorptive substrates in three experiments. Study subjects therefore reliably differentiated and attended to two distinct UV conditions of a foraging substrate. Cue-naïve subjects showed a preference for UV-absorptive substrates, suggesting that woodpeckers may be pre-disposed to foraging from such substrates. Behavioral responses were greater toward decayed pine substrates (UV-reflective) than sound pine substrates suggesting that decayed pine can be a useful foraging cue. The finding that cue-naïve subjects selected UV-absorbing foraging substrates has implications for ecological interactions of woodpeckers with fungi. Woodpeckers transport fungal spores, and communication methods analogous to those of plant-pollinator mutualisms (i.e. UV-absorbing patterns) may have evolved to support woodpecker-fungus mutualisms.

The relative importance of olfaction and vision in a diurnal and a nocturnal hawkmoth.

PubMed

Balkenius, Anna; Rosén, Wenqi; Kelber, Almut

2006-04-01

Nectar-feeding animals can use vision and olfaction to find rewarding flowers and different species may give different weight to the two sensory modalities. We have studied how a diurnal or nocturnal lifestyle affects the weight given to vision and olfaction. We tested naïve hawkmoths of two species in a wind tunnel, presenting an odour source and a visual stimulus. Although the two species belong to the same subfamily of sphingids, the Macroglossinae, their behaviour was quite different. The nocturnal Deilephila elpenor responded preferably to the odour while the diurnal Macroglossum stellatarum strongly favoured the visual stimulus. Since a nocturnal lifestyle is ancestral for sphingids, the diurnal species, M. stellatarum, has evolved from nocturnal moths that primarily used olfaction. During bright daylight visual cues may have became more important than odour.

Coupled orbit-attitude dynamics and relative state estimation of spacecraft near small Solar System bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misra, Gaurav; Izadi, Maziar; Sanyal, Amit; Scheeres, Daniel

2016-04-01

The effects of dynamical coupling between the rotational (attitude) and translational (orbital) motion of spacecraft near small Solar System bodies is investigated. This coupling arises due to the weak gravity of these bodies, as well as solar radiation pressure. The traditional approach assumes a point-mass spacecraft model to describe the translational motion of the spacecraft, while the attitude motion is considered to be completely decoupled from the translational motion. The model used here to describe the rigid-body spacecraft dynamics includes the non-uniform rotating gravity field of the small body up to second degree and order along with the attitude dependent terms, solar tide, and solar radiation pressure. This model shows that the second degree and order gravity terms due to the small body affect the dynamics of the spacecraft to the same extent as the orbit-attitude coupling due to the primary gravity (zeroth order) term. Variational integrators are used to simulate the dynamics of both the rigid spacecraft and the point mass. The small bodies considered here are modeled after Near-Earth Objects (NEO) 101955 Bennu, and 25143 Itokawa, and are assumed to be triaxial ellipsoids with uniform density. Differences in the numerically obtained trajectories of a rigid spacecraft and a point mass are then compared, to illustrate the impact of the orbit-attitude coupling on spacecraft dynamics in proximity of small bodies. Possible implications on the performance of model-based spacecraft control and on the station-keeping budget, if the orbit-attitude coupling is not accounted for in the model of the dynamics, are also discussed. An almost globally asymptotically stable motion estimation scheme based solely on visual/optical feedback that estimates the relative motion of the asteroid with respect to the spacecraft is also obtained. This estimation scheme does not require a model of the dynamics of the asteroid, which makes it perfectly suited for asteroids whose properties are not well known.

Designing Adaptive, Diagnostic Math Assessments for Individuals with and without Visual Disabilities. Research Report. ETS RR-06-01

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shute, Valerie J.; Graf, Edith Aurora; Hansen, Eric G.

2006-01-01

This report summarizes the design and development of an adaptive e-learning prototype for middle school mathematics for use with both sighted and visually disabled students. Adaptation refers to the system's ability to adjust itself to suit particular characteristics of the learner. The main parts of the report describe the system's theoretical…

'Visual’ parsing can be taught quickly without visual experience during critical periods

PubMed Central

Reich, Lior; Amedi, Amir

2015-01-01

Cases of invasive sight-restoration in congenital blind adults demonstrated that acquiring visual abilities is extremely challenging, presumably because visual-experience during critical-periods is crucial for learning visual-unique concepts (e.g. size constancy). Visual rehabilitation can also be achieved using sensory-substitution-devices (SSDs) which convey visual information non-invasively through sounds. We tested whether one critical concept – visual parsing, which is highly-impaired in sight-restored patients – can be learned using SSD. To this end, congenitally blind adults participated in a unique, relatively short (~70 hours), SSD-‘vision’ training. Following this, participants successfully parsed 2D and 3D visual objects. Control individuals naïve to SSDs demonstrated that while some aspects of parsing with SSD are intuitive, the blind’s success could not be attributed to auditory processing alone. Furthermore, we had a unique opportunity to compare the SSD-users’ abilities to those reported for sight-restored patients who performed similar tasks visually, and who had months of eyesight. Intriguingly, the SSD-users outperformed the patients on most criteria tested. These suggest that with adequate training and technologies, key high-order visual features can be quickly acquired in adulthood, and lack of visual-experience during critical-periods can be somewhat compensated for. Practically, these highlight the potential of SSDs as standalone-aids or combined with invasive restoration approaches. PMID:26482105

Biological Response to the Dynamic Spectral-Polarized Underwater Light Field

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-30

deployment of a comprehensive optical suite including underwater video- polarimetry (full Stokes vector video-imaging camera custom-built Cummings; and...During field operations, we couple polarimetry measurements of live, free-swimming animals in their environments with a full suite of optical...Seibel, Ahmed). We also restrain live, awake animals to take polarimetry measurements (in the field and laboratory) under a complete set of

Working with What We've Got: Perceptions of Barriers and Supports among Small-Metropolitan-Area Same-Sex Adopting Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinkler, Lori A.; Goldberg, Abbie E.

2011-01-01

In seeking to adopt, lesbians and gay men may confront various barriers and obstacles. Ideally, they have access to a variety of support resources that can help to buffer the negative effects of these barriers. Lesbians and gay men living in small metropolitan communities may have limited access to support resources, however. The current…

The use of decision trees and naïve Bayes algorithms and trace element patterns for controlling the authenticity of free-range-pastured hens' eggs.

PubMed

Barbosa, Rommel Melgaço; Nacano, Letícia Ramos; Freitas, Rodolfo; Batista, Bruno Lemos; Barbosa, Fernando

2014-09-01

This article aims to evaluate 2 machine learning algorithms, decision trees and naïve Bayes (NB), for egg classification (free-range eggs compared with battery eggs). The database used for the study consisted of 15 chemical elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Se, Sr, V, and Zn) determined in 52 eggs samples (20 free-range and 32 battery eggs) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results demonstrated that decision trees and NB associated with the mineral contents of eggs provide a high level of accuracy (above 80% and 90%, respectively) for classification between free-range and battery eggs and can be used as an alternative method for adulteration evaluation. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Shifts in Gamma Phase–Amplitude Coupling Frequency from Theta to Alpha Over Posterior Cortex During Visual Tasks

PubMed Central

Voytek, Bradley; Canolty, Ryan T.; Shestyuk, Avgusta; Crone, Nathan E.; Parvizi, Josef; Knight, Robert T.

2010-01-01

The phase of ongoing theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–12 Hz) electrophysiological oscillations is coupled to high gamma (80–150 Hz) amplitude, which suggests that low-frequency oscillations modulate local cortical activity. While this phase–amplitude coupling (PAC) has been demonstrated in a variety of tasks and cortical regions, it has not been shown whether task demands differentially affect the regional distribution of the preferred low-frequency coupling to high gamma. To address this issue we investigated multiple-rhythm theta/alpha to high gamma PAC in two subjects with implanted subdural electrocorticographic grids. We show that high gamma amplitude couples to the theta and alpha troughs and demonstrate that, during visual tasks, alpha/high gamma coupling preferentially increases in visual cortical regions. These results suggest that low-frequency phase to high-frequency amplitude coupling is modulated by behavioral task and may reflect a mechanism for selection between communicating neuronal networks. PMID:21060716

Opportunity Dips in to 'Berry Bowl'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

[figure removed for brevity, see original site] Figure 1

Scientists are hunting down the recipe for the 'blueberries' they've discovered on Mars. Taken with the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's front hazard-avoidance camera on the 45th martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission (March 10, 2004), this image shows the area dubbed 'Berry Bowl,' where many dark and mysterious spherules or 'blueberries' collected in a depression on the surface of a rock. Opportunity is studying the blueberries for clues to their chemical composition with its suite of scientific instruments. 'Berry Bowl' is located within the rock outcrop that lines the inner edge of the crater where the rover landed.

Mixing HTC and HPC Workloads with HTCondor and Slurm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollowell, C.; Barnett, J.; Caramarcu, C.; Strecker-Kellogg, W.; Wong, A.; Zaytsev, A.

2017-10-01

Traditionally, the RHIC/ATLAS Computing Facility (RACF) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has only maintained High Throughput Computing (HTC) resources for our HEP/NP user community. We’ve been using HTCondor as our batch system for many years, as this software is particularly well suited for managing HTC processor farm resources. Recently, the RACF has also begun to design/administrate some High Performance Computing (HPC) systems for a multidisciplinary user community at BNL. In this paper, we’ll discuss our experiences using HTCondor and Slurm in an HPC context, and our facility’s attempts to allow our HTC and HPC processing farms/clusters to make opportunistic use of each other’s computing resources.

Motion Cues in Flight Simulation and Simulator Induced Sickness

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

asseusod in a driving simulator by means of a response surface methodology central-composite design . The most salient finding of the study was that visual...across treatment conditions. For an orthogonal response surface methodology (IBM) design with only tro independent variables. it can be readily shown that...J.E.Fowikes 8 SESSION III - ETIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN SIMULATOR-INDUCED AFTER EFFETS THE USE OF VE& IIBULAR MODELS FOR DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF FLIGHT

Cortical-Cortical Interactions And Sensory Information Processing in Autism

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-30

Frith U: Autism, Asperger syndrome and brain mechanisms for the attribution of mental states to animated shapes. Brain 2002, 125:1839-1849. 15...Methods The subjects were ten males clinically diagnosed with autism (i.e., Autistic Disorder or Asperger Disorder; DSM-IV-TR; [22]), all naïve both...Disordered visual processing and oscillatory brain activity in autism and Williams syndrome . Neuroreport 2001, 12:2697-2700. 18. Wilson TW, Rojas DC

Visual Perspective and Feedback Guidance for VR Free-Throw Training.

PubMed

Covaci, Alexandra; Olivier, Anne-Hélène; Multon, Franck

2015-01-01

Accurate distance perception and natural interactions are mandatory conditions when training precision aiming tasks in VR. However, many factors specific to virtual environments (VEs) lead to differences in the way users execute a motor task in VR versus the real world. To investigate these differences, the authors performed a study on basketball beginners' free-throw performance in VEs under different visual conditions. Although the success rate is not statistically different, some adaptations occurred in the way the users performed the task, depending on the visual conditions. In the third-person perspective visual condition, the release parameters indicate that the users more accurately estimated distance to target. Adding visual guidance information (gradual depth information showing the ideal ball trajectory) also led to more natural motor behavior. The final aim of this study was to develop a reliable basketball free-throw training system in VEs, so the authors compared beginners' performances in VR with experts' models of performance. Their results show that most of the performance variables tended to evolve closer to the experts' performance during the training in the VE.

A physical model of ice sheet response to changes in subglacial hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, L. C.; Catania, G. A.; Buttles, J. L.; Andrews, A.; Markowski, M.

2010-12-01

Using a physical ice sheet model, we investigate the degree to which motion is controlled by local loss of basal traction versus longitudinal coupling during diurnal, seasonal, and event-type water pulses. Our model can be used to reproduce the spatial pattern and magnitude of ice surface displacements and can aid in the interpretation of ground-based GPS measurements, as it eliminates many of the complicating factors influencing surface velocity measurements. This model consists of a 3 x 1.5 meter plastic box with a grid of holes on the bed used to inject water directly between the interface of the box and a silicone polymer. Water flow is visualized using a colored dye. The polymer response to perturbations in water flow is measured by tracking surface markers through a series of overhead images. We report on a suite of experiments that explore the relationship between water discharge, basal traction, and surface displacements and compare our results to ground-based GPS measurements from a transect in western Greenland.

Run Environment and Data Management for Earth System Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widmann, H.; Lautenschlager, M.; Fast, I.; Legutke, S.

2009-04-01

The Integrating Model and Data Infrastructure (IMDI) developed and maintained by the Model and Data Group (M&D) comprises the Standard Compile Environment (SCE) and the Standard Run Environment (SRE). The IMDI software has a modular design, which allows to combine and couple a suite of model components and as well to execute the tasks independently and on various platforms. Furthermore the modular structure enables the extension to new model combinations and new platforms. The SRE presented here enables the configuration and performance of earth system model experiments from model integration up to storage and visualization of data. We focus on recently implemented tasks such as synchronous data base filling, graphical monitoring and automatic generation of meta data in XML forms during run time. As well we address the capability to run experiments in heterogeneous IT environments with different computing systems for model integration, data processing and storage. These features are demonstrated for model configurations and on platforms used in current or upcoming projects, e.g. MILLENNIUM or IPCC AR5.

Wetting and free surface flow modeling for potting and encapsulation.

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

Brooks, Carlton, F.; Brooks, Michael J.; Graham, Alan Lyman

As part of an effort to reduce costs and improve quality control in encapsulation and potting processes the Technology Initiative Project ''Defect Free Manufacturing and Assembly'' has completed a computational modeling study of flows representative of those seen in these processes. Flow solutions are obtained using a coupled, finite-element-based, numerical method based on the GOMA/ARIA suite of Sandia flow solvers. The evolution of the free surface is solved with an advanced level set algorithm. This approach incorporates novel methods for representing surface tension and wetting forces that affect the evolution of the free surface. In addition, two commercially available codes,more » ProCAST and MOLDFLOW, are also used on geometries representing encapsulation processes at the Kansas City Plant. Visual observations of the flow in several geometries are recorded in the laboratory and compared to the models. Wetting properties for the materials in these experiments are measured using a unique flowthrough goniometer.« less

Approaches in highly parameterized inversion—PEST++ Version 3, a Parameter ESTimation and uncertainty analysis software suite optimized for large environmental models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Welter, David E.; White, Jeremy T.; Hunt, Randall J.; Doherty, John E.

2015-09-18

The PEST++ Version 3 software suite can be compiled for Microsoft Windows®4 and Linux®5 operating systems; the source code is available in a Microsoft Visual Studio®6 2013 solution; Linux Makefiles are also provided. PEST++ Version 3 continues to build a foundation for an open-source framework capable of producing robust and efficient parameter estimation tools for large environmental models.

Dynamic shared state maintenance in distributed virtual environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamza-Lup, Felix George

Advances in computer networks and rendering systems facilitate the creation of distributed collaborative environments in which the distribution of information at remote locations allows efficient communication. Particularly challenging are distributed interactive Virtual Environments (VE) that allow knowledge sharing through 3D information. The purpose of this work is to address the problem of latency in distributed interactive VE and to develop a conceptual model for consistency maintenance in these environments based on the participant interaction model. An area that needs to be explored is the relationship between the dynamic shared state and the interaction with the virtual entities present in the shared scene. Mixed Reality (MR) and VR environments must bring the human participant interaction into the loop through a wide range of electronic motion sensors, and haptic devices. Part of the work presented here defines a novel criterion for categorization of distributed interactive VE and introduces, as well as analyzes, an adaptive synchronization algorithm for consistency maintenance in such environments. As part of the work, a distributed interactive Augmented Reality (AR) testbed and the algorithm implementation details are presented. Currently the testbed is part of several research efforts at the Optical Diagnostics and Applications Laboratory including 3D visualization applications using custom built head-mounted displays (HMDs) with optical motion tracking and a medical training prototype for endotracheal intubation and medical prognostics. An objective method using quaternion calculus is applied for the algorithm assessment. In spite of significant network latency, results show that the dynamic shared state can be maintained consistent at multiple remotely located sites. In further consideration of the latency problems and in the light of the current trends in interactive distributed VE applications, we propose a hybrid distributed system architecture for sensor-based distributed VE that has the potential to improve the system real-time behavior and scalability. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Validation of the French Version of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.

PubMed

Pautex, Sophie; Vayne-Bossert, Petra; Bernard, Mathieu; Beauverd, Michel; Cantin, Boris; Mazzocato, Claudia; Thollet, Catherine; Bollondi-Pauly, Catherine; Ducloux, Dominique; Herrmann, François; Escher, Monica

2017-11-01

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is a brief, widely adopted, multidimensional questionnaire to evaluate patient-reported symptoms. The objective of this study was to define a standard French version of the ESAS (F-ESAS) to determine the psychometric properties in French-speaking patients. In a first pilot study, health professionals (n = 20) and patients (n = 33) defined the most adapted terms in French (F-ESAS). In a prospective multicentric study, palliative care patients completed the three forms of F-ESAS (F-ESAS-VI, F-ESAS-VE, and F-ESAS-NU, where VI is visual, VE, verbal, and NU, numerical), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. All patients had a test-retest evaluation during the same half-day. Standardized distraction material was used between each scale. One hundred twenty-four patients were included (mean age [±SD]: 68.3 ± 12; 70 women; 54 men). Test-retest reliability was high for all three F-ESAS, and the correlation between these scales was nearly perfect (Spearman rs = 0.66-0.91; P < 0.05). F-ESAS-VI, F-ESAS-VE, and F-ESAS-NU performed similarly and were equally reliable, although there was a trend toward lower reliability for F-ESAS-VI. Correlation between F-ESAS depression and anxiety and HADS depression and anxiety, respectively, were positive (Spearman rs = 0.38-0.41 for depression; Spearman rs = 0.48-0.57 for anxiety, P < 0.05). Among patients, 59 (48%), 45 (36%), and 20 (16%) preferred to assess their symptoms with F-ESAS-VE, F-ESAS-NU, and F-ESAS-VI, respectively. The F-ESAS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring multidimensional symptoms in French-speaking patients with an advanced cancer. All forms of F-ESAS performed well with a trend for better psychometric performance for F-ESAS-NU, but patients preferred the F-ESAS-VE. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Biological Response to the Dynamic Spectral-Polarized Underwater Light Field

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

Z39-18 2 optical suite including underwater video- polarimetry (full Stokes vector video-imaging camera custom-built Cummings; and “SALSA” (Bossa...operations, we couple polarimetry measurements of live, free-swimming animals in their environments with a full suite of optical measurements...Ahmed). We also restrain live, awake animals to take polarimetry measurements (in the field and laboratory) under a complete set of viewing angles and

Stimulus relevance modulates contrast adaptation in visual cortex

PubMed Central

Keller, Andreas J; Houlton, Rachael; Kampa, Björn M; Lesica, Nicholas A; Mrsic-Flogel, Thomas D; Keller, Georg B; Helmchen, Fritjof

2017-01-01

A general principle of sensory processing is that neurons adapt to sustained stimuli by reducing their response over time. Most of our knowledge on adaptation in single cells is based on experiments in anesthetized animals. How responses adapt in awake animals, when stimuli may be behaviorally relevant or not, remains unclear. Here we show that contrast adaptation in mouse primary visual cortex depends on the behavioral relevance of the stimulus. Cells that adapted to contrast under anesthesia maintained or even increased their activity in awake naïve mice. When engaged in a visually guided task, contrast adaptation re-occurred for stimuli that were irrelevant for solving the task. However, contrast adaptation was reversed when stimuli acquired behavioral relevance. Regulation of cortical adaptation by task demand may allow dynamic control of sensory-evoked signal flow in the neocortex. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.21589.001 PMID:28130922

EMU Suit Performance Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowley, Matthew S.; Benson, Elizabeth; Harvill, Lauren; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2014-01-01

Introduction: Designing a planetary suit is very complex and often requires difficult trade-offs between performance, cost, mass, and system complexity. To verify that new suit designs meet requirements, full prototypes must be built and tested with human subjects. However, numerous design iterations will occur before the hardware meets those requirements. Traditional draw-prototype-test paradigms for research and development are prohibitively expensive with today's shrinking Government budgets. Personnel at NASA are developing modern simulation techniques that focus on a human-centric design paradigm. These new techniques make use of virtual prototype simulations and fully adjustable physical prototypes of suit hardware. This is extremely advantageous and enables comprehensive design down-selections to be made early in the design process. Objectives: The primary objective was to test modern simulation techniques for evaluating the human performance component of two EMU suit concepts, pivoted and planar style hard upper torso (HUT). Methods: This project simulated variations in EVA suit shoulder joint design and subject anthropometry and then measured the differences in shoulder mobility caused by the modifications. These estimations were compared to human-in-the-loop test data gathered during past suited testing using four subjects (two large males, two small females). Results: Results demonstrated that EVA suit modeling and simulation are feasible design tools for evaluating and optimizing suit design based on simulated performance. The suit simulation model was found to be advantageous in its ability to visually represent complex motions and volumetric reach zones in three dimensions, giving designers a faster and deeper comprehension of suit component performance vs. human performance. Suit models were able to discern differing movement capabilities between EMU HUT configurations, generic suit fit concerns, and specific suit fit concerns for crewmembers based on individual anthropometry

Model for Predicting the Performance of Planetary Suit Hip Bearing Designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowley, Matthew S.; Margerum, Sarah; Hharvill, Lauren; Rajulu, Sudhakar

2012-01-01

Designing a space suit is very complex and often requires difficult trade-offs between performance, cost, mass, and system complexity. During the development period of the suit numerous design iterations need to occur before the hardware meets human performance requirements. Using computer models early in the design phase of hardware development is advantageous, by allowing virtual prototyping to take place. A virtual design environment allows designers to think creatively, exhaust design possibilities, and study design impacts on suit and human performance. A model of the rigid components of the Mark III Technology Demonstrator Suit (planetary-type space suit) and a human manikin were created and tested in a virtual environment. The performance of the Mark III hip bearing model was first developed and evaluated virtually by comparing the differences in mobility performance between the nominal bearing configurations and modified bearing configurations. Suited human performance was then simulated with the model and compared to actual suited human performance data using the same bearing configurations. The Mark III hip bearing model was able to visually represent complex bearing rotations and the theoretical volumetric ranges of motion in three dimensions. The model was also able to predict suited human hip flexion and abduction maximums to within 10% of the actual suited human subject data, except for one modified bearing condition in hip flexion which was off by 24%. Differences between the model predictions and the human subject performance data were attributed to the lack of joint moment limits in the model, human subject fitting issues, and the limited suit experience of some of the subjects. The results demonstrate that modeling space suit rigid segments is a feasible design tool for evaluating and optimizing suited human performance. Keywords: space suit, design, modeling, performance

Sandia Engineering Analysis Code Access System v. 2.0.1

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

Sjaardema, Gregory D.

The Sandia Engineering Analysis Code Access System (SEACAS) is a suite of preprocessing, post processing, translation, visualization, and utility applications supporting finite element analysis software using the Exodus database file format.

Three visualization approaches for communicating and exploring PIT tag data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Letcher, Benjamin; Walker, Jeffrey D.; O'Donnell, Matthew; Whiteley, Andrew R.; Nislow, Keith; Coombs, Jason

2018-01-01

As the number, size and complexity of ecological datasets has increased, narrative and interactive raw data visualizations have emerged as important tools for exploring and understanding these large datasets. As a demonstration, we developed three visualizations to communicate and explore passive integrated transponder tag data from two long-term field studies. We created three independent visualizations for the same dataset, allowing separate entry points for users with different goals and experience levels. The first visualization uses a narrative approach to introduce users to the study. The second visualization provides interactive cross-filters that allow users to explore multi-variate relationships in the dataset. The last visualization allows users to visualize the movement histories of individual fish within the stream network. This suite of visualization tools allows a progressive discovery of more detailed information and should make the data accessible to users with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests.

The utility of high-resolution intraoperative MRI in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary macroadenomas: early experience in the Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating suite.

PubMed

Zaidi, Hasan A; De Los Reyes, Kenneth; Barkhoudarian, Garni; Litvack, Zachary N; Bi, Wenya Linda; Rincon-Torroella, Jordina; Mukundan, Srinivasan; Dunn, Ian F; Laws, Edward R

2016-03-01

Endoscopic skull base surgery has become increasingly popular among the skull base surgery community, with improved illumination and angled visualization potentially improving tumor resection rates. Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) is used to detect residual disease during the course of the resection. This study is an investigation of the utility of 3-T iMRI in combination with transnasal endoscopy with regard to gross-total resection (GTR) of pituitary macroadenomas. The authors retrospectively reviewed all endoscopic transsphenoidal operations performed in the Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) suite from November 2011 to December 2014. Inclusion criteria were patients harboring presumed pituitary macroadenomas with optic nerve or chiasmal compression and visual loss, operated on by a single surgeon. Of the 27 patients who underwent transsphenoidal resection in the AMIGO suite, 20 patients met the inclusion criteria. The endoscope alone, without the use of iMRI, would have correctly predicted extent of resection in 13 (65%) of 20 cases. Gross-total resection was achieved in 12 patients (60%) prior to MRI. Intraoperative MRI helped convert 1 STR and 4 NTRs to GTRs, increasing the number of GTRs from 12 (60%) to 16 (80%). Despite advances in visualization provided by the endoscope, the incidence of residual disease can potentially place the patient at risk for additional surgery. The authors found that iMRI can be useful in detecting unexpected residual tumor. The cost-effectiveness of this tool is yet to be determined.

Research issues of geometry-based visual languages and some solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Thorn G.

This dissertation addresses the problem of how to design visual language systems that are based upon Geometric Algebra, and provide a visual coupling of algebraic expressions and geometric depictions. This coupling of algebraic expressions and geometric depictions provides a new means for expressing both mathematical and geometric relationships present in mathematics, physics, and Computer-Aided Geometric Design (CAGD). Another significant feature of such a system is that the result of changing a parameter (by dragging the mouse) can be seen immediately in the depiction(s) of all expressions that use that parameter. This greatly aides the cognition of the relationships between variables. Systems for representing such a coupling of algebra and geometry have characteristics of both visual language systems, and systems for scientific visualization. Instead of using a parsing or dataflow paradigm for the visual language representation, the systems instead represent equations as manipulatible constrained diagrams for their visualization. This requires that the design of such a system have (but is not limited to) a means for parsing equations entered by the user, a scheme for producing a visual representation of these equations; techniques for maintaining the coupling between the expressions entered and the diagrams displayed; algorithms for maintaining the consistency of the diagrams; and, indexing capabilities that are efficient enough to allow diagrams to be created, and manipulated in a short enough period of time. The author proposes solutions for how such a design can be realized.

Amazing Space: Explanations, Investigations, & 3D Visualizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summers, Frank

2011-05-01

The Amazing Space website is STScI's online resource for communicating Hubble discoveries and other astronomical wonders to students and teachers everywhere. Our team has developed a broad suite of materials, readings, activities, and visuals that are not only engaging and exciting, but also standards-based and fully supported so that they can be easily used within state and national curricula. These products include stunning imagery, grade-level readings, trading card games, online interactives, and scientific visualizations. We are currently exploring the potential use of stereo 3D in astronomy education.

GAC: Gene Associations with Clinical, a web based application

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xinyan; Rupji, Manali; Kowalski, Jeanne

2018-01-01

We present GAC, a shiny R based tool for interactive visualization of clinical associations based on high-dimensional data. The tool provides a web-based suite to perform supervised principal component analysis (SuperPC), an approach that uses both high-dimensional data, such as gene expression, combined with clinical data to infer clinical associations. We extended the approach to address binary outcomes, in addition to continuous and time-to-event data in our package, thereby increasing the use and flexibility of SuperPC.  Additionally, the tool provides an interactive visualization for summarizing results based on a forest plot for both binary and time-to-event data.  In summary, the GAC suite of tools provide a one stop shop for conducting statistical analysis to identify and visualize the association between a clinical outcome of interest and high-dimensional data types, such as genomic data. Our GAC package has been implemented in R and is available via http://shinygispa.winship.emory.edu/GAC/. The developmental repository is available at https://github.com/manalirupji/GAC. PMID:29263780

Chromatic signals control proboscis movements during hovering flight in the hummingbird hawkmoth Macroglossum stellatarum.

PubMed

Goyret, Joaquín; Kelber, Almut

2012-01-01

Most visual systems are more sensitive to luminance than to colour signals. Animals resolve finer spatial detail and temporal changes through achromatic signals than through chromatic ones. Probably, this explains that detection of small, distant, or moving objects is typically mediated through achromatic signals. Macroglossum stellatarum are fast flying nectarivorous hawkmoths that inspect flowers with their long proboscis while hovering. They can visually control this behaviour using floral markings known as nectar guides. Here, we investigate whether this is mediated by chromatic or achromatic cues. We evaluated proboscis placement, foraging efficiency, and inspection learning of naïve moths foraging on flower models with coloured markings that offered either chromatic, achromatic or both contrasts. Hummingbird hawkmoths could use either achromatic or chromatic signals to inspect models while hovering. We identified three, apparently independent, components controlling proboscis placement: After initial contact, 1) moths directed their probing towards the yellow colour irrespectively of luminance signals, suggesting a dominant role of chromatic signals; and 2) moths tended to probe mainly on the brighter areas of models that offered only achromatic signals. 3) During the establishment of the first contact, naïve moths showed a tendency to direct their proboscis towards the small floral marks independent of their colour or luminance. Moths learned to find nectar faster, but their foraging efficiency depended on the flower model they foraged on. Our results imply that M. stellatarum can perceive small patterns through colour vision. We discuss how the different informational contents of chromatic and luminance signals can be significant for the control of flower inspection, and visually guided behaviours in general.

Mental imagery of gravitational motion.

PubMed

Gravano, Silvio; Zago, Myrka; Lacquaniti, Francesco

2017-10-01

There is considerable evidence that gravitational acceleration is taken into account in the interaction with falling targets through an internal model of Earth gravity. Here we asked whether this internal model is accessed also when target motion is imagined rather than real. In the main experiments, naïve participants grasped an imaginary ball, threw it against the ceiling, and caught it on rebound. In different blocks of trials, they had to imagine that the ball moved under terrestrial gravity (1g condition) or under microgravity (0g) as during a space flight. We measured the speed and timing of the throwing and catching actions, and plotted ball flight duration versus throwing speed. Best-fitting duration-speed curves estimate the laws of ball motion implicit in the participant's performance. Surprisingly, we found duration-speed curves compatible with 0g for both the imaginary 0g condition and the imaginary 1g condition, despite the familiarity with Earth gravity effects and the added realism of performing the throwing and catching actions. In a control experiment, naïve participants were asked to throw the imaginary ball vertically upwards at different heights, without hitting the ceiling, and to catch it on its way down. All participants overestimated ball flight durations relative to the durations predicted by the effects of Earth gravity. Overall, the results indicate that mental imagery of motion does not have access to the internal model of Earth gravity, but resorts to a simulation of visual motion. Because visual processing of accelerating/decelerating motion is poor, visual imagery of motion at constant speed or slowly varying speed appears to be the preferred mode to perform the tasks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A NOISE ADAPTIVE FUZZY EQUALIZATION METHOD FOR PROCESSING SOLAR EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET IMAGES

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

Druckmueller, M., E-mail: druckmuller@fme.vutbr.cz

A new image enhancement tool ideally suited for the visualization of fine structures in extreme ultraviolet images of the corona is presented in this paper. The Noise Adaptive Fuzzy Equalization method is particularly suited for the exceptionally high dynamic range images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. This method produces artifact-free images and gives significantly better results than methods based on convolution or Fourier transform which are often used for that purpose.

Presentation of a dummy representing suit for simulation of huMAN heatloss (DRESSMAN).

PubMed

Mayer, E; Schwab, R

2004-09-01

DRESSMAN designates a novel dummy for climate measurements that allows predicting the human thermal comfort experienced inside rooms (buildings, vehicles, aircraft, railway compartments etc.) on the basis of indoor climate measurements. Measurements can be listed in tabular form and can also be represented by way of color gradations in a virtual 3D human model. Optionally, visualization may be rendered during or after measurement. Due to its very quick response, DRESSMAN is particularly suited for nonstationary processes.

Reappraising Abstract Paintings after Exposure to Background Information

PubMed Central

Park, Seongmin A.; Yun, Kyongsik; Jeong, Jaeseung

2015-01-01

Can knowledge help viewers when they appreciate an artwork? Experts’ judgments of the aesthetic value of a painting often differ from the estimates of naïve viewers, and this phenomenon is especially pronounced in the aesthetic judgment of abstract paintings. We compared the changes in aesthetic judgments of naïve viewers while they were progressively exposed to five pieces of background information. The participants were asked to report their aesthetic judgments of a given painting after each piece of information was presented. We found that commentaries by the artist and a critic significantly increased the subjective aesthetic ratings. Does knowledge enable experts to attend to the visual features in a painting and to link it to the evaluative conventions, thus potentially causing different aesthetic judgments? To investigate whether a specific pattern of attention is essential for the knowledge-based appreciation, we tracked the eye movements of subjects while viewing a painting with a commentary by the artist and with a commentary by a critic. We observed that critics’ commentaries directed the viewers’ attention to the visual components that were highly relevant to the presented commentary. However, attention to specific features of a painting was not necessary for increasing the subjective aesthetic judgment when the artists’ commentary was presented. Our results suggest that at least two different cognitive mechanisms may be involved in knowledge- guided aesthetic judgments while viewers reappraise a painting. PMID:25945789

Investigation of Blue Bedding in Cages Housing Treatment-Naïve Hamsters

PubMed Central

Shah, Vishal D; Walton, Betsy J; Culp, Amanda G; Castellino, Stephen

2015-01-01

During the acclimation phase of a preclinical safety study involving Syrian golden hamsters, some of the cages of treatment-naïve animals were noted to contain blue-tinged bedding; the urine of these hamsters was not discolored. We sought to understand the underlying cause of this unusual finding to ensure that the study animals were healthy and free from factors that might confound the interpretation of the study. Analysis of extracts from the blue bedding by using HPLC with inline UV detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry indicated that the color was due to the presence of indigo blue. Furthermore, the indigo blue likely was formed through a series of biochemical events initiated by the intestinal metabolism of tryptophan to an indoxyl metabolite. We offer 2 hypotheses regarding the fate of the indoxyl metabolite: indigo blue formation through oxidative coupling in the liver or through urinary bacterial metabolism. PMID:26632791

Investigation of Blue Bedding in Cages Housing Treatment-Naïve Hamsters.

PubMed

Shah, Vishal D; Walton, Betsy J; Culp, Amanda G; Castellino, Stephen

2015-11-01

During the acclimation phase of a preclinical safety study involving Syrian golden hamsters, some of the cages of treatment-naïve animals were noted to contain blue-tinged bedding; the urine of these hamsters was not discolored. We sought to understand the underlying cause of this unusual finding to ensure that the study animals were healthy and free from factors that might confound the interpretation of the study. Analysis of extracts from the blue bedding by using HPLC with inline UV detection and high-resolution mass spectrometry indicated that the color was due to the presence of indigo blue. Furthermore, the indigo blue likely was formed through a series of biochemical events initiated by the intestinal metabolism of tryptophan to an indoxyl metabolite. We offer 2 hypotheses regarding the fate of the indoxyl metabolite: indigo blue formation through oxidative coupling in the liver or through urinary bacterial metabolism.

Design, synthesis, and spectroscopic study of some new flavones containing two azo linkages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayoob, Mzgin Mohammed; Hawaiz, Farouq Emam

2017-09-01

In the present study; 5-(4-chlorophenyl azo) -2-hydroxy acetophenone (1) was prepared by diazotization of 4-chloro aniline and its coupling reaction with 2-hydroxy acetophenone, then reacted with different azo benzyloxy benzaldehydes(3a-i) to give new synthesized 2-hydroxy chalcones(4a-i). The later compounds were subjected to oxidative cyclization by catalytic amount of I2 in DMSO affording the target molecules new flavones bearing two azo-linkages (5a-i). The structures of the newly synthesized compounds were identified on the bases of their FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and DEPT-135 spectra. The synthesized Flavone derivatives were evaluated against two types of bacteria gram positive (Staphylococcus aurous) and gram negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The results showed that most of the synthesized flavones are more sensitive against (G -ve) bacteria than (G +ve) bacteria.

Cooling system for removing metabolic heat from an hermetically sealed spacesuit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webbon, B. W.; Vykukal, H. C.; Williams, B. A. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

An improved cooling and ventilating system is described for removing metabolic heat, waste gases and water vapor generated by a wearer of an hermetically sealed spacesuit. The cooling system was characterized by a body suit, having a first circuit for simultaneously establishing a cooling flow of water through the thorax and head sections of the body suit. Circulation patches were included mounted in the thorax section and head section of the body suit. A second circuit for discharing a flow of gas throughout the spacesuit and a disconnect unit for coupling the circuits with a life support system externally related to the spacesuit were provided.

MED-09 Final Cruise Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

good for visual survey through the morning and into the early  afternoon. The visual team got a good  workout  on the data logging program and GIS...Peter Tyack SSC Pacific San Diego, CA 92152–5001 TD 3243 Office of Naval Research 875 N. Randolph Street , Suite 1425

[Parameters of prosaccades and antisaccades as potential markers of anxiety disorders].

PubMed

Shalaginova, I G; Vakoliuk, I A; Ecina, I G

To evaluate the parameters of visually-induced saccades and antisaccades in drug-naïve patients with anxiety disorders. A sample consisted of 18 subjects, including 10 healthy people and 8 patients with the diagnosis of anxiety disorder (ICD-10 items F43.0, F41.0, F41.1, F42). The authors' method of video-oculography was used to assess eye-movement reactions. An increase in latency of correct antisaccades (AS) and visually-induced saccades (VIS) in patients with anxiety disorders was found. The effectiveness of task performance did not differ compared to healthy controls. A decreased generation of predictive saccades was identified in the experimental group. Possible neurophysiological foundations of the saccadic dysfunctions are discussed.

The Latest Earth and Space Data Visualizations Are Used to Engage Learners Around the World through Diverse Educational Platforms with NOAA's Publicly Available Catalogs from Science On a Sphere and NOAA View and State-of-the Art Display Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDougall, C.; Peddicord, H.; Russell, E. L.; Hackathorn, E. J.; Pisut, D.; MacIntosh, E.

2016-12-01

NOAA's data visualization education and technology platforms, Science On a Sphere and NOAA View, are providing content for innovative and diverse educational platforms worldwide. Science On a Sphere (SOS) is a system composed of a large-scale spherical display and a curated data catalog. SOS displays are on exhibit in more than 140 locations in 26 countries and 29 US states that reach at least 35 million people every year. Additionally, the continuously updated data catalog, consisting of over 500 visualizations accompanied by descriptions, videos, and related content, is publicly available for download. This catalog is used by a wide variety of users including planetariums, other spherical displays, and teachers. To further broaden the impact of SOS, SOS Explorer, a flat screen version of SOS that can be used in schools and museums has over 100 of the SOS datasets and enables students and other users dig into the data in ways that aren't possible with SOS. Another resource from NOAA, NOAA View, is an easy-to-use portal to NOAA's vast data archives including historical datasets that go back to 1880 and models for ocean, atmosphere, land, cryosphere, climate and weather. NOAA View provides hundreds of data variables within a single interface, allowing the user to browse, interrogate, and download resources from NOAA's vast archives. And, through story maps, users can see how data can be used to understand our planet and improve our lives. Together, these provide invaluable resources to educators and technology pioneers. Both NOAA View and the SOS data catalog enable educators, students and communicators to easily ingest complex and often, stunning visualizations. The visualizations are available in formats that can be incorporated into a number of different display technologies to maximize their use. Although making the visualizations available to users is a technological hurdle, an equally large hurdle is making them understandable by viewers. In this presentation we will discuss the challenges we've encountered in making these resources useable to educators and education institutions as well as the feedback we've received about the value of these resources.

Impact of stride-coupled gaze shifts of walking blowflies on the neuronal representation of visual targets

PubMed Central

Kress, Daniel; Egelhaaf, Martin

2014-01-01

During locomotion animals rely heavily on visual cues gained from the environment to guide their behavior. Examples are basic behaviors like collision avoidance or the approach to a goal. The saccadic gaze strategy of flying flies, which separates translational from rotational phases of locomotion, has been suggested to facilitate the extraction of environmental information, because only image flow evoked by translational self-motion contains relevant distance information about the surrounding world. In contrast to the translational phases of flight during which gaze direction is kept largely constant, walking flies experience continuous rotational image flow that is coupled to their stride-cycle. The consequences of these self-produced image shifts for the extraction of environmental information are still unclear. To assess the impact of stride-coupled image shifts on visual information processing, we performed electrophysiological recordings from the HSE cell, a motion sensitive wide-field neuron in the blowfly visual system. This cell has been concluded to play a key role in mediating optomotor behavior, self-motion estimation and spatial information processing. We used visual stimuli that were based on the visual input experienced by walking blowflies while approaching a black vertical bar. The response of HSE to these stimuli was dominated by periodic membrane potential fluctuations evoked by stride-coupled image shifts. Nevertheless, during the approach the cell’s response contained information about the bar and its background. The response components evoked by the bar were larger than the responses to its background, especially during the last phase of the approach. However, as revealed by targeted modifications of the visual input during walking, the extraction of distance information on the basis of HSE responses is much impaired by stride-coupled retinal image shifts. Possible mechanisms that may cope with these stride-coupled responses are discussed. PMID:25309362

Innovative 3D Visualization of Electro-optic Data for MCM

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-09-30

The long-term goal is to develop innovative methods for transforming data taken by electro - optic and acoustic MCM sensors into graphical representations better suited to human interpretation, specifically to aid mine classification.

Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) Science Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffy, D.; Schnase, J. L.; McInerney, M.; Webster, W. P.; Sinno, S.; Thompson, J. H.; Griffith, P. C.; Hoy, E.; Carroll, M.

2014-12-01

The effects of climate change are being revealed at alarming rates in the Arctic and Boreal regions of the planet. NASA's Terrestrial Ecology Program has launched a major field campaign to study these effects over the next 5 to 8 years. The Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) will challenge scientists to take measurements in the field, study remote observations, and even run models to better understand the impacts of a rapidly changing climate for areas of Alaska and western Canada. The NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has partnered with the Terrestrial Ecology Program to create a science cloud designed for this field campaign - the ABoVE Science Cloud. The cloud combines traditional high performance computing with emerging technologies to create an environment specifically designed for large-scale climate analytics. The ABoVE Science Cloud utilizes (1) virtualized high-speed InfiniBand networks, (2) a combination of high-performance file systems and object storage, and (3) virtual system environments tailored for data intensive, science applications. At the center of the architecture is a large object storage environment, much like a traditional high-performance file system, that supports data proximal processing using technologies like MapReduce on a Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Surrounding the storage is a cloud of high performance compute resources with many processing cores and large memory coupled to the storage through an InfiniBand network. Virtual systems can be tailored to a specific scientist and provisioned on the compute resources with extremely high-speed network connectivity to the storage and to other virtual systems. In this talk, we will present the architectural components of the science cloud and examples of how it is being used to meet the needs of the ABoVE campaign. In our experience, the science cloud approach significantly lowers the barriers and risks to organizations that require high performance computing solutions and provides the NCCS with the agility required to meet our customers' rapidly increasing and evolving requirements.

WarpIV: In situ visualization and analysis of ion accelerator simulations

DOE PAGES

Rubel, Oliver; Loring, Burlen; Vay, Jean -Luc; ...

2016-05-09

The generation of short pulses of ion beams through the interaction of an intense laser with a plasma sheath offers the possibility of compact and cheaper ion sources for many applications--from fast ignition and radiography of dense targets to hadron therapy and injection into conventional accelerators. To enable the efficient analysis of large-scale, high-fidelity particle accelerator simulations using the Warp simulation suite, the authors introduce the Warp In situ Visualization Toolkit (WarpIV). WarpIV integrates state-of-the-art in situ visualization and analysis using VisIt with Warp, supports management and control of complex in situ visualization and analysis workflows, and implements integrated analyticsmore » to facilitate query- and feature-based data analytics and efficient large-scale data analysis. WarpIV enables for the first time distributed parallel, in situ visualization of the full simulation data using high-performance compute resources as the data is being generated by Warp. The authors describe the application of WarpIV to study and compare large 2D and 3D ion accelerator simulations, demonstrating significant differences in the acceleration process in 2D and 3D simulations. WarpIV is available to the public via https://bitbucket.org/berkeleylab/warpiv. The Warp In situ Visualization Toolkit (WarpIV) supports large-scale, parallel, in situ visualization and analysis and facilitates query- and feature-based analytics, enabling for the first time high-performance analysis of large-scale, high-fidelity particle accelerator simulations while the data is being generated by the Warp simulation suite. Furthermore, this supplemental material https://extras.computer.org/extra/mcg2016030022s1.pdf provides more details regarding the memory profiling and optimization and the Yee grid recentering optimization results discussed in the main article.« less

PLANETarium - Visualizing Earth Sciences in the Planetarium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, M. D.; Wiethoff, T.; Kraupe, T. W.

2013-12-01

In the past decade, projection systems in most planetariums, traditional sites of outreach and public education, have advanced from instruments that can visualize the motion of stars as beam spots moving over spherical projection areas to systems that are able to display multicolor, high-resolution, immersive full-dome videos or images. These extraordinary capabilities are ideally suited for visualization of global processes occurring on the surface and within the interior of the Earth, a spherical body just as the full dome. So far, however, our community has largely ignored this wonderful interface for outreach and education. A few documentaries on e.g. climate change or volcanic eruptions have been brought to planetariums, but are taking little advantage of the true potential of the medium, as mostly based on standard two-dimensional videos and cartoon-style animations. Along these lines, we here propose a framework to convey recent scientific results on the origin and evolution of our PLANET to the >100,000,000 per-year worldwide audience of planetariums, making the traditionally astronomy-focussed interface a true PLANETarium. In order to do this most efficiently, we intend to directly show visualizations of scientific datasets or models, originally designed for basic research. Such visualizations in solid-Earth, as well as athmospheric and ocean sciences, are expected to be renderable to the dome with little or no effort. For example, showing global geophysical datasets (e.g., surface temperature, gravity, magnetic field), or horizontal slices of seismic-tomography images and of spherical computer simulations (e.g., climate evolution, mantle flow or ocean currents) requires almost no rendering at all. Three-dimensional Cartesian datasets or models can be rendered using standard methods. With the appropriate audio support, present-day science visualizations are typically as intuitive as cartoon-style animations, yet more appealing visually, and clearly more informative as revealing the complexity and beauty of our planet. In addition to e.g. climate change and natural hazards, themes of interest may include the coupled evolution of the Earth's interior and life, from the accretion of our planet to the generation and sustainment of the magnetic field as well as of habitable conditions in the atmosphere and oceans. We believe that high-quality tax-funded science visualizations should not exclusively be used to facilitate communication amoung scientists, but also be directly recycled to raise the public's awareness and appreciation of geosciences.

Is the hibiscus harlequin bug aposematic? The importance of testing multiple predators

PubMed Central

Fabricant, Scott A; Smith, Carolynn L

2014-01-01

Aposematism involves predators learning conspicuous signals of defended prey. However, prey species utilize a wide range of chemical (or physical) defenses, which are not likely to be equally aversive to all predators. Aposematism may therefore only be effective against a physiologically sensitive subset of potential predators, and this can only be identified through behavioral testing. We studied the emerging model organism Tectocoris diophthalmus (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae), an aposematically colored but weakly defended shieldback stinkbug, to test the efficacy of its defenses against a suite of predator types. We predicted the bugs' defenses would be ineffectual against both experienced and naïve birds but aversive to predaceous insects. Surprisingly, the opposite pattern was found. Both habituated wild passerines and naïve chickens avoided the bugs, the chickens after only one or two encounters. To avian predators, T. diophthalmus is aposematic. However, praying mantids showed no repellency, aversion, or toxicity associated with adult or juvenile bugs after multiple trials. Comparison with prior studies on mantids using bugs with chemically similar but more concentrated defenses underscores the importance of dose in addition to chemical identity in the efficacy of chemical defenses. Our results also emphasize the importance of behavioral testing with multiple ecologically relevant predators to understand selective pressures shaping aposematic signals and chemical defenses. PMID:24558567

Effect of the electric field ratio on electroosmotic flow patterns in cross-shaped microchannels by the lattice-Boltzmann Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Socias, Alvaro; Oyarzun, Diego; Guzman, Amador

2014-11-01

The electroosmotic flow (EOF) pattern characteristics in cross-shaped microchannels flow are important features when either suppressing or enhancing flow features for injection and separation or mixing of multiple species are the wanted objectives. There are situations in EOF in cross-shaped microchannels where the fluid flows toward unexpected and unwanted directions under a given external electric field that depends of both the applied electric field and lengths of the different channels. This article describes the effect of the electric field ratio, defined as the ratio between longitudinal nominal electric field ELong = (VE-VW) /(LW + LE) and the nominal electric field E a = (VS-VE) /(VS + VE) , where E, S and W define the east, south and west directions of the cross-shaped microchannel; V is the externally applied voltage and L is the length, on the EOF characteristics in a cross-shaped microchannel. We use the lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) for solving the discretized Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE) describing the coupled processes of hydrodynamics and electrodynamic. Our numerical simulations allow us to determine the EOF pattern for a wide range of the electric field ratio and Ea such that inverted flow features are captured and described, which are very important to determine for flow separation or mixing.

High- and ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance imaging of naïve, injured and scarred vocal fold mucosae in rats.

PubMed

Kishimoto, Ayami Ohno; Kishimoto, Yo; Young, David L; Zhang, Jinjin; Rowland, Ian J; Welham, Nathan V

2016-11-01

Subepithelial changes to the vocal fold mucosa, such as fibrosis, are difficult to identify using visual assessment of the tissue surface. Moreover, without suspicion of neoplasm, mucosal biopsy is not a viable clinical option, as it carries its own risk of iatrogenic injury and scar formation. Given these challenges, we assessed the ability of high- (4.7 T) and ultrahigh-field (9.4 T) magnetic resonance imaging to resolve key vocal fold subepithelial tissue structures in the rat, an important and widely used preclinical model in vocal fold biology. We conducted serial in vivo and ex vivo imaging, evaluated an array of acquisition sequences and contrast agents, and successfully resolved key anatomic features of naïve, acutely injured, and chronically scarred vocal fold mucosae on the ex vivo scans. Naïve lamina propria was hyperintense on T1-weighted imaging with gadobenate dimeglumine contrast enhancement, whereas chronic scar was characterized by reduced lamina propria T1 signal intensity and mucosal volume. Acutely injured mucosa was hypointense on T2-weighted imaging; lesion volume steadily increased, peaked at 5 days post-injury, and then decreased - consistent with the physiology of acute, followed by subacute, hemorrhage and associated changes in the magnetic state of hemoglobin and its degradation products. Intravenous administration of superparamagnetic iron oxide conferred no T2 contrast enhancement during the acute injury period. These findings confirm that magnetic resonance imaging can resolve anatomic substructures within naïve vocal fold mucosa, qualitative and quantitative features of acute injury, and the presence of chronic scar. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

High- and ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance imaging of naïve, injured and scarred vocal fold mucosae in rats

PubMed Central

Kishimoto, Ayami Ohno; Kishimoto, Yo; Young, David L.; Zhang, Jinjin

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Subepithelial changes to the vocal fold mucosa, such as fibrosis, are difficult to identify using visual assessment of the tissue surface. Moreover, without suspicion of neoplasm, mucosal biopsy is not a viable clinical option, as it carries its own risk of iatrogenic injury and scar formation. Given these challenges, we assessed the ability of high- (4.7 T) and ultrahigh-field (9.4 T) magnetic resonance imaging to resolve key vocal fold subepithelial tissue structures in the rat, an important and widely used preclinical model in vocal fold biology. We conducted serial in vivo and ex vivo imaging, evaluated an array of acquisition sequences and contrast agents, and successfully resolved key anatomic features of naïve, acutely injured, and chronically scarred vocal fold mucosae on the ex vivo scans. Naïve lamina propria was hyperintense on T1-weighted imaging with gadobenate dimeglumine contrast enhancement, whereas chronic scar was characterized by reduced lamina propria T1 signal intensity and mucosal volume. Acutely injured mucosa was hypointense on T2-weighted imaging; lesion volume steadily increased, peaked at 5 days post-injury, and then decreased – consistent with the physiology of acute, followed by subacute, hemorrhage and associated changes in the magnetic state of hemoglobin and its degradation products. Intravenous administration of superparamagnetic iron oxide conferred no T2 contrast enhancement during the acute injury period. These findings confirm that magnetic resonance imaging can resolve anatomic substructures within naïve vocal fold mucosa, qualitative and quantitative features of acute injury, and the presence of chronic scar. PMID:27638667

Functional alterations of fronto-limbic circuit and default mode network systems in first-episode, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis of resting-state fMRI data.

PubMed

Zhong, Xue; Pu, Weidan; Yao, Shuqiao

2016-12-01

The neurobiological mechanisms of depression are increasingly being explored through resting-state brain imaging studies. However, resting-state fMRI findings have varied, perhaps because of differences between study populations, which included the disorder course and medication use. The aim of our study was to integrate studies of resting-state fMRI and explore the alterations of abnormal brain activity in first-episode, drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder. Relevant imaging reports in English were searched, retrieved, selected and subjected to analysis by activation likelihood estimation, a coordinate-based meta-analysis technique (final sample, 31 studies). Coordinates extracted from the original reports were assigned to two categories based on effect directionality. Compared with healthy controls, the first-episode, medication-naïve major depressive disorder patients showed decreased brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, posterior precuneus, and posterior cingulate, as well as in visual areas within the occipital lobe, lingual gyrus, and fusiform gyrus, and increased activity in the putamen and anterior precuneus. Not every study that has reported relevant data met the inclusion criteria. Resting-state functional alterations were located mainly in the fronto-limbic system, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and putamen, and in the default mode network, namely the precuneus and superior/middle temporal gyrus. Abnormal functional alterations of the fronto-limbic circuit and default mode network may be characteristic of first-episode, drug-naïve major depressive disorder patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Visual evoked potential in RCS rats with Okayama University-type retinal prosthesis (OUReP™) implantation.

PubMed

Alamusi; Matsuo, Toshihiko; Hosoya, Osamu; Uchida, Tetsuya

2017-06-01

Photoelectric dye-coupled polyethylene film, designated Okayama University type-retinal prosthesis or OUReP™, generates light-evoked surface electric potentials and stimulates neurons. The dye-coupled films or plain films were implanted subretinally in both eyes of 10 Royal College of Surgeons rats with hereditary retinal dystrophy at the age of 6 weeks. Visual evoked potentials in response to monocular flashing light stimuli were recorded from cranially-fixed electrodes, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after the implantation. After the recording, subretinal film implantation was confirmed histologically in 7 eyes with dye-coupled films and 7 eyes with plain films. The recordings from these 7 eyes in each group were used for statistical analysis. The amplitudes of visual evoked potentials in the consecutive time points from 125 to 250 ms after flash were significantly larger in the 7 eyes with dye-coupled film implantation, compared to the 7 eyes with plain film implantation at 8 weeks after the implantation (P < 0.05, repeated-measure ANOVA). The photoelectric dye-coupled polyethylene film, as retinal prosthesis, gave rise to visual evoked potential in response to flashing light.

2010 Military Family Life Project (MFLP) - Couples: Tabulations of Responses

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-31

interest income; dividends; child support/alimony; social security, welfare assistance; and net rent, trusts, and royalties from any other investments ...2010 Military Family Life Project: Couples Tabulations of Responses Additional copies of this report may be obtained from: Defense... RESPONSES Defense Manpower Data Center Human Resources Strategic Assessment Program 4800 Mark Center Drive, Suite 04E25-01, Alexandria, VA 22350

Quantifying Astronaut Tasks: Robotic Technology and Future Space Suit Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Dava

2003-01-01

The primary aim of this research effort was to advance the current understanding of astronauts' capabilities and limitations in space-suited EVA by developing models of the constitutive and compatibility relations of a space suit, based on experimental data gained from human test subjects as well as a 12 degree-of-freedom human-sized robot, and utilizing these fundamental relations to estimate a human factors performance metric for space suited EVA work. The three specific objectives are to: 1) Compile a detailed database of torques required to bend the joints of a space suit, using realistic, multi- joint human motions. 2) Develop a mathematical model of the constitutive relations between space suit joint torques and joint angular positions, based on experimental data and compare other investigators' physics-based models to experimental data. 3) Estimate the work envelope of a space suited astronaut, using the constitutive and compatibility relations of the space suit. The body of work that makes up this report includes experimentation, empirical and physics-based modeling, and model applications. A detailed space suit joint torque-angle database was compiled with a novel experimental approach that used space-suited human test subjects to generate realistic, multi-joint motions and an instrumented robot to measure the torques required to accomplish these motions in a space suit. Based on the experimental data, a mathematical model is developed to predict joint torque from the joint angle history. Two physics-based models of pressurized fabric cylinder bending are compared to experimental data, yielding design insights. The mathematical model is applied to EVA operations in an inverse kinematic analysis coupled to the space suit model to calculate the volume in which space-suited astronauts can work with their hands, demonstrating that operational human factors metrics can be predicted from fundamental space suit information.

Coupling of erbium dopants to yttrium orthosilicate photonic crystal cavities for on-chip optical quantum memories

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

Miyazono, Evan; Zhong, Tian; Craiciu, Ioana

Erbium dopants in crystals exhibit highly coherent optical transitions well suited for solid-state optical quantum memories operating in the telecom band. Here, we demonstrate coupling of erbium dopant ions in yttrium orthosilicate to a photonic crystal cavity fabricated directly in the host crystal using focused ion beam milling. The coupling leads to reduction of the photoluminescence lifetime and enhancement of the optical depth in microns-long devices, which will enable on-chip quantum memories.

Aircraft Measurements for Understanding Air-Sea Coupling and Improving Coupled Model Predictions

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

physical parameterizations of the coupled model in various large-scale forcing conditions. OBJECTIVES The NOAA WP-3D efforts of DYNAMO /LASP intend...various phases of the MJO; 3) to extend point measurements on island and ships to a broader area near the DYNAMO region; and 4) To obtain a suite of...upper ocean characteristics from a large number of AXBT/AXCTD data. In addition, as one of the unique measurement strategy of LASP/ DYNAMO WP-3D project

Treemap Visualization for Space Situational Awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-18

virtually any display like a table with textual metadata, a hyperlink to a web page, or another treemap. Animation can be used to “explode” the tile to...release; distribution unlimited. 88ABW Cleared 07/30/2015; 88ABW-2015-3828. In Fig. 7 shown below, we have chosen to select “Size By Radar Cross...Section ( RCS )”. We’re still looking at the same Unclassified Space Catalog scenario, but we’ve simply chosen a different “Size by” option, and the view

Two Birds With One Stone: Application of Fundamental Cognitive Theory of Visual Perception Supporting Fratricide Prevention and Sensor Modeling Experimentation

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

tools capable of reducing fratricide and collateral damage. The theory of recognition-by-components developed by Dr. Irving Biederman presented a...trainer. The key to thermal combat identification was discovered in an unusual place: chick sexing. Biederman and Shiffrar [11] conducted object...professional sexers was .82. Biederman and Shiffrar conclude that “…after instruction the performance of the naïve subjects more closely resemble that of the

A Deterministic Electron, Photon, Proton and Heavy Ion Radiation Transport Suite for the Study of the Jovian System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, Ryan B.; Badavi, Francis F.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Atwell, William

2011-01-01

A deterministic suite of radiation transport codes, developed at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), which describe the transport of electrons, photons, protons, and heavy ions in condensed media is used to simulate exposures from spectral distributions typical of electrons, protons and carbon-oxygen-sulfur (C-O-S) trapped heavy ions in the Jovian radiation environment. The particle transport suite consists of a coupled electron and photon deterministic transport algorithm (CEPTRN) and a coupled light particle and heavy ion deterministic transport algorithm (HZETRN). The primary purpose for the development of the transport suite is to provide a means for the spacecraft design community to rapidly perform numerous repetitive calculations essential for electron, proton and heavy ion radiation exposure assessments in complex space structures. In this paper, the radiation environment of the Galilean satellite Europa is used as a representative boundary condition to show the capabilities of the transport suite. While the transport suite can directly access the output electron spectra of the Jovian environment as generated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Galileo Interim Radiation Electron (GIRE) model of 2003; for the sake of relevance to the upcoming Europa Jupiter System Mission (EJSM), the 105 days at Europa mission fluence energy spectra provided by JPL is used to produce the corresponding dose-depth curve in silicon behind an aluminum shield of 100 mils ( 0.7 g/sq cm). The transport suite can also accept ray-traced thickness files from a computer-aided design (CAD) package and calculate the total ionizing dose (TID) at a specific target point. In that regard, using a low-fidelity CAD model of the Galileo probe, the transport suite was verified by comparing with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for orbits JOI--J35 of the Galileo extended mission (1996-2001). For the upcoming EJSM mission with a potential launch date of 2020, the transport suite is used to compute the traditional aluminum-silicon dose-depth calculation as a standard shield-target combination output, as well as the shielding response of high charge (Z) shields such as tantalum (Ta). Finally, a shield optimization algorithm is used to guide the instrument designer with the choice of graded-Z shield analysis.

A single session of meditation reduces of physiological indices of anger in both experienced and novice meditators.

PubMed

Fennell, Alexander B; Benau, Erik M; Atchley, Ruth Ann

2016-02-01

The goal of the present study was to explore how anger reduction via a single session of meditation might be measured using psychophysiological methodologies. To achieve this, 15 novice meditators (Experiment 1) and 12 practiced meditators (Experiment 2) completed autobiographical anger inductions prior to, and following, meditation training while respiration rate, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured. Participants also reported subjective anger via a visual analog scale. At both stages, the experienced meditators' physiological reaction to the anger induction reflected that of relaxation: slowed breathing and heart rate and decreased blood pressure. Naïve meditators exhibited physiological reactions that were consistent with anger during the pre-meditation stage, while after meditation training and a second anger induction they elicited physiological evidence of relaxation. The current results examining meditation training show that the naïve group's physiological measures mimicked those of the experienced group following a single session of meditation training. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The interplays among technology and content, immersant and VE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Meehae; Gromala, Diane; Shaw, Chris; Barnes, Steven J.

2010-01-01

The research program aims to explore and examine the fine balance necessary for maintaining the interplays between technology and the immersant, including identifying qualities that contribute to creating and maintaining a sense of "presence" and "immersion" in an immersive virtual reality (IVR) experience. Building upon and extending previous work, we compare sitting meditation with walking meditation in a virtual environment (VE). The Virtual Meditative Walk, a new work-in-progress, integrates VR and biofeedback technologies with a self-directed, uni-directional treadmill. As immersants learn how to meditate while walking, robust, real-time biofeedback technology continuously measures breathing, skin conductance and heart rate. The physiological states of the immersant will in turn affect the audio and stereoscopic visual media through shutter glasses. We plan to test the potential benefits and limitations of this physically active form of meditation with data from a sitting form of meditation. A mixed-methods approach to testing user outcomes parallels the knowledge bases of the collaborative team: a physician, computer scientists and artists.

GLO-STIX: Graph-Level Operations for Specifying Techniques and Interactive eXploration

PubMed Central

Stolper, Charles D.; Kahng, Minsuk; Lin, Zhiyuan; Foerster, Florian; Goel, Aakash; Stasko, John; Chau, Duen Horng

2015-01-01

The field of graph visualization has produced a wealth of visualization techniques for accomplishing a variety of analysis tasks. Therefore analysts often rely on a suite of different techniques, and visual graph analysis application builders strive to provide this breadth of techniques. To provide a holistic model for specifying network visualization techniques (as opposed to considering each technique in isolation) we present the Graph-Level Operations (GLO) model. We describe a method for identifying GLOs and apply it to identify five classes of GLOs, which can be flexibly combined to re-create six canonical graph visualization techniques. We discuss advantages of the GLO model, including potentially discovering new, effective network visualization techniques and easing the engineering challenges of building multi-technique graph visualization applications. Finally, we implement the GLOs that we identified into the GLO-STIX prototype system that enables an analyst to interactively explore a graph by applying GLOs. PMID:26005315

The utility of high-resolution intraoperative MRI in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary macroadenomas: early experience in the Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating suite

PubMed Central

Zaidi, Hasan A.; De Los Reyes, Kenneth; Barkhoudarian, Garni; Litvack, Zachary N.; Bi, Wenya Linda; Rincon-Torroella, Jordina; Mukundan, Srinivasan; Dunn, Ian F.; Laws, Edward R.

2016-01-01

Objective Endoscopic skull base surgery has become increasingly popular among the skull base surgery community, with improved illumination and angled visualization potentially improving tumor resection rates. Intraoperative MRI (iMRI) is used to detect residual disease during the course of the resection. This study is an investigation of the utility of 3-T iMRI in combination with transnasal endoscopy with regard to gross-total resection (GTR) of pituitary macroadenomas. Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed all endoscopic transsphenoidal operations performed in the Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) suite from November 2011 to December 2014. Inclusion criteria were patients harboring presumed pituitary macroadenomas with optic nerve or chiasmal compression and visual loss, operated on by a single surgeon. Results Of the 27 patients who underwent transsphenoidal resection in the AMIGO suite, 20 patients met the inclusion criteria. The endoscope alone, without the use of iMRI, would have correctly predicted 13 (65%) of 20 cases. Gross-total resection was achieved in 12 patients (60%) prior to MRI. Intraoperative MRI helped convert 1 STR and 4 NTRs to GTRs, increasing the number of GTRs from 12 (60%) to 16 (80%). Conclusions Despite advances in visualization provided by the endoscope, the incidence of residual disease can potentially place the patient at risk for additional surgery. The authors found that iMRI can be useful in detecting unexpected residual tumor. The cost-effectiveness of this tool is yet to be determined. PMID:26926058

Geochemical fingerprinting of ∼2.5 Ga forearc-arc-backarc related magmatic suites in the Bastar Craton, central India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asthana, Deepanker; Kumar, Sirish; Vind, Aditya Kumar; Zehra, Fatima; Kumar, Harshavardhan; Pophare, Anil M.

2018-05-01

The Pitepani volcanic suite of the Dongargarh Supergroup, central India comprises of a calc-alkaline suite and a tholeiitic suite, respectively. The rare earth element (REE) patterns, mantle normalized plots and relict clinopyroxene chemistry of the Pitepani calc-alkaline suite are akin to high-Mg andesites (HMA) and reveal remarkable similarity to the Cenozoic Setouchi HMA from Japan. The Pitepani HMAs are geochemically correlated with similar rocks in the Kotri-Dongargarh mobile belt (KDMB) and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The rationale behind lithogeochemical correlations are that sanukitic HMAs represent fore-arc volcanism over a very limited period of time, under abnormally high temperature conditions and are excellent regional and tectonic time markers. Furthermore, the tholeiitic suites that are temporally and spatially associated with the HMAs in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton are classified into: (a) a continental back-arc suite that are depleted in incompatible elements, and (b) a continental arc suite that are more depleted in incompatible elements, respectively. The HMA suite, the continental back-arc and continental arc suites are lithogeochemically correlated in the KDMB and in the mafic dykes of the Bastar Craton. The three geochemically distinct Neoarchaean magmatic suites are temporally and spatially related to each other and to an active continental margin. The identification of three active continental margin magmatic suites for the first time, provides a robust conceptual framework to unravel the Neoarchaean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton. We propose an active continental margin along the Neoarchaen KDMB with eastward subduction coupled with slab roll back or preferably, ridge-subduction along the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ) to account for the three distinct magmatic suites and the Neoarchean geodynamic evolution of the Bastar Craton.

Using RSVP for analyzing state and previous activities for the Mars Exploration Rovers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Brian K.; Wright, John; Hartman, Frank; Maxwell, Scott; Yen, Jeng

2004-01-01

This paper will discuss the tools and methodologies present in the RSVP suite for examining rover state, reviewing previous activities, visually comparing telemetered results to rehearse results, and reveiwing sciene and engineering imagery.

Spherical Coordinate Systems for Streamlining Suited Mobility Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, Elizabeth; Cowley, Matthew; Harvill, Lauren; Rajulu. Sudhakar

2015-01-01

Introduction: When describing human motion, biomechanists generally report joint angles in terms of Euler angle rotation sequences. However, there are known limitations in using this method to describe complex motions such as the shoulder joint during a baseball pitch. Euler angle notation uses a series of three rotations about an axis where each rotation is dependent upon the preceding rotation. As such, the Euler angles need to be regarded as a set to get accurate angle information. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to visualize and understand these complex motion representations. It has been shown that using a spherical coordinate system allows Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility (ABF) personnel to increase their ability to transmit important human mobility data to engineers, in a format that is readily understandable and directly translatable to their design efforts. Objectives: The goal of this project was to use innovative analysis and visualization techniques to aid in the examination and comprehension of complex motions. Methods: This project consisted of a series of small sub-projects, meant to validate and verify a new method before it was implemented in the ABF's data analysis practices. A mechanical test rig was built and tracked in 3D using an optical motion capture system. Its position and orientation were reported in both Euler and spherical reference systems. In the second phase of the project, the ABF estimated the error inherent in a spherical coordinate system, and evaluated how this error would vary within the reference frame. This stage also involved expanding a kinematic model of the shoulder to include the rest of the joints of the body. The third stage of the project involved creating visualization methods to assist in interpreting motion in a spherical frame. These visualization methods will be incorporated in a tool to evaluate a database of suited mobility data, which is currently in development. Results: Initial results demonstrated that a spherical coordinate system is helpful in describing and visualizing the motion of a space suit. The system is particularly useful in describing the motion of the shoulder, where multiple degrees of freedom can lead to very complex motion paths.

Unraveling transcriptional control and cis-regulatory codes using the software suite GeneACT

PubMed Central

Cheung, Tom Hiu; Kwan, Yin Lam; Hamady, Micah; Liu, Xuedong

2006-01-01

Deciphering gene regulatory networks requires the systematic identification of functional cis-acting regulatory elements. We present a suite of web-based bioinformatics tools, called GeneACT , that can rapidly detect evolutionarily conserved transcription factor binding sites or microRNA target sites that are either unique or over-represented in differentially expressed genes from DNA microarray data. GeneACT provides graphic visualization and extraction of common regulatory sequence elements in the promoters and 3'-untranslated regions that are conserved across multiple mammalian species. PMID:17064417

Comparison of grasping movements made by healthy subjects in a 3-dimensional immersive virtual versus physical environment.

PubMed

Magdalon, Eliane C; Michaelsen, Stella M; Quevedo, Antonio A; Levin, Mindy F

2011-09-01

Virtual reality (VR) technology is being used with increasing frequency as a training medium for motor rehabilitation. However, before addressing training effectiveness in virtual environments (VEs), it is necessary to identify if movements made in such environments are kinematically similar to those made in physical environments (PEs) and the effect of provision of haptic feedback on these movement patterns. These questions are important since reach-to-grasp movements may be inaccurate when visual or haptic feedback is altered or absent. Our goal was to compare kinematics of reaching and grasping movements to three objects performed in an immersive three-dimensional (3D) VE with haptic feedback (cyberglove/grasp system) viewed through a head-mounted display to those made in an equivalent physical environment (PE). We also compared movements in PE made with and without wearing the cyberglove/grasp haptic feedback system. Ten healthy subjects (8 women, 62.1±8.8years) reached and grasped objects requiring 3 different grasp types (can, diameter 65.6mm, cylindrical grasp; screwdriver, diameter 31.6mm, power grasp; pen, diameter 7.5mm, precision grasp) in PE and visually similar virtual objects in VE. Temporal and spatial arm and trunk kinematics were analyzed. Movements were slower and grip apertures were wider when wearing the glove in both the PE and the VE compared to movements made in the PE without the glove. When wearing the glove, subjects used similar reaching trajectories in both environments, preserved the coordination between reaching and grasping and scaled grip aperture to object size for the larger object (cylindrical grasp). However, in VE compared to PE, movements were slower and had longer deceleration times, elbow extension was greater when reaching to the smallest object and apertures were wider for the power and precision grip tasks. Overall, the differences in spatial and temporal kinematics of movements between environments were greater than those due only to wearing the cyberglove/grasp system. Differences in movement kinematics due to the viewing environment were likely due to a lack of prior experience with the virtual environment, an uncertainty of object location and the restricted field-of-view when wearing the head-mounted display. The results can be used to inform the design and disposition of objects within 3D VEs for the study of the control of prehension and for upper limb rehabilitation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microstructure and rheology of thermoreversible nanoparticle gels.

PubMed

Ramakrishnan, S; Zukoski, C F

2006-08-29

Naïve mode coupling theory is applied to particles interacting with short-range Yukawa attractions. Model results for the location of the gel line and the modulus of the resulting gels are reduced to algebraic equations capturing the effects of the range and strength of attraction. This model is then applied to thermo reversible gels composed of octadecyl silica particles suspended in decalin. The application of the model to the experimental system requires linking the experimental variable controlling strength of attraction, temperature, to the model strength of attraction. With this link, the model predicts temperature and volume fraction dependencies of gelation and modulus with five parameters: particle size, particle volume fraction, overlap volume of surface hairs, and theta temperature. In comparing model predictions with experimental results, we first observe that in these thermal gels there is no evidence of clustering as has been reported in depletion gels. One consequence of this observation is that there are no additional adjustable parameters required to make quantitative comparisons between experimental results and model predictions. Our results indicate that the naïve mode coupling approach taken here in conjunction with a model linking temperature to strength of attraction provides a robust approach for making quantitative predictions of gel mechanical properties. Extension of model predictions to additional experimental systems requires linking experimental variables to the Yukawa strength and range of attraction.

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

Rubel, Oliver; Loring, Burlen; Vay, Jean -Luc

The generation of short pulses of ion beams through the interaction of an intense laser with a plasma sheath offers the possibility of compact and cheaper ion sources for many applications--from fast ignition and radiography of dense targets to hadron therapy and injection into conventional accelerators. To enable the efficient analysis of large-scale, high-fidelity particle accelerator simulations using the Warp simulation suite, the authors introduce the Warp In situ Visualization Toolkit (WarpIV). WarpIV integrates state-of-the-art in situ visualization and analysis using VisIt with Warp, supports management and control of complex in situ visualization and analysis workflows, and implements integrated analyticsmore » to facilitate query- and feature-based data analytics and efficient large-scale data analysis. WarpIV enables for the first time distributed parallel, in situ visualization of the full simulation data using high-performance compute resources as the data is being generated by Warp. The authors describe the application of WarpIV to study and compare large 2D and 3D ion accelerator simulations, demonstrating significant differences in the acceleration process in 2D and 3D simulations. WarpIV is available to the public via https://bitbucket.org/berkeleylab/warpiv. The Warp In situ Visualization Toolkit (WarpIV) supports large-scale, parallel, in situ visualization and analysis and facilitates query- and feature-based analytics, enabling for the first time high-performance analysis of large-scale, high-fidelity particle accelerator simulations while the data is being generated by the Warp simulation suite. Furthermore, this supplemental material https://extras.computer.org/extra/mcg2016030022s1.pdf provides more details regarding the memory profiling and optimization and the Yee grid recentering optimization results discussed in the main article.« less

Acrylic Tanks for Stunning Chemical Demonstrations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mirholm, Alexander; Ellervik, Ulf

2009-01-01

We describe the use of acrylic tanks (400 x 450 x 27 mm) for visualization of chemical demonstrations in aqueous solutions. Examples of well-suited demonstrations are oscillating reactions, pH indicators, photochemical reduction of Lauth's violet, and chemoluminiscent reactions. (Contains 1 figure.)

Hekate: Software Suite for the Mass Spectrometric Analysis and Three-Dimensional Visualization of Cross-Linked Protein Samples

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Chemical cross-linking of proteins combined with mass spectrometry provides an attractive and novel method for the analysis of native protein structures and protein complexes. Analysis of the data however is complex. Only a small number of cross-linked peptides are produced during sample preparation and must be identified against a background of more abundant native peptides. To facilitate the search and identification of cross-linked peptides, we have developed a novel software suite, named Hekate. Hekate is a suite of tools that address the challenges involved in analyzing protein cross-linking experiments when combined with mass spectrometry. The software is an integrated pipeline for the automation of the data analysis workflow and provides a novel scoring system based on principles of linear peptide analysis. In addition, it provides a tool for the visualization of identified cross-links using three-dimensional models, which is particularly useful when combining chemical cross-linking with other structural techniques. Hekate was validated by the comparative analysis of cytochrome c (bovine heart) against previously reported data.1 Further validation was carried out on known structural elements of DNA polymerase III, the catalytic α-subunit of the Escherichia coli DNA replisome along with new insight into the previously uncharacterized C-terminal domain of the protein. PMID:24010795

Change in end-tidal carbon dioxide outperforms other surrogates for change in cardiac output during fluid challenge.

PubMed

Lakhal, K; Nay, M A; Kamel, T; Lortat-Jacob, B; Ehrmann, S; Rozec, B; Boulain, T

2017-03-01

During fluid challenge, volume expansion (VE)-induced increase in cardiac output (Δ VE CO) is seldom measured. In patients with shock undergoing strictly controlled mechanical ventilation and receiving VE, we assessed minimally invasive surrogates for Δ VE CO (by transthoracic echocardiography): fluid-induced increases in end-tidal carbon dioxide (Δ VE E'CO2 ); pulse (Δ VE PP), systolic (Δ VE SBP), and mean systemic blood pressure (Δ VE MBP); and femoral artery Doppler flow (Δ VE FemFlow). In the absence of arrhythmia, fluid-induced decrease in heart rate (Δ VE HR) and in pulse pressure respiratory variation (Δ VE PPV) were also evaluated. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC ROC s) reflect the ability to identify a response to VE (Δ VE CO ≥15%). In 86 patients, Δ VE E'CO2 had an AUC ROC =0.82 [interquartile range 0.73-0.90], significantly higher than the AUC ROC for Δ VE PP, Δ VE SBP, Δ VE MBP, and Δ VE FemFlow (AUC ROC =0.61-0.65, all P  <0.05). A value of Δ VE E'CO2  >1 mm Hg (>0.13 kPa) had good positive (5.0 [2.6-9.8]) and fair negative (0.29 [0.2-0.5]) likelihood ratios. The 16 patients with arrhythmia had similar relationships between Δ VE E'CO2 and Δ VE CO to patients with regular rhythm ( r 2 =0.23 in both subgroups). In 60 patients with no arrhythmia, Δ VE E'CO2 (AUC ROC =0.84 [0.72-0.92]) outperformed Δ VE HR (AUC ROC =0.52 [0.39-0.66], P <0.05) and tended to outperform Δ VE PPV (AUC ROC =0.73 [0.60-0.84], P =0.21). In the 45 patients with no arrhythmia and receiving ventilation with tidal volume <8 ml kg -1 , Δ VE E'CO2 performed better than Δ VE PPV, with AUC ROC =0.86 [0.72-0.95] vs 0.66 [0.49-0.80], P =0.02. Δ VE E'CO2 outperformed Δ VE PP, Δ VE SBP, Δ VE MBP, Δ VE FemFlow, and Δ VE HR and, during protective ventilation, arrhythmia, or both, it also outperformed Δ VE PPV. A value of Δ VE E'CO2 >1 mm Hg (>0.13 kPa) indicated a likely response to VE. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

When Art Moves the Eyes: A Behavioral and Eye-Tracking Study

PubMed Central

Massaro, Davide; Savazzi, Federica; Di Dio, Cinzia; Freedberg, David; Gallese, Vittorio; Gilli, Gabriella; Marchetti, Antonella

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate, using eye-tracking technique, the influence of bottom-up and top-down processes on visual behavior while subjects, naïve to art criticism, were presented with representational paintings. Forty-two subjects viewed color and black and white paintings (Color) categorized as dynamic or static (Dynamism) (bottom-up processes). Half of the images represented natural environments and half human subjects (Content); all stimuli were displayed under aesthetic and movement judgment conditions (Task) (top-down processes). Results on gazing behavior showed that content-related top-down processes prevailed over low-level visually-driven bottom-up processes when a human subject is represented in the painting. On the contrary, bottom-up processes, mediated by low-level visual features, particularly affected gazing behavior when looking at nature-content images. We discuss our results proposing a reconsideration of the definition of content-related top-down processes in accordance with the concept of embodied simulation in art perception. PMID:22624007

When art moves the eyes: a behavioral and eye-tracking study.

PubMed

Massaro, Davide; Savazzi, Federica; Di Dio, Cinzia; Freedberg, David; Gallese, Vittorio; Gilli, Gabriella; Marchetti, Antonella

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate, using eye-tracking technique, the influence of bottom-up and top-down processes on visual behavior while subjects, naïve to art criticism, were presented with representational paintings. Forty-two subjects viewed color and black and white paintings (Color) categorized as dynamic or static (Dynamism) (bottom-up processes). Half of the images represented natural environments and half human subjects (Content); all stimuli were displayed under aesthetic and movement judgment conditions (Task) (top-down processes). Results on gazing behavior showed that content-related top-down processes prevailed over low-level visually-driven bottom-up processes when a human subject is represented in the painting. On the contrary, bottom-up processes, mediated by low-level visual features, particularly affected gazing behavior when looking at nature-content images. We discuss our results proposing a reconsideration of the definition of content-related top-down processes in accordance with the concept of embodied simulation in art perception.

SCALE Code System

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

Rearden, Bradley T.; Jessee, Matthew Anderson

The SCALE Code System is a widely-used modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design that is developed, maintained, tested, and managed by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor and lattice physics, radiation shielding, spent fuel and radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Since 1980, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for safety analysis and design. SCALE provides an integrated framework with dozens of computational modules including three deterministicmore » and three Monte Carlo radiation transport solvers that are selected based on the desired solution strategy. SCALE includes current nuclear data libraries and problem-dependent processing tools for continuous-energy (CE) and multigroup (MG) neutronics and coupled neutron-gamma calculations, as well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE includes unique capabilities for automated variance reduction for shielding calculations, as well as sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization of nuclear data, and convenient access to desired results.« less

SCALE Code System 6.2.1

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

Rearden, Bradley T.; Jessee, Matthew Anderson

The SCALE Code System is a widely-used modeling and simulation suite for nuclear safety analysis and design that is developed, maintained, tested, and managed by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division (RNSD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). SCALE provides a comprehensive, verified and validated, user-friendly tool set for criticality safety, reactor and lattice physics, radiation shielding, spent fuel and radioactive source term characterization, and sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. Since 1980, regulators, licensees, and research institutions around the world have used SCALE for safety analysis and design. SCALE provides an integrated framework with dozens of computational modules including three deterministicmore » and three Monte Carlo radiation transport solvers that are selected based on the desired solution strategy. SCALE includes current nuclear data libraries and problem-dependent processing tools for continuous-energy (CE) and multigroup (MG) neutronics and coupled neutron-gamma calculations, as well as activation, depletion, and decay calculations. SCALE includes unique capabilities for automated variance reduction for shielding calculations, as well as sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. SCALE’s graphical user interfaces assist with accurate system modeling, visualization of nuclear data, and convenient access to desired results.« less

Vibronic coupling simulations for linear and nonlinear optical processes: Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silverstein, Daniel W.; Jensen, Lasse

2012-02-01

A comprehensive vibronic coupling model based on the time-dependent wavepacket approach is derived to simulate linear optical processes, such as one-photon absorbance and resonance Raman scattering, and nonlinear optical processes, such as two-photon absorbance and resonance hyper-Raman scattering. This approach is particularly well suited for combination with first-principles calculations. Expressions for the Franck-Condon terms, and non-Condon effects via the Herzberg-Teller coupling approach in the independent-mode displaced harmonic oscillator model are presented. The significance of each contribution to the different spectral types is discussed briefly.

An investigation of the effects of pitch-roll (de)-coupling on helicopter handling qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ockier, C. J.; Pausder, H. J.; Blanken, C. L.

1995-01-01

An investigation of the effects of pitch-roll coupling on helicopter handling qualities was performed by the US Army and DLR, using a NASA ground-based and a DLR inflight simulator. Over 90 different coupling configurations were evaluated using a roll-axis tracking task. The results show that although the current ADS-33C coupling criterion discriminates against those types of coupling typical of conventionally controlled helicopters, it not always suited for the prediction of handling qualities of helicopters with modern control systems. Based on the observation that high frequency inputs during tracking are used to alleviate coupling, a frequency domain pitch-roll coupling criterion that uses the average coupling ratio between the bandwidth and neutral stability frequency is formulated. This criterion provides a more comprehensive coverage with respect to the different types of coupling and shows excellent consistency.

Analyzing energy-water exchange dynamics in the Thar desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raja, P.; Singh, Nilendu; Srinivas, C. V.; Singhal, Mohit; Chauhan, Pankaj; Singh, Maharaj; Sinha, N. K.

2017-07-01

Regions of strong land-atmosphere coupling will be more susceptible to the hydrological impacts in the intensifying hydrological cycle. In this study, micrometeorological experiments were performed to examine the land-atmosphere coupling strength over a heat low region (Thar desert, NW India), known to influence the Indian summer monsoon (ISM). Within the vortex of Thar desert heat low, energy-water exchange and coupling behavior were studied for 4 consecutive years (2011-2014) based on sub-hourly measurements of radiative-convective flux, state parameters and sub-surface thermal profiles using lead-lag analysis between various E-W balance components. Results indicated a strong (0.11-0.35) but variable monsoon season (July-September) land-atmosphere coupling events. Coupling strength declined with time, becomes negative beyond 10-day lag. Evapotranspiration (LE) influences rainfall at the monthly time-scale (20-40 days). Highly correlated monthly rainfall and LE anomalies (r = 0.55, P < 0.001) suggested a large precipitation memory linked to the local land surface state. Sensible heating (SH) during March and April are more strongly (r = 0.6-0.7) correlated to ISM rainfall than heating during May or June (r = 0.16-0.36). Analyses show strong and weak couplings among net radiation (Rn)-vapour pressure deficit (VPD), LE-VPD and Rn-LE switching between energy-limited to water-limited conditions. Consistently, +ve and -ve residual energy [(dE) = (Rn - G) - (SH + LE)] were associated with regional wet and dry spells respectively with a lead of 10-40 days. Dew deposition (18.8-37.9 mm) was found an important component in the annual surface water balance. Strong association of variation of LE and rainfall was found during monsoon at local-scale and with regional-scale LE (MERRA 2D) but with a lag which was more prominent at local-scale than at regional-scale. Higher pre-monsoon LE at local-scale as compared to low and monotonous variation in regional-scale LE led to hypothesize that excess energy and water vapour brought through advection caused by pre-monsoon rainfall might have been recycled through rainfall to compensate for early part of monsoon rainfall at local-scale. However, long-term measurements and isotope analysis would be able to strengthen this hypothesis. This study would fill the key gaps in the global flux studies and improve understanding on local E-W exchange pathways, responses and feedbacks.

Integration of bus stop counts data with census data for improving bus service.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-04-01

This research project produced an open source transit market data visualization and analysis tool suite, : The Bus Transit Market Analyst (BTMA), which contains user-friendly GIS mapping and data : analytics tools, and state-of-the-art transit demand...

Extended capability of the integrated transport analysis suite, TASK3D-a, for LHD experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yokoyama, M.; Seki, R.; Suzuki, C.; Sato, M.; Emoto, M.; Murakami, S.; Osakabe, M.; Tsujimura, T. Ii.; Yoshimura, Y.; Ido, T.; Ogawa, K.; Satake, S.; Suzuki, Y.; Goto, T.; Ida, K.; Pablant, N.; Gates, D.; Warmer, F.; Vincenzi, P.; Simulation Reactor Research Project, Numerical; LHD Experiment Group

2017-12-01

The integrated transport analysis suite, TASK3D-a (Analysis), has been developed to be capable for routine whole-discharge analyses of plasmas confined in three-dimensional (3D) magnetic configurations such as the LHD. The routine dynamic energy balance analysis for NBI-heated plasmas was made possible in the first version released in September 2012. The suite has been further extended through implementing additional modules for neoclassical transport and ECH deposition for 3D configurations. A module has also been added for creating systematic data for the International Stellarator-Heliotron Confinement and Profile Database. Improvement of neutral beam injection modules for multiple-ion species plasmas and loose coupling with a large-simulation code are also highlights of recent developments.

Emerging approach for analytical characterization and geographical classification of Moroccan and French honeys by means of a voltammetric electronic tongue.

PubMed

El Alami El Hassani, Nadia; Tahri, Khalid; Llobet, Eduard; Bouchikhi, Benachir; Errachid, Abdelhamid; Zine, Nadia; El Bari, Nezha

2018-03-15

Moroccan and French honeys from different geographical areas were classified and characterized by applying a voltammetric electronic tongue (VE-tongue) coupled to analytical methods. The studied parameters include color intensity, free lactonic and total acidity, proteins, phenols, hydroxymethylfurfural content (HMF), sucrose, reducing and total sugars. The geographical classification of different honeys was developed through three-pattern recognition techniques: principal component analysis (PCA), support vector machines (SVMs) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Honey characterization was achieved by partial least squares modeling (PLS). All the PLS models developed were able to accurately estimate the correct values of the parameters analyzed using as input the voltammetric experimental data (i.e. r>0.9). This confirms the potential ability of the VE-tongue for performing a rapid characterization of honeys via PLS in which an uncomplicated, cost-effective sample preparation process that does not require the use of additional chemicals is implemented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

LaRow, Timothy

The SSTs used in our study come from the Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) (Gent et al 2011) and from the Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis (CanESM2) (Chylek et al20ll) climate models from the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) (Taylor et al2012). We've examined the tropical cyclones using both the historical simulation that employs volcanic and aerosol forcing as well as the representative concentration pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5). In addition, we've compared the present day North Atlantic tropical cyclone metrics from a previous study (LaRow, 2013) to these climate change experiments. The experimental setup is shownmore » in Table 1. We considered the CMIP5 experiment number '3.2 historical' (Taylor et al,201l), which provides simulations of the recent past (1850-2005). The second set of CMIP5 SSTs is the RCp4.5 experiment where the radiative forcing stabilizes at 45W m-2 after 2100 (experiment number 4.1 in Taylor etal2}ll).« less

A guide to the visual analysis and communication of biomolecular structural data.

PubMed

Johnson, Graham T; Hertig, Samuel

2014-10-01

Biologists regularly face an increasingly difficult task - to effectively communicate bigger and more complex structural data using an ever-expanding suite of visualization tools. Whether presenting results to peers or educating an outreach audience, a scientist can achieve maximal impact with minimal production time by systematically identifying an audience's needs, planning solutions from a variety of visual communication techniques and then applying the most appropriate software tools. A guide to available resources that range from software tools to professional illustrators can help researchers to generate better figures and presentations tailored to any audience's needs, and enable artistically inclined scientists to create captivating outreach imagery.

Virtual Reality as a Medium for Sensorimotor Adaptation Training and Spaceflight Countermeasures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madansingh, S.; Bloomberg, J. J.

2014-01-01

Astronauts experience a profound sensorimotor adaptation during transition to and from the microgravity environment of space. With the upcoming shift to extra-long duration missions (upwards of 1 year) aboard the International Space Station, the immediate risks to astronauts during these transitory periods become more important than ever to understand and prepare for. Recent advances in virtual reality technology enable everyday adoption of these tools for entertainment and use in training. Embedding an individual in a virtual environment (VE) allows the ability to change the perception of visual flow, elicit automatic motor behavior and produce sensorimotor adaptation, not unlike those required during long duration microgravity exposure. The overall goal of this study is to determine the feasibility of present head mounted display technology (HMD) to produce reliable visual flow information and the expected adaptation associated with virtual environment manipulation to be used in future sensorimotor adaptability countermeasures. To further understand the influence of visual flow on gait adaptation during treadmill walking, a series of discordant visual flow manipulations in a virtual environment are proposed. Six healthy participants (3 male and 3 female) will observe visual flow information via HMD (Oculus Rift DK2) while walking on an instrumented treadmill at their preferred walking speed. Participants will be immersed in a series of VE's resembling infinite hallways with different visual characteristics: an office hallway, a hallway with pillars and the hallway of a fictional spacecraft. Participants will perform three trials of 10 min. each, which include walking on the treadmill while receiving congruent or incongruent visual information via the HMD. In the first trial, participants will experience congruent visual information (baseline) where the hallway is perceived to move at the same rate as their walking speed. The final two trials will be randomized among participants where the hallway is perceived to move at either half (0.5x) or twice (2.0x) their preferred walking speed. Participants will remain on the treadmill between trials and will not be warned of the upcoming change to visual flow to minimize preparatory adjustments. Stride length, step frequency and dual-support time will be quantified during each trial. We hypothesize that participants will experience a rapid modification in gait performance during periods of adaptive change, expressed as a decrease in step length, an increase in step frequency and an increase in dual-support time, followed by a period of adaptation where these movement parameters will return to near-baseline levels. As stride length, step frequency and dual support times return to baseline values, an adaptation time constant will be derived to establish individual time-to-adapt (TTA). HMD technology represents a paradigm shift in sensorimotor adaptation training where gait adaptability can be stressed using off-the-shelf consumer products and minimal experimental equipment, allowing for greater training flexibility in astronaut and terrestrial applications alike.

Moon Trek: An Interactive Web Portal for Current and Future Lunar Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, B; Law, Emily S.

2017-01-01

NASA's Moon Trek (https://moontrek.jpl.nasa.gov) is the successor to and replacement for NASA's Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal (LMMP). Released in 2017, Moon Trek features a new interface with improved ways to access, visualize, and analyze data. Moon Trek provides a web-based Portal and a suite of interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable mission planners, lunar scientists, and engineers to access mapped lunar data products from past and current lunar missions.

Moon Trek: An Interactive Web Portal for Current and Future Lunar Missions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Day, B.; Law, E.

2017-09-01

NASA's Moon Trek (https://moontrek.jpl.nasa.gov) is the successor to and replacement for NASA's Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal (LMMP). Released in 2017, Moon Trek features a new interface with improved ways to access, visualize, and analyse data. Moon Trek provides a web-based Portal and a suite of interactive visualization and analysis tools to enable mission planners, lunar scientists, and engineers to access mapped lunar data products from past and current lunar missions.

Analysis of Human-Spacesuit Interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Neha

2015-01-01

Astronauts sustain injuries of various natures such as finger delamination, joint pain, and redness due to their interaction with the space suit. The role of the Anthropometry and Biomechanics Facility is to understand the biomechanics, environmental variables, and ergonomics of the suit. This knowledge is then used to make suggestions for improvement in future iterations of the space suit assembly to prevent injuries while allowing astronauts maneuverability, comfort, and tactility. The projects I was involved in were the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit stiffness study and the glove feasibility study. The EMU project looked at the forces exerted on the shoulder, arm, and wrist when subjects performed kinematic tasks with and without a pressurized suit. The glove study consisted of testing three conditions - the Series 4000 glove, the Phase VI glove, and the no glove condition. With more than forty channels of sensor data total, it was critical to develop programs that could analyze data with basic descriptive statistics and generate relevant graphs to help understand what happens within the space suit and glove. In my project I created a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in MATLAB that would help me visualize what each sensor was doing within a task. The GUI is capable of displaying overlain plots and can be synchronized with video. This was helpful during the stiffness testing to visualize how the forces on the arm acted while the subject performed tasks such as shoulder adduction/abduction and bicep curls. The main project of focus, however, was the glove comparison study. I wrote MATLAB programs which generated movies of the strain vectors during specific tasks. I also generated graphs that summarized the differences between each glove for the strain, shear and FSR sensors. Preliminary results indicate that the Phase VI glove places less strain and shear on the hand. Future work includes continued data analysis of surveys and sensor data. In the end, the ideal glove is one that provides more tactility for the astronauts but lessens injuries. Often times, a more tactile glove transmits forces better to the hand; thus, achieving a balance of both a tactile and safe glove is the main challenge present.

Studies of the Ocean Surface and the Coupling between the Sea and the Atmosphere.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

design was developed and built for use - in this work.. A number of new ideas were involved and five patents were assigned to the Navy in the following...close enough that the mounting surface was not involved in the drag. A physical description of the process using entraining slabs of turbulent air allowed...each slab the average turbulence, average horizontal velocity and average dissipation rate are still used . The ve- locity at any given level matches

Research in Electronics - JSEP (Joint Services Electronics Program)

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-04-01

intramolecular V-E coupling in ir laser excited polyatomicso, J. Chem. Phys. 25, 5311 (1981). 5. H . Helvajian and C. Wittig, nVibrational quenching of HgBr(X...Phys. Chem. 86, 438 (1982). 13. H . Helvajian and C. Wittig, "Collisional deexcitation of Hg(6 3po) by HgBr(X), Br(4 2p)8, and Br2(X): evidence for ion...Distribution List. Sincerely, William H . Steier Director Enclosures fJS (j A Y j LI I .. . . . ... rJ .. .. -.. ,1L Lu. UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN

Ixekizumab improves patient-reported outcomes up to 52 weeks in bDMARD-naïve patients with active psoriatic arthritis (SPIRIT-P1).

PubMed

Gottlieb, Alice B; Strand, Vibeke; Kishimoto, Mitsumasa; Mease, Philip; Thaçi, Diamant; Birt, Julie; Lee, Chin H; Shuler, Catherine L; Lin, Chen-Yen; Gladman, Dafna D

2018-06-25

To report patient-reported outcomes of patients with PsA treated with ixekizumab up to 52 weeks. In SPIRIT-P1, biologic-naïve patients with active PsA were randomized to ixekizumab 80 mg every 4 weeks (IXEQ4W; N = 107) or every 2 weeks (IXEQ2W; N = 103) following a 160 mg starting dose, adalimumab 40 mg every 2 weeks (ADA; N = 101) or placebo (PBO; N = 106) during the initial 24-week double-blind treatment period. At week 24 (week 16 for inadequate responders), ADA (8-week washout before starting ixekizumab) and PBO patients were re-randomized to IXEQ2W or IXEQ4W. Patients receiving ixekizumab at week 24 received the same dose during the extension period (EP) to week 52. Patients completed measures including the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Itch Numeric Rating Scale, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2, European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions Visual Analogue Scale and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire-Specific Health Problem. The IXEQ4W, IXEQ2W and ADA groups reported significant improvements in DLQI at week 24; 22% (PBO), 53% (IXEQ4W), 63% (IXEQ2W) and 54% (ADA) of patients reported DLQI scores of 0/1. The IXEQ4W, IXEQ2W and ADA groups reported significant improvements in Itch Numeric Rating Scale, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey version 2 physical component summary and some domain scores, and European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions Visual Analogue Scale at weeks 12 and 24; and in three of four Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire-Specific Health Problem domains at week 24. Results are also presented through week 52 for the EP. In biologic-naïve patients with active PsA, ixekizumab significantly improved skin symptoms, health-related quality of life and work productivity. ClinicalTrials.gov, http://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01695239; EU Clinical Trials Register, https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu, EudraCT2011-002326-49.

Thermoacoustic Duplex Technology for Cooling and Powering a Venus Lander

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, A. R.; Haberbusch, M. S.; Sasson, J.

2015-04-01

A Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine (TASHE) is directly coupled to a Pulse Tube Refrigerator (PTR) in a duplex configuration, providing simultaneous cooling and electrical power, thereby suiting the needs of a long-lived Venus lander.

A deterministic electron, photon, proton and heavy ion transport suite for the study of the Jovian moon Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badavi, Francis F.; Blattnig, Steve R.; Atwell, William; Nealy, John E.; Norman, Ryan B.

2011-02-01

A Langley research center (LaRC) developed deterministic suite of radiation transport codes describing the propagation of electron, photon, proton and heavy ion in condensed media is used to simulate the exposure from the spectral distribution of the aforementioned particles in the Jovian radiation environment. Based on the measurements by the Galileo probe (1995-2003) heavy ion counter (HIC), the choice of trapped heavy ions is limited to carbon, oxygen and sulfur (COS). The deterministic particle transport suite consists of a coupled electron photon algorithm (CEPTRN) and a coupled light heavy ion algorithm (HZETRN). The primary purpose for the development of the transport suite is to provide a means to the spacecraft design community to rapidly perform numerous repetitive calculations essential for electron, photon, proton and heavy ion exposure assessment in a complex space structure. In this paper, the reference radiation environment of the Galilean satellite Europa is used as a representative boundary condition to show the capabilities of the transport suite. While the transport suite can directly access the output electron and proton spectra of the Jovian environment as generated by the jet propulsion laboratory (JPL) Galileo interim radiation electron (GIRE) model of 2003; for the sake of relevance to the upcoming Europa Jupiter system mission (EJSM), the JPL provided Europa mission fluence spectrum, is used to produce the corresponding depth dose curve in silicon behind a default aluminum shield of 100 mils (˜0.7 g/cm2). The transport suite can also accept a geometry describing ray traced thickness file from a computer aided design (CAD) package and calculate the total ionizing dose (TID) at a specific target point within the interior of the vehicle. In that regard, using a low fidelity CAD model of the Galileo probe generated by the authors, the transport suite was verified versus Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for orbits JOI-J35 of the Galileo probe extended mission. For the upcoming EJSM mission with an expected launch date of 2020, the transport suite is used to compute the depth dose profile for the traditional aluminum silicon as a standard shield target combination, as well as simulating the shielding response of a high charge number (Z) material such as tantalum (Ta). Finally, a shield optimization algorithm is discussed which can guide the instrument designers and fabrication personnel with the choice of graded-Z shield selection and analysis.

The Quantum Dynamics of Chemical Reactions.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-03-31

of the potential formed by taking a cut perpendicular to the minimum energy path (in Delves coordinates) V (s) = VmeP(s) + Ev(S) (5) ve sn where s is...current density and profiles of the component of jo normal to various straight-line cuts along the streamline field, for the H + H2(0) - H 2 + H...In order to visualize the nature of this topology, we display in Fig. 31 cuts of the equipotentials of V by the XZ. (y. - 0, x) and Y.Z, (’. - n/2, -x

Alterations in task-induced activity and resting-state fluctuations in visual and DMN areas revealed in long-term meditators.

PubMed

Berkovich-Ohana, Aviva; Harel, Michal; Hahamy, Avital; Arieli, Amos; Malach, Rafael

2016-07-15

Recently we proposed that the information contained in spontaneously emerging (resting-state) fluctuations may reflect individually unique neuro-cognitive traits. One prediction of this conjecture, termed the "spontaneous trait reactivation" (STR) hypothesis, is that resting-state activity patterns could be diagnostic of unique personalities, talents and life-styles of individuals. Long-term meditators could provide a unique experimental group to test this hypothesis. Using fMRI we found that, during resting-state, the amplitude of spontaneous fluctuations in long-term mindfulness meditation (MM) practitioners was enhanced in the visual cortex and significantly reduced in the DMN compared to naïve controls. Importantly, during a visual recognition memory task, the MM group showed heightened visual cortex responsivity, concomitant with weaker negative responses in Default Mode Network (DMN) areas. This effect was also reflected in the behavioral performance, where MM practitioners performed significantly faster than the control group. Thus, our results uncover opposite changes in the visual and default mode systems in long-term meditators which are revealed during both rest and task. The results support the STR hypothesis and extend it to the domain of local changes in the magnitude of the spontaneous fluctuations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Visual enhancement of images of natural resources: Applications in geology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dejesusparada, N. (Principal Investigator); Neto, G.; Araujo, E. O.; Mascarenhas, N. D. A.; Desouza, R. C. M.

1980-01-01

The principal components technique for use in multispectral scanner LANDSAT data processing results in optimum dimensionality reduction. A powerful tool for MSS IMAGE enhancement, the method provides a maximum impression of terrain ruggedness; this fact makes the technique well suited for geological analysis.

The Rhetoric of Campus Architecture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Cynthia Duquette

2016-01-01

The group activity described in this article was originally designed for an upper-division undergraduate course on Rhetoric and Architecture, but would also be well suited for courses in Persuasion, Rhetorical Criticism, or Visual Rhetoric. Any undergraduate course related to communication and design (including Advertising) could make excellent…

Olodaterol Attenuates Citric Acid-Induced Cough in Naïve and Ovalbumin-Sensitized and Challenged Guinea Pigs

PubMed Central

Wex, Eva; Bouyssou, Thierry

2015-01-01

Excessive coughing is a common feature of airway diseases. Different G-protein coupled receptors, including β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-AR), have been implicated in the molecular mechanisms underlying the cough reflex. However, the potential antitussive property of β2-AR agonists in patients with respiratory disease is a matter of ongoing debate. The aim of our study was to test the efficacy of the long-acting β2-AR agonist olodaterol with regard to its antitussive property in a pre-clinical model of citric acid-induced cough in guinea pigs and to compare the results to different clinically relevant β2-AR agonists. In our study β2-AR agonists were intratracheally administered, as dry powder, into the lungs of naïve or ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs 15 minutes prior to induction of cough by exposure to citric acid. Cough events were counted over 15 minutes during the citric acid exposure. Olodaterol dose-dependently inhibited the number of cough events in naïve and even more potently and with a greater maximal efficacy in ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs (p < 0.01). Formoterol and salmeterol showed a trend towards reducing cough. On the contrary, indacaterol demonstrated pro-tussive properties as it significantly increased the number of coughs, both in naïve and ovalbumin-sensitized animals (p < 0.001). In conclusion, olodaterol, at doses eliciting bronchodilation, showed antitussive properties in a model of citric acid-induced cough in naïve and ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs. This is in agreement with pre-clinical and clinical studies showing antitussive efficacy of β2-AR agonists. Indacaterol increased the number of coughs in this model, which concurs with clinical data where a transient cough has been observed after indacaterol inhalation. While the antitussive properties of β2-AR agonists can be explained by their ability to lead to the cAMP-induced hyperpolarization of the neuron membrane thereby inhibiting sensory nerve activation and the cough reflex, the mechanism underlying the pro-tussive property of indacaterol is not known. PMID:25781609

Instrument development in the measurement of unsupported arm exercise endurance in normal adult subjects.

PubMed

Breslin, E H; Adams, E; Lutz, A; Roy, C

1993-06-01

Many daily activities, from basic grooming to employment tasks, require adequate unsupported arm endurance (UAE). We developed an electromechanical device to measure UAE endurance. The purpose of this study was to standardize the instrument for two rates of arm motion, moderate and slow, in 18 normal adult subjects (FEVI = 3.7L +/- .78, FVC = 4.2L +/- .74, FEV1/FVC = 1.1 +/- .08). Exercise endurance limits, and the following metabolic, ventilatory, and sensation responses were determined at rest prior to exercise and at end-exercise limits for both rates of UAE:minute ventilation (Ve), tidal volume (VT), respiratory rate (RR), duty cycle (Ti/Ttot), oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), inspiratory flow (VT/Ti), heart rate (HR), and visual analog scale measurements (VAS) of dyspnea (D), respiratory effort (RE), and arm fatigue (AF). Significance increases from baseline rest were shown at the endurance limits for both rates of UAE in: VO2, VCO2, Ve, VT, RR, VT/Ti, HR, VAS-D, VAS-RE, and VAS-AF. There were no changes in Ti/Ttot and SaO2 with UAE. Peak VO2, RR, Ve, VT/Ti, and VAS-D with moderate exercise were significantly greater than slow UAE; and there was a trend increase in peak HR for moderate as opposed to slow rate UAE. Despite these differences, the endurance time between the two rates of UAE were similar. These data provide standards against which UAE in COPD can be evaluated.

Mass loss of shuttle space suit orthofabric under simulated ionospheric atomic oxygen bombardment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, W. L.

1985-01-01

Many polymeric materials used for thermal protection and insulation on spacecraft degrade significantly under prolonged bombardment by ionospheric atomic oxygen. The covering fabric of the multilayered shuttle space suit is composed of a loose weave of GORE-TEX fibers, Nomex and Kevlar-29, which are all polymeric materials. The complete evaluation of suit fabric degradation from ionospheric atomic oxygen is of importance in reevaluating suit lifetime and inspection procedures. The mass loss and visible physical changes of each test sample was determined. Kapton control samples and data from previous asher and flight tests were used to scale the results to reflect ionospheric conditions at about 220 km altitude. It is predicted that the orthofabric loses mass in the ionosphere at a rate of about 66% of the original orthofabric mass/yr. The outer layer of the two-layer orthofabric test samples shows few easily visible signs of degradation, even when observed at 440X. It is concluded that the orthofabric could suffer significant loss of performance after much less than a year of total exposure time, while the degradation might be undetectable in post flight visual examinations of space suits.

Three-month outcome of ziv-aflibercept for exudative age-related macular degeneration.

PubMed

Mansour, Ahmad M; Chhablani, Jay; Antonios, Rafic S; Yogi, Rohit; Younis, Muhammad H; Dakroub, Rola; Chahine, Hasan

2016-12-01

In vitro and in vivo studies did not detect toxicity to the retinal pigment epithelium cells using intravitreal ziv-aflibercept. Our purpose is to ascertain the 3-month safety and efficacy in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreal ziv-aflibercept. Prospectively, consecutive patients with wet AMD underwent ziv-aflibercept intravitreal injection (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) from March 2015 to November 2015. Monitoring of best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular inflammation, cataract progression and by spectral domain optical coherence tomography were carried out at baseline day 1, 1 week, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months after injections. 30 eyes were treated (22 Caucasians, 8 Indians; 16 men, 14 women; 14 right eyes and 16 left eyes) with mean age of 74.3 years with 11 treatment-naïve cases and 19 having had treatment-non-naïve. Best-corrected visual acuity improved from baseline logMAR 1.08-0.74 at 1 week, 0.72 at 1 month, 0.67 at 2 months and 0.71 at 3 months (p<0.001 for all time periods). Central macular thickness in microns decreased from 332.8 to 302.0 at 1 week, 244.8 at 1 month, 229.0 at 2 months and 208.2 at 3 months (p<0.001 for all time periods). There were no signs of intraocular inflammation, or change in lens status or increase in intraocular pressure throughout the study. Off label use of ziv-aflibercept improves visual acuity, without detectable ocular toxicity and offers a cheaper alternative to the same molecule aflibercept, especially in low/middle-income countries and in countries where aflibercept (Eylea) is not available. NCT02486484. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

From Bearing Witness to Art Exhibitions to Inspiring the Understanding of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burko, D.

2016-12-01

I intend to demonstrate how artists such as myself can influence the public discourse on climate change. I believe aesthetically compelling visualizations can transcend data and language. I will speak specifically to how I communicate scientific research to diverse populations. I have much to share since first speaking in 2012 on the Panel "Communication of Science through Art: Raison d'Etre for Interdisciplinary Communication". I then illustrated how I utilized visual cues such as archival evidence in the form of repeats, geological charts of recessional lines, graphs, symbols and Landsat maps in my large scale paintings and photographs and inspired learning. I continue to develop visual strategies delivering information on an emotional/non-verbal level. Now 4 years later, I've added the most dramatic layer to my creative process: bearing witness. I've been to the three largest ice fields in the world: Greenland, Antarctica and Argentina's Patagonia, observing the unprecedented pace of glacial melt. Those expeditions feed my practice, leading to exhibitions that begin a dialog with an audience not initially interested in science. In the past 5 years my work has appeared in 6 solo and 19 group exhibits all devoted to the environment. I make myself present in universities, museums and galleries to explain what the images are about. I require universities to include a public component: an all-college lecture or panel where the geography/environmental/sociology/geology departments participate with broad student involvement. I believe that such endeavors are worthwhile and can be models for further efforts to educate an unsuspecting audience. Artists can bridge the gap communicating to a public of art appreciators, nonscientists - how easy it is to understand geology and global warming. I believe we can even inspire attitudinal change. Aside from personal examples I will include other artists and exhibition venues contributing to this phenomenon.

When eyes drive hand: Influence of non-biological motion on visuo-motor coupling.

PubMed

Thoret, Etienne; Aramaki, Mitsuko; Bringoux, Lionel; Ystad, Sølvi; Kronland-Martinet, Richard

2016-01-26

Many studies stressed that the human movement execution but also the perception of motion are constrained by specific kinematics. For instance, it has been shown that the visuo-manual tracking of a spotlight was optimal when the spotlight motion complies with biological rules such as the so-called 1/3 power law, establishing the co-variation between the velocity and the trajectory curvature of the movement. The visual or kinesthetic perception of a geometry induced by motion has also been shown to be constrained by such biological rules. In the present study, we investigated whether the geometry induced by the visuo-motor coupling of biological movements was also constrained by the 1/3 power law under visual open loop control, i.e. without visual feedback of arm displacement. We showed that when someone was asked to synchronize a drawing movement with a visual spotlight following a circular shape, the geometry of the reproduced shape was fooled by visual kinematics that did not respect the 1/3 power law. In particular, elliptical shapes were reproduced when the circle is trailed with a kinematics corresponding to an ellipse. Moreover, the distortions observed here were larger than in the perceptual tasks stressing the role of motor attractors in such a visuo-motor coupling. Finally, by investigating the direct influence of visual kinematics on the motor reproduction, our result conciliates previous knowledge on sensorimotor coupling of biological motions with external stimuli and gives evidence to the amodal encoding of biological motion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coupled auralization and virtual video for immersive multimedia displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henderson, Paul D.; Torres, Rendell R.; Shimizu, Yasushi; Radke, Richard; Lonsway, Brian

2003-04-01

The implementation of maximally-immersive interactive multimedia in exhibit spaces requires not only the presentation of realistic visual imagery but also the creation of a perceptually accurate aural experience. While conventional implementations treat audio and video problems as essentially independent, this research seeks to couple the visual sensory information with dynamic auralization in order to enhance perceptual accuracy. An implemented system has been developed for integrating accurate auralizations with virtual video techniques for both interactive presentation and multi-way communication. The current system utilizes a multi-channel loudspeaker array and real-time signal processing techniques for synthesizing the direct sound, early reflections, and reverberant field excited by a moving sound source whose path may be interactively defined in real-time or derived from coupled video tracking data. In this implementation, any virtual acoustic environment may be synthesized and presented in a perceptually-accurate fashion to many participants over a large listening and viewing area. Subject tests support the hypothesis that the cross-modal coupling of aural and visual displays significantly affects perceptual localization accuracy.

Functional Analysis of the Tomato Immune Receptor Ve1 through Domain Swaps with Its Non-Functional Homolog Ve2

PubMed Central

Rovenich, Hanna; Song, Yin; Liebrand, Thomas W. H.; Masini, Laura; van den Berg, Grardy C. M.; Joosten, Matthieu H. A. J.; Thomma, Bart P. H. J.

2014-01-01

Resistance in tomato against race 1 strains of the fungal vascular wilt pathogens Verticillium dahliae and V. albo-atrum is mediated by the Ve locus. This locus comprises two closely linked inversely oriented genes, Ve1 and Ve2, which encode cell surface receptors of the extracellular leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein (eLRR-RLP) type. While Ve1 mediates Verticillium resistance through monitoring the presence of the recently identified V. dahliae Ave1 effector, no functionality for Ve2 has been demonstrated in tomato. Ve1 and Ve2 contain 37 eLRRs and share 84% amino acid identity, facilitating investigation of Ve protein functionality through domain swapping. In this study it is shown that Ve chimeras in which the first thirty eLRRs of Ve1 were replaced by those of Ve2 remain able to induce HR and activate Verticillium resistance, and that deletion of these thirty eLRRs from Ve1 resulted in loss of functionality. Also the region between eLRR30 and eLRR35 is required for Ve1-mediated resistance, and cannot be replaced by the region between eLRR30 and eLRR35 of Ve2. We furthermore show that the cytoplasmic tail of Ve1 is required for functionality, as truncation of this tail results in loss of functionality. Moreover, the C-terminus of Ve2 fails to activate immune signaling as chimeras containing the C-terminus of Ve2 do not provide Verticillium resistance. Furthermore, Ve1 was found to interact through its C-terminus with the eLRR-containing receptor-like kinase (eLRR-RLK) interactor SOBIR1 that was recently identified as an interactor of eLRR-RLP (immune) receptors. Intriguingly, also Ve2 was found to interact with SOBIR1. PMID:24505431

Left atrial mechanics strongly predict functional capacity assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing in subjects without structural heart disease.

PubMed

Leite, Luís; Mendes, Sofia Lázaro; Baptista, Rui; Teixeira, Rogério; Oliveira-Santos, Manuel; Ribeiro, Nelson; Coutinho, Rosa; Monteiro, Victor; Martins, Rui; Castro, Graça; Ferreira, Maria João; Pego, Mariano

2017-05-01

Left atrium function is essential for cardiovascular performance and is evaluable by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Our aim was to determine how echocardiographic parameters interrelate with exercise capacity and ventilatory efficiency in subjects with no structural heart disease. Asymptomatic volunteers, in sinus rhythm and with normal biventricular size and function, were recruited from a community-based population. Individuals with moderate-to-severe valvular disease, pulmonary hypertension, and history of cardiac disease were excluded. We performed a transthoracic echocardiogram and assessed left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) mechanics via 2D-STE. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing by treadmill took place immediately thereafter. Peak oxygen uptake (VO 2 ) served as measure of functional capacity and ventilation/carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO 2 ) slope as surrogate of ventilation/perfusion mismatch. 20 subjects were included (age 51 ± 14 years, male gender 65%). Peak VO 2 strongly correlated with age (r = -0.83; P < 0.01), with E/e' ratio (r = -0.72; P < 0.01), and with LA reservoir- and conduit-phase mechanics, particularly with LA conduit strain rate (SR) (r = -0.82; P < 0.01), but showed no correlation with LA volume index or LV mechanics. A similar pattern of associations was identified for VE/VCO 2 slope. In multivariate analysis, LA conduit SR (β = -0.69; P = 0.02) emerged as sole independent correlate of peak VO 2 , adjusted for age and for E/e' ratio (adjusted r 2  = 0.76; P < 0.01). Conduit and reservoir components of LA mechanics displayed strong associations with peak VO 2 and VE/VCO 2 slope. LA conduit-phase SR seems best suited as echocardiographic marker of functional capacity in subjects with no structural heart disease.

Effects of Conversational Pressures on Speech Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swets, Benjamin; Jacovina, Matthew E.; Gerrig, Richard J.

2013-01-01

In ordinary conversation, speakers experience pressures both to produce utterances suited to particular addressees and to do so with minimal delay. To document the impact of these conversational pressures, our experiment asked participants to produce brief utterances to describe visual displays. We complicated utterance planning by including…

Educational poster session

Treesearch

Deborah Chavez

1995-01-01

The educational poster session provided a way of increasing the ordinarily limited time available for discussion of papers, while simultaneously making it easier to communicate visual materials not well suited to oral presentations. Poster presenters were available for 2 hours to discuss their displays. Poster presentations were divided into five categories: user...

Los Alamos Shows Airport Security Technology at Work

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

Espy, Michelle; Schultz, Larry; Hunter, James

Los Alamos scientists have advanced a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology that may provide a breakthrough for screening liquids at airport security. They've added low-power X-ray data to the mix, and as a result have unlocked a new detection technology. Funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, the new system is named MagRay. The goal is to quickly and accurately distinguish between liquids that visually appear identical. For example, what appears to be a bottle of white wine could potentially be nitromethane, a liquid that could be used to make an explosive. Both aremore » clear liquids, one would be perfectly safe on a commercial aircraft, the other would be strictly prohibited. How to tell them apart quickly without error at an airport security area is the focus of Michelle Espy, Larry Schultz and their team. In this video, Espy and the MagRay team explain how the new technology works, how they've developed an easy operator interface, and what the next steps might be in transitioning this technology to the private sector.« less

Los Alamos Shows Airport Security Technology at Work

ScienceCinema

Espy, Michelle; Schultz, Larry; Hunter, James

2018-05-30

Los Alamos scientists have advanced a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology that may provide a breakthrough for screening liquids at airport security. They've added low-power X-ray data to the mix, and as a result have unlocked a new detection technology. Funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, the new system is named MagRay. The goal is to quickly and accurately distinguish between liquids that visually appear identical. For example, what appears to be a bottle of white wine could potentially be nitromethane, a liquid that could be used to make an explosive. Both are clear liquids, one would be perfectly safe on a commercial aircraft, the other would be strictly prohibited. How to tell them apart quickly without error at an airport security area is the focus of Michelle Espy, Larry Schultz and their team. In this video, Espy and the MagRay team explain how the new technology works, how they've developed an easy operator interface, and what the next steps might be in transitioning this technology to the private sector.

SHG-specificity of cellular Rootletin filaments enables naïve imaging with universal conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyama, Toshihiro; Inoko, Akihito; Kaji, Yuichi; Yonemura, Shigenobu; Kakiguchi, Kisa; Segawa, Hiroki; Ishitsuka, Kei; Yoshida, Masaki; Numata, Osamu; Leproux, Philippe; Couderc, Vincent; Oshika, Tetsuro; Kano, Hideaki

2017-01-01

Despite growing demand for truly naïve imaging, label-free observation of cilium-related structure remains challenging, and validation of the pertinent molecules is correspondingly difficult. In this study, in retinas and cultured cells, we distinctively visualized Rootletin filaments in rootlets in the second harmonic generation (SHG) channel, integrated in custom coherent nonlinear optical microscopy (CNOM) with a simple, compact, and ultra-broadband supercontinuum light source. This SHG signal was primarily detected on rootlets of connecting cilia in the retinal photoreceptor and was validated by colocalization with anti-Rootletin staining. Transfection of cells with Rootletin fragments revealed that the SHG signal can be ascribed to filaments assembled from the R234 domain, but not to cross-striations assembled from the R123 domain. Consistent with this, Rootletin-depleted cells lacked SHG signal expected as centrosome linker. As a proof of concept, we confirmed that similar fibrous SHG was observed even in unicellular ciliates. These findings have potential for broad applications in clinical diagnosis and biophysical experiments with various organisms.

The role of one-shot learning in #TheDress.

PubMed

Drissi Daoudi, Leila; Doerig, Adrien; Parkosadze, Khatuna; Kunchulia, Marina; Herzog, Michael H

2017-03-01

#TheDress is remarkable in two aspects. First, there is a bimodal split of the population in the perception of the dress's colors (white/gold vs. black/blue). Second, whereas interobserver variance is high, intra-observer variance is low, i.e., the percept rarely switches in a given individual. There are two plausible routes of explanations: either one-shot learning during the first presentation of the image splits observers into two different, stable populations, or the differences are caused by stable traits of observers, such as different visual systems. Here, we hid large parts of the image by white occluders. The majority of naïve participants perceived the dress as black and blue. With black occluders, the majority of observers perceived the dress as white and gold. The percept did not change when we subsequently presented the full image, arguing for a crucial role of one-shot learning. Next, we investigated whether the first fixation determines the perceived color in naïve observers. We found no such effect. It remains thus a puzzling question where the source of variability in the different percepts comes from.

Using EMG to anticipate head motion for virtual-environment applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barniv, Yair; Aguilar, Mario; Hasanbelliu, Erion

2005-01-01

In virtual environment (VE) applications, where virtual objects are presented in a see-through head-mounted display, virtual images must be continuously stabilized in space in response to user's head motion. Time delays in head-motion compensation cause virtual objects to "swim" around instead of being stable in space which results in misalignment errors when overlaying virtual and real objects. Visual update delays are a critical technical obstacle for implementing head-mounted displays in applications such as battlefield simulation/training, telerobotics, and telemedicine. Head motion is currently measurable by a head-mounted 6-degrees-of-freedom inertial measurement unit. However, even given this information, overall VE-system latencies cannot be reduced under about 25 ms. We present a novel approach to eliminating latencies, which is premised on the fact that myoelectric signals from a muscle precede its exertion of force, thereby limb or head acceleration. We thus suggest utilizing neck-muscles' myoelectric signals to anticipate head motion. We trained a neural network to map such signals onto equivalent time-advanced inertial outputs. The resulting network can achieve time advances of up to 70 ms.

Using EMG to anticipate head motion for virtual-environment applications.

PubMed

Barniv, Yair; Aguilar, Mario; Hasanbelliu, Erion

2005-06-01

In virtual environment (VE) applications, where virtual objects are presented in a see-through head-mounted display, virtual images must be continuously stabilized in space in response to user's head motion. Time delays in head-motion compensation cause virtual objects to "swim" around instead of being stable in space which results in misalignment errors when overlaying virtual and real objects. Visual update delays are a critical technical obstacle for implementing head-mounted displays in applications such as battlefield simulation/training, telerobotics, and telemedicine. Head motion is currently measurable by a head-mounted 6-degrees-of-freedom inertial measurement unit. However, even given this information, overall VE-system latencies cannot be reduced under about 25 ms. We present a novel approach to eliminating latencies, which is premised on the fact that myoelectric signals from a muscle precede its exertion of force, thereby limb or head acceleration. We thus suggest utilizing neck-muscles' myoelectric signals to anticipate head motion. We trained a neural network to map such signals onto equivalent time-advanced inertial outputs. The resulting network can achieve time advances of up to 70 ms.

A Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey of KIilbourne Hole, Southern New Mexico: Implication for Paleohydrology and Near Surface Geophysical Exploration of Mars and the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rhodes, N.; Hurtado, J. M.

2013-05-01

Features such as the Home Plate plateau on Mars, a suspected remnant of a phreatomagmatic eruption, can reveal important information about paleohydrologic conditions. The types and sizes of pyroclastic rocks produced by a phreatomagmatic eruption are indicative of the behavior of the explosion and the characteristics of the groundwater reservoir. Analysis of the pyroclast size distribution can be used to determine magma volatile content. We conduct an analysis of pyroclast size distribution using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to make a quantitative estimate of the presence of past groundwater at Kilbourne Hole, a well-known phreatomagmatic crater located in southern Dona Ana County, New Mexico. As basaltic magma intruded the groundwater reservoir in the mid-Pleistocene, the water vaporized and caused a phreatomagmatic explosion that excavated the 2-km wide and 200-m deep depression. The pyroclastic units produced during a phreatomagmatic explosion are proportional to the size and the duration of the explosion and the size of the groundwater reservoir such that the wetter the eruption, the stronger the explosion. In a violent volcanic eruption, magma changes from a liquid into solid fragments and the explosion releases kinetic energy (Ek) by ejecting liquid water, vapor water (with mass Mw) and solid fragments (with mass Mf) at an ejection velocity (Ve). In order to determine Mw, we must know Ve. The relationship between Ve and the distance from center of the eruption (R) is such that Ve exponentially decreases with time (t) and R. A numerical model relating pyroclast size and Ve for material ejected in Hawaiian and Plinian eruptions shows that clast size also exponentially decreases with decreasing Ve. Based on these relationships, we use GPR to map the ejected clast size distribution as a function of distance from the edge of Kilbourne Hole in an effort to determine Ve and Mw. GPR surveys were performed in January 2012 and January 2013 using a Noggins 250 MHz radar system. We designed the surveys to detect volcanic bombs in the shallow subsurface and to map radial variations in their sizes. Six GPR lines were extended radially in each cardinal direction from the rim of Kilbourne Hole, and, as a control, fifteen short GPR lines were performed along an accessible cliff where visible volcanic bombs and blocks are exposed. We are able to visualize 58 bombs and blocks along one of the six GPR lines within the maximum penetration depth of 2.4-3.2 m. From the resulting GPR profiles, we measured the width and the length of the bombs. The largest dimension of each bomb was plotted against distance from crater rim, and the obtained exponential relationship between bomb size and distance will be applied to a numerical model of ejecta dispersal from transient volcanic explosions to solve for Ve and Mw. This case study at Kilbourne Hole serves as a planetary analog for similar surveys that could be done on Mars and on the Moon.

Update of global TC simulations using a variable resolution non-hydrostatic model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, S. H.

2017-12-01

Using in a variable resolution meshes in MPAS during 2017 summer., Tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts are simulated. Two physics suite are tested to explore performance and bias of each physics suite for TC forecasting. A WRF physics suite is selected from experience on weather forecasting and CAM (Community Atmosphere Model) physics is taken from a AMIP type climate simulation. Based on the last year results from CAM5 physical parameterization package and comparing with WRF physics, we investigated a issue with intensity bias using updated version of CAM physics (CAM6). We also compared these results with coupled version of TC simulations. During this talk, TC structure will be compared specially around of boundary layer and investigate their relationship between TC intensity and different physics package.

What whiteboards in a trauma center operating suite can teach us about emergency department communication.

PubMed

Xiao, Yan; Schenkel, Stephen; Faraj, Samer; Mackenzie, Colin F; Moss, Jacqueline

2007-10-01

Highly reliable, efficient collaborative work relies on excellent communication. We seek to understand how a traditional whiteboard is used as a versatile information artifact to support communication in rapid-paced, highly dynamic collaborative work. The similar communicative demands of the trauma operating suite and an emergency department (ED) make the findings applicable to both settings. We took photographs and observed staff's interaction with a whiteboard in a 6-bed surgical suite dedicated to trauma service. We analyzed the integral role of artifacts in cognitive activities as when workers configure and manage visual spaces to simplify their cognitive tasks. We further identified characteristics of the whiteboard as a communicative information artifact in supporting coordination in fast-paced environments. We identified 8 ways in which the whiteboard was used by physicians, nurses, and with other personnel to support collaborative work: task management, team attention management, task status tracking, task articulation, resource planning and tracking, synchronous and asynchronous communication, multidisciplinary problem solving and negotiation, and socialization and team building. The whiteboard was highly communicative because of its location and installation method, high interactivity and usability, high expressiveness, and ability to visualize transition points to support work handoffs. Traditional information artifacts such as whiteboards play significant roles in supporting collaborative work. How these artifacts are used provides insights into complicated information needs of teamwork in highly dynamic, high-risk settings such as an ED.

Combining computational analyses and interactive visualization for document exploration and sensemaking in jigsaw.

PubMed

Görg, Carsten; Liu, Zhicheng; Kihm, Jaeyeon; Choo, Jaegul; Park, Haesun; Stasko, John

2013-10-01

Investigators across many disciplines and organizations must sift through large collections of text documents to understand and piece together information. Whether they are fighting crime, curing diseases, deciding what car to buy, or researching a new field, inevitably investigators will encounter text documents. Taking a visual analytics approach, we integrate multiple text analysis algorithms with a suite of interactive visualizations to provide a flexible and powerful environment that allows analysts to explore collections of documents while sensemaking. Our particular focus is on the process of integrating automated analyses with interactive visualizations in a smooth and fluid manner. We illustrate this integration through two example scenarios: an academic researcher examining InfoVis and VAST conference papers and a consumer exploring car reviews while pondering a purchase decision. Finally, we provide lessons learned toward the design and implementation of visual analytics systems for document exploration and understanding.

A Road Less Traveled: An Editorial Career

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonoyiannakis, Manolis

2008-03-01

It has been said that no life is completed the way one had planned for it, and mine is no exception to that rule so far. When I was graduating with a BSc I was convinced I'd be doing physics research for the rest of my life -- and when I was getting my PhD I was sure I'd be teaching high school physics and helping others learn for the foreseeable future. Yet, 9 years later, I am not doing either of these as a full time job, and I've changed my mind a couple more times as to what career path (and broader lifestyle) would work best for me. In the intervening years, I've learnt to embrace change as a tool for carving my own path, and to be wary of the certainties that can tie oneself to a ``safe'' but uninspiring future. I studied at the University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and at Royal Holloway University of London (BSc); also at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MSc) and at Imperial College London (PhD). After my PhD (and the national military service in Greece), I taught at high-school level for a couple of years in Crete, Greece. At the same time, I was science editor for Crete University Press, Greece's major university press. From there, I jumped onto the APS editorial boat: First to PRB (2003), then to PRL (2007), where I am now an Assistant Editor. I also have an adjunct research position at Columbia University.

Where Are All of the Gas-bearing Local Dwarf Galaxies? Quantifying Possible Impacts of Reionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tollerud, Erik J.; Peek, J. E. G.

2018-04-01

We present an approach for comparing the detections and non-detections of Local Group (LG) dwarf galaxies in large H I surveys to the predictions of a suite of n-body simulations of the LG. This approach depends primarily on a set of empirical scaling relations to connect the simulations to the observations, rather than making strong theoretical assumptions. We then apply this methodology to the Galactic Arecibo L-band Feed Array Hi (GALFA-HI) Compact Cloud Catalog (CCC), and compare it to the suite Exploring the Local Volume In Simulations (ELVIS) of simulations. This approach reveals a strong tension between the naïve results of the model and the observations: while there are no LG dwarfs in the GALFA-HI CCC, the simulations predict ∼10. Applying a simple model of reionization can resolve this tension by preventing low-mass halos from forming gas. However, and if this effect operates as expected, the observations provide a constraint on the mass scale of the dwarf galaxy that reionization impacts. Combined with the observed properties of Leo T, the halo virial mass scale at which reionization impacts dwarf galaxy gas content is constrained to be ∼ {10}8.5 {M}ȯ , independent of any assumptions about star formation.

Differentiating the Bishop ash bed and related tephra layers by elemental-based similarity coefficients of volcanic glass shards using solution inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (S-ICP-MS)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knott, J.R.; Sarna-Wojcicki, A. M.; Montanez, I.P.; Wan, E.

2007-01-01

Volcanic glass samples from the same volcanic center (intra-source) often have a similar major-element composition. Thus, it can be difficult to distinguish between individual tephra layers, particularly when using similarity coefficients calculated from electron microprobe major-element measurements. Minor/trace element concentrations in glass can be determined by solution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (S-ICP-MS), but have not been shown as suitable for use in large tephrochronologic databases. Here, we present minor/trace-element concentrations measured by S-ICP-MS and compare these data by similarity coefficients, the method commonly used in large databases. Trial samples from the Bishop Tuff, the upper and lower tuffs of Glass Mountain and the tuffs of Mesquite Spring suites from eastern California, USA, which have an indistinguishable major-element composition, were analyzed using S-ICP-MS. The resulting minor/trace element similarity coefficients clearly separated the suites of tephra layers and, in most cases, individual tephra layers within each suite. Comparisons with previous instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) elemental measurements were marginally successful. This is important step toward quantitative correlation in large tephrochronologic databases to achieve definitive identification of volcanic glass samples and for high-resolution age determinations. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

Why do African elephants (Loxodonta africana) simulate oestrus? An analysis of longitudinal data.

PubMed

Bates, Lucy A; Handford, Rosie; Lee, Phyllis C; Njiraini, Norah; Poole, Joyce H; Sayialel, Katito; Sayialel, Soila; Moss, Cynthia J; Byrne, Richard W

2010-04-07

Female African elephants signal oestrus via chemicals in their urine, but they also exhibit characteristic changes to their posture, gait and behaviour when sexually receptive. Free-ranging females visually signal receptivity by holding their heads and tails high, walking with an exaggerated gait, and displaying increased tactile behaviour towards males. Parous females occasionally exhibit these visual signals at times when they are thought not to be cycling and without attracting interest from musth males. Using demographic and behavioural records spanning a continuous 28-year period, we investigated the occurrence of this "simulated" oestrus behaviour. We show that parous females in the Amboseli elephant population do simulate receptive oestrus behaviours, and this false oestrus occurs disproportionately in the presence of naïve female kin who are observed coming into oestrus for the first time. We compare several alternative hypotheses for the occurrence of this simulation: 1) false oestrus has no functional purpose (e.g., it merely results from abnormal hormonal changes); 2) false oestrus increases the reproductive success of the simulating female, by inducing sexual receptivity; and 3) false oestrus increases the inclusive fitness of the simulating female, either by increasing the access of related females to suitable males, or by encouraging appropriate oestrus behaviours from female relatives who are not responding correctly to males. Although the observed data do not fully conform to the predictions of any of these hypotheses, we rule out the first two, and tentatively suggest that parous females most likely exhibit false oestrus behaviours in order to demonstrate to naïve relatives at whom to direct their behaviour.

Learning in a Virtual Environment Using Haptic Systems for Movement Re-Education: Can This Medium Be Used for Remodeling Other Behaviors and Actions?

PubMed Central

Merians, Alma S; Fluet, Gerard G; Qiu, Qinyin; Lafond, Ian; Adamovich, Sergei V

2011-01-01

Robotic systems that are interfaced with virtual reality gaming and task simulations are increasingly being developed to provide repetitive intensive practice to promote increased compliance and facilitate better outcomes in rehabilitation post-stroke. A major development in the use of virtual environments (VEs) has been to incorporate tactile information and interaction forces into what was previously an essentially visual experience. Robots of varying complexity are being interfaced with more traditional virtual presentations to provide haptic feedback that enriches the sensory experience and adds physical task parameters. This provides forces that produce biomechanical and neuromuscular interactions with the VE that approximate real-world movement more accurately than visual-only VEs, simulating the weight and force found in upper extremity tasks. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of several systems that are commercially available for ambulation training and for training movement of the upper extremity. We will also report on the system that we have developed (NJIT-RAVR system) that incorporates motivating and challenging haptic feedback effects into VE simulations to facilitate motor recovery of the upper extremity post-stroke. The NJIT-RAVR system trains both the upper arm and the hand. The robotic arm acts as an interface between the participants and the VEs, enabling multiplanar movements against gravity in a three-dimensional workspace. The ultimate question is whether this medium can provide a motivating, challenging, gaming experience with dramatically decreased physical difficulty levels, which would allow for participation by an obese person and facilitate greater adherence to exercise regimes. PMID:21527097

Using Digitized Handheld Space Shuttle Photography for Terrain Visualization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eckardt, F. D.; Wilkinson, M. J.; Lulla, K. P.

2000-01-01

Digital terrain models are becoming increasingly available and are readily generated at a whole range of scales. However, the lack of realistic colour and tone in images of terrains remains a problem. Realistic colour and tone are very desirable attributes because they contribute significantly to a powerful visualization of landscapes, both for scientists (Kam's ref) and for the general public. But these attributes are generally still unavailable because few sensors, air- or space-borne, provide true colour, and even fewer do so at a realistic cost. The exception is the growing and accessible archive of US Space Shuttle photography which provides a wealth of potential data suited for more realistic visualization of landscapes.

Simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon by LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Bohan

2017-08-01

Most instructors teach complex phenomenon by equation and static illustration without interactive multimedia. Students usually memorize phenomenon by taking note. However, only note or complex formula can not make user visualize the phenomenon of the photonics system. LabVIEW is a good tool for in automatic measurement. However, the simplicity of coding in LabVIEW makes it not only suit for automatic measurement, but also suitable for simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon. In this paper, five simple optics phenomenon will be discuss and simulation with LabVIEW. They are Snell's Law, Hermite-Gaussian beam transverse mode, square and circular aperture diffraction, polarization wave and Poincare sphere, and finally Fabry-Perrot etalon in spectrum domain.

Education and public outreach in astronomy and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cominsky, Lynn R.

2018-01-01

Education and public outreach has evolved from being part of a scientist's duties into a distinct career path that is well-suited for astronomers. The ideal professional in this field has strong communication skills coupled with a broad research background.

Secure videoconferencing equipment switching system and method

DOEpatents

Hansen, Michael E [Livermore, CA

2009-01-13

A switching system and method are provided to facilitate use of videoconference facilities over a plurality of security levels. The system includes a switch coupled to a plurality of codecs and communication networks. Audio/Visual peripheral components are connected to the switch. The switch couples control and data signals between the Audio/Visual peripheral components and one but nor both of the plurality of codecs. The switch additionally couples communication networks of the appropriate security level to each of the codecs. In this manner, a videoconferencing facility is provided for use on both secure and non-secure networks.

THE EARTH SYSTEM PREDICTION SUITE: Toward a Coordinated U.S. Modeling Capability

PubMed Central

Theurich, Gerhard; DeLuca, C.; Campbell, T.; Liu, F.; Saint, K.; Vertenstein, M.; Chen, J.; Oehmke, R.; Doyle, J.; Whitcomb, T.; Wallcraft, A.; Iredell, M.; Black, T.; da Silva, AM; Clune, T.; Ferraro, R.; Li, P.; Kelley, M.; Aleinov, I.; Balaji, V.; Zadeh, N.; Jacob, R.; Kirtman, B.; Giraldo, F.; McCarren, D.; Sandgathe, S.; Peckham, S.; Dunlap, R.

2017-01-01

The Earth System Prediction Suite (ESPS) is a collection of flagship U.S. weather and climate models and model components that are being instrumented to conform to interoperability conventions, documented to follow metadata standards, and made available either under open source terms or to credentialed users. The ESPS represents a culmination of efforts to create a common Earth system model architecture, and the advent of increasingly coordinated model development activities in the U.S. ESPS component interfaces are based on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF), community-developed software for building and coupling models, and the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) Layer, a set of ESMF-based component templates and interoperability conventions. This shared infrastructure simplifies the process of model coupling by guaranteeing that components conform to a set of technical and semantic behaviors. The ESPS encourages distributed, multi-agency development of coupled modeling systems, controlled experimentation and testing, and exploration of novel model configurations, such as those motivated by research involving managed and interactive ensembles. ESPS codes include the Navy Global Environmental Model (NavGEM), HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS®); the NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) and the Modular Ocean Model (MOM); the Community Earth System Model (CESM); and the NASA ModelE climate model and GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model. PMID:29568125

THE EARTH SYSTEM PREDICTION SUITE: Toward a Coordinated U.S. Modeling Capability.

PubMed

Theurich, Gerhard; DeLuca, C; Campbell, T; Liu, F; Saint, K; Vertenstein, M; Chen, J; Oehmke, R; Doyle, J; Whitcomb, T; Wallcraft, A; Iredell, M; Black, T; da Silva, A M; Clune, T; Ferraro, R; Li, P; Kelley, M; Aleinov, I; Balaji, V; Zadeh, N; Jacob, R; Kirtman, B; Giraldo, F; McCarren, D; Sandgathe, S; Peckham, S; Dunlap, R

2016-07-01

The Earth System Prediction Suite (ESPS) is a collection of flagship U.S. weather and climate models and model components that are being instrumented to conform to interoperability conventions, documented to follow metadata standards, and made available either under open source terms or to credentialed users. The ESPS represents a culmination of efforts to create a common Earth system model architecture, and the advent of increasingly coordinated model development activities in the U.S. ESPS component interfaces are based on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF), community-developed software for building and coupling models, and the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) Layer, a set of ESMF-based component templates and interoperability conventions. This shared infrastructure simplifies the process of model coupling by guaranteeing that components conform to a set of technical and semantic behaviors. The ESPS encourages distributed, multi-agency development of coupled modeling systems, controlled experimentation and testing, and exploration of novel model configurations, such as those motivated by research involving managed and interactive ensembles. ESPS codes include the Navy Global Environmental Model (NavGEM), HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS ® ); the NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) and the Modular Ocean Model (MOM); the Community Earth System Model (CESM); and the NASA ModelE climate model and GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model.

The Earth System Prediction Suite: Toward a Coordinated U.S. Modeling Capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Theurich, Gerhard; DeLuca, C.; Campbell, T.; Liu, F.; Saint, K.; Vertenstein, M.; Chen, J.; Oehmke, R.; Doyle, J.; Whitcomb, T.;

Sensory aspects of trail-following behaviors in the Asian longhorned beetle, anoplophora glabripennis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Anoplophora glabripennis has a complex suite of mate-finding behaviors, the functions of which are not entirely understood. These behaviors are elicited by a number of factors, including visual and chemical cues. Chemical cues include a male-produced volatile semiochemical acting as a long-range sex...

Summary of Educational Poster Session

Treesearch

1992-01-01

The educational poster session provided a way of increasing the ordinarily limited time available for discussion of papers, while simultaneously making it easier to communicate visual materials not well suited to oral presentations. Poster presenters were available for 3 hours to discuss their displays. Poster presentations were divided into two categories: minority...

A Military/Civilian Dual-Use Visual Perception Laboratory for Investigating Vehicle Detectability

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-27

estimate of the trued’ is the average of the two individual estimates. The method of computation is described in Macmillan and Creelman ( 1991 ). Dual...foundation in engineering, psychological and psychophysical Lheory, yet is well suited w the applied analysis of vebjcle delectability. Future work for

47 CFR 97.513 - VE session manager requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false VE session manager requirements. 97.513 Section... SERVICES AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE Qualifying Examination Systems § 97.513 VE session manager requirements. (a) A VE session manager may be selected by the VE team for each examination session. The VE session...

3D Visualization of Machine Learning Algorithms with Astronomical Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kent, Brian R.

2016-01-01

We present innovative machine learning (ML) methods using unsupervised clustering with minimum spanning trees (MSTs) to study 3D astronomical catalogs. Utilizing Python code to build trees based on galaxy catalogs, we can render the results with the visualization suite Blender to produce interactive 360 degree panoramic videos. The catalogs and their ML results can be explored in a 3D space using mobile devices, tablets or desktop browsers. We compare the statistics of the MST results to a number of machine learning methods relating to optimization and efficiency.

Study of thermodynamic and transport properties of binary liquid mixture of diesel with biodiesel at 298.15K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suthar, Shyam Sunder; Purohit, Suresh

2018-05-01

Properties of diesel and biodiesel (produced from corn oil) are used. Densities and viscosities of binary mixture of diesel with biodiesel (produced from corn oil) have been computed by using liquid binary mixture law over the entire range of compositions at T=298.15K and atmospheric pressure. From the computed values of density and viscosities, viscosity deviation (Δη), the excess molar volume (VE) and excess Gibbs energy of activation of viscous flow (ΔG#E) have been calculated. The results of excess volume, excess Gibbs energy of activation of viscous flow and viscosity deviation have been fitted to Redlich -Kister models to estimate the binary coefficients. The results are communicated in terms of the molecular interactions and the best suited composition has been found.

Design of Smart Multi-Functional Integrated Aviation Photoelectric Payload

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.

2018-04-01

To coordinate with the small UAV at reconnaissance mission, we've developed a smart multi-functional integrated aviation photoelectric payload. The payload weighs only 1kg, and has a two-axis stabilized platform with visible task payload, infrared task payload, laser pointers and video tracker. The photoelectric payload could complete the reconnaissance tasks above the target area (including visible and infrared). Because of its light weight, small size, full-featured, high integrated, the constraints of the UAV platform carrying the payload will be reduced a lot, which helps the payload suit for more extensive using occasions. So all users of this type of smart multi-functional integrated aviation photoelectric payload will do better works on completion of the ground to better pinpoint targets, artillery calibration, assessment of observe strike damage, customs officials and other tasks.

The expression of VE-cadherin in breast cancer cells modulates cell dynamics as a function of tumor differentiation and promotes tumor-endothelial cell interactions.

PubMed

Rezaei, Maryam; Cao, Jiahui; Friedrich, Katrin; Kemper, Björn; Brendel, Oliver; Grosser, Marianne; Adrian, Manuela; Baretton, Gustavo; Breier, Georg; Schnittler, Hans-Joachim

2018-01-01

The cadherin switch has profound consequences on cancer invasion and metastasis. The endothelial-specific vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) has been demonstrated in diverse cancer types including breast cancer and is supposed to modulate tumor progression and metastasis, but underlying mechanisms need to be better understood. First, we evaluated VE-cadherin expression by tissue microarray in 392 cases of breast cancer tumors and found a diverse expression and distribution of VE-cadherin. Experimental expression of fluorescence-tagged VE-cadherin (VE-EGFP) in undifferentiated, fibroblastoid and E-cadherin-negative MDA-231 (MDA-VE-EGFP) as well as in differentiated E-cadherin-positive MCF-7 human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-VE-EGFP), respectively, displayed differentiation-dependent functional differences. VE-EGFP expression reversed the fibroblastoid MDA-231 cells to an epithelial-like phenotype accompanied by increased β-catenin expression, actin and vimentin remodeling, increased cell spreading and barrier function and a reduced migration ability due to formation of VE-cadherin-mediated cell junctions. The effects were largely absent in both MDA-VE-EGFP and in control MCF-EGFP cell lines. However, MCF-7 cells displayed a VE-cadherin-independent planar cell polarity and directed cell migration that both developed in MDA-231 only after VE-EGFP expression. Furthermore, VE-cadherin expression had no effect on tumor cell proliferation in monocultures while co-culturing with endothelial cells enhanced tumor cell proliferation due to integration of the tumor cells into monolayer where they form VE-cadherin-mediated cell contacts with the endothelium. We propose an interactive VE-cadherin-based crosstalk that might activate proliferation-promoting signals. Together, our study shows a VE-cadherin-mediated cell dynamics and an endothelial-dependent proliferation in a differentiation-dependent manner.

Visual Speech Fills in Both Discrimination and Identification of Non-Intact Auditory Speech in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerger, Susan; Damian, Markus F.; McAlpine, Rachel P.; Abdi, Herve

2018-01-01

To communicate, children must discriminate and identify speech sounds. Because visual speech plays an important role in this process, we explored how visual speech influences phoneme discrimination and identification by children. Critical items had intact visual speech (e.g. baez) coupled to non-intact (excised onsets) auditory speech (signified…

Observing DNA in live cells.

PubMed

Weiss, Lucien E; Naor, Tal; Shechtman, Yoav

2018-06-19

The structural organization and dynamics of DNA are known to be of paramount importance in countless cellular processes, but capturing these events poses a unique challenge. Fluorescence microscopy is well suited for these live-cell investigations, but requires attaching fluorescent labels to the species under investigation. Over the past several decades, a suite of techniques have been developed for labeling and imaging DNA, each with various advantages and drawbacks. Here, we provide an overview of the labeling and imaging tools currently available for visualizing DNA in live cells, and discuss their suitability for various applications. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

Dissociation of VE-PTP from VE-cadherin is required for leukocyte extravasation and for VEGF-induced vascular permeability in vivo

PubMed Central

Broermann, Andre; Winderlich, Mark; Block, Helena; Frye, Maike; Rossaint, Jan; Zarbock, Alexander; Cagna, Giuseppe; Linnepe, Ruth; Schulte, Dörte; Nottebaum, Astrid Fee

2011-01-01

We have recently shown that vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase (VE-PTP), an endothelial membrane protein, associates with VE-cadherin and is required for optimal VE-cadherin function and endothelial cell contact integrity. The dissociation of VE-PTP from VE-cadherin is triggered by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and by the binding of leukocytes to endothelial cells in vitro, suggesting that this dissociation is a prerequisite for the destabilization of endothelial cell contacts. Here, we show that VE-cadherin/VE-PTP dissociation also occurs in vivo in response to LPS stimulation of the lung or systemic VEGF stimulation. To show that this dissociation is indeed necessary in vivo for leukocyte extravasation and VEGF-induced vascular permeability, we generated knock-in mice expressing the fusion proteins VE-cadherin-FK 506 binding protein and VE-PTP-FRB* under the control of the endogenous VE-cadherin promoter, thus replacing endogenous VE-cadherin. The additional domains in both fusion proteins allow the heterodimeric complex to be stabilized by a chemical compound (rapalog). We found that intravenous application of the rapalog strongly inhibited VEGF-induced (skin) and LPS-induced (lung) vascular permeability and inhibited neutrophil extravasation in the IL-1β inflamed cremaster and the LPS-inflamed lung. We conclude that the dissociation of VE-PTP from VE-cadherin is indeed required in vivo for the opening of endothelial cell contacts during induction of vascular permeability and leukocyte extravasation. PMID:22025303

Application of an unstructured 3D finite volume numerical model to flows and salinity dynamics in the San Francisco Bay-Delta

USGS Publications Warehouse

Martyr-Koller, R.C.; Kernkamp, H.W.J.; Van Dam, Anne A.; Mick van der Wegen,; Lucas, Lisa; Knowles, N.; Jaffe, B.; Fregoso, T.A.

2017-01-01

A linked modeling approach has been undertaken to understand the impacts of climate and infrastructure on aquatic ecology and water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region. The Delft3D Flexible Mesh modeling suite is used in this effort for its 3D hydrodynamics, salinity, temperature and sediment dynamics, phytoplankton and water-quality coupling infrastructure, and linkage to a habitat suitability model. The hydrodynamic model component of the suite is D-Flow FM, a new 3D unstructured finite-volume model based on the Delft3D model. In this paper, D-Flow FM is applied to the San Francisco Bay-Delta to investigate tidal, seasonal and annual dynamics of water levels, river flows and salinity under historical environmental and infrastructural conditions. The model is driven by historical winds, tides, ocean salinity, and river flows, and includes federal, state, and local freshwater withdrawals, and regional gate and barrier operations. The model is calibrated over a 9-month period, and subsequently validated for water levels, flows, and 3D salinity dynamics over a 2 year period.Model performance was quantified using several model assessment metrics and visualized through target diagrams. These metrics indicate that the model accurately estimated water levels, flows, and salinity over wide-ranging tidal and fluvial conditions, and the model can be used to investigate detailed circulation and salinity patterns throughout the Bay-Delta. The hydrodynamics produced through this effort will be used to drive affiliated sediment, phytoplankton, and contaminant hindcast efforts and habitat suitability assessments for fish and bivalves. The modeling framework applied here will serve as a baseline to ultimately shed light on potential ecosystem change over the current century.

Application of an unstructured 3D finite volume numerical model to flows and salinity dynamics in the San Francisco Bay-Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martyr-Koller, R. C.; Kernkamp, H. W. J.; van Dam, A.; van der Wegen, M.; Lucas, L. V.; Knowles, N.; Jaffe, B.; Fregoso, T. A.

2017-06-01

A linked modeling approach has been undertaken to understand the impacts of climate and infrastructure on aquatic ecology and water quality in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region. The Delft3D Flexible Mesh modeling suite is used in this effort for its 3D hydrodynamics, salinity, temperature and sediment dynamics, phytoplankton and water-quality coupling infrastructure, and linkage to a habitat suitability model. The hydrodynamic model component of the suite is D-Flow FM, a new 3D unstructured finite-volume model based on the Delft3D model. In this paper, D-Flow FM is applied to the San Francisco Bay-Delta to investigate tidal, seasonal and annual dynamics of water levels, river flows and salinity under historical environmental and infrastructural conditions. The model is driven by historical winds, tides, ocean salinity, and river flows, and includes federal, state, and local freshwater withdrawals, and regional gate and barrier operations. The model is calibrated over a 9-month period, and subsequently validated for water levels, flows, and 3D salinity dynamics over a 2 year period. Model performance was quantified using several model assessment metrics and visualized through target diagrams. These metrics indicate that the model accurately estimated water levels, flows, and salinity over wide-ranging tidal and fluvial conditions, and the model can be used to investigate detailed circulation and salinity patterns throughout the Bay-Delta. The hydrodynamics produced through this effort will be used to drive affiliated sediment, phytoplankton, and contaminant hindcast efforts and habitat suitability assessments for fish and bivalves. The modeling framework applied here will serve as a baseline to ultimately shed light on potential ecosystem change over the current century.

HECTOR: A 240kV micro-CT setup optimized for research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masschaele, Bert; Dierick, Manuel; Van Loo, Denis; Boone, Matthieu N.; Brabant, Loes; Pauwels, Elin; Cnudde, Veerle; Van Hoorebeke, Luc

2013-10-01

X-ray micro-CT has become a very powerful and common tool for non-destructive three-dimensional (3D) visualization and analysis of objects. Many systems are commercially available, but they are typically limited in terms of operational freedom both from a mechanical point of view as well as for acquisition routines. HECTOR is the latest system developed by the Ghent University Centre for X-ray Tomography (http://www.ugct.ugent.be) in collaboration with X-Ray Engineering (XRE bvba, Ghent, Belgium). It consists of a mechanical setup with nine motorized axes and a modular acquisition software package and combines a microfocus directional target X-ray source up to 240 kV with a large flat-panel detector. Provisions are made to install a line-detector for a maximal operational range. The system can accommodate samples up to 80 kg, 1 m long and 80 cm in diameter while it is also suited for high resolution (down to 4 μm) tomography. The bi-directional detector tiling is suited for large samples while the variable source-detector distance optimizes the signal to noise ratio (SNR) for every type of sample, even with peripheral equipment such as compression stages or climate chambers. The large vertical travel of 1 m can be used for helical scanning and a vertical detector rotation axis allows laminography experiments. The setup is installed in a large concrete bunker to allow accommodation of peripheral equipment such as pumps, chillers, etc., which can be integrated in the modular acquisition software to obtain a maximal correlation between the environmental control and the CT data taken. The acquisition software does not only allow good coupling with the peripheral equipment but its scripting feature is also particularly interesting for testing new and exotic acquisition routines.

Evaluating System Parameters on a Dragonfly using Simulation and Visualization

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

Bhatele, Abhinav; Jain, Nikhil; Livnat, Yarden

The dragon y topology is becoming a popular choice for build- ing high-radix, low-diameter networks with high-bandwidth links. Even with a powerful network, preliminary experi- ments on Edison at NERSC have shown that for communica- tion heavy applications, job interference and thus presumably job placement remains an important factor. In this paper, we explore the e ects of job placement, job sizes, parallel workloads and network con gurations on network through- put to better understand inter-job interference. We use a simulation tool called Damsel y to model the network be- havior of Edison and study the impact of various systemmore » parameters on network throughput. Parallel workloads based on ve representative communication patters are used and the simulation studies on up to 131,072 cores are aided by a new visualization of the dragon y network.« less

David Levy's Guide to Observing and Discovering Comets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, David H.

2003-05-01

Preface; Part I. Why Observe Comets?: 1. Of history, superstition, magic, and science; 2. Comet science progresses; Part II. Discovering Comets: 3. Comet searching begins; 4. Tails and trails; 5. Comet searching in the twentieth century; 6. How I search for comets; 7. Searching for comets photographically; 8. Searching for comets with CCDs; 9. Comet hunting by reading; 10. Hunting for sungrazers over the Internet; 11. What to do when you think you've found a comet; Part III. A New Way of Looking at Comets: 12. When comets hit planets; 13. The future of visual comet hunting; Part IV. How to Observe Comets: 14. An introduction to comet hunting; 15. Visual observing of comets; 16. Estimating the magnitude of a comet; 17. Taking a picture of a comet; 18. Measuring where a comet is in the sky; Part V. Closing Notes: 19. My passion for comets.

Python for large-scale electrophysiology.

PubMed

Spacek, Martin; Blanche, Tim; Swindale, Nicholas

2008-01-01

Electrophysiology is increasingly moving towards highly parallel recording techniques which generate large data sets. We record extracellularly in vivo in cat and rat visual cortex with 54-channel silicon polytrodes, under time-locked visual stimulation, from localized neuronal populations within a cortical column. To help deal with the complexity of generating and analysing these data, we used the Python programming language to develop three software projects: one for temporally precise visual stimulus generation ("dimstim"); one for electrophysiological waveform visualization and spike sorting ("spyke"); and one for spike train and stimulus analysis ("neuropy"). All three are open source and available for download (http://swindale.ecc.ubc.ca/code). The requirements and solutions for these projects differed greatly, yet we found Python to be well suited for all three. Here we present our software as a showcase of the extensive capabilities of Python in neuroscience.

Comparison of Middle Ear Visualization With Endoscopy and Microscopy.

PubMed

Bennett, Marc L; Zhang, Dongqing; Labadie, Robert F; Noble, Jack H

2016-04-01

The primary goal of chronic ear surgery is the creation of a safe, clean dry ear. For cholesteatomas, complete removal of disease is dependent on visualization. Conventional microscopy is adequate for most dissection, but various subregions of the middle ear are better visualized with endoscopy. The purpose of the present study was to quantitatively assess the improved visualization that endoscopes afford as compared with operating microscopes. Microscopic and endoscopic views were simulated using a three-dimensional model developed from temporal bone scans. Surface renderings of the ear canal and middle ear subsegments were defined and the percentage of visualization of each middle ear subsegment, both with and without ossicles, was then determined for the microscope as well as for 0-, 30-, and 45-degree endoscopes. Using this information, we analyzed which mode of visualization is best suited for dissection within a particular anatomical region. Using a 0-degree scope provides significantly more visualization of every subregion, except the antrum, compared with a microscope. In addition, angled scopes permit visualizing significantly more surface area of every subregion of the middle ear than straight scopes or microscopes. Endoscopes offer advantages for cholesteatoma dissection in difficult-to-visualize areas including the sinus tympani and epitympanum.

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

Rizzi, Silvio; Hereld, Mark; Insley, Joseph

In this work we perform in-situ visualization of molecular dynamics simulations, which can help scientists to visualize simulation output on-the-fly, without incurring storage overheads. We present a case study to couple LAMMPS, the large-scale molecular dynamics simulation code with vl3, our parallel framework for large-scale visualization and analysis. Our motivation is to identify effective approaches for covisualization and exploration of large-scale atomistic simulations at interactive frame rates.We propose a system of coupled libraries and describe its architecture, with an implementation that runs on GPU-based clusters. We present the results of strong and weak scalability experiments, as well as future researchmore » avenues based on our results.« less

Spectral fingerprints of large-scale cortical dynamics during ambiguous motion perception.

PubMed

Helfrich, Randolph F; Knepper, Hannah; Nolte, Guido; Sengelmann, Malte; König, Peter; Schneider, Till R; Engel, Andreas K

2016-11-01

Ambiguous stimuli have been widely used to study the neuronal correlates of consciousness. Recently, it has been suggested that conscious perception might arise from the dynamic interplay of functionally specialized but widely distributed cortical areas. While previous research mainly focused on phase coupling as a correlate of cortical communication, more recent findings indicated that additional coupling modes might coexist and possibly subserve distinct cortical functions. Here, we studied two coupling modes, namely phase and envelope coupling, which might differ in their origins, putative functions and dynamics. Therefore, we recorded 128-channel EEG while participants performed a bistable motion task and utilized state-of-the-art source-space connectivity analysis techniques to study the functional relevance of different coupling modes for cortical communication. Our results indicate that gamma-band phase coupling in extrastriate visual cortex might mediate the integration of visual tokens into a moving stimulus during ambiguous visual stimulation. Furthermore, our results suggest that long-range fronto-occipital gamma-band envelope coupling sustains the horizontal percept during ambiguous motion perception. Additionally, our results support the idea that local parieto-occipital alpha-band phase coupling controls the inter-hemispheric information transfer. These findings provide correlative evidence for the notion that synchronized oscillatory brain activity reflects the processing of sensory input as well as the information integration across several spatiotemporal scales. The results indicate that distinct coupling modes are involved in different cortical computations and that the rich spatiotemporal correlation structure of the brain might constitute the functional architecture for cortical processing and specific multi-site communication. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4099-4111, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NASA Opportunities in Visualization, Art, and Science (NOVAS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fillingim, M. O.; Zevin, D.; Croft, S.; Thrall, L.; Shackelford, R. L., III

2015-12-01

Led by members of UC Berkeley's Multiverse education team at the Space Sciences Laboratory (http://multiverse.ssl.berkeley.edu/), in partnership with UC Berkeley Astronomy, NASA Opportunities in Visualization, Art and Science (NOVAS) is a NASA-funded program mainly for high school students that explores NASA science through art and highlights the need for and uses of art and visualizations in science. The project's aim is to motivate more diverse young people (especially African Americans) to consider Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. The program offers intensive summer workshops at community youth centers, afterschool workshops at a local high school, a year-round internship for those who have taken part in one or more of our workshops, public and school outreach, and educator professional development workshops. By adding Art (fine art, graphic art, multimedia, design, and "maker/tinkering" approaches) to STEM learning, we wanted to try a unique combination of what's often now called the "STEAM movement" in STEM education. We've paid particular attention to highlighting how scientists and artists/tinkerers often collaborate, and why scientists need visualization and design experts. The program values the rise of the STEAM teaching concept, particularly that art, multimedia, design, and maker projects can help communicate science concepts more effectively. We also promote the fact that art, design, and visualization skills can lead to jobs and broader participation in science, and we frequently work with and showcase scientific illustrators and other science visualization professionals. This presentation will highlight the significant findings from our multi-year program.

The Arctic Observing Viewer (AOV): Visualization, Data Discovery, Strategic Assessment, and Decision Support for Arctic Observing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cody, R. P.; Manley, W. F.; Gaylord, A. G.; Kassin, A.; Villarreal, S.; Barba, M.; Dover, M.; Escarzaga, S. M.; Habermann, T.; Kozimor, J.; Score, R.; Tweedie, C. E.

2016-12-01

To better assess progress in Arctic Observing made by U.S. SEARCH, NSF AON, SAON, and related initiatives, an updated version of the Arctic Observing Viewer (AOV; http://ArcticObservingViewer.org) has been released. This web mapping application and information system conveys the who, what, where, and when of "data collection sites" - the precise locations of monitoring assets, observing platforms, and wherever repeat marine or terrestrial measurements have been taken. Over 8000 sites across the circum-arctic are documented including a range of boreholes, ship tracks, buoys, towers, sampling stations, sensor networks, vegetation plots, stream gauges, ice cores, observatories, and more. Contributing partners are the U.S. NSF, ACADIS, ADIwg, AOOS, a2dc, AON, CAFF, GINA, IASOA, INTERACT, NASA ABoVE, and USGS, among others. Users can visualize, navigate, select, search, draw, print, view details, and follow links to obtain a comprehensive perspective of environmental monitoring efforts. We continue to develop, populate, and enhance AOV. Recent improvements include: a more intuitive and functional search tool, a modern cross-platform interface using javascript and HTML5, and hierarchical ISO metadata coupled with RESTful web services & metadata XLinks to span the data life cycle (from project planning to establishment of data collection sites to release of scientific datasets). Additionally, through collaborations with the Barrow Area Information Database (BAID, www.barrowmapped.org) we are exploring linkages with datacenters and have developed a prototype dashboard application that allows users to explore data services in the AOV application. AOV is founded on principles of interoperability, such that agencies and organizations can use the AOV Viewer and web services for their own purposes. In this way, AOV complements other distributed yet interoperable cyber resources and helps science planners, funding agencies, investigators, data specialists, and others to: assess status, identify overlap, fill gaps, optimize sampling design, refine network performance, clarify directions, access data, coordinate logistics, and collaborate to meet Arctic Observing goals.

Review on Dark Photon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curciarello, Francesca

2016-04-01

e+e- collider experiments at the intensity frontier are naturally suited to probe the existence of a force beyond the Standard Model between WIMPs, the most viable dark matter candidates. The mediator of this new force, known as dark photon, should be a new vector gauge boson very weakly coupled to the Standard Model photon. No significant signal has been observed so far. I will report on current limits set on the coupling factor ɛ2 between the photon and the dark photon by e+e- collider experiments.

Pajarito Aerosol Couplings to Ecosystems (PACE) Field Campaign Report

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

Dubey, M

Laboratory (LANL) worked on the Pajarito Aerosol Couplings to Ecosystems (PACE) intensive operational period (IOP). PACE’s primary goal was to demonstrate routine Mobile Aerosol Observing System (MAOS) field operations and improve instrumental and operational performance. LANL operated the instruments efficiently and effectively with remote guidance by the instrument mentors. This was the first time a complex suite of instruments had been operated under the ARM model and it proved to be a very successful and cost-effective model to build upon.

Improving visual memory, attention, and school function with atomoxetine in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Shang, Chi-Yung; Gau, Susan Shur-Fen

2012-10-01

Atomoxetine is efficacious in reducing symptoms of attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but its effect on visual memory and attention needs more investigation. This study aimed to assess the effect of atomoxetine on visual memory, attention, and school function in boys with ADHD in Taiwan. This was an open-label 12 week atomoxetine treatment trial among 30 drug-naíve boys with ADHD, aged 8-16 years. Before administration of atomoxetine, the participants were assessed using psychiatric interviews, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, 3rd edition (WISC-III), the school function of the Chinese version of the Social Adjustment Inventory for Children and Adolescents (SAICA), the Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT), and the tasks of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) involving visual memory and attention: Pattern Recognition Memory, Spatial Recognition Memory, and Reaction Time, which were reassessed at weeks 4 and 12. Our results showed there was significant improvement in pattern recognition memory and spatial recognition memory as measured by the CANTAB tasks, sustained attention and response inhibition as measured by the CPT, and reaction time as measured by the CANTAB after treatment with atomoxetine for 4 weeks or 12 weeks. In addition, atomoxetine significantly enhanced school functioning in children with ADHD. Our findings suggested that atomoxetine was associated with significant improvement in visual memory, attention, and school functioning in boys with ADHD.

High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems.

PubMed

Mahadevan, Vijay S; Merzari, Elia; Tautges, Timothy; Jain, Rajeev; Obabko, Aleksandr; Smith, Michael; Fischer, Paul

2014-08-06

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in order to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. The coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework.

High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems

PubMed Central

Mahadevan, Vijay S.; Merzari, Elia; Tautges, Timothy; Jain, Rajeev; Obabko, Aleksandr; Smith, Michael; Fischer, Paul

2014-01-01

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in order to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. The coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework. PMID:24982250

Nde of Lumber and Natural Fiber Based Products with Air Coupled Ultrasound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, David K.; Utrata, David; Kuo, Monlin

2010-02-01

Due to the porous nature of wood and natural fiber based products, conventional fluid or gel coupled ultrasonic inspection is unsuitable. Air-coupled ultrasonic transmission scanning, being non-contact, is ideally suited for inspecting lumber, wood and natural fiber based products. We report here several successful applications of air-coupled ultrasound for the inspection of wood. Air-coupled ultrasonic scan at 120 kHz can easily detect "sinker-stock" lumber in which bacterial damage of ray tissue cells had occurred during anaerobic pond storage. Channels in ash lumber board caused by insect bore were imaged in transmission scan. Delamination and material inhomogeneities were mapped out in manufactured wood and natural fiber products including medium density fiberboards, compression molded shredded waste wood with formaldehyde resin, and acoustic panels molded with kenaf fibers. The study has demonstrated some of the capabilities of air-coupled ultrasound in the NDE of forest products.

Cues to viewing distance for stereoscopic depth constancy.

PubMed

Glennerster, A; Rogers, B J; Bradshaw, M F

1998-01-01

A veridical estimate of viewing distance is required in order to determine the metric structure of objects from binocular stereopsis. One example of a judgment of metric structure, which we used in our experiment, is the apparently circular cylinder task (E B Johnston, 1991 Vision Research 31 1351-1360). Most studies report underconstancy in this task when the stimulus is defined purely by binocular disparities. We examined the effect of two factors on performance: (i) the richness of the cues to viewing distance (using either a naturalistic setting with many cues to viewing distance or a condition in which the room and the monitors were obscured from view), and (ii) the range of stimulus disparities (cylinder depths) presented during an experimental run. We tested both experienced subjects (who had performed the task many times before under full-cue conditions) and naïve subjects. Depth constancy was reduced for the naïve subjects (from 62% to 46%) when the position of the monitors was obscured. Under similar conditions, the experienced subjects showed no reduction in constancy. In a second experiment, using a forced-choice method of constant stimuli, we found that depth constancy was reduced from 64% to 23% in naïve subjects and from 77% to 55% in experienced subjects when the same set of images was presented at all viewing distances rather than using a set of stimulus disparities proportional to the correct setting. One possible explanation of these results is that, under reduced-cue conditions, the range of disparities presented is used by the visual system as a cue to viewing distance.

The European space suit, a design for productivity and crew safety.

PubMed

Skoog, A I; Berthier, S; Ollivier, Y

1991-01-01

In order to fulfill the two major mission objectives, i.e. support planned and unplanned external servicing of the COLUMBUS FFL and support the HERMES vehicle for safety critical operations and emergencies, the European Space Suit System baseline configuration incorporates a number of design features, which shall enhance the productivity and the crew safety of EVA astronauts. The work in EVA is today--and will be for several years--a manual work. Consequently, to improve productivity, the first challenge is to design a suit enclosure which minimizes movement restrictions and crew fatigue. It is covered by the "ergonomic" aspect of the suit design. Furthermore, it is also necessary to help the EVA crewmember in his work, by giving him the right information at the right time. Many solutions exist in this field of Man-Machine Interface, from a very simple system, based on cuff check lists, up to advanced systems, including Head-Up Displays. The design concept for improved productivity encompasses following features: easy donning/doffing thru rear entry, suit ergonomy optimisation, display of operational information in alpha-numerical and graphical form, and voice processing for operations and safety critical information. Concerning crew safety the major design features are: a lower R-factor for emergency EVA operations thru increased suit pressure, zero prebreath conditions for normal operations, visual and voice processing of all safety critical functions, and an autonomous life support system to permit unrestricted operations around HERMES and the CFFL. The paper analyses crew safety and productivity criteria and describes how these features are being built into the design of the European Space Suit System.

The role of 3-D interactive visualization in blind surveys of H I in galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punzo, D.; van der Hulst, J. M.; Roerdink, J. B. T. M.; Oosterloo, T. A.; Ramatsoku, M.; Verheijen, M. A. W.

2015-09-01

Upcoming H I surveys will deliver large datasets, and automated processing using the full 3-D information (two positional dimensions and one spectral dimension) to find and characterize H I objects is imperative. In this context, visualization is an essential tool for enabling qualitative and quantitative human control on an automated source finding and analysis pipeline. We discuss how Visual Analytics, the combination of automated data processing and human reasoning, creativity and intuition, supported by interactive visualization, enables flexible and fast interaction with the 3-D data, helping the astronomer to deal with the analysis of complex sources. 3-D visualization, coupled to modeling, provides additional capabilities helping the discovery and analysis of subtle structures in the 3-D domain. The requirements for a fully interactive visualization tool are: coupled 1-D/2-D/3-D visualization, quantitative and comparative capabilities, combined with supervised semi-automated analysis. Moreover, the source code must have the following characteristics for enabling collaborative work: open, modular, well documented, and well maintained. We review four state of-the-art, 3-D visualization packages assessing their capabilities and feasibility for use in the case of 3-D astronomical data.

Acetazolamide-induced vasodilation does not inhibit the visually evoked flow response

PubMed Central

Yonai, Yaniv; Boms, Neta; Molnar, Sandor; Rosengarten, Bernhard; Bornstein, Natan M; Csiba, Laszlo; Olah, Laszlo

2010-01-01

Different methods are used to assess the vasodilator ability of cerebral blood vessels; however, the exact mechanism of cerebral vasodilation, induced by different stimuli, is not entirely known. Our aim was to investigate whether the potent vasodilator agent, acetazolamide (AZ), inhibits the neurovascular coupling, which also requires vasodilation. Therefore, visually evoked flow parameters were examined by transcranial Doppler in ten healthy subjects before and after AZ administration. Pulsatility index and peak systolic flow velocity changes, evoked by visual stimulus, were recorded in the posterior cerebral arteries before and after intravenous administration of 15 mg/kg AZ. Repeated-measures ANOVA did not show significant group main effect between the visually evoked relative flow velocity time courses before and after AZ provocation (P=0.43). Visual stimulation induced significant increase of relative flow velocity and decrease of pulsatility index not only before but also at the maximal effect of AZ. These results suggest that maximal cerebral vasodilation cannot be determined by the clinically accepted dose of AZ (15 mg/kg) and prove that neurovascular coupling remains preserved despite AZ-induced vasodilation. Our observation indicates independent regulation of vasodilation during neurovascular coupling, allowing the adaptation of cerebral blood flow according to neuronal activity even if other processes require significant vasodilation. PMID:19809468

Regulation of endothelial barrier function by p120-catenin∙VE-cadherin interaction

PubMed Central

Garrett, Joshua P.; Lowery, Anthony M.; Adam, Alejandro P.; Kowalczyk, Andrew P.; Vincent, Peter A.

2017-01-01

Endothelial p120-catenin (p120) maintains the level of vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-Cad) by inhibiting VE-Cad endocytosis. Loss of p120 results in a decrease in VE-Cad levels, leading to the formation of monolayers with decreased barrier function (as assessed by transendothelial electrical resistance [TEER]), whereas overexpression of p120 increases VE-Cad levels and promotes a more restrictive monolayer. To test whether reduced endocytosis mediated by p120 is required for VE-Cad formation of a restrictive barrier, we restored VE-Cad levels using an endocytic-defective VE-Cad mutant. This endocytic-defective mutant was unable to rescue the loss of TEER associated with p120 or VE-Cad depletion. In contrast, the endocytic-defective mutant was able to prevent sprout formation in a fibrin bead assay, suggesting that p120•VE-Cad interaction regulates barrier function and angiogenic sprouting through different mechanisms. Further investigation found that depletion of p120 increases Src activity and that loss of p120 binding results in increased VE-Cad phosphorylation. In addition, expression of a Y658F–VE-Cad mutant or an endocytic-defective Y658F–VE-Cad double mutant were both able to rescue TEER independently of p120 binding. Our results show that in addition to regulating endocytosis, p120 also allows the phosphorylated form of VE-Cad to participate in the formation of a restrictive monolayer. PMID:27852896

An Arctic Ice/Ocean Coupled Model with Wave Interactions

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-30

for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite...an AI on the current project, with remuneration that takes his salary to 1 FTE. SWARP will develop downstream services for sea ice and waves

Pairwise velocities in the "Running FLRW" cosmological model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bibiano, Antonio; Croton, Darren J.

2017-05-01

We present an analysis of the pairwise velocity statistics from a suite of cosmological N-body simulations describing the 'Running Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker' (R-FLRW) cosmological model. This model is based on quantum field theory in a curved space-time and extends Λ cold dark matter (CDM) with a time-evolving vacuum energy density, ρ _Λ. To enforce local conservation of matter, a time-evolving gravitational coupling is also included. Our results constitute the first study of velocities in the R-FLRW cosmology, and we also compare with other dark energy simulations suites, repeating the same analysis. We find a strong degeneracy between the pairwise velocity and σ8 at z = 0 for almost all scenarios considered, which remains even when we look back to epochs as early as z = 2. We also investigate various coupled dark energy models, some of which show minimal degeneracy, and reveal interesting deviations from ΛCDM that could be readily exploited by future cosmological observations to test and further constrain our understanding of dark energy.

Pen-Enabled, Real-Time Student Engagement for Teaching in STEM Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urban, Sylvia

2017-01-01

The introduction of pen-enabling devices has been demonstrated to increase a student's ability to solve problems, communicate, and learn during note taking. For the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects that are considered to be symbolic in nature, pen interfaces are better suited for visual-spatial content and also provide a…

Come out, Come out: Frameline Films' Holiday Havoc

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, James H., III

2009-01-01

Five Frameline short films by and about LGBT youth's coming-out narratives are reviewed by a professor and his (under)graduate university students studying visual culture and the socio/cinematic construction of (homo)sexualities. Respondents collectively found the group of films moving and well suited for viewing by middle- and high-school-age…

Teaching Neuroanatomy Using Computer-Aided Learning: What Makes for Successful Outcomes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Svirko, Elena; Mellanby, Jane

2017-01-01

Computer-aided learning (CAL) is an integral part of many medical courses. The neuroscience course at Oxford University for medical students includes CAL course of neuroanatomy. CAL is particularly suited to this since neuroanatomy requires much detailed three-dimensional visualization, which can be presented on screen. The CAL course was…

Development of Early Handwriting: Visual-Motor Control during Letter Copying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maldarelli, Jennifer E.; Kahrs, Björn A.; Hunt, Sarah C.; Lockman, Jeffrey J.

2015-01-01

Despite the importance of handwriting for school readiness and early academic progress, prior research on the development of handwriting has focused primarily on the product rather than the process by which young children write letters. In contrast, in the present work, early handwriting is viewed as involving a suite of perceptual, motor, and…

Sensory aspects of trail-following behaviors in the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis

Treesearch

Fern Graves; Thomas C. Baker; Aijun Zhang; Melody Keena; Kelli Hoover

2016-01-01

Anoplophora glabripennis has a complex suite of mate-finding behaviors, the functions of which are not entirely understood. These behaviors are elicited by a number of factors, including visual and chemical cues. Chemical cues include a maleproduced volatile semiochemical acting as a long-range sex pheromone, a femaleproduced cuticular hydrocarbon...

Development and application of a community sustainability visualization tool through integration of US EPA’s Sustainable and Health Community Research Program tasks

EPA Science Inventory

Maintaining a harmonious balance between economic, social, and environmental well-being is paramount to community sustainability. Communities need a practical/usable suite of measures to assess their current position on a "surface" of sustainability created from the interaction ...

Perceptions of the IWB for Second Language Teaching and Learning: The iTILT Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whyte, Shona; Beauchamp, Gary; Hillier, Emily

2012-01-01

Recent emphasis on target language interaction in task-based, technologymediated language classrooms makes the interactive whiteboard (IWB) an attractive tool: it constitutes a "digital hub" particularly suited to younger learners who require greater visual support and active learning. However, recent research in UK and French primary…

Got Game? A Choice-Based Learning Assessment of Data Literacy and Visualization Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chin, Doris B.; Blair, Kristen P.; Schwartz, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

In partnership with both formal and informal learning institutions, researchers have been building a suite of online games, called choicelets, to serve as interactive assessments of learning skills, e.g. critical thinking or seeking feedback. Unlike more traditional assessments, which take a retrospective, knowledge-based view of learning,…

Advanced engineering environment collaboration project.

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

Lamph, Jane Ann; Pomplun, Alan R.; Kiba, Grant W.

2008-12-01

The Advanced Engineering Environment (AEE) is a model for an engineering design and communications system that will enhance project collaboration throughout the nuclear weapons complex (NWC). Sandia National Laboratories and Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) worked together on a prototype project to evaluate the suitability of a portion of PTC's Windchill 9.0 suite of data management, design and collaboration tools as the basis for an AEE. The AEE project team implemented Windchill 9.0 development servers in both classified and unclassified domains and used them to test and evaluate the Windchill tool suite relative to the needs of the NWC using weaponsmore » project use cases. A primary deliverable was the development of a new real time collaborative desktop design and engineering process using PDMLink (data management tool), Pro/Engineer (mechanical computer aided design tool) and ProductView Lite (visualization tool). Additional project activities included evaluations of PTC's electrical computer aided design, visualization, and engineering calculations applications. This report documents the AEE project work to share information and lessons learned with other NWC sites. It also provides PTC with recommendations for improving their products for NWC applications.« less

Defense applications of the CAVE (CAVE automatic virtual environment)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isabelle, Scott K.; Gilkey, Robert H.; Kenyon, Robert V.; Valentino, George; Flach, John M.; Spenny, Curtis H.; Anderson, Timothy R.

1997-07-01

The CAVE is a multi-person, room-sized, high-resolution, 3D video and auditory environment, which can be used to present very immersive virtual environment experiences. This paper describes the CAVE technology and the capability of the CAVE system as originally developed at the Electronics Visualization Laboratory of the University of Illinois- Chicago and as more recently implemented by Wright State University (WSU) in the Armstrong Laboratory at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). One planned use of the WSU/WPAFB CAVE is research addressing the appropriate design of display and control interfaces for controlling uninhabited aerial vehicles. The WSU/WPAFB CAVE has a number of features that make it well-suited to this work: (1) 360 degrees surround, plus floor, high resolution visual displays, (2) virtual spatialized audio, (3) the ability to integrate real and virtual objects, and (4) rapid and flexible reconfiguration. However, even though the CAVE is likely to have broad utility for military applications, it does have certain limitations that may make it less well- suited to applications that require 'natural' haptic feedback, vestibular stimulation, or an ability to interact with close detailed objects.

ER and HER2 expression are positively correlated in HER2 non-overexpressing breast cancer.

PubMed

Pinhel, Isabel; Hills, Margaret; Drury, Suzanne; Salter, Janine; Sumo, Georges; A'Hern, Roger; Bliss, Judith M; Sestak, Ivana; Cuzick, Jack; Barrett-Lee, Peter; Harris, Adrian; Dowsett, Mitch

2012-03-14

Estrogen receptor-α (ER) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity are inversely correlated by standard criteria. However, we investigated the quantitative relation between ER and HER2 expression at both RNA and protein levels in HER2+ve and HER2-ve breast carcinomas. ER and HER2 levels were assessed with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and (for HER2) fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR) in formalin-fixed primary breast cancers from 448 patients in the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Adjuvant Breast Cancer Trial (ABC) tamoxifen-only arm. Relations at the RNA level were assessed in 1,139 TransATAC tumors. ER and HER2 RNA levels were negatively correlated as expected in HER2+ve (IHC 3+ and/or FISH-amplified) tumors (r = -0.45; P = 0.0028). However, in HER2-ve tumors (ER+ve and ER-ve combined), a significant positive correlation was found (r = 0.43; P < 0.0001), HER2 RNA levels being 1.74-fold higher in ER+ve versus ER-ve tumors. This correlation was maintained in the ER+veHER2-ve subgroup (r = 0.24; P = 0.0023) and confirmed in this subgroup in 1,139 TransATAC tumours (r = 0.25; P < 0.0001). The positive relation extended to IHC-detected ER in ABC: mean ± 95% confidence interval (CI) H-scores were 90 ± 19 and 134 ± 19 for 0 and 1+ HER2 IHC categories, respectively (P = 0.0013). A trend toward lower relapse-free survival (RFS) was observed in patients with the lowest levels of ER and HER2 RNA levels within the ER+veHER2-ve subgroup both for ABC and TransATAC cohorts. ER and HER2 expression is positively correlated in HER2-ve tumors. The distinction between HER2+ve and HER2-ve is greater in ER-ve than in ER+ve tumors. These findings are important to consider in clinical trials of anti-HER2 and anti-endocrine therapy in HER2-ve disease. Clinical trial identifier: ISRCTN31514446.

Characterization and enzymatic hydrolysis of wood from transgenic Pinus taeda engineered with syringyl lignin or reduced lignin content

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

Edmunds, Charles W.; Peralta, Perry; Kelley, Stephen S.

Softwood is an abundant resource; however, currently its utilization for bioconversion to obtain platform sugars is limited. Pinus taeda trees which were genetically modified to either produce S lignin or to decrease lignin content were characterized with a suite of analytic techniques. Syringyl lignin was visualized in the secondary xylem of one genetic line with Maule staining. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance identified the S lignin units were coupled into the lignin through β-O-4 linkages, and thioacidolysis measured approximately 13% S lignin content in the same sample. Reductions of the lignin of as much as 33% were observed in the transgenics.more » To better understand how these modifications affect bioconversion, their amenability to hot water and dilute acid pretreatments and enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated. Lignin reductions resulted in 1.9-3.2-fold increases in glucose release compared to the control. However, no apparent benefit was observed by S lignin incorporation at the concentrations reported in this study. Finally, these results highlight the potential for softwood cell wall properties to be improved for bioenergy/biochemical applications.« less

Characterization and enzymatic hydrolysis of wood from transgenic Pinus taeda engineered with syringyl lignin or reduced lignin content

DOE PAGES

Edmunds, Charles W.; Peralta, Perry; Kelley, Stephen S.; ...

2017-02-22

Softwood is an abundant resource; however, currently its utilization for bioconversion to obtain platform sugars is limited. Pinus taeda trees which were genetically modified to either produce S lignin or to decrease lignin content were characterized with a suite of analytic techniques. Syringyl lignin was visualized in the secondary xylem of one genetic line with Maule staining. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance identified the S lignin units were coupled into the lignin through β-O-4 linkages, and thioacidolysis measured approximately 13% S lignin content in the same sample. Reductions of the lignin of as much as 33% were observed in the transgenics.more » To better understand how these modifications affect bioconversion, their amenability to hot water and dilute acid pretreatments and enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated. Lignin reductions resulted in 1.9-3.2-fold increases in glucose release compared to the control. However, no apparent benefit was observed by S lignin incorporation at the concentrations reported in this study. Finally, these results highlight the potential for softwood cell wall properties to be improved for bioenergy/biochemical applications.« less

Dynamic interactions between visual working memory and saccade target selection

PubMed Central

Schneegans, Sebastian; Spencer, John P.; Schöner, Gregor; Hwang, Seongmin; Hollingworth, Andrew

2014-01-01

Recent psychophysical experiments have shown that working memory for visual surface features interacts with saccadic motor planning, even in tasks where the saccade target is unambiguously specified by spatial cues. Specifically, a match between a memorized color and the color of either the designated target or a distractor stimulus influences saccade target selection, saccade amplitudes, and latencies in a systematic fashion. To elucidate these effects, we present a dynamic neural field model in combination with new experimental data. The model captures the neural processes underlying visual perception, working memory, and saccade planning relevant to the psychophysical experiment. It consists of a low-level visual sensory representation that interacts with two separate pathways: a spatial pathway implementing spatial attention and saccade generation, and a surface feature pathway implementing color working memory and feature attention. Due to bidirectional coupling between visual working memory and feature attention in the model, the working memory content can indirectly exert an effect on perceptual processing in the low-level sensory representation. This in turn biases saccadic movement planning in the spatial pathway, allowing the model to quantitatively reproduce the observed interaction effects. The continuous coupling between representations in the model also implies that modulation should be bidirectional, and model simulations provide specific predictions for complementary effects of saccade target selection on visual working memory. These predictions were empirically confirmed in a new experiment: Memory for a sample color was biased toward the color of a task-irrelevant saccade target object, demonstrating the bidirectional coupling between visual working memory and perceptual processing. PMID:25228628

Deep brain stimulation does not change neurovascular coupling in non-motor visual cortex: an autonomic and visual evoked blood flow velocity response study.

PubMed

Azevedo, Elsa; Santos, Rosa; Freitas, João; Rosas, Maria-José; Gago, Miguel; Garrett, Carolina; Rosengarten, Bernhard

2010-11-01

In Parkinson's disease (PD) subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) improves motor function. Also an effect on the neurovascular coupling in motor cortex was reported due to a parallel activation of a subthalamic vasodilator area (SVA). To address this issue further we analysed neurovascular coupling in a non-motor area. Twenty PD patients selected for bilateral STN-DBS were investigated with functional transcranial Doppler (f-TCD) before and after surgery. Hemodynamic responses to visual stimulation were registered in left posterior cerebral artery (PCA) and analysed with a control-system approach (parameters gain, rate time, attenuation and natural frequency). To exclude autonomic effects of STN-DBS, we also addressed spectrum analysis of heart rate and of systolic arterial blood pressure variability, and baroreceptor gain. Findings in the PD group were compared with healthy age-matched controls. PD patients showed no neurovascular coupling changes in PCA territory, compared to controls, and STN-DBS changed neither blood flow regulatory parameters nor autonomic function. Improvement of vasoregulation in some motor cortical areas after STN-DBS might be related to an improved neuronal functional rather than indicating an effect on the neurovascular coupling or autonomic function. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual Enhancement of Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy With 3-Charge Coupled Device Camera: Assessing Intraoperative Tissue Perfusion and Vascular Anatomy by Visible Hemoglobin Spectral Response

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

open nephron spanng surgery a single institution expenence. J Ural 2005; 174: 855 21 Bhayan• SB, Aha KH Pmto PA et al Laparoscopic partial...noninvasively assess laparoscopic intraoperative changes in renal tissue perfusion during and after warm ischemia. Materials and Methods: We analyzed select...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Visual Enhancement of Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy With 3-Charge Coupled Device Camera: Assessing Intraoperative Tissue

FvVE1 Regulates Biosynthesis of Fumonisins and Fusarins in Fusarium verticillioides

PubMed Central

MYUNG, KYUNG; LI, SHAOJIE; BUTCHKO, ROBERT A.E.; BUSMAN, MARK; PROCTOR, ROBERT H; ABBAS, HAMED K.; CALVO, ANA M.

2009-01-01

The veA gene positively regulates sterigmatocystin production in Aspergillus nidulans and aflatoxin production in A. parasiticus and A. flavus. Whether veA homologs have a role in regulating secondary metabolism in other fungal genera is unknown. In this study, we examined the role of the veA homolog, FvVE1, on production of two mycotoxin families, fumonisins and fusarins, in the important corn pathogen F. verticillioides. We found that FvVE1 deletion completely suppressed fumonisin production on two natural substrates, corn and rice. Furthermore, our results revealed that FvVE1 is necessary for the expression of the pathway-specific regulatory gene FUM21 and structural genes in the fumonisin biosynthetic gene (FUM) cluster. FvVE1 deletion also blocked production of fusarins. The effects of FvVE1 deletion on the production of these toxins were found to be the same in two separate mating types. Our results strongly suggest that FvVE1 play an important role in regulating mycotoxin production in F. verticillioides. PMID:19382792

Effectiveness of inactivated quadrivalent influenza vaccine in the 2015/2016 season as assessed in both a test-negative case-control study design and a traditional case-control study design.

PubMed

Kimiya, Takahisa; Shinjoh, Masayoshi; Anzo, Makoto; Takahashi, Hiroki; Sekiguchi, Shinichiro; Sugaya, Norio; Takahashi, Takao

2018-04-21

Both traditional case-control studies (TCCSs) and test-negative case-control studies (TNCCSs) are commonly used to assess influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE). To compensate for the fact that observational studies are susceptible to bias, we combined both methods to assess VE in one geographical area during the 2015/2016 season, when influenza A (H1N1)pdm was dominant. Our TNCCS covered 331 children aged 6 months to 15 years who visited our hospital with fever, including 182 with influenza, and our TCCS covered 812 pediatric outpatients aged 6 months to 15 years, including 214 with influenza. Influenza infection and vaccination history were reviewed, and VE was calculated as (1 - odds ratio) × 100. In the TNCCS, VE against influenza A was 68% (95% CI 47-81) overall, and 70% (48-83) for those given two doses; against influenza B, VE was 37% (- 12-64) overall and 49% (2-74) for two doses. In the TCCS, VE against influenza A was 44% (15-63) overall and 44% (13-64) for two doses, and VE against influenza B was 24% (- 19-52) overall and 41% (3-64) for two doses. Both studies confirmed significant VE against influenza A, significant two-dose VE against influenza B, and better two-dose VE than one-dose VE. What is Known: • Influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) varies from year to year. • Observational studies are conventionally used for VE assessment. However, they are inherently susceptible to bias and confounding. What is New: • This is the first report of influenza VE assessment using more than one observational study and performed in a specific area during the same season. • VE estimates obtained in our traditional case-control study were lower than those in our test-negative case-control study, but both studies found significant VE against influenza.

Modeling Constellation Virtual Missions Using the Vdot(Trademark) Process Management Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardy, Roger; ONeil, Daniel; Sturken, Ian; Nix, Michael; Yanez, Damian

2011-01-01

The authors have identified a software tool suite that will support NASA's Virtual Mission (VM) effort. This is accomplished by transforming a spreadsheet database of mission events, task inputs and outputs, timelines, and organizations into process visualization tools and a Vdot process management model that includes embedded analysis software as well as requirements and information related to data manipulation and transfer. This paper describes the progress to date, and the application of the Virtual Mission to not only Constellation but to other architectures, and the pertinence to other aerospace applications. Vdot s intuitive visual interface brings VMs to life by turning static, paper-based processes into active, electronic processes that can be deployed, executed, managed, verified, and continuously improved. A VM can be executed using a computer-based, human-in-the-loop, real-time format, under the direction and control of the NASA VM Manager. Engineers in the various disciplines will not have to be Vdot-proficient but rather can fill out on-line, Excel-type databases with the mission information discussed above. The author s tool suite converts this database into several process visualization tools for review and into Microsoft Project, which can be imported directly into Vdot. Many tools can be embedded directly into Vdot, and when the necessary data/information is received from a preceding task, the analysis can be initiated automatically. Other NASA analysis tools are too complex for this process but Vdot automatically notifies the tool user that the data has been received and analysis can begin. The VM can be simulated from end-to-end using the author s tool suite. The planned approach for the Vdot-based process simulation is to generate the process model from a database; other advantages of this semi-automated approach are the participants can be geographically remote and after refining the process models via the human-in-the-loop simulation, the system can evolve into a process management server for the actual process.

CREMA-D: Crowd-sourced Emotional Multimodal Actors Dataset

PubMed Central

Cao, Houwei; Cooper, David G.; Keutmann, Michael K.; Gur, Ruben C.; Nenkova, Ani; Verma, Ragini

2014-01-01

People convey their emotional state in their face and voice. We present an audio-visual data set uniquely suited for the study of multi-modal emotion expression and perception. The data set consists of facial and vocal emotional expressions in sentences spoken in a range of basic emotional states (happy, sad, anger, fear, disgust, and neutral). 7,442 clips of 91 actors with diverse ethnic backgrounds were rated by multiple raters in three modalities: audio, visual, and audio-visual. Categorical emotion labels and real-value intensity values for the perceived emotion were collected using crowd-sourcing from 2,443 raters. The human recognition of intended emotion for the audio-only, visual-only, and audio-visual data are 40.9%, 58.2% and 63.6% respectively. Recognition rates are highest for neutral, followed by happy, anger, disgust, fear, and sad. Average intensity levels of emotion are rated highest for visual-only perception. The accurate recognition of disgust and fear requires simultaneous audio-visual cues, while anger and happiness can be well recognized based on evidence from a single modality. The large dataset we introduce can be used to probe other questions concerning the audio-visual perception of emotion. PMID:25653738

Multiphase modeling of geologic carbon sequestration in saline aquifers.

PubMed

Bandilla, Karl W; Celia, Michael A; Birkholzer, Jens T; Cihan, Abdullah; Leister, Evan C

2015-01-01

Geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) is being considered as a climate change mitigation option in many future energy scenarios. Mathematical modeling is routinely used to predict subsurface CO2 and resident brine migration for the design of injection operations, to demonstrate the permanence of CO2 storage, and to show that other subsurface resources will not be degraded. Many processes impact the migration of CO2 and brine, including multiphase flow dynamics, geochemistry, and geomechanics, along with the spatial distribution of parameters such as porosity and permeability. In this article, we review a set of multiphase modeling approaches with different levels of conceptual complexity that have been used to model GCS. Model complexity ranges from coupled multiprocess models to simplified vertical equilibrium (VE) models and macroscopic invasion percolation models. The goal of this article is to give a framework of conceptual model complexity, and to show the types of modeling approaches that have been used to address specific GCS questions. Application of the modeling approaches is shown using five ongoing or proposed CO2 injection sites. For the selected sites, the majority of GCS models follow a simplified multiphase approach, especially for questions related to injection and local-scale heterogeneity. Coupled multiprocess models are only applied in one case where geomechanics have a strong impact on the flow. Owing to their computational efficiency, VE models tend to be applied at large scales. A macroscopic invasion percolation approach was used to predict the CO2 migration at one site to examine details of CO2 migration under the caprock. © 2015, National Ground Water Association.

Machine Learning Approach to Optimizing Combined Stimulation and Medication Therapies for Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Shamir, Reuben R; Dolber, Trygve; Noecker, Angela M; Walter, Benjamin L; McIntyre, Cameron C

2015-01-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic region is an established therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). However, patients often require time-intensive post-operative management to balance their coupled stimulation and medication treatments. Given the large and complex parameter space associated with this task, we propose that clinical decision support systems (CDSS) based on machine learning algorithms could assist in treatment optimization. Develop a proof-of-concept implementation of a CDSS that incorporates patient-specific details on both stimulation and medication. Clinical data from 10 patients, and 89 post-DBS surgery visits, were used to create a prototype CDSS. The system was designed to provide three key functions: (1) information retrieval; (2) visualization of treatment, and; (3) recommendation on expected effective stimulation and drug dosages, based on three machine learning methods that included support vector machines, Naïve Bayes, and random forest. Measures of medication dosages, time factors, and symptom-specific pre-operative response to levodopa were significantly correlated with post-operative outcomes (P < 0.05) and their effect on outcomes was of similar magnitude to that of DBS. Using those results, the combined machine learning algorithms were able to accurately predict 86% (12/14) of the motor improvement scores at one year after surgery. Using patient-specific details, an appropriately parameterized CDSS could help select theoretically optimal DBS parameter settings and medication dosages that have potential to improve the clinical management of PD patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 35.926 - Value engineering (VE).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Value engineering (VE). 35.926 Section... engineering (VE). (a) Value engineering proposal. All step 2 grant applications for projects having a... completion of VE analysis and submittal of VE summary reports). (b) Value engineering analysis. For projects...

23 CFR 627.7 - VE programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false VE programs. 627.7 Section 627.7 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS VALUE ENGINEERING § 627.7 VE programs. (a) The STA shall establish and sustain a VE program under which VE analyses are...

40 CFR 35.926 - Value engineering (VE).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Value engineering (VE). 35.926 Section... engineering (VE). (a) Value engineering proposal. All step 2 grant applications for projects having a... completion of VE analysis and submittal of VE summary reports). (b) Value engineering analysis. For projects...

40 CFR 35.926 - Value engineering (VE).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Value engineering (VE). 35.926 Section... engineering (VE). (a) Value engineering proposal. All step 2 grant applications for projects having a... completion of VE analysis and submittal of VE summary reports). (b) Value engineering analysis. For projects...

40 CFR 35.926 - Value engineering (VE).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Value engineering (VE). 35.926 Section... engineering (VE). (a) Value engineering proposal. All step 2 grant applications for projects having a... completion of VE analysis and submittal of VE summary reports). (b) Value engineering analysis. For projects...

40 CFR 35.926 - Value engineering (VE).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Value engineering (VE). 35.926 Section... engineering (VE). (a) Value engineering proposal. All step 2 grant applications for projects having a... completion of VE analysis and submittal of VE summary reports). (b) Value engineering analysis. For projects...

23 CFR 627.7 - VE programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false VE programs. 627.7 Section 627.7 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC OPERATIONS VALUE ENGINEERING § 627.7 VE programs. (a) The STA shall establish and sustain a VE program under which VE analyses are...

The Earth System Prediction Suite: Toward a Coordinated U.S. Modeling Capability

DOE PAGES

Theurich, Gerhard; DeLuca, C.; Campbell, T.; ...

2016-08-22

The Earth System Prediction Suite (ESPS) is a collection of flagship U.S. weather and climate models and model components that are being instrumented to conform to interoperability conventions, documented to follow metadata standards, and made available either under open-source terms or to credentialed users. Furthermore, the ESPS represents a culmination of efforts to create a common Earth system model architecture, and the advent of increasingly coordinated model development activities in the United States. ESPS component interfaces are based on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF), community-developed software for building and coupling models, and the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC)more » Layer, a set of ESMF-based component templates and interoperability conventions. Our shared infrastructure simplifies the process of model coupling by guaranteeing that components conform to a set of technical and semantic behaviors. The ESPS encourages distributed, multiagency development of coupled modeling systems; controlled experimentation and testing; and exploration of novel model configurations, such as those motivated by research involving managed and interactive ensembles. ESPS codes include the Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM), the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS); the NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) and the Modular Ocean Model (MOM); the Community Earth System Model (CESM); and the NASA ModelE climate model and the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, version 5 (GEOS-5), atmospheric general circulation model.« less

The Earth System Prediction Suite: Toward a Coordinated U.S. Modeling Capability

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

Theurich, Gerhard; DeLuca, C.; Campbell, T.

The Earth System Prediction Suite (ESPS) is a collection of flagship U.S. weather and climate models and model components that are being instrumented to conform to interoperability conventions, documented to follow metadata standards, and made available either under open-source terms or to credentialed users. Furthermore, the ESPS represents a culmination of efforts to create a common Earth system model architecture, and the advent of increasingly coordinated model development activities in the United States. ESPS component interfaces are based on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF), community-developed software for building and coupling models, and the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC)more » Layer, a set of ESMF-based component templates and interoperability conventions. Our shared infrastructure simplifies the process of model coupling by guaranteeing that components conform to a set of technical and semantic behaviors. The ESPS encourages distributed, multiagency development of coupled modeling systems; controlled experimentation and testing; and exploration of novel model configurations, such as those motivated by research involving managed and interactive ensembles. ESPS codes include the Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM), the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS); the NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) and the Modular Ocean Model (MOM); the Community Earth System Model (CESM); and the NASA ModelE climate model and the Goddard Earth Observing System Model, version 5 (GEOS-5), atmospheric general circulation model.« less

[Modified technique of autologous transplantation of internal limiting membrane for macular hole].

PubMed

Hernández-da Mota, Sergio Eustolio; Béjar-Cornejo, Francisco

Autologous internal limiting membrane transplantation has allowed some cases of macular holes refractory to conventional surgery techniques to be treated. The purpose of this study is to describe the anatomical and functional outcomes of a modification of this technique in a case series of naïve macular hole patients. A consecutive case series study was performed on patients with naïve macular holes with a diameter greater than 600 μ. Best corrected visual acuity, clinical features of the macular area, and optical coherence tomography were recorded before the operation and at the end of follow-up in all patients studied. All patients underwent 23 Ga core vitrectomy, posterior hyaloid separation, and brilliant-blue assisted internal limiting membrane peeling. A small piece of the internal limiting membrane was peeled off to make a free flap, and this was trasplanted and placed inside the macular hole under perfluorocarbon liquids. Air-fluid exchange was performed and SF6 gas was injected at a non-expansile concentration. The study included 5 eyes of 5 patients who underwent internal limiting membrane autograft. The mean age was 50.6 (SD 12.3) years. Four of the 5 cases had macular hole closure. The case where there was no closure of the macular hole was secondary to trauma. There was an improvement in visual acuity in all patients where the closing of the macular hole was achieved at the end of follow-up. In this cases series of macular hole patients, the autologous internal limiting membrane transplantation was associated with an anatomical closure of the macular hole and functional improvement in most of the patients studied. Copyright © 2016 Academia Mexicana de Cirugía A.C. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Why Do African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) Simulate Oestrus? An Analysis of Longitudinal Data

PubMed Central

Bates, Lucy A.; Handford, Rosie; Lee, Phyllis C.; Njiraini, Norah; Poole, Joyce H.; Sayialel, Katito; Sayialel, Soila; Moss, Cynthia J.; Byrne, Richard W.

2010-01-01

Female African elephants signal oestrus via chemicals in their urine, but they also exhibit characteristic changes to their posture, gait and behaviour when sexually receptive. Free-ranging females visually signal receptivity by holding their heads and tails high, walking with an exaggerated gait, and displaying increased tactile behaviour towards males. Parous females occasionally exhibit these visual signals at times when they are thought not to be cycling and without attracting interest from musth males. Using demographic and behavioural records spanning a continuous 28-year period, we investigated the occurrence of this “simulated” oestrus behaviour. We show that parous females in the Amboseli elephant population do simulate receptive oestrus behaviours, and this false oestrus occurs disproportionately in the presence of naïve female kin who are observed coming into oestrus for the first time. We compare several alternative hypotheses for the occurrence of this simulation: 1) false oestrus has no functional purpose (e.g., it merely results from abnormal hormonal changes); 2) false oestrus increases the reproductive success of the simulating female, by inducing sexual receptivity; and 3) false oestrus increases the inclusive fitness of the simulating female, either by increasing the access of related females to suitable males, or by encouraging appropriate oestrus behaviours from female relatives who are not responding correctly to males. Although the observed data do not fully conform to the predictions of any of these hypotheses, we rule out the first two, and tentatively suggest that parous females most likely exhibit false oestrus behaviours in order to demonstrate to naïve relatives at whom to direct their behaviour. PMID:20383331

CardioTF, a database of deconstructing transcriptional circuits in the heart system

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background: Information on cardiovascular gene transcription is fragmented and far behind the present requirements of the systems biology field. To create a comprehensive source of data for cardiovascular gene regulation and to facilitate a deeper understanding of genomic data, the CardioTF database was constructed. The purpose of this database is to collate information on cardiovascular transcription factors (TFs), position weight matrices (PWMs), and enhancer sequences discovered using the ChIP-seq method. Methods: The Naïve-Bayes algorithm was used to classify literature and identify all PubMed abstracts on cardiovascular development. The natural language learning tool GNAT was then used to identify corresponding gene names embedded within these abstracts. Local Perl scripts were used to integrate and dump data from public databases into the MariaDB management system (MySQL). In-house R scripts were written to analyze and visualize the results. Results: Known cardiovascular TFs from humans and human homologs from fly, Ciona, zebrafish, frog, chicken, and mouse were identified and deposited in the database. PWMs from Jaspar, hPDI, and UniPROBE databases were deposited in the database and can be retrieved using their corresponding TF names. Gene enhancer regions from various sources of ChIP-seq data were deposited into the database and were able to be visualized by graphical output. Besides biocuration, mouse homologs of the 81 core cardiac TFs were selected using a Naïve-Bayes approach and then by intersecting four independent data sources: RNA profiling, expert annotation, PubMed abstracts and phenotype. Discussion: The CardioTF database can be used as a portal to construct transcriptional network of cardiac development. Availability and Implementation: Database URL: http://www.cardiosignal.org/database/cardiotf.html. PMID:27635320

IRay therapy as an adjuvant therapy in newly diagnosed patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PubMed

Brand, Christopher; Arnoldussen, Mark

2018-04-17

To determine the safety and efficacy at 12 months of follow-up after stereotactic radiotherapy in combination therapy with intravitreal ranibizumab injections in treatment naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Retrospective data analysis in patients who received stereotactic radiotherapy (IRay Therapy) during the induction phase of intravitreal ranibizumab injections and a monotherapy control group. The baseline VA in the IRay and control group was 59.87 and 59.12 letters respectively. The real world visual acuity outcomes for the IRay group showed a mean gain of +3.0 letters at 12 months. The historical control group had a mean change of - 0.3 letters. The average number of injections for the IRay group and control group over 12 months was 4.45 and 5.64, respectively with three loading injections. Excluding the loading phase, the difference over 12 months was a 45.2% reduction in injections (P < 0.001). The number of subjects in the IRay group that didn't require further injections following the loading phase was 45.5 vs. 24.0% control group (P = 0.005). The difference in mean change in central macular thickness from baseline is significant at 6 (P = 0.010) and 12 months (P < 0.01). There were no safety concerns with the IRay therapy group. Stereotactic radiotherapy in the induction phase of intravitreal injections of ranibizumab for treatment naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, resulted in improved visual outcome, statistically fewer injections and statistically drier macular at 12 months, compared to historical controls treated with monotherapy intravitreal ranibizumab injections.

Restoration of Outer Retinal Layers After Aflibercept Therapy in Exudative AMD: Prognostic Value.

PubMed

Coscas, Florence; Coscas, Gabriel; Lupidi, Marco; Dirani, Ali; Srour, Mayer; Semoun, Oudy; Français, Catherine; Souied, Eric H

2015-06-01

To evaluate the outer retinal layer (ellipsoid zone [EZ] and external limiting membrane [ELM]) changes following intravitreal aflibercept injections in eyes with treatment-naïve exudative age-related macular degeneration (eAMD) and to correlate these changes with fluid response and visual improvement. A retrospective case series of 50 treatment-naïve eAMD eyes followed-up for 18 months. All patients underwent regular comprehensive ophthalmic examinations. The presence of EZ disruption, ELM disruption, EZ swelling, subretinal hyper-reflective exudation (SHE), central macular thickness (CMT), cystoid spaces, subretinal fluid, and pigmented epithelium detachment were evaluated by two different retinal specialists at baseline and final visits, and correlated with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement. At 18 months, BCVA, EZ disruption, ELM disruption, EZ swelling and SHE improved significantly (P = 0.001) at 18 months. Improvement of BCVA showed a statistically significant correlation with ELM restoration (P = 0.018), but not with EZ restoration (P = 0.581). Swelling of the EZ decreased from 72% of the cases at baseline to 30% in 18 months while SHE decreased from 52% to 6% in 18 months (P = 0.001). We observed a statistically significant (P = 0.001) reduction between the baseline and final value of CMT. Aflibercept is safe and effective in treating exudative AMD with the restoration of the outer retinal layers. Restoration of the EZ is not statistically correlated with the final BCVA, even though persistent EZ changes could be associated with irreversible decrease in vision. On the contrary, the final status of the ELM is directly correlated with final BCVA. Also, baseline changes in outer retinal layers, especially the ELM, appear to predict photoreceptor restoration and final BCVA, and must be comprehensively analyzed to enable and determine a future prognosis.

CardioTF, a database of deconstructing transcriptional circuits in the heart system.

PubMed

Zhen, Yisong

2016-01-01

Information on cardiovascular gene transcription is fragmented and far behind the present requirements of the systems biology field. To create a comprehensive source of data for cardiovascular gene regulation and to facilitate a deeper understanding of genomic data, the CardioTF database was constructed. The purpose of this database is to collate information on cardiovascular transcription factors (TFs), position weight matrices (PWMs), and enhancer sequences discovered using the ChIP-seq method. The Naïve-Bayes algorithm was used to classify literature and identify all PubMed abstracts on cardiovascular development. The natural language learning tool GNAT was then used to identify corresponding gene names embedded within these abstracts. Local Perl scripts were used to integrate and dump data from public databases into the MariaDB management system (MySQL). In-house R scripts were written to analyze and visualize the results. Known cardiovascular TFs from humans and human homologs from fly, Ciona, zebrafish, frog, chicken, and mouse were identified and deposited in the database. PWMs from Jaspar, hPDI, and UniPROBE databases were deposited in the database and can be retrieved using their corresponding TF names. Gene enhancer regions from various sources of ChIP-seq data were deposited into the database and were able to be visualized by graphical output. Besides biocuration, mouse homologs of the 81 core cardiac TFs were selected using a Naïve-Bayes approach and then by intersecting four independent data sources: RNA profiling, expert annotation, PubMed abstracts and phenotype. The CardioTF database can be used as a portal to construct transcriptional network of cardiac development. Database URL: http://www.cardiosignal.org/database/cardiotf.html.

Effects of laterality and sex on cognitive strategy in a water maze place learning task and modification by nicotine and nitric oxide synthase inhibition in rats.

PubMed

Kanit, L; Koylu, E O; Erdogan, O; Pogun, S

2005-08-15

The aim of the present study was to investigate sex differences in learning strategies and to elucidate the mechanisms, which may underlie these differences. In two separate experiments, rats were presented with different strategies that could be employed to learn the position of a platform in a water maze (WM); furthermore, rats received treatments that could influence these strategies. In the first experiment, we demonstrated that the response-learning paradigm can be applied to the WM and can be compared with visually cued learning and reversal learning. Naïve rats of either sex could acquire this protocol relatively easily. On the probe trial, where the rats are presented with a choice between using response versus visually cued learning, initially response learning was preferred, however, during these experiments, laterality emerged as a significant factor and rats trained to turn right had difficulty in reversing the learned pattern to find the platform. The second part of our study evaluated the effects of nicotine and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition on the aforementioned parameters. Drug treatments impaired acquisition compared to saline treatments and the effect was more pronounced with NOS inhibition. During the probe trial, while NOS inhibition enhanced the right-side bias in both sexes, nicotine treatment had the same effect only in males. In conclusion, naïve rats can acquire place learning using visible cues or response learning; however, there is a right side bias in both sexes and the laterality effect is more pronounced in male rats. In drug-treated animals, while NOS inhibition enhances laterality (right bias) in both sexes similarly, nicotine modifies the cognitive strategy in a sexually dimorphic manner by augmenting the right bias only in male rats.

Learning in a virtual environment using haptic systems for movement re-education: can this medium be used for remodeling other behaviors and actions?

PubMed

Merians, Alma S; Fluet, Gerard G; Qiu, Qinyin; Lafond, Ian; Adamovich, Sergei V

2011-03-01

Robotic systems that are interfaced with virtual reality gaming and task simulations are increasingly being developed to provide repetitive intensive practice to promote increased compliance and facilitate better outcomes in rehabilitation post-stroke. A major development in the use of virtual environments (VEs) has been to incorporate tactile information and interaction forces into what was previously an essentially visual experience. Robots of varying complexity are being interfaced with more traditional virtual presentations to provide haptic feedback that enriches the sensory experience and adds physical task parameters. This provides forces that produce biomechanical and neuromuscular interactions with the VE that approximate real-world movement more accurately than visual-only VEs, simulating the weight and force found in upper extremity tasks. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of several systems that are commercially available for ambulation training and for training movement of the upper extremity. We will also report on the system that we have developed (NJIT-RAVR system) that incorporates motivating and challenging haptic feedback effects into VE simulations to facilitate motor recovery of the upper extremity post-stroke. The NJIT-RAVR system trains both the upper arm and the hand. The robotic arm acts as an interface between the participants and the VEs, enabling multiplanar movements against gravity in a three-dimensional workspace. The ultimate question is whether this medium can provide a motivating, challenging, gaming experience with dramatically decreased physical difficulty levels, which would allow for participation by an obese person and facilitate greater adherence to exercise regimes. © 2011 Diabetes Technology Society.

Imagining CO2: development and assessment of interactive visualizations for high resolution greenhouse gas observations collected by BEACO2N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raheja, G.; Shusterman, A.; Martin, S.; Shahar, E.; Laughner, J.; Turner, A. J.; Miller, M. K.; Cohen, R. C.

2016-12-01

The Berkeley Atmospheric CO2 Observation Network (BEACO2N) is a high-density network of 28 carbon dioxide sensors distributed around the San Francisco Bay Area that serve to enhance understanding of intra-city variations in CO2 concentrations that are not necessarily captured by sparser networks maintained by local and national air quality management agencies. We partner with designers at the San Francisco Exploratorium to create a suite of interactive exhibits and hands-on activities that creatively visualize data from BEACO2N for general audiences. Museum goers can manipulate a light-up "bar graph" of live CO2 concentrations by exhaling on an in-room sensor, query the current readings of rooftop sensors using a scale model of the Wired Pier observation system, scroll through the data from other BEACO2N sites projected on a 3-D "topographic table" of the Bay Area, and view interpolated CO2 fields driven by research-grade weather models on a nine-screen LCD display. We present lessons learned from these initial installations, from layperson audience feedback to details of the Stochastic Time-Inverted Lagrangian Transport (STILT) model coupled to Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) weather fields used to generate intuitive concentration maps. We propose that compelling visual demonstrations of elevated CO2 concentrations due to routine small-scale high-emission anthropogenic activities (e.g. rush hour) and/or special events (such as fireworks or factory fires) generate deeper engagement in local environmental issues and interest in undertaking personal actions that can become part of the broader climate solution. While global means and other large-scale aggregate climate metrics can lead to feelings of disconnect and subsequent ambivalence, via such exhibitions, distributed network instruments like BEACO2N can provide the local sensitivity needed to "personalize" greenhouse gas concentrations to a given individual or community and incite the drive toward understanding, education, and action.

Gene network inference and visualization tools for biologists: application to new human transcriptome datasets

PubMed Central

Hurley, Daniel; Araki, Hiromitsu; Tamada, Yoshinori; Dunmore, Ben; Sanders, Deborah; Humphreys, Sally; Affara, Muna; Imoto, Seiya; Yasuda, Kaori; Tomiyasu, Yuki; Tashiro, Kosuke; Savoie, Christopher; Cho, Vicky; Smith, Stephen; Kuhara, Satoru; Miyano, Satoru; Charnock-Jones, D. Stephen; Crampin, Edmund J.; Print, Cristin G.

2012-01-01

Gene regulatory networks inferred from RNA abundance data have generated significant interest, but despite this, gene network approaches are used infrequently and often require input from bioinformaticians. We have assembled a suite of tools for analysing regulatory networks, and we illustrate their use with microarray datasets generated in human endothelial cells. We infer a range of regulatory networks, and based on this analysis discuss the strengths and limitations of network inference from RNA abundance data. We welcome contact from researchers interested in using our inference and visualization tools to answer biological questions. PMID:22121215

SCRAM: a pipeline for fast index-free small RNA read alignment and visualization.

PubMed

Fletcher, Stephen J; Boden, Mikael; Mitter, Neena; Carroll, Bernard J

2018-03-15

Small RNAs play key roles in gene regulation, defense against viral pathogens and maintenance of genome stability, though many aspects of their biogenesis and function remain to be elucidated. SCRAM (Small Complementary RNA Mapper) is a novel, simple-to-use short read aligner and visualization suite that enhances exploration of small RNA datasets. The SCRAM pipeline is implemented in Go and Python, and is freely available under MIT license. Source code, multiplatform binaries and a Docker image can be accessed via https://sfletc.github.io/scram/. s.fletcher@uq.edu.au. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Camouflage, communication and thermoregulation: lessons from colour changing organisms.

PubMed

Stuart-Fox, Devi; Moussalli, Adnan

2009-02-27

Organisms capable of rapid physiological colour change have become model taxa in the study of camouflage because they are able to respond dynamically to the changes in their visual environment. Here, we briefly review the ways in which studies of colour changing organisms have contributed to our understanding of camouflage and highlight some unique opportunities they present. First, from a proximate perspective, comparison of visual cues triggering camouflage responses and the visual perception mechanisms involved can provide insight into general visual processing rules. Second, colour changing animals can potentially tailor their camouflage response not only to different backgrounds but also to multiple predators with different visual capabilities. We present new data showing that such facultative crypsis may be widespread in at least one group, the dwarf chameleons. From an ultimate perspective, we argue that colour changing organisms are ideally suited to experimental and comparative studies of evolutionary interactions between the three primary functions of animal colour patterns: camouflage; communication; and thermoregulation.

Camouflage, communication and thermoregulation: lessons from colour changing organisms

PubMed Central

Stuart-Fox, Devi; Moussalli, Adnan

2008-01-01

Organisms capable of rapid physiological colour change have become model taxa in the study of camouflage because they are able to respond dynamically to the changes in their visual environment. Here, we briefly review the ways in which studies of colour changing organisms have contributed to our understanding of camouflage and highlight some unique opportunities they present. First, from a proximate perspective, comparison of visual cues triggering camouflage responses and the visual perception mechanisms involved can provide insight into general visual processing rules. Second, colour changing animals can potentially tailor their camouflage response not only to different backgrounds but also to multiple predators with different visual capabilities. We present new data showing that such facultative crypsis may be widespread in at least one group, the dwarf chameleons. From an ultimate perspective, we argue that colour changing organisms are ideally suited to experimental and comparative studies of evolutionary interactions between the three primary functions of animal colour patterns: camouflage; communication; and thermoregulation. PMID:19000973

Coupling a single electron spin to a microwave resonator: Part I: controlling transverse and longitudinal couplings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachance-Quirion, Dany; Beaudoin, Félix; Camirand Lemyre, Julien; Coish, William A.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel

Novel quantum technologies can be combined within hybrid systems to benefit from the complementary capabilities of individual components. For example, microwave-frequency superconducting resonators are ideally suited to perform qubit readout and to mediate two-qubit gates, while spin qubits offer long coherence times and high-fidelity single-qubit gates. In this talk, we consider strong coupling between a microwave resonator and an electron-spin qubit in a double quantum dot due to an inhomogeneous magnetic field generated by a nearby nanomagnet.. Considering realistic parameters, we estimate spin-resonator couplings of order 1 MHz. Further, we show that the position of the double dot relative to the nanomagnet allows us to select between purely longitudinal and transverse couplings. While the transverse coupling may be used for quantum state transfer between the spin qubit and the resonator, the longitudinal coupling could be used in a new qubit readout scheme recently introduced for superconducting qubits.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in NWP models remains largely undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with observations during the summers of 2006/7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which enables a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. This coupling is one component of a larger project to develop a NASA-Unified WRF (NU-WRF) system. A range of diagnostics exploring the feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture.

Python for Large-Scale Electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Spacek, Martin; Blanche, Tim; Swindale, Nicholas

2008-01-01

Electrophysiology is increasingly moving towards highly parallel recording techniques which generate large data sets. We record extracellularly in vivo in cat and rat visual cortex with 54-channel silicon polytrodes, under time-locked visual stimulation, from localized neuronal populations within a cortical column. To help deal with the complexity of generating and analysing these data, we used the Python programming language to develop three software projects: one for temporally precise visual stimulus generation (“dimstim”); one for electrophysiological waveform visualization and spike sorting (“spyke”); and one for spike train and stimulus analysis (“neuropy”). All three are open source and available for download (http://swindale.ecc.ubc.ca/code). The requirements and solutions for these projects differed greatly, yet we found Python to be well suited for all three. Here we present our software as a showcase of the extensive capabilities of Python in neuroscience. PMID:19198646

Honeycomb: Visual Analysis of Large Scale Social Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Ham, Frank; Schulz, Hans-Jörg; Dimicco, Joan M.

The rise in the use of social network sites allows us to collect large amounts of user reported data on social structures and analysis of this data could provide useful insights for many of the social sciences. This analysis is typically the domain of Social Network Analysis, and visualization of these structures often proves invaluable in understanding them. However, currently available visual analysis tools are not very well suited to handle the massive scale of this network data, and often resolve to displaying small ego networks or heavily abstracted networks. In this paper, we present Honeycomb, a visualization tool that is able to deal with much larger scale data (with millions of connections), which we illustrate by using a large scale corporate social networking site as an example. Additionally, we introduce a new probability based network metric to guide users to potentially interesting or anomalous patterns and discuss lessons learned during design and implementation.

2011 IEEE Visualization Contest winner: Visualizing unsteady vortical behavior of a centrifugal pump.

PubMed

Otto, Mathias; Kuhn, Alexander; Engelke, Wito; Theisel, Holger

2012-01-01

In the 2011 IEEE Visualization Contest, the dataset represented a high-resolution simulation of a centrifugal pump operating below optimal speed. The goal was to find suitable visualization techniques to identify regions of rotating stall that impede the pump's effectiveness. The winning entry split analysis of the pump into three parts based on the pump's functional behavior. It then applied local and integration-based methods to communicate the unsteady flow behavior in different regions of the dataset. This research formed the basis for a comparison of common vortex extractors and more recent methods. In particular, integration-based methods (separation measures, accumulated scalar fields, particle path lines, and advection textures) are well suited to capture the complex time-dependent flow behavior. This video (http://youtu.be/oD7QuabY0oU) shows simulations of unsteady flow in a centrifugal pump.

What can fish brains tell us about visual perception?

PubMed Central

Rosa Salva, Orsola; Sovrano, Valeria Anna; Vallortigara, Giorgio

2014-01-01

Fish are a complex taxonomic group, whose diversity and distance from other vertebrates well suits the comparative investigation of brain and behavior: in fish species we observe substantial differences with respect to the telencephalic organization of other vertebrates and an astonishing variety in the development and complexity of pallial structures. We will concentrate on the contribution of research on fish behavioral biology for the understanding of the evolution of the visual system. We shall review evidence concerning perceptual effects that reflect fundamental principles of the visual system functioning, highlighting the similarities and differences between distant fish groups and with other vertebrates. We will focus on perceptual effects reflecting some of the main tasks that the visual system must attain. In particular, we will deal with subjective contours and optical illusions, invariance effects, second order motion and biological motion and, finally, perceptual binding of object properties in a unified higher level representation. PMID:25324728

The Sample Analysis at Mars Investigation and Instrument Suite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahaffy, Paul; Webster, Christopher R.; Conrad, Pamela G.; Arvey, Robert; Bleacher, Lora; Brinckerhoff, William B.; Eigenbrode, Jennifer L.; Chalmers, Robert A.; Dworkin, Jason P.; Errigo, Therese;

The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal plasma (ECT) Suite: Upcoming Opportunties for Testing Radiation Belt Acceleration Mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spence, Harlan; Reeves, Geoffrey

2012-07-01

The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission will launch in late summer 2012 and begin its exploration of acceleration and dynamics of energetic particles in the inner magnetosphere. In this presentation, we discuss opportunities afforded by the RBSP Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal plasma (ECT) instrument suite to advance our understanding of acceleration processes in the radiation belts. The RBSP-ECT instrument suite comprehensively measures the electron and major ion populations of the inner magnetosphere, from the lowest thermal plasmas of the plasmasphere, to the hot plasma of the ring current, to the relativistic populations of the radiation belts. Collectively, the ECT measurements will reveal the complex cross-energy coupling of these colocated particle populations, which along with concurrent RBSP wave measurements, will permit various wave-particle acceleration mechanisms to be tested. We review the measurement capabilities of the RBSP-ECT instrument suite, and demonstrate several examples of how these measurements will be used to explore candidate acceleration mechanisms and dynamics of radiation belt particles.

Cycle life machine for AX-5 space suit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schenberger, Deborah S.

1990-01-01

In order to accurately test the AX-5 space suit, a complex series of motions needed to be performed which provided a unique opportunity for mechanism design. The cycle life machine design showed how 3-D computer images can enhance mechanical design as well as help in visualizing mechanisms before manufacturing them. In the early stages of the design, potential problems in the motion of the joint and in the four bar linkage system were resolved using CAD. Since these problems would have been very difficult and tedious to solve on a drawing board, they would probably not have been addressed prior to fabrication, thus limiting the final design or requiring design modification after fabrication.

Acellular pertussis vaccines effectiveness over time: A systematic review, meta-analysis and modeling study

PubMed Central

Chit, Ayman; Zivaripiran, Hossein; Shin, Thomas; Lee, Jason K. H.; Tomovici, Antigona; Macina, Denis; Johnson, David R.; Decker, Michael D.; Wu, Jianhong

2018-01-01

Background Acellular pertussis vaccine studies postulate that waning protection, particularly after the adolescent booster, is a major contributor to the increasing US pertussis incidence. However, these studies reported relative (ie, vs a population given prior doses of pertussis vaccine), not absolute (ie, vs a pertussis vaccine naïve population) efficacy following the adolescent booster. We aim to estimate the absolute protection offered by acellular pertussis vaccines. Methods We conducted a systematic review of acellular pertussis vaccine effectiveness (VE) publications. Studies had to comply with the US schedule, evaluate clinical outcomes, and report VE over discrete time points. VE after the 5-dose childhood series and after the adolescent sixth-dose booster were extracted separately and pooled. All relative VE estimates were transformed to absolute estimates. VE waning was estimated using meta-regression modeling. Findings Three studies reported VE after the childhood series and four after the adolescent booster. All booster studies reported relative VE (vs acellular pertussis vaccine-primed population). We estimate initial childhood series absolute VE is 91% (95% CI: 87% to 95%) and declines at 9.6% annually. Initial relative VE after adolescent boosting is 70% (95% CI: 54% to 86%) and declines at 45.3% annually. Initial absolute VE after adolescent boosting is 85% (95% CI: 84% to 86%) and declines at 11.7% (95% CI: 11.1% to 12.3%) annually. Interpretation Acellular pertussis vaccine efficacy is initially high and wanes over time. Observational VE studies of boosting failed to recognize that they were measuring relative, not absolute, VE and the absolute VE in the boosted population is better than appreciated. PMID:29912887

Dramatic increase in naïve T cell turnover is linked to loss of naïve T cells from old primates

PubMed Central

Čičin-Šain, Luka; Messaoudi, Ilhem; Park, Byung; Currier, Noreen; Planer, Shannon; Fischer, Miranda; Tackitt, Shane; Nikolich-Žugich, Dragana; Legasse, Alfred; Axthelm, Michael K.; Picker, Louis J.; Mori, Motomi; Nikolich-Žugich, Janko

2007-01-01

The loss of naïve T cells is a hallmark of immune aging. Although thymic involution is a primary driver of this naïve T cell loss, less is known about the contribution of other mechanisms to the depletion of naïve T cells in aging primates. We examined the role of homeostatic cycling and proliferative expansion in different T cell subsets of aging rhesus macaques (RM). BrdU incorporation and the expression of the G1-M marker Ki-67 were elevated in peripheral naïve CD4 and even more markedly in the naïve CD8 T cells of old, but not young adult, RM. Proliferating naïve cells did not accumulate in old animals. Rather, the relative size of the naïve CD8 T cell compartment correlated inversely to its proliferation rate. Likewise, T cell receptor diversity decreased in individuals with elevated naïve CD8 T cell proliferation. This apparent contradiction was explained by a significant increase in turnover concomitant with the naïve pool loss. The turnover increased exponentially when the naïve CD8 T cell pool decreased below 4% of total blood CD8 cells. These results link the shrinking naïve T cell pool with a dramatic increase in homeostatic turnover, which has the potential to exacerbate the progressive exhaustion of the naïve pool and constrict the T cell repertoire. Thus, homeostatic T cell proliferation exhibits temporal antagonistic pleiotropy, being beneficial to T cell maintenance in adulthood but detrimental to the long-term T cell maintenance in aging individuals. PMID:18056811

An investigation of the effects of pitch-roll (de)coupling on helicopter handling qualities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blanken, C. L.; Pausder, H. J.; Ockier, C. J.

1995-01-01

An extensive investigation of the effects of pitch-roll coupling on helicopter handling qualities was performed by the U.S. Army and Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), using a NASA ground-based and a DLR in-flight simulator. Over 90 different coupling configurations were evaluated using a high gain roll-axis tracking task. The results show that although the current ADS-33C coupling criterion discriminates against those types of coupling typical of conventionally controlled helicopters, it is not always suited for the prediction of handling qualities of helicopters with modern control systems. Based on the observation that high frequency inputs during tracking are used to alleviate coupling, a frequency domain pitch-roll coupling criterion that uses the average coupling ratio between the bandwidth and neutral stability frequency is formulated. This criterion provides a more comprehensive coverage with respect to the different types of coupling, shows excellent consistency, and has the additional benefit that compliance testing data are obtained from the bandwidth/phase delay tests, so that no additional flight testing is needed.

A smarter way to search, share and utilize open-spatial online data for energy R&D - Custom machine learning and GIS tools in U.S. DOE's virtual data library & laboratory, EDX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, K.; Bauer, J.; Baker, D.; Barkhurst, A.; Bean, A.; DiGiulio, J.; Jones, K.; Jones, T.; Justman, D.; Miller, R., III; Romeo, L.; Sabbatino, M.; Tong, A.

2017-12-01

As spatial datasets are increasingly accessible through open, online systems, the opportunity to use these resources to address a range of Earth system questions grows. Simultaneously, there is a need for better infrastructure and tools to find and utilize these resources. We will present examples of advanced online computing capabilities, hosted in the U.S. DOE's Energy Data eXchange (EDX), that address these needs for earth-energy research and development. In one study the computing team developed a custom, machine learning, big data computing tool designed to parse the web and return priority datasets to appropriate servers to develop an open-source global oil and gas infrastructure database. The results of this spatial smart search approach were validated against expert-driven, manual search results which required a team of seven spatial scientists three months to produce. The custom machine learning tool parsed online, open systems, including zip files, ftp sites and other web-hosted resources, in a matter of days. The resulting resources were integrated into a geodatabase now hosted for open access via EDX. Beyond identifying and accessing authoritative, open spatial data resources, there is also a need for more efficient tools to ingest, perform, and visualize multi-variate, spatial data analyses. Within the EDX framework, there is a growing suite of processing, analytical and visualization capabilities that allow multi-user teams to work more efficiently in private, virtual workspaces. An example of these capabilities are a set of 5 custom spatio-temporal models and data tools that form NETL's Offshore Risk Modeling suite that can be used to quantify oil spill risks and impacts. Coupling the data and advanced functions from EDX with these advanced spatio-temporal models has culminated with an integrated web-based decision-support tool. This platform has capabilities to identify and combine data across scales and disciplines, evaluate potential environmental, social, and economic impacts, highlight knowledge or technology gaps, and reduce uncertainty for a range of `what if' scenarios relevant to oil spill prevention efforts. These examples illustrate EDX's growing capabilities for advanced spatial data search and analysis to support geo-data science needs.

The Critical Role of Cyberinfrastructure in Global Observations of Natural Hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orcutt, J. A.

2005-12-01

This past year has brought grave lessons about the critical risks posed by natural hazards. The Sumatra earthquake and resultant tsunami causing as many as 300,000 deaths, and Hurricane Katrina and its destruction of the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi with an unknown loss of life and infrastructure damage that may approach $100,000,000,000 in rebuilding costs, have been shattering experiences. The Sumatra earthquake reminds us of the tsunami threat we face in Cascadia and news about the avian flu in the orient and its potential transmission to and between humans threatens to bring a natural disaster that can dwarf either of this year's disasters. All of these phenomena have their roots in the geosciences. While the threats of terrorism have dominated political discussions globally for the past few years, the growing impact of natural hazards, including the long-term impact of a potentially changing climate, require that geoscientists develop globally distributed observing systems critically important in mitigating the societal impacts of these hazards. This is particularly important for the AGU, the largest professional geosciences organization in the world today. One of the lessons learned during the past year, however, is that accessing the data and information needed to predict and subsequently understand the impact of hazards is difficult requiring more time than can generally be afforded. For the AGU, the new Focus Group on Earth and Space Science Informatics has an important role in bringing modern methods in information technology, computer sciences, and cyberinfrastructure to the problem of providing coherent access to near-real-time data from the growing suite of Earth observations, the use of the data in model assimilation, the transformation of data to knowledge, and the visualization of the results for use by those responsible for managing the damage caused by these natural hazards. While the challenge is enormous, there is considerable promise in a number of new approaches from the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS) to the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and a powerful suite of Earth observations from space. New grid technologies in the computer sciences, the ability to link globally distributed sites at bandwidths of 10-40 Gbps, couple sensor networks across vast spatial scales, and visualize data at 100Megapixel resolutions make the use of data and information for mitigating growing natural hazards practical.

An Optical Analysis of the Farrand VCASS (Visually Coupled Airborne Systems Simulator) Helmet-Mounted Display

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

Intepretation of Pattern Resolution 64 %li .... 1. INTRODUCTION This report provides an overview of the optical system performance of the Visually Coupled...blue light. The revolving disk, which is covered with an oil film , has a thin transparent conductive coating that attracts the electron beam, which...proportionately with the location of the lens relative to the film when the image was originally recorded. Only "keystone" distortion is of concern in the

Visualizing spatiotemporal pulse propagation: first-order spatiotemporal couplings in laser pulses.

PubMed

Rhodes, Michelle; Guang, Zhe; Pease, Jerrold; Trebino, Rick

2017-04-10

Even though a general theory of first-order spatiotemporal couplings exists in the literature, it is often difficult to visualize how these distortions affect laser pulses. In particular, it is difficult to show the spatiotemporal phase of pulses in a meaningful way. Here, we propose a general solution to plotting the electric fields of pulses in three-dimensional space that intuitively shows the effects of spatiotemporal phases. The temporal phase information is color-coded using spectrograms and color response functions, and the beam is propagated to show the spatial phase evolution. Using this plotting technique, we generate two- and three-dimensional images and movies that show the effects of spatiotemporal couplings.

Visualizing spatiotemporal pulse propagation: first-order spatiotemporal couplings in laser pulses

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

Rhodes, Michelle; Guang, Zhe; Pease, Jerrold

2017-04-06

Even though a general theory of first-order spatiotemporal couplings exists in the literature, it is often difficult to visualize how these distortions affect laser pulses. In particular, it is difficult to show the spatiotemporal phase of pulses in a meaningful way. We propose a general solution to plotting the electric fields of pulses in three-dimensional space that intuitively shows the effects of spatiotemporal phases. The temporal phase information is color-coded using spectrograms and color response functions, and the beam is propagated to show the spatial phase evolution. In using this plotting technique, we generate two- and three-dimensional images and moviesmore » that show the effects of spatiotemporal couplings.« less

Multiple receptors coupled to phospholipase C gate long-term depression in visual cortex.

PubMed

Choi, Se-Young; Chang, Jeff; Jiang, Bin; Seol, Geun-Hee; Min, Sun-Seek; Han, Jung-Soo; Shin, Hee-Sup; Gallagher, Michela; Kirkwood, Alfredo

2005-12-07

Long-term depression (LTD) in sensory cortices depends on the activation of NMDA receptors. Here, we report that in visual cortical slices, the induction of LTD (but not long-term potentiation) also requires the activation of receptors coupled to the phospholipase C (PLC) pathway. Using immunolesions in combination with agonists and antagonists, we selectively manipulated the activation of alpha1 adrenergic, M1 muscarinic, and mGluR5 glutamatergic receptors. Inactivation of these PLC-coupled receptors prevents the induction of LTD, but only when the three receptors were inactivated together. LTD is fully restored by activating any one of them or by supplying intracellular D-myo-inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3). LTD was also impaired by intracellular application of PLC or IP3 receptor blockers, and it was absent in mice lacking PLCbeta1, the predominant PLC isoform in the forebrain. We propose that visual cortical LTD requires a minimum of PLC activity that can be supplied independently by at least three neurotransmitter systems. This essential requirement places PLC-linked receptors in a unique position to control the induction of LTD and provides a mechanism for gating visual cortical plasticity via extra-retinal inputs in the intact organism.

The couple that smokes together: Dyadic marijuana use and relationship functioning during conflict.

PubMed

Crane, Cory A; Testa, Maria; Schlauch, Robert C; Leonard, Kenneth E

2016-09-01

Self-reported marijuana use has been associated with poor relationship functioning and decreased stability over time. The present study examined the behavioral interactions of couples with concordant and discordant patterns of marijuana use during conflict, using individual self-reports and observation by independent coders. Heavy drinking community couples (N = 149) participated in a conflict resolution paradigm. Interactions were recorded and coded by naïve coders. Approximately 30% of the sample reported past year marijuana use. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to evaluate the individual and interactive effects of dyadic marijuana use on maladaptive relationship functioning. A Robust Actor × Partner Marijuana Use interaction was detected for a range of behavioral outcomes, assessed by both self-report and direct observation, including relationship satisfaction, anger experience, patterns of demand and withdrawal during conflict, constructive behaviors, and overall relationship quality. Specifically, couples in which both partners used or abstained from marijuana displayed more adaptive relationship functioning across indicators relative to couples in which only 1 partner identified as a marijuana user. This pattern was particularly strong for couples in which the female partner used marijuana and the male partner did not. Couples with discordant, rather than concordant, marijuana use displayed distinct conflict resolution behaviors that were consistent with the long-term negative relationship outcomes that have been observed in previous studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

A theoretical and experimental benchmark study of core-excited states in nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myhre, Rolf H.; Wolf, Thomas J. A.; Cheng, Lan; Nandi, Saikat; Coriani, Sonia; Gühr, Markus; Koch, Henrik

2018-02-01

The high resolution near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectrum of nitrogen displays the vibrational structure of the core-excited states. This makes nitrogen well suited for assessing the accuracy of different electronic structure methods for core excitations. We report high resolution experimental measurements performed at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. These are compared with theoretical spectra calculated using coupled cluster theory and algebraic diagrammatic construction theory. The coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples model known as CC3 is shown to accurately reproduce the experimental excitation energies as well as the spacing of the vibrational transitions. The computational results are also shown to be systematically improved within the coupled cluster hierarchy, with the coupled cluster singles, doubles, triples, and quadruples method faithfully reproducing the experimental vibrational structure.

Magnetic resonance in studies of glaucoma

PubMed Central

Fiedorowicz, Michał; Dyda, Wojciech; Rejdak, Robert; Grieb, Paweł

2011-01-01

Summary Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness. It affects retinal ganglion cells and the optic nerve. However, there is emerging evidence that glaucoma also affects other components of the visual pathway and visual cortex. There is a need to employ new methods of in vivo brain evaluation to characterize these changes. Magnetic resonance (MR) techniques are well suited for this purpose. We review data on the MR evaluation of the visual pathway and the use of MR techniques in the study of glaucoma, both in humans and in animal models. These studies demonstrated decreases in optic nerve diameter, localized white matter loss and decrease in visual cortex density. Studies on rats employing manganese-enhanced MRI showed that axonal transport in the optic nerve is affected. Diffusion tensor MRI revealed signs of degeneration of the optic pathway. Functional MRI showed decreased response of the visual cortex after stimulation of the glaucomatous eye. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated changes in metabolite levels in the visual cortex in a rat model of glaucoma, although not in glaucoma patients. Further applications of MR techniques in studies of glaucomatous brains are indicated. PMID:21959626

Progress on the Multiphysics Capabilities of the Parallel Electromagnetic ACE3P Simulation Suite

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

Kononenko, Oleksiy

2015-03-26

ACE3P is a 3D parallel simulation suite that is being developed at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Effectively utilizing supercomputer resources, ACE3P has become a key tool for the coupled electromagnetic, thermal and mechanical research and design of particle accelerators. Based on the existing finite-element infrastructure, a massively parallel eigensolver is developed for modal analysis of mechanical structures. It complements a set of the multiphysics tools in ACE3P and, in particular, can be used for the comprehensive study of microphonics in accelerating cavities ensuring the operational reliability of a particle accelerator.

Performance of the hybrid MLPNN based VE (hMLPNN-VE) for the nonlinear PMR channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wongsathan, Rati; Phakphisut, Watid; Supnithi, Pornchai

2018-05-01

This paper proposes a hybrid of multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) and Volterra equalizer (VE) denoted hMLPNN-VE in nonlinear perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) channels. The proposed detector integrates the nonlinear product terms of the delayed readback signals generated from the VE into the nonlinear processing of the MLPNN. The detection performance comparison is evaluated in terms of the tradeoff between the bit error rate (BER), complexity and reliability for a nonlinear Volterra channel at high normalized recording density. The proposed hMLPNN-VE outperforms MLPNN based equalizer (MLPNNE), VE and the conventional partial response maximum likelihood (PRML) detector.

Organizational Systems Questionnaire (OSQ) Validity Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Billings, James C.; Kimball, Thomas G.; Shumway, Sterling T.; Korinek, Alan W.

2007-01-01

Marriage and family therapists (MFTs), who are trained in systems theory and consult with complex and difficult systems (e.g., couples and families), are uniquely suited to both assess and intervene in broader organizational systems. However, MFTs are in need of more systemically designed assessment tools to guide and inform their interventions…

The Geospatial Web and Local Geographical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Trevor M.; Rouse, L. Jesse; Bergeron, Susan J.

2010-01-01

Recent innovations in the Geospatial Web represent a paradigm shift in Web mapping by enabling educators to explore geography in the classroom by dynamically using a rapidly growing suite of impressive online geospatial tools. Coupled with access to spatial data repositories and User-Generated Content, the Geospatial Web provides a powerful…

Enhancing Student Performance Using Tablet Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enriquez, Amelito G.

2010-01-01

Tablet PCs have the potential to change the dynamics of classroom interaction through wireless communication coupled with pen-based computing technology that is suited for analyzing and solving engineering problems. This study focuses on how tablet PCs and wireless technology can be used during classroom instruction to create an Interactive…

Potable water dispenser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cunningham, H. R. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

A dispenser particularly suited for use in dispensing potable water into food and beverage reconstitution bags is described. The dispenser is characterized by an expansible chamber, selectively adjustable stop means for varying the maximum dimensions, a rotary valve, and a linear valve coupled in a cooperating relation for delivering potable water to and from the chamber.

The AGWA - KINEROS2 Suite of Modeling Tools in the Context of Watershed Services Valuation

EPA Science Inventory

KINEROS originated in the 1970’s as a distributed event-based rainfall-runoff erosion model. A unique feature at that time was its interactive coupling of a finite difference approximation of the kinematic overland flow equations to the Smith-Parlange infiltration model. Developm...

Physiological mechanisms of dyspnea during exercise with external thoracic restriction: Role of increased neural respiratory drive

PubMed Central

Mendonca, Cassandra T.; Schaeffer, Michele R.; Riley, Patrick

2013-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that neuromechanical uncoupling of the respiratory system forms the mechanistic basis of dyspnea during exercise in the setting of “abnormal” restrictive constraints on ventilation (VE). To this end, we examined the effect of chest wall strapping (CWS) sufficient to mimic a “mild” restrictive lung deficit on the interrelationships between VE, breathing pattern, dynamic operating lung volumes, esophageal electrode-balloon catheter-derived measures of the diaphragm electromyogram (EMGdi) and the transdiaphragmatic pressure time product (PTPdi), and sensory intensity and unpleasantness ratings of dyspnea during exercise. Twenty healthy men aged 25.7 ± 1.1 years (means ± SE) completed symptom-limited incremental cycle exercise tests under two randomized conditions: unrestricted control and CWS to reduce vital capacity (VC) by 21.6 ± 0.5%. Compared with control, exercise with CWS was associated with 1) an exaggerated EMGdi and PTPdi response; 2) no change in the relationship between EMGdi and each of tidal volume (expressed as a percentage of VC), inspiratory reserve volume, and PTPdi, thus indicating relative preservation of neuromechanical coupling; 3) increased sensory intensity and unpleasantness ratings of dyspnea; and 4) no change in the relationship between increasing EMGdi and each of the intensity and unpleasantness of dyspnea. In conclusion, the increased intensity and unpleasantness of dyspnea during exercise with CWS could not be readily explained by increased neuromechanical uncoupling but likely reflected the awareness of increased neural respiratory drive (EMGdi) needed to achieve any given VE during exercise in the setting of “abnormal” restrictive constraints on tidal volume expansion. PMID:24356524

The European space suit, a design for productivity and crew safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skoog, A. Ingemar; Berthier, S.; Ollivier, Y.

In order to fulfil the two major mission objectives, i.e. support planned and unplanned external servicing of the COLUMBUS FFL and support the HERMES vehicle for safety critical operations and emergencies, the European Space Suit System baseline configuration incorporates a number of design features, which shall enhance the productivity and the crew safety of EVA astronauts. The work in EVA is today - and will be for several years - a manual work. Consequently, to improve productivity, the first challenge is to design a suit enclosure which minimizes movement restrictions and crew fatigue. It is covered by the "ergonomic" aspect of the suit design. Furthermore, it is also necessary to help the EVA crewmember in his work, by giving him the right information at the right time. Many solutions exist in this field of Man-Machine Interface, from a very simple system, based on cuff check lists, up to advanced systems, including Head-Up Displays. The design concept for improved productivity encompasses following features: • easy donning/doffing thru rear entry, • suit ergonomy optimisation, • display of operational information in alpha-numerical and graphical from, and • voice processing for operations and safety critical information. Concerning crew safety the major design features are: • a lower R-factor for emergency EVA operations thru incressed suit pressure, • zero prebreath conditions for normal operations, • visual and voice processing of all safety critical functions, and • an autonomous life support system to permit unrestricted operations around HERMES and the CFFL. The paper analyses crew safety and productivity criteria and describes how these features are being built into the design of the European Space Suit System.

Adapting Advanced Information Technology Network Training for Adults with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Helen L.; Murray, Iain D.

2010-01-01

This article describes an accessible e-learning environment that was designed to deliver advanced IT skills to legally blind students in preparation for employment. The aim was to convert industry-standard training materials in print into accessible formats and to deliver the learning materials in ways that are more suited to adult students with…

A General Structure for Legal Arguments about Evidence Using Bayesian Networks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fenton, Norman; Neil, Martin; Lagnado, David A.

2013-01-01

A Bayesian network (BN) is a graphical model of uncertainty that is especially well suited to legal arguments. It enables us to visualize and model dependencies between different hypotheses and pieces of evidence and to calculate the revised probability beliefs about all uncertain factors when any piece of new evidence is presented. Although BNs…

Learning To Learn: 15 Vocabulary Acquisition Activities. Tips and Hints.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, William R.

1999-01-01

This article describes a variety of ways learners can help themselves remember new words, choosing the ones that best suit their learning styles. It is asserted that repeated exposure to new lexical items using a variety of means is the most consistent predictor of retention. The use of verbal, visual, tactile, textual, kinesthetic, and sonic…

A Museum You Can Touch

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierpont, Katherine

2005-01-01

Walking into Keil Hileman's classroom at Monticello Trails Middle School in Shawnee, KS, is a visual feast for the eyes. There is a suit of armor, a 1796 Flintock Musket, a wood burning stove from 1907, a circa 1920 porcelain barber's chair, steamer trunks carried from far off lands, a butter churn, a 1930s wringer washing machine, chamber pots,…

Three-Dimensional Media Technologies: Potentials for Study in Visual Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thwaites, Hal

This paper presents an overview of three-dimensional media technologies (3Dmt). Many of the new 3Dmt are the direct result of interactions of computing, communications, and imaging technologies. Computer graphics are particularly well suited to the creation of 3D images due to the high resolution and programmable nature of the current displays.…

Terrain Classification Using Multi-Wavelength Lidar Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

Figure 9. Pseudo- NDVI of three layers within the vertical structure of the forest. (Top) First return from the LiDAR instrument, including the ground...in NDVI throughout the vertical canopy. ........................................................17 Figure 10. Optech Titan operating wavelengths...and Ranging LMS LiDAR Mapping Suite ML Maximum Likelihood NIR Near Infrared N-D VIS n-Dimensional Visualizer NDVI Normalized Difference

MOOSE Implementation of MAMBA

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

Galloway, Jack; Matthews, Topher

The development of MAMBA is targeted at capturing both core wide CRUD induced power shifts (CIPS) as well as pin-­level CRUD induced localized corrosion (CILC). Both CIPS and CILC require some sort of information from thermal-­hydraulic, neutronics, and fuel performance codes, although the degree of coupling is different for the two effects. Since CIPS necessarily requires a core-­wide power distribution solve, it requires tight coupling with a neutronics code. Conversely, CIPS tends to be an individual pin phenomenon, requiring tight coupling a fuel performance code. As efforts are now focused on coupling MAMBA within the VERA suite, a natural separationmore » has surfaced in which a FORTRAN rewrite of MAMBA is optimal for VERA integration to capture CIPS behavior, while a CILC focused calculation would benefit from a tight coupling with BISON, motivating a MOOSE version of MAMBA.« less

MRI-guided stereotactic neurosurgical procedures in a diagnostic MRI suite: Background and safe practice recommendations.

PubMed

Larson, Paul S; Willie, Jon T; Vadivelu, Sudhakar; Azmi-Ghadimi, Hooman; Nichols, Amy; Fauerbach, Loretta Litz; Johnson, Helen Boehm; Graham, Denise

2017-07-01

The development of navigation technology facilitating MRI-guided stereotactic neurosurgery has enabled neurosurgeons to perform a variety of procedures ranging from deep brain stimulation to laser ablation entirely within an intraoperative or diagnostic MRI suite while having real-time visualization of brain anatomy. Prior to this technology, some of these procedures required multisite workflow patterns that presented significant risk to the patient during transport. For those facilities with access to this technology, safe practice guidelines exist only for procedures performed within an intraoperative MRI. There are currently no safe practice guidelines or parameters available for facilities looking to integrate this technology into practice in conventional MRI suites. Performing neurosurgical procedures in a diagnostic MRI suite does require precautionary measures. The relative novelty of technology and workflows for direct MRI-guided procedures requires consideration of safe practice recommendations, including those pertaining to infection control and magnet safety issues. This article proposes a framework of safe practice recommendations designed for assessing readiness and optimization of MRI-guided neurosurgical interventions in the diagnostic MRI suite in an effort to mitigate patient risk. The framework is based on existing clinical evidence, recommendations, and guidelines related to infection control and prevention, health care-associated infections, and magnet safety, as well as the clinical and practical experience of neurosurgeons utilizing this technology. © 2017 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital Association.

Vibrotactile perception assessment for a haptic interface on an antigravity suit.

PubMed

Ko, Sang Min; Lee, Kwangil; Kim, Daeho; Ji, Yong Gu

2017-01-01

Haptic technology is used in various fields to transmit information to the user with or without visual and auditory cues. This study aimed to provide preliminary data for use in developing a haptic interface for an antigravity (anti-G) suit. With the structural characteristics of the anti-G suit in mind, we determined five areas on the body (lower back, outer thighs, inner thighs, outer calves, and inner calves) on which to install ten bar-type eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors as vibration actuators. To determine the design factors of the haptic anti-G suit, we conducted three experiments to find the absolute threshold, moderate intensity, and subjective assessments of vibrotactile stimuli. Twenty-six fighter pilots participated in the experiments, which were conducted in a fixed-based flight simulator. From the results of our study, we recommend 1) absolute thresholds of ∼11.98-15.84 Hz and 102.01-104.06 dB, 2) moderate intensities of 74.36 Hz and 126.98 dB for the lower back and 58.65 Hz and 122.37 dB for either side of the thighs and calves, and 3) subjective assessments of vibrotactile stimuli (displeasure, easy to perceive, and level of comfort). The results of this study will be useful for the design of a haptic anti-G suit. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diffusion accessibility as a method for visualizing macromolecular surface geometry.

PubMed

Tsai, Yingssu; Holton, Thomas; Yeates, Todd O

2015-10-01

Important three-dimensional spatial features such as depth and surface concavity can be difficult to convey clearly in the context of two-dimensional images. In the area of macromolecular visualization, the computer graphics technique of ray-tracing can be helpful, but further techniques for emphasizing surface concavity can give clearer perceptions of depth. The notion of diffusion accessibility is well-suited for emphasizing such features of macromolecular surfaces, but a method for calculating diffusion accessibility has not been made widely available. Here we make available a web-based platform that performs the necessary calculation by solving the Laplace equation for steady state diffusion, and produces scripts for visualization that emphasize surface depth by coloring according to diffusion accessibility. The URL is http://services.mbi.ucla.edu/DiffAcc/. © 2015 The Protein Society.

Human Connectome Project Informatics: quality control, database services, and data visualization

PubMed Central

Marcus, Daniel S.; Harms, Michael P.; Snyder, Abraham Z.; Jenkinson, Mark; Wilson, J Anthony; Glasser, Matthew F.; Barch, Deanna M.; Archie, Kevin A.; Burgess, Gregory C.; Ramaratnam, Mohana; Hodge, Michael; Horton, William; Herrick, Rick; Olsen, Timothy; McKay, Michael; House, Matthew; Hileman, Michael; Reid, Erin; Harwell, John; Coalson, Timothy; Schindler, Jon; Elam, Jennifer S.; Curtiss, Sandra W.; Van Essen, David C.

2013-01-01

The Human Connectome Project (HCP) has developed protocols, standard operating and quality control procedures, and a suite of informatics tools to enable high throughput data collection, data sharing, automated data processing and analysis, and data mining and visualization. Quality control procedures include methods to maintain data collection consistency over time, to measure head motion, and to establish quantitative modality-specific overall quality assessments. Database services developed as customizations of the XNAT imaging informatics platform support both internal daily operations and open access data sharing. The Connectome Workbench visualization environment enables user interaction with HCP data and is increasingly integrated with the HCP's database services. Here we describe the current state of these procedures and tools and their application in the ongoing HCP study. PMID:23707591

Social Referencing Gaze Behavior During a Videogame Task: Eye Tracking Evidence from Children With and Without ASD.

PubMed

Finke, Erinn H; Wilkinson, Krista M; Hickerson, Benjamin D

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to understand the social referencing behaviors of children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while visually attending to a videogame stimulus depicting both the face of the videogame player and the videogame play action. Videogames appear to offer a uniquely well-suited environment for the emergence of friendships, but it is not known if children with and without ASD attend to and play videogames similarly. Eyetracking technology was used to investigate visual attention of participants matched based on chronological age. Parametric and nonparametric statistical analyses were used and results indicated the groups did not differ on percentage of time spent visually attending to any of the areas of interest, with one possible exception.

Trielectrode capacitive pressure transducer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coon, G. W. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

A capacitive transducer and circuit especially suited for making measurements in a high-temperature environment are described. The transducer includes two capacitive electrodes and a shield electrode. As the temperature of the transducer rises, the resistance of the insulation between the capacitive electrode decreases and a resistive current attempts to interfere with the capacitive current between the capacitive electrodes. The shield electrode and the circuit coupled there reduce the resistive current in the transducer. A bridge-type circuit coupled to the transducer ignores the resistive current and measures only the capacitive current flowing between the capacitive electrodes.

Secure videoconferencing equipment switching system and method

DOEpatents

Dirks, David H; Gomes, Diane; Stewart, Corbin J; Fischer, Robert A

2013-04-30

Examples of systems described herein include videoconferencing systems having audio/visual components coupled to a codec. The codec may be configured by a control system. Communication networks having different security levels may be alternately coupled to the codec following appropriate configuration by the control system. The control system may also be coupled to the communication networks.

RSAT 2015: Regulatory Sequence Analysis Tools

PubMed Central

Medina-Rivera, Alejandra; Defrance, Matthieu; Sand, Olivier; Herrmann, Carl; Castro-Mondragon, Jaime A.; Delerce, Jeremy; Jaeger, Sébastien; Blanchet, Christophe; Vincens, Pierre; Caron, Christophe; Staines, Daniel M.; Contreras-Moreira, Bruno; Artufel, Marie; Charbonnier-Khamvongsa, Lucie; Hernandez, Céline; Thieffry, Denis; Thomas-Chollier, Morgane; van Helden, Jacques

2015-01-01

RSAT (Regulatory Sequence Analysis Tools) is a modular software suite for the analysis of cis-regulatory elements in genome sequences. Its main applications are (i) motif discovery, appropriate to genome-wide data sets like ChIP-seq, (ii) transcription factor binding motif analysis (quality assessment, comparisons and clustering), (iii) comparative genomics and (iv) analysis of regulatory variations. Nine new programs have been added to the 43 described in the 2011 NAR Web Software Issue, including a tool to extract sequences from a list of coordinates (fetch-sequences from UCSC), novel programs dedicated to the analysis of regulatory variants from GWAS or population genomics (retrieve-variation-seq and variation-scan), a program to cluster motifs and visualize the similarities as trees (matrix-clustering). To deal with the drastic increase of sequenced genomes, RSAT public sites have been reorganized into taxon-specific servers. The suite is well-documented with tutorials and published protocols. The software suite is available through Web sites, SOAP/WSDL Web services, virtual machines and stand-alone programs at http://www.rsat.eu/. PMID:25904632

Exploratory Climate Data Visualization and Analysis Using DV3D and UVCDAT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maxwell, Thomas

2012-01-01

Earth system scientists are being inundated by an explosion of data generated by ever-increasing resolution in both global models and remote sensors. Advanced tools for accessing, analyzing, and visualizing very large and complex climate data are required to maintain rapid progress in Earth system research. To meet this need, NASA, in collaboration with the Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UVCOAT) consortium, is developing exploratory climate data analysis and visualization tools which provide data analysis capabilities for the Earth System Grid (ESG). This paper describes DV3D, a UV-COAT package that enables exploratory analysis of climate simulation and observation datasets. OV3D provides user-friendly interfaces for visualization and analysis of climate data at a level appropriate for scientists. It features workflow inte rfaces, interactive 40 data exploration, hyperwall and stereo visualization, automated provenance generation, and parallel task execution. DV30's integration with CDAT's climate data management system (COMS) and other climate data analysis tools provides a wide range of high performance climate data analysis operations. DV3D expands the scientists' toolbox by incorporating a suite of rich new exploratory visualization and analysis methods for addressing the complexity of climate datasets.

Effects of simulator motion and visual characteristics on rotorcraft handling qualities evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, David G.; Hart, Daniel C.

1993-01-01

The pilot's perceptions of aircraft handling qualities are influenced by a combination of the aircraft dynamics, the task, and the environment under which the evaluation is performed. When the evaluation is performed in a groundbased simulator, the characteristics of the simulation facility also come into play. Two studies were conducted on NASA Ames Research Center's Vertical Motion Simulator to determine the effects of simulator characteristics on perceived handling qualities. Most evaluations were conducted with a baseline set of rotorcraft dynamics, using a simple transfer-function model of an uncoupled helicopter, under different conditions of visual time delays and motion command washout filters. Differences in pilot opinion were found as the visual and motion parameters were changed, reflecting a change in the pilots' perceptions of handling qualities, rather than changes in the aircraft model itself. The results indicate a need for tailoring the motion washout dynamics to suit the task. Visual-delay data are inconclusive but suggest that it may be better to allow some time delay in the visual path to minimize the mismatch between visual and motion, rather than eliminate the visual delay entirely through lead compensation.

Modeling the impact of common noise inputs on the network activity of retinal ganglion cells

PubMed Central

Ahmadian, Yashar; Shlens, Jonathon; Pillow, Jonathan W.; Kulkarni, Jayant; Litke, Alan M.; Chichilnisky, E. J.; Simoncelli, Eero; Paninski, Liam

2013-01-01

Synchronized spontaneous firing among retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), on timescales faster than visual responses, has been reported in many studies. Two candidate mechanisms of synchronized firing include direct coupling and shared noisy inputs. In neighboring parasol cells of primate retina, which exhibit rapid synchronized firing that has been studied extensively, recent experimental work indicates that direct electrical or synaptic coupling is weak, but shared synaptic input in the absence of modulated stimuli is strong. However, previous modeling efforts have not accounted for this aspect of firing in the parasol cell population. Here we develop a new model that incorporates the effects of common noise, and apply it to analyze the light responses and synchronized firing of a large, densely-sampled network of over 250 simultaneously recorded parasol cells. We use a generalized linear model in which the spike rate in each cell is determined by the linear combination of the spatio-temporally filtered visual input, the temporally filtered prior spikes of that cell, and unobserved sources representing common noise. The model accurately captures the statistical structure of the spike trains and the encoding of the visual stimulus, without the direct coupling assumption present in previous modeling work. Finally, we examined the problem of decoding the visual stimulus from the spike train given the estimated parameters. The common-noise model produces Bayesian decoding performance as accurate as that of a model with direct coupling, but with significantly more robustness to spike timing perturbations. PMID:22203465

Vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation alleviates oxidative stress induced by dexamethasone and improves fertility of breeder roosters.

PubMed

Min, Yuna; Sun, Tongtong; Niu, Zhuye; Liu, Fuzhu

2016-08-01

This study was conducted to determine the effect of supplemental dietary vitamin C (VC) and vitamin E (VE) on improving semen quality and antioxidative status in breeder roosters challenged with dexamethasone (DEX). 120 45-week-old Lveyang black-boned breeder roosters were divided into 5 experimental treatments, including negative group, positive group, and three trial groups, which were fed basal diet supplemented with 300mg/kg VC, 200mg/kg VE, or 300mg/kg VC and 200mg/kg VE (VC+VE). At 49 weeks of age, the positive control and trial groups were subcutaneously injected 3 times every other day with DEX 4 mg/kg body weight, the negative control group was sham injected with saline. At 50 weeks of age, average daily feed intake of birds challenged with DEX significantly increased (P<0.05), however, serum testosterone significantly decreased (P<0.05). Dietary supplementation of VC+VE enhanced serum testosterone and sperm motility remarkably (P<0.05). There were no differences in sperm viability between the DEX-treated groups. During the post-stress recovery period (52 weeks of age), dietary supplementation of VE and VC+VE significantly increased the body weight of birds under oxidative stress (P<0.01). VC, VE, and VC+VE groups had greater sperm viability than control group (P<0.01). Additionally, there was a decrease in the semen plasma malondialdehyde content (P<0.05) of the VC and VC+VE groups, and in the testicular malondialdehyde content (P<0.01) of the VE and VC+VE groups. In summary, VC, VE, especially their combination alleviate the oxidative stress induced by DEX and are favorable for the fertility of breeder roosters. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Recovery of the sub-basal nerve plexus and superficial nerve terminals after corneal epithelial injury in mice.

PubMed

Downie, Laura E; Naranjo Golborne, Cecilia; Chen, Merry; Ho, Ngoc; Hoac, Cam; Liyanapathirana, Dasun; Luo, Carol; Wu, Ruo Bing; Chinnery, Holly R

2018-06-01

Our aim was to compare regeneration of the sub-basal nerve plexus (SBNP) and superficial nerve terminals (SNT) following corneal epithelial injury. We also sought to compare agreement when quantifying nerve parameters using different image analysis techniques. Anesthetized, female C57BL/6 mice received central 1-mm corneal epithelial abrasions. Four-weeks post-injury, eyes were enucleated and processed for PGP9.5 to visualize the corneal nerves using wholemount immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. The percentage area of the SBNP and SNT were quantified using: ImageJ automated thresholds, ImageJ manual thresholds and manual tracings in NeuronJ. Nerve sum length was quantified using NeuronJ and Imaris. Agreement between methods was considered with Bland-Altman analyses. Four-weeks post-injury, the sum length of nerve fibers in the SBNP, but not the SNT, was reduced compared with naïve eyes. In the periphery, but not central cornea, of both naïve and injured eyes, nerve fiber lengths in the SBNP and SNT were strongly correlated. For quantifying SBNP nerve axon area, all image analysis methods were highly correlated. In the SNT, there was poor correlation between manual methods and auto-thresholding, with a trend towards underestimating nerve fiber area using auto-thresholding when higher proportions of nerve fibers were present. In conclusion, four weeks after superficial corneal injury, there is differential recovery of epithelial nerve axons; SBNP sum length is reduced, however the sum length of SNTs is similar to naïve eyes. Care should be taken when selecting image analysis methods to compare nerve parameters in different depths of the corneal epithelium due to differences in background autofluorescence. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Associative Mechanisms Allow for Social Learning and Cultural Transmission of String Pulling in an Insect

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xingfu; Ingraham, Thomas; Søvik, Eirik

2016-01-01

Social insects make elaborate use of simple mechanisms to achieve seemingly complex behavior and may thus provide a unique resource to discover the basic cognitive elements required for culture, i.e., group-specific behaviors that spread from “innovators” to others in the group via social learning. We first explored whether bumblebees can learn a nonnatural object manipulation task by using string pulling to access a reward that was presented out of reach. Only a small minority “innovated” and solved the task spontaneously, but most bees were able to learn to pull a string when trained in a stepwise manner. In addition, naïve bees learnt the task by observing a trained demonstrator from a distance. Learning the behavior relied on a combination of simple associative mechanisms and trial-and-error learning and did not require “insight”: naïve bees failed a “coiled-string experiment,” in which they did not receive instant visual feedback of the target moving closer when tugging on the string. In cultural diffusion experiments, the skill spread rapidly from a single knowledgeable individual to the majority of a colony’s foragers. We observed that there were several sequential sets (“generations”) of learners, so that previously naïve observers could first acquire the technique by interacting with skilled individuals and, subsequently, themselves become demonstrators for the next “generation” of learners, so that the longevity of the skill in the population could outlast the lives of informed foragers. This suggests that, so long as animals have a basic toolkit of associative and motor learning processes, the key ingredients for the cultural spread of unusual skills are already in place and do not require sophisticated cognition. PMID:27701411

Simulating Navigation with Virtual 3d Geovisualizations - a Focus on Memory Related Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lokka, I.; Çöltekin, A.

2016-06-01

The use of virtual environments (VE) for navigation-related studies, such as spatial cognition and path retrieval has been widely adopted in cognitive psychology and related fields. What motivates the use of VEs for such studies is that, as opposed to real-world, we can control for the confounding variables in simulated VEs. When simulating a geographic environment as a virtual world with the intention to train navigational memory in humans, an effective and efficient visual design is important to facilitate the amount of recall. However, it is not yet clear what amount of information should be included in such visual designs intended to facilitate remembering: there can be too little or too much of it. Besides the amount of information or level of detail, the types of visual features (`elements' in a visual scene) that should be included in the representations to create memorable scenes and paths must be defined. We analyzed the literature in cognitive psychology, geovisualization and information visualization, and identified the key factors for studying and evaluating geovisualization designs for their function to support and strengthen human navigational memory. The key factors we identified are: i) the individual abilities and age of the users, ii) the level of realism (LOR) included in the representations and iii) the context in which the navigation is performed, thus specific tasks within a case scenario. Here we present a concise literature review and our conceptual development for follow-up experiments.

Visual System Involvement in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Arrigo, Alessandro; Calamuneri, Alessandro; Milardi, Demetrio; Mormina, Enricomaria; Rania, Laura; Postorino, Elisa; Marino, Silvia; Di Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Anastasi, Giuseppe Pio; Ghilardi, Maria Felice; Aragona, Pasquale; Quartarone, Angelo; Gaeta, Michele

2017-12-01

Purpose To assess intracranial visual system changes of newly diagnosed Parkinson disease in drug-naïve patients. Materials and Methods Twenty patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson disease and 20 age-matched control subjects were recruited. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging) was performed with a 3-T MR imager. White matter changes were assessed by exploring a white matter diffusion profile by means of diffusion-tensor imaging-based parameters and constrained spherical deconvolution-based connectivity analysis and by means of white matter voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Alterations in occipital gray matter were investigated by means of gray matter VBM. Morphologic analysis of the optic chiasm was based on manual measurement of regions of interest. Statistical testing included analysis of variance, t tests, and permutation tests. Results In the patients with Parkinson disease, significant alterations were found in optic radiation connectivity distribution, with decreased lateral geniculate nucleus V2 density (F, -8.28; P < .05), a significant increase in optic radiation mean diffusivity (F, 7.5; P = .014), and a significant reduction in white matter concentration. VBM analysis also showed a significant reduction in visual cortical volumes (P < .05). Moreover, the chiasmatic area and volume were significantly reduced (P < .05). Conclusion The findings show that visual system alterations can be detected in early stages of Parkinson disease and that the entire intracranial visual system can be involved. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

A Benchmark Dataset for SSVEP-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces.

PubMed

Wang, Yijun; Chen, Xiaogang; Gao, Xiaorong; Gao, Shangkai

2017-10-01

This paper presents a benchmark steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) dataset acquired with a 40-target brain- computer interface (BCI) speller. The dataset consists of 64-channel Electroencephalogram (EEG) data from 35 healthy subjects (8 experienced and 27 naïve) while they performed a cue-guided target selecting task. The virtual keyboard of the speller was composed of 40 visual flickers, which were coded using a joint frequency and phase modulation (JFPM) approach. The stimulation frequencies ranged from 8 Hz to 15.8 Hz with an interval of 0.2 Hz. The phase difference between two adjacent frequencies was . For each subject, the data included six blocks of 40 trials corresponding to all 40 flickers indicated by a visual cue in a random order. The stimulation duration in each trial was five seconds. The dataset can be used as a benchmark dataset to compare the methods for stimulus coding and target identification in SSVEP-based BCIs. Through offline simulation, the dataset can be used to design new system diagrams and evaluate their BCI performance without collecting any new data. The dataset also provides high-quality data for computational modeling of SSVEPs. The dataset is freely available fromhttp://bci.med.tsinghua.edu.cn/download.html.

Evidence for Post-Translational Processing of Vascular Endothelial (VE)-Cadherin in Brain Tumors: Towards a Candidate Biomarker

PubMed Central

Vilgrain, Isabelle; Sidibé, Adama; Polena, Helena; Cand, Francine; Mannic, Tiphaine; Arboleas, Mélanie; Boccard, Sandra; Baudet, Antoine; Gulino-Debrac, Danielle; Bouillet, Laurence; Quesada, Jean-Louis; Mendoza, Christophe; Lebas, Jean-François; Pelletier, Laurent; Berger, François

2013-01-01

Vessel abnormalities are among the most important features in malignant glioma. Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin is of major importance for vascular integrity. Upon cytokine challenge, VE-cadherin structural modifications have been described including tyrosine phosphorylation and cleavage. The goal of this study was to examine whether these events occurred in human glioma vessels. We demonstrated that VE-cadherin is highly expressed in human glioma tissue and tyrosine phosphorylated at site Y685, a site previously found phosphorylated upon VEGF challenge, via Src activation. In vitro experiments showed that VEGF-induced VE-cadherin phosphorylation, preceded the cleavage of its extracellular adhesive domain (sVE, 90 kDa). Interestingly, metalloproteases (MMPs) secreted by glioma cell lines were responsible for sVE release. Because VEGF and MMPs are important components of tumor microenvironment, we hypothesized that VE-cadherin proteolysis might occur in human brain tumors. Analysis of glioma patient sera prior treatment confirmed the presence of sVE in bloodstream. Furthermore, sVE levels studied in a cohort of 53 glioma patients were significantly predictive of the overall survival at three years (HR 0.13 [0.04; 0.40] p≤0.001), irrespective to histopathological grade of tumors. Altogether, these results suggest that VE-cadherin structural modifications should be examined as candidate biomarkers of tumor vessel abnormalities, with promising applications in oncology. PMID:24358106

VE-cadherin RGD motifs promote metastasis and constitute a potential therapeutic target in melanoma and breast cancers.

PubMed

Bartolomé, Rubén A; Torres, Sofía; Isern de Val, Soledad; Escudero-Paniagua, Beatriz; Calviño, Eva; Teixidó, Joaquín; Casal, J Ignacio

2017-01-03

We have investigated the role of vascular-endothelial (VE)-cadherin in melanoma and breast cancer metastasis. We found that VE-cadherin is expressed in highly aggressive melanoma and breast cancer cell lines. Remarkably, inactivation of VE-cadherin triggered a significant loss of malignant traits (proliferation, adhesion, invasion and transendothelial migration) in melanoma and breast cancer cells. These effects, except transendothelial migration, were induced by the VE-cadherin RGD motifs. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated an interaction between VE-cadherin and α2β1 integrin, with the RGD motifs found to directly affect β1 integrin activation. VE-cadherin-mediated integrin signaling occurred through specific activation of SRC, ERK and JNK, including AKT in melanoma. Knocking down VE-cadherin suppressed lung colonization capacity of melanoma or breast cancer cells inoculated in mice, while pre-incubation with VE-cadherin RGD peptides promoted lung metastasis for both cancer types. Finally, an in silico study revealed the association of high VE-cadherin expression with poor survival in a subset of melanoma patients and breast cancer patients showing low CD34 expression. These findings support a general role for VE-cadherin and other RGD cadherins as critical regulators of lung and liver metastasis in multiple solid tumours. These results pave the way for cadherin-specific RGD targeted therapies to control disseminated metastasis in multiple cancers.

A methodology to ensure and improve accuracy of Ki67 labelling index estimation by automated digital image analysis in breast cancer tissue.

PubMed

Laurinavicius, Arvydas; Plancoulaine, Benoit; Laurinaviciene, Aida; Herlin, Paulette; Meskauskas, Raimundas; Baltrusaityte, Indra; Besusparis, Justinas; Dasevicius, Darius; Elie, Nicolas; Iqbal, Yasir; Bor, Catherine

2014-01-01

Immunohistochemical Ki67 labelling index (Ki67 LI) reflects proliferative activity and is a potential prognostic/predictive marker of breast cancer. However, its clinical utility is hindered by the lack of standardized measurement methodologies. Besides tissue heterogeneity aspects, the key element of methodology remains accurate estimation of Ki67-stained/counterstained tumour cell profiles. We aimed to develop a methodology to ensure and improve accuracy of the digital image analysis (DIA) approach. Tissue microarrays (one 1-mm spot per patient, n = 164) from invasive ductal breast carcinoma were stained for Ki67 and scanned. Criterion standard (Ki67-Count) was obtained by counting positive and negative tumour cell profiles using a stereology grid overlaid on a spot image. DIA was performed with Aperio Genie/Nuclear algorithms. A bias was estimated by ANOVA, correlation and regression analyses. Calibration steps of the DIA by adjusting the algorithm settings were performed: first, by subjective DIA quality assessment (DIA-1), and second, to compensate the bias established (DIA-2). Visual estimate (Ki67-VE) on the same images was performed by five pathologists independently. ANOVA revealed significant underestimation bias (P < 0.05) for DIA-0, DIA-1 and two pathologists' VE, while DIA-2, VE-median and three other VEs were within the same range. Regression analyses revealed best accuracy for the DIA-2 (R-square = 0.90) exceeding that of VE-median, individual VEs and other DIA settings. Bidirectional bias for the DIA-2 with overestimation at low, and underestimation at high ends of the scale was detected. Measurement error correction by inverse regression was applied to improve DIA-2-based prediction of the Ki67-Count, in particularfor the clinically relevant interval of Ki67-Count < 40%. Potential clinical impact of the prediction was tested by dichotomising the cases at the cut-off values of 10, 15, and 20%. Misclassification rate of 5-7% was achieved, compared to that of 11-18% for the VE-median-based prediction. Our experiments provide methodology to achieve accurate Ki67-LI estimation by DIA, based on proper validation, calibration, and measurement error correction procedures, guided by quantified bias from reference values obtained by stereology grid count. This basic validation step is an important prerequisite for high-throughput automated DIA applications to investigate tissue heterogeneity and clinical utility aspects of Ki67 and other immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers.

A methodology to ensure and improve accuracy of Ki67 labelling index estimation by automated digital image analysis in breast cancer tissue

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Immunohistochemical Ki67 labelling index (Ki67 LI) reflects proliferative activity and is a potential prognostic/predictive marker of breast cancer. However, its clinical utility is hindered by the lack of standardized measurement methodologies. Besides tissue heterogeneity aspects, the key element of methodology remains accurate estimation of Ki67-stained/counterstained tumour cell profiles. We aimed to develop a methodology to ensure and improve accuracy of the digital image analysis (DIA) approach. Methods Tissue microarrays (one 1-mm spot per patient, n = 164) from invasive ductal breast carcinoma were stained for Ki67 and scanned. Criterion standard (Ki67-Count) was obtained by counting positive and negative tumour cell profiles using a stereology grid overlaid on a spot image. DIA was performed with Aperio Genie/Nuclear algorithms. A bias was estimated by ANOVA, correlation and regression analyses. Calibration steps of the DIA by adjusting the algorithm settings were performed: first, by subjective DIA quality assessment (DIA-1), and second, to compensate the bias established (DIA-2). Visual estimate (Ki67-VE) on the same images was performed by five pathologists independently. Results ANOVA revealed significant underestimation bias (P < 0.05) for DIA-0, DIA-1 and two pathologists’ VE, while DIA-2, VE-median and three other VEs were within the same range. Regression analyses revealed best accuracy for the DIA-2 (R-square = 0.90) exceeding that of VE-median, individual VEs and other DIA settings. Bidirectional bias for the DIA-2 with overestimation at low, and underestimation at high ends of the scale was detected. Measurement error correction by inverse regression was applied to improve DIA-2-based prediction of the Ki67-Count, in particular for the clinically relevant interval of Ki67-Count < 40%. Potential clinical impact of the prediction was tested by dichotomising the cases at the cut-off values of 10, 15, and 20%. Misclassification rate of 5-7% was achieved, compared to that of 11-18% for the VE-median-based prediction. Conclusions Our experiments provide methodology to achieve accurate Ki67-LI estimation by DIA, based on proper validation, calibration, and measurement error correction procedures, guided by quantified bias from reference values obtained by stereology grid count. This basic validation step is an important prerequisite for high-throughput automated DIA applications to investigate tissue heterogeneity and clinical utility aspects of Ki67 and other immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers. PMID:24708745

High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems

DOE PAGES

Mahadevan, Vijay S.; Merzari, Elia; Tautges, Timothy; ...

2014-06-30

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in ordermore » to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. Finally, the coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework.« less

Utilizing novel diversity estimators to quantify multiple dimensions of microbial biodiversity across domains

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Microbial ecologists often employ methods from classical community ecology to analyze microbial community diversity. However, these methods have limitations because microbial communities differ from macro-organismal communities in key ways. This study sought to quantify microbial diversity using methods that are better suited for data spanning multiple domains of life and dimensions of diversity. Diversity profiles are one novel, promising way to analyze microbial datasets. Diversity profiles encompass many other indices, provide effective numbers of diversity (mathematical generalizations of previous indices that better convey the magnitude of differences in diversity), and can incorporate taxa similarity information. To explore whether these profiles change interpretations of microbial datasets, diversity profiles were calculated for four microbial datasets from different environments spanning all domains of life as well as viruses. Both similarity-based profiles that incorporated phylogenetic relatedness and naïve (not similarity-based) profiles were calculated. Simulated datasets were used to examine the robustness of diversity profiles to varying phylogenetic topology and community composition. Results Diversity profiles provided insights into microbial datasets that were not detectable with classical univariate diversity metrics. For all datasets analyzed, there were key distinctions between calculations that incorporated phylogenetic diversity as a measure of taxa similarity and naïve calculations. The profiles also provided information about the effects of rare species on diversity calculations. Additionally, diversity profiles were used to examine thousands of simulated microbial communities, showing that similarity-based and naïve diversity profiles only agreed approximately 50% of the time in their classification of which sample was most diverse. This is a strong argument for incorporating similarity information and calculating diversity with a range of emphases on rare and abundant species when quantifying microbial community diversity. Conclusions For many datasets, diversity profiles provided a different view of microbial community diversity compared to analyses that did not take into account taxa similarity information, effective diversity, or multiple diversity metrics. These findings are a valuable contribution to data analysis methodology in microbial ecology. PMID:24238386

Visualizing the near-field coupling and interference of bonding and anti-bonding modes in infrared dimer nanoantennas.

PubMed

Alonso-González, Pablo; Albella, Pablo; Golmar, Federico; Arzubiaga, Libe; Casanova, Félix; Hueso, Luis E; Aizpurua, Javier; Hillenbrand, Rainer

2013-01-14

We directly visualize and identify the capacitive coupling of infrared dimer antennas in the near field by employing scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). The coupling is identified by (i) resolving the strongly enhanced nano-localized near fields in the antenna gap and by (ii) tracing the red shift of the dimer resonance when compared to the resonance of the single antenna constituents. Furthermore, by modifying the illumination geometry we break the symmetry, providing a means to excite both the bonding and the "dark" anti-bonding modes. By spectrally matching both modes, their interference yields an enhancement or suppression of the near fields at specific locations, which could be useful in nanoscale coherent control applications.

Hybrid Microscopic-Endoscopic Surgery for Craniopharyngioma in Neurosurgical Suite: Technical Notes.

PubMed

Ichikawa, Tomotsugu; Otani, Yoshihiro; Ishida, Joji; Fujii, Kentaro; Kurozumi, Kazuhiko; Ono, Shigeki; Date, Isao

2016-01-01

The best chance of curing craniopharyngioma is achieved by microsurgical total resection; however, its location adjacent to critical structures hinders complete resection without neurologic deterioration. Unrecognized residual tumor within microscopic blind spots might result in tumor recurrences. To improve outcomes, new techniques are necessary to visualize tissue within these blind spots. We examined the success of hybrid microscopic-endoscopic neurosurgery for craniopharyngioma in a neurosurgical suite. Four children with craniopharyngiomas underwent microscopic resection. When the neurosurgeon was confident that most of the visible tumor was removed but was suspicious of residual tumor within the blind spot, he or she used an integrated endoscope-holder system to inspect and remove any residual tumor. Two ceiling monitors were mounted side by side in front of the surgeon to display both microscopic and endoscopic views and to view both monitors simultaneously. Surgery was performed in all patients via the frontobasal interhemispheric approach. Residual tumors were observed in the sella (2 patients), on the ventral surface of the chiasm and optic nerve (1 patient), and in the third ventricle (1 patient) and were resected to achieve total resection. Postoperatively, visual function was improved in 2 patients and none exhibited deterioration related to the surgery. Simultaneous microscopic and endoscopic observation with the use of dual monitors in a neurosurgical suite was ergonomically optimal for the surgeon to perform microsurgical procedures and to avoid traumatizing surrounding vessels or neural tissues. Hybrid microscopic-endoscopic neurosurgery may contribute to safe, less-invasive, and maximal resection to achieve better prognosis in children with craniopharyngioma. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated Comparative Metabolite Profiling of Large LC-ESIMS Data Sets in an ACD/MS Workbook Suite Add-in, and Data Clustering on a New Open-Source Web Platform FreeClust.

PubMed

Božičević, Alen; Dobrzyński, Maciej; De Bie, Hans; Gafner, Frank; Garo, Eliane; Hamburger, Matthias

2017-12-05

The technological development of LC-MS instrumentation has led to significant improvements of performance and sensitivity, enabling high-throughput analysis of complex samples, such as plant extracts. Most software suites allow preprocessing of LC-MS chromatograms to obtain comprehensive information on single constituents. However, more advanced processing needs, such as the systematic and unbiased comparative metabolite profiling of large numbers of complex LC-MS chromatograms remains a challenge. Currently, users have to rely on different tools to perform such data analyses. We developed a two-step protocol comprising a comparative metabolite profiling tool integrated in ACD/MS Workbook Suite, and a web platform developed in R language designed for clustering and visualization of chromatographic data. Initially, all relevant chromatographic and spectroscopic data (retention time, molecular ions with the respective ion abundance, and sample names) are automatically extracted and assembled in an Excel spreadsheet. The file is then loaded into an online web application that includes various statistical algorithms and provides the user with tools to compare and visualize the results in intuitive 2D heatmaps. We applied this workflow to LC-ESIMS profiles obtained from 69 honey samples. Within few hours of calculation with a standard PC, honey samples were preprocessed and organized in clusters based on their metabolite profile similarities, thereby highlighting the common metabolite patterns and distributions among samples. Implementation in the ACD/Laboratories software package enables ulterior integration of other analytical data, and in silico prediction tools for modern drug discovery.

Galerkin CFD solvers for use in a multi-disciplinary suite for modeling advanced flight vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moffitt, Nicholas J.

This work extends existing Galerkin CFD solvers for use in a multi-disciplinary suite. The suite is proposed as a means of modeling advanced flight vehicles, which exhibit strong coupling between aerodynamics, structural dynamics, controls, rigid body motion, propulsion, and heat transfer. Such applications include aeroelastics, aeroacoustics, stability and control, and other highly coupled applications. The suite uses NASA STARS for modeling structural dynamics and heat transfer. Aerodynamics, propulsion, and rigid body dynamics are modeled in one of the five CFD solvers below. Euler2D and Euler3D are Galerkin CFD solvers created at OSU by Cowan (2003). These solvers are capable of modeling compressible inviscid aerodynamics with modal elastics and rigid body motion. This work reorganized these solvers to improve efficiency during editing and at run time. Simple and efficient propulsion models were added, including rocket, turbojet, and scramjet engines. Viscous terms were added to the previous solvers to create NS2D and NS3D. The viscous contributions were demonstrated in the inertial and non-inertial frames. Variable viscosity (Sutherland's equation) and heat transfer boundary conditions were added to both solvers but not verified in this work. Two turbulence models were implemented in NS2D and NS3D: Spalart-Allmarus (SA) model of Deck, et al. (2002) and Menter's SST model (1994). A rotation correction term (Shur, et al., 2000) was added to the production of turbulence. Local time stepping and artificial dissipation were adapted to each model. CFDsol is a Taylor-Galerkin solver with an SA turbulence model. This work improved the time accuracy, far field stability, viscous terms, Sutherland?s equation, and SA model with NS3D as a guideline and added the propulsion models from Euler3D to CFDsol. Simple geometries were demonstrated to utilize current meshing and processing capabilities. Air-breathing hypersonic flight vehicles (AHFVs) represent the ultimate application of the suite. The current models are accurate at low supersonic speed and reasonable for engineering approximation at hypersonic speeds. Improvements to extend the models fully into the hypersonic regime are given in the Recommendations section.

CLMSVault: A Software Suite for Protein Cross-Linking Mass-Spectrometry Data Analysis and Visualization.

PubMed

Courcelles, Mathieu; Coulombe-Huntington, Jasmin; Cossette, Émilie; Gingras, Anne-Claude; Thibault, Pierre; Tyers, Mike

2017-07-07

Protein cross-linking mass spectrometry (CL-MS) enables the sensitive detection of protein interactions and the inference of protein complex topology. The detection of chemical cross-links between protein residues can identify intra- and interprotein contact sites or provide physical constraints for molecular modeling of protein structure. Recent innovations in cross-linker design, sample preparation, mass spectrometry, and software tools have significantly improved CL-MS approaches. Although a number of algorithms now exist for the identification of cross-linked peptides from mass spectral data, a dearth of user-friendly analysis tools represent a practical bottleneck to the broad adoption of the approach. To facilitate the analysis of CL-MS data, we developed CLMSVault, a software suite designed to leverage existing CL-MS algorithms and provide intuitive and flexible tools for cross-platform data interpretation. CLMSVault stores and combines complementary information obtained from different cross-linkers and search algorithms. CLMSVault provides filtering, comparison, and visualization tools to support CL-MS analyses and includes a workflow for label-free quantification of cross-linked peptides. An embedded 3D viewer enables the visualization of quantitative data and the mapping of cross-linked sites onto PDB structural models. We demonstrate the application of CLMSVault for the analysis of a noncovalent Cdc34-ubiquitin protein complex cross-linked under different conditions. CLMSVault is open-source software (available at https://gitlab.com/courcelm/clmsvault.git ), and a live demo is available at http://democlmsvault.tyerslab.com/ .

Web-based decision support and visualization tools for water quality management in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mullinix, C.; Hearn, P.; Zhang, H.; Aguinaldo, J.

2009-01-01

Federal, State, and local water quality managers charged with restoring the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem require tools to maximize the impact of their limited resources. To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) are developing a suite of Web-based tools called the Chesapeake Online Assessment Support Toolkit (COAST). The goal of COAST is to help CBP partners identify geographic areas where restoration activities would have the greatest effect, select the appropriate management strategies, and improve coordination and prioritization among partners. As part of the COAST suite of tools focused on environmental restoration, a water quality management visualization component called the Nutrient Yields Mapper (NYM) tool is being developed by USGS. The NYM tool is a web application that uses watershed yield estimates from USGS SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed (SPARROW) attributes model (Schwarz et al., 2006) [6] to allow water quality managers to identify important sources of nitrogen and phosphorous within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The NYM tool utilizes new open source technologies that have become popular in geospatial web development, including components such as OpenLayers and GeoServer. This paper presents examples of water quality data analysis based on nutrient type, source, yield, and area of interest using the NYM tool for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. In addition, we describe examples of map-based techniques for identifying high and low nutrient yield areas; web map engines; and data visualization and data management techniques.

Conceptual design study of a visual system for a rotorcraft simulator and some advances in platform motion utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinacori, J. B.

1980-01-01

A conceptual design of a visual system for a rotorcraft flight simulator is presented. Also, drive logic elements for a coupled motion base for such a simulator are given. The design is the result of an assessment of many potential arrangements of electro-optical elements and is a concept considered feasible for the application. The motion drive elements represent an example logic for a coupled motion base and is essentially an appeal to the designers of such logic to combine their washout and braking functions.

Orion ECLSS/Suit System - Ambient Pressure Integrated Suit Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barido, Richard A.

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Crew Quarters (CQ) is a permanent personal space for crewmembers to sleep, perform personal recreation and communication, as well as provide on-orbit stowage of personal belongings. The CQs provide visual, light, and acoustic isolation for the crewmember. Over a two year period, four CQs were launched to the ISS and currently reside in Node 2. Since their deployment, all CQs have been occupied and continue to be utilized. After four years on-orbit, this paper will review failures that have occurred and the investigations that have resulted in successful on-orbit operations. This paper documents the on-orbit performance and sustaining activities that have been performed to maintain the integrity and utilization of the CQs.

Lunar Balance and Locomotion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paloski, William H.

2008-01-01

Balance control and locomotor patterns were altered in Apollo crewmembers on the lunar surface, owing, presumably, to a combination of sensory-motor adaptation during transit and lunar surface operations, decreased environmental affordances associated with the reduced gravity, and restricted joint mobility as well as altered center-of-gravity caused by the EVA pressure suits. Dr. Paloski will discuss these factors, as well as the potential human and mission impacts of falls and malcoordination during planned lunar sortie and outpost missions. Learning objectives: What are the potential impacts of postural instabilities on the lunar surface? CME question: What factors affect balance control and gait stability on the moon? Answer: Sensory-motor adaptation to the lunar environment, reduced mechanical and visual affordances, and altered biomechanics caused by the EVA suit.

An investigation of the thermodynamic miscibility between VeTPGS and polymers.

PubMed

Li, Jinjiang; Chiappetta, Doris

2008-02-28

Within the past decade, more than half of the drug candidates generated are poorly water soluble and therefore overcoming the low aqueous solubility of drug candidates becomes critical for product development. Vitamin E TPGS (VeTPGS), a non-ionic surfactant, has been used in both liquid and solid dosage forms to solubilize compounds and improve their bioavailability. To prepare solid dosage forms using VeTPGS, VeTPGS is often mixed with other excipients, mostly polymers. However, there is still a lack of understanding of miscibility between VeTPGS and polymers from a thermodynamic point of view. In this paper, the miscibility of VeTPGS with polymers has been studied in the light of the Flory-Huggins (F-H) theory with an objective to understand the effect of dispersion forces (solubility parameter) and nondispersive interactions on the miscibility between VeTPGS and polymers. A series of polymers with similar solubility parameters and structure similarity were selected. Binary blends of polymers and VeTPGS were prepared using a vapor evaporation technique followed by XRPD, DSC, and SEM characterization. Results suggest that the miscibility between VeTPGS and PMMA is very likely due to a specific interaction between the hydrophobic portion of VeTPGS (Vitamin E) and PMMA.

Valeriana officinalis Extracts Ameliorate Neuronal Damage by Suppressing Lipid Peroxidation in the Gerbil Hippocampus Following Transient Cerebral Ischemia

PubMed Central

Yoo, Dae Young; Jung, Hyo Young; Nam, Sung Min; Kim, Jong Whi; Choi, Jung Hoon; Kwak, Youn-Gil; Yoo, Miyoung; Lee, Sanghee; Yoon, Yeo Sung

2015-01-01

Abstract As a medicinal plant, the roots of Valeriana officinalis have been used as a sedative and tranquilizer. In the present study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of valerian root extracts (VE) on the hippocampal CA1 region of gerbils after 5 min of transient cerebral ischemia. Gerbils were administered VE orally once a day for 3 weeks, subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury, and continued on VE for 3 weeks. The administration of 100 mg/kg VE (VE100 group) significantly reduced the ischemia-induced spontaneous motor hyperactivity 1 day after ischemia/reperfusion. Four days after ischemia/reperfusion, animals treated with VE showed abundant cresyl violet-positive neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region when compared to the vehicle or 25 mg/kg VE-treated groups. In addition, the VE treatment markedly decreased microglial activation in the hippocampal CA1 region 4 days after ischemia. Compared to the other groups, the VE100 group showed the lowest level of lipid peroxidation during the first 24 h after ischemia/reperfusion. In summary, the findings in this study suggest that pretreatment with VE has protective effects against ischemic injury in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons by decreasing microglial activation and lipid peroxidation. PMID:25785762

Valeriana officinalis Extracts Ameliorate Neuronal Damage by Suppressing Lipid Peroxidation in the Gerbil Hippocampus Following Transient Cerebral Ischemia.

PubMed

Yoo, Dae Young; Jung, Hyo Young; Nam, Sung Min; Kim, Jong Whi; Choi, Jung Hoon; Kwak, Youn-Gil; Yoo, Miyoung; Lee, Sanghee; Yoon, Yeo Sung; Hwang, In Koo

2015-06-01

As a medicinal plant, the roots of Valeriana officinalis have been used as a sedative and tranquilizer. In the present study, we evaluated the neuroprotective effects of valerian root extracts (VE) on the hippocampal CA1 region of gerbils after 5 min of transient cerebral ischemia. Gerbils were administered VE orally once a day for 3 weeks, subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury, and continued on VE for 3 weeks. The administration of 100 mg/kg VE (VE100 group) significantly reduced the ischemia-induced spontaneous motor hyperactivity 1 day after ischemia/reperfusion. Four days after ischemia/reperfusion, animals treated with VE showed abundant cresyl violet-positive neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region when compared to the vehicle or 25 mg/kg VE-treated groups. In addition, the VE treatment markedly decreased microglial activation in the hippocampal CA1 region 4 days after ischemia. Compared to the other groups, the VE100 group showed the lowest level of lipid peroxidation during the first 24 h after ischemia/reperfusion. In summary, the findings in this study suggest that pretreatment with VE has protective effects against ischemic injury in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons by decreasing microglial activation and lipid peroxidation.

"Magnetic resonance imaging negative positron emission tomography positive" temporal lobe epilepsy: FDG-PET pattern differs from mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Carne, R P; Cook, M J; MacGregor, L R; Kilpatrick, C J; Hicks, R J; O'Brien, T J

2007-01-01

Some patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) lack evidence of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) on MRI (HS-ve). We hypothesized that this group would have a different pattern of 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) hypometabolism than typical mesial TLE/HS patients with evidence of hippocampal atrophy on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (HS+ve), with a lateral temporal neocortical rather than mesial focus. Thirty consecutive HS-ve patients and 30 age- and sex-matched HS+ve patients with well-lateralized EEG were identified. FDG-PET was performed on 28 HS-ve patients and 24 HS+ve patients. Both groups were compared using statistical parametric mapping (SPM), directly and with FDG-PET from 20 healthy controls. Both groups showed lateralized temporal hypometabolism compared to controls. In HS+ve, this was antero-infero-mesial (T = 17.13); in HS-ve the main clustering was inferolateral (T = 17.63). When directly compared, HS+ve had greater hypometabolism inmesial temporal/hippocampal regions (T = 4.86); HS-ve had greater inferolateral temporal hypometabolism (T = 4.18). These data support the hypothesis that focal hypometabolism involves primarily lateal neocortical rather than mesial temporal structures in 'MRI-negative PET-positive TLE.'

Racism; A Film Course Study Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kernan, Margot

The medium of film is uniquely suited to the representation of social problems such as racism. By stressing major issues of racism--slavery, the black cultural heritage, black power, and the black civil rights movement--and coupling these issues with films which give a realistic view of the substance and problems of racism, both concepts…

Improving Surface Flux Parameterizations in the NRL Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-30

these days from a suite of instruments were analyzed, including those from rawinsonde launches, acoustic radar, and the 20 m flux tower. The objective...aircraft IR pyrometer in CBLAST-Low on (c) August 18, and (d) August 25, 2003. The NCOM simulation suggests that the high SST variability observed on

Implementation of Radiation, Ablation, and Free Energy Minimization Modules for Coupled Simulations of Hypersonic Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gnoffo, Peter A.; Johnston, Christopher O.; Thompson, Richard A.

2009-01-01

A description of models and boundary conditions required for coupling radiation and ablation physics to a hypersonic flow simulation is provided. Chemical equilibrium routines for varying elemental mass fraction are required in the flow solver to integrate with the equilibrium chemistry assumption employed in the ablation models. The capability also enables an equilibrium catalytic wall boundary condition in the non-ablating case. The paper focuses on numerical implementation issues using FIRE II, Mars return, and Apollo 4 applications to provide context for discussion. Variable relaxation factors applied to the Jacobian elements of partial equilibrium relations required for convergence are defined. Challenges of strong radiation coupling in a shock capturing algorithm are addressed. Results are presented to show how the current suite of models responds to a wide variety of conditions involving coupled radiation and ablation.

A theoretical and experimental benchmark study of core-excited states in nitrogen

DOE PAGES

Myhre, Rolf H.; Wolf, Thomas J. A.; Cheng, Lan; ...

2018-02-14

The high resolution near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectrum of nitrogen displays the vibrational structure of the core-excited states. This makes nitrogen well suited for assessing the accuracy of different electronic structure methods for core excitations. We report high resolution experimental measurements performed at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. These are compared with theoretical spectra calculated using coupled cluster theory and algebraic diagrammatic construction theory. The coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples model known as CC3 is shown to accurately reproduce the experimental excitation energies as well as the spacing of the vibrational transitions. In conclusion, the computationalmore » results are also shown to be systematically improved within the coupled cluster hierarchy, with the coupled cluster singles, doubles, triples, and quadruples method faithfully reproducing the experimental vibrational structure.« less

Study on iron disilicide thermoelectric generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Gerald

1987-11-01

The first objective of the experimental work is to verify the characteristics of commercially available material. The Japanese company Komatsu Electronics Ltd., sells U-Shaped couples of FeSi2. Twenty-four couples are now in our laboratory. Each leg of the couple is made of one type (N or P) of material and the junction is placed directly into a flame. Being almost impossible to measure the hot junction temperature in the flame and to evaluate the heat flux going through the material between hot and cold junctions, we have designed an experimental assembly, suited to measure these values. The main problem is to obtain a good thermal contact for the hot junctions. If not, there is an important temperature drop between the hot source and the hot junction of the couple leading to wrong values of the characteristics.

A theoretical and experimental benchmark study of core-excited states in nitrogen

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

Myhre, Rolf H.; Wolf, Thomas J. A.; Cheng, Lan

The high resolution near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectrum of nitrogen displays the vibrational structure of the core-excited states. This makes nitrogen well suited for assessing the accuracy of different electronic structure methods for core excitations. We report high resolution experimental measurements performed at the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. These are compared with theoretical spectra calculated using coupled cluster theory and algebraic diagrammatic construction theory. The coupled cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples model known as CC3 is shown to accurately reproduce the experimental excitation energies as well as the spacing of the vibrational transitions. In conclusion, the computationalmore » results are also shown to be systematically improved within the coupled cluster hierarchy, with the coupled cluster singles, doubles, triples, and quadruples method faithfully reproducing the experimental vibrational structure.« less

Unique spatiotemporal biomolecular emission profiles on single zinc oxide nanorods and applications in ultrasensitive biosensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Manpreet

There has been longstanding interest in improving the optical detection capabilities of fluorescence spectroscopy to achieve ultrahigh resolution and sensitivity in chemical and biological sensing applications. To promote these efforts, I present my work characterizing and developing zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO NRs) as advanced optical detection platforms that can enable enhanced intensity and stability of adsorbed fluorophore-coupled biomolecules. First, I present my unique findings profiling the temporal and spatial characteristics of biomolecular fluorescence on individual ZnO NRs in which I've identified highly localized, non-linear optical phenomena of fluorescence intensification on nanorod ends (FINE) and enhanced photostability. Using combined experimental and computational strategies, I elucidate the fundamental physicochemical origins of these optical phenomena by systematically decoupling various biomolecular, chemical, and nanomaterial factors. On the biomolecular side, I evaluate the roles of fluorophores with varying spectroscopic properties and concentrations as well as facet-selective biomolecular adsorption on the unique spatiotemporal optical responses on single ZnO NRs. From the chemical/nanomaterial context, I profile the biomolecular emission behaviors on single ZnO NRs as a function of varying NR physical dimensions, NR orientations, and positions along the NR long axis I also present the results of employing finite-difference time domain (FDTD) simulations to corroborate my multifold experimental findings. The FDTD results further clarify the passive waveguiding capacity of the ZnO NRs to couple the radiation of surface-adsorpbed emitters and form evanescent waves that propagate to the NR ends before final emission into the far-field, confirming the experimental manifestation of FINE.. I also present an application exploiting the optical enhancement enabled by ZnO NRs in which I've engineered and validated a novel biosensing assay for the ultrasensitive detection and quantification of two Acute Kidney Injury biomarkers in real patient urine samples. Using micropatterned arrays of ZnO NRs, I've achieved unparalleled sensitivity with detection limits three orders of magnitude lower than conventional enzyme-linked immnosorbent assays allowing for earlier clinical diagnosis and intervention. The combined results of my efforts are hoped to promote the development of highly miniaturized biological/chemical sensing probes, platforms, and devices that utilize the remarkable enhancement of optical intensity and photostability provided by single ZnO NRs.

High resolution renderings and interactive visualization of the 2006 Huntington Beach experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Im, T.; Nayak, A.; Keen, C.; Samilo, D.; Matthews, J.

2006-12-01

The Visualization Center at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography investigates innovative ways to represent graphically interactive 3D virtual landscapes and to produce high resolution, high quality renderings of Earth sciences data and the sensors and instruments used to collect the data . Among the Visualization Center's most recent work is the visualization of the Huntington Beach experiment, a study launched in July 2006 by the Southern California Ocean Observing System (http://www.sccoos.org/) to record and synthesize data of the Huntington Beach coastal region. Researchers and students at the Visualization Center created visual presentations that combine bathymetric data provided by SCCOOS with USGS aerial photography and with 3D polygonal models of sensors created in Maya into an interactive 3D scene using the Fledermaus suite of visualization tools (http://www.ivs3d.com). In addition, the Visualization Center has produced high definition (HD) animations of SCCOOS sensor instruments (e.g. REMUS, drifters, spray glider, nearshore mooring, OCSD/USGS mooring and CDIP mooring) using the Maya modeling and animation software and rendered over multiple nodes of the OptIPuter Visualization Cluster at Scripps. These visualizations are aimed at providing researchers with a broader context of sensor locations relative to geologic characteristics, to promote their use as an educational resource for informal education settings and increasing public awareness, and also as an aid for researchers' proposals and presentations. These visualizations are available for download on the Visualization Center website at http://siovizcenter.ucsd.edu/sccoos/hb2006.php.

Testing the generality of the zoom-lens model: Evidence for visual-pathway specific effects of attended-region size on perception.

PubMed

Goodhew, Stephanie C; Lawrence, Rebecca K; Edwards, Mark

2017-05-01

There are volumes of information available to process in visual scenes. Visual spatial attention is a critically important selection mechanism that prevents these volumes from overwhelming our visual system's limited-capacity processing resources. We were interested in understanding the effect of the size of the attended area on visual perception. The prevailing model of attended-region size across cognition, perception, and neuroscience is the zoom-lens model. This model stipulates that the magnitude of perceptual processing enhancement is inversely related to the size of the attended region, such that a narrow attended-region facilitates greater perceptual enhancement than a wider region. Yet visual processing is subserved by two major visual pathways (magnocellular and parvocellular) that operate with a degree of independence in early visual processing and encode contrasting visual information. Historically, testing of the zoom-lens has used measures of spatial acuity ideally suited to parvocellular processing. This, therefore, raises questions about the generality of the zoom-lens model to different aspects of visual perception. We found that while a narrow attended-region facilitated spatial acuity and the perception of high spatial frequency targets, it had no impact on either temporal acuity or the perception of low spatial frequency targets. This pattern also held up when targets were not presented centrally. This supports the notion that visual attended-region size has dissociable effects on magnocellular versus parvocellular mediated visual processing.

Envision and Observe: Using the Studio Thinking Framework for Learning and Teaching in Digital Arts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheridan, Kimberly M.

2011-01-01

The Studio Thinking Framework (STF) focuses on habits of mind taught through studio arts rather than disciplinary content or media-specific techniques. It is well suited to integrate studies of arts learning and teaching in a range of contexts, and it provides a framework for understanding how visual arts participation is dramatically changing…

A framework for inference about carnivore density from unstructured spatial sampling of scat using detector dogs

Treesearch

Craig M. Thompson; J. Andrew Royle; James D. Garner

2012-01-01

Wildlife management often hinges upon an accurate assessment of population density. Although undeniably useful, many of the traditional approaches to density estimation such as visual counts, livetrapping, or mark–recapture suffer from a suite of methodological and analytical weaknesses. Rare, secretive, or highly mobile species exacerbate these problems through the...

Social Referencing Gaze Behavior during a Videogame Task: Eye Tracking Evidence from Children with and without ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finke, Erinn H.; Wilkinson, Krista M.; Hickerson, Benjamin D.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to understand the social referencing behaviors of children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while visually attending to a videogame stimulus depicting both the face of the videogame player and the videogame play action. Videogames appear to offer a uniquely well-suited environment for the emergence of…

The Camera Is Not a Methodology: Towards a Framework for Understanding Young Children's Use of Video Cameras

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bird, Jo; Colliver, Yeshe; Edwards, Susan

2014-01-01

Participatory research methods argue that young children should be enabled to contribute their perspectives on research seeking to understand their worldviews. Visual research methods, including the use of still and video cameras with young children have been viewed as particularly suited to this aim because cameras have been considered easy and…

Mechanisms of Photoreceptor Patterning in Vertebrates and Invertebrates.

PubMed

Viets, Kayla; Eldred, Kiara; Johnston, Robert J

2016-10-01

Across the animal kingdom, visual systems have evolved to be uniquely suited to the environments and behavioral patterns of different species. Visual acuity and color perception depend on the distribution of photoreceptor (PR) subtypes within the retina. Retinal mosaics can be organized into three broad categories: stochastic/regionalized, regionalized, and ordered. We describe here the retinal mosaics of flies, zebrafish, chickens, mice, and humans, and the gene regulatory networks controlling proper PR specification in each. By drawing parallels in eye development between these divergent species, we identify a set of conserved organizing principles and transcriptional networks that govern PR subtype differentiation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual summation in night-flying sweat bees: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Theobald, Jamie Carroll; Greiner, Birgit; Wcislo, William T; Warrant, Eric J

2006-07-01

Bees are predominantly diurnal; only a few groups fly at night. An evolutionary limitation that bees must overcome to inhabit dim environments is their eye type: bees possess apposition compound eyes, which are poorly suited to vision in dim light. Here, we theoretically examine how nocturnal bees Megalopta genalis fly at light levels usually reserved for insects bearing more sensitive superposition eyes. We find that neural summation should greatly increase M. genalis's visual reliability. Predicted spatial summation closely matches the morphology of laminal neurons believed to mediate such summation. Improved reliability costs acuity, but dark adapted bees already suffer optical blurring, and summation further degrades vision only slightly.

Create and Publish a Hierarchical Progressive Survey (HiPS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernique, P.; Boch, T.; Pineau, F.; Oberto, A.

2014-05-01

Since 2009, the CDS promotes a method for visualizing based on the HEALPix sky tessellation. This method, called “Hierarchical Progressive Survey" or HiPS, allows one to display a survey progressively. It is particularly suited for all-sky surveys or deep fields. This visualization method is now integrated in several applications, notably Aladin, the SiTools/MIZAR CNES framework, and the recent HTML5 “Aladin Lite". Also, more than one hundred surveys are already available in this view mode. In this article, we will present the progress concerning this method and its recent adaptation to the astronomical catalogs such as the GAIA simulation.

Mechanisms of photoreceptor patterning in vertebrates and invertebrates

PubMed Central

Johnston, Robert J

2016-01-01

Across the animal kingdom, visual systems have evolved to be uniquely suited to the environments and behavioral patterns of different species. The visual acuity and color perception of organisms depend on the distribution of photoreceptor subtypes within the retina. Retinal mosaics can be organized into three broad categories: stochastic/regionalized, regionalized, and ordered. Here, we describe the retinal mosaics of flies, zebrafish, chickens, mice, and humans and the gene regulatory networks controlling proper photoreceptor specification in each. By drawing parallels in eye development between these divergent species, we identify a set of conserved organizing principles and transcriptional networks that govern photoreceptor subtype differentiation. PMID:27615122

Exploratory visualization of astronomical data on ultra-high-resolution wall displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietriga, Emmanuel; del Campo, Fernando; Ibsen, Amanda; Primet, Romain; Appert, Caroline; Chapuis, Olivier; Hempel, Maren; Muñoz, Roberto; Eyheramendy, Susana; Jordan, Andres; Dole, Hervé

2016-07-01

Ultra-high-resolution wall displays feature a very high pixel density over a large physical surface, which makes them well-suited to the collaborative, exploratory visualization of large datasets. We introduce FITS-OW, an application designed for such wall displays, that enables astronomers to navigate in large collections of FITS images, query astronomical databases, and display detailed, complementary data and documents about multiple sources simultaneously. We describe how astronomers interact with their data using both the wall's touchsensitive surface and handheld devices. We also report on the technical challenges we addressed in terms of distributed graphics rendering and data sharing over the computer clusters that drive wall displays.

Gendermetrics.NET: a novel software for analyzing the gender representation in scientific authoring.

PubMed

Bendels, Michael H K; Brüggmann, Dörthe; Schöffel, Norman; Groneberg, David A

2016-01-01

Imbalances in female career promotion are believed to be strong in the field of academic science. A primary parameter to analyze gender inequalities is the gender authoring in scientific publications. Since the presently available data on gender distribution is largely limited to underpowered studies, we here develop a new approach to analyze authors' genders in large bibliometric databases. A SQL-Server based multiuser software suite was developed that serves as an integrative tool for analyzing bibliometric data with a special emphasis on gender and topographical analysis. The presented system allows seamless integration, inspection, modification, evaluation and visualization of bibliometric data. By providing an adaptive and almost fully automatic integration and analysis process, the inter-individual variability of analysis is kept at a low level. Depending on the scientific question, the system enables the user to perform a scientometric analysis including its visualization within a short period of time. In summary, a new software suite for analyzing gender representations in scientific articles was established. The system is suitable for the comparative analysis of scientific structures on the level of continents, countries, cities, city regions, institutions, research fields and journals.

Sensory-based expert monitoring and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Gary G.

1999-03-01

Field operators use their eyes, ears, and nose to detect process behavior and to trigger corrective control actions. For instance: in daily practice, the experienced operator in sulfuric acid treatment of phosphate rock may observe froth color or bubble character to control process material in-flow. Or, similarly, (s)he may use acoustic sound of cavitation or boiling/flashing to increase or decrease material flow rates in tank levels. By contrast, process control computers continue to be limited to taking action on P, T, F, and A signals. Yet, there is sufficient evidence from the fields that visual and acoustic information can be used for control and identification. Smart in-situ sensors have facilitated potential mechanism for factory automation with promising industry applicability. In respond to these critical needs, a generic, structured health monitoring approach is proposed. The system assumes a given sensor suite will act as an on-line health usage monitor and at best provide the real-time control autonomy. The sensor suite can incorporate various types of sensory devices, from vibration accelerometers, directional microphones, machine vision CCDs, pressure gauges to temperature indicators. The decision can be shown in a visual on-board display or fed to the control block to invoke controller reconfigurration.

Neuronal plasticity and multisensory integration in filial imprinting.

PubMed

Town, Stephen Michael; McCabe, Brian John

2011-03-10

Many organisms sample their environment through multiple sensory systems and the integration of multisensory information enhances learning. However, the mechanisms underlying multisensory memory formation and their similarity to unisensory mechanisms remain unclear. Filial imprinting is one example in which experience is multisensory, and the mechanisms of unisensory neuronal plasticity are well established. We investigated the storage of audiovisual information through experience by comparing the activity of neurons in the intermediate and medial mesopallium of imprinted and naïve domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) in response to an audiovisual imprinting stimulus and novel object and their auditory and visual components. We find that imprinting enhanced the mean response magnitude of neurons to unisensory but not multisensory stimuli. Furthermore, imprinting enhanced responses to incongruent audiovisual stimuli comprised of mismatched auditory and visual components. Our results suggest that the effects of imprinting on the unisensory and multisensory responsiveness of IMM neurons differ and that IMM neurons may function to detect unexpected deviations from the audiovisual imprinting stimulus.

Neuronal Plasticity and Multisensory Integration in Filial Imprinting

PubMed Central

Town, Stephen Michael; McCabe, Brian John

2011-01-01

Many organisms sample their environment through multiple sensory systems and the integration of multisensory information enhances learning. However, the mechanisms underlying multisensory memory formation and their similarity to unisensory mechanisms remain unclear. Filial imprinting is one example in which experience is multisensory, and the mechanisms of unisensory neuronal plasticity are well established. We investigated the storage of audiovisual information through experience by comparing the activity of neurons in the intermediate and medial mesopallium of imprinted and naïve domestic chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) in response to an audiovisual imprinting stimulus and novel object and their auditory and visual components. We find that imprinting enhanced the mean response magnitude of neurons to unisensory but not multisensory stimuli. Furthermore, imprinting enhanced responses to incongruent audiovisual stimuli comprised of mismatched auditory and visual components. Our results suggest that the effects of imprinting on the unisensory and multisensory responsiveness of IMM neurons differ and that IMM neurons may function to detect unexpected deviations from the audiovisual imprinting stimulus. PMID:21423770

Who needs a referee? How incorrect basketball actions are automatically detected by basketball players' brain

PubMed Central

Proverbio, Alice Mado; Crotti, Nicola; Manfredi, Mirella; Adorni, Roberta; Zani, Alberto

2012-01-01

While the existence of a mirror neuron system (MNS) representing and mirroring simple purposeful actions (such as reaching) is known, neural mechanisms underlying the representation of complex actions (such as ballet, fencing, etc.) that are learned by imitation and exercise are not well understood. In this study, correct and incorrect basketball actions were visually presented to professional basketball players and naïve viewers while their EEG was recorded. The participants had to respond to rare targets (unanimated scenes). No category or group differences were found at perceptual level, ruling out the possibility that correct actions might be more visually familiar. Large, anterior N400 responses of event-related brain potentials to incorrectly performed basketball actions were recorded in skilled brains only. The swLORETA inverse solution for incorrect–correct contrast showed that the automatic detection of action ineffectiveness/incorrectness involved the fronto/parietal MNS, the cerebellum, the extra-striate body area, and the superior temporal sulcus. PMID:23181191

Economic scarcity alters the perception of race

PubMed Central

Krosch, Amy R.; Amodio, David M.

2014-01-01

When the economy declines, racial minorities are hit the hardest. Although existing explanations for this effect focus on institutional causes, recent psychological findings suggest that scarcity may also alter perceptions of race in ways that exacerbate discrimination. We tested the hypothesis that economic resource scarcity causes decision makers to perceive African Americans as “Blacker” and that this visual distortion elicits disparities in the allocation of resources. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that scarcity altered perceptions of race, lowering subjects’ psychophysical threshold for seeing a mixed-race face as “Black” as opposed to “White.” In studies 3 and 4, scarcity led subjects to visualize African American faces as darker and more “stereotypically Black,” compared with a control condition. When presented to naïve subjects, face representations produced under scarcity elicited smaller allocations than control-condition representations. Together, these findings introduce a novel perceptual account for the proliferation of racial disparities under economic scarcity. PMID:24927595

Second Language Experience Facilitates Statistical Learning of Novel Linguistic Materials.

PubMed

Potter, Christine E; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R

2017-04-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In this research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, 6 months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, whereas both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Second language experience facilitates statistical learning of novel linguistic materials

PubMed Central

Potter, Christine E.; Wang, Tianlin; Saffran, Jenny R.

2016-01-01

Recent research has begun to explore individual differences in statistical learning, and how those differences may be related to other cognitive abilities, particularly their effects on language learning. In the present research, we explored a different type of relationship between language learning and statistical learning: the possibility that learning a new language may also influence statistical learning by changing the regularities to which learners are sensitive. We tested two groups of participants, Mandarin Learners and Naïve Controls, at two time points, six months apart. At each time point, participants performed two different statistical learning tasks: an artificial tonal language statistical learning task and a visual statistical learning task. Only the Mandarin-learning group showed significant improvement on the linguistic task, while both groups improved equally on the visual task. These results support the view that there are multiple influences on statistical learning. Domain-relevant experiences may affect the regularities that learners can discover when presented with novel stimuli. PMID:27988939

Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT)

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

Williams, Dean N.; Silva, Claudio

2013-09-30

For the past three years, a large analysis and visualization effort—funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—has brought together a wide variety of industry-standard scientific computing libraries and applications to create Ultra-scale Visualization Climate Data Analysis Tools (UV-CDAT) to serve the global climate simulation and observational research communities. To support interactive analysis and visualization, all components connect through a provenance application–programming interface to capture meaningful history and workflow. Components can be loosely coupled into the framework for fast integrationmore » or tightly coupled for greater system functionality and communication with other components. The overarching goal of UV-CDAT is to provide a new paradigm for access to and analysis of massive, distributed scientific data collections by leveraging distributed data architectures located throughout the world. The UV-CDAT framework addresses challenges in analysis and visualization and incorporates new opportunities, including parallelism for better efficiency, higher speed, and more accurate scientific inferences. Today, it provides more than 600 users access to more analysis and visualization products than any other single source.« less

Discrimination of Stem Cell Status after Subjecting Cynomolgus Monkey Pluripotent Stem Cells to Naïve Conversion

PubMed Central

Honda, Arata; Kawano, Yoshihiro; Izu, Haruna; Choijookhuu, Narantsog; Honsho, Kimiko; Nakamura, Tomonori; Yabuta, Yukihiro; Yamamoto, Takuya; Takashima, Yasuhiro; Hirose, Michiko; Sankai, Tadashi; Hishikawa, Yoshitaka; Ogura, Atsuo; Saitou, Mitinori

2017-01-01

Experimental animal models have played an indispensable role in the development of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) research. The derivation of high-quality (so-called “true naïve state”) iPSCs of non-human primates enhances their application and safety for human regenerative medicine. Although several attempts have been made to convert human and non-human primate PSCs into a truly naïve state, it is unclear which evaluation methods can discriminate them as being truly naïve. Here we attempted to derive naïve cynomolgus monkey (Cm) (Macaca fascicularis) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and iPSCs. Several characteristics of naïve Cm ESCs including colony morphology, appearance of naïve-related mRNAs and proteins, leukaemia inhibitory factor dependency, and mitochondrial respiration were confirmed. Next, we generated Cm iPSCs and converted them to a naïve state. Transcriptomic comparison of PSCs with early Cm embryos elucidated the partial achievement (termed naïve-like) of their conversion. When these were subjected to in vitro neural differentiation, enhanced differentiating capacities were observed after naïve-like conversion, but some lines exhibited heterogeneity. The difficulty of achieving contribution to chimeric mouse embryos was also demonstrated. These results suggest that Cm PSCs could ameliorate their in vitro neural differentiation potential even though they could not display true naïve characteristics. PMID:28349944

An epidemiologic study of index and family infectious mononucleosis and adult Hodgkin's disease (HD): evidence for a specific association with EBV+ve HD in young adults.

PubMed

Alexander, Freda E; Lawrence, Davia J; Freeland, June; Krajewski, Andrew S; Angus, Brian; Taylor, G Malcolm; Jarrett, Ruth F

2003-11-01

Infectious mononucleosis (IM) is an established risk factor for Hodgkin's disease (HD). A substantial minority (33%) of cases of HD have Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA within the malignant cells (are EBV+ve). It is unclear whether risk after IM applies specifically to EBV+ve HD. We report the results of a population-based case-control study of HD in adults (n = 408 cases of classical HD, 513 controls) aged 16-74 years; the case series included 113 EBV+ve and 243 EBV+ve HD. Analyses compared total HD, EBV+ve HD and EBV-ve HD with the controls and EBV+ve HD with EBV-ve HD cases using, mainly, logistic regression. Regression analyses were adjusted for gender, age-group and socioeconomic status, and were performed for the whole age range and separately for young (< 35 years) and old adults (> or = 35 years); formal tests of effect modification by age were included. For the young adults, reported IM in index or relative was strongly and significantly associated with EBV+ve HD when compared to controls (odds ratio [OR] = 2.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-7.98 and OR = 5.22, 95% CI: 2.15-12.68, respectively). These results may be interpreted as indications that late first exposure to EBV increases risk of HD, especially in young adults; this applies primarily to EBV+ve HD. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Interventional magnetic resonance angiography with no strings attached: wireless active catheter visualization.

PubMed

Quick, Harald H; Zenge, Michael O; Kuehl, Hilmar; Kaiser, Gernot; Aker, Stephanie; Massing, Sandra; Bosk, Silke; Ladd, Mark E

2005-02-01

Active instrument visualization strategies for interventional MR angiography (MRA) require vascular instruments to be equipped with some type of radiofrequency (RF) coil or dipole RF antenna for MR signal detection. Such visualization strategies traditionally necessitate a connection to the scanner with either coaxial cable or laser fibers. In order to eliminate any wire connection, RF resonators that inductively couple their signal to MR surface coils were implemented into catheters to enable wireless active instrument visualization. Instrument background to contrast-to-noise ratio was systematically investigated as a function of the excitation flip angle. Signal coupling between the catheter RF coil and surface RF coils was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively as a function of the catheter position and orientation with regard to the static magnetic field B0 and to the surface coils. In vivo evaluation of the instruments was performed in interventional MRA procedures on five pigs under MR guidance. Cartesian and projection reconstruction TrueFISP imaging enabled simultaneous visualization of the instruments and vascular morphology in real time. The implementation of RF resonators enabled robust visualization of the catheter curvature to the very tip. Additionally, the active visualization strategy does not require any wire connection to the scanner and thus does not hamper the interventionalist during the course of an intervention.

Metamorphopsia Score and Central Visual Field Outcomes in Diabetic Cystoid Macular Edema

PubMed Central

Brzozowska, Agnieszka; Maciejewski, Ryszard

2018-01-01

Aim To detect abnormality of the visual function in naïve patients with cystoid diabetic macular edema (DME) using M-charts, Amsler test, and white on white (W/W) and blue on yellow (B/Y) perimetry. Methods There were 64 eyes included in the study: 30 eyes with DME, 22 eyes with diabetes without DME, and 12 eyes of normal subjects. Conventional W/W perimetry and B/Y perimetry were performed within the central 10° of the visual field. To assess metamorphopsia, Amsler test and M-charts were used. Results The rate of detection of metamorphopsia was 37% with Amsler test examination and 50% with M-charts. Specificity of both tests was 100%. We found a significant difference between vertical scores of M-charts in all groups, but not in horizontal scores (p < 0.0001). Mean defect (MD) was 8.9 dB and 3.6 dB and loss variance (LV) 4.8 dB and 3.3 dB (p < 0.0001). Conclusions M-chart is more sensitive than Amsler test method for detection of metamorphopsia. The MD and LV are higher in b/y in comparison to W/W perimetry. B/Y perimetry and M-charts are more sensitive than conventional methods for detecting the visual function loss in cystoid DME. PMID:29744359

Differential contribution of early visual areas to the perceptual process of contour processing.

PubMed

Schira, Mark M; Fahle, Manfred; Donner, Tobias H; Kraft, Antje; Brandt, Stephan A

2004-04-01

We investigated contour processing and figure-ground detection within human retinotopic areas using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 6 healthy and naïve subjects. A figure (6 degrees side length) was created by a 2nd-order texture contour. An independent and demanding foveal letter-discrimination task prevented subjects from noticing this more peripheral contour stimulus. The contour subdivided our stimulus into a figure and a ground. Using localizers and retinotopic mapping stimuli we were able to subdivide each early visual area into 3 eccentricity regions corresponding to 1) the central figure, 2) the area along the contour, and 3) the background. In these subregions we investigated the hemodynamic responses to our stimuli and compared responses with or without the contour defining the figure. No contour-related blood oxygenation level-dependent modulation in early visual areas V1, V3, VP, and MT+ was found. Significant signal modulation in the contour subregions of V2v, V2d, V3a, and LO occurred. This activation pattern was different from comparable studies, which might be attributable to the letter-discrimination task reducing confounding attentional modulation. In V3a, but not in any other retinotopic area, signal modulation corresponding to the central figure could be detected. Such contextual modulation will be discussed in light of the recurrent processing hypothesis and the role of visual awareness.

Dramatic increase in naive T cell turnover is linked to loss of naive T cells from old primates.

PubMed

Cicin-Sain, Luka; Messaoudi, Ilhem; Park, Byung; Currier, Noreen; Planer, Shannon; Fischer, Miranda; Tackitt, Shane; Nikolich-Zugich, Dragana; Legasse, Alfred; Axthelm, Michael K; Picker, Louis J; Mori, Motomi; Nikolich-Zugich, Janko

2007-12-11

The loss of naïve T cells is a hallmark of immune aging. Although thymic involution is a primary driver of this naïve T cell loss, less is known about the contribution of other mechanisms to the depletion of naïve T cells in aging primates. We examined the role of homeostatic cycling and proliferative expansion in different T cell subsets of aging rhesus macaques (RM). BrdU incorporation and the expression of the G(1)-M marker Ki-67 were elevated in peripheral naïve CD4 and even more markedly in the naïve CD8 T cells of old, but not young adult, RM. Proliferating naïve cells did not accumulate in old animals. Rather, the relative size of the naïve CD8 T cell compartment correlated inversely to its proliferation rate. Likewise, T cell receptor diversity decreased in individuals with elevated naïve CD8 T cell proliferation. This apparent contradiction was explained by a significant increase in turnover concomitant with the naïve pool loss. The turnover increased exponentially when the naïve CD8 T cell pool decreased below 4% of total blood CD8 cells. These results link the shrinking naïve T cell pool with a dramatic increase in homeostatic turnover, which has the potential to exacerbate the progressive exhaustion of the naïve pool and constrict the T cell repertoire. Thus, homeostatic T cell proliferation exhibits temporal antagonistic pleiotropy, being beneficial to T cell maintenance in adulthood but detrimental to the long-term T cell maintenance in aging individuals.

A two-step non-flowcytometry-based naïve B cell isolation method and its application in Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) presentation.

PubMed

Chokeshai-u-saha, Kaj; Buranapraditkun, Supranee; Jacquet, Alain; Nguyen, Catherine; Ruxrungtham, Kiat

2012-09-01

To study the role of human naïve B cells in antigen presentation and stimulation to naïve CD4+ T cell, a suitable method to reproducibly isolate sufficient naïve B cells is required. To improve the purity of isolated naive B cells obtained from a conventional one-step magnetic bead method, we added a rosetting step to enrich total B cell isolates from human whole blood samples prior to negative cell sorting by magnetic beads. The acquired naïve B cells were analyzed for phenotypes and for their role in Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) presentation to naïve CD4+ T cells. The mean (SD) naïve B cell (CD19+/CD27-) purity obtained from this two-step method compared with the one-step method was 97% (1.0) versus 90% (1.2), respectively. This two-step method can be used with a sample of whole blood as small as 10 ml. The isolated naive B cells were phenotypically at a resting state and were able to prime naïve CD4+ T cell activation by Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) presentation. This two-step non-flow cytometry-based approach improved the purity of isolated naïve B cells compared with conventional one-step magnetic bead method. It also worked well with a small blood volume. In addition, this study showed that the isolated naïve B cells can present a super-antigen "SEB" to activate naïve CD4 cells. These methods may thus be useful for further in vitro characterization of human naïve B cells and their roles as antigen presenting cells in various diseases.

Evaluation of estrogen and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) levels in drug-naïve patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

PubMed

Sahin, Nilfer; Altun, Hatice; Kurutaş, Ergül Belge; Fındıklı, Ebru

2018-05-20

Estrogen has a crucial role in the regulation of reproductive and neuroendocrine function and exerts its effects through two classes of receptors, nuclear and membrane estrogen receptors (mERs). G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) is a member of mERs, and despite limited research on the levels of GPER in patients with psychiatric diseases, a role of GPER in such conditions has been suggested. Here we evaluated serum estrogen and GPER levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in relation to their age- and gender-matched healthy controls. A total of 82 children were included in the study, 47 drug- naïve patients with ADHD (age: 6-12 years; male/female: 34/13) and 35 healthy controls (age: 6-12 years; male/female: 19/16). The subgroups according to ADHD types were inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and combined. Serum estrogen was measured using an immunoassay system, while serum GPER was determined using a commercial sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Estrogen levels in children with ADHD were similar as in control group, while GPER levels were significantly lower in ADHD group compared to controls (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between GPER levels and ADHD (p < 0.05), and no association between estrogen levels and ADHD (p > 0.05). No significant differences were found in GPER and estrogen levels between ADHD subgroups (p > 0.05). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate estrogen and GPER levels in ADHD. Our preliminary findings suggest a relationship between serum GPER levels and ADHD, and this should be further investigated.

The role of estrogen G-protein coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) and sexual experience in sexual incentive motivation in male rats.

PubMed

Hawley, W R; Battista, C; Divack, S R; Morales Núñez, N B

2017-08-01

Male rats exhibit reductions in sexual motivation following systemic administration of drugs that inhibit the conversion of testosterone to estrogen, which indicates that estrogen signaling plays a role in male rat sexual motivation. Given that estrogen G-protein coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) is expressed in brain areas that are important for male sexual behaviors and endocrine function, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the role that GPR30 plays in sexual motivation in both sexually naïve and sexually experienced male rats. Following the final treatment with either a GPR30 antagonist (G-15) or vehicle control, male rats were placed into the center chamber of a larger three-chambered testing arena that was designed to assess sexual incentive motivation. A sexually receptive stimulus female rat and a stimulus male rat were individually confined to one of the two smaller chambers that were each separated by a perforated partition from the larger end chambers, which test rats had access to. Relative to vehicle treated rats, male rats treated with G-15 exhibited a reduction in the percentage of time spent in the vicinity of a sexually receptive female rat. Although G-15 reduced sexual incentive motivation independent of sexual experience, only sexually-naïve rats treated with G-15 did not exhibit a preference for the sexually receptive stimulus female rat. Collectively, these results indicate that interference with estrogen signaling at GPR30 reduces sexual motivation and that the lack of preference for a sexually receptive female rat over a male rat following G-15 treatment is abrogated by previous sexual experience. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of phosphorylation on arrestin-rhodopsin interaction in the squid visual system.

PubMed

Robinson, Kelly A; Ou, Wei-Lin; Guan, Xinyu; Sugamori, Kim S; Bandyopadhyay, Abhishek; Ernst, Oliver P; Mitchell, Jane

2015-12-01

Invertebrate visual opsins are G protein-coupled receptors coupled to retinoid chromophores that isomerize reversibly between inactive rhodopsin and active metarhodopsin upon absorption of photons of light. The squid visual system has an arrestin protein that binds to metarhodopsin to block signaling to Gq and activation of phospholipase C. Squid rhodopsin kinase (SQRK) can phosphorylate both metarhodopsin and arrestin, a dual role that is unique among the G protein-coupled receptor kinases. The sites and role of arrestin phosphorylation by SQRK were investigated here using recombinant proteins. Arrestin was phosphorylated on serine 392 and serine 397 in the C-terminus. Unphosphorylated arrestin bound to metarhodopsin and phosphorylated metarhodopsin with similar high affinities (Kd 33 and 21 nM respectively), while phosphorylation of arrestin reduced the affinity 3- to 5-fold (Kd 104 nM). Phosphorylation of metarhodopsin slightly increased the dissociation of arrestin observed during a 1 hour incubation. Together these studies suggest a unique role for SQRK in phosphorylating both receptor and arrestin and inhibiting the binding of these two proteins in the squid visual system. Invertebrate visual systems are inactivated by arrestin binding to metarhodopsin that does not require receptor phosphorylation. Here we show that squid rhodopsin kinase phosphorylates arrestin on two serines (S392,S397) in the C-terminus and phosphorylation decreases the affinity of arrestin for squid metarhodopsin. Metarhodopsin phosphorylation has very little effect on arrestin binding but does increase arrestin dissociation. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Windowed R-PDLF recoupling: a flexible and reliable tool to characterize molecular dynamics.

PubMed

Gansmüller, Axel; Simorre, Jean-Pierre; Hediger, Sabine

2013-09-01

This work focuses on the improvement of the R-PDLF heteronuclear recoupling scheme, a method that allows quantification of molecular dynamics up to the microsecond timescale in heterogeneous materials. We show how the stability of the sequence towards rf-imperfections, one of the main sources of error of this technique, can be improved by the insertion of windows without irradiation into the basic elements of the symmetry-based recoupling sequence. The impact of this modification on the overall performance of the sequence in terms of scaling factor and homonuclear decoupling efficiency is evaluated. This study indicates the experimental conditions for which precise and reliable measurement of dipolar couplings can be obtained using the popular R18(1)(7) recoupling sequence, as well as alternative symmetry-based R sequences suited for fast MAS conditions. An analytical expression for the recoupled dipolar modulation has been derived that applies to a whole class of sequences with similar recoupling properties as R18(1)(7). This analytical expression provides an efficient and precise way to extract dipolar couplings from the experimental dipolar modulation curves. We hereby provide helpful tools and information for tailoring R-PDLF recoupling schemes to specific sample properties and hardware capabilities. This approach is particularly well suited for the study of materials with strong and heterogeneous molecular dynamics where a precise measurement of dipolar couplings is crucial. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrial Respiration in Insulin-Producing β-Cells: General Characteristics and Adaptive Effects of Hypoxia

PubMed Central

Ma, Zuheng; Scholz, Hanne; Björklund, Anneli; Grill, Valdemar

2015-01-01

Objective To provide novel insights on mitochondrial respiration in β-cells and the adaptive effects of hypoxia. Methods and Design Insulin-producing INS-1 832/13 cells were exposed to 18 hours of hypoxia followed by 20–22 hours re-oxygenation. Mitochondrial respiration was measured by high-resolution respirometry in both intact and permeabilized cells, in the latter after establishing three functional substrate-uncoupler-inhibitor titration (SUIT) protocols. Concomitant measurements included proteins of mitochondrial complexes (Western blotting), ATP and insulin secretion. Results Intact cells exhibited a high degree of intrinsic uncoupling, comprising about 50% of oxygen consumption in the basal respiratory state. Hypoxia followed by re-oxygenation increased maximal overall respiration. Exploratory experiments in peremabilized cells could not show induction of respiration by malate or pyruvate as reducing substrates, thus glutamate and succinate were used as mitochondrial substrates in SUIT protocols. Permeabilized cells displayed a high capacity for oxidative phosphorylation for both complex I- and II-linked substrates in relation to maximum capacity of electron transfer. Previous hypoxia decreased phosphorylation control of complex I-linked respiration, but not in complex II-linked respiration. Coupling control ratios showed increased coupling efficiency for both complex I- and II-linked substrates in hypoxia-exposed cells. Respiratory rates overall were increased. Also previous hypoxia increased proteins of mitochondrial complexes I and II (Western blotting) in INS-1 cells as well as in rat and human islets. Mitochondrial effects were accompanied by unchanged levels of ATP, increased basal and preserved glucose-induced insulin secretion. Conclusions Exposure of INS-1 832/13 cells to hypoxia, followed by a re-oxygenation period increases substrate-stimulated respiratory capacity and coupling efficiency. Such effects are accompanied by up-regulation of mitochondrial complexes also in pancreatic islets, highlighting adaptive capacities of possible importance in an islet transplantation setting. Results also indicate idiosyncrasies of β-cells that do not respire in response to a standard inclusion of malate in SUIT protocols. PMID:26401848

Mitochondrial Respiration in Insulin-Producing β-Cells: General Characteristics and Adaptive Effects of Hypoxia.

PubMed

Hals, Ingrid K; Bruerberg, Simon Gustafson; Ma, Zuheng; Scholz, Hanne; Björklund, Anneli; Grill, Valdemar

2015-01-01

To provide novel insights on mitochondrial respiration in β-cells and the adaptive effects of hypoxia. Insulin-producing INS-1 832/13 cells were exposed to 18 hours of hypoxia followed by 20-22 hours re-oxygenation. Mitochondrial respiration was measured by high-resolution respirometry in both intact and permeabilized cells, in the latter after establishing three functional substrate-uncoupler-inhibitor titration (SUIT) protocols. Concomitant measurements included proteins of mitochondrial complexes (Western blotting), ATP and insulin secretion. Intact cells exhibited a high degree of intrinsic uncoupling, comprising about 50% of oxygen consumption in the basal respiratory state. Hypoxia followed by re-oxygenation increased maximal overall respiration. Exploratory experiments in peremabilized cells could not show induction of respiration by malate or pyruvate as reducing substrates, thus glutamate and succinate were used as mitochondrial substrates in SUIT protocols. Permeabilized cells displayed a high capacity for oxidative phosphorylation for both complex I- and II-linked substrates in relation to maximum capacity of electron transfer. Previous hypoxia decreased phosphorylation control of complex I-linked respiration, but not in complex II-linked respiration. Coupling control ratios showed increased coupling efficiency for both complex I- and II-linked substrates in hypoxia-exposed cells. Respiratory rates overall were increased. Also previous hypoxia increased proteins of mitochondrial complexes I and II (Western blotting) in INS-1 cells as well as in rat and human islets. Mitochondrial effects were accompanied by unchanged levels of ATP, increased basal and preserved glucose-induced insulin secretion. Exposure of INS-1 832/13 cells to hypoxia, followed by a re-oxygenation period increases substrate-stimulated respiratory capacity and coupling efficiency. Such effects are accompanied by up-regulation of mitochondrial complexes also in pancreatic islets, highlighting adaptive capacities of possible importance in an islet transplantation setting. Results also indicate idiosyncrasies of β-cells that do not respire in response to a standard inclusion of malate in SUIT protocols.