Extending the rubber rope: convergent series, divergent series and the integrating factor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCartney, Mark

2013-06-01

A well-known mathematical puzzle regarding a worm crawling along an elastic rope is considered. The resulting generalizations provide examples for use in a teaching context including applications of series summation, the use of the integrating factor for the solution of differential equations, and the evaluation of definite integrals. A number of potential classroom exercises are given.

Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid.

PubMed

Cox, Paul Alan; Banack, Sandra Anne; Murch, Susan J; Rasmussen, Ulla; Tien, Georgia; Bidigare, Robert Richard; Metcalf, James S; Morrison, Louise F; Codd, Geoffrey A; Bergman, Birgitta

2005-04-05

Cyanobacteria can generate molecules hazardous to human health, but production of the known cyanotoxins is taxonomically sporadic. For example, members of a few genera produce hepatotoxic microcystins, whereas production of hepatotoxic nodularins appears to be limited to a single genus. Production of known neurotoxins has also been considered phylogenetically unpredictable. We report here that a single neurotoxin, beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine, may be produced by all known groups of cyanobacteria, including cyanobacterial symbionts and free-living cyanobacteria. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in terrestrial, as well as freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, suggests a potential for wide-spread human exposure.

Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid

PubMed Central

Cox, Paul Alan; Banack, Sandra Anne; Murch, Susan J.; Rasmussen, Ulla; Tien, Georgia; Bidigare, Robert Richard; Metcalf, James S.; Morrison, Louise F.; Codd, Geoffrey A.; Bergman, Birgitta

2005-01-01

Cyanobacteria can generate molecules hazardous to human health, but production of the known cyanotoxins is taxonomically sporadic. For example, members of a few genera produce hepatotoxic microcystins, whereas production of hepatotoxic nodularins appears to be limited to a single genus. Production of known neurotoxins has also been considered phylogenetically unpredictable. We report here that a single neurotoxin, β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, may be produced by all known groups of cyanobacteria, including cyanobacterial symbionts and free-living cyanobacteria. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in terrestrial, as well as freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, suggests a potential for wide-spread human exposure. PMID:15809446

Differential theory of learning for efficient neural network pattern recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampshire, John B., II; Vijaya Kumar, Bhagavatula

1993-09-01

We describe a new theory of differential learning by which a broad family of pattern classifiers (including many well-known neural network paradigms) can learn stochastic concepts efficiently. We describe the relationship between a classifier's ability to generate well to unseen test examples and the efficiency of the strategy by which it learns. We list a series of proofs that differential learning is efficient in its information and computational resource requirements, whereas traditional probabilistic learning strategies are not. The proofs are illustrated by a simple example that lends itself to closed-form analysis. We conclude with an optical character recognition task for which three different types of differentially generated classifiers generalize significantly better than their probabilistically generated counterparts.

Differential theory of learning for efficient neural network pattern recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampshire, John B., II; Vijaya Kumar, Bhagavatula

1993-08-01

We describe a new theory of differential learning by which a broad family of pattern classifiers (including many well-known neural network paradigms) can learn stochastic concepts efficiently. We describe the relationship between a classifier's ability to generalize well to unseen test examples and the efficiency of the strategy by which it learns. We list a series of proofs that differential learning is efficient in its information and computational resource requirements, whereas traditional probabilistic learning strategies are not. The proofs are illustrated by a simple example that lends itself to closed-form analysis. We conclude with an optical character recognition task for which three different types of differentially generated classifiers generalize significantly better than their probabilistically generated counterparts.

A Multipurpose Device for Some Hydrostatics Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganci, Salvatore

2008-01-01

A number of well-known hydrostatics problems dealing with Archimedes' principle concern a loaded boat floating in a pool. Examples of this sort of problem include: 1. (a) If a stone is thrown overboard from a boat floating in a pool, does the water level in the pool rise, fall, or remain unchanged? (b) If a hole is made in the bottom of the boat…

Diseases Associated with Defective Responses to DNA Damage

PubMed Central

O’Driscoll, Mark

2012-01-01

Within the last decade, multiple novel congenital human disorders have been described with genetic defects in known and/or novel components of several well-known DNA repair and damage response pathways. Examples include disorders of impaired nucleotide excision repair, DNA double-strand and single-strand break repair, as well as compromised DNA damage-induced signal transduction including phosphorylation and ubiquitination. These conditions further reinforce the importance of multiple genome stability pathways for health and development in humans. Furthermore, these conditions inform our knowledge of the biology of the mechanics of genome stability and in some cases provide potential routes to help exploit these pathways therapeutically. Here, I will review a selection of these exciting findings from the perspective of the disorders themselves, describing how they were identified, how genotype informs phenotype, and how these defects contribute to our growing understanding of genome stability pathways. PMID:23209155

Experimental and Computational Analysis of a Miniature Ramjet at Mach 4.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data...sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden...intermittent after the second World War, with the most well-known example being Lockheed Martin’s SR-71 Blackbird using the Pratt & Whitney J58 turbojet

Three-point Green functions in the odd sector of QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadavý, T.; Kampf, K.; Novotný, J.

2016-11-01

A review of familiar results of the three-point Green functions of currents in the odd-intrinsic parity sector of QCD is presented. Such Green functions include very well-known examples of VVP, VAS or AAP correlators. We also shortly present some of the new results for VVA and AAA Green functions with a discussion of their high-energy behaviour and its relation to the QCD condensates.

Urban Fifth Graders' Connections-Making between Formal Earth Science Content and Their Lived Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brkich, Katie Lynn

2014-01-01

Earth science education, as it is traditionally taught, involves presenting concepts such as weathering, erosion, and deposition using relatively well-known examples--the Grand Canyon, beach erosion, and others. However, these examples--which resonate well with middle- and upper-class students--ill-serve students of poverty attending urban schools…

Specifying real-time systems with interval logic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushby, John

1988-01-01

Pure temporal logic makes no reference to time. An interval temporal logic and an extension to that logic which includes real time constraints are described. The application of this logic by giving a specification for the well-known lift (elevator) example is demonstrated. It is shown how interval logic can be extended to include a notion of process. How the specification language and verification environment of EHDM could be enhanced to support this logic is described. A specification of the alternating bit protocol in this extended version of the specification language of EHDM is given.

Overlapping-image multimode interference couplers with a reduced number of self-images for uniform and nonuniform power splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, M.; Besse, P. A.; Melchior, H.

1995-10-01

Overlapping-image multimode interference (MMI) couplers, a new class of devices, permit uniform and nonuniform power splitting. A theoretical description directly relates coupler geometry to image intensities, positions, and phases. Among many possibilities of nonuniform power splitting, examples of 1 \\times 2 couplers with ratios of 15:85 and 28:72 are given. An analysis of uniform power splitters includes the well-known 2 \\times N and 1 \\times N MMI couplers. Applications of MMI couplers include mode filters, mode splitters-combiners, and mode converters.

Statistics of Mass Production

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-05-01

smaller ones, and the second after Kaoru Ishikawa who developed it in 1943. 22 UCL LCL Sample number Sample numbe CYCLES ON A CONTROL CHART A SHIFT IN...include Phillip Crosby, W. Edwards Deming, Armand Feigenbaum, Kaoru Ishikawa , and Joseph Juran. As an example of the ideas, the well-known 14 points of...tool for analyzing process dispersion. It is also referred to as the Ishikawa diagram, because Kaoru Ishikawa developed it, and the fishbone diagram

Inspiring Examples in Rearrangements of Infinite Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramasinghe, W.

2007-01-01

It is well known that simple examples are really encouraging in the understanding of rearrangements of infinite series. In this paper a similar role is played by simple examples in the case of infinite products. Iterated products of double products seem to have a similar spirit of rearrangements of products, although they are not the same.…

Rapid Harmonic Analysis of Piezoelectric MEMS Resonators.

PubMed

Puder, Jonathan M; Pulskamp, Jeffrey S; Rudy, Ryan Q; Cassella, Cristian; Rinaldi, Matteo; Chen, Guofeng; Bhave, Sunil A; Polcawich, Ronald G

2018-06-01

This paper reports on a novel simulation method combining the speed of analytical evaluation with the accuracy of finite-element analysis (FEA). This method is known as the rapid analytical-FEA technique (RAFT). The ability of the RAFT to accurately predict frequency response orders of magnitude faster than conventional simulation methods while providing deeper insights into device design not possible with other types of analysis is detailed. Simulation results from the RAFT across wide bandwidths are compared to measured results of resonators fabricated with various materials, frequencies, and topologies with good agreement. These include resonators targeting beam extension, disk flexure, and Lamé beam modes. An example scaling analysis is presented and other applications enabled are discussed as well. The supplemental material includes example code for implementation in ANSYS, although any commonly employed FEA package may be used.

APL-UW Deep Water Propagation: Philippine Sea Signal Physics and North Pacific Ambient Noise

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-15

prompted an expansion of efforts to extract energy from ocean resources. Oil drilling is a well-known example, and recent projects include wind farms and...tidal turbines. The VLF sound contributions from these initiatives may be space/time limited (as with pile driving for wind farm towers or oil rig...decommissioning) or chronic (as with routine service vessel transportation to and from existing oil rigs). Additionally, the contributions are generally

On the explaining-away phenomenon in multivariate latent variable models.

PubMed

van Rijn, Peter; Rijmen, Frank

2015-02-01

Many probabilistic models for psychological and educational measurements contain latent variables. Well-known examples are factor analysis, item response theory, and latent class model families. We discuss what is referred to as the 'explaining-away' phenomenon in the context of such latent variable models. This phenomenon can occur when multiple latent variables are related to the same observed variable, and can elicit seemingly counterintuitive conditional dependencies between latent variables given observed variables. We illustrate the implications of explaining away for a number of well-known latent variable models by using both theoretical and real data examples. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Protein Crystallography in Vaccine Research and Development.

PubMed

Malito, Enrico; Carfi, Andrea; Bottomley, Matthew J

2015-06-09

The use of protein X-ray crystallography for structure-based design of small-molecule drugs is well-documented and includes several notable success stories. However, it is less well-known that structural biology has emerged as a major tool for the design of novel vaccine antigens. Here, we review the important contributions that protein crystallography has made so far to vaccine research and development. We discuss several examples of the crystallographic characterization of vaccine antigen structures, alone or in complexes with ligands or receptors. We cover the critical role of high-resolution epitope mapping by reviewing structures of complexes between antigens and their cognate neutralizing, or protective, antibody fragments. Most importantly, we provide recent examples where structural insights obtained via protein crystallography have been used to design novel optimized vaccine antigens. This review aims to illustrate the value of protein crystallography in the emerging discipline of structural vaccinology and its impact on the rational design of vaccines.

Protein Crystallography in Vaccine Research and Development

PubMed Central

Malito, Enrico; Carfi, Andrea; Bottomley, Matthew J.

2015-01-01

The use of protein X-ray crystallography for structure-based design of small-molecule drugs is well-documented and includes several notable success stories. However, it is less well-known that structural biology has emerged as a major tool for the design of novel vaccine antigens. Here, we review the important contributions that protein crystallography has made so far to vaccine research and development. We discuss several examples of the crystallographic characterization of vaccine antigen structures, alone or in complexes with ligands or receptors. We cover the critical role of high-resolution epitope mapping by reviewing structures of complexes between antigens and their cognate neutralizing, or protective, antibody fragments. Most importantly, we provide recent examples where structural insights obtained via protein crystallography have been used to design novel optimized vaccine antigens. This review aims to illustrate the value of protein crystallography in the emerging discipline of structural vaccinology and its impact on the rational design of vaccines. PMID:26068237

Recent Selected Papers of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Two Parts. Part I. 1979.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-08-20

pressure coefficient is calculated by the exact Bernoulli equation. Two numerical examples are included, and the results agree fairly well with known... Bernoulli equation is applied to cal- culate the pressure coefficient: ft. 2 2, Lq32) In the above expression, all the derivatives are calculated by...0.14: R Olt(6) The real part on the unit circle in ecuation (2) is used. Making use of equations (5) and (6), both sides of equation (2) are expanded

OPE of Green functions in the odd sector of QCD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadavý, T.; Kampf, K.; Novotný, J.

2017-03-01

A review of familiar results of the three-point Green functions of currents in the odd-intrinsic parity sector of QCD is presented. Such Green functions include very well-known examples of VVP, VAS or AAP correlators. We also present new results for VVA and AAA Green functions that have not yet been studied extensively in the literature before, more importantly with a phenomenological study and a discussion of the highenergy behaviour and its relation to the QCD condensates.

Non regular variations in the LOD from European medieval eclipses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, M. J.; Marco, F. J.

2012-12-01

The study of ancient eclipses has demonstrated its utility to approximate some astronomical constants, in particular in the field of the Earth's rotation. It is a well known fact that the rate of rotation of the Earth is slowly decreasing in time. There are many possible reasons for this fact, including internal and external mechanisms. The most important external causes are lunar and solar tides. While internal causes can be very diverse: examples of short term effects are changing wind patterns, electromagnetic coupling between the fluid core of the Earth and the lower mantle, while sea-level fluctuations associated with climatic variations are examples of long time effects. In any case, the most important cause is the tidal friction.

Ghost artifact cancellation using phased array processing.

PubMed

Kellman, P; McVeigh, E R

2001-08-01

In this article, a method for phased array combining is formulated which may be used to cancel ghosts caused by a variety of distortion mechanisms, including space variant distortions such as local flow or off-resonance. This method is based on a constrained optimization, which optimizes SNR subject to the constraint of nulling ghost artifacts at known locations. The resultant technique is similar to the method known as sensitivity encoding (SENSE) used for accelerated imaging; however, in this formulation it is applied to full field-of-view (FOV) images. The method is applied to multishot EPI with noninterleaved phase encode acquisition. A number of benefits, as compared to the conventional interleaved approach, are reduced distortion due to off-resonance, in-plane flow, and EPI delay misalignment, as well as eliminating the need for echo-shifting. Experimental results demonstrate the cancellation for both phantom as well as cardiac imaging examples.

Ghost Artifact Cancellation Using Phased Array Processing

PubMed Central

Kellman, Peter; McVeigh, Elliot R.

2007-01-01

In this article, a method for phased array combining is formulated which may be used to cancel ghosts caused by a variety of distortion mechanisms, including space variant distortions such as local flow or off-resonance. This method is based on a constrained optimization, which optimizes SNR subject to the constraint of nulling ghost artifacts at known locations. The resultant technique is similar to the method known as sensitivity encoding (SENSE) used for accelerated imaging; however, in this formulation it is applied to full field-of-view (FOV) images. The method is applied to multishot EPI with noninterleaved phase encode acquisition. A number of benefits, as compared to the conventional interleaved approach, are reduced distortion due to off-resonance, in-plane flow, and EPI delay misalignment, as well as eliminating the need for echo-shifting. Experimental results demonstrate the cancellation for both phantom as well as cardiac imaging examples. PMID:11477638

Historical Perspective of Split Cord Malformations: A Tale of Two Cords.

PubMed

Saker, Erfanul; Loukas, Marios; Fisahn, Christian; Oskouian, Rod J; Tubbs, R Shane

2017-01-01

Our appreciation and understanding of what is now known as the split cord malformation (SCM) have a long history. The oldest known example of SCM is from roughly AD 100. Other isolated examples can be found in the large body of work of the pathologists of the 1800s, where the SCMs were found incidentally during autopsies. SCM has a rich history and has intrigued physicians for over 200 years. Many well-known figures from the past such as Chiari and von Recklinghausen, both pathologists, made early postmortem descriptions of SCM. With the advent of MRI, these pathological embryological derailments can now often be detected and appreciated early and during life. Our understanding and ability to treat these congenital malformations as well as the terminology used to describe them have changed over the last several decades. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Widespread ecomorphological convergence in multiple fish families spanning the marine-freshwater interface.

PubMed

Davis, Aaron M; Betancur-R, Ricardo

2017-05-17

The theoretical definition and quantification of convergence is an increasingly topical focus in evolutionary research, with particular growing interest on study scales spanning deep phylogenetic divergences and broad geographical areas. While much progress has recently been made in understanding the role of convergence in driving terrestrial (e.g. anole lizards) and aquatic (e.g. cichlids) radiations, little is known about its macroevolutionary effects across environmental gradients. This study uses a suite of recently developed comparative approaches integrating diverse aspects of morphology, dietary data, habitat affiliation and phylogeny to assess convergence across several well-known tropical-temperate fish families in the percomorph suborder Terapontoidei, a clade with considerable phenotypic and ecological diversity radiating in both marine and freshwater environments. We demonstrate significant widespread convergence across many lineages occupying equivalent trophic niches, particularly feeding habits such as herbivory and biting of attached prey off hard substrates. These include several examples of convergent morphotypes evolving independently in marine and freshwater clades, separated by deep evolutionary divergences (tens of millions of years). The Terapontoidei present a new example of the macroevolutionary dynamics of morphological and ecological coevolution in relation to habitat and trophic preferences, at a greater phylogenetic and habitat scale than most well-studied adaptive radiations. © 2017 The Author(s).

Near Space and Its Relation to Claustrophobic Fear

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lourenco, Stella F.; Longo, Matthew R.; Pathman, Thanujeni

2011-01-01

It is well established that the near space immediately surrounding the body (also known as peripersonal space) is represented differently than the space farther away. When bisecting horizontal lines, for example, neurologically-healthy adults show a slight leftward bias (known as pseudoneglect) in near space; this attentional bias, however,…

Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with invasive Tetropium spp. (Fabr.) (Coleoptera:Cerambycidae) in Atlantic Canada.

Treesearch

Karin Jacobs; Keith A. Seifert; Ken J. Harrison; Georgette Smith; Thomas Kirisits

2003-01-01

Species of the Ascomycete genus Ophiostoma are well-known for causing stain in living trees and lumber, as well as devastating pathogens, for example O. ulmi and O. novo-ulmi, the causes of Dutch elm disease.

E3 ubiquitin ligases: key regulators of hormone signaling in plants.

PubMed

Kelley, Dior

2018-03-07

Ubiquitin-mediated control of protein stability is central to most aspects of plant hormone signaling. Attachment of ubiquitin to target proteins occurs via an enzymatic cascade with the final step being catalyzed by a family of enzymes known as E3 ubiquitin ligases, which have been classified based on their protein domains and structures. While E3 ubiquitin ligases are conserved among eukaryotes, in plants they are well-known to fulfill unique roles as central regulators of phytohormone signaling, including hormone perception and regulation of hormone biosynthesis. This review will highlight up-to-date findings that have refined well-known E3 ligase-substrate interactions and defined novel E3 ligase substrates that mediate numerous hormone signaling pathways. Additionally, examples of how particular E3 ligases may mediate hormone crosstalk will be discussed as an emerging theme. Looking forward, promising experimental approaches and methods that will provide deeper mechanistic insight into the roles of E3 ubiquitin ligases in plants will be considered. Published under license by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Exact period-four solutions of a family of n-dimensional quadratic maps via harmonic balance and Gröbner bases.

PubMed

D'Amico, María Belén; Calandrini, Guillermo L

2015-11-01

Analytical solutions of the period-four orbits exhibited by a classical family of n-dimensional quadratic maps are presented. Exact expressions are obtained by applying harmonic balance and Gröbner bases to a single-input single-output representation of the system. A detailed study of a generalized scalar quadratic map and a well-known delayed logistic model is included for illustration. In the former example, conditions for the existence of bistability phenomenon are also introduced.

Exact period-four solutions of a family of n-dimensional quadratic maps via harmonic balance and Gröbner bases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Amico, María Belén; Calandrini, Guillermo L.

2015-11-01

Analytical solutions of the period-four orbits exhibited by a classical family of n-dimensional quadratic maps are presented. Exact expressions are obtained by applying harmonic balance and Gröbner bases to a single-input single-output representation of the system. A detailed study of a generalized scalar quadratic map and a well-known delayed logistic model is included for illustration. In the former example, conditions for the existence of bistability phenomenon are also introduced.

Preservation of iridescent colours in Phorinia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Tachinidae)

PubMed Central

Downes, Stephen; Simonis, Priscilla

2016-01-01

Abstract Background Iridescent blue-green colours are exhibited by various organisms including several taxa in the Tachinidae (Diptera) with notable examples within the Afrotropical members of the genus Phorinia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830. The vivid colouration observed in life quickly fades to a dull golden-yellow when a specimen is dried. Although well known, no published explanation has been given for this phenomenon. New information We illustrate the mechanism associated with this colour change. We also test and propose technical alternatives to retain the living colours in dried specimens. PMID:26929707

Teaching Electric Fences: The Physics behind the Brainiac Video

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vollmer, Michael

2016-01-01

In many states, electric fences are used to prevent animals from leaving a designated area, for example for grazing. They are quite well known by most students and can therefore serve as daily-life examples of electric circuits. Besides helping to grasp the ideas of Kirchhoff's laws for voltages and currents in circuits according to loop and…

Lucky Fractions: Where Bad Arithmetic Gives Correct Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osler, Thomas J.

2007-01-01

The fraction 16 over 64 has a well known, interesting property. If one incorrectly cancels the sixes, a correct answer of 1 over 4 is obtained. This is an example of a lucky fraction. In this article, the author presents several examples of lucky fractions and proves two interesting properties of these fractions. This article provides students the…

Pedigrees, Prizes, and Prisoners: The Misuse of Conditional Probability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlton, Matthew A.

2005-01-01

We present and discuss three examples of misapplication of the notion of conditional probability. In each example, we present the problem along with a published and/or well-known incorrect--but seemingly plausible--solution. We then give a careful treatment of the correct solution, in large part to show how careful application of basic probability…

Cyanide Suicide After Deep Web Shopping: A Case Report.

PubMed

Le Garff, Erwan; Delannoy, Yann; Mesli, Vadim; Allorge, Delphine; Hédouin, Valéry; Tournel, Gilles

2016-09-01

Cyanide is a product that is known for its use in industrial or laboratory processes, as well as for intentional intoxication. The toxicity of cyanide is well described in humans with rapid inhibition of cellular aerobic metabolism after ingestion or inhalation, leading to severe clinical effects that are frequently lethal. We report the case of a young white man found dead in a hotel room after self-poisoning with cyanide ordered in the deep Web. This case shows a probable complex suicide kit use including cyanide, as a lethal tool, and dextromethorphan, as a sedative and anxiolytic substance. This case is an original example of the emerging deep Web shopping in illegal drug procurement.

Existence, uniqueness and positivity of solutions for BGK models for mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klingenberg, C.; Pirner, M.

2018-01-01

We consider kinetic models for a multi component gas mixture without chemical reactions. In the literature, one can find two types of BGK models in order to describe gas mixtures. One type has a sum of BGK type interaction terms in the relaxation operator, for example the model described by Klingenberg, Pirner and Puppo [20] which contains well-known models of physicists and engineers for example Hamel [16] and Gross and Krook [15] as special cases. The other type contains only one collision term on the right-hand side, for example the well-known model of Andries, Aoki and Perthame [1]. For each of these two models [20] and [1], we prove existence, uniqueness and positivity of solutions in the first part of the paper. In the second part, we use the first model [20] in order to determine an unknown function in the energy exchange of the macroscopic equations for gas mixtures described by Dellacherie [11].

[Physicians and terror: the historical perspective].

PubMed

Ohry, Avi; Kugel, Chen

2005-02-01

The topic of physicians who committed crimes or were involved in terrorists' activities, is not well known. This article does not present the well known horrific stories of the atrocities of the Nazi German physicians. The authors describe a number of doctors who were active during the French revolution, some murderous physicians-leaders, and present a few historical anecdotes. These examples might only emphasize the fact that, like other human beings, doctors, too, may suffer from bad character.

Method for producing tetraphenoxide-n-aniloxy cyclo phosphazotriene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khofbauer, Y. I.; Kolesnikov, V. G.

1986-01-01

A method for producing tetraphenoxide-n-aniloxy cyclophosphazotriene, distinguished by the fact that tetraphenoxide dichlorocyclophosphazotriene is processed with an alkaline metal n-acetamidophenolate in an organic solvent, for example pyridine, during heating, after which the resulting compound is saponified in the present of a mineral or organic acid, for example, hydrochloric, and the desired product separated by well known techniques.

A Well-Known but Still Surprising Generator

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haugland, Ole Anton

2014-01-01

The bicycle generator is often mentioned as an example of a method to produce electric energy. It is cheap and easily accessible, so it is a natural example to use in teaching. There are different types, but I prefer the old side-wall dynamo. The most common explanation of its working principle seems to be something like the illustration in Fig.…

Polyimides with attached chromophores for improved performance in electro-optical devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guenthner, Andrew J.; Wright, Michael E.; Fallis, Stephen; Lindsay, Geoffrey A.; Petteys, Brian J.; Yandek, Gregory R.; Zang, De-Yu; Sanghadasa, Mohan; Ashley, Paul R.

2006-08-01

A method of chemical synthesis that allows for the facile attachment of a wide variety of chemical compounds, including highly active nonlinear optical chromophores, to polyimides has been developed recently at the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The synthesis of these compounds is presented, along with a discussion of their relevant physical and chemical properties, alone and in comparison to equivalent guest/host materials. Examples of attached chromophores include the well-known Disperse Red 1, along with high-activity chromophores of more recent interest such as FTC and CLD. The synthesis of structures that contain both attached chromophores and chemical functionalities that enable thermal cross-linking of the polyimides is also discussed.

Vector image method for the derivation of elastostatic solutions for point sources in a plane layered medium. Part 1: Derivation and simple examples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fares, Nabil; Li, Victor C.

1986-01-01

An image method algorithm is presented for the derivation of elastostatic solutions for point sources in bonded halfspaces assuming the infinite space point source is known. Specific cases were worked out and shown to coincide with well known solutions in the literature.

Fluctuations and correlations in modulation instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solli, D. R.; Herink, G.; Jalali, B.; Ropers, C.

2012-07-01

Stochastically driven nonlinear processes are responsible for spontaneous pattern formation and instabilities in numerous natural and artificial systems, including well-known examples such as sand ripples, cloud formations, water waves, animal pigmentation and heart rhythms. Technologically, a type of such self-amplification drives free-electron lasers and optical supercontinuum sources whose radiation qualities, however, suffer from the stochastic origins. Through time-resolved observations, we identify intrinsic properties of these fluctuations that are hidden in ensemble measurements. We acquire single-shot spectra of modulation instability produced by laser pulses in glass fibre at megahertz real-time capture rates. The temporally confined nature of the gain physically limits the number of amplified modes, which form an antibunched arrangement as identified from a statistical analysis of the data. These dynamics provide an example of pattern competition and interaction in confined nonlinear systems.

Benefits to poorly studied taxa of conservation of bird and mammal diversity on islands.

PubMed

Aslan, Clare; Holmes, Nick; Tershy, Bernie; Spatz, Dena; Croll, Donald A

2015-02-01

Protected area delineation and conservation action are urgently needed on marine islands, but the potential biodiversity benefits of these activities can be difficult to assess due to lack of species diversity information for lesser known taxa. We used linear mixed effects modeling and simple spatial analyses to investigate whether conservation activities based on the diversity of well-known insular taxa (birds and mammals) are likely to also capture the diversity of lesser known taxa (reptiles, amphibians, vascular land plants, ants, land snails, butterflies, and tenebrionid beetles). We assembled total, threatened, and endemic diversity data for both well-known and lesser known taxa and combined these with physical island biogeography characteristics for 1190 islands from 109 archipelagos. Among physical island biogeography factors, island area was the best indicator of diversity of both well-known and little-known taxa. Among taxonomic factors, total mammal species richness was the best indicator of total diversity of lesser known taxa, and the combination of threatened mammal and threatened bird diversity was the best indicator of lesser known endemic richness. The results of other intertaxon diversity comparisons were highly variable, however. Based on our results, we suggest that protecting islands above a certain minimum threshold area may be the most efficient use of conservation resources. For example, using our island database, if the threshold were set at 10 km(2) and the smallest 10% of islands greater than this threshold were protected, 119 islands would be protected. The islands would range in size from 10 to 29 km(2) and would include 268 lesser known species endemic to a single island, along with 11 bird and mammal species endemic to a single island. Our results suggest that for islands of equivalent size, prioritization based on total or threatened bird and mammal diversity may also capture opportunities to protect lesser known species endemic to islands. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

The Synthesis of Phenyl Acetylene Phenols for Development of New Explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chikhradze, Nikoloz; Nadirashvili, Merab; Khomeriki, Sergo; Varshanidze, Iasha

2017-12-01

The purpose of this research is to produce derivatives of simple phenols as “raw material” for the synthesis of new phenolic explosives. A big number of valuable products is synthesized from phenol and its homologues including well-known explosives - picric acid, methyl picrate, cresolite, etc. In general, a structural modification of well-known explosives’ molecules is the most important among the methods for the synthesis of new explosives. This method can be used in certain modifications. For example, the synthesis of methyl picrate is possible not only to replace picric acid’s hydroxyl with metoxyl, but with nitration of anisole as well, i. e, by the reciprocating synthesis. Thus, to produce the new analogues of well-known phenolic explosives, the preliminary modification of simple phenols’ molecules and further nitration, presumably by a formation of dinitro derivatives may be performed. The alkylation of phenol, anisole and m - cresol by the secondary phenyl acetylene alcohols in the presence of concentrated phosphoric acid was carried out. Para-substituted alkynyl phenols with high yields were developed. The chemical transformations were carried out by a participation of their molecules’ active centres. The corresponding ethers, esters and saturated isologues have been synthesized. The article describes the conditions of a synthesis of 14 new phenyl acetylenes’ substances that may be used as substrates in a nitration reaction.

Defining chaos.

PubMed

Hunt, Brian R; Ott, Edward

2015-09-01

In this paper, we propose, discuss, and illustrate a computationally feasible definition of chaos which can be applied very generally to situations that are commonly encountered, including attractors, repellers, and non-periodically forced systems. This definition is based on an entropy-like quantity, which we call "expansion entropy," and we define chaos as occurring when this quantity is positive. We relate and compare expansion entropy to the well-known concept of topological entropy to which it is equivalent under appropriate conditions. We also present example illustrations, discuss computational implementations, and point out issues arising from attempts at giving definitions of chaos that are not entropy-based.

Persistent RNA virus infections: do PAMPS drive chronic disease?

PubMed Central

McCarthy, Mary K.; Morrison, Thomas E.

2017-01-01

Chronic disease associated with persistent RNA virus infections represents a key public health concern. While human immunodeficiency virus-1 and hepatitis C virus are perhaps the most well-known examples of persistent RNA viruses that cause chronic disease, evidence suggests that many other RNA viruses, including re-emerging viruses such as chikungunya virus, Ebola virus and Zika virus, establish persistent infections. The mechanisms by which RNA viruses drive chronic disease are poorly understood. Here, we discuss how the persistence of viral RNA may drive chronic disease manifestations via the activation of RNA sensing pathways. PMID:28214732

Simulation analysis of an integrated model for dynamic cellular manufacturing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Chunfeng; Luan, Shichao; Kong, Jili

2017-05-01

Application of dynamic cellular manufacturing system (DCMS) is a well-known strategy to improve manufacturing efficiency in the production environment with high variety and low volume of production. Often, neither the trade-off of inter and intra-cell material movements nor the trade-off of hiring and firing of operators are examined in details. This paper presents simulation results of an integrated mixed-integer model including sensitivity analysis for several numerical examples. The comprehensive model includes cell formation, inter and intracellular materials handling, inventory and backorder holding, operator assignment (including resource adjustment) and flexible production routing. The model considers multi-production planning with flexible resources (machines and operators) where each period has different demands. The results verify the validity and sensitivity of the proposed model using a genetic algorithm.

Applications of neutron activation analysis in determination of natural and man-made radionuclides, including PA-231

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, A. R.; Benedik, L.

1999-01-01

Neutron activation analysis (NAA), being essentially an isotopic and not an elemental method of analysis, is capable of determining a number of important radionuclides of radioecological interest by transformation into another, more easily quantifiable radionuclide. The nuclear characteristics which favour this technique may be summarized in an advantage factor relative to radiometric analysis of the original radioanalyte. Well known or hardly known examples include235U,238U,232Th,230Th,129I,99Tc,237Np and231Pa; a number of these are discussed and illustrated in analysis of real samples of environmental and biological origin. In particular, determination of231Pa by RNAA was performed using both postirradiation and preseparation methods. Application of INAA to enable the use of238U and232Th as endogenous (internal) radiotracers in alpha spectrometric analyses of uranium and thorium radioisotopes in radioecological studies is described, also allowing independent data sets to be obtained for quality control.

Eyeglasses in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Ding-wei; Huang, Wei-neng; Tseng, Hsiang-chi

2010-01-01

Optical phenomena can be divided into two categories: ray optics and wave optics. The former is also known as "geometrical optics", and examples are reflection and refraction, while the latter is also known as "physical optics" and includes interference and diffraction. In most textbooks, these two topics are presented in…

Getting Girls De-Stereotyped for SAT Exams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altermatt, Ellen Rydell; Kim, Minha Esther

2004-01-01

Society knows well that males outperform females on mathematics portions of college entrance examinations. In 2003, for example, males scored an average 537 points on the mathematics section of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, while females averaged 503. Less well known is that males also show a slight advantage on the verbal portion. These gaps…

Postsynthetic Tuning of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Targeted Applications.

PubMed

Islamoglu, Timur; Goswami, Subhadip; Li, Zhanyong; Howarth, Ashlee J; Farha, Omar K; Hupp, Joseph T

2017-04-18

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are periodic, hybrid, atomically well-defined porous materials that typically form by self-assembly and consist of inorganic nodes (metal ions or clusters) and multitopic organic linkers. MOFs as a whole offer many intriguing properties, including ultrahigh porosity, tunable chemical functionality, and low density. These properties point to numerous potential applications, including gas storage, chemical separations, catalysis, light harvesting, and chemical sensing, to name a few. Reticular chemistry, or the linking of molecular building blocks into predetermined network structures, has been employed to synthesize thousands of MOFs. Given the vast library of candidate nodes and linkers, the number of potentially synthetically accessible MOFs is enormous. Nevertheless, a powerful complementary approach to obtain specific structures with desired chemical functionality is to modify known MOFs after synthesis. This approach is particularly useful when incorporation of particular chemical functionalities via direct synthesis is challenging or impossible. The challenges may stem from limited stability or solubility of precursors, unwanted secondary reactivity of precursors, or incompatibility of functional groups with the conditions needed for direct synthesis. MOFs can be postsynthetically modified by replacing the metal nodes and/or organic linkers or via functionalization of the metal nodes and/or organic linkers. Here we describe some of our efforts toward the development and application of postsynthetic strategies for imparting desired chemical functionalities in MOFs of known topology. The techniques include methods for functionalizing MOF nodes, i.e., solvent-assisted ligand incorporation (SALI) and atomic layer deposition in MOFs (AIM) as well as a method to replace structural linkers, termed solvent-assisted linker exchange (SALE), also known as postsynthethic exchange (PSE). For each functionalization strategy, we first describe its chemical basis along with the requirements for its successful implementation. We then present a small number of examples, with an emphasis on those that (a) convey the underlying concepts and/or (b) lead to functional structures (e.g., catalysts) that would be difficult or impossible to access via direct routes. The examples, however, are only illustrative, and a significant body of work exists from both our lab and others, especially for the SALE/PSE strategy. We refer readers to the papers cited and to the references therein. More exciting, in our view, will be new examples and new applications of the functionalization strategies-especially applications made possible by creatively combining the strategies. Underexplored (again, in our view) are implementations that impart electrical conductivity, enable increasingly selective chemical sensing, or facilitate cascade catalysis. It will be interesting to see where these strategies and others take this compelling field over the next few years.

Exact axially symmetric galactic dynamos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriksen, R. N.; Woodfinden, A.; Irwin, J. A.

2018-05-01

We give a selection of exact dynamos in axial symmetry on a galactic scale. These include some steady examples, at least one of which is wholly analytic in terms of simple functions and has been discussed elsewhere. Most solutions are found in terms of special functions, such as associated Lagrange or hypergeometric functions. They may be considered exact in the sense that they are known to any desired accuracy in principle. The new aspect developed here is to present scale-invariant solutions with zero resistivity that are self-similar in time. The time dependence is either a power law or an exponential factor, but since the geometry of the solution is self-similar in time we do not need to fix a time to study it. Several examples are discussed. Our results demonstrate (without the need to invoke any other mechanisms) X-shaped magnetic fields and (axially symmetric) magnetic spiral arms (both of which are well observed and documented) and predict reversing rotation measures in galaxy haloes (now observed in the CHANG-ES sample) as well as the fact that planar magnetic spirals are lifted into the galactic halo.

Embedded PLC Webserver and Possibilities of its Utilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopček, Michal

2016-12-01

The concept Industry 4.0 is a top theme of recent times. Even if it represents the so-called 4th industrial revolution its main ideas could be used also to support the education of subjects from IT and automation. Furthermore, the basic IT and web technologies inherited by this concept are very well known to students. This paper introduces the embedded webserver of PLC and the options for its optimal utilization. The web server is essentially a simple and widely well-known technology, therefore it was chosen as an example.

The major synthetic evolutionary transitions.

PubMed

Solé, Ricard

2016-08-19

Evolution is marked by well-defined events involving profound innovations that are known as 'major evolutionary transitions'. They involve the integration of autonomous elements into a new, higher-level organization whereby the former isolated units interact in novel ways, losing their original autonomy. All major transitions, which include the origin of life, cells, multicellular systems, societies or language (among other examples), took place millions of years ago. Are these transitions unique, rare events? Have they instead universal traits that make them almost inevitable when the right pieces are in place? Are there general laws of evolutionary innovation? In order to approach this problem under a novel perspective, we argue that a parallel class of evolutionary transitions can be explored involving the use of artificial evolutionary experiments where alternative paths to innovation can be explored. These 'synthetic' transitions include, for example, the artificial evolution of multicellular systems or the emergence of language in evolved communicating robots. These alternative scenarios could help us to understand the underlying laws that predate the rise of major innovations and the possibility for general laws of evolved complexity. Several key examples and theoretical approaches are summarized and future challenges are outlined.This article is part of the themed issue 'The major synthetic evolutionary transitions'. © 2016 The Author(s).

The major synthetic evolutionary transitions

PubMed Central

Solé, Ricard

2016-01-01

Evolution is marked by well-defined events involving profound innovations that are known as ‘major evolutionary transitions'. They involve the integration of autonomous elements into a new, higher-level organization whereby the former isolated units interact in novel ways, losing their original autonomy. All major transitions, which include the origin of life, cells, multicellular systems, societies or language (among other examples), took place millions of years ago. Are these transitions unique, rare events? Have they instead universal traits that make them almost inevitable when the right pieces are in place? Are there general laws of evolutionary innovation? In order to approach this problem under a novel perspective, we argue that a parallel class of evolutionary transitions can be explored involving the use of artificial evolutionary experiments where alternative paths to innovation can be explored. These ‘synthetic’ transitions include, for example, the artificial evolution of multicellular systems or the emergence of language in evolved communicating robots. These alternative scenarios could help us to understand the underlying laws that predate the rise of major innovations and the possibility for general laws of evolved complexity. Several key examples and theoretical approaches are summarized and future challenges are outlined. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The major synthetic evolutionary transitions’. PMID:27431528

Menstrual Cycle Control in Female Astronauts and the Associated Risk of Venous Thromboembolism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jain, Varsha; Wotring, Virginia

2015-01-01

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and serious condition affecting approximately 1-2 per 1000 people in the USA every year. There have been no documented case reports of VTE in female astronauts during spaceflight in the published literature. Some female astronauts use hormonal contraception to control their menstrual cycles and it is currently unknown how this affects their risk of VTE. Current terrestrial risk prediction models do not account for the spaceflight environment and the physiological changes associated with it. We therefore aim to estimate a specific risk score for female astronauts who are taking hormonal contraception for menstrual cycle control, to deduce whether they are at an elevated risk of VTE. A systematic review of the literature was conducted in order to identify and quantify known terrestrial risk factors for VTE. Studies involving analogues for the female astronaut population were also reviewed, for example, military personnel who use the oral contraceptive pill for menstrual suppression. Well known terrestrial risk factors, for example, obesity or smoking would not be applicable to our study population as these candidates would have been excluded during astronaut selection processes. Other risk factors for VTE include hormonal therapy, lower limb paralysis, physical inactivity, hyperhomocysteinemia, low methylfolate levels and minor injuries, all of which potentially apply to crew members LSAH data will be assessed to identify which of these risk factors are applicable to our astronaut population. Using known terrestrial risk data, an overall estimated risk of VTE for female astronauts using menstrual cycle control methods will therefore be calculated. We predict this will be higher than the general population but not significantly higher requiring thromboprophylaxis. This study attempts to delineate what is assumed to be true of our astronaut population, for example, they are known to be a healthy fit cohort of individuals, and combine physiological impacts of spaceflight (cephalic fluid shifts, lower limb inactivity) to understand specific risks associated with hormonal contraception.

Responding to rural social care needs: older people empowering themselves, others and their community.

PubMed

Walsh, Kieran; O'Shea, Eamon

2008-12-01

Older adult active retirement groups encompass health promotion, social and community psychological potential. However, little is known about the internal dynamics of these groups or their contribution to individual well-being and the community. This paper examines the Third Age Foundation as an example of one such group operating in a rural area in Ireland and explores the various relationships at work internally and externally. Methodology included: structured and semi-structured interviews, focus groups and a postal survey. A substantial contribution to members' well-being and community competence and cohesion was found. Findings are discussed in reference to the importance of individual and community empowerment, sustainability, social entrepreneurship/leadership and the potential of such models to support community-based living in older age.

[Medical manuscript of Mihail Plamenac, a priest].

PubMed

Milović, I

1998-01-01

It is known that collections of popular medical prescriptions and instructions appeared in areas without educated physicians, and all previously published manuscripts of this kind are inevitably anonymous. The reported manuscript comprises 23 pages written in sepia ink, appendixed to a prayer book published in 1747, containing popular medical instructions and prescriptions collected and practiced by orthodox priest Mihailo Plamenac in Montenegro at the turn of the 18th century. Mihailo Plamenac took an important part in historical events, as documented by numerous domestic historical data and several letters discovered in The Archives of Vienna. Being the only literate persons at the time, priests were both politicians and military officers, but they also offered medical services to the population. The manuscript comprises advices for various common emergencies (snake bites, urinary retention, contusions, fever, burns, eye injuries, rabies, otitis, traumatic wryneck) and diseases(impetigo, scabies, infertility, gastric ulcer, low back pain) as well as for certain poorly defined conditions (chest pain, abdominal discomfort). Besides medically fully adequate treatment, for example, the remedy against scabies containing sulfur, there are numerous examples of magic and ritual pagan elements, including famous medieval SATOR formula against rabies. Most of the herbs used in prescriptions have been identified: fig, dog rose, hyssop, leek, laurel, absinthe, rosemary, mallow, cypress, elder, endive, mangel, orache, ivy. The manuscript is the first manuscript undoubtedly attributed to a well known historical personality, as indicated in the first page of the manuscript: "This is a medical prayer book by Mihailo Plamenac, left to him by his ancestors."

Development of Curved-Plate Elements for the Exact Buckling Analysis of Composite Plate Assemblies Including Transverse Shear Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGowan, David M.; Anderson, Melvin S.

1998-01-01

The analytical formulation of curved-plate non-linear equilibrium equations that include transverse-shear-deformation effects is presented. A unified set of non-linear strains that contains terms from both physical and tensorial strain measures is used. Using several simplifying assumptions, linearized, stability equations are derived that describe the response of the plate just after bifurcation buckling occurs. These equations are then modified to allow the plate reference surface to be located a distance z(c), from the centroid surface which is convenient for modeling stiffened-plate assemblies. The implementation of the new theory into the VICONOPT buckling and vibration analysis and optimum design program code is described. Either classical plate theory (CPT) or first-order shear-deformation plate theory (SDPT) may be selected in VICONOPT. Comparisons of numerical results for several example problems with different loading states are made. Results from the new curved-plate analysis compare well with closed-form solution results and with results from known example problems in the literature. Finally, a design-optimization study of two different cylindrical shells subject to uniform axial compression is presented.

Fundamental dilemmas in contemporary psychotherapy: a transtheoretical concept.

PubMed

Scaturo, Douglas J

2002-01-01

The transtheoretical nature of fundamental dilemmas in contemporary psychotherapy is explored. The basic distinction between technical and ethical dilemmas in clinical practice is discussed, as well as the ramifications for the psychotherapist. Clinical dilemmas identified by survey research studies and interviews with master psychotherapists are reviewed. In addition to dilemmas relevant to circumscribed areas of psychotherapy, such as brief therapy, managed mental health care, sexual questions, feminist therapy, dilemmas fundamental to the psychotherapeutic process as a whole are examined. Finally, clinical examples are provided that include such issues as hospitalization of the suicidal patient, dealing with known contraindications, treating the intractable patient, and self-care of the psychotherapist.

Using Reported Rates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases to Illustrate Potential Methodological Issues in the Measurement of Racial and Ethnic Disparities.

PubMed

Chesson, Harrell W; Patel, Chirag G; Gift, Thomas L; Bernstein, Kyle T; Aral, Sevgi O

2017-09-01

Racial disparities in the burden of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been documented and described for decades. Similarly, methodological issues and limitations in the use of disparity measures to quantify disparities in health have also been well documented. The purpose of this study was to use historic STD surveillance data to illustrate four of the most well-known methodological issues associated with the use of disparity measures. We manually searched STD surveillance reports to find examples of racial/ethnic distributions of reported STDs that illustrate key methodological issues in the use of disparity measures. The disparity measures we calculated included the black-white rate ratio, the Index of Disparity (weighted and unweighted by subgroup population), and the Gini coefficient. The 4 examples we developed included illustrations of potential differences in relative and absolute disparity measures, potential differences in weighted and nonweighted disparity measures, the importance of the reference point when calculating disparities, and differences in disparity measures in the assessment of trends in disparities over time. For example, the gonorrhea rate increased for all minority groups (relative to whites) from 1992 to 1993, yet the Index of Disparity suggested that racial/ethnic disparities had decreased. Although imperfect, disparity measures can be useful to quantify racial/ethnic disparities in STDs, to assess trends in these disparities, and to inform interventions to reduce these disparities. Our study uses reported STD rates to illustrate potential methodological issues with these disparity measures and highlights key considerations when selecting disparity measures for quantifying disparities in STDs.

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, D. E.

2016-10-01

Even diffraction aside, the commonly known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. GO considers wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but rays have another degree of freedom, namely, polarization. As a result, wave rays can behave as particles with spin. A well-known example of polarization dynamics is wave-mode conversion, which can be interpreted as rotation of the (classical) ``wave spin.'' However, there are other less-known manifestations of the wave spin, such as polarization precession and polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. This talk presents recent advances in extending and reformulating GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective-gauge Hamiltonian governs both mentioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. Examples and numerical results are presented. When applied to classical waves, the theory correctly predicts the polarization-driven divergence of left- and right- polarized electromagnetic waves in isotropic media, such as dielectrics and nonmagnetized plasmas. In the case of particles with spin, the formalism also yields a point-particle Lagrangian model for the Dirac electron, i.e. the relativistic spin-1/2 electron, which includes both the Stern-Gerlach spin potential and the Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi spin precession. Additionally, the same theory contributes, perhaps unexpectedly, to the understanding of ponderomotive effects in both wave and particle dynamics; e.g., the formalism allows to obtain the ponderomotive Hamiltonian for a Dirac electron interacting with an arbitrarily large electromagnetic laser field with spin effects included. Supported by the NNSA SSAA Program through DOE Research Grant No. DE-NA0002948, by the U.S. DOE through Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466, and by the U.S. DOD NDSEG Fellowship through Contract No. 32-CFR-168a.

36 CFR § 1193.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... BOARD TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES General § 1193.3 Definitions. Terms used in this... standard telephone network. TTYs can include, for example, devices known as TDDs (telecommunication display...

BATHYMETRIC IRREGULARITIES, JET FORMATION, AND SUBSEQUENT MIXING PROCESSES

EPA Science Inventory

It is well known that bathymetric contours influence and steer currents and that irregularities in bathymetry contribute to the formation of aquatic non-buoyant jets and buoyant plumes. For example, bathymetric irregularities can channel flow through canyons or accelerate flow ov...

Methods for Generating Complex Networks with Selected Structural Properties for Simulations: A Review and Tutorial for Neuroscientists

PubMed Central

Prettejohn, Brenton J.; Berryman, Matthew J.; McDonnell, Mark D.

2011-01-01

Many simulations of networks in computational neuroscience assume completely homogenous random networks of the Erdös–Rényi type, or regular networks, despite it being recognized for some time that anatomical brain networks are more complex in their connectivity and can, for example, exhibit the “scale-free” and “small-world” properties. We review the most well known algorithms for constructing networks with given non-homogeneous statistical properties and provide simple pseudo-code for reproducing such networks in software simulations. We also review some useful mathematical results and approximations associated with the statistics that describe these network models, including degree distribution, average path length, and clustering coefficient. We demonstrate how such results can be used as partial verification and validation of implementations. Finally, we discuss a sometimes overlooked modeling choice that can be crucially important for the properties of simulated networks: that of network directedness. The most well known network algorithms produce undirected networks, and we emphasize this point by highlighting how simple adaptations can instead produce directed networks. PMID:21441986

Chaetopyranin, a benzaldehyde derivative, and other related metabolites from Chaetomium globosum, an endophytic fungus derived from the marine red alga Polysiphonia urceolata.

PubMed

Wang, Song; Li, Xiao-Ming; Teuscher, Franka; Li, Dong-Li; Diesel, Arnulf; Ebel, Rainer; Proksch, Peter; Wang, Bin-Gui

2006-11-01

Cultivation of the endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum, which was isolated from the inner tissue of the marine red alga Polysiphonia urceolata, resulted in the isolation of chaetopyranin (1), a new benzaldehyde secondary metabolite. Ten known compounds were also isolated, including two benzaldehyde congeners, 2-(2',3-epoxy-1',3'-heptadienyl)-6-hydroxy-5-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)benzaldehyde (2) and isotetrahydroauroglaucin (3), two anthraquinone derivatives, erythroglaucin (4) and parietin (5), five asperentin derivatives including asperentin (6, also known as cladosporin), 5'-hydroxy-asperentin-8-methylether (7), asperentin-8-methyl ether (8), 4'-hydroxyasperentin (9), and 5'-hydroxyasperentin (10), and the prenylated diketopiperazine congener neoechinulin A (11). The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of their spectroscopic data analysis (1H, 13C, 1H-1H COSY, HMQC, and HMBC NMR, as well as low- and high-resolution mass experiments). To our knowledge, compound 1 represents the first example of a 2H-benzopyran derivative of marine algal-derived fungi as well as of the fungal genus Chaetomium. Each isolate was tested for its DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical-scavenging property. Compounds 1-4 were found to have moderate activity. Chaetopyranin (1) also exhibited moderate to weak cytotoxic activity toward several tumor cell lines.

Detecting atypical examples of known domain types by sequence similarity searching: the SBASE domain library approach.

PubMed

Dhir, Somdutta; Pacurar, Mircea; Franklin, Dino; Gáspári, Zoltán; Kertész-Farkas, Attila; Kocsor, András; Eisenhaber, Frank; Pongor, Sándor

2010-11-01

SBASE is a project initiated to detect known domain types and predicting domain architectures using sequence similarity searching (Simon et al., Protein Seq Data Anal, 5: 39-42, 1992, Pongor et al, Nucl. Acids. Res. 21:3111-3115, 1992). The current approach uses a curated collection of domain sequences - the SBASE domain library - and standard similarity search algorithms, followed by postprocessing which is based on a simple statistics of the domain similarity network (http://hydra.icgeb.trieste.it/sbase/). It is especially useful in detecting rare, atypical examples of known domain types which are sometimes missed even by more sophisticated methodologies. This approach does not require multiple alignment or machine learning techniques, and can be a useful complement to other domain detection methodologies. This article gives an overview of the project history as well as of the concepts and principles developed within this the project.

Optimal control of a harmonic oscillator: Economic interpretations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janová, Jitka; Hampel, David

2013-10-01

Optimal control is a popular technique for modelling and solving the dynamic decision problems in economics. A standard interpretation of the criteria function and Lagrange multipliers in the profit maximization problem is well known. On a particular example, we aim to a deeper understanding of the possible economic interpretations of further mathematical and solution features of the optimal control problem: we focus on the solution of the optimal control problem for harmonic oscillator serving as a model for Phillips business cycle. We discuss the economic interpretations of arising mathematical objects with respect to well known reasoning for these in other problems.

Bribery and extortion: can restaurants help?

PubMed

Zucker, A

2000-04-01

Examples of tipping suggest that the distinction between tipping, bribery and extortion can be questioned. Some well known ideas about bribery will not work if extended to tipping and, indeed, these analyses may founder whether or not tipping, bribery and extortion merge. I suggest that more case study analysis as well as a discussion of the relationship between character and actions are needed.

High Class-Imbalance in pre-miRNA Prediction: A Novel Approach Based on deepSOM.

PubMed

Stegmayer, Georgina; Yones, Cristian; Kamenetzky, Laura; Milone, Diego H

2017-01-01

The computational prediction of novel microRNA within a full genome involves identifying sequences having the highest chance of being a miRNA precursor (pre-miRNA). These sequences are usually named candidates to miRNA. The well-known pre-miRNAs are usually only a few in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of potential candidates to miRNA that have to be analyzed, which makes this task a high class-imbalance classification problem. The classical way of approaching it has been training a binary classifier in a supervised manner, using well-known pre-miRNAs as positive class and artificially defining the negative class. However, although the selection of positive labeled examples is straightforward, it is very difficult to build a set of negative examples in order to obtain a good set of training samples for a supervised method. In this work, we propose a novel and effective way of approaching this problem using machine learning, without the definition of negative examples. The proposal is based on clustering unlabeled sequences of a genome together with well-known miRNA precursors for the organism under study, which allows for the quick identification of the best candidates to miRNA as those sequences clustered with known precursors. Furthermore, we propose a deep model to overcome the problem of having very few positive class labels. They are always maintained in the deep levels as positive class while less likely pre-miRNA sequences are filtered level after level. Our approach has been compared with other methods for pre-miRNAs prediction in several species, showing effective predictivity of novel miRNAs. Additionally, we will show that our approach has a lower training time and allows for a better graphical navegability and interpretation of the results. A web-demo interface to try deepSOM is available at http://fich.unl.edu.ar/sinc/web-demo/deepsom/.

Examples as an Instructional Tool in Mathematics and Science Classrooms: Teachers' Perceptions and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Xiaoxia; Cribbs, Jennifer

2017-01-01

This study examined mathematics and science teachers' perceptions and use of four types of examples, including typical textbook examples (standard worked examples) and erroneous worked examples in the written form as well as mastery modelling examples and peer modelling examples involving the verbalization of the problem-solving process. Data…

Artificial Neural Networks for Modeling Knowing and Learning in Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roth, Wolff-Michael

2000-01-01

Advocates artificial neural networks as models for cognition and development. Provides an example of how such models work in the context of a well-known Piagetian developmental task and school science activity: balance beam problems. (Contains 59 references.) (Author/WRM)

A relationship between isobaric analog states and shape coexistence in nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rowe, D. J.; Wood, J. L.

2018-06-01

Two well-known examples of states of very different symmetry in nuclei to those of their neighbours are given by the phenomena of isobaric analog states and nuclear shape coexistence. We show in this letter that they are intimately related.

On the application of semantic technologies to the domain of forensic investigations in financial crimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scheidat, Tobias; Merkel, Ronny; Krummel, Volker; Gerlach, Andreas; Weisensee, Michala; Zeihe, Jana; Dittmann, Jana

2017-10-01

In daily police practice, forensic investigation of criminal cases is mainly based on manual work and the experience of individual forensic experts, using basic storage and data processing technologies. However, an individual criminal case does not only consist of the actual offence, but also of a variety of different aspects involved. For example, in order to solve a financial criminal case, an investigator has to find interrelations between different case entities as well as to other cases. The required information about these different entities is often stored in various databases and mostly requires to be manually requested and processed by forensic investigators. We propose the application of semantic technologies to the domain of forensic investigations at the example of financial crimes. Such combination allows for modelling specific case entities and their interrelations within and between cases. As a result, an explorative search of connections between case entities in the scope of an investigation as well as an automated derivation of conclusions from an established fact base is enabled. The proposed model is presented in the form of a crime field ontology, based on different types of knowledge obtained from three individual sources: open source intelligence, forensic investigators and captive interviews of detained criminals. The modelled crime field ontology is illustrated at two examples using the well known crime type of explosive attack on ATM and the potentially upcoming crime type data theft by NFC crowd skimming. Of these criminal modi operandi, anonymized fictional are modelled, visualized and exploratively searched. Modelled case entities include modi operandi, events, actors, resources, exploited weaknesses as well as flows of money, data and know how. The potential exploration of interrelations between the different case entities of such examples is illustrated in the scope of a fictitious investigation, highlighting the potential of the approach.

Isospectral drums and simple groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thas, Koen

Nearly every known pair of isospectral but nonisometric manifolds — with as most famous members isospectral bounded ℝ-planar domains which makes one “not hear the shape of a drum” [M. Kac, Can one hear the shape of a drum? Amer. Math. Monthly 73(4 part 2) (1966) 1-23] — arise from the (group theoretical) Gassmann-Sunada method. Moreover, all the known ℝ-planar examples (so counter examples to Kac’s question) are constructed through a famous specialization of this method, called transplantation. We first describe a number of very general classes of length equivalent manifolds, with as particular cases isospectral manifolds, in each of the constructions starting from a given example that arises itself from the Gassmann-Sunada method. The constructions include the examples arising from the transplantation technique (and thus in particular the known planar examples). To that end, we introduce four properties — called FF, MAX, PAIR and INV — inspired by natural physical properties (which rule out trivial constructions), that are satisfied for each of the known planar examples. Vice versa, we show that length equivalent manifolds with FF, MAX, PAIR and INV which arise from the Gassmann-Sunada method, must fall under one of our prior constructions, thus describing a precise classification of these objects. Due to the nature of our constructions and properties, a deep connection with finite simple groups occurs which seems, perhaps, rather surprising in the context of this paper. On the other hand, our properties define in some sense physically irreducible pairs of length equivalent manifolds — “atoms” of general pairs of length equivalent manifolds, in that such a general pair of manifolds is patched up out of irreducible pairs — and that is precisely what simple groups are for general groups.

Tetracycline compounds with non-antimicrobial organ protective properties: possible mechanisms of action

PubMed Central

Griffin, Michael O.; Ceballos, Guillermo; Villarreal, Francisco

2010-01-01

Tetracyclines were developed as a result of the screening of soil samples for antibiotics. The firstt of these compounds, chlortetracycline, was introduced in 1947. Tetracyclines were found to be highly effective against various pathogens including rickettsiae, as well as both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, thus becoming the first class of broad spectrum antibiotics. Many other interesting properties, unrelated to their antibiotic activity, have been identified for tetracyclines which have led to widely divergent experimental and clinical uses. For example, tetracyclines are also an effective anti-malarial drug. Minocycline, which can readily cross cell membranes, is known to be a potent anti-apoptotic agent. Another tetracycline, doxycycline is known to exert anti-protease activities. Doxycycline can inhibit matrix metalloproteinases which contribute to tissue destruction activities in diseases such as periodontitis. A large body of literature has provided additional evidence for the “beneficial” actions of tetracyclines, including their ability to act as reactive oxygen species scavengers and anti-inflammatory agents. This review provides a summary of tetracycline’s multiple mechanisms of action as a means to understand their beneficial effects. PMID:20951211

Is Perceptual Narrowing Too Narrow?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cashon, Cara H.; Denicola, Christopher A.

2011-01-01

There is a growing list of examples illustrating that infants are transitioning from having earlier abilities that appear more "universal," "broadly tuned," or "unconstrained" to having later abilities that appear more "specialized," "narrowly tuned," or "constrained." Perceptual narrowing, a well-known phenomenon related to face, speech, and…

Extraordinary Oscillations of an Ordinary Forced Pendulum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butikov, Eugene I.

2008-01-01

Several well-known and newly discovered counterintuitive regular and chaotic modes of the sinusoidally driven rigid planar pendulum are discussed and illustrated by computer simulations. The software supporting the investigation offers many interesting predefined examples that demonstrate various peculiarities of this famous physical model.…

Idea Bank: Steps to Visibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Music Educators Journal, 1983

1983-01-01

Unique ideas about how to maintain interest in musicals, concerts, and other music performances are described. For example, Project Parent Awareness encouraged parent participation in children's music education and the Akron (Ohio) All-City Festivals of Music provided students with performing opportunities under well-known conductors. (CS)

Clock Reaction: Outreach Attraction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Yuen-ying; Phillips, Heather A.; Jakubinek, Michael B.

2010-01-01

Chemistry students are often introduced to the concept of reaction rates through demonstrations or laboratory activities involving the well-known iodine clock reaction. For example, a laboratory experiment involving thiosulfate as an iodine scavenger is part of the first-year general chemistry laboratory curriculum at Dalhousie University. With…

MessageSpace: a messaging system for health research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escobar, Rodrigo D.; Akopian, David; Parra-Medina, Deborah; Esparza, Laura

2013-03-01

Mobile Health (mHealth) has emerged as a promising direction for delivery of healthcare services via mobile communication devices such as cell phones. Examples include texting-based interventions for chronic disease monitoring, diabetes management, control of hypertension, smoking cessation, monitoring medication adherence, appointment keeping and medical test result delivery; as well as improving patient-provider communication, health information communication, data collection and access to health records. While existing messaging systems very well support bulk messaging and some polling applications, they are not designed for data collection and processing of health research oriented studies. For that reason known studies based on text-messaging campaigns have been constrained in participant numbers. In order to empower healthcare promotion and education research, this paper presents a system dedicated for healthcare research. It is designed for convenient communication with various study groups, feedback collection and automated processing.

Exceptional point in a simple textbook example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, Francisco M.

2018-07-01

We propose to introduce the concept of exceptional points in intermediate courses on mathematics and classical mechanics by means of simple textbook examples. The first one is an ordinary second-order differential equation with constant coefficients. The second one is the well-known damped harmonic oscillator. From a strict mathematical viewpoint both are the same problem that enables one to connect the occurrence of linearly dependent exponential solutions with a defective matrix which cannot be diagonalized but can be transformed into a Jordan canonical form.

Pragmatic phenomenological types.

PubMed

Goranson, Ted; Cardier, Beth; Devlin, Keith

2015-12-01

We approach a well-known problem: how to relate component physical processes in biological systems to governing imperatives in multiple system levels. The intent is to further practical tools that can be used in the clinical context. An example proposes a formal type system that would support this kind of reasoning, including in machines. Our example is based on a model of the connection between a quality of mind associated with creativity and neuropsychiatric dynamics: constructing narrative as a form of conscious introspection, which allows the manipulation of one's own driving imperatives. In this context, general creativity is indicated by an ability to manage multiple heterogeneous worldviews simultaneously in a developing narrative. 'Narrative' in this context is framed as the organizing concept behind rational linearization that can be applied to metaphysics as well as modeling perceptive dynamics. Introspection is framed as the phenomenological 'tip' that allows a perceiver to be within experience or outside it, reflecting on and modifying it. What distinguishes the approach is the rooting in well founded but disparate disciplines: phenomenology, ontic virtuality, two-sorted geometric logics, functional reactive programming, multi-level ontologies and narrative cognition. This paper advances the work by proposing a type strategy within a two-sorted reasoning system that supports cross-ontology structure. The paper describes influences on this approach, and presents an example that involves phenotype classes and monitored creativity enhanced by both soft methods and transcranial direct-current stimulation. The proposed solution integrates pragmatic phenomenology, situation theory, narratology and functional programming in one framework. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fact versus formula in the power spectra of complex systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watkins, Nick

2016-04-01

More than 100 years ago, Thomson and Tait's classic "Treatise on Natural Philosophy" cautioned its readers against "considering the formula and not the fact as physical reality". Deciding what the facts actually _were, however, was left as an exercise for the reader ... Complex systems offer many examples [1] of the ambiguity Thomson and Tait were trying to point out. This presentation will be about a formula-the "1/f" spectral shape seen in many areas of physics including climate science; and an empirical fact-the growth of rescaled range originally seen in river time series and now known as the Hurst effect. It is well known that Mandelbrot kicked off the study of long range dependence (LRD) in the mid 1960s [2] with a stationary model for 1/f noise and the Hurst effect. This fractional Gaussian model is now so well known that it is often seen as synonymous with both 1/f noise and the Hurst effect. However Mandelbrot himself was aware that there were other models that produced 1/f noise, including a family [3-6] which he called "conditionally stationary", with power law distributions of times between switching of states. Late in his life he re-emphasised the clear contrasts between their behaviour and that of fGn. I will explain why these other models are also physically interesting, and will show why real systems including climate examples may potentially map more closely to one or the other, or may in fact combine both aspects. I will also discuss his proposals for distinguishing between the models and how they may be implemented. [1] Watkins, Bunched Black Swans, Geophys Res. Lett, 2013 [2] Graves et al, A Brief History of Long Memory, arXiv:1406.6018 [stat.OT] [3] Berger and Mandelbrot, "A New Model for Error Clustering in Telephone Circuits", IBM Technical Journal, July 1963. [4] Mandelbrot, "Self-similar error clusters in communications systems, and the concept of conditional stationarity", IEEE Trans. on Communications Technology, COM-13, 71-90, 1965. [5] Mandelbrot, "Time varying Channels, 1/f noises, and the Infrared Catastrophe: Or why does the low frequency energy sometimes seem infinite ?", IEEE Communication Convention, Boulder, Colorado, 1965. [6] Mandelbrot, "Some Noises With 1/f Spectrum, a Bridge Between Direct Current and White Noise", IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory, 13(2), 289, 1967.

Particle analysis using laser ablation mass spectroscopy

DOEpatents

Parker, Eric P.; Rosenthal, Stephen E.; Trahan, Michael W.; Wagner, John S.

2003-09-09

The present invention provides a method of quickly identifying bioaerosols by class, even if the subject bioaerosol has not been previously encountered. The method begins by collecting laser ablation mass spectra from known particles. The spectra are correlated with the known particles, including the species of particle and the classification (e.g., bacteria). The spectra can then be used to train a neural network, for example using genetic algorithm-based training, to recognize each spectra and to recognize characteristics of the classifications. The spectra can also be used in a multivariate patch algorithm. Laser ablation mass specta from unknown particles can be presented as inputs to the trained neural net for identification as to classification. The description below first describes suitable intelligent algorithms and multivariate patch algorithms, then presents an example of the present invention including results.

Genome Data Exploration Using Correspondence Analysis

PubMed Central

Tekaia, Fredj

2016-01-01

Recent developments of sequencing technologies that allow the production of massive amounts of genomic and genotyping data have highlighted the need for synthetic data representation and pattern recognition methods that can mine and help discovering biologically meaningful knowledge included in such large data sets. Correspondence analysis (CA) is an exploratory descriptive method designed to analyze two-way data tables, including some measure of association between rows and columns. It constructs linear combinations of variables, known as factors. CA has been used for decades to study high-dimensional data, and remarkable inferences from large data tables were obtained by reducing the dimensionality to a few orthogonal factors that correspond to the largest amount of variability in the data. Herein, I review CA and highlight its use by considering examples in handling high-dimensional data that can be constructed from genomic and genetic studies. Examples in amino acid compositions of large sets of species (viruses, phages, yeast, and fungi) as well as an example related to pairwise shared orthologs in a set of yeast and fungal species, as obtained from their proteome comparisons, are considered. For the first time, results show striking segregations between yeasts and fungi as well as between viruses and phages. Distributions obtained from shared orthologs show clusters of yeast and fungal species corresponding to their phylogenetic relationships. A direct comparison with the principal component analysis method is discussed using a recently published example of genotyping data related to newly discovered traces of an ancient hominid that was compared to modern human populations in the search for ancestral similarities. CA offers more detailed results highlighting links between modern humans and the ancient hominid and their characterizations. Compared to the popular principal component analysis method, CA allows easier and more effective interpretation of results, particularly by the ability of relating individual patterns with their corresponding characteristic variables. PMID:27279736

Satellite servicing mission preliminary cost estimation model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The cost model presented is a preliminary methodology for determining a rough order-of-magnitude cost for implementing a satellite servicing mission. Mission implementation, in this context, encompassess all activities associated with mission design and planning, including both flight and ground crew training and systems integration (payload processing) of servicing hardward with the Shuttle. A basic assumption made in developing this cost model is that a generic set of servicing hardware was developed and flight tested, is inventoried, and is maintained by NASA. This implies that all hardware physical and functional interfaces are well known and therefore recurring CITE testing is not required. The development of the cost model algorithms and examples of their use are discussed.

MIANN models in medicinal, physical and organic chemistry.

PubMed

González-Díaz, Humberto; Arrasate, Sonia; Sotomayor, Nuria; Lete, Esther; Munteanu, Cristian R; Pazos, Alejandro; Besada-Porto, Lina; Ruso, Juan M

2013-01-01

Reducing costs in terms of time, animal sacrifice, and material resources with computational methods has become a promising goal in Medicinal, Biological, Physical and Organic Chemistry. There are many computational techniques that can be used in this sense. In any case, almost all these methods focus on few fundamental aspects including: type (1) methods to quantify the molecular structure, type (2) methods to link the structure with the biological activity, and others. In particular, MARCH-INSIDE (MI), acronym for Markov Chain Invariants for Networks Simulation and Design, is a well-known method for QSAR analysis useful in step (1). In addition, the bio-inspired Artificial-Intelligence (AI) algorithms called Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are among the most powerful type (2) methods. We can combine MI with ANNs in order to seek QSAR models, a strategy which is called herein MIANN (MI & ANN models). One of the first applications of the MIANN strategy was in the development of new QSAR models for drug discovery. MIANN strategy has been expanded to the QSAR study of proteins, protein-drug interactions, and protein-protein interaction networks. In this paper, we review for the first time many interesting aspects of the MIANN strategy including theoretical basis, implementation in web servers, and examples of applications in Medicinal and Biological chemistry. We also report new applications of the MIANN strategy in Medicinal chemistry and the first examples in Physical and Organic Chemistry, as well. In so doing, we developed new MIANN models for several self-assembly physicochemical properties of surfactants and large reaction networks in organic synthesis. In some of the new examples we also present experimental results which were not published up to date.

A high-efficiency electromechanical battery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Post, Richard F.; Fowler, T. K.; Post, Stephen F.

1993-03-01

In our society there is a growing need for efficient cost-effective means for storing electrical energy. The electric auto is a prime example. Storage systems for the electric utilities, and for wind or solar power, are other examples. While electrochemical cells could in principle supply these needs, the existing E-C batteries have well-known limitations. This article addresses an alternative, the electromechanical battery (EMB). An EMB is a modular unit consisting of an evacuated housing containing a fiber-composite rotor. The rotor is supported by magnetic bearings and contains an integrally mounted permanent magnet array. This article addresses design issues for EMBs with rotors made up of nested cylinders. Issues addressed include rotational stability, stress distributions, generator/motor power and efficiency, power conversion, and cost. It is concluded that the use of EMBs in electric autos could result in a fivefold reduction (relative to the IC engine) in the primary energy input required for urban driving, with a concomitant major positive impact on our economy and on air pollution.

[Are acute toxicity testing and the three Rs rule reconcilable? Example of the lethal dose 50 determination].

PubMed

Dorandeu, Fr; Lallement, G

2003-11-01

Toxicity assessment and demonstration of innocuousness of chemical compounds have been part of the research studies conducted in the fields of pharmacy, agriculture and chemical industry for years. Acute systemic toxicity studies are an important element of the safety evaluation. They remain compulsory for regulatory purposes and important for the public opinion that does not accept the risk anymore. Evolutions of the ethics in animal experiments foster a necessary reduction of the number of animals involved in this type of experiments, following the well-known principle of the three Rs rule of Russell and Burch (1959) (Reduction, refinement and replacement). These two views seem in contradiction. Using the example of acute toxicity testing and focusing on the now very criticized parameter lethal dose 50, we will present approaches, including statistical ones, that a toxicologist can use, when free to choose, to keep on conducting the indispensable in vivo studies while abiding by ethical recommendations.

Comment on: "Split kinetic energy method for quantum systems with competing potentials", Ann. Phys. 327 (2012) 2061

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, Francisco M.

2018-06-01

We show that the kinetic-energy partition method (KEP) is a particular example of the well known Rayleigh-Ritz variational method. We discuss some of the KEP results and compare them with those coming from other approaches.

The Regional Variability of Enzymes in the Brain.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-08-01

AST Reagent, adapted to the method of Karmen. was used (42,103). The reaction is as follows: Aspartate + alpha - Ketoglutarate ---- > Oxaloacetate...by an enzyme. A well known example is pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) in the brain. It has been shown that decapitation, resulting in a calcium influx

Antoine's Necklace or How to Keep a Necklace from Falling Apart.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brechner, Beverly L.; Mayer, John C.

1988-01-01

A construction in geometric topology is presented for an imaginary string of beads, but without the string, forming a necklace that cannot fall apart. Some well-known applications and generalizations of Antoine's Necklace are provided, with all examples subsets of Euclidean spaces. (MNS)

Creating Poetry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drury, John

Encouraging exploration and practice, this book offers hundreds of exercises and numerous tips covering every step involved in creating poetry. Each chapter is a self-contained unit offering an overview of material in the chapter, a definition of terms, and poetry examples from well-known authors designed to supplement the numerous exercises.…

Pan, Syrinx and syringomyelia.

PubMed

Palacios-Sánchez, Leonardo; Botero-Meneses, Juan Sebastián; Vélez-Flórez, María Camila

2017-12-01

Many myths and legends have had a deep influence on modern language, and on modern medical vernacular. The terms "syrinx" and "panic"are two of the most characteristic examples and their use in neurology and other specialties is well known. This article reviews the history of these words in Greek mythology and their use in modern medicine. It is known by very few that clinical symptoms or conditions, such as syringomyelia and panic attacks, have a mythological origin in their definition and naming.

Multiple Paths to Mathematics Practice in Al-Kashi's Key to Arithmetic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taani, Osama

2014-01-01

In this paper, I discuss one of the most distinguishing features of Jamshid al-Kashi's pedagogy from his Key to Arithmetic, a well-known Arabic mathematics textbook from the fifteenth century. This feature is the multiple paths that he includes to find a desired result. In the first section light is shed on al-Kashi's life and his contributions to mathematics and astronomy. Section 2 starts with a brief discussion of the contents and pedagogy of the Key to Arithmetic. Al-Kashi's multiple approaches are discussed through four different examples of his versatility in presenting a topic from multiple perspectives. These examples are multiple definitions, multiple algorithms, multiple formulas, and multiple methods for solving word problems. Section 3 is devoted to some benefits that can be gained by implementing al-Kashi's multiple paths approach in modern curricula. For this discussion, examples from two teaching modules taken from the Key to Arithmetic and implemented in Pre-Calculus and mathematics courses for preservice teachers are discussed. Also, the conclusions are supported by some aspects of these modules. This paper is an attempt to help mathematics educators explore more benefits from reading from original sources.

Hemolytic Anemia

MedlinePlus

... t known. AIHA accounts for half of all cases of hemolytic anemia. AIHA may come on very quickly and become serious. Having certain diseases or infections can raise your risk for AIHA. Examples include: Autoimmune diseases, such as lupus Chronic lymphocytic ...

Cougar attacks on children: injury patterns and treatment.

PubMed

Kadesky, K M; Manarey, C; Blair, G K; Murphy, J J; Verchere, C; Atkinson, K

1998-06-01

Cougar attacks on humans appear to be on the rise. A review of all attacks on children was performed to determine the method of attack and injury patterns so that a treatment regimen as well as possible preventative measures could be determined. A review of all attacks, including attacks on children, was performed, including three recent attacks treated at our institution. Situation, adult supervision, patient age, injuries recorded, survival, and mode of attack, if known, were reviewed. There were 50 documented attacks on children with a 25% fatality rate. Most children were not alone at the time of the attack (92%), and in many instances adult supervision was present or nearby. Severe head and neck lacerations along with puncture wounds were the most common injury. Examples of typical cervical injuries include a nonfatal vertebral artery injury, phrenic nerve injury, a fatal internal carotid artery injury, and a fatal cervical spine injury. The cougar was rabid in two cases. Pasteurella resulted in late infections in two patients. Based on the pattern of injuries, the authors recommend aggressive evaluation for occult cervical injuries as well as surgical debridement. Antibiotics should cover oropharyngeal flora including Pasteurella multocida. Rabies prophylaxis is indicated. Adult supervision in wilderness areas is not necessarily protective.

Space weather effects on ground based technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, T.

Space weather can affect a variety of forms of ground-based technology, usually as a result of either the direct effects of the varying geomagnetic field, or as a result of the induced electric field that accompanies such variations. Technologies affected directly by geomagnetic variations include magnetic measurements made d ringu geophysical surveys, and navigation relying on the geomagnetic field as a direction reference, a method that is particularly common in the surveying of well-bores in the oil industry. The most obvious technology affected by induced electric fields during magnetic storms is electric power transmission, where the example of the blackout in Quebec during the March 1989 magnetic storm is widely known. Additionally, space weather effects must be taken into account in the design of active cathodic protection systems on pipelines to protect them against corrosion. Long-distance telecommunication cables may also have to be designed to cope with space weather related effects. This paper reviews the effects of space weather in these different areas of ground-based technology, and provides examples of how mitigation against hazards may be achieved. (The paper does not include the effects of space weather on radio communication or satellite navigation systems).

Entropy of Mixing of Distinguishable Particles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kozliak, Evguenii I.

2014-01-01

The molar entropy of mixing yields values that depend only on the number of mixing components rather than on their chemical nature. To explain this phenomenon using the logic of chemistry, this article considers mixing of distinguishable particles, thus complementing the well-known approach developed for nondistinguishable particles, for example,…

Mercury-Free Analysis of Lead in Drinking Water by Anodic Stripping Square Wave Voltammetry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilburn, Jeremy P.; Brown, Kyle L.; Cliffel, David E.

2007-01-01

The analysis of drinking water for lead, which has well-known health effects, is presented as an instructive example for undergraduate chemistry students. It allows the students to perform an experiment and evaluate to monitor risk factors and common hazard of everyday life.

Effects of 5HPP-33,an antiangiogenic thalidomide analog, in mouse whole embryo culture

EPA Science Inventory

Thalidomide is a well-known example of a teratogen which has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on angiogenesis. As a result of its targeted effect on immature blood vessels, anti-angiogenic specific chemical analogs were developed to maximize this mechanism of thalidomide e...

Measuring Language-Specific Phonetic Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mennen, Ineke; Scobbie, James M.; de Leeuw, Esther; Schaeffler, Sonja; Schaeffler, Felix

2010-01-01

While it is well known that languages have different phonemes and phonologies, there is growing interest in the idea that languages may also differ in their "phonetic setting". The term "phonetic setting" refers to a tendency to make the vocal apparatus employ a language-specific habitual configuration. For example, languages may differ in their…

Music, Technology, and an Evolving Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Brian

1992-01-01

Mechanical examples of musical technology, like the Steinway piano, are well known and accepted. Use of computers and electronic technology is the next logical step in developing art of music. MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is explained, along with digital devices (such as synthesizers, sequencers, music notation software, multimedia,…

Biometeorology - a science supporting adaptation strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzarakis, A.; Cegnar, T.

2010-09-01

Biometeorology as an interdisciplinary science deals with the interactions between atmospheric processes and living organisms (plants, animals and humans). If and in what way weather and climate affect the well-being of all the living creatures? This is the most important question biometeorology is answering. The International Society of Biometeorology (ISB) has built an international forum for the promotion of interdisciplinary collaboration between meteorologists, health professionals, biologists, climatologists, ecologists and other scientists. The Society acts as a community of scientists with similar interests, and fulfills an important role in providing information, expertise and advice for international organizations requiring this assistance. The ISB represents the most comprehensive organization, which brings together people with expertise in these areas. Another specific aim of the ISB is the stimulation of research. Therefore, groups of members are working on several topics organized in commissions for specific targets. The recent five commissions are working in the several fields including climate change issues. Some of examples will be presented, which have been initiated by the members of the ISB and how they can be included as a solid scientific basis to develop efficient adaptation strategies. One such example is a project combining natural and social sciences (in the fields of cooperation processes, tourism analysis and strategy, weather and climate change analysis, information and communication and knowledge transfer) in a transdisciplinary approach that includes players from tourism policy and business and which focuses on the North Sea Coast and the Black Forest. The project "Climate trends and sustainable development of tourism in coastal and mountain range regions was divided into four phases - diagnosis, assessment, strategy/design of solutions, and evaluation - where scientific subprojects and practical partners meet regularly to discuss the research activities, identify the needs of the actors and to jointly develop adaptation strategies at local scale. The anticipatory adaptation requires communication activities on the level of the individual tourism actors among themselves and with visitors as well as processes of cooperative learning and joint decision-making in tourism regions. There are well known several examples of using heat budget models for assessing human thermal comfort and developing Heat Watch Warning Systems to prevent adverse effects of heat waves.

ENANTIOMER-SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF CHIRAL POLLUTANTS

EPA Science Inventory

Enantiomers, the mirror image isomers of chiral pollutants, are known to be selective in their interaction with other chiral molecules, including enzymes and other biochemicals. Considerable research has shown, for example, that chiral pesticides are degraded selectively by micr...

NMR Studies of Low-Gamma Nuclei in Solids

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

Wasylishen, Roderick E.; Forgeron, Michelle A.; Siegel, Renee

2006-07-24

Over the past five years we have devoted considerable time to solid-state NMR investigaitons of nuclei, which are traditionally known as "difficult" because of their small magnetic moments. These include quadrupolar nuclei such as 35Cl, 53 Cr, 91Zr, 95Mo, 99Ru, 131 Xe, as well as spin-1/2 nuclei such as 109Ag. While NMR studies of such isotopes remain challenging, the use of moderate to high magnetic field strengths together with a variety of enhancement techniques is leading to many interesting applications. In this talk some of our successes in studying these isotopes will be presented. For example, we will present preliminarymore » results of 131Xe NMR studies of solid sodium perxenate, as well as 109Ag NMR studies of silver dialkylphosphites. Our experience using population enhancement techniques that utilize hyperbolic secant pulses will also be discussed.« less

Neighborhood and Family Environment of Expectans Mothers May Influence Prenatal Programming of Adult Cancer Risk: Discussion and an Illustrative DNA Methylation Example

EPA Science Inventory

Childhood stressors including physical abuse predict adult cancer risk. Prior research portrays this finding as an indirect mechanism that operates through coping behaviors, including adult smoking, or through increased toxic exposures during childhood. Little is known about pote...

Zero-inflated Conway-Maxwell Poisson Distribution to Analyze Discrete Data.

PubMed

Sim, Shin Zhu; Gupta, Ramesh C; Ong, Seng Huat

2018-01-09

In this paper, we study the zero-inflated Conway-Maxwell Poisson (ZICMP) distribution and develop a regression model. Score and likelihood ratio tests are also implemented for testing the inflation/deflation parameter. Simulation studies are carried out to examine the performance of these tests. A data example is presented to illustrate the concepts. In this example, the proposed model is compared to the well-known zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) and the zero- inflated generalized Poisson (ZIGP) regression models. It is shown that the fit by ZICMP is comparable or better than these models.

3D measurement by digital photogrammetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Carl T.

1993-12-01

Photogrammetry is well known in geodetic surveys as aerial photogrammetry or close range applications as architectural photogrammetry. The photogrammetric methods and algorithms combined with digital cameras and digital image processing methods are now introduced for industrial applications as automation and quality control. The presented paper will describe the photogrammetric and digital image processing algorithms and the calibration methods. These algorithms and methods were demonstrated with application examples. These applications are a digital photogrammetric workstation as a mobil multi purpose 3D measuring tool and a tube measuring system as an example for a single purpose tool.

CORSS: Cylinder Optimization of Rings, Skin, and Stringers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finckenor, J.; Rogers, P.; Otte, N.

1994-01-01

Launch vehicle designs typically make extensive use of cylindrical skin stringer construction. Structural analysis methods are well developed for preliminary design of this type of construction. This report describes an automated, iterative method to obtain a minimum weight preliminary design. Structural optimization has been researched extensively, and various programs have been written for this purpose. Their complexity and ease of use depends on their generality, the failure modes considered, the methodology used, and the rigor of the analysis performed. This computer program employs closed-form solutions from a variety of well-known structural analysis references and joins them with a commercially available numerical optimizer called the 'Design Optimization Tool' (DOT). Any ring and stringer stiffened shell structure of isotropic materials that has beam type loading can be analyzed. Plasticity effects are not included. It performs a more limited analysis than programs such as PANDA, but it provides an easy and useful preliminary design tool for a large class of structures. This report briefly describes the optimization theory, outlines the development and use of the program, and describes the analysis techniques that are used. Examples of program input and output, as well as the listing of the analysis routines, are included.

Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Macitentan: Prediction of Drug-Drug Interactions.

PubMed

de Kanter, Ruben; Sidharta, Patricia N; Delahaye, Stéphane; Gnerre, Carmela; Segrestaa, Jerome; Buchmann, Stephan; Kohl, Christopher; Treiber, Alexander

2016-03-01

Macitentan is a novel dual endothelin receptor antagonist for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It is metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, mainly CYP3A4, to its active metabolite ACT-132577. A physiological-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was developed by combining observations from clinical studies and physicochemical parameters as well as absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion parameters determined in vitro. The model predicted the observed pharmacokinetics of macitentan and its active metabolite ACT-132577 after single and multiple dosing. It performed well in recovering the observed effect of the CYP3A4 inhibitors ketoconazole and cyclosporine, and the CYP3A4 inducer rifampicin, as well as in predicting interactions with S-warfarin and sildenafil. The model was robust enough to allow prospective predictions of macitentan-drug combinations not studied, including an alternative dosing regimen of ketoconazole and nine other CYP3A4-interacting drugs. Among these were the HIV drugs ritonavir and saquinavir, which were included because HIV infection is a known risk factor for the development of PAH. This example of the application of PBPK modeling to predict drug-drug interactions was used to support the labeling of macitentan (Opsumit).

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) Cybersecurity Risk Management Strategy for Alert Originators

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-01

formerly known as the Commercial Mobile Alert Service ( CMAS ) RDT&E program, is a collaborative partnership that includes the cellular industry, the...Examples illustrate a STRIDE analysis of the generic mission 1 The CMAS Alerting Pipeline Taxonomy describes in detail a hierarchical classification...SEI-2013-SR-018 | 1 1 Introduction The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service, formerly known as the Commercial Mobile Alert Service ( CMAS ), is a

A Case Study of Dilemmas Encountered When Connecting Middle School Mathematics Instruction to Relevant Real World Examples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugimoto, Amanda T.; Turner, Erin E.; Stoehr, Kathleen J.

2017-01-01

The pedagogical practice of connecting mathematical content to real world contexts, particularly contexts relevant to students' knowledge and experiences, can positively impact student motivation as well as promote conceptual understanding. However, little is known about how middle school teachers actually make relevant world connections, and more…

To drive or be driven: the path of a mouse model of recurrent pregnancy loss.

PubMed Central

Bonney, Elizabeth A.; Brown, Stephen A.

2015-01-01

This review is an example of the use of an animal model to try to understand the immune biology of pregnancy. A well-known model of recurrent spontaneous pregnancy loss is put in clinical, historical and theoretical context, with emphasis on T cell biology. PMID:24472815

Computers as Instructional Aids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Anne

The use of microcomputers as word processors for writing papers is commonplace in English departments, but there are many less well-known uses that English teachers can make of the computer. For example, word processing programs can be used to teach sentence combining. Moving text on the screen is very easy, so it is possible to rearrange words or…

AcuteToxicological Responses of Fischer Rats to Naturally Occurring Asbestos Samples from the United States and Canada

EPA Science Inventory

The potential public health issues related to exposure to natural asbestos deposits (commonly termed naturally occurring asbestos, NO A) has gained the regulatory and media spotlight in recent years. Arguably the most well known example is Libby, Montana, the site of the largest ...

Using the Cycloid as an Introduction to Transformations of "E" and "B" Fields

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frodyma, Marc; Le, My Phuong

2018-01-01

The transformations of electric and magnetic fields are usually introduced by viewing systems such as a long, straight current-carrying wire and a parallel plate capacitor in two different reference frames. These well-known examples show that magnetism is a necessary consequence of augmenting electrostatics with relativity. Because they require…

Factors Associated with High School Exit Exam Outcomes among Homeless High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uretsky, Mathew C.; Stone, Susan

2016-01-01

Little is known about academic performance among homeless high school students, although correlates of academic performance are well documented among their peers in the elementary and middle school grades. This study explores the relationship between student-level demographic and academic performance indicators (for example, grade point average…

16 CFR 255.1 - General considerations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... an uncooked chicken in the oven roasting bag and places the bag in one oven. He then takes a chicken roasting bag from a second oven, removes from the bag what appears to be a perfectly cooked chicken, tastes... conduct. Example 4: A well-known celebrity appears in an infomercial for an oven roasting bag that...

Faster than "g", Revisited with High-Speed Imaging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vollmer, Michael; Mollmann, Klaus-Peter

2012-01-01

The introduction of modern high-speed cameras in physics teaching provides a tool not only for easy visualization, but also for quantitative analysis of many simple though fast occurring phenomena. As an example, we present a very well-known demonstration experiment--sometimes also discussed in the context of falling chimneys--which is commonly…

Global trends in emerging viral diseases of wildlife origin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Ip, Hon S.

2015-01-01

The following article provides examples of recently emerged viral diseases of wildlife origin. The examples have been selected to illustrate the drivers of emerging viral diseases, both novel pathogens and previously known diseases, the impacts of these diseases, as well as the role of wildlife both as “villains” or reservoirs as well as “victims” of these viral diseases. The article also discusses potential management strategies for emerging viral diseases in wildlife populations and future science directions in wildlife health to prevent, prepare, respond to, and recover from these disease events. Finally, the concept of One Health and its potential role in developing solutions to these issues of mutual concern is discussed.

THE MYSTERIOUS MOTIVATIONAL FUNCTIONS OF MESOLIMBIC DOPAMINE

PubMed Central

Salamone, John D.; Correa, Mercè

2012-01-01

Summary Nucleus accumbens dopamine is known to play a role in motivational processes, and dysfunctions of mesolimbic dopamine may contribute to motivational symptoms of depression and other disorders, as well as features of substance abuse. Although it has become traditional to label dopamine neurons as “reward” neurons, this is an over-generalization, and it is important to distinguish between aspects of motivation that are differentially affected by dopaminergic manipulations. For example, accumbens dopamine does not mediate primary food motivation or appetite, but is involved in appetitive and aversive motivational processes including behavioral activation, exertion of effort, approach behavior, sustained task engagement, Pavlovian processes and instrumental learning. In this review, we discuss the complex roles of dopamine in behavioral functions related to motivation. PMID:23141060

Peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerases of Legionella pneumophila: virulence, moonlighting and novel therapeutic targets.

PubMed

Rasch, Janine; Ünal, Can M; Steinert, Michael

2014-12-01

Legionella pneumophila, typically a parasite of free-living protozoa, can also replicate in human alveolar macrophages and lung epithelial cells causing Legionnaires' disease in humans, a severe atypical pneumonia. The pathogen encodes six peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerases (PPIases), which generally accelerate folding of prolyl peptide bonds, and influence protein folding. PPIases can be divided into three classes, cyclophilins, parvulins and FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs). They contribute to a multitude of cellular functions including bacterial virulence. In the present review, we provide an overview of L. pneumophila PPIases, discussing their known and anticipated functions as well as moonlighting phenomena. By taking the example of the macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) of L. pneumophila, we highlight the potential of PPIases as promising drug targets.

Babinet’s principle for scalar complex objects in the far field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez-Zurita, G.; Rickenstorff, C.; Pastrana-Sánchez, R.; Vázquez-Castillo, J. F.; Robledo-Sanchez, C.; Meneses-Fabian, C.; Toto-Arellano, N. I.

2014-10-01

Babinet’s principle is briefly reviewed, especially regarding the zeroth diffraction order of the far field diffraction pattern associated with a given aperture. The pattern is basically described by the squared modulus of the Fourier transform of its amplitude distribution (scalar case). In this paper, complementary objects are defined with respect to complex values and not only with respect to unity in order to include phase objects and phase modulation. It is shown that the difference in complementary patterns can be sometimes a bright spot at the zero order location as is widely known, but also, it can be a gray spot or even a dark one. Conditions of occurrence for each case are given as well as some numerical and experimental examples.

Lorentz-violating gravitoelectromagnetism

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

Bailey, Quentin G.

2010-09-15

The well-known analogy between a special limit of general relativity and electromagnetism is explored in the context of the Lorentz-violating standard-model extension. An analogy is developed for the minimal standard-model extension that connects a limit of the CPT-even component of the electromagnetic sector to the gravitational sector. We show that components of the post-Newtonian metric can be directly obtained from solutions to the electromagnetic sector. The method is illustrated with specific examples including static and rotating sources. Some unconventional effects that arise for Lorentz-violating electrostatics and magnetostatics have an analog in Lorentz-violating post-Newtonian gravity. In particular, we show that evenmore » for static sources, gravitomagnetic fields arise in the presence of Lorentz violation.« less

Comparison and validation of point spread models for imaging in natural waters.

PubMed

Hou, Weilin; Gray, Deric J; Weidemann, Alan D; Arnone, Robert A

2008-06-23

It is known that scattering by particulates within natural waters is the main cause of the blur in underwater images. Underwater images can be better restored or enhanced with knowledge of the point spread function (PSF) of the water. This will extend the performance range as well as the information retrieval from underwater electro-optical systems, which is critical in many civilian and military applications, including target and especially mine detection, search and rescue, and diver visibility. A better understanding of the physical process involved also helps to predict system performance and simulate it accurately on demand. The presented effort first reviews several PSF models, including the introduction of a semi-analytical PSF given optical properties of the medium, including scattering albedo, mean scattering angles and the optical range. The models under comparison include the empirical model of Duntley, a modified PSF model by Dolin et al, as well as the numerical integration of analytical forms from Wells, as a benchmark of theoretical results. For experimental results, in addition to that of Duntley, we validate the above models with measured point spread functions by applying field measured scattering properties with Monte Carlo simulations. Results from these comparisons suggest it is sufficient but necessary to have the three parameters listed above to model PSFs. The simplified approach introduced also provides adequate accuracy and flexibility for imaging applications, as shown by examples of restored underwater images.

Analysis of 100 pharmaceuticals and their degradates in water samples by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Ferrer, Imma; Thurman, E Michael

2012-10-12

A straightforward methodology for the chromatographic separation and accurate mass identification of 100 pharmaceuticals including some of their degradation products was developed using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS). A table compiling the protonated or deprotonated exact masses for all compounds, as well as the exact mass of several fragment ions obtained by MS-MS is included. Excellent chromatographic separation was achieved by using 3.5 μm particle size columns and a slow and generic 30-min gradient. Isobaric and isomeric compounds (same nominal mass and same exact mass, respectively) were distinguished by various methods, including chromatography separation, MS-MS fragmentation, and isotopic signal identification. Method reporting limits of detection ranged from 1 to 1000 ng/L, after solid-phase extraction of 100mL aqueous samples. The methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of surface water impacted by wastewater effluent by identifying many of the pharmaceuticals and metabolites included in the list. Examples are given for some of the most unusual findings in environmental samples. This paper is meant to serve as a guide for those doing analysis of pharmaceuticals in environmental samples, by providing exact mass measurements of several well known, as well as newly identified and environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals in water samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alexander Ya. Orolv - Well-Known Scientist and Recognized Organizer of Astronmoical Research. Little Known Facts of His Life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yatskiv, Ya. S.; Vavilova, I. B.; Korsun', A. A.

Alexander Ya. Orlov is a well-known astronomer and geophysicist as well as a worldrecognized organizer of scientific research in Russia, the USSR, and Ukraine. Orlov has formulated his main scientific ideas during the Odesa's period of life. He studied a tidal deformation of the Earth and its polar motion using the gravity and latitude observations. He has proposed new defenitions of a mean pole and a mean latitude, as wel as a new method for determing the Earth pole coordinates. To the end of 1940-ties, the Orlov's scientific ideas were implemented and stimulated a development of a research field, which is now called as Astrogeodynamics or Space Geodynamics. Among the representatives of the Orlov's scientific school are about 20 Doctors of Sciences and more than 40 Candidates of Sciences, including the members of Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and other countries. Among them are N.Stoyko-Radilenko (France), J.Witkowski (Poland), V.Zhardetsky (Yugoslavia-Austria-USA), D.Pyaskovsky, Z.Aksent'eva, E.Lavrentieva, N.Popov, E.Fedorov and A.Korol in Ukraine. The deserved followers of the Orlov's scientific ideas were also I.Androsov, I.Dyukov, K.Mansurova, B.Novopashennyj, N.V.Zimmerman in Russia and M.Bursa (Chesh Republic), who worked with him, as well as his sons, A.A.Orlov and B.A. Orlov. The Orlov's life and scientific activity were fully described in many articles. For that reason in this paper we will focus on the little-known facts of the Orlov's scientific-organizational activity, for example, the Orlov's appointments as a director of observatories in Odesa, Poltava, m.Pip-Ivan, Pulkovo, and Kyiv; interesesting facts related to his membership in the Academies of Sciences of the USSR and Ukrainian SSR; organization of a large-scale program on the latitude observations and gravimetric survey. We describe briefly his life and his astrogeodynamic scientific school.

Application of Density Functional Theory to Systems Containing Metal Atoms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.

2006-01-01

The accuracy of density functional theory (DFT) for problems involving metal atoms is considered. The DFT results are compared with experiment as well as results obtained using the coupled cluster approach. The comparisons include geometries, frequencies, and bond energies. The systems considered include MO2, M(OH)+n, MNO+, and MCO+2. The DFT works well for frequencies and geometries, even in case with symmetry breaking; however, some examples have been found where the symmetry breaking is quite severe and the DFT methods do not work well. The calculation of bond energies is more difficult and examples of successes as well as failures of DFT will be given.

Scale-Free Networks and Commercial Air Carrier Transportation in the United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conway, Sheila R.

2004-01-01

Network science, or the art of describing system structure, may be useful for the analysis and control of large, complex systems. For example, networks exhibiting scale-free structure have been found to be particularly well suited to deal with environmental uncertainty and large demand growth. The National Airspace System may be, at least in part, a scalable network. In fact, the hub-and-spoke structure of the commercial segment of the NAS is an often-cited example of an existing scale-free network After reviewing the nature and attributes of scale-free networks, this assertion is put to the test: is commercial air carrier transportation in the United States well explained by this model? If so, are the positive attributes of these networks, e.g. those of efficiency, flexibility and robustness, fully realized, or could we effect substantial improvement? This paper first outlines attributes of various network types, then looks more closely at the common carrier air transportation network from perspectives of the traveler, the airlines, and Air Traffic Control (ATC). Network models are applied within each paradigm, including discussion of implied strengths and weaknesses of each model. Finally, known limitations of scalable networks are discussed. With an eye towards NAS operations, utilizing the strengths and avoiding the weaknesses of scale-free networks are addressed.

Non-coding RNA in cystic fibrosis.

PubMed

Glasgow, Arlene M A; De Santi, Chiara; Greene, Catherine M

2018-05-09

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are an abundant class of RNAs that include small ncRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) and pseudogenes. The human ncRNA atlas includes thousands of these specialised RNA molecules that are further subcategorised based on their size or function. Two of the more well-known and widely studied ncRNA species are microRNAs (miRNAs) and lncRNAs. These are regulatory RNAs and their altered expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of human diseases. Failure to express a functional cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane receptor (CFTR) chloride ion channel in epithelial cells underpins CF. Secondary to the CFTR defect, it is known that other pathways can be altered and these may contribute to the pathophysiology of CF lung disease in particular. For example, quantitative alterations in expression of some ncRNAs are associated with CF. In recent years, there has been a series of published studies exploring ncRNA expression and function in CF. The majority have focussed principally on miRNAs, with just a handful of reports to date on lncRNAs. The present study reviews what is currently known about ncRNA expression and function in CF, and discusses the possibility of applying this knowledge to the clinical management of CF in the near future. © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.

[Managment of the suicidal patient in the out-patient practice].

PubMed

Lazic, Slavica; Gaudlitz, Katharina; Hättenschwiler, Josef; Modestin, Jiri

2015-10-01

Appropriate handling of suicidal tendencies is for certain one of the most important duties within ambulant treatment. As various examples show, occurrence of a suicidal tendency can be chronical as well as acute. Well-known risk factors including current psychopathology and psychodynamics help to identify and assess a suicidal tendency and to take necessary therapeutic options. Some of these can be applied in general, others have to be tailored specifically with respect to the mental disorder in question. Suicide often occurs in an interpersonal context. This fact underlines on one hand the importance and the therapeutic potential of the relationship between the patient and the therapist, on the other hand it results in many cases in a highly stressful situation for the therapist. Significant attention has to be paid to counter transference and its control. Development of an emergency plan and challenges of a „non-suicidal-contract“ are discussed. We recommend an agreement with the patient to contact the therapist in case of not feeling able to control his/her own actions. This agreement includes our guarantee of permanent reachability.

[Cystic renal neoplasms. New entities and molecular findings].

PubMed

Moch, H

2010-10-01

Renal neoplasms with dominant cysts represent a broad spectrum of known as well as novel renal tumor entities. Established renal tumors with dominant cysts include cystic nephroma, mixed epithelial and stromal tumor, synovial sarcoma and multilocular cystic renal cancer (WHO classification 2004). Novel tumor types have recently been reported, which are also characterized by marked cyst formation. Examples are tubulocystic renal cancer and renal cancer in end-stage renal disease. These tumors are very likely to be included in a future WHO classification due to their characteristic phenotype and molecular features. Cysts and clear cell renal cell carcinoma frequently coexist in the kidneys of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease. Cysts are also a component of many sporadic clear cell renal cell carcinomas. Multilocular cystic renal cell carcinoma is composed almost exclusively of cysts and is regarded as a specific subtype of clear cell renal cancer. Recent molecular findings suggest that clear cell renal cancer may develop via a cyst-dependent mechanism in von Hippel-Lindau syndrome as well as via cyst-independent molecular pathways in sporadic clear cell renal cancer.

Shell-model method for Gamow-Teller transitions in heavy deformed odd-mass nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Long-Jun; Sun, Yang; Ghorui, Surja K.

2018-04-01

A shell-model method for calculating Gamow-Teller (GT) transition rates in heavy deformed odd-mass nuclei is presented. The method is developed within the framework of the projected shell model. To implement the computation requirement when many multi-quasiparticle configurations are included in the basis, a numerical advancement based on the Pfaffian formula is introduced. With this new many-body technique, it becomes feasible to perform state-by-state calculations for the GT nuclear matrix elements of β -decay and electron-capture processes, including those at high excitation energies in heavy nuclei which are usually deformed. The first results, β- decays of the well-deformed A =153 neutron-rich nuclei, are shown as the example. The known log(f t ) data corresponding to the B (GT- ) decay rates of the ground state of 153Nd to the low-lying states of 153Pm are well described. It is further shown that the B (GT) distributions can have a strong dependence on the detailed microscopic structure of relevant states of both the parent and daughter nuclei.

The Portrayal of Industrial Melanism in American College General Biology Textbooks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fulford, Janice Marie; Rudge, David Wÿss

2016-08-01

The phenomenon of industrial melanism (IM) became widely acknowledged as a well-documented example of natural selection largely as a result of H.B.D. Kettlewell's pioneering research on the subject in the early 1950s. It was quickly picked up by American biology textbooks starting in the early 1960s and became ubiquitous throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. While recent research on the phenomenon broadly supports Kettlewell's explanation of IM in the peppered moth, which in turn has strengthened this example of natural selection, textbook IM entries have actually declined in recent years in favor of other examples. In a previous paper, we drew attention to the pivotal role visual aspects played in the introduction of IM into (and its subsequent removal from) textbook accounts. The present article continues this investigation by analyzing textual passages on industrial melanism within a stratified random sample of textbooks from the 1960s to the 2000s. The fact that this example of natural selection was included by multiple publishers independently, in a short period of time, makes it uniquely qualified for a textbook study of this kind. The purpose of the present project was to determine whether these textbooks contain what has come to be known as the standard peppered moth story. Three complete series were also inspected for change across time. Our analysis focused on (1) the amount of text devoted to industrial melanism; (2) what specific science content elements were present; and (3) what, if any, nature of science (NOS) aspects were included. The study documents an increase in the amount of text devoted to industrial melanism over the decades. In spite of this increase, only modest changes in science content and NOS aspects were found.

Thomas of Wroclaw (1297-1378) - Medieval bishop and scholar of English origin.

PubMed

Bieganowski, Lech; Grzybowski, Andrzej

2017-11-01

Peter of Tilleberi (Tilbury), later known as bishop Thomas of Wroclaw, after completing his studies (in Bologna or in Montpellier) worked as a physician in northern Italy and probably in Spain. Later through Germany and Bohemia, he came to Wroclaw in 1336 where he joined the Order of St. Dominic. In 1352, Thomas was made an auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Wroclaw. After the episcopal consecration, Thomas stopped living in the abbey, but all the time he was well known both as a priest and physician. He is known as an author of several treatises on medical sciences. His most important work entitled Michi competit (i.e. It suits me) is composed of four parts: Regimen sanitatis (i.e. Hygiene), Aggregatum (i.e. Aggregation), Antidotarium (i.e. Medicine directory) and Practica medicinalis (i.e. Medical practices). Moreover, he is the author of other treatises including, for example, De phlebotomia et de iudiciis cruoris (i.e. On phlebotomy and blood content) and De urinis (i.e. On urine). Some Polish scientists claim that bishop Thomas of Wroclaw with his knowledge and industriousness functioned as a university faculty of medicine even though the University of Cracow had not been established yet.

Application of a boundary element method to the study of dynamical torsion of beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Czekajski, C.; Laroze, S.; Gay, D.

1982-01-01

During dynamic torsion of beam elements, consideration of nonuniform warping effects involves a more general technical formulation then that of Saint-Venant. Nonclassical torsion constants appear in addition to the well known torsional rigidity. The adaptation of the boundary integral element method to the calculation of these constants for general section shapes is described. The suitability of the formulation is investigated with some examples of thick as well as thin walled cross sections.

The Impact of Fusarium Mycotoxins on Human and Animal Host Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases

PubMed Central

Antonissen, Gunther; Martel, An; Pasmans, Frank; Ducatelle, Richard; Verbrugghe, Elin; Vandenbroucke, Virginie; Li, Shaoji; Haesebrouck, Freddy; Van Immerseel, Filip; Croubels, Siska

2014-01-01

Contamination of food and feed with mycotoxins is a worldwide problem. At present, acute mycotoxicosis caused by high doses is rare in humans and animals. Ingestion of low to moderate amounts of Fusarium mycotoxins is common and generally does not result in obvious intoxication. However, these low amounts may impair intestinal health, immune function and/or pathogen fitness, resulting in altered host pathogen interactions and thus a different outcome of infection. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about the impact of Fusarium mycotoxin exposure on human and animal host susceptibility to infectious diseases. On the one hand, exposure to deoxynivalenol and other Fusarium mycotoxins generally exacerbates infections with parasites, bacteria and viruses across a wide range of animal host species. Well-known examples include coccidiosis in poultry, salmonellosis in pigs and mice, colibacillosis in pigs, necrotic enteritis in poultry, enteric septicemia of catfish, swine respiratory disease, aspergillosis in poultry and rabbits, reovirus infection in mice and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus infection in pigs. However, on the other hand, T-2 toxin has been shown to markedly decrease the colonization capacity of Salmonella in the pig intestine. Although the impact of the exposure of humans to Fusarium toxins on infectious diseases is less well known, extrapolation from animal models suggests possible exacerbation of, for instance, colibacillosis and salmonellosis in humans, as well. PMID:24476707

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

Raizer, Yu. P.

A new voluminous book on gas-discharge physics is reviewed. It is emphasized that the authors consistently follow a nontraditional approach based on the electron distribution function with allowance for its nonlocal character. This opens new, sometimes unexpected, issues of the well-known phenomena, which is illustrated by the reviewer by using the positive column of a low-pressure glow discharge as an example.

Heterogeneous Catalysis: On Bathroom Mirrors and Boiling Stones

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philipse, Albert P.

2011-01-01

Though heterogeneous nucleation of liquid droplets on a smooth surface (such as a bathroom mirror) is a classical topic in nucleation theory, it is not well-known that this topic is actually a pedagogical example of heterogeneous catalysis: the one and only effect of the surface is to lower the activation Gibbs energy of droplet formation. In…

Magnetic Interactions and the Method of Images: A Wealth of Educational Suggestions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonanno, A.; Camarca, M.; Sapia, P.

2011-01-01

Under some conditions, the method of images (well known in electrostatics) may be implemented in magnetostatic problems too, giving an excellent example of the usefulness of formal analogies in the description of physical systems. In this paper, we develop a quantitative model for the magnetic interactions underlying the so-called Geomag[TM]…

Benign Childhood Focal Epilepsies: Assessment of Established and Newly Recognized Syndromes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panayiotopoulos, Chrysostomos P.; Michael, Michael; Sanders, Sue; Valeta, Thalia; Koutroumanidis, Michael

2008-01-01

A big advance in epileptology has been the recognition of syndromes with distinct aetiology, clinical and EEG features, treatment and prognosis. A prime and common example of this is rolandic epilepsy that is well known by the general paediatricians for over 50 years, thus allowing a precise diagnosis that predicts an excellent prognosis. However,…

Humo(u)r, a Neglected Feature in Foreign Language Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomes de Matos, F.

This issue of the Yazigi Institute's bimonthly newsletter is devoted to a discussion of the importance of humor in the teaching and learning of a foreign language. It begins with several quotations from well-known linguists, humorists and teachers about the need for humor in the language class. Several examples of humor in the textbooks of the…

Electric Hindrance and Precursor Complexes in the Regiochemistry of Some Nitrations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez-Viesca, Francisco; Gomez, Maria Reina Gomez; Berros, Martha

2011-01-01

There are still gaps in the theory of supposedly well-known chemical reactions. For example, there is no explanation why there is a notorious preponderance of one of the expected isomers in some electrophilic aromatic substitutions. The preferred ortho orientation of acetyl nitrate has been used widely to obtain ortho nitro compounds; however,…

The Tablecloth Pull Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vollmer, Michael; Mollmann, Klaus-Peter

2015-01-01

A very old and well-known magical trick is the so-called tablecloth pull. A table is covered with a tablecloth, on top of which are certain objects. The task is to remove the tablecloth while the objects--which must not be touched--stay on top of the table. This article describes the physics behind the experiment, and presents examples recorded…

Combined neurostimulation and neuroimaging in cognitive neuroscience: past, present, and future.

PubMed

Bestmann, Sven; Feredoes, Eva

2013-08-01

Modern neurostimulation approaches in humans provide controlled inputs into the operations of cortical regions, with highly specific behavioral consequences. This enables causal structure-function inferences, and in combination with neuroimaging, has provided novel insights into the basic mechanisms of action of neurostimulation on distributed networks. For example, more recent work has established the capacity of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to probe causal interregional influences, and their interaction with cognitive state changes. Combinations of neurostimulation and neuroimaging now face the challenge of integrating the known physiological effects of neurostimulation with theoretical and biological models of cognition, for example, when theoretical stalemates between opposing cognitive theories need to be resolved. This will be driven by novel developments, including biologically informed computational network analyses for predicting the impact of neurostimulation on brain networks, as well as novel neuroimaging and neurostimulation techniques. Such future developments may offer an expanded set of tools with which to investigate structure-function relationships, and to formulate and reconceptualize testable hypotheses about complex neural network interactions and their causal roles in cognition. © 2013 New York Academy of Sciences.

Proposed principles of maximum local entropy production.

PubMed

Ross, John; Corlan, Alexandru D; Müller, Stefan C

2012-07-12

Articles have appeared that rely on the application of some form of "maximum local entropy production principle" (MEPP). This is usually an optimization principle that is supposed to compensate for the lack of structural information and measurements about complex systems, even systems as complex and as little characterized as the whole biosphere or the atmosphere of the Earth or even of less known bodies in the solar system. We select a number of claims from a few well-known papers that advocate this principle and we show that they are in error with the help of simple examples of well-known chemical and physical systems. These erroneous interpretations can be attributed to ignoring well-established and verified theoretical results such as (1) entropy does not necessarily increase in nonisolated systems, such as "local" subsystems; (2) macroscopic systems, as described by classical physics, are in general intrinsically deterministic-there are no "choices" in their evolution to be selected by using supplementary principles; (3) macroscopic deterministic systems are predictable to the extent to which their state and structure is sufficiently well-known; usually they are not sufficiently known, and probabilistic methods need to be employed for their prediction; and (4) there is no causal relationship between the thermodynamic constraints and the kinetics of reaction systems. In conclusion, any predictions based on MEPP-like principles should not be considered scientifically founded.

Structural bioinformatics of the human spliceosomal proteome

PubMed Central

Korneta, Iga; Magnus, Marcin; Bujnicki, Janusz M.

2012-01-01

In this work, we describe the results of a comprehensive structural bioinformatics analysis of the spliceosomal proteome. We used fold recognition analysis to complement prior data on the ordered domains of 252 human splicing proteins. Examples of newly identified domains include a PWI domain in the U5 snRNP protein 200K (hBrr2, residues 258–338), while examples of previously known domains with a newly determined fold include the DUF1115 domain of the U4/U6 di-snRNP protein 90K (hPrp3, residues 540–683). We also established a non-redundant set of experimental models of spliceosomal proteins, as well as constructed in silico models for regions without an experimental structure. The combined set of structural models is available for download. Altogether, over 90% of the ordered regions of the spliceosomal proteome can be represented structurally with a high degree of confidence. We analyzed the reduced spliceosomal proteome of the intron-poor organism Giardia lamblia, and as a result, we proposed a candidate set of ordered structural regions necessary for a functional spliceosome. The results of this work will aid experimental and structural analyses of the spliceosomal proteins and complexes, and can serve as a starting point for multiscale modeling of the structure of the entire spliceosome. PMID:22573172

Application of Density Functional Theory to Systems Containing Metal Atoms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

The accuracy of density functional theory (DFT) for problems involving metal atoms is considered. The DFT results are compared with experiment as well as results obtained using the coupled cluster approach. The comparisons include geometries, frequencies, and bond energies. The systems considered include MO2, M(OH)+(sub n), MNO+, and MCO+(sub 2). The DFT works well for frequencies and geometries, even in cases with symmetry breaking; however, some examples have been found where the symmetry breaking is quite severe and the DFT methods do not work well. The calculation of bond energies is more difficult and examples of the successes as well as failures of DFT will be given.

Toxicology and Chemical Safety.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Stephen K.

1983-01-01

Topics addressed in this discussion of toxicology and chemical safety include routes of exposure, dose/response relationships, action of toxic substances, and effects of exposure to chemicals. Specific examples are used to illustrate the principles discussed. Suggests prudence in handling any chemicals, whether or not toxicity is known. (JN)

Continuous flow chemistry: a discovery tool for new chemical reactivity patterns.

PubMed

Hartwig, Jan; Metternich, Jan B; Nikbin, Nikzad; Kirschning, Andreas; Ley, Steven V

2014-06-14

Continuous flow chemistry as a process intensification tool is well known. However, its ability to enable chemists to perform reactions which are not possible in batch is less well studied or understood. Here we present an example, where a new reactivity pattern and extended reaction scope has been achieved by transferring a reaction from batch mode to flow. This new reactivity can be explained by suppressing back mixing and precise control of temperature in a flow reactor set up.

Feasible Application Area Study for Linear Laser Cutting in Paper Making Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Happonen, A.; Stepanov, A.; Piili, H.

Traditional industry sectors, like paper making industry, tend to stay within well-known technology rather than going forward towards promising, but still quite new technical solutions and applications. This study analyses the feasibility of the laser cutting in large-scale industrial paper making processes. Aim was to reveal development and process related challenges and improvement potential in paper making processes by utilizing laser technology. This study has been carried out, because there still seems to be only few large-scale industrial laser processing applications in paper converting processes worldwide, even in the beginning of 2010's. Because of this, the small-scale use of lasers in paper material manufacturing industry is related to a shortage of well-known and widely available published research articles and published measurement data (e.g. actual achieved cut speeds with high quality cut edges, set-up times and so on). It was concluded that laser cutting has strong potential in industrial applications for paper making industries. This potential includes quality improvements and a competitive advantage for paper machine manufacturers and industry. The innovations have also added potential, when developing new paper products. An example of these kinds of products are ones with printed intelligence, which could be a new business opportunity for the paper industries all around the world.

Combining disparate data for decision making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gettings, M. E.

2010-12-01

Combining information of disparate types from multiple data or model sources is a fundamental task in decision making theory. Procedures for combining and utilizing quantitative data with uncertainties are well-developed in several approaches, but methods for including qualitative and semi-quantitative data are much less so. Possibility theory offers an approach to treating all three data types in an objective and repeatable way. In decision making, biases are frequently present in several forms, including those arising from data quality, data spatial and temporal distribution, and the analyst's knowledge and beliefs as to which data or models are most important. The latter bias is particularly evident in the case of qualitative data and there are numerous examples of analysts feeling that a qualitative dataset is more relevant than a quantified one. Possibility theory and fuzzy logic now provide fairly general rules for quantifying qualitative and semi-quantitative data in ways that are repeatable and minimally biased. Once a set of quantified data and/or model layers is obtained, there are several methods of combining them to obtain insight useful in decision making. These include: various combinations of layers using formal fuzzy logic (for example, layer A and (layer B or layer C) but not layer D); connecting the layers with varying influence links in a Fuzzy Cognitive Map; and using the set of layers for the universe of discourse for agent based model simulations. One example of logical combinations that have proven useful is the definition of possible habitat for valley fever fungus (Coccidioides sp.) using variables such as soil type, altitude, aspect, moisture and temperature. A second example is the delineation of the lithology and possible mineralization of several areas beneath basin fill in southern Arizona. A Fuzzy Cognitive Map example is the impacts of development and operation of a hypothetical mine in an area adjacent to a city. In this model variables such as water use, environmental quality measures (visual and geochemical), deposit quality, rate of development, and commodity price combine in complex ways to yield frequently counter-intuitive results. By varying the interaction strengths linking the variables, insight into the complex interactions of the system can be gained. An example using agent-based modeling is a model designed to test the hypothesis that new valley fever fungus sites could be established from existing sites by wind transport of fungal spores. The variables include layers simulating precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, and soil chemistry based on historical climate records and studies of known valley fever habitat. Numerous agent-based model runs show that the system is self organizing to the extent that there will be new sites established by wind transport over decadal scales. Possibility theory provides a framework for gaining insight into the interaction of known or suspected variables in a complex system. Once the data layers are quantified into possibility functions, varying hypotheses of the relative importance of variables and processes can be obtained by repeated combinations with varying weights. This permits an evaluation of the effects of various data layers, their uncertainties, and biases from the layers, all of which improve the objectivity of decision making.

Novel Routes for Improving Biocontrol Activity of Bacillus Based Bioinoculants

PubMed Central

Wu, Liming; Wu, Hui-Jun; Qiao, Junqing; Gao, Xuewen; Borriss, Rainer

2015-01-01

Biocontrol (BC) formulations prepared from plant-growth-promoting bacteria are increasingly applied in sustainable agriculture. Especially inoculants prepared from endospore-forming Bacillus strains have been proven as efficient and environmental-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides due to their long shelf life, which is comparable with that of agrochemicals. However, these formulations of the first generation are sometimes hampered in their action and do not fulfill in each case the expectations of the appliers. In this review we use the well-known plant-associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens type strain FZB42 as example for the successful application of different techniques offered today by comparative, evolutionary and functional genomics, site-directed mutagenesis and strain construction including marker removal, for paving the way for preparing a novel generation of BC agents. PMID:26696998

Primed Conversion: The New Kid on the Block for Photoconversion.

PubMed

Mohr, Manuel Alexander; Pantazis, Periklis

2018-02-11

In 2015, a novel way to convert photoconvertible fluorescent proteins was reported that uses the intercept of blue and far-red light instead of traditional violet or near-UV light illumination. This Minireview describes and contrasts this distinct two-step mechanism termed primed conversion with traditional photoconversion. We provide a comprehensive overview of what is known to date about primed conversion and focus on the molecular requirements for it to take place. We provide examples of its application to axially confined photoconversion in complex tissues as well as super-resolution microscopy. Further, we describe why and when it is useful, including its advantages and disadvantages, and give an insight into potential future development in the field. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design Techniques for Uniform-DFT, Linear Phase Filter Banks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sun, Honglin; DeLeon, Phillip

1999-01-01

Uniform-DFT filter banks are an important class of filter banks and their theory is well known. One notable characteristic is their very efficient implementation when using polyphase filters and the FFT. Separately, linear phase filter banks, i.e. filter banks in which the analysis filters have a linear phase are also an important class of filter banks and desired in many applications. Unfortunately, it has been proved that one cannot design critically-sampled, uniform-DFT, linear phase filter banks and achieve perfect reconstruction. In this paper, we present a least-squares solution to this problem and in addition prove that oversampled, uniform-DFT, linear phase filter banks (which are also useful in many applications) can be constructed for perfect reconstruction. Design examples are included illustrate the methods.

Towards the Engineering of Dependable P2P-Based Network Control — The Case of Timely Routing Control Messages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tutschku, Kurt; Nakao, Akihiro

This paper introduces a methodology for engineering best-effort P2P algorithms into dependable P2P-based network control mechanism. The proposed method is built upon an iterative approach consisting of improving the original P2P algorithm by appropriate mechanisms and of thorough performance assessment with respect to dependability measures. The potential of the methodology is outlined by the example of timely routing control for vertical handover in B3G wireless networks. In detail, the well-known Pastry and CAN algorithms are enhanced to include locality. By showing how to combine algorithmic enhancements with performance indicators, this case study paves the way for future engineering of dependable network control mechanisms through P2P algorithms.

Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT): Therapeutic Intervention and Its Efficacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Francine Martin; Gorga, Delia

1988-01-01

Use of neurodevelopmental treatment, also known as the Bobath method, is discussed, including its history, philosophy, goals, and treatment emphasis with infants and children with movement disorders. Examples of children before and after therapeutic intervention illustrate use of the technique, and controversies in measuring therapy efficacy are…

Surface Proteins of Gram-Positive Bacteria and Mechanisms of Their Targeting to the Cell Wall Envelope

PubMed Central

Navarre, William Wiley; Schneewind, Olaf

1999-01-01

The cell wall envelope of gram-positive bacteria is a macromolecular, exoskeletal organelle that is assembled and turned over at designated sites. The cell wall also functions as a surface organelle that allows gram-positive pathogens to interact with their environment, in particular the tissues of the infected host. All of these functions require that surface proteins and enzymes be properly targeted to the cell wall envelope. Two basic mechanisms, cell wall sorting and targeting, have been identified. Cell well sorting is the covalent attachment of surface proteins to the peptidoglycan via a C-terminal sorting signal that contains a consensus LPXTG sequence. More than 100 proteins that possess cell wall-sorting signals, including the M proteins of Streptococcus pyogenes, protein A of Staphylococcus aureus, and several internalins of Listeria monocytogenes, have been identified. Cell wall targeting involves the noncovalent attachment of proteins to the cell surface via specialized binding domains. Several of these wall-binding domains appear to interact with secondary wall polymers that are associated with the peptidoglycan, for example teichoic acids and polysaccharides. Proteins that are targeted to the cell surface include muralytic enzymes such as autolysins, lysostaphin, and phage lytic enzymes. Other examples for targeted proteins are the surface S-layer proteins of bacilli and clostridia, as well as virulence factors required for the pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes (internalin B) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (PspA) infections. In this review we describe the mechanisms for both sorting and targeting of proteins to the envelope of gram-positive bacteria and review the functions of known surface proteins. PMID:10066836

Play and the Avant-Garde: Aren't We All a Little Dada?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prager, Phillip

2013-01-01

Dada, an art movement that became well known in the late 1910s and early 1920s, challenged traditional notions of art and aesthetics. Dada artists, for example, tossed colored scraps of paper into the air to compose chance-based collages, performed sound poems devoid of semantic value, and modeled a headpiece fashioned of sardine cans. To most art…

Study of rare earth local moment magnetism and strongly correlated phenomena in various crystal structures

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

Kong, Tai

Benefiting from unique properties of 4f electrons, rare earth based compounds are known for offering a versatile playground for condensed matter physics research as well as industrial applications. This thesis focuses on three specific examples that further explore the rare earth local moment magnetism and strongly correlated phenomena in various crystal structures.

"Strange Things Happen to Non-Christian People": Human-Animal Transformation among the Inupiat of Arctic Alaska

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassady, Joslyn

2008-01-01

Inuit myths, folklore, and material culture are filled with examples of people who turn into animals. Margaret Lantis, a well-known Eskimologist of the mid-twentieth century, once commented that human-animal transformation in Inuit mythology had an "immediacy and a reality" that was unknown in other parts of the world. It is hard to…

Students' Use of Mobile Technologies: Motivational Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baytiyeh, Hoda

2018-01-01

Mobile technologies are all-pervasive in the current digital generation, and college students rely on their mobile phones to communicate on a daily basis. In the midst of the myriad of applications available to download on the mobile, some tools have become more well-known and more often adopted than others. An example of such a tool is WhatsApp,…

Collaborative Research: Ground Truth of African and Eastern Mediterranean Shallow Seismicity Using SAR Interferometry and Gibbs Sampling Inversion

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-05

the likely existence of a small foreshock . 2. BACKGROUND 2.1. InSAR The most well-known examples of InSAR used as a geodetic tool involve...the event. We have used the seismic waveforms in the Sultan Dag event to identify a small foreshock preceding the main shock by about 3 seconds

School Performance and Gender Differences in Suicidal Behaviour--A 30-Year Follow-Up of a Stockholm Cohort Born in 1953

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas, Yerko

2013-01-01

Astonishingly little is known about the relationship between high educational achievements and suicidal behaviour among women. This is remarkable given that a woman breaking into traditionally male-dominant spheres is a well established example of social-role marginality. The current study combines fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour and…

How to Create Videos for Extension Education: An Innovative Five-Step Procedure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dev, Dipti A.; Blitch, Kimberly A.; Hatton-Bowers, Holly; Ramsay, Samantha; Garcia, Aileen S.

2018-01-01

Although the benefits of using video as a learning tool in Extension programs are well known, less is understood about effective methods for creating videos. We present a five-step procedure for developing educational videos that focus on evidence-based practices, and we provide practical examples from our use of the five steps in creating a video…

Neuromorphic log-domain silicon synapse circuits obey bernoulli dynamics: a unifying tutorial analysis

PubMed Central

Papadimitriou, Konstantinos I.; Liu, Shih-Chii; Indiveri, Giacomo; Drakakis, Emmanuel M.

2014-01-01

The field of neuromorphic silicon synapse circuits is revisited and a parsimonious mathematical framework able to describe the dynamics of this class of log-domain circuits in the aggregate and in a systematic manner is proposed. Starting from the Bernoulli Cell Formalism (BCF), originally formulated for the modular synthesis and analysis of externally linear, time-invariant logarithmic filters, and by means of the identification of new types of Bernoulli Cell (BC) operators presented here, a generalized formalism (GBCF) is established. The expanded formalism covers two new possible and practical combinations of a MOS transistor (MOST) and a linear capacitor. The corresponding mathematical relations codifying each case are presented and discussed through the tutorial treatment of three well-known transistor-level examples of log-domain neuromorphic silicon synapses. The proposed mathematical tool unifies past analysis approaches of the same circuits under a common theoretical framework. The speed advantage of the proposed mathematical framework as an analysis tool is also demonstrated by a compelling comparative circuit analysis example of high order, where the GBCF and another well-known log-domain circuit analysis method are used for the determination of the input-output transfer function of the high (4th) order topology. PMID:25653579

Neuromorphic log-domain silicon synapse circuits obey bernoulli dynamics: a unifying tutorial analysis.

PubMed

Papadimitriou, Konstantinos I; Liu, Shih-Chii; Indiveri, Giacomo; Drakakis, Emmanuel M

2014-01-01

The field of neuromorphic silicon synapse circuits is revisited and a parsimonious mathematical framework able to describe the dynamics of this class of log-domain circuits in the aggregate and in a systematic manner is proposed. Starting from the Bernoulli Cell Formalism (BCF), originally formulated for the modular synthesis and analysis of externally linear, time-invariant logarithmic filters, and by means of the identification of new types of Bernoulli Cell (BC) operators presented here, a generalized formalism (GBCF) is established. The expanded formalism covers two new possible and practical combinations of a MOS transistor (MOST) and a linear capacitor. The corresponding mathematical relations codifying each case are presented and discussed through the tutorial treatment of three well-known transistor-level examples of log-domain neuromorphic silicon synapses. The proposed mathematical tool unifies past analysis approaches of the same circuits under a common theoretical framework. The speed advantage of the proposed mathematical framework as an analysis tool is also demonstrated by a compelling comparative circuit analysis example of high order, where the GBCF and another well-known log-domain circuit analysis method are used for the determination of the input-output transfer function of the high (4(th)) order topology.

Coupled Northern Hemisphere permafrost-ice-sheet evolution over the last glacial cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willeit, M.; Ganopolski, A.

2015-09-01

Permafrost influences a number of processes which are relevant for local and global climate. For example, it is well known that permafrost plays an important role in global carbon and methane cycles. Less is known about the interaction between permafrost and ice sheets. In this study a permafrost module is included in the Earth system model CLIMBER-2, and the coupled Northern Hemisphere (NH) permafrost-ice-sheet evolution over the last glacial cycle is explored. The model performs generally well at reproducing present-day permafrost extent and thickness. Modeled permafrost thickness is sensitive to the values of ground porosity, thermal conductivity and geothermal heat flux. Permafrost extent at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) agrees well with reconstructions and previous modeling estimates. Present-day permafrost thickness is far from equilibrium over deep permafrost regions. Over central Siberia and the Arctic Archipelago permafrost is presently up to 200-500 m thicker than it would be at equilibrium. In these areas, present-day permafrost depth strongly depends on the past climate history and simulations indicate that deep permafrost has a memory of surface temperature variations going back to at least 800 ka. Over the last glacial cycle permafrost has a relatively modest impact on simulated NH ice sheet volume except at LGM, when including permafrost increases ice volume by about 15 m sea level equivalent in our model. This is explained by a delayed melting of the ice base from below by the geothermal heat flux when the ice sheet sits on a porous sediment layer and permafrost has to be melted first. Permafrost affects ice sheet dynamics only when ice extends over areas covered by thick sediments, which is the case at LGM.

Applied Astronomy: An Optical Survey for Space Debris at GEO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seitzer, Patrick; Barker, Edwin S.; Abercromby, K.; Rodriquez, H.

2007-01-01

A viewgraph is presented to discuss space debris at Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). The topics include: 1) Syncom1 launched February 14, 1963 Failed on orbit insertion 1st piece of GEO debris!; 2) Example of recent GEO payload: XM-2 Rock satellite for direct broadcast radio; 3) MODEST Michigan Orbital DEbrisSurvey Telescope the telescope formerly known as the Curtis-Schmidt; 4) GEO Debris Survey; 5) Examples of Detections; 6) Brightness Variations Common; 7) Observed Angular Rates; 8) Two Populations at GEO; 9) High Area-to-Mass Ratio Material (A/M); 10) Examples of MLI; 11) Examples of MLI Release in LEO; 12) Liou & Weaver (2005) models; 13) ESA 1-m Telescope Survey; 14) Two Telescopes March 2007 Survey and Follow-up; 15) Final Eccentricity; and 16) How control Space Debris?

Phylogeny of a genomically diverse group of elymus (poaceae) allopolyploids reveals multiple levels of reticulation.

PubMed

Mason-Gamer, Roberta J

2013-01-01

The grass tribe Triticeae (=Hordeeae) comprises only about 300 species, but it is well known for the economically important crop plants wheat, barley, and rye. The group is also recognized as a fascinating example of evolutionary complexity, with a history shaped by numerous events of auto- and allopolyploidy and apparent introgression involving diploids and polyploids. The genus Elymus comprises a heterogeneous collection of allopolyploid genome combinations, all of which include at least one set of homoeologs, designated St, derived from Pseudoroegneria. The current analysis includes a geographically and genomically diverse collection of 21 tetraploid Elymus species, and a single hexaploid species. Diploid and polyploid relationships were estimated using four molecular data sets, including one that combines two regions of the chloroplast genome, and three from unlinked nuclear genes: phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, β-amylase, and granule-bound starch synthase I. Four gene trees were generated using maximum likelihood, and the phylogenetic placement of the polyploid sequences reveals extensive reticulation beyond allopolyploidy alone. The trees were interpreted with reference to numerous phenomena known to complicate allopolyploid phylogenies, and introgression was identified as a major factor in their history. The work illustrates the interpretation of complicated phylogenetic results through the sequential consideration of numerous possible explanations, and the results highlight the value of careful inspection of multiple independent molecular phylogenetic estimates, with particular focus on the differences among them.

White light for the fast lane: supercontinuum generation in all-normal dispersion fibers for ultrafast photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidt, Alexander M.

2014-03-01

This talk will give an overview of the unique properties of supercontinuum generation (SCG) in all-normal dispersion (ANDi) fibers pumped by ultrashort pulses and the possibilities they offer for ultrafast photonics applications. In contrast to their anomalously pumped counterparts, the SCG process in ANDi fibers conserves a single ultrashort pulse in the time domain, completely suppresses soliton formation and decay, and avoids noise-amplifying nonlinear dynamics. The resulting spectra combine the best of both worlds - the broad, more than octave-spanning bandwidths usually associated with anomalous dispersion pumping with the high temporal coherence, pulse-to-pulse stability and well-defined temporal pulse characteristics known from the normal dispersion regime. These characteristics are ideally suited for ultrafast photonics, and I will present application examples including the generation of high quality single-cycle pulses and their amplification, as well as ultrafast spectroscopy. This talk will also explore the exciting new possibilities enabled by extending this approach into the mid-IR spectral region using novel soft glass fiber designs.

Development of computer informational system of diagnostics integrated optical materials, elements, and devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volosovitch, Anatoly E.; Konopaltseva, Lyudmila I.

1995-11-01

Well-known methods of optical diagnostics, database for their storage, as well as expert system (ES) for their development are analyzed. A computer informational system is developed, which is based on a hybrid ES built on modern DBMS. As an example, the structural and constructive circuits of the hybrid integrated-optical devices based on laser diodes, diffusion waveguides, geodetic lenses, package-free linear photodiode arrays, etc. are presented. The features of methods and test results as well as the advanced directions of works related to the hybrid integrated-optical devices in the field of metrology are discussed.

Cyber resilience: a review of critical national infrastructure and cyber security protection measures applied in the UK and USA.

PubMed

Harrop, Wayne; Matteson, Ashley

This paper presents cyber resilience as key strand of national security. It establishes the importance of critical national infrastructure protection and the growing vicarious nature of remote, well-planned, and well executed cyber attacks on critical infrastructures. Examples of well-known historical cyber attacks are presented, and the emergence of 'internet of things' as a cyber vulnerability issue yet to be tackled is explored. The paper identifies key steps being undertaken by those responsible for detecting, deterring, and disrupting cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure in the United Kingdom and the USA.

Potential Ambient Energy-Harvesting Sources and Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Faruk

2009-01-01

Ambient energy harvesting is also known as energy scavenging or power harvesting, and it is the process where energy is obtained from the environment. A variety of techniques are available for energy scavenging, including solar and wind powers, ocean waves, piezoelectricity, thermoelectricity, and physical motions. For example, some systems…

Teaching Bohr Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latimer, Colin J.

1983-01-01

Discusses some lesser known examples of atomic phenomena to illustrate to students that the old quantum theory in its simplest (Bohr) form is not an antiquity but can still make an important contribution to understanding such phenomena. Topics include hydrogenic/non-hydrogenic spectra and atoms in strong electric and magnetic fields. (Author/JN)

Integrated Studies in the Middle Grades: "Dancing Through Walls."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Chris, Ed.; Carr, Judy F., Ed.

A group of middle level teachers collaborated in designing some innovative teaching units about topics already known to be inherently interesting to their students. The students' interests were integrated with existing curriculum goals. This book presents the teachers' insights on this project and includes detailed examples of integrated…

40 CFR 63.2406 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... average temperature of the stored organic liquid as determined from a design analysis of the storage tank.... Examples of containers include, but are not limited to, drums and portable cargo containers known as... transfer facilities to pipelines or any other forms of transportation. Design evaluation means a procedure...

40 CFR 63.2406 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... average temperature of the stored organic liquid as determined from a design analysis of the storage tank.... Examples of containers include, but are not limited to, drums and portable cargo containers known as... transfer facilities to pipelines or any other forms of transportation. Design evaluation means a procedure...

75 FR 59983 - National Priorities List, Final Rule-Newtown Creek

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-29

... Contingency Plan (``NCP'') include a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened... National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (``NCP''), 40 CFR part 300, on July 16... site. For example, the name ``Jones Co. plant site,'' does not imply that the Jones company is...

75 FR 9790 - National Priorities List, Final Rule-Gowanus Canal

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-04

... Contingency Plan (``NCP'') include a list of national priorities among the known releases or threatened... National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (``NCP''), 40 CFR part 300, on July 16... site. For example, the name ``Jones Co. plant site,'' does not imply that the Jones company is...

Dirac(-Pauli), Fokker-Planck equations and exceptional Laguerre polynomials

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

Ho, Choon-Lin, E-mail: hcl@mail.tku.edu.tw

2011-04-15

Research Highlights: > Physical examples involving exceptional orthogonal polynomials. > Exceptional polynomials as deformations of classical orthogonal polynomials. > Exceptional polynomials from Darboux-Crum transformation. - Abstract: An interesting discovery in the last two years in the field of mathematical physics has been the exceptional X{sub l} Laguerre and Jacobi polynomials. Unlike the well-known classical orthogonal polynomials which start with constant terms, these new polynomials have lowest degree l = 1, 2, and ..., and yet they form complete set with respect to some positive-definite measure. While the mathematical properties of these new X{sub l} polynomials deserve further analysis, it ismore » also of interest to see if they play any role in physical systems. In this paper we indicate some physical models in which these new polynomials appear as the main part of the eigenfunctions. The systems we consider include the Dirac equations coupled minimally and non-minimally with some external fields, and the Fokker-Planck equations. The systems presented here have enlarged the number of exactly solvable physical systems known so far.« less

Pharmacophore screening of the protein data bank for specific binding site chemistry.

PubMed

Campagna-Slater, Valérie; Arrowsmith, Andrew G; Zhao, Yong; Schapira, Matthieu

2010-03-22

A simple computational approach was developed to screen the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for putative pockets possessing a specific binding site chemistry and geometry. The method employs two commonly used 3D screening technologies, namely identification of cavities in protein structures and pharmacophore screening of chemical libraries. For each protein structure, a pocket finding algorithm is used to extract potential binding sites containing the correct types of residues, which are then stored in a large SDF-formatted virtual library; pharmacophore filters describing the desired binding site chemistry and geometry are then applied to screen this virtual library and identify pockets matching the specified structural chemistry. As an example, this approach was used to screen all human protein structures in the PDB and identify sites having chemistry similar to that of known methyl-lysine binding domains that recognize chromatin methylation marks. The selected genes include known readers of the histone code as well as novel binding pockets that may be involved in epigenetic signaling. Putative allosteric sites were identified on the structures of TP53BP1, L3MBTL3, CHEK1, KDM4A, and CREBBP.

YANA – a software tool for analyzing flux modes, gene-expression and enzyme activities

PubMed Central

Schwarz, Roland; Musch, Patrick; von Kamp, Axel; Engels, Bernd; Schirmer, Heiner; Schuster, Stefan; Dandekar, Thomas

2005-01-01

Background A number of algorithms for steady state analysis of metabolic networks have been developed over the years. Of these, Elementary Mode Analysis (EMA) has proven especially useful. Despite its low user-friendliness, METATOOL as a reliable high-performance implementation of the algorithm has been the instrument of choice up to now. As reported here, the analysis of metabolic networks has been improved by an editor and analyzer of metabolic flux modes. Analysis routines for expression levels and the most central, well connected metabolites and their metabolic connections are of particular interest. Results YANA features a platform-independent, dedicated toolbox for metabolic networks with a graphical user interface to calculate (integrating METATOOL), edit (including support for the SBML format), visualize, centralize, and compare elementary flux modes. Further, YANA calculates expected flux distributions for a given Elementary Mode (EM) activity pattern and vice versa. Moreover, a dissection algorithm, a centralization algorithm, and an average diameter routine can be used to simplify and analyze complex networks. Proteomics or gene expression data give a rough indication of some individual enzyme activities, whereas the complete flux distribution in the network is often not known. As such data are noisy, YANA features a fast evolutionary algorithm (EA) for the prediction of EM activities with minimum error, including alerts for inconsistent experimental data. We offer the possibility to include further known constraints (e.g. growth constraints) in the EA calculation process. The redox metabolism around glutathione reductase serves as an illustration example. All software and documentation are available for download at . Conclusion A graphical toolbox and an editor for METATOOL as well as a series of additional routines for metabolic network analyses constitute a new user-friendly software for such efforts. PMID:15929789

Wing Twist Measurements at the National Transonic Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burner, Alpheus W.; Wahls, Richard A.; Goad, William K.

1996-01-01

A technique for measuring wing twist currently in use at the National Transonic Facility is described. The technique is based upon a single camera photogrammetric determination of two dimensional coordinates with a fixed (and known) third dimensional coordinate. The wing twist is found from a conformal transformation between wind-on and wind-off 2-D coordinates in the plane of rotation. The advantages and limitations of the technique as well as the rationale for selection of this particular technique are discussed. Examples are presented to illustrate run-to-run and test-to-test repeatability of the technique in air mode. Examples of wing twist in cryogenic nitrogen mode are also presented.

Radiation tests on optical fibres: good and bad practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhnhenn, J.

2017-11-01

Testing optical fibers for their response to ionizing radiation is unavoidable if their properties in radiation environments need to be known. So far, no model exists that would be able to predict the behavior of optical fibers in the presence of radiation, for example because too many, mostly unknown parameters influence the changes in the fiber. To obtain reliable results from irradiation tests of optical fibers a well-defined setup and thorough experience is needed to avoid erroneous data that might lead to wrong decisions for the final application. This presentation tries to introduce basic concepts of radiation testing of optical fibers, focusing on not so well known influences or typical errors. Focus will be laid on the measurement of radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) in optical fibers.

Ink-constrained halftoning with application to QR codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayeh, Marzieh; Compaan, Erin; Lindsey, Theodore; Orlow, Nathan; Melczer, Stephen; Voller, Zachary

2014-01-01

This paper examines adding visually significant, human recognizable data into QR codes without affecting their machine readability by utilizing known methods in image processing. Each module of a given QR code is broken down into pixels, which are halftoned in such a way as to keep the QR code structure while revealing aspects of the secondary image to the human eye. The loss of information associated to this procedure is discussed, and entropy values are calculated for examples given in the paper. Numerous examples of QR codes with embedded images are included.

The history of dinosaur footprint discoveries in Wyoming with emphasis on the Bighorn Basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kvale, Erik P.; Mickelson, Debra L.; Hasiotis, Stephen T; Johnson, Gary D.

2003-01-01

Dinosaur traces are well known from the western United States in the Colorado Plateau region (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona). Utah contains the greatest abundance of known and documented dinosaur footprints and trackways. Far less well known, however, is the occurrence and distribution of dinosaur footprint-bearing horizons in Wyoming. Scientific studies over the past 10 years have shown that three of the four Middle and Upper Jurassic formations in northern Wyoming contain dinosaur footprints. Two of the footprint-bearing horizons are located in geologic intervals that were once thought to have been deposited in offshore to nearshore marine settings and represent rare North American examples of Middle Jurassic (Bajocian and Bathonian) dinosaur remains. Some of these new Wyoming sites can be correlated to known dinosaur footprint-bearing horizons or intervals in Utah. Wyoming has a great potential for additional discoveries of new dinosaur footprint-bearing horizons, and further prospecting and study is warranted and will ultimately lead to a much better understanding of the geographic distribution and behavior of the potential footprint-makers.

Performance Analysis of ICA in Sensor Array

PubMed Central

Cai, Xin; Wang, Xiang; Huang, Zhitao; Wang, Fenghua

2016-01-01

As the best-known scheme in the field of Blind Source Separation (BSS), Independent Component Analysis (ICA) has been intensively used in various domains, including biomedical and acoustics applications, cooperative or non-cooperative communication, etc. While sensor arrays are involved in most of the applications, the influence on the performance of ICA of practical factors therein has not been sufficiently investigated yet. In this manuscript, the issue is researched by taking the typical antenna array as an illustrative example. Factors taken into consideration include the environment noise level, the properties of the array and that of the radiators. We analyze the analytic relationship between the noise variance, the source variance, the condition number of the mixing matrix and the optimal signal to interference-plus-noise ratio, as well as the relationship between the singularity of the mixing matrix and practical factors concerned. The situations where the mixing process turns (nearly) singular have been paid special attention to, since such circumstances are critical in applications. Results and conclusions obtained should be instructive when applying ICA algorithms on mixtures from sensor arrays. Moreover, an effective countermeasure against the cases of singular mixtures has been proposed, on the basis of previous analysis. Experiments validating the theoretical conclusions as well as the effectiveness of the proposed scheme have been included. PMID:27164100

Water sources and disposal related to hydraulic fracturing in the Barnett Shale: a historical perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicot, J.; Scanlon, B. R.

2013-12-01

During the past few years, hydraulic fracturing (HF) has become a hotly debated topic particularly related to volume of water used and potential for contamination of shallow aquifers. In this communication, we focused on water use in the oldest shale play in the world as an example for an analysis of historical patterns of water use, consumption, and disposal. The Barnett Shale play in Texas provides an ideal case to assess some of the issues related to shale gas production. It was the first shale play to submit to intense slick-water HF (first horizontal wells in 2003, ~15,000 horizontal wells completed to date). An estimated 200, 000 acre-feet (247 million m3) of water has been used so far in the play (included for vertical wells), mostly in the 4-5 counties making up the core area. More than 90% of the water used is consumed and relatively little recycling occurs in the play. Most of the flowback / produced water is disposed of through injection wells. The median Barnett horizontal well produces back ~100% of the amount of water injected for fracturing in the course of the few years following completion, an amount larger than other well-known shale gas plays. The communication will provide detailed material documenting these findings.

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

Smallwood, D.O.

It is recognized that some dynamic and noise environments are characterized by time histories which are not Gaussian. An example is high intensity acoustic noise. Another example is some transportation vibration. A better simulation of these environments can be generated if a zero mean non-Gaussian time history can be reproduced with a specified auto (or power) spectral density (ASD or PSD) and a specified probability density function (pdf). After the required time history is synthesized, the waveform can be used for simulation purposes. For example, modem waveform reproduction techniques can be used to reproduce the waveform on electrodynamic or electrohydraulicmore » shakers. Or the waveforms can be used in digital simulations. A method is presented for the generation of realizations of zero mean non-Gaussian random time histories with a specified ASD, and pdf. First a Gaussian time history with the specified auto (or power) spectral density (ASD) is generated. A monotonic nonlinear function relating the Gaussian waveform to the desired realization is then established based on the Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) of the desired waveform and the known CDF of a Gaussian waveform. The established function is used to transform the Gaussian waveform to a realization of the desired waveform. Since the transformation preserves the zero-crossings and peaks of the original Gaussian waveform, and does not introduce any substantial discontinuities, the ASD is not substantially changed. Several methods are available to generate a realization of a Gaussian distributed waveform with a known ASD. The method of Smallwood and Paez (1993) is an example. However, the generation of random noise with a specified ASD but with a non-Gaussian distribution is less well known.« less

Lyapunov exponents from CHUA's circuit time series using artificial neural networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalez, J. Jesus; Espinosa, Ismael E.; Fuentes, Alberto M.

1995-01-01

In this paper we present the general problem of identifying if a nonlinear dynamic system has a chaotic behavior. If the answer is positive the system will be sensitive to small perturbations in the initial conditions which will imply that there is a chaotic attractor in its state space. A particular problem would be that of identifying a chaotic oscillator. We present an example of three well known different chaotic oscillators where we have knowledge of the equations that govern the dynamical systems and from there we can obtain the corresponding time series. In a similar example we assume that we only know the time series and, finally, in another example we have to take measurements in the Chua's circuit to obtain sample points of the time series. With the knowledge about the time series the phase plane portraits are plotted and from them, by visual inspection, it is concluded whether or not the system is chaotic. This method has the problem of uncertainty and subjectivity and for that reason a different approach is needed. A quantitative approach is the computation of the Lyapunov exponents. We describe several methods for obtaining them and apply a little known method of artificial neural networks to the different examples mentioned above. We end the paper discussing the importance of the Lyapunov exponents in the interpretation of the dynamic behavior of biological neurons and biological neural networks.

Supervised normalization of microarrays

PubMed Central

Mecham, Brigham H.; Nelson, Peter S.; Storey, John D.

2010-01-01

Motivation: A major challenge in utilizing microarray technologies to measure nucleic acid abundances is ‘normalization’, the goal of which is to separate biologically meaningful signal from other confounding sources of signal, often due to unavoidable technical factors. It is intuitively clear that true biological signal and confounding factors need to be simultaneously considered when performing normalization. However, the most popular normalization approaches do not utilize what is known about the study, both in terms of the biological variables of interest and the known technical factors in the study, such as batch or array processing date. Results: We show here that failing to include all study-specific biological and technical variables when performing normalization leads to biased downstream analyses. We propose a general normalization framework that fits a study-specific model employing every known variable that is relevant to the expression study. The proposed method is generally applicable to the full range of existing probe designs, as well as to both single-channel and dual-channel arrays. We show through real and simulated examples that the method has favorable operating characteristics in comparison to some of the most highly used normalization methods. Availability: An R package called snm implementing the methodology will be made available from Bioconductor (http://bioconductor.org). Contact: jstorey@princeton.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:20363728

Modeling the Impacts of Geomagnetic Disturbances on the New York State Power Transmission System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouedraogo, D.; Castillo, O. L.; Mohamed, A.; Damas, M. C.; Ngwira, C. M.

2015-12-01

Our society today relies heavily on electricity in order to meet its essential basic needs. However, to meet the rising demands for this energy, all power companies require smooth and efficient delivery of services to the consumers. The US power grid is a complex electrical apparatus that has well known sensitivities to space weather disturbances. Events produced by space weather includes solar storms or geomagnetic disturbances [GMD]. The propagation of such events in the direction of Earth perturbs the electric currents in the magnetosphere and the ionosphere, causing a unique effect known as a Geomagnetically Induced Current [GIC]. GICs are known to saturate and overheat transformers in the power grid, threatening the safe operation of the power system. A GMD induces a geoelectric field in high-voltage and extra high-voltage transmission circuits. This geoelectric field represents electromotive force, and causes GICs to circulate through transmission circuits and transformers. Power models are being developed using MATLAB/Simulink® software to simulate the propagation of GIC flows in a power system, while using New York State (NYS) power transmission network as an example. We will present results of the models used to assess the impacts of possible GMD strikes on the various parts of the power network.

MEMS and MOEMS for national security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Marion W.

2003-01-01

Major opportunities for microsystem insertion into commercial applications, such as telecommunications and medical prosthesis, are well known. Less well known are applications that ensure the security of our nation, the protection of its armed forces, and the safety of its citizens. Microsystems enable entirely new possibilities to meet National Security needs, which can be classed along three lines: anticipating security needs and threats, deterring the efficacy of identified threats, and defending against the application of these threats. In each of these areas, specific products that are enabled by MEMS and MOEMS are discussed. In the area of anticipating needs and threats, sensored microsystems designed for chem/bio/nuclear threats, and sensors for border and asset protection can significantly secure our borders, ports, and transportation systems. Key features for these applications include adaptive optics and spectroscopic capabilities. Microsystems to monitor soil and water quality can be used to secure critical infrastructure, food safety can be improved by in-situ identification of pathogens, and sensored buildings can ensure the architectural safety of our homes and workplaces. A challenge to commercializing these opportunities, and thus making them available for National Security needs, is developing predictable markets and predictable technology roadmaps. The integrated circuit manufacturing industry provides an example of predictable technology maturation and market insertion, primarily due to the existence of a "unit cell" that allows volume manufacturing. It is not clear that microsystems can follow an analogous path. The possible paths to affordable low-volume production, as well as the prospects of a microsystems unit cell, are discussed.

The neurology of poverty.

PubMed

Alvarez, G

1982-01-01

An intellectual deficit is known to exist in populations where extreme poverty is rife and is thus seen extensively in the lower socio-economic strata of underdeveloped nations. Poverty is a complex entity whose sociological and economic indicators often bear little relevance to the biological agents which can affect the central nervous system. An attempt is made to express poverty in terms of identifiable defects, physiological in nature. Thus adverse socio-economic factors are converted into specific biological entities which, though necessary for adequate development of the brain, are restricted where there is poverty. A number of causative deficiencies, including nutritional, visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, affective, and other stimuli are postulated. These interact and potentiate one another. Each is capable of an independent action on the brain and examples are given of some sensory deprivations as well as malnutrition and their possible mechanism of action. If the various deficiencies can independently harm the brain, then a number of separate specific functions should be affected; examples are offered. The nature of this intellectual deficit is probably a non-fulfillment of genetic potential of certain specific functions of the brain, which may exhibit limited variations between one community and another, depending on cultural differences. The deleterious effect of this intellectual impairment is seen most clearly in figures of school desertion, for example in Latin America. Analogous data for adults is scarce.

An Example of Body-Centered Cubic Crystal Structure: The Atomium in Brussels as an Educative Tool for Introductory Materials Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinto, Gabriel

2012-01-01

When students are introduced to the ways in which atoms are arranged in crystal structures, transposing the textbook illustrations into three-dimensional structures is difficult for some of them. To facilitate this transition, this article describes an approach to the study of the structure of solids through a well-known monument, the Atomium in…

A method of using cluster analysis to study statistical dependence in multivariate data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borucki, W. J.; Card, D. H.; Lyle, G. C.

1975-01-01

A technique is presented that uses both cluster analysis and a Monte Carlo significance test of clusters to discover associations between variables in multidimensional data. The method is applied to an example of a noisy function in three-dimensional space, to a sample from a mixture of three bivariate normal distributions, and to the well-known Fisher's Iris data.

Aggregating and Communicating Uncertainty.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-04-01

wholes, the organic, inclusive struc- tures of events. In artificial intelligence applications, these wholes are sometimes called frames, scripts, or...Here, we will use a somewhat more artificial example. It is well known that many of the more hawkish forces within the Soviet Union believe that a...the actual figures; another nation, which wants to give an exaggerated vision of its capabilities, may provide artificially inflated figures. DE

Ancient hydrothermal ecosystems on earth: a new palaeobiological frontier.

PubMed

Walter, M R

1996-01-01

Thermal springs are common in the oceans and on land. Early in the history of the Earth they would have been even more abundant, because of a higher heat flow. A thermophilic lifestyle has been proposed for the common ancestor of extant life, and hydrothermal ecosystems can be expected to have existed on Earth since life arose. Though there has been a great deal of recent research on this topic by biologists, palaeobiologists have done little to explore ancient high temperature environments. Exploration geologists and miners have long known the importance of hydrothermal systems, as they are sources for much of our gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc. Such systems are particularly abundant in Archaean and Proterozoic successions. Despite the rarity of systematic searches of these by palaeobiologists, already 12 fossiliferous Phanerozoic deposits are known. Five are 'black smoker' type submarine deposits that formed in the deep ocean and preserve a vent fauna like that in the modern oceans; the oldest is Devonian. Three are from shallow marine deposits of Carboniferous age. As well as 'worm tubes', several of these contain morphological or isotopic evidence of microbial life. The oldest well established fossiliferous submarine thermal spring deposit is Cambro-Ordovician; microorganisms of at least three or four types are preserved in this. One example each of Carboniferous and Jurassic sub-lacustrine fossiliferous thermal springs are known. There are two convincing examples of fossiliferous subaerial hydrothermal deposits. Both are Devonian. Several known Proterozoic and Archaean deposits are likely to preserve a substantial palaeobiological record, and all the indications are that there must be numerous deposits suitable for study. Already it is demonstrable that in ancient thermal spring deposits there is a record of microbial communities preserved as stromatolites, microfossils, isotope distribution patterns and hydrocarbon biomarkers.

Long-term stable time integration scheme for dynamic analysis of planar geometrically exact Timoshenko beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Tien Long; Sansour, Carlo; Hjiaj, Mohammed

2017-05-01

In this paper, an energy-momentum method for geometrically exact Timoshenko-type beam is proposed. The classical time integration schemes in dynamics are known to exhibit instability in the non-linear regime. The so-called Timoshenko-type beam with the use of rotational degree of freedom leads to simpler strain relations and simpler expressions of the inertial terms as compared to the well known Bernoulli-type model. The treatment of the Bernoulli-model has been recently addressed by the authors. In this present work, we extend our approach of using the strain rates to define the strain fields to in-plane geometrically exact Timoshenko-type beams. The large rotational degrees of freedom are exactly computed. The well-known enhanced strain method is used to avoid locking phenomena. Conservation of energy, momentum and angular momentum is proved formally and numerically. The excellent performance of the formulation will be demonstrated through a range of examples.

The role of character-based knowledge in online narrative comprehension: evidence from eye movements and ERPs.

PubMed

Filik, Ruth; Leuthold, Hartmut

2013-04-19

Little is known about the on-line evaluation of information relating to well-known story characters during text comprehension. For example, it is not clear in how much detail readers represent character-based information, and the time course over which this information is utilized during on-line language comprehension. We describe an event-related potential (ERP) study (Experiment 1) and an eye-tracking study (Experiment 2) investigating whether, and when, readers utilize their prior knowledge of a character in processing event information. Participants read materials in which an event was described that either did or did not fit with the character's typical behavior. ERPs elicited by the critical word revealed an N400 effect when the action described did not fit with the character's typical behavior. Results from early eye movement measures supported these findings, and later measures suggested that such violations were more easily accommodated for well-known fictional characters than real-world characters. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Implementing emergency manuals: can cognitive aids help translate best practices for patient care during acute events?

PubMed

Goldhaber-Fiebert, Sara N; Howard, Steven K

2013-11-01

In this article, we address whether emergency manuals are an effective means of helping anesthesiologists and perioperative teams apply known best practices for critical events. We review the relevant history of such cognitive aids in health care, as well as examples from other high stakes industries, and describe why emergency manuals have a role in improving patient care during certain events. We propose 4 vital elements: create, familiarize, use, and integrate, necessary for the widespread, successful development, and implementation of medical emergency manuals, using the specific example of the perioperative setting. The details of each element are presented, drawing from the medical literature as well as from our combined experience of more than 30 years of observing teams of anesthesiologists managing simulated and real critical events. We emphasize the importance of training clinicians in the use of emergency manuals for education on content, format, and location. Finally, we discuss cultural readiness for change, present a system example of successful integration, and highlight the importance of further research on the implementation of emergency manuals.

Reduction from cost-sensitive ordinal ranking to weighted binary classification.

PubMed

Lin, Hsuan-Tien; Li, Ling

2012-05-01

We present a reduction framework from ordinal ranking to binary classification. The framework consists of three steps: extracting extended examples from the original examples, learning a binary classifier on the extended examples with any binary classification algorithm, and constructing a ranker from the binary classifier. Based on the framework, we show that a weighted 0/1 loss of the binary classifier upper-bounds the mislabeling cost of the ranker, both error-wise and regret-wise. Our framework allows not only the design of good ordinal ranking algorithms based on well-tuned binary classification approaches, but also the derivation of new generalization bounds for ordinal ranking from known bounds for binary classification. In addition, our framework unifies many existing ordinal ranking algorithms, such as perceptron ranking and support vector ordinal regression. When compared empirically on benchmark data sets, some of our newly designed algorithms enjoy advantages in terms of both training speed and generalization performance over existing algorithms. In addition, the newly designed algorithms lead to better cost-sensitive ordinal ranking performance, as well as improved listwise ranking performance.

Data Unfolding with Wiener-SVD Method

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

Tang, W.; Li, X.; Qian, X.

Here, data unfolding is a common analysis technique used in HEP data analysis. Inspired by the deconvolution technique in the digital signal processing, a new unfolding technique based on the SVD technique and the well-known Wiener filter is introduced. The Wiener-SVD unfolding approach achieves the unfolding by maximizing the signal to noise ratios in the effective frequency domain given expectations of signal and noise and is free from regularization parameter. Through a couple examples, the pros and cons of the Wiener-SVD approach as well as the nature of the unfolded results are discussed.

Data Unfolding with Wiener-SVD Method

DOE PAGES

Tang, W.; Li, X.; Qian, X.; ...

2017-10-04

Here, data unfolding is a common analysis technique used in HEP data analysis. Inspired by the deconvolution technique in the digital signal processing, a new unfolding technique based on the SVD technique and the well-known Wiener filter is introduced. The Wiener-SVD unfolding approach achieves the unfolding by maximizing the signal to noise ratios in the effective frequency domain given expectations of signal and noise and is free from regularization parameter. Through a couple examples, the pros and cons of the Wiener-SVD approach as well as the nature of the unfolded results are discussed.

Physical properties of VNTR data, and their impact on a test of allelic independence

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

Devlin, B.; Risch, N.

1993-08-01

In this article the authors describe the physical properties of VNTR data, as well as their effects on the two-dimensional distribution of fragment pairs. Tests of independence of alleles at a locus may confound those physical properties with allele independence. A recently proposed test by Geisser and Johnson is an example. The authors show that alleles can be strictly independent, yet the proposed test suggests large violations of allele independence because it is sensitive to well-known electrophoretic phenomena. 7 refs., 4 tabs.

[SF-36 and EQ-5D in the evaluation of QOL in the osteoporotic patients as the generic questionnaires].

PubMed

Tanaka, Kiyoshi; Fujii, Ayano; Kuwabara, Akiko

2012-02-01

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) , abbreviated as QOL, can be evaluated by various questionnaires, which are classified as generic and disease-targeted ones. Generic questionnaires are further subdivided into profile-type and preference-based ones. SF-36 and EQ-5D are the best known examples for the former and the latter, respectively. In SF-36 and its shortened one SF-8, the subjects' QOL is expressed by several profiles or subscales. Their advantages include well-conducted validation and availability of national norms. In EQ-5D, a single value representing the subjects' QOL status (utility) is obtained through 5 questions. These generic questionnaires are applicable to patients with various diseases or even to healthy citizens. In contrast, disease-targeted questionnaires lack such features, but can include items that are specifically related to the disease but devoid of general applicability. Thus, generic and disease-targeted questionnaires have their own pros and cons. Selection of the questionnaires depends on the object of the study.

Fiber-dependent deautonomization of integrable 2D mappings and discrete Painlevé equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carstea, Adrian Stefan; Dzhamay, Anton; Takenawa, Tomoyuki

2017-10-01

It is well known that two-dimensional mappings preserving a rational elliptic fibration, like the Quispel-Roberts-Thompson mappings, can be deautonomized to discrete Painlevé equations. However, the dependence of this procedure on the choice of a particular elliptic fiber has not been sufficiently investigated. In this paper we establish a way of performing the deautonomization for a pair of an autonomous mapping and a fiber. Starting from a single autonomous mapping but varying the type of a chosen fiber, we obtain different types of discrete Painlevé equations using this deautonomization procedure. We also introduce a technique for reconstructing a mapping from the knowledge of its induced action on the Picard group and some additional geometric data. This technique allows us to obtain factorized expressions of discrete Painlevé equations, including the elliptic case. Further, by imposing certain restrictions on such non-autonomous mappings we obtain new and simple elliptic difference Painlevé equations, including examples whose symmetry groups do not appear explicitly in Sakai’s classification.

Biotechnological production of enantiomerically pure d-lactic acid.

PubMed

Klotz, Silvia; Kaufmann, Norman; Kuenz, Anja; Prüße, Ulf

2016-11-01

The fermentation process of l-lactic acid is well known. Little importance was attached to d-lactic acid, but in the past 10 years, d-lactic acid gained significantly in importance. d-Lactic acid is an interesting precursor for manufacturing heat-resistant polylactic acid (PLA) bioplastics which can be widely used, for example as packaging material, coatings, for textiles or in the automotive industry.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent developments, including a spectrum of studied microorganisms and their capabilities for the production of d-lactic acid. Additionally, the technological achievements in biotechnological d-lactic acid production including fermentation techniques like fed batch, simultaneous saccharification, and fermentation and continuous techniques are presented. Attention is also turned to suitable alternative substrates and their applicability in fermentation processes. Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of product recovery and purification are discussed. Economic aspects of PLA are pointed out, and the present industrial producers of lactic acid are briefly introduced.

Progressive wave expansions and open boundary problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagstrom, T.; Hariharan, S. I.

1995-01-01

In this paper we construct progressive wave expansions and asymptotic boundary conditions for wave-like equations in exterior domains, including applications to electromagnetics, compressible flows and aero-acoustics. The development of the conditions will be discussed in two parts. The first part will include derivations of asymptotic conditions based on the well-known progressive wave expansions for the two-dimensional wave equations. A key feature in the derivations is that the resulting family of boundary conditions involves a single derivative in the direction normal to the open boundary. These conditions are easy to implement and an application in electromagnetics will be presented. The second part of the paper will discuss the theory for hyperbolic systems in two dimensions. Here, the focus will be to obtain the expansions in a general way and to use them to derive a class of boundary conditions that involve only time derivatives or time and tangential derivatives. Maxwell's equations and the compressible Euler equations are used as examples. Simulations with the linearized Euler equations are presented to validate the theory.

The Wiley Protocol: an analysis of ethical issues.

PubMed

Rosenthal, M Sara

2008-01-01

: This review explores the ethical issues surrounding an unregulated protocol that is advertised to women through consumer books, the popular press, and the Internet, known as the Wiley Protocol. : A content analysis of relevant documents was conducted, followed by telephone interviews with investigators and former participants to verify facts. : The Wiley Protocol is an example of unregulated research involving potentially unsafe doses of bioidentical hormones applied to an unselected population of women. This protocol fails to use research ethics guidelines such as informed consent, investigator expertise, sound methodology, standardized data collection, and data safety monitoring. : Clinical ethics breaches include lack of full disclosure of risks, coercive influences, as well as misinformation about the study goals and safety. Breaches of professional ethics include conflicts of interest with respect to financial incentives, patient accrual, and inadequate standards of awareness and proficiency among participating investigators. It appears evident that the failure to regulate nutriceuticals and products of compounding pharmacy has provided the opportunity for these ethical violations.

An infinite branching hierarchy of time-periodic solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation

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

Wilkening, Jon

2008-07-01

We present a new representation of solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation that are periodic in space and time. Up to an additive constant and a Galilean transformation, each of these solutions is a previously known, multi-periodic solution; however, the new representation unifies the subset of such solutions with a fixed spatial period and a continuously varying temporal period into a single network of smooth manifolds connected together by an infinite hierarchy of bifurcations. Our representation explicitly describes the evolution of the Fourier modes of the solution as well as the particle trajectories in a meromorphic representation of these solutions; therefore,more » we have also solved the problem of finding periodic solutions of the ordinary differential equation governing these particles, including a description of a bifurcation mechanism for adding or removing particles without destroying periodicity. We illustrate the types of bifurcation that occur with several examples, including degenerate bifurcations not predicted by linearization about traveling waves.« less

Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Sclerosing Features: An Uncommon and Potentially Aggressive Variant.

PubMed

Ronen, Shira; Gru, Alejandro A; Noland, Mary M; Rowe, David M; Wick, Mark R

2018-05-08

Sclerosing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as "desmoplastic" SCC, is a rare subtype of cutaneous malignancy. This variant is clinically significant because it is associated with an increased risk of local recurrence and metastasis. We herein present 16 examples of sclerotic SCC of the skin in 8 men and 3 women, with a median age of 66 years. The most common site of origin for this tumor is the skin of the head and neck, including the scalp (5 tumors in 2 different patients), forehead (3 cases), nasal ala (2 cases), neck (2 cases in the same patient), ear (2 cases), cheek (1 case), and chest (1 case). Microscopically, sclerosing SCCs are characterized by cellular cords, nests, and islands, as well as scattered single cells infiltrating densely desmoplastic and collagenized connective tissue. The differential diagnosis principally includes sclerosing basal cell carcinoma, microcystic adnexal carcinoma, and desmoplastic trichoepithelioma. The main goals of this study are to further characterize these lesions pathologically, and increase general awareness of this SCC subtype.

Breastfeeding on prime-time in Brazil.

PubMed

Castello Branco, H

1990-01-01

An example of the potential power of mass media in helping implement health programs, Brazil conducted a highly successful advertising campaign aimed at increasing the prevalence and duration of breastfeeding. The advertising campaign formed part of the 1981-84 breastfeeding program, which included -- among other things -- implementing maternity laws, establishing support groups for breastfeeding mothers, and disseminating information to policymakers. While several methods to inform parents had been tried, all had encountered resistance. An intensive mass media campaign changed all that. In 1982, 100 television channels began airing frequent, prime- time commercials -- an effort supplemented by radio sports, posters, and print advertisements. The airing of commercials followed extensive research and pretesting of the material, and were intended to help break down social barrier to breastfeeding, which included: women's fears that their breast size made then incapable of breastfeeding; employers' lack of support for working mothers; the lack of unity among doctors that breastfeeding is right for every child; and "machismo" -- men's attitude that the breast is only a sexual object. In order to establish a common goal, all spots ended with the slogan: "Breastfeeding -- 6 months that build up a life." And to establish credibility, the commercials featured well-known Brazilian celebrities. A spot aimed at facilitating the act for other women showed a popular actress breastfeeding her own child; another commercial showed a well- known singer and male role model asking fathers to support breastfeeding. An evaluation conducted in 1987 indicated significant positive changes due to the advertising campaign, demonstrating the potential of mass media in raising public awareness.

26 CFR 1.167(a)-7 - Accounting for depreciable property.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... approximately the same useful lives may be grouped together. Such an account is commonly known as a group... composite account. For example, all the assets used in a business may be included in a single account. Group..., cost, character, use, etc. (b) When group, classified, or composite accounts are used with average...

Five Scribbles: An Inquiry into Artistic Intention and Critical Empathy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henley, David R.

1994-01-01

Examines five different examples of scribble art with the purpose of entering the experience of the scribbler through empathetic understanding. The participants include a schizophrenic adult; a blind, deaf, and autistic 10-year old; a known artist; a precocious 3-year old; and an elephant. Paper discovers commonalties in their efforts. (MJP)

Conservation of forest genetic resources in the United States.

Treesearch

B. St. Clair; S. Lipow; K. Vance-Borland; R. Johnson

2007-01-01

Conservation of genetic diversity is recognized as an important requirement of sustainable forest management. Gene conservation activities include in situ conservation of native stands in reserves and ex situ conservation in seed banks, genetic tests, seed and breeding orchards, and other plantations of known identity. We present an example from Oregon and Washington...

40 CFR 63.2406 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

.... Examples of containers include, but are not limited to, drums and portable cargo containers known as... language in § 63.921, the terms “container” and “safety device” shall have the meaning found in this... storage or for further processing downstream. Cargo tank means a liquid-carrying tank permanently attached...

75 FR 59975 - National Priorities List, Final Rule No. 50

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-29

... Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (``NCP'') include a list of national priorities among the known... Contingency Plan (``NCP''), 40 CFR part 300, on July 16, 1982 (47 FR 31180), pursuant to CERCLA section 105... site. For example, the name ``Jones Co. plant site,'' does not imply that the Jones company is...

76 FR 57662 - National Priorities List, Final Rule No. 52

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-16

... Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (``NCP'') include a list of national priorities among the known... Contingency Plan (``NCP''), 40 CFR part 300, on July 16, 1982 (47 FR 31180), pursuant to CERCLA section 105... site. For example, the name ``Jones Co. plant site,'' does not imply that the Jones company is...

A heuristic approach to optimization of structural topology including self-weight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajs-Zielińska, Katarzyna; Bochenek, Bogdan

2018-01-01

Topology optimization of structures under a design-dependent self-weight load is investigated in this paper. The problem deserves attention because of its significant importance in the engineering practice, especially nowadays as topology optimization is more often applied when designing large engineering structures, for example, bridges or carrying systems of tall buildings. It is worth noting that well-known approaches of topology optimization which have been successfully applied to structures under fixed loads cannot be directly adapted to the case of design-dependent loads, so that topology generation can be a challenge also for numerical algorithms. The paper presents the application of a simple but efficient non-gradient method to topology optimization of elastic structures under self-weight loading. The algorithm is based on the Cellular Automata concept, the application of which can produce effective solutions with low computational cost.

Unusual raptor nests around the world

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellis, D.H.; Craig, T.; Craig, E.; Postupalsky, S.; LaRue, C.T.; Nelson, R.W.; Anderson, D.W.; Henny, C.J.; Watson, J.; Millsap, B.A.; Dawson, J.W.; Cole, K.L.; Martin, E.M.; Margalida, A.; Kung, P.

2009-01-01

From surveys in many countries, we report raptors using unusual nesting materials (e.g., paper money, rags, metal, antlers, and large bones) and unusual nesting situations. For example, we documented nests of Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis and Upland Buzzards Buteo hemilasius on the ground beside well-traveled roads, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug eyries in attics and a cistern, and Osprey Pandion haliaetus nests on the masts of boats and on a suspended automobile. Other records include a Golden Eagle A. chrysaetos nest 7.0 m in height, believed to be the tallest nest ever described, and, for the same species, we report nesting in rudimentary nests. Some nest sites are within a few meters of known predators or competitors. These unusual observations may be important in revealing the plasticity of a species' behavioral repertoire. ?? 2009 The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.

Therapeutic potential of carbohydrates as regulators of macrophage activation.

PubMed

Lundahl, Mimmi L E; Scanlan, Eoin M; Lavelle, Ed C

2017-12-15

It is well established for a broad range of disease states, including cancer and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, that pathogenesis is bolstered by polarisation of macrophages towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype, known as M2. As these innate immune cells are relatively long-lived, their re-polarisation to pro-inflammatory, phagocytic and bactericidal "classically activated" M1 macrophages is an attractive therapeutic approach. On the other hand, there are scenarios where the resolving inflammation, wound healing and tissue remodelling properties of M2 macrophages are beneficial - for example the successful introduction of biomedical implants. Although there are numerous endogenous and exogenous factors that have an impact on the macrophage polarisation spectrum, this review will focus specifically on prominent macrophage-modulating carbohydrate motifs with a view towards highlighting structure-function relationships and therapeutic potential. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Temperature and density anti-correlations in solar wind fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zank, G. P.; Matthaeus, W. H.; Klein, L. W.

1990-01-01

Recent theoretical investigations of low Mach number flows, that describe two distinct approaches by fluids to the incompressible regime are summarized. The first includes the effects of relatively strong density and temperature fluctuations (Type I), while the second places fluctuations in mechanical pressure, density, and temperature on an equal footing (Type II). In the latter case, the relations between density and pressure are recovered, whereas the former case yields departures from incompressible behavior in that density and temperature fluctuations are predicted to be anti-correlated. It is suggested that nearly incompressible fluids can be classified as either Type I or II, and it is shown that the well-known pressure-balanced structures represent a subclass of static solutions within this classification. Two examples from Voyager data illustrate the potential for observing these distinct nearly incompressible dynamical ordering in the solar wind.

The Demonstration of a Robotic External Leak Locator on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naids, Adam; Rossetti, Dino; Bond, Tim; Johnson, Brien; Huang, Alvin; Deal, Alexandra; Fox, Katie; Heiser, Michael; Hartman, William; Mikatarian, Ronald

2017-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) and all currently conceivable future manned spacecraft are susceptible to mission impacts due to fluid/gas leaks to the exterior environment. For example, there is a well-known risk of ammonia leaks from the ISS External Thermal Control System loops and currently no method to locate them. It was, therefore, critical to develop a method for detecting and locating leaks to preserve vehicle health. The Robotic External Leak Locator (RELL) was developed and deployed to the ISS to provide this capability. An on-orbit validation and demonstration was successfully completed in December 2016 and leak locating operations occurred in February 2017. This paper discusses the results of those exercises including measurements of the environment around ISS, detection of the small ammonia leak and implementation of leak locating methodologies.

Parent-child interaction therapy: a manualized intervention for the therapeutic child welfare sector.

PubMed

Thomas, Rae; Herschell, Amy D

2013-08-01

Children who have experienced maltreatment can often display behavioral difficulties; their parents may lack disciplinary knowledge, be less sensitive to their children, and engage in coercive parenting practices. Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) is a well-known, evidence-based treatment (EBT) for child behavior problems and within the last decade has garnered significant evidence to suggest its utility for parents engaged in child maltreatment. This article uses a case example to describe PCIT treatment phases and PCIT research within the child maltreatment sector is synthesized with particular focus on treatment modifications. Successful augmentations and modifications include a motivation component, keeping therapeutic time shorter rather than longer, and whether to incorporate individual counseling and in-home PCIT are also considered. Practical strategies from both a therapeutic and research experience are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emerging phleboviruses.

PubMed

Elliott, Richard M; Brennan, Benjamin

2014-04-01

The Bunyavidae family is the largest grouping of RNA viruses and arguably the most diverse. Bunyaviruses have a truly global distribution and can infect vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. The majority of bunyaviruses are vectored by arthropods and thus have the remarkable capability to replicate in hosts of disparate phylogeny. The family has provided many examples of emerging viruses including Sin Nombre and related viruses responsible for hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome in the Americas, first identified in 1993, and Schmallenberg virus which emerged in Europe in 2011, causing foetal malformations in ruminants. In addition, some well-known bunyaviruses like Rift Valley fever and Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever viruses continue to emerge in new geographical locations. In this short review we focus on newly identified viruses associated with severe haemorrhagic disease in humans in China and the US. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accurate integration over atomic regions bounded by zero-flux surfaces.

PubMed

Polestshuk, Pavel M

2013-01-30

The approach for the integration over a region covered by zero-flux surface is described. This approach based on the surface triangulation technique is efficiently realized in a newly developed program TWOE. The elaborated method is tested on several atomic properties including the source function. TWOE results are compared with those produced by using well-known existing programs. Absolute errors in computed atomic properties are shown to range usually from 10(-6) to 10(-5) au. The demonstrative examples prove that present realization has perfect convergence of atomic properties with increasing size of angular grid and allows to obtain highly accurate data even in the most difficult cases. It is believed that the developed program can be bridgehead that allows to implement atomic partitioning of any desired molecular property with high accuracy. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spot: A Programming Language for Verified Flight Software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bocchino, Robert L., Jr.; Gamble, Edward; Gostelow, Kim P.; Some, Raphael R.

2014-01-01

The C programming language is widely used for programming space flight software and other safety-critical real time systems. C, however, is far from ideal for this purpose: as is well known, it is both low-level and unsafe. This paper describes Spot, a language derived from C for programming space flight systems. Spot aims to maintain compatibility with existing C code while improving the language and supporting verification with the SPIN model checker. The major features of Spot include actor-based concurrency, distributed state with message passing and transactional updates, and annotations for testing and verification. Spot also supports domain-specific annotations for managing spacecraft state, e.g., communicating telemetry information to the ground. We describe the motivation and design rationale for Spot, give an overview of the design, provide examples of Spot's capabilities, and discuss the current status of the implementation.

Conditions for the compatibility of channels in general probabilistic theory and their connection to steering and Bell nonlocality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plávala, Martin

2017-11-01

We derive general conditions for the compatibility of channels in general probabilistic theory. We introduce formalism that allows us to easily formulate steering by channels and Bell nonlocality of channels as generalizations of the well-known concepts of steering by measurements and Bell nonlocality of measurements. The generalization does not follow the standard line of thinking stemming from the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, but introduces steering and Bell nonlocality as entanglement-assisted incompatibility tests. We show that all of the proposed definitions are, in the special case of measurements, the same as the standard definitions, but not all of the known results for measurements generalize to channels. For example, we show that for quantum channels, steering is not a necessary condition for Bell nonlocality. We further investigate the introduced conditions and concepts in the special case of quantum theory and we provide many examples to demonstrate these concepts and their implications.

Hamiltonian formulation of systems with balanced loss-gain and exactly solvable models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Pijush K.; Sinha, Debdeep

2018-01-01

A Hamiltonian formulation of generic many-body systems with balanced loss and gain is presented. It is shown that a Hamiltonian formulation is possible only if the balancing of loss and gain terms occurs in a pairwise fashion. It is also shown that with the choice of a suitable co-ordinate, the Hamiltonian can always be reformulated in the background of a pseudo-Euclidean metric. If the equations of motion of some of the well-known many-body systems like Calogero models are generalized to include balanced loss and gain, it appears that the same may not be amenable to a Hamiltonian formulation. A few exactly solvable systems with balanced loss and gain, along with a set of integrals of motion are constructed. The examples include a coupled chain of nonlinear oscillators and a many-particle Calogero-type model with four-body inverse square plus two-body pair-wise harmonic interactions. For the case of nonlinear oscillators, stable solution exists even if the loss and gain parameter has unbounded upper range. Further, the range of the parameter for which the stable solutions are obtained is independent of the total number of the oscillators. The set of coupled nonlinear equations are solved exactly for the case when the values of all the constants of motions except the Hamiltonian are equal to zero. Exact, analytical classical solutions are presented for all the examples considered.

North American velvet ants form one of the world's largest known Müllerian mimicry complexes.

PubMed

Wilson, Joseph S; Jahner, Joshua P; Forister, Matthew L; Sheehan, Erica S; Williams, Kevin A; Pitts, James P

2015-08-17

Color mimicry is often celebrated as one of the most straightforward examples of evolution by natural selection, as striking morphological similarity between species evolves in response to a shared predation pressure. Recently, a large North American mimetic complex was described that included 65 species of Dasymutilla velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Beyond those 65 species, little is known about how many species participate in this unique Müllerian complex, though several other arthropods are thought to be involved as Müllerian mimics (spider wasps) and Batesian mimics (beetles, antlions, and spiders; see references in). Müllerian mimicry is similarity in appearance or phenotype among harmful species, while Batesian mimicry is similarity in which not all species are harmful. Here, we investigate the extent of the velvet ant mimicry complex beyond Dasymutilla by examining distributional and color pattern similarities in all of the 21 North American diurnal velvet ant genera, including 302 of the 361 named species (nearly 84%), as well as 16 polymorphic color forms and an additional 33 undescribed species. Of the 351 species and color forms that were analyzed (including undescribed species), 336 exhibit some morphological similarities and we hypothesize that they form eight distinct mimicry rings (Figure 1A; Supplemental Information). Two of these eight mimicry rings, red-headed Timulla and black-headed Timulla, were not documented in earlier assessments of mimicry in velvet ants, and are newly described here. These findings identify one of the largest known Müllerian mimicry systems worldwide and provide a novel system to test hypotheses about aposematism and mimicry, especially those regarding the evolution of imperfect mimicry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The future of death in America

PubMed Central

King, Gary; Soneji, Samir

2013-01-01

Population mortality forecasts are widely used for allocating public health expenditures, setting research priorities, and evaluating the viability of public and private pensions, and health care financing systems. In part because existing methods forecast less accurately when based on more information, most forecasts are still based on simple linear extrapolations that ignore known biological risk factors and other prior information. We adapt a Bayesian hierarchical forecasting model capable of including more known health and demographic information than has previously been possible. This leads to the first age- and sex-specific forecasts of American mortality that simultaneously incorporate, in a formal statistical model, the effects of the recent rapid increase in obesity, the steady decline in tobacco consumption, and the well known patterns of smooth mortality age profiles and time trends. Formally including new information in forecasts can matter a great deal. For example, we estimate an increase in male life expectancy at birth from 76.2 years in 2010 to 79.9 years in 2030, which is 1.8 years greater than the U.S. Social Security Administration projection and 1.5 years more than U.S. Census projection. For females, we estimate more modest gains in life expectancy at birth over the next twenty years from 80.5 years to 81.9 years, which is virtually identical to the Social Security Administration projection and 2.0 years less than U.S. Census projections. We show that these patterns are also likely to greatly affect the aging American population structure. We offer an easy-to-use approach so that researchers can include other sources of information and potentially improve on our forecasts too. PMID:24696636

Selection against small males in utero: a test of the Wells hypothesis.

PubMed

Catalano, R; Goodman, J; Margerison-Zilko, C E; Saxton, K B; Anderson, E; Epstein, M

2012-04-01

The argument that women in stressful environments spontaneously abort their least fit fetuses enjoys wide dissemination despite the fact that several of its most intuitive predictions remain untested. The literature includes no tests, for example, of the hypothesis that these mechanisms select against small for gestational age (SGA) males. We apply time-series modeling to 4.9 million California male term births to test the hypothesis that the rate of SGA infants in 1096 weekly birth cohorts varies inversely with labor market contraction, a known stressor of contemporary populations. We find support for the hypothesis that small size becomes less frequent among term male infants when the labor market contracts. Our findings contribute to the evidence supporting selection in utero. They also suggest that research into the association between maternal stress and adverse birth outcomes should acknowledge the possibility that fetal loss may affect findings and their interpretation. Strengths of our analyses include the large number and size of our birth cohorts and our control for autocorrelation. Weaknesses include that we, like nearly all researchers in the field, have no direct measure of fetal loss.

SCARE: A post-processor program to MSC/NASTRAN for the reliability analysis of structural ceramic components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gyekenyesi, J. P.

1985-01-01

A computer program was developed for calculating the statistical fast fracture reliability and failure probability of ceramic components. The program includes the two-parameter Weibull material fracture strength distribution model, using the principle of independent action for polyaxial stress states and Batdorf's shear-sensitive as well as shear-insensitive crack theories, all for volume distributed flaws in macroscopically isotropic solids. Both penny-shaped cracks and Griffith cracks are included in the Batdorf shear-sensitive crack response calculations, using Griffith's maximum tensile stress or critical coplanar strain energy release rate criteria to predict mixed mode fracture. Weibull material parameters can also be calculated from modulus of rupture bar tests, using the least squares method with known specimen geometry and fracture data. The reliability prediction analysis uses MSC/NASTRAN stress, temperature and volume output, obtained from the use of three-dimensional, quadratic, isoparametric, or axisymmetric finite elements. The statistical fast fracture theories employed, along with selected input and output formats and options, are summarized. An example problem to demonstrate various features of the program is included.

Resolvent approach for two-dimensional scattering problems. Application to the nonstationary Schrödinger problem and the KPI equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boiti, M.; Pempinelli, F.; Pogrebkov, A. K.; Polivanov, M. C.

1992-11-01

The resolvent operator of the linear problem is determined as the full Green function continued in the complex domain in two variables. An analog of the known Hilbert identity is derived. We demonstrate the role of this identity in the study of two-dimensional scattering. Considering the nonstationary Schrödinger equation as an example, we show that all types of solutions of the linear problems, as well as spectral data known in the literature, are given as specific values of this unique function — the resolvent function. A new form of the inverse problem is formulated.

Stress anisotropy and velocity anisotropy in low porosity shale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuila, U.; Dewhurst, D. N.; Siggins, A. F.; Raven, M. D.

2011-04-01

Shales are known for often marked intrinsic anisotropy of many of their properties, including strength, permeability and velocity for example. In addition, it is well known that anisotropic stress fields can also have a significant impact on anisotropy of velocity, even in an isotropic medium. This paper sets out to investigate the ultrasonic velocity response of well-characterised low porosity shales from the Officer Basin in Western Australia to both isotropic and anisotropic stress fields and to evaluate the velocity response to the changing stress field. During consolidated undrained multi-stage triaxial tests on core plugs cut normal to bedding, V pv increases monotonically with increasing effective stress and V s1 behaves similarly although with some scatter. V ph and V sh remain constant initially but then decrease within each stage of the multi-stage test, although velocity from stage to stage at any given differential stress increases. This has the impact of decreasing both P-wave (ɛ) and S-wave anisotropy (γ) through application of differential stress within each loading stage. However, increasing the magnitude of an isotropic stress field has little effect on the velocity anisotropies. The intrinsic anisotropy of the shale remains reasonably high at the highest confining pressures. The results indicate the magnitude and orientation of the stress anisotropy with respect to the shale microfabric has a significant impact on the velocity response to changing stress fields.

Gap Junctions

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Morten Schak; Axelsen, Lene Nygaard; Sorgen, Paul L.; Verma, Vandana; Delmar, Mario; Holstein-Rathlou, Niels-Henrik

2013-01-01

Gap junctions are essential to the function of multicellular animals, which require a high degree of coordination between cells. In vertebrates, gap junctions comprise connexins and currently 21 connexins are known in humans. The functions of gap junctions are highly diverse and include exchange of metabolites and electrical signals between cells, as well as functions, which are apparently unrelated to intercellular communication. Given the diversity of gap junction physiology, regulation of gap junction activity is complex. The structure of the various connexins is known to some extent; and structural rearrangements and intramolecular interactions are important for regulation of channel function. Intercellular coupling is further regulated by the number and activity of channels present in gap junctional plaques. The number of connexins in cell-cell channels is regulated by controlling transcription, translation, trafficking, and degradation; and all of these processes are under strict control. Once in the membrane, channel activity is determined by the conductive properties of the connexin involved, which can be regulated by voltage and chemical gating, as well as a large number of posttranslational modifications. The aim of the present article is to review our current knowledge on the structure, regulation, function, and pharmacology of gap junctions. This will be supported by examples of how different connexins and their regulation act in concert to achieve appropriate physiological control, and how disturbances of connexin function can lead to disease. © 2012 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 2:1981-2035, 2012. PMID:23723031

Aesthetic Cartography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toland, Alexandra

2017-04-01

Art theorists, Carole Gray and Heather Delday (2010) pose the question, "What might be known through creative practice that could not be known by any other means?" As a visual artist with a doctorate degree in environmental planning from the TU-Berlin's Department of Soil Protection, I have long considered this question in my work and over the years contributed an active voice to discussions on research, education, and public engagement with soil and art and soil and culture in Germany and around the world. After presenting many other examples of artists' work at international scientific symposia, I would like to present examples of some of my own artistic practice with soil mapping and soil protection issues at the 2017 EGU. In combining methods of visual art, landscape analysis, and soil mapping, I have developed a practice called Aesthetic Cartography that employs sculptural techniques, object-making, installation and performance, printing and graphic design, as well as site analysis, data mining, and map reading and interpretation. Given my background in participatory planning practices, I also integrate small-group dialogic processes in the creation and implementation of my works. The projects making up the body of works in Aesthetic Cartography are mainly focused on urban issues, including: soil sealing, inner-city watershed management, creative brownfield use, rubble substrates and leachates, foraging and urban agriculture, and envisioning sustainable cities of the future. In the session SSS1.4 - Soil, Art, and Culture I will summarize project goals, materials and methods, venues and public contexts, elements of collaboration and participation, as well as target audiences involved in several projects of the Aesthetic Cartography series. The aim of the presentation is not to give a comprehensive answer to Gray and Delday's question above, but rather to share personal insights from a professional practice that merges artistic and scientific approaches to soil protection and soil communication.

How to get the customer service your practice deserves.

PubMed

Cavallo, Nancy

2009-01-01

What is good customer service, and how can office managers and others who deal with medical supply distributors get the customer service they deserve? This article covers the basics of good customer service, including examples of companies known for putting the customer first-Nordstrom, Disney, Johnson &Johnson, and VaxServe. Helpful tips on what to look for in a distributor include personalized service, cost considerations, dedication, knowledge, experience, helpfulness, openness, reliability, and compatibility.

Has the Time Come to Emulate Jung? A Response to Piechowski's Most Recent Rethinking of the Theory of Positive Disintegration: I. The Case against Primary Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendaglio, Sal; Tillier, William

2015-01-01

Disagreements between theorists and their collaborators are as old as the field of psychology itself. The most well-known example of a professional relationship marked by diverging viewpoints in psychology is that of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Theoretical disagreements between them were resolved by Jung's creation of a new theory. In this…

Interactions of Waves and River Plume and their Effects on Sediment Transport at River Mouth (RIVET I)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-30

nearshore modeling system for inlet hydrodynamics, sediment deposition/resuspension, river plume processes and the resulting morphodynamics in a...modeling systems are sufficiently robust to provide the critical link (interpolation) between the remote-sensing data and the ground-truth data. The...modeling systems . For example, it is well-known that in numerical modeling of inlet hydrodynamics, the results are sensitive to parameterization of

When You Are Born Matters: The Impact of Date of Birth on Child Cognitive Outcomes in England. CEE DP 93

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Claire; Dearden, Lorraine; Meghir, Costas

2007-01-01

The impact of date of birth on cognitive test scores is well documented across many countries, with the youngest children in each academic year performing more poorly, on average, than the older members of their cohort (see, for example, Bedard and Dhuey (2006) or Puhani and Weber (2005)1). However, relatively little is known about the driving…

Field experiments on eyewitness identification: towards a better understanding of pitfalls and prospects.

PubMed

Wells, Gary L

2008-02-01

The Illinois pilot program on lineup procedures has helped sharpen the focus on the types of controls that are needed in eyewitness field experiments and the limits that exist for interpreting outcome measures (rates of suspect and filler identifications). A widely-known limitation of field experiments is that, unlike simulated crime experiments, the guilt or innocence of the suspects is not easily known independently of the behavior of the eyewitnesses. Less well appreciated is that the rate of identification of lineup fillers, although clearly errors, can be a misleading measure if the filler identification rate is used to assess which of two or more lineup procedures is the better procedure. Several examples are used to illustrate that there are clearly improper procedures that would yield fewer identifications of fillers than would their proper counterparts. For example, biased lineup structure (e.g., using poorly matched fillers) as well as suggestive lineup procedures (that can result from non-blind administration of lineups) would reduce filler identification errors compared to unbiased and non-suggestive procedures. Hence, under many circumstances filler identification rates can be misleading indicators of preferred methods. Comparisons of lineup procedures in future field experiments will not be easily accepted in the absence of double-blind administration methods in all conditions plus true random assignment to conditions.

Transformational Capacity - Exploring a Places Ability to Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschfeld, D.

2016-12-01

In the face of climate change, there is an emerging consensus that local transformations are necessary in order to avoid the most catastrophic of losses (Burch et al. 2014; Preston et al. 2013). Specifically, it is well known that rising sea levels will lead to increased flooding and habitat loss (McGranahan, et al., 2007). Solutions to sea level rise and its associated impacts will require the active participation of coastal communities who will continue to be relied upon for most of the critical land use and planning decisions (Hurlimann and March 2012). While local governments are needed, these changes are known to be extremely difficult and require a shift to a new development path. Additionally, municipalities need to be able to identify places that can be altered to prepare for sea level rise. Thus we need to enhancer our understanding of transformational capacity. The range of future sea level rise projections are well understood, what is not known is how people will react and change the coastal landscape to address these threats. Additionally, it is not well understood how these different shorezone strategies will in turn impact people. Building on other long-term historical models in coastal engineering, we have developed a framework to generate potential future shorezones in a complex estuarine environment. As shown in Figure 1, the framework includes three general components to determine potential future shorezones. Within each general part of the framework, there are a number of critical data sets used to support this part of the model. For example, the economic piece of the analysis includes, the costs of coastal protective infrastructure and the values of upland parcels. The future shorezones generated through this analysis will be used in sea level rise impacts assessments allowing for a richer conversation in the climate adaptation process. Ultimately, the goals of this presentation are to 1) introduce this specific framework designed to assess the transformational capacity of places 2) use the framework to compare and assess components of the system and 3) show results from research in the San Francisco Bay.

Determination of thickness of thin turbid painted over-layers using micro-scale spatially offset Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conti, Claudia; Realini, Marco; Colombo, Chiara; Botteon, Alessandra; Bertasa, Moira; Striova, Jana; Barucci, Marco; Matousek, Pavel

2016-12-01

We present a method for estimating the thickness of thin turbid layers using defocusing micro-spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (micro-SORS). The approach, applicable to highly turbid systems, enables one to predict depths in excess of those accessible with conventional Raman microscopy. The technique can be used, for example, to establish the paint layer thickness on cultural heritage objects, such as panel canvases, mural paintings, painted statues and decorated objects. Other applications include analysis in polymer, biological and biomedical disciplines, catalytic and forensics sciences where highly turbid overlayers are often present and where invasive probing may not be possible or is undesirable. The method comprises two stages: (i) a calibration step for training the method on a well characterized sample set with a known thickness, and (ii) a prediction step where the prediction of layer thickness is carried out non-invasively on samples of unknown thickness of the same chemical and physical make up as the calibration set. An illustrative example of a practical deployment of this method is the analysis of larger areas of paintings. In this case, first, a calibration would be performed on a fragment of painting of a known thickness (e.g. derived from cross-sectional analysis) and subsequently the analysis of thickness across larger areas of painting could then be carried out non-invasively. The performance of the method is compared with that of the more established optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique on identical sample set. This article is part of the themed issue "Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology".

Known knowns, known unknowns and unknown unknowns in prokaryotic transposition.

PubMed

Siguier, Patricia; Gourbeyre, Edith; Chandler, Michael

2017-08-01

Although the phenomenon of transposition has been known for over 60 years, its overarching importance in modifying and streamlining genomes took some time to recognize. In spite of a robust understanding of transposition of some TE, there remain a number of important TE groups with potential high genome impact and unknown transposition mechanisms and yet others, only recently identified by bioinformatics, yet to be formally confirmed as mobile. Here, we point to some areas of limited understanding concerning well established important TE groups with DDE Tpases, to address central gaps in our knowledge of characterised Tn with other types of Tpases and finally, to highlight new potentially mobile DNA species. It is not exhaustive. Examples have been chosen to provide encouragement in the continued exploration of the considerable prokaryotic mobilome especially in light of the current threat to public health posed by the spread of multiple Ab R . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monitoring indicators of harmful cyanobacteria in Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kiesling, Richard L.; Gary, Robin H.; Gary, Marcus O.

2008-01-01

Harmful algal blooms can occur when certain types of microscopic algae grow quickly in water, forming visible patches that might harm the health of the environment, plants, or animals. In freshwater, species of Cyanobacteria (also known as bluegreen algae) are the dominant group of harmful, bloom-forming algae. When Cyanobacteria form a harmful algal bloom, potential impairments include restricted recreational activities because of algal scums or algal mats, potential loss of public water supply because of taste and odor compounds (for example, geosmin), and the production of toxins (for example, microcystin) in amounts capable of threatening human health and wildlife.

Workmanship Challenges for NASA Mission Hardware

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Plante, Jeannette

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews several challenges in workmanship for NASA mission hardware development. Several standards for NASA workmanship exist, that are required for all programs, projects, contracts and subcontracts. These Standards contain our best known methods for avoiding past assembly problems and defects. These best practices may not be available if suppliers are used who are not compliant with them. Compliance includes having certified operators and inspectors. Some examples of problems that have occured from the lack of requirements flow-down to contractors are reviewed. The presentation contains a detailed example of the challenge in regards to The Packaging "Design" Dilemma.

Eastern Regional Technical Advisory Committee (ERTAC) Electricity Generating Unit (EGU) Emission Projection Tool (2015 EIC)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Class content will include examples of how the Tool maybe applied to calculate the impacts of various air pollution control regulations (for example, the Mercury and Air Toxics Rule) on future year activity as well as NOx, SO2, and CO2 emissions.

Ion mobility spectrometry for food quality and safety.

PubMed

Vautz, W; Zimmermann, D; Hartmann, M; Baumbach, J I; Nolte, J; Jung, J

2006-11-01

Ion mobility spectrometry is known to be a fast and sensitive technique for the detection of trace substances, and it is increasingly in demand not only for protection against explosives and chemical warfare agents, but also for new applications in medical diagnosis or process control. Generally, a gas phase sample is ionized by help of ultraviolet light, ss-radiation or partial discharges. The ions move in a weak electrical field towards a detector. During their drift they collide with a drift gas flowing in the opposite direction and, therefore, are slowed down depending on their size, shape and charge. As a result, different ions reach the detector at different drift times, which are characteristic for the ions considered. The number of ions reaching the detector are a measure of the concentration of the analyte. The method enables the identification and quantification of analytes with high sensitivity (ng l(-1) range). The selectivity can even be increased - as necessary for the analyses of complex mixtures - using pre-separation techniques such as gas chromatography or multi-capillary columns. No pre-concentration of the sample is necessary. Those characteristics of the method are preserved even in air with up to a 100% relative humidity rate. The suitability of the method for application in the field of food quality and safety - including storage, process and quality control as well as the characterization of food stuffs - was investigated in recent years for a number of representative examples, which are summarized in the following, including new studies as well: (1) the detection of metabolites from bacteria for the identification and control of their growth; (2) process control in food production - beer fermentation being an example; (3) the detection of the metabolites of mould for process control during cheese production, for quality control of raw materials or for the control of storage conditions; (4) the quality control of packaging materials during the production of polymeric materials; and (5) the characterization of products - wine being an example. The challenges of such applications were operation in humid air, fast on-line analyses of complex mixtures, high sensitivity - detection limits have to be, for example, in the range of the odour limits - and, in some cases, the necessity of mobile instrumentation. It can be shown that ion mobility spectrometry is optimally capable of fulfilling those challenges for many applications.

Harnessing the metal-insulator transition for tunable metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charipar, Nicholas A.; Charipar, Kristin M.; Kim, Heungsoo; Bingham, Nicholas S.; Suess, Ryan J.; Mathews, Scott A.; Auyeung, Raymond C. Y.; Piqué, Alberto

2017-08-01

The control of light-matter interaction through the use of subwavelength structures known as metamaterials has facilitated the ability to control electromagnetic radiation in ways not previously achievable. A plethora of passive metamaterials as well as examples of active or tunable metamaterials have been realized in recent years. However, the development of tunable metamaterials is still met with challenges due to lack of materials choices. To this end, materials that exhibit a metal-insulator transition are being explored as the active element for future metamaterials because of their characteristic abrupt change in electrical conductivity across their phase transition. The fast switching times (▵t < 100 fs) and a change in resistivity of four orders or more make vanadium dioxide (VO2) an ideal candidate for active metamaterials. It is known that the properties associated with thin film metal-insulator transition materials are strongly dependent on the growth conditions. For this work, we have studied how growth conditions (such as gas partial pressure) influence the metalinsulator transition in VO2 thin films made by pulsed laser deposition. In addition, strain engineering during the growth process has been investigated as a method to tune the metal-insulator transition temperature. Examples of both the optical and electrical transient dynamics facilitating the metal-insulator transition will be presented together with specific examples of thin film metamaterial devices.

Production of volatile metabolites by grape-associated microorganisms.

PubMed

Verginer, Markus; Leitner, Erich; Berg, Gabriele

2010-07-28

Plant-associated microorganisms fulfill important functions for their hosts. Whereas promotion of plant growth and health is well-studied, little is known about the impact of microorganisms on plant or fruit flavor. To analyze the production of volatiles of grape-associated microorganisms, samples of grapes of the red cultivar 'Blaufraenkisch' were taken during harvest time from four different vineyards in Burgenland (Austria). The production of volatiles was analyzed for the total culturable microbial communities (bacteria, yeasts, fungi) found on and in the grapes as well as for single isolates. The microbial communities produced clearly distinct aroma profiles for each vineyard and phylogenetic group. Furthermore, half of the grape-associated microorganisms produced a broad spectrum of volatile organic compounds. Exemplary, the spectrum was analyzed more in detail for three single isolates of Paenibacillus sp., Sporobolomyces roseus , and Aureobasidium pullulans . Well-known and typical flavor components of red wine were detected as being produced by microbes, for example, 2-methylbutanoic acid, 3-methyl-1-butanol, and ethyl octanoate.

Dealing With Shallow-Water Flow in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostermeier, R.

2006-05-01

Some of the Shell experience in dealing with the shallow-water flow problem in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM) will be presented. The nature of the problem, including areal extent and over-pressuring mechanisms, will be discussed. Methods for sand prediction and shallow sediment and flow characterization will be reviewed. These include seismic techniques, the use of geo-technical wells, regional trends, and various MWD methods. Some examples of flow incidents with pertinent drilling issues, including well failures and abandonment, will be described. To address the shallow-water flow problem, Shell created a multi-disciplinary team of specialists in geology, geophysics, petrophysics, drilling, and civil engineering. The team developed several methodologies to deal with various aspects of the problem. These include regional trends and data bases, shallow seismic interpretation and sand prediction, well site and casing point selection, geo-technical well design and data interpretation, logging program design and interpretation, cementing design and fluids formulation, methods for remediation and mitigation of lost circulation, and so on. Shell's extensive Deepwater GOM drilling experience has lead to new understanding of the problem. Examples include delineation of trends in shallow water flow occurrence and severity, trends and departures in PP/FG, rock properties pertaining to seismic identification of sands, and so on. New knowledge has also been acquired through the use of geo-technical wells. One example is the observed rapid onset and growth of over-pressures below the mudline. Total trouble costs due to shallow water flow for all GOM operators almost certainly runs into the several hundred million dollars. Though the problem remains a concern, advances in our knowledge and understanding make it a problem that is manageable and not the "show stopper" once feared.

Coronary Artery Anomalies in Animals

PubMed Central

Scansen, Brian A.

2017-01-01

Coronary artery anomalies represent a disease spectrum from incidental to life-threatening. Anomalies of coronary artery origin and course are well-recognized in human medicine, but have received limited attention in veterinary medicine. Coronary artery anomalies are best described in the dog, hamster, and cow though reports also exist in the horse and pig. The most well-known anomaly in veterinary medicine is anomalous coronary artery origin with a prepulmonary course in dogs, which limits treatment of pulmonary valve stenosis. A categorization scheme for coronary artery anomalies in animals is suggested, dividing these anomalies into those of major or minor clinical significance. A review of coronary artery development, anatomy, and reported anomalies in domesticated species is provided and four novel canine examples of anomalous coronary artery origin are described: an English bulldog with single left coronary ostium and a retroaortic right coronary artery; an English bulldog with single right coronary ostium and transseptal left coronary artery; an English bulldog with single right coronary ostium and absent left coronary artery with a prepulmonary paraconal interventricular branch and an interarterial circumflex branch; and a mixed-breed dog with tetralogy of Fallot and anomalous origin of all coronary branches from the brachiocephalic trunk. Coronary arterial fistulae are also described including a coronary cameral fistula in a llama cria and an English bulldog with coronary artery aneurysm and anomalous shunting vessels from the right coronary artery to the pulmonary trunk. These examples are provided with the intent to raise awareness and improve understanding of such defects. PMID:29056679

[Hippocratic Oath: professional or ethic code?].

PubMed

Popović, Milos

2011-01-01

In order to study the historical relationship of early medical professional codex and contemporary demands and challenges, which are currently being placed before physicians, the first such text, known as Hippocratic Oath has been re-translated. According to the source, it is clear that this is a Code of professional conduct, primarily for the welfare of patients, and in order to maintain and preserve medical authority. All parts of the Oath have been discussed and presented, as well as the historical data from which one can see how the system in ancient Greece and Rome worked. The study includes historical data from that time on two controversial issues: the liability of medical awards, and addressing medical services. These are mistakenly considered to belong to the text of the Oath. Examples of the amount of medical awards are stated, as well as the examples of selflessness and dedication of the physicians in that time. A physician was obliged to help by law, only in the case of accidents and injuries. It is obvious that "medical doctrine" existed also in this time. Requirements set to a doctor were realistic, modest and appropriate to the call, with the main purpose of protecting the reputation and dignity of the profession. Despite the historical distance, classical text of the Oath is still up to date. In this context, ambiguities and errors result from not being familiar with the both, the basic text, and the circumstances prevailing at the time and society, in which the Oath was made.

Predicting novel microRNA: a comprehensive comparison of machine learning approaches.

PubMed

Stegmayer, Georgina; Di Persia, Leandro E; Rubiolo, Mariano; Gerard, Matias; Pividori, Milton; Yones, Cristian; Bugnon, Leandro A; Rodriguez, Tadeo; Raad, Jonathan; Milone, Diego H

2018-05-23

The importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) is widely recognized in the community nowadays because these short segments of RNA can play several roles in almost all biological processes. The computational prediction of novel miRNAs involves training a classifier for identifying sequences having the highest chance of being precursors of miRNAs (pre-miRNAs). The big issue with this task is that well-known pre-miRNAs are usually few in comparison with the hundreds of thousands of candidate sequences in a genome, which results in high class imbalance. This imbalance has a strong influence on most standard classifiers, and if not properly addressed in the model and the experiments, not only performance reported can be completely unrealistic but also the classifier will not be able to work properly for pre-miRNA prediction. Besides, another important issue is that for most of the machine learning (ML) approaches already used (supervised methods), it is necessary to have both positive and negative examples. The selection of positive examples is straightforward (well-known pre-miRNAs). However, it is difficult to build a representative set of negative examples because they should be sequences with hairpin structure that do not contain a pre-miRNA. This review provides a comprehensive study and comparative assessment of methods from these two ML approaches for dealing with the prediction of novel pre-miRNAs: supervised and unsupervised training. We present and analyze the ML proposals that have appeared during the past 10 years in literature. They have been compared in several prediction tasks involving two model genomes and increasing imbalance levels. This work provides a review of existing ML approaches for pre-miRNA prediction and fair comparisons of the classifiers with same features and data sets, instead of just a revision of published software tools. The results and the discussion can help the community to select the most adequate bioinformatics approach according to the prediction task at hand. The comparative results obtained suggest that from low to mid-imbalance levels between classes, supervised methods can be the best. However, at very high imbalance levels, closer to real case scenarios, models including unsupervised and deep learning can provide better performance.

Inheritance vs ongoing evolution of the passive margin lithosphere in the southeastern United States: A comparison of <50Ma tectonism with tomographically imaged lithospheric structures.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, L. S.; Fischer, K. M.; Hawman, R. B.; Hopper, E.; Howell, D.

2017-12-01

The southeastern United States is an archetypical passive margin, and yet significant evidence exists that this region, separated from the nearest plate boundary by thousands of kilometers and over 170 Ma, has experienced significant tectonism since the Eocene. This tectonism includes volcanism, uplift/deformation, and ongoing seismicity such as the 2011 Mw = 5.8 Mineral, VA earthquake and the 1886 M=7 Charleston, SC event. For each of these examples, numerous theories exist on their respective causes. However, there are two common themes that span all of these types of events: first, their proximity to regional terrane boundaries whose inherited structures could play a role; second, the nature of the mantle lithosphere underlying them. We present a recently completed inversion of seismic Rayleigh waves for the shear wave velocity structure of the uppermost 150 - 200 km beneath the southeastern United States. This inversion includes not only EarthScope Transportable Array data, but also the data from the 85 broadband stations installed as part of the Flex Array SouthEastern Suture of the Appalachian Mountains Experiment (SESAME). We find some evidence for structures inherited from previous episodes of rifting, accretion, and orogenesis. However, we also find several examples of mantle lithospheric structures that spatially correlate strongly with Eocene to recent tectonic activity, but do not correlate to any known inherited geometries. These examples include a small but pronounced sub-crustal low velocity anomaly beneath the Eocene volcanoes in western Virginia and eastern West Virginia, as well as evidence for mantle delamination beneath the Cape Fear Arch and uplifted portions of the Orangeburg Escarpment. We will discuss these, along with instances of recent tectonism in our study area that do not bear any obvious relationship to lithospheric structures, in order to shed light on the causes of ongoing tectonic activity in this supposedly "passive" margin setting.

The Paving Stones: initial feed-back on an attempt to apply the AGILE principles for the development of a CubeSat space mission to Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Segret, Boris; Semery, Alain; Vannitsen, Jordan; Mosser, Benoît.; Miau, Jiun-Jih; Juang, Jyh-Ching; Deleflie, Florent

2014-08-01

The AGILE principles in the software industry seems well adapted to the paradigm of CubeSat missions that involve students for the development of space missions. Some of well-known engineering and program processes are revisited on the example of an interplanetary CubeSat mission profile that has been developed by several teams of students in various countries and at various educational levels since 02/2013. The lessons learned at adapting traditional space mission methods are emphasized and they produce a metaphoric image of paving stones.

Centuries of artificial recharge on the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pulido-Bosch, A.; Sbih, Y. Ben

1995-07-01

In the Alpujarra (southern Spain), every year between the March and June, an ancestral practice continues in the form of diverting water from the rivers by way of an extensive network of irrigation channels ( acequias) to well-defined, highly permeable areas. This practice, known as careos, constitutes an ancient example of artificial recharge. The objective is to guarantee a supply of drinking water during the dry months, as well as improve the physicochemical characteristics of the water. In addition, this system helps maintain moisture in the immediate environment, and thus has a positive effect on local vegetation.

Purely numerical approach for analyzing flow to a well intercepting a vertical fracture

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

Narasimhan, T.N.; Palen, W.A.

1979-03-01

A numerical method, based on an Integral Finite Difference approach, is presented to investigate wells intercepting fractures in general and vertical fractures in particular. Such features as finite conductivity, wellbore storage, damage, and fracture deformability and its influence as permeability are easily handled. The advantage of the numerical approach is that it is based on fewer assumptions than analytic solutions and hence has greater generality. Illustrative examples are given to validate the method against known solutions. New results are presenteed to demonstrate the applicability of the method to problems not apparently considered in the literature so far.

NCI-60 Whole Exome Sequencing and Pharmacological CellMiner Analyses

PubMed Central

Reinhold, William C.; Varma, Sudhir; Sousa, Fabricio; Sunshine, Margot; Abaan, Ogan D.; Davis, Sean R.; Reinhold, Spencer W.; Kohn, Kurt W.; Morris, Joel; Meltzer, Paul S.; Doroshow, James H.; Pommier, Yves

2014-01-01

Exome sequencing provides unprecedented insights into cancer biology and pharmacological response. Here we assess these two parameters for the NCI-60, which is among the richest genomic and pharmacological publicly available cancer cell line databases. Homozygous genetic variants that putatively affect protein function were identified in 1,199 genes (approximately 6% of all genes). Variants that are either enriched or depleted compared to non-cancerous genomes, and thus may be influential in cancer progression and differential drug response were identified for 2,546 genes. Potential gene knockouts are made available. Assessment of cell line response to 19,940 compounds, including 110 FDA-approved drugs, reveals ≈80-fold range in resistance versus sensitivity response across cell lines. 103,422 gene variants were significantly correlated with at least one compound (at p<0.0002). These include genes of known pharmacological importance such as IGF1R, BRAF, RAD52, MTOR, STAT2 and TSC2 as well as a large number of candidate genes such as NOM1, TLL2, and XDH. We introduce two new web-based CellMiner applications that enable exploration of variant-to-compound relationships for a broad range of researchers, especially those without bioinformatics support. The first tool, “Genetic variant versus drug visualization”, provides a visualization of significant correlations between drug activity-gene variant combinations. Examples are given for the known vemurafenib-BRAF, and novel ifosfamide-RAD52 pairings. The second, “Genetic variant summation” allows an assessment of cumulative genetic variations for up to 150 combined genes together; and is designed to identify the variant burden for molecular pathways or functional grouping of genes. An example of its use is provided for the EGFR-ERBB2 pathway gene variant data and the identification of correlated EGFR, ERBB2, MTOR, BRAF, MEK and ERK inhibitors. The new tools are implemented as an updated web-based CellMiner version, for which the present publication serves as a compendium. PMID:25032700

European Scientific Notes, Volume 36, Number 12,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-31

under the chairmanship more or less dangerous than launching a of Professor F.J. Balta Calleja, Instituto de chamber into the sea? Estructura de la...Langmuir- Blodgett (LB) films are de - scribed. Applications to many electronic devices are now feasible because of the stability, repro- ducibility, and...application are usually well Spartacus, the project was a joint one with the known. To drive a wheel chair, for example, Institut de Pupin in Belgrade

The yeast Golgi apparatus: insights and mysteries

PubMed Central

Papanikou, Effrosyni; Glick, Benjamin S.

2009-01-01

The Golgi apparatus is known to modify and sort newly synthesized secretory proteins. However, fundamental mysteries remain about the structure, operation, and dynamics of this organelle. Important insights have emerged from studying the Golgi in yeasts. For example, yeasts have provided direct evidence for Golgi cisternal maturation, a mechanism that is likely to be broadly conserved. Here, we highlight features of the yeast Golgi as well as challenges that lie ahead. PMID:19879270

Chain-Growth Methods for the Synthesis of High Molecular Weight Conducting and Semiconducting Polymers

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-25

to produce the desired polymerization in analogy to the well-known “super glue ” anionic polymerization. Although there are abundant examples of...light (a) and UV light (b). 5 are further functionalized and block polymers formed with polynorborene have elastomeric properties. The...top) and UV (bottom) light show the evolution of the band gap of the polymer with increasing molecular weight. The plot on the right shows the

On contact problems of elasticity theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalandiya, A. I.

1986-01-01

Certain contact problems are reviewed in the two-dimensional theory of elasticity when round bodies touch without friction along most of the boundary and, therefore, Herz' hypothesis on the smallness of the contact area cannot be used. Fundamental equations were derived coinciding externally with the equation in the theory of a finite-span wing with unkown parameter. These equations are solved using Multhopp's well-known technique, and numerical calculations are performed in specific examples.

The Role of Source Material in Basin Sedimentation, as Illustrated within Eureka Valley, Death Valley National Park, CA.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawson, M. J.; Yin, A.; Rhodes, E. J.

2015-12-01

Steep landscapes are known to provide sediment to sink regions, but often petrological factors can dominate basin sedimentation. Within Eureka Valley, in northwestern Death Valley National Park, normal faulting has exposed a steep cliff face on the western margin of the Last Chance range with four kilometers of vertical relief from the valley floor and an angle of repose of nearly 38 degrees. The cliff face is composed of Cambrian limestone and dolomite, including the Bonanza King, Carrara and Wood Canyon formations. Interacting with local normal faulting, these units preferentially break off the cliff face in coherent blocks, which result in landslide deposits rather than as finer grained material found within the basin. The valley is well known for a large sand dune, which derives its sediment from distal sources to the north, instead of from the adjacent Last Chance Range cliff face. During the Holocene, sediment is sourced primary from the northerly Willow Wash and Cucomungo canyon, a relatively small drainage (less than 80 km2) within the Sylvan Mountains. Within this drainage, the Jurassic quartz monzonite of Beer Creek is heavily fractured due to motion of the Fish Valley Lake - Death Valley fault zone. Thus, the quartz monzonite is more easily eroded than the well-consolidated limestone and dolomite that forms the Last Change Range cliff face. As well, the resultant eroded material is smaller grained, and thus more easily transported than the limestone. Consequently, this work highlights an excellent example of the strong influence that source material can have on basin sedimentation.

Lava Flows in the Grand Canyon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

Over vast expanses of time, natural processes like floods and volcanoes deposit layers of rock on the Earth's surface. To delve down through layers of rock is to explore our planet's history. Sometimes rock layers are exposed through human activity, such as drilling or excavation. Other times, rivers carve through the rock. One of the best, and most well-known, examples of a river exposing ancient rocks is Colorado River in Arizona's Grand Canyon. What fewer people know is that the Grand Canyon also has a history of relatively recent (on geologic time scales) volcanism. The evidence--hardened lava--spills down the canyon walls all the way to the river. On June 22, 2003, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of the Grand Canyon, near 36.2 degrees north latitude and 113.2 degrees west longitude. ASTER detects light visible to human eyes as well as 'invisible' infrared light. Because different minerals reflect different portions of the light spectrum, ASTER can see varying mineral compositions of the rocks it observes, as well as detecting vegetation. In this three-dimensional visualization, lava fields appear brownish gray, darker than the layers of limestone, sandstone and other rock in the canyon. Vegetation appears green, and sparsely vegetated areas appear mustard. Water in the Colorado River is blue-purple. Geologists estimate that between 1.8 million and 400,000 years ago, lava flows actually dammed the Colorado River more than a dozen times. Some of the lava dams were as high as 600 meters (about 1,969 feet), forming immense reservoirs. Over time, enough water and sediment built up to push the river flow over the tops of these dams and eventually erode them away. Today, remnants of these lava dams remain throughout the area, along with the much older rock layers they cover. Among the most well known examples of these 'frozen' lava cascades is Lava Falls, which spills down to the river next to a cinder cone known as Volcan's Throne. Numerous flows spread down into Whitmore Canyon, a Colorado River tributary, as well.

A globally convergent LCL method for nonlinear optimization.

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

Friedlander, M. P.; Saunders, M. A.; Mathematics and Computer Science

2005-01-01

For optimization problems with nonlinear constraints, linearly constrained Lagrangian (LCL) methods solve a sequence of subproblems of the form 'minimize an augmented Lagrangian function subject to linearized constraints.' Such methods converge rapidly near a solution but may not be reliable from arbitrary starting points. Nevertheless, the well-known software package MINOS has proved effective on many large problems. Its success motivates us to derive a related LCL algorithm that possesses three important properties: it is globally convergent, the subproblem constraints are always feasible, and the subproblems may be solved inexactly. The new algorithm has been implemented in Matlab, with an optionmore » to use either MINOS or SNOPT (Fortran codes) to solve the linearly constrained subproblems. Only first derivatives are required. We present numerical results on a subset of the COPS, HS, and CUTE test problems, which include many large examples. The results demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the stabilized LCL procedure.« less

Fluid Dynamics of Bottle Filling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGough, Patrick; Gao, Haijing; Appathurai, Santosh; Basaran, Osman

2011-11-01

Filling of bottles is a widely practiced operation in a large number of industries. Well known examples include filling of ``large'' bottles with shampoos and cleaners in the household products and beauty care industries and filling of ``small'' bottles in the pharmaceutical industry. Some bottle filling operations have recently drawn much attention from the fluid mechanics community because of the occurrence of a multitude of complex flow regimes, transitions, and instabilities such as mounding and coiling that occur as a bottle is filled with a fluid. In this talk, we present a primarily computational study of the fluid dynamical challenges that can arise during the rapid filling of bottles. Given the diversity of fluids used in filling applications, we consider four representative classes of fluids that exhibit Newtonian, shear-thinning, viscoelastic, and yield-stress rheologies. The equations governing the dynamics of bottle filling are solved either in their full 3D but axisymmetric form or using the slender-jet approximation.

Risk of defeats in the central nervous system during deep space missions.

PubMed

Kokhan, Viktor S; Matveeva, Marina I; Mukhametov, Azat; Shtemberg, Andrey S

2016-12-01

Space flight factors (SFF) significantly affect the operating activity of astronauts during deep space missions. Gravitational overloads, hypo-magnetic field and ionizing radiation are the main SFF that perturb the normal activity of the central nervous system (CNS). Acute and chronic CNS risks include alterations in cognitive abilities, reduction of motor functions and behavioural changes. Multiple experimental works have been devoted to the SFF effects on integrative functional activity of the brain; however, the model parameters utilized have not always been ideal and consistent. Even less is known regarding the combined effects of these SFF in a real interplanetary mission, for example to Mars. Our review aims to systemize and analyse the last advancements in astrobiology, with a focus on the combined effects of SFF; as well as to discuss on unification of the parameters for ground-based models of deep space missions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying chemical uncertainties in simulations of the ISM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glover, Simon

2018-06-01

The ever-increasing power of large parallel computers now makes it possible to include increasingly sophisticated chemical models in three-dimensional simulations of the interstellar medium (ISM). This allows us to study the role that chemistry plays in the thermal balance of a realistically-structured, turbulent ISM, as well as enabling us to generated detailed synthetic observations of important atomic or molecular tracers. However, one major constraint on the accuracy of these models is the accuracy with which the input chemical rate coefficients are known. Uncertainties in these chemical rate coefficients inevitably introduce uncertainties into the model predictions. In this talk, I will review some of the methods we can use to quantify these uncertainties and to identify the key reactions where improved chemical data is most urgently required. I will also discuss a few examples, ranging from the local ISM to the high-redshift universe.

Characterizing multi-photon quantum interference with practical light sources and threshold single-photon detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Navarrete, Álvaro; Wang, Wenyuan; Xu, Feihu; Curty, Marcos

2018-04-01

The experimental characterization of multi-photon quantum interference effects in optical networks is essential in many applications of photonic quantum technologies, which include quantum computing and quantum communication as two prominent examples. However, such characterization often requires technologies which are beyond our current experimental capabilities, and today's methods suffer from errors due to the use of imperfect sources and photodetectors. In this paper, we introduce a simple experimental technique to characterize multi-photon quantum interference by means of practical laser sources and threshold single-photon detectors. Our technique is based on well-known methods in quantum cryptography which use decoy settings to tightly estimate the statistics provided by perfect devices. As an illustration of its practicality, we use this technique to obtain a tight estimation of both the generalized Hong‑Ou‑Mandel dip in a beamsplitter with six input photons and the three-photon coincidence probability at the output of a tritter.

Effective acupuncture practice through diagnosis based on distribution of meridian pathways & related syndromes.

PubMed

Chen, Yemeng; Zheng, Xin; Li, Hui; Zhang, Qunce; Wang, Tianfang

2011-01-01

This article discusses the importance of acupuncture practice utilizing diagnosis and distribution of various meridians and connecting channels based on meridian theory. The meridian system is considered as basic anatomy for acupuncture, so the corresponding pathways and related syndromes of different channels should play a key role in differentiation, known as meridian-related pattern differentiation. Since this doctrine originated in ancient times and was not so well developed in later generations, many acupuncturists are not able to utilize it efficiently. The authors survey how this doctrine was weakened during the past century, especially in acupuncture education for foreigners, and how this important method is currently being reinvigorated. This article also lays out the ways this doctrine can be applied clinically and introduces examples of a variety of indications including some difficult cases, such as whiplash injury, intervertebral disc herniation, oculomotor nerve paralysis, and eczema, etc.

Tools for visually exploring biological networks.

PubMed

Suderman, Matthew; Hallett, Michael

2007-10-15

Many tools exist for visually exploring biological networks including well-known examples such as Cytoscape, VisANT, Pathway Studio and Patika. These systems play a key role in the development of integrative biology, systems biology and integrative bioinformatics. The trend in the development of these tools is to go beyond 'static' representations of cellular state, towards a more dynamic model of cellular processes through the incorporation of gene expression data, subcellular localization information and time-dependent behavior. We provide a comprehensive review of the relative advantages and disadvantages of existing systems with two goals in mind: to aid researchers in efficiently identifying the appropriate existing tools for data visualization; to describe the necessary and realistic goals for the next generation of visualization tools. In view of the first goal, we provide in the Supplementary Material a systematic comparison of more than 35 existing tools in terms of over 25 different features. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Disturbed Fossil Group Galaxy NGC 1132

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dong-Woo; Anderson, Craig; Burke, Doug; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Fruscione, Antonella; Lauer, Jen; McCollough, Michael; Morgan, Doug; Mossman, Amy; O’Sullivan, Ewan; Paggi, Alessandro; Vrtilek, Saeqa; Trinchieri, Ginevra

2018-02-01

We have analyzed the Chandra archival data of NGC 1132, a well-known fossil group, i.e., a system expected to be old and relaxed long after the giant elliptical galaxy assembly. Instead, the Chandra data reveal that the hot gas morphology is disturbed and asymmetrical, with a cold front following a possible bow shock. We discuss possible origins of the disturbed hot halo, including sloshing by a nearby object, merger, ram pressure by external hotter gas, and nuclear outburst. We consider that the first two mechanisms are likely explanations for the disturbed hot halo, with a slight preference for a minor merger with a low impact parameter because of the match with simulations and previous optical observations. In this case, NGC 1132 may be a rare example of unusual late mergers seen in recent simulations. Regardless of the origin of the disturbed hot halo, the paradigm of the fossil system needs to be reconsidered.

Multilevel Monte Carlo for two phase flow and Buckley–Leverett transport in random heterogeneous porous media

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

Müller, Florian, E-mail: florian.mueller@sam.math.ethz.ch; Jenny, Patrick, E-mail: jenny@ifd.mavt.ethz.ch; Meyer, Daniel W., E-mail: meyerda@ethz.ch

2013-10-01

Monte Carlo (MC) is a well known method for quantifying uncertainty arising for example in subsurface flow problems. Although robust and easy to implement, MC suffers from slow convergence. Extending MC by means of multigrid techniques yields the multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) method. MLMC has proven to greatly accelerate MC for several applications including stochastic ordinary differential equations in finance, elliptic stochastic partial differential equations and also hyperbolic problems. In this study, MLMC is combined with a streamline-based solver to assess uncertain two phase flow and Buckley–Leverett transport in random heterogeneous porous media. The performance of MLMC is compared tomore » MC for a two dimensional reservoir with a multi-point Gaussian logarithmic permeability field. The influence of the variance and the correlation length of the logarithmic permeability on the MLMC performance is studied.« less

Hypothesis driven development of new adjuvants: short peptides as immunomodulators.

PubMed

Dong, Jessica C; Kobinger, Gary P

2013-04-01

To date, vaccinations have been one of the key strategies in the prevention and protection against infectious pathogens. Traditional vaccines have well-known limitations such as safety and efficacy issues, which consequently deems it inappropriate for particular populations and may not be an effective strategy against all pathogens. This evidence highlights the need to develop more efficacious vaccination regiments. Higher levels of protection can be achieved by the addition of immunostimulating adjuvants. Many adjuvants elicit strong, undefined inflammation, which produces increased immunogenicity but may also lead to undesirable effects. Hypothesis driven development of adjuvants is needed to achieve a more specific and directed immune response required for optimal and safe vaccine-induced immune protection. An example of such hypothesis driven development includes the use of short immunomodulating peptides as adjuvants. These peptides have the ability to influence the immune response and can be extrapolated for adjuvant use, but requires further investigation.

Synthesis of Greedy Algorithms Using Dominance Relations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nedunuri, Srinivas; Smith, Douglas R.; Cook, William R.

2010-01-01

Greedy algorithms exploit problem structure and constraints to achieve linear-time performance. Yet there is still no completely satisfactory way of constructing greedy algorithms. For example, the Greedy Algorithm of Edmonds depends upon translating a problem into an algebraic structure called a matroid, but the existence of such a translation can be as hard to determine as the existence of a greedy algorithm itself. An alternative characterization of greedy algorithms is in terms of dominance relations, a well-known algorithmic technique used to prune search spaces. We demonstrate a process by which dominance relations can be methodically derived for a number of greedy algorithms, including activity selection, and prefix-free codes. By incorporating our approach into an existing framework for algorithm synthesis, we demonstrate that it could be the basis for an effective engineering method for greedy algorithms. We also compare our approach with other characterizations of greedy algorithms.

Exploring the Behaviour of Emerging Contaminants in the Water Cycle using the Capabilities of High Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Hollender, Juliane; Bourgin, Marc; Fenner, Kathrin B; Longrée, Philipp; Mcardell, Christa S; Moschet, Christoph; Ruff, Matthias; Schymanski, Emma L; Singer, Heinz P

2014-11-01

To characterize a broad range of organic contaminants and their transformation products (TPs) as well as their loads, input pathways and fate in the water cycle, the Department of Environmental Chemistry (Uchem) at Eawag applies and develops high-performance liquid chromatography (LC) methods combined with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS/MS). In this article, the background and state-of-the-art of LC-HRMS/MS for detection of i) known targets, ii) suspected compounds like TPs, and iii) unknown emerging compounds are introduced briefly. Examples for each approach are taken from recent research projects conducted within the department. These include the detection of trace organic contaminants and their TPs in wastewater, pesticides and their TPs in surface water, identification of new TPs in laboratory degradation studies and ozonation experiments and finally the screening for unknown compounds in the catchment of the river Rhine.

Food and drug interactions: a general review.

PubMed

Ötles, Semih; Senturk, Ahmet

2014-01-01

Although it is well known and identified that drug-drug interactions exist, the recognition of importance of food and drug interactions to practice has been growing much slower. On the other hand, drug-food/nutrient interactions continue to grow with the common use of medications. Beside the awareness of this type of interactions, food-drug interaction studies are critical to evaluate appropriate dosing, timing, and formulation of new drug candidates. Drug-food interactions take place mechanistically due to altered intestinal transport and metabolism, or systemic distribution, metabolism and excretion. In addition, some people have greater risk of food and drug interactions who have a poor diet, have serious health problems, childrens and pregnant women. In this article, basic informations about importance, classifications, transporters and enzymes of drug and nutrient interaction are given and some specific examples of both drug and nutrients and influences on each other are included.

The NRF2-related interactome and regulome contain multifunctional proteins and fine-tuned autoregulatory loops.

PubMed

Papp, Diána; Lenti, Katalin; Módos, Dezső; Fazekas, Dávid; Dúl, Zoltán; Türei, Dénes; Földvári-Nagy, László; Nussinov, Ruth; Csermely, Péter; Korcsmáros, Tamás

2012-06-21

NRF2 is a well-known, master transcription factor (TF) of oxidative and xenobiotic stress responses. Recent studies uncovered an even wider regulatory role of NRF2 influencing carcinogenesis, inflammation and neurodegeneration. Prompted by these advances here we present a systems-level resource for NRF2 interactome and regulome that includes 289 protein-protein, 7469 TF-DNA and 85 miRNA interactions. As systems-level examples of NRF2-related signaling we identified regulatory loops of NRF2 interacting proteins (e.g., JNK1 and CBP) and a fine-tuned regulatory system, where 35 TFs regulated by NRF2 influence 63 miRNAs that down-regulate NRF2. The presented network and the uncovered regulatory loops may facilitate the development of efficient, NRF2-based therapeutic agents. Copyright © 2012 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

POWER ANALYSIS FOR COMPLEX MEDIATIONAL DESIGNS USING MONTE CARLO METHODS

PubMed Central

Thoemmes, Felix; MacKinnon, David P.; Reiser, Mark R.

2013-01-01

Applied researchers often include mediation effects in applications of advanced methods such as latent variable models and linear growth curve models. Guidance on how to estimate statistical power to detect mediation for these models has not yet been addressed in the literature. We describe a general framework for power analyses for complex mediational models. The approach is based on the well known technique of generating a large number of samples in a Monte Carlo study, and estimating power as the percentage of cases in which an estimate of interest is significantly different from zero. Examples of power calculation for commonly used mediational models are provided. Power analyses for the single mediator, multiple mediators, three-path mediation, mediation with latent variables, moderated mediation, and mediation in longitudinal designs are described. Annotated sample syntax for Mplus is appended and tabled values of required sample sizes are shown for some models. PMID:23935262

Electronics Shielding and Reliability Design Tools

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; ONeill, P. M.; Zang, Thomas A., Jr.; Pandolf, John E.; Koontz, Steven L.; Boeder, P.; Reddell, B.; Pankop, C.

2006-01-01

It is well known that electronics placement in large-scale human-rated systems provides opportunity to optimize electronics shielding through materials choice and geometric arrangement. For example, several hundred single event upsets (SEUs) occur within the Shuttle avionic computers during a typical mission. An order of magnitude larger SEU rate would occur without careful placement in the Shuttle design. These results used basic physics models (linear energy transfer (LET), track structure, Auger recombination) combined with limited SEU cross section measurements allowing accurate evaluation of target fragment contributions to Shuttle avionics memory upsets. Electronics shielding design on human-rated systems provides opportunity to minimize radiation impact on critical and non-critical electronic systems. Implementation of shielding design tools requires adequate methods for evaluation of design layouts, guiding qualification testing, and an adequate follow-up on final design evaluation including results from a systems/device testing program tailored to meet design requirements.

The genomic basis of adaptive evolution in threespine sticklebacks.

PubMed

Jones, Felicity C; Grabherr, Manfred G; Chan, Yingguang Frank; Russell, Pamela; Mauceli, Evan; Johnson, Jeremy; Swofford, Ross; Pirun, Mono; Zody, Michael C; White, Simon; Birney, Ewan; Searle, Stephen; Schmutz, Jeremy; Grimwood, Jane; Dickson, Mark C; Myers, Richard M; Miller, Craig T; Summers, Brian R; Knecht, Anne K; Brady, Shannon D; Zhang, Haili; Pollen, Alex A; Howes, Timothy; Amemiya, Chris; Baldwin, Jen; Bloom, Toby; Jaffe, David B; Nicol, Robert; Wilkinson, Jane; Lander, Eric S; Di Palma, Federica; Lindblad-Toh, Kerstin; Kingsley, David M

2012-04-04

Marine stickleback fish have colonized and adapted to thousands of streams and lakes formed since the last ice age, providing an exceptional opportunity to characterize genomic mechanisms underlying repeated ecological adaptation in nature. Here we develop a high-quality reference genome assembly for threespine sticklebacks. By sequencing the genomes of twenty additional individuals from a global set of marine and freshwater populations, we identify a genome-wide set of loci that are consistently associated with marine-freshwater divergence. Our results indicate that reuse of globally shared standing genetic variation, including chromosomal inversions, has an important role in repeated evolution of distinct marine and freshwater sticklebacks, and in the maintenance of divergent ecotypes during early stages of reproductive isolation. Both coding and regulatory changes occur in the set of loci underlying marine-freshwater evolution, but regulatory changes appear to predominate in this well known example of repeated adaptive evolution in nature.

[Neuropsychiatry Of Movement Disorders].

PubMed

Orjuela-Rojas, Juan Manuel; Barrios Vincos, Gustavo Adolfo; Martínez Gallego, Melisa Alejandra

2017-10-01

Movement disorders can be defined as neurological syndromes presenting with excessive or diminished automatic or voluntary movements not related to weakness or spasticity. Both Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD) are well-known examples of these syndromes. The high prevalence of comorbid psychiatric symptoms like depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, hallucinations, delusions, impulsivity, sleep disorders, apathy and cognitive impairment mean that these conditions must be regarded as neuropsychiatric diseases. In this article, we review neuroanatomical (structural and functional), psychopathological and neuropsychological aspects of PD and HD. The role of fronto-subcortical loops in non-motor functions is particularly emphasised in order to understand the clinical spectrum of both diseases, together with the influence of genetic, psychological and psychosocial aspects. A brief description of the main psychopharmacological approaches for both diseases is also included. Copyright © 2017 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Enantiomeric and Isotopic Analysis of Sugar Derivatives in Carbonaceous Meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, George; Asiyo, Cynthia; Turk, Kendra; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Several classes of organic compounds are found in carbonaceous meteorites including amino acids, carboxylic acids, hydroxy acids, purines, and pyrimidines. Such compounds are thought to have been delivered to the early Earth in asteroids and comets and may have played a role in the origin of life. Likewise, sugar derivatives are critical to all known lifeforms. Recent analyses of the Murchison and Murray carbonaceous meteorites revealed a diverse suite of such derivatives, i.e., sugar alcohols, and sugar acids. This presentation will focus primarily on the analysis of individual sugar acids - their enantiomeric and isotopic composition. Analysis of these compounds may reveal the nature of past (or present) meteoritic sugars themselves. For example, if parent sugars decomposed (by well-known mechanisms) to give the present acids, were their enantiomeric ratios preserved? Combined with other evidence, the enantiomeric composition of such compounds as glyceric acid and (especially) rare acids may help to answer such questions. C-13 and D isotope analysis of meteoritic sugar alcohols (glycerol, threitol, ribitol, etc.) as a group revealed that they were indigenous to the meteorite. Preliminary C-13 analysis of glyceric acid shows that it is also extraterrestrial.

Offshore springs and seeps are focus of working group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burnett, Bill

People have been curious about offshore springs and seeps since at least the days of the Romans. In spite of many centuries of both casual and serious observations, there has been relatively little scientific study concerning the magnitude and effects of groundwater flow into the sea. Rather, studies were performed mostly to address water resource issues. Investigations over the past decade or so have now shown that groundwater discharge, at least in some cases, may be important for geochemical budgets and ecological effects.The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) Project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program have recently established a working group of experts to examine questions relating specifically to groundwater discharge in the coastal zone. Direct groundwater flow into the ocean is known to occur as springs and seeps in near-shore areas in many parts of the world. Submarine springs, for example, are well known off both coasts of Florida; Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula; in several areas around the Pacific rim including Chile, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and Australia; in the Persian Gulf near Bahrain; in the Mediterranean Sea off Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Libya; and in many other locations.

Evolutionary analysis and lateral gene transfer of two-component regulatory systems associated with heavy-metal tolerance in bacteria.

PubMed

Bouzat, Juan L; Hoostal, Matthew J

2013-05-01

Microorganisms have adapted intricate signal transduction mechanisms to coordinate tolerance to toxic levels of metals, including two-component regulatory systems (TCRS). In particular, both cop and czc operons are regulated by TCRS; the cop operon plays a key role in bacterial tolerance to copper, whereas the czc operon is involved in the efflux of cadmium, zinc, and cobalt from the cell. Although the molecular physiology of heavy metal tolerance genes has been extensively studied, their evolutionary relationships are not well-understood. Phylogenetic relationships among heavy-metal efflux proteins and their corresponding two-component regulatory proteins revealed orthologous and paralogous relationships from species divergences and ancient gene duplications. The presence of heavy metal tolerance genes on bacterial plasmids suggests these genes may be prone to spread through horizontal gene transfer. Phylogenetic inferences revealed nine potential examples of lateral gene transfer associated with metal efflux proteins and two examples for regulatory proteins. Notably, four of the examples suggest lateral transfer across major evolutionary domains. In most cases, differences in GC content in metal tolerance genes and their corresponding host genomes confirmed lateral gene transfer events. Three-dimensional protein structures predicted for the response regulators encoded by cop and czc operons showed a high degree of structural similarity with other known proteins involved in TCRS signal transduction, which suggests common evolutionary origins of functional phenotypes and similar mechanisms of action for these response regulators.

High-Dimensional Sparse Factor Modeling: Applications in Gene Expression Genomics

PubMed Central

Carvalho, Carlos M.; Chang, Jeffrey; Lucas, Joseph E.; Nevins, Joseph R.; Wang, Quanli; West, Mike

2010-01-01

We describe studies in molecular profiling and biological pathway analysis that use sparse latent factor and regression models for microarray gene expression data. We discuss breast cancer applications and key aspects of the modeling and computational methodology. Our case studies aim to investigate and characterize heterogeneity of structure related to specific oncogenic pathways, as well as links between aggregate patterns in gene expression profiles and clinical biomarkers. Based on the metaphor of statistically derived “factors” as representing biological “subpathway” structure, we explore the decomposition of fitted sparse factor models into pathway subcomponents and investigate how these components overlay multiple aspects of known biological activity. Our methodology is based on sparsity modeling of multivariate regression, ANOVA, and latent factor models, as well as a class of models that combines all components. Hierarchical sparsity priors address questions of dimension reduction and multiple comparisons, as well as scalability of the methodology. The models include practically relevant non-Gaussian/nonparametric components for latent structure, underlying often quite complex non-Gaussianity in multivariate expression patterns. Model search and fitting are addressed through stochastic simulation and evolutionary stochastic search methods that are exemplified in the oncogenic pathway studies. Supplementary supporting material provides more details of the applications, as well as examples of the use of freely available software tools for implementing the methodology. PMID:21218139

Optimization of commercial scale photonuclear production of radioisotopes

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

Bindu, K. C.; Harmon, Frank; Starovoitova, Valeriia N.

2013-04-19

Photonuclear production of radioisotopes driven by bremsstrahlung photons using a linear electron accelerator in the suitable energy range is a promising method for producing radioisotopes. The photonuclear production method is capable of making radioisotopes more conveniently, cheaply and with much less radioactive waste compared to existing methods. Historically, photo-nuclear reactions have not been exploited for isotope production because of the low specific activity that is generally associated with this production process, although the technique is well-known to be capable of producing large quantities of certain radioisotopes. We describe an optimization technique for a set of parameters to maximize specific activitymore » of the final product. This set includes the electron beam energy and current, the end station design (an integrated converter and target as well as cooling system), the purity of materials used, and the activation time. These parameters are mutually dependent and thus their optimization is not trivial. {sup 67}Cu photonuclear production via {sup 68}Zn({gamma}p){sup 67}Cu reaction was used as an example of such an optimization process.« less

Y spaces and global smooth solution of fractional Navier-Stokes equations with initial value in the critical oscillation spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qixiang; Yang, Haibo

2018-04-01

For fractional Navier-Stokes equations and critical initial spaces X, one used to establish the well-posedness in the solution space which is contained in C (R+ , X). In this paper, for heat flow, we apply parameter Meyer wavelets to introduce Y spaces Y m , β where Y m , β is not contained in C (R+, B˙∞ 1 - 2 β , ∞). Consequently, for 1/2 < β < 1, we establish the global well-posedness of fractional Navier-Stokes equations with small initial data in all the critical oscillation spaces. The critical oscillation spaces may be any Besov-Morrey spaces (B˙p,q γ1 ,γ2 (Rn)) n or any Triebel-Lizorkin-Morrey spaces (F˙p,q γ1 ,γ2 (Rn)) n where 1 ≤ p , q ≤ ∞ , 0 ≤γ2 ≤ n/p, γ1 -γ2 = 1 - 2 β. These critical spaces include many known spaces. For example, Besov spaces, Sobolev spaces, Bloch spaces, Q-spaces, Morrey spaces and Triebel-Lizorkin spaces etc.

Anisometric Particle Systems—from Shape Characterization to Suspension Rheology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gregorová, Eva; Pabst, Willi; Vaněrková, Lucie

2009-06-01

Methods for the characterization of anisometric particle systems are discussed. For prolate particles, the aspect ratio determination via microscopic image analysis is recalled, and aspect ratio distributions as well as shape-size dependences are commented upon. For oblate particles a simple relation is recalled with can be used to determine an average aspect ratio when size distributions are available from two methods, typically from sedimentation analysis and laser diffraction. The connection between particle shape (aspect ratio) and suspension rheology is outlined and it is shown how a generic procedure, based on Brenner's theory, can be applied to predict the intrinsic viscosity when the aspect ratio is known. On the other hand it is shown, how information on the intrinsic viscosity and the critical solids volume fraction can be extracted from experiments, when the measured concentration dependence of the effective suspension viscosity is adequately interpreted (using the Krieger relation for fitting). The examples mentioned in this paper include systems with oblate or prolate ceramic particles (kaolins, pyrophyllite, wollastonite, silicon carbide) as well as (prolate) pharmaceuticals (mesalamine, ibuprofen, nifuroxazide, paracetamol).

The Modular Organization of Protein Interactions in Escherichia coli

PubMed Central

Peregrín-Alvarez, José M.; Xiong, Xuejian; Su, Chong; Parkinson, John

2009-01-01

Escherichia coli serves as an excellent model for the study of fundamental cellular processes such as metabolism, signalling and gene expression. Understanding the function and organization of proteins within these processes is an important step towards a ‘systems’ view of E. coli. Integrating experimental and computational interaction data, we present a reliable network of 3,989 functional interactions between 1,941 E. coli proteins (∼45% of its proteome). These were combined with a recently generated set of 3,888 high-quality physical interactions between 918 proteins and clustered to reveal 316 discrete modules. In addition to known protein complexes (e.g., RNA and DNA polymerases), we identified modules that represent biochemical pathways (e.g., nitrate regulation and cell wall biosynthesis) as well as batteries of functionally and evolutionarily related processes. To aid the interpretation of modular relationships, several case examples are presented, including both well characterized and novel biochemical systems. Together these data provide a global view of the modular organization of the E. coli proteome and yield unique insights into structural and evolutionary relationships in bacterial networks. PMID:19798435

Structure-activity relationships of insect defensins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehbach, Johannes

2017-07-01

Insects make up the largest and most diverse group of organisms on earth with several million species to exist in total. Considering the sheer number of insect species and the vast variety of ways they interact with their environment through chemistry, it is clear that they have significant potential as a source of new lead molecules. They have adapted to a range of ecological habitats and exhibit a symbiotic lifestyle with various microbes such as bacteria and fungi. Accordingly, numerous antimicrobial compounds have been identified including for example defensin peptides. Insect defensins were found to have broad-spectrum activity against various gram-positive/negative bacteria as well as fungi. They exhibit a unique structural topology involving the complex arrangement of three disulfide bonds as well as an alpha helix and beta sheets, which is known as cysteine-stabilized αβ motif. Their stability and amenability to peptide engineering make them promising candidates for the development of novel antibiotics lead molecules. This review highlights the current knowledge regarding the structure-activity relationships of insect defensin peptides and provides basis for future studies focusing on the rational design of novel cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptides.

A Generic analytical solution for modelling pumping tests in wells intersecting fractures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewandel, Benoît; Lanini, Sandra; Lachassagne, Patrick; Maréchal, Jean-Christophe

2018-04-01

The behaviour of transient flow due to pumping in fractured rocks has been studied for at least the past 80 years. Analytical solutions were proposed for solving the issue of a well intersecting and pumping from one vertical, horizontal or inclined fracture in homogeneous aquifers, but their domain of application-even if covering various fracture geometries-was restricted to isotropic or anisotropic aquifers, whose potential boundaries had to be parallel or orthogonal to the fracture direction. The issue thus remains unsolved for many field cases. For example, a well intersecting and pumping a fracture in a multilayer or a dual-porosity aquifer, where intersected fractures are not necessarily parallel or orthogonal to aquifer boundaries, where several fractures with various orientations intersect the well, or the effect of pumping not only in fractures, but also in the aquifer through the screened interval of the well. Using a mathematical demonstration, we show that integrating the well-known Theis analytical solution (Theis, 1935) along the fracture axis is identical to the equally well-known analytical solution of Gringarten et al. (1974) for a uniform-flux fracture fully penetrating a homogeneous aquifer. This result implies that any existing line- or point-source solution can be used for implementing one or more discrete fractures that are intersected by the well. Several theoretical examples are presented and discussed: a single vertical fracture in a dual-porosity aquifer or in a multi-layer system (with a partially intersecting fracture); one and two inclined fractures in a leaky-aquifer system with pumping either only from the fracture(s), or also from the aquifer between fracture(s) in the screened interval of the well. For the cases with several pumping sources, analytical solutions of flowrate contribution from each individual source (fractures and well) are presented, and the drawdown behaviour according to the length of the pumped screened interval of the well is discussed. Other advantages of this proposed generic analytical solution are also given. The application of this solution to field data should provide additional field information on fracture geometry, as well as identifying the connectivity between the pumped fractures and other aquifers.

New Perspectives on the Role of Internal Variability in Regional Climate Change and Climate Model Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deser, C.

2017-12-01

Natural climate variability occurs over a wide range of time and space scales as a result of processes intrinsic to the atmosphere, the ocean, and their coupled interactions. Such internally generated climate fluctuations pose significant challenges for the identification of externally forced climate signals such as those driven by volcanic eruptions or anthropogenic increases in greenhouse gases. This challenge is exacerbated for regional climate responses evaluated from short (< 50 years) data records. The limited duration of the observations also places strong constraints on how well the spatial and temporal characteristics of natural climate variability are known, especially on multi-decadal time scales. The observational constraints, in turn, pose challenges for evaluation of climate models, including their representation of internal variability and assessing the accuracy of their responses to natural and anthropogenic radiative forcings. A promising new approach to climate model assessment is the advent of large (10-100 member) "initial-condition" ensembles of climate change simulations with individual models. Such ensembles allow for accurate determination, and straightforward separation, of externally forced climate signals and internal climate variability on regional scales. The range of climate trajectories in a given model ensemble results from the fact that each simulation represents a particular sequence of internal variability superimposed upon a common forced response. This makes clear that nature's single realization is only one of many that could have unfolded. This perspective leads to a rethinking of approaches to climate model evaluation that incorporate observational uncertainty due to limited sampling of internal variability. Illustrative examples across a range of well-known climate phenomena including ENSO, volcanic eruptions, and anthropogenic climate change will be discussed.

Vitamin D in schizophrenia: a clinical review.

PubMed

Chiang, Mathew; Natarajan, Radhika; Fan, Xiaoduo

2016-02-01

Vitamin D (vitD) is known for its essential role in calcium homeostasis and bone health. VitD is made endogenously in the skin from UVB radiation from sunlight. VitD is now considered as a potent neurosteroid hormone, critical to brain development and normal brain function, and is known for its anti-inflammatory property affecting various aspects of human health. VitD ligand-receptor, a receptor that mediates much of vitD's biological actions, has been found throughout the body including the central nervous system. VitD deficiency is common in patients with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a debilitating chronic mental illness characterised by positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, and negative symptoms including flat affect and lack of motivation. Several environmental risk factors for schizophrenia, such as season of birth, latitude and migration, have been linked to vitD deficiency. Recent studies have suggested a potential role of vitD in the development of schizophrenia. For example, neonatal vitD status is associated with the risk of developing schizophrenia in later life obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and cardiovascular disease, which are commonly seen in patients with schizophrenia. It has been well established that vitD deficiency is related to these metabolic problems. The biological mechanism is most likely related to vitD's action on the regulation of inflammatory and immunological processes, consequently affecting the manifestation of clinical symptoms and treatment response of schizophrenia. Potential benefits of vitD supplementation to improve schizophrenia symptoms as well as physical health in patients with schizophrenia should be further explored in future studies. 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/

Metal ion influence on eumelanin fluorescence and structure.

PubMed

Sutter, Jens-Uwe; Birch, David J S

2014-04-10

Melanin has long been thought to have an unworkably weak and complex fluorescence, but here we study its intrinsic fluorescence in order to demonstrate how metal ions can be used to control the rate of formation, constituents and structure of eumelanin formed from the well-known laboratory auto-oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA). The effect on eumelanin absorption and fluorescence of a range of solvated metal ions is reported including Cu, Zn, Ni, Na and K. Monovalent cations and Zn have little effect, but the effect of transition metal cations can be considerable. For example, at pH 10, copper ions are shown to accelerate the onset of eumelanin formation, but not the rate of formation once it commences, and simplify the usual complex structure and intrinsic fluorescence of eumelanin in a way that is consistent with an increased abundance of 5,5-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). The presence of a dominant 6 ns fluorescence decay time at 480 nm, when excited at 450 nm describes a distinct photophysical species, which we tentatively assign to small oligomers. Copper is well-known to normally quench fluorescence, but increasing amounts of copper surprisingly leads to an increase in the fluorescence decay time of eumelanin, while reducing the fluorescence intensity, suggesting copper modification of the excited state. Such results have bearing on diverse areas. The most accepted morphology for melanin is that of a graphite-like sheet structure, and one which readily binds metal ions, an interaction that is thought to have an important, though as yet unclear bearing on several areas of medicine including neurology. There is also increasing interest in bio-mimicry by preparing and labelling sheet structures with metal ions for new electronic and photonic materials.

Metal ion influence on eumelanin fluorescence and structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutter, Jens-Uwe; Birch, David J. S.

2014-06-01

Melanin has long been thought to have an unworkably weak and complex fluorescence, but here we study its intrinsic fluorescence in order to demonstrate how metal ions can be used to control the rate of formation, constituents and structure of eumelanin formed from the well-known laboratory auto-oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA). The effect on eumelanin absorption and fluorescence of a range of solvated metal ions is reported including Cu, Zn, Ni, Na and K. Monovalent cations and Zn have little effect, but the effect of transition metal cations can be considerable. For example, at pH 10, copper ions are shown to accelerate the onset of eumelanin formation, but not the rate of formation once it commences, and simplify the usual complex structure and intrinsic fluorescence of eumelanin in a way that is consistent with an increased abundance of 5,5-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid (DHICA). The presence of a dominant 6 ns fluorescence decay time at 480 nm, when excited at 450 nm describes a distinct photophysical species, which we tentatively assign to small oligomers. Copper is well-known to normally quench fluorescence, but increasing amounts of copper surprisingly leads to an increase in the fluorescence decay time of eumelanin, while reducing the fluorescence intensity, suggesting copper modification of the excited state. Such results have bearing on diverse areas. The most accepted morphology for melanin is that of a graphite-like sheet structure, and one which readily binds metal ions, an interaction that is thought to have an important, though as yet unclear bearing on several areas of medicine including neurology. There is also increasing interest in bio-mimicry by preparing and labelling sheet structures with metal ions for new electronic and photonic materials.

Immune surveillance properties of human NK cell-derived exosomes.

PubMed

Lugini, Luana; Cecchetti, Serena; Huber, Veronica; Luciani, Francesca; Macchia, Gianfranco; Spadaro, Francesca; Paris, Luisa; Abalsamo, Laura; Colone, Marisa; Molinari, Agnese; Podo, Franca; Rivoltini, Licia; Ramoni, Carlo; Fais, Stefano

2012-09-15

Exosomes are nanovesicles released by normal and tumor cells, which are detectable in cell culture supernatant and human biological fluids, such as plasma. Functions of exosomes released by "normal" cells are not well understood. In fact, several studies have been carried out on exosomes derived from hematopoietic cells, but very little is known about NK cell exosomes, despite the importance of these cells in innate and adaptive immunity. In this paper, we report that resting and activated NK cells, freshly isolated from blood of healthy donors, release exosomes expressing typical protein markers of NK cells and containing killer proteins (i.e., Fas ligand and perforin molecules). These nanovesicles display cytotoxic activity against several tumor cell lines and activated, but not resting, immune cells. We also show that NK-derived exosomes undergo uptake by tumor target cells but not by resting PBMC. Exosomes purified from plasma of healthy donors express NK cell markers, including CD56+ and perforin, and exert cytotoxic activity against different human tumor target cells and activated immune cells as well. The results of this study propose an important role of NK cell-derived exosomes in immune surveillance and homeostasis. Moreover, this study supports the use of exosomes as an almost perfect example of biomimetic nanovesicles possibly useful in future therapeutic approaches against various diseases, including tumors.

Beyond histones - the expanding roles of protein lysine methylation.

PubMed

Wu, Zhouran; Connolly, Justin; Biggar, Kyle K

2017-09-01

A robust signaling network is essential for cell survival. At the molecular level, this is often mediated by as many as 200 different types of post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are made to proteins. These include well-documented examples such as phosphorylation, ubiquitination, acetylation and methylation. Of these modifications, non-histone protein lysine methylation has only recently emerged as a prevalent modification occurring on numerous proteins, thus extending its role well beyond the histone code. To date, this modification has been found to regulate protein activity, protein-protein interactions and interplay with other PTMs. As a result, lysine methylation is now known to be a coordinator of protein function and is a key driver in several cellular signaling events. Recent advances in mass spectrometry have also allowed the characterization of a growing number of lysine methylation events on an increasing number of proteins. As a result, we are now beginning to recognize lysine methylation as a dynamic event that is involved in a number of biological processes, including DNA damage repair, cell growth, metabolism and signal transduction among others. In light of current research advances, the stage is now set to study the extent of lysine methylation that exists within the entire proteome, its dynamics, and its association with physiological and pathological processes. © 2017 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Remotely Telling Humans and Computers Apart: An Unsolved Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez-Castro, Carlos Javier; Ribagorda, Arturo

The ability to tell humans and computers apart is imperative to protect many services from misuse and abuse. For this purpose, tests called CAPTCHAs or HIPs have been designed and put into production. Recent history shows that most (if not all) can be broken given enough time and commercial interest: CAPTCHA design seems to be a much more difficult problem than previously thought. The assumption that difficult-AI problems can be easily converted into valid CAPTCHAs is misleading. There are also some extrinsic problems that do not help, especially the big number of in-house designs that are put into production without any prior public critique. In this paper we present a state-of-the-art survey of current HIPs, including proposals that are now into production. We classify them regarding their basic design ideas. We discuss current attacks as well as future attack paths, and we also present common errors in design, and how many implementation flaws can transform a not necessarily bad idea into a weak CAPTCHA. We present examples of these flaws, using specific well-known CAPTCHAs. In a more theoretical way, we discuss the threat model: confronted risks and countermeasures. Finally, we introduce and discuss some desirable properties that new HIPs should have, concluding with some proposals for future work, including methodologies for design, implementation and security assessment.

The Genus Cladophora Kützing (Ulvophyceae) as a Globally Distributed Ecological Engineer.

PubMed

Zulkifly, Shahrizim B; Graham, James M; Young, Erica B; Mayer, Robert J; Piotrowski, Michael J; Smith, Izak; Graham, Linda E

2013-02-01

The green algal genus Cladophora forms conspicuous nearshore populations in marine and freshwaters worldwide, commonly dominating peri-phyton communities. As the result of human activities, including the nutrient pollution of nearshore waters, Cladophora-dominated periphyton can form nuisance blooms. On the other hand, Cladophora has ecological functions that are beneficial, but less well appreciated. For example, Cladophora has previously been characterized as an ecological engineer because its complex structure fosters functional and taxonomic diversity of benthic microfauna. Here, we review classic and recent literature concerning taxonomy, cell biology, morphology, reproductive biology, and ecology of the genus Cladophora, to examine how this alga functions to modify habitats and influence littoral biogeochemistry. We review the evidence that Cladophora supports large, diverse populations of microalgal and bacterial epiphytes that influence the cycling of carbon and other key elements, and that the high production of cellulose and hydrocarbons by Cladophora-dominated periphyton has the potential for diverse technological applications, including wastewater remediation coupled to renewable biofuel production. We postulate that well-known aspects of Cladophora morphology, hydrodynamically stable and perennial holdfasts, distinctively branched architecture, unusually large cell and sporangial size and robust cell wall construction, are major factors contributing to the multiple roles of this organism as an ecological engineer. © 2013 Phycological Society of America.

[Gender-sensitive epidemiological data analysis: methodological aspects and empirical outcomes. Illustrated by a health reporting example].

PubMed

Jahn, I; Foraita, R

2008-01-01

In Germany gender-sensitive approaches are part of guidelines for good epidemiological practice as well as health reporting. They are increasingly claimed to realize the gender mainstreaming strategy in research funding by the federation and federal states. This paper focuses on methodological aspects of data analysis, as an empirical data example of which serves the health report of Bremen, a population-based cross-sectional study. Health reporting requires analysis and reporting methods that are able to discover sex/gender issues of questions, on the one hand, and consider how results can adequately be communicated, on the other hand. The core question is: Which consequences do a different inclusion of the category sex in different statistical analyses for identification of potential target groups have on the results? As evaluation methods logistic regressions as well as a two-stage procedure were exploratively conducted. This procedure combines graphical models with CHAID decision trees and allows for visualising complex results. Both methods are analysed by stratification as well as adjusted by sex/gender and compared with each other. As a result, only stratified analyses are able to detect differences between the sexes and within the sex/gender groups as long as one cannot resort to previous knowledge. Adjusted analyses can detect sex/gender differences only if interaction terms have been included in the model. Results are discussed from a statistical-epidemiological perspective as well as in the context of health reporting. As a conclusion, the question, if a statistical method is gender-sensitive, can only be answered by having concrete research questions and known conditions. Often, an appropriate statistic procedure can be chosen after conducting a separate analysis for women and men. Future gender studies deserve innovative study designs as well as conceptual distinctiveness with regard to the biological and the sociocultural elements of the category sex/gender.

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

DOE PAGES

Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

2017-03-16

Even when neglecting diffraction effects, the well-known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. Traditional GO treats wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but vector-wave rays have another degree of freedom, namely, their polarization. The polarization degree of freedom manifests itself as an effective (classical) “wave spin” that can be assigned to rays and can affect the wave dynamics accordingly. A well-known manifestation of polarization dynamics is mode conversion, which is the linear exchange of quanta between different wave modes and can be interpreted as a rotation of the wavemore » spin. Another, less-known polarization effect is the polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. Here, this work presents an extension and reformulation of GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective Hamiltonian governs the aforementioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. As an example, the theory is applied to describe the polarization-driven divergence of right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in weakly magnetized plasma.« less

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

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

Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

Even when neglecting diffraction effects, the well-known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. Traditional GO treats wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but vector-wave rays have another degree of freedom, namely, their polarization. The polarization degree of freedom manifests itself as an effective (classical) “wave spin” that can be assigned to rays and can affect the wave dynamics accordingly. A well-known manifestation of polarization dynamics is mode conversion, which is the linear exchange of quanta between different wave modes and can be interpreted as a rotation of the wavemore » spin. Another, less-known polarization effect is the polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. Here, this work presents an extension and reformulation of GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective Hamiltonian governs the aforementioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. As an example, the theory is applied to describe the polarization-driven divergence of right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in weakly magnetized plasma.« less

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

Hart, F.L.

A method is described for exerting forces on a subterranean formation for fracturing and increasing the width of a fracture wherein polymerizable materials capable of forming popcorn polymer are placed in the formation and polymerized in situ. Popcorn polymer is a hard, porous opaque material that is not soluble in ordinary solvents. The occurrence of popcorn polymer is well-known in chemical plants, such as for example a synthetic rubber plant. The forces that are exerted by the forming popcorn polymer have been known to split extra heavy steel pipe, snap a number of bolts, and force bubble traps upward throughmore » towers and, in general, exhibit forces greatly in excess of that needed to fracture and separate subterranean formations. (8 claims)« less

Hammer-toothed ‘marsupial skinks' from the Australian Cenozoic

PubMed Central

Arena, Derrick A.; Archer, Michael; Godthelp, Henk; Hand, Suzanne J.; Hocknull, Scott

2011-01-01

Extinct species of Malleodectes gen. nov. from Middle to Late Miocene deposits of the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland, Australia are enigmatic, highly specialized, probably snail-eating marsupials. Dentally, they closely resemble a bizarre group of living heterodont, wet forest scincid lizards from Australia (Cyclodomorphus) that may well have outcompeted them as snail-eaters when the closed forests of central Australia began to decline. Although there are scincids known from the same Miocene deposits at Riversleigh, these are relatively plesiomorphic, generalized feeders. This appears to be the most striking example known of dental convergence and possible competition between a mammal and a lizard, which in the long run worked out better for the lizards. PMID:21508033

Vectorization of a penalty function algorithm for well scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Absar, I.

1984-01-01

In petroleum engineering, the oil production profiles of a reservoir can be simulated by using a finite gridded model. This profile is affected by the number and choice of wells which in turn is a result of various production limits and constraints including, for example, the economic minimum well spacing, the number of drilling rigs available and the time required to drill and complete a well. After a well is available it may be shut in because of excessive water or gas productions. In order to optimize the field performance a penalty function algorithm was developed for scheduling wells. For an example with some 343 wells and 15 different constraints, the scheduling routine vectorized for the CYBER 205 averaged 560 times faster performance than the scalar version.

Human genomic regions with exceptionally high levels of population differentiation identified from 911 whole-genome sequences.

PubMed

Colonna, Vincenza; Ayub, Qasim; Chen, Yuan; Pagani, Luca; Luisi, Pierre; Pybus, Marc; Garrison, Erik; Xue, Yali; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Abecasis, Goncalo R; Auton, Adam; Brooks, Lisa D; DePristo, Mark A; Durbin, Richard M; Handsaker, Robert E; Kang, Hyun Min; Marth, Gabor T; McVean, Gil A

2014-06-30

Population differentiation has proved to be effective for identifying loci under geographically localized positive selection, and has the potential to identify loci subject to balancing selection. We have previously investigated the pattern of genetic differentiation among human populations at 36.8 million genomic variants to identify sites in the genome showing high frequency differences. Here, we extend this dataset to include additional variants, survey sites with low levels of differentiation, and evaluate the extent to which highly differentiated sites are likely to result from selective or other processes. We demonstrate that while sites with low differentiation represent sampling effects rather than balancing selection, sites showing extremely high population differentiation are enriched for positive selection events and that one half may be the result of classic selective sweeps. Among these, we rediscover known examples, where we actually identify the established functional SNP, and discover novel examples including the genes ABCA12, CALD1 and ZNF804, which we speculate may be linked to adaptations in skin, calcium metabolism and defense, respectively. We identify known and many novel candidate regions for geographically restricted positive selection, and suggest several directions for further research.

Formalization and separation: A systematic basis for interpreting approaches to summarizing science for climate policy.

PubMed

Sundqvist, Göran; Bohlin, Ingemar; Hermansen, Erlend A T; Yearley, Steven

2015-06-01

In studies of environmental issues, the question of how to establish a productive interplay between science and policy is widely debated, especially in relation to climate change. The aim of this article is to advance this discussion and contribute to a better understanding of how science is summarized for policy purposes by bringing together two academic discussions that usually take place in parallel: the question of how to deal with formalization (structuring the procedures for assessing and summarizing research, e.g. by protocols) and separation (maintaining a boundary between science and policy in processes of synthesizing science for policy). Combining the two dimensions, we draw a diagram onto which different initiatives can be mapped. A high degree of formalization and separation are key components of the canonical image of scientific practice. Influential Science and Technology Studies analysts, however, are well known for their critiques of attempts at separation and formalization. Three examples that summarize research for policy purposes are presented and mapped onto the diagram: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the European Union's Science for Environment Policy initiative, and the UK Committee on Climate Change. These examples bring out salient differences concerning how formalization and separation are dealt with. Discussing the space opened up by the diagram, as well as the limitations of the attraction to its endpoints, we argue that policy analyses, including much Science and Technology Studies work, are in need of a more nuanced understanding of the two crucial dimensions of formalization and separation. Accordingly, two analytical claims are presented, concerning trajectories, how organizations represented in the diagram move over time, and mismatches, how organizations fail to handle the two dimensions well in practice.

Dynamical decoupling of unbounded Hamiltonians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arenz, Christian; Burgarth, Daniel; Facchi, Paolo; Hillier, Robin

2018-03-01

We investigate the possibility to suppress interactions between a finite dimensional system and an infinite dimensional environment through a fast sequence of unitary kicks on the finite dimensional system. This method, called dynamical decoupling, is known to work for bounded interactions, but physical environments such as bosonic heat baths are usually modeled with unbounded interactions; hence, here, we initiate a systematic study of dynamical decoupling for unbounded operators. We develop a sufficient decoupling criterion for arbitrary Hamiltonians and a necessary decoupling criterion for semibounded Hamiltonians. We give examples for unbounded Hamiltonians where decoupling works and the limiting evolution as well as the convergence speed can be explicitly computed. We show that decoupling does not always work for unbounded interactions and we provide both physically and mathematically motivated examples.

A method for diagnosing time dependent faults using model-based reasoning systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goodrich, Charles H.

1995-01-01

This paper explores techniques to apply model-based reasoning to equipment and systems which exhibit dynamic behavior (that which changes as a function of time). The model-based system of interest is KATE-C (Knowledge based Autonomous Test Engineer) which is a C++ based system designed to perform monitoring and diagnosis of Space Shuttle electro-mechanical systems. Methods of model-based monitoring and diagnosis are well known and have been thoroughly explored by others. A short example is given which illustrates the principle of model-based reasoning and reveals some limitations of static, non-time-dependent simulation. This example is then extended to demonstrate representation of time-dependent behavior and testing of fault hypotheses in that environment.

Jastrow-like ground states for quantum many-body potentials with near-neighbors interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baradaran, Marzieh; Carrasco, José A.; Finkel, Federico; González-López, Artemio

2018-01-01

We completely solve the problem of classifying all one-dimensional quantum potentials with nearest- and next-to-nearest-neighbors interactions whose ground state is Jastrow-like, i.e., of Jastrow type but depending only on differences of consecutive particles. In particular, we show that these models must necessarily contain a three-body interaction term, as was the case with all previously known examples. We discuss several particular instances of the general solution, including a new hyperbolic potential and a model with elliptic interactions which reduces to the known rational and trigonometric ones in appropriate limits.

43 CFR 3212.21 - What criteria establish a qualified expansion project for the purpose of obtaining a production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... additional generation capacity to existing plants, and enhanced recovery projects such as augmented injection.... Examples include the drilling of additional wells, retrofitting existing wells and collection systems to...

43 CFR 3212.21 - What criteria establish a qualified expansion project for the purpose of obtaining a production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... additional generation capacity to existing plants, and enhanced recovery projects such as augmented injection.... Examples include the drilling of additional wells, retrofitting existing wells and collection systems to...

43 CFR 3212.21 - What criteria establish a qualified expansion project for the purpose of obtaining a production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... additional generation capacity to existing plants, and enhanced recovery projects such as augmented injection.... Examples include the drilling of additional wells, retrofitting existing wells and collection systems to...

Oldest known dinosaurian nesting site and reproductive biology of the Early Jurassic sauropodomorph Massospondylus

PubMed Central

Reisz, Robert R.; Evans, David C.; Roberts, Eric M.; Sues, Hans-Dieter; Yates, Adam M.

2012-01-01

The extensive Early Jurassic continental strata of southern Africa have yielded an exceptional record of dinosaurs that includes scores of partial to complete skeletons of the sauropodomorph Massospondylus, ranging from embryos to large adults. In 1976 an incomplete egg clutch including in ovo embryos of this dinosaur, the oldest known example in the fossil record, was collected from a road-cut talus, but its exact provenance was uncertain. An excavation program at the site started in 2006 has yielded multiple in situ egg clutches, documenting the oldest known dinosaurian nesting site, predating other similar sites by more than 100 million years. The presence of numerous clutches of eggs, some of which contain embryonic remains, in at least four distinct horizons within a small area, provides the earliest known evidence of complex reproductive behavior including site fidelity and colonial nesting in a terrestrial vertebrate. Thus, fossil and sedimentological evidence from this nesting site provides empirical data on reproductive strategies in early dinosaurs. A temporally calibrated optimization of dinosaurian reproductive biology not only demonstrates the primary significance of the Massospondylus nesting site, but also provides additional insights into the initial stages of the evolutionary history of dinosaurs, including evidence that deposition of eggs in a tightly organized single layer in a nest evolved independently from brooding. PMID:22308330

Bladder cancer, a review of the environmental risk factors.

PubMed

Letašiová, Silvia; Medve'ová, Alžbeta; Šovčíková, Andrea; Dušinská, Mária; Volkovová, Katarína; Mosoiu, Claudia; Bartonová, Alena

2012-06-28

Many epidemiological studies and reviews have been performed to identify the causes of bladder cancer. The aim of this review is to investigate the links between various environmental risk factors and cancer of the bladder. A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Scholar Google and Russian Google databases to identify reviews and epidemiological studies on bladder cancer risk factors associated with the environment published between 1998 and 2010. Only literature discussing human studies was considered. Smoking, mainly cigarette smoking, is a well known risk factor for various diseases, including bladder cancer. Another factor strongly associated with bladder cancer is exposure to arsenic in drinking water at concentrations higher than 300 µg/l. The most notable risk factor for development of bladder cancer is occupational exposure to aromatic amines (2-naphthylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl and benzidine) and 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline), which can be found in the products of the chemical, dye and rubber industries as well as in hair dyes, paints, fungicides, cigarette smoke, plastics, metals and motor vehicle exhaust. There are also data suggesting an effect from of other types of smoking besides cigarettes (cigar, pipe, Egyptian waterpipe, smokeless tobacco and environmental tobacco smoking), and other sources of arsenic exposure such as air, food, occupational hazards, and tobacco. Other studies show that hairdressers and barbers with occupational exposure to hair dyes experience enhanced risk of bladder cancer. For example, a study related to personal use of hair dyes demonstrates an elevated bladder cancer risk for people who used permanent hair dyes at least once a month, for one year or longer. Smoking, in particular from cigarettes, exposure to arsenic in drinking water, and occupational exposure to aromatic amines and 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline) are well known risk factors for various diseases including bladder cancer. Although the number of chemicals related to occupational exposure is still growing, it is worth noting that it may take several years or decades between exposure and the subsequent cancer.

Cascading hazards: Understanding triggering relations between wet tropical cyclones, landslides, and earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wdowinski, S.; Peng, Z.; Ferrier, K.; Lin, C. H.; Hsu, Y. J.; Shyu, J. B. H.

2017-12-01

Earthquakes, landslides, and tropical cyclones are extreme hazards that pose significant threats to human life and property. Some of the couplings between these hazards are well known. For example, sudden, widespread landsliding can be triggered by large earthquakes and by extreme rainfall events like tropical cyclones. Recent studies have also shown that earthquakes can be triggered by erosional unloading over 100-year timescales. In a NASA supported project, titled "Cascading hazards: Understanding triggering relations between wet tropical cyclones, landslides, and earthquake", we study triggering relations between these hazard types. The project focuses on such triggering relations in Taiwan, which is subjected to very wet tropical storms, landslides, and earthquakes. One example for such triggering relations is the 2009 Morakot typhoon, which was the wettest recorded typhoon in Taiwan (2850 mm of rain in 100 hours). The typhoon caused widespread flooding and triggered more than 20,000 landslides, including the devastating Hsiaolin landslide. Six months later, the same area was hit by the 2010 M=6.4 Jiashian earthquake near Kaohsiung city, which added to the infrastructure damage induced by the typhoon and the landslides. Preliminary analysis of temporal relations between main-shock earthquakes and the six wettest typhoons in Taiwan's past 50 years reveals similar temporal relations between M≥5 events and wet typhoons. Future work in the project will include remote sensing analysis of landsliding, seismic and geodetic monitoring of landslides, detection of microseismicity and tremor activities, and mechanical modeling of crustal stress changes due to surface unloading.

Fourier Transforms of Pulses Containing Exponential Leading and Trailing Profiles

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

Warshaw, S I

2001-07-15

In this monograph we discuss a class of pulse shapes that have exponential rise and fall profiles, and evaluate their Fourier transforms. Such pulses can be used as models for time-varying processes that produce an initial exponential rise and end with the exponential decay of a specified physical quantity. Unipolar examples of such processes include the voltage record of an increasingly rapid charge followed by a damped discharge of a capacitor bank, and the amplitude of an electromagnetic pulse produced by a nuclear explosion. Bipolar examples include acoustic N waves propagating for long distances in the atmosphere that have resultedmore » from explosions in the air, and sonic booms generated by supersonic aircraft. These bipolar pulses have leading and trailing edges that appear to be exponential in character. To the author's knowledge the Fourier transforms of such pulses are not generally well-known or tabulated in Fourier transform compendia, and it is the purpose of this monograph to derive and present these transforms. These Fourier transforms are related to a definite integral of a ratio of exponential functions, whose evaluation we carry out in considerable detail. From this result we derive the Fourier transforms of other related functions. In all Figures showing plots of calculated curves, the actual numbers used for the function parameter values and dependent variables are arbitrary and non-dimensional, and are not identified with any particular physical phenomenon or model.« less

Frequency Spectrum for New Aviation Data Links: Initial Study Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matolak, David W.; Branstetter, James R.

2004-01-01

We describe results from an initial study to assess the suitability of various spectral bands for supporting the deployment of new aviation data links (ADL). The study focused on systems and spectral bands that can deliver VHF data link (VDL)-or-higher data rates in a two-way communication setting, including air-ground, ground-air, and air-air modes of operation. In the first part of our paper, we briefly discuss the current situation regarding communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) links and existing spectrum, and the well-known need for new aviation data links. We next provide an overview of related systems, and discuss key factors involved in the use of spectrum in various bands for any future integrated CNS data link, addressing primarily the lower few layers of the communications protocol stack. Desired attributes of a new ADL system are discussed, and the beneficial aspects of a particular transmission technique spread spectrum are summarized. We also provide a short list of several example potential spectral regions, and note that while none of the existing systems will likely meet the full range of desired features of a new ADL, several systems and spectral regions offer promise in terms of one or more characteristics. A detailed discussion and evaluation of these spectral regions is proposed as future work. We include a few brief examples to illustrate initial technical results regarding spread spectrum overlay, also a subject for future work.

Elegant anti-disturbance control for discrete-time stochastic systems with nonlinearity and multiple disturbances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xinjiang; Sun, Shixiang

2018-03-01

An elegant anti-disturbance control (EADC) strategy for a class of discrete-time stochastic systems with both nonlinearity and multiple disturbances, which include the disturbance with partially known information and a sequence of random vectors, is proposed in this paper. A stochastic disturbance observer is constructed to estimate the disturbance with partially known information, based on which, an EADC scheme is proposed by combining pole placement and linear matrix inequality methods. It is proved that the two different disturbances can be rejected and attenuated, and the corresponding desired performances can be guaranteed for discrete-time stochastic systems with known and unknown nonlinear dynamics, respectively. Simulation examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes compared with some existing results.

Note: Is it symmetric or not?

PubMed

Stanton, John F

2013-07-28

The reasons by which a molecule might distort from an idealized high symmetry configuration (for example, D3h for the nitrate radical) in a quantum-chemical computation are well-known, but briefly reviewed here in light of considerable recent debate on the BNB molecule. The role of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect in such cases is emphasized, as is the ultimate relevance and proper interpretation of the title question in cases where the adiabatic potential energy surface is extremely flat.

Using the Cycloid as an Introduction to Transformations of E and B Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frodyma, Marc; Le, My Phuong

2018-05-01

The transformations of electric and magnetic fields are usually introduced by viewing systems such as a long, straight current-carrying wire and a parallel plate capacitor in two different reference frames. These well-known examples show that magnetism is a necessary consequence of augmenting electrostatics with relativity. Because they require the full apparatus of Lorentz contraction and Lorentz transformation of forces, they are often postponed until the upper-division undergraduate electrodynamics course.

[Series: Utilization of Differential Equations and Methods for Solving Them in Medical Physics (1)].

PubMed

Murase, Kenya

2014-01-01

Utilization of differential equations and methods for solving them in medical physics are presented. First, the basic concept and the kinds of differential equations were overviewed. Second, separable differential equations and well-known first-order and second-order differential equations were introduced, and the methods for solving them were described together with several examples. In the next issue, the symbolic and series expansion methods for solving differential equations will be mainly introduced.

Tomographic Processing of Synthetic Aperture Radar Signals for Enhanced Resolution

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-01

to image 3 larger scenes, this problem becomes more important. A byproduct of this investigation is a duality theorem which is a generalization of the...well-known Projection-Slice Theorem . The second prob- - lem proposed is that of imaging a rapidly-spinning object, for example in inverse SAR mode...slices is absent. There is a possible connection of the word to the Projection-Slice Theorem , but, as seen in Chapter 4, even this is absent in the

Guaranteed cost control of polynomial fuzzy systems via a sum of squares approach.

PubMed

Tanaka, Kazuo; Ohtake, Hiroshi; Wang, Hua O

2009-04-01

This paper presents the guaranteed cost control of polynomial fuzzy systems via a sum of squares (SOS) approach. First, we present a polynomial fuzzy model and controller that are more general representations of the well-known Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model and controller, respectively. Second, we derive a guaranteed cost control design condition based on polynomial Lyapunov functions. Hence, the design approach discussed in this paper is more general than the existing LMI approaches (to T-S fuzzy control system designs) based on quadratic Lyapunov functions. The design condition realizes a guaranteed cost control by minimizing the upper bound of a given performance function. In addition, the design condition in the proposed approach can be represented in terms of SOS and is numerically (partially symbolically) solved via the recent developed SOSTOOLS. To illustrate the validity of the design approach, two design examples are provided. The first example deals with a complicated nonlinear system. The second example presents micro helicopter control. Both the examples show that our approach provides more extensive design results for the existing LMI approach.

The Perceived Usefulness of a Summary of Performance by Postsecondary Disability Service Providers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Vries, Rebecca S.

2011-01-01

This study investigated postsecondary disability service providers' (DSP) perceived usefulness of an example of a well-developed SOP. This example SOP was included in a 22 question survey, administered electronically to DSPs who are members of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). The participants (n=298) were asked to rate…

Petroleum accounting principles, procedures, and issues

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

Brock, H.R.; Klingstedt, J.P.; Jones, D.M.

1985-01-01

This book begins with the basics and leads one through the complexities of accounting and reporting for the industry. It presents the material one needs as an accountant in the petroleum industry. Examples deal with real problems and issues. It also includes numerous illustrations and examples, as well as sample forms, lease agreements, and industry and governmental regulations.

System concepts and design examples for optical communication with planetary spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesh, James R.

Systems concepts for optical communication with future deep-space (planetary) spacecraft are described. These include not only the optical transceiver package aboard the distant spacecraft, but the earth-vicinity optical-communications receiving station as well. Both ground-based, and earth-orbiting receivers are considered. Design examples for a number of proposed or potential deep-space missions are then presented. These include an orbital mission to Saturn, a Lander and Rover mission to Mars, and an astronomical mission to a distance of 1000 astronomical units.

ULTRA-SHARP nonoscillatory convection schemes for high-speed steady multidimensional flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, B. P.; Mokhtari, Simin

1990-01-01

For convection-dominated flows, classical second-order methods are notoriously oscillatory and often unstable. For this reason, many computational fluid dynamicists have adopted various forms of (inherently stable) first-order upwinding over the past few decades. Although it is now well known that first-order convection schemes suffer from serious inaccuracies attributable to artificial viscosity or numerical diffusion under high convection conditions, these methods continue to enjoy widespread popularity for numerical heat transfer calculations, apparently due to a perceived lack of viable high accuracy alternatives. But alternatives are available. For example, nonoscillatory methods used in gasdynamics, including currently popular TVD schemes, can be easily adapted to multidimensional incompressible flow and convective transport. This, in itself, would be a major advance for numerical convective heat transfer, for example. But, as is shown, second-order TVD schemes form only a small, overly restrictive, subclass of a much more universal, and extremely simple, nonoscillatory flux-limiting strategy which can be applied to convection schemes of arbitrarily high order accuracy, while requiring only a simple tridiagonal ADI line-solver, as used in the majority of general purpose iterative codes for incompressible flow and numerical heat transfer. The new universal limiter and associated solution procedures form the so-called ULTRA-SHARP alternative for high resolution nonoscillatory multidimensional steady state high speed convective modelling.

Predictive QSAR modeling workflow, model applicability domains, and virtual screening.

PubMed

Tropsha, Alexander; Golbraikh, Alexander

2007-01-01

Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) modeling has been traditionally applied as an evaluative approach, i.e., with the focus on developing retrospective and explanatory models of existing data. Model extrapolation was considered if only in hypothetical sense in terms of potential modifications of known biologically active chemicals that could improve compounds' activity. This critical review re-examines the strategy and the output of the modern QSAR modeling approaches. We provide examples and arguments suggesting that current methodologies may afford robust and validated models capable of accurate prediction of compound properties for molecules not included in the training sets. We discuss a data-analytical modeling workflow developed in our laboratory that incorporates modules for combinatorial QSAR model development (i.e., using all possible binary combinations of available descriptor sets and statistical data modeling techniques), rigorous model validation, and virtual screening of available chemical databases to identify novel biologically active compounds. Our approach places particular emphasis on model validation as well as the need to define model applicability domains in the chemistry space. We present examples of studies where the application of rigorously validated QSAR models to virtual screening identified computational hits that were confirmed by subsequent experimental investigations. The emerging focus of QSAR modeling on target property forecasting brings it forward as predictive, as opposed to evaluative, modeling approach.

The organizational context of children's mental health services.

PubMed

Glisson, Charles

2002-12-01

This paper reviews what is known about the organizational context of children's mental health services and describes organizational constructs, conceptual models, research methods, and intervention strategies that can be used to link organizational context to service quality and outcomes. Using evidence from studies of business and industrial organizations as well as studies of children's service organizations, the paper presents a model of organizational effectiveness that depends on several contextual characteristics that include organizational culture, structure, climate, and work attitudes. These characteristics are believed to affect the adoption of efficacious treatments (EBPs [evidence-based practices]), adherence to treatment protocols, therapeutic alliance, and the availability, responsiveness, and continuity of services. Finally, 10 components of the ARC(Availability Responsiveness and Continuity) organizational intervention are described as examples of strategies that can be used to develop organizational contexts with the prescribed characteristics. Mental health researchers are encouraged to consider including these constructs, conceptual models, research methods, and intervention strategies in dissemination, effectiveness, and implementation studies that address the gap between research-based knowledge about mental health treatment and what is actually offered in the community.

Clinical applications of textural analysis in non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Phillips, Iain; Ajaz, Mazhar; Ezhil, Veni; Prakash, Vineet; Alobaidli, Sheaka; McQuaid, Sarah J; South, Christopher; Scuffham, James; Nisbet, Andrew; Evans, Philip

2018-01-01

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Treatment pathways include regular cross-sectional imaging, generating large data sets which present intriguing possibilities for exploitation beyond standard visual interpretation. This additional data mining has been termed "radiomics" and includes semantic and agnostic approaches. Textural analysis (TA) is an example of the latter, and uses a range of mathematically derived features to describe an image or region of an image. Often TA is used to describe a suspected or known tumour. TA is an attractive tool as large existing image sets can be submitted to diverse techniques for data processing, presentation, interpretation and hypothesis testing with annotated clinical outcomes. There is a growing anthology of published data using different TA techniques to differentiate between benign and malignant lung nodules, differentiate tissue subtypes of lung cancer, prognosticate and predict outcome and treatment response, as well as predict treatment side effects and potentially aid radiotherapy planning. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the current published data and understand the potential future role of TA in managing lung cancer.

A HTML5 open source tool to conduct studies based on Libet’s clock paradigm

PubMed Central

Garaizar, Pablo; Cubillas, Carmelo P.; Matute, Helena

2016-01-01

Libet’s clock is a well-known procedure in experiments in psychology and neuroscience. Examples of its use include experiments exploring the subjective sense of agency, action-effect binding, and subjective timing of conscious decisions and perceptions. However, the technical details of the apparatus used to conduct these types of experiments are complex, and are rarely explained in sufficient detail as to guarantee an exact replication of the procedure. With this in mind, we developed Labclock Web, a web tool designed to conduct online and offline experiments using Libet’s clock. After describing its technical features, we explain how to configure specific experiments using this tool. Its degree of accuracy and precision in the presentation of stimuli has been technically validated, including the use of two cognitive experiments conducted with voluntary participants who performed the experiment both in our laboratory and via the Internet. Labclock Web is distributed without charge under a free software license (GPLv3) since one of our main objectives is to facilitate the replication of experiments and hence the advancement of knowledge in this area. PMID:27623167

A HTML5 open source tool to conduct studies based on Libet's clock paradigm.

PubMed

Garaizar, Pablo; Cubillas, Carmelo P; Matute, Helena

2016-09-13

Libet's clock is a well-known procedure in experiments in psychology and neuroscience. Examples of its use include experiments exploring the subjective sense of agency, action-effect binding, and subjective timing of conscious decisions and perceptions. However, the technical details of the apparatus used to conduct these types of experiments are complex, and are rarely explained in sufficient detail as to guarantee an exact replication of the procedure. With this in mind, we developed Labclock Web, a web tool designed to conduct online and offline experiments using Libet's clock. After describing its technical features, we explain how to configure specific experiments using this tool. Its degree of accuracy and precision in the presentation of stimuli has been technically validated, including the use of two cognitive experiments conducted with voluntary participants who performed the experiment both in our laboratory and via the Internet. Labclock Web is distributed without charge under a free software license (GPLv3) since one of our main objectives is to facilitate the replication of experiments and hence the advancement of knowledge in this area.

Viking Seismometer PDS Archive Dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenz, R. D.

2016-12-01

The Viking Lander 2 seismometer operated successfully for over 500 Sols on the Martian surface, recording at least one likely candidate Marsquake. The Viking mission, in an era when data handling hardware (both on board and on the ground) was limited in capability, predated modern planetary data archiving, and ad-hoc repositories of the data, and the very low-level record at NSSDC, were neither convenient to process nor well-known. In an effort supported by the NASA Mars Data Analysis Program, we have converted the bulk of the Viking dataset (namely the 49,000 and 270,000 records made in High- and Event- modes at 20 and 1 Hz respectively) into a simple ASCII table format. Additionally, since wind-generated lander motion is a major component of the signal, contemporaneous meteorological data are included in summary records to facilitate correlation. These datasets are being archived at the PDS Geosciences Node. In addition to brief instrument and dataset descriptions, the archive includes code snippets in the freely-available language 'R' to demonstrate plotting and analysis. Further, we present examples of lander-generated noise, associated with the sampler arm, instrument dumps and other mechanical operations.

Guidance on validation and qualification of processes and operations involving radiopharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Todde, S; Peitl, P Kolenc; Elsinga, P; Koziorowski, J; Ferrari, V; Ocak, E M; Hjelstuen, O; Patt, M; Mindt, T L; Behe, M

2017-01-01

Validation and qualification activities are nowadays an integral part of the day by day routine work in a radiopharmacy. This document is meant as an Appendix of Part B of the EANM "Guidelines on Good Radiopharmacy Practice (GRPP)" issued by the Radiopharmacy Committee of the EANM, covering the qualification and validation aspects related to the small-scale "in house" preparation of radiopharmaceuticals. The aim is to provide more detailed and practice-oriented guidance to those who are involved in the small-scale preparation of radiopharmaceuticals which are not intended for commercial purposes or distribution. The present guideline covers the validation and qualification activities following the well-known "validation chain", that begins with editing the general Validation Master Plan document, includes all the required documentation (e.g. User Requirement Specification, Qualification protocols, etc.), and leads to the qualification of the equipment used in the preparation and quality control of radiopharmaceuticals, until the final step of Process Validation. A specific guidance to the qualification and validation activities specifically addressed to small-scale hospital/academia radiopharmacies is here provided. Additional information, including practical examples, are also available.

Population-based differences in treatment outcome following anticancer drug therapies.

PubMed

Ma, Brigette By; Hui, Edwin P; Mok, Tony Sk

2010-01-01

Population-based differences in toxicity and clinical outcome following treatment with anticancer drugs have an important effect on oncology practice and drug development. These differences arise from complex interactions between biological and environmental factors, which include genetic diversity affecting drug metabolism and the expression of drug targets, variations in tumour biology and host physiology, socioeconomic disparities, and regional preferences in treatment standards. Some well-known examples include the high prevalence of activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in pulmonary adenocarcinoma among northeast (China, Japan, Korea) and parts of southeast Asia (excluding India) non-smokers, which predict sensitivity to EGFR kinase inhibitors, and the sharp contrast between Japan and the west in the management and survival outcome of gastric cancer. This review is a critical overview of population-based differences in the four most prevalent cancers in the world: lung, breast, colorectal, and stomach cancer. Particular attention is given to the clinical relevance of such knowledge in terms of the individualisation of drug therapy and in the design of clinical trials. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selection against small males in utero: a test of the Wells hypothesis

PubMed Central

Catalano, R.; Goodman, J.; Margerison-Zilko, C.E.; Saxton, K.B.; Anderson, E.; Epstein, M.

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND The argument that women in stressful environments spontaneously abort their least fit fetuses enjoys wide dissemination despite the fact that several of its most intuitive predictions remain untested. The literature includes no tests, for example, of the hypothesis that these mechanisms select against small for gestational age (SGA) males. METHODS We apply time-series modeling to 4.9 million California male term births to test the hypothesis that the rate of SGA infants in 1096 weekly birth cohorts varies inversely with labor market contraction, a known stressor of contemporary populations. RESULTS We find support for the hypothesis that small size becomes less frequent among term male infants when the labor market contracts. CONCLUSIONS Our findings contribute to the evidence supporting selection in utero. They also suggest that research into the association between maternal stress and adverse birth outcomes should acknowledge the possibility that fetal loss may affect findings and their interpretation. Strengths of our analyses include the large number and size of our birth cohorts and our control for autocorrelation. Weaknesses include that we, like nearly all researchers in the field, have no direct measure of fetal loss. PMID:22298840

The advent of guilt feelings as a common depressive symptom: a historical comparison on two continents.

PubMed

Murphy, H B

1978-08-01

Historical shifts in the symptomatology of mental disease are surprisingly overlooked but common phenomena that should cast considerable light on the relation between social and intrapsychic processes. The enormous increase in chronicity and mortality in mental hospitals during the second half of the 19th century, and the shift from the shell-shock of the first World War to the battle fatigue of the second are examples which have been well documented but not well explained. The advent of guilt feelings in depression or melancholia is a lesser known instance but one with perhaps greater theoretical significance. Melancholia has been known almost throughout recorded history, but until the 16th century the number of recorded cases exhibiting exaggerated guilt feelings and self-accusations was very small, and the old physicians did not include them in their descriptions of the condition. In Asia and in Africa, moreover, it is claimed that these symptoms are rare even today, except among the Westernized. If we fully understood the other features of the disease or if the symptoms had no relevance to course and treatment, these facts might be treated simply as curiosities; but neither is the case. Depression is still not adequately understood, and some theories on it derive largely from the exaggerated guilt feelings and the psychic structure which is supposed to produce the latter. Hence it could be instructive to examine under what conditions these symptoms first became common in different societies.

The Heat Shock Response and Acute Lung Injury

PubMed Central

Wheeler, Derek S.; Wong, Hector R.

2006-01-01

All cells respond to stress through the activation of primitive, evolutionarily conserved genetic programs that maintain homeostasis and assure cell survival. Stress adaptation, which is known in the literature by a myriad of terms, including tolerance, desensitization, conditioning, and reprogramming, is a common paradigm found throughout nature, in which a primary exposure of a cell or organism to a stressful stimulus (e.g., heat) results in an adaptive response by which a second exposure to the same stimulus produces a minimal response. More interesting is the phenomenon of cross-tolerance, by which a primary exposure to a stressful stimulus results in an adaptive response whereby the cell or organism is resistant to a subsequent stress that is different from the initial stress (i.e. exposure to heat stress leading to resistance to oxidant stress). The heat shock response is one of the more commonly described examples of stress adaptation and is characterized by the rapid expression of a unique group of proteins collectively known as heat shock proteins (also commonly referred to as stress proteins). The expression of heat shock proteins is well described in both whole lungs and in specific lung cells from a variety of species and in response to a variety of stressors. More importantly, in vitro data, as well as data from various animal models of acute lung injury, demonstrate that heat shock proteins, especially Hsp27, Hsp32, Hsp60, and Hsp70 have an important cytoprotective role during lung inflammation and injury. PMID:17157189

The oldest known snakes from the Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous provide insights on snake evolution.

PubMed

Caldwell, Michael W; Nydam, Randall L; Palci, Alessandro; Apesteguía, Sebastián

2015-01-27

The previous oldest known fossil snakes date from ~100 million year old sediments (Upper Cretaceous) and are both morphologically and phylogenetically diverse, indicating that snakes underwent a much earlier origin and adaptive radiation. We report here on snake fossils that extend the record backwards in time by an additional ~70 million years (Middle Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous). These ancient snakes share features with fossil and modern snakes (for example, recurved teeth with labial and lingual carinae, long toothed suborbital ramus of maxillae) and with lizards (for example, pronounced subdental shelf/gutter). The paleobiogeography of these early snakes is diverse and complex, suggesting that snakes had undergone habitat differentiation and geographic radiation by the mid-Jurassic. Phylogenetic analysis of squamates recovers these early snakes in a basal polytomy with other fossil and modern snakes, where Najash rionegrina is sister to this clade. Ingroup analysis finds them in a basal position to all other snakes including Najash.

Accessing and Utilizing Remote Sensing Data for Vectorborne Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiang, Richard; Adimi, Farida; Kempler, Steven

2008-01-01

Background: The transmission of vectorborne infectious diseases is often influenced by environmental, meteorological and climatic parameters, because the vector life cycle depends on these factors. For example, the geophysical parameters relevant to malaria transmission include precipitation, surface temperature, humidity, elevation, and vegetation type. Because these parameters are routinely measured by satellites, remote sensing is an important technological tool for predicting, preventing, and containing a number of vectorborne infectious diseases, such as malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, etc. Methods: A variety of NASA remote sensing data can be used for modeling vectorborne infectious disease transmission. We will discuss both the well known and less known remote sensing data, including Landsat, AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer), MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission), ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer), EO-1 (Earth Observing One) ALI (Advanced Land Imager), and SIESIP (Seasonal to Interannual Earth Science Information Partner) dataset. Giovanni is a Web-based application developed by the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center. It provides a simple and intuitive way to visualize, analyze, and access vast amounts of Earth science remote sensing data. After remote sensing data is obtained, a variety of techniques, including generalized linear models and artificial intelligence oriented methods, t 3 can be used to model the dependency of disease transmission on these parameters. Results: The processes of accessing, visualizing and utilizing precipitation data using Giovanni, and acquiring other data at additional websites are illustrated. Malaria incidence time series for some parts of Thailand and Indonesia are used to demonstrate that malaria incidences are reasonably well modeled with generalized linear models and artificial intelligence based techniques. Conclusions: Remote sensing data relevant to the transmission of vectorborne infectious diseases can be conveniently accessed at NASA and some other websites. These data are useful for vectorborne infectious disease surveillance and modeling.

Epigenetic susceptibility factors for prostate cancer with aging.

PubMed

Damaschke, N A; Yang, B; Bhusari, S; Svaren, J P; Jarrard, D F

2013-12-01

Increasing age is a significant risk factor for prostate cancer. The prostate is exposed to environmental and endogenous stress that may underlie this remarkable incidence. DNA methylation, genomic imprinting, and histone modifications are examples of epigenetic factors known to undergo change in the aging and cancerous prostate. In this review we examine the data linking epigenetic alterations in the prostate with aging to cancer development. An online search of current and past peer reviewed literature on epigenetic changes with cancer and aging was performed. Relevant articles were analyzed. Epigenetic changes are responsible for modifying expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Several of these changes may represent a field defect that predisposes to cancer development. Focal hypermethylation occurs at CpG islands in the promoters of certain genes including GSTP1, RARβ2, and RASSF1A with both age and cancer, while global hypomethylation is seen in prostate cancer and known to occur in the colon and other organs. A loss of genomic imprinting is responsible for biallelic expression of the well-known Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) gene. Loss of imprinting (LOI) at IGF2 has been documented in cancer and is also known to occur in benign aging prostate tissue marking the presence of cancer. Histone modifications have the ability to dictate chromatin structure and direct gene expression. Epigenetic changes with aging represent molecular mechanisms to explain the increased susceptibly of the prostate to develop cancer in older men. These changes may provide an opportunity for diagnostic and chemopreventive strategies given the epigenome can be modified. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Netiquette.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scheuermann, Larry; Taylor, Gary

1997-01-01

Discusses netiquette, which refers to etiquette on computer networks. Highlights include ethical or moral issues as well as standards of politeness; specific examples and suggestions; netiquette rules for advertising; influence of online service providers, including acceptable use policies; influence of employers; and influence of governments.…

Negative Example Selection for Protein Function Prediction: The NoGO Database

PubMed Central

Youngs, Noah; Penfold-Brown, Duncan; Bonneau, Richard; Shasha, Dennis

2014-01-01

Negative examples – genes that are known not to carry out a given protein function – are rarely recorded in genome and proteome annotation databases, such as the Gene Ontology database. Negative examples are required, however, for several of the most powerful machine learning methods for integrative protein function prediction. Most protein function prediction efforts have relied on a variety of heuristics for the choice of negative examples. Determining the accuracy of methods for negative example prediction is itself a non-trivial task, given that the Open World Assumption as applied to gene annotations rules out many traditional validation metrics. We present a rigorous comparison of these heuristics, utilizing a temporal holdout, and a novel evaluation strategy for negative examples. We add to this comparison several algorithms adapted from Positive-Unlabeled learning scenarios in text-classification, which are the current state of the art methods for generating negative examples in low-density annotation contexts. Lastly, we present two novel algorithms of our own construction, one based on empirical conditional probability, and the other using topic modeling applied to genes and annotations. We demonstrate that our algorithms achieve significantly fewer incorrect negative example predictions than the current state of the art, using multiple benchmarks covering multiple organisms. Our methods may be applied to generate negative examples for any type of method that deals with protein function, and to this end we provide a database of negative examples in several well-studied organisms, for general use (The NoGO database, available at: bonneaulab.bio.nyu.edu/nogo.html). PMID:24922051

Guide to the littoral zone vascular flora of Carolina bay lakes (U.S.A.)

PubMed Central

Howell, Nathan; Braham, Richard R

2016-01-01

Abstract Background Carolina bays are elliptic, directionally aligned basins of disputed origin that occur on the Atlantic Coastal Plain from the Delmarva Peninsula to southern Georgia. In southeastern North Carolina, several large, natural, lacustrine systems (i.e., Carolina bay lakes) exist within the geomorphological features known as Carolina bays. Within the current distribution of Carolina bays, Bladen and Columbus counties (North Carolina) contain the only known examples of Carolina bay lakes. The Carolina bay lakes can be split into two major divisions, the “Bladen Lakes Group” which is characterized as being relatively unproductive (dystrophic – oligotrophic), and Lake Waccamaw, which stands alone in Columbus County and is known for its high productivity and species richness. Although there have been several studies conducted on these unique lentic systems, none have documented the flora comprehensively. New information Over the 2013−2014 growing seasons, the littoral zone flora of Carolina bay lakes was surveyed and vouchered. Literature reviews and herbarium crawls complemented this fieldwork to produce an inventory of the vascular plant species. This survey detected 205 taxa (species/subspecies and varieties) in 136 genera and 80 vascular plant families. Thirty-one species (15.2%) are of conservation concern. Lake Waccamaw exhibited the highest species richness with 145 catalogued taxa and 26 species of conservation concern. Across all sites, the Cyperaceae (25 spp.), Poaceae (21 spp.), Asteraceae (13 spp.), Ericaceae (8 spp.), Juncaceae (8 spp.), and Lentibulariaceae (6 spp.) were the six most species-rich vascular plant families encountered. A guide to the littoral zone flora of Carolina bay lakes is presented herein, including dichotomous keys, species accounts (including abundance, habitat, phenology, and exsiccatae), as well as images of living species and vouchered specimens. PMID:27350764

Effects of parceling on model selection: Parcel-allocation variability in model ranking.

PubMed

Sterba, Sonya K; Rights, Jason D

2017-03-01

Research interest often lies in comparing structural model specifications implying different relationships among latent factors. In this context parceling is commonly accepted, assuming the item-level measurement structure is well known and, conservatively, assuming items are unidimensional in the population. Under these assumptions, researchers compare competing structural models, each specified using the same parcel-level measurement model. However, little is known about consequences of parceling for model selection in this context-including whether and when model ranking could vary across alternative item-to-parcel allocations within-sample. This article first provides a theoretical framework that predicts the occurrence of parcel-allocation variability (PAV) in model selection index values and its consequences for PAV in ranking of competing structural models. These predictions are then investigated via simulation. We show that conditions known to manifest PAV in absolute fit of a single model may or may not manifest PAV in model ranking. Thus, one cannot assume that low PAV in absolute fit implies a lack of PAV in ranking, and vice versa. PAV in ranking is shown to occur under a variety of conditions, including large samples. To provide an empirically supported strategy for selecting a model when PAV in ranking exists, we draw on relationships between structural model rankings in parcel- versus item-solutions. This strategy employs the across-allocation modal ranking. We developed software tools for implementing this strategy in practice, and illustrate them with an example. Even if a researcher has substantive reason to prefer one particular allocation, investigating PAV in ranking within-sample still provides an informative sensitivity analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Evidence from the structure and function of cytochromes c(2) that nonsulfur purple bacterial photosynthesis followed the evolution of oxygen respiration.

PubMed

Meyer, Terry; Van Driessche, Gonzalez; Ambler, Richard; Kyndt, John; Devreese, Bart; Van Beeumen, Jozef; Cusanovich, Michael

2010-10-01

Cytochromes c(2) are the nearest bacterial homologs of mitochondrial cytochrome c. The sequences of the known cytochromes c(2) can be placed in two subfamilies based upon insertions and deletions, one subfamily is most like mitochondrial cytochrome c (the small C2s, without significant insertions and deletions), and the other, designated large C2, shares 3- and 8-residue insertions as well as a single-residue deletion. C2s generally function between cytochrome bc(1) and cytochrome oxidase in respiration (ca 80 examples known to date) and between cytochrome bc(1) and the reaction center in nonsulfur purple bacterial photosynthesis (ca 21 examples). However, members of the large C2 subfamily are almost always involved in photosynthesis (12 of 14 examples). In addition, the gene for the large C2 (cycA) is associated with those for the photosynthetic reaction center (pufBALM). We hypothesize that the insertions in the large C2s, which were already functioning in photosynthesis, allowed them to replace the membrane-bound tetraheme cytochrome, PufC, that otherwise mediates between the small C2 or other redox proteins and photosynthetic reaction centers. Based upon our analysis, we propose that the involvement of C2 in nonsulfur purple bacterial photosynthesis was a metabolic feature subsequent to the evolution of oxygen respiration.

Using protistan examples to dispel the myths of intelligent design.

PubMed

Farmer, Mark A; Habura, Andrea

2010-01-01

In recent years the teaching of the religiously based philosophy of intelligent design (ID) has been proposed as an alternative to modern evolutionary theory. Advocates of ID are largely motivated by their opposition to naturalistic explanations of biological diversity, in accordance with their goal of challenging the philosophy of scientific materialism. Intelligent design has been embraced by a wide variety of creationists who promote highly questionable claims that purport to show the inadequacy of evolutionary theory, which they consider to be a threat to a theistic worldview. We find that examples from protistan biology are well suited for providing evidence of many key evolutionary concepts, and have often been misrepresented or roundly ignored by ID advocates. These include examples of adaptations and radiations that are said to be statistically impossible, as well as examples of speciation both in the laboratory and as documented in the fossil record. Because many biologists may not be familiar with the richness of the protist evolution dataset or with ID-based criticisms of evolution, we provide examples of current ID arguments and specific protistan counter-examples.

Papering Over Corrosion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Kennedy Space Center's battle against corrosion led to a new coating that was licensed to GeoTech and is commercially sold as Catize. The coating uses ligno sulfonic acid doped polyaniline (Ligno-Pani), also known as synthetic metal. Ligno-Pani can be used to extend the operating lives of steel bridges as one example of its applications. future applications include computers, televisions, cellular phones, conductive inks, and stealth technology.

Identification of discriminant proteins through antibody profiling, methods and apparatus for identifying an individual

DOEpatents

Apel, William A.; Thompson, Vicki S; Lacey, Jeffrey A.; Gentillon, Cynthia A.

2016-08-09

A method for determining a plurality of proteins for discriminating and positively identifying an individual based from a biological sample. The method may include profiling a biological sample from a plurality of individuals against a protein array including a plurality of proteins. The protein array may include proteins attached to a support in a preselected pattern such that locations of the proteins are known. The biological sample may be contacted with the protein array such that a portion of antibodies in the biological sample reacts with and binds to the proteins forming immune complexes. A statistical analysis method, such as discriminant analysis, may be performed to determine discriminating proteins for distinguishing individuals. Proteins of interest may be used to form a protein array. Such a protein array may be used, for example, to compare a forensic sample from an unknown source with a sample from a known source.

Identification of discriminant proteins through antibody profiling, methods and apparatus for identifying an individual

DOEpatents

Thompson, Vicki S; Lacey, Jeffrey A; Gentillon, Cynthia A; Apel, William A

2015-03-03

A method for determining a plurality of proteins for discriminating and positively identifying an individual based from a biological sample. The method may include profiling a biological sample from a plurality of individuals against a protein array including a plurality of proteins. The protein array may include proteins attached to a support in a preselected pattern such that locations of the proteins are known. The biological sample may be contacted with the protein array such that a portion of antibodies in the biological sample reacts with and binds to the proteins forming immune complexes. A statistical analysis method, such as discriminant analysis, may be performed to determine discriminating proteins for distinguishing individuals. Proteins of interest may be used to form a protein array. Such a protein array may be used, for example, to compare a forensic sample from an unknown source with a sample from a known source.

A Discussion of the Discrete Fourier Transform Execution on a Typical Desktop PC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Michael J.

2006-01-01

This paper will discuss and compare the execution times of three examples of the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). The first two examples will demonstrate the direct implementation of the algorithm. In the first example, the Fourier coefficients are generated at the execution of the DFT. In the second example, the coefficients are generated prior to execution and the DFT coefficients are indexed at execution. The last example will demonstrate the Cooley- Tukey algorithm, better known as the Fast Fourier Transform. All examples were written in C executed on a PC using a Pentium 4 running at 1.7 Ghz. As a function of N, the total complex data size, the direct implementation DFT executes, as expected at order of N2 and the FFT executes at order of N log2 N. At N=16K, there is an increase in processing time beyond what is expected. This is not caused by implementation but is a consequence of the effect that machine architecture and memory hierarchy has on implementation. This paper will include a brief overview of digital signal processing, along with a discussion of contemporary work with discrete Fourier processing.

Male Hypogonadism and Osteoporosis: The Effects, Clinical Consequences, and Treatment of Testosterone Deficiency in Bone Health

PubMed Central

Houdek, Devon

2017-01-01

It is well recognized that bone loss accelerates in hypogonadal states, with female menopause being the classic example of sex hormones affecting the regulation of bone metabolism. Underrepresented is our knowledge of the clinical and metabolic consequences of overt male hypogonadism, as well as the more subtle age-related decline in testosterone on bone quality. While menopause and estrogen deficiency are well-known risk factors for osteoporosis in women, the effects of age-related testosterone decline in men on bone health are less well known. Much of our knowledge comes from observational studies and retrospective analysis on small groups of men with variable causes of primary or secondary hypogonadism and mild to overt testosterone deficiencies. This review aims to present the current knowledge of the consequences of adult male hypogonadism on bone metabolism. The direct and indirect effects of testosterone on bone cells will be explored as well as the important differences in male osteoporosis and assessment as compared to that in females. The clinical consequence of both primary and secondary hypogonadism, as well as testosterone decline in older males, on bone density and fracture risk in men will be summarized. Finally, the therapeutic options and their efficacy in male osteoporosis and hypogonadism will be discussed. PMID:28408926

Southern Tunisia as an example of international partnership in cultural and geological heritage conservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Contessi, M.; Cantelli, L.; Fanti, F.; Gabbianelli, G.; Mohsen, H.

2012-04-01

National Geoparks initiatives are essential strategies to enhance the value of Earth's heritage and to promote a regional sustainable socio-economic and cultural development. As an example for geological heritage development, an ongoing partnership between the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences of the University of Bologna (Italy) and the Office Nationales des Mines (Tunisia) attempt to ensure divulgation and preservation of the geological, geomorphological and archeological values of the Tataouine region in South Tunisia, with the final goal to create a Geopark. In this region, different environmental and cultural heritages that comprehend paleontology, geomorphology, stratigraphy and archeology coexist. Mesozoic beds that crop out extensively in the Tataouine region known since the beginning of the 20th century as Continental Intercalaire, yield numerous dinosaur and other vertebrate remains as well as tracksites. Moreover these Mesozoic deposits have been intensively modified for centuries by the local populations who created complex systems of artificial terraces, called jessour, in order to retain rainwater in the arid Tunisian climate and to exploit the scarce farm soil. These human artifacts deeply modified the morphological and hydrogeological landscape and created a unique cultural value that need to be preserved. From the perspective of science and conservation, a well-documented geological inventory of the fossiliferous sites has been produced and will be available as an electronic database. In particular, the Beni Ghedir valley, near the Goumrassene village, has been chosen has the main Geopark location as it includes, in a restricted area, a perfect example of jessour artifacts together with some well-preserved Ksour (ancient storage structures) and nicely preserved fossil sites. An interactive map of the artificial terrances has been produced using the ArcGis technology, in order to highlight the connection between the valley morphology, the jessour systems and the hydrologic framework. Concluding, we believe in the importance of the preservation of geological and cultural diversity and the need to establish international collaborations in order to assist the national and regional experts to fully understood and protect the Tunisian sites, as economic and cultural development of the country.

Questioned document workflow for handwriting with automated tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Krishnanand; Srihari, Sargur N.; Srinivasan, Harish

2012-01-01

During the last few years many document recognition methods have been developed to determine whether a handwriting specimen can be attributed to a known writer. However, in practice, the work-flow of the document examiner continues to be manual-intensive. Before a systematic or computational, approach can be developed, an articulation of the steps involved in handwriting comparison is needed. We describe the work flow of handwritten questioned document examination, as described in a standards manual, and the steps where existing automation tools can be used. A well-known ransom note case is considered as an example, where one encounters testing for multiple writers of the same document, determining whether the writing is disguised, known writing is formal while questioned writing is informal, etc. The findings for the particular ransom note case using the tools are given. Also observations are made for developing a more fully automated approach to handwriting examination.

The Promise of Preschool: Why We Need Early Education for All

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, W. Steven; Frede, Ellen

2010-01-01

It's fairly well known that high-quality preschool programs can have life-altering impacts on disadvantaged children, including reductions in school dropout and crime, and increased earnings. Not as well known is that terrific preschool programs have important academic and social benefits for middle-class children too. Decades of research indicate…

What Helps Children Eat Well? A Qualitative Exploration of Resilience among Disadvantaged Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Lauren K.; Veitch, Jenny; Ball, Kylie

2011-01-01

It is well known that persons of low socioeconomic position consume generally a less healthy diet. Key determinants of unhealthy eating among disadvantaged individuals include aspects of the family and external environment. Much less is known about family and environmental determinants of healthy eating among social disadvantaged children. The aim…

Communication: Electronic flux induced by crossing the transition state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Dongming; Manz, Jörn; Yang, Yonggang

2018-01-01

We present a new effect of chemical reactions, e.g., isomerizations, that occurs when the reactants pass along the transition state, on the way to products. It is based on the well-known fact that at the transition state, the electronic structure of one isomer changes to the other. We discover that this switch of electronic structure causes a strong electronic flux that is well distinguishable from the usual flux of electrons that travel with the nuclei. As a simple but clear example, the effect is demonstrated here for bond length isomerization of Na2 (21Σu+), with adiabatic crossing the barrier between the inner and outer wells of the double minimum potential that support different "Rydberg" and "ionic" type electronic structures, respectively.

Optimal sequential measurements for bipartite state discrimination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croke, Sarah; Barnett, Stephen M.; Weir, Graeme

2017-05-01

State discrimination is a useful test problem with which to clarify the power and limitations of different classes of measurement. We consider the problem of discriminating between given states of a bipartite quantum system via sequential measurement of the subsystems, with classical feed-forward of measurement results. Our aim is to understand when sequential measurements, which are relatively easy to implement experimentally, perform as well, or almost as well, as optimal joint measurements, which are in general more technologically challenging. We construct conditions that the optimal sequential measurement must satisfy, analogous to the well-known Helstrom conditions for minimum error discrimination in the unrestricted case. We give several examples and compare the optimal probability of correctly identifying the state via global versus sequential measurement strategies.

NRL (Naval Research Laboratory) plasma formulary, revised

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Book, D. L.

Most of the formulas and data in this collection are well known and for all practical purposes are in the public domain. The books and articles cited are intended primarily not for the purpose of giving credit to the original workers, but (1) to guide the reader to sources containing related material and (2) to indicate where derivations, explanations, examples, etc., omitted from this compilation can be found. Additional material can also be found in D.L. Book, NRL Memorandum Report 3332 (1977).

An approximately factored incremental strategy for calculating consistent discrete aerodynamic sensitivity derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korivi, V. M.; Taylor, A. C., III; Newman, P. A.; Hou, G. J.-W.; Jones, H. E.

1992-01-01

An incremental strategy is presented for iteratively solving very large systems of linear equations, which are associated with aerodynamic sensitivity derivatives for advanced CFD codes. It is shown that the left-hand side matrix operator and the well-known factorization algorithm used to solve the nonlinear flow equations can also be used to efficiently solve the linear sensitivity equations. Two airfoil problems are considered as an example: subsonic low Reynolds number laminar flow and transonic high Reynolds number turbulent flow.

Supersymmetric k-defects

DOE PAGES

Koehn, Michael; Trodden, Mark

2016-03-03

In supersymmetric theories, topological defects can have nontrivial behaviors determined purely by whether or not supersymmetry is restored in the defect core. A well-known example of this is that some supersymmetric cosmic strings are automatically superconducting, leading to important cosmological effects and constraints. We investigate the impact of nontrivial kinetic interactions, present in a number of particle physics models of interest in cosmology, on the relationship between supersymmetry and supercurrents on strings. Furthermore, we find that in some cases it is possible for superconductivity to be disrupted by the extra interactions.

A Parallel Stochastic Framework for Reservoir Characterization and History Matching

DOE PAGES

Thomas, Sunil G.; Klie, Hector M.; Rodriguez, Adolfo A.; ...

2011-01-01

The spatial distribution of parameters that characterize the subsurface is never known to any reasonable level of accuracy required to solve the governing PDEs of multiphase flow or species transport through porous media. This paper presents a numerically cheap, yet efficient, accurate and parallel framework to estimate reservoir parameters, for example, medium permeability, using sensor information from measurements of the solution variables such as phase pressures, phase concentrations, fluxes, and seismic and well log data. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the method.

Time evolution of a Gaussian class of quasi-distribution functions under quadratic Hamiltonian.

PubMed

Ginzburg, D; Mann, A

2014-03-10

A Lie algebraic method for propagation of the Wigner quasi-distribution function (QDF) under quadratic Hamiltonian was presented by Zoubi and Ben-Aryeh. We show that the same method can be used in order to propagate a rather general class of QDFs, which we call the "Gaussian class." This class contains as special cases the well-known Wigner, Husimi, Glauber, and Kirkwood-Rihaczek QDFs. We present some examples of the calculation of the time evolution of those functions.

About non standard Lagrangians in cosmology

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

Dimitrijevic, Dragoljub D.; Milosevic, Milan

A review of non standard Lagrangians present in modern cosmological models will be considered. Well known example of non standard Lagrangian is Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) type Lagrangian for tachyon field. Another type of non standard Lagrangian under consideration contains scalar field which describes open p-adic string tachyon and is called p-adic string theory Lagrangian. We will investigate homogenous cases of both DBI and p-adic fields and obtain Lagrangians of the standard type which have the same equations of motions as aforementioned non standard one.

The golden ratio in facial symmetry.

PubMed

Prokopakis, E P; Vlastos, I M; Picavet, V A; Nolst Trenite, G; Thomas, R; Cingi, C; Hellings, P W

2013-03-01

Symmetry is believed to be a hallmark of appealing faces. However, this does not imply that the most aesthetically pleasing proportions are necessary those that arise from the simple division of the face into thirds or fifths. Based on the etymology of the word symmetry, as well as on specific examples and theories of beauty, we conclude that φ-value, a ratio also known as the golden ratio or the divine proportion, can also characterize symmetrical forms. Therefore, we propose the utilization of this ratio in facial aesthetics.

Supersymmetric Adler functions and holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwanaga, Masaya; Karch, Andreas; Sakai, Tadakatsu

2016-09-01

We perform several tests on a recent proposal by Shifman and Stepanyantz for an exact expression for the current correlation functions in supersymmetric gauge theories. We clarify the meaning of the relation in superconformal theories. In particular we show that it automatically follows from known relations between the current correlation functions and anomalies. It therefore also automatically matches between different dual realizations of the same superconformal theory. We use holographic examples as well as calculations in free theories to show that the proposed relation fails in theories with mass terms.

Integrated strategy urged to address coastal contamination issues

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swarzenski, Peter W.; Kvenvolden, Keith A.; Horowitz, Arthur J.; Buchholtz ten Brink, Marilyn R.

2001-01-01

Coastal bays and estuaries are well known for their intrinsic recreational and economic value, yet these ecosystems are also among our most troubled natural environments. Urban development, agriculture, and shipping are just a few examples of human activities that can cause a wide range of deleterious changes within the coastal environment. These alterations, however, occur simultaneously with cycles of natural variability such as climate change. To effectively manage coastal ecosystems, we need to be able to carefully distinguish between anthropogenic and natural causes of change.

Necessary and sufficient conditions for discrete wavelet frames in CN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deepshikha; Vashisht, Lalit K.

2017-07-01

We present necessary and sufficient conditions with explicit frame bounds for a discrete wavelet system of the form {DaTk ϕ } a ∈ U(N) , k ∈IN to be a frame for the unitary space CN. It is shown that the canonical dual of a discrete wavelet frame for CN has the same structure. This is not true (well known) for canonical dual of a wavelet frame for L2(R) . Several numerical examples are given to illustrate the results.

Classical workflow nets and workflow nets with reset arcs: using Lyapunov stability for soundness verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clempner, Julio B.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a novel analytical method for soundness verification of workflow nets and reset workflow nets, using the well-known stability results of Lyapunov for Petri nets. We also prove that the soundness property is decidable for workflow nets and reset workflow nets. In addition, we provide evidence of several outcomes related with properties such as boundedness, liveness, reversibility and blocking using stability. Our approach is validated theoretically and by a numerical example related to traffic signal-control synchronisation.

Periodicity and positivity of a class of fractional differential equations.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Rabha W; Ahmad, M Z; Mohammed, M Jasim

2016-01-01

Fractional differential equations have been discussed in this study. We utilize the Riemann-Liouville fractional calculus to implement it within the generalization of the well known class of differential equations. The Rayleigh differential equation has been generalized of fractional second order. The existence of periodic and positive outcome is established in a new method. The solution is described in a fractional periodic Sobolev space. Positivity of outcomes is considered under certain requirements. We develop and extend some recent works. An example is constructed.

Theoretical analysis of a palladium-based one-dimensional metallo-dielectric photonic band gap structure for applications to H2 sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincenti, Maria Antonietta; Trevisi, Simona; De Sario, Marco; Petruzzelli, Vincenzo; D'Orazio, Antonella; Prudenzano, Francesco; Cioffi, Nicola; de Ceglia, Domenico; Scalora, Michael

2008-03-01

In this paper we report a numerical study of a palladium-based metallo-dielectric photonic band gap structure for the purpose of detecting H2. In particular, and as an example, we will explore applications to the diagnosis of lactose malabsorption, more commonly known as lactose intolerance condition. This pathology occurs as a result of an incomplete absorption or digestion of different substances, causing an increased spontaneous emission of H2 in human breath. Palladium is considered in order to exploit its well known ability to absorb hydrogen spontaneously. The proposed structure is particularly able to detect the lactose malabsorption level of the patient with relatively high sensitivity and rapidity.

Common Principles of Molecular Electronics and Nanoscale Electrochemistry.

PubMed

Bueno, Paulo Roberto

2018-05-24

The merging of nanoscale electronics and electrochemistry can potentially modernize the way electronic devices are currently engineered or constructed. It is well known that the greatest challenges will involve not only miniaturizing and improving the performance of mobile devices, but also manufacturing reliable electrical vehicles, and engineering more efficient solar panels and energy storage systems. These are just a few examples of how technological innovation is dependent on both electrochemical and electronic elements. This paper offers a conceptual discussion of this central topic, with particular focus on the impact that uniting physical and chemical concepts at a nanoscale could have on the future development of electroanalytical devices. The specific example to which this article refers pertains to molecular diagnostics, i.e., devices that employ physical and electrochemical concepts to diagnose diseases.

Induced Earthquakes Are Not All Alike: Examples from Texas Since 2008 (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frohlich, C.

2013-12-01

The EarthScope Transportable Array passed through Texas between 2008 and 2011, providing an opportunity to identify and accurately locate earthquakes near and/or within oil/gas fields and injection waste disposal operations. In five widely separated geographical locations, the results suggest seismic activity may be induced/triggered. However, the different regions exhibit different relationships between injection/production operations and seismic activity: In the Barnett Shale of northeast Texas, small earthquakes occurred only near higher-volume (volume rate > 150,000 BWPM) injection disposal wells. These included widely reported earthquakes occurring near Dallas-Fort Worth and Cleburne in 2008 and 2009. Near Alice in south Texas, M3.9 earthquakes occurred in 1997 and 2010 on the boundary of the Stratton Field, which had been highly productive for both oil and gas since the 1950's. Both earthquakes occurred during an era of net declining production, but their focal depths and location at the field boundary suggest an association with production activity. In the Eagle Ford of south central Texas, earthquakes occurred near wells following significant increases in extraction (water+produced oil) volumes as well as injection. The largest earthquake, the M4.8 Fashing earthquake of 20 October 2011, occurred after significant increases in extraction. In the Cogdell Field near Snyder (west Texas), a sequence of earthquakes beginning in 2006 followed significant increases in the injection of CO2 at nearby wells. The largest with M4.4 occurred on 11 September 2011. This is the largest known earthquake possibly attributable to CO2 injection. Near Timpson in east Texas a sequence of earthquakes beginning in 2008, including an M4.8 earthquake on 17 May 2012, occurred within three km of two high-volume injection disposal wells that had begun operation in 2007. These were the first known earthquakes at this location. In summary, the observations find possible induced/triggered earthquakes associated with recent increases in injection, recent increases in extraction, with CO2 injection, and with declining production. In all areas, during the 2008-2011 period there were no earthquakes occurring near vast majority of extraction/production wells; thus, the principal puzzle is why these activities sometimes induce seismicity and sometimes do not.

Correlated uncertainties in Monte Carlo reaction rate calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longland, Richard

2017-07-01

Context. Monte Carlo methods have enabled nuclear reaction rates from uncertain inputs to be presented in a statistically meaningful manner. However, these uncertainties are currently computed assuming no correlations between the physical quantities that enter those calculations. This is not always an appropriate assumption. Astrophysically important reactions are often dominated by resonances, whose properties are normalized to a well-known reference resonance. This insight provides a basis from which to develop a flexible framework for including correlations in Monte Carlo reaction rate calculations. Aims: The aim of this work is to develop and test a method for including correlations in Monte Carlo reaction rate calculations when the input has been normalized to a common reference. Methods: A mathematical framework is developed for including correlations between input parameters in Monte Carlo reaction rate calculations. The magnitude of those correlations is calculated from the uncertainties typically reported in experimental papers, where full correlation information is not available. The method is applied to four illustrative examples: a fictional 3-resonance reaction, 27Al(p, γ)28Si, 23Na(p, α)20Ne, and 23Na(α, p)26Mg. Results: Reaction rates at low temperatures that are dominated by a few isolated resonances are found to minimally impacted by correlation effects. However, reaction rates determined from many overlapping resonances can be significantly affected. Uncertainties in the 23Na(α, p)26Mg reaction, for example, increase by up to a factor of 5. This highlights the need to take correlation effects into account in reaction rate calculations, and provides insight into which cases are expected to be most affected by them. The impact of correlation effects on nucleosynthesis is also investigated.

Analysis of the hierarchy of quorum-sensing regulation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

PubMed

Wagner, Victoria E; Li, Luen-Luen; Isabella, Vincent M; Iglewski, Barbara H

2007-01-01

Quorum-sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is known to regulate several aspects of pathogenesis, including virulence factor production, biofilm development, and antimicrobial resistance. Recent high-throughput analysis has revealed the existence of several layers of regulation within the QS-circuit. To address this complexity, mutations in genes encoding known or putative transcriptional regulators that were also identified as being regulated by the las and/or rhl QS systems were screened for their contribution in mediating several phenotypes, for example motility, secreted virulence products, and pathogenic capacity in a lettuce leaf model. These studies have further elucidated the potential contribution to virulence of these genes within the QS regulon.

Star formation in evolving molecular clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Völschow, M.; Banerjee, R.; Körtgen, B.

2017-09-01

Molecular clouds are the principle stellar nurseries of our universe; they thus remain a focus of both observational and theoretical studies. From observations, some of the key properties of molecular clouds are well known but many questions regarding their evolution and star formation activity remain open. While numerical simulations feature a large number and complexity of involved physical processes, this plethora of effects may hide the fundamentals that determine the evolution of molecular clouds and enable the formation of stars. Purely analytical models, on the other hand, tend to suffer from rough approximations or a lack of completeness, limiting their predictive power. In this paper, we present a model that incorporates central concepts of astrophysics as well as reliable results from recent simulations of molecular clouds and their evolutionary paths. Based on that, we construct a self-consistent semi-analytical framework that describes the formation, evolution, and star formation activity of molecular clouds, including a number of feedback effects to account for the complex processes inside those objects. The final equation system is solved numerically but at much lower computational expense than, for example, hydrodynamical descriptions of comparable systems. The model presented in this paper agrees well with a broad range of observational results, showing that molecular cloud evolution can be understood as an interplay between accretion, global collapse, star formation, and stellar feedback.

Bioinformatic analysis of the distribution of inorganic carbon transporters and prospective targets for bioengineering to increase Ci uptake by cyanobacteria.

PubMed

Gaudana, Sandeep B; Zarzycki, Jan; Moparthi, Vamsi K; Kerfeld, Cheryl A

2015-10-01

Cyanobacteria have evolved a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) which has enabled them to inhabit diverse environments encompassing a range of inorganic carbon (Ci: [Formula: see text] and CO2) concentrations. Several uptake systems facilitate inorganic carbon accumulation in the cell, which can in turn be fixed by ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Here we survey the distribution of genes encoding known Ci uptake systems in cyanobacterial genomes and, using a pfam- and gene context-based approach, identify in the marine (alpha) cyanobacteria a heretofore unrecognized number of putative counterparts to the well-known Ci transporters of beta cyanobacteria. In addition, our analysis shows that there is a huge repertoire of transport systems in cyanobacteria of unknown function, many with homology to characterized Ci transporters. These can be viewed as prospective targets for conversion into ancillary Ci transporters through bioengineering. Increasing intracellular Ci concentration coupled with efforts to increase carbon fixation will be beneficial for the downstream conversion of fixed carbon into value-added products including biofuels. In addition to CCM transporter homologs, we also survey the occurrence of rhodopsin homologs in cyanobacteria, including bacteriorhodopsin, a class of retinal-binding, light-activated proton pumps. Because they are light driven and because of the apparent ease of altering their ion selectivity, we use this as an example of re-purposing an endogenous transporter for the augmentation of Ci uptake by cyanobacteria and potentially chloroplasts.

Elucidating Adverse Nutritional Implications of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Mycotoxins through Stable Isotope Techniques.

PubMed

Owino, Victor O; Cornelius, Carolin; Loechl, Cornelia U

2018-03-23

Multiple drivers of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) include a rapid shift from predominantly plant-based diets to energy-dense foods based on meats, milk, animal fats and vegetable oils. The shift to overweight and obesity is driven by increased exposure to mass media, urbanization, technological advances in food processing, rising income and increased population density associated with increased access to cheap foods. At the same time, undernutrition persists mainly due to food insecurity and lack of access to safe water, sanitation and adequate health care. All known nutrition interventions result in only one third reduction in stunting. Little consideration has been given to hazardous exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and microbial toxins as major components of the malnutrition-causal framework. These hazards include microbial toxins, for example, mycotoxins, and environmental pollutants such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), some of which are known to disrupt the endocrine system. These hazards sit at the cross road of undernutrition and overweight and obesity since the exposure cuts across the critical window of opportunity (the first 1000 days). In this review, we update on the role of food and environmental contaminants, especially EDCs and aflatoxins, in child growth and on the implications for metabolic dysfunction and disease risk in later life, and discuss potential applications of nuclear and isotopic techniques to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms, outcome indicators, as well as occurrence levels.

smwrData—An R package of example hydrologic data, version 1.1.1

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lorenz, David L.

2015-11-06

A collection of 24 datasets, including streamflow, well characteristics, groundwater elevations, and discrete water-quality concentrations, is provided to produce a consistent set of example data to demonstrate typical data manipulations or statistical analysis of hydrologic data. These example data are provided in an R package called smwrData. The data in the package have been collected by the U.S. Geological Survey or published in its reports, for example Helsel and Hirsch (2002). The R package provides a convenient mechanism for distributing the data to users of R within the U.S. Geological Survey and other users in the R community.

Report on Distance Learning Technologies.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-09-01

26 cities. The CSX system includes full-motion video, animations , audio, and interactive examples and testing to teach the use of a new computer...video. The change to all-digital media now permits the use of full-motion video, animation , and audio on networks. It is possible to have independent...is possible to download entire multimedia presentations from the network. To date there is not a great deal known about teaching courses using the

Facing the Future: Slovenian Armed Forces Officer Corps and Professionalism

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-16

background is, as stated, very diverse. It includes officers who attended the YPA Officer Academy (Army, Navy , and Air Force), those who have YPA Reserve...military for jurisdiction over certain parts of the operational environment. For example, the private firm formerly known as Blackwater is forming a...should and must be encouraged. However, as Navy Captain Ljubo Poles has suggested, expanding civil education at the expense of the military

Fostering International Collaboration in Birth Defects Research and Prevention: A Perspective From the International Clearinghouse for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research

PubMed Central

Botto, Lorenzo D.; Robert-Gnansia, Elisabeth; Siffel, Csaba; Harris, John; Borman, Barry; Mastroiacovo, Pierpaolo

2006-01-01

The International Clearing-house for Birth Defects Surveillance and Research, formerly known as International Clearinghouse of Birth Defects Monitoring Systems, consists of 40 registries worldwide that collaborate in monitoring 40 types of birth defects. Clearinghouse activities include the sharing and joint monitoring of birth defect data, epidemiologic and public health research, and capacity building, with the goal of reducing disease and promoting healthy birth outcomes through primary prevention. We discuss 3 of these activities: the collaborative assessment of the potential teratogenicity of first-trimester use of medications (the MADRE project), an example of the intersection of surveillance and research; the international databases of people with orofacial clefts, an example of the evolution from surveillance to outcome research; and the study of genetic polymorphisms, an example of collaboration in public health genetics. PMID:16571708

Computing the optimal path in stochastic dynamical systems

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

Bauver, Martha; Forgoston, Eric, E-mail: eric.forgoston@montclair.edu; Billings, Lora

2016-08-15

In stochastic systems, one is often interested in finding the optimal path that maximizes the probability of escape from a metastable state or of switching between metastable states. Even for simple systems, it may be impossible to find an analytic form of the optimal path, and in high-dimensional systems, this is almost always the case. In this article, we formulate a constructive methodology that is used to compute the optimal path numerically. The method utilizes finite-time Lyapunov exponents, statistical selection criteria, and a Newton-based iterative minimizing scheme. The method is applied to four examples. The first example is a two-dimensionalmore » system that describes a single population with internal noise. This model has an analytical solution for the optimal path. The numerical solution found using our computational method agrees well with the analytical result. The second example is a more complicated four-dimensional system where our numerical method must be used to find the optimal path. The third example, although a seemingly simple two-dimensional system, demonstrates the success of our method in finding the optimal path where other numerical methods are known to fail. In the fourth example, the optimal path lies in six-dimensional space and demonstrates the power of our method in computing paths in higher-dimensional spaces.« less

New forms of old drugs: improving without changing.

PubMed

Domingos, Sofia; André, Vânia; Quaresma, Sílvia; Martins, Inês C B; Minas da Piedade, M Fátima; Duarte, Maria Teresa

2015-06-01

In a short approach, we want to present the improvements that have recently been done in the world of new solid forms of known active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The different strategies will be addressed, and successful examples will be given. This overview presents a possible step to overcome the 10-15 years of hard work involved in launching a new drug in the market: the use of new forms of well-known APIs, and improve their efficiency by enhancing their bioavailability and pharmacokinetics. It discusses some of the latest progresses. We want to present, in a brief overview, what recently has been done to improve the discovery of innovative methods of using well-known APIs, and improve their efficiency. Multicomponent crystal forms have shown to be the most promising achievements to accomplish these aims, by altering API physico-chemical properties, such as solubility, thermal stability, shelf life, dissolution rate and compressibility. API-ionic liquids (ILs) and their advantages will be briefly referred. An outline of what has recently been achieved in metal drug coordination and in drug storage and delivery using bio-inspired metal-organic frameworks (BioMOFs) will also be addressed. © 2015 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Biologically-Inspired Deceptive Behavior for a Robot

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

by sending false signals either intentionally or unintentionally, are essential for animals’ survival. For example, camouflage and mimicry are well...detection by both predators and their prey. While camouflage or mimicry are examples of unknowingly deceiving, a deceptive behavior can include...face this situation, where it is important to discourage an adversary from discovering a protected site, so the application of these bio -inspired

Dust dynamics and diagnostic applications in quasi-neutral plasmas and magnetic fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhehui; Ticos, Catalin M.; Si, Jiahe; Delzanno, Gian Luca; Lapenta, Gianni; Wurden, Glen

2007-11-01

Little is known about dust dynamics in highly ionized quasi-neutral plasmas with ca. 1.0 e+20 per cubic meter density and ion temperature at a few eV and above, including in magnetic fusion. For example, dust motion in fusion, better known as UFO's, has been observed since 1980's but not explained. Solid understanding of dust dynamics is also important to International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) because of concerns about safety and dust contamination of fusion core. Compared with well studied strongly-coupled dusty plasma regime, new physics may arise in the higher density quasi-neutral plasma regime because of at least four orders of magnitude higher density and two orders of magnitude hotter ion temperature. Our recent laboratory experiments showed that plasma-flow drag force dominates over other forces in a quasi-neutral flowing plasma. In contrast, delicate balance among different forces in dusty plasma has led to many unique phenomena, in particular, the formation of dust crystal. Based on our experiments, we argue that 1) dust crystal will not form in the highly ionized plasmas with flows; 2) the UFO's are moving dust dragged by plasma flows; 3) dust can be used to measure plasma flow. Two diagnostic applications using dust for laboratory quasi-neutral plasmas and magnetic fusion will also be presented.

Climate change: could it help develop 'adaptive expertise'?

PubMed

Bell, Erica; Horton, Graeme; Blashki, Grant; Seidel, Bastian M

2012-05-01

Preparing health practitioners to respond to the rising burden of disease from climate change is emerging as a priority in health workforce policy and planning. However, this issue is hardly represented in the medical education research. The rapidly evolving wide range of direct and indirect consequences of climate change will require health professionals to have not only broad content knowledge but also flexibility and responsiveness to diverse regional conditions as part of complex health problem-solving and adaptation. It is known that adaptive experts may not necessarily be quick at solving familiar problems, but they do creatively seek to better solve novel problems. This may be the result of an acquired approach to practice or a pathway that can be fostered by learning environments. It is also known that building adaptive expertise in medical education involves putting students on a learning pathway that requires them to have, first, the motivation to innovatively problem-solve and, second, exposure to diverse content material, meaningfully presented. Including curriculum content on the health effects of climate change could help meet these two conditions for some students at least. A working definition and illustrative competencies for adaptive expertise for climate change, as well as examples of teaching and assessment approaches extrapolated from rural curricula, are provided.

Complete Khoisan and Bantu genomes from southern Africa

PubMed Central

Schuster, Stephan C.; Miller, Webb; Ratan, Aakrosh; Tomsho, Lynn P.; Giardine, Belinda; Kasson, Lindsay R.; Harris, Robert S.; Petersen, Desiree C.; Zhao, Fangqing; Qi, Ji; Alkan, Can; Kidd, Jeffrey M.; Sun, Yazhou; Drautz, Daniela I.; Bouffard, Pascal; Muzny, Donna M.; Reid, Jeffrey G.; Nazareth, Lynne V.; Wang, Qingyu; Burhans, Richard; Riemer, Cathy; Wittekindt, Nicola E.; Moorjani, Priya; Tindall, Elizabeth A.; Danko, Charles G.; Teo, Wee Siang; Buboltz, Anne M.; Zhang, Zhenhai; Ma, Qianyi; Oosthuysen, Arno; Steenkamp, Abraham W.; Oostuisen, Hermann; Venter, Philippus; Gajewski, John; Zhang, Yu; Pugh, B. Franklin; Makova, Kateryna D.; Nekrutenko, Anton; Mardis, Elaine R.; Patterson, Nick; Pringle, Tom H.; Chiaromonte, Francesca; Mullikin, James C.; Eichler, Evan E.; Hardison, Ross C.; Gibbs, Richard A.; Harkins, Timothy T.; Hayes, Vanessa M.

2013-01-01

The genetic structure of the indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of southern Africa, the oldest known lineage of modern human, is important for understanding human diversity. Studies based on mitochondrial1 and small sets of nuclear markers2 have shown that these hunter-gatherers, known as Khoisan, San, or Bushmen, are genetically divergent from other humans1,3. However, until now, fully sequenced human genomes have been limited to recently diverged populations4–8. Here we present the complete genome sequences of an indigenous hunter-gatherer from the Kalahari Desert and a Bantu from southern Africa, as well as protein-coding regions from an additional three hunter-gatherers from disparate regions of the Kalahari. We characterize the extent of whole-genome and exome diversity among the five men, reporting 1.3 million novel DNA differences genome-wide, including 13,146 novel amino acid variants. In terms of nucleotide substitutions, the Bushmen seem to be, on average, more different from each other than, for example, a European and an Asian. Observed genomic differences between the hunter-gatherers and others may help to pinpoint genetic adaptations to an agricultural lifestyle. Adding the described variants to current databases will facilitate inclusion of southern Africans in medical research efforts, particularly when family and medical histories can be correlated with genome-wide data. PMID:20164927

Polymer optics for the passive infrared

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claytor, Richard N.

2016-10-01

An important, but largely invisible, area of polymer optics involves sensing the motion of warm objects. It can be further subdivided into optics for security, for energy conservation, and for convenience; the area has become known as optics for the passive infrared. The passive infrared is generally known as the 8 to 14 μm region of the optical spectrum. The region's roots are in the traditional infrared technology of many decades ago; there is a coincident atmospheric window, although that has little relevance to many short-range applications relevant to polymer optics. Regrettably, there is no polymer material ideally suited to the passive infrared, but one material is generally superior to other candidates. The inadequacy of this material makes the Fresnel lens important. Polymer optics for the passive infrared were first introduced in the 1970s. Patents from that period will be shown, as well as early examples. The unfamiliar names of the pioneering companies and their technical leaders will be mentioned. The 1980s and 90s brought a new and improved lens type, and rapid growth. Pigments for visible-light appearance and other reasons were introduced; one was a spectacular failure. Recent advances include faster lenses, a new groove structure, additional pigments, and lens-mirror combinations. New sensor types are also being introduced. Finally, some unique and inventive applications will be discussed.

Structures of plutonium coordination compounds: A review of past work, recent single crystal x-ray diffraction results, and what we're learning about plutonium coordination chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neu, M. P.; Matonic, J. H.; Smith, D. M.; Scott, B. L.

2000-07-01

The compounds we have isolated and characterized include plutonium(III) and plutonium(IV) bound by ligands with a range of donor types and denticity (halide, phosphine oxide, hydroxamate, amine, sulfide) in a variety of coordination geometries. For example, we have obtained the first X-ray structure of Pu(III) complexed by a soft donor ligand. Using a "one pot" synthesis beginning with Pu metal strips and iodine in acetonitrile and adding trithiacyclononane we isolated the complex, PuI3(9S3)(MeCN)2 (Figure 1). On the other end of the coordination chemistry spectrum, we have obtained the first single crystal structure of the Pu(IV) hexachloro anion (Figure 2). Although this species has been used in plutonium purification via anion exchange chromatography for decades, the bond distances and exact structure were not known. We have also characterized the first plutonium-biomolecule complex, Pu(IV) bound by the siderophore desferrioxamine E.In this presentation we will review the preparation, structures, and importance of previously known coordination compounds and of those we have recently isolated. We will show the coordination chemistry of plutonium is rich and varied, well worth additional exploration.

The red queen in the corn: agricultural weeds as models of rapid adaptive evolution.

PubMed

Vigueira, C C; Olsen, K M; Caicedo, A L

2013-04-01

Weeds are among the greatest pests of agriculture, causing billions of dollars in crop losses each year. As crop field management practices have changed over the past 12 000 years, weeds have adapted in turn to evade human removal. This evolutionary change can be startlingly rapid, making weeds an appealing system to study evolutionary processes that occur over short periods of time. An understanding of how weeds originate and adapt is needed for successful management; however, relatively little emphasis has been placed on genetically characterizing these systems. Here, we review the current literature on agricultural weed origins and their mechanisms of adaptation. Where possible, we have included examples that have been genetically well characterized. Evidence for three possible, non-mutually exclusive weed origins (from wild species, crop-wild hybrids or directly from crops) is discussed with respect to what is known about the microevolutionary signatures that result from these processes. We also discuss what is known about the genetic basis of adaptive traits in weeds and the range of genetic mechanisms that are responsible. With a better understanding of genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation in weedy species, we can address the more general process of adaptive evolution and what can be expected as we continue to apply selective pressures in agroecosystems around the world.

The red queen in the corn: agricultural weeds as models of rapid adaptive evolution

PubMed Central

Vigueira, C C; Olsen, K M; Caicedo, A L

2013-01-01

Weeds are among the greatest pests of agriculture, causing billions of dollars in crop losses each year. As crop field management practices have changed over the past 12 000 years, weeds have adapted in turn to evade human removal. This evolutionary change can be startlingly rapid, making weeds an appealing system to study evolutionary processes that occur over short periods of time. An understanding of how weeds originate and adapt is needed for successful management; however, relatively little emphasis has been placed on genetically characterizing these systems. Here, we review the current literature on agricultural weed origins and their mechanisms of adaptation. Where possible, we have included examples that have been genetically well characterized. Evidence for three possible, non-mutually exclusive weed origins (from wild species, crop-wild hybrids or directly from crops) is discussed with respect to what is known about the microevolutionary signatures that result from these processes. We also discuss what is known about the genetic basis of adaptive traits in weeds and the range of genetic mechanisms that are responsible. With a better understanding of genetic mechanisms underlying adaptation in weedy species, we can address the more general process of adaptive evolution and what can be expected as we continue to apply selective pressures in agroecosystems around the world. PMID:23188175

Finding ergonomic solutions--participatory approaches.

PubMed

Hignett, Sue; Wilson, John R; Morris, Wendy

2005-05-01

This paper gives an overview of the theory of participatory ergonomics interventions and summary examples from a range of industries, including health care, military, manufacturing, production and processing, services, construction and transport. The definition of participatory approaches includes interventions at macro (organizational, systems) levels as well as micro (individual), where workers are given the opportunity and power to use their knowledge to address ergonomic problems relating to their own working activities. Examples are given where a cost-effective benefit has been measured using musculoskeletal sickness absence and compensation costs. Other examples, using different outcome measures, also showed improvements, for example, an increase in productivity, improved communication between staff and management, reduction in risk factors, the development of new processes and new designs for work environments and activities. Three cases are described from Canada and Japan where the participatory project was led by occupational health teams, suggesting that occupational health practitioners can have an important role to play in participatory ergonomics projects.

The initial rise method extended to multiple trapping levels in thermoluminescent materials.

PubMed

Furetta, C; Guzmán, S; Ruiz, B; Cruz-Zaragoza, E

2011-02-01

The well known Initial Rise Method (IR) is commonly used to determine the activation energy when only one glow peak is presented and analysed in the phosphor materials. However, when the glow peak is more complex, a wide peak and some holders appear in the structure. The application of the Initial Rise Method is not valid because multiple trapping levels are considered and then the thermoluminescent analysis becomes difficult to perform. This paper shows the case of a complex glow curve structure as an example and shows that the calculation is also possible using the IR method. The aim of the paper is to extend the well known Initial Rise Method (IR) to the case of multiple trapping levels. The IR method is applied to minerals extracted from Nopal cactus and Oregano spices because the thermoluminescent glow curve's shape suggests a trap distribution instead of a single trapping level. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple excitation regenerative amplifier inertial confinement system

DOEpatents

George, V.E.; Haas, R.A.; Krupke, W.F.; Schlitt, L.G.

1980-05-27

The invention relates to apparatus and methods for producing high intensity laser radiation generation which is achieved through an optical amplifier-storage ring design. One or two synchronized, counterpropagating laser pulses are injected into a regenerative amplifier cavity and amplified by gain media which are pumped repetitively by electrical or optical means. The gain media excitation pulses are tailored to efficiently amplify the laser pulses during each transit. After the laser pulses have been amplified to the desired intensity level, they are either switched out of the cavity by some switch means, as for example an electro-optical device, for any well known laser end uses, or a target means may be injected into the regenerative amplifier cavity in such a way as to intercept simultaneously the counterpropagating laser pulses. One such well known end uses to which this invention is intended is for production of high density and temperature plasmas suitable for generating neutrons, ions and x-rays and for studying matter heated by high intensity laser radiation. 11 figs.

Multiple excitation regenerative amplifier inertial confinement system

DOEpatents

George, Victor E. [Livermore, CA; Haas, Roger A. [Pleasanton, CA; Krupke, William F. [Pleasanton, CA; Schlitt, Leland G. [Livermore, CA

1980-05-27

The invention relates to apparatus and methods for producing high intensity laser radiation generation which is achieved through an optical amplifier-storage ring design. One or two synchronized, counterpropagating laser pulses are injected into a regenerative amplifier cavity and amplified by gain media which are pumped repetitively by electrical or optical means. The gain media excitation pulses are tailored to efficiently amplify the laser pulses during each transit. After the laser pulses have been amplified to the desired intensity level, they are either switched out of the cavity by some switch means, as for example an electro-optical device, for any well known laser end uses, or a target means may be injected into the regenerative amplifier cavity in such a way as to intercept simultaneously the counterpropagating laser pulses. One such well known end uses to which this invention is intended is for production of high density and temperature plasmas suitable for generating neutrons, ions and x-rays and for studying matter heated by high intensity laser radiation.

Bayesian Correction for Misclassification in Multilevel Count Data Models.

PubMed

Nelson, Tyler; Song, Joon Jin; Chin, Yoo-Mi; Stamey, James D

2018-01-01

Covariate misclassification is well known to yield biased estimates in single level regression models. The impact on hierarchical count models has been less studied. A fully Bayesian approach to modeling both the misclassified covariate and the hierarchical response is proposed. Models with a single diagnostic test and with multiple diagnostic tests are considered. Simulation studies show the ability of the proposed model to appropriately account for the misclassification by reducing bias and improving performance of interval estimators. A real data example further demonstrated the consequences of ignoring the misclassification. Ignoring misclassification yielded a model that indicated there was a significant, positive impact on the number of children of females who observed spousal abuse between their parents. When the misclassification was accounted for, the relationship switched to negative, but not significant. Ignoring misclassification in standard linear and generalized linear models is well known to lead to biased results. We provide an approach to extend misclassification modeling to the important area of hierarchical generalized linear models.

Nuclear Forensics: A Methodology Applicable to Nuclear Security and to Non-Proliferation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, K.; Wallenius, M.; Lützenkirchen, K.; Galy, J.; Varga, Z.; Erdmann, N.; Buda, R.; Kratz, J.-V.; Trautmann, N.; Fifield, K.

2011-09-01

Nuclear Security aims at the prevention and detection of and response to, theft, sabotage, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear material. Nuclear Forensics is a key element of nuclear security. Nuclear Forensics is defined as a methodology that aims at re-establishing the history of nuclear material of unknown origin. It is based on indicators that arise from known relationships between material characteristics and process history. Thus, nuclear forensics analysis includes the characterization of the material and correlation with production history. To this end, we can make use of parameters such as the isotopic composition of the nuclear material and accompanying elements, chemical impurities, macroscopic appearance and microstructure of the material. In the present paper, we discuss the opportunities for attribution of nuclear material offered by nuclear forensics as well as its limitations. Particular attention will be given to the role of nuclear reactions. Such reactions include the radioactive decay of the nuclear material, but also reactions with neutrons. When uranium (of natural composition) is exposed to neutrons, plutonium is formed, as well as 236U. We will illustrate the methodology using the example of a piece of uranium metal that dates back to the German nuclear program in the 1940's. A combination of different analytical techniques and model calculations enables a nuclear forensics interpretation, thus correlating the material characteristics with the production history.

Challenges of Translating Basic Research Into Therapeutics: Resveratrol as an Example

PubMed Central

Smoliga, James M.; Vang, Ole

2012-01-01

Basic science literature abounds with molecules that promise to ameliorate almost any disease, from curing cancer to slowing the aging process itself. However, most of these compounds will never even be evaluated in humans, let alone proven effective. Here, we use resveratrol as an example to highlight the enormous difficulties in understanding pharmacokinetics, determining side effects, and, ultimately, establishing mechanisms of action for a natural compound. Despite extensive interest and effort, and continuing promising results from basic science groups, very little is known even today about the effects of resveratrol in humans. Part of the problem is the unattractiveness of natural compounds to large, well-funded companies that could run clinical trials because developing their own molecules affords much greater protection for their intellectual property. In fact, selling unpatentable material motivates smaller nutraceutical companies to complicate the scientific problem even more—each creates its own proprietary blend, making it extremely difficult to compare their data with those of other companies, or of academic labs using pure compounds. But even beyond these problems lies a deeper one; resveratrol, and almost every natural compound, is likely to have many clinically relevant targets with different dose–response profiles, tissue distributions, and modifiers. Tackling this type of problem efficiently, and even beginning to address the spectrum of other molecules with claimed benefits, is likely to require the development of new paradigms and approaches. Examples include better molecular modeling to predict interactions, large-scale screens for toxic or other common effects, affinity-based methods to identify drug-interacting proteins, and better synthesis of existing data, including legislation to promote the release of trial results, and tracking of voluntary supplement usage. The evidence for benefits of resveratrol in humans remains too sparse to be conclusive; yet, the limited data that are available, combined with a growing list of animal studies, provide a strong justification for further study. PMID:21746739

Low-dose extrapolation of radiation health risks: some implications of uncertainty for radiation protection at low doses.

PubMed

Land, Charles E

2009-11-01

Ionizing radiation is a known and well-quantified human cancer risk factor, based on a remarkably consistent body of information from epidemiological studies of exposed populations. Typical examples of risk estimation include use of Japanese atomic bomb survivor data to estimate future risk from radiation-related cancer among American patients receiving multiple computed tomography scans, persons affected by radioactive fallout, or persons whose livelihoods involve some radiation exposure, such as x-ray technicians, interventional radiologists, or shipyard workers. Our estimates of radiation-related risk are uncertain, reflecting statistical variation and our imperfect understanding of crucial assumptions that must be made if we are to apply existing epidemiological data to particular situations. Fortunately, that uncertainty is also highly quantifiable, and can be presented concisely and transparently. Radiation protection is ultimately a political process that involves consent by stakeholders, a diverse group that includes people who might be expected to be risk-averse and concerned with plausible upper limits on risk (how bad could it be?), cost-averse and concerned with lower limits on risk (can you prove there is a nontrivial risk at current dose levels?), or combining both points of view. How radiation-related risk is viewed by individuals and population subgroups also depends very much on perception of related benefit, which might be (for example) medical, economic, altruistic, or nonexistent. The following presentation follows the lead of National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) Commentary 14, NCRP Report 126, and later documents in treating radiation protection from the viewpoint of quantitative uncertainty analysis.

Chaotic inflation from nonlinear sigma models in supergravity

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

Hellerman, Simeon; Kehayias, John; Yanagida, Tsutomu T.

2015-02-11

We present a common solution to the puzzles of the light Higgs or quark masses and the need for a shift symmetry and large field values in high scale chaotic inflation. One way to protect, for example, the Higgs from a large supersymmetric mass term is if it is the Nambu–Goldstone boson (NGB) of a nonlinear sigma model. However, it is well known that nonlinear sigma models (NLSMs) with nontrivial Kähler transformations are problematic to couple to supergravity. An additional field is necessary to make theKähler potential of the NLSM invariant in supergravity. This field must have a shift symmetrymore » — making it a candidate for the inflaton (or axion). We give an explicit example of such a model for the coset space SU(3)/SU(2) × U(1), with the Higgs as the NGB, including breaking the inflaton’s shift symmetry and producing a chaotic inflation potential. This construction can also be applied to other models, such as one based on E₇/SO(10) × U(1) × U(1) which incorporates the first two generations of (light) quarks as the Nambu–Goldstone multiplets, and has an axion in addition to the inflaton. Along the way we clarify and connect previous work on understanding NLSMs in supergravity and the origin of the extra field (which is the inflaton here), including a connection to Witten–Bagger quantization. This framework has wide applications to model building; a light particle from a NLSM requires, in supergravity, exactly the structure for chaotic inflaton or an axion« less

Monitoring Volcano Deformation in the Northernmost Andes with ALOS InSAR Time-Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales Rivera, A. M.; Amelung, F.

2014-12-01

Satellite-based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is well known to be used as a volcano monitoring tool, providing the opportunity to conduct local and regional surveys to detect and measure volcanic deformation. The signals detected by InSAR on volcanoes can be related to various phenomena, such as volume changes in magmatic reservoirs, compaction of recent deposits, changes in hydrothermal activity, and flank instability. The InSAR time-series method has well documented examples of these phenomena, including precursory inflation of magma reservoirs months prior to volcanic eruptions, proving its potential for early warning systems. We use the ALOS-1 satellite from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which acquired a global L-band data set of nearly 20 acquisitions during 2007-2011, to make an InSAR time-series analysis using the Small Baseline method (SBAS). Our analysis covers all of the volcanoes in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru that are cataloged by the Global Volcanism Program. We present results showing time-dependent ground deformation on an near the volcanoes, and present kinematic models to constrain the characteristics of the magmatic sources for the cases in which the deformation is likely related to changes in magma reservoir pressurization.

Peptides and peptidomimetics in medicine, surgery and biotechnology.

PubMed

Gentilucci, Luca; Tolomelli, Alessandra; Squassabia, Federico

2006-01-01

Despite the fact that they have been used for a century to treat several kinds of diseases, peptides and short proteins are now considered the new generation of biologically active tools. Indeed, recent findings suggest a wide range of novel applications in medicine, biotechnology, and surgery. The efficacy of native peptides has been greatly enhanced by introducing structural modifications in the original sequences, giving rise to the class of peptidomimetics. This review gives an overview of both classical applications and promising new categories of biologically active peptides and analogs. Besides the new entries in well known peptide families, such as antibiotic macrocyclic peptides, integrin inhibitors, as well as immunoactive, anticancer, neuromodulator, opioid, and hormone peptides, a number of novel applications have been recently reported. Outstanding examples include peptide-derived semi-synthetic vaccines, drug delivery systems, radiolabeled peptides, self-assembling peptides, which can serve as biomaterials in tissue engineering for creating cartilage, blood vessels, and other tissues, or as substrates for neurite outgrowth and synapse formation, immobilized peptides, and proteins. Finally, peptide-based biomaterials can find applications in bio-nanotechnology for bio-microchips, peptide nanorods and nanotubes, bio-sensors, bio-electronic devices, and peptide-metal wires.

Indicators for the Data Usage Index (DUI): an incentive for publishing primary biodiversity data through global information infrastructure.

PubMed

Ingwersen, Peter; Chavan, Vishwas

2011-01-01

A professional recognition mechanism is required to encourage expedited publishing of an adequate volume of 'fit-for-use' biodiversity data. As a component of such a recognition mechanism, we propose the development of the Data Usage Index (DUI) to demonstrate to data publishers that their efforts of creating biodiversity datasets have impact by being accessed and used by a wide spectrum of user communities. We propose and give examples of a range of 14 absolute and normalized biodiversity dataset usage indicators for the development of a DUI based on search events and dataset download instances. The DUI is proposed to include relative as well as species profile weighted comparative indicators. We believe that in addition to the recognition to the data publisher and all players involved in the data life cycle, a DUI will also provide much needed yet novel insight into how users use primary biodiversity data. A DUI consisting of a range of usage indicators obtained from the GBIF network and other relevant access points is within reach. The usage of biodiversity datasets leads to the development of a family of indicators in line with well known citation-based measurements of recognition.

Fractional order uncertainty estimator based hierarchical sliding mode design for a class of fractional order non-holonomic chained system.

PubMed

Deepika; Kaur, Sandeep; Narayan, Shiv

2018-06-01

This paper proposes a novel fractional order sliding mode control approach to address the issues of stabilization as well as tracking of an N-dimensional extended chained form of fractional order non-holonomic system. Firstly, the hierarchical fractional order terminal sliding manifolds are selected to procure the desired objectives in finite time. Then, a sliding mode control law is formulated which provides robustness against various system uncertainties or external disturbances. In addition, a novel fractional order uncertainty estimator is deduced mathematically to estimate and mitigate the effects of uncertainties, which also excludes the requirement of their upper bounds. Due to the omission of discontinuous control action, the proposed algorithm ensures a chatter-free control input. Moreover, the finite time stability of the closed loop system has been proved analytically through well known Mittag-Leffler and Fractional Lyapunov theorems. Finally, the proposed methodology is validated with MATLAB simulations on two examples including an application of fractional order non-holonomic wheeled mobile robot and its performances are also compared with the existing control approach. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The status of Chinese permanent magnet industry and R&D activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Shengzhi; Li, Wei; Chen, Hongsheng; Han, Rui

2017-05-01

It has been 15 years since China dominated the rare earth permanent magnet market in 2001. The annual output of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets in China reached a new record of 126,300 tonnages in 2015 while the output in 2001 is only 6,500 tonnages. The average growth rate from 2001 to 2015 is about 23.5% though the output in 2012 suffers a deep drop due to the well known rare earth crisis in 2011. Currently, the RE magnet production capability in China seems to be over developed compared to actual requirements. Needless to say the oversupply situation implies a hard time for RE magnet manufacturers due to the fierce competition but maybe a good time for the whole industry. The motivation for a company to develop new technology and more competitive products with better performance and/or lower costs is greatly enhanced. The objective of this paper is to give a general picture of Chinese REPM industry and market including the output capability, the status of competition, the development of magnet application and the market trend. Some new research hot points potentially being applied, for example the Cerium magnet, will be introduced as well.

Development of Instruments and Evaluative Procedures on Contributors to Illness and Health.

PubMed

Cloninger, C Robert; Cloninger, Kevin M

2011-09-01

Instruments available for a person-centered assessment of the causes of well-being and ill-being are described. Monitoring at the level of symptoms of illness and past lifestyle behavior has failed to promote change in well-being in a strong and consistent way. Therefore, we illustrate a way of assessing the interactions among multiple aspects of the causes of well-being. For example, at least three distinct aspects of human well-being are known to interact synergistically to promote health - neurobiological plasticity, self-regulatory functioning and virtue. The neglect of any one of the ternary aspects of well-being impedes understanding and treatment of the whole person. Each aspect can be reliably measured using quantitative and qualitative techniques to facilitate treatment planning and analysis of their interactions as a complex adaptive system, although further work is needed to clarify the content and structure of each aspect.

Development of Instruments and Evaluative Procedures on Contributors to Illness and Health.

PubMed

Cloninger, C Robert; Cloninger, Kevin M

Instruments available for a person-centered assessment of the causes of well-being and ill-being are described. Monitoring at the level of symptoms of illness and past lifestyle behavior has failed to promote change in well-being in a strong and consistent way. Therefore, we illustrate a way of assessing the interactions among multiple aspects of the causes of well-being. For example, at least three distinct aspects of human well-being are known to interact synergistically to promote health - neurobiological plasticity, self-regulatory functioning and virtue. The neglect of any one of the ternary aspects of well-being impedes understanding and treatment of the whole person. Each aspect can be reliably measured using quantitative and qualitative techniques to facilitate treatment planning and analysis of their interactions as a complex adaptive system, although further work is needed to clarify the content and structure of each aspect.

Invaginating Structures in Mammalian Synapses

PubMed Central

Petralia, Ronald S.; Wang, Ya-Xian; Mattson, Mark P.; Yao, Pamela J.

2018-01-01

Invaginating structures at chemical synapses in the mammalian nervous system exist in presynaptic axon terminals, postsynaptic spines or dendrites, and glial processes. These invaginating structures can be divided into three categories. The first category includes slender protrusions invaginating into axonal terminals, postsynaptic spines, or glial processes. Best known examples of this category are spinules extending from postsynaptic spines into presynaptic terminals in forebrain synapses. Another example of this category are protrusions from inhibitory presynaptic terminals invaginating into postsynaptic neuronal somas. Regardless of the direction and location, the invaginating structures of the first category do not have synaptic active zones within the invagination. The second category includes postsynaptic spines invaginating into presynaptic terminals, whereas the third category includes presynaptic terminals invaginating into postsynaptic spines or dendrites. Unlike the first category, the second and third categories have active zones within the invagination. An example of the second category are mossy terminal synapses of the hippocampal CA3 region, in which enlarged spine-like structures invaginate partly or entirely into mossy terminals. An example of the third category is the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) where substantial invaginations of the presynaptic terminals invaginate into the muscle fibers. In the retina, rod and cone synapses have invaginating processes from horizontal and bipolar cells. Because horizontal cells act both as post and presynaptic structures, their invaginating processes represent both the second and third category. These invaginating structures likely play broad yet specialized roles in modulating neuronal cell signaling. PMID:29674962

Stable Numerical Approach for Fractional Delay Differential Equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Harendra; Pandey, Rajesh K.; Baleanu, D.

2017-12-01

In this paper, we present a new stable numerical approach based on the operational matrix of integration of Jacobi polynomials for solving fractional delay differential equations (FDDEs). The operational matrix approach converts the FDDE into a system of linear equations, and hence the numerical solution is obtained by solving the linear system. The error analysis of the proposed method is also established. Further, a comparative study of the approximate solutions is provided for the test examples of the FDDE by varying the values of the parameters in the Jacobi polynomials. As in special case, the Jacobi polynomials reduce to the well-known polynomials such as (1) Legendre polynomial, (2) Chebyshev polynomial of second kind, (3) Chebyshev polynomial of third and (4) Chebyshev polynomial of fourth kind respectively. Maximum absolute error and root mean square error are calculated for the illustrated examples and presented in form of tables for the comparison purpose. Numerical stability of the presented method with respect to all four kind of polynomials are discussed. Further, the obtained numerical results are compared with some known methods from the literature and it is observed that obtained results from the proposed method is better than these methods.

28 CFR 701.18 - Fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... FOIA-disclosed information plays with respect to those commercial interests, as well as to the extent.... Examples of news media entities include television or radio stations broadcasting to the public at large...

Journals: Pathways to Thinking in Second-Year Algebra.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Kathleen P.

1996-01-01

Discusses the value of journal assignments for diagnosing and trouble-shooting misconceptions and for helping with lesson plans. Examples of assignments are included as well as student responses. (AIM)

Computing Maximally Supersymmetric Scattering Amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stankowicz, James Michael, Jr.

This dissertation reviews work in computing N = 4 super-Yang--Mills (sYM) and N = 8 maximally supersymmetric gravity (mSUGRA) scattering amplitudes in D = 4 spacetime dimensions in novel ways. After a brief introduction and overview in Ch. 1, the various techniques used to construct amplitudes in the remainder of the dissertation are discussed in Ch. 2. This includes several new concepts such as d log and pure integrand bases, as well as how to construct the amplitude using exactly one kinematic point where it vanishes. Also included in this chapter is an outline of the Mathematica package on shell diagrams and numerics.m (osdn) that was developed for the computations herein. The rest of the dissertation is devoted to explicit examples. In Ch. 3, the starting point is tree-level sYM amplitudes that have integral representations with residues that obey amplitude relations. These residues are shown to have corresponding residue numerators that allow a double copy prescription that results in mSUGRA residues. In Ch. 4, the two-loop four-point sYM amplitude is constructed in several ways, showcasing many of the techniques of Ch. 2; this includes an example of how to use osdn. The two-loop five-point amplitude is also presented in a pure integrand representation with comments on how it was constructed from one homogeneous cut of the amplitude. On-going work on the two-loop n-point amplitude is presented at the end of Ch. 4. In Ch. 5, the three-loop four-point amplitude is presented in the d log representation and in the pure integrand representation. In Ch. 6, there are several examples of four- through seven-loop planar diagrams that illustrate how considerations of the singularity structure of the amplitude underpin dual-conformal invariance. Taken with the previous examples, this is additional evidence that the structure known to exist in the planar sector extends to the full theory. At the end of this chapter is a proof that all mSUGRA amplitudes have a pole at infinity for (L ≥ 4)-loops. Finally in Ch. 7, the current status of ultraviolet divergences in the five-loop four-point mSUGRA amplitude is addressed. This includes a discussion of ongoing work aimed at resolving the mSUGRA finiteness question. The following Mathematica scripts are submitted with this dissertation: • on shell diagrams and numerics.m with dependencies: -- all_trees *.m -- external_kinematics_*_point.m -- rational_external_*_point.m where "*" is a wild-card string of any set of characters of any length -- either an integer or a number spelled out.

Noise, anti-noise and fluid flow control.

PubMed

Williams, J E Ffowcs

2002-05-15

This paper celebrates Thomas Young's discovery that wave interference was responsible for much that is known about light and colour. A substantial programme of work has been aimed at controlling the noise of aerodynamic flows. Much of that field can be explained in terms of interference and it is argued in this paper that the theoretical techniques for analysing noise can also be seen to rest on interference effects. Interference can change the character of wave fields to produce, out of well-ordered fields, wave systems quite different from the interfering wave elements. Lighthill's acoustic analogy is described as an example of this effect, an example in which the exact model of turbulence-generated noise is seen to consist of elementary interfering sound waves; waves that are sometimes heard in advance of their sources. The paper goes on to describe an emerging field of technology where sound is suppressed by superimposing on it a destructively interfering secondary sound; one designed and manufactured specifically for interference. That sound is known as anti-sound, or anti-noise when the sound is chaotic enough. Examples are then referred to where the noisy effect to be controlled is actually a disturbance of a linearly unstable system; a disturbance that is destroyed by destructive interference with a deliberately constructed antidote. The practical benefits of this kind of instability control are much greater and can even change the whole character of flows. It is argued that completely unnatural unstable conditions can be held with active controllers generating destructively interfering elements. Examples are given in which gravitational instability of stratified fluids can be prevented. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of shear flows can also be avoided by simple controls. Those are speculative examples of what might be possible in future developments of an interference effect, which has made anti-noise a useful technology.

Quantisation of the holographic Ricci dark energy model

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

Albarran, Imanol; Bouhmadi-López, Mariam, E-mail: imanol@ubi.pt, E-mail: mbl@ubi.pt

2015-08-01

While general relativity is an extremely robust theory to describe the gravitational interaction in our Universe, it is expected to fail close to singularities like the cosmological ones. On the other hand, it is well known that some dark energy models might induce future singularities; this can be the case for example within the setup of the Holographic Ricci Dark Energy model (HRDE). On this work, we perform a cosmological quantisation of the HRDE model and obtain under which conditions a cosmic doomsday can be avoided within the quantum realm. We show as well that this quantum model not onlymore » avoid future singularities but also the past Big Bang.« less

Generalization of multifractal theory within quantum calculus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olemskoi, A.; Shuda, I.; Borisyuk, V.

2010-03-01

On the basis of the deformed series in quantum calculus, we generalize the partition function and the mass exponent of a multifractal, as well as the average of a random variable distributed over a self-similar set. For the partition function, such expansion is shown to be determined by binomial-type combinations of the Tsallis entropies related to manifold deformations, while the mass exponent expansion generalizes the known relation τq=Dq(q-1). We find the equation for the set of averages related to ordinary, escort, and generalized probabilities in terms of the deformed expansion as well. Multifractals related to the Cantor binomial set, exchange currency series, and porous-surface condensates are considered as examples.

[Recent developments in the field of infectious diseases].

PubMed

Freedman, L R

1978-12-02

A résumé is presented of recent developments in the field of infectious diseases of particular interest of practising physicians. Examples are given to illustrate recent discoveries concerning the frequent misuse of antibiotics, the problem of infections developing in hospitalized patients, the biology of microbial infection, the etiology of well-known illnesses, new infectious diseases, and the development of vaccines. It is evident that the rate at which new and important information is evident that the rate at which new and important information is being reported demands particular effort in medical school teaching to ensure that students learn how to acquire and evaluate new information as well as how to discard ideas which are no longer valid.

GePEToS: A Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation Package for Positron Emission Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jan, S.; Collot, J.; Gallin-Martel, M.-L.; Martin, P.; Mayet, F.; Tournefier, E.

2005-02-01

GePEToS is a simulation framework developed over the last few years for assessing the instrumental performance of future positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. It is based on Geant4, written in object-oriented C++ and runs on Linux platforms. The validity of GePEToS has been tested on the well-known Siemens ECAT EXACT HR+ camera. The results of two application examples are presented: the design optimization of a liquid Xe /spl mu/PET camera dedicated to small animal imaging as well as the evaluation of the effect of a strong axial magnetic field on the image resolution of a Concorde P4 /spl mu/PET camera.

A description of pseudo-bosons in terms of nilpotent Lie algebras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagarello, Fabio; Russo, Francesco G.

2018-02-01

We show how the one-mode pseudo-bosonic ladder operators provide concrete examples of nilpotent Lie algebras of dimension five. It is the first time that an algebraic-geometric structure of this kind is observed in the context of pseudo-bosonic operators. Indeed we do not find the well known Heisenberg algebras, which are involved in several quantum dynamical systems, but different Lie algebras which may be decomposed into the sum of two abelian Lie algebras in a prescribed way. We introduce the notion of semidirect sum (of Lie algebras) for this scope and find that it describes very well the behavior of pseudo-bosonic operators in many quantum models.

Asia from Space: New Ideas for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkinson, M. Justin

2011-01-01

Megafans, also known (incorrectly) as inland deltas, are partial cones of fluvial sediment with radii >100 km. Each is generated by a formative river avulsing across a lowland. The alluvial tract (channel, levee, overbank, etc.) is the building block for megafans. Planform and sectional analyses, based on SRTM data, reveal their conical, low-angle morphology. Megafans are not geologically rare as often assumed but a normal feature in the hierarchy of fluvial features that is slowly beginning to be understood. Our global survey contains a total of >150 examples worldwide, in all tectonic basin types, with a majority of smaller, more easily distinguished megafans occupying classic foreland basins (54%) which may explain the general view that megafans only form in Himalaya-like foreland basins, especially since the Kosi Megafan in the Indogangetic Plain is one of the best known in the geological literature. Recent research has shown that all actively alluviating basins are occupied by fanlike sediment masses, from the well known smaller and steeper alluvial fan (level 8 in Miall s hierarchy of fluvial forms), to the much larger megafan feature (level 9). A close relationship exists between upland basin size and fan size and slope. Larger upland drainage basins give rise to low-slope megafan sedimentation, which can cover very large areas where the receptacle basin exists individual megafan areas are 10(sup 3-5) square kilometers, and collectively cover 1.2 million square kilometers in South America, for example. The habitat of megafans is now sufficiently well understood that prediction of some modern cryptic megafan locations has been successfully achieved. Underground prediction therefore seems possible, where sufficient data exists. It seems necessary to distinguish megafans from (i) steep, coarse-grained mountain-front alluvial fans which are overwhelmingly coarse-grained, (ii) deltas, since megafans lack distal shoreline processes), and (iii) confined floodplains which lack radial drainage. Numerous other differences can be identified. As a normal component of the modern fluvial environment, megafans must exist in the subsurface. Megafan size, predictable channel patterns of the formative river, and the gradation from coarser to finer sediments from apex to toe of megafans are characteristics that ought to assist in understanding subsurface patterns of hydrocarbon host rocks, and possibly source rocks as well. We show examples from various producing basins. A roughness map of Asia, based on an algorithm developed for Mars, shows megafan landscapes to be dominated by short baseline roughness and low slopes, consistent with megafan-dominated plains worldwide. Interestingly, this a unique signature for a larger continental landform.

7 CFR 4290.720 - Enterprises that may be ineligible for Financing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... wells, wind farms, or power facilities (including solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, or biomass power... the majority of the activities of the Enterprise. Examples include motion pictures. (e) Farm land... ineligible for Farm Credit System Assistance. If one or more Farm Credit System Institutions or their...

Building Blocks for Reliable Complex Nonlinear Numerical Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Mansour, Nagi N. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This talk describes some of the building blocks to ensure a higher level of confidence in the predictability and reliability (PAR) of numerical simulation of multiscale complex nonlinear problems. The focus is on relating PAR of numerical simulations with complex nonlinear phenomena of numerics. To isolate sources of numerical uncertainties, the possible discrepancy between the chosen partial differential equation (PDE) model and the real physics and/or experimental data is set aside. The discussion is restricted to how well numerical schemes can mimic the solution behavior of the underlying PDE model for finite time steps and grid spacings. The situation is complicated by the fact that the available theory for the understanding of nonlinear behavior of numerics is not at a stage to fully analyze the nonlinear Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. The discussion is based on the knowledge gained for nonlinear model problems with known analytical solutions to identify and explain the possible sources and remedies of numerical uncertainties in practical computations. Examples relevant to turbulent flow computations are included.

Guest molecules as a design element for metal–organic frameworks

DOE PAGES

Allendorf, Mark D.; Medishetty, Raghavender; Fischer, Roland A.

2016-11-07

The well-known synthetic versatility of MOFs is rooted in the ability to predict the metal ion coordination geometry and the vast possibilities to use organic chemistry to modify the linker groups. However, the use of “non-innocent” guest molecules as a component of framework design has been largely ignored. Nevertheless, recent reports show that the presence of guest molecules can have dramatic effects, even when these are seemingly innocuous species such as water or polar solvents. Advantages of using guests to impart new properties to MOFs include the relative ease of introducing new functionalities, the ability to modify the properties materialmore » at will by removing the guest or inserting different ones, and avoidance of the difficulties associated with synthesizing new frameworks, which can be challenging even when the basic topology remains constant. In this article we describe the “Guest@MOF” concept and provide examples illustrating its potential as a new MOF design element.« less

The children of mentally ill parents.

PubMed

Mattejat, Fritz; Remschmidt, Helmut

2008-06-01

The children of mentally ill parents have a higher risk of developing mental illnesses themselves over the course of their lives. This known risk must be taken into account in the practical provision of health care. Selective literature review. The increased psychiatric risk for children of mentally ill parents is due partly to genetic influences and partly to an impairment of the parent-child interaction because of the parent's illness. Furthermore, adverse factors are more frequent in these families, as well as a higher risk for child abuse. Genetic and psychosocial factors interact with one another. For example, genetic factors moderate environmental effects; that is, the effect of adverse environmental factors depends on the genetic substrate. Preventive measures for children of mentally ill parents urgently need improvement. In this article, positively evaluated programs of preventive measures are discussed. Essential prerequisites for success include appropriate, specialized treatment of the parental illness, psychoeducative measures, and special support (e.g. self-help groups) as indicated by the family's particular needs.

3D animation in three dimensions: the rocky road to the obvious

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, Hugh

2006-02-01

That animation created using CG modeling and animation tools is inherently three-dimensional is well known. In the middle to late nineties IMAX Corporation began actively exploring CG animated features as a possible source of economically viable content for its rapidly growing network of stereoscopic IMAX® 3D theatres. The journey from there to the spectacular success of the IMAX® 3D version of The Polar Express is an interesting mix of technical, creative and production challenges. For example 3D animations often have 2D elements and include many sequences that have framing, composition and lens choices that a stereographer would have avoided had 3D been part of the recipe at the outset. And of course the decision to ask for a second set of deliverables from an already stressed production takes nerve. The talk will cover several of these issues and explain why the unique viewing experience enabled by the wideangle geometry of IMAX® 3D theatres makes it worth all the pain.

Watson-Crick Base Pair Radical Cation as a Model for Oxidative Damage in DNA.

PubMed

Feketeová, Linda; Chan, Bun; Khairallah, George N; Steinmetz, Vincent; Maitre, Philippe; Radom, Leo; O'Hair, Richard A J

2017-07-06

The deleterious cellular effects of ionizing radiation are well-known, but the mechanisms causing DNA damage are poorly understood. The accepted molecular events involve initial oxidation and deprotonation at guanine sites, triggering hydrogen atom abstraction reactions from the sugar moieties, causing DNA strand breaks. Probing the chemistry of the initially formed radical cation has been challenging. Here, we generate, spectroscopically characterize, and examine the reactivity of the Watson-Crick nucleobase pair radical cation in the gas phase. We observe rich chemistry, including proton transfer between the bases and propagation of the radical site in deoxyguanosine from the base to the sugar, thus rupturing the sugar. This first example of a gas-phase model system providing molecular-level details on the chemistry of an ionized DNA base pair paves the way toward a more complete understanding of molecular processes induced by radiation. It also highlights the role of radical propagation in chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology.

Chrodrimanins O-S from the fungus Penicillium sp. SCS-KFD09 isolated from a marine worm, Sipunculusnudus.

PubMed

Kong, Fan-Dong; Zhang, Ren-Shuai; Ma, Qing-Yun; Xie, Qing-Yi; Wang, Pei; Chen, Peng-Wei; Zhou, Li-Man; Dai, Hao-Fu; Luo, Du-Qiang; Zhao, You-Xing

2017-10-01

Five new meroterpenoids, chrodrimanins O-S (1-5), as well as a known one (6), were isolated from the fermentation broth of Penicillium sp. SCS-KFD09 isolated from a marine worm, Sipunculusnudus, from Haikou Bay, China. The structures including the absolute configurations of the new compounds were unambiguously elucidated by spectroscopic data and ECD spectra analysis along with quantum ECD calculations. Among them, compound 1 represents the first example of an unusual trichlorinated meroterpenoid with an unique dichlorine functionality. Compounds 1 and 4-6 displayed inhibitory activity of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) with IC 50 values of 71.6, 62.5, 63.1, and 39.6μM, respectively, and showed no apparent activity against three tumor cell lines (A549, HepG2, and Hela) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) at 10μM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Parasites and cancer: is there a causal link?

PubMed

Cheeseman, Kevin; Certad, Gabriela; Weitzman, Jonathan B

2016-10-01

Over 20 % of cancers have infectious origins, including well-known examples of microbes such as viruses (HPV, EBV) and bacteria (H. pylori). The contribution of intracellular eukaryotic parasites to cancer etiology is largely unexplored. Epidemiological and clinical reports indicate that eukaryotic protozoan, such as intracellular apicomplexan that cause diseases of medical or economic importance, can be linked to various cancers: Theileria and Cryptosporidium induce host cell transformation while Plasmodium was linked epidemiologically to the "African lymphoma belt" over fifty years ago. These intracellular eukaryotic parasites hijack cellular pathways to manipulate the host cell epigenome, cellular machinery, signaling pathways and epigenetic programs and marks, such as methylation and acetylation, for their own benefit. In doing so, they tinker with the same pathways as those deregulated during cancer onset. Here we discuss how epidemiological evidence linking eukaryotic intracellular parasites to cancer onset are further strengthened by recent mechanistic studies in three apicomplexan parasites. © 2016 médecine/sciences – Inserm.

ZN graded discrete Lax pairs and Yang-Baxter maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fordy, Allan P.; Xenitidis, Pavlos

2017-05-01

We recently introduced a class of ZN graded discrete Lax pairs and studied the associated discrete integrable systems (lattice equations). In this paper, we introduce the corresponding Yang-Baxter maps. Many well-known examples belong to this scheme for N=2, so, for N≥3, our systems may be regarded as generalizations of these. In particular, for each N we introduce a class of multi-component Yang-Baxter maps, which include H^{B_{III (of Papageorgiou et al. 2010 SIGMA 6, 003 (9 p). (doi:10.3842/SIGMA.2010.033)), when N=2, and that associated with the discrete modified Boussinesq equation, for N=3. For N≥5 we introduce a new family of Yang-Baxter maps, which have no lower dimensional analogue. We also present new multi-component versions of the Yang-Baxter maps FIV and FV (given in the classification of Adler et al. 2004 Commun. Anal. Geom. 12, 967-1007. (doi:10.4310/CAG.2004.v12.n5.a1)).}}

An introduction to optimal power flow: Theory, formulation, and examples

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

Frank, Stephen; Rebennack, Steffen

The set of optimization problems in electric power systems engineering known collectively as Optimal Power Flow (OPF) is one of the most practically important and well-researched subfields of constrained nonlinear optimization. OPF has enjoyed a rich history of research, innovation, and publication since its debut five decades ago. Nevertheless, entry into OPF research is a daunting task for the uninitiated--both due to the sheer volume of literature and because OPF's ubiquity within the electric power systems community has led authors to assume a great deal of prior knowledge that readers unfamiliar with electric power systems may not possess. This articlemore » provides an introduction to OPF from an operations research perspective; it describes a complete and concise basis of knowledge for beginning OPF research. The discussion is tailored for the operations researcher who has experience with nonlinear optimization but little knowledge of electrical engineering. Topics covered include power systems modeling, the power flow equations, typical OPF formulations, and common OPF extensions.« less

The Seungjeongwon Ilgi as a Major Source of Korean Astronomical Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, F. Richard

The importance of early Korean records of supernovae, comets, meteors and aurorae in modern astronomy is well-known. However, the most extensive Korean source of such data, the Seungjeongwon Ilgi (Daily records of the Office of Royal Secretariat), has received relatively little attention among historians of astronomy. Written in Chinese (Hanmun), the Seungjeongwon Ilgi is a day-to-day chronicle of important events. The main emphasis is on matters of court and state, but observations of a wide variety of astronomical phenomena are regularly included. Although maintenance of the chronicle began early in the Joseon Dynasty (AD 1392-1910), due to wars and rebellions only the records from AD 1623 to 1894 now survive. Nevertheless, the remaining text is substantial, containing more than 3,000 chapters. In this paper, the general format of the astronomical records in the Seungjeongwon Ilgi is discussed, together with examples of the various types of celestial observations which this huge compilation contains.

Toward a Data Scalable Solution for Facilitating Discovery of Science Resources

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

Weaver, Jesse R.; Castellana, Vito G.; Morari, Alessandro

Science is increasingly motivated by the need to process larger quantities of data. It is facing severe challenges in data collection, management, and processing, so much so that the computational demands of “data scaling” are competing with, and in many fields surpassing, the traditional objective of decreasing processing time. Example domains with large datasets include astronomy, biology, genomics, climate/weather, and material sciences. This paper presents a real-world use case in which we wish to answer queries pro- vided by domain scientists in order to facilitate discovery of relevant science resources. The problem is that the metadata for these science resourcesmore » is very large and is growing quickly, rapidly increasing the need for a data scaling solution. We propose a system – SGEM – designed for answering graph-based queries over large datasets on cluster architectures, and we re- port performance results for queries on the current RDESC dataset of nearly 1.4 billion triples, and on the well-known BSBM SPARQL query benchmark.« less

Mobility Systems For Robotic Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chun, Wendell

1987-02-01

The majority of existing robotic systems can be decomposed into five distinct subsystems: locomotion, control/man-machine interface (MMI), sensors, power source, and manipulator. When designing robotic vehicles, there are two main requirements: first, to design for the environment and second, for the task. The environment can be correlated with known missions. This can be seen by analyzing existing mobile robots. Ground mobile systems are generally wheeled, tracked, or legged. More recently, underwater vehicles have gained greater attention. For example, Jason Jr. made history by surveying the sunken luxury liner, the Titanic. The next big surge of robotic vehicles will be in space. This will evolve as a result of NASA's commitment to the Space Station. The foreseeable robots will interface with current systems as well as standalone, free-flying systems. A space robotic vehicle is similar to its underwater counterpart with very few differences. Their commonality includes missions and degrees-of-freedom. The issues of stability and communication are inherent in both systems and environment.

Tribology in mineral extraction: War on wear

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

Not Available

1984-01-01

Mineral extraction, whether coal or ores, and the machinery employed are subjected to very hostile conditions of operation. These conditions cause great damage to interacting surfaces in relative motion. Much valuable time is lost because of abrasion and wear and further, often unnecessary, costs are incurred through avoidable maintenance and repair. Yet tribological solution to this pointless waste of resources, energy and production are often already well known in universities, research laboratories and in pockets within the industry. The papers presented at the IMechE conference identify the problems and demonstrate solutions. This book compiles the papers presented in this conference.more » The contents of this book include: Some practical examples of reducing the effect of tribological phenomena produced in transporting solids; wear of digger teeth; factors influencing the choice of lubricants for draglines; filtration of oils; tribology and slipper pad braking of rail mounted vehicles in coal mines; and failure analysis aided by fracture mechanics.« less

[Formula: see text] graded discrete Lax pairs and Yang-Baxter maps.

PubMed

Fordy, Allan P; Xenitidis, Pavlos

2017-05-01

We recently introduced a class of [Formula: see text] graded discrete Lax pairs and studied the associated discrete integrable systems (lattice equations). In this paper, we introduce the corresponding Yang-Baxter maps. Many well-known examples belong to this scheme for N =2, so, for N ≥3, our systems may be regarded as generalizations of these. In particular, for each N we introduce a class of multi-component Yang-Baxter maps, which include H B III (of Papageorgiou et al. 2010 SIGMA 6, 003 (9 p). (doi:10.3842/SIGMA.2010.033)), when N =2, and that associated with the discrete modified Boussinesq equation, for N =3. For N ≥5 we introduce a new family of Yang-Baxter maps, which have no lower dimensional analogue. We also present new multi-component versions of the Yang-Baxter maps F IV and F V (given in the classification of Adler et al. 2004 Commun. Anal. Geom. 12, 967-1007. (doi:10.4310/CAG.2004.v12.n5.a1)).

The Nigeria Independent Accountability Mechanism for maternal, newborn, and child health.

PubMed

Garba, Aminu Magashi; Bandali, Sarah

2014-10-01

Since the 2010 launch of the UN Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, worldwide political energy coalesced around improving the health of women and children. Nigeria acted on a key recommendation emerging from the Global Strategy and became one of the first countries to establish an independent group known as the Nigeria Independent Accountability Mechanism (NIAM). NIAM aims to track efforts on progress related to Nigeria's roadmap for the health of women and children. It includes eminent people from outside government to ensure independence, and is recognized within government to analyze and report on progress. The concept of NIAM received approval at various national and international forums, as well as from the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health. This experience provides an example of connecting expertise and groups with the government to influence and accelerate progress in maternal, newborn, and child health. Engagement between government and civil society should become the norm rather than the exception to achieve national goals. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Gender-based violence and HIV across the life course: adopting a sexual rights framework to include older women.

PubMed

Cooper, Bergen; Crockett, Cailin

2015-11-01

It is widely known that older women are at lesser risk for sexual violence than younger women, but current inattention to older women in the gender-based violence (GBV) field has minimized the experiences of older women survivors at great detriment to their health and rights. For example, health providers seldom ask older women about their sexual activity and relationships, a neglect that leads to older women being excluded from necessary HIV testing and care as well as support services for abuse. This oversight is increasingly worrisome given the rise in new HIV infections among adults age 50 and older in recent years, with the majority of transmissions stemming from individuals unaware of their HIV-positive status. Building on sexual rights scholarship, this paper argues for an approach to public health interventions for GBV and HIV that acknowledges older women--their sexuality, sexual agency, and activity-- so that health providers and advocates acknowledge and serve older survivors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Speckle dynamics under ergodicity breaking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sdobnov, Anton; Bykov, Alexander; Molodij, Guillaume; Kalchenko, Vyacheslav; Jarvinen, Topias; Popov, Alexey; Kordas, Krisztian; Meglinski, Igor

2018-04-01

Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is a well-known and versatile approach for the non-invasive visualization of flows and microcirculation localized in turbid scattering media, including biological tissues. In most conventional implementations of LSCI the ergodic regime is typically assumed valid. However, most composite turbid scattering media, especially biological tissues, are non-ergodic, containing a mixture of dynamic and static centers of light scattering. In the current study, we examined the speckle contrast in different dynamic conditions with the aim of assessing limitations in the quantitative interpretation of speckle contrast images. Based on a simple phenomenological approach, we introduced a coefficient of speckle dynamics to quantitatively assess the ratio of the dynamic part of a scattering medium to the static one. The introduced coefficient allows one to distinguish real changes in motion from the mere appearance of static components in the field of view. As examples of systems with static/dynamic transitions, thawing and heating of Intralipid samples were studied by the LSCI approach.

Building Blocks for Reliable Complex Nonlinear Numerical Simulations. Chapter 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yee, H. C.; Mansour, Nagi N. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This chapter describes some of the building blocks to ensure a higher level of confidence in the predictability and reliability (PAR) of numerical simulation of multiscale complex nonlinear problems. The focus is on relating PAR of numerical simulations with complex nonlinear phenomena of numerics. To isolate sources of numerical uncertainties, the possible discrepancy between the chosen partial differential equation (PDE) model and the real physics and/or experimental data is set aside. The discussion is restricted to how well numerical schemes can mimic the solution behavior of the underlying PDE model for finite time steps and grid spacings. The situation is complicated by the fact that the available theory for the understanding of nonlinear behavior of numerics is not at a stage to fully analyze the nonlinear Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. The discussion is based on the knowledge gained for nonlinear model problems with known analytical solutions to identify and explain the possible sources and remedies of numerical uncertainties in practical computations. Examples relevant to turbulent flow computations are included.

Linear scaling relationships and volcano plots in homogeneous catalysis – revisiting the Suzuki reaction† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Detailed derivation of the linear scaling relationships and construction of the volcano plots as well as comparisons of computed values using PBE0-dDsC and M06 functionals is included. See DOI: 10.1039/c5sc02910d Click here for additional data file.

PubMed Central

Busch, Michael; Wodrich, Matthew D.

2015-01-01

Linear free energy scaling relationships and volcano plots are common tools used to identify potential heterogeneous catalysts for myriad applications. Despite the striking simplicity and predictive power of volcano plots, they remain unknown in homogeneous catalysis. Here, we construct volcano plots to analyze a prototypical reaction from homogeneous catalysis, the Suzuki cross-coupling of olefins. Volcano plots succeed both in discriminating amongst different catalysts and reproducing experimentally known trends, which serves as validation of the model for this proof-of-principle example. These findings indicate that the combination of linear scaling relationships and volcano plots could serve as a valuable methodology for identifying homogeneous catalysts possessing a desired activity through a priori computational screening. PMID:28757966

Mirid (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) specialists of sticky plants: adaptations, interactions, and ecological implications.

PubMed

Wheeler, Alfred G; Krimmel, Billy A

2015-01-07

Sticky plants-those having glandular trichomes (hairs) that produce adhesive, viscous exudates-can impede the movement of, and entrap, generalist insects. Disparate arthropod groups have adapted to these widespread and taxonomically diverse plants, yet their interactions with glandular hosts rarely are incorporated into broad ecological theory. Ecologists and entomologists might be unaware of even well-documented examples of insects that are sticky-plant specialists. The hemipteran family Miridae (more specifically, the omnivorous Dicyphini: Dicyphina) is the best-known group of arthropods that specializes on sticky plants. In the first synthesis of relationships with glandular plants for any insect family, we review mirid interactions with sticky hosts, including their adaptations (behavioral, morphological, and physiological) and mutualisms with carnivorous plants, and the ecological and agricultural implications of mirid-sticky plant systems. We propose that mirid research applies generally to tritrophic interactions on trichome-defended plants, enhances an understanding of insect-plant interactions, and provides information useful in managing crop pests.

ZN graded discrete Lax pairs and Yang–Baxter maps

PubMed Central

Fordy, Allan P.

2017-01-01

We recently introduced a class of ZN graded discrete Lax pairs and studied the associated discrete integrable systems (lattice equations). In this paper, we introduce the corresponding Yang–Baxter maps. Many well-known examples belong to this scheme for N=2, so, for N≥3, our systems may be regarded as generalizations of these. In particular, for each N we introduce a class of multi-component Yang–Baxter maps, which include HBIII (of Papageorgiou et al. 2010 SIGMA 6, 003 (9 p). (doi:10.3842/SIGMA.2010.033)), when N=2, and that associated with the discrete modified Boussinesq equation, for N=3. For N≥5 we introduce a new family of Yang–Baxter maps, which have no lower dimensional analogue. We also present new multi-component versions of the Yang–Baxter maps FIV and FV (given in the classification of Adler et al. 2004 Commun. Anal. Geom. 12, 967–1007. (doi:10.4310/CAG.2004.v12.n5.a1)). PMID:28588406

3D measurement using circular gratings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, Kevin

2013-09-01

3D measurement using methods of structured light are well known in the industry. Most such systems use some variation of straight lines, either as simple lines or with some form of encoding. This geometry assumes the lines will be projected from one side and viewed from another to generate the profile information. But what about applications where a wide triangulation angle may not be practical, particularly at longer standoff distances. This paper explores the use of circular grating patterns projected from a center point to achieve 3D information. Originally suggested by John Caulfield around 1990, the method had some interesting potential, particularly if combined with alternate means of measurement from traditional triangulation including depth from focus methods. The possible advantages of a central reference point in the projected pattern may offer some different capabilities not as easily attained with a linear grating pattern. This paper will explore the pros and cons of the method and present some examples of possible applications.

Six new mechanics corresponding to further shape theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Edward

2016-02-01

In this paper, suite of relational notions of shape are presented at the level of configuration space geometry, with corresponding new theories of shape mechanics and shape statistics. These further generalize two quite well known examples: (i) Kendall’s (metric) shape space with his shape statistics and Barbour’s mechanics thereupon. (ii) Leibnizian relational space alias metric scale-and-shape space to which corresponds Barbour-Bertotti mechanics. This paper’s new theories include, using the invariant and group namings, (iii) Angle alias conformal shape mechanics. (iv) Area ratio alias e shape mechanics. (v) Area alias e scale-and-shape mechanics. (iii)-(v) rest respectively on angle space, area-ratio space, and area space configuration spaces. Probability and statistics applications are also pointed to in outline. (vi) Various supersymmetric counterparts of (i)-(v) are considered. Since supergravity differs considerably from GR-based conceptions of background independence, some of the new supersymmetric shape mechanics are compared with both. These reveal compatibility between supersymmetry and GR-based conceptions of background independence, at least within these simpler model arenas.

Kinase inhibitor profiling reveals unexpected opportunities to inhibit disease-associated mutant kinases

PubMed Central

Duong-Ly, Krisna C.; Devarajan, Karthik; Liang, Shuguang; Horiuchi, Kurumi Y.; Wang, Yuren; Ma, Haiching; Peterson, Jeffrey R.

2016-01-01

Summary Small-molecule kinase inhibitors have typically been designed to inhibit wild-type kinases rather than the mutant forms that frequently arise in diseases such as cancer. Mutations can have serious clinical implications by increasing kinase catalytic activity or conferring therapeutic resistance. To identify opportunities to repurpose inhibitors against disease-associated mutant kinases, we conducted a large-scale functional screen of 183 known kinase inhibitors against 76 recombinant, mutant kinases. The results revealed lead compounds with activity against clinically important mutant kinases including ALK, LRRK2, RET, and EGFR as well as unexpected opportunities for repurposing FDA-approved kinase inhibitors as leads for additional indications. Furthermore, using T674I PDGFRα as an example, we show how single-dose screening data can provide predictive structure-activity data to guide subsequent inhibitor optimization. This study provides a resource for the development of inhibitors against numerous disease-associated mutant kinases and illustrates the potential of unbiased profiling as an approach to compound-centric inhibitor development. PMID:26776524

Experiences of Nursing Personnel Using PDAs in Home Health Care Services in Norwegian Municipalities

PubMed Central

Hansen, Linda M.; Fossum, Mariann; Söderhamn, Olle; Fruhling, Ann

2012-01-01

Although nursing personnel have used personal digital assistants (PDAs) to support home health care services for the past ten years, little is known about their experiences. This study was conducted to examine experiences of nursing personnel using a specialized home health care computer software application called Gerica. In addition, this research analyzed how well this application aligned with the workflow of the nursing personnel in their daily care of patients. The evaluation methods included user observations and learnability testing. Nursing personnel from two different municipalities were observed while performing real tasks in natural settings. This study shows that the nursing personnel were satisfied with the PDA user interface and the Gerica software; however, they identified areas for improvement. For example, the nursing personnel were concerned about trusting the reliability of the PDA in order to eliminate the need for handwritten documentation. Solutions to meet these shortcomings for nursing managers and vendors are discussed. PMID:24199073

Nonlinear stochastic interacting dynamics and complexity of financial gasket fractal-like lattice percolation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Wang, Jun

2018-05-01

A novel nonlinear stochastic interacting price dynamics is proposed and investigated by the bond percolation on Sierpinski gasket fractal-like lattice, aim to make a new approach to reproduce and study the complexity dynamics of real security markets. Fractal-like lattices correspond to finite graphs with vertices and edges, which are similar to fractals, and Sierpinski gasket is a well-known example of fractals. Fractional ordinal array entropy and fractional ordinal array complexity are introduced to analyze the complexity behaviors of financial signals. To deeper comprehend the fluctuation characteristics of the stochastic price evolution, the complexity analysis of random logarithmic returns and volatility are preformed, including power-law distribution, fractional sample entropy and fractional ordinal array complexity. For further verifying the rationality and validity of the developed stochastic price evolution, the actual security market dataset are also studied with the same statistical methods for comparison. The empirical results show that this stochastic price dynamics can reconstruct complexity behaviors of the actual security markets to some extent.

Clean Air Markets - Quick Facts and Trends

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Quick Facts and Trends module is part of a suite of Clean Air Markets-related tools that are accessible at http://camddataandmaps.epa.gov/gdm/index.cfm. The Quick Facts and Trends module provides charts and graphs depicting national trends in emissions and heat input. The user can view, for example, data pertaining to the top annual and ozone season emitters of a selected pollutant, the number of units and facilities in a particular state, and trends in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions.EPA's Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) includes several market-based regulatory programs designed to improve air quality and ecosystems. The most well-known of these programs are EPA's Acid Rain Program and the NOx Programs, which reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)-compounds that adversely affect air quality, the environment, and public health. CAMD also plays an integral role in the development and implementation of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR).

Robust decentralised stabilisation of uncertain large-scale interconnected nonlinear descriptor systems via proportional plus derivative feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian; Zhang, Qingling; Ren, Junchao; Zhang, Yanhao

2017-10-01

This paper studies the problem of robust stability and stabilisation for uncertain large-scale interconnected nonlinear descriptor systems via proportional plus derivative state feedback or proportional plus derivative output feedback. The basic idea of this work is to use the well-known differential mean value theorem to deal with the nonlinear model such that the considered nonlinear descriptor systems can be transformed into linear parameter varying systems. By using a parameter-dependent Lyapunov function, a decentralised proportional plus derivative state feedback controller and decentralised proportional plus derivative output feedback controller are designed, respectively such that the closed-loop system is quadratically normal and quadratically stable. Finally, a hypersonic vehicle practical simulation example and numerical example are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the results obtained in this paper.

The mineral industry of Ethiopia: present conditions and future prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assefa, Getaneh

Despite a record of mineral activity that dates back to Biblical times and the occurrence of a wide variety of minerals, as well as continuing efforts to discover major ore deposits, Ethiopia's mineral resources ahve remained of minor importance in the world economy. Mineral production in the last 20 years, for example, forms less than 1% of the estimated GDP. Well known minerals andmineral products available in the country in commercial quantities are: gold, platinum, manganese ore, natural agas, clays and clay products, feldspars, gypsum and anhydrite, slat, lime, limestone, cement, sand, structural and crushed stones, marble, mineral water and pumice. There are also vast reserves of water and geothermal power. Recently discovered deposits (over the last 20 years), with major reserves that may attain an important role in mineral production in the future, include potash salts, copper ore and diatomites. Minerals which are known to occur in Ethiopia, but of which supplies are deficient, or which have not yet been proved to exist in economic quantities are: nickel, iron, chromium, mineral fuels (oil, coal and uranium), sulphur, asbesttos, mica, talc, barytes, fluorites, borates, soda-ash, phosphates, wolframite, abrasives (garnet), molybdenite and vanadium. Within the last few years there has been an increasing appreciation of the economic significance of a mineral industry and a definite attempt to foster it. Mineral ownership is vested in the state are cotnrolled by the MInistry of Mines, Energy and Water Resources. The law relating to foreign investment in mines is liberal. The plans for the future have to provide for detailed and intensive exploration of the country's mineral resources, manufacture and fabrication.

1,1-Dimetallic reagents for the elaboration of stereoselectively di- or trisubstituted linear substrates.

PubMed

Normant, J F

2001-08-01

Although gem-dimetallic species have been known for a long time, and reacted once or twice with electrophiles, the allyl zincation of substituted vinyl metals has emerged as a particularly efficient access to such species. This is due to a high face selectivity, in the addition to the C=C bond, which can be governed by vicinal or more remote heteroatoms. This strategy has some aspects in common with the well-known allylations or aldol condensations to carbonyl derivatives. But in the present case, the C=C bond has a low polarity. We present here some examples which lead to di- or polysubstituted linear substrates, of given geometry, where the organodimetallic obtained has been doubly protonated by water. Further elaborations (to alkenes, ketones, etc.) are possible.

The use of J-coupling as a sole criterion to assign the total absolute stereochemistry of new pyrrolidinone class synthetic analogs, derived from S-pyroglutamic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellici, Tahsin F.; Ntountaniotis, Dimitrios; Vanioti, Marianna; Golic Grdadolnik, Simona; Simcic, Mihael; Michas, Georgios; Moutevelis-Minakakis, Panagiota; Mavromoustakos, Thomas

2017-02-01

During the synthesis of new pyrrolidinone analogs possessing biological activity it is intriguing to assign their absolute stereochemistry as it is well known that drug potency is influenced by the stereochemistry. The combination of J-coupling information with theoretical results was used in order to establish their total stereochemistry when the chiral center of the starting material has known absolute stereochemistry. The J-coupling can be used as a sole criterion for novel synthetic analogs to identify the right stereochemistry. This approach is extremely useful especially in the case of analogs whose 2D NOESY spectra cannot provide this information. Few synthetic examples are given to prove the significance of this approach.

Stimulus meanings alter illusory self-motion (vection)--experimental examination of the train illusion.

PubMed

Seno, Takeharu; Fukuda, Haruaki

2012-01-01

Over the last 100 years, numerous studies have examined the effective visual stimulus properties for inducing illusory self-motion (known as vection). This vection is often experienced more strongly in daily life than under controlled experimental conditions. One well-known example of vection in real life is the so-called 'train illusion'. In the present study, we showed that this train illusion can also be generated in the laboratory using virtual computer graphics-based motion stimuli. We also demonstrated that this vection can be modified by altering the meaning of the visual stimuli (i.e., top down effects). Importantly, we show that the semantic meaning of a stimulus can inhibit or facilitate vection, even when there is no physical change to the stimulus.

Measurement tensors in diffusion MRI: generalizing the concept of diffusion encoding.

PubMed

Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Szczepankiewicz, Filip; Pasternak, Ofer; Ozarslan, Evren; Topgaard, Daniel; Knutsson, Hans; Nilsson, Markus

2014-01-01

In traditional diffusion MRI, short pulsed field gradients (PFG) are used for the diffusion encoding. The standard Stejskal-Tanner sequence uses one single pair of such gradients, known as single-PFG (sPFG). In this work we describe how trajectories in q-space can be used for diffusion encoding. We discuss how such encoding enables the extension of the well-known scalar b-value to a tensor-valued entity we call the diffusion measurement tensor. The new measurements contain information about higher order diffusion propagator covariances not present in sPFG. As an example analysis, we use this new information to estimate a Gaussian distribution over diffusion tensors in each voxel, described by its mean (a diffusion tensor) and its covariance (a 4th order tensor).

Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-27

result of fear and anger, for example, tend to increase alertness and provide extra energy to either run away or fight. These and other mechanisms can...People have been known to complete a fight with a fractured hand, to run on a fractured or sprained ankle, to land an aircraft despite severely burned...IP cannot run away from fear and must take action to control it. Appropriate actions include: • Understanding fear. • Admitting that it exists

Nematode parasites of fishes: recent advances and problems of their research.

PubMed

Moravec, F

2007-09-01

Although nematodes (Nematoda) belong to the most frequent and the most important parasites of fishes in the freshwater, brackish-water and marine environments throughout the world, the present knowledge of these parasites remains still incomplete, especially as to their biology and ecology, but also taxonomy, phylogeny, zoogeography, and the like. However, a certain progress in the research of fish nematodes has been achieved during recent years. An overview of some of the most important discoveries and results obtained is presented. As an example, existing problems in the taxonomy of these nematodes are shown in the dracunculoid family Philometridae (presently including 109 species in 9 genera), where they are associated mainly with some biological peculiarities of these mostly important tissue parasites. Nematodes of the Dracunculoidea as a whole remain poorly known; for example, of 139 valid species parasitizing fishes, 81 (58%) are known by females only and the males have not yet been described for members of 8 (27%) of genera. A taxonomic revision of this nematode group, based on detailed morphological, life history and molecular studies of individual species, is quite necessary; for the time being, Moravec (2006) has proposed a new classification system of dracunculoids, where, based on previous molecular studies, the Anguillicolidae is no longer listed in Dracunculoidea, but in an independent superfamily Anguillicoloidea. Important results have recently been achieved also in the taxonomy of fish nematodes belonging to other superfamilies, as well as in studies of their geographical distribution and diversity in different parts of the world and those of their biology. Opportunities for more detailed studies of fish nematodes have recently greatly improved with the use of some new methods, in particular SEM and DNA studies. There is a need to create a new classification system of these parasites reflecting phylogenetic relationships; a prerequisite for this is taxonomic revisions of different groups based on detailed studies of individual species, including mainly their morphology, biology and genetics. Further progress should concern studies on various aspects of biology, ecology and host-parasite relationships, because these data may have practical implications.

Estimating habitat volume of living resources using three-dimensional circulation and biogeochemical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Katharine A.; Schlag, Zachary; North, Elizabeth W.

2018-07-01

Coupled three-dimensional circulation and biogeochemical models predict changes in water properties that can be used to define fish habitat, including physiologically important parameters such as temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. However, methods for calculating the volume of habitat defined by the intersection of multiple water properties are not well established for coupled three-dimensional models. The objectives of this research were to examine multiple methods for calculating habitat volume from three-dimensional model predictions, select the most robust approach, and provide an example application of the technique. Three methods were assessed: the "Step," "Ruled Surface", and "Pentahedron" methods, the latter of which was developed as part of this research. Results indicate that the analytical Pentahedron method is exact, computationally efficient, and preserves continuity in water properties between adjacent grid cells. As an example application, the Pentahedron method was implemented within the Habitat Volume Model (HabVol) using output from a circulation model with an Arakawa C-grid and physiological tolerances of juvenile striped bass (Morone saxatilis). This application demonstrates that the analytical Pentahedron method can be successfully applied to calculate habitat volume using output from coupled three-dimensional circulation and biogeochemical models, and it indicates that the Pentahedron method has wide application to aquatic and marine systems for which these models exist and physiological tolerances of organisms are known.

Mapping the areas sensitive to long-term endotoxin tolerance in the rat brain: a c-fos mRNA study.

PubMed

Vallès, Astrid; Martí, Octavi; Armario, Antonio

2005-06-01

We have recently found that a single endotoxin administration to rats reduced the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to another endotoxin administration 4 weeks later, which may be an example of the well-known phenomenon of endotoxin tolerance. However, the time elapsed between the two doses of endotoxin was long enough to consider the above results as an example of late tolerance, whose mechanisms are poorly characterized. To know if the brain plays a role in this phenomenon and to characterize the putative areas involved, we compared the c-fos mRNA response after a final dose of endotoxin in animals given vehicle or endotoxin 4 weeks before. Endotoxin caused a widespread induction of c-fos mRNA in the brain, similar to that previously reported by other laboratories. Whereas most of the brain areas were not sensitive to the previous experience with endotoxin, a few showed a reduced response in endotoxin-pretreated rats: the parvocellular and magnocellular regions of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, the central amygdala, the lateral division of the bed nucleus and the locus coeruleus. We hypothesize that late tolerance to endotoxin may involve plastic changes in the brain, likely to be located in the central amygdala. The reduced activation of the central amygdala in rats previously treated with endotoxin may, in turn, reduce the activation of other brain areas, including the hypothalamic paraventicular nucleus.

Range Imaging without Moving Parts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blair, J. Bryan; Scott, V. Stanley, III; Ramos-Izquierdo, Luis

2008-01-01

Range-imaging instruments of a type now under development are intended to generate the equivalent of three-dimensional images from measurements of the round-trip times of flight of laser pulses along known directions. These instruments could also provide information on characteristics of targets, including roughnesses and reflectivities of surfaces and optical densities of such semi-solid objects as trees and clouds. Unlike in prior range-imaging instruments based on times of flight along known directions, there would be no moving parts; aiming of the laser beams along the known directions would not be accomplished by mechanical scanning of mirrors, prisms, or other optical components. Instead, aiming would be accomplished by using solid-state devices to switch input and output beams along different fiber-optic paths. Because of the lack of moving parts, these instruments could be extraordinarily reliable, rugged, and long-lasting. An instrument of this type would include an optical transmitter that would send out a laser pulse along a chosen direction to a target. An optical receiver coaligned with the transmitter would measure the temporally varying intensity of laser light reflected from the target to determine the distance and surface characteristics of the target. The transmitter would be a combination of devices for generating precise directional laser illumination. It would include a pulsed laser, the output of which would be coupled into a fiber-optic cable with a fan-out and solid-state optical switches that would enable switching of the laser beam onto one or more optical fibers terminated at known locations in an array on a face at the focal plane of a telescope. The array would be imaged by the telescope onto the target space. The receiver optical system could share the aforementioned telescope with the transmitter or could include a separate telescope aimed in the same direction as that of the transmitting telescope. In either case, light reflected from the target would be focused by the receiver optical system onto an array of optical fibers matching the array in the transmitter. These optical fibers would couple the received light to one or more photodetector( s). Optionally, the receiver could include solid-state optical switches for choosing which optical fiber(s) would couple light to the photodetector(s). This instrument architecture is flexible and can be optimized for a wide variety of applications and levels of performance. For example, it is scalable to any number of pixels and pixel resolutions and is compatible with a variety of ranging and photodetection methodologies, including, for example, ranging by use of modulated (including pulsed and encoded) light signals. The use of fixed arrays of optical fibers to generate controlled illumination patterns would eliminate the mechanical complexity and much of the bulk of optomechanical scanning assemblies. Furthermore, digital control of the selection of the fiber-optic pathways for the transmitted beams could afford capabilities not seen in previous three-dimensional range-imaging systems. Instruments of this type could be specialized for use as, for example, proximity detectors, three-dimensional robotic vision systems, airborne terrain-mapping systems, and inspection systems.

Sonar equations for planetary exploration.

PubMed

Ainslie, Michael A; Leighton, Timothy G

2016-08-01

The set of formulations commonly known as "the sonar equations" have for many decades been used to quantify the performance of sonar systems in terms of their ability to detect and localize objects submerged in seawater. The efficacy of the sonar equations, with individual terms evaluated in decibels, is well established in Earth's oceans. The sonar equations have been used in the past for missions to other planets and moons in the solar system, for which they are shown to be less suitable. While it would be preferable to undertake high-fidelity acoustical calculations to support planning, execution, and interpretation of acoustic data from planetary probes, to avoid possible errors for planned missions to such extraterrestrial bodies in future, doing so requires awareness of the pitfalls pointed out in this paper. There is a need to reexamine the assumptions, practices, and calibrations that work well for Earth to ensure that the sonar equations can be accurately applied in combination with the decibel to extraterrestrial scenarios. Examples are given for icy oceans such as exist on Europa and Ganymede, Titan's hydrocarbon lakes, and for the gaseous atmospheres of (for example) Jupiter and Venus.

Symbolic dynamics techniques for complex systems: Application to share price dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Dan; Beck, Christian

2017-05-01

The symbolic dynamics technique is well known for low-dimensional dynamical systems and chaotic maps, and lies at the roots of the thermodynamic formalism of dynamical systems. Here we show that this technique can also be successfully applied to time series generated by complex systems of much higher dimensionality. Our main example is the investigation of share price returns in a coarse-grained way. A nontrivial spectrum of Rényi entropies is found. We study how the spectrum depends on the time scale of returns, the sector of stocks considered, as well as the number of symbols used for the symbolic description. Overall our analysis confirms that in the symbol space transition probabilities of observed share price returns depend on the entire history of previous symbols, thus emphasizing the need for a modelling based on non-Markovian stochastic processes. Our method allows for quantitative comparisons of entirely different complex systems, for example the statistics of symbol sequences generated by share price returns using 4 symbols can be compared with that of genomic sequences.

Hurricane track forecast cones from fluctuations

PubMed Central

Meuel, T.; Prado, G.; Seychelles, F.; Bessafi, M.; Kellay, H.

2012-01-01

Trajectories of tropical cyclones may show large deviations from predicted tracks leading to uncertainty as to their landfall location for example. Prediction schemes usually render this uncertainty by showing track forecast cones representing the most probable region for the location of a cyclone during a period of time. By using the statistical properties of these deviations, we propose a simple method to predict possible corridors for the future trajectory of a cyclone. Examples of this scheme are implemented for hurricane Ike and hurricane Jimena. The corridors include the future trajectory up to at least 50 h before landfall. The cones proposed here shed new light on known track forecast cones as they link them directly to the statistics of these deviations. PMID:22701776

33 CFR 385.28 - Operating Manuals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... natural system; (vii) Include a drought contingency plan as required by § 222.5(i)(5) of this chapter and Engineer Regulation ER 1110-2-1941 “Drought Contingency Plans” that is consistent with the Water Rights... events, as well as by including a drought contingency plan. (A) Emergency deviations. Examples of some...

33 CFR 385.28 - Operating Manuals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... natural system; (vii) Include a drought contingency plan as required by § 222.5(i)(5) of this chapter and Engineer Regulation ER 1110-2-1941 “Drought Contingency Plans” that is consistent with the Water Rights... events, as well as by including a drought contingency plan. (A) Emergency deviations. Examples of some...

33 CFR 385.28 - Operating Manuals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... natural system; (vii) Include a drought contingency plan as required by § 222.5(i)(5) of this chapter and Engineer Regulation ER 1110-2-1941 “Drought Contingency Plans” that is consistent with the Water Rights... events, as well as by including a drought contingency plan. (A) Emergency deviations. Examples of some...

33 CFR 385.28 - Operating Manuals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... natural system; (vii) Include a drought contingency plan as required by § 222.5(i)(5) of this chapter and Engineer Regulation ER 1110-2-1941 “Drought Contingency Plans” that is consistent with the Water Rights... events, as well as by including a drought contingency plan. (A) Emergency deviations. Examples of some...

33 CFR 385.28 - Operating Manuals.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... natural system; (vii) Include a drought contingency plan as required by § 222.5(i)(5) of this chapter and Engineer Regulation ER 1110-2-1941 “Drought Contingency Plans” that is consistent with the Water Rights... events, as well as by including a drought contingency plan. (A) Emergency deviations. Examples of some...

Introduction to Forward-Error-Correcting Coding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freeman, Jon C.

1996-01-01

This reference publication introduces forward error correcting (FEC) and stresses definitions and basic calculations for use by engineers. The seven chapters include 41 example problems, worked in detail to illustrate points. A glossary of terms is included, as well as an appendix on the Q function. Block and convolutional codes are covered.

The Implications of State Fiscal Policies for Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowd, Alicia C.; Shieh, Linda Taing

2014-01-01

A variety of policies and practices, including those developed by local boards and administrations, as well as those mandated by state and federal governments, affect budgets and finances at community colleges. Examples include tuition policies, fee structures, performance-based funding, and personnel policies. This chapter explores some of the…

[Amanitine determination as an example of peptide analysis in the biological samples with HPLC-MS technique].

PubMed

Janus, Tomasz; Jasionowicz, Ewa; Potocka-Banaś, Barbara; Borowiak, Krzysztof

Routine toxicological analysis is mostly focused on the identification of non-organic and organic, chemically different compounds, but generally with low mass, usually not greater than 500–600 Da. Peptide compounds with atomic mass higher than 900 Da are a specific analytical group. Several dozen of them are highly-toxic substances well known in toxicological practice, for example mushroom toxin and animal venoms. In the paper the authors present an example of alpha-amanitin to explain the analytical problems and different original solutions in identifying peptides in urine samples with the use of the universal LC MS/MS procedure. The analyzed material was urine samples collected from patients with potential mushroom intoxication, routinely diagnosed for amanitin determination. Ultra filtration with centrifuge filter tubes (limited mass cutoff 3 kDa) was used. Filtrate fluid was directly injected on the chromatographic column and analyzed with a mass detector (MS/MS). The separation of peptides as organic, amphoteric compounds from biological material with the use of the SPE technique is well known but requires dedicated, specific columns. The presented paper proved that with the fast and simple ultra filtration technique amanitin can be effectively isolated from urine, and the procedure offers satisfactory sensitivity of detection and eliminates the influence of the biological matrix on analytical results. Another problem which had to be solved was the non-characteristic fragmentation of peptides in the MS/MS procedure providing non-selective chromatograms. It is possible to use higher collision energies in the analytical procedure, which results in more characteristic mass spectres, although it offers lower sensitivity. The ultra filtration technique as a procedure of sample preparation is effective for the isolation of amanitin from the biological matrix. The monitoring of selected mass corresponding to transition with the loss of water molecule offers satisfactory sensitivity of determination.

Simple Z2 lattice gauge theories at finite fermion density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prosko, Christian; Lee, Shu-Ping; Maciejko, Joseph

2017-11-01

Lattice gauge theories are a powerful language to theoretically describe a variety of strongly correlated systems, including frustrated magnets, high-Tc superconductors, and topological phases. However, in many cases gauge fields couple to gapless matter degrees of freedom, and such theories become notoriously difficult to analyze quantitatively. In this paper we study several examples of Z2 lattice gauge theories with gapless fermions at finite density, in one and two spatial dimensions, that are either exactly soluble or whose solution reduces to that of a known problem. We consider complex fermions (spinless and spinful) as well as Majorana fermions and study both theories where Gauss' law is strictly imposed and those where all background charge sectors are kept in the physical Hilbert space. We use a combination of duality mappings and the Z2 slave-spin representation to map our gauge theories to models of gauge-invariant fermions that are either free, or with on-site interactions of the Hubbard or Falicov-Kimball type that are amenable to further analysis. In 1D, the phase diagrams of these theories include free-fermion metals, insulators, and superconductors, Luttinger liquids, and correlated insulators. In 2D, we find a variety of gapped and gapless phases, the latter including uniform and spatially modulated flux phases featuring emergent Dirac fermions, some violating Luttinger's theorem.